Category Archives: Culture

Make Relations that Last Life Long with Online Dating

By Guest PostSeptember 30, 2012Culture, Generalchemistry, couple, dates, dating, dating site, eharmony, email, internet, internet route, match, nightclub scene, online dating, phone call, popular, public place, relationship, solid reputation, today, tom clark, true love, zoosk

Dating today is hard. Trying to find someone with common interests while avoiding the nightclub scene can be daunting. It is especially difficult to meet a person who is interested in a long-term relationship and not a one-night stand. Online dating has opened the door of opportunities for many people and has become extremely popular. More couples are connecting via the Internet and sites devoted to creating relationships.

Choosing a Dating Site :

There are so many dating sites available now that it is difficult for individuals to settle on one particular site. One of the best recommendations is to select a site that has a solid reputation and has been around for a while. Sites such as eHarmony, match.com, zoosk, and chemistry.com are only a few of the sites that are available with positive reviews, a large membership, and a good track record. They base their connections on personality traits, chemistry, and finding things in common for a starting point. Those interested can find out who is in their area with similar philosophies and goals in life. Dating sites give a person a starting point and they can search through profiles to narrow down the selection before going out on a date. (more…)

Experience The Magic of The Theatre!

By Guest PostSeptember 27, 2012Culture, Entertainmentandrew lloyd webber, architect, art, bernard delfont, bing crosby, british theatre, cameron mackintosh, chronicle, edward stone, evolution, glenn miller, jack warner, london, lord, magical world, orchestra, prince edward, queen elizabeth, queensbury, renaissance, second, sir, style, talian deco, theatre, theatre royal, theatreland, theatres act, theatrical history, west end, william shakespeare, world war

The theatrical history of London’s West End stretches more than three and a half centuries. The first theatre in this area of London, the Theatre Royal opened in 1663 and housed small productions until it was destroyed by fire some years later. While still mainly a pastime of the aristocracy, appreciation for theatre was widespread. Productions occurred in courtyards of public houses, in churches and in small parks for all to enjoy.

In 1843 the passage of the Theatres Act allowed for more theatres to be established in the West End. Several of the venues you pass on the street in what the locals affectionately call “Theatreland” today were part of this movement. (more…)

Should I Marry Him? If you’re having doubts, don’t ignore them, suggests UCLA psychology study

By Guest PostSeptember 22, 2012Culture, Generalbenjamin karney, california, couple, divorce rate, doubt, justin lavner, marital satisfaction, marriage, mental state, pleasant, psychologist, relationship, ridiculous, thomas bradbury, ucla, university, voltaire

Doubt is not a pleasant mental state, but certainty is a ridiculous one.

—Voltaire

In the first scientific study to test whether doubts about getting married are more likely to lead to an unhappy marriage and divorce, UCLA psychologists report that when women have doubts before their wedding, their misgivings are often a warning sign of trouble if they go ahead with the marriage.

The UCLA study demonstrates that pre-wedding uncertainty, especially among women, predicts higher divorce rates and less marital satisfaction years later. (more…)

Facebook Profile Pictures Influence Perceived Attractiveness, MU Study Finds

By Guest PostSeptember 14, 2012Culture, Technologyemployee, employer, Facebook, facebook user, kevin wise, positive comment, profile photo, profile picture, self presentation, seoyeon hong, university of missouri

Pictures with positive social cues help attract potential employers, friends

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Around the world, more than 850 million people use Facebook regularly to communicate. More and more employers also are using Facebook as a way to examine potential employees before making hires. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have found that comments left by users on Facebook profile pictures strongly affect the level of perceived attractiveness of the profile owner physically, socially, and professionally.

Facebook profile photos are the first photos visible on a user’s profile. Other Facebook users are able to post comments about each profile photo, which are visible to anyone who views the photo. MU researchers found that Facebook users whose profile photos include social cues, additional information about the user, and many positive comments on their profile photos are viewed much more socially and physically attractive than users who have fewer social cues and negative comments on their profile photos. Seoyeon Hong, a doctoral student, conducted the research along with Kevin Wise, an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and other doctoral students. (more…)

Teens Tell Different Tales about Themselves Depending on Gender, Says MU Researcher

By Guest PostSeptember 6, 2012Culture, General, Healthadolescence, autobiographical narrative, brown university, emory university, emotional state, gender, jennifer bohanek, missouri, negative stories, parent, personal identity, reflect, robyn fivush, sally grapin, self, sense, transition, university, widaad zaman, young people

Parents can use knowledge to help steer teens through life changes

COLUMBIA, Mo. — During adolescence, the stories young people tell about themselves reflects their development of a personal identity and sense of self, and those autobiographical narratives vary depending on the teens’ gender, according to a University of Missouri psychologist and her colleagues. Parents can use this knowledge of how teens talk about themselves to help understand the tumultuous transitions of their children into adults.

“Autobiographical stories tell us details about adolescent psychology that questionnaires and observations of behavior cannot,” said Jennifer Bohanek, assistant professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts and Science. “Narratives provide information about how adolescents interpret memories as well as how they come to know themselves. Other people then come to know the teens by the stories they tell about themselves. The differences between study participants’ stories suggest there may be differences in the way male and female teens understand themselves and present themselves to the world.” (more…)

Witch Hunts Targeted by Grassroots Women’s Groups

By Guest PostSeptember 5, 2012Culture, Economy, Generalalcoholism, anuradha chakravarty, basanti, chicken eggs, culture, disease, domestic abuse, economic, factor, gender equality, government, grassroots movement, India, jalpaiguri, livestock, loan, loan program, michigan, microcredit, microcredit group, native india, plantation worker, practice, self help, social movement, sociologist, soma chaudhuri, state university, stomach illness, tea plantation, tradition, tribal people, village, witch, witch hunts, witchcraft, women

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Witch hunts are common and sometimes deadly in the tea plantations of Jalpaiguri, India. But a surprising source – small groups of women who meet through a government loan program – has achieved some success in preventing the longstanding practice, a Michigan State University sociologist found.

Soma Chaudhuri spent seven months studying witch hunts in her native India and discovered that the economic self-help groups have made it part of their agenda to defend their fellow plantation workers against the hunts. (more…)

African-American Males Most Likely to Lose Academic Scholarships, MU Study Finds

By Guest PostSeptember 3, 2012Culture, Education, Generalacademic success, african american, charles menifield, culture, dormitories, Environment, holistic approach, hope scholarships, male, missouri, retention rate, scholarship, tennessee residents, university

MU researcher recommends a “holistic” approach to student scholarship retention

COLUMBIA, Mo. — College student retention and low graduation rates are the most significant problems associated with state-provided financial aid. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that African-American males are the most likely to lose state lottery-funded scholarships with academic stipulations. Charles Menifield, a professor in the Truman School of Public Affairs at MU, found that more than 50 percent of African-American males lost state-funded scholarships over the course of a four-year academic career.

“Race turns out to be one of the best predictors of scholarship retention rates,” Menifield said. “This research strongly suggests that colleges and universities that desire to maintain diversity should at minimum target minority students, particularly African-American males, and determine how best to improve academic success.” (more…)

Parents and Readers Beware of Stereotypes in Young Adult Literature Says MU Researcher

By Guest PostAugust 28, 2012Culture, Generalabnormal, adolescents, breaking bad, emotional development, friday night lights, gender roles, genre, glee, harry potter, heterosexual relationship, homophobia, hunger games, infection, julie passanante elman, literature, medical dramas, negative stereotype, racism, realm, romantic relationship, sexual attractiveness, sexuality, taboo, teen, teen sick lit, twilight, university of missouri

Newly described teen literature genre propagates negative portrayals of the sick and disabled

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A newly defined genre of literature, “teen sick-lit,” features tear-jerking stories of ill adolescents developing romantic relationships. Although “teen sick-lit” tends to adhere to negative stereotypes of the ill and traditional gender roles, it also explores the taboo realm of sexuality, sickness and youth, says the University of Missouri researcher who named the genre in a recent study. Readers and their parents should be aware of how the presentation of disease and disability in these stories can instill prejudices and enforce societal norms in young adults, notes the researcher.

“Teen sick-lit depicts its chronically ill protagonists, who are usually white middle-class females, merely as vehicles for well people’s emotional development rather than as self-actualized women with their own experiences, perspectives, and emotional needs,” said Julie Passanante Elman, assistant professor in women’s and gender studies in the College of Arts and Science. “As the popularity of fiction aimed at young adults, such as the Twilight, Harry Potter and Hunger Games series, continues to grow, it is important for readers and parents to note the ethical subtexts of the books. Similarly, the proliferation of sick or disabled characters on such television shows as “Glee,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Breaking Bad” doesn’t always equate to positive portrayals of those characters.” (more…)