Pink has never been one of the favorite colors of the fashion industry,as it's often seen as silly and not cool enough.But this spring,it's having its moment in the spotlight,all thanks to the fact that the color is no longer all about being girly and sweet.Instead,pink is taking on a new meaning of independence and power.

    This shift happened last month during the Women's March.Tens of thousands of women filled the streets of major cities in the US and in countries all around the world to protest（抗议）against the disrespect to women.What was unusual about the protests is that a lot of people taking part were wearing pink hats,making the streets appear like a "sea of pink".Even though the hats were without any slogan（标语）,their pink color is thought to have sent out a message that is louder than any words."We women have power and we're not going to sit down and shut up," Aileen Gildea,one of the protesters in the US,told The Boston Globe.

    Now young people are changing their attitudes to pink.They are no longer trying to escape pink,but give new meanings to it instead.

    "Women who came before us ...to be taken seriously they had to get away from the symbols used to make women seem less capable.Younger women don't have that reaction.They're more interested in breaking and rebuild those symbols,"Audrey Gelman,a businesswoman in the US,told The Wall Street Journal.

    So sometimes it's not the thing itself that needs to be changed,but the way we look at it.And in the case of pink, what used to be seen as silly may be turned into something really serious.

    When I was in my fourth year of teaching, I was also (and am still) a high school track and field coach (田径教练). One year, I had a student, John, who entered my class when he was a junior.

    When I was in my fourth year of teaching, I was also (and am still) a high school track and field coach (田径教练). One year, I had a student, John, who entered my class when he was a junior. John changed to our school from Greece, and seemed to be interested in athletics, so I encouraged him to join our track team. I explained to him that even though he had never taken part in it before, I did believe that he could do well in any event, and I would be willing to coach him at whichever ones interested him. He accepted the offer, and began to work hard at every practice.

    About a month later, I had found out from other sources that John was a first-class tennis player, winning various junior awards in his home country. I went to him asking, “John, I really appreciate that you came out for the track team, but why didn't you play tennis instead? It seems that would interest you a lot more, since you're so good at it.” John answered, “Well, I like tennis, but you told me that you believed in me, and that you thought I could do well in track, so I wanted to try it for that reason.”

    From then on, I often remember my student's reply. I told it to a friend and she suggested I write it down to share somewhere with more teachers. No matter how critical (不满的) students can be of themselves, I've found that a simple “I trust that you can do it!” can go a long way!

    Minecraft, a video game with which you can build virtual（虚拟的） worlds, will be used in the classroom. Microsoft bought the game from its Swedish creator for 2.5 billion dollars. Now, the software（软件） company wants to offer schools a special educational version（版本）.

    MinecraftEdu is an add-on to the game, which has specially created by teachers for classroom use. While thousands of classes around the world are already using Minecraft in their lessons, Microsoft wants to make it easier for schools to use the software.

    Minecraft is a game that can be used in many subjects, including maths, science and geography. Microsoft wants to add new features to the educational version, for example letting students take photos and putting them into an online diary. The new version will allow children to download the game and at home without having to pay more money for it. Microsoft is expected to ask students and teachers for about 5 dollars a year to use the game in school and at home.

    According to Microsoft, Minecraft has 100 million players around the world. It has become one of the best-selling games of all times. Pupils can create their own virtual worlds with the help of special building blocks. Joy Morsi, a New York high school teacher, says that Minecraft helps develop the imagination of children in the classroom. Besides, teachers around the world create new things and share them with others, so that the Minecraft community keeps growing.

    Microsoft plans to make the game of available to pupils and students of all ages, from primary school through to college. the company plans to add Minecraft to an Office 365 account(账户), so that it can also sell more of its Office software.

    Babies teach their older brothers and sisters empathy (移情), according to a new research. Empathy means understanding and entering others' feelings. Until now, younger kids have generally been regarded to learn plenty from their older brothers or sisters but don't give back much. But this study, published in Child Development, confirms that younger siblings (兄弟姐妹) ensure their big brothers and sisters don't grow into disgusting people—no easy task.

    “Although it's assumed that older siblings and parents are the primary socializing influences on younger siblings' development but not vice versa, we found that both younger and older siblings positively contributed to each other's empathy over time,” study co-author Marc Jambon said in a statement. Prior sibling studies have focused on the influence of older brothers and sisters, probably because their impact is most obvious. As one review of literature notes, studies have shown that older siblings influence everything from their younger siblings' motor development to their risk of smoking later in life. And although separated studies have tried to pin down effects that younger siblings have on their older siblings, the influence of baby brothers and sisters remains unclear.

    For this new study, Jambon and his colleagues recruited (招募) a diverse group of 452 Canadian sibling pairs between the ages of 18 months and four years. At the start of the study, individual researchers assessed children's baseline empathy levels by visiting the kids at home and then pretending to hurt themselves or break a valuable item. Eighteen months later, they found small but significant increases in empathy.

    One unexpected exception—older sisters did not appear to experience increased empathy after 18 months living with their little brothers, specifically. The researchers aren't sure why this exception appeared, and they recommend that future studies dive into more complex phenomena.

    To improve Chinese on our campus, several programs will be organized. Here is some information.

    Language Partner Program

    The aim of this program is to promote Chinese language study for American students, through this program, native speakers of Chinese can help our Chinese language students, who can help students or scholars from China with their English in exchange. If interested, please contact Yuan Lu, yuan-lu-2@uiowa.edu

    The Chinese Corner

    The Chinese Corner is a non-threatening, pleasant place for faculty and students who want to practice their oral Chinese. Learners of all levels are welcome to join, since we have topics suitable for each level. At the Chinese Corner, you can make friends with Chinese students and exchange opinions on cultural issues. You will surely learn something new every time you come! We welcome whoever wants to speak Chinese.

    Contact person: Bo Sun, bo-sun@uiowa.edu

    The Chinese Host Family Program

    The purpose of this program is to help our American students to gain first-hand experience of Chinese culture, lifestyle, customs, and conventions through establishing friendship relations with Chinese families. Students who join this program will be invited by their Chinese host family to join their family activities on a regular basis. Please sign up for this program.

    Cross-University Chinese Language Performance Competition

    This competition gives students in and outside of Iowa a great opportunity to show their oral Chinese proficiency as well as their talent in performing. As many as four universities have participated in the competition, including The University of Iowa. Each university presents a set of programs, and then participants are awarded prizes at an awards ceremony.

    Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration

    The Chinese Program hosts an annual celebration for the Mid-Autumn Festival. We invite all students and faculty members to join our party. You will meet Chang'e, the goddess of the Moon, learn a beautiful Chinese legendary story and taste moon cakes as well as other Chinese food. If you know some Chinese characters, you may win a prize! Come and join us!

    For more, please see the Flyer.

    Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them .Take my family's last vacation .It was my six-year-old son's winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline ,offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day .I had meeting in New York, So I had to get back . But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.

    The next day my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged一okay, ordered-them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?

    Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is some-time thing few of us can afford to pass up.

    I've made living looking for the best deals and exposing (揭露) the worst tricks .I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in. I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money's worth. I'm also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.