It's normal to wake briefly during the night. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}But if you're waking up during the night and having trouble falling back asleep, the following tips may help.

    Stay out of your head. The key to getting back to sleep is continuing to prepare your body for sleep, so remain in bed in a relaxed position. Hard as it may be, try not to stress over the fact that you're awake , because that very stress and anxiety encourage your body to stay awake. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you are finding it hard to fall back asleep, try a relaxation technique such as visualization, deep breathing, or meditation, which can be done without even getting out of bed. Remind yourself that although they're not a replacement for sleep, rest and relaxation still help refresh your body.

    Do a quiet, non-stimulating activity. If you've been awake for more than 15 minutes, try getting out of bed and doing a quiet, non-stimulating activity, such as reading a book. Keep the lights dim so as not to think that it's time to wake up. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A light snack might help relax you, but be careful not to eat so much that your body begins to expect a meal at that time of the day.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If you wake during the night feeling anxious about something, make a brief note of it on paper and postpone worrying about it until the next day when you are fresh and it will be easier to resolve.

    Parents in Spain are being urged to go on a weekend homework strike this month in protest against the unacceptable amount of after-school tasks their children are given.The homework load of Spanish children has long been a sore point with some parents,who argue that the burden is too great,places too much pressure on pupils and eats into family time.

    According to a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),Spanish 15-year-olds have 6.5 hours of homework a Week compared with an average of 4.9 across the 38 OECD countries. The Spanish Confederation of Associations of Mothers and Fathers of Students (Ceapa) is calling on parents whose children attend Spanish state schools to boycott weekend homework in November.

    "We've lost a bit of common sense in this country when it comes to talking about education and we've got a system in which boys' and girls' free time has disappeared",said Jos Luis Pazos,president of Ceapa."Schools are passing on tasks to families that they shouldn't be.It starts with children from the ages of three to six doing half an hour's homework every day.For us,that's an unacceptable situation".

    Pazos said Ceapa disagreed with the belief that children should endure huge amounts of homework in the hope that it would ensure them a better future.They should be.happy when they're little and that life isn't just about someone telling you that you have to suffer inexplicably（难以理解地）.The model needs to change because society has changed.

    Schoolchildren have to fit their homework around the school day,which varies from region to region and school to school,but starts early from around 8 am or 9 am and finishes anywhere between 2 pm and 5 pm.However,schools are increasingly using an 8 am-2 pm timetable to save money and in the face of evidence that suggests the longer hours do not yield better results.

    A spokesman for the education department of Madrid said homework was a matter for individual schools rather than regional governments.They're the ones who know best what the need is in each case.

    Let's catch a glimpse of the latest inventions this year.

    Parallels lets you use desktop apps on your phone

    You'd think most applications would have created a mobile app by now — but many companies still use desktop apps exclusively. Now Parallels Access lets you access them on your smartphone. All you need to do is download the app, then connect Parallels' Applification™ to your computer, so you can access important files and other apps with a single click. You can easily use your apps in full-screen mode, using intuitive(直观的) touch controls to work faster than before.

    Usually, Parallels Access is $19.99, but you can get it now for $9.99.

    Take your lighting to the next level with this smart switch

    You probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about your home's lighting, but it's important: the way that you control your lighting affects the environment (and your electric bill).

    This WiFi wall switch is controlled via a companion app on your smartphone, so you can control connected lights or ceiling fans from anywhere.

    Usually, the Meross WiFi Wall Light Switch costs $45.99, but right now it's on sale for $39.99 .

    Shoot beautifully clear videos with this smartphone gimbal

    If you're interested in shooting professional-quality videos and photos, you don't have to spend a fortune to take a beautifully composed shot: just use this Rigiet Smartphone Gimbal instead.

    A gimbal is a support for your camera (in this case, your smartphone) that allows it to pivot（移动）, and automatically detect and adjust to the position that you want to film in. Unlike any other camera hardware you might own, this one comes with its own accompanying app.

    Usually, this Rigiet Smartphone Gimbal is $269, but you can get it now for $109.99.

    By the end of the century, if not sooner, the world's oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate, according to a new study.

    At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms (海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms, these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue, depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas, while reducing it in other spots, leading to changes in the ocean's appearance.

    Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface, where they pull carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die, they bury carbon in the deep ocean, an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean's warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth, since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow, but also nutrients.

    Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist in MIT's Center for Global Change Science, built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃, it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters, such as those of the Arctic, a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton, and these areas will turn greener. "Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing." she said, "but the type of phytoplankton is changing."

If you want to convince the boss you deserve a pay rise or promotion, the solution could be simple — eat the same food as they do. Psychologists have discovered managers are much more likely to instantly trust us if we choose the same dishes as them.

    During experiments, discussions over wages and work conditions were much more successful if both sides chose to snack on the same treats. And shoppers were much more likely to buy a product advertised on TV by someone eating a similar food to them at the time.

The reason is thought to be the so–called similarity attraction theory — where people tend to like others who have similar tastes or habits to themselves. But this is believed to be one of the first studies highlighting the role of food in this relationship. Researchers at Chicago University in the US conducted a series of experiments to examine food's role in earning trust.

In a test, participants were told to watch TV — where someone pretending to be a member of the public praised a certain product. The volunteers were given Kit Kat bars to nibble, while the TV people ate either a Kit Kat or grapes as they talked.

    The results showed viewers were much more likely to express an interest in buying the product if the TV showed the other person eating a Kit Kat too. The researchers added, "Although similarity in food consumption is not a sign of whether two people will get along, we find consumers treat this as such. They feel more trusting of those who consume as they do. It means people can immediately begin to feel friendship and develop a bond, leading to smoother transactions from the start."

    Harley Street psychologist Dr. Lucy Atcheson said it was already known that wearing similar clothes could instantly create trust. But this was the first report that food had the same effect. She said, "This is really interesting. It makes sense as people feel they have common ground and can trust the other person. That means negotiations are more likely to be successful."

    When you watch a movie these days, it's difficult to tell what's real and what's created by using computers. Visual effects can even change how movies are made.

    Almost anything that can be imagined by a director can now become reality in the world of movies. "We're really not limited by the technology, '' said David Smith, the CEO of Sony Pictures Imageworks. Mr Smith said that with today's technology, the digital world was more realistic than ever before. For The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Mr Smith's team created a Times Square that was exactly like the real one in New York. "If there are lights inside the stores that are lighting areas inside the store we put those lights there," said Mr Smith.

    But there was still one challenge for visual effects artists, said Paul Debevec of the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies. "We're still trying to figure out how to perfect the human face in movies, " said Debevec. He said the movie — The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was still one of the best examples of computer generated movies, as actor Brad Pitt could be from an aged man to a baby in the movie.

    Mr Debevec added that besides changing the look of an actor's face, there could be another use for digital faces in the entertainment. Last year, effects artists created a digital face of the Asian pop singer Teresa Teng who was dead. Fans could still see and hear the concert on YouTube.

    Mr Debevec expects directors will start to use more virtual production techniques, like those seen in the movie Avatar. Mr Debevec says that with virtual production, there won't be a need for so many people behind the scenes. But visual effects artists agree, even with advanced technology, there is no replacement for a real actor showing a character in a movie.