ECHOES

What if I told you in just 10 seconds a day, you can sleep better, make more money, reduce stress, and lose weight? Sleeping naked can do all these things and more. All you have to do is take off your clothes. While there are countless strategies floating around out there to help you improve in these areas, none is as simple—and many are less effective—as stripping down before you go to sleep. Since only 8% of people sleep naked, most everyone can discover the benefits of sleeping in the buff. This may sound far-fetched, but hear me out before you throw those cozy flannel pajamas on. You Sleep Better Naked We've always known that quality sleep is good for your brain, but recent research from the University of Rochester demonstrates exactly how so. The study found that when you sleep your brain removes toxic proteins from its neurons that are by-products of neural activity when you're awake. The catch here is that your brain can only adequately remove these toxic...

Religion is despicable. And then murders happen. I don’t believe any “science fiction” from 2000 years ago. Astrology is science fiction. A burning bush is science fiction. Prophecies from an invisible voice is science fiction. I don’t believe in any set of rules made thousands of years ago that dictate clothes to wear or punishments for random crimes. And you know what: most people don’t believe in those things either. But I also don’t like when media takes a billion people and just blindly calls them terrorists for the sake of selling as many commercials as possible. And every academic can quote passages from every religion about violence and horror. The Bhavagad Gita, for instance, is Krishna’s argument about why Arjuna needs to go into war with, and potentially kill, his own cousins. Should a modern person take this seriously? Of course not! Islam is similar. Do I listen to everything a mysterious voice said to a man in the desert over a thousand years ago? Of co...

More than 8.3 million American adults suffer from serious psychological distress, according to new research from New York University Langone Medical Center. That means a higher percentage of U.S. adults are dealing with this mental health issue now than in the past. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines serious psychological distress as a combination of “feelings of sadness, worthlessness and restlessness” profound enough to affect your physical health. In addition to rising distress, the new findings (published online in the journal Psychiatric Services) show that the country’s “ability to meet the growing demand for mental health services is diminishing,” the study’s press release explains. Researchers analyzed data from more than 200,000 Americans between 18 and 64 years old using self-reported surveys, a process that spanned nine years. They found that 3.4 percent of participants met the criteria for serious psychological distress — previous estimates were le...

With summer jobs on the horizon, professionals recall the first jobs that launched their careers. #CareerLaunch  In the summer of 1971, I was babysitting for Mrs. Hackleberry for 50 cents an hour. I entered the Miss Fire Prevention contest sponsored by my local radio station WVOL in Nashville. Everyone, especially me, was shocked when I won.  When I went back to the radio station to claim my prize, a Longines watch and a "digital" clock radio, the local DJ saw me looking around in awe.  "Have you ever heard your voice on tape?” he asked. “Think you could read this?”  He tore some wire copy, adjusted the mic, and rolled tape as I began to speak. I hadn’t finished three sentences before he called for another guy, then another, to "come listen to this kid read.” I left the station that day with the biggest prize of all — my first job in broadcasting. I was 17 years old. 

One of the most common questions asked of job search experts is, “Do I really need a cover letter?” To set the record straight, yes, a cover letter is necessary. The cover letter influences the reader’s first impression of you. It serves to sell you as a viable candidate or it knocks you out of the running. One of the most common questions asked of job search experts is, “Do I really need a cover letter?” To set the record straight, yes, a cover letter is necessary. The cover letter influences the reader’s first impression of you. It serves to sell you as a viable candidate or it knocks you out of the running. Step 1: Analyze The Opportunity Review the job posting or information on the employer’s website. Determine the requirements of the job. Do you possess the education, skills, and experience for this opportunity? Make note of those basic requirements specific to that particular opportunity. This is the content for your opening paragraph. You may think this is a no-brainer. ...

Today’s kids are growing up in a world where screens are a fixture from the moment they’re born — something no previous generation has experienced. Now a new  study  published in  Scientific Reports  shows a serious consequence of growing up in the digital age: The use of touchscreen devices is linked to sleep loss in infants as young as 6 months old Every hour infants and toddlers aged 6 to 36 months spent using touchscreen devices was associated with  15.6 minutes less total sleep. That number may seem small but considering that at these ages, “sleep is essential for cognitive development,” the study authors write, any amount of lost sleep is a big deal. There was also a significant association between tablet use and taking longer to fall asleep at night. (Data was collected from 715 UK infants and toddlers by researchers from the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at the University of London.) Given what we ...

Nearly two years ago, the eyes of the world were on Oklahoma, where a man named Richard Glossip was facing execution for a 1997 murder many people say he was not involved in. I learned about Richard’s case when actress Susan Sarandon contacted me, expressing deep concern that the State of Oklahoma was just about to kill an innocent man. After reviewing the facts, I too became convinced of Richard’s innocence, and we decided to  make a public plea for the governor to gra nt freedom On 30 September 2015, Richard came within minutes of execution by lethal injection, when officials suddenly stopped the proceedings. As it turned out, the state of Oklahoma had procured the wrong execution drug, risking another botched execution that would lead to a slow and painful death. At the last minute, Governor Mary Fallin, not exactly an opponent of the death penalty, issued a stay of Richard’s execution. Today, Richard’s situation is nowhere near being resolved. As the ...