Fat’s Where It’s At: Why We All Need Body Fat

by Melissa Hogenboom BBC    Fat has been demonized for years.    Diet culture tells us to burn it, food companies market low-fat products, and weightlifting forums share tips on how to reach as little body fat as possible.    You only need to spend a moment scrolling through social media and you’ll soon find …

Some Of History’s Best, Wittiest Responses

Some Of History’s Best, Wittiest Responses by Kevin Burton     Sometimes a question is a softball, served up right into your wheelhouse, ready to be hit out of the park.    But if you’re like me, you usually think of the witty, brilliant response after the fact, a day or two later.    Don’t you …

Be Amazed By These Two Feline Survivors

by Nathan Frederick Good News Network    Two cat tales today, one of fire, one of water.    A mechanical issue started a fire in a Utah apartment building recently that sent the entire five-story structure ablaze in a matter of minutes.    Residents in the Salt Lake City suburb—and their pets—were evacuated from the …

“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” Turns 50

by Kevin Burton    The song that topped the pop chart 50 years ago today was for me, a guilty pleasure.    “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee was an international smash.  In addition to the US, it was number 1 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Rhodesia, South Africa, …

Ten Fun British Words To Kick Around

by Merriam-Webster Dictionary Although Merriam-Webster is a dictionary of American English, it contains a range of words rarely heard outside Britain. Here are some of our favorites: Prat – a stupid or foolish person    Prat has been British slang for the sort of person with whom you’d rather not share a long train journey since …

1970s Songs That Were Banned From Radio

by Kevin Burton    If one of your favorite new songs got banned from commercial radio today, you might not even know it. That, of course, would tamp down the outrage a bit.    But back in the day radio was king, and airplay, or lack thereof, had big sales implications.    What follows is …

12 American Terms Used Around The World

by Dictionary Scoop    American English has influenced global vocabulary for more than a century through movies, advertisements, literature, music, businesses, and technology.    Some words that began as distinctly American expressions eventually became common almost everywhere, even in places where English is not an official language. Here are 12 Americanisms have crossed oceans and …

Quibbles And Bits: World Cup Edition

by Kevin Burton    How to wrap one’s heart and empathetic mind around the heartbreak for England as it coughed up a late lead to lose 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals Wednesday?    Think of a Cleveland basketball fan watching Michael Jordan sink a jumper over Craig Ehlo in the 1989 playoffs …

New Sweden: The “Secret” American Colony

by Eliot Stein BBC    Ask most Americans and they’ll tell you that the United States started in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776 when the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.    But chances are, almost none of those coming realizes that the US’s political and ideological birthplace was once part of a little-known …

Time Outdoors, Just What The Doctor Ordered

by Good News Network    A hospital in south London opened a garden on its rooftop where critical care patients can spend hours in the fresh air and sunlight.    ICU patients visiting the rooftop garden receive “full life support” while experiencing the therapeutic benefits of the natural surroundings.    Located on top of the …