I am 14 weeks along, and I'm starting to show. So I want to start putting stuff on my skin now. I didn't get bad stretch marks my first pregnancy (6 years ago), but I don't know if I'll be so lucky the second time around.
Is Coco Butter or Vitamin E Oil/Lotion better for preventing stretch marks.?
CoCo Butter is the best but they have this stuff at the store called Palmers CoCo Butter for Stretch Marks and its made for pregnant women to use during and after there pregnancy and it works very good ive used it and it works..
Reply:You can try to prevent them. But if you are going to have them, You will have them ..
I had none threw my pregnancy. None at all. It was when I went into labor. I got them .
Reply:This is my second and I haven't gotten any fresh stretch marks with this one and I am 36 weeks now. But cocoa butter is best
Reply:No cream lotion or oil will prevent stretch marks, you are genetically destined to get them or not. The lotion will help the dry skin and itching though.
congratz and good luck :)
Reply:Actually the best way to REDUCE the amount is by staying well hydrated. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water a day.
Genetics is only real factor on whether or not you get them.
Best of luck!!
Reply:Doesnt really matter. I used cocoa butter throughout my entire first pregnancy and at week 38/39 I ended up with stretch marks. Ofcourse then my dr let me go 10 days over, so they were hideous, but basically if your destined to get them, you will! No cream or oil will prevent them 100%.
Reply:Coca butter to prevent (it softens the skin and makes it a little more pliable) and Vitamin E to reduce the appearance. My sister gave me a bottle of Palmer's Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks. It contains Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E, Collagen, and Elastin. I love it so far.
(I am also 14 weeks)
Reply:Yes, I used them with my first pregnancy and not with my second, big mistake. Palmers cocoa and shea butter a must have for preventing stretch marks.
Reply:Most cant prevent but......... I always used olive oil. It balances the ph in your body whick is what keeps your skin hydrated
Reply:helps but they still happen sorry, BUT my wife has them we have going on 3 kids and I think shes smokin
Monday, August 23, 2010
I can't take this anymore! I need to get away from where I live. Please help!?
I can't take this anymore! I need to get away from where I live. Please help!
I'm thirteen and I moved to Rhode Island a couple of years ago and my life turned into a nightmare. Everyone was wrong. I had weight problems but got rid of the extra poundage later on. But I still have almost no friends, no social life, no money, have skin problems, grey hairs, and a hefty amount of stress that I shouldn't have on my back. My parents have been an arranged marriage and have never liked each other so it's complete torture living with them. We are a fake, pathetic, family. I'm not allowed to spend or enjoy life because my dad claims "We have no money." We've never had enough money since I was born. I have to buy clothes and anything else I want besides food with my own money.
I hate the community where I live too. Everyone's rich and wastes money on completly useless things and jeer at me for having no money. Not to mention all of them fake, pathetic, gossips and backstabs their friends without a second of hesitation. The school is crap. Guidance counsler is also utter crap.
My house is an old old house that's extremly filthy and messy where almost everything is broken and is in need of fixing. My dad hasn't bothered to change the carpet in our basement even though it needs to be changed ever since our sewerage backed up in the basement and so our whole house smells like sewer because of the carpets.
I can't take anymore. I've have enough. I need to get away from home. Then I can truely be healthy again and happy. Living here with my parents is draining the life out of me. Does anyone have ideas that doesn't cost much or at least no money? Please don't mention "Run away". That's a terrible idea. I've applied to a private school neary by for a full scholarship but I probably won't get a full scholarship and will not be able to go. But even that's not far enough anymore. I'm thinking of studying abroad for my entire high school years but I'm not even sure that's possible. But I also need a full scholarship. Please don't tell me to go see a family counsler or go see a psychiatrist, because I dislike psychiartrists and my parents will refuse to see a marriage counsler/family counsler. I've begged my mom constantly to get a divorce but I know she wouldn't and never will because of the "traditional" Indian values and also because she believes divorce always messed up kids and she believes in "helping another human being in need."
I can't take this anymore! I need to get away from where I live. Please help!?
Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families
1-401-528-3548
1-401-462-2121
Reply:If you are living with you're parents then you need to get away from that and make a life of you're own. And you will when you are able and have completed school and decided to make something of yourself.
Right now you are under age. You are the responsibility of you're parents until you reach 18.
Instead of hating everything around you work with it and make it better for you. In all the bad there is good, you just have to want to see it.
See it. Make goals for yourself. Make those High School years better by putting all you're effort into making them work for you. These are important years and years that will help to mold the person you want to be.
Think about what you want to be and make goals. Look beyond the bad and see good. It is up to you.
Reply:All I can think of is a social worker, teacher, police department, or maybe child protective services. Maybe even a clergy person. It doesn't sound like a healthy place to be.
Reply:Make an anonymous call to the Health Department about the conditions in your house. That should get the ball rolling. At least they will get your father to fix up the house.
Reply:i can see helping someone but if the house is as bad as u say,then all u need to get out of there,i feel for you but 13 you have to stay,or is there any faimly somewhere else u can go,uncles,aunts,grandparents! try to go with relatives!
Reply:i think you should learn sth from steve jobs
stronger and happier
Reply:Truly your story is very sad. You could try boarding school, but I am not sure if they do scholarships. Try other family members. Or wait it out until you are able to have a job, and just start saving. And then get emancipated, which you have to show that you can live, work, and basically act like an adult. On your own. Really I wish i could help out more, but just stay strong through it all, the worst or a last resort is to be asked to be put up for adoption. I wish I could help, but I am afriad this is all I could do is give you advice.
Reply:Call the social services dept. They shall handle the rest.
Reply:youre 13. you cant really do that much. since you live at home, they kinda own you. try, and i mean TRY, to appreciate what little you have. it might be a crappy one, but its shelter. and im pretty sure they still clothe and feed you, even tho theyre not as fancy as rich people things around you. a lot of people have crappier lives, no homes, hungry, etc.
how bout relatives? the big brother/big sister program? getting adopted by another family? rich neighbors that might take you in? im sure not EVERY single one of the people around you are as bad as you say they are. if you insist on not seeing a counselor or pysch, call the cops or social services. if the government turns you down, then i dont know what to say except life just hates you..
Reply:You have a whole litany of problems. No one your age should have to cope with them. Do you have grandparents or other relatives you can trust to help you? If not, I would seek help from a Church. I know the Catholic Church or School is well known for helping young people in your type of situation.
Reply:1. You could try to report yourself to CPS for "unsanitary living conditions" and a social worker will visit the house. If you are indeed in filthy conditions, and the sewer carpets sound like a bio hazard or something, perhaps they will remove you from the home and put you in foster care. If they don't, your paents will be pretty mad for a while.
2. Ask to go live with a relative, if you have aunts and uncles or grandparents. Insist it is because that relative lives near an excellent school you want to attend or something like that. Being diplomatic and charming is the KEY to get them to agree to this.
3. Your idea for a scholarship for a boarding school was excellent. There is a scholarship program called "A Better Chance". check the website.
http://www.abetterchance.org/
4. Check into a foreign exchange studies program
5. Get an after school job babysitting, doing volunteer work, or joing a boys and girls club, or take on after school activities that will minimize the hours you have to spend at home. This will decrease your stress by getting you away from there more, and help you make some friends.
Call the boys and girls town national hotline. They might have some other ideas.
1-800-448-3000,
Reply:girl i know what you are going through. i switched cities in California. i gained some weight never lost it. i have an urge to itch my elbows. i don't got much friends and the ones i have i'm gonna lose them by going to a different high school. i want to go back to my old house and my old friends. i once wondered what would happen if i died, would anyone notice. did you think about getting a job. with the friends you have go to the beach, go swimming together have a waterballoon fight or something thats not pricey. by the way did you notice popular people are jerks and like to pick on others. i hope this helps
Reply:You seem like a very mature 13 year old! I do believe that no matter what is going on in your life now that you will succeed when you are older. You know not every wealthy man had it easy as a child or had everything they wanted either. Several ver famous, intelligent people had very rough childhoods. I am sorry to hear that you are so upset and feel so poorly about your homelife. I do think your future will be bright and you should truly keep the private school in mind. I wish you lots of luck and the very best. You have talent!!
I'm thirteen and I moved to Rhode Island a couple of years ago and my life turned into a nightmare. Everyone was wrong. I had weight problems but got rid of the extra poundage later on. But I still have almost no friends, no social life, no money, have skin problems, grey hairs, and a hefty amount of stress that I shouldn't have on my back. My parents have been an arranged marriage and have never liked each other so it's complete torture living with them. We are a fake, pathetic, family. I'm not allowed to spend or enjoy life because my dad claims "We have no money." We've never had enough money since I was born. I have to buy clothes and anything else I want besides food with my own money.
I hate the community where I live too. Everyone's rich and wastes money on completly useless things and jeer at me for having no money. Not to mention all of them fake, pathetic, gossips and backstabs their friends without a second of hesitation. The school is crap. Guidance counsler is also utter crap.
My house is an old old house that's extremly filthy and messy where almost everything is broken and is in need of fixing. My dad hasn't bothered to change the carpet in our basement even though it needs to be changed ever since our sewerage backed up in the basement and so our whole house smells like sewer because of the carpets.
I can't take anymore. I've have enough. I need to get away from home. Then I can truely be healthy again and happy. Living here with my parents is draining the life out of me. Does anyone have ideas that doesn't cost much or at least no money? Please don't mention "Run away". That's a terrible idea. I've applied to a private school neary by for a full scholarship but I probably won't get a full scholarship and will not be able to go. But even that's not far enough anymore. I'm thinking of studying abroad for my entire high school years but I'm not even sure that's possible. But I also need a full scholarship. Please don't tell me to go see a family counsler or go see a psychiatrist, because I dislike psychiartrists and my parents will refuse to see a marriage counsler/family counsler. I've begged my mom constantly to get a divorce but I know she wouldn't and never will because of the "traditional" Indian values and also because she believes divorce always messed up kids and she believes in "helping another human being in need."
I can't take this anymore! I need to get away from where I live. Please help!?
Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families
1-401-528-3548
1-401-462-2121
Reply:If you are living with you're parents then you need to get away from that and make a life of you're own. And you will when you are able and have completed school and decided to make something of yourself.
Right now you are under age. You are the responsibility of you're parents until you reach 18.
Instead of hating everything around you work with it and make it better for you. In all the bad there is good, you just have to want to see it.
See it. Make goals for yourself. Make those High School years better by putting all you're effort into making them work for you. These are important years and years that will help to mold the person you want to be.
Think about what you want to be and make goals. Look beyond the bad and see good. It is up to you.
Reply:All I can think of is a social worker, teacher, police department, or maybe child protective services. Maybe even a clergy person. It doesn't sound like a healthy place to be.
Reply:Make an anonymous call to the Health Department about the conditions in your house. That should get the ball rolling. At least they will get your father to fix up the house.
Reply:i can see helping someone but if the house is as bad as u say,then all u need to get out of there,i feel for you but 13 you have to stay,or is there any faimly somewhere else u can go,uncles,aunts,grandparents! try to go with relatives!
Reply:i think you should learn sth from steve jobs
stronger and happier
Reply:Truly your story is very sad. You could try boarding school, but I am not sure if they do scholarships. Try other family members. Or wait it out until you are able to have a job, and just start saving. And then get emancipated, which you have to show that you can live, work, and basically act like an adult. On your own. Really I wish i could help out more, but just stay strong through it all, the worst or a last resort is to be asked to be put up for adoption. I wish I could help, but I am afriad this is all I could do is give you advice.
Reply:Call the social services dept. They shall handle the rest.
Reply:youre 13. you cant really do that much. since you live at home, they kinda own you. try, and i mean TRY, to appreciate what little you have. it might be a crappy one, but its shelter. and im pretty sure they still clothe and feed you, even tho theyre not as fancy as rich people things around you. a lot of people have crappier lives, no homes, hungry, etc.
how bout relatives? the big brother/big sister program? getting adopted by another family? rich neighbors that might take you in? im sure not EVERY single one of the people around you are as bad as you say they are. if you insist on not seeing a counselor or pysch, call the cops or social services. if the government turns you down, then i dont know what to say except life just hates you..
Reply:You have a whole litany of problems. No one your age should have to cope with them. Do you have grandparents or other relatives you can trust to help you? If not, I would seek help from a Church. I know the Catholic Church or School is well known for helping young people in your type of situation.
Reply:1. You could try to report yourself to CPS for "unsanitary living conditions" and a social worker will visit the house. If you are indeed in filthy conditions, and the sewer carpets sound like a bio hazard or something, perhaps they will remove you from the home and put you in foster care. If they don't, your paents will be pretty mad for a while.
2. Ask to go live with a relative, if you have aunts and uncles or grandparents. Insist it is because that relative lives near an excellent school you want to attend or something like that. Being diplomatic and charming is the KEY to get them to agree to this.
3. Your idea for a scholarship for a boarding school was excellent. There is a scholarship program called "A Better Chance". check the website.
http://www.abetterchance.org/
4. Check into a foreign exchange studies program
5. Get an after school job babysitting, doing volunteer work, or joing a boys and girls club, or take on after school activities that will minimize the hours you have to spend at home. This will decrease your stress by getting you away from there more, and help you make some friends.
Call the boys and girls town national hotline. They might have some other ideas.
1-800-448-3000,
Reply:girl i know what you are going through. i switched cities in California. i gained some weight never lost it. i have an urge to itch my elbows. i don't got much friends and the ones i have i'm gonna lose them by going to a different high school. i want to go back to my old house and my old friends. i once wondered what would happen if i died, would anyone notice. did you think about getting a job. with the friends you have go to the beach, go swimming together have a waterballoon fight or something thats not pricey. by the way did you notice popular people are jerks and like to pick on others. i hope this helps
Reply:You seem like a very mature 13 year old! I do believe that no matter what is going on in your life now that you will succeed when you are older. You know not every wealthy man had it easy as a child or had everything they wanted either. Several ver famous, intelligent people had very rough childhoods. I am sorry to hear that you are so upset and feel so poorly about your homelife. I do think your future will be bright and you should truly keep the private school in mind. I wish you lots of luck and the very best. You have talent!!
Are Maternity clothes shrinking?
This is my second child, and my son is not even two. I have noticed a significant shrinking in maternity clothes since the last time and I only started this pregnancy 5 pounds heavier than I started the last one. I know that fitted tops and bottoms are said to flatter more than blousy things, but it's impossible to find things that aren't skin tight or are long enough so my belly isn't hanging out the bottom which I think it totally gross.
Does anyone else have this problem? Please tell me I'm not alone!
Are Maternity clothes shrinking?
Oh, I totally agree with you. I think they are made for these Hollywood body tyes. Women without curves, big butts of hips. I have so struggled with this. The clothes are just not flattering on a woman with curves. I am 5'5" and started out at 138 lbs. I am constantly having to pull my shirt down to keep my belly from hanging out the bottom, and I am buying size large. I have noticed that almost every shirt you pick up is cut just like a non-maternity shirt. The are cut with straight seams up and down with no flare at the belly. Right now about the only shirts I can wear are the polo type shirts from JCPenny.
Reply:Old Navy clothes have always had an issue I thought with shrinking, both maternity and non-maternity. That was in the wash.
But I had the belly issue too, that things werent long enough, and the ones that were were goofy looking.
Reply:Yes, styles have changed from hiding the pregnancy to showing it off. You could buy a bigger size (or if you sew, make your own).
Reply:Hi, I am having my first baby. I am 5 months pregnant now and I know what you mean. Its stylish now to show off your tummy and the smalls are not smalls they are super small in maternity wear. I am wearing a med or large already. So I cant wait to see my last few months of this. I have been using alot of my hubby tank tops and shirts for around the house. When I go out I wear decent fitting clothes. I am not going to make the baby uncomfortable with stuff that's too tight. Target and Walmart have decent clothes. Kohls pants fit me better but the tops do not. Boston Store doesn't even have a maternity section anymore how lame!
Reply:Yep I just recently gave birth to twins I ended up buying 2x t shirts to wear. One department store I went to told me they no longer carried maternity clothes - just buy the plus size stuff. It appears that the current style is to proudly display your bulging belly to the world. As in let it hang out or wear something that is skin tight.
Reply:I've noticed the same thing. My maternity clothes were fine until the last few weeks. Now I'm either constantly tugging on the bottom of my shirt to keep my belly covered or I just give up and wear hubby's clothes. Not nearly as cute, but I don't think showing off my pregnant belly is particularly cute either.
Reply:I'm petite and most of the tops are rather loose on me. But I did order a shirt from Motherhood.com that wasn't flattering at all. It was skin tight with runching on the side and seemed to put the focus all on my stomach. I'm a private person and don't like the idea of anyone staring at my baby belly or trying to touch it, which seems to be what it implies when you wear something so tight. Fashion changes, but there are plenty of empire-waisted styles that might better suit your taste. Good luck searching!
Reply:I'm pregnant with my first child %26amp; just to cover my huge baby belly (9lb baby + too much amnio fluid=BIG ... LoL) I've had to either borrow my husband's t-shirts or buy XL or XXL maternity shirts, which then fit very loosely everywhere other than my belly, then they are still almost skin tight there. I hate my belly hanging out the bottom! Most of the pants are made to go under the belly now(I can still get my size in maternity pre-pregnancy and fit those [sz 12] but the shirts are made to hang it seems right above the belly button- It drives me crazy! when I go out, I'm either pulling my shirt down a million times or pulling my pants up. :-) I actually found that most of the shirts I buy from Walmart seem to fit better, also Fashion Bug's seemed to fit well. I could actually buy a large in those and it wasn't even too tight on my belly. Good Luck... let us know if you find a good place to get clothes! maybe we can be more prepared next time :-)
Reply:I agree with you. I also think it's ridiculous how low-cut maternity clothes are...I can't find any shirts that don't show major cleavage (and my pregnancy has caused me to have double D cup boobs!!!) I really don't feel like having my breasts hang out constantly! I especially can't find appropriate clothes for work. EVERYTHING is so low cut or like you said, not long enough and my belly sticks out of the bottom! GRRRRRR....I miss real clothes!
dendrobium
Does anyone else have this problem? Please tell me I'm not alone!
Are Maternity clothes shrinking?
Oh, I totally agree with you. I think they are made for these Hollywood body tyes. Women without curves, big butts of hips. I have so struggled with this. The clothes are just not flattering on a woman with curves. I am 5'5" and started out at 138 lbs. I am constantly having to pull my shirt down to keep my belly from hanging out the bottom, and I am buying size large. I have noticed that almost every shirt you pick up is cut just like a non-maternity shirt. The are cut with straight seams up and down with no flare at the belly. Right now about the only shirts I can wear are the polo type shirts from JCPenny.
Reply:Old Navy clothes have always had an issue I thought with shrinking, both maternity and non-maternity. That was in the wash.
But I had the belly issue too, that things werent long enough, and the ones that were were goofy looking.
Reply:Yes, styles have changed from hiding the pregnancy to showing it off. You could buy a bigger size (or if you sew, make your own).
Reply:Hi, I am having my first baby. I am 5 months pregnant now and I know what you mean. Its stylish now to show off your tummy and the smalls are not smalls they are super small in maternity wear. I am wearing a med or large already. So I cant wait to see my last few months of this. I have been using alot of my hubby tank tops and shirts for around the house. When I go out I wear decent fitting clothes. I am not going to make the baby uncomfortable with stuff that's too tight. Target and Walmart have decent clothes. Kohls pants fit me better but the tops do not. Boston Store doesn't even have a maternity section anymore how lame!
Reply:Yep I just recently gave birth to twins I ended up buying 2x t shirts to wear. One department store I went to told me they no longer carried maternity clothes - just buy the plus size stuff. It appears that the current style is to proudly display your bulging belly to the world. As in let it hang out or wear something that is skin tight.
Reply:I've noticed the same thing. My maternity clothes were fine until the last few weeks. Now I'm either constantly tugging on the bottom of my shirt to keep my belly covered or I just give up and wear hubby's clothes. Not nearly as cute, but I don't think showing off my pregnant belly is particularly cute either.
Reply:I'm petite and most of the tops are rather loose on me. But I did order a shirt from Motherhood.com that wasn't flattering at all. It was skin tight with runching on the side and seemed to put the focus all on my stomach. I'm a private person and don't like the idea of anyone staring at my baby belly or trying to touch it, which seems to be what it implies when you wear something so tight. Fashion changes, but there are plenty of empire-waisted styles that might better suit your taste. Good luck searching!
Reply:I'm pregnant with my first child %26amp; just to cover my huge baby belly (9lb baby + too much amnio fluid=BIG ... LoL) I've had to either borrow my husband's t-shirts or buy XL or XXL maternity shirts, which then fit very loosely everywhere other than my belly, then they are still almost skin tight there. I hate my belly hanging out the bottom! Most of the pants are made to go under the belly now(I can still get my size in maternity pre-pregnancy and fit those [sz 12] but the shirts are made to hang it seems right above the belly button- It drives me crazy! when I go out, I'm either pulling my shirt down a million times or pulling my pants up. :-) I actually found that most of the shirts I buy from Walmart seem to fit better, also Fashion Bug's seemed to fit well. I could actually buy a large in those and it wasn't even too tight on my belly. Good Luck... let us know if you find a good place to get clothes! maybe we can be more prepared next time :-)
Reply:I agree with you. I also think it's ridiculous how low-cut maternity clothes are...I can't find any shirts that don't show major cleavage (and my pregnancy has caused me to have double D cup boobs!!!) I really don't feel like having my breasts hang out constantly! I especially can't find appropriate clothes for work. EVERYTHING is so low cut or like you said, not long enough and my belly sticks out of the bottom! GRRRRRR....I miss real clothes!
dendrobium
Again am i fat??? lol?
hahahaha so i just posted this question not too long ago and it was removed. LOL. apparently some people couldn't handle it. So i will try again. I have read to many post asking if I am fat.... Grls who smaller than me and people saying they are fat. I am 5'4 " and 140 lbs. Wear a size 5 in pants and med shirts. Had a kid a little over a year ago and am prego again with my second beauty! (Oh I am married to all you who want to comment on that). Check out my pictures and let me know what you think. I have blocked my face out so I dont care who sees. And this is no where near as much skin as i see on the beach so get over it if you dont like it I could have posted the other ones i have. I know I am not fat but lets see how many people think that this is fat.
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q155/...
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q155/...
Again am i fat??? lol?
NO YOU ARE NOT FAT! ITS JUST THAT NO MATTER WHAT GIRLS ALWAYS THINK THEY ARE FAT I HAVE A FRIEND KIND OF LIKE YOUR SIZE AND SHE IS ALWAYS SAYING SHE IS FAT SO I TELL HER LOOK AT ME IM FAT CAUSE IM REALLY FAT IM 5 FEET AND WEIGHT 175 SO JUST IMAGINE BUT BEFORE I HAD MY KIDS I WAS 125 THE BIGGEST WAS 128LBS SO I USED TO SAY I WAS FAT BUT NOW I WISH I WAS LIKE THAT AGAIN OH WELL BY THE WAY MY FRIEND HAS 3 KIDS AND SHE STILL LOOKS GOOD BUT OF COURSE SHE FEELS FAT SHE WEIGHTS 140 AND SHE IS TALL
CONGRATS ON KEEPING YOUR SHAPE AFTER YOUR FIRST CHILD AND GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR NEXT THEY ARE BLESSINGS
Reply:no you are not fat
Reply:no youre not fat.
Reply:No way! For having a kid, you look great!
Statistically, you're average.
Congratulations on your second pregnancy!
Reply:umm- your obviously not fat, lol
Reply:You are perfect. The real problem is some men like more or less meat on a woman's bones. Just because some men like their woman very skinny doesn't make a babe like you fat.
Reply:You aren't fat, and you aren't a photographer either. lol. :-) Take care.
Reply:Yes. Oh, wait, was the question "Am I a Guy"?
Reply:http://www.medgadget.com/archives/img/54...
Ask me again.
Reply:you know it! you know it! you so know it!
you are playing with your own mind....give me a fucke...break!
you are hot....curves,ttits,hass,and lots of body talk!
and what that extra 6 to 7 pounds out of NORMAL REASONABLE PREGNANCY results,give all of us a break,and GET REAL!
what exactly did you wanna hear...cause i don't play games...
is it that you are sexy,hot!!! you could just ask!
lucky husband.
Reply:Don't you think you could have posted a picture that one could have more easily determined what you are asking? I feel, based upon what I see, That you're not fat, but appear to have a few more pounds than you need, but then again, you're pregnant.
Reply:no your not fat cuz your pregonant
but if somebody was 5' 4 and not prego and never had a kid and weighed 140 i would have to say that that would be kinda overweight ( =
Reply:You are normal weight but closer to over wieght than normal
Reply:No. But you aren't any skinny duck, I think u look fine!
Reply:you look alright, just a little bit of belly thats all
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q155/...
http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q155/...
Again am i fat??? lol?
NO YOU ARE NOT FAT! ITS JUST THAT NO MATTER WHAT GIRLS ALWAYS THINK THEY ARE FAT I HAVE A FRIEND KIND OF LIKE YOUR SIZE AND SHE IS ALWAYS SAYING SHE IS FAT SO I TELL HER LOOK AT ME IM FAT CAUSE IM REALLY FAT IM 5 FEET AND WEIGHT 175 SO JUST IMAGINE BUT BEFORE I HAD MY KIDS I WAS 125 THE BIGGEST WAS 128LBS SO I USED TO SAY I WAS FAT BUT NOW I WISH I WAS LIKE THAT AGAIN OH WELL BY THE WAY MY FRIEND HAS 3 KIDS AND SHE STILL LOOKS GOOD BUT OF COURSE SHE FEELS FAT SHE WEIGHTS 140 AND SHE IS TALL
CONGRATS ON KEEPING YOUR SHAPE AFTER YOUR FIRST CHILD AND GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR NEXT THEY ARE BLESSINGS
Reply:no you are not fat
Reply:no youre not fat.
Reply:No way! For having a kid, you look great!
Statistically, you're average.
Congratulations on your second pregnancy!
Reply:umm- your obviously not fat, lol
Reply:You are perfect. The real problem is some men like more or less meat on a woman's bones. Just because some men like their woman very skinny doesn't make a babe like you fat.
Reply:You aren't fat, and you aren't a photographer either. lol. :-) Take care.
Reply:Yes. Oh, wait, was the question "Am I a Guy"?
Reply:http://www.medgadget.com/archives/img/54...
Ask me again.
Reply:you know it! you know it! you so know it!
you are playing with your own mind....give me a fucke...break!
you are hot....curves,ttits,hass,and lots of body talk!
and what that extra 6 to 7 pounds out of NORMAL REASONABLE PREGNANCY results,give all of us a break,and GET REAL!
what exactly did you wanna hear...cause i don't play games...
is it that you are sexy,hot!!! you could just ask!
lucky husband.
Reply:Don't you think you could have posted a picture that one could have more easily determined what you are asking? I feel, based upon what I see, That you're not fat, but appear to have a few more pounds than you need, but then again, you're pregnant.
Reply:no your not fat cuz your pregonant
but if somebody was 5' 4 and not prego and never had a kid and weighed 140 i would have to say that that would be kinda overweight ( =
Reply:You are normal weight but closer to over wieght than normal
Reply:No. But you aren't any skinny duck, I think u look fine!
Reply:you look alright, just a little bit of belly thats all
Still searching for Carlos Varel...from the Bronx?
Carlos Varel..approximately 42 years of age, 5'9'' beautiful black hair, brown sexy eyes and fair skin. He went to Automotive H S. in the early 80'sI met him on the platform of the L train at Bedford Avenue, in brooklyn, NY. He was the best thing that happened to me and like a fool I let him slip away. I don't know if I've lost him forever, but I'd like a second chance.
Still searching for Carlos Varel...from the Bronx?
try his family
mutual friends
searchforfriends.com
Still searching for Carlos Varel...from the Bronx?
try his family
mutual friends
searchforfriends.com
I have a question about cold sores?
my fiance thinks i might have a cold sore but im not sure. its on my mouth in the corner. and this is i think the second time ive gotten on in the past few weeks. its always when im at my mother in laws house and my allergies are bothering me and my lips are really chapped, and i have a habit of picking the dead skin off my lips. is it true cold sores are std's? i've only been with the same guy for the past couple years. could it have anything to do with being on birth control...like a side effect or something conteracting with other meds? what can i do to stop this? whatever it is?
I have a question about cold sores?
Cold sores are just that... a cold sore... it is a form of std but dont worry about it. Everyone gets them. There are several types of Stds. Dont get yourself worked up over it. Next time you go to the doctor mention it to him maybe he can tell you what is making yours flare up at certain times or like you said could be allergies. All kinds of things can cause them even bad diets, with no veggies. the cold, allergies, if you keep getting them often you should go to the doctor to see what is causing them. When you feel one starting up put ice on it, and take vitamins E and C.
Reply:Stop kissing him!
Reply:There is a BIG difference between what you have and a cold sore! It could be a cold sore...but I bet it isn't. I think it is just as you said from dry, cracked lips! Cold sores are a form of herpes which is an std. But if you want to be sure you need to see a Dr.
Reply:Cold sores are caused by a virus. It's NOT an std. It has nothing to do with your medications.
What happens is, when you're stressed, they tend to flare up and it's very possible to develop them within weeks of each other.
If these are cold sores, your doctor can prescribe "Valtrex" to control them. Once you have the virus, it will always be in your system.
Go see your doctor to find out if this is what you have.
Reply:a cold sore is a form of an std. it's either simplex 1 or 2 compared to genital herpes. if you think you have one DO NOT do anything sexual to yourself or your husband because it can be transmitted into gential herpes. yes it's true you can give yourself genital herpes if you're not careful with your cold sore. they have no association with birth control. you may also have very chapped lips. buy a lip mosturizer and apply it when needed. if you're lip symptoms still exist go see a doctor.
Reply:HSV type 1 most commonly infects the mouth and lips, causing sores known as fever blisters or cold sores. It is also an important cause of sores to the genitals.
HSV type 2 is the usual cause of genital herpes, but it also can infect the mouth.
The virus lays dormant under the skin until your immune system lowers which causes a flare-up. Stress (i.e. in-laws) can affect the immune system. When I have a cold sore I don't perform oral sex until it's resolved.
OTC medications oral and topical work fine, which one depends on personal preferrence. I just use the L-Lysine diet supplement which lowers the severity of my sores. All sores last 10-14 days. If it lasts longer than 2 wks get is checked out by the dentist. If the sore or sores prevent you from eating you can use OTC agents like orajel to numb the area or see the dentist who can rx you a "viscous lidocaine" which is the same numbing agent the dentist use to numb you for procedures.
I also have a habit of "tearing" at the sore and/or biting my lips to take off the dead skin. I try not to at the time of an outbreak to prevent the sore from spreading.
Reply:Herpes viruses are contagious. Contact may occur directly, or through contact with infected razors, towels, dishes, and other shared articles.
Diagnosis is made on the basis of the appearance or culture of the lesion. Examination may also show enlargement of lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Viral culture or Tzanck test of the skin lesion may reveal the herpes simplex virus.
Please see the webpages for more details and images on Herpes labialis and Herpes simplex.
I have a question about cold sores?
Cold sores are just that... a cold sore... it is a form of std but dont worry about it. Everyone gets them. There are several types of Stds. Dont get yourself worked up over it. Next time you go to the doctor mention it to him maybe he can tell you what is making yours flare up at certain times or like you said could be allergies. All kinds of things can cause them even bad diets, with no veggies. the cold, allergies, if you keep getting them often you should go to the doctor to see what is causing them. When you feel one starting up put ice on it, and take vitamins E and C.
Reply:Stop kissing him!
Reply:There is a BIG difference between what you have and a cold sore! It could be a cold sore...but I bet it isn't. I think it is just as you said from dry, cracked lips! Cold sores are a form of herpes which is an std. But if you want to be sure you need to see a Dr.
Reply:Cold sores are caused by a virus. It's NOT an std. It has nothing to do with your medications.
What happens is, when you're stressed, they tend to flare up and it's very possible to develop them within weeks of each other.
If these are cold sores, your doctor can prescribe "Valtrex" to control them. Once you have the virus, it will always be in your system.
Go see your doctor to find out if this is what you have.
Reply:a cold sore is a form of an std. it's either simplex 1 or 2 compared to genital herpes. if you think you have one DO NOT do anything sexual to yourself or your husband because it can be transmitted into gential herpes. yes it's true you can give yourself genital herpes if you're not careful with your cold sore. they have no association with birth control. you may also have very chapped lips. buy a lip mosturizer and apply it when needed. if you're lip symptoms still exist go see a doctor.
Reply:HSV type 1 most commonly infects the mouth and lips, causing sores known as fever blisters or cold sores. It is also an important cause of sores to the genitals.
HSV type 2 is the usual cause of genital herpes, but it also can infect the mouth.
The virus lays dormant under the skin until your immune system lowers which causes a flare-up. Stress (i.e. in-laws) can affect the immune system. When I have a cold sore I don't perform oral sex until it's resolved.
OTC medications oral and topical work fine, which one depends on personal preferrence. I just use the L-Lysine diet supplement which lowers the severity of my sores. All sores last 10-14 days. If it lasts longer than 2 wks get is checked out by the dentist. If the sore or sores prevent you from eating you can use OTC agents like orajel to numb the area or see the dentist who can rx you a "viscous lidocaine" which is the same numbing agent the dentist use to numb you for procedures.
I also have a habit of "tearing" at the sore and/or biting my lips to take off the dead skin. I try not to at the time of an outbreak to prevent the sore from spreading.
Reply:Herpes viruses are contagious. Contact may occur directly, or through contact with infected razors, towels, dishes, and other shared articles.
Diagnosis is made on the basis of the appearance or culture of the lesion. Examination may also show enlargement of lymph nodes in the neck or groin. Viral culture or Tzanck test of the skin lesion may reveal the herpes simplex virus.
Please see the webpages for more details and images on Herpes labialis and Herpes simplex.
What do you think??
The wind whipped around me. The fall leaves turned into sharp cats claws, clawing at my skin. The sound deafened me as ran towards the storm cellar. It was so dark, I couldn’t even see the door handle. As I groped my way across the door I felt a sharp pain go through the back of my head. I reached my hand back and felt something sticky. Oh crap! I thought to my self………………. Finally! I had found the handle. I pulled with all my strength but it wouldn’t budge. It was getting darker and louder by the second.
“ I know I haven’t prayed in along time but please, God, please help me.” I prayed and cried at the same time.
I pulled and pulled. Finally it opened. I threw my body forward with all the strength I had. I just made it through the door, slammed it shut, and locked it. The last thing I remember is rushing up to meet the ground.
What do you think of the beginning??? Be honest.
What do you think??
I think it's really descriptive and well-written, however.....be careful of that last line----it sounds too close to a line in "The Outsiders". Don't want promising writers to get in trouble....Okay, that' sounds good too....nice and poetic. The last line instantly reminded me of "The Outsiders". I just don't want you slapped with a plagarisim lawsuit when you are just starting off your career....
broadleaf
“ I know I haven’t prayed in along time but please, God, please help me.” I prayed and cried at the same time.
I pulled and pulled. Finally it opened. I threw my body forward with all the strength I had. I just made it through the door, slammed it shut, and locked it. The last thing I remember is rushing up to meet the ground.
What do you think of the beginning??? Be honest.
What do you think??
I think it's really descriptive and well-written, however.....be careful of that last line----it sounds too close to a line in "The Outsiders". Don't want promising writers to get in trouble....Okay, that' sounds good too....nice and poetic. The last line instantly reminded me of "The Outsiders". I just don't want you slapped with a plagarisim lawsuit when you are just starting off your career....
broadleaf
Is it possible to be pregnant and not know for a few months?
Ok. I know this sounds dumb.(Especially since I've had a child) I feel dumb but I want opinions before I freak and see my doc. I've had some nausua, my belly is slowly getting bigger (but I'm not gaining weight anywhere else and have only gained 5 pounds and my belly is kinda firm) I am normally slim and my family has asked if i'm pregnant. I have been very tired. (Like I was w/ my first pregnancy) Periods have been weird and lighter than usual. Have had weird cravings (like I did before) My skin and nails are changing. I've had to pee alot. And I have had unprotected sex. I'm having periods but light ones. I have heard of people having periods till like the last trimester of pregnancy. And recently I swear i have felt fluttering in my stomach. (Don't get cheesy w that either!) The kind of movement I felt with my son. What do you think? I know on your second pregnancy you feel things sooner and every pregnancy is different. Should see my doc?
Is it possible to be pregnant and not know for a few months?
You sound very pregnant to me. My mum never found out she was pregnant with my younger sister until she was 5 months. She done 3 home pregnancy test and they all came back negative and went the docs 3 times and the doctor said she wasn't (she knew she was because she had 5 children before this one). Finally she went the docs a fourth time and she said 'oh my god yes you are' and told her she was 5 months gone. So i would definatly do a test and go the docs so you can sort out a scan and other things.
Congratulations (if you are) and Good Luck!!
Reply:Yes. you can be pregnant and not realize it.
See your doctor.
Reply:you dont get a period, you can have early pregnancy bleeding and i had it with my first pregnancy so i didnt find out i was pregnant till i was 12 weeks along.... my flow was off, lighter, and just different so i went to the doctors and did a pee test.... its very possible for you to be so just go buy a test.
Reply:I think you should take a home preg test and then see your doc. it is very possible for you to be preg and not know. one of my friends didnt find out till she was nearly 7 months with her 2nd! You are right alot of women do get period throughout their preg so dont know but as your periods have been different and you feeling symptoms, take a test. Good luck!
Reply:All those symptoms sound like you are pregnant! You can be pregnant and not know it. My friend was 5 months and then realized she was pregnant! Go take a pregnancy test to confim that your pregnant or not! I'd suggest seeing a doctor then if the test shows up positive!
Good Luck!
Reply:Definitely see your Dr! You know your body best. Crazy as it sounds...my best friend was over 6 months pregnant when she found out. She was in the Army and always moving and active so she never felt the baby move!! YIKES! She had to give the baby up for adoption because she was still in the Army and wasn't ready to have a baby in 3 months.
Reply:i did nto knwo i was pregnant until i was about 11 weeks or so- i still had what i thoguth were periods but they were very light- thats what amde me test- i also got a sick feeling every time i tried to eat meats- if i were you i would test
Reply:I know a girl who didn't know she was pregnant till 30 weeks because her 'periods' were still turning up and her belly never actually got any bigger till 35 weeks the only reason she found out she was pregnant was because she kept fainting and the Dr's had no idea why. What I would suggest is to take a home pregnancy test and see what it comes up with, if it's a negative I would still suggest going to the Dr's and asking for a blood test just to rule pregnancy out. From the symptoms it sounds like pregnancy to me but only a test can confirm it! good luckx
Reply:I say go to your doctor to be sure cause after your 1st pregnancy you do seem to have some of the same feelings way after the baby born and that might be fear that u could be again. and yes it is very possible to not know you're pregnant not for me cause so far both my pregnancy i was sick as a dog but a had a friend that was on the shot and she got pregnant but she didnt know till she was 6mos and she had 3 other kids i will never forget the day she told me she was so surpised but she deal with it good i just being a mother of 3 most things dont phase you lol. good luck and go to the doctor to make sure.
Reply:Dear Friend, I hope this helps. -Sincerely, Runner
Pregnancy Signs for Teens
If you are a teenage girl engaged in sexual activities, there is a chance you may be pregnant. The pregnancy signs for teens do not differ much from the signs and symptoms of pregnancy in adult women. While the following signs and symptoms may help a teenager determine if she may be pregnant, the only way to know for certain is to have your pregnancy diagnosed by a doctor. However, before seeing a doctor, you may also take a pregnancy test. These tests are usually up to 99% accurate.
If you think you may be pregnant, you may talk to one of our female consultants by calling 1-800-395-HELP. Our consultants are available at all hours to answer your questions and to connect you to a local center that offers free pregnancy tests and other pregnancy services. You may also search our online database of pregnancy centers to find help in your area.
Early Signs of Teen Pregnancy
There are many pregnancy signs for teens. In some cases these early signs of teen pregnancy may occur for reasons other than pregnancy. For example, if a teen is unusually stressed or active, she may experience one or more pregnancy signs common in teens. Early signs and symptoms of teen pregnancy include:
a missed period
nausea or vomiting
frequent urination
tenderness and fullness of breasts
fatigue
changes in appetite
Although taking a pregnancy test is the most common way a woman tells she is pregnant before seeking a medical diagnosis, these early signs are worth noting. Things like stress or activity levels can create many of these signs, including delaying a menstrual period or causing fatigue or changes in appetite.
Later Signs of Teen Pregnancy
As a pregnancy progresses, the signs and symptoms become more pronounced and harder for teens to miss. Some of these pregnancy signs include:
an enlargement of the abdomen
weight gain or loss
aches such as backaches or headaches
quickening (feeling of fetal movement)
pregnancy mask
food cravings
Trained medical personnel can also detect additional signs and symptoms of pregnancy with a physical exam and other procedures such as an ultrasound. These signs and symptoms include changes in the size and shape of the uterus, changes in the cervix, or fetal heart signs or movements.
If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these pregnancy signs, you can get free, confidential help by calling 1-800-395-HELP.
Is it possible to be pregnant and not know for a few months?
You sound very pregnant to me. My mum never found out she was pregnant with my younger sister until she was 5 months. She done 3 home pregnancy test and they all came back negative and went the docs 3 times and the doctor said she wasn't (she knew she was because she had 5 children before this one). Finally she went the docs a fourth time and she said 'oh my god yes you are' and told her she was 5 months gone. So i would definatly do a test and go the docs so you can sort out a scan and other things.
Congratulations (if you are) and Good Luck!!
Reply:Yes. you can be pregnant and not realize it.
See your doctor.
Reply:you dont get a period, you can have early pregnancy bleeding and i had it with my first pregnancy so i didnt find out i was pregnant till i was 12 weeks along.... my flow was off, lighter, and just different so i went to the doctors and did a pee test.... its very possible for you to be so just go buy a test.
Reply:I think you should take a home preg test and then see your doc. it is very possible for you to be preg and not know. one of my friends didnt find out till she was nearly 7 months with her 2nd! You are right alot of women do get period throughout their preg so dont know but as your periods have been different and you feeling symptoms, take a test. Good luck!
Reply:All those symptoms sound like you are pregnant! You can be pregnant and not know it. My friend was 5 months and then realized she was pregnant! Go take a pregnancy test to confim that your pregnant or not! I'd suggest seeing a doctor then if the test shows up positive!
Good Luck!
Reply:Definitely see your Dr! You know your body best. Crazy as it sounds...my best friend was over 6 months pregnant when she found out. She was in the Army and always moving and active so she never felt the baby move!! YIKES! She had to give the baby up for adoption because she was still in the Army and wasn't ready to have a baby in 3 months.
Reply:i did nto knwo i was pregnant until i was about 11 weeks or so- i still had what i thoguth were periods but they were very light- thats what amde me test- i also got a sick feeling every time i tried to eat meats- if i were you i would test
Reply:I know a girl who didn't know she was pregnant till 30 weeks because her 'periods' were still turning up and her belly never actually got any bigger till 35 weeks the only reason she found out she was pregnant was because she kept fainting and the Dr's had no idea why. What I would suggest is to take a home pregnancy test and see what it comes up with, if it's a negative I would still suggest going to the Dr's and asking for a blood test just to rule pregnancy out. From the symptoms it sounds like pregnancy to me but only a test can confirm it! good luckx
Reply:I say go to your doctor to be sure cause after your 1st pregnancy you do seem to have some of the same feelings way after the baby born and that might be fear that u could be again. and yes it is very possible to not know you're pregnant not for me cause so far both my pregnancy i was sick as a dog but a had a friend that was on the shot and she got pregnant but she didnt know till she was 6mos and she had 3 other kids i will never forget the day she told me she was so surpised but she deal with it good i just being a mother of 3 most things dont phase you lol. good luck and go to the doctor to make sure.
Reply:Dear Friend, I hope this helps. -Sincerely, Runner
Pregnancy Signs for Teens
If you are a teenage girl engaged in sexual activities, there is a chance you may be pregnant. The pregnancy signs for teens do not differ much from the signs and symptoms of pregnancy in adult women. While the following signs and symptoms may help a teenager determine if she may be pregnant, the only way to know for certain is to have your pregnancy diagnosed by a doctor. However, before seeing a doctor, you may also take a pregnancy test. These tests are usually up to 99% accurate.
If you think you may be pregnant, you may talk to one of our female consultants by calling 1-800-395-HELP. Our consultants are available at all hours to answer your questions and to connect you to a local center that offers free pregnancy tests and other pregnancy services. You may also search our online database of pregnancy centers to find help in your area.
Early Signs of Teen Pregnancy
There are many pregnancy signs for teens. In some cases these early signs of teen pregnancy may occur for reasons other than pregnancy. For example, if a teen is unusually stressed or active, she may experience one or more pregnancy signs common in teens. Early signs and symptoms of teen pregnancy include:
a missed period
nausea or vomiting
frequent urination
tenderness and fullness of breasts
fatigue
changes in appetite
Although taking a pregnancy test is the most common way a woman tells she is pregnant before seeking a medical diagnosis, these early signs are worth noting. Things like stress or activity levels can create many of these signs, including delaying a menstrual period or causing fatigue or changes in appetite.
Later Signs of Teen Pregnancy
As a pregnancy progresses, the signs and symptoms become more pronounced and harder for teens to miss. Some of these pregnancy signs include:
an enlargement of the abdomen
weight gain or loss
aches such as backaches or headaches
quickening (feeling of fetal movement)
pregnancy mask
food cravings
Trained medical personnel can also detect additional signs and symptoms of pregnancy with a physical exam and other procedures such as an ultrasound. These signs and symptoms include changes in the size and shape of the uterus, changes in the cervix, or fetal heart signs or movements.
If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these pregnancy signs, you can get free, confidential help by calling 1-800-395-HELP.
I've got enough evidence to uncover the facts. What do you think? (click here if you have 10 minutes or so)
Some people may like this.You're not gonna find this information anywhere else.I'm uncovering the secrets! (I've also provided evidence and have fixed the news link)
Special thanks to my American friend who helped me proofread my writing.
I believe that if you spend 5-10 minutes reading this essay, you will be better informed than if you listen to a lifetime's worth of Major Media news. I've just turned 19 and I'm a university student studying English who just cannot sit back and let the lies fly unchallenged.
This article has two parts:
1. Cultural and general info
2. Political info.
Note: I've explained all the things that you always talk about, so read it all plz! (Anytime you like!) Specially the political part! Any answers before reading the whole thing will prove to be wrong.
****
Hi. I'm an Iranian who has spent his life in Iran.When I chat with people from other countries, I am shocked to see how totally wrong their ideas are about Iran. I wrote this article in an attempt to help correct those ideas.
The first thing America, and the West in general, accuses our government of is that we don't allow personal freedoms. Actually, Iranians disobey laws they don't like as much as anyone. But come on, there are only a few restrictions.It's cool over here. People here do whatever they wish to! Many strict rules in other countries don't even exist in Iran. Also, you should understand that what may seem so normal to you, may be a nightmare for us and vise versa. That's why you don't understand a few of Iran's laws because some of them are based on our culture. You look at our country from "your own point of view"! In Iran every single house has a sattelite dish. Sattelite television has a serious influence on our people, and Iranians wear very fashionable clothing. Maybe it is a kind of imitation, but we still have our own unique Iranian style (I'm talking about public places, in our privacy there's no difference). A visitor might wonder if this is a country or a fantasy pageant of beauty queens! Almost women wear half their their hair out, and make-up and fashionable clothing are everywhere.(I ignore a few fuddy-duddies though!) Iran is one of the super-consumers of cosmetics. You would be surprised to see the difference between what you imagine and what Iran really is!
In my view, everything is great, if you ignore unemployment, inflation and air pollution. They're common problems around the world today! Also, you can't compare Iran today with the Iran you remember. The Shah and the Iatollah Khomini are both some 30 years in the past! 70% of Iran's population is a new generation (Under age 30) without the biases of the past and we've transformed everything.
Ever heard Iranian girls are terrific?I've collected some photos showing Iranian girls! Look! Poeple are like this!
http://www.salijoon.ir/bazigar/hedye%20t...
http://www.30nema.com/images/gallery/30n...
http://i10.tinypic.com/4clk3us.jpg
Americanised Iranian girl? Nope, everyone's like that, but this one's inside the car! Naughty girls do anything! http://tinypic.com/2d0nfao.jpg Enough proof?
Some people think women don't have any rights in Iran. But in my view, women are overrunning the place. But that's not a bad thing. They're very respectful, and they've been the winners in so many cases: They get into the best universities because they're very smart. And they get the best jobs because they can do so many of them better than men. They've got Islamic rights, and that has in some cases made it difficult for men to marry them, because husbands are supposed to buy them expensive things and treat them very well, otherwise women have the right to ask a great amount of money (called Mehr) according to the law, which most husbands cannot afford, so men will be imprisoned.The only thing that women are not allowed to do in Iran is getting into public football stadiums and that's because such places are full of cheeky guys. They do anything from taking part in rallies to singing pop songs.Anything! I've put a sample here. I feel foolish for sitting here explaining ordinary things to you.
Another funny thing: Your footage about stoning the women who have committed adultery. Have you ever asked yourselves how many years ago that footage related to? Are they balck and white or colourful? But in one case (related to many years ago) the thing that had happened was incest not adultery.We think being punished for corruption is good, as it deters people from doing that and the society will be far healthier than the countries in which commiting such things is considered to be normal! For your information, most of those footages are from Afghanistan which was ruled by freaks (Taliban). What exactly makes you think women are treated differently?The way they were/are treated in Saudi Arabia? Try to think of the racism in your country too. There's no perfect country!
Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are --------- SEPERATE COUNTRIES! --------- Even within Iran, 60% of us are Persian and 30% are Turkish! Iran is a normal country like any other in the world. The point is, there's nothing mysterious about us! The Media are very good at creating really scary stuff: "IRAN BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS!!!" "IRAN UNDERCOVER!!!" Some of that garbage would be enough to scare ME away! But in truth, Iranians are far more open-minded than you have been led to believe.
There are lots of Iranians today who are geniuses and scientists, and are all under age 25. For instance a 17 year old boy has invented 72 amazing inventions. Every year a special scientific compeition is held here and students assemble to show off hundreds of inventions. Iranian students and sportsmen win gold and silver medals in different competitions in the world all the time, in robotics, biology, maths, physics, sports, anything! Why don't the Media talk about them? Please don't summarize our nation and culture with the single word "nuclear". Although we're proud of this achievement because we believe that having nuclear energy means that a country is developed.Did you know that the countries having the highest number of scientists in the world are in this order? 1-India 2-Korea 3-Iran
A few months ago Iran uncovered the most effective anti-H.I.V medicine. I searched for news of that on the internet, but there was no single sign of it.Now, I found it among the English news: "The medicine is produced from herbs using nano technology" The link to read about it is: http://www.payvand.com/news/07/feb/1032....
The Media are unjust. They never talk about facts!
Some interesting facts:
Iran is a pioneer in medicine and genetics, and Iranian surgeons have found lots of new methods for treating spinal defects, and many diseases (mainly the treatment for different types of cancer) and the best brain and heart surgeons are Iranian. The head of the Mars Mission in NASA is Iranian. One of the best designers of sports cars working in Germany is Iranian. Some of the best 3D animators are Iranian. Iran is one of the best countries in counter-engineering. Holds the second place in building dams and in loads of other things! It's one of the top countries in bio-technology and nano-technology. The 4th highest tower in the world (Milad tower) is in Tehran (visit it at this link from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Milad... ). 51 of the top 100 universities in the Mid-East are in Iran, and they're among the top universities of the world as well. The champion weight-lifter, a woman, and a song by one of the pop singers who/which won the nobel peace prize are Iranians. Lots of Iranians win nobel prizes specially in the field of medicine. Iranian girls are famous for being terrific. We have Persian rugs and Persian literature, many Persian poets, artists and scientists that are world famous. Iranian culture is now westernized and only a little of the ancient culture has survived. According to statistics Tehran is the cheapest capital city in the world (one Dollar =about 950 Tomans! For example you can buy windows vista for 1 Dollar here instead of 700 Dollars!!! or 3 supper pizzas for 10 Dollars!!!wow!) There are many other things. How many pages would you need to describe a country? Iran has nearly all the industries and technologies found in 'developed' countries. Oh, and we have four seasons! (Some people think it never snows here! We get a lot of snow and there are skating rinks! lol) The list is endless.
News: "Iranian scientists managed to make human teeth grow after you've lost them using basic cells" I'm gonna introduce Iran's international news website to you (Press TV) which was established recently. It's fully in English. In the "Sic / Tech" section you'll always see Iran's discoveries. The address is: http://www.presstv.ir/news.aspx Press TV news: Iranian scientists have registered more than 4800 inventions during the last Iranian calendar year of 1385 (April 21 2006-April 20, 2007). 4800 inventions in just one year!
Some charactristics of Iranians would be:
Negative: We are proud, greedy, hard-working (for ourselves), not punctual, impatient, and lazy at doing our duty well, crazy about luxuries and thus extravagant! Highly competitive and ambitious.
Positive: intelligent, a bit idealistic, well-dressed, formal, well-educated, warm and friendly, hospitable.
Some people think Iran is a desert! Well, it is, if you consider California, New Mexico, Utah, Arkansas, and Alabama a desert. We share the same latitude. Iran is a modern country with breathtakingly beautiful nature and lots of historic places to visit. Please take a look at the following links to see if Iran looks like what you think or not! This is a photo of Tehran (Awesome, Isn't it?): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran
If you like you can visit these too, hundreds of pretty photos from the cities, nature and historic places: (It's like a free tour!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hills...
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...
http://www.bigsoccer.com:80/forum/showth...
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthrea...
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthrea...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran
Some people think music is forbidden in Iran. Did you know that Iranian music was chosen as the best pop in France in 2005? All Iranian songs are current pop / DJ music. I send Iranian music to my American and Canadian chat friends and they all say they're some of the best songs they've ever heard.
Here's a sample of the latest hits from two official Iranian music websites.You can just right click on the links below and choose "Save Target As" to download them.I guess you'll fall for it! The translation of the songs is here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
1.(You know this: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...
2.(Hold my hand: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...
3.(The wetness of your eyes: 2006) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...
4.(I just want you: 2003) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...
5.(The rain: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...
6.(The window: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...
7.(Keep me in your memory: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...
8.(Farangis "A female name" 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...
9.(The distance: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusi...
10.(Sunrise: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusi...
11.(Stop world:2006) http://www.sarzaminmusic.com/Sarzaminmus...
12.(You can't: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...
13.(The wind's kiss: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...
14.(Reveal your visage: 2004) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...
15.(What would have happened if : 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...
And so on and on!
It's now 2007 and most people still think we are uneducated people living in deserts, riding camels and carrying around guns!
Let's clarify some political issues as well: Some of the Americans think that president Ahmadinejad hates the U.S and Israel and wants to nuke them!! The Media are good at putting lying comments out there. I really don't get the point why our politicians defame themselves by talking about things that have got nothing to do with us. For example does verbal defence of Palestinians cause them to have a better life? The thing is that they occasionally make some statements that the media would misuse it against Iran. For example they pick up some specific phrases of a long speech (without refering to the main points and reasons for that speech) and put so many bad comments on that. No sane person would take such nonsense at face value.
First of all, Iranians don't hate anyone. If our government complains about some injustice going on in the world, it's not bad, is it? (Although what we want from them is to shut up and not get us into trouble by talking about things that are none of our concern) We hate neither Jews nor Americans. I love Americans, otherwise why would I talk to them?! How would our guys dream of America, want to be like them as much as possible, and hate them at the same time?! SECRET: Iranians are the only people in the Mid-East that are pro-American! Being agaisnt the U.S policies is a different story!I've got to say that for Iran, Israel is not equal with Jews! Israel is a gov't. Jews are faithful people! A few of them live here in our neighbourhood and they live just like the rest of Iranians. No difference. And two of Iran's parliment members are Jews. Who says we want to force others to convert to Islam? Have you ever found a Muslim knocking at your door asking you to do so?
Christians and Jews are both God-believers and respectful to us. In Iran, religion is one of the least important factors. Where you come from and what your religion is are not important to us at all.
I wonder who Iran is really a threat to. Is it logical to say someone's guilty because we THINK / PREDICT that he's going to do something wrong? And they repeat the same "nuclear weapons" tosh over and over and brainwash people! Correction! It's "nuclear energy". Besides, how many "nuclear weapons" do they have themselves? Hundreds of thousands? Has Iran ever attacked any countries? No. Has it developed any nukes? No! That's what nuclear agency says. Only Iran's opponents are pulling Iran's leg and what they say is of no credit. It's just based on political conflicts. What we're doing is legal. What they ask us to do (ignoring our international rights) is illegal. Iran is a peaceful country. Why? It's the regional super-power and if she wanted, she could easily invade the countries in our neibourhood just like what Saddam did to our country, but as you see Iran has peaceful relations with all of them.
Some people say he said: Israel should be wiped off the map! (I wish he could just shut up!)But have they told you the rest of his speech and that why he's said this at all? You know that it's a passive sentence. He's never said that IRAN wants to wipe Israel off the map! He wasn't talking about destroying Israel at all. He was talking about relocating Israel, so that they could live seperate from Palestinians and they could both live in peace. They've only told you this phrase not the whole thing and it's mistranslated intentionally. Iran has always defended itself, but it's not an offensive country.
Some say he's said: "The Holocaust is a myth!" Again, this is a single phrase taken from a long speech and there are totally logical reasons for saying so. If 6,000,000 Jews were killed, that's terrible, but 300,000 Shiite Moslems killed by Saddam aren't important at all? Over 650,000 Iraqi people are killed and that's not important?! When Fox News simply says that America and Israel are capable of destroying and killing Iran's population of 69,000,000 within two weeks, it's OK and no one says they're threatening other countries to nuke them (I saw this with my own eyes on the Fox News website) Millions of people killed in Afghanistan, Hiroshima %26amp; Nagasaki and the Vietnam war are not considered human beings at all! Now I think you'd get the point why he's IRONICALLY said it's a myth. Moreover, don't you believe in freedom of speech/mind? I'd judge people by their ACTIONS rather than by what they say / their religion / race / culture and the colour of their skin!
Obviously, some countries are using Iran as a scapegoat to put the blame (for their own faults) on. And what country is better than Iran to be a scapegoat? The whole world believes that Iran isn't a peaceful country.
This part is just for Americans who would still argue over unimportant things: Those of you who say why Iran says "Death to America":
1. 'America' to us means the U.S govt, not the people. How do you expect Iranians to mean "American people" when our media admires Americans for marching and holding up "no war" placards?!
2. The new generation don't say such things and if some of them occasionally march in the streets that's because some of the stupid guys enjoy making noise and they mainly go out there to meet their girlfriends/boyfriends! Strange. Isn't it?
3. Such mottos are not just said in Iran and as you know whatever you hear is a response to the U.S govt's terrible actions which has made life for many people hell (You wouldn't deny that attacking countries is a mistake. right?)
4. The U.S gov't helped Saddam attack Iran and I hope you know which country gave Iraq biological weapons which killed lots of Iranians.
5. America hit an Iranian airplane over the Persian Gulf and killed 200 passengers for no reason.
6. America places sanctions on Iran, promotes a false image of Iran and Iranians, scares tourists away, and harms our economy, development and credit. To what purpose?
When you call Ahmadinejad a nutcase for what he's said, what do you call Bush for his actions? I mean it's a good idea to consider what Bush is doing to the world with his wrong decisions and lies. Bush is powerful and influencial, but Ahmadinejad is nothing.He's even failed to control the inflation.
To those who are upset with American hostages taken for 444 days:
1. Firstly, It's related to so many years ago and it's almost a part of history, and don't forget that when there's a revolution, there'd be chaos and people may do things that they should not, moreover they're all alive and healthy. Aren't they?
2.The U.S has arrested Iranian diplomats in Iraq and had tortured the one who was freed. Poor British sailors were detained by the English gov't just for saying that they were treated well in Iran and that Iranians were logical people (They said these when they were on England's soil!) They were PREVENTED from releasing their memoirs by England! Now you decide who has the right to be upset with whom. How do you believe in their lies about politics when they hide both the most and the least important things from you considering the fact that politics is the world of lies in its nature?!!! Considering all this, you'd probably be able to GUESS what percentage of what they tell you about the Mid-East, Islam, Moslems and other things is true!!! lol Some answerers still confuse Iraq and Iran after reading all this! You are in Iraq not in Iran! They're separate countries!
Isn't it better for both countries to forget past conflicts and to have peaceful relations? Our two gov'ts are like 10 year old children playing a stupid, harsh, rhetorical game. (We hate them both!) They don't care about hurting people's feelings. They just try to make our two peoples enemies to achieve their own goals. We, as the people of these countries, MUST NOT allow these conflics into our hearts. You know something? All govt's are hateful. I just said the above things because it sounds unfair when some Americans talk about the taking of the 444 hostages while I keep silence. Now, what do you think? I can't wait to see both nations in peace. It'd be marvelous! They've started to have diplomatic talks! That's great!
A lovely American told me: "Having had the wonderful opportunity to visit your country enabled me to see for myself how wonderful the Iranian people are and to learn about your history, your culture, your cuisine, music, films, dance, sacred sites, your medical accomplishments...all your beauty. I am so sorry my country's government seems to delight in trying to bully Iran. Worst of all are the lies told. I know enough about your country to be able to discern when the propaganda machine here is operating. I just wish more Americans traveled and could see for themselves what I have seen. By the way, I traveled to Iran under the auspices of The Friendship Force, an organization started by Pres. Carter to promote peace through one-on-one friendship, a mission I take seriously. Thank you for your wonderful essay on Iran."
BTW, make sure you visit the links I've put up for you.They're all from trusted websites. There are some really nice stuff there! Absoulutely beautiful pictures (look at cities and nature) and "Americanised" music! lol
Thanks for your time
I've got enough evidence to uncover the facts. What do you think? (click here if you have 10 minutes or so)
I think you overestimate the number of people in the west that hate your country. I know that there is a lot of hate generated by atrocites perpetrated by both sides. Kidnapping, torture and illegal imprisonments, I mean they have been done by both sides in a long term conflict that will take years to heal from psycologically as well as spirtitually and physically for some. I personally have no ill feelings towards the Iranian people as a whole and simply wish that the age old question:
"Why can't we all just get along?" could actually be answered. But I think we will be waiting an awfully long time for the rednecks of the world-American, Canadian and Iranian as well as Iraqi, to either change or die out. Its possible that the world will one day enjoy brotherhood and harmony in a World Congress of sometype, I think the original thinking behind the UN was a good thing, too bad the spirit of the organization has been corrupted over the years and too much control of its workings are in the hands of too few of the member nations so as to give it only a figure head status in the world. Perhaps if it had troops that were completely autonomous from all of the member nations, made up of peoples from all countries, that were under the command of the UN itself and were not answerable to any one nation it could do something good but as it is it is only Window Dressing. I don't pretend to know the answers and I have no idea what can be done to make a World utopia happen, all I can say is we have to learn to work and play well with others here on our home planet before we can ever hope to get along with any other race that we might encounter out in space. Lets hope we get our stuff together before we are forced to by something like what occured in Independence Day or before we are pushed into it by something like what happened in Sagan's Contact. As for my time, you were welcome to it. Understanding is the greatest gift we can give one and other and if I can gain some of that by giving you 10 minutes of my time to read what you wrote then I will. Peace! as the 60's era hippies used to say!
Reply:Every Iranian I know hates the government of Iran and the changes they imposed after the Shah was deposed, especially the woman.
And I know several of the bahai faith who would disagree that they are allowed many personal freedoms.
I guess it's been a while since you've been in Iran.
ADDED: So answer my question about the bahai... do you maintain they face no state sanctioned discrimination?
How about non-Persians?
Reply:anything can be twisted to fit an individuals ideas.
Reply:Well done!
However, the sad truth is that the people who are close minded and think the neo-cons are right for wanting to nuke every muslim country back to the stone age will never spend the time it takes to read this. Their angry and simplistic minds are already made up. I hope I'm wrong though, because I've heard similar stories from people who have traveled to Iran. Let's just hope than enough people in this country keep their wits long enough to prevent the relatively small group of ideological extermists (the neo-cons) from pulling off another really disasterous and illegal war.
Reply:It's easier sometimes for people to blame a faceless nation and to see them as the problem rather than looking closer to home. Britain and America have enjoyed the privilege of thinking they have the moral high ground for a long time. All countries have their problems, and most have at some time had people in power who abuse their power.
I have no doubt that Iran is a beautiful country with lots of lovely people and that for many the quality of life is excellent. All countries have their dark sides and unpleasant realities they would rather others didn't know about.
Not everyone in Iran has equality of opportunity, not everyone is free to practise their chosen religion. The US and Britiain have their own inequalities too.
Reply:don't think so TIM............when i click on 2 of those sights my security say DON'T OPEN.........nice try
Special thanks to my American friend who helped me proofread my writing.
I believe that if you spend 5-10 minutes reading this essay, you will be better informed than if you listen to a lifetime's worth of Major Media news. I've just turned 19 and I'm a university student studying English who just cannot sit back and let the lies fly unchallenged.
This article has two parts:
1. Cultural and general info
2. Political info.
Note: I've explained all the things that you always talk about, so read it all plz! (Anytime you like!) Specially the political part! Any answers before reading the whole thing will prove to be wrong.
****
Hi. I'm an Iranian who has spent his life in Iran.When I chat with people from other countries, I am shocked to see how totally wrong their ideas are about Iran. I wrote this article in an attempt to help correct those ideas.
The first thing America, and the West in general, accuses our government of is that we don't allow personal freedoms. Actually, Iranians disobey laws they don't like as much as anyone. But come on, there are only a few restrictions.It's cool over here. People here do whatever they wish to! Many strict rules in other countries don't even exist in Iran. Also, you should understand that what may seem so normal to you, may be a nightmare for us and vise versa. That's why you don't understand a few of Iran's laws because some of them are based on our culture. You look at our country from "your own point of view"! In Iran every single house has a sattelite dish. Sattelite television has a serious influence on our people, and Iranians wear very fashionable clothing. Maybe it is a kind of imitation, but we still have our own unique Iranian style (I'm talking about public places, in our privacy there's no difference). A visitor might wonder if this is a country or a fantasy pageant of beauty queens! Almost women wear half their their hair out, and make-up and fashionable clothing are everywhere.(I ignore a few fuddy-duddies though!) Iran is one of the super-consumers of cosmetics. You would be surprised to see the difference between what you imagine and what Iran really is!
In my view, everything is great, if you ignore unemployment, inflation and air pollution. They're common problems around the world today! Also, you can't compare Iran today with the Iran you remember. The Shah and the Iatollah Khomini are both some 30 years in the past! 70% of Iran's population is a new generation (Under age 30) without the biases of the past and we've transformed everything.
Ever heard Iranian girls are terrific?I've collected some photos showing Iranian girls! Look! Poeple are like this!
http://www.salijoon.ir/bazigar/hedye%20t...
http://www.30nema.com/images/gallery/30n...
http://i10.tinypic.com/4clk3us.jpg
Americanised Iranian girl? Nope, everyone's like that, but this one's inside the car! Naughty girls do anything! http://tinypic.com/2d0nfao.jpg Enough proof?
Some people think women don't have any rights in Iran. But in my view, women are overrunning the place. But that's not a bad thing. They're very respectful, and they've been the winners in so many cases: They get into the best universities because they're very smart. And they get the best jobs because they can do so many of them better than men. They've got Islamic rights, and that has in some cases made it difficult for men to marry them, because husbands are supposed to buy them expensive things and treat them very well, otherwise women have the right to ask a great amount of money (called Mehr) according to the law, which most husbands cannot afford, so men will be imprisoned.The only thing that women are not allowed to do in Iran is getting into public football stadiums and that's because such places are full of cheeky guys. They do anything from taking part in rallies to singing pop songs.Anything! I've put a sample here. I feel foolish for sitting here explaining ordinary things to you.
Another funny thing: Your footage about stoning the women who have committed adultery. Have you ever asked yourselves how many years ago that footage related to? Are they balck and white or colourful? But in one case (related to many years ago) the thing that had happened was incest not adultery.We think being punished for corruption is good, as it deters people from doing that and the society will be far healthier than the countries in which commiting such things is considered to be normal! For your information, most of those footages are from Afghanistan which was ruled by freaks (Taliban). What exactly makes you think women are treated differently?The way they were/are treated in Saudi Arabia? Try to think of the racism in your country too. There's no perfect country!
Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are --------- SEPERATE COUNTRIES! --------- Even within Iran, 60% of us are Persian and 30% are Turkish! Iran is a normal country like any other in the world. The point is, there's nothing mysterious about us! The Media are very good at creating really scary stuff: "IRAN BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS!!!" "IRAN UNDERCOVER!!!" Some of that garbage would be enough to scare ME away! But in truth, Iranians are far more open-minded than you have been led to believe.
There are lots of Iranians today who are geniuses and scientists, and are all under age 25. For instance a 17 year old boy has invented 72 amazing inventions. Every year a special scientific compeition is held here and students assemble to show off hundreds of inventions. Iranian students and sportsmen win gold and silver medals in different competitions in the world all the time, in robotics, biology, maths, physics, sports, anything! Why don't the Media talk about them? Please don't summarize our nation and culture with the single word "nuclear". Although we're proud of this achievement because we believe that having nuclear energy means that a country is developed.Did you know that the countries having the highest number of scientists in the world are in this order? 1-India 2-Korea 3-Iran
A few months ago Iran uncovered the most effective anti-H.I.V medicine. I searched for news of that on the internet, but there was no single sign of it.Now, I found it among the English news: "The medicine is produced from herbs using nano technology" The link to read about it is: http://www.payvand.com/news/07/feb/1032....
The Media are unjust. They never talk about facts!
Some interesting facts:
Iran is a pioneer in medicine and genetics, and Iranian surgeons have found lots of new methods for treating spinal defects, and many diseases (mainly the treatment for different types of cancer) and the best brain and heart surgeons are Iranian. The head of the Mars Mission in NASA is Iranian. One of the best designers of sports cars working in Germany is Iranian. Some of the best 3D animators are Iranian. Iran is one of the best countries in counter-engineering. Holds the second place in building dams and in loads of other things! It's one of the top countries in bio-technology and nano-technology. The 4th highest tower in the world (Milad tower) is in Tehran (visit it at this link from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Milad... ). 51 of the top 100 universities in the Mid-East are in Iran, and they're among the top universities of the world as well. The champion weight-lifter, a woman, and a song by one of the pop singers who/which won the nobel peace prize are Iranians. Lots of Iranians win nobel prizes specially in the field of medicine. Iranian girls are famous for being terrific. We have Persian rugs and Persian literature, many Persian poets, artists and scientists that are world famous. Iranian culture is now westernized and only a little of the ancient culture has survived. According to statistics Tehran is the cheapest capital city in the world (one Dollar =about 950 Tomans! For example you can buy windows vista for 1 Dollar here instead of 700 Dollars!!! or 3 supper pizzas for 10 Dollars!!!wow!) There are many other things. How many pages would you need to describe a country? Iran has nearly all the industries and technologies found in 'developed' countries. Oh, and we have four seasons! (Some people think it never snows here! We get a lot of snow and there are skating rinks! lol) The list is endless.
News: "Iranian scientists managed to make human teeth grow after you've lost them using basic cells" I'm gonna introduce Iran's international news website to you (Press TV) which was established recently. It's fully in English. In the "Sic / Tech" section you'll always see Iran's discoveries. The address is: http://www.presstv.ir/news.aspx Press TV news: Iranian scientists have registered more than 4800 inventions during the last Iranian calendar year of 1385 (April 21 2006-April 20, 2007). 4800 inventions in just one year!
Some charactristics of Iranians would be:
Negative: We are proud, greedy, hard-working (for ourselves), not punctual, impatient, and lazy at doing our duty well, crazy about luxuries and thus extravagant! Highly competitive and ambitious.
Positive: intelligent, a bit idealistic, well-dressed, formal, well-educated, warm and friendly, hospitable.
Some people think Iran is a desert! Well, it is, if you consider California, New Mexico, Utah, Arkansas, and Alabama a desert. We share the same latitude. Iran is a modern country with breathtakingly beautiful nature and lots of historic places to visit. Please take a look at the following links to see if Iran looks like what you think or not! This is a photo of Tehran (Awesome, Isn't it?): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran
If you like you can visit these too, hundreds of pretty photos from the cities, nature and historic places: (It's like a free tour!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hills...
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...
http://www.pbase.com/k_amj/throughout_ir...
http://www.bigsoccer.com:80/forum/showth...
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthrea...
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthrea...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran
Some people think music is forbidden in Iran. Did you know that Iranian music was chosen as the best pop in France in 2005? All Iranian songs are current pop / DJ music. I send Iranian music to my American and Canadian chat friends and they all say they're some of the best songs they've ever heard.
Here's a sample of the latest hits from two official Iranian music websites.You can just right click on the links below and choose "Save Target As" to download them.I guess you'll fall for it! The translation of the songs is here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
1.(You know this: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...
2.(Hold my hand: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...
3.(The wetness of your eyes: 2006) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...
4.(I just want you: 2003) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...
5.(The rain: 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...
6.(The window: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...
7.(Keep me in your memory: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...
8.(Farangis "A female name" 2007) http://download.bia2music.com/Music/Iran...
9.(The distance: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusi...
10.(Sunrise: 2007) http://www.sarzaminsong.com/Sarzaminmusi...
11.(Stop world:2006) http://www.sarzaminmusic.com/Sarzaminmus...
12.(You can't: 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...
13.(The wind's kiss: 2005) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...
14.(Reveal your visage: 2004) http://www.sarzamin.org/Sarzaminmusic/Pe...
15.(What would have happened if : 2007) http://www.sarzaminmp3.com/Sarzaminmusic...
And so on and on!
It's now 2007 and most people still think we are uneducated people living in deserts, riding camels and carrying around guns!
Let's clarify some political issues as well: Some of the Americans think that president Ahmadinejad hates the U.S and Israel and wants to nuke them!! The Media are good at putting lying comments out there. I really don't get the point why our politicians defame themselves by talking about things that have got nothing to do with us. For example does verbal defence of Palestinians cause them to have a better life? The thing is that they occasionally make some statements that the media would misuse it against Iran. For example they pick up some specific phrases of a long speech (without refering to the main points and reasons for that speech) and put so many bad comments on that. No sane person would take such nonsense at face value.
First of all, Iranians don't hate anyone. If our government complains about some injustice going on in the world, it's not bad, is it? (Although what we want from them is to shut up and not get us into trouble by talking about things that are none of our concern) We hate neither Jews nor Americans. I love Americans, otherwise why would I talk to them?! How would our guys dream of America, want to be like them as much as possible, and hate them at the same time?! SECRET: Iranians are the only people in the Mid-East that are pro-American! Being agaisnt the U.S policies is a different story!I've got to say that for Iran, Israel is not equal with Jews! Israel is a gov't. Jews are faithful people! A few of them live here in our neighbourhood and they live just like the rest of Iranians. No difference. And two of Iran's parliment members are Jews. Who says we want to force others to convert to Islam? Have you ever found a Muslim knocking at your door asking you to do so?
Christians and Jews are both God-believers and respectful to us. In Iran, religion is one of the least important factors. Where you come from and what your religion is are not important to us at all.
I wonder who Iran is really a threat to. Is it logical to say someone's guilty because we THINK / PREDICT that he's going to do something wrong? And they repeat the same "nuclear weapons" tosh over and over and brainwash people! Correction! It's "nuclear energy". Besides, how many "nuclear weapons" do they have themselves? Hundreds of thousands? Has Iran ever attacked any countries? No. Has it developed any nukes? No! That's what nuclear agency says. Only Iran's opponents are pulling Iran's leg and what they say is of no credit. It's just based on political conflicts. What we're doing is legal. What they ask us to do (ignoring our international rights) is illegal. Iran is a peaceful country. Why? It's the regional super-power and if she wanted, she could easily invade the countries in our neibourhood just like what Saddam did to our country, but as you see Iran has peaceful relations with all of them.
Some people say he said: Israel should be wiped off the map! (I wish he could just shut up!)But have they told you the rest of his speech and that why he's said this at all? You know that it's a passive sentence. He's never said that IRAN wants to wipe Israel off the map! He wasn't talking about destroying Israel at all. He was talking about relocating Israel, so that they could live seperate from Palestinians and they could both live in peace. They've only told you this phrase not the whole thing and it's mistranslated intentionally. Iran has always defended itself, but it's not an offensive country.
Some say he's said: "The Holocaust is a myth!" Again, this is a single phrase taken from a long speech and there are totally logical reasons for saying so. If 6,000,000 Jews were killed, that's terrible, but 300,000 Shiite Moslems killed by Saddam aren't important at all? Over 650,000 Iraqi people are killed and that's not important?! When Fox News simply says that America and Israel are capable of destroying and killing Iran's population of 69,000,000 within two weeks, it's OK and no one says they're threatening other countries to nuke them (I saw this with my own eyes on the Fox News website) Millions of people killed in Afghanistan, Hiroshima %26amp; Nagasaki and the Vietnam war are not considered human beings at all! Now I think you'd get the point why he's IRONICALLY said it's a myth. Moreover, don't you believe in freedom of speech/mind? I'd judge people by their ACTIONS rather than by what they say / their religion / race / culture and the colour of their skin!
Obviously, some countries are using Iran as a scapegoat to put the blame (for their own faults) on. And what country is better than Iran to be a scapegoat? The whole world believes that Iran isn't a peaceful country.
This part is just for Americans who would still argue over unimportant things: Those of you who say why Iran says "Death to America":
1. 'America' to us means the U.S govt, not the people. How do you expect Iranians to mean "American people" when our media admires Americans for marching and holding up "no war" placards?!
2. The new generation don't say such things and if some of them occasionally march in the streets that's because some of the stupid guys enjoy making noise and they mainly go out there to meet their girlfriends/boyfriends! Strange. Isn't it?
3. Such mottos are not just said in Iran and as you know whatever you hear is a response to the U.S govt's terrible actions which has made life for many people hell (You wouldn't deny that attacking countries is a mistake. right?)
4. The U.S gov't helped Saddam attack Iran and I hope you know which country gave Iraq biological weapons which killed lots of Iranians.
5. America hit an Iranian airplane over the Persian Gulf and killed 200 passengers for no reason.
6. America places sanctions on Iran, promotes a false image of Iran and Iranians, scares tourists away, and harms our economy, development and credit. To what purpose?
When you call Ahmadinejad a nutcase for what he's said, what do you call Bush for his actions? I mean it's a good idea to consider what Bush is doing to the world with his wrong decisions and lies. Bush is powerful and influencial, but Ahmadinejad is nothing.He's even failed to control the inflation.
To those who are upset with American hostages taken for 444 days:
1. Firstly, It's related to so many years ago and it's almost a part of history, and don't forget that when there's a revolution, there'd be chaos and people may do things that they should not, moreover they're all alive and healthy. Aren't they?
2.The U.S has arrested Iranian diplomats in Iraq and had tortured the one who was freed. Poor British sailors were detained by the English gov't just for saying that they were treated well in Iran and that Iranians were logical people (They said these when they were on England's soil!) They were PREVENTED from releasing their memoirs by England! Now you decide who has the right to be upset with whom. How do you believe in their lies about politics when they hide both the most and the least important things from you considering the fact that politics is the world of lies in its nature?!!! Considering all this, you'd probably be able to GUESS what percentage of what they tell you about the Mid-East, Islam, Moslems and other things is true!!! lol Some answerers still confuse Iraq and Iran after reading all this! You are in Iraq not in Iran! They're separate countries!
Isn't it better for both countries to forget past conflicts and to have peaceful relations? Our two gov'ts are like 10 year old children playing a stupid, harsh, rhetorical game. (We hate them both!) They don't care about hurting people's feelings. They just try to make our two peoples enemies to achieve their own goals. We, as the people of these countries, MUST NOT allow these conflics into our hearts. You know something? All govt's are hateful. I just said the above things because it sounds unfair when some Americans talk about the taking of the 444 hostages while I keep silence. Now, what do you think? I can't wait to see both nations in peace. It'd be marvelous! They've started to have diplomatic talks! That's great!
A lovely American told me: "Having had the wonderful opportunity to visit your country enabled me to see for myself how wonderful the Iranian people are and to learn about your history, your culture, your cuisine, music, films, dance, sacred sites, your medical accomplishments...all your beauty. I am so sorry my country's government seems to delight in trying to bully Iran. Worst of all are the lies told. I know enough about your country to be able to discern when the propaganda machine here is operating. I just wish more Americans traveled and could see for themselves what I have seen. By the way, I traveled to Iran under the auspices of The Friendship Force, an organization started by Pres. Carter to promote peace through one-on-one friendship, a mission I take seriously. Thank you for your wonderful essay on Iran."
BTW, make sure you visit the links I've put up for you.They're all from trusted websites. There are some really nice stuff there! Absoulutely beautiful pictures (look at cities and nature) and "Americanised" music! lol
Thanks for your time
I've got enough evidence to uncover the facts. What do you think? (click here if you have 10 minutes or so)
I think you overestimate the number of people in the west that hate your country. I know that there is a lot of hate generated by atrocites perpetrated by both sides. Kidnapping, torture and illegal imprisonments, I mean they have been done by both sides in a long term conflict that will take years to heal from psycologically as well as spirtitually and physically for some. I personally have no ill feelings towards the Iranian people as a whole and simply wish that the age old question:
"Why can't we all just get along?" could actually be answered. But I think we will be waiting an awfully long time for the rednecks of the world-American, Canadian and Iranian as well as Iraqi, to either change or die out. Its possible that the world will one day enjoy brotherhood and harmony in a World Congress of sometype, I think the original thinking behind the UN was a good thing, too bad the spirit of the organization has been corrupted over the years and too much control of its workings are in the hands of too few of the member nations so as to give it only a figure head status in the world. Perhaps if it had troops that were completely autonomous from all of the member nations, made up of peoples from all countries, that were under the command of the UN itself and were not answerable to any one nation it could do something good but as it is it is only Window Dressing. I don't pretend to know the answers and I have no idea what can be done to make a World utopia happen, all I can say is we have to learn to work and play well with others here on our home planet before we can ever hope to get along with any other race that we might encounter out in space. Lets hope we get our stuff together before we are forced to by something like what occured in Independence Day or before we are pushed into it by something like what happened in Sagan's Contact. As for my time, you were welcome to it. Understanding is the greatest gift we can give one and other and if I can gain some of that by giving you 10 minutes of my time to read what you wrote then I will. Peace! as the 60's era hippies used to say!
Reply:Every Iranian I know hates the government of Iran and the changes they imposed after the Shah was deposed, especially the woman.
And I know several of the bahai faith who would disagree that they are allowed many personal freedoms.
I guess it's been a while since you've been in Iran.
ADDED: So answer my question about the bahai... do you maintain they face no state sanctioned discrimination?
How about non-Persians?
Reply:anything can be twisted to fit an individuals ideas.
Reply:Well done!
However, the sad truth is that the people who are close minded and think the neo-cons are right for wanting to nuke every muslim country back to the stone age will never spend the time it takes to read this. Their angry and simplistic minds are already made up. I hope I'm wrong though, because I've heard similar stories from people who have traveled to Iran. Let's just hope than enough people in this country keep their wits long enough to prevent the relatively small group of ideological extermists (the neo-cons) from pulling off another really disasterous and illegal war.
Reply:It's easier sometimes for people to blame a faceless nation and to see them as the problem rather than looking closer to home. Britain and America have enjoyed the privilege of thinking they have the moral high ground for a long time. All countries have their problems, and most have at some time had people in power who abuse their power.
I have no doubt that Iran is a beautiful country with lots of lovely people and that for many the quality of life is excellent. All countries have their dark sides and unpleasant realities they would rather others didn't know about.
Not everyone in Iran has equality of opportunity, not everyone is free to practise their chosen religion. The US and Britiain have their own inequalities too.
Reply:don't think so TIM............when i click on 2 of those sights my security say DON'T OPEN.........nice try
What is up with the Phoenix Suns Crowd? No heart?
These people who pay to go to the game are pretty good when it come to cheering the Suns. The problem is that they are in the upper deck nose bleed section where they can't be heard.
It's those corporate and overpaid lower level season ticket holders that are getting under my skin! Look at the Golden State crowd and you know how a real crowd should act. That crowd put on their team colors and stood through the entire second half cheering their team. These people complain that the Suns lose when they don't play a full 48 minutes. Well, if your at the game you better be putting in 48 fan minutes!
They should switch the upper level down and the lower level up and that should be enough to help our Suns win! This team deserves the best that any fan can give! Wear your orange, stand up and be heard! Give the Suns the energy they need and help us run past the Spurs! This is it!
Go Suns - Go Fans
I want to hear you over the TNT announcers tonight! Yell your a*s off!
What is up with the Phoenix Suns Crowd? No heart?
The Suns crowd really helped last night.
They turned it up and the Suns fed off it.
They smoked those whiners in black and silver by 20 points!
The Suns played good D
The Suns are going to shift this series in San Antonio
Suns in 6
Reply:I'd love to see the Suns fans go wild. That'll give 'em the boost to equal the series.
Reply:there will be an eclipse of the sun cause the men in silver and black will take game 2. Go Spurs Go
Reply:Too corporate %26amp; too old!
night jasmine
It's those corporate and overpaid lower level season ticket holders that are getting under my skin! Look at the Golden State crowd and you know how a real crowd should act. That crowd put on their team colors and stood through the entire second half cheering their team. These people complain that the Suns lose when they don't play a full 48 minutes. Well, if your at the game you better be putting in 48 fan minutes!
They should switch the upper level down and the lower level up and that should be enough to help our Suns win! This team deserves the best that any fan can give! Wear your orange, stand up and be heard! Give the Suns the energy they need and help us run past the Spurs! This is it!
Go Suns - Go Fans
I want to hear you over the TNT announcers tonight! Yell your a*s off!
What is up with the Phoenix Suns Crowd? No heart?
The Suns crowd really helped last night.
They turned it up and the Suns fed off it.
They smoked those whiners in black and silver by 20 points!
The Suns played good D
The Suns are going to shift this series in San Antonio
Suns in 6
Reply:I'd love to see the Suns fans go wild. That'll give 'em the boost to equal the series.
Reply:there will be an eclipse of the sun cause the men in silver and black will take game 2. Go Spurs Go
Reply:Too corporate %26amp; too old!
night jasmine
Evan, and other questions?
How come the questions about sex are always so crude on here, and when you answer one just to show the person who asked it how silly it really is, they attack you personally. It doesn't bother me, I am comfortable in my own skin and enjoy female company. But what is it about the "I have trouble masterbating" or "Why am I so smart?" As for the second (question?) remark, that was just one of the questions someone (EVAN) asked on here. Is it to entice others to get into an argument with them? Maybe it has a lot to do with abuse? Maybe these questions are a way of asking for help and i'm just not seeing it. I am a God fearing man. I enjoy most of what life has given me and what it will continue to offer. But I like the yahoo answer/ask forum for it is fun. I could go do other things, but on my time I will. When i'm working, I can play. Anyone see what i'm saying, or am I just over reacting and maybe I mistook this for fun.
Evan, and other questions?
The crudity is for several reasons. There is a very large age range of askers so you never know if it's from an adult or a child. Secondly, this is an international site so often times the asker doesn't have a full knowlege of English so the questions can sound rough. The other reason, is it's sex. Few other topics have the ability to bring out the inner neanderthal. Some people just have to act dumb, it's exactly like in real life. Hard on those of us that are actually trying to help people out with various problems.
Reply:Sex is like snow; you never know how many inches you are going to get or how long it is going to last.
Reply:Just to let you in on a little secret. Most of the questions here are either by 13 year olds or b.s. questions.
Reply:Just know that everyone on here has come from different places with different experiences. Remember that these people are giving you ideas and thoughts of what they are thinking. Don't take it too personally. Some people might react differently because they haven't experienced it yet so don't really have good answers but whatever comes out of their mind and mouth.
Reply:It's just a bunch of idiots looking for some fun. Personally I think those BS questions should be banned because no one really wants to answer them.
Evan, and other questions?
The crudity is for several reasons. There is a very large age range of askers so you never know if it's from an adult or a child. Secondly, this is an international site so often times the asker doesn't have a full knowlege of English so the questions can sound rough. The other reason, is it's sex. Few other topics have the ability to bring out the inner neanderthal. Some people just have to act dumb, it's exactly like in real life. Hard on those of us that are actually trying to help people out with various problems.
Reply:Sex is like snow; you never know how many inches you are going to get or how long it is going to last.
Reply:Just to let you in on a little secret. Most of the questions here are either by 13 year olds or b.s. questions.
Reply:Just know that everyone on here has come from different places with different experiences. Remember that these people are giving you ideas and thoughts of what they are thinking. Don't take it too personally. Some people might react differently because they haven't experienced it yet so don't really have good answers but whatever comes out of their mind and mouth.
Reply:It's just a bunch of idiots looking for some fun. Personally I think those BS questions should be banned because no one really wants to answer them.
Looking for a new makeup/hair look?
i have 3/4 inch hair and i'm growing it out
i'm pretty pale, with combonation skin and i have brown eyes
and naturally black hair, but its dyed auburn
i usually wear foundation, concealer, blush, macara, and eyeliner, but in these two pics i'm just wearing foundation and blush
http://a827.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/ima...
http://a606.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/ima...
http://a708.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/ima... [my hair isnt straightened here]
i'm the boy in the second one obv
im looking for a new hair/makeup look
tell me what i need, makeup wise i only wear mac/chanel/clinique or dior i wont make hair shorter, though
but i will dye it
DONT GIVE ME SH!T ABOUT WEARING MAKEUP
Looking for a new makeup/hair look?
i would dye the hair black and i really love you with your hair straightened so maybe you should get it relaxed, you look hot tho with it straightened do you like more natural or glam make up?
Reply:Well none of your pics have you in eye makeup, so I am not sure what your normally do, but if it were me I would:
Do a black and silver eye ... maybe the MAC shadestick in sharkskin with some silver in the inner corner of your eye. Smudge it with your ring finger to make it smokey. Add some black Fluidline around your lash line and black kohl on your waterline. Lots of mascara, and maybe the new Bourjous clubbing mascara (from Sephora) in silver for lash tips ... if you are going out at night.
Or you could do the same look with chocolates and bronze ... that would be nice too.
For your hair, I say dye it darker and add a few streaks of blond or a fun color like pink or blue. Grow it longer so you can do more with it. It's kinda at that awkward length. Grow it out about 4 more inches.
i'm pretty pale, with combonation skin and i have brown eyes
and naturally black hair, but its dyed auburn
i usually wear foundation, concealer, blush, macara, and eyeliner, but in these two pics i'm just wearing foundation and blush
http://a827.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/ima...
http://a606.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/ima...
http://a708.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/ima... [my hair isnt straightened here]
i'm the boy in the second one obv
im looking for a new hair/makeup look
tell me what i need, makeup wise i only wear mac/chanel/clinique or dior i wont make hair shorter, though
but i will dye it
DONT GIVE ME SH!T ABOUT WEARING MAKEUP
Looking for a new makeup/hair look?
i would dye the hair black and i really love you with your hair straightened so maybe you should get it relaxed, you look hot tho with it straightened do you like more natural or glam make up?
Reply:Well none of your pics have you in eye makeup, so I am not sure what your normally do, but if it were me I would:
Do a black and silver eye ... maybe the MAC shadestick in sharkskin with some silver in the inner corner of your eye. Smudge it with your ring finger to make it smokey. Add some black Fluidline around your lash line and black kohl on your waterline. Lots of mascara, and maybe the new Bourjous clubbing mascara (from Sephora) in silver for lash tips ... if you are going out at night.
Or you could do the same look with chocolates and bronze ... that would be nice too.
For your hair, I say dye it darker and add a few streaks of blond or a fun color like pink or blue. Grow it longer so you can do more with it. It's kinda at that awkward length. Grow it out about 4 more inches.
Navel pierced too thin?
Hi. I have a question about belly button piercing. 2 years ago i got my belly pierced but unfortunately it got infected and migrated. then few months after i got it re-pierced. with the second piercing, it didnt go well for a couple of months because it got infected as well. couple of months after, it became ok. i think it's healed now and it doesnt hurt, and it actually moves. but my question is, since it was pierced where the old one was, it seems like it is pierced a bit thin. it is still holding well on my skin, but it is thinner than other girls. should i be worried? does it mean it is migrating again? what should i do to stop it if it is migrating? or what should i just do in general?
Navel pierced too thin?
i had the same problem as you got mine pierced once it got infected the second time i got it dont it didnt get infected but the skin is really thin and i have had it for three years now just watch it bactine is something good to use
Reply:if it is migrating, there's nothing you can do but take it out
if it was repierced, it was either done above or below the scar tissue from the original. it seems like it must have been done above if it's a much shallower piercing.
basically, all you can do is keep it healthy, make sure it doesn't get infected again (sea salt soaks are good - don't use anything harsh like bactine as it's not designed for piercings) and if it does start to migrate forwards, face facts - not all piercings work for everyone!
frangipni
Navel pierced too thin?
i had the same problem as you got mine pierced once it got infected the second time i got it dont it didnt get infected but the skin is really thin and i have had it for three years now just watch it bactine is something good to use
Reply:if it is migrating, there's nothing you can do but take it out
if it was repierced, it was either done above or below the scar tissue from the original. it seems like it must have been done above if it's a much shallower piercing.
basically, all you can do is keep it healthy, make sure it doesn't get infected again (sea salt soaks are good - don't use anything harsh like bactine as it's not designed for piercings) and if it does start to migrate forwards, face facts - not all piercings work for everyone!
frangipni
Am I allergic to wax?
I'm Jahaition-American. (My mom is Jamacian %26amp; my dad is Haition, and I'm American) I have a medium-light complextion. (I'm black) If you pinch me, you can see redness. I wanted to know if there is anyway I could get facial wax for sensative skin. I recently got my eyebrows waxed for the first time. Now, I have an allergic reaction. I can only wear mascara because my face is so sensative to chemicals. I only use water on my face. What can I put on it to help it? My mom's a nurse, so she's the second person I run too.
Am I allergic to wax?
seek out an allergenist they can test to see what your allergic to
Reply:id tell my mum or try and get info from a professional
i think you possibly could be allergic to that wax
i dont know about a facial wax for sensitive skin..
sorry
cya
Am I allergic to wax?
seek out an allergenist they can test to see what your allergic to
Reply:id tell my mum or try and get info from a professional
i think you possibly could be allergic to that wax
i dont know about a facial wax for sensitive skin..
sorry
cya
Is it true or not that if you feed a baby a certain food when they are young they will become allergic to it?
Not sure if this has been asked before or not. But I was watching a episode of Tori and Dean "Inn Love", a few months ago and Dean was feeding their son a bit of chocolate. The nanny caught him and told him not to do that because the baby would become allergic to it. Had me wandering, because when I was younger my mom had given me a chocolate cake(a small one) for like my second bday. And indeed in the pics that she took I was tearing that thing up, lol. But it still got me thinking is it possible for babies to form food allergies from things they never had before, by eating it very young? Because I don't really believe the scientists and deremtologists when they say no one is allergic to chocolate. Because I know when I eat some now, I always get breakouts. I also have naturally oily skin too. But I'm using the proactiv and other facial cleansers as well that sort of help. But between stress and a bit of chocolate I have major breakouts. Anyone think there could be a connection there?
Is it true or not that if you feed a baby a certain food when they are young they will become allergic to it?
Your breakouts (unless you are getting hives) are not because you are allergic per se to chocolate. Some foods cause acne outbreaks in some people while others do not. This is probably something that you will outgrow.
The theory that feeding foods at an early age can cause allergy is more often seen with nuts than anything else. I dont know the scientic proof or disproof, but nuts are one of those crazy things. And one does become allergic with repeated exposure.
I think most 'reactions' in children is simply because there system cannot handle the food yet, as someone above me mentioned with honey.
And contrary to someone else, allergies are not genetic, not always atleast. I have a crap load of allergies, and no family history. You can develope allergies over time, and current allergies can disappear over time. It just depends on your immune system and how much you are exposed to the allergen.
Reply:This is not true. Foods are introduced to a child slowly so not to upset their stomachs and to be able to determine which foods the child may or not be allergic to. There are certain foods a child cannot have until after their second birthday, such as honey. A child's immune system cannot handle honey.
Reply:Yes, it is true that babies can develope allergies if they are fed anything but formula or breast milk for the first 6 months. After that foods should be added one at a time in the order that pedicatricians recommend. That being said, give your poor mom a break. There haven't always been an abundance of information out there about child raising and the internet is a relatively new thing in the scheme of things. Eating chocolate cake when you were two probably didn't make you allergic to chocolate. By the time we are two, our digestive systems are developed enough to handle most things.
Reply:allergies are genetic.if u got them u got them if u dont u dont.
Reply:yes its true tht some babies have allergies to certain food because mayb because of their inmune system not tht strong yet or could be due to the body could not accept tht certain kind of food.it depends also the age of the infant as u were saying whn u were a baby ur mum feed u chocolate, i don thk its healthy for a small child as its not the proper kind of food tht a baby should eat.erm...u are allergy to chocolate well im not quite sure abt this but im sure many ppl do have allergies to different kind of food like i have a fren who is allergy to nuts..well u gt to bear wit it.
Is it true or not that if you feed a baby a certain food when they are young they will become allergic to it?
Your breakouts (unless you are getting hives) are not because you are allergic per se to chocolate. Some foods cause acne outbreaks in some people while others do not. This is probably something that you will outgrow.
The theory that feeding foods at an early age can cause allergy is more often seen with nuts than anything else. I dont know the scientic proof or disproof, but nuts are one of those crazy things. And one does become allergic with repeated exposure.
I think most 'reactions' in children is simply because there system cannot handle the food yet, as someone above me mentioned with honey.
And contrary to someone else, allergies are not genetic, not always atleast. I have a crap load of allergies, and no family history. You can develope allergies over time, and current allergies can disappear over time. It just depends on your immune system and how much you are exposed to the allergen.
Reply:This is not true. Foods are introduced to a child slowly so not to upset their stomachs and to be able to determine which foods the child may or not be allergic to. There are certain foods a child cannot have until after their second birthday, such as honey. A child's immune system cannot handle honey.
Reply:Yes, it is true that babies can develope allergies if they are fed anything but formula or breast milk for the first 6 months. After that foods should be added one at a time in the order that pedicatricians recommend. That being said, give your poor mom a break. There haven't always been an abundance of information out there about child raising and the internet is a relatively new thing in the scheme of things. Eating chocolate cake when you were two probably didn't make you allergic to chocolate. By the time we are two, our digestive systems are developed enough to handle most things.
Reply:allergies are genetic.if u got them u got them if u dont u dont.
Reply:yes its true tht some babies have allergies to certain food because mayb because of their inmune system not tht strong yet or could be due to the body could not accept tht certain kind of food.it depends also the age of the infant as u were saying whn u were a baby ur mum feed u chocolate, i don thk its healthy for a small child as its not the proper kind of food tht a baby should eat.erm...u are allergy to chocolate well im not quite sure abt this but im sure many ppl do have allergies to different kind of food like i have a fren who is allergy to nuts..well u gt to bear wit it.
Going off Birth control, what should i expect?
hi, ive been on Alesse for about 7 months, reason being because of irregular periods, my doctor told me if i wanted kids in the future that BCP's were the only way!!!!... so i got a second opinion from my Boyfriends doctor.. and turns out my pelvis, pubic bone,, and various other bones are dislocated, causeing pressure, and absent periods!.. so im currently going through physio.. and i come off the pill this weekend... so what can i Expect? im not worried about being pregnant, my BF and i want to try and have a baby after im fixed....so what can i expect? weight gain/loss, acne, period for 3 months? or anything at all?? since ive only been on it for a short period of time?
if this helps, i never had weight gain or loss from the pill and my skin is clear, never had pimples before or after being on the pill...
anyways enough of my rambeling.. tell me everything you know!!!
thanks.
Going off Birth control, what should i expect?
Birth
Reply:a baby?
Reply:You'll be pregnant real soon because a bunch of eggs will release next ovulation. Approximately 7-14 days after cycle ends. Good luck
Reply:Only being on it for 7 months, there shouldnt be much of a change. You might get a little more cramping the usual, or a headache or two since your hormones will suddenly change. Your period will probably continue on the set cycle or at least close for another month maybe. You might lose/gain a little weight, even though you said you never did at first. I don't imagine much will happen. I was on BCP's for 5 years and took a break, and my symptoms were minimal.
Reply:if your period stoped it will come back and you might get cramps but after a few days it will go away
Reply:I actually felt much better when I went off. I had more energy. It did take a couple of months for my periods to normalize.
Reply:first of all all of those bones CANNOT be dislocated without pain. Those do not cause your period problems. Please tell me you didn't see a chiropractor or any other doctor like that? If you did, then stop. Go back to your GYNO! The only one who should take you off of your pills is YOUR GYNO. Not your boyfriend's doctor. So, if you are smart then you would go back to the doctor who prescribed them and listen to what he tells you. Obiviously the idiot that told you that your pelvis is dislocated is a quack and has no clue what he is talking about.
if this helps, i never had weight gain or loss from the pill and my skin is clear, never had pimples before or after being on the pill...
anyways enough of my rambeling.. tell me everything you know!!!
thanks.
Going off Birth control, what should i expect?
Birth
Reply:a baby?
Reply:You'll be pregnant real soon because a bunch of eggs will release next ovulation. Approximately 7-14 days after cycle ends. Good luck
Reply:Only being on it for 7 months, there shouldnt be much of a change. You might get a little more cramping the usual, or a headache or two since your hormones will suddenly change. Your period will probably continue on the set cycle or at least close for another month maybe. You might lose/gain a little weight, even though you said you never did at first. I don't imagine much will happen. I was on BCP's for 5 years and took a break, and my symptoms were minimal.
Reply:if your period stoped it will come back and you might get cramps but after a few days it will go away
Reply:I actually felt much better when I went off. I had more energy. It did take a couple of months for my periods to normalize.
Reply:first of all all of those bones CANNOT be dislocated without pain. Those do not cause your period problems. Please tell me you didn't see a chiropractor or any other doctor like that? If you did, then stop. Go back to your GYNO! The only one who should take you off of your pills is YOUR GYNO. Not your boyfriend's doctor. So, if you are smart then you would go back to the doctor who prescribed them and listen to what he tells you. Obiviously the idiot that told you that your pelvis is dislocated is a quack and has no clue what he is talking about.
Do u think this is true?
and plz read the whole thing it took forever to write.
There are words in our language that seem to lead inevitably to controversy. This is surely true for the words "equality" and "race." And yet among well informed people, there is little disagreement as to what these words should mean, in part because various advances in biological science have produced a better understanding of the human condition.
Let me begin with race. There is a widespread feeling that the word "race" indicates something undesirable and that it should be left out of all discussions. This leads to such statements as "there are no human races."
Those who subscribe to this opinion are obviously ignorant of modern biology. Races are not something specifically human; races occur in a large percentage of species of animals. You can read in every textbook on evolution that geographic races of animals, when isolated from other races of their species, may in due time become new species. The terms "subspecies" and "geographic race" are used interchangeably in this taxonomic literature.
This at once raises a question: are there races in the human species? After all, the characteristics of most animal races are strictly genetic, while human races have been marked by nongenetic, cultural attributes that have very much affected their overt characteristics. Performance in human activities is influenced not only by the genotype but also by culturally acquired attitudes. What would be ideal, therefore, would be to partition the phenotype of every human individual into genetic and cultural components.
Alas, so far we have not yet found any reliable technique to do this. What we can do is acknowledge that any recorded differences between human races are probably composed of cultural as well as genetic elements. Indeed, the cause of many important group differences may turn out to be entirely cultural, without any genetic component at all. Still, if I introduce you to an Eskimo and a Kalahari Bushman I won't have much trouble convincing you that they belong to different races.
In a recent textbook of taxonomy, I defined a "geographic race" or subspecies as "an aggregate of phenotypically similar populations of a species inhabiting a geographic subdivision of the range of that species and differing taxonomically from other populations of that species." A subspecies is a geographic race that is sufficiently different taxonomically to be worthy of a separate name. What is characteristic of a geographic race is, first, that it is restricted to a geographic subdivision of the range of a species, and second, that in spite of certain diagnostic differences, it is part of a larger species.
No matter what the cause of the racial difference might be, the fact that species of organisms may have geographic races has been demonstrated so frequently that it can no longer be denied. And the geographic races of the human species - established before the voyages of European discovery and subsequent rise of a global economy - agree in most characteristics with the geographic races of animals. Recognizing races is only recognizing a biological fact.
Still, the biological fact by itself does not foreclose giving various answers to the question, What is race? In particular, adherence to different political and moral philosophies, as we shall see, permits rather different answers. But I believe it is useful at the outset to bracket the cultural factors and explore some of the implications of a strictly biological approach.
The evolutionary literature explains why there are geographic races. Every local population of a species has its own gene pool with its own mutations and errors of sampling. And every population is subject to selection by the local environment. There is now a large literature on the environmental factors that may influence the geographic variation of a species. For example, populations of warm-blooded vertebrates (mammals and birds) in the colder part of their geographical range tend to larger size (Bergmann's rule). Darwin wondered whether these climatic factors were sufficient to account for the differences between geographic races in the human species. He finally concluded that sexual selection, the preference of women for certain types of men, might be another factor leading to differences between geographic races.
This kind of biological analysis is necessary but not sufficient. By itself, biology cannot explain the vehemence of the modern controversy over race. Historically, the word "race" has had very different meanings for different people holding different political philosophies. Furthermore, in the last two hundred years there has been a change in the dominant philosophy of race.
In the eighteenth century, when America's Constitution was written, all our concepts were dominated by the thinking of the physical sciences. Classes of entities were conceived in terms of Platonic essentialism. Each class (eidos) corresponded to a definite type that was constant and invariant. Variation never entered into discussions because it was considered to be "accidental" and hence irrelevant. A different race was considered a different type. A white European was a different type from a black African. This went so far that certain authors considered the human races to be different species.
It was the great, and far too little appreciated, achievement of Charles Darwin to have replaced this typological approach by what we now call population thinking. In this new thinking, the biological uniqueness of every individual is recognized, and the inhabitants of a certain geographic region are considered a biopopulation. In such a biopopulation, no two individuals are the same, and this is true even for the six billion humans now on Earth. And, most important, each biopopulation is highly variable, and its individuals greatly differ from each other, thanks to the unique genetic combinations that result from this variability.
Let me illustrate the implications of individual differences by analyzing the outcome of the 2001 Boston marathon. Kenyans are a population famous for producing long-distance runners. Three Kenyans had entered the race, and it was predicted that they would end the race as numbers one, two, and three. However, to everybody's great surprise, the winner was a Korean, and, even more surprisingly, number two was an Ecuadorian from a population that had never been credited with long-distance running abilities. It was a clear refutation of a typological - or essentialist - approach to thinking about race.
In a Darwinian population, there is great variation around a mean value. This variation has reality, while the mean value is simply an abstraction. One must treat each individual on the basis of his or her own unique abilities, and not on the basis of the group's mean value.
At the same time, nothing could be more meaningless than to evaluate races in terms of their putative "superiority." Superiority where, when, and under what circumstances? During the period of the development of the human races, each one became adapted to the condition of its geographic location. Put a Bushman and an Eskimo in the Kalahari Desert and the Bushman is very much superior; put a Bushman and an Eskimo on the Greenland ice and the Eskimo is by far superior. The Australian Aborigines were very successful in colonizing Australia around sixty thousand years ago and developed local races with their own culture. Yet they could not defend themselves against European invaders.
What happened to the human population in this case of European colonization is comparable to what happened to the biota of New Zealand - a case that Darwin studied. When British animals and plants were introduced into New Zealand, many native species were not able to cope with this new competition and became extinct. In both cases, the success of the European populations of plants, animals, and colonists may have been simply due to a constellation of favorable geographic factors. There is no evidence at all that it was due to some intrinsic genetic "superiority."
When dealing with human races we must think of them as the inhabitants of the geographic region in which they had originated. Presumably each human race consists of individuals who, on average and in certain ways, are demonstrably superior to the average individual of another race. Eskimos, for instance, are superior in their adaptedness to cold. In the last four or five Olympics there were always six to eight contenders of African descent among the ten finalists in the sprinting races, surely not an accidental percentage.
These considerations should teach us how we should think about human races. A human race consists of the descendants of a once-isolated geographical population primarily adapted for the environmental conditions of their original home country. But, as is illustrated by the success of Europeans and Africans and Asians in all parts of the world, any race is capable of living anywhere. Most importantly, a race is always highly variable: any human race will include a wide variety of extraordinary individuals who excel in very different human abilities.
When comparing one race with another, we do find genes that are on the whole specific for certain populations. Many individuals of Native American descent have the Diego blood group factors, and people of Jewish descent have a propensity for Tay-Sachs disease. Some of these characteristics are virtually diagnostic, but most are merely quantitative, like the description of the human races in older anthropology textbooks describing skin color, hair, eye color, body size, etc. An ensemble of such characteristics usually permits classifying an individual in the relevant race. All these characteristics are nevertheless highly variable, and it is virtually impossible to classify every individual definitively, especially in those areas where one geographic race merges into another (as is true, for example, for the human population of modern-day America).
Curiously, when people make derogatory statements about members of other races, they often do not refer to biological traits at all, but rather to putative character traits: members of a certain racial group are said to be lazy, dishonest, unreliable, thievish, arrogant, etc. There is no scientific evidence of a genetic basis for any such negative traits. There is also no scientific evidence known to me that the genetic differences we do discover among the human races have any influence at all on personality. Most of the mentioned undesirable personality traits, if they are at all correlated with specific human populations, are obviously cultural and therefore open to change through appropriate forms of education.
It is generally unwise to assume that every apparent difference in traits between populations of human beings has a biological cause. In a recent aptitude test administered in California, students of Asian descent did conspicuously better than students of African descent. Researchers evaluating these results subsequently discovered that in the year preceding the test, the Asian-American students had spent a daily average of three hours on homework, while the African-American students had done virtually no homework at all. The test results by themselves cannot tell us what percentage of the superior performance by the Asian-American students was due to their genetic endowment and what percentage to the cultural trait of being better prepared for the test thanks to spending, on the whole, far more time on homework than the African-American students did.
One can conclude from these observations that although there are certain genetic differences between races, there is no genetic evidence whatsoever to justify the uncomplimentary evaluation that members of one race have sometimes made of members of other races. There simply is no biological basis for racism.
Indeed, what is far more important than the differences between human races is the enormous variation within each racial group. We must always keep in mind that no two human beings even so-called identical twins - are in fact genetically identical. When encountering a lying member of another race, nothing would be more illogical - and unjust - than to conclude that all members of that race are liars. Likewise, if one encountered a particularly warmhearted member of a different race, it would be equally foolish to conclude that all members of that race are equally warmhearted. To avoid such mistakes, it is useful to apply the population thinking pioneered by Darwin.
It also helps to adopt the motto "They are like us." This was my motto more than seventy years ago when I became one of the first outsiders to visit a native village in the interior of New Guinea. Invariably, they are like us. Whenever I lived with one of these relatively isolated populations of human beings for any length of time, it did not take me long to discover the differences in the personalities of the individuals with whom I had to deal. The rule that no individuals are the same was as true for the Stone Age natives of New Guinea as it is for a group of my Harvard colleagues. A lot of our human difficulties are due to people forgetting the simple rule that no two people are the same.
So what, if anything, does biology, and specifically the biological understanding of race, have to teach us about the concept of equality?
In the first place, the biological facts may help to remind us just how new the political concept of equality really is. When we look at social species of animals, we discover that there is always a rank order. There may be an alpha-male or an alpha-female, and all other individuals of the group fall somewhere below them in the rank order.
A similar rank-ordering has long marked many human societies as well. During the years I lived in a small village of Papuans in the mountains of New Guinea, the local chief had three wives, other high-ranking members of the village had one, and a number of "inferior" tribesmen had no wives at all. Nineteenth-century British society distinguished clearly between aristocrats, gentlemen, and common workingmen. As George Eliot describes in the novel Middlemarch, there was even a rank order within each of these major classes.
As a historian of science, I am inclined to believe that the scientific revolution of the eighteenth century helped to promote new ways of thinking about equality. From the perspective of Newtonian essentialism, all samples of a chemical element are identical and, as modern physics assumes, so are nuclear particles. Equality of this sort is a universal phenomenon. Perhaps it was only a small step from Newtonian essentialism to the moral proposition that all human beings are essentially equal, and therefore should have equal rights.
As is true of the word "race," "equality" has come to mean different things to different people. I take it for granted that every good American accepts the principle of civil equality. This means equal opportunity, equality before the law, and equality in social interactions. To have elaborated this principle is one of the glorious achievements of the American Revolution.
Still, the principle cannot in many contexts be applied concretely, for the kinds of biological reasons I have already discussed. No two human individuals are genetically the same. Paradoxically, it is precisely because the human population is genetically and culturally so diverse that we need a principle of civil equality. Anybody should be able to enjoy the benefits of our liberal society in spite of differences of religion, race, or socioeconomic status. Regardless of whether the difference in performance between individuals, or two groups, has biological or purely cultural causes, it is our moral obligation to see to it that each individual and group has an equal opportunity. The great British geneticist J. B. S. Haldane asked what we can do to provide equal opportunities to all members of our society, regardless of any differences in ability. He said we simply have to provide more opportunities, we must diversify our educational curricula, and we must offer new incentives.
These reflections on the biology of race and the concept of equality suggest the following conclusions:
* Every single human being is biologically unique and differs in major characteristics even from close relatives.
* Geographical groups of humans, what biologists call races, tend to differ from each other in mean differences and sometimes even in specific single genes. But when it comes to the capacities that are required for the optimal functioning of our society, I am sure that the performance of any individual in any racial group can be matched by that of some individual in another racial group. This is what a population analysis reveals.
* In small groups of primitive human beings, just as in all groups created by social animals, there is a rank order, with certain individuals being dominant.
* In the large human societies that developed after the origin of agriculture and the rise of cities, new systems of ranking became established, of which the European feudal societies of the fourteenth to the eighteenth century were typical.
* Democracy, including the principle of civil equality, emerged during the Enlightenment and became fully established through the American Revolution and incorporated in the Constitution of the new American republic.
* When Thomas Jefferson proclaimed that " all men are created equal," he failed to distinguish between the civil equality of individual human beings and their biological uniqueness. Even though all of us are in principle equal before the law and ought to enjoy an equality of opportunity, we may be very different in our preferences and aptitudes. And if this is ignored, it may well lead to discord.
* It is our obligation to overcome the seeming conflict between a strict upholding of civil equality and the vast biological and cultural differences among individual human beings and groups of individuals. The introduction of new educational measures and even legislation to overcome existing inequalities will be successful only if based on a full understanding of the underlying biological and cultural factors.
Do u think this is true?
A good fundamental treatise that addresses a number of issues. I do not want to tackage the whole thing since the commentary would be minutia. I will tacke the bullet points. Any flippant comments are agreement.
* Every single human being is biologically unique and differs in major characteristics even from close relatives.
#"You are a unique individual... just like everyone else"
* Geographical groups of humans, what biologists call races, tend to differ from each other in mean differences and sometimes even in specific single genes. But when it comes to the capacities that are required for the optimal functioning of our society, I am sure that the performance of any individual in any racial group can be matched by that of some individual in another racial group. This is what a population analysis reveals.
#The last 10,000 years of human society was predominantly aggrarian. The Industrial Age lasted about 200 years. As we emerge into the Post-Industrial Era, "fit" traits are not consistent with the previoius 500 generations.
* In small groups of primitive human beings, just as in all groups created by social animals, there is a rank order, with certain individuals being dominant.
* In the large human societies that developed after the origin of agriculture and the rise of cities, new systems of ranking became established, of which the European feudal societies of the fourteenth to the eighteenth century were typical.
* Democracy, including the principle of civil equality, emerged during the Enlightenment and became fully established through the American Revolution and incorporated in the Constitution of the new American republic.
#Athens had a democracy of the aristocratic families. The Roman Republic provided the vote to every "citizen". At it's inception, the US Constitution made a republican representative Government of landed ($25) males. It has evolved.
* When Thomas Jefferson proclaimed that " all men are created equal," he failed to distinguish between the civil equality of individual human beings and their biological uniqueness. Even though all of us are in principle equal before the law and ought to enjoy an equality of opportunity, we may be very different in our preferences and aptitudes. And if this is ignored, it may well lead to discord.
#What Jefferson didn't say went beyond that.
http://www.princeton.edu/~tjpapers/decla...
Search "he has waged cruel war"
In all things there is a balance between benevolence and benificence. It is great to dream of every child going to college, but for some it will be a fruitless effort. That holds true regardless of race.
* It is our obligation to overcome the seeming conflict between a strict upholding of civil equality and the vast biological and cultural differences among individual human beings and groups of individuals. The introduction of new educational measures and even legislation to overcome existing inequalities will be successful only if based on a full understanding of the underlying biological and cultural factors.
#There is an intrinsic conflict between heritage providing cultural richness and groups isolating and conflicting with one another. Artificial measures can result in backlashes.
Reply:not clear getting bored, sorry to read. Report It
bleeding heart
There are words in our language that seem to lead inevitably to controversy. This is surely true for the words "equality" and "race." And yet among well informed people, there is little disagreement as to what these words should mean, in part because various advances in biological science have produced a better understanding of the human condition.
Let me begin with race. There is a widespread feeling that the word "race" indicates something undesirable and that it should be left out of all discussions. This leads to such statements as "there are no human races."
Those who subscribe to this opinion are obviously ignorant of modern biology. Races are not something specifically human; races occur in a large percentage of species of animals. You can read in every textbook on evolution that geographic races of animals, when isolated from other races of their species, may in due time become new species. The terms "subspecies" and "geographic race" are used interchangeably in this taxonomic literature.
This at once raises a question: are there races in the human species? After all, the characteristics of most animal races are strictly genetic, while human races have been marked by nongenetic, cultural attributes that have very much affected their overt characteristics. Performance in human activities is influenced not only by the genotype but also by culturally acquired attitudes. What would be ideal, therefore, would be to partition the phenotype of every human individual into genetic and cultural components.
Alas, so far we have not yet found any reliable technique to do this. What we can do is acknowledge that any recorded differences between human races are probably composed of cultural as well as genetic elements. Indeed, the cause of many important group differences may turn out to be entirely cultural, without any genetic component at all. Still, if I introduce you to an Eskimo and a Kalahari Bushman I won't have much trouble convincing you that they belong to different races.
In a recent textbook of taxonomy, I defined a "geographic race" or subspecies as "an aggregate of phenotypically similar populations of a species inhabiting a geographic subdivision of the range of that species and differing taxonomically from other populations of that species." A subspecies is a geographic race that is sufficiently different taxonomically to be worthy of a separate name. What is characteristic of a geographic race is, first, that it is restricted to a geographic subdivision of the range of a species, and second, that in spite of certain diagnostic differences, it is part of a larger species.
No matter what the cause of the racial difference might be, the fact that species of organisms may have geographic races has been demonstrated so frequently that it can no longer be denied. And the geographic races of the human species - established before the voyages of European discovery and subsequent rise of a global economy - agree in most characteristics with the geographic races of animals. Recognizing races is only recognizing a biological fact.
Still, the biological fact by itself does not foreclose giving various answers to the question, What is race? In particular, adherence to different political and moral philosophies, as we shall see, permits rather different answers. But I believe it is useful at the outset to bracket the cultural factors and explore some of the implications of a strictly biological approach.
The evolutionary literature explains why there are geographic races. Every local population of a species has its own gene pool with its own mutations and errors of sampling. And every population is subject to selection by the local environment. There is now a large literature on the environmental factors that may influence the geographic variation of a species. For example, populations of warm-blooded vertebrates (mammals and birds) in the colder part of their geographical range tend to larger size (Bergmann's rule). Darwin wondered whether these climatic factors were sufficient to account for the differences between geographic races in the human species. He finally concluded that sexual selection, the preference of women for certain types of men, might be another factor leading to differences between geographic races.
This kind of biological analysis is necessary but not sufficient. By itself, biology cannot explain the vehemence of the modern controversy over race. Historically, the word "race" has had very different meanings for different people holding different political philosophies. Furthermore, in the last two hundred years there has been a change in the dominant philosophy of race.
In the eighteenth century, when America's Constitution was written, all our concepts were dominated by the thinking of the physical sciences. Classes of entities were conceived in terms of Platonic essentialism. Each class (eidos) corresponded to a definite type that was constant and invariant. Variation never entered into discussions because it was considered to be "accidental" and hence irrelevant. A different race was considered a different type. A white European was a different type from a black African. This went so far that certain authors considered the human races to be different species.
It was the great, and far too little appreciated, achievement of Charles Darwin to have replaced this typological approach by what we now call population thinking. In this new thinking, the biological uniqueness of every individual is recognized, and the inhabitants of a certain geographic region are considered a biopopulation. In such a biopopulation, no two individuals are the same, and this is true even for the six billion humans now on Earth. And, most important, each biopopulation is highly variable, and its individuals greatly differ from each other, thanks to the unique genetic combinations that result from this variability.
Let me illustrate the implications of individual differences by analyzing the outcome of the 2001 Boston marathon. Kenyans are a population famous for producing long-distance runners. Three Kenyans had entered the race, and it was predicted that they would end the race as numbers one, two, and three. However, to everybody's great surprise, the winner was a Korean, and, even more surprisingly, number two was an Ecuadorian from a population that had never been credited with long-distance running abilities. It was a clear refutation of a typological - or essentialist - approach to thinking about race.
In a Darwinian population, there is great variation around a mean value. This variation has reality, while the mean value is simply an abstraction. One must treat each individual on the basis of his or her own unique abilities, and not on the basis of the group's mean value.
At the same time, nothing could be more meaningless than to evaluate races in terms of their putative "superiority." Superiority where, when, and under what circumstances? During the period of the development of the human races, each one became adapted to the condition of its geographic location. Put a Bushman and an Eskimo in the Kalahari Desert and the Bushman is very much superior; put a Bushman and an Eskimo on the Greenland ice and the Eskimo is by far superior. The Australian Aborigines were very successful in colonizing Australia around sixty thousand years ago and developed local races with their own culture. Yet they could not defend themselves against European invaders.
What happened to the human population in this case of European colonization is comparable to what happened to the biota of New Zealand - a case that Darwin studied. When British animals and plants were introduced into New Zealand, many native species were not able to cope with this new competition and became extinct. In both cases, the success of the European populations of plants, animals, and colonists may have been simply due to a constellation of favorable geographic factors. There is no evidence at all that it was due to some intrinsic genetic "superiority."
When dealing with human races we must think of them as the inhabitants of the geographic region in which they had originated. Presumably each human race consists of individuals who, on average and in certain ways, are demonstrably superior to the average individual of another race. Eskimos, for instance, are superior in their adaptedness to cold. In the last four or five Olympics there were always six to eight contenders of African descent among the ten finalists in the sprinting races, surely not an accidental percentage.
These considerations should teach us how we should think about human races. A human race consists of the descendants of a once-isolated geographical population primarily adapted for the environmental conditions of their original home country. But, as is illustrated by the success of Europeans and Africans and Asians in all parts of the world, any race is capable of living anywhere. Most importantly, a race is always highly variable: any human race will include a wide variety of extraordinary individuals who excel in very different human abilities.
When comparing one race with another, we do find genes that are on the whole specific for certain populations. Many individuals of Native American descent have the Diego blood group factors, and people of Jewish descent have a propensity for Tay-Sachs disease. Some of these characteristics are virtually diagnostic, but most are merely quantitative, like the description of the human races in older anthropology textbooks describing skin color, hair, eye color, body size, etc. An ensemble of such characteristics usually permits classifying an individual in the relevant race. All these characteristics are nevertheless highly variable, and it is virtually impossible to classify every individual definitively, especially in those areas where one geographic race merges into another (as is true, for example, for the human population of modern-day America).
Curiously, when people make derogatory statements about members of other races, they often do not refer to biological traits at all, but rather to putative character traits: members of a certain racial group are said to be lazy, dishonest, unreliable, thievish, arrogant, etc. There is no scientific evidence of a genetic basis for any such negative traits. There is also no scientific evidence known to me that the genetic differences we do discover among the human races have any influence at all on personality. Most of the mentioned undesirable personality traits, if they are at all correlated with specific human populations, are obviously cultural and therefore open to change through appropriate forms of education.
It is generally unwise to assume that every apparent difference in traits between populations of human beings has a biological cause. In a recent aptitude test administered in California, students of Asian descent did conspicuously better than students of African descent. Researchers evaluating these results subsequently discovered that in the year preceding the test, the Asian-American students had spent a daily average of three hours on homework, while the African-American students had done virtually no homework at all. The test results by themselves cannot tell us what percentage of the superior performance by the Asian-American students was due to their genetic endowment and what percentage to the cultural trait of being better prepared for the test thanks to spending, on the whole, far more time on homework than the African-American students did.
One can conclude from these observations that although there are certain genetic differences between races, there is no genetic evidence whatsoever to justify the uncomplimentary evaluation that members of one race have sometimes made of members of other races. There simply is no biological basis for racism.
Indeed, what is far more important than the differences between human races is the enormous variation within each racial group. We must always keep in mind that no two human beings even so-called identical twins - are in fact genetically identical. When encountering a lying member of another race, nothing would be more illogical - and unjust - than to conclude that all members of that race are liars. Likewise, if one encountered a particularly warmhearted member of a different race, it would be equally foolish to conclude that all members of that race are equally warmhearted. To avoid such mistakes, it is useful to apply the population thinking pioneered by Darwin.
It also helps to adopt the motto "They are like us." This was my motto more than seventy years ago when I became one of the first outsiders to visit a native village in the interior of New Guinea. Invariably, they are like us. Whenever I lived with one of these relatively isolated populations of human beings for any length of time, it did not take me long to discover the differences in the personalities of the individuals with whom I had to deal. The rule that no individuals are the same was as true for the Stone Age natives of New Guinea as it is for a group of my Harvard colleagues. A lot of our human difficulties are due to people forgetting the simple rule that no two people are the same.
So what, if anything, does biology, and specifically the biological understanding of race, have to teach us about the concept of equality?
In the first place, the biological facts may help to remind us just how new the political concept of equality really is. When we look at social species of animals, we discover that there is always a rank order. There may be an alpha-male or an alpha-female, and all other individuals of the group fall somewhere below them in the rank order.
A similar rank-ordering has long marked many human societies as well. During the years I lived in a small village of Papuans in the mountains of New Guinea, the local chief had three wives, other high-ranking members of the village had one, and a number of "inferior" tribesmen had no wives at all. Nineteenth-century British society distinguished clearly between aristocrats, gentlemen, and common workingmen. As George Eliot describes in the novel Middlemarch, there was even a rank order within each of these major classes.
As a historian of science, I am inclined to believe that the scientific revolution of the eighteenth century helped to promote new ways of thinking about equality. From the perspective of Newtonian essentialism, all samples of a chemical element are identical and, as modern physics assumes, so are nuclear particles. Equality of this sort is a universal phenomenon. Perhaps it was only a small step from Newtonian essentialism to the moral proposition that all human beings are essentially equal, and therefore should have equal rights.
As is true of the word "race," "equality" has come to mean different things to different people. I take it for granted that every good American accepts the principle of civil equality. This means equal opportunity, equality before the law, and equality in social interactions. To have elaborated this principle is one of the glorious achievements of the American Revolution.
Still, the principle cannot in many contexts be applied concretely, for the kinds of biological reasons I have already discussed. No two human individuals are genetically the same. Paradoxically, it is precisely because the human population is genetically and culturally so diverse that we need a principle of civil equality. Anybody should be able to enjoy the benefits of our liberal society in spite of differences of religion, race, or socioeconomic status. Regardless of whether the difference in performance between individuals, or two groups, has biological or purely cultural causes, it is our moral obligation to see to it that each individual and group has an equal opportunity. The great British geneticist J. B. S. Haldane asked what we can do to provide equal opportunities to all members of our society, regardless of any differences in ability. He said we simply have to provide more opportunities, we must diversify our educational curricula, and we must offer new incentives.
These reflections on the biology of race and the concept of equality suggest the following conclusions:
* Every single human being is biologically unique and differs in major characteristics even from close relatives.
* Geographical groups of humans, what biologists call races, tend to differ from each other in mean differences and sometimes even in specific single genes. But when it comes to the capacities that are required for the optimal functioning of our society, I am sure that the performance of any individual in any racial group can be matched by that of some individual in another racial group. This is what a population analysis reveals.
* In small groups of primitive human beings, just as in all groups created by social animals, there is a rank order, with certain individuals being dominant.
* In the large human societies that developed after the origin of agriculture and the rise of cities, new systems of ranking became established, of which the European feudal societies of the fourteenth to the eighteenth century were typical.
* Democracy, including the principle of civil equality, emerged during the Enlightenment and became fully established through the American Revolution and incorporated in the Constitution of the new American republic.
* When Thomas Jefferson proclaimed that " all men are created equal," he failed to distinguish between the civil equality of individual human beings and their biological uniqueness. Even though all of us are in principle equal before the law and ought to enjoy an equality of opportunity, we may be very different in our preferences and aptitudes. And if this is ignored, it may well lead to discord.
* It is our obligation to overcome the seeming conflict between a strict upholding of civil equality and the vast biological and cultural differences among individual human beings and groups of individuals. The introduction of new educational measures and even legislation to overcome existing inequalities will be successful only if based on a full understanding of the underlying biological and cultural factors.
Do u think this is true?
A good fundamental treatise that addresses a number of issues. I do not want to tackage the whole thing since the commentary would be minutia. I will tacke the bullet points. Any flippant comments are agreement.
* Every single human being is biologically unique and differs in major characteristics even from close relatives.
#"You are a unique individual... just like everyone else"
* Geographical groups of humans, what biologists call races, tend to differ from each other in mean differences and sometimes even in specific single genes. But when it comes to the capacities that are required for the optimal functioning of our society, I am sure that the performance of any individual in any racial group can be matched by that of some individual in another racial group. This is what a population analysis reveals.
#The last 10,000 years of human society was predominantly aggrarian. The Industrial Age lasted about 200 years. As we emerge into the Post-Industrial Era, "fit" traits are not consistent with the previoius 500 generations.
* In small groups of primitive human beings, just as in all groups created by social animals, there is a rank order, with certain individuals being dominant.
* In the large human societies that developed after the origin of agriculture and the rise of cities, new systems of ranking became established, of which the European feudal societies of the fourteenth to the eighteenth century were typical.
* Democracy, including the principle of civil equality, emerged during the Enlightenment and became fully established through the American Revolution and incorporated in the Constitution of the new American republic.
#Athens had a democracy of the aristocratic families. The Roman Republic provided the vote to every "citizen". At it's inception, the US Constitution made a republican representative Government of landed ($25) males. It has evolved.
* When Thomas Jefferson proclaimed that " all men are created equal," he failed to distinguish between the civil equality of individual human beings and their biological uniqueness. Even though all of us are in principle equal before the law and ought to enjoy an equality of opportunity, we may be very different in our preferences and aptitudes. And if this is ignored, it may well lead to discord.
#What Jefferson didn't say went beyond that.
http://www.princeton.edu/~tjpapers/decla...
Search "he has waged cruel war"
In all things there is a balance between benevolence and benificence. It is great to dream of every child going to college, but for some it will be a fruitless effort. That holds true regardless of race.
* It is our obligation to overcome the seeming conflict between a strict upholding of civil equality and the vast biological and cultural differences among individual human beings and groups of individuals. The introduction of new educational measures and even legislation to overcome existing inequalities will be successful only if based on a full understanding of the underlying biological and cultural factors.
#There is an intrinsic conflict between heritage providing cultural richness and groups isolating and conflicting with one another. Artificial measures can result in backlashes.
Reply:not clear getting bored, sorry to read. Report It
bleeding heart
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