Joy Mangano was 33 and divorced. She had three kids under age 7, and was barely keeping up payments on her small two-bedroom home by working extra hours as a waitress. “There were times when I would lie in bed and think, I don't know how I'm going to pay that bill,” Mangano says.

    But he had a special ability for seeing the obvious thing. She knew how hard it was to mop the floor. “I was tired of bending down, putting my hands in dirty water, wringing (拧) out a mop,” Mangano says. “So, There's gotta be a better way.

    How about a “self-wringing” mop? She designed a special tool you could twist in two directions at once, and still keep your hands clean and dry. She set out to sell it, first a few at flea markers.

    Then Mangano met with the media. But would couch potatoes (电视迷）buy a mop? The experts on shopping TV were less than certain. They gave it a try, and it failed. Mangano was sure it would sell if they'd let her do the on-camera display. She said, “Get me on that stage, and I will sell this mop because it's a great item.”

    So QVC, a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping, took a chance on her. “ I got onstage and the phones went crazy. We sold every mop in minutes.”

    Today she's president of Ingenious Designs, a multimillion-dollar company, and one of the stars of HSN, the Home Shopping Network. Talking about the household invention, Mangano says, “It is as natural for me as it is for a parent to talk about their child.”

    It seems that no one can live a happy life without friendship. While a great number of people expect others to be their friends, they don't give friendship back. That is why some friendships don't last long. To have a friend, you must learn to be one. You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules: be honest; be generous; be understanding.

    Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you do not tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven't been honest, you may lose your friend's trust. Good friends always depend on one another to speak and act honestly.

    Generosity means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You do not have to give your lunch money or your clothes. Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to a friend. They tell your friend what is important to you. By sharing them, you help your friend know better.

    Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and help with each other. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend's place so that you can understand the problem better.

    No two friendships are exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friends, you must practice honesty, generosity and understanding.

    From the earliest times, man has been interested in art. People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures.

    Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris, France. The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries.

    The Louvre has not always been a museum. The first building was a fort(炮台).In 1190, it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower. It had a moat to prevent his enemies from walking in.

    Over the years, the number of buildings around the castle grew. By 1350, the castle was no longer needed as a fort. The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens.

    During times of peace, new treasures were brought in. During days of war, many treasures were stolen, and the buildings were damaged.

    When Francis I became king of France in 1515, he brought in artists from many countries. One of the artists was Leonardo Da Vinci from Italy. Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is the best known painting in the museum today.

    In 1793, the Louvre became a public museum, just as it is now. It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy.

Rotnest Hostel Guide

    The Rottnest Island Hostel is a great low budget option for guests visiting The Rottnest Island.

    The hostel has 50 beds (including family rooms and dormitories, a fully equipped kitchen and a lounge with television. Public shower facilities (设施) are available on each floor. Hostel beds are supplied with beddings but guests will need to bring their own towels or hire them by contacting Rottnest Island Reservations at least 48 hours ahead of arrival.

    The hostel family rooms have recently had an upgrade to include a small fridge, wardrobe and shelf storage facility. There is also additional outside seating for those using the public kitchen and BBQ areas.

    Room Cost:

    Family Room: From $80 to $117 depending on season

    Dormitory: From $45 to $53 depending on length of stay

    Buffet Breakfast: 7.00 am- 9.00 am

    Cost: Pre-booked $15 per person ($18.50 walk-in).

    Pre-booked $40 per family of 2 adults & 2 children up to 14yrs ($45 walk-in).

    Buffet Dinner: 5.45 pm- 9.00 pm

    Main Course: Roast Pork or Roast Beef, Curries, Pasta. Vegetarian Stir Fry. Steamed Rice, Salad, Roast Potatoes, Garlic or Cheese Bread

    Dessert: Ice Cream & Fruit Salad

    Drink: Water & Coffee or Tea

    Cost: Pre-booked $25 per person ($30 walk-in).

    Pre-booked $50 per family of 2 adults & 2 children up to 14yrs ($55 walk-in).

    To pre-book your meals, please call RIA Reservations on 9432 911.

    Please Note:

    Public showers are limited to 20 minutes.

    Bookings for the dormitories cannot be made online.

    Alcohol is not permitted within the dorms, hostel and BBQ areas.

    You may think that light pollution isn't something extraordinarily important. You may believe that every other type of pollution has a larger impact on the environment than light pollution does. But light pollution is serious.

    Light pollution, or "sky glow", is the glow you can see at night above cities and towns. Light pollution is a problem that has been accompanying man ever since he started his first fire some 15,000 years ago. Light pollution is the light that comes from streetlights, buildings, parking lots and any other source of light that is reflected or directed into the atmosphere.

    Urban light pollution means that one­fifth of the world's population can no longer see the Milky Way with the naked eye(肉眼). Many city kids, even if they did look through the orange smog above their heads, would probably see only a handful of stars. We have lost our view of the stars, and we have mucked up our night­time environment as well. Astronomers are calling for the dark places on Earth to be preserved as national parks.

    Lots of people find the ever­brightening night annoying, and animals that are programmed to prefer the dark may avoid a brightened habitat. Sea turtles can get lost searching for a beach to lay eggs, and their hatchlings(孵化的幼仔)may confuse over­lit beachfront resorts for the ocean horizon, wasting precious energy needed to find the sea and escape predators(食肉动物). Because their necks aren't yet long enough to see things far away, baby turtles rely on the mirror image of the moon to guide them to the sea, to begin their new life. A car may even hit a particular turtle, which was thinking the light from a nearby city was moonlight reflecting off the ocean waves. Birds that live in and around cities can die because of sky glow, too. The bright lights can blind them, leading to countless collisions with buildings and other tall structures.

    On an individual level, people can help reduce much sky glow by using lighting only when necessary. The stars above us are priceless heritage— for not only for astronomers but for all humans. More of our children should be able to look up at night and see the Milk Way.

    Have you ever wondered how your favorite NBA team received its famous name? All NBA teams have an interesting story or a history behind their names. Some of the names reflect the city's culture or history, others came from previous owners and many were selected through "Name the Team" contests.

    For teams like Los Angeles and Utah, the names were not always a reflection of the city. Even though Los Angeles has no lakes, the Laker name has been a city treasure for almost 40 years. Before going to Los Angeles, the team originated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1948, team officials chose the name for its direct relationship to the state's motto, "The Land of 10,000 Lakes." The team name went unchanged after moving to Los Angeles in 1960.

    Because Utah's team originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, it was called the Jazz. In 1974, New Orleans club officials chose the name to represent the city for its reputation as the "jazz capital of the world." The name stayed with the team even after finding a new home in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1979.

The Chicago Bull's original owner, Richard Klein, named the team the Bulls. He picked the name because a fighting bull is relentless, and never quits. Klein, who founded the club in1966, believed these qualities were necessary for a championship team and hoped his Chicago athletes would live up to the team name. A belief that Bulls—winner of the six NBA championships have definitely followed.

    In 1967, the Indian Pacers selected their team name in a different way from most other teams. Their decision was based on what they wanted to accomplish in the NBA. Team officials chose the Pacers name because the organization wanted to set the "pace" in professional basketball.