We thought we had it all—a beautiful house, three healthy children and one more on the way, two cars — and we loved it. We spent money like it was going out of style. Then, the market turned and my husband's job as a bigwig(大人物) at a construction company was gone. The company was closing down for ever.

    We both started looking for jobs right away, but there weren't any to be found. With each passing day our panic increased and we continued to work together in order to pull our family through. The more we pulled together, the closer we got. I felt feelings of great love for my husband that I hadn't felt in years.①

    That's why it was so hard for me to watch him blame himself for our present situation. I knew that he had no control over the economy, however, he constantly degraded (降低…身份)himself and his spirit sunk lower with each unkind comment. I continually asked him to stop, but he seemed to want to punish himself for not having a job.②

    Finally one afternoon I pulled him aside and said, “We have four healthy children. That's what's important. That makes you a rich man.”

    “But what if we lose the house? They'll hate me—you'll hate me.” he replied.

    I smiled at him and put my hands on both sides of his face to make him look me in the eye.③

    “If we live in a cardboard box on the empty place across the street I will be happy—as long as I have you.” I smiled again as I realized that I wasn't saying it. Somehow, in all the struggling together I had found that deep love for him that I had on the day we said “I do.”

    I could see relief wash through him as his shoulders and neck relaxed and the tension left his body. He held me close and we were able to talk and plan and dream together in a way that we hadn't in quite some time. ④

    We are still struggling financially, but I consider us well-off because we have something that money can't buy and no one can take away from us.

    Adults are happy to tell their children that crusts (面包皮) will give them curly hair, carrots will help them see in the dark, and spinach will make them strong. Even though adults know it's not totally true, they think it's good for their children's health, a study had found.

    In a study about 31 per cent of adults said they once told their children the curly hair tale, and 36 per cent said they'd been told the same thing by their mother or father. Among the over-50s, almost half said they'd been promised curly hair if they ate their crusts. A quarter of the 2,000 adults questioned in the study told their children carrots would help them see in the dark. This could be true to some extent because of the high levels of vitamin A and beta-carotene in root vegetables.

    Another favorite among parents is that milk will make one strong. A third surveyed said their parents told them this, and about 29 per cent said they told their children the same thing. But while there is plenty of evidence to suggest milk is good for people's health, there are also a lot of scientific papers saying it isn't.

    Thanks to Popeye, spinach is also fed to children, along with the idea that it will make them strong. While there is also some truth in this one, scientists now believe it is not the iron, but the inorganic nitrates (无机硝酸盐) that improve physical power.

    One in seven of the surveyed admitted telling their little ones that runner beans will make them run faster, which is nothing more than wordplay and has no basis in science. Almost one in five adults were subjected to the same tale in childhood.

    Just over one in 10 parents told their children green food would turn them into a superhero, and a quarter admitted hiding vegetables in meals.

    Lyndsay Jones, spokesman for Persil Washing Up Liquid, said, "It's clear that the most persuasive stories about food are passed on from generation to generation. Our research shows that the ideas continue, and we tell our kids the same things our parents told us, even if they're not always entirely true."

    Crusts may not make your hair curly, but there's plenty of research that says crusts contain more of the goodness than the rest of a loaf. Hopefully, as a result of our Cook with Kids promise, more parents will be encouraged to spend time with their children in the kitchen and teach them the truth about food.

    The female dog, who Leonard appropriately named Gobi, joined Leonard on the second day of the annual 4 Deserts Race Series and ran side-by-side with him for 77 miles. Leonard noticed Gobi running with 101 runners during the first day, but on the second day, Gobi was on the start line, looking up at him. "This was the first contact I had with her and as I ran off the line I noticed her by my side," he said. "I didn't speak much to her that day, but at the finish line she followed me into the tent and we slept next to each other. That was it then."

    Leonard shared his sleeping space, water and food with his small companion during the race. He even lent her a hand when needed. "I carried her across rivers that she could not cross on her own," he wrote on his Crowdfunder page.

    After the race, it was clear to Leonard that he had developed a special bond with the pup and started researching ways to get Gobi to the UK. He learned that it would take four months for Gobi to be medically checked and cleared for entry, all of which will cost $6,560 USD, an amount that has been surpassed(超过) due to a successful Crowdfunder campaign that raised $13,330 USD.

    Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer who helped shape the course of American literature. His life was full of tragedy and despair, but he managed some of the most influential American literature of the 19th century and continues to influence writers to this day.

    The early life of Edgar Allan Poe was quite miserable.Born in 1809, Poe was not yet three years old when his parents died.Adopted by a wealthy family,he got into trouble at school.He  entered the United States Military Academy at West Point,but he dropped out without graduating. His misery continued to his adult life.Later,because of a failed marriage, he suffered from mental illness. He was so upset about real life that he turned to writing.Expressing himself in an unreal and imaginary world was his only comfort.

    The tragedies in Poe's life influenced the tone,style and contents of his writing.His stories usually include death,which help build his reputation as a master of"dark"literature.In his The

    Tell-Tale Heart, the main character goes crazy and kills his roommate while in The Black Cat, the narrator kills his cat in a fit of madness.

    Poe died at the age of 40 in 1849.His life was tragic and short,but his legacy(遗产) is enormous.Poe is credited with creating crime fiction,and many say he contributed greatly to the appearance of science fiction.Fascinated by the scientific theories and new inventions of his time, he wrote about imaginary societies in the future.Writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle,the author of Sherlock Holmes,regarded Poe as the father of detective fiction. Jules Verne, a French writer who helped popularize science fiction,said Poe's work had a direct influence on the stories he wrote.

    More than great drinks, great rewards

    Enjoy all the benefits and more with your membership to our Loyalty Program! Whenever you pay with your membership account, you'll earn a Star.

    Collect more Stars, earn more rewards.

    Three ways to join us

    Buy a Starbucks Card handy to create an account.

    Track your Stars online, and we'll send an email when you've earned a reward.

    You can also join from your phone.

    Download the Starbucks' App.

    One of the most exciting benefits of being a member is using our mobile app to: pay for purchases; view your Stars and rewards; access iTunes' Pick of the Week; see current offers.

    Or you can join with specially marked coffee purchased at the grocery store.

    Enter your Starcode (limit 2 per day).

    Look for the Starcode symbol on specially marked Starbucks' products where you buy groceries.

    Three levels with increasingly greater rewards

    To reach each level in our Loyalty Program, you need to collect more Stars. ( Remember, to earn a Star you must pay with a registered Starbucks Card. )

    Welcome level

    To earn your first rewards, just register a Starbucks Card.

    Birthday drink or treat on us; birthday coupon (优惠券) for 15% off a purchase at StarbucksStore.com.

    Green level

    Collect 5 Stars within 12 months and you'll be in the Green level.

    What is included in the Welcome level plus

    Free in-store refills (续杯) on hot or iced brewed coffee or tea

    Gold level

    Collect 30 Stars within 12 months and you're at the Gold level.

    What is included in the Green level plus

    A free food or drink item after another 12 Stars earned

    Personalized Gold Card

    Amazing Movies

    Are you looking for some movies? You've landed on the right place. Let's take a look at the list I've collected.