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Showing posts from August, 2021

Abelard and Heloise

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  Abelard and Heloise are one of the most celebrated couples of all time, known for their love affair and for the tragedy that separated them. In a letter to Abelard, Heloise wrote: Who Abelard and Heloise Were Peter Abelard (1079-1142) was a French philosopher, considered one of the greatest thinkers of the 12th century, though his teachings were controversial, and he was repeatedly charged with heresy. Among his works is “Sic et Non,” a list of 158 philosophical and theological questions. Heloise (1101-1164) was the niece and pride of Canon Fulbert. She was well-educated by her uncle in Paris. Abelard later writes in his autobiographical “Historica Calamitatum”: “Her uncle’s love for her was equaled only by his desire that she should have the best education which he could possibly procure for her. Of no mean beauty, she stood out above all by reason of her abundant knowledge of letters.” Abelard and Heloise’s Complicated Relationship Heloise was one of the most well-educated women of

Incorporate Empathy into Writing

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  Babies in hospital nurseries all have one thing in common: crying. As a casual observer you may ask yourself: Is it because of the old man in funny glasses tapping at the viewing window? Or is it the nurse who came in and stirred awake little Sammy and that act of disturbance played repeat upon the others? The closest answer is likely the latter. All of us are born with mirror neurons, the basis for empathy. When one baby cries, another will cry. When a parent picks up a child, leans forward to rub noses and then laughs—guess what happens? You got it, the child laughs. This form of observing and then mimicking can carry over into adulthood as well. When one person yawns during a conference session, you may see another person begin to stretch or place their hand over their mouth. Empathy is built into our DNA, and even if we don’t realize it our bodies, in these simple acts of everyday human interaction, are trying to help us find basic human connection and understanding. And for writ

Cats Love Window

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  Window cats have been of great inspiration, so that someone has made a selection of her favorite shots. Making Sure Everything’s All Right In The Neighborhood The cat looks so fluffy! Climbing Cat So Disappointed Because It’s Raining and He Can’t Go Out That Was Quite A Nap! But We All Need A Break Every Now and Then, Right? Napping and Tanning And There He Goes Again… Downwards! Feeling Observed Just Napping… At The Colony Near the Local Shelter At the Colony Near the Local Shelter In A Shelter, Waiting for Adoption

Lives of People in Yakutia

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  Winter can be quite painful and annoying to many people. At least to the ones living in the places of the world that have cold temperatures and piles of snow. However, this region in Russia called Yakutia, also known as the Sakha Republic, tops it off with winters that get as cold as -50 degrees Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit). The region is located 5,300 kilometers from Moscow and has almost 1 million residents. A Yakutian photographer named Aleksey Vasiliev decided to capture the daily lives and struggles of the Yakutian people, showing what living in such a cold region looks like and what people do to pass the time.

A Litany for Survival

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  Audre Lorde  was a fiercely passionate American visionary. Her poetry and prose spoke to her deepest convictions—love and anger, civil rights and sexuality, family politics and glories of nature. She gave voice to a political generation and became a role model not only for black women but for everyone who believes, as she did, that “liberation is not the private province of any one particular group.” In 1992 Lorde lost her battle with breast cancer, but she leaves behind a rich and vital legacy. A Litany for Survival, , a powerful profile of the African-American-poet. For those of us who live at the shoreline standing upon the constant edges of decision crucial and alone for those of us who cannot indulge the passing dreams of choice who love in doorways coming and going in the hours between dawns looking inward and outward at once before and after seeking a now that can breed futures like bread in our children’s mouths so their dreams will not reflect the death of ours;

Best Book on Investing

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  If you want to learn how to be a smarter and more successful investor, who better to take a book recommendation from than Warren Buffett? And the legendary investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway has a clear top choice: “By far the best book on investing ever written,” he says, is “The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing,” by Benjamin Graham. Graham, who died in 1976, was an American economist who earned the nicknamed the “father of value investing.” And Buffett’s praise for Graham is no coincidence; Graham was Buffett’s professor at Columbia Business School in 1951. Buffett says he attributes 85% of his investment style to Graham’s principles — of course, Buffett’s advice also is closely followed today. Here’s what Buffett says he learned from Graham’s widely acclaimed book, which you can apply to your own investment strategy, too. ‘Low [stock] prices became my friend’ Buffett bought Graham’s book in 1949, before the two investing legends actually met. “My fi

Handmaid’s Tale’ Remains Relevant

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  “The Handmaid’s Tale” is the second dystopian work of speculative fiction — after George Orwell’s “1984” — to suddenly appear on top of the bestseller lists years after its release. The renewed interest in Margaret Atwood’s classic story of a post-apocalyptic America dominated by a puritanical religious sect that reduces most women to subjugated breeder status stems from both the current political atmosphere in the United States and the adaptation airing on Hulu starring Elizabeth Moss, Alexis Bledel, and Joseph Fiennes. What’s interesting about “The Handmaid’s Tale” is how many people assume it’s much older than it actually is. The book was originally published in 1985, and while that’s 32 years ago many people are surprised it wasn’t penned in the 1950s or 1960s; blame this on our tendency to believe that the present and very recent past are fairly enlightened. People assume the book was written during what some see as the final gasp of patriarchy—before birth control and the women

Effective Love Scene

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  Love scenes are common in romance writing. Here, romance author Bridget Morrissey shares her top 3 tips for writing an effective one. In my upcoming entry into the genre, Love Scenes, we follow a down on her luck actress as she reunites with her least favorite former costar of all time. I knew instantly that my how, so to speak, was an enemies-to-lovers workplace romance. I wanted to make this book swoony, fun, and satisfying. Actors with a tumultuous past filming a romantic war movie together? That gave me plenty to work with while creating my story’s happily ever after. I think writers are particularly prone to this. Often,Every reader will have different expectations, and authors can never please every person. With that in mind, there are countless ways to create an effective romance. These are the three tips that helped me as I crafted the love scenes within Love Scenes. Establish your boundaries Much like a good love interest knows and honors their partner’s boundaries, you have

The Smallest Continent

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  There are seven continents in the world and Asia is the largest, and according to land-mass, Australia is the smallest at almost a fifth of the size of Asia, but Europe is not far behind as it has just over a million more square miles than Australia. The measurement of Australia is just shy of three million square miles, but this includes the major island continent of Australia as well as surrounding islands, which are collectively referred to Oceania. As a result, if you’re judging size compared to population, Australia ranks number two with just over 40 million residents in all of Oceania (which includes New Zealand). Antartica, the least populated continent in the world, only has a few thousand researchers that call the frozen wasteland their home. How Small Is Australia by Land Area and Population? In terms of land area, the continent of Australia is the world’s smallest continent. In total, it includes 2,967,909 square miles (7,686,884 square kilometers), which is slightly small

Harmful Beliefs to Overcome

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    Have you heard of the concept of a limiting belief? It’s exactly as it sounds. Often, we are held back by our own thoughts. The mental prison we find ourselves in is of our own making. We stop ourselves from achieving our own potential, often without realizing we are the ones to blame. I think writers are particularly prone to this. Often, we are thoughtful people with active minds. This is a blessing and a curse. The same mind that allows us to create our work can hinder us from reaching our full potential. Almost every writer I’ve spoken to has experienced one or more of the following limiting beliefs. In an effort to help you smash through your limitations, I’d love to share my tips on overcoming them. I’m Not Good Enough To Write Is there a writer alive who hasn’t experienced serious levels of doubt? If there is, I’ve yet to meet them! It’s common to doubt your ability as a writer. Don’t think only aspiring or lesser-known talent are affected by this. Even the biggest and best

Creates Magical Images

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  Digital art is all around us. A lot of artists create artwork by merging photographs, creating surreal images. And that includes this French artist, Zak Eazy. Zak uses animals, architecture, and fragments of nature to create mystical fantasy illustrations that look like they’ve escaped dreamland. The artist also uses a lot of well-known monuments and places them where they shouldn’t be, creating a parallel, magical world. #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8