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BROADBAND NOISE MAY MESS WITH SLEEP QUALITY
New York Post
A popular kind of background noise can actually mess with your sleep quality
By Reda Wigle
Published Feb. 2, 2026, 1:26 p.m. ET
Color us surprised.
Plenty of people use apps and ambient sound machines to reduce clamor and improve their sleep — but not all noise is created equal.
In fact, new research suggests that a particular type could seriously compromise your slumber.
White noise — and all the other color noises, like brown and pink and green — is a steady sound known as broadband noise.
Broadband noise is sound that has a bunch of different frequencies, all playing at once. What sets each of the color noises apart is how much power is given to each frequency.
For example, white noise has the same volume at every pitch. Brown has more heavy volume on low pitches but quieter volume on high pitches.
Pink noise, meanwhile, as volume that steadily increases as the pitch gets higher. It has a lower pitch than white noise, using deeper sounds and lower frequencies to filter out higher sounds and creates a more even, flat sound, think steady rain and wind rustling through trees.
A team from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine collected study participants who had never used noise as a sleep aid before.
They then observed them sleeping with no noise, airplane noise, pink noise, aircraft noise with pink noise, and aircraft noise with earplugs.
Ditch the pink noise
Publishing in the journal Sleep, the team found that listening to pink noise alone led to a nearly 19-minute decrease in REM sleep.
REM sleep is the active, final, dream-filled stage of the sleep cycle and is crucial for mood regulation, memory consolidation and cognitive function.
“REM sleep is important for memory consolidation, emotional regulation and brain development, so our findings suggest that playing pink noise and other types of broadband noise during sleep could be harmful — especially for children whose brains are still developing and who spend much more time in REM sleep than adults,” said study lead author Mathias Bassner.
Another warning — especially if you have travel planned
The study also found that exposure to airplane noise was associated with 23 fewer minutes of deep sleep per night. However, earplugs mitigated this loss.
Worse yet, when plane noise and pink noise were combined, both deep sleep and REM sleep were compromised, and participants stayed awake for 15 minutes longer, an effect which was not observed when they were exposed to plane noise or pink noise alone.
On nights when participants were exposed to both pink and plane noise, they reported waking up more frequently and ranked their overall sleep quality as poor.
Based on these findings, Basner and his team suggest not only that earplugs are our best defense against sleep disruption, but also that the use of pink noise and other sonic sleep aids warrants further analysis.
He said that REM sleep disruption is common among patients with depression, anxiety and Parkinson’s disease. Further, he noted that young children spend a significantly longer period in REM sleep, which could amplify the dangers of pink noise.
According to a survey by wellness company Sleep Doctor, 37.2% of parents said their children need some background noise to sleep.
However, previous research has suggested that white noise — and pink and brown noise — may actually harm a child’s language development.
“Overall, our results caution against the use of broadband noise, especially for newborns and toddlers, and indicate that we need more research in vulnerable populations, on long-term use, on the different colors of broadband noise, and on safe broadband noise levels in relation to sleep,” said Bassner.
In lieu of pink noise and in addition to earplugs to aid and abet better rest, experts recommend blackout curtains and an air purifier in the bedroom, screen-time limits and magnesium glycinate supplementation.
Additional measures for those looking to improve the quantity and quality of their sleep include evening exercise and a diet rich in fruits and veggies.
MIGRANT WHO TOLD GIRL TO COVER HER FACE WHILE HE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER SPARED JAIL
Daily Mail
Migrant, 70, who told girl, 12, to 'cover her head' before sexually assaulting her on way home from school is spared jail
By CHARLIE MOLONEY, JOURNALIST
Published: 04:32 EST, 3 February 2026 | Updated: 06:46 EST, 3 February 2026
A 70-year-old migrant has been spared jail for sexually assaulting a young girl 'while encouraging her to cover her head'.
Chaudhry Zaman had forcibly held the 12-year-old girl's hand while she was walking home from school in Slough, Berkshire, then kissed her.
He told jurors he had been encouraging the girl to cover her head and telling her how she could do so.
The girl said her father now had to pick her up from school and she feels anxious during the school run.
Zaman, who was assisted by a Punjabi interpreter in court, was spared jail, in part due to his age.
The court heard the girl lost friends in her community after she came forward to make the allegation.
Judge Amjad Nawaz, describing the incident, told Zaman: 'CCTV shows you holding her hand. She says she did not want to, her hand was forcibly held.
'You were seen sitting on a bench with her and that is where she said that you kissed her on her lips.'
'You claimed you were speaking to her and asking her, encouraging her, to cover her head and you were trying to tell her how she should cover her head.'
Ian Wright, prosecuting, said: 'The defendant asked the child to be friends with him, asked her if she loved him and told her to keep it a secret.'
Mr Wright told how the victim was aged 12 years at the time and the defendant, who had no previous convictions recorded against him, was 68.
The prosecutor said the judge had raised a question about Zaman's 'immigration status' following the trial.
He informed the court that the defendant was in the UK lawfully.
In a victim personal statement, the victim said: 'After this happened to me, I found it really overwhelming.
'I felt like throwing up because I felt so anxious about going to school again.
'I did not feel like I could talk to anyone about what had happened because I did not think they would understand.'
The girl told Reading crown court that in the weeks following the incident she had lost some of her friendships.
'I was picked up from school by my dad to make sure I was safe', she added. 'This changed my routine and my family's routine a lot. I still feel anxious now about what happened and I wish it did not happen to me.'
Zaman, who lives in Berkshire, had denied one offence of sexually assaulting a girl under 13 by touching but was convicted by a jury on October 24 last year.
Paul Douglass, defending, told Judge Nawaz that a pre-sentence report had recommended Zaman receive a community order.
The lawyer said: 'Your Honour may think that is a just and proportionate sentence given the defendant's age, his lack of previous convictions and the nature of the offence, albeit it was very alarming and distressing for the young girl involved.'
Mr Douglass said the defendant was described in the pre-sentence report as not accepting his guilty, but told the judge: 'His response is that he is very sorry for what happened and it will never happen again'.
Judge Nawaz decided not to jail Zaman, agreeing with the author of the pre-sentence report that the defendant's risk could be 'managed in the community'.
He told the defendant: 'The victim has lost her self-esteem, lost her confidence and lost her friends and that is all down to your actions, because she had to speak up about what had happened to her.
'That has caused a breakup of friendships which she regrets.'
Judge Nawaz sentenced Zaman to nine months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months; with a requirement to do 80 hours of unpaid work in the community; a restraining order for five years which prohibited him from going within 200 metres of the girl's school; and he was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years.
THE HOUSE BUILT OVER A GORGE: THE HOME THAT'S ALSO A BRIDGE
Daily Mail
The house built ACROSS a gorge: The incredible home that is also a bridge... and is so unusual the couple behind it couldn't even understand how it worked
By FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER
Published: 12:49 EST, 1 February 2026 | Updated: 14:16 EST, 1 February 2026
A couple who wanted to build a sustainable house deep within the rural surrounds of South West India thought they had found the perfect plot - only to discover the site was divided in two by a deep canyon.
But an innovative architect has now helped them turn that problematic gorge into something gorgeous.
Almost a decade in the making, Bridge House, in Karjat, Maharashtra, is neither solely a bridge or a house, but rather both at the same time.
Described as a 100ft inhabitable suspension bridge, the unusual structure does not rest on the ground, but rather floats majestically above the 23ft deep gorge which was carved into the land for a nearby hydroelectric power project.
Owners Ashish Shah, 50, who runs a garment interlining business, and his wife, Nipa, 48, who heads up an organic, farm-sourced food company, live a two-hour drive away in Mumbai with their two daughters.
They had been on the lookout for plots suitable for their very own organic farm when they came across the 'beautiful' two-acre site nestled within the Western Ghats mountain range.
The couple snapped up the land for 6 million Indian rupees (£47,000) nearly a decade ago and originally thought to build a simple farmstead where they could grow mangoes and other crops.
But the gorge threw up obstacles early on - while they had intended to connect the two sections, the local authority told them it had to remain open as a throughway for construction equipment to pass through.
Given the deep vegetation surrounding the plot, they also wanted a house that was sustainable and reflected their own passion for eco-living.
Only a handful of architects were happy to take on such a challenge, with the couple finally settling on Vinu Daniel and his company, Wallmakers, based in Kochi and which specialises in building with waste and alternative materials.
Originally Daniel thought of a separate bridge and house, but then he found a more creative answer by designing a house that is also a bridge, suspended over the gorge.
Four hyperbolic paraboloids, shaped like saddles, hang over the two plots of land and are strengthened by steel tubing and tension cables more commonly found in lifts.
All other materials used within and outside the sparsely-furnished house are sustainable and found within a five-mile radius of its surroundings.
A straw-and-mud composite roof, inspired by pangolin scales, is waterproof, keeps the heat in and blends in with the natural landscape. It has been designed to keep pests and rodents out.
The home also has an oculus, a circular opening, in the centre of the structure, providing natural light, air and rain into the courtyard area.
Within the living area, the couple have placed a uniquely-designed Petty chair, made from a yarn woven from recycled plastic bottles and discarded fishing nets.
Four hyperbolic paraboloids, shaped like saddles, hang over the two plots of land, creating unusual shapes within the home
The home boasts a straw-and-mud composite roof, inspired by pangolin scales
The uniquely-designed house keeps the heat in and blends in with the natural landscape
The living areas look out onto the verdant surroundings of the house in Karjat, India
A hammock made from natural materials is suspended between the walls and the curved roof
The bedrooms look out onto the forest landscape or the canal running beneath the house
Within the living area, the couple have placed a uniquely-designed Petty chair, made from a yarn woven from recycled plastic bottles and discarded fishing nets
Each of the four bedrooms overlook the forest or watercourse below, while other materials used for the interior include reclaimed shipwreck timber for the flooring, alongside jute screens and metal meshes lining the rooms and corridors.
Outside, a triangular pool is carved into the verdant surrounds.
When Daniel first showed the couple his idea, they 'couldn't understand it', such was the innovative concept he had come up with. Yet they decided to trust the process and await the result.
There were of course the inevitable challenges that come with building a home from scratch, let alone within a dense natural environment.
First there was the excavation work, which proved slow and messy - and then there was the arrival of intense rainfall. During monsoon season, the region can average between 2,000mm and 2,500mm.
The architect had estimated it would take two years to complete the house, but the team were swiftly forced to re-evaluate that.
Speaking to The New York Times about the project, Mr Daniel said: 'Our initial estimates went out of the park because during the monsoon season, it's impossible to even stand in the area, forget about working there.'
In the end, the home took four years and 24 million rupees (£190,000) to finish - but even with all the setbacks and challenges, the couple are pleased with the result.
'When you're trying to create a piece of art, you really don't know how it's going to come out,' Mr Shah said, adding he plans to open it up for artists to stay and short-term rentals.
'But first I want to enjoy my house for some time, since we've worked so hard on it.'
THE STOLEN LAND CHARGE IGNORES MOST OF HUMAN HISTORY
National Review
The ‘Stolen Land’ Charge Ignores Most of Human History
By Rich Lowry
February 4, 2026 6:30 AM
If we are guilty of 'stealing land,' so is nearly everyone else in history, including Native Americans.
Billie Eilish can be forgiven for being thoughtless — as a pop star, it’s practically part of her job description.
But her anti-ICE declaration at the Grammys that “no one is illegal on stolen land” — met with rapturous applause — pungently expressed a point of view that has significant support on the left and in academia.
The sentiment is a distortion of the history of North America and, more than a shot at President Trump’s immigration policy, an attempt to delegitimize the American project at its root.
There is no doubt that we were, at our worst, brutal and duplicitous in our dealings with Native Americans, and that we were a land-hungry people.
The misapprehension of the simplistic “stolen land” narrative, though, is that, prior to Europeans showing up, peoples in North America had clearly delineated territory with a provenance stretching back into the mists of time. In fact, all was conflict and flux.
The context for contention between Europeans and Native Americans over land was set, tragically, by the spread of disease that catastrophically diminished native populations. In the early 19th century, according to Jeff Fynn-Paul in his book, Not Stolen, fewer than 100,000 Native Americans lived east of the Mississippi, while the population of the United States was 5 million and rapidly growing.
Early on, Europeans by and large accepted Native American land claims and thought purchase was the way to gain new land. The deals might strike us as lopsided — Manhattan for some trinkets — but the Native Americans had plentiful land on offer, while European trade goods were extremely valuable to them.
It was when the power disparity between the United States and the Native Americans grew more stark in the 19th century that we see the most infamous incidents of forcible dispossession.
But if we are guilty of “stealing land,” so is nearly everyone else in history, including Native Americans, who constantly fought and dispossessed one another.
The Iroquois, for instance, gained military superiority by acquiring firearms from the Dutch and English in the 17th century and proceeded to wipe out or displace the Huron, the Neutral Nation, and the Erie. They established what is called the Gunpowder Empire, with its locus in Eastern and Central New York.
For their part, the Comanche originated in the northern Rocky Mountains, then moved into the Great Plains. Their prowess as mounted warriors allowed them to displace the Apache and subordinate the Wichita and establish dominance in a vast region known as ComancherÃa.
And so on.
The historian Elliott West describes how the rise of horse culture amplified conflict.
In the West, he writes, “Two great coalitions — Cheyennes, Arapahos, and Lakotas north of the Arkansas River and Comanches and Kiowas south of it — clashed bitterly until making peace in 1840, then both preyed on sedentary peoples on the fringes.”
Further south, he continues, “Comanches, Kiowas, and Apaches launched wolfish raids” into Mexico, seeking to snatch “horses, mules, and slaves.”
The Southwest, meanwhile, had been a persistent cauldron of violence: “Navajos and Apaches had long preyed on Pueblos and Hispanos, Apaches on Mexicans and Navajos, Utes on Navajos and Plains tribes, and Comanches on Pueblos, Hispanos, and Mexicans.”
In short, it wasn’t exactly Dances with Wolves.
As it happens, American leadership created a post–World War II world where the integrity of sovereign territory and borders was reinforced. If it’s true, as Eilish said, that no one is illegal on stolen land, then basically no countries around the world — almost all of which were “stolen” at some point — can have borders.
Of course, Eilish shouldn’t be taken too seriously. It presumably matters to her that she lives on her plot of Los Angeles land, not that of her neighbor; that she lives in California and not, say, Nevada; and that she lives in the United States rather than Mexico.
None of these distinctions would be possible without the kind of borders that she and her compatriots profess to be so troubled by.
Below is the story that sparked this column:
New York Post
‘Stolen land’ Grammys rant explodes in Billie Eilish’s face as critics demand she hand over her luxury homes
By Patrick Reilly
Published Feb. 2, 2026
Updated Feb. 2, 2026, 12:50 p.m. ET
Lefty pop star Billie Eilish is facing calls to hand over her ritzy Los Angeles digs to a Native American tribe or illegal immigrant after she declared “No one is illegal on stolen land” at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony.
The “Wildflower” singer, 24, is being accused of virtue signaling for the anti-ICE remarks she made while accepting the award for Song of the Year on Sunday night.
“What about if we all showed up to her mansion and said we are going to live there now? It’s stolen land right? She doesn’t own it,” wrote one X user in response to Eilish’s comments.
“Meanwhile, she’s chilling in her … Hollywood Hills fortress with armed guards and a moat of privilege. If the land’s so stolen, sis, hand over the keys to the nearest tribe or migrant family,” wrote political commentator and YouTuber Brandon Tatum.
Drone view of Billie Eilish's renovated Glendale home, featuring stables, a paddock, and a swimming pool.
“The woman is a blithering idiot. Of course, if she really means it, then she’ll happily hand over her multi-million pound Malibu beachfront home to illegal migrants,” wrote British journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer on X. “Which she won’t, because it’s all just silly celeb posturing.”
“Any white person who does a public ‘stolen land’ acknowledgement should immediately give his or her land to native Americans. Otherwise they don’t mean it,” charged US Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on his personal X account.
Eilish, who Forbes estimated had a net worth of $53 million in 2020, purchased a $2.3 million horse ranch in Glendale when she was just 17 years old. That home previously belonged to British singer Leona Lewis, according to Hello! Magazine.
It’s unclear what other properties she owns.
Her brother and music partner Finneas O’Connell, who stood beside Eilish as she accepted her Grammy on Sunday night, reportedly sold his beach house on the sands of Malibu for $5.66 million in 2022, the LA Times reported.
O’Connell had purchased a Spanish Colonial-style home in Los Feliz in 2019 before purchasing the house next door in 2022 to create a small compound.
“As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything, but that no one is illegal on stolen land,” Eilish said from the stage of the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“’F**k ICE’ is what I wanna say,” the singer concluded.
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