Discussion
Could you tackle the hardest karaoke song in the world?
A new video is making the rounds on social media after tourists in Iceland attempted to crack what has been dubbed the ‘hardest karaoke song in the world’. The tongue-twisting sing-a-long – which is similar to Monty Python’s Finland song - was created to launch Iceland’s A-Ö tourism campaign and features a string of notoriously tricky Icelandic words. Iceland’s native language is among the most difficult in the world to learn and since humans first arrived in the country in...
“They were my darkest, darkest days. How could the most joyful time of my life end up being the cruellest?”
Home-Start Birmingham has been supporting families across the city for almost 30 years, it’s part of a wider network of local Home-Starts across the UK. The family support charity recruits and trains local parent volunteers to offer emotional and practical support to families in their own homes; families who are struggling to cope, which in turn, affects their ability to parent their children well. In Birmingham, we see families face many issues; poverty, domestic violence, illness, disability, isolation, the list...
Shoppers of the future could wear electroencephalogram headsets for inspiration
Shoppers of the future could be kitted out with electroencephalogram headsets to find the items they really love, according to neuroscience experts. The world’s first subconscious shopping experience was unveiled this week in London giving a glimpse of how shopping could look in the future. The headsets were worn by guests at a revolutionary new concept space to unlock micro-moments of inspiration. An art-fuelled space combined visual cues found in displayed artworks with items from the eBay marketplace which produce a similar...
Do the young have to focus too much on employability?
Alarmingly, according to the Mental Health Foundation, suicide contributes to the most deaths among British young people between the ages of 20 and 34, coincidentally during the period when they are most likely to be seeking to establish a career for themselves. Additionally, the Foundation reveals that 50% of mental health problems are felt by the young age of 14 and 75% by 24. While there are many triggers for the high levels of mental health problems experienced by youths,...
Black History Month 2017 – Stories of young black people supported by Barnardo’s in Victorian London
Barnardo’s has been improving the lives of vulnerable children and young people for more than 150 years. It was the first children’s charity in England to take in vulnerable black and mixed heritage children. Today, Barnardo’s supports young carers, care leavers, foster carers and adoptive parents, training and skills or parenting classes. Last year 272,000 children, young people and families were supported through more than 1,000 services across the UK. Javed Khan, Barnardo’s Chief Executive, said: “Barnardo’s started its work...
The curious life of a sofa
The average sofa will witness 1,236 arguments, have 2,728 drink and food spillages on it – and see blokes sleeping on it after getting kicked out of bed 191 times, a study has found. Over the course of the average 11-year life of a sofa, it will also see couples kiss 2,105 times, families sit down to watch 3,135 films and 2,299 hours – almost 96 days - of phone conversations. It will also be home to people watching a...
Shopping could be more stimulating than sex – scientists find
Shopping could be more stimulating than SEX, according to a pioneering neuroscience study. Scientists have today unveiled the physiological effects of shopping on the human brain, revealing how “inspired shopping” can deliver moments of prolonged highs in the brain comparable to sexual intercourse. Experts isolated the secrets to better browsing by analysing Gamma brainwaves which are scientifically linked with higher mind-states of creativity and extreme pleasure. Partnering with mind-tech experts, MyndPlay, the data unveiled some astounding insights about how Brits...
My Story – Doctor who cared for me after gang rape made me want to become a medic to help others like me
A story of resilience and hope…Liz’s story It was a vicious crime, attracting international condemnation and media outrage across the world. One night in 2013, a 16-year-old girl was gang raped as she returned home from her grandfather’s funeral in Western Kenya. After being brutally assaulted and beaten by six young men that she knew, her attackers threw her into a 12ft-deep pit latrine, leaving her for dead. The victim, referred to as “Liz” in order to protect her identity,...
My Story – Parents were told I would never speak…now i’m an ambassador for a children’s communication charity
Elizabeth Ainge has been an ambassador and local champion for I CAN for over 15 years and is an alumna of I CAN’s Dawn House School in Nottinghamshire. I CAN is the children's communication charity. She shares her inspiring story. When I was six months old we moved as a family to Stafford. While we were there my mum took me to the health visitor because she could see that I was struggling to talk. The health visitor said, “No,...