I’m an only daughter of my parents. So they are worried about everything I do. For example, when I ride my bike, my parents won’t let me ride by myself. They are afraid I might fall off my bike and hurt me. They are taking great trouble to support the bike, with my mother even carry a first-aid box. I’m free to ride and I often say angry, “Why not to let me ride alone?” Now, most families have one child. Parents want to do everything for their children. This does no good for them. Too much love from parents prevent children from being independent. In my opinions, parents should let their children do that they should do alone.

On a rainy night, my younger brother and I were cycling to return to our camp site. Suddenly, my brother’s bike fell down in the rain and he was throwing into the middle of the road. I stopped, asking what he was okay. This was obvious that he was not hurt too much, but his leg got stuck in the bike frame and couldn’t moving. Just then I saw the car coming. I rushed out of to the middle of the road, and waved my hands crazy. The car rushed forward, but turned left go back to my brother and me. The driver helped them with the bike. We were so luckily and grateful.

7 . After university in 2011, Samuel went to a rural primary school for native children, where, on his first day, another teacher told him, "Samuel, you don't have to do much, they're just Orang Asli-native children." This was what Samuel would spend years fighting against.

The Orang Asli community has struggled with poverty, melting into society, and losing their own identity and culture due to others' disregard of it. The main barrier in teaching these children was that many of the teachers thought that the native children were not worth their efforts. It was thought that whatever was taught would make no difference, so nobody bothered to try. The children themselves ended up believing these stigmas (污名), often doubting what they can achieve. Teachers skipped or slept in classes, and little effort was made to create an appropriate learning environment. Consequently, the school was one of the worst-performing in the district.

Samuel cared about his native students and accepted their culture, leading him to see their potential. However, he also came to see that they did not have equal opportunities compared to urban schools, due to the lack of facilities. So he set up a crowdfunding project to create a fully equipped 21st-century English classroom with tablets and computers. The Orang Asli children now learn technology, experience English and communicate in English with volunteers all over Malaysia and overseas.

Consequently, the students have improved in national standardized examinations, from a pass rate of 30% in English (2008-2012) to an average of 80% (2013-2017). These efforts have resulted in a shift of what local children are considered capable of academically.

8 . Masks that helped save lives are proving a deadly danger to wildlife, with birds and sea creatures trapped in the shocking number of thrown-away facial coverings. Single-use masks have been found around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide. Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to decompose. “Face masks aren’t going away any time soon — but when we throw them away, these items can harm the environment and the animals,” Ashley Fruno of animal rights group PETA said.

In Britain, a gull was rescued by the RSPCA after its legs became tangled in the straps of a mask for up to a week. The animal welfare charity took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.

The biggest effect may be in the water. More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world’s oceans last year, accounting for around 6,200 extra tonnes of ocean plastic pollution, according to environmental group Oceans Asia.

Conservationists in Brazil found one mask inside the stomach of a penguin after its body was washed up on a beach, while a dead puffer fish was discovered caught inside another off the coast of Miami. French campaigners found a dead crab trapped in a mask near the Mediterranean.

Masks and gloves are “particularly problematic” for sea creatures, says George Leonard, chief scientist from NGO Ocean Conservancy. “When those plastics break down in the environment, they then enter the food chain and impact the entire ecosystems,” he added.

There has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic has worn on, but many are still using the lighter single-use varieties. Campaigners have urged people to bin them properly and cut the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming trapped. Oceans Asia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.

10 . The Rockford police chief and some city officials want to put video cameras in all 100 police cars. They think this will reduce the number of lawsuits (诉讼) filed against the city. In the last five years, Rockford has paid out more than five million dollars to settle about four lawsuits.

The chief said, “If cameras had been in those cars, we wouldn’t have had to pay any money. We’re always pulling over drunks of drug users who try to fight the police officers or shoot them. Then they always say that the police started basting them first or started shooting at them first.”

The cost of fixing cameras will be about $500 per car. The city council (市正厅) will make a final decision on the proposal (提议) next Monday. Ten of the 13 council members, when asked about the proposal, said that they liked the idea. One member said that it is money-saving and it makes common sense. If this is agreed, cameras can be fixed in all the cars within six weeks.

The police officers fully support camera use. One office said that too many people think the police are liars; cameras would show citizens that the police tell the truth. “The money that we’ve been spending on lawsuits will be better spent our more cameras,” said one officer.

The citizen response to the idea of police car cameras is mixed. One person said that the police should have started doing this years ago when video cameras were invented (发明). But an elderly man said that cameras might be misused. “These police are trying to stick their nose into everything,” he said. He was going to attend the council meeting to stop the proposal. He hoped that other citizens would join him.