Why turn a blind eye to polygamy??? April 18, 2008

If you have been keeping up with the news, there is alot of  coverage on the polygamist ranch in Texas over 500 women and children were taken off the ranch because of a 16 year old girl who called the police saying how she had been abused and how girls as young as 14 and 15 were being forced into marriage.This caused alarm across the country because once again we are hearing abuse within the polygamist community. Almost everyone has heard about Warren Jeffs. A polygamist leader who was charged with two counts with rape as an accomplice. In February of this year he has issued a guilty plea in Arizona, due to the accusations of arranged marriages with young girls and older men.

In my opinion why does the united states allow this to happen. Now i am not saying all Polygamist are prone to rape and forced marriages but a large amount of cases prove otherwise. Polygamy would be found under religion so based on that, the government can only go but so far to intervene. Only in cases where people are getting hurt such as the Jeff Warrens case or the new ranch in Texas can the law intervene. I feel through that in a religion that break rules such as multiple marriages,underage marriages and rape, why do we allow it? Yes i understand freedom of religion, but in a religion that can be compared to a cult…why allow it? There are stories of people who have broken free of there polygamist ways and are shunned by family and friends because they no longer want to live that way of life. There are stories of incest and rape, and forced marriages. There is a story of a girl was 16 and forced to marry a 65 year old man! This is ridiculous. People wonder why they are told to hide their faces when people who are non polygamist see them. That is because they are hiding their shame, there hopelessness. Though certain polygamy compounds are old fashioned, meaning they wear the home made clothing, with the bonnets almost very similar to the Amish. On Oprah i saw a modern day polygamist  family who wore the same clothes any average American would wear. They lived in a gated community ( of course) and their children wore no bonnets and they went to school with other non polygamy children. Now i am not giving them a gold star because they live a more modern way of life but they are less old fashioned.

My last thoughts on this is that i think polygamist should not be allowed. Polygamy in every other meaning then religion is illegal so why allow it? Especially when you take into account the children who have been  abused or shunned. The people who have no way out for fear of being shunned. For people who don’t even know what else life has to offer other then living a simple polygamist life. I feel this shouldn’t be legal. So i guess just like the KKK is legal because of freedom of speech, is guess polygamy will continue to be legal because of freedom of religion….what a country we live in.

~Attending a College Fair~ April 14, 2008

I went to a college fair just yesterday and there were so many people who looked lost among the crowd. Maybe i was one of them but i learned a lot based on my experience.

My first tip for going to a college fair is GET THERE EARLY.I went to the National college fair in NY, it was from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. I figured well, since it will be till 4 i guess ill get there about 1:30….Big mistake. GET THERE EARLY! If the time for your college fair is 12 get there at 11. Its not something people think about often but if you stop and think about all the millions of kids who are planning on attending college, then you can understand why i am saying get there early . on the website for the national college fair it said estimated attendees 9,000. Well there had to be at least 15,000. It was so many people that the line went way around the convention center into the streets! Now i am not saying all college fairs are like this, but in a major cities like NY or Chicago or LA, expect alot of people.

My next tip is to BE PREPARED.

 When i say be prepared i mean know these 3 major things. What colleges your interested in, what location you want your college to be in and  what majors you want to take. These things will help you navigate through the crowds. There is nothing wrong with wandering around and checking out different colleges just for the sake of it, but if you know those 3 things it will definitely keep you sane. Like i said earlier college fairs are crowded so if you know what your looking for, you wont get caught up.

College Fair Tip #3 : HAVE A LIST OF QUESTIONS YOU WANT TO ASK

This is something that i should have done because you find that you know what your going to say until you get amidst the chaos and everyone is on top of everyone trying to talk at the same time…you get lost within the crowds. So have a list ready. When you get to booth don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you want because it is very likely that the people standing at the booth with you want to ask the same thing.

Tip #4: HAVE LABELS READY

I found this out yesterday also. With the large amount of kids wanting to request info from the colleges, most of the time the reps will run out of cards. But usually if you carry labels they will accept them. There were about 2 colleges that i was unable to obtain info from because they ran out of cards. So  have a label ready with you name, address, phone number, email, high school name, high school grade and the majors your interested in.

Lastly DON’T GET LOST AMONGST THE CHAOS!

Most people get frustrated because of the amount of people and the lack of manners at a college fair, but it is what it is. Take a deep breath and realize that these people are here to do the same thing as you. If you find yourself at a booth that is popular and it is a crowded, don’t bombard everyone to get to the front, just wait your turn. If you cant find your school of choice, use a map. Most college fairs will give you a map of the fair itself, which believe me it does help you navigate around the masses.

These tips are definetly helpful for anyone who is looking forward to attending a college fair. I hope it helps

Where’s the reality in reality TV?? March 19, 2008

                                                  

what ever happened to day when you would turn the TV and when a show said reality….you would say well hey, this must be real. I miss those days but then i have to think…did these days ever exist? With all the shows out now its hard to distinguish between which ones have a script, and which ones don’t. For instance all of the vast amounts of Celebrity family shows, keeping up with the kardashians,snoop dogg father hood,runs house,hogan knows best, being bobby brown….the list goes on and on! Some shows are a little discreet with the fact that the people are either following a script while others are blatantly obvious that everyone in the house has voluntarily taken acting classes just for their show to look “authentic”. It never occurred to me that an authentic family sits around in high fashion jeans with heels and full hair and makeup done as they sat and watched tv( which by the way the TV convenietly happens to be on a channel that their reality show is on). Reality TV is really becoming ridiculous. Now the same goes with the dating reality shows like flavor of love, i love new york and the bachelor. All these shows couldn’t be more fake. They pick the people that make good TV, then one by one picking off the girls or guys that are obviously not liked by the picker, then the one that everyone knew from the beginning was going to win, wins  the show. It is so predictable but yet i cant look away from the TV. What draws us in to such nonsense, that fact that we think its real or the fact that is so ridiculous we know its not real but we like to believe it is? This is a question i love to ask myself. But since there isn’t anything else on TV I guess I’m stuck watching Reality TV

America’s Next Top Plus Sized Model? March 13, 2008

 

I remember back in the day where when i use to watch Americas next top model i would be a super fan. I would watch it every week. Go on the net and check out the web exclusives and cheered when my favorite won at the end of the show. But now it seems like the show has lost its charm. It seems monotonous and unnecessary. With all the other shows on that claim to grant super stardom trough a modeling contract like, The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency on Oxygen, or Make me a Supermodel on Bravo or the other countless model shows, Americas Next Top Model in my opinion is falling short. Even the prizes they win are slowly becoming less valuable. Like before the winners would get on the cover of Elle magazine which is a very fashion forward mag. but now they get on the cover of Seventeen. Seventeen mag is somewhat fashion forward too, but not as much as Elle. They win some other things but really i could care less. Another thing that bothers me about America’s Next top model is that Tyra on her talk show boast about beautiful curvy women should be represented as beautiful and shown in magazines…but on top model she only can afford to put 2 plus sized women, and on top of that they aren’t even that plus sized. They should be called average while the rest look anorexic. She always talks about how a women you should love their body and how it would be easier if sometimes you would see an occasional curve on someone either on the runways or in magazines. With her saying that you would assume that she would at least pave the way by having more then 2 plus sized models on her modeling show! Or she could have a show called America’s Next Top Plus sized model. I bet it would get more ratings then the current top model because to be very honest i am sick and tired or seeing razor thin girls with sunken in faces that look like they haven’t eaten anything but a grape in the past month. I mean it wouldn’t hurt to see and average size women as a model on the runway. Tyra has the opportunity to open up so many doors, but she doesn’t. Unless she just isn’t fighting hard enough for it. Even when there were more curvy models on the show, they always had issues with body image while on the show because they curvy women were always outnumbered and they always had issues with clothing not fitting them properly or just self esteem issues when the client ( who by the way only books skinny models) doesnt like the look of a curvy movel. So with that in mind i figure maybe it would be better to have a show where only the curvy women are shown as beautiful for a change. I take pride in Monique the comedian who has a annual show called Monique’s Phat Chance, which is basically pageant for plus sized women. I applaud her because she is trying to make a change, unlike TYRA! I respect tyra with all she does, she has done the SO WHAT! movement and she has done other things that help women, teens, and girls feel better about themselves, but she in my opinion isn’t doing enough. Having a plus sized top model on her talk show compete for a Ad in some unknown magazine does not compare to what the other models get on top model, so why not have a top model for plus size women too??? I feel that with as much as tyra does for women she has the ability to make a plus size top model show. Now i don’t know whether or not she wants to or not or whether the producers or creators wont allow her, but with her name, skills and talent i am sure she can make a change in the vision of beauty in society and make Americas Next top Plus sized Model possible!!!!!!

American Idol does not equal instant fame! February 14, 2008

 

I have been watching American idol since day one, i mean literally day 1 season 1.Every year you see the select few who come on the show saying i want to be the next idol and that if they are eliminated they dont know what they will do with their lives. Over the years you have seen many people become celebrities due to their new idol fame, and some people who become 15 minute stars. But what about those who go on and expect instant fame and never achieve it. What about all those people who you say that person will definitely make it after leaving idol. Well i have seen it time after time. For instance, Taylor hicks, the winner of American idol 2 seasons ago. He couldn’t sing and some people said he had good stage presence. I didn’t think that, but he had a good loyal fan base that voted for him thousands of times to keep him out of elimination and ultimately making him and idol. You would think with such a fan base that you would be famous and drive a Bentley! No that was not the case. If anyone has noticed, Taylor hicks couldn’t sing and he wasn’t marketable. At 20 something years old he had gray hair he wasn’t in shape and he wasn’t attractive, so guess what he was unsuccessful. Yes people looks do mean things ,but also he didn’t make a hit record at all. His album never made it to  the billboard charts or if  he did make it, he was way on the bottom of the list. Recently Taylor, Katharine Mcphee and Ruben Studdard all got dumped from their record label, proving that just because you were on idol doesn’t mean you will become successful singers.

Katharine Mcphee everyone assumed she would be doing something with her life after idol. She was pretty, and she could hold a note. I saw her on a couple of commercials but after her 15 minutes of fame were over and her songs werent making hits on the radio and her cd’s werent selling, she became a has been. Katherine who….oh that idol girl. Many other idol contestants have all been the victims of idols 15 minutes of fame but some dont even have that much shine. Some contestants just move on with their lives after idol is over. Although idol may not always make instant fame for all, their are the small few who do make it. Jennifer hudson was a hit star of DreamGirls, outshining Beyonce. She was winning oscars, grammys, and many other countless awards for her outstanding performances. She has yet to break a cd out but hey she’s  enjoying her acting. Idol opens up serious oppurtunities that would never be available unless they had that exposure from the show. Carrie underwood is now a Country hit maker who won a country award and is doing well on the charts and radio, i dont know if her fame will last but for now she is doing well. Lakisha from last season will now be acting and singing in The Color Purple on broadway taking Fantasia’s spot for awhile. American idol has definetly given exposure and oppurtunities to people that otherwords would never have chances like these, but like i said before dont expect fame! Fame is something that does not fall into your lap regaurdless if you win a hit singing competition, you have to work for that fame. Look at beyonce, mariah carey and all those other people. They didnt have a show to put them on top. They worked for it. I feel you will never get anywhere if you dont work for it.

                              ~American idol does not equal instant fame~

Amy Winehouse Wins Grammy for Best New Artist! February 12, 2008

 

Wow so Amy winehouse a woman who is famous for singing her hit song “rehab” wins best new artist. This after showing the world her crazy drug habit.  They showed her on TV doing drugs while already high on prescription drugs. She was banned in the United states because of this. So she performed in Europe for the Grammys VIA satalite, but she won Best new artist? What does this say to young girls who look up to her, which alot of girls…young girls and teens look up to her. She openly uses, abuses drugs and yet she is awarded for her actions. This makes no type of sense. but you know what? In my opinion i think this can go either way. She will continue to do abuse because now she realizes she can do what she wants and still have a prosperous career. Or She will get her act together and say hey! Look what i accomplished, maybe i should stop abusin’. Nah i dont think she will do that. After her little “break” from Rehab to perform and after winning i am definetly sure she had a nice little party that involved getting wasted. So basically what does this say about society?

I was listening to the Wendy Williams show…which by the way i love, she is on channel 107.5 in ny or you can google wendy williams and listen to her online…… and her and her co host charlamagne were talking about how famous athletes get busted for doing steroids and ultimately their career is over, caput…end of story. I think it should kinda apply to the entertainment business too.

 I mean besides the fact that kids look up to these bad examples, this is still a human being that is ruining their life. Someone who is out of control. And basically by awarding her we are saying its okay Amy you won a grammy!! It don’t matter that your a druggy!!!! That’s basically what we are saying when we congratulate stars. Besides the ultimate amount of celebs going in and out of rehab like a fad, i think we need to get some serious help for these people….instead of filming and mocking them. We don’t need another Ana Nicole smith.

Lastly i also have to say besides Amy’s drug use i have to say that her album was rated highly and was a change of what you usually hear on the radio so i give her props for that but I’m sorry Amy you gotta get yourself back on track so you can get back to black!….get it back to black her album…dry humor….okay I’m really done with this blog. 

:)CYA

A Plus Sized Nightmare! January 22, 2008

I am not plus sized but sometime when i go shopping i am curious about what plus sized clothing are available. My mother is plus sized and sometimes when i shop with her i am very disappointed in the clothing or shall i say the lack of clothing that is available to her. First off the majority of department stores like JCpenney should not even call it a plus sized section they should call it a non existent section. The JCpenney that i went to had a small  section not even worth calling a section, more like a corner. Then with what little amounts of clothing that they had,  i had to say at least 2/10 outfits were very un-trendy. Does being plus sized mean that you don’t want to be trendy. I think not! We all have to wear clothes or else we will get sent to jail, but with clothes comes style. Which i have to say that when it comes to plus sized clothing there are none. There is another place called The Avenue. This store i will give props because they do have more trendy things and they have a wide range of selection. Only thing is that they only cater to the older crowd. If there is a a teen who is overweight and wants to flaunt what she has , there is no way she can do that using the clothes from Avenue. This disappoints me. I feel that knowing there are more overweight people in the united states, why have such a lack of clothing catering to the majority. Why is it that even when i walk into the juniors section of a store it is very hard to find a size 9 or 7, or a size large or extra large. Why do we have a rack full of size 1 and 2 when hardly anyone goes to that rack. Maybe that is why there is a whole rack. because there is no one buying it!  I was thinking about going into the fashion business even going to FIT college in NY but then i realized that i would never be able to get my point out about having a fair and equal amount of trendy clothing, available for all sizes and  ages. This really makes me want to do something but, what to do. A 16 year old who is passionate about something that has really nothing to do with her. Is that odd? Oh well maybe one day i can do something.