We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.

    Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is bending up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don't keep reducing emissions(排放) of carbon dioxide (CO₂ ) and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.

    We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO₂. We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household(家庭) produces about 150 pounds of CO₂  a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That's more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce?

    For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting(融化) of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. "To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO₂  emissions by 80 percent," he said.

    Good advice, I thought. I'd opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We'd gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock. I'd almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It's time for us to change our habits if necessary.

Why Walking Your Dog Is Great Exercise

    Having trouble sticking to an exercise program?Research shows that dogs are actually nature's perfect personal trainers-loyal,hard-working,energetic and enthusiastic.Your friends may skip an exercise session because of appointments,extra chores or bad weather.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Is dog walking really effective exercise?Many people are becoming interested in exercise to help lose excess weight.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Dog owner-ship and obesity were evaluated in Seattle,Wash.,and Baltimore,Md.,in a study published in the journal Preventive Medicine in September 2008.Dog owners who reported walking their dogs were almost 25 percent less likely to be obese than people without dogs.

    What are the benefits of regular exercise?Dr.Joanna Kruk reviewed medical literature describing the health benefits of exercise.Her research showed that the risk of developing a number of serious health problems is reduced by physical activity and exercise.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}It's easy to forget about healthy walking plans,so set the stage for a successful program: Establish a walking schedule; plan to walk 30 minutes total each day.This might include a 10-minute neighborhood walk in the morning and a 20-minute romp at the dog park after work.Or maybe three 10-minule walks or one 30-minute walk fit in better with your day.

    If dog walking is "scheduled" each day,you'll feel more responsible for sticking with your program.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Most importantly,daily walking your dog will keep it fit and give it an opportunity to utilize their senses while also engaging their mind.

    So,grab a leash,whistle to the pup,and go for a walk-today and every day! Take action!{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A.Plan for success.

B.Track your progress.

C.This will reinforce your good behavior.

D.Dog walking is a great way to start a healthy lifestyle program.

E.However,dogs never give you an excuse to delay exercising.

F.Plus,your dog will also get used to the routine and remind you when "it's time"!

G.Obesity is affecting about one in every three to four adults in the United States and Europe.

    You may laugh it off if someone told you that extreme weather disasters were actually a child's tricks. But El Nino, meaning “little boy” in Spanish, could be about to cause trouble

    A recent statement from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned ofa strong El Nino event that may be similar to the strongest in modern times. Scientists believe that evidence shows a more than 90 percent chance that it is coming — and it's going to be big. “If this lives up to its potential, this thing can bring a lot of floods, mudslides（泥石流）, and trouble,” said Bill Patzert, a NASA scientist.

    El Nino is a climate event occurring in the Pacific Ocean. The wind usually blows strongly from east to west due to the rotation（旋转）of the Earth. This causes water to pile up in the Western Pacific and pulls up colder water from the boom in the eastern part. However, in El Nino years, the winds pushing the water get weaker and cause the warmer water to shift back toward the east. This warms the ocean as it travels before finally reaching the shores of North and South America. In an El Nino event, the waters of the eastern Pacific can be up to 4 degrees Celsius warmer than usual.

    Most El Ninos last from 9 to 12 months and their effects are felt around December. They don't happen every year though, usually between every two to seven years.

    Last seen in 1997-98, El Nino caused severe droughts in Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia, as well as deadly floods in Peru and Ecuador. The world also heats up during an ElNino-1998 became the warmest year on record at the time. If the current trend continues, 2015 is almost certainly to become the hottest year yet again.

    A strong El Nino also affects hurricane seasons around the planet. The warmer the Eastern Pacific is, the more hurricanes it gets. The Western Pacific, on the other hand, tends to see more and stronger typhoons.

    The weather isn't the only thing that's affected. Warmer surface waters in the Eastern Pacific make the cold-water fish swim away and damage the fishing industry in much of Latin America.

    The Workshops Rail Museum

    Summer 2018-2019 Events

    Steam Train Sunday

    Sunday 2 December 2018

    10:15 am

    Travel back in time on a historic steam train.

    1-hour trip starts and returns to Roma Street station.

    Book early as these trips will set out.

    Book now at theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au.

    Adults $29; concession(优惠) $26; children $16.

    Christmas Express

    Saturday 8 December 2018

    10 am

    Catch the Christmas spirit with a festival return steam train journey to historic Grandchester station. This 2.5-hour trip starts and returns to the Workshops Rail Museum.

    Add museum entry and make it a full day out.

    Book early as this trip will sell out.

    Book now at theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au.

    Adults $55; concession $49; children $40.

    Museum Twilight Markets

    Friday 14 December 2018

    5 pm-9 pm

    Combining southeast Queensland's best handmade markets, food trucks, and live music, this is an event not to be missed.

    Entry $2; children under 15 years are free and must be accompanied by an adult.

    Museum Torchlight Tours $ 10; children under 15 years must be accompanied by an adult.

    Buy tickets at the door.

    Mephisto On Display Now

    See Mephisto, the only surviving German Sturmpanzerwagen A7V tank in the world. Recently returned from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, see this beloved war tank while protection work is being done.

    Included in museum entry.

    Contact us

    North Street, North Ipswich

    Phone: (07)34325100

    Opening hours

    9:30 am to 4 pm daily

    Closed Good Friday, Anzac Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day

    Tickets

    Entry                   Annual pass(年票)

    Adult                           $14.50                   $37

    Concession (with a

    Concession card)                  $12.50                   $32

    Child (ages 3-15)                  $11.50                   $24

    Child (under 3)                    Free                     Free

    Family                           $44.50                   $99

    2 adults and              2 adults and up to

    4 children                2 children

    As Simon Kindleysides, 34, took his first step in the London Marathon in April, he felt as if magic was in the air.

    "As we were walking toward the first mile, we actually started joining all the runners," he said. "Everyone was on the streets, cheering, and that was a magical moment." As time went on, the crowds and other racers spread around. Kindleysides and his team of eight supporters continued walking.

    Kindleysides, who is paralyzed(瘫痪的)from the waist down and typically uses a wheelchair, was equipped with an exoskeleton(体外骨骼)to help him walk. His supporters walked with him to change the batteries in his exoskeleton so he could keep moving.

    In 2013, Kindleysides was diagnosed with a brain tumor (肿瘤) that was growing in a way that pressed on certain nerves, leading to him losing feeling in his legs. He was told he would never walk again. Before his paralysis, the London­based singer and dancer had "always wanted to run a marathon," he said, but he never made the plan to do so­­until this year.

    During the London Marathon, the last two miles were the hardest. "At that point, I was exhausted. It was freezing cold, and I was hurting emotionally," Kindleysides said. But he kept going. "I didn't want to let people down. I had a team of eight, and I was raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity," he said. "I didn't want to let them down, myself down, and I thought if I would get this far, I would have to continue."So he continued and made history as the first paralyzed man to complete the London Marathon on foot.

    Then, recovering at home, he shared his accomplishment with his three children. "They used to say I'm the only dad in their whole school who's in a wheelchair, and now they say I'm their dad, the only one who has walked a marathon," he said.

    Kindleysides is training to complete three more marathons next year, including the London Marathon again.

At school, I was in the top set for maths. My teachers recommended that I study economics and statistics as my A-level subjects, but I had my mind set on a life fulfilled by the arts.

In fact, I was a victim of a gender stereotype made stronger since birth, that men do science and maths and women do arts or languages. Computer science, technology and physics just did not figure in my teenage world view. Nobody popular in my school chose to study those subjects.

Reality struck hard when I began attending job interviews and interviewers would say: "It's great that you speak foreign languages, but what else do you do?" Nobody asked my friends who had studied science or technology those questions.

A survey recently showed that three of the best-paid jobs for women are in the technology sector. It's a sector that really can change the world. We must show girls that technology has an effect on every industry out there, from fashion to architecture to journalism. Anybody can learn to code and these days it's as important as reading and writing. I've realized that at university I'd achieved the wrong kind of literacy. Not being able to code limit your impact on the world far more than an ignorance of great literature.

Now I have a five-year-old daughter. I don't want her to blindly follow gender roles the way I did. I want her to know the fact that a science or technical degree will not limit her creativity but expand it and broaden her horizons far more than my arts background could. I'm exposing her to Minecraft and apps, which help improve analytical thinking and problem solving skills. I'm hoping that my daughter will discover and accept her potentials in science and want to change the world.