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Watch this news correspondent switch between six different languages—fluently—in Kyiv report

@PhilipinDC/Twitter

Philip Crowther reports from Kyiv in six different languages.

In many places around the world, being able to speak more than one language isn't uncommon. But being able to speak six? That's unusual just about everywhere.

Philip Crowther is an International Affiliate Correspondent for the Associated Press. He hails from Luxembourg, a tiny country nestled between Belgium, France and Germany, so perhaps it's not surprising—though still impressive—that he speaks at least Luxembourgish, French and German fluently.

But he also speaks Spanish, Portuguese and English—and can report the news in all six of those languages. (And according to fluent speakers in the comments, he does it beautifully, with just a slight bit of an accent.)

Check out Crowther in a compilation of news reports on the Russia-Ukraine situation from Kyiv:

Six-language coverage from #Kyiv with @AP_GMS. In this order: English, Luxembourgish, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.pic.twitter.com/kyEg0aCCoT
— Philip Crowther (@Philip Crowther) 1645444876

Isn't it amazing that these are just six of the thousands of languages humans use to communicate with one another? Linguistics is endlessly fascinating.

People were rightly impressed with Crowther's polyglot abilities. With the European Union having 24 official languages in a land area only a little bit bigger than the United States, it's much more common for people from Europe to be multilingual. People from small, landlocked countries like Luxembourg and Switzerland are especially likely to speak several languages, but even for them, to be fluent enough in six of them to report in them in a live news broadcast is impressive.

But no one speaks these languages this fluently with the perfect accents!\n\nItalian: 3 languages & my father spoke 5\u2026none like this!
— BioAnnie Loves Justice #VOTE (@BioAnnie Loves Justice #VOTE) 1645560774

No, this is flat out amazing. I am European through and through, grew up bilingual, had more languages in school, lived in various countries. I can get by in a lot of places. But that\u2019s very different from reporting from a crisis zone in six languages fluently and without accents
— Melanie Stefan (@Melanie Stefan) 1645538451

Ehm, i'm a linguist (speak 3 fluently, understand 6) and this is still massively impressive ... not only can he speak the languages, but his accents are also almost flawless!
— e-n M (@e-n M) 1645522406

Even the language learning app Duolingo weighed in on Crowther's news reports, followed by a hilarious dig from a user. (Duolingo likes to send reminders and prompts to practice or to learn another language, which may or may not be super annoying.)

I bet you'll still passive aggressively annoy him to learn Dutch.
— UFOSully (@UFOSully) 1645557697

While it is impressive that Crowther can speak six languages, it also highlights a big hole that humanity has yet to fill: a universal language. We live in a time when, thanks to advances in technology and transportation, our global community is growing smaller and smaller. But while we are able to connect with people almost anywhere in the world, we are still limited in our ability to communicate due to language barriers.

Imagine if everyone in the world learned their native language and a universal auxiliary language at the same time growing up. We would be able to retain the unique cultural richness of our native languages while at the same time being able to communicate no matter where we go. Our universal language could be one chosen from the existing languages, or it could be a language invented for such a purpose, like Esperanto. It would solve so many problems and make life on Earth so much easier—it's just a matter of getting all countries on the same page with the need for it (which is pretty inarguable) and with which language to use (which is definitely arguable).

In the meantime, we can simply marvel at the humans who are able to keep multiple languages straight in their minds. Well done, Mr. Crowther.

From Your Site Articles

A better world begins with a pair of socks–how small acts of kindness create big change

A little comfort goes a long way.

All images provided by Bombas

We can all be part of the giving movement

True

We all know that small acts of kindness can turn into something big, but does that apply to something as small as a pair of socks?

Yes, it turns out. More than you might think.

A fresh pair of socks is a simple comfort easily taken for granted for most, but for individuals experiencing homelessness—they are a rare commodity. Currently, more than 500,000 people in the U.S. are experiencing homelessness on any given night. Being unstably housed—whether that’s couch surfing, living on the streets, or somewhere in between—often means rarely taking your shoes off, walking for most if not all of the day, and having little access to laundry facilities. And since shelters are not able to provide pre-worn socks due to hygienic reasons, that very basic need is still not met, even if some help is provided. That’s why socks are the #1 most requested clothing item in shelters.

homelessness, bombas Socks are a simple comfort not everyone has access to

When the founders of Bombas, Dave Heath and Randy Goldberg, discovered this problem, they decided to be part of the solution. Using a One Purchased = One Donated business model, Bombas helps provide not only durable, high-quality socks, but also t-shirts and underwear (the top three most requested clothing items in shelters) to those in need nationwide. These meticulously designed donation products include added features intended to offer comfort, quality, and dignity to those experiencing homelessness.

Over the years, Bombas' mission has grown into an enormous movement, with more than 75 million items donated to date and a focus on providing support and visibility to the organizations and people that empower these donations. These are the incredible individuals who are doing the hard work to support those experiencing —or at risk of—homelessness in their communities every day.

Folks like Shirley Raines, creator of Beauty 2 The Streetz. Every Saturday, Raines and her team help those experiencing homelessness on Skid Row in Los Angeles “feel human” with free makeovers, haircuts, food, gift bags and (thanks to Bombas) fresh socks. 500 pairs, every week.

beauty 2 the streetz, skid row la Raines is out there helping people feel their beautiful best

Or Director of Step Forward David Pinson in Cincinnati, Ohio, who offers Bombas donations to those trying to recover from addiction. Launched in 2009, the Step Forward program encourages participation in community walking/running events in order to build confidence and discipline—two major keys to successful rehabilitation. For each marathon, runners are outfitted with special shirts, shoes—and yes, socks—to help make their goals more achievable.

step forward, helping homelessness, homeless non profits Running helps instill a sense of confidence and discipline—two key components of successful recovery

Help even reaches the Front Street Clinic of Juneau, Alaska, where Casey Ploof, APRN, and David Norris, RN give out free healthcare to those experiencing homelessness. Because it rains nearly 200 days a year there, it can be very common for people to get trench foot—a very serious condition that, when left untreated, can require amputation. Casey and Dave can help treat trench foot, but without fresh, clean socks, the condition returns. Luckily, their supply is abundant thanks to Bombas. As Casey shared, “people will walk across town and then walk from the valley just to come here to get more socks.”

step forward clinic, step forward alaska, homelessness alaska Welcome to wild, beautiful and wet Alaska!

The Bombas Impact Report provides details on Bombas’s mission and is full of similar inspiring stories that show how the biggest acts of kindness can come from even the smallest packages. Since its inception in 2013, the company has built a network of over 3,500 Giving Partners in all 50 states, including shelters, nonprofits and community organizations dedicated to supporting our neighbors who are experiencing- or at risk- of homelessness.

Their success has proven that, yes, a simple pair of socks can be a helping hand, an important conversation starter and a link to humanity.

You can also be a part of the solution. Learn more and find the complete Bombas Impact Report by clicking here.

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3,700-year-old Babylonian stone tablet gets translated, changes history

via UNSW

This article originally appeared on 07.10.21

Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team at the University of New South Wales in Australia have just made an incredible discovery. While studying a 3,700-year-old tablet from the ancient civilization of Babylon, they found evidence that the Babylonians were doing something astounding: trigonometry!

Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

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14 things that will remain fun no matter how old you get

Your inner child will thank you for doing at least one of these.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Swings can turn 80-year-olds into 8-year-olds in less that two seconds.

When we’re kids, fun comes so easily. You have coloring books and team sports and daily recess … so many opportunities to laugh, play and explore. As we get older, these activities get replaced by routine and responsibility (and yes, at times, survival). Adulthood, yuck.

Many of us want to have more fun, but making time for it still doesn’t come as easily as it did when we were kids—whether that’s because of guilt, a long list of other priorities or because we don’t feel it’s an age-appropriate thing to long for.

Luckily, we’ve come to realize that fun isn’t just a luxury of childhood, but really a vital aspect of living well—like reducing stress, balancing hormone levels and even improving relationships.

More and more people of all ages are letting their inner kids out to play, and the feelings are delightfully infectious.

You might be wanting to instill a little more childlike wonder into your own life, and not sure where to start. Never fear, the internet is here. Reddit user SetsunaSaigami asked people, “What always remains fun no matter how old you get?” People’s (surprisingly profound) answers were great reminders that no matter how complex our lives become, simple joy will always be important.

Here are 14 timeless pleasures to make you feel like a kid again: