【推荐1】Susan Casado felt well prepared to have a birthday party of 15 to 20 guests for her son, Shemy, who celebrated his fourth birthday on Saturday. But after none of the boy’s friends arrived, she never expected she’d be hosting nearly 100 surprise guests at her home.

Susan tells Yahoo Lifestyle that she was disappointed when her brother was the only person to show up at the party at first. After seeing that she had tears in her eyes, however, Shemy’s uncle connected with a local Facebook group to call for more people to join the celebration. Moments later, a woman arrived at Susan’s home asking for the birthday boy, although the family had never met her before.

As people continued to arrive, the mother realized that her brother had something to do with it, and was then shown a Facebook post that he made to advertise the party.

After more unexpected guests continued to arrive, however, Susan began to worry about the amount of food that she had prepared. “I felt so embarrassed,” she explains. But guests didn’t care about the food and drinks. Instead, they told the birthday boy’s mother that they were there to “make Shemy’s day”, which even got better once the guests of honor arrived from St. Johas County Fire Rescue.

“My first thought was,” Is everybody okay? Is anybody hurt? And then they said, “We’re coming here to say happy birthday to Shemy, Susan says, ”They said, We brought you a big toy, we brought you a fire truck.”

Susan went on to explain that although Shemy has Down’s syndrome (唐氏综合症) and isn’t able to say much, he does express his happiness with laughter and hugs.” He hugs when he feels happy, so when people came in to meet him, we took pictures together and he hugged them. This is the way that he says thank you.”

When Susan asked her brother why he went through the extra effort to make sure that his nephew’s party was amazing, she says that he told her, “He should have a good birthday.” As for the firefighters who attended, they told the family that it’s all part of the job. One of the firefighters, Jeremy Robshaw, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that they just wanted to “bring a smile” to Shemy’s face.

【推荐2】The day Madelyn McClarey’s twin sons, Aaron and Aubrey Hough, each received scholarships(奖学金)to Florida A&M University, she figured that after they moved seven hours north from Hollywood to Tallahassee, she’d be lucky to see them on weekends.

But her sons had something else in mind. The twins told her they’d move to Tallahassee on one condition. She had to go with them—and work toward the college degree she’d always wanted. And that is how McClarey ended up in a green cap and gown this month at FAMU. Cheering her on were her twins. “Our mom is so determined and dedicated, we’re lucky to have her as our mother,” said Aaron. “It was a lot of hard work, but she never gave up.”

McClarey’s sons jumped as she was awarded a bachelor’s degree (学士学位)in English with a minor in education, excited that their mom finally had the degree she’d dreamed about for more than twenty years. Her professional goals were put on hold when she became a single mom looking after two kids. Before motherhood, before divorce, McClarey had gone to business school.

McClarey, who described herself as “40ish,” said that when her sons insisted she go with them to college four years ago, her jaw dropped, having known most teens are eager to start lives away from their parents once they graduate from high school. She said, “But I was also delighted when I realized they weren’t joking and weren’t going to leave home unless I moved with them, so I said, ‘Well, all right—let’s go, then.’”

Now that McClarey has graduated, she doesn’t plan to leave Tallahassee anytime soon. She wants to stick around to encourage and support her sons, but there is also another matter to deal with. “My goal is to become an author someday,” she said. “So this summer, I’ll be working on getting my master’s degree.”

【推荐3】My dad was a nice man who didn’t talk very much. He used to work as a mechanic fixing army planes, but he was sent back after getting injured. Later, he opened a garage with his friend, who sold it behind his back. People took advantage of him, but he couldn’t turn down a favor.

That’s why I felt more than a little confused when a policeman called my office, asking me to pick him up at the station. The old man was found walking alone along the highway. When a police patrol car stopped him, he explained that he was traveling to Nebraska to claim his million dollars.

“What million dollars?” I asked Dad, who was sitting quietly in the passenger’s seat as we drove home. Dad took out a wrinkled letter and read, “We are now authorized to pay one million dollars to Woodrow T. Grant of Billing, Montana.”

I never knew dad wanted to be a millionaire. I asked him what he would do with the prize money, to which he replied that he wanted a new truck. His driver’s license has expired (失效) fifteen years ago when he reached his seventies.

I knew that the letter was a scam (骗局), but the old man was as stubborn as a mule. He even slept with that stupid letter in his hand. He memorized it word for word. I didn’t think he could memorize anything anymore. He wouldn’t stay at home either, but ventured out onto the highway again and again, until the police sent him back. In the end, I had to give up. I called in sick at work and the two of us set out in my car to claim his prize.

We traveled past several states. Dad remained silent, while I found it hard to control my temper. Finally, I decided to ask the question. “Why on earth do you need a million dollars for a stupid truck?” Dad replied, “The rest is for you. I wanted to leave you something.” His words made me speechless.

The following day, we arrived at our destination. Dad’s heart leaped with joy as I opened the car door for him. He marched toward the specific spot marked in the letter. However, when someone answered the door, he saw their puzzled expression. At that moment he knew that he was not a millionaire. He stood there in stunned silence as tears rolled down his cheeks.

On our way back, we stopped at a truck-dealer’s. Dad cast his eyes towards his favorite truck, and then he looked at me. I realized the truth of his disappointment, so I decided to buy it for him. We drove his treasured vehicle back home with the wind in our face. Although I was tired, what I felt at that moment is something money cannot buy.

【推荐2】Most foodies (吃货) agree that eating healthy food is important. But sometimes making good food choices can be tough. Now there are apps that can help people learn about the food they eat to improve their diets and their dining out experiences.

Cheese & Wine Pairing app

Wine and cheese can be a great combination. But which wines go best with which cheeses? Max McCalman's Cheese Wine Pairing can help. It provides information about hundreds of different cheeses and advises wines to pair with each. Max McCalman's Cheese & Wine Pairing is free for iPhones and iPads.

Calorific app

What does 200 calories look like? It can be hard to picture. Calorific provides images of 200 calories worth of food. The pictures can help people on a diet and those who just want to eat healthier food. The app is free for iPads and iPhones. There is also a version that provides more information for a price.

HappyCow app

Vegetarians do not eat animal meat. Vegans do not eat any animal products. HappyCow is made for both groups. Users can search for vegetarian-vegan restaurants and stores around the world. A free version of HappyCow is available for Android that has ads and requires an Internet connection.

LocalEats app

Restaurant chains, like McDonald's, can be found almost anywhere a person might travel. But sometimes travelers want to eat like locals. LocalEats is designed for that. It lists locally owned restaurants so users can try foods from that area. The app costs about a dollar.

Is it wrong to use someone else’s wireless(Wi-Fi) connection? Just recently, a man was arrested for doing just that. At that time, he was sitting in the street with a laptop and using an unsecured wireless connection to surf the Net. What do you think about this topic? Listen to the following different views on it.

For a start, if someone is using your Internet service or downloading, this will affect your speed of access or download limit. Also, it’s bad for Internet service providers. They will suffer in the long run because fewer people will pay for an Internet service if they know they can get it for free. And finally, just imagine this: what if the person who is stealing your Internet connection is involved in an illegal activity? I think the police are totally right to arrest these criminals.

—by Sandra Wilkins

Basically, if the person who paid for the service still has everything they paid for, what’s the problem? It’s just like using the light from streetlamps to read your book, or watching someone else’s firework display. It’s not stealing.

Also, if you leave your wireless connection unsecured, then it is your own fault if someone else uses it. Just as you wouldn’t leave your front door unlocked, or your car door open, neither should you leave your wireless connection open. By leaving your wireless connection open, you are inviting people to use it. Securing your wireless connection is as easy as clicking a few settings on your router. And finally, haven’t the police got more important crimes to solve? They’re always saying how they haven’t got the manpower to solve real issues. But this is just ridiculous.

—by James Hoarley

【推荐1】I had just delivered a memorable speech, and I was about to learn how the judges decided my performance. The audience leaned forward and a period of silence fell across the room. I felt the drum rolled in my heart.

The third-place winner was announced. The name was not mine. Then the second-place winner, still not me. At last, the moment of truth came. I was about to either enjoy the warmth of victory or regret the months’ preparation. My heart felt closer to the latter.

Losing is a part of life, and I have dealt with it on more than one occasion. However, it was an indescribable feeling to drive a 200-mile round trip, get up very early on a freezing Saturday morning, and yet still finish fourth out of four competitors in my group. After Lincoln lost the 1858 Illinois Senate race, he said, “I felt like the 12-year-old boy who kicked his toe. I was too big to cry and it hurt too bad to laugh.” Oh yeah, I could relate.

I had spent many hours in front of a computer and in libraries doing research for the Lincoln Bicentennial Speech Contest. After not placing in the first year of the contest, I really wanted to compete again. Lincoln had many failures, but he never allowed them to defeat his spirit or ambition, so I was not going to give up on a second contest! I reworked my speech for the following year, but again I did not place.

I couldn’t accept the fact that I failed twice in something that I had worked so hard on, until I thought about my hero. Never mind the lost prize money and praise—through learning stories about Lincoln, I discovered that I can fail successfully.

【推荐3】To personal trainer Sammy Callari, 13-year-old Parker Seward is more than a client. He’s his “little brother”. Over the past year, the pair have bonded. They play basketball together, share meals and dance to hip-hop like no one’s watching.

The trainer was asked to work with the 13-year-old boy, who has Down syndrome, because his coworker who dealt with the boy was out of town last spring. Callari had never worked with someone with a disability before. He was anxious the first day he met Parker. But Parker’s big smile and cheery introduction immediately put him at ease. He reminded Callari of himself when he was a teenager. Like Parker, Callari has also faced his fair share of challenges over the years.

As a high schooler, Callari described himself as being the weak kid. When it came to sports, he was always overlooked. His dream of playing baseball in college quickly faded away. When he went to college, Callari turned to a new sport. His younger brother trained him to become a boxer. Callari participated in five matches. Out of four of those fights he was the underdog, and he won three times. “I know how it feels,” Callari said. “Society tells you that you can’t do this, you can’t do that.” When it comes to Parker, Callari refuses to accept the word “can’t”.

The friends meet twice a week to train. They bike, box, run and work on their core with push-ups. Parker has a short attention span, so it’s Callari’s job to keep him focused. “If Parker can do it, if he’s having fun, even with his frustration, then people will ask, “Why can’t I do that?” Callari said. “That’s the whole task right now.”

Callari recalls Parker’s mom once thanking him for taking a “chance” on her son. Callari told her he never viewed it that way. Parker may be the student, but Callari says he’s also the one who’s learning.