Compared to most of our country’s Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine is essentially unknown. In fact, there are many Americans who have never even heard of him. Paine was born in 1737. He was the son of a corseter – a tailor specializing in corsets and other undergarments – and grew up in rural Thetford, England. He became a famous writer and revolutionary figure when he was older. Paine didn’t find his true calling until he moved to the British colonies in America, and worked as a young man as a corseter, sailor, and minister.

Paine first gained notoriety as the editor of Pennsylvania Magazine and, as political turmoil engulfed the colonies, he became more prominent. In 1776, Paine published a book called Common Sense. The book’s popularity spread like wildfire; soon there were 200,000 copies in circulation. Once the war began, Paine published a series of pamphlets called The Crisis. These; in the midst of a bloody war, helped keep up the morale of the troops. Thomas Paine is also credited with conceiving the name “The United States of America.”

Thomas Paine was an extremely talented writer; Thomas Jefferson and John Adams drew heavily on his work when drafting the Declaration of Independence. Later in life, Paine wrote other, highly controversial works. He was even exiled from England and imprisoned in France for his writings. In 1796, Paine did his part to inspire what would become Social Security. He suggested a system of social insurance for the young and the elderly in his last great work, Agrarian Justice.

Compared to most of our country’s Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine is essentially unknown. In fact, there are many Americans who have never even heard of him. Paine was born in 1737. He was the son of a corseter – a tailor specializing in corsets and other undergarments – and grew up in rural Thetford, England. He became a famous writer and revolutionary figure when he was older. Paine didn’t find his true calling until he moved to the British colonies in America, and worked as a young man as a corseter, sailor, and minister.

Paine first gained notoriety as the editor of Pennsylvania Magazine and, as political turmoil engulfed the colonies, he became more prominent. In 1776, Paine published a book called Common Sense. The book’s popularity spread like wildfire; soon there were 200,000 copies in circulation. Once the war began, Paine published a series of pamphlets called The Crisis. These; in the midst of a bloody war, helped keep up the morale of the troops. Thomas Paine is also credited with conceiving the name “The United States of America.”

Thomas Paine was an extremely talented writer; Thomas Jefferson and John Adams drew heavily on his work when drafting the Declaration of Independence. Later in life, Paine wrote other, highly controversial works. He was even exiled from England and imprisoned in France for his writings. In 1796, Paine did his part to inspire what would become Social Security. He suggested a system of social insurance for the young and the elderly in his last great work, Agrarian Justice.

Compared to most of our country’s Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine is essentially unknown. In fact, there are many Americans who have never even heard of him. Paine was born in 1737. He was the son of a corseter – a tailor specializing in corsets and other undergarments – and grew up in rural Thetford, England. He became a famous writer and revolutionary figure when he was older. Paine didn’t find his true calling until he moved to the British colonies in America, and worked as a young man as a corseter, sailor, and minister.

Paine first gained notoriety as the editor of Pennsylvania Magazine and, as political turmoil engulfed the colonies, he became more prominent. In 1776, Paine published a book called Common Sense. The book’s popularity spread like wildfire; soon there were 200,000 copies in circulation. Once the war began, Paine published a series of pamphlets called The Crisis. These; in the midst of a bloody war, helped keep up the morale of the troops. Thomas Paine is also credited with conceiving the name “The United States of America.”

Thomas Paine was an extremely talented writer; Thomas Jefferson and John Adams drew heavily on his work when drafting the Declaration of Independence. Later in life, Paine wrote other, highly controversial works. He was even exiled from England and imprisoned in France for his writings. In 1796, Paine did his part to inspire what would become Social Security. He suggested a system of social insurance for the young and the elderly in his last great work, Agrarian Justice.

Compared to most of our country’s Founding Fathers, Thomas Paine is essentially unknown. In fact, there are many Americans who have never even heard of him. Paine was born in 1737. He was the son of a corseter – a tailor specializing in corsets and other undergarments – and grew up in rural Thetford, England. He became a famous writer and revolutionary figure when he was older. Paine didn’t find his true calling until he moved to the British colonies in America, and worked as a young man as a corseter, sailor, and minister.

Paine first gained notoriety as the editor of Pennsylvania Magazine and, as political turmoil engulfed the colonies, he became more prominent. In 1776, Paine published a book called Common Sense. The book’s popularity spread like wildfire; soon there were 200,000 copies in circulation. Once the war began, Paine published a series of pamphlets called The Crisis. These; in the midst of a bloody war, helped keep up the morale of the troops. Thomas Paine is also credited with conceiving the name “The United States of America.”

Thomas Paine was an extremely talented writer; Thomas Jefferson and John Adams drew heavily on his work when drafting the Declaration of Independence. Later in life, Paine wrote other, highly controversial works. He was even exiled from England and imprisoned in France for his writings. In 1796, Paine did his part to inspire what would become Social Security. He suggested a system of social insurance for the young and the elderly in his last great work, Agrarian Justice.

For a fairly harmless animal, bats have a bad reputation. Either they are bloodsucking vampires trying to turn us into and undead army, and they are a source of fear used by an eccentric billionaire super hero. In other words, we find them frightening. Why is that?

People have always feared the unknown, the other, and bats are no exception. While bats are mammals like us, their behavior I so unfamiliar to us that it’s scary. First of all, bats are blind and nocturnal. As everyone knows, bats used a form of echolocation to see the world around them. They produce a sound and measure the sound as it returns to them in order to locate things, which is exactly the way our modern radar works. Secondly, they sleep while hanging upside down off of a perch, which can be just freaky to see. The reason bats sleep like this is because it helps them more easily transition into flying quickly. This is the next reason people don’t like them. Bats need momentum to fly, and they sleep upside down so they can quickly plummet towards the ground to gain speed in order to fly. The third reason people are scared of bats is because they seem to dive quickly down in the night. This is just how they have to start flying, but to suddenly see a bat careening down at you is extremely frightening.

Bats are often innocent animals, though. In fact, most bats eat small insects, which means if there are bats in your yard on a warm summer night, they could clear the air of bugs for you. Vampire bats do exist, and their bites can be scary since they can carry rabies. But, vampire bats are very rare, mostly seen in South America, and are more likely to attack small animals than you. Considering how rare it is to see a vampire bat and how rare it would be for that vampire bat to bite you, it’s surprising that bats have gotten such a bad reputation. If bats want to clear the insects out of my yard, they’re welcome to all my summer parties.

For a fairly harmless animal, bats have a bad reputation. Either they are bloodsucking vampires trying to turn us into and undead army, and they are a source of fear used by an eccentric billionaire super hero. In other words, we find them frightening. Why is that?

People have always feared the unknown, the other, and bats are no exception. While bats are mammals like us, their behavior I so unfamiliar to us that it’s scary. First of all, bats are blind and nocturnal. As everyone knows, bats used a form of echolocation to see the world around them. They produce a sound and measure the sound as it returns to them in order to locate things, which is exactly the way our modern radar works. Secondly, they sleep while hanging upside down off of a perch, which can be just freaky to see. The reason bats sleep like this is because it helps them more easily transition into flying quickly. This is the next reason people don’t like them. Bats need momentum to fly, and they sleep upside down so they can quickly plummet towards the ground to gain speed in order to fly. The third reason people are scared of bats is because they seem to dive quickly down in the night. This is just how they have to start flying, but to suddenly see a bat careening down at you is extremely frightening.

Bats are often innocent animals, though. In fact, most bats eat small insects, which means if there are bats in your yard on a warm summer night, they could clear the air of bugs for you. Vampire bats do exist, and their bites can be scary since they can carry rabies. But, vampire bats are very rare, mostly seen in South America, and are more likely to attack small animals than you. Considering how rare it is to see a vampire bat and how rare it would be for that vampire bat to bite you, it’s surprising that bats have gotten such a bad reputation. If bats want to clear the insects out of my yard, they’re welcome to all my summer parties.

For a fairly harmless animal, bats have a bad reputation. Either they are bloodsucking vampires trying to turn us into and undead army, and they are a source of fear used by an eccentric billionaire super hero. In other words, we find them frightening. Why is that?

People have always feared the unknown, the other, and bats are no exception. While bats are mammals like us, their behavior I so unfamiliar to us that it’s scary. First of all, bats are blind and nocturnal. As everyone knows, bats used a form of echolocation to see the world around them. They produce a sound and measure the sound as it returns to them in order to locate things, which is exactly the way our modern radar works. Secondly, they sleep while hanging upside down off of a perch, which can be just freaky to see. The reason bats sleep like this is because it helps them more easily transition into flying quickly. This is the next reason people don’t like them. Bats need momentum to fly, and they sleep upside down so they can quickly plummet towards the ground to gain speed in order to fly. The third reason people are scared of bats is because they seem to dive quickly down in the night. This is just how they have to start flying, but to suddenly see a bat careening down at you is extremely frightening.

Bats are often innocent animals, though. In fact, most bats eat small insects, which means if there are bats in your yard on a warm summer night, they could clear the air of bugs for you. Vampire bats do exist, and their bites can be scary since they can carry rabies. But, vampire bats are very rare, mostly seen in South America, and are more likely to attack small animals than you. Considering how rare it is to see a vampire bat and how rare it would be for that vampire bat to bite you, it’s surprising that bats have gotten such a bad reputation. If bats want to clear the insects out of my yard, they’re welcome to all my summer parties.

For a fairly harmless animal, bats have a bad reputation. Either they are bloodsucking vampires trying to turn us into and undead army, and they are a source of fear used by an eccentric billionaire super hero. In other words, we find them frightening. Why is that?

People have always feared the unknown, the other, and bats are no exception. While bats are mammals like us, their behavior I so unfamiliar to us that it’s scary. First of all, bats are blind and nocturnal. As everyone knows, bats used a form of echolocation to see the world around them. They produce a sound and measure the sound as it returns to them in order to locate things, which is exactly the way our modern radar works. Secondly, they sleep while hanging upside down off of a perch, which can be just freaky to see. The reason bats sleep like this is because it helps them more easily transition into flying quickly. This is the next reason people don’t like them. Bats need momentum to fly, and they sleep upside down so they can quickly plummet towards the ground to gain speed in order to fly. The third reason people are scared of bats is because they seem to dive quickly down in the night. This is just how they have to start flying, but to suddenly see a bat careening down at you is extremely frightening.

Bats are often innocent animals, though. In fact, most bats eat small insects, which means if there are bats in your yard on a warm summer night, they could clear the air of bugs for you. Vampire bats do exist, and their bites can be scary since they can carry rabies. But, vampire bats are very rare, mostly seen in South America, and are more likely to attack small animals than you. Considering how rare it is to see a vampire bat and how rare it would be for that vampire bat to bite you, it’s surprising that bats have gotten such a bad reputation. If bats want to clear the insects out of my yard, they’re welcome to all my summer parties.

For a fairly harmless animal, bats have a bad reputation. Either they are bloodsucking vampires trying to turn us into and undead army, and they are a source of fear used by an eccentric billionaire super hero. In other words, we find them frightening. Why is that?

People have always feared the unknown, the other, and bats are no exception. While bats are mammals like us, their behavior I so unfamiliar to us that it’s scary. First of all, bats are blind and nocturnal. As everyone knows, bats used a form of echolocation to see the world around them. They produce a sound and measure the sound as it returns to them in order to locate things, which is exactly the way our modern radar works. Secondly, they sleep while hanging upside down off of a perch, which can be just freaky to see. The reason bats sleep like this is because it helps them more easily transition into flying quickly. This is the next reason people don’t like them. Bats need momentum to fly, and they sleep upside down so they can quickly plummet towards the ground to gain speed in order to fly. The third reason people are scared of bats is because they seem to dive quickly down in the night. This is just how they have to start flying, but to suddenly see a bat careening down at you is extremely frightening.

Bats are often innocent animals, though. In fact, most bats eat small insects, which means if there are bats in your yard on a warm summer night, they could clear the air of bugs for you. Vampire bats do exist, and their bites can be scary since they can carry rabies. But, vampire bats are very rare, mostly seen in South America, and are more likely to attack small animals than you. Considering how rare it is to see a vampire bat and how rare it would be for that vampire bat to bite you, it’s surprising that bats have gotten such a bad reputation. If bats want to clear the insects out of my yard, they’re welcome to all my summer parties.

Plastic has been a hot topic of discussion for the past decade, both for the general public and for the scientists and activists most concerned about our planet. At the top of the list of concerns is single-use plastic, which is just used for packaging or convenience and then immediately thrown away to become a part of a landfill.

Awareness campaigns and activities such as “plastic-free July” have brought attention to how much plastic we consume that barely serves a function before being wasted, but ultimately, fun participatory events for the most concerned members of the public are not going to solve our problem. To see how large the plastic epidemic is, we need to look at its smallest and most dangerous form; microplastic.

Microplastics are pieces of plastic that are five millimeters or smaller in size, and they are what plastics break down into in our oceans and natural environment. Items such as water bottles, food containers, polyester clothing fibers and more break down into these microplastics and pollute our waterways when they don’t make it to the landfill because they are littered or not properly secured from animals and natural elements. These microplastics then become ingested by the seafood and land animals that we consume and enter our bodies. Studies have found microplastics in human lungs and even human blood. Plastics are so pervasive that they are now a part of our biological makeup.

Plastic has been a hot topic of discussion for the past decade, both for the general public and for the scientists and activists most concerned about our planet. At the top of the list of concerns is single-use plastic, which is just used for packaging or convenience and then immediately thrown away to become a part of a landfill.

Awareness campaigns and activities such as “plastic-free July” have brought attention to how much plastic we consume that barely serves a function before being wasted, but ultimately, fun participatory events for the most concerned members of the public are not going to solve our problem. To see how large the plastic epidemic is, we need to look at its smallest and most dangerous form; microplastic.

Microplastics are pieces of plastic that are five millimeters or smaller in size, and they are what plastics break down into in our oceans and natural environment. Items such as water bottles, food containers, polyester clothing fibers and more break down into these microplastics and pollute our waterways when they don’t make it to the landfill because they are littered or not properly secured from animals and natural elements. These microplastics then become ingested by the seafood and land animals that we consume and enter our bodies. Studies have found microplastics in human lungs and even human blood. Plastics are so pervasive that they are now a part of our biological makeup.