Celia Zulauf 
I still remember the day my nephew Jack came home from school, pale as a ghost, clutching his stomach like he’d swallowed a bad batch of cafeteria mystery meat. At eight years old, he was usually all boundless energy and gap-toothed grins, but that afternoon, he bolted straight for the bathroom, barely making it. When … Read more
It’s October 2, 2025, and the air in Washington feels thicker than usual—like the capital’s holding its breath amid the hum of empty federal offices and the distant echo of partisan finger-pointing. I remember the 2018-19 shutdown all too well; as a policy analyst then, I watched colleagues in the Department of Education huddle over … Read more
I still get chills thinking about that first paddle in the Stockholm Archipelago. It was a crisp September morning in 2023, mist hanging low over the water like a whispered secret, and my kayak slicing through it all as if I were the only soul alive. No city hum, just the rhythmic dip of my … Read more
Picture this: It’s a balmy July evening in 2028, the sun dipping low over the Pacific, casting that golden glow LA does so well. You’re weaving through a crowd buzzing with accents from every corner of the globe, the air thick with the scent of street tacos and sunscreen. Somewhere nearby, a flag football game … Read more
I still remember the buzz around electric vehicles a couple of years back. Friends were raving about their silent rides and zero tailpipe emissions, and I even test-drove a Tesla Model 3, feeling like I was stepping into the future. But fast-forward to 2025, and the excitement has dimmed. With the federal tax credit vanishing … Read more
Picture this: It’s a crisp September evening in London, the kind where the air hums with possibility, and I’m squeezed into a velvet-lined venue off Regent Street, heart racing as the first model emerges from the shadows. That was me back in 2019, wide-eyed at my first London Fashion Week, scribbling notes on a napkin … Read more
Imagine hopping into what you think is a safe ride home after a long night out, only to have your world shattered in seconds. That’s the nightmare Jessica C., an 18-year-old college freshman, lived through in 2016 when her Uber driver veered off course and assaulted her. Fast forward to September 30, 2025, and a … Read more
Hey folks, it’s Maria Gonzalez here—I’ve been knee-deep in Catholic politics for over 15 years, ever since I covered my first synod as a stringer for the Chicago Tribune. Growing up in a devout Mexican-American family in Pilsen, faith and family were my anchors, but watching the Church tangle with U.S. politics? That’s where the … Read more
It’s day two of the 2025 government shutdown, and the air in D.C. feels thicker than usual—like everyone’s holding their breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I remember the 2018-19 shutdown like it was yesterday; I was freelancing policy pieces back then, chatting with furloughed feds over lukewarm diner coffee, listening to stories … Read more
I still remember the first time I tried wearing white in October. It was years ago, on a crisp morning walk through London’s Hyde Park, leaves crunching under my boots like nature’s own applause. I’d thrown on a cream cable-knit sweater over pale linen trousers, thinking I’d look like a walking cloud—ethereal, maybe even chic. … Read more