Take Advantage of Free Fun Fridays

Fridays just got a whole lot better, thanks to Free Fun Fridays. During the summer months visitors get free admission each Friday to many popular destinations in Massachusetts. Check out the exciting destinations for this Friday offering no-cost admission below.

Gloucester Stage Company

One of New England’s premier theater companies invites you to a free performance of Cyrano, a modern retelling of the 1897 Rostand classic Cyrano de Bergerac. Set in the 21st century, it was written by Jason O’Connell and Brenda Withers.

267 E. Main St., Gloucester, call 978-281-4433 for tickets, limit of four per household.

Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History

Learn about history and the story of society, cultures, and identity through stamps at this museum at Regis College. The museum is child-friendly, offering activities like stamp scavenger hunts and a chance for children to create their own stamp collections. As an added bonus, youngsters receive free packets of stamps.

241 Wellesley St., at Regis College, Weston, open from 9 am to 5 pm; phone: 781-768-8367.

Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association

The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association is named after local astronomer, naturalist, and educator Maria Mitchell, who discovered a comet（彗星）in 1847. The association operates two observatories（天文台）, in operation since 1908. The association has a natural science museum, so visitors of all ages will find plenty of science and history-related programming:"

4 Vestal St., Nantucket, open from 10 am to 4 pm; phone: 508-228-9198.

Chatham Shark Center

Take a deep dive into the life of the great white shark at the Chatham Shark Center. Visitors can learn new and exciting research on the misunderstood species in an interactive and engaging way through the center’s fantastic interactive exhibitions, displays, and videos.

235 Orleans Rd., North Chatham, open from 10 am to 4 pm; phone: 508-348-5901.

As overweight is becoming a great concern, it is a good time to look at some common beliefs, myths（谬见）and the facts. This could be used as a guide to those who need it.

Fat Loss Exercise Myth No. 1—In order to get the best out of your weight loss program, you would need to take your cardio（有氧运动）the first thing in the morning.

Fact—there is no hard and fast rule that the cardio has to be the first exercise, or that it has to be done in the morning. Exercise was once meant to be done at dawn because it was believed that this was the best time for the body to exercise. However, today, when science has accepted the fact that different people have different peak times, you could choose the time that suits you best.

Fat Loss Exercise Myth No. 2—Your cardio is not successful unless it is done in the “fat burning zone”.

Fact—this myth might be one of the greatest of all time. There is no such thing as having to be in the “fat burning zone” in order to melt your fat. The weight loss depends on a lot of factors, and one would still lose weight most comfortably even if they do not enter the “fat burning zone” on the cardio.

Fat Loss Exercise Myth No. 3—You could burn fat simply by drinking some 8-12 glasses of ice-cold water.

Fact—I see that as an invitation to a terrible cold. Yes, drinking water helps weight loss indirectly since it fills up the stomach and allows less food intake. It is true that you need some 8- 2 glasses of water every day to stay in the pink because the body needs water to function well. However, it does not matter at what temperature you are drinking the water.

Fat Loss Exercise Myth No. 4—Negative calorie food is the best when you are on diet.

Fact—Logically speaking, if you could subtract（去掉）calories from the food you are eating you would come at a point when you reach at zero. Does that mean that when you consume negative calorie food, you are not eating at all? This is an expression just meant to symbolize the fact that the body takes longer to digest some food. That is all.

Just this morning, my 11-year-old son shared with me a “really sad dream”. Keep in mind that this is from a boy who watches very little war news, who rarely hears his parents talk of war, who has no relatives personally involved in the war. The dream went something like this:

All the fifth-grade boys from his school were soldiers in the war. Dylan and my son were on the Ukrainian side. Alex and others were fighting together with the Russians. These and other friends were found on both sides of the conflict, but none of them wanted to kill each other. They were actually trying to help and protect one another. Then a Russian soldier who was not someone the boys knew attacked Dylan. Alex and Andrew tried to warn Dylan and stop the attack, but it was too late. Dylan died. And it was very sad.

Besides the emotional power of the distant war expressing itself in my son’s life, what impressed me about his dream was that there were good people fighting on both sides. Is that an 11-year-old’s myth, or could it really be true? I affirmed (肯定) his concern for all the people directly involved in the war, all of which was pretty much in line with what the experts advise.

My son doesn’t get much news exposure from television, vastly preferring kid entertainment when he has a choice. And that’s. just as well. In fact, limiting children’s media exposure to war is one of the key suggestions the experts make.

However, there are questions and concerns. For weeks, my son has been praying daily that we will not go to war. Now he prays the war will end soon, and that people will not get hurt or killed. A few days ago, he voiced the almost casual question, “Will the war come to Oklahoma?” I answered no, and we agreed that we are fortunate to be far from the war. And yet, I think my son already understands that disaster — including the intentional horror of terrorism — can happen anywhere, like New York, Washington or even Oklahoma City. But still, that’s hardly the same as living with a daily personal fear or expectation of war reaching your home.

Tonight I kissed my boy goodnight and put him to bed, as again he prayed that God would help the war to end soon. I wonder how many more nights he will have to say that prayer…

Habitat loss, hunting, logging and climate change have put many large species on the planet at risk. A new study has found that not only are larger plants and animals at higher risk of extinction, but their loss would fundamentally affect life on earth.

Results showed that the continued loss of large animals alone would lead to a 44% reduction in the total amount of wild animal biomass on the planet. It would also lead to a 92% reduction in soil fertility (肥沃), which supports the ability of the earth to grow plants and sustain life.

“This research shows there are fundamental scientific principles that explain why large animals and trees matter for the health and integrity of all life on Earth,” said lead author Brian Enquist. “Protecting large species does have an umbrella effect to protect the wider ecosystem.”

A key reason for these results lies with the transport of nutrients(养分). When large animals eat in one location and defecate(排便)in another, they transport nutrients, often moving them from nutrient-rich areas to other, less fertile parts of the land and oceans. Similarly, the largest trees are the most productive, and contain more nutrients and carbon.

“Ecosystems with larger trees and animals are also more productive and provide more vital ecological services,” Enquist said. “The largest banks and corporations in the economy are the most productive and have the most impact on the economy. If they failed, they would have a big negative impact on economy. It’s a similar principle with large species across ecosystems.”

Unfortunately, these large organisms are more likely to be harmed by human pressures and climate change and take longer to recover from shocks, making them endangered species.

The findings help to answer an ongoing debate about where to channel limited conservation resources. While some species such as the tiger or redwood tree have historically been most appealing and therefore effective at pulling in donations, some scientists worry that the focus on a certain species could be coming at the cost of protecting other, less well-loved species.

“Our findings instead point to the importance of policies that emphasize the promotion of all large trees and animals, as such policies will have a great impact on biodiversity and ecosystem processes,” Enquist said.