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.
Painting peace in the Middle East
This Arabic artist fuses calligraphy with graffiti to paint colorful, swirling messages of hope and peace on buildings from Tunisia to Paris. The artist and TED Fellow shares the story of his most ambitious project yet: a mural painted across 50 buildings in Manshiyat Naser, a district of Cairo, Read More...
Walkable cities make people smarter
People who live in “walkable” cities are healthier, happier and smarter. Residents of walkable cities tend to have a higher proportion of college grads, according to a new survey. However, the research is not clear which direction the correlation goes. It could be that well-educated people Read More...
Mind over mat: how yoga is helping refugee women
On Tuesday mornings female refugees like Eden come to practise yoga. The sessions are run by Ourmala, a voluntary organisation that every week gives around 60 refugee women a safe space to breathe, heal and rehabilitate. Today, Eden, an Eritrean refugee, is joined in the modestly sized studio space Read More...
Here's why fintechs are turning to equity crowdfunding for investment
Equity crowdfunding refers to when investors, including the general public, invest in an unlisted company in exchange for shares. It's usually facilitated through a digital platform. Recently, we've seen a number of fintechs leverage equity crowdfunding platforms for funding rounds — and investor Read More...
The central bankers’ bold new idea: Print Bitcoins
When it comes to bitcoin and digital currencies, central banks might be considering the adage: “If you can’t beat them, join them.” In a research paper published on Monday, economists at the Bank of England advocated that central banks issue their own kind of digital currency. Read More...
Researchers design a solar-powered desalination device for rural India
Many villages in rural India have to dig wells 50 to 70 meters deep to access drinking water. With India’s 1.3 billion people and counting, the wells need to go deeper and deeper. And with the aquifers getting deeper the salinity level of the water often increases. Too much salt is detrimental to Read More...
Women are on the frontline of making peace in Colombia last
Church bells rang out, echoing across Colombia. People held signs in the streets and posted exuberant messages online: the last day of the war. That day last month, when the ceasefire was signed, could have been the last day of the war, but a piece of paper is no guarantee. Realising the Read More...
Development 2.0: Can new cities with new rules help end poverty?
This entrepreneur and Stanford-economist has an unconventional, politically incorrect idea to end poverty. He’s trying to help the poorest countries grow rich—by convincing them to establish foreign-run “charter cities” within their borders. Remember Britain’s lease of Hong Kong? Most Read More...
The secret of anti-terror architecture: Your city is probably safer than you realize
No one wants to live behind barricades and barbed wire, but everyone wants to feel safe, particularly in the wake of horrifying, unforeseeable massacres like last week’s July 14 truck attack in Nice, France. The problem is that erecting fortress-like protections is, in a way, giving into Read More...
Coffee with a conscience: Cafes that are breaking down barriers
The United Kingdom is witnessing a new wave of cafes run as social enterprises. Cafes-with-a-conscience or a cause. A Bristol café is promoting multiculturalism post-Brexit. You can drink an artisan coffee in east or south London at Brewbird, which trains ex-offenders in barista and baking Read More...