Events at London Canal Museum

    There is plenty going on at London Canal Museum. We have regular monthly illustrated talks in the evening. We have summer boat trips through the long Islington Tunnel on certain dates. We have occasional special days of activities for families or adults. We also occasionally offer roses and castles painting courses, and other events.

    28^th May

Summer Tunnel Trips from the museum through Islington Tunnel and back. Booking is online—click this link. A guide will travel on the boat and will explain the history as you cruise through the lengthy Tunnel.

    31^st May

    Watery Wednesday an activity day for children, put on by our education team. Take a short boat trip! Suitable for ages 6-12 approximately. The theme is birds and butterflies, nature and the canal.

    1^st June

    Illustrated talk: Saving the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals by David Dixon. An epic story of the major tasks involved. ￡8.90 adult, ￡6.50 child including museum admission.

    Until 24^th September

Exhibition:Brindley 300 A large exhibition produced by the National Waterways Museum now showing in London for the first time. James Brindley was born 301 years ago, he was a pioneer of canals and, together with the “ Canal Duke”, of Bridgwater, he started the development of modern transport. His contribution to making this country a great industrial nation was great, and this exhibition celebrates his life and achievements.

    The events arrangement can easily be included into any other website and will automatically be updated. See Other Webmasters page for details.

    The four best films in China in the first quarter of 2018

    Quite a few films both at home and abroad have brought a wave of heated discussions on the Internet in the first three months of 2018.

    If you're looking for some good films to see, here are some recommendations. While the subjects of these films are different，they all have fascinating storylines, a star-studded cast and thought-provoking themes. Let's take a look at them.

    Wonder

    Country: United States

    Release Date: Jan 19, 2018

    Genre: drama

    Starring: Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, and Jacob Tremblay

    Director: Stephen Chbosky

    Recommendation Index: ★★★★★

    On the theme of “We all are different and want to be treated with kindness,” the film earns its tugs at the heartstrings. The movie was praised by audiences for hitting the soft spot as a heartwarming story that manages to avoid turning too sentimental.

    Forever Young

    Country: China

    Release Date: Jan 12, 2018

    Genre: drama

    Starring: Zhang Ziyi, Huang Xiaoming, Wang Leehom

    Director: Li Fangfang

    Recommendation Index: ★★★★

    The film, once planned as a tribute to mark the centenary celebrations of Tsinghua University in 2011, weaves four stories set in different eras to look at the history of the college.

    Secret Superstar

    Country: India

    Release Date: Feb 16, 2018

    Genre: musical drama

    Starring: Zaira Wasim, Aamir Khan

    Director: Advait Chandan

    Recommendation Index: ★★★★

    The film deals with social issues including feminism, gender equality and domestic violence. From Dangal to Secret Superstar to the latest comedy-drama film Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Indian films have developed a solid fan base in China.

    The Ex-File: The Return of the Exes

    Country: China

    Release Date: Dec 29, 2017

    Genre: romantic comedy

    Starring: Han Geng, Zheng Kai

    Director: Tian Yusheng

    Recommendation Index: ★★★

    The Ex-File: The Return of the Exes, the finale of the hit romance franchise produced by Huayi Brothers and New Saint Film Studio, revolves around bittersweet stories of two young businessmen who break up with their girlfriends. It is the first movie in 2018 that has achieved huge success at the box office.

    As my dad unwrapped（打开）the new bicycle helmet（头盔）that I got him for his birthday, I realized that a number of people ride their bicycles every day without the protection of a helmet.

      Due to cold winters across the country, riding has become increasingly dangerous as many roads have holes and are torn-up（磨损的）. Not everyone realizes that there are laws requiring the wearing of helmets in many places.

    Where I live, there has been a law in place since October 1, 1992 stating that cyclists of all ages are required to wear helmets. Unfortunately, accidents can happen to the best of riders. My dad has been a cyclist for many years, and he often rides around my county and to Rockland Lake State Park.

    One afternoon, as he was just entering the park, he lost control of his bicycle and flew off and landed on a nearby patch of grass, breaking his helmet into pieces and losing consciousness（知觉）. When he was just awakening, a lovely couple found him and brought him back to our house, where he attempted to recall the events leading up to his fall. Later that day, a CAT scan showed that he had a concussion (脑震荡). That evening, while my dad was showing me the pieces of his broken helmet, we both came to a shocking realization.

    If he had not worn his helmet, he probably would have cracked his skull and perhaps died. Today, when my dad and I go out cycling, the wearing of our helmets is not even a question. Regardless of age, everyone should wear a helmet whenever they get on a bicycle.

    Both honeybees and ants are social insects that live in groups called colonies. They survive by means of their collective intelligence. Their decision-making power is distributed throughout the group; that is, no one ant or bee makes decisions for the group. Instead, they work together. As Deborah M. Gordon, a biologist at Stanford University, says," Ants aren't smart. Ant colonies are."

    The same is true for bee colonies. Although bees and ants are quite different physically, they have a lot in common in terms of their social behavior. Specifically, honeybees and ants have similar roles within the colony, both have communication systems, and both have the capacity for learning.

    Ants communicate by using chemicals called pheromones, which can alert others to danger or to a food source. For example, when worker ants find a promising source, they let the rest of the colony know how to find it by leaving a trail of pheromones on the way back to the colony. The other ants pick up the message using their sense of smell. Bees, on the other hand, use movement to communicate with each other. Worker bees send messages to each other by means of a "dance". Different speeds and movements send different messages. For example, when worker bees called scouts go out to find a new home for the colony, they return and do a dance for the other worker bees that indicates the location of the new home and how suitable it is. The faster the scouts dance, the better the new location is.

    Honeybees and ants are both capable of learning. One Chinese study found that bees can be trained to learn and remember a route to a food source. The researchers also found that bees can be taught to recognize hidden objects and use the concepts of "sameness" and" difference" to accomplish certain tasks. Ants take this one step further. Recent American research has shown that ants not only have the ability to learn, but also can teach their foraging skills to other younger ants.

They observed that older ants accompany young ants in search of food and teach them the route and how to avoid obstacles.

    As we can see, the social behavior of honeybees and ants is quite similar. Both coordinate complex actions and accomplish crucial survival tasks by cooperating in groups consisting of many individuals. Unintelligent as they may be as individuals, as groups they often show amazing brilliance as they go about their everyday activities.

    Here are some best sellers of 2018 at Amazon.

    The car

    Fourteen-year-old Terry's parents never pay him much attention. So when they both disappear after one of their all-too-frequent arguments, Terry isn't exactly eager for them to come home. On his own, he fixes an abandoned car. Though he doesn't know much about driving, he gets behind the wheel and heads west, with the intention of visiting an uncle in Oregon. It's an exciting and sometimes dangerous journey. Along the way, he learns a lot about people, about America——and most importantly, about himself.

    The Running Dream

    Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident.

    As she struggles to cope with her prosthesis(义肢)and many other difficulties, Jessica develops a close relationship with Rosa, a girl who has a cancer and sees right into Jessica's heart.

    With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her teammates, Jessica is able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.

    Have a New Teenager by Friday

    Do you know this person?

    His bedroom looks like a garbage dump.

    She changes clothes three times before breakfast.

    It seems that he／she never agrees with you.

    Congratulations! You have a teenager in your home. But you needn't feel helpless. In fact, you're just five days away from your teenager asking.“ What can I do to help?” Internationally recognized family expert Dr. Kevin Leman will help you get real results—really fast.

    Boy Robot

    Seventeen-year-old Isaak discovers the truth about his origin: a government—made human. But a deadly military force is trying to kill him. He and the other Robots can only find protection from the Underground—a secret network of Robots and humans working together to ensure a coexistent future. Isaak must decide whether to hold on to his humanity and face possible death or to embrace his true nature in order to survive.

    If you are interested in any of the books, click here for further information:

    https://www.amazon.com/.

Tonya, Elsa and Mark are students at SAR Senior High School in New York City. It's a school with regular academic(学术的)classes, but it also gives special attention to the performing arts. Tonya likes dancing, Elsa wants to be an artist and Mark is a singer. 

The students are all 15,and they're in the 10th grade. They study subjects like English, maths, and science. They also choose a foreign language. Students have many academic classes, but during the school day they also take classes in the arts, like dance and music. 

There are even more activities for SAR students after school. There are more than 40 clubs for students. For example, there's a movie club, a music club and an environmental club. "We have so many choices to select," says Tonya. "I like taking photos. It's a so a great way to meet people with common interests. "

Students at SAR can also do many sports. For example, they can play basketball, tennis, volleyball and soccer. Students practice them after school. They compete against other high schools. Mark says, "At school, I study by myself. I'm a singer, and I do that alone, too. That's why I like playing on the basketball team. We work together and compete against other teams. "

SAR offers various great classes, clubs and sports to students. Students at SAR get a good education and they also develop their own interests. Many SAR students become dancers, singers and actors!