1 . Scientists say there has been a major drop in the population of leatherback sea turtles (乌龟) off the U.S. West Coast.

One recent study found a 5.6 percent yearly decrease in the population. Leatherbacks are massive sea turtles dating back to the time of the dinosaurs. The animals can grow up to 1.5 meters in length and weigh as much as 680 kilograms.

The leatherback sea turtles found along the U.S. Pacific Coast are actually born thousands of kilometers away, on beaches in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. The animals migrate (迁徙) 11,000 kilometers across the Pacific Ocean to mainly feed on jellyfish in waters off the U.S. West Coast. Then, they swim back.

Scott Benson is an ecologist with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries. “There are birds that go farther, but they fly. There’s a whale shark that might swim a little further, but it doesn’t have to come up for air,” he said.

Scientists say that if nothing changes, the leatherbacks could completely disappear from the U.S. West Coast within 30 years. The population drops are mainly blamed on international fishing activities, the destruction (破坏) of nesting grounds and climate change.

The animals can be killed when they get trapped in fishing equipment. Scientists say the population is also harmed because a lot of turtle eggs are removed from beaches.

Researchers say that while all the world’s leatherbacks are under pressure, the group that migrates for months across the Pacific faces the greatest threats.

NOAA launched an aggressive plan to save leatherbacks in 2015 and is set to release a new action plan this month. The plan is meant to persuade governments and international organizations to join efforts to save the turtles.

4 . For some people, job satisfaction means having a good payment or work-life balance and also making a difference in someone’s life. The jobs in the social services industries on this list improve people’s well-being and help them reach their personal goals.

Hearing Aid Specialist

Median payment: $59.020

Education required: High school above

Hearing aid specialist ranks first among the best jobs without a college degree. Hearing aid specialists perform noise tests to help fix hearing aids for patients. They’re also responsible for fitting hearing aids to ensure they stay on properly. Building a career in this field can feel a sense of achievement since you help improve the quality of life for people with hearing problems.

Physician Assistant

Median payment: $ 126.010

Education required: Master’s degree

Physician assistant ranks No. 2 among the social services industries. Physician assistants can provide some professional care. examine patients and provide other treatments. Since they provide direct care to patients who may be in pain, it’s important to have good communication skills.

Lawyer

Median payment: $135.740

Education required: Doctoral or professional degree

Lawyer ranks first among the social services industries. Lawyers are licensed professionals who provide legal advice and representation for individuals and organizations. While being a lawyer can be stressful, it’s rewarding to protect the rights of your customers.

Physical Therapist (治疗师)

Median payment: $97.720

Education required: Doctoral or professional degree

Physical therapist ranks No. 7 among the social services industries. Physical therapists help people recover their ability to move and strength through exercises. It can be satisfying to watch people improve and achieve a better quality of life.

6 . Born in Anhui Province, Tao Xingzhi (October18, 1891-July 25, 1946) was one of the greatest educationalists, social activists and patriots in modern China. When he was young, Tao lived in a poverty-stricken area and had witnessed miserable life of Chinese people, especially that of the peasants who accounted for 80% of the nation’s population, under the suppression of foreign invaders (外国侵略者的压迫) at that time.

After graduating from Nanjing University as the top student with the highest scores in all courses, Tao set out for the US to further his education. At first, he studied politics in University of Illinois but soon he found that politics offered no help for saving the country, and then he changed his major into education.

Six-year experience abroad let Tao Xingzhi come to realize the sharp contrast between China and developed countries, and drove him to make up his mind to change the situation in China. Tao declined a number of invitations from many famous universities and gave up high salaries as a college professor. Instead, he set up Xiaozhuang Normal School in the countryside of Nanjing to develop educational cause in rural areas. When he returned to China from Japan in 1939, Tao set up Yu Cai School in Sichuan Province for the kids who lost their family in Anti-Japanese War (抗日战争). He picked out those with special talents and trained them to be useful men for the nation. Zhou Enlai, former Chinese premier, once paid a visit to this school and gave a high praise.

As an educationalist, Tao devoted his entire life to the educational-cause for Chinese. Quite different from other major educationalists at that time, Tao carried out life education and said that “life education means an education of life, by life and for life”. Because of overtoil (积劳成疾), he died on July 25, 1946 in Shanghai. Chairman Mao praised him as “a great educationalist for the people”. In memory of this great man, Tao Xingzhi Museum was built in Shanghai in 1986.

7 . The maleo (塚雉), a bird with black feathers and a pink chest, is native to Indonesia’s Sulawesi island and a few neighboring ones. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which identifies wildlife across the world currently facing threats, estimates only 800 to 1,400 adult maleos remain in the wild. Experts do not know how many maleos still live across West Sulawesi island. They were only able to record the presence of nesting grounds in 23 villages based on reports from locals in the area. But of those, only 18 are considered active nesting areas.

Recently, the birds have been faced with new threats, which accelerate their decline. The Indonesian government plans to move the nation’s capital from Jakarta to a new city on Borneo island, which is just a six-hour boat trip apart from Sulawesi island. The island takes on the building of new roads and seaports to be used to transport materials to the new capital. Activities also include tree clearing, digging, and removing stones. The process already has changed the forest environment on West Sulawesi and is harming maleo nesting areas near the beach. These changes have made the trip for maleos to lay their eggs increasingly difficult.

Another problem has been poachers. The Associated Press reports that, regardless of official ban, they steal maleo eggs that the males’ parents have hidden in the sand, and sell the eggs for about $1 to people as food. The eggs are a traditional gift for many people in Mamuju and other parts of Sulawesi.

“As far as I know, maleo birds are in decline,” said Andi Aco Takdir, chief of the West Sulawesi Forestry Agency. He pointed to several reasons for the decline, including destruction of beach areas, and expanding human development activities. He added that government officials there are prepared to take steps to protect the maleos even with the new capital development. Andi said, “Nature conservation must be used as an achievement and must not be built leaving behind problems.”

9 . Ruby was a police dog with the Rhode Island State Police, but she didn’t always work with them. Ruby was once a handful who was in and out of the sheller. She was returned five times by different families. She was considered unadoptable because of her high energy and she was just unmanageable

The shelter workers thought her energy may be put to work. They reached the state police, who wanted to give Ruby a second chance and decided to try her out as a rescue dog. O’Neil was picked to be her handler (驯犬员) .

“We have something in common. When I was younger, I couldn’t focus and I wasn’t good at school. But no one really ever gave up on me,” O’Neil said. “I think that’s why we were bound to be together.” A normal dog could be trained in months. For Ruby, it took a year and a half, but O’Neil didn’t want to give up on her. Finally, she was a certified police dog. Six years later, she became even more than that -a hero.

“We got a call stating there was a missing boy, and we just went out and started searching. After eight hours, Ruby ran down a hill. I looked over the hill and saw the injured boy,” ONeil recalled.

O’Neil went to tell the mother that the boy was found alive and told her a police dog helped save her son. Then they realised a surprising connection: the boy’s mum once worked at an animal shelter. “There was a dog that I heard became a state trooper (兵) a few years ago. The dog was named Ruby. She was the sweetest thing,” she told him.

“Are you kidding?” O’Neil said. “That dog that you helped for all those times to get adopted just saved your son’s life.”

10 . I’m Bob Sassone. I’m typing the first draft of this letter on a 1954 Smith Corona Silent, a green and gray beauty. Now, for most of us, buying a typewriter in this age of the Internet, texting and tablet computers is odd enough. But there are plenty of writers who still use typewriters. Using a typewriter is a form of time travel. For people who know me well, the fact that I use a typewriter isn’t a surprise. I’m someone who still has a landline and wears a wristwatch. So owning a typewriter fits into that life quite nicely.

Why do I love it so much? It is made for doing one thing: Writing. There are no distractions, no email to check, no alerts that grab your attention. Some people look at it and said, “But you can’t access the Internet on it!” Not being able to access the Internet on my writing machine is a feature, not a bug.

Of course, I don’t use a typewriter all the time. It’s impossible in the 21st century. As someone who does a lot of work online and has to email his work to editors and other people, doing all of my writing on a typewriter just isn’t something that would work today. And after using a computer keyboard for over 30 years, typing on a typewriter is hard. But it’s wonderful to write letters, create first drafts, make notes and lists, and a typed message on a card or thank-you note looks fantastic. I didn’t buy it for show. I’m actually using it!

So I write on both a typewriter and a laptop. I live in 1954 and in the modern digital age. Old and new, analog and digital, beauty and convenience. I straddle both worlds and try to use the technology that suits me best and works the best depending on what I’m doing. And that’s really what we all should be doing with technology, isn’t it?