Sweltering heat

In Julio Medem's films, the universe can erupt in your head. The levels of reality are mixed, there's nothing and no one to be sure of. In The Red Squirrel (1993), his Cannes prize-winning second film, a bike falls straight from the sky on to a beach that looks like the moon. In his latest, Tierra, the Spanish countryside looks like Mars. It ripples with a plague of woodlice. Its protagonist Angel's mind surges from the inside of his skull to the outskirts of the galaxy, ripped literally in two by what he sees and feels. In The Red Squirrel, a man claims his blood has frozen in his veins now he's without the lover who's abandoned him, and cuts off a chunk of flesh to prove it. It takes minutes for the blood, held in place by his yearning, to begin to gush. But for all that, he can't find a way to his lover's heart, the place she keeps under her unbroken skin, a skin which, under Medem's gaze, looks like the surface of a planet. Medem's world isn't like the Spanish cinema we're used … [Read more...] about Sensual heat, mysterious cool

Need a new mattress? You’re not alone. The Better Sleep Council recommends that you replace your mattress every seven years, as by this stage it will have lost much of its original support — but time and budget constraints can often move dreams of a fresh place to slumber further and further down your to-do list. The Simba January sale, where you can pick up an award-winning hybrid mattress for a fraction of its RRP, is worth moving it back up the agenda for. There may be dozens of bed-in-a-box companies these days, but Simba’s hybrids stand out from the crowd thanks to the brand’s titanium aerocoil spring layer; tiny coils that replace the traditional bulky bed spring to create a comfortable experience for all types of sleepers, no matter how much you (or your partner) shift during the night. These streamlined springs are so small they’re just 0.9mm thick — that’s around the size of a paper clip, for those who need a visual. Yet while they may be small, they’re still … [Read more...] about Save up to 45% on Simba’s award-winning mattresses in the January sale event

Updated | Many turn to e-cigarettes to help themselves wean off nicotine by moving to lower and lower doses, or as a "safer alternative" to tobacco. However, a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found puffing just one e-cigarette with nicotine can damage the heart in nonsmokers. A team of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, looked at 33 healthy nonsmokers who came to the lab on three different days separated by at least four weeks for three different e-cigarette exposures in random order to determine its effect on the adrenaline levels in the heart. The participants were asked to puff an e-cigarette with nicotine one day, an e-cigarette without nicotine (same flavoring and solvents) another day, and puff on an empty e-cigarette as a control. Dr. Holly R. Middlekauff, senior study author and a cardiologist at UCLA, and her colleagues found participants developed a pattern of abnormal "heart rate variability" (HRV), which is … [Read more...] about E-cigarettes can damage your heart with just one puff

Justice Ayesha Malik on Monday took oath as the first woman judge of Pakistan's Supreme Court, in what can be described as a watershed moment in the judicial history of the conservative Muslim-majority country. Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed administered the oath to 55-year-old Justice Malik in a ceremony held at the ceremonial hall of the Supreme Court, which was attended by a large number of apex court judges, the attorney general, lawyers, officials of the Law and Justice Commission and others. Talking to reporters after the ceremony, Chief Justice Ahmed said that Justice Malik was competent enough to become a Supreme Court judge and that no one deserves any credit for her elevation. Profile | Ayesha Malik Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry congratulated Justice Malik on her "landmark elevation." "A powerful picture symbolises women empowerment in Pakistan,” Mr Fawad tweeted alongside the picture of the oath-taking ceremony, adding that he hopes Justice Ayesha will be an … [Read more...] about Justice Ayesha Malik takes oath as first woman judge of Pakistan’s Supreme Court

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will soon witness a demonstration of tractors and buses running on H2 fuel cell technology at Girgaum Chowpatty. Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam on Wednesday said his department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jimpex Biotech, a company based out of Ahmedabad, which will supply the tractors and buses “that run on water”. “We are taking a revolutionary step towards minimising pollution. We will soon have buses and tractors running on water. My department has signed an MoU with a company which will make this a reality. After introducing a plastic ban, we will successfully cut down on air pollution with these vehicles,” Mr. Kadam said. The MoU says the H2 kit is free from hazardous emissions and there is no risk of damage to people, engines or any property by installing them. The technology combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, heat and water. The fuel cell will produce … [Read more...] about Maharashtra to get tractors that run on water: Kadam

Kiev: Aleksandr Borodai, the pro-Russian rebel leader in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, denied on Saturday that black boxes of the Malaysian passenger plane that crashed on Thursday had not been found. Borodai said they had not touched the site where the passenger flight crashed but they reserved the right to begin the process of taking away the bodies since the bodies would decompose in the heat, according to Xinhua. "We ask the Russian Federation to help us with this problem and send their experts," Borodai, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, told a press conference. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed Thursday afternoon in the conflict-hit Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. According to reports, the indications are that the Boeing 777 crashed after being hit by a missile. US President Barack Obama said on Friday that initial investigations showed … [Read more...] about MH17 black boxes not found: Ukraine rebel leader

This coming week could be rich in weather metaphors. Dark clouds hover over Ukraine and the markets for oil and natural gas. In fact, let me be the first to say it: It could be a “perfect storm.” The Ukraine crisis may appear to be all about President Putin of Russia and his outsized ego, but his big stick isn’t just his 100,000 troops and armor near the border. Rather, it is natural gas, on which Ukraine depends upon Russia to supply, along with several other European countries that buy gas from Russia delivered by pipelines running across Ukraine. In fact, about 40 percent of natural gas consumed in Europe comes from Russia. And this dominance is enhanced by the major customer being Germany, which explains why it is being marked “absent” from most of the diplomatic pressure that is aimed at Moscow. By all means, allow yourself a wry smile about Berlin’s history, but the result is that British military transports avoided flying through German air space last week to deliver … [Read more...] about The Russia-Ukraine crisis is creating an energy predicament

For a third year, we invited students from 11 to 19 to tell us short, powerful stories about a meaningful life experience for our Personal Narrative Writing Contest . And for a third year, we heard from young people across the globe about the moments, big and small, that have shaped them into who they are today: a first kiss that failed to meet expectations, a school assignment that led to self-acceptance, an incident at airport security that made the world look much less sweet, and more. Our judges read more than 11,000 submissions and selected over 200 finalists — eight winners, 16 runners-up, 24 honorable mentions and 154 more essays that made it to Round 4 — whose stories moved us and made us think, laugh and cry. “I’m always blown away by the vulnerability and tenderness so many of these stories hold,” one judge commented. Below, you can read the eight winning essays, published in full. Scroll to the bottom of this post to find the names of all of our finalists, or see them … [Read more...] about The Winners of Our 3rd Annual Personal Narrative Essay Contest for Students

Note: Winners of the November Vocabulary Challenge are announced at the bottom of this post. When you hear the words jostle , replenish and debris , does a story come to mind? We want to read 50-word stories in which students incorporate some of the Words of the Day we published in December. We will publish our favorite submissions as examples for the March challenge. While English language learners are encouraged to enter all of our vocabulary challenges, the one this month is a special opportunity open only to middle and high school students who are emerging writers, readers and speakers of English. Any student who is currently working toward English proficiency is eligible, including students in E.L.L. and E.S.L. classes or programs. Find more information about eligibility below, and email [email protected] if you have questions. All other students are still eligible to enter our Vocabulary Video Challenge , which is open until Jan. 12, as well as any … [Read more...] about Vocabulary Challenge for English Learners: Write a Story Using Our Words of the Day

Lesson Overview Featured Article: “ Inflation Has Arrived. Here’s What You Need to Know. ” by Jeanna Smialek Have you noticed any prices going up? Say for food, gas or rent? Or for things like bikes or burritos? The Times reported on Jan. 12 that inflation , as tracked by the Consumer Price Index, is rising at its highest rate since 1982. But what exactly is inflation, what is causing prices to go up and why are many economists worried about its continued rise? In this lesson, you will learn about inflation and what the current rise in prices means for you, your family and your community. In a Going Further activity, you will act as an economic adviser to President Biden and make a recommendation for how to best tackle the problem. Warm-Up What do you know about inflation? What do you want to know? Have you and your family talked about rising prices? Has the higher cost of things affected what you buy and whether you save money? Part 1. Watch a video … [Read more...] about Lesson of the Day: ‘Inflation Has Arrived. Here’s What You Need to Know.’