Guided Walking Week  April 2016

Dates: April 30th-May 7th 2016

Location: Abdet, Costa Blanca

    A week of guided walking in the mountains around Abdet. Highlights include the climbing of Valencia's highest summit (Sierra de Aitana), traveling completely around the impressive Puig Campana, and several explorations in the Sierra de Aitana. Ancient trails lead through spectacular canyons( 峡谷 ) to abandoned settlements situated high in the mountains. You will discover the snow trader routes which lead from the incredible snow holes high in the mountains down to the villages and towns on the coast. These years, golden eagles have made a return to this area, and you may also see other animals—wild goats, foxes, wild pigs and red squirrels.

    As part of the week you are invited to help clear some local walking paths. This involves clearing collapsed walls and rocks, cutting back fallen trees. This is of course optional and is just for half a day, it's actually great fun!

Price:$499

Includes:

● Accommodation in the beautiful mountain village of Abdet

● All food-good home cooking

● Beer, wine, soft drinks

● Snacks and post walk treats

● Packed lunches & drinks(except café/bar visits)

● Expert guiding

● Photos/Videos of your days in the mountains

● Airport pick-up/return $25 each way(fly to Alicante)

● Single room supplement $75

To book or get further information, please contact info@abdet.com.

It's long been thought that in order to succeed in life you need to think only of yourself and ignore the needs of others. New research,however,suggests the exact opposite is true and being nice to others actually makes you more likely to be successful. The scientists found that ‘givers' were more likely to share knowledge,and in turn gain more information themselves.

    Researchers divided participants into three groups based on a personality test: givers, takers and matchers. In a social dilemma task, participants were given a made-up donation which was equal to the amount of ￡ 240( $400). They were then asked to decide how much of their money they would give to a shared group pool. They were told that the money in the pool would be doubled and divided equally among all group members. Thus,it would be more beneficial to the group as a whole if everyone contributed their individual donations. However, it would be more beneficial for the individual if everyone else from the group contributed,while the individual kept his or her own money. The researchers used this strategic (策略的) information sharing task to examine how much and which pieces of information participants shared:the less important and already known information or the really important information only known by the individual.

    The results showed that givers are less self-centered and self-loving than takers. Givers shared not only more money with the group, but they also shared important information. Takers on the other hand kept both the money as well as different types of information.

    The findings suggest that it may not be enough to simply provide knowledge management tools in order to make the best of knowledge exchange in a group of people. It may be necessary for leaders and managers to keep in mind the personality styles of their employees. Specifically, they should be aware that takers may keep the important information for themselves.

    You dash through a crowded railway station, tripping over bags, spilling (泼出) your coffee, only to have the doors slide shut in your face, leaving you breathless on the platform as the train pulls away,

    But at least, if you're in France, someone may be playing the piano for you. But it won't be performed by a paid musician, or even a street entertainer playing for coins. It will just be a random passer - by, jamming for the fun of it on one of the pianos that the national railroad company, S. N. C. F., has fixed in nearly 100 stations across France. They are free for anyone to play, and travelers from all walks of life have taken to doing just that.

    Gares & Connexions, the S. N. C. F. division that manages its stations, rents the instruments from the producer, Yamaha: which maintains them and tunes them every month or two. The first one was set up in the Gare Montparnasse in Paris in 2012.

    The music, mixed with the sounds of shouting passengers, screaming trains and rolling suitcases, gives French stations a special soundscape. The amateur musicians have included Irish soccer fans and even babies. In 2014, Gares & Connexions and Yamaha organized a nationwide contest called Your Turn to Play, asking participants to submit videos of themselves using one of the pianos. It drew nearly 900 entries.

    Isn't the railroad company taking a big chance? Apparently not: “None of the instruments has been vandalized to this day, or even merely damaged,” said Claire Foumon, a spokeswoman for Gares & Connexions. “They are shared and respected by all.”

    So if you miss a train in Paris; Bordeaux or Marseille one day, perhaps someone will be playing a favorite piece that will ease your pain. Or perhaps you'll sit down and play your annoyance away yourself.

    Tim Berners-Lee is not the most famous inventor in the world. However, his invention has changed our lives.

    He was born in London, England in 1955.When he was a small boy, Tim was interested in playing with electrical things. He studied science at Oxford University. He made his first computer from an old television at the age of 21.

    Tim started working on early computers. At that time, they were much bigger than now. He worked in England then Switzerland. Tim was really interested in two things, computers and how the brain works. How could the brain connect so many facts so quickly? He had to work with people all over the world. They shared information about computers. It was hard to manage all the information. He answered the same questions again and again. It took a lot of time. It was even difficult for computers in the same office in Switzerland to share information. Tim also forgot things easily. Could a computer work like a brain? Could it "talk" to other computers?

    There was an Internet already but it was difficult to use. In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web (WWW) all by himself. This had a special language that helped computers talk to each other on the Internet. When people wanted to share information with others, they used the World Wide Web. The Internet grew quickly after that.

    Tim Berners-Lee doesn't think he did anything special. He says that all of the ideas about the Internet were already there. All he did was to put them together. He says that many other people worked together to make the Internet what it is today.

    Most inventors want to become rich. But Tim gave away the World Wide Web for nothing. He now works in America. He helps people share technology and wants the Internet to be free for everyone to use. Maybe he is the most important but least famous inventor in the world today!

More than 400 athletes across a variety of sports, ages and levels of experience were questioned for the study by sports psychology experts from Staffordshire University and Manchester Metropolitan University. The findings reveal that athletes' belief systems—specifically irrational（非理性） beliefs—are related to poorer self-confidence, and in turn, greater competitive anxiety and depressive symptoms.

"Phrases that reflect self-depreciating（贬低） beliefs such as 'If I lose, I'm a failure' or 'If I face setbacks, it shows how stupid I am' are warning signs," said the authors. Paul Mansell, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Staffordshire University, said, "Despite the psychological benefits of physical activity, studies frequently report poor mental health in athletes, which may be exacerbated by adversities, such as injury, de-selection, and performance pressure. We investigated athletes' beliefs, how they view stress, their levels of self-confidence and put all this data together to work out what might predict psychological well-being. We found irrational beliefs to be a core reason for symptoms of poor mental health in athletes."

This is the first known study that has examined irrational beliefs, self-confidence, and the psychological well-being of athletes all together. Irrational beliefs are extreme, rigid, and illogical ideas that people hold. For example, a person might believe that they "must" get what they want, or that just because they have failed, they are a "complete failure".

"We can all work to help athletes develop mindsets that help them deal with the challenges of sport and life. By encouraging rational and logical beliefs about performance, we can help athletes to stay healthy amidst the high demands of competitive sport," said Paul Mansell.

The author s propose Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy(REBT) as an effective tool for protecting self-confidence. REBT helps athletes to challenge these self-depreciating beliefs and develop beliefs that are more helpful and healthy. For example, rather than believe "I am a failure if I fail", this might be countered with "Failing is not ideal, but it does not mean that I am a failure".

Smart Water Bottles

Hidrate Spark Smart Water Bottle

This bottle is our top overall pick, because it tracks your water intake, connects to your smartphone using Bluetooth, and records your data in a mobile app. If you forget to drink, this bottle will flash to signal to you. You can also use the app's Find My Bottle feature to track its location. It's available in a range of bright colors and sizes. The only drawback is that there's no self-cleaning feature.

ICEWATER Smart Water Bottle

If you're looking for a smart water bottle while saving some money, we recommend this one. There's a lock feature that stops water from flowing out when it's not in use. This bottle can play music through Bluetooth and comes in both plastic and steel versions. It's not dishwasher safe, however.

LARQ Bottle PureVis

It is perfect for walks, hikes, or sightseeing trips. To use the bottle's self-cleaning function, simply fill it up with water, press the switch, and wait. UV-C LED technology kills off harmful bacteria inside. Besides, the battery can last up to one month on a single charge. Just note that this bottle can't track your water intake.

CrazyCap UV Water Purifier & Bottle

It comes with a lifetime warranty (保修单), so you can be confident that it'll hold up even after the sudden fall. Unfortunately, it can't track your water intake, but the double-walled bottle can keep water cold for up to 24 hours or hot for up to 12 . There are a wide range of bright colors and patterns. The bottle has two self-cleaning modes. It will automatically clean every four hours.