All posts tagged: fear

The Democrats’ National Popular Vote Push Is About Fear, Not Fairness

The Democrats’ National Popular Vote Push Is About Fear, Not Fairness

Published by Jenni Sidey

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact into law this week, adding her state’s 13 electoral votes to a growing coalition that wants to effectively render the Electoral College a ceremonial relic. The move is strategically transparent, and it tells you almost everything you need to know about the Democratic Party’s relationship with electoral math right now. The compact now covers 18 states and the District of Columbia, totaling 222 electoral votes – 82% of the 270-vote threshold required to trigger the agreement. When that threshold is crossed, every member state would be obligated to award its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote, regardless of how its own residents voted.  Democrats lead every single state that has signed the compact.  The stated rationale has always been simple: twice in the modern era, a Republican won the presidency despite losing the popular vote: George W. Bush in 2000 and Donald Trump in 2016. Democrats argued the system was undemocratic, a quirk of 18th-century compromise that distorted the popular …

Iranians Fear Sharpening Pressure After War and Crackdown

Iranians Fear Sharpening Pressure After War and Crackdown

Published by Sam Flores

By Parisa Hafezi and Angus McDowall DUBAI, April 18 – Iranians striving to maintain a semblance of normal life after weeks of U.S. ⁠and Israeli ⁠bombing and a deadly crackdown on protesters in January remain daunted by ⁠the future, as damage from airstrikes and internet cuts take a toll. With talks expected on extending a truce and agreeing an end to the conflict, shops, restaurants and government ​offices have stayed open. On sunny spring mornings, city parks are busy with picnicking families and young people playing sports, while others gather at streetside cafes. But behind such peaceful scenes, Iran’s economy is in tatters and people are fearful of a new government clampdown and angry ‌about the destructive airstrikes. The difficulties that spurred mass unrest in January ‌look likely to worsen.  Iran’s foreign minister on Friday said the Strait of Hormuz was open following a ceasefire accord for Lebanon, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed a deal to end the Iran war would come soon. FEAR OF INCREASED PRESSURE AS THEOCRACY ENDURES “The war ⁠will …

White House and Anthropic CEO Discuss Working Together Amid Rising Fear About Mythos Model

White House and Anthropic CEO Discuss Working Together Amid Rising Fear About Mythos Model

Published by Sam Flores

By Bo Erickson and Jessica Koscielniak WASHINGTON, April 17 (Reuters) – The Trump administration and ⁠Anthropic’s ⁠CEO on Friday discussed working together for the ⁠first time since a dispute earlier this year between the Pentagon and the AI firm over how ​that company’s models should be used. The meeting between CEO Dario Amodei and White House staff, which took place amid growing fears the AI startup’s latest model will supercharge ‌cyberattacks, suggests the two sides might be on ‌a path to rebuilding trust. The Trump administration, central bankers across the globe and industries are racing to get up to speed on Anthropic’s new ⁠model Mythos and its ⁠ability to make complex cyberattacks both easier and quicker to execute. The banking industry, with its ​legacy technology systems, is particularly vulnerable. Government officials in at least three countries – the U.S., Canada and Britain – have met with top banking officials to discuss the threats posed by Mythos. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in the meeting with Amodei, Axios reported. “We discussed opportunities for collaboration, …

3 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Judgment

3 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Judgment

Published by Jenni Sidey

Evolutionarily, our nervous systems evolved in small communities where the security of being with others was a matter of life and death. The danger of being left out of the group was a cause of anxiety with a survival threat attached to it. The brain, therefore, came to treat social evaluation as a possible threat, thus activating many of the same neural pathways that respond to physical danger. While the instinct is ancient, the environments we navigate today are far more complex. Our workplaces, our social presence, and our performance-driven cultures all amplify perceived scrutiny. The good thing is that fear of negative evaluation is very much changeable. Here are three evidence-based methods to start with for breaking free of it. 1. Reduce Fear of Judgment by Sticking to Your Values One of the most powerful drivers of evaluative anxiety is outcome monitoring. Do you tend to mentally track how you are being perceived all the time? Thoughts like, “Did I sound stupid?” or “Do they think I’m incompetent?” pull attention inward, turning social interactions …

‘Waiting without answers’: Gaza mother’s fear for her three imprisoned sons | Israel-Palestine conflict News

‘Waiting without answers’: Gaza mother’s fear for her three imprisoned sons | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Published by Sam Flores

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – In her makeshift canvas tent, Inaam al-Dahdouh sits with her six grandchildren, turning over a photograph of her three sons, detained two years ago in the first few months of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. As Palestinian Prisoners’ Day is marked on Friday, the 62-year-old mother finds herself living a different kind of pain this year. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list It is no longer only the anguish of imprisonment and separation, but a looming fear shaped by new and uncertain scenarios following the approval of an Israeli law allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners in late March 2026. Palestinians mark Palestinian Prisoners’ Day annually on April 17. This year, it comes amid an unprecedented surge in the number of detainees and worsening conditions. According to prisoners’ advocacy groups, more than 9,600 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons as of early April 2026, compared with about 5,250 before the war – an increase of nearly 83 percent. They include 350 children, and more than 3,530 administrative …

Who says they have no fear of the Trump administration? The quiz knows : NPR

Who says they have no fear of the Trump administration? The quiz knows : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

From left: Fela, Pope Leo and friend, Queen Camilla. Mike Moore/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images; Ben Montgomery/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Mike Moore/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images; Ben Montgomery/Getty Images Wednesday was Tax Day! Are the refunds higher? Or lower? Or eaten up by gas prices? There are no tax questions on the quiz, but if you know what Eric Swalwell looks like, you’ll get at least one question correct. Source link

Fear of populists is pushing governments to oppose expanding the EU – POLITICO

Fear of populists is pushing governments to oppose expanding the EU – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Enlargement must remain demanding and merit-based to ensure its success and credibility,” France’s minister delegate for European affairs, Benjamin Haddad, told POLITICO. The biggest concern among governments is fear of political blowback against any leader who brings new EU members into a national debate, three of the diplomats and one senior EU official involved with the enlargement process said. Like others in this article, they were granted anonymity to discuss talks that are largely confidential. A repeat of the “Polish plumber” debate that gripped many EU countries before Warsaw’s admission in 2004, when some politicians argued that cheap Polish labor would replace highly paid jobs in Western Europe, is among the worries in capitals. “The same semi-populist, semi-xenophobic arguments we heard about the Poles, we are likely to hear with the Ukrainians and any other candidate,” said a diplomat from a mid-size EU country. “Who are these people? What are they going to be doing in our club? Will they be coming to take our jobs? No appetite This concern is particularly strong in France, …

I’ve spent 20 years treading water and fear that I’ve wasted so much time. Am I depressed? | Family

I’ve spent 20 years treading water and fear that I’ve wasted so much time. Am I depressed? | Family

Published by Sam Flores

My wife and I are in our late 60s. The past 20 years have felt like treading water, as all my funds are tied up in a property that, for complex reasons, I am unable to sell. We are both creative. Over the past year or so I’ve made some improvements to our house, things that make people say wow. I enjoy seeing their pleasure, but their praise isn’t hugely important to me. In fact, I am somewhat reclusive. I do not enjoy being part of a wider community and I’m content with a handful of close friends. Last year my father died, and after a period of despair, during which I found myself contemplating suicide (I did not share this with my wife), I turned first to Samaritans, then a therapist. Another problem had been my love of cross-dressing, which never sat easily with my wife, though she was accommodating to a degree. I was able to visit the therapist “dressed”, and with his help I raised the subject again with my wife. To …

‘Trump abandoned us’: Ceasefire sparks anger, fear, division among Iranians

‘Trump abandoned us’: Ceasefire sparks anger, fear, division among Iranians

Published by Sam Flores

On February 28, a new war began after Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, killing several high-ranking military figures, scientists and political officials, including Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Iran launched large-scale attacks against Israel and Arab countries hosting US military bases, including Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan and Oman. Beyond military targets, both sides also struck civilian infrastructure, including gas and oil facilities, power stations, water treatment plants, steel and aluminium factories, roads, railways and bridges, as well as universities, airports, schools, hotels, stadiums and residential areas, particularly in Israel. Videos shared on April 7, 2026 capture strikes on Iran’s petroleum infrastructure on the islands of Lavan and Siri in the Persian Gulf, hours after a ceasefire had been announced. To display this content from Telegram, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices On April 7, however, the parties to the conflict announced a two-week ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, intended to pave the way for broader negotiations hosted by Islamabad …

From fat transplants to LED mittens: how the fear of ‘old lady hands’ mobilised the beauty industry | Beauty

From fat transplants to LED mittens: how the fear of ‘old lady hands’ mobilised the beauty industry | Beauty

Published by Sam Flores

I lay my hands on the table, palms down, for inspection. I’m in the consulting room of the president of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) in London. Like most people, I use my hands a lot. I type for hours a day. I go bouldering, which means I have a lot of calluses. I cook, clean, cup my chin while staring out the window. What I’ve never done is to look at my hands as objects of interest in their own right. They’re an afterthought. The means to an end. But now that Dr Sophie Shotter has picked them up in hers and is weighing my flesh and pushing at the skin with her thumbs to see how it moves, I can see faint ripples of diamonds, the texture of crepe paper. “Your facial skin is very clear, very smooth. When we look at your hands, you’ve got a bit more of that laxity going on,” Shotter says. “You don’t have pigmentation. You’re not covered in sunspots. But the veins and tendons testify …