Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.

My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A's and unhappy with my boy- friends if their fathers were not as "successful" as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.

    On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father's friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked around that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son's funny facial expressions. Gone was my father's critical air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?

    The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him than at that moment. After so many years, I'm at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I'm delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.

    The human brain contains 10 thousand million cells and each of these may have a thousand connections. Such enormous numbers used to discourage us and cause us to dismiss the possibility of making a machine with human-like ability, but now that we have grown used to moving forward at such a pace we can be less sure. Quite soon, in only 10 or 20 years perhaps, we will be able to assemble a machine as complex as the human brain, and if we can we will. It may then take us a long time to render it intelligent by loading in the right software (软件)or by altering the architecture but that too will happen.

    I think it certain that in decades, not centuries, machines of silicon (硅) will arise first to compete and then do better than their human ancestors. Once they do better than us they will be capable of their own design. In a real sense they will be able to reproduce themselves. Silicon will have ended carbon's long control. And we will no longer be able to claim ourselves to be the finest intelligence in the known universe.

    As the intelligence of robots increases to match that of humans and as their cost declines through economies of scale we may use them to improve environments. Thus, deserts may bloom and the ocean beds be mined. Further ahead, by a combination of the great wealth this new age will bring and the technology it will provide, the construction of a vast, man-created world in space, home to thousands or millions of people, will be within our power.

    Soaping up your hands may do more than just get rid of germs. It may wash away the inner confusion you feel right after being forced to make a choice between two appealing choices, according to a new study. The study builds on past research into a phenomenon known as “the Macbeth effect”.

    It turns out that Shakespeare was really onto something when he imagined lady Macbeth trying to clean her conscience（良心）by rubbing invisible bloodstains from her hands. A few years ago, scientists asked people to describe a past wrong act. If people were then given a chance to clean their hands, they later expressed less guilt than people who hadn't cleaned.

    This finding fascinated W. S. Lee, a researcher. “Anything from the past, any kind of negative emotional experiences, might be washed away,” says Lee.

He decided to test hand washing's effect on one kind of bad feeling: the tension we feel after being forced to choose between two attractive choices, because picking one choice makes us feel that we've lose the other. People usually try to calm this inner conflict by later exaggerating（夸大）the positive aspects of their choice.

    He had students rank 10 different music CDs. Then be offered students one CD as a gift. Some students then use liquid soap. Others only looked at the soap or sniffed（噢）it. “Actually, you do not need water and soap,” says Lee.

    Later, the students again had to rank all the music. People who didn't wash their hands had the normal response — they scored their take-home CD higher. Suggesting that they now saw it as even more attractive than before. But this wasn't true for the hand washers. They ranked the music about the same. “they feel no need at all to justify the choice,” say Lee.

    But the implications of it just aren't clear. Schwarz says it's too soon to know whether people should head for a sink after making a tough choice. He says washing may help decision-makers by cleaning away mental disorder, but perhaps if they don't go through the usual post-decision process of justifying their choice, they might feel more sorrow in the long run.

    Windbreaks are barriers (屏障) formed by trees and other plants. Farmers plant these barriers around their fields, which help prevent the loss of soil, stop the wind from blowing soil away. They also keep the wind from damaging or destroying crops. Besides, extra trees and plants can be cut down and used or sold for wood.

    Windbreaks can be highly valuable for protecting grain crops. For example, in parts of West Africa grain harvests were as much as twenty percent higher in fields protected by windbreaks compared to fields without them.

    But here is something interesting about windbreaks. They seem to work best when they allow some wind to pass through the barrier of trees or plants around a field. If not, then the movement of air close to the ground will lift the soil. Then the soil will be blown away. For this reason, a windbreak works best if it contains only 60 to 80 percent of the trees and plants that would be needed to make a solid line. An easy rule to remember is that windbreaks can protect areas up to 10 times the height of the tallest trees in the windbreak.

    There should be at least two lines in each windbreak. One line should be large trees. The second line, right next to it, can be shorter trees or other plants with leaves. Locally grown trees and plants are considered the best choices for windbreaks. Trees reduce the damaging effects of wind and rain. Their roots help protect soil from being washed away. And trees can provide animals outdoors with shade from the sun.

    "Dreams may be more important than sleep. We all need to dream," some scientists say. Dreams take up about one quarter of our sleeping time. People have several dreams each night. Dreams are like short films. They are usually in colour. Some dreams are like old films. They come to us over and over again. That may be because the dreamer is worrying about something. Dreaming may be a way of trying to find an answer. Some people get new ideas about their work from dreams. They may have been thinking about their work all day. These thoughts can carry over into dreams.
    Sometimes we wake up with a good feeling from a dream. But often we can't remember the dream. Dreams can disappear quickly from memory. Too much dreaming can be harmful. The more we sleep, the longer we dream. The mind is hard at work when we dream. That is why we may have a long sleep and still wake up tired.

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are among the most famous awards for student achievement in the literary and visual arts. Past winners include such short story masters as Donald Barthelme, Joyce Carol Oates, and Stephen King.

The contest offers several categories relevant to short story writers: short story, flash fiction, science fiction, humor, and writing collection (graduating seniors only).

Who can enter? The contest is open to students in grades 9 to 12 (including homeschool-ers) in the US, Canada, or American schools abroad.

What do winners receive? The contest offers a variety of scholarships (some as high as $ 10,000) and cash awards (some as high as $ 1,000) at both the regional level and he national level. Winners may also receive certificates of recognition and opportunities for publication.

How are entries judged? The awards have three judging standards: originality, technical skill, and the reflection of a personal vision or voice. Be sure to read past winners to get an idea of what's been successful. The judges change every year, but they always include people who are highly accomplished in their field.

When is the deadline? Competition guidelines are updated in September, and submissions are usually accepted from September through early January. Regional Gold Key winners will automatically advance to the national competition.

How do I enter? All students begin by entering a regional competition based on their ZIP code. See the guidelines for additional information.