bird language

In most ways, Kuşköy resembles countless other villages nestled in the Pontic Mountains along Turkey’s Black Sea coast. Its 500 or so residents cultivate tea and hazelnuts; there is one street with a baker, a butcher, and a few cafes. It is the sounds, not the sights, that make Kuşköy different. For generations, villagers have conversed using a unique form of whistled communication they call “kuş dili,” or “bird language” in Turkish. In fact, the melodies of local birds are often similar to kuş dili; a morning song of the blackbird is the same as a famous verse in the Quran. Like other forms of whistled communication, kuş dili arose… Read More

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Quiet: the power of introvert

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”—Mahatma Gandhi This quote is an excellent reflection of the author’s focus in the book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking,” by Susan Cain. The author discusses her view that introverts are highly undervalued, particularly in leadership positions. She holds the belief that extroverts are rated as “smarter, better-looking, more interesting, and more desirable,” and that introversion is considered a “second-class personality trait”. Quiet is the book for introverts, focused on their more subtle, but important, powers in a world that favors extroverted traits. This post features a review, quotes, and resources to provide insight and… Read More

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Why we sleep

Do you ever wonder how important sleep is for our mental health? Sleep is one of the first things we sacrifice when assignments pile up or deadlines approach. Being reasonable people, however, we bargain with ourselves; once this (and that) is done, we will finally rest and catch up on missed sleep. Unfortunately, our time asleep is not a resource that can be managed in this way. We should be especially concerned with the damage caused by a lack of sleep. The damage is both mental and physical, short and long term. Matthew Walker’s book “Why We Sleep” has changed my attitude towards sleep. Its message is simple: seven to… Read More

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World Cup 2022

There is nothing in football that can compare with the World Cup. Even though the UEFA Champions League may produce games of the same quality, it can’t overreach the status earned from the long tradition and the fact that one team represent a whole country. No other sport event can compete in significance: the latest FIFA World Cup reached over three billion television viewers worldwide and one billion watched the final. Before the World Cup was inaugurated, the football tournament arranged as part of the Summer Olympics was given the most prestige. But in the 1920s, the game was facing a transition to professionalism that wasn’t consistent with the Olympic… Read More

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Lagom

If you’re feeling a bit frenzied now that the new year is in full swing, like all your good intentions can’t be met because you simply don’t have enough time, then Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living is for you. In the book, Linnea Dunne, a Swedish-born writer who now calls Dublin home, explores the idea of lagom, a word for which there is no true English equivalent, though the loose translation is “not too little, not too much, just right.” This seemingly simple idea is the key to slowing down, steadying yourself, and making room for those good intentions. Far from restrictive, lagom is a liberating concept, praising… Read More

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