Merry Happy

Hello blog that I'm rarely ever on, and that no one ever sees. Today I feel inspired and happy and ready to create. But, I haven't created anything lately so enjoy these recent happy times, nobody!

a few weekends ago, Jonathan and I took a trip up to Savannah, Georgia. We explored the city and ended up staying two nights in that wonderful city. It was beautiful, I loved it and never wanted to go back home. But we have families and I have cats, so we couldn't.

And while we were walking around the city we came across an apartment complex, and a man that lived there gave us a tour of it and his apartment. It was a dream.

...Hello out there, does anyone still read these blogs?

   I've been questioning whether or not I should use this blog after class ended; I guess my posting means I've decided to use it. Classes this semester are less than amusing and the 80 degree weather in October just sucks. Though, there is one class I do tend to enjoy a little bit too much, film photography.

The Freedom of expression in this class is fantastic. Be a minimalist, conceptual, or just someone who likes to pick up a camera once in awhile, you're still doing everything right.

The fact that the way your image comes out depends on purely yourself, and the idea you have floating in your head, makes this class so much fun.

I've practiced photography before this class but I've always wanted to take it to a whole new level by developing my own images.

I've never been comfortable in front of a camera, but this class challenges you to step out of your comfort zone. Which is so good for me.

If you're still reading these blogs, how is your fall semester going?

Logical Fallacy and the most stupid commercial

This Dr.pepper commercial is an example of a huge logical fallacy and the sexism that our country has. First, saying that a soda or a movie or any kind of action isn't for women, or "Ladies", is very false. Saying that ladies only like romantic comedies and "Lady Drinks" is just a stupid opinion. I enjoy a really good action movie rather than a romantic comedy. But you know what? I wouldnt want to drink Dr.pepper anymore even if it is "just for men".

My research paper is on Meditation and where it's come from and how it is used to help people actually enjoy their everyday stresses.

By using the tweetdeck and #Meditation I found an article, about how meditaion can change someone's brain, in a good way. Even the skeptics change their views after meditating for awhile. They tend to relax and the stresses of every day doesn't seem so bad when you can just close your eyes and focus on something else.

I also found an article, that explains that meditation doesnt just come from a Buddhist background.  It tells of mediation in other countries and religions and how it is practiced.

"Americans Least Green—And Feel Least Guilt, Survey Suggests"

Ker Than for National Geographic News wrote an article based on a survey that they provide every year to 17 countries. The findings, that America was rank the least caring about their environmental impact was really no surprise. He found that the people that have the lightest footprint in our environment feel the most guilty, which means that America feels almost no guilt. HE got a quote from Nicole Darnall, a researcher School of Sustainability at Arizona State University:

                                 "In order to feel guilty, you have to accept that some sort of problem exists," said Darnall, who was not involved in the survey.And in looking at the countries that don't feel guilty, they're the ones that I would suggest are not necessarily accepting that a problem exists. These are countries in which there's still a lot of political debate about whether certain problems"—such as climate change—"exist or not."

I agree with the article, that Americans dont really think about what changes the earth is making. That they dont really care about what they're doing to help the environment dissolve. 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120712-greendex-environment-green-sustainable-science-consumers-world/

Endures all things is a simple blog about a married woman's life in California.  She is a beautiful minded person who writes in ways that keep me captivated. I love her photos that are kind of like little insights into her loving life. The love that she has for her husband is a kind of new age fairy tale. Her beliefs of tolerance are not as visible as I wish they would be in the 21st century, but she still seems to be a delightful person.

Yogahound is another blog I enjoy but for completely different reasons. I learn so much just by reading a few of her posts. Her latest post taught me a lot about matcha, which I've been really thinking about trying.  But her tab on yoga was really something that I enjoyed reading.  She wrote about common misconceptions that beginners have when starting yoga. Complaining that yoga injured them is something that I hear a lot. That they went to bend a certain way and ended up in bed for the rest of the day. People dont understand that yoga is a way of letting your body readjust to its natural state. And that you shouldnt push yourself past a limit you know your body cannot take. The eight limbs of yoga is really interesting because I just found a drawing that explains these and makes them easier to remember.

Post #5

My diigo account

Several years ago, I was the type of person who would always choose McDonalds if they had a choice between that and a home grown and cooked meal. How could you beat McDonalds? It was cheap, fast and delicious. But as time went on I could feel my body begin to lag, my energy had dropped and I became severely anemic. I was missing all of the nutrients that my body needed because Mcdonalds and other fast food restaurants do not provide all of the fresh and healthy food. Thus beginning the strongest three years my body has ever had. 

Most people my age do not know what a tomato tastes like. We may buy from our local grocery stores and think "Oh, well they say fresh, so that must mean that its a real and healthy food." But if you really study about where your tomato comes from, you find out that your "tomato" has been grown genetically and with as many chemicals it can to be brought to your table in the cheapest and fastest way. If you look onto the little sticker that is on your produce you can really learn a lot about what you are buying. They are called PLU labels which stands for, price look up.  It tells you where your produce is grown, if it was grown with pesticides and artificial fertilizers, if it was grown organically, or even if it was genetically modified. I never even took notice of those stickers before I read this article. This tiny inconvenient sticker can pretty much tell you if its real or an impostor.  Genetically modified is a scary word when its in the same paragraph as food.  It sounds like they are creating some sort of mutant. Which, they might as well because eating those things do not give you any nutrients, at all.  Most of the time, they dont even know what side effects these foods could have on our body.  Becoming aware of what your putting into your body could be the most important thing you do.

Earl Butz became part of the U.S. department of Agriculture in the 1970's. You would hope that this man who is taking care of our food would make the best choices for us and for our farmers. He let the Government abandon our local farms to take root to Mega Farms. These mega farms worked to make as much food at the cheapest amount. He became known as the "Corn King" because he helped to create high furctose corn syrup. Nowadays we use corn syrup for everything, from soda to chips.  People believe that this new modified ingrident is just the same as table sugar, but if you read this article, you will find that if your intake is high you will gain more weight.

Doing your research on what goes into your body is one of the smartest things you can do. Going organic is an even better way to help your body and also help local economy.  I'm not saving that I dont go for a nice big mac here and there, but I mostly eat the foods my body was made to break down.  Organic foods contain the nutrients and minerals that you should have every single day. When you buy food that has been shipped all of the country, all of those important "supplies" have disintegrated away. Being more conscious in your everyday life is always a smart decision.

Theresa's post on exercise is another thought that I think is so important. It goes along with eating well. And I like the picture of a rock climber because that is what I do every week to get in my 150 minutes.