Are you dreaming of taking a trip on your own? Here is some advice on how to make your once-in-a-lifetime journey and how to stay safe when you get there.

    Before you begin to look at places, activities and plane tickets, you must set a budget. When you search through the websites about travelling, it can be so easy to add another week here or there, or choose an extra activity. Setting a budget can avoid（避免） creating a huge bill, which starts very small.

    With so many countries on this planet, it is difficult to decide where to go. By narrowing down your search to voluntary (自愿的) work or a relaxing holiday, you can save a lot of time looking through websites.

    After deciding where to go, you need to research the country. Find out when each season is. It would be disappointing if you were taking part in an outdoor-based activity and it rained most days. Look into medical information, as you may need certain medicine for certain countries. Above all, make sure you can afford to go to this country and take part in the activities you have dreamt about. Don't raise your hopes too high before you know for certain it is within your budget.

    By carrying a credit (信用) card with you at all times,  it is possible to stop yourself getting lost. Mobile phones are very important as well. However, do not depend completely on them, since electronic machines can break without warning. Therefore, always carry a list of emergency (紧急情况) phone numbers, names and addresses. Finally, learn a little of the language. Do not expect that the people there speak your own language. After all, you are in their country.

    Thanks for signing up for the 2016 Black Friday Turkey Trot! This email will provide some basics about the race and some great news!

    First, your race packet (参赛物品包) is ready and can be picked up at the Fleet Feet Sports Tulsa location you've specified during registration.

    Hours for pickup.

    Tuesday, 10 am to 8 pm (Fleet Feet Kings Point)

    Tuesday, 10 am to 7 pm (Fleet Feet Blue Dome)

    Wednesday, 10 am to 5 pm (both stores, closing early for Thanksgiving)

    Packets can also be picked up on the race day at BOK Center, beginning at 8:30 am.

    Race Start Times

    1)  5 mile, 8:30 am        2) 1 mile fun run, 9:30 am

    Parking

    There is surface parking to the east of the BOK Center, and some surface parking to the west of the Convention Center. Many lots will be pay-lots. Please pay attention to the signs. We suggest arriving early to find parking.

Racing Timing

    The 5 km run will be timed using the BIB-TAG system. Your race number will have a timing device attached to the back of the race number; don't remove or bend this device. Simply wear the Bib on the front of your body on the outside of your clothing so it is visible and facing forward. You don't need to return the Bib, which is disposable.

The Turkey Trot is also a kick-off event for our weekend long “FITNATIC” celebration—we also have a huge number of events and specials all weekend. For more information, please visit http://www.fleetfeettulsa.fitnatic.com.

See you on Friday.

    It was close to midnight and it was unusual to see vehicles on the road. However, several trucks pulled over and workers silently unloaded camera equipment and cardboard boxes, and then carried them inside the Morgenson family home.

    What took place over the next eight weeks was inspired by a Hollywood movie called The Joneses about a family of marketers who move into a local neighborhood to sell their products secretly to their neighbors. The idea was to test the power of word-of-mouth marketing. By filming a 'rear' family in unscripted (无剧本的) situations, my team and I would document how the Morgensons' circle of friends responded to brands and products the Morgensons bought into their lives.

    With the help of 35 video cameras and 25 microphones hidden inside the furniture, the operation done secretly showed something shocking. The most powerful hidden persuader of all isn't in your TV or on the shelves of your supermarket. It's a far more important influence that's around you almost every waking moment: your very own friends and neighbors. There is nothing quite so persuasive as observing someone we respect or admire using a brand or product.

    Our analysis also found that the brands the Morgensons used went faster. About one third of the Morgensons' friends began promoting these same brands to their friends. We also found that the brands their friends were most likely to buy at the Morgensons' suggestion were the bigger and better-known ones. This proved my thoughts that traditional marketing and secret marketing work well together. The most persuasive advertising strategies are strengthened by word-of-mouth advertising.

    Whenever I meet with company managers, I tell them that the people who hold the real marketing power are mouse-clicking consumers and their wide circles of real-life friends. In other words, the people who hold the real power are us.

    The four best films in China in the first quarter of 2018

    Quite a few films both at home and abroad have brought a wave of heated discussions on the Internet in the first three months of 2018.

    If you're looking for some good films to see, here are some recommendations. While the subjects of these films are different，they all have fascinating storylines, a star-studded cast and thought-provoking themes. Let's take a look at them.

    Wonder

    Country: United States

    Release Date: Jan 19, 2018

    Genre: drama

    Starring: Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, and Jacob Tremblay

    Director: Stephen Chbosky

    Recommendation Index: ★★★★★

    On the theme of “We all are different and want to be treated with kindness,” the film earns its tugs at the heartstrings. The movie was praised by audiences for hitting the soft spot as a heartwarming story that manages to avoid turning too sentimental.

    Forever Young

    Country: China

    Release Date: Jan 12, 2018

    Genre: drama

    Starring: Zhang Ziyi, Huang Xiaoming, Wang Leehom

    Director: Li Fangfang

    Recommendation Index: ★★★★

    The film, once planned as a tribute to mark the centenary celebrations of Tsinghua University in 2011, weaves four stories set in different eras to look at the history of the college.

    Secret Superstar

    Country: India

    Release Date: Feb 16, 2018

    Genre: musical drama

    Starring: Zaira Wasim, Aamir Khan

    Director: Advait Chandan

    Recommendation Index: ★★★★

    The film deals with social issues including feminism, gender equality and domestic violence. From Dangal to Secret Superstar to the latest comedy-drama film Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Indian films have developed a solid fan base in China.

    The Ex-File: The Return of the Exes

    Country: China

    Release Date: Dec 29, 2017

    Genre: romantic comedy

    Starring: Han Geng, Zheng Kai

    Director: Tian Yusheng

    Recommendation Index: ★★★

    The Ex-File: The Return of the Exes, the finale of the hit romance franchise produced by Huayi Brothers and New Saint Film Studio, revolves around bittersweet stories of two young businessmen who break up with their girlfriends. It is the first movie in 2018 that has achieved huge success at the box office.

    Tokyo is one of those places that you can love and hate at the same time.

    In Tokyo there are always too many people in the places where I want to be. Of course there are too many cars. The Japanese drive very fast, but in Tokyo they often spend a long time in traffic jams. Tokyo is not different from London, Paris and New York in that. It is different when one wants to walk.

    At certain times of the day there are a lot of people on foot in London's Oxford Street. But the streets near the Ginze in Tokyo always have a lot of people on foot， and sometimes it is really difficult to walk. People are very polite; there are just too many of them.

    The worst time to be in the street is at 11:30 at night. That is when the nightclubs are closing and everybody wants to go home. There are 35,000 nightclubs in Tokyo, and you do not often see one that is empty.

    During the day，most people travel to and from work by train. Tokyo people buy six million train tickets every day. At most stations, trains arrive every two or three minutes, but at certain hours there do not seem to be enough trains. Although they are usually crowded, Japanese trains are very good. They always leave and arrive on time. On a London train you would see everybody reading a newspaper. In Tokyo trains everybody in a seat seems to be asleep, whether his journey is long or short.

    In Tokyo, I stood outside the station for five minutes. Three fire-engines raced past on the way to one of the many fires that Tokyo has every day. Tokyo has so many surprises that none of them can really surprise me now.

    There is a cry of anger, and a tennis racket crashes to the ground. Jake, age 7, has just lost another match and is now in tears beside the court. His sister Sally, just one year older, looks at her mother and rolls her eyes: it is hard to enjoy winning when this keeps happening. It is not an unusual situation, and it is one reason why many people argue that competition is bad for children. However, the truth is that competitive games are a valuable preparation for adult life.

    Games with winners and losers give children the chance to experience life's ups and downs. Take Jake, for example. Even though he is unhappy now, he will probably be smiling and laughing with his sister in a few minutes, just like the last time this happened. Gradually, he will learn that the world does not end when you lose a game. Eventually, he may even be able to lose with a smile on his face. This is an important lesson. Not everything in life goes the way you would like, and it is important to know how to handle disappointment when it occurs.

    Children who participate in competitive games develop qualities that allow them to succeed in the complex world of adult life. For example, one of the missions of the Youth Olympic Games is to inspire young people to adopt the Olympic values, which include striving, determination and optimism. Competition creates a desire to do better. Children have to learn to succeed in a competitive atmosphere in order to take advantage of opportunities in the future. Although it is possible to win by chance occasionally, people who win and keep winning work very hard to achieve their success.

    On the negative side, there are those who will say that competition actually encourages some values, which does happen. It is common to see sports competition in which the desire to win has replaced the desire to have fun. You may even see very young children playing violently—like the superstars they see on TV. While the bad behavior of young athletes is troubling, the problem is not the competition itself. In reality, the blame lies with the professional players who are bad role models for these children. In fact, a recent study of young athletes by the school of Physical Health Education at the University of Wyoming showed an improvement in mood after exercise, athletes were less depressed or tense.

    Of course, there are parents who argue that children of Jake's age are too young to handle the pain of losing. But whether we like it or not, adult life is very competitive, and keeping children away from competition does them more harm than good. If children do not learn how to compete, they will be defeated by people who can. It is an unfortunate fact of life: whether ten or a hundred people want the same job, there can be only one winner. Wouldn't you want your child to be that person?