Why I Married a Man in Prison
If you’d asked me a few years ago if I could ever see myself marrying someone in prison, I would’ve said no way. But honestly, life has a way of throwing you curveballs, and sometimes you end up exactly where you never thought you’d be. I didn’t go looking for this. In fact, when it all started, I was actually with his brother. Yeah, it’s weird to say out loud, but his brother was the one who asked me to start writing to him. At first, I only agreed because I figured it would make someone’s day a little less lonely. I wasn’t searching for a soulmate, and I sure as hell wasn’t looking for a husband behind bars.
The Story of How a White Supremacist Nearly Became DC Comics’ First Black Solo Superhero
There are a lot of bad superhero ideas out there.
Like, A LOT a lot.
Comic books have been around forever, which means every possible idea has eventually gotten pitched by somebody who was either sleep deprived, coked up, trapped in a deadline panic, or all three simultaneously. There are superheroes whose powers involve eating matter. There are superheroes whose entire deal is “bee themed.” There are villains who use condiments as weapons. At one point, Superman fought a telepathic gorilla because apparently no one in the room had the courage to say, “Maybe not.”
But even within that long and glorious history of nonsense, Black Bomber stands alone.
“Am I wrong for wanting my friend’s location?”
My friends and I share locations with each other, and for me it’s something that makes me feel connected to the people I care about. A lot of my close friends share locations and it’s always just been normal in my friendships.
One of my closest friends was at first uncomfortable sharing her location with me when I asked. After a lot of conversations and convincing she eventually agreed to turn it on for me.
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No One Made You Do Anything
There’s a strange little trick human beings do when they don’t want to feel uncomfortable:
We turn our choices into obligations.
We say things like:
- “I had no choice.”
- “They made me do it.”
- “I couldn’t help it.”
- “I had to.”
No, you didn’t.
Linkage
A Few Photos To Remind You That Life Is Beautiful – Ned Hardy
If you want real peace of mind against leaks and burst pipes, the Moen Smart Water Shutoff Valve is one of those upgrades you hope you never need—but you’ll be incredibly glad you have the moment it automatically catches a problem before it floods your house. – Amazon
NASCAR icon Kyle Busch dies at the age of 41 – Espn
A Hacker Group Is Poisoning Open Source Code at an Unprecedented Scale – Wired
Elon Musk found the cheat code for capitalism. The SpaceX IPO proves it. – Mashable
They Look Like Slot Machines. They Pay Out in Cash. And Critics Say They Are Getting Workers Killed. – The Trace
Congo suspends funeral wakes and big gatherings in Ebola outbreak, as WHO upgrades risk assessment – AP News
Historic Photos That Speak Volumes – Ned Hardy
This is one of those rare gadgets that actually feels life-changing because it vacuums, mops, empties itself, and quietly keeps your floors clean with almost no effort from you. – Amazon
Christopher McQuarrie’s ‘Conan the Barbarian’ Sequel Will Shoot in 2027, Says Arnold Schwarzenegger – Hollywood Reporter
Tulsi Gabbard Is Preparing to Resign as U.S. Intelligence Chief – Fox News
How Deepfakes Tore a High School Apart – 404 Media
The world’s 10 richest families – The Week
Anyone Could Forget a Kid in a Hot Car, Research Shows – Consumer Reports
If you want to keep your mind sharp with a quick daily challenge, Brain Training Daily has a great mix of puzzles, word games, memory tests, reaction challenges, that take just a few minutes but actually make you think – Ned Hardy
The Dumping Grounds
What’s It Like To Be Lured Into A Cult
How long were you a cult member, and what was the organization like?
I was brainwashed for a little under a decade. It was a small but fervent, insular organization led by a very charismatic, psychologically imbalanced “prophet.” His message was simple, but convincing: That our only responsibility was to love each other and the rest would fall into place. Not a difficult mantra to embrace! Contact with the outside world was prohibited, but once I was fully indoctrinated I wasn’t even interested in the outside world. I wanted to stay pure and radiate love like my brothers and sisters.
Beyond the Abyss: Crafting Your Comeback, One Step at a Time
Most people think rock bottom is a single catastrophic moment. A divorce. A firing. A relapse. A bankruptcy. A phone call at 2 a.m. that changes your life forever.
But most of the time, the abyss arrives quietly.
It looks like waking up exhausted every day.
It looks like slowly becoming someone you don’t recognize.
It looks like drinking too much, doomscrolling until 1 a.m., avoiding your bank account, and promising yourself you’ll “get it together next week” for six straight months.
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“My daughter says I chose my new family over her and I think she’s being unfair”
My wife died suddenly when our daughter was 2. I was drowning and I knew I could not raise her the way she deserved, so my late wife’s sister stepped in. She eventually adopted my daughter and moved to Europe with her. For years my daughter came to visit during the summers, but those visits have become less and less frequent. Now my sister in law says she will not send her here because of concerns about the current administration. She offered discounted hotels if we wanted to visit instead, but for a family of six, flights and food alone make the trip impossible.
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