Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you've got to love yourself first and this can be tricky(狡猾的). Sure we all know that we're the apple of our parents' eyes, and that our Grandmas think we're great talents(天才) and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it's a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.

    Self-image is your own mind's picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.

    The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don't allow doubts to occur in it.

    It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can't move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you're silly because you aren't good at math, find a tutor. If you think you're weak because you can't run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you're dull because you don't wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, although you think it is so, it doesn't mean it's true.

    The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective(客观的), and to actively convince(客观的) yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting(提升) a positive self-image. When you can pat(拍) yourself on the back, you'll know you're well on your way. Good luck!

    June 8

    Culinary (烹饪的）Historians of Washington: Food historian Joel Denker discusses how certain foods acquired culinary significance and ceremonial and economic importance. 2-4 pm .Free. Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, Meeting Room A，4805 Edgemoor Lane，Bcthcsda. 202-487-6740.

    June 11

Beers of Umbria: Beer director Scott Weiss leads a tasting of Italian beers. 7:30 pm. $35, Via Umbria, 1525 Wisconsin Avenue. NW. 202-333-3904.

    June 13

    Wine Dinner: A special menu paired with sparkling (气泡的）wine. 6:30 pm. $75, not including tax and gratuity (小费).Wildfire. Tysons Galleria. Third Floor. 1714 International Dr., McLean. 703-442-9110.

    June 14

    Cooking Class: Chef Gerard Pangaud demonstrates (展示) how to make several seasonal French dishes.11 am-2 pm. $85. Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue. SE. 202-549-4172.

    Hot Drinks from Around the World: Participants learn about and sample drinks made from purple com. yak (牦牛) butter, orchid root and more. 10 am. $27. Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria.

    June 18 pm-地 Columbu

    Gourmet Symphony: A special American cuisine-inspired menu accompanied performance by the Inscape Chamber Orchestra. VIP option available.7-9 pm. $49 Columbia Firehouse, 109 S. Saint Asaph St, Alexandria.

    June 28

    Sips: Cocktail reception featuring local artisans (技工）and mixologists (调酒师) benefit D.C. Central Kitchen and Martha's Table. VIP tickets also availabi 7:30 pm. $125 by

    June. 11；$150 thereafter. Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave.NW.

    June 29

    Suppers：Fundraising dinners taking place in more than 35 area homes, featuring chefs Alon Shaya,Carla Hall,Tim Ma,

    Amy Brandwein and more. Proceeds benefit D.C. Central Kitchen and Martha's Table.6 pm. $600.

    BEIJING (News Agency) — Children in China today spend five times more money than their parents did when they were young.

    So what are all these children buying? The list is long: iPads, cell phones and jeans are typical items that children “have to” buy. And they will do anything to get them. They ask their parents over and over until they buy them.

    But parents also need to take the blame(责备) for spending so much money. They want their children to have the best things. They end up competing with other parents over whether their children have the latest products.

    So it's no wonder children find it hard to learn the importance of saving money rather than spending it all the time.

    And it's hard to save when companies use advertising (打广告)and clever slogans (口号) to encourage young people to buy their products. They even encourage children to keep asking their parents for something until they get it.

    Today, you don't even need to have money in order to buy something. Banks give out credit cards and loans (贷款) all the time, so people are saving less and less. We are used to carrying lots of money around. And if you don't have much, you can always borrow some.

    But this hasn't always been the case. When our grandparents were young, there was very little money and everyone had to save hard for things they bought. They only bought things they needed, not things they just wanted.

    The older generation made the wise expression, “Money doesn't grow on trees.” This is as true now as it was 50 years ago. They give money a great deal of value. And we all have a lot to learn from them.

    Welcome to the Electronic Village to explore new ways of language teaching and learning.

Open water swimming

    I had only swum in open water a few times, and always in gentle lakes, so I wasn't prepared for how rough Lake Windermere appeared on a cold day. A swimmer told me the water felt colder than it had been measured, and that the water was a bit rough. But I, along with 10,000 others, was about to complete the challenge.

    Most of the people taking part were doing a one-mile race, and 10 races were planned over the weekend. There seemed to be a mix of open-water enthusiasts alongside complete beginners—which is precisely the aim of the swims, to get as many people as possible completing their own challenge. The oldest woman competing was 77, taking part in the two-mile race, alongside a man who last year had swum in every one-mile race.

    I had chosen the third one-mile race of the day. There were over 600 people in my race. We were taken through an acclimatization area  a children's paddling pool-sized part of the lake where we moved in to feel how cold the water was. "Not too bad" was everyone's thought! Then we headed out towards the middle of the lake.

    We'd been warned that the first 100 metres would be really rough. However, somewhere near the 750m mark I was still waiting for the calm; it felt more like swimming in the sea than a lake. I tried to focus on my breathing and technique, and just keep going. As I approached the 400m-to-go mark my lower right leg became painful. I recalled overhearing people talking about how they kept swimming through the pain, so I tried. But it didn't work. I began to feel the entire leg tight and painful. I didn't want to stop, so I bent my right knee and just kicked with the left leg.

    Finally I saw the finishing post, and I just concentrated on getting there—still one-legged. My finishing time was 38 minutes 25 seconds but that didn't matter—the atmosphere was fantastic and everyone felt a sense of achievement, whatever their time. I'm hooked, and want to give it another go. I've already signed up for my next open-water swim.

    Attitudes toward new technologies often fall along generational lines. That is, generally, younger people tend to outnumber older people on the front end of a technological change. It is not always the case, though. When you look at attitudes toward driverless cars, there doesn't seem to be a clear generational divide. The public overall is split on whether they'd like to use a driverless car. In a study last year, of all people surveyed, 48 percent said they wanted to ride in one, while 50 percent did not.

    The fact that attitudes toward self-driving cars appear to be so steady across generations suggests how transformative the change to driverless cars could be. Not everyone wants a driverless car now-and no one can get one yet—but among those who are open to them, every age group is similarly involved.

    Actually, this isn't surprising. Whereas older generations are sometimes reluctant to adopt new technologies, driverless cars promise real value to these age groups in particular. Older adults, especially those with limited mobility or difficulty driving on their own are one of the classic use-cases for driverless cars.

    This is especially interesting when you consider that younger people are generally more interested in travel-related technologies than older ones.

    When it comes to driverless cars, differences in attitude are more pronounced based on factors not related to age. College graduates, for example, are particularly interested in driverless cars compared with those who have less education: 59 percent of college graduates said they would like to use a driverless car compared with 38 percent of those with a high-school diploma or less.

    Where a person lives matters, too. More people who lived in cities and suburbs said they wanted to try driverless cars than those who lived in rural areas.

    While there's reason to believe that interest in self-driving cars is going up across the board, a person's age will have little to do with how self-driving cars can become mainstream. Once driverless cars are actually available for sale, the early adopters will be the people who can afford to buy them.