Forget all the Halloween advertising — there’s still plenty of summer left. And that means plenty of time to host the warm weather gatherings of your dreams. Picture: a game night on the deck, backyard potluck, or leisurely afternoon of eating popsicles on the porch. Sounds nice, right? To make it easier and more enjoyable to settle in beyond the living room, we rounded up a list of outdoor entertaining must-haves.
We’ve previously written about how dad jokes can further kids’ development, and now more research has come out supporting the idea that humor has an important role in parenting. In a study published last week, over 70% of surveyed participants — all of childbearing or rearing age — said they believe humor can be an effective parenting tool. More than half reported being raised by parents who used humor, and researchers found “significant correlations” between the use of humor and the quality of respondents’ relationships with their parents. “In addition to stress relief and easing social interactions, humor promotes language and literacy skills, creative problem solving, and resilience, and helps kids cope with disappointment,” Katie Hurley, a senior clinical advisor for The Jed Foundation who was not involved in the research, told CNN. The study was small, but co-author Dr. Benjamin Levi said it’s only the first of several on the topic. In the meantime, the moral of the story remains: Don’t be afraid to keep laying on the embarrassing dad (and mom) jokes.
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Reusable Cup Strategy Gets a Makeover in One California City
Returnmycup.com
Next week, a reusable cup pilot project is launching in Petaluma, California, to reduce waste, but there’s a twist. Instead of relying on customers to bring in their own as many similar initiatives have done, 30 chain restaurants and locally owned coffee shops and eateries will serve beverages in reusable cups unless otherwise asked. So what do you do with your cup post-latte? Customers are encouraged to return the BPA-free plastic cups to one of 60 bright purple return receptacles placed strategically throughout the city — no washing required. Kate Daly, managing director of the investment firm behind the Petaluma Reusable Cup Project, told Grist that the aim is to achieve an “unprecedented saturation of reusable packaging.” She added that the “sip, return, repeat” concept is currently operated in confined spaces, like sport stadiums, but this is the first time the effort is being executed citywide across myriad food service brands, including Starbucks, Dunkin’, and KFC. Per the website, if you want to return a cup but aren’t able to make it to a return bin, you can submit a request for a cup pick up — an example of how the program is working to promote a zero-waste economy while making it easy for the customer.
Culture
“This Is It! This Is Really It!”: Shipwreck Hunters Find 131-Year-Old Lost Schooner
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On Sept. 30, 1893, the Margaret A. Muir plunged to the bottom of Lake Michigan. Luckily, the crew made it safely to shore, but devastatingly, the captain’s “faithful dog” was still on board. Nearly 131 years later, the doomed schooner was finally located by a team of shipwreck hunters, reviving the story of the beloved pup and adding to the growing number of Great Lakes wrecks discovered in recent years. Using historical records and high-resolution sonar, the team found the 130-foot ship off the coast of Wisconsin on May 12, per a news release from the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association. Just before the team was about to call it a day, one of the hunters, Kevin Cullen, noticed something on sonar “that didn’t look natural” and after a closer look, he thought, “This is it! This is really it!” he recalled to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It had lay undetected for over a century, despite hundreds of fishing boats passing over each season,” the release reads. While the three-masted ship is not intact, all the deck gear remains, including two giant anchors and hand pumps. Additionally, the shipwreck hunters were able to document the scene with thousands of high-resolution images that were used to create a 3D photogrammetry model of the site.
In Other News
New research found that over-the-counter nasal sprays can shorten the length of time patients are sick and decrease the need for antibiotics.
Geologists discoveredremnants of Earth’s mantle that suggest our planet’s interior was “much hotter” than previously believed.
A recently developed AI tool could effectively predict rogue waves five minutes in advance, providing vital time for sailors to take action.
Sur La Table In-Store Cooking Classes If there’s a birthday, anniversary, or other occasion you’ll soon be celebrating with a loved one, might we recommend Sur La Table’s in-person, hands-on cooking classes as a gift? The stores offer a variety of themes, like “Exploring Thai Flavors,” “Vibrant Summer Bites,” and “French Luxury.” You can use the location tool to find a class near you.
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Inspiring Story
“Just a man planting peonies because I love my wife”
If Kristin Swenson and her husband Eric’s love story were a romance novel, the cover would most certainly feature a peony. Five years ago, Eric proposed to Kristin and vowed to plant 1,000 peonies, her favorite flower. Fast-forward to this year, their garden is in full bloom — and so is their love. “I think this grand gesture is my way of telling the whole world, every spring, how much I love my wife,” Eric said.
This is Zhiying Zeng, and she’s proof that age is no reason to give up on your dreams. At 58, the Chinese-Chilean table tennis star will make her Olympic debut in Paris today, playing singles against Lebanon’s Mariana Sahakian. She began playing on a youth team in China in the 1970s, but quit her professional career in 1986 at age 20 and soon moved to Chile. Zeng picked the sport back up during the COVID-19 lockdown, and by 2023 was the highest-ranked women’s player in the South American country. Read more of her story, and tune in to NBC to watch her play at 9:45 a.m. ET.
Shop Bombas’ Biggest Discount Yet — And Give Back
Back-to-school season is almost upon us, and Bombas is marking it with up to 15% off select packs. Plus, new customers get an additional 25% off all socks and free shipping on orders over $70. You can feel good and do good with Bombas — remember one pair purchased = one pair donated, always.
