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Articles by Melissa Mann
Dispatcher trauma: The unique stress of the job (and how to overcome it)
Editor’s note: This article is part of Police1’s Emergency Communications Week, which looks at how dispatch is changing — from smarter tools and automated routine tasks to new approaches that reduce unnecessary 911 demand. Thanks to our Emergency Communications Week sponsor, Autura. The kind of stress that 911 dispatchers experience is not the garden-variety stress the average person experiences.
The 2025 Libertarian Gift Guide: 28 great ideas for apocalypse preppers, boozers, self-improvers—and more
Christmas Panicked about holiday shopping? Reason staffers and contributors are here to save the day. | (Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Midjourney) Hello! Welcome to my Hallmark movie casting call. My vision is as follows. You: a busy careerist or parent or homemaker. The specifics aren't important, other than your main personality trait, which is "busy." Setting: the holidays, as I've been reliably informed that this is a requirement for Hallmark films.
Statement from Lumen in Support of FCC Reforms to Modernize U.S. Telecommunications Regulation
“We applaud Chairman Carr’s leadership in advancing common-sense regulatory reform. Modernizing these outdated rules will allow for greater investment in critical network infrastructure, ensuring a more connected future and strengthening U.S. competitiveness in an increasingly digitally-enabled global marketplace.
His Hands on Her
The last thing she remembered from that night was him carrying her out of the crowded room. Had he picked her up because she hadn't been able to walk by herself? She didn't know. He had brought her to his place to sober up. How considerate of him. He was such a good guy. She could still feel his hands on her. She didn't remember but she could feel them. But had they ever really been there? She couldn't recall.
"What's threatening about divesting and wanting peace?"
The following days even more students showed up to stand up against the brutality and to demonstrate their frustration with the university for calling the police and sanctioning such violence on peaceful students. Other encampments were set up on different campuses.
An Ode to Men in Gaza
women, children AND EVERYONE ELSE In the face of the devastating destruction of the Gaza Strip, people have often used the phrase ‘war on women and children’. And it is. It is a devastating, soul-wrenching war on women and children. But it is also a war on any other innocent civilian. It is also a war on men. Do they not deserve our outrage? Do they not deserve our empathy? Why does no one speak about the brave men who fight their way through rubble to save their families?
The Neuroscience of Reading
Why we become emotionally attached to characters Have you ever read a book and felt so deeply engaged with the world-building and characters, that it awakened a deep sense of belonging in you? Have you ever grown so attached to fictional characters that they became an integral part of your life? Have you ever finished a book and felt like you are leaving a piece of you behind?
Feed Her to the Wolves
a poem He speaks over her As if he did not hear No one seems to notice She does not interfere He won’t stop arguing She studied this for years She got it all wrong It’s not what it appears He touches her hip Every time he walks past She steps out of the way Her discomfort will not last He whistles in the streets Calls her names she won’t repeat She lowers her gaze And rushes past him in defeat He slips droplets in her drink Takes her with him in the night She should have been more careful Now...
The Guilt of Being Alive When They Are Not
Experiencing human-inflicted suffering from the shelter of my living room I wake up each day, hearing the news — seeing pictures of little children losing their homes, their families, and their lives. I wake up each day, seeing little children showing more courage than I have ever had in my life, standing in front of authority and asking not to be killed. How could people be this cruel?
Echoes of Sorrow
Poetry a cry for freedom I am not from Palestine, but I have written this from the perspective of a child in Gaza. Our heads on the ground, Our spirits in the air. We are here to stay, they say they don’t care. Why are they shooting at us, I don’t understand. We are just like them, No one’s offering a hand. They say it’s our leaders, We came to kill their daughters. We’ve been taught to hate, But it’s us being slaughtered. Our limbs on the ground, Their weight on our spine.
Echoes of Sorrow
a poem This is my first poem ever, so be lenient. Also, I am not from Palestine, but I have written this from the perspective of a child in Gaza. Our heads on the ground, Our spirits in the air. We came to stay, They claim it’s not fair. Why are they shooting at us, I don’t understand. We are just like them, But no one’s offering a hand. They say it’s our leaders, We came to kill their daughters. I understand their hate, Now it’s us being slaughtered. Our limbs on the ground, Their weight on our spine.
Decolonize Your Mind, Decolonize Our Systems
why it’s White people’s obligation to undo the damage we have caused People are biased. Every single one of us. These biases guide our perceptions, our views, our reactions and our general behaviour. We think in categories, because the world is too complex to look at everything from every angle. So, we store information, based on experience, what we’ve been told, what we have observed and what our environment exposes us to.
The Harsh Reality of People Living in the Gaza Strip
a little something to think about Since the disproportional aggression in the Gaza Strip started after October 7th, civilian lives have failed to be protected. While the genocidal acts of Israel, supported by western governments, seem to be very obvious to a lot of people (given the huge pro Palestine wave across the world), some still fail to see them as they are.
Caring For And About Our Rural Cemeteries
Hillside is on Route 302 in South Ryegate. The terrain of Hillside slopes gently to the highway showing off its monuments, and its granite and marble markers-some dating back to 1855. Pinehurst is also in South Ryegate, but Pinehurst Road is off the beaten path, and not seen unless you are looking for it.
A life on the bike: Jonathan Vaughters’s EF journey
Jonathan Vaughters—also known as JV—is a bit of a legend. A professional cyclist from 1994 to 2003, he made headlines when he co-founded Slipstream Sports in 2005, based on his belief that there was a better way to run a cycling team. A staunch defender of ethical competition and fair play, JV has spent his years with the team—now EF Education First Drapac p/b Cannondale—identifying and coaching riders while managing the overall operations of the team.
The Club No One Wants to Join
I love cold, dark mornings. I love stretching just past the warm spots in the sheets and feeling the icy air brush across my toes. I love the way the pillow pushed under my shoulder cradles my head in softness, and I love to roll over and wiggle the curve of my hip into my husband’s side, tucking my cold feet around his warm ones. I used to love that last part, anyway. Lately, in my sheet-swaddled semi-clarity, I reach for my husband’s hand before I realize that he’s not in bed with me any longer.
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