People don’t usually become homeless suddenly. It’s a chutes-and-ladders (阶梯状) process. A large new statewide study takes a closer look at the period just before homelessness, by asking a representative sample of almost 3,200 homeless people from all over the state about the dilemma they fell into, and what would have helped.

Some of the findings were unsurprising: in the state with the nation’s largest homeless population, people are unhoused because they don’t have enough money, or have experienced trauma (创伤). A quarter of all survey participants had experienced family violence, and their lives and health get much worse once homelessness strikes. But some of the report’s data run counter to popular perception: for example, most homeless people are not from out of state, contrary to the common belief that homeless people move to California for the weather and policies.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Margot Kushel, says there’s a “doom loop” of homelessness, where people have jobs that don’t cover living expenses, so they lose their homes, and the resulting instability makes it harder to keep their jobs.

Kushel points to really exciting models of homelessness prevention, where in low-income communities, they’ll have subway and bus posters saying, “Are you at risk of becoming homeless? Call us.” These programs might offer anything from cash to finding landlords or roommates. “What was really striking to us was how little money people thought it would have taken,” says Kushel. Most participants suggested that less than $500 a month, or a onetime payment of $10,000, would have kept them housed. Kushel cautions that the vast majority of mental health issues among the study participants are anxiety and depression. It’s likely that the lack of resources results in those conditions, rather than the illness causing the homelessness. “The driving issue is clearly the deep poverty,” Kushel says.

The degree to which you leave traces (or data) of your online activities is referred to as your digital footprint. 【小题1】 What you usually leave behind include the remains of a campfire, your dinner scraps, and the path you carved in the woods while hiking.

In some cases, there’s a legal use for your digital footprint, such as website owners and advertisers collecting information about your online habits and purchasing preferences to better accommodate your needs. 【小题2】 Perhaps the biggest risk people face online is having their identity stolen. Besides identity theft, criminals can gather enough information about a person to target him for fraud (欺诈).

【小题3】 Here are some steps you can take to minimize it.

Don’t use your primary email address when creating online accounts. You can create one-off email addresses to make it harder for someone to develop a picture of all the sites and services you use. Another step for you is not to over-share. 【小题4】 So you can restrict your social media posts to friends or close contacts only. Finally, don’t let websites sell your data. Increasingly, websites are adding privacy tools that prevent you from having your personal information sold to advertisers or shared with partners. 【小题5】

The four-day workweek’s moment has arrived. With a new proposal of legislation (立法) in America to reduce the standard workweek from 40 to 32 hours, awareness of a shorter workweek — and enthusiasm for it — is gaining. And so is the doubt around it.

Initial doubt is reasonable since American work culture has been founded on constant working and expectations for overachievement. However, if there were ever a time for transforming thinking, this is it. The challenges over the past years have strengthened our muscles of adaptation. And the new practice of working from home proved that we can adjust quickly to changing conditions.

Four-day workweek pilots (试点) are emerging across the globe, with some companies now deciding to adopt the policy permanently. Microsoft Japan and Kickstarter represent just the growing number of organizations exploring the four-day workweek.

Supporters cite many benefits, including improved physical and mental health, increased gender equity and positive environmental impacts. It is easy to imagine what we might do with an additional day-off - spend time with family and friends, pursue a hobby, sleep. Pilot findings show increased productivity as well. Many in favor of the four-day workweek anticipate a more fulfilled community.

Some leaders will see the research and believe that a pilot is worthwhile. Others will resist the idea. They were taught that face time with employees is the only way to ensure accountability (责任心) and productivity. Less face time can feel like a loss of control.

While each organization will need to find what works for them, doing so can be a productive exercise. Leaders can let employees work out the details rather than “solving” the challenge from the top down. Perpetual Guardian asked employees to propose their own productivity measures, including how to increase productivity and arrange shifts. Awin, a tech firm, saw 80 employees volunteer for task forces to ensure that their switch to a four-day workweek went smoothly.