Scholars at Atlanta’s Georgia Tech University delved into a topic that few academic institutions have attempted: The origins of the term “going viral.” Their discovery, that going viral has been around for more than 120 years, came about as the result of access to databases covering more than 10 million newspaper pages. The first example? Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan’s 1896 Democratic National Convention speech….
Mom probably warned you about the downside of bragging, but it’s human nature to share successes, good fortune, and blessings. Further, there are times when bragging is helpful, as evidenced by reviews written by guests at Belize’s Laru Beya Resort. Read a few and you’ll understand why guests felt impelled to rave about this tropical haven. They ran out of exclamation points! One couple apologized…
It’s easy to understand why questions are being asked about the wisdom of importing animals to zoos after being captured in the wild—especially since opportunities to see wildlife over time were mostly found on pages of National Geographic magazines! New approaches to zoo design benefit wildlife as some of these facilities expand space and create habitats designed to emulating species-specific environments. What’s changed since zoos…
Ever wonder why news reports of immigration surges from Central America always exclude Belize? The U.S. Center for Immigration Studies recently called this English-speaking nation the land “that creates few problems for the U.S.,” and it also speaks to a population that has no desire to live anywhere else in the hemisphere. Further, while Belize and neighboring nations enjoy similar, if not identical climates, that…
There are plenty of reasons to rely upon regular routines, including staying more efficient, cutting stress, and enhancing happiness. Further, routine keepers tend to avoid procrastinating since routines are known to buffer life’s endless demands and provide much-needed structure. But the downside of routines is that they don’t work for everyone, could trigger boredom and monotony, and can stop us from growing in new and…
Can time spent on a beach make a major difference in the way you approach life and survive the downturns? It can, say doctors who authored and vetted the article about improved mental health for WebMD. Will it replace therapy, drugs, and meditation? Perhaps, they say. And since it costs you nothing to sit on a beach, it makes sense to bury your toes in…
The Harvest Business Review is never short on advice for movers and shakers who want to achieve both business and personal success in today’s world, so when business executive Rebecca Zucker’s article, “Thinking of Skipping Vacation? Don’t!” appeared, readers reassessed their plans to keep working without breaks. What happens to people who think that the only path to success is found through nonstop work? They…
Analysts at Expedia Group Media Solutions surveyed the world’s youngest generation to see how this demographic influences family travel. They found that a new niche has been added to the list of Baby Boomers, Gen Xs, Millennials, and Gen Zs: Gen Alpha, covering anyone born between 1995 and 2010. By 2025, Two billion kids will comprise the Alpha generation and every one of them is…
If you’re the curious sort, you may wonder how certain words wind up in dictionaries. It’s the job of lexicographers whose responsibilities are to keep these guides updated and current. One interesting example of a word that morphed into contemporary use and remains approved by all lexicographers is “chill.” Chill is a versatile word. A noun, verb, or adjective, origins of “cele” or “ciele” are…
Have you ever wondered why some promotional offers are called sales while others are referred to as flash sales? There is a distinction. Regular sales are run-of-the-mill promotions while flash sales emulate the descriptors: Anyone wishing to take advantage of a flash sale can’t dawdle because they run for very short time periods and require prompt responses. Flash sales are the bane of procrastinators! If…