1 . From the flower crown to the one that makes you look like an adorable baby deer, Snapchat’s filters (滤镜) are famously pleasing. But if you have ever shifted your phone and seen the filter disappear, revealing your normal human face on the screen instead, you may have thought to yourself, “I wish I looked like a Snapchat filter in real life.”

This is a real and increasingly common way of thinking, according to the plastic surgeons who authored a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). For some people, the authors say, this obsession with looking as perfect as they do in their filtered social media photos has become so extreme that experts place it on the body dysmorphia disorder spectrum.

Body dysmorphia disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition and a type of obsessive compulsive disorder in which a person becomes obsessed with thoughts about appearance imperfection. “For someone with BDD, their entire life’s balance hangs on whether they look okay or whether they have hidden their appearance imperfection appropriately,” Tom Hildebrandt, PsyD, chief of the Division of Eating and Weight Disorders, explained in a previous interview.

The JAMA article names this latest version of the disorder “Snapchat dysmorphia disorder,” saying that apps like Snapchat and Face Tune are giving rise to new unattainable standards of beauty.

In the past, the authors write, patients would show up in their plastic surgeon’s office with photos of celebrities that had been edited to perfection in magazine spreads. Now, they say, patients want to look like filtered versions of themselves instead, with fuller lips, bigger eyes, or a thinner nose. According to recent data, 55% of surgeons report that patients are looking for plastic surgery to improve the appearance the way they look in social media selfies.

“This is an alarming trend,” the authors write, “because those filtered selfies often present an unattainable look and are blurring the boundary between reality and fantasy for these patients.”

2 . We always put into children’s minds that learning to read is extremely important to their future success. But we don’t put that same urgency(迫切性) on adults, even though a large percentage of American adults have a low reading or writing ability.

Learning those skills requires many levels of support. Take, for example, the three hours every day in a Louisville community center.

Ardo Ahmed and Yurilia Manzanares are among the people sitting in classrooms and listening to teachers. These three hours are about learning English. Yurilia came to the United States from Mexico, and Ardo from Somalia. “Everyone is coming here to learn English, to have the same kind of support as their children,” their teacher Meagan Lamb said.

Literacy(读写能力) among adults, specifically among moms, is a concern that reaches far beyond Louisville, far beyond immigrant communities. A Barbara Bush Foundation study found fewer than half of American adults can read beyond a 6th-grade level. A study supported by the National Institutes of Health stated “a mother’s reading skill is the greatest determinant of her children’s future academic(学业的) success.”

“There’s a stigma(耻辱) there,” said Felicia Cumings Smith, the new head of the National Center for Families Learning. “There’s quite a bit of funding that goes into literacy for K-12, but if students are not successful during those schooling years, that all comes to an end.”

These three hours, every day, make a difference. But they’re only possible because the community center where they take place provides childcare while the parents learn English.

The children are learning English, which creates even more stimulus for the parents to learn as well.

“The kids are speaking English in school every day,” Meagan said. “And then they go back home, and little by little Spanish doesn’t feel like their native language.” It’s why, in the last of these three hours, Yurilia and Ardo attend “Parent Time”. It’s where they practice not just the language but how to apply it.

3 . Most of us probably cannot imagine modern life without social media, which has both the potential to negatively impact our mental and emotional heath if used blindly and the ability to connect us in many unexpected ways.

With social media, friendships go beyond geography. We are able to find friends old and new, thus maintaining old friendships and making new ones. Some would question the quality of these friendships, but perhaps what is important is that a link exists between you and that person. Then, we can possibly build friendship upon this link in the future.

Nevertheless, social media does consume our energy and lower our self-esteem (自尊) at times. A 2013 study by Ethan Kross and Philippe Verduyn, published by the Public Library of Science, found that the more a person uses Facebook, the more miserable he feels about his own life. An internet celebrity (名人) Essena O’Neill recently announced to quit social media, saying it is “not real life”, taking countless photos just to look great in a single post and seeking social approval from “likes” and “views” have left her feeling “empty”.

However, those affected are usually teenagers who possess shaky self-identities. It is only natural for teenagers to seek popularity and social recognition. However, for every teenager who feels jealous, envious or depressed online, there is another who chooses to feel energetic, inspired and accepted by positive social connections.

From what perspective do we wish to approach social media? Social media does not cause unhappiness; it simply provides an alternative platform for teenagers to experiment with as they grow up, something they have always done offline. Teen activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai says, “What is interesting is the power and impact of social media... we must try to use social media in a good way.”

6 . Lying to friends and family members may seem like a way to lose their trust.     1    Researchers found that lying for the right reasons can actually strengthen some social bonds (联系).

    2     That depends on the situation. Lying to cover up a misdeed (不端行为), known as anti-social lying, isn’t likely to improve your relationships.     3     On the other hand, lies told to help another person are good for relationships. It is commonly known as telling a white lie.

To study how these two types of lies affect relationships within social groups, researchers created a hypothetical (假定的) mathematical model. The model showed that individuals who tell anti-social lies become isolated (孤立的) within their social networks sometimes.     4     In fact, these individuals are likely to form strong links with other individuals within their social networks.

While the researchers created a hypothetical model, it could be used to understand how lying affects groups of friends in the real world.     5    

9 . LONDON — British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Wednesday that boycotting the Beijing Olympic Games is not the right path to take.

“We are ever excited about prospects for the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing,” Miliband said in an interview with Chinese reporters in London before his visit to China.

“Everything we have seen and read suggests that preparations are proceeding in an excellent way. We very much look forward to a very successful Olympics, successful for China and successful for the world. We certainly believe that boycotts are not a right way,” he said.

“China has big responsibilities around the world. We are looking forward to working with the Chinese government to ensure the values of stability, security and social justice. And only today I spoke with (Chinese Foreign Minister) Yang about our joint work that could help the situation in Darfur. And the Chinese envoy (特使) to Darfur is in London today, that sort of engagement is the right way to go and boycotts are not the right way,” Miliband said.

“The prime minister (Gordon Brown) is determined to represent the whole of the country with his attendance to the Games,” he added.

Miliband expressed his high regard to the bilateral (双边的) relations between Britain and China. “I can’t think about a time that our relations are stronger, that is symbolized by the visit of the prime minister to China last month but also by cultural events like China now going on in Britain.”

British people are fascinated by the changes and improvements going on in China, and are trying to build bridges between the two nations, the foreign secretary said.

“Both our countries are challenged by the facts of globalization. Economic and social changes are producing challenges for both the societies, challenges about security and stability, challenges about justice, challenges about environment, and the theme of my visit is how our two countries can work together and learn from each other in adapting to these challenges,” the secretary told Chinese reporters.