Traveling by bicycle is a very popular means of transportation throughout China. China has a huge population, and it is said that there is at least one bicycle for every two people within the country. Of course, many people in China ride bicycles purely for sport or exercise, but it's also a much more commonly accepted means of everyday transportation, as compared to countries such as the United States.

    If you are living for a long period of time in China, chances are you will want to purchase your own bicycle so that you can use it whenever you want for transportation or just for the enjoyment of riding. Even if you don't use a bicycle for everyday transportation, owning one can be a great way of enjoying some of the trails in the rural areas, just for fun. However, if you are just visiting China, renting a bicycle can be a more convenient choice.

    It is important to choose the correct bicycle for your use. You'll find that in China, the one-speed style of bicycle is extremely popular. These bicycles are great if you want to ride around in the city to see the sights. They are quite comfortable and easy to ride. You can often rent a bicycle for an entire day for around $15.

    However, if you wish to ride on some of the rural paths, a mountain bike style would be a better choice. They are great for different kinds of road surfaces, providing for a safer ride. If you are planning to have a desire to tour and still be able to carry packages with you, then a touring bike would be the best choice. These are generally the most expensive to rent, but are extremely handy for carrying packages and even some of your luggage along with you.

    Chicago is becoming one of the country's most wonderful cities to film television. When this wonderful place is properly represented in a film, I cannot help but love it! Here are some movies that feature this great city.

    Southside With You

    Neighborhood: The whole South Side

    Director: Richard Tanne

    Starring: Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers

    Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

    Released: 2016

    Genre（类型）: Biography, Drama, History and Romance

    High Fidelity

    Neighborhood: Wicker Park

    Director: Stephen Frears

    Starring: John Cusack, Jack Black and Todd Louiso

    Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

    Released: 2000

    Genre（类型）: Comedy, Drama, Music and Romance

    Mean Girls

    Neighborhood: This one is famous since it takes place in Evanston and some other parts of the North Shore.

    Director: Mark Waters

    Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried

    Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

    Released: 2004

    Genre: Comedy

    Hoop Dreams

    Neighborhood: Cabrini-Green, West Garfield Park and Westchester, IL

    Director: Steve James

    Starring: William Gates and Arthur Agee

    Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

    Released: 1994

    Genre: Documentary, Drama and Sports

    With smart technology increasingly influencing all aspects of our lives, it is only a matter of time before someone invents “smart” shoes—ones that can be made based on personal needs. Called “ShiftWear”, the sneakers are the brainchild of a team of businessmen, and engineers led by New York-based designer David Coel.

    The adaptable shoes can be customized by using a smart phone app. Shoe owners will have the option of selecting a design from a variety of HD pattern by famous artists or creating one themselves. The company's founders imagine a marketplace where artists can not only share but also sell their designs to others. Despite being electronic, the designs are clearly visible even in the brightest sunlight. What's even cooler is that by switching on a backlight, users can even show off their designs in the dark!

    According to Coel, the sneakers will keep their charge “forever” if only images are displayed. Though they will need periodic recharging, active users have nothing to worry about. That's because the shoes are equipped with special walk-n-charge technology that powers the shoes—with every step. Inactive users also have options of charging the sneakers without using wires.

    The bottom part of the shoes is covered with Kevler fibers, a kind of strong material, reducing normal wear and tear. Even better? They are completely waterproof (not let water through) and can even be thrown into an ordinary laundry machine for a quick wash! The company predicts that the shoes will range the price from $150 to $1000 depending on the size of the E-panels where the designs are displayed.

    This is not the first time that electronics and shoes have combined. Lithuania-based iShuh Technology has come up with a similar concept that connects e-reader panels to a smart phone app via the Bluetooth. Whether these smart shoes become as popular as our smart devices remains to be seen, though they surely are attractive.

    Thirteen hours later we just arrived in Paris after many dramas (戏剧性事件).

    I rented a car, filled it up and moved ahead to Bristol airport that morning. We set off at 8:00 a.m. and all was going well until we got to the turn for Bristol airport. The airport sign (指示牌) suggested we went out from the M5, but Suri asked me to continue going straight ahead, so against my better judgment, I let the airport turn pass us by.

    Next we left for South Wales, the car was back and we had a plane to Paris to catch in a couple of hours. It was about then that I realized we were heading for Wales on a six­road highway. I felt very bad. We turned off the highway and turned into a country road, as directed by Suri and there was a sign saying that the road to the airport was closed. I saw a lady watering her garden and asked her about the best way to the airport. She said we were at least 30 minutes from the airport, but she couldn't help us with the right directions (方向).

    I was so worried as we really were out in the country without any guidance. All I could think of was to turn Suri off and follow the signs myself.

    Then finally after many butterflies in the stomach and feeling like my heart was going to burst (爆裂) out of my chest, there was a proper green sign to the airport and we followed it with so much joy.

    Driving from the airport into Paris was a shock, Lots of homeless people were sleeping under the highways with rubbish everywhere.

Anyway we're now in Paris. The experience of getting lost is now almost laughable. In another 24 hours will be my 50th birthday. I have a big party planned for myself in Paris.

    I can't remember the first time one of my children told me, "I hate you." I can, however, tell you that it still happens occasionally, but it doesn't bother me. As their father, I often say things that are unpopular. If they hate me once in a while, I know I'm doing a good job.

    There are three other words that I won't allow in my house, however. Last week, I was watching my older son play with a paper airplane. After he accidentally threw it into a wall and it came apart, his eyes welled up with tears.

    "I hate myself," he said. It wasn't the first time he'd said it, and I was concerned that he'd started to actually believe it.

    I knelt down next to him and made him look into my eyes. I told him that I never wanted to hear those words again, and that he needed to respect himself.

    The difference between your kid telling you they hate you and them saying they hate themselves is that, five minutes later, they've already forgotten they "hate you". Self-hate is much more potentially poisonous and for young people, it can linger into the rest of their life.

    Kids who start to believe they hate themselves sometimes struggle to form new friendships. As teenagers, they avoid the chance to connect with a potential love interest, because they assume they'll be rejected. And as adults, they might choose not to apply for the dream job because they assume it won't work out.

    I know this is true, because I didn't have a high opinion of myself as a child. I found myself struggling in many areas, and I'd hate to see my children suffer the same fate.

    Sometimes, words are just words. But some words can make the kind of impact I'd very much like to avoid for my children. I don't fear strong language; I fear language that makes us weak.

It's 4:30 in the morning. Behind a forest, the sun begins to lighten the sky with bright and warm tones. The national bird of Honduras, scarlet macaws （红金刚鹦鹉）, which have colorful feathers, groom （理毛） each other as they wait for Anayda Pantin Lopez who has devoted the last 12 years to protecting them.

Pantin and her husband, Santiago Lacuth Montoya, live in a small village called Mabita, where most of its villagers protect these birds and the rest of the wildlife surrounding them. Twice a day, Pantin prepares food for 40 to 60 scarlet macaws that come to her village for feedings. She also cares for several other birds at a rescue center, or chicks that fall down from their nests, until they can fly freely.

Years ago, Lacuth supported the family by selling macaw eggs and chicks as pets — not realizing it would have a detrimental impact on the bird population. At that time, the hunting and sale of wild species was legal and thousands of scarlet macaws disappeared.

However, when Lacuth learned the number of scarlet macaws was sharply decreasing, he decided to become a guardian of them. He tried to convince other hunters to follow in his footsteps. Eventually, other Mabita residents joined Lacuth and Pantin's efforts. "For many years the scarlet macaws helped me provide for my family. Now it was my turn to help them," Lacuth said.

"The Mabita project is very impressive because of the commitment of Pantin and Lacuth and the entire community," says LoraKim Joyner. founder of One Earth Conservation. In 2014, additional funds came from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and England's Darwin Foundation stepped in to support the conservation and community engagement efforts.

Since the project began, the scarlet macaw population has grown from 500 to more than 800. "Now we have seen that the number of these birds has increased," said Pantin. "But that does not change our goal, which is to continue caring for them so that our children and grandchildren can have the opportunity to enjoy everything that nature gives us."