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Water runs downhill from mountaintops to streams to rivers to oceans. But downhill isn't the only way that water moves .A new study measures how water travels from country to country for human consumption. This flow isn't the type we usually think about .These scientists looked at the water used to grow and make the products which get shipped from nation to nation as imports or exports. They call this a flow of"virtual water ". We typically think about water as the liquid that flows from a tap. However,92%of the water used by people goes into growing crops,according to water researcher Arjen Hoekstra. He recently studied the hidden travels of virtual water used in products made from things like crops and meats .These products are shipped around the world. For example.consider a sugary soft drink. Hoekstra estimated that to produce one half-liter of the drink requires between 170 and 310litersofthewater--about 95%--is used to grow and process the ingredients .Another 4%goes into the packaging and labeling. In Hoekstra's calculation, when one country produces a half-liter of soda and sells it abroad,it exports as much virtual water as would fill a large refrigerator. According to Hoekstra's new report,dry countries like Israel and Kuwait,both in the Middle East, get the majority of their virtual water from other countries,through imported products. More surprisingly, some wetter countries,like the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, also get the majority of their virtual water from other places. That means that most of the water used to grow or produce the products and food consumed in those countries came from other countries. In the United States most of the virtual water used comes from American sources .In China even less of the water associated with its products

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A little girl in my family got a typewriter for Christmas. Not a laptop. Nothing with a screen. The old-fashioned manual kind. Typewriters had pretty much gone the way of dodo birds quite some years before my granddaughter was born. But it was the typewriter used by a journalist in the movie "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" that attracted her. Or maybe it was the way the typewriter was used. In the movie, Kit does old-fashioned journalism and writes stories that help right a wrong. In a challenging environment she keeps her wits -- and a strong sense of ethics -- about her. However, another reporter, Chuck Tatum in "Ace in the Hole" is totally different. He tells an editor, "If there's no news, I'll go out and bite a dog." Later, referring to a sign in the newsroom that reads "Tell the Truth," Tatum acknowledges some guilt. But, "Not enough to stop me on my way to the top." In both movies, the journalists use typewriters. It's what they do with them that makes the difference. And today, it's what we do with our hardware -- the journalism we produce -- that makes the difference. Typewriters have long since given way to laptops, camera phones and video phones. But here at Thomson Reuters , and in the media as a whole, the need for a strong sense of ethics has never been more necessary. To me, at the heart of ethics are the preservation of honesty, independence and freedom from prejudice. It means ethics and standards are compatible with innovation . In fact, they have to go hand in hand. There's a lot of room for innovation here, but there's no room for a Chuck Tatum, who would do anything to get to the top. In about 2020, my granddaughter will probably be using technology that hasn't been developed yet to work on her school "newspaper". She won't be using her typewriter but she will, I hope, be using what she's learned from the journalists of this generation. It's up to us to set the right example.

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In the age of reality television.success isn't the only way to the public eye.Failure can also create fame,just like William Hung,21,a native of Hong Kong. Hung recently has made an agreement with US-based entertainment firms Koch Records and Fuse Music Network.They wilt publish a full-length record,titled"The True Idol"on April 6. The idol is a civil engineering student at the University of California at Berkeley He did a version of Ricky Martin's"She Bangs"on the television show"American Idol 3",on January27.The Fox TV singing contest searches for pop stars among ordinary people.In the case of Hung,however, his act was so bad that the judges cut him off in mid-act.Hung's response,"I already gave my best,so I have no regrets at all."That's good,because any common person would have found plenty to regret:The off-key singing.The blue Hawaiian shirt worn with pants pulled up too high The terrible dancing The hips jerking to a beat that did not belong to the song,maybe not even to this planet.It was,by all accounts,bad. But,it was this very bad act that sold well. Marc Juris,president of Fuse,explained it this way,"Every one of us is happily guilty of singing our favorite song at the top of our lungs with complete freedom.completely oft-key and completely unworried That's what William did and immediately won the hearts of America." Whatever it is,for the moment it is big.Three websites devoted to Hung have gone up on the Internet in the past few weeks.Versions of his performance have been remixed with hip hop and techno-music and have made it to the top 10 request list at a Chicago radio station. So,what does Hung think of this? "There were all these people saying things about me A lot were saying I was very courageous and that I was great on the show, but some didn't have much respect for me and some were kind of mean." Now he says he's not so sure whether to distance himself from the glamour or to accept it Returning to normal hasn't been easy.

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Booking opens for Beckett Shorts on September . BY TELEPHONE For credit card booking. Calls are answered . BOX OFFICE 01789 295623 9 a.m.~ 8 p.m. (Mon.~ Sat) 0541 541051 (24 hours , 7 days , no booking charge ) BY FAX For credit card booking . Please allow at least 48 hours for reply , if required. BOX OFFICE 01789 261974 or 01862 387765 BY POST Please enclose a cheque or credit card details together with an SAE or add 50 p to the total amount to cover postage. Please send to the Box Office , RST, Stratford-upon-Avon , CV37 6BB.

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America was faced with one of its worst ever mass shootings on Friday when 20 children and six adults were shot dead by a gunman who opened fire at an elementary school in Connecticut. The gunshot atSandy Hook element school in Newtown, about 65 miles north-east.of New York, is understood to have been carried out by a gunman who was later found dead at the scene. State policeman Paul Vance said 18 children died at the scene and two more died ,n hospital.Six adults were found dead at the school, Vance said.The bodies of the victims remain inside the school. In an emotional press conference at the White House, Barack Obama suggested that he may take action.Fighting back tears, he said: "We've tolemted too many of these tragedies in the past few years.And each time I learn the news I react no.as a president, but as anybody else would - as a panent.And that was especially true today.I know there's not a parent in America who isn't in the same overwhelming sorrow that I am," Referring to a number of major shootings this year alone, Obama continued "Whether it's an elemental school in Newtown, or a shopping mall in Oregon , a temple in Wisconsin, or a movie theater in Auron, or a street comer in Chicago - these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these children are our children.And we-,, going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regariless of the politics."

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People should be warned against using mobile phones outdoors in stormy weather because they may"be struck by lightning",according to doctors. Three experts have described how a teenage girl was struck by lightning while using her phone in a large London park.The girl,aged 15,recovered,but a year later was still wheelchair-bound and found to be suffering complex physical and emotional problems. The girl also had a perforate eardrum on the side where she had been holding the mobile phone.She was having general recovery in Northwick Park Hospital,Middlesex. Swinda Esprit,a senior house officer, said that while the brain and muscle damage was similar to that of many lightning victims--who can experience heart attacks on being struck--the ear problems were not. She said that the damages were particularly relevant for people who might be involved in less serious lightning incidents,who might otherwise recover, but would never get their full hearing back if struck while on the phone. "We were shocked by the damage,which is why we wanted to draw attention to it,"Dr Esprit said."A year on and she still was suffering these difficult hearing." They added that three other cases had been reported in newspapers in China,South Korea,and Malaysia.In the Malaysian case,a sales executive was killed by lightning while talking on his phone during a thunderstorm near Kuala Lumpur. "All these events resulted in death,"the doctors wrote."This rare phenomenon is a public health issue,and education is necessary to stress the risk." The Australian Lightning Protection Standard recommends that metallic objects,including cordless or mobile phones,should not be carried outdoors during thunderstorms.However, "the United States National Weather Service says on its website that both are safe to use "because there is no direct path between you and the lightening". Paul Taylor, of "the Met Office'',said the ear injuries were a consequence of mobile phones being metal,and not related to radio waves. Mr. Taylor said that mobile phones should be treated as another piece of metal,similar to carrying coins or wearing rings,and people need to be warned against the possible danger.

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There is one holiday in the year which is completely American, Thanksgiving Day. It is the day when everyone goes back home to spend the day with his family, to have the traditional Thanksgiving dinner of roast turkey, to talk about old times. This is a story of Thanksgiving Day and of one man's efforts, under rather special circumstances, to carry on these traditions. Old Pete took his seat this day on his usual bench in Union Square. Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years, Pete had taken this same seat exactly at one o'clock, and each time the same pleasant thing had happened. But this time Pete had come here more from habit than from hunger. Certainly today Pete was not hungry. He had just had a dinner so enormous that he could hardly breathe. The buttons on his ragged shirt and coat were about to burst. He was so full of soup, oysters, roast turkey, apple pie, ice cream, and a dozen other rich foods that the November breeze and the first light fall of snow felt cool and pleasant to his face. The meal had been completely unexpected. He had been passing one of the large homes on Fifth Avenue, where there lived two rich old ladies. It seems that it was their custom each Thanksgiving to place a servant at the front entrance with orders to bring in the first hungry looking person that passed and then give him a Thanksgiving dinner of everything he could eat. On this particular Thanksgiving Day, Pete had passed, the servant had brought him in, and, before Pete knew it, he was being served like a king with more food than he could eat. Pete sat on the bench now, hardly able to move. He happened to look to the left and there in the distance he saw the Old Gentleman coming toward him. He wanted to get up and run, but he was so full of food that he stayed right there. Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years, the Old Gentleman had come here, and found Pete on this same bench, and then taken him to a restaurant and bought him a Thanksgiving dinner. It was a kind of tradition which the Old Gentleman, who had no family and lived alone, had tried to continue. The old man was tall and thin and sixty years old. He was aristocratic looking and he always dressed in black. His hair was whiter and thinner than it had been the year before, and he leaned more heavily on his cane than he used to. "How do you do!" said the Old Gentleman. "I am glad to see that the changes of another year have permitted you to move in health through this beautiful world." Each time the Old Gentleman had said exactly this same thing. It was part of the tradition. Old Pete, too, began to feel as though he himself was now a part of the tradition, and he therefore did not have the courage to tell the old man that he had already eaten. This dinner seemed to mean so much to the Old Gentleman. "Thank you, sir," said Old Pete at last. "I'll go with you gladly. I'm very hungry sir." Together the Old Gentleman and Pete walked south to the same restaurant where each year Pete had his Thanksgiving dinner. They sat at the same table. The Old Gentleman seemed pleased and happy. When the waiter brought dish after dish of food to Pete, the Old Gentleman sat quietly and smiled. Under the circumstance, Pete had to eat. It was part of the tradition, and so he ate like a hero. Soup, oysters, roast turkey, pie, he ate everything, although when he entered the restaurant even the smell of more food almost made him sick. At last Pete leaned back with the battle won. "Thank you sir," he said, with some effort, " for a fine dinner." They parted as they did each year at the door, the Old Gentleman going south, Pete north. Around the corner, Pete stopped for a moment, felt a terrible pain in his stomach, then fell to the sidewalk unconscious. A little later an ambulance came. In the hospital they discovered that he had had an attack of indigestion. An hour later, another ambulance brought the Old Gentleman to the same hospital. At first they thought it was also indigestion but later one of the nurses said, "That nice old gentleman over there-- you wouldn't think that it was a case of starvation. Proud old family, I suppose. He told me that he hadn't eaten a thing for three days."

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On January 11, 2007, as students sat and listened, a very important guest speaker named Richard, spoke to the students in the lecture hall. He not only showed the potential within young adults, but encouraged them to work hard at their lessons. Richard was a young child when his mother died and his father walked out. He was forced into many different foster homes where he felt unhappy. He did not know that his life was taking a turn for the worst. His uncle, after getting out of prison, got him into drugs and alcohol. His uncle taught him that his place in life was either to be in prison or die trying to be "a man." His uncle's teaching almost started affecting him until a very important person came into his life: a teacher. This teacher taught him there is a place in the world for everyone and it isn't related to drugs. Richard is now a Harvard University graduate and has a great and loving family. Why? He was taught to have respect not only for others, but for himself. After the meeting, it was hoped that the students realized within them there is a potential, and within everyone around them, is knowledge. As Richard reminded them, "Knowledge is power."

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"Get yourself up and make something of yourself,buddy!"Though my mother has passed away,her words are as clear in my head today as when I was a boy. "Christ!"I said,"I have made something of myself. I want to sleep late as I like." "If there's one thing I can't stand,it's a quitter."Her voice in my head is more powerful than my will to refuse,so I pull myself from bed. Before I was out of primary school,mother could see I lacked the gifts for either making millions or winning the love of crowds.So she began pushing me toward working with words. _ .There seemed to be a word gene that passed down from her mother's grandfather* The greatest proof was my mother's first cousin Edwin.He was the managing editor of the New York Times and had gained a name in his career. In 1947 1 graduated from Johns Hopkins and applied for a job with the Baltimore Sun as a police reporter.It paid$30 a week .When I complained the wage was shameful for a learned man,mother refused to sympathize."If you work hard at this job,"she said,"maybe you can make something of it." After a while,I was asked to cover diplomats at various African embassies. Then, seven years later I was arranged by the Sun to cover the White House,a task that was as close to heaven as a journalist could get.However,whatever achievement of mine only seemed insignificant in her eyes.Uncle Edwin's success was really annoying during my early years as a reporter.What a thrill,I thought. Then,out of my wildest childhood fantasy,the Times came knocking.It was sad that Uncle Edwin had passed away by this time.In 1979 I won the Pulitzer Prize.Unfortunately,my mother's brain and health broke down the year before,leaving her in a nursing home,out of touch with life forevermore .She never knew of my Pulitzer. I can probably guess how she'd have responded." That's nice,buddy.It shows if you work hand,you'11 be able to make something of yourself one day,"

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The globe is facing a "tidal wave" of cancer, and restrictions on alcohol and sugar need to be considered, say World Health Organization scientists. It predicts the number of cancer cases will reach 24 million a year by 2035, but half could be prevented. The WHO said there was now a "real need" to focus on cancer prevention by cutting down smoking, obesity and drinking. The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) said there was an "alarming" level of ignorance about diet's role in cancer. Fourteen million people a year are diagnosed with cancer, but that is predicted to increase to 19 million by 2025, 22 million by 2030 and 24 million by 2035. The developing world will bear the worst of the extra cases. Dr Chris Wild, the director of the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer, told the BBC: "The global cancer burden is increasing quite markedly, due predominately to the ageing of the populations and population growth. If we look at the cost of treatment of cancers, it is spiralling out of control, even for the high-income countries. Prevention is ly critical and it's been somewhat neglected." The WHO's World Cancer Report 2014 said the major sources of preventable cancer included: smoking; infections; alcohol; obesity and inactivity; radiation, both from the sun and medical scans; Air pollution and other environmental factors; delayed parenthood, having fewer children and not breastfeeding. For most countries, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. However, cervical cancer dominates in large parts of Africa. One of the report's editors, Dr Bernard Stewart from the University of New South Wales in Australia, said prevention had a "crucial role in fighting the tidal wave of cancer which we see coming across the world". He said human behaviour was behind many cancers such as the sunbathe "until you're cooked evenly on both sides" approach in his native Australia. There was a similar argument to be had with sugar fuelling obesity, which in turn affected cancer risk. Meanwhile, a survey of 2,046 people in the UK by the WCRF suggested 49% do not know that diet increases the risk of developing cancer. A third of people said cancer was mainly due to family history, but the charity said no more than 10% of cancers were down to inherited genes. Amanda McLean, general manager for the WCRF, said: "It's very alarming to see that such a large number of people don't know that there's a lot they can do to significantly reduce their risk of getting cancer. In the UK, about a third of the most common cancers could be prevented through being a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and being regularly physically active." "People can cut their risk of cancer by making healthy lifestyle choices, but it's important to remember that the government and society are also responsible for creating an environment that supports healthy lifestyles."

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Mike McClure walked into Sarasota Bay for a little fishing on a beautiful day last April. This afternoon, the water was shallow enough at low tide that McClure could easily walk 100 yards offshore and cast his line in any direction. Near sunset, still without a fish, he decided to turn back. Rather than turn to his earlier course, he chose a more direct path toward shore, thinking the bay wouldn't get deeper along the way. Instead, he was trapped. He tried to walk in different directions, but shallower water eluded him. Finally, he decided his safest choice was to head straight for land. "Within about five steps, the water was coming in through the top of the waders ," says McClure. He felt the deadweight of the flooding waders pulling him down and knew that if he didn't get out of them, he would drown. But he failed to kick his way out of the waders. Instead, they pulled him completely below the surface. Back onshore, Eliza Cameron, 19, Loren Niurka Mora, 20, and Caitlin Petro, 20, had been watching McClure fish as they rested on the grass after a long week of classes. They saw McClure go under and then heard him cry, "Help!" The three friends kicked off their shoes and ran into the bay. They were all good swimmers, but all hid a fear that he might pull them down too because they'd have to dive to save him. When they reached him, he'd managed to kick himself out of the waders, but his eyes had partly rolled back. Cameron and Mora each hooked an arm under his shoulders, while Petro supported his back and held his hand. Then the three friends tried their best to tug him towards shore. Finally, they all returned to the shore safely.

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Acting is such an over-crowded profession that the only advice that should be given to a young person thinking of going on the stage is "Don't!". But it is useless to try to discourage someone who feels that he must act, though the chances of his becoming famous are slim. The normal way to begin is to go to a drama school. Usually only students who show promise and talent are accepted, and the course lasts two years. Then the young actor or actress takes up work with a repertory company, usually as an assistant stage manager. This means doing everything that there is to do in the theatre: painting scenery, looking after the furniture, taking care of the costumes, and even acting in very small parts. It is very hard work indeed. The hours are long and the salary is tiny. But young actors with the stage in their blood are happy, waiting for the chances of working with a better company, or perhaps in films or television. Of course, some people have unusual chances which lead to fame and success without this long and dull training. Connie Pratt, for example, was just an ordinary girl working in a bicycle factory. A film producer happened to catch sight of her one morning waiting at a bus stop, as he drove past in his big car. He told the driver to stop, and he got out to speak to the girl. He asked her if she would like to go to the film studio to do a test, and at first she thought he was joking. Then she got angry and said she would call the police. It took the producer twenty minutes to tell Connie that he was serious. Then an appointment was made for her to go to the studio the next day. The test was successful. They gave her some necessary lessons and within a few weeks she was playing the leading part opposite one of the most famous actors of the day. Of Course, she was given a more dramatic name, which is now world-famous. But chances like this happen once in a blue moon!

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What is funny? The short answer is: Who knows? The joke that causes a burst of laughter from one listener might be met with a puzzled look from another. In general, you should avoid jokes at any business or social gathering where there are more than two people in your conversational group. If there are only two people -- and they consist of you and your best friend -- go ahead and tell it. Admittedly, a few people possess a perfect sense of timing, appropriateness, and joke delivery. You are probably not one of them. You might be quite funny and have many great jokes. But there's a place for jokes -- over dinner with family, hiking with friends, but business or social affairs with colleagues and acquaintances are not it. It takes a whole other level of joke-telling ability to put a joke into the more formal conversations. The best jokes come into the conversation so that by the time listeners realize a joke is in progress, the punchline that produces humour is being delivered -- to their surprise and delight. Jokes don't translate well when you're in a group with mixed backgrounds: those whose first language is not English, those who might not understand a special term or an "in" expression, young people who wouldn't catch a reference to some bit of culture familiar to older people -- and vice versa . Never joke about another person in the group -- about their name, habits, hometown, profession, appearance, or past. It's not a question of whether the joke is cheery or appropriate. No one enjoys being singled out this way. When you are the subject of the joke, the laughter doesn't feel good no matter how hard you try to tell yourself they're not laughing at you. Because that's what it feels like. What do you say if you realize your joke upset someone? Apologize as briefly and as sincerely as you can, and hope that someone changes the subject. Try saying: "I'm sorry. I should have known better" or "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." What do you do if people don't get your joke or don't appear to find it as funny as you do? First, do not retell it, only louder this time, hoping the point of the joke will be seen. Second, don't try to push people to get it. People do not like people whose jokes they don't understand. They feel stupid and need to blame someone. If you want to leave with the goodwill of your listeners, say something to make them feel less foolish. You could say: "I don't know why I tell jokes when I'm so poor at it." The world needs laughter, and good humour is a success wherever it goes, so this caveat about joke-telling is not meant to dampen high spirits or to advocate dull conversation. If you're a gifted story-teller and you know people love your jokes, go for it. We need your kind. The rest of us will save our jokes for family and close friends.

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Once in a blue moon, there is one on New Year's Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't expect it to be blue - the name has nothing to do with the color of our closest celestial neighbor. A full moon occurred on December 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown. The New Year's Eve blue moon will be visible in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up until New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them. A full moon occurs every 29.5 days, and most years have 12. On average, an extra full moon in a month - a blue moon - occurs every 2.5 years. The last time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007. New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won't come again until 2028. "Blue moons have no astronomical significance," said Greg Laughlin, an astronomer at the University of California. "`Blue moon' is just a name in the same sense as a `hunter's moon'(a full moon in octorber) or a `harvest moon,'" Laughlin said in an e-mail. The popular definition of blue moon came about after a writer for Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946 misinterpreted the Maine Farmer's Almanac and labeled a blue moon as the second full moon in a month. In fact, the almanac defined a blue moon as the third full moon in a season with four full moons.

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The name sounds funny but the idea is no joke: it's a personal toilet called the pee-pool, Anders Wilhelmson, a Swedish architect, is the inventor of the pee-pool. He became interested in the idea of sanitation after taking part in a research project on the social and political development of cities, One of the most common problems he found in developing countries was the lack of toilets, He wanted to do something to help, So working with others, he started the project in 2005, and the next year started a company called Peepoolple. The toilet is a single--use bag made of environmentally friendly plastics, The inside is treated with urea , a chemical commonly used as fertilizer, The hotter the weather, the more quickly the waste turns into what is needed by plants The sanitation process can be as soon as a couple of hours or as long as two to four weeks ,You can just bury it in a pot and grow whatever you like. The company expects to start selling the bags in August in Kenya and Bangladesh, But it is just beginning production and sales in Nairobi now, Full production could reach about half a million bags a day and people may be able to buy the pee-pool in countries Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc. The United Nations says more than two and a half billion people around the world do not have good sanitation .Many have no choice but to use the outdoors, which is not only bad for the environment ,but also harmful to people's health, Each year, poor sanitation leads to three fifths of those people getting an infectious disease which on average causes one out of 1,000 patients to die. Jack Smith, the founder of the World Toilet Organization, says " _ is quite an unacceptable situation given the fact that we are living in the modem world, And strangely, many of them own televisions, phones but have no toilet."

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Elizabeth Blackwell was born on February 3, 1821 in Bristol, England. Her father was a rich sugar businessman at the time. Because her parents thought boys and girls should be equal, Elizabeth received the same education as her brothers. In 1832, her father's business was destroyed by fire, so her family moved to New York City. But her father's business there failed. Then in 1837, the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Not long after, her father died. After her father's death, Elizabeth, at the age of 16, had to go to work. When she was 24, she visited her dying friend Mary. Her friend said, "You're young and strong, you should become a doctor." That was nearly impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. But she knew this was what she was going to do. After several rejections from medical schools, she finally was accepted by Geneva Medical College. By studying hard, she graduated successfully in 1849. After graduating from medical school, she went to Paris to learn more about medicine. She wanted to be a surgeon, but a serious eye problem forced her to give up the idea. When she returned to America in 1851, she found it difficult to start her own practice because she was a woman. In 1857, Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another woman doctor, managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children. Besides, she also set up the first medical school for women in 1868, where she taught the women students about disease prevention. It was the first time that the idea of preventing disease was taught in a medical school. Elizabeth Blackwell started the British National Health Society in 1871, which helped people learn how to stay healthy. In 1889, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman doctor in the United States. Most importantly, she fought for the admission of women to medical colleges. Elizabeth Blackwell died on May 3, 1910, when she was 89.She opened a world of chances for women. She always fought for what was right in all her life. In 1949 the Blackwell medal was established. It's given to women who have excellent achievements in the field of medicine. She'll always be remembered as a great woman.

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As hand-held devices such as smartphones are becoming more common, users are reporting some new physical problems. Florida chiropractor Dean Fishman began noticing an increased number of patients talking about neck and shoulder pain. He discovered these symptoms were due to the overuse of hand-held devices, particularly the action of bending the neck, and then _ the term "Text Neck." As if the painful symptoms weren't bad enough, Fishman warns that an untreated case of Text Neck could lead to permanent spinal damage. Other doctors have warned about "iPad Hand," a condition that occurs when people use tablets like the iPad for hours at a time. Most people use their left hand to support the tablet and their right hand to tap or scroll. Doing this for long periods without changing positions can result in severe joint pain. In order to avoid or reduce the possibility of getting Text Neck or iPad Hand, use the following basic ergonomic principles: Avoid awkward positioning. Don't strain your neck, and stay aware of how you are positioned in relation to the device. Make sure that both your neck and shoulders are relaxed and that you aren't leaning over for a long period of time. Take frequent breaks when using any kind of mobile device. Many doctors recommend that users change their position every 15 minutes. When using a tablet, use a case that can support the device on a table or your lap at a comfortable viewing angle. Along with a case, use a separate keyboard with your tablet. This will be more comfortable since you'll be resting both hands on the keyboard. And since you won't be holding the tablet, you'll be less likely to experience hand or arm pain.

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In the 18th century, New York was smaller than Philadelphia and Boston. Today it is the largest city in America. How can the change in its size and importance be explained? To answer this question we must consider certain facts about geography, history, and economics. Together these three will explain the huge growth of America's most famous city. The map of the Northeast shows that the four areas with the largest populations in this region are around seaports. At these points materials from across the sea enter the United States, and the products of the land are sent there for export across the sea. We know that places where transportation lines meet are good places for making raw materials into finished goods. That is why seaports often have cities nearby. But cities like New York needed more than their geographical location in order to become great industrial centers. Their development did not happen simply by chance.www.zxxk.com About 1815, when many Americans from the east had already moved toward the west, transportation routes from the seaports to the central regions of the country began to be a serious problem. The slow wagons of that time, usually drawn by horses, were too expensive for moving heavy freight very far. In New York State a canal seemed the best answer to the transportation problem. From the eastern end of Lake Erie all the way across the state to the Hudson River there is a long strip of low land. Here the Erie Canal was built, and after several years of work it was completed in 1825. The canal produced an immediate effect. Freight costs were cut to about one tenth of what they had been. New York City, which had been smaller than Philadelphia and Boston, quickly became the leading city of the coast. In the years that followed, transportation routes on the Great Lakes were joined to routes on the Mississippi River. Then New York City became the end point of a great inland shipping system that started from the Atlantic Ocean far up the western branches of the Mississippi.

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Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cochran, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School, did something unforgettable. On the first day of school, with permission of the school headmaster, she took all of the desks out of the classroom. The kids came into the first period. They walked in, and there were no desks. They looked around and said, "Ms Cochran, where are our desks?" And she said, "You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn them." They thought, "Well, maybe it's our grades." "No," she said. "Maybe it's our behavior. " And she told them, "No, it's not even your behavior. " Second period, the same thing. Third period... By early afternoon television news reporters had gathered in Ms. Cochran's class to find out about this crazy teacher. The last period of the day, Martha Cochran gathered her class. They were at this time sitting on the ground floor around the sides of the room. "Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the ordinary desks in this classroom." she said, "Now I'm going to tell you. " Martha Cochran went to the door of the classroom and opened it, and as she did, twenty-seven adults, who were fathers or mothers of the kids, walked into that classroom, each one having a school desk. And they placed those school desks in rows. And when they finished placing those desks, those kids for the first time in their lives understood how they earned those desks. Martha said, "You don't have to earn those desks. They did it for you. They put them out there for you, but it's up to you to sit here responsibly to learn, to be good students and good citizens, because they paid a price for you to have that desk, and don't ever forget it! "

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No matter what he is doing,every human being gives body heat.The usual problem is how to _ it.But the designers of the Johnstown campus of the university of Pittsburg set themselves the opposite problem--how to collect body heat.They have designed a collection system which uses not only body heat but also the heat given off by such objects as light bulbs and refrigerators as well.The system works so well that no conventional fuel is needed to make the campus's six buildings comfortable. Some parts of most modern buildings--theatres and offices as well as classrooms-are more than heated by people and lights and sometimes must be air-conditioned even in the winter.The technique of saving and redistributing it is called "heat recovery".A few modern buildings recover heat,but the university's system is the first to recover heat from some buildings and reuse it in others. Along the way,Pitt has learned a great deal about some of its heat producers.The harder a student studies,the more heat his body gives off.Male students emit more heat than female students,and the larger a student,the more heat he produces.It is tempting to conclude that the hottest prospect for the Johnstown campus would be a hard-working,overweight male genius.

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Lee Humberg, district manager for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is the man in charge of figuring out how to remove the flocks of 15,000 to 20,000 Canada geese that could strike planes flying in and out of the New York area. The Port Authority, the agency that manages airport in New York and New Jersey, estimates that there have been as many as 315 bird strikes annually in the past 30 years. Bird strikes have been a hot topic since a US Airways jet suffered a "double strike" and made an emergency landing on the Hudson River in January 2009. All 155 passengers were rescued safely and the flight was called "Miracle on the Hudson". The plane finally ended up at the Carolinas Aviation Museum. The next major bird strike may not have such a happy ending. To thin the flocks, Humberg and his team have tracked down goose nests and killed eggs with corn oil. They've also terrified the birds with dogs, remote-controlled boats and kites that look like eagles. But the only method that effectively decreases the goose population is the one that angers animal lovers the most: gassing hundreds at a time. "If all you are doing is goose harassment every day, it's very frustrating, because you are just playing Ping-Pong with the birds," Humberg told New York magazine. "It's basically an arms race to come up with the tools to deal with them." Now New York City plans to send the geese captured to Pennsylvania to be cooked and distributed at food banks as meals for the poor. That might just be a fate better than flying into a 747 engine.

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Basketball Statistician Help Wanted The Athletic Department is looking for students to help assist staff during the Fall 2016, Winter 2016-17 and Spring 2017 semesters. Students in this position will be keeping live statistics during basketball games. Students must meet all of the following requirements: Good computer skills Available evenings and weekends Knowing basketball rules and statistics Students interested in working for the Athletic Department should contact the Athletic Coordinator at their respective campuses. TP/SS Athletic Coordinator, Michael Simone,240-567-1308 Rockville Athletic Coordinator, Jorge Zuniga,240-567-7589 Springfield Athletic coordinator, Gary Miller,240-567-2273 Germantown Athletic Coordinator, GavriChavan, 240-567-6915

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It was a Friday. As usual, the office became busier and busier. Orders to buy and sell came and went like birds. It was in the stock market, the world of money that Mr.Robert,the stockbroker, worked faster and faster. There was no room in it for the world of human feelings or the world of nature. Near lunchtime, everything quieted down.Mr.Robert stood by his desk with his hands full of letters. Suddenly through the open window came a smell of flowers,like the thin breath of spring.Mr.Robert stood still. This was Miss Angelia's smell, her own and only hers.The world of the stock market disappeared. And Miss Angelia was in the next room--only twenty steps away. "I'll do it now," said Mr.Robert softly. "I'll ask her now.Why didn't I do it long ago?" He ran into her office. She looked up at him with a smile. Her face turned a soft pink. "Miss Angelia,"he said, hurriedly, "I only have a moment to talk.I want to say something important to you,Will you be my wife?I haven't had time to show you, but I really do love you." "Why ...what are you talking about?" cried the young lady.She stood up and looked at him strangely. "Don't you understand?" Mr. Robert asked quickly. "I want you to marry me now." Miss Angelia acted very strangely. At first she seemed surprised. Then she began to cry. But then she smiled through her tears like the sun through rain. She put her arms around his neck. "But don't you remember, darling?" she said ."We were married yesterday evening at 8:00, in the little church around the corner."

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From her first women's hat shop, opened in 1910, Gabrielle Coco Chanel rose to become one of the most important fashion designers in Paris. Her fashion themes included simple suits and dresses, women's trousers, perfume and so on. She claimed a birth date of 1893 and a birthplace of Auvergne; she was actually born in 1883 in Saumur, though. Her mother worked in a nursing home for pool people. Gabrielle was born there. Her mother died whet she was only six. She began to use the name Coco during a brief career a, a cafe and concert singer from 1905 to 1908. By the 1920s,her fashion house had expanded greatly. Her relaxing fashions, such as short skirts with casual look, were very different from the fashions popular in the formal decades. In 1922 Chanel introduced a perfume, Chanel No.5 which became very popular and still remains a popular product today. Pierre Wertheimer became her partner in the perfume business in 1924. Wertheimer owned 70% of the company, Coco Chanel 10% and her friend, Bader, 20%. The Wertheimers continue to control the perfume company today. She briefly served as a nurse in World War I. The fashion business in Paris was thus off for some years. In 1954 she came back and her women's clothing business returned to its former popularity. Her natural, casual clothing once again caught the eye of women. She was still working in 1971 when she died.

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Nowadays they are giving homework even during the holidays and I hate that very much. But I think there is a reason for it. Homework is given so that we can remember whatever we have learnt. Regular drilling and repetition make perfect. But teachers have started to give too much homework. Anything in excess is bad. Jane What's the use of just homework without allowing children to get an insight into the subject? It just makes them bookworms but nothing else. Homework such as writing some things 5 times at home will just make them memorize things but not put them into use. I regret to say that teachers find it easy to bundle the children with homework rather than making them get interested to understand what they learn. The same trend continues even in college. I find that most of the so-called high scorers are unable to answer simple things in an interview. Sally It is OK to give homework. But it should be given less. We are spending most of our time in school and at least we must be free in our home. If you give homework, we will be very tired and we wouldn't be able to pay attention to extra-curricular activities, which in turn may affect our physical and mental health. So please give less homework to us. Johnson It is part of our work to give students homework. There will be some punishments if we won't do our work. So I have to do that though I know such a teacher is not liked by students.

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Since the beginning of the year, smog has covered parts of North China. In January, Beijing saw only five days without smog. The rising PM2.5 readings terrified many people, and some health experts said that whenever the smog gets serious, hospitals receive more patients suffering acute respiratory and heart diseases. Later, news of polluted underground water in some provinces scared people who wondered whether the water they drink is safe. So the need to emphasize environmental protection while developing the economy is heard everywhere. Smog is especially a common concern. As a popular online post said, air may be the only thing that is equal for everyone, despite your income or profession. People with higher incomes are able to drink only bottled spring water and eat only organic food by paying higher prices, but they breathe the same air as everyone else. At a meeting on Monday, many representatives have expressed their concerns about the air quality, too. One talked about his experience in Beijing. "After taking a taxi from the capital airport to my hotel, which took about an hour, I washed my nose and found the inside of my nose was black. We should ask ourselves this question: Why do we want to develop? It's for living a better life. Dirty air is definitely not a better life," he said. China needs to develop its economy and invest in hightech. Every Chinese has a dream to make China stronger. But without blue sky, clean water and safe food, the achievements in the economy will become meaningless. Space technologies are not to be developed for building a base on Mars so that one day all human beings can move to the red planet because they have destroyed Earth. What the public wants is a strong and beautiful China. The great efforts must be made to promote ecological progress and build a beautiful China. The words have shown the central government's determination to address the environment issue.

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Ticket price increases at HK Disney Source:Xinhua | 02--05--2009 11:39 Hong Kong Disneyland announced on Tuesday it will raise weekday admission prices for mainland and overseas tourists by about 19 percent.But Hong Kong residents and tourists who purchase tickets through travel agents can still enjoy the old prices until June 30. A one-day admission will cost HK $350($45)for adults and HK $250 for children aged up to 11 from Monday, the previous charges for weekends.Adults were previously admitted for HK $295 and children HK $210. A Hong Kong Disneyland spokesman said the park does not expect the new pricing structure to have an immediate impact on attendances, as research shows guests choose when to visit the attraction based on time available rather than ticket prices.But the hikes(the rise of prices)drew immediate criticism from the industry.The greater tourism industry fears it may harm mainlanders willingness to visit Hong Kong. Joseph Tung Yao-chung, executive director of Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, said the decision was unwise in the current financial climate.He also urged the company to rethink its decision, during an interview with Southern Metropolis Daily.

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Mark began to introduce the guest speaker to the listeners, but then stopped for a while. He had forgotten her name. Barbara hid her valuable things when she went on vacation. When she came back, she couldn't remember where she'd put them. Perhaps you've had such experiences like these. Most people have. But most of them haven't realized that they have a memory problem. Neither do they know a simple but important fact: Memory can be improved. If you'll just accept that, the following will show you how. First, relax. If you are over worried about something, you'll forget it. If you keep telling yourself that your memory is bad, your mind will come to believe it and you won't remember things. When you forget something, don't follow up with saying like "Oh, my god! I always forget things!" Such words will have a bad result on you and your memory. But relaxing isn't enough. To improve your memory, you'll need to take an active role. Like your body, your memory can be made strong through exercise. Look for _ to exercise your memory. For example, if you're learning a language, try to actively remember a lot of new words. If you don't take notice of things actively, you won't remember them. So, you can make pictures of what you see in your mind every day. For example, don't just put your keys down! If you want to find them again, make a mind picture of the place where you're putting them.

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A man had two large pots. One of the pots had a crack in it, so while the other pot always delivered a full pot of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to his house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. This went on every day for years. One day a neighbor asked the man, "One of your pots has been broken for years. It can only deliver half its load, so you don't get full value from your efforts. Why don't you buy a new one?" The man smiled and said, "Please follow me to my house, and you may see some beautiful flowers." On the way to the man's house, the neighbor took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path. The man said to the neighbor, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on one side of the path, but not on the other side? That's because I have always known about the flaw of my pot. I planted flower seeds on one side of the path. Every day when I walk back from the stream, the broken pot waters them. For years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my house. Without the broken pot, I would not have this beauty."

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The British people are among the world's greatest readers of newspapers.It's been the custom ever since most people could read. But why do people want to do nothing but read while traveling to work in a train? Perhaps they are tired, or else they sit behind a newspaper to shut themselves off from the world.All the same, most men would notice a woman struggling with a heavy case and jump up to help her and a pretty girl sitting opposite wouldn't escape their attention either.In this case a paper is useful because they can have a good look at her from behind it without her knowing.Perhaps they do nothing but read.There are stories of girls and young men who met in the rush hours, got married, and went on traveling in the same train hand in hand.

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When I was an official of a school in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly's son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents knew his difficulties, but they always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper. "Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known that the last time I had talked to him would be the last time. If I had only known that, I would have said to him, 'Jim, I love you and I'm always so proud of you.' I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he had brought to the lives of the people who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, his laughter, and his genuine love to other people. "When I put all the good things on the scale and try to balance them with all the irritating things such as the radio that was always too loud, the haircut that wasn't to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., I find that the irritations really don't amount to much. "I won't get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if it may be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the morning of the day when he died. He called me to say, 'Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. You have to go to work now. Bye.' That day, he gave me something to treasure forever. " If there is any purpose at all for Jim's death, maybe it is to make others appreciate life more and to tell people, especially family members, that they should take the time to let each other know just how much they care. You may never have another chance. Do it today!

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How long has 3-D technology been around? Most of us might think of crowds of teenagers in a 1950's movie house watching Bwana Devil in 3-D. But 3-D technology made its first appearance on the scene in 1838 with the first stereoscope . And the first actual 3-D movie was a 1903 film called Le Ariveed'un Train. Although it has such a long history, the technology has still remained based on one simple principle-----to make 3-D effects you must find a way to project two slightly different pictures to each eye. Modern 3-D technology works by rapidly flickering two versions of the movie and projecting them onto each eye. The brain does the rest of the work, combining the two pictures together into one and giving the show the appearance of depth, the third dimension. But does this exposure, especially long exposures, cause harm to the child's developing brain and visual system? Unfortunately, long-term studies on new flicker digital 3-D technology and children aren't yet available. We do not know if regular or daily 3-D viewing over years affects the developing visual system, although older 3-D methods basically do the same thing and are not considered harmful. The question of possible harm in modern 3-D use in TV is really based on two facts: the amount of time children will now be watching 3-D TV each day and the sensitivity some children show in reaction to 3-D viewing. It is difficult to make actual lab studies of longer term 3-D viewing in children because of the possible harm of the experiment. Researchers will have to wait until 3-D TV technology is already in the marketplace for a number of years, then check heavy 3-D TV watchers and compare them with non-watchers. With a 3-D television technology in the home, we will soon be able to answer the question of whether or not longer and more frequent periods of 3-D exposure cause more changes in the visual system. We may find that the bigger problem is the introduction of a new technology that leads to even more time spent on TV rather than playing outdoors.

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Today, most people follow a routine, such that they are caught in a cycle of running around the clock without getting any breathing space to enjoy a satisfying life. If you could only take a pause and inspect your routine with a new outlook, you would find that it is actually easy to make some positive changes in life. Making time for yourself is one such positive change. Waking up early gives you ample time to exercise, have your breakfast peacefully, look after your garden, and then get on with the rest of your day. Morning time can be effectively used for planning the day ahead. As a result, you will get enough time to plan your schedule in a better manner. By maintaining a diary of daily tasks, you offer yourself enough time to prepare your schedule, besides not leaving out the important things that need to be done. By writing down the daily activities at hand, you can make necessary changes to the next day's schedule effectively. You don't have to spend hours in a gym every day to stay fit and healthy. In fact, even if you devote just around 20 to 30 minutes daily to exercises like stretching and walking, it can work wonders. Well, the option of using public transport to save time, at first glance, may not seem to be a good idea. However, by using public transit, you will get the time to read books or make those important calls. You would be amazed to know how reading transforms your thought process and personality as a whole. When you get habitual to watching TV, you waste so much time doing nothing constructive. Many a time, you are not really interested in watching TV. In such cases, you need to break free of this habit and invest your precious time in something worthwhile. Paint something or play a game of chess with your kids. This way, you not only make quality time for yourselves, but also create a positive environment at home. Internet surfing, these days, is one of the top time-wasting activities around. Internet users, over time, get habitual to surfing the Internet purposelessly. In fact, Internet surfing is a kind of addiction which many of us find difficult to get rid of. Thus, reducing the amount of time you are on the Internet is one way to save time for yourself. A fast-paced life should not be an excuse that is used not to look after yourself. In fact, such a lifestyle should be the very reason for you to treat yourself with great care and make more time for yourself.

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Chess Club The Chess Club is open to anyone interested in chess, including the _ , the expert, or anyone in between! Club meetings include opportunities to play others as well as to plan tournaments . Advisor: Behrooz Vakil Telephone: 636-922-8347 Communications Club The Communications Club seeks, provides and promotes insight about the practical uses of communication amongst the campus community through education and opportunity. One of our club activities is to invite practitioners to our meetings to make presentations on communication activities (e.g. case studies such as information campaigns, international communications, public relation efforts). Advisor: Lee Ann Nelson Telephone: 636-922-8327 Global Student Network Global Student Network (GSN) provides the opportunity for international students and others to share their experiences and cultures with each other. GSN hopes to educate the college and local community about their cultures and countries and to learn more about American culture from the college and local community. Advisor: Michelle Killeen Telephone: 636-922-8566 Soccer Club The Soccer Club provides opportunity for both men and women. During the fall, the men's team plays in the Mid-America Collegiate Soccer League and the women's team plays in the Clayton City League. Students are required to take part in tryouts in order to participate in league or tournament competition. Tryouts or practices begin in August. In the spring, the club scrimmages on Friday afternoons from 1-3 p.m. and hosts a fundraiser soccer competition. The spring season begins in April and ends in May. A student must have a copy of his primary medical insurance policy and a copy of a current physical examination before participation. Advisor: Darren Osburn Telephone: 636-922-8564

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We often hear people talking about a generation gap . The name is new,but the idea is old. Young people and their parents don't understand each other. The world has always kept changing. During the second century after Christ a wise man said, "Bury me on my face because in a little while everything will be turned upside down." There has always been a gap between generations, but more people talk about it now. Old Mr. Ellis thinks he understands what has happened. "When I was a boy, I thought the world was a beautiful place. My life was very pleasant. But when I was older, I learned about people who were treated badly, people who didn't have enough to eat. I wanted to help them, and I married a girl who wanted to help them, too. We went to meetings and talked a lot, but it didn't seem to make much difference. ""Our children grew up in a world at war. They didn't know when the fighting would stop. They wanted their children to have nice clothes and toys. They didn't want to think about the future. They thought nothing could be done about it." "Now I have grandchildren, and they have their own ideas. They are trying to make the world better. They are trying to help other people. They're making people listen to them. I am proud of their generation."

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In 2004,the World Health Organization,WHO,warned of a possible outbreak of another serious disease which may be even more deadly than SARS.The WHO believes that it is likely that bird flu will spread to human beings in the next few years.If it does,up to seven millions people could die from the disease. Diseases like bird flu are caused by viruses,that is,tiny things which change and be come more dangerous over time.When a new type of a common virus changes,it may be able to get past the body'S immune system.If that happens,humans are in great danger until a cure or treatment becomes available. There have always been viruses and people always get sick,of course,but as we saw with SARS,the situation is more difficult today.People travel more than ever before,which means that disease can spread quickly and across large areas----in fact the whole world. Scientists are already working on drugs that will prevent or limit the effect of a new virus,but the process takes time.It is just as important to make sure that countries,especially poor countries,are prepared to deal with the disease. New disease usually affect poor areas the most,so we must help develop health care in all countries.

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As an English teacher, one of the most common problems I've found with my students is their lack of confidence with speaking, and difficulty in understanding native speakers. Another problem could be that a foreign language taught in schools can sound quite different to what native speakers actually use. There are a few English words and expressions that I'd never heard until I came to China. The most common one in my experience is "How are you? I'm fine, thank you, and you?" I appreciate that although this greeting is much too formal for everyday use - it's easy to learn and helps build confidence. However, it can be a hard habit to break. I've seen many parents correct their kids if they don't use that exact phrase, as if simply replying "I'm fine" would somehow be rude. In fact I'm banning my students from saying that in the classroom, insisting a simple "I'm fine, thanks" is good enough. "Seldom" is another one that I find interesting. The first time a student told me "I seldom watch TV", my initial reaction was a stupefied look, followed by "Huh?" I then realized the student used "seldom" when it's more common for us to use "rarely." I was just as confused when I first heard a toilet referred to as a WC (water closet), another English term I'd never heard of back in Australia. Of course, my students know the other names for it like bathroom, toilet, washroom etc. so to prefer that name is an interesting choice. I don't mind that my students have substituted familiar English words with their own, far from it. It reminds me how creative they can be with not only their language, but with mine as well. It's healthy for English to evolve and change and I'm happy to add these new words to my vocabulary. One important lesson I've learnt is that textbooks can only help you so much. For further improvement you'd better practice with native speakers.

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A rocket began countdown . It was a common sound in the 1960s. But this was not just another countdown. It was the beginning of a historic event. It was the countdown of Apollo 11 -the space fligh that would carry men to the first landing on the moon. In the spaceship at the top of the rocket were three American astronauts whose names would soon be known around the world: Neil Armstrong. Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins. Neil Armstrong was the commander of the spaceship. Edwin Aldrin was the pilot of the moon lander. The astronauts gave it the name the Eagle. Michael Collins was the pilot of the command module , Columbia. He would wait in orbit around the moon while Armstrong and Aldrin landed and explored the surface. On Earth, all activity seemed to stop. President Richard Nixon gave federal government workers the day off to watch the moon landing on television. Around the world, 500 million people watched the television report. Countless millions more listened on their radios. Armstrong and Aldrin started the lander rocket engine. It slowed the spacecraft and sent it down toward the landing place. It was in an area known as the "Sea of Tranquility ". The moon lander, controlled by a computer, dropped toward the airless surface of the moon. 140 meters from the surface, the astronauts look control of the lander from the computer. They moved the Eagle forward, away from a very rocky area that might have caused a difficult landing. It took the astronauts more than three hours to complete the preparations for leaving the lander. It was difficult - in the Eagle's small space - to get into space suits that would protect them on the moon's surface. Finally, Armstrong and Aldrin were ready. They opened the door. Armstrong went out first and moved slowly down the ladder. At 2:56 on July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong put his foot on the moon. "That's one small step for man,"he said, "one giant leap for mankind."

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My wife passed away seven and a half years ago, and I went through a huge depression , the worst time in my life. I even wanted to end my life. I continued to work as a small-town doctor at my medical clinic in Kilauea, Hawaii. My kids had gone to live on the mainland, and I was alone. On a family trip, we turned on the TV and saw the second plane crash into the World Trade Center. I said to my kids, "I'm going to Afghanistan." International Medical Corps sent me to set up 20 clinics in some provinces where people had no health care. Eventually, the clinics were serving 27,000 patients a month. I had such a sense of accomplishment, a sense of purpose. My depression went completely away. I go wherever disasters strike: Indonesia after the tsunami, Pakistan after the earthquake. I was just in Kenya. After their presidential election, at least a thousand people were killed and hundreds of thousands were forced out. We set up mobile clinics in an area with 19,000 refugees . _ broke out, one of the biggest killers of kids in refugee camps, and it spread like wildfire. Water and medical equipment were also problems. When my wife passed away, I thought my life was done. But really, it was just getting started. At the end of her life, my wife fell into a coma . I held her head in my hands and told her of all the places we would visit, the exciting adventures we would have. I think about this moment many times during my "adventures". I did not know then how prophetic those words would be. She is with me still.

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All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. That saying holds true not only for you and me, but also for some of the most powerful and influential people in the world, such as the presidents of the United States. But how do American presidents spend their vacation time? Let's take a look! Franklin D. Roosevelt, considered one of the greatest presidents in American history, had limited vacation options because of his polio . He began visiting Warm Springs, Georgia in 1924 for its curative waters and later built a 2,000 acre polio treatment center nearby. He liked to cruise the Potomacon his yacht and three times as president returned to his beloved Canadian island of Campobello, with which he fell in love as a kid. Former President Bill Clinton, however, was never much good at vacationing. His staff had to practically force him to go on vacation his first year in office; his idea of relaxing was reading four good books simultaneously while enjoying a cigar (chewed, not smoked). He could also lose himself in a game of golf, where his somewhat flexible interpretation of the rules could at times drive his partners crazy. Obama's predecessor also knows how to relax. Fishing is in the Bush family DNA: for blue sharks off the coast of Maine or anything with fins, almost anywhere else. George W. Bush also relaxed as president by jogging and clearing brush on his Texas ranch. Since leaving office, he has become an active mountain biker and, more recently, has taken up painting. Obama tends to take a winter break in Hawaii, where he was born and raised, and a summer vacation in Martha's Vineyard, off the southern coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In between, he plays basketball every couple of weeks and has been known to do some skeet shooting at Camp David. Obama's favorite pastime, no matter the location, has become easy to spot: golf.

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BEIJING, Oct.14(Xinhua)----A total of 120 middle school students from 35 countries will attend the final of an international China language contest, to be held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality from Oct.16 to 30. The candidates, aged from 15 to 20,must be from foreign countries and not native Chinese speakers, said a statement issued by the Chinese language Council (CLC),the contest's organizer, here Thursday. All of the candidates have passed the preliminary contests held in their own countries. According to the organizer, the competition will have a top prize, five second prizes,10 third prizes and a dozen prizes for special talents.The organizer will also launch an online vote for "the most liked candidate." It was the third year China has held the contest. "The competition not only tests the proficiency of Chinese language but also the candidates capability to communicate across different cultures."the statement said. All the candidates in the final will receive scholarships from the Chinese government.said Hu Hangyu, an official with the Education Bureau of the Chongqing Municipality, jointly organizing the contest. They will also meet local Chinese students and live with Chinese families, Hu said. "The competition is to meet the increasing demand for Chinese learning by foreign youngsters."said Xu Lin.the CLC director. The CLC has also hosted similar contest for foreign college students since 2002. China has been working to promote Chinese language learning abroad over the past few years.According to the CLC, the country had 282 Confucius Institutes and 272 "Confucius Classrooms" in 88 countries and regions as of 2009 since the first one was established in 2004.

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Scientists have transformed men's minds into avirtual woman's body in an experiment that could throw light upon how humans distinguish themselves form others. In a study at Barcelona University, men wore a virtual reality headset that allowed them to see and hear the world as a female character. When they looked down, they could even see their new body and clothes. The "body-swapping" effect was so convincing that the men's sense of self was transferred into the virtual woman, causing them to react to events in the virtual world they wereimmersed . "This work opens up another avenue for virtual reality, which is not just to transform your sense of place, but also your sense of self," said Mel Slater, "If you can temporarily give people the illusion that their bodies are different, then the evidence suggests it also affects their behavior and the way they think. They can have new experiences: a person who is thin can know what it is like to be fat. A man can have an experience of what it's like to be a woman." During the experiment, a "female" approached and hit the face of the character another man was playing. "Their reaction was immediate," said Slate. "They would take in a quick breath and maybeflinch . The more people reported being in the girl's body, the stronger physical reaction they had." But in all cases, the feeling was temporary and lasted only as long as the study. The study shows that our minds have a very fluid picture of our bodies. The research is expected to shed light on the puzzle of how our brain tells the difference between a part of our own body and something else in the wider world. Thus the work might improve the conditions for those who have experienced strokes by placing them in a world that helps them to use their bodies to the full again.

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If you see a group of kids hitting and abusing an animal, would you stop them? Would you at least call the police? Again people would walk away. Some people do not believe that animal abuse is a big issue. Every day animals are abused in their homes or on the streets. It seems as if politicians do nothing to stop this issue. Everyone is worried about education and global warming. What about animals? We should not ignore them just because they cannot talk to us. Animals, like us humans, have rights. Every living being has the right to warm shelter and good food, but most importantly, they have the right to be wanted and loved. They have the right to be a special, much loved member of their own family. There are many organizations that deal with abused animals or animals that have no home like ASPCA, PETA, the Humane Society and many more. There are organizations that deal with this issue, but that does not mean that we still shouldn't help. The biggest saying that bothers me is, "I am only one person. I can't make a difference." If everyone thought like that, we wouldn't have the organizations and loving people who help the world every day. By helping one animal, you are making a difference. There are many things you can do right now to help animals around your neighborhood. You can volunteer at your local animal shelter, raise money for animal shelters, inform your community about animal abuse or you can write to your representatives and tell them that animal abuse needs to be taken seriously. As you walk down the street, try to help any animals you see walking around. You can easily buy a cheap box of dry cat or dog food to feed the animals. If we do not help our animals now, we may never have animals again. Always remember that with every step you take, you help save an animal's life and isn't that worth fighting for?

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I paid a visit to Cambridge last January. Though the trip took me 5 hours and it rained the whole day with strong winds there, the town deserved a visit. The bus started at 6:10 a. m. It stopped at 4 airports before we finally arrived,which wasted more time than we expected. Tired with long sitting,one passenger stood up to relax his numbed legs. The driver asked him to sit down but in vain. So he pulled up and said seriously, "Either you get off or sit down." To him, safety is the first policy. Cambridge consists of over thirty colleges. The oldest part of the university was built in the 13th century while the newest was founded in the mid 1960s.The number of the students is so great that many students live in lodgings and move into college for their final year. Cambridge is called a university town because there is no clear separation between the university buildings and the rest of the city. The university is not just one part of the town;it is all over the town. The heart of Cambridge has shops,pubs,and supermarkets,but most of it is university-colleges,departments,libraries,clubs and other places for university staff and students. Students fill the shops,cafes,banks and churches,making these as well part of the university. With over 10,000 undergraduates and postgraduates, the town is a busy place indeed. Students here are not allowed to keep cars. If you happen to be walking in the street during a break,better stop a moment to avoid the boiling sea of bicycles hurrying in all directions,carrying students from one college or lecture room to another.

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Many things -- genetics, environment, the food you eat, illness, sleep, even the seasons -- influence your emotional state. But at the heart of it is how you regard yourself. If you have a healthy level of self-esteem, you not only cope with life's challenges better than people with low self-esteem, but you're probably more content, confident, and successful. You're probably also healthier. Studies show that positive self-esteem actually helps inoculate (......) people against depression and anxiety, conditions that may present increased risk of everything from colds to heart diseases. Most people's good sense of worth is rooted in their childhood -- in the early approval of their parents, teachers, and friends. But as we get older, most of us judge ourselves by our sense of how effectively we're managing in the world, especially in the areas of love and work. Our ability to love and to be loved can give us a sense of purpose and deep fulfillment. We can also find satisfaction and pride in work-related accomplishments and the people we meet and work with can reinforce our sense of self and our role in life. Once midlife comes along, however, our self-esteem can take a turn in response to changes in our lives. Marital relationship may change, children may leave home , and we may begin to scale back our work as we approach retirement. Of course, the view in the mirror may not be what it used to be, either. If you find your self-esteem eroding a bit, try to build it up again. As the saying goes, it's better to try something and fail than to be successful at not trying anything . Focus on goals that are linked to activities you're really interested in, so you'll enjoy a sense of purpose and gain pleasure from the pursuit whether or not you achieve your goal in full.

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Bursting into the classroom from recess , 15 children take their seats and face the woman they know as Ms. Yang. "What day is it today?"she asks, in Mandarin Chinese. "Confucius' birthday!"the fifth graders shout in Mandarin. "Why do we celebrate Confucius' birthday?" "Because he's the greatest teacher in the history of China!"exclaims a brown-haired girl. She too is speaking Mandarin. English is rarely heard in Lisa Yang's class at the Chinese American International School(CAIS), despite the fact that few students are native speakers of Mandarin. The United States is actively trying to increase the group of students in"critical languages"such as Mandarin. The students at CAIS are way ahead in such a trend. Mandarin explosion in America Founded 25 years ago, this small private school in San Francisco, USA, does what few other American schools do: It produces fully fluent speakers of Mandarin Chinese, by far the most commonly spoken language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is suddenly hot in American schools. As China becomes the world's leading economy sometimes this century, schools in the U.S. are _ to add Mandarin to their roster of foreign languages or expand Chinese programs already in place. "It really is almost unprecedented . People are looking at China as a force to be reckoned with...And to ensure that the U.S. has the ability to conduct trade, and to work with the Chinese, certainly having an understanding of Chinese language and culture is an advantage,"said Marty Abbott of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages(ACTFL) . Cultural differences in teaching styles To develop Chinese-language programs has not been smooth. A shortage of trained teachers has made it difficult for some schools to join the race. When schools do get teachers, they often hire them straight from China, and the teachers usually suffer culture shock when they come to the U.S. Robert Liu remembers his first two years in an American classroom. It was not an easy adjustment. "In China, students respect their teachers,"he said. Liu found that American students, however, expect an active teaching style. He had to use games to engage them rather than lectures. To avoid many of the problems with foreign teaching styles, the CAIS has been working with the Chinese government to improve training of teachers who are sent to the U.S.

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It is well known that the Japanese people's love of fish is almost as a bee's interest in honey. As fish populations were decreasing, fishing companies were forced to fish further and further away from the shore. Then they had a big challenge -how to keep the fish fresh for longer. So they decided to keep the fish stored in freezers on the boats. But the public did not like frozen fish. So again the fishing companies had a new bigger challenge. What they decided to do was to have fish tanks on their boats. After catching fishes, they would put them in the tanks and keep them living there until they got back to shore. But in this protected environment, lacking predators ,the fish stopped moving around. The Japanese public felt these dull fish did not taste fresh, which had an unpleasant effect upon sales. Once again the fishing companies had an even bigger challenge. Stop for a minute! Before we go any further, I would like to ask "What are your challenges? How do you handle an unexpected challenge?" May I think it this way that you should try to attack your challenges? Conquer them with a Swiss Army knife. Take the most proper and simple tool that you can adopt to deal with your situation. Now back to our story. How did the Japanese finally figure out the fresh fish problem?Sharks! You might think the same. Sharks were caught and put into the tanks with other fishes. Don't sharks eat fish? Well, they do eat a few fish, but they did also keep more fish active and alert . The fish stay fresh because they are challenged. _ to offer yourself a challenge in your own business and career.

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Robert Spring, a 19th century forger , was as good at his profession that he was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of famous Americans. Spring was born in England in 1813 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a bookstore. At first he make some money by selling his small but genuine of early U.S. autographs . Discovering his ability at copying handwriting, he began imitating signatures of George Washington and Ban Franklin and writing them on the title pages of old books. To make less the chance of detection , he sent his forgeries to England and Canada for sale and circulation . Forgers have a hard time selling their products. A forger can't approach a respectable buyer but must deal with people who don't have much knowledge in the field. Forgers have many ways to make their work look real. For example, they buy old books to use the aged paper of the title page, and they can treat paper and ink with chemicals. In Spring's time, right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the Southern states, so Spring invented a respectable maiden lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General "Stonewall" Jackson. For several years Miss Fanny's economic problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts belonging to her famous father. Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand. All this activity did not prevent Spring from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eye experts the difficult task of separating this forgeries from the originals.

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Just about every week now, we read a newspaper headline about the genetic basis for breast cancer, intelligence, orobesity. Such news stories may lead us to believe our lives are being _ by genetic discoveries. We may be close to changing and getting rid of mental illness, for example and identify the causes of crime,personality, and other basichuman weaknesses. But these hopes, it turns out, are based on faulty assumptions about genes and behavior. In many cases, people are motivated to accept research claims by the hope of finding solutions for frightening problems, like breast cancer. Accepting genetic causes for their characteristics can relieve guilt about behavior they want to change but can't. Efforts made to fight against them, at growing expense, have made little or no visible progress. The public wants to hear that science can help. Meanwhile, genetic claims are being made for many ordinary and abnormal behaviors, from addictiontoshynessand even to political views anddivorce. If who we are is determined from pregnancy, then our efforts to change or to influence our children may be useless. There may also be no basis for insisting that people behave themselves and obey laws. Thus, the revolution in thinking about genes has great consequences for how we view ourselves as human beings. Most claims linking emotional disorders and behaviors to genes are statistical in nature. The research finds are insufficient for deciding that alcoholism or manic-depression is inherited. In the late 1980s, genes for manic-depression were identified by teamsof geneticists. The claims have now been definitively proved wrong. Genetic data on the major mental illnesses make it clear that they can't be reduced to purely genetic causes. According to Myrna Weissman, Ph.D., Americans born before 1905 had a 1 percent rate of depression by age 75. Among Americans born a half century later, 6 percent become depressed by age 24! Similarly, while the average age at which manic-depression first appears was 32 in the mid 1960s, its average beginning today is 19. Only social factors can produce such large shifts in rate and age of beginning of mental disorders in a few decades. Scientists actively debate whether disorders like alcoholismare more or less biologically driven. If they are mainly biological--rather than psychological, social, and cultural--then there may be a genetic basis for them. In 1990,Kenneth Blum, Ph.D., of the University of Texas, and Ernest Noble, M.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles, found a certain gene in 70 percent of a group of alcoholics, but in only 20 percent of a non-alcoholic group. But in 1993 Joel Gelernter, M.D., of Yale and his colleagues surveyed all the studies that examined this gene and alcoholism. Different from Blum andNoble'sresearch, the results were that 18 percent of non-alcoholics, 18 percent of problem drinkers, and 18 percent of severe alcoholics all had the gene. As for Blum and Noble's work, a more reasonable model is that genes may affect how people experience alcohol. Perhaps some people's nerves are more activated by alcohol. But although genes can influence reactions to alcohol, they cannot explain why some people continue drinking to the point of destroying their lives. Therefore, claims that our genes cause our problems, our misbehavior, even our personalities are more a mirror of our culture's attitudes than a window for human understanding and change.

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Deaf teenagers Orlando Chavez and German Resendiz have been friends since kindergarten. Together the two boys, who go to Escondido High School in California, have had the difficult job of learning in schools where the majority of the students can speak and hear. Orlando lost his hearing at the age of one. German was born deaf, and his parents moved from Mexico to find a school where he could learn sign language. He met Orlando on their first day of kindergarten. "We were in a special class with about 25 other deaf kids," German remembers. "Before then, I didn't know I was deaf and that I was different." "Being young and deaf in regular classes was very hard," signs Orlando. "The other kids didn't understand us and we didn't understand them. But we've all grown up together, and today, I'm popular because I'm deaf. Kids try hard to communicate with me." Some things are very difficult for the two boys."We can't talk on the phone, so if we need help, we can't call an emergency service," German signs. "And we can't order food in a drive-thru." Despite their difficulties, the two boys have found work putting food in bags at a local supermarket. They got their jobs through a "workability" program, designed for teenagers from local schools with different types of learning disabilities. German has worked in the supermarket since August, and Orlando started in November. "The other people who work here have been very nice to us," Orlando signs."They even sign sometimes. At first, we were nervous, but we've learned a lot and we're getting better." The opportunity to earn money has been exciting, both boys said. After high school, they hope to attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in New York.

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Soap operas from South Korea have been popular in China for two decades now. So, it is not the first time Chinese TV dramas have paled in comparison. But this time, the one-two punch from The Heirs and My Love From the Star really hurts. A senior official freely admitted to being an occasional participant in the vast club of Korean soap watchers. It has also been reported that he follows House of Cards, an American political thriller that would understandably fascinate him. His remark opened the flood gate of complaints about why we are falling behind in the creative industry. Most seem to agree that, given some content limits, China's television industry is not able to produce something like House of Cards, which is very dark and filled with conspiracy . But there is a concern about our inability to make something as entertaining as My Love from the Star, a Korean love story about a time-traveling professor and a proud movie star. Judging from Chinese shows in recent years, time travel is not strictly forbidden, but allowed when it is used as a background and handled with kid gloves. A series of palace dramas is built on the plot that the female leading character is transported from contemporary times back to ancient China, playing the game of an unhappy girl and a real prince coming to her rescue. There are many reasons why Chinese soap operas have become the favorite punching bag. Among them is the most important one that the industry itself has never set right its mechanism for operation. The role of the creator, the most important job for American TV series programming that is often taken on by the head writer, is vacant in China. Because Chinese television came from the film industry, few have realized that, unlike director-dominated films, TV is the art of the writer, which is accepted in almost all countries with highly developed television industries.

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My grandmother pointed at a picture of a six-year-old me and asked, "Sweetie, do you see that?" Studying my younger self, I smiled and nodded. "That's my granddaughter," Grandma said. "She lives in Connecticut. She must be.'.Well, I've forgotten how old she'd be now!" My smile froze and my hands began to shake. My grandmother had Alzheimer's disease. It seemed impossible for her to be unable to look after herself. Gradually, not remembering where she placed her glasses became not remembering where her house was, which became not always remembering my name. My birthday gifts from grandma used to be highly expected; she always knew exactly what to get and her cards would make me smile. Now, my gift from her is really from my father, who buys a present in her name since she doesn't remember when my birthday is.^birthday card without her writing just reminds me that my grandmother isn't the same anymore. I feel sad about it and I find a great comfort through writing. Writing my memories on paper helps me to deal with what is happening and to see Grandma as the~she truly is. Strangely enough, recording my sadness reduced~of the pain. I know it's her strength that pulls me through the hard times. So now, when I sit on the chair next to Grandma and know she can't remember my name, I swallow the bitter medicine of disappointment and smile.

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What's the difference between the British Isles, Britain, the United Kingdom and England? The British Isles is made up of two large islands: One is called Ireland and the other Britain. Britain, or Great Britain, is the larger of these two islands and it is divided into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England. The United Kingdom (UK) is short for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is made up of Scotland, Wales, and England (i.e. the whole of Britain), and also about one-sixth of Ireland, the Northern part. The rest of Ireland is self-governing . England is the largest, most populous , and generally speaking, the richest section. English people often use the words "England" and "English" when they mean "Britain" and "British". This sometimes makes the Scots and the Welsh angry. The Scots are very proud of their separate nationality. The Welsh too do not consider themselves as England, and have a culture and even a language of their own. Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1801, but is soon grew discontented , and for forty years the "Irish Question" was the greatest headache of British Parliament . At last, Ireland divided itself into two: Northern Ireland remained loyal to the Crown , and in 1922 the rest of the country broke away to form Irish Free State, now the Republic of Ireland.

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Although cats may be one of the most popular pets today, little is known about how and when humans and cats set up their close relationship. The earliest evidence for human-cat interaction dates back to prehistoric Cyprus , where the remains of a wild cat and a human -- dated 9,500 years old -- were found buried together. A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has confirmed the first direct evidence of a human-domestic cat relationship among Chinese farmers 5,300 years ago. Researchers studied the bones of cats, dogs, deer and other animals unearthed in an excavation near a village in Central China. By using some ways, scientists showed that the cats were living on a mostly millet -based diet, just like the domesticated dogs and pigs from the site. "The most reasonable explanation for a high consumption of millet-based food is that the cats had formed a stable and mutual relationship with humans and could easily feed on rodents around human villages, find leftover food or even have been fed by people intentionally," said Hu Yaowu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, whose research focuses on the relationship between humans and domesticated animals. "It is very interesting for us to find the consumption of millet-based foods by the cats, since this kind of evidence had long been missing." Hu explains. Since cats usually eat meat, such a diet would be unexpected, unless the cats were being fed by people, the study argues. The researchers also found that one of the cats survived to reach old age, implying that it had a safe place to live and enough to eat. Why the farmers wanted to keep cats nearby or make them "pets" could be answered by other evidence. Chinese archaeologists found some storage containers were specifically designed to keep out rodents -- a vermin that cats could certainly have helped with. The simplified theory is that rats were attracted to the food of farmers, and so were harmful to farmers. Cats were attracted to the rats, and so farmers formed a mutually beneficial relationship with cats, taking care of them in return for pest control.

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"Hurry, Mommy! Let's go trick-or-treating!" My daughter waited by the door in her pink princess skirt while I prayed in the living room. Usually I liked taking her out on Halloween, but this year I was sad. I was worried about my mother, who was in China on vacation. I got a call that afternoon that she had slipped and fallen on the hard floor of her hotel and broken her leg. She was taken to a hospital in Beijing. Mom was nervous because she couldn't understand any of the doctors. If only I could do something to help her! I knew I couldn't let my worries spoil my daughter's fun. There was nothing I could do for Mom except pray, I thought. We left the house and went down the block. I was so upset that I hardly took notice of the kids around me. There came the man to whose son I'd once given piano lessons. "Hello there," I said, greeting him and the boy at his side. "Hello," the father answered. "Having fun?""I'm trying," I said. "Why, what's wrong?" he asked. I told him the whole story. "My mother, in China, broke her leg and didn't understand any of the doctors. And I'm too far away to do anything!" I said. He raised his eyebrows. "Beijing, you said?" he asked. I nodded. He smiled. "Believe it or not, my sister is a doctor at an English-speaking hospital there. If you want, I'll make a call right away and we'll try and get your mom transferred ." A few days later I sat in the living room with my daughter as she finished the last of the candy. "Mommy, how far away is China?" she asked. "Not as far as I thought," I said.

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Teens don't understand the big fuss .As the first generation to grow up in a wired world,they hardly know a time when computers weren't around,and they eagerly catch the chance to spend hours online,chatting with friends.So what? But researchers nationwide are increasingly worried that teens are becoming isolated ,less skillful at person-to-person relationships,and perhaps numb to the cheatings that are so much a part of the e-mail world."And a teen's sense of self and values may be changed in a world where personal connections can be limitless,"said Sherry Turkle. Another researcher,Robert Kraut,said he's worried about the "opportunity costs" of so much online time for youths.He found that teens who used computers,even just a few hours a week,showed increased signs of loneliness and social isolation."Chatting online may be better than watching television,but it's worse than hanging out with real friends,"he said. Today's teens,however,don't see anything strange in the fact that the computer takes up a central place in their social lives."School is busy and full of pressure.There's almost no time to just hang out,"said Parker Rice,17."Talking online is just catch-up time." Teens say they feel good about what they say online or taking the time to think about a reply.Some teens admit that asking someone for a date,or breaking up,can be easier in message form,though they don't want to do so.But they insist there's no harm.

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British author JK Rowling was at the release of her latest Harry Potter book called "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at the Natural History Museum in London, Friday July 20, 2007. J.K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel, a British newspaper reported Saturday. The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Ian Rankin, a fellow author and neighbor of Rowling's, as saying the creator of the "Harry Potter" books is turning to crime fiction. "My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel," the newspaper quoted Rankin as telling a reporter at an Edinburgh literary festival. "It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes," said Rankin, who is known for his own police novels set in the historic Scottish city. Rowling famously wrote initial drafts of the Potter story in the Scottish city's cafes. Back then, she was a struggling single mother who wrote in cafes to save on the heating bill at home. Now she's Britain's richest woman - worth $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine - and her seven Potter books have sold more than 335 million copies worldwide. In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Rowling said she believed she was unlikely to repeat the success of the Potter series, but confirmed she had plans to work on new books. "I'll do exactly what I did with Harry - I'll write what I really want to write," Rowling said.

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It was time to break free. I needed to run away and the Bloomsburg Fair was the best place to go. I don't know if you can call it running away when it was only an hour away from my home.But once I entered the fair grounds, I crossed over into another world.The loudspeaker offered background music over the sounds of people talking, bargaining and food sellers yelling for your attention. I belonged here.I didn't know if I had it in my blood or not, but I always wanted to have a small food stand and travel in my off season from fair to fair selling goodies.Perhaps one day.It certainly wasn't a priority in my life , Perhaps it should be. After I was there a while, I needed to get away to a quiet spot.Most of the time, I could find that anywhere the farm animals were kept. They needed the quiet.So I went there to find peace with the cows, goats, horses, pigs and yes, the turkeys.You'd think being this close to "Thanksgiving", they'd be a little scared, but they were not. It was in the dairy barn where I found peace this time.I so admired the young folks who tended to farm animals.I thought they had a greater appreciation for life.They participated in it firsthand.I once watched a young farmer help bring a baby cow into the world. My favorite scene was to come across a young cowboy lying in the hay asleep among the cows that had settled down for a rest.There, with his heads in a small soft spot alongside his favorite cow, I had seen him in a much deserved sleep.Perhaps better at rest there than in his own bed. I had the pleasure of speaking with a young teenage farm girl that day. "You look so comfortable," I said to her. "Oh I am," she said."Life makes it comfortable for me." "You mean being a farm girl?" "No, Life! That's the name of my cow," she said, smiling as she gently patted the cow's side. "I thought they called cows Betsy and Elsie.Why did you call her Life?" "I discovered life again here.It was the only meaningful name that came to mind.I had been raised in the big city and really hated _ .Then we moved to the country, running away from it.I think my parents called it a mid-life crisis," she said, laughing. "Oh, I can understand that.I've been in one since birth," I said. "It was on the farm that I learned to love life again.I was there when Life was born.It was so exciting.My whole outlook on the world changed.So I named her Life.Now, I can say I really love 'Life'," she said. "How amazing! I write stories and J am always trying to get people to enjoy life, to wake up each day expecting the best from it.But they all too often go to bed with so much bad stuff in their soul, and on their mind, that they wake up feeling bad and expect it to only get worse from there. All too often it does, just because that's all they choose to see in that otherwise perfectly beautiful day," I told her. "That's too bad.They need to see a cow born, a chicken hatch.I guess they need to wake up early and hug Life!" she said, laughing. "When was the last time you hugged Life" she asked me. "I am sorry to say even I have had trouble doing that lately," I said. "Come here!" she said. Then standing up and stepping aside, she said, "Go ahead...hug Life!" I paused for a moment and dropping all thoughts of looking silly, I did.I hugged a cow.

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After many years on the endangered list of animals, Japan'sAmami Black rabbit can finally breathe a sigh of relief -- That's because this year, the rare animal is no longer in danger of dying out! The effort to save the dark-furred rabbit, often called "a living fossil", began in 1921, when the Japanese government promoted it to the status of "natural monument". This meant that it could not be hunted down for food. However, when that did not work, it got yet another promotion to "special natural monument", which meant that the rabbit could not be trapped or hunted. While that helped, it was not enough -- By 2004 with only 2,000-5,000 specimen left in the wild, the Amami rabbit was officially declared endangered! The reason for the serious population decrease was due to loss of habitat caused by forest clearing for home and agriculture use and the introduction of a new species not native to the island -- the Mongoose. Brought in to get rid of the snake population, the Mongoose instead seemed to prefer the black rabbit. In 2005, the government carried out a strict mongoose capture order and slowly but surely, the rabbit started to come back. This rabbit live in a rather unusual lifestyle. Its ideal habitat is a forest that features both trees and large grasses -- the former to find acorns to feed on and the latter, to hide its babies. That's because to protect them from being eaten by their enemies, the Amami rabbit buries them deep into the ground among the grasses and covers them up with dirt during the day. Then, in the middle of the night, still keeping a _ eye out for their enemies, it digs them out from their hiding place and feeds them. No wonder the animal is sometimes called "midnight rabbit". Though many measures have been taken to stop this furry animal from being wiped out from the world, there are many more that are still in danger. We surely hope that officials in other parts of the worldtry their best to save the endangered species.

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Swaying palm trees,turquoiseblue water and sugarwhite sand make beach lovers sigh with delight.But not all beaches have those ingredients.The most interesting beaches come in different shapes,sizes and colors. Those who want beauty and something unique can go to the Seychells' La Digue Island.Large granite rock formations overlook beautiful,whitesand beaches.The pinkishgrey rocks look like sculptures that have been forgotten on the beach.Tourists traveling to La Digue Island to see the unique rocks will also discover one of the world's most beautiful islands. Hawaii's Big Island has one of the rarest beaches of all--a beach made up entirely of green sand.The sand,which is formed by dark green crystals called olivine ,is deposited by volcanic activity.Green Sand Beach lies on the slopes of the world's largest active volcano,Mauna Loa. One of the world's most unusual beaches lies on the island of Santorini,Greece.The sand on Red Beach gets its reddish color from the red volcanic rocks that make up the cliffs around the beach.Tourists flock to see the red sand,making Red Beach one of Santorini's most popular beach destinations. Black sand makes up the huge beach of Karakare.Through the years,volcanic sand mixed with iron ash to form this black beach on New Zealand's wild,west coast.Many have seen Karekare in the movie The Piano and the TV show Xena:Warrior Princess. With all the beautiful beaches in the world,beach lovers have lots of choices.But for those ready for something different,a unique beach vacation might be just the ticket!

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Stanley Yelnats was given a choice. The judge said,"You may go to prison,or you may go to Camp Green Lake."Stanley was from a poor family. He had never been to camp before. So, Stanley Yelnats seems set to serve an easy sentence,which is only fair because he is as innocent as you or me. But Stanley is not going where he thinks he is. Camp Green Lake is like no other camp anywhere. It is a place that has no lake and nothing green. Nor is it a camp,at least not the kind of camp kids look forward to in the summertime. It is only a desert wasteland,dotted with countless holes dug by the boys who live at the camp. At Camp Green Lake,the warden makes the boys" build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes:five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is searching for something,and before long Stanley begins his own search--for the truth. Fate is to find a solution to it all--the family curse,the mystery of the holes. The great wheel of justice has ground slowly for generations,but now it is about to reveal its verdict .

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Hong Kong, a city of seven million--and growing fast. By the year 2050 Hong Kong's population will almost double. Where will these people live? There's only one place to go--up. Fast forward 50 years.This is the tallest man-made structure on the planet. Its name:Millennium Tower. It would stand twice as tall as anything built before. Over 60 thousand people would live or work here. Millennium's designers think it represents the best solution for the coming population explosion. It would cost ten billion dollars and consume more building materials than any single nation could produce. David Nelson, one of Millennium's key designers, said:"It would be a massive project and a world project. But to actually realize it, resources would have to come from all over the globe. The challenge and the motivation for doing it would be to realize one of the world's largest and most complex construction projects." Millennium would be more complex than anything ever built. So its builders won't know for sure the building is safe until it's up, and they can't afford to make an error. Massive earthquakes have brought down entire cities in this part of the world. Can Millennium's designers make it immune to these quakes of the earth? For Millennium, like all the other buildings, safety is just one concern among many. It will need to be a home, one that welcomes people in. Getting people into the building and making sure they have a great experience well be what makes Millennium successful, but how to do it? For the design team, the secret was to bring all the elements of city life within. Cafes and restaurants, theatres and stores would provide entertainment. Health clubs, even schools and medical clinics would also serve the towers' residents. Millennium's designers have proven something. Things that seem impossible today, might just become reality tomorrow. The engineering problems have, for the most part, already been solved. Our achievements are limited only by our imaginations.

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DU Lala is the hottest career coach in the country. The fictional character in the acclaimed novel Du La La's Promotion shows others how to take the high road to success in a multinational company. But does her story describe a real or distorted picture of work life? The answer is as complicated as office life itself. Over one million copies of the book have been sold since its release in 2007. Go Lala Go!, a movie adaptation of the novel set to hit cinemas next weekend, has stirred up even more interest in the story. The film stars Xu Jinglei and Stanley Huang, but fans seem to be more excited about seeing the story unfold on the big screen. According to a recent sina.com survey, 45 percent of the 6,810 netizens polled said they have drawn career pointers from the novel. Other office novels, such as In and Out of the Loop, Win and Lose and Drowning and Floating, seem to have been received with similar interest. "These books show me the life of white collars, and they teach me career rules and jargon that are not offered in class," said Zhang Shanshan, a 22-year-old senior at Beijing Forestry University. Zhang says the competition, humor and office gossip in the book intrigued her. "I can't wait to embark on my own career," she said. The popularity of office novels does not surprise Chen Ning, a senior career consultant at Zhaopin.com. "Novels about office fights and struggles satisfy the psychological demands of an ordinary office worker," Chen said. "The leading characters face great pressure, fierce competition and an uncertain future. This is what really happens in many readers' daily life." Li Ke, the author of Du Lala's Promotion, has been stressing the significance of her fiction. "I want to provide real and useful common sense, knowledge and experience to office workers," Li told the Qianjiang Evening News last year. Recent graduates say they have found the basic work principles highlighted in the novel to be instructive. "If these books had been published five years earlier, I might have avoided some problems," said Xu Jun, an HR manager at Guangqi Honda Automobile Company. "They often discuss basic office principles, which are relevant for staff working under the middle management level. They also help readers to see the importance of basic problem solving and organizational skills." But some veteran employees warn that the novels are not always realistic. They say this is especially true of the characters. "The protagonists appear to be unbeatable," said Hou Zhendong, an HR manager at General Electric. "Du Lala's team leader quit in an irresponsible way; her boss is inept; and the staff around her is either stupid or overly-sophisticated. Du stands out in emergencies and makes all the right decisions. The truth is, real-life colleagues are not that polarized ," Hou said. "You seldom get to negotiate your salary with a big boss. And, most of the time, you make wrong decisions far more than you make correct ones." The career principles in the books are also of limited use. "Most of the stories happen in Fortune 500 companies with a long history. Their cultures are well-established, and their rules are scientific," Hou said. "But if you work for a small foreign company, or a local enterprise, some principles are useless." Liu Rui, a project manager at IBM, suggests fans of these books focus on the little bits of wisdom they provide. "The novels give rookies some inspiration," he said. "They emphasize the importance of observation, practice and self-examination. These tips are precious and universally true."

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"Little lies" sometimes come to easily to us that we don't even consider them to be lies. Read about these lies of everyday life: 1. Lying about your age or your kid's age to get a cheaper ticket. 2. Telling the host of a dinner party that the terrible food he prepared is wonderful. 3. Lying to your aunt about how much you love the gift she gave you---the one that you really hate. 4. Telling a friend with a terrible haircut that she looks great. 5. Lying to a friend about how much you want to see her again when you really don't 6.Telling the salesperson who calls when you're watching TV that you're very busy. Are these serious lies? Probably not, but if you would lie about your age to a stranger, what's going to stop you from lying about something more serious later? If we tell a lie or act dishonestly and get what we want, that might make us feel good today. But what about tomorrow? The future results of our lies are uncertain. Still, no one is saying that everyone can or should be completely honest all the time. More people lie, often for a good reason. Lies are told all the time and are part of our everyday social life. Many times people lie to protect the feelings of other people, and there's nothing wrong with that. Honesty is usually the best policy, but like any other policy, you have to make exceptions.

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STOCKHOLM, Oct.11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced Peter Englund, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday. The Nobel Prize in Literature 2012 is awarded to Chinese writer Mo Yan "who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary," said Englund at a press conference. Mo Yan, a pseudonym for Guan Moye, was born in 1955 and grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in eastern China.His parents were farmers. As a 12-year-old during the Cultural Revolution he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory.In 1976 he joined the People's Liberation Army and during this time began to study literature and write.His first short story was published in a literary journal in 1981. "In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth.This is apparent in his novel Hong gaoliang jiazu (1987, in English Red Sorghum 1993)," said the academy in a statement of Mo's biography. The book consists of five stories that unfold and interweave in Gaomi in several turbulent decades in the 20th century, with depictions of bandit culture, the Japanese occupation and the harsh conditions endured by poor farm workers, according to the biography.Red Sorghum was successfully filmed in 1987, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. Through a mixture of fantasy and reality, historical and social perspectives, Mo Yan has created a world reminiscent in its complexity of those in the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, at the same time finding a departure point in old Chinese literature and in oral tradition, the academy commented in the biographical statement. In addition to his novels, Mo Yan has published many short stories and essays on various topics.In spite of his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the foremost contemporary authors, the statement added. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French and Japanese and many other languages. Last year's literature prize went to Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer. Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist who invented dynamite, established the Nobel Prizes in his will in 1895.The first awards were handed out six years later.

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The holidays are coming up, and if you are looking for some great things to do with your kids to celebrate the season, look no further. The more you let them in on the holiday planning fun, the more exciting it will be for them, and the more pride they can take in a successful holiday. There is a tendency to exclude kids from the holiday preparations for many reasons: we want everything to be perfect or maybe we don't trust that they'll do it right. However, involving kids in holiday preparations can be good for them, as well as fun for you. Kid-created decorations are often the best part of any holiday table. People always love the handmade decorations the best, because they are truly made with love, and they're usually the most fun. Find small things your kids can do, like creating centerpieces or paper rings, and direct their creations. Be sure to put these things out where people can see them when they come over, because there's nothing worse than creating something you're proud of and having it hidden. Let them show your guests what they've made and talk about it. They'll be happy to do so! What is a better way to get into the spirit of the season than to go shopping? Kids love to pick out gifts for others. Let them choose whatever they think the person they're buying for would like. This will help them to be proud of their gifts, as well as try to budget according to the amount of money you have given them. You can also let them pack their own gifts. Give them options of gift bags or packing paper and watch them go to town. It may not be perfect, but it will be precious, for sure. Kids love to cook. They love to get their hands dirty and create fun meals with the help of their parents. They also feel a sense of pride in the food items they create, and they love it when people eat what they make and talk about how delicious it is. Allowing your kids into the kitchen can help them learn cooking and baking, and can also give them ownership of the holiday meal. Of course, you'll have to help them along the way, but taking that time can really make a kid's day. Holiday crafts are the best. Creating centerpieces and ornaments is fun, but you can also look to nature for inspiration. Leaf collages or prints are a fun way to capture the fall. Jack-o'-lanterns are an excellent way to celebrate Halloween, and there is endless inspiration to take from the first snowflakes that fall in winter. Your imagination is the key!

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_ , or housewives, who have crowded into gold stores across China, buying up 300 tons of gold over the past two weeks. No wonder gold prices have steadied after taking a dive. During the May Day holiday, gold stores were crowded with mostly female customers. Most of them are middle-aged "Chinese housewives". This group of buyers has risen to fame recently. They are big spenders and are desperate to get their hands on a bargain. "I bought some gold jewellery and kept them as a gift for my son when he gets married," said a buyer from Shanghai. The gold business is skyrocketing. "Our sales are growing by the day. Yesterday we sold more than ten million yuan of gold products," a gold store salesperson said. The gold rush in China started about two weeks ago thanks to a decline in global gold prices. Media reports suggest that Chinese housewives have spent about 100 billion yuan, or about 16 billion US dollars, purchasing 300 tons of gold since mid-April. That has helped support gold prices. "Gold prices depressed since the middle of last month but have risen gradually. That is mainly due to the strong demand from Asian markets," said foreign trader Zhang Chen from Industrial & Commercial Bank of China. "Some people even joked that Chinese housewives have beaten Wall Street analysts." For Chinese people, with limited investment options, the only thing better than buying gold is buying gold at discount prices.

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On Jan. 3, a netizen nicknamed "Programmer Humor"published a short story on his micro-blog. It said that there was an old lady who swept nearly every inch of his Internet company. When she passed by a programmer, she took a look at the codes on the programmer's computer and kindly reminded him, "Be careful, the stack is overfilled!" Certainly, it is a casual and fictitious story made up by the micro-blogger. However, no one would have guessed that the short blog would eventually cause the first great Internet meme of 2011 in China. Suddenly, the mysterious "Sweeping Old Lady" is showing up nearly everywhere and reminding professionals of their mistakes. From 8 a. m. on Jan. 5, some netizens collected stories of the "Sweeping Old Lady" and found she had appeared to give advice in 150 kinds of careers. A netizen even said he had met with a similar situation in real life. Actually, the "Sweeping Old Lady" is not new figure, but is based on the "sweeping monk "in Louis Cha's famous Kung fu novel of "Tian Long Ba Bu". The "sweeping monk" is an old monk and does the lowest class of work in Shaolin Temple, but he is actually the No. 1 master in the noel both in Kung fu and in the study of Buddhism. The "Sweeping Old Lady" is also a great modest master. Lots of netizens wish that they could have such a lady beside them to give them precious suggestions at a key time. Although there may be 1,000 "Sweeping Old Ladies" in 1,000 people's minds, it cannot prevent the "Sweeping Old Lady" from becoming the most popular figure on the Internet. "Programmer Humor" said he is just a programmer in the real world and once he saw the story about the "Sweeping Old Lady," he wrote it down in his micro-blog because it was funny. He never knew who the original writer of the story was and never thought the story could be so popular.

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Facing fear is one of the most important things you can do. Some people have a fear of failure and others a fear of success. It may seem strange but neither one is a good fear. You might think the fear of failure could be a good thing but it's not, particularly if the fear of failure keeps you from accomplishing anything. For myself, I have a huge fear of failure but I am good at facing that fear and overcoming it. I don't let my fear of failure cause me to delay my decision or get me off the track. I use the fear to make sure I'm doing my absolute best at all times because I know if I don't do my best I will fail. That frightens me. I'm not afraid of trying at all. I started a business when I was married to my first wife. The business became successful and I was getting ready to make some huge money. However, my wife just wanted us to stay small because she was comfortable there. She feared what success might bring and did every little thing she could to make sure we didn't grow any bigger. I'm sure you can see the problem. I had a fear of failure and she had an even bigger fear of success. Finally I couldn't stand any more of her fear and we got a divorce. Facing fear and overcoming fear is very important. People even have a fear of fear. I'm sure that it is normal. People fear change more than anything else and fight that change with fear. They fear what they don't know or understand. They fear anything new to them. But we need to keep in mind that the world is changing all the time and that change is inevitable . You can live a life free of fear by learning to face your fears.

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It was a party. I was 18 and it was fresher week. I was at the beginning of a course in English Literature and full of enthusiasm for my subject. She was also 18 and enrolled in a course in physics. "Your major is of no use to society. What will you do with it when you graduate, other than teach? Plus, you're going to be poor your whole life," she said. "You have no soul and your degree is boring. I don't care how much money you're going to earn. I'd rather be poor and don't mind being a teacher. If I love my work I'll have something far more meaningful than a big bank account!" came the reply. And so it went, back and forth, neither of us giving the other an inch, each of us stubbornly committed to our prejudice. We were both ignorant, but our ignorance was also society's ignorance. It had always been that way. Scientists mocked humanists; humanists laughed at scientists. Back in the 1960s, the physicist-turned novelist C. P. Snow labeled the sciences-humanities divide "a problem of 'the two cultures'" . He said it was bad for society. The modern world needed well-rounded people. I think I know better now, but it would have helped if we had been encouraged to think a little more outside our science and arts "boxes". That's why I believe it is healthy that China is beginning a debate on whether it's wise for young people to have to choose which direction their careers - and lives - will take at such an early age. At the moment, in their second year of high school, students must choose either the sciences or the humanities. After making the choice, they focus their energies on passing the appropriate college entrance exam. But now, people in China are asking: Is this forced, early decision good for young people or society? Young people need time to explore, to discover where their real talents and interests lie. There are more than just a few middle-aged people out there, stuck in jobs they hate because they made the wrong choice at the wrong time. And from the point of view of society, isn't it better for students to delay a while before they decide what to study? Scientists can benefit from learning to develop the critical skills associated with the humanities; students in the humanities, surely, only stand to gain by finding out a little more about science and technology, which are so important to the future of a developing country like China. With any luck, in the future young people fresh to college will be better informed about the possibilities of education than people of my generation.

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One of the 10 things that happy families do is to eat dinner together. As growing up, I thought everyone ate dinner as a family. However, now I realized that is not the case. In fact, most families eat dinner together only about four times a week and 10% of families only eat together twice a week. And as children get older and the number of activities they are involved in increases, the meals eaten as a family decrease. Studies show that families who eat dinner together benefits in a variety of ways. Eating together helps families achieve better communication, children do better in school and are better adjusted, and the entire family enjoys better nutrition . Increased Communication Eating dinner together as a family provides opportunities for communication. A "Family Dinner Experiment " conducted by Oprah Winfrey in 1993 challenged five families to eat dinner together every night for a month for at least half an hour. At first the families found it difficult but by the end of the study they wanted to continue eating dinner together. The biggest surprise for the parents was "How much their children treasured the dependence time with their parents at the table." Superior Academic Performance Family meals also help improve school performance. A 1994 survey by Louis Harris and Associates had 2000 seniors take an academic test and answer a list of personal questions. Researchers found that "Students who regularly ate dinner with their families four or more times a week scored better than those who ate family dinners three or fewer times a week. These results crossed racial lines and were a greater indicator than whether the child was in a one or two-parent family." Better Adjusted A study by Drs. Bowden and Zeisz found that "the teens who were best adjusted ate a meal with an adult in their family at an average of 5.4 days a week, compared to 3.3 days for teens who didn't show good adjustment." The well-adjusted teens were "less likely to do drugs or be depressed and were more motivated at school and had better relationships." Dr. Bowen said, "that mealtimes were a sort of 'marker' for other positive family attributes and seemed to play an important role in helping teens deal well with the stresses of adolescence ."

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My husband, my four-month-old daughter and I set out on a five-day driving journey from California to Washington. We had to stop frequently because our little child needed to stretch from the car seat. One of our stops, once we crossed the Oregon border, was at a Black Bear Diner. Walking towards the front door we noticed a gentleman standing at one side. He was clearly untidy, without shoes and wearing worn clothing. We passed right by him and opened the restaurant door. Then something told me to go back. Holding my daughter, I turned around and said to the gentleman, "Sir. Are you hungry?" He said, "Yes." I then asked, "May we buy you something to eat?" He responded with, "Sure, I can order something myself." My husband opened the door and the gentleman went straight to the counter. I told him to order whatever he wanted. The manager of the restaurant came over quite quickly and looked frightened. I spoke before he had an opportunity to. "This gentleman will have lunch with us today," I said. "Please add his order to our bill." The manager said with a frown , "Okay." We turned to our table and the gentleman said, loudly and quickly, "Thank You!" We were seated and upon completing our meal we were handed our bill. I asked my husband what the gentleman had ordered. One fresh orange juice, one coffee, one breakfast combination with a side of hash browns. When we left the restaurant I looked for the gentleman but didn't see him, but that very small act just _ . I hope in some small way we were able to add some joy to his life, even if only for a few minutes.

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Paris has the Eiffel Tower; New York has the Statue of Liberty; and prefix = st1 /Brussels, the Manneken Piss. Think of the Belgian capital and, if anything, you think of the small peeing boy _ a 60-meter-high bronze figure standing on a block, supplying a constant stream of water to the basin under him. Some might laugh. But for Jacques Stroobants, the statue is up there with the best of them. "I'm proud of him. People come from all around the world to see him," says 60-year-old Stroobants with a fatherly glance at the little boy. As the most famous landmark of Brussels, Manneken Piss has a very special place in the heart of Belgians. The original Manneken Piss dates back to 1388, but the statue tourists see today dates from 1619 when the city built a second one after the original was destroyed. Many stories go round Manneken Piss. Nobody knows why he was made. One story is that he saved Brusselsby putting out the flames of a deadly fire with his well-aimed piss. But the most believable story is that the boy, the son of a wealthy man, was kidnapped. The father had a statue built in honor of the way his son was found-peeing against a tree. Perhaps best-known for his naked beauty, the "peeing boy" has also been clothed in some of the finest clothes money can buy. Stroobants has been changing his clothes for the last 29 years. On average, he has clothes on 300 days a year. And on special days, he pees beer. A few of the ways he's been dressed are; a football player, Mozart and an army general. Now, he has more than 600 pieces of clothes. There is no strict charge for those wishing to provide clothes for the little boy. But certain conditions must be met. "The clothes cannot include either advertising or political message," said Stroobants, because they would cheapen the national treasure. But Manneken Piss is still something local people can make money from _ by selling all kinds of souvenirs.

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About a year ago, I went to stay at a Detroit hotel. I didn't want to carry too much money with me, so I asked the desk clerk to put a one-hundred-dollar bill in the safe for me. The next morning, however, the clerk said he knew nothing about my money. I didn't have any proof that I had given the man the money. There was nothing I could do but go to the nearest lawyer. The lawyer advised me to return to the hotel with him and give another one-hundred-dollar bill to the clerk. This I did. An hour later, I went back to the desk alone and asked for my money. Since I had the lawyer as an eyewitness to the second one-hundred-dollar bill, the clerk could not say he knew nothing about it. Another hour later, I put the second part of the lawyer's plan into action. This time both the lawyer and I went to the hotel. I asked for the one-hundred-dollar bill once again, and when the clerk insisted he had already given it to me, I denied it. The lawyer said to him, "I saw this gentleman give you a hundred dollars. If you don't hand it over immediately, I'll be forced to call the police." The clerk realized he had been tricked, so he gave me back the first one-hundred-dollar bill. "I don't know how to thank you enough for getting my money back," I said to the lawyer. And what do you suppose he answered me? He said, "Oh, don't thank me. That will be a hundred dollars, please."

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Nature is full of color, from rainbows and roses to butterfly wings and peacock tails. Even the fruits and vegetables you eat have different colors: blue blueberries, red strawberries, green broccoli, and orange carrots. Plant and animals often use color to attract attention. The substances responsible for these colors belong to a class of chemical called antioxidants . Plants make antioxidant to protect themselves from the sun's ultraviolet(UV) light. Ultraviolet light causes chemicals called free radicals to form within plant cells. They can destroy parts of plant. Free radicals also have damaging effects on human beings. Some of these effects like wrinkled skin can be seen. The damage is caused by the free radicals attacking cells in our bodies. Certain cancers and heart disease are linked to free radicals. Our bodies have natural defences for fighting off free radicals. While we are young, our defences are pretty strong. However, they get weaker as we get older. The body's built-in defences can only go so far without extra help. The key to fighting free radicals with fruits and vegetables is to mix and match colors. It's like sunscreen for the inside of your body. Go for a range of very bright colors. Colorful foods contain hundreds of healthy chemicals not found anywhere else. Research into how chemicals in blueberries affect the brain's function in rats suggests that these chemicals may help our own brains work more efficiently. Don't just blame the sun. Ultraviolet light isn't the only source of free radicals. If you breathe polluted air such as smog, automobile exhaust , or wasted gas from a factory, you take in chemicals that also cause such damage. And, the body itself produces free radicals as it processes food.

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Making the announcement, Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, called Alice Munro a "master of the contemporary short story". "She has taken an art form, the short story, which has tended to live a little bit in the shadow of the novel, and she has cultivated it almost to perfection," he said. The 82-year-old, whose books include Dear Life and dance of the Happy Shades, is only the 13thwoman to win the Nobel Prize for literature since its start in 1901. "I knew I was in the running, yes, but I never thought I would win," Munro told Canadian media. Alice Munro: "I would really hope that this would make people see the short story as an important art form." Munro, who began writing in her teenage years, published her first story, The Dimensions of a Shadow, in 1950. Dance of the Happy Shades, published in 1968, was Munro's first collection, and it went on to win Canada's highest literary prize, the Governor General's Award. In 2009, she won the Man Booker International Prize for her entire body of work -- but she downplayed her achievements. "I think maybe I was successful in doing this because I didn't have any other talents," she once said in an interview. BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz said Munro had been "at the very top of her game since she started". "Very few writers are her equal," he said, adding "She gets to the heart of what it is to be human". The award "probably won't make a commercial difference" to the author, he added, but it "makes a huge difference to how her work will be viewed in historical terms". "If she hadn't won it before she died, I think it would have been a terrible, terrible omission ." Often compared to Anton Chekhov, she is known for writing about the human spirit and a regular theme of her work is the dilemma faced by young girls growing up and coming to terms with living in a small town. Several of her stories have also been adapted for the screen, including The Bear Came over the Mountain.

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One day, Wilson was walking quietly along the road when someone hit him hard on the back of his neck.He looked behind him, and saw a young man whom he had never seen before. "How dare you hit me like that?" shouted Wilson. The young man said he had mistaken Wilson for a friend of his and that he thought Wilson was making a lot of noise about nothing. This insult made Wilson even angrier, of course, and he at once decided to bring the young man before a judge. Now, the judge, who heard the case, was a friend of the young man's father's, and, although he pretended to be quite fair, he was thinking about what he could do to protect the young man from being punished while at the same time not to be appearing unfair. Finally he said to Wilson, "I understand your feelings in this matter very well.Would you be satisfied if I let you hit the young man as he hit you?" Wilson said he would not be.The young man had insulted him and should be _ punished. "Well, then," said the judge to the young man, "I order you to pay ten coins to Wilson." Ten coins was very little for such a crime, but the young man did not have it with him, so the judge allowed him to go and get it. Wilson waited for him to return with the money.He waited an hour, and then two hours, while the judge took care of other business. When it was nearly time for the court to close, Wilson chose a moment when the judge was especially busy, came up quietly and hit him hard on the back of the neck.Then he said to him, "I am sorry, but I can't wait any longer.When the young man comes back, tell him that I have passed my right to the ten coins on to you."

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Scientists have devised a way to determine roughly where a person has lived using a strand of hair, a technique that could help track the movements of criminal suspects or unidentified murder victims. The method relies on measuring how chemical variations in drinking water show up in people's hair. "You're what you eat and drink, and that's recorded in your hair," said Thure Cerling, a geologist at the University of Utah. While U.S diet is relatively identical, water supplies vary. The differences result from weather patterns. The chemical composition of rainfall changes slightly as rain clouds move. Most hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water are stable, but traces of both elements are also present as heavier isotopes . The heaviest rain falls first. As a result, storms that form over the Pacific deliver heavier water to California than to Utah. Similar patterns exist throughout the U.S. By measuring the proportion of heavier hydrogen and oxygen isotopes along a strand of hair, scientists can construct a geographic timeline. Each inch of hair corresponds to about two months. Cerling's team collected tap water samples from 600 cities and constructed a map of the regional differences. They checked the accuracy of the map by testing 200 hair samples collected from 65 barber shops. They were able to accurately place the hair samples in broad regions roughly corresponding to the movement of rain systems. "It's not good for pinpointing ," Cerling said. "It's good for eliminating many possibilities." Todd Park, a local detective, said the method has helped him learn more about an unidentified woman whose skeleton was found near Great Salt Lake. The woman was 5 feet tall. Police recovered 26 bones, a T-shirt and several strands of hair. When Park heard about the research, he gave the hair samples to the researchers. Chemical testing showed that over the two years before her death, she moved about every two months. She stayed in the Northwest, although the test could not be more specific than somewhere between eastern Oregon and western Wyoming. "It's still a substantial area," Park said "But it narrows it way down for me."

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We all need friends and we always have. Our ancestors found that gaining the basic necessities of life was easier in a group. It's estimated that the maximum number of people who lived in early communities of hunter-gatherers was 150. Friends aren't bound(......)by blood or family bonds, employment contracts or legal obligations. Our circle of associates includes work colleagues and people we meet at parties, in the pub or on the train to work. Some associates are much more important than our family. We are capable of exchanging an email with these associates, and may have mutual acquaintances with a good number of them, providing common ground. We do things for one another because we want to. Whether writing an answer to a photo put on Facebook, sending a birthday card by post, or making a hospital visit, the efforts we have made for our friends are out of kindness. It is this nature of friendship which requires nothing in return that makes it beneficial and valuable. Friendships take work, and they need to be nurtured, nourished and maintained. We feel good about helping our friends because we are friends. However, we often lose touch with our friends because of a lack of time and energy. When we are carrying a heavy load at work, involved in a serious relationship or raising children, it's hard to spare time for friends. In these situations, we need to remind ourselves of what friends are for and why they can be so important in our lives. In a survey of more than 2,000 married couples aged 55 or older, for both men and women, having friends was the best predictor of being satisfied in marriage -- possibly because they were more satisfied with their lives as a result of having friends. Researchers suggest social relationships are the reason why women live longer than men, Social bonds reduce the risk of disease by reducing blood pressure, cholesterol and heart rate. A lack of good friends is as harmful to your health as smoking or being overweight. Indeed, people without friends are more likely to die younger. Not only do friendships prolong our lives, they make us happier too. People who are socially active don't feel so stressed or feel they can not enjoy anything easily -- they also tend to feel better about their lives and who they are.

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In a room at Texas Children Cancer Center in Houston, eight-year-old Simran Jatar lay in bed with a drip above her to fight her bone cancer. Over her bald head, she wore a pink hat that matched her clothes. But the third grader's cheery dressing didn't mask her pain and weary eyes. Then a visitor showed up. "Do you want to write a song?" asked Anita Kruse, 49, rolling a cart equipped with an electronic keyboard, a microphone and speakers. Simran stared. "Have you ever written a poem?" Anita Kruse continued. "Well, yes," Simran said. Within minutes, Simran was reading her poem into the microphone. "Some bird soaring through the sky," she said softly. "Imagination in its head..." Anita Kruse added piano music, a few warbling (, ) birds, and finally the girl's voice. Thirty minutes later, she presented Simran with a CD of her first recorded song. That was the beginning of Anita Kruse's project, Purple Songs Can Fly, one that has helped more than 125 young patients write and record songs. As a composer and pianist who had performed at the hospital, Kruse said that the idea of how she could help "came in one flash". The effect on the kids has been great. One teenage girl, curling in pain in her wheelchair, stood unaided to dance to a hip-hop song she had written. A 12-year-old boy with Hodgkin's disease who rarely spoke surprised his doctors with a song he calledI Can Make It. "My time with the kids is heartbreaking because of the severity of their illnesses," says Anita Kruse. "But they also make you happy, when the children are smiling, excited to share their CD with their families." Simran is now an active sixth grader and cancer-free. From time to time, she and her mother listen to her song,Always Remembering, and they always remember the "really sweet and nice and loving" lady who gave them a shining moment in the dark hour.

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There is more than one reason for which you need to hire a business attorney . It is very important to hire some good attorney for your business especially because of the fact that you will need their knowledge and advice from beginning to all the time through your business. An attorney actually provides useful advice and guidance for your business and above all for your finance. When you start some business you need to hire a business attorney for helping you in decision making for which kind of business you are going to start. So, all steps and all legal requirements will be provided to you and you can work without any trouble. Therefore, you will be introduced to all that you need to know and how to organize your business. You will be made aware about what type of organization would be the most useful and the best for you. Moreover, it is very useful when you have business consultant and especially in the law area, because he will provide you with legal knowledge and direct about what is legal for business and what is illegal. At the same time, he will provide you with legal contract that you need to have for your corporate reports. Also, when you are a beginner in business it is very difficult to handle all kind of state taxes and fee; so a business attorney is here to help you with that. When there are some questions about auction, good and professional business-attorney will lead you through acquisitions , sale mergers and similar matters. These are only few reasons why you need to hire a good attorney, but there are more of them. So when you start some business, use advice of professionals and take the right decision. If you need a good and excellent attorney, you don't hesitate to get in touch with Arizona Business Attorney .Click here to find an Arizona Business Attorney

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Everyone knows how a fishing calendar works: it tells you when you have the best chance of catching the most fish. This year, though, Kelson Poepoe, a conservationist on Hawaii's prefix = st1 /MolokaiIsland, helped publish an unusual version on this model. Poepoe and his colleagues decided to print a calendar telling people when not to fish. Many of the Homestead's residents still follow an existence lifestyle, gathering roughly one-third of their food by fishing in nearby Mo'omomi Bay. But, even though overfishing has exhausted fish populations throughout Hawaii, Mo'omomi Bay's fishery is booming, with a higher fish density than nearly anywhere else in the main islands. The new calendar is based on the ancient fishing practices that have helped keep those populations strong. Hawaiians have long known that carefully tended resources will renew themselves. To make this process easier, fishermen traditionally worked hard to understand and adapt to fish behavior. For example, they closely monitored where and when key species gathered to reproduce, and they prevented fishing during those times. By contrast, most of today's fishermen see spawning periods as a chance to get large numbers of fish, which can cause population break down. While these traditional methods have largely died out, they are still practiced by Poepoe and his fellow men at Mo'omomi Bay. "We have a rule of conduct that basically says, take only what you can eat fresh, don't stock your fridge, and don't take the fish when they spawn," Poepoe said. In 1993, Poepoe helped found the conservation group Hui Malama Mo'omomi to teach _ to new generations, and publishing the calendar is a key part of this move. It follows the lunar cycle, declaring when certain species are not available or "taboo." It also includes helpful hints about fish lifecycles, detailing exactly where in the bay certain kinds of fish like to gather, how to tell males from females, and which fishing methods are least likely to harm fish populations long-term. So far, these methods have helped keep Mo'omomi Bay's fish number totals far higher than elsewhere in the surrounding islands. With hopes of copying this success, a number of local groups are interested in creating similar calendars for other coastal areas. But that's a difficult project, partly because fish habits are highly local, meaning that the information in the calendar applies mainly to Mo'omomi Bay. Still, these groups believe the basic methods are transferable.

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Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy,but this one is clean and cool.Fox Point is a very new 47unit living building in South Bronx,one of the city's poorest areas.Twothirds of the people living there are formerly homeless people,whose rent is paid by the government.The rest are lowincome families.The boiler room has special equipment,which produces energy for electricity and heat.It reuses heat that would otherwise be lost to the air,reducing carbon emissions while also cutting costs. Fox Point is operated by Palladia,a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy people.Palladia received support from Enterprise Community Partners (ECP),which helps build affordable housing by providing support to housing developers. ECP has created national standards for healthy,environmentally clever and affordable homes which are called the Green Communities Standards.These standards include water keeping,energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly building materials.Meeting the standards increases housing construction costs by 2%,which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs.Even the positioning of a window to get most daylight can help save energy. Michael Bloomberg,New York's mayor,plans to create 165,000 affordable housing units for 500,000 New Yorkers.Almost 80% of New York City's greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings,and 40% of those are caused by housing.So he recently announced that the city's Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (DHPD),whose duty is to develop and keep the city's supply of affordable housing,will require all its new projects to follow ECP's green standards. Similar measures have been taken by other cities,such as Cleveland and Denver,but New York's DHPD is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country.(2010*,B)

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Two sculptures of life-size lions, each weighing about 5 tons in ancient times, have been discovered in what is now Turkey. The discovery of the massive lions, along with other pieces such as a large stone basin about 7 feet in diameter, left the archaeologists with a mystery ----what were they intended for? A search of the surrounding area revealed no evidence of a Hittite settlement dating back to the time of the statues. Also, the steep size of the sculptures meant that the sculptors likely did not intend to move them very far. Summers assumes that, rather than being meant for a palace or a great city, the lions were being created for a monument to mark something else- water "I think it's highly likely that that monument was going to be associated with one of the very abundant springs that are quite close," he said in the interview, "There are good parallels for association of Hittite sculptural traditions with water sources" Indeed one well-known monument site, known as Eflatun Pnar, holds a sacred pool that "is fed by a spring beneath the pool itself," write Yiit Erbil and Alice Mouton in an article that was published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Near Eastern Studies. The two researchers were writing about water religions in ancient Anatolia (Turkey). "According to the Hittite cuneiform texts, water was seen as an effective purifying element," Erbil and Mouton write, "used in the form of cleaning or even full baths during ritual performances, its cleaning power is self-evident." To the Hittites the natural world, springs included, was a place of great religious importance, one worthy of monuments with giant lions. "These things (water sources) were sacred, just as their mountains were sacred," Summers said.

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The girl was hanging by her hands from the railings of a balcony . The balcony was on the twelfth floor of the high-rise block next to his. His flat was on the ninth floor and he had to look up to see her. It was half-past six in the morning. He had been awakened by the sound of an aircraft flying dangerously low overhead, and had got out of bed to look. His sleepy eyes, moved from the blue sky which was empty of cloud, empty of anything but the bright disappearing arrow of the aircraft, and then rested on the hanging figure. He really thought he must be dreaming, for this sunrise time was the hour for dreams. Then, when he knew he wasn't, he decided it must be a scene in a film. There were cameramen down there, a whole film unit, and all the correct safety precautions had been taken. Probably the girl wasn't even a real girl, but a dummy . He opened the window and looked down. The car park, paved courts, grass spaces between the blocks, all were deserted. On the balcony rail one of the dummy's hands moved, desperately. He had to believe then what was obviously happening. The girl was trying to kill herself. She had lost her courage and now was trying to stay alive. All these thoughts and conclusions of his occupied about thirty seconds. Then he acted. He picked up the phone and dialed the emergency number for the police. The arrival of the police cars and the rescue of the girl became the focus of talk for the people of the two blocks. Someone found out that it was he who had called the police and he became an unwilling hero. He was a modest, quiet young man, and was in relief when the talk began to die away. Again he was able to enter and leave his flat without being pointed at as a kind of St George and sometimes even congratulated. About a fortnight after that morning, he was getting ready to go to the theatre, just putting on his overcoat, when the doorbell rang. He didn't recognize the girl who stood outside. He had never seen her face. She said, "I'm Lydia Simpson. You saved my life. I've come to thank you."

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Almost 80% of the Americans have stated their opposition to cloning pet animals such as cats and dogs, yet companies still try to make a business out of selling cloned pets. Pet cloning has been promoted as a way to "bring back" or "copy" a beloved companion animal. However, studies have shown that cloning remains an experimental technology with many failures. Behind each lovely picture of a cloned cat or dog lie hundreds of animals that were kept in lab cages, receiving bad treatment to produce just that one cloned animal. For all that, you end up with a cloned animal who is unlikely to appear like the original physically or behaviorally and may experience serious health problems. Also, while pet cloning companies are charging customers up to $150,000 for a cloned pet, millions of homeless animals of the same species are available in US animal shelters for around $100. Unfortunately, most of these animals are killed for lack of adopting homes. With No Pet Cloning campaign, the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) tries to protect both animals and people from harm. They campaigned until the US companies that sold cloned animals closed their doors. First it was Genetic Savings & Clone Inc. and then it was BioArts International. When BioArts was closed, its owner, Lou Hawthorne, finally had to _ the problems of pet cloning. According to Hawthorne, he has seen numerous failures during his pet cloning attempts, "One clone----which was supposed to be black and white----was born greenish-yellow where it should have been white (we still have no good explanation for how that happened)." The AAVS is educating the public about the animal suffering and is seeking regulation of cloning activities. They will continue to take the lead in protecting animals from the threats of pet cloning.

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Every Thursday afternoon,my art history class meets not in our usual lecture hall but in the Yale University Art Gallery. We spend our one-hour class discussing two or three of the paintings,many of which are by artists that we have already studied in class. The professor begins by selecting one work of art.After giving us a quick background on the artist,he'll open up for our class discussion.Everyone is strongly encouraged to give opinions about the work.Not every piece we study is necessarily famous or striking in appearance and subject matter.Yet we always manage to make some interesting observations. In America,professors always take every opportunity to push textbooks aside and expose students to real world experiences. With some creativity, almost any subject can be applied to such beyond classroom learning.My art history class trips to the gallery are but one example. Many other subjects also offer opportunities to learn outside the classroom,such as business,psychology, art,journalism and biology. A friend of mine from Yale taking an advanced psychology course spends every Saturday working with mentally disabled children.Her mornings are spent staying with the kids and studying their sometimes uncontrolled behavior.Then in the afternoon she writes a report on her observations. Students generally appreciate these unique learning opportunities. They're almost always fun and interesting,and professors like them because students learn so much in just a few short months. No one denies the value of classroom learning,but it can only take students so far.Slides and textbooks may do a good j ob of carrying facts and dates,but creativity and originality of thought cannot be taught.They can only be got through firsthand experience.

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I was a dance teacher when I first began working with people who have disabilities. I had thirty students. These were teens and adults up to the age of 40. We learned new steps together. We laughed together and we shared a love of music and fellowship. I had one pupil, Dan, who didn't appear to get much out of the class. I never had eye contact with him. When I left the class to travel down the stairs to reach the main floor of the building, he moved worriedly as a blind person might do in unfamiliar condition. One day his parents met me shopping downtown and told me that they were so grateful that I was teaching the class. They said that my class was the high point of their son's week. Were they just being polite? A week later, a snowstorm held me up and I was later than usual pulling into the school parking lot. Ahead of me by one row of cars, and over to one side, was my student, Dan and his worker. I could see his face as he moved toward the building. He was excited. I watched Dan run toward the building in anticipation of his weekly treat, my class. I cried as it hit me that though I could not see in class all that Dan got from the class, it surely meant a lot to him. Dan did indeed love the class. He was getting enjoyment out of it. Today when I teach courses at the College to students, I remind them that children can stand on the sidelines and seem to be uninterested and yet they can be learning at the same pace as those who are in the middle of the activity. When I teach this, I think, yes and this is true for those with disabilities too! Teach with the wonderful enthusiasm and you are bound to reach your students. Do your job with a love for others and you will be successful no matter what your job involves.

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Where Are We Going, Dad? presents a new generation of men, in a break from Chinese tradition, now take an active role in their children's lives. Five star fathers and their children travel around China, riding camels through the western deserts, fishing off the east coast, and selling vegetables for their bus fare home in remote southwestern Yunnan province. One dad doesn't know how to do his daughter's hair, but give him a couple of days -- he'll figure it out. Another one must survive with his son for three days in the desert, where, because neither can cook, the two only eat instant noodles. These story lines are part of Where Are We Going, Dad? which, since its first show in October, has become one of China's most popular television shows, covering more than 600 million viewers each week. And searches for Where Are We Going, Dad? turn up over 40 million hits on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter. "In traditional Chinese culture, the common conception of parenthood is that the father is strict and the mother is kind. But on the show, we see fathers who are much gentler on their kids and more concerned with their upbringing," said Li Minyi, an associate professor of early childhood education at the leading Beijing Normal University. "An important question arises in this show for modern Chinese society -- what is the role of fathers in today's China?" "As they raise their children, parents are growing up at the same time," said Wang Renping, a popular education expert, in an interview with the Qianjiang Evening News. "They cannot use parenting styles from 20 years ago to guide the development of children born 20 years later." The attraction of Where Are We Going, Dad? lies in the chance to have a close look at the lives of popular Chinese stars and their children. Audiences fancy watching the failed attempts of star dads making dinner, braiding hair , and disciplining children -- tasks often left to mothers in a society still influenced by the opinion that "men rule outside and women rule inside."

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Packaging is an important form of advertising. A package can sometimes motivate someone to buy a product. For example, a small child might ask for a breakfast food that comes in a box with a picture of a TV character. The child is more interested in the picture than in the breakfast food. Pictures for children to color or cut out, games printed on a package, or small gifts inside a box also motivate many children to buy products--or to ask their parents for them. Some packages suggest that . Food products sold in reusable containers are examples of this. Although a similar product in a plain container might cost less, people often prefer to buy the product in a reusable glass or dish, because they believe the container is free. However, the cost of the container is added to the cost of the product. The size of a package also motivates a buyer. Maybe the package has "Economy Size" or "Family Size" printed on it. This suggests that the large size has the most products for the least money. But that is not always true. A buyer has to know how the product is sold and the price of the basic unit. The information on the package should provide some answers. But the important thing for any buyer to remember is that a package is often an advertisement. The words and pictures do not tell the whole story. Only the product inside can do that.

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A few months before I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special position. My parents were complementary instructors:Mom taught me the words, and Dad taught me to obey them. But the stranger... He was our storyteller. He would keep us _ for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies . If I wanted to know anything about politics,history or science,he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. I now know that my early concepts about relationship were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom blamed...and NEVER asked to leave. More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in but is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you were to walk into my parent's room today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name? We just call him..."TV". He has a younger sister now. We call her "Computer".

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What is the main testing ground of fears about incomplete or inadequate child reariry? The college admission process. If you are afraid you don't discipline your children enough,the evidence of parental failure is right there in front of everyone. The child is not filling out her college applications ! lf you are afraid that you have allowed your children to watch too much television and settle for low grades,you will have to answer for the consequences. The over-involvement of many parents in the process is,from my perspective,a cover for this deep parental anxiety: Did I do a good job with this child? Did I do everything I needed to do for this child? Is this child going to have a good life? I have seen manv parents,dive back into their children's lives at college admission time, trying to fill all of their wisdom and discipline into their children at the last moment. Parents may need to be sure as their children leave the nest that they reall} have taught them how to fly. Since it is impossible to assess the quality of what parents have done for their children at this point,the next best thing is the status of the colege to which the child is admitted. From the point of an anxious parent,an "Ivy l,eague college" child is proof of better child rearing than a "small college" child. I once sat with a talented,weak senior girl and her brilliant parents. She,they,and the school had to decide whether she should remam m school or go into a hospital. In light of her anorexia( ) ,the school recommended strongly that she not file her early application to Princeton. Upon hearing this,the girl looked at the adults in the room and said,"If I can't apply early to Princeton,l'll die. " Her parents were also eager to have her get into Princeton. Why did they all need this so desperately? Because,in this case,something was wrong in the family. Due to some weakness in her upbringing,this child was not happy or self-confident. Yet she was eighteen,the culture required her to leave home. The psychological solution for them all was the comforting vision of a great college. Somehow going there would make her life fine and defend her parents' child rearing. Such fears about letting go of an unfmished child exist in all families. How can we let go of a child who is still so young in so many ways? It is painful and has no cure except time and hope. For parents looking for a painkiller,the college admission process is where they can work out their anxieties.

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When your parents advise you to "get an education" in order to raise your income, they tell you only half the truth. What they really mean is to get just enough education to provide manpower for your society, but not so much that you prove an embarrassment to your society. Get a high school diploma, at least. Without that, you will be occupationally dead unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison, and you can successfully dropout in grade school. Get a college degree, if possible. With a B. A., you are on the launching pad. But now you have to start to put on the brakes. If you go for a master's degree, make sure it is an M.B.A., and the famous law of diminishing returns begins to take effect. Do you know, for instance, that long-haul truck drivers earn more per year than full professors? Yes, the average salary for those truckers was $24000 while the full professors managed to earn just $23030. A doctorate is the highest degree you can get. Except for a few specialized fields such as physics or chemistry where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial purposes, if you pursue such a degree in any other field, you will face a future which is not bright. There are more doctors unemployed or underemployed in this country than any other part of the world. If you become a doctor in English or history or anthropology or political science or languages or--worst of all--in philosophy, you run the risk of becoming overeducated for our national demands. Not for our needs, mind you, but for our demands. Thousands of doctors are selling shoes, driving cars, waiting on table, and endlessly filling out applications month after month. They may also take a job in some high school or backwater college that pays much less than the doorkeeper earns. You can equate the level of income with the level of education only so far. Far enough, that is, to make you useful to the gross national product, but not so far that nobody can turn much of a profit on you.

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Cats have an amazing sense of smell, which is something like 12 times that of humans. Your cat is able to smell, whether you know it or not, whenever you come home or enter a new space. They can tell who you are, where you were an hour ago and sometimes even what you had for breakfast! Some people believe that cats can smell illnesses not only in themselves and other cats, but in humans as well. Cats also have an extra sense organ that is unique to cat's family. The "Jacobsen's organ" as it is known, can be described as somewhere between smell and taste. It separates tastes particles from the air, allowing the cat to "taste" whatever it can smell. Therefore, you may sometimes have seen a cat with its mouth slightly open and perhaps its tongue just a bit out when it is smelling smells. Whenever my cats do this, they seem to have a look of deep concentration on their faces. A cat's smell is so good that it can recognize each ingredient in foods. Very few smells are dislikable to cats, so mothballs have always been used to keep cats off gardens, since cats cannot stand the smell of them. Smells are also very important to your cat. They can recognize boundaries (,), people, other animals, food, and their environment. Your cat will walk around, checking for new things and will smell the slightest change. A cat can tell not only who you are, but also your general health and attitude, all from smells.

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Most people say "yes" much more readily than "no". A friend is moving house this weekend and would like some help, and you agree. But, what you really wanted was a couple of quiet days relaxing at home. Or a roommate spends the entire weekends playing video games and wants to borrow your homework for "reference". You say "yes". Many people say "yes" to these kinds of requests. They tend not to consider their own interests and feelings, and are often angry with themselves afterwards . Saying "no" requires courage and considerable practice, in fact, according to psychologists. "Everyone wants to be liked," says Gabriele Steinki, a German psychologist. "Saying 'no' risks losing the affection of the person asking the favor or even a job." The result is that many people say "yes" just for keeping the peace. But experts say this is regrettable. Anyone should have the right to say "no". In fact, rejecting a request can even help to strengthen a relationship because it expresses a true feeling. But, for people used to agreeing to every request, changing can be a long and uncomfortable learning process. Most people believe that "If I say 'no', I'll lose the affection of the person. But the affection is important to me." This way of thinking can be replaced by this: "If he only likes me because I always do what suits him , the price of his affection is too high in the long term." Steinki says the key is talking to the other person to find a mutual solution. "One needs to present the situation from one's own point of view, and to suggest how the situation can be dealt with to the advantage of both parties. The other person must have the feeling that his interests are being considered." When the refusal is not accepted, Steinki advises us to give the reasons calmly again until the person gets the message .

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During my visit to my parents, I decided to explore their attic . They have lived in their home in the mountains since 1953, so investigating the attic was a trip down memory lane for me. I climbed the unstable ladder to the dusty, cold third floor. I looked around and noticed a very old basket in the corner, in which I found letters piled high, faded and dirty-untouched there. As I opened each letter, I discovered a new and previously unrevealed page of my parents' lives. My father served in the Army. He wrote about his daily experiences with civilians, German POWs, baths and more. I was drawn to these letters. Each of my mother's letters was sealed with her 1944 lipstick kiss. Daddy wrote that he sealed his return letters by rekissing her lipstick kiss. Oh, how they missed each other! I finished reading six months of the letters and discovered there were at least eleven months missing. Where could they be? Just six weeks after my visit, Daddy became very ill and was hospitalized. He was scheduled for kidney dialysis when I decided to fly to visit him. We discussed the letters. He told me how much receiving those lipstick-kissed letters had meant to him when he had been so far from home. As I left, the thought raced through my mind that tomorrow was Valentine's Day. But I quickly dismissed this thought. My father wasn't in any kind of shape to shop for a valentine. My parents had been married for fifty-six years. My mother would understand that her valentine would just have to be skipped this year. Later that evening, Mother and I revisited the attic in search of the lost letters. Toward the bottom, we discovered an unmarked gold cardboard box. Yes! Here were the long-lost letters! I began looking through them. Lying separate, on top of the letters was the valentine card my father had sent Mother in 1944! The next day,Mother and I visited Daddy in the hospital. I joked with him, saying softly, "Today is Valentine's Day, and I know you have been a little busy lately, but I've got something you covered."I handed him the card. He carefully opened the card, and when he recognized it, his eyes filled with tears. There was nothing lacking that Valentine's Day after all. My father, in a voice shaking with emotion, read the loving message he'd sent to my mother fifty-six years earlier. And this time, he could read it to her in person.

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Most of the time, people wear hats to protect themselves from _ weather conditions. Hats are also worn to show politeness and as signs of social position. But nowadays, hats, especially women's hats, are much more than that. More exactly, hats have changed into fashion and style symbols by many movie stars. What's more, people now consider many different features when choosing even a simple hat. Many designers point out that, when choosing the right hat, it's important to consider the color of your skin as well as your hair, your height, and the shape of your face. First of all, the color of the hat should match the color of your skin and hair. For instance, black hats should be avoided if you are dark skinned. If a purple hat is placed on top of red hair, one will look as attractive as a summer flower. Second, the height of the hat is also an important point. Tall women should not go for hats with tall crowns, just as short women should choose hats with upturned brims to give the look of height. Third, and most importantly, the shape of the face decides the kind of hat one should pick. A small, gentle hat that fits the head looks good on a small face. However, women with big, round faces should choose a different style. As the saying goes, "Fine feathers make fine birds." A good hat can not only help your dress but also support your features, so why not choose the best possible one next time you want to be in public?

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Those who are used to looking through thousands of books in big bookstores may find Japan's Morioka Shoten a little strange. That's because this tiny bookstore that is located in Ginza, Tokyo sells only a single book at a time. Opened in May 2015, Morioka Shoten is the brainchild of Yoshiyuki Morioka. The experienced bookseller began his career as a bookstore clerk in Tokyo's Kanda district before branching out to open his own store. It was here while organizing book readings that he realized that customers usually came into the store with one title in mind. Morioka began to wonder if a store could exist by selling many copies of just one single book. In November 2014, he partnered with his two friends, to establish a unique bookstore with the idea of "A Single Room, A Single Book." Like its offering, the bookstore is simple. The selections that are picked by Morioka change weekly and vary widely to attract customers with different interests. Recent choices include The True Deceiver, an award-winning Swedish novel by Tove Jansson, Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, and a collection of artist Karl Blossfeldt's photography of plants. Morioka has also chosen books written by famous Japanese authors Mimei Ogawa and Akito Akagi. To highlight his only offering, Morioka often uses clever methods. For example,when selling a book about flowers, he decorated his shop with the ones that had been mentioned in the book. He also encourages authors to hold talks and discussions so they can connect with customers. Morioka says his goal is for the customers to experience being inside a book, not just a bookstore! Risky as the idea might seem, things appear to be going well. Morioka says he has sold over 2,100 books since he opened it. Things can get better considering that his bookstore is becoming increasingly popular not just among the locals but also visitors from other countries.

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The OM Man and the Sea ,for which Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, is one of the most influential novels of the literary treasure of the world. Famously known for his brief and short sentences ,Hemingway created ah interesting and unique style of writing that still appeal to readers today. Santiago was an aged Cuban fisherman, and many thought that he could no longer fish. For eighty-four days ,he set out to sea and returned empty-handed. So unlucky was he that the parents of his young, devoted apprentice and friend , Manolin , forced the boy to leave the old man in order to fish in a more profitable boat On the eighty-fifth day ,the fisherman set out into the open sea to go fishing. At noon ,a big Marlin took hold of one of the lines, but the fish was far too big for him to handle. Santiago let the fish have enough line, so that it wouIdn9t break his pole; but he and his boat were dragged out to sea for three days. Finally ,the fish grew tired. Santiago killed it Even this final victory didn't end his journey. He was still far, far out to sea. To make matters worse, Santiago dragged the Marlin behind the boat and the fish blood attracted sharks. Santiago did his best to beat the sharks away ,but his efforts were not enough, The sharks ate the flesh off the Marlin ,and Santiago was left with only the bones. Santiago was tired out He got back home with nothing to show for his pains but the skeletal remains of a large Marlin. Even with just the bare remains of the fish, the experience changed him, and charged the opinions others had of him. Manolin , who had been worried over the old man's absence, was moved to tears when he found Santiago safe in his bed, When the old man woke ,the two agreed to fish as partners once more. With Santiago5S struggle to catch the Marlin and his journey home ,Santiago's courage was obvious as he faced challenges that just didn't seem to end. He didn't give up and even though he felt he had been very unlucky, there was hope to keep going on. He was destroyed but not defeated.

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