An Indonesia man believed to be the oldest person alive celebrated his 146^th birthday Saturday,despite having claimed（声称）he no longer wants to be alive.

    Mbah Gotho, whose official name is Sodimejo, lives with his grandson in a town called Sragen within Indonesia's Central Java province.

    Gotho made international headlines in September after speaking to local media, which led local officials to confirm the truth of his identity card.Gotho's birth date is listed as Dec.31, 1870.

    While officials say the document is real, they admitted it would be impossible to prove whether Gotho was actually born that year.

    However, the man claimed to remember the opening of a local sugar factory, which was recorded in 1880.

    Gotho said he has outlived four wives, 10 brothers and sisters, and three children. His only remaining close relatives are grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grand-children, he claimed." What I want is to die." he told local media in September, according to Reuters, one of the biggest names in media worldwide.

    Gotho's grandson claimed the 146-year-old had made arrangements for his death as far back as 1992, when he bought a forever sleeping place close to the burial sites of his children.

    Gotho's grandson also said the elder was in relatively good health, suffering only from eyesight problem and loss of hearing, and enjoyed his days smoking and eating.

    As traditional Chinese art, paper cutting has a long history. The first and earliest paper cutting was found in China 1,500 years ago. But this traditional art is at risk of disappearing now. Luckily, Vivian Woo, a Chinese immigrant in America, is trying to bring this art back to life.

    One Saturday in 2017，Ms. Woo held a paper cutting show at a shopping center near Washington. She got much fun and peace doing it. She hoped more people would enjoy it. Ms. Woo began to study the art of paper cutting as a 14 - year - old girl in her hometown in China. She said all the students at school had to learn paper cutting. But she had a deep love for it. So her teacher spent more time teaching her after class. Later, she won the second prize in a national painting and art competition. Ms. Woo went to America after she finished college in 2008. Soon after that, she took part in an activity to promote Chinese paper cutting. And then she was invited to show the art in many important activities. “It is important to promote this art to Americans or anyone who is interested in it. Maybe it will make this art more popular.” Woo said.

From the art of paper cutting, people can know about Chinese cultural values, history and stories of people's life. Ms. Woo uses the art as a tool to show Chinese culture to people who know little about it. Chinese art is not only for Chinese, but also for people ail over the world.

      Apply for a Library Card

    Any person who lives, works or attends school in New York State is qualified to receive a New York Public Library card free of charge.

    Adult and teen users may either apply online or in person at any New York Public Library location. Applications for children aged 11 and under must be completed in person, and require the signature of a parent or guardian.

    When you apply for a card online, you will receive a 7-digit temporary barcode(条形码). This allows you to set a PIN (Personal Identification Number).

After you receive your permanent barcode, which is required to borrow materials, search library databases, or reserve a computer, you must validate your card.

    Renew or Validate Your Card

    All adult, teen and child library cards for cardholders in New York City and areas of New York State outside of New York City expire(期满) and must be renewed every three years. New library card applicants who applied for a card online must validate their card before full cardholder privileges can be extended.

    Cardholders in New York City must visit any New York Public Library location to present the required forms of identification in order to renew or validate their card.

    Cardholders from areas of New York State outside of New York City may email scans or copies of the required forms of identification to patronaccounts@nypl.org.

    Forgot Your PIN?

    If you provide the library with a valid email address, you can click on the Forgot Your PIN? Link on the login(登录) screen of either Biblicisms or the Classic Catalog. A link with instructions on changing your PIN will be sent to the email address on your account, giving you a brief period of time to update your information. You must select a 4-digit numeric PIN, with no repeating or obvious characters(e.g.1234 or 2222).

    If you have not provided us with a valid email address, you have to visit a library location with valid identification to have a staff member reset your PIN for you.

Noticeboard

    As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remember less？If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain？Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.

    In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.

    In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder(文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remember the folder location better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called "transactive memory (交互记忆)".

    According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn't mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.

Writing Competitions for High School Students in 2024

Ocean Awareness Writing Contest

Ocean Awareness Writing Contest provides a platform for young people to understand environmental issues through artistic creation and creative thoughts, explore their relationship with the changing world, and become advocates of positive change.

Competition time: The deadline for submission is June 10, 2024. Students can upload their submissions starting from December 24, 2023. 

Suitable for students: The contest is an international competition, which is open to any student aged 11—18 in middle or high school.

·Junior Division: 11—14 years old

·Senior Division: 15—18 years old

Young Authors Writing Competition

Young Authors Writing Competition is sponsored by the English and Creative Writing Department at Columbia College Chicago. The competition has grown into a yearly international con test of high school writers. You may enter up to two works (in separate files) in either of the categories: Creative Nonfiction and Creative Fiction. In the Poetry category, you may enter up to two files, but each can have 1—5 poems.

Competition time: The deadline is July 31, 2024. 

Suitable for students: Open to students in grades 9—12 worldwide

Leonard L. Milberg' 53 High School Poetry Prize

Leonard L. Milberg' 53 High School Poetry Prize recognizes outstanding works by student writers in the 11th grade in the U. S. or abroad. Contest judges are poets on the Princeton University Creative Writing faculty.

Competition date: March 26, 2024

Suitable for students: Students in the 11th grade in the U. S. or around the world

The New York Times Annual Student Review Contest

The New York Times invites students to play critics and write an original review for their New York TimesStudent Review Contest. Students can review anything that fits into a category of creative expression that The New York Times covers—from architecture to music.

Competition date: April 6, 2024

Suitable for students: Students ages 11—19 anywhere in the world attending middle or high school can participate.