Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.

    “I'll be the first millionaire in Clifford!” Richard Pike used to say.

    “And you'll sorry you knew me,” George would reply “because I'll be the best lawyer in town!”

    George never did become a lawyer and Richard Pike never made any money. Instead both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Clifford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which made the competition between them worse.

    Now with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow, old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his former rival(竞争对手). Perhaps he missed him?

    George was very interested in old dictionaries. He had recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was surprised—the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading.

    “Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rivals Dylan. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia.”

    For most of us Veterans Day just means a chance to enjoy an extra day off from school or work．However this November 11th，be sure to spend a few minutes on its true purpose，by acknowledging（感谢）the men and women who have served in our armed forces．

    And you don't have to stop at just this one day．Join the over 10，000youth members of the Young Marines group that honor these brave men and women all year long with special events and completely spoil them for an entire week，from November 4th to 11th，by visiting hospitalized veterans，performing chores for disabled veterans and even organizing community－wide social event．The program open to kids ranging from the age of eight all the way to high school，is a great way to not only show your appreciation，but also get a chance to do some fun activities with like－minded kids and make a real difference in a veteran's life．

    People often believe that Memorial Day and Veterans Day are celebrated for the same reason．There is however a subtle but important difference between the two．While both honor our military personnel，the former is a day to remember and pay respect to all the men and women that died serving our country in a war，while Veterans Day is to celebrate the soldiers who are still alive and served in the forces at any time，during peace or war． Though several other countries celebrate this day in honor of their own veterans，the meaning is slightly different for each one．Some like the United Kingdom，celebrate it in honor of all soldiers－living or dead，while others like Canada celebrate it to honor all living veterans．They also call it different names．France and New Zealand sill call it Armistice Day．In the United Kingdom，Australia and Canada it is referred to as Remembrance Day，while Malta and South Africa celebrate it as Poppy Day．

    No matter what it is called，the reason for observing the day is the same－to show our appreciation to the brave men and women who sacrifice（牺牲）everything to make this world a safer place for the rest of us．

    Having three cancer patients in the same household can turn a whole family upside down. Michelle Bruce, her husband, Jeremy, and their son, Holden, all had cancer. The family moved to Michelle's hometown of Franklin, Nebraska six years ago, so her parents could help.

    Doctors found Holden's brain tumor（肿瘤）, when he was 12 years old. His family was living in a small town at the time, but there were related doctors in the state. Holden had two operations in Omaha clinic, both of which were tough.

    When Holden's cancer came back again in 2012, nothing could be done. But the family didn't give up. They reached out to Boston Children's Hospital, which has better equipment and doctors with more experience operating on kids. After looking at Holden's records, the doctor sent back her diagnosis: She was confident that she could remove the tumor.

    The family was beyond relieved, until they learned insurance wouldn't cover any of the operation's costs. The operation would cost $39,000 – more than the parents could afford. The family got desperate.

    In a town of just 1,000 people, however, word traveled fast. Within days, a local woman Michelle had never met in person called to say she was planning an event to raise money for Holden. Michelle was touched.

    The event was uplifting. Finally, the town raised $45,000 – enough to cover not just Holden's hospital bills, but for Michelle and Jeremy's trip to Boston with their son. “I just didn't know what to say,” said Michelle. “Nobody could really believe it.”

    Holden's operation went much more smoothly than the first two. He is cancer-free and now is attending Central Community College-Hastings on a full-ride scholarship.

Is forgiveness against our human nature? To answer our question, we need to ask a further question: What is the essence of our humanity? For the sake of simplicity, people consider two distinctly different views of humanity. The first view involves dominance and power. In an early paper on the psychology of forgiveness, Droll （1984） made the interesting claim that humans' essential nature is more aggressive than forgiving allows. Those who forgive are against their basic nature, much to their harm. In his opinion, forgivers are compromising their well-being as they offer mercy to others, who might then take advantage of them. 

The second view involves the theme of cooperation, mutual respect, and even love as the basis of who we are as humans. Researchers find that to fully grow as human beings, we need both to receive love from and offer love to others. Without love, our connections with a wide range of individuals in our lives can fall apart. Even common sense strongly suggests that the will to power over others does not make for harmonious interactions. For example, how well has slavery （奴隶制） worked as a mode of social harmony?

From this second viewpoint of who we are as humans, forgiveness plays a key role in the biological and psychological integrity of both individuals and communities because one of the outcomes of forgiveness, shown through scientific studies, is the decreasing of hatred and the restoration of harmony. Forgiveness can break the cycle of anger. At least to the extent the people from whom you are estranged （不和的） 'accept your love and forgiveness and are prepared to make the required adjustments. Forgiveness can heal relationships and reconnect people. 

As an important note, when we take a Classical philosophical perspective, that of Aristotle, we see the distinction between potentiality and actuality. We are not necessarily born with the capacity to forgive, but instead with the potential to learn about it and to grow in our ability to forgive. The actuality of forgiving, its actual appropriation in conflict situations, develops with practice. 

    It's one of the most common questions adults ask children: what do you want to be when you grow up? Although childhood is supposed to be fun, kids also discuss important topics regarding their futures. Now, a new study finds that children who set big goals regarding their future status and education often set themselves up for success as they age. 

    The findings, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, are the first to reveal a connection between life goal development and future success in school or the workplace. Rodica Damian, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Houston, and other researchers discovered that as children grow up, their goals naturally begin to change. However, as some childhood goals fall away, other goals related to a family stay strong. These include being close to relatives, building more friendships or finding a romantic partner, and even becoming more involved in your community or helping others. 

    During the study, researchers compared how their goals evolved as children moved from adolescence to adulthood and how a person's goals impacted their success in school and as an employee later on. Overall, a child's goals focusing on their education and future status were the most consistent predictors (预测因素) of income in adulthood. Simply put, when a child dreams big about doing well in school or achieving great success as an adult, these goals accurately paint a picture of how successful these children will be. So, the message is simple: dream big and dream of success, kids! Those goals can drive you to success when you grow up! 

    "Our work proves a strong connect ion between a child's life goals, educational achievement, and future occupational outcomes. This information is valuable for parents and educators who can use it to encourage children to set ambitious goals. Additionally, it helps develop strategies to support individuals in achieving their goals and reaching their full potential," Damian concludes.