Lesson 1. How to Get the Most Out of Yourself

Our success is largely determined by our own self-image. Some people seem to be magnets for success and happiness. Their projects are usually carried to completion, and their relationships are long-lasting. Conversely, other people seem to be magnets for failure and unhappiness. Their plans go off course, and nothing seems to work out for them. What brings forth such a big difference? It is the degree of self-confidence.

I believe that anyone can change their self-image. A person with a low self-image is not doomed to a life of unhappiness and failure. It is possible to get rid of a negative attitude and to gain the healthy confidence needed to realize one's dreams. Do you want to have more confidence in yourself?

First, focus on your potential not you limitations. As a young actress, Helen Hayes heard, "If only you were four inches taller!" She decided to have her body pulled and stretched: just as in a medieval torture chamber! She didn't gain and inch - but her posture was military-straight. She then acted as the tallest five-foot woman. she later recollected, "My refusal to be confined by my limitations enabled me to play Mary of Scotland, the tallest queen ever."

Second, devote yourself to something you do well. We see many talented people who are unsuccessful. Remember talents shine out only when they are laboriously developed. Young surgeons practice trivial skills such as tying knots for months. When things get though, people easily become discouraged and quit. Sharpen your skills even thought it is boring, and you will ultimately be able to reach your goals.

In order to succeed, you must see yourself succeeding. Picture yourself approaching a difficult challenge with confidence. Athletes often visualize a move over and over in their mind; they see themselves hitting the perfect golf or tennis shot. When such positive images are burned into your minds deeply enough, they become a part of the unconscious thought process, and you begin to expect to succeed.

Another step toward self-confidence is to stop being what other people want you to be. Although she performed beautifully onstage, opera singer Rise Stevens lacked confidence in social situations. She tried to be something she was not. She pretended to have knowledge on unfamiliar subjects. But later she realized that she could succeed only as herself. So, she started to listen. And she spoke to contribute, not to shine. Soon she enjoyed a new warmth in her social contacts.

One last way to improve confidence is to make certain you have lots of love in your life: a network of sustaining and nurturing relationships. Deepen your friendships, and make you family a major source of support and nurture. One of my friends, sophia, who regularly visits her parents says, "I always come back feeling that I have a clearer idea of who I am, where I came from, and where I want to go."

Everyone has limitations. But your responsibility is to discover your talents and work confidently to use them to attain the highest possible achievement. Like happiness, self-confidence is difficult to attain when you set out to grab it for its own sake. Usually it comes as a by-product. If you focus on work and friendship, you will realize one day that you are confident.

Lesson 2. The Machine That Knows Your Face

At a gas station, a man stops to cash his paycheck. A machine recognizes his face, and in a minute the man leaves with his cash. At a university, students use a hand-scanning machine to get into the cafeteria. These people are using 'smart machines,' which can identify people by their body characteristics. These new devices use fingers, hands, faces, eyes, and voices. Some machines may even use smells. This new technology, called biometrics, gets information from parts of the body.

In the past, biometric machines were used mainly in government agencies or in prisons. But now the costs are lower, and these machines are starting to be used everywhere, from border crossing to day-care centers.

Some people are concerned about privacy. They worry that the machines will give personal information about them. "Actually, biometric machines help protect our privacy," says Jay Tarkett, who works at a company that develops the machines. "They can be used instead of passwords on a computer, for example. They can also identify criminals or terrorists at airports, so they help promote public safety."

Some people don't like the idea of using fingerprints because they associate them with criminals. And they don't work for some people, such as bricklayers, who wear down their fingerprints. But face recognition works well because the subject doesn't have to do anything. To cash a check at a bank, the customer would look at a machine similar to an automatic teller machine (ATM). If the face matches the picture on file, the customer gets the money with no problem.

The hand scan works well in the college cafeteria. Before the machines was used, students entered the cafeteria using cards similar to credit cards. The problem was that students often lost or forgot to bring their cards. With the hand scanning machine, the problem was solved. "The machine words really well," says Manuela Lopes, a Food Services coordinator. "Students never forget their hands when they come to the cafeteria!"

But the machines are still new, and there can be problems. For example, voice recognition works on the phone, but it is not precise and can be tricked. Machines that use face recognition can be fooled if people dye their hair or gain a lot ofweight. This particular problem may be solved by a new type of technology that scans the colored part of a person's eyes. It can even identify the person from a few feet away, so it may be able to recognize a customer as he or she approaches and ATM.

The hand scan at the university had some problems as well, at first. "At the beginning of the school year, many f the girls wore their boyfriends' rings. If they stopped wearing the rings later, the machine rejected them," says Manuela. "Now we have a newer machine, and it can cope with the missing ring problem."

"Some people don't want to use machines that take their pictures," says Jay Tarkett. "But other people are happy to use the biometric machines. You don't have to carry a bank card or remember your PIN(personal identification number), and if you lose your check, no one can cash it."

Lesson 3. Accidental Discoveries

In the long history of man's inventiveness, countless discoveries have been made by ingenious people who set out to find the solution to a problem. There are also many things that were discovered by accident and made everyday living more convenient, pleasant, and healthy.

Perhaps the best-known example is Sir Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin. In 1922, while suffering from a cold, Fleming made a culture from some of his own nasal secretions. As he examined the culture dish, filled with yellow bacteria, a tear fell from his eye into the dish. The next day, he found a clear space where the tear had fallen. His keen observation led him to the correct conclusion: the tear contained a substance that destroyed that bacteria but was harmless to human tissues. The substance turned out to be of little practical importance, because the germs that it killed were relatively harmless. This discovery, however, was an essential prelude to that of penicillin.

In 1928, Fleming was doing research on influenza. While examining cultures of bacteria, Fleming noticed and unusual clear area in one dish. The clear area surrounded a spot where a bit of mold had fallen onto the dish, which had been left uncovered. Remembering his past experience, he concluded that the mold was producing something deadly to the bacteria in the culture dish. Fleming identified the mold as belonging to the genus Penicillium, and he named the antibiotic substance it produced, penicillin.

James Christy also made an important accidental discovery in 1978. To measure the orbital characteristics of Pluto, Christy placed its picture on a Star Scan machine. When he did so, he noticed that the image of the planet was bulged. At first he assumed the bulge was an artifact and was going to discard the photograph. Luckly, however, the machine broke down at that instant. Christy called in a technician to repair the machine. The technician asked Christy to stand by for possible help.

During the hour required for the repair, Christy studied the photograph more carefully, and decided to look through the archives for earlier pictures of the planet. The first one he found was marked "Pluto image. Bulged. .... Reject." With his interest now aroused, he searched through the archives. He found seven pictures dated between 1965 and 1970 that showed the same bulge. His further studies proved that the bulge was a moon of the planet.

Today Post-its are found everywhere - in offices, on file folders, by telephones and computer screens; in homes on the refrigerator and the TV screen, or possibly by the back door. Do you know how the Post-it was developed?

Art Fry was 3M worker in product development. He sang in the church choir on Sundays. He marked his choir book with scraps of paper to facilitate finding the proper music quickly. But sometimes the scraps feel out without warning, causing Fryto scamble through the pages. One day, Fry suddenly thought of an adhesive that had been discovered several years earlier by Dr. Spencer Silver. Spencer had discarded the adhesive, Fry remembered, because it was not strong enough to be permanently useful.

Fry's inspiration was that this adhesive might serve to keep his place temporarily in the choir book without the marker becoming permanently attached.

The list of accidental discoveries could fill a long book. But remember, each "accidental" discovery was possible because and observant person noticed that something unusual had happened and asked, "Why...?" As Louis Pasteur put it, "In the filed of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind."

Lesson 4. Who's Out There?

Do you believe there's life in outer space? A recent poll asked 900 American adults this question. Sixty percent answered, "Yes." Over 40 percent of college graduates who answered, "Yes" believe that flying saucers have visited Earth. Close to 50 percent thought aliens were more intelligent than people on Earth. Eighty-five percent also said they thought aliens were friendly rather than hostile.

Many people are convinced that aliens visit us regularly. They say that the American government knows this but is covering it up. In the last few years, thousands of Americans say they have been abducted by aliens. In fact, there is so much common knowledge about aliens that people can even describe what they look like: tall and slender, with huge heads and almond-shaped eyes. There are models of aliens in the UFO(unidentified flying object) Museum and Research Center in Roswell, New Mexico.

Roswell is where it all started, over fifty years ago. In 1947, a farmer in the area found some strange, shiny material on the ground. He gave it to the sheriff, who turned it over to the army. The army sent out a press release about a "flying disk." The local newspaper made a slight change and wrote a story about a "flying saucer" in the Roswell region. The next day, the army changed the story and said that the material was from a weather ballon. Everyone forgot about the incident for many years.

Then in the 1980s, several stories were published about the Roswell incident. Some people said that a spaceship had crashed on the farmland and that three to five alien bodies had been found. The bodies were being kept by the government in a secret place. The government denied the story, but many people didn't believe it. Seventy-one percent of the people polled said they believed the government knew more than what they were telling people. "People would panic if they knew what really happened," said an observer.

Now Roswell has become a meeting place for people who believe in aliens. On the fiftieth anniversary of the rumors of a spaceship landing, more than 100,000 people gathered in the desert town, where the temperature can reach 110 degrees. Theywent out in the hot sun to look for the burn mark the spaceship left when it crashed against a rock. They paid $15 each for a viewing No one complained when they didn't see a spaceship. They were just happy to be there.

Why all the interest in aliens? People are worried about problems on Earth and are suspicious of new technologies. Perhaps this leads them to believe there are being who are more intelligent than we are. They hope these beings will save us and teach us better ways to live.

Of course, a lot of people are making money on these beliefs. Motel owners in Roswell say a quarter of their visitors come to see the alien landing site. Stores in Roswell sell everything from alien dolls to alien refrigerator magnets. The media plays up the belief as well. Alien-based movies and television show feature government cover-ups and alien invasions. And the fourth most popular talk sho in America is about UFOs and aliens.

Skeptics say this is all myth. People want to believe we are not alone in the universe, but o facts prove there is life anywhere else. Others disagree. "We just don't know if aliens exist," says a researcher. "But technology changes so quickly. Years ago people would never believe some of the things we can do today. Who knows what's out there? We have to keep looking."

Lesson 5. What Dreams Mean

A dream is a story that we watch or take part in while we are asleep. We all dream, even though we can't always remember what our dreams were about, when we wake. Even animals dream, as anyone with a dog or cat will tell you. When you see your pet dog growling and moving around while asleep, you know that it is dreaming.

In ancient times dreams were seen as messages from the gods. In the Bible, for example, several people had dreams that told them what God wanted them to do. In the Middle Ages dreams were supposed to mark visits from demons. Nineteenth-century doctors thought that nightmares came from a reduced oxygen supply to the brain.

In modern times, people still disagree about the cause and meaning of dreams. Some scientists believe all dreams are physiological response to our brains' nighttime activities. According to them, our own experiences and emotions do contributeto our dreams. Stored in your memory, they organize the story that you dream.

Not so, say other experts who view repeated dreams as messages from a person's deepest self, or the "royal road" to the unconscious, as Sigmund Freud wrote. They think that our dreams show what we really want in our lives. The feelings that we repress while we are awake come out in our dreams. A girl who frequently dreams of being chased by boys, for instance, may unconsciously want friendship with a boy, but be afraid to act upon her desires. Until she masters her anxiety, her dreams will recur.

Some people believe that they can see the future in their dreams. After a major event or disaster, people often say that they dreamed about it before it happened. In 1966, there was a terrible disaster in a Welsh village. A huge pile of coal waste from a nearby mine collapsed and buried a school, killing more than 190 people, mainly children. One of the children who was killed had told her mother about one of her dreams just before the disaster. She had said, "I dreamed I went to school, and there was no school there. Something black had come down all over it."

In some cases dreams have led to the creation of poetry and music. The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge read about the great leader Kubla Khan in a travel book and feel asleep. He dreamed and entire poem about Kubla Khan and wrote it down as fastas he could Unfortunately he could not write down the entire poem, but what he did manage to record became one of his most famous works. More recently, Paul McCartney, a member of "The Beatles," dreamed the tune which became the hit song Yesterday.

Do you want to know what your dream means? It depends on you and how each symbol connects to your own life. Specific symbols have meaning unique to every dreamer. Because of the intimate relationship between you and your dream, some experts say, "Don't let anybody tell you what your dreams mean. Only you can know." To decipher them, write a description of every image and ask yourself: What real-life situation resembles this dream?

Lesson 6. What is Art for?

All human work can be divided into two part: the arts and the sciences. The sciences, in general, are those parts of human work that require "knowledge." More specifically, science requires observation, identification, description, experimentation and explanation. These five requirements, in fact, define the scientific method.

The other part of human endeavor the arts, concerns the skills people have developed to create things. Skill is a person's ability to work well with something: with materials, words, or images - or with is or her body. Skill is talent combined with technique. An artist is someone who makes something well using his or her hands or tools. For most of human history, everything that was not "natural" was ARTificial, that is, made with tools, through skill, by hand.

Today, the word art has a special meaning. Art is that which is beautiful. A painting is art; it is appreciated by many people. Ceramic work is also art; the shapes, colors, and textures of bowls, vases, and pitchers make these clay items beautiful to look at and enjoyable to use. The work of writers is art; literature is a part of the expression of beauty in human nature. Writers record beautiful moments of life in stories. All of these expressions by artists make people's lives a littlemore human.

It is important, however, to recognize that part of the definition of art is "skilled production." Therefore, art is everywhere. The baker who makes tasty, attractive bread, cakes, and pies is an artist. The person who makes beautiful clothing or does needlework on a tablecloth, the person who landscapes a yard by planting trees and flowers, and the person who arranges items for sale in a store - each of these people is an artist. The composer of music is an artist as well. These artists may not become famous, but their work affects the lives of everyone around them. Beautiful things make people feel better, happier, and more thoughtful.

Most of the artists in the world are not famous; their artistry is a simple expression of their talent and skill at everyday, common things. These people are folk artists. On the other hand, those whose works are hanging in museums and galleries are called fine artists.

Although there are many types of art, they have some basic properties in common. The most important characteristic of art is order. The elements, the separate parts, of a work of art must be arranged in pattern or a design. The form itself isimportant. A pleasing shape and balance are also necessary for art. Harmony and contrast are also essential aspects of art. The parts of a piece of art must fit together; each part must have beauty in itself and look beautiful in harmony with the other parts. The parts of any work of art - sculpture or painting, stories or poems - should all match the other parts. That is part of what makes it art.

Every form of art does something good for people. A beautiful thing is enjoyed, felt, and experienced. The appreciation of art results in a happier felling and better understanding of people and the world. Art in literature helps the human spirit, too. Stories and poetry give people a "voice" and "insight." Reading a great book or enjoying a good play can inspire a person to improve his or her own circumstances. In other words, art is a creation that lifts the human spirit. Because of art, people's lives become fuller and richer. Including the painter, the musician, and the writer, all artists contribute to a better life for everyone.

Lesson 7. Climate: A Powerful Force

Most people probably spend more time thinking about weather than about climate. Although weather and climate are closely related, they are different. Weather refers to the temperature and amount of rain, wind, sun, and snow during a specific time. On the other hand, climate refers to the typical weather patterns of an area over many years.

Few of us think of the ways that climate has transformed human life over the course of history. Climate is something that we typically take for granted. However, it is important to understand how it has shaped our behavior and how human activity may also affect it.

Climates do not remain the same. They have changed many times throughout history. There have been several ice ages followed by periods of warming. For hundreds of millions of years, powerful natural forces have been at work changing the Earth's environment. As climates warmed and cooled, plants and animals appeared and disappeared. The changes in climate have also played a big part in human evolution.

Scientists have found evidence of these effects of climate in every part of the world. For example, they have discovered evidence that 5,000 years ago the Sahara Desert had areas of green. People have had to change their way of life many times as plant and animal life shifted over the world.

Human life and climate are interrelated. Climate affects our behavior much more than we realize. It affects the kinds of clothes we wear and even the colors we choose to wear. Since it affects the kinds of crops we can grow successfully, it influences our eating habits. Architecture is also affected by climate. Engineers and architects must think about the climate when they make decisions about the construction, materials, and designs of building. Even our choices in transportation are determined by the climate in which we live. Climate also plays a big part in economic development. A climate that is too hot or too dry makes farming, industry, and transportation difficult and slows economic development down.

Climate has played and important role in human development, and much of recorded history tells how people have dealt with their climate. In recent times, technological advances have helped us get some control over our environment. Heating andair conditioning, for example, have made it easier for us to adapt to climate.

Not only does climate affect human behavior, but human activity may also affect climate. By changing the Earth's surface and introducing caron dioxide into the atmosphere, humans may have had an impact on the climate. Since 1938, scientists have noticed and increased amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This increase could raise could raise the temperature of the Earth.

Scientist worry that human activity such as burning fuels will cause a global change to a warmer climate. A warming of the atmosphere would have a great effect on our environment. It would raise sea levels by melting ice. This would change the climate and have a profound effect on plant and animal life.

We have learned a lot in our years on the Earth. However, the question is, "Have we learned enough?" Since we do not know the consequences of trying to control the weather, we cannot know what future problems we are causing when we try to manipulate our environment. Therefore, it is crucial that we find ways to live in harmony with our environment and climate rather than try to control them.

Lesson 8. More than Just a Smell

We normally take our sense of smell for granted. However, nowadays it is increasingly used for purposes which might surprise us if we were aware of them. One area in which smells are crated to achieve particular results is marketing. For sometime manufactures have taken advantage of our sense of smell with regard to household goods. Millions of dollars are spent on product research in the hunt for the right aroma as it is believed perfume influences the way consumers perceive a brand. According to a survey conducted in the United States, when people were asked what the most important factor in their choice of detergent was, smell was rated highly, above texture and price.

Now, stores are becoming ever more direct in their use of smell. The smell of fresh bread in a supermarket tends to encourage people to buy, and people selling their houses are recommended to have coffee brewing when potential buyers arrive. Recognizing the influence of smell, stores are now using aromas to manipulate our subconscious and persuade us to purchase. Suddenly smell is becoming big business. One company specializing in the use of smells to attract customers now has many large stores on its list of customers now has many large stores on its list of customers. When pleasant smells are filtered through a store's air conditioning system, people tend to stay longer in the store and buy more. For example, the aroma of chocolate is used in sweet stores, while the smells of leather and perfume are used in clothing stores.

Research shows that smells can increase people's view of the value of a product. In a test, people looked at the same types of shoes in two rooms - one filled with purified air, the other with the smell of mixed flowers. Eighty four percent of the people preferred the shoes in the room with the scent of flowers. In fact, many said they would be prepared to pay up to $ 10 more for a pair.

Smells also have other potential uses. Research has shown that certain smells can help to calm anxious people and increase their feeling of security. Smells such s the scent of flowers and pine forests might therefore be used to relax patients in the waiting rooms of doctors and dentists, and to make the environment more pleasant and less stressful in factories. Some companies are experimenting with different smells to produce different effects in the morning they might put the smell of lemon in the ventilation system to wake people up. In the middle of the morning, when the atmosphere tends to become more tense, the smell of wood could be used to calm people down. Before lunchtime the smell of melting butter would encourage people togo to lunch on time. After lunch, when people often begin to lose concentration, the smell of mint would increase their alertness.

While some of these of smells may be helpful and effective, not everyone would agree with their use to manipulate customers in stores, particularly because the customers are probably unaware of what is happening. It has been suggested by consumers' organization that one way to avoid this new, subconscious pressure to bye is to go shopping soon after a meal. People are less likely to be influenced by smells if their stomach is full!

Lesson 9. Until the Candle Blew Out

In the tall silvery poplar-tree village near the fishing dock, Life-Stone and I, Sunny-Tiger, grew up. His home had flimsy thatched roof. Just above the rolling water front, three huts away from his, stood my tile-roofed home. We played together, often fighting over the things around us.

Sometimes I caught a "grandpa" frog and gave it to Gentle-Flute, the fatherless daughter of a hunchback. Then Life-Stone would claim that he had seen it first and therefore it was his. At my gift, she would make a gentle smile with tendernessin her eyes and charming dimples in her cheeks. And he would yell loudly, as bean-sized tears fell down his face.

Every day we played together along the shore and in the paths. In winter we always had a kite fighting contest. After drawing dragons, he and I ground pieces of glass into powder. He glued the glass powder onto the string with cooked-barley water, and I did so with cooked-rice water.

To win the contest, one let his string rub across his opponent's line in midair. Each tried to fly his kite over the other's. The one whose kite string could cross the other's faster and cut it won the contest. It was really exciting to watchour kites approaching in midair like two small dragons. When he won, he would show off a lot. When I won, Gentle-Flute would come to see how high I flew my kite. Then Life-Stone would say that I had won because I had used thick rice water for glue.

One winter, my father bought me a warm coat. When I wore it to school, I put Gentle-Flute's small hand in one of my pockets, for she looked so cold. After this, Life-Stone begged his mother to buy him one. When he managed to get a large coat,he came to school with his usual smile. Along the road, he bowed very politely to elderly people, something he had not done before.

One year when everybody expected a golden harvest, a typhoon came. The storm of that one night made the village roofless; both tile and thatch roofs were blown away. The tall poplar-trees had smashed down on the frail huts. Everything lay in a twisted mass.

Ten days later we learned that Gentle-Flute and her mother were leaving on that evening's night boat. They were accustomed to gathering the rice left in the fields after the harvest. With the crop entirely lost, her mother was in despair for herself and the little girl.

In the afternoon, Life-Stone and I bicycled hard to the next village, where he sold his overcoat for a thousand hwan. He said, "She needs five hundred for her passage on the boat and I can give her a thousand. That makes me so happy."

It was a starry night, cool and clear. I came to the docks wearing my overcoat. The sea wind and impending farewell made us all chilly and gave us goose pimples. Life-Stone and I carried the bundles of Gentle-Flute and her poor mother down tothe canoe-like boat. When the boat was well out into the water, I held up our candle lantern to signal the passing ship.

I took off my overcoat, and Life-Stone put the tightly wrapped money in the pocket very carefully. Then I put the coat on Gentle-Flute and Life-Stone put her arms in the sleeves. We lifted their few bundles up to the sailors on deck; then watched the two go up the ladder the sailors let down for them. The ship gave out a two toned whistle as though it has already waited too long for the new passengers. The blue, glimmering waves moved in; our boat began to rock. At that moment, I couldn't steady my hand, and the candle blew out. Since then, Life-Stone and I have not fought with each other.

Lesson. 10 The Hands

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, Germany, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order to keep food on the table for this mob, the father, a goldsmith, worked almost eighteen hours a day. He had todo any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood. Despite their hopeless condition, two of the children, Albrecht and Albert, had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art. But they knew that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to study at the academy.

After a long discussion one night, the two boys finally worked out a pact. "Well, let's toss a coin. The loser will go down into the nearby mines, and support the winner with his earning while the winner attends the academy. And the winner, when his studies are completed in four years, will support the loser at the academy." "Great! I have no objection."

They tossed a coin. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines. For the next four years, Albert financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost and immediate sensation. Albrecht's work was far better than that of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his work.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, Albrecht rose from the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for theyears of sacrifice.

His closing words were, "And now, Albert, it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you."

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat. Tears were streaming down his pale face, Shaking his head from side to side, he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No... no... no.. no."

Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved. Holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed. Lately, I have been suffering from pain so bad in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass, much less make delicate lines on canvas with a brush. No, brother, .. for me it is too late."

More than 450 years have passed. Today, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, watercolors, and others hand in every great museum of the world. But the odds are great that you are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's work. More than merely being familiar with it, you may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "The Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great master piece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."

The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one ever makes it alone!

Lesson 11. How to Save the Earth from Automobiles

The automobile is probably the environment's worst enemy. Automobiles cause the most environmental problems. Forests are cut down to make highway, eventually causing wild birds and animals to die. In making automobiles, harmful gases like carbon dioxide are emitted. These gases are the major causes of global warming as well as acid rain. So it's high time that we find ways to save our environment and take action.

Here are some ways in which our environment can be saved from automobiles. At the government level, we can greatly increase the cost of driving by imposing heavy taxes on automobiles and on gasoline. There is nothing unfair about taxing people who pollute everyone else's air for their own convenience or profit. What they deserve is a large increase in gasoline taxes. In addition, the tax money will enable governments to improve public transport systems. Then more and more drivers will switch to public transport. A successful case in Asia illustrates this point.

The government of Singapore imposed a 45% tax on imported cars. They also added a registration tx amounting to 150% of the car's purchase price. Finally, they established a limit on the number of new cars to be registered. Now those cars costmore than houses and a highly efficient public transport system exists. This is how Singapore, unlike every other Asian capital, has neither traffic jams nor smog.

In Europe, we can find a slightly different way to control automobiles. Visitors to Venice, Italy have always been impressed not only by the beautiful buildings but also by the lack of automobiles. The city has prevented private cars from coming into the city centers. Its lucky citizens enjoy clean air and peaceful streets. Now two other cities are following the example of Venice: Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Strasbourg, France.

We can also find solutions to environmental problems by developing new technology. A big car maker, for example, recently built a car powered by a pollution-free fuel cell. Using the chemical reaction of oxygen and hydrogen, its only waste product is pure water. Another example is solar-powered cars. They are, at present, hopelessly impractical, being both expensive and inefficient. But much progress is being made: in 10 years' time, they may rival conventional cars in both cost and power.

There are some more interesting attempts to save natural resources.

1. A farmer in England used chicken manure to power his car. The car worked, but the smell was terrible.

2. In many countries, there are electric cars. They work well, but they are slow and cannot run for very long.

3. The Maglev train in Japan uses magnets. The magnets push the train forward. It is very quiet, very fast, and very clean. Unfortunately, it is too expensive.

4. The water train in Wales uses water to push a train down a hill and, at the same time, pull another train up the hill.

Of course, these examples are not completely successful, but we should not abandon attempts to save energy or natural resources in this world where the population is growing very fast. By the year 2200, it will exceed 10 billion. If we don't change the way we use energy and natural resources now, we will have disastrous results in the future. Think of the future, then all of us will know what to do.

Lesson 12. Friendship and Living Longer

The old saying should be changed from "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," to "Friendship each day keeps the doctor away." This means that strong social ties are good preventive medicine. Do you want to be healthier and live longer? Then keep social connections with many people. People with strong social bonds - to friends, family, even pet - live longer and enjoy better health than lonely people.

According to a study, people isolated from others had death rates two to three times higher than people with families and friends. The stronger the social ties to others, the lower the death rate. This is true for men and women, young and old, rich and poor. It also applies to people with different lifestyles.

Cigarette smokers who had friends lived longer than friendless smokers. Joggers involved with other people lived longer than joggers who lived isolated lives.

Another study confirms this result. A group of researchers at the University of Michigan studied 2.754 adults. The researchers carefully measured the adults' health at the beginning of the study. The lonely people started out as healthy as the other. But over ten years, they were two or four times as likely to die.

Other findings also show the health value of personal ties. Married men and women lived longer than single people of the same age. In nursing homes, patients became more aware and responsive when they played with cats and dogs. Pet owners were more likely to survive heart attacks than people without pets.

Another proof that social ties support good health comes from japan. Most Japanese people live in crowded, noisy, and polluted cities. Such a way of life seems unhealthy. Yet the Japanese are among the healthiest and longest-living people in the world. One reason may be their diet. Another reason, though, is their way of life. Japanese have strong ties to family and coworkers. These ties are rarely broken.

Why is it more healthy to have friends and family? We don't know exactly. But it is probably a combination of several explanations. In part, people with strong social ties may simply have more to live for. They have friends or family who share their lives. They have friends who call them and ask them how they're doing. They have get-together to look forward to.

Social contacts also provide us with a buffer against the tragedies of life. At some point, each of us moves, changes a jog, or loses a friends. Changes tend to increase the rates of many diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and mental illness. Accidents are also more likely to happen to people whose lives have suddenly changed. Friends, family members, and even a pet dog can help us to get through the otherwise very rough changes that we must deal with in life.

Finally, friends and family can affect our health in still another way. If we are smokers, they may help us to quit. If we overeat, they may urge us to cut back. They can remind us of our medical check-up appointments and if we have fears or sadness, friends can help us face and overcome them. By caring for us, in other words, friends and family can help us to care for ourselves.

As is evident in the previous paragraphs, close human ties seem to make life not only fuller, but also longer, Caring for others and being cared for is literally a healthier way to live.