On Sunday, May 25th, 2014, India's Malavath Poorna, became the youngest female to climb to the summit of the world's highest peak—Mount Everest. The 13-year-old girl surpassed (超越) the previous record holder, Nepal's Nima Chemji Sherpa, who accomplished the same achievement in 2012, at the age of 16.

    Unlike many young climbers who come from wealthy families, Malavath comes from a poor farming family living in a small village named Pakala in southern India.

    Most Pakala girls have never seen the inside of a school all their lives. Malavath is one of the fortunate ones that managed to realize their dreams thanks to Swaeroes, a welfare organization whose mission is to help India's poor children reach their full potential. They helped enroll (使入学) the young girl in a nearby boarding school. Then about nine months ago, Swaeroes provided her with the opportunity to achieve this dream by offering mountaineering training. Not one to pass up (错过) an exciting adventure, the athletic girl signed up.

    At the end of the two-week period, only two youngsters were selected for the dangerous climb—Malavath was one of them!

    Then came the big day. On April 15th, 2014, Malavath and 16-year-old Anand Kumar along with their guide Shekhar Babu and a team of Sherpas (夏尔巴人) began the dangerous 8,848-meter trek (艰苦跋涉). While most climbers attempt the peak from the slightly easier Nepalese side, this team had to go via the harder Tibetan side. That's because the government of Nepal does not allow anyone younger than 16 to climb up the route.

    It was not easy. In fact, Malavath was sent back to the base camp after she experienced altitude sickness when she got to the advanced base camp set up at an altitude of 6,400 meters. However, the youngster returned three days later, and insisted on continuing. It took 52 days, but on May 25th, 2014, Malavath, who made it to the summit a few minutes ahead of 16-year-old Anand, proudly raised her country's flag at the top of the world. The young girl hopes that her achievements will inspire poor girls all over the world to try to achieve their dreams.

    Recently I and other Red Cross volunteers met a group of victims from Hurricane Katrina. We were there, as mental health professionals, to offer “psychological first aid” and I was struck by the simple healing power of presence. As we walked in the gate to the shelter, we were greeted with a burst of gratitude from the first person we met. I felt appreciated, but also guilty, because I hadn't really done anything yet.

    I first realized the power of presence many years ago when a friend's mother passed away unexpectedly. I received a call saying she had just passed away. I wanted to rush down there immediately, but didn't want to intrude(打扰) on this very personal period of sadness. I was torn about what to do. Another friend with me then said, “Just go. Just be there.” I did, and I will never regret it.

    Since then, I have not hesitated to be in the presence of others. Once I sat at the bedside of a young man suffering from the pain of his AIDS-ralated dying. He was not awake, and obviously unaware of others' presence. However, the atmosphere was by no means solenm. His family, playing guitars and singing, allowed him to be present with them as though he were still fully alive.

    In my life, I am repeatedly struck by the healing power of presence. In it, none of us are truly alone. It not only is something we give to others but also changes me for the better.

    LIANG TAO sold 80 pink Givenchy bags in 12 minutes. Becky Fang sold 100 Mini Cooper cars in just five. Both are wanghong, literally “red-hot on the web”. Every day millions of Chinese search social media for wanghong posts or tune in to live-streams for wanghong's opinions on everything. The fans are helping this new Chinese Internet star to make money out of their popularity—and to shake up the country's e-commerce industry in the process.

    A few of wanghong have been hired by luxury brands. Jaeger-LeCoultre, a Swiss watchmaker, hired Papi Jiang for a video ad targeting young urbanites (都市人), including her 27m fans on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblog. Zhang Yi of iiMedia Research, a consulting firm, estimates that up to 15% of sales on shopping sites like Taobao or social-media apps such as WeChat are influenced by wanghong's public support. The length of a dress might be decided by a survey of a wanghong's fans; its launch date might be based on the number of hits, shares or comments it collects, some of which can cause last-minute design changes.

    This poses a new challenge for retailers(零售商), whose supply chains must respond ever more quickly to wanghong's opinions. Whereas previously a company would look for a celebrity to match its image, wanghong and their admirers are shaping goods.

    Another challenge comes directly from wanghong themselves. They increasingly make money not merely from online support or advice but by launching their own e-commerce stores. Sales of goods accounted for just under half of wanghong earnings of 53bn yuan ($8bn) in 2016, estimates Analysys, a Chinese market-research firm (the rest came mostly from live-show tips and adverts).

    Some wanghong are going a step further. In November Becky Fang launched her own clothing line. Part of her motivation, she says, was that the brands she supported did not always match the trends she was sharing with her followers. By creating her own brand, Becky's Fantasy, she have full control of the quality. She also gains a new income. For the time being only 3-5% of wanghong follow Becky Fang's example, iiMedia Research estimates. But it expects the model to become an industry in its own right, including entertainment and e-commerce, and driven by online data.

    It was a cold winter. The wind blew all night and the snow was blinding. When morning came, my three children and I got up and made our way to the windows. As we looked out of the window, we saw that the henhouse was gone. Our three hens had been blown away by the cold wind.

    I looked at the emptiness outside. Then I saw all three chickens sitting around the edge of a white bucket. I couldn't believe my eyes! How was this violent wind not blowing them into the field beyond？I quickly pulled on long snow pants and heavy winter coat, wrapped a scarf around my neck and stuck my feet into large boots.

    I shouted at the wind as it blew. I was alone, struggling in the snow. They stared out the window into the vast white sea of snow, peering at any sign of movement. Outside I heard the sound of my boots as I walked against the wind.

    As the snow circled around me, I steadily made my way to the soft cluck-cluck-cluck sound my hens always made. When I reached them, I saw that their little feet were holding on to the edge of the bucket, heads bent forward and away from the wind. I gently lifted each hen and put it carefully into the warm inside. Then I began the freezing walk back to the small shed directly behind our house. One by one I laid my chickens on the cold floor, and they began to cluck softly.

    As I shut the shed doors, my eyes went directly to the window where my children were watching. They jumped up and down cheering, and so did I! I wasn't some dragon slayer(屠龙者) from a fairy tale. I was simply a mom, but the look on my children's faces told me that they thought I was a hero mom.

    If you wear glasses, chances are you are smarter. Research published in the famous British journal Nature Communications has found that people who displayed higher levels of intelligence were almost 30 percent more likely to wear glasses.

    The scientists studied the genes of thousands of people between the ages of 16 and 102.The study showed intelligence can be connected to physical characteristics. One characteristic was eyesight. In out of 10 people who were more intelligent, there was a higher chance they needed glasses. Scientists also said being smarter has other benefits. It is connected to better health.

    It is important to remember these are connections which are not proven causes. Scientists call this correlation. Just because something is connected to something else does not mean one of those things caused the other. And it's worth noting that what constitutes intelligence is subjective and can be difficult, if not impossible, to measure.

    Forget genes though. Plenty of proof shows wearing glasses makes people think you are more intelligent, even if you do not need glasses. A number of studies have found people who wear glasses are seen as smarter, hard-working and honest. Many lawyers use this idea to help win their cases. Lawyer Harvey Solves explained this. Glasses soften their appearance. He said sometimes there has been a huge amount of proof showing that people he was defending broke the law. He had them wear glasses and they weren't found guilty.

    Glasses are also used to show someone is intelligent in movies and on TV. Ideas about people who wear glasses have begun to shift. People who do not need glasses sometimes wear them for fashion only. They want to look worldly or cool. But not everyone is impressed by this idea, though. GQ magazine said people who wear glasses for fashion are trying too hard to look smart and hip (时髦的). However, that hasn't stopped many celebrities from happily wearing glasses even if they do not need them. Justin Bieber is just one high-profile fan of fashion glasses.