For centuries, elephants have played a big role in the world's economies, culture and religion. The African elephant used to be found all over Africa and the Asian elephant moved from Syria to China to Indonesia. Nowadays, elephants are found in small groups in the south of the Sahara Desert and scarcely in Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka and India.

    In the early twentieth century, there were close to ten million elephants, and now the elephant number is as low as 252,000 and expected to drop down to 160,000 by 2025. Between 2007 and 2014, the elephant population fell by at least 30%, or 144,000 elephants. As researchers have traveled over the African plains, they only spotted one herd of 36 elephants in an area like the size of Mexico. It is clear that these gentle mammals are disappearing right before our eyes.

    There are many reasons why the elephant population has been decreasing, one of which is their habitat. Humans are competing with elephants for living space, and as more and more humans clear the land that is being used by elephants, the elephants have less space. Elephant hunting or “poaching” has been a major factor for the disappearance of this species, and they are killed only for their valuable ivory tusks. Although the trade of tusks is illegal, it is still a common practice in many places.

    Often, all the local people living among elephants would be farmers, and found that they could make more money by selling the tusks of one elephant, than doing manual labor for twelve years. That alone makes it really hard to prevent them from killing the elephants.

    Some places such as Botswana, have put in extra effort to protect their wildlife from poachers by founding their Botswana Defense Force, which is made up of around 700 specially-trained soldiers that are stationed in 40 different areas. You may feel worried about the present situations elephants are in, but there are ways to help. To find out how you can help elephant conservation, adopt an elephant, or donate, click here.

    The 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Mo Yan for his writing that mixes folk tales, history and the modern events with hallucinatory realism（魔幻现实主义）, the Swedish Academy announced.

    The 57-year-old is the first Chinese resident to win the prize. Only one other Chinese-language writer has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Gao Zingjian was honored in 2000. However, he is a French citizen.

    Mr Mo said he was “overjoyed and scared” when he learned he had won the award. He will receive his Nobel diploma, a medal and more than one million dollars at a ceremony in Stockholm in December.

    China is celebrating the victory of this native son. Minutes after the award was announced, millions of Chinese expressed pleasure and pride for Mo Yan on social media websites. Senior CPC leader Li Changchun has congratulated Mo Yan on winning the 2012 Nobel Literature Prize. Li says in a letter to the China Writers Association that Mo's winning of the prize reflects the prosperity and progress of the Chinese literature.

    His real name is Guan Moye. Mo Yan means “Don't Speak.” The writer said he chose the name to remember to stop his tongue from getting him in trouble. Mo Yan's novel “Red Sorghum” first became a cable hit on the big screen both at home and abroad in 1987. The film was directed by Zhang Yimou and marked the acting start of Gong Li.

    As a productive author, Mo has published dozens of short stories, with his first work published in 1981. Mo Yan's other major works include, “Big Breasts and Wide Hips,” “Republic of Wine” and “Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out.”

    "Iris scan (虹膜扫描), please," the bank's computer voice tells you . You step up and the computer reads your eye, comparing it to the stored file it has of your iris. The images had better match—otherwise you won't be able to get your money.

    Iris scanning and other technologies, such as fingerprint and voice scanning, have appeared in many science fiction movies in the past. Today, these advanced technologies are part of the real world. They are common at work, the bank, the airport, and your local prison. The iris scan, fingerprint scan, and voice scan are all examples of biometrics( 生物测定学) a fast developing area of automatic personal identification technology . Basically, biometrics uses various ways to verify a person's identity, based on the individual's unique characteristics, including fingerprints, voices, irises, body heat patterns, facial images, handprints, signatures and so on.

    Biometrics identification systems have a number of advantages over password systems. The primary advantage is that an individual has to be physically present in order to be identified. Another important advantage is that there are no passwords to remember, forget, lose or steal.

    The voice scan is the simplest and most affordable form of biometrics. It only requires a computer, a microphone and the correct software. The software records a subject's voice and then compares it to a stored voice sample for identification purposes.

    For additional safety, fingerprint and handprint scans can also be employed. Fingerprint scans take the image of a fingerprint and compare it to a stored file of prints. Handprint scans identify the unique features of a hand.

    Iris scans currently give the highest level of accuracy among all the available biometrics systems. Another technology, full facial scans, is currently in use at border crossings and airports. Facial scanning equipment can actually track and identify moving faces within a crowd.

    The potential of biometrics is exciting and encouraging. With continued development, testing, and application, current technologies will become even more effective in the future. Soon, the days of password and car keys will be gone. Just don't leave home without your fingerprints!

    You'll be re-directed to our Irish Fest Ticketing Store, which will feature all of 2018's ticketing options. Buying online will save you the time of waiting in line at the ticket window .Your admission to the festival includes all of the musical acts, cultural exhibits, children's activities and more! Questions? Contact us at info@irishfest.com.

    Daily Ways to Save

    Any and all active (现役) military members will receive free admission to the festival, any day, with valid ID, plus one guest, at any gate ticket window where you will receive your free ticket].Thank you for your service to our country. Failte Club VIP Experience NEW

    Experience Irish Fest in an exclusive setting! Invite your friends and be a part of the Failte Club VIP Experience! Your Failte Club ticket includes 2 complimentary beverages (beer, wine, soda, water), an incredible view of the Miller Lite stage from the Upper Deck, a private bar for additional beverages, including Jameson Whiskey and private restrooms!

    Wheel chair accessible Thursday: $15 (Hours 5-10 pm) Friday: $30 (Hours 5-12 am)

    Saturday: $35 (Hours 2-12 am) - SOLD OUT Sunday: $30 (Hours 12-8:30 pm)

    4-Day VIP Pass: $79

    Group Ticket Sales Information

    Save some green with group ticket sales available through July 31, 2018.26-99 tickets are $15 each; 100+ tickets are $13 each. Call the CelticMKE [Irish Fest] Center at 414-476-3378 for more information.

    Notice on Counterfeit Tickets

    Milwaukee Irish Fest strongly urges all customers to avoid purchasing tickets on the street from unauthorized sources, as the tickets may be counterfeit. For your own protection, tickets should only be purchased at Milwaukee Irish Fest ticket booths, irishfest.com or the Milwaukee Irish Fest Center in Wauwatosa. Counterfeit tickets and tickets purchased from unauthorized sources will not be honored.

    A recent study followed nearly 1,500 old people for 10 years. It found that those who had a large network of friends lived longer than those with fewer friends by more than 20%.This study isn't the only one that shows friendships can be good for our health.

    Lots of research has shown social support and good health are connected. One recent study focuses on people with ovarian cancer. It says those with lots of social support had much lower levels of a protein connected to more dangerous cancers. This made their treatments (治疗) work better. In another study, women with breast cancer in a support group lived twice as long as those not in a support group. They also had much less pain.

    Sheldon Cohen, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, says strong social support helps people deal with stress. "There may be more benefits as well," Cohen says. "Friends encourage you to look after yourself better. And people with more friends have higher self­confidence, so they feel they have more control over their lives."

    Other studies show people with fewer friends are likely to die sooner after having a heart attack, compared with people having a strong social network. Having lots of friends may even lower your chance of catching a cold. "People with social support have fewer immune (免疫的) problems and lower levels of stress," says Tasha Howe, who works at Humboldt State University. "We are social animals, and we were born to be in groups," Howe says. "We have always needed others to survive better. It's in our genes." People with a big social group are likely to be more at peace, which leads to better health, Howe says.

    One day an old woman was traveling alone in the mountains. Suddenly she saw something shining in the stream. When she came close, she found it was a precious stone. She put the stone into her bag and went on with her trip.

    The next day the old woman met a young man, who was also a traveler in the mountains. The young man looked very hungry, so the old woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked carefully, "The stone is beautiful. Would you like to give it to me?"

    "Sure. Why not?" the woman said, and handed the stone to him.

    The young man left happily with the stone. He knew it was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman.

    "I've been thinking," he said. "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back and hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within your bag."

    The woman opened her bag. It was almost empty. She looked at the young man and smiled, "I have nothing special in my bag, but I do have something precious — the joy of giving!"

    The young man felt ashamed and left silently.