While it's always a good time to visit Disneyland, there are times during the year that are better than others. Holidays, school schedules and yearly passholders greatly affect Disneyland's schedule. For example, Disneyland has a large number of locals. Many of those locals are yearly passholders, who think of the fantasy amusement park as their second home. They pop in for a few hours here or there — maybe on a weekday, or on a spring or fall Sunday morning before heading to the beach.

    Since the Happiest Place on Earth can be also one of the Busiest Places on Earth, it's helpful to have some tips in play when you hit the park. Here, we're outlining the best times to visit Disneyland in 2018.

    Weekdays in January (minus the week of New Year's Day)

    Weekdays in February (minus the days around President's Day)

    The first few days in March (until March 9, 2018)

    Weekdays in the second half of April 2018

    Weekdays in May

    The last two weeks of August

    The first half of September

    Mondays through Thursdays in November (minus the week of Thanksgiving)

    Mondays through Thursday during the first half of December

    If you're planning a visit, but don't see your particular dates here, click the comments below. We will be happy to provide answers. And our Disneyland Crowd Calendar is also available on line. It is a helpful tool to help you get an idea of expected crowds in advance.

    Emoji might not be your first choice of communication in a disaster, but researchers feel they could make a difference during emergencies, where every second counts. Now, the Emoji-quake campaign is lobbying for an earthquake emoji to be added to the Unicode set — the standard group of icons available on digital devices worldwide. The campaign aims to find an earthquake-appropriate design to be submitted to Unicode.

    "Approximately up to one third of the world's population are exposed to earthquakes," explains University of Southampton seismologist (地震学家) Dr. Stephen Hicks, a founder of the campaign. "So we really want to be able to communicate to all of those regions, all of those different languages, and an emoji is an amazing way of doing that."

    Unlike many other weather and climate related events, where longer warning times or visible signs are available, earthquakes move incredibly quickly and are difficult  to measure while they are still occurring. Populations in areas like Japan and Mexico are dependent on earthquake early warning technology, which issues an alert on digital devices and broadcast media. "You may have seconds to get under a table or to protect yourself," explains Dr. Hicks. "That can be life saving in many cases. Naturally you don't want too much wording in the warning message."

    Pictographs (象形文字) and other visuals like emoji have a track record of being faster and easier to understand than written information. Dr. Sara McBride, a communications specialist, who is also part of the campaign, told BBC News, "Emoji can cross the boundaries of written languages, helping communicate valuable information to people who may struggle to read a certain language."

    The potential usefulness of emoji in emergencies could extend well beyond earthquakes. A team of designers also came up with emerji—an entire set of emoji dedicated to climate and environmental events.

    Here are some recommendations for tourists to choose from.

    Banff, Canada

    Banff, located in the Rockies, has a view of tall mountains, deep valleys and lakes, making it the first town to become part of the country's national parks. Tourists can enjoy its beauty by hiking, horse riding and boat trips. Banff was founded in 1883 while a railroad was in construction. It was the water springs that drew the engineers' attention to the place as a settlement. With such a fantastic view, it's no surprise that Banff hosts a number of cultural festivals.

    Lisbon, Portugal

    Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, with the warmest winters of any major European city.

    Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The former was built in the 16^th century as a symbol of Portugal's Extraordinary Age and the latter is one of the greatest examples of the Portuguese late-Gothic style of architecture. The Lisbon Oceanaium is among Europe's finest aquariums. The Museum Calouste Gulbenkian is among the best museums in Europe containing priceless artworks covering 4000 years from ancient Egyptian times to the late 20^th century.

    Portland, US

    Portland is frequently recognized as one of the world's most environmentally-friendly cities because of its well-built pavements, large community of cyclists and convenient public transportation. Us climate is ideal for growing roses and it's called the “City of Roses”. Besides, the seaport is also known as a city of beer: it has the largest number of beer breweries（啤酒厂）of any city in the world. Today's Portland is better known for its music. It's called “the capital of karaoke” and “one of the most exciting music scenes” in the US.

    Bordeaux, France

    Bordeaux attracts tourists with its rich cultural heritage, especially its wealth of architectural treasures. Besides the Cathedral of Saint Andrew dating back to 12^th century, the Basilica of Saint Michael is another one of the city's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It took 200 years to build from 14^th to 16^th centuries. Other significant buildings include the Grand Theater built in 1780 in the new Classical style and the Stone Bridge built in 1821.

    The STAR Eco Station is an environmental science museum, a wildlife rescue center, and a shelter for endangered and illegally-traded foreign animals confiscated (没收) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It carries out the mission "Preservation through Education "by educating visitors about the preservation of the environment and the inter-dependence of all living things.

    Field trips

    STAR Eco Station hosts field trips for schools and camps throughout Southern California. Each field trip lasts two hours, consisting of a one-hour gathering and a one-hour tour of the facility, with lessons associated with California State Science Standards.

    Throughout the field trip, students learn about the latest developments in environmental protection and the ways in which wildlife interacts with various ecosystems. The students also receive an up-close and hands-on experience with our rescued foreign wildlife. The tour includes different environmental exhibits that showcase the ways students can help protect animals in the wild.

    Field trips are offered on weekdays only, from 10 a. m.-12 p. m. or 12 p. m.-2 p. m. The rate is $6 per visitor, both child and adult, with a $120 minimum. We offer one free adult per 10 children for groups of 40 or more. Maximum capacity is 120 people per field trip.

    Public tours

    Guided tours of the STAR Eco Station introduce visitors to over two hundred rescued foreign wildlife. Each tour is led by an Eco Station staff member, and features fun animal facts, hands-on animal encounters, surprising rescue stories, environmental exhibits, and original approaches to going green. Visitors may only see the animals on a guided tour, for both your safety and the safety of our animals.

    The guided tour lasts approximately 45-60 minutes. Visitors are served on a first-come, first-served basis. No reservations are required. However, tours may sell out. We suggest larger groups schedule a private tour.

Note:

    Our regular public tours times are subject to change without notice・ Please call in advance for the most up-to-date information

    The year of 2017 marked the 100th birthday of the honoring Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei.

    From museums to business headquarters, Pei had designed many notable buildings around the world throughout his long professional career. According to the organizers of ''Rethinking Pei: A Centenary Symposium (百年纪念座谈会)" held that year, Pei remained one of the most celebrated architects of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

    The Hong Kong Bank of China Tower is one of his most famous works in Asia. As the bank itself also celebrated its centenary in 2017, it's worth examining the building's historical and architectural background to gain a deeper understanding of the architect who changed Hong Kong's skyline forever.

    The Bank of China Tower (BOC Tower) was completed in 1989, a year which the "New York Times" called, the year of I.M. Pei." For it was in this same year that Pei also completed the glass pyramid of the Louvre Museum in Paris, the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, the Creative Artist Agency Headquarters in Los Angeles, and other marvellous architectures all around the world.

    Pei was commissioned (委托)in 1982 by the Beijing-based Bank of China to design it shead quarters in Hong Kong, but construction did not start until 1985.

    There were many reasons for the delay. One of the biggest was the huge challenges posed by the location. The land parcel had been the address of a Victorian building which served as a prison during Japanese occupation of Hong Kong between 1941 and 1945. This terrible heritage might be one of the reasons why it was dismantled in 1982.

    For I.M. Pei, the challenge of the site was not its past, but its present: the relatively small land parcel was surrounded on three sides by elevated roadways serving high-speed heavy traffic, meaning there was no possible public pedestrian access. Then there was its awkward trapezoidal (梯形)shape and the fact that the site also had a deep north-south height difference.

    Another challenge was the unavoidable comparison of the BOC Tower to the neighboring Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters(HSBC), which was also under construction. A spectacular building generously funded, its architect Norman Foster was simply told to create "the best bank building in the world." At that time it was also the world's most expensive building, costing $668 million. The Bank of China Tower's budget was approximately one fifth of the budget allowed by HSBC.

    The Hong Kong government had promised HSBC that no tall buildings would ever be built in front of its headquarters. Besides, in between the site of the Bank of China and the harbor, there were already a few buildings over 70 meters tall blocking views.

    Recognizing that going tall was the only way to create a landmark at this site with his budget, Pei came up with an architectural tower design that was simple, expressive, innovative, and upon its completion, the tallest building outside of America and the fourth tallest in the world.

    After the Bank of China officially moved into the tower in 1991, noted architect and critic Peter Blake visited the building and declared it to be "probably the most innovative skyscraper structure built anywhere to date."

    Now 30 years after the building^'s construction, the Bank of China Tower continues to offer valuable lessons of architectural and structural creativity under the most demanding conditions. Most importantly, the tower has become one of the most important cultural icons for the city of Hong Kong.

    Maggie had never experienced an earthquake before, only prepared for it. As long as she could remember, preparing for an earthquake was routine (常规的) at school. Her family as well had made plans in the event of a natural disaster. Earthquakes are so much more common on the West Coast of the United States.

    Today Maggie was home alone. Maggie knew her mom would be driving home on the busy freeway, thinking about preparing supper for Maggie's dad. Maggie's dad would arrive at the airport. He was coming home from a two-week business trip.

    Maggie arrived home from school at the regular time. She was taking some biscuits from the kitchen cupboard, when she felt it. First just a tremor (微震), then the violent shaking. Maggie quickly ran under the large, wooden table in the dining room. The sounds of breaking glass and the crashing (坠落声) of many things were frightening. But the table remained undamaged, and Maggie hid herself in fear.

    After what seemed like a century the earthquake appeared to be over. Maggie could hear the sound of water rushing below her in the basement. The smell of natural gas was present in the air. Maggie knew where the main water valve (阀门) was located. Dad had shown her where it was and how to turn it off. Slowly and carefully she came out from under the table. The once tidy home was now almost unrecognizable. As Maggie reached the open basement door she could see the steps were still in good condition. She carefully made her way down into the dark basement. While still on the steps she felt the water rising and rising. Suddenly Maggie felt a lot of pain as a large ceiling beam (天花板梁) hit her head and shoulder. She fell onto some storage boxes…