© selected from The Philosophy Book, DK

Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them. - Voltaire

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. - William Shakespeare

Happy is he who has overcome his ego. - Siddhartha Gautama

I am a citizen of the world. - Socrates

I died as a mineral and became a plant.
I died as a plant and rose to animal.
I died as animal and I was Man. - Rumi

It is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things. - René Descartes

Man is but a reed, the weakest nature; yet he is a thinking reed. - Blaise Pascal

Immense harm is caused by the belief that work is virtuous. - Bertrand Russell

The morality of work is the morality of slaves, and the modern world has no need of slavery. - Bertrand Russell

What sort of a world can we prepare for our great-grandchildren? - Richard Rorty

get down to (something)

It’s time to stop delaying and get down to work.

Let’s get down to business.

get down to work

You need to get down to work if you want to finish the assignment on time.

standout

standout

noun

She is a standout among the available candidates.

stand out

verb

His performance really stood out.

derby

derby

noun

Kentucky Derby

octogenarian

octogenarian

noun

The octogenarian uses a cane for walking.

hantavirus

hantavirus

noun

Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship.

lithium

lithium

noun

lithium-ion battery

Kale（羽叶甘蓝）

Leek（韭葱）

Artichoke（洋蓟）

Brussels sprout（抱子甘蓝，球芽甘蓝，比利时小卷心菜）

Asparagus（芦笋）

Parsley（欧芹）

Chard（莙荙菜，唐莴苣）

Beetroot（甜菜）

Kohlrabi（球茎甘蓝）

Parsnip（欧防风）

Fennel（球形茴香）

Basil（罗勒）

In the 1930s, Danish landscape architect Carl Theodor Sørensen noticed that his neighborhood’s children loved playing in old building sites. Watching kids swing from exposed beams, scavenge for scrap materials, and hammer together bridges inspired him to transform an abandoned housing estate into a dedicated junk playground. Sørensen’s site became a huge success, and soon countries throughout Europe were making playgrounds out of derelict building yards and even former World War I bomb sites. These environments might look dangerous, especially to 21st century parents who tend to be far more anxious about their childrens’ safety than previous generations. But research has found these seemingly scary setups teach kids important lessons that standard playgrounds don’t.

Play is profoundly important for childhood development. Creating games and following rules helps teach problem solving. Moving our bodies through varied terrain helps hone our motor control. And playing with others lets us practice language and refine our social skills. Since play comes naturally to all of us, children are likely to develop these skills in most environments. But researchers have identified a few factors that can maximize these benefits. Chief among them is freedom. Play is all about experimentation, and kids need the agency to explore and shape their surroundings without adults getting in the way. The next factor is novelty — kids are always hungry for new and unpredictable play elements. Finally, they need time to see their plans through.

While we could all use more time to play, the best play environments offer freedom and novelty that kids can explore as much or as little as they like. But traditional playgrounds don’t offer much flexibility here. Swings, slides, and climbing frames are hardly novel structures. They also have relatively low affordance — a term used by play researchers to indicate how open-ended an object’s design is. Items with high affordance, like a sandbox, can be interacted with in many ways. Meanwhile, objects with low affordance, like a slide, were designed with a single use in mind. Even when kids are creative enough to find new uses for low affordance objects, they’re still more limited playthings. To address these problems, some designers are looking back at Europe’s junk playgrounds to create modern adventure playgrounds — big, open spaces full of high affordance structures and free play possibilities. Berlin’s Kolle 37 features scrap and building tools for kids to manipulate. In Tokyo’s muddy Harapa Park, children shape water slides, sink holes, and splash pools out of the natural landscape. And in London’s Glamis Adventure Playground kids burn things in fire pits, with the help of play worker employees.

While some parents worry these unpredictable spaces are too dangerous, play researchers like Ellen Sandseter would say this so-called risky play is essential. Giving kids the space to experiment with fast speeds, high heights and getting lost helps them develop better judgment and confidence. In fact, risky play is how kids learn to manage risk and keep themselves safe. One study even found that kids were more likely to get seriously injured in traditional playgrounds — perhaps because adventure playgrounds encourage them to be more aware of their surroundings. Risky play also helps develop skills for managing mental health. Experimenting with small doses of uncertainty gets kids used to life being unpredictable, helping them better manage anxiety for years to come.

Adventure playgrounds aren’t the only places for risky play. Nature playgrounds encouraging kids to explore creeks, caves, and tree climbing combine the perks of risk-taking with the health benefits of connecting with nature. Meanwhile, other designers are working to bring more freedom and novelty to traditional designs. This Philadelphia park features a 30-person mega-swing, and Nebraska’s Omaha Riverfront Playground uses a ribbon of multi-layered decking as a play spine, warping up and down to reveal secret tunnels and rope forests.

So the real key is to design a variety of playgrounds, supporting a wide range of activities that promote fun, agency, and a dash of uncertainty — inviting kids to fill in the possibilities.

早春呈水部张十八员外

韩愈

天街小雨润如酥，草色遥看近却无。
最是一年春好处，绝胜烟柳满皇都。

莫道官忙身老大，即无年少逐春心。
凭君先到江头看，柳色如今深未深。

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春夜喜雨

杜甫

好雨知时节，当春乃发生。
随风潜入夜，润物细无声。
野径云俱黑，江船火独明。
晓看红湿处，花重锦官城。

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忆江南

白居易

江南好，风景旧曾谙。
日出江花红胜火，春来江水绿如蓝。
能不忆江南？

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绝句

杜甫

两个黄鹂鸣翠柳，一行白鹭上青天。
窗含西岭千秋雪，门泊东吴万里船。

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渔歌子

张志和

西塞山前白鹭飞，
桃花流水鳜鱼肥。
青箬笠，绿蓑衣，
斜风细雨不须归。

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三衢道中

曾几

梅子黄时日日晴，小溪泛尽却山行。
绿阴不减来时路，添得黄鹂四五声。

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小池

杨万里

泉眼无声惜细流，树阴照水爱晴柔。
小荷才露尖尖角，早有蜻蜓立上头。

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晓出净慈寺送林子方

杨万里

毕竟西湖六月中，风光不与四时同。
接天莲叶无穷碧，映日荷花别样红。

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山行

杜牧

远上寒山石径斜，白云生处有人家。
停车坐爱枫林晚，霜叶红于二月花。

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枫桥夜泊

张继

月落乌啼霜满天，江枫渔火对愁眠。
姑苏城外寒山寺，夜半钟声到客船。

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逢雪宿芙蓉山主人

刘长卿

日暮苍山远，天寒白屋贫。
柴门闻犬吠，风雪夜归人。

Positive.News

Issue 124 / January-March 2026

Romania’s recycling revolution lifts off

A deposit return scheme for drink bottles and cans in Romania has proved a game-changer, with an astonishing 94% of containers now recycled

“You go to Romania now, you don’t see a bottle anywhere”, said RetuRo CEO Gemma Webb. “It was the impossible made possible. Everybody’s very proud”.

China’s emissions flatline amid solar boom

Crop yields soar thanks to solar panels

solar can boost harvests rather than hinder them.

inventive teens will always find ways to dodge the ban.

Waterloo Region Record

Monday, April 20, 2026

Researchers find traces of opioids in Ontario fish population

Drugs like fentanyl, methadone and antidepressants are showing up in freshwater fish

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PM lands on Time’s most influential people list

his frequent nickname in the banking world, “George Clooney of finance”

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

‘Waddleloo’ map offers students safe passage from nesting geese

University of Waterloo student Anirudh Dabas created Waddleloo to help students navigate areas where geese have been spotted. He likens the birds to an “unofficial final boss.”

Opinion

What will it be like when Premier Ford’s regional chair doesn’t care what you think?

Luisa D’Amato

Ford has consolidated and expanded his influence to the point that Ontario has become a kind of flawed democracy, with no balance of power

51st-state talk gets put on ice — for now

Donald Trump’s views on Canadian sovereignty appear to be constantly in motion, weaving back and forth like his social media feed.

Thanks to a British author, we learned this week that all the 5lst-state talk is now on the back burner for two reasons: one lies in Trump’s respect for King Charles, and, maybe more significantly, the president doesn’t have enough time to annex this nation. In a book excerpt published in the U.K. by the Daily Mail, author and royalty expert Robert Hardman recounts a conversation he had with Trump late last year.

It’s worth pausing here to flag a couple of things. If this really was the first time Trump had reflected on the monarchy’s status in Canada, he missed some large signals sent last year. Most notably, King Charles read the throne speech last May and politely underlined that Canada was to remain “the true north, strong and free.” That was largely interpreted as the King telling Trump to cut it out on the annexation talk. Perhaps Trump wasn’t listening that day.
Similarly, perhaps the president’s attention was elsewhere when King Charles made a flurry of symbolic gestures in the months after the 5lst-state talk seemed to be on the rise - planting a Canadian maple tree at Buckingham Palace, for instance.

So maybe Canada can thank Hardman for reminding Trump that when he threatens Canada, he threatens the British monar-hy he so admires. But it should be also pointed out that the resident has not stopped taunting Carney as the “future gover-or of Canada,” which he did as recently as last month, a good few onths after he talked to Hardman.

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Mac to the future

Apple’s 50-year odyssey has redefined technology, pop culture and comeback stories

by Michael Liedtke

A scrawny hippie and a nerdy engineer who became prank-playing friends vowed to change the world when they founded a Silicon Valley startup on April Fools’ Day 50 years ago and then - no joke - pulled it off.

Eye on the area photos

Trumpeter Swan - It’s beautiful when you go on a trail walk and get a surprise seeing over 20 trumpeters swans at Mill Pond in Cambridge.

Holy Bible

Origin of the Bible

No book in the history of the world has wielded as much influence on civilization as the Holy Bible. The Bible is unique in that it had God as its Author, while all other books were composed by human beings. It is indeed, the Book of Books.

The End Of The Certain World

by Nancy Thorndike Greenspan

p12

“The loveliest feast” of the year was Christmas, complete with presents and a tree that the four hildren decorated with their own handiwork of gilded apples, long paper chains, and strings of raisins and almonds. For the children, at least, assimilation vas a fact.

Still, he wanted them to know the Bible because so much of western culture was infused with its images.

not bad

Even missing the cheese, the tacos were not bad.

They won twice in a row. Not bad for beginners.

THe food was OK. Not bad. Nothing special.

nothing else

There’s nothing else to say.

fleabane

fleabane

noun

Those volunteer zinnias or the fleabane that popped up in the middle of your roses may add to the wild garden aesthetic, so consider leaving them there. — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026

violet

violet

noun

When to Skip Mowing in May If your backyard looks more like a tapestry lawn—patches of violet, yellow, and white mini blossoms—than an uninterrupted blanket of green that resembles a golf course, then No Mow May is for you. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 8 Apr. 2026

trillium

trillium

noun

Come in spring when migratory warblers fill the trees and trilliums bloom along the Heron Rookery Trail. — Alexandra Gillespie, AFAR Media, 19 Sep. 2025

goldenrod

goldenrod

noun

Milkweed and moths at screens, fields of corn and goldenrod and Queen Anne’s lace. — Karen Brown, The Atlantic, 31 Aug. 2021

touch-me-not

touch-me-not

noun

The leaves and petals of the touch-me-not have been traditionally used by Korean girls and women to dye their fingernails in the summer, and there’s even a superstition that if there’s still some dye left on your fingernails by the time the first snow falls, then your first love will come true. — Regina Kim, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024

black-eyed Susan

black-eyed Susan

noun

Pick colorful, feel-good plants such as summer coleus and petunia, fall aster and black-eyed Susan, winter’s fragrant golden Mexican orange and camellia sasanqua, and your favorite spring flowers. — oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2021

milkweed

milkweed

noun

Monarchs rely on one group of plants on which to lay their eggs: the milkweeds. — Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, 28 July 2016

lily

lily

noun

The trail takes visitors along Rottenwood Creek where, at this time of year, thousands of dimpled trout lilies (Erythronium umbilicatum) create bright yellow carpets on the hillsides and stream banks. — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 7 Mar. 2026

weasel

weasel

noun

Weasel

rinse

rinse

verb

rinse out the mouth

I rinsed my face in the sink.

laser

laser

noun

laser beam

laser printer

doctors using a laser to perform delicate eye surgery

maser

maser

noun

In 1960, physicist Ted Maiman developed the laser by building on its 1950s predecessor, the maser. — John Ballato, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2026

In fact, observations of these masers have proved that our Milky Way is a magnificent example of a spiral galaxy. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2025

dusk

dusk

noun

The park closes at dusk.

adjective

beginning to grow dusk outside

verb

the dusking room

dissipation

dissipation

noun

Insulation helps prevent the dissipation of heat from houses in the winter.

hippie

hippie

noun

Why are acorn woodpeckers the hippies of the bird world? — Kelcie Pegher, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023

But a lot of things were happening in the 60s, like the hippie movement. — National Geographic, 10 Mar. 2018

embodiment

embodiment

noun

Mother Theresa was often regarded as the embodiment of selfless devotion to others.

Nvidia, the leading maker of AI chips, is the embodiment of the AI boom. — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2025

He was once cheered as the embodiment of the Chinese dream. — New York Times, 8 July 2021

confide

confide

verb

He confided that he was very unhappy with his job.

My heart is open to anyone who needs someone to confide in. — Jake Adams, The Courier-Journal, 7 Oct. 2022

Who wants to confide in someone who doesn’t understand you? — Jessica Marie Garcia, refinery29.com, 13 July 2020

reserved

reserved

adjective

She is a very reserved young woman.

The front row is reserved for faculty.

sob

sob

verb

sobbed out her grief

She could not stop sobbing.

“I hate you,” she sobbed.

noun

He’s one arrogant/tough/greedy SOB.

I hate that miserable SOB.

glow

glow

verb

The coals glowed in the fireplace.

This toy glows in the dark.

noun

We could see the glow of the lamp in the window.

Their problems were all forgotten in the glow of victory.

slim

slim

adjective

She looked slim and fit for her age.

verb

She started exercising to slim her thighs.

I’ll skip dessert; I’m slimming.

lovebird

lovebird

noun

Artemis

Artemis

noun

Artemis II

rough

rough

adjective

a rough draft

The design is still a bit rough around the edges. = the design needs refinement

Don’t be so rough on them for the mistake. = don’t criticize or punish them so harshly

we’ve had some rough times

The First Step to Take When You’re Having a Rough Day

unprecedented

unprecedented

adjective

The team has enjoyed unprecedented success this year.

scam

scam

noun

Financial scams and fraud come in many different forms, including text messages, emails, or phone calls, and often these fraudulent communications are designed to look like they are coming from your bank. - TD Bank

brain rot

brain rot

noun

This meme gave me brainrot. - The Brainrot Industrial Complex

As a result of too much screen time, brain rot might be associated with symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, reduced attention span and an inability to self-regulate. — Sarah Jacoby

People are assigning themselves homework to combat brain rot and improve their attention spans. There are no grades and no hard deadlines, just the satisfaction that comes with enriching your mind … — Daniel Wine

Just like teenagers or young adults who can display physical and cognitive signs when they consume an overload of brain rot, so do young children. — Lindsay Freiberger

insolvency

insolvency

noun

inability to pay debts

bankruptcy

unless the economy improves, many resorts in the area face insolvency

This means more retailers may soon be on the brink of insolvency. — Sommer Saadi, Bloomberg.com, 9 Feb. 2023

by Gwilym Fielden Hughes

People are always talking about ‘the problem of youth’. If there is one – which I take leave to doubt – then it is older people who create it, not the young themselves. Let us get down to fundamentals and agree that the young are after all human beings – people just like their elders. There is only one difference between an old man and a young one: the young man has a glorious future before him and the old one has a splendid future behind him: and maybe that is where the rub is.

When I was a teenager, I felt that I was just young and uncertain – that I was a new boy in a huge school, and I would have been very pleased to be regarded as something so interesting as a problem. For one thing, being a problem gives you a certain identity, and that is one of the things the young are busily engaged in seeking.

I find young people exciting. They have an air of freedom, and they not a dreary commitment to mean ambitions or love of comfort. They are not anxious social climbers, and they have no devotion to material things. All this seems to me to link them with life, and the origins of things. It’s as if they were, in some sense, cosmic beings in violent and lovely contrast with us suburban creatures. All that is in my mind when I meet a young person. He may be conceited, ill-mannered, presumptuous or fatuous, but I do not turn for protection to dreary cliches about respect of elders – as if mere age were a reason for respect. I accept that we are equals, and I will argue with him, as an equal, if I think he is wrong.

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• from BBC radio The Listener(in the Out of the Air series, mid-20th century)
• Gwilym Fielden Hughes (1899-1989) British Schoolmaster, Writer, Broadcaster and Father of Writer David Hughes.