Hi! My name is Isaac Privett and here I am getting out into the world, exploring new things, and establishing the identity I will have for the rest of my life. I am starting this blog to inform people about the trials and tribulations of growing up in todays world and making decisions that will affect me for years to come.

:: Friday, March 02, 2007 ::

What I have been up to

I haven't posted in a few days because I have been busy painting. Yes, I am an artist or at least pretend to be one. I guess I will share a few finished pieces that I have been working on.

I am pretty proud of these and there are plenty more to come.

Labels: Life

:: American-N-Canada 9:19 PM [+] ::
...

What is the new upcoming spring fashion for school girls in England? Baby bellies!

This story needs to get more press because I hope the trend doesn't jump the pond and become a problem here. This story is off of Foxnews.com

Pregnant 14-Year-Old Says Having a Child Is the Newest Fashion Among Teens

LONDON — The newest fashion among schoolgirls is getting knocked up, according to one pregnant 14-year-old whose four friends are also expecting.

British teen Kizzy Neal says she's been approached for advice from other pregnant girls her age ever since she conceived, reported London's Daily Mail.

"When my friends see my bump they say they wish they could have a baby, then three weeks later they're pregnant and don't know what to do," Neal said.

"It seems to be fashionable to get pregnant. ... Teenage girls think babies are cute, but they forget the physical side of being pregnant, then having to give up your own childhood to look after a baby," she told the paper.

Neal says she got pregnant the first time she had sex with her 13-year-old boyfriend.

Family campaigners say her comments show how current sex education policies leave teens with the "ridiculous but extremely worrying" idea that having a child is comparable to buying a new handbag.

Neal's comments come as figures show England and Wales have the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in Europe — with the biggest growth among girls under 16.

Wow. The article blames this new trend on a failure sexual education. I don't know if all the blame can be placed on sex ed. One thing that sticks out to me is that kids are having sex this early. Who's fault is that? The parents. They should know where their kids are and what they are doing. If they are old enough to be interested in the opposite sex, they should not be allowed to socialize in their room with the door closed. Situations like that lead to opportunities for mistakes to happen. I know it is impossible for a parent to remove all opportunities for their children to make a carnal mistakes, but the whole point is to minimize the amount of occasions that this can happen.

Labels: Weird News

:: American-N-Canada 3:49 PM [+] ::
...

"Honey, I would like you to meet my mistress."

Sometimes I have a hard time believing the news, but this story is too good to make up. Off of Reuters.com:

Stand-in mistress sought to take wife's abuse

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese businessman has advertised on the Internet for a stand-in mistress to be beaten up by his wife to vent her anger and to protect his real mistress, Chinese media reported on Monday.

"When the woman found out her husband had a mistress, she insisted on beating her up," the Beijing Youth Daily said, citing the advertisement posted on a popular online jobs forum on sina.com.

More than 10 people had applied for the job, the newspaper said. The "successful" candidate would be 35 and originally from northeastern China and would be paid 3,000 yuan ($400) per 10 minutes, it said.

Many Chinese businessmen keep mistresses in second homes, a trend banished after the Communists swept to power in 1949 but which has made a comeback with market reforms in recent decades.

This is just plain hilarious. Some guy is looking for a fake mistress to protect his real mistress. I think the price he is paying is a little low. A lot of damage can be done by a person in ten minutes. Most of the time altercations don't last that long.

Labels: Weird News

:: American-N-Canada 3:40 PM [+] ::
...

Horoscopes

I for one check my horoscope every day out of habit. I think astrology is a fascinating practice and if fun to play around with. Sometimes astrology can lead to insight on certain subjects merely because you haven't thought about that angle. However, I learned rather quickly not to put any stock in what my horoscope says for that day. Then the question is why do I look at them if they are 99.9% wrong? I really can't answer that. Why do I? Let's look at my horoscope that I had today for fun off of yahoo.com

There's no going back on this endeavor. Keep a positive attitude.

That is a very general statement. Since today is technically over, being after midnight, I think it is safe to criticize this horoscope. What endeavor is there no going back on? Today I really didn't have much endeavors. I didn't do much of anything at all. I did keep a positive attitude though, but most days I do. So in essence, I think this horoscope is complete crap.

What about my horoscope from myspace.com?

It may be challenging to stay on track now, as Mars in airy Aquarius fans the flames of Venus, Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn -- all moving through fire signs. There are major distractions in your life and you are ready for any one of them to turn into your next great adventure. Give yourself permission to dream, but don't float off into space. If you slip into fuzzy fantasies, just bring yourself back down to Earth.

This one is a little more whimsical. This is the type of horoscope that really gets people thinking. The funny part is that you start to fit the pieces so that they fit the horoscope. When I think about this horoscope, I consciously go through important events in my mind to check it against the horoscope. If it doesn't have anything to do with it, it just passes by and I move on to the next thing. Eventually, I can find something in my life to fit this statement. Does this make the horoscope true? You be the judge.

Apparently I have a great adventure coming.

Labels: Life

:: American-N-Canada 12:18 AM [+] ::
...

Takei responds to Tim Hardaway's anti-gay comments

For those that haven't read about it, former NBA star, Tim Hardaway, made some pretty harsh comments slamming people who are of he homosexual orientation. Here is some of what he said off of ESPN.com

"You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known," Hardaway said. "I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."

Well, I don't really want to say much about it because this man is entitled to say what he wants. I completely disagree with his sentiments but that is what makes our country great. You have freedom of speech.

George Takei, most famously known for his role as Mr. Sulu on Star Trek, exercised his right to free speech with responding to what Hardarway said. Takei is an open homosexual and his comedy is extremely funny at times. One of my recommendations would be to watch his roast of William Shatner on the Comedy Central website. Anyway, here is a link to the video of Takei's response. It is classic!

http://www.influks.com/post897.html

Labels: Internet

:: American-N-Canada 12:05 AM [+] ::
...

Are you a little too hairy?

This is off Reuters.com

Spearmint tea may help treat excess body hair

NEW YORK - A few mugs of spearmint tea could help women combat excess facial and body hair, Turkish researchers report.

Women with excess body hair, a condition known as hirsutism, who drank two cups of the herbal tea a day for five days showed significant reductions in their levels of free testosterone, Dr. Mehmet Numan Tamer and colleagues from Suleyman Demirel University in Isparta report.

Typical treatments for hirsutism target excess levels of male hormones, and include oral contraceptives to prevent the production of these hormones or drug treatment to block the body's response to them, Tamer and his team point out in the journal Phytotherapy Research.

The researchers previously noted that drinking peppermint tea seemed to lower the libido in some men, which prompted them to investigate spearmint as an anti-hirsutism treatment. Hirsutism is characterized by excessive hair growth on the face, breasts and belly, and affects about 5 percent of women. It is thought to be related to the body's level of androgens (male hormones).

The researchers had 21 women with hirsutism drink a tea prepared from a heaping teaspoon of dried spearmint leaves twice daily. Twelve of the women had polycystic ovary syndrome, while the rest had hirsutism with known cause.

(Continues)

So now you can forget about the laser hair removal ladies. The solution is just eat tons of spearmint! I wouldn't suggest any guys trying the spearmint thing because it probably would give you the libido of a male panda bear.

Labels: News

:: American-N-Canada 12:01 PM [+] ::
...

Chinese man claims lack of sex lead to a longer life

This is off Reuters.com

Man aged 107 forsakes sex for longevity: paper

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A 107-year-old Hong Kong villager, who still enjoys an occasional smoke, has attributed his longevity in part to decades of sexual abstinence, a newspaper said on Sunday.

"I don't know why I have lived this long," Chan Chi -- one of Hong Kong's oldest people -- was quoted as saying in the South China Morning Post during an annual feast for the city's elders.

"Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have lived a sex-less life for many years -- since I was 30," said Chan, a widower whose youthful bride perished during the Japanese invasion in World War Two.

(Continues)

This article made me chuckle a little. They have no evidence to support the his nonexistent sex life has kept away death. Yet, it is claimed as such. Maybe his diet cause the longevity. Some people also just seem to live longer than others. I don't know about you but I wouldn't give up sex to live an extra 20 years.

Labels: Weird News

:: American-N-Canada 11:52 AM [+] ::
...