What's the biggest online shopping day in the world? Not Valentine's Day. Not Cyber Monday or Black Friday. The winner is China's Singles' Day, celebrated on November11, or 11.11.

    Singles' Day began as a day for unmarried or uncoupled people to celebrate their lives. Single students, looking for an excuse to buy themselves presents, started it on November11,1993, reported The Guardian. It is symbolized by the four mumber ones in the date of November11 and is also called Double Eleven, in reference to the day it was started, said the BBC. It became a major shopping day in 2009. The CEO of an online shopping site --Alibaba-- tried to increase sales at the e-commerce company. The CEO, Daniel Zhang, launched an annual online sale on that day, said Fortune. When it first began, "Sigles' Day was very much an offline comfort to actual single people," noted the website atlas Obscura."A small group of students at Nanjing University are said to have chosen 11.11 as a day that singles could do activities like karaoke together." It quickly became a cultural phenomenon.

    Last year, Alibaba sold more than $1 billion worth of products in the first three minutes of the sales, reported Bloomberg News. Total sales on Singles' Day soared to $9 billion within 24 hours. That's four times bigger than Cyber Monday in the U.S., which is the Monday after Thanksgiving and traditionally a big shopping day. By comparison, online sales in the U.S. last year on Black Friday were just $1.5 billion, reported TechCrunch.

    Today, Singles' Day is very successful. Analysts say that this year, sales on China's Singles' Day will increase to a new high. In the U.S., Jennifer Wang, a co-founder of a company targeting Chinese-Americans, said, "We expect to have 3 million people coming to click Dealmoon for the Singles' Day launch." Some observers think Singles' Day could catch on globally.

    It's said that you don't know a man until you walk a mile in his shoes. And you also don't know what it's like for older people to travel until you accompany one on a trip.

    After flying with my elderly father from Washington, D.C. to L.A. in July, I began to realize that a companion has important tasks that can make a journey easier for older people. I booked nonstop tickets on JetBlue to avoid tiring, confusing connections, and we flew directly into small, manageable Long Beach Airport. Even though my father could walk, I arranged with the airline for wheelchair assistance, which meant we got on board first.

    When I took him back to the airport for his return flight to Washington, I got permission from JetBlue to wait with him at the gate instead of saying goodbye at the security checkpoint. I wished he'd had a first-class seat and access to a comfortable airline club. Better yet, I wish I had flown with him both ways. As I watched the attendant wheel him to the lift that took him from the tarmac（飞机跑道）to the plane, I felt like an anxious mom sending her child to school for the first time.

    Things can go awry on a plane trip. And then there is the horrifying story about Joe and Margie. When they landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, a wheelchair attendant met them to help with a connection. But somehow Margie, who had Alzheimer's disease, disappeared.

    I didn't need to worry about my father wandering away; at 82, his mind was sharper than mine. But his hearing was poor, so I worried about what would happen if he missed an important announcement. Fortunately, everything went just fine. Careful planning made the trip successful.

    Next time I travel with a senior, I'll know better. I hope there will be a next time.

    The Poetry Foundation, recently named American poet Jack Prelutsky as the nation's first children's poet laureate (桂冠诗人). The group created the award as a way to increase children's love of poetry.

    As children's poet laureate, Jack Prelutsky will give two public readings in the next two years. He will also advise the Poetry Foundation about children's literature and take part in projects concerning children and poetry.

    Jack Prelutsky has been writing poetry for children for over forty years. He has written more than thirty five books of poems. His first book was called A Gopher in the Garden. It was published in 1967. His latest is called Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant and Other Poems.

    Jack Prelutsky is well known for creating new words by combining two words to create a new kind of creature. For example, he combined "radish" with "shark" to get "radishark". "Lion" and "broccoli" became "broccolion". He also created "umbrellaphant"， a mixture of the words "umbrella" and "elephant".

    Jack Prelutsky says that children like his poems because he writes about things they care about. Poetry researchers say that Jack Prelutsky's poems recognize children's feelings. An example of this is the poem My Sister Is a Werewolf which is about how it feels to be different.

    Jack Prelutsky also writes poems about American holidays. His poem It's Halloween is a very famous one about the holiday celebrated at the end of October.

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The Failed New Year's Resolution: Three Tips to Get on Track

January is officially over, and many people are taking stock of their progress towards New Year's resolutions. The fact is that you probably haven't kept up with them as much as you hoped. But that's not your fault. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} . If you feel like you have already failed, here are three tips before you let go.

Practice self-compassion

Many people talk to themselves in harsh ways when struggling with new habits, believing self-criticism will help them reach their goals. Research shows, however, that the opposite is true. Self-compassion is more effective for personal improvement, especially when facing failure. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}_ , try to be kind and gentle with yourself, just as you would with a loved one.

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Resolutions are often phrased as definitive goals. I will exercise daily. I will kick desserts. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} . But setting all-or-nothing goals can lead to all-or-nothing decisions that one gives up when faced with challenges. In contrast, intentions focus more on your values than specific actions. For example, the resolution "I will exercise daily" may become an intention of "I want to move my body because it feels good." This approach allows for more flexibility when unexpected stress arises.

Solve problems by overcoming barriers

If you are struggling to maintain your desired habits, there are evidence-based techniques available to help you. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} . This involves identifying the specific barriers that lead to your quitting something that you want to do. Perhaps you keep forgetting the new habit, or perhaps you don't understand how to do it. Whatever it is, identify the barrier and cope with it specifically.

China on Tuesday launched (发射) the Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a five-month mission. The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 9:31 a. m. (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

About 10 minutes after the launch, Shenzhou-16 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit (轨道). The three astronauts are in good shape and the launch is a complete success, the CMSA declared.

The Shenzhou-16 astronauts will conduct a great many in-orbit tests and experiments in various fields as planned. They are expected to make high-level scientific achievements in the study of novel quantum phenomenon (新奇量子现象), high-precision space time-frequency systems and the origin of life.

Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao will see the dockings of the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, as well as the departures of the Shenzhou-15 manned spaceship and Tianzhou-5.

It is the first manned task for the application and development stage of China's-space station, and the 29^th flight since the country's manned space program was approved (批准). The launch also marks the 475^th flight of the Long March carrier rocket series.