Can eating a chocolate bar every day really prevent age-related memory loss? No. But a new research shows that large amounts of flavones, substances found in cocoa, tea and some kinds of vegetables, may improve age-related memory failure.

    Dr. Scott Small is a professor of neurology (神经病学) at Columbia University in new York City. He is the lead writer of a research paper describing the effects of cocoa flavones on brain activity. His study involved 37 volunteers aged between 50 and 69. Researchers gave them a high-level flavones drink made from cocoa beans or a low-level flavones drink. For a period of three months, some subjects got 900 milligrams of flavones a day. The others got 10 milligrams of flavones each day. Brain imaging and memory tests were given to each study subject before and after the study. Dr. Small says that the subjects who had the high-level flavones drink showed much improvement on memory tests.

    The researchers warn that more work is needed to be done because this study was performed only on a small group. Dr. Joann Manson is the lead researcher of a four-year study involving 18,000 adults. This study will use flavones capsules(胶囊). The study subjects will be divided into two groups and will take two pills per day. The capsules used will all look the same. But one group's capsules will contain flavones, while the other group will take capsules made of an inactive substance, or placebo

    Dr. Manson says it's not necessary for people to start eating more chocolate, because a person would have to eat a huge amount of chocolate to get the same level of flavones given to the rest subjects. He adds many manufacturers have planned to remove the flavones from their chocolate products. Similarly, Dr. Manson says a cocoa-based flavones extract(提取)may be developed in the future But he says that more studies are needed to see how much flavones is good for our health.

HOLIDAY FUN AT THE POWERHOUSE

    Join in the holiday fun at the powerhouse this month linked to our new exhibition , Evolution & Revolution : Chinese dress 1700s to now . DON'T FORGET out other special event , the Club Med Circus School which is part of the Circus ! 150 years of circus in Australia exhibition experience !

◆ Chinese Folk Dancing : Colorful Chinese dance and musical performances by The Chinese Folk Dancing School of Sydney . Dances include : the Golden stick dance and the Chinese drum dance . A feature will be the Qin dynasty Emperor's court dance . Also included is a show of face painting for Beijing opera performances .

Sunday 29 June and Wednesday 2 July in the Turbine Hall , at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm.

◆ Australian Chinese Children's Arts Theatre : Well-known children's play experts from Shanghai lead this dynamic youth group . Performances include Chinese fairy tales and plays .

Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 July in the Turbine Hall , at 11:30 am & 1:30 pm .

◆ Chinese Youth League : A traditional performing arts group featuring performance highlights such as the Red scarf and Spring flower dances , and a musician playing Er Hu .

Sunday 6 to Tuesday 8 July in the Turbine Hall , 11:30 am to 1:30 pm .

◆ Kids Activity : Make a Paper Horse : Young children make a paper horse cut-out . ( The horse is a frequent theme in Chinese painting , indicating a kind of advancement . ) Suitable for ages 8-12 years .

Sunday 28 June to Tuesday 8 July in the Turbine Hall , 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm .

◆ Club Med Circus School : Learn circus skills , including the trapeze , trampolining and magic . Note only for children over 5 : There are 40 places available in each 1 hour session and these must be booked at the front desk , level 4 , on the day .

Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 July at 11:30 am & 1:00 pm .

Enjoy unlimited free visits and many other benefits by becoming a family member of the Powerhouse . Our family memberships cover two adults and all children under the age of 16 years at the one address .

    Members receive Powerline , our monthly magazine , discounts in the shops and the restaurants , as well as free admission to the Museum . All this for as little as $50.00 a year ! Call (02)9217 0600 for more details .

    The noise of chattering mouths subsided（平息）as the teacher entered classroom. “Good morning class. I am Riffat Monaf, and I will be your geography teacher.” Riffat Monaf, an interesting name and an even more interesting person. Her introduction took place about six years ago, and since then I have never met a more influential person in my life.

    Mrs Monaf not only conquered me with her vast knowledge of geography, but also won me over with her smile and warm eyes. It was in her class that I traveled to the highest mountains and to the deepest seas from the comfort of the classroom. I learned about the vast oceans, the erupting volcanoes, the snow-capped mountains and the green valleys. She would often relate her adventures about traveling to different parts of the world.

    Never can I forget the glory of her face when she talks about how truly beautiful this world is. If I search back my love for the environment and geography, I find her to be the source of my love for preserving nature. If one day I became an environmentalist, I know that I'll thank her for it. Apart from this, she has always greeted me with open arms and she calls her students “my children”. Mrs Monaf's morals and values rubbed off me deeply and I have always taken her advice into consideration. She has been one of the most consistently good things in my life.

    Currently, she is fighting a battle against breast cancer, and it pains me to know that after all she has done for me; I can do nothing for her except pray. Whenever I see her in school, she still keeps that kind smile and an expression so soft that it trembles my heart. Mrs Monaf still talks enthusiastically about geography, and I know that I can never see what a truly great person she has been in my life. .

    You know the feeling that you have left your phone at home and feel anxious, as if you have lost your connection to the world. “Nomophobia” (无手机恐惧症) affects teenagers and adults alike. You can even do an online test to see if you have it. Last week, researchers from Hong Kong warned that nomophobia is infecting everyone. Their study found that people who use their phones to store, share and access personal memories suffer most. When users were asked to describe how they felt about their phones, words such as “hurt” (neck pain was often reported) and “alone” predicted higher levels of nomophobia.

    “The findings of our study suggest that users regard smartphones as their extended selves and get attached to the devices,” said Dr. Kim Ki Joon. “People experience feelings of anxiety and unpleasantness when separated from their phones.” Meanwhile, an American study shows that smartphone separation can lead to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.

    So can being without your phone really give you separation anxiety? Professor Mark Griffiths, psychologist and director of the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University, says it is what is on the phone that counts-the social networking that creates Fomo (fear of missing out).

    “We are talking about an internet-connected device that allows people to deal with lots of aspects of their lives,” says Griffiths. “You would have to surgically remove a phone from a teenager because their whole life is rooted in this device.”

Griffiths thinks attachment theory, where we develop emotional dependency on the phone because it holds details of our lives, is a small part of nomophobia. For “screenagers”, it is Fomo that creates the most separation anxiety. If they can't see what's happening on Snapchat or Instagram, they become panic-stricken about not knowing what's going on socially. “But they adapt very quickly if you take them on holiday and there's no internet,” says Griffiths.

    Generally speaking, people like those who have a good sense of humor.

    Sometimes a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who hit a traffic jam on his way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum (最后通牒) about being late on the job. Although there was a good reason for Brian's being late—serious illness at home—he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn't work any longer. His boss was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech.

    Yes, the boss was, as Brian entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room (更衣室): everyone was hard at work. Brian's boss came up to him. Suddenly, Brian forced a smile and stretched out his hand. "How do you do!" he said. "I'm Brian. I'm applying for a job, which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Doesn't the early bird get the worm?"

    The room exploded in laughter. The boss clamped off a smile and walked back to his office. Brian had saved his job, with the only tool that could win—a laugh.

    Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying "no", criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it's the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance (忍受力) than people in any other forum.

Rescue workers and thousands of volunteers are not the only ones who have won hearts and minds for their heroic efforts in the search for survivors after Tuesday's powerful earthquake in

Mexico. Fifteen dogs from the navy's canine (军犬) unit have assisted this week in the rescue efforts at the sites of collapsed buildings across Mexico City, where more than 50 people have been pulled alive from the ruins.

Of the canine heroes none is more famous or loved than Frida, a six-year-old white Labrador who in her distinguished service has won praise for her ability to detect people who have been trapped by various natural disasters. Over her admirable career she has found 52 people including 12 survivors in Mexico and other Latin American countries.

This week, Frida and Evil and Echo—two Belgian Shepherds that have also been specially trained for rescue efforts一were sent to the site of the collapsed Enrique Rebsamen School in southern Mexico City.

Equipped with goggles that protect her eyes from dust and smoke, boots to prevent damage to her paws while she climbs over rough ruins, Frida took to her work looking every bit the part of the ruins.

If Frida detects the presence of a survivor, she is trained to bark to alert rescue workers but if she detects a corpse she stops suddenly before proceeding, her handler explained.

Eleven children were rescued from ruins at the school but this time human rescue workers rather than the dogs were the ones who located them.

However, that hasn't stopped Frida from becoming a social media star and reaching a new level of fame this week. Videos and other social media posts that highlight the work of Frida and her impressive record of detecting people trapped by natural disasters spread quickly online.

While she has yet to detect anyone trapped in the ruins this week, she and other rescue dogs are continuing to work tirelessly, searching through spaces that humans cannot reach. With the possibility that there are still people trapped alive, time will tell whether she adds to her rescue record.