All Categories - Claritywise

Humans have used enough groundwater to shift Earth’s tilt

7/10/2023

Human depletion of groundwater has shifted the global distribution of water so much that the North Pole has drifted by more than four centimeters per year.

If you had to read that sentence twice, don't worry, I did too. Click on the button to read more.

A poem: Forgiven, also known as Alexander Beetle, by A.A. Milne

6/10/2023

Forgiven, also known as Alexander Beetle, is a poem for children with a lovely rhythm by the author A.A. Milne, of Winnie-the-Poo fame. I am sure it will make you smile.

Forgiven by A.A.Milne

Verbs are where the action is!

6/1/2023

Engineers and business people need verbs and more verbs to write clearly and succinctly in English. In this witty and pertinent opinion piece, linguist and writer James McWhorter gets it exactly right, and he explains it well: verbs are the backbone of language; they are also fundamental to effective business and technical writing. Let's discuss!

Millipede hunting with a millipede expert

5/18/2023

Share this one with your kids.

Do you know how to behave? Etiquette tips for our time

4/14/2023

The rules have changed! Check out these 194 rules on how to how to text, tip, ghost, host, and generally exist in polite society today. Let me know if you agree or disagree:)

Etiquette today

Amateur metal detector hobbyist unearths an early Tudor gold pendant and chain

3/8/2023

A cafe owner in England uncovered a 500-year-old pendant linked to Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon using a metal detector. (This keepsake lasted a lot longer than that marriage.) What a find!

Top podcasts for daily news

2/22/2023

Looking for a daily news fix on the run? Check out these podcasts.

daily news podcasts

Minnesota teen has slept in his back yard for nearly 3 years

1/30/2023

... and it is cold in the winter in Minnesota!

Pocket's most read articles in 2022

12/20/2022

Get your daily dose of English here.

Most read articles 2022

52 things Tom Whitwell learned in 2022

12/14/2022

I especially like this one:
20. If you want a question answered on the Internet, post a wrong answer first.

New Yorker: The Beautiful, Brutal World of Bonsai

11/30/2022

Some years ago I received an exquisite bonzai as a birthday present. I was quite pleased and started talking about it to my friends. Quite quickly I noticed that when referring to their bonsai, everyone used a nostalgic past tense, i.e. "I had a bonsai once..." That was my first clue as to the challenges that awaited me.

Recipes to die for?

11/23/2022

Unbeknownst to me prior to reading about it in the press, there is a "longstanding tradition" of etching recipes on gravestones. As I bake a lot, this is something to think about!

Amazing trees

11/8/2022

From Moss and Fog Magazine: There are more than 60,000 species of trees in the world. They range from diminutive to absolutely colossal. Their unique forms and shapes are incredibly varied, and they inspire us, and our love for the planet. Here are a collection of remarkable trees, from marvelous to strange, throughout the world.

Moss and Fog article

Busload of Books travels to all 50 US states

10/25/2022

This tale of a family travelling around the US to spread their love of reading inspires me; it also strikes me as being very American.

Busload of books article

Now for an important question:

9/25/2022

What's the better way to cut a sandwich? For the answer, click on the link. But warning: I stopped pretty quickly to make myself a grilled cheese sandwich. Yumm.

Triangles or Rectangles?

Untrained passenger lands Florida plane after pilot falls ill

8/15/2022

Could you land a small airplane if your pilot passed out? I'm not sure I could!

I'm not the only one taking a break

7/22/2022

Scientist finds professor who supported her love for bugs when she was 4

6/15/2022

This little girl knew what she wanted, and luckily an adult encouraged her.

Hot dogs are serious business in the US

5/18/2022

Does this slide show tempt you? Read all about it.

The surprising afterlife of used hotel soap

4/23/2022

Did you ever wonder where that little sliver goes? Here is one answer.

The Hustle article

181 Writing Prompts

3/15/2022

Do you want to practice writing? or maybe inspire your kids to try their hand at it? Here are 181 writing prompts that can also be used as discussion questions, even around the family dinner table.

Wordle comic

2/27/2022

All the Superbowl ads together

2/9/2022

How travelling by train ushered in the era of time zones

1/12/2022

Quick - in what year were international time zones set up in the US? Read this fascinating account of how travelling by train ushered in the era of time zones. (The answer is 1884.)

Intern'l Meridian Conference

52 things one guy learned in 2021

12/29/2021

OK, so I'm a sucker for these kinds of lists. This one is called "52 things I learned in 2021", written by an innovation consultant and "reformed journalist" based in London. Still I think you will find at least one entry interesting, or quite possibly more. If you like this list, you can read what the guy learned in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. Let me know!

Medium.com article + list