“Birds” and “airports” are two words that, paired together, don't normally paint the most harmonious picture. So it really raises some eyebrows when China announces plans to build an airport that's for birds.

Described as the world's first-ever bird airport, the proposed Lingang Bird Sanctuary(保护区) in the northern coastal city of Tianjin is，of course，not an actual airport. Rather, it's a wetland preserve specifically designed to accommodate hundreds — even thousands — of daily takeoffs and landings by birds traveling along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Over 50 species of migratory (迁徙的）water birds, some endangered, will stop and feed at the protected sanctuary before continuing their long journey along the flyway.

Located on a former landfill site, the 61-hectare (150-acre) airport is also open to human travelers. (Half a million visitors are expected annually.) However, instead of duty-free shopping, the main attraction for non-egg-laying creatures at Tianjin's newest airport will be a green-roofed education and research center, a series of raised “observation platforms” and a network of scenic walking and cycling paths and trails totaling over 4 miles.

The proposed Bird Airport will be a globally significant sanctuary for endangered migratory bird species, while providing new green lungs for the city of Tianjin,” Adrian McGregor of Australian landscape architecture firm McGregor Coxall explained of .the design. Frequently blanketed in smog so thick that it has shut down real airports, Tianjin is a city — China's fourth most populous — that would certainly benefit from a new pair of healthy green lungs.

    It was the men's figure skating final of the Winter Olympics when I was 16.I lay on our living room floor excitedly watching the battle between the Brains: American Brain Boitano facing Brian Orser in Canada. Both of them had been world champions. Both of them deserved to win. As a Northern Californian, I was for my fellow countryman. He also grew up in Northern California. We'd skated on the same ice. Brain performed successfully. The champion! I jumped in the air when his score went up.

    But what happened next is what I'll never forget. Brain sat in front of the camera, surrounded by a group of journalists. Brain was talking about his career and his medal, talking to the whole world. A terrible sinking feeling went through me. I could never be in the Olympics,

    I thought, I loved skating because I could express myself with my jumps and dances better than words.

    What if journalists asked me questions like they asked Brain? I'd freeze up like the ice beneath my skates! And yet, there was so much I would love to say, about my family and all the support they'd given me and about following my dream of being a skating champion.

    I worked very hard the next few years — on the ice and especially off. After journalists talked to me and although my heart pounded every time I spoke to them, I got to know them. And they got to know me. Slowly I learned that the best approach was simply to be myself, to be honest and gracious and do my best, just like on the ice, to answer their questions.

    So when my big moment came four years after Brain's, I was ready. Remember: when you do the thing you fear most, you put an end to fear.

    Psychology tells us that many people hate to take risks. But it is good for us to take risks, especially when the risk is to achieve a desired result. In that way, we become stronger and braver.

    Our human nature should be to take risks, but some people just sit and wish they didn't have the fear to move on. This is because they failed a few times in their lives. Please step out and don't let the past hold you back from living life to the fullest. Move forward and move on! In studying the psychology of taking risks, we find that human provides us with the desire to experiment and take chances.

    Risk taking is a great advantage that allowed our ancestors to become stronger and stronger day by day. By taking risks they fought off enemies and discovered new territories. This attitude has become a part of our modern culture. Riding a roller coaster is a common risk taking activity. Even each person seems to enjoy the risk although they have the understanding that it is dangerous. This psychological and biological connection creates an interesting connection between what is unsafe and what humans enjoy.

    Getting in a car each day is a risk. Getting out of bed is a risk, too. We need to take risks so that we can complete many things. Astronauts take risks when they get inside a rocket; however, the things they achieve are great. Businessmen take a risk when they buy parts of a company, however, without doing that, they could not make more money.

    We need to take risks so that we can gain something. It is impossible to move forward in life, earn money, enjoy a relationship, play a sport, or doing anything else without taking a risk. It is all part of the game. It's one of the most important parts of life.

    Welcome to the Miami Planetarium

    School Groups: $10.00 per person

    One free teacher admission per 10 students.

    Group rates apply to groups 15 or more.

    Click HERE to make a reservation online today!

    The Miami Planetarium (天文馆|) opened its doors to the public on November 4, 1966 and has entertained and educated children of all ages about astronomy and the wonders of the night sky ever since. The Planetarium houses a 65-foot diameter domed (圆顶状的) projection screen with 231 seats. At the heart of the Planetarium is a SPITZ “Space Transit Planetarium” star projector (放映机)， which is capable of accurately reproducing the stars and planets as seen from anywhere on Earth at any time during the year. Shows daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Unlike any other in South Florida, the Planetarium is a unique setting for bringing the stars and planets indoors in animated (动画) live star shows and music-filled laser light shows.

    The Weintraub Observatory (天文台) houses two powerful telescopes. Observatory hours are from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Look though the telescope to view the planets, the four moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn and deep sky objects such as galaxies, nebulate and double stars.

    Deposit (定金): A $75 deposit must be received 10 days prior to the visit date to guarantee your visit.

    Cancellation Policy: The museum requires 48 hours advance notice prior to any cancellation or other changes to a reservation. Without prior notification (通告) the original total will be expected upon arrival.

    Payment Policy: The balance of the admission fee is due upon arrival at the museum on your visit day.

    Upon Arrival: The leading teacher should check in at the box office with payment for the correct head count of students, and teachers. Visitors should remain on the bus until a museum interpreters show you around the museum.

Museum Etiquette (规矩): We ask that all groups remain together and orderly. Teachers are asked to help maintain order with their groups. We reserve the right to refuse service to any group or individual not obeying the museum policies.

    Bus Procedures: The museum will provide parking for buses in our parking lot. Upon arrival, bus drivers will be directed by the museum staff to the appropriate places to park. It is recommended that buses remain on the spots throughout the group's entire museum visit.

    For more information & reservations call: (305)646-4222.

    The faces of the four U. S. presidents on Mount Rushmore will likely last for centuries. But at a newly opened exhibit in Japan, you can catch them only for about eight months. This year, the annual sand sculpture event at the Sand Museum in Tottori, Japan, is focused on another country. This is the 10^th anniversary of the event. Artists came from 19 countries to shape sand into different sculptures that represent events in U. S. history and American landmarks.

    Tottori is a remote city in western Japan. In the past, not many tourists traveled to it. To attract more visitors, Tottori officials decided to use a natural resource: sand. They decided to create a sand museum that would house a series of sand sculptures based on different geographic areas of the world. The sand from each year's exhibition is used again the next year. The project has been a success. About 500,000 people visit the museum during the eight months. Some return year after year to see the new sculptures.

    The city is now a popular spot for sand sculpture artists too. Sculptors from around the world come to Tottori each spring, spending a few weeks working on their masterpieces. They use special tools to smooth the sandy surfaces, cut angles and details. They use only sand and water to create the huge sculptures, some of which tower over their creators.

    Originally, the artists built their creations outside. But the works lasted less than two months outdoors. So the museum built a permanent structure 10 house the artworks, which extended their life to eight months. Now many more tourists get to see the sculptures. Still, the fact that this art is not permanent is part of the appeal. The temporary sculptures reflect the Japanese value of appreciating the fleeting（稍纵即逝）nature of the world.

    Tottori is not the only Japanese town that shows temporary art like this. Sapporo, in northern Japan, hosts a similar exhibit in the winter, using snow instead of sand. Thai will be just about the time that the U. S. sand sculpture exhibition is taken apart, and the sand is saved for next year's show.

AI-generated content has recently won big in the literary world. Japanese author Rie Kudan won one of Japan's most famous literary awards, the Akutagawa Prize, with the help of ChatGPT in The Tokyo Tower of Sympathy. 

The book is set in future Japan, where AI has become an important part of people's lives. The story centers around an architect who creates a comfortable prison but struggles with a society that she sees as being overly sympathetic to criminals. 

Kudan admitted at a news conference that "around 5 percent of the book's text was taken directly from generative AI," reported kyodo News. She added that there is a scene in the book where an AI chatbot answers the main character's questions and she used AI-generated text in the responses given by AI in the story. The word-for-word content generated by AI was applauded by committee members as "practically flawless", said CNN. 

This is not the first time that Al-related works have won prizes. In October 2023, The Land of Machine Memorieswas awarded second prize at China's fifth youth popular science and science fiction competition. The fiction was fully created by AI with the prompts (提示) given by Shen Yang, a professor at Tsinghua University. Surprisingly, just one judge among the six of the competition realized that what they were reading was the product of a machine. 

So will literature in the future be all about AI? Debates are still ongoing on the matter. Japanese literary critic Akira Okawada told Tyodo News that "it is difficult for AI to create work that addresses ethical themes in depth". However, Chinese writer Luo Ping holds the positive view. "Improvements in technology will not cause human laziness in creating, but rather will only make them involved in more heated competition. With the help of technology, the starting point of human thinking will only grow higher," Luo told Hongxing News. 

"I think this is only the beginning for AI in creating literature," Fu Changyi, a member of Jiangsu Popular Science Writers Association, told online news Guancha. "We will wait and see how the future goes," he added.