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    How often do you check your phone? According to a study led by Nottingham Trent University in Britain, the average person looks at their phones 86 times a day. Updating their status on social media platforms also made people reach for their electronic companion frequently.

    Even the participants thought that was a lot: this figure is twice as often as they thought they did. Our phones might be shaping our behavior more than we realize. Do you actually look at your surroundings more than at your phone? Is it rude to check your phone when someone is talking to you?

    Sherry Turkle interviewed hundreds of college students about this. She's a professor of social studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They talked about something they called "the rule of three".

    The rule has to do with being considerate to others despite the allure (诱惑力) of the little flat box. Turkle explains: "If you go to dinner with friends, you don't want to look down at your phone until you see that three people are looking up in the conversation. So there's a new rule where you don't look down unless three people are looking up in order to keep a little conversation alive."

    Actually, if you are clever enough you might use your phone as a tool to connect with people next to you. Sharing a bit of your life with them can bring you closer together. And you can also invite everyone to take a selfie (自拍照) with you.

    But the best thing to deal with mobile phone addiction is to go cold turkey and leave the machine behind occasionally or just switch it off and keep it firmly in your pocket for a while.

    Birthdays often involve surprises.But this year's surprise on the birthday of the great British playwright William Shakespeare is surely one of the most dramatic.

    On April 22,one day before his 441st birthday anniversary,experts discovered that one of the most recognizable portraits（画像）of William Shakespeare is a fake.This means that we no longer have a good idea of what Shakespeare looked like."It's very possible that many pictures of Shakespeare might be unreliable because many of them are copies of this one,"said an expert from Britain's National Portrait Gallery.

    The discovery comes after four months of testing using modern chemistry technology.The experts from the gallery say the image—commonly known as the "Flower portrait"—was actually painted in the 1800s,about two centuries after Shakespeare's death.The art experts who work at the gallery say they also used modern chemistry technology to check the paint on the picture.These checks found traces of paint dating from about 1814.Shakespeare died in 1616,and the date that appears on the portrait is 1609.

    “We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840.This was when there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays,”Tarnya Cooper,the gallery's curator（馆长）,told the Associated President.

    The fake picture has often been used as a cover for collections of his plays.It is called the Flower portrait because one of its owners,Desmond Flower,gave it to the Royal Shakespeare Company.

    “There have always been questions about the painting,”said David Howells,curator for the Royal Shakespeare Company.“Now we know the truth,we can put the image in its proper place in the history of Shakespearean portraiture.”

    Two other images of Shakespeare,are also being studied as part of the investigation and the results will come out later this month.

    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 (心理) and physically.

    Diet products greatly 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 amount 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 recognize the word “diet” in food labels.

    On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness 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 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 eating them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients. 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 chemicals that go into diet products are possibly dangerous in the future.

    Now that we are aware of 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 announcements that follow inform you of various First Presbyterian Church programs and events to which you are invited. Please save this publication, take it home and keep it for easy reference.

    Summer Musikgarten—Today

    Musikgarten is for infants (VL) through three years old, but if you have older children, bring them with you during the summer. We don't want to leave anyone out! We'll meet for Summer Musikgarten classes in Room 307 at 9:20-9:50 AM today, and on June 25, July 9, 16, 23, 30, August 13 and 20. If you have questions or for more information, please contact Kathy Middleton (kmidd@mchsi.com; 563-505-0471).

    BTC Book Club Bonus—Monday

    Join us for dessert and a discussion of the book, The Traitor's Wife, by Allison Pataki, led by Lois Boyer-Fitzpatrick. We will meet Monday, June 19 at 12:30 PM in the Parlor. For more information, contact Carol Phoenix (563-332-0980).

    Performing Arts Series—Saturday

    The twenty-fifth anniversary season of the Performing Arts Series concludes with two performances of the classic Broadway musical, My Fair Lady. Lerner and Loewe's most successful collaboration, My Fair Lady has delighted audiences for decades, and we look forward to producing it for you. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, and can be purchased on the church's website or by calling the church office.

    Tabitha's Circle—Sunday

    All those who sew and make some simple dresses and shorts can join us in Fellowship Hall. The clothes we make are sent to children in Africa, Guatemala, Cambodia and Haiti. Please bring your own sewing machines and invites others who would like to participate. We will have refreshments. Contact Rosen Paulsen (563-355-3165) for questions about this outreach project.

    Being a parent is tough. Prejudice against parents in the workplace only makes it harder.

    Asking for flexible schedule is not unique to working parents only. I've worked with people in their twenties that requested to work a four-day schedule so they could go back to school part time. I've seen older adults in the workplace change their schedules so that they can spend more time at home. Almost everyone has to cut out of the office every now and again for a doctor's appointment or other personal matters. Flexible schedules seem to be synonymous(代名词) with working parents, but in reality, they are not.

    Parents aren't devoted to their jobs. This is really surprising because it's quite the contrary. There is actually strong evidence that parents are more devoted to their jobs than many other employees. They are some of the most focused employees out there. Parents are less likely to change jobs than other employees. Stability(稳定) is key when raising a family.

    Parents aren't good team members. Since it is parents that need to leave the office at 5 or aren't able to come in before 9, most people think that the singletons on the team need to make up for it. In today's technology world, this is hardly the case. While many parents do limit their physical "in office" hours, most spend time on weekends, early mornings, and after work working. Besides, parents may be more likely to take vacations during major holidays due to children's school schedules.

    Parents are at work only out of financial needs. Why would anyone want to leave their children behind and come to the workplace if they didn't have to? Actually, a lot of people do. Caring for children is a wonderful experience, but everyone needs a break. Many parents may still be interested in their field of work, finding work interesting. Money is nice, but it's certainly not the only reason that parents are there.