Edward Wilson asked:


Nothing quite highlights the hypocrisy of our legal system like the condoning of celebrity excess as being due to “relapse.” That is nonsense. Lindsay Lohan did not relapse - Ms. Lohan is an arrogant young woman who does what she wants and believes, apparently correctly, that she can get away with it because she is a celebrity with a convenient “disease.”

But drug and alcohol abuse is a choice, certainly at 21. Other behaviors are also choices: smoking; uncontrolled Type II diabetes; un-medicated Bi-Polar Disorder - all are choices. “Relapse,” real or faked, is a choice.

There is not a single documented case of anyone ever walking down the street, being grabbed by a bottle, dragged into an alley, and forced to consume the contents against their will. Or light a cigarette. Or consume pancakes with maple syrup. Or skip their medications. Let’s get a grip here, folks.

No single myth contributes more to the continued abuse of drugs and alcohol than the unfounded idea that addiction is an uncontrollable disease with which, like with cancer, or malaria, you can expect spontaneous relapses. Hogwash! Relapse is an active event that the drunk, smoker, addict, diabetic, or manic-depressive initiates.

Saying so annoys a lot of people, mostly those who want to excuse their behavior because it “wasn’t their fault,” and those who want to reserve that excuse for the next time they want to make a bad choice. But it’s still just an excuse.

Is it difficult to change an ingrained behavior? Certainly it is. Is it tempting to return to it even long after it’s been left behind? Of course. It can be tough to avoid relapse. Each of us who’s had a problem tend to remember the benefits while memories of the liabilities fade, whether our habit of choice involved alcohol, nicotine, manic highs, pecan cinnamon rolls, or any other self-destructive habit. But excusing a return to these bad old days shouldn’t be aided by pretending it isn’t a voluntary choice.

We all spend a lot of our life avoiding bad habits we first cultivated then left behind and then returned to. We all relapse in many forms over the years and spend a lot of time kicking ourselves for it. Usually, extracting ourselves is something we manage with only occasional help, and assisted mostly by the realization that we actually can.

That’s the reason why those who succeed, without merely substituting one obsession for another, tend to also prevail over a number of bad habits. Former alcohol abusers turn out to be ex-smokers, too, who are no longer overweight. Figuring out that you can change a behavior teaches you that all behaviors can be successfully modified. You are not powerless.

Occasionally society helps us along with negative consequences for bad behavior. DUI/DWIs are no longer acceptable, unless you are a starlet of course, but even that is beginning to change. The problem remains, however, if we are all excused from accountability for the short-term results of our behaviors, why would we worry about the long-term ones? And if we have a “disease” over which we are truly powerless, why would we even try to change? Obviously it’s futile. And just as clearly, we have a ready-made excuse when we decide to revert to our old, self-destructive habits.

Instead of actively embracing this disempowering “disease” model, our legal system and our society in general, needs to decide that change is possible and that relapse, while regrettable, is a voluntary choice. Only when we empower people to change, will we begin to see some real behavioral changes in those struggling to become ex-drinkers, ex-smokers and ex-addicts.

Caffeinated Content for WordPress

Craig Rad asked:


When it comes to pop music, we can say that things are quite predictable: a catchy beat, some lyrics about a heartbreak or about a party and, of course, a video with some sexy girls dancing as naked as possible on the beach - especially since we are talking about summer hits. Yes, that seems to be the recipe of success. But fortunately enough, it seems that this year, there might be some “intruders” on the music scene, meaning debutants with different beats, different lyrics and, luckily, different videos.

Who are these new faces in the music scene? Well, most of them seem to come from the rainy Britain. We all heard (the probably evergreen) Grace Kelly song from new artist Mika. We all heard Lily Allen’s Smile and Rehab from Amy Winehouse.

Well, all these artists seem to promise the top music hits for this summer, so you can count on Mika’s Love Today, on Lily’s Alfie and on Amy’s Back to Black to make it to the top of the charts. Somehow, these artists approach the classiest pop and jazz, which might be surprising, considering today’s R&B must-have trends, but they seem to gain more and more fans. After all, pop music makes the best summer hits.

OK, now let’s think and predict: which artists that we know and love will manage to offer us those hot and spicy summer hits? But in order to establish that, let’s take a look at what the guru says, meaning the Billboard singles chart.

Well, no major surprises, since the chart presents, in top five, Akon, Nelly Furtado and Timberland, Gwen, Fergie with Ludacris and Avril - they are so famous they don’t even need their second names. So you’d better bet that you’ll be dancing on their rhythms all summer long, regardless if those rhythms belong to the songs we already know, as in The Sweet Escape or Glamorous or to their new releases, such as Gwen’ 4 in the Morning, Fergie’s Big Girls Don’t Cry or Justin’s Summer Love.

Well, we might be a little more general and say that whatever Beyonce, Diddy, Shakira, Pussycat Dolls, Justin or Nelly Furtado (just to name a few) release, it will be definitely part of the top 10 summer hits for 2007. Quite a predictable fact, considering the general music trends that innovatively combine R&B with dance and the fact that all these artists have dominated the music charts in the past years.

Oh, and one more thing: if Britney manages to make that super expected and spectacular come back before the hot months, no wonder if all we are going to hear this summer will be a reinvention of Oops, I Did It Again.

Caffeinated Content - Members-Only Content for WordPress

Bob Alexander asked:


When the final chapter in my life’s story has been written and work on the screenplay for the movie begins, someone will be faced with the difficult assignment of deciding who will play me on the big screen.  It won’t be an easy task because it will take an actor of the first water to capture the true essence of me.
My life has had the same assortments of successes and failures, tears, both of joy and of sorrow, grand excitement and heart-rending disappointments as everyone else in this world.  I can say though, in all honesty I’ve never been bored a day in my life!
    I guess I’ve been thoroughly blessed to have survived in this world as long as I have without the benefit of a burning desire for anything, leaving me slightly out of step with all the movers and shakers of this world.  Does that mean that I’ve been without dreams and goals to achieve them?  No! 
Having no great desire to save the world, cure cancer or control a corporate empire has worked well for me. With only a few exceptions there’s not a thing I would change if I had all this to do over again. There are enough surprises jumping out at us when we least expect it to overcome any thoughts of succumbing to boredom, which I believe is a sin!
Who then, if this epic of human survival were cast today, would I choose for that role of a lifetime?  Not just anyone could carry off such an assignment.  After much thought, I’ve narrowed the field down to just a few that could seriously portray me on the big screen.
As my younger self, would be the one I would definitely choose to play me, if for no other reason than he’s the only young actor I can think of at the moment.  He’s obviously talented, for I’ve seen him in several movies, other than “Second Hand Lion,” with Robert Duvall and Michael Caine.  Dye his hair a little darker and he could be me in my younger years.
Al Pacino would be a favorable choice for an older me.  He lives the character and in just a few scenes you forget that he’s Al Pacino.  That’s the kind of man who can capture the real Bob Alexander.  I can see Al now, smiling as he says, “Say hello to my little friend!” Oops!  Wrong movie!
Unfortunately I don’t believe this part is crying out for Mr. Pacino.  This is the role every actor dreams about, but he seems a little too serious accurately portray me.  I’ve never found a serious situation that couldn’t be improved by a little humor.  Some believe this to be a flaw in my character but I believe it to be genetic and it’s not my fault!  I was born with this affliction.
I think the ability to find humor in the most dire of situation has been passed down to my brother also.  A case in point is a dilemma my family encountered when my mother passed away.
As befitting a good country song, it was raining on the day before her funeral and the weather outlook for the next day was more of the same.  In addition, when my brothers and I were seated in the funeral home with the director, we found that the day was already booked.  There were four interments already scheduled, but the gentleman said that he could squeeze us in at 8:00 a.m.  We all determined that this was much too early for such an event.
My brother broke the silence that ensued with, “What’s the chance there will be a cancellation tomorrow?”  The funeral director looked surprised and in a shocked voice replied, “I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that before.”  We all had a good laugh that broke, for the moment, the somber mood that had been cast over the room.  Mother would have been proud!
When it comes down to deciding just who will be the lucky fellow to play me, I’ll have to go with George Clooney.  Not only is he a good actor, he has a wit about him that is reminiscent of my humor.  Put that together with his good looks, and he would be the perfect choice to play the role of Bob Alexander.

Caffeinated Content

bettyamerson asked:


Maybe you have seen Jessica Simpson endorsing Proactiv Solution on national television before and if you haven’t it was very startling. She and other noted leading Hollywood celebrities were all attesting to Proactiv Solutions effectiveness. What’s more, is that they all claimed that they weren’t getting paid for their endorsements and that they were all doing it to help their young fans who are suffering from this skin disease.

Jessica Simpson, along with P-Diddy and others, all had pictures of themselves without any make-up, that showed their faces and foreheads covered in acne pimples. These are all top name celebrities that don’t do product endorsements and yet there they were on national TV showing horrible pictures of their faces.

As it turns out they are all being truthful and they are all proactiv users that now have acne free complexions. Proactiv Solution is so unlike all the other acne treatments on the market, because it not only destroys the acne causing bacteria with benzoil peroxide, but it also treats the skin and relieves the side effects of the benzoil peroxide.

Benzoil peroxide is a harsh chemical that dries and irritates the skin as a side effect, leaving it red, dry and cracked in appearance. You may have seen acne sufferers that have used medication that

contains this chemical and wondered why their skin looked so bad after the pimples were gone.

Proactive solution is a three stage treatment process that cleans and sterilizes the skin while opening pores and removing dead skin cells and at the same time forcing benzoil peroxide down into the pores with the first treatment.

Then immediately after, that the skin is treated for the side effects of the harsh benzoil peroxide with moisturizers and ph balancing agents that return the skin to its naturally healthy state.

The third step also treats the skin for elasticity which prevents cracking and also gives the skin a micro-thin coating of bacteria fighting medicine. It’s a three step acne and skin treatment that returns your skin to the state it was in before the acne took hold.

Create a video blog

George Meszaros asked:


Even in Jail Paris Hilton knows how to create buzz. As a business owner creating a healthy dose of buzz about your business is a must. Of course, you want your business to be known for skills more valuable than getting yourself in trouble.

You have to be determined to generate buzz about your products or services. The buzz has to be based on fact not fiction, but don’t worry it doesn’t have to be something outrageous that will land your name in the gossip magazines.

If you are waiting for the next big idea to hit you on the head, you are going to be greatly disappointed. You have to take a proactive measure in creating buzz about your business.

The Internet enables small business owners to create buzz quickly and inexpensively. With technology you can communicate with, entertain, and educate your customers. When you succeed you create an effective viral marketing campaign that can spread like cyber space fire.

Engage your customers on your site by asking them to respond to a site survey. Such survey engages your customers and it provides your company with quick information. If you don’t have a lot of traffic post your survey to Web sites with significant traffic such as some of the more popular social networking sites.

Whatever method you are utilizing to create buzz around your business, you have to be able to measure it. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Once you have a system in place to measure the effectiveness of your buzz marketing campaign, you can quickly make adjustments to improve its effectiveness.

There are several factors to measure such as the number of new users, email registrants, and time spent on your web site. Don’t just measure once in the beginning of your campaign. Measure religiously and keep measuring. To compare the rest of your site’s performance with your buzz campaign performance, you should create a landing page. The landing page enables you to study the results isolated from the rest of your site.

Wouldn’t it be nice to get the kind of buzz Paris Hilton gets without having to get arrested?

Caffeinated Content

Robert Reno asked:



Let me guess, you have been brainstorming the possible prom ideas and maybe even browsed through our prom theme songs; but what about the prom music song list? There are many types of genres that are considered dance music for a high school prom. These variety span all age groups over multiple decades.

Music for a High School Prom

For example students that want top prom dance songs also want throwbacks. You would consider these songs MJ - Thriller, Rick James - Superfreak, Journey - Dont Stop Believing, Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby. Older songs might be a hot pick if it is a class song, or ties in with your school spirit (think mascot and local happenings).

Prom Music Song List

So we have laid it all out below. You can check out our song list of what to play at a high school prom. Once again, this is just to give you a general idea. For any play list that your committee puts together, keep in mind that all songs should be censored with a variety for the students. Remember that this is a dance and that you want to keep it fun for all musical preferences. You can also give your DJ a do not play list if there are any particular songs that is deemed inappropriate. You will find the top 60 songs below that work @ school proms.

Daylight - Kelly Rowland

Sorry - Buck Cherry

Get Buck In here - DJ feli Fel

Kiss Kiss - Chris Brown

Calabria - Enur

Don’t stop the music - rihanna

makes me wonder - maroon 5

paralyzer - finger eleven

sweetest girl - wyclef jean

clumsy - fergie

flashing lights - kanye west

sexy lady - yung berg

I don’t wanna miss a thing - aerosmith

boulevard of broken dreams mashed with wonderwall - greenday/oasis

Beat it - Fall out boy

my own worst enemy - lit

gold digger - kanye west

what is it - Baby Bash

Feedback - Janet

Salt Shaker - Ying Yang Twins

You can do it - ice cube

Sensual seduction - snoop dogg

cupids chokehold - gym class heroes

Get it girl - Bun B & Ying Yang twins

Burn iti up - R Kelly

Bleeding love - leona lewis

elevator - flo rida

ching a ling - Missy Elliot (probably going to replace this with Work It)

Get Me Bodied - Beyonce

Independt - Webbie

Baby Got Back - Sir Mix A Lot

What Hurts the Most - Cascada

Crazy - Gnarls Barkley

Jump On It - Sir Mix A Lot

Buttons - Pussycat Dolls

Sexy Can I - Ray J

Nothin’ - NORE

Love In This CLub - Usher

Toxic - Britney Spears

Make It Rain - Fat Joe

Love song - Sara Bareilles

With You - Chris Brown

Going Back To Cali - LL Cool J (Just first verse and transitions perfectly into following:)

Hey Baby - Bow Wow

Ice Ice Electro - DJ Deville (crack4djs.net)

Jump Around RMX 2008 - DJ Beatbreaker (crack4djs.net)

I Got It from my mama - Will ai am

Party like a rockstar - Shop BOyz

You shook me all night long/My Humps Mashup - ACDC/Black Eyed Peas

What is Love - Haddaway

Yeah - Usher

Go Girl - Pittbull

Get Low - Lil Jon & East side boys

Low - Flo Rida

Drop - Ying Yang Twins

Hypnotize - Notorious BIG

Scream - Timbaland

Superstar - Lupe Fiasco

Teardrops on my guitar - Taylor Swift

Make Me Better - Fabolous

Closing Tipsy * - Semisonic/ J Kwon

(courtesy of DJjomo)

The Hottest Songs to Play @ Prom

Did you see any songs in there that you liked? You can expect students to be requesting a majority of the songs you see above. Due to the nature of Michigan Proms, the top 40 song list will vary from week to week. Some songs might stay in this list longer than others, but then again there are those classics that people love. One final recommendation is to mix it up and do not scrutinize over your song list. Any pro Prom DJ company in Michigan will have clean versions of the songs you already want. A reputable company that does dozens of Proms in Michigan each year will know exactly how please a crowd.

Create a video blog…instantly.

Michael C. Podlesny asked:


Adoption., you hear about it all over the news. Mary-Louise Parker, star of the television program “Weeds,” has adopted a daughter from Africa, actress Angelina Jolie and actor Brad Pitt have been adopting as well as famous pop singer Madonna, but what about fatherhood in adoptive children and the cultural gaps that are created when adopting children from another country.

Kathleen Lamb recently wrote in the Journal of Family Issues that, “Adoption has been the purview of the social work field but has received little empirical evaluation by other family scholars. Using the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, 378 men currently cohabiting with or married to a woman with her own children are evaluated to determine whether the respondent`s biological children affect the odds of adoption of his wife`s or cohabiting partner`s children. Logistic regression results support the social role facilitation hypothesis as the presence of resident, shared biological children the respondent fathered with the current spouse/partner is associated with greater odds of stepparent adoption. The presence of nonresident biological children fathered with a previous spouse/partner reduces the odds of stepfather adoption because men who have such children are less likely to be married. Results suggest that men who adopt their stepchildren are uncommon and new and existing biological children play a role in formalizing relationships with stepchildren.”

It is a study that clearly shows pertinent information when considering adoption or learning more about the subject.

Nothing is more evident in the United States then the increase of adopting children from China. With the influx of Chinese children being adopted by American parents, how are Americans easing or bridging the cultural gap.

As Amy Traver of Qualitative Sociology points out, “American parents of children adopted from China frequently consume Chinese cultural objects for display in their homes. While parents defend this consumption for display as an effort to validate their children’s ethno-cultural origins, they also reveal how it signifies and solidifies their own identifications with Chinese culture. As part of a larger research project examining China adoptive parents’ evolving “Chinese” identities, this paper asks: Which parents “become ‘Chinese’” through the consumption and display of Chinese cultural objects, and why? To answer this question, I conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 91 Americans in the China adoption process and ethnographic fieldwork at two different field-sites: Families with Children from China (FCC) Chinese cultural celebrations and Chinese culture camps organized by/for China adoptive families. Focusing on the emergent and personal meanings that parents give to Chinese cultural objects, I demonstrate how these meanings both structure parents’ consumption and yield a display differential. In doing so, I reveal that white European-American parents and mothers are most likely to engage in this consumption and display, thereby amending the three types of ethno-cultural identity consumption represented in the literature. Specifically, I expose the central role of race in ethno-cultural identity consumption; demonstrate that the collective category of reference for ethno-cultural identity consumption is not always an ethnic category (in this case, such consumption refers to a gendered category); and illustrate the ways in which global ethno-cultural identity consumption both appeals to and satisfies distinctly local constructs.”

It is clear that many studies exist in answering these questions, but many more need to be done. For many parents, adoption is a wonderful answer to their parental needs. Many experts agree however, that before you jump into adoption, do all of your homework, talk to counselors and make sure it is not only right for you, but the situation will be right for the child.

By Michael C. Podlesny

Create a video blog…instantly.

Seth Albright asked:


I bet at one point and time in your life, you believed in the easter bunny, the tooth fairy, or santa claus. Later in life, you found out this belief was false. I am willing to bet you believe in some fitness myths that simply are not true. Let’s have a look at some of the most common myths and the underlying truths to them.

1. I don’t lift weights because I don’t want to bulk up.

After training hundreds of women, giving dozens of seminars, and speaking with still hundreds more about working out, this is the most common statement I get from women about why they do not strength train. The good news is, women only have about one-third the testosterone a male has therefore making it highly unlikely you will bulk up. You say; the first thing that comes to mind is all these women I see on TV are huge with bulky muscles. First of all, these women have a very unique gene set. Secondly, they are taking testosterone and growth hormone injections. Thirdly, they are training hours a day under the close scrutiny of a personal trainer and a nutritionist. So, the good news is you do not have to worry about bulking up. The facts are, increasing lean muscle mass from strength training will: 1.Decrease your body fat. 2.Make your body more firm and compact. 3.Increase your metabolism. 4.Increase your energy. Take a look at some of these celebrities that strength train frequently: Jennifer Garner, Madonna, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Fergie, any of the Desperate Housewives. The list goes on and on. Do any of these women look bulky? Not hardly. Most of these women are the epitome of the body every woman wants to have. Lastly, you say; I can feel my arms getting bigger, my legs getting wider, and so forth on. Do not rely on a subjective feeling. Instead get cold hard objective data. I have dealt with this situation before. Have your measurements taken by a professional and see for yourself. BUSTED!

2. Higher repetitions will help me tone up.

Higher repetitions are a component of muscular endurance. While muscular endurance is an important part of overall physical fitness, it is not a part of muscular strength. Muscular strength is dependent upon stressing the muscles enough for them to adapt and change to work more efficiently. When they become more efficient, this is where the increase in strength and lean muscle mass occurs. Think of it this way; you can carry a five pound bag of groceries up and down the street probably for hours on end. However, replace that five pound grocery bag with a sixty pound sand bag. You are going to: 1.use more energy. 2.In turn, burn more fat. 3.Increase lean muscle mass. 4.Look more firm and TONE. BUSTED!

3. I’m turning fat into muscle.

Really? Can you turn a hand into a foot? Can you turn a piece of junk clunker car into a Cadillac Escalade? If it were only that easy, but I don’t think so. Fat cells and muscle cells are two separate entities with their own structural and chemical composition. Without getting into deep anatomy and physiology here, I’ll explain on the most basic level. Fat cells are nothing more than extra stored energy. They can do three things. They can get smaller by your body using fat as energy. They can stay the same size when there is an equal energy balance. Lastly, they can get bigger when there is a positive energy balance; from overeating. Muscle cells function is to produce movement, deliver blood, and deliver oxygen. They can either get stronger, from strength training, known as muscle hypertrophy. They can atrophy, which means they get smaller or destroyed. Lastly they can stay the same. They are totally unrelated in the way they are used physiologically. So you see, even though when you are losing fat and putting on muscle, this has the appearance that you are turning fat into muscle. However, what is really happening is that you are increasing the amount of lean tissue in your body, and your body is dropping body fat, revealing the lean tissue that was previously covered up body fat. BUSTED!

4. If I do enough situps, I will have a flat, firm stomach.

If that were the case, everybody would look great in a bikini. Unfortunately, walk down any beach in the United States and you will know this is not true. Everybody would have these lame ab machines that you see on TV infomercials, and there would be no reason for anybody to undergo any fitness training whatsoever except for situps. Is the picture becoming much clearer? Unfortunately, this myth is rampant in gyms and homes across America. The fact is that in order to a flat, firm stomach, there is much more to the puzzle than doing countless situps. It is true that performing correct situps, the core abdominal muscles will become stronger which is a good thing. However, performing endless situps hoping to get the dream stomach will only end in demotivating frustration and disappointment. There are certain keys that must be achieved to get a flat, firm, tone stomach: 1.Reduction in body fat is the only way the muscles of the stomach will show. 2.Proper nutrition must consistently be maintained to decrease the amount of body fat. 3.Proper exercises of the abdominal must be performed correctly and consistently. 4.Lean muscle mass must be increased to boost metabolism and decrease body fat. Pretty simply huh? BUSTED!

5. Lower intensity exercise will have me in my fat burning zone.

Oh please, and gas will be five cents a gallon too right? The truth is your body is always using energy to even maintain life. A combination of fats, carbohydrates, and protein is always being used by the body for energy AT THE SAME TIME. It is to bad the body can’t use one energy source at at a time. Then, you could truly be in the fat burning zone. However, that is just wishful thinking. The body has complex physiological processes it undergoes when using energy. During aerobic exercise the body is using all three energy systems, but mainly carbohyrdates. Here are the keys: 1.The harder you are working, the more energy you use. 2.The more energy you use, the more calories you expend. 3.The more calories you expend, the more weight you lose as long as you are in a negative energy balance: Taking in less energy than you are expending. ANOTHER MYTH BUSTED!

In part two, we will cover myths 6-10.

Website content

Tom Janison asked:


Fergie is an American singer and songwriter. Her real name is Stacy Ann Ferguson, but she is popularly known in the music world by her stage name Fergie. Glamorous is the third single from her debut solo album The Duchess. Fergie is also the vocalist of hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas; she is also a former member of the group Wild Child. Just as the title of the song suggests, the song and the album is all about the glamorous life that the singer leads. In the video of the song she tries to show how her life has changed after she became successful. The video goes on to show how she is has not changed despite all the success that she ahs seen and achieved. The song turned out to be a huge hit in many places. Born in Whittier California, to a catholic family, she had a very strict catholic upbringing during her formative years.

Glamorous by Fergie debuted at number 98 in the US Billboard Hot 100, in the middle of January 2007. The song attainted the initial peak position of number 9, in just five weeks after the song’s release. This position helps her in attaining the third top 10 solo hit over a period of six months. However the very next week the song Glamorous plummeted to the thirty third positions from the ninth, this is one of the biggest drops in an album in one week. On 19th February, the song entered the UK singles chart at number 56. The entry to the UK singles chart is credited largely to the huge number of downloads of the song. Next the song Glamorous climbed dup to number 10 from 10 after the song was released there.

Fergie has her own fan following which is huge in number. The video of Glamorous shows how she has changed after achieving success and at the same time also shows that she has not forgotten what she was earlier. In one section of the video she is shown flying in the first class section of an aircraft where she watches her won video. The video alternately shows how she was earlier and how she leads her life no