Episode Description This week’s lovey-dovey news: Both Karissa and Arielle are feeling the love this week! Karissa shares the love story of Magic and Sphen, the same-sex Gentoo penguin couple from Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium, who became symbols of equality and love. Unfortunately, Sphen passed away recently, and the entire penguin community at Sea Life sang in chorus to grieve the loss of their colony member. Then, Arielle brings up the quirky “secret languages” between couples. This sometimes cringeworthy private habit actually makes us closer and strengthens the relationship. She explains why. The Optimist Daily is a project of The World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http:// Transcript  Theme music  Karissa  Hello and welcome to the Optimist Daily’s weekly roundup. I’m Karissa.  Arielle  And I’m Arielle, and we’re working hard to put solutions in view and optimism in movement.  Karissa  Hello. We’re back again with another episode of our podcast to share the solutions from the Optimist Daily this week. How are you, Arielle?  Arielle  I’m doing well, but if anyone thinks that I sound kind of sniffly, it’s not because I’m sad or because I’m crying.  Karissa  (Laughs)  Arielle  It’s just because I was cutting onions a little bit before we started recording (laughs).  Karissa  Uh. I know. Yeah. When we were talking before this, I was like… are you okay?   Both  (Laugh)  But I am also kind of a teeny bit sniffly; it’s allergy season once again in the Central Valley of California. It’s harvest time starting. So, there’s a lot of dust in the air…  Arielle  I see.  Karissa  …but it is okay. I’m just glad I’m not actually sick.  Arielle  Mm-hm.  Karissa  Because having a fever and everything would be a lot worse.  Arielle  Yeah. You were kind of feeling under the weather last week, weren’t you?  Karissa  Yeah, I was, but I got a pretty nice relaxing weekend. I got a little bit of outdoor time, which was nice, some relaxing outdoor time. Just chilling. But how about you, Arielle? What have you been up to since we last heard from you?  Arielle  Oh, well, I’m halfway through my cat pod (laughs).  Karissa  Ohh yeah (laughs) we were talking about that last week with our craft solution (laughs).  Arielle  Yeah. So, for listeners who didn’t tune in last week, I am… I’m crocheting a cat pod and it’s… it’s quite difficult actually! Like it’s a… it’s like a knuckle breaker.  Karissa  (Laughs)  Arielle  I have to pull the yarn really tight, and it’s important to have it quite, like, stiff. So it would hold its shape.  And yeah, it’s been, umm, a bit of a struggle… but anything for arts and crafts and friendship because I’m making it as a gift (laughs).  Karissa  Yes, exactly (laughs).  Arielle  But other than that, there’s honestly not much to report!  Karissa  Not so much to report, except arts and crafts and improving your happiness so (laughs)…  Arielle  But speaking of, like, emotions and… and happiness, and maybe some sadness and…  Karissa  I was going to say! Cutting back to who’s cutting the onions (laughs)…  Arielle  Yeah (laughs).  Karissa  …like you mentioned earlier… today’s solution is titled Celebrating life, love, and equality: penguins sing to mourn loss of colony member Sphen.   Arielle  Oh, wow.  Karissa  So, I know we’re the Optimist Daily, and this solution is a little bit sad because we lost a penguin in the world who was an icon for gay rights.   But there’s so many lessons that we can learn from Sphen’s life, and we’re going to dive into some of those right now. In this moving display of grief, the penguins at Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium over in Australia recently paid tribute to Sphen, a beloved member of their colony who died of natural causes.   Sphen was more than just another Gentoo penguin. He was one half of a famous same-sex couple who won the hearts of people all across the world. Sphen and his companion Magic became symbols of equality and love, breaking down barriers and inspiring many people.  Arielle  Ah, this is so, so sad. It’s heartbreaking, but also beautiful. And I’m… I’m curious to hear more about their love story.  Karissa  Yeah, so Sphen and Magic’s relationship began in a way that was conventional for their species, but extraordinary and its impact. They were at an aquarium, so their relationship was really on showcase for so many people. And because of social media and the Internet, the world really. So.  Arielle  Mhmm.  Karissa  The two male penguins began their courtship with the Gentoo-specific ritual, which is collecting and giving stones to each other. Renee Howell, the aquarium’s penguin keeper, says: You see penguins searching along the beach, along the ice looking for these perfect pebbles to give their partners. And these stones were more than just marks of devotion. They served as the foundation for their nest, where they would eventually raise their adopted brood.  Arielle  Oh my gosh, they had like a little courting thing going on and then they adopted children! This is… it’s giving me Happy Feet! (laughs).  Karissa  Exactly (laughs).  Arielle  And also with the singing, because you said that everyone grieved by singing.   Karissa  Uh-huh!  Arielle  This is a fascinating ability of penguins and it just goes to show the complexity of animals in the Animal Kingdom.   Karissa  Yeah, I think it’s super fascinating. I mean these are known facts about penguins already, but just being reminded of, like you said, the complexity of animals in general… because there’s a lot of different species that do these courting processes. There’s a lot of different animal species that will also adopt and have, you know, these funeral processes and grieving. So, they have all these complex emotions that I guess we typically associate more with humans, but the Animal Kingdom is so wide and there’s… we like to say there’s more similarities than differences between us.  Arielle  Mm-hmm, yeah.  Karissa  And we’re all part of this world and I think it’s just so beautiful that this article is kind of emphasizing that.   But kind of going more into why this couple rose to fame… this very adorable couple first made headlines in 2018 for successfully adopting and raising a chick named Sphengic. I’m assuming that’s…  Arielle  I guess it’s like Sphen and Magic?  Karissa  Yes, Sphen and Magic.   Both  (Laugh)  Karissa  But they ended up renaming Sphengic to… Lara?  Arielle  Yeah, maybe a more conventional name.  Karissa  And then two years later, they expanded their family by adopting a second chick named Clancy.  Arielle  Aw!  Karissa  According to Howell, she says that same-sex partnerships among penguins are rather common and Sphen and Magic, like any other penguin couple, shared the parenting responsibilities. So Sphen and Magic divvied up the roles quite evenly, she said. And they had a very strong bond in cooperation.  Arielle  And a good example to other parents as well…  Karissa  Totally.   Arielle  …to divide the roles and the tasks of the household and raising children evenly.   Karissa  Yeah.   Arielle  We can take note! (Laughs).  Karissa  Just one of the many lessons we can take from this beautiful partnership. But when Sphen unfortunately died recently, the aquarium workers felt like they had to allow Magic to say farewell. In the wild, a penguin will often search for its absent spouse, and to avoid this, the keeper summoned Magic to examine Sphen’s body. So, he got a proper goodbye.   Arielle  Aw.  Karissa  (Sighs). But like we were saying about this singing, as Magic neared his spouse, he began to sing, and a heartfelt cry was quickly echoed by the entire 45-penguin population. And Howell told The Guardian that it was a very beautiful moment. The air was just filled with their singing, and it showed the impact Sphen had on his partner, and that Magic actually recognized his partner was there, so.  Arielle  Yeah, what a touching farewell. I can just imagine it. And it really emphasizes the love and unity that Sphen and Magic stood for.  Karissa  Though Sphen is no longer among them, his legacy continues. It’s so heartbreaking for the penguin colony, and I’m sure beloved fans all around the world, and the staff too at the aquarium has to be grieving.   But good news for Magic who is now in his first breeding season without Sphen. He has already begun to gather pebbles, which is a hopeful sign that he may be able to start over.   But yeah, nonetheless, Sphen and Magic’s love story has left a very big mark on the hearts of people who love them and the global community they inspired.   I mean, first of all, I love a solution about the power and inspiration of love, especially when it comes to loving who you want to love. So, that is key. Even though we lost Sphen, you know, there’s so much more that he stood for.   And these penguins, being in an aquarium too, I think, are just a great example for children and people of all ages to understand that same-sex love and attraction is inherently natural and not just exclusive to humans. In a world where that fact is not always accepted, I think it’s a very inspiring story that will truly stand the test of time.  Arielle  Mm-hmm.  Karissa  And also, we found out too that, through Sphen and Magic’s global fame, the aquarium has been able to share important messages on conservation, plastic pollution, global warming and the importance of protecting wild penguins through fundraising initiatives. So, kudos to the Sea Life Sydney team for getting Sphen and Magic’s love story out there.  Arielle  Yeah, I just keep imagining them going through life together and raising their… their brood. But on the topic of couples, I also have a little bit of a romantic article (laughs).  Karissa  Okay, yeah!  Arielle  I wanted to get into something pretty fun, but also maybe a little bit cringy.  Both  (Laugh)  Arielle  And that is the secret languages in relationships. So, the article that I chose is titled: How secret languages and intimate communication bring couples closer.  Karissa  Ooh, this is a fun one to dive into.  Arielle  Yeah, a little bit of romance, a little bit of spice, a little bit of funniness!   Karissa  Mm-hmm   Arielle  So, you know those… those quirky little ways couples talk to each other that would probably make anyone else roll their eyes or like, just feel a bit embarrassed.  Karissa  Mm-hm.  Arielle  The thing is, is that they’re actually super important!  Karissa  Okay, so you’re telling me that all the weird baby talk and made-up words couples use are actually good for their relationship? Arielle  Exactly. It turns out that these, quote un quote, secret languages are like the secret sauce of intimacy!   Both  (Laugh)  Arielle  According to a study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, these unique communication styles, whether it’s adding silly syllables to words or coming up with random pet names are crucial for relationship satisfaction, so it’s all about building what researchers call a, quote un quote, culture of two.  Karissa  Culture of two. I like that! I see where this is coming from. But baby talk? I always thought that this was just something parents do with their kids. Or maybe… people do to their pets ‘cause I know I do baby talk to our pets (laughs).  Arielle  Yeah (laughs) I’m… I’m guilty of that. For sure.   Both  (Laugh)  Arielle  But yeah, you’re not alone in that thought. However, the kicker is that 75% of couples admit to using baby talk with each other… and that’s just the couples that admit to doing it! So maybe it’s even more.   And when they’re doing that, it’s not just for laughs. According to Dean Falk, an anthropology professor, this kind of speech actually taps into the emotional centers of our brains. He says it’s pretty much instinctive to talk to loved ones the way our first loves–our mothers–spoke to us. He also adds that baby speak engages the right half of our brains which is in charge of processing emotions, making it an efficient way to express affection.  So, using it is like a fast track to expressing affection and bonding with your partner. And, on that note, I have a personal question to ask you Karissa!  Karissa  (Laughs)  Arielle  But, of course, there’s no pressure to answer on the podcast (laughs). The question is, do you and your partner have any pet names or like secret words?  Karissa  I know! I was thinking of this when we started talking about this article. We’re definitely guilty of some baby talk, and I feel like we don’t really have pet names. I think sometimes…. Maybe we think it’s ironic, but maybe it’s becoming less ironic… we’ll be like ohh pookie.  Arielle  Aww   Both  (Laugh)  Karissa  Like just in private, but I would never like, say it in front of other people. So, like it’s all in private. I guess, you know, whatever we do, all these voices, it makes our relationships stronger as you say.   Arielle  Yeah!   Karissa  And that’s so wild to think! (laughs).  Arielle  Might seem silly, but it is a sign of deep emotional connection. And yeah, I mean, like, at least your pet names make sense.  Karissa  Do you have any Arielle? (Laughs)  Arielle  Honestly, I just say babe.   Karissa  Yeah  Arielle  That’s my go-to. It’s not anything creative or whatever. But his pet names for me… were just like the most random (laughs)…   Karissa  Ohh. Arielle  Yeah, they’re not consistent normally. But he would just be like, hello, my little bottle cap.  Karissa  (Laughs)  Arielle  Or like… Ohh hello sweet broccoli.   Karissa  Aww!  Arielle  Or like, just really, really random things, which I guess is also a version of this weird private language.  Karissa  Uh-huh. Yeah, I think that’s similar.  Arielle  Yeah, exactly.   Karissa  (Laughs)  Arielle  And that’s what the article says. It’s not just baby talk. It’s not just, like, the tone of voice. Couples often develop their own private languages over time.  Karissa  Totally.   Arielle  So things like inside jokes, nicknames, or even funny ways of pronouncing words… like this article references writer Suzanna Weiss, who wrote for The Cut that she and her partner would turn the word hug into higgle hug or dog into diggle dog.   Karissa  (Laughs)  Arielle  The cool part is that the more couples use these kinds of quirky communications, the happier they tend to be. So, it’s like a secret code that says we’re in this together and nobody else gets it.  Karissa  Yeah, I really love that! These little quirks are what make your relationship truly unique.  Arielle  Yeah, totally. These secret languages are more than just playful banter. They’re vocal symbols of your bond. So, you know, the next time you find yourself using a word or a phrase that only you and your partner understand, don’t be embarrassed! You should celebrate it.   Karissa  (Laughs)  Arielle  It’s proof that your relationship is one-of-a-kind.  Karissa  These inside jokes and goofy nicknames. I guess they’re not just endearing, they’re the glue that holds everything together.  Arielle  Yeah. In a way, that’s true. They create a mini world where it’s just the two of you. And that’s something worth cherishing at the end of the day. I guess just go ahead, embrace the cringe in your relationship and your love will be better for it!  Karissa  Ohh that’s really cute. And who knew that being a little weird together could be so good for your love life?  Arielle  Yeah, it makes me think about… well, I don’t wanna humanize Sphen and Magic too much. But, like, maybe they had their own little culture of two as well.  Karissa  Aww! I’m sure they did! Very nice to remember and celebrate their love and just celebrate love in general.   Arielle  Mm-hmm.   Karissa  Like I said, love is a solution worth celebrating in itself.   Arielle  You know, this was a great love-themed roundup of solutions, but we do have some other great solutions from this week that you can find on our website optimistdaily.com including…  Karissa  Work-life balance: Australia grants employees the right to disconnect after hours. The ultimate guide to drying and storing fresh garden herbs for year-round homegrown flavor. Big toe mobility: don’t overlook this humble joint’s big role in health and fitness.   Arielle  (Laughs)  Karissa  I got to read that one. And then we also have Queen of salsa Celia Cruz is first Afro-Latina to be honored on the US quarter.  Arielle  Alright. We also have Texas blends clean energy and sustainable farming with the help of 6000 sheep. Statue of late Civil Rights leader John Lewis replaces Confederate monument in Georgia. Wind and solar energy production in US surpasses coal for the first time in history. And, Harvesting sunflower seeds: a simple guide to enjoying this homegrown summer snack.  Karissa  Cool. Lots of great solutions to check out. But if you want to start your day off right, make sure to subscribe to our free daily newsletter to get our solutions straight to your inbox.  Arielle  We also have a lot more on our social channels. You can find us @optimistdaily on all of our platforms. That includes Threads and Pinterest. The only different one is on X. On there we are @OdeToOptimism.  Karissa  And we are a small team of optimists working hard to bring you positive news. If you want to support our mission of putting optimism into the world, click on the link in the show notes to find out how.  Arielle  And remember that support doesn’t always have to be financial. Even just recommending our podcast to a friend, leaving a positive review on Apple or Spotify, forwarding a link to a loved one, or sharing a solution on your socials would be a huge help.  Karissa   So good to be here with you today Arielle and share these solutions on love and I’m looking forward to being back next week with more from the Optimist Daily!  Arielle  Hope everybody has a love-filled weekend, and we’ll see you next time.   Karissa  Bye, pookie.   Arielle  Bye!  Both  (Laugh)   The post Podcast Transcript August 30, 2024: Farewell Sphen, One Half of Iconic Gay Penguin Couple and Secret Languages in Relationships first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

'Petty and fickle'

'Putting In The Work': Republicans View JD Vance As Invaluable Asset As Campaign Enters Home Stretch

'As president, I will not ban fracking'

Bella's husband is allegedly the one that dialed 911

'Never been overly involved in political campaigns'

The star said he could see his skin peeling off his arm

One of our favorite pop culture icons of the '80s is Mr. T.  The man has done a lot in his life, and we celebrate that by bringing you 12 things you may not know about him.  CONTINUE READING... The post 12 Things You May Not Know About Mr. T appeared first on The Retro Network.

Taxpayer-subsidized National Public Radio shouldn’t be a starting place for aggressively biased coverage against either Democrats or Republicans. But you can ask Clarence Thomas how the machine works. On Aug. 27, NPR veterans affairs reporter Quil Lawrence lit into former President Donald Trump for bringing cameras to a section of Arlington National Cemetery with some families of soldiers killed during President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. The entire manufactured controversy is perverse. It’s obvious NPR is exploiting the cemetery for a political goal, and it then spread to the rest of the national media. Trump is showing support for grieving Gold Star families, while Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris would not appear. They were MIA. But Trump was singled out as the one with grotesque political optics, not the no-shows whose negligence cost American lives. They weren’t seriously considering the Biden-Harris disaster on “All Things Considered.” They could call it “All Democrats Defended.” Conservatives quickly found snapshots from private photographers of Biden in the same sacred section of the Arlington cemetery. That thing cannot be “considered.” In a different segment of this evening newscast, Lawrence and NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman reviewed the third anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing, which led to the death of 13 American service personnel. The segment was headlined: “The chaotic U.S. exit from Afghanistan in 2021 had stems from four administrations.” NPR felt compelled to spread the blame around on everyone. Bowman spun furiously: “It’s important to note that it was the Trump administration that signed this peace deal that was basically a quick exit plan.” Lawrence added, “There is a lot of failure to go around to the four presidents over the 20 years of war.” Lawrence was back the next morning to add another layer of reheated Democrat spin to the mix: “You know, Trump has a controversial history with comments about disabled veterans, though, and about fallen soldiers. Some of his former staff have said Trump called fallen World War II troops losers and suckers for fighting and dying when they had no personal gain at stake. Trump denies these comments, but even this year, he mocked the late John McCain for not being able to raise his arms fully.” One of the most annoying problems with this story is using anonymous cemetery officials to attack Trump’s optics. This leads the public to assume only Trump is being political, that it’s impossible that the people seeking to block Trump and the Gold Star families are partisan Democrats doing damage control. Democratic journalists should be accused of hiding Democratic activism with an undeserved veil of anonymity. Why grant anonymity here? They’re supposedly nonpartisan public officials. Lawrence said they stopped talking: “They’ve told NPR and other media outlets that they’re no longer going to answer any questions about this because they want to protect the identity of the official who confronted the Trump campaign.” Then Lawrence closed with one last insult: “But our source told me that they have never seen this level of disrespectful behavior at Arlington, ever.” This sounds vaguely reminiscent of the anonymous “nonpartisans” at the National Archives that hated Trump so much it eventually led to an armed raid on Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago over some presidential papers. Trump is always the loutish supervillain, and the people heaping negative press on him are painted as patriotic anonymous bureaucrats. This is the corrupt nature of public broadcasting, loaded almost entirely with partisan Democrats, subsidized by Democratic politicians to provide mudslinging campaign ads disguised as “journalism.” It’s not “public” radio. It’s for the socialist half of the public. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post NPR Exploits Arlington Cemetery for Politics appeared first on The Daily Signal.

How do accomplished radicals elect a mediocre far-left presidential candidate? The task might at first seem impossible. Kamala Harris is currently a radical incumbent vice president. For more than three years, she was second in command to an unprecedentedly unliked Democrat president, his failed policies, and his unpopular record. Harris herself had compiled a hard-left trail over her own entire career while loudly boasting indiscreetly to leftist audiences of being proudly “woke” and “radical.” Most challenging for a Harris candidacy makeover was the long, entrenched Democratic Party’s reluctance to remove a debilitated President Joe Biden from the Democratic ticket. Why? Because Harris was deemed such a liability that she had become a Spiro Agnew-like insurance policy for a failing Biden. Until just recently, Democrats had considered an unpopular and enfeebled Biden nonetheless far preferable to an incoherent, lightweight, and widely ridiculed potential replacement Vice President Harris. After all, she had never before entered a presidential primary. She never won a single delegate by voting. She failed miserably as a candidate in 2020. And she co-owns the unpopular record of an even more unpopular president. The complete Harris makeover requires 15 radical rules followed to the letter: 1. Remake Harris as an entirely fresh happy face. She’s about joy and vibe—which trumps position papers and policy statements. Banish all thoughts that she is an incumbent vice president and co-owns the last four years of the Biden administration. 2. Ignore/deny that Harris as vice president could have long ago enacted her new makeover proposal—or could do so right now in the remaining five months of her administration’s tenure. She was the last person out of the room when Biden made those awful decisions. 3. For the next 70 days, reinvent Harris as a moderate. Xerox much of Donald Trump’s current more popular agenda. Have Harris claim it as her own. Reboot her as a border hawk, a China hawk, a defense hawk, a budget hawk, and a law-and-order hawk. 4. The word-salad Harris must not do a single unscripted media interview, live town hall, extemporaneous chat, ambush hot mic, or lecture without a teleprompter. 5. Harris must not offer any policy proposals such as her harebrained price controls that deviate from her 70-day new centrist image and teleprompted scripts. 6. Do not mention Biden at all. Harris is not to be seen with him in photos or at events. Create a vaguely joyful but completely imaginary, “Harris record.” Separate it from the miserable Biden-Harris administration. Leak that she was unhappy with Biden. 7. Call Trump a mobster, criminal, insurrectionist, and dictator nonstop. Never provide any evidence to support such charges. When challenged, double down and let loose with worse invective. 8. Talk about abortion nonstop. But never dare mention the word. Relabel abortion “reproductive rights.” Falsely reinvent Trump as a radical anti-abortionist who wants a federal ban. 9. Follow the 2020 successful Biden “basement” strategy: keep out of the public eye, silent on the issues, reliant on 70 percent of the ballots not being cast on Election Day, and outsourcing the campaign to the fusion media and billionaire class. 10. Harangue about race and gender nonstop. Define the election as a stark binary between a “young” oppressed but dynamic black woman and an old oppressor racist white guy. 11. Reinvent the “journey” and life “story” of Harris—the child of two PhDs—into a hardscrabble, lifelong struggle against poverty, systemic racism, and greedy “billionaires” like Trump. She is always to be from Oakland—never Berkeley. 12. Talk about transparency nonstop. Feign a willingness to have three or four debates. But agree to hold only one—and only on a left-wing network. Promise interviews and town halls endlessly. Enter into discussions about them. But always delay, stonewall, and evade for the next 10 weeks. 13. Meet privately and endlessly with the megarich donor class that helped to remove Biden. Assure Wall Street, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley grandees that banter about wealth taxes, taxes on unearned income, and higher corporate taxes are mere campaign posturing. Then outraise Trump again 3-1. 14. Privately assure leftist activists and Democrat politicos that any backslidings from supporting lifelong left-wing advocacies are temporary and necessary 70-day pretexts. Instead look at what Harris actually does after Nov. 5, not anything she must say before then. 15. Control and modulate the street. Anti-Trump protests are a legitimate “movement” that are “not going to let up. And they should not.” Any violent anti-Trump demonstrator should be bailed out immediately. All anti-Democrat, anti-Harris demonstrations should be deterred. A large police presence must be proactive with as many arrests as possible, with barriers, and plenty of backup. Protest leaders should be given private concessions and incentives to tone down their people. Copyright by Tribune Content Agency We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post New Rules for Radicals—How to Reinvent Kamala Harris appeared first on The Daily Signal.