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Could happiness be the key to winning Olympic gold?   February 26, 2026

 

What's up, sunshine? Hope all is awesome wherever you are in this world. I am pumped to be back with you. Happy Friday Eve.

 

I got your news for this Thursday, February 26th.

 

Let's start today with a story that totally rocks. On this day in 1919, the U.S. made a grand move when President Woodrow Wilson officially designated the Grand Canyon into the National Park System, setting it in stone as one of America's greatest natural treasures.

 

set in stone 已定案的; 不可更改的; 板上钉钉

 

Sculpted by the Colorado River, over millions of years, the canyon cuts more than a mile deep and up to 15 miles wide across northern Arizona.

 

Its towering rock layers stack up nearly 2 billion years of Earth's history and a landscape packed with unique plants and wildlife. Today, visitors still can not get enough of the view, with close to 5 million visiting each year, proving this park's appeal is truly rock-solid.

 

rock-solid 坚如盘石的, 非常结实的, 非常牢固的

 

Now, to some of today's top stories from around the world. In southeastern Brazil, rescue workers and residents are removing debris after landslides were triggered by a severe storm. At least 30 people are reported dead, another 39 missing.

 

Security forces have rescued dozens of people and are hoping to find others trapped in the rubble of homes that have collapsed. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has mobilized his government to help Brazilians affected by the storm. It has done so much damage, it is difficult to get in or out of the hardest hit city.

 

Heavy rains have damaged bridges and roads and flooded neighborhoods, forcing nearly 700 people to abandon their homes. The danger is not over yet. Forecasters say more rain is coming.

 

Local government officials are pleading with people living on hillside areas to leave their homes immediately.

 

If you could chat with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, what would you ask? Well, one lucky group of students in Canfield, Ohio actually got this out of this world opportunity.

 

out of this world【口】極好的

 

Hilltop Elementary was chosen following a lengthy application process and students had the chance to talk live with the ISS astronauts as they orbited the Earth.

 

Questions included things like, what's the difference between when you're in space and on Earth? Is there sound in space? And who helps people when they get hurt in space?

 

It was made possible by ARISS, a partnership between NASA and amateur radio organizations that help inspire students around the world to pursue careers in STEM fields.

 

Teachers say the students were even given a follow-up opportunity to pick the astronauts' brains further.

 

pick someone's brains 请教（某人）

 

We actually already have a private conversation scheduled with an astronaut named John Schaffner, so it's going to be a Google Meet.

 

So we'll actually get more students get a chance to ask questions to an astronaut. So this is just the beginning. I mean, this really sparked interest in the students.

 

Talk about an interstellar opportunity.

 

interstellar [ˌɪntɚˈstɛlɚ] adj. 星際的

 

Pop quiz, hot shot.Which computer component temporarily stores the data and programs your device is actively using? CPU, RAM, SSD, or SIM?

 

If you said RAM, you are up to speed.

 

RAM, or Random Access Memory, temporarily holds the data your computer needs in the moment, like short-term memory for tech, and helps things run faster. Artificial intelligence is leveling up, and fast, and taking a big bite out of the hardware that powers our devices.

 

level up（在计算机游戏中）升级

 

From gaming PCs to everyday tech, key chips are getting harder to find and pricier to buy.

 

CNN creator Bijan Hosseini takes the controls from here.

 

This is my PC, or at least what's left of it. All the pieces are a bit scattered around because I wanted to upgrade it.

 

And in the process, I came across a very serious problem, and it affects a lot more than just gamers like me. It starts with this. This is RAM, stands for Random Access Memory.

 

This used to be one of the cheapest components inside a PC, but now prices are skyrocketing. Counterpoint Research says they've risen 80 to 90% in the first quarter of 2026 alone.

 

And to find out why these itty-bitty circuit boards are getting so gosh darn expensive, I took a trip to my local gaming store.

 

itty-bitty [ˌɪtɪˈbɪtɪ] adj.【口】極小的

gosh darn 真该死; 可恶; 哇靠/哇操

 

This section here used to be packed. This is the pre-owned section. Empty.

 

pre-owned 用过的，旧的，二手的

 

That's it. What's going on? So again, because prices have gone up so fast, it's better for people to just ahead and buy something pre-owned than to build something new.

 

Khalifa El-Haroun is the founder and CEO of Store974, which he says operates the largest gaming store in the Middle East.

 

32 gigs of RAM. That's more valuable than gold right now. I know.

 

So this has caused a lot of controversy in the gaming world in the past couple months.

 

It's created a lot of sadness, to be honest, more than controversy, because I think that a lot of gamers feel like the gaming companies have abandoned them. Because look, there are four main companies, you know, in the world that produce the chips.

 

One of them is Samsung, one of them is SK Hynix, and you've got Micron. Micron just recently announced. They're stopping.

 

Yeah, nothing for consumers or gamers. Let's focus on AI. And so the gamers are feeling like, wait a minute, we, I mean, that's the feeling that they have.

 

We built you and now you just left us alone, you know?

 

Here's the problem. Training large AI models requires enormous amounts of high performance memory. And as tech giants pour billions of dollars into AI infrastructure, these RAM manufacturers are shifting production toward higher margin chips for data centers.

 

margin [ˈmɑrdʒɪn] n. 利润

 

This isn't just about gaming PCs. RAM powers a lot. Phones, TVs, laptops, even medical equipment, basically anything that's a connected device.

 

Which really means that if RAM prices are going up, so are the products that we use every single day.

 

Artificial intelligence may feel abstract, like a bunch of lines of code, but it runs on very real hardware like this. And as the demand for these components continues to rise, well, it means higher prices for the devices we use every day.

 

abstract [ˈæbstrækt] adj. 抽象的; 难懂的，深奥的

 

Hang on just a second. Oh, that is job well done. I think we can turn it off and go home now.

 

Peace of heart. Peace of mind. Peace of gold? Could happiness be the secret to Olympic dominance? Norway reached new heights at this year's Winter Games with a record 18 gold medals, and 41 overall.

 

But how does a country of about five and a half million people, roughly the same population as the state of South Carolina, become an Olympic juggernaut?

 

juggernaut [ˈdʒʌɡɚˌnɑt] n. 不可抗拒的强大力量（或组织）

 

Turns out the decades-long approach might be summed up best by a famous Pink Floyd lyric, leave them kids alone.

 

When it comes to their youngest athletes, Norway prioritizes enjoyment and inclusivity over pressure to perform. There's no scorekeeping, no rankings or league standings until the age of 12.

 

inclusivity [ˌɪnkluˈsɪvətɪ] n. 具有包容性

scorekeeping [ˈskorˌkipɪŋ] n. 计分

 

And if one athlete under the age of 12 gets a trophy, well, then everyone does. The formula may not come as a surprise when you consider that Norway is consistently ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world. The approach aims to keep kids coming back each season.

 

And officials say that by age 25, 93% of Norwegians have been involved in organized sports. Compare that to here in the United States, where one report found that 70% of young athletes dropped out of organized sports by age 13, largely due to injury or burnout.

 

burnout [ˈbɝnˌaʊt] n. 精疲力竭

 

Norway's unique approach also allows future generations to bloom into elite athletes at their own pace, and the results have largely spoken for themselves.

 

bloom [blum] v. 繁荣，兴盛；成长

 

But it's always in this long-term thinking of being happy kids, focused elite athletes, and good citizen afterwards.

 

So we try to balance these ambitions as good as we can, with the long-term development for life, and then this maybe 10, 15 years where they're really focused on winning.

 

So that's the balance that we do, and we always have this long-term thinking behind when we're doing decisions.

 

But we do not rank the kids. They compete a lot, but we do not rank. So the next day, they start over again.

 

It's not like, oh, you are the right kid, or you are not the good kid, because we are really focused on not creating losers.We want to create happy kids.

 

So what do you think? In formative years, should happiness be prioritized over winning? Could other countries learn from Norway's approach? Have you ever felt the pressure to excel at a sport or activity, and that made it less enjoyable? Feel free to hit pause andruminate and debate.

 

formative [ˈfɔrmǝtɪv] adj. 形成的，发展的

ruminate [ˈrumǝˌnеt] v. 沉思，反复思考

 

Today's story, getting a 10 out of 10, a group of high school swimmers with a stroke of genius. The swim team at J.J. Pierce High School just held a swim-a-thon, and with every lap, they raised money for their school's beloved custodian.

 

a stroke of genius 天赋异禀的灵感

swim-a-thon: 马拉松式的游泳 (Swim（游泳）和Marathon（马拉松）结合而成。)

custodian [kʌsˈtodɪǝn] n. 校園工友/ 校工; 看门人，门房；房屋看管人

 

They call him Mr. Lee, and he's been battling health issues that landed him in the hospital for months.

 

He's like the nicest guy ever. Like, if you see him in the hallway, he'll give you a high five or a hug, and like, oh, he's just so sweet. The more we found out about him, the more we're like, this is the guy to do it for.

 

The swim-a-thon raised $17,000, and someone at the school even offered to help Mr. Lee negotiate with the hospital, and now they'll be able to eliminate his medical debt entirely.

 

Even after his recovery, Mr. Lee rode a bike to work, but the swim team had a surprise up their sleeve for that one too, surprising him with not just a brand new bike, but a new car as well.

 

A big thank you for everybody, for the professors, for all the teachers, and all the students.

 

Talk about diving right in and making waves in the pool and in the community.

 

Shout out now,this one goes to Mr. Sporen and friends at Gooding Middle School in Gooding, Idaho. We understand a pizza party may be in order.

 

Can't top that unless there is pepperoni involved.

 

pepperoni [ˌpɛpɚˈronɪ] n. 意大利辣味香肠

 

And this shout out goes to Ms. Simmons at Emerson in Salt Lake City, Utah. I see you, Alice.

 

Your dad is a pretty cool dude. Go out and spread some kindness today. Give a stranger a compliment.

 

This world needs more light, and you just may be the spark of joy that someone needs. I'm Coy Wire, and we are CNN 10.