Foreign drivers will have a pay on-the-spot fines of up to ￡900 for breaking the traffic law to be carried out next month.

    If they do not have enough cash or a working credit card, their vehicles will clamped(扣留) until they pay—and they will face an additional fee of ￡80 for getting back their vehicles.

    The law will also apply to British citizens. The fines will be described officially as “deposits” when the traffic law takes effect, because the money would be returned if the driver went to court and was found not guilty. In practice, very few foreign drivers are likely to return to Britain to deal with their cases.

    Foreign drivers are rarely charged because police cannot take action against them if they fail to appear in court. Instead, officers often merely give warnings.

    Three million foreign-registered vehicles enter Britain each year. Polish vehicles make up 36 percent, French vehicles 10 percent and German vehicles 9 percent.

    Foreign vehicles are 30 percent more likely to be in a crash than British-registered vehicles. The number of crashes caused by foreign vehicles rose by 47 percent between 2003 and 2008. There were almost 400 deaths and serious injuries and 3,000 slight injuries from accidents caused by foreign vehicles in 2008.

    The new law is partly intended to settle the problem of foreign lorry drivers ignoring limits on weight and hours at the wheel. Foreign lorries are three times more likely to be in a crash than British lorries. Recent spot checks found that three quarters of lorries that failed safety tests were registered overseas.

    The standard deposit for a careless driving offence —such as driving too close to the vehicle in front or reading a map at the wheel—will be ￡300. Deposits for speeding offences and using mobile phones will be ￡60. Foreign drivers will not get points as punishment added to their licenses, while British drivers will.

    Fun day

    To celebrate the Year of the Dog

    Organized by Lam Tin Youth Centre and Kwun Tong High school

    Date：2 February 2018

    Time：10 am – 5 pm

    Place：Kwn Tong Playground

    Fee: $ 20 (buy three get one free)

    Programmes：drama, lion dance, magic show and ballet performance

    Highlights: 1) enter the lucky draw to win a digital camera

    2) learn to make festival food

    Join us on the Fun day! Free Soft Drinks

    All are welcome!

    Note:

    Ticket are available at the General Office of Lam Tin Youth Centre.

    For those who would like to be a volunteer, please contact Miss Olivia Wong one week before the activity.

    A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that's not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn't matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves— the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.

    We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We're usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn't be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.

    This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”

    Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh (刻薄的) and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.

    Words possess power because of their lasting effects. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn't pass this test, then it's better left unsaid.

    Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem (自尊) and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.

    Maria Sibylla Merian

    Today, children can happily explain how a caterpillar (毛毛虫) turns into a butterfly, thanks to Maria Sibylla Merian. Born in Germany in 1647, Merian was fond of insects, and she began collecting, studying and drawing them when she was as young as 13. It was through her study of caterpillar that she discovered the truth about their life cycles, and she went on to publish two volumes of naturalist research about the life cycles of insects.

    Ada Lovelace

    Ada Lovelace, born in 1815, was the daughter of famous British poet Lord Byron, but she wasn't a poet herself. She was the world's first computer programmer. Lovelace wrote some suggestions as to how to program “computing machines” to calculate a specific sequence of numbers. Besides this, she predicted them to do everything that could possibly be represented by a series of numbers, from producing images to composing music.

    Hedy Lamarr

    She was born in 1914 in Austria and moved to the United States in the hope of going after a film career. In 1942, in the midst of her Hollywood success, she and composer George Antheil received a patent for a device that could change radio signal frequencies. The purpose of the technology was to keep military enemies—especially, the Nazis --from decoding (解码) messages. But it did more than that--it paved the way for much of the wireless technology we use today.

    Tablets are really useful devices, but their big screens always make them as a burden to carry around without a bag. Wouldn't it be great if there were a phone with the powers of a tablet that could be folded up and fit neatly into the hand?

    Now something like a tablet-shaped but foldable phone is about to become available. In February, South Korean electronics company Samsung and China's Huawei both launched foldable phones, the Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X respectively. Mobile phone use has entered the "foldable future", The Verge noted.

    The technology could change our lives in significant ways. These devices, due to their bendable screens, give us the larger screens we want. Meanwhile, they still fit easily into the pocket. As USA Today noted, they're "the combination of a small tablet and smartphone, all in a single device".

    The technology could change other devices, too. For example, we could make TVs that stick to walls like posters, or fold up easily to hide away in drawers. In crowded modem cities, they will help us to maximize available space.

    In a keynote address, Samsung's senior vice president of mobile product marketing, Justin Denison, called the foldable screen "the foundation for the smartphone of tomorrow". "It's a blank canvas (画布) for us to do something beautiful together." he said.

    So is there nothing to stand in the way of the foldable future? According to tech news website Android Authority, the necessary displays were difficult to produce. In 2012, nine out of every 10 OLED (二极管) screens produced were imperfect. Today, that 10 percent rate has been improved to between 50 and 90 percent. However, at present these foldable devices are expensive. For example, the price of Huawei Mate X is 17,500 RMB. That's a price that few people will be able to afford.

    But if the foldable device isn't going to change the world overnight, there is no doubt that it is coming. Patrick Moorhead, an industry analyst told The Verge, "Few are debating if foldable or rollable mobile displays are the future of smartphones; the only question is when and by whom."