A culture's values can be mirrored by its humor. Humor has been evaluated by many great minds such as Thomas Hobbes, who, In"On Nature", disliked humor," Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from sudden thought of feeling far better than others." He thought humor to be a negative quality of human narrow-mindedness.

    However, Mordechai Gordon, PhD of Education, insists," Humor allows us to view the world from an angle that is amusing rather than serious." I agree with Gordon. Learning to look at the world through humor is important.

    In the United States, every four years an election occurs. Without humor as a way to express their feelings, how would Americans be willing to support the election? Television shows like "The Daily Show" have become important parts of American culture. They are mothering the masses by unconsciously inputting politics into our mouths. They make politics fun.

    Of course, politics is only one type of humor. Social humor helps people through the twists and turns of the human condition. American pop culture promotes an unhealthy self image. On the topic of self-image, Hari Kondabolu stands out. He has a joke about the popular musical group "The Pussycat Dolls", describing their hit song "Don't Cha" as a negative representation of women. He points out an obvious offence in American culture.

    A study from Loyola University of Maryland has shown that humor is one determining factor for selecting a mating partner. Amongst other things, mates look for an outstanding funny bone in a potential partner.

    Of course, humor is not always used for good purposes. Humor can be linked to vulgarity（粗俗）and racism, but, like everything else, it has potential to unite human beings by allowing us to laugh at ourselves, our failures and our connection with one another.

    Though life may seem tough and depressing at times, all I have to do is look in the mirror at my increased wrinkles（皱纹）to know that there is a comedy out there that even Chaplin wasn't aware of.

    With that in mind, remember to laugh with humanity and sometimes at humanity.

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    The Exterminating Angel

    Director: Luis Bunuel

    Country/Date : Mexico/1962 （black and white)

    Introduction : A party is organized in a high class society house. Many people are

    drinking and eating．It's getting late, but nobody is leaving．Even though the door is open, people seem to be locked in the house．They can't leave either the day or on

    the following days．So a rescue began．

    The Net

    Director: Irwin Winkler

    Country/Date: U．S．A．/1995

    Introduction: Angela Bennettt is a computer programmer who has devoted her life to

    computers and the Internet．She spends hours and hours in front of the screen．She does everything over the Internet, and she has some close friends in a chat room,

    though she has never talked to her neighbors．

    Kung Fu Panda

    Director : Mark Osborne & John Stevenson

    Country/Date : U．S．A．/2008

    Introduction: The leading character is a panda whose name is Po．He is lazy first but he has a great dream—to be a kung fu master．To make his dream come true, he goes to a faraway temple to learn kung fu from a master．However, one of his brothers,

    Tai Long wants to become the kung fu master, killing many of his brothers even the

    master．So Po fights against Tai Long and defeats him, The film is good especially

    for kids．

    Life is Beautiful

    Director: Roberto Benigni

    Country/Date : Italy/1998

    Introduction: In 1939, during World WarⅡ in Italy, Guido, a hopeful man, the main character fell in love with Dora, and they got married．Five years later, their lives changed．Guido and Joshua were taken by the Nazis（纳粹）to a concentration camp and Dora also went there with her husband and son．At that place, Guido tried his best to save his son's life in a special way．

    You can tell a lot about a country from its passport. Color is the first give-away. Nations tend to pick colors that reflect their national character. New Zealand decorates its famous rugby team, its airline and its passports in the nation's favorite color—black. Many Islamic countries have green passports because of the importance of the color in the Muslim faith.

    But as well as a statement of national identity, color can show international cooperation. The British passport was originally a navy blue. But after Britain joined the European Union in 1973, it switched to burgundy red（酒红色）like other EU countries. The common color was supposed to make European passports instantly recognizable.

    But since colors can't be patented（专利）, nothing stops others with the same idea. A number of countries that long to join the EU have changed their passports to burgundy too. Meanwhile Britain has decided to leave the club. Its government has announced that the UK passports will return to navy blue after Breit（脱欧）.

    If you have a passport from Singapore or South Korea, you are in possession of one of the most powe3rful travel documents on earth. Passport power is measured by the number of countries the holder can access visa-free. Currently sharing first place in the power rankings, Singaporean and South Korean passports provide visa-free access to 162 countries each. British passport holders share fourth place in the power ranking with six other nations, each accessing 159 countries visa-free. Americans ranked fifth with access to 158. Somalia, Syria, Pakistan and Iraq are among the world's least powerful passports. Afghanistan is the lowest ranking of all, with visa0free access to just 26 countries.

    Having to get a visa is not a piece of cake. First there is the never-ending form. Then there are lengthy appointments and expensive fees. Some visas also require travelers to pre-booked flights to prove that they intend to return home.

    But there are unexpected advantages to some of the world's weaker passports. Middle-ranking Namibia is one of just a handful of countries, whose citizens can enter Angola visa-free. India is one of only three countries, whose citizens have visa-free access to Bhutan.

    A low-ranking passport limits your choices, but not your sense of adventure.

    Have you ever had your hand held during a dental procedure you feel uneasy about? What about a dental office that mimics（模仿） the spirit of Disneyland? If you're looking for a dental office that provides the best care and the best environment, you're looking for Dr. Licking's office in Sunnyvale.

    Office manager Judy, who has worked with Dr. Licking for 38 years, speaks highly of his kindness. She believes that the office is “the Disneyland of dentistry”. Everyone from children to their grandparents loves the environment and care they receive from this welcoming office.

    Dr. Licking is known as the best dental care provider for anyone who fears facing appointments with the dental office. The staff goes out of their way to make patients feel comfortable and at ease. Dr. Licking and Judy set the standard with their saying, “when someone comes to your home, you stand up and welcome them, like an old family friend.”

    Dr. Licking's office has all. They recently relocated to put the new equipment into their practice. The office is equipped with an intra-oral video camera, and as a patient you can get pictures of your teeth as you're walking out the door.

    Setting himself apart from other dentists, Dr. Licking continues his education beyond what is required. For this reason, he is one of few dentists in the country who offers ozone treatment. Ozone can naturally stop decay (蛀蚀) in its tracks. For more information on this new technology, visit their website at www.drjohnlicking.com.

    Dr. Licking's office is Diamond Certified, an honor given only to companies with the higher quality after extensive and continual research. Dr. Licking's office extends an invitation to you to meet their gentle staff and offers you a free office visit, including x-rays and an exam.

    The office holds extended hours ranging from 7 a. m. to 8 p, m., Monday through Thursday. Don't worry if you have an emergency. Dr. Licking's office responds to all emergencies and urgent calls.

    JOHN LICKING, D.D.S.

    Cosmetic & Family Dentistry since 1970

    408—736—6235

    drjohnlicking.com

    877 W. Fremont Ave. Suite C3, Sunnyvale

    Even though it's the 18th movie from the Marvel Universe, Black Panther is the first one to feature a black superhero with a primarily black cast(演员阵容).

    The film tells the story of the Black Panther, a superhero who takes his father's place as king of the fictional African country Wakanda. The film came out in Chinese mainland cinemas on March 9, passing the $1 billion (about 6 billion yuan) mark at the global box office and becoming the No. 2 superhero release of all time on March 10.

    However, Black Panther means more than just the money it's making. As the Guardian noted, the film is already being regarded as "a positive force for social change".

    The wild success of Black Panther lies in the fact that it gives voices to minorities who are rarely given room in popular culture. "It carries a weight that neither Thor nor Captain America could lift: serving a black audience that has long gone under-represented," Time noted.

    "It makes me feel proud and confident that we made it on screen in that way," Rasheed Butler, 14, from a black community in California, US, told the Marin Independent Journal.

    The superhero Black Panther is inspiring, but the movie also highlights brilliant black women. For example, Black Panther's teenage sister is a tech genius. She designs gadgets for her brother and develops resources that make the isolated Wakanda wealthy scientifically and technologically advanced.

    "What I love about the way this film represents women is that each and every one of us is an individual, unique," Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o, who plays a spy in the movie, told the Los Angeles Times. "I think that's a very powerful message to send to children – both male and female."

    Powerful characters aside, the movie has social implications. While the Black Panther tries to keep his country and people away from the outside world, others want to make use of Wakanda's advanced technology to fight injustice. "But neither option is truly tenable," The Verge noted. "It suggests that these destructive cycles may only be broken through guidance, education, and global leadership."

    Instead of hiding away from current issues of race and economic differences, the movie explores what it means to be black in the US, in Africa and in the world. It deals "head-on with the issues affecting modern-day black life", Time concluded.

    Captain America and Blackpanther were about to defend Earth from the criminal Thanos when Kevin Foley first noticed something was wrong. Foley, a 46-year old information-technology worker from Kyle, Texas, was heading into the theater to see Avengers: Infinity War when he realized he was having trouble breathing normally. The same symptom struck again during another movie the following night, but more severe this time. Once the cast on the second film rolled, Foley took action: he looked at his wristwatch. It was a bigger step than you might imagine, because Foley was wearing an Apple Watch equipped with medical sensors and experimental software to track basic functions of his heart. And the watch was worried. It had, according to the display, detected signs of an irregular heartbeat.

    Before long, Foley was in an emergency room, where doctors hooked him up to an ECG(心电图), which showed that he was in atrial fibrillation(心房颤动), an irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots(血栓), stroke and other potentially disastrous diseases. Foley spent the next few days in the hospital while doctors worked to return him to a normal heart rhythm eventually turning to a procedure called electrical cardioversion to shock his heart back to normal. Foley is doing fine now. But he believes that, if not for the warning on his watch, he might not have sought help in time. “I would have never known,” he says.

    Foley and his watch were part of an experiment run by Apple and Stanford's medical school. But beginning Dec. 6, anyone can get an on-the-fly heart checkup, assuming they've paid $399 or more for an Apple Watch. That's when Apple will launch a software update that turns its latest model, called the Series 4, into a personal ECG, thanks to an innovative new sensor. Though less complicated than hospital ECG machines, the watch version can still provide basic information and warnings of potential risks worthy of a closer look by a medical professional.

    For Apple, this new ECG-on-your-wrist is its biggest bet yet that personal technology will inevitably include personal health. Along with competitors, Apple has already offered fitness functions, such as apps to track the steps you've walked. But with the new ECG scan, Apple is moving straight into medical aspects of heath, a distinction underlined by the fact it sought and received Food and Drug Administration clearance for the clearance for the heart monitor.