I first became aware of indifference/injustice caused by those who have unto to those who have not at six years of age when I witnessed (in the emergency room) health care professionals refusing to admit a very ill lady in need of immediate medical attention all because she didn’t have health care insurance. She passed away that very night… and oh if I had have the money then I would have given it to her myself. Material things are all nice but mean nothing in the long run compared to health… there shouldn’t be a class difference in that!

I will defend myself only to a certain point. IF it means having to stoop to the same level then forget it. No argument is worth sacraficing the well being of others — myself included. I am not afraid to admit being human means I will occasionally error and may unintentionally conjure up such deprecating notions/images but if that were the case I would compassionate enough to acknowledge the consequences of such behavior.

First of all, welcome to WOW! I’m sorry your recent encounter with this website has been one involving such arrogance but hopefully that won’t deter you from sharing your insights in the future.

I agree wholeheartedly with you! In fact, I would go as far as arguing that NOT only do most of these personal attack posts stem from homophia but they also reinforce notions of mysgonism which sadly STILL exists in every realm of the world. It’s no wonder why as women we learn to de-value our image from early on.

Although, I was initially surprised about this disappointing behaviour I had to take a step back and realize there are so many individuals who are really unhappy and miserable who feel it is their job to partake in passing along whatever unhappiness/frustration they are experiencing to others.

I mean who seriously has the time to think about hate mail let alone write it? Why can’t we harness this negative energy and rechannel it toward the betterment of our community called Earth <3

 IF YOU JUDGE SOMEONE IMMEDIATELY YOU HAVE NO TIME TO UNDERSTAND OR LOVE THEM. 

"masculine demanor"??? Whoa I can’t believe what I am reading from the Women of WOW! I guess those folks who feel so strongly about the way Maddow looks all must be much happier if everyone looked JUST like them - act and talked just like them. I may not always agree with what she has to say but do we have to resort to such personal attacks?

It’s Women’s Month.. so why are we partaking in the game of pitting women against women? 

PS> EA, please suggest (or beg) Jane to put her “Earth Day Care-toons” on organic cotton t-shirts. They’d be so stylish and encourage us to become even more socially aware and environmentally friendly. I know for sure they’d be quite popular with the college crowd.

Oh please oh please do share! I’m really thinking if WOW doesn’t take us up on the offer I’ll create a little place were we can all trade info. back and fourth. I’m always up for learning :) And gotta love your name, Vivvy :)

Oh my dear EA - if I could give you another gold star I would! You’re a real delight <3

Well to be honest I don’t think VANITY FAIR or any alike magazines should be for anyone’s eyes, children or adults for that matter! Taken from http://www.empoweredparents.com/1prevention/prevention_09.htm: “Statistics have shown that 50% of ads in teen girl magazines and 56% of TV commercials aimed at female viewers used beauty as a product appeal. In a recent survey by Teen People magazine, 27% of girls affirmed that the media pressures them to have a perfect body. 68% of girls in a study of Stanford undergraduates and graduate students felt worse about their own appearance after looking through women’s magazines. The number one wish for girls 11 to 17 is to be thinner. Girls as young as age 5 have expressed fears of getting fat. In a survey of elementary school students, girls commented that they would prefer to live through a nuclear holocaust, lose both of their parents or get sick with cancer rather than be fat. 80% of 10 year olds have been on diets. Of these, less than twenty percent are actually overweight. A 1984 study (Rodin, Silberstein and Striegl-Moore found that children view good-looking peers as smarter and friendlier than unattractive peers…and assume them to be happier and more successful.” We must learn to search for truth not just accept what we are sold/told to believe. My two cents anyway.

And that is exactly why I have trouble supporting the private sector! Many teachers here are coming out of retirement to substitute teach in public schools. The kids just love it because many of the retirees are familiar faces and have been a part of their early childhood. A local school board here - the largest in the area - is even considering adding to the benefits to attract such important figures who have been a constant figure in the community for decades.

The way I see it - isn’t the gun itself that is the cause. It is only when the trigger is pulled does it put lives in danger. Law or no law - it all depends who is on the other side of that trigger. There is no need for guns. If no one possesses one then we wouldn’t even consider needing one.

I’ve maintained friendships with fellow co-workers - some I’ve known for over a decade now - and to this day I still couldn’t tell you what age some of them are because the subject never came up. We’re just too busy talking about the million-and-one interests we share! Some of us are slightly grayer than others or may have slightly more laugh lines but that never stopped us hehe

Hmmm interesting… I was just at a wedding this past weekend and I heard people repeatedly remark “Just get married and forget the wedding. It’s too costly, time consuming and it only lasts one day.” However, this really confuses me… why do we only center ourself with the extremes? It is like some sort of ultimatum; either you end up having a really expensive and extravagent wedding or you shouldn’t have one at all. What about drawing a line right down in the middle and still have a lovely (slightly smaller) wedding and still be able to celebrate your special moment with family and friends? You can still have a memorable wedding without going into debt or going overboard. It seems we fail to realize this. We somehow have it deeply ingrained in our minds that we need to impress and if we can’t then we shouldn’t bother at all.

I think I would rather be humble, loving, sincere and compassionate — because…. Beauty fades Being rich isn’t all it is cut out to be (and you can easily become poor) Being smart - we are smart in our own way. It is too subjective.

Well said ki b. I would have to agree! Your reasoning sounds very similar to mine. I also make a conscious effort to eat foods that haven’t been greatly modified or processed. I know it is virtually impossible these days but with a little effort you’d be surprised at the hidden gems you find. I’m also very concerned about what artificial sweeteners are doing to our bodies - they are in gum, soda pop, yogurts, ice cream, etc. Fresh veggies are so very important in our diet and we really need to start taking better care of farmable land because in many places you cannot have home gardens year round.

PS> Edith I think you have your very own account (http://www.wowowow.com/user/4196) maybe if you ask Aunt Jane to ask techie Tom how to log into your very own account; the pic you have set on your profile page will show up every time you comment using your account.