Right Candidate, Right Time!?
“Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible,” wrote Caroline Kennedy, daughter of JFK, in an open letter to the New York Times this week.
Read Caroline Kennedy’s letter to the New York Times.
Tube Thrilla
London subway passengers were left open-mouthed when a group of commuters – including a suited man – got up from their seats and performed the dance featured in Michael Jackson’s music video for hit Thriller.
The bemused London Underground travelers clapped as the straight-faced group sat down once they had finished.
Watch the video.
Bummer
Middle age is truly miserable, according to a study using data from 80 countries showing that depression is most common among men and women in their forties.
The British and U.S. researchers found that happiness for people ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe follows a U-shaped curve where life begins cheerful before turning tough during middle age and then returning to the joys of youth in the golden years.
Previous studies have shown that psychological well-being remained flat throughout life but the new findings to be published in the journal Social Science & Medicine suggest we are in for a topsy-turvy emotional ride.
“It happens to men and women, to single and married people, to rich and poor, and to those with and without children,” Oswald said. “Nobody knows why we see this consistency.”
One possibility may be that people realize they won’t achieve many of their aspirations at middle age, the researchers said.
Another reason could be that after seeing their fellow middle-aged peers begin to die, people begin to value their own remaining years and embrace life once more.
But the good news is that if people make it to aged 70 and are still physically fit, they are on average as happy and mentally healthy as a 20-year old.
Read the story.
AAAGGGHHHHHHH!
After weeks of blizzards and ice storms in China, the rail network has come crashing to a halt in spectacular style.
Such is the extent of the chaos that police and soldiers have been called in to deal with a staggering 200,000 travelers waiting for a train.
The swelling crowds, who are mainly migrant factory workers have filled up a huge plaza in front of the main station in Guangzhou, China.
What is even more extraordinary is that the legions of commuters have now been told it will be over a week before tickets go back on sale on February 7.
See the pictures.
“Free Body Culture”…finally!
German nudists will be able to start their holidays early by stripping off on the plane if they take up a new offer from an eastern German travel firm.
Naturism, or “free body culture” (FKK) as it is known in Germany, was banned by the Nazis but blossomed again after the Second World War, particularly in eastern Germany.
“There are FKK hotels where you can go into the restaurants and shops naked, for example,” Hess said. “For FKK fans — not that I’m one of them — it’s nothing unusual.”
“I don’t want people to get the wrong idea. It’s not that we’re starting a swinger club in mid-air or something like that,” he added. “We’re a perfectly normal holiday company.”
Read the story.
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Slainte!