McElrah lost herfull-time job in January. Since then, she has spent her days doing what she loves-dancing in the street. Her message to people in hard times: do something that you enjoy, no matter what your circumstances. “ Life isn't that bad,” shesaid. “ If you're working 40 hours a week, you shouldn't be complaining.”

    McElrah graduated from parkway Central High School and has spent the past 21 years working as a nursing assistant, She began singing and dancing publicly on her days off a few years ago to help her through the pain of her second divorce.

    Her favorite spotis the northwest corner of Chouteau Avenue and South Grand Boulevard near St.Louis University. McElrah's mp3 player is loaded with hundreds of classic rockhits and 80's pop songs, including those by Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, NeilDiamond and Toto. But her favorite artist, by far, is Stevie Nicks.Videos of McElrah have appeared on YouTube, a video-sharing website on which users canupload, share, and view videos. “People think I'm crazy, but I don't care,” Shesaid. “ I can dance a little. I just go with the music.” Even a rude gesture from a passing motorist doesn't bother her either. “ I just smile and wave,”she said.

    McElrah's show of bravery recently earned her a job opportunity with Liberty Tax Service, which temporarily offered her a job as a dancer Statute of Liberty to promote a new place near Grand Center starting in January.

  “Just be happy anddo what you love,” she said. “The money will come.”

    Join in the holiday fun at the powerhouse this month linked to our new exhibition, Evolution & Revolution : Chinese dress 1700s to now. DON'T FORGET our other special event, the Club Med Circus School which is part of the Circus! 150 years of circus in Australia exhibition experience !

    ◆ Chinese Folk Dancing: Colorful Chinese dance and musical performances by The Chinese Folk Dancing School of Sydney. Dances include: the Golden stick dance and the Chinese drum dance. A feature will be the Qin dynasty Emperor's court dance. Also included is a show of face painting for Beijing opera performances.

    Sunday 29 June and Wednesday 2 July in the Turbine Hall, at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm.

    ◆ Australian Chinese Children's Arts Theatre: Well-known children's play experts from Shanghai lead this dynamic youth group. Performances include Chinese fairy tales and plays.

    Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 July in the Turbine Hall, at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm.

    ◆ Chinese Youth League: A traditional performing arts group featuring performance highlights such as the Red scarf and Spring flower dances, and a musician playing Er Hu.

    Sunday 6 to Tuesday 8 July in the Turbine Hall, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

    ◆ Kids Activity: Make a Paper Horse: Young children make a paper horse cut-out. (The horse is a frequent theme in Chinese painting, indicating a kind of advancement. ) Suitable for ages 8-12 years.

    Sunday 28 June to Tuesday 8 July in the Turbine Hall, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.

    ◆ Club Med Circus School: Learn circus skills, including the trapeze, trampolining and magic. Note only for children over 5: There are 40 places available in each 1 hour session and these must be booked at the front desk, level 4, on the day.

    Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 July at 11:30 am & 1:00 pm.

    Enjoy unlimited free visits and many other benefits by becoming a family member of the Powerhouse. Our family memberships cover two adults and all children under the age of 16 years at the one address. Members receive powerline, our monthly magazine, discounts in the shops and the restaurants, as well as free admission to the Museum. All this for as little as $50.00 a year! Call (02)9217 0600 for more details.

    With the approval of the Singapore government, a company called nuTonomy has become the first-ever to test self-driving cars with the public. Interested people could sign up for a free trial run at no cost. When they received an invitation from the company, they could book a ride on the driverless taxi service from their smartphones.Not surprisingly,the rides proved very popular,with dozens of customers eagerly trying out the cars each day.

    Driverless cars are a great option for those who do not know how to drive and for those who do not enjoy driving.Some researchers even believe that such cars can make road travel safer by reducing human errors.But since driving requires many of our senses to be on alert（高度警觉）, replacing that by machines is easier said than done.

    The environment in which cars operate is constantly changing—from roads and pedestrians to co-travelers. A driverless car needs special equipment to analyze its surroundings. Then, it must translate that information into a practical route and safe travel. To be truly autonomous, a car has to do this independently without human input. Today, some cars have a certain degree of autonomous functions. But even the completely automated vehicles still require a driver to take back control under uncertain conditions.

    The island city-state is well known for excellent roads and drivers who obey the rules. This has made it ideal for real-world testing and feedback. The government has encouraged research in autonomous vehicles, since it can improve safety and potentially reduce the traffic burden as well.

B

Find Your Adventure at the Space and Aviation(航空) Center

    If you're looking for a unique adventure, the Space and Aviation Center (SAC) is the place to be. The Center offers programs designed to challenge and inspire with hands-on tasks and lots of fun.

    More than 750,000 have graduated from SAC, with many seeking employment in engineering, aviation, education, medicine and a wide variety of other professions. They come to camp, wanting to know what it is like to be an astronaut or a pilot, and they leave with real-world applications for what they're studying in the classroom.

    For the trainees, the programs also offer a great way to earn merit badges(荣誉徽章). At Space Camp, trainees can earn their Space Exploration badge as they build and fire model rockets, learn about space tasks and try simulated(模拟) flying to space with the crew from all over the world. The Aviation Challenge program gives trainees the chance to earn their Aviation badge. They learn the principles of flight and test their operating skills in the cockpit(驾驶舱) of a variety of flight simulators. Trainees also get a good start on their Wilderness Survival badge as they learn about water- and land-survival through designed tasks and their search and rescue of ＂downed＂ pilot.

    With all the programs, teamwork is key as trainees learn the importance of leadership and being part of a bigger task.

    All this fun is available for ages 9 to 18. Families can enjoy the experience together, too, with Family Camp programs for families with children as young as 7.

    Stay an hour or stay a week — there is something here for everyone!

    For more details, please visit us online at www.oursac.com.

    Almost every light comedy or situation comedy makes me feel like I should be drinking wine every night with my best friend while one of us tries on clothes. Not only should we share the same dress size, but we should also have a long, rich history of togetherness and secrets. Clearly, this is not reality.

    I have 598 friends. OK, but if I'm honest, 99.3 percent of those friends are those I met only once or acquaintances who live too far away to see regularly. That leaves 4 people, who I can call anytime, not feeling like I'm absolutely wasting their time. The remaining 0.2, I've decided, is my houseplant. I can tell it anything.

    Feeling the same way? You're absolutely not alone. Most of us find our "people" in school, but over time life changes: marriage, kids, etc. We grow out of our relationships and they grow out of us.

    So when the relationships come to an end, how do you find a new one?

    A woman in my apartment building, who I had seen around over the years, approached me one day and introduced herself. She bravely stated, "You seem cool. Do you want to hang out with me sometime? I'm looking for new friends." I almost dropped my bag of groceries at her social honesty. And now we get together for coffee a few times a year, gossip (八卦) about the neighbors, and take in the mail when one of us is on vacation. But a few times a year isn't enough for me.

    So, what counts as true friendship as you get older? For me, it's feeling comfortable enough to be myself. And if you're like me, it's also trust — not just keeping the secret, but trusting that my life choices aren't their gossip elsewhere.

    I'd just got in a taxi at the railway station when suddenly I found one of my suitcases missing. Just then, I saw a young fellow about 30 walking away with it, opening it and drawing out the valuables. "Stop thief! Stop thief!" I shouted and threw open the car door and rushed out to him, followed by the driver and half a dozen passers-by. Very soon the thief was cornered at the turn of the road. My driver caught the thief by the neck and put his hand into his trouser pocket, drawing out money, credit card, telephone book and so on and put them back into my suitcase.

    Half an hour later, the car was running at full speed on the express highway. I sat back and breathed a long sigh of relief (松口气). But as I pulled out those stolen things from the suitcase and started to check them, I became dumbfounded (惊呆了). Before my eyes were 200 yuan instead of 100. And a blood test report of a 58-year-old woman appeared. I suddenly realized that the taxi driver must have mistaken the thief's belongs and put his into my suitcase. The pitiful and begging look of the poor young man flashed across my mind again. My heart began to sink.

    Two years has passed since then. But this event keeps coming back to me. Was the young man a habitual robber or a dutiful son who had been driven to desperation (铤而走险) to find money to save his mother's life? My heart aches for him. How I wish I had gone back that summer afternoon to return the 200 yuan and say sorry to him. For the first time in my life, I realized that hate and love are very close.