Nice News Today

Today’s episode dives into a medical milestone that could pave the way for less invasive heart surgeries. You’ll also learn about the strawberry variety in England whose crown may be overthrown, a phone service that’s great for grandparents, and more.

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Must Reads

• Suffering from a sunburn after the holiday weekend? These five foods can help you heal

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• In West Texas, thousands attend “star parties” beneath some of the world’s darkest nighttime skies

Culture

Bend, Oregon, Has Best Job Market in the US, New Analysis Finds

Where are the best job markets in the country? After analyzing 348 cities based on six metrics, the financial marketplace SmartAsset ranked Bend, Oregon, as No. 1.
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Using the most recent Census Bureau data, the study looked at factors like income growth, housing affordability, and commute time to rank the cities, and found that Bend had low unemployment and high income growth. More than 25% of employed residents work remotely, and the average commute time is a mere 16 minutes.
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Richmond, Virginia, came in second, with the average worker earnings in the city increasing by 50% over three years — and Santa Clara, California, which came in sixth, was found to offer the most health insurance coverage.
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If you’re looking for locales with high income potential, you may want to check out Carmel, Indiana, and Sunnyvale, California, as the median earnings in both cities cleared the $100,000 mark. Scroll through the list and see which cities ranked in your state.​

Together With Quince

Summer Dresses for the Beach and Beyond

If you can never decide what to wear during these hot summer days, it’s time to stock up on some Quince dresses. The brand’s summer collection will have you effortlessly transitioning from beachside days to elevated evening dinners.
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The summer dresses are crafted from lightweight, breathable fabrics, like organic cotton gauze, linen, Tencel, and washable silk. The 100% European Linen Shirt Dress is a particular favorite of ours — it’s a timeless classic that should be a staple in any wardrobe. And did we mention that everything comes at an affordable price?

Humanity

UK Dad Creates Crocs and Cartoon Characters Out of Sand

Building sand castles isn’t just for kids: One U.K. dad has been getting in on the summer fun, too. Mark Lewis, 57, is passionate about molding sand into weird and wonderful landscapes, creatures, and buildings, and his creative sculptures — including Spongebob Squarepants and a giant pair of Crocs — have been earning him attention on social media.
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The part-time minister, who lives in York, England, began his sand sculpting journey with his children back in 2010. Lewis would often take the two boys, Simeon and Ethan, down to the coast, as they had a close friend living nearby. Since then, he’s replicated Star Wars’ Jabba the Hutt and R2-D2, The Lord of the Rings’ Helm’s Deep and Isengard, and more, and he believes “the bigger” the sand sculpture “the better.”
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​“It’s all about bringing joy into the world and inciting a smile on someone’s face as they discover something unexpected [to] surprise [them] on the beach,” he shared with SWNS. “I also love making things tall. The higher the sculpture, the more impressive it is, and we love it when people look at it thinking, ‘How on earth did they do that!’” See more of his charming creations.​

Environment

Bonobos Feel Optimistic After Hearing Their Peers Laugh, Study Says

Both age-old wisdom and a wide body of research tell us that laughter is the best medicine — and the benefits of cracking up may extend beyond humans. A recent study found that bonobos, an endangered great ape species native to Congo, were more optimistic after hearing fellow apes laugh.
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Just like it does with humans, laughter appeared to not only enhance positive emotions in the bonobos, but also influence the primates’ decision-making to expect more positive outcomes. The research provides the first experimental evidence that great apes experience emotional changes after hearing laughter.
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To figure this out, the scientists trained four bonobos living at the Ape Initiative in Des Moines, Iowa, to approach black boxes filled with food rewards, and avoid empty white boxes. Then, they showed the apes gray boxes they’d never seen before, and discovered that the animals were much more likely to approach these ones after hearing bonobo laughter — demonstrating optimism in a way that lead author Sasha Winkler likened to the rose-colored glasses effect.
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“We hope this brings greater public awareness to the remarkable similarities between us and bonobos,” Winkler said in a press release, adding, “We have so much to learn from these incredible animals.”

In Other News

1. A “brake” that prevented cell death in mice may lead to a promising treatment for Parkinson’s disease (read more)
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2. The lost Egyptian city of Imet, where ancient residents worshipped a cobra goddess, was found in the Nile Delta (read more)
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3. Two never-before-seen stars burst into view within weeks of each other, a potentially historic event (read more)
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4. In Congo, renewable energy from a solar minigrid is helping make streets safer and boost businesses (read more)
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5. Fleeing flock: Over 300 escaped sheep hoofed it down a California street before being returned to their pens (read more)

Something We Love

Three Wishes Cereal
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​I’m often wary of brands “health-ifying” classic foods like cereal, but Three Wishes really hits the mark. I love adding the cinnamon-flavored cereal to my yogurt bowls in the morning and have noticed that the added protein helps keep me satisfied until lunch.
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​– Ally Mauch, Associate Editor

Join the Nice Book Club

Ready for another Nice Book Club meeting? This week, we’ll be hosting a conversation with Brad Aronson, author of HumanKind. He’ll be sharing insight on how small, everyday acts of kindness can make a big difference — not just in your life, but in the world. You won’t want to miss this one: Click below to RSVP to the free, virtual event, taking place Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET.

Inspiring Story

A heartfelt act that saved a life

A few days after setting out for an evening run, 39-year-old Tommy Chan woke up at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and was told he’d had a heart attack. With no memory of the event, the Canadian was determined to find the bystanders who helped save his life. A post he shared online with the caption, “Did you save my life?” led to him connecting with nurse practitioner Tawnya Shimizu, who had performed CPR on Chan until emergency services arrived. “I don’t know how I can never repay you,” Chan told her on CBC Radio’s Ottawa Morning.

Photo of the Day

It’s a bird, it’s a plane — it’s Superman, suspended 1,000 feet in the air at the top of London’s tallest skyscraper, The Shard, last Tuesday. Promoting the release of the new Superman movie, the 11-foot-tall statue took a team of 20 four months to make, and the daylong spectacle was the highest public sculpture installation in the U.K.

Made to Last: Quince’s One-Piece Swimsuits

Quince’s one-piece swimsuits are a triple threat: They’re made to last, made with Italian-crafted fabric, and thoughtfully made with recycled materials. They feel comfy and secure thanks to compressive fabric and expert craftsmanship, and resist fading, pilling, and snagging, so you’ll be wearing them for years to come.

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About Art

“Maps” by Nate Lowman (2013-ongoing)
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​I’ve written a lot about how art can keep us company. It’s important because sometimes we can’t be with other people or our companions aren’t able to salve our feelings of loneliness. Nature can also keep us company. As I walk around my neighborhood, I look for wildlife — it’s a delight to see a cottontail bunny or listen to birds calling to each other as part of their evening ritual. I might notice how certain trees or plants wave in the wind and imagine what they are experiencing.
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That connectivity feels like company. Of course, what we see, experience, and know differ because of where we are, not just geographically but also in terms of our personal presence. The goal is to simply acknowledge the connections all around us.
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Nate Lowman has made a series of shaped canvases of the United States, titled “Maps.” Hung together, they illustrate the difference of place as well as perspective. Some are monochromatic, others are hung inverted, but the message is always clear: separately, we are separate; together, we’re united.
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​Interested in adding a little more art to your day and learning how to live artfully? Sign up for the newsletter About Art.​

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Written by Heidi Zuckerman Heidi is the CEO and director of the Orange County Museum of Art and author of Why Art Matters: The Bearable Lightness of Being.

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Odds & Ends

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Quote of the Day

“In a world that can often feel unstable and uncertain, our relationships — romantic, platonic, communal — become the anchors that ground us.”

– ESTHER PEREL