Hi Magazine

03/01/2026

Look who just popped up at the neighborhood pub—proof that destiny sometimes wears a bar stool and a grin.😃

03/01/2026

🐾 Besieged : The Silent Bond Between Humans and Animals 📖

During World War II, from 1941 to 1944, the city of Leningrad endured nearly 900 days of siege, struggling daily against starvation, freezing temperatures, and the relentless destruction of war. Amid this dire hardship, humans were not entirely alone—silent companions in the form of domestic animals quietly shared in the struggle for survival.

Hunger was the most merciless enemy during the siege. With food scarce, people were dying daily, and the city’s normal rhythms were breaking down. In this context, many families turned to their pets—particularly cats—as a last hope for survival. Cats hunted mice and other small creatures, providing a small but crucial source of food and security. In many cases, this was not a luxury but a vital lifeline.

The stories of human-animal coexistence are not confined to anecdote; they are documented in historical memoirs and eyewitness accounts. In particular, *Leningrad: State of Siege* presents the harrowing reality of the blockade through the testimonies of numerous citizens. Personal diaries and memoirs preserved in Russian archives, translated and analyzed in various publications, also attest to these experiences. These records show that the bonds between humans and their pets were more than emotional—they were essential for survival under extreme circumstances.
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🐱 Cats as Lifesavers During Starvation-

During the siege, many families relied on their cats as a source of sustenance and protection. Cats hunted small animals, providing a vital supplement to meager rations. Sometimes, their behavior also served as a warning of danger. These silent companions often saved lives—not just through their hunts, but also by offering comfort and emotional support.

💛 The Psychological Comfort of Silent Companions-

Even in the darkest moments of war, the presence of a pet offered a sense of calm. Cats and other animals provided quiet companionship—sitting together under the same blanket, waiting patiently, or simply being present. These small acts of closeness helped sustain the human spirit, offering mental and emotional resilience amidst extreme adversity.

🕯️ The Power of Coexistence-

When the siege finally ended and the city slowly returned to life, the contributions of these animal guardians remained etched in memory. Though food and daily life returned, the emotional and practical role of pets could not be forgotten. Even in the face of war’s devastation, compassion, care, and connection endured.
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📌 The experience of Leningrad shows that survival during times of crisis is not solely about food or shelter. Small acts of coexistence, silent companionship, and mutual care can preserve life. Sometimes, the quietest guardians are the greatest heroes of all.
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03/01/2026

A bold pivot to country music led to the most successful concert tour in the genre’s history and helped Cowboy Carter lasso a 10-figure fortune—becoming just the fifth musician to do so.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2025/12/23/beyonce-is-now-a-billionaire/?utm_campaign=ForbesMainFB&utm_source=ForbesMainFacebook&utm_medium=social (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

03/01/2026

📚 A New Trend in Tourism: Reading Retreats🌿

For a long time, travel has meant visiting new destinations, taking photos, following packed itineraries, and rushing from one activity to another. Recently, however, a different, quieter, and more reflective experience has entered the world of tourism—the reading retreat. Here, the main purpose of travel is rest, slowness, and spending time with books.
A reading retreat refers to a form of travel where time is spent in calm, natural surroundings, with books as the primary companion. Mountains, forests, riverbanks, or rural resorts are the most common settings for such retreats.
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📖 Reading as the central activity-

There is no hurry or rigid schedule in a reading retreat.
Waking up in the morning and sitting on a veranda with a book,
reading a few pages in the shade in the afternoon,
and slowly immersing oneself in a book under soft light at night—
this is the core experience.

Some participants bring their own favorite books, while others are provided with curated reading lists based on specific themes or authors.
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📖 The joy of reading in silence🌿

A peaceful environment, the quiet of nature, and a beloved book in hand—
this trio is what makes a reading retreat truly distinctive.

📖 Mountains, riverbanks, or secluded resorts
📵 Digital detox and time away from screens
🧠 Mental calm and deep focus

A reading retreat is a kind of journey
where the mind finds rest,
and silence begins to speak.
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🧠 Effective for mental well-being-

In today’s world, mobile phones, social media, and work-related pressure often leave the mind exhausted. Reading retreats offer a space to step away from that constant stimulation. Reading in a quiet environment helps calm the mind, improve concentration, and organize thoughts. For many, it becomes a form of mental recovery.
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🌱 Part of slow travel-

Reading retreats are closely connected to the concept of **slow travel**. Fewer destinations, fewer activities, and more time—this is the guiding principle. Living in harmony with the surroundings and spending time with oneself lie at the heart of this experience.
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🌍 Why is it becoming popular?

Across the world, people are trying to slow down the pace of life. As awareness of mental health grows, so does the demand for such forms of travel. From Europe to Asia, reading retreats are gradually gaining popularity.
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📌 Reading retreats represent a new philosophy of travel.
There is no luxury—there is peace;
no rush—there is time.

For those who seek silence during their holidays, wish to spend time with themselves, and love getting lost in the world of books, a reading retreat can offer a deeply meaningful and enriching experience.

02/01/2026

🏛️ A City That Stands Not on Water, but Within It 🌊
Venice is a unique city located on the northeastern coast of Italy, often called the city of canals and bridges. Here, waterways replace roads, boats replace cars, and instead of noise there is the quiet beauty of history. For centuries, Venice has captivated the world as a center of art, trade, and culture—and its very existence is an engineering marvel.

At first glance appears to float on water. Canals, gondolas, bridges, and ancient palaces together create a dreamlike scene. But beneath this beauty lies a deeper reality—Venice is not built on solid land. Instead, it stands upon a remarkable fusion of engineering and science.

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🏗️ Is Venice Built on Land? 🧪

Venice was constructed in a lagoon region where the ground consists mainly of soft mud and sediment. Under such conditions, building a large city would normally be impossible. Yet nearly fifteen centuries ago, people made the bold decision to build a city here.

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🌳 A Hidden Forest Beneath the Water 🌊

Beneath Venice lie millions of wooden pilings driven deep into the mud. These piles were made from oak, larch, alder, and pine trees. On top of the piles came wooden platforms, then stone foundations, and finally the buildings themselves. This layered structure is what keeps Venice standing.

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🪵 Why Didn’t the Wood Rot?

Because the wooden piles remain permanently submerged underwater, oxygen is almost entirely absent. Without oxygen, the microorganisms responsible for decay cannot survive. As a result, the wood did not rot but gradually hardened. Minerals from the water slowly penetrated the wood, making it denser and stronger—this is a scientifically recognized process.

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⚖️ A Brilliant Method of Bearing Weight 🏛️

The weight of Venice’s buildings does not rest on a single pile. Instead, thousands of piles together compress the soft sediment and stabilize it. This causes the entire area to behave like a solid foundation—an ancient version of the modern pile foundation system.

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🛶 Not Floating, but Enduring 🚫

Venice is not a floating city. It stands firmly on wooden piles hidden beneath the water. For more than a thousand years, this invisible structure has silently and reliably supported the city.

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🌡️ Modern Challenges and the Future 🌍

Today, Venice faces new challenges—gradual land subsidence, rising sea levels, and climate change. Even so, its ancient foundation remains a powerful testament to human knowledge and engineering ingenuity.

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📜 Venice is not a fairy tale. It is a real achievement born of science, history, and human intellect. The submerged forest beneath the city proves that with careful planning and patience, even the impossible can be made to last. Venice does not float—Venice stands, unwavering.

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02/01/2026

From a joyous love letter to Puerto Rico to a dreamy pop escape from a TikTok starlet-turned indie darling. Check out the full list at the link in comments.

02/01/2026

🦠 Is Depression Limited Only to the Brain? 🧠

For a long time, the brain has been considered the primary center of mental health. Treatments for depression, anxiety, and mood disorders have largely focused on regulating brain chemistry. However, recent research raises an important question—*is the source of these conditions really confined to the brain alone?*

Researchers at UCLA Health have identified a protein called **Reelin** in the gut that plays a significant role in mood regulation. Experimental findings show that restoring the function of this protein can lead to a rapid reduction in depressive symptoms. This discovery points toward a new way of understanding mental health.

🔬 The Gut: The Second Brain-

The gut has long been referred to as the “second brain.” It contains an extensive network of neurons and trillions of microorganisms that constantly communicate with the brain. The discovery of the Reelin protein strengthens the idea that mood regulation is not limited to the brain alone; the gut’s biochemical environment is deeply involved as well.

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🌱 A New Path for Mental Health Care -

This research suggests that future treatments for depression may not rely solely on medication. Gut health, protein balance, and microbiome-based therapies may open new pathways for mental well-being. In other words, caring for the mind may begin with diet, gut health, and the body’s internal biological balance.

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📌 A Message of Awareness-

Mental health cannot be separated from physical health. The mind and body are deeply interconnected. Conditions such as depression may not originate solely in the brain, but may also be rooted in the gut’s silent biological processes. For a healthy mind, maintaining internal bodily balance is just as important.

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31/12/2025

⚰️ 20 Largest Funerals in History 🌍

In a span of just a few days, two of the largest funerals in Bangladesh’s history took place. The funeral of Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister, Begum Khaleda Zia, is likely the largest in the country’s history. A funeral in Islam is known as **Janaza**, the ritual of sending the deceased on their final journey.

A funeral is not just a religious rite; it is a moment of collective unity, where personal grief transforms into public memory. The size of a Janaza often reflects not only the popularity of the deceased but also their emotional, cultural, political, or spiritual connection with the people. In rare moments of history, grief spills into the streets—cities pause, transportation stops, and millions gather as participants in a shared expression of mourning. The largest Janazas in history show how the impact of a single life can leave a profound mark on society, comparable to the scale of revolutions, wars, or religious pilgrimages.

🇮🇳 **C. N. Annadurai (India, 1969)** — Recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest funeral gathering.

🇮🇷 **Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (Iran, 1989)** — A massive portion of the country’s population attended.

🇮🇷🇮🇶 **Qasem Soleimani (Iran & Iraq, 2020)** — Multi-city mourning in Tehran, Mashhad, Karbala, and Najaf.

🇨🇳 **Mao Zedong (China, 1976)** — Huge national mourning across Beijing and the country.

🇪🇬 **Umm Kulthum (Egypt, 1975)** — A cultural icon with deep impact across the Arab world.

🇻🇦 **Pope John Paul II (Vatican City, 2005)** — Worldwide religious turnout in Rome.

🇬🇧 **Princess Diana (United Kingdom, 1997)** — Massive crowds lined the streets of London.

🇧🇷 **Ayrton Senna (Brazil, 1994)** — São Paulo filled with mourners for the F1 legend.

🇬🇧 **King Edward VII (United Kingdom, 1910)** — Huge crowds gathered along the royal funeral procession route.

🇦🇷 **Eva Perón (Argentina, 1952)** — National mourning with widespread participation.

🇺🇸 **Abraham Lincoln (United States, 1865)** — Massive turnout along the multi-city funeral train route.

🇩🇪 **Ferdinand Porsche (Austria/Germany, 1951)** — Influential industrialist; broad public mourning.

🇮🇷 **Ebrahim Raisi (Iran, 2024)** — Following the president’s death in a helicopter crash, large crowds gathered across multiple cities in Iran.

🇯🇵 **Emperor Hirohito (Japan, 1989)** — Massive imperial funeral turnout in Tokyo.

🇮🇳 **M. G. Ramachandran (India, 1987)** — Tamil Nadu leader with immense public support.

🇰🇷 **Park Chung-hee (South Korea, 1979)** — National mourning following the assassination of the longtime president.

🇫🇷 **Charles de Gaulle (France, 1970)** — French national mourning for the wartime leader.

🇵🇰 **Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan, 2007)** — Large crowds across the country, including Rawalpindi.

🇰🇪 **Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya, 1978)** — Significant turnout for the founding president’s farewell.

🇿🇦 **Nelson Mandela (South Africa, 2013)** — Hundreds of thousands attended memorials and the burial site.

🧠 **Notes on Attendance**

* Funeral crowd numbers are approximate, based on police estimates, media reports, and historical analysis.
* Some funerals took place over multiple days or cities, increasing total attendance beyond a single location.
* Figures may be debated, but the above examples are among the best-documented large funerals in modern history.

📌 **Why These Funerals Matter**
Large funerals are not just about numbers. They reflect deep public sentiment, national solidarity, and collective identity during grief. These events serve as testimonies to individual influence as well as **expressions of shared memory and historical significance**.

29/12/2025

When it comes to inventive advertising, doesn’t just think outside the box—it redesigns the box, decorates it, and gives everyone a good laugh.😄

29/12/2025

🩺 2025: A Landmark Year in Medical Science 💢

As 2025 draws to a close, it stands out as a major milestone in the history of medical science. This year has made one thing clear: medicine is no longer “one size fits all.” Every patient’s disease and biology are different—personalized, precise, and technology-driven care, known as precision medicine, is no longer just a concept but a core part of modern healthcare.

Advances in technology, genomics, and artificial intelligence (AI) have made healthcare faster, safer, and more effective. From disease detection and treatment planning to drug discovery and patient rehabilitation—everything is now data-driven and tailored to individual patient characteristics. In 2025, the goal of medicine is not only to cure disease, but to improve quality of life.

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🧬 Genetics & Gene Editing-

🧪 Personalized gene therapy: Treatments are being designed based on a patient’s own genetic profile.
✂️ CRISPR technology: Genetic disorders such as drug-resistant epilepsy are being treated more effectively.
🔬 Precision medicine is now an integral part of clinical practice.

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🤖 Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Digital Health-

🩺 Faster, more accurate diagnosis: Cancer, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases are being detected earlier.
💊 Rapid drug discovery: AI is helping develop new drugs within months.
🏥 Smart hospitals: Data and automation are making care more efficient and safer.
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💊 Therapeutic & Treatment Advances-

⚖️ Obesity treatment: GLP-1 medications have received WHO approval, recognizing obesity as a treatable disease.
🎗️ Cancer therapy: New treatments for head-and-neck and breast cancer are showing promising results.
🫁 Fibrosis treatment: New targeted therapies for liver and lung diseases.
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🧫 mRNA Technology-

💉 Beyond COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA is now being used to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, and rare disorders.
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🤖 Robotics & Regenerative Medicine-

🔪 Precision surgery: Robotic surgery is less invasive and safer.
🚶 Wearable robotic devices: Helping stroke survivors regain the ability to walk.
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🩸 Diagnostics & Monitoring-

🩹 Point-of-care blood tests: Fast, accurate, and helpful for bedside clinical decisions.
🧬 Molecular editing tools: Accelerating drug development.
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🧠 The Future of Medicine-

Brain–computer interfaces, personalized genomics, and new treatments for neurological diseases are no longer science fiction—they are part of today’s reality.

✨In 2025, medicine is more personalized, technology-driven, and precise than ever. It is not just about curing disease—it is a story of improving human life.

28/12/2025

See where Beyoncé landed on the 2025 World's100 Most Powerful Women list. https://www.forbes.com/lists/power-women/?utm_campaign=ForbesMainFB&utm_source=ForbesMainFacebook&utm_medium=social

📸: Edward Berthelot via Getty Images

28/12/2025