Those who are used to looking through thousands of books in big bookstores may find Japan's Morioka Shoten a little strange. That's because this tiny bookstore that is located in Ginza, Tokyo sells only a single book at a time.

    Opened in May 2015, Morioka Shoten is the brainchild of Yoshiyuki Morioka. The experienced bookseller began his career as a bookstore clerk in Tokyo's Kanda district before branching out to open his own store. It was here while organizing book readings that he realized that customers usually came into the store with one title in mind. Morioka began to wonder if a store could exist by selling many copies of just one single book. In November 2014, he partnered with his two friends, to establish a unique bookstore with the idea of “A Single Room, A Single Book.”

    Like its offering, the bookstore is simple. The selections that are picked by Morioka change weekly and vary widely to attract customers with different interests. Recent choices include The True Deceiver, an award-winning Swedish novel by Tove Jansson, Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, and a collection of artist Karl Blossfeldt's photography of plants. Morioka has also chosen books written by famous Japanese authors Mimei Ogawa and Akito Akagi.

    To highlight his only offering, Morioka often uses clever methods. For example，when selling a book about flowers, he decorated his shop with the ones that had been mentioned in the book. He also encourages authors to hold talks and discussions so they can connect with customers. Morioka says his goal is for the customers to experience being inside a book, not just a bookstore!

    Risky as the idea might seem, things appear to be going well. Morioka says he has sold over 2,100 books since he opened it. Things can get better considering that (考虑到) his bookstore is becoming increasingly popular not just among the locals but also visitors from other countries.

    I had worried myself sick over Simon's mother coming to see me.I was a new teacher,and I gave an honest account of the students' work.In Simon's case,the grades were awfully low.He couldn't read his own handwriting.But he was a bright student.He discussed adult subjects with nearly adult comprehension.His work in no way reflected his abilities.

    So when Simon's mother entered the room.my palms（手掌心）were sweating.I was completely unprepared for her kisses on both my cheeks."I came to thank you,"she said,surprising me beyond speech.Because of me,Simon had become a different person.He talked of how he loved me,he had begun to make friends,and for the first time in his twelve years,he had recently spent an afternoon at a friend's house.She wanted to tell me how grateful she was for the self-respect I had developed in her son.She kissed me again and left.

    I sat,stunned,for about half an hour,wondering what had just happened.How did I make such a life-changing difference to that boy without even knowing it?What I finally came to remember was one day,several months before, when some students were giving reports in the front of the class,Jeanne spoke quietly,and to encourage her to raise her voice,I had said,"Speak up.Simon is the expert on this.He is the only one you have to convince,and he can't hear you in the back of the room."That was it.From that day on,Simon had sat up straighter,paid more attention,smiled more,and became happy.And it was all because he happened to be the last kid in the last row.The boy who most needed praise was the one who took the last seat that day.

    It taught me the most valuable lesson over the years of my teaching career,and I'm thankful that it came early and positively.A small kindness can indeed make a difference.

    Rome, Paris and New York are the world's top fashion cities, all of which have produced some of the top trends, from fashionable skirts to the hottest new shoes. But have you ever wondered about the negative ideas that they have enforced?

    In April 2016, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in Britain banned an ad from Gucci that featured models dancing around and having fun, because they were all extremely skinny. Banning ads due to the models' extreme figures isn't new. The ASA banned an ad in 2015 for the same reason. In France, it has been ruled that models are to provide a doctor's note providing that they are at a healthy weight.

    So what is the healthy weight for models? Twenty years ago, the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, they weigh 23% less.

    People may think that being at an unhealthy weight will help them gain the benefits that the models do. This provides a standard of beauty, and therefore people who want to achieve those things may attempt to obtain them through unhealthy ways. People may think that they are overweight, due to the images of models¹ thin figures. They see something wrong with their bodies, whether they are overweight or not. This is a key factor in a lowered body image, low self-esteem, depression and possibly even eating disorders.

    I'm not blaming the fashion industry by any means. It's not their fault that many people look up to the models and expect to live a life like theirs. I am glad that the ASA is raising its voices when discussing the growing issue of body images in the fashion industry. By banning photos and videos, speaking out against them and pushing for doctor's notes from the models, it's pushing for the ideas that the traditional fashion industry's body image demands should be changed and something more needs to be questioned.

    First it was worry about second-hand smoke, now there's major concern over third-hand smoke which gets into hair, clothes, furniture or a car rather than directly from a cigarette or someone breathing it out.

    To be honest, I've always been worried about the health dangers of this even though I didn't know it had a name. My worry made me reluctant to let smokers hold my babies even though they didn't smoke in my house.

    Tests for its effects have been only carried out on mice, but I don't think they can be ignored. Researchers at California University last month suggested third-hand smoke (THS) could cause type 2 diabetes, liver and lung damage.

    They analyzed how people are affected by taking in smoke from another person's clothing, hair, home, or car. They say they can see an impact on the brain and liver. Lead author Manuela Martins-Green said: “Our goal was to decide the smallest amount of time required to cause physiological changes in mice when they are exposed(暴露) to THS.” This was done using an exposure system that is the same as human exposure.

    “We found THS exposure as early as one month caused liver damage. Exposure for two months lead to further molecular(分子的) damage, and at four to six months caused even more such damage. We also found the mice showed insulin resistance（抗胰岛素） after long-term exposure.”

    “THS is a hidden danger, a silent killer. Pollutants can be absorbed through the skin and through breathing.”

    “Although our research was not done on humans, people should be aware that hotel rooms, cars and homes that were used by smokers are very likely to be polluted with THS.” Martins-Green believes most people don't know they're being exposed to THS, or don't believe in the damage it can do.

    THS toxins(毒素) remain on surfaces for many years, and resist even strong cleaning agents.

    There are two main things that make aircraft engineering difficult: the need to make every component as reliable as possible and the need to build everything as light as possible. The fact that an airplane is up in the air and can't stop if anything goes wrong, makes it perhaps a matter of life or death that its performance is completely dependable.

    Given a certain power of engine, and consequently a certain fuel consumption, there is a practical limit to the total weight of aircraft that can be made to fly. Out of that weight as much as possible is wanted for fuel, radio navigational instruments, passenger seats, or freight room, and of course, the passengers or freight themselves. So the structure of the aircraft has to be as small and light as safety and efficiency will allow. The designer must calculate the normal load that each part will bear. This specialist is called the "stress man." He takes notice of any unusual stress that may be put on the part as a precaution against errors in manufacture, accidental damage etc.

    The stress man's calculations go to the designer of the part, and he must make it as strong as the stress man says is necessary. One or two small parts are always tested to prove that they are as strong as the designer intended. Each separate part is tested, then a whole assembly—for example, a complete wing, and finally the whole aeroplane. When a new type of aeroplane is being made, normally only one of the first three made will be flown. Two will be destroyed on the ground in strict tests. The third one will be tested in the air.

    When a plane has passed all the tests it can get a government certificate of airworthiness, without which it is illegal to fly, except for test flying.

    Making the working parts reliable is as difficult as making the structure strong enough. The flying controls, the electronic equipment, the fire precautions, etc. must not only be light in weight, but must work both at high altitudes where the temperature may be below freezing point and in the hot air of an airfield in the tropics.

    To solve all these problems the aircraft industry has a large number of research workers, with elaborate laboratories and test houses, and new materials to give the best strength in relation to weight are constantly being tested.

    When the weather's hot, do you enjoy a glass of Brad's Drink while watching your TV made by Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering, and surfing the web using a search engine called BackRub? No? Neither do I. That's because all these companies have changed their names.

    Brad's Drink is now Pepsi. The mouthful that was Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering has become, simply, Sony. And BackRub is now known as Google. Though I must admit, the idea of a back massage does sound good right now!

    Joking aside, choosing the right name for your start-up is a serious matter. Think of the case of a small Canadian company called Research in Motion, who in 1998 had just developed a high-tech mobile phone that could send emails.

    They were torn between names like MegaMail and ProMail. Then they sought the help of consulting firm Lexicon, who specialize in brand names. They had other ideas. They brainstormed words connected to enjoyment and freshness. Someone said.

    Lexicon's boss added two capital letters, and there you have it: BlackBerry was born. Since then it has sold over 33 million handsets to customers around the world. Would it have sold as well if it was called MegaMail? Who knows?

    Recently, BlackBerry sales have been overtaken by Android phones and Apple's iPhone. Lexicon's founder David Placek is a big fan of simple brand names like those Apple chooses: the iPhone. They l0ok a household word and by putting one letter in front of it, it ends up being game changing.

    So, for all you entrepreneurs(企业家)out there, make sure you allow time to develop a catchy and memorable name. Think about what makes your company different. What's your USP (独特的销售主张)? Maybe you can reflect that in your name.

    What about you? What would you call a company if you had one?