In December, Li Haichao and her 1-year-old boy received a special teddy bear, made from her husband Xu Yuelong's jacket. On the stuffed animal's back, there is a sewn sentence—“My dad is hero”.

Born in 1993, Xu, a policeman, lost his life in a car accident in October 2018 while attempting capture two prisoners “My son has never seen his father I hope he bear can build a connection between them,” Li says. For Li, compared with a wardrobe of her husband's clothes, the bear is much more vivid.

Li is among hundreds of people who have discovered the healing needlework of Xiao Jie, a 39-year-old craftswoman in Chongqing. Xiao's story took off on Sina Weibo, with related news being viewed 140 million times by April 6. She got the idea from a post, which tells the story of a 21-year-old British woman, Mary Maclnnes, who made teddy bears from the clothing of departed beloved ones to help soothe the pain of loss.

“Everyone will encounter moments of grief for deceased (亡故的) family or friends. It is a good way to help them honor the memory of their departed loved ones,” Xiao has been kept busy balancing her work and the teddy production. On average, it takes her at least six hours to design, plan, cut, sew and complete a bear. She only charges about 300 yuan ($42.3) for the basic costs. “My mother and some friends suggested that I use a sewing machine to reduce the heavy workload, but as a craftswoman, I insist on sewing every stitch by hand, Xiao says, adding that she believes that hand-sewing can inject soul and life to her work.

“It is not a business, but a lifetime career,” Xiao says, adding that, during this extraordinary time, spreading the kindness to others really matters.

The Education Secretary Michael Gove said all schools should follow the example set in the Far East where pupils are expected to follow a longer day and get less time off. In a speech, he warned the current shape of the academic year was created to fit the needs of an agricultural economy, with pupils taking time of in October to help harvest. The lack of time spent in the classroom is particularly damaging to children from poor backgrounds, Mr. Gove said.

Some of the Government's flagship academies- state schools run independent of local council controls- are using their independence to reform the school day, he said. Some open at 8:30 am and expect children to remain until at least 4:30 pm to undertake sport, music and other extra-curricular activities. Other schools such as David Young Community Academy operate four-week summer holidays for fear that children suffer an academic fall during the traditional six-week break.

Mr. Gove said all schools should follow a similar model to enable the nation to catch up with education systems elsewhere in the world. But the calls are likely to infuriate (激怒) teaching unions who are fiercely protective of the six-week summer break which they claim is vital to allow staff to recharge their batteries.

Earlier this month, the National Union of Teachers actually called for a shorter school day. But addressing the Spectator Education Conference in central London, Mr. Gove said a “higher level of effort is expected on behalf of students, parents and teachers” in nations such as Singapore and elsewhere in the Far East.

He insisted the Government was changing teachers' pay and working conditions which meant they could be paid more for taking on extra duties, allowing heads to organize their staff “in a way to get more out of young people”

“The expectation is that to succeed, hard work is at the heart of everything,” he said. “If you look at the length of the school day and summer holiday in England- and we compare it to the extra tuition and support children are receiving elsewhere then we are fighting or actually running in this global race in a way without doubt we start with a significant obstacle (障碍)”

Purchasing groceries online has typically been seen as a convenient way to shop for food without having to put on pants. But according to a recent study, shopping in your underwear may also benefit the environment.

According to the study, conducted by University of Washington engineers, grocery delivery services can cut carbon emissions (排放) in half, and possibly more. The reasoning is fairly straightforward: Packed trucks can provide groceries to many people in a single trip, thus removing many cars from the road. “A lot of times people think they have to inconvenience themselves to be greener, and that actually isn't the case here,” said Anne Goodchild, an associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering who worked on the study. “From an environmental perspective, grocery delivery services overwhelmingly can provide emissions reductions.'

By surveying Seattle residents about their grocery purchasing habits and analyzing the data they collected, the researchers determined that delivery trucks produced 20 to 75 percent less CO₂ than the cars that would otherwise have been used to get groceries.

Why the difference The reductions were maximized in denser places, or when companies plotted efficient delivery routes that allowed them to hit many homes in one go. The difference between taking efficient routes versus a more random approach accounted for up to a 90 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions alone, the study found.

“Indeed, it is not he delivery service that's green so much as it is the city itself,” says TIME'S Bryan Walsh. “The population density of Brooklyn is over 3400 per 8quare mile compared with a little less than 90 people per square mile for the U.S. as a whole. It can't be said enough: The greenest thing any of us can do is live in dense cities or at the very least, support policies that enable greater population density”.

Ways to improve your mental health in 2020

Looking on the bright side of life really is beneficial. Optimists have a less chance of having a heart attack or stroke, a bigger chance of a healthy and long life. However, being an optimist doesn't mean you ignore the stress of daily life.     11    . How to do that?

Practice optimism

Faced with a challenge, optimists more often see it as temporary or even positive, allowing themselves to learn and grow.     12    . Imagining yourself with all of your problems solved in a future may work.

    13    

Studies have shown putting the well-being of others before our own without expecting anything in return is useful. Even if you have little time to offer, just the act of giving has been shown to improve our health, possibly by temporarily reducing our sense of pain.

Be grateful

Being thankful protects us against anxiety and depression and boosts optimism.     14    . Before going to bed, jot down any positive experience you had that day, however small.

Improve your social connections

Good relationships keep us happier and healthier.     15    . Instead, it's the quality of the relationship that matters. High-conflict marriages, for example, without much affection, turn out to be bad for our health, perhaps worse than getting divorced, though it's not right to make light of divorce.