100 Places To See In Your Lifetime#67-Iceland-"This island the size of Kentucky is situated within a triangle formed by Greenland, Norway and the U.K.,but for first-time visitors, it may as well be in another solar system. The "Land of Fire and Ice" has geysers and glaciers, lake-filled craters and lava deserts, and spas like the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal bath rife with minerals. And the capital city of Reykjavik has become a premier getaway for nightlifers." gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous here..what more can I say???? I learned in my Travel class, that the governments switched the names....or made those two countries opposite from what they really are... on Iceland and Greenland incase war ever broke out....Iceland really is the green country, where Greenland is the one covered all in ice..if war broke out, and the ones fighting went to attack Greenland, they would end up in a freezing cold country, and would perhaps forget all about fighting then...what a gorgeous country though....I wouldn't have to think twice about going here and would love it to pieces....oh and this is rich...I won't find out where I"m going next until next year..they only tell one place at all time....


Japanese Favourite Stories-" The Singing Turtle" "Once there were two brothers. One of them was very industrious. All day long he worked in the fields. He worked very hard, and he was never sullen nor unkind. He didn't particulary like to work, but his poor mother was ill and needed the little bit of money he could earn. So he worked without complaining, even when he was very tired. It was hard to get up in the morning and start working, but he did and always had a smile for his old sick mother. In the evening he was so tired he could hardly walk home, yet he fixed her supper and tucked her in for the night before he allowed himself to sleep. The other brother was quite different. He was very lazy. All day long, when he was supposed to be working, he lay on the grass or lazily picked flowers. And he was always sullen and often quite unkind. He didn't like to work and so he saw no reason why he should. When he needed money he'd go to his mother, and she would give him what little she could spare. But he was never satisfied and complained constantly. He slept all the time, yet he hated to get up in the morning, and he always shouted at his brother and snarled at his mother. In the evening he would come home for money and then go into town and stay half the night spending the money foolishly. The family became poorer and poorer because, no matter how hard the industrious brother worked, the lazy brother spent their money all the faster. Finally, one spring morning, the first brother cut some firewood and said to his mother: "I'm going into town and see if I can't sell this wood to make some money, for we have nothing to eat for supper tonight." The sick mother said: "I hope you can, but don't work too hard or else you'll be sick like me." The lazy brother, who was lying on his back asleep in the sun, said nothing, but only snored loudly. So the industrious brother took the enormouse load of firewood on his back and started for town. He stayed all day but couldn't sell a single stick of wood. He was very discouraged and finally put the heavy wood on his back and started home, wondering how they would eat that day. The wood was heavy and his heart was heavier as he trudged through the forest. Finally he came to the little forest pond where he usually ate lunch and, putting the wood down by a tree, he sat down on a stump and began to cry. He was a grown man and grown men don't cry very often, so he was very sad indeed. While he was crying he suddenly heard a voice. "Why are you crying?" the voice asked. The young man looked all around but couldn't see anyone. "You'd better blow your nose," said the voice again. But he still couldn't see anyone. "Where are you?" he asked finally. "Right under the nose you'd better blow," said the voice. The young man looked down, and there was turtle floating on a piece of wood. "Did you speak?" asked the man. "Naturally," said the turtle, "there's no one else around. Really, you'd better blow your nose." "But turtles don't talk," said the brother. "This one does. And what's more, I can sing too. I like singing." "Sing?" he said. "Blow your nose," said the turtel. After the young man had blown his nose, the turtle continued: "And I sing very beautifully too. But say, you're in trouble, aren't you?" The brother admitted that he was and finally told the turtle the whole story. After he had finished, the turtle said: "Well, you've fed me often enough, so I'll feed you now." "I've fed you?" asked the young man. "Sure," said the turtle, "this is where you eat your lunches, isn't it?" Well I've been eating the crumbs you've dusted off your lap afterwards. And seeing as how you've fed me, now I"ll feed you." "You mean I'm supposed to eat you?" asked the man. "I don't think I could-not after our friendly talk and all, you know." "No, no," said the turtle impatiently. "You take me into town, and I'll sing. Then the people will pay you much money." The young man was undecided. "Can you really sing?" he asked. The turtle only looked disgusted. "Of course I can-just listen," he said. And then he started to sing. Actually he couldn't sing very well, but a turtle that can sing at all is such an oddity that no one ever stops to think if he's singing well or not. "That was wonderful," said the man and, picking the turtle up, started back to town with him. The townspeople thought that the turtle was wonderful. They had never heard a turtle sing before, and after it had sung several songs they showered the turtle and the hard-working brother with coins. The young man took the money, bought food, and hurried back home with the turtle. When the mother saw the food she was very surprised. Her son told her what had happened, and the turtle nodded his head wisely from time to time. They were very happy, but just then lazy brother showed up, and ate up all the food. "You didn't make very much money," he complained. "If you'd give him to me "d bring back a fortune." "No, you wouldn't," said the industrious brother. "You'd run away with it. You can't have the turtle." this made the lazy brother very mad and in no time at all they began to fight. The lazy brother knocked his brother down and took the turtle to town himself. When the townspeole gathered, the wicked brother made them give him money. Then he held the turtle up in his hands and commanded "Sing!" But the turtle wouldn't sing a note. The brother became very angry and held him by his tail. "Sing!" he shouted. But not a sound came from the turtle. Finally the brother began whipping the turtle with a switch, but it didn't hurt the turtle at all. He just drew back into his tough shell. At first the people laughed, but when they realized that the turtle wasn't going to sing, they became angry and wanted their money back. "This is just an ordinary turtle," they said. "No, really, it's the same turtle you heard yesterday." said they wicked brother, becoming frightened. He hit the turtle's tough shell again, and shouted: "Sing, sing!" Finally he began to plead. "Please, sing, please!" But the turtle wouldn't sing a note. The people became more and more angry and said: "Let's give this cheat a beating the same way he's beating that poor turtle." And they began to beat the wicked brother so hard that he howled with pain, because he didn't have a hard shell to protect him, you see. They beat him right out of town. The turtle stuck out his head and crawled back to the house where the good brother and his mother lived. "Well that bad man is gone," he said. "He got beaten and chased away. He'll never dare come back." The mother and brother thought they ought to feel sorry, but actually they were relieved, and soon all three were laughing together. Then the turtle looked shyly around the edge of his shell and said: "May I live with you? The other turtles think I"m a bit odd because I can talk, and sing. I"m more at home with humans. I can make money for you." "Oh, please do stay," said the mother and the good brother. "Whether you can make money or not, we like you." Then it was that the turtle stayed and lived with them. He often sang in the town, and the three of them lived very happily on the money the townspeople gavbe to hear him singing.


20 Worst Drinks in America 201016. Worst Soda
Sunkist (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
320 calories
0 g fat
84 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 6 Breyers Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches

Wait . . . but aren’t all sodas equally terrible? It’s true they all earn 100 percent of their calories from sugar, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still varying levels of atrocity. Despite the perception of healthfulness, fruity sodas tend to carry more sugar than their cola counterparts, and none make that more apparent than the tooth-achingly sweet Sunkist. But what seals the orange soda’s fate on our list of worsts is its reliance on the artificial colors yellow 6 and red 40—two chemicals that may be linked to behavioral and concentration problems in children.

The Truth About 12 Health Myths

You Shouldn’t Cut Off the Bread’s Crust. It’s Full of Vitamins.

The truth is: In a 2002 German study, researchers found that the baking process produces a novel type of cancer-fighting antioxidant in bread that is eight times more abundant in the crust than in the crumb. That said, it’s more important to serve whole-wheat bread, with or without the crust, because it’s all around higher in nutrients, such as fiber, says New York City nutritionist Keri Glassman, author of The O2 Diet ($25, amazon.com). Make sure the ingredients list “100% whole-wheat flour.” Breads simply labeled “wheat” are usually made with a mixture of enriched white flour and whole-wheat flour and have less fiber.

Related: Tighten Your Glutes in 15 Minutes


If You Go Out With Wet Hair, You’ll Catch a Cold.

The truth is: You will feel cold but will be just fine healthwise, says Jim Sears, a board-certified pediatrician in San Clemente, California, and a cohost of the daytime-TV show The Doctors. He cites a study done at the Common Cold Research Unit, in Salisbury, England, in which a group of volunteers was inoculated with a cold virus up their noses. Half the group stayed in a warm room while the rest took a bath and stood dripping wet in a hallway for half an hour, then got dressed but wore wet socks for a few more hours. The wet group didn’t catch any more colds than the dry. Sears’s conclusion: “Feeling cold doesn’t affect your immune system.”

If You Cross Your Eyes, They’ll Stay That Way.

The truth is: “There’s no harm in voluntary eye crossing,” says W. Walker Motley, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. But if you notice your child doing this a lot (when he’s not mimicking a cartoon character), he might have other vision problems.

Related: 7 Ways to Protect Your Vision

You Should Feed a Cold and Starve a Fever.

The truth is: In both cases, eat and drink, then drink some more. “Staying hydrated is the most important thing to do, because you lose a lot of fluids when you’re ill,” says Sears, who adds that there’s no need for special beverages containing electrolytes (like Gatorade) unless you’re severely dehydrated from vomiting or diarrhea.

Gum Stays in Your Stomach for Seven Years.

The truth is: Your Little Leaguer’s wad of Big League Chew won’t (literally) stick around until high school graduation. “As with most nonfood objects that kids swallow, fluids carry gum through the intestinal tract, and within days it passes,” says David Pollack, a senior physician in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Care Network. And even though gum isn’t easily broken down in the digestive system, it probably won’t cause a stomachache, either.

Related: Healthy Fast Food and Takeout

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away.

The truth is: A handful of blueberries a day will keep the doctor away more effectively. Blueberries are a nutritional jackpot, rich in antioxidants and fiber, and they’re also easy to toss into cereal and yogurt. That said, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is important to prevent many chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, down the road. (To find out how much earth-grown goodness your child should be getting, enter his or her age, sex, and level of physical activity at fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov.)

Related: Doctor's Tips for Keeping Your Kids Healthy

You Lose 75 Percent of Your Body Heat Through Your Head.

The truth is: “This adage was probably based on an infant’s head size, which is a much greater percentage of the total body than an adult head,” says Pollack. That’s why it’s important to make sure an infant’s head remains covered in cold weather. (This also explains those ubiquitous newborn caps at the hospital.) But for an adult, the figure is more like 10 percent. And keep in mind that heat escapes from any exposed area (feet, arms, hands), so putting on a hat is no more important than slipping on gloves.

To Get Rid of Hiccups, Have Someone Startle You.

The truth is: Most home remedies, like holding your breath or drinking from a glass of water backward, haven’t been medically proven to be effective, says Pollack. However, you can try this trick dating back to 1971, when it was published in The New England Journal of Medicine: Swallow one teaspoon of white granulated sugar. According to the study, this tactic resulted in the cessation of hiccups in 19 out of 20 afflicted patients. Sweet.

Eating Fish Makes You Smart.

The truth is: For kids up to age three or four, this is indeed the case. Fish, especially oily ones, such as salmon, are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). “DHA is particularly beneficial in the first two years of life for brain development, cognition, and visual acuity,” says Beverly Hills pediatrician Scott W. Cohen, the author of Eat, Sleep, Poop: A Common Sense Guide to Your Baby’s First Year ($16, amazon.com). And a 2008 study in Clinical Pediatrics showed an increase in vocabulary and comprehension for four-year-olds who were given daily DHA supplements. Omega-3 options for the fish-phobic? Try avocados, walnuts, and canola oil.

Related: Numbers to Live By


You Shouldn’t Swim for an Hour After Eating.

The truth is: Splash away. “After you eat, more blood flows to the digestive system and away from the muscles,” says Cohen. “The thinking was that if you exercised strenuously right after eating, that lack of blood would cause you to cramp up and drown.” But that won’t happen. Sears concurs: “You might have less energy to swim vigorously, but it shouldn’t inhibit your ability to tread water or play.”


Every Child Needs a Daily Multivitamin.

The truth is: Children who are solely breast-fed during their first year should be given a vitamin D supplement. After that, a multivitamin won’t hurt anyone, but many experts say that even if your child is in a picky phase, there’s no need to sneak Fred, Wilma, and company into his applesauce. “Even extremely fussy eaters grow normally,” Cohen says. “Your kids will eventually get what they need, even if it seems as if they’re subsisting on air and sunlight.”

Related: What You Need to Know About Multivitamins

Warm Milk Will Help You Fall Asleep.

The truth is: Milk contains small amounts of tryptophan (the same amino acid in turkey), “but you would have to drink gallons to get any soporific effect,” says Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist in Scottsdale, Arizona, who specializes in sleep disorders. “What is effective is a routine to help kids wind down,” he says. And if a glass of warm milk is part of the process, it can have a placebo effect, regardless of science.