The Sport of Swimming

So, right now, my computer is entirely in Dutch. It is a bright, sunny afternoon in Brussels, and I have just attempted to read a lab write-up about baseball. I have ten minutes before my family runs away without me, so I'll make it as quick as I can.

I have read somewhere that swimming is too boring to write about. Hmm...A sport treasured by millions of diverse humans across the globe, a sport honored to such a degree that it is in the Olympics, and a sport loved so much that men are willing to wear tiny Speedos into the great lake that is the pool, is, in my humble opinion, at least somewhat worthy to write about.

Swimming has ancient roots in the history of the world's creation. When the world was made, what were the first things in it? Bacteria. And where were the bacteria, the small unseeable things that would eventually evolve into you, you clump of flesh and blood and brain?

That's right.

Bacteria were swimming around in water. 

So if tiny bacteria can do it, why can't you?

Notwithstanding that, swimming has several benefits. 

First off, it feels good to be in the water after a hot day.

Second, swimmers are able to eat as much as they want because of the calories they lose in the pool.

Third, people who swim get free showers in the pool.

Lastly, and definitely not leastly, swimmers develop a toned muscular body.

You know what scientists say about V shaped bodies attracting the other gender? Swimming gives you that V-shaped body. Why else would girls craze about 15 year old British diver Tom Daley, or Michael Phelps, or Ryan Lochte? No one would care if they didn't swim.

I submit to you that swimming is an amazing, fun-filled sport that I have barely scratched the surface of. Whoever wrote that swimming is too boring must be some overstressed kid who takes too many AP's. 

T_L

Read More

2010, 2011, 2012... Will There be a 2013?

            Each sunset and sunrise signifies the passage of time. As with the passing of each day, the crisp, vibrant leaves that fall away from their trees and powdery snow that delicately blankets the roofs of neighborhood houses are both signals that tell us that the winds of change are sweeping through our country.
            It seems like just yesterday when the beaches were crowded with the vivid coloring of bathing suits and the sun was focused on tanning the innocent people who strolled by. Looking at my calendar, however, the word “December” is stamped in bold, black letters across the paper. It is already the last month of the year.
            Yet, this year, 2012 is a special year. In 2007, José Argüelles, an American author, coined a certain theory that proceeded to convince the rest of the world that Earth would be destroyed in the year 2012. Argüelles’ theory sparked a chain reaction: the birth of thousands of other theories that elaborated on possible deaths of the world. Ultimately, they all led to one day: December 21, 2012, the day the world would cease to exist.
            Almost everyone has heard of the 2012 theory at one point. Countless science fiction films have also been produced over the years, exploring the countless events that could eventually lead to the demise of humankind. But what exactly is the 2012 phenomenon, and how did it come to be?
            When the man who started it all, José Argüelles, began receiving “prophecies” from ancient Mayan priests, he became convinced that the world would soon end. With the help of other religious men, their theory became a thickly woven prophecy.
            Although they all agreed that the world would end on 12-21-2012, their theories differed. The most famous and most publicized idea, the Mayan Theory, focuses on the Mayan calendar. A highly sophisticated and technologically advanced race, the Mayans created an accurate calendar that, despite the extinction of their ancient civilization around A.D. 900, continued on for thousands of years. That is, until the date, December 21, 2012. After the 21^st of December in the year 2012, the Mayan calendar reverts back to the beginnings of time, August 13^th 3114 B.C. It is hypothesized that December 21 marks the end of time, or possibly the end of the world.
            Another prophecy, the Galactic Alignment Theory, suggests that the world will end due to the alignment of the sun and the Galactic equator. The December solstice sun (when the sun is one-half of a degree wide) is predicted to be perfectly in line with the Galactic equator (which is the line that divides our galaxy, the Milky Way, in half). This only happens once every 26,000 years. The next time it is supposed to occur is December 21, 2012. Due to the disruption of the gravitational force of the sun in the middle of our galaxy, a massive black hole is predicted to open up. The disruption is suspected to throw off the gravity that pulls the moon to Earth, causing larger, monstrous tides. Subsequently, Earth will become flooded. Other natural disasters, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, are supposed to vanquish the remains of life on our planet.
            Yet another theory deals with volcanoes. The Super Volcano Theory reflects back about 74,000 years. Back then, a huge volcano had erupted, blocking out the sun and wiping out two-thirds of life on Earth. That catastrophe also marked the extinction of the dinosaurs. Due to geological changes and the ever-moving tectonic plates, many people believe that the “super volcano” in Yellowstone is long overdue for a big eruption. After analyzing scientific research, these people predict that the volcano will conveniently erupt on December 21^st and wreck havoc everywhere.
            The theories listed above are just three of the millions of theories out there. It is up to you to judge whether December 21^st will be Doomsday, filled with terror and death, or a day when the disbelievers of this theory sit down and laugh at the rest of the world. Are these theories realistic and all-too-possible or are they silly and imaginative sci-fi tales? The facts and science is laid out in front of you. It is up to you to judge the truth value of these theories.

Read More