Long ago，poems were recited out loud instead of being written down. Back when the Greeks first started the Olympics, they held poetry contests as well as athletic competitions.

    Now，poetry competitions have been revived (恢复). This year 120,000 high school students competed in the first Poetry Out Loud national recitation contest，performing poems from memory for $100,000 in prizes.

    The first competitions were held in classrooms. The winners went on to school－wide contests, and then they competed in city and state competitions. Finally, the 50 state champions，along with the District of Columbia champion came to Washington D．C．last week for the last showdown. After the 51 champions competed against one another, 12 went on to the finals. Then the field was narrowed to five. The final five had one last chance to “perform” a poem. The overall champ, Jackson Hille, a high school senior from Ohio, won a $20,000 scholarship.

    The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation started Poetry Out Loud, because they realized that bearing a poem performed is a different experience from reading it on a page.

    It's not just a matter of saying the words in the right order. It's the tone of voice, the pauses, the gestures and the attitude of the person performing that bring the words to life. “Each time we hear somebody recite a poem, we understand again what we found fresh and interesting about it，” said National Public Radio Broadcaster Scott Simon, master of ceremonies for the finals. Hearing it in a new voice offers something new to the listener.

    Not only do the people hearing poems have a new experience, but memorizing and presenting poems helps the participants (选手) understand those poems in a new way. Another benefit of a competition such as Poetry Out Loud is that the participants learn public－speaking skills that can help them for life.

Around the World by Wheelchair

    Rick Hansen was always an active kid and loved to fish. When returning in a truck one day from a fishing trip, he had an accident and suffered injuries to his spine (脊柱)，This 15-year-old young man awoke to find that he had lost the use of his legs. However, he didn't give up. Many months later he began to compete in wheelchair sports. At the age of 27, he decided to wheel around the world to raise awareness and money for spinal cord research. His tour took him through 34 countries around the world between 1985 and1987. In this Man of Motion World Tour, he wheeled 24,901.55 miles, which is equal to the distance around the earth.

    Bad weather and difficult, rocky roads often provided challenges for Rick, but he continued to push himself to complete the trip. He was determined to succeed. Even mountains did not stop Rick Hansen. He wheeled himself up the Rocky Mountains and several other major mountains in the world. He even wheeled himself along the Great Wall of China!

    “Never Give Up On Your Dream” was his motto and he hasn't given up yet. He completed his world tour raising $24 million. He continues to work to increase knowledge of spinal cord injury. He is a true Canadian hero who shows what determination can achieve.

    Montreal, Quebec is a great vacation destination with a number of annual and on-going activities and events in the area. Find a variety of area activities and attractions, lodging options and complete vacation packages conveniently online!

    Winter in Montreal: Ice Skating

    The skating experience starts with a guide who will bring your group to a rink (溜冰场) that is best for learning. You can rent skates, and you will be taught how to skate comfortably whether you are a beginner or an expert. The skating experience lasts 3 hours and an extra hour when you are allowed to take pictures and truly enjoy the rink experience.

    Montreal Tower Observatory

    This 4-hour tour will take guests to the tallest inclined tower in the world, complete with an added tour of the botanical garden. You'll notice that the city is actually quite beautiful especially from such a tall building. If you are bringing children along they will get a kick out of how unique the structure of the building is in the skyline of this big city. The trip to the top takes only approximately 2 minutes.

    Flavors of Old Montreal Walking Tour

    This is a 1.5-hour food walking tour. You'll basically explore all of old Montréal and you will see a place that has a rich culture and rich history. You will see what it was like in the olden days. You will see the life of the first and only French province in Canada. You will eat delicious foods like cheese, macaroons, and even more.

    Montreal Half-Day Bike Tour

    Montreal half-day bike tour is family friendly which lasts almost 3 hours. This ride is acceptable for any skill level and any age. There are three routes to choose from including the city tour, the Vista architecture tour and the city of contrast tour. Each course will have a tour guide who will introduce the sightseeing during the trip.

    We can take online joyful learning experiences to a new level by combining the best practices in education with inspiring hands-on lessons that parents and children can enjoy together.

    ◆◇Starting a Writer's Notebook      June 13th-June 17th

    This workshop is to inspire children to see themselves as true authors. The writing activities in this workshop are meant to help young authors develop their sense of voice and enthusiasm for writing. Participants will learn a variety of strategies and techniques for generating ideas and producing meaningful writing.

    PRICE: $27.00 ($22.00 cash payment)      AGE: 6-10

    ◆◇Backyard Science    June 20th-June 24th

    By sharing what we discover in our own backyards, our children will be able to experience firsthand how wildlife, climate, and geographic landscapes differ across the globe. Through this workshop we have the ability to create eye-opening explorations for our children.

    PRICE: $27.00       AGE: 4-10

    ◆◇Be a Peacemaker    June 27th-July 1st

    By practicing mindfulness we discover how to find that peaceful place within ourselves, even during the most difficult times. This online class offers families a way to explore beneficial techniques together in an effort to develop a shared language and common understanding of what it means to be fully present in our lives.

    PRICE: $27.00     AGE: 4-10

    ◆◇Poetry Makers    June 11th-July 15th

    When sharing poems with our children, we not only teach them how to appreciate the beauty of language but also that our words have the ability to affect others in deep and meaningful ways. In this four-week online workshop, we will strengthen our children's understanding of themselves, each other, and the world around them through the power of writing poetry.

    PRICE: $27.00      AGE: 6-10

    Do you want to do some volunteer work while exploring Africa? Then join in our 21-Day Flagship Program. Step onto the flat, sandy land of Ghana, and you'll immediately hear the laughter of children everywhere. This laughter will be the constant of your trip and a steady source of energy while you volunteer among one of Africa s kind communities.

    Community Service

    Volunteer in primary schools, working with children of different ages to help improve their English skills, tutor those who might be falling behind and contribute to each school's needs, including making improvements to the facilities. Split your time between teaching and campus refurbishment (翻修) projects to serve every aspect of the school, and learn all about education in Ghana.

    Hands-on Learning

    Participate in workshops such as batik cloth dyeing (蜡染), drumming, dancing and crash courses in the native language, Ewe or Krobo. You'll be given a Ghanaian name by the local chief of your village, and visit a seamstress (女裁缝) to have custom clothing made out of colorful fabrics you purchase. On the 21-Day Flagship Program, you'll hear about the nation's history as a center of the slave trade, and visit Fort Prinzenstein to truly understand the weight of this topic.

    Adventure

    You'll also experience the natural surroundings of Ghana with a beautiful waterfall hike: On your 21-Day Flagship Program, go on a two-night trip where you'll get to visit a monkey shelter.

    Lodging

    Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) operates two Home Bases for the 21-day program. Both are located outside of the capital city of Accra in rural village settings. Accommodations are basic, but clean and safe. Students sleep in rooms with roommates, and have access to shared bathrooms with cold-water showers.

    Dates

    June 26-July 16, 2019

    July 9-July 29, 2019

    July 20-August9, 2019

    Duration: 21 days

    Tuition: $5,399

    Community Service Hours: 60

    For more information, please call 1-858-771-0645 or send an email to info@experiencegla.com.

    If you're a fan of smart technology, you may have had some sleepless nights lately. That's because Alexa, the artificial intelligence (AI) behind US company Amazon's Echo smart speakers, has been "letting out an unprompted (自发的),creepy (令人毛骨悚然的)cackle for no apparent reason, according to BBC News.

    Many social media users shared their stories of Alexa scaring them with the seemingly unprompted laugh.

    "Every time Alexa laughs, an angel dies," Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk joked on social media.

    On March 7, Amazon released an update that fixed the problem, saying that the laugh was caused by Echo devices mistakenly thinking that users had said the command " Alexa, laugh".

    However, what should have been a funny story raised the ongoing topic of man versus machine.

    With the rise of artificial and robotic technology, "Digital machines started to demonstrate broad abilities in pattern recognition, complex communication, and other area that used to be particularly human," wrote Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee in their book The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. They believe that AI will "do more and more, and our lives will get better".

    However, ever since the earliest days of AI there have been concerns that some day, software will take over the world, leaving the fate of humans unknown.

    "With artificial intelligence we are order the demon (魔鬼)Musk told students during a meeting at MIT in 2014. "If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it's probably that. So we need to be very careful

    Many scientists have shared the same concern. The late British physicist Stephen Hawking said at a technology conference in Portugal in November that "computers can. in theory, imitate human intelligence, and exceed it ••• AI could be the worst event in the history of our civilization."

    If creators are to safely control AL however, Hawking suggested that they "employ best practice and effective management".

    I am an optimist and I believe that we can create AI for the good of the world," he said at the conference. "We simply need to be aware of the dangers, identify them, employ the best possible practice and management, and prepare for its consequences well in advance."