Tell me - what do you want to talk about?

Alright, this post is not going to have any strong social theme to it...

I am currently working on a lot of various topics that have been getting at me lately...

However, I would really love to here from my readers. (you couple people out there, I know who you are!)

What would you like to talk about? Any topics you want to go back and forth on? Let's share some thoughts here. :)

Send me an e-mail at jeaniem12@gmail.com or post on here about what interests you!

Also, I just found this wonderful template for my blog. I have been working like crazy trying to make my own layout, but all I have succeeded in is learning that code sucks!!

However, I did find this wonderful template on this website! If you ever choose to get your own blog as well (blogger being a free platform, along with many others) I would high recommended this website!

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Some Food For Thought...

It is no surprise that our society thrives on beauty. As Americans there is almost a fatal attraction when it comes to image and all things associated with it (myself of course, being no exception). However, our obsession is driving us into two very unhealthy categories. I did a little bit of research to open our eyes, and honestly even I was shocked by what I found. The chart below shows the most Googled celebrities of 2010 along with their height and weight, the column after that shows a healthy weight for the respective height. There is no surprise that the female celebrities were drastically underweight (maybe that’s why they have such problems conceiving children?) but what I was shocked to find out is that even the male celebrities barely fell within an acceptable range. People constantly ask if Hollywood is to blame for our youth’s body image issues, and in part yes. How can we expect young girls going through the rollercoaster of puberty to feel beautiful when every tabloid is focused around who has the best and worst beach body, or if “so and so” is pregnant or just fat? While it is the celebrities who are dangerously underweight and could certainly take steps to change that, they are just as influenced by our society as anyone else. There is this invisible hand that seems to push our dangerous love affair with beauty. When and where it started would be impossible to say, but at this point we are all to blame for its continuance.

Celebrity	Height (in inches)	Weight (in pounds)	Normal Weight Range (BMI 19 – 25)
Brad Pitt	5’11	174	161 - 184
Jennifer Aniston	5’6	110	140 - 159
Jessica Alba	5’7	118	146 - 163
Kelly Clarkson	5’3	165	131 - 147
Lindsay Lohan	5’5	105	137 - 155
Angelina Jolie	5’7	120	143 - 163
Adam Lambert	6’1	170	168 - 192
Paris Hilton	5’9	110	140 - 159
Kayne West	5’8	160	152 - 172
Madonna	5’4	100	134 - 151
Chris Brown	6’0	158	164 - 188
Britney Spears	5’5	105	137 - 155
Taylor Swift	5’10	120	152 - 173
Beyonce	5’5	130	137 - 155
Miley Cyrus	5’4	104	134 - 151
Michael Jackson	5’8	112	152 - 172
Lady Gaga	5’1	95	125 - 140

(The information above was collected through various websites found on www.Google.com)

(Average weights found on http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm) 

Some Facts: 

•          Estimated that 8 million Americans have an eating disorder
•          1 in 200 American women suffer from Anorexia Nervosa
•          3 in 100 American women suffer from Bulimia Nervosa
•          An Estimated 10 – 15% of people with Anorexia or Bulimia are male.
•          Eating Disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
•          A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders Reported that 5-10% of anorexics die within 10 years after contracting the disease; 18-20% of anorexics will be dead after 20 years and only 30-40% ever fully recover.
•          The mortality rate associated with Anorexia Nervosa is 12 times higher than the death rate of ALL causes of death for females’ ages 15 - 24 years old.
•          20% of people suffering from Anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems.

(The statistics above were collected from the South Carolina Department of Mental Health ©2006. www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm)

So what, they are a little underweight; what’s the big deal? I mean, it’s just a few pounds right?

Well. No.

I wanted to give a few facts on Eating Disorders too, just so we all understand how truly dangerous these disorders are. One fact that shocked me: “The mortality rate associated with Anorexia Nervosa is 12 times higher than ALL causes of death for females’ ages 15 – 24 years old.”

 Say, what now?

That is compared with domestic violence, substance abuse, car accidents, and all other causes of death.

During my research however there was one study that truly broke my heart. Recent research has found that around half of girls’ ages three to six years old believe that they are fat. Can you believe that? I have a beautiful two and a half year old daughter and I couldn’t image hearing those words come out of her mouth. On the other hand, I can remember being in grade school and worrying about my weight. There is far too much emphasis on pounds in our society, so much so that our young ones who should be care free and happy are concerned about weight and beauty. What are we as parents doing? How heartbreaking is it that our children worry about their image influencing how much they are loved? What kind of society will we create if we continue in this dangerous and shallow lifestyle?

So here are my final thoughts for all of you (men and women). You are amazing for being you. The fact that you were created from a microscopic single cell is a miracle in itself! Every body, frame, and muscle structure is unique to you and you alone. What does that mean? Well, for one, it means a chart or a magazine can’t tell you your BMI in 100% accuracy. Women; don’t forget that you have breasts which are made solely of fat. Your body is an amazing and intricate machine that should neither be starved nor overfed. We should strive to be healthy, eat well, and stay active. The emphasis is not on weight and beauty; it is on self worth and health. Never let anyone tell you who are you or who you should be. At the end of the day, you are the one looking back at yourself in the mirror; you decide your own worth. 

What, real life science fiction?

I was recently watching a series on the Science channel with my husband that talked about Quantum Physics and the way it has thrown off physicists understanding of reality. In the series they showed how simply observing something changes the way it behaves. Now, I am not going to discuss Quantum Physics or get into the discussion of existence in this post. When it comes down it, Quantum Physics is a real science that examines the laws beyond our understanding. It is not a faux science that was created for Science Fiction, and it is not a topic that can be easily explained in 30 minutes or less. For those reasons, I will not touch very much on what we have established about this mysterious science.

So here is my topic for the day; there are so many more dimensions and laws of physics then we are capable of understanding. Just because we exist only in the three dimensions does not mean that’s all there is. The dimensions of this Earth are so obvious to us because of our physical existence here. We need depth, width, and weight so that we may connect with the world around us. For example, bats use sonar to determine what is around them. By emitting a high pitched screech, they can feel the sound waves bounce back from items and potential prey around them. In a sense, they see with sound. Scientists once conducted an experiment in which they connected the hearing part of a ferrets brain with the vision part of the brain, the result was heightened brain activity in the sight area of the brain every time the ferrets heard something. Although this connection was forced and has not been found in any naturally occurring environment, the ferrets heard with sound. I think that examples like these only reaffirm that the dimensions of this world are simply to ensure we have a stable connection with the world around us.

Scientists have found that Space is much more intricate then 3D. It is in space that light move faster than anything else, time moves more slowly around black holes, and an impact of neutron stars not only creates energy beams that eradicate everything they hit but they also ripple space. I want to just repeat that last part one more time. When neutron stars collide, they ripple space. Space which is defined as nothing is shaken like water when a pebble falls in. This ripple tears apart planets and stars till it eventually loses steam and fades away.

I want to encourage you to do some looking into Quantum Physics, anomalies of space, and anything else you find along the way to be interesting. I would also like to leave you with this thought; we have such a minute understanding of existence. Our dimensions exist only to allow us connections to the world around us, however there are so many more fascinating and intricate properties outside our understanding. We must remember that we are constantly growing and evolving. We are as a species still young and far from our potential.

I found this show to provide a very easy to understand explanation of these kinds of topics. Check it out on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern Time on the Science Channel.


Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman

Upcoming topics: 

• America's Obsession With War
• The War On Intelligence (yes, I do see the irony of the first two topics... :-p) 
• The LCD Syndrome (Lowest Common Denominator Syndrome) 

"So you're smart, huh? I thought your head would be bigger." - President Camacho

U R GOING 2 LUV THIS: The Slaughter of the English Language

Sixty-thousand years ago the Earth underwent a dramatic climate change that wiped out around 90% of the species Homo-Saipan, that’s right, humans. This mini ice age left a measly 2,000 people left to struggle for their own survival. Nature is unforgiving, though this is easy to forget with our comfortable homes and amenities. Only the toughest and the lucky were left in each species; in order to continue survival some new tactic would have to be learned.


What happened next?


A guttural, primal noise slips from the mouth; the vocal cords tense and vibrate allowing sound to project from the lips – and the world changing skill of speech is formed.


That’s right: language.


Without it, our species would not have been able to survive the last ice age. It allowed the few humans left to communicate crucial locations of food and shelter. This skill is used by every living creature on earth, and has been the foundation for everything humanity has accomplished since Earth’s last global winter.


It is through language that our species flourished. As my mother puts it, “Language was our big trick…”


So why am I climbing up on my soapbox now? Well, it has to do with language! You cannot turn your head these days without seeing a slaughter of the English language. Text messaging and Instant Messaging has turned our beautiful language into a “Pigeon language” made up of short hand, slang, and numbers. That’s right, numbers! They don’t even belong in words! Numbers are meant to represent an amount of items; they are used to describe our world in mathematical terms not to replace words!


What’s worse? When people actually decide to use the extra two seconds to write out a complete word most of the time they still get it wrong!


For example: “They’re” “There” “Their”


Yes they all sound the same, but they have significantly different meanings! However, you will see these words used incorrectly all the time!


They’re - They are the “ ‘ “ replaces the “a” and allows the rest of the world “are” to move to the end of “They”.


There – In, at, or to that place or position.


Their – Belonging to or associated with a person of unspecified sex.


See? They all sound the same, but have VERY different meanings.

A few other slaps in the face of language?

Writing “i” instead of “I”, sure it seems like a simple mistake but not capitalizing the “I” takes away from its importance! The whole point of capitalizing the “I” is because it is referring to yourself! The English Language, for some silly reason, thinks that you are important and therefore when you are referenced you should have the respect of a capital letter.


“Tonite” – A common misspelling seen in e-mails, text, and status posts; not just with that word but with most words what end with a “ght”. True, phonetically it makes the same sound but it’s just wrong! The word is “Tonight”, it doesn’t take that much time to write the extra few letters.


“UR” Really? You can’t put “You’re” or “Your” is it that difficult?


I could go on and on, but I am sure you are getting the picture at this point. Language was a beautiful and epic trick that not only saved our species but has been a crucial foundation for everything we have accomplished since then. If we continue to slaughter our precious language the way we do, we will end up with something similar to the garble of Idiocracy (2006) where people spoke a clusterf**k of slang, valley girl, hillbilly, and grunts.


I think spending the extra few seconds it takes write out a whole word, spell check, and grammar check is worth it when the alternative is sounding like a complete idiot.

Click here for more examples of people making fools of themselves

Want some quick tips and help? Check out: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

Finally, because we all could a little practice now and then: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

While I don't feel that foul language is needed to get a point across, and often makes some one sound less intelligent; I felt that this kid had a point behind all of the anger and crass words. Caution: Image below is rated "R".  

Could you think reasonably while losing 2.5 oz. of blood?

      I would like to discuss a topic today that I have been very conflicted about. I am not conflicted about the concept; however I am conflicted about my theory. There are times that we deal with such difficult subjects that one doesn’t want to seem to condone them in anyway. Now, to quit being so vague, my topic today revolves around rape. It is one of the worst acts of humanity and unfortunately a huge part of our everyday world. One out of three woman has been or will be sexually assaulted in her life time. Seriously? One of three? That means if you have a mother and two sisters, your mother or two aunts, or any three women you hold close – at least one of them has been sexually assaulted… and if not, then she will be. Rape tears the soul, breaks the spirit, and forces someone to rebuild themselves from a foundation of pain and degradation.

      So what do I have to say about this? Well, before I got into much more detail I want to clarify a few things. Rape is about power, violence, and control. Sexual assaults more often than not lead to murders or horrendous physical assaults. It is a way of controlling another person through their most intimate of connections. A common misconception is that only “beautiful” women get raped, and “ugly” ones don’t have to worry; but when it comes down to it, the act has nothing to do with aesthetics.

This is an excerpt from Rape Prevent Education:

Question 1 - Why do people rape? 
"Many people think that rape and sexual abuse is about the rapist trying to get sex. However, studies conducted with convicted rapists show that this isn't the case. Research shows that men who sexually offend often do so to gain a sense of power and authority, while women sexually offend often to either maintain or establish an emotional relationship. Sexual activity is the means by which this is achieved, not the reason for the rape."

      The motivations behind sexual assaults are grave and horrifying, far from the “sex offenders” that happen to be idiotic teenagers who made the stupid mistake of streaking across their football game. The pedophiles, the men and occasional women who use drugs, the people who coerce through physical, mental, or emotional means, not to mention sexual offenders in other dark areas are hard to compare to the hormone driven “streaker” that is trying to fulfill his “fraternity” type initiations.

      What I would like to talk about today then is the rapes that occur when after the consensual sex has started and one party decides they don’t want to continue. Certainly be all means, this is request that should be carried out. My thinking here though is that it is not always easy for a man to stop after intercourse has started. I am not trying to justify anything here; rather I am encouraging a greater consideration before any relations happen. Sex is an intimate and personal act. It allows someone to literally be a part of you even if only for a few minutes. It is the beginning of life, an act of pleasure and affection, and a way to give part of yourself to another person. Because sex is such an intimate and personal act it should only be done with those we truly care for and are happy to give part of ourselves too. Sex should never be to relieve an “itch”, done out of border or obligation, or just to get it over with. This truly is the greatest gift one can give another person, and should be done so under great consideration. Even if one is only thinking about positional life, to have a child with another person connects the two individuals for life. So, does it not make sense to be sure the person you are engaging in this connection with is someone you care for deeply? That they are an individual who you would not mind always having a connection with, having part of them and vice versa, and that you are willingly to enter body and soul into this action with?

      What seems to happen on too many occasions is that two people begin intercourse and after the act has begun one party realizes they are not ready and wishes to stop. More often than not this is the woman. As I said before, that is her right and if she wants to stop then it should – but that request is not always carried out easily. Years of reproduction and biological pruning have made our bodies procreating machines with the objective of creating new life. When a man becomes sexually aroused, blood must fill his genitalia for the act to occur. After some research, I found that during arousal a man has around 2.5 ounces of blood circulating through his genitalia around every 2 two minutes. That is about ¼ of a cup, it is also the same amount of blood that the average heart pumps every minute, and the same amount of blood needed to circulate so that the brain can make rational decisions. After sexual arousal, the body is also flooded with testosterone and other hormones. In women, there are more receptors for these hormones in the brain, allowing for more rational thinking however; men not only have a lack of blood but they do not absorb the hormones nearly as quickly. Could you imagine someone asking you to do stop and rationally think about something when you are losing ¼ of a cup of blood every two minutes?

      So, I am not trying to justify anything here, but I am asking for more consideration before engaging in intercourse… To be clear here, there are certainly situations where one is forced into the act and may release after it has started that they do not want to continue but they have too…. That is rape, and is an act of control or anger.

      There are a few more points I would like to bring up… The individuals who do carry out sexual assaults should be taken much more seriously than they are. Rape normally carries 7 to 15 year jail sentence, along with sex offender registration for life… HOWEVER there is little to no psychological or clinical evidence that sex offenders can reform their actions. It can safely be said that most if not all sex predators will act again, normally with more violence then before. As I stated earlier, sexual assaults are also a gate way to murders. So, should we really let sex offenders out only to wait for them to strike again?