In this age of cell phones, text messages and computer keyboards, one Scottish school has returned to basics. It’s teaching children the ignored art of writing with a fountain pen. There is no clicking of keyboards in most classrooms at the Mary Erskine and Stewart’s Melville Junior School, although there is a full range of facilities (设施) for computer lessons and technology isn’t being ignored. The school’s headmaster believes the old-fashioned pens have helped strengthen the academic performance and self-respect of his 1,200 pupils.

“The pens improve the quality of work because they force the children to take care, and better work improves self-respect”, headmaster Bryan Lewis said. “Proper handwriting is as relevant today as it ever has been.” Students as young as 7 have been instructed to give up their ballpoint pens and begin to deal with the more artful predecessor. By the time they reach grade five, at age 9, they are expected to write mainly with fountain pens. Lewis said the school’s 7- and 8-year-olds use fountain pens for 80 percent to 90 percent of their work, returning to pencils for such subjects as math. “I don’t see fountain pens as old-fashioned or out of date. Modern fountain pens are beautiful to use. It’s not like in the old days of broken metal points and dirtying writing paper,” Lewis said. “We have a particular writing style and we have developed it very carefully and found a way that allows left- and right-handed people to write without dirtying paper.”

Some people argue that handwriting is becoming less important because of the growing use of cell phone text messaging and typing on computers, but the school disagrees. “We talk of the paperless office and the paperless world, but this is not true,” Lewis said. “You still need to have proper handwriting skills.”

In real life. Max Levy is a happy 5-year-old boy who battles hemophilia(血友病）。However, in the pages of Marvel Comics, he is “Iron Max, fighting crime and helping others. Both of the are superheroes. "Since he was a baby he's been told what he can't do and now it's kind of delighted to see what he can do, and he can be anything-he can be a superhero, his father, Dan levy, told NBC News. "That's just the coolest thing. "

Max's transformation to "Iron Max" began when he was 3 years old and had to go to the hospital to have a metal disk put into his chest to facilitate his hemophilia. His father told him he was just like Iron Man, who had the same thing in his chest that gives him new abilities to go along with the ones from his special armored suit. Dan Levy then used the hashtag(标签）＃ironmax on the social media to update family and friends on his condition after the operation.

A charitable act by Max's sister Zoe, 8, who was selling calendars with pictures of Max to support kids with hemophilia being treated at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, soon came to the attention of Marvel. The creators of Iron Man then decided officially to make Max a superhero by putting him in one of their comics right alongside Iron Man himself.

＂I'm not a crier, I'm not-it was really the first time, I just came into the room, and I just cried, "his father told NBC News." It's been a year and a half… honestly not great, this kid should gain a win. ”In the Marvel comic, Iron Man's friend, Tony Stark, meets Mar during a visit to a children's hospital and creates a special armored suit just for him. The two then prepare to fight against Doctor Doom.

＂I think it's pretty cool being in a comic book, "Max told NBC News. "Like it's really cool. I'm making other children not scared because there's a kid who's a superhero and they would like to be that I guess. "By putting "Iron Max" in a well-known comic, the hope is also that it brings more attention to other kids with hemophilia, a disorder that prevents blood from clotting (凝结结块） properly. “This can help other kids with hemophilia and people with other diseases or just to raise awareness and money, Levy said, "I really honestly think this is just the beginning of something amazing for him."

The family of a gifted chess player living in London has been given the right to stay in Britain because of his “world-class talent”.

Nine-year-old Shreyas Royal had to leave the country with his parents when his father’s work visa (签证) couldn’t be used next month, the UK Press Association (PA) reported.

In a post (帖子) on his Facebook page Friday, Shreyas celebrated the news that they could now stay, saying it was a “deep pleasure for all of us”. “I would like to say a big thank-you to each and everyone from the bottom of my heart!” he wrote.

Shreyas, who plays for Battersea Chess Club, was born in India but moved to Britain when he was three years old after his father, an IT project manager, was offered a job there, according to PA.

The Home Office said the boy’s father, Jitendra Singh, had been given permission to ask for another five-year work visa without leaving the United Kingdom due to Shreyas’ talent, according to PA.

“After much research, I have taken the personal decision to allow Shreyas and his family to stay in the UK,” Home Secretary Sajid Javid said. “The UK is a country that brings up world-class talent and Shreyas is one of the most gifted chess players in his generation (代).”

Battersea Chess Club, which was established in 1885, welcomed the Home Office’s decision in a statement on its website.

“Shreyas is a very nice, down-to-earth young man who has a big future ahead of him on the world stage hopefully representing England,” said club secretary Leon Watson. “We strongly believe he will make us proud. We wish him every success going forward. In 10 years’ time we hope he’ll be a famous name as England’s first world champion.”

In a Facebook post on Monday, Shreyas announced that following his performance at the British Chess Championship he was now ranked second in the world for his age group.