Nordic Languages Have No Word For “Please”

by Laura Hall BBC    I’m in a Copenhagen bakery, standing in line for sugar-dusted slices of lemon cake, delicately plaited cardamom buns and golden-brown cinnamon swirls.    When I reach the front of the queue, I’m ready to order in simple Danish. But then I hit a snag: in this country, there is no …

Do Lower Temperatures Help Us Sleep Better?

by Amanda Ruggeri BBC    Anthropologist Gandhi Yetish remembers the bedtime ritual he had as a child during cold New Jersey winters. He would open his window, letting the frigid air rush in and cool his face.    He’d quickly feel drowsier, though he’d wonder what his mother would say about the heating bill.    …

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 …

Russia’s Former “Wild, Wild East” In California

By Eliot Stein BBC    Every year, millions of travelers set out on the Pacific Coast Highway to twist and turn their way along, one of the US’s most stunning roads, as it hugs the entire California coastline.    But chances are, few of these road-trippers realize that hidden here on a secluded headland 90 …

Baby Elsie Steals The Show At Movie Theatre

by Kevin Burton    Talk about making an entrance!    Molly Connah was one day past her due date, and seated comfortably in a movie theatre when her baby daughter decided the time was right for her earthly debut.    Details now from BBC reporter Antonia Matthews:    “A woman gave birth in a cinema …

Dolly Parton: One Thing Americans Agreed On

by Robin Levinson-Kingand and Sheila Flynn BBC    Dolly Parton was a lot of things – a country musician, a philanthropist, an actress, a storyteller and a businesswoman. One thing she never was, however, was a politician.    But don’t think it’s because no one asked her. In 1999, during an appearance on the talk …

Rescue, Restoration After Colombian Quake

by Kevin Burton    A young boy has his mother back. From the jaws of tragic loss, comes delicious, unspeakable joy.    A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Colombia Aug. 10. Since then we’ve read stories with updates on the death toll, the number of people missing and damage to buildings. But one story grabbed me …

Quibbles And Bits: Hey Taylor Swift, I Tried

by Kevin Burton    I’ve tried twice now, and I won’t be back here again, to “get” the whole Taylor Swift thing.    The first time around came when Swift started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and started getting mega-coverage by watching Chiefs games from luxury suites.    I said, Oh my …

I Say This “Fly Tipper” Got Off Too Easy

by Kevin Burton    I am guessing you are like me and had no previous idea what “fly tipping” is.    Fly tipping is “the activity of illegally leaving waste or unwanted objects next to a road, in a field,  in a river, etc.” according to the Cambridge Dictionary.    According to wordhistories.net, here’s how …

Meet the 98-year-old ‘Angel of Route 66’

by Rebecca Treon BBC    On a dusty stretch of northern Arizona, about an hour west of Flagstaff, the neon glow of Angel and Vilma Delgadillo’s Original Route 66 Gift Shop still flickers to life each morning.    Inside, 98-year-old Angel Delgadillo greets the stream of visitors pouring in from tour buses with a handshake and …