【推荐1】Toys for Tickets Now Underway

Boston drivers are told that the City’s popular “Toys for Tickets” campaign (运动) is now underway. All non-public safety parking tickets (罚单) issued on Boston’s streets on December 1, 2 and 3, may be paid by providing a toy of equal or greater value than the fine on the ticket.

Toys are being accepted this week through Friday, December 17, between the hours of 9 AM and 4 PM, on the second floor of Boston City Hall as well as at the Transportation Department’s Enforcement Building at 200 Frontage Road. Parking is available at the 200 Frontage Road facility. To participate in the “Toys for Tickets” program, drivers must bring the parking ticket as well as a new, non-violent, unwrapped toy of an equal or greater value than the fine. A receipt must be provided for the toy.

The “Toys for Tickets” program began in Boston 16 years ago. Last year, the campaign resulted in over $3,000 in toys being donated to local families who would not otherwise have been able to provide presents to their children on Christmas.

Boston Named #1 Digital City

Mayor announced today that the City of Boston has been ranked #1 among the most advanced digital cities in America according to the Center for Digital Government’s 10^th Annual Digital Cities Survey. The survey recognizes municipalities that successfully use technology to better serve constituents and conduct government operations.

In September, the City of Boston website was named the #1 city government website in America in the Center for Digital Government’s Best of the Web Competition. Boston is the first city to win both awards in the same year.

“I am proud of the way that we are using technology to make government more accessible to Boston’s residents, businesses and visitors,” said Mayor.  “This recognition is an honor for the Department of Innovation and Technology and the entire City of Boston.”

【推荐2】A One-woman Cinderella Show Is Coming to Fairfield

A one-woman show that reimagines the classic fairytale Cinderella is coming to the Fairfield Community Arts Center. The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati will present Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots for one night only on Jan.26. The traveling show is for children ages 4 and up and promises “knee-slapping” comedic moments and heartwarming life lessons.

“I love children's theatre,” says Rosvic Siason, who plays Cinderella. “Kids are our future and we introduce them to these stories. We all have situations at one point in our life that look like this conversation. It just kind of helps you develop your brain and learn how to think as a developing person. It’s really important to expose kids to theatre and well-rounded actors they can talk to for guidance.”

These one-man, one-woman shows have so much beauty because it is very raw. People actually follow along much easier than you think. It’s easy to share a feeling. They will be expected to interact, deliver lines and repeat after Cinderella throughout the production. Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots will deliver a funny, meaningful twist on the classic fairytale that encourages audiences to expand their imagination.

“Using imagination helps kids to think of things in more ways than one,” Siason says. “It opens them up and makes them think, ‘Hey, this is one way this could work.’ Or, ‘I could try this way,’ and then see what happens.”

Visit fairfield-city. org for tickets and more information.

【推荐3】By mid-century there will likely be 9 billion people on the planet, using ever more resources and leading ever more technologically complex lives. What will our cities be like? How much will artificial intelligence (AI) advance? Will global warming cause disastrous changes, or will we be able to engineer our way out of the climate change issues? Recently, the magazine Big Think asked top minds from a variety of fields to weigh in on what the future holds 40 years from now. The result is as follows.

It's likely that by 2050 the majority of the people in the world will live in urban areas and will have a much higher average age than people today. Cities theorist Richard thinks urbanization will transform the education system of, making our economy less houses driven and removing the divisions between home and work.

And rapidly advancing technology will continue ever more rapidly. Cities of the future won't look like “some sort of science-fiction fantasy”, but it's likely that technological advances and information overlays (VR and AR) will greatly change how we live. Self- driving cars will make the roads safer and provide faster transports. A larger version of driverless cars-driverless trucks — may make long-distance drivers out of date.

Some long view predictions are completely dire. Environmentalist Bill says that if we don't make great progress in fighting global warming, it's likely we could see out-of- control rises in sea levels, huge crop shortfalls and wars over limited freshwater resources.

In terms of how we will eat, green markets founder and “real food" supporter Nina believes that there will be more small milk processing plants and more regional food operations and we'll be healthier as a result. New York Times writer Mark thinks that people will eat fewer processed foods and eat foods grown closer to where they live. And more people will be aware of the ethical responsibility" to grow foods.

【推荐1】When my daughter was seven years old, she came home from soccer practice clearly downhearted. When asked, she told me what a teammate said: her teeth were too yellow. My heart broke for her. As parents, we try to keep our children safe, but we can’t always be there to protect our kids from unkind words. I tried to console my daughter. I told her that she has a beautiful smile with nice, strong, healthy teeth. I told her not to let someone else’s criticisms influence her. On the inside, though, I worried. From my youth, I’ve struggled with the concept that my self-worth was directly related to my physical appearance.

When I became a mom, I was afraid that this concept would take root in my daughter. I wanted to protect her little ears from unkind words that might skew(歪曲) her idea of self-worth. I wanted to protect her little eyes from unrealistic beauty standards set by magazines, television, and movies. I wanted to protect her little heart from being broken by the thought that she didn’t live up to the standards in some way.

How, then, can we teach our kids that they are much more than their appearance? We can start by modeling kindness, and self-acceptance in our own lives. Kids tend to copy what adults do and say, so be careful. If we are putting ourselves down, our kids will follow in our footsteps. Instead, adopt a positive attitude when it comes to your own self-worth. Praise kids for their acts of kindness, like sharing with a friend or helping a family member without being asked and talk to them about how it makes them feel.

It’s a hard thing for parents to teach children to be confident in their own skin and to pay more attention to their inner beauty than outward appearance. It’s also worthy of note that there’s nothing wrong with telling your kids they are beautiful. I tell my kids that they’re beautiful all the time. Hopefully, in doing so, they’ll begin to understand that there’s so much more to them than just their shells.