Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, famous for its beautiful canals, top art museums, cycling culture and so on. It is the capital city of the Netherlands and often referred to as the "Venice of the North" because of its expansive system of bridges and canals. Here are some of the key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.
Must-See AttractionsMost visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre, which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers, and coffee shops. You'll also want to check out Amsterdam's Museum Quarter in the South District, which is great for shopping at the Albert Cuyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondelpark. The top museums to visit there are the Rijksmusuem, the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum.
If You Have TimeThere are several other unique districts in Amsterdam, and you should try to explore as many of them as time allows. The Canal Ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to attract wealthy home owners and is a center for celebrity spotting and nightlife today. The Plantage area has most of the city's museums and the botanical gardens.
Money Saving Tips●Unless you really want to see the tulips (郁金香) blooming, avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May. This is when hotel and flight prices rise.
●Look for accommodations in Amsterdam's South District, where rates are generally cheaper than in the city center.
●Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.
●Instead of hiring a tour guide, hop on a canal boat. They're inexpensive and will give you a unique point of view of the city.
Click on our homepage to view price comparisons for flights, hotels, and rental cars before you book.
The lift-off of any NASA space shuttle is always a huge event, but on July 23, 1999, it was particularly emotional for a group of women whose nickname was the "Mercury 13". On that day, Eileen Collins became the first woman to command a space shuttle ever.
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream is a photo essay book that tells the story of thirteen female pilots, known as the "Mercury 13", who attempted to join NASA's astronaut program in the 1960s, when there was an unspoken rule in America: you had to be a man if you wanted to be an astronaut.
They participated in the Women in Space program, in which they not only completed the tests but also surpassed the results of male astronauts. However, their ambition, courage, and achievements were ignored by NASA and other government figures, involving Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, who was in favor of prohibiting women from being astronauts.
Of course, those 13 women never made it to space, but they continued to push for female pilots to be admitted to the space program. Because of their courageous struggle, later generations succeeded.
Younger female readers will enjoy reading these stories about women who overcame criticism, prejudice and injustice and dared to achieve more than the roles society wished them to play. Not only are these women excellent role models for our girls, they are also a good reminder of how hard women once fought for us, so we can enjoy the relative equality today. I would recommend this book to any young woman, especially one in high school who is ready to take on the world on her own, one who may be questioning where she will take her life and definitely one who may be dreaming bigger than most people think is appropriate.
Studying the DNA of 300 mice has drawn the attention to genes which have been linked to hereditary (遗传的) sight loss for the first time. Researchers say because mice's genes are so similar to humans', their findings could lead to the treatment of more genetic diseases.
Scientists at the University of California, Davis studied information from a data bank of mice's genetic material. They found 347 genes linked to eye problems, with just 86 of them having been studied in the past.
Only around 50 to 75 percent of hereditary eye diseases in human can be explained with present science. The researchers believe these hundreds of new genes found in mice could be a key to explaining and therefore being able to treat the other 25-50 percent.
"This is extremely valuable for people with hereditary eye disease," said researcher Professor Ala Moshiri. "All researchers are going to start using these data. In the past, we knew the problem was there but we didn't know where to look. Now eye centers can call back patients and screen them for these new genes. We expected that more and more of these genetic diseases will be treatable." Also, the fact is that more than 60 percent of eye problems at birth are ones resulting from the baby's parents!
Thanks to data from the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC), which is trying to work out what every single gene in a mouse is responsible for, with the aim of translating it to humans, scientists are moving closer to figuring out all genetic causes of blindness. To do this, scientists separate a single gene from other ones at a time and then observe what effect it has on the mouse for a long time. This has so far been done more than 7,000 times and has achieved great success. Researchers are now working alongside eye care centers in Texas and Iowa in order to compare the mice's genes to those of patients.
With his study going, Brian Wisenden might be the envy of the world: watching baby fish swimming freely through the clear waters of tropical dry forest in the Costa Rica. By recording their growth and numbers, he hoped to look at their risks of being eaten. Instead, he witnessed something strange. Many groups were increasing in numbers. In these groups, some were smaller than others, suggesting they weren't siblings. Wisenden had accidentally discovered that the fish, called convict cichlids, adopt each other's babies. Why would they do that, he wondered?
In the human world, we think of adoption as a selfless act. But in nature, its presence is puzzling. Taking on the burden of bringing up babies with no genetic link would seem to reduce an animal's chance of survival or at least provide no gain. Yet, adoption is surprisingly common in the natural world.
Take the eastern grey kangaroo. Between 2008 and 2013, Wisenden followed the fates of 326 baby kangaroos in the Wilsons Promontory National Park in Victoria and recorded 11 cases of pouch ( 育 儿 袋 ) swapping. The circumstances behind some of these adoptions aren't known, but four were straight swaps and another four occurred after a mother had lost her own baby. How come? Before independence, baby kangaroos go through a period inside and outside their mother's pouch. Following out-of-pouch attempts, mothers normally sniff (嗅) their young before allowing them back in, but Wisenden's team suspect that during an emergency they may omit the sniff test, allowing a weak baby to quickly climb in before fleeing from danger.
Some of nature's adoptions are, actually, driven by young. In burrower bugs (土蝽), for example, females lay a nest of eggs close to those of unrelated bugs. Mother bugs tend their developing eggs before they hatch, and then feed their babies nuts from weedy mint plants. Finding nuts is a competitive business, so not every mother bug gets her fair share. And if the delivery rate isn't up to standard, clever young may abandon their mothers to join a better-fed group.
The consequences of adoption following mistaken identity can be horrible. The true babies of adopting mothers were abandoned. But it can have remarkable benefits, not just for adoptees but also for adoptive parents.
Work, family and world events can be so stressful that it feels like optimism and joy are far out of reach.
Anyone can get stuck in a bad mood — but you don't have to stay there!
Once you're in a mood you need to shake, start by going to your happy place. If not, keep a photo on your phone or computer of a beautiful, favorite place and take a moment to imagine yourself there. What's the weather like? What does the air smell like? What are you doing while you're there? How does being there make you feel? You'll instantly feel calmer, lost in the daydream or the memory of your happy place.
We can make our situations worse by keeping thinking about negative thoughts. "Bad things always happen to me," becomes "What lesson can I learn from this situation?" "I wasted the whole day," becomes "I still have 5 more hours left to make today a great day!"
Whether it is going for a coffee at your favorite café, or catching a movie in the theatre, make sure that once a week you schedule some "me" time. That may mean getting less done during the day, but you deserve to take a mental break, regularly. So give priority to the time you need to recharge.
Whether it's the rare bit of easy traffic on your way to work or the break in the weather, you won't have time to complain about the negative things because you're so busy being grateful.
A. You can also volunteer at your local shelter.
B. It helps focus on the present and clear your mind.
C. Thankfully, there are ways you can get back on track.
D. If you're able, get into nature and breathe the fresh air.
E. Relieve your stress and refresh your mind, body and spirit.
F. When a negative thought flashes, replace it with a positive one.
G. When a negative attitude takes over, shake it off by practising gratitude.
Although I enjoyed my new life and the time it freed up, there always seemed to be something missing. I thought it was a result of going from a high-activity career to a life of1. The retirement honeymoon lasted for one whole enjoyable year. Golf took up most of my summer, curling (冰壶) in the winter, and hiking2the times between. At the end of that first year, I was asked by a friend to help out at a local food bank that3a winter soup kitchen. Initially, my responsibility was not too 4. It started out to be only one day a week and took just two hours of my time. The task involved going to the local food bank, 5 my car with pre-selected food items, and driving them to the kitchen6 the weekend. Within a few weeks, I was also helping to sort out the food I was bringing to the charity organization. This soon 7 into preparing the cookers and dishes for the weekend event. My duties were 8 from one week to the next, which kept things interesting. Sometimes, I would help serve meals; other days, I would fill in for sandwich makers who hadn't turned up for their9.
People who came for the free meals were diverse. Some were homeless, and others were individuals who had fallen on hard times. The common thing uniting all the guests was their 10 toward the volunteers. Most diners would thank the people from whom they had received help. That was a wonderful reward for our efforts. Another wonderful thing was that the food was given11. There was never any expectation to gain public12for their donations; they just did it.
Gradually, my volunteering 13 have now grown to include two days at the food bank plus the weekend. Although it cost much more time than I first began this volunteering task, I found my time volunteering14. I can safely say that I get much more 15out of this type of activity than I ever managed to get from any round of golf or game of curling.
Famous for carrying his tennis rackets in a bamboo basket, Wang Fa, a 14-year-old dark horse, won the U14 boys' singles title in the Guangzhou stop of the 2022 ASICS Tennis Junior Tour, has become internet sensation.
Wang, a Chinese Wa ethnic (佤族) boy, started to learn tennis after he was selected by Zhang Xiaohong, head coach of a tennis club in southwest China's Yunnan Province in 2016. Over the years, Wang and his peers (put) tremendous efforts into advancing their skills and acquiring knowledge. "it were not for tennis, I would still be helping out my family with farm work back at home," Wang said. "We always carry the bamboo basket when we work in the field. We all regard as a symbolic farming tool of the Wa ethnic group. I carry my rackets in the basket (primary) to honor my hometown," he added.
Home for Wang is a mountainous area named Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County.(locate) in southwest China's Yunnan Province, the county, composed67 villages with a population of more than 40,000, was lifted out of (poor) in 2019. For Wang, (win) this title is just the beginning of a promising future. The rising star said he would head to the top spots in the professional arena.
