【推荐3】Bird flu has reached new areas of the world and has become a year-round problem, animal and disease experts warn.

More than 20 experts and farmers on four continents spoke to a news agency about the problem. They suggested that record outbreaks will not stop soon on poultry (家禽) farms. They also warned that farmers must view the disease as a serious risk all year, instead of doing prevention efforts during spring movement seasons for wild birds. The outbreaks of the virus (病毒) have continued through the summer heat and winter cold in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Egg prices set records after the disease killed tens of millions of chickens last year. These record prices, at a time of worldwide economic problems, are especially damaging to people who use eggs as a main source of protein.

Wild birds are mainly responsible for spreading the virus, experts say. Waterfowl like ducks can carry the disease without dying and pass it to poultry through waste, saliva (唾液) and other ways. Farmers’ best efforts to protect their birds are not enough.

“In the US, Rose Acre Farms, the country’s second-largest egg producer, lost about 1. 5 million chickens at a Guthrie County, Iowa, production farm last year. These losses occurred even though anyone who entered barns was required to shower first to remove any sign of the virus,” Chief Executive Marcus Rust said.

The US, Britain, France and Japan are among the countries that have suffered record losses of poultry over the past year, leaving some farmers feeling helpless.

“Avian flu is occurring even in a new poultry farm with modern equipment and no windows, so we don’t know what to do to avoid an outbreak,” said Shigeo Inaba, who raises chickens for meat in Ibaraki, near Tokyo.

【推荐3】Less than three months after a gunman walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 students and teachers, seniors on Saturday night will celebrate their prom.

Still, the Parkland high school prom will be far from ordinary. Not only will it be held under tight security, but there will be a tribute honoring the lives of the four seniors killed during the February 14 tragedy.

With some students still saddened and emotions running high, local businesses, vendors and community members have come together to offer products and services at cost or even free of charge, in hopes of relieving students of their burdens- even if just for a night. The event should involve all the hallmarks of a typical American prom: eye-grabbing decorations, lots of flowers and a dance floor packed with students dressed to the nines.

The biggest contribution came from the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, which has donated a ballroom and catering for the evening. The money saved allowed the prom planning committee to charge as little as $30 per ticket- down from the usual of about $100.

Other businesses also stepped up, offering hairstyling, makeup, photography and even prom dresses. To help ease students' pain, Gabriela Miller, an alumni and salon and spa owner, asked her staff to donate their time and services to girls preparing for the prom. They enthusiastically agreed. On Saturday, Miller and dozens of beauty experts from surrounding communities will do hair and makeup for more than 230 girls.

Apart from business, neighbors also did their part. Shawn Rosenthal, who lives a few miles south of Parkland, felt so moved by the attack that she organized a collection to provide free prom dresses to senior girls. Within days, with the help of her friends, they'd collected more than 100 prom dresses of all colors, shapes and sizes. They caught the eye of the Alumni Association, which was also gathering dresses, and pooled their efforts.

Such a community effort could help the students “heal for a moment.”

【推荐1】Sundays are for sewing. That much, at least, has not changed for Bo Dollis Jr.

During Memorial Day weekend, after New Orleans officials relaxed social distancing rules, the Big Chief of the Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indians got his tribe together for the first time since everything came unglued. About 15 people came, and they sat together on folding chairs, laughing, joking, and sewing. Each had an open toolbox stuffed with small plastic bags of beads (珠子) at their feet and a stretched canvas across their laps. They shared advice and suggestions as easily as they passed around needles, with which they attached beads to the canvas in the shape of bears, horses, and native people.

For Dollis, the sewing session marked a return to normalcy and an opportunity to continue sharing this New Orleans tradition he learned from his father. It ends each spring when tribes across the city unveil their year’s work: A hand- beaded masterpiece of color and feathers—a new suit—that shines in the southern sunlight as the tribes sing, dance, and show off how pretty they are.

Traditionally, Mardi Gras Indians have but a few days to wear their suits, including Mardi Gras Day and St. Joseph’s Day in March. The coronavirus, however, interrupted this tradition. New Orleans officials shut down public events and began enforcing social distancing just days before St. Joseph’s.

Instead of parading on the streets with his tribe, Dollis sat at home that night and cried. “That was a heartbreaker.” he said.

For many of New Orleans’ chefs, musicians, dancers, Mardi Gras Indians, singers, and street performers, the coronavirus has meant a loss of income, opportunity, and stability. For some, it’s brought sickness and grief. And for all, it has challenged how they identify and express themselves. But this city has been forged by challenge for hundreds of years. Over its history, one thing has proven true: New Orleans can not be infected, flooded, burned, or defeated.

“A disaster is a disaster. Hard times are hard times,” said Dollis. “We know every year we should expect a hurricane, so we’re psychologically prepared to handle it. ... Every year, we make a new suit. It’s in the genes.”

【推荐2】September is upon us, which means one thing for parents and children alike: new term time. With our teachers, students, support staff and many other members of the education ecosystem returning to their own schools, many will be excited to engage in person, after months of remote learning. Unfortunately, this won’t apply to everyone.

Throughout the summer, No Isolation worked with independent researcher, Henry Peck, to better understand the effect of lockdown on educational and emotional development in school-aged children. We collected responses from 1,005 parents and carers of 1,477 children from primary and secondary school and were sad to find that more than 75% of these children were lonely some or all of the time during the lockdown.

We were alarmed to find that, according to our research, about 540,000 people will continue to stay at home, due to mental or physical health concerns in the USA, directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those children that aren’t able to attend classes in person, keeping some form of connection with their peers is greatly significant. Video calls have been one of the options to protect their educational development and to prevent them from becoming isolated.

They are normal during the pandemic, but are not necessarily the answer for those studying from home. When everyone is online in a video call, it can be an acceptable experience. However, if everyone is gathered and a single student is watching through a video call, it can have the opposite effect. Therefore, having an engaging experience over a video conference can be very difficult for some children, making it easy to switch off.

If you’re worried about how your child might be reacting, or concerned that a more digital life could be leaving them isolated, the first thing to do is talk with them: meaningful solutions should be developed in partnership with the people they’re aimed at. Now, we should be listening to children and helping to make sure they are heard in these stormy times.

【推荐3】The coronavirus pandemic has forced countless karaoke bars to close. As a response, a music platform in China has launched a new app to put the KTV experience in people’s smartphones so that they can sing at home.

The app targets the younger generation and combines a series of functions such as singing, scoring, and producing. Specifically, it allows users to remix songs and create something new.

“You can sing alone or sing with your friends online. You can also create your own stories or songs. It’s like writing a diary every day,” says the CEO of the company where the app was developed.

The company has attached two new functions –– remixing music and discovering new talented singers –– to the app in an attempt to win over more fans. “For the younger generation, they have lots of access to music from all over the world. They love to create and share their ideas on social media platforms,” the CEO says.

As of August 2019, the company had more than 800 million registered users and over 30 million songs. Due to tis large user base, the company has got useful fata to analyze young Chinese music fans. According to the CEO, not only do they love singing with the original version, but they are also enthusiastic about creating new versions with different music styles.

On May 12, 2020, the company developed cooperation with an American music publishing company for copyright to 1.3 million songs. It is the large and expanding song library that benefits the new app’s users incredibly. By taking advantage of it, they can either perform the latest pop hits or reinterpret classic songs.

In addition, the new app serves as an opportunity to discover new talented singers. “We want to establish a new connection with our users. They app will offer a stage for everyone to display themselves, no matter whether they can sing well or not,” the CEO adds.

About 160,000 indie (独立的) musicians share their creations through the platform. To further support them, the company will invest 200 million yuan in the new app to sponsor 100 indie musicians within three years.