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Local (official) in Beijing promised to further protect the city's cultural heritage (遗产), in particular the narrow streets known as hutongs.

Hutongs are (common) found in the cities of North China, but they are in danger. Beijing is currently believed to have fewer than 1,000 hutongs, most of are near the Forbidden City. Only 60 years ago, the number of the hutong (be) 3,250.

"On average more than 100,000 people visit the Forbidden City during the National Day holidays. The visits put pressure on the (protect) of cultural relics," said Huang Yan, director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning, (add) that hutongs should be protected from human damage.

The government concentrated how the protection plans were carried out and how the management of cultural heritage worked. Wang Shaofeng, head of the Xicheng District Government, said the area has 182 cultural relics, and many of them were built as far back as the Yuan Dynasty. The district of Xicheng has 1.28 million residents in its 57 square kilometers of land. " most efficient way is to decrease the local population to reduce the possibility of causing harm to the heritage," Wang said. "Each community has been requested (report) the status of its cultural heritage." No one knows for sure how many hutongs (leave) in the coming 100 years.

That was when Baker's friend, Carla Vail, thought up a way to4 the help for an entire year. She called it the "Calendar Girls". Vail gathered the5 of 31 of Baker's friends who wanted to help, and6 each a particular day. "On that day, they would reach out to me in some7 — maybe a phone call, maybe a card," Baker said. "It didn't have to be anything8."

Vail also gave Baker the names on the calendar, so Baker could know what to9 each day. "So I could look at the10 and be like, ‘Oh, it's the sixth today. And so-and-so's assigned," Baker said. "And I could reach out to them as well if I needed some11 support, or just needed something."

Looking back, Baker feels that Vail's12 was essential to helping her cope with her husband's death. Today, Baker tries to do something13 for her own friends going through14. In hard times, she knows how15 it is to have something to look forward to every day.

The study followed more than 4,000 people over three weeks as they completed check-ins every three days on their smartphones or smartwatches regarding their positive and negative experiences with their closest social relationships, as well as assessments of their blood pressure, heart rate, stress and coping. Having more positive experiences in social relationships was generally associated with better coping, lower stress and lower blood pressure, according to the study.

Frequently changing between good and bad in social relationships can be unhelpful. When there is a lot of volatility, the negative experiences seemed to have a bigger impact on a person than the positive, said lead study author Brian Don of the University of Auckland.

Then, how to build good social relationships? Adam Smiley Poswolsky, a workplace belonging expert, suggests starting small. Text a friend that you haven't talked to in a long time, meet one new person a month, host a dinner party, or join a class. "If you do just one thing, make a list of five people in your life that you care about, and give one of them a phone call," Poswolsky added.

There might not be just one definition of a good friendship, but most strong relationships share some similar qualities, he said. They tend to prioritize laughter, joy, excitement, courage, and non-judgmental support. And good friendships are often two people helping each other become better versions (版本) of themselves, he added. "You know someone is a true friend when they have your back when you're sick, when you lose your job, when you make a mistake, when you're stressed, when you're sad," Poswolsky said.

It all started last year when Orion's elementary school teacher suggested that the then 9-year-old enter the National Kindness Speech Contest. "I decided that I was just going to give it a shot and see how it would go," Orion tells us. He gave a speech about how kindness could "change a nation," and won the competition, receiving a $500 cash prize.

He quickly realized he wasn't going to use all of that money. "I'm a kid," he says, "I have everything that I could ever want. But there are people who don't."

Orion, who says his parents always taught him that "kindness is a virtue that we should all try to possess," came up with the idea of the Race to Kindness campaign — a series of events to help others. Orion describes the campaign as "just an idea where I would spread kindness and people would be able to join the race by spreading kindness in their own communities." He decided to start by helping children with health problems in the hospital, saying, "What better way to amuse a kid than a toy?" So, he used his winnings to buy as many toys as possible and launched a toy fair to gather more. He collected over 600 toys, which were donated to the Children's Health Hospital in Dallas in 2021.

But Orion was just getting started. After the toy fair, he launched an ambitious "Race to 100, 000 meals" to help food-insecure people in his community. Race to Kindness partnered with a local nonprofit organization to help get 100, 000 meals donated and to feed people who might not have had a meal for Thanksgiving. The result? "We were able to not only reach but also surpass our goal of 100, 000 meals," he says.

In May 2022, the kindness activist decided to launch "Race to 500, 000 Books" to help families who couldn't afford books or live in "book deserts". When asked why he thinks of books, "I'm a huge book fan," Orion shares, "and studies show that children who have books in their homes do better academically."

The UN cultural agency's chief, Audrey Azoulay said, "The decision honors more than just bread; it recognizes the ‘graceful skills of bakers' and ‘a daily ritual (仪式)'." Azoulay added, "It is important that such baking knowledge and social practices can continue to exist in the future."

With the bread's new status (地位), the French government said it planned to create a baguette day, called the "Open Bake house Day", to connect the French better with their heritage. Bakers in France seemed proud, if unsurprised. "Of course, it should be on the list because the baguette symbolizes the world. It's universal," said Asma Farhat, a baker at Julien's Bakery. "If there's no baguette, you can't have a proper meal. In the morning you can toast it, for lunch it's a sandwich, and then it accompanies dinner."

Despite the decline in traditional bakery numbers, France's 67 million people still buy baguettes at a variety of sales points, including in supermarkets. According to France's "Bread Observatory", the French eat 320 baguettes of one form or another every second. The problem is, observers say, that they can often be poor in quality. "It's very easy to get bad baguette in France. It's the traditional baguette from the traditional bakery that is in danger. It's about quality not quantity," said one local resident, Marine Fourchier.

On my first day as a reporter, I met a technical problem with my media system account. Thankfully, Chinese volunteer Guo came to help me out. "I hope to improve my language, communication skills, and problem- solving methods through this event," said 24-year-old Guo from Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, who was studying wireless communication at the Paris Institute of Digital Technology. As a former professional swimmer, Guo saw this as her chance to take part in the Olympics, though in a different role. Another Chinese volunteer, Yang, faced challenges in managing her job and volunteer duties. Despite giving up her holidays, she felt great pride in contributing to the event.

One of my most memorable experiences was meeting with a French volunteer. When I needed help to find the visitor center, a young man on a scooter (小型摩托车) appeared, like a sort of "Monkey King riding a cloud", and offered to take me there. After helping me, he expressed his admiration for the Beijing Olympics and his desire to visit China again.

Volunteers like them were seen everywhere — from bus stops to competition venues — offering directions and helping with a smile. When large crowds left the venues after the events, causing overcrowding, some volunteers sat on high chairs with loudspeakers, providing directions to go outside in both English and French with a smile. These amazing volunteers, truly show the Olympic spirit, making the event and Paris shine even brighter.

ZooLights: Glow Wild Jan. 1-19

The Phoenix Zoo's yearly holiday light show is on until Jan. 19, allowing families one or more opportunities to enjoy the city's zoo, with millions of lights giving an added dimension to the festivities.

Glow Wild, 455 N. Galvin Pkwy. , Phoenix, phoenixzoo.org, $11. 95 members, $13. 95 general admission.

Downtown Mesa Festival of the Arts Jan. 4-18

The Downtown Mesa Festival of the Arts features the work of established and emerging artists, including those who create woodwork, metal crafts, food items, art, photography and gifts.

On Macdonald, off of Main Street in Downtown Mesa, dtmesafest.com, free admission.

Family Fun Winterfest Jan. 4

OdySea Aquarium in the Desert is hosting the third annual Family Fun Winterfest in its Desert Courtyard, featuring real snow for the kids to play in. This free event features everything from bounce houses to rides, games, snowflake crafts and face painting to go with various stands set up by local sellers, with food and other offerings for sale at the event.

9500 E. Via de Ventura, Scottsdale, odyseainthedesert.com, free.

Youth Fine Arts Course Jan. 18-Mar. 7

Mesa Arts Center is hosting an eight-week youth arts course on Saturdays to teach artistic skills and knowledge through fun and challenging art classes in a wide variety of art materials, including painting, drawing, mixed media and sculpture, ensuring mentally stimulating sessions for all.

Mesa Art Center, 1 E. Main St, Mesa, mesaartscenter.com, $93.