Sandra Bullock turned 51 last month. But because she looks exactly the same as she did in Miss Congeniality, a movie filmed back in the 20^th century, everyone calls her “ageless.” Bullock is just one of a number of stars in their 40s and 50s who've had birthdays recently but have not gotten older, unlike the rest of us in their age group. Take Halle Berry. One website put a photo of her 20 years ago next to one of the newly 49-year-old Berry and dared us to choose which was which. “This Is What 49 Looks Like,” it said. Seriously, if that's what 49 looks like, I must be 71.

    However, even a generation ago, famous faces evolved. Look at a picture of Grace Kelly at age 52 in the early 1980s. She looks like a beautiful middle-aged woman. Today she'd look old for her age.

    The goal now is to prevent aging while you are still young, using all the magical nonsurgical options medicine has to offer. Eventually these techniques will become less expensive, and ordinary people my daughter's age will have them. Already anti-aging is starting to be considered maintenance, like coloring your hair. My friends and I find ourselves openly debating techniques that we used to make fun of. Does fat-freezing work? How much time do you have to spend in the gym to keep the body of a 35-year-old after 50? It's all so exhausting. But members of the next generation have it tougher. They'll have to ask themselves whether they want to spend their youth trying not to get old. I've already seen “Sexy at 70” headlines. Will everyone be expected to go to their graves(坟墓) looking hot?

    I also have to wonder what else we are slowing along with age. How do you move on if you're working so hard to stay the same? And besides, if you've known the ache of watching a daughter pack up for college, you know you can't stop the clock.

    When I recently revealed to my friends, colleagues, and family members that I would be moving my family to Israel, the reactions were numerous and varied. Some people said it was an expected thing while others asked: Why now? What will you do?

    For me, making the move to Israel is the fulfillment of a dream that has lasted for my 47 years of life. I have always known that Israel is my home. Over the years Israel has been in my heart, but I have found a number of reasons to put off making it my permanent residence: kids, the economy, education… you name an excuse, and at some point I have probably used it.

    Truthfully, I believe that I was always just a little bit scared. And of course I still am, with the fear factor that is reported by the press surrounding the Israeli military and economy. However, it has come to the point when I have realized that for over 2000 years we have longed for this land, and that for 47 years I have denied the opportunity to make it my home. I am finally ready to fully grasp this opportunity.

    Over the years, I have always loved visiting Israel. I have traveled there with my family, and enjoyed introducing thousands of travelers to the country. I have come to love all of these things about Israel as a tourist because I get to love my home. And as far as waiting for the “perfect” condition under which to make aliyah, I believe the time is now!

    I have been asked many times if I am nervous about moving to Israel. Before I answer, I remember that we have overcome the Greeks, the Romans, the Russian killings, Hitler and the Holocaust(大屠杀)，and the armies of seven countries.

    How can I not feel confident that I , and my family, will overcome any difficulties that may come our way? I am not worrying, complaining, crying, or fearing as I prepare to make aliyah. I am proud and excited to say that I am fulfilling a 47-year-old dream: I am going home.

    Roald Dahl is a beloved British writer. He is the writer of some of the world's best-known children's novels, including James and Giant Peach, Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

    More than 250 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide. His works have been translated into 58 languages. Tuesday was Roald Dahl Day. People around the world celebrated what would have been Dahl's 100^th birthday. He was born in 1916 in Wales. He died in 1990.

    Roald Dahl Day was worldwide on social media(媒体). Many people thanked Dahl for making them truly enjoy reading. One Twitter user wrote, “My childhood was made magical because of the wonderful Roald Dahl. A great storyteller!” Another wrote, “You made me fall in love with reading—a love that has lasted me a lifetime.” Special events and celebrations were held in Britain and other countries in honor of Dahl.

    The Oxford English Dictionary marked Dahl's 100^th birthday by officially adding six Dahl-created words to its latest edition. They included words such as “Oompah- Loompah” and “scrumdiddlyumptious.”

    Oompah Loompahs are the factory workers in the book—Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They had orange skin and green hair. They danced and played music. Oompah Loompahs became more famous after the 1971 film of the book, which starred Gene Wilder as candy maker Willy Wonka.

     “Scrumdiddlyumptious” is a word that appeared in Dahl's book- The BFG—short for The Big Friendly Giant. It generally means “delicious”. A film of The BFG, directed by Steven Spielberg, was released(发行)this year

    Earlier this year, Ocford released an entire Roald Dahl dictionary. It included more than 8,000 real and invented words used by the master storyteller.

    Shopping for and choosing clothes is challenging enough. But imagine if you were unable to use your arms to do anything, or used a wheelchair.

    The conditions are reality for four people who became the "customers" of 15 students at Parsons School of Design at the New School this year. The students spent their spring term creating clothing to fit their customers' unique requirements as part of a class run by Open Style Lab, a nonprofit organization whose aim is to design functional and fashionable clothing for people with disabilities.

    "Disability overlaps (关联、一致) with aging and universal design," said Grace Jun, the director of the program. "We need to see it as part of our life cycle. It's something that we need to not only see from a human rights standpoint but also for its economic value."

    "I'm always looking at me being the problem and the clothing as being OK," said Kieran Kern, who gets around in a wheelchair. When Ms. Kern approached Open Style Lab, she was looking for a coat that would be easy to put on with the limitations of a weaker body. Her team came up with a design with a circular rod (杆) that runs through the collar and allows Ms. Kern to swing the coat across her back with one hand.

    "The idea of having a coat that sees the parts that make me as just parts and not as a problem that I need to solve was really liberating in an identity sense," Ms. Kern said. "Because generally, when you have a different body, you don't really see yourself."

    "I think the challenges the students faced throughout the course had a lot to do with the exchange of ideas," Ms. Jun said. "They were able to understand that no two people with a disability are alike. Being able to design uniquely means you have to have a collaborative (合作) process. We're designing with each other, not for."

    The United States Congress is responsible for making and approving federal laws—rules that everyone in the country must follow. But exactly how do those laws get made? The process is not easy, and it takes a long time.

    A law begins when someone puts forward an idea. The idea can come from anyone, but it has to get to a U. S. lawmaker who wants it to become legislation. In time, the idea is further developed into a written proposal, called a bill.

    Then, a member of Congress officially proposes the bill. After the bill is introduced, it is sent to a small group of lawmakers, called a "committee". Sometimes committee members seek more information about the proposal by holding hearings. Sometimes the committee changes the bill. Sometimes it decides not to take any action. In that case, we say lawmakers "table" the bill, or let it "die in committee".

    But now and then, the bill is offered to lawmakers not on the committee. Those lawmakers debate the bill further. They might change the bill again. Finally, the full House or Senate votes on the bill. If it does not earn the majority of votes, the bill does not advance.

    Finally, the agreed-upon bill is sent to the president. If the president signs it, the bill becomes a law. If the president does nothing and Congress is officially meeting, the bill becomes a law. But if the president does nothing and Congress is not in session, the bill does not pass. Or the president can officially reject the bill. If that happens, the bill is not stopped. Instead, it is returned to both the Senate and the House. If two-thirds of the senators and two-thirds of the House members approve the bill once again, even with the president objecting, they turn the bill into a law.

    Many of us have had this experience: we lie down in a bed other than our own, perhaps at a friend's house or in a hotel room, and find it difficult or impossible to fall asleep. Is it because the bed is uncomfortable? Maybe, but perhaps there can be other reasons.

    According to a new study published in Current Biology, a significant reason is what the scientists call "first night effect". They believe that one side of the brain acts as a "night watch" to warn us about potential dangers. It forces us to stay awake on the first night in a new environment.

    For the study, 35 young volunteers were asked to sleep in a sleep lab for several days. Meanwhile, researchers watched their brain activities.

According to the researchers, on their first night, the left brains were more active than the right brains and people had a hard time sleeping. However, left-brain activity decreased as days went by, falling even to the point of complete calm. In this process, the participants got an increasingly better sleep experience.

    The findings suggest that the different rhythms of the sides of the brain affect our sleep. When the two sides work differently, the balance between them is broken. Thus, the brain can't relax and is sensitive to anything strange in the surroundings, just as it is in daytime.

    "At some level, the brain is continuing to analyze things, even though you are not aware of the analysis," US professor Jerome Siegel told Smithsonian Magazine. "If something unusual happens – if a door opens or you hear a key in a lock – you can be alert, even though the intensity of the stimulus is quite low."

    More surprisingly, this phenomenon is similar to the way some animals sleep. Whales, dolphins, and many birds can sleep with half of their brain while the other half stays awake, with its corresponding eye staying open.

    The researchers think that it is the result of evolution, and works to protect us in potentially dangerous environments.

    If you have ever had what you think is "first night effect", researchers suggest that you bring your own pillow or sleep in a room similar to your bedroom next time you sleep away from home.