It sounds so easy huh. For the busy people it seems like a long shot. How do you make time to read. I have no idea how "busy lives" are. I just pickup a book and read for hours. it is something that I can easily do so I can't even imagine how difficult it is for someone with a family to take care of. If that is your excuse as to why you don't read then I feel terrible for you. If you simply don't read because you think it to be a waste of time and pointless, then I feel sorry for you but in a totally different way then the aforementioned group of people. Maybe because I am an introvert and a hermit that I have all the time in the world to read. I find books to be fascinating. I find the writers to be amazing. Especially fantasy and sci fi writers. To create a whole world full of everything that they imagined. You can't help but think that what if they can write all of this because subconsciously they are writing of what they went through in their previous life... HOLY SHIT!! I figured it out. I figured out the writing formula of the world's best sci-fi authors!!!! alright enough of that...
As I said I love to read and I love to learn... For a while I was obsessed with the idea of getting a whole set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. But it's sooo expensive! I know you can just google info on stuff, but it's not the same. A a complete set of the Britannica would just be the ultimate. Sadly my only memory of our set back home in the 80's were those books termite hole riddled and it was funny finding how far termites chewed through the pages when you turn to the page and a plump little bugger was chillin in there.
My google search was trying to find out how long an average adult should read. I read a lot of people saying saying 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. and then there was one that stood out to me. "You don't need to put a time limit on reading, you can read as long as you want you can read all day if you want." Yes that indeed is the beauty of reading there is no limit, but I think that person was missing the point, but it was good reply nonetheless.
The following was on a suggested site when I did my previous search. The quotes I put in, they weren't pert of the site.
10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day
When
was the last time you read a book, or a substantial magazine article?
Do your daily reading habits center around tweets, Facebook updates, or
the directions on your instant oatmeal packet? If you’re one of
countless people who don’t make a habit of reading regularly, you might
be missing out: reading has a significant number of benefits, and just a
few benefits of reading are listed below.
1. Mental Stimulation
Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can
slow the progress
of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s and Dementia, since keeping
your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Just like
any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it
strong and healthy, so the phrase “use it or lose it” is particularly
apt when it comes to your mind.
Doing puzzles and playing games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.
2. Stress Reduction
No matter how much
stress
you have at work, in your personal relationships, or countless other
issues faced in daily life, it all just slips away when you lose
yourself in a great story. A well-written novel can transport you to
other realms, while an engaging article will distract you and keep you
in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to
relax.
3. Knowledge
Everything you read fills your head
with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in
handy. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to
tackle any challenge you’ll ever face.
Additionally, here’s a bit
of food for thought: should you ever find yourself in dire
circumstances, remember that although you might lose everything
else—your job, your possessions, your money, even your health—knowledge
can never be taken from you.
4. Vocabulary Expansion
This
goes with the above topic: the more you read, the more words you gain
exposure to, and they’ll inevitably make their way into your everyday
vocabulary. Being articulate and well-spoken is of great help in any
profession, and knowing that you can speak to higher-ups with
self-confidence can be an enormous boost to your self-esteem. It could
even aid in your career, as those who are well-read, well-spoken, and
knowledgeable on a variety of topics tend to get promotions more quickly
(and more often) than those with smaller vocabularies and lack of
awareness of literature, scientific breakthroughs, and global events.
Reading books is also vital for learning
new languages, as non-native speakers gain exposure to words used in context, which will ameliorate their own speaking and writing fluency.
5. Memory Improvement
When
you read a book, you have to remember an assortment of characters,
their backgrounds, ambitions, history, and nuances, as well as the
various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story.
That’s a fair bit to remember, but brains are marvellous things and can
remember these things with relative ease. Amazingly enough,
every new memory you create forges new synapses (brain pathways)and strengthens existing ones, which assists in short-term
memory recall as well as stabilizing moods. How cool is that?
6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills
Have
you ever read an amazing mystery novel, and solved the mystery yourself
before finishing the book? If so, you were able to put critical and
analytical thinking to work by taking note of all the details provided
and sorting them out to determine “whodunnit”.
That same ability
to analyze details also comes in handy when it comes to critiquing the
plot; determining whether it was a well-written piece, if the characters
were properly developed, if the storyline ran smoothly, etc. Should you
ever have an opportunity to discuss the book with others, you’ll be
able to state your opinions clearly, as you’ve taken the time to really
consider all the aspects involved.
7. Improved Focus and Concentration
In
our internet-crazed world, attention is drawn in a million different
directions at once as we multi-task through every day. In a single
5-minute span, the average person will divide their time between working
on a task, checking email, chatting with a couple of people (via gchat,
skype, etc.), keeping an eye on twitter, monitoring their smartphone,
and interacting with co-workers. This type of ADD-like behaviour causes
stress levels to rise, and
lowers our productivity.
When
you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the story—the rest
of the world just falls away, and you can immerse yourself in every
fine detail you’re absorbing. Try reading for 15-20 minutes before work
(i.e. on your morning commute, if you take public transit), and you’ll
be surprised at how much more focused you are once you get to the
office.
8. Better Writing Skills
This goes hand-in-hand
with the expansion of your vocabulary: exposure to published,
well-written work has a noted effect on one’s own writing, as observing
the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles of other authors will
invariably influence your own work. In the same way that musicians
influence one another, and painters use techniques established by
previous masters, so do writers learn how to craft prose by reading the
works of others.
9. Tranquility
In addition to the
relaxation that accompanies reading a good book, it’s possible that the
subject you read about can bring about immense inner peace and
tranquility. Reading
spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring about an immense sense of calm, while
reading self-help books has been shown to help people suffering from certain
mood disorders and mild mental illnesses.
10. Free Entertainment
Though
many of us like to buy books so we can annotate them and dog-ear pages
for future reference, they can be quite pricey. For low-budget
entertainment, you can visit your
local library and
bask in the glory of the countless tomes available there for free.
Libraries have books on every subject imaginable, and since they rotate
their stock and constantly get new books, you’ll never run out of
reading materials.
If you happen to live in an area that doesn’t
have a local library, or if you’re mobility-impaired and can’t get to
one easily, most libraries have their books available in PDF or ePub
format so you can read them on your e-reader, iPad, or your computer
screen. There are also
many sources online where you can download
free e-books, so go hunting for something new to read!
There’s
a reading genre for every literate person on the planet, and whether
your tastes lie in classical literature, poetry, fashion magazines,
biographies, religious texts, young adult books, self-help guides,
street lit, or romance novels, there’s something out there to capture
your curiosity and imagination. Step away from your computer for a
little while, crack open a book, and replenish your soul for a little
while.
So that picture got me thinking of even worse ocean pollution, Majority of the pictures I found was of Spring Break. Thousands of disgusting college kids swarm to beaches around the world and leave utter disaster behind with no remorse. The only thing they apparently care about is how drunk they got, how much they got laid and probably spread so much STDs (kidding, not kidding). So much idiocy in one spot it infuriates me. OK I'm not knocking them for wanting to relax and have fun while on college break, But the proof is in the pictures, they have absolutely no regard for the beaches they destroy. Sadly these are the next generation of college educated youth helping to pollute our oceans with the litter they leave behind. My heart hurts when I look at these pictures.
Who cleans it up? sure as shit ain't them. Volunteer Beach clean up shouldn't have to come out and clean up after these asshats. Sadly it is them. The people that care about this planet, cares about the beaches and more importantly the innocent, defenseless wildlife creatures that are impacted by the litter. Every year 8 billion tons of litter end up in oceans and lakes and about 100,000 sea animals die every year. If that number doesn't alarm you and you don't feel something inside you stirring with disgust for ocean litter, or litter in general then something is fuckin wrong with you.
You know those 6 pack soda can plastic rings. So innocent but so deadly. I've seen pictures of birds caught in them, even a cat. I picked one of those pictures. This poor turtle. He grew into the ring, how fuckin terrible is that. This isn't a sea turtle but the ones that live in lakes and streams, showing that obviously litter is everywhere. Cutting off the plastic, you better not think that oh magically the turtle's shell is gonna pop itself back. No, it will forever be disfigured because of this. 
Just because you think that you are being responsible and actually placing your trash in the proper receptacles, there could be so much things that could happen to the trash from the time you throw it away to the time it gets to it's trash resting destination. To avoid any kind of mishaps I've been taught from small kid time to cut through every single hole in the plastic. 
Unfortunately this poor bird and many more are the victims of said celebrations. The balloons themselves are often found in the stomachs of animals, the strings caught around their necks, legs, etc. You'd probably say why are the animals eating them? like plastic bags, floating in the water they are often mistaken for sea jellies, which are the food source of many marine animals. 
