【推荐1】Whom should you marry? Where should you live? How should you spend your time? For centuries, people have relied on their sixth sense to figure out answers to these life-changing questions. However, now as amounts of information about all aspects of human behaviour have become more and more accessible, we can use this big data to help decide on the best choice.

Consider this question: what makes people happy? Data have revealed the activities that provide far more enjoyment than most of us would have guessed, such as exercising, going to a museum and gardening. Then there are the things that give us less pleasure than you might assume, such as playing video games, watching TV and surfing the internet. Watching sports games involving your favourite team can be really dangerous to your mood, it turns out.

Another way to be happier is to marry well. Here, too, data is offering us new insights. One study by 86 researchers collected information on more than 11,000 romantic couples. They used machine learning models to understand what predicts romantic satisfaction. They found many highly desired features, such as a partner’s attractiveness and height, have just about no relation with long-term happiness. Instead, psychological (心理上的) qualities, such as having a so-called “growth mindset”, were likely to play a bigger part in developing romantic satisfaction.

These are the early days of the data revolution (革命) in personal decision-making. I am not claiming that we can completely outsource our lifestyle choices to algorithms (算法), though we might get to that point in the future. I am claiming instead that we can all dramatically improve our decision-making by referring to evidence from thousands or millions of people who faced difficulties similar to ours. And we can do that now.

【推荐2】The romantic Rhine, which flows more than 700 miles from Switzerland to the North Sea, is one of the most popular cruising(巡游) rivers in Europe, with many options available. Take a look at things to do in Rhine River!

Amsterdam

Many Rhine River Cruises begin or end in Amsterdam. This city is popular among multiple age groups and types of travelers for its relaxing atmosphere. Grab a bicycle and enjoy an afternoon of cafes, art, and historical sites. The Anne Frank House is a popular attraction in Amsterdam. Be sure to check if your river cruise can help with advance tickets as the lines are consistently long, though.

Neuschwanstein Castle

This fairytale castle is in the heart of Bavaria, Germany. Situated in the Black Forest, and conjuring up (唤起) visions of princes and princesses, it is an extremely popular tourist attraction. It was in fact one of the inspirations for Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. If your Rhine River cruise includes a stop in Munich, there’s a good chance that visits to Neuschwanstein will be available.

Strasbourg

If you’re looking for a classic European country town, this is the stop for you Strasbourg has a typical French feel, with cobblestoned streets, small shops, and of course a cathedral. Be sure to visit picturesque Petite France, the historic quarter of town, and Rohan Palace to walk in the footsteps of Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France before the French Revolution. Strasbourg is also a delightful place for visit for Christmas markets.

Basel

Sharing three international borders: Switzerland, Germany, and France, Basel presents a fascinating combination of cultures, cuisines, and languages. You can enjoy several wonderful historic sights in Basel, within a short distance from each other, and don’t miss a walk through the Botanical Gardens.

【推荐3】Jessica Brookhart has always loved tiny houses and tree house. When some land went up for sale in Gold Hill, Colorado, she bought it. Why? Because it came with a tree house. Brookhart, 41, spent $80,000 to live out her dream.

She isn’t alone. Tree houses are on the rise all over the U.S. More people are building them, more people are buying them, and more people are renting them. A house in a tree is a fun way to escape being trapped in your home. But you don’t have to stay with strangers. And you don’t have to travel farther than your own backyard.

The tree house that Brookhart bought can fit two adults and two children. There is no bathroom or running water. There is a portable toilet on the ground. From the windows, you can see the mountains. “It is a magical place,” Brookhart said. She admits that she made an emotional buy. But it offered a special place to spend time with her husband and their two young sons. She sometimes rents the tree house out online. Lots of people want to use it. “I have to block off a bunch of weekends so we can spend time there too,” she said.

Many of the new tree houses aren’t made of rough boards and nails. Some are very stylish. Business is great for Aaron Smith, who runs a tree house architecture company. He started it in 2015, and now employs a second designer and eight builders. His tree houses have ranged from a basic backyard structure costing around $10,000 to a livable tree house with indoor plumbing (管路系统) for half a million. He has customers all over the country.

The Mohicans Treehouse Resort in Glenmont, Ohio, rents out luxurious tree houses. But for many people, simple tree houses are good enough. Jim Brook, 71, built his grandsons a small platform tree house a few years ago. “I love to introduce them to nature and encourage them to play outdoors,” Brook said.

Building relationships and working successfully with different cultural backgrounds can seem like a major challenge. But you can enjoy the rewards, while keeping dissatisfaction to a minimum. The key to making them work is cultural competence. Essentially, cultural competence is defined as the ability to understand and interact effectively with people from different cultures.

Cultural competence is critical for everyone in today’s modern world. Living and working in a culturally diverse environment sometimes comes with differences of opinion and tension. People with strong cultural competence can resolve these issues creatively, even if a solution seems impossible at first. What’s more, thinking and caring about others with different experiences can bring out a sense of understanding. This helps to build trust between each other.

Cultural competence can be improved through training, education, and experience. Here are some simple tips to help you improve your cultural competence.

Assess yourself

The starting point is to understand your own cultural values and world view. Assess the current level of cultural competence in yourself and identify the knowledge, skills and resources that you want to acquire. This can give you an idea of your strengths and weaknesses in the area so that you can improve yourself in future.

Practice good manners

No matter whom you are dealing with, make sure that you are respecting others’ backgrounds, boundaries and customs. Pay close attention to your communication and make sure that you’re speaking to others in a kind and polite way.

Ask questions

When you don’t understand something or want to know why someone has behaved in a certain way, simply ask. Asking questions stops you making unnecessary assumptions, and shows the questions you did not understand to them.

Keep in mind that developing cultural competence is not a one-shot enterprise. It takes time and practice. Whether you are in a classroom or on campus, cultural competence plays an important role in your daily environment. Recognizing and dealing with cultural differences will create a happier setting for everyone.