 In August 2018, Swedish student Greta Thunberg started a strike near the parliament building in Stockholm. She claimed that she would stop visiting her school on Fridays until the government would start to follow the terms of the Paris Agreement on climate change — more specifically, global warming. The student became famous all around the world and her protest was supported by thousands of school students from 400 cities in the US, Europe, and Australia, and she was nominated for the Nobel Prize.
Until recently, the ecological crisis did not seem to be something serious or possible. But in 2019, IPPR published a study that says humanity is facing the age of an environmental catastrophe. “Human impacts on the environment have reached a critical stage, potentially eroding the conditions upon which socioeconomic stability is possible.” According to the US, in 20 years, the average global temperature will rise by 31.7°F (1.5°C) in comparison to the pre-industrial level. This means that droughts, hurricanes, and floods will become more powerful and more destructive. And if the temperature increase reaches 35.6°F (2°C), then flooding and lack of water and food will threaten the lives of millions of people in the entire world. Whatever happens, by the year 2030, it will be necessary to decrease the CO2 level in the atmosphere by at least 45%. But despite having signed the Paris Agreement, not all countries actually act accordingly. “School strike for climate” In her TED speech, Greta Thunberg explained that she first heard about global warming at the age of 8, and she spent several years studying it and was really surprised to learn that so few people had discussed such a serious issue. She said, “If burning oil is such a big threat to our existence, why do we keep doing it?” When Greta was in her last year of school, she stopped eating meat, flying planes and only bought the most necessary clothing. When she was 15 years old, she went outside in front of the Swedish parliament and with a poster that read, “School strike for climate”. Her parents, an opera singer and an actor, did not support their daughter in the beginning. But it didn’t stop the teenager. The girl told journalists that this was the only way she could be heard because she was not old enough to vote. Greta often takes part in conferences related to the climate. She writes the text for her speeches herself and she uses bold words. She says, “We are not here to ask the world leaders to think about our future. They have always ignored us and will continue to do so. Politicians act like children, this is why it is our turn to come and take this responsibility we should have taken a long time ago...Adults say that we have to give young people hope. But I don’t want you to hope. I want you to panic.” When critics say that her strikes are just a legitimate way to skip school, Greta responds with, “Why should I study for my future if I might have no future at all?” After her shows, Greta became the star of the ecological protest. School students created a global movement called Fridays For Future aimed to save the climate. They require their government to acknowledge the ecological problems as a first priority, to decrease the levels of CO2, to stop using oil and coal, and to lower the voting age to 16 years. Greta Thunberg asks everyone who studies every Friday to skip school and go to the closest city hall, take photos, and post them on social media with #FridaysForFuture and #ClimateStrike hashtags. The school protests turned out to be way more effective than what ecological organizations have been doing for many years. Greta is supported not only by school students but also by adults, for example, Angela Merkel, Irish Prime Misinter Leo de Varad, the mayors of Paris, Milan, Sydney, Austin, Philadephia, Portland, Oslo, Barcelona, and Montreal. And even Leonardo DiCaprio who is famous for his speeches about climate protection supported the strike on March 15, 2019, when he wrote a Tweet about it. 1.5 million people in 2,083 towns and 125 countries on all continents went outside on that day. Greta says, “So when I was 11, I became ill. I fell into a depression, I stopped talking, and I stopped eating. In 2 months, I lost about 22 lb of weight. Later on, I was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, OCD and selective mutism. That basically means I only speak when I think it’s necessary — now is one of those moments. I want you to act like your home is on fire. Because it is.”
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 8. The honey badger This creature could easily be a character in a horror movie. Here are 5 reasons why:
 7. The spiny mouse The spiny mouse’s superpower is regeneration. They’re capable of releasing their skin upon being captured by a predator. They can completely regenerate their fur, skin, cartilage, and sweat glands. Scientists assume that all mammals, as well as reptiles, actually have self-healing genes, but this feature is currently “available” for spiny mice only.  6. The Tarbagan marmot This cute creature is cooler than a camel. Tarbagans don’t drink water: the liquid they get from their food is enough for them. For example, during an experiment, a Tarbagan marmot managed to live 3 years without water, eating only dry grains.  5. The platypus The platypus’ appearance causes questions even among scientists. It seems that when nature was creating this animal, it couldn’t decide what it was going to be! It has a duck nose, webbing on its feet, a beaver’s tail, and the fluffy body of a small animal. What’s more, is it also produces toxic saliva, lays eggs, produces milk, and lives in Australia only.  4. The Port Jackson shark Though the Port Jackson shark looks rather scary, it’s pretty kind. Here are some of its features.
 3. The long-tailed slug (Ibycus rachelae) If scientists could transplant animal body features to people, these slugs (Ibycus rachelae) would have saved lots of broken hearts. The thing is, this unusual species makes use of so-called “love darts” in courtship. Made of calcium carbonate, the love dart is harpoon-like which pierces and injects a hormone into another slug, and may play a role in increasing the chances of romantic adventures.  2. The immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis) The secret of immortality is hidden in the ocean by jellyfish. Turritopsis nutricula can start their life all over again. For example, after a severe injury, they reach the bottom, turn into a polyp, and transform themselves back to jellyfish. The process of growing up usually lasts for 2 months and, apparently, the process of resurrection isn’t limited. Thus, scientists have studied a jellyfish that transformed 12 times.  1. The sperm whale The sperm whale is the first on our list of the most unusual animals.
Every Country Has a Happiness Philosophy, and We Chose 7 You Can Start Following Right Now3/20/2019  Kalsarikänni (Finland) If you try to translate this difficult word, you will get something like, “drinking alcohol at home wearing underwear without going outside even for a minute”. Unlike other Scandinavian happiness concepts, Kalsarikänni doesn’t say you should have a beautiful room with a comforter and a fireplace — it’s much closer to real life.
 Shinrin-yoku (Japan) Shinrin-yoku is translated as “forest baths”. The point of this therapy is to enjoy nature and try to find peace with it. This is a unique method of fighting depression and stress without pills and doctors. Forest therapy is very popular in Japan and South Korea. Scientists proved that it decreases levels of aggression, the stress hormones in the blood, it increases productivity and makes your immune system stronger. And trees make you feel happy for a longer time than a salary raise.
 Ikigai (Japan) Ikigai is Japanese for “meaning of life”. But there is one more definition that describes it even better — “something that makes you get up in the morning”. It may be the smell of coffee that you start your day with, global projects at work, or your pet. When a person finds their Ikigai, they get rid of destructive habits and depression, they can’t wait for the next day in order to do what they really like.
 Lykke (Denmark) Lykke is the Danish word for happiness. The point of this concept is to reach universal joy and everyday fun from life.
 Pali-pali (South Korea) Even though for some countries, happiness is the ability to live in the moment and to be calm and slow, for South Korea, everything is upside down. The people in this country are always in a rush. Pali-pali can be translated as “faster, faster”. Koreans don’t like to wait. This is why fast dates are so popular and so are language classes that promise to teach you a new language in just a couple of weeks. And the same goes for pizza delivery and other online orders. In order to compete in terms of speed, McDonald’s had to make its own delivery system.
 Coorie (Scotland) Coorie in Scottish means “to curl” and “snuggle”. Of course, in a country with a cold climate, coziness plays a big role. It is one of the main things there. Also, unity with nature is also very important, along with communication with animals and contact with your legacy. So, rituals, traditions, and homeland are important. Coorie happiness recipe: Go for a walk with a dog to a beautiful place in nature. Don’t think about the cold and mosquitos, and don’t fixate on unpleasant things. Turn on nice music and listen to the sounds of nature. In the evening, go to a cafe with your friends and discuss some interesting ideas with them. Respect your history and don’t forget your ancestors.  Filotimo (Greece) Filotimo can be translated as “pride, honesty, and dignity”. However, it’s hard to find the right equivalent because even the people from Greece understand this world differently. The main point is respecting yourself and other people and the ability to feel proud.
Filotimo happiness recipe: Every day, make up 2-3 positive thoughts (you can write them down in a diary), be hospitable, and polite. And if your friend says that they are okay, ask them if there’s anything you can do to help and give them something tasty.  Zebb Wayne Quinn’s mysterious disappearance In the early 2000s, 18-year-old Zebb Wayne Quinn was driving to a shopping mall together with his friend. He received a page, so he drove away to make a call. His car was found 2 weeks later and there were different things inside that didn’t belong to Quinn, including a black Labrador mix puppy, that was approximately 3 months old. A pair of lips and 2 exclamation points were drawn in lipstick on the rear window of his car. Quinn was declared dead even though they still haven’t found his body. No one has been able to understand how a puppy got into Quinn’s car. By the way, the puppy was alive and was eventually adopted by one of the police officers who investigated Quinn’s case. Quinn’s friend was indicted for his murder in 2017, but the victim’s body still has not been found.  What happened to Brandon Swanson In 2008, 19-year-old college student Brandon Swanson crashed his car into a ditch. He called his parents and asked them to pick him up. However, his parents were unable to find him at the place he said he was. They called him back and spoke to him for 45 minutes trying to figure out his location. During their conversation, Brandon mentioned that he could see city lights and that he would go in that direction. Suddenly, he exclaimed “Oh, shit!” and the call was dropped. Since then, no one heard from him again. It was later discovered that his car was 20 miles further than where he thought he was. His phone was still accepting calls for another 2 days, but no one answered them.  The mysterious death of Jonathan Luna Jonathan Luna was a family man, he had a good job, and had never been reckless. But one night he just disappeared. During the case investigation, it was discovered that he had acted really strangely: he had driven away in his car, without wearing his glasses, and had crossed 2 states. His dead body was found the next day. The police couldn’t figure out a motive for his actions, they couldn’t find the murderer, and they couldn’t explain how a man with really poor vision had covered almost 200 miles without his glasses on, which he had left in his office.  What happened to Jimmy Hoffa? In 1975, Jimmy Hoffa, one of the most influential American labor leaders, disappeared in Detroit, Michigan. Before he went missing, he called his wife and said that he had been tricked. On that day he was supposed to have a meeting with 2 mobsters, but those 2 declared later that they had been in a different city and had never met with Jimmy. The police believe that he’s dead but this fact has never been proven. Many theories have tried to explain Jimmy’s disappearance, but none of them have been proven to be correct.  Where is baby Garnell? 7-year-old Garnell Monroe lived with his aunt Belinda Cash. She led an isolated lifestyle and didn’t see her other relatives very often. They tried to see Garnell a few times, but she always came up with various reasons why they couldn’t meet. The boy was last seen in 2002. In 2006, the police got involved in this case. They questioned Belinda and she said that she had abandoned Garnell on the steps of a social services building because she couldn’t take care of him anymore. Social services, however, had no information about the child. The police think that the boy is alive, but they still haven’t figured out his whereabouts.  Is it possible to disappear leaving no footprints? In 2004, Maura Murray emailed her professors, said there was a death in her family, and that she had to go away for a week. While driving through the countryside, she lost control on a sharp curve, and ran off the road, striking a tree. A bus driver who was passing by in his bus offered to help her, but she refused because she had already called a tow truck. The driver drove away, but still called the police. When the police arrived they couldn’t find her, and there were no footprints in the snow either. Later it became clear that she hadn’t called a tow truck and there were no deaths in her family. People who were the last to see her reported that she had been really upset about something. The next day after her disappearance, Maura’s fiancé received a call from her, but he only heard her breathing on the line and no one has heard from Maura ever since.  Kyle Fleischmann gone missing In 2007, 24-year-old Kyle Fleischmann went to a bar together with his friends. Then the his friends decided to leave, up but Kyle wanted to stay in the bar. He drank a bit more and then left. At around 3 AM he bought 2 slices of pizza, then he tried to call his father and friends but no one picked up the phone. At 4 AM his phone was turned off and that’s when Kyle went missing. Hundreds of volunteers and the police have been searching for him, and he was mentioned on the radio and TV, but no one has been able to figure out his whereabouts.  Little Marjorie’s disappearance Little Marjorie Christina Luna disappeared in broad daylight in Greenacres City, Florida on May 27, 1984. She went to a grocery store not far from her home to buy some cat food. This store was the last place she has ever been seen.
The investigation had a few suspects, however, none of them was ever proven to be guilty in Marjorie’s disappearance. If Marjorie is still alive she’s 42 years old now. To this day, no one knows what happened to the little girl.  1. A plastic bottle stuck between the tire and the car body Some tricks used by thieves are very simple and don’t require any fancy technology. A thief pushes an empty plastic bottle above the front wheel so it’s stuck between the tire and the car, normally they do this on the passenger side so you don’t see it when getting into the car. When you start driving you hear a very loud strange noise and, of course, you feel like jumping out to check it out, often leaving the car running and the door open. This is exactly what the bad guys were hoping for and they have an easy way to steal whatever you have on the seats or they can just get in and drive away. What should you do? Walk around your car before getting in. If you see something stuck above the tire, leave as quickly as possible and alert the police or security personnel.  2. Empty cans tied to the back of the car This hack operates on the same principle as the plastic bottle one — a strange and freaky noise. The thieves tie a few empty soft drink cans to the back of the car and when you start driving they make the most horrific noise. The problem is, even if you’ve gotten into the habit of walking around the car before getting in, it’s possible that you won’t see the cans because the thieves can push them under the vehicle. What should you do? If you hear a weird noise, drive to a safe place before getting out. When you get out of the car, do not leave the keys in it and lock the door.  3. Announcement that your car is blocking someone in If you are in a mall or any other big public place and hear an announcement that your car is blocking someone else’s car in, don’t run to the where you parked it, just check from a distance that this is actually true. Criminals will report to the venue that their car is blocked in and then just wait for you to bring them the keys. What should you do? If your car is not blocking anyone in, call the police.  4. Crying baby sound If you hear a crying baby near your window or outside your door, do not go outside to check. Criminals use this trick to make a person open their door. What should you do? Just call the police.  5. Blasting water sound Another noisy trick is done using running water. If you hear water running from the outside taps, do not go outside. These people open the taps in full force so you think that the pipe has burst and want to investigate to find out what’s happening. Doing this will give them the opportunity to attack you.
What should you do? Call the police. 
 10. They’re always ready to give their expert opinion regarding your clothes, hairstyle, and makeup.  9. Unfortunately, some relatives ask too many tactless questions.  8. Sometimes it’s better joke around instead of hurting someone’s feelings.  7. If someone tries to tell you what to do, add some irony to your answers.  6. If someone breaks your personal boundaries, switch to “silly girl” mode.  5. This method really works.  4. There are people who don’t understand “no.”  3. But they also love tactless questions.  2. Sometimes an honest answer is the wittiest.  1. Here’s the universal answer: Don’t do things you don’t want to do.
 Gynecologists, have you ever had a situation where you delivered a baby that was very obviously not the father’s while he was in the room? We had a light-skinned black baby born to 2 white parents. We were all like “uhhhh uhhh ummm.” Shooting glances at each other. Parents were super happy and didn’t say anything. We later met the baby’s granddad who was black. Why does the gynecologist leave the room while you take your underwear off and put them back on? To give you some privacy. The act of dressing and undressing in front of someone can feel more intimate and private than just having your genitalia exposed for a medical examination. How does your job affect your personal life? A urologist: It doesn’t really. I look at these things not because I want to, but because it’s my job. What kind of expressions do you see on parent’s faces when you “spank” their newborns? The idea of spanking was to stimulate the newborn to take their first breath. This is no longer considered necessary. Exposure to air soon after birth or the mere suction of fluid from the oral cavity serves a stimulus sufficient enough to trigger the first breath.  Can you get pregnant from water in the pool? Of course not. More than that, there is no way to get infected from just being in the pool, using a dirty towel, or sitting near someone else’s dirty slippers. Is it possible to lose your virginity because of a tampon? Yes. Some women’s hymen is wider than others’. If it is wide, there is a chance that you’d lose your virginity because of a tampon, but the probability is small. Is it possible to give birth at home using YouTube videos? This is called unassisted childbirth and doctors think this is a really strange thing. There are people who are interested in this for some reason, they read something online, in manuals, and maybe they even gave birth successfully. But after that, they start encouraging everyone else to do the same. This is dangerous and completely unnecessary.  Is giving birth painful?
It is. Very. But first of all, it all depends on how you treat it. In the beginning of labor there are contractions that last about 10 seconds, every 10 minutes. So, you have a 10-second contraction and then you have 10 minutes to either keep calm and listen to Mozart or get all freaked out and scream, “Oh, boy! The suffering is going to start right NOW!” There is even a thing called childbirth with hypnosis. This is when women try to feel joy when they have contractions. This is actually quite rational because every contraction moves you closer to your baby. And women don’t die during childbirth because of the pain. Do only women have menopause? Men sometimes can even have some of the signs. But on the physiological level, only women have menopause, but men can go through the psychological transition. Women lose their reproductive function. This can be noticed by their skin condition and how they feel. Of course, women do need medical attention during this period. Why should we go to a gynecologist if we feel okay? The cervix doesn’t have any pain receptors, so only a doctor’s examination can help you find out if there is something on it. One other thing: female cancer is very fast and very violent. For example, ovarian cancer can kill within a period from 3 months to one year.  Striped clothes were a bad sign. Wearing striped clothing in the Middle Ages was not safe. In 1310, a shoemaker from Rouen was actually executed for wearing striped clothing. Wearing stripes was only legally allowed for actors, musicians, prostitutes, heretics, jesters, and other people who didn’t have a stable position in society: these clothes were a way to tell them apart from the noble folk. Modern scientists don’t really know the root of the reason for why stripes were considered bad. Some experts believe it was because striped clothing can hide the shape of the body and could be taken as an attempt to change one’s true appearance.  Why was there a beak on the plague doctor mask? The famous plague doctors wore special masks with a beak. However, the beak wasn’t there to intimidate people: it was used to carry substances with a strong odor: for example, a cloth soaked in vinegar, flowers, herbs, or something like that. It was believed that the plague could be stopped by this type of filter. The only question is when exactly the plague doctor costume was created. Even though a popular opinion is that it was created during the plague outbreak during the 14th century, there is no exact evidence of that. Some experts believe it wasn’t invented until the 17th century. The first plague pandemic that we know of broke out in the middle of the 6th century and killed more than 125 million people in Europe and Asia. There was also a pandemic in the 14th century: it was brought from China to Europe and reached Russia where it killed the population of several towns. In Europe, more than 25 million people were killed by the plague. At that time, this was 1/3 of the entire population of Europe.  Why were there openings in the walls of cathedrals? During their restoration, experts found small openings in the walls of the cathedrals that were built in the Middle Ages. These openings are called hagioscopes and people could use them to see what was happening inside. They were for people who couldn’t enter the cathedral for some reason, for example, those who had leprosy. These types of openings were found to be differently shaped depending on the cathedral, some were round, rectangular, and even cross-shaped. The openings faced either cemeteries or sparsely-populated districts. In the 16th century, most of these openings were sealed once the leprosy pandemic was eradicated.  Why did spiral staircases always go clockwise? Spiral staircases in the castles of the Middle Ages were always built to follow a clockwise path. They were built this way in case the castle was under siege: the thing is, a defender coming down the stairs would be able to fight with his right hand, and most people are right-handed. And an attacker, coming up the stairs, would have trouble doing the same. Spiral staircases had another trick to them too: the stairs were different in height and width. This caused attackers who were unfamiliar with the specifics to trip and fall. And the owners of the castle knew every single step and could move very fast. Of course, this rule has very rare exceptions, for example, one of the Waldstein castles had counterclockwise staircases because most members of the family were left-handed.  Why did knights fight with snails? At the end of the 13th century, manuscripts that were created in the north of France had pictures of knights fighting with snails. Scientists don’t know exactly why these creatures were not loved by the artists of the Middle Ages, but there are several versions of this story. One of them says that a snail appearing from a shell is a symbol of resurrection and the picture is just a metaphor.
Another version says that a snail is a symbol of cowardice that artists placed in the manuscripts. And the most trustworthy theory is that a snail is a symbol of the Lombards who were at war with the French.  Singapore – As the name suggests, Five Grains Bee Hoon are made from 5 different types of grains. The final product- a bowl of colourful bee hoon that will capture the hearts of many. Five Grains (Wu Gu) consist of sorghum, rice, buckwheat, millet and corn. By selecting all natural grain raw material and combine with the latest production technology, Five Grains (Wu Gu) Fish Bee Hoon presents red, yellow, white, black and brown.  Their signature dish- Five Grains Signature Fish Bee Hoon, served in savoury fish broth and thickly fish slices, is a must try. The stew is made from fresh fish with special recipe. Another special dish is the Five Grain Tomato Gravy Fish Bee Hoon. Real tomatoes are added to the base stew to give the dish a different flavour.
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