Tornado Watch, Washington D.C.

We’re not accustomed to this kind of alarm

on the coasts, heavy weather being something

one reads about, mostly in the past tense—

after damage is done in parts of the world

we don’t bother knowing much about.

The sky has assembled like an army: furious

clouds in formation, cruising past the horizon

like commuters watching the clock, late

for meetings and too busy to hear our world

speaking in ways language never could.

The Empathy Adjustment

You’re seldom as vulnerable as the moment you’re pulled over on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and assuming: this can only be for speeding because what else could I possibly have done before the sun has even had a chance to rise? And yet, circa 2022, maybe the Police have added Thought to the Crimes they convict and if so, you’re anything but innocent or free from opinions about, say, attempted insurrections, and former presidents whose continued outrages metastasize like the blackened marrow inside a steak left out overnight, or the blinkered fascists who covet nothing more than enforcing this new world disorder. All of which leaves you here, wallet in lap, hands compliantly placed somewhere between 10 A.M. and 2 P.M. and the normal considerations—being white, male, and completely sober—not assuaging this intense if possibly irrational dread, as fear ricochets from the heart to the gut then the brain: a chain reaction of gruesome scenarios heating up your head. In short, you’re scared shitless, especially after the man in black wordlessly takes your license and registration, then walks back to the patrol car. Serve and Protect is the mission statement, obvious for all to see, but let’s face facts: maybe you were driving faster than you realized; maybe some prankster or gangster stashed a brick of heroin in your trunk; or some computer glitch in the mainframe wrongly identifies you as an enemy of the state to be arrested on sight. Or perhaps this cop is just having a bad day and the ability to give you a bad life, effective immediately. It’s at this moment, at last, when the established coping mechanisms abandon you and you’re almost prepared to pray, which means it’s officially a crisis: you’re helpless to stop the empathy reset and, at last and once again, it’s on: you find yourself feeling sorry for the times you didn’t stop and listen to your wife when she was acting hysterical, or the fights that ensued when you told her—against every flashing internal alarm—to just relax, or your daughter was obsessing about something irrational and you were less than the person she needs; the same person you needed at her age and often found in short supply, having grown up in a time where anxieties and vulnerability went unacknowledged, pushed deeply inside with a pile driver—and speaking of that sound, why not acknowledge how unjust it is these road crews stand around (much less do work) in the rain or heat or snow, their office toilet a portable shit box that shudders every time another car blows by, at speed. These thoughts continue at twice the rate of reason, not in any danger of ceasing, so it’s a divine sort of intervention when the officer eventually returns and not only keeps his gun holstered, but hands you a ticket (no, a warning!) and reminds you not to hold your phone while you’re driving in traffic. Finally, this fever breaks, and you could almost kiss the same leather boots he uses to kick in doors and arrest illegals (in your mind). Free at last (you think), driving away the relief surges, converting the angst to adrenaline and you’re ready to forgive everyone, including yourself, for every trespass, rededicated to reconciliation. But before that you need to feel bad, again, for the blue-collar folks endlessly fucked by the system, and the white-collar cretins who love themselves less than the rules they impose. Not to mention all the animals who thrive or die, alone, in the same struggle (except for the bees and ants, who must acquire profound inner peace or at least the absence of thought that accompanies their instinctual coding). And what about the gal at Nathan’s Famous who’ll have to serve the angry fatso a foot-long with extra onions at a recently renamed rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. And the angry fatso as well, because there has to be a reason he’s angry and perhaps a better reason he’s obese—genetic disposition or the consequence of a society obliging us to stuff ourselves, fortified for the fight of our lives. Blinded by the golden light of these revelations, let’s also offer a blanket absolution for the exploited suffering amongst us, and (why not?), even the movie stars with more money than sense, or the retired athletes watching their fortunes disappear the same way God does when hurricanes and earthquakes swallow entire cities. And neither last nor least, God himself, who is likely looking down at all of this, wondering if this extreme weather bringing fires and drought is a consummation of his own anxiety attacks, some kind of comeuppance as he beholds this world and wonders if it was worth all the work.

—

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—

If you’ve ever opened a fresh bar of handmade soap and noticed the scent before anything else, you already understand part of the appeal. There’s something comforting about a product that feels carefully made instead of mass-produced. In a world that often moves too fast, those small details can make everyday routines feel a little more special.

We’ve always believed that simple daily rituals matter. Washing your hands, stepping into the shower, or getting ready for bed may seem ordinary, but those moments can become small opportunities to slow down and reset. For people who want to learn more about artisan soap making and thoughtfully crafted products, littleflowersoap.com offers insight into the ingredients, craftsmanship, and care that go into handmade soap.

What Makes Handmade Soap Different?

At its core, handmade soap is exactly what it sounds like. It’s soap crafted in small batches by makers who pay attention to ingredients, scent, texture, and quality.

Unlike many mass-produced products, handmade soap is often made with carefully selected oils, butters, and natural ingredients. The goal isn’t to make something complicated. It’s to create something that feels good to use every day.

When you hold a bar of handmade soap, you can often see the difference right away. The colors, textures, and even slight variations from batch to batch are reminders that a real person made it.

The Simple Pleasure of Using Handmade Soap

One reason people continue to choose handmade soap is that it turns an everyday task into something more enjoyable.

The creamy lather, the gentle scent, and the feel of a well-made bar in your hands all contribute to the experience. These aren’t dramatic changes, but they can make a routine feel more intentional.

Many people find that they actually look forward to using products that feel thoughtfully made. It’s one of the reasons handmade products continue to have such a loyal following.

Why Ingredients Matter

When you’re using something every day, ingredients become important.

Many handmade soap makers focus on simple, recognizable ingredients that help create a pleasant washing experience. Plant oils, natural butters, and carefully chosen scents are common choices.

Taking time to understand ingredients can help you find products that fit your preferences. Knowing where products come from and how they are made can help you make more informed choices.

Bringing More Intention to Everyday Routines

Most of us already have routines we follow every day. We wash our hands, take showers, and get ready for work or bed.

The difference isn’t necessarily in what we do. It’s in how we approach those moments.

A favorite bar of handmade soap can become part of a small ritual that encourages you to slow down for a minute. The scent, texture, and experience create a brief pause in an otherwise busy day.

Handmade Soap Makes a Thoughtful Gift

Handmade soap also has a way of making simple gifts feel personal.

A beautifully wrapped bar with a fresh, clean scent feels thoughtful without being complicated. It’s practical, but it also feels special.

That’s one reason handmade soap is often included in gift baskets, care packages, and holiday gifts. It’s something people can actually use and enjoy.

Appreciating the Small Things

Life doesn’t always leave much room for elaborate self-care routines. Most of us are simply trying to fit a little calm into an already busy schedule.

That’s why small comforts matter. A favorite mug, a cozy blanket, a candle on the counter, or a bar of handmade soap can all contribute to those quiet moments that help us feel grounded.

At the end of the day, handmade soap is about more than getting clean. It’s about bringing a little extra care into a routine you’re already doing. Sometimes the simplest products are the ones that remind us to slow down and enjoy the small things.

—

This content is brought to you by Alexander Reid

Photo provided by Alexander Reid.

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By Brian Page

I was taught and modeled that working hard is one of the clearest signs of responsibility, ambition, and love for your family. Most men have been. We are praised for the grind. It’s a badge of honor. We admire the executive who answers emails at midnight. We celebrate the father who sacrifices everything for his career.

But what if some men are not working excessively because they are ambitious? What if they are working excessively because stopping feels emotionally unsafe?

A fascinating new study by Dr. Preeti Varma and Dr. Jennifer Louise Petriglieri explored the childhood roots of excessive work among professionals who openly admitted they worked more than they wanted to and more than their jobs required. The researchers found that excessive work often becomes part of a person’s identity, rooted in emotional survival strategies developed during childhood.

The Hidden Distress Behind Excessive Work

The people in the study described feeling trapped in cycles of constant doing, meaning more than just feeling busy. They worked long hours, thought obsessively about work after hours, and struggled to rest even when they knew they needed it.

One participant described feeling unable to stop because there was always one more thing to finish, one more task to complete, and one more way to prepare. Another explained that even when they exceeded expectations, they still felt compelled to keep pushing harder.

What stood out most was that many participants recognized the behavior was harming them. They described anxiety, exhaustion, guilt, burnout, and even physical symptoms from chronic stress. Yet despite understanding the damage, they found it incredibly difficult to slow down.

The study found that praise, promotions, and financial rewards did not resolve the underlying distress. In fact, many participants admitted that external success never felt like enough. The finish line kept moving. Recognition created only temporary relief before the pressure returned. I know this feeling all too well. It’s something that took a long time to realize about myself and work through.

This is one reason work addiction can quietly damage marriages. A spouse may assume the overworking partner is chasing money, status, or achievement. In reality, they may be chasing emotional safety, self-worth, or validation.

The “Doer Identity” Starts Early

One of the study’s most powerful findings was the concept of a “doer identity.” Participants repeatedly described themselves as people who constantly needed to be doing something. Productivity had become central to their identity.

Some struggled to sit still even during leisure time. Others turned hobbies, vacations, and personal life into productivity projects. Relaxation itself became another thing to optimize.

The researchers found that this identity often began in childhood. Specifically, participants described growing up in environments where constant doing became emotionally tied to worth, safety, or approval. Over time, productivity stopped being something they did and became who they believed they were.

The study identified these three common patterns.

“I Am Only Valuable If I Achieve”

The first group grew up in homes where hard work and achievement were deeply moralized. Parents may not have explicitly demanded perfection, but children absorbed the message that productive people were valuable people.

These families often praised accomplishment, busyness, discipline, and achievement. Participants described growing up around adults who constantly worked and rarely rested. Over time, they internalized the idea that doing more meant being more worthy.

As adults, they struggled to enjoy downtime because inactivity felt like failure. Some reported intense guilt when resting. For example, a free afternoon could trigger anxiety rather than relief.

This pattern frequently appears in marriages. Some husbands unintentionally create pressure-filled environments at home by holding themselves and others to impossibly high standards. They may not explicitly demand perfection from their spouse or children, but their nonstop pace silently communicates that slowing down is unacceptable.

The tragedy is that these men are sometimes vilified for being greedy or absent in their marriages, yet driven by fear that they are never enough.

“Doing Keeps Me Safe”

The second group described emotionally unsafe childhood environments. Some experienced neglect, conflict, unpredictability, or emotionally unavailable caregivers. Others described homes where emotions were dismissed or where vulnerability felt dangerous.

For these individuals, “doing” became a coping mechanism. Achievement, productivity, and independence created emotional distance from painful relationships. Work became a socially rewarded way to avoid emotional exposure.

As adults, many participants in this category struggled with emotional intimacy. They often preferred transactional interactions over vulnerable conversations. Some admitted they used work to avoid emotional engagement altogether.

Many men have been conditioned to believe that providing financially is the primary way to show their family they love them. But emotional presence matters too. A husband can be physically in the house while emotionally unavailable because work has become a protective barrier.

The study showed that some overworked individuals emotionally withdrew from colleagues and loved ones while immersing themselves further in work. Others became highly reactive, swinging between emotional detachment and frustration. Their childhood survival strategies followed them into adulthood.

“Maybe This Time I’ll Finally Feel Recognized”

The third group grew up with explicit pressure to achieve. Parents openly emphasized performance, success, and accomplishment. Many participants described environments where praise was conditional, and recognition always felt slightly out of reach. As adults, they became trapped in a cycle of chasing validation through achievement.

One of the study’s most heartbreaking findings was that even significant accomplishments failed to create lasting satisfaction. Participants described immediately moving to the next goal after receiving praise or recognition. No promotion, title, or accomplishment ever fully quieted the internal pressure.

This dynamic is especially relevant for men because our culture often ties masculinity to professional success. Many men silently carry the belief that they are only as valuable as their latest achievement. Simply said, external validation cannot permanently heal internal insecurity.

Interestingly, participants in this category often became highly protective leaders at work. They consciously tried to shield their teams from the same pressure they imposed on themselves. They understood how damaging nonstop pressure could be because they lived with it every day.

Why Workplace Wellness Alone Often Fails

The study also challenges the idea that work addiction can be solved with surface-level wellness strategies alone. Vacations, meditation apps, flexible schedules, and wellness programs may help temporarily, but they often fail to address the deeper emotional drivers behind excessive work. The researchers argue that for many people, excessive productivity functions as a psychological defense mechanism.

The paper draws on the psychodynamic concept of a “false self,” which develops when children adapt themselves to meet excessive emotional demands from caregivers. Over time, this adaptive identity becomes deeply ingrained. In adulthood, constant doing continues even when it no longer serves the person well.

In plain English, some men learned very early in life that being productive was the safest way to earn love, avoid criticism, maintain control, or feel valuable. That belief does not disappear simply because someone receives a promotion or takes a vacation.

What Husbands Can Learn From This Research

This research offers an important reminder for men who want strong marriages, healthy families, and sustainable success.

First, rest is not laziness. Many men intellectually understand this but emotionally struggle to believe it. If your entire identity is tied to productivity, slowing down can feel threatening. Recognizing that emotional reaction is important.

Second, your family needs your presence, not just your performance. Financial stability matters, but emotional availability matters too. Your spouse and children are not only impacted by how hard you work. They are impacted by whether you are mentally and emotionally present when you are home.

Third, achievement cannot fully heal emotional wounds rooted in feelings of worth, safety, or recognition. The next accomplishment will not permanently quiet insecurity if the underlying emotional drivers remain unaddressed.

Finally, awareness matters. Many men never stop to ask themselves why rest feels uncomfortable or why they feel guilty when they are not producing. Those questions are worth exploring.

The goal is not to stop caring about work. Ambition is not the enemy. Hard work can be deeply meaningful and fulfilling. But there is a difference between working hard because you choose to and working hard because you no longer know who you are without it.

Being a great husband is about more than being a great provider. It is about building a life where your worth is not measured solely by your productivity and where the people you love experience not only your effort, but your presence.

—

This post was previously published on Modern Husbands.

***

You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:

White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism

Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box

The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer

What We Talk About When We Talk About Men

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By Rebecca Heisman

Songbirds generally make their migratory flights at night, and during spring migration tens of millions of birds may be streaming north above us as we sleep. But when the sun rises, where do these tired birds choose to stop, rest, and refuel?

You may picture a nature preserve or grassy field, but a study published earlier this year in the journal Nature Cities shows that a large percentage of these birds are making their “stopovers” in cities, illustrating the importance of urban conservation efforts.

Ornithologist Miguel Jimenez was a Ph.D. candidate at Colorado State University when he led the study as part of his dissertation. The project was inspired by his desire “to do work that was useful to people who are actively working to conserve birds,” he says. “So I had a bunch of conversations with different folks doing that work, and one thing I consistently heard was that it’s often really hard to convince people that bird conservation in cities matters.”

Jimenez’s dissertation focused on studying bird migration using weather radar. Large masses of migrating birds show up clearly on the nationwide radar system used by meteorologists, and this data isn’t subject to the same biases as bird counts carried out by people. If you capture a radar image just as migrating birds are starting out in the morning, Jimenez explains, you can pinpoint the stopover locations from which they’re leaving.

“You see this kind of mushroom cloud of birds taking off, and then they start to dissipate over the landscape.”

Jimenez and his colleagues used data from 143 radar sites to identify stopover hotspots across the continental United States for both spring and fall migration, then calculated how many of those sites fell within urban areas.

“To be totally honest, I ran this analysis originally expecting, like, I’ll probably figure out that most of it doesn’t happen in cities,” says Jimenez.

Instead, nearly half of the stopover sites he found were within what the U.S. Census Bureau has defined as Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Other ways of statistically defining cities showed a similarly disproportionate number of migrating birds using urban stopover sites.

So why would migrating birds choose city habitats?

“Probably a good chunk of my career is [going to be spent] on that question,” says Jimenez.

But there are already some indications. Cities often develop along coastlines and rivers, places that already have high biodiversity, he points out. And birds are attracted to artificial light at night (though scientists aren’t sure exactly why), so perhaps they’re being drawn in by city lights.

Taking things a step further, Jimenez and his colleagues searched for signs of the so-called “luxury effect,” the tendency of urban wildlife to congregate in high-income neighborhoods due to the greater amounts of green space. Analyzing bird stopover use of more than 2,000 parks across 88 urban areas, they found that stopover density was indeed higher, on average, in areas with higher-income residents.

These nationwide averages, however, don’t tell the full story. Both the overall density of urban stopovers and the strength of the luxury effect varied considerably from one U.S. region to another, and the reason may have something to do with water.

Cities where the luxury effect was most pronounced, such as Phoenix and Los Angeles, were in regions where surface water can be scarce. Dryer regions also had a higher overall proportion of urban stopover sites. It seems in dry places, the way that humans concentrate the available water (and the resulting vegetation) in the places where we live — and especially in the highest-income neighborhoods — may also attract high concentrations of migrating birds.

“This area, where ecology meets the social forces that shape biodiversity, is really important and interesting,” says Emily Cohen, a bird migration expert and faculty member University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science who was not involved in the project. “Not only are cities important for birds, but the connection between people and birds [that can happen in cities] is just a really powerful tool for conservation.”

Cohen says she’d love to see follow-up research on the regional variations uncovered by Jimenez’s work, as well as on how the birds using these urban habitats are actually faring.

“I would describe this paper as more opening up questions than giving answers,” agrees Jimenez. Having completed his Ph.D., he has moved on to a postdoctoral research position at the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute in Chicago, where he hopes to continue pursuing answers.

But what we definitely know, he says, is that “the actions that we take where we live, which for most people today is in cities — those matter a lot for migratory birds.”

—

This post was previously published on THEREVELATOR.ORG and is republished on Medium.

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—

I was blown away by how easily I could turn a sentence into a video using GPT Image 2 and Seedance 2.0 – it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. For as long as I can remember, I’ve thought that a person’s worth is measured by how hard they work and what they achieve, but this experience made me question all that. It was as if I had been living with a false belief my whole life, one that said a man’s value comes from struggling and creating things – but now I’m not so sure.

It only took about ten seconds for the dragon to appear. My son had asked me to create one, and as I was reading him a bedtime story, I typed out the words and suddenly, there it was on the screen – a friendly dragon that breathed, turned the pages, and even made a little sound of its own. His face lit up with excitement, and I couldn’t help but smile along with him. But beneath my smile, I felt something unexpected and unsettling – a quiet, cold feeling that I couldn’t shake off.

It took me a few days to name it. The dragon had not impressed me. It had threatened me.

Here’s what happened – I used some really cool tools to bring my idea to life. First, I described what I wanted to see in simple words, and then GPT Image 2, a powerful image model from OpenAI, created the picture for me. Next, I took that image and added some motion to it using Seedance 2.0, a video model from ByteDance – all I had to do was add a sentence to the image and it came alive with sound and everything. The best part is that both of these tools are available on the same platform, reAPI, so I could go from idea to image to short film in no time, without needing any special skills or spending years learning how to do it. It’s amazing how quickly and easily I could bring my idea to life, all while refilling my coffee.

And the sweat was the whole problem. Because somewhere a long time ago I learned, the way a lot of men learn it, that I am worth what I can make. That effort is the currency of a decent man. That if I struggle and produce, I have earned my place, and if I don’t, I haven’t. Nobody handed me that belief in a single sentence. It arrived in a thousand small lessons about providing, performing, being useful, being good for something.

When my son created something in just ten seconds that would have taken me a lot of effort, I felt a pang of insecurity. But it wasn’t because of what he had made – it was because it made me question the value of all the hard work I had put in to achieve something similar. The fact that he could do it so quickly and easily made me wonder if all my struggles had been worth it, or if they were just a waste of time. It was a quiet realization, but it hit me hard – the things I had been proud of, the things I had built my self-respect on, might not be as important as I thought.

I took a moment to reflect on that, something that doesn’t come naturally to a lot of guys, and as I did, my panic started to give way to a more constructive feeling.

The real challenge of creating something wasn’t eliminated by the tools, it was just shifted to a different area. Now, instead of struggling to produce something, the struggle is to decide what’s worth producing. It’s about having good judgment and knowing what you’re trying to achieve. You need to consider why you’re making something, who it’s for, and whether it’s genuine. These are the things that no tool or automated process can do for you. And ironically, these are the things that I used to overlook, focusing too much on just getting things done. But now I realize that this is the most important part of the creative process. It’s not just about making something, it’s about making something that matters. And that requires a level of thought and consideration that can’t be automated.

Which raised the real question, the one this is actually about. What am I trying to teach my son about being a man, if a machine can now do the producing I once mistook for my value?

I may not be able to outdo the machine, but that’s not the point. What I want to show him is that there’s more to it than just creating something. The machine can make things, but it can’t tell us why they’re worth making. It can’t tell us what’s important, or what’s true, or what’s kind. Those are the things that matter, and those are the things that I want to pass down. A machine can ask “can you make it?”, but a person, a father, has to ask “should you make it, and why, and who will it help?” Those are the questions that really matter. I had forgotten that, I got caught up in just trying to make things, and I lost sight of what’s truly important. But now I see that it’s not just about creating something, it’s about creating something that means something, something that serves a purpose, something that brings value to others. That’s what I want to teach him, that’s what I want to show him. The machine may be able to make things, but it’s the human heart that gives them meaning.

It’s also important to be honest with him that none of this is magic. These videos are just a few seconds long, not minutes. If you ask these tools for something true, like a real place, a real person, or a real fact, they can easily give you something that sounds confident but is actually wrong. They’re good at making things sound plausible, but that doesn’t mean they’re verified. Teaching a boy to tell the difference between something that looks real and something that actually is real isn’t just about technology anymore – it’s about character, and it’s a big part of the job. You have to help him understand that just because something seems real, it doesn’t mean it’s true. This is a skill that’s essential in today’s world, where it’s easy to get misled by fake or misleading information. By teaching him to be critical and discerning, you’re helping him develop a strong sense of character that will serve him well in all areas of life.

I’m not really mourning the loss, even though it felt that way for a while. What’s actually changed is how much it costs to create something – it’s basically free now. But what hasn’t changed is the cost of giving something meaning, and that’s still something that only a person can do. It’s like, just because it’s easy to make something doesn’t mean it’s automatically going to be valuable or meaningful. That part still takes effort and comes from someone’s thoughts and feelings.

GPT Image 2 will draw whatever I say. Seedance 2.0 will set it moving. Neither can tell me whether a thing deserved to exist, or whether I was honest in making it, or whether I was the kind of man my son should copy while he makes his own. That bill is still mine. I used to think being a good man meant being able to produce. I think now it means knowing what is worth producing, being honest about the difference, and letting my kid watch me tell them apart.

The dragon remains on his tablet, a constant presence. He isn’t concerned about the process of its creation, the intricacies of design or the technology that brought it to life. What matters to him is the fact that his dad was involved in making it, that together they shared a moment of creation. And in the end, that’s the part that truly belonged to him, the part that he could give, a gift of time, of love, and of memory.

—

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Five wrists,

different shades of history,

braided into a circle

that refuses collapse.

…

The skin remembers things

the mouth is trained to soften,

laws inked in separate fountains,

prayers divided by architecture,

borders taught in lullabies.

We were told to stand

on different sides of God.

…

The crescent curves like a quiet question.

The cross stands upright in argument.

A star gathers its sharp light inward.

A wheel turns patiently toward balance.

A line and circle try to rename love.

…

We say coexist

as if it were a command

and not a confession.

Our hands tighten anyway.

Not because we agree,

not because history has apologized,

but because the alternative

is a falling we have memorized too well.

…

In the streets, someone chants.

In another country, someone burns a book.

In another, someone hides one.

The news arranges our differences

like trophies on a shelf.

…

But here in this fragile architecture of wrists,

we practice a smaller revolution:

pulse against pulse,

vein beside vein,

heat traveling where doctrine once refused.

…

No one erases their symbol.

No one folds it away.

It remains visible,

sharp as belief.

…

The circle is imperfect.

Arms tremble.

Trust is not natural,

it is negotiated breath by breath.

Still, we hold.

Not because the world is healed.

Not because the arguments are finished.

But because for one suspended moment,

our weight leans inward

instead of against.

(This poem explores the fragile and demanding reality of coexistence in a world shaped by deep religious and historical divisions. It reflects on unity not as sentimental harmony, but as a deliberate, tense act of holding on to one another despite disagreement, pain, and unresolved history).

—

This post was previously published on Pen With Paper.

***

You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:

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Ernst Raxarov, also known as Oleksandr “Sasha” Volkov, is a Ukrainian-Swiss advocate from Sloviansk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Trained in economics, computer science, and German, he moved to Switzerland through a scholarship and became active in the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland. Since Russia’s war began in 2014, he has organized Swiss rallies, lobbied politicians, challenged Kremlin propaganda, and privately delivered civilian vehicles to support Ukraine’s defence within Swiss law, while defending modern, law-based neutrality principles.

In this interview, Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Ernst Raxarov examine Swiss neutrality after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Raxarov contrasts orthodox neutrality with a modern view rooted in the UN Charter, arguing Switzerland must distinguish aggressor from victim while remaining outside military alliances. They discuss sanctions, air defence, EU cooperation, propaganda, false balance in journalism, and why Ukrainian diaspora advocacy in Switzerland has become both political work and personal survival under wartime pressure and moral responsibility.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: We will start today with a short story. There was an American journalist named H.L. Mencken, who was especially prominent in the 1920s. He became widely associated with the 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial.” Mencken used the phrase mockingly, turning the creationists’ own argument back on them with satire.

They were taking a stand, based on biblical literalism and religious mythology, against evolution by natural selection. Mencken inverted the intended argument for humour. He wrote a number of articles covering the trial, often ridiculing those defending biblical creationism. But that is not how scientific truth is decided.

Even today, in some intelligent design and creationist circles, people have argued since the 1990s, including through legal battles in the United States and elsewhere, that schools should “teach the controversy,” meaning teach both sides. That is not how scientific truth emerges. Scientific claims have to go through evidence, experimentation, peer review, and assessment by qualified, credentialed, relevant experts. Over time, these experts may arrive at a broad consensus.

A similar case would be anthropogenic, or human-induced, climate change. People who reject the basic reality of human-caused climate change are called deniers rather than skeptics for a reason. One can be skeptical about the margins of future projections, but to say it is not happening, or to deny the overall trajectory, is denial.

To put evolutionary biologists and creationist biblical scholars on the same platform can legitimize the latter and delegitimize the former by creating a false equivalence. The same problem can appear in journalism. For example, one might invite an expert on Napoleonic history in relation to Swiss neutrality, and then present, as the “other side,” a neo-Nazi Hitler admirer with a YouTube channel and no credentials. That is false balance. Certainly, when it comes to opinion, taste, and aesthetics, there are many legitimate perspectives. But that is not the same as a matter of fact.

So I am giving several cases of how this plays out, where the underlying logic is the same, even though the manifestation differs across professional fields. With regard to Swiss neutrality, which is famous even in Canada, how has it evolved? How has it developed? Where does it make sense, and where does it become absurdist comedy?

Raxarov: In Switzerland today, two schools of thought are competing with each other. They represent two approaches to defining Swiss neutrality.

The first is a more orthodox approach. It takes neutrality literally, as it was described in the old documents, especially in connection with the 1815 Congress of Vienna and later codified in the Hague Conventions of 1907.

That understanding of neutrality was defined in an earlier period, when war was still treated as a regular instrument of state policy. War had not yet been broadly outlawed in international law in the modern sense. According to the Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, war is the continuation of policy by other means. That was the logic of the era.

During that time, it was considered legal to wage war, including aggressive war. In that situation, Switzerland was obliged not to become involved and to maintain neutrality.

The basic rule was this: if Switzerland supplied one side in a war, it had to supply the other side in equal measure. Otherwise, it had to refuse to supply both sides. If Switzerland refused something to one side, it had to refuse the same thing to the other side. That is the orthodox view of neutrality.

Then there is the modern view of neutrality, especially since Switzerland, after some difficulty, became a member of the United Nations in 2002. Switzerland signed the UN Charter, which prohibits aggression and the use of force to change borders. If one takes this more recent legal framework seriously, including the documents Switzerland has signed, then one has to differentiate between the aggressor and the victim.

That is the second camp in the argument. In the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Switzerland cannot be impartial in the same way. It cannot be neutral between aggression and self-defence. The form of neutrality that applies is that Switzerland does not become directly involved militarily. Otherwise, Switzerland has to stand on the side of international law and support the victim.

Switzerland will have a referendum on this topic in 2026. A heated debate will certainly precede that referendum. The outcome is unclear. Personally, I intend to vote against the orthodox formulation of neutrality. The referendum concerns whether that orthodox definition of neutrality should be written into the Federal Constitution.

Although Swiss neutrality, as you mentioned, is famous around the world, it is not strictly defined in the Constitution in this way. So far, Switzerland has been able to avoid a strict constitutional definition of its neutrality, preserving flexibility to interpret it according to the broader international situation and the circumstances of particular conflicts.

Opponents of the initiative argue that Switzerland should retain that flexibility. Some also point to technological changes.

There is another aspect of Swiss neutrality that is probably less well known. Even in the older nineteenth-century understanding, Swiss neutrality was defined as armed neutrality. Switzerland is obliged to defend itself. It has to defend its own territory. Switzerland is not allowed to let foreign troops pass through its territory, even if those troops are not fighting on Swiss soil.

For example, if Russian troops wanted to attack France and pass through Switzerland from Austria to France, Switzerland would be obliged to prevent that passage. It would have to resist.

Jacobsen: If those troops took a route five kilometres around the Swiss border, Switzerland would be obliged not to attack?

Raxarov: Yes. Switzerland’s obligation begins when its sovereign territory is breached. As soon as that happens, Switzerland is obliged to defend itself.

Of course, in the nineteenth century, this was mostly about land. Today, it is also about airspace. By the same logic, Switzerland is obliged to defend its airspace. If something were to pass through Swiss airspace, such as ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, or attack drones, Switzerland would be obliged to shoot them down.

Switzerland would have to shoot them down. That means Switzerland needs an air-defence system and the wider military capability to fulfil that obligation. At the moment, we have a problem: Switzerland may not be in a position to do so adequately. The Swiss military has weakened in relative terms over the past 30 years, quite markedly, especially in air defence.

Jacobsen: What if a jet or missile were travelling from the south or the north—for example, from Italy northward, or from the northwest toward Italy through Swiss airspace—but it was actually on a trajectory away from Switzerland and had malfunctioned? Or what if it had been redirected outside the control of the operator or the computer system, and then landed in Swiss territory or passed through Swiss territory? Would Switzerland be obliged to shoot it down? Would that be considered an act of war?

Raxarov: Those are two different questions. The first question is whether Switzerland would be obliged to shoot it down. Yes, it would.

The second question is whether that would be considered an act of war. That depends on the circumstances. For example, during the Russia-Ukraine war, drones or missile debris have crossed into or landed in neighbouring or nearby European states. Those incidents have not automatically been treated as acts of war. If it is genuinely accidental or caused by malfunction, that is a different matter.

But there is another point. Swiss territory contains infrastructure that is vital not only for Switzerland but for Europe as a whole. That is an additional argument for Switzerland having to shoot down anything that enters its airspace, regardless of whether it does so intentionally, unintentionally, or while aimed at another country. Switzerland has to be able to respond to anything coming its way.

At present, Switzerland is outside all military alliances. Therefore, Switzerland has to be able to do this on its own.

Jacobsen: Is Switzerland allowed to purchase weapons or defence systems from those alliances while still remaining outside them?

Raxarov: Yes, of course. Switzerland is allowed to do that, and it does so. Switzerland buys many weapons systems from the United States, for example. The fighter jets currently in service include the F/A-18C/D Hornet, and Switzerland has ordered F-35A aircraft. Switzerland also ordered Patriot air-defence systems from the United States.

The problem is that Switzerland is, in a sense, not a priority. For example, the United States delayed the delivery of Patriot systems that Switzerland had ordered because it prioritized deliveries to Ukraine. As a result, the Swiss order was postponed.

Jacobsen: So, you feel a little Canadian?

Raxarov: Even more so, probably.

Switzerland does cooperate militarily with other countries, but this is gradually becoming a point of contention. If you are outside any alliance, other countries may still cooperate with you, but you are often at the end of the line. You are less important strategically. That means your deliveries may be delayed, sometimes overpriced, or in some cases not delivered at all.

These are difficult questions for Switzerland to answer. They are also tearing the country apart to some extent. Some people genuinely believe in the orthodox form of neutrality. Others present themselves as realists and say: look, given modern military technology, Switzerland cannot defend itself alone. It has to cooperate at least with Europe.

There have even been voices calling for NATO membership, though they are not especially prominent. More commonly, there is debate about security cooperation agreements with the European Union. But for people opposed to closer cooperation with the European Union, even that is taboo.

Jacobsen: My final comment before we close this interview is that anti-European Union voices in Switzerland are also quite strong. That is normal within a democratic system. Internal debate is healthy in democracies. It is a good thing, not a bad thing.

Raxarov: Swiss neutrality is a difficult topic.

Jacobsen: Very difficult. I was giving some North American analogies. In journalism, for example, there is a problem with “both-sides” framing. If you put a creationist on the same platform as an evolutionary biologist, it can look like comedy. We were talking about the history of Swiss neutrality from the nineteenth century onward.

Raxarov: The more potent parallel is actually Russian propaganda. That could be the second interview. That is where we see stronger examples of this problem. It is something the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland has struggled with. The society dates back to 1945, when Ukrainians who found themselves in Switzerland after the Second World War began organizing.

Jacobsen: Europeans have a habit of fleeing regimes.

Raxarov: Yes. In my experience, since Russia’s war against Ukraine began in 2014, especially in the first years, many journalists practiced this kind of equidistance. They would present it as: on one side, Ukrainians say they are defending their land; on the other side, Russians say Ukraine is murdering Russian-speaking babies. They presented these as equally credible claims.

Jacobsen: So: Ukrainians are murdering Russian-speaking babies, and Ukraine is led by a Jewish neo-Nazi.

Raxarov: At that time, Ukraine had a different president, but yes, the pattern was similar. It was terrible for us because what they were producing was a half-lie.

Jacobsen: A half-lie is often more difficult to fight. It is harder to fabricate, but also harder to combat.

Raxarov: Exactly. Journalists who publish that can always say there is some proof in it.

Jacobsen: In my entire career, I have never been targeted so aggressively as when I said I was going to Ukraine. People asked: “Why are you going to Ukraine? Who are you going to see? I just want to make sure you are seeing other sources.” But this often functions like the creationist example. They provide only critical voices and critiques of evolution, but they do not propose a credible alternative. Then one realizes what the alternative actually is. It is a similar pattern.

To conclude the first interview: Swiss society has an internal debate over neutrality. That is normal. It is healthy in democracies.

Do you have any final thoughts before we close?

Raxarov: For me, this manifests itself in the debate over sanctions against Russia in connection with the war in Ukraine. In the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Swiss government was under extreme pressure from the public to do something against the aggressor. It eventually adopted EU sanctions against Russia.

I spoke at a rally in Bern with more than 10,000 people, which is a large demonstration by Swiss standards. After that, the government yielded and said that, exceptionally, for the first time in our history, Switzerland would introduce sanctions against the aggressor country. It would implement the European Union’s sanctions in Switzerland as well.

Before the full-scale invasion, the European Union already had sanctions against Russia, but Switzerland had not joined them. Switzerland had tried only to prevent the circumvention of European sanctions through Swiss territory or Swiss institutions. That was all it tried to do.

This time, Switzerland said: we will fully implement the European Union’s sanctions. But to balance that decision against the orthodox view of neutrality, the Swiss government issued a decree. For example, if certain dual-use goods were prohibited from being delivered to Russia, the same dual-use goods would not be delivered to Ukraine either.

So there was one decree by which Switzerland joined the European Union’s sanctions, and then there was a second measure that effectively said: for balance, because there is a war, we are also temporarily restricting certain exports to Ukraine. The aim was to prevent, for example, dual-use goods from being delivered to Ukraine.

That was a temporary ruling. The problem in Switzerland is that temporary measures cannot remain temporary forever. It has now been four years, so the government was obliged to put the measure into law. It produced a draft law, which is now being debated in Parliament.

Of course, the media called it sanctions against Ukraine. Now we have to fight that in Parliament. We are lobbying the parliamentary parties. We are telling them: derail this law.

We do not know what will happen to the temporary decree if the law is stopped. It may be prolonged and remain in place. But for us, it is at least necessary to torpedo this law and prevent restrictions against Ukraine from being written into law. If that happens, it will become much more difficult to reverse.

Jacobsen: That is an instrument, of course. In Switzerland, there are instruments of direct democracy.Thank you very much for the opportunity and your time, Ernst.

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Scott Douglas Jacobsen is a Writer-Editor for The Good Men Project with more than 1,900 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 Ernst Raxarov on Swiss Neutrality, Ukraine, Sanctions, and Russian Propaganda appeared first on The Good Men Project.

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That tattoo made sense at the time. Maybe it was a name, a symbol, or just a phase you’ve well and truly moved past. Whatever the story, if you’re looking into laser tattoo removal in Perth, you’re far from alone — and the options available today are better than ever.

1. What Is Laser Tattoo Removal?

Laser tattoo removal is a non-surgical procedure that uses concentrated light energy to break down tattoo ink beneath the skin. Over a series of sessions, the ink fades until it’s significantly reduced or completely gone.

It’s not a new technology, but it has come a long way. Modern clinics now use highly advanced equipment — including picosecond lasers — that work faster, cause less damage to surrounding skin, and deliver better results across a wider range of ink colours and skin tones than older systems ever could.

Unlike tattoo removal creams (which don’t actually work) or surgical excision (which leaves obvious scarring), laser treatment is the only clinically proven method that safely removes ink from the dermal layer of the skin. If you want to remove a tattoo in Perth and do it properly, laser is the gold standard.

It’s a considered investment — in time, sessions, and cost — but for men who want clean skin again, it’s absolutely worth understanding before you book your first appointment.

2. Why Perth Men Are Choosing Tattoo Removal

Tattoo removal has quietly become one of the fastest-growing treatments at men’s clinics across Perth. And it’s not hard to see why.

Career progression is one of the biggest drivers. Whether you’re moving into a client-facing role, entering a corporate environment, or working in an industry where visible tattoos can hold you back, tattoo removal for professionals has become a practical career move — not just a cosmetic one.

Then there’s the relationship angle. Tattoos that once held meaning — an ex-partner’s name, for instance — can become a daily reminder of something you’d rather move on from.

Some men simply want to refresh their look. Body confidence matters, and walking into a room without a faded, blurry, or regrettable tattoo on display is worth a lot. Others are strategic about it — using partial fading to set up a better tattoo cover-up result down the line.

There’s also been a cultural shift in how men approach self-care. Visiting a men’s laser clinic in Perth for skin and grooming treatments is no longer unusual — it’s sensible. The stigma is gone. What’s left is just practical decision-making about your appearance and how you present yourself.

Whether you’re in the Perth CBD, Subiaco, Joondalup, Fremantle, Northbridge, or Midland, there are clinics servicing Perth metro men specifically — and demand has never been higher.

3. How Laser Tattoo Removal Works

3.1 How the Laser Breaks Down Ink

Think of tattoo ink as thousands of tiny rocks buried in the dermis — the second layer of your skin. When you got the tattoo, a needle deposited those ink particles so deep that your immune system couldn’t clear them. That’s why tattoos are permanent.

Laser removal works by firing extremely short, intense pulses of light directly at those ink particles. The energy heats and shatters them into fragments so small that your immune system can finally do its job.

3.2 What Happens to Your Skin After Each Session

After a session, your skin will look red, feel warm, and may swell slightly — similar to a mild sunburn. Some areas form a superficial frost (a white reaction that fades within minutes) as the laser energy hits the ink. Blistering can occur in some cases, which is a normal part of the healing process, not a sign of damage.

Over the following days, the treated area will begin to heal. The tattoo will look lighter as the shattered ink particles are processed and eliminated.

3.3 How Your Body Clears the Ink Over Time

Your lymphatic system does the heavy lifting here. The fragmented ink is carried away by white blood cells and filtered out of your body over four to eight weeks between sessions. This is why patience matters — rushing sessions doesn’t speed up the result; it just risks overworking your skin.

The tattoo removal healing process is gradual and cumulative. Each session builds on the last.

4. Types of Laser Technology Used in Perth Clinics

4.1 Q-Switch Nd:YAG Laser

The Q-Switch Nd:YAG has been the industry workhorse for decades. It delivers nanosecond pulses of energy and is particularly effective on darker inks like black and dark blue. It’s widely available and proven — but picosecond technology has largely surpassed it in speed and efficiency for many ink types.

4.2 PicoSure / Picosecond Lasers

PicoSure tattoo removal in Perth represents the current benchmark for advanced treatment. Picosecond lasers fire pulses in trillionths of a second — much faster than nanosecond systems. That speed creates a photomechanical effect (think of it as a shockwave rather than a heat burst), which shatters ink more completely while reducing thermal damage to surrounding tissue.

Picosecond laser tattoo removal typically means fewer sessions, less discomfort, and better results on stubborn colours like green, blue, and purple.

4.3 Which Technology Suits Different Ink Types and Skin Tones

• Black and dark ink: Both Q-Switch and picosecond work well, though picosecond tends to be faster.
• Coloured ink: Picosecond lasers outperform Q-Switch significantly.
• Darker skin tones: Requires careful settings and an experienced technician. Nd:YAG at the right wavelength is generally considered safest, and Q-switch laser tattoo removal at 1064nm is often preferred.

Always ask what technology a clinic uses before booking.

5. How Many Sessions Will You Need?

5.1 Factors That Affect Session Count

There’s no single answer — it depends on a range of variables:

• Ink colours: Black fades fastest; green, yellow, and light blue are the most stubborn.
• Ink density: Professional tattoos use more ink than amateur ones, so they often take longer.
• Tattoo age: Older tattoos typically fade faster because the ink has already dispersed slightly.
• Location: Tattoos closer to the heart (better blood circulation) fade faster. A hand tattoo or neck tattoo in Perth’s warmer climate can be exposed to more UV damage, which complicates treatment.
• Skin type and health: Hydrated, healthy skin responds better.
• Lifestyle: Smokers and sun-damaged skin see slower results.

5.2 Typical Session Timelines by Tattoo Type

• Small, single-colour amateur tattoo: 3–5 sessions
• Medium professional tattoo: 6–10 sessions
• Large, multi-colour professional tattoo: 10–15+ sessions

Sessions are typically spaced 6–8 weeks apart to allow full healing and lymphatic clearance.

5.3 What to Expect Between Appointments

Between sessions, the tattoo will visibly fade. Some men see dramatic lightening after just one or two rounds; others notice a slower, more gradual shift. Either way, staying consistent with aftercare and sun protection directly impacts your progress.

6. Does Tattoo Removal Hurt?

Honestly? Yes — but it’s manageable. Most clients describe the sensation as similar to a rubber band snapping against the skin repeatedly, or like hot oil flicking. It’s intense in short bursts rather than sustained pain.

The good news: sessions are quick. A small tattoo might take two to five minutes under the laser. Larger pieces take longer, but a reputable clinic will use a cooling device during treatment to reduce discomfort significantly.

Topical numbing cream is also commonly available and makes a real difference, especially for sensitive areas like the ribs, neck, or hands. If does tattoo removal hurt has been holding you back, know that most men find it very tolerable — especially after the first session, when you know what to expect.

7. Tattoo Removal vs. Tattoo Cover-Up: Which Is Right for You?

7.1 When Removal Makes More Sense

Full removal is the right call when you want clean, clear skin with no trace of the original design. It’s also the better option when the tattoo is in a highly visible location — like the face, neck, or hands — where a cover-up might still draw attention.

7.2 When a Cover-Up Is the Better Option

If you like the idea of replacing the existing tattoo with something better, a cover-up can be quicker and more cost-effective. A skilled tattoo artist can work wonders over an existing design — especially if the original is fairly small and not too densely inked.

7.3 Using Partial Removal to Improve a Cover-Up Result

This is the smart middle ground many Perth men are choosing. Several sessions of laser tattoo fading treatment can lighten the existing tattoo enough that a cover-up artist has far more freedom with the new design. You don’t need complete removal — just enough fading to open up your options. Talk to your clinic about this approach from the start.

8. Benefits of Choosing a Male-Focused Clinic in Perth

8.1 Tailored Treatment for Male Skin

Men’s skin is structurally different from women’s — it’s thicker, oilier, and the hair follicle distribution differs. A male grooming clinic in Perth that specialises in male waxing Perth and beyond understands how these differences affect laser settings, healing times, and aftercare protocols.

8.2 Comfort and Privacy in a Male-Only Environment

There’s something to be said for walking into a space designed specifically for you. A male-only clinic removes any awkwardness about having treatment in a co-ed environment. You can ask questions openly, be yourself, and feel comfortable without having to explain yourself.

8.3 Staff Experience with Male-Specific Concerns

Removing a neck tattoo in Perth or a hand tattoo that’s visible in professional settings comes with specific concerns around healing, scarring risk, and sun exposure. Staff at a specialist men’s skin treatment clinic understand these nuances and can give advice that’s actually relevant to your situation.

9. How to Choose the Right Tattoo Removal Clinic in Perth

9.1 Credentials and Laser Certifications to Look For

In Western Australia, laser treatments must be performed by or under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. Look for clinics where technicians hold recognised laser safety and operation certifications — ideally with specific training in tattoo removal. Ask whether a medical professional oversees the clinic’s treatment protocols.

9.2 Questions to Ask During a Consultation

• What laser technology do you use?
• How many sessions do you estimate for my tattoo?
• What’s included in the consultation — and is it free?
• Can I see tattoo removal before and after photos from similar cases?
• What’s your protocol if I experience adverse reactions?

9.3 Red Flags to Avoid

• Clinics that give you a guaranteed session count without seeing your tattoo
• No clear aftercare protocol or follow-up support
• Unusually low prices with no explanation
• Pressure to commit to a full package before a consultation
• No mention of who operates the equipment or their qualifications

9.4 Why Male-Specialist Clinics Stand Out

When you visit a clinic that focuses specifically on men’s treatments, you get more than laser work — you get context-aware advice, familiarity with male skin, and a consult experience that speaks to your lifestyle. That makes a real difference, particularly for tattoo removal for professionals where results and discretion both matter.

To explore a specialist service built around men’s needs, visit Tattoo Removal Perth at His Grooming — a male-focused clinic that understands what Perth men actually need.

10. How to Prepare for Your First Tattoo Removal Session

10.1 Skin Prep in the Days Before Treatment

Avoid sun exposure on the treatment area for at least four weeks prior. Tanned skin increases the risk of pigmentation changes. Keep the skin moisturised and well-hydrated in the lead-up. Shave the area if it’s hair-bearing — hair on the surface can interfere with the laser’s effectiveness.

10.2 What to Wear and Bring to Your Appointment

Wear loose, comfortable clothing that allows easy access to the tattooed area. If your tattoo is on your back or chest, a button-up shirt is a good choice. Bring any medical history relevant to skin conditions or medications, as some can affect your skin’s response to laser.

10.3 Lifestyle Factors That Affect Results

• Sun exposure: UV damage slows healing and increases risk. Sun protection year-round is non-negotiable.
• Smoking: Smokers see significantly slower fading — smoking impairs circulation and lymphatic function, both of which are critical to ink clearance.
• Hydration: Well-hydrated skin heals faster and supports better lymphatic drainage. Drink water consistently, not just on treatment days.

11. Tattoo Removal Aftercare for Men

11.1 Immediate Post-Treatment Care

Apply the provided cooling gel or a clean ice pack (wrapped in cloth) to reduce swelling and discomfort. Keep the area clean and dry for the first 48 hours. If blistering occurs, do not burst it — let it heal naturally. Cover the area with a clean, non-stick dressing if needed.

11.2 Long-Term Skin Recovery Tips

Between sessions, keep the treated area moisturised with a fragrance-free, gentle product. Apply SPF 50+ sunscreen any time the area is exposed to sun. As the skin heals, avoid picking at any scabbing — that’s how scarring happens.

11.3 Products and Habits to Avoid

• Perfumed lotions or body washes on the treated area
• Swimming pools, spas, or saunas for at least two weeks post-treatment
• Tight clothing rubbing against the treated skin
• Any exfoliating products until the skin is fully healed

12. How Much Does Tattoo Removal Cost in Perth?

12.1 Factors That Influence Pricing

Tattoo removal cost in Perth varies based on tattoo size, ink complexity, number of colours, and the technology used. Picosecond laser treatments typically cost more per session than Q-Switch, but often require fewer sessions overall — which can make them more cost-effective long-term.

12.2 Per-Session vs. Package Pricing

Most Perth clinics offer both per-session pricing and discounted packages for the full removal journey. As a rough guide:

• Small tattoo (under 5cm): $80–$150 per session
• Medium tattoo: $150–$300 per session
• Large or complex tattoo: $300–$600+ per session

Package deals can reduce the per-session cost meaningfully. Always ask what’s included.

12.3 What to Watch Out for With Low-Cost Providers

Affordable tattoo removal in Perth is possible, but cheap doesn’t always mean value. Low-cost providers sometimes use older, less effective technology that drags out the session count — and ultimately costs more. Worse, undertrained operators increase your tattoo removal scarring risk. Price shop, but don’t let cost be your only filter.

13. Frequently Asked Questions

13.1 How long does tattoo removal take in Perth?

Total treatment time depends on the tattoo, but most clients complete removal in 6–12 months when sessions are spaced 6–8 weeks apart. Larger or more complex tattoos can take 18 months or longer.

13.2 Is laser tattoo removal safe for darker skin tones?

Yes, when performed by an experienced, certified laser technician in Perth using appropriate wavelengths and settings. Nd:YAG lasers at 1064nm are generally the safest option for deeper skin tones. Always disclose your skin type during consultation.

13.3 Can all tattoo colours be fully removed?

Black and dark blue inks respond best and typically achieve complete tattoo removal. Greens, yellows, and light blues are more resistant. Picosecond lasers have improved outcomes considerably for difficult colours, but results vary. Your technician should give you realistic expectations during your consultation.

13.4 Will tattoo removal leave a scar?

When performed correctly, laser removal doesn’t cause scarring. Scarring typically results from poor aftercare (like picking blisters), using the wrong laser settings, or pre-existing scarring within the tattoo itself. Choosing a qualified clinic significantly reduces this risk.

13.5 How soon can I get a new tattoo after removal?

You should wait until the skin has fully healed — typically three to six months after your final session. Your technician can assess the area and advise when it’s ready for new ink.

13.6 Is tattoo removal covered by Medicare or private health in Australia?

No. Cosmetic laser treatments including tattoo removal are not covered by Medicare or private health insurance in Australia. It is an out-of-pocket cost.

13.7 Can I remove just part of a tattoo?

Absolutely. Partial removal or targeted fading is very common — especially when preparing for a cover-up or removing specific elements (like a name) from a larger piece. A good clinic can target specific areas with precision.

13.8 How do I know if a Perth clinic is qualified to perform laser treatments?

Ask directly about the qualifications of the person operating the laser. In WA, laser treatments must comply with radiation safety regulations. Look for clinics that are transparent about their certifications, their equipment, and who provides medical oversight. Tattoo removal reviews in Perth from verified clients are also a useful starting point — check Google reviews and before/after galleries before booking.

Ready to take the first step? Explore the full range of treatments available at Tattoo Removal Perth and book a consultation with Perth’s male grooming specialists.

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Many online businesses are surprised when their high-risk merchant accounts get rejected online, even when they are operating under all the legal boundaries. The truth behind such restrictions is that the payment processors and acquiring banks perform extensive risk assessment before approving such merchants online.

If your merchant account has been rejected recently, it’s probably due to factors like chargeback history, industry type, financial stability, compliance issues, and fraud risk, which can all influence the decision.

Now understanding how these factors evaluate your business activities can help you to prepare stronger against getting your high-risk merchant account rejected online. We will also discuss how you can get approved for a high-risk merchant account so you can conduct your business without any restrictions online.

What is Meant by a High-Risk Merchant Account?

A high-risk merchant account refers to a payment processing account which operates for businesses belonging to industries which are considered high-risk by banks and payment processing companies. These businesses usually have to face higher chargeback rates, fraud checks, regulatory scrutiny, or financial instability.

Industries commonly classified as high-risk include:

• CBD and nutraceuticals
• Subscription services
• Travel agencies
• Adult entertainment
• Online gaming
• Cryptocurrency businesses
• Debt collection agencies
• E-commerce stores with international sales

These sectors have relatively higher financial risks in their respective industries. Therefore, providers perform stricter evaluations during the merchant account underwriting process.

Why High Risk Merchant Accounts Get Rejected

Understanding the Payment Processor Risk Assessment

One of the primary reasons for a high-risk merchant account denial is the extensive risk evaluation performed by payment processors and acquiring banks.

During the merchant account underwriting process, underwriters review:

• Business model
• Processing volume
• Chargeback history
• Financial statements
• Credit profile
• Compliance records
• Website quality

The goal is to determine whether the merchant presents an acceptable level of risk for payment processing. Industry experts believe that underwriting decisions often vary because processors evaluate factors such as chargeback exposure, fraud trends, geography, and operational risk differently.

Chargeback History Is One of the Biggest Reasons for Merchant Account Rejection

Excessive Chargebacks Merchant Account Concerns

A poor chargeback history merchant account record is among the most common reasons for merchant account rejection.

Chargebacks occur when customers dispute transactions with their card issuer. Excessive disputes signal potential fraud, poor customer service, or product dissatisfaction.

According to industry benchmarks, Visa generally monitors merchants approaching a chargeback ratio of approximately 0.9%, while Mastercard monitoring programs often begin around 1.0%. Exceeding these thresholds can trigger reviews, reserve requirements, fines, or account termination.

Why Processors Fear High Chargeback Rates

Payment processors become financially exposed when merchants generate large numbers of chargebacks. As a result, businesses with an established history of excessive disputes often face:

• Higher fees
• Reserve requirements
• Delayed approvals
• Application denials

Research indicates that fraudulent chargebacks alone are expected to cost businesses billions annually, increasing processor caution when evaluating high-risk merchants.

Poor Business Credit and Financial Instability

Business Credit and Merchant Account Approval

Financial health plays a major role in merchant account approval requirements. When evaluating a high-risk merchant account application, underwriters examine:

• Business credit scores
• Owner credit history
• Cash flow consistency
• Existing debt obligations
• Bank statements

A weak financial profile may indicate a greater likelihood that the merchant cannot cover refunds, disputes, or chargeback liabilities.

Businesses with limited operating history often face additional scrutiny because processors lack sufficient historical data to assess long-term risk.

Incomplete/Inaccurate Merchant Account Application Requirements

A surprisingly large number of applications are rejected simply because the required documents are missing or inconsistent. Typical merchant account application requirements include:

• Business license
• Tax identification documents
• Bank statements
• Government-issued identification
• Processing statements
• Website information

When information provided during the application process does not match supporting documentation, underwriters may flag the account for potential fraud or misrepresentation.

High-risk merchants are often required to provide ongoing documentation even after approval to maintain compliance and account stability.

High-Risk Industry Payment Processing Challenges

Some businesses experience a higher rate of merchant account application rejected outcomes because of the industries they operate in.

Subscription Billing Businesses

Recurring billing models frequently generate customer disputes and chargebacks.

Travel Companies

Travel providers often accept payment long before delivering services, creating fulfillment risk.

CBD and Nutraceutical Businesses

Regulatory uncertainty can increase processor concerns.

Cryptocurrency Businesses

Volatility and regulatory scrutiny make crypto-related businesses challenging to underwrite.

Due to the factors mentioned above, processors apply stricter approval standards for payment processing for high-risk businesses.

Fraud Risk and Security Concerns

Fraud exposure significantly impacts merchant account approval. Payment processors carefully evaluate:

• Fraud prevention tools
• Transaction monitoring systems
• AVS verification
• CVV validation
• 3D Secure implementation

Businesses lacking robust fraud controls are more likely to experience payment gateway rejection or complete account denial.

Modern fraud prevention tools such as AVS, CVV verification, and 3D Secure have been shown to significantly reduce fraud-related chargebacks and improve merchant account stability.

Merchant Account Compliance Issues

Payment Processor Compliance Requirements

Regulatory compliance is another major factor affecting approval decisions. Businesses may face a denied merchant account application if they fail to meet:

• PCI DSS requirements
• Know Your Customer (KYC) standards
• Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations
• Industry-specific regulations

Even minor compliance gaps can create significant concerns for acquiring banks.

Website Compliance Problems

For online merchant account approval, underwriters often review the merchant’s website.

Common issues include:

• Missing privacy policies
• No refund policy
• Incomplete terms and conditions
• Broken checkout systems
• Misleading product claims

These red flags can result in immediate rejection.

How to Get Approved for a High Risk Merchant Account

Improve Your Approval Odds

Businesses can increase their chances of high-risk merchant account approval by taking proactive steps before applying.

Maintain Low Chargeback Rates

Monitor disputes carefully and resolve customer issues quickly.

Strengthen Financial Documentation

Provide complete bank statements, tax records, and financial reports.

Improve Website Compliance

Make sure your site includes the following information:

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Refund policy
• Contact information

In case you are still facing rejection on your merchant account, then it’s wise to get assistance from website development experts who can ensure that your online presence is compliant with the regulatory requirements of your respective industry.

Implement Fraud Prevention Measures

Use:

• AVS verification
• CVV validation
• 3D Secure
• Fraud screening tools

Work with Specialized High Risk Merchant Account Providers

Not all processors specialize in high-risk industries. Providers experienced in high-risk credit card processing understand industry-specific risks and often offer more flexible underwriting.

Conclusion

Getting your high-risk merchant account rejected in a competitive market can be frustrating. But it is often the result of identifiable risk factors rather than an automatic refusal to support your business. Understanding why high-risk merchant accounts get rejected, improving compliance, reducing chargebacks, strengthening financial documentation, and implementing fraud prevention measures can dramatically improve your approval prospects.

—

This content is brought to you by Alexander Reid

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The post Why High-Risk Merchant Accounts Get Rejected Online appeared first on The Good Men Project.

It’s morning.

You’re tired.

You’re thinking about coffee (or whatever your morning pick-me-up is). You’re trying to remember what day it is and what you have to do.

But you walk into the kitchen and all you see is last night’s mess. And suddenly, the day turns even darker.

This is why “tidy as you go” matters.

You’re not trying to keep a spotless house. You’re not trying to impress anyone. But “Future You” needs some calm, clean moments.

Usually, we don’t think about things in the future. We’re all about what’s right now and what we need to do right now. We’re tired, busy and we usually let things fall where they drop.

And usually, that’s fine because you feel like you’re always in survival mode.

But are you in survival mode all the time? Or do you sometimes do it because you just don’t feel like it right then?

On the days that you can do a little more, try this:

• Think in tiny resets: (These things take less than 10 seconds.)
• Put the cup in the sink.
• Wipe the counter once.
• Take the trash out on your way out the door.
• Fold the blanket you used

…

Make it part of your “flow”.

Pair it with something you already do. Then, it becomes automatic.

1. After you eat: put the dishes in the dishwasher, not the sink.
2. After you shower: hang the towel up.
3. After you walk through a room: fold the blanket or pick up the pillows.
4. Make your bed before you leave your room in the morning.

Remember: this isn’t about perfection.

• It’s about reducing the friction of life.
• You’re lowering the background noise.
• You’re giving yourself a little more breathing room.

…

It’s not because you should. It’s because “Future You” deserves a gentle day.

Tidy as you go.

Besides, wouldn’t you like to walk into your bedroom after work and see a bed that’s been made up already? Usually the sheets are rumpled. The pillow’s on the floor.

Just imagine. Your bed is made. Everything looks crisp and neat, and you can just imagine how wonderful those sheets are going to feel when you finally slide into them.

Make you bed right after you get up, (okay, after you use the bathroom), but come back and make the bed really quickly.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. Sometimes even just pulling the covers up and fixing the pillow is good enough.

Try it. See how it makes you feel when you come home from work.

If you like these life tips, let me know and I’ll continue. Subscribe/ follow or buy me a coffee.

—

This post was previously published on medium.com.

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Photo credit: Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

The post Life Tip #17: Tidy As You Go appeared first on The Good Men Project.

By Ben Felder, Investigate Midwest, Investigate Midwest

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule next month on whether lawsuits can be brought against pesticide and herbicide makers over claims their products have caused cancer.

The court heard arguments in the case in April, and the justices appeared split.

With a ruling weeks away, here are five things to know about the topic of pesticide use and cancer.

1. Geographic correlation between heavy pesticide use and high cancer rates

Numerous studies and an analysis of federal data have shown a potential correlation between pesticide use and cancer. Out of the 500 U.S. counties with the highest pesticide use per square mile (largely concentrated in corn, soybean and fruit-producing states like Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, California and Florida), 60% have cancer rates higher than the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people. A 2024 study in Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society suggests the impact of pesticide use on cancer incidence may rival that of smoking.

2. Thousands of lawsuits have been won against agrichemical companies

State courts have also found that correlation credible, as Bayer, the maker of the herbicide Roundup, has lost thousands of cases and agreed to pay more than $12 billion in settlements, including individual jury verdicts such as an initial $2 billion award in California and a recent $1.25 million verdict in Missouri. According to the company, more than 65,000 lawsuits have been filed by farmers, gardeners and other users alleging the chemical caused their cancer.

3. Companies push for ‘liability shields‘

In response to these lawsuits, agrichemical companies have aggressively lobbied for state-level bans on this type of litigation. Often referred to as “liability shield” laws, they would essentially say that because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not warned of a link to cancer, state-level claims would be void. Georgia and North Dakota are the only two states that have passed these liability shield laws.

4. The Trump administration has largely sided with pesticide makers

The push for stricter pesticide regulation has created unusual alliances between left-leaning environmentalists and conservative health advocates under the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) banner.

After an initial Health and Human Services report linked pesticide overuse to childhood health issues, the agency’s final report last year walked back all regulatory calls and instead pivoted to promote public confidence in current EPA standards. President Trump also signed an executive order this year declaring glyphosate critical to national security, and his administration actively sided with Bayer during oral arguments before the Supreme Court.

In April, MAHA activists celebrated a win after the House voted to remove a pesticide industry-backed provision from its farm bill. The debate is expected to continue as the Senate drafts its own version of the farm bill.

5. Supreme Court hears arguments on national ‘liability shield’ ban

In April, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Monsanto v. Durnell, in which Monsanto (owned by Bayer) argued that because the EPA has ruled glyphosate is unlikely to be carcinogenic, federal law preempts states from requiring cancer warning labels or awarding damages through state juries. A decision is expected in July.

This article first appeared on Investigate Midwest and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

—

Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit newsroom. Our mission is to serve the public interest by exposing dangerous and costly practices of influential agricultural corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism.Visit us online at www.investigatemidwest.org

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Photo credit: The U.S. Supreme Court building on April 27, 2026. photo by Ben Felder, Investigate Midwest

The post Five Things to Know About Pesticides, Cancer and a Pending Supreme Court Ruling appeared first on The Good Men Project.

—

Every year, Father’s Day arrives with the same question:

What do you buy for the dad who already seems to have everything?

Another coffee mug? A new tie? Yet another grilling accessory?

Most dads are surprisingly difficult to shop for because they rarely ask for much. When they want something, they usually buy it themselves. That’s why the best Father’s Day gifts aren’t necessarily things—they’re opportunities to create new experiences and lasting memories. This idea comes up repeatedly in discussions about what dads actually enjoy receiving: gifts tied to hobbies, interests, and experiences often leave a stronger impression than generic presents.

For dads who love photography, exploration, and technology, the Ruko F11PRO 2 Plus offers something far more meaningful than another item sitting on a shelf.

For the Dad Who Loves Capturing Every Moment

Every family has that dad.

He’s the one taking photos during vacations, filming family gatherings, and documenting milestones that everyone else might forget. His camera roll is filled with memories—from backyard barbecues to road trips and weekend adventures.

The Ruko F11PRO 2 Plus is built for dads who enjoy telling stories through photos and videos.

Equipped with a 1/2-inch image sensor, the drone captures 48MP photos and stunning 8K images at a resolution of 7680 × 4320. Compared with standard 4K photos, 8K images provide significantly more detail, allowing users to crop, zoom, and edit without sacrificing image quality.

For video creators, the drone records crisp 4K video at 30 frames per second, delivering sharp footage with rich detail and vibrant color.

To ensure professional-looking results, the F11PRO 2 Plus features a true 3-axis brushless mechanical gimbal. Unlike electronic stabilization systems, the mechanical gimbal physically compensates for aircraft movement, producing smoother footage while preserving image quality.

Users can also fine-tune image settings to match different lighting conditions and creative styles, providing greater control over the final result.

Whether capturing a family vacation, a scenic coastline, or a memorable weekend outdoors, the F11PRO 2 Plus helps transform everyday moments into lasting memories.

For the Dad Who Loves Exploring

Some dads are happiest when they’re discovering somewhere new.

They’re the ones planning weekend getaways, hiking unfamiliar trails, exploring local parks, or searching for the perfect viewpoint during a road trip.

For those dads, ease of use and confidence in flight matter just as much as camera quality.

The F11PRO 2 Plus includes a four-layer takeoff and landing positioning system that helps maintain stable and reliable flight performance. This additional positioning support gives pilots greater confidence, especially when flying in unfamiliar locations.

Features such as Cruise Control allow the drone to maintain a consistent flight speed, making it easier to focus on scenery and composition rather than constant flight adjustments.

The drone also supports Dynamic Home Point functionality, continuously updating the return location as the pilot moves. This can be especially useful during outdoor adventures where users may be walking, hiking, or exploring while flying.

And for those moments when the drone is difficult to spot after landing, the built-in Sound Find My Drone feature helps locate the aircraft quickly and easily.

Together, these intelligent flight features allow users to spend less time worrying about operation and more time enjoying the experience.

For the Dad Who Loves Technology

Some dads simply enjoy discovering what new technology can do.

They appreciate products that continue to improve over time rather than remaining exactly the same as the day they were purchased.

One of the most exciting aspects of the F11PRO 2 Plus is its support for OTA (Over-the-Air) updates.

Instead of being locked into its original software version, the drone can receive future firmware updates that introduce optimizations, performance improvements, and new features.

This means the ownership experience continues to evolve long after Father’s Day has passed.

For technology enthusiasts, that ongoing development adds an extra layer of value. Each update has the potential to unlock new capabilities and enhance the overall flying experience, allowing users to get even more from the product over time.

It’s a feature that reflects a broader trend in modern consumer technology: products that become better through software, not just hardware.

A Gift That Keeps Creating Memories

The best Father’s Day gifts aren’t always the most expensive or the most complicated.

They’re the gifts that inspire new experiences, encourage creativity, and help create memories with the people who matter most.

Whether he’s a photography enthusiast, an outdoor explorer, or simply someone who enjoys discovering new technology, the Ruko F11PRO 2 Plus offers something meaningful.

Because sometimes the best gift isn’t another gadget.

It’s a new perspective.

—

This content is brought to you by Prime Star

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The post Father’s Day Gift Guide: For the Dad Who Wants More Than Just Another Gadget appeared first on The Good Men Project.

By Mukesh Pokhrel

• Mongabay found unlicensed rhododendron liquor being sold openly in tourist shops across eastern Nepal’s Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale (TMJ) region, which is home to at least 26 rhododendron species, with no official labeling, no health testing and no tracking of sources.
• Nepal’s conservation laws prohibit commercial harvesting of rhododendrons from community forests without approval, but legal ambiguity over privately cultivated flowers has left officials uncertain about how to enforce existing rules.
• Some rhododendron species contain grayanotoxins that can be toxic, even fatal in rare cases. Yet none of the bottles being sold in the TMJ region have been tested for safety, according to local officials and vendors.
• Local residents say the practice emerged roughly three years ago alongside a post-pandemic tourism rebound; some producers say it gives them extra income.

TINJURE-MILKE-JALJALE, Nepal — Every April, Nima Sherpa’s family used to picnic in a rhododendron (lali guras in Nepali) forest about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from her home at Basantapur Bazaar in Tehrathum in the Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale (TMJ) region, which stretched across the eastern districts of Tehrathum, Taplejung and Sankhuwasabha.

It has been five years since her family has done so as they no longer have the time. Instead of enjoying their time in the forest, they said, they are busy running their hotel in Basantapur Bazaar, which sees a big surge in tourism for only a few weeks. This is when the hillsides get covered in crimson, pink and white blooms of at least 26 species of rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.), the national flower. All family members get busy welcoming guests with smiles and souvenirs. This year alone, local officials estimate that around 500,000 visitors entered the TMJ area between April 1-15.

One of the “souvenirs” growing in popularity among visitors is the flower-based alcohol, bottled in reused containers with handwritten labels and openly displayed in shops across. But authorities remain unaware of where the flowers are harvested, whether extraction levels are sustainable, and of the safety of the unlabeled products.

A trade hiding in plain ssight

In April this year, Mongabay found bottles of rhododendron liquor displayed openly in shops catering to tourists in Basantapur Bazaar and nearby Gufa Pokhari, in Chainpur municipality, Sankhuwasabha district. Several shopkeepers told Mongabay that the sale of alcohol has become a growing seasonal business bringing in extra cash.

The products are typically sold in reused bottles of popular soft drinks with handwritten labels or no labels at all. Shopkeepers said most buyers are domestic tourists from cities such as Kathmandu and Dharan, although Indian visitors from West Bengal and Assam states also buy the bottles as a souvenir linked to the flowering season.

“I bought a bottle because everyone was talking about it,” said Balaram Jaisi, a tourist from Guwahati, Assam. “People think it is organic and traditional. I didn’t really think about where the flowers came from.”

Khem Dahal, a shopkeeper in Basantapur, acknowledged selling rhododendron alcohol from his store. He insisted, however, that his family uses flowers grown in private gardens rather than harvest from forests. “My family makes this alcohol from flowers grown in our garden,” Dahal said. “We do not collect them from the forest.”

Nepal’s conservation laws ban commercial harvesting of rhododendron flowers from community forests without approval. But officials say they don’t know how to apply the rules to flowers grown in private gardens. However, local officials acknowledged there is little clarity over whether small-scale alcohol production from privately cultivated flowers falls under forest law, local excise regulation, or food safety oversight. The law also allows local people to brew alcohol up to 10 liters (2.6 gallons) for personal use if they belong to a community where the consumption of traditional alcohol is culturally accepted.

Livelihoods tied to the bloom season

For some families, rhododendron alcohol has become part of a supplemental revenue source. Denga Lama, a resident at Gufa Pokhari who produces small quantities of rhododendron alcohol at home, said visitors increasingly ask for local products linked to the flowering season. “Tourists want something unique from here,” she said. “People buy the alcohol because it reminds them of the flowers and mountains.”

Lama said the income during the short tourism season helps families as employment opportunities remain limited during the off season. “We only make a small amount,” she said. “If this is to be stopped completely, then the government should also think about other income sources for local people.”

Local residents say the commercial trade itself is relatively new. Tanga Sherpa, 70, who has lived in Basantapur for five decades, said rhododendron alcohol only became popular around three years ago, roughly coinciding with the return of tourists after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted.

“The flowering time has not changed. Everything is the same,” she said. “But in the last three years, people have started making more alcohol from the flowers.”

Conservation under pressure

The TMJ complex covers about 2,378 square kilometers (918 square miles) and its highest point touches nearly 5,500 meters,000 feet). Besides rhododendrons, the landscape is home to numerous plant species and wildlife including red pandas (Ailurus fulgens), clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) and snow leopards (Panthera uncia).

The region has been managed largely through community forestry systems rather than a formal protected-area model, giving significant stewardship responsibilities to local communities including Rai, Limbu, Sherpa and Tamang groups who have long depended on the forests for fuelwood, grazing and seasonal forest products.

Yet local conservation groups say tourism pressure is already straining the ecosystem. Indra Bahadur Khadka, chairperson of the Chaite Community Forest in Tehrathum, said visitors frequently break branches and pluck flowers despite repeated warnings.

“If someone breaks a branch, it takes at least five years for the plant to return to its original state,” Khadka said. “At higher altitudes, growth is even slower.”

Community forest groups have deployed forest guards and police personnel during peak bloom season. They also fine visitors up to 5,000 Nepali rupees ($37) for picking flowers. According to Khadka, 15 people have already been penalized this year.

But while authorities focus on tourists plucking flowers for photographs, there appears to be little oversight of commercial harvesting for alcohol production.

Botanist and biodiversity researcher Kamal Maden said rhododendron alcohol production is a serious emerging challenge, particularly if commercial demand continues to grow without harvest monitoring.

“The local administration should investigate where the flowers are coming from and whether harvesting levels are sustainable,” Maden told Mongabay.

Maden said rhododendron flowers have traditionally been used in some Himalayan communities for homemade drinks, herbal remedies and local food products, but added that commercialization of the product in the name of tourism could have ecological impacts.

Health concerns

When Mongabay asked Division Forest Officer Megh Raj Rai about bottled rhododendron liquor, his immediate response was, “This is the first time I have heard about it.”

Rai said if this was being done on a big scale, it raises not only conservation concerns but also possible public health risks. “When I worked in Makwanpur district, we tested a similar product in a laboratory and found it harmful for human health,” he said.

Although rhododendron flowers are widely used for traditional food and medicinal purposes, the health risks of distilling them into liquor are not the same for all species.

Mongabay couldn’t independently verify the findings. But certain species, including Rhododendron decorum, have been found to contain grayanotoxins — a type of neurotoxin — linked to potentially life-threatening toxins.

Similarly, studies show that all rhododendrons don’t carry the same grayanotoxin concentrations, and hybridization among rhododendron varieties produce new plants whose toxin levels are hard to determine. In the TMJ region, at least 26 species share the same habitat, making crossbreeding likely. In addition to this, the souvenir rhododendron liquor hasn’t been tested for toxins.

“There is still very little awareness,” said Arjun Mabuhang, mayor of Laliguras municipality in Terhathum district. “People continue using firewood and making alcohol even after awareness programs.” So far, however, local governments have not introduced specific regulations targeting commercial rhododendron harvesting or alcohol production.

Tourism growth and climate stress

The alcohol production isn’t the only issue facing TMJ’s rhododendrons.

The region is experiencing rapid tourism growth. There are plans for a 199-kilometer (123-mile) trekking route, and even a cable car line to bring in more tourists, but some conservationists like Maden said they worry that increased access may further strain the already fragile ecosystems dealing with waste, flower picking and unmanaged visitor pressure.

“There should first be a clear conservation management plan before expanding tourism infrastructure further,” said Maden. “Otherwise, we risk increasing pressure faster than local communities and forests can handle.”

Climate change is adding further stress.

According to Khadka, from Chaite Community Forest, prolonged droughts and shifting snowfall patterns are already affecting flowering cycles.

“During the blooming season there should be rain or snow, but now it comes late,” he said. “Because of the drought, the flowers bloom later.” Studies from the western Himalayas have already documented significant shifts in rhododendron blooming times linked to warming temperatures.

“People from Tehrathum, Dhankuta, Sankhuwasabha and Taplejung are earning money from lali guras, but they are not helping conserve it,” said Basantapur resident Tanga Sherpa. “If people stop coming here to enjoy nature, how will we survive?

Citations:

Limbu, D., Koirala, M., & Shang, Z. (2012). A checklist of angiospermic flora of Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale, Eastern Nepal. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology, 13(2), 87–96. doi:10.3126/njst.v13i2.7719

Plumlee, K. H. (2004). Plants. Clinical Veterinary Toxicology, 25, 337–442. doi:10.1016/b0-32-301125-x/50028-5

Rana, N., Manish, K., & Pandit, M. K. (2025). Effect of climate change on the flowering phenology of rhododendron arboreum SM. in the western himalaya. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, 18(1), 197–203. doi:10.1016/j.japb.2024.10.004

Timalsina, A., Gaire, A., Acharya, R., Subedi, A., Shrestha, R., & Suwal, A. (2025). Grayanotoxin poisoning following fresh rhododendron flower ingestion: A rare case report from rural Nepal. International Journal of Emergency Medicine, 18, Article 999. doi:10.1186/s12245-025-00999-w

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Previously Published on news.mongabay with Creative Commons Attribution

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The post Nepal’s Rhododendron Tourism Sparks Unchecked Liquor Trade Concerns appeared first on The Good Men Project.

Yesterday, I learned just how quickly motherhood can turn a normal day into something that feels like a minor crisis.

My husband is currently working at a hospital about an hour away. Because of the nature of his rotation, the residency program has him staying in a temporary apartment near the hospital during the week. It’s a tremendous help financially because the housing is covered, but it also means he needs our one car.

He needs it to get to and from the hospital, to run errands while he’s there, and frankly, to get home to us whenever he has the opportunity. So while technically we have a car, for most of the month it isn’t really accessible to me.

Most days, that’s manageable.

I work around it.

I plan ahead.

I make lists.

But motherhood has a funny way of exposing every tiny crack in your plan.

Yesterday, I opened the refrigerator and realized I had one bottle of milk left for my daughter.

One.

Not enough for tomorrow. Not enough for a backup plan. Not enough for the comfort every parent feels when they know they have what their child needs.

Just one bottle.

And suddenly, what would normally be a five-minute drive became a mile-and-a-half walk in 85-degree heat with a stroller and a prayer.

The sun was relentless.

The kind of heat that makes you question every decision before you even leave the house.

I looked at the clock. I looked at the refrigerator. I looked at my daughter.

And then I did what mothers do.

I made it work.

I strapped a little fan onto her stroller, put her in her seat, grabbed my phone, and started walking.

A mile and a half.

To buy milk.

As I pushed the stroller down the sidewalk, I found myself doing mental calculations the entire way.

What can fit underneath the stroller?

How much can I carry?

What do we absolutely need?

What can wait?

What if my phone dies?

What if Apple Pay doesn’t work?

What if I get there and realize I forgot something important?

What if she starts crying?

What if it’s too hot?

What if she needs a diaper change?

That last thought stopped me in my tracks.

Because in my panic, I had forgotten her diaper bag.

Not partially forgotten it.

Completely forgotten it.

No diapers.

No wipes.

No change of clothes.

No medicine.

No snacks.

No drool cloth.

Nothing.

I had run out of the apartment with nothing but my phone and determination.

I hadn’t even changed her diaper before leaving because I was so focused on getting to the store.

And suddenly I realized just how vulnerable that made me feel.

When you’re a parent, the diaper bag becomes your emergency kit. It is your insurance policy. It is your backup plan for every disaster, inconvenience, and bodily fluid imaginable.

Without it, you feel exposed.

Every minute I spent in that grocery store, I was silently praying.

Please don’t need a diaper change.

Please don’t have a blowout.

Please don’t have a meltdown.

Please let me get home.

Thankfully, she was perfect.

She sat in her stroller, watching the world go by, completely unaware that her mother was operating on equal parts panic and caffeine.

I bought the milk.

A few other essentials.

Loaded everything underneath the stroller.

And started the mile-and-a-half walk home.

By the time I got back, I was exhausted.

Not because of the distance.

Because of what the distance represented.

There was a time in my life when a trip to the grocery store required absolutely no thought.

I would grab my keys and go.

Now every errand feels like a military operation.

Every dollar matters.

Every mile matters.

Every item in the cart matters.

And while there are moments when that reality feels heavy, there are also moments when it reminds me just how resilient we’ve become.

The last few years have humbled us in ways I never expected.

We’ve gone down to one car because financially it made sense.

We’ve learned how to survive on a resident’s salary.

We’ve learned how to stretch money.

How to prioritize needs over wants.

How to delay purchases.

How to get creative.

How to survive seasons that are temporary but feel endless while you’re living them.

My husband is working incredibly hard.

I’m holding things together at home.

And together we’re trying to build a life that feels safe and loving for our daughter.

Some days that looks beautiful.

Some days it looks like pushing a stroller through 85-degree heat because you forgot to buy milk.

Both can be true.

I know this season won’t last forever.

At the end of this month, my husband will finally finish this rotation and come home. He’ll start his research year, which means we’ll have a more normal schedule. It means I’ll have access to the car again. It means our daughter will get more time with her dad.

And honestly?

I cannot wait.

But until then, we keep going.

One bottle at a time.

One mile at a time.

One day at a time.

Before I end this, I just want to say thank you.

A couple of people recently purchased diapers and wipes for my daughter through our registry.

When those notifications came through, I cried.

Not dramatic movie tears.

The quiet kind.

The kind that come from relief.

The kind that come from knowing you don’t have to worry about one thing for a little while.

The kind that come from realizing people care.

So if you’ve read these pieces, shared them, encouraged me, or helped in any way, thank you.

You have no idea how much lighter you make these days feel.

And yesterday, while walking a mile and a half in the heat for a gallon of milk, I thought about that a lot.

P.S. We’ve added diapers and wipes back onto our baby registry, and if you’re in a position to help with those basics, it would truly mean so much to us. And if not, thank you just for being here, for reading, and for being part of this community with us — we are endlessly grateful.

—

UPDATED BIO:

Hi, I’m Fiona — a writer in the midst of an unexpected chapter.

In April 2024, I lost my job. Since then, my husband and I have been getting by on his modest income as a medical resident. After stepping away from IVF, we were shocked — and overjoyed — to find out we were pregnant naturally. While it was the happiest surprise, it also brought new financial stress as we prepared for our growing family.

Then, our baby arrived early — on April 29th, 2025, instead of the expected due date in late May. With no paid maternity leave and no room in our budget for childcare, I’ve returned to part-time jobs and writing just a week after giving birth to help cover essentials like groceries, bills, and a few things for our miracle baby.

If you’d like to support my writing — and by extension, our little family — your kindness would mean the world. Every bit helps: $1, $2, whatever you can give.

 Donate here — Venmo

 Baby Registry — Or if you’d prefer to help more directly, we’re also gratefully accepting support through our baby registry — every burp cloth, diaper and/or bottle goes a long way.

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Read also: Two Days After Bringing Our Baby Home, I Asked for a Divorce

Read also: Our Marriage Ended Before It Began: The Pregnancy That Shattered Everything

Read also: I’m Pregnant And Broke — My Cry For Help

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The luxury watch market has a trust problem. Not with the watches themselves. With the people selling them.

Authorized dealers charge full retail, period. The secondary market is more affordable but far less predictable. Private sellers overstate the condition. Auction prices make no sense half the time. And verifying whether a watch is actually authentic, without real hands-on expertise, is not something most buyers can do confidently.

So buyers end up stuck. Overpay at retail or take a risk somewhere else. Neither option is particularly appealing.

GMTWatchShop launched in 2015 to fix this. The goal wasn’t to build the biggest catalog or undercut everyone on price. The goal was to be genuinely trustworthy in a space where that’s surprisingly rare. Ten years later, that’s exactly what they’ve built.

The Problem With How Watches Are Usually Sold

Authorized dealers work for one type of buyer. The person with no budget limit, no urgency, and a preference for buying brand new regardless of cost. Everyone else runs into walls.

Popular references have waitlists. Prices don’t move. Discontinued models are simply unavailable. And if the watch you want stopped being made a few years ago, a retail dealer can’t help you at all.

The secondary market fills some of these gaps. Pre-owned luxury watches come in below retail. Discontinued pieces surface regularly. Selection is broader. But the reliability problem never really went away. Condition descriptions vary wildly between sellers. Authenticity is hard to confirm without seeing the watch in person. Some sellers know exactly what they have. Others genuinely don’t.

That inconsistency is the exact problem GMTWatchShop was built to solve.

What Sets GMTWatchShop Apart

Authentication happens before anything gets listed. Every single piece. The condition standard is not negotiable. GMTWatchShop’s stated position is that their pre-owned watches show up in good enough shape that buyers are surprised they aren’t buying new. That’s not a marketing line. That’s how the business is run.

Inventory covers a real range. Vintage watches from Certina, Longines, and Zenith. Pre-owned pieces from Breitling, Cartier, and NOMOS Glashütte. Pricing runs from around $600 to roughly $5,000. Enough variety to serve someone buying their first serious watch and someone adding a rare reference to an existing collection.

Sourcing comes through a global network of dealers and collectors. This is why competitive pricing on rare pieces is possible. The team is out actively finding inventory, not just waiting for it to come in.

The Financial Case for Pre-Owned Luxury Watches

New luxury watches depreciate immediately. Most buyers don’t think about this until after the fact. Full retail at an authorized dealer means walking out owning something already worth less than what was paid. The gap isn’t trivial on higher-end references.

Pre-owned luxury watches sidestep this entirely. Depreciation already happened. The price reflects real market value. And resale later is more predictable because the initial drop is already priced in.

Access is the other side of this. Certain watches no longer exist in the new market. Specific vintage calibers. Limited production references. Discontinued dial variants. For these pieces, pre-owned watches aren’t just a cheaper option. They’re the only option. GMTWatchShop does well here, specifically.

What’s driving more buyers toward pre-owned:

• Price gap versus retail is often significant, sometimes several thousand dollars
• Vintage dials and aged movements have character that new production simply cannot match
• Out-of-production references become findable instead of impossible
• Authentication handles the risk that makes buying privately uncomfortable
• Resale value on already-depreciated pieces tends to be more stable

Why Policies Tell You More Than Marketing Does

A seller’s return policy and contact options say more about how they operate than any product description ever will.

GMTWatchShop offers 30-day returns. Email and WhatsApp contact both available. Worldwide shipping with free express options on qualifying orders. Flexible payment for buyers who need it. More than 2,000 customers served since 2015.

That customer number across ten years of operation is the real signal here. Pre-owned watch selling is not a space where bad actors last long. Reputation moves fast. GMTWatchShop has maintained theirs consistently, which is harder than it sounds in this market.

Vintage Watches Deserve a Separate Conversation

Vintage watches are not simply old pre-owned pieces. The category works differently.

Dial patina builds over decades and cannot be faked. Movement finishing from certain eras reflects production standards that don’t exist in modern manufacturing. Case shapes and proportions from specific decades carry design logic that current watchmaking has largely moved away from. A good vintage piece is genuinely irreplaceable in ways a modern watch is not.

GMTWatchShop’s vintage watches section is curated. Not bulk acquired, not opportunistically listed. Each piece comes with reference numbers, caliber details, and condition notes that give buyers what they actually need to decide. New collectors find it approachable. Experienced ones find pieces worth coming back for. Good inventory in this category moves quickly, which says something.

Conclusion

Ten years is a long time to stay consistently reliable in a market where trust erodes fast. GMTWatchShop has done it by keeping the basics solid. Proper authentication. Careful sourcing. Policies that back up the product. A range wide enough to serve different buyers without losing focus on quality.

Pre-owned luxury watches are not a compromise. For most buyers, they’re the smarter move. GMTWatchShop has spent a decade making that case through how it actually operates, not just how it markets itself. The collection is worth a look. Good pieces don’t stay listed for long.

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By Andrew Watson

This is the first post in a series exploring the potential of the Great Acceleration as a framework and reconnaissance of Canadian environmental history. The posts in this series are cross-posted with NiCHE.

In 2016, J.R. McNeill and Peter Engelke made the bold prediction that “the Great Acceleration will not last long. It need not and cannot.”¹ A decade later, there are signs that this companion (some same synonymous) phenomenon of the Anthropocene endures. As one example, the energy required to generate the electricity needed to power accelerated servers that carry out the computational work of artificial intelligence (AI) is the next surge of the Great Acceleration.² And as with so much else during the Great Acceleration, Canada seems poised to play an important role in the rapid rise in the use of AI.³

According to Steffen, et al., the term, the Great Acceleration, “aims to capture the holistic, comprehensive and interlinked nature of the post-1950 changes simultaneously sweeping across the socio-economic and biophysical spheres of the Earth System.”⁴ By many measures, as a social, cultural, and political idea, as much a socioecological and socioeconomic reality, Canada is a child of the Anthropocene. As the planet shifted from the Holocene into a new epoch, Canada served as an incubator for its defining concepts, a laboratory for the experiments that gave it form, and ground zero for witnessing its consequences.⁵

The concept of the Great Acceleration, therefore, offers a potentially valuable framework for a reconnaissance of Canadian environmental history, and a better understanding of the field within a broader global and planetary context. Several environmental historians have written synthesis overviews to provide coherence to the field.⁶ These early efforts to explain what is distinctive about Canadian environmental history will continue as scholars pursue new questions, sources, and innovative methods. What has been missing from these efforts, however, is a unifying theory or concept that researchers can apply, or work within, to investigate what helps the field hang together across time and space.

To what extent has Canadian environmental history been shaped by the changes of the Great Acceleration? How might (re)thinking about the Great Acceleration in the Canadian context help us better understand the country’s environmental history and its contributions to environmental history more broadly?

The Great Acceleration Trends, adapated from Steffen, et al. (2015). http://www.igbp.net/globalchange/greatacceleration.4.1b8ae20512db692f2a680001630.html

Steffen, et al. offer 24 indicators of the Great Acceleration, 12 global socioeconomic trends and 12 planetary Earth system trends (Figure 1). With perhaps the exception of shrimp aquaculture, all these indicators offer potentially fruitful avenues for Canadian environmental history since 1950, and a handful have already been explored in the scholarship.⁷ Yet, just as the rise of AI suggests new dimensions for measuring the continuation of the Great Acceleration, there are many, almost countless, ways to evaluate the phenomenon depending on time and place.

So, what other indicators might help Canadian historians better understand Canada’s role in, and experiences of, the Great Acceleration? How might attending to those indicators specific to northern North America help environmental historians develop new questions and uncover new insights about Canada’s past?

Historians of Canada’s Great Acceleration will necessarily find themselves branching out into interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary efforts. Identifying indicators of Canada’s Great Acceleration may not end up being as challenging as then figuring out how to find sources and develop methods to understand what they can tell us about the past. In many cases (e.g. Methane or Ocean Acidification), historians will need to collaborate with researchers in the hard sciences who have the expertise to collect samples and analyze soil and water chemistry, and who might be eager for interesting new questions to pursue. In other cases, understanding how the Great Acceleration has shaped Canadian history, or how Canadians have played important roles in giving form to certain aspects of the Great Acceleration, will require that environmental historians branch out into, and become deeply familiar with, several related subfields, including economic history, agricultural history, and the history of science and technology.

Delving into a clearer understanding of the Great Acceleration will also reveal that the full story simply cannot be sufficiently understood and explained by starting in 1950. The history of the phenomenon that emerges distinctly after the Second World War began much earlier. The ideas and practices that informed the Great Acceleration’s social relations, patterns of economic activity, and environmental transformations have histories that must be studied in the context of the Great Acceleration’s long tail. The part of the graphs that seem flat and unexciting contain very important histories. For these longer time frames of Canada’s Great Acceleration, historians will need to identify indicators that help reveal trends that predated the Great Acceleration and inform its broader temporal context.

So how might environmental historians periodize the country’s part in the Great Acceleration?

Putting the Great Acceleration into the context of its antecedent ideas and practices offers new insights into the value of the concept for understanding environmental history more broadly. For example, extending the scope for Canada’s Great Acceleration back to the period between 1914 and 1945 can reveal how many of the most important socioeconomic and Earth system trends emerged as a result of both the immense and coordinated efforts by the state and private corporations to mobilize human and natural resources towards war efforts, as well as a growing demand for a higher standard of living from a broad segment of the population. If the origins of Canada’s Great Acceleration are extended back to Confederation in 1867, it becomes apparent that its foundations rest on the pursuit of resources, territorial expansion, and the dispossession of Indigenous peoples that formed the origins of Canada as a project of liberal order.⁸ Pulling the frame even further back to the Conquest of New France and the Royal Proclamation of 1763 demonstrates that settler colonialism and monopoly corporate control over trade set down patterns that informed the creation of social, political, and economic life in northern North America for the next 250 years. And as scholars studying BIPOC have been pointing out for some time, the Great Acceleration and its companion, the Anthropocene, have only just begun to make white and settler scholars aware of monumental changes to the world that people of colour have felt acutely in North America since the start of the sixteenth century.⁹

The challenge and opportunity presented by the concept of the Great Acceleration is not only temporal, but geographic and place based as well. Undoubtedly, the sites for, and sources of, evidence for Canada’s Great Acceleration have emerged most clearly in urban and industrialized places, particularly cities and locations of large-scale resource extraction and processing. But as the indicators of the Great Acceleration suggest, the scale of changes that have unfolded since the mid-twentieth century make it clear that nearly every part of northern North America is either implicated or impacted. Thinking about where Canada’s Great Acceleration unfolded, and attending to how place shaped its particular indicators, reveals both the significant contributions that Canadian environmental history has to offer this framework, as well as the important gaps within the historiography that require further study. Canada’s enormous geography gives it an odd spatial scope of analysis; the framework of the Great Acceleration can help provide some coherence. Indeed, as a twined global and planetary concept, the Great Acceleration necessarily pulls Canadian environmental history outside its peculiar national borders to demonstrate how what unfolded in Canada was always part of broader trends happening in places at continental, hemispheric, oceanic, atmospheric, and whole world scales. Canada’s Great Acceleration obliges environmental historians to extend what makes Canada distinct to what it shared and contributed historically.

For more roughly thirty years, environmental historians have been helping to shape new ways of understanding Canadian history, and Canadian historians have been at the forefront of helping to advance the field of environmental history. What makes Canadian environmental history hang together beyond the existence of a nation-state? Perhaps a concept that could reasonably be applied to many other countries in the world is not what will help Canadian environmental historians determine the answer. But as the Great Acceleration inevitably draws to a close in the second quarter of the twenty-first century, perhaps it is worthwhile to consider whether its interdisciplinary methods, long analytical tail, and vast geographic scope offers something of value to Canadian environmental historians.

Andrew Watson is the Director of NiCHE and Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Saskatchewan. His current research includes commodities and urban metabolism in Toronto between the mid 19th and mid 20th centuries; and a study of the relationship between liberalism and fossil fuel energy in Canada in the first half of the 20th century. His first book, Making Muskoka: Tourism, Rural Identity, and Sustainability, 1870-1920, was published in 2022 with UBC Press.

1. J.R. McNeill and Peter Engelke, The Great Acceleration: An Environmental History of the Anthropocene since 1945 (Harvard University Press, 2016): 209.
2. “Energy demand from AI,” Internation Energy Association (2025). Last accessed April 30, 2026.
3. Canada has a federal Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and new data centres are being planned in many places across the country, including Alberta and Saskatchewan.
4. Will Steffen, Wendy Broadgate, Lisa Deutsch, Owen Gaffney, and Cornelia Ludwig, “The trajectory of the Anthropocene: The Great Acceleration,” The Anthropocene Review vol.2 (1): 82.
5. Alan MacEachern, “Canada’s Anthropocene: A Roundtable.” The Otter. January 24, 2018; Sean Kheraj, “Culpability and Canada’s Anthropocene: A Response.” The Otter. January 29, 2018; F.M. McCarthy, et al., ”The Varved Succession of Crawford Lake, Milton, Ontario, Canada as a Candidate Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the Anthropocene Series.” The Anthropocene Review, 10,1 (2023): 146-176.
6. Neil S. Forkey, Canadians and the Natural Environment to the Twenty-First Century. University of Toronto, 2012; Laurel Sefton Macdowell, An Environmental History of Canada. UBC Press, 2012; James Murton, Canadians and their Natural Environment. Oxford University Press, 2021.
7. For Primary Energy Use see Richard W. Unger and John Thistle, Energy Consumption in Canada in the 19^th and 20^th Centuries. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Instituto di Studi sulle Società del Mediterraneo, 2013; R.W. Sandwell, ed. Powering Up Canada: A History of Power, Fuel, and Energy From 1600. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2016. For Large Dams see Matthew Evenden, Fish versus Power: An Environmental History of the Fraser River. Cambridge University Press, 2004; Tina Loo and Meg Stanley, “An Environmental History of Progress: Damming the Peace and Columbia Rivers,” Canadian Historical Review 92, no.3 (September 2011): 399-427; Caroline Desbiens, Power from the North: Territory, Identity, and the Culture of Hydroelectricity in Quebec. UBC Press, 2013; Brittany Luby, Dammed: The Politics of Loss and Survival in Anishnaabe Territory. University of Manitoba Press, 2020; Daniel Macfarlane, Fixing Niagara Falls: Environment, Energy, and Engineers at the World’s Most Famous Waterfall. UBC Press, 2020. For Paper Production see Mark Kuhlberg, In the Power of the Government: The Rise and Fall of Newsprint in Ontario, 1894-1932. University of Toronto Press, 2015. For Marine Fish Capture see Dean Bavington, Managed Annihilation: An Unnatural History of the Newfoundland Cod Collapse. UBC Press, 2010; David Banoub, Fishing Measures: A Critique of Desk-Bound Reason. Memorial University Press, 2021. For Domesticated Land see Jame Murton, Creating a Modern Countryside: Liberalism and Land Resettlement in British Columbia. UBC Press, 2007; Shannon Stunden Bower, Wet Prairie: People, Land, and Water in Agricultural Manitoba. UBC Press, 2011; Peter A. Russell, How Agriculture Made Canada: Farming in the Nineteenth Century. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2012; Joshua MacFadyen, Flax Americana: A History of the Fibre and Oil That Covered a Continent. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2018; Shannon Stunden Bower, Transforming the Prairies: Agricultural Rehabilitation and Modern Canada UBC Press, 2024.
8. Ian Mckay, “The Liberal Order Framework: A Prospectus for a Reconnaissance of Canadian History,” The Canadian Historical Review, vol.81, no.4 (2000): 617-645.
9. Heather Davis and Zoe Todd, “On the Importance of a Date, or, Decolonizing the Anthropocene,” ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, vol.16, no.4 (2017): 761–780; Kathryn Yusoff, A Billion Black Anthropocenes of None. University of Minnesota Press, 2018.

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Previously Published on activehistory.ca with Creative Commons License

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By Larry W. Chambers, Teena Kindt, Ehab Wassif

For family physicians, few clinical decisions are as emotionally charged – or as uncertain – as deciding whether a patient living with dementia is still safe to drive.

These decisions carry serious consequences: reporting concerns to the Ministry of Transportation can mean the loss of independence for patients while failing to act can put drivers and the public at risk. Yet for years, physicians have been asked to navigate this terrain using tools that are often inconsistent, subjective or poorly suited to the realities of everyday practice.

In Ontario, physicians in the Niagara Family Physician Dementia Care Community of Practice (CoP) identified this challenge as particularly pressing; in 2025, the group piloted the CanDrive Risk Stratification Tool (RST), a research-based screening tool that evaluates driving safety by analyzing physical functioning, memory and executive functioning. Rather than presenting decisions as personal opinions, clinicians could refer to a structured process that supports more open and balanced discussions about safety and independence

But while the RST has improved structure in driving assessments, it has not fully addressed the issue that concerned physicians most: patients who fall into an intermediate, or “grey zone,” risk category. For these cases, clinicians questioned whether relying solely on cognitive testing was sufficient.

To address this issue, the CoP is working on a driving simulator to add to the RST. Niagara Ontario Health Team’s Dementia Care Working Group is being kept informed about the project’s progress.

Supported by a Niagara Community Foundation grant and led by Ehab Wassif, a family physician, memory clinic specialist and one of the authors of this article, the group’s CoP includes nine family physicians and one geriatrician. The CoP provides a collaborative platform for physicians to share strategies for managing complex dementia cases.

This exploration led to the introduction of a driving simulator housed at Niagara College that provides a controlled and standardized way to assess reaction time, decision-making and driving behaviour in scenarios designed to reflect real-world driving complexity.

Importantly, the simulator initiative did not originate as a research project. It emerged directly from clinical need, shaped by physicians’ experiences navigating difficult real-world decisions. Only later was it formalized as an evaluation, with research questions grounded in frontline practice. The work was further strengthened through a partnership with the Centre for Research on Safe Driving at Lakehead University, which supported the integration of driving simulator technology into assessments of fitness to drive.

Emerging evidence suggests alignment between simulator performance, neuropsychological assessments and on-road driving outcomes, along with high inter-rater and intra-rater reliability. When used alongside in-office assessments, the simulator may offer additional clinical insight and, in some cases, reduce the need for on-road testing when determining driving competence.

To ensure sustainability, six memory clinics and the Geriatrics Assessment Program have committed trained staff to conduct simulator assessments as part of routine practice. Niagara Ontario Health provided funding for the simulator software and hardware, and Niagara College allocated dedicated space to support the simulator’s long-term availability.

To understand whether the simulator truly improves decision-making, a phased research approach is underway. An initial feasibility and accessibility study is examining how the simulator fits into clinical workflows and whether it is accessible for people living with cognitive impairment.

A second phase of the study, now in development, will compare driving simulator results with on-road assessments in a cohort of 50 patients. These on-road evaluations are being provided in kind by the local AAPEX Driving Academy, strengthening the study while avoiding additional financial burden. Funding for Phase 1 was secured through support from Niagara College, and fundraising efforts for Phase 2 are progressing.

If a clear relationship is demonstrated between simulator performance and on-road driving outcomes, the findings could support future recognition of the simulator as a clinical assessment tool to complement existing in-clinic evaluations. While formal adoption would require policy and regulatory review, this work represents an important step toward more evidence-informed and equitable decision-making.

One of the defining features of the initiative is its focus on sustainability. Rather than relying on short-term pilots, the CoP has worked to embed its activities into existing organizations and workflows.

The Alzheimer Society of the Niagara Region provides administrative support and dementia care leadership, including hosting meetings and supporting the ongoing role of the Lead CoP Physician. Academic partners contribute research expertise while Niagara College’s Healthy Aging and Wellness Innovation Centre provides research management supported by national funding.

The CoP has helped shift how dementia care is understood and delivered in Niagara. Family physicians are now more closely connected with health planners, service organizations, and researchers, improving communication and reducing duplication across the system.

The success of the Niagara Family Physician Dementia Care Community of Practice lies not in a single innovation, but in how multiple elements – peer support, research, education and system planning – have been woven together. It demonstrates that physicians, when supported and connected, can drive meaningful system change from the ground up.

As dementia prevalence continues to rise across Ontario, the need for consistent, fair, and patient-centred approaches will only grow. The Niagara experience suggests that CoPs, grounded in real clinical challenges and supported by cross-sector collaboration, may offer a path forward.

While the work continues, the message is already clear: improving dementia care does not require choosing between safety and independence. With the right structures, tools and partnerships, it is possible – and sustainable – to pursue both.

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By Gregory Crawford, Miami University and Cynthia Pury, Clemson University

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A generation ago, business students spent much of their time studying pricing models, supply chains, market segmentation, and corporate finance. Those subjects still occupy an important place in business education, yet a new challenge now influences almost every industry. Businesses are competing in an environment where consumers can move past hundreds of messages, advertisements, videos, and recommendations in a matter of minutes. Visibility alone no longer guarantees engagement, and engagement does not automatically translate into action. Companies increasingly want professionals who understand why certain messages attract attention while others disappear into crowded digital feeds. As a result, business schools have started examining attention as a resource that can be studied, measured, and managed.

Classrooms today often include discussions about platform behavior, digital consumption habits, audience engagement, and content performance. Students are learning that customer decisions are shaped by countless online interactions that occur long before a purchase takes place. Modern business education is becoming closely connected to the realities of a digital landscape where every brand, creator, and organization is competing for limited consumer focus.

Attention as the New Battleground

Business schools are increasingly teaching students that competition begins long before a customer reaches a checkout page. Brands are fighting for visibility in social feeds, search results, video platforms, newsletters, podcasts, and countless other digital spaces. Attention often determines whether a consumer notices a product at all. A company may offer excellent value, but success becomes difficult if potential customers never engage with its message. Many business programs now explore how businesses attract interest, maintain relevance, and create meaningful interactions with audiences who have endless alternatives competing for their focus.

This reality has contributed to growing interest in an online MBA marketing pathway. Online programs, specifically those from the University of Southern Indiana, frequently place students closer to the digital environments where attention competition occurs every day. Working professionals can analyze current campaigns, observe platform trends as they develop, and connect classroom concepts to real-world situations without stepping away from their careers. Online learning often provides access to contemporary tools, digital case studies, and flexible schedules that align with the fast-moving nature of modern marketing. Students gain exposure to the same online ecosystems where businesses actively compete for consumer attention, creating a learning experience that feels closely connected to current industry conditions.

Reading the Numbers Behind Attention

Many business decisions were once guided primarily by sales reports, customer surveys, and financial performance data. While those measurements remain valuable, organizations now have access to detailed information about how audiences interact with content long before making a purchase. Metrics such as watch time, audience retention, engagement rates, and click activity provide insights into consumer interest and behavior. Business programs are increasingly teaching students how to interpret these indicators because they reveal valuable information about audience preferences and communication effectiveness.

Attention metrics help future business leaders understand what captures interest and what fails to generate engagement. A campaign that reaches thousands of people may produce little interaction, while another with a smaller audience may create meaningful participation. Students learn to examine patterns rather than relying on assumptions. Understanding attention data helps them evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and recognize changing consumer interests.

What Endless Scrolling Is Teaching Business Schools

Consumer behavior has changed significantly as digital platforms have become central parts of daily life. Many people spend large portions of their day moving through streams of content, making rapid decisions about what deserves their attention. This behavior has prompted business schools to examine how communication strategies function in environments where consumers are constantly exposed to new information. Students are encouraged to think about timing, relevance, clarity, and audience expectations when developing business messages.

Courses increasingly include discussions about how consumers process information while navigating crowded digital spaces. Students study why certain content captures attention immediately while other messages are ignored within seconds. Understanding scrolling habits helps future professionals recognize the challenges businesses face when communicating with modern audiences.

Beyond Likes and Views

Surface-level engagement numbers tell only part of the story. Business schools are encouraging students to look beyond simple metrics and examine deeper patterns of audience behavior. A large number of views may appear impressive, but meaningful engagement often involves actions such as saving content, participating in discussions, revisiting information, or sharing it with others.

Online engagement patterns can reveal valuable insights about customer priorities, preferences, and concerns. Students learn how businesses use this information to refine messaging, improve customer experiences, and guide strategic planning. Engagement analysis is increasingly viewed as a business skill rather than a marketing specialty because audience behavior influences decisions across many areas of an organization.

Audience Behavior in Strategic Thinking

Strategic decision-making has always involved analyzing markets, competitors, resources, and organizational goals. Today, many business programs are adding another important component to that process: digital audience behavior. Consumer actions provide a constant stream of information about interests, preferences, concerns, and expectations. Students are learning how businesses use this information to guide decisions about products, communication, customer experiences, and future investments.

Audience behavior data helps organizations identify emerging opportunities and recognize changing patterns before they become obvious through traditional performance indicators. Strategic courses increasingly include exercises that require students to interpret audience trends alongside financial and operational information.

Communicating in Crowded Spaces

Digital communication has become far more complex than simply delivering a message. Consumers encounter brand content while checking emails, watching videos, browsing social media, reading reviews, and searching for information. Every platform contains competing voices attempting to attract attention at the same time. Business programs are helping students understand how communication works within this crowded environment. Discussions often focus on relevance, timing, audience expectations, and message clarity rather than relying solely on traditional promotional techniques.

Students are encouraged to think about communication from the audience’s perspective. A message that feels useful, interesting, or timely is far more likely to receive attention than content that interrupts a person’s experience without offering value. Modern business education increasingly explores how businesses build relationships through consistent and meaningful communication.

The Challenge of Digital Distractions

Businesses once competed primarily against direct industry rivals. Today, they compete against endless sources of digital distraction. Consumers can move from a company website to social media, streaming content, online shopping platforms, news sites, and messaging applications within moments. This environment has encouraged business schools to explore how organizations maintain customer attention over extended periods. Students examine the challenges associated with retaining audience interest in highly fragmented digital spaces.

Customer relationships now depend on consistent relevance and meaningful engagement. Businesses cannot assume that past interactions guarantee future attention. Modern business programs help students understand how organizations create experiences that encourage ongoing participation and trust.

Digital attention has become one of the most influential forces shaping modern business practices. Business education is adapting by helping students understand the realities of digital interaction and consumer behavior. Graduates entering today’s workforce are expected to interpret attention data, understand audience dynamics, and make informed decisions in rapidly changing digital environments.

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