【推荐1】From composer, musician, and philanthropist (慈善家) Peter Buffett comes a warm, wise, and inspirational book that asks, “Which will you choose: the path of least resistance or the path of potentially greatest satisfaction?”

You may think that with a last name like this, Buffett has enjoyed a life of endless privilege. But the son of billionaire investor Warrant Buffet says that the only real inheritance handed down from his parents is a philosophy: Build your own path in life. It is a principle that has allowed him to follow his own passions, establish his own identity, and achieve his own successes.

In Life Is What You Make It, Buffett expounds on the strong set of values given to him by his trusting and broadminded mother, his hardworking and talented father, and the many life teachers he has met along the way.

Today’s society, Buffett assumes, has begun to replace a work ethic (准则), which enjoys what you do, with a wealth ethic, which honors the reward instead of the process. We confuse privilege with material wealth, character with external (外在的) recognition. Yet, by focusing more on substance and less on reward, we can open doors of opportunity and work hard toward a greater sense of achievement. In clear and brief terms, Buffett tells us a great truth: Life is random, neither fair nor unfair.

From there it becomes easy to recognize the equal dignity and value of every human life — our circumstances may vary but our essence does not. We see that our journey in life rarely follows a straight line but is often met with false starts, crises, and mistakes. How we push through and insist on those challenging moments is where we begin to create the life of our dreams — from discovering our vocations (使命感) to giving back to others.

Personal and instructive, Life Is What You Make It is about challenging your circumstances, taking control of your fate, and living your life to the fullest.

【推荐2】I am a taxi driver. One Monday morning, I had stopped at New York Hospital when I found a well-dressed man coming over. He was waving to me. I waited until he jumped into the taxi. “La Guardia Airport, please,” he said.

As always, I wondered about my passenger. “What do you do?” “I am working at the hospital.” For some unknown reason, I decided to ask for his help.

“Could I ask a favor of you?” He didn’t answer. “I have a son, 16. He’s doing well in school. He wants a job this summer. Is there any possibility that you might get him a summer job?” After a minute, he said, “The medical students have a research project. Maybe he could fit in. Have him send me his school records.” He searched his pocket and handed me a card.

That evening, I pulled the card from my pocket. “Robbie,” I said proudly, “This could be a summer job for you. Send him your school records.” He read it out loud, “Fred Plum, New York Hospital.” “Is this a joke?” he said in doubt. After I shouted and threatened (恐吓) to cut off his pocket-money, Robbie promised to send off his grades the next morning.

Two weeks later, when I arrived home, my son handed me a letter from Plum. He was to phone Plum’s secretary for an interview.

Robbie got the job. The white coat he wore made him feel more important than he really was. As high school graduation neared, Plum was kind enough to write letters of recommendation (推荐) for universities. At last, Robbie was admitted to New York Medical College.

It never happened to me that a stranger should change my son’s future.

【推荐1】My family lives in Texas. I was born and brought up in Texas and I am a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. However, around my second year in the law school, I wanted to make a great change, which was almost unheard of for Texans: I wanted to leave!

I realized this after completing my first-year internship (实习期). I knew I wanted something different and my chance came during the 2011 Super Bowl in Dallas. A snowstorm blanketed the entire city in snow and thousands of people were gathered. I overheard that StubHub, a big company from a great city, San Francisco, was throwing a party next door to my hotel. I thought if I could get an internship, I could leave for the summer and at least see what it was like. Yes, it was a huge leap. I told myself I was ready.

There was just one problem: I wasn't invited to the StubHub party. But you know I’m the type of person who goes for something she wants. Needless to say, I crashed the party and found my way to the president. I kindly introduced myself and then asked if they had a legal internship program. Guess what? They accepted my request to be a legal intern, even though no such program existed.

Although the legal department didn't have a permanent position for me, the experience has shaped my life Working for a great company in San Francisco, I’m incredibly happy for making my decision to leave Texas.

By leaving Texas, I learned that it is so much more rewarding to try the unfamiliar than to stay in the comfortable. Exploring the unfamiliar is how you'll understand what fits your life. I say, dive in first.

【推荐2】In 2000, Andrea Speranza achieved her dream of becoming a firefighter, joining the Halifax Regional Fire Service. Her job was exactly as satisfying as she imagined it would be, except for one thing: she still hadn’t seen another woman in her role-not in a magazine, not on television, not in real life. Even today, less than five percent of firefighters in Canada are women. Speranza decided that she wanted to help young women see that they, too, could have a career like hers.

The result is Camp Courage, a program for girls aged 15 to 19 who want to learn more about firefighting in 2006. Speranzs and about 20 volunteers welcomed their first 17 participants. recruiting (招募) attendees through advertising in schools and recreation centers Over the course of eight days, the girls discovered the ins and outs of being first responders: learning how to put out fires, deliver first aid and even use the jaws of life (救生钳) on a car.

Camp Courage now runs one session every year in Halifax and is free to attend. To offset costs, Speranza and her fellow campers fundraise by holding everything from car washes to comedy nights Hopeful campers must also submit an essay describing how they plan to help their community, or a specific individual in need. And they have to deliver on the plan-from building a bench (长椅) for a senior at a bus stop to launching a local chapter of the Kids Help Phone.

Hundreds of girls have passed through Camp Courage, and 36 percent are doing exactly what 52-year-old Speranza hoped they would working as first responders across the country. This past summer, the camp held its first session for young women in Halifax, as well as its first national camp in Calgary-with plans to roll out more in 2023.

I was shopping with Thomas, who has been working as a personal shopper for the past five years. “Personal shoppers are in great demand these days,” he told me as we were walking past designer clothes shops.    1    He said that there were many people who wanted to be fashionable, but they didn’t know where to start. They needed a professional to advise them.

But why? I always call my best friend to help me find the perfect dress, not a stranger!

“    2    The first thing I do is help my customer improve their image. I teach them to choose colours and clothes that suit them, and how to use make up,” Thomas told me. “Then I organize the customer’s wardrobe.    3    The third service has to do with actual shopping: the personal shopper and the customer visit shops and buy clothes according to the customer’s personality, lifestyle and needs.”

Of course, each of the above services costs between 150 and 225 euros!    4    “Most of my customers are rich business people who call me for important meetings or business parties,” explained Thomas. “However, I also work for people in all kinds of jobs and for retired men and women who want a change of look.”

We spent the rest of the day shopping. Every time we came out of a shop, we had one more bag. In the end, I went home with a beautiful dress, two pairs of trousers, some lovely tops and a couple of coats. I’d never had a shopping day like this before! I admit that I’d spent more than I usually do, but I wouldn’t have found such beautiful clothes without Thomas.    5    

【推荐1】There is an old Chinese proverb that states “One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.” and this is how it should be with mothers and daughters. The relationship between a mother and a daughter is sometimes confusing. The relationship can be similar to friendship. However, the mother and daughter relationship has unique characteristics that distinguish it from a friendship. These characteristics include a hierarchy(等级)of responsibilities and unconditional love, which preclude mothers and daughters from being best friends.

Marina, 27 years old, said, “I love spending time with my mom, but I wouldn’t consider her my best friend. Best friends don’t pay for your wedding. Best friends don’t remind you how they carried you in their body and gave you life! Best friends don’t tell you how wise they are because they have been living at least 20 years longer than you.”

This doesn’t mean that the mother and daughter relationship can’t be very close and satisfying. This generation of mothers and adult daughters has a lot in common, which increases the likelihood of shared companionship. Mothers and daughter shave always shared the common experience of being homemakers, responsible for maintaining and passing on family values and traditions. Today contemporary mothers and daughters also share the experience of work and technology, which may bring them even closer together.

Best friends may or may not continue to be best friends, but for better or worse, the mother and daughter relationship is permanent, even if for some unfortunate reason they aren’t speaking. Sometimes this is not an equal relationship. Daughters don’t always feel responsible for their mother’s emotional well-being. But mothers never stop being mothers, which includes frequently wanting to protect their daughters and often feeling responsible for their happiness. The mother and daughter relationship is a relationship that is not replaceable by any other. Mothers always “trump” friends.

【推荐3】A new study published this week in the journal Nature Communications has concluded that a 100 percent change to organic (有机的) food production in England and Wales would actually lead to a great increase in greenhouse gas emissions (排放). In turn, this would contribute to further climate change.

Although organic farming directly pours out fewer emissions than conventional farming—around 20 percent lower for crops and 4 percent for farm animals—it produces notably less food. As to this study’s findings, total organic agriculture in England and Wales would produce 40 percent less food. With less food in the market, the countries would need to increase food imports, which would produce more global greenhouse gas emissions.

Organic farming also increases the amount of absorbing carbon, a process where carbon dioxide (CO₂) is “absorbed” out of the atmosphere and captured by plants and stored in the soil. However, even a total change to organic farming would only be equal to a tiny part of the higher emissions from overseas land use.

“We predict a drop in total food production of 40 percent under a fully organic farming process, compared to conventional farming, if we keep to the same national diet,” Dr Adrian Williams, lead author and reader in Agri-Environmental Systems at Cranfield University, said in a statement. “This results from lower crop quantity, because output is limited by a lower supply of nitrogen, which is mainly from other crops or solid waste from cattle on the grassland.”

Nevertheless, it is important to note that organic farming still holds some useful benefits for the environment, such as reducing exposure to chemicals and improving the varieties of creatures. In conclusion, the study suggests that organic farming will continue to play a key role in resolving the world’s environmental problems. However, it’s just one part of a much wider solution.