To marry someone who is of a higher social class or standing than oneself. Watch the video
Month: September 2021
The Nice Guy
In pop psychology, the nice guy is an adult male who is friendly yet unassertive in relationships with women. He gives emotional support, avoids confrontation, puts others’ needs before his own, and generally treats women well. Despite these good qualities, many women, even those who claim to want a nice guy, actually choose to date men who are less considerate, likely because they are attracted to the overt sexuality of such “jerks.” Who first used the phrase “nice guys finish last”? Discuss
beneficent
Definition: (adjective) Characterized by or performing acts of kindness or charity.
Synonyms: benevolent.
Usage: In 1909, nuns were running more than 1,000 beneficent institutions.
Discuss
relax
Aizu Byakko Matsuri
Aizu was once the sturdiest castle in northeast Japan, but it was destroyed in a battle between the Emperor’s forces and the Shogun’s forces in 1868. The Byakkotai, or White Tiger Band, young men who vowed to lay down their lives in defense of the castle, saw what they thought was fire rising from the walls. Thinking it had fallen into enemy hands, they killed themselves. Each September to commemorate their courage, there is a procession of 500 warriors and a lantern procession through Aizu Wakamatsu, where the original members of the White Tiger Band are buried. Discuss
marry beneath (oneself)
To marry someone who is of a lower social class or standing than oneself. Watch the video
Psychogeography
The vaguely defined field of psychogeography involves reflection on the effect of environment on one’s emotions and behavior. The concept emerged in the 1950s when French Lettrists and Situationists, finding contemporary architecture physically and ideologically restrictive, reimagined the city. Their perspective likely descended from the Dadaists and Surrealists while also drawing upon Charles Baudelaire’s concept of urban wandering. How is psychogeography relevant in the modern world? Discuss
languorous
Definition: (adjective) Lacking spirit or liveliness.
Synonyms: lackadaisical, languid, dreamy.
Usage: The sun was low in the west, and the breeze soft and languorous that came up from the south, charged with the seductive odor of the sea.
Discuss
stands
circumstance – Literally “that which stands around (something).” More…
cost – Something that costs a particular amount literally “stands at or with” that price, from Latin constare, “to be settled or fixed, stand at a price, cost.” More…
stem – The stem of a tree is etymologically the upright part, the part that “stands” up, from its Germanic base sta-, “stand.” More…
wing it – Comes from theatrical jargon, referring to the hurried study of lines by an understudy in the wings, or to the help given by a prompter who stands in the wings of a theater. More…
Bulgaria Independence Day
On September 22, 1908, Prince Ferdinand (1861-1948) of Bulgaria declared the country’s independence from the Turkish Ottoman Empire, which had ruled since the 14th century. In 1944, the former Soviet Union invaded Bulgaria and imposed its communist system for nearly 50 years. Like many other eastern European countries, Bulgaria became an independent republic with a new constitution in 1991. In 1998, the Bulgarian Parliament reinstituted September 22 as Bulgarian Independence Day. Discuss