Everywhere I go I hear about the obesity epidemic. People are fatter than ever, kids are unhealthy, too much junk food, it’s a disease, it’s choice, it’s a disease, it’s a choice, diet diet DIET.

Of course, because this problem has grown so much there are social rules about it. The biggest rule being: Don’t ever call someone fat!

And that makes sense, right? It’s not very nice to call someone fat.

But it makes me wonder: Why is it okay to call a thin person anorexic?

It would be socially unacceptable for me to tell an obese person that they’re too fat and need to eat less. But it’s perfectly okay to tell a thin person that they’re too skinny and need to eat more.

Why?

I think it’s sad that we live in a society where being thin makes you anorexic in the eyes of others. Thin does not equal anorexia.

It seems in todays society we’re demonized for being either. You’re a fat, Mcdonalds gobbling pig if you’re obese. You’re a skinny anorexic bitch if you’re thin.

The only difference is we’re not supposed to say anything about someone being obese.

What’s worse is thin people are not anorexic! NIMH says “In their lifetime, an estimated 0.5 percent to 3.7 percent of females suffer from anorexia.”

So thin people are being insulted for no reason. I’ve never insulted an obese person about their weight but there have been many times where I’ve been told I’m too skinny or been called anorexic. Which I’m not.

And what about real anorexics? They get the short end of the stick. Not only do they have an eating/mental disorder, but they’re also used as an insult. People with anorexia are sick, but today they’re seen as bad.

Obesity = Okay. Leave them alone, they’re sensitive and have feelings too. Never say anything about their weight! They’re happy!

Thin = Anorexic! It’s okay to call them names!

Anorexic = Spawn of the devil!? People who are anorexic are the worst of the worst!

Now you might be thinking: Why do you care so much?

After all, being called too thin isn’t as emotionally painful as being called fat, right?

I care because I’m sick of having to defend my weight. I’m sick of having to tell people that I do eat. I’m sick of having to list out everything I’ve eaten all day to prove that I do eat. I’m sick of people thinking I starve myself.

I’m sick of feeling like it’s a bad thing that I’m not carrying around at least a couple extra pounds.

Insulting people for being thin is almost like you’re trying to encourage them to be fat. Like there is something wrong with being thin.

How about you leave my weight alone and I’ll leave your weight alone.

(Oh, and stop giving me that garbage about how ‘real women have curves.’ I’m not fake just because I’m thin. Size does not make anyone more or less of a woman.)

I read about this before on the Unexplained-Mysteries forum but some men in Northern Georgia (state) claimed to have found bigfoot.

Right here, in my very own Georgia.

Edit: Here’s the bigfoot thread on Unexplained-Mysteries.

They have a website up, Searching for Bigfoot, that has some information and a couple pictures.

Personally, I’m not sure I believe it. Seems like this is a chance for them to make some money and advertise their website (they’ve got a nice big copyright infringement warning button on their website). I won’t believe them until the DNA confirms their claim. Preferably from multiple scientists.

You can watch the FoxNews video on it here.

Although with the Montauk Monster, chupacabra and bigfoot…maybe this is just viral marketing for something?

So, apparently some sheriffs in Texas caught on a video a strange creature that may be the blood sucking Chupacabra.

Here’s a video from CNN:

Is is Chuppy? I doubt it, I’m going to go along with other people and say it’s probably some sort of hybrid.

Though this news does remind me of the Chupacabra Macarena.

Ah, Cirque, how I love thee! Cirque du Soleil’s Kooza is coming to my state in January. Unfortunately it’s a bit pricey.

I’ve been a Cirque fan for several years now but I’ve only seen one show live (Alegria). So of course I was excited when I got the email saying they were coming to my state, but sadly I don’t have the money to go see them.

They did sent me a CD-Rom for free though. Had all the Kooza info as well as some video clips. A preview of the show and a Making-of Documentary.

Some people think Cirque’s shows have been going downhill since Varekai but Kooza looks pretty fun. The clip of the contortionists looked stunning, I’d like to be able to move like that! Very fluid.

Cirque’s shows don’t seem to air on tv anymore so I probably won’t be able to see this one anytime soon. So sad.

So I admit, I have gotten lazy over the years - as have most people I know. When I was younger I would play outside everyday all day. Being inside was boring. There was nothing to do. Outside was where all the fun was!

But not anymore. After I hit my teen years I locked myself indoors. It started with MTV and VH1 Classic (I was a music video addict) and now it’s the internet. It’s so convenient having everything at my fingertips. Google answers all my questions and social sites let me interact with others. But sitting around on my butt all day isn’t healthy.

And I’m not the only one who sat down in my teen years.

Kids who were averaging three hours of moderate to vigorous activity when they were 9 barely manage to get more than a half-hour of daily exercise by the time they reach 15, according to a study in the July 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. [Health Day]

When I think about it, it’s kind of sad. I used to be outside riding bikes, playing games, swimming, and running around. It would keep me entertained all day. I was rarely bored.

So what is it that brings us inside in the first place? Do the games start to bore us?

For me, I think it’s the lack of stimulation outside. I used to live in a social neighborhood where kids were always outside playing and everyone hung out together at the pool.

Now I live in a neighborhood where I don’t even know who lives next door and pretty much no one is outside. No one to talk to, no one to do anything with. Being outside by myself is pretty boring.

I also live in an area where there is no where to go. We have lots of neighborhoods, grocery stores, gas stations, and other such places. No where to go for entertainment. No where for kids to hang out.

In fact, after school the kids go across the street and hangout at the library. Yes, the library is the hangout spot. But not for reading or studying, they just hangout and chitchat while they wait for parents to come get them. And they hangout there because there really isn’t anywhere else to hangout.

I noticed that in areas with more to do (and more people) kids seems to be more active. Heck, people in general seem to be more active.

For example, the park near us is almost always empty. The only time there are people there is when there is a baseball (softball?) game.

When I went to California in 2006 we went to a park/garden and there were all kinds of people wandering around. It made it more fun. I ran around with my cousin for awhile as we fake-sword fought.

There was also a lot to do in the area. There were stores and zoos, resturants, skate parks, and so on. Tons of places to meet up and hang out.

I think if areas offered more stimulation then people would be more willing to go outside more often. Going to the grocery store was only fun back when I was 6.

For a limited time only I have a beautiful baby German boy for sale for the low low price of ONE Euro! That’s about $1.57! Hurry and call now!

Just kidding. Or maybe not.

Yahoo news posted an article about German parents putting their baby son on eBay for one Euro. The mother claims it was just a joke but police are still investigating.

Here is a snippet from the article:

BERLIN - Authorities in southern Germany said Saturday they have taken custody of a 7-month-old boy after his parents posted an ad on eBay offering to sell him for one euro, the equivalent of $1.57.

[...]

“Offering my nearly new baby for sale, as it has gotten too loud. It is a male baby, nearly 28 inches (70 cm) long and can be used either in a baby carrier or a stroller,” police quoted the ad as reading.

[...]

The full article can be read on Yahoo! News.

Now, my parents have joked about giving me away when I was being difficult but they’ve never gone so far as to actually try to sell me.

Even if it was just a joke I don’t know how the parents could think they wouldn’t get in trouble for this. Seems pretty obvious to me that the police would come after you.