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A warm drink of milkbefore bed has long been the best choice for those wanting a good night'ssleep. But now a study has found it really does help people nod off—if it ismilked from a cow at night.

  Researchers have discovered that“night milk” contains more melatonin(褪黑激素), which has been proven tohelp people feel sleepy and reduce anxiety.

  The study, by researchersfrom Seoul, South Korea, involved mice being fed with dried milk powder madefrom cows milked both during the day and at night.

  Those given night milk, whichcontained 10 times the amount of melatonin, were less active and less anxiousthan those fed with the milk collected during daytime, according to the studypublished in The Journal of MedicinalFood.

   Night milk quickened the startof sleep and caused the mice to sleep longer.

   While the effect of cowsmilk harvested at different time has not been tested on humans up to now,taking melatonin drugs has been suggested to those who are struggling to fallasleep at night.

   Previous studies have alsoindicated that milk can be excellent for helping sleep because of the calciumcontent, which helps people to relax.

  Milk is also sugar-free andadditive-free with nutritionists recommending skimmed milk as the best choicebefore bed as it is the least fattening. The more fat you take in beforebedtime, the greater burden you will put on your body at night.

When milk arrived on the doorstep

    When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn't take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.

    Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note-“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”-and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically appear.

    All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn't freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.

    There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.

    Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch （门廊）. Every so often my son's friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.

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Washington, D.C. Bicycle Tours

Cherry Blossom Bike Tour in Washington, D.C

    Duration: 3 hours

    This small group bike tour is a fantastic way to see the world-famous cherry trees with beautiful flowers of Washington, D.C. Your guide will provide a history lesson about the trees and the famous monuments where they blossom. Reserve your spot before availability - and the cherry blossoms - disappear!

Washington Capital Monuments Bicycle Tour

    Duration: 3 hours (4 miles)

    Join a guided bike tour and view some of the most popular monuments in Washington, D.C. Explore the monuments and memorials on the National Mall as your guide shares unique

facts and history at each stop. Guided tour includes bike, helmet, cookies and bottled water.

Capital City Bike Tour in Washington, D.C.

    Duration: 3 hour

    Morning or Afternoon this bike tour is the perfect tour for D.C. newcomers and locals looking to experience Washington, D.C.in a healthy way with minimum effort. Knowledge guides will entertain you with the most interesting stories about Presidents. Congress, memories, and parks. Comfortable bikes and a smooth tour route（路线） make cycling between the sites fun and relaxing.

Washington Capital Sites at Night Bicycle Tour

    Duration: 3 hour (7 miles)

    Join a small group hike tour for an evening of exploration in the heart of Washington, D.C. Get up close to the monuments and memorials as you bike the sites of Capitol Hill and the National Mall. Frequent stops are made for photo taking as your guide offers unique facts and history. Tour includes bike, helmet, and bottled water. All rides are equipped with reflective vests and safety lights.

    Water is very important to living things. Without water there can be no life on the earth. All animals and plants need water. Man also needs water. We need water to drink, to cook our food and to clean ourselves. Water is needed in offices, factories and schools. Water is needed everywhere.

    There is water in seas, rivers and lakes. Water is found almost everywhere. Even in the desert part of the world, there is some water in the air. You can't see or feel it when it is a part of the air. The water in the seas, rivers and lakes is a liquid, the water in the air is a gas, and we call it water vapor (蒸汽).

    Clouds are made of water. They may be made of very small drops of water. They may also be made of snow crystals(结晶体). Snow crystals are very small crystals of ice. Ice is frozen water. It is a solid. There can be snow and ice everywhere in winter.

    Water may be a solid or a liquid or a gas. When it is a solid, it may be as hard as a stone. When it is a liquid, you can drink it. When it is a gas, you can not see or feel it.

    A fourth-grade teacher allowed one of her students to shave her head in the schoolyard, after bullies（仗势欺人者）teased him about his own short buzz cut（短寸头发型）. Tori Nelson got the idea after noticing that Matthew Finney, a shy boy from her homeroom at Winlock Miller Elementary School in Washington state, was standing outside his classroom crying and wearing a winter hat.

    Ms. Nelson could see the back of his neck had been shaved, and since Matthew usually had very thick brown curly hair, she realized that he'd had a haircut over the weekend. She asked him what was wrong, and he said he'd gotten a buzz cut for the summer. But this morning, a fifth grader on the bus made fun of him, and he didn't want to come to class and get teased by other kids. Ms Nelson tried to convince Matthew to come inside, but since school rules prohibit kids from wearing hats indoors he refused – explaining that he was afraid of showing his haircut to the other children in case they also made fun of him.

    Finally I said: "If you take off your hat and come to class, I'll let you give me a buzz cut, too," 'Ms Nelson told Yahoo Parenting. I figured it's just hair, and mine is already short anyway. I might as well get it shorter in time for the warm weather.'

    Matthew excitedly took her up on the offer, and Ms Nelson and another teacher gathered all the fourth graders together during break time. A school employee brought in scissors, which Matthew used to the cheers of his classmates, excitedly watching as his teacher's hair fell away onto the ground in the schoolyard.

    'It was a lot of fun for the kids, and it helped Matthew feel better about himself,' said Ms Nelson.' You have to do what it takes to reach children. Teaching isn't just about reading and writing, it's about self-esteem and accepting differences.'

The demographic landscape of the globe is witnessing a notable transformation characterized by an increase in the proportion of individuals who are in their senior years: it is anticipated that by the year 2025, individuals who have reached or surpassed the age of 60 will constitute a significant 20 percent of the total global populace. The advancements in socioeconomic progress have resulted in a scenario where a considerable number of individuals are attaining their later years in a state of better health, financial stability, and educational attainment compared to the generations that preceded them.

This burgeoning cohort of older individuals, endowed with considerable economic clout and unique requirements, is increasingly being recognized as the most rapidly expanding consumer segment across the globe. This presents lucrative opportunities for growth in numerous major industries. The market, which caters to the needs of individuals who are over the age of 50 and is colloquially referred to as the "silver economy," is currently valued at an impressive $15 trillion on a global scale. It is anticipated that this valuation will experience a dramatic surge as the demographic of older individuals continues to expand.

Crucially, the "silver economy" holds the potential to contribute not only to the economic prosperity of a nation but also to its social advancement. This is because when enterprises endeavor to augment their financial gains by devising solutions that address the challenges encountered by the elderly, they can concurrently generate social value by enhancing the living standards of individuals as they progress through their later years.

In the context of China, which boasts the largest elderly population globally with 216.8 million individuals who are 65 years or older, the number is projected to soar to 400 million by the year 2050. Consequently, the "silver economy" in China is expected to experience a threefold increase in value, escalating from $750 billion in 2020 to a staggering $2.1 trillion by the year 2030. It is further projected that this figure could soar to $4.2 trillion, representing a significant 10 percent of China's Gross Domestic Product by 2035.

The recently disseminated document titled "Opinions on Developing the Silver Economy and Improving the Well-being of Older Persons" marks the first instance of a specific policy guideline in China that is dedicated to the advancement of the "silver economy." The trajectory of China's progress over the forthcoming decade is poised to provide invaluable insights for emerging economies, shedding light on the optimal strategies for catering to the needs of an aging demographic while simultaneously capitalizing on the economic development opportunities presented by such a significant demographic shift.