TORRES ROSENDO
Stories (9)
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Invisible Habits Are Driving Your Life
You probably remember when you took your last shower, but if I ask you to examine your routine more closely, you might discover some blank spots. Which hand do you use to pick up the shampoo bottle? Which armpit do you soap up first?
By TORRES ROSENDO10 months ago in Lifehack
The Paradox of Hard Work
There are, at last count, nine different medals you can earn at the Comrades Marathon, a historic 55-mile race that runs between the South African cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Gold medals are awarded to the top 10 men and women. The rest depend on hitting certain time standards. To earn a silver medal, for example, you have to finish the race in less than seven and a half hours. To earn a Robert Mtshali medal, named for the first Black runner to complete the race, you have to break 10 hours. And to receive a finisher’s medal and be listed in the official results, you have to break 12 hours. Run any slower than that, and you not only lose out on a medal: After half a day grinding yourself to exhaustion, you aren’t even allowed to finish the race.
By TORRES ROSENDO10 months ago in Education
The most important ingredient in chewing gum
At the turn of the 20th century, William Wrigley Jr. was bent on building an empire of gum, and as part of his extensive hustle, he managed to persuade the U.S. Department of War to include his products in soldiers’ rations. His argument—baseless at the time—was that chewing gum had miraculous abilities to quench thirst, stave off hunger, and dissipate nervous tension. But he was right: Scientists have since found that gum chewing can indeed increase concentration, reduce the impulse to snack, alleviate thirst, and improve oral health.
By TORRES ROSENDO10 months ago in Psyche
"The future of America is Hungary."
Luxurious hotels and upscale restaurants now occupy the center of Budapest, a city once known for its rundown buildings. New monuments have also appeared in the city center. One of them imitates the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., commemorating Hungary's 19th-century empire. The long granite wall no longer bears the names of fallen soldiers from the wars but instead lists the names of former "Hungarian" regions—now cities and villages in Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Poland—and honors them solemnly with an eternal flame.
By TORRES ROSENDO10 months ago in Psyche
The goals of the 2025 plan have not yet been achieved.
"Freedom is fragile, and it can be extinguished in the span of one generation," said Ronald Reagan in his 1967 inauguration speech as Governor of California. Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, quoted Reagan's words approvingly in the introduction to the conservative think tank’s blueprint for the Trump administration, the "2025 Plan." Roberts wrote that the plan has four key goals to protect its vision of freedom: restoring the family "as the center of American life"; dismantling the federal bureaucracy; defending America's "sovereignty, borders, and bounty"; and ensuring "the individual rights to live freely as God intended."
By TORRES ROSENDO10 months ago in Psyche
The New Unequal Marriage
Once upon a time in the United States, it was quite common for highly educated men to marry women with lower educational backgrounds. However, starting in the mid-20th century, as more and more women began attending college, marriage seemed to move toward greater equality—at least in one aspect: an increasing number of men and women were marrying partners with similar educational levels. In recent years, however, this trend appears to have stalled or even reversed. The educational gap between heterosexual couples is once again widening. And this time? It is women who are "marrying down."
By TORRES ROSENDO10 months ago in Education
The Drink Americans Can’t Quit
A young woman is at a diner with friends, being stared down by a waitress with frosted lipstick and no time to waste. What she wants is a soda—but for whatever reason, she can’t bring herself to have one. Same with the girl at the pool party, and the one at the drive-through, and the one sitting in what looks like a sorority house, and the guy at the convenience store. Their brows are furrowed, their mouths are pouty, their faces are twisted into ever-more over-the-top expressions of longing and ambivalence. Their friends are getting so annoyed with them. Eventually, the solution to a problem invented within the space of 40 seconds: “Stop spiraling! Get a Poppi!”
By TORRES ROSENDO10 months ago in Journal
The Midnight Mailman. Content Warning. AI-Generated.
Late at night, with the wind making the windows rattle, the streetlights cast a dim yellow glow. Li Chen sat at his desk, buried in paperwork. Suddenly, a knock at the door broke the silence, sending a chill down his spine. The sound was slow and deliberate, as if each knock were striking at his very heart.
By TORRES ROSENDO10 months ago in Humor
A Cosmic Crisis Triggered by an Egg. Content Warning. AI-Generated.
1. The Revelation of the Egg On Monday morning, Li Ran sleepily walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and found that there was only one egg left. He sighed and carefully picked up the egg, preparing to fry an egg.
By TORRES ROSENDO10 months ago in Humor
