Online Dating: By The Numbers

Online Dating: By The Numbers

So I'm pretty sure that by now, Online dating is no longer something you keep as a dark dirty secret. I know this very well. It's just not holding that stigma anymore. It is, for the most part, socially acceptable.

The website OKCupid posted some awesome statistical analysis. What is that site? OKCupid is the evolved version of Thespark.com. Which was a personality test website that went way beyond "which goku are you", so yeah, they're into stats. I suppose it makes sense because they are a bunch of MIT grads running this place.

I not only think that these are amazingly interesting, but they can teach you something about the people that are on the other side of the monitor. It'll better help you understand each other and your chances at meeting Ms. right, or if it's Ms. Right now.. I guess that works as well.

The curve is symmetric and surprisingly charitable: a woman is as likely to be considered extremely ugly as extremely beautiful, and the majority of women have been rated about “medium.” The chart looks normalized, even though it’s just the unfiltered opinions of our male users.

Given the popular wisdom that Hollywood, the Internet, and Photoshop have created unrealistic expectations of how a woman should look, I found the fairness and, well, realism, of this gray arc kind of heartening.

I'm actually really surprised by this. You would figure that the typical internet mail would have a higher level of expectations when it comes to beauty considering how easy it is to obtain porn and see women with massive amounts of plastic surgery. So it's surprising that there's a lot of middle ground as well as equal parts ugly/pretty votes.

Then again, the ability to photoshop and manipulation the angles in a photo doesn't mean you're going to see the same person as you did in those photos when you do eventually meet..

Let's see what the internet males have to say...

When it comes down to actually choosing targets, men choose the modelesque. Someone like roomtodance above gets nearly 5 times as many messages as a typical woman and 28 times as many messages as a woman at the low end of our curve. Site-wide, two-thirds of male messages go to the best-looking third of women. So basically, guys are fighting each other 2-for-1 for the absolute best-rated females, while plenty of potentially charming, even cute, girls go unwritten.

I know what you're saying.. Someone get the Academy on the horn.. we've discovered that men prefer to hit on attractive women. But it goes deeper than that.

On the left there is the power of optimism and on the right is the power of pessimism. Then we have this next graph, which just shows us that Women seem to be more judgmental but also more open-minded:

I mean, on one hand, Women are pretty harsh critics on outer beauty. Or maybe the average internet male looking for a date on websites like this aren't the best lookers... Let's face it, men are just uglier. Partly from not putting effort into looking attractive and party just because.. Men aren't really taught to look "sexy"

In fact, the graphic has a glass half full to it. I mean, if being on the ugliest end of the scale gets you more messages, then I suppose that's a good thing. But I do find it funny that the graph is pretty much saying that attractive men don't get messages because they don't exist.

Maybe it's just that there's no agreed upon or universal standards for male beauty while you show an obviously hot girl and every guy gets a boner. But it seems clear that all the ugly guys put together get more messages than the one guy that every woman thinks is attractive.



It's unclear whether the user ratings take into account the attractiveness of the bio each user writes or just their picture; the rater can rate the person either before or after reading the profile. But it's really certain that there's no clear definition for male hotness opposed to the fact that the level of hotness for women seem universal.

I suppose the main point of the next chart is that women still have a monopoly on sex, so of course they can hate every single man and still be successful.



I wonder if this is the power of pessimism or unattractive women assuming that attractive men are unpleasant people. Maybe every single unattractive woman is psychotic from self-hate because of the patriarchy.

Even if you're at the top end, there's no way to know if she's into skinny guys or buffy guys or effeminate guys. So even a top 1% person doesn't have any "easy in" to talk to any woman they want. I mean, if there's any proof, just look at this chart



First it's easy to point out that even hot males don't get that many messages. As for women, I wonder if this graph is tainted by the fact that there are probably more male users on the site than female.

Then again, the way society has made them see themselves, I'm sure most women wouldn't preceive themselves at the same place on the "attractiveness scale" as you percieve them. So limiting the women you allow yourself to talk to is dumb as hell. Color of skin, on the other hand.. is something you should worry about.


White-women-racist-as-hell.jpg

What I'm trying to say to you ugly straight men, Don't feel like a useless commodity that can be upgraded for a better model at any give time. You're probably not as ugly as you think and if the graphs show anything in the information, it's that women have taste that vary greatly. So chances are a very hot girl may consider you attractive. Attractive enough to have sex with you. Surprising, I know. But perhaps you shouldn't make sexual satisfaction/intensity the center of your relationship life and/or self-assessment.

Unless you are actually deformed or something, most people fall somewhere in the "average" zone, and will be perfectly OK. This is especially the case in the US, where good nutrition, medical care, etc mean a lot of problems for your looks never manifest (though obesity can be a problem).



Just realize that girls who identify as "atheist" are ten times as likely to respond to a bullshit message amounting to a short-short-story about nonsense. as are girls who identify as "agnostic", when you get to religious types.. it's just that they didn't want to pay for the eHarmony registration and will more than likely not like your heathen ways.

And those who use the Zodiac symbols to pick your match.. you are otherwise insane to think that it has any sort of baring on your relationship and should not be taken as anything more than silly shit to just ignore.



I know what you're thinking, What's up with Aquarius not being compatible with each other? Yeah, there's a 1 percent difference from every single other number. You shouldn't find the statistical difference significant enough to believe in astrology.

I guess all these charts and graphs can be two things.. pretty boring to look at and remind you of school, which you really don't want to think about. Or could see that there's some interesting information here that you can use for your advantage.

In my case, my girl sought me out. So maybe I shouldn't take that as a compliment because... well, then, that means I'm one of those ugly ones.. right? Damn you graphs! And so far I'm pretty damn content with this situation. But these do make you look at online interaction in a different light. Celebrating a year so far and loving every minute of it.

Anyways, if you want to take a look at more graphs to get some more insight, check out here to see what the very curious internet socializing is all about.

International Day For The Elimination of Violence Against Women

International Day For The Elimination of Violence Against Women

I can't believe you missed it. Maybe you were too busy not celebrating the international day for the elimination of violence against turkeys to realize that you just passed up the international day for the elimination of violence against women.. Which so happened to be on the same. I know, totally overshadowed by that giving thanks day.

So yes, November, 25th is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women . And if I have to type out that long name again, I may very well commit violence against my keyboard. I can't even say it's the IDEVAW, because then someone would ask, "well, what does that mean?" and I'll just have to explain it to them.


Malay sisters get no break

But you see, that's really messed up that Thanksgiving overshadowed this. One could even say it eliminated the awareness of Violence against women and channeled it to beating, stuffing and roasting a turkey. Damn, that's pretty deep.

But as a pure breed feminist, I decided that, even though this is late, it should be recognized. I'm going to show you some old advertising pictures that were clearly not painting the women in those eras in the most respectful manner. Perhaps a view of the past will help you eliminate the potential violence of the future.



Cigars sure bring out the caveman in me and make me want to beat women over the head with a club dragging them away.



If you have saggy body parts, you deserve to be ignores. Says it all right there. Make sure you're perky, ladies.



I'm pretty sure that if you panned up in this ad you would see that she has a large pair of sunglasses covering up where she "accidentally walked into a door knob." But hey, at least she knows not to bring me that Johnny Walker Green Label. Fuck that shit, I'll beat you with the bottle, woman!



Not really abuse, but more to the point of playing it down. I mean, why the hell call it a personal massager anymore? It's a vibrator. Stop trying to oppress women's sexuality!



Yeah, nothing says great gift better than some kitchen appliances. It's like telling someone "Get in the fucking kitchen, woman!" with gift wrapping.



If you get her a garbage disposal, she'll suck your dick three times a day. Yup, truth in advertising.

I don't know what these next two say;





But I'm pretty sure it's some fucked up shit that will fall in line with the rest of this posting.

So there you have it. You just got a taste of some old ads that just perpetuated the bad treatment women have suffered and still suffer in some shape or form. So perhaps next November 25th, you wont be so worried about what food you'll make the next day. Well.. because it actually falls on Thanksgiving next year. Fuck. Guess it's going to be another year of not remembering International Day For the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

My God, It's Full of Stars!

My God, It's Full of Stars!

A few days ago I posted about how fallic the space program must be. Well, because of their small penis syndrome, they've launched countless things into orbit. Because of this we have seen some beautiful sights. Since it's the week of thanksgiving, maybe this will give you a little more reason to be thankful.



Some reasons to just contemplate how small we are in this universe. And how many sights we can now see because of science. Because of the sacrifices of a few.. and the brave. From the Pilgrims coming to America and sharing a meal before they took the land to the astronauts that lost their lives transcending to the greater beyond and pushing the space program.



Take a look at these and just wonder how much there is left to explore. How much beauty there can be out there in the universe that people only 50 years ago could not even see. We are indeed the luckiest of them. As I'm sure the next generation after ours and the one after them will also be equally as lucky to see sights we could barely even pretend to imagine how beautiful they will be.



When you're thinking of all the things you have to be thankful for, you should include the very simple one of life itself. From the view point of these pictures and the lack of known life we have discovered, it's even a wonder that we got off the ground as a species.



Will we be the only ones? Doubtful. I'm pretty sure out there in the cosmos of space there is life that we don't know of. Is it intelligent? Who knows. It's just something that we shouldn't take for granted.



And while it is the season to let past transgressions go, you should really consider how little or insignificant that fight is you had with your family. Or how petty the fight with your friend was that had you not speaking.



You should really just sit back and enjoy all that you have. There's far too many who have far too little in this world. And while we are very little, we are the only ones who can help each other.



Just looking at these pictures and realizing how small we are. We should just be thankful for the view point of actually feeling so tall and proud of ourselves. Simply put, you should be thankful and leave it at that.

Serenity Now - Building Projecting

Serenity Now - Building Projecting

It's black Friday. If you were insane enough to go out and fight the crowds for mediocre deals, then you're more than likely in much need of some serenity. In this Friday day flick edition, enjoy this little piece where they project images on a building. It's really a trip



Just remember to breath in and breath out. The holiday season will be over soon.

A Black Friday Sale That's A Blast

A Black Friday Sale That's A Blast

We all know what Black Friday is about. No, it's not a racist term. It's when stores start seeing their sales records go from red (bad/in debt) and finally go in the black with a major boost in Holiday sales. Well, the fine folks of South Carolina decided to make Guns a major gift this holiday season....

The great state of South Carolina is putting its own sick twist on Black Friday with a tax holiday on firearm purchases.

Not cars.

Not clothes.

Certainly not books.

Just guns.

For the 48 hours following Thanksgiving, gun buyers will enjoy a break of up to 9% in state and local taxes.

Firearms traffickers are not expected to pass the savings on to New York criminals, but what is called "the extrava-gun-za" and "Second Amendment Weekend" is sure to help South Carolina stay among the top five states that provide 85% of the illegal handguns recovered in New York City.

One of the other top states is Florida, believed to be the source of at least 40 guns city undercover cops bought in the last three months, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly and Brooklyn District Attorney Joe Hynes said.

The tax holiday for firearms in South Carolina was first tacked onto a 2008 bill that provided similar breaks for energy efficient appliances.

Gov. Mark Sanford vetoed the legislation, though not because he disapproves of guns. He recently repealed the state's one-gun-a-month restriction.

Sanford disapproves of tax holidays, though he subsequently slipped away on a holiday of another kind, this with his mistress in Argentina.

The legislature overrode the tax holiday veto thanks to the efforts of Rep. Mike Pitts, the gun amendment's sponsor. The South Carolina Supreme Court then ruled the bill violated the "one subject rule" of the state's constitution, which bars multiple matters in a single bill.

The legislature solved the problem by dropping the energy efficiency part and keeping the firearms in time for this year's Black Friday. That was no doubt welcome news to the state's gun shops, which outnumber McDonald's in the Palmetto State by four to one.

Even without a tax holiday, South Carolina gun shops sold a half-million handguns in a 10-year period. The state's population is only 4.5 million.

The number of gun sales is expected to grow ever higher thanks to Pitts, who also sponsored a bill that reduced the age for possessing a handgun in South Carolina from 21 to 18.

"If my daughter were driving, as a 19- or 20-year-old, to Charleston," Pitts said the other day, "I could put my handgun in the glove compartment of my car and she could drive to Charleston without being a felon."

Pitts also is pushing the "South Carolina Firearms Freedom Act," which proposes to exempt guns manufactured in South Carolina from all federal restrictions.

Pitts is untroubled by statistics showing South Carolina is a leading supplier of illegal guns to New York and other cities. He applies what apparently passes for logic down there.
"It's not our lax gun laws. It's our high crime-rate that causes the problems," he said the other day.

Pitts sought to illustrate his position by noting that a burglar had recently broken into his home and stolen "about a dozen guns."

"What's happening is people break into my home, steal my guns and get a premium price by taking it to other states and selling them," Pitts said.

Meanwhile, in Pitts' big extrava-gun-za, firearms traffickers will be able to enjoy a Black Friday tax holiday at gun shops across South Carolina, from Dead Bang Guns & Automatics to Freedom Guns and Pawn, The Gun Doctor and Pappy's Guns.

Monday, I gave a call to Woody's Pawn & Jewelry in Orangeburg, one of 15 gun shops Mayor Bloomberg cited in 2006 for making an illegal sale to an undercover. At the time, Woody's sold 98 guns that were connected to crimes in New York City.

I got as far as saying I was from the New York Daily News.

"I don't care to comment to anything in New York," owner Chan Holman said.

This is what Mayor Bloomberg had to say about the tax-free gun sale: "Law-abiding citizens have every right to buy a gun, but South Carolina is a top exporter of guns used in crimes. First we'd like to see South Carolina repair and enforce its lax gun laws."

Holman obviously disagrees. He told another reporter he expects a big jump in business come Black Friday.

"I'm even thinking about tearing down a building next to the store and using it for parking," Holman said. "We'll be open an hour early and staying open later depending on the crush of business. ... We have a lot of inventory to get rid of."

So... we have a black Friday sale on guns. Literally, this is modern America summed up in a single idea. The worse part of all this is they acknowledge that their guns are being connected to crimes in major cities. at a disproportionately high rate. Way to go and help the rest of the nation, South Carolina. Being the source of 85% of illegal firearms in a major US city sounds like a pretty big deal.

I suppose we should all gas up the car and get your credit cards out, cause we're gonna need some assault weapons to prevent Obama's ground troops from forcing their MARXIST HEALTH CARE on us Teabaggers!



I know what you're thinking.. What is South Carolina like? Well, there's really only two options. Savannah and Charleston. The rest is a complete lost cause.

Savannah still has homes that were built in the late 1600's still standing. Which means that Savannah is full of tourist. In the old manors south of Broad you can still see the iron spikes rising from court yard walls that were placed to keep the slaves in, and the little stone steps people used when getting out of horsedrawn carriages. It's a lot of antique shops and moss and shit. It's tiny compared to Charleston and is somehow surrounded by more ghetto. I suppose you should come here if you liked the novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.



Charleston, on the other hand is completely awesome if you're a drunk.. or you like culture. A trip there does provide you with some pretty good culturally enriching moments when, if you're like me, you end up wandering drunkenly through Charleston at 4 am and just have to piss, only to realize that you are letting loose all over a prerevolution brick wall. Really, the only redeeming thing about Charleston is that it's designed around drunken wandering/pissing on things you'll never afford. Yeah, whenever I travel I make sure to get drunk and wander (a hobby) and Charleston is one of the more interesting cities to be drunk in.

But enough about my clearly inappropriate behavior. Let's look at this situation again. Because while I placed in bold a lot of it, there's an even bigger part that I missed out in first reading it that I glanced back at and just wondered what the hell was wrong with society. You see, the legislature solved the problem by dropping the energy efficieny part and keeping the firearms in time to make it pass for Black Friday.



If you're not getting what I'm saying let me quote it again because it's amazing.

The tax holiday for firearms in South Carolina was first tacked onto a 2008 bill that provided similar breaks for energy efficient appliances.

The South Carolina Supreme Court then ruled the bill violated the "one subject rule" of the state's constitution, which bars multiple matters in a single bill.

The legislature solved the problem by dropping the energy efficiency part and keeping the firearms in time for this year's Black Friday.

Who cares about the climate, we need guns! I like to think I'm usually joking about the south being so god damn backwards, but good fuck, that is some onion level shit right there. No way would I believe that we're in America and this shit flies.

So this Black Friday, try not to shoot someone while waiting in line at the Wal*mart...

consumerism (n.): other people buying stuff they don't need and/or I don't want

Fuck The Pope - Happy Thanksgiving

Fuck The Pope - Happy Thanksgiving

What? You expected me NOT to write something offensive on this turkey day? Yeah, I realize I made a lazy video post where you laugh at comical ads, but that's for your enjoyment in a more food coma sort of way... Besides that, you know me well enough to realize I would write something that is highly offensives, but is absolutely true.



I realize that I should be getting food ready right now, but I can't help but point out this absurd motion that the Pope made a decree of. Yes, he has stated that we stop world hunger now. Which is a bit topical on this day when we stuff our faces with the most amounts of food you will stuff it with. Ok, that's a lie, I mean, we are Americans after all. In saying that, The Pope declares we end World Hunger... Now... I warn you, this shit is long, just skim it:

(16 Nov 09 - RV) Pope Benedict XVI on Monday visited the Rome-based FAO for the opening of the Food Summit. We have this report...


Full text of Pope Benedict XVI's discourse at the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation International Summit on Food Security:

Mr President,
Ladies and Gentlemen!
1. I was very pleased to receive an invitation from Mr Jacques Diouf, Director General of FAO, to speak at the opening session of this World Summit on Food Security. I greet him warmly and I thank him for his kind words of welcome. I greet the distinguished authorities present and all the participants. Echoing the sentiments of my venerable predecessors Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II, I should like once more to express my esteem for the work of FAO, which the Catholic Church and the Holy See follow attentively, taking a keen interest in the day-to-day work that is carried out there. Thanks to your generous engagement, aptly expressed in your motto Fiat Panis, the development of agriculture and food security remain among the key priorities of international political action. I am confident that this same spirit will inform the decisions taken at the present Summit, and those that will follow later, in the common desire to win the battle against hunger and malnutrition in the world as quickly as possible.

2. The international community is currently facing a grave economic and financial crisis. Statistics bear witness to the dramatic growth in the number of people suffering from hunger, made worse by the rise in price of foodstuffs, the reduction in economic resources available to the poorest peoples, and their limited access to markets and to food – notwithstanding the known fact that the world has enough food for all its inhabitants. Indeed, while low levels of agricultural production persist in some regions, partly owing to climate change, sufficient food is produced on a global scale to satisfy both current demands and those in the foreseeable future. From these data we may deduce that there is no cause-and-effect relationship between population growth and hunger, and this is further demonstrated by the lamentable destruction of foodstuffs for economic gain. In the Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate I pointed out that, “Hunger is not so much dependent on lack of material things as on shortage of social resources, the most important of which are institutional. What is missing, in other words, is a network of economic institutions capable of guaranteeing regular access to sufficient food and water … and also capable of addressing the primary needs and necessities ensuing from genuine food crises …” I added, “The problem of food insecurity needs to be addressed within a long-term perspective, eliminating the structural causes that give rise to it and promoting the agricultural development of poorer countries. This can be done by investing in rural infrastructures, irrigation systems, transport, organization of markets, and in the development and dissemination of agricultural technology that can make the best use of the human, natural and socio-economic resources that are more readily available at the local level, while guaranteeing their sustainability over the long term as well” (no. 27). Hence the need to oppose those forms of aid that do grave damage to the agricultural sector, those approaches to food production that are geared solely towards consumption and lack a wider perspective, and especially greed, which causes speculation to rear its head even in the marketing of cereals, as if food were to be treated just like any other commodity.

3. The weakness of current mechanisms for food security and the need to re-examine them are confirmed, one might say, by the mere fact that this Summit has been convoked. Even though the poorest countries are more fully integrated into the world economy than in the past, movements in international markets make them more vulnerable and force them to seek the aid of intergovernmental institutions, which no doubt do valuable and indispensable work. The concept of cooperation, though, must be consistent with the principle of subsidiarity: it is necessary to involve “local communities in choices and decisions that affect the use of agricultural land” (ibid.). This is because integral human development requires responsible choices on the part of everyone and it demands an attitude of solidarity – meaning that aid or disaster relief should not be seen as opportunities to promote the interests of those who make resources available or of elite groups among the beneficiaries. With regard to countries that are in need of external support, the international community has the duty to assist with the instruments of cooperation, assuming collective responsibility for their development, “through the solidarity of … presence, supervision, training and respect” (ibid., 47). Within this overall context of responsibility, every country has the right to define its own economic model, taking steps to secure its freedom to choose its own objectives. In this way, cooperation must become an effective instrument, unbeholden to interests that can absorb a not insignificant part of the resources destined for development. Moreover, it is important to emphasize that an attitude of solidarity regarding the development of poor countries also has the potential to contribute to a solution of the current global crisis. Support given to these nations through financial plans inspired by solidarity, enabling them to provide for their own requirements of consumption and development, not only favours their internal economic growth, but can have a positive impact on integral human development in other countries (cf. ibid., 27).

4. In the current situation there is a continuing disparity in the level of development within and among nations that leads to instability in many parts of the world, accentuating the contrast between poverty and wealth. This no longer applies only to models of development, but also to an increasingly widespread perception concerning food insecurity, namely the tendency to view hunger as structural, an integral part of the socio-political situation of the weakest countries, a matter of resigned regret, if not downright indifference. It is not so, and it must never be so! To fight and conquer hunger it is essential to start redefining the concepts and principles that have hitherto governed international relations, in such a way as to answer the question: what can direct the attention and the consequent conduct of States towards the needs of the poorest? The response must be sought not in the technical aspects of cooperation, but in the principles that lie behind it: only in the name of common membership of the worldwide human family can every people and therefore every country be asked to practise solidarity, that is, to shoulder the burden of concrete responsibilities in meeting the needs of others, so as to favour the genuine sharing of goods, founded on love.

5. Nevertheless, while it is true that human solidarity inspired by love goes beyond justice – because to love is to give, to offer what is “mine” to the other – it is never without justice, which leads us to give the other what is “his”, what belongs to him by virtue of his being and acting. Indeed, I cannot “give” the other what is “mine”, without first giving him what belongs to him in justice (cf. ibid., 6). If the aim is to eliminate hunger, international action is needed not only to promote balanced and sustainable economic growth and political stability, but also to seek out new parameters – primarily ethical but also juridical and economic ones – capable of inspiring the degree of cooperation required to build a relationship of parity between countries at different stages of development. This, as well as closing the existing gap, could favour the capacity of each people to consider itself an active player, thereby confirming that the fundamental equality of all peoples is rooted in the common origin of the human family, the source of those principles of “natural law” that should inspire political, juridical and economic choices and approaches in international life (cf. ibid., 59). Saint Paul speaks eloquently on this subject: “I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their want, so that their abundance may supply your want, that there may be equality. As it is written, ‘He who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack’” (2 Cor 8:13-15).

6. Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, in order to combat hunger and promote integral human development, it is necessary to understand the needs of the rural world, and likewise to ensure that any decline in donor support does not create uncertainties in the financing of activities of cooperation: any tendency towards a short-sighted view of the rural world as a thing of secondary importance must be avoided. At the same time, access to international markets must be favoured for those products coming from the poorest areas, which today are often relegated to the margins. In order to achieve these objectives, it is necessary to separate the rules of international trade from the logic of profit viewed as an end in itself, directing them towards the support of economic initiative in countries with greater need of development; once they have greater income at their disposal, these countries will be able to advance towards the self-sufficiency that leads to food security.

7. Nor must the fundamental rights of the individual be forgotten, which include, of course, the right to sufficient, healthy and nutritious food, and likewise water; these rights take on an important role in the realization of others, beginning with the primary one, the right to life. It is necessary, then, to cultivate “a public conscience that considers food and access to water as universal rights of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination” (Caritas in Veritate, 27). Much has been patiently accomplished in recent years by FAO in this regard: on the one hand it has favoured an enlargement of the objectives of this right over and above the mere guarantee of satisfying primary needs, and on the other it has emphasized the need for its adequate regulation.

8. Methods of food production likewise demand attentive analysis of the relationship between development and protection of the environment. The desire to possess and to exploit the resources of the planet in an excessive and disordered manner is the primary cause of all environmental degradation. Protection of the environment challenges the modern world to guarantee a harmonious form of development, respectful of the design of God’s creation and therefore capable of safeguarding the planet (cf. ibid., 48-51). While the entire human race is called to acknowledge its obligations to future generations, it is also true that States and international organizations have a duty to protect the environment as a shared good. In this context, the links between environmental security and the disturbing phenomenon of climate change need to be explored further, focusing on the central importance of the human person, and especially of the populations most at risk from both phenomena. Norms, legislation, development plans and investments are not enough, however: what is needed is a change in the lifestyles of individuals and communities, in habits of consumption and in perceptions of what is genuinely needed. Most of all, there is a moral duty to distinguish between good and evil in human action, so as to rediscover the bond of communion that unites the human person and creation.

9. As I pointed out in the Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate, it is important to remember that “the deterioration of nature is … closely connected to the culture that shapes human coexistence: when ‘human ecology’ is respected within society, environmental ecology also benefits.” Indeed, “the ecological system is based on respect for a plan that affects both the health of society and its good relationship with nature.” And “the decisive issue is the overall moral tenor of society.” Therefore, “our duties towards the environment are linked to our duties towards the human person, considered in himself and in relation to others. It would be wrong to uphold one set of duties while trampling on the other. Herein lies a grave contradiction in our mentality and practice today: one which demeans the person, disrupts the environment and damages society” (ibid., 51).

10. Hunger is the most cruel and concrete sign of poverty. Opulence and waste are no longer acceptable when the tragedy of hunger is assuming ever greater proportions. Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Catholic Church will always be concerned for efforts to defeat hunger; the Church is committed to support, by word and deed, the action taken in solidarity – planned, responsible and regulated – to which all members of the international community are called to contribute. The Church does not wish to interfere in political decisions: she respects the knowledge gained through scientific study, and decisions arrived at through reason responsibly enlightened by authentically human values, and she supports the effort to eliminate hunger. This is the most immediate and concrete sign of solidarity inspired by charity, and it brooks neither delay nor compromise. Such solidarity relies on technology, laws and institutions to meet the aspirations of individuals, communities and entire peoples, yet it must not exclude the religious dimension, with all the spiritual energy that it brings, and its promotion of the human person. Acknowledgment of the transcendental worth of every man and every woman is still the first step towards the conversion of heart that underpins the commitment to eradicate deprivation, hunger and poverty in all their forms.

I thank you for your gracious attention and, as I conclude, I offer greetings and good wishes in the official languages of FAO, to all the Member States of the Organization.
God bless your efforts to ensure that all people are given their daily bread.
Que Dieu bénisse vos efforts pour assurer le pain quotidien à chaque personne.
Dios bendiga sus esfuerzos para garantizar el pan de cada día para cada persona.

Before I get started on my Holiday rant, I would like to say Happy Thanksgiving... and now..

FUCK THE POPE.

Fuck ALL popes past, present and future.



While a lot of this is gooey, non-specific pro-help the world language that we can all support, I was amazed by two things:

1.) Population growth is NOT a cause of hunger, nope, no way, no how, keep those babies coming, who needs rubbers? Abortions? pffft- please. No way will more people on earth mean more mouths to feed.

2.) Opulence is BAD! You should always remember that when you see the Pope sit on a throne made of gold in a castle made of gold on a mountain made of gold.

They claim that the Catholic Church's net assets in 2007 was $669 million, and that doesn't count the wealth of the individual dioceses. The Catholic church, overall, is extremely wealthy. So I have to wonder why they're asking me to help out in this situation? Get with the program or at the very least don't bug me for donations while you have ostentatious displays of wealth.



Does the Vatican really claim to have less than a billion dollars in assets? Because that's just balls out bullshit and I'm impressed that they have brass balls that big. Maybe that's the net figure, taking into account liabilities for future child abuse lawsuit settlements.

This doesn't even cover the value of the land the vatican holds if you were going to turn it into a giant beet farm. The Catholic Church needs centuries of stolen wealth and trinkets for the same reason a talent agency needs a big fountain in the lobby.

Hello, I'm the Catholic church. I accept donations under the pretense of feeding starving people in Africa but the money actually goes to buying blood diamonds that fuel genocide and slavery in Africa instead. The Pope sure looks pretty in his robes though.

It's okay. I believe in Jesus..



Yeah. It's almost enough to shave your head and tear up a picture of the Pope.

One of my favorite lectures was back in my Catholic high school days where a jesuit priest gave a speech using the line "There's infallible and there's 'infallible.'" It made me laugh. But it is really annoying to think that Catholic people feel the need to vote on Politicians based on their positions on abortion and gay marriage. How about what they'll actually do instead of who you can most likely drink with at a bar (sinful!) and not get into a fist fight with. This is in a country that has important issues facing it.



Then again, if my earlier post is any indication, I'm not going to be eating all that much if I want to actually lose that weight, or at least not gain it before the New Year. So perhaps the food I lack eating will be gladly consumed by those who face hunger. I know, I shouldn't make fun of this. But really, I can easily say I'm doing more for those who face hunger than the Pope. I at least buy a family part of an animal for the holidays through Heifer International. This year I may buy them some bees again.

It certainly beats spending money on your loser employees relocating them after they've gone off the deep end and raped little boys. But then hunger is a key part of a legacy from centuries of colonial oppression and exploitation. Gotta keep that co-dependency relationship going. Can't let them be on their own and able to think for themselves. Just gotta keep telling those African folks that condoms increase the risk of AIDS and hope that they just keep multiplying.

I usually dislike Sarah Silverman, but she does make a very valid point here.


Besides, she's a Jew. In this time of year, she's going to get the short end of the stick and I'm sure I'm going to write a lot more about the Jewish Holidays as they approach, so I wont get into those. I have to say, they are what I can relate to. Oy!

But really. It's times like this that I'm glad that I'm Atheist. At least that way I don't have to make up excuses for the most ignored man in history. The Pope is the one guy no one takes seriously. Whatever he says gets negated. Thankfully. Because while his views are the ones that the Catholic Church is suppose to be conveying. Mainly because they're so extreme and people want to get into heaven, they just don't want to be on the fucking honor roll.

It's times like this that I think there's a need for the Anti-Pope.

Thanksgiving... For PSA's

Thanksgiving... For PSA's

This year I'm going to give thanks to Youtube. Without them I would have do with seeing a shitty quality mpg or a slow loading high quality QT movie file when seeing a video clip online.


Take for example domestic violence:


Ah yes, that's the perfect clip for later when you're sitting down with the family and sharing that meal. Mother better not have to be told twice to get that stuffing or to re-heat the yams.. or perhaps she'll have to wear sunglasses and their will be a new meaning as to why it's called Black Friday.

Then we move on to this clip that shows us that there are no accidents


Oh man. I know what I'll be thankful for when I'm biting into that Turkey.. that it wasn't "accidentally" laced with Ecoli. Or that the stove didn't just accidentally blow up. At least it's not an ad for Meth.. er.. I mean, Against trying Meth, just once..



That was a pretty hard hitting PSA against the use of Meth. I suppose just trying it once is pretty damning. This next one isn't really that hardcore. I Suppose it is, sort of. If you think blowing up children with land mines is damning. I don't know why, but I always said "Oh Damn" to this PSA about land mines.



In reality, it does make a pretty valid point. We live in a culture that doesn't value the safety that we really live in considering what others in the world go through. But at least it led to the creation of this masterpiece



Nothing better than a PSA to warn against Xenomorphs. God, that's such a great PSA. And to take this thanksgiving blog out.. let's be thankful and watch this hilarious German Safety video.. which had to been done by Sam Raimi


Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you enjoy jamming food down your throat.

Putting My Body On Blast

Putting My Body On Blast

After the last post about weighing in on the Holidays it got me to thinking about two years ago when I bought my first scale as an adult. It was about three years ago and it was digital. I had no idea why I hadn't gotten a scale before that. I guess that's why I was on a slide from my younger days when I was pretty thin and I started packing in some weight.

The scale was pretty cool. It was digital and gave you your metabolism age range, calorie count to maintain whatever said weight it told you, body fat percentage and last but not least - your weight. I suppose that's something no one wants to know at this time of the year.

I finally bit the bullet and weighed myself. I have to say.. Ouch! I don't think it's just the Turkey that's stuffed. Then again, I did think I was hovering at that weight I am. Oh, you think I'm keeping it secret? Nah, I'm going to put it out there. 215.2lbs. and according to the fancy scale I have a body fat of 31%. My daily calorie count needed to keep up said weight would be 3,623... ouch.



Now, I'm not going to lie.. that sucks. But it's not something I'm going to let get me down. When I first got the scale I was 218lbs and at least 33-34% body fat. Over the course of a couple of months I went down to my lowest of 178lbs and 20% body fat.

So with the knowledge that 51% of the average person's annual weight gain occurs during the 35 days between Thanksgiving and New Years eve, I'm making it a goal to not gain a single pound, but in fact, lose several. Now I know I'm not going to get back to that 178 status fast. But I plan on cracking a couple of pounds and defying the whole Holiday pudge. I'm not going to post a photo log or a before/after. Frankly, such exposure is embarrassing and I can see no real value or reason to do it.

So how can this be done? Perhaps it's best to look at it as if you're paying off a debt. I have acquired this debt by eating to my unnatural comfort levels despite living in a society my body is not designed to live in where food is abundant, delicious, cheap, in great variet, and often socially pressed on you. Come on, it's Thanksgiving!



It's a simple matter of more calories used than calories consumed. Seems easy enough. I used to count the calories I was taking in. At the very least have a rough estimate on how much I was eating. This had me be aware of how much I was using. To add to that, I'm going to go out and do more activities. When the writers strike occurred, I was able to go hiking or running every day. This increase in activity burned a lot of calories.

Since my target weight is literally close to 30lbs, I realize this is a long haul life style change and maintaining it. Will I still indulge on the Holidays? I am guessing Yes. But with some plan to keep it to moderation. I'm pretty much going to drop the empty calories of soda. Even diet. I enjoy water and I have to save some calories for alcohol. There's really no denying one some booze. I enjoy drinking good beer. So there's no way I can live without that (my, my.. overweight AND alcoholic?)



To be honest, with the knowledge that I have to eat 3623 calories a day to maintain this weight, it is a little easier to handle. I can be perfectly happy with a 1500 daily calorie intake and still burn more calories than I consume at my weight. The first couple of pounds will actually be easy with a slight modification of my eating habits and avoiding certain items. But when I can easily have a healthy meal plan like this:

Breakfast: 1/2 pound grilled chicken breasts and banana - 330 calories
Mid-morning protein shake (optional) - 120 calories
Lunch: Whole grain sandwich with 1/2 pound of lean roast beef and spinach - 600 calories
Mid-afternoon protein shake (optional) - 120 calories
Dinner: Salmon filet and steamed veggies - 300 calories
Late night snack: Some fruit - 50-100 calories

It falls well within the daily calorie count at just 1470 calories a day. With the protein in my diet it'll kick off thermogenic processes that effectively reduces the caloric intake of my food, as well as an over/under of 200 calories for milk for that extra boost of protein. When you lose weight, a large percentage of it is muscle (20% or so) Eating a good amountof protein will decrease the muscle loss, as will resistance training.



The real trick to avoid the hunger cravings is to cut out most of the carbs in ones plan. Rice, cereal and all that are all processed grains that are monkeying with my blood sugar and my body releases insulin as a result to keep up with the intake. But the intake has stopped because I've quickly digested the grains! The insulin will be running down my blood sugar levels, so I'm stickng to veggies and fruits for less hunger.

Add in working out three days out of the week at the least and I should see a drop . Then again, I could just submit to Dr. Siegal's Cookie Diet

Weighing In On The Holidays

Weighing In On The Holidays

It's that time of year where you start eating like crazy all sorts of things that will go straight to your hips. On average, 51% of your annual weight gain happens between Thanksgiving through New Years Eve. That is all before the New Years resolution to lose 10 pounds. Way to go, you just gained 7lbs!

Why is this? Well, the holidays cause you to compulsively socialize with people... who, well, you really otherwise would choose to ignore. often at parties or family functions that just cause a whole lot of stress. A way that people choose to react to stress is to, of course, get comfort food as it helps you forget all about that hardship.



You also have to spend a lot more money on people when you really don't have all that much money to spend in the first place with this economy. The quest for the perfect present is one that causes a lot of stress as well as the fact that you don't have all that cash to begin with, dealing with the crowds.. All in all, you're pretty much going to be losing your mind and burying yourself in some chocolate to get away from it all.

Let's be realistic here. Thanksgiving is going to be a lost cause for you and everyone else. You are going to be encouraged to get seconds and thirds. This is stacked on top of the fact that you have a lot of food in front of you, you're going to over eat on Thanksgiving. There's no question about that.

Once you forget about Thanksgiving, just go at it with a pro-active approach to defeat the potential of gaining weight this season. I have no idea what I weigh right now, but I'm not going to join the masses and gain 51% of my annual weight this year. If anything, I'm going to do everything in my power to LOSE weight. I will weigh myself later today and post it. Hey, I'm no lady and I'm sure putting myself on blast like this will only serve as encouragement to lose it.



You can join me and do a daily weigh in and track how much you gain or lose through the 35 days between Thanksgiving and New Years. Keep a chart handy. It's very important that you have a visual reminder of your progress or catch yourself before you start slipping. It may keep track of your progress, but it's also emphasizes long-term, positive goals and maintaining personal health. The ol' saying in Weight Watchers is "Never let a lapse become a collapse," While it may sound like some buzz words, it does make sense.

Don't let the fact that it's cold and perfect time for some comfort food become a major Achilles heel to your potential healthy weight loss. Especially if you are going to make the generic resolution in January to lose the weight, it's better to start now. You can also cut out red meat out of your diet. Not only is it less of a strain on your arteries, but it will make your cum taste better. Who cares about that, right? I'm sure your girlfriends will appreciate it. And if you think my suggestions are silly, perhaps you can take a note from this wacky lady who has some helpful hints;


Who, for some reason thinks that rice is key. Even though rice is pretty heavy on the carbs. I mean, it's no fade diet or anything, but maybe the key here is simple common sense eating. I mean, let's take the following image to see how much the average American eats in Calories per day:



I'm not sure how you can justify that supersized meal. I mean, you have to be eating a lot of Baconators per week to get to that level of consumption. Just look at the nutritional facts about it with this handy link

I have to say, the triple baconator left me mesmerized. I'm not sure if it's because of the sheer ridiculousness or because deep inside I want to try one... and then die. I remember back when i ate fast food regularly and I saw Super size Me, I didn't understand why that guy threw up after eating a super sized McDonalds meal, I thought he was being overly dramatic/feigning it, but now after eating normal-human-sied portions for years I am just appalled at the thought of eating something like a triple baconator. I feel like vomiting just looking at that thing.

I mean, Jesus fucking christ, it's like two days worth of calories and a week's worth of fat, and the meat is literally predigested parts-slurry from growth-hormone-ballooned fairy animals. Fuck! My dinner tonight was like, maybe 360-370 calories and I'm being generous. How does one eat literally 10x that in one day?



The answer, of course, is Soda. Two cans of Coca Cola run you 320 calories themselves. I used to drink a lot of it. Almost a liter of non-diet Pepsi a day. I can't fathom to even consider going back to that lifestyle. I see people who get chemically dependent on energy and caffeine drinks that they get bad headaches at this point if they don't have the daily fix.

Here's the basics. Seldom ever drink soft drinks and avoid eating from fast food places and go to the gym or get some healthy exercise once or twice a week for an hour. Congrats, you are now living healthier than 90% of America.

Oh, are you offended, you 90% of Americans who are eating way too much? I know, I know. It's hard to maintain. Between your Modern Warfare 2, Episodes of South Park and the rigorous demands of working at Staples, I'm surprised you have even 20 minutes a week to yourself.



Oh? what was that? You literally get to work at 6am and finish at midnight and only earn $2/hr and don't have the time to cook and fast food is your ONLY option? I know, I must have been living in my fantasy world of bulk rice and beans. Cooking a simple meal with inexpensive bulk meals SEEMS like it's cheap and healthy, but you forget the TIME costs... it literally takes upwards of 45 minutes for some of these so called "simple" meals, do you have any idea how busy my life is, Javier? I have 15 KIDS for gods sake, constantly crying about being hungry, fast food is seriously a gift from god!

And a Microwave at work? I'm sorry we can't all work at some major television production company, Javi. Ebgame doesn't have those luxury items, so precooked meals are literally NOT an option, please stop suggesting those. The only other REASONABLE option would be that I eat at subway, but please keep in mind that subway is a whole 4 blocks away. So getting there, eating and getting back in my 30 minute lunch break would be quite the feat indeed. Does anyone know if A&Ws is somewhat healthy if I'm only getting diet soda?



See how silly that sounds? I get the fact that fatty foods are cheaper than eating healthy. Just look at the price of a bag full of frozen meat patties versus a bag full of frozen veggies. If you want to point the finger at someone, it may not be the consumer - they're just caught up like pawns in a bigger game.

So how about you stop being that pawn and start owning up to your own eating habits? If there was ever any time to rebel against these habits, it would be in this time of the year when it will effect you the most.

Then again, you can always just give into over eating and stuff your mouth with some of Paula Dean's deep fried butter balls. Want something to go with your fried butter balls? How about a double chocolate gooey butter cake y'all.



Though, before I judge America too harshly, let's see the graph again and break it down. It gets its info from the WHO. The WHO says it gets its info from FAOSTAT, which is the statistical food organization of the UN. You can look through the FAOSTAT consumption statistics here:
http://faostat.fao.org/site/609/default.aspx#ancor

According to their FAQ, FAOSTAT's glossary defines dietary energy consumption per person as:
FAOSTAT said:

Dietary energy consumption per person refers to the amount of food, expressed in kilocalories (kcal) per day, available for each individual in the total population during the reference period. Caloric content is derived by applying the appropriate food composition factors to the quantities of the commodities. Per person supplies are derived from the total amount of food available for human consumption by dividing total calories by total population actually partaking of the food supplies during the reference period. However, per person figures represent only the average supply available for the population as a whole and do not necessarily indicate what is actually consumed by individuals. The actual food consumption may be lower than the quantity shown as food availability depending on the magnitude of wastage and losses of food in the household, e.g. during storage, in preparation and cooking, as plate-waste or quantities fed to domestic animals and pets, thrown or given away.

So it's a little bit of a myth busted. Your average American may not be eating 3767 in calories a day. Your average American is probably only eating 2,600 calories and then throws away enough to feed sub Saharan Africa. In other words, Cheer up!

Showing Off Your Levi's In Playgirl

Showing Off Your Levi's In Playgirl

Levi Johnston.. the guy who utterly destroyed Sarah Palin's career... Ok, let's be honest. Sarah Palin destroyed her own career as a politician the moment she opened her mouth. But one brick in the wall that was making her shut the fuck up was Levi Johnston. Someone who, I utterly laughed at at every possible news article he was ever mentioned. The dude was the quintessential Frat Boy and was one of the major highlights of the 2008 Presidential campaign as a form of entertainment.

Well, it seems that he can't just give up his kung fu like grip on his 15 minutes of fame for knocking up a potential Republican Vice Presidential daughter, Bristol Palin. He's appeared in ads for nuts and has been sticking it to Sarah Palin and being the ultimate in asshole potential son-in-laws around.

It's been over a year since the election and we're still dealing with hearing about Sarah Palin. And just as common, we hear about Levi. Well, in his latest move to flip the bird to Sarah Palin is that he posed in Playgirl. Yes, Playgirl magazine.



But don't get too excited, while there may be glimpses of Levi Johnston's baby maker, there is no full-frontal shot. Let the blame game begin, but the fact that there will not be wang in it shows that we need to start getting serious about America!

Playgirl spokesman Daniel Nardicio has released a statement blaming Levi's manager Tank Jones. "He did not give 'full-frontal' as his manager Tank Jones reported he would. We're thrilled with the photos we got, and are confident people will love them. Although there may be glimpses, we did not get full on frontal nudity."

This is indeed a tragic day for America. There is no point if there's no penis! Seriously, that was literally the only thing people gave a crap about. Why do they refuse to show us the penis that brought down a candidate? It is an integral part of history, we should demand to see it under the freedom of information act.

But this leads to more questions. As I have never purchased, nor do I see myself purchasing one as I don't think I'm going to prank anyone soon, I wonder if they have boners in playgirl or if it's like a tease. I mean, will he just hold his boner in the photo shoot? Gym sock? What exactly are you hiding, Levi????



Thanks to the internet, I just discovered that the first "full" erection in the history of Playgirl was sported by Geoff Minger in January 1980. When the Russian Playgirl launched in June 2004, it contained photographs of nude, circumcised American men which is said to have been perhaps an unfamiliar sight to Russian girls as circumcision is rare there, being practiced mainly by Jews and Muslims.

I wonder how many women actually go out and buy Playgirl compared to Men buying Playboy. This question was posed to EiC on CNN the other day, as well as "Is Playgirl gay?" His replay was classic "I don't know, is Anderson Cooper?"

SICK BURN!

But it's a valid question. Though the magazine is marketed to heterosexual women, Playgirl's then-editor-in-chief Michele Zipp said in 2003, "The gay readership is about 30%."
My response to that is, BULL-SHIT! I'm a straight male and I don't even buy Playgirl. I bet it's at least 70% Gay male's buying that shit.

So now that we got all that out of the way, where's the major photos?



I mean, he got a decent body, I guess. But 6 months, 3 hours a day in the gym for that? HA! Imagine how fucking soft he must have been for 6 months of 3 hour workouts and diets where all he can come up with is this. There's no doubt that he lied about that, because you could be in no shape at all and lookbetter than that after six months of basically being paid to work out and eat well.

HA! A personal trainer got him that?!?



Is that really his name on his arm as a tattoo? Seriously? Why did he pick that typeface for it anyway? I suppose the McCain Campaign tagged him and all the Palin's in case one got lost in the wilderness. Ha, you can still see Bristol's name tattooed on his ring finger.

As you can just imagine, Palin had some strong words to say about this when she was eventually asked about this photoshoot in one of her many interviews on her book tour. Her response?

Palin has now issued a statement responding to Levi's remarks. We have purposefully ignored the mean spirited, malicious and untrue attacks on our family. We, like many, are appalled at the inflammatory statements being made or implied." Palin also went after CBS and Levi's intentions to strip for Playgirl: CBS should be ashamed for continually providing a forum to propagate lies. Consider the source of the most recent attention-getting lies -- those who would sell their body for money reflect a desperate need for attention and are likely to say and do anything for even more attention."

yes, she shouldn't throw stones from her glass house in Alaska;



Seriously, I think acting like a dick for no obvious benefit is the best sign of intelligence in an animal. But of course this went back to Levi Johnston and he did an interview further pimping his playgirl pictures and about his relationship with Sarah Palin and Wonkette pulled out the greatest out-of-context quote from him

“There are some things that I have that are huge. And I haven’t said them because I’m not gonna hurt her that way… You know, I mean, if I really wanted to hurt her, I could, very easily. But there’s — I’m not gonna do it. I’m not going that far.”

But let's not ruin her book tour. I mean, it's not every day that you have a book out. There's plenty of chances to piss on her some more later. I mean, she'll be in the news until 2012, speculating whether or not she'll run, she'll drop hints in the media even if she doesn't and the 24 hour news cycle will eat it up and dissect the smallest hint of a possibility of a fraction of a chance that she'll run for president, then it will be whether or not she'll run for the GOP or as an independent and then and then and then and then...



Basically we're stuck with her, she's the consummate American celebrity politican and she's not going to go away so easily.

I suppose the nicest thing about it is that there's no shortage of dumb nuts that follow her every move and sing her praise. For what? I have no idea. I mean.. We have people like Palin Man, Who sounds like a man who has discovered that "PalinMan" is the only thing he's ever said or done that has given his wife an orgasm and he will just keep talking about it until his wife eventually leaves him for a professional Palin look-alike.