2 . In a non-smoking carriage Miss Emily Brent sat very upright which was her custom. She was sixty－five and she did not approve of lounging (虚度光阴). Her father, a Colonel of the old school had been particular about manners.

The present generation shamelessly relaxed in their carriage. Miss Brent sat in her crowded third-class carriage and wondered why everyone made such a fuss over things nowadays! They took pills if they couldn't sleep; they wanted easy chairs and the girls lay about half naked on the beaches in summer. Miss Brent’s lips set closely. She would like to make an example of certain people. She remembered last year's summer holiday.

This year, however, it would be quite different. Indian Island...Mentally she reread the letter which she had already read so many times.

I do hope you remember me? We were together at Bellhaven Guest House in August some years ago, and we seemed to have so much in common.

I am starting a guest house of my own on an island on the coast of Devon. I think there is really an opening or a place where there is good plain cooking and a nice type of person. I shall be very glad if you could see your way to spending your summer holiday on Indian Island as my guest. Would early in August suit you? Perhaps the 8th.

Yours sincerely,

@#$

What was the name? The signature was rather difficult to read. Emily Brent thought impatiently:"So many people write their signatures quite illegibly."

Emily Brent thought to herself: "I shall be getting a free holiday at least." With her income so much reduced and so many loans not being paid, that was indeed something to take into consideration. If only she could remember a little more about Mrs or was it Miss Oliver?

3 . As Amar Hanspal, Autodesk senior vice president, sees it, construction sites are orchestras (管弦乐队) without conductors. It’s difficult to know immediately if the violin solo started at the right time, if the concrete truck is where it needs to be, or if that wall was built in the right place. Real-time awareness has long been a challenge on construction sites. Time and money are lost to correcting flawed (有缺陷的) work. One group of workers may arrive only to have to stand around, wasting time, because someone else didn't complete his or her task.

Autodesk envisions drones (无人机) provide the leaders on construction sites with real-time information, leading to projects that are finished faster at a lower cost. The company, which makes software for 3D design and engineering, has invested in drone start-up Skycatch, which sees a huge opportunity in data from construction sites. With automated drones, a leader could analyze progress on a construction site far quicker than if a human was tracking progress.

"It's the place that changes the most, even down to an hour, "said Skycatch chief executive Christian Sanz of construction sites." We’re discovering things that we didn’t even know were problems on the field, which we're able to solve with data.

Sanz believes we're just at the beginning of automation's arrival at construction sites, and says Skycatch has only built 1 percent of what's possible. Autodesk's software provides a way to make use of all the information Skycatch's drones collect.

"You'll have machines on the ground that are going to be data aware, "said Sanz, whose drones deliver data within a centimeter of accuracy. "They’re not going to have a pilot seat; they’re going to be automated.”

In the construction site of the future, drones will regularly fly overhead, constantly taking photos. Software in the cloud will compare volumes to see how much dirt is moved, if a structure is built. Regular reports will be emailed to leaders on site, keeping them aware of progress.

Sanz expects an especially big impact of drone data in the developing world. His company also does work in mining, but sees construction projects as its biggest opportunity.

4 . After 14 years, the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, the Nertherlands, finally announced the recovery of two Vincent van Gogh paintings on Friday, thanks to a recent operation by Italian police. “The paintings have been found! That I would be able to ever pronounce these words is something I had no longer dared to hope for.”said Axel Ruger, director of the Van Gogh Museum, at a press conference in Naples, Italy, where Italian police announced the success of their operation.

Vincent Willem Van Gogh (30 March 1853 — 29 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade he created about 2100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of them in the last two years of his life. He sold only one painting during his lifetime and became famous after his suicide (自杀) at age 37, which followed years of poverty and mental illness. The two paintings are “Seascape at Scheveningen”, painted in 1882, and “Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen”, painted in 1884. Their authenticity (真实性) has been confirmed by experts of the museum.

According to Italian media reports, the paintings were discovered in a house belonging to an international drug dealer group based in Castellammare di Stabia, about 19 miles south-east of Naples

When the paintings were stolen in 2002, the lost was considered one of the “top 10” art crimes that year, according to British newspaper The Guardian. The paintings have no frames and show signs of some damage but remain “in fairly good condition,” the Van Gogh Museum said in a statement posted on its website. As further investigation and legal procedures on the local crime organization are underway, it's not clear when the paintings will be shipped to Amsterdam.

Ruger said he was hopeful and counted on the support of the Italian authorities

5 . Trevalgan Touring Park, Cornwall

Campers have three options at this park on Penwith: non-serviced pitches for basic camping, serviced spots with electricity and fully serviced pitches with taps, waste disposal and extra space. While the site has a large number of caravans (大篷车) alongside the tents, there’s ample room for kids to play and easy access from campsite to beach.

Unserviced pitch from ₤ 16 a night, semi-serviced from ₤16.50, fully serviced from ₤22.

Adult from ₤5.50 a night, child ₤ 3, under-three free, 01736 791892

Wardley Hill, Norfolk

Only in its second year, this campsite on the edge of the Norfolk Broads welcomes tents and small vans. Guests pitch is in the long grass, and recycled washing machine can be hired as campfire pits or temporary barbecues. Drive to nearby Beccles to rent a canoe and enjoy the Broads waterways.

Adult ₤6 a night, child ₤ 2, 07733 306543

Little Halden Farming Camping, Kent

Little Halden Farm only takes 20 tents (private tents forbidden), so overcrowding is never an issue. Facilities are basic but more than adequate — hot showers, toilets and fresh, running water — and minimal human development means there’s wildlife around. Rolvenden village is only a 20-minute walk away, with a fantastic local pub, The Bull, and a well-stocked shop selling the essentials.

Adult ₤ 9 a night, child ₤ 4, tent charge ₤ 5 per night, no dogs, 07854 523966

8 . To fight against the ballooning waistlines among people, several U. S. cities have instituted taxes on drinks with added sugar aiming to reduce consumption, but new research suggests these policies currently have one fundamental flaw.

The study found sugary drink only reduce purchasing if price tags at stores mention consumers are paying that tax when they buy the drink.

The research included a field study at two convenience stores in San Francisco, which currently has a tax on sugary drinks of 1 cent per ounce. Researchers varied the price tags placed on the sugary drinks over the eight-week study: one tag that simply said the price for the 12-ounce drink ($1.52) and one that had the price and the message “Includes SF Sugary Drink Tax”. All non-sugary drinks, which weren’t subject to the tax, simply had the price of the drink ($1.40).

The researchers compared sales of the drinks during the study period to the two weeks before the study began when the sugary drink tax was in effect but there were no price tags on any drinks. Results showed sales of sugary drinks weren't lower during the two weeks, compared to sales before the tax, indicating the tax itself didn't reduce purchases of sugary drinks.

The researchers then looked at the effects of the two different price tags. Results showed the share of sugary drinks purchased when the tags simply showed the price wasn’t significantly different from the two-week period before the study, but did decline slightly when the tags mentioned the price included the added tax.

In a separate online study, the researchers asked participants to estimate what the tax would be on a can of their favorite drink that cost $1.52. The average estimate was 40 cents — much higher than the 12 cents actually demanded in San Francisco. When told the tax was only 12 cents, they reported they’d still purchase the drink.

The findings suggest price tags should mention the tax but not the amount, for consumers tend to overestimate how much the tax is. “If cities want these policies to be effective, they need to regulate how sugary drinks are labeled at stores and they currently don’t do that,” said Donnelly, lead author of the study.

10 . The fantastic drawing art holiday will start on Tuesday, 9 December, and it’ll last for a week in Torrox, Spain, a beautiful place to paint. Everyone who loves painting is welcome.

All main meals and fresh picnic lunches are provided by the travel agency.

In Hotel Al-Andalus (3star), 2 rooms available, it can be single or double occupancy. Price pp (per person) every night is￡925.

In Hotel La Casa (excellent rating), only double rooms available. Price pp every night is￡1,055.

Your flexible art days start at 9: 00 am.

Dinner is taken as a group except on the rest day when you are free to choose your own.

Arrive at carefully chosen and inspirational painting locations by taking air-conditioned minibus!

Transfer from Malaga at 10:00 pm and leave Torrox at 9:00 am on the day of departure.

Drawing boards and lightweight folding chairs are provided.

You should bring paint, paper, canvases, sketch books, brushes, pastels, and so on if you want to paint. For more information about what to bring, call me at 0113 2252481 or send the email at rdcreative@ntlworld.com.

0808 1349913 or 0034 618 234 367 or http://www.paint-andalucia.com