A qualified doctor who rarely practicedbut instead devoted his life to writing．He once said: “Medicine is my lawfulwife, and literature is my lover．” Russian writer Anton PavlovichChekhov, was a great playwright and one of the masters of the modern shortstory．

When Chekhov entered the MoscowUniversity Medical School in 1879, he started to publish hundreds of comicshort stories to support his family．After he graduated, he wrote regularlyfor a local daily newspaper．

As a writer he was extremely fast, oftenproducing a short story in an hour or less．Chekhov's medical and science experiencecan be seen through the indifference (冷漠) many of his characters show to tragicevents．In1892, he became a full time writer and published some of his most memorablestories．

Chekhov often wrote about the sufferingsof life in small town Russia．Tragic events control his characters whoare filled with feelings of hopelessness and despair．

It is often said that nothing happens inChekhov's stories and plays．He made up for this with his excitingtechnique for developing drama within his characters．Chekhov'swork combined the calm attitude of a scientist and doctor with the sensitivity(敏感) of anartist．

Some of Chekhov's works were translatedinto Chinese as early as the 1940s．One of his famous stories, The Man in aShell, about a school teacher's extraordinarily orderly life, was selected as atext for Chinese senior students．

    My husband hasn't stopped laughing about a funny thing that happened to me. It's funny now but it wasn't at the time.

    Last Friday, after doing all the family shopping in town, I wanted a rest before catching the train, so I bought a newspaper and some chocolate and went into the station coffee shop — that was a cheap self-service place with long tables to sit at. I put my heavy bag down on the floor, put the newspaper and chocolate on the table to keep a place, and went to get a cup of coffee.

    When I went back with the coffee, there was someone in the next seat. It was one of those wild-looking youngsters, with dark glasses and worn clothes, and hair colored bright red at the front. Not so unusual these days. What did surprise me was that he'd started to eat my chocolate!

    Naturally, I was annoyed. However, to avoid trouble — and really I was rather uneasy about him — I just looked down at the front page of the newspaper, tasted my coffee and took a bit of chocolate. The boy looked at me closely. Then he took a second piece of my chocolate. I could hardly believe it. Still I didn't dare to start an argument. When he took a third piece, I felt more angry than uneasy. I thought, "Well, I shall have the last piece." And I got it.

    The boy gave me a strange look, and then stood up. As he left he shouted out. "This woman's crazy!" Everyone stared. That was embarrassing enough, but it was worse when I finished my coffee and got ready to leave. My face went red — as red as his hair — when I realized I'd made a mistake. It wasn't my chocolate that he'd been taking. There was mine, unopened, just under my newspaper.

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Disney's The Lion King

Venue: Lyceum Theatre

Phone: 020 7492 0810

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

Categories: Family & Kids Musicals

Performance dates: Tuesday- Saturday at 7.30 pm

Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday 2.30 pm

Tickets Price: from ￡42

    Walt Disney's long running and multi-award winning musical The Lion King continues to delight audiences in London's West End. Based on the Disney animated film, The Lion King came to state on Broadway in 1997 and The Lion King London opened in October 1999, playing to packed houses ever since!

    Set against the grand Serengeti Plains and to the unique rhythms of Africa, Disney's The Lion King is unlike anything ever before seen in musical theatre, and will redefine your expectations of what theatre can be. Director and designer Julie Taymor crafts a colorful, imaginative and highly creative world that brings the plants and animals of Africa to live.

    Featuring the original songs from the 1994 film, including “Circle of Life”, Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, “Be Prepared” and “Hakuna Matata” The Lion King musical is a treat for audiences of all ages. Families young and old continue to pack the Lyceum Theatre with their Lion King tickets to celebrate in the impressive storytelling that transports you to a wonderful world that explodes with glorious colours, breathtaking effects and enjoyable music.

“There is simply nothing else like it!”—-New York Times.

“You hope all nights at the theatre will be like this.”—-Daily Mail.

    Please note: The Lion King is recommended for ages 6 and up. Children under the age of 3 will not be admitted into the theatre. All persons aged 16 or under must be accompanied by an adult and may not sit on their own within the auditorium. All persons entering the theatre, regardless of age, must have a ticket.

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    Last night, on my way home I stopped because of being attracted by some hamburgers at a fast food restaurant. On my way in, a homeless man approached me and asked, “Do you have any bottles lying around?” I knew he would recycle them for a few cents, but I didn't have any, so I said no. And again he asked, “Can you spare some change (零钱)?” I smiled, and said no again. He was very respectful; he smiled back and said, “OK, thank you.” Even though he didn't have anything, he was still in good spirits. From the way he spoke I could tell he was smart.

    Then I bought one hamburger and enjoyed my meal, but in the back of my mind I wondered whether the homeless man was hungry. After I finished my meal I decided to order another one for him. At this point I didn't know if he was still around, but I tried anyway.

    At the counter I ordered a hamburger and also a hot chocolate, because it was cold outside, and I thought it would help warm him up. They delivered me the hot chocolate first and as I waited for my hamburger, I noticed the homeless man was standing right beside me. I looked at him and smiled, “This hot chocolate is for you.”He replied like a gentleman,“Thank you so much. That's very kind of you.”

    I always believe no matter how hard up (缺钱) I am, there are always those who are worse off than I. When you help someone, it's not always about money, it's about love. The love you give today, someone might forget tomorrow. It doesn't matter. Love anyway, because the greatest thing you can give is love.

A Cappella Competition

    Do you love to sing?

    Come and show off your talents at the Chilton Youth A Cappella Competition！

    October 20th, 11: 00-17: 00

    Edward Greatcoat Theater, Sealey Road, Chilton

    Rules

    Please remember that this is an cappella competition!

    No instruments or recorded music will be allowed.

    Competitors may sing published or original songs in any style.

    Competitors must be between eight and 15 years old.

    There are four categories (类):

    ⑴Solo (8-11 years old)          ⑵Solo (12-15 years old)

    ⑶Group (8-11 years old)         ⑷Group (12-15 years old)

    Competitors under 12 years old must stay with a parent or other adult at all times.

    Each competitor must pay an entry fee of $10.

    Winners will receive $500 and a course of 20 lessons with famous voice coach Vickie Leonard.

    Winners will be decided by three judges from the Chilton School of Music. Their decision is final.

    Additional information

    Please arrive at the Edward Greatcoat Theater between 09: 00 and 10: 00 to register (登记), as the competition will start at 11: 00. The parking lot has limited spaces so you are advised to come as early as possible.

    Shared dressing rooms with showers will be provided for all competitors. 

    Tickets for the competition are available at the theater from October 1st. There is no charge for these, but again, spaces are limited.

October 15th is Global Handwashing Day. Activities are planned in more than twenty countries to get millions of people in the developing world to wash their hands with soap.

Experts say people around the world wash their hands but very few use soap at so-called extremely important moments. These include after using the toilet, after cleaning a baby and before touching food.

Global Handwashing Day is the idea of the Public Private Partnership for handwashing with soap. The goal, they say, is to create a culture of handwashing with soap. The organizers say all soaps are equally effective at removing disease-causing germs. They say the correct way to wash is to wet your hands with a small amount of water and cover them with soap. Rub it into all areas, including under the fingernails.  Then, wash well under running water. Finally, dry your hands with a clean cloth.

The Partnership says soap is important because it increases the time that people spend washing. Soap also helps to break up the dirt that holds most of the germs.  And it usually leaves a pleasant smell, which increases the chances that people will wash again.

It also says that washing hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet could save more lives than any medicine. It could help reduce cases of diarrhea, which is the second leading cause of child deaths, killing more than one and a half million children a year, by almost half.