Towson University

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One day last semester in human sexuality class (I took it as an easy and fun elective to get away from my hard science classes for a few hours) we had to go through magazines and pick out ads that had a sexual connotation of some kind to them. Most of the girls picked out pictures of women in sexy lingerie advertising things like makeup or perfume. But surprisingly the guys picked out much different stuff.

When the females picked out ads we picked out the ones that were obviously sexual. Either the person in the ad was doing something that was sexual and you could tell right away or they were wearing lingerie or barely anything at all. The men though (although they did pick out some of the same ads as we did) picked out stuff that was meant (by the people writing the ads) to be sexual but really unless you thought about it or were always thinking dirty (like a lot of these guys) you wouldn't see it.

The ones they picked out were more subliminal messages that you had to be thinking sexual to get it but I guess that the ad company probably knows how men think since they are paid to do this. It was just interesting to see everything that the guys came up with because we thought for sure they would go straight to the naked women licking their lips to sell lipstick or something similar (of course some of them did). But a lot of them found more abstract ads as well.

The project and activity were actually fun to do and we learned a lot from this class. It wasn't like other classes where you have to kill yourself basically to stay awake and pay attention, we actually almost all had a lot of interest in what the teacher was saying and she kept us going with movies, activities and group discussions. I would recommend this class just because it seems like something kind of gross and weird to take as a class but you do learn a lot about sex and relationships but you also learn things that most people are afraid to ask, but are addressed here. It was fun and also informational at the same time which I think isn't the case in most of the other classes that we take as high school or college students.

I remember when I was younger (like in 7th or 8th grade) and I was watching the show Friends with a bunch of people and Phoebe was talking about massage and what massage can do for you and your body and mind. I always kind of thought massages were kind of dumb but after watching that show I started to appreciate all the people who went to massage therapy school more instead of laughing at them. To be honest it really doesn't matter if it's dumb or not because if people are doing it (enough to stay in business) it must have been a smart move. And after watching it on TV and my friends getting them, I actually do go once in a while to get a massage.

It's funny how things you see on TV really catch on in real life. You see someone getting a massage or a manicure on TV and you want to be pampered just like them. Or you see a haircut on a famous person (which you have probably walked past several normal people and seen) and you decide to go out and get one just like it. I remember the Jennifer Aniston hair craze. In junior high and high school everyone wanted hair like hers. Or when celebrities or someone on your favorite TV show that you like is wearing something like a pair of boots, you really want to go out and get them.

It seems like most of the styles and ideas and even the things we do we get the ideas for them on TV or in the movies or from friends or family members who saw them on TV or the movies. Or when we are looking through magazines for style tips too. Sometimes I wonder what it was like before TV and movies and magazines. Where were people getting their fashion sense from or ideas to go out and do certain things? I remember watching a movie in high school where there were best friends and every Wednesday that had a girl's night. My friends and I thought it was a good idea and we started to do that. Now that we are older and go to different schools and are working during the summer we barely get a chance to all see each other at once, except for that great idea from the movie when we meet once a week on Wednesday to catch up.

I grew up on a farm and the farm animals were my friends. I think that is what inspired me to become a veterinarian. I have always loved animals. As I grew up, I became completely aware of animals and how they are used and abused in our society. Once I realized how many animals I was eating, I quickly turned vegetarian, and I have never believed in wearing animal hides or fur at all. It is completely unnecessary in this world where synthetic products are available for purchase and for wear. I think that it initially what drew me towards PETA. PETA in case you didn't know is an organization that is for animal rights and stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. This group believes what I believe and that is that we don't have the right to mistreat, abuse, or misuse animals in anyway. That includes not eating them, not wearing them, and not using any products that have been tested on animals. PETA is pushing the use of cruelty free products and is trying to put an end to and stop animal testing. I believe that the key to stop animal testing is to further educate the public about the horrific existence that is suffered by animals in testing labs throughout the country and all over the world. Although more and more companies are finding alternative ways to test their products, many more companies are still testing on animals. For instance, household products companies and cosmetics companies are still forcing animals to ingest large quantities of their products, squirt them in their eyes, force animals to inhale aerosol sprays and so forth. Even charitable organizations use money from private donations to fund experiments on animals, for instance the March Of Dimes. The truth is the Federal Government is no better, as the FDA still requires all drugs be tested on animals. Many would argue that this is a good way to see if a drug is safe for human consumption, however, the bottom line is that animals DNA varies significantly from that of humans, and this makes the tests that are being run on these animals, unreliable and dangerous. There are many other options that are much more humane, are less expensive, and are much more accurate. For instance research can be done on cell cultures, computer models and even human studies which prove to be better sources of data anyway.

Please let us all move toward stopping the inhumane treatment of animals and move toward an environment in which all creatures are treated equally and with respect.

I was looking online for a school project for finance class and I ran across a website about debt settlement. The website talks about how the company can help with debt reduction and monthly payments and even getting creditors off of your back and stop them from calling you.

One of the things that this company can do for you is debt negotiation. They can talk to creditors to help get your debt lowered and even help with dropping your monthly payments. This website really is informative and can help you (and a lot of people today) get out of debt. With the economy the way it is right now (and not looking like it will get better anytime soon) a lot of people will be, or do right now need this service.

Companies like this can help you to not only relieve debt for you, but ease your mind and stress. When you have piles of debt it is hard not to stay up at night worrying about it. While a lot of people just ignore their debt problem for a while or try to negotiate for themselves. But by involving a company that really knows what they are doing, you may be able to get your debt reduced and help you out a great deal.

It is scary to think about being in debt, but really when you look at statistics, a lot of American families are (no matter the amount) actually almost all of them are in some sort of debt according to figures I found online and in my finance book. With the economy being bad, I feel like the debt will just pile up more. We need to be able to get a handle on this debt and out money situation as a whole before we get worse and worse and then aren't able to pull ourselves out. There are qualified people out there that were trained to help people reduce and get out of their debt and they need to be utilized. Their one job is to help people and they were trained and taught to do just that. So instead of ignoring your debt and letting it pile up and get worse or trying to take care of it yourself by calling creditors, you might want to leave it to the experts and save yourself a lot of money and stress.

When you are little you learn about stranger danger and stop drop and roll and all sorts of things to remember in case of an emergency. But when you are older, people just assume you will know how to handle a situation. Well I was reading the paper on day and I read about a safety class that I decided to take. It was only two days long and it was full of interesting things like home security tips, what to do if you're car breaks down or you get into an accident, how to change a tire, care for certain illnesses, bee stings, cpr and all sorts of useful things that you never even think of.

Of course having a security camera or system would be an excellent way towards home security. But there are also things you can do just everyday that can make you safer, like lights on timers so people think someone is home or making friends with neighbors so people who see something going on at your home will alarm you or just maybe placing a security sign in your window even if you don't have a system to scare off burglars and even getting a dog. All of these things are useful tips to making yourself safer (and feel safer).

The class also talks about illnesses and how to care for someone with alcohol poisoning (which actually came in handy for me one time when I was at a party and a friend drank too much) and how to deal with car problems (which are always happening to me).

The thing is, I am sure that I probably won't experience all of these problems ever in my life, but I will have to deal with some, and if and when I do, I will be prepared and calm (more importantly calm). Even if I never have to use any of the things I learned in this class, I feel safer just knowing that if that situation were to arise, I would be confident in solving that problem in the correct and efficient manner. Knowing these things help me put my mind at ease thinking that I am safe and knowledgeable. It was definitely the most well spent 2 days I have had so far in my life. I guess it is true what they say, knowledge is power.

Offshore formation is something we learned a little about in econ class my freshman year of college. We learned that offshore banking is just an account that is held outside the lines of your country. It is free to due and is normally located in a low tax jurisdiction. This way you could be earning interest while no taxes (or low taxes) are being taken out it your account offshore. I also learned about a lot of other benefits that include: freedom and leeway in estate planning, confidentiality and privacy, better interest on tax returns and global access to income. One thing that I think is appealing to a lot of people is that you don't have to actually go to or visit the country in which you wish to open or access your account. You can open and access and manage your account through the internet (which is basically how most people do it here anyways with normal checking or savings accounts), fax or telephone.

When we were learning about offshore banking we had to look into two different companies: the Belize Company and the BVI Company. BVI is the British Virgin Islands Offshore Corporation. This corporation provides flexibility, privacy, tax exemption, confidentiality and minimum capitalization. The Belize Company is basically similar to BVI.

We basically looked online to find out information for both of these companies and they actually had really detailed websites and even we were able to understand most of what they were talking about and explaining. We took a look at the frequently asked questions page and it included a lot of interesting facts. They explain about tax exemptions and interest and how to plan your estate if that is what you are using offshore banking for. It really goes into detail and captures most of the questions that you could imagine people would ask or have asked in the past.

Even though I have never thought of before this project or really even heard of offshore bank accounts (other than on TV or in the movies I guess) I feel like I have learned a lot from having to learn about them in class and looking into them more online. Maybe one day I will need to open one in the future (or someone I know) and now I know just a little bit more than I did before about them.

Being a blogger it is important to get you word out there when you find it so you stay on top of what's happening in the world we live in. Blogging is like a huge community discussion but you have to weigh in on more than just your ow community issues. Some bloggers tackle to big political stories or the latest movie star screw ups. Others like myself are just here to talk. I look at my writings at somewhat of a online journal rather than some kind of vehicle for social or political discourse. All that stuff is a little too heavy for me to weigh in on and I don't think that I'm informed enough about that sort of stuff to really bring anything fresh to the table. What I want to do is to just write ad have fun as sort of an extension of my own life.

For those bloggers out there who are handing out fresh material I feel the deepest sense of respect and reverence for what they do. The ones that post for the major newspapers are my favorite. I love all of the ones that are affiliated with New York Times and with the BBC. I am also a huge fan of the Perez Hilton blog which is all about the latest hollywood news from the host who is this super opinionated gay gentleman who writes like twenty posts a day. The shear volume that he puts out just blows my mind because he seems to be writing about every single event that happens in the lives of these stars all over the world. I don't mean to say here that the larger, corporate, or most prolific blogs are the only valid ones because this is definitely not true. I frequent plenty of blogs, such as one by my friend Jared Lansky, that share information that people want to know none the less. That's what it really comes down to with these things. If someone wats to know it and you are the one writing it, then you've got yourself a fan and they've got a source that they can begin to trust.

Companies are always giving away things for potential (or even current) clients. One time I was at a local golf course and they were giving away promotional polo shirts for people to wear on the course. I think though that it wasn't until I got to college that I saw the most giveaways ever.

When you are on a college campus, you can't turn a corner without seeing someone trying to give something away. We have a corner on our campus where people stand and give out flyers to upcoming events and advertise their businesses and even give away things. Welcome week at school is usually when you get the most stuff. When I was a freshman I walked across campus one of the first days of school and I came back to my dorm with a free red bull, 2 t-shirts, pencils, a whole book of coupons and a sandwich. Yes, that's right, I got a free sandwich. It is unbelievable what companies will do to try to get your business. I remember one day last year my roommate and I were walking down campus and there was a stand advertising free pizza. Well in order to get the free pizza you had to go to the local pizza place and sign up for a credit card from this specific company. Well I already had one, but we decided to go anyway and then just cancel the card. So we signed up for the card, ate our free pizza and then we canceled the card a few days later. We basically ripped them off, but think of all the students who fell for that credit card. They probably either have it right now and are paying for it, or some may have it and are racking up debt and keep using It and using it. So the store really did win.

Corporate gifts are something else that have become really popular. My dad's company gives him tickets to games like baseball and basketball so he can take clients (but usually we just get to go with him), But it is a way to sell the client and also keep the company on good terms. The client sees all of the benefits and wants to be involved in a company that has all of this going on. It is amazing what promotional gifts and products can do for both the business and the client.

This morning I took my last final everyone. Of course school couldn't possibly let me off easy before I go and I had a full hour and a half of essays to write starting at eight in the morning. I had to ride my bike the whole five miles in the cold at about seven just so I had time to look over my notes before the exam. It was a particularly hard one too so I drank like a gallon of coffee before I left. I think I did pretty well though and I will probably be making Dean's list for this semester. Either way I did end my semester on a high note and things can only get better from here since I leave tomorrow for my vacation and semester abroad. Tomorrow morning at five is my flight back to Texas and then I will be off the Madrid for the spring semester. That should be a lot of fun but I still have a bunch of things to get in order before I go.

Everyone talks about how cool going abroad for school is but they never talk about how much preparation actually goes in to making the whole operation go smoothly. First of I have to get myself some insurance for when I make the trip and then I have to get all of my papers in to a folder ready for each checkpoint along the way. I have been looking in to Unicare since they cover me right now here but I haven't looked in to being insured abroad. The people who run the program said that one of the most important parts of my job is to make sure I have good travel medical insurance.

I also have to take care of some domestic items before I head out too. I personally feel like my parents are weird for doing this, but they think that to make me more responsible that I should research and pay my bills, with their money of course. Before I leave I have to get some car insurance. I'm still a resident in Texas so I'll probably just do a Texas online car quote and get it done quick before I go. I won't actually need the policy until May but they feel it is important and so I do it. That's the rub I guess.

Every year for my brother's football team there is a family weekend. The families get custom football jerseys with their members name and number on the back. It is a really cool weekend actually. There is a dinner on Friday night when they have funny stories and everyone gets to mix and mingle and the afterwards there is a bonfire. Then the next day there is a game against the players and their parents. This is always the funniest to watch. The parents get football t-shirts with their names on them and we watch as they play the kids. It is funny to watch for me especially because my dad and brother go against each other but they are basically the same person. They talk the same, look the same, think the same and act the same. It really is an entertaining day. Then afterwards we all go out for pizza. Then finally on Sunday we all go for the last game and then afterwards there is a ceremony for awards and other recognition. This year I got to go to it because it was over our fall break, but last year I didn't get to see it and I was actually pretty disappointed.

I think that it is rare that families get to do things like this together anymore. Everyone is always so busy with school or work or sports or friends that we hardly get to see each other (especially now that my sister and I are away at school). So this weekend really is a great time for us to relax and have fun together as a family. I used to think it was really fun to go to when I was little because my dad was the coach so we would watch other families and sometimes get to play along (we were really young then and my dad didn't want us getting hurt). But it is interesting now even more because my brother is playing and it is fun to see how my dad plays with him and how he did before he had a kid on the team. Now we all get involved and we all play and we get to have a great weekend together. And I also get a really cool custom jersey out of it. I tell people it's mine because the name on the back is our last name ha.

It is the season of giving, but perhaps like me you don't have much money to go buy something to give away. I have been trying to think of ways I can make some extra cash so I can go buy gifts and figured out that I have 3 sheds full of useful junk I can sell. I have a used hamster cage that I paid twenty five bucks for that i should be able to get at least ten dollars back on. I have some old toys, but they will not sell for much so I may have to donate them to charity. That is an idea... charity. Charity is a good way to get a tax write off. When I used to live in North Carolina Charlotte NC cars for charity were a hot commodity. I wanted a new car and would not get much money for my old one so I donated it and got a 500 dollar tax right off that spring. I have a couple of old computers, a sofa, coffee table, dressers, and two television sets I can donate. I wonder how much I can get back from donating those. Even if I don't mae much money by donating my old stuff at least the act of charity will fulfill my seasonal desire to be generous. Actually I love to be generous all the time. I enjoy giving gifts to my family and friends. It is fun to think about something affordable they they will love to receive. And their reaction and apreciatiion is always nice to see. I consider myself a great gift giver. My favorite part of gift giving is the gift wrapping. I love to add ribbons and bows to my packages. This year I am wrapping with brown gold and silver tones with holiday patterns. It is rather classy. Last year after the holidays passed I bought a set of wrapping paper on clearance, but I forgot I had it so I bought new stuff this year. Ooops. I guess the clearance stuff will have to wait for next year. Will it last that long? It might not be a good idea to let it sit around for another year so maybe I should donate that as well. I wish someone would donate to me a dog house for my two dogs. That is what I really need to buy right now.

I have always wondered what natural diet pill meant and how they are different from regular diet pills. I looked them up online and found out that natural diet pills do not contain chemicals, caffeine or any other harmful products. This makes them seem a lot more appealing than regular diet pills if those are the ingredients in them.

The website also says that they melt fat away and have no side effects what so ever. Which is even more appealing. I think though that I am a strong believer of having to try something yourself to believe it. Although it helps to see all of the testimonials online of people who have taken the natural diet pill and it has worked for them. I think it really is something that would be willing to try.

I think that natural diet pills being advertised right now is actually really appropriate with all of the go green stuff going on. Being natural and organic and healthy is really in right now (hopefully it will stay in and not just be a fad). People are buying organic foods (and even some people are starting to grow their own foods like fruits and vegetables in their yard) and soap and shopping with reusable bags instead of paper or plastic. I even know people who are starting compost piles in their backyards and this is something that I haven't heard about people doing for years. They are paying more attention to recycling and reusing products. Not to mention the new light bulbs out now that are more energy effective. Everywhere you go you see people wearing go green shirts or carrying their reusable bags (my roommate has one that says I used to be a plastic bag on it and it is super cute). Going green is really the thing to do right now and it is catching on fast. People are even driving more efficient cars or carpooling or even riding their bikes to work. There are so many different ways to go green and help out the earth and yourself (it saves you money most of the time). Celebrities are even supporting this cause and you see them all over promoting recycling and not being wasteful. So I can see why natural diet pills would be a really hot commodity right now with people trying to get healthier in a safer way.

I am constantly reading about cleansers or diets that people go on to remove stuff from their bodies. Usually it seems nasty to me, especially when it involves fasting for days at a time or eating random things like lemon juice with pepper in it or something. It seems like celebrities swear by these cleanses and diets, but do ‘real' people actually try them ever?

Well I actually have heard of a more appealing one called dual action cleanse. This cleanse can remove toxic buildup from your body, make you feel cleaner and healthier, make your skin and hair more radiant and reduce bloating. That sounds like a lot of this I wish would happen to me right now. I actually do know someone that used this cleanse and it worked for her. A lot of this you hear about on TV or in magazine advertisements make you nervous and skeptical but after a friend uses it and it works for them it becomes a lot more credible.

It says that the cleanse works within the first week that you are taking it which is nice because that is more short term for the people that like to see results immediately (basically everyone now a days). There is also a website on the dual action cleanse that gives you tips to think about when taking it. The tips include: drinking plenty of water, cutting down on alcohol, watching your portions, not skipping meals, relaxing while you eat, exercising regularly, avoiding tobacco and using medications cautiously. While these are things that people should be doing everyday anyways whether or not they are taking the dual action cleanse, it is good to point out. I feel like people aren't always thinking that a little change in their routine can help a great deal. I remember in high school I went on a water kick and drank water constantly. Besides the annoying side effect of constantly having to go to the bathroom (which is a pain in high school) drinking more water actually made me feel better. I'm not sure if it was just because I thought I was being healthier that I felt better or if it really was just the water, but I felt just better overall.

I think we all just need to take that step to get healthier and feel better for ourselves. Whether it is doing some sort of cleanse, or just drinking more water, we should start getting on the right track.

I just found out a little while ago (even though I probably should have known out of plain common sense) that you need a CDL license to drive certain motor vehicles. I guess I never really thought about how different cars or trucks could be from one another and that you would need more than a regular driver's license to be able to drive something different than a regular automobile. For example if you are driving a truck with hazardous materials in it you would need to know how to handle it accordingly or if you have a number of trailers you would also need to know how to turn the correct way and how to stop without making them run into each other.

Many companies require their employees to go to a trucking school to learn how to drive that particular vehicle correctly. I can't even imagine what it would be like to drive one of those big trucks that carry new cars from state to state. I was driving back to school yesterday and I saw one that had 6 new cars on top of it just driving along. I would have to guess that the driver had a lot of experience or training to be able to maneuver a truck with that much cargo. I couldn't imagine driving a truck like that and having to be responsible for all of those new cars that were on top.

Even though there are special requirements to obtain a license for a truck or unusual vehicle, I think there needs to be more focus on people getting their regular license. I know that there are random days when they do testing and some people have to do it and others don't and I do honestly think that people who have a good record, like my dad, should still be able to renew their license though the mail, however I think their needs to be more of an emphasis on new drivers who are just getting their license. When I took my driver's test I blew a stop sign and still got my license that day without having to retake it. I'm not saying that I am sad to get my license or that I didn't go straight out and celebrate and drive around with all of my friends, but years later I realize that maybe there needs to be more discipline when it comes to being a new driver and maybe more time and experience on a permit required.

My roommate is an interior design major and she gets all sorts of deals everywhere because she buys so much stuff at hobby lobby and other craft stores. She even ordered us discount carpet tiles for our kitchen the other day because with winter here snow is being tracked all over our house and the carpet helps to keep it in one place (and it is really cute too).

It is really cool to see all of the stuff Kayla uses for her projects. She gets free and discounted stuff from all over and she always has carpet squares or counter top samples sitting around in the living room or on the floor in her room. She even looks around to see what other places have stuff, like the other day she looked online to see what discount carpets UK and other places had to offer and she actually found a really cool sample that was from Spain that she ordered.

Sometimes I get jealous of her major. It feels like the rest of my roommates and I are out at the library constantly or always taking or studying for tests and she is just playing around with play houses and carpet squares. I'm sure it is hard work and I don't mean to make it seem silly, but I just can't imagine what it would be like to have just projects all of the time (and fun ones too). I hate studying and she never has to take tests, she just has to do designs that she has weeks to do and finish and then she doesn't even have to present them, just bring them in and hand them to the teacher.

Of course I am sure it isn't all fun and games. She is often up really late working on tiny things like gluing or cutting out tiny microscopic squares from a piece of cardboard or something weird like that. And she is always measuring things to make them exact and using the computer to make blueprints. So I know that it obviously is a lot of work, but it just seems like a lot more of fun work then studying for a genetics test or writing a paper and doing a presentation on RNA like I had to do this semester. I like my major, and I would never change it, but sometimes I wish I picked one that didn't require so much work.

The idea of more people becoming unemployed is really scary to me. I am not sure if it is the idea that if I were to become unemployed that I would lose my income, or more importantly my health insurance, which is really a frightening scenario.

I guess having just gone through a bout of unemployment a year or so ago, I realize how precious having a job and having health insurance coverage is. You know how they say, you don't know what you've got til it's gone, well this is really true. If you would have asked me about the importance of having health insurance two years ago, I would have told you that it was no big deal, and that I really didn't use mine much anyway. You get so accustomed to having it, that you really don't think about it. Well, I remember several times when I was out of work, little things coming up that I probably would have run myself or my kids over to the doctor for, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized that I had no insurance coverage. I didn't realize how much of a safety net it really was, to know that any time I needed to I could go to the doctor or emergency room, without worrying about how much it was going to cost me. I was really blessed and didn't even know it.

Since getting back to work, I don't take having a job or health insurance for granted. I am blessed to be working especially in these uncertain financial times. I am grateful that my employer has enough work to keep my going and working in the food industry helps, because even when times get tough, people will still need to eat. Over all however, I am still worried about potentially losing my job, so I want to be prepared, just in case. I have gone online and gotten some insurance quotes, just in case I need to start paying for my health insurance myself. I am also saving as much of my money as I can, just to be on the safe side. After my experience last year, I know that it is not a really good idea to take employment or insurance for granted. One day they could be here and the next day POOF!