“Come on in, sit right down,” says Aunt Ida. “Sit! Bowzer, Sit!,” we tell our dog. Yet how many of us actually SIT … I mean really sit.

If you are used to working on your feet, sitting can become a huge relief to your legs, feet and back. But if you sit down on the job, unless you have a desk job, sitting down can be a ‘no-no.’

People in this world are used to going non-stop. Rarely do we sit, unless we sit at our jobs or in traffic or on some form of public transportation like a bus, train, subway or plane. But when asked to ‘sit’ – there is a bit of hesitance that comes with it, a bit of guilt, and yet after enduring a long, stressful week, where we dream of sitting and relaxing, we somehow don’t do as much of it as we should.

Lots of people don’t even sit down to eat anymore, they eat on the run. And some people don’t even sit down to watch TV – they are working out as they watch the tube. The other day, I saw a mother in her jogging suit, talking on her cell phone with one hand and pushing a stroller with the other, which happened to have the same hand holding a dog leash. The dog was also ‘not sitting,’ but running. Nearby was a lake with many ducks. The ducks were not sitting either, they were waddling looking for food, no one was sitting watching them.

Cat Stevens still may be “Sitting,” The Moody Blues may ask “Are You Sitting Comfortably?” and Otis Redding still may be “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” – but the great lost art of sitting and reflecting, not sitting and multi-tasking, seems lost.

When you sit down and stop your world, not only are you still, but your world can spin in a more positive direction if you take time to sit, enjoy, relax and be. Sometimes we don’t have enough time to think, sometimes we don’t have enough time to breathe and reflect. But most of all, we have learned to view the great art of sitting as a waste of time.

When you take a moment and talk to someone older, they will tell you that sitting is a wonderful thing. You can sit down and take the time to learn from others. You can sit down and get acquainted with new people. You can sit down and take a moment for yourself to reflect on how wonderful your day went or how beautiful tomorrow is going to be. But most importantly, you can sit down and simply be yourself. No one is expecting you to be anywhere, be anything to anyone, you are simply allowed to just sit there as you are.

And that’s worth sitting down for.

© 2009 Queena Verbosity 100% Real Words
Media Monster Communications, Inc.
Stacey Kumagai
http://www.100percentrealwords.blogspot.com
http://hubpages.com/profile/mediamonster
http://www.braingasm.com

It’s that ‘joyous time of year’ again. And it’s funny how much this season has changed over time and how much of it has remained the same.

When I was a little kid, I can remember adults trying to put on their best face making the season bright and bountiful. But behind the holly-wreathed doors, I would hear the bitching and complaining about how women were the ones who would have to make the season happen if the season were to happen at all.

The gripes would include having to do all the planning, the baking, the holiday card addressing (and keeping track of the new addresses, the moves, the cards returned from old addresses or deaths) and then do all the meal planning, meal shopping, gift planning and shopping and wrapping and packing for mailing, standing in line at the post-office, planning for the unexpected drop-by guests, handling relative accommodating for overnight stays, stressing over the lack of space for everyone and dealing with airport pickups and returns, and of course the cleaning before visitors, cleaning up after baking and cleaning up before stay overs and before the meal. And this cleaning process also included cleaning the silver, bringing out special occasion linens and doing that clean up, preparation and then the decoration, tree, walls, lights and making sure there were festive candles, scents, firewood and the list goes on. This was all followed by also preparing for care packages of leftovers and then writing of all the thank you notes and preparing for New Year.

There would be this ‘knowing’ look in the aisles of stores while grocery shopping, big sighs in the lines where people waited with armfuls of goodies, with a glimmer of disgust and frustration. But at the end of it all – everyone was ‘happy.’ Of course the complaint would be that it took nearly two months to prepare for a moment where the meal was gulped down in less than twenty minutes and the present opening took less than ten. It’s kind of like a rollercoaster ride where you wait in line for three hours and the ride is over in two minutes.

The holidays happen the same time every year. But each year people get stressed, and sick with the flu from the stress, late hours, overtaxing of the body, mind and spirit.

It’s pretty amazing though that at this time of year, the average human who celebrates this one season can do all of this and survive it.

During regular life, away from the holiday season – life can be and is, just as hectic, but it’s not as glaring. Whether it’s dealing with birthdays, weddings, graduations, anniversaries, funerals, births, moving, job changes, commutes, house buying or selling, everyday task-mastering of business, personal, family, friends, neighbors, occasions, obligations and events…. Life can be crazy.

And whether you are dealing with crisis of illness and disease, accident or financial, career or family matter, life has a series of bumpy roads, obstacle courses and uphill battles to resolve and overcome.

But if it weren’t for all this, would there be the joy, peace and elation of life’s moments of gliding? Perhaps if it weren’t for all this, there would be no true appreciation and enjoyment of the good times, great moments of victory, achievement, accomplishment and endurance…

Think about that. If everything in life were easy, there wouldn’t be motivation to do much of anything. People would get laxed and lazy, disconnected by nature due to the fact that everything would be so joyous and effortless that they would end up having no emotional connection to the outcome of anything because nothing was put into it.

Nothing was more clear to me, than after watching Donny Osmond win Dancing With The Stars. The road up until his win was difficult because it wasn’t just the road he was on, it was the past roads behind him, the current road working hard to achieve the win and the road ahead of him as the outcome based on his performance all rolled into one.

When you live in a spotlight of expectation, expectation puts added pressure on you. When you are a perfectionist living with this spotlight, your self-imposed pressure can get the best of you. When you have had difficulty in the past dealing with social anxiety disorder in the arena of performance, and are performing with a broken toe, the flu and flying back and forth between Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Utah non-stop all week and performing a regular non-stop gig, even more so.

When you are trying not to let down a bunch of long-time fans who have been by your side for the past 46 years of performing, being the oldest contestant still in the running trying to keep up energy-wise with your peers who are the age of your own kids, that alone is huge. But when you are doing all this knowing you want the time you’ve spent away from your wife and kids will not have been for nothing, while also dealing with your own personal friendly sibling rivalry to come out ahead (also knowing you were winning for her as well – because at the time when she was performing, she was dealing with the death of her father, her own divorce and other family issues, while trying to lose weight to get healthy) well… the tears of joy behind the victory say more than you’re just happy you won.

We all go through the rocky road of life’s events. We all endure moments of difficulty, challenge and a path full of obstacles to navigate around, many emotionally, mentally and physically taxing times to juggle simultaneously while having a smile on our faces.

But again, if it were not for all this, the moments of victory will not have been as sweet. So whether it’s a holiday, a season, a life event, a competition or simply a moment to see what you’re made of …. We must remember that in order to enjoy the GLIDE in life, we must power through the rocky road.

© 2009 Queena Verbosity 100% Real Words
Media Monster Communications, Inc.
Stacey Kumagai
http://www.100percentrealwords.blogspot.com
http://hubpages.com/profile/mediamonster
http://www.braingasm.com

More than 83 percent of laborers in the central region move to work in other provinces and foreign countries because of a reduction of jobs in local agricultural areas, heard a conference November 21 in Quang Tri Province’s Dong Ha City.

Reasons for migration included limited support policies regarding capital and technology, along with recent natural disasters which left many people homeless.

According to the latest research, of the 83 percent of laborers, 46 percent are farmers and 23 percent are students who drop out of school.

The Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities held the conference on central region migration patterns, with the Hue University of Sciences in association with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

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With an increasing number of holiday festivities being held in the home this year, we’re all looking for creative and cost effective ways to spruce up our table settings and create a look that will impress our guests. When it comes to setting your Thanksgiving table, options for the adventurous host are limitless. What are the hottest trends for you to bring to your table this year? Here are a few ideas that will take your Thanksgiving table from ordinary to extraordinary:

Color, Texture and Mix – Match:

In table linens and accessories, this year we are seeing rich, saturated colours. We are also seeing a lot of texture and the mixing and matching of patterns with solids. There are a lot of options out there to do something warm and inviting.

Color Trends

Warm tones have always been popular for Fall and that continues with some of the biggest trends in colour combinations this year. Some of those include:
- Deep Spice and Aubergine with muted Gold accents – Dark Chocolate with Blues and Gray accents – Olive Green, Aubergine and softer greens as accents – Dark Chocolate, Taupe and Natural

Tabletop Decor

- Use things that you already have in your home – pull out your 3 or 4 of your favourite vases of different heights. Use complementary colors of fresh flowers for a simple and stunning arrangement. Fill three or four vases and/or glass bowls with different colors and sizes of ornaments, fruits, leaves – anything with color and texture that will create visual excitement.

- Your guests are all unique – why not celebrate their individuality? Use different patterns and/or colors of napkin rings that match their unique personalities. Are they simple or sophisticated? Fun or formal? Unpredictable or conservative? Show them you care with a little customization to complement your table linens.

- Candles are always a dramatic and cost effective way to make a statement – use votives at each place setting with a name card and emphasize beautiful table linens for a classy and simple look. Or go more dramatic and cluster your favourite candle sticks of varying heights and looks as a centerpiece. Use colors that complement or match your dishes, glasses and table linens.

- Nothing brings subtle sophistication to your table like a well-selected runner. Use one the length of the table plus 12 inches to hang over the edge (usually a 90″ or longer) as the perfect centerpiece. If you are using a solid tablecloth or placemats, make sure to jazz it up with a festive pattern. If you have a patterned look already, use a vibrant solid runner that picks up on one of the colors in your runner.

- Use 2 napkins instead of one with a napkin ring. With a solid napkin inside, and a more decorative napkin on the outside.

When setting your table, just remember: do what feels right for the mood. A casual gathering calls for a relaxed setting. A formal meal should feel that way at the table. Either way, it doesn’t take much to elevate your in-home dining experience. Replacing an old tablecloth with something fresh an exciting, and adding a few simple table accessories can go a long way to impressing your guests. It’s that time of year when family gatherings abound and everyone spends countless hours congregating around the dinner table. With the hours spent preparing the perfect meal, make sure you don’t forget to finish it off with the perfect setting.

HP—Apparently, the latest thing in “Debasing The Institutions You Pretend To Hold Dear In Order To Suggest That President Barack Obama Should Be Murdered Without Actually Coming Right Out And Saying So” goes by a shorter name: Psalm 109:8.

And Psalm 109:8 is just straight up memetastic, appearing on bumper stickers and T-shirts, all of which carry the benign sounding message, “Pray For Obama.” But, as Gawker’s John Cook points out, this is just one more in a “long line of cheekily coded Obama death threats.” The verse in question reads: “May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.” That leads fairly naturally into the Psalm 109:9, “May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.” You know, in case you miss the point.

Rachel Maddow took up this issue last night, inviting Patience With God author and Huffington Post blogger Frank Schaeffer to explain whether or not the citation of this Biblical text “means something less threatening to people hearing this in a Biblical context.”

***UPDATE I From The Rachel Maddow*** Show

Statement by CafePress to TRMS
Regarding the appropriateness of Psalm 109:8 products

“Cafepress looks at content on a case by case basis, and makes decisions about what content is permissible based on our content usage policy.

We initially pulled the Psalm 109:8 content from our products today because broader media dialog indicated that these designs potentially suggested violence towards the president. Based on current public discourse and further review of the actual content, we have determined that it is fair political commentary and we are in the process of reinstating this merchandise. As with all of our content, these designs will continue to be reviewed and if at any time their meaning is construed as advocating violence we will revisit our decision.“
—Amy Maniatis, CafePress VP of Marketing

If you would like to contact CafePress, see below:

CafePress Email
CafePress Phone # 1-877-809-1659. International customers, please call 1-402-517-4480.

***UPDATE II From Thinkprogress.org***

Yesterday, Cafe Press announced that it was again reversing itself and removing all the merchandise in response to strong public pressure:

The public debate started with questioning if the design was simply intended to be criticism of the President or something much worse. The discourse was surprisingly civil online, given the heated nature of the topic. Given that, and the positions of groups like the ACLU and the Anti-Defamation League, we decided to let the dialogue play out publicly before making a final decision.

Last night we posted a poll on our blog, read through the emails we’ve received and weighed the nature of the calls we’ve received on the topic. In the process we also learned that many of the original designers of the Psalm 109:8 designs had already decided to remove them on their own.

General consensus has proven that the design does point to a broader interpretation of the Psalm and thus has been deemed inappropriate for sale at CafePress.

The results of the Cafe Press poll were 76 percent calling the slogan “overly inflammatory and inappropriate” and 22 percent saying it was fair.

Everyone who comes to see me, who comes to train with me, wants me to record numbers.

They want to record their weight.  Their bodyfat level.  Their heart rate.  Their VO2max.

They want me to record the weights they use.  The number of repetitions.  Their speed.

And that’s fine.  I’m happy to oblige.

But I’m not always happy with what lies beneath those requests.

When I’m unhappy about it, it’s because my clients are looking only at their numbers.  They’re succumbing to the externally-focused drive of our culture.  They’re looking at magazine cover-models, movie stars, their neighbors and friends, or anything other than their own bodies.

It’s fine to track your progress with different measures.  However, the primary concern of anyone engaging in an exercise program should be to become more who they are.  To be more in their own body – to learn how to move, to build strength, and to feel the full measure of that strength-in-movement within.

When a month has gone by, and the weight on the scale has gone up, it’s usually because relatively heavier muscle is replacing relatively lighter fat in the body.

But the externally-focused individual just sees the higher number.  And that blocks them from feeling themselves what the effects of the exercise have been.  Do you feel thinner, more fit, happier?  Do your clothes fit more loosely (or more tightly, in new areas, like the shoulders and thighs, perhaps)?

The other thing that happens is that people become fixated on strength goals.  “I want to bench press 315.”  Ok, great.  What happens when you plateau at 285 for a few weeks?

The externally-driven person will tend to want to push past this plateau, instead of allowing what the body actually needs at this point – more time.

There are many methods for getting past plateau’s – focusing on the eccentric (lengthening) portion of the movement, doing partial reps, overspeed/power work, etc.

But usually, what the body needs when it hits a plateau (that is, if you’re still applying the same level of mental intensity to your lifting), is some time to accommodate to that load.  The plateau is your body speaking to you.  It’s saying “give me eight or ten weeks at this load,” “play with this weight for a while,” or even “back off.”

If all you can hear in your head is a number (315), you won’t be able to hear that voice, telling you what you really need to be doing.

This tendency is cultural.  We put the Type A personality on a pedestal in this country.  To our own detriment.  It is also a choice.  You do not have to push things all of the time.  You can choose to slow down and listen.

However, that’s extremely difficult, because everything around you says you should push.

The tendency for people to constantly quote scientific research to support their claims, and the equally damaging tendency to believe people who do that, is another example of this external-focus.

Science is based on the law of averages.  It is not concerned with the individual.  And you are an individual.   You are not an average.  Nor are you average.

First, listen to yourself.

Joe Biden: donated $369 last year to charity, and Barack Obama donated 1 % of his salary.

These stats were taken from Glenn Beck’s revision and addition to Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

Back in the 70s, fog was all the rage as a special effect on stage at concerts. With all the shiny lights, colors and sound, everybody got excited when they would see the fog roll on in.

It meant something exciting was going to happen. It was the ultimate grand entrance for any band or performer. And basically people thought it was really cool.

When we were little, we would get equally excited on a foggy Christmas Eve… because we knew the mystery man in red would be coming to town.

When Mother Nature rolls in the fog, people are equally drawn to the eerie allure of it. It seems to creep in, hovering, blanketing and move in quickly and then wait and slowly inch in layer by layer, almost like airy cotton candy clouds with the mist whispering in a haunting way. It’s this kind of fog that has inspired many a traveling song, self-exploration journeys noted in diaries and introspective seashore paintings from light houses.

Fog is fascinating in many ways. And the only time people seem to get creeped out by it is during nightfall or Halloween, where danger seems to lurk nearby. We can blame old storytelling and period tales, horror films and mystery theatre and the wicked voice of Vincent price echoing in Michael Jackson’s Thriller over a ghoulish graveyard for tainting fog in this light.

It’s funny how fog can instantly change energy by making an appearance, and this is not to discount the fog that seems to blur the mental clarity of people, too.

Have you ever noticed the silence social fog can invite in a room? When someone cluelessly blurts out something to indicate that the fog has entered their brain, it becomes clear that fog has suddenly erased thought, helped an idea escape, dissolving consciousness of the moment. But sometimes this can be a good thing, it can even make room for creativity.

Fog can be amusing and annoying, entertaining and even charming, like when windows fog up and people draw smiley faces.

But no matter how you look at fog, it’s impossible to discount the number of ways fog has influenced the arts, music, literature and life. The average person can claim to not be able to see anything when fog rolls in, but a number of people can see that there is much more than meets the foggy old eye.

Perhaps fog is more than something which happens IN the atmosphere… it creates atmosphere and this in itself is something to blow our fog horns about.

© 2009 Queena Verbosity 100% Real Words
Media Monster Communications, Inc.
Stacey Kumagai
http://www.100percentrealwords.blogspot.com
http://hubpages.com/profile/mediamonster
http://www.braingasm.com

An apple a day keeps the doctor away,
And someone can be the apple of your eye.
One bad apple don’t spoil a whole bunch,
Unless it’s the apple in your American apple pie.
Apple isn’t only a computer,
Nor just the name of Gwenyth Paltrow’s daughter.
An apple isn’t only for your teacher,
Or simply scraps for piggy fodder.
An apple isn’t all that evil,
Unless it is from Snow White’s witch.
While many men may curse Adam,
For taking an apple from Eve, that b***h.
But we mustn’t see only crab apples,
Nor the apples of shrunken head dolls,
But rather embrace the apple,
And the tree from which it falls.
The apple is more than Delicious,
And Granny would tell you so,
For McIntosh, Fuji and Braeburn,
Are just part of the list, you know.
Here come Jonathan, Pippin and Gravenstein,
Nicola, Baldwin and Rome,
Adams Pearmain and Ambrosia,
Pink Lady and Ginger Gold.
And these apples adorn the Gala,
Even Rambo makes a Cameo…
James Grieve takes on the Empire,
As Ben Davis bites Taliaferro.
But Liberty will always stand,
Like a Honey Crisp Northern Spy,
And Pink Pearls and Paula Reds,
Will make Jazz apples shy.
But no matter how you like d’em apples,
Don’t forget what they are truly for.
Apples are here for your health,
And so you can remember your ‘core.’
So take a bite out of life,
Enjoy it along the way.
And there will be much more of life to come,
If you eat your ‘apple a day…’

© 2009 Queena Verbosity 100% Real Words
Media Monster Communications, Inc.
Stacey Kumagai
http://www.100percentrealwords.blogspot.com
http://hubpages.com/profile/mediamonster
http://www.braingasm.com

Things are not looking good with the unemployment rate in the United States.  I personally know a lot of people who are a part of this percentage that have been out of work for over six months.  There have been many suggestions from congress, the Obama administration and political pundits alike, but will anybody bring to the table…solutions.  We all know they’re trying, but if things don’t change soon, other problems that already exist will multiply tri-fold.

Ecstatic Freshness Admin Group

It is sad, but true. Whatever the reasons behind it may be, you have acne. The pores in your skin are becoming clogged with debris, bacteria, and dead cells. Blackheads, red and inflamed pores, and other blemishes have begun to tarnish your once clear skin. If you are fortunate enough to know the specific reasons behind your acne, you can help to control it.

Other people out there are constantly searching for the next breakthrough in fighting acne. With modern day medicine, different and unique treatments are coming out all the time. But are these newfangled ideas of any use to you? How can they help your acne, and more importantly, will they help your acne?

One of these new ideas is a liquid antiseptic. When you pop or squeeze a pimple, you may be doing damage to your skin, opening a wound and leaving the potential for a tiny pot mark later on in your face. However, a lot of times people forget this information or simply cannot help themselves. A pimple is aggravatingly large or simply begging to be popped and we are more than happy to oblige.

When you pop it, you can put this liquid antiseptic over the small wound, which will fill in the area and then harden. It is somewhat like an instant scab, protecting the damaged area from bacteria and giving it the chance to heal faster and possibly better.

The catch? This is not a way to prevent your breakouts. Nor is it a way to help heal current breakouts. This product is more for patching up blemishes you yourself have poked at too much. In that respect, it can be handy, but what you really want is to keep breakouts from occurring in the first place. Are you thinking you could put it over your pores in the first place?

No, because that is definitely not what this product is for, nor is it recommended that you do this, as blocking your pores completely will only lead to oil buildup and an irritated pore, hence more acne. A good product, but not what you are looking for unless you are constantly popping your acne blemishes, something you want to avoid doing in the first place.

The second so called hot product (pardon the pun) is a device that supposedly causes bacteria to self destruct. How is this possible? A small, hand held device that could easily be mistaken for a cell phone in size and metallic coloring, has a tip that heats up that is then placed on the skin. The heat used is supposed to very depending upon the pimple you have put the heat on, and upon first contact, it feels quite hot. This heat is supposed to cause the bacteria to begin self destructing, thus reducing the size of the pimple over a period of 24 hours and a few uses of the device.

The catch? The claim for devices such as these (which can cost as much as $100 and upward) is that they work 90 percent of the time. However, you will not know whether or not you will fall into the 10 percent that it will not work for. Sure, 90 percent is a pretty good number, but it does not matter for the 10 percent the device does not help.

It is also recommended that you use the device as soon as possible on a pimple, otherwise it may grow too big and be out of control, which means it will be beyond the help of the heat the device uses. Other restrictions include only using it on mild to moderate acne, and it works only for pimples. It will have no effect on whiteheads, blackheads, or pustules. Sure, it looks cool and sounds pretty nifty, but expensive and may not even work for your skin.

New technology is great and appreciated, but your best bet for helping acne is by understanding the reasons for it and maintaining a good skin care regimen. Eating right, exercising, and taking care of your skin can make a great deal of difference, and if necessary, you can always rely on specific creams and medications already proven to help acne.

Story from the UK Daily Mail. (H/T Misandry Review)

Excerpt:

A woman who made eight separate false claims of rape or sexual assault has been spared jail.

Gemma Gregory, 28, accused seven different men over a six-year period.

Former boyfriends were subjected to police questioning and DNA testing to clear their names.

Her fantasy stories also wasted huge amounts of police time.

As long ago as 2002, she admitted in a statement to police that she was ‘ seeking attention’ from them. But it was not until last year, after recording several hundred calls either from her or about her, that they took action.

[...]Her latest offence was in May when she rang police to say she had been raped at her home. She stuck to her story in a video interview three days later despite being warned she would be prosecuted if it was another lie.A 34-year-old man was interviewed by police and for the next five months Gregory regularly contacted officers to ask how the case was progressing.

Yesterday, the victim spoke of his ordeal.

‘We were going out for five to six months. I ended the relationship with her, but she got back in touch with me a couple of months later.

‘We met up at a pub and saw each other for about two or three nights after that. I stayed at her flat one of those nights and we had sex just the once.’

He continued: ‘She then left a message on my phone saying come round tonight but I was doing other things.

‘The next thing I knew the police rang me up and asked me to come to see them. I was not arrested but attended the police station voluntarily. It wasn’t very nice to be accused of rape.

[...]Detective Constable Paul Weymouth, of Plymouth CID, said yesterday: ‘We conducted a thorough rape inquiry.

[...]She rang us every two or three days to keep it going and claimed that her exboyfriend had made silent calls.’She wanted him put in prison. She kept this going for a long time.’ He said that some of the earlier ’suspects’ had been arrested and had intimate samples taken as part of the inquiries.

[...]‘It was not thought appropriate to take action at an earlier stage.’

And here’s another story from the UK Daily Mail.

Excerpt:

A young woman cried rape after ‘fulfilling a fantasy’ of having sex with two strangers, a court heard yesterday.

Chloe Dolton, 22, was ‘bored’ with her life and willingly engaged in the threesome after an argument with her boyfriend, it was alleged.

A jury heard she had previously expressed her sexual fantasies in a diary, in which she wrote: ‘I am in crisis. I am so bored of my life and need a miracle.

‘I try to be nice and decent but I always end up one way or another trying to **** someone, a girl or a boy.’

The entry on a computer diary entitled The Life of Chloe Dolton continued: ‘I should be out having fun with every boy I meet, having sex with whoever I like.

‘I am such a hateful girl, such a selfish girl.’

The prosecution said she fulfilled her fantasy at the end of an evening spent drinking alcohol, and later accused the two men of rape because she was ashamed of what she had done.

[...]Dolton denies perverting the course of justice by making the false rape claims.

Miss Martin said of the defendant: ‘She deliberately lied to her boyfriend, her family and friends and to the police.

‘She clearly lied because probably of her shame and regret. She had in fact had consensual sex with two complete strangers.’

So in the first story, the woman made a false accusation to get attention. In the second story, the woman wanted to blame others for her own bad decision. And in the Lehigh University case I wrote about earlier, the woman needed an alibi after she was caught drunk in a public place after a long bout of underage drinking. She wanted the police to view her sympathetically, as a victim, so she lied and said that a police officer had raped her.

How often do women make false accusations of rape?

According to one study, false rape accusations are commonly used by women to provide an alibi for some other crime they are guilty of committing. The study lists this reason as one of the three reasons why women invent false rape accusations.

Excerpt:

A study of rape allegations in Indiana over a nine-year period revealed that over 40% were shown to be false — not merely unproven. According to the author, “These false allegations appear to serve three major functions for the complainants: providing an alibi, seeking revenge, and obtaining sympathy and attention. False rape allegations are not the consequence of a gender-linked aberration, as frequently claimed, but reflect impulsive and desperate efforts to cope with personal and social stress situations.” ( Kanin EJ. Arch Sex Behav. 1994 Feb;23(1):81-92 False rape allegations. )

In 1985, a study of 556 rape allegations found that 27% accusers recanted when faced with a polygraph (which can be ordered in the military), and independent evaluation showed a false accusation rate of 60%. (McDowell, Charles P., Ph.D. “False Allegations.” Forensic Science Digest, (publication of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations), Vol. 11, No. 4 (December 1985), p. 64.)

It seems that these fake charges are being leveled all the time, not just in high profile case like the Duke University scandal or the Hofstra University scandal. Something is going on in the minds of young women that is making them invent stories about men with total disregard as to the consequences it causes on those men. And the police and the courts are quite unable to do anything about it because feminism is so entrenched in the justice system.

So why are women doing this? Well, it’s because they are unable to get attention, affection and approval from men without engaging in drunkenness and irresponsible sex. And why have relations between men and women degraded to this point? The answer is that women embraced third-wave feminism, which has as its goal the complete destruction of sex differences in the public square. Feminism is to blame for the decline of chastity, courtship, courtesy, manners, romance, love and especially chivalry.

It was feminism that broke up the traditional family, feminism that removed men from homes. Women need fathers in the home to know how to relate to men so that they don’t go too far, and then feel guilty. But since 77% of young unmarried women voted for Barack Obama, the feminist candidate, we must assume that women are happy with the status quo. Either that or they are incapable or unwilling to investigate what consequences follow from their own decisions.

Related posts

Here is my previous post on how women overwhelming believe that men are constantly drugging them with date-rape drugs, when in fact peer-reviewed medical studies and police reports show that this virtually never occurs.

And more:

• Less than half of 7 to 21 year old women think marriage precedes child-bearing
• How socialism undermines the traditional family in Sweden
• What causes women to become single mothers, and how are children affected?
• Which family configuration is best for raising children?
• Why did 77% of young unmarried women vote for Obama in 2009?
• Obama vows to repeal Defense of Marriage Act in speech to gay activists
• Jennifer Roback Morse evaluates the economics of no-fault divorce
• New study shows that children of working mothers live unhealthier lives
• New study explains the best way for young people to avoid sexual risks
• Obama praises non-traditional families on National Family Day
• Has the decline of chastity and courtship hurt young people?
• Canadian study suggests how parents can influence children’s sexual choices
• Twenty-one reasons why marriage matters
• New Scientist article shows why fathers are necessary for children’s well-being

My posts on chastity and chivalry:

• The rules for friendship and courtship between Christian men and women
• What Christian men want from Christian women… in paintings!
• What should wives do when they are not in the mood for sex?
• Why Christian men should be chaste
• Should Christians marry non-Christians?
• Purposeful parenting today
• Marriage tips part 1
• Marriage tips part 2

Let me set up this Hannity comment by introducing a poll which Gallup has been conducting for the better part of 40 years.  It is the American people’s congressional approval rating showing a peak of 84% correlating with the time immediately following 9/11 and a low of 14% in the middle of 2008.  The current rating as of October 6, 2009 is a mere 21%, which has in fact been lead primarily by a decrease in Democratic voter’s approval of congress.

Source: Gallup

So Sean Hannity of Fox News fame is about to reference this figure in an interview with Frank Luntz.

Source: Fox News.

Yes, who can the American people blame?  Well, apparently as late as September 17, 2009 the American people were blaming…Republicans?

Source: Gallup

Ok, but that was then.  As Hannity points out the American people, well, they are waking up!

Source: Fox News.

That’s right!  Obama is a radical ideol—huh…

Source: Gallup.

Hannity is right about one thing.  Obama’s approval ratings are going down:

Source: Fox News.

Ok, but if decreasing approval ratings makes Obama a “radical ideologue” that the American people are “waking up” to, then what was George Bush…?

Source: Gallup

Source: Gallup

Good thing Hannity got a chance to ask President Bush that very question just days before he left office.  Stick it to ‘em Hannity!!!

Source: Fox News.

Nice move, set ‘em up for the sneak attack and then…nail ‘em!!!

Hannity?!?!  What the hell man?  That was your chance?  Oh, I see, so if Obama’s approval rating is 53% it’s a clear message that people are waking up to his socialist agenda, but when Bush bottoms out at 25% it’s just the American people failing to understand the difficult job of a principled hero doing his best to live up to the American presidency?  So I guess it’s all about principles isn’t it.  Hmmmm, if only there was a way to prove that Obama, too, had guiding principles…

Source: Fox News.

In high school, I heard a saying from one of my teachers…
“There are people who make things happen. People who watch things happen. And then there are those people who ask ‘what happened?’ “

While everyone laughed when they heard this, it was interesting to take a look at it from the perspective of everyone thinking they were the ones who make things happen. It was also funny to see that everyone automatically assumed that the people who asked, ‘what happened?’ were lazy people who were clueless and out of touch with the world.

But as life went on, I learned to honor the fact that sometimes you can’t always be making things happen. Sometimes you have to watch things happen because it is what you observe that can help you see a new direction you are supposed to take things. And if you are always so busy making things happen, you’re too busy to watch things happen and then you end up becoming the very person who asked ‘what happened?’
Take a look at the housing industry, the banking industry, Corporate America, Enron, 9/11, GM and even Global Warming.

You can have a bunch of people rallying to save the world, but then no one is actually doing it. You can have people be so busy pointing fingers when things go wrong, but then no one is minding the store. You can have people watch all this and sit back and do nothing. And you can also have a world so ‘in their own world’ – they are missing the very things that caused all these things to happen and they are now sitting back and asking ‘what the heck happened?’

Birds have a very interesting world. They sit, they watch the world. Sometimes they hunt. Sometimes they are the prey. But a lot of the times, they sit and watch what is happening. And if something is happening and they either need to get away from it or go toward it, they fly.

While we humans are not born with wings to fly we can change our own flight pattern by taking a bit more time to sit and watch what is happening. People who panic tend to do rash things and ultimately cause an unnecessary domino effect in this world. People who think they are invincible, sit too long and then end up becoming victims.

There is another saying…. “suit up and show up, s**t or get off the pot.” And that has its place in life, too.
John Mayer’s song “Waiting For The World To Change” used to get me upset…. Part of the song is true and I comprehend his generation’s thinking there was nothing that could be done to change the world. But there is an echo that I hear, or rather, yhe Mother Teresa screams I hear from afar that beg to differ. “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop,” which basically say Mayer’s song is a copout.

Hmm…
As the birds watch what is happening, and continue to breed and fly,
As they watch their eggs get eaten, or their new babies simply die….
In the world that is changing, where life on earth is tough,
They simply live life each day and, that is truly enough.
The birds will sit and reflect, who knows what they really see.
They observe and help us realize, the best things in life are free.

© 2009 Queena Verbosity 100% Real Words
Media Monster Communications, Inc.
Stacey Kumagai
http://www.100percentrealwords.blogspot.com
http://hubpages.com/profile/mediamonster
http://www.braingasm.com

Here is the full leaked version of Mariah Carey’s new track “100 Percent”, the theme song for the new movie “Precious”. The track was produced by Jermaine Dupri & B. Cox.

Mariah Carey – 100%

One of the tracks that was intended for Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel surfaced in it’s tagged entirety. The songs seems like it was done for Precious the movie and now with the added lines we can tell that it is. It’s a cute, uplifting track but it’s not really single material. Yes, this is an old photo, we had to dig in our archives for it. We figured that if she is trying so hard to look like she used to, why not show what she looked like. Oh, those were the days! Visit this blog for more details.

Have you ever heard about “being comfortable in your own skin?” This is your spot. And sometimes we have to step outside of our own comfort zones to get there.

When you grow up with obstacles and challenges, you learn quickly to find your own spot as a means to survive. Growing up as a minority in an all white neighborhood was challenging for me. But that did not become an obstacle.

I was very lucky to have progressive teachers who not only had great vision, but substance and integrity in the ways they chose to educate in the public school system.

In the second grade, I had a very special teacher. She was a life guard and made sure that we all learned how to swim. So after teaching us reading, writing, math and spelling, she taught us that swimming wasn’t just something fun to do, but it was necessary survival skill in life. She also taught us about plant propagation and wasn’t afraid to have us dissect a cat (one of the student’s father was a Vet) and pass a vein around, but she taught us not to be afraid of anything. Life is real and so was she, and the lessons she taught us were about real life.

She was also very observant. She saw that I was struggling with being ‘different’ as one of only two minorities in this second grade class. And she wanted to educate my classmates about racism, stereotyping, and pre-conceived judgments. So when it came time to cast the play, “Alice In Wonderland,” she took the bold move of casting ME as Alice, much to the shock and awe of all of the parents who had blonde and blue-eyed daughters, who mirrored Alice’s Disney image. An Asian Alice? Yes, indeed.

I was shy and awkward, but quickly gained confidence realizing that my teacher had confidence in me. She was trying to make a point, that storytelling is a gift. It doesn’t matter who tells the story, what matters is if the story reaches you, touches you and makes you think and feel something.

Her point of the matter was more about making a point, to actually have THIS story tell a different kind of story and educate parents about how their own pre-conceived judgments or ideas would soon get transferred onto their children. And if they didn’t change now, the cycle would never be broken. This was a cycle that was passed on generation to generation. My teacher’s point was that if you don’t make the change, the change will never happen and it has to start somewhere.

The parents who observed the play also witnessed how their own children didn’t have any problem with me being cast in the lead, and that I didn’t have to ‘look’ like the Alice they had seen in the Disney film or the animated story books.

I had not only gained respect and acceptance, I had also gained the gift of my own peers adapting and the changing of their parents in the same breath.

Everyone grew up that day. And it is something that I am hoping is carried in the memory, heart and actions with each person who was part of my teacher’s brilliant experiment, today.

The spot. Sometimes you find your own spot in the most unconventional ways. Sometimes you find your spot because someone shines a spotlight on you. No matter how you find your spot, may you always know that the spot begins with you – your comfort zone, stepping outside of it and becoming comfortable with adapting, making change happen and growth.

Hopefully, that … will hit the spot!

© 2009 Queena Verbosity 100% Real Words
Media Monster Communications, Inc.
Stacey Kumagai
www.100percentrealwords.blogspot.com
http://hubpages.com/profile/mediamonster
http://www.braingasm.com

I have this frame on my desk that reads “To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path and don’t worry about the darkness, for that is when stars shine brightest.”

I love this. It’s actually a postcard I had found in a card shop and I liked it so much, that I bought it and framed it. It sits on my desk as a reminder to always stay positive.

There are days…and we all have days, when situations get the best of us, when we are not in our best place. And those are the days when this reminder rings a little louder.

But this saying is also a reminder that we need to stay true to who we are as people and not compromise integrity or our own core values.

I believe it’s important to stay true to your heart and what you believe. If we give up our own identity and our own beliefs and morals for the sake of trying to advance our lives, we give up more than just that, we give up our soul.

Life is nothing without your soul. It is empty, meaningless and doesn’t hold any value or purpose or passion.

We all have to stand for something in order to truly be.

I don’t believe people who say they don’t believe in anything, because if that were true, this would mean they don’t believe in themselves, or anyone in their life. They don’t believe in any season or cause or reason to do anything about anything and in essence, they wouldn’t be living life.

Jadedness and negativity do not breed life – not just for the person stuck in this dark space, but for all those around them who are affected by this ugly non-productive energy. No one wants to be around people who don’t believe in anything… particularly those who don’t believe in the very day they were fortunate enough to wakeup in. Otherwise, why take on the day if you don’t believe even in that?!
The light we all hold inside us is amazing. It can brighten someone else’s day. It can bring about unexpected things. And the light can hold us up in our own dark times to plow onward, to have hope, to desire something for ourselves or for someone else.

Sometimes we’re not even aware of our own light or the power of it. Maybe a random act of kindness can change someone’s life. But I am a firm believer that if there are those who are interested in what you share and how you show up in the world, your light may have a brighter purpose than you realize.
This is a time when people need a little light. And if we all take the time to shine our own upon those needing it, we could just make this world a brighter place to be.

© 2009 Queena Verbosity 100% Real Words
Media Monster Communications, Inc.
Stacey Kumagai
www.100percentrealwords.blogspot.com
http://hubpages.com/profile/mediamonster
http://www.braingasm.com

Consumer Reports has just released results from its annual reliability survey and the findings are clear:

Mitsubishi has made major gains and ranks ahead of Nissan, Mazda, Kia, Suzuki, Subaru and Hyundai, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Lexus, and Porsche

Please share this great news with everyone

Also don’t forget:

Mitsubishi is offering special rates to Sam’s Club members.  0.0% APR for 60 months on 2009 Eclipse, 2009 Spyder, 2010 Endeavor and 2010 Galant with approved credit.

Did you forget about the Endeavor? Don’t feel bad, most people have. In fact, Mitsubishi even forgot to offer a 2009 model. But that doesn’t mean you should forget to look at the Endeavor if you are in the market for a mid-sized CUV.

Back in 2003, the then new Endeavor beat out heavy hitters like the Nissan Murano, Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot in an Edmunds comparison test. It won that comparison test not by outright dominating, but by being consistently competent.

Though little changed since then, the core features that helped take the top slot in that comparison test are still present today. Edmunds editors noted the Endeavor’s well-balanced ride and handling dynamics, a gutsy V6, a roomy, comfortable cabin and solid build quality.

But time waits for no CUV, and the losers in that comparison have all been redesigned since then, while the Endeavor has soldiered on without an update and with few changes. So in the absence of a redesign, Mitsubishi is endeavoring to sell more of their mid-sized CUV by offering up some attractive incentives. Read about them after the jump.

Now through the end of September, customers can choose between $3500 cash back or 0% financing for up to 48 months and 1.9% financing for up to 60 months. If you can still find a 2008 model on dealer lots, there is $4000 dealer cash available, but no special finance rates.

While the Endeavor doesn’t offer some of the latest wiz-bang features, it does offer a package that is safe, roomy and comfortable. With these latest incentives, it is also more affordable. For many, that is all they ask for in their vehicle.

http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/2009/09/deal-of-the-week-mitsubishi-endeavor.html

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By Chuck Mikolajczak

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks rose 3 percent for the week after ending Friday’s session slightly higher, shrugging off government data showing the unemployment rate hit 10.2 percent — the highest in 26-1/2 years.

Jobless rate dips in most of TennesseeMicrosoft results top expectations, shares jump (Reuters)

The jump in US unemployment above 10 percent for the first time since 1983 will pressure President Barack Obama to find additional stimulus to keep a fragile economic recovery on track, analysts say.

The weaker-than-expected Labor Department report Friday showing an official jobless rate of 10.2 percent also suggests the Federal Reserve will maintain near-zero interest rates and other efforts to pump up credit to spark growth, say economists.

The Labor Department report, seen as one of the best indicators of economic momentum, showed job losses narrowed last month to 190,000. Revisions also showed fewer job losses in August and September.

The improvement was not enough, however, to prevent the jobless rate from surging to the first double-digit level for more than 26 years, from 9.8 percent in September.

People wait in line at a job fair sponsored by Monster.com that attracted hundreds of people in New York City.

Obama called the numbers “sobering” and said his administration was considering “further steps” to spark job growth.

“To that end, my economic team is looking at ideas such as additional investments in our aging roads and bridges, incentives to create jobs and steps to increase the flow of credit to small businesses,” he said.

Analysts said the rise above 10 percent represents a setback for the recovery and Obama’s efforts to lift the economy out of recession.

David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff & Associates, said the economy remains in peril even after the impact of a 787 billion-dollar stimulus enacted earlier this year.

“The return to job creation is as elusive as ever,” he said.

“It is hard to fathom that, according to the White House estimates earlier this year, the stimulus was supposed to help cap the unemployment rate at 8.5 percent. Here we are today with both an unemployment rate and a fiscal deficit-to-GDP ratio both north of 10 percent.”

Cary Leahey, senior economist at Decision Economics, said the rise in joblessness poses new challenges for Obama.

“If you’re a politician in Washington of the Democratic variety, this is far worse than last month,” he said.

“This report is a soft start to the fourth quarter,” he said. “It is consistent with a double-dip (recession) or W-shaped recovery.”

Leahey said that even though the labor market is showing improvement, “the 10 percent figure will grab all the headlines.”

Robert MacIntosh, economist at Eaton Vance, said the overall report was “not all that bad,” with revisions but that “the headline of 10 percent was huge psychologically.”

“This means a slower, more frustrating economic recovery,” he said.

The jobless rate rise occurred even with a downward revision to the number of job cuts in the prior two months.

Non-farm payrolls fell by 219,000 in September (instead of the prior estimate of 263,000) and by 154,000 in August (revised from 201,000).

Overall, the monthly report was worse than expectations for a 10 percent jobless rate and 175,000 job losses despite the improving trend.

“The headline number of 10.2 percent will be shouted from the mountaintops and from the voters,” said Andrew Busch, analyst at BMO Capital Markets.

“The Federal Reserve and the US Treasury are in the glare of the klieg lights to get something done to arrest the job losses.”

Fred Dickson at DA Davidson & Co. said the report “continues to point to an economy that is struggling, but the picture is not nearly as dire as seen at the beginning of the year.”

“Slowly, the trajectory is improving, but, given the huge number of unemployed and underemployed, our view of a very slow economic recovery in 2010 and 2011 remains very much in place,” he added. “This report will not do much to encourage the Fed to raise rates anytime soon.”

The number of unemployed persons increased to 15.7 million. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed has risen by 8.2 million, the Labor Department said.

The world’s largest economy grew at a seasonally adjusted 3.5 percent annual rate in the July-September period. The increase was the first since the second quarter of 2008.

For the US economic community, the recession will not be over until it is declared by a research panel, National Bureau of Economic Research, recognized as the official arbiter of business cycles.

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