Summer Holiday Fun 2015!

    The summer holidays are upon us again. Here is our guide to summer holiday fun in Peterborough!

    Peterborough Museum

    The Age of the Dinosaurs is the museum's main attraction this summer. Get up close to prehistoric creatures via some great hands-on exhibits！Watch out for monsters lurking around every ember！The museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Saturday，and from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Sundays in August.

    Call 01733 864663 for details.

    School holiday fun：Young people aged 13—19 will be able to produce their own music，compete in sports activities，or try their hand at cooking at Saxon Youth Club，Saxon Community Centre，Norman Road，Peterborough every Monday and Wednesday from 3:00 pm. PLUS an aero ball tournament will take place on Thursday,12th August between 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm.

    Call 01353 720274 for details.

    Houghton Mill

    Through the Looking Glass—a new production of the family favorite on Monday 30th，August. Bring rugs or chairs to sit on and a picnic if you wish to eat during the play. Gates open 5:30 pm，performance 6:30 pm—8:30 pm. Tea room will be open until the end of the interval. Adult ￡10. Child ￡7. Family ￡20.

    Booking advisable on 0845 4505157.

    Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey

    Farmland Games：From Wellie Wanging to Pretend Ploughing matches，come and join the Farmland Team. Collect your sporting stickers and create a colorful rosette that is fit for a winner！No need to book，just turn up between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Thursday,19th August. Suitable for children aged four and above，each child should be accompanied by an adult and all activities are included in the normal admission price. Tickets Cost：￡ 7 per child.

    For further information，call 01223 810080.

    Ever feel like you've been hit on the head after a bad night's sleep? According to scientists, the thought isn't as unbelievable as it seems.

    A study found going without sleep for just one night causes changes in the brain similar to those that occur after a blow to the head. The researchers said the healthy young men examined in the study showed a sudden increase in the same chemicals which indicate brain damage. Professor Christian Benedict, of Uppsala University, Sweden, explained that the chemicals NSE and S-100B are biomarkers for brain damage, such as concussion(脑震荡). He said, "What we found was their levels in the blood rose in the group that went without sleep for a night. This was not to the extent that would happen after a head injury, for instance, but it was still significant. During sleep, the brain cleans poisonous substances off itself."

    Benedict also said previous studies which linked a lack of sleep with increased risk of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis could applaud his study. The rise of the chemicals in the blood after sleep loss may suggest not getting enough sleep contributes to a loss of brain tissue, he explained. Benedict, whose study is published in the journal Sleep, added, "In conclusion, the findings of our experiment indicate a good night's sleep may be critical to maintaining brain health."

    A third of the UK population suffer from sleep-related problems, while the average person now sleeps for only seven hours a night, compared with almost nine a few decades ago. Many scientists believe irregular sleeping patterns lead to illnesses ranging from aches and pains to heart disease, while less than eight hours' sleep a night can lower the IQ the next day.

    Who could have imagined that a treadmill(跑步机)on wheels would one day become a thing? Lopifit is an unusual means of transportation that allows you to power an electric bicycle by walking on a treadmill.

    Lopifit founder Bruin Bergmeester says it all started when he asked himself the question. "How can I use a treadmill outdoors?" He eventually came up with a design, to which he added an electric engine, and Lopifit was born. The treadmill bicycle is similar to a typical electric bicycle in that the motor only works when the rider puts power in as well. The Lopifit senses it when you walk on the treadmill and uses the motor to turn a drive chain at the back part of the treadmill, helping you reach a top speed of 17 miles per hour.

    To use the Lopifit, simply turn on the battery and use your feet to slide the treadmill backwards and activate (激活) the motor. Then get on and enjoy the ride! If you need speed, just walk on the treadmill, and if you want to coast, all you have to do is stay still and admire the view. To stop, you have two hand brakes available.

    The Lopifit first hit the streets in 2014 and, unsurprisingly, became an instant hit. That was actually quite challenging for the company, because it started get inquiries and calls for orders, but it was nowhere near ready for mass production. The unique treadmill bicycle became available this year, and Lopifit is struggling to keep up with demand, despite the high price tag of $ 2,115.

    But despite having a very loyal fan-base of so-called Lopifitters, the creative means of transportation also has naysayers who simply consider the invention stupid and unnecessary. They basically believe that if you're going to walk, you might as well do it the old-fashioned way. But the Lopifit does have the unique advantage of helping you walk really fast without breaking a sweat, or walking at cycling speed, if you will.

    TODAY, Friday, November 12

JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms Uepper Richmond Road West, Sheen DISCO Satin Sound Dieo. Free at The Lord NApier, Mort Iake High St., from 8 a.m. to 8p.m. Tel: 682—1158.

    SATURDAY, November 13

    JAZZ Lysis at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.

    MUSIC HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company, Good food and entertainment fair price, Tel: 789-6749

    FAMILY night out? Join the sing along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road. Richmond.

    JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull's Head, Barnes .Admission 80p.

    THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion (手风琴). Tel: 789-4536

    SUNDAY, November 14

    DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8am. to 8 pm.

    FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688-4626

    HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.

    THE DERBY ARMS, UpPer Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion.

    Our cities have never been denser, taller, or busier than they are now, and with that, comes the constant battle for land. But if we look at aerial images of any city center, we can quickly spot plenty of unused space — the rooftops.

    So what can we use this precious resource for? In a growing number of high-density cities, some of it is dedicated to recreation — everything from bars and pools, to soccer pitches and running tracks can now be found atop skyscrapers. But when a rooftop offers access to sunlight, there are two more obvious candidates for its use - agriculture and solar power.

    Green roofs have been growing in popularity for more than a decade, and in some cases, growing in scale too. Green roofs can provide a habitat for birds and insects in an otherwise hostile environment.

    Cities can be several degrees warmer than the surrounding countryside. Green roofs come with the added benefit of mitigating the dreaded urban heat island effect. Trees and green spaces can absorb shortwave radiation, and use it to evaporate water from their leaves — a kind of 'double cooling' effect.

    With food security and urban nutrition ever-higher on the agenda for the United Nations, there's also a worldwide movement of using green roofs for hyper-local food production. In regions with suitable climates, hundreds of different vegetables, fruits, and salad leaves can be grown on rooftops.

    But what about solar power? With so many cities now stopping using fossil fuels, and the costs of solar panels dropping dramatically, PV systems have become the 'go to' option for generating distributed power in built-up areas. And, even with standard commercial panels, the energy gains are dramatic. It is estimated that rooftop PV systems could generate almost 40% of electricity demands nationwide.

    There's no doubt that in both cases, a network of 'productive rooftops' could benefit the local community by supplying a portion of a necessary resource — either food or electricity — while also reducing their environmental burden. But is one better than the other?

    This was the question posed by researchers from MIT and the University of Lisbon in a recent paper in the journal Cities. Focusing on the rooftops of a mixed-use neighborhood in Lisbon, they carried out a Cost-Benefit Analysis. Starting with existing data on everything from installation costs and resources used, to carbon footprint and yield, they modelled the impact that each installation would have on the local community over a period of 50 years.

    And by looking at it that way, they concluded that for Lisbon, the use of rooftops for food production could yield significantly higher local value than solar PV energy generation. Of course, this is very site-specific. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to make cities more sustainable, and anyone who tells you otherwise is massively over-simplifying a complex issue. Now, all I hope is that some of those decision makers start using it.

    In my class in middle school, there was a girl who was considered the outcast of our class. No one actually knows how this exclusion originated, but we all followed it for no reason at all. One day after lunch, we girls sat on the track field, talking about little things that happened in our little lives. Someone brought her up, and soon the topic transformed to mocking the funny texture of her hair, the awkward way she walked and… I felt extremely uncomfortable but kept silent, because I didn't want to be the one “supporting” the common enemy. After all, it's just a mild ranting session among a trusted group of friends, why should I bring unnecessary tension?

    Suddenly, one of my friends pointed her finger towards somewhere behind me. All of us turned around and saw that exact girl, hand still in the air, with a twisted look on her face. She lowered her hand in slow motion, blinked really hard for a few seconds, then turned around and ran off. For a second I wanted to stand up and chase her down to tell her that no one meant what they said, and that she is an amazing person being who she is. But my legs felt so heavy: I didn't want to make a fool out of myself—why bother taking care of the class clown（小丑）? People would think that I was crazy as well!

    No one spoke a word for a long time; we were all so caught up in our thoughts. I tried opening my mouth but couldn't—no words were coming out. Then one person started talking about the weather, and all of us were more than glad to follow this flow.

    A few weeks later, the teacher told us that a classmate dropped out of school—it was that girl. Her parents told the school that it was the peer pressure that made her want to leave. The teacher wanted to know who the bully was. Again, no one spoke a word. Perhaps it was exactly this cold, hard silence that drove her away. I certainly did not raise my hand—I had never even said anything bad about her; it was my friends who loved to make fun of her awkwardness every day.

    Surely, I didn't bully her physically or with my language, but I kept silent when others did. By failing to stand up for her and offering her support, I was giving tacit（心照不宣的）agreement. This agreement made others think that it was okay to mistreat her, because “no one cares anyways”. Perhaps I did realize I was bullying her—but by convincing myself that I had nothing to do with her leaving, I wouldn't have to bear the burden of heavy shame on my shoulders.

    Real life is not like a Hollywood movie, and the protagonists don't always have the courage to compensate for our mistakes. In that classroom, my feet were glued to the ground once again, thinking of all the possibilities that could embarrass me in front of the whole class. What if she doesn't appreciate my effort and just walk off? What if she misunderstands my actions as sympathy and gets upset? Worst of all, what if my own group mates disapprove of my decision? Am I really willing to risk my friendship just to help out one girl that I've seldom spoken to?

    To be honest, I still don't have answers to these questions. I don't know if the answers to those questions even exist. However, what I do know is that nothing will change if I keep thinking and never take actions. Talking to someone in need of support would mean the world to them, while it takes little to none effort for me. So what if those actions are under appreciated? At least I will be satisfied knowing that I did the right thing.