You may have never heard of Lanthanum, Cerium or Neodymium, but these elements (元素) and others known as “rare earth” play a major role in modern technology. They can actually be found in many places on the earth, but not in quantities that can be mined. Only a few countries — China, America, India, Australia, Brazil and Malaysia have any that can be mined enough to be traded.

Even though some of these elements such as Cerium are as abundant as Copper, they are not found in concentrated amounts on the earth's surface. They are often mixed together with other metals, which makes extraction (提取) of these elements an expensive and an environmentally messy process. It was due to this reason that the term “rare earth” was invented.

    Rare earth metals are used widely in our life. Rechargeable car batteries, computers, iPhones, DVD players, computer monitors, televisions, lighting, lasers, glass polishing, and superconductors all use quantities of rare earth metals. Also, with the advancement in “green” technology like solar panels, these shiny materials are becoming more important than ever. An average electric car uses 10 pounds of Lanthanum for its rechargeable battery!

    America has large deposits (存储量) of rare earths and has one of the first mines. It was openedin Southern California in 1940. The element “Europium” was the first metal to be separated in quantity for use in color televisions. However, in the 1980's and 1990's, as China started producing these elements in Inner Mongolia, the mines in America and elsewhere could not keep pace. The mine in Mountain Pass, California also failed environmental regulations and shut down in 2002.

    Now, recognizing the importance of having more than one supplier of this important resource, other rare earth owning countries like India and Australia are either dusting off their rare earth mines or speeding up their production. It is believed that the debate over rare earths will become louder in the coming months and years.

    Many businesses today use conferences as a means of discussing new plans of the company. As people are paying more attention to the environment and green problems, more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment. Many businesses do this by using Web conferencing.

    Web conferencing is a technology that allows people to communicate more effectively over the Internet. It's an easy way of hosting and attending conferences without having to leave the office. Each of the people involved in a web conference will be posted an invitation to the conference with the time and date of the Web conference on it. When the conference is ready to begin, all participants must sit at their computers and they will be connected over the Internet.

    With Web conferencing all participants attend conference from the comfort of their own desks. Obviously, in doing this no fuel is used in traveling to and from a conference, and less work is taken up in attending a conference.

    Any material to be used during Web conference is simply e-mailed to all the participants before the conference. Participants can then either choose to print material or read it on screen.

This not only saves paper but also greatly reduces mailing costs for the business.

    As a conference hall or business center isn't being used, it means that the only power that is used is the power that is used by the participants' personal computers. Similarly, conference organizers don't have to arrange for food or overnight accommodation. All this means that less energy is used.

    Often in business some companies actively choose to do business with other companies that do many things to reduce their negative impact on the environment. And Web conferencing helps you show other businesses that you are willing to work hard for the green cause.

    So Web conferencing is much cheaper and greener and more people are willing to host and attend a web conference.

    A body image is the way a person views his or her body. It affects how a person “feels” about his or her body. For example, when not looking in a mirror, people have a sense of what their bodies look like. A positive body image is having a realistic and accepting view of your body. However, very few women have a positive body image. Society, dieting, eating disorders, and overweight are all related to a negative body image.

    A century ago, full and curvaceous (曲线美的) bodies were admired. They were also more natural for women to keep. Nowadays, the best female body has a tiny waist, flat stomach, thin legs, and is very slim. Women are told to weight less than ever before. Supermodels are the new women's idols. However, most of them are teenagers, and many of them have eating disorders or diet strictly. Trying to follow these standards is hard to most women. As a result, they starve themselves, or exercise—excessively (过度地), or both.

    Most women who know the standard of beauty and body weight are dieting to reduce weight and change their figures. Eating disorders are not simply unhealthy diet habits; they are considered as mental illnesses and can sometimes end in death. Strict dieting or food restriction combined with a negative body image can become an eating disorder.

    A negative body image can also lead to overweight. This is due to excessive eating to comfort bad feelings about their bodies. In addition, yo-yo dieting, which often follows a negative body image, leads to increasingly higher weights with each diet attempt.

    A negative body image is bad for women. I may help them to see an advisor who is good at treating women with negative body images. Lastly, if society worked on encouraging healthy lifestyles and healthy looking bodies for women, a lot of good would come from it.

    Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) needs to prove its worth through rigorous clinical trials, according to the head of one of China's largest herbal remedy companies, as a contentious new law to boost the $40bn sector comes into effect.

    Traditional Chinese Medicine is estimated by analysts to account for a third of sales in China's $117bn pharmaceutical (药学) market, the world's second largest. But most of those sales are of relatively cheap over-the-counter drugs, with many Chinese hospital doctors unwilling to prescribe TCM remedies because of the lack of evidence for their effectiveness.

    China's first law promising equal status for TCM and western medicine in the country's state-dominated healthcare system comes into effect this weekend. Provisions include encouragement for hospitals to set up TCM centres, and a licensing system for practitioners (从业者). "This law is very important for securing the status of TCM," said Wu Yiling, chairman of Yiling Pharmaceutical, a company that makes herbal remedies based on traditional recipes in the northern province of Hebei.

    Listed in Shenzhen, Wu Yiling has a market capitalization of RMB 20.7bn ($3bn). Mr Wu, the son of a herbal practitioner, controls a family fortune of $1.6bn, according to the Hurun Rich List.

    Mr Wu is both a supporter of the nature of Qi—the mystical energy force that provides the basis for much of TCM theory—and the clinical trials vital to western pharmaceutical companies. "TCM needs to develop using modern research methods," he said.

    For instance, researchers from Peking and Cardiff Universities tested the health benefits of Yiling's herbal medicine Yangzheng Xiaoji, publishing papers in the International Journal of Oncology that showed the drug can slow the growth of cancer tumours. "The theory and recipe is TCM, but in practice the evaluation of our medicines is carried out according to western evidence-based methods," Mr Wu said.

    Analysts say such tests can help gain support from doubtful hospital doctors and boost prescriptions. "Doctors need strong evidence that drugs definitely work," said Serena Shao, healthcare analyst at brokerage CLSA. "Some of these companies are currently doing clinical trials, and getting proof that their drugs have the same efficacy (功效) as chemical drugs. That's the way to go." she added.

    The TCM law has been greeted with doubt from China's western-schooled medical establishment, which points to a lack of rigorous training for TCM doctors, and a recent series of shocking events involving herbal injections believed to have been harmful. "Officials will try and encourage TCM, but also will be very cautious about what kinds of TCM they use in hospitals," added Ms Shao.

In summer holiday, the kids are out of school, so it is a good time to plan for a family travel. However, it's not easy to prepare for a family travel. Here are four travel apps(应用程序) to make your trip more relaxing.

Yuggler

Search nearby for family-friendly activities, from free events to worthwhile attractions. Use Yuggler to plan for what to do each day, based on the weather or the type of entertainment your kids want or need, and look through reviews written by parents who've been there. So instead of paying $20 per person for entrance to the big museum, you can locate just-as-fun spots with zero admission, saving a family of $80.

Sit or Squat

Held by Charmin, this app uses your phone's built-in location finder to find out the closest public restrooms. Perhaps more importantly, Sit or Squat provides the restrooms'cleanliness scores, which are made by the users who have been there. It is quite convenient.

My Disney Experience

The official Walt Disney World app's interactive map(互动地图), which uses your tool's GPS, helps you find restaurants, restrooms, and attractions nearby. You can also access real-time wait times for popular rides and character appearances, meaning you're making the most of your time.

Wi-Fi Finder

Find free Internet near your current location in a minute. Wi-Fi Finder works offline too. Before you head out, download the offline database(数据库) to your phone, so you won't waste data while searching for a hotspot, which is key during an international trip. You'll save as much as $15 off the hotel Wi-Fi cost.

Go Sledding （滑雪橇） around Baltimore

From steep slopes（陡坡） to gentle hills, there's no shortage of local sledding rides in the Baltimore area. Here are a few of the favorites.

Leakin Park

1901 EAGLE DRIVE

There's a sweet slide behind the Crimean Mansion off Eagle Drive—also known today as Friends of Orianda House—which is accessible and also one of the best-kept sledding secrets inside city lines. The Winans Meadow area is super scenic year-round, but especially so when it snows.

Baltimore Country Club

4712 CLUB ROAD

The golf course is a legendary sledding destination, but make sure to be aware that the steep slope here is nicknamed "Adventure Hill" for a reason. No small number of green hands have rolled down here. As one Reddit commenter said, "It left me hurt many a time as a kid"—words no doubt that frighten some but also attract more than a few.

Herring Run Park

3800 BELAIR ROAD

The 375-acre northeast area may be the top spot in the city for the variety of hills to choose from. Created by the Olmstead Brothers more than a century ago, the stream valley park is also home to fox and deer, which you might just spot wandering about in their winter coats. Visitors can enjoy the benefit of sufficient parking for private vehicles.

Federal Hill

300 WARREN AVE.

It's an obvious destination, given its picturesque view overlooking the Inner Harbor, for sledding and building snowmen and snowwomen. The hills here are very steep, however. Just be careful not to rush out onto Key Highway or into the back of the American Visionary Art Museum.