RP350 Towering Beauties

 RP350 Towering Beauties

Yangshuo County in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has some truly unique rock formations that make for some of the most interesting geography in the world.
Located in Southeast China, Yangshuo is home to extremely picturesque natural scenery. Its landscape is teeming with unique rock formations that are called karsts. These rocks protrude out of the earth in a big way. They look like stone pillars that have grown to be massive just like a tree might. Strangely enough, the two ingredients for this peculiar geography are extremely simple: water and time.
It took a long time for Yangshuo to inherit its unique geography. Millions of years ago, the Guilin area used to be a gulf. This meant that Guilin's hills were submerged underwater. This water slowly eroded them and fashioned them into pillar shapes. After the water receded, wind and rain continued to eat away at them and contribute to Yangshuo's unique look. Ultimately, the rock formations that we see today in Yangshuo County were tens of millions of years in the making!
There are a few particularly notable karst formations within Yangshuo County. The first of them is called Nine Horse Mural Hill. This landmark is a giant stone cliff that faces the Li River. It got its name from the fact that some people can see nine horses in various poses in the rock patterns. Sunshine reflecting off the cliff face has been known to dazzle spectators with a rainbow of many colors. These colors also change depending on the weather and the time of day.
Elephant Trunk Hill is another famous karst formation in Yangshuo County. It is a limestone arch at the junction of the Li and Taohuajiang rivers. The arch looks like an elephant that has come to drink from the river. Under the arch, there is a crescent-shaped pool that looks like a moon when light strikes it from a certain angle.
While Yangshuo has some of the world's most exquisite karst formations, there are several other worldwide spots that share similar geography. Ha Long Bay in Vietnam and Gunung Mulu in Malaysia are two other popular examples of karst formations that have been dazzling human eyes for thousands of years.

RP349 An Oil to Go Nuts for

 RP349 An Oil to Go Nuts for

Whether in a newspaper or a magazine, you've probably heard of coconut oil. It's a new health craze that's catching on around the world.
Doctors have found that coconut oil is high in healthy fatty acids that are easily digested. Energy from these acids is less likely to be converted into fat. It's also energy that is easily burned when exercising. But the benefits of coconut oil don't stop there—not even close! Studies have revealed the various ways in which coconut oil improves overall health. For one, coconut oil is high in natural saturated fats. These fats increase healthy cholesterol, which prevents heart disease and high blood pressure. Coconut oil is also rich in antioxidants that help reduce inflammation. People who suffer from arthritis and other inflammatory diseases sometimes report reduced swelling and pain. Coconut oil is also believed to help prevent some types of cancer.
As if that's not enough, coconut oil can also benefit your everyday life. Studies have shown that coconut oil can improve memory function in older people. It can also increase metabolism, which leads to better energy and endurance. It even restores skin and leaves it looking younger. No wonder they call coconut oil a superfood: it's creating super-people!
Of course, not everyone agrees on the subject of coconut oil. There are a few doctors and scientists who haven't seen the light yet. For example, the American Heart Association claims that coconut oil is a "troubling" source of saturated fat. Others say that the benefits of coconut oil have been exaggerated, and that more research is needed. Then there are journalists who believe that the coconut oil trend is hurting farmers worldwide.
In reality, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Coconut oil has been proven to have some incredible health benefits. But like anything else in life, it's possible to have too much of a good thing.

RP348 Learn to Fight like an Israeli

 RP348 Learn to Fight like an Israeli

The story of Krav Maga is right out of a Hollywood movie. It begins with a man who grew up in desperate times. His name was Emrich "Imi" Lichtenfeld. Imi was a martial artist, boxer, and acrobat. He was also Jewish, which was very dangerous in 1930s Czechoslovakia. Facing violent threats over his religion, Imi decided to do something about it. He got together with other Jewish boxers and started working on a way to defend their people. The goal was to strip the "art" away from martial art. They wanted to create a fighting style that was practical, effective, and easily taught to others. Their style came to be known as Krav Maga.
Imi's story doesn't end there. After the Nazis invaded in 1940, he fled from Czechoslovakia. He reached Palestine in 1942, and set about training locals in self-defense. His talents were recognized immediately, and he was hired to train military and police forces. After the state of Israel was formed in 1948, he became the army's chief instructor. Imi spent over 20 years in the role, and his legacy is evident. Krav Maga is now the official martial art of the Israel Defense Forces.
Krav Maga is practical above all. Imi drew heavily from other martial arts when developing it, but he only took techniques that were efficient and easy to understand. Therefore, everything in Krav Maga is useful in an actual fight. It teaches how to defend against weapons like knives and guns. It shows how to turn any household object into a weapon. It also puts a premium on swift strikes that can take an attacker out of commission. A Krav Maga fighter will always target vulnerable spots like the eyes, neck, face, or knee.
Krav Maga is also a fighting style that anyone can learn. Imi wanted to develop something that wasn't complicated and easy to learn. Men, women, and children of all ages and body types can train in Krav Maga, but that doesn't mean the training will be easy!

RP347 The Eyes Have It

 RP347 The Eyes Have It!

If you've ever tried to read or watch something on a smartphone in bright sunlight, you know it's not easy. People usually need shade to see screens clearly, especially small screens. And if the sun is right overhead, your eyes can get a nasty blast of glare. Then you won't be seeing anything for a minute or two!
That's all changing right now, however, thanks to moths. Yes, moths. Taking inspiration from these nocturnal insects, scientists in China and the United States have found a solution to midday glare.
The technology that enables people to watch TV on the street in daylight is actually based on what allows moths to see at night. Microscopic structures on moths' eyes let light in but don't reflect it back out. For the insects, this has a double benefit, enabling them to see in darkness while making them less visible to predators. But when similar tiny structures are pressed into a thin, flexible film, they trap sunlight and thereby prevent glare. This means that surfaces coated with such film can be clearly seen even under bright skies.
“Moth eye” film was originally developed for use on solar energy panels, which are more efficient when they' re non-reflective. Now, however, it's ready to take on a variety of new uses. In addition to smartphone screens, windowpanes, road signs, watches, speedometers, and fuel gauges could all be improved by this inexpensive material. Researchers claim that “moth eye” film offers 10 times better readability in clear weather and five times better even in direct sunlight. Since it's self-cleaning, dirt, dust, and fingerprints won't be problems anymore either.
Perhaps the best thing about “moth eye” film is that you won't have to buy a new scooter or phone to get it. It can be stuck onto the surfaces of old gadgets like any screen protector. In the future, however, it may become part of the manufacturing process and already be on products when you buy them.
So the next time you see a moth, be sure to thank it for giving us humans a very helpful idea!

346 A Beautiful Menace Under the Ice

 346 A Beautiful Menace Under the Ice

While exploring the Canadian north, photographer Paul Zizka came across a wonderful sight. It wasn't the snow-capped mountains, the pine trees, or the tranquil lakes. Rather it was some bubbles that caught Paul's eye. These bubbles were visible just under the icy surface of a lake. There were hundreds of them, all frozen in place. They looked like strange sea creatures, maybe even alien life.
What the photographer had discovered is actually a gas called methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that's far more powerful than carbon dioxide. By some estimates, it's 25 times more powerful. It's also highly flammable and can explode when released. Methane bubbles are formed by bacteria at the bottom of lakes. These bacteria consume plant matter and releases methane as part of their digestion process. You might say it's a bacterium's way of farting. In warmer weather, these methane bubbles float to the surface and are released into the atmosphere. But when the water is frozen, the bubbles get trapped in the ice.
But methane bubbles are far more than just a pretty picture. In actual fact, they' re a serious threat to all of us. Methane is a gas that contributes to global warming. Some parts of the planet are frozen all year round. It's called "permafrost." As the planet heats up, this permafrost melts, releasing methane bubbles from lakes and rivers. The release of this methane causes more global warming, which melts more frozen lakes and rivers. The process is called a "feedback cycle," because the effect contributes to the cause. According to one scientist, frozen methane is a climate time bomb waiting to go off.
The methane feedback cycle is yet another reason why the fight against global warming is so important. We all must do our part to solve the problem. This could mean planting a tree or even just walking to school or work every day. Doing so will help preserve the natural beauty of these frozen bubbles. It will also help save the entire planet. Let's keep these dangerous bacteria farts where they belong: safely under the ice!

RP345 Profit for a Cause

 RP345 Profit for a Cause

Can capitalism be a force for good in matters of the environment and social justice? This is the question at the heart of the social enterprise movement. If you were to ask any social entrepreneur who's working hard to start their own business, they would surely say "yes."
In some ways, a social enterprise is exactly like a regular enterprise. It provides a product or service, employs workers, and aims to make a profit. But there is one major difference: a social enterprise is striving to make the world a better place. You might be thinking: "Doesn't every enterprise want to make the world a better place? Corporations like Apple donate millions of dollars to charity. "That's true, and it touches upon the central debate in the social enterprise movement.
There's a lot of disagreement over what exactly constitutes a social enterprise. To some people, it's an enterprise that invests all of its profit into social welfare. Think of a thrift store that takes its profits and funds a local food bank. This is the "purest" interpretation, but it still raises a few difficult questions. For example, should the thrift store expand and open new locations? Doing so might save more people from hunger. Yet the more money it devotes to expansion, the more it looks like a regular corporation.
Others define social enterprise as a corporation whose goal is to provide social or environmental benefits. An example of this would be a factory that converts dangerous waste into a useful product. The factory operates like any other corporation, but it just so happens to be benefiting the local population. Another interpretation of social enterprise is one that hires vulnerable people who struggle in the mainstream economy. An example of this is the Children Are Us Foundation in China. This foundation runs bakeries staffed by mentally challenged young adults.
With all this disagreement, it's almost like anything can be a social enterprise. But what we're really doing here is just putting a new name on an old phenomenon. Social enterprises have been around for thousands of years. In the past, it was simply called neighbors helping out neighbors. You might even say that "social enterprise" is as old as human generosity.

RP344 Say It With Your Fingers Carefully

 RP344 Say It With Your Fingers—Carefully

Being in a place where you can't speak the local language can be frustrating. It's only natural in such situations to attempt to communicate through body language. Hand gestures are indeed universal, but their meanings vary as much as speech from place to place.
Take the gesture made by pressing the tips of your thumb and forefinger together while extending your other fingers. In the West, this is instantly recognized as meaning "okay." In Brazil, it is instantly recognized as an insult. In some East Asian countries, it means money. Just imagine the potential misunderstandings!
Trying to call someone over to you can be just as confusing, depending on where you are. Westerners do it with a hooked forefinger and a raised palm. Asians, on the other… uh, hand, find this rude, as they consider it suitable only for calling dogs. To summon another person, they turn the palm down and wave all four fingers pressed together. This is exactly how Western people tell someone to go away!
One hand gesture that does translate is a raised middle finger with the back of the hand facing outward. Considered extremely offensive, this is the American version of a gesture to which the British add a raised forefinger, forming a V. By turning his palm outward, however, the late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made this a victory sign during World War II. Twenty-five years later, American hippies used the same gesture to symbolize their wish for peace during the Vietnam War. Nowadays, Vietnamese and other East Asians flash "peace fingers" automatically anytime they have their pictures taken. Confused yet?
Even the simplest hand gestures can cause cross-cultural problems. In the West, a thumb up has a positive meaning and a thumb down a negative one. In the Middle East, a thumb up has a negative meaning and a thumb down has no meaning at all. Might this be part of the reason for the seemingly endless trouble between these two societies?
Body language may be an instinctive option when we can't communicate verbally, but it can also be very hazardous. My advice? The next time you travel abroad, take a phrase book!
East Asians make the "V" gesture when they have their pictures taken.