Raven Montmorency

Awe-Inspiring Luxury: Chinese Tang Dynasty-Style Handbags

Tian Qi’s Tang Dynasty-inspired handbags came about when Qi, an avid art collector and architect, came across an exhibition poster of Japan’s Nara museum, he was intrigued. The poster showed the image of a Tang pipa instrument that had a round flower and light-colored square pattern decoration on it. The simplicity of the design and ...

Raven Montmorency

DUANMU wooden handbags.

Meet the 2,000-Year-Old Chinese Version of Soccer

Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. Though the modern version of soccer that is played today has its origins in the West, an ancient form of soccer already existed in China about 2,000 years ago. Known as cuju, the earliest known evidence of the game appears in a military manual ...

Raven Montmorency

Painting of Chinese Emperor Taizu playing cuju with court officials.

General Patton, a Soldier Inspired by God

Gen. George Patton, who fought in both world wars, is considered one of the most successful military leaders in American history. In his years of service, he faced a critical moment in the battle between good and evil. Most of the world’s research on him centers around his combat tactics and leadership style, while his ...

Raven Montmorency

General George S. Patton, a Bible and a cross.

Switzerland Allowed Chinese Security Agents to ‘Roam Freely, Unsupervised’

Swiss authorities are in damage control after it became public knowledge they had a secret 5-year deal that allowed Chinese security agents to “roam freely, unsupervised” in Switzerland. Human rights NGO Safeguard Defenders has investigated the deal after it became public knowledge thanks to an August 23 report by Swiss German-language newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. ...

Raven Montmorency

passengers in the Bern, Switzerland, railway station.

Mika Hale Gives a Voice to the Voiceless

Openly exposing the vulnerable, raw side of her life to others through her singing, the soulful music of Mika Hale became a catharsis for her chaotic and unusual start to life. Being born in Rikers Island prison during the heroin craze in the late 1970s, Mika Hale survived constant challenges throughout her private life and ...

Raven Montmorency

The song 'Courage Is Found.'

When the CCP Virus Attacks Culture and Traditions

The fall-winter holiday season, including Christmas and New Year’s day, started with Thanksgiving. But on this, the 400th anniversary since the Pilgrims first gathered to celebrate the harvest and the fact that they had managed to survive in the New World, Thanksgiving day celebrations were placed under strict guidelines imposed by federal and state authorities ...

Raven Montmorency

A Thanksgiving meal.

How Teen Influencers Impact Social Media Marketing

Social media brought with it a new form of marketing — influencer marketing by teen influencers. An influencer is a person who has a large following on social media platforms and can influence his or her followers to buy the products that he or she promotes. Since a significant portion of social media users are ...

Raven Montmorency

A social media teen influencer.

The Innocent Macaque Monkeys of Taichung

Uncle Guo, who grew up in Dakeng, Taichung, as a farmer’s son, often chased off the Taiwanese macaque monkeys to protect his orchard from their hunger. Now, he has opened up his orchard to them and has coexisted peacefully with the wild macaques for nearly 25 years. He also uses unique whistles to communicate with ...

Raven Montmorency

Wild macaque monkeys.

America’s First Nest of ‘Murder Hornets’ Gets Exterminated

Scientists have destroyed America’s first-ever nest of Asian giant hornets. The insects, also known by the name of “murder hornets,” have a sting that can put a person in the hospital and even cause death. Native to Asia, the hornets’ first American nest was found in Washington state in the city of Blaine. The nest ...

Raven Montmorency

Murder hornet eating jam put out by scientists.