Some guys bring their girlfriends flowers; King Nebuchadnezzar II, the Babylonian ruler, brought his lady a whole forest. Nebuchadnezzar was married to a princess from Persia named Semiramis, who missed the mountains of her homeland. To console her, the king built a stepped pyramid covered with greenery and waterfalls. The gardens stayed healthy year-round because of irrigation canals that brought in water from the nearby Euphrates River. In reality, the gardens probably never existed The only descriptions we have of them come from Greek writers who never actually visited Mesopotamia but had heard some great stories from returning soldiers.

Most of the time, young children are simply "acting their age," not misbehaving. It is truly sad to think of the many young children who are being punished for behavior that is developmentally appropriate. For example, toddlers are punished for being "naughty" when their brains have not yet developed sufficiently to understand what is expected of them. They don't have the language to get what they want. It is heartbreaking to see toddlers punished by being given time-out when they have not yet developed the capability to truly understand cause and effect. Furthermore, perceived misbehavior is often due to circumstances that can't be helped, such as hunger or fatigue, which is all the more reason to have compassion for your child instead of using the label of "misbehavior."

In living birds, feathers have many functions other than flight. They help to keep a bird warm by trapping heat produced by the body close to the surface of the skin. Feathers may also be used to attract mates. The tail of Caudipteryx carried a large fan of long feathers, a structure that would have made a very impressive display. The rest of the body seems to have been covered in much shorter feathers, which would have kept out the cold. A few large feathers were present on the arms, and these might have been involved in display.

The entire advertising industry tells us that we need so many things to make our lives meaningful. Are you interested in walking? You'll need special shoes. Are you thinking about playing tennis? You'll need to get a membership to the right club. Even before you can put your hands into the earth to dig a garden you may feel the need to buy special pants with knee pads, tools inspired by ancient Japanese gardening traditions and an endless number of how-to books. Unfortunately, this blinds us to life's simple satisfactions. When you're walking into the house carrying bags full of stuff, you sometimes forget to look up and notice a spectacular, inspiring night sky.

Globalization has affected more than just economies. And it is amazing that it has especially affected culture. For example, music, art, literature, and language have all crossed borders. They have not been alone. Sport, too, has crossed borders. Its journey probably began millennia ago with war and conflict affecting villages, cities, and nations. Over the past decades sports have probably been the element of culture that has progressed farthest, fastest. Driven by the competitive instinct, individual and national sports have crossed virtually every border. With the aid of radio and television, sport has become universal.

The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a 2,798 km coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland. This country is known for its diversity in languages. You'll be surprised to learn that eleven languages are officially recognized. English is the most commonly spoken language in official and commercial public life; however, it is only the fifth most-spoken language at home. Although 79.5% of the South African population is black, the people are from various ethnic groups speaking different Bantu languages.

Punta Ventana, also known as "Window Point," was a stone arch shaped like a round window. The rock formation located in Guayanilla along the southern coast was one of the island's most iconic treasures, major tourist attractions, and sources of pride for locals. It had been the subject of countless photographs and postcards for a long time. However, a strong earthquake struck the island, wiping out the natural wonder. The quake that destroyed Puerto Rico's iconic coastal archway, Punta Ventana, was the island's biggest so far, also shaking many homes and buildings.

Texting is the most alarming distraction. Everybody knows that texting while driving is a bad idea. A new study surveyed 1,000 drivers and 98% of those said the practice is dangerous. Still, nearly 75% say they do it anyway. "There's a huge difference between attitude and behavior," says David Greenfield, a University of Connecticut Medical School professor who led the study. The attraction to text messages is very similar to that of caffeine, Greenfield explains: both can be difficult addictions to overcome. The buzz of an incoming text message causes the release of dopamine in the brain, generating excitement. If the message turns out to be from someone attractive, even more dopamine is released. It could take years for people obsessed with text messaging to learn to control themselves, and this process could be similar to efforts to stop drunk driving.