Grandparents Answer a Call

    As a third generation native of Brownsville, Texas, Mildred Garza never planned to move away. Even when her daughter and son asked her to move to San Antonio to help with their children, she politely refused. Only after a year of friendly discussion did Ms. Garza finally say yes. That was four years ago. Today all three generations regard the move as a success, giving them a closer relationship than they would have had in separate cities.

    No statistics(数据) show the number of grandparents like Garza who are moving closer to adult children and grandchildren. Yet there are evidence showing that the trend(趋势) is growing. Even President Obama's mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, has agreed to leave Chicago and move into the White House to help care for her granddaughters. According to a study by grandparents. com, 83% of the people say Mrs. Robinson's decision will influence grandparents in the American family. Two-thirds believe more families will follow the example of Obama's family.

    “In the 1960s we were all a little wild and couldn't wait to get away from home far enough or fast enough to prove we could do it on our own,” says Christine Crosby, publisher of Grand, a magazine for grandparents. “We now realize how important family is and how important it is to be near them, especially when you're raising children.”

    Moving is not for everyone. Almost every grandparent wants to be with his or her grandchildren and is willing to make sacrifices(奉献), but sometimes it is wiser to say no and visit frequently instead. Having your grandchildren far away is hard, especially knowing your adult child is struggling, but giving up the life you know may be harder.

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    Coca-Cola has created a publicity stunt (作秀) in Singapore — a vending machine (自动售货机) which gives out free cans of Coke in return for (作为对…回报) hugs. The whacky idea is part of the company's Open Haziness campaign (运动) designed to attract young people in Singapore.

    Students at the National University of Singapore were surprised to find that the soft drinks company had placed the machine in the schoolyard. But instead of the drinks brand's logo (标志), the words “Hug Me” are written across its red-and-white logo. Instead of paying money, customers have to hug the drinks machine to receive a free can of Coke.

    Public displays of affection are uncommon and have long been discouraged in Singapore, but are on the rise among young people. The move is part of a campaign created by advertising firm Ogilvy & Mather, intended to let the youth to see the brand as a non-threatening (无威胁的) friend.

    Leonardo O'Grady, leader of the campaign, said, “Happiness is contagious (传染的). The Coca-Cola Hug Machine is a single idea to spread some happiness. We want to spread happiness in an unexpected, creative way to attract not only the people present, but the audience at large.”

    He hopes that it will encourage consumers to bring positivity, optimism (乐观) and fun into their lives and to open a Coke, sharing a little happiness.

    The machines haw been such a success that there are plans to roll them out across Asia. Mr. O'Grady added, “The reaction was amazing — at one point we had four to five people hugging the machine at the same time as well as each other! In fact, there was a long line of people looking to give hugs.”

    There exist cruel wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, so it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us go through difficult times in out lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling depressed, as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.

    How would you feel if you could not joke around with wife, husband, child, co-worker, neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is a common manner to speak to others that are around you.

    I know of a few people that don't have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their faces. They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am, busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?

    Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor, we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness and bring a little light into our lives.

    Therefore, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.

    According to Guglielmo Cavallo and Roger Chartier, reading aloud was a common practice in the ancient world, the Middle Ages, and as late as the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Readers were “listeners attentive to a reading voice,” and “the text addressed to the ear as much as to the eye.” The significance of reading aloud continued well into the nineteenth century.

    Using Charles Dickens's nineteenth century as a point of departure, it would be useful to look at the familial and social uses of reading aloud and reflect on the functional change of the practice. Dickens habitually read his work to a domestic audience or friends. In his later years he also read to a broader public crowd. Chapters of reading aloud also abound in Dickens's own literary works. More importantly, he took into consideration the Victorian practice when composing his prose, so much so that his writing is meant to be heard, not only read on the page.

    Performing a literary text orally in a Victorian family is well documented. Apart from promoting a pleasant family relationship, reading aloud was also a means of protecting young people from the danger of solitary（孤独的）reading. Reading aloud was a tool for parental guidance. By means of reading aloud, parents could also introduce literature to their children, and as such the practice combined leisure and more serious purposes such as religious cultivation in the youths. Within the family, it was commonplace for the father to read aloud. Dickens read to his children: one of his surviving and often-reprinted photographs features him posing on a chair, reading to his two daughters.

    Reading aloud in the nineteenth century was as much a class phenomenon as a family affair, which points to a widespread belief that Victorian readership primarily meant a middle-class readership. Those who fell outside this group tended to be overlooked by Victorian publishers. Despite this, Dickens, with his publishers Chapman and Hall, managed to distribute literary reading materials to people from different social classes by reducing the price of novels. This was also made possible with the technological and mechanical advances in printing and the spread of railway networks at the time.

    Since the literacy level of this section of the population was still low before school attendance was made compulsory in 1870 by the Education Act a considerable number of people from lower classes would listen to recitals of texts. Dickens's readers, who were from such social backgrounds, might have heard Dickens in this manner. Several biographers of Dickens also draw attention to the fact that it was typical for his texts to be read aloud in Victorian England, and thus literacy was not an obstacle for reading Dickens. Reading was no longer a chiefly closeted form of entertainment practiced by the middle class at home.

    A working class home was in many ways not convenient for reading: there were too many distractions, the lighting was bad, and the home was also often half a workhouse. As a result, the Victorians from the non-middle classes tended to find relaxation outside the home such as in parks and squares, which were ideal places for the public to go while away their limited leisure time. Reading aloud, in particular public reading, to some extent blurred the distinctions between classes. The Victorian middle class defined its identity through differences with other classes. Dickens's popularity among readers from the non-middle classes contributed to the creation of a new class of readers who read through listening.

    Different readers of Dickens were not reading solitarily and “jealously,” to use Walter Benjamin's term. Instead, they often enjoyed a more communal experience, an experience that is generally lacking in today's world. Modern audiobooks can be considered a contemporary version of the practice. However, while the twentieth and twentieth-first-century trend for individuals to listen to audiobooks keeps some characteristics of traditional reading aloud—such as “listeners attentive to a reading voice” and the ear being the focus—it is a far more solitary activity.

    If you want to convince the boss you deserve a pay rise or promotion, the solution could be simple—eat the same food as they do. Psychologists have discovered managers are much more likely to instantly trust us if we choose the same dishes as them.

    During experiments, discussions over wages and work conditions were much more successful if both sides chose to snack on the same treats. And shoppers were much more likely to buy a product advertised on TV by someone eating a similar food to them at the time.

    The reason is thought to be the so–called similarity attraction theory—where people tend to like others who have similar tastes or habits to themselves. But this is believed to be one of the first studies highlighting the role of food in this relationship. Researchers at Chicago University in the US conducted a series of experiments to examine food's role in earning trust.

    In a test, participants were told to watch TV—where someone pretending to be a member of the public praised a certain product. The volunteers were given Kit Kat bars to nibble, while the TV people ate either a Kit Kat or grapes as they talked.

    The results showed viewers were much more likely to express an interest in buying the product if the TV showed the other person eating a Kit Kat too. The researchers added, "Although similarity in food consumption is not a sign of whether two people will get along, we find consumers treat this as such. They feel more trusting of those who consume as they do. It means people can immediately begin to feel friendship and develop a bond, leading to smoother transactions from the start."

    Harley Street psychologist Dr. Lucy Atcheson said it was already known that wearing similar clothes could instantly create trust. But this was the first report that food had the same effect. She said, "This is really interesting. It makes sense as people feel they have common ground and can trust the other person. That means negotiations are more likely to be successful."

Embark on an exhilarating expedition across the ancient trade routes, commencing your 5-day odyssey from the heart of China to the vibrant lands of Central Asia.

Day 1 inTurpan, China: Commence your journey in the oasis city of Turpan, where you will delve into the intricate Karez Well System—a testament to the ingenuity of ancient irrigation techniques that persist in their operational capacity to this day. As the sun sets on your inaugural day, retreat to the tranquility of a family-owned vineyard, where you can meander through the verdant vineyards, engaging in conversations with the hospitable locals to gain insights into their customary way of life.

Day 2 in Urumqi, China: With the first light of dawn, set forth from Turpan to the bustling metropolis of Urumqi, the political epicenter of Xinjiang. Post a nourishing breakfast, immerse yourself in the cultural tapestry of the Xinjiang Museum, a treasure trove of diverse artworks, meticulously crafted handiworks, and historical artifacts. As you prepare to wing your way to Kashgar, seize the opportunity to amble through the vibrant Erdaoqiao Market, the most expansive marketplace in Xinjiang, teeming with a medley of goods.

Day 3 inKashgar, China: Devote this day to the leisurely exploration of Kashgar, commencing with a visit to the bustling Handicrafts Street, a cornucopia of artisanal treasures ranging from copper wares to metal and porcelain masterpieces. Pause for refreshment in a time-honored teahouse, where you can mingle with the convivial community, partaking in their animated dialogues and spirited dances. As the day draws to a close, retire to your lodgings for a rejuvenating night's rest in anticipation of the forthcoming voyage to Osh.

Day 4 in Osh, Kyrgyzstan: Upon reaching the second city of Kyrgyzstan, Osh, immerse yourself in the National Historical and Archaeological Museum Complex, a repository of cultural artifacts, handiworks, and sculptures that narrate the region's storied past. Subsequently, venture to the Jayma Bazaar, the most expansive marketplace in Central Asia, whose origins are rooted in the bygone era of the Silk Road. Should your interest lie in the silken threads of history, inquire of your guide to lead you to the Yodgorlik Silk Factory, a sanctuary where the age-old manual silk-making process is preserved.

Day 5 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan: Conclude your journey with a serene morning train excursion, culminating in your arrival at Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. Dedicate the day to the exploration of the Parthian Fortresses of Nisa, a pivotal city from the Parthian Empire's early annals. As evening descends, return to the city to savor a meal and embark on an evening sojourn to the Ashgabat National Museum of History, where the chronicles of the nation are enshrined.