Parents in Spain are being urged to go on a weekend homework strike this month in protest against the unacceptable amount of after-school tasks their children are given.The homework load of Spanish children has long been a sore point with some parents,who argue that the burden is too great,places too much pressure on pupils and eats into family time.

    According to a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),Spanish 15-year-olds have 6.5 hours of homework a Week compared with an average of 4.9 across the 38 OECD countries. The Spanish Confederation of Associations of Mothers and Fathers of Students (Ceapa) is calling on parents whose children attend Spanish state schools to boycott weekend homework in November.

    "We've lost a bit of common sense in this country when it comes to talking about education and we've got a system in which boys' and girls' free time has disappeared",said Jos Luis Pazos,president of Ceapa."Schools are passing on tasks to families that they shouldn't be.It starts with children from the ages of three to six doing half an hour's homework every day.For us,that's an unacceptable situation".

    Pazos said Ceapa disagreed with the belief that children should endure huge amounts of homework in the hope that it would ensure them a better future.They should be.happy when they're little and that life isn't just about someone telling you that you have to suffer inexplicably（难以理解地）.The model needs to change because society has changed.

    Schoolchildren have to fit their homework around the school day,which varies from region to region and school to school,but starts early from around 8 am or 9 am and finishes anywhere between 2 pm and 5 pm.However,schools are increasingly using an 8 am-2 pm timetable to save money and in the face of evidence that suggests the longer hours do not yield better results.

    A spokesman for the education department of Madrid said homework was a matter for individual schools rather than regional governments.They're the ones who know best what the need is in each case.

    A disease called “Panama” is threatening supplies of the world's most popular fruit—banana.Two years ago,the United Nations warned that the "Panama disease" could destroy "much of the world's banana crop."Since then,things have not gotten better.A new outbreak was discovered last year in Australia.The disease started in Asia in the 1990s, and later spread to Africa and the Middle East.

    World health officials worry the disease could travel to Latin America,one of the top banana producers in the world.All this is a big concern because bananas are an important source of income and nutrients for millions of people.They are grown in 135 tropical nations.The United Nations lists bananas as one of the most important foods, along with rice,wheat and corn.

    Randy Ploetz is a professor at the Tropical Research & Educational Center at the University of Florida.Many consider him as America's top banana expert.As he explained,Panama disease affects the Cavendish banana.The Cavendish is one of more than 500 kinds of bananas.But it is the most popular.

    “The industry is waking up to the problem,”Ploetz said.“They are pretty scared.”He was speaking Thursday by telephone from Miami,Florida,where he is among 1,000 people attending the International Banana Congress.The meeting was supposed to take place in Costa Rica,but was moved at the last minute.There were concerns banana growers could spread Panama disease from dirt collected on their shoes,Ploetz said.

    Ploetz said reports that Cavendish banana production could end are not correct.But if the disease spreads to Latin America,it could hurt the world's economy along with food supplies for millions of people.Still,he said there is reason for hope.Scientists in Australia are working on a genetically engineered banana that might not be at risk of getting Panama disease.

    What makes a sense of humor is a difficult thing to tell. Different people find different things funny, and what may seem hilarious to some, will be highly rude to others. However, having some kind of sense of humor is important for reducing stress and getting along with others. Therefore, it's important to think about ways to improve your sense of humor.

    Look for the funny side of situations. While it can be difficult at times to find the funny side in unfortunate events when you're having a bad day, try to think about how the situation might look like to other people, and attempt not to get too angry. Laughing over minor accidents, trips and falls will help you in preventing the loss of temper that you will regret later.

    Learn some basic jokes. Some people find it hard to remember jokes, and feel left out when others are telling them. It's worth trying to learn a few jokes that you can pull out the bag when you need to, or regularly think about how you can turn a funny situation that occurs in daily life into an entertaining anecdote(趣闻) for later.

    Look at joke or humor cards. There are many different kinds of funny cards available, which can be a great inspiration for finding ways to improve your sense of humor. Giving an appropriate funny card to friends and family on the right occasion will show that you have a good sense of humor and are thinking about them.

    Learn from friends. Look at friends that you think have a great sense of humor. How do they deal with situations, and what kind of jokes do they make? Is there anything you can take away from their actions?

    Have you grasped the information taught by your teacher in class? Have you understood what you saw on the screen? Maybe everyone has their own learning style.

    Generally speaking, we gather information with our minds and bodies in different ways, such as seeing, hearing and doing. Then our brains deals with that information, organizing it and connecting it to things we are already aware .In other words, our brains will deal with the information in different ways. Sometimes we think in pictures or words. Sometimes we remember details or the big pictures.

    For different people, their learning styles are different too. One person may find it hard to make out the information in written forms but easy to know it immediately in an oral description. However, another person might find difficulties with the picture but the written message.

    Now scientists say there exist seven basic learning styles.

    Linguistic: These people learn through listening, reading, speaking and writing.

    Logical: These people learn with formula (公式) and principles (原理).

    Visual: These people learn by seeing what they are studying.

    Musical: These people learn well when information is presented through music.

    Kinesthetic: These people learn from movement and physical activities.

    Intrapersonal: These people learn best by linking new information directly with their own experiences.

    Interpersonal: These people learn well by working with others.

    Therefore, if you know what learning style is your strength, you can balance your weakness, and get a more successful learning experience.

    WHO'S WHO IN THE ZOO?

    Is it amazing that the WHO'S WHO IN THE ZOO makes it fun for young children to save? With the help of Standard Bank's Kidz APP and the Big Five animal friends, teaching your children about managing their cash has never been more fun. Let the WHO'S WHO IN THE ZOO show your little ones what it means to earn and save money as well as share in the enjoyment of spending their well－earned cash.

    Elephant

    As your children use the mobile app to complete various actions—achieving savings goals, completing missions and achieving wishes—here various medals will be rewarded.

    Earned medals are displayed in the elephant habitat as well as locked medals still to be achieved.

    Leopard

    Reward your kids with pocket money for completing ‘missions': household chores, achievements, etc.

    You can create a mission for your child, or your child can request a new mission. Once created, it must be accepted. The mission needs to be completed by your child and approved by you before you can pay him or her.

    Lion

    Help your children create and fulfil wishes. Wish cards and their savings progress can be tracked from your banking app.

    Once their savings goal is reached, lion will inform you of their achievement.

    Buffalo

    Kidz can request to withdraw cash or purchase airtime and data using their savings.

    Rhino

    Rhino shows your child's latest account balance and transactions.

    Download the Standard Bank's Kidz APP from Apple App Store on the phone. Use the comment section to interact with other Standard Bank customers and bank consultants.

    Around the world, 62 million girls are not in school. The White House's Let Girls Learn effort aims to change that.

    At 13, Hawa Abdulai Yorke left her family's home, in Ghana, Africa, to live with an aunt who promised to send her to school. Instead, the aunt put Yorke to work as her maid. Determined to go to school, Yorke returned home and began selling water in a nearby city to raise
money for her education. She did that for three years. What hurt most was that her father had the money to pay the school fees. But he chose to spend the money on a motorcycle.

    Yorke's story is familiar to girls growing up in Ghana. There, a girl's place is in the home. Educating girls is considered a waste of money.

    “It happens more than it should, where parents have money to send their girls to school but choose not to,” says Ryan Roach, a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, where nearly 55% of girls are not enrolled in secondary school. “Cultural beliefs say education is not a wise investment(投资)”

    The White House's Let Girls Learn is working to change this view of girls' education, in Ghana and in countries worldwide. First Lady Michelle Obama says parents have to be persuaded that girls' education is a better investment than marriage or household labor. A World Bank study backs that up. It shows that for every year of secondary-school education, a girl's earning power increases by 18%.

    Today, Let Girls Learn works in 13 countries, and there are plans to expand the program. Recently, Let Girls Learn hosted a 24-hour event at which girls in different parts of Ghana joined Peace Corps volunteers, tech experts, and university students to brainstorm creative solutions for the barriers to girls' education. Yorke's team came up with an idea for an app that sends a recorded message to parents' phones from a Ghanian celebrity about the benefits of girls 
attending school.

    Yorke, now 22, is about to finish high school. Thanks to Let Girls Learn, she plans to attend college and study computer science. She says working alongside women college students at the Let Girls Learn event strengthened her determination. “I'm focused on my books,” says Yorke. "I know if I study hard, I, too, can go to the university and live a happy life."