1 . Have you ever tried reading music? If so, you probably noticed a lot of new symbols and words. Maybe you saw the word presto at the beginning. Perhaps you read piano and crescendo throughout the song.     1     Or maybe you didn’t — if you knew how to read Italian!

Italian is sometimes called the language that sings.     2     However, the link between Italian and music is deeper than that. Today, musical vocabulary is full of Italian words.

However, it wasn’t always so. Thousands of years ago, people didn’t write music. Instead, they passed songs down orally and taught each other to play them on instruments.     3     Later, people in Spain and Italy began putting music to paper for use in church choirs (教堂唱诗班).

Around 1000 CE, an Italian man named Guido d’ Arezzo came up with the four-lined staff (四线谱), which eventually led to the development of the five-lined staff still used in modern music today. Over the next few centuries, many of the people writing music were Italian. Of course, people in other parts of the world were writing music, too. In an effort to standardize written music, many of them used Italian terms.     4     For example, Beethoven sometimes used German words instead of Italian. Claude Debussy used French in “Clair de Lune”.

    5     You might already be familiar with some terms! One example is tempo — the speed of a piece of music. Markings in written music tell the player when the music should be adagio (slow), or allegro (fast). The dynamics, or volume, of a piece of music might begin with piano (soft), then crescendo (get louder) and finally fortissimo (very loud).

2 . For many Americans, home is where the heart is. However, some people are forced to leave their homes because of rising costs.

“Hawaii is everything. Of course, it’s very beautiful. The weather is beautiful, but you only get a deeper connection to a place when it’s connected to you,” said Lehua Kalima, who grew up and raised her kids in Hawaii.

Nearly three years ago, Kalima and her husband left the Hawaiian islands for Clark County, Nevada. According to United Van Lines, the US’s largest household goods mover, Clark County has about 20,000 native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. The Kalimas represent some of the 7 million Americans who move to a different state every year.

“You know, we were already working really hard to make ends meet, but with three college tuitions (学费) now to pay, it was almost impossible,” Kalima said.

United Van Lines has long tracked state-to-state migration (移居), as well as the main reasons people move. In 2018, nearly half of the people surveyed said they moved due to changes in employment. Four years later, a third of respondents said employment was the reason they moved. A rising number said they wanted to be close to family, and 8% stated a reason that three years earlier wasn’t even on the survey — the improved cost of living.

“If you have roots in a place, you have a relationship with a place, with a piece of land, only then can you really understand what it’s like to have to go away from it,” Kalima said.

Despite missing her home, Kalima looks at the other side of things.

“The things we do in life don’t necessarily keep us in one place. Sometimes they take us to all kinds of different places, but that’s necessary because, you know, that’ll take us to where we’re eventually supposed to be,” Kalima said.

3 . Most Popular UK Destinations for a Staycation

Looking for a cheap stay cation to brighten up your winter? Here are the most popular destinations in the UK.

Blackpool

Whether you’re seeking the thrills of Blackpool Pleasure Beach or are keen to catch a glimpse of Blackpool Tower, the city’s most appealing attraction, the seaside town offers various amazing views. It’s no wonder the town has gained 980.8 million views on TikTok. With accommodation price £75 for a night, you’ll have a golden opportunity to enjoy Blackpool's Illuminations (彩灯) display and the Seaside Trail.

Searborough

North Yorkshire’s Scarborough sees 49,500 monthly searches and 686.4 million views on TikTok. One of the local highlights is the annual St Nicholas Fair. While a one-night stay in Scarborough costs £85, the town offers holiday-makers opportunities to experience ancient British culture at the 12th-century castle ruins.

Swansea

The Welsh town sees 27,100 monthly searches and has 622.4 million views on TikTok. Swansea’s Waterfront Wonderland brings with it the Alpine Village and various amusement attractions. Spending a night here costs just 10 pounds more than in Scarborough. But if you book a week earlier, you can get a 5 percent discount in total. With Cardiff only being an hour’s drive from Swansea, you have the perfect opportunity to catch a game of ice hockey.

Bournemouth

Bournemouth isn’t called Sunny Bournemouth for nothing, as holiday-makers can enjoy breathtaking views along the Jurassic Coast. With a World Heritage Site within its borders, it’s no surprise to see this town with the high number of views on TikTok (868.3 million). A one-night stay will cost you £105, giving you the perfect opportunity to get relaxed.

8 . Shortly after the return of the NBA season in late July, the artist Victor Solomon showed an ambitious creation to mark the occasion: the “Kintsugi Court”. Using the Japanese craft of kintsugi, an ancient method of repairing pottery with gold, Solomon filled in the cracks of a run-down basketball court in South Los Angeles. In the process, he transformed the forgotten bit of concrete into something eye-catching and functional. He highlighted the court’s weak points instead of hiding them.

Basketball has been a frequent source for Solomon. But he’s far from alone. Over the past five years, basketball courts, some previously in disrepair or disuse, have been frequent canvases for public art. The work, from famous creators like Solomon as well as nonprofit organizations and art collectives, uses the courts to comment on the interconnected dynamics of race, class, and changing communities.

Artists say they’re drawn to basketball as inspiration because of the game itself—a sport described as a universally accessible, race-indifferent platform.

For other artists, that functionality—the opportunity to produce a useful public resource —is as important as the aesthetics (美感). DanPeterson is founding director of Project Backboard, an organization that changes old basketball courts into eye-catching murals (壁画) that double as durable public recreation spaces.

Since its founding in 2014, Project Backboard has made more than 20 courts active, using work by 17 artists, in locations around the US including Memphis, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Baltimore. Repairs are done with the same material used to repair public tennis courts, ensuring they will hold up for years to come.

“The thing about the sport and the court itself is that it is indifferent to class or race or background of people it’s surrounded by,” says Vannatter. “These are meaningful contributions of public art in places that maybe would never have access to art.”

9 . In June 2015, Captain Radhika Menon found herself in charge of the oil tanker (油轮) Sampurna Swarajya, battling dangerous waves in the Bay of Bengal. Little did she know that her leadership would be put to the ultimate test in a dramatic rescue mission.

On June 22, 2015, as the storm continued violently, Second Officer Manoj Chauhan spotted a small boat adrift (漂流) off the coast of Gopalpur, Odisha. Seven fishermen injured and desperate, were losing their struggle to the unforgiving sea. The fishing boat with neither shelter nor anchor had been at sea for seven days. Chinna Rao, 40, and his companions, including a teenager, had gone into the Bay for what was supposed to be a routine fishing expedition. However, the sudden onset (发生) of a violent storm had turned their journey into a fight for survival. The boat sustained damage, and their supplies were lost as they faced the violent wind and waves.

As the fishermen held onto hope, their signals caught the attention of Captain Radhika Menon. With strong determination, she initiated a high-risk rescue operation, facing towering waves and strong winds. The urgency was obvious as the crew prepared for the challenge.

Menon strategically moved the tanker, creating a shelter from the storm. A rope was thrown out, connecting the tanker to the easily broken fishing boat. Despite the sea’s fury (猛烈), the fishermen managed to secure the line, and one by one, they were pulled to safety. The rescue, performed through rain and storm, took about 40 minutes. The seven fishermen were finally on the tanker, filled with emotion.

Sixteen months later, Menon’s bravery was recognized on a global stage. In November 2016, she received the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea. Menon, the first female captain in the Indian Merchant Navy, stated that she had merely finished her duty as a sailor.

The rescued fishermen, speaking emotionally from their homes, described Menon as a hero who had saved their lives. The rescue at sea showcased the firm courage of Captain Radhika Menon and her crew, proving that in the face of danger, true heroes emerge.

10 . 18 years ago, a 14-year-old boy from Kasungu district in Malawi was forced to drop out of school for lack of fees. At the same time, a severe famine was destroying his village, claiming people’s lives and leaving desperation in its wake.

This was a situation to break the strongest of minds but William Kamkwamba did not give up. Young as he was, he knew that education was where his future lay. He found hope in the library and feasted on the knowledge that he harvested from its books. It was there that he came across a science textbook entitled Using Energy. He learned that he could generate electricity using wind. The youngster realized that, if mastered, this power could help his village in exceptional ways.

Armed with determination and an iron will, the teenager set out to build a windmill out of random materials from a scrapyard (垃圾场). Though his outside world was collapsing to dust, the youngster did not hesitate about his purpose. He defended himself from all doubt and criticism. He worked tirelessly until his dream of bringing electricity to his village became reality. Soon, he was caught in the center of media attention that took him to new places that he would never have stepped on without his invention.

In his village, the dust has not settled yet and the winds of change continue to blow across the land. Windmills pump water to irrigate crops, sweeping away another period of hunger. William’s former primary school boasts new and stronger buildings, thanks to the help of well-wishers and the villagers’ united efforts.

What seemed like a hopeless situation has been turned into an inspirational story that motivates each and every one of us, persuading us that no misfortune is set in stone. William refused to be a school drop-out forever. He sought solutions for his problems and continued fighting even when the going got tough. He was able to rise above poverty to become a graduate from one of America’s best universities, Dartmouth College.