Live while you are alive
The nicest Olympics ever might not last beyond Tokyo. While Japan is a relatively uncontroversial host country (COVID-19 snafus notwithstanding), U.S. lawmakers have already started to call for moving the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics out of China in protest of the country’s treatment of its Uyghur minority population. Though it’s unlikely (but not unthinkable) that …
The only cow in a small town in Ireland stopped giving milk. Then the town folk found they could buy a cow in Wales quite cheaply. So, they brought a cow over from Wales. It was absolutely wonderful, it produced lots of milk every day and everyone was happy. They bought a bull to mate …
People who wonder whether the glass is half empty or half full are missing the point. The glass is refillable.
‘“The idea that boredom is good for us – particularly in childhood, because it encourages imagination and creativity – is well established,” writes Jemima Lewis in The Daily Telegraph. She recounts the “massive afternoon longeurs” of her own infancy, during which she would “finally peel myself off the dusty-smelling carpet to read a book… or …
A new study has found that people who get little exercise and sleep poorly are 57% more likely to die prematurely compared to those who exercise a lot and sleep better as a result. Bad sleepers also had a 67% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a 45% higher chance of being diagnosed with …
Friendships are declining in America. According to a recent American Perspectives Survey, people reported having fewer close friends than in previous years, with roughly half of Americans citing three or fewer. Instead, they’re turning to parents and romantic partners for support. “People have lost their fringe friends, or those friends they saw once in a while. So it’s unsurprising …
Smacking children makes their behaviour worse, according to a new review of two decades of research. The study found that children subjected to physical punishment showed increased behavioural problems with no improvement in behaviour. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children are among …
Champagne was developed in England long before it was popularised in France, a new documentary has claimed. The show, Sparkling: The Story of Champagne, reveals that a 1676 play called The Man of Mode includes “the first mention of sparkling champagne anywhere in the world”. The director claims he has “documentary proof to the British …
Continue reading ‘Documentary claims English invented champagne’ »
~ David Letterman… America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real but the moon landing was faked.
These are jokes entered into the competition for best Dad jokes: I once hired a limo but when it arrived, the guy driving it walked off! I said “Excuse me? Are you not going to drive me?” The guy told me that the price didn’t include a driver… … so I’d spent £400 on a …
Continue reading ‘Some Dad jokes (well, anything for a change from politics).’ »
Quote of the day “That’s what the people of our countries now want us to focus on. Building back greener, building back fairer, building back more equal, in a more gender-neutral and a more feminine way.” Boris Johnson addresses his fellow G7 leaders while chairing the first working session of the summit. My take: Did …
~ John Glenn… As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind – every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.
“I think we can all agree that the two worst things in the world are camping and picnics,” writes Giles Coren. So, when you read “that there is a shortage of tents and picnic baskets which ‘could hit staycation plans’, you know that you are truly dwelling in the end times”. A staycation in the …
In 2020, CEOs made 320 times as much as an average worker. Yet employees who work day in and day out to help these businesses flourish, are awarded either the deeply-flawed subminimum tipped wage, the minimum wage of $7.25, or other wages that are less than $15 an hour despite the climbing cost of basic …
“ The size of a planet doesn’t strike you until you start looking for something”. David Sedaris, quoted in the Boston Globe
