View time : 1 min 39
Level : Intermediate
Author: natixis-ezine
Olympic gold is great, but athletes say some cash to go with it is even better
Read time : 4 mins
Level : Intermediate
By HOWARD FENDRICH and EDDIE PELLS AP National Writers
NEW YORK (AP) — They compete for a trophy, a ring, the chance to be called a champion and, sometimes, a place in history. Most of the world’s best athletes in all sorts of sports compete for cold, hard cash, too.
After more than 100 years of striving to earn Olympic gold — but nothing else from the folks organizing the event — track and field athletes at the Paris Games will join that money-making club thanks to the sport’s governing body, World Athletics.
In a first-of-its-kind development, the runners, throwers and jumpers lining up at the Stade de France in August will be trying to win a $50,000 check to go with the gold. It’s a novel — some might say overdue — concept that has athletes in other sports wondering if they can get a piece of that action. Continue reading
What to know about the flame-lighting ceremony in Greece for the Paris Olympics
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Level : Advanced
Only 26% of Americans say they get at least eight hours of sleep, new Gallup poll says
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Advanced
By DEEPTI HAJELA and LINLEY SANDERS Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — If you’re feeling — YAWN — sleepy or tired while you read this and wish you could get some more shut-eye, you’re not alone. A majority of Americans say they would feel better if they could have more sleep, according to a new poll.
But in the U.S., the ethos of grinding and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is ubiquitous, both in the country’s beginnings and our current environment of always-on technology and work hours. And getting enough sleep can seem like a dream.
The Gallup poll, released Monday, found 57% of Americans say they would feel better if they could get more sleep, while only 42% say they are getting as much sleep as they need. That’s a first in Gallup polling since 2001; in 2013, when Americans were last asked, it was just about the reverse — 56% saying they got the needed sleep and 43% saying they didn’t. Continue reading
Spring Cleaning: A Waste of Time or Essential for Happy Living?
Read time : 4 mins
Level : Intermediate
By Marly Garman | Wealth of Geeks undefined
Upwards of 86% of United States respondents plan to declutter and deep clean their homes this spring, according to Nextdoor’s January 2024 survey. As many as 29% plan to dedicate an entire day to the process, and others plan to spend more than a week getting their house in perfect order.
One might expect to see parks buzzing with people enjoying the sun after months inside. There’s something else topping many to-do lists that people are eager to accomplish this spring.
Is spring cleaning more ritual, tradition, habit, or necessity for well-being? Recent data suggests it may be a combination of all four. But one thing is clear: removing clutter and enjoying a clean, fresh-smelling home are the top priorities for feeling happier at home this spring. Continue reading
AP Explains: Solar eclipse awes people across US, Mexico, aids in scientific studies
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Level : Intermediate
Earthquake shirts created in New York to commemorate the rare occasion
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Level : Advanced
Even in the age of Google Earth, people still buy globes. Here’s why they remain so alluring
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Advanced
By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Find a globe in your local library or classroom and try this: Close the eyes, spin it and drop a finger randomly on its curved, glossy surface.
You’re likely to pinpoint a spot in the water, which covers 71% of the planet. Maybe you’ll alight on a place you’ve never heard of — or a spot that no longer exists after a war or because of climate change. Perhaps you’ll feel inspired to find out who lives there and what it’s like. Trace the path of totality ahead of Monday’s solar eclipse. Look carefully, and you’ll find the cartouche — the globemaker’s signature — and the antipode ( look it up ) of where you’re standing right now.
In the age of Google Earth, watches that triangulate and cars with built-in GPS, there’s something about a globe — a spherical representation of the world in miniature — that somehow endures.
London globemaker Peter Bellerby thinks the human yearning to “find our place in the cosmos” has helped globes survive their original purpose — navigation — and the internet. He says it’s part of the reason he went into debt making a globe for his father’s 80th birthday in 2008. The experience helped inspire his company, and 16 years later is keeping his team of about two dozen artists, cartographers and woodworkers employed. Continue reading
Who wouldn’t like prices to start falling? Careful what you wish for, economists say
Read time : 4 mins
Level : Intermediate
By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans are in a sour mood about the economy for one main reason: Prices feel too high.
Maybe they’re not rising as fast as they had been, but average prices are still painfully above where they were three years ago. And they’re mostly heading higher still.
Consider a 2-liter bottle of soda: In February 2021, before inflation began heating up, it cost an average of $1.67 in supermarkets across America. Three years later? That bottle is going for $2.25 — a 35% increase.
Or egg prices. They soared in 2022, then fell back down. Yet they’re still 43% higher than they were three years ago.
Likewise, the average used-car price: It rocketed from roughly $23,000 in February 2021 to $31,000 in April 2022. By last month, the average was down to $26,752. But that’s still up 16% from February 2021. Continue reading
Google to purge billions of files containing personal data in settlement of Chrome privacy case
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Level : Intermediate