2 . Nowadays, we know how to work with al old items. Many of them can be reused after being properly processed. Instead of sending them to the trashcan, we have new choices.     1    

Participate in the Give the Gift of Sight Program. Run by Lions Club International, the program makes it easy for you to donate your old eyeglasses and sunglasses to needy people in developing countries. After you drop glasses off, they are cleaned, repaired, and grouped, then distributed.

Donate your used computer to computers for Kids, a non-profit organization.     2     Its donation program collects and cleans computer equipment, and gives away the equipment to schools and children’s organizations in need.

    3     Contribute to offering help to the troubled kids by sending either entire greeting cards or just the fronts of cards, to St. Jude’s Card Recycling, 100 St. Jude’s Street, Boulder City, NV89005. The youth redecorate the cards by adding new backs, and sell them to support the program. For more information, call 1-877-977-8888.

Recycle sneakers (运动鞋) and athletic shoes. Since 1990, NIKE has sponsored the Reuse-A-Shoe program.     4     Then they are made into athletic equipment, such as playground padding, gymnastic mats, and running tracks. Call 1-800-344-6453 for drop-off locations or get the mailing address at Reuse-A-Shoe.

Never throw away books or magazines. Books and magazines are a great aid to help those who’ve been sent to prison. Some of them quit school at an early age.     5    

3 . One of the world’s most productive wildlife sound recordists (录音师) has released a large collection of his most treasured recordings of wild places to listen to for free on Soundcloud.

“Martyn Stewart has recorded nearly 100,000 pieces, consisting of 30,00o hours of materials. They have been spread across 40 countries and used in 150 films,” Krause, a friend of Martyn said. “Some of these include sounds that can’t be heard anymore, as they belong to extinct animals or disturbed habitats.”

Martyn is one of the key recordists who helped set the standards that gave the work standing in the world of sound. Few can match the quality of his life-long efforts. Throughout his life, since he recorded his first bird at the age of 11, it was easy to record the sounds of faraway places. But times are changing, and the growing presence of noise pollution has made his job a lot harder.

Among his “treasured” recordings include Hurricane Dorian on a remote beach, thunderstorms in Australia, Denali National Park and Arctic Wildlife Home in Alaska, dawn in Zimbabwe, and so much more. He’s also recorded sounds and calls of certain animals, some of which are extinct like the white rhino and the golden frog.

“I hope the free project, called Martyn Stewart’s Listening Planet, is meant to inspire people to try and protect a more delicate part of the world — the auditory (听觉的) part. They have the connection between sound and the animal making the sound,” said Martyn. “I think we have to become the voice of the voiceless. If we can get these beautiful sound recordings out and let people in the world listen to them, maybe we can start protecting what we’ve got left.”

6 . Self-improvement doesn’t have to be a terrifying task. It can be a fun and exciting adventure that takes you on a journey of discovery and growth. With some simple tricks, you can transform yourself into a better version of you.

First off, remember that self-improvement is a marathon, not a dash.     1     Take it one step at a time, and enjoy the ride. Think of it like climbing a mountain: you take one step after another, admiring the view as you go, until you reach the summit.

Start with small, achievable goals. Whether it’s reading a book a week, going for a daily walk, or learning a new skill, these little milestones will help you stay motivated and feel accomplished.     2    

Don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is part of the learning process. If you stumble or fall short of your goals, don’t beat yourself up.     3     Keep in mind, failure is just a temporary setback — it doesn’t define you.

    4     Share your goals with friends or family, and ask them to hold you accountable. Join a self-improvement group or find someone who can guide and encourage you on your journey. You’ll find that makes the process even more enjoyable.

And finally, don’t forget to celebrate your progress.     5     Whether it’s a small accomplishment or a major milestone, take a moment to appreciate your efforts and feel proud of yourself. You can even create a reward system for yourself — maybe a delicious treat or a fun activity for every goal you achieve.

8 . Our old, artificial Christmas tree was in rough shape by the time we retired it. At least a decade had passed since my wife and I bought the tree, a medium-size fake tree with built-in lights, at a Target in Brooklyn and carried it on the subway to our tiny apartment. Over the years, we dragged that tree from apartment, jammed it onto a moving truck to Los Angeles and later packed the weathered box onto another moving truck, this time to Chicago and our current home. By the end, layers of duct tape (强力胶布) held the box together, the wear and tear of a decade of delivering holiday cheer.

Our little tree looked run down, but it was the only tree our family ever knew. It stands proud and glowing in the background of photos of me and my pregnant wife during our last Christmas in Brooklyn without children. Our oldest was born a month later during a January snowstorm. The tree shows up again in the next year’s photos, this time surrounded by holiday gifts for a boy about to turn 1. Then it appears in photos of our son and his 1-month-old brother, this time with California palm trees just outside the door. And in more recent photos, our tree lights up windows overlooking shining Chicago snow. This year, after much debate, we decided to retire our dear old tree, with its bent branches and the lights that had burned out years ago. Rather than feel depressed, we used the moment to launch a new family tradition: our first real Christmas tree.

So here’s a toast to all your family’s traditions—the old and the new. I hope you enjoy this issue, which we have filled with stories of seasonal joy and holiday cheer. Happy holidays!

9 . A young Irishman, Fionn, has come up with a method to solve the microplastic pollution problem, winning Google’s international science fair. He created a kind of liquid magnet (磁铁) by mixing magnetized iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) and vegetable oil. It can collect microplastics and remove them, leaving only water behind.

Since the age of 12, he has been looking to find a solution for the hard-to-clean microplastics. During childhood, he frequently went beaches where he saw a growing number of plastic garbage. Once, he saw a rock with oil remaining, and stuck to it were small plastic pieces. He then found out that the plastic pieces are what we call non-polar, and oil is non-polar too. In chemistry likes attract likes, which means non-polar things attract non-polar things. He heard of something that was a kind of magnetic water by combining vegetable oil with magnetized iron oxide (Fe₂O₃). He noticed oil could attract the microplastics and magnet finally cleaned the microplastics. Inspired by it, he made the liquid magnet.

Indeed after 5,000 experiments it was shown that his method could clean 87％ — 93% of microplastics from the water, despite the fact that the microplastics came from a variety of sources like car tires, plastic bottles, and washing water.

Larissa Kelly, Fionn’s science teacher commented,” The invention, based on very Simple components, makes a breakthrough. It has powerful potential to provide solutions that will contribute to the worldwide effort to remove microplastics from the environment,” Fionn showed his method at the 2019 Google Science Fair and won a $50,000 scholarship. After the Google Science Fair, scientists gave him credit for what he had done. Fionn is now trying to fit his method into a device that can be used in home waterpipes, or the pipes at a wastewater plant, allowing the liquid magnet to continuously clean water that moves through it. He also plans to make it used on boats.

10 . There are reasonable dependencies that are healthy for an individual’s development. However, other dependencies bring unhappiness.     1     In this article, we’re going to be talking about some of them.

Depending on other people’s opinions means letting your behavior, likes and desires be determined by the approval of those that surround you.     2     As a result of this, you guide your life projects, dreams, and behavior according to what others may think.

Few are able to tell apart their own tastes and style from the current fashion trends. Now, we’re not only talking about clothing or accessories here but about general preferences and even philosophies. That desire to hop on a train and be part of the majority sometimes leads to dependency. Some become truly concerned about not being “in style”.     3    

    4     As a result, they end up believing that their worth as human beings is defined by the way they look. We can’t lie; beauty opens doors to some individuals. Also, it makes it easier for some to climb to the top. However, it doesn’t serve much beyond that initial chapter.

When the individual begins associating their personal value with the amount of money they have, it becomes a problem. Relying on money sometimes means believing that happiness equals consumption.     5     To those who think this way, not having money is equivalent to losing everything, including themselves.