Best Companies

Shine United (Madison, Wisconsin)

    In the past five years, this Wisconsin-based advertising agency has shared more than $500,000 in profits with its employees through the company's ShineShares program. The agency partnered with the University of Wisconsin's oncology department to develop the Ride, a biking event that benefits cancer research. Employees also get snacks every day, "Beer Thirty" on Thursdays, and Summer Fridays, a program that lets employees leave at noon.

GroundFloor Media (Denver, Colorado)

    The key for workers at this midsize public relations firm in Denver is that employees work anytime, anywhere. Headquarters are in a former warehouse downtown, near Coors Field. The offices are spread around the central space that doubles as a wet bar every Thursday when the company's "bear club" brings in a new brew.

Ergodyne (St.Paul, Minnesota)

    The St.Paul-based company has grown to operating out of a retired storehouse with plenty of natural light. Rules about dressing? "Wear something." Its purpose? To create cool, comfortable, and tough safety workwear for those who need it to get the job done. Ergodyne has around 50 employees, who enjoy hot dish cook-offs, tickets to sporting events, and at least one happy hour every quarter.

Southwest Michigan First (Kalamazoo, Michigan)

    It's family first at this Michigan economic development advising agency. CEO Ron Kitchens says that in the past year, the company has made a push to go green, initially started by the millennial employees who make up half the agency's workforce. A new staff position was created for the purpose of making sure every employee is able to balance working and cheering at their kids' sporting events or going fishing.

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    Guide to four of the most exciting new adventure trips for 2017:

    Sahara

    Attractions: International Expeditions   Length: 18 days   Price: $13,998

Details: Remember the movie Ishtar? Now you, too, can spend days wandering in the desert, just like warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman. Designed for rugged travelers, the camping expedition crosses1,500 miles of Niger's Sahara in four—wheel—drive vehicles.

    Departure Time: May 12     Information: 800-633-4731;  ietravel.com

    Across Patagonia: From the Andes to the Ocean

    Attractions: Boundless Journeys   Length: 10 days    Price: $8,995

    Details: The newest route across Patagonia starts high in the Argentine Andes and follows the Futaleufu River into Chile all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Travelers start by trekking along the river, changing to rafts before taking up kayaks for the final leg.

    Departure Time: March 5    Information: 800-941-8010; boundless, com.

Tribal(部落的)India

    Attractions: Myths and Mountains      Length: 17 days        Price: $17,530

    Details: For the travelers who have already visited the best-known India sites, this new trip visits a relatively unexplored state in central India ruled by the Vindhyachal Range and known for its wildlife, waterfalls, ancient sites and tribal culture.

    Departure Time(出发时间): Feb 17   Information: 800-670-6984; myths.com

    Dalmatian Coast Biking

    Attractions: Backroads            Length: 7 days           Price: $7,298

    Details: The company's first foray into Croatia follow scenic roadways across four islands between Dubrovnik and Spht.

    Departure Time: May 7    Information: 800-462-2848; backroads.com

Building your healthy diet

    Although some extreme diets may suggest something else, we all need a balance of protein ( 蛋白质), fat, carbohydrates ( 碳水化合物), fiber, vitamins, and minerals in our diets to keep a healthy body. You don't need to remove certain kinds of foods from your diet, but rather select the healthiest ones.

Protein

    Protein gives us the energy to get up and go — and keep going — while also supporting mood and cognitive function. Too much protein can be harmful to people with kidney  ( 肾 )  disease,  but  the  latest  research  suggests  that  many  of  us  need  more high-quality protein, especially as we grow up. That doesn't mean you have to eat more animal products — a variety of plant-based sources of protein each day can ensure your body gets all the essential protein it needs.

Fat

    Not all fat is the same. While bad fat can destroy your diet and increase your risk of certain diseases, good fat protects your brain and heart. In fact, healthy fat — such as omega-3s — is necessary to your physical and emotional health. Understanding how to include more healthy fat in your diet can help improve your mood and your well-being.

Fiber

    Eating foods high in dietary fiber (grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and beans) can help you stay regular and lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It can also improve your skin and even help you to lose weight. Depending on your age and gender, nutrition experts suggest you eat at least 21 to 38 grams of fiber each day for optimal (最 佳的) health. Unfortunately, most of us aren't eating even half that amount.

Calcium (钙)

    Your body uses calcium to build healthy bones and teeth, keep them strong, send messages through the nervous system, and regulate the heart's rhythm. Not getting enough calcium in your diet can also lead to anxiety, depression, and sleep difficulties. Whatever your age or gender (性别), it's necessary to include calcium-rich foods in your diet.

    I was selfish as a teenager. I usually spent my time thinking about myself and taking care of my own needs. I let my older brother do most of the work around the house until he left for college. I let my mom and dad worry about our bills and problems while I read books, played, and lost myself in my own imagination. This didn't change even when I went to college either. I studied hard but only to make my own life better. Even when I started to explore my faith, it was only to increase my own happiness.

    I married after graduation and decided to start a family. Of course, I had no idea what hard knocks reality had in store for my selfish soul. Soon I found myself unemployed, deeply in debt, and with a new baby on the way. l found out that life has little sympathy for spoiled people. In fact, all of the struggles I was going through were beating the selfishness slowly out of me.

    Still, I didn't give up on happiness. I knew that there must be a way to find it. I finally realized, however, that it had to include more than just my own needs, wants, and desires. The answer began to make itself clear one night shortly after my baby boy was born. I got a bottle and held him in my arms. As I was feeding him I looked down and saw his big, innocent, trusting eyes. I smiled and talked to him. Then he smiled and I could feel my heart growing, expanding with love. I felt such peace and joy. At that moment I had a hint of the truth: it is by growing our hearts with love that we find our happiness.

    Carolyn Arends wrote: "The more people you let into your heart, the bigger your heart gets. The more love you get, the more love you have to give. It just keeps growing." So, keep loving, keep living and keep caring. Keep growing your heart today, tomorrow, and always.

    Do you ever wonder why trees begin to bud (发芽) earlier in some cities? Scientists finally found the answer but it's not very pleasant. New science suggests a relationship between light pollution and the timing when trees produce buds, which signals the arrival of the spring season.

    Light pollution is defined by the Lighting Research Center as the unwanted consequence of outdoor lighting such as street lights. Excessive (过多的) man-made light at night results in disturbed natural cycles, and also prevents the observation of stars and planets at night. But its effect on the environment goes beyond that.

    By studying some trees, researchers found out that trees that are more exposed to artificial lighting at night bud up to 7.5 days earlier than those at the natural nighttime setting. And they found out that light had a more significant effect than temperature when the buds came out. The early budding may cause problems for insects, which feed on leaves, and the birds which then feed on them in turn. Professor Richard, who helped lead the research, explained that more than the budding of trees, the study implies the danger to the balance of the ecosystem. “At the moment, caterpillars (毛毛虫) are timed to hatch to make the most of the opportunities to feed on freshly budded leaves, and birds hatch in time to feed on the young caterpillar,” he said.

    Migratory (迁徙的) birds are also negatively affected by light pollution. The glare might confuse them and make them lose their flying sense. The phenomenon might explain why some birds accidentally knock into buildings.

    Such results stress the need to pursue studies that aim to measure the effect of light pollution. If the issue were left to continue, it is estimated that by 2100, spring would begin almost a full month earlier than it does today.

    I can proudly say that last year I broke the record for the oldest person in the world to ride a roller-coaster. I'm 105, but I feel younger. Even the doctor agrees I'm in good condition. I'm a bit deaf and my legs feel weak, but they are the only issue.

    I rode the Twistosaurus at Flamingo Land, which spins you round quite fast. I didn't choose to go on that. I'd have preferred a really fast one that went upside down. But I was told I couldn't ride something like that, because my blood pressure could drop and I might have some danger.

    I wasn't nervous — I don't get frightened of anything. I was securely fastened, so I knew I wouldn't fall out. The roller-coaster ride went on for three or four minutes, and it couldn't be a better experience. And I raised a lot of money for the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance fund, which was fantastic.

    People were saying I'd got a place in the Guinness World Records. Later, someone came to present me with the certificate. I had it on the wall in my living room, with another one that got a year earlier.

    My record-breaking ways really began a couple of years ago, with the ice-bucket challenge. It turned out that I was probably the oldest person in the world to do it, and the video was very popular. After that, I stared to think about what else I could do to raise money for different charities.

    I'm not sure if anyone admires all the fun I'm having. They just say I'm daft and that's about it. But I've had many good days and many exciting times. I've had a really good life. I don't think I've wasted any of it.