I have a special place in my heart for libraries. I have for as long as I can remember. I was always an enthusiastic reader, sometimes reading up to three books a day as a child. Stories were like air to me and while other kids played ball or went to parties, I lived out adventures through the books I checked out from the library.
My first job was working at the Ukiah Library when I was 16 years old .It was a dream job and I did everything from shelving books to reading to the children for story time.
As I grew older and became a mother, the library took on a new place and an added meaning in my life. I had several children and books were our main source(来源) of entertainment. It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library, where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them.
I always read ,using different voices ,as though I were acting out the stories with my voice and they loved it !It was a special time to bond with my children and it filled them with the wonderment of books .
Now, I see my children taking their children to the library and I love that the excitement of going to the library lives on form generation to generation.
As a novelist, I've found a new relationship with libraries. I encourage readers to go to their local library when they can't afford to purchase a book. I see libraries as a safe haven(避风港) for readers and writers, a bridge that helps put together a reader with a book. Libraries, in their own way, help fight book piracy(盗版行为) and 1 think all writers should support libraries in a significant way when they can. Encourage readers to use the library. Share library announcements on your social media. Frequent them and talk about them when you can.
It was only a few weeks after my surgery. I went to Dr. Belt's office for a checkup. It was just after my first chemotherapy (化学疗法) treatment. My scar was still very tender. My arm was numb underneath. This whole set of unique and weird feelings was like having a new roommate to share the two-bedroom apartment formerly known as my breasts—now lovingly known as "the breast and the chest."
As usual, I was taken to an examination room to have my blood drawn, again— a terrifying process for me, since I'm so frightened of needles. I lay down' on the examining table. Ramona entered the room. Her warm sparkling smile was familiar, and stood out in contrast to my fears. I'd first seen her in the office a few weeks earlier. She wasn't my nurse on that day, but I remember her because she was laughing. She laughed in deep, round and rich tones. I remember wondering what could be so funny behind that medical door. What could she possibly find to laugh about at a time like this? So I decided she wasn't serious enough about the whole thing and that I would try to find a nurse who was caring. But I was wrong.
This day was different. Ramona had taken my blood before. She knew about my fear of needles, and she kindly hid the needle under a magazine with a bright blue picture of a kitchen being remodeled. As we opened the blouse, the catheter (导管) on my breast was exposed and the fresh scar on my chest could be seen. She gently reached over and ran her hand across the scar, examining the smoothness of the healing skin and looking for any irregularities. I began to cry gently and quietly. She looked at me tenderly and said, "You haven't touched the scar yet, have you?" And I said, "No."
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So this wonderful, warm woman laid the palm of her golden brown hand on my pale chest and she gently held it there.
That night as I lay down to sleep, I gently placed my hand on my chest and I left it there until I fell asleep.
IOC president Thomas Bach was urged by several members Sunday to change Olympic rules on term limits and seek four more years as president through 2029.
Bach's presidency is due to end in 2025—a 12-year maximum agreed in anti-corruption (反腐) reforms passed after the Salt Lake City scandal (丑闻) broke in the 1990s. However, citing the recent years of global crises, several of the 99 International Olympic Committee members opened their annual meeting Sunday suggesting they needed more of Bach's leadership. The Olympic movement needed "to go through this period of hardship with a president who has proved his courage," said the Algerian leader of African Olympic bodies, Mustapha Berraf.
Though Bach has never publicly sought a term limit-lasting third time, the option has been spoken of in international sports circles since he was re-elected in 2021 at a meeting. The IOC gives its president a first term of eight years. Bach neither encouraged nor dismissed the proposal though he noted the presidential term limit is included in the IOC's book of rules and principles.
"I'm very loyal to the Olympic Charter," the German lawyer said.
Extending Bach's term would need a proposal submitted ahead of an annual meeting, known as the Session. The next is scheduled in July in Paris on the eve of the 2024-Summer Games.
A diplomatically expressedcounter to extending Bach's presidential term was suggested by gymnastics federation president Morinari Watanabe, who has been considered as a possible IOC. leadership candidate. "Sports organizations must follow rules and have high integrity under good governance," Watanabe suggested. "Sports demonstrate discipline and the spirit of fairness to society."
Consideration on other candidates to succeed Bach has also included two of the IOC's four vice presidents, Nicole Hoevertsz of Aruba and Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. of Spain, plus Zimbabwe sports minister Kirsty Coventry, who is widely seen as a favored successor of Bach.
Isn't it nice to always have a lovely dog follow you around and respond when asked to sit down or shake hands? What if the dog has some unique skills, such as standing on one leg while resting on a piece of doufu without destroying it, or continuously making back turns? This would be even better.
In fact, a life-like robotic dog developed by Chinese tech company Xiaomi Corp seems like that special one. Weighing 8.9 kilogram, about the size of a Doberman, CyberDog 2 is the latest push by Xiaomi to popularize quadrupedal (四足动物) robotics.
With a black, fantastic, futuristic design, CyberDog 2 can trot along at speeds of 3.2 meters per second, analyze its surroundings in real-time, create navigation al maps, plot its destination, and avoid obstacles.
"Coupled with human posture and face recognition tracking, CyberDog is capable of following its owner and darting around barriers," said Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi. Behind such functions are Xiaomi's self-developed CyberGear Micro-actuator, which further enhances the robot's mobility and supports high difficulty movements. CyberDog 2 is equipped with a combination of sensing and decision-making system, offering 19 sensors for vision, touch and hearing. Lei said CyberDog 2 is designed more for engineers and robotic enthusiasts than ordinary consumers. It is priced at 12,999 yuan ($1,800) and greater efforts are needed to make it multifunctional.
Xiaomi is not alone in showing an interest in quadrupedal machines. US company Boston Dynamics had pioneered the quadrupedal format for robots. Last year, the company brought out Spot for $74,500and the robot has been put to a wide range of uses, from surveying dangerous mines to helping doctors connect with patients remotely. It has also been tested by both law enforcement and the military, though not as a weapon. Earlier this year, Chinese robotics firm Unitree also released a quadrupedal bot to popularize the machines.
In 2014, a second year student at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts went to Beijing Zoo with friends. Little did he know that an encounter at the aquarium there would1 a lifelong passion. As Xu Yitang2 corals of complex shapes in the glow of the tank's light, a sense of wonder washed over him. Lost in the beauty and3 of the creatures, he spent the entire afternoon in front of the tank.
Today, Xu, a Beijing native, has4 Hainan Province, where he serves as a coral5 for a Sanya-based tropical biological laboratory.
Each day, he spends several hours diving deep under the waves to observe and6 the growth of the creatures that7 him all those years ago. In the laboratory, he would film8 videos of the artificial coral breeding system to explain the relationship between corals and reefs. His goal was to raise9 and knowledge about corals, so that people can learn how to protect them10.
Xu is actively engaged on social media platforms like Sina Weibo, where he regularly shares11 amazing photos and entertaining videos of corals. He aims to encourage individuals to12 to protecting coral :reefs and the oceans as a whole from the13 impact of climate change and human activities.
While pursuing his passion to protect corals, he met his life partner, Liu Xiwen, through their14 hobby of diving in Hainan. The couple have been invited to share their stories in the recently released online program Burning Youth that aims to use documentary shorts and15 studio interviews to present the inspiring stories of young Chinese people from various walks of life.
