【推荐2】I think I might be a NIMBY. This is rather hard for me to accept, because that shortened word (Not In My BackYard) is typically used to criticize someone as self-centered. I even recall when I first heard the word—at school, some 30 years ago. My teacher explained it was that UK property developers are frequently frustrated by hypocritical homeowners, who claim to be in favour of progress (new housing, for instance) , but then object when actual proposals emerge to develop such things in their postcodes.

As a young adult I lived in London, so I never had cause to revise my opinion. But then I moved to the green belt where our house is surrounded by fields. Look out, and you see nothing man-made at all, unless the farmer is taking out his combine harvester (I A 4&&JI) . The view was the reason we bought here. Thanks to protective planning regulations introduced decades ago, here was a place where an authentic rural identity had been kept alive.

We could have headed 40 minutes further north, and settled upon another similar looking village with less threat of being swallowed up by the city. But then, that wouldn’t be the same at all, would it? Our village’s closeness to London is the precise thing that elevates it above and beyond its wonderful views—because the fact that it might one day be destroyed and turned to concrete is what makes it most special. It’s not just a place you live in. It’s a place you feel an urge to protect.

Yet the planning applications come thick and fast, each application abandoning prior commitments to preservation. On a weekly basis, some leaflet drops through my door from local campaigners protesting 177 houses here, 231 houses there. I always sigh and attempt to evaluate these “NIMBY” flyers properly, rather than just write a complaint to the council. After all, new houses need to be built somewhere, right?

And if we didn’t live where we do, these plans wouldn’t upset me. It’s because of their intention to build so close to my property-In My Back Yard-that I’m so aware of the changes that such developments would bring. So, I add my signature to the flyers.

【推荐3】While I am still struggling to take a clear selfie with my dog, this guy is taking perfect selfies with different species of animals from around the globe. Allan Dixon is a 29-year-old traveler from Ireland. Currently living in Australia, Allan works in the tourism industry and is famous for his special connection with animals just like a real-life Dr. Dolittle. But besides walking and talking with animals, he also clicks striking selfies with them.

The animal selfie king has been able to click amazing snapshots with kangaroos, ducks, quokkas, goats, camels and sea lions. Working in the marketing department of the tourism industry, Allan has travelled to various places such as Canada, Iceland, Norway, Australia and Asia as well. By posting amusing selfies with a variety of exotic creatures on his Instagram account, he has gained a lot of popularity. His followers are always curious to see his next hilarious selfie with a new species of animal.

It was back in 2010 when Allan took his first animal selfie with his dog. However, it was in 2013 in Australia that a selfie with a baby camel got his friends excited. Since then, he has taken more than 40 selfies with different animals, 30 of which have been with different species. According to him, there is something magical about animals that can’t be defined. He wants to share the feeling of great joy which he gets in the presence of animals with his friends through these captured snapshots.

Allan explains that there is no particular method to such animal selfies. The basic thing is that the animal should feel comfortable in your presence and you just have to be patient. Allan reveals that it can take “anywhere between five minutes to three hours of being in the animals’ presence” to take a selfie. “It depends on the animal and how safe it feels. What the photos don’t show is the amount of dirt that ends up on my clothes because of being on the ground. But the results are worth it.”

【推荐2】During my time at the estate agency, we saw sales figures fall and the management team were starting to become annoyed. Our sales and office manager was dealing with a team of around seven senior estate agency sales people that were seemingly down on their luck.

Only one of them was still making sales and he seemed to have a charm and golden touch that surpasses luck or market forces. Things became very bad and every day we complained about the sales leads we were given. They were from people that had already been surveyed so many times that they were tired and regretted making an enquiry.

After a while, things became so bad that the senior management team sent down an executive from another office. This was a man that was doing very well and didn't complain about poor leads or bad market conditions. He told us that the company had purchased a new batch of untapped leads that could be made into sales, but he told us we were not getting them.

The senior executive they sent told us that we had to make a sale over the next week or we were all fired. They were looking to replace the staff because the ones on the team at the moment were lame ducks. They also started a scoring system. The person that earned the most during the week got a brand-new car; the second most got a new set of steak knives. If you failed to make a sale you were fired.

After a lot of phone calls, I finally got an appointment with a couple that had been approached a few times. I was told that they just like to talk to sales agents, but I was not going to let that stop me. I went around their house and talked to them until past two in the morning. At this point, I was holding out a pen and waiting for them to sign. After around twenty minutes of silence, they took the pen and signed, therefore agreeing to purchase six units within an apartment complex.

Finally I made my own luck, although not motivated in an appropriate and fair manner.