【推荐1】An organization based in the United States honors people who, in its words, “stick their necks out for the common good” (为了大众的福祉伸出脖子). The organization is named for the animal with the very long neck. The group is called the Giraffe Project.

Phil Borges is among recent Giraffe Heroes. He is a doctor who fixes people’s teeth, but he is also a photographer. Mr. Borges started an organization called Bridges to Understanding. It sends photographers to small villages to give cameras to children and teach them how to take pictures.

Bridges to Understanding has sent photographers to Peru, the Arctic, Kenya, Nepal and India as well as a Native American village in Arizona. Mr. Borges has also taken his camera to Afghanistan. He took pictures of women, helping to improve the lives of other women and children.

The Giraffe Project says Mr. Borges stuck his neck out to connect children all over the world with photography. Two other Giraffe Heroes are Azim Khamisa and Plez Felix. They live in California. Members of a street gang (帮派) robbed and killed Mr. Khamisa’s son Tariq.

The young man who killed Tariq was Mr. Felix’s fourteen-year-old grandson, Tony. He is now in prison. Plez Felix apologized to the Khamisa family for the actions of his grandson.

He and Mr. Khamisa now work together to tell young people that killing and violence do not solve problems.

Since 1982, the Giraffe Project has named more than nine hundred heroes. These Giraffes, as they are also known, do not receive money. Instead, they are presented as examples for others to follow. Their stories are told through the news media, schools and the Internet.

Ann Medlock is the woman who started the Giraffe Project. She says it is easy to think that a problem is too big to be solved. The non-profit group helps people understand that they can start with small actions to solve small parts of a problem.

【推荐3】THE UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP) is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (获奖者）.

Who we are

We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

Our work

Our support to 117 countries and territories includes a broad range of activities to save and change lives, with the ultimate goal of a world with zero hunger.

WFP in numbers

You can help end hunger

There should be no room for hunger in our world, and we all can play a part. WFP relies entirely on voluntary donations, so every contribution counts. You can also try Free Rice, a game that allows you to raise 10 grains of rice to support WFP with every right answer, or download the ShareTheMeal app to feed someone with just $0.80 and a few taps（轻敲）on your phone.

【推荐1】Chewbaca climbed into the pilot seat of the Milemium Falcon as fireworks exploded above Disneyland in Anahein, California, Wednesday. Chewbacca is an imaginary creature born in the first of the Star Wars series of movies. He was in Disneyland for a ceremony to open the new Star Wars area at the theme park.

“Chewie, let’s fire up the Falcon,” said Mark Hamill, the actor who played Luke Skywalker. He also attended the event to open the more than five-and-one-half hectare area called Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It opened to the public Friday.

The furry Chewbacca had trouble starting the huge spaceship, which led actor Harison Ford to Surprise the crowd and offer an assist. Ford played the Siar Wars character Han Solo. He hit the side of the ship and said “Peter, this one’s for you,” in honor of Peter Mayhew, the actor who played Chewbacca in five films and died in April.

Ford stood on stage with Hamil, Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger, Star Wars creator George Lucas, and Bily Dee Williams, who performed the part of Lando Calrissian in Star Wars.

Lucas created the Star Wars movie series in 1977 and sold it to Disney in 2012. He gave high praise to Galaxy’s Edge, which is set in Black Spire Outpost, a settlement on a planet called Batuu that appeared in “Star Wars” books but never in the film.

The Star Wars area offers visitors the chance to step into the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit and control a simulated flight. Guests can also drink blue milk, eat space meat cooked by a pod-racing engine and have a drink at an outer-space restaurant.

Expectations run high from generations of fans. Many of the movie series lovers have waited 40 years since the first film to visit a real-world version of the galaxy far, far away.

Disney also aims to appeal to a broad group of Star Wars lover s as well as people without any attachment to the futuristic series.

【推荐3】If reducing stress has been on your summer to do list, there’s one powerful thing you can still do before the season ends: get in the habit of taking a walk outside with a friend.

A quick walk in nature with a friend combines three of the most effective stress-reducing and resilience(恢复力)building techniques: physical exercise, spending time in nature and social connection. The activity works by helping normalize the hormonal changes that result from long time stress and enhancing the emotional resources that help us cope.

Walking quickly activates(激活)the body`s stress response. And when the walk is over, the stress system comes back down to baseline. Regular exercise helps your stress response become more efficient, says Jennifer Heisz, associate professor at McMaster University.

As little as 10 minutes of sitting or walking in nature can decrease a person’s heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels, as well as self-reported stress levels. One possible explanation, the researchers say, is that spending time in nature lowers the activity of our sympathetic nervous system, which regulates stress hormones, and taps into the parasympathetic(副交感)nervous system, which promotes our calm and relaxation responses.

Taking that hike with a loved one can further reduce stress by adding the important element of social connection. Talking with trusted friends helps people process stressful events and lifts self-esteem. Social support has positive effects on the brain and body, scientific research finds.

Earlier this year, Cassie Moreno was in a rut of stress and anxiety. She was starting a new job, struggling to make new friends during the pandemic, and going through a breakup. Strolling along the Hudson River with other women, the 26-year-old Maine native says she felt an immediate surge of confidence and calm.

“I was, like, how do we live here? Look at the water! Look at the Statue of Liberty! How did we get this lucky?” she says.