Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically.

    Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption（摄入） of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale（秤）instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels(标签).

    On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without knowing that we don't have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance（抵制and struggle.

    The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients(营养成分). Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.

    Now that we know the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological harm that comes from using them.

    The Indian government may use 3D paintings as virtual (虚拟的) speed-breakers on major highways and roads, in an attempt to check speeding and careless driving, and eventually make its deadly roads a little safer. “We are trying out 3D paintings used as virtual speed breakers to avoid unnecessary requirements of speed breakers (减速带),” India's transport minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted.

    The visual illusions (幻象) are supposed to encourage drivers to slow down automatically. Earlier this month, India bad ordered the removal of all speed breakers from highways, which are considered to be a danger to safety for high-speed vehicles.

    India has the highest number of road accident deaths in the world According to the World Health Organization, over 200,00 people are killed by road accidents due to poor application of road safety laws. This is considerably higher than its official figures of 141,526 for 2014.

    The use of visual illusions as speed breakers was first pioneered in the American city of Philadelphia in 2008, as part of a campaign against speeding motorist. The technique has also been tried out in China to create floating 3D crossings.

    India, cities such as Ahmadabad and Chennai have already experimented with 3D zebra crossings in the last one year. In Ahmadabad for instance, two artists, mother and daughter have painted 3D crosswalks in the first few months of this year. The artists say their motto is “to increase the attention of drivers”, and that the concept has been successfully tested in zones where accidents easily occur on a highway.

    However, critics argue that once divers know that these speed briers are visual illusions, they may ignore them. Others also point out that India's decision does not consider the safety of a large walkers. In the end, the new policy may be just one step towards improving road safety.

    TransNatura International Nature Photo Competition

    The application is open, and all photographers are invited from all over the world, except the jury (评委会) and the organizers. The basic requirement is that the recordings have to be made of natural habitats without disturbing the wildlife. On the photos only wild animals can be included.

    Two categories:

    A Category: Open—any type of nature photography, representing animals, plants, landscape, and so on

    B Category: The art of flying—nature pictures that represent the movement of flying animals and the beauty of flying

    The assessment by the jury: 16th September〜10th October

    Announcement of results: 30th of October

    Exhibition Opening: 23th of November

    The works received will be evaluated and decided upon by an international jury made up of the five persons from Hungary and Romania.

    A total number of competition prizes will be awarded:

    Grand Prize—1,000 Euro;

    1st Prize—600 Euro;

    2nd Prize—400 Euro;

    3rd Prize—200 Euro.

    Entry requirements:

    A participant may enter the competition with at most four pictures per category.

    The pictures for the competition have to be submitted before 15th of September in the form of digital images, in jpg format.

    The participant must have full copyright over the submitted photos.

    The entry fee is 10 Euro for a category, 15 Euro for two categories.

    Additional information can be obtained by e-mail at: transnatura@vadon.ro.

    Located in Los Angeles, University of Southern California is in the heart of a leading city. Although LA ranks highly in The Economist s Safe Cities Index, navigating and city calls for certain safety precautions (预防措施) along with practicing common sense.

    Mobile Safety App Powered by LiveSafe

    The Mobile Safety App powered by LiveSafe, manage by the USC Department of Public Safety and the USC Department of Emergency Planning, is a free downloadable app that that mobile users can use to initiate contact with emergency responders around the campus. Features include: immediate “push button” calls to DPS, easy reporting for suspicious activity or crimes in progress, and location services to notify friends of your route through campus.

    Blue Light Phone Locations

    The University Park has multiple blue light phones that are strategically placed throughout campus. Take note of where the closest ones are on your route. They come in handy in case you lose your phone or in an emergency. These phones are directly connected to USC's Department of Public Safety's 24-hour communications center. Besides emergency needs, it can also be used to report suspicious activity, request for an escort (护送) if you feel unsafe and to report a crime.

    Trojans Alert

    Trojans Alert is an emergency notification system that allows university officials to contact you during an emergency by sending messages via text message or email. When an emergency occurs, authorized USC senders will instantly notify you with real-time updates, instructions on where to go, what to do (or what not to do), whom to contact and other important information. All members of the USC community, as well as parents and regular visitors to campus, are strongly encouraged to sign up for Trojans Alert.

    When he was 22, Rob Stewart traveled the world for four years. He wanted to call attention to the mistreatment of sharks. His 2007 film, Sharkwater, documents the cruel practice of removing sharks' fins (鳍) for money and leaving the animals to die. In his latest documentary, Revolution, Stewart takes on an even bigger challenge: climate change.

    The Canadian filmmaker says that climate change has harmed people and places everywhere: "It is stronger than any government or organization. If we educate people, they will make better decisions about protecting natural resources. "

    According to a recent report on climate change, "The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have reduced, and sea levels have risen." These developments are endangering crops, wildlife, fish, and even people.

    Stewart says that the consequences of climate change will be irreversible unless people take action, especially young people."It's up to kids to be the moral compass (道德指南) of society," he believes, "and say, 'Guys, this is not right.'"

    Many kids took action after seeing Sharkwater. Elementary school students in the Northern Mariana Islands, for example, got their local government to ban the sale of shark fins.

    Felix Finkbeiner, 17, of Germany is also part of the "revolution" to save the planet. In 2007, Felix started a youth group called Plant-for-the-Planet, whose motto is "Stop Talking. Start Planting." The group raises money to plant trees. So far, Plant-for-the-Planet has planted nearly 200 trees around the world. "Future generations are the ones who will be suffering the most from inaction (无作 )," Felix says. His goal is to plant millions of additional trees.

    "When we started four years ago," Felix tells Stewart in Revolution, "we thought we had to save the polar bear. We thought we had to save the environment. But soon after, we found out that it's about our future, that we have to save our own future."

    Taking your pulse during physical activity allows you to measure how hard you are exercising. You should exercise to stay within your target heart range.

    Increasing your heart rate is a key part of exercise but it is important that your heart rate is not too high or too low. If you are a beginner, you should also be able to breathe comfortably while exercising. This will ensure that you are exercising at a level that is safe and effective for your body.

    The chart below illustrates target heart rate ranges for exercise based on the maximal heart rate for selected ages. Here are the steps for using the chart: