Thirteen years ago, my brother died. I was in severe sorrow. I remember putting one foot in front of the other—things needed to get done, tasks, completed—but feeling terribly empty inside. Four years later, I have still not gotten a job. My savings had run out.

In 2010, I began to think about rebuilding my life. When I was out walking my dog, Macarena, whom I had bought a year after my brother’s death, I had the feeling that if I could get control over my hair, I could get control over life.

My hair has annoyed me for most of my life. It’s huge, curly and has a life all its own. I have countless hair stories that could easily become horror stories! For example, once my mother took me to get my hair done at a beauty salon and the stylist gave me a cut that looked like a monster!

Now, you see why mastering my hair was so important to me. I watched countless YouTube videos from a community of women who shared hairstyles, which was a do-it-yourself community, I was inspired by. As I started to develop a more loving relationship with my hair, I realized my curly hair was teaching me a lot about patience. That shedding（脱落） is an important part of the “letting go” process to make way for the new. Our hair is the only part we can cut off, grow back, color, curl and straighten. The only thing we can change at will is to tell the world who we are.

Now I’m the captain of my ship. But for my hair, I would never have known that. 

Usually, when a waiter refuses to serve someone at a restaurant, customers complain. In this case, customers cheered.

The waiter in question, Michael Garcia, has been receiving goodwill and friend requests on the restaurant’s Facebook page since word spread that he stood up for a child with special needs.

Garcia, who works at the Houston restaurant Laurenzo’s, was serving a family with a 5-year-old child, Milo, who has Down syndrome（唐氏综合症）. The server said that another family at the restaurant commented on Milo’s behavior, which Garcia described as “talking and making little noises.” Garcia moved the complaining family to another table, but they were still unhappy. “Special needs children need to be special somewhere else,” the complaining father reportedly said.

The waiter then took a stand. He told FoxNews. com that such talk is rude and is due to people’s fear of the unknown. “My personal feelings took over,” he said, leading him to tell the father. “Sir, I won’t be able to serve you.” The family left the restaurant.

It didn’t take long for the story to get out. The restaurant’s Facebook page has received praise from people in Texas and beyond.

Facebook user Tisha Baker wrote, “Thank you so much for speaking up when most just turn away.”

Rick Park posted, “Thank you Mr. Garcia! I have a 17-year-old son with Down syndrome and I love to hear about people like yourself standing up for people with disabilities.” Stephanie Painter added, “Thank you Michael for standing up for this beautiful little boy! Anyone who has ever come in contact with a child, or adult, with Down’s knows how loving and happy they are. Milo is a precious gift from God and so is Michael!”

Outside of Texas. Garcia gained other fans. Sue Pusztai posted, “I wish I lived in Texas so I could eat at your restaurant. I would have loved to have met Mr. Garcia to thank him for his kindness and courage.”

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks around the world. There are many different types of coffee and experts think that there are more flavors of coffee than there are of wine. Coffee contains caffeine, something that raises our awareness, keeps us from failing asleep or simply gives us a kick in the morning or after lunch.

Food experts, however, are still undecided on how healthy coffee is. For a long time doctors have told people not to drink too much coffee, because it may lead to heart problems, high blood pressure, and headaches.

Scientists have now found out that it is the quality of coffee and the way it is made that hold the key to our health. Elderly people on the Greek island of Ikaria live longer than normal. Among other things, this is linked to the consumption of a strong coffee. Experts also point out that different roasts and types of coffee beans have different effects on our health. Milk and sugar change the different levels of caffeine in a cup of coffee.

A new study by a Harvard research group says that there is no link between coffee and health problems. Drinking several cups of strong coffee a day is not connected with early death or other heart diseases.

Coffee has many advantages, as the new study suggests. While alcohol makes people sleepy and slow moving, coffee gives them energy. Getting together for a cup of coffee is also a form of socializing and has a positive effect on relationships.

Although a lot still needs to be uncovered about coffee, it seems to reduce the risk of cancer and diabetes（糖尿病）. Reports show that people who drink coffee may develop Parkinson’s disease later in life, or maybe not at all. Doctors think that coffee may have a positive effect on our brain.

As more and more animal species began to disappear from Kandal province, the Cambodian man Suy Senglim grew worried. So he created a photo project hoping to bring more attention to the loss of natural habitat in Cambodia. He records the common name of each creature, its scientific name and identifying qualities, whether or not the species is endangered and hopes to educate Cambodians about the importance of wildlife protection.

“The biggest issue is damage to habitat and hunting. Besides that, it is due to demand from the rich who desire wild meat and who consider wild meat chemical-free,” he said.

“Hunting is at the root of Cambodian culture,” he said. But he notes that centuries ago, there were more animals and fewer people. Educating Cambodians about the need for saving natural resources is very important to Suy Senglim.

Chhit Sam Ath is executive director of the World Wildlife Fund, or WWF office in Cambodia. He said land sales and development are partly responsible for a sharp drop in the number of trees. It is estimated that protected areas within forests have disappeared at the same rate as forests in other parts of the country. Between 2001 and 2014, the yearly rate of forest loss in Cambodia was the highest in the world, the group said. The rate increased 14.4 percent during that period. Flora and Fauna International noted almost 60 percent of the country was forested in 2009. But it fell to 48 percent by 2014.

Suy Senglim is now working on a book on 100 bird species from among the 400species he has photographed. He hopes to publish the book in early 2018. He says he looks forward to teaching in high schools and colleges to influence a new generation of nature-lovers.