Many teens in high school want to try out for sports. A lot of them try out because they think it will make them popular or get them more dates. While this may seem like a silly reason, there are lots of other benefits to sports that your children may fail to notice.

    With TV, movies, computers and video games becoming more and more popular, it has become so much easier for teens to be by themselves rather than going out with friends. Kids used to go hang out at the mall or drive around town; now they just sit at home. Getting your teens into a sport gives them a chance to go out and spend time with other people socially. While they may not find a new best friend, they will learn how to communicate with one another and work as a team and they'll find something useful later in life.

    More and more kids are becoming overweight. Joining a team sport will help teens get out and get some exercise without feeling pressured to lose weight or get in shape. What's more, if your teens see that their physical condition is causing them to under-perform, they may be encouraged to do other activities to get healthy. By the time your children reach their teenager year, part of good parenting will be providing them with direction and encouragement and continuing to help them develop a healthy style of living.

    These days, it's becoming harder to show your teenagers that you love and support them. A great way to do this is by showing up to their game, helping them practice, and helping with team fundraisers. These are also great ways to spend time with your kids and talk to them.

    You may think “but my teen isn't good enough to make their school team”. There are plenty of other places besides school to play team sports. You can always check out “for-fun” teams. You could look into more unknown sports that you may not have thought of, did you know that bowling is a NCAA team sports If you do a little research, you're sure to find something your teen will enjoy.

    Team sports are a great way for teens to get out of the house, get moving, make friends, and even get a scholarship to college. So why not talk to them about getting into sports today

    There is always something that happens in the world that everyone fears will happen to their town, city or country: natural disasters. The scariest part of it is that no one will ever see it coming. Though technology helps us prepare, but it never actually tells the people when it's going to hit. It is always estimated but the result is never 100% accurate.

    However, that is not the point of this article. Two different natural disasters in two different parts of the world have happened in the past few weeks. One was a major flood that has hit Louisiana in the United States. The other was an earthquake that hit Amatrice, Italy. However, there is a major difference in the news coverage of the two tragedies.

    As for the flooding in Louisiana, it is reported that this disaster is the worst to hit the United States since Super-storm Sandy and it'll cost at least $30 million. In only the first couple of weeks, 13 people had died. However, like me, many people did not hear about this tragic event. I did not learn about it until about three weeks after it happened.

    In Italy, however, it covered all media instantly. The earthquake in Italy happened on Tuesday morning. That same day, I was on Twitter and that was all that was over the news feed. Every other post was about the earthquake. Some would have the opinion that Amatrice, Italy was one of the most beautiful towns in that country. I got in deep sorrow because there were more people killed in this quake than the flooding. So far, they have a total of 73 dead and over one hundred missing.

    I understand that technically the earthquake in Italy was worse than the floods in Louisiana. However, I believe that if a natural disaster happens, they all should be equally covered and taken equally seriously. We are one world united and should be there for all of the people who are in need of help. We may not be able to accurately predict disasters but, we can surely lend a hand out for the needy.

    'Kangaroo mothering' helps boost a child's health and intelligence

    “Kangaroo mothering”, the practice of continuous skin-to-skin contact with a newborn baby, results in healthier, more intelligent and successful children, a new study finds.

    A 20-year follow-up research found that those brought up in the kangaroo method scored higher in IQ tests and earned 53% more. They were also found to be less likely to have behavior problems than babies in a control group.

    Followers of the method nest their kids in a “kangaroo” position on their chest as soon as possible after birth. Both mother and baby are supposed to go home as quickly as possible.

    The technique is often used in cases of premature birth (早产). In such cases, the trained mother acts as the child's main source of stimulation (刺激) and food, in the form of breast feeding. Between 1993 and 1996, a group of more than 700 prematurely born babies in Columbia were, on the basis of random selection, placed either away from mother or were raised using the kangaroo method. Two decades later, a follow-up survey funded by the Canadian Government has shown that those who went through the latter method benefited by comparison.

    Published in the journal Paediatrics, the research shows that kangaroo mothering offered significant protection against early death, with a 3.5% death rate compared to a 7.7% rate in the control group. IQ test also showed a small but significant advantage of 3.5% compared to other infants. 

    Lead researcher Dr Nathalie Charpak, of the Kangaroo Foundation in Bogota, said the method has “significant, long-lasting social and behavioral protective effects”. “We firmly believe that this is a powerful, efficient, scientifically based healthcare intervention that can be used in all settings, from those with very restricted to unrestricted access to healthcare.”

    The study also found that, compared with babies in the control group, those raised in the kangaroo method went on to develop bigger brains, with significantly larger volumes of gray matter.

    The 14-year-old, Amit Dodani, a talented speaker and persuasive debater at school, suffered as a child from a speech disorder.

    He began working with a speech therapist (理疗师) when he was 6 years old, but it was his decision to try out for debate team at the end of seventh grade that helped him most.

    “That experience changed my life,” he wrote after his team went on to nationals. “It gave me hope, and helped me see my own true potential.”

    Since he launched MynameMystory last year, the site has attracted national and even international attention. Amit's mom said her son's website is meant to send a message that no one is alone in their experience, showing how people overcame their challenges and how others can, too.

    “The big thing that clicked in Amit was the belief that people are really needed (to help each other) in this country,” she said. “I wasn't surprised he wanted to do this, because at such a young age he had this spirit in him.”

    In addition to the website, Amit also wanted to expand the idea of sharing stories. So he asked his friends and classmates to donate books to distribute to local hospitals. He hoped to collect perhaps 1,000, but in just two weeks, he received more than 2,300 donations.

    “There was an absolute connection between the website and books,” Amit said. “But books are something that can really make a difference to someone who is in the hospital and can't go to school.”

    Amit said he's hoping to organize a large live event for MynameMystory at the end of this year at Chaminade High School in West Hills. Those who shared their stories on the website will be invited to speak and encourage others to share their stories of overcoming challenges.

    “We're hoping for big things,” Amit said. “We have a lot of events planned out for the future. The goal is basically to inspire people in a different way.”

    China will follow up on its successful mission (任务) to the far side of the moon by sending a probe to Mars next year, one of its top space scientists said Sunday. Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program, said the red planet was the natural next step. "Next year we'll launch a Mars probe to orbit around the Mars, land on it and probe it," he said. China will also send another probe to take back samples from the moon's surface.

    Wu's comments came as a Mars simulation(模拟) base opened in Qinghai's Qaidam Basin. According to the state-run Global Times, while the red rocky area bears a strikingly similarity to Mars, it's extremely difficult to simulate Mars due to its special natural features and hostile environment—low air pressure, strong radiation and frequent sandstorms, as well as vast differences in geography.

    China didn't send its first satellite into orbit until 1970, by which time America had already landed an astronaut on the moon, but it's been catching up fast. Since 2003, China has sent six crews into space and two space labs into Earth's orbit. In 2013, China successfully landed a rover, Yutu 1, on the moon, becoming only the third country to do so.

    Last December, China landed another probe and a rover, Yutu 2, on the far side of the moon. Progress has been slow going since then: due to the extreme conditions there, the rover often has to hibernate to preserve its capabilities for further exploration, Wu said. "The temperature there is minus 190 degrees Celsius, which all components and parts cannot stand. So we let it sleep for a while, making sure it can spend the night safely. A few days ago, it woke up automatically to work. We've gained lots of data in the past few days, and we're going to make the data known to the world,” Wu said.

Briton Andy Park has probably the rarest addiction in the world. He's addicted to celebrating Christmas.

Park, 45, is known as "Mr Christmas" in Britain. He has been celebrating the December 25 holiday on a daily basis for the past 12 years. He's eaten 4,380 turkeys and 87,600 pies, drunk 4,380 bottles of champagne (香槟酒), and 5,000 bottles of wine, given 21,900 presents, mostly to himself, and spent a fortune on lights and decorations. His festive craze (狂热) has so far cost all estimated (估算) US $427,500.

"I'm going to be doing it for another 12 years. I've never, ever been bored with it. " he said.

The electrician from Wiltshire, southwest England, starts his day with a big breakfast of six pies and a turkey sandwich before heading off to work.

He finishes work by 11:30 am in order to start roasting a turkey—the traditional Christmas dish.

At 3:00 pm he watches a video of the British Queen's annual Christmas speech to the Commonwealth, glass of wine in hand.

Dinner is turkey, wine and a bottle of champagne.

He lays his present to himself under the Christmas tree at 8:00 pm.

He even insists on a full Christmas dinner if he goes to a restaurant or to a friend's house for dinner.

Park is hoping his love of Christmas can translate into SUCCESS in the music charts when he releases a single. It's Christmas Every Day on December 9. "I want to be No. 1," he said. Before now, he has made unsuccessful singles such as The Christmas Man.