Some exceedingly rare Nice News to kick off your Sunday: Residents in Rhode Island are reporting unicorn sightings across Providence. Tiny plastic figurines of the mythical creatures have been spotted on window ledges and city steps, boasting bright neon hues and standing less than 2 inches tall. People are sharing their whimsical finds to a local Facebook page, but the person responsible for placing the unicorns remains a mystery. One reporter with The Providence Journal did some sleuthing recently and turned up not only a unicorn, but also a few theories on its source. Check out the story.
Featured Story
These Are the 3 Best Phrases to Say When Offering Support, Survey Says
If you subscribe to the concept of love languages, you’re familiar with “words of affirmation” being a manner in which some people prefer to give and receive love. But in actuality, everyone needs words of affirmation within their relationships, whether they’re romantic, platonic, familial, or collegial. The language we use with others and ourselves has a great deal of power — studies have shown words can affect our emotional states, perspectives, pain perception, and more. In their book Words Can Change Your Brain, neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg and researcher Mark Robert Waldman write: “A single word has the power to influence the expression of genes that regulate physical and emotional stress.” So what are the best things to say to ensure we’re lifting other people up when they need it most? A recent report by Preply offers some insight. The language tutoring company surveyed 997 Americans between the ages of 18 and 76 about the expressions of support they most appreciate hearing. Of those polled, 42% said they share words of support with others daily. Overall, three simple phrases topped the list of words they like to hear: “I’m proud of you,” “You’ve got this,” and “I believe in you.” Learn what other phrases made the list — and which ones you may want to avoid.
Nice News doesn’t cover politics in-depth, but that doesn’t mean we don’t value civic engagement. We recommend Tangle, a nonpartisan, subscriber-supported politics newsletter read by over 95,000 people in more than 55 countries. The free email digest aims to earn readers’ trust in a very simple way: by providing views from across the political spectrum and clearly labeling what is opinion and what isn’t. Each day, Tangle tackles one big debate in American politics, then summarizes the best arguments from the right, left, and center — so you can read different perspectives and decide what you think.
Whale songs are a well-known phenomenon in both the scientific world and popular culture (looking at you Finding Nemo). But the how behind baleen whales’ distinctive underwater noises remained a mystery in the 50 years since humans discovered them. Thankfully, recent research has finally cracked the code of whale communication, finding that the marine mammals have unique mechanisms in their voice boxes that enable low-frequency vocalizations. The researchers studied whales in the wild as well as a sei whale, humpback whale, and minke whale that had died, enabling a level of analysis that “has never been done before,” lead study author Coen Elemans told CNN. They used computer models to simulate baleen whales’ larynxes and discovered a “novel” structure not found in any other animal. Elemans said this solves a mystery “for a whole group of really iconic animals.” He added: “They’re like the biggest animals that ever roamed this planet. They’re super intelligent, they’re very vocal, they’re very social. And for those animals, we now figured out how they’ve been able so successfully to communicate with each other on the water. And this evolved probably like 40 million years ago and has allowed the whales today to be successful.”
Environment
Newest US National Park Highlights History of Japanese American Incarceration
Last month, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland formally establishedthe Amache National Historic Site in Colorado, making it the latest official addition to America’s national park system. The site was a Japanese American incarceration camp during World War II and will now stand as a permanently protected monument to that history. “As a nation, we must face the wrongs of our past in order to build a more just and equitable future,” Haaland said in a statement. “The Interior Department has the tremendous honor of stewarding America’s public lands and natural and cultural resources to tell a complete and honest story of our nation’s history.” The formal establishment was a special moment for those who were incarcerated at Amache and their descendants. “I’m thinking about all the people who endured the incarceration experience, and that finally their story is being told,” Carlene Tinker, who lived there when she was 3 years old, said in an interview with KUNC, sharing that she felt “proud.” Mitch Homma, an Amache descendant who serves as a director for the Amache Alliance, credited those who came before him. “We are standing on the shoulders of some giants, all the Amachians, including my dad, who thought that this would never happen, that there’s not enough people that cared,” he told The Colorado Sun. “And we did it. And people do care.”
Sports
In a First, All National Women’s Soccer League Teams Will Receive New Nike Kits
Nike
For the first time, all 14 clubs in the National Women’s Soccer League will receive new Nike kits ahead of the 2024 season. Per a press release from the NWSL, each team’s unique uniform draws “inspiration from the colors and landscapes of the areas where they live and play.” They contain a level of detail and boldness that was lacking in previous kit iterations, “when teams looked like local youth clubs,” ESPN reports. Nike has also done away with white shorts, based on input from players about visible period leaks. Beyond the exciting designs and practical changes, though, the league-wide upgrade is a sign that NWSL is “leveling up” 11 seasons in, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Julie Haddon told the outlet. Jerseys and other NWSL merchandise will now be more accessible and fashionable than ever, which will help grow its fan base and commercial success. “A lot of fans of the NWSL are drawn to the culture of the league and the energy of the league and the fashion-forward content that is out there with the players,” Haddon said. “So, I think there’s a lot of excitement around the way we’re building new audiences together. We’re bridging the audience of the current avid fan with the future fan.” Click here to see each team’s kit, and here to read more about what the change means for the future of the NWSL.
Hilary Swank stars as a hairdresser-turned-hero in this film, which one reviewer said was almost too heartwarming to believe — if it weren’t actually true. Based on events that took place during the infamous Kentucky Blizzard of 1994, the story follows Sharon Stevens, a woman working through her own obstacles as she rallies the community to help a little girl who needs a liver transplant. You can watch it in theaters now.
Something We Love
Food52 x Dansk Købenstyle Saucepan
The midcentury look of this gourmet sauce pan was inspired by Danish sculptor Jens Quistgaard. But beyond the cookware’s beauty, it boasts a number of clever design features, like the ability to go from the stovetop to the table with a matching lid that doubles as a trivet, and a stay-cool teakwood handle. Plus, it’s made from enamel steel, which makes cleaning it a breeze.
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This Week in History
The First Issue of TimeMagazine Is Published
March 3, 1923
We’re traveling exactly 101 years back in time today, to when the first copy of Time magazine came out. While it lacked the iconic red border we’re now familiar with, the publication did include several of the features it would later come to be known for: breaking tech news, arts and entertainment coverage, and reports on the political landscape. At 32 pages long, the magazine included mention of the world’s first helicopter and a scathing takedown of T.S. Eliot’s famous piece “The Waste Land.” Peruse the inaugural issue.
Quote of the Day
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
