【推荐1】A study done by University of Michigan researchers found that shopping to relieve stress was up to 40 times more effective at giving people a sense of control and that shoppers were three times less sad compared to those who only browsed for items without buying.

More than half of the 1,000 consumers surveyed said they had impulsively (冲动地) shopped to deal with feelings of stress, anxiety or depression. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they had maxed out a credit card to relieve stress.

In terms of age, 68 percent of Millennials (千禧一代) said they would go shopping when having stress, compared to 53 percent of Gen Xers, who were born between 1965 and 1976, and only 26 percent of baby boomers born after World War Ⅱ.

In regards to genders, 48 percent of men and 31 percent of women purchased alcohol impulsively when stressed. Eighty-two percent of women spent on clothing compared to 52 percent of men. 42 percent of women also preferred to buy jewellery, compared to 22 percent for men, with men spending more for electronics 44 percent versus 30 percent for women.

In fact, shopping to reduce stress can actully help you live a healthier life by making sure that your blood pressure is lowered. The survey found that 82 percent had only positive feelings about their purchases and that the positive mood boost was long-lasting. Shopping to relieve stress is also called retail therapy as a form of regulating stress. However, the side effect of it can start out as a relatively harmless mood booster but could possibly grow into a compulsion (冲动) that causes financial collapse and conflict, thereby adding a significant amount of stress to a person’s life.

【推荐2】In ancient times, people tracked the seasons by following the lunar months. Many times, the names of the moons were related with what features the seasons had.    1    It is a special name with a history dating back to Native American tribes (部落). The name is also thought to have a Celtic origin, brought over to North America by European settlers.

Regardless of where the name Wolf Moon comes from, wolves howl (嚎叫) to communicate over long distances both in North America and in Europe. It is a way of saying “here I am” to the rest of the pack or “stay away” to enemies.    2    As the late summer moves towards fall, wolves call more and more to neighbors and enemies.

    3    However, howls by a pack can last from 30 to 120 second, and longer during the breeding (繁殖) season. As a result, wolves are particularly loud in the first month of the year.    4    

Science has not shown that the Moon phase (月相) plays any particular part in the calls of wolves, but wolves are animals that are in general more active at night.    5    They point their faces toward the sky because projecting their howls upward carries the sound farther.

【推荐1】Along Utah's Highway 68 in the small community of Elberta, Utah stands an industrial dome(圆屋顶)． Inside is a futuristic collection of shelves, towering 25 feet tall. The dome is home to a vertical farm, which doesn't grow food for humans but for cows.

Three years ago, Lance Bateman and his three brothers agreed to be part of a pilot project that would use vertical farming to grow and feed the cows for their dairy and beef farm, Bateman Mosida Farms. Grov Technologies, an agriculture tech company in Vineyard, Utah, partnered with Batemans on the project and developed all the equipment for the vertical farm.

The brothers are now using six towers to pump out fresh wheatgrass for their herd of 20,000 cows 365 days a year. The vertical farm takes up about 857 square feet of space, but it does the work that would be required on 35 to 50 acres of land, according to Grov Technologies. Supporters claim vertical farms use 95% less water than in conventional field farming. A full harvest cycle in the Bateman's farm takes anywhere from five to seven days, starting with a tray of seeds that is carried to the top of the tower and rotated on wheels through the entire structure.

Bateman says each tower provides about 2,800 pounds of feed each day, which is only about two percent of what his cows eat in a day. His farm grows feed conventionally when it can and buys the rest. The farm is also planning to install four more towers within the next six weeks.

According to Bateman,studies conducted by Grov Technologies in 2019 found that, when the cows were fed 12-15% of the vertical farm's feed in their diets, they produced more milk or at the same pace while eating less feed overall, ultimately improving the farm's bottom line.

“A farm is an expensive venture, but I know with this facility, we can compete, especially with different climate scenarios(说明）across the world,”he says. “I believe this will make farming available in areas where it hasn't been able to happen. ”

【推荐3】Are you happy? Do you remember a time when you were happy? Are you seeking happiness today?

Many have sought a variety of sources for their feelings of happiness. Some have put their heart and efforts into their work. Too many have turned to drugs and alcohol. Meanwhile, untold numbers have looked for it in the possession of expensive cars, exotic (异国的) vacation homes and other popular “toys”. Most of their efforts have a root in one common fact: people are looking for a lasting source of happiness.

Unfortunately, I believe that happiness escapes from many people because they misunderstand the journey of finding it. I have heard many people say that, “I’ll be happy when I get my new promotion,” or “I’ll be happy when I lose that extra20 pounds.” It is dangerous because it accepts that happiness is a “response” to having, being or doing something.

In life, we all experience stimulus (激励) and response. Today, some people think that an expensive car is stimulus. Happiness is a response. A great paying job is stimulus. Happiness is a response. A loving relationship is stimulus. Happiness is a response. This belief leaves us thinking and feeling: “I’ll be happy when...”

It has been my finding that actually the opposite is true. I believe that happiness is a stimulus and response is what life brings to those who are truly happy. When we are happy, we tend to have more success in our work. When we are happy, people want to be around us and enjoy loving relationships. When we are happy, we more naturally take better care of our bodies and enjoy good health. Happiness is not a response but a stimulus.

Happiness is a conscious choice we make every day of our lives. For unknown reason to me, many choose to be painful, unsuccessful and angry most of the time. Happiness is not something that happens to us after we get something we want—we usually get things we want AFTER we choose to be happy.