Aron Lee Ralston was born in a middle class American household. His family moved to Colorado when Aron was 12 years old and this move laid the foundation for his love for hiking around the canyons (峡谷).

Aron’s life changed on April 26th, 2003, upon facing the event that threatened to take his life, and almost took it. He was hiking through the Blue John Canyon and he accidentally displaced a huge rock he was climbing down from. The rock caught his right hand in between itself and the canyon wall.

Aron had decided to go on the adventure alone and hadn’t informed anybody about it. So, when he was unable to free his right hand, he felt he would be stuck forever in there. He tried hard to get his hand out but failed, and screaming for help was of no use either. Moreover, he didn’t want to wear himself out as shouting for help would take a lot of energy, which was essential (重要) for surviving the unfortunate event for a long period of time.

After a couple of days, he knew it was impossible for him to set himself free from an 800-pound rock. He decided to cut off his right hand. He had a blunt (钝的) pocket knife with him,   which wasn’t sharp enough to cut through the bone. Some time passed and his water and food supply ended. He carved his name, date of birth and a possible date of death on the stone.

But luckily he got a strange idea that he could use the torque (扭转力) and his bones to separate his arm from his body. With the help of his very limited tool, he finally succeeded and walked out of the canyon, bleeding in large amounts. Fortunately, a holidaying family saw him and gave him food and water, and then took him to a hospital.

After the accident, Aron got a prosthetic limb (假肢) and continued mountain climbing,   considering the accident as a “turning point in his life”.

Saisri Akondi was visiting a friend in Manipal just before the lockdown. Trapped by the travel ban, the researcher found herself frustrated at not being able to help during a national emergency. Back home, her colleagues at the National Chemical Laboratory worked on innovative methods to deal with the pandemic (流行病). She wanted to contribute in her own way. Soon, she spotted the opportunity.

On the evening of 11 May, she came across 50 migrants being questioned by the police. Akondi learned that they were railway construction workers, abandoned by their employer after the lockdown and were making their way to Mahabubabad, 680 kilometres away. “I instantly thought of helping them, noticing there were 10 children and a pregnant lady among them,” recalled Akondi.

Her first task was to register the group on a government portal (入口) to help them get movement passes within the state. Then, she arranged for food and convinced the railway authorities to let the migrants stay at the Udupi station until their transport was arranged. Akondi next turned her attention to the women, arranging for vitamins for her. She continued to make frequent posts to the social media handles of the Telangana chief minister’s office, seeking attention and help. There was no response for days, but she did not give up.

Her relentless efforts paid off, The Telangana government paid for the migrants’ travel back. On 19 May, the happy migrants were saying a tearful goodbye to Akondi and on 20 May, they reached their homes.

Akondi continued to help other stranded migrants reach their homes. Even as the world came to a standstill, this large-hearted woman became the ant that moved mountains.

How do we take part in dinner party in foreign countries ? Have you ever experienced it ? I hated dinner parties. But I decided to give them another shot because I'm in London. And my friend Mallery invited me. And because dinner parties in London are very different from those back in New York. There, "I'm having a dinner party" means: " I'm booking a table for 12 at a restaurant you can't afford and we'll be sharing the cheque evenly, no matter what you eat." Worse, in Manhattan, there is always someone who leaves before the bill arrives. They'll throw down cash, half of what they owe, and then people like me, who don't drink, end up paying even more. But if I try to use the same trick, the hostess will shout: "Where are you going?" And it's not like I can say I have somewhere to go: everyone knows I have nowhere to go.

But in London, dinner parties are in people's homes. Not only that, the guests are an interesting mix. The last time I went to one, the guests were from France, India, Denmark and Nigeria; it was like a gathering at the United Nations. In New York, the mix is less striking. It's like a gathering at Bloomingdale's a well-known department store.

For New Yorkers, talking about other parts of the world means Brooklyn and Queens in New York. But at Mallery's, when I said that I had been to Myanmar recently, people knew where it was. In New York, people would think it was a usual new club.