【推荐2】Some of Hawaii’s most popular musical artists have appeared before an unlikely audience, who are from a small elementary school on Oahu’s coast.

They all come with a purpose: The headmaster dreamed up the virtual concerts, presenting artists like internationally famous ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro, as a way of bringing together a community struggling with the pandemic. “We have probably the best ukulele player — one of the best ukulele musicians in the entire world — come and play for you guys tonight,” said Headmaster Keoki Fraser as children and parents tuned in from home computers. Fraser is trying to organize concerts every several weeks as his school, like most public schools in Hawaii, continues to educate its students remotely.

Tabitha Persaud, mom of three students, remembers Fraser coming to the parent-teacher association with the idea of approaching big names. “Can we do that?” she wondered. “Will they do that for us?”

“They’re in the same situation as we are. So, I mean, they don’t have to go anywhere or leave their home. We just hit them up,” said Fraser, who graduated from the local high school. “We love to get people that are influential and the kids look up to.”

During a recent Friday concert, Fraser invited former student Dylan Kunz, now a seventh grader, to play ukulele as one of the student performers to open for Shimabukuro. Kunz, who likes Shimabukuro, was excited. “He’s the reason I started playing,” he said. “It keeps me motivated to keep playing.”

The concerts are open to all. For one performance, about 1,200 viewers tuned in. “I think it’s so much fun to see the smiling, happy faces of all the kids,” said Amy Kunz, Dylan’s mom. “I think Headmaster Fraser, in doing this, is really hitting home from social and emotional aspects. Even though we’re not in school, we can still make these connections and have fun.”

【推荐3】Hundreds of millions of people watched on television on July 20, 1969, when American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to land on the moon. Back then, businesses sold many products connected to the event and many such products are now on sales again — in celebration of the moon landing’s 50th anniversary.

A limited number of Omega’s gold Speedmaster watches — the same kind that Buzz Aldrin wore on the moon — will be sold at $34,600. Omega Speedmaster watches have been an important part of space travel since NASA chose them for its moon landing in 1965. Other watches had failed required tests. Omega gave its gold Speedmasters to the astronauts at a dinner in 1969 before the landing. Another less costly type of silver Speedmasters will be sold at $ 9,650. It carries a picture of Aldrin stepping down from the moon lander.

Something for children-as well as adults — is the NASA Apollo 11 moon lander set. Made by Lego, it is a group of small pieces to put together to make a model of the moon lander.

Other things for sale include the anti-gravity Fisher Space Pens, developed just for the Apollo 11 mission. They work even when writing upside down. Now Fisher Space Pen Company has a limited-edition pen for sale at an out-of this-world price: $700, with real material from the Apollo 11 spacecraft.

Back in 1969, companies were quick to show their Apollo 11 connections with media and advertisements. The food company Stouffer’s made sure consumers knew it provided food for Apollo 11 astronauts once they returned to Earth. It started the ad campaign “Everybody who’s been to the moon is eating Stouffer’s”. Fifty years later, the company is celebrating with a media campaign to share some recipes from 1969.

Marketing experts David Meerman Scott says, “Since 1972,we’ve gone around and around the earth many times, and it is not interesting to people any more. I’m not sure whether they can accept such crazy prices. Now NASA has had plans to go to Mars in the 2030s and marketing efforts for a NASA Mars mission should be in development.”

【推荐2】The good news about Britain's National Health Service (NHS) is that it gives free medical help to everyone who needs it. Sick people don't have to pay to see the doctor, or to stay in hospital, and they only pay part of the cost of their medicines. The NHS has been enjoyed by British people since 1946 when it started. The idea then was to look after people of all ages.

Slowly, problems have grown up. Governments are finding that the bills are getting bigger and bigger. In 1982, £14,000 million was spent on health. One reason for this is that there are many more old people now than there were in 1946. Forty percent of NHS money goes to looking after the old. Some people say that the NHS is a luxury (奢侈品)Britain can not afford. Free medicine should be given only to the poor. Other people, including many doctors, disagree. Everyone, they say, has the right to the same medical help. In a two-part system, the rich would always get the best. This would not be fair. People also disagree about how NHS money should be spent. Should £15,000 be spent on each heart transplant operation, when there are not enough beds for thousands of old people in pain? Should abortions (流产) be paid for by the NHS? Should more money be spent on the mentally ill? Shouldn't doctors and nurses be better paid?

The questions go on and on — but so does the NHS. And millions of British people are thankful that it's there.