My grandparents believed that you were either honest or you were not. They had a simple saying hanging on their living-room wall: “Life is like a field of newly fallen snow. Where I choose to walk every step will show.” They didn't have to talk about it; they showed this truth by the way they lived.

    They understood that honesty is an inner(内部的) standard for judging your behavior. Unfortunately, honesty is in short supply today. But it is the real bottom line in every area of society and a discipline (自制能力) we must demand of ourselves.

    There's a story told about a surgical nurse's first day on the medical team at a well-known hospital. She was responsible(负责) for all surgical instruments and materials during an operation. At the end of the operation, the nurse said to the doctor, “ You've only removed 11 sponges（海绵）, and we used 12. We need to find the last one.”

     “I removed them all,” the doctor assured her. “ No, you didn't , sir,” insisted the nurse. “ Think of the patient.”

    Smiling, the doctor lifted his foot and showed the nurse the twelfth sponge.

    So when you know you're right, you can't yield. Don't be afraid of those who might have a better idea or who might even be more intelligent than you are.

    Self-respect and a clear awareness (意识)of right and wrong are powerful parts of honesty and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others. Honesty means you do what you do because it's right and not just fashionable or politically correct. A life of principle, of not easily yielding, will always take you forward. My grandparents taught me that.

    Traveling without a map in different countries, I find out about different ways of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”

    Foreign tourists are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don't have name signs. In Japan, people use landmarks (地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”

    People in Los Angeles, the US, have no idea of distance on the map: they measure distance by time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it's about five minutes from here.” You don't understand completely, “Yes, but how many miles away is it, please?” To this question you won't get an answer, because most probably they don't know it themselves.

    People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because tourists seldom understand the Greek language. Instead, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he'll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.

    Sometimes a person doesn't know the answer to your question. What happens in the situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don't know.” People there believe that “I don't” is impolite. They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one. So a tourist can get lost very easily in Yucatan! However, one thing will help you everywhere in the world. It's body language.

    Philadelphia offers a ton of attractions that are suitable for people of every age and here are some family—friendly attractions.

    Spruce Street Harbor Park

    Spruce Street Harbor Park，one of the best urban beaches in American，is an outdoor heaven on the Delaware River waterfront. Visitors can relax in a hammock，play on the playgrounds，and play games like table tennis and giant chess. Don't miss out on the park at night，when colorful LED lights hanging from treetops make the entire area bright.

    Blue Cross RiverRink

    Offering ice skating in the winter and roller skating in the summer，Blue Cross RiverRink creates a fun，outdoor experience for the whole family. Visitors can play on the nine-hole mini-golf course during the summer，and enjoy eats and drinks from the on-site(现场的)bar and restaurant all year round.

    Sesame Place

    Big Bird，Elmo and the other stars of Sesame Street come out and play at Sesame Place，the only theme park in the nation starring the popular TV show's most lovable characters. A water park，interactive activities，parades，fireworks and shows add to the fun.

    Once Upon a Nation Storytelling Benches

    On summer days，uniformed and professional storytellers at 13 storytelling benches throughout Philadelphia's Historic District entertain visitors with true，free，three-to-five minute tales about the colonial(殖民的)era as part of Once Upon a Nation. Children can pick up a Story Flag at any storytelling bench，and then collect a star from every storyteller on their journeys. Flags with all the stars can get free rides on the Parx Liberty Carousel at Franklin Square.

    A picture speaks a thousand words. And with over a thousand emoji pictures to represent our words, who needs to speak or write any more? According to Professor Vyv Evans of Bangor University, emoji is the UK's fastest-growing language in history. These little electronic pictures started life in Japanese mobile phones in the 1990s and are now hugely popular. They have inspired fashion, like the real-life dress copied from the dancing lady emoji, and are even recognized as art! In New York's Museum of Modern Art you can now see the first set of the 176 original emojis.

    Why do we love them so much? They allow us to personalize text and have fun as we express ourselves, make people laugh and be creative in how we use them. UK teenagers also told us they really appreciated the fact that emojis are quick and easy.

    People have their favourite emojis. In the UK, the most used emojis are ' face with tears ofjoy', ' face blowing a kiss' and 'Iove heart'. Maybe (with emojis at least) the British are more fun and romantic than people think! Companies such as McDonalds have also tried to use people's love of emojis to make advertisement. They used a series of emojis to tell a story of a disappointing day given a happy ending by a visit to McDonalds. Unluckily for McDonalds, most people added the vomiting(呕吐) emoji to the blank space after the story.

    What is the future of emoji? Is emoji developing so rapidly that it will soon compete with English as a global language? Or is technology changing so fast that emoji will soon be forgotten when the next big thing comes along? It is hard to say and even technology and language experts are divided on the subject.

    What do you think? Keep your eyes open for new developments!

More than great drinks, great rewards

    Enjoy all the benefits and more with your membership to our Loyalty Program!

    Whenever you pay with your membership account, you'll earn a Star.

    Collect more Stars, earn more rewards.

    Three ways to join us

    Buy a Starbucks Card handy to create an account

    Track your Stars online or through the mobile app, and we'll send an email when you've earned a reward.

    You can also join from your phone.

    Download the Starbucks^® App.

    One of the most exciting benefits of being a member is using our mobile app to: pay for purchases; view your Stars and rewards; access iTunes^® Pick of the Week; see current offers.

    Or you can join with specially marked coffee purchased at the grocery store.

    Enter your Starcode (limit 2 per day).

    Look for the Starcode symbol on specially marked Starbucks^® products where you buy groceries.

    Three levels with increasingly greater rewards

    To reach each level in our Loyalty Program, you need to collect more Stars. (Remember, to earn a Star you must pay with a registered Starbucks Card.)

    Welcome level

    To earn your first rewards, just register a Starbucks Card.

    Birthday drink or treat on us; birthday coupon (优惠券) for 15% off a purchase at StarbucksStore.com.

    Green level

    Collect 5 Stars within 12 months and you'll be in the Green level.

    •What is included in the Welcome level plus

    ♦Free in-store refills (续杯) on hot or iced brewed coffee or tea

    Gold level

    Collect 30 Stars within 12 months and you're at the Gold level.

    •What is included in the Green level plus

    ♦A free food or drink item after another 12 Stars earned

    ♦Personalized Gold Card

    One family, which moved from Japan and settled at the turn of the century near San Francisco, had built a business in which they grew roses and trucked them into San Francisco three mornings a week.

    The other family also marketed roses. For almost four decades the two families were neighbors, and the sons took over the farms, but then on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Although the rest of the family members were American, the father of the Japanese family had never been naturalized. As they planned to leave the country, his neighbor made it clear that, if necessary, he would look after his friend's nursery (花圃). It was something each family had learned in church-Love the neighbor as themselves. "You would do the same for us," he told his Japanese friend.

    It was not long before the Japanese family was transported to a poor landscape in Canada. A full year went by. Then two. Then three. While the Japanese neighbors were in Canada, their friends worked in the greenhouses. Sometimes the father's work could stretch to 16 and 17 hours. And then one day, when the war in Europe had ended, the Japanese family packed up and boarded a train. They were going home.

    What would they find? The family was met at the train station by their neighbors, and when they got to their home, the whole Japanese family were shocked. There was the nursery, complete, clean and shining in the sunlight, neat, prosperous and healthy. And the house was just as clean and welcoming as the nursery. And there on the dining room ground was one perfect red (玫瑰花蕾), just waiting to unfold-the gift of one neighbor to another.