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.
Swiss council to accept Bitcoin payments
A council in central Switzerland will soon accept the digital currency Bitcoin as payment for some public services. The trial scheme, in the town of Zug, will begin on 1 July and run until the end of the year, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation reports. Residents will be able to make payments of up Read More...
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: Multitasking Depletes Your Brain's Resources
Multitasking is a myth. Switching concentration across tasks comes at a neurological cost, depleting chemicals we need to concentrate. We think that we're doing a whole bunch of things at once. But we're not actually because the brain doesn't work that way. A number of studies have shown that what Read More...
5 ways to cultivate a positive mindset
How we approach our work is greatly dependent on our mindset.If we're in a good place, it's effortless.If we're stressed or unhappy, everything feels exhausting.As important as it is to be good at what you do, your craft, it is equally as important to practice your approach and master yourself. Read More...
New test for ‘growth mindset’, the theory that anyone who tries can succeed
Can watching short films featuring actors impersonating Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein improve your brainpower? Researchers working in 100 British primary schools will try to find out from September, thanks to a £290,000 grant from the Education Endowment Foundation to test whether instructing Read More...
U.S. begins allowing equity crowdfunding for small companies
Crowdfunding is helping many initiatives becoming realities. The scope of the system could reach even further if companies could use crowdfunding to attract investors. That is now going to happen as this month the SEC, the U.S. securities and exchange commission, will allow small companies to sell Read More...
After a century in decline, black farmers are back and on the rise
A few years ago, while clearing dried broccoli stalks from the tired soil of our land at Soul Fire Farm in upstate New York, I received a cold call from Boston. On the other end was a black woman, unknown to me, who wanted to share her story of trying to make it as a farmer. Through tears, she Read More...
If you are poor and hungry, stealing is not a crime in Italy
When you are hungry, stealing is not a crime. That is the opinion of the Supreme Court of Cassation in Italy. The court overruled a theft conviction against Roman Ostriakov, a homeless Ukrainian, who stole cheese and sausages worth €4.07 ($4.50) in 2011. Ostriakov was caught by another customer Read More...
Leonardo DiCaprio invests in beverage company and donates his shares to Ecuadorian farmers
Leonardo DiCaprio is investing in beverage startup Runa, which works with Ecuadorian farmers to manufacture sustainably produced organic teas and natural energy drinks made from the guayusa plant found in the Amazon. However, DiCaprio isn’t just financially backing the brand, Read More...
In Tanzania, this startup will pay for plastic trash and make 3-D printer filament
It's hard to make a living as a waste picker. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania—where most trash ends up illegally dumped—waste pickers spend up to 12 hours a day walking around the city, collecting and lugging other people's garbage in long plastic bags. It's a valuable service for the city, Read More...
Banks, tech companies move on from bitcoin to blockchain
As a debate raged across the internet Monday over whether the mysterious founder of the bitcoin digital currency had finally been identified, executives at a major bitcoin conference in New York had a simple message: we've moved on. That's because bitcoin, the digital currency, has largely been Read More...