Oh my God, the robots are taking over! We're doomed! Doomed! Now that I've gotten that out of my system, it's become clear that while we may or may not be doomed, the robots are taking over. The latest example is the government's new guidelines for self-driving cars.

    Tesla, Google and Uber are already testing driverless cars in cities across America. Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick is among those predicting that by 2021, self-driving cars will play a big part in urban settings.

    Nearly 40,000 people died last year in this nation in automobile-related accidents, and we believes driverless cars can save tens of thousands of lives annually.

    Makes sense. Robot drivers are less likely to get drunk, drive without a license, text while driving or feel agitated at the scene of a pileup. On the other hand, I wonder how these highly sensitive cars will react, with walkers constantly dashing into the street. Will they jam on the brakes every 10 seconds?

    But there's a bigger picture. Not only are robots replacing humans behind the wheel, but behind the work desk, in warehouses, senior homes, you name it. Robots aren't just taking over in the workplace.

    The question is, where can't a robot function better than a human? How about writing songs? A robot can go through every combination of notes in record time and come up with a pleasing melody. The lyrics might be a different story. Is a Grammy-winning song co-written by Hank Human and R-3071 in our future?

    Finally, it's only a matter of time until we have robot politicians and presidential candidates. Why not? They can be programmed to be experts in world and domestic affairs and come up with the best solutions without corruption and bad humors.

     Actually, it's too bad such technology isn't available in 2016. Pretty sure the robot would win in a landslide.

    During the cold winter days, there are some interesting festivals in the world. Look at the following ones.

    Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

    Place: China

    Time: January 5 to February 5

    People build incredible things out of ice and snow, decorating them with lights.

    The Carnival of Venice

    Place: Italy

    Time: between February and March

    One of the most beautiful festivals in the world, people wear masks and elaborate costumes to hide differences among classes, and there are contests for the best costumes.

    Holi Festival

    Place: India

    Time: late February/ March, on the last full moon day

    Hindus and Sikhs, in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka celebrate the main day of this incredibly fun 16-day festival by throwing colored powder and water at each other.

    Sundance Film Festival

    Place: Utah, the US

    Time: end of February

    The largest independent film festival in the US. Watch both feature films and shorts. You need to buy a ticket.

    Just ask any new parent: Adding a baby to a household can also add stress to a career. Now, a new study backs that up with some astonishing numbers: After science, technology, engineering, and mathematics(STEM)professionals become parents, 43%of women and 23% of men switch fields, transition(转变)to part-time work, or leave the workforce entirely.

    Many researchers and parents already knew that STEM can be unwelcoming to parents, particularly mothers. But" the considerable departure was astonishing, "says Erin Cech, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and lead author of the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For both genders, "the proportions were higher than we expected."

    The surprisingly high reduction rate for men also highlights that" parenthood in STEM is not just a mothers' issue; it's a worker issue, "Cech says. She hopes that the findings" might motivate changes, "such as more paid parental leave from both government and employers and policies that better support flexible work time without a tight routine. "We are not suggesting that people who want families should avoid STEM; that's not the solution," she emphasizes.

    By 2018, 78% of new fathers were still working in STEM, the vast majority full time. For new mothers, 68% were still in STEM, but only 57% worked full time. For professionals without children, on the other hand, 84% of men and 76% of women were predicted to still be working in STEM full time in 2018. For the new parents across all fields, 16% of women were working part-time and 15% had left the workforce, as compared with just 2% and 3%, respectively, for men. These sharp differences make clear that, even though the reduction rate for fathers is higher than expected, mothers still face particular career challenges.

    A new mom from Michigan headed for the airport Thursday, nervous about flying alone with her -month-old. When her daughter started crying even before take-off her fears for the flight — to surprise her husband, a US Army soldier at Fort Rucker Alabama — seemed acceptable.

    The couple seated next to her reacted just as Rebekka Garvison had feared, looking visibly unhappy about sitting next to a fussy(难以取悦的)baby. Ms. Garvison moved to a new seat, hoping it would help. When the baby's cries continued, the woman sitting next to her asked if she could try.

    Garvison later described in a grateful Facebook post how the woman, Nyfesha Miller, had the magic touch with her baby. "As soon as she had her, Rylee was looking out the window and stopped crying," Garvison recalled. "When we got in the air she fell right asleep and slept in her lap the whole flight until we got to our gate? Garvison told The Huffington Post she has been in touch with Ms. Miller almost daily since the flight.

    Garvison's post has been shared more than 84,000 times, and received hundreds of warm comments. "Years ago, the same kind of thing happened to me," wrote one mother. "It was a seven-hour flight and I had my ten-month-old little boy with me. A nun （修女）was sitting beside me and she walked him up and down the passage when he got fussy. It was such a relief for me and is something I will never forget."

    Not everyone has had happy experiences with baby air travelers. One airline is considering opening a "baby class" for airplanes with flight attendant nannies（保姆）, reported The Christian Science Monitor's Meredith Hamilton. For now, parents can hope to be seated beside someone like Ms. Miller on their next flight. "Nyfesha Miller, you will never understand how happy this act of kindness has made my family." wrote Garvison.

I believe in the power of science fiction,not just for its capacity to transform dreams into reality, but also for its power to bond together those who share a common vision of the future. For me, that's true for my relationship with my dad. Some fathers and sons bond over sports, fishing or hunting, but my dad and I bond over Star Trek. We tried a trip to Disney World, but one of my earliest memories wasn't Mickey, but a Klingon battle cruiser（巡洋舰）on the screen.
Over the years, nearly every setting and situation has become far away for my dad and me. When it's warm at night, we're not driving along some dark streets in Indiana,but.going at a slow speed with stars dimly shining. Both of us are thinking of them,without needing to say a word. All these visions of other universes have together created a private universe for my dad and me.

Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek,once said, "Science fiction is a way of thinking，a way of logic that bypasses（绕过）a lot of nonsense. It allows people to look directly at important subjects." A lifetime of science fiction has influenced more than just my relationship with my dad, but has also helped me shape my own hopes for the future.I'm now a science writer.

Yes,science fiction has made me into a nerd. And it also has been a source of joy for my family,making me an optimist while enabling me to think critically about the danger of technology.thank those authors who have shared their visions, the world and my family are better for it. Thank my dad, who is both the best storyteller and the best man i have ever known because he helped me realize the truth of Tennyson's words," since i dipped into the future,i saw the vision of the world,and all the wonders that would be.

Start of Summer, the 7th term of the year, begins on May 6 and ends on May 20 this year. It signals the transition of seasons. Here are four things to learn about it.

Greeting Start ofSummer

The term Start of Summer originated at the end of the Warring States Period. Since it is a crucial time for the harvest of summer crops, ancient Chinese emperors in different dynasties attached great importance to the Start of Summer.

CheckingOne'sWeight

The custom of weighing people at the Start of Summer originated from the Three Kingdoms Period and prevails in South China today. It was believed this practice would bring health and good luck to the people weighed. It is said those who were weighed would stay healthy in the hot summer and those who weren't would suffer illness.

EatingEggs

In ancient China, people believed a round egg symbolized a happy life and eating eggs on the day of Start of Summer was a prayer for good health. They put leftover tea into boiled water together with eggs. Later people improved cooking methods and added spices to the eggs to make them taste delicious. Today tea egg has become a traditional snack in China.

Taking Care of theHeart

According to Chinese traditional medicine, Start of Summer is a key time to moisten the heart. When the weather grows hotter, dampness and heat can affect human health. Food rich in vitamins and cool in nature is highly recommended. Vegetables, such as cucumber, tomato, and watercress and fruits like watermelon, pear and strawberry are top recommendations.