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　　It came as something of a surprise when Diana, Princess of Wales, made a trip to Angola in 1997, to support the Red Cross’s campaign for a total ban(禁令)on all anti-personnel landmines．Within hours of arriving in Angola television screens around the world were filled with images of her comforting victims injured in explosions caused by landmines．“I knew the statistics,” she said, “But putting a face to those figures brought the reality home to me; like when I met Sandra, a 13-year-old girl who had lost her leg, and people like her．”

　　The Princess concluded with a simple message：“We must stop landmines”．And she used every opportunity during her visit to repeat this message．

　　But, back in London, her views were not shared by some members of the British government, which refused to support a ban on these weapons．Angry politicians launched an attack on the Princess in the press．They described her as “very ill-informed” and a “loose cannon(乱放炮的人)．”

　　The Princess responded by brushing aside the criticisms：“This is a distraction we do not need．All I’m trying to do is help．”

　　Opposition parties, the media and the public immediately voiced their support for the Princess．To make matters worse for the government, it soon turned out that the Princess’s trip had been approved(agreed)by the Foreign Office, and that she was in fact very well-informed about both the situation in Angola and the British government’s policy regarding landmines．The result was a huge embarrassmentfor the government．

　　To try and limit the damage, the Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkind, said that the Princess’s views on landmines were not very different from the government policy, and that it was “working towards” a worldwide ban．The Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo, claimed the matter was “a misinterpretation or misunderstanding”．

　　For the Princess, the trip to this war-torn country was an excellent opportunity to use her popularity to show the world how much destruction and suffering landmines can cause．She said that the experience had also given her the chance to get closer to people and their problems．

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　　I love my blackberry(黑莓手机)－it’s my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me．I also love my laptop computer, as it holds all of my writing and thoughts．Despite this love of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices(设备)and truly communicate with others．

　　On one occasion, I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers．My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas．Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom, I have a rule－no laptops, IPads, phones, etc．When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy．

　　Most students think that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology．There’s a bit of truth to that．Some students think that I am anti-technology．There’s no truth in that at all．I love technology and try to keep up with it so I can relate to my students．

　　The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversations and engage complex ideas．Interruptions by technology often break concentration(专心)and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas．I want students to dig deep within themselves for inspiration and ideas．I want them to push each other to think differently and make connections between the course material and the class discussion．

　　I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create．Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge, they learn at a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom．

　　I’m not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change, I’m sticking to my plan．A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up．

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　　The gray-haired lady can't wait to leave the building to search for her dad．Unless watched, she will walk in the streets in an effort to find her father, who died 30years ago．

　　Not all cases of Alzheimer's disease look like this, but Alzheimer’s is a serious disease that is said to be the fourth or fifth leading cause of death for people over age 75．

　　It is said that about three percent of the U．S．population over age 65 have Alzheimer's．In the early stages, people may exhibit short term memory loss．Some may experience changes in personality, easy to be angry．As the disease progresses, patients might lose the ability to move and may be unable to speak or move at all．This progressive disease generally lasts 8 to 10 years before death occurs．

　　While no one is certain what causes these changes in the brain's nerve fibers(神经纤维), their effect is certain．Alzheimer's destroys not only the patients, but also spouses(配偶), friends and families．

　　What should you do if you notice progressive memory loss in yourself or a loved one? Have the person examined by a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease?

　　Though many reasons other than Alzheimer's disease may cause memory loss, its early diagnosis(诊断)and treatment may delay some of the most serious effects．

　　What feeling will you likely experience should a loved one suffer from Alzheimer's disease? A person will often go through the various stages of sadness, shock, anger, and so．If the spouse develops the disease, you may experience hurt and disappointment when he or she doesn't remember you are married．

　　Life for the Alzheimer's patients and their loved ones will never be the same as the disease progresses, bringing a deep sorrow, loss and even anger towards God．No matter what feelings are present, facing them honestly will serve one better than burying them．

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　　Each Indian was supposed to keep his birth name until he was old enough to earn one for himself．But his playmates would always give him a name of their own．No matter what his parents called him, his childhood friends would use the name they had chosen．Often it was not pleasing, such as Bow Legs or Bad Boy．But sometimes a name fit so well that the youngster found it difficult to shake it off．If he could not earn a better one from a war later, he could be stuck with a name like Bow Legs for the rest of his life．

　　The Indian earned his real name when he was old enough for his first fight against the enemy．His life name depended on how he acted during this first battle．When he returned from the war, the whole tribe(部落)would gather and observe the ceremony in which he would be given his name by the chief．If he had done well, he would get a good name．Otherwise he might be called Crazy Wolf or Man-Afraid-Of-a-Horse．So an Indian’s name told his record or described the kind of man he was．

　　A man was given many chances to improve his name, however．If in a later battle he was brave in fighting against the enemy, he was given a better name．Some of our great fighters had as many as twelve names－all good and each better than the last．

　　An Indian’s names belonged to him for the rest of his life．No one else could use them．Even he himself could not give them away because names were assigned by the tribe, not the family．So no man could pass on his name unless the chief and the tribe asked him to do so．

　　Sometimes an Indian would be asked to give his name to a son who had performed a noticeable deed．I know of only three or four times when this happened．It is the rarest honor for a person－the honor of assuming(承担)his father’s name．

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　　Today, there’s hardly an aspect of our life that isn’t being upended by the tons of information available on the hundreds of millions of sites crowding the Internet, not to mention its ability to keep us in constant touch with each other via electronic mail．“If the automobile and aerospace technology had exploded at the same pace as computer and information technology,” says Microsoft, “a new car would cost about ＄ 2 and go 600 miles on a small quantity of gas．And you could buy a Boeing 747 for the cost of a pizza．”

　　Probably the biggest payoff, however, is the billions of dollars the Internet is saving companies in producing goods and serving for the needs of their customers．Nothing like it has been seen since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when power-driven machines began producing more in a day than men could turn out in nearly a year．“We view the growth of the Internet and e-commerce as a global trend,” says Merrill Lynch, “along the lines of printing press, the telephone, the computer, and electricity．”

　　You would be hard pressed to name something that isn’t available on the Internet．Consider：books, health care, movie tickets, construction materials, baby clothes, stocks, cattle feed, music, electronics, antiques, tools, real estate, toys, autographs of famous people, wine and airline tickets．And even after you’ve moved on to your final resting place, there’s no reason those you love can’t keep in touch．A company called Final Thoughts．com offers a place for you to store “afterlife e-mails” you can send to Heaven with the help of a “guardian angel”．

　　Kids today are so computer literate that it in fact ensures the United States will remain the unchallenged leader in cyberspace for the foreseeable(能预测的)future．Nearly all children in families with incomes of more than ＄75,000 a year have home computers, according to a study by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation．Youngsters from ages 2 to 17 at all income levels have computers, with 52％ of those connected to the Internet．Most kids use computers to play games(some for 30 hours or more a week), and many teenage girls think nothing of rushing home from school to have e-mail chats with friends they have just left．

　　What’s clear is that, whether we like it or not, the Internet is an ever growing part of our lives and there is no turning back．“The Internet is just 20％ invented,” says cyber pioneer Jake Winebaum．“The last 80％ is happening now．”

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　　Work your brain!

　　Between 2 and 3 pounds of wonder，it controls everything we say, do or think, who we are and what we care about．The way we walk or laugh or figure out things．What we like and the talents we possess．How we see and talk and run and jump and process our food．

　　The brain uses 20 percent of our body's oxygen and 20 percent of its blood．Somewhere within its protein, fat, 100,000 miles of blood vessels and 100 billion nerve cells, it helps us remember where we put our gym shoes．Change our temperature so we don't die because of the heat or cold．Speed us up or slow us down．Help us choose between orange juice or orange-flavored drinks．

　　Its intricacies(复杂性)are stunning, far beyond anything most of us can imagine．To keep this work of art as polished(有光泽的)as possible we need to eat right, exercise and keep mentally stimulated(刺激)．

　　Good nutrition helps brain cells communicate with each other．Exercise stimulates a hormone(荷尔蒙)in our brain that improves memory．Mental stimulation keeps you sharp even as you age．

　　“It's very important that we tell people to be physically active and mentally active, ” said neurologist Malcolm Stewart．

　　“People cannot stop aging, but you're able to reduce the damage；you're able to keep the function up．”

　　Following are Dr．Stewart's advice for improving brain health：

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　　A person named Bernard Jackson today is a free man, but he has many bitter memories．He spent five years in prison after a jury(陪审团)wrongly convicted(判处……有罪)him of raping two women．At Jackson’s trial, although two witnesses testified that Jackson was with them in another location at the time of the crime, he was convicted anyway．Why? The jury believed the testimony(证词)of the two victims, who positively identified Jackson as the man who had attacked them．The court eventually freed Jackson after the police found the real criminal．

　　Many factors influence the accuracy of eyewitness testimony．For instance, witnesses sometimes see photographs of several suspects before they try to identify the person they saw in a group of people．They can become confused by seeing many photographs of similar faces．The number of people in the group, and whether it is a person or a photograph, may also affect a witness’s decision．People sometimes have difficulty identifying people of other races．The questions the police ask witnesses also have an effect on them．

　　Many people believe that police officers are more reliable than ordinary people．Psychologists decided to test this idea, and they discovered that it is not true．Two psychologists showed a film of crimes to both police officers and civilians．The psychologists found no difference between the police and the civilians in correctly remembering the details of the crimes．

　　Despite all the possibilities for inaccuracy, courts cannot omit eyewitness testimony from a trial．American courts depend almost completely on eyewitness testimony to resolve(决定)court cases．Sometimes it is the only evidence to a crime, such as rape．Furthermore, eyewitness testimony is often correct．Although people do sometimes make mistakes, and convict innocent people, more importantly, eyewitness testimony has rightly convicted a larger number of guilty people．

　　American courts depend on the ability of the twelve jurors, and not the judges, to determine the accuracy of the witness’s testimony．It is their responsibility to decide if a certain witness could actually see, hear and remember what happened．

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　　In department stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting．Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they have a variety of styles, patterns, materials, and colors．But they are eventually the biggest deception(欺骗)that exists in the fashion industry today．What are they? They are high heels(高跟鞋)－a woman’s worst enemy(whether she knows it or not)．Fashion has led women to believe that they are more beautiful or fashionable for wearing heels, but in reality, heels cause troubles．Women should fight the high heel industry by refusing to use or buy them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering．

　　To be fair, it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels．First, heels are excellent for aerating(给……通气)lawns(草坪)．Anyone who has ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about．A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babies gets rid of all the need to call for a lawn care expert, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without all the dirt lying around．Second, heels are quite useful for defending against oncoming enemies by threatening them with a pair of these sharp, deadly fashion items．

　　Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to one’s physical health．Talk to any podiatrist(足病医生), and you will hear that most of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women．High heels are known to cause problems such as misshapen feet and torn toenails．The risk of serious back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a high heel wearer than for a flat shoe wearer．Women wearing heels may get a heel caught in a narrow sidewalk gap and be thrown to the ground and possibly break a nose, back, or neck．And of course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to comfort her aching feet．

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　　News(March 6, 2008)that Microsoft was making a ＄44.6 billion bid to buy Yahoo was greeted with heated discussion by many Internet users on Friday．Here are some responses：

　　Mark Galeassi of Kansas City, Missouri

　　This is the best move for both parties．Yahoo has the ideas and Microsoft has the money to finally market these ideas correctly．Microsoft and Yahoo are a perfect fit and the deal will be good for consumers．

　　Scott G．of New Jersey

　　I was a Yahoo user for years along with Hotmail from Microsoft．Then Google came along：Google Earth, Google Toolbar and Gmail．Google is so innovative(创新的)with everything they do．Yahoo and Microsoft．same old story．I don’t think the merger(合并)will do anything for either company except improve the Yahoo shareholders’ bank accounts．

　　Michael Glosser of Estero, Florida

　　Right now, Yahoo offers a lot of features and tools at no cost for all different levels of Internet users．Microsoft seeks nothing but profit．Undoubtedly, they’ll do nothing other than find ways to start removing Yahoo’s formerly non-priced features．Microsoft’s greed will ruin the great thing that Yahoo currently is．

　　Toni Suarez of Hacienda Heights, California

　　Perhaps it would bring better high technology innovations to e-mail and help in researching and developing a better Internet!

　　Antonio Simmons of Parkville, Maryland

　　Microsoft purchasing Yahoo would be nothing more than an attempt from Microsoft to further impose upon the users their poor-quality software and obtain more wealth for the company．In my opinion, they will never be able to compete with Google because Yahoo and Microsoft’s current search engines are too inferior(差的)to compete．Even if combined, they still lack．

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　　Some American parents might think their children need better education to compete with those in China and other countries．But how much do the parents themselves need to change?

　　A new book called Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua has caused a debate about cultural differences in parenting．In Chinese culture, the tiger represents strength and power．In the book, Ms．Chua writes about how she demanded excellence from her daughters．She said that she had a clear list of what her daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were not permitted to do, such as attending a sleepover, having a play date, watching TV or playing computer games and getting any grade less than an A．

　　Many people have criticized Amy Chua．Some say her parenting methods were abusive(辱骂的)．She even admits that her husband, who is not Chinese, sometimes was against her parenting style．But she says that it was the way her parents raised her and her three sisters．

　　Ms．Chua makes fun of her own extreme style of parenting．She says she eased some of the pressure after her younger daughter rebelled and shouted, “I hate my life! I hate you!”

　　Ms．Chua says she decided to retreat when it seemed like there was a risk that she might lose her daughters．But she also says American parents often have low expectations of their children’s abilities．“One of the biggest differences I see between American and Chinese parents is that Chinese parents assume strength rather than fragility(脆弱),” she said．

　　“The beginning of this intense discussion has to do with what it means to be a successful parent and what it means to be a successful child,” said Stacy Debroff, who has written four books about parenting．

　　Ms．Debroff says Amy Chua’s parenting style is not limited to Chinese families．She says it represents a traditional way of parenting among immigrants(移民)seeking a better future for their children．

　　But she also sees a risk．When children have no time to be social or to follow their own interests, they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life．Stacey Debroff advises parents to develop their own styles of parenting and not just repeat the way they were raised．