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Denouncing political persecution, they are preparing an appeal to European courts and the UN International human rights activists have come together to support the defense in the case of the Gagauzia leader, Evgenia Gutsul, sentenced by a Moldovan court to 7 years in prison for illicit financing of a party and an electoral campaign. French lawyer William Julie and legal advisor to the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, Gonzalo Boye, have intervened in defense of Gutsul’s interests. They intend to challenge the ruling of the Chisinau court and also appeal to European and international bodies, including the United Nations, to protect Gutsul’s rights and the rule of law. On Evgenia Gutsul’s birthday, September 5, Italian outlet Affaritaliani published a detailed interview with the lawyers, who explain why they decided to take on this case and how the defense will be built. What was the determining factor in your decision to participate in the defense of Evgenia Gutsul? Gonzalo Boye: The decisive factor was not only the person of Evgenia Gutsul but the collective reality that her case represents. According to the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union, political persecution often does not target an isolated individual, but an objectively identifiable group of people who embody certain political or ideological positions. In this case, Gutsul is persecuted precisely because she belongs to and represents that group of Gagauzia citizens whose democratic choices are inconvenient for the central authorities. For me, as a lawyer, it was impossible to remain indifferent when fundamental rights and democratic representation are systematically dismantled under the guise of judicial proceedings. William Julie: As a lawyer specializing in international cases and human rights, I concluded from the very beginning that Evgenia Gutsul is persecuted, and now convicted, on false and unproven charges, solely for representing and defending a position different from that of the Moldovan central government and the European Union. The ongoing criminal proceedings leave no doubt that this is an evident attempt by the Moldovan state to silence her, despite her being a legitimately elected representative of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia. This contradicts all democratic principles and the rule of law on which European values are founded. Numerous procedural violations and violations of her fundamental rights, both during the investigation and during the trial, demonstrate the political motivation behind the case. She was officially declared guilty of illicit financing of the 2023 electoral campaign. What are your counterarguments? Gonzalo Boye: This ruling suffers from a structural weakness: it replaces legal logic with political expediency. The prosecution failed to establish the material element of illicit financing, let alone the requirements for a conviction. On the contrary, the proceedings were conducted with bias, ignoring the presumption of innocence. Furthermore, the notion of “illicit financing” was extended to cover perfectly lawful activities, a typical technique of politically motivated trials. Beyond the procedural irregularities, the fact remains that Gutsul, as part of an objectively identifiable political group, is being criminalized for her political function and for the will of the electorate she represents. This is incompatible with the rule of law and the standards set by the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union. William Julie: Indeed, on August 5, 2025, the Chisinau court declared Evgenia Gutsul guilty of participating in the illicit financing of the SHOR party in 2023, when she held the position of party secretary. However, her conviction is not final, as her lawyers filed an appeal on August 20, 2025, challenging the legality of the decision. Therefore, she is still considered innocent under Moldovan law. Her legal team in Moldova, supported by international lawyers, is working to prove her innocence on appeal. Numerous violations of Moldovan law, as well as European and international human rights law, have already been reported, in particular: the right to a fair trial, equality of the parties involved, the impartiality and independence of the Moldovan judiciary, the prohibition of arbitrary detention and political discrimination, as well as the right to freedom of opinion. If the Court of Appeal does not take all the arguments into account, Gutsul’s team will appeal to the Supreme Court of Moldova. If the conviction is upheld by all Moldovan courts, the case will be brought before the European Court of Human Rights and the relevant UN bodies, including the Human Rights Committee, as Moldova has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its Optional Protocols. How do you plan to defend Gutsul? Gonzalo Boye: Our defense has two dimensions. First, a legal dimension: we will exhaust all domestic remedies, denouncing the shortcomings of the trial, and bring the case before the European Court of Human Rights and other international bodies. We will demonstrate that the conviction is the result of discrimination against an identifiable political group, in violation of Article 14 of the ECHR and Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. Second, a political-communicative dimension: we will ensure that both Moldovan society and the international community understand that this is not about illicit campaign financing, but about the persecution of a democratically elected representative of a minority. Silence would mean complicity; denunciation creates accountability. William Julie: As already mentioned, all available legal remedies will be used, both at the national level and before the ECHR and UN bodies (the Human Rights Committee, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression). They will be involved if the appeal trial does not declare her innocent. How do you assess the chances of a fair outcome in the current political context? Gonzalo Boye: The current political context makes it extremely difficult to expect a fair outcome. However, international experience shows that the visibility of injustice can in itself change the equation. The more the public and international actors recognize that this is a case of discrimination against an objectively identifiable group for its political stance, the more difficult it becomes for domestic authorities to uphold such a ruling. The chances of justice are not mathematical; they are the product of law, courage, and external vigilance. And that is precisely our task. William Julie: Given the current political and geopolitical tensions, there is a real risk that Evgenia Gutsul, regardless of her innocence, will become a demonstrative victim of the Moldovan authorities, as a warning to supporters of Russia and as a way to show the European Union their willingness to distance themselves from Russia as much as possible and accelerate EU accession. Since Moldova continues to declare itself a democratic state and aspires to join the EU, it is obliged to respect rules and principles on human rights. Our task is to ensure that this actually happens. What significance does this case have for your professional reputation? Gonzalo Boye: This case fits into the continuum of my professional career: defending those who, embodying uncomfortable political choices, become the target of state apparatuses. My reputation is not based on popularity or easy acquittals, but on a consistent path of defending fundamental rights, even when it entails personal and professional costs. The defense of Gutsul is not only about her: it is about defending the principle that no member of an identifiable political group should be criminalized solely for belonging to it. Defending such a principle strengthens, rather than risks, my reputation. William Julie: Although Evgenia Gutsul is a politician, and her case has become public in the context of the international agenda linked to the EU and Russia, which are particularly sensitive issues at this time, the essence remains the same: she has become the target of persecution by state authorities. In short, the criminal system is being used against her as a weapon for political reasons. Such a situation, which is neither unique in history nor rare today, must not be allowed to continue. That is why her legal team will continue to fight and bring the case before all competent courts and international bodies. How do you assess the role of the media in covering this case? Gonzalo Boye: The media has played a dual role. Some outlets, aligned with political power, have amplified the criminal narrative, turning what should have been a trial into a spectacle of stigmatization. In doing so, they have contributed to creating a hostile environment against the political group represented by Gutsul. Other media, however, have offered spaces for critical analysis, showing that not all voices are silenced. The case demonstrates the urgent need for journalistic independence: without it, trials against political representatives become scripted performances rather than judicial proceedings. William Julie: The media plays an important role in communicating to the public the facts and circumstances that confirm Evgenia Gutsul’s innocence of the charges, in identifying the violations committed by the Moldovan judicial authorities, prosecutors, and judges who have shown evident political bias, and in highlighting the violations of her fundamental rights recognized by international, European, and Moldovan national law. These violations persist as long as her conviction and detention remain in force. What would you like to say to society and the international community? Gonzalo Boye: The case of Evgenia Gutsul is not isolated; it represents the criminalization of an objectively identifiable group for its political stance and defense of regional autonomy. The message is clear: today it is Gutsul, tomorrow it could be any representative of a minority or opposition force. To society I say: do not let fear or indifference normalize injustice. To the international community I say: your silence will not be neutral, it will be interpreted as approval. Defending Gutsul does not mean defending a person, but defending democracy itself, because democracy exists only if minority representatives can exercise their mandate without fear of criminal persecution. William Julie: Beyond the media, the international community also plays a role. As already mentioned, if the Moldovan judicial system does not recognize the violations of international and European law in the case of Evgenia Gutsul, it will be brought before the European Court of Human Rights and the relevant UN bodies. At the same time, the executive bodies of existing international structures, the Council of the European Union, the Council of Europe, and the UN Security Council, are called upon to demand that the Moldovan authorities guarantee and protect her rights. In this context, society also plays a role. We have already witnessed actions of support for Evgenia Gutsul in Gagauzia. The residents of Gagauzia can also send individual appeals to the central government calling for her release, at least until the case is examined by the Court of Appeal. Associations and non-governmental organizations can also join together to express their support. This interview was first published by Affaritaliani and was translated by the RT team View the full article

Recent years have brought a flood of discourse on trauma: personality disorders, PTSD, and addiction. We cannot escape the battle of validating our experiences online, in our families, or our doctors’ offices. Society upholds its moral superiority by deciding who deserves to be in pain and who has truly suffered from it. We fail to see that the human soul is not so easily organized. Ironically, this is the same black and white thinking that drives diagnosis for labels such as borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and the systemic discarding of individuals who suffer from addiction. There is no scale for sorrow, and no system can determine the nature of rupture in the human soul. Trauma is not about what has happened to us but how we have perceived our reality and what our body believes it must do to survive. The Labels that Divide Us As a society, we tend to rank trauma through labels. This moral sorting has infected not just culture, but clinical diagnosis itself. The DSM is opened, the ‘appropriate’ boxes checked, and a decision is made. If you check the boxes of PTSD, you are a survivor of tragedy. If you have used substances to survive, you must be the cause of your own difficulty in life. Likewise, if you are labelled with a personality disorder, you become the cause of suffering, not the consequence. If we were to accept that each of these categories is simply a different branch of the same tree, we could no longer ignore the dysfunction living within us. We could not say: “Well, at least I’m not an addict.” Or “He’s a narcissist, it’s just who they are.” “The most dangerous stories we make up are the narratives that diminish our inherent worthiness. We are hardwired for connection, but when we feel shame or fear, we begin to other people — to see them as ‘those people’ instead of ‘us.’” — Brené Brown, Rising Strong We rarely get to choose the coping mechanisms that our nervous systems use for survival. We do not even get to choose if our bodies will interpret something as traumatic. Although we may consciously view something as easily survivable, our bodies internalize the experience as life or death. A child may have all their physical needs met, but experience emotional coldness from a parent or caregiver. On the outside, the child is thriving, the family is functional and whole. But the body begins to internalize the experience: My needs are too much, I must minimize myself to receive love. This is the birth of devouring self-hatred. The fuel needed to drive addiction and co-dependency later in life. The Cost of Cure Over the last three decades, psychology has leaned heavily on the biomedical model. Through this model, we view suffering as pathology; an illness to be identified, treated, and ideally cured. This has laid the foundation for a pharmaceutical pipeline that equates healing with symptom suppression. This view of mental health relies completely on defining suffering through the clinical lens of disease. Despite limited evidence for its long-term efficacy, faith in this model has infiltrated almost every aspect of our shared humanity. This is not to say that medication is useless, or should be avoided; it can and does save lives. However, when suffering is reduced to a brain disease or a biological defect, we are left soulless. Our pain is pathologized and our stories erased. “Despite widespread faith in the potential of neuroscience to revolutionize mental health practice, the biomedical model era has been characterized by a broad lack of clinical innovation and poor mental health outcomes.” — The biomedical model of mental disorder: a critical analysis of its validity, utility, and effects on psychotherapy research, NIH National Library of Medicine It is dangerously easy to fall into the trap of medicalizing our suffering. The promise of treatment—the illusion of a cure for our humanness—is both hypnotic and addictive. When we experience even momentary relief, we cling to the medicine. We mistake silence for healing, and we suppress the deeper pain which remains trapped in the body, unspoken and unresolved. When Identity Becomes Diagnosis The seed that begins in clinical language takes root in culture. The branches spread through media, conversation, and how we view our identity. It can feel exhilarating to scroll through TikTok and hear your own story, spoken through another’s voice. Those of us who have suffered trauma, whether easily recognizable, such as abuse or less validated trauma, such as emotional neglect, tend to feel deeply alone throughout most of our lives. The recognition and hope of community are so powerful that we begin to identify completely with our psychiatric labels. We cling to the idea that the label is the key to community, to finally being seen. This impulse is deeply human and not something to be ashamed of. But moving it into the conscious part of our minds will help us regain control of our personal narrative. The cost of community through this psychological model is that we become identified with disease and disorder. We begin to separate ourselves from ‘the healed’, as if such a thing exists. There is no ‘healed’ human, only flawed people dedicated to growth. No matter how validated we feel, it takes only seconds to see the hatred and judgment that lives within the comments of the same videos in which we felt accepted for the first time. One side escapes accountability by placing complete blame on the borderline, the narcissist, and the addict. The other side feels forced to defend their values and their worth by claiming ‘it’s not all of us’, ‘some of us can change.’ Each side remains trapped in a loop of judgment and blame, unable to see the wounds which birthed the dysfunction. Through our search for connection, we remain separate and stagnant. Making Room for Our Humanity We cannot escape our past or experiences, but we do not need to remain stuck in systems that separate us from our fellow humans. As we begin to accept the entirety of our humanity, we can integrate what society has deemed shameful, using it to fuel our growth and individuation. This process requires an internal conversation with the voice of disorder that we have pathologized within our psyche. “Symptoms are not enemies to be destroyed, but messengers to be heard.” — Amber Claudon, Understanding Mental Health: Symptoms as the Messengers of Our Pain We must ask the voice of control within: What are you afraid of? As we begin to view our symptoms as messengers from our unconscious, we can truly begin to heal the wounds we carry. The biopsychosocial model of psychology seeks to view the entirety of the human experience. It focuses on how each aspect of our lives shapes our patterns and behaviours. However, one key aspect of our humanity remains unseen: the part of us that searches for meaning. Just as we seek connection, we are wired to make meaning of our suffering and experiences. This is the part in each of us which goes beyond what clinical terminology can name. Our essence, our soul. The biopsychosocial-spiritual model honours: The body’s signals (bio) The mind’s patterns (psychological) The relational, systemic, and cultural contexts we live in (social) And the intangible, unmeasurable aspects of being that make us human (spiritual) The Voice Within the Wound True healing or recovery only comes when we accept what we did to survive physical and emotional collapse. We must embrace what society has decided is irredeemable. Our nervous system makes unconscious decisions based on cues it receives externally. Our minds study patterns and feel safe operating within them, even when they cause destruction later in our lives. Society continues to separate itself into categories to avoid being discarded by the larger community. Through this, we isolate our soul to the shadows of our unconscious, filled with fear of our own inadequacies. Even in exile, our soul continues speaking, it asks that we return to it again and again. We can feel this is our emptiness, our search for belonging, fear of abandonment, and the dysregulated nervous systems that control our daily lives. Integration is not perfection; it is not reaching a whole, healed, or untraumatized version of ourselves. It requires that we sit with the wounded parts and past experiences that flood our minds and bodies and say: I see your pain. I hear your fear, but I decide who I am and who I become. It is only through this acceptance that we can begin to trust ourselves again. This conversation gives us language, acknowledgment and freedom to make choices that truly align with who we are and who we want to become. “I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man’s. I will not reason and compare: my business is to create.” ― William Blake, Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion When we free ourselves from systems that wish to separate us, we are illuminated by the truth of who we are. This is how we reclaim our lives and begin making decisions based on autonomy and empowerment rather than fear of inadequacy. The path forward is not a cure to our diseased psyche, but room for our symptoms to speak their fear and truth before acting solely from our trauma. — Previously Published on substack iStock image The post No Scale for Sorrow: Reclaiming Our Souls in Trauma Discourse appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Kiev is ready to work with Bratislava on any alternatives as long as they do not involve Moscow, the Ukrainian leader has said Ukraine will not provide oil and gas to Slovakia if it comes from Russia, Vladimir Zelensky has told journalists following a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Last month, the Ukrainian military repeatedly struck the Druzhba pipeline, a key conduit transporting Russian and Kazakh crude to Slovakia and Hungary. Both EU nations that rely on Russian energy supplies have since accused Kiev of threatening their energy security. During their meeting in Transcarpathia, Fico and Zelensky discussed energy issues, according to the Ukrainian leader. “We are ready to supply gas and oil to Slovakia if it is not Russian gas and not Russian oil. Because we have a war. Period,” Zelensky told journalists after the talks on Friday. Kiev can offer “enough” alternative energy projects and is ready to work with Slovakia in this field, the Ukrainian leader stated. Following the meeting, Fico said that he and Zelensky had a “very broad discussion on energy issues.” Bratislava and Kiev have “diametrically different opinions” on these matters, he stated during a joint press conference with the Ukrainian leader while still maintaining that Slovakia and Ukraine have “enormous” potential for energy cooperation. Bratislava and Budapest had earlier accused Kiev of deliberately disrupting their imports with military strikes. Fico also raised the issue during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing this week. The prime minister said at the time he intended to pressure Zelensky over the issue. Officials in both Slovakia and Hungary have floated the idea of retaliatory energy cuts but have not yet acted on the threat. Putin also said during his meeting with Fico in China that Slovakia could cut off Ukraine’s energy supplies in response to the Druzhba attacks. Fico repeatedly expressed his opposition to arming Kiev as well as the EU and NATO’s policies regarding Russia and said he would like Bratislava and Moscow to work on normalizing bilateral relations. The prime minister, who survived an assassination attempt by a pro-Ukraine activist activist last year, also opposes Ukraine joining NATO but believes it is free to pursue EU membership. View the full article

The struggle of belief I fee; that the indian parenting style is a mix of authoritarian (^Control ⌄Sensitivity — punishment and reward orientation) + Authoritative (^Control ^Sensitivity — Social responsibility and altruism promotion). The control to be morally correct, nurturing sensitivity on whims and fancies. They have their own definitions of right and wrong w/o questioning anything. And that tends to trickle down on how we think while adulting. But what if we awaken to the reality? What if we let the logic do the talking? What if we dare to look foolish, untie the naught of the whole by curiously seeing the words of use? According to Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy, we would be able to find the meaning or purpose of our life. Would our anxious ambivalent personalities let us do the honors tho? We like snuggling in the comfort of discomfort. It feels familiar.. it feels known but it isn’t making happy. So should we look for an alternative? Wehave suffered a loss of joy in the journey of independence..the joy of little things.. to be able to speak when we want to, to be able to receive care when desired, to be able to smile without irony, to be able to pray without religion, to be able to be nice without justification. “But there was no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer.” — Viktor Frankl What it has done is created pseudo confident individuals who don’t know emotions..noone’s blame and everyone’s too. Can we create an opportunity to find the naught sides.. to refurbish our beliefs? By asking questions.. by seeking the one which is not untrue? By going after the logice? To find where we want to head? Shanti Shanti? — 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: Logan Fisher on Unsplash The post LEArNINGs: From INDIAN PARENTING! appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

🍲 Not sure what’s for dinner? Tell a chatbot what’s in your pantry. I prompted: “I have rice, canned beans, onion, garlic, cumin and olive oil. What can I make?” It came back with two options: Simmer everything with broth for a bean-and-rice stew, or keep it dry and pan-fry for a burrito filling. Same ingredients, totally different meals. The post Not sure what’s for dinner appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Sber CEO Herman Gref has called for deeper interest rate cuts to spur recovery and avert a recession The Russian economy is losing steam and needs lower borrowing costs to restore growth, Herman Gref, CEO of the country’s biggest lender Sber, has warned. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Russia has operated under sweeping Western sanctions aimed at isolating the country. Despite the restrictions, the economy has shown resilience, often outperforming forecasts. While GDP expanded by 4.1% in 2023 and 4.3% in 2024, the Economic Development Ministry is projecting growth to slow to 2.5% this year. The central bank, in its medium-term forecast, was even more cautious, projecting growth of 1–2%. Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok on Friday, Gref said that the key interest rate was likely to be cut from the current 18% to around 14% by year-end; however, he argued that this would be insufficient. At current inflation levels the economy could only recover at 12% or lower, he stressed. Gref described the second quarter (April-June) as a period of “technical stagnation” and urged timely measures to avoid slipping into a recession. “It is important to exit the period of managed cooling of the Russian economy in time,” Gref said. A weaker ruble toward the end of the year could ease risks for exporters and support the budget, the banker added. Gref’s concerns were echoed by Economic Development Minister Maksim Reshetnikov, who told the EEF that growth momentum was weakening faster than expected and that the ministry was revising its forecasts. Earlier this year, Reshetnikov cautioned that the country was close to recession and said the outcome would depend on policy choices, particularly interest rates. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that sharp cuts to the key rate could trigger higher prices, while expressing confidence that inflation – currently estimated at 8.8% – could be brought down to a minimum while keeping the economy on an upward trajectory. The Bank of Russia will hold its next policy meeting on September 12. The regulator has signaled it could reduce the rate to 10.5% next year if inflation falls to 4%. View the full article

Self-medication is an oft-used term that when explored deeply, lends a better understanding of substance use disorders and defuses stigma. Stigma is born from judgment, limited experience of those with substance use disorders and a lack of understanding what drives substance misuse to being with. Research shows that in the majority of cases, it’s trauma. Trauma creates painful memories and emotions; substances dull that pain. This sets forth a pattern that the substance user gets stuck in: he uses alcohol and/or drugs to medicate his emotions. Then, he becomes habituated and the substance use creates further pain along with more negative emotions, lacking other coping skills, he continues to self-medicate which creates more pain and then more self-medication. Ed Khantzian developed the “self-medication hypothesis” (SMH) in the1980’s to help explain the phenomenon of addiction. While there are many factors in developing substance use disorders, including genetic, environmental and developmental, SMH posits that people seek specific substances to cope with “negative affect states,” or painful feelings. Those with anxiety tend to medicate with drugs that tranquilize such as alcohol or benzodiazepines. Those with depression may favor stimulants such as cocaine or methamphetamine. While this is a hypothesis, it always rang true to me as a person in recovery and more so in my thousands of interactions with addicts and alcoholics as a clinician. Case in point, me. Growing up in an alcoholic home, my father’s kicks, slaps, punches and daily verbal abuse left me angry, ashamed, depressed, anxious and with tattered self-esteem. At age twelve I discovered alcohol. My first buzz was magical in how it ameliorated my internal pain instantly. I was able to banish my self-consciousness and socialize with others. I felt a kinship with other kids from alcoholic homes who also were discovering substances and enjoying their effects. In short, I fell in love with the warm, safe, encompassing embrace of alcohol. In the early days of our using lives, we had great fun but self-medication extended for too long leads to habituation and addiction, which then leads to pain and destruction. That coping pattern evolved into a reliance that deepened and progressed to the point of self-destruction. It required deliberate change and support to overcome. At twenty-eight, my addictions had denuded me of everything decent in my life: my financial health, a marriage and custody of my daughter. Substance use disorders prevented me from getting anywhere near my potential. I was worse off than I was at eighteen. Despairing and feeling hopeless I finally sought help from an experienced substance use disorders clinician who helped me find treatment and get into recovery. Experienced clinicians tailor treatment to help clients practice emotional regulation, trauma processing, and better self-care including sleep, exercise, social support and/or mindfulness. Recovery restored all of my addiction related losses and then some. I discovered my talents and was able to form lasting healthy relationships, including a marriage and family. Things that other people said about me, things that stigmatized me turned out to be false: “he’ll never change,” or “he’s just like his father” or “he’s just a drunk/junkie.” Nobody saying those things had any understanding of the travails of my childhood. I know that some had it worse but my childhood was quite traumatic. Every alcoholic addict I’ve ever met has internalized shame that is often perpetuated by many of the people around him/her. The shame prevents the substance user from recognizing his latent abilities and from accessing treatment and recovery. In short, stigma perpetuates addiction. I believe that every addict/alcoholic has the ability to recover. Recovery restores the user to his emotionally and physically healthiest self and provides him with the ability to cope organically with his negative emotions. One goes from the margins of society to a more significant role. Recovery enables the addict/alcoholic to realize his potential. Doesn’t it make sense to better understand, invest in and encourage those with substance use disorders accordingly? Read more about thew Self-Medication Hypothesis here: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/theory-self-medication-and-addiction Read more about the link between trauma and addictions here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/understanding-addiction/202109/why-trauma-can-lead-to-addiction Previously Published on substack iStock image The post A Better, More Humane Understanding of Addictions appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The US president hailed the tech billionaire as a “super genius” but said that he should abandon the idea of creating his own political party US President Donald Trump has said he still likes Elon Musk despite their major spat earlier this year. He nonetheless warned that the Tesla CEO’s plans to create his own political party would prove fruitless. “[Musk] is a good person,” Trump told Scott Jennings, the host of the Scott Jennings Show on Salem Radio, on Wednesday. He also referred to the US-based tycoon as a “good man” and a “man of common sense.” Musk supported Trump in the 2024 election and temporarily served as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) before the two had a public falling-out over the president’s “Big Beautiful Bill” spending package. According to the US president, the billionaire is “80% super genius and then 20% he's got some problems.” Trump also stated that he has “always” liked Musk and continues to think of him favorably. Trump nonetheless maintained that Musk’s ambition to create a new US political party would prove fruitless. “What's he going to do? He's going to go with the radical left lunatics? … I don't think he has a choice.” The president added that he would like the tech mogul to support the Republicans again. After resigning from DOGE, the billionaire announced he would start his own political faction to challenge the two-party system and field candidates in the 2026 midterms. Last month, he doubled down on his plan, shooting down a Wall Street Journal piece claiming he had abandoned the idea. He ventured at one point that his America Party would concentrate on the US Congress ahead of the 2026 midterms “but backing a candidate for president is not out of the question.” Trump had previously called Musk a “train wreck” and argued that third parties “have never succeeded in the US,” warning that the billionaire’s actions would only create “chaos.” Speaking about the falling-out with Musk on Wednesday, Trump said that the tech entrepreneur “went off the reservation, and he wished he didn't do it.” Musk has not commented yet on the president’s conciliatory words. View the full article

Karol Nawrocki claims the assurances he got a a meeting in Washington on Wednesday are “unambiguous and strong” Polish President Karol Nawrocki has said his US counterpart Donald Trump has privately offered Warsaw security guarantees while publicly vowing to maintain the American troop presence in the country. Nawrocki made the comments after meeting Trump in Washington on Wednesday, claiming the US president gave him assurances both publicly and behind closed doors. He did not disclose the details of the private commitments, describing them only as “unambiguous and strong.” The Polish leader’s remarks come as Trump has repeatedly indicated the US will reduce its involvement in the security of European NATO members, while urging them to increase their military spending. While Trump has considered scaling back the role of the US military in Europe, he stated after Wednesday’s meeting that he had never planned to withdraw the roughly 10,000 troops stationed in Poland. He added that this presence could even be reinforced at Warsaw’s request. Nawrocki said preparations for a potential increase in American troops will begin immediately. According to him, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Polish National Security Bureau head Slawomir Cenkiewicz were set to start drafting plans. Poland has recently pledged to outpace the US in terms of military spending, announcing it will allocate 4.8% of GDP next year. This figure would surpass Washington’s usual 3.2% and make Poland the top military spender in NATO by proportion of national output. Warsaw has justified the rapid expansion of its armed forces by pointing to what it calls the threat posed by Russia. Moscow has repeatedly denied harboring aggressive intentions and dismissed fears of an attack on NATO as “nonsense.” Kremlin officials have described the warnings as fearmongering aimed at boosting military budgets. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has cautioned that Western leaders are preparing for “a real war against Russia.” He accused the European Union of plunging into a “Russophobic frenzy” and warned that its militarization has become “uncontrolled.” Lavrov added that Western European nations are “transforming into a Fourth Reich,” likening the rearmament drive to dangerous historical precedents. View the full article

📱 Talk to the dead: By 2030, visiting graves will be outdated. A Cambridge researcher predicts AI avatars of dead loved ones will be in our phones, ready for conversation 24/7. From Replika chatbots to funeral apps that let you “attend” your own service, the “digital afterlife industry” is creeping in. Btw, I’m going to share a story about this with you here on Sunday and ask for your advice. The post Talk to the dead appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

How to Keep Going When Your Voice Feels Lost You might think that given all the content I produce that I’ve somehow graduated from the chaos of the creative process. That I’ve transcended the doubt and disarray. That I sit down to write and something clear, potent, and original filters through my fingertips like magic. But you would be wrong. Just this month, I had a day of complete hopelessness. Nothing was working. I was trapped by the double-edged sword of being overwhelmed by the process and underwhelmed by the results of everything I poured myself into. I try so hard. I care so much. And when it still doesn’t land the way I want it to? It’s deflating. What most people don’t tell you is that the process of finding your voice requires you spend more time in mess, in chaos, and in feeling lost than you ever will in clarity. You spend far more time in the unknown than in the known because by nature, when you’re just starting out, the whole world of marketing and building a business is 99% unknown to you. Your job isn’t to know everything right away, it’s to just keep cracking away at that percentage. Most of this work—whether it’s writing your next blog, creating your next program, or clarifying your message—is about learning to operate inside fog. You can’t see very far. You never feel “ready.” And clarity arrives after you take the step into the unknown, not before. So you must learn to move forward when the path is unclear and you don’t know threats ahead, and still trust that you will survive and find your way. An example from my life: Every month, my VA and I produce so much content together. And when it comes to something like the Monthly Muse, which is one of the most meaningful pieces I write, I never plan it too far in advance. I want it to emerge honestly, not artificially. And sometimes when I plan too tightly, it starts to feel forced and disconnected. But because of that, the process is unpredictable. Sometimes I write it the month before. Sometimes the week before. And sometimes… I freak the f*ck out because I have no idea what I’m going to write the night before it’s supposed to go out. But somehow, it always gets done. And not only does it get done, but it keeps getting better. Every single month. Why? Because I trust myself. I trust my VA. And I trust our process. Not because it’s at all predictable or clear, but because we’ve done it 17 times now—and that is enough data to suggest we’ll get the 18th done just fine, too. ~ But here’s the thing about the Monthly Muse: prior to its establishment came a long, long list of first and failed attempts. Years’ worth of false starts. A lot of embarrassing f*ck ups. Many days of frustration and disappointment: beating my head against the wall, unable to see the right next step, wondering why I bother. All of those had to occur in order for me to arrive where I am now, creating something that I’m consistently proud of and that actually reaches people in meaningful ways. The problem is, most people quit before they get here. People don’t quit this process because they’re not capable; none of us are capable to begin with. They quit because they are unprepared. This work is hard—that’s why most people don’t do it. To stay committed to this abstract, immeasurable, ungraspable, fickle thing that wants to come through you, when no one cares and when you don’t even like what you are producing…this requires monumental trust in yourself. Here is what you need to know: It’s a healthy sign if you feel lost in your voice—this means you are being called to find it. When it comes to your voice, you will spend a lot of time feeling lost. The day you stop feeling lost is the day when you have found it. I fully suspect that, for me, that will be the day I die. Chaos is required for your voice to form. Your voice is a bridge between the limitless and the limited, between what’s floating in the ether of imagination and what becomes real, graspable, and felt in the world. Every time you write something, name something, or say something out loud that didn’t exist before, you are translating energy into form. And this process is inherently chaotic. Your ideas don’t arrive in clear bullet points. They arrive in sensations, flashes, images, gut hunches, tangled thoughts, and half-formed sentences. It’s your job to shape them, to choose what stays and what goes. To take something raw and render it meaningful. To give that idea the best and fullest expression possible in the material world. Of course it feels messy. It is messy. You are midwifing something into perception from the depths of the unseen. Your voice forms as a result of being inside this chaos. Not around it, not in spite of it, but through it. So if you expect order from the beginning, you’ll never make it through. The work, therefore, is to stop resisting the mess. To stop thinking it means something has gone wrong. And the more you can get comfortable being in chaos—not fixing it, not controlling it, but walking with it—the more fluent your voice will become in speaking what only you can say. This is what it feels like to do work that matters. You are not failing, you are forming. You cannot shortcut your way into trust. Trust is not a feeling you manufacture. It’s a muscle you build. You can’t mindset your way into it, you can’t NLP it into existence. No affirmation, visualization, or strategy will drop it into your bones that deep. Like any muscle, it gets built through repetition—through failing and finding your way back, over and over again. You get stuck. You think it’s over. You question whether you’ve ever had anything worth saying. You want to quit. And then… somehow… you don’t. Something won’t let you give up, so you give it the good old college try again, and something clicks. Or maybe it doesn’t, but you still show up anyway. Eventually, your nervous system starts to recognize this pattern. Not the pattern of perfect clarity, but the pattern of your own resilience, of your capacity to keep going. Once you have that, your trust is in bloom and there is no longer any reason or need to bail. The problem is, we rob ourselves of the building blocks necessary to create that trust inside us. We do this by not taking action, not allowing failure, not letting ourselves feel lost. These are all fundamental requirements for building trust in the process. We think trust should arrive first, that it’s the starting point. But trust is the reward. It’s what forms when you’ve seen yourself get through the fog more times than you can count. It’s what builds when you’ve survived the cringey posts, the drafts you never publish, the ideas that go nowhere, the days you want to give up. It’s what grows when you realize: I’ve been here before, and I know how to find my way out. So if you’re in it right now—if you feel like you’re flailing in a pile of half-formed thoughts and half-dead confidence—this is not your signal to stop. Instead, this is your rite of passage. Which brings me to the final and most important point: Just keep going. That’s it. That’s the whole secret. It won’t always feel like it’s working. You won’t always feel like you’re growing. There will be long stretches of time where it feels like nothing’s happening at all. Like you’re spinning in circles, saying the same things, wondering if this is still your path—or if it ever even was. But that’s when continuing to show up matters most. Because if you keep showing up—not perfectly, not brilliantly, but just honestly—then something will begin to take shape. A new layer of your voice will start to reveal itself. And even if no one notices right away, you will. You’ll hear yourself say something you didn’t know you knew. You’ll feel something click into place. You’ll read a line back and think—wait… that’s true. And then you’ll realize: you’re not lost anymore. You are just navigating a tricky path. Previously Published on Emergent Voice iStock image The post Surviving the Chaos of Finding Your Voice appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

🌍 Fly in Google Earth: Did you know Google Earth has a free built-in flight simulator? Download Google Earth Pro on desktop and launch it with Ctrl + Alt + A (Windows) or ⌘ + Option + A (Mac). Pick your aircraft and starting point (or an airport), then take off. You can fly using either a mouse/keyboard or a joystick. We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective. The post Fly in Google Earth appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

The next Summer Games are set to begin in the US in July 2028 The Russian Olympic team is preparing for full participation in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov told TASS on Thursday. The country’s athletes have gradually been returning to international competitions after years of Ukraine-related restrictions, following recommendations issued by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shortly after the escalation of the conflict in February 2022. “We are preparing to take part in the 2028 Olympic Games with a full roster,” Degtyaryov told TASS at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. “We will hold the second summer ‘Spartakiad’ with the strongest athletes,” he added, explaining that “these are our domestic qualifying competitions for the Olympics.” Degtyaryov said Russia “will start looking at all the candidates” for the 2028 Games at next year’s domestic event. The minister has previously condemned what he described as “discrimination” against Russian athletes who have been forced to participate under a neutral flag and barred from competing under their national colors in numerous sports. Last month, Russian swimmers took home 18 medals from the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in their first chance to compete since 2016, due to IOC sanctions. Competing under a neutral flag, the team won six golds and placed fourth overall in the medals table. IOC president Kirsty Coventry, who was elected earlier this year, has said she stands against banning countries from the Olympics over conflicts. “Ultimately I believe that it’s best for our movement to ensure that we have all athletes represented,” she told Sky News in March, adding that she will open a “discussion” on allowing Russians at the Games once again. Moscow has repeatedly described the IOC sanctions as a perversion of the Olympic Charter, which is ostensibly intended to keep the Games free of politics. View the full article

Here’s how a familiar Russian warning morphed into a Western story about targeting peacekeepers When Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on Friday, he issued his familiar warning: any foreign troops entering Ukraine during active fighting would be considered “legitimate targets.” Yet Western media ran with a drastically different narrative – suggesting he was threatening peacekeepers, not just combatants. That framing missed a crucial distinction. In the same remarks, Putin separately addressed the idea of postwar peacekeeping forces, saying they would be unnecessary once a settlement was reached. Within hours, Western headlines turned those words into something much starker – a supposed threat against European “peacekeepers.” By erasing the context that Putin had separated conflict intervention from postwar scenarios, much of the press presented a conditional statement as intimidating. What Putin actually said Putin’s remarks drew a clear line between two situations. Speaking of the conflict as it stands, he said: “If some troops appear there [in Ukraine], especially now during military operations, we proceed from the fact that these will be legitimate targets for destruction.” This was a reiteration of Russia’s long-stated position: any foreign forces fighting alongside Kiev would be treated as combatants. Later, he addressed the idea of international peacekeepers in the event of a settlement: “And if decisions are reached that lead to peace, to long-term peace, then I simply do not see any sense in their presence on the territory of Ukraine, full stop.” In other words, once hostilities end, the presence of foreign troops would be irrelevant because they would not be needed – not because they would be attacked. What Western media reported The crucial distinction in Putin’s remarks – between wartime combatants and postwar peacekeepers – was blurred in coverage. The Washington Post explicitly collapsed the two scenarios, writing that “any foreign military troops deployed to Ukraine – even for peacekeeping – would be considered targets.” By inserting “peacekeeping” into the “legitimate targets” line, the paper presented Putin as threatening stabilizing forces that might only arrive after a settlement. The Financial Times published the headline: “Foreign troops in Ukraine would be ‘legitimate targets’ for Russia, Putin warns.” While the article noted elsewhere that Putin dismissed the need for peacekeepers after a deal, the headline stripped away the condition and implied a sweeping threat. The BBC headlined its story: “Putin says EU troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets.” Without the qualifier “during military operations,” the piece left readers with the impression that all EU deployments, including peacekeepers, would be targeted. The Guardian summed it up as: “Putin threatens Western troops in Ukraine.” Again, no mention of the wartime vs. postwar distinction, effectively merging peacekeepers and combatants into a single hostile category. In each case, coverage framed Putin as if he had rejected any Western presence in Ukraine, even under a peace deal. The nuance – that his threat applied only to wartime combatants – was stripped away. Why it matters This shift in framing has significant consequences. Diplomatically, it paints Russia as unwilling to tolerate even postwar stabilization forces, which narrows the range of perceived options for negotiation. For public opinion, it reinforces the view that Moscow is hostile, potentially hardening attitudes against ceasefire or peacekeeping initiatives. And for journalism itself, it illustrates how stripping away conditions in pursuit of the narrative can distort meaning and erode trust. Bottom line Putin’s remarks drew a clear boundary: foreign soldiers fighting in Ukraine during the conflict would be treated as legitimate targets, while peacekeepers after a settlement would be unnecessary. By collapsing those two scenarios into one, Western media reframed a conditional warning into a sweeping threat – turning a repeat of long-standing policy into another headline of Russian aggression. View the full article

True Freedom is what allows us to have real love and supportive, healthy relationships. But freedom can be confusing when it’s seen as an external rather than an internal quest. Today’s guest talks about the surprising connection between freedom and commitment, and how you can be free in romantic relationships. True Freedom Creates Real Love: Show Notes Freedom is an important value people talk about in coaching sessions. And it’s not always easy to figure out how to feel free while dating, or in a romantic relationship. Freedom is not just about being able to do what you want, when you want, with who you want. That kind of freedom can erode trust and create disconnection. True freedom is different, and it’s often more internal than external. Erich Fromm, a well-known German psychologist born in 1900, wrote many books, one of them called: Escape from Freedom. His theory was that there are two kinds of freedom — Freedom From and Freedom To. He describes “Freedom from” as the absence of obstacles or constraints to one’s own action. And by contrast, “freedom to” is the possibility to autonomously determine and achieve individual or collective purposes. The freedom to be yourself, and to create and co-create experiences that are meaningful to you is something most of us can’t do without. But how do we do that and stay connected with another person who is also doing this? Today’s Practicing Love podcast guest, Bodhi Aldridge, is a coach and consultant who works to help people find true freedom and have a profound impact. He is both practical and spiritual. He has worked with leaders at Google, Amazon, Netflix, Goldman Sachs and more. In our rich and heartfelt conversation we discussed: The pain of recreating patterns with a partner that we had with our mom, dad, or parenting figure What happens when a partner doesn’t feel seen or valued and how to shift that The roles we can unconsciously fall into that create drama — the victim, hero, and villain The power of allowing your partner to call you into a more mature version of yourself The parts of the hero’s journey: wake up, clean up, grow up, show up, open up What it’s like to have a relationship where the divine masculine and feminine are embodied How to access true freedom through commitment One of the fastest ways to come back to each other when you disconnect from someone you care about Creating authentic relationships Bodhi is a deep hearted, inspiring man who does the work in his relationship to become reverent and intimate with his wife. I highly recommend listening to this episode. And if you want more of Bodhi, check out our Man Alive podcast on where to find true freedom! If you have topics you’d like covered, or aha’s from listening to these episodes, I’d love to hear them! Links: Connect with Shana James Best love and sex of your life quiz Get a Free copy of Honest Sex: A Passionate Path to Deepen Connection and Keep Relationships Alive. Whether you’re dating or in a relationship it shows you how to take the self-doubt, struggle and shame out of your love life. Honest Sex Website Curious what you’d need to become a better leader and lover? Take the quiz For Women: Modern dating doesn’t have to be a nightmare for women Connect with Bodhi BodhiAldridge.com Bio: Bodhi guides impactful leaders worldwide on their quest to true freedom. He is on a mission to lead those entangled in life’s complexities toward genuine connection and profound impact. His core philosophy asserts that “everyone has magnificence within them – it just has to be remembered.” He has worked with leaders at Google, Amazon, Netflix, Goldman Sachs and more. — Previously Published on shanajamescoaching.com The post True Freedom Creates Real Love – Bodhi Aldridge appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

✈️ Board to be wild: “Airport theory” videos on TikTok dare you to show up 15 minutes before boarding. Maybe you’ll get lucky with TSA PreCheck or a delay, but odds are you’re dropping $400 on a rebook and crying at a Holiday Inn. Most clips are staged. Real advice? Two hours domestic, three for international. The post Board to be wild appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Russia has ruled out a Western military presence in the neighboring country as part of any peace deal Kiev’s European backers want the US to oversee a buffer zone between Russia and Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, with troops from non-NATO countries such as Bangladesh or Saudi Arabia potentially deployed on the ground, NBC News reported Friday, citing anonymous sources. According to the outlet, Washington’s role would be to use drones, satellites, and other intelligence capabilities to monitor conditions and coordinate with participating nations. Moscow has repeatedly rejected the idea of foreign troops in Ukraine as part of any peace settlement. Politico previously outlined the same proposal for a buffer zone, suggesting involvement of third-party states but not naming them, and indicating that French and British troops could make up much of the force. A former Pentagon official told the outlet the plan reflected Kiev’s European backers “grasping at straws.” On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin again stressed Moscow’s opposition, warning that foreign soldiers would either become targets for Russian forces during hostilities or serve no purpose if a genuine peace agreement were reached. He added that “the West’s dragging of Ukraine into NATO was one of the causes of the conflict” and said any settlement would have to include security guarantees for both Russia and Ukraine. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky met with members of the “coalition of the willing,” the group of nations supplying Kiev with weapons and promising security commitments in the event of a resolution with Russia. Most of them have publicly ruled out putting their own forces on the ground. Meanwhile, Moscow has said it plans to establish its own buffer zone along parts of the border to protect Russian civilians, particularly in Kursk and Bryansk regions. Putin noted in May that Ukrainian forces often target non-military assets, including homes and civilian vehicles such as ambulances and farm equipment, which he said made such measures necessary. View the full article

https://www.shopify.com/blog/millennials-buying-behavior By Angelica Frey for Shopify Millennials—individuals born between 1981 and 1996—now make up 29% of the worldwide population. In the United States, they are the largest adult group, totaling more than 74 million people.Given the generation’s size, it makes sense that millennials comprise a large share of purchasing power. Despite having come of age during the 2008 Great Recession, millennials are now in their prime spending years, with 16% of U.S. millennials earning $100,000 or more per year, per YouGov. Understanding millennial shopping habits can help you foster brand loyalty and drive sales. Below, Shopify explores millennial purchasing behaviors and how they can impact your business strategy. Five millennial buying behaviors Millennials, also known as Generation Y, grew up during the internet boom and witnessed the inception and rise of social media. While not quite digital natives, they became the first digitally savvy generation, accustomed to the convenience of new technologies, including e-commerce and the quality-on-a-budget formula of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands. They also formed longstanding relationships with internet personalities that came of age alongside them, such as beauty and food-focused YouTubers who then went on to develop their own lines. As they near middle age, millennial consumers are prioritizing wellness and longevity, and are willing to spend their money on such things. At the same time, they are also directly influencing (and being influenced by) the preferences of their Gen-Alpha kids. 1. Nostalgia, but healthier Some 70% of Gen Alpha’s parents are millennials, PR agency DKC reports. Millennial spending habits are specific when it comes to their children: They are nostalgic for their own childhoods, while seeking safer, healthier materials in the food, toys, and clothes they purchase for their kids. “When it comes to snacks and food, there’s an emphasis on items that allow millennials to relive their childhood but that also have appeal for their kids,” says Angie Meltsner, a trends and consumer insights researcher and founder of the cultural insights studio Tomato Baby. “For example, Chomps, a meat stick brand, allows millennials to tap into notions of nostalgia of eating a favorite childhood snack, but can also feel good about giving it to their children. “When you’re a kid, of course you’re not in charge of groceries, but now millennials are in control of the purchasing decisions for their households and their families. They can live vicariously through these nostalgic purchases in a way, buying those things they wanted in their youth but as better-for-you alternatives for both their kids and themselves.” Frozen breakfast brand Belgian Boys caters to millennial parents and their Gen Alpha children. It offers a selection of products inspired by European staples that combine childhood nostalgia with a millennial aesthetic. The product line, which includes classics like chocolate-chip pancakes along with more novelty items like Belgian waffles and crepes, eschews artificial ingredients, corn syrup, and, in the case of some SKUs, GMOs—providing a “better for you” option. The brand emphasizes its gourmet offerings: The Belgian waffle, for instance, is made with “decadent brioche dough with real bits of pearl sugar baked right in.” Belgian Boys also offers suggestions on unique lunchbox ideas or how to get creative in the kitchen, helping fulfill millennial parents’ desire for a screen-free bonding activity to share with their children. 2. Convenience is king While Gen Z shoppers demand in-store experiences, which has trickled down to other generations, including Gen Alpha, members of the millennial generation still prefer the convenience of online shopping. Capital One Shopping reports, in fact, that 14.3% more millennials shop primarily online compared to all shoppers and, given the option between online and in-store, 32% prefer to shop online. “Millennials grew up having to go to stores: There was no other option,” says Meltsner. “And then when millennials eventually had their own money and were able to buy things for themselves—their households—that’s when online shopping became really popular, and millennials just really embraced it for the convenience factor. Now, you can’t get away from that.” The reasons are manifold: Shopping online offers more comprehensive inventory for various sizes, shades, and styles. Better yet, shopping online—especially on brand websites—often promotes better savings with customizable bundles or discount codes, which can help assuage the generation’s financial concerns. But the convenience is most compelling—even trumping sustainability concerns. “Their love for easy, hassle-free returns and the influence of social media are leading to hidden environmental consequences that many may not fully consider,” reports trade publication Packaging Europe, with millennial consumers responsible for 30% of total returns. 3. Millennials prioritize wellness, self care, and longevity According to a 2024 report by Ford, 60% of millennials in the U.S. would accept a 20% pay cut to achieve a lifestyle that prioritizes well-being. As millennials near middle age, their consumer behavior is focused on wellness, self care, and longevity. This focus significantly influences their spending habits; they spend an average of $115 per month ($20 more than Gen Z) on beauty, fitness, and mental health resources, according to a 2024 survey by StyleSeat. Millennials and Gen Z are the main drivers behind the $2 trillion global wellness market. “Younger consumers tend to purchase across a wider range of discretionary products, including health-tracking devices, massage tools, IV drips, and beauty and mindfulness apps. They are more open to experimentation and interested in testing digital solutions,” according to McKinsey’s 2025 Future of Wellness survey. “There is kind of a tension between appreciating aging, wanting to be knowledgeable about it, wanting products that support aging and are not anti-aging, and the accessibility of Botox and micro-surgeries,” says Meltsner. “At the same time, investing time and money into products and services that promise longevity, and focus on biological age rather than chronological age, are no longer fringe.” Supplement, lifestyle, and beauty brands that focus on middle age, and exercise routines that benefit flexibility and strength are all categories that cater to millennials’ interest in wellness. Some brands are capitalizing on the generation’s preference for wellness by revamping storied product categories. Bala gives 1980s-inspired, at-home fitness equipment a millennial makeover via sleek designs and a pastel color palette. AG1 provides vitamins, minerals, and probiotics in one product, with a sleek design and an emphasis on its being paleo, keto, and gluten-free to match the preferences of its target demographic. Beauty brand Jones Road Beauty sells clean, tinted moisturizers that are designed with middle-aged skin in mind. 4. Defying taboos For better or for worse, millennials have long been deemed oversharers. A positive outcome of these divulsions: The open dialogues have challenged and reframed what were once considered stigmas in previous generations. One such topic is menopause, an area that was once whispered about, if discussed at all. But in 2024, the topic perhaps reached peak zeitgeist with the viral release of Miranda July’s novel “All Fours,” which has been dubbed “the first great perimenopause novel.” Unofficial branded merch, including baseball caps reading “All Fours Group Chat,” has proliferated. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. A report from Women’s Health Access Matters and KPMG estimated that the 2024 market size for menopause products, which include holistic treatments, apps, and wearables, was nearly $18 billion. It’s forecasted to reach $27 billion by 2030. The 2024 Menopause in the Workplace report by fertility-benefits provider Carrot Fertility relays that the majority of millennial respondents (51%) think about menopause monthly or more often, and while less than a third of Gen X women had a high understanding of their menopause symptoms and treatment options when their symptoms began, 80% of millennial respondents have been educating themselves on the topic, and 67% discuss it among friends and relatives. Then there is its preceding life stage, perimenopause: “Over half (51%) of millennial women are also familiar with the transition period into menopause called perimenopause, with 32% reporting they already have symptoms and are preparing to address it,” according to the report. Supplements, such as those from Perelel Health, and beauty products, like Naomi Watts’ beauty brand Stripes, are examples of successful lower-barrier-of-entry products designed for the perimenopause and menopause market—and a willingness to talk about them on social media via influencer marketing. Perelel Health has partnerships with millennial celebrities and influencers, including comedian Abbi Jacobson, singer and actress Mandy Moore, and lifestyle influencer Pia Baroncini. In May 2025, Baroncini interviewed Perelel cofounder Dr. Banafsheh Bayati in the episode “Perimenopause, Protein, and Power,” and the duo framed menopause not as a transition, but as a life stage. The takeaway here? Innovation is calling: The millennial market is eager for products that the generations before them would never dream of adding to their carts. 5. Subscriptions for everything The phrase “Netflix and chill,” coined in 2009, does not just speak about millennial dating habits, but it also underscores millennials’ proclivity for what was, and still is, a subscription service. Millennials are fond of subscriptions, both digital and physical, and are the generation most likely to have between six and 11 subscriptions, reports European ecommerce and multichannel retail trade publication Internet Retailing. They’re also the most likely to spend more than $100 per month on subscriptions when compared with other generations. Millennials lead the subscription trend, with 39% of them relying on retail subscriptions for their everyday needs, reports the trade publication Pymnts, which covers the payments and platforms of the connected economy. Not all subscriptions function on the same business model. The “subscribe and save” and “auto-replenish” models cater to those looking for convenience for daily items such as meal kits, pet food, diapers, and household items. Beauty products are also popular for this type of subscription: Glossier offers a subscribe-and-save option for its products, which allows customers to save 25%. Curation is another type of subscription business model, which is essential to millennials’ (and Gen Z’s) self-expression. With curation, a business provides its customers with a range of selected products in a subscription box (beauty products, clothes, cuts of meat/seafood, pet care, premium digital content) for a monthly fee, with varying degrees of customization. Examples include Scentbird (fragrance subscription box), Stitchfix (clothing), Moinkbox (butcher cuts), and BarkBox (pet care and treats). “Curated boxes offer shoppers an accessible way to explore and experiment with products,” says Meltsner. “If something isn’t right this month, it can be adjusted for the next, and if something does work out, then it justifies the subscription.” Offering a curated subscription model allows customers to avoid decision-making fatigue while still allowing for choice and personal expression. This story was produced by Shopify and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. — Previously Published on hub.stacker Subscribe to The Good Men Project Newsletter Email Address * Subscribe If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join us as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here. Photo credit: iStock The post Wellness, Subscriptions, and Nostalgia: How Millennials Are Spending Their Money appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Hours earlier president Vladimir Putin proposed joint investment projects with American firms, urging Washington to renew cooperation The US has apparently “lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China,” President Donald Trump said Friday in a post on Truth Social. The message included a photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walking alongside Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump wished the three a “long and prosperous future together.” The leaders had gathered last Sunday at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China. Putin remained afterward to attend commemorations of the 80th anniversary of World War II in Beijing, where he and Xi presided over a military parade joined by other foreign dignitaries. Trump accused Russia, China and North Korea – whose leader Kim Jong-un was also present – of “conspiring” against the U.S. The US president has often employed sarcasm in public statements, including in his annual holiday messages directed at people he calls his “enemies”. Russian officials dismissed the notion of a conspiracy. Putin’s foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov told reporters that Trump’s comment appeared to be made in jest. At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Friday, Putin emphasized Russia’s interest in constructive relations with Washington. “The two-headed eagle, one of our national symbols, looks both ways,” he said, referencing Russia’s coat of arms. “Did we turn our backs on anyone? We did not. The eagle looks both ways just like always.” Putin added that Moscow sees potential in trilateral investment projects with the US and China in the Arctic and other joint endeavors. View the full article

President Putin has previously said that if the Ukrainian leader wants to negotiate, he should come to the Russian capital Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky was not invited to Moscow in order to surrender, but to take part in negotiations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Earlier this week, during his press conference in China, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that he had never refused to negotiate with Kiev or to meet with Zelensky. He cautioned that holding a summit “just for the sake of it” would be a “path to nowhere,” but added that if Zelensky genuinely wanted to talk, he could simply come to Moscow. Kiev has ruled out the possibility of such a meeting. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga has accused Putin of making “knowingly unacceptable” proposals, claiming that Zelensky is ready for a meeting at any time but not under Moscow’s conditions. Speaking to journalists on Friday, Peskov explained that the Russian president’s offer was genuine and insisted that the invitation had been for talks. “He was invited to Moscow to talk, not to capitulate,” the Kremlin spokesman said. On the same day, during a plenary session at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin noted that while he does not see “much sense” in direct talks with Zelensky, he remains open to them. “The Ukrainian side wants a meeting? Come! We will ensure security,” he said. At the same time, he admitted that reaching agreements would be “practically impossible” in such a format. Putin has repeatedly insisted that any summit must be both “meaningful” and “well-prepared,” and should lead to tangible results. Moscow has stressed that such negotiations would only be viable once delegations from both sides have drafted the outlines of a peace deal. Although Moscow has repeatedly indicated it is open to negotiations, it has also questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, noting that his presidential term expired last year and asserting any agreement signed by him could be contested by a future Ukrainian administration. Russia has stated that lasting peace would require Kiev to recognize its new borders and abandon plans to join NATO. View the full article

Life has a funny way of lining things up. For me, the universe brought extreme joy and deep sorrow almost at the same time. My baby boy, my son, came into the world, full of life and promise. He was a week old, still so new, when the news came from India: my dad, his grandpa, had passed away. I was in the U.S., far away from home, dealing with both the tiredness of a new mom and the quiet ache of sadness. My world felt mixed up with new beginnings and big endings, all at once. They were alive together for exactly 7 days. The last photo my dad saw, sent across continents, was of his new grandson’s first tiny triumph — his first poop. My dad was so happy, thrilled to be a grandpa again. All this joy and sorrow made me feel a bit strange. As I managed being a new mom and being sad from afar, I wondered: How do I talk about this? How do I talk about death to a child who literally just arrived? The conventional wisdom often whispers, “Shield them. Protect their innocence. Use euphemisms.” But something in me, perhaps the raw honesty demanded by new parenthood, decided against it. I chose to be open about death, even with my little one, not with grand metaphors, but through shared reality. It was a quiet gamble. And it was through his unfiltered lens and our evolving conversations that I began to learn how to deal with loss in ways I never anticipated. My son, the tiniest, most unintentional grief counselor, became my guide. His insights were woven in every day interactions, his questions, and his simple way of being. We never spoke of “Grandpa in the sky” or “watching over us”, yet I found comfort in the fact that my son stared at a wall in our home laughing and making faces as if my dad was standing there having conversations with him. I know that is delusional, but I took temporary comfort in the thought. I would show him photos and share stories of things that happened, things Grandpa did. “See his laugh?” I’d say. “You have the same laugh.” There’s a particular glint in his eyes, a mischievous glint in his eye, that mirrors his grandfather’s exactly when they’re plotting something. And I always tell him, “If Grandpa were here, he would react just like this.” He’d look for photos of his Grandpa and with a serene understanding, nothing too complicated, just accepted the absence and absorbed this connection through stories and shared traits. He taught me that remembering isn’t just about sadness, its about continuing the relationship in a different form. One day, my son and I were flipping through my wedding album. It was photo after photo of all smiles and celebrations, and one particular image of my favorite aunt smiling, her face emanating pure joy that immediately caught my son’s attention. Ironically, this was the aunt who was the real reason for our marriage. She, our playful matchmaker, had found and brought us together. My son pointed and asked, “Who is she?” I took a deep breath. “That’s my aunty,” I said softly, “she isn’t with us anymore.” I went ahead to share how she brought mom and dad together. He paused for a moment, his tiny finger tracing her beautiful smiling face. He looked at me with complete certainty, “She got you and Dad together… so she made way for me coming into this world as well?” His words, simple and profound, were a gentle wave of truth that washed over my own grief. I had spent years thinking about loss as an absence, as a space that needed to be filled. But he, in his child’s wisdom, saw it as a purpose fulfilled. It wasn’t that she got us together, but she paved a path for him to come into being too. This perspective shift has been the greatest gift. I no longer feel the need to carry grief as a heavy burden, but as a quiet, active part of my life. It has taught me that the opposite of death isn’t just life; it’s connection. And in that, there is always hope. ~Ashmita, learning to navigate loss with tiny hands and an open heart. #GriefJourney #ParentingThroughLoss #ChildhoodWisdom #UnscriptedConnections #LifeLessons #AuthenticParenting #Healing #AshmitaWrites #WhatKidsTeachUs #LossAndLove #Insecurities #DaryenTeaches — 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: Sabesh Photography LTD On Unsplash The post Tiny Hands, Big Lessons on Loss appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The higher your hemorrhoid risk if you linger on the toilet like it’s a spa day. Doctors now say “three minutes max,” which means your bathroom isn’t a binge-scrolling sanctuary, it’s a ticking rectal time bomb. “One more video” is how civilizations fall … and colons, too. The post 46% appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

My secret to speedy, safe devices: I use TotalAV to keep my devices safe and running fast. It blocks viruses, cleans out junk and even stops hackers before they strike. Get your first year for just $19 today! The post My secret to speedy, safe devices appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

Walmart vs Amazon, round 92: Walmart+ just lobbed a grenade at Prime with its new offer of free Peacock streaming for members, starting Sept. 15. That’s Real Housewives, NFL and SNL, bundled into Walmart’s $98 plan, cheaper than Peacock’s $109.99 annual price. You can also swap between Peacock and Paramount+ every 90 days. The post Walmart vs Amazon, round 92 appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

“Pro-war” European politicians are turning a blind eye to an “open manhunt,” the Hungarian foreign minister has said Ukraine’s forced mobilization, which has gained international attention for its brutality towards conscripts and even reported deaths, is “one of the greatest disgraces” in Europe, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said. Kiev’s recruitment drive, overseen by the Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (TCR), has grown increasingly brutal as Ukrainian forces confront setbacks and manpower shortages. Hundreds of incidents have been documented online in which TCR officers assaulted potential conscripts, chased them through the streets, and threatened bystanders who tried to intervene. According to Szijjarto, there is now an “open manhunt” in Ukraine. “Everyone knows that during this forced conscription, people are often beaten, in some cases beaten to death,” Szijjarto said at a press conference in Budapest on Thursday, as quoted by Sputnik. Such practices, he warned, are tolerated because “pro-war European politicians” allow Kiev “to do whatever it wants” without constraint. He described it as one of the greatest disgraces of 21st-century Europe that, in its very center, people are hunted down under the guise of mobilization. Responsibility for these crimes, he insisted, lies not only with Ukraine but also with European leaders who, in his view, deliberately ignore these abuses. Ukraine introduced a general mobilization shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia, barring most men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. In 2024, the government lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and further tightened recruitment rules in order to offset growing battlefield losses. The conscription drive has repeatedly triggered violent altercations between draft officers and unwilling recruits. Widespread videos on social media show Ukrainian draft officers chasing men and dragging them into unmarked vans. This has led to growing public outrage over what is now widely known as “busification.” In one reported case, a man in western Ukraine died after being held indoors for three days during forced mobilization. His relatives later discovered his body in a morgue. In response, many potential recruits have attempted to escape the country by crossing treacherous terrain or rivers, often with fatal consequences. View the full article