Wonderful Museum

Hours

Monday – Thursday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Friday: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm

Saturday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Sunday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

The Museum Shop is open during regular museum hours.

The Museum Library

Monday –Friday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

The Skyliner Restaurant

Monday - Saturday: during regular museum hours

Sunday: 11:30 am – 5:00 pm

Admission

Adults:$7.00

The aged and students with ID: $6.00

Wonderful Museum offers a 50% discount to groups of 20 or more.

    There was good news last week for people who struggle to get eight hours of sleep a night: they may not need so much shut-eye after all.

    Researchers from UCLA and elsewhere looked at sleep habits of remote hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, Namibia and Bolivia — groups with pre-industrial lifestyles whose sleep patterns are believed to reflect those of ancient humans. The researchers found that, on average, members of each group sleep a bit less than six and a half hours a night.

    The study, published in the academic journal Current Biology, indicates that “natural” sleep is less than eight hours a night and that modern society's numerous electronic distractions (分心) aren't necessarily to blame for people getting just six or seven hours of sleep.

    “The story that often gets out is that if you sleep for less than seven hours, you're going to die early,” he told me. “That's not true.”

    Yet Americans are addicted to getting more sleep — and on turning to medical shortcuts to help them.

    According to the Centers for Disease Control, as many as 70 million U.S. adults suffer from sleep disorders or sleeplessness. Only a third of Americans get the government's recommended seven to nine hours of sleep a night.

    About 9 million American adults use sleeping pills to help get a good night's rest, the CDC found. Siegel said the number of people relying on medicines “has gone up rather rapidly since then.”

    Industry consulting firm Global Data estimates that worldwide sales for sleeplessness medicines will run about $1.4 billion next year and reach $1.8 billion by 2023, recovering from lower sales in recent years because of cheaper generics(仿制药) hitting the market.

    Dr. Roy Artal, a sleep specialist in West Los Angeles, said it's understandable that busy people in today's go-go world would turn to medicines to speed up the sleep process. But all they're doing is building a reliance on powerful drugs for relatively little improvement.

    “There's no magic pill that makes us sleep when we want and wake up when we want,” Artal said. “The effects of sleeping pills tend to be modest.”

    He and other experts say the answer to sleeplessness isn't to be found in a pill bottle. It's in what's called “sleep hygiene (保健).”

    Donald Trump has been known to do it in the middle of the night. Kim Kardashian has done it more than 22,000 times. Many people don't understand why you would want to do it at all.

    We're talking about tweeting and, unlike posting your entire life on Facebook, this social media activity demands a particular set of skills.

    Why use Twitter? It's a way to have a one-on-one virtual connection with your heroes and anybody who interests you. Likewise, you can share your life and views with an almost limitless number of people. And it all has to be done within the limit of 140 characters of text – plus photos, videos and links – which really helps you focus your mind.

    Katy Perry has the most Twitter followers, with 95.6 million of the micro-blogging site's 317 million monthly active users. Justin Bieber isn't far behind with 91.5 million, followed by Barack Obama and Taylor Swift with around 83 million each. The heaviest hitters of Twitter are pop stars, heroes of sport and other celebrities. But you don't need to be famous to create a buzz with the right tweets at the right time.

    In fact, Katy Perry is a great example of how to do it well. She has a bubbly tweeting style that mashes up chat about her tours and her music, insights into her emotional roller coaster over the US election, and playful descriptions about her daily life. "Done with my Christmas shopping", she tweeted, and posted a link to her Instagram page that featured crazy gadgets like a "pet emergency jacket" and a "chocolate donut camera".

    To get started on Twitter, pick a simple, memorable user name like @KatyPerry, post a short profile and choose a photo. Some tips: post your own photo (not a photo of your dog, it's not Facebook) and don't be an "egg person" – referring to the absent egg-shaped image when a user hasn't posted their own picture. In that case, Twitter won't get you any followers or respect.

    Then, it's time to start tweeting by sending your updates ("what's happening?") and following people. Building up an army of followers can take time. Generally, the more people you follow and the more you tweet, the more followers you'll get. To become a Twitter star, you need to carve out a reputation for posting original, eye-catching tweets on trending topics – and maximise your visibility by mastering the use of hashtags.

    Twitter Analytics will show you how your tweets are performing and who is following you – right down to their age category, country, income bracket, gender and interests. If your popularity is flagging and your Twitter ego is keeping you awake at night, you can turn to the business of buying thousands of "followers" from online sites. But do be ware – there may be a lot of fake profiles in there and, at the end of the day, it'll feel like paying a crowd of people you don't know to come to your birthday party.

    Happy tweeting!

    If you enjoy fall activities, the state of Virginia is the place to be. There are many festivals to choose from. Here are four I believe will be great fun.

Henry Street Heritage Festival

    It will last from Saturday September 21^st 2014, 11:00a.m,until 10:00 p.m .The festival is held by the Harrison Museum of African American Culture. This public festival takes place in Elmwood Park in downtown Roanoke. It is a celebration of the culture, history, and arts of African Americans and there is always a lot of entertainment, which includes local and national talent.  Last year entrance was $10.00

    Mountain magic crafts festival

    This festival takes place on Saturday October 5^th, 2014, at 19753 Main Street, in Buchanan, Va. The time is 10:00a.m. until 5:00p.m .This will be a celebration of the region's heritage(遗产), through history, crafts and music. There will be free, live music throughout the day, and plenty of arts and crafts plus delicious food.

    Massanutten fall festival

    The time and location is Saturday October 12^th,2014, 11:00a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Massanutten Ski Area. This Fall Festival will feature more than 60 arts and crafts vendors(小贩), food vendors, live music, wine tasting, children's activities, and more. Tickets are $5 in advance, and $10 at gate. Children under age 8 are admitted free. Rides will run between the hours of 11:00am to 3:00 pm. Be in line with your ticket; no later than 2:30 pm.

    Children's Arboretum(植物园) Festival

    The fun takes place, on Saturday October 19^th, 2014 from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum. There will be musical instrument shows and performances, singers, crafts, dance exhibitions and lessons. There will also be seed collecting trail activities, trail tours, story time, and snacks. This fall festival is a free event

A Writing Fool

    In the seventh grade I realized I was dyslexic, which made it difficult for me to read and spell. I did really badly in my history course, so my mother said to me, “I'll work with you for a full week. I'm going to show you what you can do if you put in the right amount of effort.” So we did. We worked on history for a full week, an extra hour every day. Then I went to school and failed the test, as always. It was really upsetting.

    By the time I got to college I came to know that I couldn't spell no matter how hard I tried. So I would sign up for extra courses. I'd be in registration lines all day. Then I would go around the first day of class and ask each professor: “What's your policy on misspelling?” If he said, “Three misspellings is a fail,” I'd drop it.

    Although I was an academic failure, I had a great time. I had many friends and I was always popular. I was a good football player, which was important in those years because I could read my name in the newspaper. I never had a day when I would think, “People don't like me.”

    In spite of my obvious weaknesses, I became successful in my career, so much so that people say to me, “So you've overcome dyslexia.” No. I don't overcome it. I just learn to compensate for it. Some easy things are hard for me. Most people read 500 words a minute. I only read 200. I try not to dial a phone because I sometimes have to dial three times to get the number right. I owe my successful career to my writing instructor, Ralph Salisbury. He looked past my misspellings and gave me encouragement. So I always feel confident. When I write my books, I'm seeing everything in my imagination. I write quickly and go like the wind.

    The real fear that I have for dyslexic people is not that they have to struggle with their reading skills or that they can't spell correctly, but that they will quit on themselves before they get out of school.

    Life in the summertime is often full of pests. Like most Long Island homeowners, I want to ensure my suburban life with pest-free living. So it was with wide-eyed wonder that I greeted the smiling exterminator (灭虫者) who rang my bell.

    “We'll be serving your neighbors, Mike and Sarah (I'm not familiar with either one by name),” he waved in the other direction. “Since we'll have a team here tomorrow, we're offering a discount.” He came out with numbers beginning from $299 then in seconds to $89.

    “You've probably been seeing the ant hills around.” he moved toward my front walkway and lawn. “And have you seen the bees that dig nests in the ground?” he continued with his head shaking up and down pushing me to do the same.

    “What we do is spray three feet out from your foundation and three feet up.” As he was talking, and without breaking eye contact, he opened his iPad cover and began operating at the screen to show me frightening images. “It also kills other pests, like spiders. It is the best pesticide (杀虫剂),” he said, pausing for effect.

    He then went into soft talk to close the deal, correctly foreseeing that I would be concerned about safety and the environmental impact on my vegetable garden, plants and our little patch of planet here on Long Island. “The products are environmentally responsible, safe with children and pets,” he said.

    I'm unkind when it comes to unwanted visitors entering on my out-of-doors moments. Any insect found in my house or on my deck is bound to be poisoned or pancaked.

    Unfortunately for the exterminator, just as I was considering making an appointment, Billy, my fearless husband, pulled into our driveway, which made me ask for a business card out of politeness instead.