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).”

    There are plenty of beauty schools throughout the country that can help you to start a career in cosmetology(美容业). Nowadays, young people may not be able to afford a four-year college. Students can look forward to attending a beauty school program which will only take a few months to complete and start their career right away to earn money.

    There can be many benefits of going to beauty school. The expense is much less than attending a four-year university. Besides, attending beauty school is mostly a hands-on(动手的) experience which appeals to many people. Some students don't like sitting all day listening to lectures and then having to study at night. What's more, most beauty school programs keep up with the changing trends and fashion. So you will always be working on different hair types which can be fun and will give you a lot of experience throughout the years of your career.

    If you are worried about finding a job after graduation, many beauty schools will offer assistance for immediate job placement and give you peace of mind that you will not be stranded looking for a job. Most colleges and universities are not equipped to do that because of the large number of graduates each year.

    Cosmetologists will also make a good salary. The average salary will depend on your location, but you may earn a salary around $3,000--$3,500 a month. This is not including tips which could be $600 or more a month. Not only can young people go to cosmetology school, but people of all ages can start this career. As you can see, there are many benefits of beauty schools that can be the perfect opportunity for anyone to become a great cosmetologist.

    Most high school students would rather spend their summer vacations far away from the classroom. But Vineet Kosaraju and Nikhil Cheerla are choosing to go back to school, and this time they are the teachers.

    "I think it's really nice that I can help the community by spending just a little bit of time every week helping just a few students here and there try and learn programming," Kosaraju said.

    Friends since they were young boys, Kosaraju and Cheerla always shared a love of computer science. They learned the skills from their parents and school, but recognized that not all children have that chance.

    "Programming isn't taught in that many schools, especially low income (收入) schools, because there isn't that much money to support it," Kosaraju said.

    So he and Cheerla developed "Math and Coding," an after-school program for kids of all ages to learn the basics of computer programming.

    Between applying for college and doing their own homework, the two boys now spend a few hours every week going to different libraries teaching classes that cover everything from building basic games to developing apps.

    The friends started the program a little over a year ago and already, it's spread to more than a dozen libraries across the Bay Area in California. They are even training volunteers to teach these very same classes in other US states and Canada.

    Maryann Mitchell brought her 8-year-old granddaughter, Gabriella, to a class on coding at the Alum Rock Library in San Jose, California.

    "It's a chance for her to learn," Mitchell said. "It's the way of the future, and it's a good way for her to get grounded and be ready for what the future holds."

    "I think the most rewarding thing is having people come up and thank you and say they really learned a lot from this class," Cheerla said. "It doesn't get any better than that."

    Qing-Feng Steamed Dumpling Shop. Daniang Dumpling. McDonald's. What do these companies have in common?

    Well, besides all being fast food chains, their logos are all red. And it's not a coincidence. Color is one of the many that companies use to connect with customers. And if fast food wasn't hard enough, those red logos might make it even harder to ignore.

    The average human can see ten million colors, but red is special. It's one of the first colors our ancient ancestors thought important enough to name. Early human languages were uncolorful. There were words for “black” and “white” and “red” but not much else.

    As a result, we have a deeper connection to red than any other color and we react to it in certain ways that actually play to fast food companies' advantage. For starters, researchers have found that red can cause a sense of urgency. On top of that, it also has an ability to whet (刺激) our appetites. And when you pair those two together, you've got the perfect recipe to attract hungry customers who want food, fast.

    So the red logo isn't just a welcoming sign. It's a seduction (诱惑) for your brain. Now, it's unclear why red makes us feel this way. But perhaps it has something to do with where the word comes from. Many ancient languages first named red from their word for “blood”. But red's bloody beginning has transformed. During medieval times, for example, red was worn by royals as a status symbol. And today, brides in many parts of India are married in red dress.

    In fact, red is one of the few colors today that cultures all over the world view positively. And it's no wonder companies attach so much importance to their logos. After all, we're a visual species. Despite having five senses, 80% of the information our brains process on a daily basis comes from our eyes. And according to marketing company WebPageFX, nearly 85% of consumers say the main reason they choose one product over the other is color.

    Just think what McDonald's would look like in blue, green, or pink! It's just not the same, right?

    Allegra Ford Thomas Scholarship

    $2,500 awards available:1

    The Allegra Ford Thomas Scholarship is a $2,500 one-time scholarship. Applicants must:

    Be a graduating high school senior with a documented learning disability who will be enrolled (招收) in a two-year community college, a training program, or a specialized program for students with learning disability in the fall；

    Demonstrate (证明) financial need;

    Provide most current documentation of an identified learning disability (Please note: attention-deficit (注意力缺乏症)/ hyperactivity disorder (多动症) alone is not considered to be a learning disability; candidates with AD/ HD must also provide documentation of a specific learning disability);

    Be a United States citizen.

    Contact: afscholarship@ncld.org            Tel:646-616-1211

    Marion Huber Learning Through Listening® (LTL) Scholarship

    $6,000 or $2,000 awards available: 6

    The awards are presented to those who are high school seniors with learning disabilities, in recognition of academic achievement, outstanding leadership, and service to others. The awards are given to six students who are chosen by a selection committee every year. The three top winners will get $6,000 each and the other three winners $2,000 each.

    Contact: naa@learningally.org         Tel: 800-241-4792

    Joe Hornsby Ⅲ Scholarship

    $2,000  awards available: 4

    The scholarship will focus specifically on students who have special needs because of physical disabilities and want to further their education at a college/ university or trade school. Applicants must:

    Be a graduating senior of a high school in Mesquite Independent School District;

    Be planning to attend or be enrolled in an undergraduate program at a college, university or technical training program;

    Have had at least a "C" average during high school (2.0 GPA)

    Contact: scholarship@dallasfoundation.org     Tel: 214-741-9683

    WSAJ Past Presidents. Scholarship

    7,500 awards available: 2

    Applicants must be high school seniors who have a history of achievement despite having been a victim of injury or overcoming a disability or similar challenge, and a documented need for financial assistance. They must also have a record of commitment to helping people in need or protecting the rights of injured persons and a plan to apply their education toward helping people. The scholarship is only open to students of Washington.

    Contact: anta@washingtonjustice.org          Tel: 214-741-9863