BLUE MONDAY: IS 'THE MOST DEPRESSING DAY' OF THE YEAR JUST A PR STUNT?

 

Every year, the third Monday of January is dubbed “Blue Monday”. The theory goes that this is the time of year when we’re all cold, broke and riddled with guilt that our new year’s resolutions to get fit, drink less alcohol, and be a better human being have fallen by the wayside. But is Blue Monday really the most depressing day of the year, as it’s often called, or is the label just a misguided PR stunt?

The concept was originally coined in 2004 by psychologist Cliff Arnall. He came up with a “formula” for the January blues after he was asked to do so by travel firm Sky Travel, who then used the phrase in a press release to promote their winter deals. It took into account a number of factors likely to contribute to low mood and read as follows:

W = weather

D = debt

d = monthly salary

T = time since Christmas

Q = time since failing our new year's resolutions

M = low motivational levels

Na = the feeling of a need to take action

Arnall has since confessed that the formula is essentially pseudoscience and has urged Brits to “refute the whole notion” of Blue Monday. "I was originally asked to come up with what I thought was the best day to book a summer holiday but when I started thinking about the motives for booking a holiday, reflecting on what thousands had told me during stress management or happiness workshops, there were these factors that pointed to the third Monday in January as being particularly depressing,” he told The Daily Telegraph in 2013. “But it is not particularly helpful to put that out there and say 'there you are',” he added, describing Blue Monday as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Psychologist Dr Joan Harvey describes the concept as “completely meaningless”, particularly with regards to claims that poor weather is one of the main reasons why Blue Monday is so blue. “If it’s really bright and sunny, you might even find yourself feeling cheerful on the day,” she tells The Independent.

While Harvey points out that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can leave people feeling depressed during the winter months, she stresses that pegging depression to one day in particular is “sensationalist nonsense”.

That being said, one positive element of Blue Monday is that it represents a chance to tackle some of the stigma surrounding depression and raise awareness of its symptoms, says Isabella Goldie, Director at the Mental Health Foundation. “What we can take from Blue Monday is that we all have mental health and that there are steps we can take all year round to protect it,” she tells The Independent.

1.Read the text and choose the correct answer.

1.    Blue Monday is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year because…

a.    January is the coldest month of the year.

b.    by then we realise that we won’t fulfil our New Year’s resolutions.

c.     we get fit and drink less alcohol.

d.     we feel guilty for being bad human beings.

2.    Arnall has encouraged British people…

a.    to believe in the notion of Blue Monday.

b.    not to believe in the notion of Blue Monday.

c.     to trust the notion of Blue Monday.

d.    to confess the notion of Blue Monday.

3.    According to Dr Joan Harvey,

a.    If the weather is bad on Blue Monday, we will probably feel depressed.

b.    If the weather is bad on Blue Monday, we might feel depressed.

c.     If the weather is good on Blue Monday, we may feel happy.

d.    If the weather is good on Blue Monday, we will feel happy.

 

2.Find words or expression in the text which mean the same as the following words.

1.    Nicknamed (paragraph 1)

2.    Without money (paragraph 1)

3.    Full of (paragraph 1)

4.    Created (paragraph 2)

5.    Invent (paragraph 3)

6.    Without sense (paragraph 4)

7.    Identify, label (paragraph 5)

8.    Knowledge (paragraph 6)

 

 

 

KEY

Exercise 1:

1-b

2-b

3-c

Exercise 2:

1.dubbed   2.broke   3.riddled with   4.coined   5.come up with   6.meaningless   7.pegging   8. awareness            

When is Thanksgiving 2021 and why is it on Thursdays?

 

    Thanksgiving being a Thursday dates back to the earliest days of this country. Thursday is just a good day to give thanks.

     Thanksgiving is an unusual holiday because it doesn’t always fall on the same day of the year. But unlike Halloween and Christmas the holiday always falls on the same day of the week, Thursday.

    While this may make planning around the holiday easier every year, many people don’t seem to know why the holiday is scheduled this way.

    This year, Thanksgiving will fall on Nov. 25, which is the fourth Thursday of the month. This has been the way that the date for the holiday has been determined since 1941. Before this, the holiday was traditionally held on the last Thursday of November.

    In 1939, however, the last Thursday of the month was also the last day of the month. President Roosevelt was concerned that this would hurt shorten the Christmas shopping season, so he issued a proclamation that Thanksgiving would occur on the second to last Thursday of November instead.

    This was a controversial decision, and in 1941, the House and Senate passed a resolution saying that Thanksgiving would occur on the fourth Thursday of November. This would thereby maintain the Christmas shopping season during years when November had five Thursdays.

    This may answer why the holiday is scheduled the way that it is, but it doesn’t explain why Thursday was chosen instead of another day of the week.

  

 Since ministers would often give lectures on Thursdays in the New England area, Thursday seemingly became a convenient day for Thanksgiving. As the years went by, it became a tradition. By the time George Washington issued a proclamation for a day of Thanksgiving, Thursday had already been associated with feasts of that nature.

    The reason for this is a bit unclear. Going back to the earliest days of the tradition. Historians believe that Thursday was chosen because it was one of the more convenient days of the week to have an annual feast. For the early Puritan settlers, Sunday was the Sabbath. It’s likely that the early days of giving thanks were purposely scheduled not to interfere with the Sabbath. Also, Fridays were commonly days of fasting, making them inconvenient feast days for many people. 

By Michael Hollan | Fox News   foxnews.com

Question 3: Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given.

a)    arranged (paragraph 3)

b)    debatable (paragraph 4)

c)    apparently (paragraph 6)

d)    big meal (paragraph 6)

e)    intentionally (paragraph 7)

f)     act or period of not eating food (paragraph 7)

Question 4: Choose the correct option, a, b, c or d for each question.

1.    According the the text, a lot of people…

a)    are aware of the reason why Thanksgiving is celebrated on a Thursday.

b)    aren’t aware of the reason why Thanksgiving is celebrated on a Thursday.

c)    know why Thanksgiving is celebrated on a Thursday.

d)    don’t understand why Thanksgiving is celebrated on a Thursday.

2.    Thanksgiving…

a)    will be the fourth Thursday of November only this year.

b)    has always been the fourth Thursday of November.

c)    has been the fourth Thursday of November for less than 100 years.

d)    has been the fourth Thursday of November since Rooselvelt decided it.

3.    Historians think that…

a)    Sunday would have been a more appropriate day for Puritan settlers.

b)    Fridays were days normally associated with eating big meals.

c)    Thursday was an appropriate day to celebrate a big meal once a year.

d)    any day of the week could have been chosen to celebrate Thanksgiving.

 

 

KEY

Question 3

a)    scheduled

b)    controversial

c)    seemingly

d)    feast

e)    purposely

f)     fasting

Question 4

1.    b aren’t aware of the reason why Thanksgiving is celebrated on a Thursday.

2.    c has been the fourth Thursday of November for less than 100 years.

3.    c  Thursday was an appropriate day to celebrate a big meal once a year.

 

 

Stand up -- it could help you lose weight

 

A new study published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that standing instead of sitting for six hours a day could prevent weight gain and help people to actually lose weight.

Prolonged sitting has been linked to the obesity epidemic, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Europeans sit for up to seven hours a day, and even physically active people may spend most of the day in a chair.

This paper examined whether standing burns more calories than sitting. The researchers analysed results from a total of 46 studies with 1,184 participants in all. Participants, on average, were 33 years old, 60% were men, and the average body mass index and weight were 24 kg/m2 and 65 kg, respectively.

The researchers found that standing burned 0.15 kcal per minute more than sitting. By substituting standing for sitting for six hours a day, a 65 kg person would expend an extra 54 kcal a day. Assuming no increase in food intake, that would equate to 2.5 kg in one year and 10 kg in four years.

Senior author Professor Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, Chief of Preventive Cardiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, US, said: "Standing not only burns more calories, the additional muscle activity is linked to lower rates of heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes, so the benefits of standing could go beyond weight control."

The gap in energy expenditure between standing and sitting could be even greater than the study found. Participants were standing still, while in reality people make small movements while standing. "Our results might be an underestimate because when people stand they tend to make spontaneous movements like shifting weight or swaying from one foot to another, taking small steps forward and back. People may even be more likely to walk to the filing cabinet or trash bin," said Professor Lopez-Jimenez.

The authors concluded that replacing standing for sitting could be yet another behaviour change to help reduce the risk of long term weight gain. They suggest more research is needed to see whether such a strategy is effective and practical. Data is also needed, they say, on the long term health implications of standing for extended periods.

Professor Lopez-Jimenez said: "It's important to avoid sitting for hours at a time. Standing is a very good first step to avoid this mindset of sitting interminably without moving. Who knows, it may also prompt some people to do a little more and take up some mild physical activity, which would be even more beneficial."

Question 2: [1,5 POINTS] Answer the following questions in your own words.

1) How was the study carried out?

2) Why are the results of the study an understimate?

Question 4: [1,5 POINTS] Choose and write the most suitable answer (a, b, c or d) according to the text and COPY the sentence onto your answer sheet

1.- Standing may make you lose more calories...

a) even though you do not eat more.

b) as long as you do not eat more.

c) unless you eat more.

d) provided that you eat more.

2.- More research..........to see whether a strategy is effective and practical.

a) is suggested to have needed.

b) is suggested to need it.

c) is suggested to be needed.

d) is suggested to be needing.

3.- The risk to suffer certain diseases lowers...

a) due to more muscle activity.

b) because more muscle activity.

c) although more muscle activity.

d) since more muscle activity.

KEY

Question 2

1) Researchers carried out 46 different studies. More than 1,100 people participated; slightly more than half out of them were men, with an average age of 33. They all shared an average weight of 65kg and a mass index of 24kg/m2.

2) The results may vary if they take into consideration that people usually move unconsciously by standing on one foot or another or by changing their weight while standing. People may even walk either by short steps or by going to the paperbin or the filing cabinet.

Question 4 

1-b 2-c 3-a

The Queen insists on round ice cubes in her drinks

The Queen is quite particular when it comes to dining, with the royal chefs prepared to cater to her every whim, whether it's her preference for avoiding starchy foods, to having a special chocolate biscuit cake created for dessert.

The monarch’s specifications also apply to her beverages, in which she reportedly prefers round ice cubes floating inside. 

According to Karen Dolby, the author of Queen Elizabeth II’s Guide to Life, the requirement comes from the sound made by the ice. 

“The Queen likes her ice cubes in her glass to be round so they don’t chink quite as much as square ones,” Dolby told The Sun. 

This means that the Queen’s occasional gin and Dubbonet, her favourite cocktail according to her former chef Darren McGrady, is served free of square ice.

The preference doesn’t just apply to ice in the 93-year-old’s drinks either, as the Queen reportedly has all drinks served with the round ice cubes. 

Interestingly, apart from making less annoying noise, round ice cubes also have the added benefit of diluting a drink less than a typical ice cube. 

Although cubed ice cools a drink faster and to a lower temperature, according to one study, ice spheres “melt slower, chill the drink in a reasonable amount of time, and dilute the drink less”.

Despite the preference, McGrady previously revealed that the Queen is “not a foodie” but rather “eats to live,” whereas her husband Prince Philip “lives to eat”.

1) If the Queen were not so particular…

a) royal chefs will not cook easier dishes.

b) royal chefs would have prepared different dishes.

c) royal chefs would not cook easier dishes.

d) royal chefs will cook easier dishes.

2) Round ice cubes are the preferred ones… 

a) despite making less noise.

b) as they melt slowly.

c) because they are noisier.

d) although they are noisier.

3) The Queen…

a) is believed that she eats to live.

b) is believed to be eating to live.

c) is believed to eat to live.

d) is believed that eats for a living.

KEY

1.- d

2.- b

3.- c

Mum sits next to son during maths class to teach him a lesson about behaviour

     A mother has been hailed a hero after she gatecrashed her son’s class to get him to behave. Becky Crandley walked into Sittingbourne Community College in Kent as part of a ‘surprise’ experiment on Friday. She was reacting to reports that her son, Harley, 12, had shown signs of a bad attitude. Becky had warned him that unless he improves his behaviour she would be going to school with him but said little changed. 

So when school returned recently she stuck to her word and when she got emails from the year eight pupil’s teacher about two incidents she triggered Operation Mummy Bear. Becky said: ‘It all started last year with his behaviour change, it’s part of growing up I think, but it’s his rudeness and disrespect I cannot stand. ‘I have had phone call after phone call about his behaviour. He’s had an untold amount of detentions and isolations but nothing seemed to bother him. She had told the school of her plan and they accepted so at 2pm on Friday she went to the school. 

Becky, who has another four children, said: ‘I constantly threatened that I’d sit with him in school if needed, and he always laughed it off. ‘Since they’ve been back this year I’ve had several phone calls already. So when his maths teacher emailed last week and said about an incident, I said to her I would join him. ‘He didn’t have a clue, and he was very embarrassed for sure, I was introduced as his mum.’ 

Speaking about the motive for her actions, Becky said it was necessary as ‘today’s children are getting worse by the second. ‘I think more parents need to act upon their children’s behaviour. It’s scary to think what we will leave behind one day.’ Becky added: ‘Most people know I’m a big softy when it comes to my kids but I’m also straight up and try my hardest to teach them the right way in life. ‘One thing I will not tolerate is disrespect from my sons towards any woman and my eldest has been rude recently in secondary school towards his female teachers. ‘His mummy bear has had enough for sure, my foot is down and I will not lose.

‘If only I got a picture of his face when I walked in and sat down next to him, he went so red there’s nothing I can compare it to.’

By Richard Hartley-Parkins (METRO) 23 Sep 2019 

Question 1: [2 POINTS] Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a) Many people disagreed with Becky’s plan.
b) Harley had always behaved badly.
c) Harley had been punished several times at school.
d) Becky is quite severe with her children.

Question 3: [1,5 POINTS] Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given. 

a) activated, detonated (p. 2)
b) annoy, irritate (p. 2)
c) always (p. 3)
d) alarming, frightening (p.4)
e) allow (p. 4)

Question 4: [1,5 POINTS] Choose and write the most suitable answer (a, b or c) according to the text  

1. Becky gets angry when her children are rude ..
a) with old people.
b) with women.
c) with his classmates.
d) with all the teachers.
2. Harly ...
a) had never paid attention to his mother’s threats.
b) was scared to have his mother in class.
c) introduced his mother to the class
d) didn’t like his maths teacher.
3. Becky said: “ If only I got a picture of his face”. So she wishes she...
a) would have a picture of his face.
b) has a photo of his face.
c) had had a picture of his face.
d) had a picture of his face.

Question 5: [3 POINTS] Write a short essay (about 120-150 words) on the following topic: 

“Do you think parents should follow Becky example?'





KEY

Question 1: [2 POINTS] Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.
a) False. “A mother has been hailed a hero after she gatecrashed her son’s class”
b) False. “Becky said: ‘It all started last year with his behaviour change”
c) True. “He’s had an untold amount of detentions and isolations”
d) False. “Becky added: ‘Most people know I’m a big softy when it comes to my kids”

Question 3: [1,5 POINTS] Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given.
a) triggered
b) bother
c) constantly
d) scary
e) tolerate

Question 4: [1,5 POINTS] Choose the most suitable answer (a, b or c) according to the text. 
1. b) with women.
2.    a) had never paid attention to his mother’s threats.
3.    d) had a picture of his face.

Stephen Hawking: Master of the multiverse

     To describe what happens at the big bang, two very different perspectives on the world must be combined into a single unified framework. This is what Thomas Hertog was working on with Stephen Hawking until Hawking died last year. Credit: Shutterstock

     The multiverse challenges science as we know it, and Hawking wasn't pleased with it. But our journey to the edges of time has since reshaped our vision of the cosmos, and ourselves.

     When I first met Stephen Hawking in his Cambridge office in 1998 he had mixed feelings about the multiverse –the idea that our universe is but one of many.

     Together, we set out on a quest to gain a deeper understanding of it. Our journey led us to the big bang and the beginning of time, and paved the way for an entirely new vision of the cosmos.

     The multiverse is a natural, and probably even unavoidable, consequence of a quantum world that is fundamentally governed by uncertainty and chance. But the existence of a multiverse challenges science as we know it and limits what cosmology has to say about our world.

     Some have even argued the multiverse idea should not be regarded as science at all, since we can't hop from one universe to another to test it. Hawking, stubborn, smart, and above all infinitely passionate about cosmology, disagreed with this.

     "My goal is simple", he once declared. "It is a complete understanding of the universe. Why it exists, and why it is the way it is." Thus we set out to weave the intuitive idea of the multiverse into a rigorous and testable framework for cosmology.

Question 1: Indicate whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a) Thomas Hertog has been working with Stephen Hawking since last year.

b) When Thomas Hertog first met Stephen Hawking he (Hawking) wasn’t completely sure about the multiverse.

c) Some people think that the idea of the multiverse can be easily tested.

d)  Hawking was obstinate, brilliant and a cosmology enthusiast.

Our journey

     I had come to Cambridge from Belgium to study theoretical cosmology, and Hawking took me on as his graduate student. Working shoulder to shoulder, for days on end, we gradually found ourselves on the same scientific wavelength.

     He was a truth seeker, with an insatiable passion for pure scientific inquiry and an incredible joie de vivre. I believe this is what kept him going despite his physical challenges. It's also what made working with him so much fun—you never quite knew when the physics ended and the party began.

     Stephen and I grew close through our intellectual connection and shared joy of discovery. We became soul mates in our mission to get a grip on the multiverse.

     During the first years of our collaboration, Stephen communicated through his computer by pressing a mouse he held in his hand to direct a cursor on the screen and select the word he wanted from a digital dictionary. This way he would compose sentences at a rate of a few words per minute.

     When he lost the strength in his hand needed to control the mouse, Stephen switched to moving the cursor on the screen by activating a motion sensor mounted on his glasses with his cheek. And when this too became difficult, I would position myself in front of Stephen, clearly in his field of vision, and probe his mind by firing questions.

     Stephen's eyes would light up brightly when my arguments resonated with his intuition. We would build on this, navigating and exploiting the common language and the mutual understanding we had developed over the years.

Question 2: Answer the following questions in your own words according to the text.

a) Describe Stephen Hawking’s character according to the author.

b) Why does the author say that they were “soul mates”?

Exploring the edges of the universe

     Our search for a deeper understanding of the underlying architecture of the cosmos led us to the most extreme realms of our universe at the edge of time: At the end of time deep inside black holes, and the beginning of time at the Big Bang.

     What happens at the edges of the world, when time ceases to be meaningful, and Einstein's theory of gravity breaks down?

     "My goal is simple," Stephen Hawking declared. "It is a complete understanding of the universe. Why it exists, and why it is the way it is." Credit: Shutterstock

    Are the physical conditions at the universe's origin anchored within the realm of the natural sciences, encoding the overall evolution of the universe that emerges?

     Why does the universe bother to exist at all?

Question 3: Find words or phrases in the text that correspond to the words and definitions given.

a) More profound, detailed (paragraph 1)

b) To direct, to guide (paragraph 1)

c) To stop (paragraph 2)

d) aspiration (paragraph 3)

e) Development (paragraph 4 )

Quantum theory predicts a multiverse

     At our universe's origin, the macroscopic world dominated by gravity and described by Einstein's warping of space-time merges with the microscopic world of particles, ruled by quantum theory.

     To describe what happens at the Big Bang, these two very different perspectives on the world must be combined into a single unified framework.

     But quantum theory predicts probabilities for different outcomes. In the quantum theory of particles these could be probabilities to find a particle in one place or another. Applied to cosmology, however, the outcome is an entire universe!

     So, any quantum theory of the Big Bang will thus predict a variety of different universes, each with its own evolution. Together these form a multiverse, a superposition of many worlds, existing in parallel.

The hologram at the beginning of time

     Drawing on new developments in string theory, Stephen and I developed such a quantum model of the Big Bang.

     String theory predicts that our universe is fundamentally a hologram that reveals itself only in the most extreme conditions, such as those at the Big Bang.

     This is a bit abstract, but a hologram is a kind of change of dimension in which all information in a volume of space is projected and encoded on a surface. We used the notion of holography, developed in string theory, to project out the dimension of time in the earliest stages of evolution of our universe, and to describe these in an entirely timeless fashion.

     In doing so our theory avoids the breakdown of Einstein's theory of relativity at the Big Bang, because we lose any notion of time on our way towards it.

In control of the multiverse

     Shortly before his passing I sensed Stephen strongly felt holography gave us the grip on the multiverse he had always searched for.

     We are certainly not down to a unique universe, but our description of the Big Bang as a hologram implies a significant reduction of the multiverse, down to an ensemble of universes which evolve in a way similar to ours.

     With characteristic and unmitigated enthusiasm, Stephen declared we were at last in control of the multiverse – and he liked being in control.

     Perhaps we are. But much more research is needed to decode the hologram at the beginning of time to fully apprehend the new view of the universe that it conceals.

Question 4: Choose the correct option, a, b, c, or d for each question.

1. Two different perspectives on the world must be combined…

a) for to describe the Big Bang.

b) in order to describe the Big Bang.

c) so that describe the Big Bang-

d) in order for describe the Big Bang.

2. According to string theory our universe…

a)  will reveal itself only in extreme conditions.

b) can reveal itself only in extreme conditions.

c) must reveal itself only in extreme conditions.

d) won’t reveal itself only in extreme conditions.

3. If we describe the Big Bang as a hologram,

a) the multiverse might be significantly reduced.

b) the multiverse won’t be reduced.

c) the multiverse will be significantly reduced.

October 11, 2018 by Thomas Hertog, University Of Leuven, ScienceNordic

KEY     

Question 1:

a) FALSE. This is what Thomas Hertog was working on with Stephen Hawking until Hawking died last year.

b) TRUE.  When I first met Stephen Hawking in his Cambridge office in 1998 he had mixed feelings about the multiverse.

c) FALSE.  Some have even argued the multiverse idea should not be regarded as science at all, since we can't hop from one universe to another to test it.

d) TRUE.  Hawking, stubborn, smart, and above all infinitely passionate about cosmology.

Question 2:

a) He looked for the truth, he was passionate about science and he enjoyed life.

b) They were intellectually connected and both loved discovery. They both had a great interest in understanding the multiverse.

Question 3:

a) Deeper

b) To lead to, led to

c) To cease

d) Goal

e) Evolution

Question 4:

1. b) In order to describe the Big Bang.

2. a) will reveal itself only in extreme conditions

3. c) the multiverse will be significantly reduced.

//phys.org/news/2018-10-stephen-hawking-master-multiverse.html