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1.The Fashion Show with a Message 

    Paris is one of the centers of the fashion industry. In the past few years, this high-profile fashion capital has begun to show that it has a kinder side. Since 2004, Paris has hosted something good for the whole world-The Ethical Fashion Show.

    This show is not just about putting the latest fashions on display. All of the products are made with environmental or social concerns in mind. The goods are cruelty-free, which means there is no real fur from animals in the clothing, and no animal testing was done on the cosmetics. In addition, hand-woven items and jewelry are all fair trade products, which help disadvantaged producers get a better, fairer deal.

    The show includes eco-friendly items, such as purses made of recycled materials like candy wrappers and soda labels. Even children’s clothes are exhibited, made from organically grown cotton. One designer has clothing made of the wool of rescued sheep that would have been slaughtered because they were too small, injured, or because they had imperfections in their fleece.

    Since it began, the show has grown from a few designers to 83 in the year of 2007. As the public becomes more concerned with how goods are produced, this event’s growth is sure to continue.

2. A Decision from the Heart

    At the train station, Matthew asks the stationmaster for the orphan boy that he is adopting. Surprised to see a scrawny girl waiting for him instead, he says, “I’m not expecting a girl. It’s a boy I’ve come for.”

    Eleven-year-old Anne Shirley, her bright red hair in braids, chatters away, “I suppose you are Mr. Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables? I was afraid you weren’t coming. If you didn’t come, I’d sleep in that wild cherry tree in the moonshine, imagining I’m dwelling in marble halls.”

    Shy around women, the elderly man becomes charmed by the lively girl and enjoys their drive back home in his horse and buggy. His stern spinster sister Marilla is not as pleased. “How can a girl help us on the farm?”

    Matthew and Marilla come to love Anne deeply. Matthew says, “Anne, we are so proud of the young lady you’ve become. You’ve studied so hard and won a scholarship to pay for your college studies.” They will truly miss Anne when she goes away.

    Anne is thrilled about her future, but one day, Matthew receives a letter from the bank and discovers his finances are in ruins. Shocked, he grasps his chest and immediately dies from a heart attack.

    “Oh, Marilla, what will we do without him?” Anne cries.

    “We’ve got each other, Anne. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here, if you’d never come. Oh, Anne, I know I’ve been strict with you. I love you as dear as if you were my own flesh and blood.”

    Weeks later, Marilla discovers she is losing her eyesight. Anne says, “Marilla, I’m not going to take the scholarship. I’m going to teach nearby, so I can take care of you. Gilbert and I made up our minds; we’re the best of friends and very fond of each other. He’s giving up his teaching position, so I can have it.”

    “You blessed girl!” says Marilla. Anne smiles, knowing she has made the right decision to become close with Gilbert and stay with those who genuinely love her.

3. Earth is in its 6th Mass Extinction

    Scientists from Stanford, Princeton, and U.C. Berkeley said in a recent report that vertebrates (animals with spinal cords) are becoming extinct at a rate not seen since the dinosaurs disappeared 65 million years ago in the 5th mass extinction.

    While the past five extinction events likely followed violent natural disasters, the current collapse in biodiversity is linked to human actions that have led to deforestation, pollution, global warming, and habitat loss. Animal species are currently disappearing at a rate 114 times faster than normal, which is more gradual pace than how the dinosaurs met their end. But Gerardo Ceballos, the report’s lead author, warned that humans may actually be one of the earlier casualties this time around.

    With the destruction of fragile ecosystems, for example, pollination bees could meet their demise in less than three human generations. Though not vertebrates, bees play a crucial role in our food supply. By some estimates, bees are responsible for pollinating over 400 different types of agricultural plants, and according to OneGreenPlant.org, help produce US$19 billion worth of crops, or a third of what Americans eat each year.

    Animals considered endangered and on the brink of extinction include the African elephants (poached for their ivory tusks), lemur (whose habitat has been decimated by illegal logging in Madagascar), and Sumatran tiger (a victim of both poaching and deforestation).