Wednesday, September 19, 2012

US Presidential Beers 'n' Bears

You can tell it's election time when the candidates try to relate to the common voter.

At present, there is a clear leader in this respect.  Enter US President Barack Obama.  Unlike his opposition where word has it that Mitt Romney doesn't even pay taxes on his millions.

A couple of things have caught my eye recently about Obama.

1.  Obama is not afraid of moving forward with his agenda, despite strong opposition. His Medicare plan is in and he wants all Americans to have access to basic health care.

"...The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. "  Ironically, this was said by an American, Hubert H. Humphrey in 1977.

2.  The Bear Hug.  Everyone one to be embraced like that. It's even better when you're caught on camera & seriously look like your enjoying it.  It's a pure bliss photo. No issue or judgement by the fact of who it is, Where he comes from &/or his gender.  I love it ... makes Obama feel like one of us.


3.  Obama not only brews his own White House beer, he's comparing notes & sharing his recipe with everyone. Now everyone has access to White House standard Beer.




Pour me a glass & put it on ice ... I'ma coming!


References:
http://askville.amazon.com/measure-civilization-treats-weakest-members-accurate-quote/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=4718239
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1ijPmtTHo8
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/image/wh_beer_recipe_honey_ale_0.jpg



Monday, September 17, 2012

Rape & Society

No one asks to be raped, assault, or harassed or even robbed. 
Feminists & others say that regardless of what we wear or what we do, no one should be raped or assaulted. Agreed. This is obvious.  However, what we fail to recognise is the fact that there are people out there who will rape & harass, assault & steal, despite education & knowing right-from-wrong.
Education to change views & society wide interventions may eradicate some but not all instances.  I agree, that more education & awareness campaigns needs to occur, especially in the realm of date rape & understanding what exactly consent entails.  However, until these measures start gaining results or at least have a wider awareness through our society, it is naive to think that this will not happen.
Those who are or potentially are guilty of these crimes should know 100% what they are doing is wrong
Fact is, to a certain degree, we do need to dress a certain way to avoid leering & sexually based comments.  I feel that if you show tonnes of cleavage & wear tiny skirts, you are (to a certain extent) warranting attention of the sexual kind.  It is definitely not a signal to the world that you want to be raped or you're "up for it" however it is naive to think this will portray an asexual image of you & you will not be at least leered at.  

I like to go out, I like to explore new places, even going out at night.  However, it is naive to think that I will be safe walking through places like Hyde Park or a street in Redfern alone at night.  There are countries that it is unsafe to go to due to domestic conflict, it is naive to think that you can hold your own & walk down a street in Syria or Afghanistan without the potential of being harmed.

It's not an excuse, these issues should not be issues for us & should not be happening in our society, however this is idealist & naive.


Referenced from:
http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/women-deserve-to-be-raped-20120917-260yt.html
http://www.madisonmag.com.au/assets/images/articles/blog/sexual-harassment_1.jpg
http://www.madisonmag.com.au/blogs/sexual-harassment-is-everyones-problem.htm

09/10/2012

P.S.

Its scary knowing that a few days after I wrote this that a Melbourne woman was raped & murdered on her way home from a night out.  Again, I'm not blaming the victim, I do this myself, however, it is naive to think that these things will never happen. Precautions should be taken & when travelling at night, alone as a woman.

Monday, September 3, 2012

... Spend a little time with ME.

There is a concept that my sister and I follow. Its called a "Me Day". A Me Day is when you plan to go off on your own and be your own best friend. It's liberating and can be quite an eye opener too.

I have had Me Days where I go off and explore a different part of Sydney.  I sometimes go off & have a coffee and read a book.  Some Me Days I go shopping, swim at the beach, watch a movie and I even travel by myself.

I have told many people that I often go to the cinema and see a movie by myself. Some people feel awkward, they feel sorry for me and some even say that I should call them if I am going solo. I figure that you dont really talk to someone during the movie and the only time you do interact with others is right before and right after the movie.

The first time I went to the movies by myself was on a Saturday night. It was terrifying and at the same time it taugh me a lot about myself, especially that no one really cares if you are alone at the movies and if they do see you alone, it only stays with them a few seconds.

I do sometimes feel self conscious eating by myself but it's nothing that a book or communal dining can't solve.

I'm travelling again in a few weeks ... yeah, sometimes I wish I could share my oohhhhs & ahhhs with someone else but travelling by myself pushes me to interact with more people.  I strike up conversations & often am motivated by the fact that I'll never see them again or they can blame me for being a tourist.

My biggest concern when travelling is who will take photos of me?