Bright Side

“So many countries, so many customs.” Any jet-setter will agree this good old proverb is true. In the age of globalization, going places has become an essential part of our life. We’re all well aware of the fact that while visiting a foreign country, we must obey certain local traditions and common rules.

What would you do if you walked into a bathroom and instead of toilet paper, you found a bowl of water? And no instructions either! Or, what if warding off bad luck meant talking to birds at the park? Sure, these things may seem wacky to you, but they’re pretty normal customs in other countries. And some actually sound pretty fun!

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How to boost your mental power? Statistics show that 14% of young Americans experience a decline in their brain function. Your brain, just like your muscles, needs to be exercised in order to function properly. So if you’re feeling sluggish, having troubles concentrating, or just can’t seem to think straight, yoga experts have some simple and effective tips to boost your brain function!

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It all started about a century and a half ago. Girls just stopped being born — every child in every family was a boy. At first, people didn’t pay much attention to it, and in some more traditional cultures, it was even considered good luck! Families got hale and hearty heirs, and all was well.

But then, after a while, they started feeling that something was off. This was especially evident in smaller communities, where children weren’t born as often as in big cities and everyone knew each other. A boy here, a boy there. No girls in sight. Ten years passed, and there were hundreds and thousands of boys approaching their teenage years — but still no girls...

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We all know that garlic is really good for our health and our immune system. But we are so used to it that we don’t even notice the uniqueness of this product. Did you know that the beneficial properties of this food are not just limited to protecting you from getting a cold? Have you ever heard about garlic water?

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Failure is always unpleasant; however, we can choose whether to get upset or benefit from it. What happens to you is one side of the story, how you react to it is the other, more important side. Bright Side found 11 positive sides of failure. All you have to do is use them to your advantage.

Failure can help you find yourself! A realist knows a change will do you good. For example, a ruined dress can help you start a career of a tailor. So when you face failure, smile at it and use it as a chance to find a new you!

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The titan of the sea, the great unsinkable ship that sank – over a century later, the mystery of the Titanic is still being studied to this day. Only a third of the ship’s passengers survived, while over 1,500 lost their lives. But out of all those casualties, only 340 bodies were recovered. So, the question remains: what happened to the remaining 1,160?

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SUMMARY:

- In 1996 Americans with Internet access spent less than 30 minutes a month surfing the web. Yet these days, people spend about 15 hours or more a week in front of their computers, TVs, and smartphones.

- The new generation is too practical to cry over lost things and people. They’re explorers and adventure seekers.

- Partners still share a bed, but a different kind of distance has grown between them. The biggest hindrance between couples these days is the increased use of technology.

- Who knew that just a few decades later, we’d be getting our money out just like you would a cold soda from a vending machine.

- Over 100 countries have already banned the use of corporal punishment on children in schools. And if a teacher decides to break the law and put their hands on a student, news travels fast thanks to social media and that teacher will face the consequences!

- Worldometers puts the current global population at more than 7.6 billion and growing.

- On an overpopulated planet with a housing situation the way it is, cities don’t have the space and people don’t have the money for large homes.

- There was a time when kids would get together and go out to play. Outdoor activity was a great source of physical exercise and helped strengthen their social bonds.

- There used to be these ancient things called picnics, house parties, and backyard social gatherings.

- Huge piles of paperwork and long nights at the office have now been replaced by an array of work-from-home options.

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How do you imagine a lighthouse keeper’s job? Probably like an introvert’s paradise: you’re alone on a rock in the middle of the sea, looking out at the raging waves and keeping the light on. But lack of people around has its downside too: no one will know if something happens to you. And that was exactly the case with the keepers of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse…

It was a fine and calm day on December 15, 1900. In such weather conditions, lighthouses aren’t crucial for the safety of passing ships. But still, it was unusual for the Archtor, a steamer passing by the Flannan Isles on its way from Philadelphia, to notice that the lighthouse on Eilean Mor was not operational.

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Bermuda Triangle earned its terrifying reputation by swallowing countless ships and airplanes, leaving no trace behind. But recently, the Bermuda Triangle has added another mystery to its record: Cuban coast guards came across a ship that had gone missing more than 90 years ago!

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Every country has its customs and … a list of banned food ingredients. Yep. Things you can always find on the shelf of your local grocery store might be off limits somewhere else in the world. That’s not just a cultural phenomenon, but a matter of health and safety.

For example, in Europe and Great Britain, selling chicken treated with chlorine has been banned since 1997. Since 2010, chlorinated chicken has also been banned in Russia. Farmed salmon is banned from a list of countries, including Australia and New Zealand. Raw, or unpasteurized milk, is so common in Europe, especially in Austria and Switzerland, you can buy it from a vending machine there. However, it’s been banned in about half of the United States for the past thirty years. So you guys might want to reconsider your list the next time you go shopping.

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