Take a Minute and Really Think About This.

Just because I'm 19 years old doesn't mean that I'm a typical 19 year old. It doesn't mean that I have no idea what I'm talking about. It doesn't mean that I don't know what hard work is. It doesn't mean that I'm spoiled. It doesn't mean that I party all the time (or in my case, at all). So before you ignore what I have to say maybe listen for a minute and hear what I have to say because maybe I have new ideas you've never thought of. 

I am still young so I'm always open to new ideas, the world isn't just in black and white for me, I have good morals and will fight for what I know is right. I am a hard worker, I am independent, and I support myself. I am intelligent and use my brain more often than you'd think, I have learned through my experiences as well as other people's, I observe people and their actions and reactions, and I study psychology in my spare time. I am a very caring person and I do not judge based on appearance, or judge someone before I have met them. I appreciate the little things in life and see the beauty that a lot of people pass by. I wonder about how the world works and I find the answers to my own questions, I take every little thing and take it as a learning experience and I write about it to remind myself when I sometimes forget. I speak up for those who don't have a voice and for those who aren't always loud enough to be heard. I believe that there are good people in this world but there are also a lot of careless, selfish people. One of my biggest values is family and togetherness. I am sensitive, emotional and empathetic, I will always lend an ear or a shoulder to cry on for anyone that needs it. If you are willing to listen to my advice or even take it I will offer it. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. And most importantly, I care about the well-being of others. 

I know I am not perfect and I know that I often make mistakes but I always correct myself, learn from the experience and make myself a better person. I try not to go to bed angry and I always forgive those who have done me wrong and apologize to those that I have done wrong or treated poorly. I am not bragging or tooting my own horn, just simply stating that my age does not mean anything. It's not about how old you are, it's about how much you've learned in those years and applied to your life. I know that I don't know everything there is to know but I am not ignorant and I usually know what I am talking about so if you could take the time to listen to what I have to say I will do the same for you. I respect everyone equally (unless given a reason not to) and I expect to be respected as well and treated as the mature, young woman that I am. This does not just apply to me but to every young person who also feels this way. The moral of my story here is: 

Take the time to listen to others, regardless of their age, race, gender and so on. They might surprise you and make more sense than you thought they would. 

People Are Becoming So Insensitive...

I found yet another post on my Facebook newsfeed that I didn't quite agree with, this is what was posted: 

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"This was written by a 21 yr old female who gets it. It's her future she's worried about and this is how she feels about the social welfare system that she's being forced to live in! These solutions are just common sense in her opinion.

Put me in charge . . ..

Put me in charge of food grants. I'd get rid of cash for potato chips or chocolate. Instead there'd just be money for the staple foods like bread, milk, potatoes, fresh vegies, cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak, pies and take-out pizza, then get a job.

Put me in charge of Healthcare. The first thing I'd do is to provide women with birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine and document all existing tattoos and piercings. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, smoke or get more tats and piercings, then get a job.

Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks?
You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your "home" will be subject to inspections at anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own accommodation.

Put me in charge of compulsory job search. In addition, you will either present a cheque stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job.

It may be cleaning the roadways of trash or painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tyres and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the "common good".

Now before you respond that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self esteem", consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem.
If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices.

The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.

AND while you are on Gov't subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest.....You will vote for a "welfare" Gov't. only. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Gov't welfare cheque. If you want to vote, then get a job."
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I agree with some points, such as the first one about food grants. I am all for ensuring that we all eat healthier and especially if these people on welfare are getting money for food they should use it to make sure that they (and their families) are eating well and being healthy.

By the second paragraph it starts to get a little off topic. I agree that women should have birth control provided (although the kind of birth control should be optional and have more than just a couple choices), and I also agree that testing for drugs and excessive alcohol consumption should be tested for but documenting all tattoo's and piercings seems a little over the top. Why would they need documentation of these things? If the government were worried that they're spending the money they're getting on body modification they shouldn't be. Tattoo's and piercings don't come cheap, and I'm sure that if it came down to buying food and paying bills vs. getting a new tattoo/piercing the person would choose their needs over their wants. If the documentation is a health-related issue, I still see no reason to fuss over it, it's their own body and they have the freedom to express themselves in whichever way that they want. Basically saying "no, we will not give you birth control (or money) because you have many tattoos/piercings is stereotyping, it is unfair and it is wrong. 

In the third paragraph it starts to get even more ridiculous, I agree that if you're having your cost of living covered without working you should have to regularly do maintenance on the house and keep it clean and in good shape, but to actually go into someone's home and inspect it is a violation of people's privacy. I keep my house clean majority of the time and have nothing to hide but I would still be uncomfortable with someone coming into my home and judging me. It would just put stress on me and make me feel like I'm uncomfortable in my own home. Also, taking an inventory of all of someone's possessions isn't right either, that's not your business what someone has, what if they were to receive a gift or win a new TV? 

By the fourth paragraph it gets a little bit better and then a little bit worse, I definitely agree that if someone is able to work but just out of a job that they should be looking for work and having someone to push them to find work, and I even agree that if they don't have a job they can work "government" jobs such as cleaning up trash on highways, painting or repairing public housing. Those are all things that would need to be done anyway and it would not only give these people purpose to get up every day and accomplish something but it would also benefit the community as well. Directly after this wonderful idea though, it says that they will sell your expensive possessions because you don't have a job therefore you don't need it. If someone wanted the extra money they would sell those things themselves and the government has no right to take those things away anyway. What if it was something you got for yourself before you went on Welfare, when you had a job? What if it was also a gift, or won? Just because someone is poor does not mean that they deserve to have everything nice they ever earned taken away from them so that they have nothing, that's depressing. 

In the last bit of the post, the conclusion, it says that all of this shouldn't be considered violating someone's rights because it's all voluntary, and the reason why these people are on welfare is because they made "bad choices" but that's not true at all. A lot of the time, bad things happen to good people, people lose their jobs every day because there are less jobs and more cut backs. Let me share something with you, growing up, my mom and I were on welfare. It's not because she was lazy, or because she wanted to just live off of the government, it's because she couldn't. I often heard her talk about how she missed working. I am not 100% sure why she originally had to go on welfare but I know her poor health played a big part in it and it takes a long time to apply for disability and get accepted and etc. I can bet you that the author that wrote this opinion has never had to be on welfare or have serious issues making ends meet. I know this because of the desire to take the "nice" things that these poor people have and sell them or get rid of them or keep track of them. Here's a truth for you instead; most people on welfare do NOT have nice things. I remember when I was growing up I never had anything that was "cool" or "in", I took what was given to me and I was grateful for it. Not having anything made me learn to appreciate the small things in life, but that doesn't mean that we should take away everything nice that these people own. Some people need to have something nice to make them happy, if you take that away you're taking away hope. I understand the concept of "if you want something nice then work for it", I've worked for everything I have now, like my laptop, my cell phone, my first camera, my first iPod and other major purchases. I wanted them so I got a job and worked for them and it felt so much better than having them given to me because that object was proof of my success and achievements, and this person wants to take away those items that represent past accomplishments? No, let them keep them as a reminder that they worked hard for something once, and they can do it again, it's aspirational. 

Lastly, the final paragraph saying that all rights to vote are thrown out the window when you go on welfare is BEYOND wrong. Many people in history have had to fight for the right to vote and you're wanting to take that right away in exchange for some money? You want to know what that sounds like to me? It sounds like that if the government were to take all of these ideas and put them into action, they'd be scared that people would quickly realize it's not a fair trade and want things to change, but the only people who would realize this is the people who are being treated unfairly because they are on welfare. Those people would not be able to vote therefore not being able to try to make a change for the better and are under the government's complete control and become prisoners to them. (Just for the record, I have a job and support myself but I would still vote against getting rid of rights for people who are on welfare). I can clearly see that the opinion above was written by someone ignorant who has never had struggle in their life, and has never had things thrown at them that were out of their control. It seriously bothers me that people are becoming so selfish and stereotypical that they can become so insensitive to others and want them to suffer even more than they already are. Basically what this opinion says is that if someone has already lost their job, their money, their pride along with other things they should also have their rights, their possessions and any chance of happiness taken away from them as well so they're left with nothing. Come on now people, THINK ABOUT IT. 

My Thoughts on PETA vs. Pokemon

This is my take on PETA vs. Pokemon after playing the game that PETA released. PETA should have probably actually watched the whole Pokemon series before creating their "game" protesting it. I'll admit that there were some parts in there that got my attention such as all of the meme references they had in there (which I found funny and I know they use to get our attention by having us relate to it in a way that makes us feel positive) but aside from that I found the game to be rather disgusting and morbid, (and they're complaining that Pokemon isn't meant for children, ha). The characters that they have in the game are nothing like the characters from the show and show more reference to real live people who are cruel to animals (such as the research tester using moves like perfume blast or whatever, and the guy who wants to skin and eat the Pokemon). Also, I think that the way they are making their point is pretty ridiculous, they're trying to stop people from playing the games but they create a more morbid, sad version of the game where the characters actually DO abuse the pokemon. The best way I can describe it is hypocrisy. 

 Pokemon is not just about battling, within the show you learn life lessons like not only is Pikachu Ash's pokemon but also his best friend and Ash would do ANYTHING for Pikachu. It teaches you to be kind to your "pets" and show them respect as well as many other life lessons. I think that PETA is blowing this way out of proportion and should probably stay out of our media and stick to protesting REAL animal abuse rather than a Japanese animated show dating back to when I was young. I haven't watched more recent episodes but the ones that I used to watch every day when I was a kid taught me to be kind, compassionate, determined, caring, understanding, and adventurous/ It taught me to reach for the stars, go after my dreams, never take advantage of the time spent with your loved ones, travel the world if you have the opportunity, meet new friends, always find an opportunity to learn something new, do what you love to do, always tell your friends how much you care, help out a stranger whenever you can, always be the better person and always be yourself. If that's not enough values to keep a show running then what's the point in even watching TV any more? Yes, in the show Pokemon "battle" but it's about the equivalent of two humans wrestling or boxing or something. The two Pokemon are willing, they express that they want to battle (if they don't they run or they refuse) and after the battle they are once again just two Pokemon who congratulate each other on their hard work. In the first Pokemon movie, Mewtwo is forcing the clones to fight the originals and Ash and Pikachu stop the fighting and speak out against the violence. Pokemon recognises that there is a difference. 

Therefore, I think that PETA should probably stop this ridiculous petition to stop Pokemon and start concentrating on real life issues that are happening to real animals who are suffering right now. They should concentrate on finding a way to put real life animal abusers in jail rather than getting a slap on the wrist. It really bothers me that things like this happen way too often where people concentrate on the small petty things in the media (just to be picky and have something to complain about) and focus all their energy on getting rid of it because it's easier to stop than the things happening here in the real world. So PETA, stop being one of those picky people who are too lazy to do ACTUAL good and pick on the media and get out there and solve real problems. 

If you want to see the game for yourself click the link below, but be warned it's really sick and twisted. 

http://features.peta.org/pokemon-black-and-white-parody/

Looks pretty gross right? If these want to stop animal abuse maybe they shouldn't make a game portraying animal abuse, am I right? 

Internet Censorship

Recently I had to write a research paper on a topic of my choice, so I chose internet censorship. Here's my paper for all those interested and a big thank you to those who allowed me to interview them! :) 

Internet Censorship; Should the Government Be Allowed to Do It?

The government should positively not be allowed to censor the internet because censorship over the internet has negative effects on schools, businesses and takes away our freedom of speech. Some countries have already began using internet censorship and recently a bill to censor the internet called SOPA was being discussed which many people opposed because of the above reasons.

First of all, what is internet censorship? Internet censorship is the control or suppression of the publishing of, or access to information on the Internet. It may be carried out by governments or by private organizations either at the order of government or on their own initiative. Recently a bill intending to censor the internet was brought to attention, this bill is called SOPA. SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is a United States bill introduced by U.S. Representative Lamar S. Smith to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. Provisions include the requesting of court orders to bar advertising networks and payment facilities from conducting business with infringing websites, and search engines from linking to the sites, and court orders requiring Internet service providers to block access to the sites. The law would expand existing criminal laws to include unauthorized streaming of copyright material, imposing a maximum penalty of five years in prison. SOPA has not yet been passed in the United States but has been shelved for the second time as many people opposed it.

Although SOPA has not been passed yet, there are other countries who do censor the internet.  An example of one of these countries is China. Internet censorship in China is among the strictest in the world. The government blocks web sites that discuss the Dalai Lama, the 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square protesters, Falun Gong, the banned spiritual movement, and other Internet sites. As people began protesting to stop the censoring of the internet, the Chinese government tightened its grip on electronic communications, and appeared to be more determined than ever to police cell phone calls, electronic messages, e-mail and access to the Internet in order to smother any hint of antigovernment sentiment. The government’s computers intercept incoming data and compare it against an ever-changing list of banned keywords or Web sites, screening out even more information. The motive is often obvious: Since late 2010, the censors have prevented Google searches of the English word “freedom.”

As we can see from China's example of internet censorship, the right to freedom of speech is taken away from people with the act of censoring the internet. If SOPA were to pass then our freedom of speech and expression would also be taken away, even if we do not live in the United States as a lot of the websites we (in Canada) use are American websites. The following is an excerpt from an article on The Globe and Mail's website. "'If I was in China, I wouldn't be mildly annoyed, I'd be pretty angry (about censorship). But, as we saw with SARS, what is happening on the other side of the world can have a large and direct impact on us — and censorship was certainly a big factor in that crisis,' says Julie Payne, Program Manager of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. 'Perhaps it's time that we started to care more about censorship by countries like China, even if it is motivated by self-interest.' Payne worries that Canadians largely believe themselves to be unaffected by censorship, to the point that they may not even know about potential threats to their rights. 'How much access are CSIS and the RCMP getting to Canadians' e-mails and Internet usage patterns?' Payne asks. 'Do we even know how much our privacy is being compromised, as is happening in the U.S.?'" As shown in the article Canadian citizens will be affected by SOPA just as much as American citizens will be which means the U.S. is able to take away our freedom of speech and expression on the internet.

Not only does censoring the internet take away freedom of speech and expression but it also causes negative effects on both school and businesses. In some schools filters get put into effect with the best of intentions, they are not a cure-all to hiding inappropriate content. For instance, in schools with a filter designed to keep out inappropriate content may not be able to access content about the book "Moby Dick," Further, if a person is trying to find information on a more controversial topic -- such as sexuality or drug use -- to educate themselves, they may not be able to access the resources they need to be as self-educated as possible. Censoring the internet negatively affects students' grades as well, as most students use search engines such as Google to research topics for school projects. If the information they are looking for is not there, they are unable to put together their project and receive a bad grade.

Another factor that affects not only schools, but businesses as well is cost. Censoring the internet takes time and resources. In addition to the cost of the labor and equipment required to set up a filter, firewall or other form of censorship, the system needs to be maintained, occasionally upgraded and repaired as time goes on. Whether the cost of this comes from schools, corporate budgets or government budgets -- the money could be more effectively spent on more important issues, no matter what the scale. Not only does the cost of implementing this system is an issue but also money that businesses could potentially lose from internet censorship. Many businesses use the internet to advertise their business or services, sell their products, and keep customers updated on new services or products. Without the internet continuing to remain uncensored the businesses could suffer because they are not bringing in enough customers, not having the ability to sell things online or customers lose interest. This could cause businesses (especially ones who are strictly internet businesses) to completely be shut down. Also, if a business owner can't access certain parts of the Internet, they may not be able to compete fully on a global scale, or access the best resources for products and services required.

Recently, we asked 10 different people (5 males and 5 females) on their thoughts about internet censorship. 100% of these people said that internet censorship would be a negative thing, 60% said that it would have a negative effect on schools and 70% said that it would have a negative effect on businesses. When asked about the negative effects internet censorship would have on us, they answered with the following:

-          affect personal learning experiences negatively

-          disconnects people from one another

-          takes away freedom of speech

-          harder to do research for school

-          causes businesses to fail

-          reduces our knowledge

-          harder to access information about other countries

-          silences the right to protest

-          takes away a source of media

-          stifles creativity and innovation

-          puts a burden on website owners to police user-contributed material.

When asked about the positive effects internet censorship could have on us they answered the following:

-          corporations (that don't depend on the internet) will get more money

-          stems the flow of cyber-crime and pirating

-          producers/artists get the money they deserve

-          parents wouldn't have to constantly watch their kids on the internet

-          less hackers/ viruses/ fraud cases

-          potentially better government control over protests and other unlawful assemblies

-          there are none

When asked about how they felt about their right to freedom of speech being taken away, they responded with the following answers:

-          angry (3 people said this)

-          upset

-          frustrated

-          aggravated

-          repressed

-          that the government is trying to stop a social voice

-          that it will cause us to be sent back as a civilization

-          That the internet should be in line with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as the U.S. First Amendment Rights.

Therefore, the government should not be allowed to censor the internet because of the negative effects it will have such as taking away our freedom of speech and expression, reducing our knowledge, affecting our schools and students' abilities to succeed in school, affecting our businesses and causing businesses to lose money/ be shut down, stifling our creativity and innovation, and silencing our right to protest. 

The Smartest Thing I've Ever Written.

While looking for something someone gave me from 4 years ago in my room today I found something. I was looking on one of the top shelves in my room that I don't normally put anything and I happened to come across a piece of paper folded in half. I knew that I had wrote it because it was in my handwriting and also written in purple pen. After reading it I came to a conclusion that it may be the smartest thing I've ever written in my life. I don't remember when or why I wrote it but I do have a vague memory of writing it down. Here's what it says. 


"You know what I've learned though? Just when you think you know it all, reality comes and slaps you in the face. I mean, you think you know life so well and you know exactly what to do and how it's going to go but the truth is you can never plan your life nor can you control it. In some aspects, yes, but most things happen unexpectedly whether it's the result of an action, something you said or just by pure coincidence. You can't count on anything being absolutely permanent and you can trust no one. Like, I've lived quite a life, not really a the greatest life but I thought I had everything figured out but when I think about it, I really didn't" 


It's kind of jumbled thoughts but the main concept, that concept being that nothing is definite and that life is out of your control most of the time is probably one of the smartest things I've ever realized. I had forgotten this concept until I reread that folded up piece of paper, and after reading it, it brought a feeling, it's kind of hard to describe. This feeling was almost like relief, but more like realization all over again that sometimes life throws problems at you but it's out of your control so you just have to learn to roll with the punches (or whatever the phrase is) and that when something ends, you shouldn't be disappointed because nothing is ever definite. You take what you learned from the experience and move on with your life and create new adventures and a new life for yourself. The feeling I felt was almost like a sense of comfort that I know this because at least if I know this, I can expect the unexpected and take whatever life throws at me because I know it happens to everyone.