More than loo genes are related with increased risk of developing schizophrenia（精神分裂症）,bipolar disorder （躁郁症）and alcoholism（酗酒）,confirms a large study published in the recent issue of the British scientific journal Nature.

    The world's largest study into the genetic basis of mental illnesses was led by researchers from British universities,including University College London (UCL),Cardiff University and King's College London (KCL).

    Researchers believe that they are now much closer than before to understanding the complex biological causes, which make some people being at high risk of developing mental illnesses.They also believe that these findings could lead to new treatments.

    The researchers analyzed the DNA of about 37,000 patients with schizophrenia,bipolar disorder or alcoholism, and compared the smallest genetic changes to those found in about 113,000 healthy people.They then identified about 128 independent genetic variants（变体）at 108 locations on the human chromosomes（染色体）that contribute significantly to developing schizophrenia—83 of these sites have never before been linked to the illness,according to scientists.

    For example,people with the variant of the GRM3 gene,thought to be important in brain signaling,are around 2 to 3 times more likely to develop schizophrenia or alcohol dependence.The variant,which is found in approximately one in every 200 people,is also associated with a three times risk of developing bipolar disorder.

    "We could be looking at the next big drug target for treating mental illness,"Professor David Curtis from UCL, co-author of the paper,said."The work opens up new ways to prevent and treat mental illnesses by revealing the mechanisms involved in their development."

    Some of the best things in life don't happen until you grow old enough to recognize them. I can say that about tea.

    I didn't start to drink tea until I was 35. What happened before that? The first time I felt a genuine urge to drink tea was in 2003, when I stayed briefly in the United Kingdom. After a time of consuming local food, I started to really like strong black tea. Although it was too strong to my tongue, I felt it was a necessity because it was comforting to my body.

    I took packs of green teas with me as gifts but was disappointed to find my British friends preferred much stronger black teas from Sri Lanka. Later I learned that although people know China for its teas, it ranks only third among the world's black tea exporters, after Sri Lanka and Kenya.

    After I came back to China and started to cover food stories, I met friends in the tea-drinking circle and learned more. Although the majority of the rest of the world drinks black tea, which the Chinese call“red tea”, China produces and drinks mostly green teas.

    I feel lucky to be Chinese because of the great variety of teas available in the country. It is estimated that there are more than 2,000 teas in China if you divide them geographically, including more than 600 locally famous brews. A more simple way to categorize (分类) is by color and extent of fermentation (发酵). That comes down to six main categories—green, white, yellow, dark-greenish (oolong), red and black teas.

    Tasting teas can be compared to our lives. They can be plain and predictable but sometimes they are full of pleasant surprises. Occasionally they can even seem too good to be true. The best thing is, you know there's always more to explore.

OUR PRODUCT RANGE

    WELCOME TO  NELSON HONEY & MARKETING

    For over 100 years the Cropp family have worked with nature, extracting the honey delicately, to bring you the finest quality New Zealand Honey. In 1973 third generation beekeeper Philip Cropp set up Nelson Honey & Marketing. His passion for bees, the many wonderful products they produce, have seen Nelson Honey grow from humble beginnings to a hugely successful company with a growing range of honey products sought after worldwide.

    Philip's “Honey will fix it” approach is legendary among friends, neighbors and customers and has been the driver behind some of the revolutionary products he developed over the years like Nectar Ease and Royal Nectar.

    Nutrition is all about our honeys. Manuka Honey, sourced from the Marlborough Sounds, Kahurangi National Park and throughout the top of New Zealand's South Island; West Coast Honey, a delicious multi-floral honey also described as the fruit bowl of honeys comes from the pristine (原始状态的) West Coast of the South Island; and finally Honeydew Honey which comes from the Beech forests of the Nelson Lakes areas. All our honeys are great as a food and may offer added benefits.

    Health covers a range of different products, aimed at helping you feel great and stay healthy. Nectar Ease is our sought after Manuka Honey with added Bee Venom range. In this range you'll also find Propolis, Pollen, Manuka Oil and Apple Cider Vinegar with added Manuka Honey.

    Finally our Skincare range is where you will find a range of Manuka Honey soaps as well as our world-famous Royal Nectar products; anything from the Original Face Mask to the new gift packs.

    To read more about how it all started, check out the About Us section, or go straight to Products to order your own goodies.

    An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community (社区) in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.

    In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as encouraging reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched the “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book” project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.

    In Chicago, the mayor (市长) appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the “One Book, One Chicago” program. As a result, reading clubs and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.

    The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity (一致) can be achieved. Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point, putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.

    Ultimately, as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.

    Most high school students would rather spend their summer vacations far away from the classroom. But Vineet Kosaraju and Nikhil Cheerla are choosing to go back to school, and this time they are the teachers.

    "I think it's really nice that I can help the community by spending just a little bit of time every week helping just a few students here and there try and learn programming," Kosaraju said.

    Friends since they were young boys, Kosaraju and Cheerla always shared a love of computer science. They learned the skills from their parents and school, but recognized that not all children have that chance.

    "Programming isn't taught in that many schools, especially low income (收入) schools, because there isn't that much money to support it," Kosaraju said.

    So he and Cheerla developed "Math and Coding," an after-school program for kids of all ages to learn the basics of computer programming.

    Between applying for college and doing their own homework, the two boys now spend a few hours every week going to different libraries teaching classes that cover everything from building basic games to developing apps.

    The friends started the program a little over a year ago and already, it's spread to more than a dozen libraries across the Bay Area in California. They are even training volunteers to teach these very same classes in other US states and Canada.

    Maryann Mitchell brought her 8-year-old granddaughter, Gabriella, to a class on coding at the Alum Rock Library in San Jose, California.

    "It's a chance for her to learn," Mitchell said. "It's the way of the future, and it's a good way for her to get grounded and be ready for what the future holds."

    "I think the most rewarding thing is having people come up and thank you and say they really learned a lot from this class," Cheerla said. "It doesn't get any better than that."

    When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie". My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games, Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them, we always felt better when she was around.

    One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破)one of Dad's shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, "Bad girl," she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.

    Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet, she went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull her hair. she never barked(吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loves everyone.

(Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss days when she was with us.)