Persuasion is the art of convincing someone to agree with you. According to the ancient Greeks, there are three basic tools of persuasion : ethos, pathos, and logos.

    Ethos is a speaker's way of convincing the audience that she is trustworthy, honest and reliable. One common way a speaker can develop ethos is by explaining how much experience or education she has in the field. After all, you're more likely to listen to advise about how to take care of your teeth from a dentist than a fireman. A speaker can also create ethos by convincing the audience that she is a good person. If an audience cannot trust you, you will not be able to persuade them.

    Pathos is a speaker's way of connecting with an audience's emotions. For example, a politician who is trying to convince an audience to vote for him might say that he alone can save the country from a terrible war. These words are intended to fill the audience with fear, thus making them support him. Similarly, an animal charity might show an audience pictures of injured dogs and cats, to make the viewers feel pity. If the audience feels bad for the animals, they will be more likely to donate money.

    Logos is the use of facts, statistics, or other evidence to support your argument. An audience will be more likely to believe you if you have convincing data to back up your claims. Presenting this evidence is much more persuasive than simply saying “believe me”.

    Although ethos, pathos, and logos all have their strengths, they are often most effective when used together. Indeed, most speakers use a combination of ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade their audiences. So, the next time you listen to a speech, watch a commercial, or listen to a friend try to convince you to lend him some money, be on the lookout for these ancient Greek tools of persuasion.

    Men are spending more and more time in the kitchen encouraged by celebrity (名人) chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver, according to a report from Oxford University.

    The effect of the celebrity role models, who have given cooking a more manly picture, has combined with a more general drive towards sexual equality and men now spend more than twice the amount of time preparing meals than they did in 1961.

    According to the research by Prof. Jonatahn Gershuny, who runs the Centre for Time Research at Oxford, men now spend more than half an hour a day cooking, up from just 12 minutes a day in 1961.

    Prof. Gershuny said, “The man in the kitchen is part of a much wider social trend. There has been 40 years of sexual equality, but there is another 40 years probably to come.”

    Women, who a generation ago spent nearly two hours a day cooking, now spend just one hour and seven minutes—a great fall, but they still spend far more time in the kitchen than men.

    Some experts have named these men in aprons as “Gastrosexuals (men using cooking skills to impress friends)”, who have been inspired to pick up a kitchen knife by the success of Ramsay, Oliver as well as other male celebrity chefs such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Marco Pierre White and Keith Floyd.

     “I was married in 1974. When my father came to visit me a few weeks later, I was wearing an apron when I opened the door. He laughed,” said Prof. Gershuny. “That would never happen now.”

    Two-thirds of adults say that they come together to share at least three times a week, even if it is not necessarily around a kitchen or dining room table. Prof. Gershuny pointed out that the family meal was now rarely eaten by all of its members around a table—with many “family meals” in fact taken on the sofa in the sitting room, and shared by family members. “The family meal has changed a lot, and few of us eat—as I did when I was a child—at least two meals a day together as a family. But it has survived in a different format.”

    We Brits love the idea of a real Christmas tree but not so many of us like the realities of dragging (拖拽) a 7ft Norway Spruce through the house and leaving needles all over the place.

    If you count yourself among the reluctant group, then it may be time to go fake (假的) . After all, buying an artificial Christmas tree needn't mean accepting defeat. There's a huge range of choices and sizes, including pre-lit trees, which will save you the frustration of trying to string your own lights.

    Another big advantage of choosing an artificial Christmas tree is cost: artificial trees can last for decades, so they work out cheaper than paying for a real tree every year. Like now retailers (零售商) are offering great deals at the moment: at Tesco, there's 25 percent off artificial Christmas trees. Meanwhile, you can take advantage of the current 3 for 2 offer at Argos to fill your house with not one, not two, but three. You may perhaps partner up with friends who are also looking to invest.

    Of course, keep your tree for years and years and it will start to pay you back in terms of carbon footprint; however, a “real” one will always have to be transported, used and dealt with every year.

    Are there any downsides? Yes. You might think you're saving the planet, but a fake tree is actually not an environmentally friendly option. Most are made in factories in Asia, resulting in some serious air miles to reach the UK. They're made from metal and plastic, and many end their lives in landfill (垃圾填埋).

    Another problem with a fake tree is that they don't look very natural and of course you won't get that lovely pine smell either. You'll also need to find space for storage.

    Kirby Wildlife Park — Keeper Experience

    Due to the large number of inquiries from people interested in working with animals, Kirby Wildlife Park has set up the unique 'Keeper Experience' package. The fantastic experience is available to anyone over the age of 18 who is reasonably fit. We regret that for health and safety reasons, participants who are pregnant, in a wheelchair or suffering from illnesses cannot take part.

A typical day

9:15        Arrival

9:30         Health and Safety Briefing

10:00        Apes and Monkeys

    While cleaning out the enclosure (围场) you will find out about how enclosures are enriched with novel items and new smells to stimulate (刺激) the animals' senses and imitate their natural environment.

12:00       Lunch

14:00        Big Cats

    On the highlight of most volunteers' day, you will feed the cats and learn about their nutritional needs. The keeper will give you an introduction to how cat behaviour can be read to get an idea of their welfare and health.

16:30        Meet the Team

    Meet more of the staff and learn how you can get further involved with work at the park. Learn about our animal adoption plan, what it takes to be a good keeper and where to obtain the right qualifications for a career in animal welfare.

Booking and cancellation

    The Keeper Experience is available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, and must be booked at least two weeks in advance. Full payment is needed when booking.

    Cancellations must be made more than fourteen days before the event, or you won't receive a full refund.

    Best Southern winter Beer Festivals to Challenge Your Taste

    Bluffton International Craft Beer Festival

    This festival is considered to be "The Best Little Beer Fest in the US". This festival shows over 125 beers from more than 40 breweries (啤酒厂) across the US and focuses on unique and new beers that you usually can't find in a grocery store. The festival even has hourly surprises of a limited quantity of rare beers as well as food for those who can arrive in time.

    Bayou Beer Fest

    The Bayou Beer Fest is the premier beer festival in the Bayou Region of southern Louisiana and is held at the historic 19th century sugar farm, making it a truly memorable beer festival. The festival will provide hundreds of beers from state-based, national, and even international breweries, of course, there will also be food to purchase, and several Louisiana-style musical acts to keep the festival alive.

    Key Largo Brew on the Bay

    It's actually winter at this beer festival held in the largest section of the Florida Keys. The festival covers two days, and will feature at least 40 different breweries, including local breweries. Besides, because it does harm to your health to enjoy beer on an empty stomach, Brew on the Bay will feature a food court, with fresh Florida lionfish, fish sandwiches and shellfish.

    Yaga's Chili (辣椒) Quest& Beer Fest

    Beer and chili go together like peas and carrots, so you will not want to miss the annual Yaga's Chili Quest Beer Fest. The festival will feature over 100 import beers, including rare finds and a few surprises prepared for all people present. Of course, there will also be a variety of tasty chili for you to try.

    On a recent trip to London, I decided to visit some exciting new restaurants that are using technology to change the way people dine out. My first stop was at an Italian restaurant in the city center. When I walked into the restaurant, I was given a tray (托盘)and a special card, but I had no idea what to do next! The manager came up to me and explained that I could swipe (刷) my card at any of the food and drink stations in the restaurant, and that the card would record my order. No waiters necessary! I made my selection and then handed my card to the cashier. Once I'd paid for my meal, I collected it and made my way to the dining area on the second floor. The food was very delicious, but, I must admit, I didn't enjoy having to carry my food up two flights of stairs.

    On the next night, a friend of mine suggested that we visit his favorite high-tech restaurant. When we arrived, I was surprised to discover that there were no paper menus; instead, the menus appeared on the touch screen surface of the table. All we had to do was touch our choices with our fingers and wait for the waiters to bring us our meal. The touch screen tabletop also allowed us to change different tablecloths and even play games. We had so much fun playing games that we hardly touched our food when it arrived--we really should have told the waiter to give us takeaways instead.

    On my last day in London, I decided to get some tapas from a Spanish takeaway near my hotel. I had heard that the owners had placed a webcam (网络摄像机) at the restaurant to allow their customers to watch the long lunchtime queue (队列) online. This came in very handy for me. While I packed my baggage, I kept an eye on the queue and then raced to the restaurant when the lunchtime rush was over. Without that wonderful webcam, I could have missed my plane.