Reuel Tolkien (1892 ~ 1973), the British linguist, writer. He created a fantasy novel “The Lord of the Rings”, the well-known trilogy (三部曲).

    Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. When he was 4 years old, his father died and his family moved back to England. Tolkien graduated from Oxford University when he was 23 years old, and participated in the First World War. During the war, Tolkien suffered from “trench fever” and stayed in the hospital until the end of World War I. It was the days in the hospital that he began his writing career first.

    After the war, Tolkien became a linguist. He was an edition of the “New English Dictionary” of 1918 ~ 1920. However, he was more researching to Anglo-Saxon language which makes his extensive contacts in Britain and the Nordic spread all over the folklore and mythology.

    In 1937, Tolkien completed his first work “The Hobbit”. Although this was a fairy tale, it was also suitable for adults to read. Because of good sales, publishers (Allen & Unwin) convinced Tolkien to write its sequel. This encouraged Tolkien to complete his most famous works the epic (史诗) trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”. The works of writing went on for almost a year with the support from his good friend Lewis.

    At the beginning “The Lord of the Rings” was similar works for children, but after that writing style quickly became serious and dark. “The Lord of the Rings” was one of the most popular literary works in the 20th century in terms of sales and readers' evaluation. Tolkien's influence is important, for the success of “TheLord of the Rings” makes the fantasy novels of this literature genre (体裁) developed rapidly.

    We're Hiring Shift Workers For Our Production Plant Looking for a career with a company that values its employees, and promotes from within? Then Black Cat Blades is the company for you!

Cutting Operators

CNC Operators

Heat Treat Operators

    Full training provided, starting at $14.50 per hour, with the potential to move to $18.16 in one year.

    We also require a Skilled Welder (焊接工),to work 12-hour rotating shifts (轮班) in our cutting Department. The successful candidate must be a registered journeyman（熟练工人) within the Province of Alberta or a Red Seal.

    We offer a great benefit package, including health, dental and RRSP's. Numerous motivations: Profit Sharing, Pay for Years of Service, Fitness Program Allowance, and fun social events for you and your family.

    Apply in person, and we'll take you on a tour of our Production equipment or forward your personal information by fax or e-mail.

    Black Cat Blades Ltd.

    HR@ blackcatblades.com

5604-59 St., Edmonton, AB T6B 3C3

Fax: (780) 465-9595

    E-mail systems at thousands of companies and government offices around the world were attacked by a virus(病毒)called “Melissa” that disguises(伪装)itself as an “important message from a friend. In spite of a weekend of warnings，more than 50 000 computers at about 100 places around the world have been attacked by the virus，computer security experts said on Monday.

    The virus began to show up last Friday and spread rapidly on Monday by making computers fire off dozens of infected(被传染的)e-mails. Although the virus causes no serious damage to a computer，its effect was far reaching.

    To make matters worse，a similar virus called “Papa” was discovered on Monday. Papa is programmed to send out even more infected e-mails than Melissa.

    The Melissa virus comes in the form of an e-mail，usually containing the subject line“Important Message”. It appears to be from a friend. The body of the e-mail message says，“Here is that document you asked for...,don't show it to anyone else.” Attached(附)to the message is a document file.

    Once the user opens that file，the virus digs into the user's address book and sends infected documents to the first 50 addresses. E-mails from the Papa virus include an attached spreadsheet(电子数据文件)file. When the user opens that file，the virus sends 60 infected e-mails.

    The reason why this is spreading so fast is that you are getting it from people you know. You should never open documents or attachments from people you don't know. People who get an unexpected e-mail with the “important message” subject line should delete it immediately and not open the message.

    The number of insects in the world has fallen by 45 percent in the past 35 years. Scientists say this could be dangerous for humans. A report on insect numbers has been published in the journal "Science". It says the human population has doubled since 1980 while the number of insects has nearly halved. One of the biggest reasons for this loss of insects is the act of cutting down trees or burning them. Many of the places where insects live are disappearing because of new cities and land being used for farming. Another reason is global warming. Scientists say that in the UK, the number of butterflies, bees and wasps(黄蜂) has fallen by up to 60 percent. Many countries are worried about the disappearance of them.

    Scientists say the decline in insect populations will lead to many problems for humans. One of the biggest dangers is that there will be fewer insects to pollinate flowers. This means that farmers will have problems growing food. The lead author of the report, Professor Rodolfo Dirzo, said falling numbers of insects could also lead to more diseases in humans. He said rats and mice would have less food to eat so they will move to cities and bring diseases with them. Dr. Ben from London University said we needed to stop more insects from dying. He added that scientists must understand what species(物种) are winning and losing in the fight for survival. He said this knowledge would help us to protect the "helpful" insects.

    Winning literary competitions doesn't always lead to fame. But having a few such wins to boast about does you no harm when approaching editors or agents, so if you have dreams of a writing career, these could be the place to begin. Below is a list of the most interesting competitions. Bear in mind that contests with smaller prizes attract fewer entries and are therefore easier to win.

    Wundor Editions Poetry Competition

    Wundor Editions are looking for creative writers to enter their latest poetry contest. If you happen to be 16 or over, send in a poem on any subject running to as many words as you think you can get away with before the judge's eyes glaze over (兴趣丧失).

    Closing: Nov.30. Prize: £ 500. Entry Fee: £ 10.

    Manning's Pit Poetry Competition

    It doesn't sound very attractive but it seems Manning's Pit is something of a beauty spot with more than its share of wildlife. But it's now under threat. This contest aims of raise funds to help save it. Your task is to write a poem of up to 40 lines about Manning's Pit or a similar treasured and threatened piece of countryside near a town or village.

    Closing: Nov.30. Prizes: £ 100, £ 30, £ 20. Entry Fe: £ 3.

    Commonwealth (英联邦) Short Story Competition

    This contest from Commonwealth Writers is for unpublished short fiction of between 2,000 and 5,000 words aimed at adults. But you have to be a citizen of a Commonwealth country. You can write your story in English, Bengali, Chinese, Portuguese, Samoan, Tamil, Kiswahili or Malay.

    Closing: No.1. Prize: £ 5,000. Entry Fee: £ 25.

    Southword Fiction Chapbook Competition

    To enter this international contest from the Munster Literature Centre in Cork, Ireland you should submit 10,000 to 15,000 words of fiction in the form of a collection of short stories. Stories can have been published previously in web or print journals, but not in a stand-alone publication by the author.

    Closing: Oct.31. Prizes: Best International Entry and Best Irish Entry. Entry Fee: £ 5 for one, £ 10 for six.