1 . My mother was a cook. Through her I learned to appreciate how a handful of ingredients could create delicious, nutritious meals on tight budgets. And in our home, nothing was ever wasted, as we shopped for food needs as opposed to wants.

I talk about all this because I’m absolutely shocked by the price of groceries. And, as someone who has been writing about the food industry for decades, and having weathered the economic depression when the price was also high—I have never seen things as bad as they are today.

Just recently, I couldn’t bring myself to purchase three small potatoes for almost $7. I saw cucumbers for $3.99 EACH. Some stores had grapes at a ridiculous $6.99 a pound. Add to that the alarming increase in everyday food, like coffee, milk and dairy, no wonder everyone is feeling the pinch(拮据).

I went shopping on the weekend, and came out with $186 worth of food in three grocery bags. I returned two items immediately. I purchased a liter of milk that had been marked down 50%—but I didn’t catch in time that the cashier forgot to ring in the discount, and charged me full price.

As I just feed my husband and myself, I can afford to purchase more organic proteins, like chicken. But I can also appreciate not every family can afford to do so, which is my major concern.

Can the increase of food prices be slowed down or even stopped? With the increasing consumer demand for foods not in season or readily available, plus people looking for fast convenience, I do believe the answer lies within us: We need to take back control over the foods we eat. Stop listening to all the hype (宣传) that convenience is better than cooking creativity, and just get back to basics.

People need to go back to basics, learn some fundamental kitchen essentials and truly be mindful of cooking practices. Just as an old saying goes, if you give someone a fish, they’ll eat for a day, but if you teach someone to fish, they’ll eat forever.

2 . Standing Indian Campground

For those who want world-class whitewater rafting(漂流)

·Location: Located inside the Nantahala National Forest

·Campground Contact: (828)524-6441

·Park Hours: Open 24 hours

·Campground Website

Standing Indian Campground is one of several campgrounds located inside the Nantahala National Forest. Established in 1920, the Nantahala National Forest got its name from the Cherokee word meaning “Land of the Noonday Sun”. The half-a-million-acre forest is also one of four managed by the United States Forest Service and is settled deep within the mountains.

The National Forest is also home to three appointed Wilderness Areas and two Wild and Scenic Rivers. These famed rivers also offer world-class kayaking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, boating, water-skiing, fishing, and swimming. For hikers, the famous Appalachian Trail runs directly through the forest, so don’t be alarmed if you see a hiker walking on the trail. In addition, like many national forests in North Carolina, camping is free of charge at several spots in Nantahala National Forest. At this campground, you can also camp at a height of 3,880 feet under evergreens near the Nantahala River.

The campground also features several loops (环形) that are perfect for tent camping and large enough for RVs. In addition, Standing Indian is a convenient spot for travellers passing through, yet ideal enough for those who want to stay longer.

Campground Breakdown:

·88 Sites in Total

·Standard Nonelectric Premium Site: $20 per night

·Standard Site: $20 per night

·Group Standard Nonelectric: $75 per night, accommodates up to 25 people

·Double Site: $40 per night

Standing Indian Facilities: Picnic tables, fire rings, toilets, showers

3 . What makes a word real? Who has the power to make those kinds of official decisions about words? Those are the questions many people have in mind. When most people say a word isn’t real, what they mean is that it doesn’t appear in a dictionary. That, of course, raises some other questions, including, who writes dictionaries?

Now, dictionaries are good resources, but they are changeable. If you ask dictionary editors, what they’ll tell you is that they’re just trying to keep up with people as people change the language. They’re watching what people say and what people write and trying to figure out what’s going to stick and what’s not going to stick.

Every January, dictionary editors go to the American Dialect Society Meeting every year, where among other things, they decide on the word of the year. There are about 200 or 300 people who come. Some of them are the best known linguists(语言学家) in the United States. In the past, some of the winners have been “staycation” to describe a vacation spent at home and “tweet” to describe a post made on the social networking service Twitter.

So how does a word get into a dictionary? It gets in because people use it and people keep using it, and dictionary editors are paying attention to people. If a community of speakers is using a word and knows what it means, it’s real. That word might be informal and that word might be a word that you think is illogical(不合逻辑的) or unnecessary, but as long as people are using the word, it is real. I hope that what you can do is to find language change not annoying but fun and interesting, just the way dictionary editors do. I hope you can enjoy being part of the creativity that is continually remaking our language and keeping it alive.

8 . An international team of researchers led by Stanford University have developed rechargeable batteries that can store up to six times more charge than ones that are currently commercially available.

The advance, detailed in a new paper published on Aug. 25 in the journal Nature,could accelerate the use of rechargeable batteries and puts battery researchers one step closer toward achieving two top stated goals of their field: creating a high-performance rechargeable battery that could enable cellphones to be charged only once a week instead of daily and electric vehicles that can travel six times farther without a recharge.

The new so-called alkali metal-chlorine batteries(碱金属氯电池），developed by a team of researchers led by Stanford chemistry Professor Hongjie Dai and doctoral candidate Guanzhou Zhu, rely on the back-and-forth chemical transition from sodium chloride (Na/C12) or lithium chloride (Li/C12) to chlorine. When electrons travel from one side of a rechargeable battery to the other, recharging makes the chemistry return to its original state to await another use. Non-rechargeable batteries have no such luck. Once running out, their chemistry cannot be restored. “A rechargeable battery is a bit like a rocking chair. It tips in one direction, but then rocks back when you add electricity,” Dai explained. “What we have here is a high-rocking rocking chair.”

The researchers imagine their batteries one day being used in situations where frequent recharging is not practical or desirable, such as in satellites or remote sensors. Many otherwise usable satellites are now floating in orbit, failing to function due to their dead batteries. Future satellites equipped with long-lived rechargeable batteries could be fitted with solar chargers, extending their usefulness many times over.

For now, though, the first working design they've developed might still be suitable for use in small everyday electronics like hearing aids or remote controls. For consumer electronics or electrical vehicles, much more work remains to engineer the battery structure, increase the energy density (密度）， scale up the batteries and increase the number of cycles.

9 . When I was a boy, we lived 4 miles outside of town. We lived next to the forest and I would spend hours every day playing in it with the oak (橡树) and maple trees as my companions. I would climb up their limbs, sit in their shade, and feel their peace.

That is why it was so hard for me when I found myself to be a lumberjack as a young man. It wasn't just the back breaking work, the long hours, and the low pay. It was also seeing day after day beautiful trees that had grown for half a century being sawed (锯) up and cut into flooring. Still, I couldn't help but think that they looked a lot more lovely as living trees reaching up to Heaven than as dead flooring lying under my feet.

One afternoon after a long day's work, I was feeling particularly down and depressed.I decided to take a walk in the woods like I had as a boy in hopes of lifting my spirits and calming my soul. As I walked along with my aching back and tired body, I longed for those happy childhood days. I dropped my head frustratedly and looked down at the dirt. That is when I saw it: a single, red oak acorn (橡子) that had somehow survived the hungry deer and squirrels all winter long.Then I remembered something I'd read once: “Eventually an acorn becomes a forest!” I smiled, bent down, dug up a handful of dirt, and planted that little acorn, feeling peace and joy warming my heart. Then I walked back home happy once again to be a part of God's green earth.

In this life we all start out as an acorn, but whether we become a forest or not is up to us. God gives us this glorious life here to grow, learn, laugh, love,share, smile, and help others to do the same.Embrace this gift of life. Use it to every day stretch your soul towards Heaven and create a mighty forest of love.

10 . Despite usually being associated with the Chinese, the Lunar New Year is also celebrated in other countries. Here are several places in America to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

New York City, which has one of the largest populations of ethnic（少数民族）Chinese people outside of Asia, is a great place to experience the Lunar New Year. There are around 10 different Chinatowns in New York City. Visitors will find parades, performances and foods in most of these areas but some of the festival characteristics are unique to the particular district.

San Francisco's lunar New Year celebrations are the longest runnings in America. They date back to the 1860s, during the “Gold Rush” period. Today, numerous events take place around the Bay Area, but the headline is the massive Chinese New Year Parade that draws as many as 1 million viewers.

Washington DC has a historic Chinatown. There is a parade here with floats, firecrackers, dancers and music. The Smithsonian American Art Museum can host hands on arts and crafts events that feature performers invited from China. The Kennedy Center stages themed performances, including folk music and symphonies from China.

Despite low temperatures in January and February, Chicago celebrates the Lunar New Year in a big way. There are two parades, usually held on different days of the same weekend. One is in the city's traditional Chinatown on the South Side, and the other takes place on Argyle Street. Asian culture is on full display during these parades, and other Chicago com munities also take part.