The National Gallery

The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of Trafalgar Square in London. It houses a diverse collection of more than 2,300 examples of European art ranging from 13th-century religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance.

The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th-to15th-century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Memling.

The main West Wing houses 16th-century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titan and Veronese.

The North Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velazquez, Claude and Vermeer.

The East Wing houses 18th-to early 20th-century paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh.

The Gallery is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm (Fridays 10 am to 9 pm) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.

Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross (2-minute walk), Leicester Square (3-minute walk), Embankment (7-minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus (8-minute walk).

The last African elephant at the Johannesburg Zoo, Lammie, lost her male partner to a sickness in September.

Lammie was born in the zoo 39 years ago. She had lived for 17 years with Kinkel, who died at age 35. Kinkel had been rescued in the wild after his trunk was caught in a trap in 2000. Around the time of her partner's death on Sept. 4, Lammie had stopped eating. The day before Kinkel died, she was seen trying to help him get up. Elephants are known for their intelligence, strong social ties and even the ability to mourn (哀伤). Some people argue Lammie should be sent to another place where she can be with other elephants.

Audrey Delsink is wildlife director of Humane Society International/Africa. She said, Lammie “is in desperate need of a happier existence and the chance to live out her years with other elephants.” Delsink added that a wildlife rescue place is ready to take Lammie if the Johannesburg Zoo agrees to let her go.

But the zoo says Lammie is staying. The zoo says it serves an educational purpose, especially for the poor who cannot pay to visit wildlife parks.

Michele Pickover disagrees. She is director of the EMS Foundation, a South Africa-based African wildlife rights group. She said “nobody learns anything” by seeing an elephant in captivity (被圈养). She said that watching a film about elephants would be more educational.

But, a spokeswoman for the Johannesburg Zoo, Jenny Moodley, says it is looking for a new partner for Lammie. She said the zoo is following guidelines in its search set by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. She added that experts are closely observing Lammie and that the elephant might not adapt well to a new environment. Moodley said of Lammie: “She is coping incredibly well, considering that she has lost her partner.”

Earlier this month, 6-year-old Isaac went on vacation to Fort Walton, Florida, with his family. While they were there, his mother Garrett learned about LuLu, a restaurant that offers food to customers with food allergies(过敏).

At LuLu, Isaac could eat a salad and a bowl of chicken soup with rice. “Isaac looked at me as if asking, ‘Is this OK?’ ” Garrett said. Once his mom gave the OK, Isaac enjoyed for the first time the experience of eating at a restaurant. “That look on his face was like, ‘This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done,’ ” Garrett added.

Garrett and her family rarely eat out because of Isaac’s food allergies. When they do, she cooks something for Isaac at home before they leave and brings it with her to the restaurant. “It’s not fun and it feels unfair,” she said.

Their night at LuLu marked a celebration for Isaac. Garrett shared the moment on the restaurant’s Facebook page. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving Isaac this wonderful experience,” she wrote in her post.

Barnett, the restaurant’s manager, said, “When customers tell the staff that someone in their group has a food allergy, I assist with the order by passing it to the kitchen, ensuring it’s cooked in a separate station and delivering the finished food to the guests. We have been improving this process over the past ten years since our allergy program was started.”

On Garrett’s Facebook post, LuLu thanked Garrett for sharing her story. “Thank you for sharing your experience with us,” the restaurant wrote in a comment, “We are excited to see your son so happy!” Garrett is hoping her post’s popularity will persuade other restaurants to be more considerate. “LuLu takes it seriously as we take it – nothing could make us happier than that,” she said.

If you make a list of the world’s top ten most challenging jobs, chances are that being a teacher will not make the cut. But think about the discouraging task millions of educators face each day as they try to shape a group of often bad-tempered, wild kids into intelligent, well-rounded individuals. That surely has to be the toughest job in the world, especially given that there is no promotion or bonus awaiting them even if they are wildly successful!

What if these all-important individuals that we often take for granted disappear from our lives? That was what Project Ed and Participant Media’s Teach campaign asked filmmakers of all ages to imagine in their recently-held competition. Entitled “A World Without Teachers”, its purpose was to inspire more young people to become teachers. However, the 62 amazing video submissions also serve as a reminder of how horrible things would be if we didn’t have these selfless individuals guiding us through life. What was interesting is that even the youngest participants did not appear to be happy at the idea of not having anybody telling them what to do.

High-school student Savannah Wakefield reflected if art as we know it today would have been different without teachers. Would Monet have discovered his talent for impressionism? Los Angeles-based Miles Horst, who won the 1000 USD prize for the best adult submission imagines a world where teachers are replaced by a “brain box” in his fun lively entry.

Youth category winner Marina Barham’s video represents a fact we all know but often forget. Teachers don’t just teach, they inspire—something that no electronic device, no matter how smart, can do! So the next time you think your teacher is being “mean” for trying to channel you in the right direction, imagine a life without him/her. We have a feeling it will not appear as rosy!