American Women Suck

Let’s face it—navigating your career can feel overwhelming. With endless job postings, shifting industries, and evolving workplace expectations, it’s easy to get caught up in what you don’t have. But here’s the truth: success starts with knowing what you do have. Understanding your current skill set isn’t just a nice self-awareness exercise—it’s your career compass. When you know your strengths, you can lean into them and shine. When you know your weaknesses, you can start to improve and grow with purpose. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to identify your strongest skills, recognize areas for development, and turn that insight into real-world career results—by using research and planning to accomplish important tasks, from standing out in job applications to actually landing roles that fit you better. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up, these strategies will help you highlight what matters most. Developing relevant skills and conducting research are essential steps that can help you accomplish your career goals. Types of Skills To succeed in the workplace, it’s important to understand the different types of skills that employers value. Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities—like proficiency in Microsoft Office, programming languages, or technical certifications—that you can learn through formal education or training. These skills are often required for particular jobs and are easy to measure. Soft skills, however, are just as essential. These include abilities like communication, teamwork, and problem solving, which help you interact effectively with colleagues and adapt to new environments. Transferable skills, such as time management and leadership, are valuable because they can be applied across different jobs and industries, making you more versatile and adaptable. Interpersonal skills are a key subset of soft skills, focusing on how you relate to others. Abilities like active listening, empathy, and conflict resolution are crucial for building strong relationships with colleagues and clients. By developing a well-rounded set of hard skills, soft skills, transferable skills, and interpersonal skills, you’ll be prepared to succeed in any workplace and achieve your career goals. The Importance of Identifying Your Current Skills Understanding your own abilities is the first step to achieving success. Self-awareness allows you to make informed decisions in both your personal and professional life. Using critical thinking to determine your strengths and weaknesses is essential for accurate self-assessment. By identifying your strengths, you can focus on opportunities that align with what you do best. Similarly, recognizing your weaknesses allows you to target areas that need improvement and ensure that these areas don’t hold you back. When you understand your skills, you gain the confidence to pursue new challenges, take on leadership roles, and continuously strive to develop. Moreover, assessing your strengths and weaknesses is an ongoing process that can help you navigate changes in your career and life with greater ease. Assessing Your Strengths To succeed, it’s essential to know what you do well. Self-assessment starts with reflecting on past experiences. Self-reflection: Start by asking yourself, “What tasks do I find easiest and most fulfilling?” Think about situations where you performed well and received praise. In those situations, did you demonstrate a high level of skill or energy? Were you able to lead a team successfully? Did you solve a complex problem efficiently? These moments often highlight your strengths. Feedback from Others: Sometimes, we can overlook our own strengths. This is where feedback from others becomes invaluable. Colleagues, mentors, and friends can offer insights into what you excel at. Ask for constructive feedback during one-on-one conversations, performance reviews, or even through anonymous surveys. Their perspective can reveal strengths you might not recognize on your own. Feedback can also help you understand how you perform in different situations and how effectively you share your ideas. Skills Inventory: Create a list of skills that define you. Include both hard skills (e.g., technical abilities, software proficiency) and soft skills (e.g., communication, leadership). Be sure to note skills you have learned through experience working in different roles. Once you have your list, categorize them according to your professional and personal life, and see which ones stand out most as areas where you excel. Understanding Your Weaknesses While focusing on strengths is essential, equally important is recognizing your weaknesses. This can feel uncomfortable, but understanding your areas for growth is necessary for development. Recognizing Areas for Growth: Start by being honest with yourself. What tasks or responsibilities do you find challenging? Are there situations where you consistently struggle or feel unsure? Identifying these areas of difficulty is the first step toward improvement. Taking time to reflect on your greatest weakness can be helpful, as it allows you to better understand yourself and prepare for answering related questions in a job interview. Recognizing weaknesses doesn’t mean failure; it’s an opportunity to grow. The Role of Constructive Criticism: Feedback isn’t just for acknowledging strengths—it’s also crucial for pinpointing weaknesses. When receiving criticism, try to view it as an opportunity rather than a setback. Constructive criticism, when received with an open mind, can highlight areas where you need to improve. Answering questions about your weaknesses in a job interview can demonstrate self-awareness to an employer and show that you are committed to self-improvement. If possible, ask for specific examples or suggestions for how you can work on those weaknesses. Turning Weaknesses into Opportunities: Once you’ve identified your weaknesses, take proactive steps to address them. Rather than avoiding difficult tasks, find ways to improve. For example, if time management is a challenge, you could implement new techniques such as time-blocking or setting clearer priorities. Remember, improvement is an ongoing process, and each step toward bettering your weaknesses is progress. Learning to motivate yourself in stressful situations can help you grow and turn challenges into opportunities for development. Technical Expertise Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities often tied directly to the requirements of a particular job or industry. These include things like coding, proficiency in Microsoft Excel, data analysis, graphic design, or knowledge of specific tools and platforms. Why it matters: Technical expertise demonstrates your readiness to take on the responsibilities of a role. For example, a data analyst might need to show proficiency in SQL, Python, or Tableau, while a project manager might highlight their experience with tools like Asana or Trello. Relevant skills in research and decision making are also important for technical and management roles, as they support effective problem-solving and strategic planning. How to highlight it: Include certifications, relevant coursework, or project outcomes on your resume. You should also mention related skills such as research and decision making, especially if you are applying for a management position. Quantify your achievements wherever possible—such as reducing processing time by 20% or increasing output with a new tool. Stay current: Technology and tools evolve quickly, so staying updated through ongoing training or self-study shows initiative and adaptability—qualities that employers value. Job Search Preparation Successfully landing a job doesn’t just come from having the right skills—it also depends on how well you prepare and present those skills during the job search process. Tailored applications: Customize your resume and cover letter for each role based on the job description. Use relevant keywords and focus on the skills listed in the posting. Highlighting your relevant skills is essential to be successful in your job search. Interview readiness: Practice answers to common interview questions and prepare examples of your past work using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Practicing answering common job interview questions about your strengths, weaknesses, and relevant skills will help you be more successful during the job interview. Professional presence: Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date, share accomplishments, and engage with content in your industry to build credibility and attract recruiters. Networking: Connect with professionals in your field, attend virtual or in-person events, and stay active in industry-specific communities. Resume Building Your resume is your marketing tool—it tells the story of your professional journey and demonstrates your qualifications for a specific job. Tailor to the role: Identify the most relevant experiences and skills for each job you apply to. Include only what strengthens your case for that position. Be sure to highlight related skills and social skills you have learned that help you perform well in the role. Use of keywords and action verbs: Terms like “developed,” “led,” “improved,” and “streamlined” help convey impact and are often picked up by applicant tracking systems (ATS). Visual clarity: Use bullet points, consistent formatting, and white space to make your resume easy to scan quickly. Showcase results: Quantify achievements whenever possible (e.g., “Increased social media engagement by 40% in three months”). Include examples: If possible, add links to portfolios, writing samples, or relevant projects to provide tangible proof of your abilities. Setting Clear Goals for Skill Development Once you’ve identified your strengths and weaknesses, the next step is setting goals for improvement and development. Creating an Action Plan: Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for both enhancing your strengths and addressing your weaknesses. For example, if leadership is a strength but communication is a weakness, you could set a goal to improve your communication skills by attending a public speaking workshop or practicing with a mentor. Additionally, consider setting goals to develop your decision making and critical thinking abilities to solve problems more effectively. Ongoing Learning and Development: Success doesn’t come from a one-time effort; it requires continuous improvement. Stay up to date with the latest trends and skills in your field by attending workshops, enrolling in courses, or reading books. Developing new skills is an ongoing commitment to personal and professional growth. Taking time to reflect and practice these skills is essential for meaningful progress. Seeking Mentorship and Resources: A mentor can be a valuable resource as you navigate your journey of skill development. A mentor can offer advice, share experiences, and provide guidance as you work on your goals. Additionally, make use of online resources, books, podcasts, and professional networks to continue learning and expanding your skill set. Monitoring Your Progress To ensure you’re on track, regularly assess your progress. Periodically review your goals and reflect on the improvements you’ve made. This will help you stay focused and motivated. Adjusting Goals: As you progress, your goals may evolve. You might find that your initial goal of improving communication shifts to mastering negotiation skills or developing emotional intelligence. Be flexible with your goals, adjusting them as your abilities grow and your professional needs change. Reviewing your experience working on different projects can be helpful in understanding what you have accomplished and how successful you have been in reaching your objectives. By regularly tracking your progress and adjusting your goals, you’ll remain aligned with your vision of success and continue to develop skills that will serve you well throughout your life. Conclusion Success doesn’t just happen—it’s built on a foundation of self-knowledge, strategy, and continuous improvement. By identifying your current strengths, confronting your weaknesses with honesty, and taking intentional steps toward growth, you’re giving yourself a real edge in today’s competitive job market. Remember: every job description is an opportunity to match your skills with what employers truly value. Every resume is a chance to tell your story. And every skill you sharpen—whether it’s technical, personal, or strategic—is an investment in your future success. So take the next step: reflect, assess, build your plan, and take action. Your most valuable career tool isn’t just a piece of paper—it’s the skills you bring to the table. Make them count. — This post was previously published on Mitch Solomon’s blog. *** 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 How to Highlight the Necessary Skills Needed for Job Success appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

⌨️ Type faster on Windows 11: Cut down on typos with built-in autocorrect. Go to Settings > Time & language > Typing and toggle on Show text suggestions when typing on the physical keyboard and Autocorrect misspelled words. Works in Word documents, Microsoft Teams and most third-party apps. The post Type faster on Windows 11 appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

By Marcus Griswold Hey, have you ever seen a brand’s flashy advertisement about how they’re “going green”? Maybe they boast about planting trees for every product sold, or they release an annual report filled with charts and graphs showing how much they’ve reduced their carbon footprint. You probably think, “Wow, that’s great! I’m doing my part by supporting this company.” But what if I told you that sometimes, this green image is just a carefully crafted illusion? This practice has a name: “carbon washing.” A recent study from China reveals a startling new reality: the very tools we’ve created to fight climate change, like carbon emissions trading systems, and even the digital technology meant to make things more transparent, might be making this problem even worse. What Is a Carbon Emissions Trading System? Imagine a pollution cap on a city. The government decides that the total amount of carbon dioxide that can be emitted is a fixed number, known as a cap. To stay under this cap, they issue “allowances” to big polluters, like factories and power plants. An allowance is basically a permit to emit a certain amount of carbon. If a company pollutes less than their allowance, they can sell their leftover permits to another company that is struggling to meet its emissions target. This system creates a financial incentive for companies to reduce their pollution. In theory, it forces businesses to either invest in cleaner technology to cut their emissions or pay a price to keep polluting. It’s supposed to be a win-win: the environment gets cleaner, and the market handles the details. The “Dark Side” of the Carbon Trading System The researchers, discovered a major flaw in this system. Instead of making real, costly changes to their operations, many companies opted for a much cheaper solution: “carbon washing”. What is carbon washing? It’s the difference between what a company says it’s doing to reduce carbon and what it’s actually doing. Think of it like this: a company publishes a beautiful report with all the right buzzwords about sustainability and green energy. But in reality, they’ve made no significant changes to their factories or supply chains. They’re just putting on a show to look good. The study found that simply being part of the carbon trading system made companies more likely to engage in carbon washing. The financial pressure of having to pay for carbon allowances or invest in new technology was too high. So, they chose the path of least resistance: making symbolic gestures and misleading disclosures to satisfy regulators and consumers. They weren’t making the world cleaner; they were just getting better at looking like they were. The Digital Transformation Twist This is where it gets even more complicated. The study also looked at how “digital transformation”—the use of advanced digital technologies like machine learning, data analytics, and automation—plays a role. You might think that more technology would lead to more transparency. After all, isn’t it easier to track pollution and verify claims with a bunch of data? Unfortunately, the research found the opposite was true. Digital transformation can actually make carbon washing worse. Here’s why: digitally advanced companies have a huge information advantage. They can use their sophisticated tools to selectively share data, hide unfavorable details, and make their environmental reports look even more convincing. They can create new information barriers that make it incredibly difficult for outsiders—like regulators, journalists, or even you—to figure out what’s really going on. The research article specifically states that firms using digital transformation “may use digital tools to exaggerate carbon information disclosure and conceal the gap between disclosed and actual carbon reduction”. So, while we often hear about the benefits of digitalization for the environment (like better tracking of energy use), this study exposes a darker side. Companies can use these same technologies not to get greener, but to get better at faking it. Why This Is a Big Deal This isn’t just about a few companies being dishonest. It’s about a fundamental breakdown in the policies we’ve designed to save the planet. If our primary tools for fighting climate change can be exploited for “carbon washing,” then we’re not making the progress we think we are. The study shows that companies are doing this to gain legitimacy and maintain their public image, which can even help them get “opportunistic benefits” in the capital market, like better financing. This creates a vicious cycle where appearing green is more profitable than actually being green. What Can Be Done About It? The good news is that the study doesn’t just point out the problem; it also offers solutions. The authors recommend several policy changes: More Government Support Governments could offer subsidies to companies that make real investments in green technology, giving them a financial reason to choose substantive change over superficial “carbon washing”. Smarter Regulation Regulators need to get smarter about how they use digital technology. They can’t just rely on company-provided reports; they need to use their own advanced tools to verify data and monitor emissions in real time. Increased Public and Media Oversight The study emphasizes the importance of media and public supervision. When journalists and environmental groups are empowered to investigate and expose these deceptive practices, it becomes much riskier for companies to engage in carbon washing. — This post was previously published on LITTLEGREENMYTHS.COM and is republished on Medium. — 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 The Dark Side of Carbon Emissions – Corporate Carbon Washing appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Imagine this. You’ve been booked on a huge overseas trip without your consent. You’re going away for an unknown amount of time, but at the minimum, a few years. You have no way of knowing if you have enough money. You don’t know what’s packed in your suitcase. You’re not sure who (if anyone) is going with you. You don’t know who you’ll meet over the time you’re travelling. You have no clue if your destination is safe or if it belongs on a “Do Not Travel” list. Sounds pretty terrifying, right? Now imagine someone says, “Hey, you don’t have to do it alone. I can come with you, I’ve got all the supplies you might need.” Would you say yes, even if you weren’t really sure who they were or whether or not the journey would be better or worse without them? Chances are, you probably would. That terrifying trip? That was my divorce. It was overwhelming and disorienting, and all I wanted was someone — anyone — to come along and make it less frightening. That’s how I found myself in my first relationship after my marriage ended. And that’s how a lot of people find themselves in something new way before they’re ready. What we think we’re missing It’s easy to say we’re just looking for love again. That we want a new relationship to help us move on. I hear this all the time: “I just want to meet someone.” “I’m ready to date again.” “I don’t want to be alone.” And I get it. After a long relationship — mine was twelve years, but for many it’s twenty, thirty, even forty — the end can feel like a kind of death. You’re not just losing a partner, you’re losing the version of yourself that existed inside that life. The shock is brutal. Suddenly, you’re not someone’s person anymore. You’re waking up alone, wondering if you’re still lovable or if something is fundamentally wrong with you. You start questioning everything. Your worth, your choices, your future. Society doesn’t make it easier. There’s this unspoken judgment, like you failed at something you were supposed to hold together at all costs. People look at you differently. Some drift away. Others offer pity, which can feel just as painful. It’s not just about silence or routine. It’s about shame. About being cracked open in front of the world, trying to rebuild something from the rubble — while part of you still wonders if you’re even worth rebuilding. At first, it feels like we miss our marriages and our ex. But more often, what we’re really grieving is something deeper — a sense of identity, security, and connection. We miss the version of ourselves we used to be. And the version of ourselves we haven’t even met yet — the one we know we could become. These are things that can’t possibly come from someone else. It can only come from within ourselves. Divorce is a journey into the complete unknown Separation and divorce completely reshape your identity. Suddenly, you’re trying to live a life that you have no idea how to navigate. Questions that we can’t answer loop in our minds, driving us crazy at times. It’s like stepping into a country you’ve never been to — without a guidebook, money, a map, or a translator. And when it’s that unfamiliar, you want someone beside you. Just someone to make it feel a bit safer. Most of us aren’t truly ready for a new relationship right after divorce. Especially if we haven’t taken the time to sit with our pain and unpack our part in the story. It might feel like healing. Like making progress or “moving on.” Sometimes we’re just craving the affection and attention we went without for so long. But more often than not, that new relationship becomes something else entirely — a distraction. A shortcut. A way to bypass the uncomfortable but necessary work of healing. I struggled badly with being alone. I stumbled out of my marriage and straight into the dating world, desperate to find someone who would take my pain and loneliness away. I rushed it. I wasn’t ready — not even close. But I was in denial and was telling myself that I was. I ended up in a very unhealthy relationship that consumed four years of my life and set my healing back in ways I’m still untangling. I hadn’t grieved my marriage. I still hadn’t sat with my own part in the breakdown of my marriage and done the necessary work to forgive myself. My partner at the time was also avoiding the grief of his own divorce. It was a recipe for disaster, as much as we wanted it to work so we didn’t have to face our own pain and imperfections as partners. I know there are people who meet someone quickly after divorce and it seems to work out. I wonder what truly goes on inside their hearts. But those stories are the exception, not the rule. For most of us, rushing into something new means robbing ourselves of the chance to figure out who we are now. We miss the opportunity to do the deep work, to reconnect with our values, our needs, and our identity outside of a relationship. And that means we’re not meeting someone from a place of wholeness — we’re meeting them from a place of wounding, and often repeating old patterns without even realising it. Set yourself up for future success You can learn to trust yourself first. Most of the fear I had after my divorce came from a lack of trust in myself. I didn’t know if I could do it alone. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make it. I didn’t believe that I was enough on my own. But when I did that deeper work — building up my confidence, reflecting on my past patterns, learning to meet my own needs — that’s when the real healing started. That’s when I realised that I was more than capable of taking this journey on my own without needing anyone to rescue me. I know how hard it is to hear that being alone is the path to healing and getting unstuck from divorce pain. I didn’t want to believe it back then either. But looking back now, I wish I’d understood that I didn’t need to rush back in and find someone new to feel less lonely and afraid. I would have saved myself years of stress and heartache if I’d known what I know now. So take a little time before you seek out someone new. Give yourself space. Get to know who you are now. Give yourself enough time to see that you can trust yourself and handle this on your own before you try to put someone in the picture. Healing doesn’t require a partner — it requires presence with yourself. This is how you put yourself in a much stronger, healthier place and can make future decisions about love and relationships based on logic and not fear. Not sure what comes next after divorce? Wish you had a roadmap for what to expect — emotionally, practically, and personally?Join my Divorce Recovery Bootcamp and get the support, tools, and guidance to move forward with clarity and confidence. Click here to learn more and enrol Would you love personalised support as you navigate this chapter? I have two 1:1 coaching spots left to help you move through the pain and into healing with real tools, gentle accountability, and the relief of talking to someone who gets it. Book a free clarity call here — This post was previously published on Carol Madden Coaching. *** You might also like these from The Good Men Project: .. In Modern Relationships, We Cheat Every Single Day Compliments Men Would Love to Hear More Often .10 Things Good Men Should Never Do in a Relationship It’s Not Just Sex That He is Longing For. It’s This 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 Filling the Void – When a New Relationship Becomes Your Escape Plan appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

What makes someone a Christian? I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately. I feel like I should know the answer. I was a pastor in the local church for over two decades. I attended seminary, read, studied, and taught the Bible; delivered hundreds of sermons, and led more retreats and conferences than I can recall. And despite that wealth of experience as a member of the clergy, I’m still not sure how you can tell if someone who claims to be a Christian actually is a Christian (by that, I mean, if they have any real interest in the teachings of Jesus). The story goes that seeing into another person’s heart is difficult. However, I’m willing to go out on a theological limb here and say that if you’re applauding the harassment, fining, and arrest of homeless human beings, you’re not a Jesus Christian. I mean, you can go to church as often as you want, you can stick as many WWJD bumper stickers on your car as you’d like, and you can drop all the scripture quotes into your social media profile that your heart desires—but if you’re celebrating the elimination of reduced lunches, food stamp programs, and low-income housing, well, let’s just say your religion is short one Jesus. As someone who’s spent decades around Conservative Christians, I’ve heard the same tired, pathetic justification for wanting to discard Government-subsidized care programs: that the Church, not the Government, should care for people. Sounds virtuous enough, until you realize that they (the very people who voted in the politicians currently dismantling healthcare, defunding public schools, and eliminating meal programs) are the same people filling many of the country’s churches (which apparently were already supposed to be doing this caring for the poor, and are not). Right now, I don’t see these alleged followers of Jesus rushing en masse to come to the aid of the poor and the homeless, to immigrants and refugees, and to those living in food insecurity (but that’s exactly where Jesus was and where they’re supposed to be). Instead, they’re allowing Fox News anchors, Evangelical preachers, and Republican politicians to fill them with contempt for the hungry, the poor, the foreigner, the homeless—and to feel righteous, to boot. As the Evangelical-fueled Trump Administration is breaking up tent cities, burning encampments, and shutting down healthcare services, we’re not witnessing an overwhelming outpouring of compassion from Conservative church folk who have declared that they’re going to build the homes and make the lunches and pay for the surgeries and watch the children for the millions being kicked to the curb by this Conservative leadership—and we shouldn’t be holding our breath. The truth is, if these same people who call the Evangelical Church home had been following Jesus’ example all along, we wouldn’t be having these conversations at all. If these professed men and women of God were truly burdened to love their brothers and sisters as they would Jesus, this would be a non-issue. But we do have this epidemic of poverty and pain and hunger, and the disheartening truth is that these Christians are the very people always loudly telling the least to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” neglecting the fact that they have no boots to begin with. The sad truth is, Conservative Christians don’t want their Government or the Church to lift people who are in need. They’d prefer to live with the fictional narrative that poor people are poor because they’re lazy, that those suffering with mental illness or massive debt are doing so because of some moral failing or bad decision. This story allows them to keep the stuff they have, to ignore the call to love their neighbor as themselves, and to feel morally superior in the process. Jesus says that whatever we do to the poor and the hurting and the hungry, we do to him. That should be a terrifying proposition to Republicans who claim the Christian faith or call the American Conservative Church home. GOP leadership and voters in the rank-and-file who co-sign their predatory actions toward those who are the most in need of empathy and mercy in these days are saying with great clarity: “To hell with all of you.” White Evangelicals like to claim America is a Christian Nation. Now, putting aside the fact that a country can’t actually claim a collective religion, the reality is that a nation filled with these supposed followers of Jesus, where 11 percent of its people live in poverty and tens of millions more hang above it by the thinnest of threads, has no business invoking the name of Jesus, anyway. I have no interest in seeing America become a Christian nation, but it would be nice to see Conservative Evangelicals in America actually give a damn about Jesus. No, I don’t know what makes someone a Christian, but I know a fraud when I see one. The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz iStock image The post Conservative Christians Are Saying, ‘To Hell With Jesus’ appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

🖼️ Convert HEIC to JPEG on Mac: Photos from your iPhone are often saved as HEIC, which keeps quality high and file size small. The catch? Not everyone can open them. To convert, just drag the photo out of the Photos app and drop it onto your desktop. It’ll automatically copy as a JPEG. The post Convert HEIC to JPEG on Mac appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone has said exports could be diverted if sales to the US plummet Laos could reroute its coffee sales from the US to Russia due to the heavy tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone has told RIA Novosti. Trump imposed 40% levies on goods from Laos last month as part of a broader flurry of country-specific tariffs aimed at addressing what he called unfair trade imbalances. “Among the goods that Laos supplies to the US, but can also supply to other countries, are agricultural products such as coffee,” Siphandone told the news agency on Saturday on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia’s Vladivostok. “Laos also supplies coffee to Russia, and now the volume of these supplies can increase,” he added. If US tariffs make our products too expensive and they will not buy them there, then we will increase the volume of supplies to Russia. The US tariffs have also hit top coffee exporters Brazil and Vietnam, with levies reaching 50% and 20%, respectively. Brazil, the world’s largest producer, accounts for 37% of global output, while Vietnam contributes 17%. Coffee prices have spiked sharply in recent months due to harvests being damaged by poor weather, as well as market disruption caused by the new US tariffs, according to the International Coffee Organization. Americans drink coffee more than any other beverage, with two out of three consuming it daily, according to the US National Coffee Association. The group lobbied for an exemption for coffee ahead of the Trump tariffs but so far to no avail. View the full article

I first learned about Project Heaven on Earth when a colleague wrote to me about a friend who was interested in meeting me, but who had not gotten any response to his previous emails. I hadn’t received the emails, so asked him to write again, which he did. After reading about Project Heaven on Earth and its founder Martin Rutte, we met for a brief chat, and it became very clear that Martin was a kindred spirit, and our meeting would be the beginning of a long-term collaboration. I knew I wanted to do an interview with Martin for my podcast, and I ordered his book, Project Heaven on Earth: The 3 simple questions that will help you change the world…easily. It was a wonderfully informative interview that you can watch here. I will admit that I was a bit put off by the book title. Heaven on Earth seemed a bit Airy-Fairy and religious. I’m also put off by programs that promise simple solutions to the world’s problems. “Three simple questions that will help you change the world…easily”? Give me a break. I felt a little better when I saw that the book’s Foreword was written by Jack Canfield, a long-time colleague who created the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, which has more than 250 titles and 500 million copies in print. I soon learned that Martin has had a very successful business career both in the U.S. and Canada. He has worked with such organizations as The World Bank, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Southern California Edison, Virgin Records, Apple Computer, Esso Petroleum, and London Life Insurance helping them expand their outlook and position themselves for the future. He is also the co-author of The New York Times Business Bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work, with sales of over 1.1 million copies and translations into 15 languages. In his book, Project Heaven on Earth, Martin offers a clear and honest look at the challenges we face: Humanity is at a crossroads. I’m deeply concerned about the state of our world and pained about the direction we’ve been taking. The sufferings of the world seem overwhelming, they continue and continue — war, hunger, poverty, the threat of global financial collapse. Resignation is being stockpiled. Hope is in short supply. Optimism is hiding in a cave. Martin goes on to say, I believe what’s needed to move us forward at this point in our evolution is the birthing of a new possibility for our world — a new story of what it means to be human (an individual) and what it means to be Humanity (the human condition). I capitalize ‘Humanity’ because I want us to start thinking about experiencing us as one family with extraordinary potential. Here’s how Martin describes Project Heaven on Earth: Project Heaven on Earth as a Noun: This Project is a thing you do, something you put your energy into. It’s a vehicle for the alignment of Humanity. Project Heaven on Earth as a Verb: You project yourself, your Being, your intention, into the world to build the world of your dreams and yearnings. He concludes: The intention of Project Heaven on Earth is to collectively change Humanity’s current story from one that doesn’t work for a great number of people (hunger, war, poverty, etc.) to one that works for you, me, and everyone. Addressing the Three Questions of Project Heaven on Earth Martin invites us to address the following three questions: Question 1: Recall a time when you experienced Heaven on Earth. What was happening? Describe what happened, how it felt, how you perceived the world. What was your experience of yourself, of others, of life? Question 2: Imagine you have a magic wand and with it you can create Heaven on Earth. What is Heaven on Earth for you? Take as much time as you need with this. Open your heart. Let your mind go. Marinate in what Heaven on Earth is for you. What would be present, what would disappear and no longer exist, and what would newly appear? Question 3: What simple, easy, concrete step (s) will you take in the next 24 hours to make Heaven on Earth real? By making the step simple, by making it one you know you can do and by doing it within 24 hours, you’ve actually begun creating Heaven on Earth. Take a baby step. It’s as simple as that. Here are my answers to the three questions Martin invited me to address: Question 1: Recall a time when you experienced Heaven on Earth. What was happening? Heaven on Earth began for me when I fell in love with a young woman in 1965. I was a twenty-one-year-old senior, and she was a seventeen-year-old freshman at the beautiful, newly created campus, at U.C. Santa Barbara. My beloved and I talked about children and agreed we wanted to have a child and, given that the world already had children who needed a home with loving parents, we wanted to adopt a child. Fast forward to Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo. Following graduation, we married, my wife became pregnant, and I was coaching my wife through the relaxation and breathing techniques we had learned in the Lamaze child-birthing classes. After many hours of labor, we were told it was time for my wife to move into the delivery room. I still remember the words of the nurse. OK, Mr. Diamond, your work is done now. You can go to the waiting-room, and we’ll let you know when your child arrives. I was sorry to have to leave at this point, but we had been told the rules. Fathers were not allowed in the delivery room. I kissed my wife, wished her and the baby well, and told her I would see her soon. She was wheeled in one direction, and I went the other way. But as I was going through the waiting-room doors, something stopped me. I felt the call of my unborn child telling me: I don’t want a waiting-room father. Your place is here with us. I immediately turned around and made my way to the delivery room. I came in and took my place at the head of the table as my wife began the final stages to bring our child into the world. There was no question about my leaving. I knew where I belonged. No hospital rules were going to keep me away. It didn’t take long for the final push and our son, Jemal, was born amid tears of joy and relief. Holding him for the first time I made a vow that I would be a different kind of father than my father was able to be for me and to do everything I could to help create a world where fathers were fully engaged with their families throughout their lives. Two-and-a-half years later, we adopted a two-month-old, African American baby girl, who we named Angela. For me this Heaven on Earth experience began with the magic of falling in love, which opened our hearts to wanting to share that love with a child we birthed and with a child who needed a loving family. It culminated with the spirit of our soon-to-be born son calling me to break the rules in the service of love and connection and our reaching outside our comfort zone to find and adopt our beautiful daughter. Question 2: Imagine you have a magic wand and with it you can create Heaven on Earth. What is Heaven on Earth for you? For me, Heaven on Earth is a world of fathers who are fully healed and lovingly connected with themselves, their families, the community of life on planet Earth. In my book, The Warrior’s Journey Home: Healing Men Healing the Planet I quoted my friend and colleague Sam Keen, author of Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man, The radical vision of the future rests on the belief that the logic that determines either our survival or our destruction is simple: The new human vocation is to heal the earth. We can only heal what we love. We can only love what we know. We can only know what we touch. Heaven on Earth is the end of war as we’ve known it and a new kind of warriorship. In The Warrior’s Journey Home, I quoted Buddhist meditation master Chögyam Trungpa. Warriorship here does not refer to making war on others. Aggression is the source of our problems, not the solution. Here the word ‘warrior’ is taken from the Tibetan pawo which literally means ‘one who is brave.’ Warriorship in this context is the tradition of human bravery, or the tradition of fearlessness. Trungpa concludes, saying, Warriorship is not being afraid of who you are. Question 3: What simple, easy, concrete step (s) will you take in the next 24 hours to make Heaven on Earth real? I will share the answers to these three questions with Martin Rutte and continue exploring ways to collaborate to bring Heaven on Earth for all. You can connect with Martin Rutte and his work here: https://projectheavenonearth.com/ You can watch my interview with Martin here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4Krt5t4aYM You can receive my free weekly newsletter and read my latest articles here: https://menalive.com/email-newsletter/ — This post was previously published on Menalive.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 The post My Project Heaven on Earth Began When I Fell in Love appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Foreign businesses are welcome if they have not supported the Ukrainian army, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Western businesses are welcome to return to Russia if they have not supported the Ukrainian army and have met all obligations to their employees and the state, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. In an interview with TASS on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok released on Saturday, Peskov outlined Moscow’s approach to foreign companies that left the Russian market after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 and Western sanctions. He stated that “it would be wrong to say we are not interested in these companies returning.” According to Peskov, many companies that left “reserved the right to return, fulfilling all their obligations to employees and to Russian regions... With them, of course, we need to conduct a very careful, respectful dialogue, observing our interests.” Other companies, however, abandoned their employees without paying out salaries or fulfilling their social obligations, Peskov said. He added that they will still be allowed to return as long as they make amends. “Everyone should be allowed back. It will just be very expensive for them to return.” The Kremlin spokesman stressed that the only companies that are not welcome are those that have supported the Ukrainian military. “These companies have already become enemies, and that is how they should be treated,” he said. As Western companies exited the Russian market, they lost billions of dollars in assets. BP alone reportedly took a write-off of more than $25 billion from exiting its Rosneft stake. McDonald’s, which sold its Russian restaurants to a local licensee, had to write off $1.3 billion. A Reuters analysis earlier this year estimated that foreign companies exiting the country lost more than $107 billion. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow remains “open to cooperation, particularly with our friends,” and has never “turned away or pushed anyone out.” He added that many Western companies “are eagerly waiting for all these political restrictions to be lifted,” while some continue to operate in Russia. View the full article

By Ilana Newman In Southwest Colorado, increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity has prompted local groups to organize to protect immigrants and arm residents with knowledge about their constitutional rights when dealing with federal law enforcement. Over the past month, approximately 20 people have been detained by ICE in La Plata County, Colorado, said Beatriz Garcia Waddell, a Western Slope community organizer with Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. Among these incidents was an arrest on August 18 in Aztec, New Mexico, a small town bordering southwest Colorado. Jorge Martin Ortiz-Rosalez was arrested in his own car in front of his wife and daughters. Their windows were smashed-in by law enforcement, even as Ortiz-Rosalez yelled that his children were in the car. No arrest warrant was served, according to a Durango Herald article. In response to increased ICE presence in the region, local groups have been holding ‘Know Your Rights’ trainings to educate both immigrants and allies about what to do if federal law enforcement is present. Garcia Waddell held one such training in Cortez, Colorado in mid-August with a group of around 40, mostly white, retirement-age community members who showed up to protect their neighbors. Mariana Stump, an activist who lives in Cortez, has also held a Know Your Rights training for the Latino community in Montezuma County. Stump said that about 40 people attended a training in Spanish she held at a church in Cortez earlier in August and she plans to organize another one in September. “We just keep spreading the word to let the community of Cortez know that they’re not alone. We’re here to help them and support them in any hard and difficult times,” said Stump in an interview with the Daily Yonder. Angela Clark, who helped start the Cortez immigrant support group Manos Unidad as part of Montezuma County’s Indivisible chapter, said in a Daily Yonder interview that many Latino residents didn’t attend big local events like the rodeo and the Montezuma County Fair this year out of fear of ICE activity. In rural communities like Cortez, Latino residents have a lot of economic power and their absence will have ripple effects. “Restaurants would be closed. Hotels would not have staff,” said Clark about the economic impact of losing Latino residents. According to census data, around 3,200 Hispanic identifying people live in Montezuma County, about 12% of the population. Stump said that many residents who are afraid of ICE agents don’t want to leave the house, even to go to Walmart. To help mitigate this risk she runs errands for them. Colorado Rapid Response Network was established in Colorado in 2016 by a coalition of organizations. The network receives calls about ICE sightings or activity and mobilizes local people to respond to and confirm any sightings. Other states, cities, and regions have their own localized rapid response networks like the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network, the Florida Immigrant Coalition Hotline and the California Rapid Response Network that also includes local chapters. Responders within these networks are trained, and have practice, dealing with federal law enforcement and enforcing immigrants’ rights. “Practice is very important, that’s how you know what to do in a stressful situation,” said Garcia Waddell. In La Plata County, Clark said a recent ICE raid led to a man fleeing by foot into the mountains, leaving his work truck behind with ICE agents who were unable to catch him. According to Clark, agents attempted to impound the truck, but two people who were mobilized through the rapid response network were there and would not allow it. “Two confirmers [volunteers] sat there for 25 minutes and kept saying, ‘show me the judicial warrant.’ And they protected this man’s property,” said Clark. In rural communities like Southwest Colorado, it’s even more important to have expansive networks of people trained and ready to respond in these situations. It’s an hour drive over multiple passes between Cortez and Durango, so the two communities need their own independent response teams. Clark said that there are now around 16 people in Montezuma County ready to respond to ICE reports. So far, they’ve only had false alarms. Garcia Waddell sees this kind of organizing as a way to bring a voice and visibility to rural areas that don’t have a lot of resources. Her work with the Colorado Immigrant Response Coalition connects rural communities on the Western Slope to statewide resources. During the Know Your Rights training in Cortez, Garcia Waddell talked about the difference between public and private property. She explained that to detain someone on private property, which includes a vehicle, officers need either a warrant signed by a judge or consent, which can be given implicitly by opening a door for an officer. All people in the United States, regardless of citizenship, are protected by the United States Constitution. Garcia Waddell highlighted the fourth, fifth, and sixth amendments in her presentation at St. Barnabas Church. The fourth amendment says that any arrests must have probable cause, while the sixth amendment says that people have the right to know what the probable cause is. She reminded people to make sure federal agents have a signed judicial warrant before complying with their requests, and that detainees have a right to ask on what grounds they are being detained. The fourth amendment – the right to remain silent – means you don’t have to say anything that could incriminate yourself and, additionally, that you have the right to an attorney. “My kids love this one,” joked Garcia Waddel about her children invoking the fourth amendment at home. Evidently, for Garcia Waddel, it’s never too early to start teaching the building blocks of constitutional law. An attendee asked why ICE agents are smashing windows, an obvious violation of these constitutional rights, and Garcia Waddell explained that “the government doesn’t have any accountability with federal agencies. You get to the court, and maybe the court decides you are being taken legally or illegally. But I haven’t seen any case where ICE agents have been reprimanded for their actions.” This is all the more reason to know your rights and defend them, she said. By asking for a warrant and refusing to comply without one, she hopes fewer people will be detained in the first place. It’s also up to the community to protect their immigrant neighbors. “The law is a tool,” Garcia Waddell said to the group of Cortez residents at the Know Your Rights training, “if you don’t use it, it will not do anything good. We have to exercise our rights to defend our community.” “We still have rights. They have been violated again. We might not expect the best scenarios, but we have to still defend it, because if we give up defending we’re going to be in a very authoritarian situation.” 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 Neighbors Don’t Let Ice Arrest Their Neighbors Without a Warrant appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

By Don Klees Among history’s lessons is that great messages don’t always get the messengers you’d expect. Being a form of communal history, this is also true of pop music. However, the relatively low stakes sometimes invite less thoughtful judgments. One expression of this phenomenon concerns the unambiguously great hit single “Jessie’s Girl”, a song overflowing with righteous truth about at least one of the Seven Deadly Sins. In the intervening decades, Rick Springfield’s 1981 hit took on a life of its own that often obscures the quality of the messenger. Between soundtrack appearances and regular rotation on satellite radio stations, the song looms sufficiently large that Springfield is often labelled a “one-hit wonder”, despite an impressive string of hit singles in the first half of the decade. It didn’t help matters that the release of “Jessie’s Girl” coincided with his debut as Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime soap opera General Hospital. Though he’d been recording albums for over a decade and paying his acting dues with several years of guest roles on television, the seemingly overnight nature of his fame fostered perceptions that he wasn’t especially serious about either medium. Some critics, such as Greil Marcus – who ranked “Jessie’s Girl” at #1 in his “Real Life Rock Top 10” list for 1981 – showed some appreciation of Springfield’s work, but many others seemed predisposed toward disparagement, often using his good looks and popularity as part of their critique. Bruce Springsteen idolatrist Dave Marsh offered the snide assessment in the 1983 edition of The Rolling Stone Record Guide that Springfield’s “slick sort of listenable pop fodder” was “just for you, if you think Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty would be perfect if only they wore designer jeans.” One can understand a zealot’s desire to proselytize while decrying others as false prophets, and it isn’t Marsh’s fault that the first of those working class heroes he mentioned went on to be the kind of guy who’d dump his wife and run off with his backup singer. Nevertheless, Marsh unintentionally revealed himself to be Exhibit A for the way many would-be taste makers are so focused on what they feel people ought to listen to that they never consider the possibility that others could have good reasons for enjoying something else. History has, in any event, been kinder to Rick Springfield than to reflexively snarky comments like Marsh’s. This shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s paid attention over the past 40 years. While Springfield isn’t in the same league as a songwriter as Springsteen or Tom Petty, he has much more talent than detractors suggested. Likewise, soap operas might not represent the pinnacle of acting, but the work ethic needed for a series that airs five days a week is undeniable. By his own account, especially in his 2010 memoir Late, Late at Night, Springfield sometimes indulged in the hedonistic cliché of rock-star life, but even that’s counterbalanced by the sensitivity and candor with which he discusses his mental health issues and events like the death of his father. Those thoughtful aspects – along with the aforementioned work ethic – have been on full display this summer during the I Want My 80s tour. A follow-up to a similar excursion from 2023, the tour teamed Springfield up with fellow stars from that decade, such as Paul Young and John Waite. In a July show at the storied Virginia concert venue Wolf Trap, the artists demonstrated how well both they and their songs have aged. Seeing a long-established artist can be a gamble, with memories of one’s youth at stake. Perhaps their voice is a far cry from what it once was, or they seem like they’d rather be somewhere else. Not so with Rick Springfield. The singer, who was very candid in Late, Late at Night about his fears that he failed to connect with concertgoers earlier in his career, came across as thoroughly engaged and genuinely happy to be there. Springfield drew a connection between those anxieties and his longstanding battle with depression, which he referred to in the book as “the Darkness.” The candor about his mental health isn’t limited to the page, as he related those struggles – including a suicide attempt when he was 16 – on stage before playing “World Start Turning,” a track from his final album of the 1980s, Rock of Life. “World Start Turning,” a mainstay in his setlist for the past several years, was among the lesser-known tracks played on the I Want My 80s tour. His show as a whole leaned heavily into the hits, delivered in good voice with energy to spare. For all their polish on record, songs like “Affair of the Heart” and “Love Somebody” rock, and “Don’t Talk to Strangers” has entered middle-age sounding far more direct than it did on MTV in 1982. To square the circle between a surplus of hits and a finite amount of stage time, many of them are played as part of a medley, along with the more recent song “What’s Victoria’s Secret?” A brief passage from “Jessie’s Girl” that brings the audience to their feet, but singer and audience alike know it’s just a teaser. After finishing the main set with “Human Touch,” a Top 20 hit from 1983 that served as a backdrop for him to venture into the crowd, there was no question of what Springfield would play for an encore. More than forty years later, every word of Greil Marcus’ December 1981 assessment still rings true. Fast, funny, anguished, sexy – and that drum sound! and that guitar solo! Still it may live in history more for these lines, as naturistically odd as anything by Chuck Berry: “And I’m looking in the mirror all the time/Wondering what she don’t see in me.” “Jessie’s Girl” wasn’t Rick Springfield’s only moment of pop song brilliance, but it’s easy to understand how its shine obscures the rest. Great songs have that way about them. — This post was previously published on CultureSonar. *** You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project Compliments Men Want to Hear More Often Relationships Aren’t Easy, But They’re Worth It The One Thing Men Want More Than Sex ..A Man’s Kiss Tells You Everything 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: Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons The post The Ballad of Rick Springfield appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

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Hi, I’m 33 years old Indian male. I’m 6ft and have great muscular physique as I’ve been lifting weights consistently for the last 15 years. I work from home doing something similar to trading markets. I never dated in my life or went out on any dates or even had sex with any girls that wasn’t an escort. I got into the habit of seeing escorts/prostitutes from an early age of say 18. Been seeing escorts ever since then and probably had sex with over 100 really good-looking women in this way. I’m only attracted to white women so all the escorts I had sex with were white. Some were attracted to me as I have great muscular physique and tall. But I get down a lot as I’ve never dated or had sex with any girl that wasn’t an escort. There is no social validation that comes from having sex with escorts even if you are good at sex, good looking and some escorts find you very attractive. I don’t go to bars and clubs as I don’t drink and I don’t like party scene. Unfortunately, online dating doesn’t work for me despite being 6ft and having a more muscular physique than 99% of men. As I believe this is because I’m only sexually attracted to white women and I am brown. Most people date within their own race and this is more prevalent with online dating. It gets me down a lot as when I look at couples often the guy is short, has no muscles, etc. and I deem the man to be inferior to me. I am narcissistic which probably developed from being socially isolated and alienated all my life and developing a me against the world mentality. It just seems that dating works best for white men in the whole, even men that are below average will do ok if they are white. I’m 33, made 6 figures two years ago but last yr was in a bad mental state and didn’t do well. I’m just focusing now on building my finances well again over next few years. I am planning to try dating when I’m 35 or 36 but I don’t know how I will ever meet any white woman I’m attracted to start dating. Tried going to salsa class in past but didn’t meet any girls I was attracted to there and don’t really like salsa. I go to the gym around 5 times a week and I enjoy lifting weights but it’s not exactly a social activity other than getting compliments from other men about how good my body is. Tried some yoga classes as well but there is no interaction there between genders and they have separate changing rooms and showers for men and women. I still have the aim of becoming a millionaire by the time I’m 40 which is definitely an achievable goal, But it all seems empty if I will never even be able to find any dates. Seems like I will be 39 years old in 6 yrs, millionaire lets say by then with still a great muscular physique, 6ft tall and still never find anyone most likely due to my race and skin colour. I have gotten into spirituality recently and it does says that in Buddhism they believe all of life is suffering and that preferences is what causes suffering. So if you have no preferences and no way you want things to be, no likes and no dislikes you can never suffer in life. Is still tough all the time when I see couples and very often the man is inferior to me. Seems like I have been excluded from even having a chance to date or have sex that I don’t have to pay for. Shut Out and Shut Down There are times when I get a letter where I truly don’t know where to start. OK, let’s start with something obvious: yeah, race plays a factor when it comes to dating, and South and East Asian men in particular have had centuries of incredibly racist propaganda and pop culture portraying them as effete and emasculated, as nerdy horny bumblers or otherwise unsexy in various ways, especially when it comes to trying to date white women. That sort of racism is going to present a significant head wind, particularly if you’re focused on online dating. But as I’m often saying: difficult isn’t the same as “impossible”. I would, however, remind you that online dating sucks for pretty much everyone, since the apps are primarily designed these days to frustrate you and get you to pay to be less frustrated. It also doesn’t help when the male-to-female ratio is close to 70/30 on the more popular apps and, quite frankly, most men really suck at using the apps effectively. So, part of the problem is a skill issue. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about a couple other issues that need to be addressed if you want to have better results. The first is, simply, you’re not actually giving yourself many opportunities to meet women, and when you are, you’re making it harder on yourself for no reason. As a general rule, people tend to meet their partners through dating apps, through mutual friends, work, school or social settings. While percentages vary depending on how one frames the question or defines terms, a plurality-to-majority tend to meet in person, and almost always through shared commonalities – you work together, you have friends in common, you go to the same school and so on. These all make that initial connection easier, simply because you have those things in common; contrary to cliches and late 80s pop songs involving cartoon cats, opposites don’t attract. We like people who are similar to us; the more we have in common, the more we tend to like them. And – importantly – commonalities covers a lot of territory; it includes things like background, the region where you grew up, shared values, mutual interests and so on. If you’ve ever bonded with someone because you both had a great conversation about a topic you’re particularly into, you know precisely how this works. You work from home, which already restricts the number of people you come into contact with, and which means you have to put in additional effort in order to go meet people. You don’t go to bars or clubs, which is fine – that’s not how most people meet their partners… but they often do meet at parties, usually because there’s an overlap in social circles that brings them together. So while the “party scene” may not necessarily be your thing, getting friends together on the regular or going to friends’ parties and celebrations will increase the number of people you’re meeting and who are more likely to have things in common with you. After all, if our friends tend to be similar to us, then their other friends are likewise going to have a higher number of shared values, interests and backgrounds – increasing the likelihood that you and they would get along. The power of similarity and shared commonalities also comes into play when meeting complete strangers at social events or classes. Part of why we talk about having hobbies and passions you pursue is that these give you opportunities to meet other people who have the same interests – including people who you may well want to date. But the important part is to pursue things you actually enjoy and to do them because you enjoy them, not because you’re horny and looking to hook up. This is one of the reasons why you struck out at salsa and yoga; not only do you not enjoy those activities – which is going to put you in a less pleasant and agreeable mood – but these have become some of the cliches of modern dating. It’s hard to overstate how many women complain about men coming to dance classes or yoga, not because they want to learn how to dance or practice yoga, but to circle around all the women like horny sharks. The guys who do this are clearly only there to hit on women and inevitably make everyone uncomfortable. This means that women are less likely to want to talk to you and more likely to stop going entirely. It gets worse when you clearly don’t enjoy the activity or the subject. Not only is that going to affect your mood – which will have a negative effect on meeting people – but it makes it that much more obvious that you’re there to treat it like a sex ATM and not a class. That’s going to take people who already have a reason to be defensive and help ensure that they aren’t going to talk to you more than they absolutely must. That doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to meet women at dance classes or yoga or what-have-you; people do that all the time. The issue is that you are going about it in ways that stack up so many debuffs and disadvantages that you’re reducing your odds so much that I’m not sure science has numbers to calculate them. Now there are ways to leverage your interests. If you, for example, started taking a Pilates class – your gym may well have them – you’d be closer to an interest you already have (weight lifting), in an environment where you feel fairly comfortable. But you would have to go specifically because you want to add a new form of exercise to your workouts, not to get laid. As I said: women aren’t stupid and they can spot the horny dudebros right away. But by actually participating in the class and just making small talk – not asking people out but just getting to know them as – as you become a regular in the class, people will realize pretty quickly that you’re there for the right reasons. From there, it becomes a lot easier to get to know people, make friends and, if you and someone else catch a vibe, ask someone out to grab juice or coffee after class. However, these connections tend to come about far more organically and slowly, developing as you go from strangers to acquaintances, and I have to wonder if, based on a lot of what you say here, you’re coming off like a runaway bulldozer. A lot of guys act like this, just plowing through things with no control, care or precision. Part of it may be expecting things to be as quick or convenient as seeing sex workers. That’s great for immediate gratification, but less so when it comes to building social skills for meeting people you might want a relationship with. Very few people, after all, start a relationship with someone they just met or only met very recently. Even when meeting on dating apps, there tends to be a lot of talking and feeling one another out before the first official “date” happens. If you have a tendency to come in hot, you’re going to be failing the vibe check long before you even get to the part of saying “hey, I’m really enjoying talking to you, can I give you my number?” (Also, as a complete aside: you do realize that “many of these escorts were attracted to me” is functionally the same as “the stripper really likes me”, right? Sure, maybe you’re better looking than many of her clients, but you’re still a client and flattering the client’s ego is part of the job.) But I think the biggest issue is that, as happens so frequently, you’re wrong about what’s important to women. You, like so many men who’ve written in, are focused on qualities that other men think are important because those are qualities that men admire. In fact, the thing that drives me nuts about your letter is you are so very close to having a profound realization, and you keep missing the point. You even say it multiple times: you keep seeing happy couples where the man is “inferior” to you, and yet somehow you keep trying to double down on what’s not working. Have you considered that maybe, just maybe, you got this one wrong and need to change things up a little? Yeah, race is a factor, but being white isn’t the trump card for everything else. These guys – these schlubby short kings who don’t have six figure bank accounts – aren’t with their wives and girlfriends because they’re white enough that the rest doesn’t matter. Those women are with them because those guys have qualities that women want, and as it turns out, that doesn’t mean height, muscles and money. Is height attractive? Sure, lots of people like tall guys. But attractiveness isn’t the exclusive province of the tall. Internet Boyfriend Du Jour Pedro Pascal is 5’10”, and Oscar Isaac – last year’s model – is 5’9”; you would be hard pressed to find women who’d kick them out of bed because of some “you must be THIS tall to ride” sign by the door. The same with being jacked as hell. While women are visual creatures too and can appreciate a fit guy, they aren’t going to care about or wax rhapsodic over an incredibly developed back and traps, nor comment on them… but men sure as hell will. (Now, strong hands and forearms… wooooo nurse, that’ll get you places.) And as for being a millionaire by 40… I mean, good luck and God speed, but the people who are going to care most about that are people who are interested in money or being kept in a particular lifestyle to which they intend to become accustomed. Most women are going to be more concerned that you’ve got your shit together, you can cover your share of the bills and not wreck their credit rating. In fact, women are going to care a lot more about a guy who’s kind, who actually likes them and who makes them laugh and feel good. This is why you’ll see dudes who look like rats who got exposed to radioactive waste and sell meth behind the Waffle House between shifts who have a wait list for women who want to bang them, while there’re a lot of guys who supposedly check all the boxes spending their weekends alone. Being rich is nice, but it ain’t gonna make up for a lack of chemistry or social skills. Neither will height or muscles. Or, for that matter, not being a self-proclaimed narcissist with a chip on his shoulder, complaining about “inferior” men. (Also, you’re misinterpreting Buddhism and what desire being the cause of suffering is actually about, but that’s neither here nor there.) Seriously, 90% of your problem comes down to “I am narcissistic which probably developed from being socially isolated and alienated all my life and developing a me against the world mentality.” These are the things you should be working on, because I can promise you, women can sense this on you. There’s a lot of entitlement and resentment that’s radiating off you like stink lines off a cartoon character. That’s gonna make sex vanish like it got Thanos-snapped out of existence, no matter how yoked you are. Here’s the thing that you should know: all the sex-gettingest men I have met – who have had more partners than you’ve had hot dinners – have had in common: they genuinely like people. They’re fun to hang out with, they treat people well and folks enjoy their company. Some were fit, some were obese. Some were tall, some were 5’4” even in cowboy boots. Some were classically good looking and some had a face like a bulldog licking piss off a thistle. But while their charisma presented in different ways and their technique was as varied as the individuals themselves, they liked people. They were friendly, open and warm and rarely if ever lacked for a date on Saturday night. If you want to do better with women, I suggest you make getting over that bitterness a priority while also working on developing your social skills. Otherwise, you’re going to have gym-sculpted muscles, a lovely penthouse with prime views and every sports car you ever dreamed of… and absolutely nobody to share it with. Good luck. — This post was previously published on Doctornerdlove.com and is republished on Medium. — 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 I’m Tall, Hot and Rich. Why Are Women Passing Me up for Inferior Men? appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

🎤 When the main chord is an AI power cord: Meet Oliver McCann, a guy who can’t sing, play or strum a guitar. But with a chatbot, he’s pumping out everything from indie pop to country rap. One track hit 3 million streams and landed him a record deal. Here’s what AI sounds like. Fake it until you stream it. The post When the main chord is an AI power cord appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

In our age of information overload — where every scroll brings a new urgent health warning or miracle cure — we’ve lost something essential: the ability to communicate what actually matters. Somewhere between clickbait headlines and academic jargon, practical wisdom has been buried under layers of hype, fear, and unnecessary complexity. The solution might be simpler than we think. It comes from an unexpected source: explaining gut bacteria to a curious three-year-old who just pretended to bite a hand that had touched a toilet seat. The Moment of Truth When a child grabs your hand after you’ve lifted a toilet seat and pretends to bite it, you have seconds to communicate something important. There’s no time for lectures about pathogenic microorganisms or statistics about infection rates. Just a simple truth: “Now the bacteria on the toilet seat are in your mouth.” The immediate spitting that follows isn’t fear — it’s understanding. The child has grasped cause and effect in its purest form. That moment reveals something profound about how we should evaluate all information: If you can’t explain it clearly enough for a curious child to understand and act on, there might be something wrong with the information — or with your understanding of it. The Problem with Our Information Diet We live in a culture where complexity is mistaken for credibility, scary headlines outperform useful guidance, and nuance — the part that actually makes information actionable — gets lost in the noise. Take nutrition, for example. Instead of simple guidance about eating in a balanced way, we’re bombarded with conflicting studies about superfoods, dire warnings about everyday ingredients, and miracle solutions that promise to transform your health overnight. The result? Analysis paralysis — and a population that’s over-informed yet under-educated about what actually works. The same goes for financial advice. Instead of teaching basic concepts like compound interest or emergency funds, we’re overwhelmed with stock predictions and jargon-heavy trends. Health news fixates on rare diseases and breakthrough treatments while ignoring sleep, hydration, and managing stress — things that actually move the needle for most people. Enter: The Three-Year-Old Filter What if we applied a “three-year-old filter” to the way we receive, share, and even generate information? Not to dumb things down — but to force clarity. To strip away what’s performative and highlight what’s practical. This filter has three parts: 1. Simplicity Without Oversimplification A child can understand that bacteria move from a dirty surface to their mouth. You don’t need to erase the concept of bacteria — you just need to explain the part that matters. The goal isn’t to avoid science; it’s to reveal the core mechanism. 2. Immediate Relevance Children are wired to ask: “What does this mean for me, right now?” Abstract possibilities and distant consequences don’t spark action. Information that passes this filter connects to something they can see, feel, or do — immediately. 3. Practical Application The most important question a child asks is: “So what do I do?” Information that can’t be translated into clear, direct action is likely less helpful than it seems. The toilet seat moment ended with: spit, rinse, wash hands. Why It Works Using this filter brings us face to face with several uncomfortable truths: Complexity Often Masks Shaky Understanding Experts who can’t explain something simply may not understand it fully themselves. Or worse, the science might be too weak to withstand scrutiny. True expertise shows up in the ability to distill, not dazzle. Fear Doesn’t Build Habits Scaring a child about germs might get them to comply once, but it won’t create lasting behaviour. The same goes for adults. Fear grabs attention, but understanding leads to action. Headlines Aren’t Enough A three-year-old will keep asking “why?” until the layers of a statement are exposed. It’s a childlike instinct we’d do well to adopt. Headlines don’t hold up to that kind of curiosity — and neither do many trendy life hacks. Practical Applications Applying this filter doesn’t mean we treat adults like kids. It means we start holding information to the same standard of clarity and usefulness that children instinctively demand. For Health Don’t ask, “Is this food good or bad?” Ask, “What does this mean for what I eat today?” Skip memorising antioxidants and focus on repeatable, useful patterns: Eat the rainbow Get your fiber Stay hydrated Sleep well For Finance Ignore market timing and hot tips. Focus on what works: Spend less than you earn Save for emergencies Invest consistently For Any Complex Topic Start with: What’s the one thing I can do today? If no clear answer emerges, the information probably needs reworking. The Antidote to Overwhelm The three-year-old filter isn’t about simplifying life to the point of absurdity. It’s about making wisdom useful again. It’s about choosing clarity over cleverness, understanding over memorisation, and habits over hype. In a world obsessed with sounding smart, the radical act might be to communicate so clearly that even a curious child could understand — and benefit. Because if your advice can’t pass the three-year-old test, maybe it’s time to revise it. The next time you’re hit with flashy advice or viral tips, pause and ask: Could I explain this to a child? Does it connect to something they can see or feel? Does it lead to action they could take right now? If not, maybe it’s time to look for better information. Or better yet — demand better explanations. Because often, the most sophisticated truths are the ones you can explain to a three-year-old. Just ask the kid who now knows to wash his hands after touching something yucky. — This post was previously published on medium.com. Love relationships? We promise to have a good one with your inbox. Subcribe to get 3x weekly dating and relationship advice. Did you know? We have 8 publications on Medium. Join us there! Hello, Love (relationships) Change Becomes You (Advice) A Parent is Born (Parenting) Equality Includes You (Social Justice) Greener Together (Environment) Shelter Me (Wellness) Modern Identities (Gender, etc.) Co-Existence (World) *** – Photo credit: Habib Dadkhah on Unsplash The post Through the Filter of a Three-Year-Old: Making Information Practical Instead of Performative appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Moscow has long warned that cutting its oil and gas will damage the bloc’s economy The European Union must permanently cut off all Russian energy imports, Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen has declared. Most EU countries have halted direct imports of Russian crude and gas under sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. However, Brussels continues to push for a full phase-out of Russian energy by the end of 2027 under its RePowerEU Roadmap. The plan calls for ending spot gas contracts, suspending new deals, limiting uranium imports, and targeting the so-called Russian “shadow fleet” of oil tankers allegedly used to bypass sanctions. Jorgensen, who has championed the plan for months, said the bloc must urgently agree on its framework and stick to it even after the Ukraine conflict ends. “For us the objective is very, very clear. We want to stop the import as fast as possible,” he told reporters in Copenhagen on Friday. “And in the future, even when there is peace, we should still not import Russian energy… In my opinion, we will never again import as much as one molecule of Russian energy once this agreement is made.” Jorgensen noted that the US has backed Brussels’ plans. President Donald Trump, frustrated with slow Ukraine peace talks, urged European allies on Thursday to halt Russian energy imports. The July trade deal between Washington and Brussels also included a pledge that the EU would replace Russian oil and gas with American LNG and nuclear fuel. Hungary and Slovakia, both heavily dependent on Russian supplies, have been the strongest opponents of the phase-out, arguing it would undermine the bloc’s security and raise prices. On Friday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto accused the EU of “hypocrisy,” saying many members still buy Russian crude through intermediaries even as they call for a phase-out. Jorgensen said he was in talks with Budapest and Bratislava but noted the plan can be approved without them, as it requires only a qualified majority. Moscow considers any restrictions targeting its energy trade illegal and has warned that abandoning its energy will drive up prices and weaken the EU’s economy by forcing it to rely on costlier alternatives or indirect Russian imports. View the full article

Somebody on one of the social media platforms that I subscribe to posed the question: “Do you love God?” I responded in the negative. The concept of “god(s)” is a human construction in the realm of the concepts of “race” and “gender roles.” Some people may claim that their conceptualization of “God” helps them cope with the struggles and changes in their lives within an unalterably changing and uncontrollable world. That’s fine for them. But I think that the concept of “God” was constructed to divide people by imposing a hierarchical positioning of people and groups into “us” (people who believe as I believe, the “ingroup”) versus “them” (the “others,” the marginalized, the heathens, the unbelievers, the “outgroup”). That question on social media could have asked whether we like the concept of “race” or “gender roles,” and I would have given the exact same response since all of these concepts divide people into hierarchical positions of power and privilege versus marginalization and oppression. “God” is certainly not in the same category of the natural elements of earth, water, fire, and air, which all living things on this planet have discovered uses for to sustain and enhance life. “Gods,” on the other hand, were invented by humans in their attempt to explain the mysteries of life and to justify their supposed place in the cosmos. Humans have raised ultimate questions as the world spins around, as individuals and nations since recorded history have attempted to explain the mysteries of life, as spiritual and religious consciousness first developed and carried down through the ages, as people have come to believe their way stood as the right way, the only way, with all others as simple pretenders, which could never achieve THE truth, the certainty, the correct and right connection with the deity or deities, and as individuals and entire nations raped, pillaged, enslaved, and exterminated any “others” believing differently. How many wars are we going to justify in the name of “God,” our “God” versus their so-called “false gods”? Someone said to me once that throughout the ages more people have been killed in the name of religion than all the people who have ever died of all diseases combined. I doubt whether this is actually true, but I do think it highlights a vital point: that we continually kill others and are killed by others over concepts that humans can never prove. Throughout history, Jews and Muslims have killed each other, Christians and Muslims have killed each other, Christians and Jews have killed each other, Hindus and Muslims have killed each other, Catholics and Protestants have killed each other, Sunni Muslims and Shiite Muslims have killed each other, many faith communities have killed Atheists and Agnostics, and on and on and on. In psychology, there is the notion that insanity is doing something over and over again while expecting different results. The insanity of the world continues because human beings do not know their history. They do not understand that we are doing something over and over again while expecting different results, namely, we are expecting peace to break out. Individuals and entire nations continue to believe that their reality fits all, and that it is proper and right to force their beliefs onto others “with God on our side.” In reality, all religious doctrine stems from uncertainty and conjecture, from multiple gods, hybrid gods and humans, to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, to the burning bush, to the covenant and the parting of the Red Sea, to the immaculate conception and resurrection, to Muhammad’s rising to heaven from the rock, to the golden tablets, all beginning with the humancreation of gods. So, rather than asking the question on social media, “Do you love God?,” I prefer to ask instead: “What do you think about any religion that justifies discriminatory treatment of other human beings?” — 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 ‘God’ Is a Social Construction Like ‘Race’ and Gender Roles appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Whack-a-stream: Cops just shut down a massive Streameast copycat that pulled 1.6 billion visits last year, more traffic than Twitter. The site streamed 10,000 illegal sports events and laundered $6.2M through a fake UAE company before Egyptian police raided it and arrested two guys. Plot twist: the real Streameast? Still online. Still streaming. The post Whack-a-stream appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

🌪️ Turn on emergency alerts: Your phone can warn you about severe weather or local threats. On Android: Go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Wireless emergency alerts and toggle on Allow alerts. On iPhone: Go to Settings > Notifications, then under Government Alerts, switch on Emergency Alerts and Public Safety Alerts. The post Turn on emergency alerts appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

“The most powerful forms of inequality in marriage are invisible— and emotional labor is at the heart of it.” —Nate Klemp PhD & Kaley Klemp Nate Klemp, PhD, and Kaley Klemp are a husband-and-wife team who’ve spent years researching what makes modern relationships work—and what quietly tears them apart. In their book The 80/80 Marriage, they challenge the outdated 50/50 fairness model and introduce a radical new approach rooted in generosity, structure, and shared success. It’s a practical blend of psychology, research, results from their personal surveys, and real-life strategies that address the invisible struggles couples face today. This book stood out to me because it doesn’t just diagnose the problems—it offers practical tools. From unspoken mental load and emotional labor to how we handle sex, time, and appreciation, it delivers insights every modern couple should hear. Here are the three takeaways that made the biggest impact on me. 1. Shift Your Mindset to Appreciation One of the biggest differences between thriving couples and struggling ones comes down to how they see their partner. According to relationship researcher John Gottman, masters of marriage constantly scan for things they can appreciate and express gratitude for, while disasters focus on what their partner is doing wrong. “Happy couples. In other words, see the world of their marriage through this lens of appreciation.” The research even boils it down to a ratio—healthy relationships maintain at least five positive interactions for every negative one. The good news? You don’t have to wait for appreciation to happen naturally—you can build it like any other habit. Start small: acknowledge the little things, like making coffee, handling the school drop-off, or planning a date night. Get specific, make it playful, and don’t be afraid to ask for appreciation when you need it. These positive interactions also include compliments, kisses, and gentle touches. The “Olympians” of healthy relationships had a 20-to-1 ratio of positive to negative interactions. “And that’s why Gottman claims the uncanny ability to predict with over 90% accuracy whether a couple will get divorced. It doesn’t matter what they’re fighting about. It doesn’t matter how often they have sex. It doesn’t even matter whether they are rich or poor. What matters is this invisible atmosphere of interaction. If a couple bounces back from conflict by redirecting their attention to appreciation and love they’re going to make it. If they’re stuck in a swirl of criticism, withdrawal, and indifference, they’re destined for divorce or a lifetime of chronic unhappiness.” When couples create a culture of noticing and verbalizing gratitude, it shifts the entire dynamic of the relationship for the better. My take: This is something that hit home with me. I do not express my appreciation as much as I should so I set a daily reminder in my phone to prompt me until that habit sticks. 2. Creating Space for Connection The biggest challenge for modern marriages? No space. Between work, kids, and never-ending to-do lists, couples often feel like they’re just co-managing life instead of truly connecting. The happiest couples don’t just wait for connection to happen—they build it into their daily, weekly, and yearly routines. The 80/80 model suggests structuring connection through three types of habits: Micro Habits: These are the small, everyday moments that strengthen a relationship, like taking a 10-minute walk together after dinner, greeting each other with a long hug, or doing a quick emotional check-in (“How are you really doing?”). They may seem small, but they add up over time. Medium Habits: These require a little planning, like weekly date nights, sneaking out of work early for a movie, or scheduling an uninterrupted hour to talk. One couple even had “Adult Swim” breaks—skinny dipping during the workday just to reset. Find what works for you and make it a ritual. Macro Habits: These are the big resets—vacations without the kids, weekend getaways, or even quarterly “off-the-grid” trips. Even one weekend a year of dedicated time together can make a huge difference in a marriage. Building connection doesn’t have to be overwhelming—it just needs to be intentional. Start with micro habits, add medium ones when you can, and aim for at least one macro habit each year. 3. Ending the Power Struggle Over Sex In many relationships, one partner tends to have a higher sex drive than the other, leading to a power imbalance that can create frustration, disconnection, or even resentment. Just like financial dynamics in a marriage, the key to balancing this isn’t about keeping score—it’s about adding structure and practicing radical generosity. The goal is to move away from a mindset of withholding or obligation and toward a mutual understanding that prioritizes connection. The book lays out four strategies for shifting sex from a battleground to a shared experience: Schedule It (Without Killing the Spark): Spontaneity is great, but life gets busy. Instead of treating sex like another task on the calendar, think of it as planning time to reconnect, whether that’s a date night, a long hike that leads back to an empty house, or a weekend away. The Sex Challenge: By intentionally shaking up the routine—whether it’s a one-week challenge or a longer commitment—couples remove sex as a point of negotiation and rediscover connection without the constant question of do we or don’t we? Orgasmic Altruism: Radical generosity applies to sex too. The high-drive partner can ease up on pressure and initiation, while the low-drive partner can be more open to exploring connection, even if they’re not immediately in the mood. Turning Rejection Into a Plan: Instead of a hard no, offering an alternative time (e.g., “Not tonight, but tomorrow”) eliminates uncertainty and prevents one partner from feeling permanently shut down. Related: Stop Telling Your Kids To “Be Careful” (& What To Do Instead) From Chaos To Calm: 17 Tips For Parenting Toddlers The 5 Principles Of Parenting: A Review & 3 Takeaways — This post was previously published on MINDYBODYDAD.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 The post Sex, Time, and Appreciation in 80/80 Marriage | 3 Takeaways appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The US recently deployed a large naval and air force not far from the South American country The US military is authorized to shoot down Venezuelan aircraft if commanders judge them a threat, President Donald Trump has said. His warning followed reports that Venezuelan aircraft had buzzed American warships taking part in what Washington describes as an anti-drug mission near the South American country. Asked by reporters on Friday what the US would do if Venezuelan jets fly near US naval vessels again, Trump warned that “they’re going to be in trouble.” “If they do put us in a dangerous position, we’ll shoot them down,” he stressed. Trump rejected claims by Caracas that Washington was seeking to topple the government of President Nicolas Maduro. “Well, we’re not talking about that, but we are talking about the fact that you had an election which was a very strange election,” he said. He instead framed the US military presence near Venezuela as part of a crackdown on drug trafficking. “Billions of dollars of drugs are pouring into our country from Venezuela. The prisons of Venezuela have been opened up to our country,” Trump said, adding that US forces would target boats suspected of carrying narcotics. In recent weeks, the US deployed at least eight warships and an attack submarine in the Caribbean, while sending ten F-35 stealth fighters to Puerto Rico to deter further Venezuelan flyovers. Earlier this week, the US struck a boat it claimed was linked to a drug operation, killing 11 people. As tensions with the US soared, Maduro warned that his country would move to a stage of “armed struggle” if it were attacked. Relations between the United States and Venezuela have been tense for years. Washington refused to recognize Maduro’s reelection in 2018, instead backing the country’s opposition. Successive US administrations have imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector and financial system. In August, the US announced a reward of $50 million for any information leading to Maduro’s arrest, whom it labeled “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.” The Venezuelan president rejected the allegation, saying his country is “free from coca leaf production [and] cocaine,” and is fighting against drug trafficking. View the full article

One of the most harmful ideas ever woven into society is the belief that it’s better to give than to receive. This single statement has shaped how countless people — especially heart-centered leaders — approach life, business, and success. Over the years, I’ve worked closely with some of the wealthiest and most generous people you could ever meet. These clients and friends have shown me firsthand that wealth and generosity are not opposites. In fact, those who have learned to receive fully are often the ones who give most abundantly. The myth that financial abundance requires taking from others, or that receiving inherently causes harm, simply isn’t true. I’ve seen far more destructive behavior from those struggling in lack than from those living in abundance. The real difference between those who continually struggle to create margin in their lives and those who thrive comes down to one thing — their relationship with receiving. The Three Steps to Creating Anything You Want There’s a simple creation process I teach at my two-day Choose Your Destiny Live Intensive — a process that can be applied to manifest anything you truly desire. Step One: Clarity of Vision. Most people never achieve what they want because they haven’t defined it clearly. They’re reacting to life instead of creating it. True clarity comes from going inward, listening deeply to the soul, and crafting a vivid picture of what your ideal life looks and feels like. Step Two: Certainty of Heart. Even with a clear vision, many people remain stuck because they doubt their ability to achieve it. Old stories, fears, and inner conflict cloud their belief in what’s possible. To move forward, you must dissolve these internal blocks. That’s why I developed The DRILL Method — a process for dropping into the body, recognizing stored emotions and beliefs, inquiring into their roots, letting them speak, and then letting them go. Each time you do this, you strengthen your certainty that what you desire is truly available to you. Step Three: Commitment to Receive. This is where most people stop short. They’ve done the inner work, they’re clear on their vision, but when opportunity comes, they hesitate. They feel guilty for wanting more. They wonder if they’ve earned it. They fear their gain will mean someone else’s loss. Without the willingness to receive fully, desires remain out of reach. Why Receiving Is Essential For over-givers, receiving can feel uncomfortable — even unsafe. Many of us were celebrated for selflessness but punished for wanting, asking, or accepting help. This conditioning wires the nervous system to equate giving with virtue and receiving with guilt or shame. But receiving is not selfish. It’s a vital act that enables greater generosity. When your life is full, your energy overflows. You give from inspiration, not depletion. Without the ability to receive, you operate from scarcity — and scarcity can’t sustain meaningful contribution. Over the years, I’ve watched clients master this process and watch their circumstances expand rapidly. Meanwhile, I saw my own patterns of self-sabotage — slowing down momentum, bringing success back to a “safe” baseline, and staying in the role of the constant giver. It wasn’t because I was incapable, but because I was resisting the very thing I wanted. It’s time for all of that to change for me. And it can change for you, too. Stepping Into Shameless Receiving When we drop the lie that giving is “better” than receiving, we make space for both to exist in balance. We learn that our wants matter, that our desires are valid, and that asking for and accepting abundance benefits everyone. This is the work I invite you into — strengthening your receiving muscle, dissolving guilt, and embracing the fullness of life without apology. With clarity of vision, certainty of heart, and a commitment to receive, you step into a life where your capacity for wealth, love, and freedom expands without limit. Receiving is not the opposite of giving — it is what allows your giving to be sustainable, joyful, and deeply impactful. Click here to join me at the next Choose Your Destiny Live Intensive and we’ll step into a more enriched life together. — This post was previously published on Inner Wealth. *** You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project: Escape the Act Like a Man Box What We Talk About When We Talk About Men Why I Don’t Want to Talk About Race The First Myth of the Patriarchy: The Acorn on the Pillow 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 The Biggest Lie You’ve Ever Been Told appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

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“Distance is not for the fearful, it is for the bold. It’s for those who are willing to spend a lot of time alone in exchange for a little time with the one they love.” — Meghan Daum Six months. That’s how long it took for me and my partner to meet again. Half a year of waiting, of holding our love through calls, texts, and stolen moments across a screen. It had been a tiring year filled with expectations, burnout, overthinking, and constant change. And yet, through all of it, the one thing that kept us sane was each other. The anticipation was high. I wondered endlessly- “How would it feel to touch him again?” “Would it be the same?” “Would it be different?” My mind played out a thousand scenarios. The excitement was electric, buzzing in my body like static. And then, finally, I saw him. But it wasn’t electric anymore. It was calm. Like coming home. His hands had the same warmth they always carried, but his presence felt even brighter somehow. Like time and distance hadn’t taken anything away, only deepened what was already there. And what struck me most was everything I could never capture on a call—his body language, the way he moved, the rhythm of his mannerisms, the little smiles that flickered across his face, the warmth of his skin, even his scent. These things don’t translate through a screen. They belong to real life. And I drank them in, every detail. All the love we had quietly stored away for months came flooding out in those days together, a kind of overflow. We knew we would eventually have to part again because life, because distance, but those days were gifts, ones we held tightly to keep us going. We fed each other. We woke up at 4 a.m. just to cuddle. We watched sunsets side by side and walked hand in hand through streets that suddenly felt magical simply because we were together. It was peaceful. It’s human tendency to cherish the things you have less of. But in that time, we promised ourselves that even after we close the distance, we would never take each other for granted. We planned in advance—not just the places we wanted to go or the food we wanted to try, but also small rituals that gave our time together shape. We wrote questions to ask each other in person, ones we had saved for months. We even had a “fake wedding,” exchanging vows that ended up feeling far too real. And of course, we didn’t follow every plan. But that wasn’t the point. The point was the intention, the thoughtfulness, the care. The more time we spent together, the more we wanted to. The more we realized that for us, the deepest love language wasn’t grand gestures, but it was quiet presence. Simply being there, fully. I had always thought of myself as someone who wasn’t into hugs or too much touch. But it turns out I was wrong. I just hadn’t found the person I could fully trust. When I was with him, I couldn’t stop. Touching, holding, curling into him. I felt complete in his arms— cliché, maybe, but true. And when we finally had to part, it hurt. Of course it did. It’s easy to get caught up in “how long until we’re together again” or “how to handle the next goodbye.” Instead, we focused on the moments we were sharing—walking, talking, laughing, and it made everything feel lighter and more joyful. The days we shared weren’t just memories, they were reminders. Reminders that the wait is worth it. That presence is love. That sometimes the most ordinary things like feeding each other, walking side by side, laughing at nothing are actually the most extraordinary. Because in long-distance love, you learn something profound: love isn’t measured by miles or months. It’s measured by the way your heart comes home, every time. -Anushka & Vishnu — This post was previously published on medium.com. Love relationships? We promise to have a good one with your inbox. Subcribe to get 3x weekly dating and relationship advice. Did you know? We have 8 publications on Medium. Join us there! Hello, Love (relationships) Change Becomes You (Advice) A Parent is Born (Parenting) Equality Includes You (Social Justice) Greener Together (Environment) Shelter Me (Wellness) Modern Identities (Gender, etc.) Co-Existence (World) *** – Photo credit: Jonathan Borba on Unsplash The post The Reunion That Left Me Speechless After 6 Months appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

👱🏻‍♀️ Your profile pic matters: On LinkedIn, you’re 14 times more likely to get noticed with a clear, well-lit headshot. Selling on Facebook Marketplace? Don’t look too serious, it scares buyers off. And on dating apps, 40% of people say a smile is the first thing they notice. Call me Cupid … that’s more right swipes for you. Btw, you can post a job for free on LinkedIn using this link. The post Your profile pic matters appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article