1 . Welcome here! The Southern Spring Home&Garden Show will be held at the conference center of The Park Expo. This show will last from Wednesday (March 2) to Sunday (March 6, 2022).

Admission: Adults $10.00. Teenagers under 15 free with a paying adult.

Join Lincolnton’s own Tammie Davis as she performs her original country songs at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 5th.

Special Days: The Spring for Kids First Night Gala benefiting the Council for Children’s Rights will take place from 7 p.m. to 10 p. m. on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, Tickets are $50 and include an access to Freedom Hall, where you can enjoy delicious food, beverage (饮料) and entertainment free of charge.

Seniors Day (55+): Wednesday is for them. Cost is $ 7.00 but without coupons (优惠券)．

Hours: Wednesday, Thursday&Sunday:10 a.m.—5 p.m.; Friday & Saturday:10 a.m.—9 p.m.

Wheelchairs are available on a first-come-first-served basis for you. The cost is $1.00 and you are required to leave a valid driver’s license or ID.

Parking: All Day Parking $ 6.00; Half Day Parking $ 3.00; Every Hour Parking $ 1.00 For More Information: Come to visit Mardee Woodward in person.

E-mail:mwoodward@southernshows.com Telephone: 704-376-4085

3 . This past weekend my wife and 1 had the opportunity to be in Colorado for a school reunion.On Saturday, we decided to take a day trip up to the mountains for a hike.The hike started at Echo Lake, near the base of the beautiful Mt Evans.The path would follow a river up the mountain to another lake.

We crossed the river a few times on wooden planks and walked through some thick trees slowly and unsteadily but eventually we made it to the lake.It was absolutely beautiful and definitely worth the hike.But we noticed that the path continued up the mountain further.We had plenty of water and a little more energy so we decided to keep going and see where it led.

The path got steeper from there and sometimes it was hard to find.But we stuck with it because every quarter mile the trees would open up and we’d get an amazing view of the mountains around us.Eventually, the path led us to another lake that was even more beautiful than the first.

We were about to stop and eat lunch, having reached our destination, when my wife noticed a waterfall at one end of the lake.We could see that the path we were on continued up the mountain to what must be the source of the waterfall.Having seen it, we knew we had to try and make it.

During the next mile of hiking we had to trudge through dark, sticky mud and then hop on logs and rocks across rivers.The last half mile was really steep, and we had to hike through the thick snow which was far beyond our expectations.The altitude was starting to affect us as the air got thin and our muscles ached.

Eventually, we made it to the top and found one of the most beautiful sights I have ever had the privilege to see.At the top there was yet another lake, with amazingly blue water, the snow-capped mountains reflected on its surface.It was breathtaking.

I learned a lesson about setting goals that day.

4 . We recognize our friends’ faces. And we’re not alone. Many social animals can identify individuals of their own species by features of their faces. That's important, because they need to be able to change their behavior depending on who they meet. And a recent research has shown that some species of monkeys, birds, and domesticated (家养的) animals can even tell different faces apart by looking at photographs alone.

Ethologist Léa Lansade of the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment did an experiment to find out how well horses can recognize individual people in photographs.

She and her team first taught the horses how to “choose” between two side-by-side pictures by touching their noses to a computer screen. The horses were then shown photos of their present keeper alongside faces of unfamiliar humans. They had never seen photos of any of the people before. The horses correctly identified their current keeper and ignored (忽视) the stranger’s face about 75%of the time. In fact, even though the horses didn't get it right every single time, they were at least as correct in picking out their earlier keeper as they were at identifying their present one.

The results suggest that not only can horses differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar human faces, they also naturally understand that photographs are two dimensional representations (二维呈现) of real life, without any other intimations such as smell or sound. And they’re even better at this than our oldest animal parter, the domestic dog.

In addition, horses seem to have a strong long-term memory for human faces, like their long lifespan and history of domestication. In future experiments, the researchers would like to test whether looking at photos of people that they have had bad experiences with in the past might cause horses to act anxious or even avoidance. So maybe think twice before doing anything that might give a horse a long face.

5 . How to keep a good figure may be important to you. In fact, your house may have an effect on your figure. Experts say the way you design your home could play a role in whether you pack on the pounds or keep them off. You can make your environment work for you instead of against you.

Open the curtains and turn up the lights. Dark environments are more likely to encourage overeating, for people are often less self-conscious(自觉的)when they're in poorly lit places-and so more likely to eat lots of food. If your home doesn't have enough window light, get more lamps and flood the place with brightness.

Mind the colors. Research suggests warm colors fuel our appetites(食欲). In one study, people who ate meals in a blue room consumed 33 percent less than those in a yellow or red room. Warm colors like yellow make food appear more appetizing, while cold colors make us feel less hungry. So when it's time to repaint, go blue.

Don't forget the clock-or the radio. People who eat slowly tend to consume about 70 fewer calories per meal than those who rush through their meals. Begin keeping track of the time, and try to make dinner last at least 30 minutes. And while you're at it, actually sit down to eat. If you need some help to decelerate, turn on relaxing music. It makes you less likely to rush through a meal.

Downsize the dishes. Big serving bowls and plates can easily make us fat. We eat about 22 percent more when using a 12-inch plate instead of a 10-inch plate. When we choose a large spoon over a smaller one, total intake jumps by 14 percent. And we'll pour about 30 percent more liquid into a short, wide glass than a tall, skinny glass.

6 . Robots that can cook are in growing demand(需求)in the United States. The increased demand comes at a time when restaurants are trying to put some distance between their workers and customers during the COVID-19.

In a few weeks, White Castle restaurants will test a robot arm that can cook French fries and other foods. The robot, called Flippy, is a product of Miso Robotics, a company based in Pasadena, California.

Robot food service was becoming popular even before the coronavirus pandemic(冠状病毒). Hospitals, college dining areas and other places tried to meet demand for food while keeping labor costs low. Robot chefs appeared at places like Creator, a restaurant in San Francisco. Now, some say, robots may become necessary for the food service industry. "I expect in the next two years you will see much more robotic adoption(采纳)in the food space because of COVID-19," Jain said.

Some peoples say, robots can lower the demand for labor. At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, cafe workers used to spend six hours per day making salads, notes Tonya Johnson, the school's director of nutrition services. But two years ago, the university added a Sally, a kind of robot that now makes around 40 salads per day. By adding Sally, the school was able to cut a job opening in its cooking staff, Johnson said. "I think the pandemic has made us realize how much we need more equipment like Sally," Johnson said.

Miso Robotics co-founder and chief Buck Jordan said fast food restaurants are already having trouble finding workers, partly as a result of a losing population of young workers. Jordan added that his company's position is that "automation(自动化)is not a choice". He added, "You must automate in order to survive in the future."

7 . The Anne Frank House opened on 3 May, 1960 and over the years attracted a growing number of visitors to see the diary place. Last year visitor number reached 1.25 million and long lines were commonly seen outside the museum.

What you can see

You can go to the Diary Room at the back of the house through a door hidden by a bookshelf. Here you will see Anne's diary in addition to some of her other books.

The film Reflections in the central hall shows what Anne Frank's diary and life story meant to 22 writers, actors, visitors and people who knew Anne.

A new audio tour is added. It is especially suitable for children aged from about 10 years. With their own headset, each visitor can have a quieter tour in the museum. The audio tour provides services in 9 languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.

Important information for Anne Frank House tour

Tips for visitors

Lines can get very long in summer. Visiting it when it opens or shortly before it closes is usually the best way to beat the lines. It takes about an hour to see everything so you don't have to put aside a huge part of your day for this.

There are no official tours, but all things are written in English as well as Dutch. Visitors can buy a 30-minute audio(only in English)media to get the necessary background knowledge before the tour.

8 . A simple mosquito bite can mean serious illness or death. So we spray large areas with chemicals to wipe out mosquitoes. But this has a bad influence on the whole ecosystem and your health. Now there’s a new device (装置), which claims to keep you and your loved ones mosquito­free：

What are we talking about?

Mosquitron, a brand new type of bug (虫子) catcher, designed by two German engineers, is perfect for clearing your home of all annoying and dangerous flying pests!

How does it work?

◆It is easy to set up; plug it in — and away you go!

◆It lures (引诱) the flying pests near using a safe, completely harmless UV light.

◆A reverse fan sucks the insects through a one­way trapdoor.

◆Once trapped in the drying basket, they are dried to death by the fan within 2 minutes.

◆You can simply empty the dead bugs into the trash, without even touching them.

◆No need for batteries or any chemicals.

How much does it cost?

It’s now ＄179.99. It may seem expensive at first, but when you consider most devices need regular, expensive refills and don’t work for more than 10 minutes, this is a pretty good deal. In fact, competitor products using the same UV technology are priced at over ＄250! Now you can buy it from the supplier’s website with 50% off and with free shipping for a limited time by clicking here. Note: The device can only be returned or exchanged if it arrives damaged, and you must pay in advance.

9 . We are surrounded every day by thousands of chemicals. These chemicals have been found to be safe－on their own.   But are they still “safe” if mixed with other chemicals? That's the big question.

On its own, each chemical seems harmless. But in combination with other chemicals, they may become deadly. That is the finding of a two－year study by a high－profile task force of scientists. The task force was told to investigate the cancer－causing possibility of chemical mixtures.

Linda Gulliver was one of 174 scientists on the task force. Their job was to study the cancer－causing potential of 85 chemicals. All 85 are said to be common in the environment.

Ms Gulliver explains that chemicals have the potential to form dangerous mixtures. Even simple minerals can become dangerous when mixed with chemicals found in plastics or beauty products. While the chemicals are safe on their own. She says, the researchers found that many chemical compound cause cancer in human cells.

Working in groups, the scientists explored how different chemical mixtures could lead to cancer. Ms Gulliver's team looked at the ability of different combinations to support the increase of malignant (恶性的) human cells.

She says the big issue－what she calls “the $ 64 million dollar question”－is, “Which common, everyday chemicals do people need to avoid？”

“The $ 64 million dollar question that everybody wants to ask is, ‘Which chemicals should we be looking out for？’ And the answer to that is, ‘We don't know yet.’”

She says the current way to identify whether chemicals cause cancer is to test them one at a time. This method leads, she adds, to a long list of supposedly “safe” chemicals. She and her team say that approach needs to change.

“We definitely need certain research ... to find out what mixtures of chemicals would be more harmful than others; what groups of chemicals, when together, would produce more harmful effects. And at the moment, that is not known.”

10 . Can you resist cream cakes? I miss my sugar! I’ve decided to lose weight and I had to give up cakes. It’s difficult because I have a sweet tooth and I love cream cakes.

Not having treats can be good for your health. I’ve heard that the Burts, a family of five in South East England，lived sugar free for a whole year after they found out their daughter had diabetes (糖尿病). It wasn’t easy. To avoid temptation, I don’t go to any bakeries, but this family actually owns one, which makes up to 3,000 cakes a week.

They were in shock when the doctor said that their 16-year-old Lucy had to check her blood sugar levels regularly and take insulin (胰岛素). He advised her to eat a normal, balanced diet, but the Burts went further and got rid of sugar altogether.

And how does it feel to live without sugar for a while? Jason Burt said that for a month they felt weak. But later on it all changed. He says he feels “more awake” and full of energy.

And what about the Burt family business? It had to keep using half a ton of sugar a week and any cook worth his salt knows that you have to taste a recipe to know if it’s right. No problem there, says Jason Burt’s wife, Clare. She points out that she’s got lots of people offering to taste the cakes for them. The family is also thinking about selling more delicious products.

I wonder what makes us have a strong desire for sweet food. Anyway, I’ve decided to forget about the sweet taste of sugar for a while. As British model Kate Moss says：“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”