At Sho Farm in northern Vermont, farmers Melissa Hoffman and Shawn Smith work hand in hand with the land and its inhabitants, and among them are hundreds of ducks. The ducks at Sho Farm are not being raised to be killed for food. Rather, they are naturally involved in farming operations, helping to manage pests and add fertilizer (肥料) to the soil.

In the beginning, Hoffman, who has a background in organic farming and ecology action, worked with ecologists and biologists to survey the plants and wildlife all around the area. This was “to understand who was living here, so that everything we did was in relationship to the life already here,” he says.

So, at Sho Farm, focus is placed on living harmoniously alongside other life and working with traditional ecological knowledge. Food is seen not as a commodity (商品) but as a relationship with land and life.

The methods of food production at Sho Farm, as well as the farmers’ philosophy of working with rather than against nature, are in sharp contrast to most modern agricultural systems. And that’s the point. “We’ve been talking a lot about the broken food system and the consequences of it to the environment, to wildlife, to the animals in animal agriculture and to human health,” says Hoffman, adding that it’s not just the food system that’s broken. “It’s the relationship between humans, non-human animals, land and nature.”

The ducks play a vital, integrated role on the farm, explains Hoffman, by naturally providing pest control, fertilizer and (fuel-free) land maintenance (维护), just as by-products of their existence. “We noticed where we summered groups of ducks and parts of the food system that were not doing very well. The following year, the food system was efficiently improved,” he says.

It’s a symbiotic relationship that works well. “Animals don’t have to be part of a farm in a commodity sense. They can be part of the farm as a partner,” Hoffman says. “They are wonderful partners.”

Each fall, the flu emerges as a terrible force. 【小题1】 Influenza viruses cause millions of illnesses and thousands of deaths in the United States each year. So it’s necessary to know more about the flu viruses.

Influenza A viruses come in many varieties. Four subtypes commonly affect humans. But many more influenza A viruses have been identified in animals, which makes it a potential source of pandemics whenever a new type of influenza A jumps to humans. 【小题2】 They are divided into just two lineages (谱系) that cause seasonal outbreaks.

If you do get sick with the flu, you’ll have common symptoms like fever, muscle aches and respiratory ailments. Most otherwise healthy people are sick for three to seven days. 【小题3】 The flu can also trigger inflammatory (炎症反应) responses in the body and worsen existing chronic conditions like asthma or heart disease.

Some rapid tests available at doctors offices can distinguish between influenza A and B, although they tend to have low sensitivity. Doctors can also order more sensitive P. C. R. tests to identify the specific flu virus causing infection.

To treat the flu, we can take approved antiviral medications that are commonly used to shorten the duration and severity of illness. Stay hydrated, get plenty of rest and use over-the-counter medications to reduce fever as needed. But if you develop a sustained fever of 39℃, you have difficulty breathing or you experience severe chest or stomach pain, it is important to seek medical attention immediately. 【小题5】

In this entry to my blog series about successful multinational companies, I will check out the furniture chain IKEA. IKEA has been the world’s dominant furniture chain since 2008, according to Forbes magazine.

Swedish entrepreneur Ingvar Kamprad was only 17 years old when he started the company in 1943. These days, the chain has about 400 stores selling appliances, furniture and other household items in over 40 countries around the world. So how have they managed to become such a global hit, to me it seems that three features of the chain stand out: their dedication to research, their affordable prices and their eco-friendly reputation.

The executives of IKEA have long understood the need to research other markets in order to succeed globally. The company is constantly conducting research on how people use their furniture and what they are looking for. They recently conducted research in eight cities worldwide. This is how they learned, for example, that Korean customers want a special kimchif refrigerator.

But in order to sell at discount prices, they need to make and sell a lot of the same thing to keep costs low. This way, they can get low prices from suppliers, and charge super-low prices to their customers. As a result, they can keep their prices economical even during periods of inflation. This is why they will show the same products in different ways in their stores, depending on the local culture. A British bedroom display might have a British flag bedspread on it, whereas one in Tokyo may have a traditional mat on the floor. In China, IKEA’s fastest-growing market, domestic manufacturers make most of the products they sell in order to keep transport costs low.

A final selling point of the company is eco-friendly. A company representative recently said that they are working on creating new products out of materials we currently throw away, such as recycled plastic and foil. In some markets, they plan to market an electric bicycle, and in Seoul, they recently planted a tree to celebrate the opening of a new store.

Next week, I’ll look at other multinational companies which specialize in household goods and automobile production.