Childhood is a happy time, right? Not necessarily. Consider these facts.

Depression(抑郁症) may occur in as many as 1 in 33 children.

    Once a child has an episode of depression, he or she has a 50 percent chance of experiencing another episode in the next 5 years.

    Suicide(自杀) is the 6th leading cause of death for 5-to-15-year-olds.

    If your child experiences 5 or more of these signs or symptoms for at least 2 weeks, he or she may be experiencing depression or mental illness.

    Sometimes, a child who causes problems at school or at home may actually be depressed, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

    If you think your child may be depressed, it's important to have your child treated. Discuss your child's problems with his or her doctor. The doctor may suggest a referral to a children's psychologist or psychiatrist.

    A generation ago young people longed to become lawyers and doctors. Now they desire to be the next Oscar winner or famous pop star. But one university psychologist has pointed out that this is damaging our self-image and sense of self-worth. Over recent years people around the world have been suffering from an increasing fear of their own “insignificance”, according to Dr. Strenger of Tel Aviv University.

    He began a project on the phenomenon 10 years ago, after noticing an increase of fear in his own patients. His findings note hundreds of research projects that have recorded an unprecedented (前所未有) increase in levels of anxiety and depression. By using a wide-ranging framework Dr. Strenger thinks he has given the accurate cause. “The impact of the global entertainment network on the individual is to blame,” he said. “A new species—global man—is born and we are defined by our close connection to the global entertainment network, which has turned ranking and evaluating people according to wealth and fame into an obsession (狂热).”

    As humans we naturally measure ourselves by those around us, but now we live in a “global village” where we are comparing ourselves with the most “significant” people in the world - and finding ourselves not good enough. Today, even high achievers constantly fear that they are insignificant when they compare themselves to success stories in the media. “This creates highly unstable personality and an unstable society,” Dr. Strenger said.

    Dr. Strenger says people should stop measuring their achievement through the cultural fantasies of rich and famous people. The remedy (治疗方法) is a process that he calls “active self-acceptance” through a continuing search for self-knowledge through life. The fear of insignificance can only be overcome through strong individual and cultural identity over and above measurable achievement. “People should invest time and thought in their personal growth from different aspects in the same way they invest in medical studies and law school,” Dr. Strenger advises.

    The iPhone the iPad: each of Apple's products sounds cool and has become a fad(一时的风尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i”—and many other brands are following suit. The BBC's iPlayer—which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet—used the title in 2008. A lovely bear—popular in the US and UK一that plays music and vide is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version(简装本) of London's Independent newspaper was stated last week under the name “i”.

    In general, single-letter prefixes(前缀) have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.

    Most “i” products are targeted at young people and considering the major readers of Independent's “i”, it's no surprise that they've selected this fashionable name.

    But it's hard to see what's so special about the letter “i” Why not use “a”, “b”, or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King's College, London, “i”works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or intcractive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod, it seems it didn't have one clear definition,” he says.

    “However, thanks to Apple, the term is now connected with portability.” adds Thorne.

    Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.

    Along with“Google” and “blog”, readers of BBC Magazines voted“i”as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.

    But as history shows, people grow tired of fads. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was connected with all things advanced and modern. How ever, as we entered the new century, the fashion disappeared.

    There is more of a connection between food and culture than you may think. On an individual level, we grow up eating the food of our culture. It becomes a part of who we are. Many associate food from our childhood with warm feelings and good memories and it ties us to our families, holding a special and personal value for us. Food from our family often becomes the comfort food we seek as adults in times of frustration and stress.

    On a large scale, traditional food is an important part of culture. It also operates as an expression of culture identity. Immigrants bring it wherever they go, and it is a symbol of pride for their culture and means of coping with homesickness.

    Many immigrants open their own restaurants and serve traditional dishes. However, the food does not remain exactly the same. Some materials needed to make traditional dishes may not be readily available, so the taste and flavor can be different from what they would prepare in their home countries. Additionally, immigrants do not only sell dishes to people from the same countries as them, but to people from different countries. Therefore, they have to make small changes about the original dishes to cater to a wider range of customers. Those changes can create new flavors that still keep the cultural significance of the dishes.

    We should embrace our heritage（传统）through our culture's food but also become more informed about other cultures by trying their food. It is important to remember that each dish has a special place in the culture to which it belongs, and is special to those who prepare it. Food is a window into culture, and it should be treated as such.

Vancouver Tours

    Vancouver Stanley Park Tour

    If you want to see the major sights in Vancouver and come home with amazing photographs, this 3-hour photography tour is the way to go. Walk through Vancouver's top sightseeing locations; get guidance on photography basics and find the best spots to photograph the city. From Stanley Park's totem poles and old-growth trees to the most popular beaches and dining spots, you leave with beautiful mementos of the city.

    Historical Chinatown Walking Tour

    Explore the colorful past of Canada's oldest Chinatown, in Victoria, British Columbia. This guided walking tour will lead you through the streets and storied allies of the historic neighborhood, as your guide tells you the interesting, sometimes sad tales of the people who helped build the city and shape Canada as well as modem China.

    Small Group Sea to Sky Tour

    The Sea to Sky Highway is one of the world's most beautiful and celebrated roadways. You don't have to take your eyes off the scenery on this small group tour because someone else is doing the driving. Tour stops include a short hike to impressive Shannon Falls, the gorgeous Sea to Sky gondola, and award-winning Britannia Mine Museum.

    Eagle Viewing River Float Tour

    Dress warmly under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate for a winter float on the river. The area is the winter habitat of bald eagles, and this trip gives you the opportunity to learn about the birds as you float through their area. After the boat ride, return to dry land just in time for a free, hearty meal before heading back to Vancouver.

    Buddy or Friendship Benches (长椅)are needed because playgrounds can be lonely places sometimes. When a school places the bench, they teach a little lesson to the kids on how it is to be used. Then when a child sits on the bench, it sends out a message to others that basically says, " Hey, I'm alone right now and would welcome the company (陪伴) of others." Kids in the playground see this and from their training, they see there is a fellow student in need. They are encouraged to come over and sit on the bench and make a new friend.

    Benches like this have been around for a while now in many schools. But in Ireland, they are trying to do something different with them. This school in Cork in the south of Ireland is the 247th to get benches from a social organization called "Buddy Bench Ireland" that doesn't just provide schools with benches, but also runs special projects with trained child psychiatrists (精神病专家).They use the bench as an opportunity to start conversations about mental health. They talk about the importance of knowing and understanding your feelings and those of others.

    Judith Ashton, a co-founder of Buddy Bench Ireland said, "The children need to understand what the bench is about, what it represents —friendship, understanding, listening to each other and the most important thing is that it's important to express feelings."

    But do children really use the bench? It's a matter of great public concern. Sinead Mcgilloway from Maynooth University carried out a study and said, " We found that 40% of the children told us that they had actually used the benches at the time of the study. And over 90% said that they would talk to a child if that child was sitting on the bench. So, there's nothing to worry about.

    Children's mental health and safety at school is increasingly a concern in many countries. In Ireland, they're hoping these benches will not only tackle problems like school violence and school bullying (校园暴力和校园欺凌), but also give students the confidence to open up about their feelings.