This is a true story about a boy who, the world might say, was a terrible underachiever. While in the eighth grade, he failed subjects repeatedly. High school wasn’t much better; he flunked Latin, algebra, English, and received a grade of zero in physics. The boy managed to make the school golf team, but he lost the most important golf match of the season.

It’s not that his peers disliked this boy; it’s just that they never really seemed to notice him much. Even “Hellos” in the hall were a rarity. Out of all the failures in his life, there was something that did hold great importance to this boy, his love of drawing. Although in high school, the cartoons he submitted to the yearbook were rejected, once out of school, the boy was so sure of his artistic talent that he approached Walt Disney Studios with drawing works. I wish I could say the studios loved his work and immediately hired him, but such was not the case; another huge rejection.

Despite his lack of successes, this boy did not give up. He then decided to write his own autobiography in cartoons, about a little boy who was regarded as a loser and a nobody.

The name of this boy was Charles Schulz, the creator of the famous Charlie Brown and comic dog Snoopy.

In life, it is sometimes easy to feel like a nobody. We pass hundreds of people on the street on our way to work, or walk through a faceless crowd in a mall, and no one seems to notice or care. Deep inside, we may know we are special and unique and have lots to offer, but unless someone takes the time to look our way and give us a chance, we may feel worthless, just like Charlie Brown who couldn’t even manage to fly a kite or kick a football properly.

Just as Charles Schulz had faith in his artistic talent, so too, we must realize that nobody is a nobody. We all have special gifts and talents, and every human being is deserving and capable of being loved and appreciated.

The UK has a new Prime Minister (首相). On Sept 5, Liz Truss beat her competitor Rishi Sunak, winning the ruling Conservative Party’s leadership contest(竞争). The 47-year-old has become the third female prime minister in British history.

After three years in office, former prime minister Boris Johnson had to step down after a number of scandals(丑闻). For example, he took part in parties at 10 Downing Street during the UK’s COVID-19 lockdown(封控). This made him the first prime minister in history to have broken the law in office, reported The Independent.

Truss is facing big challenges right after taking office on Sept 6. These include a troubled national healthcare service and a series of labor strikes(工人罢工), noted CNN.

However, the biggest problem facing her is the huge energy crisis(能源危机), reported Reuters. The crisis results from the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic(疫情) and Brexit(脱欧) as well as Russia’s cuts in gas supplies to Europe following the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February. This winter, UK household energy bills are set to rise to around £3,500 (about 28,105 yuan) — three times the cost of a year ago, according to The Atlantic magazine.

In her victory speech, Truss promised a “bold plan” to cut taxes(税) and grow the economy. “I will deliver on(解决) the energy crisis, dealing with people’s energy bills, but also dealing with the long-term issues we have on energy supply,” she said.

“Hopefully she’ll bring that, a new team, a new start, but it’s going to be a challenging job,” Robert Conway, 71, an electronics worker, told AP in London.

Truss doesn’t have long to convince voters that she is on the right track. The UK’s next general election will be held in two years, noted AP.

Welcome back home! On Sept. 25, Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer (首席财务官) Meng Wanzhou. 49, arrived in Shenzhen, Guangdong, after being illegally (非法地) held for nearly three years in Canada, Xinhua reported.

“After more than l,000 days of suffering (痛苦), I finally returned to the motherland,” Meng said after she got off the plane. She described the motherland, the Party and the government as the shining light that led her on the long journey home.

On Dec. 1, 2018, Meng was held in Canada because the US charged (指控) her with fraud (欺诈). The US wanted to take her to the US for trial (审讯). Meng pleaded not guilty (不认罪) to the charge and finally was free to leave Canada on Sept. 24 local time.

The long wait in a foreign country was full of struggle (挣扎) and suffering. Meng was illegally held in Vancouver for 33 months and 19 days. She was under 24-hour close monitoring (监视). Security guards (保安人员) would follow her whenever she left home. She had to wear an ankle bracelet monitor (脚踝监视器) for GPS tracking (追踪) and stay indoors from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.