Pictures

Author's Note: Recently, we were assigned a project.  We were to pick objects that were brought in from fellow classmates, take a few pictures of each, and reflect.

Penguin: This penguin reminds me of winter.  Getting bundled in your scarfs, hats and mittens; drinking hot cocoa; snowball fights; ice skating; holiday's; sledding and so much more!

Winter is also special to other people for various reasons.  Some athletes look forward to winter for the Winter Olympics that take place every four years.

The Winter Olympics were first held in Chamonix, France in 1924.  The idea came from Swedish event called the Nordic Games, orginized by General Viktor Gustaf Balck and held in 1901.  These games were again held in 1903, 1905, and every four years after that up until 1926.

Sports include: Alpine skiing, Biathlon, Bobsleigh, Cross-Country skiing, Curling, Figure skating, Freestyle skiing, Ice hockey, Luge, Nordic combined, Short track speed skating, Skeleton, Ski jumping, Snowboarding, and Speed skating.  All but Nordic combined and Ski jumping allow both men and women to compete.

Some of the more well know athletes from the USA include: Shawn White (snowboarding), Lindsey Vonn (alpine skiing), and Apolo Ohno (short track speed skating).  Shawn White also skateboards, which is probably how he got so good at snowboarding.

Only these twelve countries have been in every single Winter Olympic Games: Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.  Austria, Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the United States have earned medals every time, but only the USA has won gold all the time.

The United States have been the host of the games four times: Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California in 1960; Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002, and Lake Placid, New York in both 1932 and 1980.  

The Winter Olympic Games have never been held in the Southern Hemisphere due to the warm climate.              

The 2014 Winter Olympics are expected to be held in Sochi, Russia and will take place from February 7th to February 23rd.
   

Quote: This quote reminds me of dreams. Which, of course, is quite reasonable, considering the quote consists of the word "Dream".

Dreams are some what like movies, but, your are the only one who can view it.

You may not know it, but the average person has about three to five dreams every night.  Some people can even have up to seven.  Dreams very in length, but you are more likely to remember the dream if you are awoke during the REM (rapid eye movement) Stage.

The REM Stage is when brain activity is high and seems to be awake.  Dreams do happen outside of the stage of sleep, but they aren't as clear.

As the night goes on, dreams will tend to get longer.  Dreams can be up to hours long, and can be as short as a couple of seconds.  During a full eight hours of sleep, about two hours of it is spent dreaming. 

Greeks and Romans often thought that dreams were messages from the gods that were predictions for the future. 

There are many different types of dreams such as: frightening, exciting, magical, melancholic, adventurous and more. 

There are some other types of dreams too.  A nightmare is the same as a dream, except nightmares cause negative emotions and are usually scary.  

A daydream is also like a dream, but they occur while you are awake.  Usually daydreams are happy.

Dreams are not in your control.  You can't choose what you dream about.  You may fall asleep thinking about a certain subject, but that doesn't mean you will dream about it.  Dreams also can give you inspiration, ideas, or creativity.

  

Studies show that monkeys, dogs, cats, rats, elephants and even some types of birds have dreams too, just like us. 

Monkey: This monkey that was dangling from the ceiling reminds me of  simply monkey's  This stuffed creature also got me thinking about what they eat, their predators, and so on.

The largest type of monkeys are Baboons and Mandrills.  The males of both species weigh around 30 to 36 kilograms.  The Pygmy Marmoset species are the smallest, and they weigh about 113 to 119 grams.
 
Mandrills are endangered.  Pygmy Marmosets and Baboons are currently not, though scientists are worried about the Marmosets because they are often sold as pets.

Sometimes, monkeys are used in experiments and even movies.  The naughty monkey in Night at the Museum is played by Crystal.  Able and Baker (both girls) were the first monkeys sent into space on May 28, 1959 that came back alive.

Able died a few months after, and Baker lived on for about two dozen more years.

There are also cartoon monkeys, such as Abu from Aladdin.

The lifespan of a monkey depends on the species. Squirrel monkeys and Howler monkeys life around fifteen to twenty years.  Howler monkeys are often hunted and their habitats are destroyed, which can greatly decrease their lifespan.  Mandrills can live up to forty five years.

A monkeys body is similar to people, with arms, legs, feet and hands.  Monkeys are very flexible, allowing them to easily grab and climb branches.  But monkeys cannot swing from tree to tree like apes because their shoulders not built for swinging.

Monkeys eat a variety of different things.  Bugs, fruit, seeds, roots and herbs.  The Pygmy Marmoset drink sap from trees by drilling holes into them.

A monkeys main predator is, surprisingly... humans.

Monkeys have very interesting relationships with us humans.  Sometimes, the animals are kept as pets.  Other times, we are rude to them by killing the monkeys for some silly reason, and in rare occasions, monkeys will attack the humans.

 Sources: www.wikipedia.com, www.globio.org