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We Need at Least Six Hours Sleep a night

There has been differences in views on sleep for decades. Some say a good nights sleep is absolutely necessary to function well in the world. Others believe that sleeping is a waste of valuable time when one could be creating new things. More time could be made available if sleep was postponed indefinitely. However, there is a question as to whether performance is impaired. Then creativity could be replaced by nuisance behavior - someone who is just a pest to well functioning individuals around him or her. Research points to sleep being required for efficient functioning. We have evolved with roughly 12 hours of darkness each day. A century or so ago people went to bed early, before electricity grids changed all our lives. Most animals still head for cover when the sun goes down. Particular animals evolved to be active at night, hunting for food. Even these though sleep in daylight hours. An Oregon study has shown that the elderly function better if they get a m

No Women Please: It's Magic

When was the last time you saw a female magician perform? You will say "never". This is a phenomenon little understood. For some reason women hardly ever choose to become magicians. All magical societies may as well declare themselves men-only organizations. Some blame the history of witch burning for this outcome. However, witch burning hasn't been done for centuries. A female in an act is commonly perceived to be the magician's assistant. This idea is entrenched and is more likely to be the cause. When most organizations were initially founded it was in the time of male dominated secret societies. This could be a factor. Another theory is that conjuring is somehow akin to maths. Boys prefer maths much more than females. Indeed, it has been found that members of school maths and science clubs will also be members of magic clubs. The suit commonly worn by magicians is also a turn-off for females. Perhaps they feel that an audience will not accept a skir