Passover and Easter overlap this year — the Jewish holiday started Wednesday and the Christian celebration takes place today. Though the two seders have already occurred, Passover lasts about a week, which means millions more matzo balls will be festooning dinner tables around the world over the next few days: Here’s a recipe for anyone who doesn’t already have their grandma’s memorized. As for Easter food, every dinner idea in this roundup has our stomachs rumbling, and this little lamb-shaped cake looks almost too adorable to eat (almost). Happy feasting! — the Nice News team
Featured Story
The 7 Types of Rest That Can Help You Feel Restored
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It’s a common refrain: “I get enough sleep, but I’m still tired.” Or “I work out, but my energy levels are still low.” While many factors play a role in how we feel each day, one element we may not be considering is the way in which we rest — that is, if we’re even truly resting at all. “Most people don’t realize that rest is more than just cessation activities,” author and internal medicine physician Saundra Dalton-Smith tells Nice News, adding: “At the very core of it, rest really is about restoration. And sometimes the most restorative thing you can do has an activity component to it.” In her book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, Dalton-Smith details seven distinct types of rest, suggesting that by seeking respite in the areas of our lives that call for it most, we can better address our overall well-being.
A Healthy Aging Breakthrough, Discovered by Helping Dolphins
It’s simple — we age because our cells do. The good news? Dolphins (yep, the backflipping marine mammals) helped crack the code to slow it down. After studying aging Navy dolphins, researchers discovered C15:0, an emerging essential fatty acid that strengthens cell membranes and helps slow (and even reverse) aging at the cellular level. It’s a breakthrough that’s now available in fatty15, a once-a-day supplement delivering 36-plus cellular benefits that support our metabolic, cognitive, liver, immune, and red blood cell health. Within 16 weeks, 70% of customers report benefits like deeper sleep, a calmer mood, improved joints, restored energy, and better labs. With 6,000 five-star reviews, over 60 patents, and more than 100 peer-reviewed studies, it’s science-backed. Which explains why fatty15 is Inc. 5000’s No. 1 Fastest-Growing Supplement Company in America. Save 15% on your first order with code NICENEWS.
Welcome to the (YouTube) Neighborhood, Mister Rogers!
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Everyone’s favorite cardigan-wearing host is headed to YouTube. Starting this summer, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood will have its first dedicated YouTube channel, where viewers can watch select episodes of Fred Roger’s beloved show for free, as well as repurposed clips, shorts, and compilations. YouTube didn’t even exist when the final episode aired in 2001, but the show’s messages of empathy and neighborly love are as timely as ever. To carry that legacy forward, Fred Rogers Productions teamed up with Little Dot Studios to meet the new generation of kiddos right where they’re at — a gesture we imagine Rogers himself would have loved. “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood continues to inspire viewers young and old across four generations,” Paul Siefken, president and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions, said in a statement. “We’re excited to partner with Little Dot Studios on this new YouTube channel that will make the wonder, kindness, and human connection of the series more discoverable and accessible than ever.” While we wait for the channel to launch, you can watch some episodes of the show here.
Culture
Tired of the Apps? This Dating Trend Involves a Pub and PowerPoint (and Good Friends)
Allison Robbert—The Washington Post/Getty Images
The love of your life could be just one PowerPoint presentation away. That’s the bet some young singles are making at “Date My Mate” events, where close friends take the stage at local bars and share a slide deck on why their BFF is the ultimate catch. Think: a set-up date meets Shark Tank. At a recent event in London, participant Will made a presentation about his best friend Zach (and vice versa), bragging about his sportiness, emotional intelligence, and bar trivia prowess. “It’s easier to big up your mate,especially if you know them really well,” Will told Reuters. For those who want to meet someone the good old-fashioned way but aren’t too keen on approaching a cute stranger themselves, Date My Mate offers a quirky alternative. And seeing that the London event’s organizers said all 150 tickets sold out in less than five minutes, it’s a much-desired one, too. “People are sick of swiping. They want to be in person and meet face-to-face,” said organizer Emily Churchill. “Also, I’ve noticed that friends really want to vouch for their single friends.” Similar events have been held everywhere from Washington, D.C., and Salt Lake City, Utah, to Melbourne, Australia — watch a clip from the London one.
Environment
Meet Nature Is Nonpartisan: The “Conservation Movement for the 21st Century”
FilippoBacci/iStock
The smell of spring’s first flowers blossoming, the sight of a tree-covered mountain, the sound of birdsong: These are things we all enjoy. So why does the preservation of nature sometimes seem like an issue that’s split down party lines? According to Benji Backer, it’s a matter of disconnection — or rather, disconnection from the outside world and hyperconnection to the worlds within our devices. “We’ve become so digitally addicted, and we’ve allowed every issue to become a culture war issue, largely because of the algorithms and the news incentives,” he tells Nice News, adding: “And the reality is the environment is more important than that.” Backer is the founder and CEO of Nature is Nonpartisan, a nonprofit on a mission “to rebuild a durable conservation movement for the 21st century,” he says. “And that movement should include political diversity, should include geographic diversity, income diversity, racial diversity.” Learn more about the org’s mission and how you can get involved.
Sunday Selections
Deep Dives
Record-setting swimmer Diana Nyad shattered stereotypes in her 60s — now 76, she’s sharing her ideas on aging
Written over the past two decades, Pulitzer Prize winner Louise Erdrich’s latest release is a collection of 13 short stories, each featuring artwork by her daughter Aza Erdrich Abe. While certain stories stem from the author’s life, others are surreal — like the title tale, in which a young girl befriends a lovesick dog and is anointed by a snake, and two speculative pieces set in a dystopian afterlife. The throughline, Erdrich said in a recent interview, is “the getting of wisdom, the realization we have at some point in our lives that the things we didn’t notice become extremely important in retrospect.”
We knowbees build nests, pollinate flowers, and make honey — but they also play, dance, learn, and do so much more. The tiny animals are incredibly important to the health of our planet, and now we can get a closer look at their fascinating lives. Executive-produced by James Cameron for National Geographic, Secrets of the Bees chronicles the goings-on of a single hive over three years, filmed with special cameras that offer astonishing insight into the creatures’ intelligence and behaviors. You can stream the two-episode documentary on Disney+ now.
This Week in History
Astronaut Ellen Ochoa Becomes First Latina in Space
April 8, 1993
NASA
In April 1993, a crew of five astronauts blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center to gather data on how the sun’s energy output affects Earth’s atmosphere and ozone levels. As the Space Shuttle Discovery entered orbit, the sole woman on board, Ellen Ochoa, became the first Latina in space. The granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, Ochoa went on to fly three more missions, logging nearly 1,000 hours. Prior to her time with NASA, she earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford and co-filed three patents for optical systems. She later went on to become the first Hispanic and second female director of the Johnson Space Center from 2013-2018. Fun fact: In addition to being a science whiz, Ochoa’s a classically trained musician — check out a pic of her playing the flute in space.
Save With Metro’s 6-Month Unlimited Plan
When you buy six months of service upfront, you save $20 a month on Metro’s unlimited phone plan — meaning $120 in total savings. You get unlimited 5G data, talk, and text and a five-year price guarantee, all on America’s best network, according to Ookla Speedtest. Offer for new customers when you bring your phone; exclusions apply.
