Burn After Reading

So for this final blog post I am supposed to talk about how I have improved in English this year in my English class. With having to read The Great Gatsby, Native Son, and The Grapes of Wrath, I have learned to love the “classics.” If you were to show me any of these dull-looking books, I’d have thrown them aside and looked for something else to read. Fact is, when I actually took the time to read them, (and was not just forced to by my teacher) I started enjoying these stories. So I guess my book judging factor has died down a little. My eyes are open for more literature than just nonsense filled books. All it took was force, forcing me to choose between reading these books, or failing 11th grade English.

Journals, they help and they don’t help with improving my writing. I guess I did get practice in how to make stuff up and fill in blank spaces in 20 minutes or less….. Sorry, but it’s true, the journals didn’t really help my creativity much. Just helped with the “making-stuff-up” part. In general, I guess I love to make stories up a lot more than critiquing others. I am like a “have it in my mind, but don’t know how to write it” kind of person when it comes to writing. Honestly, this class didn’t help me improve my writing skills at all. Better luck next year I guess.

My favorite assignment we had to do this year would probably have to be the “Dumbest Generation” project. Not only did we exercise our interviewing skills, but we actually learned something. kids are growing dumber and dumber with every generation, and who’s to blame? It was the perfect learning experience for me and actually influenced me to make sure my kids don’t grow as stupid as those guys……So what I’m trying to say is that we definitely should have more projects like that one. A lot of people will love it, trust me, I did.

I’d say, all in all, I have grown in these past “hundreds” of months. In a way I learned a lot and yet nothing. I guess it’s whether you actually remember what you were taught and not just the fact that you passed. Oh, and about that whole “biweekly blog” thing, not a big fan. I do admit that it helps with journalism, and I do love blogging my thoughts, but you can write about so many things before you just decide to up and quit. It’s the only issue, and the media is working on it. Other than that, had a great year in English, and I look forward to being there again next year. Thanks for reading.

Alice in Wonderland by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka: Lewis Carroll.

This by far is the looniest book I have ever read in my entire 16 years of life. The story first starts off with Alice spotting a talking white rabbit down a riverbank. Of course, she followed this talking rabbit, (who wouldn’t) and ended up diving face first down a rabbit hole and into what she calls, “Wonderland.” There she has crazy/wild adventures which included meeting a hookah-smoking caterpillar, a “mad” hatter who throws mad-tea parties, and the Cheshire cat (named after actual Cheshire cats for having such a grin like theirs). “It would be so nice if something made sense for a change” quoted Alice.

“I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that’s the great puzzle!” -Alice. This quote best represents the insanity of the novel, the madness that comes with reading such a creative tale. Your mind will barely catch up with all the fantasy included within the story. With talking anthropomorphic animals, you will easily learn to love this twisted tale of adventure.

After battling against the Queen of hearts, avoiding decapitation at all costs, Alice finally gets to return home where she finds it had always been a dream……..or had it? Lewis Carroll did happen to make a second installment of this quirky tale. It is called, Through the looking Glass, and What Alice Found There. I hope to read it very soon, but until then, I hope you have a chance to read this delightful story. Or just watch the movie…………And remember…..”We’re all mad here………..” -the Cheshire Cat

Alice: “But I don’t want to go among mad people.”

The Cat: “Oh, you can’t help that. We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

Alice: “How do you know I’m mad?”

The Cat: “You must be. Or you wouldn’t have come here.”

Fishes with hands……yea, like that’s not weird. So I’m on the internet and an article flashes across my screen. The first thing I noticed was this picture of a fish that seemed to be sprouting hands! And what’s even crazier? The fish was pink! So, as much as the fish creeped me out, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for it…….I guess I should explain.

The “Pink Handfish” is one of 14 species of fish with hand-like fins. It’s one of the 9 which are in danger of extinction. This little guy was last recorded off the Tasman Peninsula in 1999. It was recently discovered by CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, found in Australia), who quoted, “Don’t you hate it when you discover something amazing, only to find out that it’s almost gone?” Well, if i was a scientist, I’d sure hate to find out the species I had just discovered may be gone before i learn enough about it.

Another amazing fish with hands is the “Spotted Handfish.” They are small, and often have strikingly patterned or colorful skin. These fish that tend to ‘walk’ on the seabed on “hand-like” fins, rather than swim. According to Daniel Gledhill, a taxonomist with the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship, these fish ‘walked’ the world’s oceans, about fifty million-years ago. But now they exist only off eastern and southern Australia. We humans have put their homes at risk, polluting the oceans as much as we do. if we don’t change our ways, there’s no telling how long these little guys will last.

Another species is the Red Handfish, almost the same as the other two, but this one has a rounder snout. The likelihood as to  why there are various types of the same fish is explained by a man named Peter Last from CSIRO. He says Handfish are extremely vulnerable to environmental change, including introduced species, pollution, siltation, fishing, sea-temperature rise and coastal development. In other words, these fish are extremely vulnerable to environmental change. I’m not sure how well the color red works for surviving against all the menacing predators of the ocean, but I think it’s not so great. But hey, I’m not the expert here, just a preacher.

Lastly for these freak-fish with hands is the Zeibell’s Handfish. They relatively similar to the other species, in that they all  use their pectoral fins to walk about on the sea floor. Also, ever heard of the missing link? Well, it is rumored to be said that these guys would be the missing link, ugly as they are….

Well, there’s really not much else i can say about these guys, they haven’t been studied long enough. Only a few were ever spotted and recorded since 1999! So, there’s nothing left to do but to pray for these little freak-fishes with hands, hope they adapt to their ever-changing  environment. Just remember, as humans, we have a “higher” thinking power, and therefore, we should be smarter, right? Well, I don’t think it’s very smart that we kill off most animals, endangered or not. What I’m trying to say is just please keep an eye out for the little guys, for the endangered animals. There’s no telling what devastating effects may happen to this world if we let another species die out due to our own actions. Just think about it, ‘Kay? Well, hope you enjoyed this.

For more about freaky fishes with hands, check out: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/05/nine-fish-with-hands-discovered-almost-extinct-handfish.php

Such a beautiful movie, it made me cry….. The Five People You Meet in Heaven is about a man named “Eddie” who has always worked at “Ruby Pier,” an amusement park. He is a widower, a lonely old man who believes he has done nothing with his life. Until one day, a terrible accident occurs at the amusement park and Eddie is tragically killed. After he dies, his soul goes to Ruby Pier, his own personal “Heaven,” or so he thinks. It is there he meets the first person who has to teach  him a lesson in order for him to move on to the after life. (It’s kind of like purgatory.)

The lesson the first spirit teaches Eddie is “Everyone is connected; there are no random acts.” What that means is that everything you do affects not only ourselves, but strangers. For instance, when little Eddie was playing in the street, and this stranger came and swerved out of the way to avoid hitting him, he put himself in danger in order to save Eddie. And what is a stranger but, “family you have yet to come to know, ” as quoted by the spirit in the movie. Every little thing we do affects every person every where. It’s kind of like if we go back in time and change something in the past, it’s bound to affect our future, again, no matter how small.

The second lesson Eddie is taught is, “Sacrifice is the noblest thing you can do.” This quote was from Eddie’s late commanding officer, a man who had died in an explosion. He had stepped on a land mine, perishing, of course. But if not for his sacrifice, the other soldiers (who had been behind him in a vehicle) would have suffered the same fate. Also, the commanding officer had shot Eddie in the leg in order for Eddie to survive. (I can’t really explain how that makes sense, just watch the movie) So, self-sacrifice is the best, noblest thing a human being can do for another.

The third lesson Eddie learns is the importance of forgiveness. Eddie is confronted by Ruby of “Ruby Pier”, who tells Eddie the truth about his father. Over the years, Eddie has resented his father, never like his old man one bit. But when Ruby tells Eddie of his father’s softer side, Eddie learns to forgive him for all the wrongs he had done to him. Forgiveness is an important quality to own. Without it, we would all hold ugly grudges, and nobody likes those. “Forgive and forget.” people should abide to this famous quote. It will surely help you move on in your life.

The fourth lesson Eddie is told is by his late wife, Marguerite who teaches Eddie that, even though she had died, their love never went away. “It just took a different form” she had said. When our love ones die, there is bound to be feelings of pain, anger, sadness; these are all inevitable. But, we just never seem to be able to let go, or accept the fact that they are gone. The thing is, they never are “truly” gone, and we forget that. These people who pass away are still alive in our hearts. As long as we never forget, and keep on loving them, they will never truly die.

The last and final lesson Eddie is taught is by a young girl who had told Eddie that his life “did have a purpose.” She was a girl Eddie had murdered without even knowing so back in his army days. She had been burned in a house he had set on fire, and yet she had pulled Eddie away from death. She was the one who had brought Eddie to heaven, after deciding that Eddie was “a good man.” she saw how he maintained the safety of each person that came to Ruby Pier. His maintenance skills helped keep the guests safe from any accidents. After Eddie had died, he felt as though he had done nothing with his life, until the little girl showed him all the lives he had saved from any harm. Which is how he died, saving a little girl from getting smashed by a ride.

So, these are all just wonderful life lessons everyone should learn throughout their lives. I hope you did learn something out of all this, and if you didn’t, just watch the movie. It’s a lot better than my writing. Trust me, it’s good……..Hope you enjoyed this. Oh, and be sure to read the book. I haven’t yet, but I’ve heard it’s good.

So, who out there knows anyone who’s under 18 and pregnant? Anyone? Well if you do, hope everything works out with their lives, if you don’t……that’s good. I know this is an issue frequently talked about, which is why I had to bring it up. Thank God I have no experience in this sort of stuff, but that doesn’t mean I’m ignorant about it. I am here to say USE PROTECTION AT LEAST! I mean COME ON people! Condoms anyone? And don’t say “i didn’t know he wasn’t wearing anything” because even women have condoms now……

Everybody is in shock when they see that slip turn pink, or whatever it does to indicate that something’s cooking inside of your oven. Who isn’t? You made sure he was wearing protection. You made sure he “pulled out.” Let’s just say you were very cautious when you were with him. And now you’re in your bathroom, wondering what in the world went wrong? Many young teenage girls go through this. Around 750,000 young women annually become pregnant at least once before age 20 these days.

Despite millions spent on ad campaigns and abstinence-only programs, for the first time in 15 years the teen birthrate has risen, according to government statistics for 2005 to 2006, the most recent numbers available. Teen pregnancy’s got a lot more public when 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears, the Nickelodeon “Zoey 101″ actress and her sister, the troubled pop star Britney Spears, announced in December she was expecting a child. Her story was plastered across magazine covers, and along with pop-culture references like in the critically acclaimed movie “Juno” about a pregnant high school-er, which reignited a national debate about teen pregnancy.Where has the world gone? But before we get into all the negatives, we should take some time to talk about facts.

Back then, it was normal for a girl to be pregnant and get married, have a family at the age of 16. So why are we making such a big deal out of it? Why do we cast out the girl and her unwanted child instead of embracing the life we were given? Why on earth do these “too-young to have babies” girls want to keep their child? What exactly are we upset about when we hear about another unplanned for pregnancy due to a foolish teenagers’ carelessness? These are just so many questions I’ve wanted to ask, why are we caring so much? Is it really such a bad thing? To have children when we are “too young” to?

What really grinds my gears is the fact that the adults really think the pregnant teenagers even care for college! Whatever happened to living? I mean starting a family, being a housewife, having a husband and not just someone to pay child support. That’s why teenage girls nowadays shouldn’t be pregnant, because they are careless. They don’t want to take care of what they didn’t plan on having. They do it for the uh…….experience, while back then, it was done to produce soldiers. People don’t want kids, they want sex. And if they can’t take responsibility for their actions……there’s always neutering.

In the last two decades, teens have been bombarded with info and programs about sex and protecting themselves in a post-HIV world. Some wonder how a generation with access to so much information and so many contraceptives, unlike previous ones, can have a higher rate of pregnancies. Teka Steward, the straight-A student was a self-described “goody-two-shoes” before becoming impregnated. “I was the goody-two-shoes whose mom worked in the school district and couldn’t do anything because she’d find out. I was the captain of my golf team. … I was very involved in Young Life, a leader … involved in my church, went on mission trips,” said Teka, who is six months along. “It was just kind of an image and then temptations of doing stuff. I’m a regular teen. I fall sometimes … all the times,” she added. She had heard all the information on safe sex and said she practiced it. To her shock, it didn’t prevent her pregnancy….”We used protection and it just — I think it broke,” she said. “You don’t even know it’s happening until it happened.”

Many pregnant teens, who find little support, end up in poverty and only 3 percent finish college before age 30. Ashley Chapman, another young pregnant, learned she was expecting at age 17. “At first I thought I would just kind of take care of it. And then I realized I can’t. I had sex and I have to be mature and deal with the consequences and grow up really fast,” she said. Too bad for her, the days of her carefree teen life are behind as she tends to Max’s (her newly born son) every need. “It is totally different. It is because you can go shopping. You can do whatever you want and then when you have a baby. It’s completely different,” she said. “Everything is about them and feeding them and changing them and playing with them.”

Many girls should learn from Teka and Ashley, unfortunately they don’t. The only way girls learn nowadays seems to be through experience, but hey…..who can blame them? I say, let them suffer. Let them learn their own way, otherwise…….well, there’s always still abortions. That’s something I frown deeply upon. So just learn to close your legs people! Or you know…….that other substitute…….Well, this is getting awkward, I guess I’ll just end this……..

For more info on these misfit teens, check out: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=4167235&page=2

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Well let me first start off by saying, anyone who loves the occasional heroines, is a fan of Jane Austen novels, and loves zombies will absolutely love this book. It’s a spoof of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, filled with raving “unmentionables” and bloody death matches with ninjas. As silly as this story seems, you’ll be happy to know that it is written in the same manner as Jane Austen had intended. One look at the cover, and I instantly fell in love with the book. The epigraph of the novel: “It is a universally acknowledged truth that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” (Page 7)

“Elizabeth lifted her skirt, disregarding modesty, and delivered a swift kick to the creature’s head.” (Page 28-29) Well, just a quote that involves the gruesome bloody violence that comes with a novel full of zombies. In the book, Elizabeth Bennet and her four sisters are the skilled protectors of Hertfordshire, their manor. They are well-trained in the art of zombie killing and are virtually invincible against zombies. Their destiny being; marry a handsome, well-respected man with tons of money and a big manor.

Throughout the time they try to reach their goals, they fight off hordes of zombies. Elizabeth Bennet, the feminist heroine of the novel, falls in love with the “uncivilized” Mr. Darcy whom she despises before she learns the truth about him. In the end, three of the five Bennet sisters get married, leaving Mary and Kitty the last protectors of Hertfordshire until marriage. And now I leave you will this final quote: “Of all the weapons she had commanded, Elizabeth knew the least of love; and of all the weapons in the world, love was the most dangerous.” (Page 213)

Source: Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Quirk Productions Inc, 2009. Print.

[Warning, images may freak-you-the-heavens-out]

Okay, anybody heard of the term “exorcism” before? Well,  the definition of an exorcism is the practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities (which is like a ghost or something) from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed by causing the entity to swear an oath. As some of you may know, a girl named Emily Rose was allegedly “possessed by demons” which all started when she was 16. Her story is one that induced millions to believe the devil exists and can possess anyone he chooses. It brought up a whole controversy between religion and science.

Born in 1952 as Anneliese Michel, this young girl’s trouble’s began unexpectedly in 1968 when she began shaking and found she was unable to control her body. A neurologist at the Psychiatric Clinic Wurzburg diagnosed her with “Grand Mal” epilepsy. Because of the strength of the epileptic fits, and the severity of the depression that followed, Anneliese was admitted for treatment at the hospital. Soon after these strange epileptic episodes began, Anneliese started seeing devilish grimaces during her daily praying in the fall of 1970.

With all these unexplainable events occurring, to her, it seemed there was no other explanation for the appearance of the devilish visions she sees during her prayers. She also claimed voices began following her, saying that she will “stew in hell”. She mentioned the “demons” to the doctors only once, explaining that they have started to give her orders. The doctors seem unable to help, and Anneliese lost hope that medicine was going to be able to cure her.

In the summer of 1973, her parents visited different pastors to request an exorcism. Their requests were rejected and they were given recommendations that the now 20 year-old Anneliese should continue with medication and treatment. It was explained that a Bishop can not approve an exorcism unless all of the requirements were shown. The requirements, to name a few, include an aversion to religious objects, speaking in a language the person has never learned, and supernatural powers.In 1974, after supervising Anneliese for some time, a Pastor of her town requested a permit to perform the exorcism from the Bishop of Wurzburg. The request was rejected, and a recommendation soon followed saying that Anneliese should live even more of a religious lifestyle in order to find “peace”. The attacks didn’t stop, but in fact, became worse and worse throughout the weeks.

At her parents house in Klingenberg, she insulted, beat, and began biting the other members of her family. She refused to eat because the “demons” would not allow it. She slept on the cold stone floor, ate spiders, flies, and coal, and even began drinking her own urine. She could be heard screaming throughout the house for hours while breaking crucifixes, destroying paintings of Jesus, and pulling apart rosaries.She began committing acts of self-mutilation, and along with tearing off her clothes and urinating on the floor, became commonplace.

After many years, the Bishop of Wurzburg, Josef Stangl, finally verified the possession  on September 1975, and assigned Father Arnold Renz and Pastor Ernst Alt the order to perform “The Great Exorcism” on Anneliese Michel. The basis for this ritual was the “Rituale Romanum”, which was still, at the time, a valid Cannon Law from the 17th century. It was determined that Anneliese must be saved from the possession by several demons, including Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Nero, Cain, Hitler, and Fleischmann, a disgraced Frankish Priest from the 16th century, and some other damned souls which had manifested through her. From September ’75 until July ’76, one or two exorcism sessions were held each week. Sometimes, her attacks would be so strong that she had to be held down by 3 men, or even chained up. Thankfully, Anneliese  had found her life to return somewhat normal, as she could again go to school, take final exams, and go to church.

The attacks, however, did not stop. She would more often find herself paralyzed and falling unconscious than before she had before. The exorcism continued over many months, always with the same rituals. Sometimes family members and visitors, would be present during the rituals. For several weeks, Anneliese denied all food, she was now slowly starving to death. Her knees had ruptured due to the 600 genuflections (kneels) she performed obsessively during her daily exorcisms. Over 40 audio tapes record the process, in order to preserve the details.

The last day of the Exorcism Rite was on June 30th, 1976; Anneliese was suffering at this point from Pneumonia. She was also running a high fever. Exhausted and unable to physically perform the genuflections herself, her parents stood in and helped carry her through the motions of the ritual. “Beg for Absolution” is the last statement Anneliese made to the exorcists. To her mother, she said, “Mother, I’m afraid.” Anna Michel recorded the death of her daughter on the following day, July 1st, 1976.

So, you think this whole situation ends now that she is dead, right? Well, of course, the law enforcement had to get involved, and here is what they thought of it. After the Pastor Ernst Alt announced to the authorities of her death, the senior prosecutor began investigating immediately. Prosecutors took more than 2 years to to take Annaliese’s case to court, using that time to sort through the bizarre facts. Anneliese’s parents and the two exorcists were accused of negligent homocide. The “Klingenberg Case” would be decided upon two questions: What caused the death of Anneliese Michel, and who was responsible?

According to the forensic evidence, “Anneliese starved to death”. Specialists claimed that if she would have been forced fed one week before her death, her life would have been saved. One of her sister’s told the court that Anneliese did not want to go to a mental home where she would be sedated and forced to eat, which is understandable. Who in the right mind would want to be sent to a crazy house? The exorcists tried to prove the presence of the demons, playing taped recordings of strange dialogues like that of two demons arguing about which one of them would have to leave Anneliese’s body first. One of the demons called himself Hitler, and spoke with a Frankish accent (Hitler was born in Austria). Not one of those present during the exorcism ever had a doubt about the authenticity of the presence of these demons.

The psychiatrists, whom had been ordered to testify by the court, spoke about the “Doctrinaire Induction”. They said that the priests had influenced Anneliese’s psychotic behavior.They claimed that she later accepted her behavior as a form of demonic possession, because of what her faith had taught her to believe. Instead of it believing it be a totally “normal” mental problem, they assumed it was the work of the devil that had caused these symptoms.

The verdict was considered by many as not as harsh as they expected. Anneliese’s parents, as well as the exorcists, were found guilty of manslaughter resulting from negligence and omitting first aid. They were sentenced to 6 months in jail and probation. The verdict included the opinion of the court that the exorcists should have helped by taking care of the medical treatment that the girl needed, but instead, they listened to their faith, ignoring the medicine Anneliese may have really needed.

A commission of the German Bishop-Conference later declared that Anneliese Michel was not possessed, however, this did not keep believers from supporting her struggles, and it was because so many believed in her that Anneliese’s body did not find peace with death. Her body was dug-up eleven and a half years after her burial, only to confirm that it had decayed as would have been expected under “normal circumstances”. Today, her grave remains a place of pilgrimage for rosary-praying and for those who believe that Anneliese Michel bravely fought the devil.

A short time before these final events unfolded, William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” (1974) came to the cinemas in Germany, bringing with it a wave of paranormal hysteria that flooded the nation. Psychiatrists all over Europe reported an increase of obsessive ideas among their patients.

Whether this girl really was “possessed” by demons or just plain nuts, none of us can really know. Me, I believe that there are demons in this world, if not devils. Evil surrounds us everywhere, so why is it not possible for evil to be an invisible force? How is it not possible that this girl was, in fact, taken over by dark spirits and forced to suffer a gruesome fate. REAL or BULLSPIT! You decide.

For the REAL Emily Rose story, check out: http://www.fotofetch.com/

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed………

Cut Me Open:

http://lahaiseslair.com/lyssetter/2010/02/16/cut-me-open/

Sparkie has feelings too:

http://lahaiseslair.com/lyssetter/2010/03/16/sparkie-has-feelings-too/

Alrighty then, for this blog topic, I am going to talk about a few animal abuse cases. I must warn you that some of these stories are pretty terrible, horrifyingly awful. So if you get traumatized, just remember, I warned you………..

So the first incident I will discuss is about this crazy lady who decided piercing cats and selling them on ebay as “goth kitties” was a good idea. “It wasn’t with any cruel intentions,” said Holly Crawford, (the crazy lady)  in her defense. “They were definitely loved, well-fed, no fleas, clipped nails. And they were happy.” She apparently thought that piercing kittens was no big deal as long as they were well taken care of. Her attorney’s later pointed out since parents take their kids to get their ears pierced, pierced cats shouldn’t be considered a “big deal.” Yes, well animals are not the same as humans, they cannot expect to have the same kind of reaction to piercings which, in this case, were made with a 14-gauge needle, the size typically used to pierce cattle’s skin. This could have put the cats at risk for deadly infections and other health problems. The ear piercings Crawford performed could permanently damage the cats’ hearing, while the tail and back piercings hinder their ability to balance and jump. Now you decide, is piercing black kittens just so you could sell them to people on ebay who think it’s cool right? Or should this woman be sentenced on the count of animal abuse? You decide.

Next case is about the lost lives of 150 dogs. Authorities in a Detroit suburb say they’ve found more than 150 dead dogs in a house where more than 100 live Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes were found during the previous 2 days in the home of Kenneth Lang Jr. After a neighbor’s complaint about a foul smell coming from the house, police were shocked to find the dogs in several freezers in the basement. Who in the right mind could have 150 rotting canine corpses in their house and not have a single nightmare? There is no way I would have left the scene without screaming out into hysterics. Who in the world could kill in such massive amounts? More importantly, didn’t anyone stop to notice all of those dogs gone missing? We need to be more aware of our surroundings, notice when dogs start to turn up missing. If we could only be more aware of the world, maybe we can save animals lives. Police are continuing to search the property for more animals…..let’s hope they don’t find anymore.

This next one is just ridiculous, “celebrity’s” killing animals for the camera. Killing and eating a rat on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here couldn’t have possibly been but the stupidest idea of entertainment anyone has ever had. Along with 15 seconds of fame, the contestants on the show are now being faced with animal cruelty charges. The killing of a rat for a performance is just not cool. Somehow, I don’t think the producers were in their right minds when they said, “I know, let’s get a guy to eat a rat on camera.” The New South Wales RSPCA rep, appointed to the fact that the show did not have an animal-rights officer on-set, as is normally required when animals are involved in a production. Now, because of someone’s own stupidity, these two contestants face a maximum of three years in prison. Well, that’s what these guys deserve, living in a rat hole for the next couple of years.

This final account of animal abuse is one that shocks me to my core. Now I know that parents get super mad if you come home one day and drop the bomb on them about how you’re not doing very good in school….But this woman went a whole 9 yards too far. This 38-year-old Georgia woman is in jail today after allegedly forcing her son to kill his pet hamster with a hammer after he earned poor grades in school. Lynn Middlebrooks Geter is charged with animal cruelty, child cruelty, and battery. The incident came to light when her 12-year-old boy told his teacher about it. Now isn’t that the most horrible thing you’ve ever heard. This was one of the worst cases because it involved a child. Not only was there animal abuse, but child abuse as well. Put yourself in the kids position. Would you really want to bash in poor Snowballs brains with a hammer? No, of course not, unless you’re some kind of deranged psycho, but that’s a different story. This poor kid was forced to kill his loving pet! That is NOT something to tolerate, there is no way this woman is going to get out of jail for this kind of abuse. I hope no kid has to go through what this poor kid went through. Nobody deserves that, especially not an innocent, helpless hamster.

Well that’s all I have to say. Animal abuse is wrong! Child abuse is wrong! Hope you learned something here, crazies never win…..

For the images and videos of these accounts and more, check out: http://www.newser.com/tag/3650/1/animal-cruelty.html

Hope you enjoyed these tales of sorrow. Thanks for reading.    -pEaCe

Have you ever thought of what you drink? How a drink you know all too well became a common household name? Well, I’m here to tell you the top 6 drinks that changed the world. Drink numero uno: Beer.

The ancient Sumerians, who built advanced city-states in the area of present-day Iraq, began fermenting beer from barley at least 6,000 years ago. When people started to agriculture, the first crops they produced were barley or wheat. Beer was popular from the beginning, the guys who built the pyramids were paid in beer and bread! It was the defining drink of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Everybody drank it. Today it’s the drink of the working man, and it was then as well. And what working man doesn’t love beer? Beer is what either helps or destroys people’s lives. People drink merrily with beer, people cry more often drinking beer, people grow agitated drinking beer. Beer effects our lives so much, and not many people know that. Just know, beer is here to stay from now ’till the end of days.

Next on the count: Wine.

Wine may be as old or older than beer, but nobody knows for sure. But eventually, wine quickly gained more cachet than beer. With beer making people look like a sloppy drunk and wine making them look sophisticated, who didn’t see that coming? Wine was originally associated with social elites and religious activities. Which is probably why people who drink wine act like total snobs. Wine snobbery may be nearly as old as wine itself. Greeks and Romans produced many grades of wine for various social classes. So, wine = sophistication. While on the other hand, beer = drunken slob. I think you can see why this drink became so popular.

Third is a a drink very popular with pirates (just kidding): Spirits.

Or, more commonly known as, rum. Hard liquor, particularly brandy and rum, appeased sailors during the long sea voyages. Rum played a crucial part of the triangular trade between Britain, Africa, and the North American colonies that once dominated the Atlantic economy. It is also suggested that rum may have been more responsible than tea for the independence movement in Britain’s American colonies. Rum just happened to calm the nerves and ease the stomach of these men. There’s also the old wives’ tale that when a child is teething, in order to ease the pain, you have to rub a bit of rum against their gums. It’s also put in food, food such as rum cakes or rum candy which I for one enjoy very much so. P.S. Do not rat me out for underage drinking, thank you, very much obliged.

Coming up in fourth, the liquid every old person need in their system to function everyday: Coffee.

The story of modern coffee starts in the Arabian Peninsula, where roasted beans were first brewed around A.D. 1000. Sometime around the 15th century coffee spread throughout the Arab world. In the Arab world coffee rose as an alternative to alcohol, and coffeehouses as alternatives to taverns, both of which are banned by Islam. When coffee arrived in Europe it was similarly hailed as an “anti-alcohol” that was welcomed during the Age of Reason in the 18th century. Here’s a drink that sharpens the mind, helps people have more stamina, more alertness. This might be the reason why so many people spend hundreds of dollars on coffee every month. Starbucks, a popular coffeehouse which was created to become the perfect venue for people to get together and exchange ideas and information or whatever. There are also other coffeehouses, but none have the household name like Starbucks. Be thankful for the invention of coffee. Without it, we’d be going to school with grumpy teachers, and coming home to even grumpier parents.

Number 5, a drink that soothes the heart, mind, and soul: Tea.

Tea became a daily drink in China around the third century A.D. It played a leading role in the expansion of imperial and industrial might in Great Britain many centuries later. Englishmen around the world could drink tea, whether they were a colonial administrator in India or a London businessman. It is quite popular more-so in Britain the here in the U.S. This beverage also had unintended health benefits for rapidly growing urban areas. With people packed tightly together in cities, it’s helpful to have a water-purification technology like tea, which is brewed with boiling water. I for one am a fan of tea. Even then only green tea and mint tea, I don’t really like any flowers ground up in my water…..Anyways, tea is meant to clear your body of bad feelings. If you are sick, or your nose is stuffed up, there are certain tea’s that can help clear your passage ways. Tea is more of a healing drink, one that cleanses you, relaxes a tensed up body. Tea is also sophisticated, just a little side note…..

And last on the count, my favorite pop: Coca-Cola.

This soft drink is one of world’s most valuable brands, sold in more countries than the United Nations has members. The drink has become a symbol of the United States—love it or hate it. It is said that Coca-Cola shows what happened in the 20th century, the rise of consumer capitalism and the emergence of America as a superpower. Coke is “globalization in a bottle.” Coke, apparently, radiates as a symbol for happiness. Just the pure essence of coke can turn a frown upside down. Actually, it’s not because it makes people happy, but because coke’s sales happen in the dynamic free-market economies that tend to produce happy people. So if you drink coke, you are a happy person. That makes sense, right? Well, I don’t know about you but, I drink coke because I’m thirsty, not because I want to be happy. But if it makes you happy, well then you get a two-for-one. Happiness and a refreshment, who wouldn’t like a deal like that!

For more on “6 drinks that impacted the world,” check out: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1003_051003_six_drinks_2.html

Thank you for reading another one of my meaningless ramblings. =)