Karlotta Freier / For The Times
Only in Florida
If these guys can stay calm in this situation, surely the rest of us can handle anything that comes our way. A passenger in a single-engine Cessna headed from the Bahamas toward Florida took over the controls after the pilot became “incoherent.” The passenger told air traffic control: “I have no idea how to fly the airplane.” Not to worry, because one of the controllers just happened to be a flight instructor. Between the two of them, they figured out where the plane was and got it headed toward Palm Beach International Airport, “just so he could just have a really big target to aim at,” the controller said. Perfect landing, no injuries. We hope the pilot is OK, and we know he’ll be proud of the duo who stepped in.
The best medicine
An experimental program in England tested out the idea that teaching people to do stand-up comedy could help them process trauma. It was deemed a success and now has government funding to serve men in London at risk of suicide. The goal is not to train professional comics, but to change the participants’ own thinking, says the instructor, a comedian and art therapist: “I’m hoping this will be a way for people to learn a new way to talk about themselves.”
Power of positive posting
A nonprofit that helps underprivileged kids prepare to debate competitively was beyond broke. The teacher who started it had tapped into his own savings and lent $6,000 to the program. It was achieving its goal, as students in Brooklyn were getting a shot against much wealthier teams and as those kids were forging a path out of poverty. But it wasn’t sustainable … until the popular social account Humans of New York featured the stories of the teacher and his students. The donations have poured in, now approaching $1 million. As debaters might say, be it resolved that lives will be changed for the better by the skills and confidence that debate instills.
And one more ...
It’s not just about going on a walk: The act of getting outside and moving your body can be the best kind of mental exercise as well. In one study of older adults who were asked to walk 15 minutes a day, those who deliberately looked for sights to inspire awe ended up experiencing more positive emotions like gratitude and compassion. Parents looking to instill this good habit for a lifetime have come up with some clever tricks to entice kids to get out for fresh air, by turning a walk into a game.
A cure for the common opinion
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