by Frank Bergman, Slay News: A mysterious interstellar visitor is barreling toward its closest approach to Earth, and the world’s governments are scrambling. The object, known as 3I/ATLAS, will swing past our planet on Friday at a distance of roughly 170 million miles, and while officials insist there is no imminent danger, the sheer scale […]

from Wall Street Bullion: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

Iron Maiden looked in real trouble after Bruce Dickinson left. They regrouped, brought in a new singer and produced some of their darkest material

Wherever the Prince Of Darkness went, anarchy wasn’t far behind

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM A vision board might look like a crafty throwback to childhood afternoons spent collaging. But don’t write it off now that you’re #adulting. This practice is far more than a cut-and-paste project. Vision boards are a creative and science-backed tool for setting intentions, visualizing goals, and keeping them front and center in your everyday life. Unlike a mood board, which focuses on aesthetics, a vision board highlights what truly matters: the goals, dreams, and experiences a person wants to bring into their life. Think of it as a personal compass that is colorful, tangible, and entirely your own. “Vision boards can help you take the time to actually think about what you want, something that many of us don’t do,” says Suzy Rosenstein, master life coach and midlife mentor. In other words, creating the life you want starts by clearly identifying it. Experts, including wellness leaders like Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra, have long emphasized the power of visualization as a tool for growth and self-actualization. And research supports this approach: visualization techniques have been shown to help with everything from anxiety to goal achievement. So whether it’s launching a new business, planning a dream trip, or simply committing to more balance in everyday life, creating a vision board may offer that helpful nudge to turn intention into action. What a vision board does (and why it works) At its core, a vision board is a visual reminder of what you’re working toward. It engages the brain’s reticular activating system (RAS). This is the filter that decides which information to pay attention to. The more often you see your goals, the more likely your subconscious is to work toward them. “The more you keep your goals top of mind, the more your subconscious mind will work to reach them,” says Ruben Gonzalez, four-time Olympian and author of The Courage to Succeed. That’s why daily visualization, goal-setting, and affirmations are often linked to successful habit change. So yes, looking at inspiring images daily isn’t just feel-good fluff. It’s a science-backed way to reinforce focus, motivation, and intention. How to make a vision board that reflects your goals Creating a vision board isn’t complicated, but a thoughtful approach can make the process more effective and more fun. 1. Start with a brainstorm Before reaching for the scissors or Pinterest boards, take a few minutes to reflect. A notebook and pen are all you need to explore the following: What values are most important in your life right now? Where do you want to grow professionally or financially this year? What are you saving up for (a home, a trip, a new hobby)? What does “wellness” look like for you? What kind of relationships do you want to cultivate with others and with yourself? What do you want your home or space to feel like? What quotes or messages inspire you when you read them? These answers form the blueprint for your board. They are essentially your why behind the images you’ll soon gather. 2. Collect your visuals Now comes the fun part. Flip through magazines, scroll Pinterest, or print out images from the internet that represent your answers. There are no rules here: photos, art, quotes, lists, affirmations, even recipes. Whatever sparks something in you is fair game. Some people include their own photography, while others might use stickers, fabric swatches, or other textures. It’s all about curating visuals that speak to your unique goals and desires. 3. Gather your materials If you love the tactile feel of traditional crafting, grab a poster board, scissors, glue, and markers, and maybe set aside an hour or two. A corkboard and push pins work well for those who want to easily update or rearrange later on. Prefer something digital? Design platforms like Canva make it easy to drag and drop images into a custom collage, which you can print or save as your desktop or phone background. 4. Build your board with intention Once all the pieces are ready, begin laying out your board before committing to placement. Central themes or especially important goals might go in the middle, with supporting visuals arranged around them. You can structure your board by category (think career, health, relationships, travel) or create a freeform flow that feels right to you. Some people turn the process into a cozy self-care ritual, complete with music, candles, or a low-key gathering with friends. Others, like Rosenstein, prefer to build their boards gradually, collecting images over a few weeks and assembling them when inspiration strikes. 5. Put it somewhere you’ll actually see it The final step is simple but important: display it where you’ll look at it often. The goal is to regularly reinforce your focus, so whether that’s next to your desk, on your bedroom wall, or stuck to the fridge, pick a place where it’ll catch your eye throughout the day. Digital versions work, too, as long as they’re saved somewhere prominent (like your lock screen or desktop wallpaper). It’s not one and done: your board can evolve One of the most empowering things about vision boards is that they aren’t set in stone. Feel free to switch out images, add new ones, or create an entirely new board when the time feels right. Some people make a new vision board at the start of the year, every six months, or whenever a new life chapter begins. There’s also no rule that says you need to limit yourself to one. Try creating a separate vision board for career goals, travel dreams, or wellness intentions. Keep one in the kitchen, another at your desk; the possibilities are endless. What matters most is that the board continues to feel relevant and motivating to you. More than just paper and glue A vision board won’t magically manifest your dream life overnight, but it can be a powerful daily reminder of what you’re working toward. As you clarify your values and goals, you also begin to shape the habits and mindset needed to bring them to life. And that’s the true magic of this practice: it gives you permission to pause, get intentional, and stay connected to what really matters.The post Vision board ideas for adults: how to create one that inspires real change first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Across India, millions of women now receive a modest but unwavering deposit each month into their bank accounts. The money is not tied to a job, a poverty line, or a performance requirement. It arrives because state governments have decided that women’s unpaid labor keeps households functioning and deserves recognition. For women like Premila Bhalavi in Madhya Pradesh, the regular payment of 1,500 rupees covers essentials such as vegetables, medicines, and school fees. The amount is small, yet the predictable income, personal decision-making, and a measure of autonomy bring with them a sense of stability that feels significant. Her story mirrors that of a much larger movement: 118 million adult women across 12 states now receive unconditional cash transfers, forming one of the largest experiments in direct support for women anywhere in the world. According to Prabha Kotiswaran, professor of law and social justice at King’s College London, “The unconditional cash transfers signal a significant expansion of Indian states’ welfare regimes in favour of women.” Eligibility varies by region, with filters such as income cutoffs or exclusions for families with cars or government jobholders. But the underlying idea remains consistent: payments acknowledge the invisible labor that sustains households and represent a political demographic too large to overlook. How India landed on unconditional support India has long relied on subsidized food, fuel, and rural jobs to support poor households. The shift toward paying women directly began more gradually. Goa introduced the first such program in 2013. Assam followed with support for vulnerable women just before the pandemic. Then, as political parties tested women-focused cash transfers in their manifestos, the idea gained force. Today, monthly payments range from 1,000 to 2,500 rupees. This represents a small share of the average household budget, but it is dependable in a way many women have never experienced. With more than 300 million women now holding bank accounts, transferring funds has become straightforward for states eager to reach voters quickly. Some governments frame the payments explicitly as a recognition of unpaid household and care work. Tamil Nadu calls its scheme a “rights grant,” and West Bengal uses similar language. Others emphasize welfare benefits without naming the work behind them, but the implication remains: cash is intended to support household well-being. Politics has responded accordingly. Campaign promises tied to cash transfers helped shape election results in multiple states between 2021 and 2024. In Bihar, the strategy was especially prominent. Ahead of a major election, the state transferred 10,000 rupees to 7.5 million women through a livelihood scheme. Women ultimately voted in higher numbers than men, helping the governing coalition secure a sweeping victory. Critics called the move transactional, but the outcome underscored one reality: direct financial support carries immense political weight. What the money actually means inside households The debate surrounding these programs is often fiery. Some analysts cast them as fiscally unsustainable or accuse states of doling out freebies to win elections. Twelve states are expected to spend roughly 18 billion dollars on such schemes this year, and half face revenue deficits. Yet advocates argue the transfers address a long-ignored truth about India’s labor landscape. The most recent Time Use Survey shows women spend nearly five hours a day on unpaid domestic and care work in 2024. This is more than seven times the time men spend. This imbalance helps explain India’s low female labor-force participation and why millions of women drop out of paid work altogether. Early studies show that cash rarely transforms household economics but consistently improves women’s agency. In Maharashtra, a 2025 study found that 30 percent of eligible women never signed up, often for documentation reasons. Those who did tended to control their own accounts. In West Bengal, 90 percent of surveyed women managed their bank accounts themselves, and 86 percent decided independently how to use the funds. Many spent the money on food, schooling, medical bills, or debts. The amounts were small, but women described a feeling of security knowing they could cover costs without depending entirely on husbands or relatives. More detailed research by Prof. Kotiswaran and her colleagues paints a nuanced picture. In Assam, women valued the dignity the payments offered but said they still preferred paid work. In Tamil Nadu, beneficiaries described calmer households, fewer conflicts, and “peace of mind.” Women in Karnataka reported eating better, feeling more confident in household decisions, and wanting higher payments. Across regions, few women saw the cash as formal recognition of unpaid labor; in many places, that message simply hadn’t reached them. Even so, they used the money to assert themselves in subtle but meaningful ways. They began questioning politicians, managing emergencies, and making independent choices. As Prof. Kotiswaran notes, “The evidence shows that the cash transfers are tremendously useful for women to meet their own immediate needs and those of their households. They also restore dignity to women who are otherwise financially dependent on their husbands for every minor expense.” Importantly, her team found no evidence that the payments discourage women from pursuing paid work or reinforce gender roles. Nor do the transfers reduce the volume of unpaid tasks women shoulder. What they do offer is slightly stronger bargaining power and improved financial autonomy. What needs to change next Researchers say the early outcomes hint at several next steps. First, eligibility rules need simplification, particularly for women with heavy caregiving responsibilities who cannot navigate complex paperwork. Second, the payments must remain unconditional and independent of marital status to avoid reinforcing household hierarchies. More importantly, scholars argue that messaging should explicitly communicate the value of unpaid domestic and care work. Financial-literacy support should grow alongside the payments to help women manage accounts confidently. And crucially, cash transfers should not replace but complement efforts to expand employment opportunities for women. As Prof. Kotiswaran explains, “If the transfers are coupled with messaging on the recognition of women’s unpaid work, they could potentially disrupt the gendered division of labour when paid employment opportunities become available.” India’s move toward unconditional transfers is still evolving, but one thing is already clear. When money is placed directly into women’s hands, the effects ripple into households, communities, and political movements. Whether the program becomes a tool for genuine empowerment or merely a new currency in electoral politics will depend on how states build on the momentum already underway.The post India’s social experiment: how paying women directly reshapes welfare, autonomy, & politics first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

In this episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” Victor Davis Hanson and Jack Fowler discuss former President Joe Biden’s failure to make sure our adversaries in Syria paid a cost for attacking Americans, and the failure of so many immigrants to say “thank you” for all we do. Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of a segment from today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to VDH’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes.  Jack Fowler: [President] Donald Trump tells ISIS we will retaliate after the ambush that killed three U.S. troops in Syria. Victor, anything you want to say about that? Victor Davis Hanson: I don’t know if we have the whole story, but it seems to be somebody that was supposedly training with them, or they knew, or somebody in the government. That happened a lot in Afghanistan. It just raises the same question.  I think we have 900 soldiers in Syria. And I think the former ISIS members who have now flipped and are trying to form a government in Syria and who ousted the Assad dynasty are supposedly pro-American, and they are supposedly, according to Trump, outraged at this and will punish them. We lost deterrence in Syria during the Biden administration.  I’m not blaming him solely, but for four years they staged over 130 attacks originating in Syria on American bases, security positions, and we didn’t do much of anything. And we basically established this principle that if you want to kill an American, nothing’s going to happen to you.  So, Donald Trump is going to have to find a way to disabuse people of that, and we’ll see what he does. But if he can’t, then you can’t put Americans over there as sitting ducks like we did in Lebanon. And [President Ronald] Reagan took everybody out of Lebanon. That probably was a bad sign, a reaction to the destruction of the embassy and the barracks in 1983. But if you are going to put Americans over there, then you have to tell their enemies, “If you kill these people, we’re going to make life very uncomfortable for you.” And there’s nothing more uncomfortable for radical Islamists, because we got about a quarter-million of them here on campuses, to tell them, we really have no problem with you. But if you’re associated in any way with these movements, or let’s just say there’s certain countries, and Trump has named them.  I just don’t think there’s, at this point in this time, there’s no need. We have enough people coming in. There’s no need to bring in people from Gaza, from the West Bank, from Morocco, Algeria, Libya, I don’t know, maybe Jordan, maybe not, maybe some of the Gulf places, but there’s no reason. We have enough people. Why would we bring anybody in from Somalia? There’d be no reason to do that. We have enough people here.  And we’ve already proven that A, we can’t vet them, and B, they’re not honest, they, as a group, immigrants, about who they are and what they are here for, and that they will all be self-supporting, or they have a patron that will support them. And when you have 75% to 80% of the Somali community on public assistance, and they’re committing fraud in addition, then only a [Minnesota Gov.] Tim Walz would say, we want more people like this. What Tim Walz said last week, Jack, was, basically, if I could translate his gibberish: We have 75% of the Somalia communities on public assistance, and they’ve created the greatest welfare fraud in the United States, a large group of Somalis. And we want more people just like that. Fowler: Who refuse to assimilate. Actually, maybe culturally can’t assimilate. We certainly know they won’t assimilate.  Hanson: Well, if you come over from a country, the difference, as I said before, between a Judeo-Christian country, where that is the majority religion, and an Islamic, where it’s the overwhelming religion, is one of tolerance. If you are in an Islamic country, I’ve been in a lot of them, and you just watch, you can’t be an apostate, an atheist, agnostic. It’s just almost impossible. You at least have to profess you’re devout Muslim.  Here in the United States or a Western Europe, you can do whatever you want. And that’s the difference. So, except for these petro sheikdoms that have all this money, that’s why people are not flocking to Egypt, they’re not flocking to Morocco, Algeria, they’re not flocking to Tunisia and Libya, they’re not flocking to the West Bank. They’re not flocking to any of these places if they’re not Muslim and Arab. They’re just not doing it.  They’re coming here because they have a particular view. They want the security, the freedom, the prosperity of the United States or Western Europe. But they want it in a cocoon, as an enclave, so they can continue to have all of their traditional customs and values, but with the major exception, they won’t be poor. They won’t be monitored by the government. They won’t be attacked by their tribal rivals. They’ll be safe. They’ll be rich. They’ll be healthy.  When they get a problem like I have they just will go right into a university research hospital and, bam, three hundred thousand dollars for a procedure or something that’ll be paid for. And then they can vote for somebody like [Rep.] Ilhan Omar, who says this is a trashy country and the dictatorship is worse than the one she left. That’s where we are.  Fowler: Yeah, how would you say, “Out of the many one h— no!” in Latin? I know e pluribus unum, but I don’t know how to say, “H—, no.” Hanson: I get it, you know. I get really upset because I think I’ve been in two ERs and maybe, I don’t know, seven or eight offices, doctor’s offices, and maybe 10 scanners the last six months.  And I can tell you this is a wonderful country because in every single place there were sizable numbers of people who did not speak the English language, and they were immigrants. The one that I just got out of Friday night after a procedure had a sign, Jack. It was really ecumenical. It said, “You point to the language you speak.” It was at every desk. There were 20 of them. I didn’t even know some of the languages, Mongolian, etc. And for somebody to say this is a terrible country, or it’s trashy, or to see people in Los Angeles waving the Mexican flag and burning the American flag, it just sickened me because this country is so … Joe Biden let in 12 million people, and then he went to the beach and fell asleep. But he didn’t say to himself, “Who’s going to house them? Who’s going to feed them? Who’s going to pay for their [sicknesses]?” And then they all have medical problems.  Are they just gonna go to Cedar Sinai and walk in the door and say, “I don’t have any health insurance. I have a kidney stone. Can you give me $50,000 worth of free treatment? And if you don’t, you’re a racist”? Yeah, that’s what it was.  So, it was a good country. It was generous. It was magnanimous. But we don’t ever hear any thanks for what we do.  We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Victor Davis Hanson: ‘We Never Get Any Thanks for What We Do’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Picture the worst case. You are outnumbered, caught off guard, and your firearm is not in reach. That moment tests preparation, not bravado. You can survive with mindset, movement, layers of early warning, and simple tools that are legal to carry. The goal is not to “win a fight.” The goal is to break contact, […]

What happened Sunday at the home of Rob and Michele Reiner is a family nightmare. A son battling addiction, likely complicated by mental illness. Parents who loved him. A volatile situation that finally erupted into irreversible tragedy.I grieve for them.Shame keeps families quiet. Fear keeps them guarded. Love keeps them hoping longer than wisdom sometimes allows.I also grieve for the families who read those headlines and felt something tighten in their chest because the story felt painfully familiar.We often hear the phrase, “If you see something, say something.” The problem is that most people do not know what to say. So they say nothing at all.What if we started somewhere simpler?I see you. I see the weight you are carrying. I hurt with you.Families living with addiction and serious mental illness often find themselves isolated. Not only because of the chaos inside their homes, but because friends, neighbors, and even faith communities hesitate to step closer, unsure of what to say or do. Over time, silence settles in.Long before police are called, before neighbors hear sirens, before a tragedy becomes a headline, people live inside relentless stress and uncertainty every day.They are caregivers.We rarely use that word for parents, spouses, or siblings of addicts, but we should. These families do not simply react to bad choices. They manage instability. They monitor risk. They absorb emotional whiplash. They try to keep everyone safe while holding together a household under extraordinary strain.In many ways, this disorientation rivals Alzheimer’s. In some cases, it proves even more destabilizing.Addiction is cruelly unpredictable. It offers moments of clarity that feel like hope. A sober conversation. An apology. A promise that sounds sincere. Those moments can disarm a family member who desperately wants to believe the worst has passed.Then the pivot comes. Calm turns to chaos. Remorse gives way to rage. Many families learn to live on edge, constantly recalibrating, never certain whether today will be manageable or explosive.Law enforcement officers understand this reality well. Many domestic calls involve addiction, mental illness, or both. Tension often greets officers at the door, followed by a familiar refrain: “We didn’t know what else to do.”Calling these family members caregivers matters because it reframes the conversation. It moves us away from judgment and toward reality. From, “Why don’t they just ...?” to, “What are they carrying?” It acknowledges that these families manage risk, not just emotions.The recovery community has long emphasized truths that save lives: You did not cause it. You cannot control it. You cannot cure it. These principles are not cold. They bring clarity. And clarity matters when safety is at stake.RELATED: The grace our cruel culture can’t understand Photo by Gary Hershorn / Getty ImagesAnother truth too often postponed until tragedy strikes deserves equal emphasis: The caregiver’s safety matters too.Friends and faith communities often respond with a familiar phrase: “Let me know if there’s anything you need.” It sounds kind, but it places the burden back on someone already exhausted and often afraid.Caregivers need something different. They need people willing to ask better questions.Are you safe right now? Is there a plan if things escalate? Who is checking on you? Would it help if I stayed with you or helped you find a safe place tonight?These questions do not intrude. They protect.Often, the most meaningful help does not come as a solution, but as a witness. Henri Nouwen once observed that the people who matter most rarely offer advice or cures. They share the pain. They sit at the kitchen table. They walk alongside without looking away.Caregivers living with someone battling addiction and mental illness often need at least one safe presence who sees clearly, speaks honestly, and stays when things grow uncomfortable.We have permission to care, but not always the vocabulary.Shame keeps families quiet. Fear keeps them guarded. Love keeps them hoping longer than wisdom sometimes allows. One of the greatest gifts we can offer is the willingness to penetrate that isolation with clarity, grace, and tangible help.Grace does not require silence in the face of danger. Love does not demand enduring abuse. Faith does not obligate someone to remain in harm’s way.Pointing a caregiver toward safety does not abandon the person struggling with addiction. It recognizes that multiple lives stand at risk, and all of them matter.When tragedies occur, the public asks what could have been done differently. One answer proves both simple and difficult: Stop overlooking the caregivers quietly absorbing the blast.RELATED: The courage we lost is hiding in the simplest places Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty ImagesWelfare checks should not focus solely on the person battling addiction or mental illness. Families living beside that struggle often need support long before a breaking point arrives.If you know someone whose son, daughter, spouse, or partner struggles, do not look away because you feel unsure what to say. You do not need to solve anything. You do not need to analyze anything.Start by seeing them. Stay with them.I see you. I see how heavy this is. You do not have to carry it alone.Ask better questions. Offer practical help that does not depend on their energy to ask. Check on them again tomorrow.This season reminds us that Christ did not stand at a safe distance from trauma. He came close to the wounded and brought redemption without demanding tidy explanations.When we do the same for families living in the shadow of addiction and mental illness, we honor their suffering and the Savior who meets us there.

There’s only one relevant question in a University of Oklahoma probe into a failing grade that became a national story.