It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams, the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life, but manners on the road are becoming horrible. Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel. It is all right to have a tiger in a cage, but to have one in the driver's seat is another matter.

    Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too. It takes the most cool-headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving. On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and fighting. A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and becomes so necessary in modern traffic conditions. But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough. Many drivers nowadays don't even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.

    However, misplaced politeness can also be dangerous. Typical examples are the driver who waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may not be able to stop in time. The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to.  It always amazes me that the highways are not covered with the dead bodies of these grannies (奶奶).

    An experienced driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if drivers learnt to correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages that give rise to unpleasant feelings. Unfortunately, modern drivers can't even learn to drive. Years ago, experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give-and-take from all road users. It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart.

    Most painters discover a style of painting that is fit for them and stick to that, especially if people admire their pictures. But Picasso, the great Spanish painter, was like a man who had not yet found his own particular style of painting. He kept on struggling to find the perfect expression till his death in 1973.

    Some of Picasso's paintings are rich, soft colored and beautiful. Others are ugly and cruel and strange. But such paintings allow us to imagine things for ourselves. They force us to say to ourselves, “What does he see that makes him paint like that?” And we begin to look under the surface of the things we see.

    Picasso painted thousands of pictures in different styles. Sometimes he painted the natural look of things. Sometimes he seemed to break them apart and throw the pieces in our faces. He showed us what the mind knows as well as what the eyes see. At the age of 90,he remained as curious about the world as he had been when he was young. That is why people have called him “the youngest painter in the world.”

    When he was driving home one evening on a country road, Joe saw an old lady, stranded（抛锚）on the side of the road. He stopped in front of her car and got out. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. He looked poor and hungry. He knew how she felt. He said, “I am here to help you, madam. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Joe.”

    She had a flat tire（轮胎）.Joe crawled under the car, changed the tire. But he got dirty and his hands hurt. She could not thank him enough and asked him how much she owed him. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance he needed, and Joe added, “And think of me.”

    She drove off. A few miles down the road the lady saw a small restaurant. She went in. The waitress had a sweet smile, and was nearly eight months pregnant（怀孕）. The old lady wondered how someone like her who seemed poor could be so kind to a stranger. Then she remembered Joe. After the lady finished her meal, the waitress went to get her change from a hundred-dollar bill. But she stepped right out of the door.

    When the waitress came back, she noticed something written on a napkin, “I am helping you because someone once helped me. If you really want to pay me back, here's what you do—Do not let the chain of love end with you.”

    That night when she got home, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. She and her husband needed money with the baby due next month. She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she whispered, “Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Joe.”

    More students than ever before are taking a gap year（间隔年） before going to university. It used to be the "year off" between school and university. The gap﹣year phenomenon originated（起源） with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.

    This year, 25310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service （UCAS）.

    That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. "Students who take a well﹣planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible, "he said.

    But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students （NUS）, argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship﹣young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. "New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to￡15, 000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacation periods," he said.

    One family, which moved from Japan and settled at the turn of the century near San Francisco, had built a business in which they grew roses and trucked them into San Francisco three mornings a week.

    The other family also marketed roses. For almost four decades the two families were neighbors, and the sons took over the farms, but then on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Although the rest of the family members were American, the father of the Japanese family had never been naturalized. As they planned to leave the country, his neighbor made it clear that, if necessary, he would look after his friend's nursery (花圃). It was something each family had learned in church-Love the neighbor as themselves. "You would do the same for us," he told his Japanese friend.

    It was not long before the Japanese family was transported to a poor landscape in Canada. A full year went by. Then two. Then three. While the Japanese neighbors were in Canada, their friends worked in the greenhouses. Sometimes the father's work could stretch to 16 and 17 hours. And then one day, when the war in Europe had ended, the Japanese family packed up and boarded a train. They were going home.

    What would they find? The family was met at the train station by their neighbors, and when they got to their home, the whole Japanese family were shocked. There was the nursery, complete, clean and shining in the sunlight, neat, prosperous and healthy. And the house was just as clean and welcoming as the nursery. And there on the dining room ground was one perfect red (玫瑰花蕾), just waiting to unfold-the gift of one neighbor to another.

International Literature Festival Dublin（ ILFD）is now seeking plans for its 2024 programme edition responding to the theme of "Words Upside Down". For this year's open call, ILFD invites artists, creative practitioners（从业人员）and groups from all arts backgrounds to give in event plans responding to the theme and suitable for showing at ILFD's new Literary（文学的）Village in one of Dublin City's finest parks, Merrion Square Park, running from 17th to 26th of May, 2024.

We encourage plans which accept curiosity and wonder, cause conversation or new ways of listening. This year, we are especially interested in work that will bring its audience in close contact with either the natural or the artificial（人工的）world or both. We welcome plans which are suitable for audiences aged 16 and above. Above all, we welcome plans that break away from the forms of traditional literary events. We are only able to accept plans made from artists based in the island of Ireland.

Successful applicants（申请人）will be supported by the festival team to bring their ideas to life during this year's programme which will be presented in Dublin City's Merrion Square Park. The closing date for applications is Monday 11th of March, 5 pm.

Conditions: 

●The content of the plan must be presented during the festival dates.

●The festival expects that the artist or author is able to work independently and has a clear idea for the operation of their plan.

●The festival will provide access to its technological equipment（projectors, speakers, media players, etc）.

●Funds ranging from €500 to €1,000 are provided for each project.