3 . The holiday season is upon us and though they may feel a bit different this year — without large get-togethers, the holidays themselves are certainly not canceled. December is filled with celebrations. Here are some of the most unusual ways people bring the festivities home — all around the world.

Kentucky Fried Christmas

Japan

Kentucky Fried chicken might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Christmas, but over the years, it has become quite the holiday tradition in Japan. In order to ensure you get your hands in a holiday bucket, it is suggested that you order in advance, as nearly 4 million people choose KFC as their Christmas dinner.

Throwing of the Shoe

Czech Republic

This Christians tradition has nothing to do with trimming trees or singing carols. Rather, young women step outside their homes on Christmas Eve and instead of waiting for Santa, they throw a shoe over their shoulders. How it land is said to predict if the woman will marry next year.

Burning Effigies

Ecuador

New year's Eve comes with a whole set of traditions and customers to symbolically leave the previous year behind. Here, “monigotes” — figures that represent what went wrong in the last year, sometimes politicians are then burned into the night.

Sauna Visit

Estonia

This is a holiday tradition most people would happily get behind. On Christmas Eve, after spending the day setting up for the following day's festivities, it is traditional to sweat it out in sauna with your family.

4 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and

philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

5 . Researchers studied data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, organised by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States and looked at the relationship between coupe of coffee drunk per day, and both total body fat percentage and abdominal or ‘trunk’ fat.

They found that women aged 20- 44 who drank two or three cups of coffee per day had the lowest levels of obesity, 3.4% lower than people who did not consume coffee. Among women aged between 45-69. those who drank four a more cups had an obesity percentage 4.1% lover.

Overall, the average total body fat percentage was 2.8% lower among women of all ages who drank two or three cups of coffee per day.

The findings were consistent whether the coffee consumed was caffeinated or decaffeinated and among smoker/non-smokers and those suffering from chronic diseases when compared to those in good health.

In men, the relationship was less significant although men aged 20-44 who drank two or three cups per day had 1.39% less total fat and 1.8% less trunk fat than those who did not consume coffee.

Around 7 million tons of coffee is consumed globally every year. Dr Lee Smith, Reader in Public Heath at Anglia Ruskin University and senior author of the study, said: “Our research suggests that there may be active compounds in coffee other than caffeine that manage weigh and which could potentially be used as anti-obesity compounds.”

“It could Le possible that coffee, or its effective ingredients could be integrated into a healthy diet strategy to reduce the burden of chronic conditions related to the obesity,” Dr Lee Smith added, “I is important o interpret the finding of this study in light of its limitations-the study was at a specific point in time so trends cannot be established. However, we don't believe that someone’s weight is likely to influence their coffee consumption.”

6 . Getting old might not be something that's yet to cross your mind. But aging is going to defeat us one day, so it's something we'd all like to control.

It would be great to have a long, healthy and happy life, and that's why scientists are constantly seeking out what we need to do to achieve it. We all know that regular exercise is good for us. But the latest piece of research might put a spring in your step if you're someone who walks at a fast pace. That's because the speed at which people walk in their 40s is a sign of how much their brains and their bodies are aging.

The BBC's Philippa Roxby writes that tests on 1,000 people found that slower walkers tended to show signs of "accelerated aging”. Their lungs, teeth and immune systems were in worse shape than those walking faster. The study also found not only did slower walkers bodies age more quickly, their faces looked older and they had smaller brains.

This might be seen as a wake-up call for people with a slower pace to work out and get fitter. But it might be too late； researchers say they were able to predict the walking speed of 45-year-olds using the results of intelligence, language and motor (运动)skills tests from when they were aged three. They also suggest that even in early life, there are signs showing which people will have a healthier life.

So, what's the point of knowing that a slower walking pace might mean a smaller brain? Researchers say measuring walking speed at a younger age and understanding what this might mean could be a way of testing treatments to slow human aging.

7 . Here are some ideas for really great gifts for graduating seniors who are heading off to college.

Rocketbook Everlast

What： The beauty of this notebook is that the ink is erasable with water. When finished with your notes, you can scan them into your computer with your phone* s camera. You have to use special pens, but they are readily available in office supply stores.

Who it's for： People who still like to take notes by hand.

Cost： $34 for a notebook with 32 pages.

Find it： Getrocketbook. com.

Roland R-07 Audio Recorder

What： It's a palm-sized portable digital audio recorder recording extremely high-quality WAV or MP3 files, powered by two AA batteries or through a USB port for continuous operation. You can set it up and control it wirelessly through your phone.

Who it's for： Perfect for recording lectures, but it really shines if your are a music major.

Cost： $149.99.

Find it： Roland, com.

Toast Leather Laptop Cover

What: It's a thin piece of leather sized exactly to your laptop. Carefully place it on your computer, and your laptop will take on an entirely new look. It really protects the laptop from scratches.

Who it's for： Laptop users who like keeping their machines in good condition.

Cost： $99 for the top cover, $60 for the bottom （sold together）.

Find it： Toastmade. com.

Coal Catalyst Portable Charger

What： It's a portable battery to charge your devices when you are away from a wall plug, available in five colors and two sizes that can charge the latest phones in just two hours.

Who for： Everyone with a USB-powered phone, tablet or headphones.

Cost： $34.99 for 8.000 mAh； $39.99 for 12,000 mAh.

Find it： Amazon, com.

8 . Can you be hit by a bullet and keep on fighting, or escape from a bomb explosion? Let's take a look at some actions in big-budget movies in summer vacation.

Survive nearby explosions

The scene: A bomb explodes nearby but the hero escapes unharmed.

The science: Powerful explosion produces quickly expanding gas travelling faster than the speed of sound. Although this big wave lasts just a few milliseconds, it can cause hidden injuries whose effects may not become obvious for several days.

No one, except the most extreme terrorists, plans to be near a bomb, so mostly, survival comes down to good fortune — the size and type of the bomb and your distance from it.

Is it possible? Stand too close and no one is going to walk away from an explosion

Fight on after being shot

The scene: The bad man is shot several times, but just keeps on going.

The science: Travelling at a speed of well over 250 meters per second, bullets are full of energy, much of which is transferred to the unlucky goal. High-speed, high-calibre（口径）bullets are likely to floor a man. Smaller, slower bullets can pass straight through a body, and because skin and tissue are elastic（弹性的），the hole may close up.

Whether or not you fall or escape also depends on where you are hit. A shot to the spine（脊柱）or head will stop you in your track. But if the bullet misses vital organs, you may be able to keep going, for a while at least.

Is it possible? If your vital organs don't take a hit, you may be able to keep going, but not for long. If the bullet does floor you, blood loss finally will.

Fall from a building

The scene: A hero falls from a high building and survives.

The science: It is not the fall that kills you, but the sudden stop at the end. In the movies, falls are commonly slowed by trees, power lines, roofs and the like. Dividing one big fall into many smaller ones slows your fall, reducing the force of impact and increasing the chance of survival.

For the same reason, what you land on is also important.

How you hit the ground also influences whether or not you survive.

Is it possible? Possible but unlikely. Survival is somewhat relative. You can have a good chance to survive, but that doesn't mean you can jump up and run around. Brain injury, broken bones and chest wound are common.

9 . When Sarah Wishnia received an iPad from her daughter, “It was like Greek to me.” Max Rosenblum showed her how to socialize on Facebook and shop on Amazon with her new device.With Max's help, Elena learned to give orders to Siri, Mike familiarized himself with Waze and Honey began searching for information about movies, restaurants and books on her smartphone.Max is 16, a rising junior in Davie. His students are residents of Coral Gables, fascinated by technology and eager to learn about this brave new frontier. Max began offering his tech coaching for seniors a year ago, after he helped his grandmother with her iPhone and iPad. He taught her how to text and use Faccbook. He also downloaded a Scrabble app for her to play. “She loved it,”he said, not without a trace of pride.

That experience inspired him and his parents, Adam and Heather. They reached out to a connection at Coral Gables and launched a website, techmaxed. com. He also recruited(招募)other teens to teach the one-on-one lessons in Coral Gables. These youths go to the retirement communities at least once a month. Though teaching a class might appear to be more expedient,soon Max found out that group sessions simply didn't work.“People are at different levels,and it was hard to teach that way," he said. “It's much better to give them individual help.” “Most people come more than once,” he added. “I have my regulars.”

“First he showed me how to get my email on the phone,” Rosen, 88, said, “and then he wrote up a short step-by-step guide for me so I could remember.” Max admits that teaching older adults takes time, but he figures he's also paying it forward.

“Maybe when I'm 87 and there's new technology,”   he said, “somebody will teach me, too.”

10 . I'm on the phone with a frustrated customer, and a note appears on my computer screen: You are speaking slower than usual. Speed up. I do, and the message disappears, only to be replaced with another: Continuous Speaking — Finish your thought.

This is Cogito, an artificial intelligence program designed to help customer service workers communicate more clearly, empathize (产生共鸣) with frustrated callers, and improve their overall performance. Cogito listens to the tone, pitch, word frequency and other factors in customer service conversations. When it detects something wrong-an irritated customer, a call center agent taking too long to respond — it displays a note on the agent's computer telling them how to improve.

For anyone who's spent hours of their lives stuck on the phone with an unhelpful or very rude customer service agent, Cogito may seem. like a godsend. And some customer service agents using the software generally say they find it helpful. One employee says that Cogito helped her cut her average call time nearly in half, while another says it helped her speaking slow down.

Cogito has been launched to more than sixty call centers across the U. S. over the past year. The company behind the software, Cogito Inc., has raised more than $ 70 million. “We were 45 people a year ago,” says Cogito CEO Josh Feast, whose. company now has 150 employees. At MetLife, managers say that the program improved customer satisfaction by 13%，and helped agents (who take an average of 700 calls a week) to have more “human” conversations.

Such software as Cogito is unlikely to stop at the meeting room. But like other enterprise software, it could soon spread well beyond call centers and other offices and into our daily lives.