Science fail

News Mash: Climate scientists hope to improve both their short-term, and hopefully long-term, forecasts!

Climate scientists are a preciously ambitious lot…

They actually think one day?

They will be able to predict the weather “10 days out”

[via LiveScience]How do you . . . predict future weather? ~by Sonia Aggarwal and Hallie Kennan

Weather forecasts are produced by models of temperature, wind speed and precipitation. Using those models, meteorologists can offer short-term predictions about whether to expect rain or sun, clouds or bright skies. But, weather forecasts are notoriously unreliable more than ten days out. To understand the long-term behavior of the atmosphere, climate scientists look at weather patterns over many decades or even centuries. The scientists study the way energy moves through the atmosphere — measuring and modeling things like the amount of sunlight hitting Earth, the rate that the oceans absorb heat and the mix of gases in Earth’s atmosphere over time. By studying the root causes of long-term changes in Earth’s atmosphere, climate scientists can project future effects.

…[Read More]

And this is so cute?

For the simple reason that up until recently (and for the record, by “recently” I mean the past 15 YEARS)…

The temperature was vastly predictable–

(*shakes head sadly*)

–thanks to man-made global warming.

Riight. Absolutely it’s possible!

sarc off/

[via HotAir] The NYT wonders: So, what’s up with this warming plateau? ~by Erika JohnsenScience fail

That the planet has not warmed significantly in going on fifteen years is a fact that has become pretty much impossible to deny across all fronts; back in March, longtime climate fearmonger The Economist had out with it, and on Monday the New York Times opened up about some of the inconvenient truths facing the many ‘climate scientists’ whose decades of catastrophic climate models are all spectacularly failing to bear out. Granted, it was couched in the usual high-handed dismissals of those who they categorize as dismissive of their climate-change concerns, but it did include several important admissions:

The rise in the surface temperature of earth has been markedly slower over the last 15 years than in the 20 years before that. And that lull in warming has occurred even as greenhouse gases have accumulated in the atmosphere at a record pace.

The slowdown is a bit of a mystery to climate scientists. True, the basic theory that predicts a warming of the planet in response to human emissions does not suggest that warming should be smooth and continuous. To the contrary, in a climate system still dominated by natural variability, there is every reason to think the warming will proceed in fits and starts.

But given how much is riding on the scientific forecast, the practitioners of climate science would like to understand exactly what is going on. They admit that they do not, even though some potential mechanisms of the slowdown have been suggested. The situation highlights important gaps in our knowledge of the climate system, some of which cannot be closed until we get better measurements from high in space and from deep in the ocean.

Read on for much more parsing of the facts and excusing of poor policies, but here’s the really important gist: We don’t conclusively know all of the causes and effects of climate change, and we might not even know what we don’t know. This isn’t to say at all that greenhouse gases are not a thing, nor that carbon dioxide emissions are definitively unimportant, nor that we don’t have serious environmental issues that we need to consider going forward. But how is it, exactly, that the community of diehard eco-radicals and the self-proclaimed party of “science” has been proclaiming for decades that we are a heartbeat away from global catastrophe, and treating dissenting scientists as heretics, and insisting that we need to forcibly curtail our economic growth to deal with it and that people who aren’t one hundred percent on board are knuckle-draggers and/or greedy extremists, is surprised and angry that anyone is “dismissive” of them when it turns out they actually can’t be sure about it all? Because, science.

…[Read More]

Huh.

And now even the NYT is saying it…

“The temperature HAS NOT increased in 15 years, so STFU Al Gore & desperate scientists looking for grant money!”

YOU WILL NOT GET IT.

Sorry, but your “global warming” piggy bank is about all dried up thanks to…

Eek – Actual S C I E N C E always wins.

No kidding?

So, uh…

How’s all those EPA rulings that have increased just about the price of just about EVERYTHING (thank you rising gas prices!) and all those carbon taxes you’re about to be been hammered with, looking at, thanks to your silly belief in Al Gore’s mythical Pink Dragon, right about now?

Yeah…

Hmmm.

Thought that might the case.

If you make this into ice cream

News Mash: Urban legends are scary…Especially that one about the “meat” ice cream?! Ew.

Some stories…

Were created with one keen purpose.

To scare the bejesus out of you!

And boy, do THESE (below) ever:

[via Listverse] 10 Creepy Urban Legends From Around The World ~by Theodoros II

Urban legends are often thrilling stories, which contain many folkloric elements; and so they often spread quickly through a community or society. The tales are told dramatically, as though they were true stories that related to to real people—although they may in fact be one hundred percent fabricated.

Local touches are often added to the legend—but strangely enough, you will often hear the exact same story in different versions throughout the world. Urban legends often carry a warning or have some significance that motivates the community to preserve and propagate them. The only sure thing is that some of these creepy urban legends have been the cause of many a sleepless night. Here are ten of the best:

10

The Choking Doberman

This urban legend comes from Sydney, Australia, and features a bizarre story regarding a choking Doberman dog. One night, a couple who had been out for a few too many drinks came home to find their dog choking in the living room. The man panicked and fainted, but the woman decided to call her old friend, a vet, and arranged to drop the dog off at the vet clinic.

After dropping off the dog, she decides to go home and get her husband into bed. It takes her a while to do this, and in the meantime, the phone rings. The vet screams hysterically that they need to get out of the house immediately. So without any clue as to what’s going on, the couple leave the house as quickly as possible.

As they come down the stairs, several policemen run up to meet them. When the woman ask what the problem is, a policeman gently tells her that the dog was choking on a man’s finger. A burglar must still be present in their home. Soon enough, the former owner of the finger is found unconscious in the bedroom.

9

The Suicidal Boyfriend

This story, also known as “The Boyfriend’s Death” has many different variations and has been interpreted as a more generalized warning not to stray too far from the safety of home. Our version takes us to Paris in the 1960s.  A girl and her boyfriend—both of them college students—are making out in his car. They have parked near the Forest of Rambouillet so that they won’t be seen by anyone. When they’re finished, the boy gets out to take some fresh air and smoke a cigarette, and the girl waits for him in the safety of the car.

After waiting for five minutes, the girl gets out of the car to look for her boyfriend. Suddenly, she sees a man in the shadows. Frightened, she gets back into the car to drive away—but as she does this, she hears a very faint squeak, followed by more squeaks.

This continues for a few seconds, until the girl decides that she has no choice but to drive off. She hits the gas as hard as possible, but can’t go anywhere; someone has tied a rope from the bumper of the car to a nearby tree.

Finally, the girl slams on the gas again and then hears a loud scream. She gets out of the car and realizes that her boyfriend is hanging from the tree. It turns out that the squeaky noises were made by his shoes, scraping across the top of the car.

8

The Slit-Mouthed Woman

There is a legend in Japan and China about a girl called Kuchisake-Onna, also known as the slit-mouthed woman. Some say that she was a samurai’s wife. One day, she cheated on her husband with a younger and better-looking man. When the husband returned, he discovered her betrayal; enraged and furious, he took his sword and slit her mouth ear-to-ear.

Some say that the woman was cursed to never die, and still wanders the world so that people can see the horrible scar on her face and pity her. Some people claim that others have actually seen a very beautiful young lady, who asked them: “Am I pretty?”  And once they replied positively, she ripped off the surgical mask, and showed them her horrible wound. She then asked the same question—and anyone who no longer found her pretty was met by tragic death from her hands.

There are two morals to this story: a compliment won’t cost you a thing, and honesty isn’t necessarily the best policy.

[Read More - See All 10 Creepy Urban Legends HERE!]

Worst thing is however…

Some of these terrifying stories, which will forever haunt your nightmares once you hear them?

Aren’t just stories.

Take, for instance, this one horrifying tale, of ice cream…

Made. From. Leftover. Bloody. Meat. Scraps.

(NaturalNews)Meat scrap leftovers now being reprocessed into ice cream: The dismal future of food ~by Ethan A. Huff

There appears to be no limit to how far the processed food industry will go to maximize its profits, even if it means reprocessing animal meat waste and adding it to completely unrelated foods like ice cream. This is the latest endeavor by industrial food researchers in Italy, Belgium, and elsewhere, who are right now developing novel methods to turn meat industry leftovers into protein-rich powders and slurry for the factory food industry.

As disgusting as it sounds, unused muscle tissue, tendons, bones, and other animal byproducts are loaded with proteins and fats that typically end up in landfills. According to FoodProcessing.com, up to 50 percent of the animal weight processed by the meat industry is composted, discarded, or incinerated. But modern science is hoping to basically recycle this waste and turn it back into food.

But this so-called food will not be recognizable as its own entity, at least not in the traditional sense. All those bones, meat trimmings, and poultry leftovers can effectively be converted into what the food industry has dubbed “animal protein hydrolysates.” These hydrolysates are basically liquified or powdered protein and fat blends that can be added to all sorts of other processed foods to boost their overall nutritional content.

‘Pink slime’-type animal gruel to be added to processed foods

Sure, various types of hydrolysates are already added to some processed foods currently on the market. But these hydrolysates are typically made from plants or milk, while the new animal protein hydrolysates are derived from actual animal flesh and bone, which puts them in a whole different league. Hydrolyzed whey protein, for instance, is merely derived from the whey of animal milk. But animal protein hydrolysates are essentially ground up and enzymatically processed animal flesh – recall an image of the infamous “pink slime” and you will get an accurate idea of what we are talking about here.

“It appears that the lipid-rich bonanza of ‘disused’ reject animal bits can easily be turned into a nutritious gunge, paste or gel of some type, apparently ideal for pumping by the [hecatombe] into processed foods such as ice cream,” writes Lewis Page facetiously for The Register about the concept.

…[Read More...If You Dare, HERE!]

I know what you are thinking:

Oh...

The horror!”

Right there with you, friend.

Right. There. With ya!

If you make this into ice cream

Jesus Superman

News Mash: What did Jesus look like then as compared to now? Hmmm…Think ‘Superman’!

If you’re a Christian?

Oh, you’ve asked it…

“Just what was Jesus like?”

This man (below)…

Has his ideas:

[via The Blaze]What Did Jesus Christ Really Look Like? ~by Billy HallowellWhat Did Jesus Christ Look Like?

What did Jesus Christ really look like?

Sure, we have the familiar image that is presented in paintings, film and television — the long-haired man with a beard, light skin and brown hair. But, is this accurate?

We really can’t know for sure, but blogger and Crossway vice-president Justin Taylor put together a thought-provoking article over at The Gospel Coalition dissecting this very subject.

Taylor began by sharing the information we do know about Jesus — all of which, of course, comes from dissecting the Bible. To begin, Christ was likely in his early 30s during his short-lived ministry. As for the issue of long hair, the blogger cites 1 Corinthians 11:14, which reads, “Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him.”

While this was not a statement from Jesus, himself, Taylor seems to conclude that the verse, written by Paul, showed a disdain for males donning this type of hairdo. This presents some intriguing questions. Among them: If long hair truly was not in the equation for Christ, then does the Shroud of Turin — which features a man who seems to have long hair — have any legitimacy (read TheBlaze’s coverage of the religious relic)?

The notion, though, that Christ had a beard is supportable, Taylor maintains. The Bible doesn’t explicitly confirm this, but it would not have been unreasonable at that time.

“It’s fair to assume that Jesus had a beard, in light of first-century Jewish culture and tradition — though Scripture doesn’t say this explicitly,” he wrote, noting that, “Isaiah 50:6 says the suffering servant, ultimately exemplified in Jesus, has his beard plucked out, but the NT doesn’t cite this.”

Jesus’ skin tone, Taylor argues, would have been darker in nature (i.e. olive color), considering that most of his time was spent outside.

Perhaps most intriguing is the argument that Jesus was not stunningly handsome — at least not according to the Bible and Taylor’s view on the book’s contents. The blogger explains: “Isaiah’s messianic prophecy suggests that there was nothing unusually attractive about him (“he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him,” Isa. 53:2)—though it’s taking it too far to say that he was thereby unattractive or homely.”

Taylor, of course, isn’t the first person to wonder what Christ looked like. While most of us likely have the images we’ve all repeatedly seen emblazoned in our minds, there’s no definitive indication that these are accurate (and, as noted, they likely include some questionable features).

…[Read More]

Oddly enough?

I didn’t see anything in the above description talking about red and blue tights, with a cape…

When describing Jesus.

Though some Superman fans…

Make that comparison.

[via Metro]Man of Steel: The top 20 reasons why Superman is Jesus ~by Ross McD

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Jesus. Everyone knows Superman is just a thinly veiled treatise on the life of the Son of God, but by Kryptonite does new Supes movie Man of Steel hammer that message home. Well, Jesus WAS a carpenter. I caught up with director Zack Synder in Los Angeles to find out why Kal-El has so much religious baggage.

THE TOP 20 REASONS WHY SUPERMAN IS JESUS:

1. He has a beard

2. His dad has a beard

3. He has superpowers

4. His dad has superpowers

5. His dad sent him to Earth to save humanity

6. ‘He’ll be a god to them’

7. He was sort of born in a stable

8. His adoptive father is a humble tradesman

9. None of the neighbours seem to wonder why his ‘mom’ never got pregnant

10. Some humans were a bit of a dick to him

11. But he didn’t use his superpowers to kick their asses

12. Can walk on water

13. Betrayed by some guy for money

14. Willingly sacrifices himself for the good of mankind

15. Is exactly 33-years-old at the time

16. Mortal enemies with an evil dude with a goatee

17. Likes to chat with Catholic priests in churches

18. Punches Darwinites who believe ‘evolution always wins’

19. That whole crucifix pose when he busts out of Zod’s ship

20. Friends with Batman

According to director Zack Snyder, this isn’t the first time the above comparison has been made.

‘I think the relationship between Jesus and Superman is not a thing we invented in this film, it is a thing that has been talked about since the creation of Superman,’ he said, speaking to us from Warner Bros studios in LA.

‘And in a weird way, probably was talked about more when Superman was created than it is now. It’s one of those things mythologically you take for granted, a little bit.

…[Read More]

Gonna be honest?

I get the comparison.

Though for me?

far more in the reverse…

After all?

Jesus Superman

Jesus was here first, dudes.

And because he was?

Yes, he should totally get dibs on the “Superman” title.

After all…

He IS the original.

And it's nothing good

News Mash: Oh…What the duck – Seriously!?

Science?

Here’s a ‘Ponderism’ for ya.

You might really need to look into this theory…

Of the connection between ducks being such fantastic avian flu (Hello, there pandemic, one day killing off EVERY HUMAN ON EARTH!) hosts:

[via Medical Daily]What’s In A Duck? Genetic Clues For Understanding Bird Flu Outbreaks ~By Nsikan Akpan, PhD

Avian influenza or bird flu viruses are known to hideout in ducks, yet little is known about why these aquatic birds are such great reservoirs for these dangerous bugs. To search for answers, an international team of scientists has sequenced the duck genome for the first time and discovered a few clues that explain the relationship between winged host and virus. Their report was published in Nature Genetics

…[Read More]

And the fact?

That ducks are one of the FEW birds today…

Which are still?

Left with a phallus, after years of the brilliance of Mother Nature’s evolution:

[via arstechnica] The curious case of the vanishing penis. “One of the most puzzling events in evolution is the reduction and loss of the phallus in birds.” Puzzling indeed. Although birds’ ancestors started out with a penis, it was lost by all but about three percent of the bird species currently alive on the planet. Although we’re still arguing over why, we now know how the penis goes missing. And it comes, in part, by methodology that I never thought I’d see in a scientific paper: an examination of the genitalia of emus, which do have penises (as do ducks).

Chickens, however, do not. And the difference all comes down to one protein. All birds seem to form a bit of tissue that has the potential to generate a penis, but chickens activate a gene called BMP-4, which kills off the tissue; emus and ducks don’t activate that gene.

~by [Read More - See the Whole Article HERE!]

Call me suspicious?

But, yeah…

I definitely think there’s something to that, which needs researching.

And it's nothing good

Sincerely,
Daisy Duck

Being Insane

News Mash: Apparently? The Queen and Alex Jones are giving the BBC a hard time!

The headline read (paraphrased) THIS:

An “idiot” disrupts a BBC political talk show!

And, my mind immediately ran its file-searching fingers to THIS (below), card filed away in my memory, of a similar article I had read…

Of another “disruption”.

“Surely,” I thought. “They couldn’t be talking about her!”

[via Guardian] Queen photobombs BBC newsroom as she opens Broadcasting House ~by Caroline DaviesPhotobomb Queen

BBC News presenters Julian Worricker and Sophie Long turn round to see their surprise guest in the newsroom of Broadcasting House. Photograph: BBC

The Queen “photobombed”the news on Friday in one of the more surreal moments in live broadcasting history as she officially opened the BBC‘s revamped Broadcasting House in central London, without her husband by her side.

While the Duke of Edinburgh was in hospital where he underwent exploratory abdominal surgery and was said to be “progressing satisfactorily”, his wife found herself doing something she was quite unused to – providing the backdrop.

As BBC News presenters Julian Worricker and Sophie Long addressed viewers from their glass-windowed studio, the Queen, who was being given a studio tour, loomed into view behind them, peering intently from the newsroom.

The two turned to see her, resplendent in turquoise coat and hat, lingering for several long seconds as BBC journalists crowded behind her raised a resounding cheer.

Staff had apparently been instructed to remain in their seats during the royal visit, but ignored orders from on high and swamped the diminutive monarch, snapping away on cameraphones.

It provided one of the more bizarre spectacles during the one-and-a-half-hour visit, which was to inaugurate the extension to the broadcaster’s ­London headquarters, which has undergone a £1bn revamp.

…[Read More]

Luckily?

They weren’t.

Cause, yeah…

They meant an ACTUAL idiot.

[via Telegraph]‘Idiot’ Bilderberg conspiracy theorist… disrupts BBC politics show ~by By Hayley DixonBeing Insane

Mr Jones, who runs a conspiracy theory website, began shouting and ranting after the Sunday Politics host told him to “shut it”.

As he screamed “freedom will not stop, you will not stop freedom” Mr Neil tried to bring the show to a close, telling him he was the worst guest ever, then stifling a laugh and pulling faces as he said: “We have an idiot on the programme today.”

Mr Jones appeared on the Sunday morning show as the secretive Bilderberg Group – comprising politicians, economists, academics and business leaders – is meeting at a hotel in Watford.

But after his on-air meltdown Mr Neil claimed that it has been put on.

“The moment Alex Jones knew he was no longer on air he stopped. All an act,” he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Jones appeared alongside David Aaronovitch, a journalist and author who has written a book debunking conspiracy theories.

“Bilderberg is heavily involved in the EU plan and helped hatched it and it is a Nazi plan,” Mr Jones claimed.

“It is the ultimate lobbying meeting”, he said, adding that the attendees were “puppeteers above the major parties”.

Mr Aaronovitch questioned the truth of Mr Jones’ claims, asking why he had not been killed for exposing what he describes as a deadly new world order.

The radio host was told several times to be quiet and let his counterpart speak, until eventually Mr Neil can be heard in the background telling him “Oi – shut it.”

At this point Mr Jones, who suggested the BBC were part of the conspiracy, lost his temper, shouting: “Listen, I am here to warn. You keep telling me to shut up. This is isn’t a game.”

Mr Neil responded: “You are the worst person I have ever interviewed.”

The American then began raising his voice, trying to shout over the host who was thanking his other guest.

Pointing and shouting as he plugged his website he ranted: “Freedom will not stop, you will not stop freedom. You will stop the republic. Humanity is awakening.”

…[Read More]

Good thing for them.

After all…

Don’t think the Queen would take too kindly being called an idiot.

But Alex Jones?

Yeah…

Pretty sure he’s used to it.

will be needed

News Mash: Warning: Impending Zombie Doom Coming, June 21, 2013!

Just in case you weren’t aware?

Oh, yes…

The zombies are coming!

[via io9] First World War Z reviews: It’s not a total waste of time ~by Charlie Jane Anders

The first reviews for World War Z have been coming out over the past few days, and they’re generally ranging from neutral to sort-of positive. The consensus: Parts of the film are thrilling, parts are painfully slow, and the overall effect is a reasonably solid thriller that happens to have a ton of zombies in it.

To read the mass of World War Z reviews is to realize how much this film benefits from lowered expectations — a couple years of bad press have lowered the bar to the point where everybody goes in primed for a trainwreck. Instead, they get a reasonably okay film. Albeit one that bears no resemblance to Max Brooks’ novel. Here’s what people are saying.

The Hollywood Reporter seems to like World War Z okay, despite some reservations:

A bunch of impressive set pieces stitched together rather than a good story convincingly told, this gargantuan production should ride Brad Pitt’s name, teeming action scenes and widespread interest in all things zombie to strong box office returns… There is certainly a tension running through the film between latent serious ambition and lowest-common-denominator-pleasing requirements, with the latter ruling the day most of the time without entirely erasing evidence of the former.

The Guardian likes the film as a whole, but got bored in parts:

While some of World War Z is rotten, the whole stands as a punchy, if conventional action thriller… It’s only when the zombies’ groans stop that yours are likely to start. World War Z’s slow sections are draggy and predictable. Gerry’s relationship with his family (ensconced on a navy cruiser off the coast of Washington) is a paltry scrap of emote-a-bait. His relationships with other survivors – an attempt to introduce a Walking Dead-style sense of fragility perhaps – are hampered by their tendency to get eaten a beat or two after we meet them.

[Read More - See More Reviews HERE!]

And just because ThinkGeek.com always like you to be prepared?

They have some wonderful “WARNING” zombie posts to commemorate the upcoming apocalypse.

So nice of them, don’t cha think?

[via ThinkGeek]will be neededwill be needed

Warning: Impending Zombie Doom

  • Clear, concise signage for the living
  • Will prove helpful when the undead take over
  • Three different styles available
  • Read more…

$9.99

[Read More]

So, yes, definitely…

Gotta get me some of those posts.

Of course, I would really like a Brad Pitt too…

But dammit, figures, they aren’t selling any of those.

And, yeah, I looked.

*pouts*

Ah, well…

ThinkGeek.com can’t sell everything a fangirl wants.

Though…

A girl can dream.

And boy…

When it comes to Brad?

Do I ever.

Breastfeed

News Mash: When it comes to childhood intelligence, breastfeeding is very important! Really, you have no idea!

Hmmm.

Interesting.

The smarter a brain is from infancy…

Has a direct correlation to how one’s brain ages, in degree, over time.

[via Nature]Childhood cognitive ability accounts for associations between cognitive ability and brain cortical thickness in old age

To examine the hypothesis that the lifetime-stable trait of intelligence12 may be related to later life brain structure, we first tested for any cross-sectional association between cortical thickness and intelligence in old age. We then tested for associations between cortical thickness in old age and the same subject’s intelligence measured in youth. Next, we examined the cross-sectional association between cortical thickness and intelligence in old age after covarying for intelligence from youth. Any cross-sectional cortical thickness–intelligence association in old age remaining after adjusting for intelligence in youth would provide rarely available evidence for a contribution of cortical thickness to age-related cognitive changes. On the other hand, if the cross-sectional cortical thickness–intelligence association is substantially attenuated or disappears after adjusting for childhood intelligence, it could indicate that: the brain–intelligence association in old age reflects a lifelong impact of cortical thickness on cognitive functions; intelligence in childhood influences neurodevelopmental processes, including into old age (reverse causation); or lifelong associations behind cortical thickness and intelligence are due to shared causes.

…[Read More]

Good to know.

And breastfeeding?

Note to all moms: Plays a definite role in this.

[via ScienceDaily]MRI Study: Breastfeeding Boosts Babies’ Brain GrowthBreastfeed

June 6, 2013 — A study using brain images from “quiet” MRI machines adds to the growing body of evidence that breastfeeding improves brain development in infants. Breastfeeding alone produced better brain development than a combination of breastfeeding and formula, which produced better development than formula alone.

A new study by researchers from Brown University finds more evidence that breastfeeding is good for babies’ brains.

The study made use of specialized, baby-friendly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look at the brain growth in a sample of children under the age of 4. The research found that by age 2, babies who had been breastfed exclusively for at least three months had enhanced development in key parts of the brain compared to children who were fed formula exclusively or who were fed a combination of formula and breastmilk. The extra growth was most pronounced in parts of the brain associated with language, emotional function, and cognition, the research showed.

This isn’t the first study to suggest that breastfeeding aids babies’ brain development. Behavioral studies have previously associated breastfeeding with better cognitive outcomes in older adolescents and adults. But this is the first imaging study that looked for differences associated with breastfeeding in the brains of very young and healthy children, said Sean Deoni, assistant professor of engineering at Brown and the study’s lead author.

“We wanted to see how early these changes in brain development actually occur,” Deoni said. “We show that they’re there almost right off the bat.”

The findings are in press in the journal NeuroImage and available now online.

…[Read More]

Want your baby to have to tools available to make sure it has the best chance, at a long, happy, healthy, productive life?

Breastfeed.

Otherwise?

You risk your baby growing up into this:

And, jeez

Haha.

Who wants to risk that?

Breastfeed, y’all!

It’s the best preventive medicine your child has to prevent pure stupidity.

Though sometimes (just watching the trailer)?

Yes, stupidity can be, and often is, vastly amusing…

Though you don’t want to be forced to sit across from it at the Thanksgiving table every year.

Just sayin’.

trampy

News Mash: Women don’t need tattoos to be “trampy” as, um… We are naturally so inclined?

And before all you women out there freak out, I mean “trampy” not in a bad way…

But more along the line as being an “equal to men” way, because we all know they’re trampy. Or, the majority, rather aspire to be.

There, ladies, feel better?

No?

Dammit.

Anyway…

Speaking of men and their prospects of “trampy” women,  it is a question every man (at some point in his life) will ask…

“What [...the helz!!!] do women want?” [i.e. to BE trampy]

Well, according to this book?

It might surprise you:

[via DailyMail] Women’s sexual desire is just as strong and ‘ravenous’ as men’s, claims explosive new book

  • New book draws on scientific research to prove that our ideas of female sexuality and desire are all wrong
  • Author Daniel Bergner says that female sexuality is every bit as powerful as men’s but that cultural ideals have caused it to be repressed and even reshaped
  • Bergner says the idea that women are biologically better suited to monogamy than men is a ‘fairytale’

By Daily Mail Reporter

A new book that paints an unprecedented picture of female sexuality and contains explosive theories regarding sexuality What Do Women Want?: Adventures in the Science of Female Desireand desire may strike fear in the heart of every heterosexual male.

Journalist Daniel Bergner’s book ‘What Women Want: Adventures in the Science of Female Desire’ uses groundbreaking research to reveal that even in our enlightened and permissive culture, female sexuality and desire is completely misunderstood – by both men and women.

The book explains that research into the area of female desire and sexuality has been shaped by gender stereotypes and how cultural ideals of female sexuality have repressed and even reshaped women’s desires and their sex lives.

‘What Women Want’, which began life as an article in the New York Times Magazine in 2009, claims that despite much evidence suggesting female sexuality is every bit as strong and desire-driven as male sexuality, if not more so, research into female sexuality in both the animal and human realms has been blind to evidence of female lust and and unreserved sexual behavior.

In fact, Bergner found that female sexuality is everything we tell ourselves about male sexuality – that it’s base, ravenous and animalistic – is true of female sexuality.

Certain qualities society has traditionally attributed to women – that they are inherently and biologically better suited to monogamy, that women’s desires are based in romantic love – are ‘scarcely more than a fairy tale’, writes Bergner.

‘Women are supposed to be the standard’s more natural allies, caretakers, defenders,’ Bergner writes, ‘their sexual beings more suited, biologically, to faithfulness.’

Bergner told Salon.com that he was struck by ‘the distance between reality and the fable that we’ve been taught most recently by evolutionary psychology, that is, that men are driven to spread their seed and women, by comparison, are more driven to find one good provider, and that, therefore… women are much better suited to monogamy.’

The idea of women being passive and men being the initiators of sexual contact is also a myth, both in the human and the animal worlds, says Bergner.

He mentions the case of the rhesus monkey, Deirdrah, who upon observation could be seen relentlessly stalking the object of her desire.

‘For decades,’ Bergner told Salon.com, ‘despite evidence to the contrary, scientists had painted primate sex as male dominated. Males are the initiators; females the sort of almost indifferent receivers,’ when evidence showed this clearly wasn’t the case.

Women’s sexual desires and fantasies are often submissive or passive, says Bergner, and he believes ‘the force of culture has, to some degree, inverted things’ in terms of how women think about themselves and sex.

‘The force of culture puts some level of shame on women’s sexuality and a fantasy of sexual assault is a fantasy that allows for sex that is completely free of blame,’ Bergner told Salon.com.

‘So that’s one reason. Another, which [researcher, Marta] Meana brings up, and which I think is very compelling, is this idea that the feeling of being desired is a very powerful one, a very electrical one. And I think at least at the fantasy level, that sense of being wanted, and being wanted beyond the man’s self-control is also really powerful,’ he said, addressing the idea of submission fantasies.

Researchers have also found intriguing disparities between women’s minds and their bodies when it comes to sexuality.

A study by Meredith Chivers found that male and female subjects shown the same series of videos had markedly different physical and mental reactions.

The videos consisted of a heterosexual couple having sex, male and female homosexual couples having sex, a woman masturbating, a man masturbating, a naked chiseled man walking along the beach and a naked toned woman doing calisthenics – and a male and female bonobo monkey mating.

Men who identified as straight were aroused mentally and physically by all the videos featuring women – bar the monkeys.

‘Gay males were aroused in the opposite categorical pattern. Any expectation that the animal sex would speak to something primitive within the men seemed to be mistaken; neither straights nor gays were stirred by the bonobos,’ Bergner wrote in the New York Times Magazine in 2009.

But the female subjects of the study were not so straight forward. While they reported arousal at only traditional couplings

‘No matter what their self-proclaimed sexual orientation, [women] showed, on the whole, strong and swift genital arousal when the screen offered men with men, women with women and women with men. They responded objectively much more to the exercising woman than to the strolling man, and their blood flow rose quickly… though to a lesser degree than during all the human scenes except the footage of the ambling, strapping man — as they watched the apes.’

Bergner said that when the women reported their mental arousal, ‘mind and genitals seemed scarcely to belong to the same person.’

All this goes to prove, believes Chivers, that when it comes to desire, women are as visually stimulated and more easily turned on than men. The idea that a woman needs to feel emotionally connected in order to feel attracted and aroused seems to be another story we tell ourselves about women.

‘Being a human who is sexual, who is allowed to be sexual, is a freedom accorded by society much more readily to males than to females,’ Terri Fisher, Professor of Psychology at Ohio State University tells Bergner in the book.

Daniel Bergner’s book is likely to shine light on the range and power of female sexuality for both men and women, which could prove confronting for some.

Bergner says the idea that it’s not only men who struggle with long-term monogamy may cause men to start worrying less about themselves and more about how their partners feel about monogamy.

‘I just had two funny conversations,’ Bergner told Salon.com.

‘One with a male writer, a friend of mine, who said that reading the book had inspired deep concern, and another from an editor who said that it had scared the bejesus out of him. [Laughter] I laugh, but I think that maybe it should, and I hope that it at least lets us look past the blinders that we’ve had on.’

…[Read More]

And…

When compared to what it is that MEN apparently want?

BIG difference!

Cause men, you see?

Basically just want tattoos:

[via DailyMail] Why a tattoo really IS a ‘tramp stamp’: Study suggests men more likely to try and chat up a painted lady trampybecause they think is she is promiscuous ~By Anna Edwards

Tattoos often represent something significant and meaningful to the bearer.

But to others, it can represent an easy date, research has found.

A study revealed that men were more likely to perceive a woman with a tattoo as more sexually promiscuous than those without.

Swami and Furnham conducted an experiment that tested how men regarded women with an inking, by making subjects sport a temporary tattoo on the beach.

And it would appear that men were more likely to approach those with a tattoo quicker than those without.

Tests also showed that men rated their chances of scoring a date with the tattooed women higher than if they had tattoo-free skin.

On Springer.com, the researcher said: ‘Given that men interpret women’s sexual intent according to their physical appearance, we predicted that women with tattoos would be more favorably approached by men.

‘The first experiment showed that more men approached the tattooed confederates and that the mean latency of their approach was quicker.

‘A second experiment showed that men (N = 440) estimated to have more chances to have a date and to have sex on the first date with tattooed confederates.’

…[Read More]

So what am I saying here?

Simply this:

What women want is apparently far more involved than anything any man (up until now – Read the book!) could ever comprehend.

While what it is that MEN want?

Is just as simple, and surface, as we women always suspected.

Pffft – Figures.

Though, I must admit, THIS (below)…

pretty darn good looking

Wow.

Does the fact that I find it so, make me all “trampy” and shallow because I am apparently attracted to the surface and superficial too?

Yes?

Dammit.

*shakes head sadly at self*

Gonna need a bigger litter box

News Mash: Non-domestic (wild) cats aren’t an issue for some…And then there’s Australia!

For all you cat lovers out there…

Did you know?

Non-domestic (wild) cats are the NEW fad.

And…

According to THESE (below) people?

Are nothing at all to worry about:

[via ABCNews.go.com]

Breeders of cats bred with non-domesticated species outside the U.S. say they hope to dispel the “myth” that their pets are PHOTO: Coco, a Savannah cat, leaps over Georgie, a British shorthair cat. Their owner, Brigitte Cowell hopes to dispel a wild and dangerous.

Kristine Alessio, 46, is an attorney and city council member in La Mesa, Calif., about 10 miles east of San Diego. She breeds cats as a hobby and six of her eight cats are Savannahs, which share their ancestry with the African Serval cat.

Savannahs’ ears, necks and legs are longer than those of the typical domestic cat. Despite their distinct appearance, sometimes resembling miniature versions of wild cats due to occasional distinct markings, Alessio said concerns about Savannahs and many other “hybrid” cats are overplayed.

“They’re so people oriented,” she said of her Savannah cats. “It’s like a puppy that never wants to grow up. It’s like having a dog, but it uses a litter box. They’re happy to see you. They wait for you to come home.”

Owners of cats descended from cross-bred ancestors were stirred last month when the New Yorker magazine published a story about breeders titled, “Living-Room Leopards.”

The Cat Fanciers’ Association does not recognize Savannahs and Bengals as breeds. “The Cat Fanciers’ Association, Inc., does not encourage or promote the breeding of non-domestic (wild) cats of any species to any domesticated cats. Furthermore, The Cat Fanciers’ Association, Inc. will not consider for registration the offspring of such a breeding. CFA will be reviewing its registration policies with the delegates from its member clubs during its Annual Delegates’ Meeting on June 28, 2013 in Vancouver, Wash.,” the assocation said in a statement.

Jim Mendenhall, president of The American Cat Fanciers Association, said his group does not accept any cats bred with non-domestic animals with the exception of the Bengal. Mendenhall said the Bengal was grandfathered in as a breed before the association banned cats mixed with non-domestic ancestors.

Speaking for himself and not the group, he said, “It’s plain wrong.”

“I don’t see anything to be gained in crossing them into the domestic cats, except for creating designer cats that someone can sell for thousands of dollars.”

Mendenhall said he knew a cat owner who had a first generation Bengal that would attack the owner’s dog.

“The only person who could handle it was the woman who bought it,” he said.

…[Read More]

That is…

Unless you live in Australia.

Cause then?

Yes, non-domestic (wild) cats are a huge issue.

And boy, do I mean HUGE:

[via ABC.net.au]Mega moggies of Arnhem Land prove scourge of bush ~by Alyssa BettsGonna need a bigger litter box

The feral cat population across Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory has exploded, with traditional owners saying they’ve noticed a steep decline in local birds and other wildlife.

The Warddeken ranger group has taken some amazing pictures of how big the feral cats are getting in the region, and has used them to leverage funding from the Federal Government to monitor and kill the pests.

Chairman of the ranger group, Dean Yirbarbuk, says the cats are getting bigger and there are “several thousand” of them in the Warddeken area of central Arnhem Land.

“All we know is our birds and animals are declining,” he says.

“We hope this project will help us to try and find a way to get rid of the cats.”

Research manager Georgia Vallance says funding from the National Environmental Research Program will complement the ranger groups’ culling activities.

“We’ve been noticing more feral cats here over the last few years, and when these cats are culled by the rangers they perform a gut analysis, and the amount of animals inside these cats is staggering.

“One that was culled had the remains of two sugar gliders, a velvet gecko, a bird and some insects… so that’s just one cat, over one day,

…[Read More]

Wow.

Can you just imagine waking up with one of those things, sitting on your chest, tapping your face, needing to go outside?

Yikes.

Scary thought, that.

But if cat lovers in America get wind of the mega cats in Australia?

Oh, yeah…

Any bet-takers that is EXACTLY what will be happening?

I just love his movies

News Mash: Russia has bigger issues than Kabayeva…We’re talking Steven Seagal here!

Oh, Russia…

What in the world are you THINKING?!?!

Your big, beautiful and lately?

Little bit crazy.

And no, in case you are wondering…

I’m not referring to THIS (below):

[via DailyMail] How Putin removed wedding ring while watching the ballet and emerged with his wife to announce their Rumours about an affair between Putin and Miss Kabayeva have dogged them for years but they have always denied itdivorce on live TV

  • Putin, 60, and 55-year-old wife announce that their 29-year marriage is over
  • President and wife Lyudmila reveal split in interview after night at the ballet
  • Pair are ‘eternally close’ and support each other through ‘civilised divorce’
  • Interview didn’t mention Putin’s alleged gymnast lover, Alina Kabayeva, 30

By Anna Edwards

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his 29-year marriage to his his wife, Lyudmila, was over – after removing his wedding band as they watched the ballet together.

The 60-year-old and his 55-year-old wife broke the news of the end of the 29-year marriage in an obviously staged TV interview after a night at the ballet.

Before the ballet at the Kremlin Palace, Putin was pictured wearing his wedding ring, but he must have removed it during the performance because he was not wearing it by the time he left and was interviewed.

Asked on Rossiya-24 television about longstanding rumours that the Putins no longer lived together, the 60-year-old Putin said: ‘That is true.’

Lyudmila Putin said it had been a ‘our common decision. And our marriage is over due to the fact that we barely see each other.’

Asked whether they were divorced, Lyudmila said it was a ‘civilised divorce’.

But neither clarified whether they were legally divorced and Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said he did not know.

The obviously staged interview made no mention of Alina Kabayeva, a 30-year-old former gymnast who is rumoured to have been Putin’s mistress for years.

…[Read More]

No.

But instead?

Oh, yes…

I’m referring to THIS (below):

[via Guardian]Steven Seagal becomes the face of Russian arms firm ~by Alexander Winning in MoscowI just love his movies

The actor Steven Seagal has become an unlikely business envoy for a pre-Russian revolutionary arms factory after agreeing to feature in adverts marketing its weapons in the US.

Seagal, known for starring in Hollywood martial arts films, told journalists about the plans on Tuesday during a tour of the Degtyaryov weapons factory in Kovrov, a city about 160 miles (260km) from Moscow.

“My friend Igor Kesayev invited me here. On his request, I will feature in adverts for Kovrov weapons for the US,” the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda reported Seagal as saying. “I trust Kesayev. Whatever’s put in my hands, I will advertise.”

Kesayev – who has an estimated fortune of $2bn (£1.3bn), according to Forbes magazine – controls the Degtyaryov factory, which has made weapons including machine guns and rifles since 1916.

He is one of a series of influential Russians with whom the 61-year-old Seagal, the star Hard to Kill and Under Siege, appears to have bonded with: in recent months he has been seen hobnobbing with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

…[Read More]

Seriously, Russia?

Steven Seagal.

Really?

STEVEN SEGAL [Source]

You know…

With this?

You have just lost any credibility, you know that right?

Wow.

Russia, you scary.

Overweight and ok

News Mash: What’s better for you, high-intensity interval training or being overweight? Depends on who you ask.

One of the best ways to burn fat?

High-intensity interval training (HIIT)!

It takes a minimal amount of time…

For the maximum amount of results!

And if you want to get super fit…

Super fast?

It could definitely be the way you want to go:

[via io9] How quick and intense workouts can help you get fitter ~by George Dvorsky

It’s a commonly-held assumption that getting in shape requires hours and hours of rigorous exercise. But some fitness experts believe all that’s really required to stay physically fit are short burst workouts performed at a high level of intensity. Here’s why just a few minutes of exercise each day may be all you need.

It’s called high-intensity interval training (HIIT) — and it’s proving to be a surprisingly effective way to stay in shape. It sounds almost too good to true, with workouts typically lasting no more than four minutes at a time. But many trainers and practitioners have found that it works. And it’s the kind of thing that can be easily integrated into any busy schedule.

Top image: Christmas Abbott doing a burpee. Abbott is a business owner, a NASCAR pit crew front tire changer, and an avid CrossFitter — a strength-and-conditioning program that integrates high-intensity interval training. Credit: SHFHS.

The trick, of course — and there’s always a caveat to these things — is that these workouts must be executed at high-intensity. That means balls-to-the-wall full exertion. So if if you don’t like to get physically intense, then this workout style is probably not for you. What’s more, if you have a workout routine that you love, it’s working for you, and you’re able to stick with it, then by all means continue with that!

[Source]

…[Read More]

However…

Do you really NEED to, that’s the question THIS (below) researcher poses?

And because it is…

Oh, some people (namely the people who make Billions/funded by the diet/weight loss market) are pretty ticked off at her:

[via Reason] Obesity Researchers Outraged by Inconvenient Truth About Weight and Mortality ~by Jacob Sullum

Since 2005, when Katherine Flegal of the National Center for Health Statistics began reporting that people whom the government deems “overweight” appear to be healthier than people who stay within the recommended weight range, her work has provoked outrage from other obesity researchers.

Overweight and ok

As Virginia Hughes explains in a recent Nature feature story, the critics’ main complaint is not that Flegal’s findings are wrong but that they are unhelpful. Hughes describes the reaction to a meta-analysis of 97 studies that Flegal and her colleagues published last January in The Journal of the American Medical Association, which found that mortality rates were lowest among people considered overweight but not obese

…[Read More - See the Reactions and Vitriol HERE!]

Which, I suppose?

Pretty understandable.

But when it comes down to being fit vs being NOT SO fit…

How about this?

Be happy.

With whichever route you decide to take, whether it be being a little chubby vs super fit by regularly performing HIIT’s to the point you now look like a rock god…

In the end, isn’t your happiness what truly matters?

No matter what anyone else says.

We're here for the tea party

News Mash: The liberal run government is spying on you & ‘The Purge’ is persecuting the Tea party? Ugh.

Government & politics annoys me…

A lot.

Wanna knows what annoys me even more?

Peoples REACTION to the government and politics:

[via YahooNews]Americans Freak Out As They Realize How Much Data The Government Collects ~By

News stories published over the past couple of days have revealed just how much information the U.S. National Security Agency collects about the communications of hundreds of millions of people around the world.

The Guardian, for example, reported thatVerizon has been sending the U.S. government “metadata” about all of its telephone records so the government can analyze who is talking to who, when, and where.

The Washington Post followed up with an even more shocking story, which said that the government “directly [taps] into the central servers” of Google (GOOG), Yahoo (YHOO), Microsoft (MSFT), Facebook (FB), and other leading tech companies and monitors communications in real time.” One of the Post’s sources on that story, described as a “career intelligence officer,” was said to be so horrified by the power of this surveillance program that the officer voluntarily exposed it.

Other news organizations have since confirmed the existence of this surveillance program, called PRISM, but Apple, Yahoo, Facebook, and Google have since explicitly denied that the government has “direct access” to its servers. The Washington Post originally reported that the companies “knowingly” participated in the surveillance program, but it has since removed that assertion. (An earlier Wired story suggests that the government may have engaged foreign companies to collect and store information as it passed through global networks, rather than tapping into the company servers).

Not surprisingly, the revelation that the U.S. government collects and analyzes trillions of global communications has freaked out not just privacy advocates but ordinary citizens.

And now that the extent of the government’s intelligence program has been revealed, it’s certainly worth having a national conversation about how much information the government should have access to and what legal hurdles investigators should have to clear when they collect and analyze specific information about specific people.

…[Read More]

So…

The government is now spying on me?

Ooohhh. Ahhhhh.

I am so concerned about what they will find!

*no*

What am I saying here?

Simply this: “Nothing to see here, people!”

So as far as I am concerned…

The government can spy away. Doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

What DOES bother me?

The fact that some idiots take their politics WAY too seriously…

Enough to be actually concerned by this.

Not to mention?

They think everyone is out to get them:

[via The Blaze]Is This New Horror Flick an ‘Obvious Attack’ on Tea Party, NRA? ~by Jason Howerton

Moviegoers across the nation may be disappointed to find out that the new terrifying-looking Ethan Hawke horror film “The Purge” seems to be a thinly-veiled attack on the National Rifle Association and Tea Party.We're here for the tea party

The movie is set in the year 2022 and the United States is governed by a group of multinational corporations called “the New Founding Fathers of America.” Because the nation is overwhelmed with crime and prisoners, the society allows an annual 12-hour period where all crimes are legal: theft, violence, murder, you name it.

During the so-called “purge,” all emergency services are suspended and the only rule in place is that harming high-ranking government officials using “Class 4″ weaponry is not allowed.

It may sound like an average to good storyline, however, some critics argue that the movie is filled with subtle attacks on the NRA and Tea Party.

Dan Gainor, VP of Business and Culture at the Media Research Institute told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column that the director of the movie, James DeMonaco, “makes it clear the movie is a direct attack on the NRA, an organization filled with millions of law-abiding gun owners.”

“The loony left’s reflexive hatred of the 2nd Amendment is founded in the concept that people who don’t break the law are somehow evil for exercising the Constitutional rights,” Gainor added.

…[Read More]

It’s a movie, people!

And?

A very interesting looking one. And, as a horror fan? It is a movie I am very excited to go see…

One?

ABOUT FICTIONAL EVENTS THAT HAVE NO HOPE OF EVER ACTUALLY HAPPENING!

I like you, Tea Party people, indeed I do. I like, for the most part, how you stand for the Constitution…

Of which I am a HUGE fan.

What bugs me about you, however?

The sheer magnitude of your paranoia.

Get over yourself already.

Jeez.

Even if it were an absolute jab at the imagined “evils” of both you and the NRA by the opposing party…

So freakin’ what?!

That fact doesn’t make it any LESS a movie.

The people who will be going to see this type of movie are not looking to have any type of political belief system validated…

They are just looking to be entertained.

Plain and simple.

why you taze me bro

News Mash: ‘Llama Brought Down By Taser’ and the Martha Mitchell Effect!

Have you ever heard a story…

That sounded to INSANE to be real?

Apparently that’s a “thing”.

And it even has it’s own name…

The Martha Mitchell Effect:

[via io9] When you have a story so unbelievable, everyone thinks you’re crazy ~Esther Inglis-Arkell

In many movies there are scenes of a protagonist revealing everything to a skeptical official—and promptly being admitted into a mental hospital. These scenes occasionally play out in real life. They even have a name, the Martha Mitchell Effect.

Brendan Maher was a psychologist who spent much of the 1950s and 1960s working with patients in the prison system, so he had to have had a lot of experience with the Martha Mitchell Effect before it got a name. Two major causes of the effect are being the target of organized crime or being under constant surveillance by law enforcement—and he had to have heard plenty of stories involving those two causes.

Many readers would point out that surveillance by either criminals or police doesn’t cause mental illness, and they are right. The effect isn’t a mental problem of the patient, but a kind of mental block of the psychiatrist. Its most famous sufferer was Martha Beall Mitchell. She was the wife of the Attorney General for the Nixon administration, and she had a few things to say about what top level officials were doing. When she made public statements, she was dismissed by those officials on the grounds of mental illness—an explanation that nearly all the press believed. It was only when the Watergate Scandal erupted that people realized she’d been right all along.

Maher, who had heard a lot of stories like this, noticed that many psychiatrists dismiss the more fantastic elements of patient complaints as delusions. What are the odds that someone is really being pursued by the CIA or the mafia, or that their spouse is dropping sadistic hints about infidelity, or that they’re suffering from some extremely rare disease? The odds may be slight, Maher pointed out, but after dealing with hundreds of patients, one of them might be telling the truth. Maher dubbed the automatic dismissal of real complaints as mental issues Martha Mitchell Effect.

…[Read More]

Now that I know that…

I must say?

Reading the story about cops being “forced” to taser an escaped Llama named, Scooter…

Definitely applies.

[via Gizmodo]Escaped Florida Llama Brought Down By Taser ~Lily Hay Newmanwhy you taze me bro

Tallahassee police reported using a taser on a six-foot llama, Scooter, after it ran around a local neighborhood for hours yesterday and generally galavanted about. The llama was eventually subdued to avoid an accident and returned, and its owner will not face charges.

Local residents called in complaints and Scooter sightings throughout the night. Deputy Tony Drzewiecki noted:

I’ve been doing this 20 years and they said there is going to be a lot of excitement in this job, but no one ever told me I would get spit in the face by a llama and trampled by one.

It is unclear why the Sheriff’s department elected to use a tazer on the llama rather than tranquilizing it. Run like the wind, Scooter. [UPI, AP]

…[Read More]

I would have never believed it?

If someone told me straight out.

Now, however…

If someone told me, over the phone, about a madman in an ape suit, terrorizing customers parked at Sonic?

Yeah…

That I would probably believe, and only because it was an actual call that I took at my job as a police dispatcher.

But question is, do YOU believe it?

Or…

Are you now suffering from the Martha Mitchell Effect?

*taps chin*

Hmmm…

Could be!

exercise be happy

News Mash: Feel better by trying out this simple seven-minute exercise regime!

You feel bad.

No need to lie, I can see it in your eyes.

Do you have little energy, body aches and pains…

Want to know the cause?

Believe it or not…

It’s all due to your LACK of exercise.

No, seriously!

Crazy as it sounds, your body actually craves activity.

And when it doesn’t get it…

It has some BLAH! fits, which then starts your whole downward cycle of NOT wanting to exercise in the first place.

Come on – Get up!

Exercising isn’t as complicated/hard as you think:

[via LifeHacker] How Exercise Affects Your Body (and How to Pick the Right Workout) ~Thorin Klosowski

We all know that exercise is good for you, but when you understand why, it makes getting off the couch and into the gym a lot easier. Here’s an explanation of what happens when you work out, and how it can help you deal with the pains and the gains you’ll run into down the line.

The body is a complex machine. While we like to think that when we work out we’ll immediately feel and look better, it’s not always that simple. A lot happens in your body when you first start working out, and the longer you work out the less things change. To get a grasp on what’s going on, I spoke with Brian Parr from the Department of Exercise and Sports Science at the University of South Carolina Aiken, and Dr. Carly Stewart, Medical Expert at Money Crashers Personal Finance. Here’s what you can expect, what’s happening, and how you can use that knowledge to improve your workout routine.

What Happens to Your Body When You First Start Exercising

Why Exercise Makes You Feel Better

We always hear that exercise makes you feel better in all sorts of ways. From the brain to the lungs, you benefit from a bit exercise be happyof exercise every day. That doesn’t really mean anything to you until you actually start exercising though. In addition to everything above, Parr notes a few other changes you’ll feel right away that make life a bit easier:

The other thing that happens is your heart gets bigger and stronger. Those are the things that people notice. You’re getting these changes in the muscle that actually make exercise feel easier. In addition to your heart rate slowing down and your heart getting bigger and stronger, your blood vessels become more elastic. That’s really good. That means your blood pressure can be lower.

Additionally, you’re also burning calories and fat, which contributes to weight loss. Your body typically burns calories from carbohydrates for energy first, and then moves onto burning fat as a source of energy. When you burn more calories than you take in, you’ll tap into fat for energy and lose weight. If you don’t use calories for energy, your body starts to store them as fat cells for an energy reserve.

On top of easier breathing, a lower pulse, lower blood pressure, and everything else, your brain function also improves. Dr Stewart explains why:

Exercise improves oxygen flow to the brain. It also helps the body release hormones that assist in brain cell growth. Additionally, it helps the brain with both learning and memory capabilities.

Dr. Stewart adds that you’ll feel these improvements pretty quickly, even if you don’t see a change in your body:

Generally speaking, you can expect to feel healthier and stronger after two to three weeks of exercise (along with a proper diet). However, you may not see any significant changes in muscle growth or weight loss (depending upon your goals) until after the first few months.

Essentially, when you start exercising, you feel better because your brain and body can do more. You’re not winded walking up stairs. Your heart rate and blood pressure goes down, which decreases your risk for a number of diseases and gives you more energy. Your brain benefits from the added oxygen to help you perform basic tasks easier.

…[Read More - See All of the Wonderful Article HERE!]

Nope.

In fact?

In can be rather easy if you let it.

Think, however, that you do NOT have time exercise?

OK…

Out of your 24 hour day, do you have 7 minutes to spare?

cause some are saying…

That’s all you need:

[via DailyMail]The 7-minute workout that is as beneficial as a long run and a weights session

  • Scientists devised workout that requires just a chair, a wall and 7 minutes
  • But in order reap benefits you must exercise so intensely that it is painful
  • The 12 exercises are most effective if you carry them out the in correct order with a 10 second break between each

By Rachel Reilly

A seven-minute exercise regime devised by scientists has been shown to provide as many health benefits as going for a long run and doing  a session of weight training.

The workout requires no more than a wall, a chair and seven minutes of your time.

The Seven Minute Workout: The new exercise regime is very prescriptive in terms of the exercises you should do, the order in which you should do them and the length of time spent between each

…[Read More]

The point:

Get up. Get out there. And get busy!

Whether or not it is true that the above, simple 7 minute exercise plan is all you need…

Get busy doing something!

You need it…

And?

You body KNOWS it!

You must believe

News Mash: “Nothing can happen to you that is not positive”…You must believe!

When in comes to the debate of “nature vs nurture“…

And the STRUCTURE of the brain?

Sadly…

“Nurture” wins out.

[via ScienceDaily]Specific Changes in Brain Structure After Different Forms of Child Abuse 

June 1, 2013 — Different forms of childhood abuse increase the risk for mental illness as well as sexual dysfunction in adulthood, but little has been known about how that happens. An international team of researchers, including the Miller School’s Charles B. Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D., Leonard M. Miller Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, has discovered a neural basis for this association. The study, published in the June 1 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, shows that sexually abused and emotionally mistreated children exhibit specific and differential changes in the architecture of their brain that reflect the nature of the mistreatment.

Researchers have known that victims of childhood abuse often suffer from psychiatric disorders later in life, including sexual dysfunction following sexual abuse. The underlying mechanisms mediating this association have been poorly understood. Nemeroff and a group of scientists led by Christine Heim, Ph.D., Director of the Institute of Medical Psychology at Charité University of Medicine Berlin, and Jens Pruessner, Ph.D., Director of the McGill Center for Studies in Aging at McGill University in Montreal, hypothesized that cortical changes during segments of mistreatment played a role. To study these potential changes, the researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the brains of 51 adult women who were exposed to various forms of childhood abuse.

The results showed a correlation between specific forms of maltreatment and thinning of the cortex in precisely the regions of the brain that are involved in the perception or processing of the type of abuse. Specifically, the somatosensory cortex in the area in which the female genitals are represented was significantly thinner in women who were victims of sexual abuse in their childhood. Similarly, victims of emotional mistreatment were found to have a reduction of the thickness of the cerebral cortex in specific areas associated with self-awareness, self-evaluation and emotional regulation.

“This is one of the first studies documenting long-term alterations in specific brain areas as a consequence of child abuse and neglect,” said Nemeroff, who is also Director of the Center on Aging. “The finding that specific types of early life trauma have discrete, long lasting effects on the brain that underlie symptoms in adults is an important step in developing novel therapies to intervene to reduce the often lifelong psychiatric/psychological burden of such trauma.”

…[Read More]

But just because one’s brain has re-designed itself to form a protective mechanism against all of the negative things one has endured…

Doesn’t mean one’s intrinsic, balanced inner NATURE has no chance to prevail!

It’s all about perspective:

“Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called ‘the love of your fate.’ Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, ‘This is what I need.’ It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment—not discouragement—you will find the strength is there. Any disaster that you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow.

“Then, when looking back at your life, you will see that the moments which seemed to be great failures followed by wreckage were the incidents that shaped the life you have now. You’ll see that this is really true. Nothing can happen to you that is not positive. Even though it looks and feels at the moment like a negative crisis, it is not. The crisis throws you back, and when you are required to exhibit strength, it comes.”

From “A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living” [Read More]

And believing…

…..KNOWING……

Even if you have to dig for it, and though you might not know it immediately?

Something positive can come out of EVERY negative.

You must believe [Source]