When did you last write a letter? Properly write one — by hand? In a digital world, where sending a text or email is far more convenient than using snail mail, is the writing on the wall for traditional pen and paper? Well, some people claim that writing still has many benefits, so maybe it’s not time to ditch your ballpoint or fountain pen yet.

These days, when people request things in writing, a typed, electronic document will be accepted. Doing this on a computer means it could be saved, edited, copied and sent via email. But crafting a handwritten document is unique: it requires planning and thought, and, as well as practising your handwriting, it helps you to remember spelling and punctuation.

Some experts believe your brain benefits from using old-fashioned pen and paper. This is particularly relevant for students, where typing notes into a laptop is thought to lack the “tactile feedback (触觉反馈)” to the brain that contact between pen and paper does. BBC Worklife website quotes Hetty Roessingh from the University of Calgary, who says that taking notes by hand involves cognitive engagement in summarising, paraphrasing, organising, concept and vocabulary mapping. Others agree that handwriting may boost fine motor skills in your hands and fingers.

There are everyday benefits of using pen and paper too. Scribbling (匆忙书写) notes, shopping lists or messages on the back of an envelope can still be useful, quick and portable. But putting pen to paper in a letter to a friend or loved one can probably have the most impact. Pen pal writer Katherine Moller told the BBC, “In a world where it is so easy to hop online to email or to send a fast text, it is so personal and so precious to know someone chose to turn off the virtual world to spend some time with you.”

So, while digital skills remain important, don’t write off your pens and pencils yet — especially if your smartphone, tablet or laptop runs out of power.

How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments－mostly for entertainment purposes－is fair and respectful?

Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural homes.

Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty. Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range(分布区). The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs.

The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusually self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.

Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding(圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?

Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.

A national survey finds that Americans of all ages are spending more time sitting. And this has health experts worried. Sitting too much, especially when watching television, phones or other screens, can be bad for your health, research suggests. It has been linked to diseases such as diabetes and cancer, and also tied to an increased risk of mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.

In a new study, researchers analyzed(分析) survey data from more than 50, 000 American children, teenagers and adults. Overall, people sat a lot. Nearly two-thirds of children and teens said they sat at least two hours a day watching television or videos. Teens now sit more than eight hours a day. The data also showed that computer use outside of school or work has been increasing across all ages.

Lin Yang, a public health expert at Alberta Health Services in Calgary, Canada, notes that this trend(趋势) is not unique to the United States. “Studies out of Europe and Australia have also found increases in sitting time,” she says. “This includes sitting for work or school as well as driving rather than walking or riding.”

Erin O’Loughlin, an exercise psychologist at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, notes there are many reasons children and teens have been sitting more. These include less outdoor play, more screen time. And schools have been reducing opportunities for exercise during the school day.

“We all need to move more and sit less, ”says Lin Yang. “It’s important to not just switch(转变) from sitting to standing but to actually move around. ”And spending more time outside helps, she notes. This is good for fitness and for exposure(接触) to the sun, an important source of the body’s vitamin D. If getting more exercise sounds difficult, don’t stress: take it one step at a time.