Bookstores are a traveller's best friend: they provide convenient shelter in bad weather, and they often host readings and other cultural events. Here is a look at world’s six greatest bookstores.

Adrian Harrington—since 1971. Rare books; rare first editions; leather bound sets and general antiquarian (古玩). Address: 64A Kensington Church Street, Kensington, London, England, U.K.

Another Country—Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany. Another Country is an English Language second hand bookshop which is mostly used as a library. They have about 20,000 books that you can buy or borrow. Some regular events are held at the shop, such as readings, cultural events, social evenings and film nights.

Atlantis Books—Oía, Santorini, Greece. Atlantis Books is an independent bookshop on the island of Santorini, Greece, founded in 2004 by a group of friends from Cyprus, England, and the United States. Throughout the year it has hosted literary festivals, film screenings, book readings, and good old fashioned dance parties.

Bart’s Books—Ojai, California, U.S.A. “The World’s Greatest Outdoor Bookstore”, a bookstore founded by Richard Bartinsdale in 1964. Shelves of books face the street, and regular customers are asked to drop coins into the door’s coin box to pay for any books they take whenever the store is closed.

10 Corso Como—Milan, Italy. Extensive selection of publication on art, architecture, design, graphics and fashion, along with a strong emphasis on photography. It was founded in 1990 in Milan, Italy, by Carla Sozzani.

The Bookworm—A bookshop, library, bar, restaurant and event space, now with four divisions in three cities—Beijing, Suzhou and Chengdu. The interconnecting rooms with floor-to-ceiling books on every wall are light and airy in summer, yet warm and comfortable in winter.

Many young people these days adore the advertised magazine body and become too focused on attaining this image instead of worrying more about what lasts and even grows over time. But could you imagine being considered beautiful for years, and suddenly being ugly after moving to another continent? It is a sad reality that people don’t realize how vacillating the idea of beauty can be from one country to another.

Think of the most typical American girl you know. Is she blonde-haired with white skin and light blue eyes, and does she love shopping or sports? Now place this girl in the heart of Africa, where beauty is placed on what you can control. The Maasai tribe in Kenya focuses on how clean people are, and how stylish their piercings (穿孔) are. This tribe’s culture is to be a brave fighter, so they will cut their skin with patterns in it to show that they are strong. If you don’t look fierce, you are not beautiful.

Other countries like North Korea and South Korea have their own unique views on beauty. In an interview, a woman who has lived in both North Korea and South Korea claims that beauty in North Korea is based more on your ability to be a good woman and wife. She says that women in North Korea are less concerned about fashion and beauty in the physical sense. She says they did have a time when big eyes were a big deal and everyone wanted to get double eyelid surgery. This is something extreme and could perhaps be influenced by Western culture. But don’t you think the idea of getting surgery done to look more attractive is crazy?

Patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease often struggle to remember recently learned information, meaning they forget things like important appointments or where they left their keys. But it seems that these memories are not lost. They are still filed away in the brain somewhere; they just can’t be easily accessed.

Now, researchers at MIT have developed a means of getting back memories in mice suffering from Alzheimer’s. The method relies on a technique that uses light to control genetically modified neurons (转基因神经元). Currently it is too early to be used in human trials as it involves inserting light emitting (发光) equipment into the subjects’ brains, but the same principles still apply, the researchers said.

“The important point is that this is evidence of concept. That is, even if a memory seems to be gone, it is still there. It’s a matter of how to get it back,” said senior researcher Susumu Tonegawa.

The team took two groups of mice, one genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer’s and one healthy. They then placed them into a room and gave them a mild electric shock. All of the mice showed fear when put back in an hour later. When placed in the room a third time several days later, the Alzheimer’s mice acted normally. They had forgotten the shock.

The researchers were then able to bring back the memory of the shock by activating (激活) the cells in which the memories were stored. Even when the mice were put into an unfamiliar room, they showed fear when the cells associated with the shock were activated.

“Short-term memory seems to be normal, on the order of hours. But for long-term memory, these early-Alzheimer’s mice seem to be damaged,” said lead researcher Dheeraj Roy. “Directly activating the cells that we believe are holding the memory helps them get it back. This suggests that it is indeed an access problem to the information, not that they’re unable to learn or store this memory.”

Half off usually unaffordable products?Only $49.99 for that $100.00 dinner?That’s the magic of Groupon,but for some small business owners the “great business” offered by Groupon can be equal to the kiss of death.How could that occur?

The math of Groupon seems simple at a glance,but upon further inspection the numbers don’t add up when it comes to smaller businesses.A Groupon typically offers a 50% discount on a product or service;then the remaining profit is divided between Groupon and the small business.While Groupon has already received the profit in advance,the merchant is left waiting for their cut.Those worrying numbers are assuming the price cut is 50/50,which,in some cases,is being generous.

When you break it down to numbers,a Groupon deal seems disastrous,but it’s not only the numbers small business owners have to worry about.The point of Groupon deals is to attract new and hopefully long term customers.Yet,does this actually happen?The majority of consumers buying the Groupon are there for the bargain and don’t return after using their Groupon.CFHS Junior Angelita Pope stated,“I love the deals offered by Groupon!They can really save you so much money.”However,she went on to say that she hadn’t returned once to any of the businesses after using her Groupon.

For some small businesses,the pressure lies with the responses of their loyal customers,who watch as new faces get the same product or service for half the price that they have been paying for years.When you break it down,Groupon indicates that the business offering the deal is not only willing to be flexible with their price,but also that their product or service isn’t worth the price they’re charging for.When combining these factors,it’s no wonder loyal customers are put off by the idea of their favorite shop offering Groupons.

Now I by no means say Groupons have bad effects on all businesses;however the storm of Groupon is actually a disaster for a small business.