【推荐1】Lynn Colwell is a mixed-media artist in Redmond, Washington. In grade school, a teacher told her that she had no artistic talent and Lynn believed her. However, in 2015 when she retired, she hoped to have a new interest and began to take a year-long online painting class.

“It blew me away,” she says. She started painting striking portraits of women’s faces, combined with short messages of hope almost every day. In five years, she’s completed about 1,000 paintings.

Lynn gives her paintings away. She started with friends, but that only went so far. Then she read about a movement called Art Abandonment, which encourages artists to leave their art in public places for anyone to pick up. That gave her the idea of putting her work into the hands of strangers through Facebook.

Nearly every day, Lynn posts a painting on her Facebook page. The first person who responds saying they're interested in it has 24 hours to make a donation of $25 or more to their favorite nonprofit or an individual in need. Then the painting is theirs. Lynn doesn’t ask for proof(证明).She trusts(相信)that the people who want her paintings share her ideas.

Five years later, she’s still amazed at the results. Her paintings have raised more than $57,000 for nonprofits such as animal rescue centers, homeless shelters as well as for people who have lost their jobs. Sometimes Lynn hears that a painting helped someone at the moment they needed it most. “That gives me chills,” she says.

To be a part of Lynn Colwell’s art-for-a-cause effort, send her a friend request at facebook.com/lynncolwell. Then keep an eye out for a painting that speaks to you. Lynn personally approves each request, so she asks for your patience. Also, she spends most of her time in her art studio一there’s painting to be done. “I wake up every day and can’t wait to get started,” she says.

【推荐2】SUBJECT: Making a difference in your community with the Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth (CBFY).

Do you feel that you would love to help out your community but do not know how to do it? It is time you should try something new. Come and join the Bridge Foundation for Youth! We are looking for volunteers to help us support newly immigrant youth that live within the city.

We provide various programs for youth, such as:

Life Skill Program: Provides the students with a sense of belonging to the school and community in different lessons once a week. These programs are located in primary, junior high and at high school level.

Homework Club: Lends a hand with Math, Science, ESL and Social Studies such as geography for students between grades 1 to 12.

Family Program: Connects newcomer families with community resources to deal with cross-cultural problems that may occur.

Immigrant Youth Pilot Project: One-on-One assistances for students at the high school level who have limited English language, math and literacy skills, and few community supports.

We are looking for individuals with the following characteristics:

A lot of energy

Enough enthusiasm

Managing time efficiently

The ability of attending to details

Speaking effectively

Writing briefly

Excellent academic background

Second language would be a value (Languages in high demand are Chinese, Middle Eastern Arabic, and Persian Farsi).

Our programs are located in various locations within the Calgary area.

If you would like to volunteer or if you are qualified for this job, please contact Musani at 531-3920. If there is any other question, please e-mail admin@ calgarybridgefoundation.com.

The Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth is a non-profit organization that is ready to serve immigrant youth by assisting in the development of youth through education, information exchange and support.

【推荐3】Organizations that support women and promote equality and fairness in wages, in behavior, and with opportunities have spent years putting women’s rights first as their missions. Check out the institutions that are helping fight for what’s fair, no matter where women are in the world.

This nonprofit deals with education discrimination among young women in developing countries. In Mali, Africa, for example, only one in four girls make it to the 7th grade. School Girls Unite sponsors the girls’ education, often at a cost as little as $75 per child, and follows them to complete their education.

Model Christy Turlington Burns founded this activist group that seeks to improve medical care for mothers around the world by training professionals, improving transportation to care facilities, and donating crucial supplies to clinics. The organization has arranged funds that have improved mother mortality rates in Tanzania, Haiti, and India.

Since 1987, this social enterprise has pursued the mission statement of founder Anita Borg by putting women in a position to excel in the technology field. The group provides resources for education in coding and diversity both in the U.S. and abroad. In India, they organize career fairs for women only, offering companies the chance to improve their gender diversity in the workforce.

Wearing appropriate clothes for a job interview is vital for potential employees. For over 20 years, the caregivers at Dress for Success have been helping women realize their professional goals by providing suits they might not otherwise be able to afford. The nonprofit accepts clothing donations and then distributes them to countries and areas in need.

【推荐1】When Johan Bavman’s son Viggo was born, so was a deeply personal photograph project: a look at fathers using Sweden’s parental-leave policy—to stay home with their children.

Paid maternal leave（女性产假) around childbirth is common throughout the world: It’s federal policy in 34 or the 35 member nations, such countries as England, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada, etc. of the OECD(all but the United States). About two-thirds of those nations also fund at least brief parental leaves for fathers—a benefit first extended by Sweden, in 1974.

Sweden’s program has allowed parents to split 480 days of subsidized（补贴的）leave to care for children and earn bonuses according to how evenly they split the leave. But despite those encouragements, only about 14 percent of Sweden’s fathers “took paternal leave and shared the days equally with their partner,” Bavman says.

He joined the ranks of those dads in 2012 at Viggo’s birth— “I wanted to be at home by myself with him, to get to know his needs” —and is also using leave to stay home with Manfred, born in 2016. In his photo project（now a book）, Bavman shows fathers in Sweden overseeing child and home care. “It’s gone unrecognized that this is really hard, full-time work” he says, and “something that women have always been doing.”

Like most new mothers, Caroline Ihlstrom looked forward to cuddling and feeding her new-borns. But premature（早产的） twins Parisa and Leia were unable to nurse. When Bavman arrived to take photos shortly after the twins’ birth, their father, Samed Kohigoltapeh, had fed them formula（配方奶）and was warming them against his skin. A construction engineer, Kohigoltapeh took joint parental leave with Ihlstrom for the babies’ first four months and then soloed with them for six more months.

So far Bavman has taken photos of 45 fathers on leave. He is happy to offer them as role models “so men can see the benefits of being on leave.” But he’s not satisfied with the nickname some Swedes supply: latte-pappor, or “latte dads,” as if the men perform childcare duties between coffee dates. Though he does drink coffee, Bavman says, “I don’t have time to sit.”

Taking long leaves with his children has made him a better parent, Bavman says. He hopes his photography project will inspire more fathers—and more countries—to give the idea a try.

【推荐2】A dangerous creature is haunting South Korean Crossroads

Headless smartphone zombies(僵尸) keep stepping out in front of cars.

In South Korea smartphone cases come with rings attached on the back, to prevent clumsy owners from dropping them. This makes people look like they are actually married to their phones. In many of Seoul's most popular coffee shops, couples on dates spend vastly more time looking at their screens than at each other, the impact of which goes beyond the potentially terrible consequences for romance.

Walk around the streets of Seoul or any other South Korean city, and there is a real risk of bumping into people whose eyes are stuck to their smartphone screens. Insurance companies say that around 370 traffic accidents annually are caused by pedestrians using smartphones. That figure does not include those who bump into lamp posts and the like while enjoying the latest cat videos.

At first, the government tried to fight the ''smombie'' ( a combination of ''smartphone'' and ''zombie'')trend by distributing hundreds of stickers around cities reminding people to "be safe"and look up. This seems to have had little effect even though, in Seoul at least, it recently replaced the stickers with plastic boards.

Instead of appealing to people's good sense, the government has therefore turned to trying to save them from being run over. Early last year, they began to make experimental use of floor-level traffic lights in smombie hotspots in central Seoul. Since then, the experiment has been extended around and beyond the capital. For the moment, the government is keeping old-fashioned eye-level pedestrian lights as well. But in future, the way to look at a South Korean crossroads may be down.

【推荐3】Technology seems to discourage slow, immersive reading. Reading on a screen tires your eyes and makes it harder for you to keep your place. Online writing tends to be more skimmable and list-like than print. The cognitive neuroscientist Mary Walt argued recently that this “new norm” of skim reading is producing “an invisible, game -changing transformation” in how readers process words. The neuronal circuit that sustains the brain’s capacity to read now favors the rapid absorption of information.

We shouldn’t overplay this danger. All readers skim. From about the age of nine, our eyes start to bounce around the page, reading only about a quarter of the words properly, and filling in the gaps by inference. Nor is there anything new in these fears about declining attention spans. So far, the anxieties have proved to be false alarms. “Quite a few critics have been worried about attention spans lately and see very short stories as signs of cultural decline,” the American author Selvin Brown wrote. “No one ever said that poems were evidence of short attention spans.”

And yet the Internet has certainly changed the way we read. For a start, it means that there is more to read, because more people than ever are writing. And digital writing is meant for rapid release and response. This mode of writing and reading can be interactive and fun. But often it treats other people’s words as something to be quickly harvested as fodder (素材) to say something else. Everyone talks over the top of everyone else, desperate to be heard.

Perhaps we should slow down. Reading is constantly promoted as a social good and source of personal achievement. But this advocacy often emphasizes “enthusiastic” “passionate” or “eager” reading, none of which adjectives suggest slow, quiet absorption. To a slow reader, a piece of writing can only be fully understood by immersing oneself in the words and their slow comprehension of a line of thought.

The human need for this kind of deep reading is too tenacious for any new technology to destroy. We often assume that technological change can’t be stopped and happens in one direction, so that older media like “dead-tree” books are kicked out by newer, more virtual forms. In practice, older technologies can coexist with new ones. The Kindle has not killed off the printed book any more than the car killed off the bicycle. We still want to enjoy slowly. formed ideas and carefully-chosen words. Even in a fast-moving age, there is time for slow reading.

【推荐2】Come to build robots!

Robots are fun to play with, but did you know that they are equally fun to build? Don’t worry, it’s easier than you may think. You don’t have to know lots about electronics or be a genius at engineering to have a go at creating your own robot. There are lots of simple kits (配套原件) and resources available that make it easy to build a robot in your own home, and if you don’t feel confident enough to have a go at home, there are plenty of clubs that offer courses in robot-building for young people.

◇Why to build?

“Creating a robot teaches you in great about how it is put together and how it works, “says Steve Hubbard, of Robot Fun, which hosts robotics master classes for teens in Suffolk. “As you build and test a robot, you also learn how to fix it when things go wrong, as they always do.” Building and programming a robot is a practical application of science and engineering and a great way of learning how to solve all sorts of problems. You don’t need any special skills. If you can build with Lego or draw a line, you can build and program a robot.

◇How to start?

Matthew Applegate runs the Creative Computing Club in Ipswich, Suffolk. He says, “The Lego Robots kits are amazing. You can use cardboard, glue sticks and string to make a prototype (雏形).’’ Some kits can be expensive but there are ways to build your robots using things around the house. You can build an arm with cardboard, straws and string, adding it to a low-cost kit.

Building robots is really great. It isn’t easy at first，but when you get better, you will be surprised how much you can do. Come to get your first robot kit and make it whirr into life!

【推荐1】Breakdancing is close to becoming an Olympic sport after the organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics announced on Thursday that they will propose four additional sports, including newcomer breakdancing and the other three sports-surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing-to the Games in 2024.

"Breakdancing is a fantastic opportunity to be really in line with the story that Paris 2024wants to tell. We want those Games in connection with creativity, connected with the youth, more urban, more out of the stadiums. We look forward to working with breakdancing to propose a new experience." Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet told Xinhua.

Breakdancing is a sport which can be played anytime and anywhere in urban and other environments. It has no previous appearance at the Summer Olympic Games, but was included at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018.

"Right from the beginning, our aim was to offer Games that would have an impact and the element of surprise. This is why we have chosen to present the IOC (International Olympic Committee) with   four sports that are as creative, appealing to the youth and in line with our vision.

We are certain that breakdancing, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will contribute to strengthen our project," Estanguet added.

The organizers seek to deliver three key principles in hosting the Games: sustainable and socially-responsible Games in accordance with the 10C's New Norm (规则), Games in keeping with the times and inspire new audiences and attract young people, and Games reflecting the identity of Paris 2024, which is spectacular, culturally relevant, engaging, accessible and inclusive.

Under the new IOC rules, Olympic host cities can select sports and propose them for inclusion in those Games if they are popular in that country and add to the Games appeal. The inclusion still needs to be pubberstamped by the IOC which is expected to make the final decision after the 2020Tokyo Olympics

【推荐2】Katie always wanted to be a performer. She, the youngest of, the three kids from Cleveland, was crazy about musicals and Disney movies from an early age and would often watch them singing with her mom, Karen. However, Katie’s happy childhood took a turn when her mother was diagnosed(诊断)with cancer. When the doctor informed the family that Karen’s disease was terminal, they decided to make a trip to Disney World.

The family spared no expense for their once-in-a-lifetime vacation and stayed at Disney’s hotel for eight nights. They spent their days in the parks, seeing the sights, greening characters, all the while pushing Karen in her wheelchair and watching her face light up with joy. They all shared in the merriment of experiencing the parks for the first time with Karen. The trip to Disney World at the height of Karen’s battle with cancer slowed them to escape into a world of magic and laughter. This was the day Katie decided she wanted to work for Disney.

Sadly, Karen lost the battle and died later, but the whole family remembered her every day and often thought of that Disney vacation Katie went on to go after her dream. After she received her degree in musical theater, she struggled for years, working as a waitress and trying to be a performer. Her hard work finally paid off when she was hired to work for Disney.

As a Disney performer, Katie is aware that many other families visit the parks and have similar stories to her own. She encourages everyone, especially children, who may be experiencing a hard time. “Every moment -is meant for you, even the painful ones.” she says. “It’s just like in your favorite Disney movie: There is always some kind of conflict or hardship or pressure. Remember to celebrate those moments, too, because they are taking you to whatever your version of a happy ending is.”

【推荐3】The Philippines, a tropical island nation in the Pacific, will now require by law all graduating students from elementary school to college plant 10 trees each before they can graduate.

The law was supported in the House and is now sent to the Philippines Senate for action, Supporters of the law see this as an opportunity for the Filipino youth to help deal with climate change and air pollution and build a greener environment for their generation.

“To this end, the educational system shall be a centre of spreading continuous use of natural resources among the young to make them socially-responsible citizens, The House bill stated, which was authored by representative Gary Alejano.

Alejano estimates that over the course of one generation the bill will be responsible for 525 billion trees planted.This comes from over 12 million students graduating from elementary school each year, 5 million from high school and 500,000 from college, equaling 175 million new trees planted each year.

The Philippines consists of 7,641 islands in Southeast Asia.Across those islands,deforestation has been a primary environmental issue.Agriculture has led to a significant drop in forested areas across the Philippines. Through the 20th century, forested area in the Philippines decreased from 70 percent to 20 percent.It is estimated that 24.2 million acres of forests were cut down from 1934 to 1988, primarily from logging.

The performance of this new law could set off a situation, by which the Philippines switches from net loss to net gain of trees, a simple and powerful message to the Filipino youth with the potential for long term positive influence.