Vaughn Smith was bilingual from a young age, learning English from his father and Spanish from his Mexican mother. As he grew up, though, languages began to captivate him, and he soon took on many more tongues. Now age 46, he speaks 24 languages and has a basic understanding or some familiarity with 21 others. […]
Meet the Carpet Cleaner Who Speaks 24 Languages — And Had MIT Study His Brain Continue Reading »
A bill supporting the creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture — the first in U.S. history — was signed into law on June 13. The new legislation will establish an eight-person commission — members of which must possess “a demonstrated commitment to the research, study, or promotion of Asian
At 13 years old, Alena Analeigh has already achieved more than your average adult — she was the youngest-ever NASA intern, she’s a triple major undergraduate enrolled at Arizona State University and Oakwood University, and she’s the founder of Black Stem Girl, a program dedicated to providing girls of color access to STEM programs and
Passionate readers can attest to the appeal of a local bookstore: the incomparable pleasure of strolling through the aisles waiting for a book to beckon from its spot on the shelf before being placed atop a towering stack and taken to a quiet corner where its crisp pages can be perused. Unfortunately, due to the
Independent Bookstores in US Are Thriving and Diversifying Post-Pandemic Continue Reading »
Some of the hobbies that you enjoy doing in your free time could be of greater benefit to your overall well-being than you realize. A new study by Penn State University found that when people engage in meaningful activities that require concentration and skill, they enter a state of “flow,” which researchers say can reduce
Engaging in Meaningful Activities Can Reduce Loneliness, Study Finds Continue Reading »
Since its founding in 1990, Martin Scorsese’s nonprofit organization, The Film Foundation, has helped to restore over 925 films. And in April, the foundation launched a free streaming service called Restoration Screening Room to introduce these restored classic movies to new and old generations of moviegoers alike. On the second Monday of each month, a
Martin Scorsese Has a Free Streaming Platform for Classic Movies: How to Watch Continue Reading »
You may see your movie watching sessions and therapy sessions as completely separate activities, but they’re probably more linked than you think. For example, The Incredible Hulk sheds light on anger management, Titanic is a study on relationship compatibility, and the horror film It is an easy segue to talking about childhood trauma. Those are
Therapist and Filmmaker Team Up to Talk Mental Health Through the Lens of Movies Continue Reading »
The ubiquitous Swiss Army knife was first invented in the late 19th century, but humans have been using and sharing similar multipurpose tools for much, much longer. Sixty-thousand to 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens ventured out of Africa, eventually landing in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas. While that migration was not the first, scientists
Meet Ross and Hugo Turner, a.k.a. The Turner Twins. They’re professional adventurers who’ve rowed across the Atlantic (netting the duo two world records), scaled Mount Elbrus in Russia, and have traveled to four of the world’s Continental Poles of Inaccessibility — by bicycle and paramotor, no less — to list but a few of their
After a devastating fire tore through the 859-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019, the sounds of its 10 bronze bells ceased to echo through the city. They’d escaped damage but have been rung only once since — on April 15, 2020, the one-year anniversary of the blaze. Then the chapel returned to silence,
