If you are taking vitamin supplements to reduce your risk of heart disease or cancer, a group of health experts want you to know that those vitamins may actually increase your risk of cancer.

    The US Preventive Services Task Force came to this conclusion after reviewing dozens of studies.

    Nearly half of adults in the US take at least one vitamin or mineral supplement on a regular basis. These pills are advertised as a way to promote general health. In some cases, manufacturers promote them as cancer fighters and heart protectors.

    Studies in animals and in laboratory dishes suggest that oxidative(氧化性的) stress contributes to diseases like cancer and heart disease. If so, there is a reason to believe that antioxidants—including beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, and E—could be useful as preventive medicines.

    But when the Task Force examined the medical evidence on vitamins, it found “inadequate(不充分的) evidence” to support the claims that vitamin and mineral supplements benefit healthy adults.

    “Cardiovascular(心血管的) disease and cancer have a significant health impact in America, and we all want to find ways to prevent these diseases,” Dr. Virginia Moyer, who heads the Task Force, said in a statement. But so far, she added, the medical evidence does not show that taking vitamins is helpful in this regard.

    However, the Task Force did find “adequate evidence” that people with a raised risk for lung cancer actually increase their risk further by taking beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.

    The Task Force recommendations of taking vitamins regularly apply to healthy adults aged 50 and older who don't have “special nutritional needs”. The advice does not apply to children, women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, people with chronic illnesses, or people who have to take supplements because they can't get all their essential nutrients from their diet.

    Imagine yourself on the other side of the college admissions desk. It's not so glorious, apparently. At the very least, you need to be good-natured. Joseph Connolly, a guidance counselor at New Oxford High School in the United States, wanted to know the things that annoy admissions officers the most. He sent out a request to members of the National Association for College Admissions Counselors and received hundreds of responses. Apparently, college admissions officers were waiting for an opportunity to unload their frustrations. The responses fall into several areas:

    Communication

    Silly or stupid email addresses; sending emails that use texting shorthand, such as "im w8ing 4 some1 2 call me."

    Leaving a message with just a first name and no telephone number. For example, "Hi, this is Suzie. Please call me back."

    Acting distracted during a one-on-one interview; nervous habits like foot-tapping or "um", "like" and "you know", which make a bad situation worse.

    Not responding to emails from the admissions office.

    Over-involved parents

    The very common comment from parents, "We are in the process of completing applications."

    Parents attending interviews, and worse yet, speaking for their children.

    Essays

    Not identifying which question they are responding to.

    Writing about something they were great at in the seventh grade but haven't pursued since then.

    In the far future, robots live on Earth as humans but the population of humans is smaller than a thousand. This is a story of a repair robot R-62.

    One day, a car came to the repair factory and a human stepped out of the car.

    "Wow, a human! I have never seen a real one," said R-62.

    "Humans are quite clever. They're able to do any action they want to. They're even able to harm other human beings or organize wars, which they have been doing a lot in the history. Also they don't even have to follow orders if they don't want to," said another robot T-59 quietly to R-62.

    "How terrible it is! And almost all robots seem afraid of him and don't look at him directly," said R-62.

    The human then sat down and asked if there had been any problems in the last 10 years and he only got a quick answer, "No, sir."

    Then suddenly, R-62 said loudly, "I have one question for you."

    The human said, "Yes", a bit unhappy for not getting "sir".

    "Why do human create so many robots?" asked R-62.

    Silence followed the question and he then said, "I don't need to answer questions from robots!" He then went into his car and drove away quickly.

    "I really don't understand why humans replaced (取代)themselves with robots," asked R-62.

"Because they thought that robots were more advanced(先进的) than humans. They created us to support themselves," answered T-59.

    "But there are so few humans on Earth. What they should do is take away the robots or at least make them stop doing the work which humans are supposed to do," said R-62.

    "I agree. But we can do nothing about it. And now we have to finish repairing this car," said T-59.

    "All right, let's continue."

    Frequently, we speak about people being “color-blind” but very few of us are. Even those who describe themselves as color-blind are normally just color lack. A strongly, color-blind person will still be able to tell 20 different colors, compared to the 100 or so that normal-sighted people see.

    Pingelap, a tiny island in the Pacific, is a beautiful spot but one that has a genetic trouble. It is known as Color-blind Island because so many people who live on this remote island can only see black and white.

    Not being able to see colors is bad enough. But one islander, Herrol, who's a fisherman, also struggles in full sunlight because all he sees is a painful burnt-out image. “I find it difficult to go outside in the sun,” he says, “because when it's sunny I cannot see to do my work.”

    But if being truly color-blind is rare, why is it that around 10% of the population of Pingelap live in a totally black and white world?

    Well, we know that in 1780 the population of Pingelap was all but wiped out by a tsunami (海啸). As few as 20 people survived, one of whom was the king. It's believed he had a genetic fault that causes colour-blindness and he passed this fault on to his many generations.

    There is one advantage. Herrol can see well, really well, in the dark. So when it gets dark, Herrol and his friends get in their boats and hunt flying fish. They hang up flaming torches and the fish are attracted to the flames. “This type of fishing is fun,” Herrol says, “especially if we catch plenty. So even though it's hard work we enjoy it.”

    Shukri Noor, 12, arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, one year ago. The sixth grader and her family are refugees (难民) from Kenya. "Since I didn't speak English, it was hard to communicate with others," Shukri said. "I had no friends."

    "Anchorage receives about 130 refugees every year. Most are from Somalia. The rest come from Iraq, Sudan, Cuba, Central America, and other places. Like Shukri, many of the kids feel alone. They're dealing with a lot of adjustments (适应)," Katie Bisson says. She manages to support for newcomer students in the Anchorage School District (ASD).

    At the Newcomers' Center, the ASD offers a special program for students who are new to the US. The kids spend part of each day at the center and part of the day at their neighborhood school. At the center, the students study English and other subjects.

    The main goal is to help newcomers reach the point where they attend their neighborhood schools all day. "Until then," Bisson says, "they have the support of being with kids like them, who are facing the same challenges (挑战)."

    Anchorage has a population of 300, 000.Among the ASD's 48, 000 students, 98 languages are spoken. According to Bisson, the ASD's newcomers program helps students understand a new culture so they can "start off on the right foot".

    The Newcomers' Center gives attention to middle school and high school students. For younger kids, the ASD offers a six-week summer program, which Shukri attended. "It helped me learn the language," she says. "I played sports with kids after class, and I played math games with my classmates. I feel very comfortable now."

    What to do if you find a sick, injured or abandoned wild animal.

    General tips

    Don't remove an animal from its natural habitat (the animal may not need assistance, and you could do more harm than good).

    Check the animal periodically for 24-48 hours.

    Keep your distance.

    Young animals/babies

    If you find an abandoned young animal, separated from adults or left on its own — keep cats and dogs away and limit noise.

    An adult may not return if it is noisy or if people are close by.

    Get help for a wild animal

    In Ontario, wildlife rehabilitators (复健员) are authorized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to provide temporary care to sick, injured and abandoned wildlife so it can be returned to the wild. Rehabilitators commit significant time and resources, and many seek donations to assist with their work.

    Every effort is made by wildlife rehabilitators to ensure wildlife in their care do not become tame (驯服).

    Find a wildlife rehabilitator

    To get help for a sick, injured or abandoned animal, you can contact: an authorized wildlife rehabilitator your local Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry district office

    Health risks

    If you come across sick or diseased wildlife and you suspect there is a public health risk (such as West Nile virus), contact your regional or local health unit immediately: Ontario Public Health Units

    Public safety

    If the animal is alive and there is a public safety issue, contact your local police department.