How thin is TOO thin?

Fashion & models that wear the so called "fashion" are most of the time people that girls look up to & "want to be like, or look like" one day.  They are usually beautiful, thin, tall & have guys swarming them all the time.  

To us, they are what we are "supposed" to look like, or that's at least how it seems.  Even though it may seem this way, we really have gotten it all wrong.  These girls make the clothes they are wearing looking great (most of the time) & make us want to go out & buy them.  But why SO skinny lately?  Can't they just be thin, not BONE & SKIN THIN??

An article from USA Today even stats they these are the people that little girls look up to, & by the models being so thin, we are sending out a terrible message to little girls, who usually have body image issues anyways (Hemrich, par. 2).  She makes a good point & states that these girls are "unnatural" & that's exactly what it comes down to.  These girls are NOT normal, even though sometimes we seem to think that is the new "normal".  This is not how we should want to look, or aspire to look like.  We have to teach our little girls today differently.  We don't want them to grow up TRYING to look like this!

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Wanting to look this thin can even lead girls into playing around with eating disorders such as anorexia &/or bulimia.  But to them, when they start to look boney & skeleton-y...they think they finally look "normal" & have reached the look they were going for..just like these models!  See how our world has warped us to believe in the new "normal".  We haven't gotten it all wrong!  To me, these woman actually look sick & scary!    

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It all starts when girls are young.  They see beautiful celebrities & models on TV & aspire to be like them...have bodies like them, dress like them, drive certain cars like them, have the same hair as them etc.  But they have really gotten it all wrong.  Some of these woman are TOO thin, but no one tells these little girls this!

I know that if I ever have a little girl, as she grows up, I will point out to her that these woman & girls aren't "normal" that they are too thin & that it is NOT attractive, because it's not.  THere is nothing attractive about skin & bone!  We all need to try & do a better job at who we look up & aspire to be like, because the world has it all wrong.  

Facebook-

Facebook.  We all have it.  Even some parent's have it.  I remember when I first got Facebook, there was a  "college" one & a "high school" one.  I was in HS at the time & had to be "invited" to get a page.  Luckily my school was in the "network" data base & I could join!  But at the time, I could only see other HS people...no college students/friends because they were separate!

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I remember the day I could "see" people's pages that were in college!  I was so excited!  I had always wondered what would happen when I went to college if I was going to have a get a new page or not...now my problem had solved itself!  =)

Even now, one of my parent's has FB!  I never thought the day would come!  It grew to where you didn't have to have a university e-mail address to join...anyone could join....without even having to join a "network"!

It has definitely changed the way we do "business".  When someone new moves to town, & you want to learn a little bit about them...just "creep" on them on FB!  It's that simple!  You can learn alot about a person by creeping on them for a few short minutes on FB!

FB has made it possible for us to keep up with every single person we have ever come in contact with, & what they are up to (Network Conference).  We often even keep up with people we don't even know, just people we have heard about.  It has definitely changed the way we communicate with people.  I think it has changed the ways of dating for people & made it so much easier on guys to approach a girl.  A guy can also found out a lot about a girl by looking at her FB page before pursuing to date her.  This can be a good or bad thing.

Sometimes I wonder what my life might be like without FB.  It has definitely helped me stay in touch with people I went to HS with.  Not even people I hung out with, but just people in my graduating class.  If it weren't for FB I would have no idea where they were now, who they had married, or if they had had kids or not.  I like "keeping" up with everybody but I don't live for it like a lot of people.

If I need some information or need to contact someone who is not in my phonebook, yes I will look to FB to help me.  But it has also caused people to be on the computer WAY too much.  THey are too inthralled in other people's lives & what's going on with them.  I know that is has also been the cause of many affairs, & divorces.  FB brings old people, friends & exes back into the picture & makes people wonder, "Oh well...what if?"

This corporation can be looked at as good or bad.  I think it is both.  There are good things that FB has done, but there are also some bad things it has brought upon our world.

TOMS shoes...

TOMS have taken over universities & high schools all over the country.  They are currently a "fad", but I think people are drawn more to them because that for every pair of TOMS bought, a pair goes overseas to a child in need of shoes.

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Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS, describes his company as so:

Inspired by a traditional Argentine shoe and challenged by the continent’s poverty and health issues, I                           created TOMS with a singular mission. To make life more comfortable. TOMS accomplishes this through its unique shoe and my commitment to match every pair purchased with a donated pair to a child in need… no complicated formulas, it’s simple… you buy a pair of TOMS and I give a pair to a child on you behalf (Fresh Peel).


I think what TOMS shoes is doing for children in need is such a great thing.  There isn't another company out there that I can think of that is making a difference in a person's life for every purchase made of their product.

This is a corporation that is actually doing good things around the world.  So many times we get wrapped up in the bad things that corporations are doing, such as false advertisement & lies & schemes, but TOMS is actually taking their product that they are selling & turning around & giving to those in need.

This is a lesson that all of us can learn from.  We are more than blessed with what we have, whether we are considered "rich" or "poor".  We, as Americans, are richer than most people around the world, & should take what we have, little, or a lot...& give back to those that are in need of something so simple, like shoes.  We can make a difference.  You can make a difference.

Bankruptcy...is Red Box & Netflix to blame?

Overly the past few years, the majority of us have probably made the switch from renting movies at movie stores such as Blockbuster, Movie Gallery & Hastings, to the easy, ONE dollar charge at Red Box.  Red Box first started at McDonald's and seemed to be so much more convenient than other big movie stores.  You could rent a movie at one location, & then drop it off at any other Red Box location.  They slowly started to appear in other locations such as Kroger, Wal-Mart & Walgreens.  Who isn't going to go to Red Box first when wanting to rent a movie, when it is only ONE dollar, compared to six to nine dollars?!

{Photo courtesy of Digital Trends}

With the Red Box coming about, & adding new machines to every other corner, movie stores started to see a major decline in business.  According to Daily Finance, between 2008 & 2009 their revenue was down by 30% & later that year by 54%.  That year it shut down 200 stores that weren't producing much revenue, & the years following closed close to 800 more stores.  

Just out today, according to Channel Seven News, Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in August & if you have any of their gift cards, they will only be good for seven more days, expiring on April 7, 2011.  The LA Times states that Blockbuster was over $1 billion dollars in debt when they files in August for chapter 11 bankruptcy & growing competitors such as Red Box & Netflix were to blame.  The bankruptcy crosses out the company's debt & equity of the once number one DVD rental store in America.  

I hate this for companies that never really saw it coming, until Red Box & Netflix hit the shelf.  But I guess that this is just part of the corporation world.  Things comes & go...now is the time for Red Box & Netflix to take over & for actual movie stores to go.  Our kids probably won't even know you could once rent movies at a STORE!  All they will know is the "big machines outside McDonald's"!  Ha!

Credit Cards--gotta love um, gotta hate um!

So many young Americans, & even older ones for that matter are up to their ears in debt because of CREDIT CARDS!

People have grown up thinking, if they don't have the money now, then we can just put it on our credit card & we'll "pay for it later".  Simple as that...RIGHT?  Not so much!

We are so into "instant gratification".  It's what we've known our whole lives, so what's going to change it now?  Whether it be an nice new pair of shoes we just can't live without or that ten dollar lunch 3 times a week we just don't seem to have the cash for?

{photo courtesy of  "Make Money Online At Home"}

My theory is this, if you don't have the cash to pay for it RIGHT then, you don't need it!  Yes, there are plenty of times we need to use a credit card online or for larger purchases, but those should be paid off in full by the end of the month!  Other wise, those credit cards are more than likely going to gain interest & you are going to end up owing more money than the pair of shoes even cost!

According to a Discovery Company production, How Stuff Works, most Americans have a least one credit card, & sometimes two or three (par. 1).  Many people can't resist the urge to use their credit card for whatever they must have right then & there, when they do not have the proper amount of cash in their bank account at the time (par. 1).  This is called impulse spending, on things people don't really need & this is where credit cards become a problem (par. 1).  If people are using their credit cards on things they don't currently have the money for, then obviously they are things that they can't afford!

How people get in trouble with credit cards is when they carry over a remaining monthly balance each month & then are also responsible for the interest it gains, which is sometimes as high as 23% (par. 2).  But when people are out shopping & just swiping their card...they aren't quite thinking about the bill that will be coming in at the end of the month that will be eventually be WAY more than their purchase the next month if they don't pay it off!

Once again...corporations...in this case, credit card companies, look so easy & simple but then don't always explain clearly what you are going to have to deal with later on.  We have to be smarter than the companies & not let them take over our finances & trap us in debt for forever!

Gas Prices...Who Controls Them Anyways?

After seeing a tweet from a friend that works for Murphy USA that gas prices were supposedly going to raise 17 cents over night, I immediately loaded my son up in the car & headed to load up on gas, even though my tank wasn't even empty.  I usually don't pay much attention to gas prices, because I really wouldn't even like to know!  I just swipe my card & go on my merry way!   Just recently have I started to look at the actual price again...& $3.24 seems a bit ridiculous, & then $3.41 is even more ridiculous!

{photo courtesy of Only In Citrus County}

The recent spike in gas prices has actually started to make me wonder who actually controls our gas prices any ways?  I've always known that conflict & crisis in the Middle East usually has something to do with it, but what does it really have to do with the prices of gas over here in America?

Gas isn't something that we can just up & stop buying when it starts to get to expensive.  Gas is how we go about our daily lives.  Without gas we can't get to work, without going to work we can't get paid, without getting paid we can't pay our bills...& so forth.  So..gas is VERY important to most of the American society!

According to Financialnut.com, it's all about "supply & demand".  Some might think the US Government is responsible for deciding on our gas prices, but it's not.  Your next guess might be that companies such as BP, Chevron, Shell & Murphy USA are the ones that make the decisions.   It's not them either (Financialnut.com par. 2)!  To think about it simply, when supply & demand stay the same the prices stay the same.  When supply decreases but demand stays the same or increases, then prices are obviously going to go up (Financialnut.com par. 3).  This is actually the case, in why gas prices are so high right now.

So once again, there go more companies controlling how much of our money is going to be spent on gas!

Fayettville Shale...& NOT just the earthquakes!

There is no doubt that our county & many of our surrounding counties have benefited from the uprising of the Fayetteville Shale exploration.  No, I don’t mean by the many earthquakes we have been experiencing lately, but through our economy!  Having such wanted natural gas so close to our city, we haven’t been affected by the recession as much as the rest of the country has.

            People & their families have flocked to Conway & it’s surrounding areas from all over the country to seek job opportunities in the oil & gas field.  Most of the jobs are very well paid, especially for people without a degree.  The more people that move here, the more houses that need to be built to either be rented out, or bought.  Which then leads to builders making great money, because they are constantly staying busy.  Which also means more sales for the local restaurants, grocery stores, clothing stores etc. etc.  This list could go on & on.  All because of the Fayetteville Shale.

{photo courtesy of oilshalegas.com}

According to Courtney Spradling from thecabin.net, “Recently released U.S. Census Bureau data placed Faulkner County at number two, behind Benton county, in populations growth between the years 2000 and 2010.  Residents claiming Faulkner County increased by just over 31 percent, according to 2010 figures, with a population of 113, 237 out of Arkansas’ 2.9 million” (thecabin.net para. 1 & 2).

 An author from pulseofconway.com, Roger Lewis said it very well, “The gas exploration industry has an annual impact exceeding $115 million on Faulkner County’s economy in terms of employment, taxes, payments, to vendors, and royalties.  It has been a buffer that has helped keep Faulkner County from sliding into the national recession” (pulseofconway.com para. 1).  Yes, many of us have had to deal with cut backs, & have had to pay much closer attention to where we spend our money, but not like so many all over the country & we can definitely thank the oil & gas companies for keeping our county a float.

To give you just a little bit of an idea of how much money the Fayetteville Shale is bringing into Faulkner County, according to the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, “there are 35 firms in the Natural Resources business in Faulkner County, employing an average of 770 employees with a weekly wage average of $1678.  It is the highest weekly wage of any business segment in the county.  This amounts to a weekly payroll of $1.3 million and an annual payroll of approximately $70 million (pulseofconway.com para. 3).  THAT’S A LOT OF STINKIN’ MONEY!!

I know many people that work in this field & I know they are so very thankful to have the jobs that they do, making what they do.  10 years ago, their jobs didn’t even exist!  & who knows if they will still be available 10 years from now!  But for the here & now, it has made a huge impact on our city & I couldn’t be any more proud of where I live!  I am thankful for the growth that it has brought to our city, along with many new shopping centers & restaurants!  

How Advertisements Lure Us In...

We've all been sitting on the couch watching TV when a commercial for a brand new product comes on, which immediately makes us want to get up, and go get in our car right then to purchase the item for ourselves!  Sometimes it might be something as simple as the new Sally Hansen Nail Effects, the Reebok Easy Tones, or even larger items such as the all new Ford Explorer.

{photo courtesy of Fashion According To Alana}

{photo courtesy of Rush PR News}

What makes us want to do this?  Sometimes it's the commercial and the way the commercial makes the item appear, and sometimes it is just us wanting to have the lasted and the greatest thing out on the market!  But many times, it's a combination of the two!

No one needs the new Sally Hansen nail effects, but their cool and people just want to try them out for themselves!  We all want to see for ourselves if these products really are as cool as the commercial makes them out to be!

Let's take the Reebook Easy Tone commercials for instance...after watching them, we all think that if we buy and wear those shoes too, then our legs and gluts will look just like the women's in the commercials do!  This is what they want us to think and we all know this isn't true, but...we all insist that we try them out for ourselves!  This is how companies lure us in and get us to go out and buy their products...over and over again!  It's all about marketing, and how the introduce us to the product!

Companies will do anything they can to get us, the consumer, to buy their product!  During the summer of 2009, FitFlops became a popular sensation among woman.  All it was, was a simple shoe that claimed would easily tone your body (legs in particular) throughout the day while you were going about your daily routine!  How simple is that?  This was especially appealing to people who didn't have for a regular fitness routine.

According to Rush PR News, after such a huge popularity of FitFlops, they expected shoes such as the Reebok EasyTones and Sketcher ShapeUps to be the new fitness sensation, and they were right!  The advertisements of these two shoes, and many other fitness shoes, show men and woman who are very fit & toned wearing these shoes in the commercials, wanting us to think they got that way by wearing these shoes!  Problem is, they probably haven't been wearing those shoes for months to get that way, and were already toned and fit in the first place, which is why they were hired to do the commercial!  This is where the consumer is mislead most of the time.  We look at those models & think we can look that way too, if we just had a pair of those shoes!  FALSE!  But...what do we do?  We go out and buy them anyways!  This is easily how companies run to make that money honey...by getting the consumer to want and then to buy their products!

I would have to say that fitness shoes were a great invention on someone's part!  I don't even like the look of the Reebok EasyTone's, but have looked into buying them more than once, in hopes of achieving the looks of the woman on the commercials!  I hope I'm not the only one that can admit to that!  :P

Companies are smart at coming up with new products to sell, making them appeal to us through celebrities and perfect looking people, which makes us run out and buy their product!  We're all guilty of it, even if we don't want to be!  It's all about marketing and fitness shoes have made there bold statement whether they actually work or not!

Wal-Mart Launches New Plan to Make Healthier Foods More Affordable

When it comes to food my weekly shopping trips to the nation's largest grocer, Wal-Mart,  I am usually always going to grab the "Great Value" product of an item if it's offered, rather than the name brand item.  I have learned over the years that just because it's the "off brand" doesn't mean it's not just as good a quality of the name brand stuff.  If I get home and notice a SIGNIFICANT difference between the two brands of the same item, I'll just make not of that item in my head, & remind myself not to purchase the off brand again.  But more times than not, I have discovered that I like the Great Value brand better than the regular brand!!  Their cinnamon rolls would be the perfect example!

{photo courtesy of Mobile Grocery Stockers}

vs.  

{photo courtesy of Saving on the Essentials}

So, yes...I am a "cheap" shopper, and I'm okay with that!  But sometimes I wish I wasn't because there are so many healthier brands of items that I WANT to buy because they are simply healthier, or at least their label says so...but I don't.  Why don't I?  Because their usually more expensive, and who wants to pay twice as much for an item when I can get the Great Value brand for much less?!

I'm afraid I'm not the only one in this situation.  It shouldn't have to be this way and people shouldn't have to choose between lower costs, or healthier foods for their families.  I'd have to guess that most people are choosing cheaper prices, rather than healthier items.  Wal-Mart doesn't want it to be this way any longer, and on January 20, 2011 they unveiled that they are going to put forth the effort to provide healthier foods at more affordable costs for their valued customers (Wal Mart Stores, paragraph 1). 

   {photo courtesy of Scrape TV}

I heard this on the news the day it was announced, and was rather glad to hear it!  With a 17 month old who is creating his own eating habits today that he will more than likely have for the rest of his life, I want him to be on the right track eating the right things starting from the very beginning of his life.  With Wal-Mart making this change and providing healthier items at their Great Value prices, will give me this opportunity.  I still do what I can to feed him the right things, but my grocery bill shouldn't have to double to do so!  

Bill Simon, president & CEO of Wal-Mart U.S. states that, "No family should have to choose between food that is healthier for them & food they can afford" (Wal Mart Stores, paragraph 2).  He is absolutely right and said exactly what I've been saying all along.  I know I'm not the only one in America that shops for the better deal rather than the healthiest item, so this will definitely help millions of people around the United States, and hopefully around the world.  

{photo courtesy of Health & Wellness Blog}

Wal-Mart's main idea of creating healthier products, includes reducing the consumption amount of sodium, sugar and trans-fat among Wal-Mart customers.  These three items are major contributors to the growing problem of obesity and other chronic diseases in America today, including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes (Wal Mart Stores, paragraph 2).  

All I know about these three items is not that they're bad for you, but they are not good for you when consumed in such LARGE amounts. This is where America has gone wrong...we consume way, way WAY too much, which eventually causes problems within our bodies, which leads to health issues and then sometimes leads to an early death.  If people would start life out by eating healthy and treating their bodies right, they wouldn't have to work extra hard later on in life, having to deal with so many different health issues and trying to fix what they didn't do right early on in their lives.

This is where the parents come in.  As a parent, it is our job to teach our kids how to eat right.  You may not have grown up learning how to eat right, but don't you want your child to?  I know I do, and this is a simple way to start....today!   

Thank you Wal-Mart for taking the effort to make this HUGE change for the betterment of your customers!

How Fast Food has Made America Fat

It's no secret that Americans are known to be fat.  Most foreigners look at us as....fat.  This is a true statement, but not all of us are, but a high enough number of us are, for people in other countries to stereotype all Americans to be fat.

{photo courtesy of Peace Hut}

Is it because Americans have become lazy and have quit visiting the gym as often?  Has food become less healthy?  Have more unhealthy foods hit the store shelves and left the fresh fruits and veggies out to rot?  Has fast food become so easy and cheap to just grab on the go that we are indulging in it too much, too many times a week?

I believe that fast food restaurants have played a major role in American becoming the obese country that it is today.  It's not the only reason, but it is a big reason.  According to What's Cooking America, one in five Americans are obese and the rate of obese children has doubled over the past 20 years.

First off, I believe fast food restaurant's portions are oversized, which is just one reason for Americans being so obese.  Not only is the food unhealthy, but also the amount of food that we are taking in is extremely unhealthy.  If we could consume things from fast food restaurants in moderation, obesity probably wouldn't be as big of a problem as it is.

{photo courtesy of Italian Ok}

Another thing, fast food chains don't alert their customers of the high amount of calories and fat content  in their products, according to What's Cooking America.  This also creates a problem, because we just go  in there and order what sounds and looks good, not being aware of how bad some of the things are for us that we will be putting in our bodies!  Maybe if we knew the amount of calories or grams of fat that were in some of these products, they wouldn't be so appealing to us any more, therefore making us not wanting to purchase them any more!

{photo courtesy of Impact Lab}

As you can see from the image above, the south is considered to be the "fattest" among the United States.  It has been this way for many, many years & continues to be this way.  We are known to eat fatty foods more so than the other parts of the country including everything fried!  We love us some good'ole fried food...from okra, pickles, chicken, potatoes, to oreos and twinkies!  You name it, someone in the south has tried it!  This isn't an excuse for the south being the fattest part of the country, but I do believe our fried food habit contributes to it greatly.  

We all these factors added up from corporations not doing & doing certain things, to Americans being lazy...they have all contributed to America being the fat country we are known for today.