myths

In Robin Dimet’s heartfelt documentary, literary translation is a lonely, precarious pursuit. Living in a rudimentarily furnished home in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, sixtysomething Sami has spent nearly two decades translating Greek mythology into Amharic. Slight in frame, the reticent figure only lights up when he speaks of his colossal project, which has grown into an all-consuming obsession. The book has overwhelmed all other aspects of his life, leaving friends, relatives and Sami’s own wellbeing in the rearview…

Fortnite fans are counting down to the release of Chapter 5, Season 2. Titled Myths and Mortals, the new Fortnite season has a March 8 release date on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch and Android. Needless to say, the new Fortnite season will launch alongside a big update, not to mention a period of extended server downtime. Indeed, consider this your last chance to finish up the Season 1 Battle Pass, which won't carry over to the new season.According to Epic Games, Fortnite will be taken offline…

Eating Disorders Awareness Week is from February 26 to March 4 this year. We kick it off with registered dietician Kate Regan from Wholesome Chick Nutrition who shared an educational TikTok video where she spreads knowledge about the alarming amount of misinformation about food, health, and weight on the internet.Regan’s brief recording went viral, currently holding over 2.7 million views. In it, she debunks toxic food myths made without any scientific evidence. Scroll down to find 16 nutrition misconceptions that…

Don’t believe everything that you read online or hear in person. Just because something gets repeated over and over again does not make it true. This sort of misinformation isn’t just related to the news, however. You can even find it in the world of gastronomy.The passionate members of the r/Cooking online community banded together to reveal the top cooking myths that continue to be shared. We’ve collected some of the most egregious ones to be aware of. Read on to check these myths out. If, at some point in…

It’s a weird time for Big Tech. Technology companies are setting revenue and profitability records yet conducting deep rounds of layoffs as they try to figure out computing’s next act. AI and mixed reality have plenty of promise, but they’re expensive to develop and no sure thing. Flagship businesses, meanwhile, don’t stop their ebbs and flows just because something cool is on the horizon. The result is flux: a mix of high hopes, euphoria, and confusion. This week, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Apple all…

It’s always useful to know if that new health trend is just a fad. Can you really detox your body with a juice cleanse? Or can it seriously damage our health? According to a 2021 review article, misinformation about health online is becoming a "public health concern." Researchers at the University of Cadiz in Spain found that the most common topics susceptible to misinformation are "vaccines, drugs or smoking, noncommunicable diseases, pandemics, eating disorders, and medical treatments."However, some online spaces care…

New research reveals that the addiction attributed to mobile phones is actually due to the social interaction they enable, not the devices themselves. This conclusion, supported by an experiment involving 86 participants, refutes the common notion of mobile phone addiction. The study, corroborating a theory proposed by Professor Samuel P.L. Veissière in 2018, observed increased anxiety and emotional arousal in participants deprived of their phones, especially among those primed for social interaction.A research team from…

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse LoughreyGet our The Life Cinematic email for freeHow does a film that shunned all advertising break records in Japan, end up No 1 at the US box office, and become a serious awards contender? Because it’s a Hayao Miyazaki film. If you don’t know the name, make no mistake – this is a big deal. Miyazaki is the talismanic co-founder of Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, and his latest film, The Boy and the Heron, is finally out in…

Even though there is only one true way of how historical events actually unfolded, there sure are many myths and legends that surround them. And while some seem way too far-fetched, others can be quite convincing, which is why they often become rather widely known.A netizen going by the moniker of ‘sewistwrites’ recently turned to X (formerly Twitter) to learn more about such convincing yet not necessarily accurate historical myths. She shared that the ones that make her hackles rise relate to corsets and romance, this…

Credit: University of Vermont In America, where "having it your way" is a major selling point for everything from fast food to home-building, and making your own way in the world is the gold standard of achievement, individualism stands as the ideal for realizing the American dream. But when and why did this concept take hold in the American imagination, and how does it continue to influence our society and political system…