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.
The electric car revolution is making these investors very optimistic
Electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf may look no different from the standard family runaround. But the new materials that go into them could revolutionize the market for metals used in the industry, opening up a new field for commodities investors. “We identified electric vehicles as an area Read More...
11,000 migrants saved in journey to Europe this week alone
The refugees in Europe are no longer creating the headlines every day. But they are still coming. In the past week alone, more than 11,000 migrants have been rescued as they attempted the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. The number says it all about the state of affairs in Northern Read More...
Crowdfunding could be huge in Africa but regulatory laws need to catch up
Crowdfunding platforms in Africa raised $32.3 million for various projects in 2015, data from the Afrikstart Crowdfunding in Africa (pdf) report shows. But that figure could be much higher over the coming years if African governments develop regulation on crowdfunding. Despite its rising Read More...
Renewable energy can improve lives of agri-food chain poor
A new study has described the role renewable energy can have in elevating the livelihoods of the millions of rural poor, specifically in terms of the impact it can have on the billions of people employed in the agri-food chain. Released over the weekend at the International Off-grid Renewable Read More...
Billionaire investor Draper leads $4.2 million funding in U.S. blockchain start-up
Texas-based Factom, Inc., a blockchain technology company that secures data, said on Wednesday it has raised $4.2 million in financing from a slew of global investors led by billionaire investor Tim Draper. Blockchain technology powers the digital currency bitcoin and enables data-sharing across a Read More...
Resurrecting Colombia’s peace deal
By narrowly rejecting an agreement between the government of Colombia and the nation’s largest guerrilla group, Colombian voters have thrown a four-year-long peace process into turmoil. There may still be a chance of renegotiating the terms of the deal to end the brutal 52-year insurgency, Read More...
Lock-up to library: France reinvents its decrepit prisons
The ad on the French finance ministry website is deadpan and succinct: "For sale: late 19th century prison in the centre of Grasse, 1,277.42 square metres (13,750 square feet). No garage or parking space. Needs renovating." Prospective buyers of the site in southeast France are required to lodge a Read More...
Meditation keeps emotional brain in check
Meditation can help tame your emotions even if you're not a mindful person, suggests a new study from Michigan State University. Reporting in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, psychology researchers recorded the brain activity of people looking at disturbing pictures immediately after Read More...
Stop Brexit and save the EU
“Never let a crisis go to waste” has always been one of the European Union’s guiding principles. What about five simultaneous crises? Today, the EU faces what Frans Timmermans, the European commission vice-president, describes as a “multi-crisis”: Brexit, refugee Read More...
In a departure, pedestrians in Moscow actually heed traffic laws
Moscow still has huge traffic jams at rush hour and, according to TomTom, a Dutch company that compiles an annual survey of global traffic conditions, is now the world’s fifth most congested city. But this is a big improvement over just a few years ago, when Moscow beat out Mexico City, Read More...