A young Albert Einstein dreamed he was sliding down a snow covered hill. As he began to move faster and faster, he looked up and saw that the appearance of the stars was changing. Einstein then awoke and spent the next 12 years thinking about the meaning of this dream, which … [Read more...]
We've all heard the old adage that money can't buy happiness, but according to a Princeton University study that looked at 450,000 surveys from 1,000 US residents, that might not be true. Nobel prize-winning scientists Deaton and Kahneman looked at two measures of happiness: … [Read more...]
They say the paradox of happiness is: the more you chase it, the more elusive it becomes. You’d think it’d be a cakewalk, but so many of us suffer from depression and dissatisfaction. If we just had a little more money, a slightly better job, or the right partner, that happiness … [Read more...]
The ice is melting, the world is warming, and the oceans are rising. Richer countries bear most of the responsibility for global warming, but poorer island countries like the Maldives are the first to bear the brunt of rising waters. The Maldives are a chain of islands famous … [Read more...]
In the early morning of December 26th, 2004, a massive earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami that sent giant waves to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Over 200,000 people lost their lives that day. It was a tragic day that no human could have predicted, yet there are … [Read more...]
Jia Jiang was the founder of a small tech company in 2012 when he got rejected by an investor. Traumatized by this rejection, he was left with a sinking feeling in his stomach and was angry and insecure. Jiang wanted to give up on his company, but instead, he decided he needed … [Read more...]
Pheromones are chemical scents that animals naturally give off, which influence behavior. If you've ever been attracted to someone and didn't know why maybe your nose was subconsciously guiding you. Scientists have yet to isolate a chemical scent that turns on humans, but they … [Read more...]
Before we start this week's story, I want to play a bit from the Carsie Blanton song Smoke Alarm. Why do you waste your time Thinking about your reputation Trying to meet an expectation Wondering what they're gonna say When everyone you ever known Is headed for a … [Read more...]
'Beauty is only skin deep' is an English idiom dating back to the 1600s that means beauty is superficial and does not reflect one's essential character. In other words, what's on the inside is more important than what's on the outside. While we all understand this idea, it hasn't … [Read more...]
If it isn't broke, don't fix it ' is a common English expression that warns against fixing something that is fine the way it is. Leave well enough alone. Don't mess with it, or you'll make it worse. Some little people and deaf people feel the same way. ‘Little person’ is … [Read more...]
People are enamored with music. It touches our souls in profound ways that words alone cannot equal. It stirs our imagination, invigorates our bodies, and transforms our moods. It can lift us up or overwhelm us with emotion. It can make us feel down in the dumps or over the moon. … [Read more...]
"A dog is a man's best friend" is a common English saying because they are more loyal than all other animals, and some say they are more loyal than people too. Dogs and humans have lived under the same roof for 15,000 years. Recently a dog named Capitan has shown us why dogs are … [Read more...]
Delayed gratification means giving up pleasure now to get a greater reward in the future. We cut down on the junk food today, so we look good at the beach next summer. We save money now, so we can relax in retirement. We all delay gratification to some degree, and it starts at a … [Read more...]
The English idiom tongue-tied describes someone who is speechless. Originally coined by Shakespeare, the expression is still commonly used today. There are many reasons that people sometimes feel tongue-tied, and being a native English speaker or an English student has nothing to … [Read more...]
When Manuel Segovia and Isidro Velazquez had a falling out, it became international news. No one remembers what started it. Some say it was because they disagreed on the proper way to speak their own language. Their feud was widely reported around the world because there was much … [Read more...]
The Maori people wept with joy. They celebrated their beloved river being granted the same rights as a human being by the New Zealand government. This means the river now has a legal right to exist. Defenders of the river can now use the courts to sue anyone who seeks to harm … [Read more...]
International tourism analysts say that 2020 will be a lost year. With a projected $2.2 trillion lost and 100 million jobs wiped out, many hotels, airlines, and restaurants are in survival mode. Tourism-related businesses are trying to stay afloat and weather the storm, hoping … [Read more...]
Napoleon wasn’t tall, but he wasn’t short either. At five foot five inches (1.65 meters), he was only an inch shorter than average for a Frenchman of his time. Despite the myth, to this day, people dismissively describe aggressive men of short stature as having a Napoleon … [Read more...]
When he turned 60, Indian billionaire Kochouseph Chittilappilly wanted to do something big. He had a vision of a kidney donation chain. And the chain would start with him. Some said it was a publicity stunt. Others thought he was joking and wouldn’t actually go through with … [Read more...]
Unlike some parts of the US, in Texas, face masks have been mandatory since early July. When a bus driver in Lubbock asked a passenger to put on a face mask, the passenger smashed up the bus and attacked the driver. This was not an isolated incident. Across the US, face mask … [Read more...]
