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 …

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 …

“Cat Island” Japan And Other “Animal Towns”

by Dictionary Scoop    Traveling to foreign cities and towns is a great way to interact with different people and their cultures, but have you ever thought about visiting an animal town?    Scattered around the world, some of these places are the result of natural reserves set up to protect endangered species, while others …

Without Knowing It, You Eat A Lot Of Plastic

by Ally Hirschlag and Martha Henriques BBC                         (Part 1 of 2)    You can’t see them, but they are there, hundreds of miniscule particles of plastic lurking in your steak. As it cooks in a hot pan, these unwelcome guests liquify, oozing into the meat before solidifying again as it cools down on your …