Who are you to tell someone how to parent their child?

Recently a news story about a canadian couple raising a child to be gender neutral, exploded all over the net.
Here's the original article below;
http://parentingsguide.com/2011/05/canadian-couple-wont-reveal-childs-gender-the-mommy-files/

The article talks about how the family lets the children choose what toys they want to play with, what they want to wear, if they want to be home schooled or go to a public school. So why are they under such fire?

Our culture and media is obsessed with gender. It's how we are placed in a demographic by the media, it's used to defined our actions as 'manly' or 'girly'. It's such a part of our society today, that anything that crosses over the line into the opposite territory there seems to be a media fire there to voice their opinion.

But why is that grey area between boy and girl such a big deal?

Media doesn't always seem to accurately portray transgendered, or gender neutral individuals in a very positive way.

It's not like someone who is gender neutral or transgendered has any effect on your life whatsoever, them being who they are or want to be doesn't hurt you in any way. Everyone should be intitled to live their life the way that makes them happy, and if you don't like or agree with someone else's lifesytle, then look away.

So why, as a society do we feel the need to be entitled on how to tell someone how to parent their child?
I interpreted the story as simply a human interest piece, stating the story, letting it raise some questions and to really get people thinking about how their parenting style is different to this on, and how they might be open minded to accepting this way of parenting a child.

Think of the way your parents raised you and the colours as well as the types of toys they gave you. Where they associated with your gender?
The pressures of gender seperation influence parenting styles, and helps shape how the next generation view gender.

I personall support these parents in how they are raising their child, becasue ultimately it is their business how they raise their child and nobody else's.

If your interested in viewing some more opinions, check out this disscusion lead by Dr.Drew sharing their thoughts on this specific article.
http://fitperez.com/2011-05-25-gender-free-child-discussion?from=PHheadline

The New Cool

May I ask why your people care so much about personal image, about what is "cool"? Every day, the meaning of cool changes. The names of the most popular musicians change. New fashion trends develop and become popular, while others are banished to the back of the closet. What does it mean to be "cool" and who decides it? And if something is "cool", does it make it more important than everything else?

I have seen on my journeys a type of people that are viewed with more importance then most others; they are more popular then the rest. They dawn the most expensive garbs, they possess the newest technology and are the most social among you. They can be seen where ever an area of social gathering exits. Your places of learning, the local indoor market; as well as the television, on billboards and all over the Internet. You crown them as the leaders of society and strive to be like them. You do as they say, buy what they tell you, all in hope of becoming like them. But here is where I wonder, do you need to be like them?

You empower those that think they are better then you; you allow them to lead and abuse you. What is the definition of "cool" anyways? I always thought it meant that something was frigid to the touch. You need not be the the slaves of the cool tyrant. Be an individual do, what you want to because what ever you do is the coolest thing around.

The Shuffle

Shuffling is well known dance now. It wasn't a well known dance in the past, it used to be just a dance that people did at events or raves. It was an underground dance and was a way to express someones feelings not too impress other's. In the recent past there has been more and more people coming out and exposing this underground dance trying to impress others. The dance is becoming a main stream dance with the recent uprising of the party rockers anthem by LMFAO. Now people are trying to learn how to shuffle everywhere because of the wrong music. Shuffling was supposed to be underground and was also supposed to be danced to Hardstyle not rap, techno and pop. To dance a certain way to the wrong genre like try to walk during a race it just doesn't work. Who knows maybe people will learn that shuffling comes from hardstyle and start listening to it. or it could possibly be the most popular dance of 2011.

Nine Months From Now Will it Still Be Funny?

Do you think it is cool to be pregnant?

Many shows and movies right now give off the impression that it is all for laughs and jokes and the occasional challenge when you are pregnant. A few of these movies and shows are 16 and pregnant, teen mom and knocked up. 16 and Pregnant is a show about teens who are pregnant and how they handle life before the baby is born, teen mom is an extension showing the lives of a few of the teen mothers.

Originally, it was argued that teen mom and 16 and pregnant were shows that helped to spread awareness to teens around the world about the risks surrounding teen pregnancy. These shows were used as advocates for abstinence in the past although, things have recently changed.

These shows have turned into scandals all over the media, on

magazines, online and on television. Every time you leave the grocery store you see Amber or Macy's names all over the covers of magazines. If you think about it though, do you actually know Macy or Amber's last name, do you see how the father's of their children live their lives every day?

Yes, you get to see the problems and drama between the stars of the show but, does everyone realize that these problems can be avoided, some teens may feel differently. These shows and movies can be dangerous for teens because they may have a different interpretation. They may read pregnancy as the source of all problems and never wish to have children, or some may believe that becoming pregnant may help their chances of becoming famous. It may just seem like another popularity contest, who they've slept with, who the father of their child is and if MTV will be calling them to ask to film their drama filled lives. Is that what really happens though, that you magically get a call and get on television, think back to how many people are on these shows, maybe 4 or 5 sets of parents, and how many of them do you see struggling to keep their relationship a happy or civil one, or how often do you see them fight.

So what is so funny about a couple who end up having a child because of a drunken night at a club, or an abusive girlfriend, or constantly being reminded of the child you gave away. Is it a confidence bust that your life is not actually that bad because you could not go to that concert, or is it a refresher for why you take precautions when it comes to the opposite sex. What ever your reasoning is, remember there is always more than one side to things and that even if you laugh now, if the situations were reversed it would not be as funny.

Teenage abortion rates, by age of women at end of pregnancy, women aged 15 to 19, Canada, 1974 to 1997

Data sources: References 5,6,7; Health Statistics Division; Canadian Vital Statistics Data Base; Canadian Institute for Health Information

Tap Water or Bottled Water?

Both tap water and bottled water is “safe” to drink here in Canada. But the question that is brought up is which one is healthier? At first I thought bottled water was safer to drink then tap water but after I realized Tap water is a safer source because of many reasons.

I have realized that for many years bottle water companies have advertised their bottle water to make it seem that their bottled water is healthier and that tap water is not safe for us to consume.

Certain brands of bottled water have been shown to have more contaminants than tap water due to the leaching of harmful chemicals from the plastic bottles. The scientific evidence is clear that all plastic bottles leach chemicals into the water.

One of the chemicals found in water bottles is phthalate. Phthalates are known to cause reproductive disorders and liver problems. Phthalates also increase the risk of cancer.

Bottled water is also way more expensive then Tap water. This is another reason I choose to drink tap water. And the sad thing is that most bottled water companies use local city tap water to fill their bottles.

In my opinion I think using a home drinking water filter is not only a healthier choice; it is more economical, environmentally friendly and convenient! A home water filter will allow you to control the type and degree of filtration, saving you time and money.

So which do you think is better Tap water or Bottled water??

Boogeyman 2

In the movie, The Boogeyman 2, the main character, Laura suffers from a long term phobia of the boogeyman, she admits herself into a mental health clinic to try to get over her phobia. The first few nights of her stay some really weird stuff goes on, and she starts to see the boogeyman. Nobody believes her but then after a few days, people start dying, the death was associated with their biggest fear, for example this anorexic girl was scared of getting fat, so the boogeyman shoved tubes into her body and grided up food to push into her body, another example is a guy had OCD with cleaning and the boogeyman left cockroaches in his room for his to have anxiety over the mess and that caused him to consume bleach and die. At the end of the movie Laura escapes the mental health clinic but still has paranoia about the boogeyman. The effect on the audience is that their adrenaline is pumping with suspence because of the fact that they feel the same emotion as the characters.

How big is Your Carbon Footprint?

Our carbon footprint is the measure of the impact our activities have on the environment. It is based on the amount of green house gases produced in our day-to-day life, through burning fuel for electricity, heating and transportation.

In Canada we produce a total of 747 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. In my opinion I think Canadians have a high carbon footprint. So an average Canadian produces approximately 24 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year.

Media advertisements have a great impact on our carbon footprint. All around we see ads which influence us to buy something. The emission from the factories and industries are let into our atmosphere during the process of manufacturing the product we buy. So the products that we buy like cars, video games, etc increase our carbon footprint.

So why is it important? It gives you an idea of the kind of impact you are having on the Earth just living day to day. With this knowledge you can start taking steps to reduce your footprint. We don’t want our Earth to turn into a giant, hot ball do we?!

Don’t want to control your Carbon footprint? Imagine after 50 years:

- Demand for food will increase by 60%

- Demand for water will increase by 40 %

- Demand for energy will increase by 60%

Think about filling your stomach, and drinking clean water! We will all be fighting for these supplies. This is what could be happening in our lifetime! Do you want this to happen? If not then measure your carbon footprint and reduce the amount of Carbon dioxide used in your life.

Measure Your Carbon Footprint and change the world:

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

Now It's Set

This is just a quick update considering I only finished my last blog a day ago.

The NBA finals is officially set to be the Dallas Mavericks of the Western Conference to face off against the Miami Heat of the Eastern conference.

This means that each team is the champion of their own respective conference... but who is going to be the team to be the league champion?

If memory serves right, then it will be the Miami Heat to win the title, and it is a tough argument for sure. Wade, Lebron, Bosh and the healthy Udonis Haslem is a strong line, but the Mavericks won't go down without a fight.

The Mavericks lost to the Heat a few years ago in the NBA finals, were Dywane Wade led his team to the title. He since then has recruited some more talent, but so has Dallas.

You should already know my stand on Dirk and the Mavs, and I still hope that they win, not only because I favor them, but because Dirk doesn't have a championship ring. He won the NBA MVP in 2007, but has not gotten to be named on a championship team.

Dirk has been phenominal, and I can't wait to see how this series turns out.

With all the talent on these two teams, I wouldn't be surprised if it went to all 7 games to decide the winner.

The Fashion Industry Wears the Pants (and designs them too)

It's hard to believe apart from designing clothes, shoes, and accessories; the fashion industry can also manipulate and influence the public as well. The fashion industry creates a huge impact in our society, sometimes without us even realizing it. People are fascinated with keeping up with the latest trends and must-have items. Even if it's an ugly fur miniskirt or mustard yellow liquid leggings, fashionistas are bound to conform, no matter how ridiculous the garment may look. But then again, fashion is art, so it may appeal to some and not to others. If the designs weren't associated with fashion houses like Gucci, Prada, or Louis Vuitton, people would view them differently and with a more open mind. The public is also inspired by notable designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander Wang, and Marc Jacobs. Fashion designers can be seen as iconic to many people interested in pursuing a career in the fashion industry, or who are simply just interested in fashion. Similar to actors or musicians, it's pretty amazing when a designer starts off at design school and later on becomes a style influence for the world.

Personally, I enjoy the designs from Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, and Louis Vuitton. Even though these brands are contrasting, in terms of style, they all still appeal to me. Marc Jacobs' designs emit a fun, bold, and quirky essence, while Alexander Wang's work has an effortlessly cool and edgy feel to it.

It's a diverse place out there in the world of fashion and we can quite easily be swept away by it.

It's All for Show

Remember the good old days?
I sure don't, Im way to young to remember the days when there was real simple and pure musicians.

Nowadays singers, musicians, bands, all seem to be concerned with their image and it seems there's so much fluff surrounded with mainstream music now.

What ever happened to the day when somebody just sat up on stage with their guitar and sang their heart out?
Let me tell you one thing, Kesha wouldn't be able to capture people's interest just sitting their singing her songs without all her costumes, props, auto-tune, and dancing.

Compare to 2011 to any year during the 60's ot 70's.

Who was popular then? Bob Dylan. The Rolling Stones. Jimi Hendrix. Janice Joplin. The Specials. Just to name a few.

They were popular for a reason, because of a killer voice and musicality.

Who's popular now? Kesha. Justin Bieber. Brittany Spears. Black Eyed Peas.
Who all seem to be more focused on their image and performance with all of these extra unnecessary things about their sets. If people only focused on their voices without seeing what the singers themselves actually looked like, I doubt they would be as sucessful as they are now.

Now don't get me wrong, Im not ragging on all music created recently, but bands/singers who keep true to their love of music and don't throw in all these attention seeking extras to their image and whatnot never seem to get enough of the deserved attention. Because they don't have that 'it' look or flavour of the month sound?

So all I ask is next time you listen to your ipod, or mp3 or music thingamabob, ask youself why your REALLY listening to the songs you are. Is it because their catchy and everyone is listening to them? Or do they actually have substance and infectious passion from the musicians who make it?

The music industry seems to be going to hell in a handbasket, but the good stuff is far and few between but when you find it, it's priceless.

Here's a few songs I feel still have that put your heart into it, attitude I find infectious. Even though they might not get the biggest coverage, that doesn't take away from how good their songs are.

Wagon Wheel - Against Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUtdoyPG0OY

Beauty In The Breakdown - The Scene Aesthetic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoFsshDfE0k

Rabbit Hole - Comanechi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaEBlFwgRVo

If It Means A Lot To You - A Day To Remember
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzq1Kmu7Xmg

It's Only Wednesday - Crash Kings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huz_n5vFXnQ

Finally! A finale for Celebrity Apprentice!

Donald Trump FINALLY put his own ego aside and crowned Country Singer-John Rich-the new Celebrity Apprentice last Sunday night. Some would call a painstaking process-Donald dragged out several of his seasons shows to an outrageous two hours!! We watched many Board Room scenes go on for sometimes 45 minutes of arguing, defending and accusing. The craziest competition to date, it came down to two very committed, hard working and successful fundraising contenders-Oscar Winning Actress Marley Matlin and country singer John Rich.

This was one of the wackiest of times for long time Apprentice watchers. These celebrities were pitted against each other very week in a variety of tasks to raise money for charity (all good!). Aside from the confrontational personalities, there was always enough go to go around the room twice. Tempers flared ad there was never a dull moment!

The “fun” started right at the beginning with Star Jones who can come off as elitist, controlling and a manipulator of other participants, particularly Lisa Reena who possesses such a threat that Star was out to get her right away. And she did! Star seemed to have Donald’s’ support right from the start, until it came to Ne Ne Leakes…the “housewife from Atlanta.”

Fun for us watchers as sparks flew between Ne Ne and Star, as well as the others who were around including LaToya (I’m famous because I’m a Jackson) Jackson who Ne Ne called “Casper the Ghost” !!

The other wacky one who created lots of drama and chaos was Gary Busey. We’re talking…WAY out there! He seems to have lots of issues when interacting with others due to a brain injury, his communication problems kept the men’s team on edge. Singer Mark McGrath, Survivor show winner, Richard Hatch and rapper Lil Jon as well as asing singer Meat Loaf provided lots o conflicts and hard work for their charities.

Overall this edition of Celebrity Apprentice should have been called “Celebrities Behaving Badly and Raising Money for Charity!”

Donald Trump and his over privileged offspring overshadowed the temperamental, overindulged wacky contestants this time. It was like a train wreck every week…one we knew was going to happen that we just couldn’t take our eyes off of!

I’m happy for John Rich, sad for the second runner up Marley Matlin, thrilled for the charities that will benefit from all the money raised and waiting on the edge of my seat to see what Donald trump and Mark Burnett (producer) will b able to come up with for next season! It will be hard to top this one…Sunday nights will be awfully quiet without the Celebrity Apprentice this summer!

Yours in Reality, Sam.

American Idol Season 10

After 122 million record breaking votes…the 10th season winner of American Idol is………………….Scotty McCreary! The seventeen year old deep voiced country singer beat out sixteen year old Lauren Alaina. Okay! Lets talk about the obvious..these two are like the same age as us! It’s unbelievable that just a short time ago Scotty was working as a bag boy at the local grocery store and going to high school. Like the rest of us, his biggest worry was getting his assignments in on time! The clean cut, religious crooner looks so, “boy next door” it’s almost scary! Now he’s on his way to stardom, or he hopes! We know that American Idol has done a great job of making stars our of many of the contestants over the last 10 seasons, but there have also been the “lost ones” as well… like remember Taylor what’s his name? and Lee DeWyse from last season… haven’t head much from him! I wish Scotty well! Although I am not a country music fan, the fact that he’s the same as us makes me feel like I want him to have a long and successful career! He can sing, though I preferred Lauren’s voice range and vocal ability a little better!

The final show was a shopping two hours of awesome musical talent! It was a good thing there was lots of variety there because two hours of Idol can be a lot to take, but thankfully I really enjoyed it! Beyonce, Lady GaGa, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Judas Priest pulled out all the stops! It was obviously the Top 11 Idol cast offs have been working hard to be able to participate in the show professionally but at times they looked a bit overdone and hokey! They all seemed to be fighting for the camera time-it was a bit much! They better be ready-their American idol tour starts Friday-today in Las Vegas

So…American Idol is over for another reason! Loved the new judges…JLo ad Steven Tyler though I wasn’t sure at first…

I miss is when it’s not on and cant wait for it come on again next fall! I don’t think ill be buying Scotties latest single but I will be waiting for the drop of Laurens first album…a little Kelly Clarkson, a little Carrie Underwood would be good-what do you think?

Yours in Reality, Sam.

What do YOU Think?

What do you make of the many things you are told each day? Do you hear them, say "uh huh" and then tuck them away into the folds of your mind? Do you take it to heart and try to change your self based on what the recommendations are? Or do you just bush it off, thinking what you know is how its been, and it won't change? New information, facts and statistics are released almost every day. They tell us what we should and shouldn't do, how things work now and give us predictions of what the future will be and guesses of the past. They often contradict themselves, and replace previous knowledge.

What is released to us may not even be fair towards the truth. The results may be slanted to support a particular interest group, or so vague that the results lose their meaning. What are we supposed to believe when views change so frequently?

That is up to you.

Make your own decisions. based on what you learned, not what someone tells you. Research the topic instead of digesting whatever is put in front of you. You are allowed to think for yourself, don't be swayed by what others think. They are not the ones who make the decisions in your life. At the end of the day, the only opinion that really matters is your own.

Creativity

Creativity.

We can express creative motion by 30 different colours of crayon, marker, construction paper, pipe cleaner, pom poms and other art supply. With this we can express our thoughts and imagination about our own world. Singers express their feelings by singing. Singing is how they talk and describe in their story to us. Musicians pour out their soul to share their feelings and to interact with one of us. Writers write about the story they want to share.

But if all feelings and emotions can be expressed in words, then why is there art? Why is it there a necessity for us to show visually on paper or some kind of format.

We are creative everyday.

Some people may use media to portray their thoughts on a certain issue. They use creativity to share and devote other people to do the same. I just want to say that, creativity is a way to express beyond our box.

"So let your simple thought be illustrated through your talent with your creativity!"

YouTube

What is YouTube?
It is a popular video sharing web site that lets anyone upload videos for public and private viewing. It was invented by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. YouTube was bought by Google in 2006 for $1.65 billion! It is another very useful venue for sharing videos between people around the world.

YouTube can be viewed by anyone, videos can be posted by anyone and can be downloaded by anyone. YouTube is used by people of all different ages and types in so many different ways. It has become a useful tool for educational, entertainment and marketing purposes in a society where technology and resources are always being updated and/or improved.

This site is used by people of all ages and although this is a positive factor, it is also potentially negative. It can be useful for school projects. For example, a student might need to find examples of historical dances that you possibly would not be able to find on another website, or examples might be avaiable elsewhere but Youtube make the search much easier. However, sites like YouTube have trouble controlling the access for this site. (I guess when you think about it, Youtube may not really want to control access - they want as many people viewing as possible to sell ad space!) Educators must put tight controls on what students can view at school. YouTube is obviously a site that has both good and bad content. Lately, we have been able to view more of YouTube content at school. Although not all files are available, most students are using this site to their advantage - it connects them to the most current, popular media and video files, educational or otherwise. It does seems to be ok for high school students to have open access to Youtube, but do we want grade 3 students to have the same access - obviously not!
YouTube helps to connect people of several generations and it makes videos, ads, and much, much more available and accessible to everyone. Youtube is another recently developed technology that although very powerful and useful can be negative if not properly controlled.

THE BOOK OF AWESOME

Sometimes we just need to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Come on, let's just chill for a minute and forget about essays, assignments, and all the other things that worry us. And let's just pick up The Book of Awesome...

This book is truly, well, awesome. The idea to write a novel entirely comprised of a collection of the little pleasures in life is so simple, yet so genius. The author, Neil Pasricha, has successfully managed to put a smile on the faces of all his readers. Say you failed your math test, fallen out of a relationship, got into a fight with your parents, or are just having a bad day; The Book of Awesome can make you forget it all. Even after reading one entry, you automatically feel a sense of relief and start to feel the smile spreading across your face. I love Pasricha's down to earth and comedic sense of humor reflected in his writing. Sometimes we take too many things for granted and we don't notice all the awesome things in life-until someone points them out. So I thank you, Mr. Pasricha for making our lives that much more awesome.

And now for some of my personal favourites:

When you're watching one of your favourite movies and you realize you don't remember how it ends

You get to relive the excitement, the drama, the suspense, the action...

The smell of the coffee aisle in the grocery store

After the fishy smell of the seafood section, you suddenly inhale the fabulous

smell of coffee beans. Mixed in with hazelnut and hints of vanilla, you pause to enjoy that heavenly scent.

The smell and sound of a campfire

The relaxing crackling sound and smokey fumes drifting around the air as

you sit in a circle with your friends and family...

Remembering what movie that guy is from

The moment in a movie when it dawns on me that I know that actor or actress, but sadly can't figure out who it is yet, bothers me for the whole movie. I'm not even kidding; it's like an annoying person constantly poking you in the back. But then the missing puzzle piece kicks in your brain and you figure it out-YES!

Stomping dry crunchy leaves on a sidewalk

CRUNCH TIME.

Correctly guessing if the door is push or pull

You just saved yourself from 2 seconds of humiliation there, partner. Congrats!

The moment after you wake up from a nightmare and realize it was all just a dream

You wake up with a jolt and feel your heart pumping like mad and feel the sweat glistening on your forehead...and then look at your alarm clock. "It was just a dream, it was just a dream..." and peacefully slip back under the covers.

Seeing a liscense plate from home when you're somewhere really far away

"Look! LOOK! They're from CANADA! NO WAY NO WAY..."

(Annoyed sleeping guy in the passenger seat: "And I'm supposed to care, why?")

The moment on vacation when you forget what day of the week it is

You totally erase your work-filled schedule from your mind and lose your sense of reality. Sit back, close your eyes, hear the sound of the ocean, and sip your ice-cold drink. It doesn't get any better than this.

The universal fry-sharing policy

Just make sure you don't take the one perfectly sized fry sticking out of the box; that one's off limits buddy.

Typing in your username and password at the speed of light

Suddenly you're this temporary computer whiz-SKILLS.

The moment on a roller-coaster when you get to the big hill and before you go down it

Just so you guys know, I probably won't be the best person to sit next to on a roller-coaster; just ask my friends. Well, unless you want to be deaf in one ear for the rest of the day.

Taking a spin on a shopping cart

Suddenly you're a little kid again with both your hands on the bar, foot underneath, and back leg hanging out like a figure skater.

The sound of water lapping against a dock

Close your eyes and take it in.

Passing under a bridge on the highway when it's pouring rain

Enjoy those 2 seconds of blissful silence.

AWESOME!