If you come across two drivers who stop in the middle of the road in this richly forested island community, they’re probably arguing — about how to improve the local fairgrounds (游乐场), or property taxes, or the teen drop-in center. They argue about everything in South Whidbey, Washington, and that’s a good thing.

“Don’t bother to honk your horn (按喇叭),” resident Susan Knickerbocker says. “When they’re done, they’ll be done. They won’t move before that, so you just wait it out.”

This frequent scene is one sign that people care deeply about their town. “We argue passionately about where we want our community to go,” says Josh Burnett, who writes for the South Whidbey Record. “But at the end of the day, we’ll all say hi and shake hands at the farmers’ market on the weekend.”

That love for debate — passionate and constructive — has made South Whidbey residents intensely proud. Because, as stubborn as they are, everyone gets to work. That’s how they have created a first-class food bank and a no-kill animal shelter; developed new methods for residents to make — and accept — donations of veterinary (兽医的) services, oil changes, and advice on paying medical bills; and more. One group of volunteers is well-known for rescuing abused horses.

Another resident, Linda Briere, wrote on the Reader’s Digest Facebook page, “The love of country, joy of living, and the let-the-other guy-live-but-with-a-helping-hand make me proud.”

Of course, working for the greater good is what many communities do. What’s unusual about South Whidbey is that residents pull together despite the kinds of cultural differences that make progress difficult in so many other parts of the country. South Whidbey is home to sizable populations of farmers, artists, Christians, retired vets, Republicans, Democrats, and independents, and the clash (碰撞) of ideas inspires them.

The one thing they never disagree on is that their island is profoundly special.

When thinking about shadow puppetry (皮影戏), most Chinese people are reminded of their experience of watching shadow play in some temple fairs during big festivals when they were little. But now, one can enjoy a whole shadow show just by putting on a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, which makes shadow puppetry easily accessible to us.

This VR game is designed by China Institute of Art Science & Technology affiliated (附属的) to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. “We’ve been looking for a connection between traditional art and modern technology, hoping that the people can appreciate the beauty of shadow puppetry and get to know more about this traditional art via the VR game,” said the VR game designer Zhang Qing, associate professor with the institute.

Shadow puppetry is a Chinese folk art known for its unique storytelling techniques via figures made from cowhide (牛皮) and a lit-up backdrop (幕布) that creates the illusion (幻觉) of moving images, which can date back more than 2,000 years to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). However, as films and TV series gradually became major entertainment options since the late 1980s, shadow plays declined, with many performers shifting jobs.

In order to bring the ancient art back to life via VR, Zhang, together with her team, has been to many shadow puppetry museums across the country and visited puppeteers at Houma city in north China’s Shanxi Province where Shadow puppetry once became successful.

As the VR industry is heating up in China, the cutting-edge technology was recently adopted in many aspects in culture and tourism. For example, in Shanghai, with a simple scan to the QR codes on the wall of the historical architecture, visitors can know culture and history behind old bricks with text, audio video and 360 VR Panoramas in the smartphone.

Another VR plus intangible (非物质的) cultural heritage (遗产) project of Zhang has been put on the agenda. “Peking Opera and Kunqu opera are next attempt. With a VR headset, people would feel like one of the performers on the stage in the virtual environment. It would be a brand-new approach to access traditional Chinese opera. ” Zhang said.

Serious measures are needed to make the people in Oman fitter, healthier and rid of the several factors that cause overweight and obesity (肥胖). According to Dr Noor al Busaidi, obesity is a global problem, not only in Oman and the MENA region but around the world, too. The prevalence (普遍) of obesity has been increasing steadily over the past 20-30 years. In Oman, the latest survey conducted by the Ministry of Health together with the World Health Organisation has revealed that overweight and obese people has reached 66 per cent in Oman, of which female obesity accounts for 40 per cent.

She further explained that those with a BMI (Body mass index) of 30 and above can be termed as obese while those with a BMI of 25-29.9 can be termed as overweight. Research shows that over 200 various diseases and health conditions including 30 types of cancer, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, etc are associated with obesity, she said, adding, “Obesity is the mother of all diseases, hence it is necessary for people in Oman to watch their weight and take corrective measures.”

“Over the last few years, the World Obesity Federation has also been stressing on obesity- related abuse and laughter. People tend to tease obese people without realizing that many people become obese for reasons beyond their control, like genetic factors or following an accident,” Dr Noor said, adding that we need to fight discrimination against obese individuals in society.

Lastly, Dr Noor emphasized that health is not just the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and that concerted efforts are necessary from the government institutions, non-governmental organizations and individuals in society to make the nation healthy.