Listening to members of the armed forces talk can sometimes sound like you’re listening to an entirely different language. It’s a shop full of references, lingo, jargon, acronyms, and double speak that can be downright impenetrable to civilian outsiders. And that’s partly the point! soldier inside foxhole Military communications are intended to facilitate brevity, but also to exclude those not in the know or part of the organization. But if there’s one thing you do know about military chatter, it’s that everyone tends to get a nickname. Hopefully, you can do something amazing to earn a good one. Chances are you want one, and your nickname will be a gentle or not-so-gentle reminder of your failure. Whether you’re trying to earn yourself a cool one or dole out a memorable one, I’ve got 50 badass military nicknames for you to remember below… A Note on Nicknaming Really quick before we get to our list. If you’re heading into the Army and are in love with the idea of giving yourself a badass call sign, an ominous nom de guerre, or a nickname that will give your battle buddies goosebumps, you had better think twice… If there’s one thing I can tell you with certainty, it is that your attempts to cultivate your own awesome nickname will backfire in the most spectacular way possible. For every person that has tried to give themselves a nickname like Diesel, Maverick, Iceman, Mr. Death, or something similar, everyone in your unit will force you to accept something demeaning like sheet stain, cringefest, turd goblin, or a lot worse. The point is you can’t force it. If you try to, you are trying hard, and your brothers will smell blood and punish you accordingly. Hopefully, you can do something truly superfluous to earn a worthy nickname, but if you wind up with a goofy or funny one because you messed up and your friends were laughing at, and with you, consider yourself lucky. Teflon For a person that nothing sticks to. It’s because they always get out of duty, punishment, inspections, and a lot more. A really smooth talker, warrant officer, or born criminal, and nothing in between… X-Ray A handle that’s usually given to a person who wears monumentally thick glasses, is said to be capable of x-raying a person, or a trooper who is so scrawny you can see right through them like the visible man dummy in anatomy class. Coot An affectionate nickname given to the oldest soldier in the unit, or any junior enlisted who is closing in on 30. Derogatorily handed out as an acronym, C.O.O.T., for a soldier suffering from Dunning-Kruger concerning their own abilities: constantly overemphasizing own technique. Curly For an idiot, a stooge, a dummy. A designated scapegoat or someone who’s always yucking it up, especially when officers and commanders are around. Alternatively, given to someone with very curly hair. Top Gun A nickname given to soldiers with aspirations of going to advanced training or schools. Sometimes affectionately handed out on an interim basis for troopers who consistently shoot the best or earn top marks in training and evaluation. Keebler A vague reference to Keebler elves of cookie fame. Might refer to someone who’s very short, constantly hiding trying to shirk duty, or someone who always has sweet treats on hand. Flash Alternately given to the fastest or slowest person in the unit. In the case of the former, done admiringly. In the case of the latter, done mockingly. Mumbles Given to those who mumble, talk with their mouth full, or have indecipherable accents. No matter the reason, if you can’t understand what someone is saying they are a mumbler and accordingly, their name is Mumbles. Kicker A legendary nickname given to those who kick people through doors, out of windows, or off of balconies. Can sometimes be handed out for folks who miss a big kick playing football or soccer. Gilligan For the chronically and irretrievably lost. A common nickname for second lieutenants and troopers who perform very poorly on land navigation exercises and training. They’ll be lucky if it’s a 3-year tour… Zorro For those who prefer bladed weapons to firearms or are constantly putting themselves in harm’s way with dreams of dashing heroics. In either case, highly likely to get themselves and their buddies killed. Foggy I’ve heard this name being given out for people who, frankly, weren’t particularly bright or quick of thought. I’ve also seen it awarded to those who have constant flatulence so obscenely horrific it actually makes the room foggy. Twister When a trooper falls or stumbles and lands in a twisted heap of gear, sling, and limbs, they get the nickname Twister. Named after the party game where players contort themselves. Nitro For the chronically overreactive or troopers that are constantly in a rush. Named for nitroglycerin and nitrous oxide respectively. The former is incredibly volatile and prone to blow up at the slightest jolt. The latter causes a big burst of speed in internal combustion engines. Caboose Someone always bringing up the rear. Typically given to the slowest member of a unit or the person that never wants to be out in front under any circumstances, i.e., the caboose of a train. Casper For the phenomenally pale. A popular one for soldiers that get transferred to hardworking, typically outdoor MOSs from positions where they were previously able to stay inside and avoid the sun. Chaos A nickname that is as changing and multipurpose as the word implies. It could be given to an exceptional soldier that always leaves chaos in their wake on the battlefield. It might be given to harebrained troopers who do nothing but cause problems in the barracks or when at garrison. Either way, it sounds cool! Pathfinder An honorable nickname that is always awarded, or I should say usually awarded, to the trooper who can always find the way through the worst terrain or out of the stickiest situation. Monster A nickname awarded to physical beasts or troopers that guzzle energy drinks. When it comes to nicknames, you could do a lot worse than this. Prince Not an endearing one. Typically given to soldiers or personnel with a distinctly feminine bent or dubious sexuality. Mini-Me A nickname that is doled out to the smaller of two soldiers that bear a striking physical resemblance, or to the sidekick of a duo that follows their counterpart anywhere. Fairly demeaning in the latter case. Midas Like the fable of King Midas, everything this soldier touches somehow magically turns to gold. There is no situation, no endeavor, no plan that does not turn out wonderfully or profitably. Grim Reaper The best a person can hope for with this nickname is that it is awarded to them for extraordinary prowess in combat, however cliché it might be. It’s far more likely to be awarded to a soldier that is a buzzkill, bearer of bad news, or chronic deliverer of punishment or demotion. Toolbag If someone is socially awkward, comes on too strong, or generally unpleasant, they are a tool. If they are the king of the tools they are said to be a tool bag. This nickname can also be given to a trooper who carries way, way too much equipment when they don’t have to – just in case, of course! Nugget Always a deplorable nickname, you could wind up with this one if you eat too much greasy fast food or if you defecate in your pants, but just a little. Albatross In the lore of mariners since time immemorial, the albatross was said to be an unlucky bird. If it stayed with the ship, the ship was doomed to misfortune or sinking. Sometimes people are said to serve as an albatross for their unit… not a nickname you want! Biscuit Biscuits are crumbly. Just like the person who has this nickname is when under pressure or when the chips are really down. If you’re a biscuit, you’ve got no business being in the military. Maverick This one needs no explanation. Nobody rates this nickname and the well-on jokes are long dry. If you’re being called this it’s because you did something spectacularly incompetent or you’re being mocked relentlessly for being a try-hard and insisting on a cool nickname like I described above. Wolf For the hairiest soldier you’ve ever seen. That’s not a wool scarf they have around their neck after all. Sometimes, but less commonly, given to those who refuse to participate in unit recreational activities, i.e., the lone wolf. This is another one that, despite being cool, is never given admiringly. Tackleberry Named for the character in The Police Academy movies who really, really loves guns in an unhealthy way. This person probably uses CLP as aftershave, cologne, and body wash. Gramps Self-explanatory. Given to the oldest member of the unit, someone who’s far too old for their rank, or a trooper with old-fashioned opinions. Tornado This nickname is given to the “best” dancer that dared show off their dance moves in public. May also be given to a slob that leaves their barracks room, squad bay, or workplace a disgusting mess. Like a tornado just blew through. Thunder If your farts are loud enough to wake the dead, expect to be appointed this nickname. Tank Invariably given to the largest and burliest member of the squad or unit. Sometimes given to the best drinker. If you can hold your beer or liquor, you might be called a tank as in “wet storage tank.” Moto A multi-purpose nickname. Typically it’s given to a soldier or Marine who’s by the book enthusiastic about the proceedings. A gung-ho attitude is fine, but only to a point. Alternately, it is an acronym that stands for Master Of The Obvious, usually given to troopers with a penchant for stating what everyone already knows as if it is revelatory. Almost never good. Wolverine If someone is small but mighty and refuses to give even an inch in training or battle, they might be called the Wolverine. Works just as well when referring to the ferocious mammal, or the comic book character that is named after the mammal. Digger Another multi-purpose nickname. Given to the trooper that made a bad situation even worse, be it a problem in the field or an ass chewing. As in, if you’re already in a hole, stop digging. Ultimately given to anyone who’s looking to snare a sugar mama or sugar daddy while in the military. A gold digger. Voodoo A nickname for those who always come up with a solution that saves the day, even if the means are nefarious. Tiny Only ever given to the hugest member of a unit. Usually said with affection. If a trooper is badly overweight or packing up, they might be saddled with this in a derogatory fashion. Boomer A nickname with many meanings. Can lovingly or not so lovingly refer to an older member of the military or one who is past their nominal retirement date, a person with a short fuse temper, or a sailor who has served aboard a nuclear submarine. Barracuda Given to soldiers with long, sharp noses or vicious personalities that enjoy demeaning others. Named for the vicious, fanged fish. Wizard Another nickname for the problem solvers and those that always come up with solutions, needed gear, and other life, time, or labor-saving plans. Almost always given admiringly, even if begrudgingly. Coma If you chronically fall asleep on watch, during classroom training, or any other time your ass is in a seat, people might start to think you are in a coma and you’ll get this nickname. Might also be given to those with devastatingly boring personalities that can put people into a coma… Chaplain When not given to an actual chaplain, refers to a person who is overly moral and preachy. Might be derogatory, might not be. Viking Some troopers have a knack for coming up with gear sourced from other units. These troopers might be called Vikings after the raiders from ancient history. Can also be dropped handily on a trooper with a Scandinavian name. Warden A derogatory nickname for someone in the military and a supervisory role that enforces curfews, duty, lights out, timetables, etc. Like a prison warden. A strict and by-the-book person. Igor If you have a vaguely Russian or Slavic last name, I hope you like this nickname because it is all people are ever going to call you. You might also get called this if you have poor posture, so stand up straight! Sponge Short for fun sponge. A fun sponge can suck the fun out of anything, and so can this person. Derrick Not a first name, but actually a nickname. Invariably refers to an oily, greasy dude with bad personal hygiene, i.e. oil derrick. Whisper No surprise here. Always given to those who talk entirely too loud, especially in tactical situations or classroom settings. May also be given to people prone to screaming. The post 50 Badass Military Nicknames To Choose From appeared first on Survival Sullivan.

Nothing in WHO’s Pandemic Treaty can rise from the ashes of the negotiations to be voted on this week. The treaty is done.  And of the amended International Health Regulations articles that […]

by Dr. Will Falconer, DVM, The Tenpenny Report: To be sure your pulse rate doesn’t drop all the way back to normal after Covid has pretty much receded, we’re steadily getting news of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) a.k.a Bird Flu. It’s a long known influenza A virus, that’s waxed and waned, mostly in birds, […]

This story was originally published on Next City and Richmond’s VPM News as part of the joint Equitable Cities Reporting Fellowship For Reparations Narratives. When Michael Haggins’ credit score disqualified him for a mortgage preapproval in 2021, he was crushed. A single father who grew up in Richmond, Haggins dreamed of owning a house in his hometown where his two sons could play freely. A shortage of just five credit score points — plus systemic inequities and a national housing crisis — left them all living with his mother. But today, Haggins is the proud owner of a home in Church Hill, thanks to Richmond’s Maggie Walker Community Land Trust (MWCLT) and its pioneering model for creating permanently affordable housing. “I don’t think I could’ve done it without their help, honestly,” says Haggins. Being selected for the community land trust’s lease-to-own pilot was a “blessing,” he says: “The program is geared toward helping individuals such as myself, who are right at the line of homeownership but can’t seem to cross it.” An owner of one of the land trust’s homes. Courtesy of MWCLT It’s all part of the land trust’s mission to develop and steward permanently affordable home properties to foster racially equitable communities, says Lark Washington, the MWCLT’s chief operating officer. Since its founding, Richmond’s community land trust has sold 89 homes to income-eligible homebuyers, with a few more homes currently under contract and 150+ properties in their pipeline. They’ll be completing construction on their first subdivision, Ettrick Landing, in southern Chesterfield County about 30 minutes south from Richmond. The MWCLT is also undergoing infrastructure work for a 21-unit subdivision in nearby Henrico County. It’s on pace to close on its 100th home in under a decade this coming fall — a pace enabled by its three-pronged approach to making homeownership more equitable and accessible. A triple threat From Kansas City to the Florida Keys, community land trusts (CLTs) are becoming more popular as an affordable housing solution. In a CLT, a nonprofit organization owns the land beneath a home. Income-qualified homebuyers purchase the home rather than the land upon which it sits, reducing down payment and monthly mortgage costs. A 99-year renewable ground lease plus resale restrictions on homeowners ensure the home remains affordable, even to future homebuyers. “We have an agreement on the resale price, should you choose to move,” Washington explains. “And you can stay in the home as long as you want. You can even pass down the home through the family, where you will set up part of the closing process.” Crushed by negative news? Sign up for the Reasons to be Cheerful newsletter. [contact-form-7] But the MWCLT isn’t just a community land trust. As a rare CLT that also serves as both a housing developer and a land bank, the MWCLT has developed a powerful approach to make housing affordable to more low- and middle-income Richmonders through private and public sector partnerships. “We are the first land bank and land trust in the country,” Washington says. Land banks acquire and manage vacant and tax-delinquent properties and repurpose them for community needs. Like land trusts, they are an increasingly popular tool for creating affordable housing. But these entities rarely partner together, despite calls for increased collaboration. In 2016, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Land Bank Entities Act, enabling localities to create land banks. Two years later, the city of Richmond appointed the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust as its designated land bank. In 2019, MWCLT also became the designated land bank for Chesterfield and Henrico counties. “Most localities are sitting on lots of land, whether they’re tax-delinquent properties or they’ve owned parcels and they don’t know what to do with it,” Washington says. By allowing the MWCLT to develop homes on this land, localities can reap property taxes from otherwise unproductive land — and achieve local housing goals. As a land bank in these localities, the MWCLT faces less competition for parcels, which streamlines the time it takes to complete projects. Plus, it helps the MWCLT make its homes more affordable for its buyers: The land bank is exempt from paying property tax on these parcels, which means it doesn’t have to take on those costs or pass them on to homeowners. Homebuyers do have to pay property taxes on the home they purchase from the MWCLT, but not on the land. “That’s one of the things that most CLTs deal with, because most CLTs are not also land banks,” Washington explains. “The CLT homeowner owns this [house], but they also have to pay property tax on that land, even though they don’t have ownership of it.” For many private developers, land can be up to 30 percent of the costs of a project, she says. “If a county comes in and says, ‘Hey, we’ll give you this land at a discounted price, or we’ll transfer it for free,’ that significantly lowers the price of the project,” she says. That’s on top of sky-high construction costs — it can take $200,000 just to build a house, not even counting the price of the land, she says. But as a housing developer, the MWCLT is also able to subsidize these development costs. Combating racial disparities Today, the median home sales price in Richmond is around $385,000. “The cost of living is currently astronomical,” says Haggins, who is Black. “It’s hard to find an affordable apartment, so the vast majority of people cannot even think about trying to own a home at this time.” MWCLT is slowly working to change that. Its median home sales price sits at about $165,000. The organization targets homebuyers whose income level is at about 60 percent to 80 percent of the area median income; in 2023, the household median income for MWCLT homebuyers was about $52,000, 48 percent of Richmond’s area median income. In 2022, the affordability gap of all first-time homebuyers in Richmond was about 4.8 times the median home price of $376,871, with a median income of $78,909, according to NerdWallet. Those disparities have repercussions for the local racial homeownership rate. Data released in January by the Partnership for Housing Affordability shows that homeownership among Richmond-area Black households remains more than 25 percentage points below that of white households, at 49 percent. “One of MWCLT’s goals is expanding equitable access to homeownership, and we have made great strides to increase Black homeownership in our programs,” says Washington. The organization says 79 percent of new homeowners in 2023 were people of color. For her, this work is personal. “My family, like many others, were impacted by the 2008 housing crisis and our home was foreclosed,” says Washington. Reading sociologist Matthew Desmond’s 2016 book Evicted pushed her to study urban planning at Virginia Commonwealth University and focus on Richmond’s eviction crisis for her master’s thesis. “I realized how housing has been used as a tool to systematically disinvest in Black communities and drain generational wealth.” Lark Washington. Credit: Next City She went on to work for the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development before joining the MWCLT in 2022, through her role at the small boutique consulting firm HDAdvisors. The Richmond-based firm founded the land trust with a group of housing professionals and continues to help operate the land trust today. The group named the MWCLT in honor of Maggie Lena Walker, the first woman of color to establish a bank in America and an iconic figure in the city. The St. Luke Penny Savings Bank looms large in Richmond history as a powerful initiative to harness Black residents’ financial resources for the betterment of the community. By offering reasonably priced loans and mortgages to Black families, the bank empowered them to attain homeownership, launch businesses and build economic opportunities for themselves and succeeding generations. From the start, CLTs have been a part of the effort to advance economic justice for Black Americans: The first CLT was born in 1970 in rural Georgia, as activists developed an agricultural community on land leased from a community-led nonprofit. “It’s part of a legacy of civil rights advocacy of community land trusts, trying to have collective ownership for long-term autonomy and ownership of the land,” says Washington. “In that case, they were sharecroppers with farmland. We use the CLT model to extend affordable homeownership to folks that are priced out of the market.” An incomplete solution This year, the land trust plans to build 32 homes, including two subdivisions in Chesterfield and Henrico. But it’s also a drop in the bucket of Richmond’s housing crisis. In part, that’s due to limitations from city zoning codes. “Sometimes the zoning really dictates what we can build,” Washington says. “For instance, I would love to build more duplexes and attached homes, because that is cost-effective for us.” But zoning codes in Richmond or nearby counties can complicate their plans. “We’ll have a parcel [where] we plan on building a few duplexes, and then we find out because of the regulations with zoning and the constraints there, it’s better for us to build two detached homes.” While the land trust began by doing infill development and home rehabs in the city, it’s now begun working on larger-scale projects. The land trust is currently collaborating with two Black-led nonprofits in Richmond, Girls for a Change and Happily Natural Day, with the aim of building a permanently affordable agricultural community in North Chesterfield. Called the Bensley Agrihood, the planned nine-acre housing development would be Virginia’s first affordable agrihood, or farm-centered neighborhood. Become a sustaining member today! Join the Reasons to be Cheerful community by supporting our nonprofit publication and giving what you can. Join “We want to bring these high amenities to folk who are normally priced out,” Washington says. Under the partners’ current vision, the walkable agrihood will include 10 affordable homes, four tiny homes for rent, a wellness center and a community incubator farm for the entire neighborhood. In this case, access to land is not a concern; a parcel was donated to Girls For A Change. But to build the agrihood they envision, they’re fighting an uphill battle to rezone the land. “I really wanted to think about ways of not just getting my girls from renting to owning, but with this partnership with the Maggie Walker Land Trust — how can we make sure that our girls had access [to housing] after you decided your career and you’re ready to buy a home?” explains Angela Patton, CEO of local youth development nonprofit Girls for a Change and a longtime resident of the Bensley neighborhood. Other challenges include being unsure what the parcels can be used for when receiving them through the land bank. As MWLCT does not get to pick and choose the parcels it receives, it’s forced to spend thousands to conduct due diligence checks and research what it can feasibly do with each property. “We would like more information on what we can do for those parcels, and I feel like that’s something the city can help us with,” Washington says. The post A Unique Community Land Trust Is Helping Richmonders Buy Homes appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.

"Coordination between California and EU officials attempts to combine regulatory initiatives" The post Why Does California Keep Acting Like Its Own Country? appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

They should be worried. The post 1 in 3 Employers Worried About Hiring Campus Hamas Supporters appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

"The U.S. has pressed a number of other countries to abstain in a censure vote" The post Biden Tells UK To Be Nice to Iran Before Election appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

Keeping track of many medicines and dosages might make it difficult to remember to take medication. However, a new invention in healthcare could provide a remedy. Researchers at the University of Nottingham pioneered the notion of 3D-printed “polypills,” which aim to simplify drug regimens and improve patient care. Streamlining medication management In a study published in Materials Today Advances, a group of industrial engineers and pharmacists revealed their breakthrough in tailored medicine. They used Multi-Material InkJet 3D Printing to create edible pills with highly customizable medication doses and release times. These polypills have the potential to change drug administration by lowering the risk of errors and increasing patient adherence. Assistant Professor Yinfeng He, the research lead, describes this achievement as “an exciting step” toward tailored medical care. With administration errors accounting for up to one-third of prescription errors in US households, there is an obvious need for creative solutions. Pioneering 3D-printed polypills The procedure begins with the creation of a specific ink that, when exposed to UV light, generates water-soluble structures. When combined with varied amounts of aspirin, the ink is 3D-printed into customizable geometric designs. These patterns control the tablet’s surface area, inner structure, release rate, and dosage, resulting in accurate medicine distribution. “The ongoing research aims to refine these aspects, enhancing the feasibility of [3D printing] for widespread application,” says the study’s co-author, Engineering professor Ricky Wildman. The team’s initial studies with aspirin show the possibility of adding more medications into future polypill designs. Advancing personalized medicine This technology has far-reaching ramifications beyond streamlining medication scheduling. Polypills, which adapt drug release profiles to individual patient demands, could improve treatment outcomes for a variety of disorders. Pharmacy professor and study co-author Felicity Rose underlines the value of individualized therapy in resolving drug adherence issues. “The future of prescribed medication lies in a personalized approach,” Rose says. With almost half of UK citizens struggling to stick to their prescription regimes, the invention of polypills represents a possible answer. Patients can benefit from increased convenience and better treatment adherence when numerous drugs are combined into a single tablet. As research into 3D-printed polypills advances, the potential for tailored medicine to transform healthcare becomes more apparent. With continued research into various materials and prescription drugs, this revolutionary technology shows potential for a wide range of patients. To summarize, the era of 3D-printed polypills marks a tremendous advancement in medicine administration. Researchers are paving the path for a future in which complex pharmaceutical regimens are simplified and patient outcomes are improved by merging cutting-edge technology with personalized healthcare. Source study: Materials Today Advances—Enabling high-fidelity personalised pharmaceutical tablets through multimaterial inkjet 3D printing with a water-soluble excipient  The post 3D-printed polypill covers all your medication for the entire day first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

It’s time to celebrate, bookworms! Scientists revealed some fascinating findings about the effects of reading fiction on the brain, and the results are nothing short of astounding. According to Lena Wimmer, a postdoctoral researcher at Maximilian University in Germany, venturing into the world of fiction provides numerous benefits that are sure to excite passionate readers everywhere. Exploring the mysteries of fiction’s effect on cognition In their effort to investigate the deep influence of fiction on cognitive function, Wimmer and her colleagues started on quite the mission. Their objective was to filter through the abundance of empirical material to discover the true consequences of reading fiction on the human brain. As Wimmer states, “I wanted to get an objective, quantitative overview of the relevant empirical evidence in order to decide whether any of these assumptions is supported by empirical studies.” Meta-analysis: insights into the power of fiction The researchers conducted two extensive meta-analyses to investigate the complex association between reading fiction and cognitive ability. The first analysis, which included data from 70 trials and more than 11,000 individuals, found that fiction has a considerable favorable influence on cognition. Notably, people who immersed themselves in fiction showed increased empathy and a better knowledge of human thought processes. Intriguingly, the study found that reading fiction outperformed other hobbies, such as viewing fiction on screen or reading nonfiction, in terms of cognitive benefits. This shows that the immersive character of fiction reading may promote cognitive activity in ways that other mediums cannot match. Enhancing cognitive abilities through fiction The second meta-analysis, which included 114 research and more than 30,000 participants, confirmed the favorable relationship between reading fiction and cognitive ability. From improving verbal abilities to encouraging abstract thinking and problem-solving, fiction has emerged as a significant stimulant for cognitive development. While the emotional cognitive benefits, such as empathizing, were less noticeable, the overall effect on cognitive ability was obvious. As Wimmer explains, “That people who read a lot of fiction have better cognitive skills than people who read little or no fiction.” These findings highlight the transforming power of fiction in cultivating a sharper, more flexible mind. A bright and brainy future for fiction enthusiasts While this study is only the beginning of our understanding of fiction’s impact on the brain, it sets the way for future research into the complex dynamics of reading habits. As scientists dive deeper into the fields of fiction and cognition, one thing becomes clear: the fiction section excels as a haven for mental enrichment and cognitive improvement. Finally, let us raise a glass to storytelling‘s enduring power and profound impact on our minds. So, the next time you pick up a novel, remember that you’re not only reading a compelling story; you’re also beginning a transforming voyage of cognitive discovery. Cheers to the wonders of fiction and the endless possibilities it opens up in our thoughts.The post How embarking on a fictional literary adventure shapes your brain  first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

A 28-year-old California man was sentenced to 135 years in prison last week after being found guilty of performing lewd acts and threatening multiple children under the age of six, according to authorities.…