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WISH YOU WERE MORE CREATIVE?

    I want to ask you a favor. I have a pair of pants. Tell me: How many different ways can I put a pair of pants to use? Now imagine you're an architect. Same question. Now imagine you're Bill Gates. A scuba diver. A medieval knight. You still have the pants. What alternative uses come to mind?

    What you just practiced--the conscious act of "wearing" another self-is an exercise that, according to psychiatrist SriniPillay, MD, is essential to being creative.

    One great irony (讽刺) about our collective addiction to creativity is that we tend to frame it in uncreative ways. That is to say, most of us marry creativity to our concept of self: Either we're "creative" or we aren't, without much of a middle ground. "I'm just not a creative person!" a discouraged student might say in art class, while another might blame her talent at painting for her difficulties in math, making a comment "I'm very right-brained."

    Dr.Pillay, an assistant professor at Harvard University, has spent years overturning these ideas. He believes that the key to unlocking your creative potential is to challenge the stereotyped (陈词滥调的) advice that urges you to "believe in yourself." In fact, you should do the opposite: Believe you are someone else.

    He points to a study showing the impact of stereotype on one's behavior. The authors, psychologists Denis Dumas and Kevin Dunbar, divided their college student subjects into two groups, instructing one group to think of themselves as "eccentric poets" and the other to imagine they were "rigid librarians". The researchers then presented them all with ordinary objects, including a fork, a carrot, and a pair of pants, and asked them to come up with as many different uses as possible for each one. The former group came up with the widest range of ideas, whereas the latter had the fewest.

    These results suggest that creativity is not an individual characteristic but a "product of context and perspective". Everyone can be creative, as long as he or she feels like a creative person.

    Dr. Pillay's work takes this a step further: He argues that simply identifying yourself as creative is less powerful than taking the brave, creative step of imagining you are somebody else. This exercise, which he calls psychological Halloweenism, refers to the conscious action of "wearing" another self. An actor may employ this technique to get into character, but anyone can use it. According to Dr. Pillay, it works because it is an act of conscious unfocus, a collection of brain regions that spring into action when you're not focused on a specific task or thought. Most people spend nearly half of their days in a state of "unfocus." This doesn't make us lazy; it makes us human.

    Imagining yourself in a new situation, or an entirely new identity, never felt so productive. You're making yourself more creative, and you're giving yourself permission to do something you'd otherwise feel guilty about.

    Book your own vacation package online! A sunny Miami, Florida is waiting for you!

    South Beach Bicycle Tour

    There're many choices of bicycles available for you to rent. You can ride to local attractions, including the Miami Design District, Downtown Miami and Miamis Art Deco District, all within a 10-to-25-minutebike ride. It's a great way to get around South Beach, avoiding traffic jams and saving money.

    Prices: $26.75 Ages 18 and up: $19.00 Ages 5-17

    Includes: guided bike training, safety helmet, lock and a bottle of water

    Activity availability: 9: 00 am-7: 00 pm

    Miami Beach Art Deco Pedicab(三轮车)Tour

    It is a great way to truly experience the local Miami lifestyle. Each pedicab driver is open for any questions you may have while aboard. The pedicab, which seats only two passengers at a time, is fun for all ages. The tour takes about 90 minutes.

    Prices: $39.99Ages 19 and up: $15.99 Ages 6-18: $0.00 Ages0-5

Includes: professional guide

    Activity availability: 9: 00 am-11: 00 am

    Biscayne Bay(海湾) Sightseeing Cruise

    The family-friendly cruise liner, on which you can watch the wildlife and the beautiful Biscayne Bay comfortably, gives you the best sightseeing tour in the Miami area. Sights include Fisher Island, Miami Beach and the Miami harbor. The duration is about 1.5 hours.

    Prices: $25.00 Ages 12 and up: $19.00 Ages 3-11: $0.00 Ages 0-2

    Activity availability: 10: 00 am-12: 00 am, 2: 00 pm- 4: 00 pm

    Art Deco Tour with Food and Drinks

    This is the perfect way for you and your friends to enjoy your night out while viewing the best art pieces and learning about their creators and the history behind them.

    Prices: $65.00 Ages 2/ and up: 530. Ages 13-20, $0.00 Ages 5-12

    Activity availability: 5: 00 pm-7: 00 pm

    Skateboarding has become one of several non - traditional activities that PE teachers around America are introducing to inspire kids to exercise regularly. Some PE classes feature in-line (滚轮) skating, yoga, and even rock climbing. Experts have called those types of activities "the new PE".

     Such activities are part of a larger effort to help kids develop lifelong fitness habits and to keep them from becoming overweight. Now, 9 million U.S. children and teens are overweight. Obesity (肥胖) can lead to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease later in life.

     "Our children and youth are becoming unhealthy and obese," says Lindsey Johnson. "Skateboarding is a great activity that keeps kids doing physical movement and gives them new skills and interest."

    Some schools don't allow skateboarding because they say it is dangerous. Cendali, however, argues that regular practiceeliminatesa great deal of the danger. "We teach students how to do it and how to do it safely," he says.

     Some people say skateboarding teaches life lessons. "Skateboarding teaches kids to believe that if they stick with something they will finally succeed," says education expert Richard Sagor of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

     Skateboarding inspires kids not to give up in learning difficult skills. "It's natural for kids to want to learn and get better at things," adds Sagor. "When it comes to skateboarding, they'll try a trick hundreds of times before they succeed." That same effort could be made in schoolwork.

     Eric Klassen agrees that skateboarding requires kids to stop saying a task is too hard for them. "A baby will attempt to walk 600 to 900 times before he or she is successful," says Klassen. "We tell students that they shouldn't say ‘I can't do it' unless they've tried 600 to 900 times."

    New Holland honeyeaters are experts at sounding the alarm when there's danger, according to new research from biologists at the Australian National University (ANU)and the University of Cambridge.

    Study authors, Dr. Jessica McLachlan and Professor Rob Magrath, found honeyeaters can spread the word in the blink of an eye, using a two-stage alarm.

    It's particularly effective when they are threatened by fast-moving birds of prey.

    ＂When a hawk is swooping down, its target has only a second to flee to cover-a split second can make the difference between life and death, "Dr. McLachlan sad.

    ＂But animals often signal urgent danger using repeated notes, which makes sure others hear the warning but it takes a long time to deliver. "

    ＂So there's a problem. How to send a lightning-fast message in a long call?”

    New Holland honeyeaters solve this problem elegantly. They" front-load" information about urgency into the first note of their alarm call, so other honeyeaters can respond quickly.

    The clever honeyeaters follow this up with more notes to reinforce the message and signal how long to remain hidden.

    ＂They use a long call, with lots of notes, to make sure the message is heard, "Professor Magrath said. "And the more notes, the more urgent the danger."

    ＂But they also modify the first note to indicate if it's necessary to take immediate cover. So it's a two-part message that is quick, reliable and informative. "

    The technique is so effective the authors expect to see other species adopt it.

    ＂Many other species modify alarm calls as the threat increases, but there is surprisingly little known about how fast they convey the message, "Professor Magrath said.

    The researchers conducted their study in Canberra's National Botanic Gardens over a period of several years.

    ＂These birds live in the Gardens and are used to having people around. This helped us to record natural interactions with their predators (捕猎者) ,such as sparrow hawks and currawongs, and to video the honeyeaters 'responses to different alarm calls, "Professor Magrath said.

    An elephant, who accidentally fell into a dry, 25-foot deep well in Northeast India, lived to see another day thanks to the quick-thinking rescuers' scientific knowledge. The chain of events unfolded early in the morning on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, when citizens of Amliya toli village, in the state of Jharkhand, awoke to the cries of the trapped animal and called the forest department for help.

    When the rescuers arrived, they instantly realized that pulling out the huge animal, which seemed to be about 30 years old, was not a practical idea. Fortunately , the forest department officials had been paying attention in their science class and were well aware of the Archimedes' principle. The physics law of buoyancy(浮力)，which explains how ships stay afloat, states that when a body is partially or fully immersed in a liquid, it experiences an apparent loss in weight that is equal to the weight of the liquid displaced by the part of the body in the liquid.

    In this case, that meant filling the well with enough water to displace the elephant's weight. It took the three motorized pumps over three hours to add the hundreds of gallons needed to enable the heavy animal to float up to the surface. However, it was well worth the effort. A heart-warming video shows the villagers cheering as the animal, using the makeshift ramp (斜坡)dug by the rescue team, pulls itself out of the well and walks away to safety in the nearby forest.

    High school biology teacher Kelly Chavis knew smartphones were a problem in her class. But not even the students realized how much of a problem the devices were until Chavis did an in­class experiment.

    For one class period, students used a whiteboard to count every Snapchat, Instagram, text, call that appeared on their phones. Chavis is among a growing number of teachers, parents and health experts who believe that smartphones are now partly to blame for increasing the levels of student anxiety. “One girl, just during the one hour, got close to 150 Snapchat notifications. 150！” she said.

    Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University in California, said it is not a coincidence that youth mental health issues have risen with the number of phones. “This use of phones has led to a loss of sleep and face­to­face interactions necessary for their growth，” she said.

    Researchers are still not sure whether phones cause student depression or depression causes phone use. But nearly 60 percent of parents said they worry about the influence of social media on their child's physical and mental health.

    Both schools and parents are starting to take steps to deal with the problem. Many public schools pay outside companies to watch students' social media activity for signs of anxiety. Other schools invite in yoga teachers and comfort dogs to help calm students.

The word "adulating" started as a kind of joke—whenever a millennial (千禧一代) would do something as an adult does, this was an act of "adulating". However, now, millennials clearly need training in being an adult.

Rachel Flehinger has founded an Adulting School, which includes online classes on simple sewing (缝纫), problems solving and cooking. The cause for such classes is that many millennials haven't left childhood homes—in America 34 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 still lived with their parents in 2015, up from 26 percent 10 years before. There's a good deal of truth to this. If you're living at home, with Mom and Dad doing their best to spoil (溺爱) you, you're less likely to know how to wash clothes, cook or make the bed. Dependency leads to enervation. Over time, you are unable to adult.

But living at home doesn't necessarily bring dependency. Back in 1940, 30 percent of 25-to-29-year-olds lived at home with parents or grandparents. But they were adulting. Parents expected their kids to do housework, and to prepare for life. Then, what's the real problem now?

Instead of blaming (责备) living at home, we have to blame our style of parenting. The truth is that we've simply become lazier as parents. We're more likely to let our kids lie on a sofa than tell them to get a job. We don't push our kids to build families of their own, because life cost has increased. Then the question is how we can encourage young people to "adult" in such a situation.

As an international body charged with the mission of keeping world peace and development, the United Nations cannot operate without financial support from its member countries. And as a firm defender of multilateralism (多边主义) and a beneficiary of globalization, China knows how important it is to safeguard the current world order in which the UN plays an important role. China is aware how important it is that it does its bit to ensure the UN can accomplish its missions, and knows that this is a responsibility it must undertake for the benefit of all.

And Chinese people can take pride in the fact that the country has overtaken Japan to be the second-largest contributor to the UN regular budget. Since how much a country pays to the regular budget of the United Nations is a standard on how powerful the country is, at least financially. It is therefore natural that China's contribution to the UN budget should rise from 2.05 percent in 2005 to 12.01 percent this year. That hike is an indicator of what the country has achieved over the past 13 years. With the country's further development, there is no doubt that its financial contribution to the UN will continue to rise. China will pay as it should.

However, the more money a country pays, the more responsibility it shoulders and more say it is entitled to enjoy as a major player on the world stage. But the reality is that the rights and international standing China enjoys are still disproportional (不相称的) to what it does for the UN and its contribution to the development of the world economy. As a responsible member of the international community, China is struggling for reform of the UN and the global governance system so they are more effective and representative of the international community as a whole.

Although peace and development remain the themes of the times, uncertainty and instability are on the rise. With this in mind, all countries should make combined efforts to deepen understanding, increase trust and promote cooperation. China is committed to building a community with a shared future for humanity and will continue to work with the UN to realize that vision.

Summer Activities

Students should read the list with their parents/careers, and select two activities they would like to do. Forms will be available in school and online for them to indicate their choices and return to school. Before choices are finalised, parents/careers will be asked to sign to confirm their child's choices.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic organizers are encouraging people living in Japan to help make the medals for the games by donating(捐赠)their useless smart phones for recycling. It will avoid waste and benefit the environment.

The organizing committee says that it has cooperated with NTT Docomo, a telecommunications giant in Japan, and hopes to collect up to 8 tons of metal from useless electronic devices(设备).

"Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals will be made in order to avoid waste, "said three-time Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Kohei Uchimura." I think thereis an important message in this for future generations. "

Collection boxes will be put in more than 2, 400 NTT Docomo stores throughout Japan. The organizing committee says that millions of smart phones will be needed to hit the 8-ton target－enough to make 5, 000 medals. Collection will stop when the target has been reached.

"The weight of a medal around your neck is always a good weight, "says American former athlete Ashton Eaton, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and world record holder. "And when an athlete at Tokyo wins a medal, the weight of it will not be from the gold, silver or bronze;it will be the weight of a nation. The great project makes me want to come out of retirement and compete for one."

Previous(先前的)Olympic Games have used recycled metal to make medals, but Tokyo 2020 will be the first to choose materials from useless electronic devices. Organizers claim that all gold medals will be made 100 percent from recycled materials.

"We are asking people to recycle voluntarily, "says Hidemasa Nakamura, the chief financial officer of the 2020 Games." The idea is recycling and sustainability(可持续), which shows the ideas of the Olympic Movement, it is also about participation. "

A joint research team recently have developed a new electronic skin that is similar to human skin in strength, durability(耐久性) and sensitivity. The skin or e-skin may play an important role in next-generation personalized medicine, soft robotics and artificial intelligence.

"The ideal e-skin will mimic(模仿) the many natural functions of human skin, such as sensing temperature and touch, accurately and in real time, " says leading researcher Yichen Cai. However, making suitably flexible electronics that can perform such delicate tasks while also used repeatedly is challenging, and each material involved must be carefully engineered.

Most e-skins are made by putting an active sensor on the surface that attaches to human skin. However, the connection between them is often too weak, which reduces the durability and sensitivity of the material; otherwise, if it is too strong, it won't be flexible enough, making it more likely to break the circuit.

"The landscape of skin electronics keeps shifting at a remarkable pace," says Cai. "The discovery of 2D sensors has accelerated efforts to turn these quite thin but strong materials into functional, durable artificial skins. "

The new man-made skin built by the researchers could sense objects from 20 centimeters away. It could further make a quick response when touched in less than one tenth of a second." It is a striking achievement for an e-skin to maintain toughness after repeated use, " said Shen, "which mimics the softness and rapid recovery of human skin."

This type of e-skin could monitor a range of biological information, such as changes in blood pressure, which can be detected from movements of arms and legs. This data can then be shared and stored on the cloud via Wi-Fi.

"One remaining problem to the widespread use of e-skins lies in mass production of high-resolution sensors," adds group leader Vincent Tung" however, the latest technology offers new promise."

The following are a few places recommended(推荐) by tourists.

Pololu Valley

Lying along the North Kohala Coast, it is home to the island's most beautiful sandy beaches with pleasant weather. Head east on the Akoni Pule Highway and drive to the end of the road before parking at the Pololu Valley Overlook where the trail(小径) begins. The hike(步行) is short at 2.5miles round-trip, but it has a couple of very steep sections that will get your heart beating fast.

Papakolea Beach

The hike to Papakolea Beach will take you 2.5 miles each way to one of the world's only green sand beaches. Drive along South Point Road and look for "Green Sand Beach" signs, then follow the road on foot to the beach below. The hike will take at least one hour each way with no shade, so don't forget your water, hiking footwear and sunscreen!

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens

Take the self-guided hike through the gardens for a mile or two, passing by more than 2, 000 different species of native Hawaiian plants, flowers and trees. The gardens are only open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with admission ending at 4:00 pm. Also, entry costs $20 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 to 16, and free for children under six.

Mauna Loa Lookout

The Mauna Loa Trail begins an 18-mile uphill to the top of the volcano—but don't worry, you'll only need to hike a couple of miles to get there. This is the largest volcano on earth and the weather here is changing rapidly. Snow or driving rain are possible at any time of year. High altitude storms can occur without warning. You'd better pay attention to the local weather forecast or weather information on the website before hiking.

Forget smart phones and smart glasses. One day, we might have smart tattoos (纹身). The company NewDealDesign came up with an idea for a product called UnderSkin. The device would look like a pair of tattoos on your palm and the side of your thumb, but it would actually be a very thin computer implanted just below your skin. It would draw power from your body's energy, and you could use it to unlock doors, monitor your health, exchange and store information, or even express your personality. UnderSkin is just an idea -you can't go out and get one -but the technology exists to make it work. "We assume it is about five years from being real," says designer Gadi Amit.

Writer and technology entrepreneurs Amal Graffstra already has a chip called a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag (标签) implanted in his hand. "I use it to log into my computer. I also use it to share contact details with people," he says. The chip is about the size of a grain of rice and responds to radio signals with a unique identification number.

If a computerized tattoo or embedded tag isn't crazy enough for you, what about a brain chip? The company Intel is working on technology that would let you control your devices with your mind. Dean Pomerleau, one of the researchers, explains, "We're trying to prove you can do interesting things with brain waves...Imagine being able to surf the Web with the power of your thoughts."

Do you think embedded chips sound cool or creepy? Some doctors are concerned about people hurting themselves while getting devices implanted. They argue that medical procedures are meant to heal sick People and not to give healthy people special powers. Others worry about hacking and privacy -could someone hack in and steal your identity, or even control your mind? On a more philosophical level if you e a computer inside your body, are your still human? Or are you a cyborg (半机械人)

What do you think-would you want a computer under your skin?

A Virginia teen is doing his part to make sure frontline health care workers are getting the meals they need to help them take care of themselves and others.

Arul Nigam, 17, of Tyson's Corner, Va., has had to make several adjustments since his school year ended abruptly in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic(新冠疫情）. "We didn't have any classes for like over a month and then after that there were a lot of technical difficulties. So I started to have a lot more free time," he tells Yahoo Life. "It was really saddening, but it was also something that really surprised me, that our health care workers are facing something like that," Nigam says. "So I wanted to see what I could do to help them because obviously, they're sacrificing so much and giving so much for all of us. "

In late March, the teen started fundraising efforts with the help of friends and family to help these health care workers receive much-needed meals. He also began doing research about what hospitals had the most amount of coronavirus cases, so he could prioritize those places first. He was also arranging for the orders to be fulfilled at local family-owned restaurants impacted by shutdown orders. So far, Nigam has delivered over 1,000 meals to 22 hospitals in 13 states, including New York, Massachusetts and Maryland.

Nigam's efforts have not only helped health care workers, but restaurants as well. With quarantine restrictions taking a toll on the food industry, places like Best Coast Burrito in Oakland, Calif., have lost business over the last few weeks. Best Coast's owner, Alvin Shen, tells Yahoo Life that being able to partner with Arul and others in efforts to feed those on the frontline has been a big help.

If this isn't true love then we don't know what it is. High school sweethearts Leonard and Hazel Cherry passed away last Thursday just hours apart, a sweet ending to their 74-year together.

The couple were married in 1942 in Muldoon, Texas. Following their wedding ceremony at the start of World War II, Leonard enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a B-24 bomber pilot. Luckily for the couple, he was never far from home as he was stationed at Carswell Army Air Corps Base in Fort Worth training others how to fly. Meanwhile, Hazel was a stay-at-home mom taking care of their only son, David. Once the war was over, Leonard worked as an auto body repairman in Fort Worth before opening an auto repair business in 1949, which the couple ran together for 31 years. The couple finally moved to Woodstock, Texas in 1980 to be close to their son and grandchildren.

In their final days, Leonard who was 95, was placed at the St. Catherine Center, a hospice (临终安养院) in Waco, Texas, while 93-year-old Hazel, who was in good health, had just moved into the village at Providence Park, a facility right next door to her husband's.

Then on October 27, Leonard passed away just before 1 p.m. and his wife died just 10 hours later at 11 p.m.

“Every time I began to think about it, I began to smile because of how much they loved each other. In my mind my grandfather was waiting for her in heaven with open arms,” Craig Cherry told KWTX. “Even in his ninety-fifth year, he still, when he talked about her, had a sparkle (闪烁 的光) in his eye. A memorial service for them is scheduled for this Friday and I'm sure there won't be a dry eye in the house.”

When I was sixteen years old，I made my first visit to the United States. It wasn't the first time I had been abroad. Like most English children，I learned French at school. And I had often been to France，so I was used to speaking a foreign language to people who didn't understand English. But when I went to America，I was really looking forward to having a nice easy holiday without any language problems.

How wrong I was！The misunderstanding began at the airport. I was looking for a public telephone to give my American friend Daisy a call and tell her that I had arrived. A friendly old man saw me looking lost and asked if he could help me.

“Yes”，I said，“I want to give my friend a ring.”

“Well，that's nice，”he said，“Are you getting married？But aren't you a bit young？”

“Who is talking about marriage？”I replied. “I only want to give my friend a ring to tell her I've arrived. Can you tell me where there is a phone box？”

“Oh！”he said，“There is a phone downstairs.”

When at last we met，Daisy explained the misunderstanding to me.

“Don't worry，”she said to me. “I had so many difficulties at first. There are lots of words which the Americans use differently in meaning from British. You'll soon get used to all the funny things they say. Most of the time，British and American people understand each other！”

What Theresa Loe is doing proves that a large farm isn't a prerequisite for a modern grow-your-own lifestyle. On a mere 1/10 of an acre in Los Angeles, Loe and her family grow, can(装罐)and preserve much of the food they consume.

Loe is a master food preserver, gardener and canning expert. She also operates a website, where she shares her tips and recipes, with the goal of demonstrating that everyone has the ability to control what's on their plate.

Loe initially went to school to become an engineer, but she quickly learned that her enthusiasm was mainly about growing and preparing her own food. "I got into cooking my own food and started growing my own herbs(香草)and foods for that fresh flavor, "she said. Engineer by day, Loe learned cooking at night school. She ultimately purchased a small piece of land with her husband and began growing their own foods.

"I teach people how to live farm-fresh without a farm, "Loe said. Through her website Loe emphasizes that" anybody can do this anywhere. "Got an apartment with a balcony(阳台)?Plant some herbs. A window? Perfect spot for growing. Start with herbs, she recommends, because" they're very forgiving. "Just a little of the herbs" can take your regular cooking to a whole new level, "she added. "I think it's a great place to start. "Then? Try growing something from a seed, she said, like a tomato or some tea.

Canning is a natural extension of the planting she does. With every planted food, Loe noted, there's a moment when it's bursting with its absolute peak flavor. "I try and keep it in a time capsule in a canning jar, "Loe said. "Canning for me is about knowing what's in your food, knowing where it comes from. "

In addition to being more in touch with the food she's eating, another joy comes from passing this knowledge and this desire for good food to her children:" Influencing them and telling them your opinion on not only being careful what we eat but understanding the bigger picture, "she said, "that if we don't take care of the earth, no one will."

Do you want to see majestic lions roaring, rare rhinos running and colorful birds flying? You'll find this incredible display of nature in the Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley.

First stop

Fly into Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. This great city is known for its fashion markets and beautiful art. And be sure to pick up some rich Kenyan coffee while you're there! Then head for the countryside.

Plan your trip

The largest of the three lakes in the system, Lake Nakuru, is less than 175 kilometers from Nairobi. But Lakes Bogoria and Elementaita are equally worth a visit. You can stay at one of several choices of luxurious cabins in the valley. And if you sign up for a trip, be sure to put flamingos, the white and pink birds, at the top of your list.

Paradise

The Kenya Lake System is shallow and alkaline (碱性的). That means it supports vegetation such as green algae, a food source for many waterfowl. Hundreds of species of birds flourish here, using this area as a major breeding and nesting ground. Water buffalo, leopards, monkeys and the endangered Rothschild giraffe also make this area their home.

Other sights

Wildlife isn't the only natural wonder in the Great Rift Valley. The valley marks a place where the earth is divided far below the surface. This rock separation below ground leads to noticeable features above ground. Walking around Lake Bogoria especially, you will see steam rising from hot springs.

Other activities include golfing, horseback riding and hiking. The fun doesn't stop when the sun goes down, either. The river valley is far from city lights, so many visitors gaze at the stars shining above.

If you are ready for a wildlife experience, don't hesitate!

In the 2022 Beijing Olympics process, hand-kitting (手工编织的) Chinese knot, a symbol of unity and happiness in Chinese context, is loved by friends from other countries. It has a complex graceful curve, but it can be reduced to the simple two-dimensional line. It displays fantasy and wisdom of the ancient Chinese civilization. It has elegant appeal which comes from the basic tools of human life in the beginning years.

Preparation of Chinese knot, roughly divided into three categories: the basic knot, varying knot and combinatorial knot. Its knitting techniques, in addition to all the basic techniques, agree with a common principle of knitting and can be summarized as the basic techniques and combinations techniques. But the basic techniques use a single line, double line or lines to knitting, or change the use of the parallel thread (线) to separate thread so as to make colorful knot or bow section; and a combination of techniques use the extend of head and extended ear flap (耳帽), and combine various knot flexibly, complete pack of ever-changing knot ornaments (装饰).

To design a set of beautiful decorative knot, the most important thing is to determine what the knot will be used for. Accordingly, determine its size and shape, taking into account of the appropriate use of color matching and accessories. The shape, color and ornaments should suit each other. Do attach your own artistic beauty and deep emotion to it, which will be able to fully demonstrate the beauty of Chinese traditional art.

Long cultural heritage makes the Han ethnic Chinese knot techniques unique, purely cultural essence, rich in cultural heritage. Chinese knot not only has shape and color beauty, but also gain its name because of its meaning, such as endless knot, caisson knot (藻井结) and double the money knot, reflecting the ancient Chinese cultural beliefs and strong religious meanings. It represents the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty of good intentions.

I couldn't be more excited to join Reader's Digest as we celebrate our 100th anniversary.  Since 1922, this magazine has shared stories about remarkable people across the country and the kind and heroic things they do for one another.

I grew up in a family of storytellers.  My father, a police officer in our central Illinois town, came home every day with stories about the people in our community: funny anecdotes or dramatic stories that revealed the lives of the individuals in our town and what they went through every day.

My mother was a gifted storyteller and her job in the front office of our local middle school provided a lot of material.  My sister and I heard about classmates who were caught skipping school or forced by the principal to admit their mischief on unpopular teacher.  She would deliver the play-by-play to us, laughing about kids and the things they do.  My sister and I learned how to find and tell our own stories in a way that the April 1960 issue held Mom and Dad's attention and earned their laughs.  I suspect those conversations pushed me toward journalism, a way of telling stories to an audience beyond the dinner table.

In this special anniversary issue, we look at some of the incredible stories from famous writers, politicians, everyday heroes, and average Americans that have filled the pages of Reader's Digest for a century.  We also talk about humor, health, and how to feel hopeful about the next century.  Of course,there is too much for one issue, so be sure to visit us online at rd. com/100th for more.

Most of all, thank you for being a part of the first 100 years of Readers Digest.  I look forward to hearing and sharing your stories for years to come.