Are You Like Me?
25 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Diary Tags: alterations, diary, garment, garments, neckline, necklines, photos of me
Do you find the necklines of t-shirts frustratingly tight and uncomfortable? Do you always have to keep pulling them down because they’re just a little too short?
Kill two birds with one stone by grabbing your scissors, fold the t-shirt in half, shoulder to shoulder, slowly and carefully cut a quarter circle/ellipse from the fold at the center out towards the top of the shoulder, and:
BOOM!!
NOTE: If you have a print on the t-shirt you would prefer not cutting into, make sure you can see it as you’re cutting, so you don’t end up cutting too low or wide.
T-shirting material is great, no need to hem as it doesn’t fray.
Because the neckline is looser, the whole garment now sits slightly lower. I find this usually takes the t-shirt out of the “always riding up and giving me kidney freeze” zone to something much more comfortable.
Many of my t-shirts now look like this. Just make sure before you do it, that you’re 100% certain you’re not going to need to return the shirt for any reason. Obviously no shop is going to accept any returned garments if they have been altered.
Also wouldn’t recommend this course of action if you don’t like flashing your bra straps about. That’s pretty much a given with your newly widened neckline.
When is Rape Not Rape?
25 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Abuse of Power Tags: abuse of power, age of consent, consent, crime, justice, New Zealand, rape, sexual assult
You know the answer. Never. Rape is rape is rape.
When J shared the following article with me last night, I felt compelled to write about it.
Trigger warning
A registered nurse who had sexual liaisons with three teenage boys has been sentenced to a year’s home detention.
Aroha Veronica Webber, 41, was sentenced in the Rotorua District Court today after earlier pleading guilty to six charges of unlawful sexual connection with the 15-year-olds.
Her counsel, Paul Mabey, QC, submitted if they had been a year older no carnal crime would have been committed. She had not sexually groomed the boys.
He outlined how they had gathered at Webber’s home when she was in a fragile state following her marriage breakdown. As a result of this she had “hit the booze” and the offending had occurred, Mr Mabey said.
She had allowed the boys into her home rather than see them wandering the streets.
Webber strenuously denied a claim in a victim impact statement that one of the boys had contracted a sexually transmitted disease from her.
“She is a registered nurse, she knows her own body’s health,” Mr Mabey submitted.
Judge James Weir also discounted the allegation. He noted her offending had been entirely out of character and had occurred when she was “disinhibited” by alcohol.
- Nurse sentenced for sex with teens
Now let’s step back for a moment. Imagine the accused is instead a 41-year-old male, and the victims are 15-year-girls.
“[If the victims] had been a year older no carnal crime would have been committed” certainly would not be seen as a valid excuse. It didn’t happen in a years time, or with 16-year-olds, it happened now, with 15 year olds. A 15-year-old is legally unable to consent to any sexual activity. 
It doesn’t matter that the victims entered the accused’s home voluntarily. That doesn’t mean they automatically consent to anything that happens within the home, even if they weren’t minors.
As for the accused denying that it was possible that one of the victims contracted a STD from the encounter because “she is a registered nurse, she knows her own body’s health”, then she would also know that STDs/STIs can be asymptomatic. She could have been a carrier for the disease/infection without knowing. That’s why sexual health checks are important, along with PROTECTED sexual activity, which obviously didn’t happen in this case.
Would the judge had accepting that the accused “was ‘disinhibited’ by alcohol” (‘disinhibited’ isn’t a word by the way, it should be ‘uninhibited’), and that it was “entirely out of character”? I understand that a marriage breakdown is a stressful time, but that doesn’t give you a free pass. What if something more serious had happened, what if this was a murder trial? Would being “‘disinhibited’ by alcohol”, having a marriage breakdown, and it being “entirely out of character” be mitigating factors? Just because she hasn’t been accused before doesn’t mean this is the first time something like this has happened (admit it, you’d think the same thing if she was actually a male).
And what’s with the sentence of home detention? The offending happened AT HER HOME.
This whole thing is just all kinds of wrong… what kind of justice is this?
~~ Feel so dirty after looking for appropriate images for this post… Need to go cleanse myself… I’m so disappointed in humanity.~~
113 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health – Are You Sure?
23 Jan 2012 2 Comments
in Rantings Tags: chromium deficiency, copper deficiency, health, health risks, ignorance, kidney damage, medical journals, metabolic consequences, mineral balance, rantings, risks, sugar, wrong on the internet
Thanks to blackdogbetty, I found my way to this list of 113 reason why sugar is bad for you.
Now I think we’re all grown up enough to admit that yes, lots of sugar is bad for you. But when someone comes along making out like sugar is this huge bad guy, giving 113 reasons for this belief, doubling up on a number of those reasons with no citations, and no one points this out in the comments, I have to do something about it.
(I may be guilty of getting caught up in someone being wrong on the internet here, but I make no apologies.)
So here we go:
113 Way Sugar Can Ruin Your Health – Are You Sure About That?
**Comments written in red are mine. All links have been added by me.**
In addition to throwing off the body’s homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar’s metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications. - Such as? Unless you give the reference details for said “medical journals and other scientific publications”, where is your proof that what you’re saying is true? Are we to just take your word for it?
- Sugar can suppress the immune system.
- Sugar can upset the body’s mineral balance.
- Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
- Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
- Sugar can adversely affect children’s school grades.
- Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
- Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
- Sugar can cause kidney damage.
- Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).
- Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
- Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.
- Sugar can cause copper deficiency. - I really think these should be just one point, after all they are both deficiencies, and it is no different to listing four different cancers in #14.
- Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium. - Could this point be included with copper and chromium deficiency? Though it doesn’t actually say whether it decreases absorption or increases it. I’m guessing there is a decrease, but citation would have helped this issue.
- Sugar may lead to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, and rectum.
- Sugar can cause colon cancer, with an increased risk in women. - Shouldn’t this be included with the above point? You can’t have one point for four different cancers, then list another cancer in the next point.
- Sugar can be a risk factor in gall bladder cancer. - This has the same problem as above, “may lead to”, “can cause”, “can be a risk factor in” all mean the same thing. Sugar may increase the chance of (yes, that’s another way of saying it) six different cancers, one point, not three.
- Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
- Sugar can weaken eyesight.
- Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which can narrow blood vessels.
- Sugar can cause hypoglycemia. - Hypoglycemia is caused by low blood sugar levels. Is it possible she means hyperglycemia? Those tricky “hypo” and “hyper” definitions, always making us think one is the other.
- Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
- Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children. - I could be wrong, but isn’t this the same as #3?
- Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
- Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.
- Sugar can lead to alcoholism. - What? Really? This is one of those times where some citation would have been really good, I would really like to read which article this information came from.
- Sugar can promote tooth decay.
- Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
- High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Sugar can cause a raw, inflamed intestinal tract in persons with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
- Sugar can cause arthritis.
- Sugar can cause asthma.
- Sugar can cause candidiasis (yeast infection).
- Sugar can lead to the formation of gallstones.
- Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
- Sugar can cause ischemic heart disease. - Heart disease was already mentioned at #23. This should be included there.
- Sugar can cause appendicitis.
- Sugar can exacerbate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
- Sugar can indirectly cause hemorrhoids. - If something is only an indirect cause, can you really include it?
- Sugar can cause varicose veins.
- Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraception users.
- Sugar can lead to periodontal disease. - Oooo that’s tricky. Use the technical term for #26, and voila! You have another point.
- Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis. - Seeing as it interferes with the absorption of calcium (#13), it seems only fair that it could contribute to osteoporosis.
- Sugar contributes to saliva acidity. - This is the same as #26, no?
- Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
- Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
- Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
- Sugar can increase total cholesterol.
- Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
- Sugar can change the structure of protein causing interference with protein absorption.
- Sugar causes food allergies. - So sugar definitely causes food allergies then? Citation?
- Sugar can contribute to diabetes. - Decreased insulin sensitivity (#44), decreased glucose tolerance (#45), I’m pretty sure those things equal diabetes…
- Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
- Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
- Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease. - *face palm* See #23 and #35.
- Sugar can impair the structure of DNA. - More information please.
- Sugar can cause cataracts.
- Sugar can cause emphysema.
- Sugar can cause atherosclerosis. - Cardiovascular disease maybe? (#54)
- Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
- Sugar lowers the enzymes’ ability to function. - Which enzymes? All of them?
- Sugar can cause loss of tissue elasticity and function.
- Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
- Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
- Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
- Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
- Sugar can increase the body’s fluid retention.
- Sugar can cause constipation.
- Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness). - Eyesight already mentioned at #18
- Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
- Sugar can cause hypertension.
- Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
- Sugar can cause an increase in delat, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind’s ability to think clearly.
- Sugar can cause depression.
- Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high- sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
- Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.
- Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
- Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots.
- Sugar increases the risk of Alzheimer Disease.
**I had trouble with the WordPress formatting here and html coding isn’t really my thing. I wanted to make a point about the number of repeats appearing in the remainder of the list, but couldn’t do so without the numbering restarting from one. So we now have Part One (above) and Part Two (below)**
- Sugar can cause a increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves. - Repeat Part One #72
- Sugar can cause depression. - Repeat Part One #73
- Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer. - Again with the cancer. Repeat Part One #14, #15, #16.
- Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion). - Repeat Part One #21
- Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
- The ingestion of sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
- Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high- sugar diets compared to low sugar diets. - Repeat Part One #74
- Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon. - Repeat Part One #75
- Sugar increases the risk of colon cancer in women. - Repeat Part One #15. Cancer risks also mentioned at Part One #14, #16, and Part Two #3.
- There is a greater risk for Chron’s disease with people who have a high intake of sugar. - Repeat Part One #28
- Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
- Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance. - Repeat Part One #76
- Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones. - Repeat Part One #34
- Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.
- Sugar can lead to dizziness.
- High sucrose diet significantly increases serum insulin.
- High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion. - Repeat Part Two #11
- High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer. - Repeat of cancer, Part One #14, #15, #16, and Part Two #3, #9.
- High sugar diets tend to be lower in antioxidant micro nutrients.
- High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for- gestational-age (SGA) infant.
- High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents with high sugar diets.
- Sugar slows food’s travel time through the gastrointestinal tract. - I actually thought this would be a good thing.
- Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer. - Repeat of cancer Part One #14, #15, #16, and Part Two #3, #9, #18. Both Part One #15 and Part Two #9 are to do with colon cancer risk, for women in particular.
- Sugar is associated with a substantial decrease in normal time of gestation among adolescents. - Repeat Part Two #21
- Sugar can cause a depletion in chromium which is tied to the development and progression of nearsightedness. - Repeat Part One #11, #18, #68
- Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer. - Repeat of cancer Part One #14, #15, #16, and Part Two #3, #9, #18, #23.
- Sugar is an addictive substance.
- Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
- Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
- Sugar suppresses lymphocytes.
- Decrease in sugar can increase emotional stability. - This point just annoys me because it’s worded all wrong. It should be “Sugar can decrease emotional stability”.
- The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
- Sugar can cause inappropriate behavior and decreased performance in children. - Repeat Part One #3, #4, #5, #22.
- Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD).
- The sugar in chewing gum can cause dental cavities. - Repeat Part One #26, #43
Do yourself a favor and go through this long list (which should really only be about half the length) and write out how many of the symptoms you have. What sugar does to a body is pretty frightening (especially when you write down the same symptoms as if they’re different a bunch of times). Kind of hard to believe, to be honest with you (kinda like how you managed to miss all those double-ups). Almost everything we eat contains sugar. We wonder why we are so sick and have so many ailments. The saddest part about it though is how many of us are willing to change our diets and limit our sugar intake (I think you mean it’s sad “how many of us are NOT willing to change our diets”). It is a sacrifice, I know! I struggle with it and if we are honest, we all do! Who doesn’t love sugar? It tastes so good! It is palatable to the taste buds. One of our taste buds is sweet after all.
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So that’s it. Kudos if you managed to make your way through the whole thing.
There’s nothing wrong with making this kind of list, if that’s your thing, then go nuts. But if you are going to do so, at least use references and citations. Don’t repeat the same points to increase the perceived risk, it’s not doing yourself or your message any favours.
If you disagree with anything I’ve said, or think I missed something, let me know in the comments below.
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Comments from Twitter:
@IrnBruja
@ThatGirlFae [Part One] #20- Eating too much sugar can cause a hypo state as the body jacks up the insulin. It’s not a pleasant feeling at all!
@IrnBruja
@ThatGirlFae [Part One] #32- Ischemia going by your link affects arteries throughout the body, as opposed to coronary heart disease.
@IrnBruja
@ThatGirlFae [Part One] #43 surely saliva acidity would also affect salival enzymes, leading to digestion problems?
My reply: @ThatGirlFae
@IrnBruja that’s a valid point 
this is why referencing and citations are important, along with a more detailed explanation
Dreams are Strange
23 Jan 2012 1 Comment
in Diary Tags: creative writing, creativity, diary, dream, dreaming, dreams, J, Panda, subconscious, unknown
I can’t help but see the irony of coming up with this post, after my post about lacking creativity yesterday.
Last night I had the most bizarre dream (though let’s be honest, when is a dream not that bizarre?).
J and I were moving house, except this wasn’t any house that I’ve lived in before.
Our friend Panda was helping, and then inexplicably J went missing. I couldn’t find him anywhere. So Panda and I continued with the packing, when suddenly the house started moving. It would seem it had been put on a truck for transport while we were still inside, without us noticing.
Time passed in a flash, and we were inside the house at the new location. All the pieces of furniture were still in the same position, but the carpet had been removed, exposing the the wooden planking below. The planks were rough and unvarnished, just like you would expect them to be after being under carpet for so many years.
It was then that I realized I was only wearing a nighty, with no underwear, nor pajama pants. Panda’s friend, David, arrived. I have never heard of nor met David before, and he didn’t look like anyone from my conscious life. Blonde, a little tan, and relatively good looking, but otherwise fairly nondescript. I managed to find some underwear, and told David to turn away while I put it on in the most awkward fashion.
David then drove me to university to meet Panda so we could search for J, though I didn’t seem to be particularly concerned that J was missing. This place looked nothing like the actual university, but I knew that was what this place was, just like I knew David had driven me there, though there was no visual of this happening.
The university consisted of one multistory building, I could not tell you exactly how many floors there were. It was surrounded by a bright, luscious green, rolling landscape, with the odd elm tree and flax bush scattered throughout.
Panda and I entered the building, David was no longer a participant in events.
We climbed into the lift, joining two nondescript brunette women in their late teens/early twenties who were already aboard. One of us pressing the button to go up. The lift jolted slowly upwards, increasing to a moderate speed. There were no doors on the front of the lift. We could see the floors as we passed them by, but were unable to get off, not knowing if the lift would further increase in speed if we tried. There was an underlying feeling that the if we were to step out onto a floor as it went by, the lift would crush us against the ceiling, slicing us in half like a guillotine.
The lift continued to move upwards. We soon lost count of the number of floors that went by, though we knew that it was far more than the building appeared to have from the outside. The digital display inside the lift was no help, instead acting like a random number generator.
Panda and I did not talk or seemingly communicate in anyway throughout the journey, even though I knew he was feeling exactly what I was. I knew the other girls in the lift were also feeling the same. The air in the lift was full of an electric silence. None of else felt any fear during this never-ending lift ride. There was more of a general consensus that the whole thing was rather odd, but not worth being particularly worried about. That was the whole overriding mood of the whole dream. A sedated calm. There wasn’t even a hint of being impatient or irritated, such as you would normal expect.
My perspective changed to third person, and the scene faded to black.
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I suppose the thing I found most strange about this dream was the lift ride, and the calmness I felt throughout the whole thing. Normally when I dream of lifts, it’s a roller coaster of terror*. So it was a nice change? It’s also strange that I can’t place the events that happened throughout the dream. Apart from seeing Panda over the weekend, and the fact that the nighty I was wearing in the dream was the one that I went to bed in, I can’t figure out exactly what my subconscious was trying to process. It will probably forever be one of life’s mysteries.
*I must point out that while I have dreams that could be classified as “scary”, I don’t think of them as nightmares. They never cause me to wake up in fear, even though I may feel more than a little scared throughout the dream.
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