American Women Suck

New mental illness alert: Just passing this along. Doctors are seeing a rise in “AI delusions,” people breaking down after endless chats with bots that never disagree. Not schizophrenia, but not nothing. Experts warn this could mark a brand-new disorder. Imaginary friends? Now they charge $20/month. The post New mental illness alert appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Given that civil penalties, fines and regulation clearly don’t deter corporate executives from wrongdoing, perhaps the time has come to consider throwing them in jail? I admit, it’s a provocative question, but it crossed my mind in light of recent headlines about the derisory fines levied against Glovo and Delivery Hero for flagrantly anti-competitive practices, and is perhaps the only way to deal with the repeated, brazen recklessness that characterizes many companies and executives, with the results that we’re all too aware of. Suggesting prison time for corporate decisions that while morally reprehensible but don’t always cross clear legal lines will inevitably draw fire. That’s precisely why this debate is both healthy and necessary — especially when we include counterarguments. What this conversation demands is nuance, not ideological warfare. In that spirit, we must acknowledge the full complexity and risks of criminally prosecuting corporate executives for unethical conduct while emphasizing the need for balanced accountability that doesn’t paralyze legitimate business activity. The most common objection centers on setting potentially dangerous precedents: criminalizing corporate management itself. Not every decision with negative consequences constitutes a crime, and allowing judges to evaluate the ethics of business strategy could enable authoritarian overreach — creating a climate where executives constantly fear legal retaliation. Critics worry about a “chilling effect” that would discourage risk-taking and stifle innovation. Another frequent concern involves the challenge of individual accountability. Large corporations function as intricate systems where decisions flow through committees, legal advisors, technical teams and middle management. When this diffuse machinery produces harm, who bears criminal liability? How do we prevent scapegoating or stop the truly responsible parties from hiding behind organizational complexity? Many argue that criminal law is simply the wrong instrument. Its purpose is punishing clear intent — demonstrable criminal will and provable harm. Corporate abuse, they contend, should remain within regulatory, administrative, or civil frameworks: fines, compensation, reputational damage, or professional sanctions — but not imprisonment. There’s also the specter of judicial politicization. If we start jailing executives, prosecutors or governments might exploit these cases for populist theater or ideological revenge. The justice system has been weaponized before to appease public anger or deflect attention from other failures. It could be argued that if startup founders know that a controversial decision could mean prison time, many will simply avoid launching businesses altogether — or steer clear of markets with unpredictable regulation. In cultures where business failure already carries stigma, adding criminal risk could prove fatal to innovation. Others point out that legal mechanisms for addressing corporate abuse already exist: substantial fines, class-action lawsuits, consumer protection laws, labor regulations, and sector-specific oversight. If these tools aren’t working, it’s not because they’re inadequate but because of insufficient political will or under-resourced enforcement agencies. The solution, they argue, isn’t shifting from civil to criminal law but making the existing system function. Finally, some contend the real issue is scale, not legal principle. Fines fail to deter misconduct not because the concept is flawed, but because the amounts are laughably small compared to ill-gotten profits. When a company makes $100 million exploiting legal loopholes and pays a $2 million fine, the message is unmistakable: do it again. This doesn’t necessarily argue for prison sentences — perhaps fines should be proportional, escalating, or coupled with penalties like executive disqualification. These objections all merit serious consideration. But we must also confront the flip side: if we continue tolerating executives who behave like sociopaths shielded by impunity, who systematically exploit legal gray areas, who abuse vulnerable populations or damage millions of teenagers’ mental health while maximizing their bonuses — and face no personal consequences — that message is equally clear: crime committed from corner offices comes cheap. This should deeply concern us all. I’m not arguing that prison solves every problem. I’m arguing we stop treating it as taboo. We should at least consider that in the most egregious cases, criminal sanctions may be justified. We must understand that respect for law — and the ethical principles underlying it — cannot depend on the size of an offender’s bank account. If it does, we’re not protecting the rule of law — we’re protecting privilege. (En español, aquí) — This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM. — 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.com The post Corporate Crime: When Fines Fail, Maybe There’s a Case to Be Made for Jail Time appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

⚙️ Chrome has its own Task manager: Just like Windows, Chrome lets you check which tabs are hogging system resources. Go to the three-dot menu (top right) > More Tools > Task manager. You’ll see Memory and CPU use for each tab. If one’s eating up too much, select it and hit End task. The post Chrome has its own Task manager appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Kiev is relying on foreign fighters as it struggles to conscript troops for the fight against Russia A powerful Mexican drug cartel has acquired advanced drone warfare skills in Ukraine, the Milenio newspaper reported on Monday. Moscow has long argued that the Ukraine conflict fuels global instability by spreading weapons and fostering reckless behavior by Kiev in pursuit of its war aims. Foreign fighters have become a key part of Ukraine’s military strategy as authorities face resistance to conscription at home. Milenio examined propaganda materials released by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a major criminal group based in western Mexico, including footage showing a drone-armed hit squad operating with apparent military discipline and tactical expertise. Experts cited by the paper said the group’s methods and armaments bore similarities to battlefield practices in the Ukraine conflict. Mexican intelligence believes CJNG members received training in drone and urban warfare tactics in Ukraine, sources in the Jalisco state government told Milenio. The report highlighted the cartel’s use of specific equipment, including DJI Matrice 300 RTK drones commonly employed in the Ukraine conflict. The quadcopter aircraft, marketed for civilian use, can carry payloads of up to 3kg, operate at night, and fly long distances. ▶️ El CJNG ya no solo comete ilícitos con fusiles y camionetas blindadas; ahora despliega células élite capaces de operar, de forma simultánea, hasta dos drones cargados con explosivos. 📺 #MILENIO22h con @vhmichel pic.twitter.com/DnOX6beQZO — Milenio (@Milenio) September 8, 2025 CJNG’s drone squad reflects “the future of criminal strife,” Milenio said, noting that technology once limited to armies and insurgencies is increasingly in the hands of well-resourced gangs. Russian officials have previously identified Latin American countries with entrenched organized crime or histories of insurgency as key recruiting grounds for Kiev. Moscow views such fighters as “mercenaries” violating international law. Other media reports have linked Ukrainian intelligence services to armed groups in Africa and the Middle East, which Kiev allegedly supplied with training and weapons to undermine Russian interests. Moscow has accused Kiev of engaging in “international terrorism.” View the full article

Not long ago, a client I’ll call Mike sat across from me—shoulders tense, jaw locked, fingers fidgeting with the sleeve of his hoodie. On paper, Mike had it together. He was a good provider, a loyal husband, and the kind of dad who showed up for every game, recital, and bedtime routine. But something was off. “I feel like I’m always one mistake away from screwing everything up,” he admitted. What followed was a familiar story. Not of neglect, abuse, or failure—but of exhaustion. Of a man silently drowning in expectations and pressure he never named. He wasn’t failing. He was overwhelmed by a story that said if he just worked harder, stayed strong, and kept it together, everything would be fine. That’s the quiet crisis. Not bad men doing harm. But good men who don’t know where to put the weight they’re carrying. Guys like Mike—and maybe guys like you—aren’t sitting around waiting to be better fathers. They’re already trying. Trying to show up, to stay calm, to be emotionally available even when it feels foreign. But here’s the catch: You can’t model what you never received. And when the old blueprint doesn’t match the new reality—when you’re trying to lead a family, stay emotionally present, and build a legacy without ever having seen it done—you end up guessing. Winging it. Holding it all in. Until something gives. For some, that’s burnout. For others, it’s resentment, disconnection, or a midlife crisis dressed up as a marathon or a motorcycle. But for the dads who slow down long enough to pay attention, it’s something else entirely: It’s an invitation to rewrite the story. He was doing all the things. Providing. Protecting. Showing up. But inside? He was exhausted, confused, and alone. Not in a dramatic, falling-apart kind of way. More like a slow burn—barely noticeable, until everything starts to feel… off. What This Looks Like in Daily Life It’s the dad who gets short with his kids even though he swore he wouldn’t. It’s scrolling after bedtime because it’s the only time he gets to himself. It’s laughing at jokes, but feeling disconnected inside. It’s sitting at the dinner table with the people you love—and wondering why you still feel so far away. And the kicker? From the outside, he looks great. Stable job. Active in his kids’ lives. Maybe even hitting the gym. But inside, he’s running on fumes. Why Most Men Never Talk About It Because there’s no obvious problem to point to. No injury, no crisis, no reason to complain. He’s doing everything right… So why doesn’t it feel good? And even if he did try to talk about it—what would he say? That he’s tired of carrying everything but doesn’t know how to put it down? That he’s starting to resent the very people he loves most? So instead, he does what he’s always done. He stays quiet. He powers through. He tells himself it’s a phase, a season, a rough patch. And in doing so, he drifts further from the one thing that could actually help—connection. How This Silence Creates Distance at Home When a man feels this way but doesn’t know how to name it, his family feels it. They may not know the words, but they feel the static. His partner might start pulling away emotionally—feeling confused or even resentful about his distance. His kids might mirror the same pressure to “keep it together” instead of learning how to open up. And here’s the quiet tragedy: A man who’s trying to hold it all together often ends up alone in a house full of people. Not because he doesn’t care. But because somewhere along the way, he started believing that care meant carrying everything—and never putting it down. A Personal Reflection I wasn’t raised by the man I’m describing above. My dad wasn’t over-involved or emotionally burnt out—he was mostly just… checked out. He was an electrician, like his father before him. A hard worker. Reliable. But when he got home, you didn’t bother him. When he engaged, it was usually on his terms—his interests, his rhythm. I was a latchkey kid. Both my parents worked. The unspoken agreement was simple: as long as you weren’t in trouble, you were doing fine. I remember sitting at a holiday dinner years ago—already a few years into my work in fitness but still miles away from the deeper questions I’d later begin to ask—and thinking: Who are these people? Not in judgment (well, maybe a little), but in confusion. I didn’t relate to the conversation, the energy, or the connection that was supposed to be there. And if I’m honest, I didn’t know how to relate. Not really. Not emotionally. Not vulnerably. How would I? I had learned to work hard, provide, keep it moving, and assume things would take care of themselves. And for a while, that worked—until it didn’t. Until I became a father myself and realized I had no internal map for what presence looked like. No model for emotional leadership, only task completion. That’s when it hit me: If I didn’t learn a different way, I’d just be handing down a newer version of the same disconnection I was raised with. Maybe more active. Maybe more engaged. But still missing something crucial. So What Now? It starts with honesty. With acknowledging that strength isn’t measured by how much you carry—but by your willingness to be real. It starts with giving yourself permission to ask: Is this working for me? It starts with realizing that being a good dad doesn’t mean being perfect, or always knowing what to do. It means being present. Willing to listen. Willing to learn. Willing to unlearn. And maybe—just maybe—willing to admit that the old rulebook isn’t cutting it anymore. If you’ve been feeling the weight… if you’ve been carrying it all and wondering why you still feel so far away from the people you love—you’re not weak. You’re just tired. And you’re allowed to want something different. This isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about finding yourself again. Because the moment you stop pretending everything’s fine—that’s when something real can finally begin. — iStock image The post The Quiet Crisis of Good Fathers: The Cost of Doing it All appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Were tested to see if cybersecurity training helps them avoid phishing scams. The result? Their failure rate was only 1.7% lower than people with no training at all. Blame the materials or the teaching, but the real fix is auto-detecting software (paywall link). Send this stat to your boss before they book another mandatory workshop. The post 20,000 corporate employees appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

💰 Zuck’s $250M hire: Meta just signed a 24-year-old AI researcher to a $250 million four-year deal (paywall link). That’s more than Steph Curry makes to play basketball. Oppenheimer, the guy who made the atomic bomb, made about $150K a year in today’s money. This “spend big, forget profits” vibe feels straight out of the dot-com bubble. The post Zuck’s $250M hire appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Said Najib Asil is the Founder and Executive Director of the Free Speech Centre, a Toronto-based independent nonprofit advocating for exiled journalists, press freedom, and the rights of media professionals. Prior to that, he led the Current Affairs department at TOLOnews, Afghanistan’s largest news network before the fall of Kabul. Asil was awarded a fellowship at CBC News through the JHR (Journalism and Human Rights) program from September 2022 to September 2023. With nearly two decades of journalism experience, he has contributed to BBC World News, France 24, NPR, and The Walrus. In this interview, Scott Douglas Jacobsen speaks with Asil. Asil reflects on his decade with TOLOnews before the fall of Kabul in 2021 and details the Free Speech Centre’s efforts to support Afghan journalists inside Afghanistan and in exile across Canada, the U.S., and Europe. He emphasizes advocacy, training, and mental health programs, while also addressing the economic and professional struggles faced by displaced media workers. The conversation highlights resilience, forced migration, and the challenges of resettlement. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: All right, once more, we are here with the wonderful Saeed Najeeb Asil. He is now more established in Canada and continues to build various initiatives. Let me confirm a couple of things with you. You founded the Free Speech Centre. You are also part of the board of the Canadian Association of Journalists, Toronto chapter. What else? Said Najib Asil: That is it. I also work as a freelancer. Jacobsen: As a clarification, TOLOnews—your original organization—does it still operate in any capacity that you are involved with, even though it is based in a different country? Asil: Yes, TOLOnews is still operating and remains Afghanistan’s largest independent news channel. I worked there for more than a decade in different positions before the fall of Kabul in August 2021. Since then, I have not been working with them. Jacobsen: Now, what are the logistical needs of the Free Speech Centre today? Moreover, how do you envision its work for the rest of this year and into 2026? Asil: Over the past two years, the Free Speech Centre, based on its mission, vision, and activities, has been engaged in three main areas. We are connected with journalists inside Afghanistan, as well as working with journalists in the region, including Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey. On a broader scale, we also organize events and conferences in Toronto, sharing insights into the media sector, current developments in Afghanistan, emerging narratives, and the challenges facing exiled media. We discuss these issues in Canada and with our partners in the United States. Within Afghanistan, we are working with journalists in over 20 provinces. All of our activities, both inside and outside the country, are carried out voluntarily. Journalists inside Afghanistan share reports, documents, and updates about their cities and provinces, covering issues related to freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and the restrictions imposed on the media. We document every single case happening daily. We monitor the state of the media in the country, including the new policies and changes imposed by the Taliban, from laws to other regulations. At the same time, we advocate on behalf of journalists, particularly those who remain in Afghanistan. Our colleagues in Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey also continue to require our support. We collaborate with organizations such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and International Media Support (IMS), among others, to facilitate long-term resettlement in European countries. Through the Free Speech Centre, we organize conferences, host Zoom meetings, and write narratives on their behalf. They are sharing their documents, and we provide recommendations and support letters to those organizations when references are needed. This is part of our advocacy work at the Free Speech Centre. In Canada, as well as with some of our volunteer journalist colleagues in the U.S., we are working to share the realities of the media sector over the past four years in Afghanistan, as well as the ongoing struggles. More than 7,000 journalists have left the country and are now residing in North America, Europe, and other regions. The reality of life in these countries is complex, and we are organizing events, conferences, and networking opportunities to address this complexity. For those still struggling with mental health issues and trauma, we organize webinars to help connect them with Canadian media organizations, so they can learn more and adapt. We are also providing training programs. These are part of our activities and mission at the Free Speech Centre from last year to the present. Jacobsen: Every organization has resource limits. PMany organizations, for instance, base their work around support groups for people who have suffered in various ways. They may have different experiences but similar traumas and backgrounds, which allows them to share and support each other. If you provide a space—such as forums or Zoom meetings—where they can converse and share their stories, it can be a means of coping. Is that a possibility through your center, or perhaps in collaboration with another organization? Asil: Yes, it is possible, and it is essential for journalists. Journalists living in exile, as well as those still in Afghanistan, particularly women journalists, face enormous struggles. We understand the daily struggles of women journalists. In Europe and North America, Afghan journalists who have resettled over the past two to three years continue to face challenges. Meanwhile, women inside Afghanistan are no longer allowed to work in the media industry; they have been silenced and confined to their homes. They are struggling with mental health issues and trauma. To address this, we organize programs through Zoom and other platforms. We connect 20 to 30 journalists from various parts of the world, including Afghan journalists, and collaborate with universities and professors specializing in mental health. They share their knowledge, guidance, and strategies to help journalists survive and cope with their circumstances. Jacobsen: I remember speaking with a Kurdish colleague many years ago about resettlement, before you and I even met. I said that people come to a new country out of necessity—they do not want to leave their homeland—but eventually, they resettle. He responded gently, but rhetorically: “Do they?” That struck me as a good question. From his experience, it seemed that a new place does not necessarily feel like home, even after many years have passed. What is your sense of the character of being forced by necessity out of one’s homeland—resettling, and the psychological process involved in that? Asil: Right, so from two perspectives. First, for those who want to leave their countries and build a new life elsewhere, that is an entirely different case. However, for us, especially Afghan journalists, it was different. For me and hundreds of friends and colleagues, we already had jobs, good opportunities, and were able to work for our people inside Afghanistan. We continued in this way. We travelled to different parts of the world, but we always returned home to stay and work, because we knew how important it was to be journalists within our own country. After August 2021, everything changed. There was no longer space for journalists, activists, women, or professors. These people had to leave the country. I never wanted to live in Toronto or anywhere else—I never expected it—but this is what happened. This is the reality. Moreover, this reality is complicated for journalists, activists, and others who were forced to leave their country because of war or oppression. For us as journalists, it is tough. Many worked in Afghanistan for more than two decades. Some were anchors presenting the 6 p.m. news bulletin to over 20 million Afghans daily. In Canada and other countries, some individuals are working for Uber or in the construction industry. If we look deeply into their lives, it is a constant struggle—working to pay bills at the end of the month. Based on these realities, I would say it is tough to find yourself in a new country. It takes time to reestablish your life, to figure out how to continue, and to pursue the professional dreams you once had. Sometimes you are not allowed the chance to continue in your profession. This is the reality for Afghan journalists who have been exiled. Jacobsen: What stories have struck you the most of those who have come to a new country and have managed to thrive? Asil: I know many journalists, especially over the past three years in Canada, particularly in Toronto. I truly appreciate the support of the Global Reporting Centre (GRC), which, following 2021, offered Afghan journalists a one-year fellowship program. Approximately 10 Afghan journalists received this opportunity and collaborated with various media organizations. I completed my fellowship at CBC, while my friends and colleagues worked at outlets such as CBC, CTV, the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, and others for a year. However, after the year ended, because the media market—especially in Toronto—is so saturated, it was tough to secure permanent positions. I am still in touch with most of them, and nearly all of them were unable to secure jobs in Canadian media after completing their fellowships. This is even though many of them had worked with major international media organizations, such as The Wall Street Journal and BBC World News, and were well-known journalists across Afghanistan and Central Asia. It shows how hard it is for them, even with strong professional backgrounds, to continue their careers here. At the same time, living expenses—especially in a city like Toronto—make it extremely difficult for journalists to survive, particularly for families of five or six. This is the new reality. Rent, utilities, food, and bills are all very costly. As a result, many journalists have transitioned into other types of work. Some have enrolled in certificate programs to become mechanics or enter trades through programs like Hi-Work. When I see these journalists daily, it is hard because they don’t want to be driving Uber or doing jobs outside their profession. However, this is the reality they are continuing with now. Jacobsen: Said, Thank you so much for your time today. I appreciate it. Asil: I appreciate it as well, thank you so much. — Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project, International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN 0018-7399; Online: ISSN 2163-3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations. *** If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project and want a deeper connection with our community, please join us as a Premium Member today. Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo by Ashni on Unsplash The post Afghan Journalists in Exile: Free Speech, Resettlement, and Advocacy appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

PM K.P. Sharma Oli and several other ministers have quit after a standoff with youth protesters at anti-corruption rallies led to 19 deaths Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and three ministers have resigned after deadly protests over alleged government corruption left multiple people dead in the capital, Kathmandu. The demonstrations, led mainly by people in their late teens and early 20s, erupted on Monday after authorities banned several major social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and X. The protests turned violent, with 19 confirmed dead in Kathmandu and about 400 injured, including more than 100 police officers. While the government revoked the ban on Tuesday, the violence continued. Protesters reportedly stormed the Nepalese parliament and set it on fire, and attacked the Nepali Congress office as well as the homes of several senior politicians. View the full article

Falling birth rates and a shrinking population have prompted new initiatives to discourage terminating pregnancies A college in Russia has introduced an abortion-prevention course. The Primorsky Vocational College in Crimea said on its website this week that the experimental program will run through the 2025-2026 school year, with two events scheduled each month. The aim of the course is to raise students’ awareness of the legal and ethical repercussions of terminating a pregnancy and to educate them on reproductive health. The classes will be conducted by a psychologist and a class teacher. Among the planned events are a debate titled ‘Abortion is legalized infanticide’, a lecture titled ‘Abortions are harmful’, and an interactive lesson on preventing early sexual activity among adolescents. A class hour on reproductive health and lifestyle choices, ‘Honor. Conscience. Traditions’, is scheduled for later this month. Abortions remain legal in Russia and are covered by national health insurance. Terminations are permitted up to 12 weeks on request, up to 22 weeks for social reasons such as rape or the death or disability of the husband, and at any stage for medical reasons. However, falling birth rates and a shrinking population have pushed Russian lawmakers to propose measures to discourage abortions. Earlier this year, St. Petersburg lawmakers advanced a bill to fine individuals and organizations that pressure women into having abortions. Similar laws have been adopted in more than ten regions, while authorities in Murmansk and Pskov suggested alternatives such as paying doctors bonuses for persuading women to continue pregnancies. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said earlier this year that abortion-prevention efforts led to roughly 40,000 women carrying their pregnancies to term in 2024. However, she later warned of a looming fertility crisis, noting the number of women of childbearing age has reached a historic low and is projected to decline further in the coming decade. Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) reported 1.2 million births in 2024, the lowest annual total since 1999. To address the trend, the government has introduced various support measures for families, including lump-sum childbirth payments and expanded maternity benefits. The Soviet-era ‘Mother Heroine’ award, which offers cash rewards to women who have more than ten children, has also been revived. View the full article

As someone who has long been aware of Project 2025 and is a steadfast activist and patriot who loves this country and wants to see it thrive rather than tumble precipitously into devastation, I was fascinated with a soon-to-be published book called The Seven Mountains Mandate: The Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy. The author-Matthew Boedy is a professor at the University of North Georgia and a prolific writer on socio-political-spiritual topics. In this frightening, wake-up call scholarly tome, Boedy spells out succinctly, what we as a nation are up against and offers ideas for how to respond. This is not hyperbole or hypothetical discourse. It is an all-hands-on-deck moment. What drew you to write about what might be one of the most devastating series of events in the history of our country? Generally, the distressing nature of the last decade has been heavy on my mind. But specifically, the growing power of Turning Point USA is a concern. While not the sole group in this mandate movement, it seems to be best organized and most funded of them all, past and present. In other words, the most devastating series of events has more chance for success as TPUSA grows. And because change like this happens over time, I was sure few people understood the big picture. I wanted to show the path to the devastation. How would you describe Christian Nationalism that differs from what people might consider the Christian precepts attributed to Jesus? I think the basic precepts of Jesus include love, sacrifice, and a flipping of worldly values (power, privilege, etc). Christian Nationalism paints a Jesus as a physical warrior when he literally told Peter to put down the sword. Christian Nationalism paints Jesus as a defender of a culture when his early followers decried cultural rules. Christian Nationalism paints Jesus as a returning king. And while that may be true, he comes as he was, as a crucified bond servant. What is Project 2025 and why should voters have taken it seriously prior to the 2024 election? Project 2025 is a collection of federal policies for each cabinet agency that would weaken and shrink government from its spending, functions in research, protection, and expert, independent knowledge for policy makers. As we have seen Project 2025 is now nearly 50 percent complete. It has gutted agencies, recalled funding, and inserted a corrupt influence. It was the handbook for Trump and yet people voted him in. Even though Trump is currently in office, when was the groundwork laid for his takeover of our government? Obviously the first term showed him ways to do it better the second time. But the attack on the federal government has long brewed in conservative circles, dating back to Reagan, who was a response to Carter’s vision. The Trump takeover certainly was given strength by executive authority expansion started under GW Bush. But the political divisions created by Newt Gingrich weakened Congress. And the political litmus tests for judges did the same for the third branch. Lots of confluences to get us to the one man. But the man himself learned on the job. Since Trump is an un-Christlike as can be, why do those who profess to be devout Christians follow him as if he, himself is the Messiah? Because they want a Messiah, plain and simple. They want someone to save them from their cultural minority position, from their lack of power. Trump is the figure from before Christ, the Old Testament king who gave Israel what it wanted and made it falter generation after generation. Christians who voted for Trump – and there are of course many who didn’t – voted for him because he says and does things they can’t or won’t. He is their version of the angry Obama, but they don’t see that as a joke. He battles for them. That is why they love him. And because he is protecting them, he can use “needed” but un-Christlike methods. What is the Seven Mountains Mandate? A plan to Christianize America by putting Christians in power over our seven key cultural institutions, implementing a very specific version of these cultural arenas that would silence dissenting voices and shun those who don’t fit. It is a mandate from God to prepare America for the return of Jesus, to return him to a nation of Christianity ready for his rule, a kingdom created just for him. They are to ‘take dominion,’ over seven key areas of culture: religion, family, education, government, media, business and the arts. Who are the main players? Charlie Kirk – founder of Turning Point USA and new “face” of Christian Nationalism and heir to the mandate movement. Lance Wallnau and Rob McCoy – two ministers who helped Kirk in different ways come to this new ideology. McCoy was a personal mentor while Wallnau was a cheerleader of sorts for the new heir. Wallnau is credited with the mountain metaphor. Loren Cunningham and Bill Bright – founders of two global youth mission organizations who both claimed to get this list of the seven areas from God and presented them to each other in summer of 1975. Cunningham introduced the list to Wallnau in 2000ish. Peter Wagner – a seminary professor turned leader of a group of “apostles” who set out to renew the church through their visions, deemphasizing denominations and theological battles, and emphasizing the culture war. He died in 2016 as Trump emerged on the scene. He introduced Wallnau to his group of apostles who took on the mountain mandate. Why is education, particularly that which is inclusive, factual, and not whitewashing, so threatening to them? Education to them is a cultural tradition passed down. So, while some may admit certain facts that show a bad history, the thrust is to celebrate and indoctrinate with a patriotism rooted in Western values. Education for them is not changing or inclusive. It helps us maintain the cultural consensus of America. In short, the education defined in the question is a threat to America’s existence. How did they decide that it ‘goes against God’? There are different people in different eras who have tried to set up Christian cities, nation-states, etc., and to do so, to move from individual, even church community to institutional or national rule, you have to expand and interpret and apply the Bible beyond the individual. For example, in education, to decide that books with gay characters goes against God, obviously, they are applying traditional even Orthodox Christian teachings. But to move from this idea is bad/evil to banning books is to move from individual response to national response. To go against God is no longer personal sin but national. Since the historical Jesus is about love and compassion and taking care of the least of us, how do the proponents of Christian Nationalism justify their hardcore mistreatment of those they deem not in step with their distorted teachings? In some manner, it’s the old cliché about “loving you enough not to leave you in your sin.” But because the sin label is national not merely individual, the nation has to erase or eradicate or cleanse that sin. And God gave government the sword to punish sin. Not merely to give death penalty to murderers but to en mass punish sinful groups. Jesus also valued the role of women in his ministry, so why the misogyny in Christian Nationalism? Jesus valued women but throughout Christianity the role of leadership of churches has been largely left to men, based on certain readings of Paul. CN applies that nationally. But CN advocates don’t hate its women, only women who don’t fit its defined roles – mother, wife, etc. Pete Hegseth continuing to remove women from DOD leaderships doesn’t show hatred per se, but a theological precept. But he would hate the “pink haired lesbian,” for example.I get. I think CNers see God as involved intimately in our world and empowering his followers. They lose at times not because he loses, but because evil forces at time are part of his plan. There is a larger debate here about free will. But God works through nations, they claim. So, nations can fall due to sin. While these folks preach morality, why are so many ‘caught with their pants down’ sometimes literally, hypocritically doing the things they demonize others for? I think that those who have been caught preach against it because their conscience is divided. Guilt and shame work differently on people. And these people have built enormous platforms that need protecting because the platforms are so successful for God. There are obviously some in the movement who are “clean” and haven’t been caught. But those who have shown us that it was always the culture war that mattered not individual behavior. How do they say they support Israel, but spew anti-Semitic rhetoric and support those who do? Difficult question. Seeing the nation of Israel as a biblical marker of end times means indeed seeing Jews who live there and want to return there as protected class. But as these Christians preach, there are fake believers. So “fake” Jews or Jews who are Jewish by some other means besides culture and also not in line with the biblical marker of Israel in the last days are the target for anti-Semites. It’s hard to understand unless you understand the role of Israel as a nation. George Soros as the shadowy financer gets a lot of play. And he’s “puppet master” and shadowy because implicitly he is Jewish. Though Charlie Kirk won’t say that. They can say they defend Israel and therefore are not anti-Semitic. And so many on the other side support Israel so it looks like they are not. Why would a man who is confident in his masculinity be threatened by an empowered woman? Empowered to do what? is the question. Empowered to take men’s roles? Then yes. Empowered to spread feminism, then yes. Think institutionally not in a one-on-one relationship. Empowered to not have as many babies? Yep, that is a threat to the culture or mountain of family. Seeing the individual as product of the isms makes the individual a threat to the whole. What message do you want readers to glean from your book? There is a broad and well-funded plot afoot to change America in every way. That is scary. But also, the scope must be understood because the only answer is a movement to meet it. Is there hope that we will be able to maintain the Constitutional separation of church and state? I think that will be determined by who succeeds Trump, who becomes the heir to Trumpism. Do they step back to win some votes or push deeper? Do they try to be Trump or merely his policies through regular, democratic channels? Second, what kind of cultural consensus can those who are fighting them convince others of? Democracy is messy and so does that messiness make people want to give power to the church? I think it will take a generation or two to recover from Trump. It may take longer to recover from Trumpism. What actions can we take? We can’t ignore those who follow this ideology. But also, there is a big possibility they can’t be converted to leave it as well. We can organize now against certain elements. But we also must meet a cultural-wide takeover with a cultural-wide renewal of principles, ideals, policies that unite us, all of us. iStock featured image The post The Seven Mountains Mandate appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Grok and ye shall find (malicious links!): Scammers have figured out how to trick X’s Grok AI into sharing dangerous links by hiding them in places the system overlooks, making those links look “trusted” when they’re anything but. Some posts have racked up millions of views, which means bad actors get a megaphone straight to your feed. PSA: Never click blindly, even if Grok hands you the link on a silver platter. The post Grok and ye shall find (malicious links!) appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Seven Algerian minors traveled nearly 300km by boat and eventually arrived in Ibiza The Spanish authorities have detained seven Algerian teenagers who crossed nearly 300km of open sea in a recreational boat to reach the Spanish island of Ibiza in what local media is calling an unprecedented case. The teenagers, ranging in age from 14 to 17, turned up on Playa d’en Bossa beach aboard a Geisa Naval Open 550 motorboat that was reported stolen in Algeria, Algerie360 said on Sunday. It is believed that the journey across the Mediterranean happened spontaneously because the teenagers were wearing only casual beach clothes, used a mobile phone app for navigation, and live-streamed parts of the nine-hour voyage, which went viral on social media. Experts described the incident as the first known case of Algerian minors attempting such a crossing without adults. The teenagers are now in a juvenile detention facility in Ibiza. Algerian outlets reported they could face charges of illegal migration and unauthorized operation of a vessel once they reach adulthood. 🇩🇿 CHOQUÉ 🔴 | Des adolescents d'origine algérienne âgés de 11 à 17 ans ont traversé la Méditerranée pour rejoindre l'Espagne avec un bateau qu'ils avaient loué. 🇩🇿💩 Ils échappent à la pauvreté de l'Algérie, un pays pourtant riche en pétrole et en gaz. pic.twitter.com/DsCxazXa7g — Moorish darknight 🦇 (@Jones1535898) September 7, 2025 According to ReliefWeb, in 2024, Spain’s Balearic Islands recorded around 6,000 migrant arrivals, which is well above the 2,278 registered the year before. At least 743 people have died attempting to reach Europe across the Mediterranean so far this year. More than 500 of the fatalities took place on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the African Initiative news agency. Earlier this year, Algerian police dismantled a smuggling network in Tizi Ouzou, arresting 21 individuals accused of organizing maritime crossings. View the full article

The worst act of eco-terrorism in recent history has become a surreal exercise in convenient blame-shifting Once upon a time, long, long ago, scandals had consequences even in the West, at least sometimes. In the ancient US of 1974, Richard ‘Tricky Dick’ Nixon had to go because of Watergate, which, unlike Russiagate, was real, if hardly sensational by our standards today. Even in the late 1990s, early post-unification Germany, the career of a giant like Helmut ‘chancellor of unification’ Kohl took a lethal hit from a rather boring affair turning on creative accounting in party finances. Indeed, biased media hype and liberal pearl-clutching was the whole brouhaha’s real essence. Without it, Angela Merkel might never have been able to knife her old benefactor Kohl in the back, and Gerhard Schroeder might not have become chancellor. Now the West has devolved further. Our political elites in the US and EU have learned not to care, and more importantly, they have learned how to make us not care, or at least not enough. The worst political scandal of recent US history is the oddly inexplicable career of Jeffrey Epstein, convicted pedophile criminal and suspected intelligence operative as well as intimate friend of, it seems, most of the American establishment (in a thoroughly ‘bipartisan’ manner with vile favors to all). Its fall-out should already have profoundly changed America’s domestic and foreign policy, especially in the Middle East. And yet, it probably never will. In NATO-EU Europe, things are at least equally dismal, as is appropriate for what is really just the most masochistic backyard of the American empire. There, the single worst scandal is what has happened to the Nord Stream pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic. Built at a cost of around $20 billion to bring inexpensive gas from Russia to Germany and the EU as a whole, in September 2022, they were mostly destroyed by sabotage. That was the worst act of eco-terrorism in European history. Especially, with Russia and China now finalizing the building of the Power of Siberia Two pipeline, the destruction of Nord Stream will also be remembered as part of a historic reorientation of Eurasian energy flows that locked in Germany’s – and the EU’s – self-Morgenthauing de-industrialization. This insane event was then followed by a most bizarre cover-up. Indeed, between the attack and the cover-up, it is impossible to tell which has been the more stunning, jaw-dropping outrage. But then, we don’t have to: the whole thing is one big mess. A mess that, while buried under a dirty mudslide of Western mainstream media propaganda, has a way of bubbling up to the surface like methane from a bombed gas pipeline. And so the stink never really goes away: The most recent malodorous bubble has popped in Italy, where police arrested a Ukrainian terrorist – that’s the correct term for those committing acts of terrorism – on a family trip. Sergey K., also a businessman (in – oh, coincidence! – the energy business) as well as a member of Kiev’s military and intelligence services (in reality: international terrorism organizations, as openly if jocularly admitted by one of their leaders), stands plausibly accused of playing a key role in the Nord Stream attack. The versatile Ukrainian will face extradition to Germany. Meanwhile, the German authorities are still searching for several more Ukrainian terrorists who took part in the attack. The shameful, ludicrous roles that Western media and would-be experts – especially in Germany, the country most damaged by the attack, such as Carlo Masala or Janis Kluge – have played in absurdly trying to blame this devious terrorist strike against all of Germany on Russia is already old hat. Yet it is worth remembering: The fact that it has made no difference to their careers and artificial resonance in mainstream media tells us much about the abyss of deception and self-deception that Western propaganda has become. Yet even after the initial smearing of Russia was mostly abandoned, this is not a story of the truth finally prevailing. In reality, what we are witnessing is one silly set of lies superseding another. In essence, ever since it became impossible for even the most dishonorable, unpatriotic, and ruthless Western information warriors to pretend that Russia had detonated one of its most valuable assets, we have been stuck in a second, improved – if that is the word – phase of daft stories for dummies: Now every good Western mainstream media consumer is supposed to believe that it was half a dozen Ukrainians, and they alone, who used the equivalent of a bathtub with a sail to sabotage heavily armored pipelines at the bottom of a cold, inhospitable sea. Russians who know what they are talking about, meanwhile, are pointing at the involvement of highly trained and well-equipped special forces belonging to major NATO players, for instance Britain. As so often recently, the Russian view makes much more sense than the inanities pandered in the West. Fed with that nonsense, we are also asked to believe that the US had nothing to do with the attack. Never mind the revelations of Seymour Hersh, star US investigative journalist, and the fact that America had a perfect motive, as had Germany’s friendly neighbor Poland (in both cases a combination of clear and brutal financial interests and cold-blooded geopolitics). Even more ridiculous, the current Western mainstream party line is that the nice, decent chaps at the CIA warned those hotheaded Ukrainians against that Baltic plunge. Yes, of course! And Kissinger really tried to have Allende helicoptered out of Chile’s presidential palace just before he blew his brains out before the CIA-sponsored plotters got to him. In yet another twist for the ultra-gullible, even Ukraine’s authoritarian, clinically mendacious, ultra-corrupt, and mostly stoned leader Vladimir Zelensky is exempted from suspicion. He, so that tale goes, also wasn’t in favor of the explosive diving party; only wicked out-of-control General Valery Zaluzhny was. By now, a major German newspaper is reporting that the German prosecutors are getting ready to name Zaluzhny as the terror attack’s mastermind. This is – no pun intended – explosive: Currently, Zaluzhny, an old and bitter rival of Zelensky, is an unlikely ambassador to the UK (his English is rotten, his diplomatic skills are non-existent, but then, that’s quite common in Ukraine). More importantly, he is also a likely Zelensky replacement if the West should decide to palace-coup or color-revolution the latter away. You think all of the above is as crazy as it gets? You are still underestimating the NATO-EU Europeans. Because here is the next level of insanity: Having agreed on a stupid story without rhyme and reason that shifts the whole blame to Ukraine and Ukraine alone, Germany is not even ready to draw any reasonable consequences from its own cover-up tale. Instead, Berlin has made it clear that recognizing Kiev as being behind the worst attack ever on German vital infrastructure and national interests in peacetime does not mean the government intends to take any action against Ukraine. Sanctions? Retaliation? Perish the thought! On the contrary, sheepish Berlin is promising Kiev ever more billions of Euros (on top of the 44 billion already squandered there), while demonstratively not even bringing up Ukraine’s act of terrorism and de facto war against Germany. That, after all, would be so very, very impolite. And all of that against the background of threatening its own people, and thus, those taxpayers producing the billions fed to Kiev regime corruption with a very hard time of austerity and social services devastation. Challenged about this madness at a press conference, the German authorities have nothing to say to their citizens. So much for who they feel they owe accountability to. Definitely not the German people. Germany’s leaders are appeasing Ukraine in a ludicrous manner. Beyond that, they are appeasing everyone else who was also involved in this massive, devastating deindustrialization attack on a country already in deep economic trouble – that is, most likely Poland, the US, and Norway, at least. And all of the above is obvious for those with eyes to see. Yet nothing gives in Germany. Or just not yet? View the full article

The worst act of eco-terrorism in recent history has become a surreal exercise in convenient blame-shifting Once upon a time, long, long ago, scandals had consequences even in the West, at least sometimes. In the ancient US of 1974, Richard ‘Tricky Dick’ Nixon had to go because of Watergate, which, unlike Russiagate, was real, if hardly sensational by our standards today. Even in the late 1990s, early post-unification Germany, the career of a giant like Helmut ‘chancellor of unification’ Kohl took a lethal hit from a rather boring affair turning on creative accounting in party finances. Indeed, biased media hype and liberal pearl-clutching was the whole brouhaha’s real essence. Without it, Angela Merkel might never have been able to knife her old benefactor Kohl in the back, and Gerhard Schroeder might not have become chancellor. Now the West has devolved further. Our political elites in the US and EU have learned not to care, and more importantly, they have learned how to make us not care, or at least not enough. The worst political scandal of recent US history is the oddly inexplicable career of Jeffrey Epstein, convicted pedophile criminal and suspected intelligence operative as well as intimate friend of, it seems, most of the American establishment (in a thoroughly ‘bipartisan’ manner with vile favors to all). Its fall-out should already have profoundly changed America’s domestic and foreign policy, especially in the Middle East. And yet, it probably never will. In NATO-EU Europe, things are at least equally dismal, as is appropriate for what is really just the most masochistic backyard of the American empire. There, the single worst scandal is what has happened to the Nord Stream pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic. Built at a cost of around $20 billion to bring inexpensive gas from Russia to Germany and the EU as a whole, in September 2022, they were mostly destroyed by sabotage. That was the worst act of eco-terrorism in European history. Especially, with Russia and China now finalizing the building of the Power of Siberia Two pipeline, the destruction of Nord Stream will also be remembered as part of a historic reorientation of Eurasian energy flows that locked in Germany’s – and the EU’s – self-Morgenthauing de-industrialization. This insane event was then followed by a most bizarre cover-up. Indeed, between the attack and the cover-up, it is impossible to tell which has been the more stunning, jaw-dropping outrage. But then, we don’t have to: the whole thing is one big mess. Read more Did you notice the EU just lost its gas lifeline? Here’s what you should know A mess that, while buried under a dirty mudslide of Western mainstream media propaganda, has a way of bubbling up to the surface like methane from a bombed gas pipeline. And so the stink never really goes away: The most recent malodorous bubble has popped in Italy, where police arrested a Ukrainian terrorist – that’s the correct term for those committing acts of terrorism – on a family trip. Sergey K., also a businessman (in – oh, coincidence! – the energy business) as well as a member of Kiev’s military and intelligence services (in reality: international terrorism organizations, as openly if jocularly admitted by one of their leaders), stands plausibly accused of playing a key role in the Nord Stream attack. The versatile Ukrainian will face extradition to Germany. Meanwhile, the German authorities are still searching for several more Ukrainian terrorists who took part in the attack. The shameful, ludicrous roles that Western media and would-be experts – especially in Germany, the country most damaged by the attack, such as Carlo Masala or Janis Kluge – have played in absurdly trying to blame this devious terrorist strike against all of Germany on Russia is already old hat. Yet it is worth remembering: The fact that it has made no difference to their careers and artificial resonance in mainstream media tells us much about the abyss of deception and self-deception that Western propaganda has become. Yet even after the initial smearing of Russia was mostly abandoned, this is not a story of the truth finally prevailing. In reality, what we are witnessing is one silly set of lies superseding another. In essence, ever since it became impossible for even the most dishonorable, unpatriotic, and ruthless Western information warriors to pretend that Russia had detonated one of its most valuable assets, we have been stuck in a second, improved – if that is the word – phase of daft stories for dummies: Now every good Western mainstream media consumer is supposed to believe that it was half a dozen Ukrainians, and they alone, who used the equivalent of a bathtub with a sail to sabotage heavily armored pipelines at the bottom of a cold, inhospitable sea. Read more ‘Someone’ might have to blow up prospective Russia-China pipeline – Fox News host Russians who know what they are talking about, meanwhile, are pointing at the involvement of highly trained and well-equipped special forces belonging to major NATO players, for instance Britain. As so often recently, the Russian view makes much more sense than the inanities pandered in the West. Fed with that nonsense, we are also asked to believe that the US had nothing to do with the attack. Never mind the revelations of Seymour Hersh, star US investigative journalist, and the fact that America had a perfect motive, as had Germany’s friendly neighbor Poland (in both cases a combination of clear and brutal financial interests and cold-blooded geopolitics). Even more ridiculous, the current Western mainstream party line is that the nice, decent chaps at the CIA warned those hotheaded Ukrainians against that Baltic plunge. Yes, of course! And Kissinger really tried to have Allende helicoptered out of Chile’s presidential palace just before he blew his brains out before the CIA-sponsored plotters got to him. In yet another twist for the ultra-gullible, even Ukraine’s authoritarian, clinically mendacious, ultra-corrupt, and mostly stoned leader Vladimir Zelensky is exempted from suspicion. He, so that tale goes, also wasn’t in favor of the explosive diving party; only wicked out-of-control General Valery Zaluzhny was. By now, a major German newspaper is reporting that the German prosecutors are getting ready to name Zaluzhny as the terror attack’s mastermind. This is – no pun intended – explosive: Currently, Zaluzhny, an old and bitter rival of Zelensky, is an unlikely ambassador to the UK (his English is rotten, his diplomatic skills are non-existent, but then, that’s quite common in Ukraine). More importantly, he is also a likely Zelensky replacement if the West should decide to palace-coup or color-revolution the latter away. You think all of the above is as crazy as it gets? You are still underestimating the NATO-EU Europeans. Because here is the next level of insanity: Having agreed on a stupid story without rhyme and reason that shifts the whole blame to Ukraine and Ukraine alone, Germany is not even ready to draw any reasonable consequences from its own cover-up tale. Read more The West has a big problem: it can’t stop lying. Even to itself Instead, Berlin has made it clear that recognizing Kiev as being behind the worst attack ever on German vital infrastructure and national interests in peacetime does not mean the government intends to take any action against Ukraine. Sanctions? Retaliation? Perish the thought! On the contrary, sheepish Berlin is promising Kiev ever more billions of Euros (on top of the 44 billion already squandered there), while demonstratively not even bringing up Ukraine’s act of terrorism and de facto war against Germany. That, after all, would be so very, very impolite. And all of that against the background of threatening its own people, and thus, those taxpayers producing the billions fed to Kiev regime corruption with a very hard time of austerity and social services devastation. Challenged about this madness at a press conference, the German authorities have nothing to say to their citizens. So much for who they feel they owe accountability to. Definitely not the German people. Germany’s leaders are appeasing Ukraine in a ludicrous manner. Beyond that, they are appeasing everyone else who was also involved in this massive, devastating deindustrialization attack on a country already in deep economic trouble – that is, most likely Poland, the US, and Norway, at least. And all of the above is obvious for those with eyes to see. Yet nothing gives in Germany. Or just not yet? View the full article

By Sydney Rowell Editor’s Note: A version of this story also appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, a newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, retrospectives, recommendations, and more. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to receive future editions in your inbox. From “Big Little Lies” to “The Perfect Couple,” we love watching beautiful, wealthy women misbehave. “The Hunting Wives,” still one of Netflix’s most-watched shows more than a month after it first premiered, takes this misbehavior in a new direction. This eight-episode series builds momentum as a Red State-Blue State drama set in a fictional east Texas town, but quickly softens into a lusty murder mystery where nudity supersedes politics in screen time. “The Hunting Wives” is no Hallmark small-town romance – it made headlines for its affairs, orgies, and raunchy sex scenes. And while the show makes heavy use of familiar stereotypes, it aims to prove that rural living can be just as scandalous as life in the big city. The show’s main protagonist is Sophie O’Neil (Brittany Snow) a fish-out-of-water liberal who moved to the fictional town of Maple Brook from the northeast with her young son and politically apathetic husband. Viewers experience the town – and its politics – through Sophie’s eyes as she acclimates to her new life. In the show’s pilot episode, Sophie and her husband attend a National Rifle Association (NRA) fundraiser hosted by her husband’s boss, where viewers are treated to lingering shots of Sophie staring wide-eyed at guests in formal attire with guns strapped to their sides. The first few episodes touch on hot-button issues, with an early storyline even depicting the town sheriff plotting to frame an undocumented immigrant for a murder. While the portrayal of small-town Texas borders on caricature, the backdrop of conservative America is key as the series explores the lives and influence of wealthy matriarchs in this tight-knit community. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nb51LHXS2g The most important of these matriarchs is Margo Banks (Malin Akerman), the socially cunning and sexually fluid housewife of oil tycoon and gubernatorial candidate Jed Banks. She leads a posse of thin, wealthy, almost entirely white women, who are more than just stereotypical Southern Belles and housewives. The members of the titular clique are anything but demure. They loudly and proudly tout their political beliefs, throw back tequila shots, socially maneuver for their families, and have sex with other women. While identifying as devout Christians, the hunting wives commit more sins per episode than a person could count. They lie, they cheat, they commit adultery, and they kill. Repeatedly. But despite these breaks from tradition, it’s worth noting that the hunting wives themselves do not hold formal positions of power. They are simply married to the men who do: the sheriff, the gubernatorial candidate, and the pastor at a local megachurch. Bad Girls The explicit portrayal of bisexuality among Christian Southern matriarchs feels distinct from similar stories set in fictional small towns. But while the show is inventive in its depictions of the wealthy, it leans into shallow stereotypes of lower-class rural characters. Margo’s brother is portrayed without nuance as “trailer trash.” On the other (equally stereotypical) hand, the only other lower-class family, the Jacksons, are romanticized as inherently virtuous, seemingly capable of keeping their faith-based moral high ground no matter how much dirt is kicked in their faces. The Jackson family’s genuine religious beliefs and inherent goodness are starkly juxtaposed with the wealthy families’ tendencies to continuously betray their supposed religious ideals. But the show doesn’t necessarily treat such goodness as an asset. It seems to suggest the Jackson family is too true to their beliefs to keep pace with the complex social politics of the town, which prevent them from ascending out of their current socioeconomic situation. Without money to throw around or a highly-connected network, the Jackson family struggles to obtain justice for a horrible crime. Ultimately, “The Hunting Wives” spends minimal screentime on the Jackson family. Instead of taking the opportunity to thoroughly examine a family without financial means and their position in the town, the show uses the Jacksons as a mere plot vehicle. After all, the wealthy and wicked are more fun to watch than the poor and pious, at least in Netflix’s view. It’s no surprise “The Hunting Wives” sits on Netflix’s top list, even weeks after its premiere. The show is fast-paced and steamy, and scratches that “beautiful women in absurd outfits do bad things” itch that everyone secretly wants scratched. It also makes attempts (albeit inelegantly) to comment on the hypocrisy of big-city liberals and small-town conservatives alike, as the characters betray their stated political and religious ideals episode after episode. The series certainly is not winning an Emmy for its groundbreaking portrayal of rural America. But unlike most media in a similar setting, it at the very least defies conventions by showing Christian and conservative women getting down to business with one another, in quite explicit fashion. Did I mention this show is NSFW? You can watch The Hunting Wives on Netflix. This article first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, recommendations, retrospectives, and more. Join the mailing list today to have future editions delivered straight to your inbox. This article first appeared on The Daily Yonder and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. — Previously Published on dailyyonder.com 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 complete list of benefits is here. — Photo: unsplash The post ‘The Hunting Wives’ Is a Sexy but Superficial Portrayal of Small-Town Texas appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

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By James A. Bonus Key takeaways for caregivers Parents sometimes avoid talking about science with their children, fearing they might provide inaccurate or misleading information. Watching science television can help families engage in interactions that more effectively help children learn about science. In our research, parents who watched educational science television programs demonstrated more science knowledge, formulated more accurate scientific explanations, and engaged in higher-quality science conversations than parents who did not watch the programs. However, parents do not need to be experts to talk to their children about science. Science is a process of discovery, and modeling that process is just as important as teaching science information. “Mom, why is it cold outside?” Questions like this might catch parents by surprise. They might feel unprepared to answer and struggle to clarify what their child is asking or have trouble recalling the correct explanation. Putting a response in age-appropriate terms can add to the challenge. Science is not just about knowing the right answer – it is also a process of learning and discovery. These difficulties often lead parents and other caregivers to avoid talking about science with their children. However, science is not just about knowing the right answer – it is also a process of learning and discovery. As researchers, we wanted to find ways to support parents in these moments. To do so, we turned to one of the most popular educational resources that families use together: science television. What is children’s science television? In recent years, the number of science television programs available for young children to watch has skyrocketed. These programs cover a wide range of topics, including biology (e.g., Dinosaur Train), physics (e.g., Blaze and the Monster Machines), and outer space (e.g., Ready Jet Go). They also cater to different age groups, ranging from preschool (e.g., Octonauts) to late elementary school (e.g., Sci Girls). Often, episodes of these programs begin with a provocative science question (e.g., “Why is the sky blue?”), which characters answer by engaging in a series of trial-and-error investigations. Along the way, the characters befriend vibrant and imaginative creatures, including familiar figures that many children know and love (e.g., the Cat in the Hat). How do science television programs support parents? We hypothesized that science television can support parents and other caregivers in several ways: By refreshing knowledge: These programs are rich in factual science content, which may refresh caregivers’ knowledge and can also teach them new science concepts. By building confidence: Presenting complex ideas in an age-appropriate narrative may help parents feel more confident when answering their children’s science questions and improve the science explanations they provide. By encouraging collaboration: Science programs may remind caregivers that they do not need to always have all the answers, and that it is okay to learn with their children. To examine these possibilities, we conducted three studies with different groups of families, settings, and research methods. Science television improved parents’ science explanations We conducted our first proof-of-concept study online. We recruited 141 U.S. parents of three- to six-year-olds. About half of parents and children were female and half male. Most parents were between 25 and 40 years old, most self-identified as White, and almost half reported having at least a college degree. We randomly selected some parents to watch two four-minute videos from the science program Earth to Luna. One video featured science information about the day/night cycle and one featured science information about butterflies. Other parents did not watch the videos. After each video, we asked parents a series of science questions (e.g., “Why does day turn into night?”), and we invited them to respond as if they were talking to their child. Parents who were randomly selected to not watch the videos skipped straight to responding to the science questions as if they were talking to their child. Parents who watched the videos before responding formulated explanations with more science facts (e.g., the earth rotates) and fewer scientific misconceptions (e.g., the sun goes to sleep) than parents who did not view the videos. These findings offered preliminary support for our assertion that parents extract useful information from children’s educational television. However, this initial study had clear limitations – it was conducted online and relied on hypothetical questions from children. To better assess the impact of science television, we needed to observe families as they engaged in actual science conversations. Science television imparted knowledge to mothers and boosted their confidence In our second study, 46 U.S. mothers and their four- to five-year-olds visited our lab at Ohio State University in a large urban part of the United States. Most mothers were 30 to 40 years old and most self-identified as White. Most mothers also described their children as White, and just under half of the children were female. We focused on mothers because they are generally more likely than fathers to watch educational television with children. Mothers who watched the conceptual video demonstrated more knowledge about rocks than mothers who watched the video emphasizing science inquiry skills. Mother-child pairs were randomly assigned to watch one of two 10-minute videos from the science program Sid the Science Kid, which focused on the concept of rock identification. One video emphasized conceptual information about rocks (i.e., distinguishing igneous from metamorphic rocks), and the other video emphasized science inquiry skills (i.e., observing and describing rocks). We then examined whether these videos affected mothers’ relevant conceptual knowledge, confidence about teaching their children related content, and engagement during a hands-on rock identification activity with their children. Mothers who watched the conceptual video demonstrated more knowledge about rocks than mothers who watched the video emphasizing science inquiry skills. In contrast, mothers who watched the inquiry video felt more confident teaching their children about rocks than mothers who watched the conceptual video. Despite these improvements, neither video affected what mothers said to their children during the activity. These findings suggest that science television can provide some content and confidence support for parents. However, this study had too few participants to draw stronger conclusions. Additionally, our audio recordings of parent-child conversations were somewhat low in quality, which made it difficult to assess children’s contributions (e.g., they were often quieter). Science television supported parent-child science conversations In our final study, we addressed the limitations of our previous work by recruiting 116 U.S. parents (about 30% were fathers) and their four- to seven-year-olds. Just over half of the children were female and most of the parents and children were White. The study took place in a quiet space at a children’s museum in Columbus, Ohio. We invited families to watch a five-minute video from the science program Hero Elementary and to complete a five-minute science activity. Both the video and the activity involved an early engineering concept (i.e., tower stability). We randomly assigned half of the parent-children pairs to watch the video before the activity and half to watch the video afterward. We also used a higher-quality audio recorder to allow us to analyze parent-child conversations in greater depth. Watching the video before (rather than after) the activity motivated parents to ask more science questions during the activity. Using an advanced form of dialog analysis, we also examined the patterns in conversational turn-taking that unfolded after parents’ questions. Children who watched the video before (rather than after) the activity were more likely to formulate science explanations in response to parents’ questions. Without the video, they usually responded by revealing their lack of knowledge (e.g., by saying “I don’t know”). Recommendations for caregivers Collectively, our research suggests that science television can support parents by increasing their science knowledge, improving their scientific explanations, and facilitating higher-quality science conversations. These improvements have downstream benefits for children, such as improved learning from joint science activities. Our studies focused on U.S. families who were predominately White and high-income. Additional research is needed to examine whether similar patterns emerge among other populations. However, given the benefits we found, we encourage parents and other caregivers to watch science television with their children when possible and to seek out activities that reinforce lessons from these programs. These experiences can provide a shared language for discussing and exploring science in ways that are both tangible and fun. Parents should not feel pressure to be science experts. Instead, they should emphasize the value of asking questions and seeking answers. Science television is just one platform through which shared learning can occur; families should explore other options in their community, such as zoos, museums, and public gardens. Science is a process of discovery. Encouraging children to participate in that process is just as important as teaching them science information. References Bonus, J. A. (2021). The influence of exposure to science television on U.S. parents’ science explanations to their children. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 49(5), 569-588. Bonus, J. A., Brinberg, M., Dore, R. A., Lerner B., Wilson, J. M., Frieberger, N., & Rini, A. (2025). A building block for science talk: Educational TV supports parent-child conversations during an engineering activity. Developmental Psychology, 61(3), 432–445. Bonus, J. A., Dore, R. A., Wilson, J. M., Frieberger, N., & Lerner B. (2023). Of scientists and superheroes: Educational television and pretend play as preparation for science learning. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 89, 101603. Bonus, J. A., & Mares, M. L. (2018). When the sun sings science, are children left in the dark? Representations of science in children’s television and their effects on children’s learning. Human Communication Research, 44(4), 449-472. Bonus, J. A., Watts, J., & Stemen, D. (2022). Won’t somebody think of the parents? Reevaluating the audience for children’s educational media. Journal of Children and Media, 16(1), 144-147. Watts, J., & Bonus, J. A. (2021). What do mothers learn from children’s science television? Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 65(2), 228-247. — Previously Published on childandfamilyblog 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. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo Credit: unsplash The post Children’s Science Television: Not Just for Children appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The age of Mount Fuji’s newest oldest summit climber. Kokichi Akuzawa scaled Japan’s 12,388-foot peak with his daughter (70), granddaughter and her husband, despite past heart failure, shingles and even a fall. He’s out there bagging mountains while we’re bargaining with ourselves over taking the stairs. There’s some motivation for you. The post 102 appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

🎭 Deepfake stole her home: A 66-year-old California woman lost her life savings and home after scammers used AI deepfakes to impersonate soap star Steve Burton. You know the drill, Steve said he was in love and they would be together forever. But he needed money. She sent him $81K, then he pushed her into selling her $350K condo for quick cash. By the time her daughter intervened, the house was long gone. The post Deepfake stole her home appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Beijing is reportedly preparing to reopen its domestic bond market to major companies including Rosatom and Gazprom Major Russian companies, including nuclear giant Rosatom and gas major Gazprom, are considering issuing yuan-denominated ‘panda bonds’, according to media reports. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Russian companies have been barred from Western capital markets under sweeping sanctions, pushing them to seek financing alternatives in Asia. Now China is preparing to reopen its domestic bond market to major Russian energy companies, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Chinese regulators reportedly told executives at a meeting in Guangzhou in August that they would back their plans to issue panda bonds, yuan-denominated debt sold by foreign issuers in China. Russian issuers are interested in placing bonds on the Chinese market, and the matter is being discussed with their Chinese counterparts, Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov told reporters on Monday. “We are discussing how best to do this; talks with our partners are ongoing,” he said. The move would mark the first Russian corporate fundraising in mainland China since 2022, and the first sale of Russian debt on China’s onshore public market since aluminum producer Rusal raised 1.5 billion yuan ($210 million) through a panda bond in 2017. The revival of Russian panda bonds is expected to start with a handful of issuers. Potential first borrowers reportedly include Rosatom and its subsidiaries, which have not been hit by sanctions. Any Russian bond sales would still need clearance from Chinese regulators, while investors in potential yuan issues would have to weigh the risk of secondary sanctions. “For China, the risk of secondary sanctions has made banks cautious about deals that could be viewed as breaching or undermining sanctions,” Danske Bank analyst Allan von Mehren told Reuters. On Friday, Chinese rating agency CSCI Pengyuan gave Gazprom its top AAA rating, clearing the path for potential debt issuance in China’s domestic bond market. The development comes as Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin strengthen their ‘no limits’ partnership. During his visit to China last week, Putin called for a joint financial infrastructure for Global South countries and proposed that members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization issue joint bonds. View the full article

Boris Johnson is suspected of misusing public funds for personal gain and bending ethical rules Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has profited from contacts and influence he gained while in office, The Guardian alleged on Monday, citing a trove of leaked documents. The outlet said it had obtained about 2GB of files, including emails, letters, invoices, spreadsheets, speeches, and contracts, from the Office of Boris Johnson, the company that manages his post-government business dealings. Most of the material covers September 2022 to July 2024 but the trove also includes earlier records from his premiership. The Guardian highlighted four cases it described as questionable. A month after taking office in 2019, Johnson reportedly held a secret meeting with billionaire Peter Thiel, co-founder of US data giant Palantir Technologies, which was seeking UK contracts at the time. In 2020, Johnson hosted a party for Conservative peer David Brownlow, who helped finance renovations of the prime minister’s residence – a gathering that may have violated the government’s own Covid-19 restrictions, the report said. After leaving office, Johnson allegedly lobbied Saudi officials he had met while in power, and billed a hedge fund six figures following a visit to Venezuela – money The Guardian claimed may have been payment for meeting the country’s leadership. The newspaper said it was the only UK outlet given access to the leaked files by Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoS), a US-based nonprofit transparency group that obtained the cache earlier this year. The report argued disclosure was in the public interest because Johnson’s firm receives a government-funded annual stipend meant to cover his official duties as a former prime minister, not personal enrichment. Johnson resigned as prime minister and Conservative Party leader in September 2022 after a string of scandals, including breaches of Covid-19 lockdown rules and the appointment of an MP accused of sexual misconduct to a deputy whip position. During his tenure, Johnson played a significant role in scuttling early peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, opposing a proposed settlement deal and encouraging Kiev to pursue a military path instead. View the full article

Your Doctor Is Probably Using AI—And You Might Not Even Know It. By Your doctor is probably using AI and you might not even know it Would you trust AI with your healthcare? Millions of Americans already do—and they may not even realize it. In exam rooms across the country, doctors are now using artificial intelligence to transcribe appointments, summarize patient data, and surface clinical insights. The result? More time looking patients in the eye, less time looking at screens. And in many cases, more focused, more personal care. Interactions like this capture a subtle but profound shift around AI in healthcare. By taking care of administrative tasks, AI is making doctor-patient interactions more focused, personal, and human. At the same time, AI in healthcare is expanding what’s possible at the cutting edge of medicine, analyzing massive datasets to help detect rare diseases, uncover overlooked treatments, and reveal new ways to diagnose conditions earlier and more accurately. These breakthroughs are beginning to shape everyday healthcare, from interpreting complex biomarker panels to tracking symptoms and surfacing insights your doctor can act on. It’s also quietly revolutionizing how medicine is practiced behind the scenes, Hone Health reports. AI-Powered Diagnostics and Imaging AI is assisting healthcare providers in practical and often invisible ways: speeding up diagnoses, sorting through the flood of data modern medicine generates, and flagging risks before they become serious problems. According to a 2025 American Medical Association survey, two-thirds of physicians use AI tools in their practice, a 78% increase from the year before. “There are now over 1,000 FDA-approved AI tools in healthcare,” says James Zou, Ph.D., a Stanford professor who studies medical AI. One of them is EchoNet, an AI system Zou helped develop. It analyzes ultrasound videos of the heart and, in clinical trials, matched the accuracy of experienced technicians in evaluating cardiac function. Other AI systems are helping radiologists detect brain bleeds or blood clots faster (like Aidoc), flag early signs of cancer (PathAI), and even summarize clinical notes or explain lab results in simple language (like Google’s Med-PaLM 2). These types of diagnostic breakthroughs—faster scans, earlier pattern recognition, more accurate reads —are laying the foundation for individualized medicine, where a person’s care plan is shaped not just by symptoms, but by signals from their unique biology. Today, patients are awash in data. Comprehensive biomarker tests can determine hormone levels and inflammation markers. Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) identify blood sugar trends. Wearable devices keep tabs on your HRV and resting heart rate. For clinicians, parsing what matters in that tidal wave of information can be daunting. But this is where AI shines. It can analyze data to highlight the most relevant health information for each person, flagging patterns that align with risks so diseases can be caught before they progress. What This Means for You Imagine you’re a middle-aged patient with a family history of heart disease. You log meals, wear a fitness tracker, and get regular blood work. AI can look for patterns, a spike in ApoB, cholesterol, and inflammation markers—when you don’t get enough sleep or exercise. It can then surface those insights to your doctor and suggest a personalized exercise and stress reduction plan to lower the markers before things escalate. And that’s just the beginning. “Soon enough, AI could look at 20,000 biomarkers and, based on millions of cases, recommend personalized interventions,” says Valter Longo, Ph.D., professor of gerontology and biological sciences at USC. “It could recommend healthy actions based on biological age, hormones, and other factors.” “AI can turn the overwhelming flood of biomarker and wearable data into actionable, personalized insights,” says Zou. AI Is Powerful, But Not Perfect. Of course, AI has limits. It can’t build trust, show empathy, or understand the full complexity of your life. And it doesn’t always get things right. ChatGPT—which some people already use to ask medical questions—can offer inaccurate or incomplete answers when faced with complex health issues. That’s why experts agree: AI should support human care, not replace it. “Right now [AI] is helpful but can be unreliable in certain cases,” says Longo. “It can help me put things together and give me possibilities, but it doesn’t replace human intelligence and decision-making.” There are risks, too. Despite the promise that AI eliminates bias, it often inherits new ones, especially when trained on flawed data. If a dataset underrepresents women or people of color, for example, the AI may make less accurate recommendations for those groups. Privacy is another concern. Healthcare data is sensitive, and there’s growing scrutiny over how it’s used by AI and who gets to see it. Groups like the FDA and AMA are pushing for clearer standards and better safeguards. “Even when trained, AI gets too much wrong,” says Longo, comparing its potential to nuclear power: transformative, but not without risk. Like nuclear energy, AI offers enormous promise, but national leaders need to consider not just what it can do, but what it might do if left unchecked, Longo says, adding, “It has to be regulated carefully.” This story was produced by Hone Health and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. — Previously Published on hub.stacker 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 Your Doctor Is Probably Using AI and You Might Not Even Know It appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Sudanese officials have reportedly hailed the withdrawals as a major step toward restoring security and rebuilding Khartoum Sudan’s transitional government has announced the withdrawal of troops from the capital, Khartoum. The move is aimed at enabling residents who fled the city to return after more than two years of a brutal civil war that has devastated the African state. More than 3,000 fighters, representing 98% of the state’s combat forces, have been withdrawn and redeployed outside Khartoum State, Ibrahim Jaber, the chairman of the committee overseeing the capital’s reconstruction, told journalists on Sunday, according to local media. “Work is underway to relocate the remaining forces… Police... have been deployed in concentration camps; all report offices and public service centers have been opened,” state news agency SUNA quoted Jaber as saying. Police have been stationed at 13 key crossings to bolster security, while aid trucks moved in, the outlet added. The withdrawal of troops reportedly comes in response to insecurity blamed on armed groups and rogue forces, with residents of the capital’s seven localities reporting frequent robberies and looting. Sudan has been gripped by fierce fighting between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since April 2023. Both factions are vying for control amid a stalled transition to civilian rule. The country faces what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with thousands killed. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that as of this month, 11,918,777 people have been forcibly displaced across the country. SAF chief and de facto leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan declared Khartoum “free” in March after his forces recaptured the international airport along with key military and civilian facilities from the RSF. Last month, the authorities announced plans to rebuild roads, bridges, and the international airport destroyed in the hostilities. The army also reportedly cleared 4,500 mines and shells near Khartoum as part of a demining program. Over the weekend, local media reported that the transitional government has introduced new security measures in the capital, including a ban on carrying weapons in public, restrictions on unregistered vehicles, and a prohibition on wearing military uniforms. View the full article

K P Sharma Oli has quit over the recent fatal standoff with young demonstrators Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday, as furious protests against th government intensified across the Himalayan nation’s capital, Kathmandu. Nepal’s army has confirmed that Oli and six cabinet ministers were moved to an undisclosed location after protesters set fire to the residences of both the prime minister and the vice president. Anti-government and anti-corruption protests turned violent after several major social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and X, were banned on Monday. The ban was revoked on Tuesday. DETAILS TO FOLLOW View the full article