Another 2 Cents on Vaccines

IF you are a reader of my blog you know that vaccines and children are high on my priority list... Kylie sent me this article today and it is incredible. It is a first hand experience of the dangers of not vaccinating. This poor baby had Whopping Cough. It is a disease that we have immunizations for. Yet it killed this poor baby. Seriously do your scientific research if you are questioning not getting your child vaccinated. It is SO important. I have some more thoughts on this and the flu shot but that is for another day.

 

http://shotbyshot.org/pertussis/bradys-story/

 

 

The Grossest Words I Could Find.

This is a fun post. Over the past couple of months I have been compiling a massive list of some of the grossest words I know. These words should just not be allowed. Most of them involve bodily functions, but there are a few that are just awesome. Kylie says its all in the way you say the word...but I don't know. Some of these words are just inherently nasty. If you make it to the end of the list check out the hilarious movie from CollegeHumor. It is a real life application of these words! :D

Moist

Scab

Gooey

Sweat

Infected

Swollen

Smear

Damp

Rank

Putrid

Festering

Mold

Swallow

Throat 

Grime

Crusty

Pus

Pimple

Steamy

Snot

Vomit

 Gassy

Asparagus

Chunky

Soggy

Queasy

Fondle

Drip

Clogged

Squirt

Secrete

Creamy

 

 

  Did you make it through them all okay? The last couple are my favorite! Hopefully you didn't puke. If you have any other horrible words that I didn't list please put them in as a comment. Id love to see what you think of!

 

 

 

 

Enjoy! 

Youtube Friday #6

Yes I have not done one of these in ages. This semester is a beast. But tis the season, and the world needs to see this movie once again. Man its incredible. We should never complain about getting Thanksgiving songs...because this is what happens......

Good Luck. And Happy Thanksgiving!

Powerful Article from KSL

Just found this gem (more like a diamond) on KSL. Normally I only visit this site to see how stupid the world is being. I was blown away at the power of this article. I love it. I strongly recommend you read it. And more than that...think about the message it is getting at. Definitely going to print this and keep it forever. Wonderful stuff.

 

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=968&sid=27651571

Coexist

If there is one thing that gets me livid it is intolerance. Especially religious intolerance. For some unknown reason Facebook for the past couple of weeks is swarming with people declaring their beliefs on one thing, but then judging other’s for differing beliefs. Religious intolerance (and intolerance in general) hits a soft spot for me. I hate it. A lot. I have some very personal ties to it, which will not be discussed here. Or ever on this blog. This post is my rant though. My opinion on why I think religious intolerance is one of the foulest things to predominate among humans.

I was a nerdy child. (still am ;D ) But my time in elementary school was a nightmare. I was a skinny. I was nerdy. I was not good at sports. I had more girl friends then guy friends. I was smart. The combo of these traits had me targeted for bullies faster than I could name the planets of the solar system. I was bullied. I was different. Skipping all the gory details I eventually moved schools…only to be bullied by a different set of kids. Did I deserve some of the bullying…? Maybe. My social skills probably were not that adept. But still. I was different. And for that small reason I was singled out as being “weird.”

I kind of look like a rodent of some sort....

I do not know if this is what started my loathing for intolerance, or if it was my passion for other cultures and mythologies. But from what I can remember it started early. I always have believed that every religion on this planet has some value. I feel that religion's goal is to make people good. I may be flawed in this belief. But I don’t care. Spirituality is a key in the neurological stability of maturity. Whether it is Jehovah, Elohim, Budda, Jesus, Zeus, Hecate, or Confucius. Each one of these Gods gave humans the ability to make their lives better.

           So what is tolerance? To me tolerance is accepting. It is respect. It is taking that weird kid. The skinny one, who likes to read instead of playing basketball. It is taking him…and being nice. It doesn't mean agreeing on everything that kid does. But it does mean respecting it. Not verbally attacking him. Not challenging his actions because they differ from yours. Are we the ones who just make fun of the kid to get a rise out of him. Or are we the followers who promote it?

           To me there is no difference from this school yard bullying and religious intolerance. There are thousands of beautiful religions in this world and each of them have something to give to man kind. What makes us arbitrators of what is good and what is bad? Being a member of the LDS faith I see this on a regular basis. I served with Elders in Uruguay who believed that the Catholic Church was the legit Church of the devil. I knew of Elders who rejected any religious idea that was not our own. I participated in some of this. And it is and will be one of my biggest regrets of my life. I love my religion and I believe that it is true. But we have some of the best examples of religious intolerance out there. Both from our active members, and from ex-members looking back in.

           I do not care what you believe. But do NOT attack or belittle other faiths because you do not understand them or do not agree with their practices. That is not okay. Religion is meant to edify and build. Has it done its job? Not all the time. Is it one of the most hypocritical things out there. Of course. But I believe that is due to the human interaction. We are not a perfect species. We project our pride and ambitions into our activities. So HOW is it okay to judge a religion based on the actions of people? Will religions annoy you? Of course. I have been the annoyer. I have been spit in my face because I was trying to share what I believe is the word of God. Is that okay? Yes. Did I spit back because they didn't believe? Absolutely not.

            I do not understand a lot of that the Jehovah’s Witness believe in. They have some interesting ideologies that I don’t quite understand. However…they are an incredible force of people. They strive to make their members better and they promote healthy lifestyles. What is wrong with that!? Is it human nature to see only the bad and reject the good? Mormons, Catholics, Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Evangelicals, Wicca’s….we ALL have CRAZY beliefs. (Mormons have some of the craziest!) But why does that matter!? Why are we so keen to attack those beliefs we don’t agree with or think are ludicrous?

          This leads me to the Facebook dilemma. I love facebook. I am on it WAY TOO MUCH. I think it is a great tool to meet people, plan events, and catch up with people who you do not see everyday. But it is also a vicious tool. People can post whatever the hell they think is important without realizing the damage it can cause. Or making a spectacle of thier public journal. They hide behind their computer screen and attack beliefs that are dear to others. They don’t know if their words hurt. They cant see the pain they cause. But they sure as hell like causing it. All for the sake of inflating what they already believe.

            I have seen more crap (trying to be decent…) from people who claim that they are now self sufficient in their spirituality and don’t need religion. From agnostic to atheist. I really do not care. But just because you do not believe. DOES NOT mean you can belittle the rest of us just because we believe in a different God than you do. Keep it to yourself. What happened to “if you cant say anything nice…don’t say anything at all?” Apparently that saying does not apply in the realm of social media.

           J.K. Rowing wrote 7 incredible books about the dangers of intolerance. Dumbledore was gay. Hermione was a mud-blood. Harry a pure-blood. Ron a traitor. Yet each one of them symbolizes that it simply does not matter. Why does it matter when religion is involved? Would we think Hermione any less of a literary heroine if we found out she was Catholic? Or if Snape was a Buddhist? Would their symbolism change? People are people. They have different beliefs. Those beliefs can be crazy. Why do we care? She said it the best in this incredible quote that has molded my opinion on this matter.

Will this little rant change anything. Probably not. I will still read blasphemy on Facebook. That wont change. But if you do read this. Please think about it. Are we so willing to criticize instead of finding truth and goodness in what we don’t agree with? Do we post things that we may not find offensive on our walls, but could hurt someone else? Or are we forced to just block people. People who I admire and think are wonderful people. Friends, relatives, colleagues, and family. People who have a lot of respect in my eye. Yet lose it the moment they comment on my or any religion in a negative way.

          To end. I am sorry for the rant. But I am not sorry for my words. I will defend religious tolerance till I die. It means so much to me. The world would be a better place if we could all just respect each others beliefs. Will this ever happen. Doubt it. But I can sure as hell try to do my part. And I will. Also the next time you want to say something on Facebook…remember there are three things we shouldn't talk about at the dinner table. Sex, politics, and religion. Maybe the dinner table is not the only place to do that at….. ;) just saying.

Thanks for reading. This is stuff from my soul.

“It's an universal law-- intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.” 
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not something to fear.” 
― Gene Roddenberry

In this world, unity is achievable only by learning to unite in spite of differences, rather than insisting on unity without differences. For their total eradication is an impossibility. The secret of attaining peace in life is tolerance of disturbance of the peace. (p. 99)” 
― Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, The True Jihad: The Concept of Peace, Tolerance and Non Violence in Islam

“The Potter books in general are a prolonged argument for tolerance, a prolonged plea for an end to bigotry. And I think it's one of the reasons that some people don't like the books, but I think that's it's a very healthy message to pass on to younger people that you should question authority and you should not assume that the establishment or the press tells you all of the truth.” 
― J.K. Rowling

Real Social Networking

About four years ago I began my exodus that is college. Best decision I have ever made. I love school. I also hate it. We are in a very complex relationship. I would be absolutely lost without Weber State University telling me how to spend my weekday nights. However, this post isn't about how much I love and appreciate higher education. It is about what I think that every person needs to understand when they go to school. College is more than just books. It is about people.

With that in mind, College gives us the opportunity to forget the drama that was prom dances and 1 week romances and lets us begin again. We are thrown into a world where no one knows who you are, what you have done, or what click you were in. They don’t care about your religion, your sexual orientation, or your morals. It’s awesome. Sometimes though I think we don’t realize that we have the INCREDIBLE opportunity to branch out and meet these cool new people. To participate in real social networking is a beautiful thing. And yet…a lot of us don’t. WHY!? We cling to our high school friends and don’t want to explore the world of higher education. Granted I love my high school friends. But they are real friends. I will never lose contact with them. Most of the other “High School” friends I had are now just memories. I have seen both sides of the social network on campus. The side where I didn’t branch out and the side where I did. And I am so glad I did.  Here is my story.

Freshly graduated I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I want to work with kids. Make them healthy. Make them laugh. I want to be a pediatrician. (now I am thinking pediatric psychiatry…buts that’s another story…) So when I was accepted to Weber State I was ecstatic. Weber is an awesome school. Surprisingly for pre-med students as well. However, as much as I am a Wildcat. Weber has its cons. It is a MASSIVE commuter school. Meaning that a lot of the students come to go to classes and then get out of there ASAP. With this in mind Weber loses a lot of the “college atmosphere.” Unlike USU or the U or even the terrifying BYU, Weber doesn’t have the massive college life experience. Unless you change that yourself.

My freshman year on campus I was dating my high school girl friend. We both had the same interests and thought it would be a great idea if we took similar schedules. Worst idea ever. While it was fun, looking back on it, I made a huge mistake. I made absolutely no new friends at Weber that first year. I studied with her, I went to class with her, I only talked to her in class, we did projects together, and group work together. Big mistake. I took human anatomy my first year and could’ve had the amazing opportunity to network with some really cool people. But I didn’t. I went to school to go to school, then I would leave and hang out with…..? The same girlfriend. Big mistake.

Then I left and had a spiritual awakening in Uruguay for two years. Good decision. Here I got a taste of social networking (the real kind). I met thousands of phenomenal people who I cherish dearly. One of which is now one of my closest friends. The mission taught me how to put my personal reservations aside and get to know people. It was awesome.

I returned from the mission and in three months started school again. With no girlfriend I was ready to rock the campus scene. However, my girlfriend was now replaced with my brother. Who I did everything with on campus. We studied together, went to lunch together, drove together, and complained together. Once again I trapped myself into a rut. I didn’t socialize. I took some AMAZING classes with awesome people and I just left them in the dust.

Then my brother left on his mission, and I finally was all alone on campus. But what did I do? Not socialize. Bad decision. I don’t even know the name of my chemistry partner from intro to chemistry. We only worked side by side for 14 weeks…but did I talk to them…!? No. Bad decision.

Then my incredible wife entered the picture. She couldn’t believe that I had no college friends. She is USU’s number one fan and had an incredible college experience. I soon became envious of her awesome stories from college. So I made the plunge. I started to talk to people. I went out of my way to talk to those who were going to the same classes as I was. And it changed my entire academic career.

His name was Dan Jensen. We took Principles of Zoology II together. I decided I was going to become his amigo. His Bro. His friend. And BAM! It happened. He is a crazy smart kid who is in my same field. We would proof read each other’s work as to get a good grade on it. He also took chemistry with me. BAM we studied together and this weird feeling of what a college should actually feel like started to happen.

It was that decision and idea from my incredible wife that made all the difference. I am now the creator and vice-president of the neuroscience club. I helped organize and volunteer for Brain Awareness Week. I am a member of the Golden Key Society. I Am now the Co-director for Brain Awareness Week. I tutor physiology and SI for neuroscience. I am doing research with a professor and may get to present it at a huge conference in Kentucky next year. I organize and plan study groups with loads of incredible people who amaze me. A 16 year old college student who is taking theoretical algebra. (what does that even mean!?) A pre-med student who when I joked that she should make me soup… and ACTUALLY DID IT!  I actually talked to my Organic Chemistry partner this time and now he is one of my best guy friends.

Super Amigos. (Thats friend in spanish...)

Moral of the story is I can’t walk around campus now without seeing a friendly face and saying hello to someone. I am involved in the activities on campus. It feels fantastic. Now I am a FIRM (blue) believer that socially networking on campus is the only way to get the most out of your college experience. It gives me reason to go to school. Not only am I going to class, but I am applying that knowledge into my extra-curricular all the while making new friends. Its incredible.

To those of you who are starting your freshmen year. GET INVOLVED! That means more than just joining a club or having a study session. Become friends with those who are around you. Go out to eat, go see movies, and hangout outside of campus. Even if they live forever away. It is worth it. I promise. I have been on both sides, and I am never. Going back to the other side.

P.S. 5000 Blog points. This was a long one. ;D

This is Halloween

Yes I know it has been a decade since I have last written anything. But come on. I got married and then started the first of two hell semesters on campus. So naturally my life has been an onslaught of Organic Chemistry, Physics, and yelling at Comcast. I have missed blogging dearly. Which is why I am back.

Today is September 30^th. Tomorrow begins the month in which my second favorite holiday lies. Halloween! I am a HUGE fan of horror and the occult. I have never really understood why….but for some reason I love it. Absolutely love it. It may or may not stem from watching hours of Unsolved Mysteries as a child…There is nothing better than feeling the autumn air around me, seeing the colors change, and watching a scary movie in a corn field. Oddly enough I hate spook alleys and haunted houses such as Nightmare on 13^th. This however is going to change this year. As I am braving them with my wife and her family. Pray for me.

As a student of neuroscience I am often baffled as to why we love horror so much. Some people are revolted by the season, and yet others are consumed by it. Why do we love that which scares us? Do we want to push our limits? Do we have a dopaminergic response to that which terrifies us? Why? Executions used to be a social spectacle. In a way they still are. Ever turned on your television? We are drawn to darkness. We like being scared. The horror industry is huge. Millions of people venture into it every year. From ten year old's telling tales of Bloody Mary and the Hook Man, to adults watching movies that give us nightmares. Why do we do it?

I think one of the best answers given to this question is done by an incredible close friend Nathanial J. Darkish as he waits for pyramid head. His interpretation of this dilmena is intriguing and true. READ IT! It is quite honestly some of the best psychological bending material I have read. Especially if you have ever experienced what he has. His blog will dive deep into the human mind as it challenges itself on this very issue. He is an aspiring author and your views and comments will help give his works life. In his first essay that he gives us, he dives upon this paradox in a way that makes you question your own psychology. And will make you ask that same question. Why horror? Its brilliant. And I HIGHLY recommend it. (Plus the name of the blog is AWESOME!)

http://partisobscurum.wordpress.com/

Well for now this is it. I will return. I need to. It’s so therapeutic. Enjoy your Halloween season. It’s really the only time of the year where our fears become our friends!

P.s. 900 blog points for reading! An additional 100 if you post what your favorite Halloween past time is.

P.P.S. another 5000 points if you go and read that blog. It is really good stuff.