Be good. Or else.

If you liked the last two blog posts and want more you’ll have to go to my newer blog. It’s a beat blog about responsibility and acting in a more accountable way. You (yes, I mean you) are such a minute piece in the world. Your actions have the ability to help or harm everyone and everything else that exists around you and that’s what the blog is about– thinking outside of yourself.

Part of the theme stems from my Libertarian background, and I hold the following belief dearly to my heart: we should each have the freedom to do anything that we want unless it interferes in a dangerous way with someone else’s right to do anything that they want. For example, if you don’t want to wear a seatbelt, you don’t have to because if you’re in a car crash and you die, that’s your fault and your problem. You knew the risks involved when you decided not to wear that seatbelt and you suffered the consequences. However, if you’re sitting in the backseat of a car behind someone, you have an obligation to wear a seatbelt because your seatbelt-less movements could harm or kill someone else during a crash.

In The Federalist #51, James Madison said, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” Maybe if most of us try to be angels, less government would be needed (and we’d all be better off).

And that’s what my blog is about– highlighting the apathy and irresponsibility that most people act on everyday. Please, check it out. Add your own rants and opinions. Comments from new perspectives are really important to the topic and to me. So help a girl out and get a new perspective on things: http://begoodorelse.wordpress.com

Scuba diver, trying to graduate, restaurant server, Libertarian… just a brief introduction

My love for scuba represented-- a sea turtle was my birthday cake this year!

I’m Cari Crabtree. I always planned on graduating (on time) in spring of 2009, but I got distracted by a case of senioritis (and a social life) during my junior year and it went downhill from there! I’m determined to make it happen spring 2010! I don’t particularly care for my Mass Communication degree, but once you’re this far in…. I would love to run away and finish my last two classes on the way to being a SCUBA instructor, but I usually do the responsible thing and that’s getting this degree!

I fit right in with my co-workers at the Towson Crackpot (named appropriately for several reason) where I wait tables and put up with a lot of unreasonable customers while laughing (a whole lot) with my crack-pot co-workers. I’m aiming for a political science minor, I love being outside, I’m border-line snobby about what I eat/drink/listen to/watch, but otherwise I’m a relatively laid-back individual who smiles most of the time and rarely gets angry (unless I’m driving).

Currently, my blog beat is about civil/social responsibility (driving, parenting, going green, public behavior, etc.) and I’ll be tackling (ranting about) different aspects of it all semester. Look for other posts sprinkled in, but I don’t think I’ll have trouble talking about all of the ways irresponsibility annoys me!

“If you don’t sit down RIGHT NOW you’re not getting dessert!”

This is another meaningless threat that parents make toward their children in a half-hearted attempt at parenting. Parents have a great deal of responsibility! Do we need more unruly babies that grow up to drive drunk, start fights, torture kittens, assault strangers on college campuses, treat people poorly and become burdens to our culture and planet? No.

You’ve seen bad parenting in public: that child being dragged away from the snack isle after throwing a public tantrum about Scooby Doo gummy snacks, those frightened looking children with a backpack-like leash on at the zoo. Bad parents are oblivious to the fact that their child negatively effects EVERYONE within the vicinity of their precious little monster. And that’s what I’d like to talk about– oblivious non-parenting.

If only the parents were lending a helping hand 16 years ago...

My recent experience as a server: It’s dinner rush on Friday and I’m waiting on a table of Mom, Dad and three urchins. We, as servers, are moving fast and I come around the corner out of the kitchen with a HUUUUGE tray piled with dishes on my shoulder, supported by both hands and my visibility is limited. I’m barreling down the aisle managing this heavy tray and out pops urchin #3 from my table into my path in the middle of the aisle. I barely dodge him to avoid pummeling him and luckily another server helped to recover my tray full of food before it tipped, crashed, and shattered. Every employee in the restaurant stopped and noticed. A minimum of twelve guests stopped to stare open-mouthed in amazement. The Mom and Dad? They glanced up from their Blackberries for a second, looked bored and continued with their mobile business without a comment.

Over the past two generations, parents have dropped the ball! And knowing right and wrong parenting shouldn’t be difficult. We all HAD parents. And they had parents. Somewhere in there is a good example. Or maybe you could ask a friend. And if that doesn’t work, you can google the words “responsible parenting.” Check out the responsible parenting initiative!

If the main biological point of having children is to leave a legacy or to further your gene pool, what’s the point of having monsters that grow up to be a detriment to society?! Have parents become too lazy? Do they have too much on their plate? Has contraception failed us? Do parents care about the quality of their offspring? The real problem now is getting bad parents to REALIZE that they’re bad parents. They’re oblivious!

It is hard for me not to constantly think about the dumbing down of the gene pool that is featured in the 2006 movie Idiocracy. While it is a humorous film, the concept scares the hell out of me! I come from a family where throwing a temper tantrum was just not an option. I didn’t know what the consequence would be, but I knew that I DID NOT WANT TO FIND OUT. But this newer generation acts completely impervious to laws, rules and consequences. Where have all the parents gone?!

Parents: You are wholly responsible for the behavior of your children! If you don’t become a responsible parent, I WILL turn this car around and Santa is not bringing you anything but coal for Christmas (or maybe Parenting for Dummies)!

Shimmy into shape–Check out Belly Dancing

Belly dancing is yet another fad that boasts about its fitness potential. Health magazine published an article in the fall that gave an overview of the activity and mlive.com also presents belly dancing as a legitimate women’s fitness class.

A member of the Ruby Scarab Belly Dancers

After reading a few articles praising the benefits of belly dancing as exercise, I decided to go to YouTube.com and find a sample DVD to follow. I set up a full length mirror against the wall, found this great video and I have two things to say: First, I was EXTREMELY glad to be in the privacy of my own home because I looked mostly like I was having a mild seizure. Second, before I could reach the end of the video, I collapsed in my desk chair with burning oblique muscles. To summarize, the dancing did concentrate on my core muscles throughout my abdomen, sides and back, it was easy to follow, the music was enjoyable and perhaps an at-home DVD is a good introduction before making a debut in public.

Belly dancing classes can be found right here in Towson if you are looking to jump off the deep end and check it out (in public). On Regester Avenue, Nina Amaya has a studio in which she teaches classes for beginners and offers more advanced courses like her Troupe class (to learn special routines and potentially perform as part of Nina’s dance troupe), sword choreography workshop, or drum solo choreography workshop. Nina Amaya’s dancing background is extensive and she performs at several places around Baltimore. You can find her (sometimes with her dance troupe) at the Zeeba Lounge, Cafe Spice, The Red Maple, the Artscape festival, and more.

Hula Hooping Fitness… a sample class

Whittle that waist old-school! Hula hooping fitness classes…

Hula hooping as a form of exercise is taking off quickly. First invented in ancient Greek times, the hula hoop became a popular toy and recently has trickled back into style as part of a modern and fun fitness routine. Now, the Nintendo Wii features a hula hooping exercise as an aerobic activity in its popular game, Wii Fit. The hula hoop has also made its debut in formal exercise classes. Imagine going to your local gym and instead of walking into a step aerobics class, you’re participating in a hula hooping class! Twenty people in a room learning how to hula hoop again. All I can say is: there better be enough space because beginner hula hooping is awkward enough without bumping into one another.

Hula Hoop Workouts with Superfly Fitness and Hoopnotica. http://tinyurl.com/lu3xkd

In Australia, the activity is particularly popular! This Courier-Mail article, “Waisting away as Brisbane women join hooping hullabaloo,” attributes the growing hooping craze partially to America’s new first lady, Michelle Obama. Apparently, she’s a pretty great hooper and the publicity about her skill has helped to fill hula hooping fitness classes everywhere. The other fascinating element of hula hooping as exercise is the nostalgia and the sheer silliness of the activity. Katina Karakatsanis, the Courier-Mail featured dance company owner that sought a hooping instructor for her fitness business, said that “Crowds of people would just come up to the demonstrating teacher and give it a go in front of thousands of festival goers. It was really strange, but that’s what made me think what a cool idea.”  On a more serious note, Karakatsanis says that on top of the aerobic benefits, “You are certainly using hand and eye co-ordination, not to mention all those stomach muscles.”

So, it looks like dusting off that old hula hoop or borrowing one might be a great way to get your heart pumping and work those abdominal muscles (even if it’s just from laughing so hard). For a more serious hula hooper, there are fitness hoops available to purchase at online stores like Sports Hoop.

REALLY!? “Obama signs bill delaying switch to digital TV”

Alright, before anyone makes wild and angry assumptions about my political ideology, I must say two things: I am a Libertarian and I did vote for President Barack Obama. Regardless, I was appalled by the following news: ”Obama signs bill delaying switch to digital TV.”

Though sadly going out of business this weekend, The Baltimore Examiner hit the issue right on the head by featuring the passing of this bill as today’s “Daily Outrage.” In the article, authors explain why they are outraged with our legislators in Washington, D.C. for the passing of the bill:

“Many television stations are making the switch anyway — they’d planned to do it in February and they’re going to do it. It’s not like it’s hurricane season and everyone in Southern coastal towns needs to monitor the TV. People are, in the event of an emergency, quite capable of listening to the radio for their information. No matter what legislators do, some people just aren’t going to do anything until the switch happens.”

Being a Libertarian (check out this Libertarian think tank for more information) I believe in a small, less intrusive government, but I do understand that in today’s age (and with the increasing lack of self-sustaining individuals in our culture) the national government sometimes feels obligated to play a larger role.

HOWEVER, I can find absolutely no reason as to why this switch needs to be delayed!! There is no genuine national interest in a potential lack of television in the homes of the people who are too lazy (or maybe simply do not have the means, in which case you are excused) to switch to digital TV by a reasonable, frequently advertised deadline. Furthermore, for people who cannot or simply do not switch over by the deadline, the radio is an affordable and more than a sufficient communication device for providing important news about severe weather conditions, school closings or any  information that needs to be broadcasted in the interests of national security, safety or health. NO CRISIS IS GOING TO OCCUR IF SOMEONE DOESN’T GET TO WATCH AMERICAN IDOL NEXT WEEK!

So now the federal government has wasted valuable time coddling people instead of getting some real work done.

Note: If you haven’t switched over to digital TV yet and have absolutely no reasonable excuse, I recommend that you write each of your representatives in the legislature (who supported this bill) a nice Mother’s or Father’s Day card thanking him or her for holding your hand until June.

If anyone has an idea as to why it is in the federal government’s interest to delay this digital TV switch, I would appreciate it if you could enlighten me.

Narrowing my research topic… I stumbled upon this great article, “Seven Silly Fitness Fads” on Newsweek.com

With the help of this article, “Seven Silly Fitness Fads,” I have narrowed my research topic down to a final idea. I hope that it is not too narrow a topic, but I believe that it is easier to expand a theme once it has been started rather than narrowing it. Therefore, the topic is as follows: I will be highlighting new exercise ideas that barely seem like exercise!

Genuinely, Americans are overweight and unaware of the importance of exercise. Among other things, exercise helps to stabilize your mood, lower your heart rate, strengthen your bones and even improve your complexion. If you don’t believe me, WebMD has published an article entitled “The Incredible Benefits of Regular Exercise.”

Now, everyone has a hectic schedule. Americans have gained world-wide fame for being the busiest individuals and exercise sometimes gets placed at the end of the to-do list. So, making exercise an enjoyable activity that seems less like a chore and more like down time could surely help many people.

Remember how much fun hula hooping was when you were younger? Well, this Newsweek article advocates hula hooping as a good cardio exercise that helps to strengthen your core. Next, ever wonder why exotic dancers are generally thin and had great muscle tone? It could be attributed to the fact that their work keeps them that way. One of these silly fitness fads is “Strippercise.” Classes in this category combine sexy dance moves with traditional pilates to get you fit while letting loose.

These are the two ideas that are most encouraged as useful exercise. The other five were only debatably useful. I’ll certainly be pursuing hula hooping and “strippercise” as potential topics in my research.

What do you think?

 

I find myself less than impressed with Dooce, the 2008 Weblog of the Year.

The 8th Annual Weblog Awards: The 2008 Bloggies list weblog Dooce as a winner in several categories, including Best American Weblog, Best-Designed and Weblog of the Year. After reading the most recent six pages of posts, I find myself less than enamored. On that note, I must add that I’m a 21-year-old college student who has very little, if any, intention of having children ever and therefore have little interest in the development of her pregnancy symptoms and do not gain a lot of positive emotion when reading about the development of her daughter, etc. I’m not saying that I’m cold-hearted, I just don’t consider myself to be the target audience for this particular blog.

These comments and factors aside, I am extremely impressed with the quality of her photographs and videos. The writing, though slightly too “stream of consciousness” style, is witty and poetic at times. Her list of Christmas gifts, a “gift guide” as she calls it for men and women was beautifully designed and aesthetically pleasing. I was also impressed with the range of influence that the author, Heather B. Armstrong, has gained. She has published a book about her first pregnancy, birth, the raising of her daughter, Leta, postpartum depression and more. The weblog features advertisements, a sure sign that it is extremely popular, and Armstrong has obviously acquired many followers that frequently send her messages and requests that she can respond to.

In general, while I was not personally moved or hooked by the content of Armstrong’s weblog, I must admit that her work on the site is impressive and that as far as communicating to a large audience, this woman has succeeded. This is a great example of a daily blog and the development of this blog could certainly serve as an example for any budding blog authors.

What do you think of Dooce?

Towson University and the Towson Community: Potential Research Themes Addressing our Health, Growth and Youth

I will be pursuing one of the following three topics during a semester-long project:

1. Encouraging a More Active Society. If pursued, this topic will incorporate information about modern health topics and then specifically seek out ways to motivate Towson/Baltimore dwellers to battle the typical health mistakes. Particularly, I’m interested in highlighting places and activities that are appealing enough to encourage individuals to turn off the TV, get off their bottoms and start moving. Things to focus on may include information from the Dowell Health Center on Towson University’s campus or the promotion of social events that include physical activity such as bowling, cycling, visiting batting cages, going dancing at a bar as opposed to sitting at one, walking around the National Aquarium in Baltimore or even volunteering in the area.

2. Community Growth in Towson. This topic would cover information regarding changing traffic patterns due to the rising number of cars on the roads, an expanding university community that may or may not be infringing on the non-student Towson community and general growth in the Towson area. Highlights would include new stores and restaurants emerging on the scene, the expanding population and new housing communities being built.

3. Our Troublesome Youth. This topic would explore the behavior of college-age students at Towson University. Highlights may include the Towson community’s response to Towson University students living in the area, the lack of respect that youth seems to have for elders, education and public property, the growing number of policy violations in on-campus housing, or the growing caseload of the Department for Judicial Affairs. This topic could touch on the constant battle between the values of the aged and the values of our youth or maybe the shift in family values or parental techniques over the past two generations.