We invite you to think of how to tend to your own connection needs while also thinking about those in your community. All of us will need tremendous energy for the emotional work ahead.
As cities all over the world shut down to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, videos emerged on the internet: Italians singing from their balconies, policemen in Spain playing guitar while on patrol and New York City apartment dwellers singing along to The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” from their windows.
People tend to be extremely nostalgic about the music they listened to when they were young. If you were a teenager in the 1970s, chances are you will love Queen, Stevie Wonder or ABBA.
- By John Ellis
TV viewing has become more important during the pandemic, but a sense of shame still lingers around it. Even TV scholars still use the term “guilty pleasures” to describe their enjoyment of reality TV or series which attract some of the biggest viewing audiences, such as I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here,
- By Emma Hayes
Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden has been described as “the most significant children’s book of the 20th century.” The novel is a sensitive and complex story, which explores how a relationship with nature can foster our emotional and physical well-being.
Like many people, you may have resolved this New Year to read more in 2021 and spend less time on your screens. And now you may be wondering how to find the time to do it...
Like several classics penned during the golden age of children’s literature, The Wind in the Willows was written with a particular child in mind.
For most of us, 2020 was an exhausting year. The COVID-19 pandemic heralded draining physical health concerns, social isolation, job dislocation, uncertainty about the future and related mental health issues.
- By Brett Healey
Ask a child why they write and you might receive a common response: the teacher told me to. Kids often lack confidence as writers and find it emotionally draining. The problem might be the classroom and...
The COVID-19 pandemic brought the global tourism industry to a screeching halt in 2020. With vaccines starting to be rolled out, there is hope international travel can resume soon, but exactly when — and how — is the million-dollar question.
As the COVID pandemic took hold in March, Ohio’s Brady Sluder went to Miami for spring break, despite urgent calls for people to stay home and socially distance.
The first Christmas card was, perhaps predictably, one of good cheer. The concept is commonly credited to Sir Henry Cole, the founder of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent Britons Googling this past fall when he said “a stitch in time saves nine” to describe actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
With the pandemic limiting travel over the holiday season, many Americans will be settling in front of the television to watch their favorite holiday movies, along with their favorite drink – a cup of hot apple cider or a glass of wine – to add some cheer.
J.K. Rowling famously wrote her Harry Potter series from local cafés and, eventually, out of a five-star hotel. She found that working from home had too many distractions, including child-care responsibilities. Instead, she simply needed a quiet and simulating place to work that was free of distractions and allowed her to be productive.
- By Peter Goggin
Mermaids – underwater creatures that are half fish and half human – do not exist except in people’s imaginations. Scientists who study the ocean for the United States have investigated their possible existence and say no evidence of mermaids has ever been found.
- By Sarah Brooks
Whether you look forward to the Christmas party or see it as a seasonal obligation, that time of year is here again. Restrictions on social interactions mean that workplaces are turning to virtual Christmas parties as the trend of working remotely in 2020 continues.
It’s Christmas 2020 and COVID-19 is unfortunately still here. Many people will be visiting loved ones, including vulnerable family members.
- By Vicky Oliver
As the pandemic restricts plans, long distance trips to visit relatives or meals with family and friends may be replaced with a video call. Still, you would like loved ones to know that they are remembered over the holidays. Make their gifts personal and meaningful without exceeding your budget.
The Beginner’s Guide is a narrative video game with no goals or objectives. Instead, it tells the story of a person whose psyche is slowing unravelling. Along the way, it touches on issues of depression, loneliness and self-doubt.
- By Jenny Adams
In the closing sequence of “The Queen’s Gambit,” the chess-playing heroine, Beth Harmon, defeats her archrival Vasily Borgov at the Moscow Invitational.
As restrictions ease around the country and the prospect of travel beckons, many of us will be planning road trips for the holiday season. To ensure your trip is memorable in the best rather than the worst way, here are some things you and your fellow travellers can do to reduce the risk of becoming infected with, or spreading, COVID on your trip.