Nancy Wake was born in New Zealand, in 1912. The family moved to Australia in 1914 and after being educated in Sydney, she travelled to Europe where she worked as a journalist. In Nazi (纳粹的) Germany she saw the rise of Adolf Hitler and Anti-Semitism. On one occasion in Vienna she witnessed Jews being whipped by members of the Sturm Abteilung (SA). In 1939 Nancy married the wealthy French industrialist, Henri Fiocca, in Marseilles. Nancy was in France when the German Army invaded in May 1940. After the French government surrendered, Nancy joined the French Resistance. She worked with Ian Garrow's group helping British airmen shot down over France to escape back to Britain.

    In December 1940 the network was betrayed and Nancy was forced to go into hiding. She continued to work for the French Resistance and was eventually arrested while in Toulouse. However, the authorities did not realize they had captured the woman known as the “White Mouse” and she was set free after four days.

    It was now too dangerous to remain in occupied France and Nancy crossed the Pyrenees into Spain before travelling to Britain. She now joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and agreed to become a British special agent (特工).

On 29th April 1944, Nancy was parachuted into the Auvergne region of France. Her main aim was to locate local soldiers and to provide them with some guns that were being dropped by parachute by the Royal Air Force four times a week.

Nancy had the task of helping the resistance to prepare for the armed uprising that was due to coincide with the D-Day landings. She also led an attack against the Gestapo headquarters in Mountucon and a German gun factory. Henri Tardivat, one of her comrades in the resistance later said that: “She is the most feminine woman I know, until the fighting starts. Then she is like five men.”

    After the war, Nancy worked for the Intelligence Department at the British Air Ministry. In 1960 she married John Forward and returned to Australia to live.

    Can you imagine four hours of your day getting to and from work? For the last eight years, Jo Meade rode her bike each Sunday on a 16-mile round trip to her job washing dishes. It took more than an hour each way. Other days of the week she would spend two hours on three buses from her apartment to get to the other work, for a four-hour round trip.

    That was the “before” part of her life. The “after” part of her life was started by the community Police Officer Trevor Arnold, who delivered a used car to her with the help of a car dealer and other donors.

    Arnold, who spotted Meade, red and sweaty, riding her bike in the worst heat this summer, decided he would het her a car. He intended to quietly buy her a used car out of his own pocket so he turned to his friend Kody Slaght, a car salesman to ask about a car priced $1,000. That wasn't enough for a reliable ride, Slaght said, but the dealership said they would find a good car for her at a good price. Soon others were donating. Slaght and Arnold wouldn't say how much the car cost, but the value is about $4,000.

    Arnold said he was motivated by Meade's work ethic（职业道德）to help. “I see a lot of hardworking people nut that's when they are at work. Can you imagine spending four hours of your day getting to and from work?” he said.

    Meade's boss said she was awesome and really reliable when she worked and she got along with others. “She's willing to rise the three buses to get in here on her day off if we need her too.”

    Meade said she was planning to buy a car, “but I haven't been able to afford it,” she said. “Trevor, he is a very good guy. I did not expect this.”

    I have an interest in photography and follow many photography Instagram accounts. Just like me, a friend of mine has a similar interest. The only difference is that he is a traveller and has taken hundreds of beautiful photos. He is really talented.

    Having returned from one trip, he shared some of his latest photos. Blown away by the images, I asked him why he hadn't started his own Instagram account of shots.

    “It's hard to start when there are already so many other websites devoted to travel photography with thousands of followers”, he explained. “What if I don't get any followers or what if people don't like my shots?”

    “Yet how will you ever know if you don't try?” I asked.

    He just shrugged and quickly changed the subject. I knew this feeling well. The feeling of self-doubt.

    That was when I was ten years old. I participated in a guitar competition. My grandfather helped me write a short speech to address the crowd and judges. But as the competition began, doubt consumed me and questions flooded my head. I thought to myself, “If I do say the speech, will the other girls laugh at me? Will the judges think I'm being silly for doing my own talk?”

    Then with a shake in my voice I said, “My name is Heidi Ceci. I live in St. Catharines and I play the guitar.” Nothing more... and nothing less.

    But the next girl walked up to the microphone and actually said a speech. I just stared at her in complete disbelief. No one seemed to be judging her for doing something different. In fact, they applauded louder for her than any other girl.

    From then on, I never let fear and doubt rule my decisions. Whatever happens, I always take chances and have a try.

    Most people looking for ways to quit smoking worry about weight gain, and with good reason. Smokers who quit tend to pack on an average of 5 pounds after they stop smoking cigarettes. A new study, published by the journal Science, explains why this happens.

    The new research explains that nicotine appears to combine with appetite-regulating neurons (调节食欲的神经元) in the brain, besides the receptors (感受器) that bring about addiction. These neurons help regulate how much food gets consumed, but under the influence of nicotine, they lose their self-control. This is why when smokers quit, they tend to eat more and gain weight.

    The researchers believe that their discovery will lead to the development of drugs that aim at nicotine receptors on brain cells that control appetite. In the future, weight gain may no longer be a reason for smokers to delay the decision to kick the habit, but that's no reason to wait. Nicotine-replacement treatment, while not for everyone, can help. Here are a few more ways to quit smoking and stay slim.

    Drink water. To improve metabolic (新陈代谢的) rates, make half of those glasses ice water. Juice can be too high in calories, something you'll want to keep an eye on your journey toward being a slimmer non-smoker. Plan your snacks. Healthy snacks help keep your metabolism working, so you continue to burn calories while stopping wild hunger pain, or fake hunger.

    Keep moving. Exercise kills two birds with one stone. It helps you burn calories and prevents you from eating when you're not truly hungry. It's also a feel-good stress reliever (缓解物). Focus on your fitness and how being healthy makes you feel. Make exercise a goal and think of quitting as your reward for being physically fit.

    Being physically active three times a week reduces the odds of being depressed by about 16%, according to new UCL research carried out as part of the Public Health Research Centre.

    The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, found a two-way relationship between depression and physical activity. People who increased their weekly activity were reported to have fewer depressive symptoms but those with more depressive symptoms were less active, particularly at younger ages.

    Researchers followed 11,135 people born in 1958 up until the age of 50, recording depressive symptoms and levels of physical activity at regular intervals in adulthood. They found that each additional activity period per week reduced odds of depression by 6%. In England 19% of men and 26% of women are currently classed as "inactive", and this study suggests that activity could significantly improve their mental as well as physical health.

    "Assuming the association is causal, physical activity has a protective effect against depression. If an adult between his twenties and forties who isn't physically active became active 3 times per week, he would reduce his risks of depression by about 16%," said Dr Snehal of the UCL Institute of Child Health, lead author of the study.

    Professor Mark，Director of the Public Health Research Centre, said: "Many people are already aware of the benefits of physical activity on their general health, but now we are seeing more evidence that suggests it also has a positive effect on a person's mental well-being. The latest research highlights just how important it is to ensure that people are working and living in environments that allow them to be both physically active and mentally healthy."

    One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest(卑微的) to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.

    We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide range of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,

    "May I get you something?"

    "A coffee would be nice."

    Then I bought him a cup of coffee. We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee. Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked,

    "How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?"

    "Who?"

    "The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs."

    I could hardly believe it. I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world's richest and most powerful men!

    My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and no matter another human being with kindness and sincerity.