Dear Dr. NerdLove, I recently hit 30, and am in the middle of trying to turn my life around after a pretty rough decade. While going into the details wouldn’t be appropriate (or time efficient), the SparkNotes is something like this: I went through college without making any real friends or career prospects, finishing in 2015. My college social life got off to a rough start caused in part by a rocky breakup the year prior and subsequent estrangement from some of my closest friends, and it felt like I was never quite able to fully recover. I spent several years after school with pretty ..read more

  By Tim Weighart Dear EarthTalk: Why is protecting the greater sage grouse such a hot button issue across the American West? —P.L., Salt Lake City, UT The greater sage grouse, best known for its unusual mating dance and bulky, turkey-like appearance, has long been an emblem of the American West. However, researchers have found that this iconic bird species is in jeopardy. The effects of climate change and habitat destruction have caused greater sage grouse populations to decline by 80 percent since 1965 and by 40 percent since 2002—and they will likely continue to decline if proactive c ..read more

  Question: Have you ever thought about what a woman thinks when she first meets you? Or what does she secretly judge about you? Recently, William went on a date. He tried to put in all his effort to impress her, but as soon as the date finished, she went. She never tried to reach him again or replied to his messages. It sounds mysterious, right? I asked him. What happened? I asked him if he had done anything that might annoy her. He said, “No. The date was good. She was smiling all the time. She was too talkative; she spoke, and I listened the whole time.” Maybe she got irritated. And f ..read more

  I see a time of Seven Generations when all the colors of mankind will gather under the Sacred Tree of Life and the whole Earth will become one circle again. ~ Lakota Blessing … today, I asked the dictionary a question, how do you define Love? it gave me a bunch of answers: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend sexual passion or desire then, I posed the same question to the coconut palm trees of my jewel of a pueblo, Loíza their roots digging deeper into the soil, softly whispered ..read more

By Corey S. Powell, OpenMind magazine We all have a natural tendency to view the world in black and white—to the extent that it’s hard not to hear “black” and immediately think “white.” Fortunately, there are ways to activate the more subtle shadings in our minds. Kristin Pauker is a professor of psychology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa who studies stereotyping and prejudice, with a focus on how our environment shapes our biases. In this podcast and Q&A, she tells OpenMind co-editor Corey S. Powell how researchers measure and study bias, and how we can use their findings to make ..read more

  Nothing grinds my gears more than irresponsible parents. Equally concerning are people who get pregnant not by choice but because of their poor decision-making abilities. Case in point, Redditor Snakeno125. This article is in no way intended to disparage the original poster (OP), but he made a public post divulging a predicament he recently went through. And by doing so, he opened himself up to public scrutiny for his actions. I believe, through his misadventures, there is an important lesson all men could learn from. The gist of the story is that Snakeno125 (M31) experienced a pregnan ..read more

  By Ana Santos Rutschman, Villanova School of Law The price of asthma medication has soared in the U.S. over the past decade and a half. The jump – in some cases from around a little over US$10 to almost $100 for an inhaler – has meant that patients in need of asthma-related products often struggle to buy them. Others simply can’t afford them. To make matters worse, asthma disproportionately affects lower-income patients. Black, Hispanic and Indigenous communities have the highest asthma rates. They also shoulder the heaviest burden of asthma-related deaths and hospitalizations. Climate ..read more

  Throne-tood! It’s a THING. And it’s a thing that you gotta get some of if you want to have the life that you claim that you want. We have been raised to have shame over loving ourselves. We have been raised to believe that it is wrong or even bad to think highly of ourselves, or to brag. And it is “selfish” (meaning bad) to ask for what we want, need or desire. But instead, the correct path to happiness is to look like this so we have been raised to believe… Talk like shit about yourself, hate on your body, on your thoughts, in your life. Be SUPER effing critical about everything and n ..read more

  I write about love, relationships, and divorce. I elevate awareness to the abuse men and women can experience while they attempt to dissolve a relationship. I talk about the hardships and the heartache. I also talk about self-responsibility. My ex-husband did terrible things. Nothing will change or excuse that. I couldn’t influence him while we were married, and I certainly can’t influence him now that we are divorced. I can be accountable to myself. I can reflect. I can learn how to love better. I’m not strictly talking about loving others, I’m talking about loving myself. I deserved ..read more

  By Guest Contributor This article written by Clarisse Sih and Bibbi Abruzzini is part of the #MarchWithUs campaign – one full month of stories from gender justice activists from across the globe. Listen to the podcast episode featuring Kiki here. Who would have thought that just existing and living your truth could lead one into so much trouble? At least Kiki never knew she would be the centre of attraction for several years for doing absolutely nothing to disturb others life, yet having so many people bothered about her choices. Bandy Kiki was born Emily Kinaka Ban ..read more