I discovered that inside the-wonderful box lived an amazing person whose name was Information Please. There was nothing she did not know.

    One day my mother went out. I accidentally hurt my finger when I was playing with a hammer. I walked around the house sucking my finger, finally seeing the telephone. Quickly I dragged a chair over and climbed up.

    “Information Please, ”I spoke into the receiver. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. “Information.”

    “I hurt my finger…”I cried into the phone.

    “Isn't your mother home?” came the question.

    “Nobody's home but me.” I sobbed.

    “Are you bleeding?” the voice asked.

    “No,” I replied, “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.”

    “Can you open your icebox?” she asked. I said I could.

    “Then take a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger.” said the voice.

    After that, I called “Information Please” for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me her name was Sally.

    Then, there was the time my pet canary（金丝雀）died. I called “Information Please” and told Sally the sad story. “Why is it that birds sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a pile of feathers?” She listened, then said quietly, “Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow, I felt better.

    One day when I called “Information Please” again, a different voice answered “Information.”

    I asked for Sally. “Are you a friend?” she said.

    “Yes,” I answered.

    “I'm sorry to have to tell you this,” she said. “She died five days ago.” Before I could hang up she said, “Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Paul?”

    “Yes.”

    “Well, Sally left a message for you. The note said, ‘Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean.'” I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

A warm drink of milk before bed has long been the best choice for those wanting a good night's sleep. But now a study has found it really does help people nod off—if it is milked from a cow at night.

    Researchers have discovered that “night milk” contains more melatonin(褪黑激素), which has been proven to help people feel sleepy and reduce anxiety.

    The study, by researchers from Seoul, South Korea, involved mice being fed with dried milk powder made from cows milked both during the day and at night.

    Those given night milk, which contained 10 times the amount of melatonin, were less active and less anxious than those fed with the milk collected during daytime, according to the study published in The Journal of Medicinal Food.

    Night milk quickened the start of sleep and caused the mice to sleep longer.

    While the effect of cow's milk harvested at different time has not been tested on humans up to now, taking melatonin drugs has been suggested to those who are struggling to fall asleep at night.

    Previous studies have also indicated that milk can be excellent for helping sleep because of the calcium content, which helps people to relax.

    Milk is also sugar-free and additive-free with nutritionists recommending skimmed milk as the best choice before bed as it is the least fattening. The more fat you take in before bedtime, the greater burden you will put on your body at night.

    A European Union program is letting blind people experience famous paintings for the first time. It uses three dimensional (3-D) printing to re-create famous paintings so they can be touched.

    One painting printed with the new technology is Gustav Klimt's “The Kiss.” It is a popular attraction at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, Austria. The painting shows a man and a woman standing in a field filled with flowers. They are wearing gold robes and have their arms around each other. The man leans down to kiss the woman.

    Klimt finished the painting in 1908. Until now, people who had trouble seeing could not appreciate the artwork. But thanks to the reproduction they can touch the piece and feel the ridges and depressions. Andreas Reichinger started making 3-D versions of artwork in 2010. He said this reproduction was his most difficult project because the couple's robes are so detailed.

    Dominika Raditsch is a blind museum visitor. She touched the reproduction. As she moved her hands around it she said, ”Exactly, can you see these? There are so many details.“ Raditsch said she can imagine what the original painting looks like when she touches the reproduction. “It's somehow round. You can feel it. It comes with it. And in many places it's so smooth. And then I think to myself: it probably shines too!” Raditsch said.

    The Belvedere is not the only museum to have 3-D versions of its artwork. Some of the pieces at the Prado, in Madrid, Spain, have reproductions that can be touched. But the piece in Vienna has one special part: it is made with widely available 3-D printing technology. That means one day, blind art fans anywhere in the world could download the source files and print the reproductions themselves.

Adult Education Courses

    Naturalist John Muir called the Marin County woods named for him "the best tree-lover's monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world."

    Located only 11 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge near San Francisco, California, USA. Muir Woods puts some of nature's most huge creations within reach of little feet, hands, and imaginations.

    "Muir Woods is home to a small forest of redwood trees that reach to the sky," says David Shaw of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. "Redwoods grow taller than any other tree species in the world. The average age of the redwoods here ranges from 400 to 800 years old and many ancient specimens have been around for more than a thousand years."

    William Kent, the man who donated the 295 acres to create the Muir monument, grew up in Marin and played in similar redwood forests. That childhood experience inspired him to save the redwoods as an adult.

    "Young people can learn about young William Kent when they visit here," says ranger(护林员) Timothy Jordan. "Kent's early connection with nature developed his love of the outdoors. As an adult, he witnessed the destruction of many Bay Area redwood forests. This, with the writings of John Muir, inspired Kent's conservationism."

    Walking (and playing)in, on, and around the redwoods will help kids understand why young Kent was so fascinated(深深吸引) by the trees. Ranger Jordan encourages children to lie down and look up at the treetops, hug a redwood tree, and start a nature journal like John Muir.

    "Have kids find a redwood spray(小树枝)the same age as them, count the rings in trees, and sit inside of a hollow redwood tree on Fern Creek." he advises.

    After all the interaction, the kids just may be ready to rest. Take this time to "be quiet and listen to the sounds of the forest," says Shaw. "Encourage kids to think about how these trees have stood quietly through year after year of rain, sun, and sometimes even snow."

    "I will need to open your neck to remove the tumor," the surgeon told me on a hot summer day. The words turned into white noise. "So, an ugly scar across my neck, then?" I asked. The nurse said: "Don't worry. The closure is like his signature. Just like you want a perfect scar, he wants to give you one. You'll barely see it." I found some comfort in that.

    I googled "cancer surgery scar" and was presented with neck images: necks with red and purple lines, closed with stitches or glue; necks with multiple scars....It was enough to make me shut my Macbook, as anxiety pulsed through my body. In the mirror, I admired my neck, running my finger across a gold chain I wore. Then a tiny voice said:" Mummy!"

    My then fie-year-old son. Jack, appeared in the mirror behind me. Our reflection was a big reality check. See, my son didn't know I had cancer and was having surgery. I'm a single mom. Jack lives with me and doesn't have a relationship with his father. I'm his hero. I'm the homework helper, nurse, chef, taxi driver, and every other variation of parent. I knew I couldn't lose heart over cancer or some scar on my neck --I'm this kid's life!

    So I did the next best thing I could think of: I made an appointment to get my hair done a few days before the first surgery. My goal was simple: golden hair to frame my scar. If I couldn't hide it, I might as well show it off. I never had any intentions of hiding the scar. I didn't want my son to think my scar was something to be ashamed of. I'm his role model and I needed to set a good example. Bad things can happen, but it's how you deal with them that matters.

    The scar proves I faced my fear and won. If I got through that I can get through all the hardships, land on my feet and live boldly.