It was Barton's third Sunday volunteering at the retirement home(养老院). He had thought it would be a good way to 1 .
While on a short break, Barton took a walk through the 2 . There he saw many elderly sitting on benches, 3 together joyfully. Crossing the courtyard, he 4 a man sitting alone at a table with a chessboard(棋盘) in front of him. Barton watched with 5 as the man stared at the pieces(棋子), 6 them and did the same from the other side of the 7 .
Each Sunday, Barton would see the man doing the 8 thing. While everyone else talked with one another or happily9 , the man would sit, slightly hunched(弓背) over, and scratch his chin. His eyes 10 came off the chessboard.
One Sunday, Barton went to the garden on his break, 11 to see the man at his normal spot. But he wasn't there. It was Father's Day, and there were many 12 at the retirement home. They had joyful family 13 , enjoying each other's company. Barton shrugged and thought the man must be busy with his family.
That afternoon, Barton was mopping the hallways 14 he happened to pass by the man's room. The door was slightly 15 , and he could see the man sitting in a chair next to the window, glaring out at the courtyard. Barton 16 lightly and asked to come in. The man 17 . Barton saw a collection of framed(放在框中的) photographs on the bedside table. " Are those your 18 ? " he asked. " Yes, they're all 19 and live far away. They have their own kids now. " he replied. Barton, not wanting the man to feel lonely on 20 , stayed to play chess with him.
The Best of Alaska
Nothing evokes (唤起）Alaska like a whale exploding out of the water or an eagle pulling a silver fish from the river. Combine these images with high mountains, and wonderful meals, and you really do have the Best of Alaska! Join us for an unforgettable 7-day journey to the last border!
HIGHLIGHTS:
JUNEAU: Juneau, the state capital, is rich in culture and scenic beauty. It is here that we start and end our trip.
HAINES: Haines is a small community located along the fiords. The natural beauty and expansive wilderness found here have made Haines a most important center for adventure in Alaska. In 2004, Haines was listed by Outside Magazine and National Geographic Adventure as one of the best places for recreation and living.
ALASKA INDIAN ARTS: Alaska Indian Arts is a non-profit corporation devoted to the preservation and continuation of traditional native craft and culture of the Northwest Native Tribes . Alaska Indian Arts is also the headquarters for several of Alaska's outstanding craftsmen. We spend a few hours learning carving, native beading and culture from these master artists.
SKAGWAY: Skagway is famous for its role in the Klondike Gold Stampede over 100 years ago. Today, it is a historic yet lively town, which still reflects its gold rush roots and contains colorful shops. In Skagway, we stop by the Klondike Gold Rush National Park Visitor's Center and ride the White Pass Yukon Route Railway.
GUSTANUS: Gustanus is the gateway to the Glacier Bay National Park. We'll stay at a comfortable lodge here for two nights. This will be the base for both the whale-watching journey and a full-day voyage in Glacier Bay.
DATES/PRICES:
May 16, June 20, July 18, August 15. 7 days—$3, 500, including lodging, all meals, guides, park fees, sales taxes, and transportation between Juneau, Skagway, Haines, and Gustanus. Not included: alcohol, personal items, airfare to and from Juneau.
CONTACTS:
E-mail: info@alaskamountainguides. com Call: (800)766-3396 Write: Alaska Mountain Guides &Climbing School P. O. Box 1081, Haines AK 99827
Recently, as I watched my son Nathan playing basketball game, I felt sorry for myself and for him. He was playing in the other team' s home gym filled with their supporters, and Nathan' s team was falling behind for three quarters of the game. As for me, I was dismissed from my job earlier in the day.
Watching the difficult situation that my son was experiencing, I remembered that during the drive home earlier in the day, I kept telling myself that " just like last time I experienced this, I' ll find work again in a short time—I' m confident in my experience and abilities and believe in myself. " But then, self-doubt hit me.
The basketball game entered the fourth quarter with Nathan' s team still falling behind. I saw the determination on his, as well as his teammates' faces as they fought back to not only tie with the other team, but then go ahead by three points. Then, the scores were tied again. With a tie game and seconds on the clock, Nathan found himself with the ball, and with skill and confidence, he moved forward to make the basket with a defender hanging all over him. The other player was called for a foul.
As Nathan stood at the foul line preparing for a shot that would put his team up by three points, I saw the focus and determination on his face; there was no room for self-doubt. He made it, helping his team win the game. Later he told me he didn' t know how he did it because he had lost all feelings in his right arm from being thrown to the floor earlier the game.
As my heart burst with pride, I realized something. I had taught my son—perseverance in the face of difficulties, and he had just taught me the same lesson. That brief moment of self-doubt and feeling sorry for myself was swept away by the actions of my son on the basketball court. He' ll play in the finals, but it doesn' t matter if he wins or loses. On that day, we both won.
The Gatais used to frown when they received power bills that routinely topped $200. Last September the couple moved into a 1, 500-square-foot home in Premier Gardens, a subdivision of 95 " zero-energy homes" (ZEH) just outside town. Now they' re actually eager to see their electricity bills. The grand total over the 10 months they' ve lived in the three-bedroom house: $75. For the past two months they haven' t paid a cent.
ZEH communities are the leading edge of technologies that might someday create houses that produce as much energy as they consume. Premier Gardens is one of a half-dozen subdivisions in California where every home cuts power consumption by 50%, mostly by using low-power appliances and solar panels.
Aside from the panels on the roof, Premier Gardens looks like a community of conventional homes. But inside, special windows cut power bills by blocking solar heat in summer and retaining indoor warmth in winter.
The rest of the energy savings comes from the solar units. They don' t just feed the home they serve. If they generate more power than the home is using, the excess flows into the utility' s power grid (电网). The residents are billed by " net metering" : they pay for the amount of power they tap off the grid, less the kilowatts (千瓦) they feed into it. If a home generates more power than it uses, the bill is zero.
That sounds like a bad deal for the power company, but it' s not. Solar homes produce the most power on the hot sunny afternoons when everyone rushes home to turn up the air conditioner. " It helps us lower usage at peak power times, " says solar expert Mike Keesee. " That lets us avoid building costly plants or buying expensive power at peak usage time. "
What' s not to like? Mostly the costs. The special features can add $25000 or more to the purchase price of a house. Tax breaks bring the cost down, especially in California, but in many states ZEHs can be prohibitively expensive. For the consumer, it' s a matter of paying now for the hardware to save later on the utilities.
The study of psychology is facing a crisis. The Research Excellence Framework (the Ref) has led to a research culture which is holding back attempts to stabilize psychology in particular, and science in general. The Ref encourages universities to push for groundbreaking innovative, and exciting research in the form of 4* papers, but it does not reward the efforts of those who replicate studies.
The point of replicating a study is to test whether a statistically significant result will appear again if the experiment is repeated. Of course, a similar result may not appear – casting into questions the validity of the results from the first experiment.
Last year, the Open Science Collaboration attempted to replicate 100 studies from highly ranked psychological journalists. While 97% of the original studies had a statistically significant result, just 36% of the replications had the same outcome. Equally worrying: when an effect did appear, it was often much smaller than previously thought.
Recent data calls into question some widely influential findings in psychological science. These problems are not confined to psychology however – many findings published in scientific literature may actually be false.
Science is supposed to be self-correcting and reproducible is a cornerstone of the scientific method. Yet, we simply aren't invested in replicating findings. We all want to be good researchers and understand more about how the world works. So why are we so reluctant to check our conclusions are valid?
Because no incentive is provided by the system we carry out our research in. In the UK, the Ref ranks the published works of researchers according to their originality (how innovative is the research? ), significance (does it have practical or commercial importance? ), and rigour (is the research technically right? ). Outputs are then awarded one to four stars. 4* papers are considered world-leading. The cumulative total of 3* and 4* papers determines research funding allocation and has a knock-on effect on institutional position in league tables(排名表) and therefore attractiveness to students. Obviously, the more publications, the better.
Worrying, many academics admit to engaging in at least one questionable research practice in order to achieve publication. Examples of this include: coming up with a theory after data is collected, stopping collecting data when an effect appears in case it disappears later, or only reporting the significant effects from collected data. Others simply fabricate data-Dutch psychologist Diederik Stapel shockingly falsified data from more than 50 studies.
The Ref completely harms our efforts to produce a reliable body of knowledge. Why? The focus on originality – publications exploring new areas of research using new paradigms, and avoiding testing well-established theories – is the exact opposite of what science needs to be doing to solve the troubling replication crisis. According to Ref standards, replicating an already published piece of work is simply uninteresting.
With the next Ref submission just four years away, many researchers are effectively faced with a choice: be a good scientist, or be a successful academic who gets funding and a promotion.
Diana Nyad, born in 1949, is one of the world's greatest long-distance swimmers. She started as a speed swimmer, winning races in high school and dreaming of the Olympics. However, Nyad fell ill with heart disease before she could compete in the 1968 Olympic Games and had to spend three months in bed. By the time Nyad was better, she was unable to swim as fast as she had previously.
Nyad then turned from speed swimming to distance swimming. Her first race was 10 miles in the cold waters of Lake Ontario. Even though she came in tenth place, she was the first woman ever to complete the course. In 1974, Nyad set a record while swimming a 22-mile race in the Bay of Naples, Italy. That same year she tried to swim back and forth across Lake Ontario, a total of 64 miles. Nyad made it across the lake, but on the return trip, she lost consciousness and had to be pulled from the water. In 1975, she swam around Manhattan Island, a distance of 28 miles, in a record of 7 hours and 57 minutes. Three years later she swam 102 miles from the Bahamas to Florida.
In 2010, at the age of 61, Nyad announced she would swim from Cuba to Florida. In order to train, Nyad spent as many as 14 hours a day swimming in the ocean. The swim from Cuba to Florida would last at least 60 hours and cover 103 miles. Unfortunately, bad weather forced Nyad to wait until the next year. In 2011, Nyad attempted the swim but was blown off course after being in the water for 29 hours. Nyad attempted the swim again a few months later, but she had to stop because of too many jellyfish stings (海蜇蜇伤）.
Despite these setbacks, Nyad continues to preserve and plans to eventually make the Cuba-to-Florida swim. She has made a vow (誓言）to never stop swimming and wants other older Americans to understand that it is never too late to make one's dreams come true.
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