All posts tagged: pursuit

Pursuit Of Jade star Zhang Linghe takes on new role in sustainability documentary

Pursuit Of Jade star Zhang Linghe takes on new role in sustainability documentary

Published by Sam Flores

Best known for his role as a marquis in the period romance drama Pursuit Of Jade, Zhang Linghe has stepped into a new role in The Answer Is Earth, a new documentary by Warner Bros Discovery in collaboration with environmental non-profit organisation WildAid. Zhang, who was recently named WildAid’s newest ambassador, hit the ground to learn about sustainability technologies together with frontline engineers and experts in Jiangsu, China, his home province. The actor studied electrical engineering at Nanjing Normal University before making his acting debut in 2020. When asked how Zhang was picked for the project, Warner Bros Discovery told CNA Lifestyle that they were looking for “someone who can make these topics accessible and relatable, while still bringing authenticity and credibility to the journey”.  His knowledge was put to the test during the series’ press conference in April when the host cheekily asked Zhang to explain Betz’s Law – a fundamental aerodynamic principle. The actor broke down the concept into a digestible explanation with ease, impressing both the audience in the room and fans online.  …

In new memoir, former Buddhist nun talks the pursuit of enlightenment

In new memoir, former Buddhist nun talks the pursuit of enlightenment

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Raised in the Baptist tradition in Oklahoma, a young Paldrom Catharine Collins was a seeker. Her search for spiritual truth led her to the Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhist monastery in New York, where she spent five years as Buddhist nun.  There, she changed her name, took vows, and tried to become a “perfect nun,” according to her new memoir.  Then she left.  Now in her mid-70s and an addiction counselor, Collins shares the complicated story of her time at the monastery in her upcoming book, “Girl in a Box: Seeking Enlightenment as a Tibetan Buddhist Nun,” which she calls a “love letter to the Tibetans.” “This book is for anyone who’s been on a spiritual search, or is thinking about going on a spiritual search, and for people who have been in some system and are feeling challenged by that,” said Collins in an interview with Religion News Service on April 20. “It’s as an inspiration to say, ‘Yeah, you can step outside of the system and still have the beauty of the teaching, …

The House | “The Perfect Symbol Of Broken Britain”: Nigel Farage’s Pursuit Of Potholes

The House | “The Perfect Symbol Of Broken Britain”: Nigel Farage’s Pursuit Of Potholes

Published by Sam Flores

Nigel Farage arrives on a JCB digger, 2025, Birmingham (PA Images/Alamy) 6 min read55 min High-tech solutions are being touted for some of local government’s oldest problems. But will there ever be a future without potholes? Ben Gartside investigates Wearing a trademark garish tie and less-trademark expression of fear and trepidation, Nigel Farage entered a rally in March 2025 clinging to the outside of a JCB lorry. Knuckles white, the Reform UK leader rolled into the conference centre in Birmingham as a ticker on the giant screen behind him counted off potholes around the country: COUNTY DURHAM 65,038, CAMBRIDGESHIRE 64,915, DEVON 55,825. Farage was preparing to launch his party’s local election campaign. Beset by mounting and unavoidable bills for social care and special educational needs, councils are finding their residents and voters frustrated at growing bills seemingly delivering less for the average resident. Reform have been open about hoping to turn the frustration into electoral success. However, candidates across the country will struggle to fix the problem. Councils find themselves responsible for funding …

New psychology study links relationship insecurity to the pursuit of wealth and status

New psychology study links relationship insecurity to the pursuit of wealth and status

Published by José Betancourt

A series of six studies spanning 5 countries found that inducing attachment anxiety increases the desire for high-status cars and houses in both men and women. Increasing or decreasing intrasexual competition enhanced or reduced this effect. The paper was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Status anxiety is the fear or stress people feel about their social standing compared with others. It involves worrying that one is not successful, respected, wealthy, or admired enough. This kind of anxiety is closely tied to how much value a person places on rank, prestige, and recognition. People with status anxiety tend to constantly compare their jobs, income, lifestyle, education, or achievements to those of others. Social media, competitive work environments, and unequal societies can make these feelings stronger. Status anxiety can lead to shame, envy, insecurity, and pressure to appear successful even when a person is struggling. It motivates people to strive for status and in the course of this striving may also push them to overwork, overspend, or seek symbols of success mainly to …

The Obsessive-Compulsive Pursuit of Clarity Over Freedom

The Obsessive-Compulsive Pursuit of Clarity Over Freedom

Published by Jenni Sidey

We chalk up idealism to youth, but it’s fair to say that most of us, even if we consider ourselves to be adults, struggle with tolerating uncertainty. Personally, my obsessive-compulsive mind detests it. I want my life to appear as a clear narrative, where everything I do and everything that happens to me is part of some grander play, with me at its center, of course. A recent meta-analysis of meaning and depression (Ouyang et al. 2026) concluded that coherence—the ability to make sense of one’s experiences and fit them neatly into a worldview—had the strongest negative correlation with depression, as opposed to other forms of meaning. While this is a hopeful perspective, it hides the reality of rigidity. The caveat is that coherence must be possible for it to matter. So, what happens if it isn’t? What if the data don’t fit one’s worldview or challenge it altogether? Arguably, from the obsessive-compulsive perspective, where coherence is a necessity, its lack can and likely will be destabilizing. In treatment, a patient may tell us they …

Red Roses rusty but still relentless in pursuit of more history

Red Roses rusty but still relentless in pursuit of more history

Published by Sam Flores

Ireland will take pride from how they conjured two second-half scores via McGann and captain King. Bringing an energy late on that the Red Roses could not match, Scott Bemand, their head coach, implored his team to use their much-improved display as a springboard for the rest of the championship. Intriguingly, no England side – male or female – have won a Six Nations in the year following a World Cup. The team of part-time teachers and plumbers who triumphed in 2014 endured a miserable championship the following spring. That is the next challenge facing this world-beating Red Roses team if they are to create the “dynasty” that Mitchell mentioned earlier this week. On this evidence, there is still work to be done. Match details Scoring sequennce 5-0 Cokayne try, 7-0 Rowland con, 12-0 Bern try, 14-0 Roland con, 19-0 Bern try, 21-0 Roland con, 26-0 Breach try, 28-0 Rowland con, 33-0 Kildunne try, 33-5 McGann try, 33-10 King try, 33-12 O’Brien con. England E Kildunne; J Breach, M Jones, H Rowland, C Moloney-Macdonald; H …

Actor Zhang Linghe, star of Pursuit Of Jade, mocked for looking like ‘foundation general’ in the popular C-drama

Actor Zhang Linghe, star of Pursuit Of Jade, mocked for looking like ‘foundation general’ in the popular C-drama

Published by Sam Flores

Chinese historical romance drama Pursuit Of Jade has been dominating social media, with constant buzz around the show and its cast. The latest talking point? Lead actor Zhang Linghe’s appearance in the show. The 28-year-old, who plays war general Xie Zheng (also known as the Marquis of Wu’an), has been getting flak for looking a little too polished on screen. With his fair, flawless complexion and refined make-up, some viewers have jokingly dubbed him a “foundation general”, even quipping that he “wakes up at 4am to do makeup before a 6am battle”. While the character is described in the original novel as “handsome and refined” with a “face like cold jade”, critics argue that the drama may have leaned too heavily into that aspect. Instead of a rugged, battle-hardened general, Zhang’s portrayal comes across as delicate and romantic, with some saying he “looks like he’s good at dating”. Source link

Skin dysmorphia: has your pursuit of ‘perfect’ skin become a mental health issue?

Skin dysmorphia: has your pursuit of ‘perfect’ skin become a mental health issue?

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Perry, who is now 44, is one of many sufferers of skin dysmorphia, more commonly referred to as acne dysmorphia in the US, where she lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. “Years later, a friend found an old photo of us – taken before Photoshop and filters existed – and I was stunned,” she reflects. “My skin looked normal – good, even. I asked former classmates about it, and they told me they never noticed my skin being bad. “I was shocked. I had always believed I would be remembered as the girl with terrible acne.” Skin dysmorphia is an increasingly recognised condition, where the sufferer looks in the mirror and believes there are imperfections all over their face. This can lead to an obsessive …

6 Glasses of Wine, 3 Boiled Eggs, and a Hangover All in Pursuit of Oscar Glory

6 Glasses of Wine, 3 Boiled Eggs, and a Hangover All in Pursuit of Oscar Glory

Published by Sam Flores

Breakfast: 1 egg, hard-boiled 1 glass white wine (dry, preferably Chablis) Black coffee Lunch: 2 eggs, hard-boiled is best, but poached if necessary 2 glasses white wine Black coffee Dinner: 5 oz. (150 g.) steak, grilled with black pepper, lemon juiceRemainder of white wine (one bottle allowed per day) Black coffee Let’s get this out of the way: This is a diet story not about losing weight but rather about the lengths we go to feel prepared. As the Oscars, and its many related after-parties including ours, approached, my thoughts turned to my brothers and sisters in Hollywood who were preparing to be seen in public. This is the Olympics for the beautiful people. I, who was not attending the Oscar ceremony let alone invited to an attending party, decided to stand in solidarity in the only way I know how: with a wine diet. The guidelines come from the swinging midcentury, first in former Cosmo editor Helen Gurley Brown’s Sex and the Single Girl in 1962 and later in the Vogue Body and Beauty …