By Christina Pazzanese | Harvard Staff Writer | Harvard Gazette

Australia became the first country to prohibit those under age 16 from using major social media platforms in December 2025. The aim was to limit the potentially harmful cognitive, social, and mental health effects on children.

So far, the results do not look promising.

Researchers studying the bans early effectiveness found nearly 75 percent of Australia’s 14- to 15-year-olds were not complying, in large part because they perceived so few others were doing so, according to a new National Bureau of Economic Research working paper.

Those who did adhere were seen as out-of-the loop socially, while violators faced no penalties.

In this edited conversation, Cass Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor and one of the paper’s co-authors, explains why such a ban is probably not the cure-all officials envision and suggests some tweaks to ramp up compliance.

Why does it appear the ban isn’t working?

One reason why it’s not working, certainly not as hoped, is that there’s no strong incentive for young teenagers to comply.

They don’t face punishment if they don’t comply, and they don’t get a reward if they do comply. So, from the standpoint of a 14- or 15-year-old, this may be background noise.

Another reason they don’t comply is that there’s potential exclusion from a group because most people are not complying.

Another reason they don’t comply is that there’s potential exclusion from a group because most people are not complying.

The third is that non-compliers give a certain signal that they’re part of the uncool group, and that’s not what people want to give.

Was it surprising to see such poor compliance just months after the ban was put in place?

The results did surprise me. The magnitude of violation is very high. I’m not shocked by it, but I wouldn’t have expected it.

The disparity between the power of social norms and the power of the legal restriction is not amazing but is noteworthy. It’s observed in some contexts, but not in others. The fact that it’s so clear here is striking.

Teens said what has kept them on social media was not wanting to feel disconnected from friends and a general fear of missing out, or FOMO, a social dynamic you say is understudied?

Some members of the team, including me, have been working simultaneously on the power of the fear of missing out. What we’re looking at is why for Instagram and TikTok, potentially for smoking, for getting tattoos, for a wide range of things, people will buy — with time or money — something whose existence they deplore.

We find that among many college students in the U.S., a lot don’t like the existence of TikTok in their community, and a lot don’t like the existence of Instagram either. And if they could push a button and get rid of them, they would. But so long as they exist, they’re going to use them.

This shows the intense power of inclusion in a group, even when the thing that is necessary for inclusion is unwelcome to the people who use it or buy it. So that’s a simultaneous research project.

And while we don’t know that in Australia people wish social media would go away, we do know that young people are going to stay on so long as other people are staying on, even if the law wants them off, and that’s very noteworthy.

The paper is exemplary of an understudied phenomenon, which is the extent to which people do things because other people are doing them in circumstances in which they wish other people weren’t doing those things. But it’s really hard to create a different equilibrium, even if the law is on the side of the different equilibrium.

For a ban to succeed, the percent of people abiding by it has to reach a certain tipping point before staying off social media becomes the new normal. What’s that tipping point and how might it get pushed?

We have their self-report, which says in the vicinity of three-quarters have to be off in order for participants who are now on to get off. Now that’s self-report and not as good as actual behavior, but there’s good reason to think from our data that things would tip if three-quarters were off.

We observe this with respect to smoking in the U.S. — the percentage is way down. There’s also been a reduction in drinking. For some earlier generations, if you didn’t drink, you looked like you’re not interested in fun or are a very frightened person.

If Australia could get the number up high, somewhere north of 70 percent, then you could get the number of users way, way down.

I’m interested in the possibility of Australia or some country having an educational campaign that invokes an emerging norm in favor of not being on or not being on so much. That would be great.

There are ways to move incrementally toward there. There’s separate data, not in the paper, suggesting that if people learn that there’s an emerging norm, that knowledge tends to create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I’m interested in the possibility of Australia or some country having an educational campaign that invokes an emerging norm in favor of not being on or not being on so much. That would be great.

A widely held perception that all the cool kids were still using social media shaped teens’ behavior. The idea was those who complied with the ban were implicitly labeling themselves as uncool?

Isn’t that a striking finding?

One thing that we’re all interested in is the social meaning of action. If I buckle my seat belt these days, the social meaning is “I’m doing what you should do.” At one point, if you buckled your seat belt, the meaning was, “You think the driver is reckless or you yourself are a coward.” None of us is in control of the social meaning of our action.

So, if you’re off social media, you label yourself as a certain type. That’s just observed, but our data shows that the kids who stay off social media are seen as part of the unpopular kids. And for Australia, that’s a very serious problem.

What are some reforms that could keep teenagers off these platforms?

One would be a public education campaign designed to encourage teenagers to stay off. It could point to the benefits of not spending your time staring at a screen. It could point to the existence of the law. It could point to the increasing numbers of people who are staying off, if that’s true. It could point to the advantages of seeing your friends in person.

A second kind of approach would give incentives to teenagers to stay off. That would be a new policy, but it could be that teens who stay off would get rewards like free concert tickets or discounts on certain things, and if they’re not that expensive, but have more symbolic value than economic value, it could be that they’d have a real effect. We don’t know, but it could be part of a package of responses.

A third thing that could be done would be to tweak the policy. About two-thirds said they want time limits on their use rather than prohibitions. That would have some disadvantages as well as advantages, but it’s at least worth considering. That might be something that would reduce the FOMO problem.

Is this a problem that could be solved using strategies other than blanket bans?

I don’t believe, and my co-authors don’t believe, that this is an insoluble problem.

If Australia wanted to change the numbers, it has a host of strategies. It could have a campaign designed to try to alter the social meaning of not being on social media.

It could use young validators who would say, “ I’m off and happier.” It could use cool young validators who kind of look the part say, “I’m off and I’m happier.” It could appeal to parents saying, “Keep your kids off,” and it could have some slogan or some account of why that’s a good thing for parents to do. It could try to tackle the collective action problem directly by saying, “Let’s stay off together,” or something like that.

It could alter the policy from a flat ban to time limits. It could enlist the social media platforms more aggressively than it has so far. The social media platforms are subject to fines if they don’t take reasonable steps. It looks as if that’s a soft enforcement policy.

So now that we have some real clarity, not perfect, but real clarity, about why kids are not complying, we know what Australia might do, or what American states might do, or what any country might do if it wants to reduce the number of young people on social media.

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This story is reprinted with permission from The Harvard Gazette.

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The post Would Social Media Ban for Children Work Here? Australia Offers Lessons. appeared first on The Good Men Project.

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Artificial intelligence tools are evolving fast, but most people still ask the same question: Can this actually help me in real life, or is it just another shiny tech demo built by exhausted engineers surviving on caffeine and existential confusion?That is where Gemini Omni stands out. Instead of focusing only on advanced technical capabilities, Gemini Omni is becoming popular because it fits into everyday tasks. From writing content and researching SEO ideas to automating repetitive business work and helping students learn faster, the platform is designed to work like a practical AI assistant rather than a complicated experiment.

In this guide, we will explore what Gemini Omni is, how it works, where it performs best, and how people can use it in daily life without needing a computer science degree or sacrificing their remaining attention span to twenty browser tabs.

What Is Gemini Omni?

Gemini Omni is an advanced AI-powered assistant designed to handle multiple tasks using text, data, reasoning, and automation features. It combines conversational AI with productivity tools, research capabilities, creative assistance, and workflow support. Unlike older AI systems that mainly answered simple prompts, Gemini Omni is emerging as one of the useful AI productivity tools, aiming to become an “all-in-one” digital assistant for creators, marketers, students, freelancers, and businesses.

The platform is especially useful because it can:

• Generate written content
• Analyze information
• Assist with SEO research
• Help organize workflows
• Support learning and education
• Create ideas for creative projects
• Improve business efficiency

In simple words, Gemini Omni tries to reduce repetitive mental work so people can focus on decisions, creativity, and execution. Which sounds noble until humans use it to generate “Top 10 Sigma Mindset Quotes” for social media engagement.

Still, progress is progress.

Why Gemini Omni Is Gaining Attention

Many AI tools specialize in only one thing. Some focus on writing, others on automation, while some only handle coding or analytics.

Gemini Omni is attracting users because it combines multiple functions in one place.

Here are some reasons people are adopting it quickly:

• Faster content generation
• Better workflow organization
• Real-time idea assistance
• Multi-purpose usability
• User-friendly interaction
• Strong research support
• Time-saving automation

For freelancers, agencies, students, and entrepreneurs, this flexibility matters a lot.

Instead of switching between five separate tools, users can manage multiple tasks through a single AI system.

How Gemini Omni Helps in Content Writing

Content writing is one of the most practical uses of Gemini Omni.

Writers often spend hours brainstorming headlines, organizing outlines, rewriting paragraphs, or fixing grammar issues. Gemini Omni can speed up those processes significantly.

Blog Writing Assistance

Gemini Omni can help generate:

• Blog post outlines
• Article introductions
• SEO headings
• Product descriptions
• Meta descriptions
• Content summaries

For example, a freelance blogger writing about fitness can ask Gemini Omni to:

“Create a beginner-friendly outline for a home workout article.”

Within seconds, the tool can provide structured sections, topic ideas, and readability suggestions.

This saves planning time and helps writers focus on adding unique insights.

Improving Writing Quality

Many users struggle with:

• Repetitive wording
• Weak sentence flow
• Grammar mistakes
• Poor readability

Gemini Omni can rewrite paragraphs in simpler English while maintaining clarity.

For example:

Before:

“The implementation of digital marketing strategies necessitates substantial optimization methodologies.”

After:

“Digital marketing strategies need proper optimization to work effectively.”

Cleaner. Easier. Less like a robot trying to impress another robot at a corporate conference.

Social Media Content Creation

Creators can use Gemini Omni to generate:

• Instagram captions
• LinkedIn posts
• YouTube descriptions
• Twitter/X threads
• Facebook ad copy

This is especially useful for small businesses that cannot afford large marketing teams.

Gemini Omni for SEO Research

SEO professionals spend a large amount of time researching keywords, analyzing competitors, and planning content structures.

Gemini Omni can simplify many of these tasks.

Keyword Idea Generation

Users can ask for:

• Long-tail keywords
• Informational search queries
• Commercial intent phrases
• Question-based keywords

Example:

“Give me low-competition keywords related to AI productivity tools.”

The AI can generate dozens of usable keyword ideas quickly.

Content Optimization

Gemini Omni can help optimize articles by suggesting:

• Heading structures
• Related semantic keywords
• Internal linking ideas
• Readability improvements
• Search intent alignment

This helps writers create more SEO-friendly content naturally instead of stuffing keywords everywhere like it is still 2011.

Competitor Research Support

SEO specialists can also use Gemini Omni to:

• Summarize competitor articles
• Identify content gaps
• Compare topic coverage
• Generate better outlines

For agencies and freelancers, this reduces research time significantly.

Productivity Benefits of Gemini Omni

One of the biggest strengths of Gemini Omni is productivity enhancement.

Modern work environments are full of distractions, repetitive tasks, notifications, and meetings that could have been emails but somehow evolved into hour-long discussions about “alignment.”

Gemini Omni helps reduce unnecessary workload.

Task Management

Users can organize:

• Daily schedules
• Work plans
• Meeting notes
• To-do lists
• Project timelines

Example:

A freelancer managing five clients can ask Gemini Omni to create a weekly workflow plan based on deadlines.

Email Drafting

Professionals can generate:

• Client replies
• Outreach emails
• Follow-up messages
• Business proposals

This is useful for agencies handling large communication volumes.

Faster Decision-Making

Gemini Omni can summarize long information quickly.

Instead of reading ten articles manually, users can request concise summaries and key insights.

That means less time drowning in information and more time actually doing work. A revolutionary concept humanity keeps resisting.

Gemini Omni in Learning and Education

Students and self-learners are increasingly using AI tools to improve education efficiency.

Gemini Omni supports learning in several practical ways.

Simplifying Complex Topics

Students can ask questions in simple language and receive understandable explanations.

Example:

“Explain photosynthesis like I am 12 years old.”

The AI can break down scientific concepts into easier explanations.

Language Learning

Gemini Omni can help users practice:

• Grammar
• Vocabulary
• Translation
• Writing correction
• Conversation exercises

This is useful for learners improving English communication skills.

Study Planning

Students can create:

• Revision schedules
• Exam preparation plans
• Subject summaries
• Flashcard content

For example, a student preparing for exams can ask:

“Create a 14-day study plan for biology and English.”

The AI can organize realistic study sessions automatically.

Research Assistance

Gemini Omni can summarize educational material and help explain difficult concepts.

However, students should still verify information from trusted academic sources.

AI is helpful, but blindly trusting every generated answer is how people confidently submit incorrect assignments with full emotional commitment.

Business Automation With Gemini Omni

Businesses are constantly looking for ways to save time and reduce repetitive work.

Gemini Omni supports business automation in several areas.

Customer Support Assistance

Businesses can use AI-generated responses for:

• FAQs
• Customer inquiries
• Product explanations
• Support ticket drafts

This improves response speed while reducing manual workload.

Workflow Automation

Gemini Omni can assist with:

• Report generation
• Internal documentation
• Meeting summaries
• Process organization

For startups and small businesses, this creates operational efficiency without hiring large teams immediately.

Marketing Support

Marketing teams can generate:

• Campaign ideas
• Ad copy
• Email sequences
• Content calendars

Example:

An online store launching a skincare product can use Gemini Omni to create:

• Instagram captions
• Product launch emails
• SEO blog ideas
• Promotional headlines

All within minutes.

Creative Projects and Idea Generation

Creativity often slows down because people overthink the first step.

Gemini Omni helps users brainstorm ideas faster.

Creative Writing

Writers can use it for:

• Story prompts
• Character development
• Dialogue ideas
• Plot structures

Video and Content Creation

YouTubers and creators can generate:

• Video scripts
• Thumbnail text ideas
• Podcast topics
• Hook lines

Example:

A creator making productivity videos can ask:

“Give me 10 engaging YouTube video ideas about remote work.”

The AI can instantly generate usable concepts.

Design Inspiration

Although Gemini Omni may not replace professional designers, it can help with:

• Branding ideas
• Color theme suggestions
• Creative campaign concepts
• Mood board inspiration

This is valuable during early-stage brainstorming.

Real-Life Practical Scenarios

Here are practical everyday examples of Gemini Omni usage.

Freelance SEO Specialist

A freelancer managing client websites can use Gemini Omni to:

• Generate blog outlines
• Research keywords
• Create outreach emails
• Write meta descriptions
• Plan monthly content calendars

This reduces manual workload and increases productivity.

Student Preparing for Exams

A student can use Gemini Omni to:

• Summarize chapters
• Explain difficult topics
• Build study schedules
• Practice English writing
• Create revision notes

Small Business Owner

A business owner can use Gemini Omni to:

• Write social media posts
• Respond to customer emails
• Create product descriptions
• Organize workflow tasks
• Plan marketing campaigns

Content Creator

A YouTuber or blogger can use it to:

• Generate content ideas
• Improve scripts
• Create captions
• Research trends
• Optimize titles for SEO

Pros of Gemini Omni

Gemini Omni offers several practical advantages.

Saves Time

Tasks that normally take hours can often be completed in minutes.

Multi-Purpose Functionality

Instead of using separate tools for writing, planning, and brainstorming, users can manage everything in one place.

Beginner-Friendly

Even non-technical users can use Gemini Omni effectively.

Improves Productivity

Automation reduces repetitive tasks and improves workflow efficiency.

Supports Creativity

The platform helps users overcome creative blocks and generate fresh ideas quickly.

Limitations of Gemini Omni

Despite its strengths, Gemini Omni also has limitations.

Information Accuracy Can Vary

AI-generated responses are not always perfect.

Users should verify important information, especially in medical, legal, or financial topics.

Human Creativity Still Matters

AI can assist creativity, but original thinking and emotional depth still come from humans.

At least for now. The machines are still mostly guessing patterns instead of writing poetry about regret and taxes.

Overdependence Risk

Relying too heavily on AI may reduce critical thinking and research habits.

Requires Clear Instructions

Poor prompts usually lead to weak results.

Better prompts create better outputs.

Expert Insights on the Future of Gemini Omni

AI assistants are likely to become deeply integrated into everyday digital life.

Experts expect tools like Gemini Omni to evolve in areas such as:

• Personalized learning
• Advanced workflow automation
• Real-time collaboration
• AI-powered business systems
• Smarter voice interaction
• Context-aware assistance

In the future, Gemini Omni may function less like a chatbot and more like a fully integrated digital operating assistant.

Businesses will likely use AI to automate repetitive administrative work, while creators may use it to accelerate production and idea generation.

However, human oversight will remain important.

The most effective users will not be those who completely replace human thinking with AI. Instead, success will come from combining human judgment with AI efficiency.

That balance matters.

SEO Benefits of Using Gemini Omni

For digital marketers and SEO professionals, Gemini Omni offers strong advantages.

Faster Content Production

Writers can create optimized content more efficiently.

Better Keyword Research

AI-generated keyword suggestions help uncover hidden opportunities.

Improved Content Structure

The platform helps organize articles clearly for both users and search engines.

Enhanced User Experience

Readable and structured content improves engagement and retention.

Tips for Getting Better Results With Gemini Omni

To use Gemini Omni effectively:

Be Specific

Instead of saying:

“Write about SEO.”

Try:

“Write a beginner-friendly SEO article for small businesses.”

Use Step-by-Step Prompts

Breaking requests into smaller instructions often improves output quality.

Review and Edit Outputs

Human editing helps maintain originality, tone, and accuracy.

Combine AI With Personal Experience

Adding real-world insights makes content more authentic and trustworthy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Gemini Omni used for?

Gemini Omni is used for content creation, SEO research, productivity tasks, education support, business automation, and creative brainstorming.

Is Gemini Omni suitable for beginners?

Yes. The platform is designed to be user-friendly and accessible even for people without technical experience.

Can Gemini Omni help with SEO?

Yes. It can assist with keyword research, content optimization, outline generation, and competitor analysis.

Does Gemini Omni replace human writers?

No. It supports writers by improving efficiency, but human creativity, expertise, and editing are still essential.

Is Gemini Omni useful for businesses?

Yes. Businesses can use it for customer support, workflow automation, marketing tasks, and communication management.

Conclusion

Gemini Omni represents a practical shift in how people use AI in everyday life.

Instead of acting like a futuristic experiment disconnected from reality, it focuses on solving real productivity and workflow problems. Whether someone is a freelancer, student, creator, marketer, or business owner, the platform can help reduce repetitive work and improve efficiency.Its biggest strength is versatility.

From writing content and researching SEO ideas to organizing tasks and supporting creative projects, Gemini Omni provides useful assistance across multiple industries and workflows.At the same time, users should approach AI responsibly. Human judgment, creativity, and verification still matter. AI works best as a support system, not a replacement for thinking.Strange era, really. Humans invented machines to save time, then filled the saved time with more work, notifications, and “urgent” Slack messages. At least tools like Gemini Omni make the chaos slightly more manageable.

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The last time I met one of my best friends, I learned that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend of several years. We were with some other old buddies, and while I intended to ask about the story, I forgot and eventually went home.

As all old friends tend to do when they grow up, we don’t see each other as often as we used to, so at first, I thought it was a real missed opportunity. But then I remembered the upside of going way back: You can trust that, sooner or later, you will see each other again, and whenever you do, you can easily pick up where you left off.

When the girl at the drive-through counter says, “Until next time!” that’s a transactional statement. It’s a rare privilege to hear it from someone who genuinely hopes to enjoy your company once more. We might not have certainty as to when and where, but there’s real comfort in knowing we’ll meet again — and if all it takes is remembering our questions until then so we can enjoy it, perhaps we should count pen and paper among those few, ever-recurring friends.

Grab a copy of Nik’s book, 2-Minute Pep Talks.

2-Minute Pep Talks is a collection of 67 jolts of inspiration for more hope, comfort, and love in any situation. With more than two months of daily inspiration across five categories, 2-Minute Pep Talks will make you feel more comfortable in your own skin, remind you to love yourself enough to ask life for what you truly want, and provide you with the world’s scarcest resource: hope. Whether you’re looking for a pick-me-up, new perspectives, or more fuel to accomplish your dreams — if you’re ready to regain that light, passionate, optimistic feeling we all used to possess as children, this book is for you.

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Celebrity reality TV shows have done far more than entertain millions of viewers. They have reshaped how Americans think about home design, interior aesthetics, and what it means to live a “successful” life.

By opening the doors to private residences of athletes, musicians, and TV personalities, these shows turned the home into a cultural symbol,  a declaration of identity, ambition, and status.

The Birth of the “Celebrity Home” as Cultural Currency

Before the reality TV explosion of the early 2000s, glimpses inside celebrity homes were reserved for glossy magazine spreads. Then came MTV Cribs, Hogan Knows Best, and The Real Housewives franchise, and everything changed.

Suddenly, millions of viewers could tour living rooms, kitchens, and outdoor entertainment spaces in vivid detail, every weekend, from their own couches.

The “Home as Character” Phenomenon

Television scholars noted that the early 2000s marked a pivotal shift. Watching how people live made homes and apartments as much a character as the people who lived in them.

Viewers were no longer passive observers, they were taking mental notes on décor, furniture layouts, and architectural choices. Over time, that exposure quietly reshaped what people wanted for themselves.

Key Design Trends Driven by Celebrity Reality TV

Open-Plan Living

The open-plan concept,  where the kitchen, dining area, and living room flow together without walls,  became mainstream partly because of its constant presence in celebrity homes on television. What was once an architectural rarity became a standard buyer expectation by the 2010s.

Farmhouse Rustic and Coastal Aesthetics

Shows like Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines spread the farmhouse-rustic aesthetic from Texas across the entire country. Real estate agents reported that design trends and budget expectations were directly shaped by what viewers saw on network television.

Coastal lifestyle shows,  particularly those filmed in Florida,  popularized whitewashed interiors, natural wood tones, and oceanfront outdoor living. Beachfront pools and open-air patios became aspirational features that buyers specifically sought out.

The “Real Housewives” Effect

The Real Housewives franchise became one of the most powerful forces in shaping American interior preferences. Fans noticed the same elements appearing in real listings and suburban renovations almost immediately after they aired on screen:

• Oversized white sectional sofas became a near-universal staple
• Votive candles and mood lighting spread into suburban homes
• Stacked art books, ornate mirrors, and grand entryways moved from TV screens to real estate listings
• The “suburban rococo” aesthetic,  Mediterranean-villa styling in American McMansions,  gained enormous traction

Critics called it the homogenization of luxury taste. Designers called it the most powerful design influence of the decade.

How Celebrity Homes Became Real Estate Benchmarks

Setting Unrealistic — and Inspiring — Standards

Reality TV trained buyers to expect pristine, staged, and recently updated properties. Real estate agents across the country documented this shift, noting that clients arrived at showings with television-calibrated expectations.

Professional staging, once reserved for the highest-end listings, became standard practice at all price points. That change came directly from the polished homes millions of people watched on their screens every week.

The Rise of the Celebrity Real Estate Brand

Shows like Selling Sunset and Million Dollar Listing elevated real estate agents themselves to celebrity status. By showcasing cinematic listing presentations and designer interiors, these programs raised the bar for what homebuyers expect in real life.

Realtors became viewed not just as sales professionals but as lifestyle experts and brand ambassadors. For those exploring how celebrated properties reflect this cultural shift, Rivon Home offers detailed looks into the real estate choices of public figures — from their investment strategies to the design philosophies behind their most iconic homes.

The Athlete-Celebrity Home: A Sub-Genre of Its Own

Among all celebrity homes on reality TV, those belonging to professional athletes occupy a unique place. These are people who built their bodies into brands,  and their homes reflected that outsized ambition.

WWE Superstars and Their Properties

The WWE universe produced some of the most memorable celebrity homes of the era. The Rock moved from a $3.45 million Florida estate to a landmark Fort Lauderdale property valued at $4.5 million.

Stone Cold Steve Austin owns a 2,000-acre ranch with five ponds, two barns, and a river. These homes were physical manifestations of the “work hard, live big” ethos that wrestling culture had always championed.

The Hulk Hogan House and Hogan Knows Best

No athlete-celebrity home made quite the same cultural splash as the Florida residence featured in Hogan Knows Best. The VH1 show premiered in July 2005, and the hulk hogan house hogan knows best fans came to know became one of the most-discussed celebrity residences of that decade.

The original home was a 17,000-square-foot mansion in Belleair, Florida, built over four years after Hogan purchased waterfront land in 1992. Its grand foyer, sprawling grounds, and waterfront amenities made it the perfect backdrop for documenting the Hogan family’s larger-than-life lifestyle.

Later, after selling the Belleair property, Hogan relocated to Clearwater Beach,  eventually building a private compound worth over $11 million, with a chef’s kitchen, private elevator, media room, and Gulf of Mexico views.

The cultural legacy of the hulk hogan house hogan knows best era is significant. The show demonstrated how a celebrity’s home could function as a storytelling vehicle, revealing personality and values in ways no interview ever could.

The Billionaire Home: Where Reality TV Meets Ultra-Luxury

From Celebrity to Billionaire

While wrestlers and reality stars set one kind of aspirational standard, tech billionaires set another. Their homes tend to be minimalist, privacy-focused, and defined by land rather than square footage.

Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks owner and Shark Tank star, is a compelling example. His real estate choices reflect his identity as a pragmatic disruptor rather than a traditional status-seeker.

A closer look at the hulk-hogan-house/ reveals property decisions built around practical luxury, strategic location, and long-term value,  a sharp contrast to the expressive, personality-driven celebrity homes seen on shows like Hogan Knows Best.

Florida: The Spiritual Home of Celebrity Reality TV

It is no coincidence that so many iconic celebrity reality TV homes are in Florida. Year-round sunshine, waterfront access, no state income tax, and a culture that celebrates big personalities have made the state a magnet for athletes and entertainers.

Why Florida Keeps Winning

• No state income tax makes it financially attractive to high earners
• Waterfront properties offer the dramatic backdrops that television demands
• The coastal lifestyle, pools, boat docks, beach access,  translates beautifully to the screen
• Cities like Clearwater, Tampa, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale offer distinct lifestyle identities within one state

The hulk hogan house hogan knows the best story played out almost entirely in Florida. From the 17,000-square-foot Belleair mansion to the Clearwater Beach beachfront compound on Eldorado Avenue, Florida was the setting for every chapter of Hogan’s real estate journey.

The Design Legacy: What These Shows Left Behind

Staging as Standard Practice

The television-trained eye buyers now bring to property tours means sellers must present homes at a level of polish once reserved for magazine shoots. Professional staging spread from luxury listings to mid-market homes largely because of what reality TV normalized.

The “Lifestyle Sell”

Celebrity reality TV changed what it means to sell a home. It is no longer about square footage alone — it is about selling a lifestyle.

Listing descriptions now routinely emphasize sunrise views, entertaining flow, and resort-style living. That language came directly from the vocabulary developed on reality television over two decades.

Transparency and Authenticity

Celebrity homes normalized a new kind of transparency about how the wealthy actually live. When the hulk hogan house hogan knows best cameras rolled inside a 17,000-square-foot Florida mansion, showing family dinners and poolside disagreements, it humanized a level of luxury that had previously felt alien to most viewers.

The result was an aspirational culture that felt, paradoxically, more accessible. These homes and lifestyles seemed achievable rather than simply fantastical.

The Modern Era: Social Media Meets Celebrity Home Culture

Reality TV’s influence on home design culture has not diminished in the streaming era, it has accelerated. Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have created a permanent, searchable archive of celebrity interiors.

The standards set by shows like Hogan Knows Best in the mid-2000s now feel almost quaint compared to the immersive home tours available online today.

What Has Changed

• Audiences can follow celebrity home renovations in real time via social media
• Virtual tours and drone footage reveal architectural details cameras once missed
• Short-form video created a “home reveal” genre with millions of views per clip
• The line between celebrity endorsement and genuine lifestyle content has blurred significantly

What Remains the Same

The fundamental human fascination has not changed: we want to see how successful people live and imagine whether a version of that life is possible for us.

Whether it was the hulk hogan house hogan knows best living room in 2005 or a multi-million-dollar influencer mansion tour today, the emotional core is identical.

Conclusion

Celebrity reality TV transformed how people think about homes, interior design, and luxury living. Shows on HGTV introduced open layouts, modern renovations, and aspirational lifestyles to millions of viewers, while celebrity series showcased extravagant estates as extensions of personal identity.

Homes like the famous Hulk Hogan House featured in Hogan Knows Best became more than just properties,they turned into cultural landmarks tied to fame, ambition, and entertainment history.

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This content is brought to you by Alexander Reid

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The post Celebrity Reality TV and Luxury Homes Shaping Modern Design Trends appeared first on The Good Men Project.

I was in graduate school for counseling, in a summer course with about twenty other students. The course was in counseling people from diverse backgrounds, and we were paired off to generate discussions. We were to use therapeutic techniques to help one another through concerns we had about counseling people who weren’t “like us”.

Fate, in the form of the professor, paired me with a man training to be a Christian counselor. My least favorite kind. I know their framework, but I had seen it used recklessly. At least he was in graduate school and not simply hanging out a shingle at a megachurch, as some have.

He began the discussion saying he didn’t think he could counsel gay people, as he thought it was a lifestyle and a sin. I said inside my head, “Oh boy, here we go.” I didn’t have a response prepared; I would have to wing it.

Inspiration hit me — maybe Divine, maybe Neuro-linguistic Programming, which I studied before entering grad school. I forged ahead, using guided imagery and cognitive reframing.

If you are straight, come along with where I took him on a journey:

“Imagine you are born on a planet where everyone is gay. However, you discover as a child that you are attracted to girls, not boys. Society ridicules and spurns you. Friends turn their backs on you. Family disowns you.

Your church says you’re a sinner. You are so confused. How can you be a sinner simply for being attracted to girls? Which to you feels completely natural, not a choice.

You think about changing your preference, but you don’t even know how to make that happen. To you, it seems unnatural to be attracted to another boy.

You don’t date in while in school. The kids make fun of you, or bully you. When you are grown, it is impossible for you to find a romantic partner.

All simply because you are different from your family, friends, and members of your church, all of whom who are only attracted to the same gender. How do you feel?”

He looked stunned. I could see he was considering what it would be like, and feel like. He had fully entered into the guided imagery, and didn’t like what he was feeling.

“I never thought about it that way,” he answered. “That life sounds terrible.”

I took it further.

“Does it feel fair to you to be judged, ostracized and bullied for something you were born as and can’t change?”

“No, it doesn’t. I really never understood it this way before. I think it will change how I work with gay people as a counselor, except now I don’t know how to help them at all.”

I responded, “Treat them the way you wanted to be treated during the guided imagery. Not as someone you disapprove of, but as people like you who were born with certain affinities, and who don’t need to change that part of themselves. If they come to you with problems and issues we all have, deal with those. If they are struggling with identity, refer them to someone who specializes in identity affirmation.”

He still looked stunned, still processing his feelings. He thanked me, and we moved on to him working with me on a concern of mine about practicing as a therapist with a diverse population. Funny, I don’t even remember what my concern was, but I do remember he helped with it. Which means he did have skill.

Now, in addition to skill, he had awareness and true empathy. Both things we therapists need constantly in our work.

He and I never crossed paths again in our studies. The University of North Texas is a big school. I hope what we did that day made him able to be available in an authentic, empathetic, and useful way in the lives of any LGBTQIA people he encountered as a therapist in his career.

I don’t know where my inspiration came from that day. I only know that the very concept of thinking a person can choose or change their sexual affinity and preference seemed and seems ridiculous to me.

My challenge was to make it seem ridiculous to him as well.

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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The post Imagine You Were Born on a Planet Where Everyone Was Gay Except You appeared first on The Good Men Project.

For years, the US has been talking about the need to recover technological sovereignty by relocating supply chains and reducing strategic dependencies. It’s a compelling narrative, fits politically and conveys a sense of control. The only problem is that it has little bearing on reality.

This article in Bloomberg, America’s AI build-out hinges on Chinese electrical parts, about the expansion of data centers in the United States, spells out the issue in stark terms: the deployment of infrastructure for AI is colliding with a critical shortage of electrical equipment, from transformers and distribution systems to other key components, the production of which relies heavily on global supply chains deeply intertwined with China. We’re not talking about advanced chips or algorithms, but about something much more basic: the physical infrastructure without which AI can’t exist. Claiming technological sovereignty while relying on another country to electrify your data centers is, to say the least, a contradiction that is difficult to sustain.

Importantly, this dependence is structural. For decades, the United States and much of the West outsourced manufacturing under the premise that the value was in the design, the software, the intellectual property. China, on the other hand, opted for something much more difficult and less glamorous: building industrial capacity. And it did so with unmatched long-term vision and strategic consistency, relying on creating vast pools of engineering talent. Each year, around 8.5 million STEM students graduate in China, almost four times the number in the United States, and since talent is evenly distributed, this means a significant surplus of highly qualified workers. When a country generates that volume of engineers on a sustained basis, it ceases to be “the factory of the world” and becomes something much more relevant: the place where the industrial systems of the future are designed, optimized and scaled. From “Made in China” to “Engineered in China”. In a few decades.

Which is why the United States no longer enjoys supremacy in key sectors. Software? Chinese engineers don’t just program, they do it on a scale and with a game-changing speed. Education? Chinese universities have reached very high levels, although they do not attract as much international talent, while Western universities continue to rely on their global appeal. Finance? The dollar may still be king, but China is edging closer through initiatives like the digital yuan, progressively expanding its global reach. The traditional reserve currency is now managed by a moron, prompting many countries to hedge their bets.

However, the real change is not in who wins each of these areas separately, but in how the whole is reconfigured. China does not need to lead in everything to become indispensable. It is enough to control the factors that sustain the system. And there its advantage is increasingly evident. In clean technologies, for example, BloombergNEF estimates that it controls more than 70% of global manufacturing capacity in many key segments. The International Federation of Robotics says it already accounts for more than half of the world’s installations and that is manufacturers are rapidly gaining ground.

At the same time, China is increasingly taking the environmental lead. It is still the largest absolute emitter, but it is also investing more than any other nation in clean energy, while accelerating its transition, which gives it a progressive cost advantage. Meanwhile, the United States commits economic suicide under the puerile mantra of “drill baby, drill”. According to the International Energy Agency and Carbon Brief’s analysis, China’s emissions are now stabiliziling and declining, thanks to the massive growth of solar and wind energy, positioning it to dominate the industry that will make this transition possible.

The irony is that Europe is unable to free itself from American technology: it lives on its platforms, its clouds, its software. In turn, the United States finds that it cannot free itself from China either, because the physical basis of its technological leadership depends on an industrial power that has been perfecting exactly what the West decided to abandon for decades. Interdependence is not symmetrical, but it is profound, and it dismantles any simplistic narrative of decoupling. In an increasingly interconnected world, Washington would do better to seek cooperation instead of competition and self-sufficiency.

Perhaps the fundamental error is to continue to pose the debate in terms of supremacy, as if the world were still a chessboard where a single actor can dominate all dimensions. What we are seeing is much more like an asymmetrical interdependence between two models with different strengths: the United States continues to lead in abstract layers such as finance, influence or digital ecosystems, while China increasingly dominates physical layers such as industry, energy, manufacturing or deployment.

And in a world in which technology is once again anchored in tangible factors such as electricity, infrastructure or materials, the relevant question is no longer who leads today, but what kind of power will be more decisive tomorrow. Because if something is beginning to become clear, it is that the leadership of the 21st century will not be decided only in the code, but in the ability to turn that code into reality. And in this area, it is increasingly difficult to argue that China is simply another player that can be sidelined.

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This post was previously published on Enrique Dans’ blog.

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The post America Says It Wants Tech Independence. It Can’t Even Power Its Data Centers appeared first on The Good Men Project.

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If you’re searching for the lowest Invisalign cost in Hillsboro, Oregon, it’s natural to want the best possible deal. Invisalign is a significant investment, and many patients begin by comparing prices.

However, choosing the cheapest provider is not always the smartest decision.

Invisalign treatment is highly dependent on the skill and experience of the dentist or orthodontist designing your treatment plan. A lower upfront price can sometimes lead to longer treatment times, more refinements, or less-than-ideal results.

The goal should be to find the best value: a highly experienced Invisalign provider who offers transparent pricing and outstanding care.

Why the Lowest Invisalign Cost Should Not Be Your Only Consideration

Invisalign is much more than a set of clear aligners.

Behind every successful smile transformation is a customized treatment plan that accounts for:

• Tooth movement
• Bite alignment
• Jaw positioning
• Facial aesthetics
• Long-term stability

Two providers may offer similar prices, but the quality of treatment can vary dramatically.

The cheapest option may not include refinements, retainers, or the level of expertise needed to deliver optimal results.

Understanding Invisalign Costs in Hillsboro, Oregon

If you’re comparing providers based on the lowest Invisalign cost, it helps to know what typical pricing looks like.

Average Invisalign Costs

Many dental offices in Hillsboro offer:

• Free Invisalign consultations
• Interest-free monthly payment plans
• Insurance assistance
• Promotions for new patients

A provider offering the lowest Invisalign cost may be a great option, but only if the treatment includes everything you need.

Dentist vs. Orthodontist for Invisalign

One of the most common questions patients ask is whether they should choose a general dentist or an orthodontist.

General Dentists

Many general dentists are certified Invisalign providers and can successfully treat mild to moderate cases.

Orthodontists

Orthodontists complete additional years of training focused exclusively on moving teeth and correcting bite issues.

They are often the best choice for:

• Severe crowding
• Overbites and underbites
• Crossbites
• Teeth that have shifted after braces
• Complex bite problems

For straightforward cases, an experienced Invisalign dentist may provide excellent results at a competitive price.

What to Look for in an Invisalign Provider

1. Experience With Invisalign

Ask how many Invisalign cases the provider has completed.

Providers who treat Invisalign patients regularly tend to achieve more predictable results.

2. Before-and-After Photos

Review examples of real patients with concerns similar to yours.

3. Digital Scanning Technology

Choose an office that uses the iTero scanner or similar digital technology for more precise treatment planning.

4. Comprehensive Consultation

A thorough consultation should include:

• Digital scan
• Bite analysis
• Estimated treatment time
• Detailed pricing
• Explanation of refinements and retainers

5. Reviews and Testimonials

Look for patient feedback about:

• Results
• Communication
• Office experience
• Financing options

6. Refinements Included

Most Invisalign treatments require additional aligners. Confirm whether refinements are included in the quoted fee.

7. Retainers Included

Retainers are essential to maintain your new smile.

Questions to Ask When Comparing the Lowest Invisalign Cost

When evaluating different providers, ask:

• What is included in the quoted price?
• Are refinements included?
• Are retainers included?
• How many Invisalign cases have you completed?
• What financing options do you offer?
• What happens if treatment takes longer than expected?

These questions help ensure you’re comparing total value, not just the lowest advertised price.

Red Flags to Watch Out For

Be cautious if a provider:

• Advertises an unusually low price without clear details
• Cannot show previous Invisalign results
• Rushes your consultation
• Does not discuss refinements
• Offers a one-size-fits-all treatment plan

The lowest Invisalign cost is only a good deal if the treatment is comprehensive and delivered by an experienced provider.

Why Multiple Consultations Are Worthwhile

Meeting with two or three providers in Hillsboro can help you compare:

• Total treatment costs
• What’s included
• Financing options
• Estimated timelines
• Provider experience
• Your comfort level with the dentist or orthodontist

Often, the office that offers the best overall value—not necessarily the lowest Invisalign cost—provides the most confidence.

Invisalign Success Depends on You

Even the best provider cannot deliver excellent results unless you wear your aligners as instructed.

Most patients need to wear Invisalign trays for 20 to 22 hours per day.

Consistency is key.

Final Thoughts

If you’re searching for the lowest Invisalign cost in Hillsboro, Oregon, remember that price is only one part of the equation.

The right provider should offer:

• Extensive Invisalign experience
• Transparent pricing
• Positive reviews
• Comprehensive consultations
• Refinements and retainers included

The best Invisalign provider combines competitive pricing with proven expertise and personalized care.

When it comes to your smile, choosing the best value is far more important than choosing the cheapest option.

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This content is brought to you by Alexander Reid

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The post How to Choose the Best Dentist for Invisalign in Hillsboro, Oregon (Without Focusing Only on the Lowest Invisalign Cost) appeared first on The Good Men Project.

Uliana Hlynchak is a Ukrainian-Canadian journalist, producer, writer, and cultural programmer based in Toronto. She produces KONTAKT Next Generation and Alberta KONTAKT, contributes to KONTAKT Ukrainian Television, and helps connect Ukrainian Canadians with news, culture, and community life. Her work spans diaspora media, literature, music, and public programming, including KUMF Gallery initiatives and the Toronto Ukrainian Festival. Through journalism and poetry, she advocates for Ukraine, cultural continuity, and international awareness today and abroad for audiences.

In this interview, Scott Douglas Jacobsen speaks with Uliana Hlynchak about KONTAKT TV’s mission, youth engagement, diaspora literature, wartime cultural advocacy, and the emotional purpose of poetry shaped by Russia’s war against Ukraine. Hlynchak explains how media, festivals, and public programming preserve Ukrainian identity in Canada while informing broader audiences. She also reflects on mentoring young talent, building dialogue platforms, and using journalism and art together to carry Ukraine’s message internationally with moral clarity today.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: How do you define KONTAKT TV’s editorial mission for Ukrainian Canadians in 2026?

Uliana Hlynchak: We produce three programs every week: KONTAKT, KONTAKT Next Generation, and Alberta KONTAKT. I am the producer for the last two. All of the programs serve as a link and a platform for the Ukrainian Canadian community. KONTAKT Next Generation shows a youth perspective and engages Ukrainian Canadian youth in community life. Alberta KONTAKT serves the community of that province. With our programming, we support Ukraine, especially today, when Ukraine defends itself against Russian aggression.

We also aim to serve as a link for newcomers, provide information on cultural events and connections, and preserve Ukrainian identity and heritage within Canada’s multicultural society. Our first program, KONTAKT Ukrainian Television, has been on air for more than 30 years. It was established in the mid-1990s. Next Generation started about nine years ago, when we realized we needed to engage youth and younger generations so they could continue our work. Alberta KONTAKT serves the province of Alberta, where there is a large Ukrainian community, and they provide their own content for the program.

As I mentioned, we are a platform for all things Ukrainian in Canada, and not only in Canada, but also for the Ukrainian diaspora. We travel abroad, to Europe, the United States, and South America, and try to portray the lives of Ukrainian diaspora communities in different countries when we have the chance.

Jacobsen: Which stories feel urgent to tell now?

Hlynchak: All stories are important. As I mentioned, the program is over 30 years old, so it has evolved. In the beginning, the program focused on everything that was happening in Ukraine because people were hungry for news from Ukraine, especially when it was a young Ukrainian democracy. The internet was not as developed as it is today, when you can access news on demand.

That said, there was also programming about everything happening in the Ukrainian community in Canada. Today, Ukraine is the center of attention for our community, but so is community life in Canada. Everything happening at the government level concerning Ukraine is important. It is also important to show advocacy work, issues concerning newcomers and their integration into society, and community work that supports Ukraine and supports our organizations and their growth in Canada.

KONTAKT is often a media sponsor for important organizations such as the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, the Ukrainian National Federation, and the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation, among many others. We also try to focus on and feature as many cultural events and initiatives as we can. However, there is only one hour each week in the main program. It is the same with Alberta KONTAKT, and KONTAKT Next Generation runs for 30 minutes. The challenge is that so much is happening, and not everything can be included in the program.

We are also developing a YouTube presence. There are many interviews and materials that do not go on air but are shared through YouTube. If you search KONTAKT Ukrainian TV on YouTube, you will see multiple channels. That is because, at times, our channel was closed for various reasons, including complaints or attempts to report it. We had to open new ones. That is why more than one channel appears in search results. At present, we operate under KONTAKT Ukrainian TV.

Jacobsen: With KONTAKT Next Generation, what have younger Ukrainian Canadians taught you?

Hlynchak: That is a good question. I enjoy working with young people. I am always looking for talent. When I find someone and begin working with them, I can see how their abilities develop with the right support. It is very rewarding to watch that growth over time. They are eager to learn, show initiative, and want to contribute to the community.

This is not limited to youth in Canada. For many years, we worked with a young boy who is now a teenager. He had a cooking segment on our program and is now interested in becoming a chef. Over the years, you could see how his talent evolved. At first, he presented general recipes. Later, we shifted toward showcasing Ukrainian recipes and Ukrainian chefs. He conducted interviews with prominent chefs such as Yevhen Klopotenko and Olha Martyniuk.

Once a young person develops, they begin to understand that they are not only building their own interests, but also finding ways to reinforce the message of being Ukrainian within whatever they do. For example, the young boy I mentioned, Mark Vitalik, focused on Ukrainian cuisine. He is not Canadian, he lives in Zurich, but his interest remains in cooking. He is taking various classes, and one day, I hope to visit his Michelin-star restaurant somewhere in Europe.

That is just one example. We have many young participants. There is also a performer who leads a segment called Let’s Sing Together. She is now 10 years old and has been with us for about five years. She helps popularize Ukrainian songs and music. Over time, she has developed not only as a reporter but also as a singer. This July, she will represent Canada at the World Championship of Performing Arts in Las Vegas.

Jacobsen: As head of the KUMF Gallery Programming Committee, what is your decision process for selecting artists, writers, and conversations for Art Talk?

Hlynchak: I should clarify that I do not make decisions regarding the visual art component. That is handled by a separate committee. As head of the programming department, I focus primarily on literature, literary events, and sometimes music. We feature authors and musicians from the Ukrainian diaspora. Some guests return to present new books or music programs, while others are new, which is always exciting, especially when we see younger generations entering literature, theatre, or music.

There is one particularly interesting group called Serce, which means “heart” in Ukrainian. It was formed by newcomers, poets, musicians, and people who love poetry. When they arrived in Canada, they felt the need for a spiritual outlet, so they created this group and began organizing poetry events. At some point, we began collaborating, and we started holding regular poetry readings at CUNV.

They have become an important part of community life, especially for newcomers. Through their work, they express perspectives on the war in Ukraine, immigration, and starting life in a new country. We learn a great deal from them, particularly about how this new wave of immigration differs from earlier ones, the challenges they face, and their outlook on life.

Jacobsen: Your Contemporary Ukrainian Émigré and Diaspora Literature series is a public space for literary dialogue. What themes are prominent among Ukrainian Canadian diaspora writers?

Hlynchak: Yes, this series started a couple of years ago, and then COVID happened, so it became a series of online webinars. That was actually convenient, because we were no longer limited to hosting events in our gallery, we could feature authors from anywhere in the diaspora, whether in Vancouver, New York, Malta, or other European cities.

The themes are broad and depend on each author’s background, profession, and interests. For example, there is historical and investigative literature, academic research, and fiction based on family or community history. There is also children’s literature, as well as poetry collections. All genres and topics are important. Literature plays a major role in portraying society, both contemporary issues and historical ones. It is an important component of the Ukrainian Canadian community and of the global Ukrainian diaspora.

Jacobsen: How do you balance remembrance and wartime responsibility in presenting Ukrainian culture to Canadians?

Hlynchak: It is important to understand that Ukraine has been defending its culture and its land from Russia for many centuries. This is not something new with the current war. During Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union, and today, Russia has promoted the narrative that Ukrainians as a nation and culture do not exist. There were attempts to ban the Ukrainian language during Tsarist times. Ukrainian culture has been appropriated under the umbrella of “Russian culture,” and Ukrainian artists have been rebranded as Russian, such as Repin, Kuindzhi, and Malevich.

There has also been the destruction and theft of cultural heritage, museum artifacts, churches, theatres, and community buildings, as well as the deportation of Ukrainian children and the killing of civilians. It is our duty today to tell the world not only historical facts, for example, that Scythian settlements existed on what is now Ukrainian land long before Russia came into existence, but also to show how we, as a nation, are distinct.

Russia promotes the idea that we are “brotherly peoples” with similar cultures. While there are some similarities, that is not the focus. We need to challenge the narrative that we are one nation. Sharing a border does not make us the same people, nor does it support the claim that Ukrainian culture is a subset of Russian culture. Ukrainians were historically referred to as malorosy, or “Little Russians,” which reflects that narrative.

Today, as Ukraine defends itself, this issue becomes even more urgent. The president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress said last week during a press conference and advocacy meetings in Ottawa: if Russia stops fighting, there will be no war; if Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine. That captures what is at stake, our existence as Ukrainians, and what Russia is doing in an attempt to erase us. Today, they are committing acts of genocide against the Ukrainian people, as they have done many times before.

Jacobsen: You wrote poetry on war and memory. As an aside, memory, professionalism, grief, and anger are common emotions across disciplines and among individuals I have interviewed. What emotions does this poetry evoke for you?

Hlynchak: Regarding poetry, first of all, when Ukrainians are being killed and Ukraine is being bombarded, it is difficult to focus and create, and almost impossible to write about anything else. As I mentioned before, we are fighting today for our existence.

The poetry of war is meant to make the reader stop and think about these disturbing topics. Readers in Canada, the United States, or Europe do not experience this war firsthand. Of course, I do not experience it firsthand either. But I have notifications on my phone when there is an air raid in Lviv Oblast, in the city of Lviv, where my parents live and where I am from. I have also visited Ukraine several times over the past few years, and I have seen how people live and suffer. Right now, all Ukrainians are hurting, no matter where they are.

This poetry is meant to show that reality to readers, the psychological effects of war, the struggle, how Ukraine is defending itself, how women take up weapons and go to the front. It reflects all aspects of the war, both on the front lines and deep within the country. My poetry is written in Ukrainian, but an award-winning translator has translated these war poems into English. You have probably seen them, right?

Most of them are translated from Ukrainian. My goal is for English-speaking readers to encounter these poems, because I want readers in other parts of the world to see what is happening in Ukraine.

There is one poem in particular that is especially disturbing, and I wrote it in English for that reason. It is called Ukrainian Lullaby. It tells the story of a newborn Ukrainian child dying under Russian bombardment, in a building that has been destroyed. The child is pinned under the rubble, and the mother is there as well. The poem came to me almost like a meditation, all at once. I wrote it down and began to cry.

I showed it to my older daughter, who is also my editor. She read it and began to cry. Every time I read this poem, I cry. Olena Lutsenko, a composer from Kyiv, wrote music for these lyrics, and the poem became a song. As I mentioned earlier, our reporter and performer Zlata Barchuk will be performing at the World Championship of Performing Arts in Las Vegas, where she will sing this song.

This is what I want my poetry to do. I want people to hear these words, to understand their meaning, and to imagine what it is like for a helpless child, sleeping peacefully, and what happens a moment after a Russian bomb falls on their home. That is what I aim to achieve with my poetry now. It is a message to the world.

Poetry and art work differently from news and analysis. They should touch people’s emotions and hearts. This is another way to advocate for the Ukrainian cause and for Ukrainian people, and to show the world what is happening today in Ukraine, what civilians and Ukrainian children are experiencing.

I would like to add one more thing, because it is important. This song was premiered last year during the opening ceremonies of the Ukrainian Toronto Festival. Since then, it has been shared widely on social media. I believe it has more than 600,000 views and many comments. It also appears as a suggestion on Instagram when people choose music for their videos or photos. I hope that this song will continue to spread as an important message to the world.

Jacobsen: You move between creative writing, journalism, moderation, and programming. How do these roles strengthen one another for you?

Hlynchak: Everything except creative writing reinforces the others. You meet different people, and every week there is new content to work on. I stay informed about what is happening in the Ukrainian community and in Ukraine. We feature various cultural events, literature, and the arts. Recently, for example, we hosted Lyuba Yakimchuk, a poet from Kyiv, with her important collection Apricots of Donbas. She is originally from Luhansk, which is occupied territory, and she had to relocate along with her family. Work like this helps us spread the message about Ukraine, step by step.

All of these roles reinforce one another and help me navigate my work. They also allow me to pass on knowledge to my younger team, to offer direction, and to raise awareness about issues they may not yet be familiar with.

Creative writing, on the other hand, requires quiet and focus, which I often lack. It also requires time to sit down and write, and that is something I still need to balance in my schedule. Poetry comes in moments, it is driven by momentum. An idea, an image, or something someone says can suddenly become a poem. After that, of course, you revise and refine it.

Writing longer pieces, such as short stories, which I enjoy most, requires much more time. I have not written anything longer than a short story, but even that demands significant effort. Recently, I heard Vasyl Makhno say that writing a short story takes as much time as writing a novel. It is just as difficult, even if one is shorter. Perhaps he is right. In any case, both require a great deal of work.

Jacobsen: Across media and diaspora community-building, what would meaningful impact look like for you in 2026?

Hlynchak: We need to continue the work we are doing, being a platform for the Ukrainian community and informing people about what is happening. As a journalist, you know how fast news travels now. We need to react quickly and process information efficiently. I think it is about continuing what we are already doing, being present in the moment, while also balancing that with planning for the future.

We produce three programs every week, and we also work closely with the Toronto Ukrainian Festival. I can briefly mention that as well. We need to continue engaging new organizations, young talent, and plan ahead.

I am also involved with the Toronto Ukrainian Festival, and I am proud to say that I started there. This year, the festival will celebrate its 30th anniversary, which is a significant milestone for the Ukrainian community. It was founded by the same person who started KONTAKT, Yuri Klyufas, who is also my partner. He has done tremendous work for the Ukrainian community.

I am also proud to have started the Speaker’s Corner at the festival. The festival itself is a large, three-day event that attracts more than a million visitors every year in Toronto. It showcases Ukrainian culture, cuisine, and organizations. I felt there was a need for a dialogue platform, so three years ago I launched Speaker’s Corner, which we call Ukraine Today. Every hour, we host outdoor discussions on a wide range of Ukrainian topics, lectures, interviews, and conversations, on a dedicated stage for festival visitors.

All of these events are conducted in English, because the goal of Speaker’s Corner is to inform visitors and provide an intellectual space to learn about Ukraine, its culture, history, and what is happening today.

Jacobsen: Thank you very much for your time today. 

Hlynchak: Thank you, Scott, it was nice speaking with you.

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Scott Douglas Jacobsen is a Writer-Editor for The Good Men Project with more than 1,800 publications on the platform. He is the Founder and Publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343; 978-1-0673505) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN, 0018-7399; Online: ISSN, 2163-3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), Humanist Perspectives (ISSN: 1719-6337), A Further Inquiry (SubStack), Vocal, Medium, The New Enlightenment Project, The Washington Outsider, rabble.ca, and other media. His bibliography index can be found via the Jacobsen Bank at In-Sight Publishing comprised of more than 10,000 articles, interviews, and republications, in more than 200 outlets. He has served in national and international leadership roles within humanist and media organizations, held several academic fellowships, and currently serves on several boards. He is a member in good standing in numerous media organizations, including the Canadian Association of Journalists, PEN Canada (CRA: 88916 2541 RR0001), and Reporters Without Borders (SIREN: 343 684 221/SIRET: 343 684 221 00041/EIN: 20-0708028), and others.

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The post Uliana Hlynchak on KONTAKT TV, Diaspora Media, and Ukrainian Cultural Advocacy appeared first on The Good Men Project.

Like millions of other folks around the world, I witnessed a cultural phenom offering a love letter to viewers in the form of the final episode of The Late Show. I stayed awake as long as I could, since I needed to get up early the next morning. Riding my recumbent bike in front of the tv helped bolster my energy and drooping spirits, considering the reason why this was to be his last show. Comedian, writer, producer, and commentator of all things impacting the world, Stephen Colbert was given his walking papers in July of 2025. The honchos at CBS claim that it was “a financial decision due to rising production costs and a “challenging backdrop” in the late-night television market.” How convenient that it occurred in the swampy soup of verbal sewage from the always offended occupant of the Oval Office.

It was no secret that The Late Show was no Tr*mp love fest. Colbert called it as he saw it. His devoted fans and rabid detractors held their own views of his transparency. The former group mourned and the latter group gleefully celebrated what they saw as a justifiable downfall. To his credit, Colbert didn’t once mention the name of the man whose behavior and verbiage provided ongoing fodder.

The show, which he called ‘the Joy Machine’ churned out such uplifting and enlightening content. ”We call it the Joy Machine, because to do this many shows, it has to be a machine, but the thing is, if you choose to do it with joy, it doesn’t hurt as much when your fingers get caught in the gears.”

He said that “The truthiness (a word he coined) is, anyone can read the news to you. I promise to feel the news ‘at’ you.” That he did. He made the fast and furious 24 hour news cycle somehow more palatable, as devastating as some of it has been.

My own experience with Stephen Colbert occurred while he was hosting The Colbert Report. His character was a Conservative commentator whose snarky, snarlings poked fun of left of center zeitgeist. At the time, I didn’t know that this persona was worlds away from the Liberal man behind the rhetoric. Kind of like Archie Bunker and Carol O’Connor.  I facilitate a workshop called Cuddle Party, which focuses on communication, boundary setting and safe, nurturing, platonic touch, by consent, for adults. Folks attend dressed in pjs, sweats or yoga clothes. I offered one in which a reporter attended from a local news affiliate. It was filmed and appeared on the newscast and then it ended up on Yahoo, from which Colbert picked it up.

On his previous show he had a segment called Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger. I had heard that he was going to be making a comment about it. I was so excited and told everyone I knew. When it aired, my heart went thud. He gave it a wag of the finger and called it something like an ‘orgy for the socially inept’. Orgy it was not. No nudity. No sex. Social ineptitude? Nah, some people who attend do so, to feel more at ease socially. Humans have skin hunger that is as important to meet as food hunger and without it, we fail to thrive. So, I called the co-founder of Cuddle Party, Reid Mihalko and sobbed on the phone. His response was, “Darlin’, any publicity is good publicity.”

I sent a message to Stephen’s producer to pass on to him and said, “As a responsible journalist, you should do your research and know what you’re talking about. I invite you to bring your p.j. clad butt to one of my Cuddle Parties and see for yourself.” Regrettably, he didn’t take me up on my offer. I would have loved it! I wish him well on his next chapter. Maybe he’ll have time to attend now.

The part of the show that I caught was the opening monologue which was interrupted by several famous folk, acting as if they were each going to be his final guest. Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Ryan Reynolds all threw their proverbial hats into the ring. The rumor of Pope Leo being the celestial star with whom he would confab, was put to rest pretty early on in the hour with comic silliness. So, for those who didn’t tune in, the guest was Paul McCartney whose appearance was met with cheers and screams; kinda like the way the Beatles were greeted when they showed up to perform. This was a full circle moment since The Ed Sullivan Theater where Colbert’s show was taped, also hosted the 1964 Beatles debut in the US. The 83 year old musician was in fine form and it did my heart good to see him honored. His bandleader Louis Cato called the dynamics of the 11 year old show, a “reciprocal emotional relationship.”

The musical collaboration between Colbert, McCartney, Cato, Elvis Costello and the show’s former band leader, Jon Batiste brought the house down.

Naturally, the bully in chief felt an overwhelming, not to be denied urge to denigrate Colbert in a late night Truth Social screed. “Colbert is finally finished at CBS. Amazing that he lasted so long! No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person. You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk. Thank goodness he’s finally gone!” He doubled down with an AI generated image of him collaring Colbert and tossing him into a dumpster.

The upside, if there is one, of this intent to silence dissent, to shred the 1st amendment, and attempt to cause fear, is that it shines an even brighter light on the man’s pettiness and gives Colbert an even bigger stage. Without the constraints of a Conservative management at CBS, he has the ability to be emboldened. He will rise above this. The sky’s the limit.

I  wear my values on my sleeve (in this case, my chest) with pro-social message shirts and purchased a Last Show tank top. Proceeds benefit chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen.

Montclair Film on Flickr Under CC License

The post Hello/Goodbye–The End of an Era appeared first on The Good Men Project.

What Ghosting Really Is

If you’ve been ghosted before, you know how confusing and painful the experience can be. You thought you were building something special with someone. Maybe it was in the early dating stages, or maybe you were much further into the relationship.

When someone suddenly goes silent and you’re left with no closure, you start wondering: Did I say something wrong? Should I text them? Should I call them out? Should I pretend I don’t care and ghost them back?

Before you do anything, pause. Understanding what ghosting really is will give you back your power and control in a situation where you feel like you’ve lost it.

In this video, I’m going to tell you what to do next depending on what stage your ghosting happened.

If you’re new here, I’m Matthew Hussey. I’m a writer and coach who, over the last two decades, has coached hundreds of thousands of people and written two New York Times bestselling books on love and relationships.

As always, make sure you subscribe and like this video. Let’s get into it.

When we think of being ghosted in dating, we think of a sudden disappearance. But we don’t experience it as sudden because ghosting doesn’t hit all at once.

It’s more like a series of moments: first, we notice a delay in responsiveness. Then comes the disappointment at not hearing back, the wondering whether they missed our message, the silent confusion as we try to figure out what’s going on in their head, and the justifications that tell us something must have happened.

Let’s break down the different kinds of ghosting—from the least to the most damaging—and how to deal with them.

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Here is a summary of the transcript from YouTube, slightly edited with AI.

1. Early Messaging Ghosting

We have to be careful of overthinking it when someone we’ve only exchanged a couple of messages with on an app disappears without a closure message.

The word “ghosting” is thrown around pretty loosely these days, but if someone fails to respond before we’ve even met and we rush to call it ghosting, we may be revealing our own overinvestment in the situation.

We might also be showing our fear of making ourselves vulnerable for just a moment by sending another message to clarify before deciding they have disappeared for good.

Maybe they’re not big on texting. Maybe your last message didn’t include a question, so it didn’t prompt a response. Who knows?

You just have to remember that if you haven’t built rapport with that person, haven’t met them, and never made plans, there is no emotional investment there.

Sometimes the best form of closure is to stop analyzing the situation and simply send them a question the next day or something more intentional that elicits a response.

2. Early Dating Ghosting

So many painful ghosting stories people come to me with happen in early dating.

It’s the painful withdrawal of someone we had started developing feelings for, or whose continued presence we had come to expect in our lives.

The stories themselves often leave clues as to why someone ghosted.

Sometimes we get ghosted because someone can’t handle new information about us. Like the man who disappeared after someone in my community vulnerably shared that she had HPV—an extremely common sexually transmitted infection that many people don’t even know they have.

Then there are the countless stories of whirlwind romances: talking all night, spending all day together, laughing until you cry, passionately kissing, making love, feeling like you’ve known each other forever, even making future plans—only to be ghosted days later.

People are left feeling utterly confused, heartbroken, and even stupid.

They think: “They made me feel so safe and secure. They invited me to their aunt’s wedding, for God’s sake. Where were the warning signs?”

The cruelty of these situations is how aggrieved we feel while having no memory of a conversation to actually feel aggrieved by.

We’re pained not by explanations, but by silence—by the wordless severance.

This is why the unjust hallmark of ghosting is often the feeling that we must have done something wrong.

The Fear of Intimacy

We can sometimes make better sense of situations like these by seeing them as a reflection of a person’s mutual desire for—and unwillingness to confront—intimacy.

They want connection, loving feelings, admiration, sex, excitement, and safety—everything intimacy brings—but not intimacy itself.

The moment they truly feel it, they run.

In David Whyte’s book Consolations, he talks about running away in life:

“Wanting to run is necessary, but it can also be extremely dangerous and unwise, especially when running exiles us from the very circumstances where we’re about to mature and cultivate our character.”

Running becomes unwise when it removes us from the very experiences that would help us grow.

Why Do People Ghost Instead of Being Honest?

Why not simply say:

• “I wanted a quick hookup.”
• “The STD conversation scared me.”
• “I’m not capable of genuine intimacy or commitment.”

This is where ghosting goes a step further. It reveals someone’s inability to deal with life on its own terms.

To be honest about why they’re pulling away creates too much friction.

Admitting they aggressively led someone on would force them into a difficult conversation and cast them in a negative light.

It might also create friction if they ever want to come back later.

That’s why people who ghost often rely on you not bringing it up if they return.

Every situation is different. Every person is different. And sometimes, even when you know you should walk away, part of you still wants to try harder.

3. Ghosting in Long-Term Relationships

What about situations where ghosting happens in real relationships?

Maybe eight months of seeing each other every day. Maybe three years together and planning for a baby. Maybe a 15-year marriage.

This isn’t just confusing. It isn’t just painful.

It can be deeply traumatic.

It shakes our sense of reality and makes us question our judgment.

How could I have missed something so big?

This often leads to self-blame and a complete loss of self-worth.

Sometimes when you look back, you can connect the dots. You see the red flags you minimized or the moments you brushed aside.

But other times, it truly feels like it came out of nowhere.

The Hard Truth

Some people can appear incredibly loving when their needs are being met.

But when things become inconvenient, when novelty fades, when they’re no longer getting what they want—or when fear takes over—you see who they really are.

And it can be chilling to discover how different their character is from your own.

We discover the extreme lengths they will go to in order to avoid confronting reality.

Not just avoiding you.

Avoiding themselves.

Avoiding the realization that their decisions caused tremendous pain.

In short, these people have an antagonistic relationship with life itself.

Ghosting Is Not a Verdict on Your Worth

People reject each other every day without disappearing.

They communicate. They show respect. They show up for difficult conversations.

Ghosting goes beyond rejection.

It tells you something specific about the other person: when internal friction appears, they disappear.

You may wonder: “Did they ever even love me?”

They may have loved you—but not in the way that you love.

Real love has an outward focus. It includes care, responsibility, and humanity, especially in endings.

What they felt may have been more self-centered. They loved how you made them feel and what they got from the relationship.

When that stopped, so did their attention, effort, and decency.

That doesn’t mean you imagined the relationship.

It means you loved someone who defines love differently than you do.

What You’re Really Grieving

You are not grieving who they truly are.

You’re grieving the version of them you believed in, the relationship as you experienced it, and the future you thought was unfolding.

You are grieving an idea.

And once you see that clearly, the grief slowly changes shape.

It becomes less confusing and more freeing.

A Final Thought

Ghosting is a doorway into many disappointments that happen when we risk ourselves in dating, relationships, and life.

But it isn’t only where we find cautionary lessons.

It’s also where we are reminded of our courage and sincerity.

There is no sincere life that does not include heartbreak.

In seeing someone else’s unfortunate behavior, we can also be reminded of how far we’ve come in becoming caring, intentional, loving people.

People whose words mean something.

People who are careful with other people’s hearts.

People willing to risk their hearts for real connection.

Ghosting doesn’t just reveal the way someone else failed us.

It gives us a vantage point from which to view ourselves and feel proud of the energy we represent in the world.

While ghosting understandably fuels insecurity for some, it can also become an invitation to a more foundational kind of confidence:

The confidence that comes from being proud of the way we show up in the world, the way we treat people, and the kinds of people we believe we deserve around us in the future.

How have you dealt with ghosting in the past? How are you dealing with it right now?

If it’s something you’re going through, leave me a comment. Maybe your story will help someone else.

I’ll see you in the comment section.

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This post was previously published on YouTube.

Blog → https://www.howtogettheguy.com/blog/ Facebook → https://facebook.com/CoachMatthewHussey Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/thematthewh… Twitter → https://twitter.com/matthewhussey ▼ Connect with Stephen ▼ Youtube → https://bit.ly/StephenHusseyYoutube Instagram → http://bit.ly/StephenHusseyIG

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The post A High Value Way of Dealing With Ghosting appeared first on The Good Men Project.

For pricing and to find out more about our paid guest post program and bulk guest posts, email info@goodmenproject.com.

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Buying one guest post is a transaction. Buying 50 or 100 guest posts creates a system.

Once you move into bulk guest post buying, the small details get bigger. A slow response is no longer just a small delay. It affects the campaign calendar. A weak site is no longer just one questionable placement. It becomes part of the client’s overall backlink profile. A confusing process is no longer mildly annoying. It becomes a recurring headache.

And nobody needs a recurring headache with anchor text.

Bulk guest posting can be a smart part of a long-term SEO strategy, especially for agencies managing multiple clients or resellers trying to create predictable publishing pipelines. But before buying 50 or 100 posts, agencies should slow down just enough to ask better questions.

Not because they need to overthink everything. Because at scale, “good enough” can become expensive quickly.

Look at the platform, not just the metric

It is tempting to judge guest post opportunities by the easiest numbers first.

Domain metrics. Price. Turnaround time.

Those things matter, but they do not tell the whole story. Agencies should also look at the actual publication. What kind of content does it publish? Do the categories make sense? Does the site have a clear editorial identity? Would you feel comfortable showing the placement to a client without needing to explain too much?

That last question is underrated.

A guest post is not only a link. It is a page your client may click. Their investors may click. Their competitors may click. Their customers may click. If the surrounding environment feels random, thin, or spammy, the placement may create more risk than value.

The Good Men Project has been publishing since 2010, with a mission-driven focus on modern masculinity, men’s mental health, relationships, fatherhood, identity, and social change. That kind of editorial center gives relevant posts a real home. It also gives agencies something stronger than a metric to point to.

Trust. That’s important too.

Make sure the topics actually fit 

Before buying in bulk, agencies should think carefully about category alignment.

A guest post about fatherhood, therapy, wellness, personal growth, education, family law, workplace culture, or relationships should not feel like it was dropped onto the internet by accident. It should sit inside a platform where the topic belongs.

This matters for readers, but it also matters for client confidence. A placement looks stronger when the article fits naturally into the publication’s existing conversations.

Bulk buying can sometimes lead agencies to treat every placement as interchangeable. That is where problems start. If the only question is “Can this site publish it?” the answer may be yes, but that does not mean the placement is good.

The better question is, “Does this content make sense here?”

When the answer is yes, the placement has a better chance of feeling durable, credible, and useful beyond the day it goes live.

Ask how the workflow actually works 

Bulk orders need process.

Agencies should ask what happens after they submit content. Who manages the order? How are categories chosen? What is the expected turnaround? Are there editorial checks? Is there one point of contact? What happens if something needs to be corrected?

These are not boring operational questions. Well, maybe a little boring. But boring in the way seatbelts are boring, which is to say: extremely helpful when things get bumpy.

A strong guest post partner should make the process predictable. Agencies should not have to chase updates, guess what is happening, or rebuild the relationship with every new order.

GMP’s paid guest post program is built for long-term partners who need real support, dedicated account service, editorial vetting, category alignment, permanent placement, and quick-but-not-instant turnaround.

Take note of that. Quick is good. Instant can be suspicious.

If 100 posts go live with no meaningful review, the agency may want to ask what exactly is being protected. What other posts are going live instantaneously and how trustworthy is that site?

Think about permanence before buying volume 

For bulk buyers, permanence is not a small detail.

If an agency buys 50 or 100 guest posts, those placements should continue to exist as part of the client’s long-term SEO and brand visibility strategy. A live link today is useful. A live link that still looks credible months later is better.

Agencies should ask whether placements are permanent and whether the publication has a real history of stability.

This is one reason longevity matters. GMP has been around for 15 years. That does not mean nothing will ever change, because the internet is still the internet and enjoys making everyone humble. But it does show that the platform has staying power.

For agencies, that matters. Bulk guest posting should not feel like building on sand.

Know what kind of buyer the platform is built for 

Not every guest post provider is built for the same kind of customer.

Some are built for the lowest possible price. Some are built for quick one-off transactions. Some are built for volume with very little editorial concern.

That may work for certain campaigns, but agencies buying 50 or 100 posts should know what kind of partner they are choosing.

GMP is not a low-cost guest post marketplace. GMP placements are priced as premium editorial placements, not commodity links. The platform is built for agencies, resellers, and SEO teams that value trust, durability, workflow, and editorial context.

Many agency partners place 20 to 100 posts per quarter as part of broader SEO strategies. Bulk packages are often in the low-to-mid thousands, with some partners allocating around $2,000 to $10,000 annually depending on volume, content needs, and turnaround.

That kind of relationship is different from bargain shopping.

It is a publishing partnership.

Look for signs that buyers come back 

Repeat customers tell you something.

If buyers keep returning to a guest post program, it usually means the placements, process, and support are working well enough to become part of their system.

At GMP, 90% of customers are repeat customers, and many have worked with us for years. For agencies, that is an important signal. It suggests the platform is not just good at closing a first order. It is good at supporting ongoing work.

That matters when you are buying at scale.

A one-time vendor can help with a campaign. A reliable publishing partner can make the next campaign easier too.

Before buying 50 or 100 guest posts, agencies should look beyond price and ask what they are really getting: a site, a service, a workflow, a relationship, and a placement environment they can still stand behind later.

That is the safer way to buy in bulk.

For pricing and to find out more about our paid guest post program and bulk guest posts, email info@goodmenproject.com.

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Photo credit: iStock.com

The post What Agencies Should Look for Before Buying 50 or 100 Guest Posts appeared first on The Good Men Project.

(Feature Impact) Whether you’re enjoying a leisurely weekend morning with the family or savoring those last few moments before rushing out the door, a filling, healthy breakfast is a perfect way to begin the day. Easy recipes that take less than 30 minutes (and can even be prepared the night before) make busy mornings a breeze.

Sheet Pan Pancakes are simple to whip up any day of the week – no flipping required – while Healthy Sausage Breakfast Muffins let you put protein on the menu in a kid-friendly package. When shopping for these delicious breakfasts, look for the Healthy Family Project and Produce for Kids logos to choose healthier foods and make a difference locally.

“Breakfast doesn’t have to be complicated to be powerful – a quick, balanced meal can help kids stay full, focused and energized for the day ahead,” said Tony Castillo, contributing registered dietitian at Healthy Family Project. “For growing kids, a protein-rich breakfast can help support energy, satiety and the building blocks they need as they develop. The best breakfast is one that’s simple, satisfying and realistic for busy mornings because consistency matters more than perfection.”

The versatility of these pancakes allows for endless customization and experimentation with different toppings, from fresh fruit and nuts to savory options like cheese and spinach, making them an ideal fit for the whole family. They also freeze well, so you can pop them in the toaster to have breakfast ready in a flash when hectic schedules interfere with your morning routine.

For another on-the-go solution, these breakfast muffins are made with just five ingredients, including protein pancake mix to help fuel the day. The savory combination of turkey sausage and cheddar cheese is complemented by the sweetness of onion, giving them the flavor your family desires.

To find more ways to put a nutritious breakfast on the family table, visit HealthyFamilyProject.com.

Sheet Pan Pancakes

Recipe courtesy of the Healthy Family Project
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6

•             Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 1/2    cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2    teaspoons baking powder
• 1          tablespoon sugar
• 1          teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4    cups milk
• 1          large egg
• 2          tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2       cup sliced strawberries
• 1/4       cup blueberries
• 1/4       cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
3. Pour batter onto prepared baking sheet and smooth into even layer that covers pan. Top with strawberries, blueberries and chocolate chips.
4. Bake 5-7 minutes, or until cooked and golden brown. Let cool slightly before cutting into squares.

Healthy Sausage Breakfast Muffins

Recipe courtesy of the Healthy Family Project
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook time: 23 minutes
Servings: 12

•             Nonstick cooking spray
• 1          onion, diced
• 1          pound turkey sausage
• 4          eggs
• 1/2       cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1          cup protein pancake mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Spray 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
3. Spray large skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
4. In prepared skillet over medium heat, cook onion until translucent. Add turkey sausage and cook until no longer pink. Remove from heat.
5. In large mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add shredded cheese, pancake mix and sausage and onion mixture; mix well.
6. Fill prepared muffin cups about 3/4 full with mixture.
7. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

SOURCE:

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Previously Published on editors.familyfeatures.com

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Photo credit: Healthy Family Project

The post Fuel Growing Families With Breakfasts That Deliver Nutrition and Flavor appeared first on The Good Men Project.

  By Stephanie Flower

Pupil outcomes in Tasmania are the worst of any Australian state bar the Northern Territory. To counter this, Tasmania has launched a trial of multi-school organisations (MSOs ) across three primary schools in Hobart. This involves running groups of schools, led by one executive team, modelled on an approach developed in England, called multi-academy trusts (MATs). That’s where a single organisation assumes responsibility for running multiple schools and securing pupil outcomes.

Taking inspiration from England, Tasmania’s Department for Education, Children and Young People reports the model is internationally proven despite there being no proof that the English approach is any more effective . It seems Tasmanian decision makers  believe the hyperbole and have all too willingly engaged with confirmation bias. They are engaging with an inaccurate but popular refrain that aligns with their lofty aspirations to be nation leaders .

When Tasmanian representatives travelled  to England to speak with leaders of some very high profile multi-academy trusts (MATs) – organisations whose survival depends on growing their offering as evidence of their success – the narrative has repeatedly been positioned as transformative.

Why was this structure chosen?

How successive English governments arrived at the decision to adopt and impose the structure of multi-academy trusts (MATs) on all publicly-funded schools, however, is dubious. By torpedoing the funding for England’s previous structure, namely local authorities, successive English governments paved the way for a model that was given every chance to financially succeed. Under the guise that schools would manage their own affairs, its subsequent iteration was a school grouping model, the  multi-academy trust.

While the requirement for schools to be part of a MAT was initially dependent on pupil outcomes, successive political parties have pursued a preferential discourse, whereby all schools must join one despite long-standing objections from educators. Tasmanian educators and unions are now waging a similar fight against MSOs. But progress since January 2026 suggests that what started out as a pilot in Tasmania was most definitely not, with all schools now being required to work in groups.

Deliberately opaque practices

Tasmanian MSOs are reportedly providing opportunities for schools to pool resources, centralise administrative functions and align practices related to the curriculum and teaching. While sounding like an attractive prospect from a teacher workload and management point of view, England’s approach should provide some genuine glimmers into Tasmania’s future if it follows this course, with consistency and sameness across schools, to include curricula, considered to be hallmarks of effective practice

While Tasmania maintains that its schools will retain their identities and autonomy, my PhD into the prescriptive and deliberately opaque practices of England’s MATs told a very different story. Relying on the insights of teachers working within these structures, there was a reported lack (by those who lead MATs) of regard for the diverse communities in which schools operated. Instead MATs involved mandated one-size-fits-all-curricula and prescribed classroom pedagogies. Indicating that all of this diminished the need for teacher expertise, contribution and/or consultation, teachers spoke of the ways in which children’s interests and life experiences were irrelevant in pursuit of school data, wider organisational outcomes and ultimate survival.

Pockets of excellent practice

Finding what I considered to be pockets of excellent practice, I examined MATs that appeared to adopt a contrary way of working. These MATs understood the importance of school heterogeneity and teacher expertise, with a genuine appreciation of the communities in which schools worked, irrespective of proximity. Flying beneath the radar, these MATs didn’t feel compelled to raise their profile, steal the limelight and wax lyrical about their supposed effectiveness, but they’re the ones that Tasmania should have been seeking out.

Sadly, when the noise compels you to follow the echo, an unvarnished view is never likely to be sought. Swept up by the hyperbole and economic efficiencies yielded by funding agreements that focus on high level accountabilities, Tasmanian decision makers only ever wanted to hear one version of events, selecting high profile English MATs to inform their narrative. One can only hope that the rest of Australia seeks to challenge the on-brand commentary, and that none of us, irrespective of where we live, lose sight of what should always matter most in education, namely pupils.

This article was originally published on EduResearch Matters. Read the original article.

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The post Pupil Outcomes Are One of the Worst in Australia. Can the Multi-School, Top Down Approach Work? appeared first on The Good Men Project.

People like to frame “alter egos” as something theatrical — a switch you flip, a persona you perform. But the real alter ego is much quieter than that.

It’s the woman you don’t perform yet.

The one who doesn’t over-explain.

The one who moves differently, speaks differently, chooses differently.

The one who isn’t negotiating her worth in every room she enters.

She’s not imaginary. She’s not aspirational.

She’s already formed.

You’ve met her — in flashes. In moments where you surprised yourself. In decisions you almost made. In standards you almost enforced. In the way you know you could live if everything aligned.

That’s the version of you that doesn’t need convincing.

And once you’ve felt her, even briefly, you can’t un-know her.

The Discomfort of Living Half-True

This is where most people spiral — trying to force alignment too early, too loudly.

But that’s not what this is.

This is awareness without immediate execution.

You’re living a life that doesn’t fully match who you are inside, and instead of panicking, performing, or pretending… you’re observing it.

Calmly.

That’s a different kind of discipline.

Because it’s easy to either:

• Collapse into frustration (“Why am I not there yet?”), or

• Fake the transformation (“Let me act like her now, even if it’s unstable.”)

But you’re doing neither.

You’re holding the awareness without rushing the reveal.

And that takes more control than people realize.

The Quiet Certainty: “It Will Happen”

There’s a knowing that doesn’t need proof.

You don’t have the full environment yet.

You don’t have all the right people yet.

You don’t even have the exact structure your life needs yet.

But something in you is steady.

Not hopeful. Not desperate.

Certain.

It’s not a question of if you’ll step fully into yourself. It’s a question of when everything aligns enough for it to hold.

Because the truth is, not every version of you can survive in every environment.

Some versions require space.

Some require stability.

Some require distance from certain dynamics.

So instead of forcing her into a life that can’t sustain her, you’re waiting.

Not passively — but precisely.

A Personal Truth: Living in a “Smoulder”

If I’m honest, the life I’m living right now feels like a smoulder.

Not a fire. Not fully alive. But not dead either.

Something is burning — slowly, deliberately — beneath the surface.

There has been growth. Real growth. The kind that doesn’t need validation because you feel the shift internally. The way you think has changed. The way you see people has sharpened. The way you hold yourself has tightened.

But externally? It hasn’t fully translated yet.

And that can be frustrating if you let it be.

But I don’t.

Because I understand something most people rush past:

Not everything is meant to be revealed in fragments.

Some transformations are holistic.

They don’t arrive piece by piece for public consumption. They arrive complete enough to sustain themselves.

So I’m not forcing visibility where there should be incubation.

I’m not announcing a version of myself that the current structure of my life can’t support yet.

I’m allowing it to build — fully, quietly, internally — until it can exist without strain.

Self-Awareness Without Urgency

Self-awareness is often sold as a call to immediate action.

But real self-awareness is restraint.

It’s knowing:

• Who you are

• Who you are not anymore

• And who you’re becoming… without rushing to collapse all three into one moment.

You can live in the in-between without losing yourself.

You can acknowledge the gap without trying to perform your way out of it.

You can be deeply aware and still be patient.

That’s not stagnation.

That’s control.

The People, The Timing, The Shift

There are things you cannot manufacture prematurely:

• The right environments

• The right relationships

• The right level of independence

• The right internal stability

You can prepare for them. You can position yourself. You can become ready.

But you cannot force their arrival on your timeline.

And that’s where trust comes in — not blind faith, but grounded certainty.

Because you’ve already changed internally.

The external will catch up.

It always does.

You’re Not Late. You’re Layered.

There’s nothing wrong with you for not fully living as “her” yet.

You’re not behind. You’re not wasting time.

You’re layering.

Becoming her internally before life demands her externally.

So when the moment comes — and it will — you won’t be trying to become her under pressure.

You’ll already be her.

And the transition won’t look dramatic.

It will look… natural.

Like something that was always meant to happen.

Final Note

You don’t need a specific age.

You don’t need a perfect date.

You don’t need a loud turning point.

You already feel it.

That quiet, unwavering sense that your real life — your aligned life — is not hypothetical.

It’s pending.

And when it arrives, it won’t feel like a surprise.

It will feel like recognition.

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There is a particular quality that the best living rooms share, and it has surprisingly little to do with budget or square footage. A room can be generously proportioned and carefully furnished and still feel oddly tense, or slightly unwelcoming, without anyone being able to name the exact reason. Conversely, a modest space with a few well-chosen surfaces can feel immediately, genuinely good to be in. The difference is almost always in the details that affect the body before the conscious mind has had time to form an opinion.

What 2026 Design Research Tells Us About How We Want to Live

This shift has not gone unnoticed at the professional level. Houzz’s 2026 home design report, based on data from homeowners and renovation specialists across markets, shows a clear and consistent move toward homes furnished for comfort and longevity rather than for a single season’s aesthetic. According to Houzz’s 2026 home design trends, natural materials and high-quality textiles are among the leading choices shaping how people redesign their living spaces this year. Homeowners are choosing materials that age well, feel right underhand, and remain relevant across years rather than months. The implication for everyday interior decisions is significant: the most durable investments are the ones that serve the people inside the space.

Why Fabric Is the First Thing a Room Tells the Body

Fabric is the most immediate of these investments. Unlike paint, flooring, or built-in furniture, the textile covering a sofa is something you come into direct contact with every time you sit down. Its temperature, its texture, the way it yields or resists slight pressure, all of these are processed by the body in the first second of contact and contribute directly to whether the room feels welcoming or merely adequate. A sofa covered in a stiff or slightly cold synthetic material can make an otherwise well-designed room feel slightly disappointing at the point of use. A sofa covered in a soft natural weave creates the opposite effect, a small but consistent confirmation that the room is on your side.

Colour, Tone and the Living Room as a Recovery Space

Colour and tone work in parallel. The palette a room uses determines the emotional register from which every experience inside it is interpreted. Bright, high-contrast combinations are stimulating and have their uses in spaces designed for energy and focus. But the living room is typically a recovery space, a room used at the end of days that have already provided sufficient stimulation. Here, the palette should work in the opposite direction: soft, warm, and rooted in natural tones, muted linens, earthy off-whites, pale clays, and quiet naturals that accumulate into an atmosphere of ease without demanding any particular response from the person sitting within them.

The Sofa Sets the Tone for Everything Else

The sofa governs all of this. Because it is the largest upholstered surface in the room, its fabric and colour set the tonal key from which everything else is read. Change the sofa cover and you effectively change the room. This is why slipcovers are, in practical terms, one of the most powerful design tools available to anyone updating a living space without undertaking a full renovation. They operate at exactly the scale that matters most and they do so without any of the disruption or irreversibility that comes with structural changes.

Updating the Ektorp for the Room You Actually Want

For owners of the Ektorp, this is particularly relevant. The sofa’s classic proportions and deep seating make it a natural anchor for a comfortable room, but the cover determines whether that anchor holds. Updating with a set of IKEA Ektorp sofa covers from a specialist supplier gives access to a far wider range of tones, weaves, and natural fibres than the standard range, allowing the sofa to be aligned precisely with the kind of warm, grounded palette that makes a living room feel genuinely restorative. A washable cover adds a further layer of ease: the room can be freely used, which is the precondition for it feeling free.

What Natural Fibres Do That Synthetics Cannot

Natural fibres behave differently from synthetics in ways that matter to the lived experience of a room. Cotton and linen breathe. They absorb light rather than reflecting it, which gives a room a softer and more inhabited quality. They respond to light at different times of day, looking warmer in the evening and cooler in the morning, in a way that prevents the room from feeling static or staged. They also change over time, softening and settling rather than wearing uniformly, which means a room furnished in natural textiles develops character rather than simply degrading. This is the kind of material investment that pays back over years.

How Scale and Texture Shape the Feel of a Room

Scale shapes perception in ways that are easy to underestimate. The sofa is typically the dominant visual element of a living room and its dominant tactile element. When its fabric is warm and textured, the room reads as warm and textured regardless of whatever else is present. This is why designers working in the direction of restorative, comfort-first interiors consistently treat the sofa covering as the first decision rather than an afterthought. Establish the right tonal and textural ground and the rest of the room’s elements fall into alignment naturally.

How a Good Room Supports the Body and the Mind

The relationship between a room’s visual atmosphere and the emotional state of the people inside it is well-documented but underappreciated in everyday design decisions. Soft, naturally toned surfaces tend to engage the parasympathetic nervous system, the state associated with rest and recovery, rather than the heightened alertness that brighter or more visually demanding environments tend to produce. This is not a reason to make every room identical, but it is a strong argument for getting the living room right in this specific sense. A room that supports genuine rest is a room that earns its keep every day.

A Small Decision With a Lasting Outcome

None of this requires significant expenditure or irreversible commitment. Updating a sofa cover is a single afternoon’s work and can be undone or changed again entirely as needs and preferences evolve. It is the kind of decision that has an immediate and lasting effect on the daily feel of the most-used room in the home, without requiring the disruption of renovation or the expense of new furniture. In 2026, when the design conversation is consistently moving toward spaces that perform for the people living in them rather than for a photographed ideal, this kind of considered, low-commitment intervention represents exactly the right approach.

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By Vivian La, Grist

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Flooding across northern Michigan last month pushed rivers to record levels, testing the limits of the state’s aging dams so severely that officials in one city nearly ordered evacuations as water threatened to spill over the top of a key barrier — a close call that highlights the growing risk that intensifying storms pose to similar infrastructure around the country.

Nationwide, the average dam is 64 years old and most were built for rainfall patterns that no longer reflect today’s changing climate. Thousands are classified as high hazard, meaning their failure could result in the loss of life. Dam safety experts say inspections are uneven and improvements often underfunded.

More than half of Michigan’s dams are beyond their 50-year design life, and the risks became clear as snowmelt and weeks of heavy rain swelled rivers. Rising water came within 5 inches of flowing over Cheboygan Dam in Cheboygan, a city of about 4,700 people, on April 16. In Bellaire, officials deployed about 1,000 sandbags to shore up a century-old dam.

“This needs to be considered not the worst we can experience. This needs to be considered as typical of the future,” said Richard Rood, a professor emeritus at the University of Michigan who studies climate change.

There are about 92,000 dams in the United States. About 18 percent are considered high-hazard. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials estimates repairing all of these aging structures will cost more than $165.2 billion. In Michigan, that estimate is $1 billion.

Communities facing these risks are left with difficult choices. Given the cost of repairing and upgrading dams to withstand stronger storms, removing them is often cheaper. That can reduce long-term risk and restore rivers to a more natural state. But it often faces resistance from property owners and communities with economies built around the reservoirs those dams created.

As floodwaters recede across Michigan, local leaders, dam safety advocates, and experts are renewing calls to bolster safety regulations and deal with aging dams.

Bob Stuber, executive director of the Michigan Hydro Relicensing Commission, considers the April flooding a wake-up call and believes the solution is clear: upgrades where feasible and removal where it makes sense.

“I think every opportunity we have to remove an aging dam, we should take advantage of it because it’s not going to get better,” he said. “It’s just going to get worse.”

Officials in Traverse City came to that conclusion in 2024 and removed the Union Street Dam along the Boardman-Ottaway River as part of a decades-long restoration project that includes FishPass, which will allow key species to pass while blocking harmful invaders like sea lamprey. Engineers said that removal and upgrade most likely reduced flooding impacts when waters surged to near-record levels last month, falling just short of a 500-year flood.

“Upstream would have been under 2 more feet of water, which would have been quite devastating,” said Daniel Zielinski, a principal engineer for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. “We actually had a really great stress test of the system. It functioned really well.”

Removals are increasing across the country, according to data from American Rivers. Since 2000, more dams have come down than gone up, and that pace is accelerating as aging infrastructure, safety concerns, and environmental benefits reshape how communities weigh their value.

In northern Michigan, conservation groups like Huron Pines help dam owners make that decision. It has managed nine removals in the last 13 years and has seen growing interest after the recent flooding, said Josh Leisen, a senior project manager for the organization. Removal reconnects river ecosystems and eliminates the need for expensive upkeep of aging structures, he said.

“There are costs associated with repair and there are risks associated with having a dam,” Leisen said. “Even if it seems to be in good condition, you get extreme weather events like we just had.”

Removing dams is not always straightforward. Beyond the technical challenges, many communities are reluctant to give up the lakes and waterfronts those structures create.

“There’s this emotional attachment to that impoundment,” said Daniel Brown, a climate resilience strategist at the Michigan-based Huron River Watershed Council.

In other cases, dismantling isn’t practical. Some dams provide electricity or drinking water, linking them to local economies and infrastructure. “[Removal] is not really something that’s on the table because they are connected in this very practical way,” Brown said.

Still, Brown said, there are limits to how much aging structures can be adapted to a warming world. “[A dam] is this very long-term, huge, expensive infrastructure that you’ve put on the landscape that’s going to stay there. And that is not how climate change or nature or rivers behave,” Brown said.

Dismantling dams, like upgrading them, can come with steep costs. The Boardman-Ottaway River project — which removed three dams in the largest removal effort in state history — cost $25 million. Huron Pines is managing the removal of Sanback Dam in Rose City next month, at an estimated cost of $4 million.

Half of the expense is funded through a grant program from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, or EGLE, launched in response to the 2020 Edenville Dam failure which overwhelmed the downstream Sanford Dam. The twin catastrophes forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents, destroyed thousands of homes, and flooded ecosystems in a disaster that investigators later found was avoidable. The $44 million state program funded several dam removals, upgrades, and engineering studies before it ended last year.

Federal funding is available through programs administered by agencies such as FEMA or U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But those resources fall short of the estimated $165.2 billion needed to address the issue, and some are at risk of elimination.

State governments regulate roughly 70 percent of the dams in the United States, with the federal government regulating hydropower dams and providing funding and guidance. This means inspection standards, regulations, enforcement, and resources can vary widely.

In Michigan, about 1,000 dams fall under state oversight, while 99 hydroelectric dams are overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The remaining 1,500 are smaller barriers that don’t fit the criteria for state regulation, according to the Michigan Dam Inventory.

Now, state officials are renewing calls for more money and stronger regulations. “Dam safety may be an issue that isn’t partisan,” said Phil Roos, director of EGLE.

Proposed state legislation would bolster inspection rules, address private ownership, update design standards, and create more funding opportunities for upgrades or removals. “It’s so important to our state that we can come together, and whether it’s passing the legislation that was proposed, or improving procedures, or ultimately funding,” Roos said.

Michigan state Senator John Damoose has expressed concern about private dam ownership since the close call at Cheboygan Dam, which is under both state and private control. About 75 percent of the dams Michigan regulates are privately owned.

“Somebody made a point, ‘Well, we can’t have private companies owning these things.’ I tend to believe in private ownership but they might be right,” Damooose said during a Traverse City roundtable discussion on dam safety.

It’s not just a Michigan issue. Most dams in the United States are privately owned, meaning responsibility for maintenance, upkeep, and potential failure falls on individuals, not governmental agencies, according to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials.

Climate change is expected to bring more frequent and intense storms. As the world warms, the atmosphere holds more moisture, fueling more intense precipitation, according to Rood at the University of Michigan.

Recent flooding “has shown an incredible vulnerability,” he said. “[Dams] are either going to have to be removed or reengineered. Or they’re going to become a set of slowly unfolding failures.”

Luke Trumble, chief of dam safety for Michigan, said the state is already dealing with conditions that many dams were never designed to withstand.

“It’s a little bit of a misconception that if we fix the dam issue, there’ll be no more flooding,” Trumble said. “There’s still going to be flooding on rivers whenever we get rain like this, or rain on snow.

“What we can do with dam safety legislation is help ensure that flooding is not made worse by a dam failure,” he said.

This article originally appeared in Grist at https://grist.org/extreme-weather/close-calls-at-michigans-dams-are-a-climate-warning-to-america/.

Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at Grist.org

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This story was originally published by Grist.

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At The Good Men Project, we are proud to syndicate reporting from Grist, one of the country’s most experienced nonprofit climate newsrooms. We value Grist not only because it covers climate change, but because it understands that climate is not a separate issue sitting off to the side of real life. It intersects with health, food, work, migration, infrastructure, energy, inequality, and the everyday conditions people depend on to build stable lives.

That wider lens matters to us. At The Good Men Project, we are interested in how to live well in a rapidly changing world, and it is increasingly impossible to ask that question honestly without asking what kind of world people are being asked to live in. Climate change is not just an environmental story. It is a human story, a systems story, and a moral story. It raises questions about power, responsibility, adaptation, care, and who is expected to absorb the costs when institutions fail to plan ahead. It also intersects with many of the themes we return to often, including masculinity, provision, work, family, resilience, and the pressures people face when the ground beneath ordinary life becomes less predictable. That is one reason we are glad to share Grist’s work with our readers.

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By Marta Kołczyńska, The Loop

Political trust can shape the trajectory of democracy, writes Marta Kołczyńska. Its effects, however, are conditional and uneven – and increases in trust may sometimes even be conducive to democratic decline, rather than renewal

Low trust in politics and state institutions is one of the central challenges facing contemporary democracies. Much of the concern rests on the assumption that trust is necessary for democracy to thrive.

Researchers also expect that declining trust will result in democratic deterioration. During the Covid-19 pandemic, when trust proved crucial for public compliance with health measures, interest in the topic surged.

Changes in political trust tend to be followed by changes in democratic quality – typically in the same direction. However, this relationship comes with two important caveats.

Trust matters differently across political regimes

My recent research with Paul-Christian Bürkner reveals that the positive link between political trust and democracy holds only in countries that are already strong liberal democracies. In weaker democracies, or in authoritarian systems, there is no similar pattern.

This is because political trust is not neutral, but reflects support for the political system as it exists. In illiberal democracies and electoral autocracies, trusting the system often means trusting those in power. When governments in these settings weaken democratic institutions, high trust can make it easier for them to do so. Instead of protecting democracy, trust can end up eroding it.

Political trust is not neutral. It reflects support for the political system as it exists

Recent cases of democratic backsliding show how this works in practice. In Poland after the 2015 parliamentary victory of the right-wing populist Law and Justice party, and in Hungary after the election of nationalist Fidesz in 2010, democratic standards declined while overall political trust increased. This increase was largely driven by supporters of the ruling illiberal parties. We see a similar pattern in Russia, where rising political trust has gone hand in hand with growing authoritarianism.

Estimated trajectories of political trust and liberal democracy scores for selected countries

Low trust precedes democratic decline – not the other way around

The second caveat concerns democracies. Here, drops in political trust often precede declines in democratic quality, but increases in democratic quality don’t follow increases in political trust. In other words, falling trust can act as an early warning sign of democratic vulnerability.

Hungary provides a clear example. During the first decade of the 21st century, trust fell markedly. This created fertile ground for political challengers promising to break with the existing political establishment. In 2010, Viktor Orbán‘s Fidesz won a landslide electoral victory and began to weaken institutional checks and balances, leading to a significant decline in democratic quality.

Falling trust can indicate democratic vulnerability. After trust levels fell sharply in Hungary and Brazil, democratic quality declined in both countries

Brazil followed a similar pattern. After Dilma Rousseff was elected in 2010, political trust in Brazil soon started to decline. Around 2015–2016, amid a severe economic and political crisis and Rousseff’s impeachment, indicators of democratic quality also began to deteriorate.

What can we learn from this?

There is nothing inherently pro-democratic about political trust. In illiberal or authoritarian countries, high political trust or satisfaction reflects support for the existing regime rather than for democracy itself. In such contexts, rising political trust is more likely to strengthen non-democratic rule than to move the country toward democracy.

In democracies, declining trust in government and state institutions can create opportunities for parties that challenge the status quo. Citizens who are distrustful and dissatisfied are more likely to support parties that promise to replace failing political elites. Once in power, these parties may weaken democratic institutions and systems of checks and balances, leading to democratic backsliding.

In democracies, distrustful citizens are more likely to support parties that promise to replace failing political elites

Importantly, declining trust is not a death sentence for democracy. Some countries show impressive democratic resilience. Spain, for example, saw a dramatic drop in political trust, as shown in the figure above, after the global financial crisis of 2008. Despite this decline, and the country’s incomplete recovery, democratic institutions remained stable.

Greece, by contrast, experienced longer-lasting declines in trust after the financial crisis, raising concerns about the country’s democratic health. The Spanish and Greek examples underscore that democratic resilience depends on institutions, civic culture, and policy responses.

Social and political phenomena are not necessarily symmetric. A consequence of declining trust may be democratic backsliding, but an increase in trust need not necessarily signal democratic revival. On the contrary, increases in political trust, especially when concentrated among electoral winners, may instead signal further democratic deterioration.

This article was originally published at The Loop and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Finding meaningful connections has never been more challenging, yet technology continues to evolve to help us build deeper relationships. While swipe-based dating apps dominate the market, a new generation of relationship platforms prioritizes genuine compatibility over superficial attraction.

The Evolution Beyond Swipe Culture

Traditional dating apps often reduce potential partners to a series of photos and brief descriptions. This approach creates a paradox where endless options lead to decision fatigue and shallow connections – studies show that having too many choices can decrease satisfaction by up to 40%.

Modern relationship apps address this problem by using smart matching features, personality assessments, and communication tools designed to help people genuinely understand each other.

These platforms recognize that lasting relationships require more than physical attraction. They focus on shared values, life goals, communication styles, and emotional compatibility to create meaningful matches that have the potential to develop into long-term partnerships.

Top Relationship Apps for Serious Connections

These particular apps stand out because they’ve all embraced the compatibility-first approach, moving beyond surface-level attraction to help people find truly meaningful connections.

1. Agilis

Agilis stands out as the premier choice for individuals seeking genuine compatibility-based connections. This innovative platform uses advanced algorithms to match users based on comprehensive personality assessments, values alignment, and relationship goals.

The app’s unique approach includes detailed compatibility scores that help users understand not just whether they might be attracted to someone, but why they could work well together long-term.

Agilis emphasizes quality over quantity, presenting users with a curated selection of highly compatible matches rather than overwhelming them with endless options. Agilis stands out because it focuses on fostering meaningful conversations through guided prompts and structured communication tools. The platform encourages users to share their authentic selves while providing a safe environment for vulnerability and genuine connection.

2. eHarmony

eHarmony has been helping people find love through compatibility matching for over two decades. Founded on extensive psychological research, the platform uses a comprehensive 150-question compatibility quiz to match users across 32 dimensions of personality and preferences.

The app’s guided communication process helps users move from initial contact to meaningful conversations gradually. eHarmony’s approach appeals particularly to users over 30 who are serious about finding long-term relationships rather than casual dating.

3. Match.com

As one of the longest-running dating platforms, Match.com combines traditional profile browsing with compatibility features. The platform offers detailed personality assessments and provides compatibility percentages to help users identify potentially strong matches.

Match.com’s strength lies in its large, diverse user base and flexible approach that allows both compatibility-based matching and traditional search functions. The platform caters to various age groups and relationship goals.

4. EliteSingles

Targeting educated professionals, EliteSingles focuses on compatibility matching for career-oriented individuals seeking serious relationships. The platform uses a detailed personality test based on the Five Factor Model of personality to create matches.

EliteSingles emphasizes quality matches over quantity, sending users three to seven carefully selected potential partners daily. The platform attracts users who value education, career success, and intellectual compatibility in their relationships.

5. Hinge

Hinge positions itself as the app “designed to be deleted,” focusing on facilitating real relationships rather than endless swiping. The platform uses detailed profiles with prompts that reveal personality and values, allowing users to like and comment on specific aspects of profiles.

The app’s algorithm learns from user preferences and feedback to improve match quality over time. Hinge’s approach encourages thoughtful engagement and meaningful conversations through its comment-based interaction system.

6. Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel takes a curated approach to online dating by providing users with a limited number of quality matches each day. The platform uses Facebook data and user preferences to suggest compatible partners, emphasizing quality connections over quantity.

The app’s unique feature includes icebreaker suggestions and conversation starters based on mutual interests and profile information. This approach helps users move beyond superficial small talk to more meaningful discussions.

Key Features That Drive Compatibility

Comprehensive Personality Assessments

The most effective compatibility-focused apps invest heavily in sophisticated personality testing. These assessments go beyond basic preferences to examine core personality traits, communication styles, and emotional needs.

Quality platforms use scientifically validated psychological frameworks like the Big Five personality model and attachment theory to ensure accurate personality profiling.

Values and Lifestyle Matching

Successful long-term relationships often depend on shared values and compatible lifestyles. Advanced relationship apps assess users’ perspectives on family, career, finances, religion, and personal growth to identify partners with aligned life visions.

Communication Tools and Prompts

Meaningful connections require effective communication. The best relationship apps provide structured conversation starters, thoughtful prompts, and guided communication processes that help users move beyond surface-level exchanges to deeper, more revealing conversations.

Making the Most of Compatibility-Based Dating

Be Honest in Assessments

The accuracy of compatibility matching depends entirely on honest self-reflection and truthful responses to personality assessments. Users who try to present idealized versions of themselves ultimately receive poor matches that waste everyone’s time.

Invest Time in Quality Profiles

Compatibility-focused platforms reward users who take time to create detailed, authentic profiles. Share genuine interests, values, and relationship goals rather than generic statements that could apply to anyone.

Embrace the Process

Building meaningful connections takes time and patience. Unlike swipe-based apps that provide instant gratification, compatibility-focused platforms require users to engage thoughtfully with potential matches and invest in getting to know people gradually.

The Future of Relationship Technology

Compatibility-based dating represents the future of relationship technology. As users become increasingly frustrated with superficial connections and endless swiping, platforms that prioritize genuine compatibility and meaningful connections continue to gain popularity.

These apps recognize that successful relationships require more than initial attraction. They use technology to facilitate the deeper connections that lead to lasting partnerships, helping users move beyond the paradox of choice that plagues modern dating.

The evolution toward compatibility-focused platforms reflects a broader cultural shift toward intentional dating and meaningful relationships. As these technologies continue to improve, they offer hope for individuals seeking genuine connections in an increasingly digital world.

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