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Chicago Tribune
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘Couples Therapy' review: The best unscripted show about working through conflict — while the cameras watch — returns for a new season
Someone was recently telling me about a vacation they took with their partner, and when they mentioned some moments of friction that came up, my mind immediately went to 'Couples Therapy.' Everyone experiences conflict in life, even with those closest to you, and it can be tricky to work through that. But the show's psychoanalyst Orna Guralnik is wonderfully perceptive when it comes to helping people talk about what's really going on. The unscripted series returns on Showtime for the second half of Season 4, which premiered last year. Featuring all new couples, it's functionally a new season. (I'm unclear why Showtime makes this confusing distinction, but if I were to guess, it's related to money and maybe results in a cheaper deal on the network's end.) Sometimes people just aren't compatible. But in many cases, the bickering and fights in these relationships are about something deeper. Picking at one another endlessly or obsessing over something that doesn't really matter is a way to fill the space between two people who are trying to make some kind of connection, Guralnik says. But it's all noise and you're 'nowhere real.' The reason analysts might be able to help is that they are trained to 'listen for that and to find a way to move from noise to signal.' Four couples are featured. Rod and Alison have been married for nearly 20 years and they have a dynamic we've seen on the series before: She comes across as a harpy, whereas he is passive-aggressive and then retreats into himself. At one point, the energy feels so contentious that Guralnik stops to ask: Are you fighting right now? No, you'll know when that happens, Alison tells her. To which Guralnik says: 'I'm just curious about the tone.' Alison doesn't deny it: 'Oh, I have a tone.' I couldn't help but laugh because Alison brusque and abrasive — at least she's self-aware! 'This is how it's always been,' she says of her marriage. 'We have no patience for each other.' Another couple, Boris and Jessica, have been together about half as long, but the tension between them is just as intense. They've recently relocated to New York City. She is thriving, but he hates everything about their new life, even though they've finally achieved some stability. 'We are just aliens to each other,' he tells Guralnik. (Boris is the novelist Boris Fishman, and this raises some questions about when the season was filmed; according to his Wikipedia page, in 2024 he began teaching at the University of Austin 'where he lives with his wife and daughter.' Presumably they moved. Presumably they are still together. This is important, considering where they live is a primary source of discord between them.) Kyle and Mondo have been together for six years. The former is deaf and immigrated to the U.S. from Poland as a child. Sometimes he feels smothered by his partner. At other times, because of his disability, he feels left out of things or prefers to spend time with his deaf friends. Kyle also wants an open relationship and Mondo is unenthusiastic about this, while also dealing with other issues, including grief for a mother who died from COVID. Despite their problems, they come across as the couple who seem to have most retained the feelings of affection that first drew them together. Finally, there's Nick and Katherine. 'We're on our own islands,' one of them says. 'We take care of things, the bills are paid. But there isn't love.' He's still working through a difficult experience he had in college that he is initially reluctant to reveal. She has some lingering issues with disordered eating. Both avoid talking about the feelings of insecurity they feel individually, lest those emotions explode beyond their control. I generally find 'Couples Therapy' to be free of the usual gimmicks and tricks that are used to juice most reality TV. But at least one moment gave me pause. A couple is sniping at each other in the waiting area outside Guralnik's office and she can hear them — or so we're led to believe. Whether that's actually the case or a trick of editing, I don't know. We see Guralnik gently stroking her sweet dog Nico, an Alaskan Klee Kai who often accompanies her to work, and it's almost as if she's trying to calm herself before opening the door and inviting them in. But again, this was a rare moment when I questioned if there was some manipulation happening in how that moment is portrayed. Also, the female half of one couple consistently wears an assortment of sweatshirts that have sleeves covered in sequins. It's a distinctive look, so much so that my cynical side wondered if she had a line of sweatshirts she was covertly promoting by wearing them to session. I've always wondered why people agree to bare their lives and messy relationships on the show. It's a question that probably applies to all reality TV, but this one especially requires a vulnerability about one's sexual behaviors, embarrassing flaws and personal history (and what can feel like shameful remnants of long-ago trauma) in ways that seem unique. The participants are not just revealing this to strangers who make up the bulk of the show's viewership, but also, by default, to potentially gossipy friends, neighbors, colleagues and professional acquaintances. Even if your relationship is hanging on by a thread, this feels like a deterrent. Then again, there is no fee paid by the couples here. Guralnik typically charges $700 per session. And she's really good. Maybe, if you're feeling desperate enough — and also exhibitionist enough — it's worth the tradeoff. Whatever the factors compelling people to take part, I'm grateful they're willing to let us see inside the most private moments of their relationships, because with Guralnik's guidance, I always feel smarter and more compassionate about humans in general. The idea that conflict doesn't have to be intractable is so profound as to be easily overlooked. 'I think it's very frightening for people to have a raw, honest experience — in real time — with their partner,' Guralnik says, and as a result, 'there are many ways people avoid real communication.' 'Couples Therapy' is a look at what it means to break down those walls and see what's really behind them. 'Couples Therapy' — 4 stars (out of 4) Where to watch: 8 p.m. Fridays on Showtime (streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime)
Boston Globe
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Austin welcomed Musk. Now it's weird (in a new way).
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Tie-dyed T-shirts still urge residents to 'Keep Austin Weird,' mostly in hotels and tourist shops. But a different kind of counterculture has taken root amid an influx of decidedly right-of-center figures (including Musk), self-described freethinkers ( podcasters Joe Rogan and Lex Fridman), and conservative entrepreneurs (Joe Lonsdale). Already in town was Austin's resident conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, and his far-right Infowars. There's even a new, contrarian institution of higher learning looking to compete with the University of Texas, the University of Austin. Advertisement Weird, perhaps, but not in the way of the old bumper-sticker mantra. 'If you say 'Keep Austin Weird' to somebody under the age of 40, they would think of that as an antique-y slogan, like Ye Old Shoppe,' said H.W. Brands, a historian at the University of Texas. 'It doesn't have any resonance for their lived experience of Austin.' Advertisement The city's transformation followed a deliberate, decades-long project to attract technology companies to its rolling hills. 'I'm one who thinks it has changed for the better,' said Gary Farmer, who helped attract businesses as the founding chair of Opportunity Texas, an economic development group. 'The culinary arts, the performing arts, the visual arts, the music scene -- it's all better.' At the same time, housing prices have skyrocketed, and the population -- already the whitest among big cities in Texas -- has shed some of its diversity. In 2023, more people moved out of Austin's Travis County than moved in, and the share of Hispanic residents in Austin declined even as across all of Texas the Hispanic population has grown to become a plurality. Black families have also been leaving Austin, said Lila Valencia, the city's demographer. For years, locals resisted development, to no avail. 'They were building a lot of freeways in Houston and Dallas, and Austin turned away that money,' said Tyson Tuttle, the former CEO of Silicon Labs, who moved to Austin in 1992. 'They were saying, if we don't build it, they won't come. And they came anyway.' Many in Austin's new elite have chafed at the progressive policies in city and county government over issues such as homelessness and policing. Last year, some of them, including Musk, backed a primary challenger to the local Democratic district attorney, José Garza. In a companywide email, Musk encouraged Tesla employees to vote in support of the challenger. Advertisement Garza won the primary by a 2-1 ratio. 'If an asteroid fell from the sky and hit a Democratic candidate for office in Travis County and killed that person, that person's corpse would still beat a live Republican,' said Evan Smith, a former leader of the Texas Tribune, an Austin-based nonprofit news site. Still, the city's demographic transformation has led many to lament its fading identity as a place of street buskers and a cross-dressing, homeless mayoral candidate. The Austin Chronicle, an alternative weekly newspaper, even sells a shirt that reads 'R.I.P. Old Austin.' Earlier this year, passersby stopped to listen to an impromptu street performance on Congress Street, like old times, except the guitarist was the Trump-friendly Ted Nugent, and his appearance had been organized by hard-right Republicans. Almost as common are complaints about the complainers. 'I'm not one of those naysayers about Austin who say it was all better in the old days,' said Terry Lickona, who for 50 years has produced 'Austin City Limits,' a public television showcase for local and national musicians. He added, 'Austin has always attracted outsized characters,' including Willie Nelson and Michael Dell, a computer-maker. Terry Lickona, producer of "Austin City Limits," at his home in Austin. DESIREE RIOS/NYT Musk, who owns a $35 million compound for himself and some of his partners and children, is just the latest. Still, his company stands out. Tesla is one of the city's largest private employers, with a gargantuan manufacturing facility on the outskirts, and he has been expanding his footprint in nearby Bastrop County with other enterprises, such as a plant for making his Starlink satellites. 'It seemed like a natural fit to me,' said Steve Adler, a Democratic former Austin mayor who met with Musk and helped bring Tesla from California in 2020. Advertisement The arrival of Musk and Tesla five years ago was a key moment for the city, punctuating a yearslong transformation that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people, including celebrities and dissatisfied Californians whose politics were shifting amid the lockdowns, sought out the relative openness of Texas. 'It's, like, most of the good stuff and very little of the bad stuff,' Rogan said during a 2021 interview with Adler, months after moving there. The result has been a slight moderation of the city's politics and tensions over Musk between those who hate his actions in Washington and those who love his role as a technology entrepreneur. The city 'attracts people that are on all sides of issues,' said Joshua Baer, the founder of the Capital Factory, which helps finance and nurture technology startups. 'My world is generally Elon fans and supporters.' This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This WSJ writer grew up believing money talk was ‘vulgar' — here's what you can learn from her money mistakes
Not everyone's a natural with numbers — but if there's one life skill worth forcing yourself to get good at, it's money. Katie Roiphe, author of The Wall Street Journal's Personal Space column, has never been afraid to tackle bold subjects head-on in her writing, according to a recent interview with the University of Austin. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) But, as she wrote in a recent piece for The Journal, she hasn't always been able to say the same about her approach to money. Roiphe peeled back the curtain on her own financial blind spots, admitting that while she's generally 'highly functional,' the world of personal finance has always sent her running for the hills. 'I would basically summarize my approach to all practical money matters as some combination of hope and avoidance,' she wrote. For Roiphe, that deep-rooted avoidance traces back to childhood. Growing up in a household where her mother — an unapologetic intellectual — deemed money talk 'vulgar,' Roiphe absorbed the idea that caring about cash was crass. But the problem was no one taught her one crucial life hack: if you want to stop thinking about money, you need to have enough of it first. Roiphe's not the only one who's tempted to ghost her finances. For most of us, when something feels stressful, it's way easier to shove it to the back burner and hope it magically sorts itself out. 'I would just leave the mail in a pile, as if not actually laying eyes on a bill would make it vanish. I have an active imagination, and I could almost wishfully think away a heating bill,' she wrote. But pretending your bills don't exist doesn't make them disappear — it just racks up your debt. In fact, U.S. household debt ballooned by $93 billion last quarter alone, hitting $18.04 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's latest Household Debt and Credit Report. Turns out, ignoring the problem just makes it worse. For Roiphe, the financial wake-up call got even harsher during her divorce. She realized she had no savings, no benefits outside her ex-husband's job and no financial safety net of her own. It was a harsh lesson in what can happen when you lean too hard on old-school gender norms, or the idea that 'there are certain aspects of life that men should take care of,' she wrote. But that kind of thinking can leave you exposed when life inevitably flips the script. One smart move is to start having open, no-shame conversations with your partner about money. Whether it's a monthly check-in when the bills roll in or bigger-picture chats about long-term goals, getting on the same page is key. And if your partner is more finance-savvy, don't be afraid to learn from them. Talk through tricky concepts, and grow together so you're never left in the dark when it matters most. Read more: BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has an important message for the next wave of American retirees — here's how he says you can best weather the US retirement crisis Eventually, Roiphe began building real financial security for herself. She landed a steady job in higher education, and that monthly paycheck helped her support her daughter and son while navigating life in an expensive city — but stability didn't mean fairness. She soon found out her male colleagues at the university were earning significantly more than she was. And, it wasn't because they were more qualified. The real difference was 'they asked for more money,' Roiphe wrote. It sounds simple, but it's a step many people skip — often out of fear, uncertainty or discomfort. And while confidence plays a big part, broader pay gaps still persist. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women who worked full-time in 2023 earned 83.6% of what men earned in the same professions, highlighting a pay gap that negotiation alone can't always close. If you're ready to boost your confidence and your paycheck, preparation is key. Start by making a solid case for yourself: gather salary data, list your accomplishments and be clear on exactly what you're asking for. Then practice saying it out loud — whether to a friend, your mirror or even your dog — so it feels second nature when the time comes. Finally, don't wait for your annual review to make your value known. Set up regular check-ins with your manager to keep the conversation going and make sure your contributions stay top of mind. At the end of the day, financial confidence isn't something you're born with — it's built, one bold step at a time. Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Changes in monsoon affect marine productivity in Bay of Bengal: study
Strong and weak monsoons can influence marine productivity in the Bay of Bengal, a study exploring fluctuations in the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) over the past 22,000 years has found. Marine productivity is a proxy for plankton growth – the main source of nourishment for aquatic life. The study is significant given that several climate models warn of significant disruption to the monsoon, under the impact of human-caused warming. The study, which appears in the peer-reviewed, Nature Geoscience, brought together scientists from India, China, Europe and the United States. 'By analysing their chemistry and tracking the abundance of certain types that thrive in productive waters, we reconstructed long-term changes in rainfall, ocean temperatures and marine life in the Bay of Bengal,' said Kaustubh Thirumalai, of the University of Austin and lead author of the study. 'Together, these chemical signals helped us understand how the monsoon and ocean conditions responded to global climate changes over the past 22,000 years.' Despite covering less than 1% of the world's ocean area, the Bay of Bengal provides nearly 8% of global fishery production. Its nutrient-rich coastal waters are vital to the densely populated communities along its shores, many of whom rely heavily on fisheries for food and income. 'Millions of people living along the Bay of Bengal rely on the sea for protein, particularly from fisheries,' said Yair Rosenthal, of the Rutgers University and a co-author. 'The productivity of these waters – the ability of the ocean to support plankton growth – is the foundation of the marine food web. If ocean productivity declines, it will powerfully affect the ecosystem, ultimately reducing fish stocks and threatening food security for coastal communities.' The study found that both abnormally strong and weak monsoons throughout history caused major disruptions in ocean mixing, leading to a 50% reduction in food for marine life in the surface waters. This occurs because extreme monsoon conditions interfere with the vertical movement of nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean to the surface, where plankton—the base of the food chain—flourish. To reconstruct past ocean conditions, scientists analysed fossilised shells of foraminifera, tiny single-celled marine organisms that record environmental data in their calcium carbonate shells. These microfossils were retrieved from seafloor sediments by scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution, a research ship operating under the International Ocean Discovery Program. The researchers found that marine productivity declined sharply during periods like Heinrich Stadial 1 (a cold phase between 17,500 and 15,500 years ago) and the early Holocene (about 10,500 to 9,500 years ago), when monsoons were either unusually weak or strong. Monsoon rainfall directly affects river run-off into the Bay of Bengal, altering ocean salinity and circulation. When too much freshwater builds up at the surface, it prevents nutrient mixing. Conversely, weak monsoons reduce wind-driven mixing, also starving surface waters of nutrients. 'Both extremes threaten marine resource availability,' Mr. Thirumalai said. By comparing ancient patterns with modern ocean data and climate model projections, researchers identified 'worrying' similarities, the authors said in a statement. Future scenarios suggest warmer surface waters and stronger freshwater run-off—conditions linked to past drops in marine productivity. Additionally, weaker future winds may fail to break through ocean stratification and restore nutrient cycling.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Changes in monsoon strength affects marine productivity in Bay of Bengal
Strong and weak monsoons can influence marine productivity in the Bay of Bengal, a study exploring fluctuations in the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) over the past 22,000 years has found. Marine productivity is a proxy for plankton growth – the main source of nourishment for aquatic life. The study is significant given that several climate models warn of significant disruption to the monsoon, under the impact of human-caused warming. The study, which appears in the peer-reviewed, Nature Geoscience, brought together scientists from India, China, Europe and the United States. 'By analysing their chemistry and tracking the abundance of certain types that thrive in productive waters, we reconstructed long-term changes in rainfall, ocean temperatures and marine life in the Bay of Bengal,' said Kaustubh Thirumalai, of the University of Austin and lead author of the study. 'Together, these chemical signals helped us understand how the monsoon and ocean conditions responded to global climate changes over the past 22,000 years.' Despite covering less than 1% of the world's ocean area, the Bay of Bengal provides nearly 8% of global fishery production. Its nutrient-rich coastal waters are vital to the densely populated communities along its shores, many of whom rely heavily on fisheries for food and income. 'Millions of people living along the Bay of Bengal rely on the sea for protein, particularly from fisheries,' said Yair Rosenthal, of the Rutgers University and a co-author. 'The productivity of these waters – the ability of the ocean to support plankton growth – is the foundation of the marine food web. If ocean productivity declines, it will powerfully affect the ecosystem, ultimately reducing fish stocks and threatening food security for coastal communities.' The study found that both abnormally strong and weak monsoons throughout history caused major disruptions in ocean mixing, leading to a 50% reduction in food for marine life in the surface waters. This occurs because extreme monsoon conditions interfere with the vertical movement of nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean to the surface, where plankton—the base of the food chain—flourish. To reconstruct past ocean conditions, scientists analysed fossilised shells of foraminifera, tiny single-celled marine organisms that record environmental data in their calcium carbonate shells. These microfossils were retrieved from seafloor sediments by scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution, a research ship operating under the International Ocean Discovery Program. The researchers found that marine productivity declined sharply during periods like Heinrich Stadial 1 (a cold phase between 17,500 and 15,500 years ago) and the early Holocene (about 10,500 to 9,500 years ago), when monsoons were either unusually weak or strong. Monsoon rainfall directly affects river run-off into the Bay of Bengal, altering ocean salinity and circulation. When too much freshwater builds up at the surface, it prevents nutrient mixing. Conversely, weak monsoons reduce wind-driven mixing, also starving surface waters of nutrients. 'Both extremes threaten marine resource availability,' Mr. Thirumalai said. By comparing ancient patterns with modern ocean data and climate model projections, researchers identified 'worrying' similarities, the authors said in a statement. Future scenarios suggest warmer surface waters and stronger freshwater run-off—conditions linked to past drops in marine productivity. Additionally, weaker future winds may fail to break through ocean stratification and restore nutrient cycling.
