【推荐2】A tiny school in western New South Wales is eyeing the skies hoping for dry weather so it can harvest its first wheat crop.

Seven students from kindergarten to year six attend Hermidale Public School, more than 600 kilometres west of Sydney. Each day they spend part of their school time outside tending the 85-hectare crop.

The land was donated by a former student. Fifty years ago young Craig Grimmond often looked out of the school window at a bare paddock (荒芜的田地) that neighbored the school. Now he owns the land and kindly donated it to the students for their project.

“People asked, ‘Why would you donate that whole block to them?’” he said. “I hardly use it and it’s going to be better for me in the long run because it’ll be cleaned up and will save me a job down the track.”

Principal Skye Dedman said the school community felt very lucky. They took this opportunity for the students. The students’ crop is a reality that seemed almost impossible three years ago. Ms Dedman said there were days when students were forced to stay indoors because of huge dust storms. Their school and their community really felt the threat of the drought.

The students have had the use of the land for three years. During the three years, the tiny community has dealt with a mouse plague (鼠疫), the pandemic and flooding. The whole community has thrown its support behind the project, including farmer and parent Darren Mudford.

“We’ve sown wheat this year and it would be nice if we got two or two-and-a-half tonne to the hectare, which is not a bad effort,” he said. “It’s much better than a cake sale.”

The students’ wheat crop is expected to raise up to $ 50,000. The money will then be used to send the students on trips around the country. They are hoping to go to Newcastle later this year to see their wheat being loaded at the port.

【推荐3】Being multicultural has many benefits, including being able to find inspiration from different people and places around the world. Laalitya Acharya, 18, from Ohio, US, got the idea to develop a way to detect when water is contaminated (受污染的) after visiting her family’s home in India.

Acharya has always been involved in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), competing in many competitions around the world, including the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Last year, she was even honored with a Coca- Cola scholarship for her efforts.

Her most influential project, however, is Nereid, the name given to her water contamination detection device. She made the device on her own with various parts and a 3D printer. It uses nanotechnology (纳米技术) to take microscopic (微小的) pictures of water, which are then examined to determine if contamination is present. To test her device, she created her own contaminated water samples and compared them to clean water samples. Acharya used a neural network (神经网络), an AI that works in a similar way to the human brain and can detect patterns in data. The microbes (细菌) that make water dirty have unique shapes and sizes, and the neural network can recognize and differentiate between the microbes. All of this is possible for less than $100!

She hopes her device will make it easier and less costly to detect water that is not fit for consumption. Acharya told Cincinnati Enquirer: “Coming from a place of privilege in the United States, I didn’t understand how big of an issue this is until I saw it first hand. We are able to turn on a tap and even drink water directly from there. But that’s not the situation for people all across the world.”

The Nereid project not only focuses on ways to resolve the water crisis, but also holds virtual workshops and educational summits for young people who want to learn more and be part of the solution. Acharya wants to break the stigma around STEM, saying :”Science and scientific experimentation is not a linear (直线型的) process. It is a webbed pathway that takes you through many different routes before you get to the end.” Science is for everyone and doesn’t have to be seen as tough or scary.

【推荐1】In Flanders, the best advice to give a confused cyclist is: Keep calm and check your numbers. Many riders have a string of numbers with them, preprinted or handwritten on a piece of paper. The numbers are a roadmap to the route.

Nearly 220 miles of cycling paths go through the region in northern Belgium. Each path is numbered, and before setting out, cyclists can check an interactive map to create a sequence(排列顺序)that’s unique to their route. Arrows point riders in the right direction on their way across villages, forests, and fields. And as they ride, cyclists look at the blue signs and then their string of numbers to ensure they’re on the right track.

The network opened in 1990, after being proposed by Belgian mining engineer Hugo Bollen. In the early 20th century, the region experienced an economic boom(繁荣), particularly in the province of Limburg, which mined coal. But by the 1980s, those businesses started to close, and towns needed something else to restart their economic engines. Bollen came up with an idea to develop tourism by depending on another natural resource that was plentiful in the region: astonishing landscapes. He suggested a bike network—and because names of villages and towns could be hard to remember, he proposed a system based on numbers.

The routes are organized around themes designed to inspire and are not necessarily meant to be the most efficient path from one destination to another. These paths celebrate the journey and the scenic spots along the way. Cyclists can choose to ride through strawberry fields, for instance, or around a brewery(啤酒厂)known for its high quality beer. History lovers can choose paths that link up with various sites of historic battles from both World Wars, particularly near the border with France. Besides, there are still signs of the region’s mining heritage(遗产)across Limburg.

Over the years, the region’s tourism agency has added some new attractions along the route, while still highlighting nature and local ecosystems. Kate Vandy, a cyclist from the U.K., said “You’ll soon lose yourself in shades of green, and the white of apple flowers.”

【推荐2】Group buying is one of the fastest growing trends in South Africa today. Industry leaders are confident that the growth potential remains strong since group buying is location-specific(区域性的). Start-up costs are low and profit room remains high, so many sites continue to receive invested money despite widespread criticism and Facebook's decision to phase out of the deals business due to privacy concerns.

In the early stages of all industries, some companies fail because they cannot compete with stronger companies in difficult economic conditions. To deal with difficult conditions, an alarming number of businesses are developing group buying websites in places like China and India, so the increase of group buying in South Africa is nothing more than a natural progression into the international mainstream.

The group buying concept is fairly new and consumers have accepted this concept because they can now make full use of the rich information available on the Internet. Group buying is convenient and easy so it works. Anyone can view a site, join a mailing list, subscribe to RSS or print out a coupon(优惠券). The current group buying structure offered by the industry leaders works although there are still challenges to overcome.

Perhaps, the future of group buying is tied to the joining together of social media and mobile devices. Mobile devices are with us wherever we go and almost everyone is using some type of social media site like Facebook or Twitter to stay informed. Using GPS and social media technology to provide real time location-specific promotions would be beneficial to every consumer looking for the best deals in town.

Pause for a moment and think about it! What is better than signing on to your phone while having fun in town and you receive a real time information that your favorite shop across the street is offering a killer deal?

The future of the group buying in South Africa is bright and we can expect to see more advanced approaches to this concept in the future. In addition to the technological advances consumers will see the range of promotions expand to include new products and services.