【推荐1】The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been discovering funny and heartwarming photos of creatures being their best selves since 2015. And this year is no exception. The recently announced winners of the 2021 competition include a visibly uncomfortable monkey, a seemingly sad pigeon and a joyful bird reunion.

A group of judges sorts through thousands of submissions from expert and amateur photographers alike, and determines one winner for each of the several categories—except for the peoples’ choice award, which is left up to members of the public.

This year’s top prize goes to Ken Jensen. His photo, taken in Yunnan, China, shows a golden silk monkey in a rather uncomfortable position with an appropriately astonished look on its face.

Another crowd favorite shows a pigeon with a fly-away leaf covering its entire face, titled “I guess summer ’s over”. The shot, by John Speirs, took home the people ’s choice award.

Rahul Lakhmani won the sole video category with a video entitled “Hugging Best Friend After Lockdown.” In it, one bird lands expectantly on a branch as another dives towards it, knocking them both off the branch.

The contest is more than just a delight to behold. It also aims to raise awareness about the importance of conservation.

“In 2015, the Awards was born from the need for a wildlife photography competition that was lighthearted and importantly, could make a difference to animals and our natural world,” reads its website. “Laughter was a uniquely effective tool to engage audiences of all ages and cultures with images of creatures they may never be able to see for themselves—and that the world could lose forever.”

Nature is healing, as they say. But it still has a long way to go.

【推荐2】A Picture Paints A Thousand Words?

Nowadays, everyone takes selfies (自拍照), from famous actors and politicians, to everyday people. Selfies are a great way to share your hobbies and daily routines, and thanks to smartphones and their high-quality cameras, anyone can take and upload these images on social media.     1     According to research, our selfies and how we take them also say a lot about our character.

Researchers found that both the poses that we choose and the way that we actually take a selfie can show the world something.     2     Those who stick their tongues out could be fun-loving and silly but might actually feel uncomfortable in front of the camera.

Even how often we smile in our selfies and the way we smile tell people about our character. Someone who smiles a lot is more likely to be outgoing and open to new experiences while someone with a large broad smile may be a risk-taker. It’s not just our expression, though, that gives away things about us.     3     For example, people who look directly at the camera could be cooperative and sociable.

    4     Studies found that showing the left side of the face and cheek in a selfie communicates emotions better and makes you seem more attractive to others. People who take a selfie from below often want to appear bigger and stronger, white those taking a picture from above looking down could want to appear shorter and sweeter.

Next time you grab your smartphone, hold on for a moment.     5    

【推荐1】Theatre audiences usually rise to their feet only during breaks or when the curtain comes down. For a special production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, however, getting up and moving around is required if you want to catch all of the action.

The production is staged in the James J. Hill House in St. Paul, Minnesota. The action takes place in several rooms on several levels of the 36,000 ­square ­foot building.

This is not the first time that the Wayward Theatre Company has chosen a special place to stage a theatrical production. Co­founder and director Sarah Nargang said that the group prefers to perform (表演) in untraditional spaces. She noted, “It allows people to communicate with these spaces, as well as the text, in new and interesting ways.”

Besides the James J. Hill House, the group has performed at the Minnesota Transportation Museum, in hotel rooms, and in the back of a brewery (酒厂).

“We usually choose a play and then find a place for it,” Nargang said. “But we try to choose historic places as much as we can.”

The James J. Hill House was built for a railroad businessman of the same name. The five­story mansion (豪宅) sits on a large area of land overlooking the city of St. Paul and the Mississippi River. Completed in 1891, in what was known as the Gilded Age, it is now owned by the Minnesota Historical Society.

“The James J. Hill House allowed us to stage Hamlet during the Gilded Age and show much of rich people’s lives of that time,” Nargang said.

Performing Hamlet in a mansion affected the way the production was choreographed (为……编舞). “Entering and exiting are more difficult because you don’t have many choices of where you can go,” said Tim McVean, who plays the role of Hamlet.

“There’s a lot more running around,” added actor Tim Perfect, who plays Claudius, the ruler who marries Hamlet’s mother. “But there’s no way any stage could compete with this place for beauty.”