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Tianjin Campus English Journal |
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| Departure (From Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio) Continued . . . Beyond the last house on Trunion Pike in Winesburg there is a great stretch of open fields. The fields are owned by farmers who live in town and drive homeward at evening along Trunion Pike in light creaking wagons. In the fields are planted berries and small fruits. In the late afternoon in the hot summers when the road and the fields are covered with dust, a smoky haze lies over the great flat basin of land. To look across it is like looking out across the sea. In the spring when the land is green the effect is somewhat different. The land becomes a wide green billiard table on which tiny human insects toil up and down. All through his boyhood and young manhood George Willard had been in the habit of walking on Trunion Pike. He had been in the midst of the great open place on winter nights when it was covered with snow and only the moon looked down at him; he had been there in the fall when bleak winds blew and on summer evenings when the air vibrated with the song of insects. On the April morning he wanted to go there again, to walk again in the silence. He did walk to where the road dipped down by a little stream two miles from town and then turned and walked silently back again. When he got to Main Street clerks were sweeping the sidewalks before the stores. "Hey, you George. How does it feel to be going away?" they asked. The westbound train leaves Winesburg at seven forty-five in the morning. Tom Little is conductor. His train runs from Cleveland to where it connects with a great trunk line railroad with terminals in Chicago and New York. Tom has what in railroad circles is called an "easy run." Every evening he returns to his family. In the fall and spring he spends his Sundays fishing in Lake Erie. He has a round red face and small blue eyes. He knows the people in the towns along his railroad better than a city man knows the people who live in his apartment building. George came down the little incline from the New Willard House at seven o'clock. Tom Willard carried his bag. The son had become taller than the father. On the station platform everyone shook the young man's hand. More than a dozen people waited about. Then they talked of their own affairs. Even Will Henderson, who was lazy and often slept until nine, had got out of bed. George was embarrassed. Gertrude Wilmot, a tall thin woman of fifty who worked in the Winesburg post office, came along the station platform. She had never before paid any attention to George. Now she stopped and put out her hand. In two words she voiced what everyone felt. "Good luck," she said sharply and then turning went on her way. When the train came into the station George felt relieved. He scampered hurriedly aboard. Helen White came running along Main Street hoping to have a parting word with him, but he had found a seat and did not see her. When the train started Tom Little punched his ticket, grinned and, although he knew George well and knew on what adventure he was just setting out, made no comment. Tom had seen a thousand George Willards go out of their towns to the city. It was a commonplace enough incident with him. In the smoking car there was a man who had just invited Tom to go on a fishing trip to Sandusky Bay. He wanted to accept the invitation and talk over details. George glanced up and down the car to be sure no one was looking, then took out his pocketbook and counted his money. His mind was occupied with a desire not to appear green. Almost the last words his father had said to him concerned the matter of his behavior when he got to the city. "Be a sharp one," Tom Willard had said. "Keep your eyes on your money. Be awake. That's the ticket. Don't let anyone think you're a greenhorn." After George counted his money he looked out of the window and was surprised to see that the train was still in Winesburg. The young man, going out of his town to meet the adventure of life, began to think but he did not think of anything very big or dramatic. Things like his mother's death, his departure from Winesburg, the uncertainty of his future life in the city, the serious and larger aspects of his life did not come into his mind. He thought of little things--Turk Smollet wheeling boards through the main street of his town in the morning, a tall woman, beautifully gowned, who had once stayed overnight at his father's hotel, Butch Wheeler the lamp lighter of Winesburg hurrying through the streets on a summer evening and holding a torch in his hand, Helen White standing by a window in the Winesburg post office and putting a stamp on an envelope. The young man's mind was carried away by
his growing passion for dreams. One looking at him would not have
thought him particularly sharp. With the recollection of little things
occupying his mind he closed his eyes and leaned back in the car seat.
He stayed that way for a long time and when he aroused himself and again
looked out of the car window the town of Winesburg had disappeared and
his life there had become but a background on which to paint the dreams
of his manhood.
Editorial Note: Harry Zhou graduated Spring 2004 and is now preparing to enter graduate school to study Law. The following is letter he wrote as a TUT undergraduate participating with others in a transPacific exchange with college students in the US. My name is Harry. I was born in a poor rural village in Jiangsu Province. My parents are farmers. They do back-breaking work all day long to make a living. Though we were not rich, we were happy. I was well treated by my four sisters and my brother. At the age of eight, I went to primary school. Children in rural areas often have their schooling later than those in urban areas. My father vowed to not let his children follow his fate when he reluctantly had to leave his school for lack of money. I finished the five-year primary school in four years with the patient guidance of my sisters. Only my fourth sister was allowed to enjoy schooling, because we did not have enough money for the others and she was so bright. Then I moved to secondary school, where I spent three bitter years. It happened to me that my home was far from school, so I had to stay at school for a whole week before returning home. The dormitory was worse than a shelter for refugees. Some of the students talked until midnight. Someone might come in and take away your purse, or anything of value. Someone might pour water on the floor. I was very afraid, because I had only two Yuan per week. How to save money was my greatest concern. My determined effort enabled me to qualify for a key high school. How I wanted to study in a key high school, for which I had studied when others were playing. But my dream broke, simply because the money we had was far less than the cost required. My only choice was to enter a school with lower fees. At last, I entered the second worst school, where I could get a discount. An evil chance never comes alone. The students there did not study hard, and some of them never studied. There was no library and no self-study room. The dormitory was noisy. My only choice was to study in a classroom in the company of others' talking, playing music, and even quarreling. I never had the opportunity to work part-time. All I could do was to endure what I had to. It pays to study hard. I threaded my way to college through severe and merciless competition. Now I have my own time, with which I can enjoy learning what I want. Part-time jobs support my living expenses. A loan from the government relieves me of paying tuition. My only dream now is to win a masters degree in Law, which is called the JM. So playing has no part in my life. I keep myself indulged in mountains of books. I'm resolved to get that degree at any cost, even having to miss some classes to study Law. It's my single and irrevocable goal. Anyone who helps with my dream is my friend. Anyone in my way is my foe. What I want to know most is the customs in the US. If I know what I may or may not do, I can avoid misunderstandings when communicating with people in the US. Sincerely yours, The Road Taken The next morning I forced myself back onto the train to Tianjin. As soon as I reached school, I had decided to do two things. First I would find a job to pay my own tuition, and then I would earn a high degree in law to achieve my father's dream to be a lawyer. I had to study law by myself, because there was no major related to law at my university. This significantly increased my work load. My never-ending journey of determination and hard work began. Everything in my life changed. For years, I never returned home to see my parents, although I missed them greatly. I stayed at school to study through holidays, festivals, vacations and school closings. I needed to study day and night, at least ten hours a day. In order to earn money to support myself, I gave up watching television, sold my dearest ping pong paddle, and worked part-time as a tutor, waiter and production-promoter. Even my criterion for choosing friends reflected my single focus. Everyone who helped me to work for my dream, I called my friend. Everyone who kept me from working toward my goals, I called my foe. Finally it was time to take the entrance exam. I had resolved to do well, but I failed. I decided that would not stop me. I would try again, even though the cost was high, because failure was not an option. Many students thought I was dreaming an impossible dream, to think that I could earn admission to a famous university. My beloved girlfriend left me, because she was tired of waiting. I had to give up my job as a general manager assistant in order to have more time to study. Despite these difficulties, my hard work enabled me to take that exam again and attain the rank of number 4 in more than 1700 applicants. Next I continued preparing night and day toward the second step in the process, the postgraduate interview. Success came after that interview. I was accepted by Nankai University to study international law in September. When I look back on the journey I have traveled, it has been filled with many great frustrations, pain, and heartache. These frustrations have served to strengthen, not weaken me. I knew clearly that the road I had chosen had no option for turning back, no matter what difficulties I encountered. My constant companion on this journey has been a spirit of desperation. I know that when the spirit of desperation is missing, no one can help me to replace it; but when this spirit is present, no difficulty can stand against it. Sighing or complaining never solved one problem. Only desperation and constant striving pushed me through the hard work and endless hours of studying to reach my goal. It is my choice to continue traveling on this road. And I will go forward-never back, until I reach my destination.
Editorial Note: The following essay was part of Sharlene's participation in an email discussion between graduates at TUT and graduates at Bowie State University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, during a graduate seminar, fall 2003. The discussion concerned analysis of the short story, "The Blues I'm Playing," by the American Harlem Renaissance author, Langston Hughes. Greetings everyone: I am very glad to have this opportunity to share opinions with you on "The Blues I'm Playing" by Langston Hughes. The relationship between Mrs. Ellsworth and Oceola runs through the whole story. It also reveals the major theme of the story, the division between art and life. Mrs. Ellsworth appears to be a nice woman, who is wealthy and generous. She is willing to help the young artists who are in need of help. In order to have these artists concentrate on their art, she would pay everything for them. She has good intentions. However, she doesn't understand the true nature of art, trying to assume dominance over the young artists (Oceola). She wants to make art pure and take it out of life. She fails to realize that art is rooted in life. In her mind, she wants to control not only Oceola's art but also her life. Oceola has her own view of art and has its place in her life. Her blues, classics and spirituals are all rooted in her community. In her music she expresses great love for her own people, her culture and herself. Her love is as powerful as the blues. She is proud of her culture and emotional life. In this way, "The Blues I'm Playing" also means "The Life I'm Living". The relationship between Mrs. Ellsworth and Oceola is closely related to the culture of the race relation. It reveals the nature of white patronage. I'm really interested in more background information about patronage and your view of it. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Sharlene Contributed by Belina / Gao Yuan Tianjin, November 15, 2004 Eating dumplings has a long history in that dumplings were very popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. "Dumplings" in Chinese is "Jiaozi," which has the meaning of reunion and luck. There are many legends telling about eating dumplings during Spring Festival. One is that eating dumplings is in honor of the creation of the world by Pan Gu. The other is that dumpling has the same pronunciation as the Chinese word "henduo," which means the storehouse is full of foodstuff. In addition, the story is passed down by common people that the folk custom of eating dumplings has something to do with the goddess Nü Wa creating human beings. When she made people out of mud, the weather was so freezing that the ears of the people, which were made of mud, were easily frozen off. So for the sake of fixing the ears on their heads, Nü Wa made a tiny hole in the ear, through which the ear was tied with one end of a filament and the other end was gripped in the mud-made person's mouth. Thus, she was able to complete making the ears. Therefore, in order to commemorate the accomplishment of Nü Wa, the people began to make dumplings, whose shapes are similar to the ear. Dumplings have the same pattern as Yuan Bao, which was made of gold or silver as currency in Chinese ancientry. So eating dumplings also has the meaning of bringing in wealth. Another part of Chinese tradition is the stuffing in dumplings. People always put propitious objects into dumplings, which are new hopes for the following year. The objects, such as sweets, peanuts, Chinese dates, chestnuts, and so on, each stands for a blessings. the person who eats sweets is blessed to live a happier life, the one who eats peanuts is blessed to have a long life, while the one who eats Chinese dates or chestnuts is expected to have a new birth soon. Dumplings are a kind of delicious food. Chinese people all like them. They are varied in taste. Furthermore, how they are made has become a branch of Chinese knowledge. The Cafeteria of Our University By
Kim / Chen Fang It was four o'clock in the afternoon that first time I entered the cafeteria of our university. There were just a few alumni having lunch or maybe dinner. The delicious food, of course, judging from the appearance, had been prepared and placed behind the glass window. About one hour later, I saw many many people swarming into the cafeteria. I had never seen such a magnificent circumstance. Soon, the whole cafeteria was filled with shouting and noise. Lots of people crowded in front of the glass window and spoke out quite loudly about what they needed, as if this were their free lunch. On the other hand, the attendants were all very great in my view. They showed their various abilities at that moment. They had surprisingly prompt movements and resounding voices. The seats in the cafeteria were limited, so there were many students who looked like servants. You can imagine how interesting that was!
As the time trickles by, such words as family and love are seemingly distant from us, and even in short supply now. It goes without saying that most of us are always busy working and studying. By these efforts, the standard of our living improves as days pass, but the spirit of our life is becoming more and more void. I mean our family concept is being lost. Why does this happened? Why is it that our family who need the most help won't take it? Because we are suffering, we are so focused on ourselves that we have no time for others. So what is the true meaning of the word "Family" for us? For my part, firstly, it means maternal care. No matter how busy and tired, my mum cooked various delicious dishes for me every day. I called her "an excellent cook," but she would jokingly correct me by saying "No, I've become your exclusive cook." My mum's love is always like wind-I can't see it, but I can feel it. I learned a lot from her attitude toward the family-Love is an act. Secondly, the word"Family" to me-a girl studying away from home-means homesickness. I mean it always recalls my homesick emotion. Only a person far away from home knows what homesickness is. It is the welling-up of tears in your eyes, the lump in your throat. It is the strength with which you walk the long way to your home with heavy bags in your hands and on your shoulders after a long tiring trip. It is the murmur of "Mummy" in dreams. It is the longing for the delicious dishes cooked by your mother. It is the harmonious atmosphere of your family that keep on appearing in your dreams. That is our family's meaning for us. We should regard it as a treasure and carefully hold it in our heart. But that is not enough. We need to give love to our family, for in giving it, we will find the power in life along with the joy, happiness, patience, and understanding.
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Harry Potter and the Contemporary View of Children
Children are a special and important group in the society today. Today's children are born into a global society. With the rapid development of electronic means, children get a lot of information from different media every day. In this case, what is the contemporary view of children is of concern. To be specific, how should we treat children? What attitude should we take to them? How do we communicate with them? How do we know more of them? J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter is one of the greatest contemporary works of children's literature. It is different from the short stories. It combines fantasy, children-orientation and delightfulness. This story is about the growth of the protagonist Harry Potter. The fight between good and evil runs through the story. Harry Potter caused an immediate sensation throughout the country and even the world. Harry Potter is getting those electronically addicted kids to the world of reading. Almost every child takes it as "must read." This phenomenon urges us to know today's children from a new perspective. First, the nature of children is to pursue pleasure in life. At present, every child is the "little emperor" of the family. (Most families in China have only one child.) Every child is expected to be the best. At home, children are forced to acquire knowledge as much as possible. Their physical and psychological growth, their ability to receive new information and their interests are neglected. At school, children are forced to do lots of exercises to cram for endless examinations. They have to go to different classes in their leisure time, such as English class, drawing class, calligraphy class, piano class and dancing class. Children are eager to free themselves from these tedious works and have pleasure in life. Harry Potter brings the children to a fantasy world that is similar to our own world. The characters lead the same life as ours. Just as today's children, they play video games and use computers. They have a Quidditch "World Cup," just like our soccer World Cup. They celebrate the same holidays, like Christmas, Easter and Halloween. Not only does this world have trains, hospitals, newspapers, and advertisements, but also has order, government, laws and social responsibilities. Children are more familiar with Hogwarts, in which everything is like what we meet in a school. There are students and professors of different personalities. There are different classrooms and laboratories. As students, Harry Potter and his friends have to go to classes, face lots of assignments and worry about their exams. They will also feel excited after the finals and look forward to the wonderful vacations. The fantasy world of Harry Potter presented the reality of life from the perspective of children. It describes vividly the frustration, happiness, doubts, and anxieties in the growth of children. As they read, children enjoy the greatest pleasure in fantasy and real world. Second, children seek for the expansion of imagination and the satisfaction of curiosity in their growth. Researchers have found that imagination plays a significant role in emotion, motivation, learning, language acquisition, problem solving, and perception. The ability to exercise imagination has a strong impact on children's lives. Children will lose interest in life if they are not given the chance to freely develop their imagination. Harry Potter caters to children, stretching children's imagination as well as satisfying their curiosity. Almost every place in the story is enchanted. To access Diagon Alley, one must push in the correct brick in a brick wall behind the tavern. To take a train to Hogwarts, one must go to a special platform at the railway station. Everything is unknown to the non-magical people. The world is full of magic. Chess pieces may argue with the players about the advisability of the moves. Ingenious toys and mythological beasts may appear suddenly. It is the owls that deliver the mail. Different from real schools, students prepare magic wands and magic books for school. They learn to use their magic wands to cast spells to change their environment. They learn to transfigure objects and people. They learn to make brews and use them to control others. While reading the book, children may imagine themselves living and studying in the fantasy world. A child may compare the scar on his body with the lightening-shaped scar on the forehead of Harry. A child may imagine himself practicing witchcraft, casting spells, flying on broomsticks, turning himself into an object or talking with spirits of the dead. A child may imagine his studying in an enchanted school. A child may imagine his helping those who are bullied. A child may also imagine his overcoming all the difficulties with a magic wand. This story provides a large field for imagination, for it is very hard for children to figure out what will happen. As children experience the thrilling scenes, their curiosity is satisfied and imagination is practiced to the greatest degree. Imagination is necessary for the growth of today's children. Third, adults should spend more time communicating with children and learning from them. Harry Potter brings children into a fantasy world. At the same time, children bring adults into this world where adults see everything from a child's-eye view and they are able to practice their imagination freely while recalling their golden childhood. Compared with adults, today's children are more creative and more open to new information and knowledge. They always take an optimistic attitude toward life. They are never content with what they have and are always progressive. They are eager to explore the new world. This is what adults should learn from children. There is a large vocabulary of high tech in Harry Potter, such as upgrading of the flying broomstick. To some extent, Harry Potter reflects the knowledge of children. Adults can also acquire knowledge from children. They are no longer the authority of knowledge. Adults should respect children, communicate with them and learn from them. Only in this way can we reach the inner world of today's children and share their feelings. Harry Potter has a great impact on today's children. Harry Potter phenomenon urges us to reflect on the contemporary view of children. Instead of immersing themselves in study, today's children are more eager to have pleasure in life. They grow with the satisfaction of curiosity and practice of imagination. They would like to escape from the real world for a moment and surf in the world of fantasy. As adults, we should free ourselves from the traditional view of children. On the other hand, we should see the world from a child's-eye view and spend more time communicating with them. We should try to reach the inner world of children gradually in a planned way so that we can have a contemporary view of children and contribute to their growth. References: 1. http://www.10thnpc.org.cn/chinese/ 2. http://ent.sina.com.cn/r/m/2002-02-23/ 3. http://61.242.178.213:82/author/pages6 4. http://mathedu.myrice.com/redianguanzhu/ 5. http://www.humboldt1.com/~gralsto/einstein/ 6. http://www.countercurrents.org/ 7. http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/ 8. http://www.wizardingworld.com/info/ A Story Of A Father's Love That Changed A Nation--"Evelyn"
"Evelyn" is an inspiring movie about real-life hero, Desmond Doyle, and his children, Evelyn, Maurice and Dermot. It tells us a story of how a father fights against the Irish Supreme Court in reuniting his family. In this movie, there are many heroes. Evelyn, a lovely little girl, is a herone. She never loses her firm conviction that her father will take her back home soon, even after she has been sent to the convent and has been punished by beating. The second hero, Evelyn's father, Desmond Doyle, is also very great. He is devastated when the power of the Church and the Irish courts take his children away and put them in orphanages. However, Desmond doesn't remain silent, but vows to reunite his family. He makes a great effort, and at last he succeeds. What makes Desmond show such great courage all stems from his passionate love for his children. Doyle's fight to keep his family intact becomes an uplifting testament to a father's love and the power of the human spirit. Among excellent actors in "Evelyn," Pierce Brosnan is undoubtedly the most stunning one. He gives a wonderful and perfect performance in acting Desmond Doyle. And in this movie, Brosnan leaves 007 behind to take on a role that shows off his true acting talent. Beside the two heroes mentioned above, the two lawyers who help Desmond are heroes, too. They attempt to do what has never been done before--challenge a law before the Supreme Court, and they never give up after more than one failure. All in all, "Evelyn" is really a moving movie. I'm sure "Evelyn" will touch your heart and make your spirit soar after seeing it.
"Terrorists Win! Go! Go! Go!" Have you heard this? I'm sure that nearly 90 percent of the boys know where this comes from. That's right. It's a computer game called "CS," short for "Counter-Strike." Nowadays, computer games have developed into a fashion and have become more and more popular. Take CS as an example. It has been existing for several years and has been changed through many editions. In terms of its popularity, it may be kept on the market for a long time. Apart from CS, there have been many other computer games, although not lasting for long, that soon have been replaced by another new one, in succession. Actions speak louder than words. Every time you log into a computer game, you are likely to find that many people are playing; or when you go into a net bar, you are also likely to find this is true. In a word, computer games have become a part of people's lives. However, what I really want to point out is that we should consider computer games as a leisure entertainment, but not a job. People who like them should not play it all the time, especially students should not. All the facts have proved that most people who play computer games are students. They forget to eat and to go home, spending all day long in the net bar. They cheat their parents in order to get money, then cheat their teachers with various excuses. But what on earth do they learn in these games?--to speak unpleasant words back to others, to fight with others, and so on. In the process, the only thing in their eyes is violence. Students are a hopeful power in our country. They should not waste their time and money indulging in this meaningless, trivial activity. Certainly, the main task for them is to study and make contributions to the country. Consequently, let's take steps to rescue them from the world of games which is so unreal. A Translation: From Chinese On Food
Different areas have different kinds of foods--each has its specialties. In Tianjin there are many kinds of delicious foods, such as Shiba Jie Mahua, Goubuli Baozi and so on. In Beijing there is Roasted Duck. And ShanXi's noodles are quite famous, which are also my favorite food now. However, some foods in different areas taste different sometimes. For example, in the South and the North, because of the different ways to cook foods, some foods can have quite different tastes. Of course there must always be some foods that we have never tasted, because none of us can ever go everywhere in the world. Different Views of a Saturday Party--from Fall '04 Juniors, Tracy Zhang, Véronique Qi, and Tim Rao
A Party By Tracy / Zhao Huiting On Saturday, our composition teacher, Mr. Mai, invited us, Kim, Andy and Me, to his home for a party. We three were the first to come. After a while, the persons from the other two classes also came. It was time for lunch. Mr. Mai offered us Kentucky Fried Chicken, which was my favorite. It was delicious, making my mouth water. We also played a game while eating. The one among us whose joke did not get a laugh would get a penalty. I was the most unlucky one. I would have considered my joke a funny one. However, nobody laughed. I made the effort to explain it many times. In fact, it turned out that they still didn't make it out. I was desperate. Fortunately, kind Mr. Mai understood it. But he still judged this as an unfunny joke. I got a penalty, which was to read several lines of English words. Just after I had read it over, I noticed that it was indeed a joke. When the point time came, to my marvelous surprise, I got the same votes as the best presenter, Véronique, which puzzled me very much. God is fair. In the end, it was she who got the prize, a bottle of Cola. In the following hours, Mr. Mai chatted with us on some other topics, his travel to Taiwan, the lessons we would have in the next weeks, and so on. After we took a picture, we said bye to each
other and left. A Party to Remember By Tim / Rao Xiaoguang We went to Mai Laoshi's apartment to have a party on November 20th. It was the fist time for me to go a foreigner's home. So on our way to Mai Laoshi's house, I felt I got more and more nervous. I didn't know what would happened and how to communicate exactly with a foreigner in his home. However, when I saw Mai Laoshi, everything was ok. Mai Laoshi is a very friendly Lao Wai, who made us quite comfortable and relaxed. A wonderful lunch had been prepared when we got there. How delicious the chickens were and how cool the drinks, particularly, the Pepsi. Also, we played a very funny game. Mai Laoshi told us everyone should tell a joke and it should be very funny, which would be proved by others' laughter. Unfortunately, I was the first person to do it, but under the encouragement from Mai Laoshi, I survived in the end. However, some guys' jokes didn't made others laugh at all, so they had to be punished by a penalty. Our talk also touched on some things happening recently, such as American news, the Bush administration's policy and Beijing Opera. To my surprise, Mai Laoshi is acquainted with Beijing Opera and likes it deeply. Time was elapsing, and we would end our
wonderful party, which would not ever be forgotten. Thanks again to you, Mai
Laoshi. We appreciate it! A Get-Together By Véronique / Qi Yi'an We went to Mr. Mai's house to have a fantastic party on Saturday afternoon. We talked about funny stories and amazing jokes. Laughing happily, we learned how to talk humorously in English. We found that English is not a burden, but a way to make fun. Enjoying the jokes, we talked freely over Pepsi. After everybody had told a funny story, we elected a supper amazing storyteller. Fortunately, I was elected to be the champion after drawing ballots and a decibel test. Guess what I got. You know what?-a bottle of Pepsi! That reminds me of Britney's Pepsi Cola commercial: "I never look before I leap." Sometimes it's the attitude we need in dealing with stuff.
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