deendezone

Love

2009-10-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

The English word "love" can have a variety of related but distinct meanings in different contexts. Often, other languages use multiple words to express some of the different concepts that English relies mainly on "love" to encapsulate; one example is the plurality of Greek words for "love." Cultural differences in conceptualizing love thus make it doubly difficult to establish any universal definition.^[4]

Although the nature or essence of love is a subject of frequent debate, different aspects of the word can be clarified by determining what isn't love. As a general expression of positive sentiment (a stronger form of like), love is commonly contrasted with hate (or neutral apathy); as a less sexual and more emotionally intimate form of romantic attachment, love is commonly contrasted with lust; and as an interpersonal relationship with romantic overtones, love is commonly contrasted with friendship, although other definitions of the word love may be applied to close friendships in certain contexts.

When discussed in the abstract, love usually refers to interpersonal love, an experience felt by a person for another person. Love often involves caring for or identifying with a person or thing, including oneself (cf. narcissism).

In addition to cross-cultural differences in understanding love, ideas about love have also changed greatly over time. Some historians date modern conceptions of romantic love to courtly Europe during or after the Middle Ages, although the prior existence of romantic attachments is attested by ancient love poetry.^[5]

Two hands forming the outline of a heart shape.

Because of the complex and abstract nature of love, discourse on love is commonly reduced to a thought-terminating cliché, and there are a number of common proverbs regarding love, from Virgil's "Love conquers all" to the Beatles' "All you need is love." Bertrand Russell describes love as a condition of "absolute value," as opposed to relative value. Philosopher Gottfried Leibniz said that love is "to be delighted by the happiness of another.

the meaning of love

2009-10-26T21:37:00.001-07:00

Love

Love isn't blind or deaf or dumb - in fact it sees far more than it will ever tell. It is going beyond yourself and stretching who you are for someone else. Being in love entails seeing someone as you wish they were: to love them is to see who they really are and still care for them. Love isn't bitter, but you can't have love without pain: sacrifice is the hallmark of love , the coin of love.

Being in love usually is used in a romantic sense when you meet your significant other transforming a normal relationship into a deeper one without further interest in others.
Love means that you trust the person, would do anything for the person, know that person is with you through thick and thin, isn't afraid to be seen with you. make sure they treat you right.

Additional Contributor Opinions

Love means having strong feelings for someone that can be close friends, family or even someone in a romantic relationship. Love is a strong feeling that represents affection toward someone dear to you heart.

there is no true meaning in love. love with meaning is not love.

The meaning of love is prolonged mutual protection. Love is real when it is found. It is free when it is grasped. Can you tell with a kiss? Love is the magic/mutual in a kiss. There is no magic in a kiss if there is no love/mutual within it. A kiss with magic has no forced for love makes it gentle. There is no magic in just a lip kiss. Love has a different kiss. Some kisses are only stolen breaths. If you need to ask: "is this love" then the Answer is: "no" for when/if it ever happens you will know. Ravonseed.
The possible real meaning/purpose of love is: to reproduce. To stay together to protect each other long enough to continue your blood line/genetics. The meaning of love is prolonged mutual protection. Love is real when it is found. It is free when it is grasped. Can you tell with a kiss? Love is the magic/mutual in a kiss. There is no magic in a kiss if there is no love/mutual within it. A kiss with magic has no forced for love makes it gentle. There is no magic in just a lip kiss. Love has a different kiss. Some kisses are only stolen breaths. If you need to ask: "is this love" then the Answer is: "no" for when/if it ever happens you will know. Ravonseed.
Love is when you are certain that you love someone, and then you think you love someone else, then you both realize that you could never live without each other

The true meaning of love is found in the word "unconditional". Loving someone through their flaws and all. Accepting and embracing each others differences and compromising with their offerings.

bokonon tells us:" a lover is a liar to himself he lies the truthful are loveless like oyster their eyes."

when your boy|girl take you to the end

Polygamy

2009-10-26T21:28:00.000-07:00

This article is about the marriage practice. For the botany term, see Sexual reproduction in plants.

The term polygamy (a Greek word meaning "the practice of multiple marriage") is used in related ways in social anthropology, sociobiology, sociology, as well as in popular speech. Polygamy can be defined as any "form of marriage in which a person [has] more than one spouse."^[1]

In social anthropology, polygamy is the practice of marriage to more than one spouse simultaneously. Historically, polygamy has been practiced as polygyny (one man having more than one wife), or as polyandry (one woman having more than one husband), or, less commonly as group marriage (husbands having many wives and those wives having many husbands). (See "Forms of Polygamy" below.) In contrast, monogamy is the practice of each person having only one spouse. Like monogamy, the term is often used in a de facto sense, applying regardless of whether the relationships are recognized by the state (see marriage for a discussion on the extent to which states can and do recognize potentially and actually polygamous forms as valid). In sociobiology, polygamy is used in a broad sense to mean any form of multiple mating. In a narrower sense, used by zoologists, polygamy includes a pair bond, perhaps temporary. In popular speech, polygamy is often mistakenly assumed to refer to polygyny alone rather than including the other forms, as more polygamous relationships in human history

Polygamy exists in three specific forms, including polygyny (one man having multiple wives), polyandry (one woman having multiple husbands), or group marriage (some combination of polygyny and polyandry). Historically, all three practices have been found, but polygyny is by far the most common.^[2] Confusion arises when the broad term "polygamy" is used when a narrower definition is intended.

Love triangle

2009-10-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

The term "love triangle" almost always implies that the arrangement is unsuitable to one or more of the people involved. One person usually ends up getting their heart broken to pieces. A similar arrangement that is agreed upon by all parties is sometimes called a triad, a type of polyamory, although polyamory usually implies sexual relations. Within the context of monogamy, love triangles are inherently unstable. Unrequited love and jealousy are common themes in love triangles. Though rare, love triangles have been known to lead to murder or suicide committed by the rejected lover.

Love triangles are a popular theme in entertainment, especially romantic fiction, including opera, romance novels, soap operas, romantic comedies, manga and popular music.

"Gianciotto Discovers Paolo and Francesca" by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres ; it depicts the Divine Comedy.

In television shows, a love triangle is often prolonged, delaying final declarations of love between the pursued character and suitors that may prematurely end this dynamic or displease fans. Similarly, romance films also sustain this set-up until near the film's end, although they tend to establish a more clear-cut conclusion to the romantic entanglements than in long-running TV shows.

A common love triangle is one in which the hero or heroine is torn between two suitors of radically contrasting personalities; one of a girl next door or nice guy type, and the other as a physically attractive but potentially hazardous person. Alternatively, the hero or heroine has a choice between a seemingly perfect lover and an imperfect but endearing person. In this case, the "too-good-to-be-true" person is often revealed to have a significant flaw, such as hidden insensitivity or lecherousness, causing the other person to become the more desirable partner.

Love triangles can either be relatively balanced, in which the two candidates each have a fair chance of ending up with the protagonist, or they can be lopsided, in which the hero or heroine has an obvious romantic interest in one of the candidates, and considers the other candidate as "just a friend," but withholds a confession to avoid hurting feelings.

A less permanent love triangle occurs when a former lover of the main character makes an unexpected appearance to win back the character's heart, provoking feelings of jealousy from the main character's steady partner. However, this situation is usually not considered an actual love triangle since there is little possibility of the main character breaking up with a longtime partner to pursue a just-introduced character, and it is often used as only a test of the true depth of the main character's devotion to their partner.

Usually, a love triangle will end with the hero or heroine confiding their feelings in the suitor they feel is most virtuous or has the most interest in them. The other suitor usually steps aside to allow the couple to be happy, or comes to terms with their feelings, often claiming they couldn't love the main character as much. Sometimes they are written out of the love equation entirely by falling in love with someone else, or being killed off or otherwise eliminated. While love triangles can be accused of being clichéd, if done well, they provide insight into the complexity of love and what is best to pursue in a romantic relationship.

Love rectangle is a somewhat facetious term to describe a romantic relationship that involves four people, analogous to the typically three-sided love triangle. Many people use this term for a romantic relationship between two people that is complicated by the romantic attentions of two other people, but it is more frequently reserved for relationships where there are more connections. Minimally, both male characters usually have some current or past association with both female characters. These relationships need not be sexual; they can be friendships or familial relations. Both males and/or both females can also be friends, family members (frequently siblings) or sworn enemies.

Love rectangles tend to be more complicated than love triangles, often using their tangled relationships as a source of comedic humor.

What others are saying about this

2009-10-12T23:54:00.000-07:00

"I totally and completely love this story [Abigail's Journey]... every time I read more of the story I just get totally caught up in it... when I found this website last year I really didn't know what to expect and I wasn't sure if I really wanted to read anything on the Internet... I decided to give it a shot anyway and I am so glad that I did..." - Melissa

"Thank you so much for writing true to life stories about the real struggles that Christian people have. Your writings are getting better and better... I know as I [have] read lots of books and yours are a pleasure to read..." - Chris

"I really liked the story Journey of the Heart. It was a good romantic story. I read the story in one night. I would go away and wonder what would happen next. So then I would come back in and read some more. I am looking forward to reading the one with the women named Rebecca because that is my name!" - A Big Fan

"I absolutely love your story about Charlie! [The Greatest of These] It has truly blessed me! I believe at this point it's safe to say I'm addicted... thank you for writing stories that are safe for Christians to read..." - Sommer

"I spent every extra moment I had today reading this story. This is the first time that I have actually read a story on line, didn't really know they were available... I have been so blessed this day." - Joann

"Just a thank you for writing some clean and Godly love stories. I am an avid reader, and romance / mysteries are my favorite... Can't wait for Chapter 18 of 'The Greatest of These' ... excellent and kept me on my toes ... loved the Scripture references." - Jenny

"I was surfing the net looking for good stories... and I came across the 'Journey of the Heart'. It's amazing!! It's so rare to find beautiful stories that really reflect God's grace and love... so good to read a story not centered around sex but a love that centers around God... Thanks for daring to be different. :)" - Deborah (in Singapore)

"I have read many stories on [the] net. But surely yours are the ones that are different... I would like you to continue writing stories of true love that connect one to GOD." - Naresh

"Your stories are not only interesting but they provide an even greater joy for me. I have long since had a passion for romance stories. When I decided to become more serious in my relationship with God I gave up secular romance stories. Their love scenes were not something I wanted in my life, because of your stories I can now enjoy romantic stories and not compromise my beliefs." - A Reader in New York

"I love your stories!" - Ally

"I wanted to thank you for writing such a touching and meaningful story [Journey of the Heart]. It is so unlike some romance and love stories I have read, but better a million times over. God is our power, and he blessed you with a gift that honors his words and works." - Caitlin

"I really enjoy reading your stories! They are a joy to read, and you really have a talent for writing! They are so meaningful and beautiful love stories. I wish you the best in your future writing endeavours. :)" - Rosella

"I have been blessed over the past few years from your books. The selected verses of scripture add a dimension to the reading that's inspired... May God continue to bless your ministry." - Rachel (Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada)

"Your stories are like a lighthouse, visible in a stormy sea. God bless you." - A Reader (Pakistan)

"God bless you for being such a blessing to me. I love romance stories and I realized those I was reading were not glorifying the name of God... it was hard to stop but I found these and wow! They have taught me to wait on the Lord, they have showed me the importance of the word of God in my life and now I hope again... they are all my favorite books." - Diana (Uganda, East Africa)

"I love your website..." - Landon

"Thank you for writing and publishing these wonderful stories online. They are each beautiful and special. I hope that you write more... I am a huge fan! I love every one of them!" - Jeannine

"I read your story and loved it. I had a rough day today and it really helped me feel better. Thank you for writing." - Daniela

"I just stumbled over your site and read through one of your stories [Some Pass By]... couldn't seem to stop until I read it all... one major striking feature in your stories is the cleanliness, and biblical references... this is just to say that you are appreciated. And just like the end of your story - God is smiling on you. Be encouraged in this good work." - A Christian (in Nigeria)

"You have done a good work in a Godly way... may the Lord bless you greatly..." - Titi

"I find all your stories truly fascinating... They truly melt the heart. I just keep waiting to read the next future pages of Charlie Overholt [The Greatest of These] and Abigail's Journey... a big thank you for such wonderful stories." - Mehrunnissa (India)

"Your stories have inspired me, as well have helped me stay away from secular books with romances that I do not need!" - Kerren (Queensland, Australia)

"I have read numerous on-line and non-online novels, Christian and non-Christian and if I had to pick a favorite, this would be it [The Greatest of These]. Even though it's not finished yet I just want to say thank you for making this available. I am really blessed by it..." - Yemi (Nigeria, West Africa)

"I love the story about Charlie and Adam. [The Greatest of These] It is wonderful... can't wait to read the rest. God has truly given you a talent to write." - Sammie

"Your stories really amazed me. It's such an enormous pleasure reading [them]... I am not a Christian but I really like the way you relate your stories to the scriptures and verses. It's really wonderful!" - Deline (Singapore)

"I came across your site and started reading the stories... they are very touching. It's really nice to have Christian literature on the net... please do keep writing more stories like them." - Archana (from Kuwait)

"Your story has brought back the old kind of love that Christ had offered me... I had dropped it because I thought I was making myself cheap but it's the best way to live because there are no regrets." - Diana (Uganda)

Love Without Strings Attached

2009-10-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

Unconditional acceptance may be desirable, but is it possible? Before responding to this critical question, let's be clear about what we're asking. The issue here is not whether people can accept themselves without conditions - that is, whether anyone has truly unconditional self-esteem. Rather, what we want to know is whether it's realistic to think that we can accept and love our children for who they are, with no strings attached.

Here I think the answer is clearly yes. Lots of parents feel that way. But is it possible, on a day-to-day basis, to act with our children in such a way that they never doubt our love? Keep in mind that we have to frustrate them by saying no sometimes. Occasionally we may become impatient or even angry with them. And children often have trouble distinguishing people's underlying feelings from their passing moods. So can we ensure that they'll always feel unconditionally loved?

Probably not. But our objective should be to come as close as possible to that ideal. After all, perfect happiness may also be an unreachable goal; it is, as one writer put it, an imaginary condition that's usually attributed to children by adults, and to adults by children. But that doesn't (and shouldn't) stop people from trying to be happier than they are. The same is true of kindness, wisdom, and other qualities that are imperfectly realized.

The fact that so many parents seem to accept their children only conditionally doesn't make that practice any less damaging or any more acceptable. And remember, we're not talking about spoiling kids or taking a hands-off approach to raising them. Unconditional parents play an active role in the lives of their children, protecting them and helping them learn right from wrong. In short, the question isn't whether we should try to come closer to being unconditional parents. Nor is there much doubt about whether we can do so. Just because there will always be room for improvement doesn't mean that we can't do better than we're currently doing. We can and we should. The question is how.

Approaching Unconditionality

The first step is simply to be mindful of the whole issue of unconditional parenting. The more we're thinking along these lines, reflecting on whether the things we do and say to our kids could reasonably be interpreted as conditional affection (and, if so, why), the more likely we are to change what we do. Consider a parent who reports the following: "We were trying to figure out what to do with our son, who yelled something nasty and slammed his door after I asked him to tidy up his room. Should we give him a few minutes to calm down? How firm should we be? I'd never really thought about this before, but now I'm wondering whether the things we were thinking of doing will leave him feeling we don't love him when he's angry." My point is that merely considering that possibility is a move in the right direction, regardless of how this parent finally decides to handle the situation. Second, we need to get in the habit of asking ourselves a very specific question: "If that comment I just made to my child had been made to me - or if what I just did had been done to me - would I feel unconditionally loved?" It's not terribly complicated to perform this sort of imaginative reversal, but to do so on a regular basis can be nothing short of transformative.

When the answer to that question is clearly no, it brings us up short. We might conclude that what we just did is something we shouldn't do again. We might be moved to offer an apology. But if we don't ask this question, it's easy to continue justifying anything we do. In fact, some parents, upon realizing that what they said or did had a negative effect, may even tell themselves that the child is just being too sensitive. Once we ask ourselves, "How would I have felt?" it's a lot harder to let ourselves off the hook.

As soon as a child is born, it's time to think about our parenting style, and specifically about the way we react when things don't go smoothly. Do we make sure that an infant feels loved and accepted even when she won't stop crying, even when she promptly messes the diaper we just finished putting on, even when she's not a "good sleeper"? Some people very quickly become fair-weather parents, supportive and attentive only when their children are easy to be with. But unconditional love matters most when they're not.

As they get older, kids can try our patience in new ways. Need we review the possibilities? They say hateful things sometimes. They act abominably. They do exactly what we just told them not to do, which particularly infuriates parents who, because of their own psychological issues, insist on absolute obedience. They conspicuously prefer one parent to the other, which doesn't feel especially warming when you're the other. They figure out where we're most vulnerable and use that to their own advantage. And through it all, we not only have to keep accepting them, we have to keep letting them know that we still accept them.

Somehow, in other words, we have to communicate that we love them even when we're not thrilled with what they're doing. However, the recommendation to make that distinction is sometimes tossed around a little too casually. The fact is that it's often hard even for an adult, much less a child, to make sense of it. "We accept you, but not how you act" is particularly unpersuasive if very few of the child's actions find favor with us. "What is this elusive 'me' you claim to love," the child may wonder, "when all I hear from you is disapproval?" As Thomas Gordon pointed out, "Parents who find unacceptable a great many things that their children do or say will inevitably foster in these children a deep feeling that they are unacceptable as persons."¹ That doesn't change just because the parents remember to say soothingly, "We love you, honey; we just hate almost everything you do."

At a minimum, it's necessary to realize that verbal reassurances are not free passes to be punitive or otherwise controlling. "Doing to" interventions are still bad news, and they're still likely to communicate conditional acceptance, even if we periodically utter some magic words.

What to Minimize

So, what are we supposed to do when children act in ways that are disturbing or inappropriate? Even when we disapprove of what they've done and want them to know it, our reactions should take account of the big picture - specifically, the imperative to make sure they feel loved, and lovable. The goal is to avoid crossing over into conditional parenting. Here's how.

Limit the number of your criticisms.

Bite your tongue and swallow a lot of your objections. For one thing, frequent negative responses are counterproductive. If kids feel we're impossible to please, they'll just stop trying. Being selective about what we object to or forbid makes the "no" count for more on those occasions when we really do have to say it. But the main point is that too much criticism and disapproval may lead a child to feel unworthy.

Limit the scope of each criticism.

Focus on what's wrong with this specific action ("Your voice sounded really unkind just now when you were talking to your sister") rather than implying that there's something wrong with the child ("You're so mean to people").

Limit the intensity of each criticism.

It's not just how many times you react negatively that counts, but how negatively you react each time. Be as gentle as possible while making sure the message gets across. A little emotion goes a long way; the effect of what we say is magnified because of the power inherent in being a parent. Even when kids seem to tune us out, they are absorbing more of our negative reactions - and are more deeply affected by them - than they let on. In fact, we might end up having more of an impact precisely when our approach isn't heavy-handed. Be aware not only of what you're saying but also of your body language, your facial expression, your tone of voice. Any of these can communicate more disapproval, and less unconditional love, than you intended.

Look for alternatives to criticism.

It may make sense not only to turn down the volume, so to speak, but to switch to a different station. When kids are careless or hurtful or obnoxious, try to see this as an opportunity to teach. Instead of "What's the matter with you? Didn't I just tell you not to do that?!" - or, for that matter, instead of "I'm disappointed in you when you do that" - try helping the child to see the effects of his action, how it might hurt other people's feelings or make their lives more difficult.

Explicit negative evaluations may not be necessary if we simply say what we see ("Jeremy looked kind of sad after you said that to him") and ask questions ("The next time you're feeling frustrated, what do you think you could do instead of pushing?"). This doesn't guarantee success, of course, but it markedly improves the chances that a child will develop a commitment to acting more reasonably. The odds improve further if you invite him to think about ways to make things better, to restore, repair, replace, clean up, or apologize, as the situation may dictate.

It may sound obvious, but we sometimes seem to forget that, even when kids do rotten things, our goal should not be to make them feel bad, nor to stamp a particular behavior out of existence. Rather, what we want is to influence the way they think and feel, to help them become the kind of people who wouldn't want to act cruelly. And, of course, our other goal is to avoid injuring our relationship with them in the process.

One very concrete way to make sure your interventions don't communicate conditional acceptance is to try hard never to hold a grudge. The exhortation to "be the parent!" usually is intended to mean that you should take control, put your foot down. But I use that phrase to mean that you should rise above the temptation of a childish quid pro quo: "Oh, yeah? Well, if you're not going to do your chores, then I'm not going to give you dessert! So there!" Many books actually encourage this sort of parental behavior (without the "Oh, yeah?" and "So there!" of course). Once you think about it, it's pretty obvious how unhelpful this sort of response really is.

I remember one day when my two-year-old son got tired of waiting for his six-year-old sister to finish with a toy so he could play with it. He attempted to wrest it away from her, leading her to protest angrily. After she had fended him off and reestablished possession, she announced, "Now I don't want to give it to him at all because he tried to grab it." She was going to teach him a lesson, and let him know that because he did something wrong he should be punished by having to forfeit his turn. The question is: Do we want to act with our children as though we, too, were six years old? An awful lot of what passes for discipline consists of tit-for-tat responses that merely give us the satisfaction of getting even.

To be the parent means you have certain obligations, and they're not always easy to meet. My wife is always reminding me, especially when yet another dinner we made for our children lies uneaten, that all we can do is prepare nutritious meals (taking their preferences into account whenever possible) and then hope for the best. Not only is that all we can do; it's what we have to keep doing, no matter how many of those meals end up in the garbage can.

So it is with unconditional love. You keep doing your best to provide it even if your efforts seem unappreciated and unreciprocated. Sometimes kids act toward us in a way that appears remarkably similar to love withdrawal. They may spit out, "Go away!" or "I don't love you!" when they feel betrayed or thwarted, even over something that seems trivial to us. But our job is to remain calm, to avoid acting the same way, and to understand this for what it is - a passing expression of frustration. They haven't really stopped loving us. Poignantly, even children who are abused continue to love their abusers. We must never forget the lack of symmetry here. This is not a relationship between two adults of equal power. Even the slightest indication that you are withholding love from your child has a far greater impact than a screamed "I hate you!" has (or ought to have) on you.

We need to do less of whatever might send a message of conditional acceptance, but we also have to do more of whatever could send a message of unconditional acceptance.

Criminals in Love

2009-10-12T23:48:00.000-07:00

Dark comedy in nine scenes by George F. Walker , premiered at the Factory Theatre , Toronto, 1984, directed by the author with sets and costumes by Reginald Bronskill, lighting by Sholem Dolgoy, and featuring Ted Dykstra , Gina Wilkinson, Peter Blais, Dean Hawes, Lesleh Donaldson and Barbara Gordon. Winner of the Chalmers Award and the Governor General's Award . More recently, the work was produced at William Head Prison, British Columbia (October, 2000).

A rambunctious, deft and hilarious work about destiny, love and the classes. Junior is a goofy post-adolescent in love with the smart Gail. Junior, however, has a father in prison who blackmails Junior into committing a crime. Soon Junior finds himself hooked up with an unlikely assortment of accomplices including his girlfriend, a drunk turned hero-of-the-hour, a mad, pseudo-revolutionary who kisses everyone (kiss of death? Judas kiss? lust?) and a young woman who has tried prostitution as a legitimate career choice. It can't possibly end well.

Not just a winner with critics and awards' juries, but a box-office hit as well. This is a work that cries out for revival, a smart director and a savvy cast. The work has quasi-sequels in the other two plays of the East End Plays: Better Living and Escape From Happiness.

Readings: East End Plays, Part 1, The, George F. Walker, 1999, Talon, Vancouver

(Additional information provided by Colin Plant)

In love as always

2009-10-12T23:46:00.000-07:00

Zhang Ziyi's romantic relationship with multi-millionaire Vivi Nevo may have undergone twists and turns, but the latest photos of the lovebirds prove that love is continuing between the Chinese actress and her fiancé.

A number of photos dated September 26, 2009 have emerged on the Internet, showing Zhang and Nevo watching a fashion show in Milan, Italy, their hands clasped.

This was the first time the high-profile couple was spotted together in more than four months, according to China News Service. Previously, Nevo was seen accompanying Zhang to film festivals worldwide.

Chinese tabloids are calling the couple's Milan appearance a "dramatic reunion".

Zhang, who launched an international career after playing the lead role in Ang Lee's Oscar-winning 2000 film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", began dating Vivi Nevo in 2007. She was engaged to the major Time Warner shareholder last year.

However, as fans were expecting to see Zhang tie the knot, in June this year Nevo suddenly announced a postponement to the planned August wedding, citing busy work schedules as the reason.

Zhang then returned to China promoting her latest film, a romantic comedy entitled "Sophie's Revenge". Not wearing her engagement ring, she told Chinese media, "If I were married, I would want to spend the rest of my life with my husband, just like my parents do. Although divorce is not the end of the world, I suddenly felt scared."

The remarks aroused wide speculation that Zhang's relationship was already on the edge. The actress however denied such rumors, saying "everything is alright."

The postponed wedding is still pending, though the pair avoided questions about a wedding date in Milan.

In love as always

2009-10-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

Army@Love is an American comic book series from DC Comics' Vertigo imprint, which started in May 2007. It is drawn and scripted by Rick Veitch, with Gary Erskine on inking duties.^[1] Issue #12 published in February 2008 was the "season finale". The title was featured in The Washington's Post Best of the Year.^{[citation needed]}

The story follows the adventures of a unit of New Jersey National Guard in "Afbaghistan", a fictional Middle Eastern country based on Afghanistan.

Plot

The unit includes both men and women, a great deal of the action following the amorous adventures of various members. The contrast between the surreal combat in Afbaghistan and the comfortable lives of the rear echelon and the people the Guardsmen and -women have left behind is also a recurring theme

Collected editions

Intolerance

2009-10-12T23:39:00.000-07:00

Intolerance: Love's Struggle Through the Ages, a silent film directed by D. W. Griffith in 1916, is considered one of the great masterpieces of the Silent Era.^[2] It has also been called "the only film fugue".^[3]^[4]^[5] Professor Theodore Huff, one of the leading film critics of the first half of the twentieth century, stated that it was the only motion picture worthy of taking its place alongside Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, the masterpieces of Michelangelo, etc. as a separate work of art.^[3] It was made in response to critics who protested against Griffith's previous film, The Birth of a Nation, for its overt racist content, characterizing racism as people's "intolerance" of other people's views.

Backgroun

Intolerance was a colossal undertaking filled with monumental sets, lavish period costumes, and more than 3,000 extras. The film consisted of four distinct but parallel stories that demonstrated mankind's intolerance during four different ages in world history. The timeline covered approximately 2,500 years, beginning with:

The "Babylonian" period (539 B.C.) depicts the fall of Babylon as a result of intolerance arising from a conflict between devotees of different Babylonian gods.
The "Judean" era (circa 27 A.D.) recounts how intolerance led to the crucifixion of Jesus.
The French Renaissance (1572) tells of the failure of the Edict of Toleration that led to the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre.
Modern America (1914) demonstrates how crime, moral puritanism, and conflicts between ruthless capitalists and striking workers helped ruin the lives of Americans.

Griffith began shooting the film with the Modern Story (originally titled "The Mother and the Law"), whose planning predated Birth of a Nation, then greatly expanded it to include the other three parallel stories under the theme of intolerance. These stories are not told separately. Instead the film constantly cuts between them, setting up moral and psychological connections among the different stories. As the four stories progress toward their climaxes, the cuts become more rapid. Breaks between the differing time-periods are marked by the symbolic image of a mother rocking a cradle, representing the passing of generations.

One of the unusual characteristics of the film is that most of the characters don't have names. Griffith wished them to be emblematic of human types. Thus, the central female character in the modern story is called The Dear One. Her young husband is called The Boy, and the leader of the local Mafia is called The Musketeer of the Slums. Critics and film theorists indicate these names show Griffith's sentimentalism, which was already hinted at in The Birth of a Nation, with names such as The Little Colonel.

Actual costs to produce Intolerance are unknown, but best estimates are close to $2 million (approximately $41 million in 2008 dollars), an astronomical sum in 1916. The movie was by far the most expensive made at that point. When the movie became a flop at the box-office, the burden was so great that Griffith's Triangle Studios went bankrupt.

The film and its unorthodox editing were enormously influential, particularly among European and Soviet filmmakers. Many of the numerous assistant directors Griffith employed in making the film went on to become important and noted Hollywood directors in the subsequent years.

A detailed account of the film’s making is told in William M. Drew's 1986 book titled D.W.Griffith's Intolerance: Its Genesis and Its Vision.

I Will Always Love You

2009-10-12T23:30:00.001-07:00

I Will Always Love You" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973, who first released the song as a single in 1974. American singer Whitney Houston's (1992) version of the song became one of the best-selling singles of all time

Dolly Parton wrote the song in 1973 and it was released a year later, having been produced by Bob Ferguson. She has told numerous interviewers over the years that she wrote it for her one-time partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, with whom she was having a business splitting at the time. Recorded on June 17, 1973 in RCA's Studio "B" in Nashville, the song was included on Parton's album Jolene, and was released as a follow-up single, after the country chart-topping success of the title track, in April 1974. The single reached number 1 on the Billboard' Hot Country Songs a month later, but had just modest success on the pop charts. The lyrics express a bittersweet and poignant ode to an ex-lover, and are delivered with Parton's distinctive twang.

Parton re-recorded the song in 1982 to include it on the soundtrack of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the film version of the Broadway musical of the same name. Her 1982 version also reached number 1 on the U.S. Hot Country Songs, marking the first time the same song reached number 1 on the country charts twice by the same artist. The 1982 version also saw limited crossover pop success, reaching number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.

Parton had success with the song again in 1995 in a duet with Vince Gill. This time the song peaked at number 15 in December of that year, making it the third time the song was a hit for Parton, albeit in duet form this time. In 2003, CMT ranked it number 16 on their 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music. A year later, CMT ranked it number 1 on their 100 Greatest Country Love Songs.

The most recent release of the song appears on Parton's 2008 album Backwoods Barbie, which features a live version - an exclusive iTunes bonus track.

In the mid-1970s, Elvis Presley had expressed interested in recording the song, but Parton refused to share writing credits (as was the case with many songs Presley performed) with him, and so he ultimately did not cover the song.

Whitney Houston version

In 1992, singer Whitney Houston recorded the song for the soundtrack to The Bodyguard, her film debut. Houston was originally to record Jimmy Ruffin's "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" as the lead single from The Bodyguard. However, when it was discovered the song was to be used for Fried Green Tomatoes, Houston requested a different song and her co-star Kevin Costner brought her Linda Ronstadt's 1975 version of "I Will Always Love You" from her album Prisoner in Disguise. Houston re-arranged the song as a soul ballad. Her record company did not feel a song with an a cappella introduction would be as successful; however, Houston and Costner insisted to maintain an a cappella intro.

Houston's version was a massive worldwide success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide.^[10] It became a regular on countdown lists: appearing at number 8 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years; number 4 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s^[11] and number 1 on VH1's 100 Greatest Love Songs. The song also lists at number 68 on Billboard's Greatest Songs of all time.^[12]