Health care reform is necessary, I think most people will admit that. Personally, I'm one of those people who can't afford to get sick b/c my deductible is so high and everything goes towards it, but I am also one of those people who can look beyond myself and see something unbiased. It doesn't matter who presents something, whether they're republican, liberal, conservative, independent, ect. We need to be able to look at something and judge it based on what is right and wrong. This mandate is not the right way. If you actually really look at it you would know that it takes away too many rights to be anything but socialism. America is based on the fact that you are not forced into things, that businesses are not forced into things. The problem is most Americans today are selfish, perhaps some unknowling so, they simply choose not to look down the road at the snowball effects and ripples. It's really sad that so many people are desperate enough to believe this is a "fix all". The fact that they had to twist the wording into saying "Oh it's technically a tax and we can tax but we can't pass an individual mandate" um, it IS A MANDATE. I wouldn't want ANY law passing by twisting, lobbying, and word games. That's exactly what's wrong with U.S. politics. I apologize that sometimes I am a little too idealistic.
This post is in response to the Supreme Court decision today, if you have not heard or are not familiar with it, here is the Yahoo article:
http://www.yahoo.com/_ylt=AspM.zRu.MsL6b5A5ybtKF6bvZx4;_ylu=X3oDMTV0ZXAzYmcyBGEDMTIwNjI4IG5ld3MgYmxvZyBTQ09UVVMgb2JhbWFjYXJlIHJlc3VsdHMgdARjY29kZQNwemJ1ZmNhaDUEY3BvcwMxBGVkAzEEZwNpZC0yMzk1NTUwBGludGwDdXMEaXRjAzAEbWNvZGUDcHpidWFsbGNhaDUEbXBvcwMxBHBrZ3QDMQRwa2d2AzI3BHBvcwMyBHNlYwN0ZC1mZWEEc2xrA3RpdGxlBHRlc3QDNzAxBHdvZQMxMjc3NjcxMQ--/SIG=13c29ie95/EXP=1340985454/**http%3A//news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/supreme-court-issue-obamacare-decision-135554880.html
P.S. As a tax, it's the largest increase since the history of... ever.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
#6
As a last entry in my series of posts to the 2012 grads, I want to share some of the best advice I
have ever come across. Those faithful readers who have also read my "Blogger Profile" will recognize them. But for those just tuning in, I hope you can use them.
In a few years I expect you will have learned and come across plenty of your own, so feel free to share yours with those around you as well! To my brother who inspired this seriers with his own high school graduation this year, I love you and good luck with whatever you choose to do with your life!!
In a few years I expect you will have learned and come across plenty of your own, so feel free to share yours with those around you as well! To my brother who inspired this seriers with his own high school graduation this year, I love you and good luck with whatever you choose to do with your life!!
º Give people more than they expect and do
it cheerfully.
º Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
º Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
º When you say, "I love you," mean it.
º When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
º In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
º Talk slowly but think quickly.
º When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
º Spend some time alone.
º Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
º Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
º When you say, "I love you," mean it.
º When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
º In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
º Talk slowly but think quickly.
º When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
º Spend some time alone.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
#5 Recognize Good and Evil, and Know What You Want
Not every person at college will have the right mindset
or goals or even be there because they want to be. Manipulation and split personalities are trained
skills. Not easily detected, but there are red flags. If a girl does not have a
lot of girl friends, it means other girls don’t like her and there’s probably a
good reason for that. If a is a senior and interested in you, don’t be
flattered, there’s probably a good reason they're dipping into the Freshman pool. Desperate or a player. Be with someone you genuinely love to be around,
someone smart and witty not someone who will go along with everything you say
or do. Someone who takes care of themself and will
take care of you too. Someone you are comfortable
talking to about anything. You want
someone not afraid to say exactly what they want and feel. Fighting is normal,
it’s passion and as long as you’re both still talking, even fighting, and there’s
communication, it means there’s still caring and feelings. Don’t shut down on
someone you love. If you have to walk away for a minute that’s different, that’s
mature, but don’t shut them out completely.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
#4 Enjoy Every Moment
In part I am jealous of everyone graduating. You get to go to a new place, be surrounded by people your own age with the same enthusiasm and excitement for whatever life has. The mindset that you’re in control and that, “you have the world at your feet”. Hang onto that feeling as long as you can. This is an exciting time and you don’t want to get so serious that you lose that. Yes, obviously you’re there to learn, but learning is not hard. With a little effort and time, it’s basically memorization on speed. Retain as much as you can, learn as much as you can, take opportunities for extra credit but take time to break away and enjoy where you are and the new friends you will make.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
#3 Every Point In Life Has Pros and Cons
Over the next few years you’re going to have to kick a lot of butt. You will also have to kiss some too.
This goes along with the "stepping stone" theory. I haven’t made it to something great yet but it's bearable. If you put the time in now, you will eventually get what you want. Life is like that. Nothing worth anything comes easy or instantly. Unless of course, it's a cheeseburger.
Friday, June 01, 2012
#2 As Quickly As You Can, Learn Empathy.
No one is born with it. The ability to relate to a stranger is not a weakness or always a time consuming task. Sometimes it is simply giving someone the benefit of the doubt. If you have empathy you will be able to forgive. People are rude, ugly, and frustrating. In order to be successful you literally have to let it not affect you. You never know what people are going through or why they are the way they are. Sometimes people are just ignorant. Give them the benefit of the doubt regardless.
#1 Don’t Expect To Be A Millionaire
Over the next week I am going to post a series of short posts geared to those in this 2010 graduating year! To the class of 2012 I would like to pass on some realism. Of course I am all for dreaming big and having goals, but I am also about balance. Not in a condescending, bitter, or mean way, so give them a chance. Just a few things I would have liked someone to tell me when I was graduating.
Don't expect to be a millionare.
Don't expect to be a millionare.
This is 99.99% never going to be in the realm of
reality. When you first get out of college more than likely you will get a job.
Don’t waste it or mess it up. You want MORE than just a job, one of the wisest things anyone ever said to me was in my college
orientation, the Dean said: a JOB is what you could get and you will become it:
Just Over Broke. So make sure what you
do and whatever career you choose is something you really LOVE don’t waste time
with it otherwise. Life is too short. If it’s not a stepping stone to something great, move on.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Life
I was thinking today about all of the people that have come and gone from my life over the years. I remember being told in high school that "the friends you have now you won't have when you're an adult and you all go your separate ways" and for a majority of my high school friends that is exactly how it turned out. People that will always hold a special place in my heart and are in countless memories that I love to look back on yet, most of those people I never see and rarely even talk to. I think the teenage years of our lives hold bittersweet memories for everyone. I treasure those friends from those years that I do still see and spend time talking and staying current on each other's lives, they're rare people that I can honestly say, "I've known them forever!".
It's not just the teenage years though, there were friends in college that I saw every day and now I no longer talk to. We grew apart once the common denominator of our friendship ended and new careers and priorities took over. I don't think it means our friendship was meaningless or shallow, I just know that as life goes on and becomes more complicated and busy we tend to have less time for the people outside of our immediate family and coworkers. Now that it's not surprising when an American works more than they sleep and spend time with their family put together, the workplace has become literally, "our home away from home". The same goes for sports teams, volunteer groups, church families, kids activities, etc.
When I was fifteen my family moved from the place I had grown up to a city almost two hours away. It was hard to stay in contact with my "old" friends as school pressure intensified and we all started our first jobs. When you add distance to any relationship the probability of it lasting drops drastically. It was hard as a teenager to accept this but as an adult I realize that sometimes letting go gives way to life experiences you couldn't have imagined and new relationships that help you grow, it's a hard part of life to learn and there are probably those that struggle at every transition because they never do.
It's amazing how someone can be such a big part of your life for so long then only in a matter of weeks or months you realize they're not even a part of it at all. Crazy how quickly our emotions and life evolve! Relationships, friends, coworkers, it truly is an ever changing journey. One that we adapt and conform to, changing a little as each phase gives way to the next.
It's not just the teenage years though, there were friends in college that I saw every day and now I no longer talk to. We grew apart once the common denominator of our friendship ended and new careers and priorities took over. I don't think it means our friendship was meaningless or shallow, I just know that as life goes on and becomes more complicated and busy we tend to have less time for the people outside of our immediate family and coworkers. Now that it's not surprising when an American works more than they sleep and spend time with their family put together, the workplace has become literally, "our home away from home". The same goes for sports teams, volunteer groups, church families, kids activities, etc.
When I was fifteen my family moved from the place I had grown up to a city almost two hours away. It was hard to stay in contact with my "old" friends as school pressure intensified and we all started our first jobs. When you add distance to any relationship the probability of it lasting drops drastically. It was hard as a teenager to accept this but as an adult I realize that sometimes letting go gives way to life experiences you couldn't have imagined and new relationships that help you grow, it's a hard part of life to learn and there are probably those that struggle at every transition because they never do.
It's amazing how someone can be such a big part of your life for so long then only in a matter of weeks or months you realize they're not even a part of it at all. Crazy how quickly our emotions and life evolve! Relationships, friends, coworkers, it truly is an ever changing journey. One that we adapt and conform to, changing a little as each phase gives way to the next.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Response to Today's "Yahoo" Article Regarding New York's Recent Ruling on Child Pornography
Some of you may have seen the headline picked up today by Yahoo titled, "Viewing child pornography online not a crime: New York court ruling" Here is the link if you missed it!
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/viewing-child-pornography-not-crime-according-york-court-165025919.html
You have to read the article to understand the "whole story" not just the headline, what the ruling stated was that if there were images of child pornagraphy on your computer, it isn't necessarily a crime unless you saved them.
In response, I am shocked and disappointed. I have heard the story about the grandmother who innocently took pictures of her granddaughter in the tub and playing in the yard in a swimsuit and when she took the roll of film to be developed the clerk reported her and I've heard about those who have had pornography sent to them in a mass email attachment that they did not mean to open or receive or those who have stumbled across a site of pop-up once or twice. What I am talking about is completely different, the criminal this article references had HUNDREDS of pictures that were viewed by him on his computer, he claims he never downloaded them. He was just looking. Repeatedly apparently.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/viewing-child-pornography-not-crime-according-york-court-165025919.html
You have to read the article to understand the "whole story" not just the headline, what the ruling stated was that if there were images of child pornagraphy on your computer, it isn't necessarily a crime unless you saved them.
In response, I am shocked and disappointed. I have heard the story about the grandmother who innocently took pictures of her granddaughter in the tub and playing in the yard in a swimsuit and when she took the roll of film to be developed the clerk reported her and I've heard about those who have had pornography sent to them in a mass email attachment that they did not mean to open or receive or those who have stumbled across a site of pop-up once or twice. What I am talking about is completely different, the criminal this article references had HUNDREDS of pictures that were viewed by him on his computer, he claims he never downloaded them. He was just looking. Repeatedly apparently.
It's absurd to say that if someone sends an email
to someone with a picture of child pornography in it, that it's their fault, and it's wrong to call a grandmother a pervert for receiving a picture
of her grandson or granddaughter in the tub HOWEVER, this is going to open a
floodgate for defense cases all over the country to reference. We are talking
about hundreds of images "viewed" but saying it's OK because they
didn't "save" them. Are you kidding? They don't need to, they can
just revisit the site again and again now. I am originally from NY and am
disappointed that they've made this decision, how sad that they would blur the
lines where child abuse and pornography are concerned. Especially with these
types of crimes and trafficking on a rise all over the world, INCLUDING America. I get their thinking, I do, that our computer will hold thousands of cache images over the lifetime that we own it, however, there is no reason that hundreds of those would fall under the category of child pornography and there is no reason why clear intent cannot be seen. It is frustrating seeing the direction this is headed with people seemingly uncaring. As humans we need to watch the road ahead, not just the present. Each decision has a way of affecting every generation after us.
Friday, May 04, 2012
The Rainforest
A couple years ago I posted the final paper I wrote for my advanced composition class on the Rainforest. You can view the post here, forewarning though, it's a long one: http://nikkisbubble.blogspot.com/2008/08/last-persuasive-paper-from-adv-comp.html. I'd like to revisit the topic because to me, it is so important and not nearly talked about enough. One of the most important facts about the Amazonian Rainforest that I think few people realize or even think about it that there are 18,000 known plants in the rainforest not found anywhere else on the planet and 25% of all Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, yet less than 1% of these tropical trees & plants have been tested by scientists. For me, this is a no-brainer. We need to preserve this resource better and dedicate more time and research to discovering and cultivating it's wealth while at the same time making sure that we are taking care to protect it for future generations.
Here is a link I wanted to share that if you click daily, sponsors will donate towards habitat protection.
http://www.therainforestsite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=4
Why do they do this just for you clicking daily? Because their ads and products are all over the site and their incentive is that you will see them and be drawn to click on them as well.
A benefit to this is that there is a "Rainforest Store" with various products you can buy where a small portion of the profit will go back to the site for the protection of the Rainforest. So check it out. It only takes a second to click and you will be contributing a small part towards preservation!
Here is a link I wanted to share that if you click daily, sponsors will donate towards habitat protection.
http://www.therainforestsite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=4
Why do they do this just for you clicking daily? Because their ads and products are all over the site and their incentive is that you will see them and be drawn to click on them as well.
A benefit to this is that there is a "Rainforest Store" with various products you can buy where a small portion of the profit will go back to the site for the protection of the Rainforest. So check it out. It only takes a second to click and you will be contributing a small part towards preservation!
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
A Couple Website Suggestions
Recently I added two new websites to my "Favorite Sites" list on my sidebar, (scroll down the left side of "My Bubble" to see the list), and I wanted to take a second to tell you about them.
The first is "What I Think You Should Know". It's a new blog, really new in fact, as in last week new. The writer has a few posts up there that are worth a read but what is really different is that he has pages on the blog. These are tabs along the top with headers for a finances section and a travel section as well as the main home tab. Check it out when you can and be sure to leave some feedback for the new blogger. :)
The second is the "Calorie Count" site. This has been featured on "The Today Show" as well as "SELF" magazine, so it isn't new to the web, just me. What's great about this fitness tool is that not only is it free, but also you don't have to sign up for the site or anything else to use it! If you scroll to the bottom there is a "Browse Foods" header where you can search by category. It is awesome!! I see myself using it every day. A couple other really neat things it offers are the recipe and activities section. The activities section has estimated calories burned for everything from kneeling and praying to bicycling! I have never seen a site that has such a wide range of possible activities. Definitely check it out!! If you are a beginner to calorie counting or have been doing it for years, if this site is new to you, I guarantee you will find something beneficial!
As always, thanks for stopping by and I hope one of these recommendations becomes a favorite of yours too!
The first is "What I Think You Should Know". It's a new blog, really new in fact, as in last week new. The writer has a few posts up there that are worth a read but what is really different is that he has pages on the blog. These are tabs along the top with headers for a finances section and a travel section as well as the main home tab. Check it out when you can and be sure to leave some feedback for the new blogger. :)
The second is the "Calorie Count" site. This has been featured on "The Today Show" as well as "SELF" magazine, so it isn't new to the web, just me. What's great about this fitness tool is that not only is it free, but also you don't have to sign up for the site or anything else to use it! If you scroll to the bottom there is a "Browse Foods" header where you can search by category. It is awesome!! I see myself using it every day. A couple other really neat things it offers are the recipe and activities section. The activities section has estimated calories burned for everything from kneeling and praying to bicycling! I have never seen a site that has such a wide range of possible activities. Definitely check it out!! If you are a beginner to calorie counting or have been doing it for years, if this site is new to you, I guarantee you will find something beneficial!
As always, thanks for stopping by and I hope one of these recommendations becomes a favorite of yours too!
Monday, April 23, 2012
On My Nightstand Right Now
This is a great book, I haven't had a lot of time to read lately so it's taking me a couple weeks to get through it but this book is perfect for that. Instead of chapters, they're little stories about various U.S. Presidents all through history. Some things you might know or have heard but there is a lot that will probably be a surprise. If you love history as much as I do then I would highly recommend this.
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Get $10 off at Events.Shoebuy.com
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Shoebuy Events features private sales events with up to 90% off on leading fashion and lifestyle brands. Click Get Started now and receive $10 off your purchase of $50 or more.
Monday, April 02, 2012
Check It Out!
Today while getting some hummus for my lunch at Giant Eagle, something new caught my eye. At least, I'm pretty sure they're new since I have never seen them before!
Pillsbury Sweet Moments.
Oh yes.
What a find!! There were four varieties to choose from but quickly I grabbed the Caramel Cheesecake bites.
A layer of cheesecake, a layer of caramel, and a layer of brownie covered in chocolate and drizzled with caramel.
...In a word? YUM.
They are ready-to-eat bites perfect for that afternoon chocolate craving!
The serving size is 3, for 190 calories! The cheesecake is soft and creamy, the caramel is not too sweet, and the brownie is moist so head to your local grocery store and pick some up! They are worth a trip even if you get nothing else! lol Enjoy!
Until There's a Cure
Cancer treatment, statistics, and results from the Cancer Treatment Centers of America website:
This is a great site that answers questions directly and honestly, including the quality of life and speed at which each type of cancer will progress.
Learn more about cancer and find out about local cancer resources in your area by visiting the American Cancer Society's site:
This is the Orlando Sentinel website and it offers a multitude of great articles covering statistics, latest news, and research on the prevention of cancer:
The CafePress online gift shop is a great way to purchase cancer awareness items, including t-shirts, mugs, throws, posters, pins, stationary, and so much more!
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