YouTube may not be the first place you'd think to turn to for a moment of calm (especially since going online is often a cause of our need for calm), but at least one corner of the video platform serves as an oasis amid the chaos. There's a vast collection of channels that transform your computer into an ambient noise machine — and, by extension, transport you to a peaceful place. Take "View Escape," for example, which pairs immersive audio with imagined spaceship rooms, so you can pretend you're lying in bed, floating through the cosmos. Or "MyTranquilitee," a feed that sets relaxing ocean sounds to hours of tranquil beach footage. Check out a few more suggestions, courtesy of Mashable. — the Nice News team
Featured Story
Former Wisconsin Gov. Martin Schreiber Shares Advice for Alzheimer's Caregivers
Courtesy of Martin J. Schreiber
When Martin J. Schreiber first ran for office in 1962,his wife, Elaine, was his biggest supporter. She stood proudly by when he became the 39th governor of Wisconsin in 1977 and later remained a source of strength as he transitioned from politics to a career in public affairs. But when Elaine was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in the mid-2000s, Martin began to realize that the woman he knew was slipping away, and another was emerging in her place. "The first Elaine, that was the wonderful girl I met when I was a freshman in high school … my friend, my advisor, my companion," he tells Nice News. "The second Elaine," he says, was often confused, would get lost driving, and eventually, didn't recognize her husband. In his book, My Two Elaines, Martin shares his experience caring for Elaine for nearly 20 years until her death in 2022, and offers insight for others in his position. Click below to read our interview and get his helpful advice.
How Incogni Removes Your Personal Data From the Internet
Lots of people have security systems for their homes, but what about protecting your data online? Personal information like Social Security numbers, contact details, and addresses are commodities for many companies, putting you at risk of scams, fraud, and identity theft. Thankfully, Incogni is on the case. The automated service deletes your private details from data brokers' lists, so they don't wind up in imposter profiles or on people search websites. And it recently became even more effective, as Incogni now deletes your personal info from over 250 data brokers. Click below to learn more about protecting your data and get 55% off with code NICENEWS.
There's a new-to-us word in town that we can't wait to drop into conversation: gigil (pronounced ghee-gill). It's one of those words without an exact English equivalent, and it's among a batch recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary. It essentially means to witness something overwhelmingly cute, but it's more about the feeling than the subject of the cuteness. The closest English translation is probably "cute aggression." Originating from the Philippines' Tagalog language, gigil is "a feeling so intense that it gives us the irresistible urge to tightly clench our hands, grit our teeth, and pinch or squeeze whomever or whatever it is we find so adorable," according to Oxford. So while gigil is hard to put into a straightforward definition, you'll know it when you experience it. It might be the perfect word to describe the all-consuming swell of adoration you feel when you see your dog's floppy ears, a little one smiling with their whole face, Boo from Monsters Inc., or a love-at-first-sight vintage find you never knew you needed in your life. It can be used as a noun for the feeling itself or an adjective for a person experiencing the feeling (e.g. "she's so gigil"). Cute, right? We only wish we knew it sooner! Check out some of the other recently added words, including alamak and kaya toast.
Health
No Gym? No Problem: Climbing Stairs With Intensity Can Build Strength in Older Adults
everything bagel/ iStock
If you want to shake up your exercise routine without necessarily joining a gym or investing in fancy equipment, consider turning to a good old-fashioned set of stairs. A recent study found that running up and down stairs as fast as possible may improve muscle power in older adults. To test this, researchers in Belgium assigned 46 healthy adults between the ages of 65 and 80 to one of two leg workouts: using a leg-press machine or intense bursts of stair-climbing. The study found that both groups gained muscle power and functionality — two things that tend to weaken with age. The participants also saw improvements in their walking speed and time required to stand up from a chair. Notably, the more powerful muscles are, the easier it is to react quickly and catch yourself if you start to fall, a skill that can be lifesaving, especially for adults over 60. "If you're not able to move fast, even if you're strong, you will still fall down," lead study author Evelien Van Roie told The Washington Post. "This is something we really need to train." The takeaway: "You don't need a fancy gym" or hours upon hours of exercise to get stronger, according to Van Roie. Get the science-approved stair-climbing workout.
Humanity
Holly Connor Is Blind, Autistic, and Inspiring Others: "Music Is My Superpower"
Alex Brooke
Holly Connor has always stood out from the crowd. At 2 years old, the age many little ones are just starting to bop along to the beat of a song, Connor could play any tune by ear on the piano. By 3, she was matching notes with perfect pitch. And at 4, she surprised her parents by belting out a Lisa Loeb track with full vibrato. Connor was also born blind, and she was diagnosed with autism as a toddler. Fast forward to today, and the 20-year-old has over 100 performances under her belt, taking to the stage in plays, musicals, operas, revues, and more. She's sung the national anthem at a number of sporting events, including a Chicago White Sox game last summer, and she recently sang a selection of songs and accompanied herself on piano at the Missouri History Museum. "Music is my superpower," Connor told Nice News, adding: "Performing has always made me very, very happy." Listen to Connor sing and read more of her story, including how she's helping others unlock the same joy that she derives through music and self-expression.
Sunday Selections
Deep Dives
Learn how your brain can change when you retire — and how to get ahead of it
A paralyzed disability activist wrote his master's thesis one blink at a time
Want to be reborn as a tree? A moving look at the rise of forest cemeteries
We've all felt the shame of throwing away the produce our optimistic selves loaded our grocery carts with — only for it to be neglected in the fridge all week by our "let's just get takeout" selves. But hope for sustainable kitchen habits is not lost, thanks to urban gardener and zero-waste expert Alessandro Vitale. Vitale, aka SpicyMoustache, is best known for his 60-second Instagram videos demonstrating how to whip up everything from cauliflower steak to chocolate truffles, and now he's bringing his eco-friendly recipes to the page, along with some bonus tips on food storage, shopping, and more.
What do you get when you pair up two music greats? Some great music. Elton John and Brandi Carlile's joint album dropped Friday, and it "shimmers with a just-right balance of sunshine and sadness," per USA Today. The 10-track record features both artists' hallmarks: Carlile's soulful Americana vocals and John's pop-y piano ballads, as well as the stylings of his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin. In a short film series about the making of the album, John called the process "one of the greatest musical experiences" of his life.
This Week in History
The Olympic Games Are Revived in Athens
April 6, 1896
Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
Once upon a time — some 2,800 years ago to be exact — athletes from all corners of ancient Greece began gathering every four years to take part in a series of games. They were held at the sanctuary site Olympia, part of a religious festival in honor of the Greek god Zeus, and the tradition continued for nearly 12 centuries. So when an international committee met in 1894 to discuss reviving the Olympic Games, the natural location choice for the first meet of the modern era was Athens. The first modern Games commenced on this date two years later, with 241 men from 14 nations competing in 43 events over nine days. On the inaugural day, U.S. athlete James Connolly won the triple jump event, making him the first Olympic champion in over 1,500 years. Since then, the Games' four-year cycle has only been interrupted twice, by World War I and World War II. Scroll through historical photos, including more shots of the 1896 incarnation.
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