On plenty of drives with my mom through my childhood, she would suddenly pull over the car to examine a flower by the side of the road or rescue a beetle from tragedy while I, in my late teens and early twenties, sat impatiently in the car.

    Though Mother's Day follows Earth Day, for me, they have always been related to each other. My mom has been “green” since she became concerned about the environment. Part of this habit was born of thrift (节俭). Like her mother and her grandmother before her, mom saves glass jars, empty cheese containers and reuses her plastic bags.

    Mom creates a kind of harmonious relationship with wildlife in her yard. She knows to pick the apples on her trees a little early to avoid the bears and that if she leaves the bird feeders out at night, it is likely that they will be knocked down by a family of raccoons (浣熊). Spiders that make their way into the house and are caught in juice glasses will be set loose in the garden.

    I try to teach my children that looking out for the environment starts with being aware of the environment. On busy streets, we look for dandelions(蒲公英) to fly in the wind; we say hello to neighborhood cats and pick up plastic cups and paper bags. This teaching comes easily, I realize, because I was taught so well by example. Mom didn't need to lecture; she didn't need to beat a drum to change the world. She simply slowed down enough to enjoy living in it and with that joy came mercy and an instinct(直觉) for protection.

    I am slowing down and it isn't because of the weight of my nearly forty years on the planet, it is out of my concern for the planet itself. I've begun to save glass jars and reuse packing envelopes. I pause in my daily tasks to watch the squirrels race each other in the trees above my house.

    Last summer, in the company of my son and daughter, I planted tomatoes in my yard. With the heat of August around me, I ate the first while sitting on my low wall with dirt on my hands. Warm from the sun, it burst on my tongue with sweetness. I immediately wanted to share with my mom.

    The Board Meeting had come to an end. Bob started to stand up and pushed the table, spilling his coffee over his notes. “How embarrassing! I am getting so clumsy in my old age.”

    Everyone had a good laugh, and soon we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank who sat quietly listening to the others.

    Frank began,“My Dad was a fisherman. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to feed the family. Not just enough for our family, but also for his Mom and Dad and the other kids that were still at home.”

    Frank's voice dropped a bit. “When the weather was bad he would drive me to school. He would pull right up in front, and it seemed like everybody would be standing around and watching. Then he would lean over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so embarrassing for me. Here I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me good-bye!”

    He paused and then went on, “I remember the day I thought I was too old for a good-bye kiss. When we got to the school, he had his usual big smile. He started to lean toward me, but I put my hand up and said, 'No, Dad.' It was the first time I had ever talked to him that way, and he had this surprised look on his face. I said, 'Dad, I'm too old for a good-bye kiss. I'm too old for any kind of kiss.' My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear. I had never seen him cry. He turned. 'You're right,' he said. 'You are a big boy ... a man. I won't kiss you anymore.'”

    For the moment, the tears began to well up in Frank's eyes. “It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back.”

    I looked at Frank and saw that tears were running down his cheeks. Frank spoke again.“Guys, you don't know what I would give to have my dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek.”

    “Mayday! We got Mayday!” Frank Pisano screamed over the microphone to the air control tower at the airport. One of the two engines on his plane had failed, and he was now going down towards one of the busiest highways in America—Interstate 405, just south of Los Angeles—and there was no stopping it.

    Driving south on the 405, near the airport's runway, was John Meffert, a fire department captain. He was heading home from his shift when suddenly a low—flying plane caught his eye. After he took a second glance, a thought crossed his mind：“This plane's going to hit me.”

    He was right. The plane slammed into the road, popped up a few feet, and then clipped the front of Meffert's car. It finally stopped after hitting the divider(隔栏). Meffert pulled over. He was unhurt, and his car had received only a large scratch, so he turned his attention to the plane. He ran towards the smoke, and then he saw Frank's wife, Janan Pisano, pop her head up on the passenger side.

    By the time Meffert reached the aircraft, part of it was on fire and Janan, who was covered in blood, was on the wing trying to pull her husband from the wreck. Meffert, afraid the plane would explode, guided her to safety behind it. Then, he ran back for Frank, who had been knocked out by the initial crash, lying across both seats.

    Meffert carefully positioned himself under the pilot's arms and lifted him from the cockpit. Then he dragged the pilot off the wing and carried him to safety, where they could see the plane in flames.

    The Pisanos spent three weeks in the hospital. Remarkably, Meffert's car was the only one hit by the plane. Had Meffert been a second or two faster, Frank said, the left propeller(螺旋桨))would have ripped the top off his car and killed him.

    “I play all the what-ifs—going slower, going faster. It could have been a very different result,” Meffert said. “We just had a lot of angels.”

    Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci ... the art world has never lacked talent. And now, a new painter is ready to join the list although this one isn't even human.

    Next month, auction house Christie's Prints and Multiples will make history by offering the first piece of art created by artificial intelligence (AI) for sale. The painting is a portrait of a man called Edmond De Bela- my, and is expected to be sold for up to $10,000.

    The work, which features a man with a mysterious look on his face, was created by software developed by the French art group Obvious. Laugero-Lasserre, an art collector, called the work "grotesque and amazing at the same time". This isn't the first example of Al-produced artwork, as AI has already been used to write poems and compose .songs. However, many people doubt whether it should be called art at all.

According to Russian writer Leo Tolstroy (1828 -1910), art is about creating emotion (情感). It's "a means of …joining people together in the same feelings' he once said.

So, if the emotion behind art is what makes it, the ability to create and use tools is what makes human Icings different from other species. And as a tool itself, the AI technology used to create the portrait is the result of a lot of effort made by several designers. Together, they "fed" the AI a huge collection of paintings from the 14th to the 18th centuries, until it was able to work out how to make similar paintings of its own.

    The introduction of AI art could be the beginning of a new artistic movement. However, not everyone is ready to welcome these high-tech artists just yet.

    "The human mind is what's behind the AI technology. And the human mind is not a cold, hard fact," said Oscar Schwartz, a professor of AI. "Rather, it in something that's created with our opinions and something that changes over

Whizzfizzing Festival

    One of the "Home Counties" to the north and west of London, Buckinghamshire is known for the rolling Chiltern Hills, its pretty villages, and the much-loved children's author Roald Dahl.

    The writer who penned Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, Matilda and The Big Friendly Giant is the i9nspiration for the Whizzfizzing Festival – which will transform the market-town of Aylesbury into all kinds of music, colour and fun on Saturday, 1 July.

    Formerly known as The Roald Dahl Festival, this year's event will celebrate a broad range of children's films and bring to life some of its best-loved characters – from Alice in Wonderland and the Gruffala to The Big Friendly Giant and Harry Potter.

    Things to see and do

    The fun and festivals start at 11 a.m. with a colourful children's parade. More than 650 local school children and teachers, many in fancy dress, will march through the town carrying giant carnival puppets(木偶), with thousands of audiences lining the streets to watch.

    The parade will be followed with a range of child-friendly activities and workshops held in venues across the town.

    Don't be late for the Mad Hatters Tea Party in the Bucks County Museum, catch a splendid screening of a Roald Dahl movie in the Old Court House, and watch leading children's authors, including Julian Clary, give readings in the Market Square.

    CBeebies' children's chef Katy Ashworth will once again be cooking up a storm with her inter-active

    Concoction Kitchen, located outside Hale Leys Shopping Centre. Little chefs will have lots of opportunities to get involved with preparing, cooking – and best of all, tasting – Katy's fabulous recipes.

    With hands-on arts and crafts workshops, storytelling sessions, live music, a fancy dress competition, street theatre and more, there is something for everyone.

    For more information, visit: http://www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk/cylesbury-whizzfizzing- festival-inspired- roald-dahl

    Heard the Good News?

    Heavy TV headphones are now a thing of the past, thanks to Hearing Specialists who have developed new ultra-lightweight wireless rechargeable TV ear-buds, which enable the wearer to hear any TV show much more clearly. This unique speech clarification audio works for those with any level of hearing loss, and has been proven to outperform even the most advanced digital hearing aids for TV clarity.

    How is this Possible?

    Hearing specialist Don Hudson says the new TV Voice Pro Air ear-buds clarify TV dialogue automatically, based on the intelligence of over 100 hearing test results.

    Customers reported that traditional headphones were too heavy, only allowed them to view TV while sitting in one position, and made them feel cut off from their family and surroundings.

    "Our customers were wanting an ultra-lightweight TV listening experience, so that they could enjoy TV their way, sitting down, lying down or walking around, without discomfort."

    What's More?

    TV Voice Pro Air clarifies TV dialogue automatically. With just one click, the transmitter is guaranteed to connect to any TV, old or new, in under 2 minutes. The users can hear the TV at their preferred loudness of the sound from up to 35 feet from the TV, without affecting others in the room.

    As a special offer, Readers Digest readers can use Gift Voucher Code READERSDIGEST for $50 off the original retail price $299 and enjoy free shipping available only until December, 31st 2019. So reach us now by visiting www. TvVoicePro.com to order online or over the phone on 415 -277-2026.