Bright Side

Did you ever think you could serve jail time for a selfie? Well, there’s no country quite like Saudi Arabia, and while it definitely has a colorful culture, some of its traditions and rules are fascinating…. And some are just plain weird!

For example, birth control is often accessible only for married women. Some pharmacies can ask for a marriage certificate before selling contraceptives! If you're a Saudi man, giving flowers to your sweetheart is also not a good idea. Here, women can only receive flowers from other women. And there are no cinemas in Saudi Arabia. The government believes that movies may give men and women inappropriate ideas. Can you imagine that?

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Have you ever noticed that some people could easily gain the trust of everyone and create a positive image of themselves? Jeff Haden, one of the most influential and popular people on LinkedIn and the author of almost 30 business and communication books, explained how they do it. It turns out they know some simple secrets, and today you have a chance to discover them all.

Have you ever thought, for example, how powerful tool a touch is? It helps people understand their emotions better. Expressing your feelings depends on the situation – you could either shake hands or pat someone on the back. This will help you show how sincere your words are, express the right feelings, and gain the trust of others. Interested? Here're really important characteristics that make any person look more confident and charming.

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When you live in a country for many years, everything looks ordinary and familiar. But an outsider will always spot some curious quirks in your customs and behaviors that make them think, “What’s going on here?” Life in the US can puzzle newcomers in many ways, from buying foods and magazines in a pharmacy to deep-frying almost anything you can think of.

For example, if you’re not from the US, it may be puzzling to walk into a pharmacy and see aisles and aisles of over-the-counter meds, toys, makeup, clothes, and even groceries! In America, if a restaurant doesn’t offer free refills on fountain drinks, it’s kind of strange. But in other countries, once you buy one beverage, that’s it! And Americans speak so loud compared to other countries. Whether it’s talking on your cell phone or chatting with a friend over lunch, Americans seem to really like projecting their voice.

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What is the toothiest critter that ever lived on our planet? For example, the strength of human jaws is about 160 pounds per square inch. It’s good to break some tough cookie or a pistachio shell, which is enough for survival in our harsh modern world. But what about more serious contenders?

A mastiff is among the mightiest friends humans have, and it can easily snap a thick branch in two. A lion can show 650 psi — it’s four times stronger than the human’s bite! But did you know that the hyena’s jaw force is higher than that of both lion’s and tiger’s? Well, if hyenas were not cowardly, they would probably be among the most feared animals of the savannah!

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Today it’s difficult (if not impossible) to find a person without a phone. We take them with us everywhere, even in the shower and in bed. However, keeping your phone in some places can be really dangerous for your device and, even worse, for your health.

Did you know, for example, that keeping a phone in the front pocket can have a really negative effect on men’s health? A study from the University of Exeter has proven that the electromagnetic radiation emitted by phones adversely affects the quality and quantity of sperm. The longer a man keeps his phone in his pants, the higher the risk! As for ladies, they aren’t safe either! Even though there’s still no consensus about whether or not cell phone radiation causes cancer, scientists recommend keeping your phone away from your breasts.

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When was the last time you slept like a rock and woke up fresh and full of energy on your own without any alarm or disruptions? Yeah, getting enough good-quality sleep seems impossible for many and raises a lot of questions, like what if you can’t sleep at night? Is it bad to eat right before bed? Why do you feel so tired after long but disrupted sleep?

Oh, the last one is one of the most important issues, right? It turns out that’s because a long slumber sesh that involved you constantly waking up is pretty much the same as a night with really short sleep. So if something keeps waking you at night, it’s best to get the source of the problem figured out!

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Phones make our life easier, more connected and interesting. But they can bring a lot of trouble too. And among the main ones is interference with our private life.

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Have you ever thought about how your muscles work? If you haven't, then welcome to the show! Our today's guests are Muscle, Brain, and Heart. They've got together to tell you more about themselves and each other. Why does Muscle put up with electric shocks Brain gives him? Who can exercise without rest and never get tired? And finally, who's boss here? About this and much more you will learn from today's show.

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You've probably never thought how much the way you live on Earth depends on the size of the Sun! The Sun is a yellow dwarf: a perfect sphere of scorching plasma, generating a magnetic field 24/7. Despite being called a dwarf, its mass is 330,000 times bigger than that of the Earth! And the diameter of this giant is more than 864,000 miles! 

But what if it became a red dwarf? First of all, red dwarf stars are much colder than yellow dwarfs. So the climate all over the planet would be getting colder and colder, and it would become impossible to live too close to the North and the South poles. And quite soon, half of the planet would turn into an icy desert... 

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Have you looked up plane tickets to Florida, and bam, you get bombarded with pop-up ads for sunscreen, swimsuits, and affordable oceanside hotels? Or better yet, you talked about that new lotion with your friends and immediately got an exclusive discount for it online? How is it even possible and if there’s a way to stop it?

If it sounds creepy to you, then think whether you have an app that keeps track of your jogging routes or, for example, tells you where the nearest gas station is. Did you carefully read all the terms and conditions it asked you to agree with as you installed it? Not really? Congratulations! You granted the app the right to trace their location and pass this information over to other companies!

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