Disney is going to save the rainforest

Disney is a subject that is usually controvercial when being discussed in womens studies for the way their movies are characterized, but this time it is good news that is being reported.

"Disney had announced it would plant one tree in Brazil's endangered Atlantic rain forest for every viewer who saw the movie during its first week. According to Disney, the box-office tally hit $16.1 million, which translates to 2.7 million trees.The trees are being planted by the Nature Conservancy, which is trying to reforest 2.5 million acres in the rain forest."

I think that this is one of the most fantastic things that they can do. Everyone has been trying to find ways to save the rainforest for years and every little bit helps, but this is something that can actually make a big impact in saving the rain forrest. Our enviromnent has declining for decades, and now everyone is on the "green kick," so this is a major thing that could help clean the air up a little. Granted the trees are being planted in Brazil, but that is where the rain forrest is, and so many animals and medical treatments come from there so we need to save it. The opening week is over so now people cant go see it to say that they helped the enviromnent, but instead why doesnt everyone go plant one tree themselves and that will help save our environment around in our area too. =)

Who has manners anymore?

Since I work at a restuarant i see a number of different types of people all day long. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and one thing i noticed that a growing number all have in common: NO MANNERS. I was raised to always say yes please, no thank you, your welcome, etc, but every single day people come into my job and are down right rude. They demand that you get them a refill, shake their glass in the air to let you know they are ready for more, or even snap their fingers at me. I understand that not everyone is raised with the same values and morals, but common decency is not a lot to ask for, like saying your welcome when someone says thank you. Even when you come over to make sure that everything is going well and they "i NEED more sauce." okay you fat cow you do not NEED anything. You would LIKE to have some more sause but you do not NEED it. Back in the day(like the 50's) basically everyone had impecable manners, but as time progreesses on our youth gets less and less mannered, and more and more mean and rude. Our children expect us to wait on them hand and foot, and expect to get what they want when they want it. I think they should make it mandatory for everyone to have a manners course in elementary school, so that maybe other countries wouldnt look down on us so much. Manners are such an easy concept to grasp, and if everyone used their manners, i bet it would take a lot of hate out of our society. Not all of it, but some and the littlest step forward counts for something. So the next time you all go out to eat, please keep in mind that your waitress is working for $3.08 an hour, is waiting on you hand and foot, and their job is very stressful. Just imagine being in a room with 15 people all wanting something from you at the same time and if you do not get it all at once you loose money off of them, and they do not understand why. This may seem like a rant post more then a pop culture post, but manners are something that everyone in our society needs to have and it seems like no one really does anymore these days, so for me the next time you all go out to each just remember your pleases and thank yous, you would like to have something you do not need it, and to be a little patient with your server because they could be very busy.

Virginia Foxx....prejudice bitch from congress

As i was browsing Feministing.com to do some reasearch for my blogs i came across the video of virginia foxx saying that the bill to help strengthen hate crime laws was only named after a man who was violently killed due to his sexual orientation was a hoax and a way to pass bills. Well this prejudice bitch can shut it because it states in actual police reports that the man was killed because he was gay, two men lured him out of a bar by saying that they were gay and then killed him and left him in public for all to see. This woman was clearly misinformed or is just a prejudice bitch. Whether the bill was named after him because he was gay and brutilly murdered is beside the point, she clearly just does not want hate crime laws against the gay community strengthen and that is outrageous. Their are hate crimes committed everyday against teens who are gay and never reported for fear that nothing would come of if and the situation would become worse, so these laws need to be strengthened, and not only for our young gays, but for gays of all ages.

Rep. Foxx: "The bill was named after a very unfortunate incident that happened, where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of robbery. It wasn't because he was gay. The bill was named for him, the hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's, it's really a hoax, that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."[House Floor Speech, 4/29/09]

That is a quote directly from this sinister old hag. Personally i would like to meet this woman and hear her whole side of the story and then just rip her a new one for her closemindedness. Our country is supposed to be for the people, by the people, and of the people; well here is a group of people that have been hated against since they began to show their true colors and it is down right wrong. We believe the racism is bad, well hate crimes are just as bad and sometimes even worse. This is a topic i strongly feel about because i have gay friends and feel that they should never have to feel like they cant be who they are for fear of being hurt.

Spring Break Flu? Mexican Flu? Swine Flu?

Since this topic is going on right now as we speak i figured it would be nothing that i needed to discuss on here....that is until i heard that they are trying to rename it the mexican flu. This flu is a serious problem right now that is effecting tons of people, even ones in our very own neighborhoods. The first name that everyone was calling this flu was the "swine" flu because it originates from baby pigs, but now they are trying to change it to the "mexican" flu. This is absolutely ridiculous that anyone would even consider naming this flu that when it would put a permanant fear of mexicans in everyones heads. The racism against mexicans is already terrible in this country, people say that they are stealing everyones jobs, when they are jobs that no one wants anyways amongst other things. Mexican people are just like everyone else and i do believe that our immigration laws should be stronger, but i do not believe that this flu should be renamed after them. Most of the people that brought this flu into the country were white middle class teenagers on spring break in mexico who were not careful in what they were doing. So maybe it should be renamed the spring break flu since it is mostly those kids faults and then everyone would be against them, rather than the mexicans who did nothing at all. It seems to me that this is just another case of ignorance in our country, people are always looking for a scapegoat to our problems and this time they are just pinning it on the mexicans. That is down right rude and unfair since they have no way of defending themselves since most of the ones in our country do not speak english well or are very wealthy and would have no way of speaking out.

Quizno's Sexy Commercial?

When I find free time I like to catch up on some TV every now and again. While i was watching some show this commercial came on and i was a little confused on how to feel about it. There is a talking oven who is speaking to the cook telling him to put the sub in him in a sultry voice and then tells "Scott" to say "its only $4" in a sexy voice and scott tries and he has to say it three times until the oven feels it is sexy enough. This commercial was actually exciting to me because it is using sex to sell food, but not using any women at all. The oven is speaking in a mans voice and the only character in the commercial is a man named "scott." This was exciting to me because not only were there no women involved in the using of sex to sell a product, but it is almost like the oven and scott could be gay. Since there is no representation of the gay community in TV commercials this excited me to think that slowly but surely our country is learning tolerance of other people besides the mass majority. The commercial does not come out and say that these two figures are suppose to be gay, but it is a possibility and that is enough for me and a step in the right direction. If every TV commercial could find ways to push their products without hurting anyone in the process that would be fantastic, but since that is clearly not an option because everyone will never all agree on one thing, taking little steps like these is what everyone should attempt to do. if you would like to view this commercial yourself you can view it on youtube or go to this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LQpRQh2KSQ

Could legalizing marijuana really help save our economy?

http://enewschannels.com/2009/02/26/enc5994_130447.php
The topic of legalizing marijuana in our country has been one of the most controversial for decades now. With our economy in one of the worst states it has been in for some time people are becoming more open to the idea, if it will help to restore our nation to what it once was. This article really caught my interest because this is an issue that I feel every person has an opinion on, but most are scared to share because of fear they will be ridiculed or labeled a “stoner.” Our country has become so worked up over different ways to try and fix our economy; we don’t even see one of the simplest ways that it can be done. Rubin running for mayor in Los Angeles could be one of the best things for that city if he is able to pass the bill to legalize medical marijuana.

“Rubin promises to bring jobs to Los Angeles by ending the prohibition on hemp, “Many people don’t know marijuana makes gasoline without going to war in the Middle East, paper without cutting down trees, clothing without polluting the ground water and without destroying the topsoil.” Popular Mechanics reported that there were literally thousands of products that can be made from cannabis, but the hype on marijuana that has led to it being scheduled as a dangerous drug has kept farmers from being able to grow it for industrial purposes.”

All of these things are never talked about when this subject is brought up because of the fact that people are scared of what this could do the people. What these voters who are against the legalization do not see is that millions upon millions of people all over the nation of all ages are using this drug even though it is illegal. All of these people may not be the top notch citizen, but they also could be your parent and you could never know because this drug is one that has been proven over and over again to have less bad side effects on your body than alcohol can. Now I understand that every case is different and everyone will never all agree but if we can make something legal like alcohol that kills people every single day, and then why not make something that can have many great effects on our nation legal? Well what I feel is that if legalizing this drug could help save our nation’s economy and do even greater things for the environment then we should do it. And really what’s the worst that can happen; everyone will get high and be a part of our society? Well they already are so let’s take all of that money and put it towards the use of our economy not just the people engaging in it.

The new sexy!

An unfortunate thing happened to me a few weeks ago....my iPod broke so I have not been able to listen to music in my car or anywhere!! As I spend most of my time in my car driving from place to place without an iPod I am stuck listening to the radio. :( To those of you who worship music like I do you understand what a tragedy this is, but one positive thing came from having to listen to countless hours of awful radio music.....I noticed a new trend in hip-hop music. More and more artists are writing songs about how sexy it is for a woman to not depend on a man for his money and status. Take this quote from Neyo's new song:

"Their Ain't Nothin thats more sexy Than the Girl Dat Wan't But Don't Need Me Young Independent Yea she work hard"

There is no need to read between the lines to figure out the message that Neyo is trying to send here. This is just one example of the types of things I have heard and trust me there have been at least 5 different songs that I have heard. I think that it is so great that hip hop artists are starting to change how they speak about the women they want around them. These lyrics are a great change from the old "big booty hoes in different area codes" that we are all accustomed to hearing. So my whole point is that if we can get more and more artists thinking this way then maybe it will spread across the whole music scene and then women will be brought back in the light in a more positive way where it should have been all along.

Barbie is 50?!?

It's really kind of weird to think that the toy that every little girl plays with at least once in her lifetime is now 50! Barbie is a vital part of American girl’s social culture, she teaches us how we can make our hair look, the cute clothes we could wear when we get old enough, and even now to keep our Earth clean. She is the "perfect" form of a woman and her hair never gets frizzy, wouldn’t that be nice for the rest of us to have. Even though Barbie has been criticized over the years for making little girls think that they are not pretty enough, she teaches a lot of good lessons to little girls now more than ever. No girl has the perfect body and it is not up to a toy to teach young girls that. Barbie has a number of different movies out now that teach little kids all about sharing, caring and friendship....all good morals that hopefully we all want our children to have. I feel that Barbie is a positive role model to children and that she keeps getting better with each year that she gets older and doesn’t physically change. We could all take a cue from her on how to make the world a better place for all, but at the same time doing that while looking really cute. And isn't that every girls dream?

Record-Setting 'Simpsons' Back For Two More Years

After 20 years on the air The Simpsons has been signed up for two more seasons, which makes it TV's longest running show ever! What is it about this crude humored cartoon that has kept Americans entertained for twenty years and counting? The show isn’t just a silly cartoon that makes people laugh and that they watch every now and then, it has earned its spot on primetime TV. The fact that it has received 24 Emmys over the years and even a Peabody (not really sure what that is though) makes it known that whatever it is that they are talking about has kept us entertained and even maybe learned some things along the way. The dad Homer in the show is the stereo-typical overweight, alcoholic buffoon that we all can relate to in some form or another. Homers antics over the years have made us laugh, but in a slightly non obvious way make us learn little tiny life lessons here and there. The Simpsons may be a fictitious cartoon family but it seems as though Americans can see themselves in this show more than they can in other primetime series that have been canceled and why is that? Why is it that after twenty years most of us can still relate to this stereotypical family that doesn’t seem to be evolving in its ideals about family?

Japanese Humping Animal Banks

So as I was surfing the net looking for different things I could write about in this blog I came across this lovely little CHILDS piggy bank. Now I'm not too sure about the rest of you but this is not a toy I would ever let my child have, if I had a kid. This is supposed to be a piggy bank to teach kids how to learn to save money, and apparently learn how to do it up the butt too. This piggy bank is just outrageous in that it is showing these animals mid thrust with expressions in their eyes and mouths wide open, and is not appropriate for children. Part of the caption underneath the picture reads "Add a coin and watch two porkers making bacon." Now I’m just guessing but I’m pretty sure that if you put a coin in then these animals will have sex. The fact that this is supposed to be a kids toy is harmful to society because there are studies that show that our children are being sexualized younger and younger each year, and then you are going to give them a toy that shows them how to have sex? that just does not make much sense to me.

"Changes" by Tupac. Was he our modern day MLK jr?

Even though he is not alive any more, when he was Tupac was one of the most influential rappers of his time. His raps weren't all just about drugs, violence and women; he spoke about the real struggles facing america that most people look the other way at. Tupac preached about the poverty that a big portion of our country deals with, struggles that women go through, and the major race issue that we all still deal with today.

"We gotta make a change...It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes. Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live and let's change the way we treat each other. You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to dowhat we gotta do, to survive."

He realized that there is still big racial struggles for everyone not just blacks, and that it was up to everyone to make the change not just one person. Our skin color has nothing to do with the way we all turn out as people yet for some reason in america it makes some feel they are better than others and Tupac didnt just see black people as his fans, he apperciated every single one, black, white, mexican, or asain it was all the same to him. Even though he is no longer living Tupac saw what was and is still happening all over our country and spoke out to try and make change for everyone and I feel that that is something we all should try to do so that maybe one day people wont judge others just based on what color their skin is or how much money they have.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=184457305
that is a link to the actual song on myspace for anyone who wants to hear it.
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/2pac/changes.html
and that is a link for a copy of the entire song so that everyone can see the different issues that he disscusses and how we could go about bettering our country for all of us.

"Onslaugt"

While I was looking through different web sites and blogs trying to get and idea for my blog I came across Jean Kilbournes article on the video "Onslaught" released by Dove.

"As the soundtrack plays "Here It Comes," the camera cuts to a rapid succession of images she and all of us are bombarded with daily: model-thin women in underwear; women with unnatural curves; women weighing themselves; women shrinking and expanding as they diet and purge and nip and tuck; body parts scored with black marker indicating where they will be carved for cosmetic surgery; needles being plunged into skin to plump and smooth it; food portions, large and small; women being told how to become "younger, taller, lighter, firmer, thinner, softer."

I have put in a link to Jean's article on this video. http://www.jeankilbourne.com/articles.html and a link for the actual video its self. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei6JvK0W60I

This video shows its viewers all of the different images thrown at girls of all ages by the media everyday on how their appearence should be. Constantley girls are being told that they are too big or too small and that they need to fit into this microscope sized ideal of what women are actually suppose to look like; when in all reality only like 2% of women look this way. Some girls or women may say that the media does not influence how they feel about their own bodies. Well most of those same women are the ones that are dying their hair because they found a few gray ones and feel that that makes them look older. There is nothing wrong with men getting gray hair of having a few extra pounds on them, but the media makes it seem like it is the end of the world if a woman had these same issues.