All Alice Waters wanted was bread, jam and lettuce that tasted real, with a cup of good coffee or a glass of wine on the side. The founder of Chez Panisse, the California restaurant famous for launching the farm-to-table movement, certainly didn't plan to start a revolution.

    Returning to the United States in 1965 after studying in France, Waters missed the delicious food and community of the little cafes where she spent most of her time. “The United States was a land of frozen food, so eating even just fresh bread and jam was an extremely pleasant surprise to me,” says Waters. “And spending time in restaurants with friends… it was very important to me.”

    One day, an idea struck Waters that maybe her cooking and sense of community could help her make some money. Believing they could do anything, she and a group of friends raised money, found a house in Berkeley and opened a little restaurant called Chez Panisse in 1971.

    Most ingredients Waters could find were from industrial farms. They tasted totally different from the ones her parents planted during World War II and the ones she had enjoyed in France. Thus she began a search for suppliers who would grow good ingredients.

    “I was looking for taste. And I couldn't find taste until I met the local organic farmers who were growing vegetables for flavor,” Waters recalls. “I realized that I would be dependent on them for the success of my restaurant.”

At first, the finances were a disaster. If any of the ingredients didn't taste right, chefs threw them out. Staff had to taste the wine to sell it. That meant thousands of dollars of wine disappeared on a regular basis. People who offered ingredients were given meals in trade.

    But Chez Panisse had lines out of the front door from the very first night. Waters' sense of taste and her dedication to making the best food possible kept people coming back. It didn't take long for Chez Panisse to catch the attention of foodies (“吃货”). Throughout its existence, the restaurant has earned the highest praise of many critics. It has sometimes been called the best restaurant in America.

    Now 72, Waters is not content with staying at home and cooking in her kitchen. Last September, she flew to Washington D. C., to meet members of Congress to discuss the benefits of free lunch for all schoolchildren.

    Many people have called Waters unrealistic over the course of her 45-year fight for good food. Nevertheless, her single-mindedness ended up sparking a farm-to-table movement. “She didn't start Chez Panisse to change the world,” said Marion Nestle, a New York University nutrition professor. “But what she did was absolutely revolutionary. She's a force and deserves every bit of recognition that comes her way.”

    If you want to travel from Xi'an to Chengdu by train, it will take about 16 hours. But starting this month, the new Xi'an-Chengdu high-speed railway will shorten this travel time to three hours.

    The 643-kilometer line is China's first high-speed railway to run through the Qinling Mountains, which form a natural boundary (分界线) between China's north and south. With a speed of 250 km per hour, it's also the first mountain-heavy train line to provide a 4G network. Along the way, the train passes through two areas for rare (稀有) wild animals — one for pandas and the other for crested ibises (朱鹮).

    To reduce the railway's influence on the animals, workers and experts have designed and built the railway to be environmentally friendly. There were 345 wild pandas living in the Qinling Mountains. China currently has 1,864 wild pandas in total, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

    To avoid disturbing the pandas, the railway was designed to run through tunnels (隧道) within the area. Protective shields (防护屏) are placed near the entrance of each tunnel to stop animals from going in.

    To protect the thousands of crested ibises that fly near one part of the railway, protective nets have been set up to make sure the birds will not fly into a train.

    The nets are about 32 km long and 4 meters high. Experts tested different shapes and materials for building the nets before making their final choice.

Things to Do in Atlanta

    Need a run-down of the top things to do this weekend? Here is what's on in Atlanta.

    In the Mood

    Date: May 22 through May 26, 2018

    Time: 2:00 pm—5:30

    Phone: 770-916-2800

    If you love the music of the 1940s, then here's what you need to do this Sunday. Go to a 1940s musical show at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The music of Glenn Millet has a distinctive sound. No need to ask me twice. Are you "In the Mood"?

    Party With the Penguins(企鹅)

    Date: May 20 through May 25, 2018

    Time: 11:30 am—2:00 pm

    Phone: 404-581-4000

    Celebrate Penguin Awareness Day at Georgia Aquarium's annual Party with the Penguins. The party will feature fun activities, including the chance to see an African penguin up close and team how to help protect this in-danger species.

    Callanwolde Arts Festival

    Date: May 21 to May 22, 2018

    Time: 10:30am—5:30pm

    Phone: 404-872-5338

    Located at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, this event is a festival for artists and by artists, letting them have a voice in the creation and operations of the festival. If you are of the artistic persuasion or enjoy a creative scene, don't miss out.

    Foollio's Hoodilly Storytime

    Date: May 21 through May 27, 2018

    Time: 1:00 pm—4:30 pm

    Phone: 404-523-3141

    We make up a brand-new story every week. Come and enjoy a new story each tithe at Dad's Garage Theatre. Little ones will get to help provide key parts of the story and even add in their own jokes. Interactive and out-of-the-ordinary fun for kids and parents!

    Almost every night for more than 10 years, Kirk Alexander, 48, ordered a late dinner from his local restaurant Domino's Pizza. But for the past two weeks, he hasn't called for even once.

    "A few of my staff mentioned that we hadn't seen his order in a while. Then I found that it had been 12 days since he last ordered, which is not like him," Domino's general manager Sarah Fuller said, feeling she could no longer ignore Kirk's recent absence.

    Sarah has known Kirk since 2009 when she started working at the Domino's Pizza as a delivery driver (送餐员) and often made the short trip to Kirk's home about six minutes away. She knew Kirk worked from home, and neighbors said he seldom left. She also knew that he suffered some health problems in the past. Something, Sarah worried, was wrong.

    Around 1 a. m. on May 8, Sarah sent delivery driver Sean Hamblen to visit Kirk's home. Sean arrived at Kirk's home and knocked on the front door several times. There was no answer. He later noticed that the lights and the TV in the home were on. When he called Kirk's phone, it went straight to voice mail.

    Sean drove back to the restaurant to tell Sarah and they decided to call 911. Soon, officers arrived at Kirk's home. So did Sarah and Sean. They heard a man calling for help from inside. Officers broke down the door and found Kirk on the floor in need of medical attention at once after suffering from a heart attack (心脏病发作). One day later, they might have been too late.

    So is keeping an eye on regular customers (老顾客) part of Domino's business plan? Not really. "Kirk is part of our family here and we feel like we need to do something." Sarah said.

Cultural Diversity Week 2019 Mini Grants (拨款) Guideline

    To celebrate Cultural Diversity Week (CDW) 2019 in March, Banyule City Council (Australia) is offering mini grants of up to $300 for people to learn more about Victoria's cultural and religious diversity.

    Who can apply?

    Clubs, community groups and schools that are located within Banyule can apply for the mini grant.

    What can the grant be used for?

    1) Supporting your group, club or school to attend a cultural museum.

    2) Hosting your own event and inviting a guest speaker or cultural performer.

    Museum visits

    Melbourne has a number of fantastic museums that display different cultures. A list of suggested cultural museums is included in this document. But you can also visit other museums.

    Hosting your own event

    The grant can be used to invite a musician, dancer or guest speaker from the Victorian multicultural community to perform at your event. For a list of speakers and performers, visit www.multicultural.vic.gov.au.

    To apply for the grant

    To apply for the grant visit banyule.smartygrants.com.au. Applications must be sent by 27 January 2019. You will need to provide the following information:

    1) Tell us in 100 words or less how your group would benefit from the cultural education experience.

    2) Tell us the museum you plan to attend or which cultural performer or guest speaker you will invite.

    3) Provide a budget of your activity and the number of people who will take part.

    4) If possible, tell us when the event or museum visit will be held.

    We encourage applications from groups that intend to hold their event or museum visit during Cultural Diversity Week March 2019. If this is not possible, at the latest, the event or museum visit must occur before the end of April 2019.

    If you have any questions please contact the Community and Social Planning team on 9490 4222. You will be informed (通知) of the result of your application by 17 February 2019.