American Women Suck

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Jump between apps without the mouse. Press Alt + Tab (Windows) or Cmd + Tab (Mac). Hold the keys and tap Tab again to cycle through everything that’s open. The post 3-second tech genius appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

The president’s trade policy is in jeopardy after an appeals court declared most of his tariffs unlawful US President Donald Trump has warned that America could became a “third world nation” if his tariffs are scrapped. He made the remarks after a federal appeals court declared most of them unlawful. Trump launched his tariff drive in April, accusing US trade partners of creating unfair trade imbalances and calling it a reciprocal response to secure better trade terms. Most country-specific rates ranging from 10% to 41% took effect on August 7. The policy has drawn criticism from US lawmakers over the potential damage to the economy. On Friday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that Trump misused his authority by imposing tariffs under an emergency-powers statute, saying only Congress can authorize these measures. The court stopped short of canceling the tariffs, giving the administration until mid-October to appeal to the Supreme Court. Trump blasted the ruling, warning of dire consequences if it stands. “More than 15 Trillion Dollars will be invested in the USA, a RECORD. Much of this investment is because of Tariffs,” he wrote on Truth Social on Monday. “If a Radical Left Court is allowed to terminate these Tariffs, almost all of this investment, and much more, will be immediately cancelled! In many ways, we would become a Third World Nation, with no hope of GREATNESS again.” The court ruling covers two sets of tariffs: Broad “reciprocal” tariffs on most US trade partners, and tariffs on goods from Canada, China, and Mexico linked to drug trafficking claims. The decision does not affect targeted tariffs, such as those on foreign steel, aluminum, and autos, as they were enacted under separate laws. Trump has argued that tariffs are good for the economy, presenting them as tools to secure better trade terms, revive manufacturing, and cut deficits. Economists, however, warn that the policy risks pushing the US into recession. Russia has not been targeted with tariffs due to the existing sanctions, but Trump has threatened higher tariffs on its trade partners if the Ukraine conflict is not resolved. Last month, he doubled tariffs on India to 50%, accusing it of aiding Moscow by buying Russian oil, and hinted at new measures against China. View the full article

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization must continue to oppose “hegemonism and power politics,” the Chinese leader has said Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) should continue to resist “hegemonism and power politics” to help build a fairer international system, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday as he opened the group’s summit in Tianjin. Delivering a keynote speech to leaders and representatives of member and partner nations, Xi invoked what he called the “Shanghai spirit” of “mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of shared development.” Xi praised the progress made by the SCO since its founding in 2001 and outlined new priorities. He said members must “oppose the Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation, and bullying practices” – terms often used by Beijing to criticize US and Western policies. “We should advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and make the global governance system more just and equitable,” he added. The Chinese leader also urged members to pursue win-win cooperation while respecting their national differences, strengthening exchanges between their peoples, and pushing for greater efficiency and evidence-based policymaking within the SCO. The regional group’s collective economic output has reached $30 trillion, Xi noted, adding that its global influence was expanding accordingly. Members are working together to address challenges including security, environmental issues, and innovation, he added. China’s cumulative trade with SCO nations has surpassed $2.3 trillion, Xi said, highlighting projects under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative and other mechanisms. He pledged further investments, including in education and the training of scientific and engineering skills required to sustain future growth. More than 20 nations from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East are participating in the Chinese-hosted gathering, as well as representatives of leading international organizations, including the UN and ASEAN. View the full article

Alright, let’s clear something up: ‘Latino’ isn’t a race, it’s a whole cultural playlist, and it doesn’t come with a single skin tone. You can’t just lump them all in one box, no matter how much you think you know about tacos, salsa, or the word ‘si!’” When My Mom Said a Brazilian Man “Looked Black” But He Was Black .. So, my mom was dating this Brazilian guy from Rio de Janeiro, shout out to the cariocas… I lived in Rio for three years. Anyway, this guy was a black Brazilian guy. And one day, my mom commented describing what he looks like to me when I asked, and she said, “he looks black, but he’s Brazilian”, something along those lines. I had to educate her. But anyway, this brings into an important distinction… Latinos, including Brazilians, are NOT a race but rather an ethnicity. Latinos refer to an ancestral heritage from people of Latin American origin, where, for the most part, people speak Spanish. Still, some speak Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, as well as some indigenous languages. This is due to colonization. But also, Latinos can be of many races, just like weAmericans can. There are many indigenous/native/indian people throughout the Americas, with some countries, such as Bolivia, Peru, and Mexico, having a more substantial presence. Despite this, many of these groups have faced significant erasure throughout those countries and the Americas in general. There are white Latinos or very light-skinned Latinos due to European ancestry from mainly Spain and Portugal, but also the Netherlands, France, Italy, and other countries. You can find countries with large white populations in places like Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. I‘ve seen countless white, blue-eyed Latina women who look just like my non-Hispanic white American mother when I lived in Argentina and Brazil. Slavery wasn’t just an American thing; those boats were making stops all over the Americas, from the U.S. to the tip of South America, making sure Black Latinos are just as much a part of the story, on top of some African immigration to South America. A small fact, Brazil has more black people than the United States and has the second largest black population in the world, second only to Nigeria. Latinos can be shocker…. asian… The second largest population of Japanese people is in Brazil. Countries like Peru and Argentina have thriving Chinese and Korean communities. So, yeah, Latino identity isn’t just about tacos and salsa; it’s a global mix of cultures, histories, and races. Unlike the United States, where segregation was once the law and still exists today, South America is a predominantly mixed continent, but still with monoracial or mostly monoracial populations present in Latin America. So, let’s stop pretending Latinos are some homogenous group, y’all. Latinos come in all shades, shapes, and sizes, just like Americans do, and the sooner we realize that, the sooner we can stop reducing an entire ETHNICITY/culture to just one race. So next time someone tells you, “Oh, he doesn’t look Latino or… I knew it, he totally does look latino” …. give them a quick history lesson, and remind ’em it’s a whole damn spectrum, not a monolith. When Privilege Meets Misunderstanding: The N-Word and the ‘I’m Not Racist’ Card I’m going to tell two quick stories before I get into why privilege meets common misunderstandings. One from last year, where I was watching…. with my head down… my guilty pleasure BADDIES, specifically Baddies Caribbean. And a light-skinned, practically white Puerto Rican woman was attacked for saying the N word. Her excuse was “She’s Puerto Rican”. I’m not going to go into Baddies and all the toxicity that occurred on the show. But within the comment section, it popped off. Many people made comments about why this white Puerto Rican named Gretchen could NOT say the N word when other brown/black Latinas could…. The second story, which is similar, but I can still remember, is the story of SOHO Karen, who virally accused a black teenager of stealing her phone, despite him being the culprit. But later in an interview with Gayle King, she defended herself and said she can’t be racist because she’s a person of color….. Girl, if you don’t get your ‘I’m not racist, I have a Black friend’ energy outta here… Racism doesn’t care about your skin tone, honey, it cares about your actions, biases, and the mess you make when you assume the worst about people. But what these two stories highlight is the confusion of privilege despite being a person of color. There’s the confusion of racial identity. There’s a confusion that racism isn’t just about skin color. Latinos and people of color can absolutely have privilege while still being a person of color. I’m biracial, Black and white, but I’ve experienced privilege thanks to my lighter skin and the proximity I’ve had to whiteness growing up. I’m not alone in this; plenty of people of color benefit from certain privileges. Take, for example, lighter-skinned Latinos who get treated differently than their darker-skinned counterparts, or the Asian Americans who ‘pass’ as white and experience less racial profiling. And don’t even get me started on the whole ‘token POC’ thing, just because you’re the only brown face in the room doesn’t mean you’re not getting special treatment. The white Latina who thinks she can use the N-word because of her “Puerto Rican blood” is exercising privilege without understanding black history and culture, including Afro-Latino history & culture. Similarly, the light-skinned Latina who claims she can’t be racist because of her “brown-ish” complexion ignores the nuances of how racism operates within and outside her community. So, let’s be real: just because you’re a person of color doesn’t mean you can’t walk around with a little privilege. Don’t let the ‘I’m POC, therefore I’m oppressed’ narrative fool you. Just because you’re brown doesn’t mean you’re immune to the same biases and privileges others get. You might wanna rethink that ‘I’m one of the good ones’ mentality before it bites you in the ass. Racism Isn’t Just About Skin Color Racism goes beyond skin tone. The light-skinned Latina’s claim that she isn’t racist simply because she’s Puerto Rican highlights how racism is more about actions, biases, and supporting or perpetuating systemic inequalities. Similarly, the white Latina using racial slurs undermines the fact that her white privilege doesn’t erase racial oppression faced by others. There’s a lot of antiblackness within the Latino communities. A lot of history of blanqueamiento within Latin America, where the governments of some of these countries intentionally tried to whiten their population through immigration and other tactics. There are many stories where abuelos y abuelas were hoping and praying their grandchildren would be whiter/lighter to better the race “mejorar la raza”. The Brazilian country has had its own Black Lives Matter movement due to racism, poverty, classism, and police brutality within that country. And outside of the Latin context, asian cultures and African cultures have had a lot of colorism too, where light-skinned is the preferred, and promoted through skin bleaching creams and makeup, or using umbrellas at a damn beach so they don’t get too dark. India has a whole caste system that isn’t just about skin color, but a bunch of other nuanced and complex issues, and it has some relevance to skin color. Latinos Aren’t a Monolith, And Neither Is Privilege Alright, y’all, let’s keep it 100: just because you’re a person of color doesn’t mean you’re immune to privilege. Whether you’re light-skinned, ‘passing’ in certain spaces, or using your ‘Puerto Rican blood’ as an excuse to drop the N-word, it’s time to recognize the privileges that come with your identity. Latin America, for example, isn’t a monolith; it’s a vibrant mix of cultures, histories, and races. From Indigenous to Afro-Latino to European to Asian ancestry, the Latinx community spans a whole damn spectrum of identities. So, stop pretending like they’re all one thing or another, and start realizing that racism isn’t just about skin color, it’s about the biases, systems, and privileges you get, whether you know it or not. So, check your privilege, or trust me, it’ll check you back! If you’re still here, you’re either learning something new or about to drop some knowledge in the comments. Either way, hit that clap button, share this with your people, and let’s keep this convo going. Don’t just read, spread the truth! And hey, if you think this deserves more ears, help an hermano out and drop some love in the comments. More interactions = more eyes on this story. And speaking of systems of oppression, if you’re feeling the weight of these intersecting issues, check out my article Blood on the Floor, Borders at the Door, where I dive into how America’s meat industry exploits not just immigrants but animals too. It’s all connected, whether we’re talking race, privilege, or the violence inflicted on marginalized communities. If you care about the truth, you’ll want to give that a read.” — 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: Bran Sodre On Unsplash The post Latino Ain’t a Race — Here’s Why That Mix-Up’s a Problem appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

🔥 My pick: COSORI 9-in-1 air fryer (25% off) Healthy, easy, crispy food! I’m an air fryer gal. If you’ve been waiting to jump on the bandwagon, this is your sign. 🍓 Digital food scale (30% off): From meal prep to portion control, this beats the old “eyeballing” method. 🌡️ Meat thermometer (20% off): Save your BBQ dinners. No more “Is this done, or am I risking salmonella?” 🍵 Milk frother wand (17% off): Café vibes at home. Get barista-level foam without the upcharge. 🍾 Champagne & wine sealer (39% off): Keep your “special occasion” drink fresh for days. 😋 ICYMI: I rounded up 25 more Labor Day deals you’ll love. And if your cart’s not full, swing by my Amazon shop for even more holiday steals. We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective. The post Fire up your Labor Day kitchen appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

The Russian leader has thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for hosting direct talks between Moscow and Kiev Türkiye’s mediation in the Ukraine conflict continues to be valued, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China. Putin thanked Ankara for hosting several rounds of direct peace talks between Moscow and Kiev. The three rounds held in Istanbul this year have “produced progress in resolving several humanitarian issues,” Putin said, adding that Türkiye’s role “will remain in demand in the future.” In May, Kiev agreed to resume direct talks with Moscow, a process it abandoned in 2022, after the administration of US President Donald Trump encouraged renewed negotiations. The discussions have since resulted in prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of soldiers’ remains. ”We consider Türkiye a reliable, time-tested partner both in bilateral affairs and on the international arena,” Putin said. He also pointed to mutual investments, Russia’s position as Türkiye’s main natural gas supplier, and the ongoing construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, the country’s first, which benefits from Russian technological expertise. Millions of Russian tourists also visit Türkiye each year, enjoying the country’s hospitality, Putin noted. On foreign policy, he said Russian-Turkish coordination remains “well-tuned” and marked by the “useful and... trusted” nature of cooperation. View the full article

A 6.0-magnitude quake struck Kunar Province in the eastern part of the country late on Sunday At least 800 people have been killed and over 2,800 injured after a powerful 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan late on Sunday, the country’s Information Ministry has said, noting that the death toll is likely to rise. The quake is reported to have struck at around midnight local time (GMT+4:30), with its epicenter near the city of Jalalabad in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, about 120km east of Kabul, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The initial quake was soon followed up with a 4.5-magnitude aftershock and another 5.2-magnitude earthquake. “Sadly, tonight’s earthquake has caused loss of life and property damage in some of our eastern provinces. Local officials and residents are currently engaged in rescue efforts for the affected people,” spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on X, adding that all available resources will be mobilized to save lives. ⚠About 500 people died, over 1 thousand were injured in the #earthquake in #Afghanistan - RTA TV channel According to the US Geological Survey, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 occurred in the area of ​​the city of #Jalalabad, not far from the border with Pakistan. A… pic.twitter.com/JxA7GtafRe — News.Az (@news_az) September 1, 2025 In Kunar, one of the hardest-hit provinces, houses collapsed and whole villages have reportedly been flattened. “Children are under the rubble. The elderly are under the rubble. Young people are under the rubble,” a villager from the region has told the media, pleading for people to come help pull out those who have been trapped. This is incredibly sad and I’m so sorry to share it but I think everyone needs to see how deadly the earthquake in #Afghanistan has been. Authorities say over 500 people have died in Koner and many people are still under the rubble. pic.twitter.com/3U5Uvrop4n — Aima Khan (@aima_kh) September 1, 2025 Casualties have been reported across the Nur Gal, Sawki, Watpur, Manogi and Chapa Dara districts, the information ministry noted, adding that figures remain preliminary due to difficulties reaching remote areas in the mountainous region. Military helicopters and rescue teams are intensifying efforts to evacuate the injured and deliver aid. With mountain passes cut off and communications disrupted, officials warned that the full scale of the devastation may take days to assess. Taliban officials have appealed to international aid organizations to urgently provide medical supplies, tents, and rescue equipment. Iran has already offered to send humanitarian aid. The disaster comes less than two years after a series of powerful tremors in Herat Province killed more than 2,400 people in October 2023, one of Afghanistan’s deadliest quakes in recent history. View the full article

Kenyan authorities have confirmed that 32 victims and dozens of body parts have been uncovered Kenyan authorities have uncovered more than 30 bodies in a remote village, in a case tied to an alleged religious cult headed by self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie, Reuters reported on Friday. Government pathologist Richard Njoroge was cited as confirming that seven bodies were recovered on Thursday in Kwa Binzaro, bringing the total number exhumed in the area over the past week to 32. Forensic teams continue searches, combing dense shrubland for concealed graves. “We have exhumed seven bodies and also collected 54 body parts which are spread distances away from the graves. So they look like they were spread by, excavated and eaten by wild animals,” the pathologist said. Kwa Binzaro lies about 30km from Shakahola, where prosecutors say alleged cult leader Mackenzie instructed his followers to starve themselves in anticipation of the end of the world in order to “meet Jesus.” In 2023, more than 430 bodies were exhumed from dozens of mass graves in the nearby Shakahola forest. Autopsies revealed that most victims had died of starvation, while some, including children, were allegedly beaten or strangled. Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church and self-proclaimed pastor, has been charged in separate cases with terrorism, murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, and child torture and cruelty. He was arrested in April 2023 after police rescued 15 emaciated church members. At least 11 suspects are being investigated for alleged involvement in organized crime, radicalization, facilitation of terrorism, and murder. In July, a Malindi court authorized Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations to exhume bodies from shallow graves in the Kwa Binzaro area. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said initial findings suggest victims may have been starved or suffocated under extreme religious practices. Police added that survivors could not account for several missing children, raising suspicions of foul play. In August, Kenyan Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen linked the graves in Kwa Binzaro to Mackenzie’s cult. Following the mass graves discovered in Shakahola, Kenyan President William Ruto’s government pledged tighter regulation of religious groups and stronger community-based surveillance. View the full article

By Jared Ewy Master Falconer Sam Dollar doesn’t want any credit, but he shares way too much incredible information not to be quoted. “Ghengis Khan had thousands of falcons. They used them for hunting — to bring back food,” says Dollar casually as if he didn’t just blow my mind with perhaps the first ever food delivery service. “Once we discovered the bow and arrow and black powder they went out of fashion,” he ends while overseeing a resurgence of falconry among weapons that are far more advanced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PRbj19LS6I He advises and trains the Air Force Academy Falconry Team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The birds they train are the mascots for as many extracurricular events they can cover. It’s no small deal to be on the team. There is training, tryouts, and you’d better be OK with butchering quail to feed the falcons their daily 10% of their body weight. Cadet Rebecca Hoffman is a rising sophomore and shares more about the process. “It starts in January and they make selections of freshman cadets in March,” she says. While casually carving up a small bird, she also confirms that the process includes being tested on meal prep. Like many of the cadets I talk to, she had not foreseen becoming an apprentice to a master falconer, but the Air Force Academy requires that you participate in extracurriculars. Once falconer hopefuls meet these birds and see all the places they get to go, they’re hooked. “They’re the front-facing team for the Academy so they go out and do all of the publicity,” says retired Lieutenant Colonel Rochelle Kimbrell. She knows a thing or two about being in the public as she’s the first African-American female fighter pilot to fly combat missions. Now she simply wants to be referred to as a volunteer. As you might expect, she knows her aviation history and explains the inspiration for modern jet airplane aerodynamics. “The way that a falcon’s nose is designed, they’ve got inner coils that disperse the air so they don’t asphyxiate when they’re coming down that fast. Nature is fascinating and that’s where we get all of our designs from,” finishes Kimbrell as she scans the field for a trainee rocketing towards a cadet spinning a bean bag associated with food. Falcons are fast. They own the record for fastest animal on the planet with speeds over 200 mph. Today, however, they just need to be interested in a treat. As they train for the 2025 USAFA commencement ceremony, the falcons need only remember there’s a snack awaiting them if they fly onto the field without getting distracted. You get the idea that it’s not too different for the cadets. When they do their best, both the institution and animal take flight. Their time and training together is a treat for everyone who sees it. I asked Dollar if he thought any of the cadets would continue their falconry beyond their four years in Colorado Springs. “Some of them are very good and you wonder if down the road it’s something they’ll do,” he begins before pondering their reality. “But right now their lives are very much planned out for them so they don’t have much chance to do it.” He laughs at the thought of trying to keep a raptor on whichever base the graduates end up next. For now, though, the cadets seem to love the opportunity to wow the world with their air supremacy. “She flew really well today,” says Cadet Katarina Schultz with Zeva, a hybrid Gyr-Saker falcon, perched on her glove. “She came to the glove, she caught the bag—overall she had a really good performance today.” This article first appeared on The Daily Yonder and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. — Previously Published on dailyyonder.com with Creative Commons License *** – The world is changing fast. We help you keep up. We’ll send you 1 post, 3x per week. Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today. All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. A complete list of benefits is here. — Photo: unsplash The post Training, Tryouts for the Air Force Academy Falconry Team appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

🚨 Terrible “bargains” alert: Scammers are filling Facebook and Instagram with fake “closing down sale” ads. Think heartfelt pleas about retiring small businesses and jaw‑dropping discounts. A researcher found over 50,000 ads repeating the same copy. Before you buy, check the comments and reverse‑image search the photos. The post Terrible “bargains alert appeared first on Komando.com. View the full article

From imperial tunics to Soviet aprons to today’s national standards, the uniform has shaped how Russians see equality, order, and tradition in the classroom In Russia, September 1 is more than just the start of a new school year. Known as the Day of Knowledge, it is a national ritual celebrated in every town and city. On this morning, schoolyards turn into small festivals: Girls in crisp blouses with white ribbons in their hair, boys in freshly pressed suits, the air filled with the scent of asters and chrysanthemums brought as gifts for teachers. Parents gather with cameras, loudspeakers crackle with speeches, and the ringing of the first bell marks the beginning of the academic year. At the center of this ritual is the school uniform. Generations of Russians recall its look and feel – from the brown dresses and white aprons of Soviet schoolgirls to the blue jackets of boys with the emblem of an open book stitched on the sleeve. For Russians, the uniform is more than a dress code. It is part of a cultural tradition that conveys discipline, equality, and belonging. And its history, stretching back nearly two centuries, mirrors the broader story of Russian society itself. Origins of the school uniform The story of the school uniform begins not in Russia but in Britain. In the 16th century, Christ’s Hospital, a charitable school for orphans and children from poor families, introduced a distinctive Tudor-style outfit: Long blue coats, pleated skirts for girls, and breeches for boys. In England, uniform was associated with poverty and charity – clothing meant to signal modest means. When the idea crossed into Russia, it was transformed. In 1834, Tsar Nicholas I, a monarch with a passion for order and discipline, approved the ‘Regulations on Civil Uniforms’. From that moment, not only state officials but also students at gymnasiums and lyceums were required to wear prescribed dress. Boys appeared in dark-green tunics with blue collars, gold or silver trim, and matching caps; girls, as female education expanded, wore modest long brown dresses with aprons – black for everyday use, white for festive occasions. The Russian school uniform was modeled on military attire and carried a different symbolism than in Britain. Rather than signaling poverty, it marked status. Only families who were wealthy enough could send their children to gymnasiums, and the uniform became a visible badge of belonging to the educated class. By the late 19th century, green jackets gave way to dark blue, ornate standing collars alternated with simpler turn-down styles, and gymnasium boys were mockingly nicknamed ‘blue beef’ for their dark-blue coats. Girls’ uniforms, though less strictly regulated, also developed traditions: Younger pupils wore darker shades, older ones lighter, a hierarchy of colors preserved at elite institutions like the Smolny Institute. By the 1880s, the student cap with a leather visor and emblem made it possible to tell at a glance which school a boy attended. And although daily wear grew more practical – gymnasts’ tunics or simpler woolen coats – the principle remained unchanged: The uniform was a civic version of the military coat, a lesson in discipline, and a marker of social standing. Revolution, rejection, and return The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 swept away many of the symbols of imperial Russia, and the school uniform was among them. To the new authorities, gymnasium tunics and aprons represented both social inequality and the ‘unfreedom’ of the student – an outward sign of belonging to the privileged classes. There was also a more pragmatic reason: The impoverished state, and no less impoverished parents, simply had no resources to supply children with specially tailored clothing. In the 1920s and 1930s, students came to school in whatever they had, and uniform became a relic of the past. © Wikipedia The first steps toward reintroducing uniforms came not in general schools but in vocational and technical institutions. From the 1940s, craft and railway schools adopted standard dress, complete with insignia on caps and badges on belts. In these cases, uniforms were issued at state expense, which not only reinforced discipline but also encouraged many to continue their education. The decisive turn came after World War II. In 1948, the Soviet authorities formally restored the school uniform in general education, drawing on pre-revolutionary models. Boys wore gray tunics with belts and caps, marked with a distinctive ‘Ш’ – the Cyrillic letter ‘Sh’ for ‘shkola’ (school) – on both the cap badge and belt buckle. Girls appeared in brown dresses with removable white collars and cuffs, black aprons for everyday use, and white aprons for holidays. The symbolism was deliberate. In a country devastated by war and rebuilding from ruins, uniforms embodied the idea of equality, unity, and a hopeful future. Just as factories and housing blocks were standardized, so too was the appearance of the Soviet schoolchild – disciplined, neat, and part of a collective whole. Soviet transformations By the mid-1950s, the gray tunics of postwar boys had already shown their flaws. Ink stains and constant wear made them impractical, and in 1954 the uniform shifted to dark blue. Senior students were gradually released from the obligation to wear full uniform, though badges, red pioneer scarves, and Komsomol pins remained visible symbols of youth organizations. For girls, the brown dress with its black or white apron proved remarkably durable. Worn with removable collars and cuffs, paired with white socks or tights, and accompanied by neatly braided hair tied with ribbons, it became one of the most recognizable images of Soviet childhood. The strict rules forbade jewelry or makeup, and teachers vigilantly enforced these standards. Only in the 1980s did girls’ uniforms undergo significant change, with the introduction of blue three-piece suits – skirt, vest, and jacket – or jumpers for younger pupils. In colder regions, trousers were permitted for the first time. Boys’ wardrobes changed more frequently. In the early 1960s, the military-style tunics gave way to gray flannel suits with single-breasted jackets. A decade later, these were replaced by dark-blue ensembles: Flared trousers and short jackets with shoulder straps and decorative stitching that echoed the popular denim look. On the sleeve appeared a patch with an open book and rising sun, symbolizing the motto ‘learning is light’. By the 1980s, older boys were dressed in sober blue suits, while the red pioneer scarf remained an essential element of school identity. Through each of these transformations, the uniform remained both practical clothing and a tool of education. It embodied discipline, reinforced collective identity, and reflected the optimism of its time – from the space-age dreams of the 1960s to the proud spectacle of the Moscow Olympics in 1980. Abandonment and return The collapse of the Soviet Union brought with it the collapse of the school uniform. By 1991, the factories that produced standardized clothing were shutting down, and by 1994 the legal requirement for uniforms had been formally abolished. For the first time in generations, Russian children were free to dress as they pleased. The 1990s became an era of sartorial chaos in the classroom. Students arrived in jeans, bright sweaters, and T-shirts, often mirroring the subcultures of the time. For some, this freedom was exhilarating; for teachers, it was a challenge. Clothing became another way to signal social status, and disputes over what was appropriate became part of school life. A few institutions experimented with looser ‘business style’ dress codes, but the results were uneven and often unpopular. By the early 2010s, however, the pendulum began to swing back. In 2013, a new federal law on education gave schools the right to require uniforms, though the style and color were left to the discretion of each institution. Gradually, more schools reintroduced formal dress codes, seeing them as a way to restore order, foster equality, and revive tradition. For today’s students, especially in the younger grades, jackets, skirts, and dark trousers are once again the norm, signaling not only the return of discipline to the classroom but also a cultural continuity with Russia’s past. Contemporary debates and the 2025 standard In recent years, discussion about school uniforms in Russia has returned with new intensity. In the summer of 2025, public debate was stirred by reports that a single Soviet-style uniform would once again become mandatory. In reality, the change was far less dramatic. What appeared on the horizon was not a return to the identical brown dresses and blue suits of the past, but the introduction of a new national standard. On September 3, 2025, a new state standard – ‘GOST’ – for school uniforms will come into effect. Developed by Roskachestvo and the Innovation Center for Textile and Light Industry under the Ministry of Trade, it sets out requirements not for style or color, but for quality and safety. Jackets, shirts, skirts, trousers, pinafores, and other items must meet standards for durability, breathability, resistance to wear, and ease of care. As officials explained, the goal is to protect parents and children from poorly made garments and to encourage manufacturers to produce clothing that can withstand daily use. The standard is voluntary, though producers may choose to certify their products against it. Experts describe the measure as a kind of “retro-innovation.” Ivan Ivanov of the Higher School of Economics called it “a return of an old but not outdated tool of education,” while industry officials emphasize that lasting, washable, and comfortable clothing is as much a necessity as it is a tradition. Support for the idea of uniforms remains high: Surveys in 2018 showed that more than 80% of Russians favored their return, compared with two-thirds just five years earlier. For many educators, the question is not whether uniforms are needed, but how flexible they should be. Some, like St. Petersburg school director Konstantin Tkhostov, argue that GOST should be mandatory to guarantee quality and affordability across the country. Others, including Education Ombudsman Amet Volodarsky, stress that schools must retain the freedom to choose models suited to local needs while ensuring that uniforms prevent brand competition and social division among children. What unites all sides of the debate is the recognition that school uniforms in today’s Russia are not a relic. They remain a living part of educational culture – a way to discipline, to equalize, and to give children a sense of belonging. Expert views Supporters of the school uniform point out that its value lies not only in tradition but in its impact on children’s psychology, social life, and even their future careers. Child psychologist and neuropsychologist Natalya Naumova explains that uniforms help children focus on learning rather than appearance. “Uniforms bring students together by making them look alike regardless of their background. “Children are less distracted by who dresses better or worse, and instead can build friendships without social markers. “For teachers, it sets clear expectations and helps create a more serious attitude toward study.” Stylist and parent Lyudmila Bryantseva highlights the role of uniforms in shaping taste and professionalism from an early age. “A dress code organizes and disciplines, but it also teaches neatness and a sense of appropriateness in clothing. “There is even a term in styling – the smart look. It means a person dressed in a restrained, businesslike way already appears intellectual, already strives to live up to that image. A uniform not only unites a class but gives children a sense of collective identity and tradition.” Fashion designer Aleksey Sukharev emphasizes the link between school uniforms and preparation for adult life. “It instills taste from childhood and teaches children that there is a place for certain clothes – some things belong in school, others outside of it. Later, it makes the transition to an adult wardrobe much easier.” For Amet Volodarsky, the national education ombudsman, uniforms are essential not just for discipline but for social equality. “A uniform gives children a sense of belonging and discipline, which is crucial today. At the same time, I believe schools should be free to choose their own designs. “I have seen how brand competition in clothing divides classes and even leads to bullying. A school uniform helps reduce that pressure.” Together, these voices underscore why uniforms remain so central in Russian schools. They discipline and unify, they teach taste and appropriateness, and they shield children from the social divides that free dress can bring. A living tradition Just days before the start of the school year, Moscow’s GUM department store opened an exhibition titled ‘The History of School Uniform, 1900-2025’. Organized by the Bosco di Ciliegi group together with the Ministry of Education, the show guides visitors through more than a century of uniforms: From the ornate dresses and tunics of imperial gymnasiums, to the iconic Soviet brown aprons and blue jackets, to the modern variations worn today. Archival photographs, school accessories, and multimedia displays allow visitors to see how the uniform has changed with the country – and how every button carries its own story. At the opening, Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov noted that schools remain free to set their own styles, but that uniforms play an essential role: “A school uniform carries an important educational function. It disciplines. And in many schools there are good traditions associated with the school uniform.” The school uniform, in other words, is not just a piece of clothing. It is a time machine, carrying the memory of generations – from the pupils of Nicholas I’s gymnasiums, through Soviet classrooms filled with paper airplanes and pioneer scarves, to today’s students preparing for a future shaped by innovation. Across these eras, its meaning has remained constant: Discipline, equality, and a sense of belonging. View the full article

The SCO has a long track record of fostering regional stability and could take on a larger role, the president has said The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) could become the leading vehicle to usher in a more fair system of international relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, adding that he supports China’s initiatives in this regard. Speaking at the extended session of the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, Putin noted that the high attendance of the gathering is proof of a “genuine interest and attention to the multifaceted activities” of the organization. He noted that since its inception in 2001, the SCO has sought to build “an atmosphere of peace and security, trust and cooperation on the common Eurasian continent.” “It seems that the SCO could take a leading role in efforts to form a more just and equitable global governance system,” Putin suggested, adding that it would be based on the primacy of international law and the key provisions of the UN Charter. In light of this, Putin continued, Russia has taken note of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ideas on the matter. The topic, according to Putin, has become “especially relevant in a situation where some countries still do not abandon their pursuit of dominance in international affairs.” The Russian president did not elaborate on this statement, but the comments come against the backdrop of unprecedented Western pressure on Russia. View the full article

DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONS Do you want to stand out? Are you doing everything you can to be the best? Are your standards higher than the rest? I think maybe we are reaching for stars and forgetting most people simply need to reach for the light switch to see where they are. EXCEPTION TO THE RULE I’ve always wanted to break away from the pack. I always wanted to be different. Different tone. Different voice. Different way to work. Anything to not be normal. Is this you? Are you looking to rise above what others call mediocre? I was looking for that rise above mediocre. International best-selling author, distinguished graduate, first in my family to gross a million, desire to deploy to war zone, prove my toughness, win a state football champion…but none of it brought me anything other than the exception. No real recognition. No real affirmation. No real applause. Men do you feel the same way? My attitude for ‘different’ continued professionally. I wanted to innovate. I wanted to do things differently. I had creative structures no one ever saw before. Everything was the first time someone ever heard of it. The same thing with my relationships. I wanted it to be the exception to the rule. Inevitably, I became so exceptional that I was exceptional at having no one understand what I was doing. This is probably why my wife has such a hard time soliciting opinions from her friends. It’s probably why the DA has such a hard time believing I’m not a bad person. That my friends, is the lesson. No one understands what I do and people always fear what they do not understand. It’s easy to make assumptions rather than make the effort to learn. EXCEPTION MEANS You simply aren’t like everyone else. That doesn’t mean good. That doesn’t mean bad. It simply means different. Since humans are a social creature we crave community. How can you find a community of exceptional people when the very nature of exception means to be different? Do you see the irony? In my quest to be different — I achieved exactly what I sought out. I am completely different than everyone else. I keep obtaining different results. These results give me the hardships I endure for the same things others do. Is this really a good thing? Sometimes exception is not good. Sometimes it’s just different. Sometimes being normal is better. Sometimes adhering to a pre-determined standard is best. Ever try reading scripture? It’s giving me a whole better standard to live by. I think you should try it too. IN CLOSING Sign up for free to listen free of charge to my chapter in “Many Paths To Profit” to read about how I look at things. My dynamic form of observing and reframing will help you to accomplish things like what we have discussed in today’s article. I have a free podcast called Hustle Kick as well which teaches you how to hustle for free. You can pick up a copy of my international best-selling and award winning book, “I Made It Then I Didn’t” as well for a deeper insight on some of the psychology I use to take me through difficult circumstances. Not every exception is good. Learn to know the difference. To Your Knowledge Success! … Sources 1) The life of Christopher Knight Lopez a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”. 2) As Hyperlinked throughout the article. … Enjoy the read? Reward the writer. Your tip will go to Christopher Lopez through a third-party platform of their choice, letting them know you appreciate their story. Click the link below to tip the author! https://ko-fi.com/chrislopez33885 Sign Up for Medium Today! Gain unlimited access to all my articles and thousands of premium quality articles today. … Not a form of investment advice. Please consult a professional registered to give you advice about your individual circumstance. This is not formal counseling or a form of psychology. Please consult a licensed therapist or psychiatrist for psychological concerns. Please do not email the author about advice on investing or strategies on making investments. This article is for educational purposes and entertainment purposes only. About Christopher: Christopher Knight Lopez is a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller, Award Winner of the December 2024 prestigious International Impact Book Awards — a premier award program dedicated to celebrating and recognizing the exceptional work of authors around the globe and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”. He is also a Co-Author with Kevin “The Shark” Harrington “Many Paths To Profit”. See more at www.christopherklopez.com. — 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: Annie Spratt On Unsplash The post I Thought I Was An Exceptional Man appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The Indian leader has called for the SCO to have a unified approach in the fight against terrorism Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on fellow Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members to oppose “double standards” on terrorism. Speaking at the 25th Council of SCO Heads of State meeting in Tianjin on Monday Modi said there needed to be “unity” in the fight against terror. Referring to the April terrorist attack in Pahalgam in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 lives, he said “many friendly countries” stood by India. “We must clearly and unanimously declare that double standards on terrorism are unacceptable,” Modi added.” We must collectively oppose terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. This is our duty to humanity.” 🇮🇳 #SCO2025: Five Key Takeaways from PM Modi's Address in Tianjin From a crackdown on terror to connectivity, here's what Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to say: ❌ No Double Standards on Terrorism: Challenge to ALL Humanity. Terrorism needs to be condemned in every form -… pic.twitter.com/ztKOHoT2Kv — RT_India (@RT_India_news) September 1, 2025 In his speech, the Indian leader made a veiled reference to SCO member Pakistan, who India has blamed for the April terror attack. “It raises a serious question - should a country openly supporting terrorism be acceptable to any of us,” Modi asked. SCO members voiced their support for India and expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the dead and the wounded in the Kashmir attack. “The Member States strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, stress that double standards in the fight against terrorism are unacceptable, and call on the international community to combat terrorism, including cross-border movement of terrorists,” a joint statement on Monday said. In his opening speech on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged SCO member states to “seek common ground while putting aside differences” and pursue “mutual benefit and win-win results” as the bloc charts its path forward. While talking about connectivity between SCO members, Modi called on states to respect territorial sovereignty. India has objected to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through territory controlled by Islamabad but claimed by New Delhi. CPEC is a part of China’s flagship Belt and Road initiative, a global infrastructure development program. He, however, added that connectivity is a cornerstone of growth and trust. Sharing India’s initiatives in this regard, Modi said India is working on projects like the Chabahar Port and the International North-South Transport Corridor. “This will help us improve connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia,” he said. View the full article

MOSCOW, SEPTEMBER 1, 2025 — On September 1, RT premieres Imperial Receipts with Dr. Shashi Tharoor, a series hosted by the Chair of the Indian Parliament’s External Affairs Committee. The program tackles a deeply complex and sensitive issue for India: how British colonialism transformed the country and how its effects are still felt today. Across ten episodes, the popular politician, diplomat and author explores his country’s past, dismantling long-standing myths about colonialism. Shashi Tharoor uncovers the real story of British rule in India – the plunder, oppression and devastation of a centuries-old culture and economy in one of the world’s largest nations, reducing one of humanity’s oldest and most distinctive civilizations to a mere supplier of raw materials and cheap labor. Beyond recounting the unvarnished truth of the past, the project also explores how colonialism echoes in today’s political and economic landscape, raising questions about the present and future. Who pays the price for the West’s ambitions, and what is that price? Will the stolen wealth be returned? And why is confronting the legacy of British colonialism essential for an honest dialogue about the global order today? ”For 200 years, somebody else has been deciding what you’re supposed to stand for in the world. The last thing you want to do is to surrender as an independent nation your right to have your own view to anybody else,” emphasizes show host Shashi Tharoor. A special preview episode, filmed in Moscow during Dr. Tharoor’s visit to the Russian capital, aired in mid-August. In it, the politician fielded questions from Russian and international students and foreign policy experts on topics ranging from history and politics to India’s future, globalization and the emerging world order. The Moscow visit, timed ahead of his show’s premiere, garnered extensive coverage in Indian and international media and trended on India’s political X feeds. Imperial Receipts will air weekly starting September 1 at 4:30 p.m. Moscow time (7:00 p.m. in India). RT Projects Other prominent figures hosting shows on RT include prolific Indian actor and best-selling author Anupam Kher, former President of Ecuador Rafael Correa, renowned American journalist Rick Sanchez and Kenya’s eminent pan-Africanist and anti-colonialism activist professor P.L.O. Lumumba. Throughout the years, RT has worked with leading international media and public sphere personalities, including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges, former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and journalist Max Keiser, dubbed the “most dangerous financial expert” by The Huffington Post. For over seven years, RT aired programs by broadcasting legend Larry King — PoliticKing and Larry King Now. During its coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, RT was joined by renowned coach José Mourinho and football stars Peter Schmeichel and Carlos Valderrama. About RT RT is a global television network operating news channels in English, Arabic, Spanish, German, Serbian and French, along with the documentary channel RTD in Russian and English. RT also runs online platforms in eight languages and includes the global multimedia news agency RUPTLY, which provides exclusive content to broadcasters worldwide. RT is available in Chinese on major social media platforms such as Weibo, Bilibili and Douyin, and in Hindi on local social platforms. The network broadcasts 24/7 to over 900 million viewers across more than 100 countries. RT plans to launch RT India by the end of 2025, broadcasting from a studio complex in New Delhi with news programming and shows tailored for a wide Indian audience. RT English is already carried by India’s largest satellite and cable operators, with a combined potential reach of 626 million viewers. View the full article

Both Moscow and Beijing aim to consolidate the Global South’s achievements, building on Pretoria’s presidency, the Russian leader has said Russia and China support South Africa’s G20 presidency and its efforts to strengthen gains for the Global South, President Vladimir Putin has said. Putin made the remarks in an interview with China’s Xinhua news agency on Saturday, responding to a question on how Moscow and Beijing safeguard their development and security interests, unite the Global South, and promote a fairer world order, by coordinating across multilateral platforms. Close cooperation between Moscow and Beijing has positively shaped the work of leading economic forums, including the G20 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Putin noted. “Within the G20, together with like-minded nations, and especially BRICS members, we have redirected the agenda towards issues of real importance to the global majority, strengthened the format by including the African Union, and deepened the synergies between the G20 and BRICS,” Putin stated. South Africa assumed the rotating presidency of the G20 on December 1, 2024, becoming the first African nation to lead the forum and will host group’s upcoming summit in Johannesburg in November under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged to use his country’s chairmanship to advance Africa and the Global South’s development priorities, including addressing the impacts of climate change. The government has since launched several initiatives, including a G20 task force to examine global wealth inequality and its impact on developing economies. US President Donald Trump and senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have accused Pretoria of advancing an “anti-American” agenda and said they would boycott the summit. Russia, however, has aligned itself with Pretoria’s priorities, calling South Africa’s chairmanship a milestone for the African continent and a constructive step for multilateralism. In February, ahead of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow, together with BRICS partners and other nations of the Global South and East, had managed to block Western attempts to “Ukrainize” the agenda of South Africa’s presidency and to impose discriminatory decisions on economics, finance, trade, and climate. View the full article

Welcome to Barcelona. A city renowned for its iconic architecture. World famous soccer teams. Sun kissed beaches. Did you know it is also the birthplace of one of my favorite clothing stores This is the fourth video in my Europe series. The last one was all about the French countryside. Specifically the Baj wine region. Feel free to check it out if you have not already … First Impressions Good morning from Barcelona. This place is amazing. People here are outgoing and very sweet. Yesterday we had a nine hour drive from France to get here Today we have a free day. I decide to go out on my own. I want to try more solo travel. I did it in London and love it. I was scared at first. I thought I would get lost or not know where want to go. It turned out to be the best thing I did. Now I want to do it again and again I do not want to rely on anyone right now. I want to take my time. I want to do things on my own terms … A Morning in the City I found a vegan cafe. I had avocado toast. Tofu scramble. Iced coffee. A croissant. I did not get to try one in Paris so I was glad to have one here. They use olive oil instead of butter. It works perfectly for me If you are not subscribed already make sure to do that for more travel vlogs Next I am going to Park Guell. It is a twenty minute walk. The weather is thirty four degrees. I love it. Every corner here is beautiful. Every balcony is unique. I found a sip and paint place. I do not have time for it this trip. I saw another vegan restaurant. Amazing … Solo Travel Tip When you travel alone it can be hard to capture the moment. I either use a self timer or ask someone who looks reliable to take the photo. … Meeting Uma I met Uma. She is also a solo traveler. We planned to visit Park Guell together but the tickets were sold out It is hot today. I am going to Zara to pick up something for the flamenco show tonight. Uma is going to the beach. She is from Copenhagen. She decided on this trip very spontaneously. Six days in Barcelona There is no Apple Pay here. Bring cash … Zara Beaches and a Flamenco Night Zara is amazing here. It was founded in Spain so shopping feels special. I bought a dress Then I went to Barcelona Beach. I only had forty minutes. I swam for ten. Then I rushed back to get ready for the flamenco show. I put a flower in my hair. Barcelona is stealing my heart. It is beautiful. The people are lovely … Sangria and Shared Laughter I tried sangria for the first time. It was a bit strong but had a sweet hint of fruit. We made up our own cheers word and shared it with others The night ended with flamenco dancing. Live music. Applause filled the room … Closing Thoughts Barcelona is a city of colors. A city of flavors. A city of rhythm. From vegan cafes to spontaneous friendships. From beach swims to flamenco nights. It invites you to slow down and enjoy every moment I only had one day here but I made the most of it. I will be back — 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: Dorian D1 on Unsplash The post Falling in Love With Barcelona appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Jobs will be cut across US state-funded broadcasters, an agency chief has confirmed US President Donald Trump has ordered more than 500 jobs to be slashed at state-funded propaganda outlets, in the latest move to cut what his administration views as wasteful or partisan government spending. The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and other state-funded broadcasters, announced the cuts to 532 positions on Friday. Acting chief executive Kari Lake said the move would “help reduce the federal bureaucracy, improve agency service, and save the American people more of their hard-earned money.” Lake did not detail which divisions would be most affected, but said the agency would “improve its ability to function and provide the truth to people across the world who live under murderous Communist governments and other tyrannical regimes.” In June, USAGM issued layoff notices to more than 600 employees. VOA director Michael Abramowitz was placed on administrative leave and later dismissed. During related litigation, the government disclosed that 486 of the workers targeted under the “reduction-in-forces” plan were VOA staff. Last week, US District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that the administration had not followed proper procedure in firing Abramowitz. Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA later became a Cold War propaganda tool under the CIA. Trump has labeled its current incarnation a “leftwing disaster” and “Democrat mouthpiece,” and in June called on Republicans to “kill” the outlet. Russia revoked VOA’s radio license in 2014 and fully banned the broadcaster in 2022, citing biased coverage of the Ukraine conflict. View the full article

By Sophia Kalakailo, City Bureau, Grist This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. Chicago residents risk daily lead exposure from toxic lead service lines, the underground pipes that connect buildings to the city’s water supply. The city has the most lead service lines in the country — around 412,000 — and officials don’t plan to finish replacing them all until 2076. With complete lead service line replacement more than 50 years away, here’s what you need to know about lead and how you can protect yourself. What’s the danger of lead? There is no safe level of lead exposure. It’s not healthy for anyone, but children under 6 and pregnant people are particularly vulnerable to the health risks. Even small amounts in the body can cause developmental delays and cognitive problems in children, experts say, and studies link exposure to heart disease in adults. Lead can affect almost every organ and system in your body. Chicago’s drinking water comes from Lake Michigan. City officials say the water treatment plant delivers drinking water with no detectable levels of lead. But the most common source of lead in drinking water are corroding lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures. If any of your plumbing infrastructure contains lead, it can flake or dissolve into your drinking water. You’re more likely to have a lead service line if your house was built before 1986, when lead pipes were banned nationwide. You cannot see, smell, or taste lead in drinking water. How do I know if I have a lead service line? You can search your address on Grist, Inside Climate News, and WBEZ’s lookup tool to see if your service line is made of lead. If you can find the pipe that goes into your water meter or shut-off valve from the street, this is how you can check if you have a lead pipe: Scratch it: Use a key or coin to scratch the pipe. Lead is silver-gray and shiny in color when scratched. Hold a magnet to the pipe: If it does not stick, it could be lead (lead is not magnetic). Your internal plumbing and faucets can also contain lead. That’s why it’s important to check all your plumbing fixtures and filter your water. How can I test my drinking water for lead? You can test for lead in your drinking water by doing either of the following: Request a free kit online or call 311. Follow the instructions and schedule a time for a city representative to come pick it up. Request a free water-quality lead inspection by a trained technician from the Chicago Department of Water Management. You should avoid using water six hours before the appointment, and you must be present for the scheduled inspection. Tests like these only provide a snapshot of lead levels in your drinking water at a specific moment in time — a low test result does not necessarily mean your water is safe. It’s important to filter water for drinking and cooking, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. I found lead in my water. What can I do? 1. Filter your water Filtering your water can greatly reduce your risk of exposure, but not all filters work for lead. Look for the “NSF/ANSI Standard 53” mark, which means it meets EPA standards. The product’s label should explicitly state that it is certified to reduce lead levels in water. Find out more from the EPA’s filter guide. Only use cold tap water when filtering water for drinking and cooking. Hot water can increase contamination risks. Boiling water does not remove lead. The city offers free water-filter sets to some residents, which include a water pitcher and six NSF-certified cartridges. You can look up your address here to find out whether you’re eligible. 2. Run your water longer The longer water sits in your pipes, the more lead it may collect. Whenever you haven’t used your water for six hours or more, run it for at least five minutes before using it for cooking and drinking. Pay attention to construction or maintenance on the water mains outside your home. Any disruption to your service line or pipes can release lead. You may need to run your water even longer. 3. Clean your aerator An aerator is the little screen that attaches to the end of your faucet. Sediment, debris, and lead particles can collect in your aerator — clean it regularly. 4. Check if you’re eligible for a free lead service line replacement The city has an online questionnaire to determine which replacement program you may be eligible for. Replacement programs include: An equity lead service line replacement program; homeowners who meet income requirements may be eligible for a completely free full lead service line replacement. Free lead line replacement to licensed daycares in prioritized neighborhoods. A waiver of up to $5,000 in permit fees for homeowners who hire a contractor to remove the lead service line. The city estimates that the cost of a full replacement can be anywhere from $16,000 to $35,000. 5. Talk to your doctor or pediatrician The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend testing blood for lead exposure. The Illinois Department of Public Health emphasizes the importance of blood lead level testing for children under 6 who may be exposed to lead through soil, water, or paint. If you do not have health insurance or aren’t sure where to turn for care, call 211. The free, 24/7 nonemergency service connects Cook County residents to health and social service support. By dialing 211 or texting your ZIP code to 898-211, you can get connected with a trained staff member who can help find resources best suited to your needs. Coming soon: We will continue investigating Chicago’s lead pipe crisis. Sign up to be notified when we publish more reporting. Have you been affected by lead pipes or lead exposure in Chicago? Tell us what happened. This article originally appeared in Grist at https://grist.org/health/chicago-lead-pipe-how-to-protect-yourself-test-water/. Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at Grist.org — This Story Was Originally Published by Grist. *** – The world is changing fast. We help you keep up. We’ll send you 1 post, 3x per week. – Photo Credit: unsplash The post Lead Pipes Are Everywhere in Chicago. Here’s How to Protect Yourself. appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

It’s common to speak of sin as if it were a scarlet stain, something dark that must be washed out, punished, or excised. But what if, beneath every so-called sin, there was not wickedness, but wounding? Not corruption, but confusion? What if the “seven deadly sins” were not verdicts, but voices; each one a skin the soul wears when it is trying, in the only language it knows, to ask for love? Pride Pride is often condemned as the most treacherous, the root from which all other sins unfurl. But look closer: pride is not vanity in bloom, it is invisibility in mourning. The proud one is not intoxicated with their own greatness, but terrified it might never be recognized. Behind every boast is the whisper: Do I matter? Can you see me? Will you please remember I was here? What masquerades as arrogance is often a defense against erasure. This skin of the soul forms when a person has learned painfully that silence means being forgotten. What they truly need is not humiliation, but to be held in honest acknowledgment, to be seen without the need to shout. Envy Envy, too, is not malice but longing poorly dressed. It is not the wish to steal joy but the ache to be permitted one’s own. Envy arises when someone sees, in another, something they deeply wish to become, but they have not yet found the path, or have been told they are unworthy of it. It is a confused reverence, turned bitter by shame. The envious one is not inherently cruel; they are mapless, lost in the forest of comparison, aching for direction back to their own destiny. Envy should not be scorned. It should be translated. What do you desire so deeply that its absence wounds you? And who told you it wasn’t yours to have? Wrath Wrath, that ferocious fire, is not always a declaration of evil, but a confession of pain. Anger is the sound pain makes when it cannot find language. The wrathful are often the wounded, lashing out not because they love harm, but because they were never taught how to be heard without burning something down. Rage erupts where tenderness was once denied. In its rawest form, wrath is the child inside us pounding its fists on the locked door of safety, crying out: See me. Stop hurting me. Let me matter. Instead of recoiling from anger, we must learn to say, “Tell me where it hurts,” and remain long enough to listen. Gluttony Gluttony is not simply the overindulgence of food or drink — it is the desperate reaching for something to fill an emptiness that should never have existed in the first place. The glutton does not want more; they want enough, but enough of what? Often, it is love. Security. Warmth. The deep sigh of being held in a world that feels cold and indifferent. When we consume compulsively, it is rarely because our stomachs are hungry. It is because our hearts are starved. That second helping, that midnight snack, or that numbing drink. These are often placeholders for the touch, the gentleness, the “I’m glad you’re here” that never came. We heal gluttony not with shame, but by feeding the hunger that food and other indulgences can’t reach. Lust Lust has been branded with fire for centuries, as though desire were a disease. But lust, when you strip away the moralism, is simply the pursuit of connection through the body. It is not always lewdness or perversity. It can be a cry for belonging, an attempt to translate loneliness into touch. The lustful are often the unloved. Or rather, they were perhaps loved incorrectly. Sex becomes their grammar for affection, a substitute language when the original one was never taught. They chase intimacy through skin because no one taught them how to receive it through stillness. Lust is not always about conquest. It can be a search for closeness in a world of locked doors. Instead of chastising lust, we should ask: What kind of love do you truly yearn for? And, how have you been told you must earn it? Sloth Sloth, often dismissed as mere laziness, is far more insidious and misunderstood. What appears as apathy is frequently paralysis. The slothful are not as often unwilling as they are afraid. Afraid that if they try, they will fail. That their effort will not be enough. That their value hinges entirely on output. Sloth is the armor worn by the perfectionist too terrified to begin. Beneath the stillness is often a storm of catastrophizing thoughts, a fear of being exposed as inadequate, a dread of being laughed at, or the terror of being dismissed. To heal sloth, we do not need discipline so much as give permission to start small, to be imperfect, to matter even before we succeed. Greed Greed, that relentless appetite for more, is rarely about gold or status in its core. It is about safety. It is about building a fortress against a world that once felt perilously unstable. The greedy are not hoarders of wealth; they are collectors of control. They gather because once, they were empty. They accumulate because they once had nothing. It’s a kind of existential debt, not just materially, but emotionally. Greed is an attempt to feel full in a world that has too often made them feel starved. We don’t cure greed by shaming abundance. We soothe it by addressing the fear that there will never be enough. When someone no longer feels they must fight for their right to exist, their hands loosen. They give because they no longer believe they have to grab. And so, the sins are not poisons in the blood, but bruises on the heart. They are the theologically coded vocabulary of the wounded. These seven disguises, pride, envy, wrath, gluttony, lust, sloth, and greed, are not the bullseyes missed on a moral target, but roadmaps to our most vulnerable and intimate longings. They are the unsent letters from our innermost selves, asking not to be exiled, but to be embraced. To meet these sins with compassion is not to excuse harm, but to understand its origin. And in understanding, we offer something far more powerful than punishment: the possibility of healing. The transformation we crave does not begin in fire and brimstone. It begins in the softness of being seen. It begins with the kind of love that says, You are not wicked. You are wounded. Let’s begin there. — 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: Solen Feyissa on Unsplash The post The Theologically Coded Vocabulary of a Wounded Heart appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

Kirill Dmitriev has praised the spirit of cooperation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization The defining feature that sets the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) apart from the West is its commitment to genuine cooperation, according to Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide on international economic affairs. The SCO’s 2025 summit opened on Sunday in Tianjin, China, bringing together more than 20 member and partner nations. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Dmitriev said the meeting showcased countries “cooperating between themselves, which contrasts the disjointed Western world.” Within the organization “no one bothers anyone,” he added, and “the entire world sees this spirit of cooperation, even as there are many forces, particularly in Europe, whose aims are against cooperation.” Western governments have been struggling with divisions over major global issues, including international trade practices, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, and the Ukraine conflict – all of which have generated friction between the US and its allies as well as within the European Union. Russia and China have argued that these difficulties stem from US efforts to preserve the unipolar dominance it enjoyed in the 1990s. Both countries promote a multipolar international order they say would be fairer and more democratic. Putin is scheduled for an extensive program in China, culminating in his participation in the September 3 events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. View the full article

By U. Michigan The new silicone patch with star-shaped microneedles, called the ExoPatch, distinguished melanoma from healthy skin in mice. The patch and test move toward rapid at-home melanoma testing, helping patients catch the most aggressive form of skin cancer early without a biopsy or blood draw. “The star-shaped needles make puncture easier and less painful, but they are so small that they only go through the top-most layer of the skin, the epidermis, and do not draw blood,” says Sunitha Nagrath, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Michigan and co-corresponding author of the study in Biosensors and Bioelectronics. The ExoPatch microneedles, at just 0.6 mm long with a width of less than 100 nanometers (0.0001 mm) at the tip, are coated with a gel that picks up exosomes—tiny packages released by cells—from the interstitial fluid that fills the spaces between cells in the epidermis. Once thought to be trash ejected from cells for cleanup, exosomes actually contain DNA and RNA fragments that cells use to communicate with each other. Cancer cell exosomes can help tumors spread by preparing tissues to accept tumor cells before arrival, and detecting them can catch cancer earlier than past methods. The gel that coats the ExoPatch contains a protein called Annexin V that attracts and sticks exosomes to the microneedles’ surface. Once removed from the skin, placing the patch in an acid dissolves the gel, which releases the exosomes into a solution. After dipping a test strip into the solution, two lines form if the sample contains melanoma exosomes, and one line forms for a negative test—the same way an at-home COVID-19 test strip works. “A fair-skinned person with moles must go to the doctor about every six months to send off a biopsy to see if they’re malignant or benign. With this test, they could instead test at home, get the results right away, and follow up with a dermatologist for a positive result,” Nagrath says. As a first step in the proof-of-concept study, the researchers tested the ExoPatch on a tissue sample of pig skin, which closely resembles human skin in thickness and composition. Using a microscope, they found the microneedles penetrated about 350 to 600 nanometers into the skin. For scale, the epidermis on the human forearm is about 18,300 nanometers thick. To test whether the ExoPatch could capture melanoma exosomes from skin tissue, the research team tested tissue samples of mouse skin—half from healthy mice and half from mice injected with a fragment of a human melanoma tumor. After a 15-minute application, the ExoPatch was placed under a powerful microscope. “When looking at microscopy images, I was happy to see how nicely the exosomes adhered to the microneedles and were within the 30 to 150 nanometer size range we expect,” says Scott Smith, a doctoral student of chemical engineering and co-lead author of the study. After confirming the exosomes stuck to the ExoPatch, the researchers dissolved the gel and ran the sample through the test strips. The test successfully distinguished between melanoma and healthy tissues with a 3.5-fold darker line in melanoma samples. The ExoPatch isolated 11.5 times more exosomal protein from melanoma tissue samples compared to healthy tissue, showing it can specifically target cancerous exosomes. A pilot study in humans followed by a series of clinical trials will be the next steps to move the technology toward use. Beyond melanoma, the ExoPatch gel coating could be modified to detect exosomes released by other cancers with a solid tumor—including lung, breast, colon, prostate, and brain cancer. “This is the first patch designed to capture disease-specific exosomes from fluid under the skin. The potential applications are huge,” says Nagrath. The research is funded by the National Institutes of Health. The device was built in the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility and testing was done in part in the Biomedical Research Core Facilities and Rogel Cancer Center Immunology Core. The team has applied for patent protection with the assistance of U-M Innovation Partnerships. Source: University of Michigan Original Study DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2025.117560 — This post was previously published on FUTURITY.ORG and is republished here under a 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: iStock.com The post Patch Could Allow You to Test for Skin Cancer at Home appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article

The Indian and Russian leaders have held talks on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Tianjin The people of India, the most populous country in the world, are “eagerly waiting” for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India later this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Putin on Monday. He is set to travel to India for an annual bilateral summit with Modi in December. The two leaders stressed that the strategic partnership between their nations is expanding across various sectors, including energy trade. ”This year in December, for our 23rd summit, 1.4 billion Indians are eagerly waiting for you,” Modi told Putin. Modi added that Russia and India have walked “shoulder-to-shoulder” in the “most difficult of situations.” Before the bilateral talks with delegations, Putin and Modi reportedly spent about an hour of one-on-one conversation in the Russian leader’s Aurus vehicle. “They communicated both in the car while driving and then continued their discussion inside the car,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told TASS. This is the first meeting between Putin and Modi this year, though they regularly speak by phone. View the full article

Moscow values China and India’s efforts to help settle the Ukraine conflict, the Russian president has said Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to brief leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), including China’s Xi Jinping and India’s Narendra Modi, on the results of his talks in Alaska with US President Donald Trump, which were aimed at settling the Ukraine conflict. Speaking at the SCO summit in Tianjin, China, on Monday, the Russian leader said Moscow appreciates the efforts and proposals of Beijing, New Delhi, and other strategic partners aimed at ending the hostilities. Putin added that he hoped the understandings between Russia and the US reached in Alaska last month “are also moving in this direction, opening the way to peace in Ukraine.” The Russian president told delegates he would “certainly inform colleagues in more detail of the results of the negotiations in Alaska” during bilateral meetings at the summit. Putin said he had already discussed the talks with Xi at a leaders’ banquet. The Russian leader stressed that a potential Ukraine peace agreement would only last if “the root causes of the crisis… [are] eliminated,” adding that “a fair security balance must be restored.” One of the major reasons for the conflict, he added, was Western “attempts to drag Ukraine into NATO, which represent a direct threat to Russia’s security.” The Russia-US summit took place on August 15 in Anchorage, becoming the first in-person meeting between Putin and Trump since the US president began his new term earlier this year. The three-hour talks did not produce a ceasefire or a formal peace deal, but both leaders described the meeting as extremely productive. Following the talks, Trump shifted focus from seeking an immediate ceasefire in the conflict to pushing for a broader peace agreement. He said Ukraine could not expect to join NATO or reclaim Crimea, which joined Russia after a public referendum in 2014. View the full article

‘What do we look like before we are born?’ is a famous Zen-Buddhist koan; an incomprehensible and nonsensical question designed to open our mind to the reality that we are life itself. That is to say, we are as much a part of the process called life as everything there is, and to regard ourselves as outside or above it, only leads to frustration and suffering — as is shown by the following tale: Once upon a time, a little boy was playing in the yard when he saw a grasshopper moving about very slowly. “What is wrong with you?” the boy asked. “A pebble fell out of the sky and onto my leg,” answered the grasshopper, “and because my leg hurts I cannot move very fast.” Thereupon the boy grabbed the grasshopper and began to tear off its leg. “Ouch! Stop, please! Why are you doing that?” “Well, if I take your sore leg off, you won’t feel pain anymore, right?” “But now you are making the pain even worse, and without my leg I can’t walk! Please stop that and put me down!” “No, I really think it’s much better for you if we take your leg off. Now please hold still for a moment and let me do my job.” How would we feel if we were the grasshopper? Most likely we would disagree as much to the boys actions. Yet this is what we tend to do to others, animals, and nature, all of the time. As soon as we have convinced ourselves that we know what’s best for another,[1] we immediately disregard all reason and stuff whatever we deem necessary down their throat. Their needs and wants are from then on completely ignored, just like other potentially detrimental consequences of our actions (e.g. to the climate). How did we get there? What makes us think we’re the biblical God? And what can be done to regain reason and thereby our humanity? Development Of Mind When our mental faculties developed beyond the point of merely acting instinctively, the art of reflection was born. That meant that we, unlike most other animals (and vegetative life), could actually think about our thoughts, feelings, and actions. It’s like we became apertures through which the universe was looking at itself. This was the birth of mind, with which arose the realms of reflection, intellect, dream, imagination, and fantasy. But instead of developing mind to its fullest capacity, the West became afraid of it when dreams and fantasies turned into nightmares. Subsequently mind got hijacked by exactly the institution designated for its development: religion. For even though in their esotericism Roman Catholicism, Christianity and Islam, resemble the religions of Asia, Africa and the Americas in many remarkable ways, in terms of organizational structure they resemble the hierarchy of a medieval kingdom or current nation state — complete with propaganda, oppression, and punishments for those who won’t play by their rules. They’ve essentially become political organizations with similar goals: power and the biggest chunk of wealth for the top dogs. And that means for the majority of people that they are merely allowed to utilize their minds (and bodies) solely for the benefit of whoever is in charge. People in charge never want a population capable of critical thinking, because as soon as we know that we’re being oppressed and abused like cattle, we would not want to stay in such a situation. Yet the inevitable result of such an attitude is that both the leaders and the populace are locked in a deadly grip of anxiety; for those in charge are always anxious for an uprising and will do anything in their power to keep that from happening, and the rest lives in continuous anxiety of losing their feeling of security by being thrown out of the group and losing their livelihood. This is an accurate image of the current situation in the Western world, where everyone is keeping everyone in a tight anxiety deadlock — a situation which has pretty much existed since the Roman Empire, and accelerated dramatically since the onset of the industrial revolution.[2] Now thinking — intellect — is an important problem solving function of mind and is predominantly engaged with the external world, but it’s far from its only function. Mind regulates all the bodily processes we hardly ever think about, but keep us going none the less. Mind feeds intuition, transcends the physical realm, can heal ourselves and others, and can make us experience oneness with our fellow human beings and the universe at large — and that’s merely a couple of functions that we know about! Yet somewhere in the development of mind we chose to concentrate solely on developing our intellect, with which we could manipulate the world outside of ourselves; but somehow the development of becoming knowledgeable about our internal world practically came to a standstill.[3] In the West we have, in other words, developed technology and industry to unprecedented heights, but spiritually, emotionally & morally, we stopped developing around the age of a toddler. Practically that means that the most sophisticated technological devices and weaponry are being handled by people with an overdeveloped intellect, but with the spiritual, emotional & moral — hence human — skills of a three year old. It’s exactly for this reason why the little boy is convinced he’s doing the right thing by tearing off the grasshoppers leg, and why certain groups and individuals are convinced that everyone else should abide by their rules — no matter the cost or consequences. Because without proper emotional guidance, intellect by itself becomes terribly frightened as soon as it’s being questioned. That usually disguises itself as being decisive, but the more decisive one acts, the more insecure and frightened one usually is. The East, by contrast, went in the opposite direction. Their technological developments could not match those of the West (deliberate past tense!), but their spiritual developments are far more advanced, hence why the widespread emotional anxiety in the West is unheard of in the East. That is because the East understands that peace of mind and acceptance of life as it is in its totality, can only be found within oneself. Generally speaking; Hindus attempt to transcend the earthly valley of tears; Buddhists find the divine in ordinary, everyday life; and Taoists view us equally among all living beings as an integral part of Nature. Yet what they all understand is that we as individuals need to become knowledgeable about our internal world in order to attain our spiritual goals and hence play an active and meaningful part of life as a whole. One of their most important realizations is the fact that everything is in continuous change, and the more we try to resist it, the more we suffer. So if the diagnosis for our inability to think, feel and act reasonably and in a human fashion, lies in the imbalance between an overdeveloped knowledge of our external world (intellectual/material/yang) and underdeveloped knowledge of our internal world (emotional/spiritual/yin), the prescription for treatment seems obvious: relax on obtaining knowledge about our external world, and accelerate on obtaining knowledge about our internal world. We need more Yin and less Yang. Yet nothing of a kind seems to be happening. Technological advancements follow each other in rapid succession. Our systems of education are designed to spew out bank clerks, super-salesmen, industrialists, IT specialists, or diplomats; people who are technically efficient, but who lack an emotional and moral foundation on which to base their conduct, which makes them easy to scare and manipulate. These observations are an adequate indication that the powers that be are only interested in breeding one type of humans: obedient workers.[4] That statement is reinforced by the fact that no single Western state or society has ever provided education for all ages, which would be a true sign of an enlightened society: a place where people would be stimulated to keep developing themselves throughout their lives, instead of merely stimulating them into brainless repetition of technical skills, buying more stuff, or convincing (or forcing) them into waging senseless wars.[5] Nevertheless, every society is ultimately made up of individual people, and simultaneous with the development of mind arose the development of personal choice. That means each and every one of us has the ability to choose to stay in a poisonous situation or step out of it. However, the ability to choose requires a matured spiritual, emotional, and moral development, which is obviously something a toddler lacks. A toddler is by default still completely dependent on its environment, and is therefore incapable of making mature, well informed, and free decisions about anything. Since most of us never passed the toddler stage when it comes to spiritual, emotional, and moral development, we will forever feel a sense of imprisonment in any situation that we find ourselves in as adults. If we’re lucky, it’s a situation that’s both physically and mentally stimulating. Yet the reality for most is to feel trapped either in a numbing workplace, sterile relationships, both, or worse. Rise Of The Philosophical Itch Be all that as it may, there is a good chance that at some point in life many of us actually get the ‘philosophical itch’ by which we begin to wonder: Is this really all there is to life? Am I really happy or am I merely saying I’m happy because that’s what’s expected of me? How do I know if and when I’m using the talents of my particular body and mind? How can I find out what stimulates me and what numbs me? Why does my environment find it difficult when I’m sad or angry? Do I find others difficult when they are sad or angry? How many opinions have I obtained through study or experience and how many were spoon-fed by my environment while growing up? And if there are not many I’ve obtained through study or experience, meaning that most of my opinions are not my own, who’s life am I actually living then? When that philosophical itch gets a hold of us, we can decide to follow up on it by becoming interested in obtaining knowledge about our internal world — our own mind and body. Then questions like, ‘Why do I think what I think, feel what I feel, and do what I do?’ become interesting, and the answers to them can only be found when we begin to thoroughly study ourselves. But how to do that without any experience? Here are a few tips to get started. One of the most revealing and fun sources of information on human thought, feeling (emotions) and behaviour, is to be found in myths, legends and fairy & folk tales. No stuffy psychology textbook provides more information on our deeply hidden motivations, irrational behaviour, and daily acts, than the stories from these realms. That is because through their symbolisms, they circumvent our intellect and speak to us directly on a visceral level, and in that way they lay bare the workings of our own subconscious in a more than recognizable way. For they show both our strengths and weaknesses, our great achievements and shameful secrets, our ability to trust and deceive, our good deeds and our rascalities, in all their human glory. They thereby provide insight into the mystery of our soul in a timeless fashion, for otherwise they wouldn’t have survived as long as they have. And it is by those stories that we see that our ancestors had to deal with the same problems as we do nowadays, and that there is always a way to overcome them. As a tip: the works of mythologist Joseph Campbell are a sure recommendation. Not only was he a great scholar and teacher, but his writings penetrate deep into the meanings of the symbolisms of the myths he researched. His book The Hero With 1000 Faces is a great place to start, because in there he shows that The Hero’s Journey as it is depicted in many myths from around the world, all evolve around the same theme: in order to become liberated from your demons, the only way to do so is to face them head on! The knowledge that many people have done that in the past, are doing it now, and will do that in the future, can bring much solace to those of us who are on the threshold on going on the journey within, but still feel anxiety or apprehensions. Furthermore we can learn from those stories how the characters feel emotionally about different situations, and how they deal with them. From there we can begin to investigate how we ourselves feel when our buttons are pushed, which means learning to locate where in our bodies those feelings emerge, and describing what it is that we feel. Subsequently we can assess how we usually deal with difficult situations, and ask ourselves if that is actually the way we want to deal with them.[6] Naturally there are myriad other ways in order to obtain knowledge about our internal world. Eastern methods like meditation, yoga, qigong, or tai chi, are specifically designed for exploration of our inner worlds (mentally and physically). Participating in music, dance, writing, drawing/painting, or drama, increases our self-knowledge by means of expression. The main function of the arts and literature is predominantly to open our minds to different perspectives by challenging our current ones. If we feel to be in need of talking to someone about our current state, there are countless therapists in the psychological and psychosomatic realm offering their services to help us get started. Naturally, every religion also still promises liberation. However, as soon as religion becomes institutionalized, usually the institution becomes more important than its members or congregation. Therefore, read as many scriptures and commentaries as you like, but if you desire council, be watchful that they have your interest at heart, and not try to ‘wheel you in.’ Whatever manner we choose to gain knowledge and understanding of our inner worlds, it only works if we make that decision completely by ourselves. The path to self-knowledge is not only the most worth-while path to travel, but also the scariest one, which is why coercion will only exacerbate our apprehension, fear, and feeling of separateness. Yet, if we wish to be liberated from our demons and anxieties, and feel in union with our fellow beings and the universe at large, it’s the only path to travel. Moreover, it is by far the most interesting and gratifying path you’ll ever encounter. By stepping on that path, however, there is a chance that loved ones won’t understand our ‘U-turn’ and react negatively. Therefore at first sight this path might appear desolate and lonely, but nothing could be further from the truth. For whereas at the heart of our collective suffering lies a deeply cultivated loathing of ourselves (we were born in sin after all), by putting the spotlight on ourselves we open the door to start making peace within. And when compassion for our self emerges, that is extended by default to compassion for others. Not for nothing is it written in the Tao Te Ching: “Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.” That becomes even more apparent when you are going to meet all the amazing people who also decided to step onto the path towards self-awareness. Jolly Exploring! … Notes: [1] ‘Another’ being a person, people, family, company, sports club, school, university, NGO, country, the world, nature, the universe, etc. [2] With very few exceptions when enlightened leaders were at the helm. [3] That is why IQ tests hardly provide any information about a person as a whole, because they only provide information on someone’s problem solving skills, but say nothing about one’s skills in the fields of communication, co-operation, intuition, sensitivity, emotionality, or humanity. [4] As George Carlin already noticed decades ago. [5] Further reading on this: The Sane Society by Erich Fromm. [6] In this blogpost you can find my Five Questions for Self-Examination©, which can be used as a guideline to find patterns in our thinking, feeling and acting when our buttons get pushed. — 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: Jongsun Lee On Unsplash The post Know Thy Self appeared first on The Good Men Project. View the full article