American Women Suck

🏈 Fantasy football goes AI: This season, fantasy nerds are swapping gut calls for algorithms. They’ve built custom AI agents that crunch real-time data from ESPN, track injuries and even “scout” rivals by analyzing past moves (paywall link). Hey, this could be the start of smarter drafts and fewer Sunday meltdowns … if the bots actually deliver. The post Fantasy football goes AI appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

By Liam Gibson Divorce rates among Americans overall are in decline, except for one group – seniors. According to the latest National Center for Family & Marriage Research (NCFMR) data published in 2024, divorce rates among over-65s have tripled since the 1990s. As of 2022, they reached a new all-time high of 15% in 2022. This growing ‘gray divorce’ wave defies the broader trend and commonly held assumptions about the relationship between marriage longevity and divorce risk, prompting a rethink of what older Americans want in life and love. Divorce can take a heavy emotional, physical, and financial toll at any age. For many, the end of a marriage can be one of life’s most financially consequential events. In the twilight years of life, when divorced individuals don’t have decades more to rebuild, there is even more at stake. While circumstances differ, typically, both partners in a later-stage divorce experience a decline in their wealth of approximately half, according to NCFMR data. So, how can boomers avoid the pitfalls of divorce? Financial advisors offer insights into the phenomenon of ‘silver separations’ and share ideas that can help seniors steer clear of the most significant fiscal pitfalls. Never Too Old The ages and rates at which people marry and divorce have fluctuated substantially in recent decades. While the total US divorce rate peaked in 1980, that does not mean fewer people remain married. As the divorce rate has shrunk, so has the overall marriage rate, which hit an all-time low in 2019. In 1970, for instance, for every 1,000 unmarried adults, 86 got married, whereas in 2019, only 33 got married. Divorce among seniors may be more common, but it is no less daunting. “Most couples are worried about dividing marital assets after they pass 65,” says Myra Alport, Founder of Myra Alport Money Coach. “If both are retired, the retirement pot is only so big and thus has to be split according to state divorce laws.” This poses a conundrum. No one wants to outlive their money as they age, especially with a smaller nest egg. “The emotional toll of divorce clouds decision-making at any age, but the toll is greater for older clients, especially if the husband was the financial decision maker,” Alport continues. “My role as a coach is to listen and understand my clients’ greatest financial and emotional needs.” Seasons of Change It may seem counterintuitive for couples who have been together for decades to finally separate. Yet, for many couples, the transition into old age is a complete upheaval. Couples aged 55-70 are often retiring from work, seeing their children leave home, and handling health issues. These changes may disrupt their lifestyle and lead to the breakdown of their marriage. Decades of child-raising, steady work, and managing a busy household can mask deeper issues for many years. Long-simmering tensions often surface once the kids leave home and work slows down. Without the structure of daily obligations, they can give way to deeper questioning about their direction, which can cause them to question their future together. The ripple effects of a gray divorce can be just as destabilizing as those of younger-aged couples’ breakups. Even though children may have grown up and left the nest, the sudden split of their parents back home can profoundly alter their lives. “Late-stage divorce doesn’t just split assets; it can also split family relationships,” says Jordan Gilberti, Financial Planner at Sage Wealth Group. “It can strain relationships with adult children and complicate inheritance plans. It’s essential to communicate openly with family and update estate documents to reflect new realities.” “The ripple effects of divorce extend beyond the couple,” he continues. “Adult children may find themselves caught in emotional crossfire or facing altered inheritance expectations.” She’s Walking Out As with divorces at earlier ages, more often than not, it is the female partner who pulls the cord. A 2022 study by the Survey Center for American Life found that two-thirds of divorced women claim they initiated their split. “We don’t believe it’s because of a lack of love, but the weight of decades not being seen. Not being heard,” says Tj Binkowski, Owner of Narrow Road Financial Planning. Binkowski points to a revealing statistic cited in McKinsey studies: 70% of widows leave their husband’s financial advisor within a year of their spouse’s passing. “This could be ostensibly after being ignored and left out of financial conversations for decades,” he says. Binkowski says this points to deeper problems that are much deeper than legal or financial issues. “Advisors know the truth: The lonely, bored, and isolated make the worst financial decisions. And no portfolio rebalancing can fix some of the mistakes made later in life.” Women are also in a better place regarding financial independence, education, and career experience than in earlier decades, and older women are more likely to divorce with confidence. Financial services are increasingly tailored to the needs of women in this age group. “These days, Certified Divorce Financial Analysts (CDFA)—often women—are helping people take control of their finances during divorce,” says Jonathan Kolmetz, Founder of Oaks Wealth Management. “It’s a big shift from how things used to be, when some women didn’t know as much about the family’s money and maybe only visited the advisor once. Now, they’re showing up informed, asking smart questions, and working with professionals who are focused on helping them plan for what’s next.” Gray divorce is reshaping the way older couples approach their finances and relationships. As divorce rates rise among seniors, navigating this life transition with careful planning, open communication, and professional guidance from a divorce financial planner is crucial. Only by addressing both the financial and emotional aspects can couples protect their assets, maintain family harmony, and ensure a secure future for all involved. — This post was previously published on Wealth of Geeks. — 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 Financial Experts Warn Seniors of Costly Consequences as Divorce Triples Among Older Americans appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Brussels earlier accused the US company of anti-competitive practices in the ad tech market US President Donald Trump has threatened the EU with a probe that could lead to higher tariffs after the bloc fined Google for violating antitrust laws. The European Commission on Friday ordered the US company to pay a €2.95 billion ($3.5 billion) fine for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the advertising technology market by favoring its own display services. Regulators said the practice allowed Google to charge high fees, harming rivals and online publishers. The company was told to stop the “self-preferencing” practices, address conflicts of interest, and present a compliance plan within 60 days or face further penalties. Trump blasted the ruling in a post on Truth Social, calling it “unfair” and “discriminatory.” “Europe today hit another great American company, Google, with a $3.5 Billion Dollar fine, effectively taking money that would otherwise go to American Investments and Jobs,” he wrote. “We cannot let this happen to brilliant and unprecedented American Ingenuity and, if it does, I will be forced to start a Section 301 proceeding to nullify the unfair penalties.” Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act allows Washington to penalize foreign countries for practices deemed harmful to US commerce, including through tariffs. Trump has criticized the EU for targeting US tech giants with privacy and antitrust rules stricter than those in America. His latest warning comes weeks after securing a trade deal that imposed a 15% tariff on most EU exports while scrapping tariffs on US industrial goods. The deal drew backlash from EU officials, who said it favored Washington. Google rejected the commission’s ruling and vowed to appeal. Google reported $264.6 billion in ad revenue in 2024 – 75.6% of its total income – cementing its status as the world’s largest advertising firm. The latest fine is the fourth penalty the EU has levied against it since 2017. Google also faces a trial in the US later this month over a separate Justice Department case in which a judge found it held illegal monopolies in online advertising technology. View the full article

Jesse Watters warned that Power of Siberia 2 could meet the same fate as the sabotaged Nord Stream “Someone” could blow up Russia’s planned gas pipeline to China to derail the energy cooperation between the two countries, conservative Fox News host Jesse Watters has suggested. Speaking on air on Thursday, Watters said Russian President Vladimir Putin had “lost his customers in Europe” after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 and unprecedented Western sanctions, and was now turning to Asia. He described the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline as a key element of that strategy. “Putin’s putting down a big old pipeline to China. It’s supposed to be finished next decade and supply 15% of China’s energy. Russia and China are growing closer. Someone might have to bomb that pipeline like Nord Stream,” Watters told viewers. He did not elaborate on who could want to destroy the project. Earlier this week, Russia announced that Moscow and Beijing had signed a memorandum on the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, designed to bring up to 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to China via Mongolia. It is expected to be launched in 2033. According to Putin, the project “is not charity” but rather a mutually beneficial agreement under which gas will be supplied at market-based rates. Russian officials did indicate, however, that gas prices for China would be lower than for the EU market, mostly due to the easier logistics. They also rejected the notion that Russia was reorienting itself toward the East, stressing that Russia is open to cooperation with all willing parties. The Nord Stream pipelines were severely damaged by undersea explosions in the Baltic Sea in September 2022 in what is widely believed to have been an act of sabotage. American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh suggested the attack was orchestrated by US intelligence services under the administration of former US President Joe Biden. Russian officials have supported Hersh’s version. While the US denied any involvement, mere weeks before the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, Biden warned that “if Russia invades... there will be no longer Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.” View the full article

Fine art photographer Elizabeth Waterman discusses her analog strike film portraits that challenge stereotypes surrounding sex work and transgender identity—primarily through her work with Thailand’s kathoey, commonly known as ladyboys. Waterman discusses the barriers faced by transgender women in Thailand, including the inability to legally change their gender and limited job opportunities that often push them into nightlife or sex work. Her advocacy centers on the Gender Recognition Act, a prospective bill held up in the Thai parliament. Through her book Moneygame Thailand and an upcoming TV doc-follow Moneygame: Ladyboys of Pattaya , she hopes to raise international awareness and foster meaningful legal reform. Katoeys-R-Us, Pattaya City, Thailand. Walking Street. Ladyboy bar. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: So today, we’re here with Elizabeth Waterman. She’s a Los Angeles-based fine art photographer known for her analog film-based work that challenges societal narratives surrounding sex work, subcultures, and female empowerment. Born in Taos, New Mexico, she earned a BA in Fine Art from the University of Southern California before immersing herself in documenting the lives of adult entertainers and performers. Waterman’s striking portraits capture the raw humanity of dancers, transgender sex workers, and artists, emphasizing their strength and dignity while shedding light on the often-unseen realities behind the scenes. Her internationally exhibited images explore the intersections of art, identity, and representation, offering rare, humanizing perspectives that powerfully transcend stereotypes. Thank you for joining me today. I know your photography carries a humanitarian and advocacy element—especially in the Ladyboys project—so that might be of personal significance to you as well. To begin with, not everyone is familiar with the term ladyboy, and many don’t have a humanizing or accurate image of who they are. So, how would you define the term, and what does the lived reality look like—apart from the stereotype? Elizabeth Waterman: In Thailand, ladyboys are the common English term used to refer to kathoey, a Thai cultural identity referring to transgender women or effeminate male-presenting individuals. While not all Thai transgender women identify as kathoey, and the term can have nuanced meanings, it is widely used in both Thai society and internationally. Jacobsen: In terms of stereotypes, what are the common misconceptions people have about kathoey, and what realities help debunk those myths? Waterman: It’s an important point. In Thailand, ladyboys can be marginalized and are sometimes subject to stereotypes—portrayed as overly flamboyant, deceitful, or associated with nightlife and sex work. These portrayals overlook the complexity of their identities and lives. There’s a general lack of understanding about their social roles, professional diversity, and legal status. Jacobsen: A natural follow-up would be: how does public acceptance shift once people gain a better understanding? Waterman: Well, I began visiting Thailand about two years ago to photograph nightlife entertainers. Many of them were ladyboys—transgender women working in various nightlife roles such as cabaret performers, escorts, go-go dancers, and massage therapists. Through spending time with them, I was able to see the full spectrum of their humanity and experiences—not just what people typically associate with them. My goal was to create portraits that convey their dignity, resilience, and individuality. As I got to know the ladyboys, I learned more about their lives, and I became aware of the fact that transgender women in Thailand—including ladyboys—do not have the legal right to change their gender. If someone is assigned male at birth, that designation remains on their birth certificate for life. They cannot change it to female. As a result, their employment opportunities are severely limited. Many corporate or public-facing jobs require individuals to present and dress according to the gender on their official documents. As a result, many ladyboys are effectively pushed into nightlife work—cabarets, go-go dancing, escort work—not necessarily by choice but because other paths are institutionally blocked. You have ladyboys of all ages who might want to pursue careers in medicine, journalism, education—anything really—but they often end up in the entertainment or sex industries because those are the spaces where their gender identity is more accepted, or at least tolerated. Right now is a critical time, there exists a significant opportunity for change. A bill called the Gender Recognition Act was introduced in the Thai parliament in early 2024. If passed, it would allow transgender individuals, including ladyboys, to change their gender markers legally. This would open pathways for broader employment, reduce discrimination, and improve legal protections. You may or may not be aware, but it’s an essential time for LGBTQ+ rights in Thailand. In 2024, Thailand’s parliament approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage—a historic achievement that made international headlines. However, this Gender Recognition Act has not received nearly the same level of attention. I’m a big advocate for its passage. These are beautiful, resilient women. I’m currently working on a photo book called Moneygame Thailand, which features portraits of many ladyboys I’ve met and worked with. I’m also developing a TV docu-follow show focused on their lives and experiences. More than anything, I want to bring international attention to this bill. It has been stalled in Thai parliament, and global awareness could help get it moving again. Jacobsen: A lot of legal and policy changes tend to come on the heels of broader social shifts. What, in your view, was happening in Thai culture that enabled a bill like this to be proposed in the first place? Waterman: It followed the momentum of the same-sex marriage bill. That took a long time to pass. In its wake, the Gender Recognition Act emerged as a logical next step in expanding rights for the LGBTQ+ community in Thailand. But so far, it has not succeeded. It’s struggling to gain the same level of support or attention. Jacobsen: Are there other explicit laws that restrict equal rights for ladyboys beyond the lack of legal gender recognition? Waterman: This law specifically deals with legal gender identity, yes. But broader rights issues exist. For example, if a ladyboy is arrested, she must be placed in a men’s prison, where she may face harassment or abuse. That’s a serious and often overlooked consequence of legal non-recognition. Then there’s the issue of mandatory military service. In Thailand, all males are required to register for conscription. Kathoey must attend these check-ins and try to obtain an exemption. It’s a stressful and often humiliating process. They have to travel long distances, sometimes missing work, and navigate a bureaucratic system that doesn’t acknowledge their gender identity. In that sense, it’s almost the reverse of the situation in the United States—where transgender individuals sometimes fight for the right to serve openly in the military. In Thailand, ladyboys often struggle to avoid conscription altogether. Jacobsen: That’s a strange asymmetry—or maybe an inverse symmetry is more accurate. Waterman: Yes, exactly. It’s quite different. Jacobsen: When you were doing your photographic work within these communities, how did you approach it in a way that captured the reality of their lives while still humanizing them—and without reinforcing the very stereotypes you were trying to challenge? Waterman: Well, with my subjects, I always try to get to know them personally and build relationships over time. I’ve traveled to Thailand four times now, photographing some of the same individuals on each of my visits. I’ve also been privileged to peek into their personal lives—photographing them at home, learning about their hobbies, meeting their families. I’ve spent time with them outside of work, not just in the clubs where they perform. That’s important—seeing them as full human beings rather than just their roles in nightlife. I also try not to focus my lens too heavily on the granular details of their jobs or on the sex work itself. Instead, I approach the work holistically—capturing who they are as people, their friendships, their families, their goals, and their dreams. I conduct extensive interviews with each subject, which gives me deeper insight. To help build trust and improve communication, I’ve also been learning to speak Thai. It’s been a small but important project—probably about three years of lessons, once a week. So, maybe not 800 hours, but I’m working on it. I’m at a basic Thai level at the moment. It’s a difficult language, but the effort has helped enormously. Jacobsen: When you’re conducting in-depth interviews, observing how people interact, and creating humanizing photographic work, you’re essentially building comprehensive case studies on each person. So, within that, what have you noticed in terms of commonalities with mainstream Thai culture, and what are some idiosyncrasies that distinguish the ladyboy experience? Waterman: You mean commonalities between all ladyboys and then between ladyboys and the general population? Jacobsen: Everyone is a cross-section of everyday life—everyone pays bills, sleeps, eats, and so on. Therefore, there is a baseline of shared human experience. But what are some of the deeper cultural commonalities and the more distinctive realities faced by ladyboys in Thailand? Waterman: One of the most defining experiences for ladyboys is their limited access to employment. That’s the biggest commonality among them. At the same time, they may be culturally visible—Thailand is often thought of as relatively tolerant—but there are still significant limitations. They’re often funnelled into nightlife jobs. Some may find work at cosmetics counters in department stores, but the options are narrow. That shared economic constraint defines much of their lives. Jacobsen: That answers it. Economics is central in nearly every society. As far as I know, there’s no socialist utopia out there—so when income is restricted, that has ripple effects. How does this financial limitation affect ladyboys’ access to education, healthcare, travel, and other necessities like dental care, housing, or even food? To give an example, in some places, people with limited income and disabilities often end up living with others out of necessity. They rely more on social capital than on financial capital. Is that true for ladyboys, too, especially those working in nightlife, dancing, or sex work? Waterman: Yes, very much so. Many ladyboys rely on their communities, their chosen families, and their support networks to survive. When you don’t have access to stable income, it’s hard to afford education or medical care—including gender-affirming healthcare, which is expensive. Travel and even basic needs can be a challenge. So, you often find these informal support systems—people living together, sharing resources, and helping each other through tough times. It’s a kind of grassroots solidarity, and it’s essential for their survival. Many of them are also sending money home to their families, which adds another layer of pressure. That also affects their routines—many are working on a 16:8 day-night cycle, meaning they’re up through the night and sleep most of the day. Ladyboys rarely pursue higher education, not because of a lack of interest but because they don’t have the time or money. They often live hand-to-mouth, and any extra income typically goes to supporting their families. Although many would love to study or advance their skills, they often lack the necessary resources. That’s a common thread with sex workers in general: there’s limited upward mobility. Many people stay in the same job for years because it does not pay well or offer a clear path forward. There is also a deep familial obligation in Thai culture, closely tied to Buddhist values. When someone earns money—especially in working-class or marginalized communities—it’s expected that they send funds back to their families. For ladyboys, this often means supporting parents or siblings. For cisgender women in sex work, it might mean supporting their children or aging parents. So ladyboys tend to stay in nightlife and entertainment for a long time. Again, it’s a job that’s difficult to exit. And unfortunately, there is a higher incidence of substance abuse. Since they work at night, in clubs or go-go bars, they often have to drink as part of the job—either to entertain customers or to cope with the stress and emotional toll. Over time, this can lead to dependence. Their schedules are demanding. They usually work from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., then sleep during the day. Their lives become entirely focused on work and rest, with very little time for anything else. It becomes a cycle—work, drink, sleep—making it even harder to step back and think about long-term goals or changes. Nat, Bam, and Faye live in a one-bedroom apartment in Pattaya City, Pattaya. They work as GoGo dancers on Walking Street. Jacobsen: That answers the question—and also brings up a comparative angle. I’ve talked to some colleagues informally—not as part of an interview—but they’ve brought up different models of sex work. For instance, the Nordic model is often cited as an alternative that aims to reduce harm. That’s the one where sex work itself is decriminalized, but buying sex is criminalized. What are the current laws and protections in place for ladyboys in Thailand? If any. And what kinds of policy provisions or support systems do you think could help protect them, particularly from negative mental health impacts or abuse? Because as you’ve noted, many are using substances to cope with very real physical and emotional stressors—whether it’s from long, difficult hours or violent or unstable clients. So what could be done? Waterman: Many ladyboys working in nightlife are performing aspects of their jobs outside the protection of the law. For instance, they may be gainfully and legally employed at a go-go bar, but any services they provide outside of that context—like escorting—are not legally protected. There is no legal recourse if something goes wrong. If a client fails to pay or becomes abusive, there is no legal framework to support or protect them. Now, while ladyboys working inside clubs might have some basic protections through their employers, if they also provide services independently—say, meeting clients outside the club—then they’re vulnerable. And again, there’s no legal avenue to pursue justice if something goes wrong. Because of this, ladyboys often rely on community-based protection. Their community becomes their safety net. For example, in places like Pattaya City—one of the hubs of Thailand’s sex tourism—you might see freelance escorts lined up along the beach path. There might be one ladyboy acting as a kind of watchdog, looking out for the group and making sure no one is harassed. Sometimes, they move in groups of 10 or more to help protect one another. So, in the absence of state or institutional support, ladyboys depend heavily on one another. It’s a grassroots system of mutual care and security. Jacobsen: If legal protections were put in place—say, if sex work were decriminalized or regulated—do you think that would improve conditions? Or would the transient nature of the clientele in sex tourism make enforcement difficult? Waterman: That’s a complex question. You’re right that sex tourism involves a highly transient client base—people are there and then gone. That makes accountability difficult. And we’re also talking about a broader system that doesn’t just affect ladyboys but also cisgender women working in the industry. Therefore, it’s a massive and nuanced issue that would require significant legal and cultural shifts to address meaningfully. But the one thing I want to emphasize right now is the Gender Recognition Act—because that’s a concrete piece of legislation that’s already in parliament. It has been approved by public consensus and supported by the major political parties, and it’s now awaiting full passage by parliament. It’s been sitting there for a couple of years now, so there’s real potential for it to pass soon. If enacted, it would allow transgender individuals—including ladyboys—to change their gender marker legally. That could open up access to a whole range of rights and protections. It’s a major step forward. As for addressing sex work itself—that’s a much bigger legal and cultural issue, and again, not one that impacts ladyboys alone. It affects all sex workers, including cisgender women, so it’s a separate conversation. But yes, in terms of improving the lives of ladyboys, especially those working in sex work, the Gender Recognition Act could be transformational. It would provide access to better employment opportunities, healthcare, and legal protections. Jacobsen: How would you compare the legal status and rights of ladyboys in Thailand to transgender women elsewhere—say, in the United States? Waterman: Well, in some respects, transgender rights in the U.S. are more advanced. For example, trans people can legally change their gender markers on official documents. That’s still not the case in Thailand. However, the U.S. has also experienced significant regression, particularly during the Trump administration. There were rollbacks on trans protections in healthcare, education, and the military. Therefore, while there may be more legal options in the U.S., the prevailing political climate has created its own set of challenges. Trans rights vary significantly around the world. I’m not deeply schooled in the nuances of every country’s legal framework, but one major difference between the U.S. and Thailand is this: in the U.S., transgender people can legally change their gender marker. They might also have access to gender-affirming surgeries through health insurance—though that’s not always guaranteed, of course. In Thailand, there’s no legal avenue to change your gender on official documents, and any public insurance does not typically cover gender-affirming procedures. From a legal and institutional standpoint, Thailand is significantly more restrictive. Also, although discrimination still exists in the U.S., trans individuals should be able to pursue employment in any field. That’s at least the legal principle, even if it’s not always upheld in practice. In Thailand, it’s very different. In most conventional jobs—what you might call “straight jobs”—you’re expected to dress and present as the gender listed on your birth certificate. That disqualifies many ladyboys from pursuing those positions. Jacobsen: Are suicide rates, self-harm, or depression high among ladyboys? Do we have data? Waterman: I don’t have concrete statistics on that, so I wouldn’t want to speculate irresponsibly. However, I can share the emotional patterns and themes that emerged during my in-depth interviews. Many ladyboys express hope. A lot of them have a clear goal: to save enough money to leave the nightlife or sex industry and find a more stable life. That dream of exit—of eventually moving on—is very common. At the same time, these goals often feel far-fetched or far away to the ladyboys themselves—they experience a real sense that there are no clear pathways to achieve that dream. The barriers feel enormous. However, there is also a strong current of resilience. Many speak warmly about their friendships with other ladyboys. These relationships are a major source of emotional strength. That shared bond is powerful. There’s another layer, too. Stereotypically—and with some truth—ladyboys are known for being fun, playful, and even a bit aggressive in their energy. There’s a rowdy, extroverted culture in some of these communities, particularly among those working in nightlife. They joke with each other and with customers. That kind of boldness is often associated more with masculinity, not femininity, which creates a social dynamic that’s hard to classify. Jacobsen: So it’s a mix of masculine and feminine energies—culturally coded ones, at least. Do you think that personality style—being playful and assertive—is connected in part to biology? Higher testosterone levels, for instance? Waterman: Yes, I do. I’ve always thought that’s part of it. Some ladyboys probably do have more testosterone in their systems than cisgender women, and that might contribute to that particular energy—more assertiveness, more playfulness, and that bold presence you see in nightlife spaces. Jacobsen: Let’s pivot slightly to governance. When a new administration comes into power in Thailand—say a different executive government—does that shift the direction of judicial decisions or affect whether certain bills get passed into law? Or are these different branches more independent from one another? Waterman: I don’t know that I can speak with authority on the entire structure, but the Thai political system is complex. It’s not always clear how independent the branches are. But I can point you toward some useful resources. There are two key individuals involved in the Gender Recognition Act: Kittinun Daramadhaj, aka “Danny,” the lawyer and activist who drafted the bill. He’s a personal contact of mine and is extremely dedicated to advancing the bill. Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat, the Member of the House of Representatives of Thailand who helped to pass Thailand’s Equal Marriage Law and then officially brought the Gender Recognition Act bill forth to Thai Parliament in 2024. I’ll send you Facebook links for both of them. And for context, the People’s Party is the political party supporting the bill. It’s a progressive, socially democratic party advocating for reforms in several areas, including LGBTQ+ rights. Jacobsen: So if this bill is coming out under a progressive party like the People’s Party, you could make the case that their political leadership—relative to Thailand’s general political climate—helps explain its emergence. It’s a correlation, of course, not necessarily causation, but it does hold up. Waterman: Yes, I became more of a journalist through working on this project. My background and training are in fine art photography, but as I started to connect more deeply with ladyboys and people like Danny, who drafted the Gender Recognition Act, I began learning about the legal aspects. That’s when I became invested in understanding the policy implications. Jacobsen: That’s all fascinating. And the photos are excellent, too. Waterman: Thank you. Yes, I’m very proud of them. They’re powerful. They capture these women in a way that’s real and respectful. Jacobsen: So, what’s the current holdup on the bill? Waterman: The holdup is in Thai Parliament. For the Gender Recognition Act to pass, it has to clear many hurdles including: public support, party support, and parliamentary approval. The public and the parties are already on board—the delay is with the more conservative members of Parliament. I firmly believe that if there were more international attention on this bill—if it were better publicized—it would move forward. Thailand wants to be seen as progressive. They don’t want to be known for holding back LGBTQ+ rights. The problem is that even many ladyboys in Thailand don’t know about the bill. There is not enough public awareness. Jacobsen: That tracks with many countries. Most people don’t follow legislation closely unless it’s election season—or until the law has already passed. Waterman: It’s the same story with marriage equality. Everyone knows about the Equal Marriage Law because it made international news when it passed in 2024, but it had been years in the making. It was a huge deal when it passedl. It gave the impression that Thailand was incredibly progressive on LGBTQ+ issues. And while it is a step forward, there are still major gaps—like the lack of legal gender recognition for transgender people. That’s what I want to shine a light on. Through my TV show and photo book, I aim to raise global awareness about this issue. I want the international community to see that while Thailand has made progress, there’s still urgent work to do—especially when it comes to transgender rights. Jacobsen: Many reforms don’t move forward until the public applies pressure or international attention creates a mirror effect. There’s a lot of performative politics, too—on all sides. However, once a policy is passed and becomes normalized, people usually return to their daily lives. It’s like marriage equality in the United States. It was controversial for a time, but after it passed, most people realized it had no real impact on their marriages—especially not on straight, cisgender, or religious unions. It became part of the new normal. Waterman: The same would happen here. If the Gender Recognition Act passes, ladyboys could have real options—working at a bank, attending university, pursuing careers that aren’t limited to escorting, go-go dancing, or offering adult massages. That kind of choice is what’s really at stake. Jacobsen: Thailand, geographically and conceptually, is somewhat similar to the Philippines for North Americans—we know it’s there, we have vague ideas, but we don’t know much about it. It feels distant and unfamiliar. Waterman: That’s true. It’s foreign to most. But it’s such an amazing place. I love it. Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country that was never colonized, and this fact is a source of tremendous national pride. Buddhist values are deeply embedded in the culture, and there is so much beauty—culturally, spiritually, and artistically. That’s part of why I want to bring more attention to it through my work—not just the adult industry or ladyboys, but the country itself. I love the ladyboys. I want to help improve their lives. This matters to me. Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Elizabeth. — Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project, International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN 0018-7399; Online: ISSN 2163-3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations. *** If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project and want a deeper connection with our community, please join us as a Premium Member today. Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here. — Image Credit: Elizabeth Waterman. The post Ladyboys in Thailand, Trans Rights, and the Fight for Legal Recognition appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Short on laptop ports? Grab a USB hub to charge devices and connect keyboards, mice or drives. Some even come with SD card readers and 3.5mm audio outputs. We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective. The post 3-second tech genius appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

💻 Smile, you’re on candid malware: Remember when you’d get an email that you were recorded on your webcam watching porn but the threat was a fake? It’s now real. New malware called Stealerium watches for NSFW sites, then screenshots your screen and snaps a pic through your webcam. It sends both to a hacker, who likely will use them for blackmail. Reminder: Cover your webcam; a pack of covers is less than 5 bucks. We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective. The post Smile, you’re on candid malware appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Every Friday night across America, parents fill stadium bleachers to cheer on their teenage athletes. But beneath the excitement lies a neurological reality that most families never consider: when your teen gets “dinged” on the field, their brain begins a complex cascade of events that can alter how they think, learn, and function for months or even years to come. As a functional neurologist who has treated many different types of brain injuries, I’ve seen firsthand how what appears to be a “minor” concussion can derail a young person’s academic performance, emotional stability, and future potential. An estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur annually in the U.S., with high school athletes sustaining approximately 300,000 concussions per year. But these numbers only tell part of the story. The real danger lies in what’s happening inside the teenage brain after that first hit, and why each subsequent concussion becomes exponentially more devastating. The Energy Crisis No One Talks About When most people think about concussions, they picture obvious symptoms: seeing stars, feeling dizzy, or losing consciousness. But the most dangerous effects of a concussion are invisible, happening at the cellular level in a process I call the “energy crisis.” Here’s what actually occurs when your teen’s brain gets jolted: The impact disrupts blood flow, even briefly, causing brain cells to lose their primary fuel source, adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Think of trying to start your car with no gas in the tank. That’s essentially what happens to millions of brain cells simultaneously. But it gets worse. This energy shortage triggers a domino effect of cellular dysfunction: Glutamate Flooding: Without adequate energy, brain cells release excessive amounts of glutamate, a neurotransmitter that becomes toxic in high concentrations. This glutamate flood can drive seizure activity and cause free radicals to accumulate, creating additional brain damage. Ion Channel Disruption: The energy crisis scrambles the delicate balance of calcium, potassium, and sodium that brain cells need to function. When these ion gradients become imbalanced, neurons begin firing randomly – which is why roughly 70% of the brain injury patients I treat develop seizure activity, often months after their initial injury. The No-Reflow Phenomenon: Perhaps most insidiously, the brain’s attempt to fix itself often makes things worse. After the initial injury restricts blood flow, the brain panics and floods the area with blood during what we call “reperfusion.” Then, trying to correct this overcorrection, it cuts off blood flow again. This oscillation between too much and too little blood flow can continue for days, weeks, or months after the original hit, causing ongoing damage long after the player has returned to the field. Why Teenage Brains Are Sitting Ducks The adolescent brain presents a perfect storm of vulnerability that most parents and coaches don’t understand. Unlike adult brains, teenage brains are still under construction (they won’t finish developing until the mid-twenties). This ongoing development requires enormous amounts of energy. When I examine teenage athletes after concussions, I often find something alarming: primitive reflexes have returned. These are reflexes we’re born with that should disappear as our brains mature, like the Palmer reflex, where stroking a baby’s palm causes their fingers to curl. When I can trigger these reflexes in a 16-year-old football player, it tells me their brain has actually regressed to a more primitive state of functioning. This is why your straight-A teen can’t focus, why your even-tempered kid is suddenly explosive. Their brain has literally gone backwards developmentally, forced to operate on emergency power while trying to heal from injury. According to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, one in five teens reports having had at least one concussion. But the real number is likely much higher, since more than 50% of concussions in teens go unreported because the teenager doesn’t recognize the symptoms or fears losing playing time. The Compound Effect: Why Second Hits Are Exponentially Worse Here’s where functional neurology reveals something crucial that traditional sports medicine often misses: each subsequent concussion doesn’t just add to the damage: it multiplies it. Dads especially, this is where the old ‘tough it out’ playbook fails. What looks like grit on the field can mask real neurological damage that may cost your child far more than a game. I recently treated a 17-year-old soccer player (let’s call her Sarah) who had sustained three “minor” concussions over two seasons. Her parents brought her to me because her grades had plummeted, she was having panic attacks, and she’d developed a tremor in her left hand. When I tested her primitive reflexes, nearly all of them were present. Her brain was functioning like a toddler’s, not a nearly-adult’s. Brain scans showed that Sarah’s brain was stuck in what we call a “chronic inflammatory state.” The energy crisis from her first concussion had never fully resolved before her second hit, and the third had pushed her nervous system into a protective shutdown mode. She couldn’t sleep properly, her digestive system was malfunctioning, and she was developing autoimmune responses where her own immune system was attacking healthy brain tissue. This is the hidden danger of repeated concussions: the brain’s remarkable ability to heal itself (called neuroplasticity) becomes progressively compromised with each injury. The developing teenage brain, which should be forming new connections and pathways at a rapid pace, instead gets trapped in a cycle of damage and incomplete repair. Critical Warning Signs Every Parent Must Know Before diving deeper into the neurological mechanisms, here’s what every parent and coach needs to understand about concussion symptoms and safety: Symptoms Can Appear Hours or Days Later Don’t assume your teen is “fine” because they seemed okay immediately after the hit. Concussion symptoms often have a delayed onset and can include: Headaches and dizziness Nausea and vomiting Sensitivity to light or noise Confusion and memory problems Irritability and mood changes Sleep disturbances Seizures (even months later) The Second-Hit Danger Zone Returning to play too soon puts teens at risk for second impact syndrome—a rare but often fatal brain swelling that occurs when a second concussion happens before the first has healed. This is why the “tough it out” mentality can be deadly. What Teachers and Coaches Need to Know: Always inform school staff when your teen has sustained a concussion. What looks like behavioral problems or academic laziness may actually be: Concentration difficulties from brain fog Mood swings from neurological dysfunction Declining grades from memory and processing issues When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention: Repeated vomiting Seizures of any kind Severe or worsening headaches Loss of consciousness (even briefly) Extreme confusion or disorientation Slurred speech Weakness or numbness in limbs The Neurological Red Flags Parents Miss Beyond these immediate safety concerns, as a functional neurologist, I can teach parents to recognize the subtle signs that their teen’s brain is struggling: Primitive Reflex Return: If your teenager startles easily at sounds that never bothered them before, their Moro reflex (a startle reflex that should have integrated in infancy) may have returned. This suggests their brainstem is compromised. Sleep Pattern Disruption: The teenage brain does crucial repair work during sleep. If your teen suddenly can’t fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up refreshed, their brain’s recovery systems may be malfunctioning. Sensory Processing Changes: Does your teen suddenly complain that normal classroom lighting is “too bright” or that they can’t handle crowded, noisy places? This suggests their sensory processing systems have become hypervigilant: a sign their brain is stuck in a protective state. Academic Performance Decline: When parents tell me their child was a straight-A student before their concussion but now struggles to focus on homework, I know we’re dealing with prefrontal cortex dysfunction. This isn’t laziness, it’s neurological damage. The Seizure Connection No One Discusses One of the most concerning aspects of repeat concussions that rarely gets discussed is the dramatically increased seizure risk. Children with moderate or severe traumatic brain injury have a 20-fold increased risk of developing epilepsy compared to those without brain injury. But here’s what’s truly frightening: seizures from concussions don’t always look like the dramatic convulsions people expect. They can present as: Sudden “spacing out” episodes Unexplained drops in academic performance Personality changes or sudden mood swings Sleep disturbances or night terrors I’ve treated teenage athletes who developed seizure disorders months after their “minor” concussions, often triggered by the ion channel disruptions I mentioned earlier. Their parents had no idea that the random angry outbursts or the sudden inability to concentrate in math class were actually seizure activity. Beyond Rest: What Real Recovery Requires The old protocol of “rest until symptoms resolve” fundamentally misunderstands what’s happening in the concussed brain. The energy crisis I described doesn’t fix itself with time alone – it requires active intervention to restore normal cellular function. From a functional neurology perspective, true recovery requires addressing the brain from the bottom up, following what we call the neurodevelopmental blueprint. This means: Restoring Cellular Energy: The brain needs help producing ATP and clearing the toxic byproducts of injury. Simply waiting for symptoms to disappear doesn’t address the underlying cellular dysfunction. Reintegrating Primitive Systems: Those primitive reflexes that have returned need to be systematically addressed and reintegrated, or the brain will remain stuck in a less mature state of functioning. Rebuilding from the Brainstem Up: Recovery must follow the same sequence the brain used to develop originally, starting with basic functions like breathing and balance before moving to higher-level cognitive skills. The Real Timeline of Teen Brain Recovery Parents are often told their teen needs “a few days to a week” of rest after a concussion. This timeline is based on adult recovery patterns and completely ignores the unique vulnerabilities of the developing brain. In my clinical experience treating many young athletes, teens typically require 2-4 weeks of comprehensive recovery protocols for even “mild” concussions—and that’s assuming it’s their first injury. For teens with multiple concussions, recovery can take months and requires intensive intervention to prevent long-term cognitive and emotional problems. One in ten teens who sustain a concussion will experience symptoms lasting more than three months. But what most families don’t realize is that even after symptoms “resolve,” the underlying neurological dysfunction often persists. The brain learns to compensate, masking the damage, but the foundation remains compromised. A Call for Neurological Awareness The solution isn’t eliminating sports, since the benefits of athletic participation are substantial. Instead, we need a fundamental shift in how we understand and respond to concussions in young athletes. This means recognizing that concussions are complex neurological injuries that trigger cascading cellular dysfunction, not temporary inconveniences that resolve with rest. It means understanding that the teenage brain’s ongoing development makes it uniquely vulnerable to lasting damage. And it means acknowledging that each repeat concussion compounds the risk exponentially. As parents and communities, we must move beyond the “shake it off” mentality that has dominated sports culture for too long. When we understand that a concussion triggers an energy crisis at the cellular level (disrupting ion channels, flooding the brain with toxic neurotransmitters, and potentially causing lasting changes to brain structure and function) we begin to appreciate why proper evaluation and comprehensive recovery protocols aren’t optional. The developing brain’s remarkable capacity for adaptation and healing deserves our respect and protection. Our young athletes’ futures depend on it. — iStock image The post The Hidden Dangers of Repeat Concussions in Teen Athletes: What Happens Inside the Developing Brain appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

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— Today, furniture that adjusts to your lifestyle is more crucial than ever before. Tables on wheels are the ultimate space-saving furniture for maximizing space, enhancing accessibility, and flexible configurations. From a small flat, a home office, or an open-plan living space, these rolling tables are multifunctional units that match your pace of life. There are wheeled tables for every household: a portable coffee table, from the sofa to the balcony, it moves easily, as a snack table, a decor store, or a minor workspace. Different Types of Tables on Wheels When it comes to wheeled constructions, there is certainly no shortage of designs for any house: Coffee table on wheels– Perfect for lounges and living rooms, these tables are both stylish and practical, enabling you to rearrange your seating area easily. Small coffee table on wheels– Perfect for apartments, dorms, or small areas where flexibility is most important. Multifunctional table– These innovative pieces often double as storage, sideboards, or even wheeled desks, so they are perfect for small living room solutions. All styles enable you to tailor your area, providing mobility and flexibility without compromise on style. From mobile tables to hold snacks within reach to rolling surfaces to serve as small living room solutions, there is something for every setup and requirement. Key Features to Look For in a Table on Wheels When choosing wheeled tables, make sure to note the following key features: Mobility and smooth rolling – Quality and smooth casters enable your table to roll effortlessly, even in small spaces. Lockable wheels for stability – They ensure safety by preventing unintended movement or rolling when in use. Durable construction and long life – Use materials such as metal, wood, or a combination that will lead to long-lasting performance. Versatility of style and design – Your table needs to conform to your interior design, whether modern, rustic, or minimalist. A well-constructed rolling table not only looks great but also readily adapts to daily usage. Placement and Maintenance Tips for Maximum Use To get the most out of wheeled tables, follow these tips: Plan for simplicity of mobility – Place your table somewhere that it can roll between sitting positions or neatly hug a wall when stationary. Choose lightweight models for convenience – Easy-to-move tables are the secret to simple redecorating or cleaning. Keep it clean and wheels in good shape – Keep your table clean regularly to help protect its finish, and make sure the casters are dust-free so they move quietly and easily. A properly positioned and well-maintained small coffee table on wheels is a lovely and useful addition to your home. Final Thoughts: Choosing the Right Table on Wheels The best wheel tables are the ones that seamlessly fit into your life, sacrificing neither mobility nor safety nor aesthetics. Whether it is a small apartment that needs a space-saving construction or a multifunctional living room that needs a coffee table on wheels, a sturdy model ensures years of convenience and ease of use. With deliberate attention to long-lasting materials, heavy-duty wheels, and a design that appeals to your decor, you will find furniture that serves flexibility and comfort in equal measure! — This content is brought to you by Sky Link Building Photo provided by the author. The post How Tables on Wheels Transform Modern Living Spaces appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The prime minister has said New Delhi and Washington share a strong strategic partnership amid US pressure over trade with Russia Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has responded to US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on India’s ties with Russia, calling the US-India relationship “very positive and forward-looking.” Modi’s response came hours after Trump said he would “always be friends” with Modi, despite concerns over India’s oil purchases from Russia. Trump made the statements hours after he posted on Truth Social that the US seems to have “lost” India and Russia to “deepest, darkest China.” “Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership,” Modi said in a social media post on Saturday. Deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump's sentiments and positive assessment of our ties. India and the US have a very positive and forward-looking Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership.@realDonaldTrump @POTUS https://t.co/4hLo9wBpeF — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 6, 2025 Trump spoke at a news conference at the White House on Friday where he was asked about India’s presence at the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Asked if the US has “lost” India, Trump said, “I don’t think we have,” adding: “I’ve been very disappointed that India would be buying so much oil… from Russia. And I let them know that. We put a very big tariff on India – 50%.” Trump went on to say that he remains close to Modi. “I will always be friends with Modi, he is a great prime minister,” he said. “I’ll always be friends but I just don’t like what he’s doing at this particular moment, but India and the US have a special relationship. There is nothing to worry about.” Trump’s comments follow criticism of India by senior US officials, including White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Navarro accused India of “profiteering” from Russian oil and said this has contributed to prolonging the Ukraine conflict. Lutnick warned that if India does not align with the US, “they will have to pay 50% tariffs on exports to the US.” Lutnick also said he expects India to return to talks for a trade deal. “They’re going to say they’re sorry and they’re going to try to make a deal with Donald Trump,” he stated. US imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods last month. While a 25% tariff was announced in July as the two nations failed to agree on a trade deal, Trump later imposed an additional 25% due to India’s purchases of Russian oil. View the full article

I often get people who ask me how to become a more patient person — they get easily frustrated or angry, impatient and annoyed, and it’s not always good for their relationships. I’m very familiar with impatience, because it’s been a companion of mine for life. Some ways that I’ve noticed I get impatient: I want myself to make progress (on a project, learning, habit, etc.) really quickly, and I get impatient when it takes longer than I’d hoped (i.e. wanting results immediately) I get frustrated when I’m teaching something to someone and they don’t get it right away (i.e. a fear that I’m not doing a good job of teaching) I get frustrated when other people aren’t moving as quickly as I want to move on a project (i.e. more wanting results immediately) Do any of these sound familiar? Let’s take a look at how to become more patient — but be warned that developing patience takes … a bit of patience! I know that’s ironic, but I want to set up the expectation that it’s not an immediate switch for most of us. It takes practice. Why We’re Impatient Before we can see how to shift ourselves to a more patient mindset, we have to understand why we’re impatient. Often we’re impatient because we want what we want, and we want it now. We want results as soon as possible. We want quick progress. We want to be through the part where we’re learning, to the part where we’re good at something. In other words, we don’t like to be in the messy growth phase. It’s like not wanting to go through the construction phase, just wanting the finished home. Not wanting to be a beginner, just an expert. If we’re unwilling to go through the growth phase, and experience the discomfort of that, then we’ll be unable to experience the growth. But beyond this impatience to get to the finish line already … we also want other people to act the way we want them to act — to move quickly, to do things the way we like, to learn quickly, etc. Just like we don’t have grace for ourselves to go through the growth process, we don’t have grace for other people who are growing as well. We expect them to already do things perfectly. A Shift in Mindset So understanding this, how do we develop more patience? The answer lies in developing some grace for ourselves and others who are going through a growth process (hint: that’s all of us). And that means learning to develop a tolerance for the discomfort of being in the growth process. It’s not comfortable being a beginner and messing up a lot. It’s not comfortable when there’s a mess when you’re building something. We want to get out of that discomfort — and that’s a big reason why we’re impatient. How can we learn to tolerate this discomfort? We can learn to see the beauty in growth and learning. Can we find beauty in making mistakes? This is where learning takes place. Can we find beauty in being a beginner? This is the place where so much is possible. Can we find beauty in messiness? This is where creativity happens. Can we find beauty in not moving as quickly as we want? In slowness, we can deepen our curiosity. How to Practice Start by committing to developing this new mindset of seeing the beauty in growth, learning, slowness, messiness. Try to notice whenever you’re feeling impatient. When you want to move quickly, when you want results now, when you want people to learn or move as quickly as possible. When you notice the impatience, pause and breathe. See this as a chance to find beauty in the messiness. Then slow down for a moment, and reflect on what beauty you can find in the growth, learning, messiness, mistakes, being a beginner, going slowly. Find grace for the other person’s growth process as well — what beauty can you find in it? — This post was previously published on Zen Habits. Uncopyright courtesy Leo Babauta. *** You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project You Said ‘Race’, but Are You Actually Talking About Race? Understanding the Nonbinary: Are You Confusing Gender With Sex? The Difference Between Compassion for Those With Disabilities & Ableism? ‘Masculinity’ Is Having an Identity Crisis 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 Develop More Patience appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

🧨 Zuck-on-Zuck: A real Indiana lawyer named Mark Steven Zuckerberg is suing Meta and Mark Elliott Zuckerberg because Facebook keeps deleting his account for “impersonating a celebrity.” His personal and business profiles have been suspended multiple times over the past 15 years even though he submitted driver’s license, professional ID and credit card info to prove he’s legitimate. His legal practice lost $11,000 in ad funds, countless clients and precious credibility while Meta apologized four times for mistakenly disabling him. Now he’s asking for money, a formal apology and a free weeklong vacation on Zuck’s $300 million, 387-foot yacht. Heck yeah! The post Zuck-on-Zuck appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

By Seth Millstein, Sentient Media The U.S. poultry industry took in over $70 billion last year, with industry-leader Tyson reporting $53 billion in revenue, for chicken and more. The vast majority of farmers didn’t see much of that profit at all. Thanks to what’s known as contract farming, many of the people who run these farms find themselves underpaid, debt-ridden and broke, with no foreseeable exit strategy. Meanwhile, the large agribusinesses with whom they’re contracted rake in the profits. Under the contract farming model, large meat processors like Tyson and Perdue deliver animals and feed to individual farmers, who raise them in their own facilities before returning them to the processors. The farmers have to abide by the processors’ guidelines in raising the animals, and their payment varies depending on the performance of other growers in the area. “Fundamentally, you’re getting paid for time and space,” James MacDonald, research professor of agricultural economics at the University of Maryland and former staffer at the USDA’s Economic Research Service, tells Sentient. “You, the grower, are providing the housing, significant capital investment and labor and management, and you’re most likely, these days, also paying for utilities.” While all sorts of agricultural commodities are farmed via contract, the model is practically the only game in town when it comes to poultry: According to the USDA, in 2020 88 percent of all poultry in the U.S., and 99.5 percent of all meat chickens, are farmed under contract. Given that over half of all chicken in the U.S. is processed by just four companies — Perdue, Tyson, Pilgrim’s Pride (a division of JBS) and Sanderson Farms — these contract farmers are usually contracting with one of those companies. Contract farming may sound like a good economic model, but many farmers say it’s left them debt-ridden. How Does Contract Farming Work? In livestock farming, production contracts are agreements between individual farmers and the large agribusinesses that process and sell the meat. These agribusinesses — often referred to as “integrators” due to their adoption of vertically-integrated production models — agree to provide animals and feed to the farmer, and to pay the farmer for raising those animals for a certain period of time. The farmer, in turn, agrees to raise the animals in accordance with the integrator’s guidelines, and to give the animals back to the integrator once they reach slaughter weight. Under production contracts, farmers don’t buy or own the animals they’re raising, and aren’t “selling” them to the meat processors. They are simply being paid by the integrator to perform the service of raising the animals before they’re slaughtered. Exactly how much contract farmers get paid is a complicated question that we’ll dive into later. “In any production contract, there’s a set of inputs that are being provided by the contractor or the processor, in this case, and there’s a set that’s being provided by the grower,” MacDonald says. “And that’s why production contracts tend to be pretty thick, because there’s a lot of detail on who’s contributing what.” In theory, production contracts offer a number of protections and upsides for producers. Farmers who produce under contract receive guaranteed regular payments for the length of the contract, and thus don’t have to worry about marketing their product or finding buyers for it. They also don’t have to source their animals or buy feed, as both are provided by the integrator, which both saves them money and shields them from market fluctuations in the price of animals and feed. The Problems with Production Contracts On paper, contract farming provides farmers with a regular, reliable source of income. In practice, contract farming has left many farmers broke, destitute, and devastated. Here’s why. Startup Capital Under production contracts, integrators own the animals, while farmers own the facilities in which the animals are raised. In a 2015 segment on contract farming, John Oliver dryly characterized this arrangement as one in which “you own everything that costs money, and we own everything that makes money.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9wHzt6gBgI He wasn’t wrong. In 2016, the average poultry farm had four chicken houses, and the average cost of building a chicken house was $300,000, according to Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI). This means that would-be contract farmers needed to invest over $1 million of their own money before raising a single bird. The price has only increased since then: In 2023, Southern Ag Today reported that building a new poultry farm can cost upwards of $5 million, as many new farms are expected to have eight chicken houses instead of four. And none of these expenses includes the cost of the land itself — just the facilities. “A typical four-house facility in Maryland now is going to cost you about $2 million, exclusive of the cost of the land,” MacDonald says. “That’s a major investment.” Needless to say, most people don’t have a spare million dollars lying around, so farmers often take out enormous loans in order to build these facilities. This is the first issue with production contracts: The farmers who sign them incur massive amounts of debt before they’ve raised a single animal. It’s no accident that in the U.S., chicken farmers have a higher debt-to-asset ratio than any other type of farmer, according to the USDA. Ideally, these farmers would be able to pay off their debt through the money they earn from the contract. The problem is that the length of the contract — that is, the amount of time in which they’re guaranteed to be paid by the integrator — is typically much shorter than the length of the mortgage on their production facilities. Mortgages are typically at least 10 years, and often much longer. But as of 2022, 64 percent of production contracts for chicken farmers were for five years or less, according to a poll commissioned by the National Chicken Council. Almost one-third of all contracts were signed on a “flock-to-flock” basis, which means they only lasted 5-10 weeks (the average length of time needed to raise a flock to slaughter weight) and had to be continually renewed. Only 13.4 percent of contracts lasted for 10 years or more. Unreliable, Insufficient Payments Although contract farmers receive guaranteed regular payments for their services, the exact amount that they’re paid can fluctuate wildly, thanks to what’s known as the “tournament system.” Production contracts establish a “base pay,” or the price-per-pound that farmers receive when they deliver the grown animals to the integrator. In poultry farming, this payment rate generally hovers around six cents per pound. But calling this a “base pay” is misleading, as no farmer is actually guaranteed to receive that much money per pound. “The way you get paid under production contracts in poultry depends upon your performance compared to other growers delivering chickens that week,” MacDonald explains. “Performance is how many your chickens die, and how efficiently do your chickens convert feed to meat to weight.” Here’s how it works. Integrators place the farmers with whom they have contracts into groups, and determine the average amount of meat produced by each group at the end of the growing period. Farms that successfully produce more pounds of chicken during that time than the group average receive a bonus on top of their base pay, while those that fall short of the average receive a deduction. This system incentivizes farmers to take steps to lower their animals’ mortality rates, and make them as fat as possible. But it introduces a number of inequities as well. For one, much like a college professor who grades on a curve, the tournament system effectively penalizes farms that, through no fault of their own, happen to be placed in the same group as the top-performing farms in their region. “If you’re in a group that’s got, like, the two best growers in the state, you’re screwed,” MacDonald says. “You’re never going to win.” Tournament grouping isn’t the only factor that, despite being out of a farmer’s control, can nevertheless result in them taking a pay cut. Under production contracts, the integrator is responsible for many logistical and operational details that directly impact a farm’s production: The amount of chicks a farm receives, the day the grown chickens are picked up, the precise feed mixes delivered to each farm, the day that feed is delivered and countless other variables are controlled solely by the integrators, not the farmers. Any mistake in any of these areas can be disastrous for a farm’s output — and mistakes are common. In a 2022 survey of 105 poultry growers by Rural Advancement Foundation International, 96 percent reported that they’d received a pay dock due to late or incorrect feed deliveries. Many growers also reported being given sickly chicks by integrators, or having their chickens picked up before they’d reached maximum weight, which also resulted in lower payments. According to 2020 data from the USDA, the per-pound rate that contract chicken farmers received that year ranged from 4.29 cents to 9.64 cents, meaning that some were making more than twice as much as others due to factors largely beyond their control. Canceled Contracts As predatory as these contracts can be, they do at least guarantee some amount of money for farmers over some period of time. But some contracted farmers don’t even get this: Integrators have been known to abruptly cancel contracts with growers, leaving them with millions in debt, tens of thousands of birds, no money for feed and no prospective buyers. This happens with both large integrators and small. In 2023, Tyson closed four of its processing plants in Arkansas, Missouri and Indiana, and canceled the contracts it had with poultry farmers in those regions. For many of these farmers, the shuttered plants were the only ones close enough to be viable buyers, given the cost of shipping the chickens, leaving them with no way to continue running the farms they’d invested in. To make matters worse, many of the affected farmers claim that Tyson representatives encouraged them to make costly investments in their infrastructure in order to improve their production capacities in the years leading up to the plant closures, thus increasing their debt holdings even further. Tyson is now facing at least two lawsuits over these canceled contracts. In one, growers claim that the company knew it was going to shut down the plants as far back as 2021, but continued pushing farmers to upgrade their facilities regardless. Another lawsuit accuses Tyson of intentionally selling the shuttered plants to a non-competitor, thus ensuring that the growers wouldn’t have an alternative buyer for their chickens. Multinational conglomerates like Tyson aren’t the only processors who’ve done this, as a similar situation played out in 2024 with Pure Prairie Poultry, an Iowa-based poultry processing plant. In October, the company filed for bankruptcy, leaving its contracted growers in a financial lurch — and one million chickens without anybody to feed or care for them. Contractually-Obligated Animal Suffering In many cases, integrators don’t merely allow the mistreatment of animals by contracted farmers — they actively require it. In 2014, longtime contract chicken farmer Craig Watts allowed a film crew from Compassion In World Farming to document the conditions inside his facilities. Integrators often instruct their contracted farmers not to do this, and the video from Watts’ farm made it clear why: It showed chickens panting, paralyzed, diseased, unable to stand and lying dead on the floor among the living birds. Unfortunately, this kind of suffering isn’t at all unusual in industrial poultry farms. But what’s notable here is that Watts actually wanted to give the chickens better living conditions, but said he was forbidden from doing so under the terms of his contract: Perdue, the integrator with which he was contracted, required him to keep the birds in an enclosed space, with four solid walls and no access to fresh air or natural sunlight. Hours after that video was published, investigators from Perdue made a surprise visit to Watts’ farm to audit the animal welfare — the only such visit they’d made to his farm in 22 years. The company allegedly put him on a Performance Improvement Plan and required him to take a course in biosecurity and animal welfare. Over the course of the next year, the company visited his farm 17 times, according to Compassion in World Farming. Watts ultimately left the chicken farming industry entirely, and sued Perdue for whistleblower retaliation. But chickens on contracted farms still suffer regularly, as a 2022 investigation by Mercy For Animals found. Is There Any Help On The Horizon? Although many contract farmers find themselves in an impossible bind, there have been some small positive developments in recent years. In 2019, Mercy for Animals launched The Transfarmation Project, which provides resources and training for contracted farmers who wish to convert their facilities into plant-based farms (Watts, who works with The Transfarmation Project, is now a mushroom farmer, along with other work in the agriculture reform space). In addition, the USDA enacted several regulations during the Biden administration aimed at making contract farming more equitable for farmers. These regulations require integrators to provide growers with more transparency into how they’ll be paid and what upgrades will be expected of them over the years, and to follow certain rules while constructing their tournament pools in order to ensure fair competition for all growers. A meat industry trade group has asked President Trump to rescind the rule, which is now the subject of a lawsuit. The Bottom Line The financial ruin that befalls contract farmers rarely affects the large processors. In a 2021 lawsuit, contract farmers sued the four largest meat processors, arguing that they’d crafted their contract models with the goal of suppressing farmers’ profits. The farmers said that they’d been working 12-to-16-hour days while earning as little as $12,000 a year, while the processors were making billions of dollars. Tyson and Perdue ultimately paid $35 million to settle the lawsuit. As it stands, the contract farming model empowers the richest agribusinesses and increases their control over the industry as a whole. In this sense, it’s a great business model for them. But for the farmers and animals who actually populate these farms, contract farming is often a one-way ticket to destitution. This article originally appeared in Sentient at https://sentientmedia.org/contract-farming-makes-corporations-rich-and-family-farmers-broke/. — This story was originally published by Sentient. *** 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: unsplash The post How Contract Farming Makes Big Corporations Rich and Family Farmers Broke appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Overloaded at home, White House visitors from Old Europe traded dignity and honor for elusive security guarantees. A suicidal mission. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36, KJV) Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s White House bow on 18 August 2025 was a masterclass in tragicomedy. Not entirely surprising. Under the crushing weight of expectation, the actor-turned-war-hero merely reverted to form, falling back on his greatest skill: performing at his own expense – eliciting laughter even from Thalia, the Muse of Comedy. It was not his antics – a tragic script performed in comic form – that rattled the world, but the astonishing spectacle of Europe’s helmsmen, reduced to Zelensky’s bodyguards, trailing dutifully in their principal’s footsteps: Zelensky staged; Old Europe surrendered in ignominious fashion. Caught in a rat race for security – overstretched at home yet striving to shield Ukraine – the leaders of the old continent played meek supplicants at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The optics mirrored the ancient Greek rite of hiketeía (ἱκετεία), in which appearance reigns supreme, a lesson politicians never forget. 1. Old Europe bleeds itself out in the White House: A political autopsy Let us not be deceived: The image of European leaders condemned to sit outside Trump’s office like petitioners in a monarch’s court (Figure 1) was an AI-generated fake, ironically circulated before the meeting even occurred. Its release exemplifies the classic stratagem of seizing a single manipulated instance to cast doubt on an entire narrative – here, Europe’s self-denigration. Yet the unfolding spectacle required no manipulation; the humiliation was real. Figure 1 To set the stage for his power play, President Trump arranged his high-ranking guests – recast as pawns on a board – around a table where placement spelled status and favor. Zelensky’s back faced the cameras; Trump, predictably, commanded the frame, basking in the global spotlight. In a theatrical display, the flamboyant US president, ever the consummate showman, transformed the stately conference room – the supposed epicenter of high diplomacy – into his personal televised classroom. In full view of the cameras, he summoned the foreign dignitaries one by one, like hapless and reluctant pupils cold-called forward to the blackboard to recite under their teacher’s watchful gaze. Before a single word could escape his guests’ lips, Trump inundated them with lavish praise for every superficiality – like complimenting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s tan rather than his intellect – leaving critics aghast at the perceived condescension. This live episode conjured memories of Trump’s iconic reality show The Apprentice, a staged contest of candidates jockeying for his favor. Only his dreaded signature catchphrase – “You are fired!” – delivered to boot contestants with decisive and ruthless authority, was conspicuously absent…for now. Astonishingly, the curtain had only just risen. Europe’s leaders, admittedly, did not clutch their superior’s knees as in the Greek rite of supplication. Yet they participated in an astonishing procession bordering on slapstick: Cast as unwitting extras in a cheap production, they filed obediently behind Donald Trump through the power-drenched corridors of the White House (Figure 1) – ceremony stripped of dignity, spectacle drained of honor. Lo and behold, the grotesque parade of subservience, evoking classic imagery: Goslings waddling after their mother, schoolchildren skulking after a headmaster, soldiers marching in rigid lockstep behind their commander, careful not to break formation – humiliation dressed as pageantry, each step amplifying the grim spectacle of subordination. The grand prize for Europe’s slinking – and sinking – dignitaries? A privileged close-up of Trump’s imperious back. Even though this demeaning theater – a macabre carnival of power and submission, absurd in form, tragic in meaning, and brazen in its imposition – was enough to rattle the foundations of Europe’s global prestige, the true horror, darker and more relentless – Trump’s version of St Bartholomew’s Night – was yet to strike, with nightmarish precision. In a power move lifted straight from management textbooks, Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed sovereign of the political realm, compelled the leaders of Europe to perch like anxious subordinates across the boss’s resolute desk (Figure 2). Figure 2 The guests’ posture bore the anxious weight of ancient Greek supplicants trembling before an unyielding idol, while the US commander-in-chief radiated an ostentatiously nonchalant air – impervious and triumphant on his own terrain – as if the world itself were but a stage for his dominion. As a Management Primer 101, consider this: In stark contrast to relaxed, couch-style seating, the across-the-desk configuration forces a subordinate to face his superior across a literal and symbolic wall of power. By setting boss and underling in rigid opposition, the seating arrangement reinforces formal hierarchy and top-down control. The physical barrier imposes a psychological distance that discourages openness, stifles dialogue, and smothers the very sparks of creativity beneath the suffocating blanket of rigid, authoritative command. Across this chasm, every posture and gesture is measured, every word constrained, as the subtle theater of power unfolds. Functioning as a potent signaling device, power-position seating casts a long shadow across any room. By broadcasting authority with unmistakable clarity, it can prove effective in performance reviews or disciplinary meetings; in most other settings, however, it tends to backfire, creating distance and tension. It is for this very reason that well-led organizations typically steer clear of it, even in formal interactions between superiors and subordinates. When it comes to joint deliberation among supposed equals at the highest echelons of global political power, such staged displays of dominance become all the more ill-advised – causing damage beyond mere optics by fracturing trust and collaboration in a dour spectacle of intimidation. The White House tableau of Europe’s symbolic subjugation stands in stark relief against an earlier scene when Trump himself appeared dwarfed by the unflinching presence of a European leader – immortalized in the iconic image of then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel fixing him with a steely glare during the G7 summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, on 9 June 2018 (Figure 2). In that frozen instant, the unspoken hierarchy was laid bare. Remarkably, at the time, Merkel’s spokesman shared this G7 photo – unflattering to the US President though it was – on Twitter, an audacity almost inconceivable in today’s era of Trump’s ascendancy. The image spread virally across the globe at once, searing Trump’s humiliation into the global consciousness and transforming a fleeting diplomatic moment into a lasting emblem of European resolve and American embarrassment. In a stunning reversal of roles – almost a revanche – pictures of the humiliating desk-barrier scene, which any confident and self-respecting leader would have shunned for its awkward and mortifying symbolism, were this time proudly posted on the White House Facebook page, emblazoned with the banner “Peace through Strength”. With the well-established signaling function of power-position seating in mind, the message left no room for doubt: The images were meant to project Trump’s personal dominance, not the puissance that flows from equals standing together in concert. To add insult to injury, the US president, who styles himself the “president of peace,” abruptly ejected his high-ranking European guests from the Oval Office mid-discussion, sending them to wait in the Roosevelt Room while he conducted a forty-minute personal call with Russian President Vladimir Putin – a conversation that could easily have waited until after the dignitaries had departed. The message could not have been clearer: “Step aside, children – the grown-ups are talking.” Even in the humblest of families, such an interruption, absent urgent cause, would have been perceived as a pointed slight; at the pinnacle of global power, it amounted to a brazenly contemptuous affront. Yet instead of storming out in protest, the diminished European leaders held their tongues, allowing only the rigidity of their posture and the tension etched on their faces to betray the simmering disapproval beneath – every bodily cue signaling, unmistakably, that they had been treated like pupils expelled from class (Figure 2). In this intricate play of events, contrast makes messages vivid and unmistakable. Nowhere is this clearer than in the staggering extremes – and dizzying unpredictability – of Trump’s performative diplomacy. Before the world unfolded a relentless stage drama, in which every posture, gesture, and glance broadcast a message as sharp as it is bewildering – shocking, confounding, and demanding attention. On the one hand, the US president, ever the political chameleon, compelled Merz, Macron, and their colleagues to languish in the antechamber on 18 August 2025, their humiliation on full display for all to witness. On the other, Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin at the Anchorage summit on 15 August 2025 (Figure 3). At times, his conduct veered toward deference, as when he spontaneously applauded his Russian guest, with the ultimate reasons likely beknown only to the American host. Figure 3 The contrast in treatment and outcomes could not have been sharper, meted out with the unerring, cold precision of a guillotine: The sullen, listless faces of the belittled European leaders, laying bare the sting of shameful public humiliation, stood in stark relief against the foil of the Russian president’s radiant, almost triumphant smile. Trump’s ruthless act of forced juxtaposition hammered the overarching message home with merciless force and piercing clarity: honor for victorious Russia, disgrace for vanquished Europe. The differential treatment offered a glimpse of yet another, more general distinction: a sharp divergence in preferred diplomatic modality and style. As his elation and enchantment at the summit with Putin made abundantly clear, Trump favors staged, personal bilateral encounters over the slow grind of multilateral consensus-building. The weight the 47th president attached to that memorable Alaskan meeting with Putin was theatrically underscored in a truly surreal moment: Crowned with a baseball cap boldly proclaiming “Trump was right about everything!”, he proudly and exultantly held aloft a photograph of the two statesmen at the summit, bestowed upon him by Putin. Not content with the extravagant display, the enthralled US commander-in-chief went so far as to promise to autograph the picture for Putin, as though the Russian helmsman were a devoted MAGA fan. © Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images Only in Trump’s absence did the plurality-based diplomatic paradigm preferred by Old Europe, the ideal of equals deliberating international affairs in collective council, rather than a single sovereign holding court, briefly take shape – during the informal multilateral talks between Vladimir Zelensky and his European colleagues at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, D.C., on 18 August 2025 (Figure 3). In a world otherwise dominated by a single, looming presence, it was a fleeting stage of precarious parity, where power was shared, words flowed freely, and the shadow of a domineering figure was, for once, lifted. 2. Old Europe’s ritual suicide: A mysterious riddle In Greek antiquity, a supplicant’s plea in a sanctuary could gain weight through the menace of suicide. Long centuries on, a chilling parallel to this dreadful calculus emerged: the ritual collective self-slaughter of Europe’s elite in the grisly bloodbath at 1600 Pennsylvania. In the final reckoning, the mystery persists: Why did European foremost leaders – figures such as the German Bundeskanzler, the Président de la République française, and the British Prime Minister – cede to a catastrophic self-immolation that would make Bismarck, De Gaulle, and Churchill writhe in their graves? Zelensky’s clowning was predictable; Europe’s abject surrender was the dramatic revelation – striking with such ruthless force that even Clio, the Muse of History, and Melpomene, the Muse of Tragedy, seemed to reel in astonishment. It stands to reason that the obsequious supplicants in the White House were propelled by a tangled web of motives, with emotion pulling the strings. Which particular threads, laid bare under excruciating scrutiny, proved decisive? Were the visitors steered by an overabundance of caution, frozen by fear, enslaved by cowardice, or seduced by its cunning masquerade – the artful illusion of acting shrewdly by declining to act boldly? The anatomy of their weakness remains a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; certainty stays maddeningly out of reach, as so often happens when probing the roots of human frailty – just as elusive as European courage in this day and age. Yet the eye-watering outcome of Old Europe’s collective, politically suicidal self-abasement and self-enslavement during their pilgrimage to the White House is beyond dispute. For starters, Merz, Macron, and the rest of their retinue proved utterly ineffectual before Trump. Predictably, the strongman, norm-shattering and merciless, did not comport himself as a typical benefactor would toward his supplicants. One may suspect that the US president was unfamiliar with the ancient reciprocative code of supplication, or with the penalties for failing to honor one’s obligations: In ancient Greece, a potential benefactor who withheld protection from a rightful supplicant lost both honor and moral legitimacy – and risked the wrath of the gods. By his very nature, the titan in the White House bows to nothing but strength and resoluteness, scorning all else; when presented with surrendering troops, he reverts to instinct, taking no prisoners. And yet, the emissaries offered nothing but fawning displays of weakness – a spectacle of servility so extreme it defies belief, leaving one to wonder how seasoned statesmen could mistake sycophantic ingratiation for influence. While accomplishing nothing of real, tangible value, the members of the servile delegation from Old Europe – dealing exclusively in the coin of obsequiousness – sacrificed their own dignity and honor. To make matters worse, they likewise desecrated that same most precious and existential form of intangible capital belonging to the nations they were meant to serve. Offering the inner core of both themselves and their countries at the altar of implacable might, they compounded their self-inflicted wounds, layering disgrace atop oncoming economic ruin. As a corollary of their infamy, Europe’s foremost leaders squandered their political capital at home – above all, credibility – while forfeiting the last vestiges of global soft power – rooted in respect once accorded to them – and, through timidity broadcast to the world, eroded even their capacity to deter. Astonishingly, they deepened their disgrace by gaining nothing in return, not even the iron-clad American security guarantees – the much-vaunted “backstop”, borrowed from cricket and baseball, where it denotes the final line of defense – for Ukraine. To grasp the magnitude of this double calamity, consider the reframed Marcan challenge of dreadful import: For what shall it profit a nation, if it shall lose not only the world, but its very soul? ────────────────────── ⁂ ────────────────────── To conclude: When an actor dons the clown’s guise, it is art; when leaders take his cue, it is decay. The notorious 18 August White House visit, far from any midsummer night’s dream, has made it abundantly clear that the time for political pantomime is over, its folly exposed for all to see – leaving nothing but the shadow of lost dignity and honor. Instead, the disoriented and floundering navigators steering Old Europe’s contemporary anti-Russian course must forge a smarter, more inventive strategy to escape the dysfunctional rat race for security and prevent the coveted protection of war-torn Ukraine from slipping like smoke through their fingers. The silver lining after Europe’s catastrophic self-gutting in the Washingtonian halls of empire consists in this: By virtue of necessity, the quest for a fundamental, sustainable solution concerning the optimal global order must now proceed from the head rather than the bowels, banishing folly and instincts to the annals of history. [Part 4 of a series on European defense. To be continued. Previous columns in the series: Part 1, published on 19 March 2025: Prof. Schlevogt’s Compass No. 14: ‘Whatever it takes’ revisited – Euromaniacs exploit threat bias again Part 2, published on 14 May 2025: Prof. Schlevogt’s Compass No. 15: Kakistocratic defense splurgers destroy Europe; Part 3, published on 30 August 2025: Prof. Schlevogt’s Compass No. 23: The art of political tragicomedy – Zelensky’s playbook] View the full article

. Here is a summary of the transcript from YouTube, slightly edited with AI. Attention vs. Intention What does emotionally available love actually look like? If you’re like most people, you’ve probably had moments where you thought, “They text me back. They say they like me. So why do I feel so anxious, so unsure, so alone in this connection?” You are not crazy for asking that, because emotional availability isn’t just about being around. It’s about how someone shows up consistently in ways that build safety, trust, and momentum. In this video, I want to show you what emotionally available love actually looks like and how to stop mistaking attention for real intention. Attention feels good, but how can you tell whether someone is capable of a healthy relationship early enough that you’re not wasting your time—without getting too intense too soon and scaring someone away? Here are some simple things you can do and some things to watch for in their behavior. 1. Get Curious About Them Ask questions about their nature, their plans, and what they’re looking for. Not a formal interrogation—just relaxed, sincere curiosity about the person in front of you. Try this early on when you’re out for coffee or a drink. At this stage, there’s not a lot at stake. You haven’t risked anything significant, and you haven’t been sleeping together for months. Coffee is simple, low-pressure. Keep it loose. There are no wrong answers. Think of the person as a human scratch card. Each new question reveals another part of them. This approach has two important benefits: it helps you set aside expectations and projections, and it encourages truth. People respond more honestly to amused interest and a neutral tone than they do to judgment. The more you understand who someone is now, the less likely you’ll waste your time later on. One exception: beware of the person who answers your questions but then dominates the entire conversation. Curiosity should be exchanged both ways to build real connection. 2. Notice Whether They Are Curious About You Some people genuinely want to get to know you. Others just want a good time. A key difference: someone seeking a relationship will be curious about your values, lifestyle, and relationships. They’ll want to know if you’re kind, what your family dynamics are like, and if your daily rhythms align with theirs. Compare that to someone who only entertains you. Charismatic charmers often give the best first dates, but that doesn’t mean they’re invested. They thrive on seduction, not connection. Their interest is about the high of attraction, not the depth of your story. Emotionally available people make room for you in the conversation. They’re not performing; they’re listening and responding. It may feel quiet, simple, even easy. That’s the opposite of a showy player—and a sign of real connection. 3. They Follow Up Emotionally available people don’t leave you wondering if they want to see you again. That doesn’t mean they book a date immediately, but they don’t disappear for days either. They’ll make it clear that they want to see you again without putting you in a position of uncertainty. By contrast, someone who suddenly messages late on a Friday with urgent excitement—“I must see you tonight!”—is showing selective attention, not genuine intention. Maybe they’re lonely, plans fell through, or they’re just looking for distraction. That’s fine if you’re on the same page, but don’t mistake sporadic attention for real commitment. 4. When Someone Is Scheduling There’s a difference between planning and scheduling. Emotionally unavailable people love to “plan.” They talk about things you’ll do someday, but it never gets confirmed. Emotionally available people actually schedule. When you both want to see each other again, they’ll open their calendar and suggest a real date. Of course, beware of love bombers who plan whirlwind weekends or trips to create intensity but lack follow-through. Real progress comes from consistent effort, not grand gestures. It’s fine to play along with fun “one day” ideas, but know the difference between role play and genuine progress. 5. When They Involve You Once you’re past the initial attraction stage, pay attention to how they handle decisions that affect your connection—time apart, trust, or the progression of the relationship. Being involved doesn’t mean you get a vote in everything, but it does mean they keep you informed. If they have to travel for work, they don’t ask permission, but they also don’t vanish without telling you. They want you to feel secure and included. Key questions to ask yourself: Are they taking my feelings into account? Do they care about my experience? Or do I always feel like the last one to know? If your reactions are met with frustration instead of compassion, that’s a red flag. Someone emotionally available will want to make sure you feel reassured and respected. 6. They Make You Feel Comfortable Emotionally available people take steps to make you comfortable. If they’re having dinner with an old friend, they’ll clarify the nature of that friendship to avoid unnecessary doubt. They don’t leave things ambiguous in ways that threaten your security. They want to protect what’s building between you. They also won’t tolerate ambiguity on your side. Consistency and reassurance go both ways. Consistency Can Only Be Appreciated Over Time Here’s the danger: it’s easy to confuse attention or intensity with emotional availability. Just because feelings are strong doesn’t mean there’s real intention. The most reliable marker of intention is consistency—and consistency can only be measured over time. Inconsistency usually shows up quickly, but consistency requires patience to recognize. Going slow gives actions time to catch up to words and feelings. If this video helped you see more clearly, don’t stop here. Join me for Dating Made Simple, where I’ll show you how to stop attracting emotionally unavailable people, how to spot true investment early, and how to build real momentum with someone who’s ready for love. It’s free, it’s happening soon, and it could be the most important hour you spend on your love life this year. Go to lovelifeetraining.com to reserve your spot right now. Because emotionally available love exists—you just have to know how to find it, recognize it, and act when it arrives. — This post was previously published on YouTube. Blog → https://www.howtogettheguy.com/blog/ Facebook → https://facebook.com/CoachMatthewHussey Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/thematthewh… Twitter → https://twitter.com/matthewhussey ▼ Connect with Stephen ▼ Youtube → https://bit.ly/StephenHusseyYoutube Instagram → http://bit.ly/StephenHusseyIG *** Does dating ever feel challenging, awkward or frustrating? Turn Your Dating Life into a WOW! with our new classes and live coaching. Click here for more info or to buy with special launch pricing! *** On Substack? Follow us there for more great dating and relationships content. — Photo credit: unsplash The post What Emotionally Available Love Actually Looks Like appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

By Ken Schneck When Christine Cockley was growing up in Mansfield, Ohio, her parents instilled in her the importance of public service. Whether it was working the polls for an election or canvassing for a change-making candidate, Cockley was raised to believe that you did good not out of the kindness of your heart, but because you were supposed to. “I grew up thinking that public service wasn’t a career path,” Cockley said. “It’s just the way you live.” Now, the 29-year-old Columbus resident is eight months into her first term as one of the youngest state representatives in the Ohio legislature, representing District 6 on Columbus’ strongly Democratic west side. As a member of the minority party, Cockley knows the deck is stacked against her fellow Ohio Democrats in the face of a Republican supermajority pushing through their conservative agenda. But Cockley is no stranger to the fight. As a Jewish woman with a disability (ADHD), she is used to being outnumbered. And as someone who identifies as queer – a fact she shared for the first time with the media in this interview – she knows how much fortitude it takes to be your authentic self in the fight. “I need to be brave and show up as I am,” Cockley said. It is an authenticity she is now ready for more Ohioans to see. Community roots Cockley describes her Mansfield upbringing as “community-oriented.” Although dramatically different viewpoints could have come between her Democratic family and her mostly conservative neighbors, politics never stood in the way of people helping people. “You could still go to your neighbor’s house and ask for eggs if you’re making something and you had run out,” she said. Cockley brought that community-minded spirit to The Ohio State University, where she started as a political science major. When she told an academic advisor how much she enjoyed volunteerism and public service, he suggested a different path. “He said,’Then why are you not studying public affairs?’ Cockley laughed. “I immediately switched my major.” After graduation, Cockley spent a few years working in human resources in the private sector (“It was not for me.”) before making the move to public affairs. She worked for four years in development for Moderation Management, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing harm caused by the misuse of alcohol. She then spent two years as the executive assistant to the CEO of YWCA Columbus, an organization dedicated to ending racism and empowering women. In that role, Cockley witnessed up close how much providing services can help Ohioans. From afterschool care to housing for women with disabilities to shelters for families, she was hooked on the intersection of social justice and tangible support. “We’re living in an extreme state where vulnerable populations are continuously being attacked and the YWCA is stepping up to help,” she said. “[That organization] will always have a big part of my heart.” The decision to serve Working at the YWCA gave Cockley a clear line of view into how power operated in the state – and how it often wasn’t working to support vulnerable populations. “One thing after another kept adding up, and finally I was like, ‘Why is our government and our state government operating this way?’” Cockley remembered thinking. “We need somebody there that can be kind and strong, authentic and empathetic.” In 2023, Cockley threw her hat into a crowded ring of Democratic challengers to represent District 6 in the Columbus Statehouse. Her campaign caught the attention of gun-safety advocate David Hogg, who had launched Leaders We Deserve, a PAC “dedicated to electing young progressives to Congress and state legislatures across the country.” In March 2024, while promoting his PAC, Hogg was a guest on MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.” Cockley appeared in the segment with him to talk about the importance of progressive candidates. “I couldn’t even be anxious because it was just so shocking that it was happening,” Cockley laughed. “It was amazing.” Cockley beat out six challengers in the March 2024 Democratic Primary and handily beat her Republican opponent by more than 20% in the November election. Knowing the score More than eight months into her first term, Cockley does not hesitate to label her elected role as her “favorite job she’s ever had.” She said she has only heard from one disgruntled constituent so far, and they weren’t mad at her. “They were mad at the government,” Cockley said. “I was like, ‘Same.’” But she is also up front about the challenges of being a Democrat in a Republican-dominated legislature. She credits her upbringing in conservative Mansfield – her parents were once named “Democrats of the Year” while living on a fruit farm with extended family who were “hardcore Republicans” – as teaching her the importance of communicating across the aisle. “I have to practice that every day at the Statehouse in order to get anything done,” she said. Early wins for Cockley have included: Her co-sponsorship of the FIND Act, which would require law enforcement agencies in the state to enter missing people into the national database within 30 days of the filing of a police report. The first Democratic amendment accepted into a Republican bill signed into law from the current General Assembly, broadening the celebration of National Farmer’s Market Week to include urban farming. Successfully fighting for $500,000 to be earmarked for a men’s alcohol-and-other-drug recovery program in her district. “It’s just incredibly meaningful work to make sure that my most vulnerable neighbors have a voice at the Statehouse,” Cockley said. Out front Growing up in rural Ohio, Cockley said it was tough to explore or even question her sexuality, making it “impossible” to put into words how she felt romantically. As someone who was bullied for being Jewish – she has a strong childhood memory of being asked to leave a school lunch table because of her faith, with no one standing up for her – she quickly learned that being different did not translate into acceptance. “When you are part of a vulnerable population in an area where people aren’t as open and accepting, it’s difficult to want to be open about who you are,” she said. She was out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community (“specifically, I consider myself queer”) to friends and family while in college, but said that she never really talked about it much. “But I’ve also never shied away from standing up for the LGBTQ+ community and calling out attacks from extremist Republicans,” she said. With this interview, Cockley more publicly becomes the only out LGBTQ+ member of the Ohio House of Representatives, and one of only two LGBTQ+ state legislators, joining long-serving Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood). Madeira’s Jodi Whitted served as an out LGBTQ+ state representative in the previous General Assembly, but her district was redrawn and she was not eligible to run for election in the 28th District. Cockley had already come out to some of her colleagues in the legislature and has found herself having to educate those around her who just don’t understand her identity. “I have had people ask me, ‘Aren’t you just checking another box?’” Cockley said. “’If you’re queer, aren’t you just bisexual? What’s the difference? You don’t look queer. What does your husband think?’” Cockley knows that her queerness is not always apparent to others. “I know that I have privilege in the sense that I’m very straight-passing,” Cockley said. “I’m married to a man, and so it feels strange to talk about being queer because it feels like sometimes I’m not queer enough.” But she compares this to those who characterize her as not Jewish enough (“Because I don’t observe Shabbat every week.”) or not disabled enough (“Because my ADHD isn’t visible.”). “The visibility piece is something that I’ve really had to grapple with [across identities],” she said. Working with Ohio Republicans can be hard enough, but working with them as an out queer woman is an altogether different challenge, particularly given the unabashedly anti-LGBTQ+ words and actions of the Republican supermajority. Examples include: Rep. Jonathan Newman (R-Troy), who told the the Dayton Daily News that trans identity “does not happen.” Rep. Beth Lear (R-Galena), who cited Bible verse to imply that individuals who support trans youth should be drowned. Rep. Angie King (R-Celina), who stood alongside neo-Nazis to protest her community’s local Pride celebration. Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery, who openly preached in support of conversion therapy and purposefully misgenders trans Americans on social media in too many examples to count. Cockley explained that there is a difference between befriending these Republicans, liking them, agreeing with them and working with them. It is into that last action where she puts her focus. She said that her colleague Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) always reminds her that sometimes their job as Democrats in a state gerrymandered to benefit Republicans is to make bills a little less harmful. “If I can build relationships with representatives who are extremists and I can even build some trust, then I hope that that will positively impact my constituents,” Cockley said. ‘I feel proud.’ Cockley’s queerness became more public at the end of June when a colleague tagged Cockley – with Cockley’s consent – as an “LGBTQ+ Ohio leader” in a Pride Month post. She received a ton of responses, which surprised her. “Like, I am not closeted,” she said. “I just didn’t realize that many people didn’t know.” Elliot Imse, executive director of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, praised Cockley’s openness, calling elected officials’ decision to come out a “bold act of defiance” and noting that there is no more critical moment than now to have more LGBTQ+ representation Ohio’s legislature. “We commend State Rep. Cockley for sharing her story and giving more visibility to the diversity of LGBTQ+ identities who serve their communities with pride, especially as those identities are targeted and marginalized,” said Imse. “Her presence representing District 6 in the Ohio House doubles LGBTQ+ state legislative representation during this crucial time for our movement and civil rights. Rep. Cockley joins a proud and powerful global network of LGBTQ+ leaders working to improve their communities and the lives of those they represent.” Cockley said the response to her colleague’s social media post made her want to become more confident and more open to talking about her queer identity. Still, she wasn’t sure she should do this interview. She received encouragement from her husband, her therapist and other out elected officials in Ohio. She also spoke to one of her best friends “in a very similar situation”: a queer woman in a relationship with a cisgender man. “I talked to her about it and I was like, “Should I do this interview?” Cockley said. “And she said to me, ‘Christine, you need to do it. People like me and you will feel more seen and more part of the community if you do it.’” She admitted that being more publicly out makes her feel more vulnerable, but she moves forward with pride. “I feel proud of myself,” Cockley said, “And I feel hopeful that we can continue these conversations and make sure Ohio is a safe space for our community.” This piece has been updated to include a quote from the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. — Previously Published on thebuckeyeflame 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: Author The post Exclusive: “I Need to Be Brave and Show up as I Am.” Ohio Rep. Christine Cockley Publicly Comes Out as Queer appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Many nations “secretly” buy Russian crude via intermediaries while “loudly criticizing” Hungary for its imports, FM Peter Szijjarto has said Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has accused the EU of “hypocrisy” over Russian oil, saying many members criticize Hungary for its imports while quietly buying the crude source through intermediaries. Szijjarto was asked about US President Donald Trump’s call for west European states to halt Russian oil purchases. Trump, frustrated with slow peace progress in Ukraine, reportedly told Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and his European backers in a Thursday call that Western European states must stop importing Russian oil. Trump said Russia received €1.1 billion ($1.3 billion) in fuel sales from the EU over the past year. Szijjarto said Hungary, being landlocked, relies on pipelines for oil and gas, and Russian deliveries remain essential for its supply security. “Let’s not let the hypocrites mislead us, because among those who are the loudest in criticizing Hungary and Slovakia for their oil purchases, there is a significant number who are also buying Russian oil, only indirectly, through Asia,” he said at a press conference in Budapest on Friday. “They buy Russian oil secretly because it is cheaper. We buy Russian oil openly because we have no other option.” He also blamed the EU for blocking Hungary’s diversification efforts, saying Brussels had refused its request to expand Southeast European pipeline capacity, while Croatia – Hungary’s southern neighbor – raised transit fees instead of enlarging capacity on an alternative route. Most EU states cut off direct imports of Russian crude under sanctions imposed over the Ukraine conflict, including a 2023 embargo on seaborne oil and a price cap on Russian crude. Brussels aims to eliminate all Russian energy imports by 2028 under its RePowerEU plan. Hungary and Slovakia, both heavily reliant on Russian supplies, have opposed the plan, warning that cutting Moscow’s energy would undermine the bloc’s security and drive up prices. Both faced criticism from Brussels over continued purchases, though multiple media reports have indicated that some EU nations also buy fuel refined from Russian crude in third countries. Moscow has long argued the bloc is damaging its own economy by cutting Russian energy, forcing itself to turn to more expensive alternatives or indirect imports through intermediaries. View the full article

The move would be perceived as the first step toward Kiev joining the bloc – a red line for Russia, Markus Soder has said NATO countries should not send troops to Ukraine in case of a ceasefire, as Russia would perceive it as the first step toward Kiev joining the bloc, Markus Soder, the leader of Bavaria’s Christian Social Union (CSU), has said. In an interview with the Rheinische Post on Friday, Soder, an ally of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, reiterated his opposition to sending troops to Ukraine, arguing that the move would escalate tensions with Russia. ”I find it hard to imagine NATO troops being stationed there. Russia would never accept that. It would be a precursor to Ukraine’s accession to NATO,” he said. Soder added that even if Berlin seriously considers the idea, the German Army isn’t ready, as it’s “stretched to the limit, both financially and in terms of personnel.” Earlier this week, Merz signaled that while a German troop deployment remains a possibility, it could only be considered after a ceasefire. “Until then, there will certainly be no troop deployments to Ukraine,” he said. “Then we will have to look at what the agreement with Russia looks like. This cannot be done against Russia, it can only be done with Russia.” In August, Bild reported that Berlin had abandoned discussions over sending German troops to Ukraine, following remarks by US President Donald Trump that Washington would not deploy ground troops. Opinion polls also show a lack of support for sending German troops to Ukraine. An INSA survey in late August suggested that 56% of Germans are opposed to sending troops, with only 28% in favor. Opposition is the strongest in eastern regions, where skepticism toward military aid for Ukraine is more widespread. Russian officials have warned against deploying NATO troops to Ukraine, arguing that the bloc’s expansion was one of the root causes of the conflict. President Vladimir Putin has said there would be “no sense” in a Western troop deployment once a settlement is reached, adding that if Western forces enter Ukraine while the fighting continues, Moscow “would consider them legitimate military targets.” View the full article

By Claudia Lorena Silva When most El Paso students and educators are taking their first steps out of bed in the morning, hundreds of school cafeteria employees are hard at work by 6 a.m. before the sun peeks over the horizon. On the Westside, Mesita Elementary School cafeteria manager David Daniels’ team is making breakfast sandwiches for over 500 students and delivering them to classrooms before the school day starts. Across town in far East El Paso, cafeteria manager Miriam Castañeda and her staff are making lunches of chicken salad, jalapeño pepperoni pizza and Doritos pie for nearly 2,000 students at Eastlake Middle and Col. Ben Narbuth Elementary schools. The teams led by Daniels and Castañeda are just a fraction of workers across the borderland dedicated to preparing meals for students in accordance with U.S. Department of Agriculture standards. The meals must follow new USDA nutrition guidelines that starting this school year incrementally reduce added sugars and sodium levels. As elementary school students walk into class, they are greeted by coolers filled with milk, burritos and other breakfast options that change daily, while middle and high schoolers can get a morning meal from the cafeteria before classes start. By the time students finish breakfast, cafeteria staff are chopping fruit, portioning fries and preparing lunch for an onslaught of hungry children who will march through their doors in just a few hours. “It’s a privilege, not just because you’re working with kids, but you’re providing them with the nutrition needs that they require each day,” Daniels said as he set up the lunch line for the first round of second graders scheduled to eat. “Ponemos todo nuestro esfuerzo para que ellos obtengan ese plato de comida completo para que estudien de la mejor manera, porque si no tienen de comer muchas veces, no piensan bien,” Castañeda said. “We put all our effort into making sure they get that full plate of food so they can study in the best way, because if they don’t have something to eat, many times, they can’t think clearly.” After serving, cleaning and prepping for the next day, most school cafeteria employees go home by 2:30 p.m. – ready to do it all over again the next day. Under USDA guidelines, by fall 2027, schools will need to limit added sugars in their meals to 10% of the weekly calories provided, and reduce sodium levels by 15% for school lunches and 10% for breakfast. Besides the new restrictions, school lunches must follow existing nutrition guidelines, including offering fruits and vegetables at every meal and offering unflavored milk. Bread, pasta and other wheat products must also contain at least 50% whole grain, including childhood staples such as chicken nuggets and corn dogs. “The food that we offer in our kitchens has to be very specific, it’s not like anything you would get at Walmart or McDonald’s or anywhere. It’s specifically for our program,” said Shelley Chenausky, director of the Socorro Independent School District’s Child Nutrition Services. “We have to be low sodium, low sugar, high fiber, high protein and provide the nutrients that the kids need,” said Laura Eggemeyer, assistant director of the El Paso Independent School District’s Food and Nutrition Services. Sitting in the cafeteria excitedly chatting with friends, eating corn dogs and fresh fruit, students at Mesita Elementary School barely noticed the changes. They said pizza and hamburgers are their favorite school lunches. Some parents El Paso Matters spoke to were not aware of the changes to school lunch nutrition standards and raised concerns that some food options may be unhealthy. “When my son gets home once in a while, he’ll have to go to the bathroom multiple times from a stomachache from the food,” said Shaniqua Shaw, whose son attends Tierra Del Sol Elementary School in the Ysleta Independent School District. “I think if they added more protein and vegetables to their meals and sugar-free items to their lunches, it would be better.” Some high school students who ventured off campus during their lunch break said they would like a wider variety of options. Others said they don’t like the food offered at their schools as much as from nearby fast-food restaurants. “It’s OK. Most of the ones they have are kind of bad,” said Daniel, a Coronado High School sophomore who didn’t want to give his full name. Across town, Sophia, a Montwood High School student, said, “It’s cheaper, but not that good. I like coming out better.” Eggemeyer admitted that while it is sometimes a struggle to get students to eat cafeteria food, it’s worth helping them build healthier lifelong habits. “It sometimes takes a child eight to 10 times of seeing a food until they become familiar with it and they accept to try it,” Eggemeyer said. “Maybe at first they only ate half of the carrot and they threw away three. But, by the time they get in high school, they’re eating all their carrots and celery, and all their calabasitas. They’re eating a variety of foods.” EPISD and SISD schools give students three to five meal options every day, depending on their grade level. Meeting a need While opinions of school cafeteria food are mixed, the meals may be the only nutritious food some children get in a day. One in five, or about 50,700, children in El Paso County faced food insecurity in 2023 — meaning they did not have enough to eat and didn’t know where their next meal would come from, according to Feeding America, a nonprofit that operates a national network of food banks. An estimated 78% of El Paso children lived with families who qualified for federal nutrition programs that provide free or discounted lunches to children below a certain income level. “It’s kind of a hidden problem. People don’t always realize who has food at home and who doesn’t,” said EPISD Food and Nutrition Services Supervisor Adrian Kamath. “Our managers sometimes know who is really struggling and who goes home without eating much for the whole weekend.” To meet these students’ needs, some campuses offer free breakfast in class at the start of the day and after-school supper so they can eat before going home. Planning school lunches for the year School districts begin planning and designing their menus long before students head out for the first day of class. Chenausky and Eggemeyer said the process starts by forming an advisory committee of registered dietitians, parents and employees who give recommendations on what should be in the district’s lunch menus. Once they have an idea of the type of food they want to serve, the districts work with suppliers that specialize in following the USDA’s school nutritional guidelines to get samples for students to try. With samples in hand, child nutrition staff go to cafeterias and classrooms throughout their district to survey students and find out which mashed potatoes and spaghetti recipes taste best. By the summer, they will use those student responses to design a menu and order the food they need for the following school year. Chenausky said staff try to offer trendy new foods, such as birria tacos, and aim to use sustainable ingredients. “We try to use local and regional suppliers whenever possible. We try to source fresh produce, dairy and meat products locally, to reduce our environmental footprint, and help support the community,” Chenausky added. Eggemeyer said EPISD staff has been working on a ramen bowl recipe they hope to implement in the future. “We haven’t done it yet because we have to find the right noodles that are whole grain,” Eggemeyer said. “It’s kind of hard to find them with good quality that don’t break apart because they’re different than the regular noodles.” Paying for school lunches While some El Paso students pay for their own school lunches, the vast majority are funded by the federal government under the National School Lunch Program. Under the program, students can apply to get free or reduced cost lunch based on their family’s income. While the USDA recently increased the reimbursements schools get for every lunch they serve, the department in March announced it cut a $660 million Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, used by school districts to purchase food from nearby farms. Every summer, schools across Texas set their budgets for the year by estimating the cost of serving students and funding based on enrollment in the National School Lunch Program. El Paso’s three largest school districts approved combined budgets worth $98 million for child nutrition services, about $93 million of which came from the federal government. Under the National School Lunch Program, districts receive between 44 cents to $4.60 in reimbursements for every lunch distributed, depending on whether the students qualify for free or reduced-cost meals. For breakfast, districts receive between 40 cents to $2.94, and up to $1.26 for after-school meals. Many El Paso schools offer free meals to all their students without collecting applications or income information under the Community Eligibility Provision. The provision allows schools to serve free breakfast and lunch if at least 25% of their students are identified as low income. Over 180 schools across El Paso County qualify for the provision, according to the Food Research Action Center, a nonprofit focused on relieving poverty related hunger in the United States With so many students relying on school lunches to stay full, Chenausky said most school cafeteria employees know their job plays a valuable part in children’s education. “Without them, kids can’t think. Kids need good nutrition in order to be successful in the classroom, so they’re not thinking about tummies, they’re actually thinking about the work that’s in front of them,” she said. Daniels said the work his staff does, standing on their feet all day, can be tiring, but is worth it in the end. “Even though we work in educational support, you can impact their future at any moment. You’re feeding them, you’re smiling, even just something as, ‘How are you doing today, mija?’” Daniels said. HOW TO APPLY FOR FREE, REDUCED LUNCH Students not attending a school that offers free lunch under the Community Eligibility Provision can apply for reduced or no cost lunches. Apply here at the EPISD, SISD and YISD websites. All three districts offer free breakfast in the classroom to elementary school students. This article first appeared on El Paso Matters and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. — Previously Published on elpasomatters.org with Creative Commons License *** Does dating ever feel challenging, awkward or frustrating? Turn Your Dating Life into a WOW! with our new classes and live coaching. Click here for more info or to buy with special launch pricing! *** On Substack? Follow us there for more great dating and relationships content. — Photo credit: unsplash The post Breakfast Burritos to Birria Tacos: Behind the Scenes of El Paso School Cafeterias Amid New USDA Guidelines appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

— Relocating houses is one of the most stressful events in life, second only to a change of jobs. The point is, though, that it does not need to feel like you are holding an octopus in a phone booth. You can make your relocation process a nightmare that you stick your head through and it can become a manageable process that can actually make you more powerful with proper planning and a tactical approach to it. It will make or break you whether you are moving across town or across the nation. Whether it comes to developing realistic time schedules or completing those last-minute fixes you’ve been putting off, this guide will take you through all that you need to know to get your home- and you-ready for the moving day. Begin with a Strategic Timeline The greatest miscalculation people make when relocating is that they undervalue the time of doing each task. Begin planning at least eight weeks prior to the time you are moving. This may be over the top but believe me–those weeks go by quicker than the pizza at a college party. Make a moving folder or electronic folder where you will keep track of all things. Insert documents of significance, transfer of utility information, your master timeline and transporting company quotes. Keeping things in one place eliminates the mad “where did I leave that piece of paper” dance that one is bound to perform during stressful situations. In need of a warm welcome to your new home immediately, why not include something such as Christmas lights installation in Plainfield in your list of things to do to make your new start shine and sparkle. First off the macro elements: You need to book your moving company, do some research on schools, in case you have children, and inform your employer about your plan to move. Then work back, and add in smaller tasks as you get closer to the date of moving. Be a Short-Term Update Master Six weeks to go until you move, address your change-of-address. The post office can assist you easily with their online service but that is not enough. Make a list of all people you need to update on your new address: banks, credit cards, insurances, subscriptions, online shopping accounts. And online subscriptions and streamers. Netflix may be insignificant, yet you will be glad you have something to watch when you are sitting on the floor surrounded by boxes and eating takeout during those initial first nights in your new location. Arrange with utility companies to disconnect at your previous residence and to connect at your new residence. Look to have utilities turned on a day before arrival. Nothing kills the morale of a moving day better than learning that you have neither electricity nor running water. Get your voter registration, driver’s license and vehicle registration updated in accordance with your new state. In some states you are allowed 30 days, in certain states just 10. Check the regulations not to be charged more or more complicated. Learn How to Make Your House Pet-Proofed When you have pets with fur, presents are especially problematic and can only be dealt with by paying specific attention. Pets sense when there is stress and disruption more than we do and their anxiety can increase yours. Start with getting a moving kit with their food bowls, water bowls, favorite toys, blankets and the medications. You will want to pack it separately with the rest of your items so that it is readily available on the day you move. You can consider putting your pets into boarding or having a trusted person to check on them when the actual move occurs. This helps in keeping them secure and it helps in lessening the stresses of all concerned. Unless so, make one quiet room their temporary refuge, fully equipped with the usual objects and a Do Not Enter sign to movers. Before moving, research veterinarians in your new area and transfer the medical records of your pet. You will need this information at your fingertips so that when an emergency arises, or you want to find you care fast, you will have it. Do It Yourself Repairs Before It Becomes an Issue Moving day is not the day to find out that your bathroom faucet is dripping months ago or that the front door is sticking in hot weather. Start now, when you still have time and energy to deal with them in a proper way. Take a close look around your home and identify all the things that require attention. Pay attention to repairs, which may make the moving process more complex or trouble the new owners, when selling. Slow doors, handrails that fall over, and broken bulbs may not appear to be much to worry about but they can add unnecessary pressure when you are trying to get movers and schedule organized. You just do some basic repairs with your own hands. Install new bulbs that have gone out, tighten loose screws, and make simple plumbing repairs. To have some larger tasks such as electrical work or a significant plumbing repair done, make a call now instead of, during the frenzy of moving week, leaving these tasks to the new owners or attempting to do them yourself. Build Your Moving Day Command Center Choose one part of your house as mission control on the moving day. Bring supplies: phone chargers, key documents, snacks, water bottles, cleaning materials and a first aid kit. Add money towards tips and any other last minute cost. Prepare a first-day box of things that you will need right after the move: toilet paper, hand soap, phone chargers, simple tools, trash bags, and a change of clothes. Check this box and put it last on the truck as it will be taken off first. Document Everything Picture items of value prior to their packing. This leaves a paper trail of what is insured and it also reminds you on how to take things apart and put them together again such as an entertainment center or a bookcase. Take photos of the rear of your electronic appliances prior to the removal of cables. You will be glad you did this when you are setting up your new home, as you will no longer have to guess which cable to put where. Plan for the Emotional Side Moving is not only a logistical problem, but also an emotional one. Leaving the comfort of the spaces and routines behind can be disconcerting even when you are excited about your new adventure. Allow yourself to be saddened by leaving your previous home and even be excited about your new one. None of these feelings are contradictory; they are entirely normal aspects of the touching experience. Celebrate Your Fresh Start As soon as you have got adjusted to your new place of residence, you should make time to celebrate this important achievement. Also think of little details that can transform the space into a home and make it unique and personal. These decorations are both a celebration of the seasons and are meant to bring you closer to your new community as well as to establish an upward association with your new area. And it is very fulfilling to make your own imprint on a new place. The Bottom Line Realist expectation, organization and planning are the keys to a smooth move. You can not regulate everything that occurs on moving day but you can regulate the way you prepare. Being early, organised and not forgetting the fact that despite the best planned moves, there are some surprises. Keep the big picture in mind: you are not just shifting boxes and furniture: you are moving to a new stage of your life. That transition can be empowering instead of overwhelming, with the right mindset and proper preparation. All you need is a new home, which is now ready, and with these tricks, you will have it in your own house. — This content is brought to you by Sky Link Building iStockPhoto The post The Ultimate Guide How to Get Your House Ready When You Are Moving appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Presidents Xi and Mnangagwa have announced closer cooperation in mining, trade, investment and infrastructure China and Zimbabwe have announced the upgrade of ties to an “all-weather community with a shared future,” following talks between President Xi Jinping and President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday. The two leaders met in Beijing on the sidelines of events marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Imperial Japan and the end of World War II. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry readout, Xi noted that this year marks 45 years of diplomatic ties between Beijing and Harare, calling the relationship as “an example for solidarity and coordination between China and Africa, and for the Global South.” He pledged support for Zimbabwe’s development path and urged closer cooperation in infrastructure, mining, trade, and investment. “China will continue to firmly support Zimbabwe in independently pursuing a development path suited to its conditions, oppose external interference and illegal sanctions, and safeguard the shared interests of both countries and the broader Global South,” the Chinese president highlighted. Mnangagwa reiterated Zimbabwe’s support for “building an all-weather community with a shared future with China, and will unwaveringly adhere to the one-China principle, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields.” China also advanced projects such as the Global Governance Initiative, proposed creating the International Organization for Mediation, and offered zero-tariff access to African countries. Vsevolod Sviridov, an expert at the Center for African Studies at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, told RT that the agreement reflects a decade of closer ties, with China emerging as one of Harare’s key partners. “At the same time, the political rhetoric here is complemented by Chinese investments. Over the past five years, Chinese companies have become key investors in the mining sector of Zimbabwe,” he related. For example, currently Zimbabwe accounts for most of Africa’s lithium mining. In recent years, Chinese investors have poured around $2 billion into lithium exploration and infrastructure development. China remains Africa’s largest trading partner. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, trade with Africa rose from under 100 billion yuan (about $13.9 billion) in 2000 to 2.1 trillion yuan in 2024, an average annual growth of 14.2%. View the full article

By Joseph Winters, Grist “This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.” Drawing down carbon from the air and stashing it in underground rock formations has been framed as an essential way to slow and reverse global warming. But new research published Wednesday in the journal Nature finds there are far fewer suitable places to do this than previously thought. After screening out “risky” areas, like those that are vulnerable to earthquakes, a team of researchers from Europe and the U.S. found that the Earth can only safely store about 1,460 gigatons of injected carbon in its sedimentary basins. This is an order of magnitude less than previous estimates, and — if you convert stored carbon to an estimated impact on the climate — only enough to cut global warming by about 0.7 degrees Celsius (1.3 degrees Fahrenheit), not the 6 degrees C (10.8 degrees F) described in other research. Carbon storage “can no longer be considered an unlimited solution to bring our climate back to a safe level,” one of the study’s co-authors, Joeri Rogelj, said in a statement. “Geological storage space needs to be thought of as a scarce resource that should be managed responsibly to allow a safe climate future for humanity.” Rogelj is director of research at the Grantham Institute on climate change and the environment at Imperial College London. Carbon storage, for the sake of the paper, refers to the injection of carbon dioxide into underground reservoirs where it theoretically can’t contribute to climate change. There are two broad ways to get this carbon: first, by capturing it at the point of emission — say, the smokestack of a fossil fuel-powered cement factory — and second, by sucking it out of the ambient atmosphere. According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, the world’s foremost authority on the topic, at least some carbon storage will be necessary to achieve international climate targets. But the amount needed is dependent on a number of factors, including how much countries plan to slash emissions versus “offsetting” them, especially from hard-to-decarbonize sectors, and whether they intend to blow past 1.5 or 2 degrees C (2.7 or 3.5 degrees F) of global warming and then return to a more liveable temperature by removing carbon from the atmosphere. The latter is a contentious idea known as “overshoot,” and it would necessitate more carbon pulled out of the air and stored. Some IPCC scenarios involving substantial overshoot assume up to 2,000 gigatons of carbon storage by the year 2100. According to the study’s authors, no previous global or regional estimate of the Earth’s technical carbon storage potential has taken into account key risk factors that would make some areas undesirable for storage. Starting from an estimate of all potentially available storage sites, their analysis cuts out areas that are too shallow, too deep, and too prone to earthquakes, as well as environmentally protected areas and areas near where people live. This reduces the total available capacity for carbon storage from 11,780 gigatons to just 1,460 gigatons of CO2, 70 percent of it on land and 30 percent on the seafloor. The authors used an existing conversion rate from the IPCC to translate that gigaton number to about 0.4 to 0.7 degrees C (0.7 to 1.3 degrees F) of reduced global warming. They also noted some geographical disparities in the potential for carbon storage: While some historical climate polluters such as the U.S. and Canada have lots of space to safely stash carbon, others in Europe don’t. If those countries intend to make carbon storage a significant piece of their climate mitigation plans, they will likely have to look for locations in countries that have done little to contribute to climate change, potentially in Africa. Sally Benson, an energy science and engineering professor at Stanford University who was not involved in the new research, said its findings should not be seen as “alarming” or “dramatic.” As described in the paper, IPCC scenarios that give the world a 50 percent chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century would require sequestering about 9 gigatons of carbon per year (assuming that net-zero emissions are achieved around 2050). That means it could be more than 160 years before the world reaches the safe carbon storage limit calculated in the study. “What that tells me is that this is kind of good news,” Benson said. “Somebody has taken the most conservative of possible approaches to looking at this capacity and concluded, from my perspective, that there’s a lot of capacity relative to what we need.” The study authors note that the need for storage could continue after their theoretical limit is reached, especially if countries keep needing to offset residual emissions from agriculture or the burning of fossil fuels in some sectors. Climate tipping points could also release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than anticipated, necessitating a greater-than-expected need for carbon removal. But Benson said these risks are too far in the future and that “we need to use all of the technologies available as quickly as possible.” Both Benson and another independent expert — Jennifer Wilcox, a professor of chemical engineering and energy policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy — said the paper’s central estimate for safe and prudent carbon storage is likely too conservative. Wilcox told Grist it “undercounts what carefully pressure-managed projects can safely deliver.” But Naomi Oreskes, a professor in the history of science at Harvard University, held the opposite opinion. Oreskes said the paper fails to consider governmental, economic, and scientific challenges to actually deploying carbon storage at scale. “When you take those factors into account,” she said, “the potential for carbon storage, particularly in the crucial next decade, is even less.” Despite significant hype around the technology, only about 0.05 gigatons of CO2 are currently stored via point-of-emission carbon capture each year. So far, most of these carbon capture projects inject carbon into the ground to aid the extraction of even more oil and gas, in a process known as “enhanced oil recovery.” And only 0.00001 gigatons of CO2 are removed from the ambient air each year. That’s less than the stated annual greenhouse gas emissions of Bowdoin College, a small liberal arts school in Maine. “This new information is consistent with a broader pattern we have observed, of overstating the promise of ‘solutions’ that sidestep the central issue of reducing fossil fuel use,” Oreskes said. This article originally appeared in Grist at https://grist.org/science/carbon-storage-limits-nature-climate-change/. Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at Grist.org — This Story Was Originally Published by Grist. *** – The world is changing fast. We help you keep up. We’ll send you 1 post, 3x per week. – Photo Credit: unsplash The post How Much Carbon Can We Safely Store Underground? Much Less Than Previously Thought. appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

“Sometimes it’s the smallest gestures that end up meaning the most.” — John Wooden Being in a long-distance relationship taught me patience, communication, and emotional resilience. But meeting my partner in person after months apart revealed something deeper: the personal ways we express love beyond words—the small gestures that make our connection feel alive. … Foot Rubs: My Way of Showing Care One evening, we sat on a balcony enjoying the view after a long stroll, I noticed myself how rubbing her foot became my instinct when she was tired. It wasn’t just about easing discomfort—it was my way of saying, I see you, I care about every little part of you, and I want you to feel at ease. That simple act, repeated over our time together, became a quiet ritual of intimacy that words could never capture. … Gentle Back Rubs: Comfort Without Words A gentle back rub has become another personal gesture. It’s grounding, calming, and a way for me to show I’m present. It wasn’t about fixing her stress—it was about letting her know I was there, steady, and attentive. A soft back rub became my way of grounding both of us in the moment. … Playing with Her Hair: Connection in Touch There’s something about running my fingers through her hair that feels effortless. While we were talking about nothing and everything, I found myself doing it naturally. The softness, the subtle intimacy, the quiet focus—it became a personal gesture of closeness. I didn’t need to say “I love you”—she felt it in that touch. … Arm Caresses and Holding Hands: Everyday Affection Whether we were walking side by side or sitting somewhere, brushing her arm or holding her hand became my default way of saying, I want you near me, I enjoy being with you. It’s such a simple gesture, but it carries weight after months of distance. Every hand held was a small bridge between our worlds. … Her Scent: Intimacy in the Subtle Even before we touched, I noticed her scent. It was familiar, comforting, and grounding. Just leaning close and inhaling it made me feel connected in ways words could never express. Her smell became a personal, almost subconscious love language for me—one that reminded me how deeply I’d missed her presence and how it reminded me that i’m home again. … Simply Being Together: Presence as a Language Sometimes, love isn’t about touch. I remember when we sat next to each other without any words. That quiet presence felt like a conversation in itself. After months of digital interactions, being near her, sharing the same space, became its own form of intimacy. … Why These Gestures Matter to Me These small acts aren’t habits—they’re personal expressions of how I love her. They remind me that love isn’t always in grand declarations. It’s in the quiet, consistent, intimate moments that i felt like doing in that specific instance of time. rubbing her foot when she’s tired, playing with her hair, holding her hand, or just noticing her scent slowly became a way of how i expressed my love towards her deeply. … Love languages are unique and personal. What makes one person feel cherished might be invisible to another. For me, these gestures are my way of expressing care, reconnecting after distance, and feeling her presence deeply. Love, I realized, often lives in the small, tender moments — the moments that make a relationship feel alive, real, and entirely ours. -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: Isabella Câmara On Unsplash The post The Hidden Love Languages You Never Notice Until You’re With the Right Person appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Remember when robot vacuums were basically remote-control bumper cars with anxiety? They’d bounce around, get stuck under the couch and scare the cat. These days, they claim to do it all – vacuum, mop, empty themselves and learn your floor plan better than your dog has. Here’s the thing no one wants you to know: Most of them still have quirks. The one that works great in your friend’s apartment might flail in your pet-hair-filled, two-story home with rugs and stairs. Let’s break it down, so you don’t waste money on a cute little robot that ends up just sitting in the corner. 🐾 Got pets? Pet hair gets everywhere, and the last thing you want is to clean the cleaner. Look for strong suction and a brush that doesn’t tangle every time it sees a tumbleweed of fur. The roborock Q7 M5+ and Shark AI Ultra are great picks. Dyson’s robot vac looks cool, but it misses corners and has a hard time with thick fur. Pretty but not practical. 🏠 Hardwood or tile floor? You don’t need turbo suction here, but navigation is key. The eufy C10 is affordable, quiet and doesn’t ram into your baseboards. Roomba’s 105 combo is also solid but isn’t as good at avoiding obstacles. The best part? They both mop while they vacuum. Great for spills, paw prints and everyday grime. I’ll never forget my mom saying about her Roomba in that Brooklyn accent, “Watch out, Rosie’s workin’ for a livin’!” 🥿 Lots of rugs or thick carpet? This is where cheaper vacs usually give up. The roborock S8 MaxV auto-adjusts suction and actually lifts dirt out of rugs. Roomba Max 705 can manage medium pile, but thick shag? Forget it. Eufy? Often skips the rug edges altogether. 🧠 Smart features worth having Obstacle detection: The roborock Q7 M5+ and Roomba Max 705 can recognize shoes, cords, socks and yes … even dog poop. Life-changing if you have kids or pets. Self-emptying bins: Nearly every good model has one now. Worth it. App control and mapping: Roborock’s app is slick and detailed. Roomba’s is fine. Shark’s is … OK. Dyson’s app? Very fancy, but it can be confusing. 👉 TL;DR Want the best all-around robot vacuum? Get the roborock Q7 M5+. It cleans like a pro, smart enough to handle tricky spaces and even mops like a magician. On a budget? For hard floors, try the Roomba’s 105 combo. For a mix of surfaces, go with the eufy C10. And remember: The best-looking robot in the lineup isn’t always the one that gets the job done. Choose function over form, or you’ll be back to sweeping your floors the old-fashioned way. We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective. The post Vacuums gone rogue appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article