My brother belongs to a strange group known as birders. Together with his three friends who are likewise into the hobby of birding, they march on landfills, and hike through the wooded lands, each of them armed with a pair of binoculars (双筒望远镜), a digital camera, biscuits, and water. One of them carries a telescope which comes in handy in case they want to take a look at a bird up close.

Understandably, their clothing is light; their shoes are designed for comfort, and they never fail to bring with them hats. Moving at a slow pace, they go in search of birds. And, yes, they carry a field guide --- a manual for identifying birds.

It is interesting to note how my brother and his co-birders go through their hobby: first, they look for a bird (either with the naked eyes or with the help of their binoculars); when they find one, they identify it; they then write it down. In case they are unable to determine the bird’s identity, they search for it in the field guide. If the bird is not in the handbook, they take down notes, make a rough drawing representing the chief features of the bird, or even take a picture of it to be used as a future reference.

A device, called the National Geographic’s Handheld Birds Personal Digital Assistant, is available for those who plan to take up birding in North America. This handy device is a digital field guide containing more than one thousand five hundred visual representations of birds. It has a searchable database of over eight hundred North American bird species.

For those seriously considering birding as a hobby but having second thoughts for fear of catching the terrible bird flu, it is important to know that you can take up the hobby and be safe from the fatal disease if you strictly observe the slogan of birders worldwide: just watch, don’t catch.

I stole your dog today. No, I didn’t set a foot on your house, but from the condition of your dog, I can imagine what it looks like…the word “rubbish” comes to mind.

I found her along a road, with a heavy chain wrapped around her neck, still attached to rotten boards from her doghouse. Not only did I know that most of the town people had already ignored her, judging by where I found her, but I knew that if she had gotten into the Woods, the “cross” that she dragged behind her would have wrapped around a tree until starvation or thirst killed her. She has a beautiful name now. Already in the first week she has come to look more like she should. Her eyes sparkle and she has learned to wag her tail in greeting. She has stopped flinching (畏缩) when I make a sudden movement, because she knows now that I won’t beat her, in fact, she rarely leaves my side. She’s even become brave enough to bark at a cat and today I watched from the window as she attempted to play with the other dogs. No, it’s clear she does not miss you or her former life on a chain.

It’s not clear yet whether she'll remain here or whether I’ll find her a loving home where she can count on more individual attention than I can give her, but one thing is certain, this is one bit of stolen “property” who is never returning to you. So sue me, accuse me, plead with the courts that she is rightfully yours ... I’m convinced this is the best “crime” I’ve ever committed. Hardly anything has pleased me more than the day I stole your dog. I need only look into her beautiful brown eyes to know that she’d defend my decision with her life. If we have one prayer, it is that you will not replace her, and if we have one special day to celebrate together, it is the day I stole your dog and the day she stole my heart.

When people argue about whether coffee is good for health, they’re usually thinking of the health of the coffee drinker. Is it good for your heart? Does it increase blood pressure?

Does it help you concentrate? However, coffee affects the health of the human population in other ways, too.

Traditionally, coffee bushes are planted under the canopy (树荫）of taller trees. However， more and more fanners in Latin America are deforesting the land to grow full-sun coffee. At first, this increases production because more coffee bushes can be planted if there aren5t any trees. With increased production come increased profits.

Unfortunately, deforesting for coffee production immediately decreases the local wildlife habitat, because native birds nest and hide from predators(捕食者）on the tall trees and migrating birds rest there.

Furthermore, in the long term, the full-sun method also damages the ecosystem because more chemical fertilizers and pesticides(杀虫剂)are needed to grow the coffee. The fertilizers and pesticides kill insects that eat coffee plants, and then the birds eat the poisoned insects and also die. The chemicals kill or sicken other animals as well, and can even enter the water that people will eventually drink.

Fortunately, farmers in Central and South America are beginning to grow more coffee bushes in the shade. We can support these farmers by buying coffee with such labels as “shade-grown” and ‘"bird-friendly”. Sure, these varieties might cost a little more. But we’re paying for the health of the birds, the land, ourselves, and the planet. I think it’s worth it.