For many years, scholars have regarded My Mortal Enemy as somewhat of an enigma. Written in only a few months during the early spring of 1925 and published in 1926, Willa Cather's shortest novel was sandwiched in between The Professor's House (1925) and Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927). While the subject matter of these latter two works can be traced to Cather's experience in the desert Southwest, My Mortal Enemy seemingly has nothing to do with these subjects or her Nebraska roots; it appears to have come out of nowhere, puzzling those who have tried to fit this rather irregular work into a logical progression of Cather's artistic development. The question of what caused Cather to write such a novel at this point in her career, for example, has still not been answered definitively. One commonly held hypothesis (假说) was first voiced by Marcus Klein, who in his 1961 introduction to the novel wrote that for Cather, “The story of Myra Henshawe must have been a personal crisis”. Klein, though, acknowledged that he could not prove his theory, “because there is available no record other than the novel”. Emmy Stark Zitter has recently argued that in My Mortal Enemy and Sapphira and the Slave Girl(1940) Cather exercises the autobiographical impulse (冲击) by putting details of her own life into her fiction, but, like Klein, she is unable to name which “details” of her life Cather drew on in writing My Mortal Enemy.

    As hinted (暗示) in the above statements by Klein and Zitter, much of the general uncertainty about the meaning of My Mortal Enemy can be traced to the absence of a persuasive theory as to who the real-life models for the novel's characters were and what Cather's relationship to them was. Cather herself wrote in a 1940 letter that, in James Woodress's paraphrase, “she had known Myra's real-life model very well, and the portrait drawn in the story was much as she remembered her”; Cather also added that the woman had died fifteen years before My Mortal Enemy was published, and that many relatives of this model later wrote to her to say that they recognized the “real” Myra from her description in the novel. Given such hints and Cather's liking for drawing on her experiences in Nebraska for characters, settings, and plots, it is quite understandable that scholars have thus looked to Red Cloud and Lincoln for possible sources of the people and events depicted in My Mortal Enemy.

    In light of the evidence presented in this article, though, I believe that Cather intended her comments about the model for Myra Henshawe to serve as red herrings (转移注意力的言语) that would protect her relationship with the couple who were the prototypes (原型) for the Henshawes, both of whom were still alive in 1925. Mark Madigan has recently confirmed how Cather in 1905 had to hold off publishing “The Profile (传略)” because of fears that the main character might recognize herself and commit suicide, and twenty years later Cather would have been well aware of how her description of the Henshawes might have affected both the real-life wife (who died in 1929) and husband (who died in 1949) if they had recognized themselves. It is my argument that the Henshawes were modeled after people Cather knew not in Nebraska but rather in New York: S. S. and Hattie McClure. Myra's uncle, John Driscoll, was modeled after Hattie's father, Professor Albert Hurd.

    Possibly most important, identifying the Henshawes as the McClures allows us to more conclusively identify Cather herself with Nellie Birdseye. Nellie and Cather, both Midwestern onlookers and recorders, experienced four distinct stages in their relationships with the Henshawes and the McClures (especially with S. S.) My Mortal Enemy, I believe, was an extended attempt by Cather to deal with certain aspects of her own past and to move on in a world stripped of romantic illusion.

    Researchers in China and the United States have developed a new cataract(白内障)treatment with cells that has restored vision in babies in a trial and may eventually be used in adults.

    The treatment- by doctors and staff members at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Sichuan and Sun Yat-sen universities in China-was published in March 9 edition of the scientific journal Nature.

    A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens(晶体)of an eye. Typical cataract operation involves the removal of the cloudy lens and the insertion of an artificial one. The new operation has been tested in animals and during a small, human trial. It resulted in fewer complications(并发症)than the current harmful operation, and in regrown lenses with superior visual function in all 12 of the baby cataract patients who received the procedure.

    A congenital cataract- lens clouding that occurs at birth or shortly after- is important cause of blindness in children. In the new research, Kand Zhang, head of ophthalmic genetics at US San Diego's Shiley Eye Institute, and his colleagues relied on the regrown potential of endogenous(同源的)stem cells.

    According to Zhang, endogenous stem cells are different from other stem cells that are typically grown in a laboratory, transplanted into a patient, and can have risks of immune（免疫的）rejection, infection or cancers. Zhang told CBS News, “We invented a new operation to make a very small opening at the side of a cataractous lens bag, remove the cataract inside, allow the opening to heal, and promote potential lens stem cells to regrow an entirely new lens with vision.”

    The human trial involved 12 babies under the age of 2 who were treated with the new method, while 25 babies received thee standard operation care.. The latter group experienced a higher incidence of pos- operation danger, early- onset eye high blood pressure and increased lens clouding. The scientists reported fewer complications and faster healing among the 12 babies who has the new procedure.

Dog parks on Long Island

    For dog lovers, parking dogs sometimes might be a problem. From entertainment facilities to park tips, we've collected everything you need to know before you take your pet for an afternoon of outdoor fun.

    ⒈Amagansett, Napeague State Park

Amagansett, Napeague State Park, Route 27. Dogs are allowed on a leash（狗链）in this undeveloped park, which includes trails, wooded areas and roads. Access to the beach. No water source or public bathrooms.

    ⒉East Meadow, Eisenhower Park

East Meadow, Eisenhower Park, Salisbury Park Drive and Stewart Avenue, East Meadow. In addition to dhaded seating, each run has a water source. Permits are free, but required.

    ⒊Calverton, Isaac Park

Calverton, Isaac Park, on the Grumman Site, within Veteran's Memorial Park. Separated by large and small dogs, this half-acre plot has shade trees, seating and access to the beach. Bring your own water' leashed dog can be walked on some trails; Town of Riverhead residents only.

    ⒋Broolhaven, Robinson Duck Farm Dog Park

Broolhaven, Robinson Duck Farm Dog Park, 2903 Montauk Hwy. This 3-acre park has areas for large and small dogs, but no water source. Large-dog area includes a training course. $18 yearly pass for village residents.

    ⒌Massapequa, Clocks Boulevard Park

Massapequa, Clocks Boulevard Park, off Louden Avenue and Sunrise Highway. At larger than 1 acre, this dog park has lots of room to run and wooded areas for shade. Open dawn to dusk. Water sources are available in both the large- and small-dog areas. It has enough parking and seating. Open to Town of Oyster Bay residents.

    A new restaurant in Indonesia is on a mission (使命) to support locals trapped in poverty, many of whom are earning less than $25 a month, by providing them with an alternative way to pay for their food.

    The Methane Gas Canteen, run by husband and wife team Sarimin and Suyatmi, is located in an unexpected place for an eatery — Jatibarang Landfill. The landfill is a mountain of purifying waste, where poor locals spend their days collecting plastic and glass to sell. Meanwhile, the couple, who spent 40 years collecting waste before opening the restaurant, is busy cooking.

    What makes the restaurant unusual, aside from its location, is that no cash is required to pay for meals. Poor people have the option to pay for their food with recyclable waste instead of cash. Sarimin weighs the plastic customers bring in, calculates its worth, and then deduct that value from the cost of the meal, giving any extra value back to the customer. The scheme is part of the community's solution to reduce waste in the landfill and recycle non-degradable plastics.

    “I think we recycle 1 tonne of plastic waste a day, which is a lot. This way, the plastic waste doesn't pile up, drift down the river and cause flooding,” said Saimin. “It benefits everyone.”

    The restaurant seats about 30 people and serves meals that cost between $0.40 and $0.80 each. Since opening the canteen Sarimin and Suyatmi have seen their daily income more than double to $15 a day.

    “I'm happy to see our customers enjoying their meals,” Sarimin told NHK World. “The poor must also have the right to enjoy healthy eating. I want to give them that chance as much as possible.”

    I must have looked deep in thought, or as deep in thought as an 11-year-old man can, when my grandmother glanced up from her weeding to ask, “You have something on your mind, don't you?”

    “Yes, I was thinking that someday I want to be an Olympic speed skating champion like my hero, Eric Haiden, I want to be a doctor like my parents and I want to help children in Africa.”

    I immediately knew I had confided in the right person when a knowing smile broke across her face. “Johann, of course! You can do anything you want to do!” she said simply. And with my grandmother's support, I set out to pursue my passions.

    14 years later, I was well ready to take hold of my first dream: becoming an Olympic champion. The Olympics in 1994 were in my home country, Norway. As I entered the Olympic stadium, I wasn't the best athlete, and many had doubts about my ability to perform well. But I had something special working for me. I had a woman in the first row who believed in me following my passions just as much as I did. For the first time ever, my grandmother was going to see me skate.

    It happened. Breaking a world record, I won the gold.

    As I stood on the podium(领奖台) that I had dreamed about my entire life, a curious question popped into my head. Why me? Why did I win, given all the other incredible competitors out there? The reason had to be more than a grandmother who shared a belief in her grandson's dream. The question led me to only one answer: because I wanted to make a difference in the world, and with all the media attention on my success, I could.

    I immediately knew what that difference had to be: hope in the lives of the children in Africa. Six months earlier, I'd been invited to Eritrea as an ambassador for Olympic Aid.

    There is a large percentage of Asian people in the US. They're hard working, respectful but strange sometimes. If you don't understand the culture, you will get some problems with them. Asian people are different from any other cultures if you think you know them, you might want to think again.

    How are they different? When it comes to most Asian culture, respect is everything. You can do anything you want but don't disrespect an Asian man. You will get some real consequences afterward and especially if he is your boss. It's something called face saving in the Asian culture. It's ridiculous sometimes but it's their culture. Sometimes their culture can come in between their relationship at work. Asian people might expect a lot of respect from their co-workers when their co-workers just see them as an equal.

    Americans are very different from Asian people. If you're Asian, you might want to understand the American culture and even adapt to their culture if you work with them. It will be easier for you since you're in their countries. Imagine an American working in China, expecting Chinese co-workers to get along with him when he criticizes them straight out on every single matter in front of everyone. I think they will take him outside and take care of him. It just doesn't work that way with Asian people.

    If you're an American boss giving your Asian employee a review, you will see that they will have a problem with your negative remarks. They will think that you don't like them, disrespectful, and want to get rid of them; when in fact, you're just doing your job. You just encourage them to do their work better. Of course, it's not fair for you as an American boss but just expect that it can be something that is on your Asian employee's mind.