A Few Words on Smoking

OK, read this article first:

CLICK HERE FOR THE ARTICLE



Well, lets just be clear about this before I start. I am a smoker. It's a personal choice, as it has always been for me. I started after I was 18, and I enjoy it. ITS A PERSONAL CHOICE. No one forces me to smoke. No corporation threw cigarettes in my mouth. I realize the health risks. But due to the fact I am relatively young, I don't plan on smoking my whole life. In fact, I'll be quitting before I'm 30, just as my parents did before me, and their parents before them (guess its a lucky number in my family). Now, on the other hand, I'm very against giant corporations hiding their true intentions behind fact sheets and biased reports. But, if we are going to say that tobacco corporations have ulterior motives, let's also count fast-food chains. How long did it take McDonalds to put health information on their food? AND ITS HORRIBLE FOR YOU. one burger is over half of your allowed daily fat intake. To me, people who fight against the tobacco giant, are TOTALLY DISREGARDING THE REAL ISSUE: You forget to realize that its HUMANS who smoke. ON THEIR OWN ACCORD. WE NEED TO REALIZE ITS A PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. You make the choice, you inhale, you buy another pack. And ya know what? WHO CARES? I don't understand how people think they're point of view is so dead-on, that they can yell and scream at people to change their ways, instead of working together. You say you want to outlaw cigarettes everywhere. So, you want to take down a billion-dollar industry? Why don't start with plastic bottle companies? Or processed food, which is a REAL CAUSE FOR ALARM in America, because, well, we are fat as well. You say smoking cause strokes. Yes, it does. But what else does? Burgers, fries, fat food, processed food, LIFE. Yes, you could have a stroke REGARDLESS if you smoke. So, what I'm trying to say, is that, you say the tobacco companies are skewing their facts...what are you doing? Seems like the same thing.

As for those "truth.com" commercials. You are worse than PETA. And that's insane. It's easy to produce a commercial with thousands of babies with horrible facts stapled to their plastic chests, than say, go out to schools and actually educate people, instead of these scare tactics, just like PETA uses. Here is an idea. Instead of trying to completely eliminate something, why not make it better? Why not lobby scientists to work on a process that makes cigarette butt bio-degradable? And you say you want to "take down the evil corporate giants"? Ok, well what about the thousands and thousands of employees? Especially the low level employees? What do they do? What about the actual humans? Can you hire them? It's easy to yell and scream at a gigantic corporation. Anyone can do that. To make actual change takes effort, and a calm heart. Bleeding hearts are great and all, but you need to focus to create a lasting impact. And that, is the main reason i do not agree with PETA. I like what they try to be, but their execution is nothing but PR scare tactics and ways publicize their agenda....just like other corporations...like tobacco...weird, eh?


I AM NOT SAYING I AGREE WITH THE STATS AND REPORTS THAT BIG TOBACCO PUT OUT. I'm sure there are discrepancies. EVERYONE HAS A MOTIVE, EVEN THE MOST WELL-INTENTIONED. It just angers me that people take away the human aspect of these issues, but blaming "Phillip Morris" or whatever. ITS A COMPANY. They try to make money in our CAPITALIST society. Just like Taco Bell, Nike, and thousands and thousands of other companies. And while they may not be the most honest or even truthful, by copying their tactics to somehow impede them.... just seems childish. Because it is. "Oh, people will stop doing something they get pleasure out of because our organization is gonna take down the Giant Tobacco Company!" I remember an episode of South Park that touched on this subject once...CLICK HERE FOR THE SOUTH PARK EPISODE "Butt Out"


I'm sure people will argue with me on this, and tell me I'm a product of "their" system and yadda yadda yadda. I MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS. You should too. Its one of the great pleasures of being Human. Yes, Human. That whole "free will" thing...

A Harsh Reality About Rivers

Well, being born by the ocean, and living within 20 minutes of the ocean my whole life, I must say that rivers and lakes freak me out. And you, say, " whoa whoa whoa buddy, you'd rather swim around with sharks than trout?" and I'd say, " Well no, but at least I can see the bottom when I'm surfing or swimming. And have you ever seen a Sturgeon? HUGE!!! " And I guess that's what freaks me out. I CANT TELL WHATS AT THE BOTTOM! Or, scratch that, anything that's below the surface for that matter. I also enjoy the whole wave aspect, and to me, lake's seem too quiet and too undisturbed for me. It just seems to me that some freaky fish has a way better chance of surviving at the bottom of a huge lake, not bothered, top-of-the-food-chain, etc. And, you'll never get to swim next to dolphins in a lake. ( always amazing to see them swim next to you while you surf, but its totally different to be within 5 feet of one, really amazing creatures.) But, this all has little to do with the article of the day, coming to you from CNN science. (CLICK HERE FOR THE ARTICLE)


Just as it is with most natural resources...they are dying. But, as I have stated before, hope is never lost. The list of 10 worst polluted/contaminated rivers is really an eye-opener. I mean, its something that is, quite frankly, easy to take care. I don't really have much of an opinion (besides my irrational fear of Lakes, not really a fear, more of a strong dislike) on this issue, but it's good knowledge and please leave a comment if you live by one of these lakes and have an insight to whats going on a local level. I'll update again before the day is over. Add me on twitter @GreenLifeUSA

Ciao!

An Easy Way to Make a Rug

Making a braided wool rug is a great summer project to undertake. Not only will you have a lot of fun, you will also make a unique and very personal braided rug for any of your rooms. Choose between round, oval, rectangular or square braided rugs and add new warmth and vibrancy to the rooms in your house. They can also be used a rug runner in your hallway to add some cushion to a wood floored hallwayMaking braided wool rugs is not at all difficult. All you need are the materials and instructions listed below:


Materials:

Colored wool
Scissors
Darning needle
Sewing needle
Thread
Sturdy string


Instructions:

Take three strings of wool at a time. Choose the length of the string according to what’s most convenient for you.

Tie the ends of the three strings together in a loop. Once the loop is ready, slip it around the leg of a table or chair to anchor it in place. Choose a comfortable place to sit in front of the table or chair.

Hold the strings tautly so that the string is straight and taut. Start braiding. Hold the three strips apart. Then starting with the right strip, pass that strip over the center strip. Then pass the left strip over the new center strip (what started out on the right). Continue alternating from right to left side as you braid one strip over the other in a three-piece braid.

Keep braiding until you have a long, consistent braid. You can keep sewing up more strings to the ends of the braid as and when you run out of string. Some people prefer to use short strings and keep sewing new pieces regularly. On the other hand, some people prefer using long lengths of string at a time. Choose what’s most convenient for you.

Now that you have a very long braid you will coil it into your rug. Use a flat surface, ideally your floor, and start coiling one end of the braid. Wrap a flat circle around the end. Curl two or three circles to start.

Use darning needle and heavy string lace back and forth across the circles positioning your needle over one braid then under the next. After lacing the first three circles together, start making the rug larger.

Keep adding more and more circles to the center. Also keep securing each circle with lacing as you proceed. This will ensure a uniformly flat braided rug.

Keep circling around and holding the rug tight until it reaches the size you want.
When your braided rug has reached the desired size, cut remaining braid, if any.

Then, trim the edges of the end and sew it into the previous circle.

Viola! Your very own braided wool rug is ready!

Leave some comments if you had any difficulties or success! Hope all is well! Be sure to follow us on Twitter!

A Little Something for Smiles

This really has nothing to do with the environment, but it does point out a very real fact: the Bush Administration had serious objections to global warming and its impact...and it makes for comedy gold. Adam and Eve drove an excursion...

A Lesson on Famous People

HAHAHAHAHAHAH. HAHAHAHAHAHA. It's amazing. Watch this video


Now, is it weird that Republicans...instead of actually TRYING TO HELP THE PLANET...are worried that Al Gore invested in a company promoting initiatives that would help our planet, that he makes NO PERSONAL PROFIT FROM? No, thats called smart business. And secondly, so what if he makes a profit? He was a smart! and invested wiesely! Since when is that a bad quality of an American? Oh, he does have to make a living somehow by the way...Why cant Republicans try to help? JUST HELP. Don't try to turn this around. Don't say that Al Gore has ulterior motives. Because if he did, don't you think he would just retire with the MILLIONS HE MADE FROM THE BOOK AND THE MOVIE? I do. its crazy man, just crazy. His new book is coming out in November, called Our Choice, and it's going to be well-thought out, well researched and well written. Because his is well thought out, well researched and he writes well. Its frustrating sometimes.

A Few Words Regarding Small Animals

Well, I must say, I really didn't see this coming. The new Jack In The Box commercial with all those "cows the size of schnauzers but they're cattle "...is really coming true. Check out this link (CLICK RIGHT HERE FOR THE MINI-COW ORIGINAL STORY) But, unlike the pure comedy genius of the JITB marketing and advertising team, the idea of bringing back more smaller cattle is not fool-hardy at all. The best thing is, the mini-cows are real. They are not genetic copies, they are just smaller cousins of their larger bovine relatives who came from Europe. The article also mentions that during the middle of the 20th century, farm land was easy to procure, and farmers cared little about how much efficiency they were getting out of their cows...they just like 'em big. (Weird...in America...we think bigger means better...weird...) The farmers believed the bigger cows would result in more product, which is occasionally true, but the larger cows need MUCH, MUCH more food and land to graze, whereas our mini friends, need only a fraction of that land and food. A really good article to read.


Anyway, why did I post this? Well, its a way that people are trying to change the way we normally do things. And raising gigantic cattle has become synonymous with American Farmers, and the result is the depreciation of vital farmland and resources, that we never took into consideration while these big cows roamed the countryside. Now, in the midst of a HUMAN-CREATED dilemma (mainly world food supplies and shrinking grazing lands, but I suppose I could name a few more...) and the point of this blog, well, one of the points, is to show how some people take their future and ours into their own hands. The farmers who are switching to at least some of the smaller cows, are reaping in the benefits and will continue to do so. And its not like these cows are small mammals, they weight around 600 pounds. But the amount of food they eat and need to survive is drastically reduced when compared to their larger brethren. It's just nice to see how people are looking right in their own backyard for the solutions to the problems facing us all. Go Mini-Cows, Go!

A Path Less Traveled

So, I don't usually write about health issues, but I came across a few blog's yesterday that were giving some really chilling accounts of people who are VERY anti-vaccine. I am one who is all for the freedom of expression and the ability we have as Americans to choose what we think is right for kids. And for me, personally, vaccinations are a part of life. They are for the good of SOCIETY. The one YOU and I live in. They are used to combat diseases that WE HAVE ANSWERS FOR. Now, if a thyroid cancer drug came out, you'd be pretty excited about that right? Cause as far as I know, there is no "herbal remedy" or "natural product" that can cure cancer. But, if some big Pharma-Giant did the research with SCIENCE ( You remember Science right? He told us that gravity is real and we exist in the world, ya know, small things) and found a drug that could do that, you would probably try your best to procure that, right? (Assuming of course that you had thyroid cancer
) Well, that's the issue. People who fear vaccines are claiming that they aren't 100% safe for children. Ok, well, what IS 100% safe? As far as I can tell, from my time on Earth, is that nothing is 100% harmless or 100% safe. NOTHING. The Pennsylvania Children's Hospital has a really good resource explaining this. ( you can find it here ) People die and get sick all the time, from all sorts of things, controlled and uncontrolled. That's just a natural downside from all the upsides we have from being Human Beings. We are vulnerable. But we CAN PREVENT THINGS. So, lets do that. Lets make sure simple diseases stay at low levels, and this, by golly, happens through science.

Some diseases still occur in the United States at very low levels, so if immunization rates dropped even a little bit, outbreaks of disease would sweep across the country rapidly. Examples of these diseases include measles, mumps and Hib.

People want to say they are against the Pharma companies and against big business controlling how doctors treat you. We live in a society that is made up by a myriad of beliefs and theories, all combining to form the most cohesive policy we can for our citizens. And if you want Doctors at all, you need to listen to them. If your child was in a car accident, you wouldn't take them to some quack doctor, proclaiming that some Cedar branches will fight off the infections. No, you would rush to the hospital and give your child into the hands of a CAPABLE AND TRAINED medical professional. You wouldn't think twice. It's not easy being a doctor. The years of sacrifice and long hours are merely the beginning. But, there ARE doctors who are influenced by Pharma companies. Thats where personal responsibility comes into effect. YOU must do the research. YOU must ask the questions. YOU can always go get a second opinion. These are only a few of the benefits we have. And while our health care system is light years behind the effeciency and overall fairness of the European system, we do have a wealth of very specialized surgeons and doctors. So use the tools you have. Go ask a doctor, go ask his friend-doctors. Look up things online. The research avenues we have now as compared to 20 years ago are just astounding. YOUR FUTURE IS JUST THAT, YOURS. You have the ability to make decisions and enforce those.


Now, on the topic of desicions: I came across a lady who responded to a blog post about the possibility ( and its ONLY A POSSIBILITY ) that some vaccines have been noted to be POSSIBLY linked to autism in children. She said "there is no evidence that the vaccines cause Autsim, but there is not evidence that IT DOESNT". So, by that logic, this candle next to my desk probably doesn't cause cancer, but...IT COULD!!! Yes, obviously it may. And WITH SCIENCE AND DOCTORS, we will all be able to know in the future. Saying things like that to skew your position not only doesn't make sense, it makes you look insincere. She also said she was "educated and did research". Ok.. me to....your point? What research? What study? What journal? I just keep coming back to my whole theory of the lack of personal responsibility in our culture. We always want to blame the things about society that aren't fully understood or may have a few downsides. How many people were vaccinated as kids? I know I was. And THANK GOD. And all my friends were. So we could hang out together. That is one thing I am very much against: people who refuse vaccinations on their children, and yet want to be out in public; the mall, the store, etc. Well, too bad. The rest of us did the smart thing and HELPED OUT SOCIETY by getting our children vaccinated so no other kids would get hurt. Imagine if smallpox came back. Polio. Any disease. We have gained the knowledge to stamp these out, yet some people feel like they are smarter than the people we trust with our health...yeah, doesn't make sense to me either. All of what I'm saying doesn't mean you shouldn't do your own research to make the best choices for YOUR LIFE. You should do all you can to give your children the best shot at a healthy and happy life. Thats your job as a parent. But that doesn't mean you should put OTHERS at risk because your concerned with very very very small possibilities compared to a very very very likely chance of stopping a simple disease in its tracks before it becomes a national issue. Please be aware of the numerous benefits of vaccines. I dont think we should throw our lives over to a company popping out some miracle cure, but we should believe in the system we have created. Yes, We Created This. By voting, by public action, by the way things have failed in the past and we are doing are best now so that wont ever happen again. Progress means moving forward. Staying still only takes up space.

Sorry if this is too much of a rant, just got me fired up. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY WORKS. Trust me. Take care all, HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!