 It was a particularly gusty day in Chicago and I was running late to meet an ex-coworker who had relocated to the Windy City for what she said was a position at a prestigious law firm but for what I knew to be a well-paying excuse to eat Italian beef sandwiches and deep dish pies whenever she wanted. She told me to “find” her in the speakeasy hidden in The Green Door Tavern, so I hustled to a taxi, slid in the back and confidentially quipped, “take me to the green bar, please!” When we pulled up to The Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, I ran inside the bar looking for my friend, only she was nowhere to be found. Confused, I slid into a booth at the end of the bar. “That’s Al Capone’s booth,” said an older woman as she put a candle on the table. “Where’s the speakeasy?” I said. She looked at me, laughed, and headed back to the bar. It took me 20 minutes to find out I was at the wrong place. It took just 10 more minutes to realize I had stumbled into a national treasure. I never met my friend that day, but I was lucky enough to drink an Old Style Beer and a shot of Malört whilst clinking glasses with Chicago’s history. Across the United States, timeworn taverns and pubs act as living pieces of history where you can pull up a stool to early American drama. While many of these landmarks have undergone renovations, the best of the best highlight a bar’s distinct history while serving more modern food and drinks. Below, we’ve rounded up a list of some of the country’s most historically significant bars along with the stories that have made them legendary. Add these places to the itinerary of your next summer road trip for a museum-adjacent pit stop that pairs well with a pint of beer.  Brittingham’s Pub – Lafayette Hill, Pa. Just 26 miles away from Philadelphia by car, Brittingham’s Pub saw the thirteen American colonies become a country. It was established in 1743, between the founding of Jamestown and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and has variably served as a dance hall, inn, pub, restaurant, and tavern. During the American Revolution, the bar went by the name The Trooper and is believed to have been a stop for George Washington. General Lafayette’s troops barracked at the inn after the 1777 Battle of Barren Hill and there are rumors of his soldiers engraving their initials in the root cellar which has since been sealed shut. Later in the 1800’s, the then inn was a stop on the Underground Railroad with a tunnel for those escaping to Canada. The tunnel ran to the St. Peter’s Cemetery and still exists today, though it’s also sealed off. The pub has since undergone major renovations, though wooden nooks, windows, and its sturdy foundation remains. Visit for dinner and order bar favorites like chicken pot pie, Guinness lamb stew, and a pint of beer. You know, colonial food.  Carousel Piano Bar & Lounge – New Orleans If the Carousel Piano Bar & Lounge isn’t on the itinerary of your next trip to New Orleans, then it should be. Located inside the Hotel Monteleone overlooking the French Quarter, the Carousel is the only rotating bar in the Big Easy, built on an opulent carousel top that illuminates the lounge at night. The circular bar turns via motor one revolution every 15 minutes and has 25 seats with colorful paintings of wildlife on the back of each chair. If you’re motion-averse, the lounge has additional booths and tables where you can enjoy a Vieux Carre cocktail and snacks like Oysters Rockefeller and Blue Crab and Corn Beignets. Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Truman Capote, Michael Jordan and Tennessee Williams have all taken their turn at the bar, the latter of which mentioned the bar in two of his plays  January 31, 2023: America’s Most Historic Bars: Fraunces Tavern. This museum and restaurant in New York City is situated at 54 Pearl Street. Photo by Shutterstock. Fraunces Tavern – New York City Standard history museums are great, but you can’t indulge in a pint of beer and a charcuterie board at most of them; that’s where Fraunces Tavern comes in. The historic pub was first built as a house in 1719 before it was converted into a tavern by namesake Samuel Fraunces. The tavern has been owned by the Sons of the Revolution since 1904 and is rumored to be the oldest surviving building in Manhattan. Fraunces played a pivotal role as George Washington’s headquarters during the American Revolution and was said to be a venue for peace negotiations with the British, though we’re not sure if that was before or after the British Royal Navy sent a cannonball through the building’s roof. Today, the tavern is a full-scale restaurant with a mean brunch on the weekends. If you’re still hungry for history after your flatiron steak, visit the onsite museum to explore Fraunces history through exhibitions and artifacts.  The Green Dragon Tavern – Boston Boston is known for its history and The Green Dragon Tavern is one of the finest places to take in the cultural ether of The Cradle of Liberty. The celebrated tavern first opened in 1654 and was significant in establishing the freedom of Boston during the War of Independence, acting as a popular place for Freemason-led meetings by Grand Master John Hancock (of Declaration of Independence fame) and Sons of Liberty gatherings led by Samuel Adams (of Founding Father and beer fame). The Boston Tea Party was allegedly planned here and Paul Revere began his infamous ride to Lexington at the pub. The original North End building was demolished in 1832, but a pub fashioned as the new Green Dragon Tavern operates in the same neighborhood today.  Chicago, Illinois – July 16, 2012: America’s Most Historic Bars: Green Mill. A man checks his phone while standing in front of the famous Green Mill Cocktail Lounge in Chicago, Illinois. (9170) Green Mill Cocktail Lounge – Chicago Al Capone’s infamous Chicago Outfit had deep roots at uptown’s Green Mill Cocktail Lounge and the crime family’s legacy is still alive and well in the dark club today. Originally named Pop Morse’s Roadhouse, the jazz club opened in 1907 and became known for its mob ties shortly thereafter when “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn became part-owner of the club. The story goes that in 1927, comedian Joe E. Lewis was attacked by McGurn’s men, an encounter that eventually inspired the 1957 film “The Joker Is Wild.” Al Capone’s favorite booth is located at the west end of the bar and the establishment still has a hatch that leads to underground tunnels Capone used for quick escapes. The Green Mill is also known for its post-Prohibition jazz performances by musicians like Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong. Today, you can tuck into a cozy booth for a jazz performance every night of the week or stop by on Sunday night for the Uptown Poetry Slam – the longest running Poetry Slam in the country. If you can’t make it to the cash only establishment, you can see the Green Mill in films like “High Fidelity” and “Prelude to a Kiss.”  The Horse You Came In On Saloon – Baltimore Established in 1775, The Horse You Came In On Saloon is the oldest continuously operating saloon in the country. The historic bar is located in a Colonial-era building in Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood just a stone’s throw from the Patapsco River. Often referred to as simply “The Horse,” the saloon claims to be the final place poet Edgar Allen Poe was seen before his death. Among the saddle-shaped seats in the 19th century era saloon is a designated seat named “Poe’s Last Stop.” While The Horse was once a popular haunt for sailors and shipbuilders, today it’s known as one of Baltimore’s most iconic landmarks.  McSorley’s Old Ale House – New York City From the sawdust floors to the pair of Harry Houdini’s handcuffs that are connected to the bar rail, McSorley’s Old Ale House is a genuine New York relic. The walls of the Irish saloon are covered with artwork, newspaper articles, and pieces of history that haven’t been removed since 1910, like the wishbones hanging above the bar placed there by soldiers headed off to World War I. McSorley’s opened in the mid-1800’s and was one of the last “Men Only” pubs when it started admitting women in 1970. The saloon was also known for selling a near beer during the Prohibition era and has wet the famous whistles of Teddy Roosevelt, John Lennon, and Dave Von Ronk – the latter of which posed for his “Inside” album cover out front. Order a pint of the legendary McSorley’s Ale and make sure to abide by their one golden rule: “Be Good or Be Gone.”  Old Talbott Tavern – Bardstown, Ky. Bardstown’s Old Talbott Tavern is one of our favorite places to check out when visiting Louisville. Just a 45 minute drive from the Derby City, the tavern was built in 1779 and is the oldest surviving building in Kentucky and the oldest western stagecoach stop still in operation. The heritage stone edifice is a noteworthy example of Flemish bond stonework from the settlement period and the tavern was added to the National Register of Historic places in 1973. At the inn, each of the six rooms are named after a historical person who is believed to haunt the inn – give us your best shot, ye olde ghost of Jesse James. Other renowned guests include Daniel Boone, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln, and Georges Rogers Clark, who used the Old Talbott as a base during the Revolutionary War. If you can’t swing an overnight stay, stop by the tavern and order some fried green tomatoes and a Hot Brown before heading back to Louisville.  The Palace Restaurant and Saloon – Prescott, Ariz. If hearing the word “Tombstone,” makes you picture Doc Holliday’s iconic handlebar mustache, then you’ve come to the right place. Roughly an hour and a half from Sedona by car, The Palace Restaurant and Saloon is on Prescott’s beloved Whiskey Row – a veritable playground for saloon aficionados. As the oldest frontier saloon in Arizona, The Palace exemplifies what life was like in the wild, wild west when the bar was first established in the late 1870’s. Both Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday frequented the saloon and both had their share of dust-ups, with Earp killing two men during gunfights behind the saloon and Holliday killing a man during a knife fight inside (cue Ennio Morricone’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” theme). The original building was destroyed by the Whiskey Row fire in 1900 but was rebuilt by 1901 and is still open today, serving on-the-nose pub favorites like Wild West Wings and Jackalope Jumbo Onion Rings.  Round Robin Bar – Washington, D.C.
Located in the beloved Willard InterContinental Washington hotel, the Round Robin Bar is an oak-paneled lounge for imbibers looking to rub elbows with the who’s who of D.C. elite. The bar opened in 1847 and has since earned the nickname the “Oval Office of Bars” due to the décor and presidential patrons. While presidents have been known to stop here for a smart cocktail, you’re here to see Jim Hewes, a bartender and historian who oversees the cocktail program. Hewes has served cocktails here for nearly 40 years, through six presidential administrations, and has been known to treat patrons to a story about his years serving VIPs like Gerald Ford, Pele, and George Clooney. Settle in and order their signature cocktail, the Mint Julep, which was introduced to the bar by Kentucky Senator, Henry Clay. If Hewes is in, ask a question or two about the cocktail – legend has it he owns a handwritten copy of the recipe scribed by Clay himself. Source: Fifty Grande  Researchers dug into the data. Traced automation philosophy back thousands of years. Examined what happened when elevator operators disappeared. Looked at Alaska's 40-year experiment paying every citizen. And investigated the Philippines, where 89% of call center jobs are now at risk. What Happens After We Run Out of Jobs? You've seen the headlines. But what would actually happen if everyone's 9-to-5 became optional? researchers dug into the data. Traced automation philosophy back thousands of years. Examined what happened when elevator operators disappeared. Looked at Alaska's 40-year experiment paying every citizen. And investigated the Philippines, where 89% of call center jobs are now at risk. What they found was more positive than bleak. This video explores three questions: What does the data actually show? What does history tell us about this kind of disruption? And what happens when work becomes optional?  This local landmark delivers a robust calendar of quality entertainment, including concerts, comedy, dance, children’s shows, holiday events, and much more when it comes to outstanding programs and big-name performers.
BergenPAC is recognized as one of the largest and iconic performing venues and a performing arts school in the New Jersey/New York metropolitan region. BergenPAC is a Theater of and for the community dedicated to enhancing the quality of life through the Arts while stimulating a culture of equity within the community and fostering the future talent of tomorrow. BergenPAC’s mission is to make live performing arts and arts education accessible to its diverse community by building a creative home for artists and teachers of excellence who entertain, enlighten, inspire and inform audiences and students. In 2022 bergenPAC completed a historic restoration of the Main Hall, preserving one of America's beloved majestic theaters to its original 1926 architecture and design. Significant upgrades and enhancements include, the precision of the hand-painted columns and proscenium restored to their brilliance from the 1900s, new comfortable seating, and a state-of-the-art lighting and sound package. bergenPAC's campus includes the bergenPAC Performing Arts School a premiere arts education home to countless students ranging from ages 2 - 18, where no student has ever been turned away due to the inability to pay. bergenPAC's Community Arts Access Program partners with social agencies, donating performance tickets to those in the community who may not have the resources to see a show. Visit bergenpac.org for upcoming events. bergenPAC events are also posted and updated regularly on the Events Calendar. The Bergen Performing Arts Center is located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, NJ. For additional information, visit bergenPAC.org. 
Architect Breaks Down Why All American Diners Look Like That | Architectural Digest
 Interior design, much like any form of art, has experienced movements and changes throughout the years. It affects how your home is perceived and how you are perceived, subconsciously or not, by others.
While many people are house-proud and have preferences on how their home should look, interior design is about transforming a place into somewhere that encourages the room’s occupants to feel a specific way, maybe even influencing their behavior. Uncomfortable rooms are either badly designed or intended for a brief, passing use only, whereas cosy, inviting spaces are for spending long periods of time. So whether you’re designing your own home from scratch, redecorating or hoping to improve your house before selling it on, careful interior design can have a surprising impact on unexpected aspects of your life and the opinions of potential buyers. Here are a few helpful pieces of information that outline the various basics of interior design. Once you have a grip on these, use them to make your home more appealing to yourself or stand out on the property market. One: Windows and Doors Every home has windows and doors, but that doesn’t mean they have to be bland and invisible at first glance. On the contrary, you can turn anything in your home into a statement; the trick is just deciding which elements to downplay and which to bring to the fore. Windows and doors are both practically and psychologically important as they act as barriers and portals through which we either experience space or shut it out. Small windows or windows with heavy gratings are oppressive and somehow cosy, reminiscent of old cottages or cabins. Conversely, large windows and doors open the space and create a feeling of opportunity and freedom and a lack of privacy. If you cannot change your actual windows or doors but would still like to pay them some attention, various ways of designing around them can make a vast difference. For example, doors with glass panels allow light from other rooms to be shared and add an almost open-plan effect to any space. Remove the door entirely for increased ease of movement and flow. Dress windows in creative ways to play with how you view the outside world from within. Plants on the windowsill are popular. Plus, elegant drapes or blinds to shield you from unwanted sunlight can also add style to the room. If you’re looking for inspiration, here are some roman shades ideas that are great for creating a sleek, understated look. Two: Textures Depending on the room of the house, you should be considerate about which textures and materials to use. Solid, smooth surfaces are for practical uses, such as in the more purposeful rooms like the kitchen and bathroom. Softer textures create more depth and therefore draw a person in to be comfortable and rest. Match the textures to the purpose of the room for a space that feels both practical and stylish. For example, carpet in the kitchen is normally regarded as a bad idea. Decide whether space is more about comfort or utility and work from there. For example, do you want To bedroom with hard surfaces that encourage you to get up and be productive or a soft, comfortable space with plenty of opportunities for relaxation and leisure? This is where your lifestyle plays a huge part in how you want a room to look. If your kitchen is decorated in raw wood and porous tiles, you might be more likely to put off cooking and spend more time eating elsewhere. In contrast, polished concrete work surfaces and reflective metal cupboards bring to mind a more efficient, proactive kitchen scene for more avid chefs. Of course, if you have your heart set on a particular style, then these considerations become less significant, but be aware that textures have a subliminal effect on how you use a room. Three: Layout and Movement Subconsciously or subliminally, a building’s layout can hugely alter how you use the space. Walls divide space for privacy as well as hygiene, security and style reasons. For example, living with a large family in an open plan home doesn’t mean that the bedrooms are visible from the lounge but that the family has space to move without obstruction or delay. However, an open plan home for a single person or couple may not even require walls to separate the bedroom as the context allows for fewer walls without compromising privacy. It all depends on who the home is for and how they will use it. For a more secretive, warm layout, many rooms hidden behind many doors makes a place feel secure. Often, however, it is financially or practically too difficult to drastically change the layout of walls within a building. However, the layout of furniture within a room still affects movement and flow. Take a look at Feng Shui for a good basis upon which to guide your furniture arrangements. Regardless of the superstitious elements of the idea, Feng Shui is excellent at explaining the way a room’s layout can speak to your mind. You can even come up with your own set of guidelines that help you decide where to place your furniture. For example, do you hate being unable to see the door? If so, always angle chairs and your bed so that your back faces a wall. Do you love the sunlight while you are working? Position your desk or workspace by a window and out of the dark corners. Four: Future-Proofing If you are redecorating your own home or have decided to move and need to attract buyers and sell up, it is important to future-proof your home’s interior design against the inevitable yet unpredictable changes to contemporary trends and fashions. Trends are great for giving insight into new design ideas and even new designers whose work might one day become hugely influential. Still, they also threaten individuality within the home and can quickly become tired and overused. Instead of following interior design fashions, go your own way and come up with your own style. Almost any style can be considered effective and attractive as long as it is consistent within itself. Too many disparate looks colliding is far more unattractive than a unique style. That being said, there are ways of incorporating current trends into your home without condemning it to become dated and stale. Essentially, do not implement a change to your home design that will be difficult to reverse or remove based on a trend. If bare brick suddenly appeals to you, resist stripping the plaster from your walls without thinking about whether or not you would still appreciate it in a few years. The dreaded avocado or peachy pink bathroom suite has become a laughable mark of an outdated home simply due to the changes in taste over time. It is common to look back upon past styles and find them amusing or ugly, but if you can appreciate them as a product of their time, you can use contemporary styles without fear of designing a future disaster. Maybe you enjoy the irony of retro fashion and want to design your home around it deliberately? The main point is to avoid spending money on something for your home that you will later regret. Five: Size and Purpose Many common interior design mistakes are due to mismanaging or misunderstanding the sizes and proportions of a room and its furniture. For example, sofas and televisions that are too big for the room they’re in will make the room seem smaller and give it a cramped feel. Conversely, large rooms with sparse or small furniture make it feel empty and cold. Strike a balance and learn about how to fill a room without overcrowding it. If your kitchen is rather small, resist the urge to have an island or breakfast bar installed as this will take up valuable space. Similarly, if your bathroom is large, you can be creative with the extra space and perhaps have a separate shower and bathtub. It doesn’t really matter if a room is big or small, just that it is designed and furnished proportionately. Six: Turn it Upside Down While all of the above points are a fine basis from which to start redecorating your home, the most important thing to remember is that when it comes to interior design, rules are made to be broken. Only once you have a strong understanding of how a room is supposed to look and feel can you subvert expectations playfully and successfully. Create a contrast in textures to throw off the expected purpose of a room deliberately. Plan a unique layout that has never been tried before. Purposefully furnish a room in such a way that it is disproportionate and messes with your sense of perspective. Interior design is about making your home fulfil its potential. Once you understand the basics, you can go wild.  Have you ever been trapped in a problem so entangled with conflicting demands, that every attempt to solve it only tightens the knot? You argue both sides, weigh every option, and yet the harder you pull, the more stuck you become. This is when you need to step back, breathe, and look at the problem from a higher vantage point – and then, sometimes a radical third way appears.
Consider “Einstein’s Leap.” In the early 1900s, Newtonian physics was crumbling. Light, motion, and electricity defied old rules, and Einstein’s special relativity, while revolutionary, still couldn’t reconcile gravity. Scientists were frantically patching-up the old theories and piled equations after equations onto Newton’s failing framework, creating chaos. Then Einstein stepped back and had a sudden insight, that he’d later call: “the happiest thought of my life.” He imagined a man in free fall from a house roof and realized that, during the fall, the man wouldn’t feel his own weight, he’d feel weightlessness. That insight became the seed of General Relativity. A theory so elegant it became the foundation of modern cosmology, technology, and our understanding of the universe. All because he stopped trying to force gravity into the old framework. This is how it works. You step back. You give up on the ‘sunk cost fallacy’ that tells you you’ve wasted years on this already so you must stick with it. You step away from the ‘fallacy of the false dilemma’ that tells you that there can only ever be two opposing options, and one must be right. You step up into the imagination and free associate from a perspective above. Need more proof? Well, there’s the astronomer, Copernicus. Four centuries earlier, astronomy was just as stuck. Ptolemy’s Earth-centered model had dominated for 1,400 years, but there was no way to explain why planets sometimes looped backward in the sky. The math worked, barely, but it was a knotted mess. Astronomers kept adding more adjustments, like scribbling corrections in the margins of a flawed manuscript. Copernicus stepped back, mentally rewinding the cosmos, and asked a different question: What if Earth isn’t the center? The Greeks had floated the idea, but Copernicus did the math, proving the Sun-centered model simplified and explained all planetary motion. His 1543 breakthrough shattered the medieval worldview. Galileo’s telescope later confirmed it, Kepler perfected it, and today we know: the solar system is heliocentric. In both cases, the solution came from questioning the framework itself. So next time you’re gridlocked in a business strategy, a relationship, or a creative block, pause. Step back. Ask yourself: What am I assuming that might be wrong? Is there a bigger pattern I’m not seeing? What if the opposite of my premise is true? We often spend most of our time trying to solve problems within the system. Optimizing. Adjusting. Adding more epicycles. But sometimes, the system is the problem. Einstein didn’t feel trapped by gravity. He imagined falling, and in that weightlessness, he found his answer. Source: gapingvoid  It felt like every part of my life improved after a recent nasal surgery, from my allergies to my mental health. That may not be a coincidence. Nose breathing is a superpower hidden on the front of your face. For as long as I can remember, each breath felt like preparing for a swim underwater, a hard suck of air that never quite filled my lungs. Often I'd walk around with a faint whistle in my nose, praying that no one could hear it. The worst problem was a minor disability that most people refused to believe was real: something about the cruel architecture of my face made it physically impossible to blow my nose. The world was a constant sniffle. Life cursed me with a deviated septum. My right nostril was blocked on the best of days, and I'd wind up breathing through my mouth at the slightest hint of allergies. The nasal troubles even contributed to my sleep apnoea, a breathing condition that makes you wake up multiple times at night, which apparently leaves you more likely to die of any cause. But after decades of unpleasantness, my doctor suggested surgery. The plan was to straighten my septum and reduce my turbinates – bony structures covered in a mucous membrane that condition the air as you breathe – nasal tissues that I didn't even know I had. I was ready to try anything, so on 3 January 2025, I went under the knife. It's simple. Your nose is for breathing and your mouth is for eating – Ann Kearney One month of healing later, I was the proud owner of a newly functional nose. I was able to breathe clear and deep out of both nostrils for the very first time. I learned that blowing your nose is an ecstatic pleasure, one I now enjoy as often as possible. And though my sleep apnoea wasn't cured, it did improve. The procedure probably led to a variety of other blessings, too. It turns out there are some surprising benefits to breathing out of your nose, and you don't necessarily need surgery to enjoy them. In fact, nose breathing might even improve your mental health. Your personal air filter The most obvious benefit to nasal breathing comes from those turbinates, according to Jacquelyn Callander, an ear, nose and throat doctor at the University of California, San Francisco. "They're kind of our primary mediator for warming and humidifying air, and that's incredibly important. But they also act as a filtration system," Callander says.  Nose breathing is more hygienic, helps avoid tooth decay and could even be a boon to your mental health (Credit: Serenity Strull/ BBC) Together with your nose hairs, your hard working turbinates sift through dust, bacteria, viruses and more, an advantage you won't get from breathing through your mouth. "They can be the first line of defence for your immune system," she says. It's not just the merits of nose breathing to consider, however. Breathing through your mouth has consequences. "There's a lot of research that associates mouth breathing with oral health problems," says Ann Kearney, a speech-language pathologist at Stanford University Medical Center who studies sleep and swallowing issues. We've gained an increasing understanding of nose breathing's physical benefits, but the connection between the nose and the brain is often overlooked Mouth breathing has been shown to increase acidity and dryness in the mouth, linking it to cavities, demineralisation of the teeth and gum disease. A growing body of research also suggests mouth breathing as a child can affect the development of your teeth and jaw, leading to crooked teeth and even changing the shape of your face. "It's simple. Your nose is for breathing and your mouth is for eating," Kearney says. For some people with seriously deviated septums or other nasal obstruction, nose breathing isn't an option. But she says a lot of mouth breathers can choose the nasal route in many circumstances. "It may not be comfortable at first. The shift from mouth to nasal breathing can be an adjustment," But, Kearney says, the perks kick in with each breath. The nose at night Most healthy people breathe through their noses when they sleep, but some open their mouths in a nocturnal quest for air. That's bad news, Kearney says. "It's about the position of the tongue." Kearney says you can get a feel for this yourself. When your mouth is closed you're more likely to keep the tip of your tongue pressed to the roof of your mouth and the back of your tongue relaxed, opening up your airway. But stop reading for a second, let your mouth hang open and slacken the muscles in your face. You'll probably notice your tongue rolls towards your throat, especially if you lean your head back. "That can restrict the airflow and cause some obstruction," Kearney says. You might even hear something that sounds like snoring if you breathe as you try this. People with obstructed noses tend to breathe through their mouths when they sleep, a phenomenon that often contributes to sleep apnoea. The condition affects an estimated one billion people, as much as 50% of the population in some countries. At best, sleep apnoea worsens your quality of life. At worst, its effects may be as dramatic as an early death. Even if you don't have sleep apnoea, nighttime mouth breathing can cause snoring and all the drawbacks described above. But across the internet, health and wellness influencers are raving about a controversial remedy for this problem: mouth tape. It's exactly what it sounds like. You use a piece of tape to keep your mouth shut or even completely sealed. In theory, this forces you to breathe through your nose while you sleep. However, some experts warn there are serious risks to consider. Kearney swears by mouth tape but says it may make breathing more difficult for some people. The only way to know if you're one of them is to see a doctor – do not try this at home without seeking advice from a medical professional first. "If you snore, have difficulty breathing through your nose or have any reason to think you might have sleep apnoea, you need to see an ENT [ear, nose and throat doctor]," she says. The risks of mouth tape Some people breath through their mouths when they're asleep, which can be an indication of a serious medical condition such as obstructive sleep apnoea. Tape that forces you to breathe through your nose could help certain people – but so far, there hasn't been enough research, and it could make problems worse in some cases. "If people have moderate or severe sleep apnoea, those episodes where you open your mouth to breath at night are probably important for returning their oxygen levels back to normal, and I usually advise them not to try mouth tape," says Jacquelyn Callander, an ear, nose and throat doctor at the University of California, San Francisco. "There are a lot of patients who have no idea that they have a problem," she says, so it's important to see a doctor before you try tape. The practice of mouth taping is still in its infancy. Many ear, nose and throat doctors say there hasn't been enough research into its efficacy or safety. A few early studies suggest it might be helpful, though none are definitive. For example, one study of 20 people in Taiwan found mouth tape significantly improved sleep apnoea and snoring, but the researchers said the small sample size and lack of a control group limited their conclusions. "So far we don't have great objective evidence that mouth tape helps decrease sleep apnoea or improves breathing at night," Callander says. "But it's low-cost and may be beneficial." She believes that mouth taping shows real promise, but agrees it calls for medical advice. If you're thinking of trying it, step one is to talk to a sleep specialist or an ENT. What you can try, however, is nose strips that hold your nostrils open from the outside, Callander says. "Some people have what's called 'nasal valve collapse', where inhaling causes negative pressure in your nasal cavity. For those people, nasal strips can help." Some people even wear them while they exercise. However, if you have a deviated septum or enlarged turbinates, like I did, nose strips probably won't help, she says. A wind chime for the mind Over time, we've gained an increasing understanding of nose breathing's physical benefits, but the connection between the nose and the brain is often overlooked. In my case, the simple act of breathing through my nose brought a variety of bodily relief, but the way we breathe, particularly through the nose, can have a surprising impact on our psychological wellbeing.  The primary treatment for sleep apnoea is a CPAP machine, which delivers a continuous stream of air at night, and encourages nose breathing (Credit: Serenity Strull/ BBC) You can think of the nose like a wind chime for the mind; when air moves through your nose, it seems to have a significant influence on your cognitive processes. Nasal breathing has positive effects on the limbic system – the parts of the brain that regulate emotion and behaviour – in ways that mouth breathing doesn't Some research indicates that rhythmic, drawn-out nasal breathing slows down brain waves across your entire cerebral cortex, indicating a calmer state of mind. A 2023 study, for example, found that nose breathing lowers blood pressure and the variability and frequency of the heart rate, indicating relaxation. "It's not going to treat hypertension [high blood pressure]," says Joe Watso, an applied physiologist at Florida State University, who led the study. "But breathing in and out through your nose seems to have a calming effect on your nervous system." Studies have even shown that breathing through your nose improves performance on spatial tasks, enhances memory function and betters your reaction time. Experts don't know exactly why that is. What we do know is breathing through your nose triggers the olfactory nerve – the nerves responsible for detecting odours – apparently even when there's nothing to smell. A leading theory is that this synchonises electrical activity across different areas of the brain including the amygdala and the hippocampus. Whatever the cause, nose breathing appears to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps the body to conserve energy and slows down bodily functions when you're relaxed. Science is telling us what meditators and yoga practitioners have said for thousands of years: nose breathing can help with mental wellbeing. Some research indicates that rhythmic, drawn-out nasal breathing slows down brain waves across your entire cerebral cortex, indicating a calmer state of mind. Watso and others suggests nasal stimulation could even offer a physiological explanation for the benefits of meditating. Almost every part of my life has improved in the months since I got my nose fixed. That includes my mental health. My anxiety has lessened, I'm more able to focus and my mood is better overall. It may be no coincidence. Callander says nose breathing could actually be making me a calmer guy. "It's possible," Callander says. "If you're getting better sleep, that's intrinsically tied to your quality of life and wellbeing. But I do think you might be activating your parasympathetic nervous system more often than you previously were." In my experience the classic advice is spot on: when you're feeling anxious or upset, take a deep breath. But next time, you may want to take it through your nose. Source: BBC
* All content within this column is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. Bergen Review Media & The BBC is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of this site. Bergen Review Media & The BBC is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites. Always consult your own GP if you're in any way concerned about your health. Thomas Germain is a senior technology journalist for the BBC. He's covered AI, privacy and the furthest reaches of internet culture for the better part of a decade. You can find him on X and TikTok @thomasgermain.  We believe that if we all traveled a little more, we’d all be better off, and traveling should be attainable by everyone. Another way of saying: There’s lots of under-the-radar destinations to explore in this country right now.
What jobs do 15-year-olds expect to do at 30?
Every few years, thousands of teenagers are asked a very simple question: What job do you expect to have when you're 30? It's an important question because having an answer helps teenagers plan for the future, whether that's taking a specific class or deciding whether to attend college. That's why the OECD's PISA survey has asked this question since 2000. But in the last 20 years, we've seen a concerning trend: More and more teenagers name the same basic jobs, like doctor or lawyer, almost as if they're picking jobs out of a children's book. And even more worrisome is that more and more teenagers don't even name a job. All of this hints that today's teenagers aren't thinking enough about their future plans – and, fair or not, this lack of career preparation will likely have lifelong consequences. Note: The headline on this piece has been updated. Previous headline: Why 25% of teens can't answer this question Sources and further reading: This OECD report argues that the narrowing answers to this question hint that teens are confused about their future careers: https://www.oecd.org/education/dream-... Here's the data from the PISA survey: https://www.oecd.org/pisa/data/ It's difficult to work with, but the codebook provides broad summaries of the data: https://webfs.oecd.org/pisa2018/PISA2... This study shows that students with science-related ambitions are far more likely to get science or engineering degrees, even if they aren’t as good at math: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s... This paper looks at the long term ramifications of being “misaligned” as a teenager: https://www.jstor.org/stable/42956558 If you’re a solutions-oriented person, this OECD report is about what we can do to help teenagers better think about their professional futures: https://www.oecd.org/education/indica... Vox is an explanatory newsroom on a mission to help everyone understand our weird, wonderful, complicated world, so that we can all help shape it. Part of that mission is keeping our work free. You can help us do that by making a gift: http://www.vox.com/contribute-now Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on TikTok: / voxdotcom Check out our articles: https://www.vox.com/ Listen to our podcasts: https://www.vox.com/podcasts  J Minotti has three children – and they all love playing Minecraft. His twin girls aged 10 and his six-year-old son are constantly building stuff with the endless supply of virtual blocks that fill the game. And Minotti, who works in marketing in Ohio, sometimes gets blown away with what they come up with. "Dad, I want to show you something," one of his daughters said to him recently as she held out the screen of her Nintendo Switch. Her avatar stood before a waterfall. After pressing an in-game button, the waterfall stopped, revealing the entrance to a cave. Inside was a subterranean super-lair complete with interactive lighting and display areas for items that she had collected in the game. "It was like this whole underground mansion, basically," says Minotti, marvelling. "I was super impressed by it." His daughter had followed some YouTube tutorials but also came up with much of the design herself. "It takes me back to the feelings I had when I was a kid just hacking away on a computer," says Minotti. Minecraft is one of the most popular video games of all time. First released in 2009, it had sold more than 300 million copies by 2023. It, and similar games including Roblox and Terraria, are enjoyed by gamers of all ages, from young children to adults. The game seems able absorb the attention of children for up to hours at a time – no mean feat in our distraction-filled age. Some parents fear their children's interest in Minecraft can border on obsession, or even addiction, as they struggle to tear them away from the computer screen. Minecraft's popularity is such that it has now spawned a highly anticipated Hollywood film called A Minecraft Movie, starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, which is due to be released in April 2025. There could be deep psychological – even evolutionary – factors behind the success of Minecraft and games like it, say experts. Such games tap into an innate instinct within all of us – one that underpins the success of our entire species. The desire to build.  If you think about it, children have always enjoyed making things – sandcastles, forts, treehouses – to name a few. Consider also wooden blocks, playdough and Lego pieces. Minecraft is, arguably, just a recent iteration of this kind of play, but in a digital space. But why is building things so irresistible for many children in the first place? All mammals play when they're young, says Peter Gray, a psychologist who studies children's ways of learning at Boston College, in Massachusetts, US. Predatory animals, for example, play at catching things. Prey animals practise dodging and darting. "They play at the skills that are most important for them to develop for their survival and ultimate ability to mate," says Gray. Humans are unlike other animals in that we owe much of our survival to our ability to build stuff – from mud huts to tools for hunting and gathering. "It's not surprising that natural selection endowed young people with a strong drive to play at building things," says Gray. He notes that children also play using language and imagination, or make games that have rules and social interaction at their heart – all seemingly as part of preparation for adulthood. What youngsters choose to build during playtime, and how they build it, tends to reflect the culture they live in, says Gray. "We should not be at all surprised that kids are really drawn to playing on computers today – nor should that distress us," he says. "Kids know in their bones, in their instincts I would say, that these are the skills [they] need to develop." Minecraft players tend to differ from the population at large, being substantially more curious and less driven by traits such as vengeance Julian Togelius, a computer scientist at New York University, has noticed the impulse to build things emerging in his son – who is not even three years old. At nursery, he immediately starts making tunnels so that he can drive toy trains and trucks through them, explains Togelius. When his son gets a bit older, computers might become irresistible. Crucially, sandbox games – video games such as Minecraft that offer players the freedom to explore their creativity without any particular goal – make it easy to interact with and do things on computers, says Togelius. "In Minecraft world, creating [something] is direct and simple," he explains. "It's way easier than writing code." In other words, games like this satisfy the innate urge to build when computers, traditionally, might otherwise hinder that impulse, especially for children. And yet constructive play isn't the only draw. While sandbox mode in the game lets players create with freedom, there's also Survival Mode, in which the gamer is tasked with fighting off enemies. Minotti also notes that there is a social side to the game too. When his kids can't meet up with their friends or cousins in-person, they can do so online: "It becomes that virtual hangout space." Minecraft is perhaps better thought of as an arena or virtual playground within which children can find their own niche – since they can choose from a wide range of activities and play styles. Togelius has studied how gamers' behaviour in Minecraft reveals aspects of their personalities. He argues that, because of the freedom afforded to players, it is easier to express themselves in the game than in, say, the arcade classic Asteroids, where players shoot at incoming space rocks. As part of his study, Togelius and colleagues asked adult participants to answer a questionnaire that revealed details of their personalities. They then compared those results to how each participant played Minecraft. The participants' in-game behaviour correlated with certain traits. "Independence is strongly predicted by not finishing the main quest in the game," says Togelius. Plus, people who expressed having deeply-held family values in their questionnaire responses seemed to unwittingly demonstrate that through their in-game activities. "They build little homes and fortresses with fences and stuff." While Togelius hasn't repeated the study with children, he says he wouldn't be surprised if their personalities also manifested themselves in-game, too. He also found that Minecraft players in their survey tended to differ from the population at large, being substantially more curious and less driven by traits such as vengeance.  The breadth of possibilities in sandbox games helps to ensure wide appeal, says Bailey Brashears, a psychologist at Texas Tech University, who last year published a thesis on how Minecraft can be used as a psychological research tool. Brashears identified five distinct gameplay aspects. There's a social element, the opportunity to feel competent through combat or exploration-based play, engineering, creativity and finally survival-based gameplay. "Most games, you're only going to get one or two of these elements," Brashears says. "You'll get a game that's mostly social play and survival – like Fortnite," she says. Of course, the amount of time children spend playing Minecraft speaks to wider concerns around how much screen time they are getting in general. (Read this article by Melissa Hogenboom about why not all screen time is the same for children.) But Minotti stresses that his children have varied playtime – they love outdoor activities such as basketball, as well as video games. But sometimes, he has to remind them not to play video games excessively and he also steps in to approve any online friend requests. "We don't just set them free on the internet," he adds. The NSPCC, a children's charity in the UK, has published advice on how to keep kids safe when playing Minecraft and games like it. There have been serious cases of child grooming and abuse in Minecraft. The chief executive of Roblox also recently sparked a fierce debate after saying parents should keep their children off his company's gaming platform if they are worried about them being exposed to harmful content through its games. Overall, Minotti is comfortable with the fact that his children spend plenty of time in Minecraft because he says he has clear oversight of what they're doing and because they use it so creatively. "It's basically just a digital playground," he says.  Minecraft's broad appeal also means it provides an opportunity to connect with people in new ways. University professors, for example, used Minecraft to carry out online learning sessions during the early years of the Covid-19 pandemic. And primary school teachers in Ireland have reported success in engaging entire classes of pupils via Minecraft Education – a version of the game designed for classroom activities – says Éadaoin Slattery, a lecturer in psychology at the Technological University of the Shannon Midwest. Her research, featuring interviews with 11 teachers in Ireland, was funded by Microsoft, which owns Minecraft.
Slattery mentions one example of a teacher who decided to set up a game within Minecraft Education to help his students learn Gaelic. "He talked about creating restaurants and different food in Minecraft – this would help the students learn different words," she says. Separate research has found that using Minecraft in classrooms can heighten pupils' motivation for school tasks, problem-solving, reading and writing, among other skills. Perhaps educational activities in Minecraft are taking advantage of the "flow state", or high level of concentration and focus, that players enter when they become deeply engrossed in the game. This phenomenon is associated with lots of different activities but it is so prevalent among Minecraft fans that it has made them the subject of study. It is part of the reason why children can become so absorbed in the game while ignoring everything else that is going on around them. That said, there is evidence that Minecraft is not universally engaging, and may have a gender imbalance. One study in Australia, which surveyed more than 700 parents, found that while 54% of boys aged three to 12 played Minecraft, only 32% of girls in that age group did. The study authors say that it is important for games and online platforms to engage girls just as much as boys – since those games help kids to develop the digital skills they will need later in life. AJ Minotti, for one, is not worried about his daughters struggling to get to grips with computers. "Minecraft really has become their thing," he says. "I have to ask them what's going on." And while his kids also enjoy making things with physical Lego bricks, for example, Minotti says they don't have room to store a tonne of Lego pieces at home. In the end, Minecraft offers an easy solution. "It's just having all the Lego pieces you could ever imagine," he says. Source: https://www.bbc.com/  We’ve spent years worrying about Gen Z. The most demotivated and medicated cohort in modern history. Nearly 42% report depression symptoms, double Millennials at their age, while 60% take medication for their mental health struggles.
Why? It could be in part due to facing two apocalypses when they were kids. First came their fear of climate Armageddon, stoked by Gen Z activists like Greta Thunberg with her claims that “We are in the beginning of a mass extinction.” Then came the Covid pandemic with lockdowns and restrictions that lasted years. Doom and more doom. They became overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted. They shrank into their smartphones and got addicted to algorithmic distraction, making nihilism – the belief that nothing matters – their coping mechanism. If everything is doomed and meaningless anyway, why try? A lost generation. Then something unexpected happened. They’re calling it the Quiet Revival. A new report from the Bible Society in the UK reveals that church attendance among 18-24-year-olds has quadrupled, from 4% to 16% in just a few years. Young men are leading the charge: 21% now attend monthly, up from a dismal 4%. It’s happening in the US too. Why the sudden shift from life-is-pointless to praise-the-lord? And isn’t church the most uncool thing ever, especially for young men? It’s likely that Gen Z became disillusioned with endless distraction-scrolling and the all-is-doomed-mindset and hit a breaking point. Instead of “nothing matters” they started asking: “What if something does matter?” Or perhaps, “something has to matter.” They’ve somehow broken out of their downward spiral and embarked on a Search for Meaning – together, seeking community. Research backs them up. Religious individuals report higher life satisfaction and lower stress than secular peers. Over 60% of 444 recent studies found that strong spiritual beliefs lead to faster recovery from depression and lower relapse rates. The doomer generation has grasped that faith helps cure their depression. Religion provides what secular consumer culture cannot: meaning, discipline, and hope or what Lauren Jackson’s NYT project ‘believing’ frames as the “the three Bs”: beliefs, behaviors and belonging. Harvard research confirms religions create “robust communities – powerful antidotes to modern meaninglessness. But this isn’t just about Christianity, it’s a broader cultural correction. After decades of mocking tradition, the doomer generation has rediscovered the need for a narrative of human purpose. Whether through faith, philosophy, science or purpose-driven communities. And good for them. It makes us ask: does our workplace have any kind of belief structure beyond quarterly targets? Or are we still chanting “nothing really matters” (especially work) while doom-scrolling and distracting ourselves aimlessly? Maybe it’s time for our own Quiet Revival. Norway's first treetop walkway, creawted by Architecture studio EFFEKT which winds up through Hamaren Activity Park in Fyresdal and ends at a circular viewpoint. Raised 15 metres high in the air, the platform was designed with a gentle incline accessible to people of all ages and physical abilities, as well as cyclists, pushchairs and wheelchairs.  "The treetop walk in Hamaren Activity Park offers all nature lovers, regardless of age, disability or physical limitation, a new perspective on the natural landscape of Fyresdal," said Danish studio EFFEKT. "It grew out of a heartfelt desire to give all people, regardless of physical abilities, the sensational feeling of walking amongst the treetops."  Hamaren Activity Park opened in Fyresdal in 2017. Alongside the new treetop walk, it has cycling and nature trails, and facilities for activities including trampolining and climbing. The treetop walkway is one kilometre in length and is placed along the ascent of Klokkarhamaren – a hill with an elevation of 338 metres.  Visitors to the walkway are guided from the pine forest floor, along past a lake and up between the treetops to the summit of Klokkarhamaren. At the end of the trail, EFFEKT has incorporated a circular viewpoint that measures 50 metres in diameter and provides a panoramic view of the natural landscape surrounding it.  "Reconnecting with nature is an important part of the great change we are undergoing now," studio co-founder Tue Foged told Dezeen. "Although being a small gesture in the bigger picture, we hope that granting people free and universal access to experience the sublime nature of this site, can serve as an example for others."  The structure is two metres wide throughout most of its length but widens into balconies at certain points to spotlight specific views or provide rest areas. It is raised on pillars that align with "the natural curves and gradients of the terrain". Its boardwalk-like appearance was made from locally sourced pinewood, chosen to blend in with the surroundings. "It uses only small and straight prefabricated elements that can easily be handled with small machinery and by hand on-site to protect nature during the building process," explained Foged. "When joined together the segments form an organic shape that bends around the trees and along the mountain," he said. "The structure literally blends in with existing trees on the mounting, sometimes giving the visual impression that the boardwalk levitates through the forest."  This structure was developed by EFFEKT in collaboration with local contractor Inge Aamlid. According to the team, this was to ensure the design also nodded to the area's history of pinewood construction by using local craftsmanship techniques.  "The region has a long history with logging and tradition of building with pinewood structures," said Foged. "The premise of the design was, therefore, to use the local predominant material of the pine tree. Pinewood is used as the loadbearing structure as well as the boardwalk and railing," he explained.  Based in Copenhagen, EFFEKT is an architecture studio founded by architects Sinus Lynge and Foged in 2007.
Other projects by the studio include Camp Adventure, a spiralling tower in the midst of a forest, and the transformation of an abandoned windmill factory into a skatepark and youth centre. Source: Dezeen The photography is by Rasmus Hjortshøj.  If you're looking to renovate, start here.
Undergoing a home renovation often requires striking a delicate balance between what you love, what suits your lifestyle, and what can pay off in dividends down the road. When you’re tackling a space as important—and as anticipated—as a primary bathroom, the stakes can feel even higher, causing many homeowners to fall right into functional freeze and default to the most basic, low-risk options possible. Wouldn’t it be great if you had a “man on the inside” who could help steer you toward a high-value upgrade that would not only catapult your at-home retreat into luxury territory but also increase the value of your home and entice future buyers, should you ever decide to sell? Well, consider us that inside source. We tapped six high-end real estate agents to suss out what luxury bathroom upgrade moves the needle the most when it comes to home value—and they all agreed.The Best High-Value Upgrade You Can Make To Your BathroomThere are a few areas in your home where you can pretty much never go wrong upgrading, one of them being your primary bathroom. “Although it’s one of the smaller rooms in a home, the bathroom is one of the most valuable and impactful spaces in the house,” says McKenzie Ryan, an associate real estate broker with Douglas Elliman Real Estate in New York City. “A bathroom not only serves a practical function in everyday life, but it’s also an aspirational and luxurious space that buyers place a lot of emphasis on.” So, exactly what upgrade will give you the most bang for your buck in the bathroom? According to the pros we talked to, it’s a luxury shower. “The bathroom remodel upgrade that moves the needle the most in terms of home value is upgrading to a spa-like walk-in shower in the primary bathroom,” says Karina Ugarte, a Miami real estate agent with The Riley Smith Group at Compass. “Many buyers prioritize luxury and design, and this upgrade checks all the boxes. It’s the most noticeable transformation you can make in a bathroom, and the one that consistently helps homes sell faster and for more.” Agent Stephanie L. Schwed of Nest Seekers International Palm Beach agrees, noting that even small shower tweaks can go a long way toward upping the value of your home if you don’t have the bandwidth (or budget) for a full gut renovation. “High-value bathroom upgrades can significantly boost a home's resale appeal and value,” she says. “A complete renovation is great, but even smaller upgrades like installing a frameless glass shower door or replacing outdated fixtures can make a big impact. These strategic updates help create a spa-like experience that buyers love.”How to Create a Luxury Shower in Your BathroomNow that you know where to focus your attention, how should you go about creating a spa-worthy shower in your own space? Like any good design upgrade, the way you interpret creating a luxury shower is totally up to you—but our pros had a few suggestions of their own. Make It the Focal Point You probably don’t have the budget to go big on every aspect of your bathroom’s design, so focus your money and attention on making the shower the star and let the rest of the space fade to the background in a thoughtful but simple way. “Invest in making it a visual statement piece, and keep the rest timeless and neutral,” suggests Arlena Armstrong-Petock, a real estate salesperson with Anatole House in New York’s Hudson Valley. “One piece can really make the space feel high-end, and keeping a neutral palette for permanent fixtures bodes well for long-term value.” Choose a Natural Stone If you have the budget, you can’t beat the patina and texture that comes with natural stone in the bathroom. Not only that, but opting for something like real marble can often pay off with buyers down the line. “Choosing a stone like marble or high-quality ceramic can help you achieve a more beautiful and luxurious finish that future buyers will appreciate and be willing to spend more on,” says Ryan. “Select a timeless and elegant stone to create significant long-term value for your home. I would steer clear of anything trendy and instead opt for something that can be paired with more playful accents, like unique wallpaper, an eclectic vanity, or fun light fixtures. The stone is meant to serve as the foundation upon which the rest of the bathroom is designed.” Double Up Your Shower Heads When it comes to creating a luxurious bathroom experience, sometimes more is more, especially when it comes to doubling down on your fixtures (literally). “Double shower heads are a great feature—everyone’s looking for that!” says Aaron Buchbinder, top agent at Compass in Boca Raton, Florida. “Plus, it’s easier to add them during a renovation, so a prospective buyer doesn't have to deal with tearing up floors and walls later to add the plumbing.” Swap a Curtain for Something Permanent Big-ticket renovation items are naturally what you’ll notice the most return on investment from, but that’s not to say that smaller tweaks can’t help elevate your shower, either. “One of the easiest ways to elevate a bathroom is by swapping out a dated shower curtain for a glass door or splash guard,” says Frances Katzen, top broker at Douglas Elliman in New York City. “It immediately creates a cleaner, high-end feel to the space.” Source: Real Simple  Which two Bergen County suburbs made the top 25 "Best Small Cities In America"? The answers may surprise you. BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — WalletHub recently released its list of "Best Small Cities In America," including just three in New Jersey in the top 30 — and two of those were in Bergen County. The personal finance company created its list by assigning scores for safety, education, affordability, safety, and general quality of life. The top five "small cities," with scores over 70 using their metrics, were:
 Three In New Jersey But New Jersey had a strong showing after that. Fair Lawn led the way by coming in 12th on the list. It was 21 on the list for safety and 34 for education and health. Ridgewood came in at 24, with a high ranking for safety. Ridgewood has appeared on several other lists of best places to live. Princeton was the third city in the top 30, coming in at number 29. While these "small cities" are generally what we refer to as suburbs, the company explained, "WalletHub compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 45 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs to school-system quality to the number of restaurants per capita."  The company explained its top choice.
"Carmel, Ind., is the best small city to live in, due in part to strong economic factors," they said. "Carmel has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, at 3 percent. It also has the 33rd-lowest cost of rent as a share of median household income, at around 14 percent. On top of that, the median annual household income is nearly $133,000." They noted, "Small-city life can be best for those who appreciate more wiggle room, fewer degrees of separation and shorter commutes." Source: WalletHub  Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a bodybuilder, an actor, a governor, and, now, an author.  Niksen – a Dutch wellness trend that means "doing nothing" – has caught the attention of the world as a way to manage stress or recover from burnout. The Hague, where I live, has 11km of gorgeous coastline with rolling dunes and sandy beaches. In summer, I often see locals in Scheveningen or Kijkduin (the city's most famous beaches) sunbathing, strolling in nature or riding their bikes, then sitting down on one of the many benches available. Sometimes, they're reading or chatting with their friends, but just as often, they're engaging in niksen. Niksen is a Dutch wellness trend that means "doing nothing". It first caught the attention of the world in 2019 as a way to manage stress or recover from burnout. At the time, many people were complaining about exhaustion and depression caused by overwork and were looking for solutions – which is why concepts such as Japanese ikigai or Danish hygge also entered the English lexicon. As a linguist myself, I loved the idea that you could express the whole concept of doing nothing in one short and easy-to-pronounce word. In my book Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing, I define it as "doing nothing without a purpose" – so not scrolling on Facebook or engaging in meditation. Whereas mindfulness is about being present in the moment, niksen is more about carving out time to just be, letting your mind wander wherever it wants to go. And as we're slowly recovering after the pandemic, it's important to rethink the way we work and spend our time. Linguistically, niksen (doing nothing) is a verb created from "niks", which means "nothing". "It fits with the tendency of the Dutch language to create verbs out of nouns. From from 'voetbal' (football) to voetballen (playing football), from 'internet' to internetten, from 'whatsapp' to whatsappen etc. I think this is something that happens in Dutch in particular," said Monique Flecken, a psycholinguist at the University of Amsterdam, who researches how the languages we speak affect the way we see the world. Essentially, it's much less work to say "niksen" instead of "to do nothing". "The Dutch are a practical, direct people and their language reflects that," she said.  Niksen is about carving out time to just be, letting your mind wander wherever it wants to go (Credit: Westend61/Getty Images) In the Netherlands, the word can be used in a variety of ways, both positive and negative. Flecken said: "A parent might say to their kid, "Zit je weer te niksen?" (Are you doing nothing again?). And I would also say 'lekker niksen', which translates to 'delicious doing nothing', when talking about an evening blissfully free of any tasks or work." To Thijs Launspach, a psychologist, TEDx speaker and author of the book Crazy Busy: Staying Sane in a Stressful World, niksen means "doing nothing or occupying yourself with something trivial as a way of enjoying your own time. Not doing nothing entirely but doing as little as possible," he said, pointing out that this mostly applies to elderly people who have more unstructured free time. Younger generations, on the other hand, are more stressed out than ever – even in the Netherlands, a country traditionally applauded for its work-life balance. It's not necessarily bad to be for a moment in a state of stress, where you're really on and focused. The problem is when this is getting out of hand There are plenty of reasons for that. "Our lives and our jobs have become increasingly complex. We tend to spend a lot of time with computers. There is a lot of pressure on being the best version of yourself, be it in our jobs, or the expectations of parents [or] from social media. There is a lot of pressure to perform," Launspach said. Of course, some stress can be good, as Leiden University psychology professor Bernet Elzinga points out. "It's not necessarily bad to be for a moment in a state of stress, where you're really on and focused. The problem is when this is getting out of hand," she said. Niksen-friendly places in The Netherlands - Beaches are excellent places for niksen: In the Hague, head to Kijkduin or Scheveningen. Close to Amsterdam, there is Castricum and Zandvoort. - Dunes: Near Rotterdam is Voornes Duin, an amazing dune area with hiking and cycling trails as well as many benches to sit down. - Parks: In Rotterdam, the Kralingse Bos offers great opportunities for niksen. And it seems to work: the Dutch are a creative nation. Just think of all the famous painters like Rembrandt, Vermeer or Escher, as well as the innovative solutions the Dutch have found to battle the recurring threat of floods, such as huge dams and floating houses. The Dutch also like to enjoy life, as shown by the word lekker. This means "delicious" but can be used to refer to anything nice and pleasant, like lekker warm (deliciously warm), lekker slapen (sleeping deliciously), and, of course, lekker niksen, or "deliciously doing nothing". This available architecture of leisure makes it more possible for people to do nothing more easily. Locals like spending their time in active ways, such as cycling or hiking, allowing time for clearing the mind. And each time the sun comes out, the Dutch flock to cafes and terraces en masse, even in the winter. For me, these are perfect places for doing nothing. However, Launspach is not a fan of doing nothing as a stress-preventing measure. "I'm a little bit sceptical of the idea that you should create a buffer between you and stress. I don't know if that's even possible in the way that we live and work now," he said.  Elzinga believes that it's much better to do some sort of physical activity to distract you from your daily worries, preferably in nature. But luckily, in the Netherlands, there is a way to combine all these things – niksen, nature and movement.
While the country is not commonly known for its natural resources , the Dutch appreciate the little natural areas they have. Many dune areas – my favourite thing about The Netherlands – are a part of a large network of hiking and cycling routes crisscrossing the country. Even in large cities such as Rotterdam, The Hague or Amsterdam, you're never too far away from a trail. In a cooperation with the Dutch Railway system, Wandelnet – a foundation devoted to creating and maintaining hiking routes – has created NS Wandelingen, a system of hiking routes that are easy to reach by train or other public transport. They range between 7km and 22km in length, making them perfect for a day trip. And given the many benches along the way, it's even possible to fit in a little niksen break. This leisure time is possible for the Dutch because the Netherlands is a country with an excellent welfare system, and while people tend to work hard, they also take (and are granted) many days off. "Having a good social support system, having lower stress level relates to feeling secure and in balance. So, I wouldn't overestimate the importance of that," said Elzinga. And with everything going on in the world – the war in Ukraine – relieving stress is more important than ever. Source: BBC  Inside every great show is a 22- to 60-minute story that stays with you forever.
The thing that has always distinguished TV storytelling from its big-screen counterpart is the existence of individual episodes. We consume our series — even the ones that we binge — in distinct chunks, and the medium is at its best when it embraces this. The joy of watching an ongoing series comes as much from the separate steps on the journey as it does from the destination, if not more. Few pop-culture experiences are more satisfying than when your favorite show knocks it out of the park with a single chapter, whether it’s an episode that wildly deviates from the series’ norm, or just an incredibly well-executed version of the familiar formula.  Are highly effective people quicker to share credit? What does poverty do to your brain? And how did Stephen’s mother teach him about opportunity costs? Plus: an announcement about the future of the show.  Angie Fogarty tested at least 100 different versions of her sensor before finding the perfect formula. The simple and inexpensive sensor detects the antihistamine in “Benadryl cocktails” It was the day after Christmas 2021, and Angie Fogarty sat in a dark room with an ultraviolet flashlight trained on a tiny, hole-punch-sized circle of paper in front of her. She carefully placed a few drops of liquid on the red paper, then cast a UV spotlight on the spot as she waited in anticipation. Almost instantly, it turned green. “I started crying, it was so exciting,” says the now 18-year-old senior at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut. She had finally had a breakthrough in her research project, creating a sensor that detects the presence of diphenhydramine (DPH), the ingredient in Benadryl that causes drowsiness, in drinks. Meant to prevent drugging and drug-facilitated sexual assaults, the sensor is small, inexpensive and easy to use. This innovation is what made Fogarty one of 40 finalists in the 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search, the country’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The competition’s top prizes this year went to a student who designed a computer model that can predict the structure of RNA molecules, with the goal of making it easier to diagnose and treat certain diseases, and another who used artificial intelligence to show that the Boston Globe’s descriptions of homicide victims from 1976 to 1984 were less humanizing in coverage of Black victims. Entrants in the Science Talent Search often choose to focus on issues that directly affect them or their community, says Maya Ajmera, the president and CEO of Society for Science, which runs the competition. This year’s third-place finisher, Ellen Xu, developed an algorithm that aids in the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease, the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children between 1 and 5 years old, which her younger sister was diagnosed with. “A lot of these projects are so fascinating because they look at an issue that’s close to home for them,” Ajmera says.  Fogarty was one of 40 finalists in the 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search, the country’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. From the beginning, Fogarty knew she wanted to focus her project on women’s health. As she embarked on her college search, the teenager kept seeing headlines about drink spiking and drug-facilitated sexual assaults on various campuses, dampening her excitement to attend. “It was so discouraging,” she says. “Unfortunately, a lot of young women and young people in general aren’t guaranteed this degree of safety that should be a basic right.” Fogarty was thinking specifically of preventing drugging on college campuses as she designed her project, though the sensor can be used by anyone seeking to test their drink. A 2017 study of more than 6,000 college students at three universities in Psychology of Violence found that more than 1 in 13 believed they had been drugged, though the researchers caution that they cannot confirm respondents were drugged, and some respondents were unsure. Over twice as many women as men reported being drugged, and women tended to mention sex or sexual assault as a motive, while men tended to mention having fun. In the hopes of creating a safer environment for everyone, Fogarty landed on her project idea: a simple, color-changing sensor that can tell someone whether an antihistamine has been slipped into their drink. If an individual is wary of a drink, they can place a small amount of the beverage in a bottle, add a few drops of a provided pH adjuster until the liquid becomes a pale yellow, then put a dab of the solution on the sensor, which turns red or green depending on whether the liquid contains DPH or not. Of course, creating something simple is exactly what made the research process so complex. Fogarty calls the months from November 2021 to March 2022 “the dark ages.” “I had no free time,” she says. “There was not a weekend, there was not a school break, not an evening that I wasn’t [working].” First, Fogarty had to figure out how to get the right reaction when DPH hit the sensor. After reviewing other research literature and testing methods, she settled on a two-dye system. She put two dyes, one green, one purple, on a small piece of cellulose paper—a material commonly used for test strips. When a liquid without DPH meets the paper, the green dye dissolves in the liquid, pulling it up and away from the paper so it glows when hit by ultraviolet light. Meanwhile, the purple dye, bonded with the paper, remains hidden underneath. On the other hand, when the paper meets DPH-containing liquid, a chemical linkage forms between the green dye and the drug, dampening the expression of the dye and allowing the color of the purple dye to show through. Under UV light, the sensor is a red color. Working with the two dyes made for a challenging task. “Whenever I would make an alteration to one of the dyes, it could negatively impact the other,” Fogarty says. “That’s why I was stuck for so long in the trial-and-error phase.” Mastering the color-changing effect is what gave Fogarty her Christmas eureka moment. However, that was only the first step—there was much more testing yet to do. “Because the sensor is supposed to be used to prevent date rape, that involves a lot of alcoholic beverages, which means there could be additives, there could be colors,” Fogarty says. “There were a ton of other variables which were pretty difficult to navigate, especially because I’d spent so long just trying to get the sensor to work with just reacting to the drug. Then it was, ‘Oh, you did that, now does it work in orange juice?’” As she tested her sensor in mixed drinks, Fogarty found that the acidity of different beverages changed the reaction between the dyes that forms the basis of the test. Eventually, she discovered that adding a tiny amount of sodium hydroxide could standardize the acidity of the beverage, allowing the process to work as planned. Overall, she estimates that she tested “at least a hundred, probably more” different versions of the sensor before finding the perfect formula. Since it requires tiny amounts of dye, each test only runs around $1 to produce. Fogarty wanted her sensor to be not only economically accessible but also easy to use. Other drink-spiking detection tests developed for drugs like the sedatives gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and Rohypnol (few existing tests, if any, detect DPH) often use a lateral-flow test technique, an approach that is common in Covid-19 self-testing. However, these can come with complicated directions, and the movement of liquid and mixing of test agents can be easy to accidentally disturb.
“If you’re testing it in a dark room, which is most likely where you’d find yourself in these kinds of scenarios, it’s hard to be able to distinguish whether or not you have this faint line,” Fogarty says. “That’s why I wanted to do the color system.” Even with improved usability, another barrier to drink-spiking tests is getting people to actually use them, says Pamela Donovan, a sociologist and author of Drink Spiking and Predatory Drugging: A Modern History. “A lot of people support the idea of getting them and using them, but if you look at all these companies that sell them or you try to follow up with places that have handed them out, basically, there’s no further news, there’s very little in the way of testimonials.” “I’m not sure why this is, but most people just won’t use them,” she adds. Additionally, many tests currently on the market can be unreliable. Some tests meant to detect GHB will give a false positive when exposed to liquids like Evian water, dairy or red wine, Donovan says. While there’s still much to be studied when it comes to the uptake of tests, Donovan sees potential in Fogarty’s project. Existing tests, she says, offer the ability to test for drugs like GHB or ketamine, another drug used in social settings that can also be a drugging agent. “I wonder whether adding a DPH spot [to these tests] would make it seem more comprehensive to potential marketplace consumers,” she says. Donovan also speculates that the test could be usefully adapted to detect DPH in other situations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported early evidence that DPH may be a contributing factor to opioid overdose, and it may sometimes be mixed into the drug supply. Additionally, DPH may interfere with the use of nasal rescue spray in the case of overdoses. If the test could be adapted to detect adulterants, it could both help drug users avoid overdose and give experts more knowledge about the drug supply. Fogarty herself has also noted another potential use for her test. Because of the way the sensor works, it can be adapted to detect pyrrole, a compound found in marijuana. The adapted sensor, when wetted, can be used as a breathalyzer to determine if someone is under the influence of cannabis and therefore unable to safely drive. With the $25,000 in prize money awarded to her as a competition finalist, Fogarty plans to pursue patents and marketing for the sensor and its potential extended use. Some of the funds will also be set aside to pay for her tuition at Washington University in St. Louis, where she will study biology with the goal of becoming a veterinarian. Fogarty’s also eager to see what the other young scientists in the Science Talent Search continue to do now that their work has been recognized. “It’s great to see so many of these young adults being highlighted for the work they’re doing, and being validated, getting tons of new opportunities, because it’s all so well deserved," she says. "It’s bringing attention to a lot of important issues." Source: Smithsonian Magazine  408,427 views -- Harvard professor and "How to Build a Life" columnist Arthur C. Brooks answers the internet's burning questions about "happiness." Does anyone else feel depression after completing a goal? Can social media cause depression? Do we get happier as we age? What is the true meaning of happiness? Arthur answers all these questions and much more. Yale University’s most popular class is now free for teenagers—why it could make you happier6/16/2023 
Psychology Professor Dr. Laurie Santos, whose one-time-only class ‘Psychology and the Good Life’ is the most popular course ever offered at Yale University in New Haven, CT and was held on April 26, 2018.
Laurie Santos wants to help teenagers, and the rest of the world, feel happier. Santos, the psychology professor behind Yale University’s most popular course, recently launched a free six-week version of the class aimed at teenagers, called “The Science of Well-Being for Teens.” It was developed to address rising rates of anxiety, depression and suicide rates for kids between ninth and 12th grade, Santos says. Lesson No. 1, she preaches in one of the course’s pre-recorded lectures: Our brains lie to us about what makes us happy. “For adults, this may mean pursuing money or success at work, and for teens this might mean focusing on the perfect grades and getting into the best colleges,” Santos tells CNBC Make It. “The problem isn’t that we’re not putting work into feeling better — it’s that we’re doing the wrong things, prioritizing the wrong behaviors.” Instead of focusing on reaching a financial milestone or perfect GPA, aim to program your brain with thoughts and behaviors that make you feel better, Santos recommends. Regularly connecting with friends, taking care of your health and learning how to accept negative emotions all contribute more significantly to your wellbeing than having the right job, car or relationships, she adds in a course lecture. This isn’t Santos’s first foray into democratizing happiness. She hosts a podcast called “The Happiness Lab,” and launched a free online course for adults called “The Science of Wellbeing,” which has seen over 4 million enrollments since its 2018 launch. The timing of the teen-specific course, which already has at least 17,000 enrollees, is notable. More than a third of teens self-report experiencing poor mental health, and nearly half feel persistent sadness or hopelessness during the pandemic, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey that surveyed participants through mid-2021. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, those numbers had already increased by 40% from 2009 to 2019, the CDC noted. The agency’s survey also found that 20% of teens had seriously considered, and 9% had attempted, suicide. Santos says she wants to help change those numbers by making the science of happiness accessible. Happiness isn’t just about enjoying our day-to-day lives, she adds: It helps you land jobs and live longer, contributing to your success when you’re not really chasing it. There’s also a negative correlation between high GPAs and self-esteem, Santos notes, citing research from author Alfie Kohn’s book “Punished by Rewards.” A separate 1998 University of Clemson meta-analysis found something similar: There’s almost no correlation at all between high GPAs and salary growth over the duration of your career. Put together, the message is clear, Santos says. Students with the highest grades are often less happy — and happiness a better indicator of success than quantitative measures like grades. Happier people also live longer, Santos says. Her evidence: nuns. A 2001 study published by the American Psychological Association spent a decade analyzing Catholic nuns, who were between the ages of 75 and 102 when the study began in 1991. Of the 678 nuns who participated in the study, 180 provided journals they’d written between the ages of 18 and 32, and researchers found that those who’d recorded positive feelings early in life and throughout the study lived longer. Out of the happiest quarter of nuns, 90% lived to be 85 years or older, researchers found. The study is hopeful, to Santos: People can learn to be happy and successful regardless of their surroundings. “I think the biggest misconception is that our happiness is based on our circumstances,” Santos says. There’s a lot of evidence that, at least for people living above the poverty line and outside of truly traumatic situations, our circumstances don’t matter as much as we think for our overall happiness.”
Written by Megan Sauer @MEGGSAUER
 Since 2018, Google Arts & Culture Lab has been exploring the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in an artistic and cultural context. Both as a tool and a collaborator, AI — like other emerging and revolutionizing technologies before it — opens up a multitude of possibilities for artists, technologists and cultural institutions, whether that’s within the creative process, to solve a challenge, or as a new way of engaging with audiences. Many of our collaborations originate from singular questions: What’s it like to hear color? How can an artist's archive inspire the creative process? Can I find my doppelgänger in a museum? What ways are there to visualize the climate crisis? How can we make Gen Z dig opera singing? How can curators uncover lost stories? Questions such as these have driven us for years, and more often than not, AI played the key role in developing the formats and experiences to answer them. So, let's take a look at how AI has been of service to the world of culture through 9 of our most intriguing projects.  Preserving and promoting endangered languages with AI AI as a tool for solving challenges Of the 7,000 languages currently spoken on Earth, more than 3,000 are under threat of vanishing. Woolaroo is an open source tool that helps language communities preserve and expand their language word lists. Today it supports 17 global languages including Louisiana Creole, Māori, Nawat, Tamazight, Sicilian, Yang Zhuang, Rapa Nui and Yiddish. Woolaroo — with the help of AI powered object recognition — identifies objects in your camera’s frame and matches them to its ever growing library of words. More here.  Surfacing women in science with AI Women on the forefront of science often haven’t received proper credit or acknowledgement for their essential work. That’s why we collaborated with curators of the Smithsonian to develop machine learning tools that can help to uncover the history and contributions of women in science that were previously too hard to locate. The tools provide curators and data scientists with at-scale analysis and visualizations across nearly two centuries of cultural data. Find out more.  Using AI to restore disappeared masterpieces Gustav Klimt’s three masterpieces, Medicine, Jurisprudence, and Philosophy, were destroyed during the Second World War. Of these so-called “Faculty Paintings” only black and white photos and articles describing the paintings remained. Working closely with Klimt experts from the Belvedere Museum, we digitally restored Klimt’s Faculty paintings using machine learning to what they might have looked like. Discover more here. These are just three of many projects targeted at solving challenges our cultural partners face. AI has also been used to help identify artworks captured in old photographs of MOMA exhibitions , analyze large datasets from LIFE Magazine, and make NASA’s visual archive understandable with surprising and interactive results. AI to experiment with new ways to connect with culture online  Blob Opera on stage Blob Opera is a playful machine learning experiment that takes your musical ideas and transforms them into beautiful harmonious opera singing — no singing skills required. We used the voices of four professional opera singers to train a “neural network,” essentially teaching the algorithm how to sing and harmonize across four different voice types and incorporating singing synthesis, an area of AI focused on how computers can model human singing. A digital toy for everyone regardless of musical skills, Blob Opera has been used in many contexts, from teachers in the classroom to professional artists to amateur creatives. More here.  Find your doppelganger in artworks with AI Art Selfie provides a doorway into art, surfacing artwork with faces that look like yours. When you take a selfie, a machine learning model compares your photo with faces in artworks that our museum partners have provided. After a short moment, you will see your results along with a percentage to estimate the visual similarity of each match and your face. You can then tap on your lookalike to discover more information about it and its artist, one that perhaps you've never heard of before. Read more here.  AI helps you to "hear" an artwork What if you could hear color? In this collaboration with the Centre Pompidou, you can explore Vassily Kandinsky’s synesthesia and “play” his pioneering masterpiece, Yellow-Red-Blue, with the help of machine learning. Everyone — perhaps for the first time —can now experience what a “Kandinsky” sounds like by listening to a painting. More information here. Other projects connecting people to culture in new ways include Giga Manga, which helps you create unique manga characters with the help of machine learning. Sketch a few simple lines and add some splashes of color — then let machine learning fill in the rest. And following the success of Art Selfie, we also created Art Transfer and Pet Portrait. AI as a tool for artists in their creative work  Create your very own dance moves with AI This tool for choreography, powered by AI and created with renowned choreographer Wayne McGregor, generates original movement inspired by Wayne McGregor’s archive, creating a live dialogue between dancers and his 25 year body of work. Try out this “Living Archive” here.  Create your own unique pollinator-friendly garden If Pollinators designed gardens, what would humans see? Commissioned by the Eden Project, Cornwall, UK, and created by artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, this one-of-a-kind interspecies artwork called Pollinator Pathmaker, uses an algorithmic tool to help you design and plant gardens for endangered bees and butterflies  Create a personalized poem, with the help of AI POEMPORTRAITS is an online collective artwork created by artist Es Devlin in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture Lab and technologist Ross Goodwin that allows visitors to create poems with the help of AI. It is accessible online & currently on tour as an installation as part of Barbican Centre’s AI: More than Human exhibition.
Through our AMI Grants, we’re also supporting contemporary artists working with machine learning in their art practices, presenting possibilities of artistic application of machine learning since 2019. The grants have helped a diverse set of international artists to collaborate with Google creative technologists to explore machine learning techniques in film, poetry, sound art, and interactive storytelling — with more to come. This article first appeared on Google Arts & Culture. Written by Amit Sood |
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