What Is the American Dream?

The American dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society in which upward mobility is possible for everyone. The American dream is believed to be achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance.

Paint Mines Interpretive Park

Paint Mines Trail is a 3.4 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Calhan, Colorado that features beautiful wildflowers and is good for all skill levels.

The Paint Mines are open from dawn till dusk, but with a permit from the El Paso County Parks Office, you can explore at night! Thanks to the paint mines being so far away from Colorado Springs, light pollution is fairly low over the park.

The paint mines are named for their clay deposits, which contain iron oxides that color the clay red, yellow, and purple and were probably used as pigments by prehistoric peoples. In addition to their colors, the paint mines contain many striking formations.

The rocks at the Paint Mines are interlayered shale and clay with embedded selenite (gypsum) and jasper, heavily stained by iron oxide and topped by a more resistant layer of cross-bedded sandstone, which forms the white caprocks on some of the hoodoos.

Science Explains Why Humans Love the Ocean so Much
WEDNESDAY JULY 13, 2016

Cassandra Mitchell

Photo: Tyler Rooke

Standing at the shore’s edge in my hometown of Newport Beach, California, I am once again overtaken by the sensations of peace and happiness. My breath is heavy, my hair is dripping, and my skin is soaked in salt. I feel at one with the world and at peace with myself and all that is happening in my life—chaos included. I, like many ocean lovers, feel refreshed, renewed, and awakened by the presence of the ocean. And while many of us can go on and on about why we love the ocean, there’s a perfectly good scientific explanation as to why that is.

The ocean has always been my remedy for relieving tension, stress, and anxiety. As soon as I jump in my worries are lost. Since moving away from my family home in California, it has been imperative that I live no further than a bike ride away from the beach. I need easy access to the water at all times.

When I truly began comprehending the healing power of the ocean, I couldn’t help but notice how many others felt the same way I did. Surfers, swimmers, kids with a grin from ear to ear… it became apparent that the ocean serves as medicine for many. All of this inspired me to discover just how science plays a part in our love for the sea.

Scientists have been able to delve into the depths of the human brain to help understand why we do what we do. Advancements made in recent years have allowed us to study and expand what we know about human perception, emotions, empathy, creativity, health, healing, and, in this case, our relationship with the water.

Marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols believes that we all have a “blue mind that is a mildly meditative state characterized by calm, peacefulness, unity, and a sense of general happiness and satisfaction with life in the moment.” According to Wallace, this is triggered when we’re in or near water.

“We are beginning to learn that our brains are hardwired to react positively to water and that being near it can calm and connect us, increase innovation and insight, and even heal what’s broken,” Nichols continued. “We have a blue mind, and it’s perfectly tailored to make us happy in all sorts of ways that go way beyond relaxing in the surf, listening to the murmur of a stream, or floating quietly in a pool.”

On the eve of Thanksgiving, you can watch giant inflatable characters from popular comics and cartoons blowing up. A special site has been allocated near the American Museum of Natural History in the northwest of Manhattan. It takes a lot of patience to get there. There will be special fences around the area. The process of preparing the parade is attracting a huge number of spectators, so it will be crowded. Queues starting at 79th and Columbus Ave at 1:00pm. The territory is open to the public until 20:00.

If you didn’t make it to prepare for the parade, you’ll have a chance to see how all the air decorations are blown away after the celebration at the corner of 34th Street and Sixth Avenue.

Watercolour Florals

This mornings subject at Avon Valley Artists, or rather the task, was to produce a painting from a given squiggle. we do this once a year with the idea of stretching our imaginations to produce a reasonable result from a few pencil lines, without any source material to help us. The lines are very simple and are usually produced by one of our members grandchildren. We had two from which to choose. We then have to reproduce the design onto our painting paper, any size and any way around, but there is a reliance on everyone reproducing the line as faithfully as possible. I can nearly always find a way to paint something floral, and as this is what I enjoy most, I never apologise for producing just that! No prizes for guessing, therefore. which line I selected, and in my customary way, I started with a two/three colour wash which I allowed to dry and then drew and painted the piece below, using the lower line drawing as my starting point. It is surprisingly difficult for lots of the group to paint without any source material at all, and I found that I had put in too much green in the centre of the painting and it was quite difficult to get any freshness in the flowers when trying to paint the central blooms. I had taken some paper that I rarely use as it seemed a pity to waste expensive paper, as I had no idea what I was going to be doing, but I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed working on this textured paper...'Cornwall'....especially as it is a heavy duty paper which did not need stretching, and hardly buckled at all, despite keeping most of the image quite wet throughout the session. It is a paper with a hard surface, which helps keep the paint on the surface, which gives a freshness to the work, in this case to the original wash, and also paint can be very easily lifted if required. I do not pretend that the flowers have a name,but I will be happy to give the painting a mount and put it in the browser at the exhibition. I will leave you to work out where the original lines are in the painting!

Yellowstone: Cole Hauser GUSHES Over Kelly Reilly and Their TV Love Story (Exclusive)

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( «День сурка») Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.

Modern customs of the holiday involve celebrations where early morning festivals are held to watch the groundhog emerging from its burrow. In southeastern Pennsylvania it is a big social event in which food is served, speeches are made. The Pennsylvania German dialect is the only language spoken at the event, and those who speak English pay a penalty, usually in the form of a nickel, dime or quarter, per word spoken, put into a bowl in the center of the table.

The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day, already a widely recognized and popular tradition, received worldwide attention as a result of the 1993 film of the same name, Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney and featured Punxsutawney Phil.

Groundhog Day is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. It was written by Ramis and Danny Rubin, based on a story by Rubin.

Murray plays Phil Connors, an egocentric Pittsburgh TV weatherman who, during a hated assignment covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, finds himself repeating the same day over and over again. After indulging in hedonism and numerous suicide attempts, he begins to reexamine his life and priorities. At first he is confused, but, when the phenomenon continues on subsequent days, he decides to take advantage of the situation with no fear of long-term consequences. He learns secrets, seduces women, steals money, drives recklessly, and gets thrown in jail. However, his attempts to get closer to Rita repeatedly fail.

Eventually, Phil becomes despondent and tries more and more drastically to end the time loop; he gives ridiculous and offensive reports on the festival, abuses residents, and eventually kidnaps Punxsutawney Phil and, after a long police chase, drives into a quarry, appearing to kill both himself and the groundhog. However, Phil wakes up and finds that nothing has changed; further attempts at suicide are just as fruitless as he continues to find himself awaking on the morning of February 2.

When Phil explains the situation to Rita, she suggests that he should take advantage of it to improve himself. Inspired, Phil endeavors to try to learn more about Rita, building upon his knowledge of her and the town each day. He begins to use his by now vast experience of the day to help as many people around town as possible. He uses the time to learn, among other things, to play piano, ice sculpt and speak French.

Eventually, Phil is able to befriend almost everyone he meets during the day, using his experiences to save lives, help townspeople, and to get closer to Rita. He crafts a report on the Groundhog Day celebration so eloquent that all the other stations turn their microphones to him. After the evening dance, Rita and Phil retire together to his room. He wakes the next morning and finds the time loop is broken; it is now February 3 and Rita is still with him. Phil is a different person than he was on February 1 and, after going outside, Phil and Rita talk about living in Punxsutawney together.

In 2006, the film was added to the United States National Film Registry as being deemed «culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.»