Life
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Marriage: A Comedy of Errors – Witty Remarks from Famous People
Among all human creations, perhaps none is more self-deprecating than matrimony. Since ancient times, erudite individuals have crafted numerous droll observations and uttered innumerable disparaging remarks regarding this institution. Matters have reached such a juncture that a married gentleman (inevitably of the masculine persuasion!) can only demonstrate his intellect by jesting at the folly of wedlock, while any praise he bestows upon marriage openly exposes his own foolishness. Let us relish a few bon mots and alleviate the stress engendered by matrimony. Montaigne once recounted a saying: “A harmonious union is comprised of a wife who turns a blind eye and a husband who turns a deaf ear.” What would…
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A Treasured Childhood Memory: Raising Silkworms with Grandma
I remember that when I was in primary school, I raised dozens of silkworms in the courtyard of my grandma’s house for the purpose of researching a project assigned by the school. The courtyard of my grandma’s house is very elegant, especially because she loves flowers and plants and planted many beautiful plants. I have always felt that small animals should always be with nature, so I specially chose this place as my small base for raising silkworms. However, my grandma is very timid and is extremely afraid of insects. My doting grandma was worried about extinguishing my enthusiasm and interest, so she could only take the squirming white worms…
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How “Beautiful Inflation” on Dating Websites Can Lead to Disappointment
When we come to a dating website, we look around and see that there are all handsome men and beautiful women. They not only have charming appearance, but also have received a good education, rich income and a wide range of hobbies. This all looks great, but you might come to a different conclusion about it all if you consider something called “beautiful inflation.” Marina Edsheed of the University of British Columbia’s Vancouver School of Economics mentioned in her book “The Love Market” that when users on dating websites were asked how they rated their appearance, only 1% Answering that their appearance is “below average”, only 29% of men…
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Bob Dylan Lyrics Inspire Biomedical Scientists and Meteorologists
At the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, if you ask someone to ask a medical question, the answer you get may be Bob Dylan’s lyrics: “How can you confirm whether there is inflammation in the intestines and respiratory tract?” “The answer is in the wind.” Gone with the wind.” This is not a joke made by scientists. This “answer” was published in the journal “Nature Medicine” in 1997. Even though it is written with literary sentences like “the answer is blowing in the wind”, it is discussing serious biomedical issues. The “wind” here refers to nitrogen oxide gas. By measuring the nitrogen oxide gas in the intestines and…
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The rise and fall of the Mayan civilization, and its resilience in the face of European conquest
Just as in antiquity, akin to the Old World, the grand Mayan metropolises ascended and subsequently declined alongside their kingdoms. Over the course of approximately two millennia, numerous other cities, including those of the Maya, underwent expansion, prosperity, and eventual decay in their own epochs. Upon the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, Tulum, Tayazal, Utatlán, and Iximche emerged as prominent Mayan dominions, yet years of Spanish despotism severed their ties with the Maya. Other centers of civilization were razed, and untold lives were lost, both military and civilian. This catastrophe was primarily characterized by brutal atrocities, catastrophic epidemics introduced by Europeans, and the heavy-handed intervention of the…
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Is the Family Authority on the Decline in Western Society?
In July this year, the demise of a 17-year-old adolescent of immigrant lineage incited a nationwide racial upheaval in France. Following the quelling of the upheaval, President Macron delivered an address, affirming his commitment to “reinstate the sovereignty of all institutions throughout the nation, commencing with the family.” From a certain vantage point, the act of “reinstating family sovereignty” might signify a shift towards conservatism. It is facile to articulate, yet the veracity remains that the influence of paternalistic parents in contemporary households has waned within Western society. In numerous nations, the concept of “family” has transcended the traditional paradigm of “a monogamous couple and children,” as posited by American…
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The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer: Father of the Atomic Bomb and Victim of McCarthyism
At 5:30 in the morning on July 16, 1945, more than 30 kilometers away from the Trinity Experimental Site in New Mexico, USA, physicist Robert Oppenheimer saw a spectacular sight he had never seen in his life: on the horizon , a huge white light flashed, and gradually, the white light turned into a dazzling yellow-orange fireball, mixed with flames and black dust, constantly rolling upward. Later, Oppenheimer recalled that in that scene, what flashed in his mind was a sentence from the Indian classic “Bhagavad Gita”: “Now I have become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” This is directed by Christopher Nolan A scene from the new movie “Oppenheimer”, which…
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How Musk’s childhood in South Africa shaped his contradictory personality and political views
As the brightest star in the technology world, Musk’s new autobiography has been selling like hotcakes since its release. There is no doubt that Musk is a figure who transcends his times, but it is difficult for him to be labeled by the outside world. He is a white man who was born in Africa but immigrated to the United States. He is a technology giant in the United States but has different political views from most of the technology giants. When he talks about the Taiwan issue, he often upsets the mainstream public opinion in the United States. Even Tesla is not unusual. Lu departs from tradition in driving…
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A profound and thought-provoking essay on the nature of love
Knowledge is directly proportional to love, a great Italian formula. Love is one of the countless possibilities of human nature. Love is great, love is only a part of love. How many people would know about love if they hadn’t heard about it. I thought “Jane Eyre” was still good. First, it has noble sentiments; second, it is suitable for young people to read and is a good textbook on love. I didn’t like reading this book when I was young, so I was screwed – I couldn’t understand “Jane Eyre” emotionally, and I was a big idiot. If you can’t understand or don’t like reading romance novels such as…
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Exploring the Impact of Freud’s Oedipus Complex Theory on Eileen Chang and D.H. Lawrence’s Works through Their Biographies and Socio-Cultural Contexts
Freud’s theory has had a huge impact on modern Western literature. His theory has been widely spread around the world and has profoundly influenced later literary creation and literary criticism. As the founder of the school of psychoanalysis, Freud proposed theories such as “unconscious”, “libido” and “dream interpretation”, which not only created a new field of psychological research and promoted the development of psychology, but also influenced the 20 century of literary creation. Eileen Chang and Lawrence were both Chinese and Western realist writers in the early 20th century. They had certain similarities in their growth experiences and family lives, and were influenced by Freud’s theory to varying degrees. Their…
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Sono Ayako: Exploring the Life and Literary Works of an Iconic Japanese Female Writer
As the only female writer among Japan’s “third group of newcomers” after the war, Sono Ayako (1931-) led the “Era of Talented Women” in Japanese literary circles together with Ariyoshi Sawako in the 1950s and 1960s. Sono Ayako, formerly known as Machida Chihisuko, studied at the Sacred Heart Girls’ School run by the Catholic Church from the age of 5, and spent 17 years of her student life here. Affected by her living environment, she was baptized by Catholicism at the age of 17 and became a believer. During the war, Sono was forced to stop his studies and went to a munitions factory to manufacture weapons. He personally experienced…
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Midlife Crisis Movies for Women: Relaxing and Enjoyable with Scenic Views
The term “midlife crisis” has been closely associated with men in the past. For example, when I first watched “American Beauty”, I was very young and ignorant. I had no idea that this movie was actually about the existential crisis of middle-aged men, trying to find reasons for their cheating and homophobia. Men’s mid-life crisis was once a major creative theme for Hollywood filmmakers. Starting in the 1990s, middle-aged women in crisis gradually became the object of film writing. The husband, children, and middle-aged women who serve the family wholeheartedly, want to escape but have no way to escape, are certainly worthy of special mention. This holiday, I recommend a…
