From roadside convenience stores to lonely landscapes, travellers are discovering little-known slices of Americana away from the host cities.

In the build-up to this summer's Fifa World Cup, much of the attention was on the host cities and stadiums where the matches would be held. But after two weeks, something I never expected is happening: social media is flooded with feel-good videos of fans discovering the US that exists between skylines. //

These stories of human connection have made me and many other Americans emotional during this World Cup. They are examples of our country at its best, and they are coming exactly when I and so many other Americans need them the most.

"Many US citizens have been feeling down on their country, and sad that their nation is seen in a negative light overseas," Russell told me. "With the negative news in the run-up to the World Cup… seeing people actually enjoying the US and its people feels more intensely joyful."

She's right: after consuming so many of these social media posts and videos, I find myself overwhelmed with a sense of national pride that I haven't experienced for some time.

While teeth play a greater role in health than many realise, current dental solutions for tooth loss are temporary and subpar. What if we could regrow our teeth instead? //

Despite the demand, we're still years away from the first person to get self-filling cavities or a lab-grown tooth replacement. Before "we can begin to talk about" studying humans, experiments with non-human primates have to happen first, says Ruohola-Baker. That will take more research, time, and money. Plus, to get lab-grown teeth into human mouths, researchers need to create improved environments for tooth development.

In the meantime, the lessons learned in regenerative dentistry could help broader efforts to reproduce various parts of the body, such as organs and bones. Because teeth are "highly sophisticated living organs," says Yelick, efforts to replicate them in labs are teaching scientists how hard and soft tissues work together on a very basic level.

I grew up poor, raised by a man with an Ivy League degree.

3 luxuries matter:

Home-cooked meals.

A car that starts every time you turn the key.

Two weeks of vacation each year.

Everything else is BE.

And yes, I said luxuries. We ate at one reasonably priced restaurant maybe six times a year. I didn’t even taste sushi until I was in college.

Even those luxuries were limited. Every meal was made with store-brand groceries.

The cars were reliable used cars. Ask AI for “the most reliable used car with the lowest resale value.”

Vacations = free museums, state parks, beaches, battlefields, and camping. No Disney. Hershey or Six Flags maybe once a year.

The essentials?

Clothes: Salvation Army. Honestly, this one sucked, but today Walmart & Target make it easier.

Fixer-upper: I’m talking serious problems. You need a solid foundation, walls & a roof. Everything else can be fixed with Harbor Freight tools, YouTube, and sweat equity. We literally bought an abandoned house in a good neighborhood.

I live in rural Massachusetts. My neighborhood has $1 million homes. I bought an abandoned house and restored it, but just outside my neighborhood there are still homes for $300,000.

Medical: Before settling down, one of you should get a government job with benefits or join the military before having kids.

Time: This is the hardest part. My dad was a firefighter, so he’d work double shifts, then spend his days off repairing the house.

Activities: Boy Scouts, Civil Air Patrol, church choir, church camp, etc. Sign your kids up for free or cheap activities.

Education: Teach your kids everything you know. Read to them for an hour every night.

DAD INTEL: This is the big one. Build a network. Know where to get discounted building materials, who has tools, who’ll loan you a trailer or skid steer. Firefighters, cops, National Guard members, tradesmen & church communities have always been great for this, but those networks are disappearing.

Family: Live within three hours of relatives if you can. Someday you’ll need emergency babysitting or another guy to help lift something heavy.

What to avoid like the plague:

NO COSTCO: Unless you’re extremely disciplined, you’ll buy more than you need.

NO HOME DEPOT: Lumber isn’t always the best value, tools are overpriced, and those marble countertops start looking “necessary.” Formica from a local building supply works just fine.

NO FLIGHTS. We won a trip to London when I was five. It nearly bankrupted us. No flights anywhere.

Fast food. This was my dad’s biggest weakness because it was cheap and easy.

Again: NO RESTAURANTS. They add up fast, and you’re paying for convenience more than nutrition.

No drinking or drugs. Bad decisions usually start with small compromises.

No expensive hobbies. Your hobby is fixing the house, improving the yard, and coaching your kid’s Little League team. Fish from shore if you want a hobby. Dig for worms. You don’t need $15 lures.

No subscriptions. You don’t need Netflix. I have plenty of money now and didn’t even own a TV until recently. You don’t need home security cameras if you own an inexpensive firearm. You don’t need Uber or constant Amazon deliveries.

Now the big one:

You’ll feel like shit. You’ll think you’ve failed as a dad. You’ll envy the families with nicer houses, newer cars, and bigger vacations.

Don’t.

This is not a competition.

Your job is to be a great father, love your wife, raise capable kids, and become a productive member of society.

The antidote is gratitude.

Go to church. Every Sunday, thank God for what you have. Gratitude is critical.

It also helps if your work serves the public: firefighter, police officer, teacher, construction worker, sanitation worker, military.

Mental health problems? Start with the basics. Stay physically active, journal for 30 minutes a day & pray a full rosary.

“But John, that’s extreme.”

Maybe. But you’ll still be better off than 80% of Europoors. //

One more thing: get comfortable looking weird.

Who cares if your clothes look simple (you should have one or two great outfits for church)?

Who cares if you look like a dork wearing a scoutmaster uniform?

Who cares if you feel like a jerk riding into town of an electric scooter because you only have one car and your wife is using it?

Who cares if your clothes are a little dirty on vacation because you are sleeping at a campground in a borrowed tent?

Nobody cares but you.

Your kids will complain to your face, yes, that’s what kids do… but they will brag to their friends at school about that backpacking fishing trip you took them on guaranteed. And those rich kids will ask their parents why they took them to boring Paris rather than a hike on the Appalachian Trail. Trust me, I know.

Korean researchers working with Samsung Heavy Industries have cleared a key hurdle in their efforts to develop designs for a containership powered by molten salt nuclear reactors. The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) granted basic design approval, an AiP, for the project, reports the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute is working jointly with the Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries on the design of a 15,000 TEU vessel with nuclear power.

The companies point to the safety and efficiency achieved through the use of molten salt. It combines nuclear fuel with the molten salt, which is a safety feature as it would harden if the reaction failed, encasing the nuclear material. //

The key feature of their concept is two Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) employing the molten salt technology. They point to a redundancy with the two reactors as well as a power system design to efficiently manage the reactors’ output against the ship’s power demands. They also incorporated a surplus power storage capability that could provide power when needed. //

ABS reviewed and verified the technical feasibility and safety of the technology and design. The receipt of the Approval in Principle (AiP), the group said, is a “confirmation of the potential of marine nuclear technology.”