Junxi “Emma” Yang played Carnegie Hall before she got to high school. But her piano skills may have to take a back seat to her programming skill.

    According to World Journal, a US-based Chinese media organization, Emma, a 14-year-old student at the Brearley School in Manhattan, New York started coding when she was 6. Four years later, her beloved grandmother began developing Alzheimer's.

    When Emma's family moved to New York from Hong Kong in 2014, she became passionate about programming. By the time she was 10, her grandmother had already developed the disease.

    Emma got right to work. With her coding skills, she had a smartphone app created before long, designed to help people suffering from Alzheimer's.

    “Now, 'Timeless' has moved to the second stage of design,”says Emma.

    Emma hopes her grandmother can benefit from the artificial intelligence technology built into “Timeless,” the app Emma developed, to overcome her memory loss.

    Emma's newly finished app has gained support from Dr. Melissa Kramps, an Alzheimer's specialist, and from Kairo, a developer specializing in artificial intelligence.

    Timeless uses facial recognition to remind someone with Alzheimer's of vital information about the person whose photo they are looking at on their screen. It also signals whether they have just called somebody.

    The app also allows for the photo-talking, then moves to identify the people on the screen.

    The Timeless project is featured on the website Indiegogo for fundraising. Emma is hoping to raise $50,000 and work alongside professional programmers to have Timeless launched by the end of 2018.

    Many people have hailed Emma for her efforts. Bill Gates voiced his support, commending her on her bid to help bridge the gap between people with Alzheimer's and the ones they love.

    Children who do better than their companions at school tend to go on to enjoy better health as adults, research suggests. The study was based on a 30-year follow-up of more than 14.000 children born in Sweden in 1953.

    The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health study found the least popular children had a nine times higher risk of heart disease. They were also more at risk of diabetes (糖尿病),drugs, alcohol and mental health problems.

    The degree of popularity, power and status enjoyed by each child, was evaluated when the children reached sixth grade in 1966 by asking them who they most preferred to work with at school. Individual children were classified into five status bands depending on how many nominations (提名) they have received.

    The leader researcher Ylva Almquist, from the Center for Health Equity Studies at the University of Stockholm, said children with a low status might lack social support and information, this will lead to a more negative self-image, which could lead to lower expectations and poor choices in life.

    “For example, children in lower peer status may adopt a more health-damaging lifestyle, including behaviors such as heavy smoking and drinking. These behaviors are known to be major risk for heart disease.” she said.

    She said the study shows that schools should work to promote social equality in the classroom, and to improve children's self-image.

    Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health, said, “Children who feel undervalued or are bullied (欺凌) at school often grow up lacking self-confidence. They then seek comfort in overeating, smoking or drinking, and all too often find themselves in poor health. It is important to do whatever we can to help children and young people feel valued.”

    CREATIVE KIDS

    FILM MAKING

    Become a director, scriptwriter(编剧), editor(编辑) and more … all in a week?

    Six half days of film making + six half days of fun activities.

    What's it all about?

Imagine yourself as the new Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott? Love the cinema, but think you could do better? Or do you dream of being the next Keira Knightley or Johnny Depp? If so, then this is your holiday! You and your group will choose the type of film to make — adventure, fantasy, thriller or comedy. Then you'll create your own film to show at the end of the week. What's more, you'll also take your film home on DVD too!

    Can I do other activities as well?

Yes — every day there's also half a day of activities from our great activity programme, and different entertainment every evening. So you can pack in lots of other new experiences too!

    What do I learn?

    You'll learn the basics of film and sound recording, performing, and script-writing; and how to use sound effects, visual effects and music.

    You'll also learn about the work of a director, before editing your own film.

    Do I need any experience?

    No, our fantastic trained instructors and film industry experts will guide you through the whole process, and give you tips from the professionals.

    Do I need any specialist equipment?

    No, we'll provide all the equipment, from top spec digital video cameras and editing equipment, to costumes and make-up. Just bring your imagination!

    Only￡695 per child!

    "Mom, what is that?" asked my son. "The Bride of Chucky?"

    The old doll I was holding was pretty scary. Her glass eyes were especially horrible, closing when she stood upright and flying open when she lay flat. Once she had been loved, but she had been stored in an attic (阁楼) for decades, where the extremes of heat and cold can be hard on a girl's looks. Throw her in the waste bin? Maybe. But first, let's check eBay.

    I clicked, supplied the required information about condition, including defects (i.e., "Only a miracle could save this doll"), and uploaded its photos. I sold it for $5.

    The buyer was happy: "As described!" he wrote on my feedback page. "Super seller!" The doll found a home and, I hope, a new life. Maybe she was used to repair other dolls. Perhaps those strange eyes got fixed and once again can inspire a child's love. It's a win-win, if you ask me.

    I also sold lots of other stuff. None of them brought in a lot of money, though I have been surprised at the occasional bidding war, like, for example, the one over an old swimsuit that would have made Brigitte Bardot look bad. And some customers, let's face it, are strange. Recently I had a hard time convincing an Australian would-be buyer of an Irish souvenir bell that I don't shop internationally; it's just too much trouble. He could have flown to Ireland and bought his own bell for the price he was willing to pay. Another time, a buyer complained that the electric wire on an old radio was dirty. Really? Dirty? The wire was black. But I aim to please, so I offered a refund.

    So why bother with the dealing and small profits? Because I don't like abandoning the past. All these treasures once had stories. They meant something. But the people who gave them that meaning are gone, and I simply cannot rescue everything. I can't even sew. So I find it satisfying that a new owner, discovered via eBay, will continue the story in his or her own way.

    The English language has a lot of words which can be used in many different ways and in many different expressions.

    One such example is the word matter. In fact, matter can mean just about anything. It could be one of the most useful words in the English language.

    Let's get to the heart of the matter—a matter of principle (原则).

    If someone says that you owe (欠) him $50, but you don't, a friend might say, "Well, you could pay him the $50. It's not that much money. Then you won't have to hear him say it anymore." But if you do not owe him the money, do not pay him the money. It's a matter of principle.

    There is another way to use the word matter. But be careful with your choice of words.

    If you ask someone, "What's the matter?" it shows you are worried about the other person. But saying, "What's the matter with you?" has a completely different meaning. And it usually sounds rude (粗鲁的). In fact, when you say, "What's the matter with you?" you are suggesting that the person did something wrong or stupid.

    Another expression that could sound rude is to say, "It doesn't matter to me." Here, it depends on the context, and how you say it.

    Let's say you tell someone that a friend just got a big raise at work. That person answers with, "It doesn't matter to me." Here, it means he or she does not care. And it sounds rude.

    But saying, "Oh, you pick where we eat dinner. It doesn't matter to me." does not sound rude. In this situation, "it doesn't matter" shows you are easy-going (随和的).

    No matter how you look at it and what you say, matter is a very useful word. And it's only a matter of time before you will become an expert on the use of matter.

Everyone likes travelling. Travelling makes a person relaxed and get lots of knowledge, especially for teenagers. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} You don't need to be rich to travel, but knowing how much money you have is necessary. If you are not available, you may decide to put off your trip.

{#blank#}2{#/blank#}If you are working, check how much vacation time you have saved up. Check your calendar and decide how many days you can spend travelling.

{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Find out the right season and the right time to leave. For example, if you want to be a tourist in Hangzhou, you'd better start your trip in April or May.

{#blank#}4{#/blank#}There are many websites that you can use to search for your flights, your hotels and many other places which you can visit. You can even book (预订) everything online.

{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Think about what to take during the trip. Your ID card, your passport, your phone, your underwear, your shoes and everything you have to take. Or you will spend your money buying them again.