1 . Most people agree that eating healthy food is important. But sometimes making good food choices can be difficult. Now there are apps that can help people learn about the food they eat to improve their health and their dining out experience.

Open Table app

Open Table app helps people choose restaurants when they want to go out to eat. It is a free service that shows users restaurant available based on where and when they want to dine. It gives users points when they make reservations, which can add up to discounts (折扣) on restaurant visits.

Max McCalman’s Cheese &Wine Pairing app

Wine and cheese can be a great combination. But which wines go best with which cheeses? Max McCalman’s Cheese & Wine Pairing app can help. It provides information about hundreds of different cheeses and suggests wines to pair with each. Max McCalman’s Cheese & Wine Pairing app is free.

Happy Cow app

Vegetarians do not eat animal meat. Vegans do not eat any animal products. The Happy Cow app is made for both groups. Users can search for vegetarian-vegan restaurants and stores around the world.

Local Eats app

Restaurant chains, like McDonalds, can be found almost anywhere a person might travel. But sometimes travelers want to eat like locals. The Local Eats app is designed for that. It can help you find local restaurants in major cities in the US and in other countries. It costs about a dollar.

Where Chefs Eat app

“Where Chefs Eat” is a 975-page book. Most people would not want to carry that around. But there is a much lighter app version of the same name for just $15. Six hundred chefs provide information on 3,000 restaurants around the world on the Where Chefs Eat app.

2 . How to Organize a Music Festival

You love music and you always have. You want to carry out a music festival designed to attract music fans of all ages. Follow the steps and you’ll organize a successful one.

◆Start by making a list of the local bands and artists that you like. You’ve taken this job because you love music, so put your taste to work for you. If you like these musicians, many of the local people will also like them.     1    . You need to have many kinds of music for all age groups.

◆Find a great location that has much open space for outdoor festivals. You need to build a stage so the musicians can be seen from distances.     2    . Not all towns need such license but it is a good idea to check before you start building. For an indoor location, you need to find a theater that is willing to give you enough space.     3    .

◆Hire sound engineers to give the musicians all the help they need.     4    . You can’t expect the musicians to handle these problems because they are playing. Your sound and engineering experts will allow your stars to keep the music playing.

◆    5    . If you are planning your festival for families, the last thing you want is a beer-swilling crowd starting a huge fight. Security people need to be present to make sure that nobody gets the idea that they want to start any kind of ruckus (骚乱).

3 . When Roy Austin went on his first wildlife trip back in 2018, his only goal for the leisurely vacation was to catch sight of some African wildlife in its natural habitat—but he ended up finding something much more meaningful. He was most captivated (迷住) by the people he met in rural Kenya—particularly at the Amboseli Primary and Secondary School in Amboseli National Park.

In addition to befriending many of the students and teachers, Austin was surprised to learn how difficult it was to get books and school supplies for the children. “In rural Kenya, the government does not build school buildings. You either build it yourself or raise money to have it built,” says Austin. “A teacher was asked if they had a library. She replied, ‘ No, but we would love to have a library.’ That stuck in my mind.”

When Austin eventually returned to his home in Bluffton, South Carolina, he launched Libraries for Kids International. Since starting the charity, Austin has managed to ship more than 1000 books to 11 schools across Kenya and Tanzania. He sends the books through the post office rather than FedEx to keep the shipping costs down.

As it continues to collect books and donations for additional shipments, Austin says that the charity is now helping to move a shipping container of 22, 000 books from Atlanta to Kenya. In the future, the philanthropist (慈善家) hopes to start sending donations to South America as well.

“Many people told me that it can’t be done. It’s too expensive to ship books, and they will disappear going through customs,” Austin says. “However, every worthwhile project will have problems and barriers. If you focus on the problems, you will never start. On the contrary, if you focus on the aim and solve the problems as they arise, most anything is possible.”

5 . Scotland is packed with beautiful places to visit and you could honestly spend months and months exploring everything this wonderful country has to offer! Next I’m going to take you through some of the best place to visit in Scotland, based on where we have personally visited so far!

If you asked me where my favourite place to visit in all of Scotland is... I would say, Glen Coe. The whole area of Glen Coe constantly had my face in shock due to the beauty that I was witnessing1 was witnessing (亲眼看见). It’s just a stream of dramatic mountains, lakes, rugged (崎岖的) beauty and more.

Fort William is probably one of the most well-known places to visit in Scotland. It’s a popular tourist destination thanks to being home to the UK’s tallest mountain: Ben Nevis. Fort William is also the starting point for one of the world’s most famous train rides: The Jacobite. Harry Potter fans will recognize it as the Hogwarts Express, and this train ride will take you through the beautiful countryside, crossing some iconic Harry Potter filming locations such as the Dumbledore’s Grave and the Glenfinnan Viaduct!

This island feels totally different from other parts of Scotland and is truly rugged and ready! There are many hot spots to explore including the Old Man of Storr, the Fairy Glen. I even stayed on a private island with its very own lighthouse, which was one of the coolest places I’ve ever visited and one of the most romantic places stay in Scotland.

This is the largest national park in the UK so it’s another popular place to visit in Scotland and it’s no surprise why. It’s absolutely beautiful and there’s so much happening at the Cairngorms National Park! From skiing or meeting local reindeers, you’ll not go bored and you’ll be surrounded by beauty the entire time.

6 . In 1880, fourteen-year-old Matthew Henson loved to hear sailors tell tales of their exciting lives at sea. The travel, the adventure, the danger, and the steady pay were all attractive to young Henson. One day he made up his mind. Baltimore was the nearest large seaport. The next morning he set out on the forty-mile journey to seek work on a sailing ship.

In Baltimore, Henson found a job as a cabin boy on a beautiful ship called the Katie Hinds. For the next five years, Henson sailed around the world. By the time he left the Katie Hinds in 1885, Henson was well educated and had become an excellent seaman.

Unable to find work anywhere else, Henson took a job in a hat shop in Washington, D.C. One day in 1887, a man came in to buy a hat. The man, Lieutenant Robert Peary, asked the owner if he knew anyone with experience at sea. Peary would soon travel to South America for the U.S. government. He needed experienced men to accompany him.

The shop owner knew about his young employee’s skills and experience on ocean voyages, so he introduced Peary to Henson. Henson and Peary soon found they had a great deal in common, including their love of the sea.

Using his map-reading and sailing skills, Henson proved himself to be a worthy and intelligent seaman. One day Peary told Henson about his real dream: to be the first man to stand on “the top of the world” at the North Pole. He asked Henson to help him make his dream come true.

Over the next five years, the two explorers made two trips together to the Arctic. However, they were not able to reach the pole either time.

In 1908, Peary and Henson were ready to make their final attempt at reaching the North Pole. Both men were over forty years old. The years of hardship and suffering in the arctic cold had taken their toll on both men. This would be their last chance.

In April 1909, Henson’s instruments showed they were standing at the North Pole. Together Henson and Peary planted the American flag in the snow.

In later years, Robert Peary and Henson were greatly honored for their achievement. Today, the two friends and fellow explorers lie in heroes’ graves not far apart in the Arlington National Cemetery.

7 . With the approaching of New Year, more and more visitors will come to China. Don’t know where you should go? Here are some places recommended for you.

Shanghai Expo Culture Park

The Shanghai Expo Culture Park will soon open its northern section to the public, in which the major attractions include a traditional garden that is similar in design to Shanghai’s famous Yuyuan Garden and a 400-meter avenue exhibiting the history of the area, while in the southern section lies a grand theater.

Macao Tower AJ Hackett Bungee Jump

The Macao Tower, 338 meters tall, is the world’s 10th highest tower, with a variety of activities, such as eating and entertainment. One of the activities which enjoy good fame is the bungee jump. The AJ Hackett Macao Tower Bungee Jump is 233 meters high, making it a Guinness World Record as the highest commercial (商业的) bungee jump in the world. Raise your arms and off you go!

Harbin’s Frozen World

For those who have never been to Harbin, there is an almost endless list of things to do. At Harbin Ice—Snow World, you can not only see the world—famous ice architecture, but also have great fun! You can have hotpot at the restaurants which are made of ice, enjoying the product of both ice and fire, go down the world’s longest ice slide (滑梯) and join in the popular Ice and Snow Electronic Music Festival to welcome 2024.

The winter is cold and the night is long, so why not go to the theatre? Harbin was listed by the United Nations as a “music city” in 2010. Harbin Grand Theater is where artistic souls defrost (化霜) a little to share their love of art.

8 . Liu Jichen, 23, a student from Tsinghua University, has developed a WeChat mini-program called “Clear Your Plate”. After a meal, users can open the mini-program and take a picture of their empty plates. Once the image is recognized by the AI(Artificial Intelligence), students can collect points and use them to buy gifts or purchase charity meals to children in impoverished(贫困的) rural areas.

Liu and his team, together with other organizations, launched the “Clear Your Plate” campaign in November for the third year. It has swept over 1,017 universities across the country. The one-month campaign attracted almost 1.6 million participants and collectively reduced food waste by 862 tons and carbon emissions(碳排放) by 3,337 tons.

“Technological innovation is a good way to reduce food waste,” Liu thought. He organized a team of 20 members to work on the project at the end of 2017. To solve the AI’s problem of identifying photos of empty plates, the team spent half a year collecting over 100,000 samples in canteens and restaurants. In 2018, the mini-program was officially put into operation on Oct 16, World Food Day. They then launched a campaign later that year.

“There were so many unknowns in research and development. For our team members, the biggest challenge was whether we were confident enough to complete it,” Liu said. They not only achieved their goal, but now, the mini-program has more than 5 million registered users, according to Liu. “We hope our efforts can start a new trend among the younger generation by encouraging them to cherish(珍惜) their food and develop the habit of thrift(节约),” Liu added.