Lifestyle
Alongside taking care of other people and the planet, make sure you take good care of yourself. The Lifestyle section at the Optimist Daily has solutions for everyday wellbeing on topics like food, beauty, fashion, and the latest trends. Curious about caring for houseplants, eating plant-based, or parenting tips? It’s all in there.
How Europe's influx of refugees is inspiring creative, affordable housing for everyone
When hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants started arriving in Europe in 2015, many cities started quickly building simple shelters, sometimes repurposing old shipping containers as temporary places to sleep instead of tents. But these makeshift sites were also often on the edges of Read More...
Google-backed blockchain start-up Ripple raises $55 million from big banks
Chris Larsen, the chief executive of Ripple, said the company was investing the fresh funds in global expansion. "We have been expanding our office locations. We want to continue that and grow those teams, we want to be hiring so we can have engineers on the ground with local banking partners as Read More...
1.5 billion people lack a legal identity; blockchain technology can change that
Many refugees and migrants cross borders without proper documentation or their passports are lost or stolen along the way. German police said recently that 80 percent of Syrian refugees in that country didn't have the right paperwork. Without official identification refugees don’t have access Read More...
The true story of a scientist who discovered the equation for altruism—and gave himself away
Laura met George in the pages of Reader’s Digest. In just a couple of column inches, she read an abridged version of his biography and was instantly intrigued. In the 1960s, apparently, egotistical scientist George Price discovered an equation that explained the evolution of altruism, then Read More...
Crowdfunding development aid would direct funds where they are needed most
As world leaders descend on New York this week for the UN general assembly, the funding of international development programmes will be high on the agenda – given that efforts to meet the sustainable development goals (SDGs) are estimated to cost as much as $4.5tn (£3.4tn) annually – more than Read More...
How to make it as a refugee in America
Despite the U.S. aiming to admit 85,000 refugees this year—the most accepted in more than a decade—the odds of getting in for any given refugee are extremely low. Each must pass a rigorous screening process (involving iris scans and in-person interviews) conducted by the UN and multiple Read More...
Cryptocurrencies and the future of money
What happens when the way we buy, sell and pay for things changes, perhaps even removing the need for banks or currency exchange bureaus? That's the radical promise of a world powered by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. We're not there yet, but in this sparky talk, digital currency Read More...
Bitcoin is providing a cheaper way for migrant workers to send money home
Worldwide, 230 million people send $500 billion in remittances each year. The remittances are most often sent by migrant workers sending money to their families back home, and they’re usually made through companies like Western Union and RIA, both of which charge quite some fees that cut into the Read More...
In peace step, children leave rebel camps in Colombia
Eight youths left FARC rebel camps in Colombia on Saturday, as the insurgents began relocating children and teenagers as part of a historic peace agreement, the Red Cross said Saturday. The government of President Juan Manuel Santos and the Marxist guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Read More...
Meet the crowdfunding site making it possible for everyone to invest in real estate
Savvy investors know that commercial real estate can potentially make for an incredible investment, generally offering higher rental income, lower ownership costs, and longer leases than residential real estate. And as a long-term investment, it can generate a steady cash flow, increase in value, Read More...