【推荐3】Imagine that a futuristic roof garden is so intelligent that it knows when to store water for drought conditions, and when to dump water to prevent flooding. Now these smart roofs are becoming a reality in the Netherlands.

With more than half the country located below sea level, the Netherlands has a history of flooding. Now climate change has brought more severe weather, heavy rainfall, and even drought to the area, forcing the city of Amsterdam to consider new ways to protect itself, and that’s where Resilio comes in.

According to their website, Resilio builds blue-green roofs throughout Amsterdam. Together with the local government, from the years 2018 to 2022 they fixed specialized roofs in Amsterdam neighborhoods that are in the most danger of flood damage.

These roofs are made of many layers. The most important layer is the water retention (保存) layer. In time of heavy rainfall, this layer collects rainwater that would otherwise flood the streets, while in time of drought its water feeds the garden on the top layer. It is this layer that differentiates the blue-green roofs from the regular green roofs. A study shows that the blue-green roofs can capture up to 97% of extreme rain, as opposed to the about 12% that the regular green roofs can capture.

What makes Resilio roofs so unique, however, are their systems. Multiple blue-green roofs are connected via a digital network, meaning the roofs can each be controlled individually, responding to the amount of water collected on that particular roof as needed. Each roof also has a valve (阀门) that is connected to a computer system called the Decision Support System (DSS). The DSS networks with local weather forecasts to decide whether the valve on a particular roof should open, spilling water safely and slowly into the sewer (下水道) system, or whether it should remain closed and collect the coming rain.

These are the innovations that make Resilio truly revolutionary. Blue-green roofs show that the solutions to the dangers climate change brings need to be creative and must work on many levels.

【推荐2】Our Apartment BlueHat is just a few steps from Moncofa beach. Lying in the picturesque village of Moncofa, with breathtaking views from the sea in the east and the mountains in the west, our holiday apartment in Moncofa offers everything you need to rest and refresh your energy with the people and pets you love the most.

* Check-in: After 2:00 pm       * Check-out: Before 11:00 am

* No smoking                      * No parties or events

Entire place—Have a suite of 3 rooms completely belonging to yourself. $600/night

Private room — Have your own room and share some common spaces. $480/night

Hotel room —Have a shared room. $300/night

PS: Off season (March — May; October — December) half prices

For you to schedule your holidays in our Apartment BlueHat, it is very simple. Just follow the four simple steps below.

BOOKING—Pick your favorite holiday dates.

PAYMENT—Any form of payment is allowed.

CHECK-IN—Pick up your keys at the apartment.

ENJOY—Enjoy your stay at our BlueHat Moncofa.

The whole experience was unexpectedly great. The apartment is modern and clean with everything really well organized and working. It’s a short walk to the beach and there is a wonderful, clean huge swimming pool in the building.

We are a family of three that loves to travel. We mostly travel around Europe by car because of our beloved family member “Kala”—a lovely dog. As often we find it difficult to find places to stay in that accept pets, we were glad to know that our pet friend is welcome at BlueHat.

【推荐3】Unusual Libraries Around the World

There are 2.7 million libraries spreading across the globe, and while there are many beautiful ones, there are also a number of unique ones.

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a special library spanning two countries, is stationed on the border between Canada and the United States and serves people from both countries. The main entrance is on the American side, but the majority of collection of the books are in Canada. There’s even an official American-Canada borderline running right across the library’s floor.

Praised by many as a library of the future, the Deichman Bjørvika, city of Oslo’s new main library, has one hundred unread and unpublished texts. They are stored in a specially designed room lined with wood from the forest, making the library the world’s most secretive one. It witnesses different authors add their works to the collection that will not be available for reading until 2114.

Quietly sitting on an isolated (孤零零的) stretch of beach of Qinhuangdao in northern China, the Seashore Library has been called the world’s loneliest library. People have to walk across the sand to reach the doors. The building is designed to promote people’s connection with ocean, so the main reading room features a layered design to ensure that everyone has a good view of the sea.

Bíbliotheca Alexandrina is considered as a revival (复兴) of an ancient library in the Alex-andria 2,300 years ago or so. Characterized by its circular, tilting form, the building spans 160 meters in diameter (直径) and reaches up to 32 meters in height, while also diving some 12 meters into the ground.

【推荐1】Ever since humans began adventuring into space, 227 astronauts have performed activities outside the spaceship. While 14 of those have been women, the female astronauts have always been with a male partner. On October 18, 2019, US astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir became the first all-female team to carry out a spacewalk to replace a failed battery controller.

The historic event began at 7: 38 a. m. when Koch and Meir set their spacesuits to battery power. Live-broadcast by NASA, it was watched by thousands of space fans, particularly young girls dreaming to be astronauts. The scientists, who spent seven hours and 17 minutes fixing the controller and completing other tasks for the station, were able to observe the Earth passing under their feet. Koch and Meir returned to the International Space Station at 2: 55 p.m., where they were welcomed with cheers by their four male workmates.

When asked about the importance of this spacewalk, Koch said, “In the end, I do think it’s important because of the historical nature of what we’re doing. In the past, women haven’t always been at the table. It’s wonderful to be contributing to the space program at a time when all contributions are being accepted and everyone has a role. That can lead in turn to increased chance for success. There are a lot of people who get encouragement from people who look like them, and I think it’s an important story to tell.”

Meir added, “What we’re doing now shows all the work that went in many years ago, and all of the women that worked to get us where we are today.”

【推荐2】Flight disruptions have periodically made it difficult for people to reach their destinations. Here are three of the biggest potential flight disruptors and what you can do about them:

Wild weather can hinder air travel, whether it’s an Arizona monsoon storm or a hurricane over the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. That can affect whether your flight is delayed or canceled.     1     Extreme climate conditions also can disrupt air travel, as the Canadian wildfires demonstrated recently.

▶ Tip: If bad weather is expected, monitor the conditions in your flight path and take advantage of airline offers to reschedule without change fees. Download your airline’s app and enable notifications.     2    

In May, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines pilots’ unions voted to authorize strikes. While it appears unlikely that pilots will strike at either airline, a work stoppage could be a problem. The votes by the American and Southwest pilots’ unions to authorize a strike don’t necessarily mean a strike will happen.     3     A strike wouldn’t happen unless negotiations between the unions and the airlines’ management break down.

▶Tip: There is no reason to panic. If a strike appears likely, travelers can monitor the situation and consider switching to another airline.

Southwest Airlines experienced two nationwide computer outages last year.     4     Southwest conducted an internal review of its technology and began implementing a three-part action plan to address service disruptions from computer glitches, including fast-tracking operational investments.

▶ Tip: When issues emerge at the airport, technological and otherwise, the best thing people can do is to be patient. Read your airline’s policy on compensation for canceled flights.     5     The more patient that passengers can be, the better it will make everything smoother as they try to fix everything.

【推荐3】BEIJING, Oct.18 －World and regional leaders also congratulated China yesterday on the landing of Shenzhou VI, its second manned spaceship.

French President Jacques Chirac sent a message of congratulations on the successful return of Shenzhou VI, becoming the first foreign head of state to praise the spaceship’s mission (使命). Foreign media also widely covered the successful landing.

“China affirmed (确认) its place in one of the world’s most advanced clubs with the expected conclusion of a second manned space night,” The Christian Science Monitor, a newspaper based in Boston, reported yesterday.

“More than forty years after the US and Soviet Union had a similar achievement, China can still declare to put humans into orbit (轨道) on its own.

‘‘It was, as far as we know, what I’m sure they’d like to refer to as a picture-perfect mission,’’ Joan Johnson-Freese, an expert on China’s space program at the US Naval War College, said yesterday.

“Successful flights like Shenzhou VI build unity in the whole country. The nation will unite more closely.’’ said Anthony Curtis, a professor at the University of North Carolina, who followed China’s space program yesterday.

Beijing’s next manned mission, including a space-walk, will take off in 2007, followed by the building of an orbiting space station, which Curtis said would be practical within five years.

Leroy Chiao, a US astronaut with Chinese blood, told China Daily yesterday that there is a possibility for the United States and China to co-operate. After all, exploring space is not a piece of cake. It needs many top scientists to complete the high-tech mission.

He said in a telephone interview yesterday: ‘‘I would like to see opportunities for the two countries to set about co-operation personally.’’