True Friendship
Young adult filmmakers all hope to show their works in international festivals like Sundance and Toronto. But what about really young filmmakers who aren't in film school yet and aren't， strictly speaking， even adults？
They are at the heart of Wingspan Arts Kids Film Festival， tomorrow， in a setting any director might envy： Lincoln Center. Complete with "red carpet" interviews and various awards， the festival has much in common with events for more experienced moviemakers， except for the age of the participants： about 8 to 18.
"What's really exciting is that it's film for kids by kids，" said Cori Gardner， managing director of Wingspan Arts， a
nonprofit organization offering youth programs in the New York area. This year the festival will include films not only from Wingspan but also from other city organizations and one from a middle school in Arlington， Virginia."We want to make this a national event."Ms. Gardner added.
The nine shorts to be shown range from a Claymation biography of B. B. King to a science fiction adventure set in the year 3005. "A lot of the material is really mature，" Ms. Gardner said， talking about films by the New York City branch of Global Action Project， a media arts and leadership-training group. "The Choice is about the history of a family and Master Anti-Smoker is about the angers of second-hand smoke."Dream of the Invisibles describes young immigrants'（移民）feelings of both belonging and not belonging in their adopted country.
The festival will end with an open reception at which other films will be shown. These include a music video and a full-length film whose title is Pressures.

True Friendship
Young adult filmmakers all hope to show their works in international festivals like Sundance and Toronto. But what about really young filmmakers who aren't in film school yet and aren't， strictly speaking， even adults？
They are at the heart of Wingspan Arts Kids Film Festival， tomorrow， in a setting any director might envy： Lincoln Center. Complete with "red carpet" interviews and various awards， the festival has much in common with events for more experienced moviemakers， except for the age of the participants： about 8 to 18.
"What's really exciting is that it's film for kids by kids，" said Cori Gardner， managing director of Wingspan Arts， a
nonprofit organization offering youth programs in the New York area. This year the festival will include films not only from Wingspan but also from other city organizations and one from a middle school in Arlington， Virginia."We want to make this a national event."Ms. Gardner added.
The nine shorts to be shown range from a Claymation biography of B. B. King to a science fiction adventure set in the year 3005. "A lot of the material is really mature，" Ms. Gardner said， talking about films by the New York City branch of Global Action Project， a media arts and leadership-training group. "The Choice is about the history of a family and Master Anti-Smoker is about the angers of second-hand smoke."Dream of the Invisibles describes young immigrants'（移民）feelings of both belonging and not belonging in their adopted country.
The festival will end with an open reception at which other films will be shown. These include a music video and a full-length film whose title is Pressures.

A Bridge for Squirrels
San Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle. And， Longview has its squirrel bridge. The bridge， which has attracted international attention， is now a local landmark.
The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in 1963 by a local builder， Amos Peters， to give squirrels a way to cross the busy road without getting flattened by passing cars.
The original bridge was built over Olympia Way on the west edge of the library grounds. Before the bridge was built， squirrels had to avoid traffic to and from the Park Plaza office building where office staff put out a nutty feast for the squirrels. Many times， Peters and others who worked in and near Park Plaza witnessed squirrels being run over.
One day Peters found a dead squirrel with a nut still in its mouth， and that day's coffee break discussion turned into squirrel safety. The group of businessmen cooked up the squirrel bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the blessing of the City Council （市政會(huì)）.The Council approved， and Councilwoman Bess LaRiviere jokingly named the bridge "Nutty Narrows".
After architects designed the bridge， Amos Peters and Bill Hutch started construction. They built the 60-foot bridge from aluminum and lengths of fire hose （消防水帶）. It cost 1000.
It didn't take long before reports of squirrels using the bridge started. Squirrels were even seen guiding their young and teaching them the ropes. The story was picked up by the media， and Nutty Narrows became known in newspapers all over the world.
In 1983， after 20 years of use， Peters took down the worn-out bridge. Repairs were made and crosspieces were replaced. The faded sign was repainted and in July 1983， hundreds of animal lovers attended the completion ceremony of the new bridge.
Peters died in 1984 ，and a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in memory of its builder and his devotion to the project.

A Bridge for Squirrels
San Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle. And， Longview has its squirrel bridge. The bridge， which has attracted international attention， is now a local landmark.
The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in 1963 by a local builder， Amos Peters， to give squirrels a way to cross the busy road without getting flattened by passing cars.
The original bridge was built over Olympia Way on the west edge of the library grounds. Before the bridge was built， squirrels had to avoid traffic to and from the Park Plaza office building where office staff put out a nutty feast for the squirrels. Many times， Peters and others who worked in and near Park Plaza witnessed squirrels being run over.
One day Peters found a dead squirrel with a nut still in its mouth， and that day's coffee break discussion turned into squirrel safety. The group of businessmen cooked up the squirrel bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the blessing of the City Council （市政會(huì)）.The Council approved， and Councilwoman Bess LaRiviere jokingly named the bridge "Nutty Narrows".
After architects designed the bridge， Amos Peters and Bill Hutch started construction. They built the 60-foot bridge from aluminum and lengths of fire hose （消防水帶）. It cost 1000.
It didn't take long before reports of squirrels using the bridge started. Squirrels were even seen guiding their young and teaching them the ropes. The story was picked up by the media， and Nutty Narrows became known in newspapers all over the world.
In 1983， after 20 years of use， Peters took down the worn-out bridge. Repairs were made and crosspieces were replaced. The faded sign was repainted and in July 1983， hundreds of animal lovers attended the completion ceremony of the new bridge.
Peters died in 1984 ，and a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in memory of its builder and his devotion to the project.

Trying to Find a Partner
One of the most striking findings of a recent poll in the UK is that of the people interviewed， one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.
Why are many finding it increasingly difficult to start and sustain intimate relationships？ Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love？ Or are we making it harder for ourselves？
It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status. A man doesn't expect his spouse to be in sole charge of running his household and raising his children.
But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.
In theory， finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago， your choice of soulmate （心上人） was constrained by geography， social convention and family tradition. Although it was never explicit， many marriages were essentially arranged.
Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster （牡蠣） ，you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.
But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint： the tyranny of choice. The expectations of partners are inflated to an unmanageable degree： good looks， impressive salary， kind to grandmother， and right socks. There is no room for error in the first impression.
We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isn't， it is disposable. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don't put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Of course， this is complicated by realities. The cost of housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a life partnership.

Literacy Volunteer
Last summer I went through a training program and became a literacy volunteer （掃盲志愿者）. The training I received， though excellent， did not tell me how it was to work with a real student， however. When I began to discover what other people's lives were like because they could not read， I realized the true importance of reading.
My first student Jane was a 44-year-old single mother of three. In the first lesson， I found out she walked two miles to the nearest supermarket twice a week because she didn't know which bus to take. When I told her I would get her a bus schedule， she told me it would not help because she could not read it. She said she also had difficulty once she got to the supermarket because she couldn't always remember what she needed. Since she did not know words， she could not write out a shopping list. Also， she could only recognize items by their labels. As a result， if the product had a different label， she would not recognize it as the product she wanted.
As we worked together， learning how to read built Jane's self-confidence， which encouraged her to continue in her studies. She began to make rapid progress and was even able to take the bus to the supermarket. After this successful trip， she reported how self-confident she felt. At the end of the program， she began helping her youngest son， Tony， a shy first grader， with his reading. She sat with him before he went to sleep and together they would read bedtime stories. When his eyes became wide with excitement as she read pride was written all over her face， and she began to see how her own hard work in learning to read paid off. As she described this experience， I was proud of myself， too. I found that helping Jane to build her self-confidence was more rewarding than anything I had ever done before.
As a literacy volunteer， I learned a great deal about teaching and helping others. In fact， I may have learned more from the experience than Jane did.

Literacy Volunteer
Last summer I went through a training program and became a literacy volunteer （掃盲志愿者）. The training I received， though excellent， did not tell me how it was to work with a real student， however. When I began to discover what other people's lives were like because they could not read， I realized the true importance of reading.
My first student Jane was a 44-year-old single mother of three. In the first lesson， I found out she walked two miles to the nearest supermarket twice a week because she didn't know which bus to take. When I told her I would get her a bus schedule， she told me it would not help because she could not read it. She said she also had difficulty once she got to the supermarket because she couldn't always remember what she needed. Since she did not know words， she could not write out a shopping list. Also， she could only recognize items by their labels. As a result， if the product had a different label， she would not recognize it as the product she wanted.
As we worked together， learning how to read built Jane's self-confidence， which encouraged her to continue in her studies. She began to make rapid progress and was even able to take the bus to the supermarket. After this successful trip， she reported how self-confident she felt. At the end of the program， she began helping her youngest son， Tony， a shy first grader， with his reading. She sat with him before he went to sleep and together they would read bedtime stories. When his eyes became wide with excitement as she read pride was written all over her face， and she began to see how her own hard work in learning to read paid off. As she described this experience， I was proud of myself， too. I found that helping Jane to build her self-confidence was more rewarding than anything I had ever done before.
As a literacy volunteer， I learned a great deal about teaching and helping others. In fact， I may have learned more from the experience than Jane did.

Trying to Find a Partner
One of the most striking findings of a recent poll in the UK is that of the people interviewed， one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.
Why are many finding it increasingly difficult to start and sustain intimate relationships？ Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love？ Or are we making it harder for ourselves？
It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status. A man doesn't expect his spouse to be in sole charge of running his household and raising his children.
But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.
In theory， finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago， your choice of soulmate （心上人） was constrained by geography， social convention and family tradition. Although it was never explicit， many marriages were essentially arranged.
Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster （牡蠣） ，you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.
But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint： the tyranny of choice. The expectations of partners are inflated to an unmanageable degree： good looks， impressive salary， kind to grandmother， and right socks. There is no room for error in the first impression.
We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isn't， it is disposable. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don't put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Of course， this is complicated by realities. The cost of housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a life partnership.

Camping
Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and， at its best， it makes little environmental influence. But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness， it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively （不引人注目地） and leave no mark.
Wild camping is not permitted in many places， particularly in crowded lowland Britain. Wherever you are， find out about organizations responsible for managing wild spaces， and contact them to find out their policy on camping and shelter building. For example， it is fine to camp wild in remote parts of Scotland， but in England you must ask the landowner's permission， except in national parks.
Camping is about having relaxation， sleeping outdoors， experiencing bad weather， and making do without modern conveniences. A busy， fully-equipped campsite （野營(yíng)地） seems to go against this， so seek out smaller， more remote places with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches. Better still， find a campsite with no road access： walking in makes a real adventure.
Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing a good night's sleep. Choose a campsite with privacy and minimum influence on others and the environment. Try to use an area where people have obviously camped before rather than creating a new spot. When camping in woodland， a void standing dead trees， which may fall on a windy night. Avoid animal runs and caves， and possible homes of biting insects. Make sure you have most protection on the windward side. If you make a fire， do so downwind of your shelter， always consider what influence you might have on the natural world. Avoid damaging plants. A good campsite is found， not made — changing it should be unnecessary.

Trying to Find a Partner
One of the most striking findings of a recent poll in the UK is that of the people interviewed， one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.
Why are many finding it increasingly difficult to start and sustain intimate relationships？ Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love？ Or are we making it harder for ourselves？
It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status. A man doesn't expect his spouse to be in sole charge of running his household and raising his children.
But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.
In theory， finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago， your choice of soulmate （心上人） was constrained by geography， social convention and family tradition. Although it was never explicit， many marriages were essentially arranged.
Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster （牡蠣） ，you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.
But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint： the tyranny of choice. The expectations of partners are inflated to an unmanageable degree： good looks， impressive salary， kind to grandmother， and right socks. There is no room for error in the first impression.
We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isn't， it is disposable. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don't put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Of course， this is complicated by realities. The cost of housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a life partnership.