Self-confidence and high self-esteem start within. And, they are both controlled by factors far beyond weight, such as childhood experience/teaching, cultural beliefs, etc… In other words, if a fat woman feels bad about herself, she probably still will (deep down) even after losing the excess weight. So, let’s get to the real problem with being BIG. It’s not healthy.

Obesity has been proven to substantially increase our risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure…. Shall I continue?  Excess weight also puts extra stress on the joints. Is the extra cheese really worth it? Obesity in women leads to far more than low self-esteem, which is why I have such an issue with women’s magazines, groups, talk shows, etc., encouraging it. And, whenever they send the message that excess weight is beautiful, that’s exactly what they are doing – encouraging health problems, and even death. There is nothing beautiful about being completely out of breath after climbing one flight of stairs. Taking the space of one and a half seats on a flight is not pretty. So, why lie and act like it is?

No one expects all women to be a size 4, especially since “skinny” doesn’t necessarily mean “healthy” either. However, it is time we stop sprinkling sugar on the issue and call it what it is. Ideal weight varies by person. And, it’s not about how you look or even what the scale says. You know you have reached your ideal weight and size when you have reached your ideal health. Of course, not all health problems are caused by excess weight. But, many are. And, if an issue is within your control, control it!

Put down the potato chips, quarter pound burgers, and supersized sodas. Take the stairs (at least a flight or two) rather than the elevator. Park a little farther back in the parking lot, forcing yourself to walk a bit more. These are all efforts to be proud of. Don’t embrace your fat. Lose it! Big isn’t beautiful. Healthy is. And, the next time someone calls you fat, don’t get mad. You probably are. Get moving!

Maybe it’s me! Maybe it’s not 2009! Maybe it’s some past time where we don’t have unalienable rights, we didn’t march, and we don’t have laws governing our actions! How in the world did we allow banks that “hold” our money for us, to turn around and to charge us a fee for holding our money! And now it’s like banks are holding our money hostage with the various fees they charge. And to add insult to injury, our government has a trillion dollar deficit. Since Bush had gotten in office, we as a nation have “borrowed money” from other countries and as a country we can carry a “deficit” but we charge the little people overdraft fees. I wonder how many billions of dollars would we owe China if they charged the United States overdraft fees/late fees/promissory fees/etc.?

Now the maniacal, corrupt bankers are like robber barons of old making money hand over fist off of the poor with overdraft fees. Cue the wrestler’s Ted Di biase entrance music please, “Money, Money, Money, Money!” The problem with banks is that they are charging us with some basic services that was free at one point. Or limiting service or access to service. Unless your  rich, a big company or corporation then those fees get “waived” or the banks offer overdraft or fee protection.  But wait what’s that in the sky? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the government and the Overdraft Protection Bill! Nothing like coming to the rescue after the people’s money are already gone and taken!

We, the people, need to have our voices heard in Congress because after all they represent us. If we can get a warrant from overdraft fees, then there should be some type of warrant issued for unethical bank practices! In the economic climate where banks are closing and going out of business, so many houses are in foreclosure, that there should be a way to ease the burden on the poor people. Some of us will say, if people do what they are supposed to do then you will never incur a fee. This is simply not true. The banks play games with posting checks, not posting checks, posting deposits, not posting deposits, etc. until accounts go into overdraft. Or they charge you on things like how much or how little you use the account, how much money is in the account, etc.

Now this Overdraft Protection Bill is being argued on Capitol Hill. It is supposed to make things clearer. For instance, the banks would be required to ask you the account holder, if you want a charge to go thru which may overdraft your account as opposed to sending charges through and approving them, knowing that they will incur a fee. Some on Capitol Hill are arguing that it is 2009, why isn’t this process more streamline and why can’t the banks “see” in realtime how much money is in an account before approving a charge. My point, why do things have to get to this level? Predatory lending and overdraft fees have been going on for far too long in this country! We need a Banking Overhaul Bill in the long run!

“…instead of letting people die in the street, we have free healthcare.” ~ Russell Brand

Picture this. A group of 1^st graders on a field trip are enjoying their lunches at a picnic table, when they notice a classmate seated with nothing to eat. Before the little girl can get out the full explanation of how she forgot her lunch in her mom’s car, the others are already dividing up their lunches and deciding what portions to give her.  The problem is solved. They all eat. Sounds simple, huh? Then, why is it that adults have such a hard time grasping a concept that comes so naturally to children? That’s right. I’m referring to the age old idea of SHARING.

Recently, there has been much debate about universal healthcare in the United States. Should we or shouldn’t we? How will it affect us? Will our taxes soar as a result? Is it an attempt to move toward socialism? Is socialism truly such a bad thing? So many questions go through our minds. But, the one thing many of us fail to think about is how this “new” idea may help others, even if not ourselves. Now, I am still undecided on the issue. But, I do feel it is extremely important to look at all of the facts before making the decision to support or oppose.

We, in our capitalistic society, seem to have become very self-sufficient. That’s a good thing. However, in that self-sufficiency, many of us have lost our sensitivity to the needs of our fellow citizens, and even become oblivious to it altogether. Along with heart disease, cancer, and stroke, insurance companies are a leading cause of death in our country, and most of us do not know or care. Every day, our own citizens are dying of treatable illnesses because of a lack of insurance and, therefore, lack of medicine and treatment. In other words, our people are dying because NO ONE CARES. And, most of us remain unaware of the issue unless or until it happens to someone we love.

Did you know that the average cost of a doctor’s visit for a person without insurance starts at $150? And, with each test and treatment, that cost increases. Did you know that a visit to the emergency room for an uninsured patient can cost $1,000 and more? That’s without the ambulance ride. If you have insurance, this may never be relevant to your personal life. But, what about those you’ve never met, who require regular medicines and treatments they cannot afford? If you don’t know them, do they still matter?

The healthcare changes proposed by our president do not require those who are already insured to change their insurance companies. Rather, it includes those who are NOT insured at a small cost to the rest of us. So, why all the skeptics? The true issue isn’t about a socialism scare at all. We, the people, have become so self-absorbed that we are unwilling to consider making a sacrifice in order to help people we don’t know. The true issue is selfishness. We feel that “if it doesn’t directly affect me, it’s not my problem”. Every man for himself…until that man in need is you.

So, how long will we allow other countries to mock our selfishness and insensitivity to our own citizens? How long will we allow our own to “die in the street”? This is not an effort to gather support for the healthcare proposal. Rather, it is my effort to encourage you all to take a moment and think about the sick and uninsured/under-insured before placing your support on either side of the issue. Gather your facts. Take yourself out of the equation. Schedule a visit to the 1^st grade classroom at your local elementary school, and observe.  At what point did we become so absorbed in our own lives that we stopped caring about the needs of others? And, more importantly, is it too late for us to go back?

This November promises to be one for the record books. With the fireworks coming from Left 4 Dead 2 and Call of Duty’s highly anticipated sequel Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2. Left 4 Dead 2 will build upon the hype that came from Left 4 Dead by adding new maps, new characters, guns, and of course, new special infected. New infected range from, “The Jockey”, who jumps onto survivors backs and steers them away from the rest of the group, to “The Spitter”, who can spit a vile acid on an area that will cause anyone in it to take damage (no more corner camping n00bs!!). If you pre-ordered L4D2 on Steam then you have exclusive access to a demo that will be released this Tuesday, October 27th. I will post a review as soon as I get my initial fix from the demo 8).
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the most highly anticipated sequel for the CoD series yet, in my honest opinion. It is not hard to see why, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was named “Most Played Online Video Game” by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009. It comes with a brand new game mode, that allows Online 2 player Co-Op that is entirely different from the single player campaign with a series of time trails and objective missions that get harder as the players skill increases. Also, the part that gamers are biting their fingernails waiting for, is the newly redone multiplayer system. With new weapons, special items(riot shields, throwing knives to name a couple), Dual attachments, and brand new customizable kill streaks. With a release date of November 13th, gamers are already tuning up their skills.
Both games will be available on PC and XBOX360, with Modern Warfare 2 also being available on the Playstation 3.

DigitalBuddha is a writer for SpillYourGame.com. A brand new videogame and tech website going to be ready very soon.

10. If your child’s name is Apple, you are a BAD parent.(Yep, Gwyneth, that’s for you!)

9. If you leave your child with a “sitter” to pursue your life-long dream of becoming America’s Next Top Model, YOU are a bad parent.

8. If you think you may be eligible to call in for the “Help! My two-year-old weighs 130lbs!” topic on the Maury Show, YOU are a bad parent.

7. If you think you may be eligible for ANY topic on the Maury Show, YOU are a bad parent.

6. If you’re thinking about getting your 2 year old a pit bull for Christmas, YOU are a bad parent.

5. If you allow your child to be injected with an experimental government vaccine. YOU are a bad parent!

4. If your three year old is preparing for her fifth beauty pageant of the year, and knows more about make-up than CoverGirl, YOU are a bad parent.

3. If you are a single parent of 6, and feel that the in vitro-fertilization of 8 more may be a bright idea, YOU are a bad parent.

2. If you allow Roger Stephens (of Gwinett County, GA) to approach you in a Wal-Mart, slap your baby across the face 4 times, and walk away unharmed, YOU are a bad parent.

1. If you instruct your child, whom you believe has descended from aliens, to lie to police about being trapped in a spaceship-shaped balloon in an effort to gain a spot on a reality television show, YOU are a bad parent.

So, class, what have we learned? These are just a few cases of parental stupidity. Yet, they all have something in common – a lack of God-given common sense! It befuddles me that we must past tests and meet government regulations to drive, vote, and even work a register at McDonald’s while ANYONE can be a parent. Tsk, tsk, America. Tsk, Tsk!

11.I’m sure the administration doesnt want to send us students off to get raped, do they?

12.The AC has 2 settings: arctic or off, and well to be frank I would rather eat off a sidewalk than the cafeteria.

13.If students werent doing school raising activities they would be on the gang-banging, toe-tagging, body-bagging streets.

14. its like asking a thief not to steal. The person is a thief and thats what he suppose to do, so he is going to do it no matter what. And thats how it works with students.

15.I, Katie Stickle, Cordially invite you inside my brain to hear for yourself what I am thinking.… I hope you have enjoyed the ride in Katie Stickle’s Brain; please keep your hands and feet inside the “Brain Train” until it comes to a complete and total stop! Thanks for riding and please come again with another situation for my brain.

16.I consider it child slavery. They are no better than those pimps out there making women and young girls walk the street in those skimpy outfits.

17.For instance, the restrooms are extremely bad ordered and clogged with human fiecies.

18.I ended up soaking wet like if I were standing under Niager falls.

19.If we had a magic schoolbus we wouldnt have to worry about a 15-year old child getting shot every day.

20.Some time the presedent passe good lerd aboat the people is very happy be cruse the presedent pass the good lird sometime the presedent bass the bord lord some people no happy because the presedent pass bard lerd.

stanTARDized testing 1-10

These are 100% real examples of answers to prompts from various standardized test. Names have been changed for confidentiality. These have not been altered in any way otherwise.

Now a site with them all! stanTARDizedtesting.com

On the one hand, being friends usually means confiding in the other. It’s easy to talk to an ex, some say, because you feel you already know that person. And yet some say, it’s easy to talk to people one doesn’t know because since they don’t know you, they can’t judge you overall. It’s kind of hard to confide in someone that you may or may not trust with certain info because of your past history. The other will be hurt that after being in a long term relationship they can’t be trusted. This is the very dichotomy of friends versus lovers.
Then there is the “been there and done that” philosophy that goes with being with an ex. Some can pull off the just friends, nothing more and nothing less mentality. But mostly, friends with an ex, usually comes down to friends with benefits because both parties are very familiar with each other. And, if the sex was good and the relationship was not, it’s a way for two people to “be and not be” with each other until one or the other has a “need”.
Bottom line, as long as someone has an ex, the ex maybe a factor!

1.We would be influenced in drugs. Which to me is a good way to raise money for school activities.

2. Wheres my money there was this one time long ago I was in the 5^th grade I rised the school 592.31 selling stuff from the catalog thing and you know what they gave me an award made out of paper a god damn paper award can you believe this thats why I hate when schools ask me to rise money for them and that sucks.

3.She could not bear another day playing with those balls.

4.In America, ever since the beginning of time, people had to pay for everything.

5.Fundraisers dont raise money; fundraisers rob people.

6.I know it sounds bad, but I had fun doing it with my sister.

7.They be like man I aint finna help no school raise no money for no activities.

8.How does Timmy solve his dilemma? By robbing his local CVS pharmacy. Timmy has gone from a strapping “All-A” student with a bright smile and a brighter future to lying on a prison cot writing letters to his STD-infected girlfriend.

9.Girls come out in their skimpy bikinis showin off their body to get more customers and boys with their well built frame. Sure this is an unethical way to behave but if it get money in the schools pockets its okay.

10.Im Frank Sierra if you agree with me do a back flip then a head spin and clap to 100 then grab a basketball and shoot 10 baskets and smile.

stanTARDized testing 11-20

These are 100% real examples of answers to prompts from various standardized test. Names have been changed for confidentiality.These have not been altered in any other way.

Now a site with them all! stanTARDizedtesting.com

It is our right under God and the United States Constitution to make our own life decisions, whatever they may be. It is also our right to speak freely, is it not? So, why is it that every time a straight person speaks AGAINST homosexuality, they face harassment, hate, and outright societal ostracism? Since when was it made a rule that I must agree with everyone’s relationships? For speaking their own obviously unpopular opinions that may be against homosexuality, celebs and other public figures often run the risk of being sued, getting fired, losing endorsements/votes/beauty pageant crowns, etc… Your community begs for tolerance from others, but where is your own? Have we really come to a time in which we are no longer free to speak? Has America gotten soft?

Now, please understand that I am not condoning threats, bullying, or any type of harassment. And, this is not to substantiate those who do so. I am in support of the people who simply disagree with the now ever-so-popular homosexual form of relationships, for religious or whatever other reasons, and are afraid to say it.  If you are free to speak in favor of your boy-on-boy/girl-on-girl way of life, why am I not free to speak against it? I believe homosexuality is wrong and unnatural.

Do you hate me now?

Relationships are the choice of the individuals involved. But, before you start asking for special rights because of those choices, remember that the sun does not rise and set on your rainbow. In other words, live your life however you have chosen to live it and be happy. As a straight person, I only want the rights I have already been given, including freedom of speech. I can agree to disagree, and so should you. You cannot ask me to be something you’re not. I’m straight. I’m proud. And, I don’t need any special rights because of it. Tolerate that!