The Indispensable Benefits of Women’s Rights, Reproductive Rights, and Abortion Rights — By Richard Smith Medium Staff Writer RIO RANCHO, New Mexico — In a world that thrives on progress and equality, the realization of women’s rights has emerged as an undeniable force for positive change. With each step towards gender parity, society grows stronger, fairer, and more inclusive. Among the fundamental…

The Ugly Privileged Monster of Dark Money’s Misinformation — By Richard Smith Medium Staff Writer RIO RANCHO, New Mexico — Not too long ago, I published a Facebook post about the illiterate, delinquent, and grammatically incorrect proliferation of the word ‘woke’ in slang. …

What We Learned from COVID in the “New Normal” — By Richard Smith Medium Staff Writer RIO RANCHO, New Mexico — Going into year four of COVID-19, American life has become a tale of two realities in our bipolar ‘new normal’ — and its effect on various aspects of our lives has been significant. From changes in how we work…

Songs and melodies and sounds… oh my! — By Richard Smith SYNERGY Staff Writer Topics: Self-development, Health & Wellness, Psychology, Mindfulness RIO RANCHO, New Mexico — Regardless of how popular, cutting-edge, or innovative a song is alleged to be, the relationship that exists between our brain’s chemistry and the frequency of sound is what dictates whether or not…

Books, Film, Television, Music, and Memes — RIO RANCHO, New Mexico — I was inspired recently to share my list of favorite books, movies, and music with all of you. Admittedly, being as busy as I am, the number of books on my reading list is not nearly as impressive as I would have hoped for. Here…

A misguided and poorly reasoned assumption. — By Richard Smith Haven Staff Writer RIO RANCHO, New Mexico — I often hear this misguided and poorly reasoned assumption: “At one time, science said man came from apes, did it not? If this is true, why are there still apes? Think about it.” I am thinking about it and…

The power of a compelling connection with your audience. — By Richard Smith Medium Staff Writer RIO RANCHO, New Mexico — Ask me about my passion for art, messaging, and graphic design. …

How Verizon’s inept disability policy jeopardizes its employees. — By Richard Smith Haven Staff Writer RIO RANCHO, New Mexico — I love my job. As a long-term employee of Verizon for the past 13 years, I have been enjoying the satisfaction that my job gives me on many levels, including the ability to help people in need of assistance…

Revisiting the historic 2008 election in a 2022 atmosphere. — By Richard Smith Haven Staff Writer RIO RANCHO, New Mexico — On November 6, 2008, at 10:16 AM, an email correspondent asked me this question: “What do you think of the Election?” Considering today’s political climate in our absurd ‘new normal’ reality known as 2022, it seemed appropriate to dig…