Friday, October 2, 2009

Fact or Fiction?

The colorful mountains in this picture may seem to be out of this world, but they are in fact a real place on Earth. This miraculous scenery is of a Danxia landform, which can be seen in many places throughout China. The color is a result of millions of years of accumulated red sandstone and other sediments that have dried and oxidized.
Sometimes in life, fact is stranger than fiction. There are so many unbelievable and beautiful sights on our planet: the Grand Canyon, Niagra Falls, the Northern Lights, and many, many others. Some places and sights are just like a heaven on Earth.
The world is still yet to be understood. New mysteries are being discovered every day and will continue to be revealed forever. Who knows what we may find on this incredible planet throughout the future?

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Declaration of Indepence from Waking Up Early

When in the course of human events if becomes necessary for an individual to declare independence from certain tasks. Particular burdens in life are frustrating and should be avoided. If we could but come together as a people in our pursuit of happiness we could change our life for the better by fixing one distorted idea of life.
The most refreshing time of day can simply be waking in your warm bed with the sun shining through the window and not having a care in the world. Mornings can be a very exhilarating time in life and can lead to a productive and fulfilled day that gives you a sense of accomplishment. We have transformed our way of life which hath made mankind disposed to suffer. America is waking up too early. Mornings can be a very beautiful time and a good tool that can help us sail through our daily activities. Mornings are great, but they need to be later in the day.
Why have compelled our lives to wake up hours earlier? Why do we force ourselves with wake-up calls and alarm clocks to arouse from peaceful slumber when our bodies are not yet ready to do so? On average, adults need eight hours of sleep, whereas teenagers need ten hours. Seventy percent of Americans get less than eight hours of sleep a night. Not getting enough sleep affects your performance in all efforts in life. For example, the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration estimates that every year more than 100,000 accidents, 40,000 injuries, and 1,500 deaths in the U.S. are caused by crashes involving drivers who are simply tired. A study has shown that the extra hour of sleep received when clocks are turned back at the end of daylight savings time has been found to coincide with a fall in the number of road accidents. Also, a number of schools that have pushed back their first bells from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 or 8:40 a.m. have increased standardized test scores, reduced dropout rates and lowered the number of car crashes involving teenagers.
What if we had an extra hour of sleep every day? How many tests could we do better on? How many projects could we excel more on? How many car crashes could we prevent and, therefore, how many lives could we save? Wake up to the facts America, and go to sleep.