People, People, People...When Will We Learn?

*sigh* People never fail to amaze me. I have come across another disappointing video. This video is sick. This video involves about 10 children, 5 girls and 5 boys, and an adult woman. They are paired off with one boy and one girl in each pair. The woman instructs the children to dance. The children began dancing with each other in a very nasty, sexual, disgusting way. The girls were grinding up on the boys and the boys were riding and touching the girls. Keep in mind, people, these children are probably 9 or 10, if that. There are even YOUNGER children off to the left watching these older kids. They decide that the older kids are getting attention and the adults seem to like what they are doing, so they should do it too. The tiny kids start to behave in the same way. I could not finish watching this video, it was disgusting and embarassing, these are CHILDREN! This goes on for over 5 minutes, but I only watched for 45 seconds, this is ruining their innocence.
Once again, this is put online for everyone to see...I don't understand people's way of thinking...
Any creep and pedophile can just google this stuff. They don't even have to leave their home to see what they want. Parents are putting those children in that situation. As long as irresponsible parents post this kind of stuff online, the internet will be a pedophile's favorite playground.
I don't understand why we WANT our children to act like this...it doesn't make sense...
We have to keep in mind that it isn't the children's fault, it is the parents' fault. They are training their children to act the way they do.

here is the link: (view disgresion is advised)
http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhTFM3iHEm8xEUmerY

Race: Does it really exist?

So many people today still discriminate against other races. While racism has greatly decreased over the last 60 years in the U.S., it is still going strong. Thousands of people in the U.S. are a victim to racism every day.

The question is, does race really exist? The reality is, race is determined solely on appearance. Race has nothing do do with genes. Genetically, race does not exist. In reality, we are all the same. Our differences rely totally on skin color and facial features.

















All people are the same, but different. Even in the same racial groups there are differences. Nose sizes, lip sizes, face shapes, eye shapes, hair color and texture, they all vary even within the same race.

I have not had extensive amount of racism inflicted on me personally, but because I like black men, I have the same type of issues with people. People have tried to discourage me from dating black men or even liking the black race. They tell me that black men are all lazy, dirty criminals. I know that isn't true. There are good and bad people in all races. People have called me names and accused me of "negro worship" only because I happen to like black men, and I express it openly.


















I find beauty in all races. I don't understand how someone can hate a whole race, just based on a few people's behavior. We need more love in this world. We need to break down the barriers that never really existed.



There should be only one known race: The Human Race.

In Recent News...

I came across a news article that shocked and appalled me. A woman and her crying 2-year-old were shopping in a Wal-Mart in Georgia. Another shopper, 61-year-old Roger Stephens, got irritated at the crying child. He said something along the lines of "If you don't shut her up, I will shut her up for you." The child continued to cry. He proceeded to pick up the girl and smack her 4 or 5 times in the face until the child screamed. Other shoppers held Stephens until the police arrived. He is now in prison for child cruelty.
If that was my child or relative or really anyone that man would not be walking strait. He had no right to touch, let alone punish a stranger's child. What kind of world are we living in that people think it's ok to SLAP a woman's baby in the face? He later apologized to the mother for beating the crap out of her little baby.



http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j4gGHqEFR8mciuQHzYarTpwJL9HAD9AFFTMG0

Another disturbing news article I came across just today was also about a child around the age of two. The police got a call from a man who apparently had found a 2-year-old child wandering ALONE by the side of a road in nothing but a disposable diaper. The man said that he had no idea who the child belonged to. The girl was walking beside a busy road in a diaper holding a doll. The police spent about 2 hours going door-to-door asking if anyone could identify the child and if they knew who she belonged to. Finally, they came to the girl's grandparent's house. The grandparents said that she and her mother were visiting them from out of town. Police found the girl's mother in a local bar. The mother is now in prison.
Sadly, this happens way too often. I had watched a video about this particular case, but the article was not posted with it. I googled the situation and I found several almost identical cases like this one. It makes me very sad. At any moment those situations could have turned fatal. They don't realize how lucky they are.
This type of thing also happens way too often in places like Africa, but these children are abandoned intentionally. These children are left to fend for themselves. Newborn babies are THROWN AWAY alive in plastic bags.
We all need to step up and take charge of our responsibilities; our children.

http://www.mtairynews.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Mother+arrested+after+leaving+toddler+unattended%20&id=3519459&instance=secondary_stories_left_column

http://www.katu.com/news/56637012.html

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Dogsthorpe-Toddler-2-is-found.5555799.jp

Sexual Abuse Online

At what point is an action considered sexual abuse? I recently watched another disturbing video posted online for the whole world to see. In this video, a baby is laying on a couch. The mother begins "grinding" on her baby. Grinding is defined as "any sexy or suggestive dancing." It was very suggestive. This baby wasn't even old enough to sit up! This video is perverse. She is grinding on her innocent little baby! I think this kind of behavior is sexual abuse. It may sound strange or dumb to some people, but it isn't. Babies that age get sexually abused! It's disgusting!

Here is the link:
http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhvv52v1DT5wrd8J9Q
note: you will have to scroll down a little ways to see the video and comments.

Child Abuse Posted on the Internet

I recently watched a video of a woman combing her child's hair. This cute little girl was african-american and had natural hair. Her mother began ripping through her hair with a comb. The little girl was screaming in pain while the person video taping(evidently the oldest sister) laughed histerically. The girl squirmed in pain and discomfort while her "mother" held her between her legs. The woman constantly cussed at her little girl. This girl is no older than six or seven. After a while of that, with more squirming and screaming from this poor little girl, her mother pinned her on the ground with her hair lying on the carpet. She continued to brush her hair. At some point during the video, a little boy crosses the scene and he starts laughing at the little girl's discomfort as well. The oldest sister/camera operator shouted over the screaming at the little boy "You're next!!" I was deeply disturbed by this video and wondered why anyone would post this online...where everyone can see it.
I watched two video updates about this video today, and evidently the right person saw it. This woman saw the video and contacted the police department and other agencies. I was so relieved to find out that the children were taken away by CPS. It is a horrible situation that her children are gone, but the children are much better off!

Here is the video: (viewer discretion is advised)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6hxh4vysqo&feature=PlayList&p=50E1189E8515A06B&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=13
(use of strong language and can be disturbing for some viewers)

here is a video response to this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS8K0BDb4dM

Self-Esteem

Why are self-esteem and body image important?

Being a teenager that has struggled with self-esteem, I think it is very important to educate people about children's(particularly girl's) self-esteem. Here are some facts about self-esteem and what poor self-esteem can do to young girls.

Self-esteem is related to how we feel about ourselves: it's not just how we look but how we feel about how we look. And it's not just how successful or smart others say we are, but how confident we feel about our talents and abilities. Consider the following in order to understand the internal and external pressures girls feel and how these pressures affect the development of their self-esteem:

• Eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression are the most common mental health problems in girls.


• 59% of 5–12th grade girls in one survey were dissatisfied with their body shape.


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  20–40% of girls begin dieting at age 10.


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  By 15, girls are twice as likely to become depressed than boys.


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  Among 5–12th graders, 47% said they wanted to lose weight because of magazine pictures.


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  Health risks accompany girls' drop in self-esteem due to risky eating habits, depression, and unwanted pregnancy.


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  Girls aged 10 and 12 (tweens) are confronted with "teen" issues such as dating and sex, at increasingly earlier ages. 73% of 8–12–year olds dress like teens and talk like teens.

When and why does girls' self-esteem drop?

• Starting in the pre-teen years, there is a shift in focus; the body becomes an all consuming passion and barometer of worth.
  
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  Self-esteem becomes too closely tied to physical attributes; girls feel they can't measure up to society standards.
  
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  Between 5th and 9th grade, gifted girls, perceiving that smarts aren't sexy, hide their accomplishments.
  
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  Teenage girls encounter more "stressors" in life, especially in their personal relationships, and react more strongly than boys to these pressures, which accounts in part for the higher levels of depression in girls.
  
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  The media, including television, movies, videos, lyrics, magazine, internet, and advertisements, portray images of girls and women in a sexual manner—revealing clothing, body posture and facial expressions—as models of femininity for girls to emulate.
  

http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/how_raise_girls_healthy_selfesteem

World Vision and My Sponsor Child

My family and I sponsor a small boy from Mutomo, Kenya through World Vision. We send him $35 a month to help him, his family, and community. We have recently received a progress report for Mutomo.

This is what the letter says:

Mutomo community accomplishments

Thank you for your faithful support. With help from donors like you, World Vision was able to accomplish the following in 2008:

Birthday Celebration:

• 
  

Honored 1,671 children with birthday parties, distributing school bags and helping to build self-esteem.


HIV and AIDS:

• Educated 38 church leaders on Channels of Hope, empowering them to take an active role in HIV and AIDS interventions.


• 
  Instructed 20 teachers on life skills, enabling them to provide their students with tools to face life's challenges.
  


• Trained 40 home-based caregivers and supplied them with kits to provide care and support to the chronically ill.


• 
  Trained 40 community health workers on safe motherhood and the prevention of HIV transmissions from mother to child.

Water and Sanitation:

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  Provided 11 water tanks to schools, increasing access to safe water.


• 
  Offered training to 50 households on sanitation and hygiene management, improving their health.

I am so excited about the progress my sponsor child's community is making!! If you want to sponsor a child through World Vision, visit www.worldvision.org. I am so glad i did!