Dads Share the Sweetest, Most Heartwarming Father’s Day Gifts They’ve Ever Received

The stories on this list made us officially overrule our plan to get dad a tie he'll hardly wear.

Channel your inner fanboy

"My son loves Darth Vader (despite the fact that he's never seen any Star Wars' movies). Every week for a month when we would go grocery shopping, he would stop by the rack that had the key chains, whisper something to his younger brother and then nonchalantly ask, 'Dad, you like Star Wars, right?' It was obvious what I was getting for Father's Day. Unfortunately, I'm not a huge Star Wars' fan! Plus, there's nothing worse (for me at least) than a pocket full of bulging keys. For the past year, I haven't been able to put my keys in my pocket and everyone assumes I'm a Star Wars' nerd. But when I think of how proud my son was to give it to me, well, I'll always be sporting my Darth Vader key chain. I can only pray for a new key chain this Father's Day!" —Gerald Craft, Washington, father of two

Score special tickets to the big game

"This year, my twin sister and I are surprising our dad with tickets to an MLB All-Star game in Miami's Marlins Park when he comes to visit. (Our dad is a baseball-loving, retired Army veteran living in Panama.) He was here last on devastating terms, the sudden funeral of one of his closest friends, his brother. This return to Florida will be special for many reasons: a reunion, the game, Father's Day, and our dad's 60th birthday (also in July). Our dad is frugal and simple and rarely asks for anything; we knew we wanted to accomplish this dream for him." —Luisa Irene Yen, Florida

Outdo yourselves with food, music, and love

"For Father's Day, we have a tradition to visit new restaurants that play fun music. We've tried places that serve Russian, Argentinian, and Colombian food. Last year the family took me to a good ol' American cafe. We listened to country music on the way. I can't wait to see where we 'travel' this year and what new music we will listen to in the car." —Edward L. De La Loza, California, father of two

Start the day with "dad" pancakes. End it with a game.

"My favorite Father's Day celebration was two years ago. The day began with an amazing brunch with pancakes that spelled "DAD" and a picture frame from my daughter. Then we made a trip to Madison Square Garden to see a New York Liberty basketball game. My daughter and I were on the Dad Cam and we caught a free T-shirt and stepped onto the Garden floor." —Christopher Persley, co-organizer of NYC Dads Group, New York, one child

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Why Do You Believe in Superstititons? Here’s What the Science Says

Most Americans know superstitions are nonsense. But why do more than 50 percent of people still believe in them?

By their very definition, according to Merriam-Webster, superstitions are nonsensical: “A belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation.” In other words, a superstition is “an action that is inconsistent with science,” Stuart Vyse, a psychologist and professor at Connecticut College, told CBS.

Still, for a set of supposedly irrational beliefs, superstitions have a surprisingly large following. An estimated 17 to 21 million people in America. are afraid of Friday the 13th, 74 percent of those in the U.K. say they knock on wood to avoid bad luck, and 13 percent of Americans cringe at the sight of a black cat.

So why does more than 50 percent of the country, as per a recent Gallop poll, consider themselves superstitious? And why, even when people don’t truly believe superstitions can impact our fate, do they continue to participate in them?

For one, superstitions have been ingrained in our lives since the very beginning. “People teach them to us when we’re young,” Vyse, the author of Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition, told LifeHacker. “They’re part of the lore of any culture. The basic process of socialization is a major part of it.”

Secondly, they can be a soothing control mechanism. “We live in a world where you can’t always control the outcome,” says Vyse. “Superstitions tend to emerge in those contexts. You do everything you possibly can to ensure that things will work out.” Together, those two factors have made a very real impact.

“One of the interesting things about superstitions is their seemingly arbitrary nature,” Tom Gilovich, a psychology professor at Cornell University, told CBS. “Like, why 13? Why black cats? Why can’t you walk under that ladder? It has no rational bearing. Yet somehow you feel like you’re tempting fate, and the outcome, a bad outcome, that could befall you is going to be worse because you deliberately did something that people say you shouldn’t do.”

Evolution might also be at play here. “A prehistoric human might associate rustling grass with the approach of a predator and hide. Most of the time, the wind will have caused the sound, but if a group of lions is coming, there’s a huge benefit to not being around,” Kevin Foster, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University, told the New Scientist.

Speaking of the benefit of superstitions, many of the ones that indicate good fortune—a lucky penny or a trusty charm bracelet—can have their perks. In one study published inPsychological Science, researchers gave golf balls to all of their participants and told half that their golf ball was lucky. The subjects with the “lucky” golf balls made 35 percent more successful putts.

“Feeling lucky gave them a better sense of self-efficacy (a belief in your own competence), which then enhanced their performance with the golf playing,” Matthew Hutson, science writer and author of The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking, told LifeHacker about the study. “The same researcher did several other experiments where she crossed fingers for them or the subjects had lucky charms on them. Their superstition helped them perform better on certain cognitive tasks, memory games, and physical tasks.”

So go ahead and wear your trusty charm bracelet, and ditch your fear of Friday the 13th. It could bring you a little bit of—dare we say—luck.

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These Songs Will Give You the Best Night’s Sleep, According to Science

Music can make you laugh, make you cry, give you chills, shake your booty, or—as anyone who has ever attended an evening performance at the symphony knows too well—put you to sleep. Emerging research from sleep scientists around the world says that there’s a good reason for this, and now you can exploit it to make your own bedtime even cozier.

Music has been used in healing ceremonies for thousands of years and across cultures—but let’s talk about a surprising new study out of Hong Kong. Researchers found that study participants who listened to music for 30 to 45 minutes before bed every night for three months fell asleep more quickly, slept more deeply, and felt better the next morning. The catch: The songs they listened to were all set at tempos between 60 and 80 beats per minute—our approximate heart rate when falling asleep.

That’s right: You can literally trick your body into relaxing by syncing your heart rate with peaceful music. In this way, listening to music becomes a form of meditation; by mindfully listening to your surroundings, your heart rate slows, your blood pressure lowers, your anxiety abates, and life becomes a peaceful song.

Of course, the same is true of energetic music: The Royal Automobile Club Foundation for Motoring ranked Wagner’s “Ride of The Valkyries” as the world’s most dangerous song for motorists, thanks to a frenzied tempo (nearly 100 bpm) that challenges drivers’ normal sense of speed. (Saying “Sorry, officer, I was just Wagner-ing” probably is not a magic phrase to get you out of a speeding ticket.)

Armed with findings about the irresistible link between backbeat and heartbeat, sleep therapists have even begun collaborating with musicians to create what could become known to history as the chillest music ever. In 2011, the English trio known as Marconi Union worked with the British Academy of Sound Therapy to create an eight-minute instrumental track called “Weightless,” designed to lull the listener into relaxation through proven heart-rate-lowering sounds and tempos (beginning at 60 bpm, and stealthily slowing to 50 bpm by the end.)

And it worked, too. In a recent UK study, participants challenged with solving difficult puzzles while listening to various types of music showed a whopping 65 percent reduction in anxiety (and therefore an improvement in performance) while listening to “Weightless.” (That pretty much makes “Weightless” the anti-Valkyrie.) As an addendum, study moderator Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson of Mindlab International even said: “I would advise against driving while listening to the song because it could be dangerous.”

Want to boost your relaxation before bedtime? Make this your official playlist for a sweet slumber:

• “Weightless” by Marconi Union

• “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy

• “Canzonetta Sul-aria” by Mozart

• “Nocturne in E flat Major Op.9 No.2” by Chopin

• “The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkel

Sleep tight.

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Every Book Lover Will Love These Sweet Stories About Local Bookstores

Jerry Seinfeld once said, “A bookstore is one of the only pieces of physical evidence we have that people are still thinking.” Well, it appears we’re thinking less, because there are fewer and fewer bookstores around. Writer/artist and Reader’s Digest cartoonist Bob Eckstein seeks to rectify that with his wonderful homage to these temples of thought, Footnotes From the World’s Greatest Bookstores (Clarkson Potter). It’s chock-full of sweet, funny, and poignant stories. And a few celebrities make appearances, too.

The Golden Notebook: Woodstock, New York

Once, a customer came in looking for a book for his daughter. Our children's buyer, Gaela Pearson, was busy trying to put together a cardboard book display. She told the man, 'I would be happy to help you. In fact, I'll give you 20 percent off your purchase if you help me put together this display.' He said, 'No, I don't need a discount, but I'd be happy to help.' Gaela and the man sat on the floor and assembled the display. The man bought a book and then left. Gaela's daughter, working in the back of the store, said, 'You know who that was? Didn't you notice his eyes were two different colors? That was David Bowie.'" —Jacqueline Kellachan, owner

City Lights: San Francisco

"We once received a letter from a young woman who wanted us to know, and hoped we wouldn't be mortified by the fact, that she had surreptitiously placed her father's ashes in various nooks and crannies throughout our poetry room. She said it was her father's favorite place in the world and she was comforted by knowing he was there." —Stacey Lewis, City Lights

Books and Books: Coral Gables, Florida

"One night when I was just about to close, my bookseller, George Henry Keen, tapped me on the back of my shoulder and said these seven magic words, 'Paul McCartney needs your help in fiction.' I showed him (his pregnant wife, and two bodyguards) around the store, but he was most interested in anything Dickens. He fondly remembered the Penguin editions he read at university and regaled me with stories of a particular literature professor who had a great influence on him."—Mitchell Kaplan, owner

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Tricks for a Picture-Perfect Gingerbread House

Get the right base

Without a sturdy base, your hard work could be ruined as soon as you try to move your gingerbread house. Cut down foam board the size of the spot you want to display your creation, leaving room for a sidewalk, trees, snowmen, or any other fun details in the “yard.”

Think ahead

Piping on intricate frosting patterns and attaching heavy candies is harder when your house is upright. Decorate your walls and roof while they’re still flat on the table so you don’t have to work against gravity at awkward angles or risk knocking down your creation.

Try a new glue

Icing is the classic “glue” for gingerbread houses, but it isn’t your only choice for keeping those pieces together. Glue is an obvious option, but purists who want only edible ingredients can still get that durability. On a mission to make an “indestructible gingerbread house,” NPR found that melted marshmallows, gummy bears, or caramels create a sturdy cement. In fact, melted gummies make such a strong bond that it’ll be hard to clean up, so keep your table covered with newspaper, wear gloves, and don’t bite into those sections.

Accept it will take time

To keep your creation from collapsing, give your structure plenty of time to dry before you keep building on it. Leave at least an hour after sticking the walls together before you add the roof, then wait another couple hours before adding decorations. Work on it for a little every day throughout the weekend, spend the waiting time watching Christmas movies with your kids, or try one of these useful things to do at home when you're bored.

Make accent trees

An ice cream cone makes a great base for a Christmas tree in your gingerbread house yard. Just dip one in white chocolate mixed with green food coloring. Decorate it with M&M ornaments, or add Rice Krispies before dipping to create a pine needle-like texture. Don't miss these creative ways to decorate your real Christmas tree.

Let it snow

Give your gingerbread house a white Christmas by covering the base with fake snow. Shaved coconut and silver edible glitter add texture with all the radiance of freshly fallen flakes.

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This Grandfather’s Sweet Christmas Tree Picking Tradition Will Warm Your Heart

These sisters always found a "perfect" tree behind Grandpa's house, but it wasn't by accident.

I was in my early 20s when I discovered the truth about the perfect Christmas trees my sister and I found each year in the forest behind my grandparents’ farmhouse.
When we were growing up, Colleen and I rode the train 300 miles from Seattle to Spokane every summer and Christmas vacation. Then we took a taxi five miles to the Greyhound terminal, where we’d wait two hours for the bus to Loon Lake. Forty miles and another hour later, we would hop out at the Loon Lake post office, where Granddad and Gammie met us with smiling faces and Granddad’s green 1954 Chevy pickup.

Our warmest childhood memories are of their farm on Grouse River Road. We bumped along on the broad back of their horse, Jenny, who was 15 hands high and blind in one eye. We milked cows and goats, slopped the pigs, ate berries off the vine and ran through newly plowed fields with dirt squishing between our toes, gathering worms for the chickens.
Christmases were always white at Loon Lake, with snow piled deep for building forts and playing with Blondie, our grandparents’ cocker spaniel. Before we finally ran inside to warm up, little balls of snow dangled from her long fur like Christmas ornaments.
But the fondest memory of all was when Granddad would hitch up Jenny and we’d trudge up the hill into the forest behind their house. It was slow going, partly because Colleen and I couldn’t resist flopping down regularly to make angels in the untouched snow. Then we’d search the grove of pine trees looking for that special one to honor as our Christmas tree. The search always involved excited chatter, for all three of us had to agree that we’d found the perfect tree before Granddad would swing his trusty ax.
After we girls gently guided the cut tree to the ground, Granddad would hitch it to Jenny and drag it back to the house. As we returned, we followed the snow angels back to our little bit of heaven on earth.
Granddad passed away when my sister and I were grown. Only then did Gammie reveal his secret: He’d pick out a tree early each spring, then trim and shape it through the summer and fall so it would be ready for our big day in December.
As Colleen and I raced through the trees searching for the perfect tree, he would cleverly guide us toward its location, without actually pointing it out. We always thought we’d discovered it ourselves.
As Gammie told us this story, we realized that was why she always had that extra twinkle in her eye when we came rushing in the door, bursting with excitement about how this year we’d found the best Christmas tree ever.
Of all the Christmas presents we ever received, none is more special than the memory of Granddad’s secret gift. It remains as bright and beautiful as the snow on a clear December day or the twinkle in Gammie’s eyes.

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Country Wisdom: Buy Your Kids a Wagon, and They’ll Never Complain About “Work”

When our first child, Philip, was born, his great-grandfather sent us a check with a note asking us to buy him a wagon. Little did Grandfather know how useful this gift would be in the years ahead.

We went out and bought a medium-size Radio Flyer, just like the ones we had as children.

Our baby enjoyed rides galore: to the park to gather leaves and chestnuts, down the street to the horse pasture to pet the horses and to the corner store for a loaf of bread.

When his baby sister, Janie, arrived, she joined her big brother in the little red wagon, his chubby arms holding her tight.

Finally their little brother, Paul, completed the family circle. He crowded out Philip, who was ready for kindergarten and had graduated to riding a bicycle.


We had our tumbles. A wagon isn’t built for hot-rodding, and, as every wagon-pulling parent knows, corners are especially tricky.

But early childhood passed in relative safety, and that little red wagon had a birthday each summer along with our oldest child.

About 10 years after we bought the wagon, we moved to the country. We sold the children’s outgrown and outdated possessions, but the wagon wasn’t among them.

We cherished the memories it held, and hoped it would give us more years of service and fun. As it turned out, we had no idea how useful this battered piece of metal on wheels would be in our country paradise. It went where the pickup, the wheelbarrow and the riding mower feared to roll.

You wouldn’t believe what we’ve done with that wagon. We moved the playhouse, the chicken house, the sheep shed, you name it. This requires every hand on the place and a balancing act that would bring applause in any circus, but the job gets done.

Railroad ties, concrete blocks, sod, compost, manure, hay bales, and 50-pound feed sacks have all taken a ride at one time or another.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. If the wagon is involved, the children don’t see it as work. Wagons are for fun, aren’t they? We did get a few grumbles, but teaching the kids the value of work is one of the reasons we chose to live in the country.

The wagon will be 16 years old this year. Philip is ready for fancier wheels, something with shinier paint that requires a driver’s license to operate. But we aren’t ready to trade the wagon in just yet.

You would hardly call it red anymore, and it has a few rust holes, but, hey, there’s more work to be done out here. We’ll have potatoes and onions from the garden to haul in, lambs will be born next spring, and who knows what will need moving.

If any grandparents are wondering what to buy for your grandbabies, I recommend a wagon. Their parents will thank you for years to come.

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7 Pieces of Life Advice Geniuses Tell Their Kids

These brilliant men and women have revolutionized science, medicine, and our understanding of the cosmos. But what do they tell their kids before bedtime?

Albert Einstein on the best way to learn something new

“Play the things on the piano which please you, even if the teacher does not assign those. That is the way to learn the most, that when you are doing something with such enjoyment that you don’t notice that the time passes.” —Albert Einstein in a heartwarming letter to his son, Hans Albert

Stephen Hawking on the most important thing in life

"One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away." —Stephen Hawking, sharing his favorite life advice for his three children

Marie Curie on the power of confidence

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” —Marie Curie, quoted by her daughter, Éve, in Madame Curie: A Biography

Bill Nye on the #1 thing to remember about other people

“Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t. Auto mechanics today write code and debug software. Cooks understand the use of copper to control egg proteins. Bricklayers have intimate knowledge of the strength of materials. Respect their knowledge. Learn from them. It will bring out the best in both of you.” —Bill Nye, in a Rutgers University commencement speech

Neil deGrasse Tyson on dealing with obstacles

“I have colleagues with dyslexia. It’s a hurdle—but in the Olympics, what do you do when you come to a hurdle? You jump over it.” —Neil deGrasse Tyson, responding to an eight-year-old girl concerned that her dyslexia could prevent a career in science

E.O. Wilson's challenge to the next generation

"Keep your eyes lifted and your head turning. The search for knowledge is in our genes. It was put there by our distant ancestors who spread across the world, and it's never going to be quenched." —Biologist E.O. Wilson, in a TED talk to young scientists

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Indian Food

The traditional food of India has been widely appreciated for its fabulous use of herbs and spices. Indian cuisine is known for its large assortment of dishes. The cooking style varies from region to region and is largely divided into South Indian & North Indian cuisine. India is quite famous for its diverse multi cuisine available in a large number of restaurants and hotel resorts, which is reminiscent of unity in diversity. The staple food in India includes wheat, rice and pulses with chana (Bengal Gram) being the most important one. To know more about the Indian traditional food, read on.

Bengali Food

Bengali cuisine is appreciated for its fabulous use of panchphoron, a term used to refer to the five essential spices, namely mustard, fenugreek seed, cumin seed, aniseed, and black cumin seed. The specialty of Bengali food lies in the perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavors. For Bengalis, food is one of the most essential aspects of their day to day lives. Ladies spend lot of time in the kitchen cooking delicious feast for the family.

Gujarati Food

The traditional Gujarati food is primarily vegetarian and has a high nutritional value. The typical Gujarati thali mostly encompasses rotli, dal or kadhi, sabzi also known as shaak and rice. People in Gujarat eat one or the other type of curry along with rice and roti in almost every meal Gujarati dishes usually have a very subtle taste that makes it truly distinct from other Indian cuisines. Lot of emphasis is laid on maintaining hygiene while cooking. Most of the Gujarati dishes are sweet, while others have a quite larger concentration of sugar as compared to salt and spices. Sometimes, jaggery is used as an alternative to sugar.

Kashmiri Food

Kashmiri food that we have today in the restaurants has evolved over the years. Highly influenced by the traditional food of the Kashmiri pundits, it has now taken some of the features of the cooking style adopted in Central Asia, Persia and Afghanistan.

In the making of Kashmiri dishes, garlic and onion are not used much as in the case of other Indian cuisines. Absolutely rich in taste and exotic in flavor, Kashmiri cuisine has become a popular choice. The strong influence of Kashmiri pandits, who are predominantly meat eaters, explains the reason why the cuisine of Kashmir has more of non vegetarian dishes. Kashmiri thali is preferred mainly for its non vegetarian dishes. However, there are some real mouthwatering vegetarian dishes too, which are relished by all.

Mughlai Cuisine

Mughlai food is especially preferred in Northern parts of the country. Some of the Mughlai dishes have Muslim names such as biryani, pulao, kebabs, kofta. This is suggestive of the strong influence of Muslim cooking style. The Mughals have truly left a long lasting influence on India, which is also reflected in the cuisine of India. Mughlai food occupies a commanding position in the popular cuisines of India.

The rich preparation of Mughlai food consisting of flavored sauces and butter based curries is so tempting that food lovers are bound to crave for more and more food. Mughlai food offers an amazingly delicious variety of food ranging from hot spicy shorba or soup to ginger based roasted meats to kulfi with rose petals sprinkled on it. Even, the names of the Mughlai food are so attractive that a person gets tempted to try out different dishes.

Punjabi Food

The cuisine of Punjab has an enormous variety of mouth-watering vegetarian as well as non vegetarian dishes. The spice content ranges from minimal to pleasant to high. Punjabi food is usually relished by people of all communities. In Punjab, home cooking differs from the restaurant cooking style.

Wheat is the staple food of Punjabis; however, they do enjoy eating rice on festivities and other special occasions. When it comes to food, each region in Punjab has an entirely different preference like people in Amritsar are particularly fond of stuffed paranthas and milk products. The philosophy of life for most of the Punjabis is to eat, drink and make merry. They are real lively people who are extremely fond of eating good food. In the preparation of Punjabi food, onion, ginger and garlic are used extensively to enhance the taste of the food.

Rajasthani Food

The cooking style followed in Rajasthan is based on the natural climatic conditions of this desert land. There is scarcity of water and fresh green veggies in the state of Rajasthan, which has an adverse impact on its cooking. In the desert belts of Rajasthan, it is preferred to use milk, butter milk and butter in larger quantities to minimize the amount of water while cooking food.

Dried lentils and beans obtained from native plants like sangria are used extensively in the preparation of Rajasthani dishes. Gram flour is the major ingredient in the making of a couple of delicacies such as "pakodi" and "gatte ki sabzi". Powdered lentils are liberally used in the preparation of papad. Rajasthanis are quite fond of chutneys, which are prepared using different spices such as coriander, turmeric, garlic and mint.

Out of all the Rajasthani dishes, dal bati churma is perhaps the best known. For those who are in a lookout for variety.

South Indian Cuisine

The cuisine of South India is known for its light, low calorie appetizing dishes. The traditional food of South India is mainly rice based. The cuisine is famous for its wonderful mixing of rice and lentils to prepare yummy lip smacking dosas, vadas, idlis and uttapams.

Sambhar is like a must in the main course. It is usually a companion to most of the food items then be it idli, vada or dosa. Most of the South Indian dishes consist of sambhar, rasam, vegetable curry and pachadi (yogurt). When it comes to rice preparations, South Indians are real experts. Their lemon rice is savored and appreciated by almost all the people. Other preparations of rice include coconut rice, carrot rice and fried rice made by using coconut, curry leaves, urad dal, tamarind, peanuts, chilies, and fenugreek seeds.

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TOP 10 MOST POPULAR SPORTS IN INDIA

India is a country where “SPORTS” hold a special place in the hearts of the people. There are many sports being played in India with full dedication and determination. India has produced so many great sportsmen in each and every sport. But all the sports are not equally popular in our country.

1.CRICKET

It has been the most popular sport in India since decades. IPL (Indian Premiere League) and ICL (Indian Cricket league) are the two most popular events of Indian Cricket. India’s performance has been wonderful in Cricket. Our team has won WORLD CUP two times (1983 and 2011), T20 world cup 2007 and ICC Champions Trophy, 2013.Cricket is being looked after by BCCI, which in fact, is the richest cricket board in the world. The great players in the history of cricket are from India. Sachin Tendulkar, Saurabh Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble and so on……

2. BADMINTON

It is the second most played sport in India after Cricket. Badminton Association of India manages badminton in India. Prakash Padukone is well known badminton player of India.

3. SOCCER

The national team hasn’t done well at the international level, still it is one important sport played in the country and has so many followers.

4. HOCKEY

Isn’t it shocking? Well it is. India’s hockey team has done well in the recent past. India has also won the 1975 world cup hockey tournament in Malaysia. Still we need to encourage people to value this sport more.

5. ATHLETICS

Athletics takes us back to pre-colonial era where the people engaged themselves in various track and field athletic events. We still expect a better future in this game.

6. TENNIS

This game was exported to India by the Englishmen. Who can forget the contribution of Rohan Bopanna, Mahesh Bhupati and Sania Mirza in taking tennis to a place where it is now.

7. CHESS

Talking about chess, only one person comes in our mind. Oh yes, it is Vishwanathan Anand, the person who has made Chess popular in our country.

8. TABLE TENNIS

It is a popular indoor sport. It can be played both as singles and as doubles. The Table Tennis federation of India manages table tennis in India.

9. WRESTLING

which is popular, but mainly youngsters from rural part of the country are coming forward to take this  up as a career choice. THE GREAT KHALI is one such example.

10. BASKETBALL

which is not so popular in our country. It is limited to colleges only. On higher level, we haven’t done much as compared to other sports.

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Spectacular Photographs of America’s National Parks That Will Leave You Awestruck

Our sister publication ‘Country’ magazine received more than 2,000 entries in their “Our National Parks” photo contest. Here are the stunning winners and honorable mentions.

Grand prize: Good as gold

“Fall is a great time to visit Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park. Moody weather often leads to spectacular photographs like this one. I call this shot ‘Good as Gold.’”

1)First place: A spectacular sky

“I love photography, nature, and astrophotography. I took this photo at Cedar Pass in Badlands National Park just before sunrise.”

2)Second place: A river runs through it

“This early morning view of the Grand Canyon was taken from Lipan Point. You can see the Colorado River snake through the canyon.”

3)Third place: A touching moment

While driving through Badlands, we turned a curve and there was a bighorn ewe with her lambs. This was a once-in-a-lifetime photo, and we wanted to share it with others.”


4)Honorable mention: In the presence of history

“On a foggy morning drive near Gettysburg National Military Park, I couldn’t help but think of the soldiers who fought here.”


5)Honorable mention: Green as far as the eye can see

“The New River Gorge National River is a beautiful place. captured this scene from Diamond Point.” 

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12 Common Phrases You Never Knew Were From the Bible

No book in history has contributed more phrases to the English language than the King James Bible. Here are a few of the ways it has influenced everyday language.

"A house divided against itself"

Without unity there can be no strength In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells a crowd of impudent Pharisees, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” However, the phrase didn’t enter the modern lexicon until it was memorably quoted by Abraham Lincoln in his famous nomination acceptance speech of 1858. Addressing the contentious issue of slavery in the United States, he told an audience of Republican politicians that “a house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.” His words were prophetic. Three years later, the U.S. government did indeed split, and the resulting civil war between slave and free states cost more than 600,000 lives. The phrase meanwhile, became famous, immortalized as the title of a 1913 movie, a 1935 novel, and, rather grandiosely, an episode of the hit TV series Dallas. Not exactly what Jesus had in mind.

"By the skin of my teeth"

This is one of the many proverbs that owe their origin to the colorful language of the Book of Job. The tormented hero Job is complaining about his woes. He has become, he says, so emaciated that “my bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.” The proverbial meaning is that he has missed death by a tiny margin—as narrow as the (non-existent) skin on a person’s teeth. But biblical scholars have argued endlessly about what the phrase originally signified. Some argue for a more literal interpretation: that Satan kept Job’s mouth—the skin of his gums, jaws, and lips—healthy in order to encourage him to blaspheme against God. More recently, the heavy metal band Megadeath put an interesting slant on the saying when they used it as the title for a track on their third album in 1992. Frontman Dave Mustaine explained to a live audience: “This is a song about how many times I tried to kill myself and just couldn’t get the job done.”

"A drop in the bucket"

Stuck between the mighty pharaohs on one side, and a succession of great Mesopotamian empires on the other, Israel was always destined to be a small fish in a big and dangerous pond. By the middle of the sixth century BC, the Jewish kingdoms had been conquered repeatedly, and a decent chunk of the population was living in painful exile in Babylon. Amid all this geopolitical gloom, the Book of Isaiah had some words of comfort. Compared to God, says the prophet, “the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance.” These days, in keeping with the modern enthusiasm for “super-sizing,” the “bucket” is often replaced with the “ocean.”


"Fleshpot"

In the Book of Exodus, Moses leads the Hebrews out of Egypt to escape from the tyrannical pharaoh and find the Promised Land. They follow him eagerly enough at first, but it soon becomes clear that the journey will be far from straightforward. As geography students will remember, between Egypt and Israel lies the barren wasteland of the Sinai Desert. It isn’t long before Moses’ flock start complaining: “Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt,” they moan, “when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full.” “Flesh pots,” in this passage, means exactly what it sounds like: pots in which you cook flesh. But the fleshpots of Egypt became a popular metaphor for any luxurious scene imagined with regret or disapproval. Gradually, the Egyptian reference dropped away—in 1710, Jonathan Swift writes of the “fleshpots of Cavan Street”— until fleshpot became an all-purpose word for anywhere that was particularly alluring. These days a “fleshpot” can be anything from a casino in Las Vegas to a London nightclub.

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