American Women Suck

By Michael G. Kozak, Drexel University Generative AI platforms have sent shock waves through the K-12 education sector since the public release of ChatGPT nearly three years ago. The technology is taking hold under the belief that students and teachers need to be proficient in these powerful tools, even though many concerns remain around equity, privacy, bias and degradation of critical thinking among students. As a professor who teaches future educators and is part of an AI-focused working group, I have observed the potential for artificial intelligence to transform teaching and learning practices in K-12 schools. The trends I am seeing – and that I encourage – are for K-12 educators to use AI to shift from memorization and rote learning to instead emphasize critical thinking and creativity. Jumping in the deep end After the public release of ChatGPT in late 2022, some large school districts initially banned the use of AI due to concerns about cheating. Surveys also reflected worries about chatbots fabricating information, such as references for school papers, in addition to concerns about misinformation and biases existing in AI responses to prompts. Students, on the other hand, tended to jump into the deep end of the AI pool. Common Sense Media, which offers recommendations on children’s media consumption, published a report in 2024 showing that students were using AI-supported search and chatbots for homework and to stave off boredom as well as other personal reasons, including “creating content as a joke, planning activities, and seeking health advice.” Most of the teachers and parents of the students in the study were unaware that students were using the technology. In my work at Drexel University teaching graduate students who are aspiring school principals or superintendents, I found that in 2023, K-12 students were afraid of using AI due to the policies implemented in their districts banning it. However, it quickly became apparent that students were able to mask their use of AI by instructing AI to insert some mistakes to their assignments. Meanwhile, despite teachers’ initial concerns about AI, approximately 60% of K-12 teachers now admit to using AI to plan lessons, communicate with parents and assist with grading. Concerns over students cheating still exist, but time-strapped teachers are finding that using AI can save them time while improving their teaching. A recent Walton Foundation and Gallup study revealed that teachers who used AI tools weekly saved an average of 5.9 hours per week, which they reallocated to “providing students more nuanced feedback, creating individualized lessons, writing emails and getting home to their families in a more reasonable time.” Opening up new ways of teaching I recommend that my graduate students use AI because I think ignoring emerging trends in education is not wise. I believe the benefits outweigh the negatives if students are taught ethical use of the technology and guardrails are put in place, such as requiring that AI be cited as a source if students use it in coursework. Advocates say AI is changing teaching for the better, since it forces teachers to identify additional ways for students to demonstrate their understanding of content. Some strategies for students who rely too heavily on AI include oral presentations, project-based learning and building portfolios of a student’s best work. One practice could involve students showing evidence of something they created, implemented or developed to address a challenge. Evidence could include constructing a small bridge to demonstrate how forces act on structures, pictures or a video of students using a water sampling device to check for pollution, or students designing and planting a community garden. AI might produce the steps needed to construct the project, but students would actually have to do the work. Teachers can also use AI to create lessons tailored to students’ interests, quickly translate text to multiple languages, and recognize speech for students with hearing difficulties. AI can be used as a tutor to individualize instruction, provide immediate feedback and identify gaps in students’ learning. When I was a school superintendent, I always asked applicants for teaching positions how they connected their classroom lessons to the real world. Most of them struggled to come up with concrete examples. On the other hand, I have found AI is helpful in this regard, providing answers to students’ perennial question of why they need to learn what is being taught. Thought partner Teachers in K-12 schools are using AI to help students develop their empathetic skills. One example is prompting an AI to “redesign the first-day experience for a relocated student entering a new middle school.” AI created the action steps and the essential questions necessary for refining students’ initial solutions. In my own classroom, I’ve used AI to boost my graduate students’ critical thinking skills. I had my students imagine that they were college presidents facing the loss of essential federal funding unless they implemented policies limiting public criticism of federal agencies on campus. This proposed restriction, framed as a requirement to maintain “institutional neutrality,” requires students to develop a plan of action based on their knowledge of systems and design thinking. After each team developed their solution, I used AI to create questions and counterpoints to their proposed solution. In this way, AI becomes a critical thought partner to probe intended and unintended outcomes, gaps in students’ thinking and potential solutions that might have been overlooked. AI researcher Ethan Mollick encourages educators to use AI as a springboard, similar to jazz musicians improvising, as a way to unleash new possibilities. Mollick advises people to partner with AI as co-intelligence, be the human in the loop, treat AI as a co-worker, albeit one that needs to be prodded for evidence, and to learn to use it well. I concur. Changing perspectives on AI Some early studies on the effects of using AI in education have raised concerns that the convenience of generative AI will degrade students’ learning and erode their critical thinking skills. I think that further studies are needed, but I have found in my own work and in the work of my graduate students that AI can enhance human-produced work. For example, AI-powered teaching assistants, like Khanmigo or Beghetto Bots, use AI to help students solve problems and come up with innovative solutions without giving away the answers. My experiences with other educators on the front lines show me that they are beginning to change their perspectives toward students using AI, particularly as teachers realize the benefit of AI in their own work. For example, one of my graduate students said his district is employing a committee of educators, students and outside experts to explore how AI can be used ethically and in a way that won’t erode students’ critical thinking skills. Educators are starting to realize that AI isn’t going away anytime soon – and that it’s better to teach their students how to use it, rather than leave them to their own devices. Michael G. Kozak, Associate Clinical Professor of Educational Administration and Leadership, Drexel University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. — Previously Published on theconversation.com with Creative Commons License *** Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo credit: iStock The post AI Is Taking Hold in K-12 Schools – Here Are Some Ways It Can Improve Teaching appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

— Accidents can happen unexpectedly, leaving victims with physical, emotional, and financial challenges. When faced with the aftermath, having the right legal support becomes essential. Experienced legal professionals can guide accident victims through complex legal processes, ensuring their rights are protected at every stage. With years of combined experience, MNH Injury Lawyers understand the challenges clients face after accidents. They provide personalized attention, analyze each case carefully, and develop strategies to secure fair compensation. Their approach combines professionalism with empathy, helping clients feel supported during difficult times. Accident victims choose MNH for the following reasons: Extensive Experience in Handling Various Accident Cases With over 22 years of combined experience, MNH lawyers have successfully represented clients across a wide range of accident types, including: Car accidents– Can involve complicated insurance claims and require checking the damage to the vehicle carefully. Truck collisions– Need knowledge of commercial vehicle rules and who is responsible. Motorcycle crashes– Often more complicated because of driver mistakes and need special attention. Wrongful death claims– Deals with sensitive legal matters and the emotions of the family. Bicycle accidents-Usually involve road safety issues and figuring out who is at fault. Pedestrian injuries– Require careful proof of negligence and details of the accident. Whiplash cases– Soft tissue injuries that need accurate medical proof of the impact. Traumatic brain injuries– Need a thorough medical and legal review because of long-term effects. This extensive experience ensures that clients receive accurate guidance and strong advocacy personalized to their specific case. Thorough Collection and Organization of Evidence One of the most critical steps in securing compensation is presenting a well-documented case. MNH lawyers specialize in collecting and organizing all necessary evidence, including medical records, accident reports, witness statements, and expert opinions. By building a strong evidence file, they provide a solid foundation for negotiations or litigation, significantly increasing the chances of a favorable outcome for their clients. Detailed Financial Compensation Checklist Understanding the financial impact of an accident is essential for victims seeking rightful compensation. MNH lawyers create a comprehensive financial compensation checklist, ensuring that no potential losses are overlooked. This checklist considers medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and long-term care costs, providing clients with a clear picture of the compensation they are entitled to. Recovering Maximum Damages MNH lawyers are committed to recovering a full range of damages for their clients. These include loss of income, pain and suffering, loss of housekeeping services, cost of future care, special damages, settlement negotiations, and compensation for permanent or minor injuries. By meticulously evaluating each aspect of a case, they ensure that victims receive the financial support necessary to rebuild their lives after an accident. Conclusion Accidents can disrupt lives, but choosing the right legal team can provide victims with the support and compensation they need to move forward. MNH lawyers combine extensive experience, meticulous case preparation, and a client-focused approach to deliver exceptional results. For accident victims seeking justice and financial recovery, MNH injury lawyers stand as a trusted and reliable partner. Key Takeaways MNH injury lawyers bring over 22 years of combined experience in handling varied accident cases. They provide personalized attention, analyzing each case carefully for the best outcome. They excel in collecting and organizing evidence to build strong, well-documented cases. They prepare detailed financial compensation checklists to ensure clients receive full entitlements. They are committed to recovering maximum damages and supporting clients in rebuilding their lives. — This content is brought to you by Hassan Javed Photo provided by the author The post Why Accident Victims Should Choose MNH Injury Lawyer appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

By Michael Allen For the first time, Europe will bury its carbon not beneath the sea, but under its own soil, heralding a new chapter in the continent’s fight against climate change. On 30 April 2025, the EU issued its first permit for onshore geological storage of CO2. Until now, all EU permits under the 2009 Directive for geological CO2 storage were offshore. The permit was awarded to Carbfix, an Icelandic company based in Reykjavík, for its injection site at the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant. The company has grown alongside an EU-funded research initiative of the same name, which received worldwide recognition for developing a novel, safe and efficient carbon storage method. The process turns injected CO2 into stable carbonate rock within just two years. From carbonated water to carbonated rock While most carbon projects focus on offshore storage, CarbFix2’s terrestrial approach marks a vital shift: it speeds up natural mineralisation processes within basalt, a volcanic rock formed from cooling lava. Our overall concept is to use the same method nature uses to regulate long-term CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. Bergur Sigfússon, Carbfix At Hellisheiði, CO2 is captured from the geothermal plant and two direct air capture units. The CO2 gas is dissolved in water – much like making a fizzy drink – and pumped deep into porous layers of basalt, where minerals in the rock react with the CO2 and turn it into solid carbonate rock. “This is a major milestone and an important step toward having a real, positive impact on climate change,” said Carbfix CEO Edda Sif Pind Aradóttir, who coordinated CarbFix2 – the second leg of the EU-funded research. Aradóttir said the new permit puts the Hellisheiði plant “at the forefront of the global geothermal sector” and gives Iceland a leading role in building an industry that supports both EU and global climate goals. To date, Carbfix has stored over 100 000 tonnes of CO2. Thanks to the new permit, it can now store the same volume annually, with a long-term goal of locking away up to 3.2 million tonnes over 30 years – fully offsetting the plant’s emissions and capturing carbon from other projects operating at the site. From research to reality CarbFix began in 2007 as a partnership between industry and academia, focused on CO2 mineralisation. It became an EU-funded research initiative from 2011 to 2014. Field trials began at Hellisheiði in 2012, and by 2014, researchers had confirmed that CO2 was being successfully mineralised and had started storing the plant’s emissions. A second phase of the research, CarbFix2 (2017 to 2021), further advanced the technology with the help of research partners in France, Spain and Switzerland. Bergur Sigfússon, CarbFix’s chief of systems and a founding team member, outlined the three main research objectives: optimise the technology for capturing CO2 from industrial processes, integrate this with a means of storage, and explore the use of seawater in the storage process. “Our overall concept is to use the same method nature uses to regulate long-term CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere,” he said. Mimicking nature In the natural cycle, atmospheric CO2 dissolves in rainwater, which then seeps into the ground. The CO2 makes the water acidic, allowing it to dissolve rocks. In basalt formations, this releases minerals that react with the CO2 to form calcium carbonate – locking the carbon away. Carbfix mimics this process by injecting CO2-enriched water into basalt layers located around 300 to 1 000 metres below ground. “We speed the process up,” said Sigfússon. “By loading more CO2 into the water, we make it more acidic so it dissolves the rocks faster.” The water can contain several times more CO2 than a standard soft drink. Secure and scalable solution Unlike conventional methods that involve pumping CO2 gas into deep rock formations, like depleted oil wells, Carbfix’s approach dissolves the CO2 first, reducing the risk of leaks and locking it into solid rock permanently. Although underground storage may be more common, Carbfix offers an important alternative. Geological conditions vary worldwide, points out Sigfússon, so multiple storage options are needed to meet global climate goals. Reducing emissions is clearly the priority, but Sigfússon is pragmatic. “There are some emissions from heavy industries that we cannot reduce,” he acknowledged. That is why Carbfix has expanded its reach beyond geothermal plants to include hard-to-abate industries like cement manufacturing, steel production and chemical plants. It currently operates five injection sites around the world and also collaborates with the Swiss company Climeworks, a world leader in direct air capture. Together, they became the first team to store CO2 from direct air capture underground. Big potential According to Sigfússon, who describes himself as a geologist by training, basalt is abundant, covering nearly all of the ocean floor and about up to 5% of land areas. There are some emissions from heavy industries that we cannot reduce. Bergur Sigfússon, Carbfix “It’s not everywhere,” he said, “but it’s widespread enough for our technology to have a global impact.” Iceland alone could, in theory, store all of the world’s annual CO2 emissions, while Japan’s extensive volcanic rock formations could absorb 40 to 400 gigatonnes – enough to cover decades of its own output. Of course, practical and economic constraints mean that only a fraction of this capacity could ever be used. In 2022, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Yasutoshi Nishimura, visited Carbfix’s facilities in Iceland, and while no joint projects have yet been announced, both sides recognise the huge potential. Carbfix will feature at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, in September, where its technology takes centre stage at the Nordic Pavilion, highlighting Iceland’s leading role in climate action. Seawater injections Currently, Carbfix stores around 90 000 tonnes of CO2 underground every year, but they are working on scaling up and exploiting some of Iceland’s vast capacity. Their next major project is the development of a hub in southwest Iceland known as the Coda Terminal, which will store CO2 captured and shipped from industrial sites in Northern Europe. Starting in 2029, the terminal aims to store 700 000 tonnes of CO2 per year, ramping up to 3 million tonnes annually by 2032. The Carbfix team’s latest research is focused on using seawater – instead of freshwater – to inject CO2 into rocks below the seabed, a technique first tested during CarbFix2. “There’s an obvious appeal,” said Sigfússon. “There’s a ridiculous amount of seawater near all this basalt.” But the salts and minerals in seawater pose technical challenges that still need solving. As this Icelandic experiment gains momentum, it could offer a global blueprint – turning CO2 into stone beneath our feet – and helping the world tackle climate change on a truly global scale. Research in this article was funded by the EU’s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don’t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media. Showcasing EU research at the World Expo Osaka, Japan 13 April – 13 October This summer, millions of people from around the world will head to Osaka, Japan, for Expo 2025. At this global gathering, countries and regions will share how they’re tackling some of today’s biggest challenges, from sustainability and digital connectivity to inclusivity and security. The central theme of this year’s event is Designing Future Society for Our Lives. Visitors will get a chance to see how EU-funded research is helping shape that future. The EU’s Nurturing Tomorrow pavilion reflects Europe’s commitment to building a greener, more connected and inclusive world. The EU pavilion is hosting exhibitions, talks and interactive experiences that spotlight cutting-edge EU research and innovation projects – all aimed at solving real-world problems and building international cooperation. Whether you’re curious about the future of clean energy, digital tech, or inclusive design, there’s something for everyone. Carbfix will feature in the Nordic Pavilion’s event From Iceland to the World on 15 September, with live demonstrations and interactive panels showcasing the project’s innovative mineralisation technology. Virtual visit Can’t go to Osaka? Explore the Expo online at: https://www.expo2025.or.jp/en/future-index/virtual/virtual-site/ — This article was originally published in Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine with Creative Commons Attribution *** Subscribe to The Good Men Project Newsletter Email Address * 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: unsplash The post From Offshore to Onshore: Europe Expands Carbon Storage With Nature-Inspired Tech appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

— Medical tourism isn’t just a trend—it’s a fast-growing industry that’s changing how people around the world approach healthcare. If you’re thinking about getting a medical procedure abroad, there’s one country that keeps coming up in conversations: Turkey. With affordable prices, expert doctors, and top-notch clinics, Turkey is booming as a medical tourism hub—and for good reason. What is Medical Tourism? Medical tourism is when you travel to another country to receive medical care, often at a lower cost or with better service than at home. People seek everything from cosmetic surgery and dental work to fertility treatments and organ transplants. It’s about combining healthcare with travel, and Turkey has nailed the formula. Why Are People Choosing Turkey? Turkey’s rise as a global medical tourism destination is driven by several clear advantages. For patients seeking high-quality, affordable, and accessible care, the country checks all the boxes. Here’s why more people are choosing Turkey for their medical needs. Affordable Care Without Compromising Quality Healthcare costs in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, and parts of Western Europe can be prohibitively expensive. In Turkey, medical services typically cost a fraction of the price. The savings come from lower labor and operational costs—not from cutting corners on quality. Patients often find that Turkish clinics deliver equal or better results for significantly less money. Modern Infrastructure and Advanced Technology Turkey’s hospitals and private clinics are equipped with the latest medical technology. From minimally invasive surgical systems and advanced imaging equipment to digital dental labs and robotic surgery tools, many facilities rival or exceed Western standards. This access to cutting-edge technology enhances accuracy, improves outcomes, and shortens recovery times. Highly Trained Medical Professionals Doctors in Turkey are known for their high levels of training and expertise. Many have studied or practiced internationally, bringing a blend of global knowledge and local insight to their work. Patients benefit from professionals who are not only skilled in the latest techniques but also committed to patient-centered care. Most physicians and medical staff in major clinics are fluent in English and accustomed to working with international patients. Shorter Wait Times and Efficient Scheduling Lengthy waitlists are a common challenge in public healthcare systems across the world. In contrast, Turkey offers fast scheduling and minimal delays. Many treatments can be arranged within days or weeks, making it an attractive option for patients who cannot afford to wait. Integrated Medical Travel Services Medical tourism in Turkey is not just about treatment—it’s an all-inclusive experience. Many clinics offer packages that include airport transfers, hotel accommodations, translation services, and post-operative care. This integrated approach ensures a smoother experience from arrival to recovery, especially for first-time medical travelers. Recovery in Attractive Surroundings Turkey’s natural beauty and rich culture offer the ideal setting for recovery. Whether resting along the coast in Antalya or exploring the cultural heritage of Istanbul, patients can recuperate in comfort while enjoying world-class hospitality. The ability to combine medical treatment with leisure and travel adds significant appeal. Top Medical Procedures in Turkey Turkey offers a wide range of specialized medical treatments that attract patients from all over the world. Its medical tourism sector has become especially known for the following procedures. Hair Transplantation Turkey is a global leader in hair restoration. Clinics in Istanbul and other major cities have developed a strong reputation for techniques like Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) and Direct Hair Implantation (DHI). High success rates, affordable pricing, and natural-looking results make Turkey the preferred destination for patients seeking effective hair loss solutions. Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery From rhinoplasty and breast augmentation to liposuction and facelifts, cosmetic surgery is one of the most sought-after medical services in Turkey. Surgeons often have specialized training in aesthetics and reconstructive surgery, and many clinics cater specifically to international patients. The combination of skilled professionals, modern facilities, and competitive pricing draws individuals from across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. Dental Treatments Turkey is a popular destination for comprehensive dental care. Procedures commonly performed include dental implants, veneers, crowns, teeth whitening, and full-mouth reconstructions. Dental clinics often utilize digital imaging, 3D printing, and computer-aided design to enhance precision and reduce treatment time. Many patients travel for complete smile makeovers that can be completed in under a week. Eye Surgeries Refractive and corrective eye surgeries are another area where Turkey excels. Procedures such as LASIK, LASEK, PRK, and cataract surgery are widely available, with clinics employing advanced diagnostic tools and laser technology. Ophthalmologists in Turkey are highly trained and often offer services in multilingual environments, making the process smooth for international patients. Orthopedic Treatments Turkey is also a center of excellence for orthopedic surgery, including joint replacements, spine surgery, and sports injury repair. Hospitals are equipped with modern surgical theatres and comprehensive rehabilitation services. Patients appreciate the shorter waiting times and the ability to return to normal activity with expert follow-up care. Fertility Treatments and IVF Fertility clinics in Turkey offer advanced reproductive technologies, including In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), and preimplantation genetic diagnosis. With success rates comparable to top clinics in Europe and the United States, Turkish IVF centers attract patients from around the world. Fertility services are often delivered with personalized care and full confidentiality, at significantly lower costs. Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery For more complex medical needs, Turkey provides high-quality cardiovascular care. Procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting, angioplasty, and pacemaker implantation are routinely performed in specialized cardiac centers. These facilities often collaborate with international insurance providers and adhere to rigorous safety and hygiene standards. World-Class Facilities and International Accreditation Many hospitals in Turkey are JCI-accredited—an international gold standard. That means they meet or exceed the quality you’d expect in your home country. Clinics often use the latest medical tech, and many cater to international patients with English-speaking staff. Expertise and Reputation of Turkish Doctors Doctors in Turkey are no joke. Many are trained internationally and bring decades of experience. Whether it’s a complex surgery or a cosmetic procedure, Turkish specialists are known for precision, care, and results. Cost Comparison: Turkey vs. Other Countries Here’s a quick idea of what you might pay: Procedure UK/US Price (Avg) Turkey Price (Avg) Hair Transplant $7,000 $2,000 Dental Implants $3,000/tooth $500–$800/tooth Rhinoplasty $8,000 $3,000 IVF Treatment $15,000 $4,500 You’re saving thousands—and not sacrificing quality. The Role of Technology and Innovation Turkey’s healthcare scene isn’t just catching up—it’s leading in some areas. Many clinics use robotic surgery, laser technology, and AI-based diagnostics. Post-surgery support via telemedicine is also becoming the norm, so you’re not left in the dark once you’re back home. Combining Treatment with Tourism Why not recover while exploring ancient ruins or relaxing by the Mediterranean? Popular cities for medical tourism include: Istanbul– Vibrant, historic, and full of modern clinics Antalya– A beautiful coastal city perfect for recovery Cappadocia– Stunning landscapes and unique healing retreats Many clinics offer packages that include hotels, airport transfers, and even local tours. How to Plan Your Medical Trip Ready to go? Here’s how to get started: Do Your Research: Read up on procedures, doctors, and clinics. Use a Verified Platform: Booking through Flymedi trusted marketplace ensures you’re dealing with licensed professionals and real clinics. Ask Questions: Get clear info on what’s included, the recovery process, and total costs. Check Credentials: Look for certifications and patient reviews. Turkey’s government is investing heavily in the health tourism sector. With new international partnerships, upgraded facilities, and increased visibility, the country is expected to be one of the global leaders in medical travel for years to come. If you’re considering a medical procedure abroad, Turkey should be high on your list. It’s affordable, reliable, and offers an experience that goes beyond the treatment room. And when you plan your trip through Flymedi a trusted marketplace, you get peace of mind along with world-class care. — This content is brought to you by Sky Link Building iStockPhoto The post Why Turkey Is Becoming a Global Hub for Medical Tourism appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

… The kind of night that sticks to your skin like a second layer. We had just fought again. It wasn’t about anything big — it never is, at least not at first. Just a missed call. A half-hearted apology. Another promise that “things will be different.” I sat on the bathroom floor after he fell asleep, still dressed in his favorite hoodie, the sleeves swallowed my hands like they always did. And for a moment, I whispered to myself, “He’ll change. Just not yet.” That was the lie I lived in for far too long. Here’s the truth most of us don’t want to say out loud: He won’t change. At least not for you. Not because you love him enough. Not because you waited long enough. Not because you kept giving him second, third, fourth chances while quietly breaking yourself down into pieces just to hold the relationship together. We romanticize this idea that if we love someone deeply, patiently, selflessly… eventually, they’ll become the version we’ve always believed they could be. But more often than not, we fall in love with a version of potential, not reality. And potential can keep you hostage. But what if his change is not your responsibility? Let that sink in for a second. Because I wish someone had looked me in the eyes and said this to me back then: “You don’t have to keep proving you’re worthy of someone treating you right.” It’s not your job to be so lovable, so understanding, so forgiving that he finally decides to grow. If he hasn’t changed after you’ve cried, begged, compromised, stayed, left, come back, tried again — then maybe, just maybe, he doesn’t want to. Not everyone wants to grow. Not everyone wants to heal. Not everyone is willing to confront the parts of themselves that hurt others. And love — real love — cannot survive in a place where one person is doing all the work and the other is comfortable watching them do it. The hardest part? Letting go of who you thought he could be. I get it. You’ve built dreams with him in mind. You imagined your future like a house you both would one day live in. Letting him go feels like burning down everything you’ve been hoping for. But sometimes, walking away isn’t giving up — it’s coming back to yourself. It’s choosing peace over chaos. It’s picking self-worth over waiting. It’s deciding that you deserve love that doesn’t require you to shrink yourself just to keep it. And maybe the saddest part is realizing: he won’t change because you stayed. Sometimes, they only begin to change once you leave — and by then, it’s not your healing to witness anymore. If you’re reading this while still waiting — I see you. You’re not weak for loving someone who didn’t love you right. You’re not foolish for hoping he’d grow. You’re human. But please don’t waste your golden years playing therapist, mother, fixer, or savior to someone who only ever needed to want to change and didn’t. You deserve love that doesn’t feel like begging. You deserve honesty that doesn’t come with a catch. You deserve someone who chooses growth because they want a future with you — not because you forced them to become worthy of one. So here’s what I wish someone had told me before I wasted years waiting: Stop waiting. He won’t change. And that’s not your fault. Thanks for reading my story . Please Clap and Drop a Comment — and if you enjoy my writing stories, please follow me. It means the world to me and helps me stay inspired — 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: Louis Galvez on Unsplash The post Still Waiting for Him to Change? He Won’t appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Do you ever feel like your life is scattered across a hundred different apps? One for tasks. Another for habits. A different one for finance. Notion for notes. Google Docs for goals. And before you know it, productivity becomes the opposite of productive. I used to bounce between all these apps until I realized the problem: I didn’t need more tools. I needed one system. So, I built one. Why “One System” Beats Ten Apps When everything is spread out, you waste energy just switching contexts. Tasks don’t connect to goals. Habits don’t connect to reflections. Budgets don’t connect to projects. But when everything lives in the same dashboard, patterns start to appear. You see how daily habits fuel your long-term goals. You connect your money choices with your projects. You reflect on your progress without digging into five different tools. That’s when productivity stops being about “doing more” and starts being about living better. Meet the Clarity Dashboard (My All-in-One Notion System) Instead of juggling ten apps, I now run everything from a single Notion dashboard I call the Clarity Dashboard. Here’s what’s inside: Task & Project Manager → Keep track of work and personal projects in one place. Goal Tracker → Break yearly goals into quarterly and monthly action steps. Habit & Routine Builder → Stay consistent with streak counters and routines. Finance Dashboard → Track income, expenses, and savings without another budgeting app. Knowledge Hub → A vault for notes, articles, and book highlights. Reflection Journal → Daily gratitude + weekly reviews for perspective. It’s not fancy — it’s simple, clean, and customizable. But that’s the point. It works because it’s one place for everything. Who It’s For Students balancing classes, side hustles, and personal goals. Freelancers or creators managing multiple projects. Anyone tired of being scattered across apps and craving clarity. Why I’m Sharing It When I built this for myself, I didn’t plan to sell it. But friends kept asking for the template, and I realized others might need the same system. So, I polished it up, added a quick-start guide and a video walkthrough, and now it’s available for anyone who wants to stop juggling apps and finally run life from one place. Take Back Control If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed or scattered, the Clarity Dashboard might be exactly what you need. You can grab it here on Gumroad: Clarity Dashboard — All-in-One Notion System One dashboard. One system. Your life, finally organised. — 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: Ravi Sharma On Unsplash The post Stop Juggling Apps — How I Built One Dashboard to Run My Entire Life appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The future isn’t waiting—it’s under construction now. Words are hammers. Habits are nails. The world you live in today was built—in part—by the way you talked yesterday. If tomorrow feels dark, how will you talk to remodel it? Talk That Demolishes the Future: #1 Gossip Gossip doesn’t just spread rumors—it fractures relationships. Say, “Let’s talk with them, not about them.” One sentence protects someone’s dignity. #2 Criticism Constant criticism chips away at confidence. People stop showing up with heart. Swap blame for questions that build the future. Ask, “If things looked the way you want, what would you be doing now?” #3 Complaining Complaining is demolition. It weakens morale and stalls construction. Daily Habit: Ask, “Where are we gaining ground?” Every win lays a brick. Talk That Shapes the Future: Words are scaffolding around tomorrow’s reality. You build the future every time you say yes or no. What mindset are your conversations reinforcing? Speak in ways that build up and reinforce. Repeat things like: “That’s progress.” “You have more in you.” “You’re great at that.” Shape the Future with Questions: What matters today? What does success look like? What do you want? What’s next? What’s preventing you from…? What do you want to do about that? What’s energizing you? What are we learning? Power Tip: Twice a day, hammer in this sentence: “I admire…” Want a brighter future? Don’t grab a mic—craft your next sentence. Why Talking Habits Matter Patterns: Build trust or create suspicion. Shape environments. Reinforce values. Accelerate growth or drain energy. Are you building a place worth living in—or something people want to escape? Which words weaken your future? What kind of talk will help you build the future you long for? The Best Use of Words 3 Ways to Serve Your Future Self Today How Words Will Create Your Future! — Previously Published on leadershipfreak 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! *** Subscribe to The Good Men Project Newsletter Email Address * 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. On Substack? Connect with us there. — Photo credit: unsplash The post Talk Builds the Future appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

— Are you looking for a place where you can spend summers or weekends or relocate to full-time after retirement or to continue working on a remote basis? Or do you want to buy property that you can rent out either short or long-term for additional income? If so, you need to look at property located in Topsail Beach. Located on the coast of southeastern North Carolina, Topsail Beach is on a 26-mile-long barrier island named Topsail Island. It’s a laid-back community perfect for spending lazy weekends or for attracting those who want an affordable rental for their next family vacation. Here is more information on Topsail Beach and the many benefits of owning Topsail Beach real estate. Why Topsail Beach? There are many reasons why you should consider Topsail Beach real estate. Here are just a few of the reasons: Its atmosphere. Unlike some beach communities, Topsail Beach is laid-back, serene, and has a slower pace of life. This is ideal for retirees, renters who want to relax on their vacation, or those who simply want to enjoy a quiet environment. It’s family-friendly. Owners or renters who have children will enjoy the clean beaches and variety of family-friendly activities available in the area. The beaches. With 26 miles of sandy beaches, those who own or rent Topsail Beach real estate can build sandcastles, sunbathe, or enjoy the water without worrying about huge crowds. It has a unique culture. The area has a rich past filled with military secrets and connections to pirates, perfect for the history buff. Benefits of Owning Topsail Beach Property Want to know more benefits of owning Topsail Beach real estate? Here are a few more reasons to consider investing: There is a strong rental market. Topsail Beach is a popular destination for renters, especially during the summer and spring months, making it a smart investment. It’s ideal for personal use. Whether you decide to rent your property part time or not, you can always know that you have the perfect getaway for a long weekend or summer vacation. There is a focus on preservation. No need to worry about the area becoming industrialized when you invest in Topsail Beach real estate. The area prioritizes preserving their environment to maintain the natural beauty and charm of the region. Topsail Beach Options From quaint cottages to large multi-million dollar homes, there are plenty of options when it comes to Topsail Beach real estate. For example, a two bedroom, one bath home near the water sells for around $650,000 while a four bed, five bathroom house on the beach sells for a little over two million. Topsail Beach real estate can go fast, so it’s important to work with an agent who is familiar with the area and can let you know when something you may be interested in becomes available. Topsail Beach Real Estate: Is it for You? If you’re looking for investment property in a coastal location or you want to find a home where you can vacation or snowbird in, you need to consider Topsail Beach real estate. If you’re interested in finding out what’s available in the area, reach out to a local real estate agent who can introduce you to the community and show you what’s on the market. — This content is brought to you by Ava Sinclair iStockPhoto The post Unlocking Coastal Living: The Benefits of Owning Topsail Beach Property appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

By Michelle Crouch and Charlotte Ledger When city of Charlotte workers get sick, they don’t have to wait weeks for a primary care appointment or shell out a co-pay for an urgent care visit. Instead, they can often be seen on the same day, at no charge, at one of six local clinics run by Marathon Health. Like a growing number of other employers, the city has embraced a health care model known as direct primary care that sidesteps traditional health insurance for its 9,000 workers and 3,500 retirees. Under the arrangement, the city pays Marathon a flat monthly fee for each employee; in turn, employees are guaranteed same-day or next-day doctor’s appointments. Think of it “like a gym membership for health care,” said Dr. Meaghann Bernardy, regional medical director for Marathon Health’s East region. At the appointments, employees can get care for minor injuries or illnesses, nutrition coaching, lab work, mental health therapy and even physical therapy. Some of the clinics are open outside of typical business hours. Depending on their insurance plan, employees pay nothing or a $30 fee. The employees still have traditional insurance for bigger-ticket needs, such as specialist visits, complex procedures and hospital stays. Christina Fath, the city’s benefits manager, told a group of local human resources professionals last week that the city has saved millions since contracting with Marathon in 2016 by reducing emergency room visits and making it easier for city workers to get care before health problems turn into crises. “Our health care costs have not gone up as much as national averages,” she said. “While this may be attributed to various factors, the data shows that if our plan members had sought the same care in another health care setting, the plan would have paid more for that same health care. We’ve seen a reduction in non-emergent emergency room visits, urgent care visits, lab spend and (an) increase in preventive care visits and screenings.” Employees also save money, she said, by avoiding copays and coinsurance payments. “That’s money in their pockets,” she said. Popping up all over The direct primary care model is catching on nationwide. Between 2017 and 2021, direct primary care memberships nationwide grew 241%, according to a 2023 industry report. Another analysis predicted the global market for direct primary care would grow from $61.34 billion in 2025 to $96.4 billion in 2033. Some direct primary care practices operate like so-called concierge medicine practices, which sell memberships directly to patients. But benefits experts said a lot of the growth has been employer-based, like the city’s plan with Marathon, as companies look for ways to provide better care for their workers while keeping soaring health care costs in check. “The whole issue has always been that it’s difficult to get your employees to go to a primary care physician, so they end up going to ER instead,” said Jon Rankin, CEO of the North Carolina Business Coalition on Health, an employer group that advocates for improved health care delivery. “Oftentimes, folks are waiting six months to a year to see somebody,” he said. “Employers are saying: ‘What are our options? How can we improve that?’” Jordan Harris, an employee benefits consultant for Main Street Insurance Group, said direct care providers are “popping up all over the place.” He mo said some operate strictly through telehealth while others, like Marathon, run on-site or near-site clinics. The monthly fee typically ranges from $25 to $100 per person and can depend on the total number of employees, their ages and how many extra services, such as physical therapy or health coaching, are included. New law could boost direct care trend So why isn’t every company jumping on the direct primary care bandwagon? Rankin and Harris said employers with staff scattered across multiple locations can run into challenges guaranteeing that every worker has a clinic nearby. Even if geography isn’t an issue, some companies hesitate to make the up-front investment or aren’t convinced of the promised long-term savings, they said. However, Harris said he expects the trend to accelerate as a result of recent federal legislation that allows Health Savings Account dollars to be used for direct primary care. Previously, he said, many employers hesitated to offer it to workers on high-deductible plans who have HSAs to pay for their out-of-pocket costs. About 20 percent of the city’s workers are currently on such an HSA plan and have to pay a nominal fee for using Marathon’s services, Fath said. Marathon Health is one of the largest employer-based providers of direct primary care in the U.S., with more than 720 locations nationwide, including 60 in North Carolina. In addition to the city of Charlotte, it has contracts with 27 other N.C. organizations, including Mecklenburg County, Lenovo and Reynolds American. Marathon estimates that employers who sign up save $1,100 per year on each enrolled worker, and up to $4,400 annually on those with a chronic condition. Tryon Medical’s homegrown approach In Charlotte, Tryon Medical Partners has built a direct primary care program that has steadily expanded since 2019 and now serves about 25 Charlotte-area employers, according to Chief Operating Officer Jordan Archer. Archer, who described the model as “all-you-can-eat primary care,” said enrolled workers receive unlimited, preferred access to Tryon Medical doctors and longer appointments than other patients. Local companies see the program as a way to cut costs and as a retention benefit, Archer said. What sets Tryon apart, he added, are its local providers. “Do you want a physician who just got plopped down in this market coordinating your care?” he said. “Or do you want a doctor who has been here 20 years building their career, who knows the best orthopedic surgeon to do your hip?” More time with patients Doctors said they like the direct care model because they can avoid the hassle of dealing with health insurers and spend more time with patients. Family medicine physician Ajiri Barnes joined Marathon Health in 2023 after 18 years at a large Charlotte-based hospital system. At the hospital, she said, she was pressured to refer patients to in-house specialists, not always the ones she felt were best for her patients. And appointments were limited to 20 minutes. “I didn’t feel like I had the time to spend with patients to do what they needed,” she said. “Invariably, you ran behind. Then you’re charting for hours after work.” Although Barnes took a small pay cut when she left the hospital system, she said the change was worth it. She now sees about half as many patients per day, and she spends 30 to 40 minutes with each. She also leaves on time almost every day. “I finally feel like I can finally practice medicine the way it should be practiced,” she said. “In my old job, patients sometimes waited a year to see me. Here, they can see me tomorrow.” Support beyond primary care Menshana Briana McNeil, 25, receives care at a Marathon Health clinic through her father, a Charlotte sanitation worker. Nearly three years ago, she said, she asked her Marathon Health physician for help losing weight and was paired with nutrition coach Amy Hanson. They met twice a week at no cost. McNeil said the coach’s support helped her to lose 63 pounds, run her first 5K and reverse her prediabetes. At Hanson’s urging, she also completed her CNA certification, which helped her to get a better-paying job. ‘She is like my guardian angel,” she said. “I don’t know where I would be without her.” McNeil will soon turn 26 and age off of her father’s insurance plan — a change she is already dreading. “It’s hard to believe that all of this is included because he works for the city,” she said. “When I turn 26, I’m going to cry.” This article is part of a partnership between The Charlotte Ledger and North Carolina Health News to produce original health care reporting. You can support this effort with a tax-deductible donation. This article first appeared on North Carolina Health News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. — North Carolina Health News is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit, statewide news organization dedicated to covering all things health care in North Carolina. Visit NCHN at northcarolinahealthnews.org with Creative Commons License *** — 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 Doctors on Demand, No Insurance Required appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

— Teaching in 2025 is more demanding than ever. Educators juggle large class sizes, diverse learning styles, and growing administrative responsibilities—all while trying to keep students engaged in a world of endless digital distractions. One area where teachers spend countless hours is preparing worksheets and classroom materials. What if there was a way to cut this preparation time in half while creating personalized, engaging, and visually appealing worksheets? That’s where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in. Today, AI tools empower teachers to transform lesson planning by generating custom learning worksheets—complete with coloring pages, practice questions, and visual activities—at the click of a button. This article explores the best AI tools available, why ColorArt.ai should be your first choice, how OpenColor.ai and other platforms can supplement it, and how teachers can combine these tools into powerful workflows that save time and enrich student learning. Why Custom Worksheets Matter in Modern Education Before diving into AI tools, it’s worth asking: Why focus on custom worksheets at all? Personalized Learning Every classroom includes students with different strengths and weaknesses. Tailored worksheets allow teachers to meet these varied needs—whether by adjusting difficulty, adding visuals, or creating bilingual versions. Increased Engagement Worksheets that include interactive activities, illustrations, or coloring tasks make learning fun. When students enjoy their materials, they participate more actively and retain knowledge longer. Teacher Efficiency Preparing worksheets manually can take hours of research, design, and formatting. Automating parts of the process frees up valuable time for teachers to focus on actual instruction. Curriculum Flexibility Custom worksheets allow teachers to adapt quickly. Whether it’s adding seasonal activities (e.g., Halloween math puzzles) or reinforcing a concept a class struggled with, personalization keeps learning relevant. In short, worksheets are more than just handouts—they’re learning amplifiers. AI makes producing them faster, easier, and smarter. Types of AI Tools for Teachers AI-powered teaching tools generally fall into three categories: Image-Based Tools Convert photos into coloring pages, diagrams, and illustrations. Great for visual learners and cross-disciplinary teaching. Example: Colorart.ai, OpenColor.ai. Text-Based Tools Generate reading passages, comprehension questions, math problems, or quiz items into Coloring Page, among these tools, Colorart is thebest AI Coloring page generators in my usage experience.. Example: ColorArt,ChatGPT, Claude, Quillionz. Integrated Design Tools Combine visuals and text into polished, ready-to-print templates. Example: Canva with AI, Adobe Express AI, BookWidgets. Together, these categories cover everything a teacher needs to create professional-quality worksheets in minutes. Spotlight on ColorArt.ai: The #1 Tool for Teachers Among image-based tools, ColorArt.ai stands out as the best option for teachers. Why Teachers Love It Photo-to-Coloring Conversion Upload any photo—whether of an animal, plant, landmark, or even a classroom project—and instantly convert it into a clean, black-and-white coloring page. Batch Generation Create sets of 20–50 themed pages in minutes (e.g., rainforest animals, historical figures, planets). Perfect for building entire unit packages. Print-Friendly Output Unlike many AI art tools, ColorArt.ai ensures line consistency, pure white backgrounds, and resolution suitable for classroom printers. Age Flexibility Teachers can choose designs simple enough for preschoolers or detailed enough for middle school art and science classes. Classroom Applications Science:Convert insect or plant photos into coloring worksheets with labeling sections. History:Generate black-and-white sketches of historical monuments for students to color and annotate. Language Arts:Create story-based worksheets where illustrations encourage creative writing. Early Education:Alphabet or animal coloring pages to pair with phonics practice. Why it’s the top recommendation: ColorArt.ai saves teachers hours while producing professional-grade worksheets ready to print or upload to platforms like Google Classroom. OpenColor.ai: A Helpful Secondary Tool While ColorArt.ai is the most robust option, OpenColor.ai is a solid alternative for teachers who want something quick and simple. Key Strengths Very user-friendly for beginners. Generates basic coloring pages without much setup. Good for experimenting with new ideas or supplementing an existing worksheet set. Limitations Output sometimes requires manual cleanup before printing. Limited customization compared to ColorArt.ai. Not ideal for creating large batches of consistent worksheets. Teachers may find OpenColor.ai useful for small-scale activities, but for serious classroom use and publishing-level quality, ColorArt.ai is the better choice. Other AI Tools to Complete the Workflow ColorArt.ai and OpenColor.ai handle the visual side of worksheets, but teachers often need text, layout, and interactive elements too. That’s where these tools shine: ChatGPT / Claude Generate reading comprehension questions, vocabulary exercises, word problems, or discussion prompts. Example: “Write a short story about a dog at the park, followed by 5 comprehension questions.” Canva with AI Take text and images, then arrange them into worksheet templates with headers, instructions, and answer spaces. Canva even offers classroom-ready designs. Quillionz Specialized in creating quiz questions from any text, useful for building assessment worksheets. Khanmigo (Khan Academy AI) Offers adaptive tutoring suggestions and can help design personalized practice activities for students. By combining these with ColorArt.ai, teachers can cover all aspects of worksheet creation—from visuals to exercises to polished formatting. Workflow: How Teachers Can Use AI to Build Worksheets in Minutes Here’s a step-by-step process for leveraging multiple AI tools efficiently: Choose Your Topic Example: “Life Cycle of a Butterfly” (biology). Generate Visuals with ColorArt.ai Upload butterfly photos → AI outputs coloring pages for each stage (egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly). Add Questions with ChatGPT/Claude Ask AI to create age-appropriate questions: labeling diagrams, true/false statements, or open-ended writing prompts. Design Layout in Canva Combine images and text into a clean, printable PDF worksheet. Publish or Print Upload to Google Classroom, distribute via email, or print physical copies for class. Total time: Less than 30 minutes (compared to hours manually). Case Studies: AI in the Classroom Case 1: Elementary Science Teacher A 3rd-grade teacher used ColorArt.ai to create a “Rainforest Animals” worksheet pack. Each student colored an animal, wrote three facts about it, and presented to the class. The teacher reported higher engagement and saved nearly 5 hours of prep time. Case 2: History Teacher A high school teacher generated black-and-white sketches of Greek temples with ColorArt.ai, then used Canva to add fill-in-the-blank questions about Greek architecture. Students learned visually while reinforcing vocabulary. Case 3: Art Therapy Program In a counseling setting, educators created stress-relief coloring worksheets with AI, blending mindfulness exercises with simple line art. Students used them for quiet reflection sessions. The Benefits of AI for Teachers Time Efficiency Reduce worksheet prep from hours to minutes. Customization Tailor worksheets to student needs, class themes, or seasonal events. Accessibility Create bilingual worksheets or adapt materials for special education with ease. Engagement Add creativity and interactivity to lessons, making learning enjoyable. Scalability Batch-generate dozens of worksheets, supporting entire units or curricula. Recommendations: Which Tools Should Teachers Use? Best Overall Tool: ColorArt.ai The most reliable, flexible, and print-ready option for creating custom coloring worksheets. Best Secondary Tool: OpenColor.ai Good for quick activities but less robust. Best Textual Support: ChatGPT/Claude Great for generating practice questions, reading passages, and problem sets. Best Design Tool: Canva with AI Essential for assembling final worksheets into polished handouts. Together, these tools form an AI-powered toolkit for educators, helping teachers work smarter, not harder. Conclusion: Empowering Teachers with AI Teachers today are expected to do more with less—more engagement, more customization, and more results, often with limited time and resources. AI offers a way to bridge this gap. By leveraging platforms like ColorArt.ai, educators can create engaging, personalized worksheets in minutes, not hours. While OpenColor.ai and other AI platforms play useful supporting roles, ColorArt.ai remains the standout choice for teachers who want professional-quality, print-ready visuals. When combined with text-generation and design tools, the result is a classroom experience that is both richer for students and less stressful for teachers. — This content is brought to you by Sky Link Building iStockPhoto The post AI Tools for Teachers: Create Custom Learning Worksheets in 2025 appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

I have sat and contemplated what we are most as human beings and have always found myself going back to the same thing: love as a teacher is a treasure trove of lessons any classroom can never impart. This is an exploration, whether you are someone who has been seeking a deeper meaning in your relationships or you are wondering why some of your experiences have been so transformative. Love and personal growth are related in a way I did not imagine. I’ve seen love change a character within me and others, shifting selfish inclinations to being selfless and fear to courage. The universal lessons of love are non-judgmental — they speak to the teenager who has been dumped just as authoritatively as the parent holding his or her newborn baby. I would like to tell you about some of what I have come to know about what the transformative influence of love is on the character of the person, in the good sense as well as in the bad sense. And starting with patience and forgiveness for the nakedness of self-exposure that love alone can reveal to us, we will explore the universal lessons of life that can be imparted to us by love alone. I’ll also dive into how love shapes understanding relationships by showing us who we really are when we care about someone more than ourselves. It does not just relate to love in the romantic sense. Informed love is extremely diversified, and family love, friendship, and love for people one does not even know are some of them, and each of them has its lessons. Love is training us to be prepared not to quit on challenges in life since it is what makes us tough and kind and gives us the get-up-and-go to keep our hearts open when they are shattered. … How Love Changes Individual Character And Personal Development Building Empathy Through Understanding Others’ Perspectives I found that love can make me forget about my own small world and actually open my eyes and look through the eyes of another individual. When I make a deep commitment to another person, naturally I begin to understand the fears, hopes, and motivations of that person in a manner that alters the way I interact with everyone around me. literally lets me Developing Patience And Forgiveness In Challenging Relationships It is in my most difficult relationships that I learned the most about patience and forgiveness. As a teacher of love has taught me that I am the one who gets hurt by being angry, and that instead of inflicting anger on others, if I choose to forgive, it opens the door to more intimacy and freedom for myself. I have learned when it comes to loving imperfect people that patience is not just waiting — it is making a conscious decision to see a possibility in someone in the midst of someone else’s inability to see it for themselves. Learning Vulnerability As A Source Of Authentic Strength The only way to open my heart to love is by risking getting hurt, and I have discovered that this is the best place of real strength that I possess. When I allow myself to be known and seen by people, I get the courage that I had no idea I had. This emotional vulnerability has taught me that power does not exist in the need to defend oneself but in the actual connectedness with others around us. Cultivating Selflessness Through Being For Others The love of the others has gradually changed the focus from “what can I get” to “what can I give.” I’ve learned that your fulfillment is not in serving your own interest but in contributing to the happiness and development of someone else. This transition to selflessness has made me a better man than any self-centered activity would have ever allowed. … Universal Life Lessons That Only Love Can Teach Discovering The Power Of Unconditional Acceptance Love has become an instructor that does not believe everything that an individual does. As I love someone in my heart, I observe imperfections, errors, and flaws that they have, and I accept them as they are. This form of acceptance is useful in changing the giver and receiver and works in an environment of growth without the fear of being abandoned. Understanding Sacrifice And Its Deeper Rewards One of the lessons I’ve learned from love is that sacrifice is never loss, but investment in something bigger than oneself. I believe when I give up my time to caring for someone else, give up my comfort or give up my wants for someone else, I find greater connection and purpose. Love says that the most fulfilling rewards are not what I end up with, but what I freely give to others. Learning To Communicate With Compassion And Honesty Love has shown me the way I can say the truth in a soft manner. Honesty without compassion is painful and compassion without honesty is empowering. Love demonstrates to me the way to move between these aspects and to learn the hard lesson of telling them in a manner that will be healing, not painful, in personal, real communication that builds more lasting bonds. … How Love Shapes Our Understanding Of Human Connection Breaking Down Barriers Between Different Cultures And Backgrounds I’ve witnessed the universal translator that is love, holding hearts directly to their core in the absence of words or when words are spoken in different tongues, skin colors, and traditions. The individual cannot be too different from me. When I permit myself to love a new individual, I break the barriers in my mind, and I discover our humanity beneath the skin-deep dissimilarities. Teaching Us The Importance Of Community And Belonging I am learning that belonging doesn’t mean finding more of me but making space for real connections to develop. Love shows me how to give back to my community while gaining strength from our collective support and I learn that isolation makes us less than we are. Showing Us How To Build Trust In Relationships My dearest relationships have taught me that trust is built with many small acts rather than grand gestures. This is something that love has taught me: vulnerability can be used to form a relationship that is strong and which can withstand the pressures of life when treated with respect and care. Demonstrating The Healing Power Of Genuine Human Bonds I know firsthand how love turns wounds into wisdom. If I can be loved through my darkness, it teaches me that the place of healing is in relationship — not in isolation, not in my own small world, but in the real world of a human being loving another, restoring what truly feels like irreparably broken. Revealing The Interconnectedness Of All Human Experiences Love has taught me how much happier people are when I am happy and that people feel my sorrow in places I never thought they would. Through loving relationships I’ve learned that human experiences are not isolated incidents but threads in a tapestry where every connection becomes part of the fabric of humanity as a whole. … Love As The Foundation For Moral And Ethical Development Instilling Values Of Kindness And Compassion In Daily Actions I’ve come to realize that kindness and compassion grow considerably out of love in simple moments. When I love someone, my behavior changes to kindness and acceptance. Love, as a teacher, reveals to me that small efforts (non-judgmental hearing, supportive presence, offering assistance) can spread out and impact the lives of so many, beyond my intimate relationships. Teaching Justice Through The Lens Of Caring For Others Fairness is related to justice, but I changed my view of justice when I began to think about justice in terms of love. The two concepts of love and moral development go hand in hand because I know that true justice is about caring for the well-being of others and not just about adhering to the rule. This compassionate identification with others advances my choices toward what is right in the true sense, resulting in a moral sense based on empathy instead of simple duty. … The Role Of Different Types Of Love In Human Learning Parental Love Teaching Security And Foundational Values My earliest educators weren’t in classrooms but in my parents’ arms. Their love built a foundation of unassailable security from which I learned I was important and worth protection. As a child, their presence and mentoring gave me my first lessons in trust, respect, and moral boundaries that would inform all of my future relationships. Romantic Love Revealing Partnership And Commitment I knew that in falling in love, I was really learning a master class in vulnerability and partnership. This love taught me how to walk in compromise and not lose myself, supported your petal’s dreams while exploring my own, and helped me see what it’s like to be fully committed when life’s storms and celebrations come to shake the branches. Friendship Love Demonstrating Loyalty And Mutual Support My friendships were experiments, working out how to relate with people without the pretense of permanence. With these relationships, I learned the lessening of love as dependency, how to be helpful without love’s negative feelings, and how wonderful it feels to celebrate others’ successes as honestly as my own. Self-love Creating The Foundation For All Other Relationships I came to learn that it was only after I understood my value and my own boundaries that I would be able to love others in an authentic manner. Self-love made me realize that I could not give out of an empty cup and that my moral treatment and kindness towards myself made me understand how I expected others to treat me as well. … Love Prepares Us To Overcome The Biggest Hurdles In Life Building Resilience Through Emotional Support Systems I’ve learned to recognize love as an invincible safety net in my darkest moments. In overwhelming times I turn to those trusted people who love me, and the encouragement and perspective they provide is impossible for me to find myself. I have learned in my relationships that vulnerability is not the sign of weakness, but it is a path to getting empowered by everyone. Developing Courage To Face Uncertainty With Hope Love as a teacher lets me know that there is a purpose to pain even when I may be unable to see that purpose. In loving relationships I discover that the weight of suffering is taken away and loss is accepted as a lesson of what I have gone through. What my friends teach me is that grief liturgy celebrates what was important to me, and love enables me to keep an open heart to new possibilities for the unpredictability of life. … Conclusion In my search for love as our greatest teacher, I’ve understood that love defines all aspects of our very being. Love transforms my personality and renders me tolerant, kind, and selfless as I never imagined I was. It teaches me universal lessons of forgiveness, sacrifice, and the ugliness of considering my own needs first. My experiences with love in each of the forms of romantic, familial, and platonic love, and even love toward humanity, all have something to offer that no textbook or lecture on the subject could possibly offer. Training Life Love is my home to the most difficult events on the planet; it makes me more resilient and emotionally resilient than any other training can. It not only makes me realize what human connection means but also develops a moral compass that I use to make decisions. Once my heart is open to love in all its expressions, my experiences and all of my relationships will make a classroom, and all of my interactions will be a lesson. I ask you, love, to be your teacher: to provoke you, remake you, and bring you where you have to be to be the person you are to be. … Thank you for reading! If you liked this story, hit the , leave your thoughts, and follow me on Medium for more honest, engaging content every day. Thanks for reading! — 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: Mahmudul Hasan On Unsplash The post Why Love Is Humanity’s Greatest Teacher appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The new name “Department of War” better signals the will to win conflicts, the US president said US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War. The move is part of Trump’s broader plan to project strength on the world stage and to purge the military of what he has called “woke ideology.” The department was originally called the Department of War from its establishment in 1789 until 1949, when President Harry Truman renamed it as part of a post-World War II reorganization. The new name better “ensures peace through strength, as it demonstrates our ability and willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our Nation at a moment’s notice, not just to defend,” Trump’s order stated. “I think it sends a message of victory,” the president said in the Oval Office. According to the AP, the US Congress must approve the change. In the meantime, Trump has authorized Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to be referred to as the Secretary of War as his “additional secondary title.” DETAILS TO FOLLOW View the full article

— Trust between the customer and business is among the best assets of an enterprise. Lack of trust is one of the factors as to why most businesses fail. In fact, it is what causes people to purchase and keep coming back. Going beyond the service or product, trust extends beyond the delivery of a product or service. It concerns integrity, trust, and stability. In this guide, you will learn ways to build trust with customers and keep it for the long term. After knowing these strategies, you can confidently grow your brand while building a loyal customer base. Why Customer Trust Matters in Business The report by Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that 81% of consumers indicated that they need to trust a brand before purchasing it. This demonstrates that it is not a good idea to build trust among the customers. It is one of the main aspects of developing a successful business. The customers will be loyal due to trust. It minimizes the switch to a rival. Trust has a simple business meaning of trust. Customers feel that you will not disappoint in terms of the promises of your brand. They would like you to remember their interests and offer them quality at all times. In the absence of trust, your marketing campaign will not yield as much because people will not feel safe when purchasing from you. What Is Trust in Business? The trust definition in business is the assurance that customers have in you being in their best interest. The conviction that you are pure and transparent in each and every transaction. Trust means that customers have the belief that their money and personal information are in safe hands with you. It also implies that they have faith in the quality of what you are selling. When you lose customer trust, it is hard to get it back. A study by PwC found that 87% of consumers will take their business elsewhere if they lose trust in a company. This shows why winning trust is not optional. It is essential for survival. How to Build Trust with Customers Building trust with customers starts with consistent action. It is not about one promise. It is about many small actions over time. These actions show that you care about your customers and respect them. Here are some effective steps to establish trust: Deliver what you promise every time. Keep your pricing transparent and avoid hidden charges. Respond quickly to customer questions and complaints Share clear information about products and services. Protect customer data with strong security measures. Trust grows when customers see your brand as honest and reliable. It is about doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Ways to Build Trust Through Communication A strong sense of trust can be built through good communication. When you explain your products clearly, it makes customers feel confident. It is best to avoid making claims that sound fantastic. Do not just present hype. Customers don’t really like big promises; they like to be told the truth. Transparency can also be practiced by telling the story of your brand. People want to know with whom they are purchasing. Share your values and targets. This helps customers feel connected to your business. When people relate to your brand, they trust it more. Show Quality Through Packaging and Presentation Presentation is also important for trust. When customers receive a product, the first thing they notice is the packaging. High-quality packaging shows that you pay attention to details. If you run an online store, consider custom packaging to make your products look more professional. A good unboxing experience leaves a positive impression and makes customers trust your brand. Developing Trust in Relationships with Customers Trust in business is the same as trust in relations with people. It is time-consuming and taxing. You can not put it off by force. You obtain it in the consistency of doing so, E.g., if you are responsive to customers in terms of replies being within 24 hours, this becomes a positive understanding of reliability on your part. That constructs trust. The republicans must make up their minds. We are the people, and we must see that The republicans need to go and clean house. The other prospect of creating a level of trust is to provide useful material. Publish trends, ideas, and tutorials that can help the targeted audience solve real problems. This demonstrates that you are concerned with assisting them and not making a sale. Customers will not forget brands that add value to their lives. Winning Trust Takes Time but Pays Off Trust does not occur in a day. It is a long process that requires regular effort. You have a chance to show that you are honest in every contact. Keep promises and make sure to deal with complaints appropriately, as well as treat each customer like they are important. Such efforts create loyalty in the long run. Trust also ensures that customers do not move away. It converts them to spokespersons also. When your consumer trusts your brand, they will refer others. Word of mouth marketing is one of the most powerful growth drivers of any business. It can only occur when customers have complete trust in you. Eco-Friendly Choices Build Stronger Trust Modern consumers care about the environment. A Nielsen study shows that 73% of global consumers would change their habits to reduce environmental impact. This means you can win trust by using eco-friendly solutions such as custom printed pizza boxes made from sustainable materials. It shows that your brand cares about sustainability. Customers trust companies that act responsibly because it aligns with their values. Final Thoughts Trust can be developed through repetitive behaviors over time with the customers. It is not done in a single attempt or by way of a promise. Everything also counts, such as in the way you communicate and in the delivery of your products. Once a customer becomes sure of the same level of honesty and care in all steps, s/he will trust your brand. This is a difference maker in terms of focusing on real value and transparency. Customers are now watching marketing that delivers and responds to concerns in a timely manner. When you incorporate these principles into your everyday procedures, you are not only getting customers, you are getting followers. — This content is brought to you by Chris Reyes Photos provided by the author. The post How to Build Customer Trust: Practical Strategies for Success appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

We human beings are magicians of delusion, artisans of self-deception, and connoisseurs of personal fairy tales. We do not merely lie to others; we build elaborate stage sets of falsehood within ourselves and then applaud the performance as though it were Shakespearean. What follows is our little numbered carnival of self-trickery, each exhibit more ridiculous than the last, yet all curiously familiar. 1. Pretending Friendship Is Profound. We tell ourselves that simply being in the company of others means we are weaving golden threads of lifelong camaraderie. In reality, sometimes we are just drinking tepid wine in someone’s kitchen and politely asking if they are “having fun.” We call this profound connection what is more accurately a mutual agreement not to flee the room. But in our heads, we declare, “These are my eternal companions,” as though a slightly awkward evening were the cement of human history. The fear of loneliness can make even the most beastly company seem like a friend in unfair weather. 2. Pretending Our Choices Were Strategic. We like to pretend our failures of opportunity were acts of supreme wisdom. Did we skip university? Ah, yes, it was not because tuition was terrifying or grades uninspiring, but because we cleverly calculated that paying thousands of dollars merely to acquire friends was a poor return on investment. We make it sound like Warren Buffett whispered this into our ears rather than us just not wanting the debt. Rivising history in hindsight to masquerade as a master plan is a fantastic way to avoid learning from our mistakes. We convince ourselves we dodged a bullet when, in fact, we never stepped into the firing range. 3. Pretending we are beyond learning. We adore the lie that we already know what experts teach. Why pay someone to teach movement when we already learned to walk at two years old? Clearly, falling over as a toddler equips us with lifelong mastery of biomechanics. The lie comforts us because it lets us reject vulnerability, ignore humility, and keep money in our pockets. We tell ourselves we are sophisticated autodidacts when we are, in fact, refusing to try something new because the thought of stumbling again terrifies us. 4. Pretending that vice belongs only to others or that we are noble despite never having the opportunity. We scoff at the sins of others, insisting we are too pure, too upright, too uniquely sensible. When tales of orgiastic chaos or questionable intimacy appear, we declare with moral clarity that such behavior is “creepy and disgusting.” We cast ourselves as paragons of restraint, as if the universe should give us a medal for not being strapped into a harness in a stranger’s basement. We lie by pretending our tastes are not merely personal preferences but universal truths carved into tablets of stone. We scoff at the opportunistic indiscretions of others from a moral high ground when it is that our capabilities or circumstances have shielded us from physically dominating our fellows or the folly of philandering. Not cheating on your spouse or bullying your employees comes from a different place if nobody else wants to sleep with you or you’ve never been a manager. 5. Pretending we are talented beyond criticism. When someone offers feedback, we armor ourselves with the lie of inviolable artistry. We sneer, “What do you even know about music? You press buttons.” In this grand delusion, we become prophets of creativity misunderstood by the dull masses. This lie is delicious because it absolves us of ever considering whether critique has merit. We are geniuses, and if the audience fails to appreciate us, they are clearly uncultured swine. A stoic wall fortified against opportunities for improvement guards a treasure of diminishing value. 6. Pretending singleness is enlightenment. We like to insist that our single life is a utopian dream. “I am so much happier on my own,” we declare while eating cold noodles at midnight. We convince ourselves that the movies are more enjoyable solo, that empty closet space is a triumph of independence, and that echoing silence is peace rather than loneliness. This lie comforts us by painting solitude not as something endured but as a badge of evolved superiority. We lie by crowning our isolation with laurels. Enjoying solitude is one matter; an elaborate shroud of justifications for a hollow existence driven by a fear of connection is entirely another. 7. Pretending consumerism equals emotional growth. We also enjoy the illusion that buying products can sculpt our emotional intelligence. A scented candle, a cleverly branded journal, or a subscription box of wisdom becomes a substitute for the long, grueling work of self-reflection. We insist we are developing our inner worlds, while in truth, we are curating a collection of coffee table ornaments. The lie thrives because it flatters us with progress without requiring the unpleasantness of actual change. These are the marvelous fictions we spin for ourselves. We do not only deceive; we decorate the deception, install mood lighting, and charge admission. What unites all these lies is the intoxicating hope that if we keep repeating them long enough, they might transform into truth. Yet beneath the glitter is the persistent hum of reality, waiting with dry patience for us to stop congratulating ourselves and actually look it in the eye. — 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: Thought Catalog on Unsplash The post 7 Strange Joys of Pretending to Ourselves appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The US president is reportedly weighing options to hit cartels in a foreign countr US President Donald Trump is considering carrying out strikes against drug cartels on Venezuelan soil, CNN reported on Friday, citing its sources familiar with the matter. The reported deliberations come as the Pentagon deployed at least eight warships and one submarine in the eastern Caribbean. According to CNN, Tuesday’s missile strike on a boat allegedly smuggling drugs from Venezuela was just the first step in Trump’s efforts to neutralize drug trafficking in the region and potentially topple Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. The US imposed sweeping sanctions on the socialist-ruled South American county during Trump’s first term in office, targeting its oil trade and financial sector. Last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled a reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million. Although Trump denied plans of regime change on Friday, he described Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election as “very strange.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated earlier this week that the US would “take on drug cartels wherever they are.” Maduro has denied the accusations of involvement in drug trafficking and vowed to declare Venezuela “republic in arms” if attacked by the US. “Just as it wasn’t true that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, what they’re saying about Venezuela isn’t true either,” Maduro said on Friday, referring to the rationale behind the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. View the full article

Scoping out long-term relationships between fertility and other variables, I’ve done some reading and made some figures to look at. More on the reading another day. Here are some figures, all using data from World Bank World Development Indicators. (Sidenote: I wouldn’t have to make these figures if the people doing slower, more serious research took the time to also publish simple descriptive figures and tables on these relationships. Read more about how important this is in my blockbuster book, Citizen Scholar: Public Engagement for Social Scientists.) Question one: Inequality and fertility One question was whether inequality might reduce fertility because it increases the pressure to raise successful children, which is more feasible if you have fewer of them. You have to believe me I thought this pattern would emerge in rich countries. 1. Since 1980 overall, fertility and income inequality have been positively correlated. The relationship is weakest in rich countries. 2. Looking more closely at just the rich countries, you can maybe see the negative relationship emerging. You just have to isolate the USA and Israel, which are high-inequality, high fertility outliers. 3. If you zoom in on the period 2010-2023, again just the richest countries excluding USA and Israel, with country codes as symbols, you can get some ideas about how this works. Korea, Spain, and Italy are high-inequality / low fertility; Norway and Slovenia are holding up the left side; France, Great Britain and Austria are not cooperating with the trend (does immigration play a role here?). Question two: Population growth and economic growth We turn economic size or growth into a standard of living indicator by converting it to per capita metrics. The traditional challenge is to grow the total economy more than the population grows, so that per capita income increases. Output per capita (or worker, or work-hour) is how that is often expressed, with the term productivity. Technology, capital investment, and energy consumption are key factors, as a worker who creates tons of grain by pressing a button creates more value per hour than one who wields a hoe. This kind of question has consumed, so to speak, social science analysis for ages, with modern antecedents dating to Adam Smith and Malthus. Anyway, what happens when population growth slows or even reverses? For elites in poor countries — especially the Chinese communists, but also India and pretty much everywhere else — reducing population growth looked like the best way to increase per capita income. In particular, today’s rich and middle-income countries all experienced a “demographic dividend,” when for a couple of generations declining birth rates lead to relatively few children and lots of working-age adults — so more output per capita. Now pronatalists are very worried we’ve gone too far. The demographic dividend is turning into a retirement albatross and we won’t have enough workers per retiree. (The policy experiment I would pay to see involves massive wealth redistribution to test whether that’s enough to take care of the old people.) Anyway, growing population is a challenge for increasing per capita income, because you’re increasing the denominator. There are lots of ways to specify these relationships, and as far as I can tell little consensus on the overall pattern of relationships beyond the simplest (and, again, not enough real experts do persuasive descriptive work on this). So this is nothing like definitive, just doodles. 1. The overall relationship just showing faster population growth in poor countries, by decade: 2. At the country level, there are lots of outliers and small countries with huge changes in population, so there is some wrangling that I haven’t done. But it helps if you take the 10-year population growth and use it to predict this year’s economic growth, giving you a little more stability and also a causal lag. This is to think about the question: is population growth good for raising living standards? Here is that relationship by decade. Maybe higher 10-year population growth is associated with less 1-year economic growth. 3. Just among rich countries maybe the relationship is stronger, though not in the 1970s or 2020s. A specific concern of pronatalists is that very low fertility rates will lead to economic stagnation. This is really a long-term proposition, having to do with population aging causing an economic drag, so we wouldn’t expect to see it much yet in most places. But there is also an argument that low birth rates sap the vitality of societies more immediately. Here’s a look at a few countries with very low fertility in Asia (China, Japan, S. Korea) and Europe (Italy, Spain), and Chile. It looks like Chile, Japan, S. Korea, and to a lesser extent China in the last decade, show the pattern of long-term population growth slowdown associated with lower increases in standard of living. Italy and Spain had some better economic years after the pandemic which came after population bounces in the 2000s. Anyways, some doodles and food for thought. Happy to have your reading recommendations. I put the messy Stata data and code files in this folder if any of it looks useful to you. — Previously Published on familyinequality with Creative Commons License *** Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo credit: unsplash The post Fertility Trends, Inequality, and Economic Growth Doodles appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

— Financial struggles leave more than unpaid bills behind—they reshape the way we think about money itself. Anyone who has faced months of uncertainty, juggling which bill to pay first, or feeling the weight of constant phone calls from creditors knows how deeply those experiences linger. While tools like debt consolidation in Pennsylvania can help manage multiple debts and reduce stress in the present, the emotional side of money management often stays long after the immediate financial pressure is gone. That’s because money isn’t just a practical resource; it is tied to feelings of safety, security, and even self-worth. Anxiety Becomes the Default Lens When someone goes through financial hardship, it’s common for anxiety to color every financial decision afterward. Even small purchases can feel overwhelming because the brain has learned to associate spending with fear. This can show up as hesitation to invest, reluctance to take calculated risks, or even guilt over buying something enjoyable. While this hyper-awareness can prevent careless spending, it can also hold people back from opportunities that might improve their situation. The Scarcity Mindset Financial struggles often trigger a scarcity mindset—the belief that there will never be enough. This mindset doesn’t disappear easily, even when circumstances improve. People may find themselves saving excessively without enjoying the benefits, or constantly worrying about the next downturn. Scarcity thinking narrows focus, making it difficult to plan for the long term because energy is spent surviving the present. This pattern can create a cycle where fear limits progress, reinforcing the very insecurities people want to escape. Distorted Perceptions of Value Periods of financial stress also shape how people perceive the value of money and possessions. A person who has struggled might become extremely cautious, always searching for the lowest price, or on the other hand, they might overspend when they finally have extra cash, feeling they need to “make up” for lost time. Both behaviors are rooted in emotional responses to hardship rather than purely logical decision-making. Over time, these distorted perceptions can become ingrained habits that influence spending and saving for years. Emotional Consequences Beyond the Wallet The effects of financial struggles extend into self-esteem and relationships. Struggling with money can lead to feelings of shame, frustration, and comparison with others. These emotions often affect how people communicate with family and friends, sometimes creating tension or secrecy around finances. Even after achieving stability, many carry an undercurrent of embarrassment about their past, which influences how openly they discuss money or ask for help. Breaking the Cycle of Negative Associations The good news is that financial struggles don’t have to define your lifelong relationship with money. Awareness is the first step—recognizing that your current habits and beliefs may be rooted in past challenges rather than present realities. Building healthier habits, such as setting clear financial goals, creating a balanced budget, or seeking professional guidance, can help reframe the role of money from a source of fear to a tool for growth. It’s also important to practice self-compassion, understanding that financial missteps or difficult times don’t define your worth. Turning Struggles into Strengths Many people who have experienced hardship find that it ultimately sharpens their financial awareness. The same caution that once came from fear can evolve into discipline, leading to smarter saving and thoughtful decision-making. Financial resilience often grows out of adversity, giving people the skills and perspective to handle future challenges with confidence. By reflecting on past struggles without judgment, it’s possible to transform old wounds into new wisdom. Final Thoughts Financial struggles do more than strain budgets—they shape the way we see and interact with money long into the future. They can create anxiety, reinforce scarcity thinking, and even affect self-image. But they can also serve as turning points, offering valuable lessons about resilience, responsibility, and the importance of balance. With time, self-awareness, and intentional practices, it’s possible to shift the narrative from one of fear to one of empowerment, using past struggles as the foundation for a healthier, more confident financial life. — This content is brought to you by Sky Link Building iStockPhoto The post How Financial Struggles Influence Our View of Money appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

By Clean Planet Foundation A British children’s book that blends science and fantasy has climbed to #1 on Amazon in both the US and UK — being hailed as a bold new kind of children’s fiction, Ellie Ment and the Material Matter is inspiring thousands of young readers on both sides of the Atlantic. And its success has a purpose: published by not-for-profit The Clean Planet Foundation, every copy sold helps fund science and environmental projects in schools and communities, furthering the Foundation’s mission. The book has already been chosen over the summer and as start-of-year reading by clubs and schools for more than 1,000 pupils across the USA Released at the end of June 2025, the book has already been chosen over the summer and as start-of-year reading by clubs and schools for more than 1,000 pupils in Florida, Philadelphia, Arizona, Oklahoma, Indiana, Texas and Connecticut. Educators say it is proving a powerful way to spark curiosity in science whilst keeping children entertained. Angee Costa, a former teacher, principal, and curriculum writer led the programme for 100 pupils at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Charlotte County, Florida: “Ellie Ment and the Material Matter does something rare — it makes science exciting without ever feeling like a lesson. We started reading it together, but the children were racing ahead on their own. They weren’t just enjoying the adventure — they wanted to talk about the real science behind it. For an educator, that’s the dream: a book that makes kids desperate to learn more.” And children in the UK are leading the charge too. Twelve-year-old Georgina Fox from London said: “I started looking up experiments after reading [this book] because I wanted to try them myself.” Meanwhile, eleven-year-old Lucas Boghici from Buckinghamshire added: “Ellie Ment did feel like a Marvel movie, turning Science into the real magic, my little sister is already reading it too.” Much of the book’s momentum has also been amplified by social media, where clips and recommendations have been shared on accounts with millions of combined followers. Viral school influencer Holly Hos (@thehos), whose TikTok account has 1.5 million followers, posted about the book and received over 10,000 likes and comments across her social feeds. At its heart, the novel follows 11-year-old Ellie Ment, whose school is destroyed by a mysterious purple fire. Drawn into a world of hidden science, secret societies and impossible choices, she must decide whether science should solve environmental problems at any cost — or whether some compromises should never be made. On Goodreads, the global reader platform, Ellie Ment and the Material Matter holds an impressive 4.7-star rating, with readers calling it “funny, clever and unforgettable.” The novel has also reached the top spot in several key Amazon book categories, including Children’s Science Fiction and Children’s Action Adventure in both the UK and USA. Kirkus Reviews, established in 1933 and widely regarded as the gold standard in book reviewing, praised the novel as: “A quirky science adventure… handling the complexities of trying to save the world with nuance and care.” The review carried Kirkus’ “Get It” recommendation — its highest accolade — placing the book among a select group judged to be essential reading. Bertie Stephens, CEO of the Clean Planet Foundation, said the organisation turned to storytelling as another way to inspire children about the environment and science. “Seeing hundreds of children discover Ellie’s story each day has been extraordinary. What makes this achievement even more exciting is knowing that every book sold directly funds our work in schools and communities. The STEM book gives more young people the chance to see that science can be every bit as magical as fantasy.” The book also carries a foreword by Stanley Johnson, father of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and a renowned environmentalist and author who has received awards from Greenpeace, WWF and the RSPB for his conservation work. In it, he describes the story as: “This book pulls off something quite remarkable. It makes science genuinely exciting, the problems facing our world accessible, and environmental responsibility fun. Not through lectures, but through story.” That sense of purpose lies at the heart of the Clean Planet Foundation’s mission. Based in the UK, the Foundation is part of the Clean Planet Group and runs projects designed to engage children with environmental action and awareness — from creating educational comics and classroom lesson plans, to supporting biodiversity projects and microplastics research in the polar regions. Last year, the Foundation’s documentary on its tree-planting project with Scottish charity Trees for Life was awarded at the Cannes World Film Festival. And this is just the beginning. Ellie Ment and the Material Matter is the first in a planned series, with further books being developed by the Foundation to keep building momentum in schools worldwide. With thousands of copies now in readers’ hands across both the US and UK — and available from most bookshops — for the Clean Planet Foundation this is more than a publishing milestone: it is helping inspire a generation to see that science really is magic. Press release distributed by Pressat on behalf of Clean Planet Foundation, on Tuesday 2 September, 2025. For more information subscribe and follow https://pressat.co.uk/ — Previously Published on pressat.co.uk 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. Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community. A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities. A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo credit: unsplash The post British Children’s Book Making Science Magical Reaches #1 on Amazon in US and UK appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

By Walter S. DeKeseredy / West Virginia University This article was originally published by The Conversation. I have been teaching a course on rural criminology since 2014, and most of my students are surprised by the information on violence against women presented to them. Due to the lack of media attention to rural areas, my students come to class with the impression that all countrysides and small towns are safer than urban and suburban locales. In reality, rates of violent crime are often higher in many rural communities, and at times there’s even more silence around it. Nearly 50 years of research shows that male violence against women knows no geographical or demographic boundaries. It occurs among all socioeconomic groups and in almost all communities, regardless of their size and location. Yet, crime in rural and remote places is reported to the police at lower rates than in urban areas. Most criminology scholars do not study violence of any type in rural communities, which partly contributes to the widespread belief that rural women are safer than their urban and suburban counterparts. Media reporting also overlooks brutal forms of violence perpetrated by men in intimate relationships with women. Hidden in Plain Sight Janet, from rural southeast Ohio, whom I interviewed along with sociologist Martin Schwartz in 2003, like some other women in this region we talked to, was beaten by her husband after going through brutal degradation: “He wanted sex … or with his buddies or made me have sex with a friend of his. … He tied me up so I could watch him have sex with a 13-year-old girl. And then he ended up going to prison for it.” Janet is by no means an outlier. I analyzed aggregate 1992 to 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey data along with criminologists Callie M. Rennison and Molly Dragiewicz. This data conclusively shows that rural women across the U.S. report physical and sexual violence at higher rates than those in more densely populated areas. Research also shows that rural women in the U.S. are more likely to be killed by their current or former male partners compared to their urban and suburban counterparts. A study looking at data from 2005 to 2017 across 16 states, for example, found that female homicide rates are higher in rural places. Another rural Ohio woman told Schwartz and me about the violence she suffered in her relationship: “He’d come home and pull a double barrel and cock both barrels and said he was going to kill me. And it was like, wait a minute here, you know, it was two o’clock in the morning.” Why Are Rural Women at Higher Risk? Research conducted since 1988 has identified several reasons for rural women being at higher risk of violence compared to those living in urban and suburban places. These include geographic and social isolation, widespread acceptance of violence against women, and community norms prohibiting women from seeking social support. What makes it even worse is the absence of effective social support services and the higher rates of gun ownership. Many social workers, for example, must travel vast distances to reach rural battered women, often at their own expense. What is more, rural abusers “feed off” their female partners’ isolation. As a woman Schwartz and I interviewed from Meigs County, Ohio, told us, “I didn’t have a car. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere.” Her husband, however, who had “plenty of cars,” disabled them to stop her from seeking freedom and independence. “He taught me a lot about cars and I knew what parts I need. And there would be no spare. So, I couldn’t leave.” In rural sections of Ohio and other states, as my research uncovered, there is common acceptance of abuse of women. In many rural areas, community norms often prohibit survivors from publicly talking about their experiences and from seeking help. As one Appalachian woman put it: “I don’t sit around and share. I keep it to myself. Um, I, I believe that’s part of my mental illness. But I’m not one to sit around and talk about what’s happened.” Jackie, another rural Ohio woman Schwartz and I interviewed, said that numerous women in her community suffer in silence: “It’s like we see, but we don’t. It’s like three monkeys: don’t see, don’t hear, don’t speak.” Other women told similar stories of the unwillingness of people in their community to help them. Gun ownership is a strong correlate of intimate partner violence in rural parts of the U.S.: In rural areas, 46% of adults own guns compared to 19% in urban places. Moreover, firearms are used in 54% of all rural domestic homicides. What Neil Websdale, director of Arizona State University’s Family Violence Center, stated nearly 30 years ago still holds: “Rural culture, with its acceptance of firearms for hunting and self-protection, may include a code among certain men that accepts the casual use of firearms to intimidate wives and intimate partners. In urban areas, it is more difficult for abusers to discharge their weapons and go undetected. People in the country are more familiar with the sound of gunshots and often attribute the sound to legitimate uses such as hunting.” Gun ownership can create safety concerns for social workers, many of whom work alone. Pathways to Prevention One, albeit highly controversial, prevention strategy is banning the possession, purchase, sale and transfer of handguns, which are the weapons men use the most to kill women regardless of where they live. That would greatly reduce the rate of male-to-female homicide in rural places, as it would in more densely populated areas. For example, it is estimated that 38% fewer women are shot to death by intimate male partners in states where background checks are required for all handgun owners. Similarly, the federal Violence Against Women Act includes provisions that, when an order of protection – also referred to as a restraining order – is granted, it leads to the person being restrained losing any gun permits or permission to keep guns at home. This, in turn, leads to a reduction in intimate femicide. A number of states have gone further than the federal law, extending gun possession bans to people under temporary – not just permanent – restraining orders. Such bans have further reduced intimate partner homicide, by a best estimate of 14%. Libraries as Safe Spaces Rural libraries have proven to be a vital resource in the struggle to end interpersonal forms of abuse of women. They are more accessible in many U.S. rural communities than are shelters, public transportation and other services. Rural librarians can direct survivors to legal assistance and domestic violence service websites, help find books and pamphlets that are useful for survivors, and provide programming for survivors’ children if survivors need time to think about their options. The librarian could also help survivors travel from the library to the nearest shelter and work with the police to provide transportation assistance. Moreover, the librarian could help connect survivors with shelter workers via telephone and arrange for the arrival of survivors and their children at a shelter. We are starting to see attorneys offering survivors legal advice in rural public libraries and providing libraries with information kiosks that include materials on legal issues related to the abuse of women. A word of caution, though, is necessary. Libraries and other places that offer services to abused rural women require architectural changes that preclude people from hearing survivors talk about their violent experiences. The chances that people might overhear survivors talking is much greater in smaller communities and hence more likely to jeopardize the safety of survivors and their children. A multipronged strategy is always necessary. For example, some experts in the field call for setting up women’s police stations and safe houses in rural areas. They also recommend getting rural men to participate in anti-violence and anti-sexist community-based activities, such as holding town hall meetings to raise awareness about violence against women. All too often, people think of ending violence as an event simple enough to fit on a bumper sticker or the side of a coffee mug. Just leave, and then it will be over. Unfortunately, for a large number of women and children, particularly in rural areas, leaving and ending up in a safe place is a complex, ongoing process, and for some women and children it is one that never ends. Walter S. DeKeseredy is a professor of sociology at West Virginia University. — Previously Published on dailyyonder.com with Creative Commons License *** – The world is changing fast. We help you keep up. We’ll send you 1 post, 3x per week. Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo: unsplash The post Rural Women Are at a Higher Risk of Violence − and Less Likely to Get Help appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

— When you ask yourself how to manifest love without sounding desperate, you are essentially seeking a harmonious blend of clear intention, emotional regulation, and balanced social behavior. In many societies, social pressures can lead some to over-exaggerate, projecting “neediness” instead of genuine attractiveness. Understanding How to manifest love Manifestation is the process of bringing your desires into reality by aligning your thoughts, emotions, and actions. According to Dr. Khaled Al-Rashidi, when it comes to love, manifestation can help you attract a partner who resonates with your energy and values. However, he emphasizes that it’s important to approach this process with the right mindset, ensuring you understand how to manifest love authentically. Why Desperation Creates a Block Desperation often stems from a lack mindset, where you feel incomplete without a partner. This energy can push love away, as it signals that you’re not whole on your own. The paradox of desperation is that the very act of desperately wanting something often pushes it further away. When you approach how to manifest love from a place of neediness or intense longing, your focus is primarily on the absence of that love. This creates a vibrational mismatch, as the Law of Attraction responds to your dominant emotional frequency, which in this case is one of lack, rather than the fulfillment of your desire. It’s like trying to attract abundance while constantly thinking about scarcity. To manifest love successfully, you must first feel fulfilled and happy within yourself. The Vibrational Mismatch Desperation is rooted in fear, anxiety, and a perceived lack. These negative emotions lower your vibrational frequency, making it difficult to align with the positive energy of love and abundance. The universe doesn’t respond to your wishes as much as it responds to your vibrational state. This understanding is key to truly grasping how to manifest love effectively. The Golden Rules for a Non-Desperate Mindset To effectively learn how to manifest love, certain foundational mindsets are crucial: Self-Sufficiency First: Boost your sources of happiness outside of a relationship (friends, hobbies, work). This is the cornerstone of how to manifest love from a place of abundance. Calm Clarity: List partner qualities with a maximum of 10 priorities. This keeps your intentions focused yet flexible. Healthy Boundaries: A clear “no” garners more respect and higher attractiveness. Setting boundaries is vital for self-respect and for showing others how you expect to be treated. Balance of Give and Take: Ask clearly, and do not over-give to compensate for anxiety. True partnership involves reciprocal effort. Acceptance of Timing: Allow space for timing; rushing is a sign of anxiety. Trust that things unfold when they are meant to. Psychological Foundations of Attraction The brain perceives risk signals: urgency can indicate potential pain or dependence. Anxious attachment behavior leads to excessive reassurance-seeking, which in turn diminishes attraction. The result: emotional balance, not coolness, is what provides security and attraction. This psychological understanding is crucial for anyone trying to figure out how to manifest love. A Practical 14-Day Plan for Manifesting Love This actionable plan will guide you through the process of how to manifest love effectively, shifting your energy and actions. Week One: Inner Work First Day 1: Write down your intention in 3 sentences (what I want / why / how I will live its values now). Day 2: Gratitude exercise: 5 things that make you feel complete. Day 3: Guided visualization: 5 minutes imagining a healthy relationship scene (feelings of security, not specific faces). Day 4: Self-talk audit: Replace “no one will love me” with “I am worthy of love.” Day 5: Boundary audit: Identify three non-negotiable boundaries. Day 6: Activity that expands your circle (reading club, workshop, group sport). Day 7: Honest friend review: Discuss your list and boundaries. Week Two: Smart Outreach Day 8: Update your social profile with natural photos and confident brevity. Day 9: Start two new conversations without over-effort (open-ended question, simple invitation). Day 10: The skill of comfortable silence: Don’t fill voids with lengthy messages. Day 11: Short date (60-90 minutes), clear ending, simple thank you. Day 12: Review how YOU felt, not what the other person thought. Day 13: Act of self-kindness (cinema, reading, cooking). Day 14: Re-evaluate: Did you act according to your values? If yes, continue. Communicating Without Seeming Desperate The way you communicate plays a huge role in how you manifest love. It’s about radiating confidence and self-respect. What to Do: Use phrases like “I want/I appreciate/I prefer.” Suggest two meeting times and allow freedom of choice. Accept delays without quick accusations. What Not to Do: Do not message excessively when there’s silence. Do not justify your presence or worth. Do not use jealousy as an attraction tool. Example Phrases for Confident Communication Invitation: “I enjoy our conversation. Is Thursday 7 PM or Saturday 5 PM better for you?” Reschedule: “No problem, we’ll arrange a time that works for us soon.” Boundaries: “I prefer a slow acquaintance that respects my time and work.” Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them Even with dedicated effort, some individuals encounter difficulties in how to manifest love. Identifying and addressing these roadblocks is crucial. Roadblocks to Avoid: Digital Chasing: The solution is balanced messaging frequency, ending conversations at their peak. Long Ideal Lists: Shorten to 10 essential priorities. Testing Feelings via Jealousy: This is immature and damages trust. Incomplete Healing: Take time to heal past wounds before engaging in new relationships. The Danger of Limiting Beliefs These are subconscious thoughts that hinder your progress (e.g., “I’m not good enough,” “All good partners are taken,” “Love is hard to find”). Work on identifying and reframing these beliefs. Overcoming these internal barriers is fundamental to understanding how to manifest love successfully. Comparing Approaches to Manifesting Love Different methods contribute to the process of how to manifest love. Understanding their nuances can optimize your efforts. Aspect Pure Visualization Visualization + Social Action Effectiveness Enhances emotional state, limited external opportunities. Multiplies opportunities by creating real-world interactions. Engagement Level Internal and passive. Internal and proactive, creating real-world engagement. Risk of Stagnation Higher if not combined with action. Lower due to continuous interaction and feedback. Outcome Control Focuses on internal state. Combines internal state with external engagement, leading to more tangible results. Affirmation cards, a visual tool to reinforce positive self-talk and intentions in manifesting love. Your Path to Authentic Connection True attraction begins with your inner harmony, followed by intelligent social action. Adhere to the 14-day plan, apply the communication models, and assess your balance weekly. Remember: how you speak and wait is as important as what you say and do. By focusing on self-love, clear intentions, and inspired action, you are well on your way to understanding how to manifest love that is both healthy and fulfilling. How can I quickly manifest love without desperation? Define clear intentions, boost your self-sufficiency, communicate confidently, take simple social actions, and allow time for the process. What is the appropriate number of messages when getting to know someone? Maintain a balanced exchange: two to three messages daily in the beginning are sufficient, ending conversations politely. When should I set boundaries? From the very beginning, state them concisely in a way that respects both yourself and the other person. Is visualization alone enough to manifest love? Visualization enhances your emotional state, but social action is essential for opening real-world opportunities and interactions. How do I know I’m not desperate? You feel calm when there are delays, and you don’t change your plans to merely please someone else’s fleeting mood. — This content is brought to you by John Smith Photos provided by the author. The post How to Manifest Love Without Sounding Desperate appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

I feel silly for what I’m about to say. In hindsight it’s abundantly clear. While my marriage was floundering it wasn’t. What can I say? Clouded hearts lead to clouded minds. What did my husband do when I begged him to save our marriage??!! Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Do you grasp why I feel silly? I begged him to save our relationship. I begged him to care. I begged him to listen. In short, I begged a man. I pleaded with a guy. Of course my husband did nothing. This is what’s clear in hindsight. This is what’s absurd. If you have to beg a person to do something they probably never will, OR they may reluctantly do something. It’s pure resistance. Why did I bother? It’s a one way street to nothing, zilch, zip, nada, bupkis. If you’re begging your spouse to save your marriage…it’s already game over. Likewise, if your spouse is the one begging you to save your relationship, it’s game over. There’s a reason they/you aren’t committed. The reasons may vary. It could be a difficult personality, it could be spouses who’ve evolved into two different people, it could be a spouse who no longer feels the same way for the other, it could be bitterness, resentments, etc. On the flip side… When I gave up…my husband had an entirely different reaction. He worked overtime to win me back. On the surface this seems like a positive. A man who didn’t care suddenly cared. I wish I had never viewed it that way. Don’t make the same mistake that I made. Let’s put this into dating terms. You’re dating a guy (or a girl) and the relationship is tanking. It’s emotionally floundering. You aren’t happy. You express your feelings to your significant other. You beg them to care. They don’t. You give up. You want to break up. He (she) suddenly doesn’t want to lose you. They attempt to win you back. They profess their love. Would you stay? Sadly, many people do. But should you? Probably not. We convince ourselves we should stay when it involves marriage. We took vows, we have children, we own property, and so on. I convinced myself. Initially I didn’t think it was possible. I didn’t believe I loved my husband anymore. He could sense this. He could feel me drifting farther and farther away. It’s why he wanted me back. He was trying so hard I felt I had to give him a chance. It did seem like a positive back then. And then a lot of other emotions muddled their way in. I experienced a different type of emotional conflict. I felt bad for wanting to leave. You understand, right?! I may have felt conflicted/sad about ending my marriage before my husband began to care. I didn’t feel bad about leaving. I had exhausted myself to his nonchalant bystander. Now I was feeling bad. I felt bad for him. The same man who had spent years making me miserable. I often write to intersect my two worlds, as a writer and a marketer. I tell some stories in a new light to dumb them down. It’s what we do in marketing. Okay, not necessarily ‘dumb it down.’ But we are forced to connect the dots in marketing. We are forced to encapsulate a big concept in a condensed format. We must make things simple, and instantly digestible. We have little time to get the consumers’ attention. Our message must be succinct. It must be clear. It must make sense. I’m dumbing down marital begging. If your spouse does nothing. It’s game over. Stop talking. — 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: Adam Cheek On Unsplash The post My Husband Did This When I Begged Him to Save Our Marriage appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The rioters clashed with police outside a philosophy school building in Novi Sad Riots broke out during a large student protest in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city, on Friday evening. Demonstrators hurled stones and bottles at police officers outside the Philosophy Faculty building of the University of Novi Sad, while officers responded with tear gas. The students accuse the government of corruption and are demanding accountability after the collapse of a concrete canopy at the Novi Sad railway station last November, which killed 16 people. Protesters have staged demonstrations in Belgrade and other cities for months, while also blockading educational institutions. Friday’s clashes erupted after students demanded that police withdraw from the Philosophy Faculty campus, where they had been deployed last month by dean Milivoj Alanovic. The activist group Blokada FFUNS, which organizes the blockade, accused Alanovic of abusing his power. Serbian media reported that several people were detained outside the campus. According to Blokada FFUNS, one student was struck in the leg with a rubber bullet. 🚨🇷🇸 BREAKING NEWS: Chaos in Serbia! Riot police storm Novi Sad streets - injuries and arrests reported as President Aleksandar Vučić is addressing the nation! pic.twitter.com/YJ1C811Z6E — Global Dissident (@GlobalDiss) September 5, 2025 Police Director Dragan Vasiljevic said officers intervened after receiving reports of “an attack” on security protecting the campus. “All citizens must respect the laws and regulations of this country,” he said. KEROVI DRHTE OD STRAHA‼️⛽️ 📍Kampus, Novi Sad pic.twitter.com/OAHx7iur3H — 𝓐𝓝𝓨𝓐 ~ God's Whip (@AnjaBG96) September 5, 2025 The protests have already prompted the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and the arrest of several officials, including a former trade minister, on corruption charges. President Aleksandar Vucic has claimed that the unrest was fueled from abroad and denounced what he called “violence disguised as activism.” View the full article

By Philip Steigman & Elliot Haspel, The 74 This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox. For understandable reasons, a great deal of time and energy around improving child outcomes focuses on either the crucial early years or tumultuous adolescence. Yet there is a missing middle: specifically, a missing middle of childhood. Elementary-aged children, those from 6 to 12, are facing challenges — fueled by unprecedented technological influences — researchers, practitioners and policymakers are only beginning to fully understand. These trials are causing social, emotional and developmental struggles that often go unseen, yet affect everything from learning to mental health. It is more important than ever that those focused on child and family well-being develop a strategy to fill in the missing middle. There is a persistent misunderstanding that child development mainly occurs through “sensitive periods” of brain plasticity. While these are neurobiological realities and concentrate in the early and teen years, development doesn’t take a breather from ages 6 to 12. In middle childhood, what some researchers call the forgotten years, the brain is fine-tuning itself for the what’s ahead. It trims away unused connections and strengthens the ones children use most, making thinking more efficient. Messages travel faster along these pathways, helping kids focus, remember and manage their impulses. This is also when brain systems for planning, problem-solving and getting along with others grow stronger, laying the foundation for the more complex learning and relationships of adolescence. But kids this age are grappling with rising rates of anxiety and depression, unrelenting social-media pressure and even the lure of artificial intelligence “friends” that can replace real-world connection. Pediatricians and teachers are sounding the alarm: Kids who used to skip into school are now dragging their feet, weighed down by worry. What’s happening? A few things. The pandemic left lasting scars. Children lost classrooms, playgrounds, routines, even relatives. Emergency room visits for mental health crises jumped 24%. Surrounding these impacts are the digital deluge. Heavy social media use is driving up depression, anxiety and isolation. Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warns of an “epidemic of loneliness” later in adolescence — and the signs are already cropping up in elementary school. These elementary years are, true to their name, foundational. Socially, emotionally and academically, this is when lifelong patterns are formed. But kids this age don’t always show their struggles the way teens do. Their worries often go unspoken. This isn’t just about protecting the middle years of childhood. It makes little sense to invest billions in the early years while limiting the impact of those investments once kids enter elementary school. And it makes no sense to wait until adolescence to try to reconnect with young people who have fallen off track when it’s far easier to keep kids flourishing all the way though. Investing in middle childhood is both worthy on its own merits and a form of prevention, keeping the pipeline strong from early learning through graduation. But here’s the hopeful part: Researchers and practitioners know what works. Decades of research show children in this age band thrive when they have safe environments, consistent relationships with caring adults and engaging opportunities to learn and play. These ingredients can’t be confined to classrooms alone. They require a community effort. That means parents, teachers, coaches, librarians, pediatricians, afterschool staff and neighbors all pulling in the same direction. It means building out shared practices and norms: daily check-ins where kids feel seen, pediatric visits that include questions about friendships, mentors who know how to spot early warning signs, even small gestures — like a friendly “How’s school going?” — that remind children that they matter. But for this to happen, middle childhood must be on the policy agenda. That means building smoother transitions from early learning into elementary school and from elementary into middle school, and making before- and after-school programs, summer learning and enrichment universally available for elementary-age kids, not a privilege dependent on a family’s zip code. It also means ensuring the adults who regularly interact with this age group have the training, time and support to nurture social, emotional and cognitive growth alongside academics. If adults are caught in a whirlwind of scarcity and stress, children in the missing middle are more likely to be ignored. Expanding the agenda is ambitious, but not unrealistic. The nation has done it before. From expanding early nutrition programs to launching Early Head Start classrooms to now passing widespread restrictions on cellphone usage during the school day, society has acted boldly for children when science and the moment demanded it. When researchers learned how toxic stress harms babies’ brains, communities responded — with warmth, conversation and responsive care. Today, communities and policymakers are actively responding to the damage it is now clear social media can wreak on adolescent brains. Child and family stakeholders know how to mobilize — and need to again in order to activate communities’ collective understanding and response. Kids going through middle childhood deserve nothing less. As Dr. Gabrielle Carlson, president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, put it with regard to children’s mental health struggles: “We cannot sit idly by.” Let’s not. — This story was produced by The 74, a non-profit, independent news organization focused on education in America. *** Subscribe to The Good Men Project Newsletter Email Address * Subscribe If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join us as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here. Photo credit: iStock The post The ‘Missing Middle’: Kids 6-12 Need a Strategy for Boosting Their Well-Being appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

By Rhett Ayers Butler Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. Mountains of smoking waste sprawl across the Dandora dump in Nairobi, Kenya. The acrid stench clings to the air; marabou storks pick over scraps alongside people searching for plastic bottles or bones. Interspersed among the refuse are scraps of fabric — remnants of the global fast-fashion boom. Mongabay’s Elodie Toto describes the scene. Kenya imported more than 900 million items of used clothing in 2021, according to the Changing Markets Foundation. More than half were unsellable; more than a third contained synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon, which do not biodegrade. Instead, they fragment into microplastics, laced with toxins from PFAS to phthalates, which seep into soil, water and air. These fibers can lodge in the stomachs of animals, carrying chemicals linked to cancer. The waste arrives thanks to a model perfected in the rich world. Fast fashion, and its newer, more frenetic cousin, ultra-fast fashion, churns out thousands of cheap garments daily, designed to be worn briefly and discarded. Between 2016 and 2020, the value of secondhand clothing imports into Kenya rose by 80%, from $100 million to $180 million. The same trend is visible across Africa, from Ghana to Madagascar. France has decided to intervene. In March 2024, Anne-Cécile Violland, a member of the French parliament, proposed a bill to curb overconsumption and raise awareness of fashion’s environmental costs. Adopted unanimously by the Senate in June 2025, it bans online advertising for ultra-fast fashion, mandates environmental-impact ratings for garments, and imposes penalties on low-scoring items. “A T-shirt made by Shein … will not get the same score as a Zara T-shirt made in Morocco — and therefore won’t get the same penalty,” Violland explains. Campaigners welcome the law but say it is narrow. “The real issue is overproduction,” says Mathilde Pousseo of Collectif Ethique sur l’Etiquette, a coalition promoting ethical clothing production, noting that charity shops are overwhelmed not just by Shein but by mainstream brands. Others point out that even French retailers have been linked to forced labor and deforestation. The bill now heads to a joint parliamentary committee, with activists seeking broader coverage. Once implemented in France, Violland says she hopes to take it to the European Commission. In theory, less consumption means less waste. In practice, mountains of synthetic rags continue to rise — many of them half a world away from the consumers who first bought them. Read the full story by Elodie Toto here. — Previously Published on news.mongabay with Creative Commons Attribution *** Subscribe to The Good Men Project Newsletter Email Address * Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. A complete list of benefits is here. On Substack? Connect with us there. — Photo credit: unsplash The post The Clothes That Never Die: How Fast Fashion Is Burying Africa in Plastic appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

I have read more self-help books and listened to more podcasts than I can count. I found the rich world of self-help in my mid-teens and never looked back. For years, I thought the answer to life’s struggles was always out there — in another book, in another video, in another perfectly worded quote, or in another Medium article. I was convinced that if I just consumed enough of them, I would finally get it. I would finally find a solution to all my problems. The solution was just one click away. So years went by, some of these self-help tools did help me, but most of them just confused me. After looking through every possible theory, author, and philosophy, here’s what I realized: there will always be another book. Another podcast. Another step-by-step guide promising to end my procrastination forever. And the cycle never ends, because all of these are external voices — useful for sure, but never mine. The real turning point for me came through journaling, sitting with my thoughts, and actually listening to the voice inside me that I had been ignoring all along. The moment I slowed down enough to hear it, I realized something radical — I already knew what was right for me. My body knew what was right for me and what wasn’t. My heart knew what it wanted, even if I was afraid to admit it. My inner wisdom had always been there, quietly being suffocated under the noise of everyone else’s advice. It was something so simple yet took so much time and so many mistakes for me to finally realize it. I guess I just didn’t trust myself enough. But why? I think it starts in childhood. Nobody ever really teaches us to trust ourselves. If anything, it’s the opposite. We are told who we should be, what we should want, and what kind of life is “successful.” Parents, teachers, society, they don’t mean harm, but the message lands: “We know better than you. Don’t trust your instincts.” And then what happens? We internalize the idea that our voice is not enough. That our decisions are suspect. That our natural inclinations need to be “corrected.” And then, as adults, we find ourselves addicted to external validation. We go looking for advice, for answers, for reassurance. It doesn’t help that we live in an age of information overflow. Every single question can be Googled. Every single doubt has a podcast episode waiting for it. Why should we even bother thinking deeply when seemingly “better” brains have already solved it? Our minds become lazy. Our trust in ourselves grows weaker. But here’s something you need to repeat with me: no guru, no author, no coach knows me like I do. They don’t wake up in my body. They don’t carry my history or my dreams. They don’t know the thousand little ways my heart has been broken and the thousand little ways it has healed itself. Only I do. That doesn’t mean self-help is useless. In fact, sometimes it’s exactly what we need. Books, podcasts, or even a stray line from a talk can give us language we didn’t have before. They can shine a light on blind spots and help us see our patterns more clearly. They can hand us knowledge that we may not have found on our own, and sometimes that knowledge is the very thing that pushes us back toward ourselves. The problem isn’t the books — it’s forgetting that they are meant to be guides, not replacements for our own wisdom. So maybe, like everything else in life, it’s about balance. Learning when to seek guidance and when to stop consuming and actually listen inward. Using self-help not as a crutch, but as a tool. As a mirror. As a teacher , but never as the voice that drowns out our own. Because at the end of the day, wisdom doesn’t come from a perfect podcast script. It comes from your lived experience. From your mistakes, your reflections, your resilience. It comes from listening to the voice you were never taught to trust. Maybe the next stage of growth isn’t about consuming more “wisdom”. Maybe it’s about learning to finally trust the wisdom you’ve had all along. — 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: Shiromani Kant on Unsplash The post The Self-Help Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know This… appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article