When it comes to cultural heritage protection, the Grand Canalof China is probably the world's greatest project of its kind. The big inland waterway system in thenorth-eastern and central eastern plains passes through eight of the country'spresent-day provinces.

The Canal runs from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang Province inthe south. Constructed in sections from the 5th century BC onwards, it wasdesigned as a means of communication in the 7th century AD. The Canal is the world's greatest civilengineering project before the Industrial Revolution.

The Grand Canal reached a peak in the 13th century, providing aninland navigation(航行) networkconsisting of more than 2,000 kilometers of artificial waterways, linking fiveof the most important river basins in China, including the Yellow River and theYangtze. It entered a bid as a UNESCO(联合国教科文组织) culturalheritage site in 2008.

The Grand Canal cultural square is located in Beijing's Tongzhoudistrict. Ever since the Yuan dynasty 800 years ago, the Tongzhou section ofthe Grand Canal has been the life blood of Beijing. Grain and buildingmaterials were all transported to meet the endless demands of the big cities.Even today, the Grand Canal plays a major role in the lives of its citizens.

"I grew up near the Grand Canal. In the past the waterwaywas a lot narrower, but now it's nice and wide and bridges are built over it. Ithink if the bid for world heritage status succeeds, it will greatly makeTongzhou more famous in the world, especially with Tongzhou aiming to be asub-center of the capital Beijing," a citizen said.

The result of the bid is set to be released next week, and nodoubt it will certainly make it into the history books if the Canal is listedas a world heritage site.

    Nervous suspects locked up in Britain's newest police station may feel relieved by a pleasant yellow color on the door . If they are close to confessing（供认）a crime , the blue on the wall might tip the balance .

    Gwent Police have abandoned colors such as greys and browns of the 20th-century police cell（牢房）and have used color psychology to decorate them .

    Ystrad Mynach station , which recently opened at a cost of ￡5 million has four cells with glass doors for prisoners who suffer from claustrophobia（幽闭恐怖症）. Designers have painted the frames yellow , which researchers say is a calming color . Other cells contain a royal blue line because psychologists believe that the color is likely to encourage truthfulness .

    The station has 31 cells , including 12 with a “live scan” system for drunken or disturbed prisoners , which detects the rise and fall of their chest . An alarm alerts officers if a prisoner's breathing stops and carries on ringing until the door is opened .

    Designers and psychologists have worked for years on color . Blue is said to suggest trust , efficiency , duty , logic , coolness , thinking and calm . It also suggests coldness and unfriendliness . It is thought that strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter , soft colors will calm the mind and aid concentration .

    Yellow is linked with confidence , self-respect and friendliness get the color wrong and it could cause fear , depression and anxiety , but the right yellow can lift spirits and self-respect .

    Ingrid Collins , a psychologist who specializes in the effects of color , said that color was an “ energy force ” . She said : “ Blue does enhance communication but I am not sure it would enhance truthful communication . ”

    Yellow , she said , affected the mind . Red , on the other hand , should never be considered because it could increase aggression . Mrs. Collins praised the designers for using colors in the cells . Gwent is not the first British force to experiment with color to calm down or persuade prisoners to co-operate , In the 1990s Strathclyde Police used pink in cells based on research carried out by the US Navy .

    Driverless technology will soon enter another major global industry: shipping. Several companies recently announced plans to start self-sailing ships to improve safety and efficiency（效率）.

    One of them is Norwegian chemical company Yara International. Yara has designed to build an autonomous ship expected to start next year. The ship is fully electric to reduce air pollution. It is designed to carry containers normally transported by truck. This means the ship will also improve road safety by replacing about 40,000 truck trips a year.

    Yara plans to operate the ships by remote control beginning sometime next year. By 2020, the ships should be loading and sailing themselves. Another company focusing on self-sailing ships is the world's largest mining company, Australia's BHP Billiton. The company's Vice President of Freight, Rashpal Bhatti, recently spoke about the technology. He said, “I believe automation（自动化）will be one of the biggest changes for shipping in the future.” Autonomous ships offer important chances to improve safety and provide better efficiency results to the marine supply chain. He added that self-sailing ships could become a reality within the next decade.

    Rolls-Royce, the British automobile and engine manufacturer, is also developing unmanned shipping technologies. Oskar Levander is the company's head of marine operations. He told a conference last year, “This is happening. It's not if, it's when.” Several shipping companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to develop self-sailing ships expected to be used by 2025. These ships will be equipped with technology to collect weather and sea data. They will then use the data to plan out the safest, shortest and most fuel-efficient route.

    Low-Cost Gifts for Mother's Day Gift

    Gift No. I

    Offer to be your mother's health friend. Promise to be there for any and all doctor's visits whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say “no need,” another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor's visit. The best part ? This one is free.

    Gift No. 2

    Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. “Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother's life,” Dr. Marie Savard said.

    Gift No. 3

    Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. “Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep,” Savard said. “We know that good sleep is very important to our health.”

    Gift No. 4

Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother's Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构). Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things —- many of which are “green” —- and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.

The Youngest Skier To The South Pole

    On Friday December 9th, a 16-year-old skier, Ameba Hempleman-Adams reached the South Pole with her father after skiing 97 miles and spending 17 nights on the ice. On the final day they skied 14 miles and afterwards Ameba said she felt “elated and tired" on reaching the South Pole.

    “The biggest challenges were the freezing cold and eating only dried food. The best bit has been experiencing what Dad does on expeditions(探险).It's the first time I've been on a difficult long journey with him and now I know what it's like. The trip brought me closer to Dad, but I also had to put up with his snoring(鼾声)which was terrible.', She added, “Would I do it again? I'm not sure. I'll have to think about that after a few nights' sleep! At times it's been really hard: I've got aching shoulders, and my back's been sore from pulling my sledge(雪橇), I've got blisters(水泡)on my feet from the boots and I've got a cold burn on my nose from my sunglasses. ______”.

    She said the most extraordinary part of the trip had been the breathtaking scenery and the sense of isolation in the Antarctic landscape.“ I've really missed my friends while I've been away and want to thank them for all their messages of support.”

    Friends and relatives who posted comments on Ameba's expedition website paid tribute(致敬)to her positive attitude which , they said ,would be an inspiration to others.

    Her father, David, said “Ameba has done amazing well. I'm proud of her. She showed real determination. She was tough and she pulled her sledge the whole way. It was a special experience to share those 97 miles with her.”

    David Rees runs a truly distinctive business. He charges customers $15 to shar pen their pencils to perfections, using a variety of tools.

    I know what you're thinking — is this a joke? The 39-year-old gets asked that question a lot. To clarify everything, he even created a special section on his website telling everyone he's actually providing a real service.

    You can supply your own pencil or you can have Rees sharpen one of his own favorite 2B pencils. After that, he mails it to you in a display tube with the shavings in a separate bag, and an authentic certificate which just happens to mention the pencil is so sharp as to be a dangerous object.

    To achieve the desired result, the master sharpener uses all kinds of tools, including general sandpapers, pocket knives and even a special $450 sharpening machine. "It depends on what the customer wants to use his/her pencil for," he says. "That determines the most appropriate pencil-sharpening technique.

    Some customers buy pencils as inspirational symbols while others buy them because of their special memories of classic 2B pencils.

    $15 to have a pencil sharpened is a bit expensive though, right? You're not the only one who feels that way, and David's unique business has really angered lots of people, who talk of inequality in America, saying it is so insane for the wealthy to pay $15 to sharpen a pencil. But others will say, "This is just our urge to put an end to the welfare state because new ideas arise along with the business."

    David admits his trade is sort of unusual. But there are those who actually value his service, as proven by the over 500 orders he has gotten.