Each time I see a balloon , my mind flies back to a memory when I was a six-year-old girl . It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died . I asked my mum if my dad had gone to heaven . “ Yes , honey . Of course , ” she said . “ Can we write him a letter ? ”

    She paused , the longest pause of my short life , and answered , “ Yes . ” My heart jumped . “ Can the mailman go there ? ” I asked .

    “ No , but I have an idea . ” Mum drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon . I asked her what it was for . “ Just wait , honey . You'll see . ” Mum told me to write my letter . Eagerly , I got my favorite pen , and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink . I wrote about my day , what I learned at school , how Mum was doing , and even about what happened in a story I had read . For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive . I gave the letter to Mum . She read it over , and a smile crossed her face . She made a hole in the corner of the letter to tie it to the balloon . We went outside and she gave me the balloon . It was still raining . “ Okay , on the count of three , let it go . One , two , three . ” The balloon , carrying my letter , flew upwards against the rain . We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds . Later I realized , like the balloon , that Dad had never let his sickness get him down . He was strong . No matter what he suffered , he'd keep on , fly up , and finally go beyond this cold world and his sick body . He rose into sky and became something beautiful . I watched until the balloon disappeared into the grey and white and I prayed that his strength was passed on . I prayed to be a balloon .

    Recently some articles claim the word “selfie” as one of the most annoying words. But I'd like to offer that maybe it isn't not so bad.

    The “selfie” is used to describe the self taken photo, often from a smart phone. Women and men alike adorn their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts with these pictures, sometimes with puckered lips or large smiles. In fact, the selfie has become so widely known that over 31 million photos on Instagram are captioned with the selfie.

    Let's think about it. Someone takes about 10 seizes each time they do, and they only end up posting one or two of those. They pick the one that they feel makes them look the best. Isn't that beautiful? In that one picture, someone has even him or herself confidence.

    Self-image is important. In society today, we are so often consumed with what society tells us is perfect. But maybe, with that one selfie, we feel like we fit that bill. We feel handsome, beautiful, confident, smart, happy and content. For that moment, everything bad or terrible that has ever happened to us is erased, because that smile or that pucker is what gives us the determination to love ourselves.

    I saw a spoken word poem recently and the young man said: If I ask you what you love the answers will most likely roll off your tongue. You love to read. You love to write. You love birds, music, tattoos… Your mom, your brother, your sister, your daughter, your best friend, your dog. How long do you think you could go on and on before you said “I love myself”？

    That statement hit me like a ton of bricks. I've struggled with confidence all of my life. I still do. And in no way am I saying that taking a selfie is a gateway to that confidence. However, the selfie does deserve some credit for allowing individuals to express themselves. Pamela Rutledge agrees, stating, “There are many more photographs available now of real people than models.”

    Why do Americans struggle with watching their weight, while the French, who eat rich food, continue to stay thin? Now a research by Cornell University suggests how life style and decisions about eating may affect weight. Researchers concluded that the French tend to stop eating when they feel full. However, Americans tend to stop when their plate is empty or their favorite TV show is over.

    According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a fairly long time at the table, while Americans see eating as something to be squeezed (挤进) between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans lose the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have stopped. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and frozen foods for the week. The French, instead, tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers' markets where they have a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as high-quality meats for each meal.

    After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don't Get Fat, decided to write about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid food. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.

    In spite of (尽管) all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style changes may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity (肥胖)—or extreme overweight — among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains acceptance and the young refuse older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17% — and is growing.

    Academic learning is usually in the spotlight at school, but teaching elementary-age students “soft” skills like self-control and how to get along with others might help to keep at-risk kids out of criminal trouble in the future.

    Once a program called Fast Track was started in the early 1990s for more than 7,600 children of 55 schools in America. They were identified by their teachers and parents to be at high risk for developing aggressive behavioral problems. The students were randomly divided into two groups; half took part in the intervention, which included a teacher-led curriculum, parent training groups, academic tutoring and lessons in self-control and social skills. The program, which lasted from first grade through 10th grade, reduced delinquency(少年犯罪), arrests and use of health and mental health services as the students aged through adolescence and young adulthood.

    In another latest study, by looking at the data from nearly 900 students in previous findings, researchers found that about a third of the influence on future crime outcomes was due to the social and self-regulation skills the students learned from ages 6 to 11.

    The academic skills, or hard skills like learning of physics, which were taught as part of Fast Track, turned out to have less of an influence on crime and delinquency rates than did the soft skills, which are associated with emotional(情绪的) intelligence. Soft skills might include teaching kids to work cooperatively in a group or teaching them how to think about the long-term consequences when they make a decision.

    Researchers drew the conclusion that these soft skills should be emphasized even more in our education system and in our system of socializing children. Parents should do all they can to promote these skills with their children as should education policymakers. To the extent we can improve those skills, we can improve outcomes in delinquency.

    Most kinds of rose plants come from Asia. But roses are also native to other areas including northwest Africa, Europe and the United States. Some people say roses are difficult to grow. But you have a good chance of success if you start with a few suggestions from experts.

    You should plant your roses where they can get sunshine for about six hours on bright days. You can buy roses from a garden center or by mail order. You can buy potted（盆栽）roses, also known as container roses, or bare-root（裸根）plants. Each kind has its fans.

    Some gardeners say potted roses are easier to plant. They say the roots develop better. But Jeffrey Dinslage, president of Nature Hills Nursery in Omaha, Nebraska, points out that bare-root roses come without soil. So they weigh less to transport. If they arrive before you are ready to plant them, make sure the packing material is slightly wet. Keep the plants in a cool, dark place. You plant the roses while they are not active. The resting plants have no leaves but still need water.

    When growing roses, the soil should be wet. Watering should be done in the morning. That can prevent problem called black spots. But do not water too much. Jeffrey Dinslage says people often ask him about becoming discolored on rose leaves. He says the problems are usually caused by too much water. After heavy rains or too much watering, he advises pulling away mulch（覆盖物） from around the roots for a short time. This will help dry the soil. If your soil is very dry, you can add compost(堆肥), which returns nutrients（营养）to the soil.

    If you want to know more information, please click www. Planting.com.

    It was dark. As John was walking on his way home, he suddenly found an ugly old man staring at him.

    The old man said, "Son, why don't you get a book? It will keep you company."

    John noticed all the books the old man had were related to the super nature (超自然界). Trying to act bravely, he found one and the old man said, "That's an interesting book. It's $25."

    The old man kept staring at John, which almost frightened him. He quickly searched his pockets and found $25.

    John quickly paid for it. Then the old man called out, "Whatever happens, don't turn to the last page. Do remember, or you will regret it!"

    Reaching home, John heard his parents talking about a strange old book seller that appeared only at night during a full moon and then disappeared. Nervously, he ran straight to his room.

    At midnight, as he was sound asleep in bed, a blast (股) of cold wind blew in through the window and woke him up. He looked at his table and saw the book. For a while, he was frozen in fear, but he was so curious. Slowly he got out of bed and carefully picked up the book.

As he took a look at the last page, he cried out and fainted (晕倒).

    This is what he read on the last page!

    Retail (零售) Price: $10.99