Alas My Friends, It's Time to Fly - Final Blog

I'm probably one of the oldest in the group, and being female it wouldn't do to disclose my age (oh alright, I'm 47). I was taking Creative Writing and Psychology, but if everything pans out, I'll be changing to Philosophy with Creative Writing from September. 'Being Bad' is a really good companion module for CPW, giving insight into the more risque side of life and different perspectives on behaviour.



Each element of the module demands its own level of thought. On the whole though, I think it is an appropriate level as an introduction to transgressive behaviour. It would have been good to have a session on binge drinking though (very relevant at the moment).



The sessions were well constructed, informative and thought provoking. The module team were great - and showed a great deal of patience with those who thought the sessions were a 'chat room'. The balance between discussions, debate and talk from lecturers was spot on.



Being an interdisciplinary module it draws on a range of perspectives on any given subject. It opens the topics up in a far broader sense, so this type of approach to teaching is good. I've certainly gained a lot from this module, and it would be good to see other modules of this type in future. I am planning on taking PH2004 at level two. I'd recommend 'Being Bad', a few people I've spoken to in Psychology wish they could have taken this module.



I'd never done blogs before this module, but once I got used to them - they could have become addictive! It's an excellent way of seeing what other people think about the subjects covered. With all the best will in the world, there would never be enough time in the lectures to cover everyone's opinions, so this gives people a forum to voice their ideas (especially if they're shy about speaking out, like me).


I would have preferred it if the assignments could have had more words allowed (say 1000?), especially in the ones where you had 300 for the creative piece and 300 for the rationale.


I think the most important lesson I've learned from this module is that Philosophy is a more relevant subject to Creative Writing than Psychology is. 'Being Bad' has taught me that there are even more greyer areas in life than you first think. The only time I thought was wasted was when the rudeness of some students held up lectures, and them having to be reminded so many times that they weren't in the school playground.

The Wrath of Grapes........Reply to 'Being Bad 2'

I've just read your blog on getting bladdered at the weekend. As a 'reformed alcoholic', I have mixed feelings about what you're saying. See, I know that if I even had a sip of booze, I'd be off again - and as for drinking socially, I'm afraid that's definately a thing of the past in my world.

My drinking started socially, but then gradually and insidiously became a real problem. As your tolerance levels rise, obviously you need more booze to have the desired effect. I ended up being slaughtered 24/7 (it's one way to avoid a hangover although not really recommended!)

What I can't get my head around is hearing people bragging to each other about puking, forgetting things, getting into fights and so on. I think to myself that if they're not careful they're going to end up in the same boat I did.

Just for the record, I was drinking for about 20 years - but I'm 'dry' now and have been for three years two months and four days!

The link below describes what can happen to your mind when excess alcohol causes vitamin B deficiency. I've had quite a bit to do with alcohol counselling services in my area, and I'm told that if this condition isn't treated quickly enough sufferers end up virtually cabbaged for life.

Korsakoff's Syndrome

http://paulsbeingbad.blogspot.com/

Response to P.H. (Being Bad 2)

My response to the 'Gluttony' blog may have veered off at a tangent slightly, and I did write the acohol one first - just posted them in a different order! Anyway, this is how it goes:-


Sorry to pick on you again, but when anyone mentions overeating and obesity, it grabs my attention.


Back in the 'dark ages' when I was a kid, there was no instant fixes like MuckyDee's, media hype about body image and 'super models' ran to the extent of Twiggy, eating disorders had yet to be invente, labelled and become fashionable and life was, oh, so much simpler.


This is just my personal opinion, but I think the media influences greatly, if not manipulates, what goes on in society now, it's unfunny. One simplified version of things would be that young girls aspire to look like a celebrity, thinking that they will be like them in other ways as well as visually - confident and successful. All it brings is obsession and misery, dangerous dieting or 'bingeing and purging'.


Then there's comfort eating. You can't really generalise why people do it, everyone has their own 'story' to tell, but when you get down to the bottom of it, lack of self-esteem and confidence can play a big part; tag that with something that goes wrong in life and bingo - life revolves around the next food fix. It's like having a relationship in which emotions are stirred up by the simple act of putting food in your mouth. There are feelings of relief, self-laothing, guilt, and the cycle continues.


More importantly, I take people for what they are; people with eating disorders judge themselves more critically tha anyone else, so don't need outsiders fuelling their feelings of despair.


Like I said, this is just my opinion/theory, gained from experience and as well as research. It may seem a bit sketchy, but I can't really run a blog five yards long!


Just to end, last year when I was researching this subject, I found there were websites that actually teach you how to be anorexic or bulimic! How irresponsible is that?
Eating Disorders - Types of eating disorders and their characteristics, Causes of eating disorders
http://paulsbeingbad.blogspot.com/

Response to 'The Weird & Wonderful World We Live In"

When I was a kid, I think there were two fat kids in the whole school (and they were twins). With the state of things today, when I saw the blog from Deborah Hadden I had to comment on it. This is what I said:-

"I applaud you for having such an attitude towards how you feed your daughter - I only wish a few more parents could do the same. I was watching 'Tonight With..' last week when they were talking about McDonalds' influence on kids diets - yeah right! I'm telling you, kids today seem to control their parents, and parents take the easy option for the quiet life (it seems) by filling them with junk. I'm not saying everyone is the same, but one example was a nine year old girl who weighed eleven stone and went to McDs four times a week.

What people tend to forget is that 'wholefoods' take more energy to prepare and digest, unlike processed stuff which has, in effect, had most of the work done for you and just deposits itself in layers of fat."

Following on from that, there's the question of excercise. As a kid, my friends and I were always active - but didn't see it as a way of keeping the weight off or excercise, it was just playing - and having fun. I think the emphasis has shifted from physical activity being a fun thing to, playing games, to it being a more clinical thing that you should do, but half the time can't be bothered with. I used to be a County gymnast, and could eat virtually anything without gaining weight - because I was always active and practicing moves in the garden at home. My mom used to say that if she wanted to find me in a crowd, all she had to do was look for a pair of feet in the air!

I appreciate that times have changed, and that parents are worried about allowing their kids out to play because of all the 'nasties' out there in the world. Surely though, if parents thought anything of their children's future health, wouldn't they at least try to invest time and effort to ensure the best they can for them with diet and excercise?

Obesity Goes Global - TIME

http://weirdwonderfulworldwelivein.blogspot.com/2008/04/childhood-obesity.html

Response to 'Inside My Mind'

The comment I posted said:- "I totally agree with what you're saying about bad manners. One of the things that rattles my cage at the moment is queueing. School kids and old people think they have some God given right to force their way in front - especially when it comes to buses. And, they're so arrogant about it, as it it's you that's in the wrong if you try to hold your ground."


Following on from that though, I was always taught to respect my elders so I don't normally 'fend off' the elderly when they try queue jumping. But I do try to block the way to stop younger bods from getting past. I make it so that they have to physically push me out of the way, and it usually does the trick. (If you should hear of anyone getting pushed under a bus - it'll probably be me!)


Another thing that annoys me is the way that some people will stand so close behind you in a queue that it feels like they're trying to get inside your clothes. What the hell is that all about? Are they just afraid that someone is going to 'queue jump' them?


I've always been too altruistic (or easy to walk all over?), but I'm afraid that I'm starting to get to the point where I'll be as bad as any of the queue jumpers in the world - especially when it makes a difference to whether I actually get on the bus or not and I know I was there waiting before anyone else!


The link below show a fairly brief study of queue jumpers - but it seems that it is becoming more of an occurance as time goes on. http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=175453
http://sm4eva-insidemymind.blogspot.com/index.html#7156887600873240300

The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But Bull!

I was a useless liar when I was a kid, and even now I'd rather say nothing than tell a lie. Having said that though, if the need arises, I will. By saying 'the need' makes it sound like it's something I have no control over; and that untruths just pop out as and when. The truth is (if you believe me now?) I try to be honest without hurting people's feelings. The example that kept cropping up in the lecture was the 'does my bum look big in this?' question - in a case like that, I would rather be honest with the person and tell them - tactfully, because I hate the thought of them wearing something that makes them look ridiculous. I'd like to think that if I asked for someone's opinion on a clothing item, that they would do me the same courtesy.

The way I usually do it though is to 'rearrange the truth'. Take for example I want to get out of doing something and need an excuse other than just saying I don't want to do it - then I'll take something that happened within the last few days and conveniently shuffle it to the day in question, it sounds feasable, and if I'm asked about it later, I don't have to manufacture details to fill in about it. If I had to take a polygraph, I'd be stuffed. Or would I...........?

Polygraph tests are not as reliable as people like to think - and it makes me wonder how many relationships Jeremy Kyle or Trisha have destroyed by labelling someone as a cheat when they're not. Obsessive or compulsive liars can actually start to believe in their own lies and think of them as true (I should know - I was married to one for nine years!) He wasn't unfaithful, he just told 'tall stories' to make himself look better than he was, like giving himself an ego trip. Would they pass a polygraph test, they wouldn't be nervous like most people.

Anyway, I thought the lecture on Thursday was really interesting - but I'm surprised that nobody mentioned one of the biggest lies of all time. The one where parents tell their kids that a fat man with a white beard and wearing a red suit plops down the chimney every year and leaves them loads of nice things. Is that classed as lying with integrity?

BBC - h2g2 - Detecting Lies

Autoeroticism - Come and go at the same time?

I know it's taking a step back in time to the masturbation session weeks ago, but here we go. Again, I'm ploughing my way through a crime novel and struck on a bit in it about a guy who decked himself out in women's underwear, a condom and a hangman's noose. He slipped off the stool he was on whilst masturbating and hung himself - oxygen starvation to the extreme I'd say!

I was looking on the internet for something about this strange activity and found a whole host of other sexually deviant things that people get up to (check out the link). Some of the things listed definitely come under 'being bad', although they call them 'paraphilias'. Ranging from slightly risque to downright disgusting - not to mention illegal in some cases - it makes you wonder about what goes on in peoples' minds (or maybe not!)

There's probably a lot more of these activities lurking behind closed doors that are so secretively practiced that no-one's heard of them yet - who knows. I know I have a morbid curiosity, but I don't think I'll be working my way down the list any time soon!

I suppose it's the same with this as with a lot of things; choices - as long as you're not hurting someone else (unless they want you to!), or 'performing' in public, then where's the real harm in it? Some of the things are a bit stomach churning or warrant a bit of face pulling, but hey, whatever floats your boat; and who am I to judge?

Category:Paraphilias - Eurêka

Bad Religion

After battling, yet again, to hear over the talking in the lecture on Thursday, we finally got to learn something of religion - both bad and good.


I'm not a religious person by any stretch of the imagination, but I do think that people have the right to believe in what they choose to believe in. Where I draw the line is when they start encroaching on others in an effort to 'convert' them. It smacks to me of pyramid selling - the more recruits you can get, the nearer to God you become.

I believe that (as with most things in life) people have choices about what they believe in as far as a God is concerned. If those choices are taken away from them, as was purported with cults like the moonies or the Waco movement, then it becomes bad. Mass suicides or massacres, in my mind, are not part of any great plan for enlightenment or the greater good. As for so-called kidnapping and brainwashing of new recruits to these cults - is that the media's knee jerk reaction for sensationalism? I was in my early teens when the moonies were big news in the media, and looking back it seems that the whole purpose of coverage was to inject fear into the public about these supposedly bad people. I don't know what goes on behind the closed doors of these organisations, but I would like to think that members are free to leave at any time they choose - I could be wrong of course.

Jehovah's Witnesses were talked about quite a bit during the lecture. One thing I have mixed feelings on is their refusal to have blood transfusions or transplants - they do have a point, they're safe from receiving contaminated blood, which isn't such a bad thing in these days of HIV etc. Although I don't agree with a lot of their operating methods, on a lighter note, there is one thing I definately agree with them on - and that is not celebrating Christmas. That is one part of religion that has gone sort of bad because it's way over the top with commercialism and lost almost all its meaning in the younger generations. No, I don't celebrate Christmas; I am an oasis of calm while the world goes mad around me!

Religious cults in twentieth century America

Why isn't it Legal?

I've tried a few tokes in my time, but I have to admit that the 'old weed' doesn't really float my boat. I think it smells revolting, and what it does to your throat is nobody's business!!

You hear advocates of the habit saying that it should be made legal - but when you stop and actually think of the implications it evokes, you can understand why it's still illegal. Yeah, the government could make a fortune in tax from consumers, but that contradicts their wanting to stamp out smoking for a start.

Other things would have to be thrashed out, like the legal age you can smoke it - would it be sixteen like with tobacco, or would it have to be eighteen on a par with alcohol. Who would supply it - tobacconists or pharmacists? I can't see it being on the shelves in Asda!

What about growers and distributers? Licensed suppliers wouldn't stand a chance because people would still buy their weed from black market sources because it would be cheaper. That creates an illegal aspect to legalised cannabis; because, no doubt, unlicensed growers would be prosecuted. It would be a logistical nightmare to furnish those who 'qualify' to use it while still protecting those that don't.

What makes me laugh is that you can legally buy everything you need to grow the stuff, but as soon as you put one seed into soil you have to keep looking over your shoulder. What's that all about? It's all a bit contradictory in my mind - after all, alcohol does far more damage to mental and physical health than cannabis. And, cannabis is a herb after all.

Recreation Drugs Cannabis - Excite UK

Spiritualism - Good or Bad?

Certain members of my family are great believers in the 'spirit world' and spiritualism in general - I'm not so sure though. I'll tell you why. They believe that when we 'pass over', our spirit supposedly goes to another plain with the promise of re-birth at some point in the future. All well and good so far?

How, then, can so many people who have been under regressive hypnotism claim to have been Cleopatra or Napoleon - and expect us to believe in it? If one spirit inhabits one body - how did these famous historical bods, and others like them, end up with hundreds? I'm sorry, but I don't buy it. Much the same when it comes to contacting the 'spirit world'; if a spirit is meant to be re-born over and over, how can these mediums expect us to believe our 'loved ones' are still on that astral plain and not tramping around somewhere in the world as a cat or something? Sorry, that was a bit flippant, but you understand what I'm getting at?

If people want to believe in this stuff, then that's their decision, but it does raise the question of whether it's all just a money making scam on the part of those who claim to hear voices and have spirit guides. My psychology tutor from college would say that these people would probably be diagnosed as schizophrenic for hearing voices, having visual hallucinations and delusions. That's his opinion, though I do lean towards agreeing with him to a certain extent.

I'm just a tad sceptical, 'cos my crystal ball told me to be! Just kidding. I just think that people should be a bit wary about jumping on the psychic bandwagon, that's all.

MEDIUMS - psychic medium and Spiritualism

Taking Your Own Life

I wondered at the beginning of this module, why suicide wasn't included as one of the topics. Like I've admitted before though, I do have a morbid curiosity -but I wasn't waiting for something tragic like this to happen before bringing the subject up in my blogs.

Suicide must be the ulitimate personal statement. I also have to admit that sometimes in my rather murky alcoholic past, it has been something that played on my mind quite a bit - as a way out of a situation I felt I had no control over. Alcoholism is a process of slow suicide in its own right, if you take it to the bitter end.

I digress though. The question in my mind isn't so much the 'why?' - but the 'how?' Not the mechanics of doing it, obviously, but how someone can feel so utterly at the point of no return, where they can actually go through with it. There are those that would say it's the coward's way out, but in my opinion, it's one of the most courageous things anyone can do. The act goes against a lot of peoples' beliefs and opens a whole debate on the rights and wrongs of it.

One train of thought is that life was given to us by God, and only he can take it away again. I'm not a religious person, and feel that our life is our own and it's up to each individual to make the decisions in their life that they feel are the right ones for them; whether that be from the most basic and trivial, right through to what is probably the most difficult - whether to take your own life or not - it does have a certain finality about it; once you've done it, you can't change your mind.

There's also the big question of what happens if it goes wrong? With some methods - such as hanging, a person could end up permanently brain damaged, and then they could have to live the rest of their lives powerless to do anything because they're trapped in a mind they have little or no control over - which to me would be worse than dying. Would that be seen by some as God's punishment for trying to take something that wasn't theirs to take in the first place? I'm sorry, but I can't see it that way.

Mark Speight - Telegraph

Cross-dressing

I was mooching through the blogs the other day, and read one that alluded to the act of masterbation being more acceptable for women than it is for men. It got me to thinking about the whole cross-dressing thing (why, I don't know - it must be just the way my mind works!) The connection I think is that it is still taboo for a bloke to go out in women's clothing in public, whereas women are not looked down on for wearing men's. I can't remember the last time I showed my legs in public (by the way, what is a skirt?). I'm quite often seen wearing blokes tops and jeans, and boys boots or trainers. No one bats an eyelid; but if one of you guys turned up wearing full blown 'tranny' gear, I bet it would raise more than just a few eyebrows, lol; not to mention causing a bit of a stir all round campus.

It seems that men only really get away with cross-dressing when they take it on the stage and call it a drag act. Do other blokes feel their masculinity is being threatened when guys dress in women's clothes? I maybe getting into dodgy territory now, but I've got to ask anyway. Is it a male superiority thing with 'straight' guys, that they think that dressing like a woman is demeaning to their own gender and see men that do it as lesser beings because of it?

I used to have a boyfriend that was always ogling other women. One night we were watching a documentary about the Rio carnival - where there are more cross-dressers than you can shake a stick at. He really went into 'drool mode' over one 'woman', until she spoke and he realised it wasn't a woman! Which brings me round to my final comment, some men really go to town on the image they create, and do look very feminine - it's enough to make a plain old gal like me spit rivets with envy!!

Cross-dressing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Is This 'Being Bad' on a global scale?

O.K. just a quick response to Chris, who put me in my place when he says that smoking causing cancer is the worse thing in the world. The rat on the left of the picture is nineteen days old and fed on normal soy. The one on the right is twenty days old and was fed on GM soy. This is the type of thing that a handful of people want to inflict on the unsuspecting population.

The point I was trying to get across in my previous blog was the fact that with something like this there may not be a choice, especially if we're kept ignorant of the effects of GM foods. With smoking, there is a choice of whether you do it or not - and if you don't, there are ways and means of avoiding others that do (especially now smoking indoors is a thing of the past).

50 Harmful Effects of Genetically Modified Foods

Modification or Mutilation?

'Tranfixed' is the only way I can describe myself in the lecture on body modification. It has to be said though that I do have a morbid curiosity. I've got six tatts myself, and would find it really easy to get carried away and keep going back for more.

I knew that tattooing had a long history, but didn't realise just how long. What fascinated me as much as 'how' these different procedures are done, was the 'why'. Whether it's religion, cultural identity, or just plain old vanity, everything tells a story in one form or another.


I'm a firm believer that consenting adults have the right to do whatever they want to their own bodies (as long as it causes no distress to others, i.e. the person that has to perform the deed). What I do take exception to is what can only be described as mutilation of young girls in the name of keeping them under control when they become women. Also the total annihilation of the male sex organs so that a man can guard a hareem without getting up to 'mischief'. Did they not appreciate the use of the tongue in those days? Or didn't that matter because it was only pregnancy they were trying to prevent?


Anyway, back to tattoos. I think a lot of people (young blokes in particular), when they get their first tattoo, have 'mum' so that it placates said parent and paves the way for future artwork to be added. Quite a few chaps I've asked in the past have said their first tattoo was 'mum' (including my partner). Whether you like tattoos or not, you have to admit that as an art form alone, there's some fantastic designs around - enough to make me tempted again!

Tattoos.Com Ezine

Is Smoking the Worst Thing in the World?

I'm one of a dying breed - one of those strange 'animals' that you find braving the weather for the sake of a fag. I'm not going to defend the habit, it is bad for you; no argument; says she, lighting one up! But is smoking really the worst thing you can do to yourself? While government is overtly trying to get people to stop, what's going on behind closed doors?


'Terminator Technology', the answer to all the world's food crisis, didn't earn it's name by accident. The threat of genetically modified crops and livestock is very real, even though the EU has put plans on hold for the time being. The US is playing Russian Roulette with genetics; how long will it be before this technology reaches our shores; even if it's just carried by nature? Cross pollenation with 'natural' crops produces infertile seeds (hence the name). And that's only the tip of the iceburg, so to speak. There's also what's being done to animals to increase milk and meat yield to consider as well.

This is being bad on a global scale. They say 'you are what you eat', that means that genetically modified food will create genetically modified people. It's covert pollution; but because it doesn't leave a smokey smell on your clothes, hair and breath; you can't see what's going on - and probably won't see the devastating effects for years to come. By then it's going to be too late, as it has been with so many 'great innovations' that are now destroying the planet and it's population.

Terminator Technology - Global Issues

Response to "Find the Edge"

I've just posted a comment on "Find the Edge's" blog about faking orgasms. The comment went like this: Your sis doesn't know what she's missing! I think that women who 'fake it' are probably doing it to make the guy feel like he's a real stud. All they're really doing is doing themselves out of an experience and a half - not to mention raising their frustration levels - and maybe they need to find a wobbly washing machine! It got me to thinking about why us females do it. Is it because we feel like we've failed 'our man' if we can't achieve one? Or is it to make the bloke feel like he's a good lover? Whatever the reason, who's losing out? Certainly not the guy, that's for sure!


Anyway, I was trawling, looking for bits on orgasms, and found the link to a video where a hypnotist evoked a gut-wrenching orgasm in a woman just by shaking her hand. That also got me to thinking about these hypnotist shows. Yeah, it's all done in the name of fun, but is it morally right to make people in such a vulnerable state do such things?


Personally, I'd be mortified if someone did that to me. But, having said that, would it be outrageous of me to suggest something like that for the module field trip? Only joking!


Wouldn't you think that they'd at least have spelt the word right??
Orgasimic Handshake on Yahoo! Video
http://wherestheedge.blogspot.com/

21st Century Bandits?

I'm reading a book at the moment that sort of ties in with the bandit/outlaw theme. It also raises quite a few questions about the morals and integrity of the U.S. Administration. By bringing this issue up, I am not condoning what's going on over in Iraq, or attitudes to the Muslim faith. I'm very much a 'live-and-let-live' type. My point is to question the route those in power are taking, and where it will end.


The story is set thirteen months after 9/11, and as the blurb on the back cover says;
"Welcome to the Custer Hill Club - a secret society whose members include some of America's most powerful men. On the surface, the club is a place to relax with old friends. But one weekend, the club gathers to talk about the tragedy of 9/11 - and finalises a deadly retaliation plan, known only by its code name: Wild Fire.


That same weekend, a member of the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force is found dead. Soon it's up to Detective John Corey and his wife, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, to unravel a fiendishly clever plot that starts with the Custer Hill Club and ends with a terryfing nuclear stand-off....."


Although this is a work of fiction - a lot of the agencies and departments are real. Without giving too much away, the club are planning to 'nuke' two U.S. cities, which in their minds, will give them licence to blow away almost all the Mideast and wipe out the entire Muslim population there.

The main 'villian' is also a billionnaire oil baron, whose purpose seems to be revenge and control. He also justifies this total obliteration of a population by saying that it is not mass murder at all - it's an act of war. (What's the difference?)

The two worrying things that come out of this are, megalomaniacs like this have enough money to throw at a situation and do so much damage; but also, they can afford to do a governments bidding in situations like this, when the government don't want to be seen to be doing it themselves.


One of the scary things in the book is the attitude of this 'villian' that the answer to global warming is to induce a nuclear winter!


I know this is 'only a story', but when you think about all the secrecy etc. that governments are entrenched in - doesn't it make you start to wonder just what is going on in the real world? Especially when there are so many conspiracy theories surrounding the actual 9/11 bombings.
Nelson DeMille - Official Website

It's Enough to Drive You MAD!!!!!

According to some 'experts', masturbation is supposed to cause depression and insanity. I would have thought that not releasing the pent up tension in that way is more likely to cause those conditions - along with frustration.

Forgive me for seeming to have a bee in my bonnet about it, it's just that I feel very strongly about the threat of incarceration of innocents supposedly suffering from some sort of mental illness. How likely it is, I don't know, but I read a government white paper last year at college proposing that anyone deemed having a threat to society could be held under the mental health act, and detained indefinately. This looks very much like a step back to the days in the late 1800s, and up to the 1950s when any and everyone who didn't conform to society's expectations and 'norms' could be shut away in an assylum.

Aren't there more pressing issues in this world that could do with being addressed before rounding up people off the street and herding them off to the nearest 'booby hatch'?

Masturbational INSANITY

Inherent Deterrent?

Ideas come flying in at the strangest moments - usually when I can't jot them down; and by the time I get the opportunity, I've forgotten. This is one of the few that didn't get away.

We all know the myths surrounding masturbation, they've been around for eons (see link for some of them). Throughout the generations, these 'threats' of various weird and wonderful things happening to your body should you succumb to the pleasures of your own flesh have been passed on. Even though these myths have their roots well and truly embedded in history, could one reason for using them be for getting out of a tricky situation for parents? The first time you see your offspring doing things to themselves, they're probably too young to even understand what it's all about. As a parent, you don't really want to explain, so you implant the taboo by saying that something dreadful will happen if they don't stop it. That way, it becomes a secret activity that the parents can't witness. Problem solved, no confrontation.

The myth about growing hairs on the palm of your hand is a strange one. I was always told as a kid that the first sign of madness was looking for hairy palms, and the second sign was finding them. That sort of ties in nicely with the idea that masturbation is a form of insanity, madness, lunacy, call it what you will. Before you start thinking that it was told to me in the context of me 'gusset surfing', then no, it wasn't!!

Question of the Week #71

BLOG-BUSTER!!

After looking at quite a few suggestions of where to go on our field trip, the general consensus seems to be a toss-up (no connection there to last Thursday's session!) between Amsterdam and a pub crawl. I may be wrong, but I doubt that the university would condone a hundred marauding students rampaging around Wolverhampton in various stages of drunkenness.

I don't judge people on their individual choice as to whether they drink or not, but it isn't for me. I have my own personal reasons for not wanting to be a part of a binge drinking session - whether it's done in the name of research or not.

I make no big secret of the fact that I had a serious drink problem, and having been 'dry' for three years (the 2nd March was my 'anniversary'), I certainly don't want to revisit that particular area of life. I've seen first hand the damage that alcohol can do; not only to health but also to relationships. I'm almost certain that if it wasn't for a very understanding and patient counsellor, I wouldn't be here today to tell the tale. That may sound over dramatic, but I seriously believe it's true.

Having worked fairly closely with the drug & alcohol services, it seems pretty safe to say that the trend is leading to drink problems of epidemic levels. The accessibility of booze is beyond belief, with an offie on almost every street. The smoking ban in pubs is driving people to stock up with cheap beer from the supermarket and drink at home. The 'drinking population' is getting younger, and that's worrying.

I'm not a prohibitionist, I don't think alcohol should be banned, and I certainly don't want to spoil peoples' enjoyment of a few drinks out with their mates etc. I think most people can do that as a social activity with no problems; but I also know that I can't. With me it's all or nothing, and I've opted for the nothing. I'll get down off my alcoholic soap box now and go find something else to prattle on about.

Binge Drinking - Binge Drinking Affects Brain, Memory

Crime or Passion (or both)?

BBC - Press Office - BBC THREE stalking survey

When does following someone you fancy become a crime?

As youngsters, tailing someone because you just want to see them but are afraid to talk to them seems like harmless flattery. So when does it become stalking? My own personal opinion is that if you feel threatened or intimidated by someone that always seems to be where you are, knows your routines, invades your life with phone calls, text messages, e-mails and so on, then you're being stalked. A brilliant book that examines the psychology of stalking is by Ian McKewan, called Enduring Love. It looks at the manipulation that takes place to make the victim feel as though it's their own fault and that they have caused the situation themselves.

The nearest I've been to being stalked is when splitting up from a three year relationship I was paranoid that 'he' was following me. He kept turning up at the door bringing presents; and whenever I went out, I was constantly looking over my shoulder. I can only imagine, from that experience, what it must be like to live through an experience of being stalked for real.

What's George Bush Got in Common with A Lobster?

Masturbation is Un-American: Operation Infinite Purity: Winning the War on Masturbation - WHITEHOUSE.ORG

Answer - the first word of the link of course!

What is that guy like? A bit in the dark ages, me thinks!

What has a lobster got to do with masturbation? I can't go into detail, I'd probably get banned from uni not just Blogger. I read a news item a while ago (which I can't find) that went into great detail about the biological make-up of a lobster and how 'beneficial' it is when used by the fairer sex in the search of mono-pleasure. Not to be tried at home, or anywhere else for that matter, because the female in question didn't survive to tell the tale. The moral of this story? Don't play with your food - especially when it's still alive! Just a thought, is that really masturbation, or does it qualify for bestiality? I don't think I'll go down that road though.

Back to good old George. What's the solution to world peace, global warming and fossel fuel depletion? That's right - let's stop everyone from masturbating!! It's costing the capitalists too much and should be stopped! Yeah right - it's what your left hand's for (isn't it?)

It Wasn't Me!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y-63Ti5_6s
I may have been bouncing off the walls last night in frustration at trying to finish an assignment; but I'm not big enough to cause an earthquake! We don't have it as bad as the vid shows! It's a bit of a tenuous link, but it is 'nature being bad', sort of?
There is an element of being bad in that (not the earthquake, silly!) I've been sitting on this assignment since before Christmas, promising myself I wouldn't leave it till the last minute to do it. What do I do? Yeah, Yeah, Yeah - it's only got to be handed in tomorrow. I have finished it, honestly. Am I the only one who does this? This 'Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?' as opposed to the other way round. Not good, eh?
I'm a pretty laid back and 'live & let live' type of gal, but I've got a bug-bear at the moment with school kids and bus queues; Why do they always have to be the first on the bus? I'm afraid I'm getting awkward in my 'owd age' - the other day, an elderly lady was first in the queue with me behind. From nowhere, a group of young lads came blundering in, trying to get on the bus first; but I angled myself across the door so they couldn't. This woman was all of four foot nothing - and wouldn't have stood a chance! What's wrong with kids today?

Sam the Shoplifting Seagull-Funny Animal Videos at FunnyAnimalVideos.com

Sam the Shoplifting Seagull-Funny Animal Videos at FunnyAnimalVideos.com

Just imagine, today a seagull shoplifting Doritos, next comes what?..................magpies doing jewellery heists?!
Someone I know went into Asda, in the times before spirits were security tagged, and stole a bottle of Southern Comfort. He got away with that, but then remembered he needed a loaf of bread. He went back in to buy one, and guess what, he was nabbed!
An ex-neighbour used to go into supermarkets, take bottles of cider into the toilets there and get drunk without actually leaving the store with the stuff in the bottles - does this come under that strange law that allows you to 'graze'? As long as you walk out of the store with the 'unpurchased goods' in your belly, they can't touch you for shoplifting? I'm not 100% clear on that law, or how you'd stand if you tried it, so I wouldn't advise doing it.

Module Field Trip

The extent of my 'being bad' is staying out late for this module, so I don't really have many ideas about where to suggest as a venue for a field trip. I quite like the idea of going to one of those macabre magic shows or something along those lines.
Going back to tonights session on shoplifting, does taking four items to a till, only being charged for three of them, and not pointing out the fourth constitute as theft? Or how about this one, even though it isn't shoplifting? Sometimes you see a sign on a counter that says you should check your change because mistakes will not be rectified once you've walked away. If you're given too much change, do you just walk away? In both cases, you're just taking advantage of someone else's mistakes.