Learnenglishwithoutthedictionary

 Do economists believe that economic expansion can continue indefinitely? Imagine you've found a gold coin that magically doubles in value every 25 years. You'd have just eight coins left after waiting 75 years. But after a thousand years, that number would be over a trillion. You could outweigh the observable universe with your gold coins in 4,600 years. While the likelihood of finding a real-life golden goose coin is much lower than the rate at which the world economy has expanded over the past two centuries, this doubling rate illustrates exponential growth. Many economic theorists believe that an always-expanding economy is required to raise people's living standards continually. If the global economy ever slowed down, people would begin competing fiercely for the same pre-existing value rather than creating more. That leads to the obvious question of whether infinite growth is possible on a finite planet. The value of a country's (or the world's) output on the ...

 Simply put, what is the definition of the "gig economy"? It's 1194 now. The opponent of the English throne, Maurice De Bracy, is locked in battle with the enigmatic Black Knight. At this crucial moment, the Black Knight has the upper hand. He then reveals himself to De Bracy as King Richard I of England, the Lionheart. This time, De Bracy caves. The mercenary army of "Free Lances," who would fight for whoever paid the most, is offered to King Richard by De Bracy later. Just like in "Ivanhoe," written by Sir Walter Scott in 1819. Although Scott didn't invent the term, he may have helped it gain traction by using it to describe someone not employed by a single firm. People appear to be happier as a result of their freedom. According to a 2016 poll of freelancers in six countries, those who freelance by choice (which accounts for 70% of respondents) report higher levels of happiness than those who work in traditional professions. Half of all independ...

 Can I lose weight quickly? Throughout Victorian England's upper classes, odd fads circulated freely. The tapeworm diet, in which dieters ingested an unhatched tapeworm and fed it undigested food, was possibly the most outlandish. This is a highly risky and harmful approach to weight control. Modern fad diets aren't usually this extreme, but they promise the same thing: quick weight loss. Is it true that there are rapid diets that provide results? Does anyone know if some of them are genuinely good for you? Let's do a thought experiment to find out the answers to these questions. Sam and Felix, being identical twins, intend to both slim down. They are identical in stature and body composition. On the other hand, Sam is looking for steady weight loss, while Felix is eager to do it as quickly as possible. Sam intends to reduce his calorie intake and enhance his workout routine. He is establishing an energy deficit in his body by expending more fuel than he is taking in. Sam...

 Writing tips from history's most popular author. To this day, Agatha Christie is the author with the most books sold. When she was born in 1916, she wasn't even her family's most talented writer. While her older sibling Madge had already published a number of short pieces, Agatha was yet to do so. Madge laughed at Agatha's plan to pen a murder mystery. She gambled that Agatha couldn't come up with a mystery worth solving, and she wasn't wrong. The novel that resulted from Christie's bet has aged gracefully among her previous mysteries (she wrote about 100), each a puzzle box of clues, misdirection, and human drama. So, let's find out how she planned such flawless crimes. Christie planned her novels in numerous ways, but the settings she chose were crucial. She preferred secluded spots, such as an uninhabited island or a snow-bound railway car. Christie ratcheted up the tension by keeping her protagonists in one location while a murderer crept among them...

 Is it because of this that eating disorders are so challenging to treat? Roughly 10% of the world's population will struggle with an eating disorder. Even so, there is a widespread lack of understanding regarding eating disorders. Eating disorders are challenging to navigate and tough to help a loved one through because of widespread misconceptions about everything from symptoms to therapy. So, let's look at the truths and lies surrounding these illnesses. Before anything else, what exactly is an eating disorder? Restricting food intake, bingeing, or rapidly devouring vast amounts of food, and purging or eliminating calories by vomiting, laxatives, excessive exercise, or other damaging ways, are the key behavioral patterns associated with the spectrum of mental health illnesses known as eating disorders. Any one of these actions, or a combination of them, can constitute an eating disorder. A person with anorexia may severely limit their caloric intake, while those with bulimia...

 WHAT IS THE END DATE? After dark, I'm wary of what lies beyond the fence that marks my property's edge. Shapes are all around me, and I'm trying to figure out what they are. I imagine people hiding from me, just like the shadows I see behind the trees. Protruding bushes provide the impression of stones. The ground is fuzzy, and I keep stumbling over it. The heavy thudding of a kangaroo's hooves can be heard to my left. I can't believe they can do it in such dim light across such rugged terrain and dense vegetation. There is a stir from behind. In an ideal world, it would be a wombat or echidna. Reptiles can't survive in these temperatures. The temperature dropped from 40 to 30 degrees Celsius today. It was too warm for them to be active. Inside is like an oven, with the walls radiating heat, so it's good I'm outside. However, it is the artwork that gives me the creeps. The wide grins and bright eyes reveal stories of happy days and loving households. Th...

 IMPERFECTION How about that geranium I started from a cutting? Someone's front yard was my thievery target as I hurried to catch the bus. Someone should have pruned this enormous overgrown bush encroaching on the walkway. A strong breeze off the ocean blew the large orange blossoms to one side, causing the plant to tilt and flutter. As the bus doors were shutting, I reached in with my free hand and snapped off a useful branch, which I tucked into my pocket. The cabbie sent me a disapproving glance. In the meantime, I made sure my geranium cutting was secure by putting my bus card in my pocket, zapping it, and patting the inside of my pocket. That took what, four weeks? The trees began to sprout new leaves. After giving it some TLC (trimming, planting, watering, and feeding), I relocated it to the same section of the yard where I'd planted a number of other cuttings. However, this one performed better than the rest. Because, well, look at how big it got. Umbrella care is now st...

 A Ribbon on the Fairy Tree   I haven't been to Nana's cottage in almost fifteen years. Still, besides the door being half off its hinges and the swallow's nest watching the dust from beneath the exposed center beam, it looks the same as it did when Dad left me here to "find my roots."   Even as a kid, I was smart enough to know better. I let him drink alone to forget about the void in his life where his mother should be.   When I groggily got out of bed the first night to get a drink of water, he told me, "She's gone." There was a strong odor of gin in the apartment. The whites of his eyes were much brighter than the tip of his nose. He cried, prodding his thumbs into his eyes as though to stop the flow.   I knelt at his feet, clutching his shins with my thin cotton nightgown to keep from chilling to death since I was too timid to ask him anything.   My father ran his fingers through my hair after the tears and the gin had dried up. Good girl, Eilee...

 The Good Life From where he was lying on the roof, Ballard saw a glimmer of light coming from her bedroom. In any event, it should be longer than 500 feet: calming winds and a star-filled sky. The conditions were ideal for making the shot. This was the inevitable result. He heaved a sigh and raised the spyglass he'd stolen from the dead Swiss guard a year before. What was the body count? Dozens?   There were three of them; Ballard was close enough to the Swiss guard who had fallen for him to hear him scream, "Mama." Of course, war is hell. To put it bluntly, this action amounted to murder. Why wasn't it like any other murder you've heard of?   He trembled as he held the spyglass. Stop calling it "murder," Ballard. The way you're aiming, you'll never score. He inhaled deeply before each salvo, as he had been taught. Relieves stress and relaxes the mind.   His grip steadied, and he brought the spyglass up to his eye. He focused on it till he could...

 INVENTION OF A RACCOON When the earth was young, and all creatures belonged in one big happy family, the Sun Queen called her children together. She declared a contest: the winner would have their creation displayed throughout the planet. Everyone went their separate ways to develop their plans. But Raccoon resolved to snoop on the others to learn their strategies before she made her own. And so, stealthily, she approached Cougar until their voices were inaudible to each other. To cover the ground in a beautiful and comfortable blanket, Cougar declared, "I will make leaves." Raccoon took notice and scampered over to talk to Coyote. After deciding to build a city out of mud, Coyote declared, "I will manufacture mud to shape bricks and dwellings." Raccoon also recalled this, and he secretly followed Hawk to observe him. Hawk declared, "I shall build rivers which both swiftly convey people and reliably chill their meat." Upon hearing this, Raccoon concluded ...