Piercings

My ears, three times at the bottom and once at the top, and my tongue. That's enough for me! Many of my friends have numerous facial and bodily piercings. One of my friends has 21, namely, twice in her eyebrows; 11 in her ears; 3 in her lip; both nipples; her tongue; her belly button and her you-know-where.

I see them as just a different style of dress, or make up. As with dress and make up I also believe that there is a time and a place for certain styles. Job interviews for example, even the most decorated face can be toned down for. Another good friend of mine removes her piercings or replaces them with clear plastic ones, for the same reason she tones down her brightly coloured hair. Why? Well because they are a personal expression of your own fashion choices, and basically you are more likely to be accepted in society if you follow uniformed suit...which is probably why these pierced rebels put them selves through the pain and risk of infection in the first place!

Below is a link to a site advising on the basics of piercings.

http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/skin_stuff/body_piercing_safe.html

On The Rob

It's wrong, right? But who hasn't? Even as a kid? A penny chew from the shop? But even those kids must know it's wrong, or why try and hide it? More to the point, they, in their infinite wisdom, must even attempt to rationalise, or why not take something bigger?
It's still difficult to say why stealing is under the 'being bad' topic, because surely it's not just frowned upon, it's wrong. When mothers find out that their children have been stealing, they don't just roll their eyes (hopefully) they berate their children as it's a terrible, illegal thing to do.
I think, unless we're talking about bread to feed your starving kids (what about your benefits) then it's never really acceptable behaviour.

Here's a link to the center for effective parenting website, and what they have to say about stealing.

http://www.parenting-ed.org/handout3/Specific%20Concerns%20and%20Problems/stealing.htm

There are so many different 'extremes' shall we say, varying from people being offended by sex scenes in the soaps to out and out illegal pornography.It's without doubt a guilty pleasure for most of those who use/abuse it, but why? Why, if all involved are consenting adults, do people insist on keeping this industry taboo?My personal view is that it goes way deeper than a person's embarrassment at the naked body. I think that the kind of porn that someone is interested in, (for instance what ever key words you tap into a pornographic website) allows others to see what really floats your boat, and this is, what I think, people try to hide- just as a natural defence mechanism to keep them from being left vulnerable, even a minority, if they didn't fit in.

Below is a link to an interview with lesbian pornographer, Nan Kinney

http://sexuality.about.com/od/eroticentertainment/a/nan_kinney.htm

Why do people do it? Or, to look at it another way; why do people take offence to it? Maybe to the origins of the words? Or maybe it's just that by swearing you are showing lack of respect- or a descent enough gasp of the language to use any thing other than profanities. There's definitely a time and place for using 'bad language', that's indisputable, but I don't think I could live without it. If you hear bad news? If you stub your toe? If you're really (excuse my French) pissed off? I think it's definitely needed.

http://people.howstuffworks.com/swearing.htm

All sorts of swearing info at the above link!

response to Swearing

http://waqarhussainblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/swearing.html

Although I agree with the given reasons for swearing, (in some circumstances) I think it's slightly unfair to say that everyone considers swearing wrong and unacceptable.

If I was in a social situation and someone swore, I would not think it to be unacceptable in the slightest!

response to Prostitution - A business transaction

http://jenniesbeingbad.blogspot.com/2010/03/prostitution-business-transaction_10.html



I liked this blog as the author shares similar views to myself. Yes there are the much more sordid sides to prostitution, but then aren't there to most businesses?? If someone ants sex and doesn't mind paying, and someone else doesn't mind being paid, I really don't see the problem. As with most 'underground' businesses, it seems to me that the majority of its problems would be eradicated if it was legalized and able to come off the streets, so to speak.

response to Abortions

http://jenniesbeingbad.blogspot.com/2010/03/abortions.html

"in 2008 around 195,300 abortions were performed on residents of England and Wales and 91% of these were funded by the NHS, if the option wasnt made available readily would there be so many of the procedures carried out??"

I very much doubt it! I believe that there would be 195300 unwanted babies in England and Wales. I find it very difficult to accept that Abortions sit under the topic of 'being bad'.

Women should have the option, I also disagree that both parents should be in agreement. It is the woman's choice. It is her body. It is she that would be much more widely penalised if the child was born and then not looked after properly!

I do agree that to have an abortion is to take responsibility for you actions, no matter how accidental.

I could debate this topic for hours, but the simple fact is, that it is far better to regret an abortion than to regret a baby.

response to Teenage Pregnancies

http://j-jmaggot.blogspot.com/2010/03/teenage-pregnancies.html

How refreshing! I have fit into many many stereotypes during my 23 years on this planet, most of them 'negative'. But the one I hate the most is teenage mother! I refuse point blank to look at having my daughter when I was good and ready as a bad thing! I was just turned nineteen when her father and i conceived. She was planned and very wanted. I was in a long term relationship and we had a good household income. There was no reason why we shouldn't of had our baby. No I'm not promoting fourteen year old mothers, but I'm just glad that not everyone is tarring me with the same brush!

response to Bribery

http://beingbadatuni.blogspot.com/2010/03/bribery.html

Bribery isn't always the act of giving someone what they want, it could be the act of not doing something that they don't want. for example, 'I won't tell your secrets if you...'

I think that this is the kind of bribery that is automatically thought of as being bad. And yes I believe that the idea of gaining a certain position unfairly is the worst thing about bribery, as well as the 'bullying' that would have been used to get you there.

response to Drinking Alcohol

http://beingbadatuni.blogspot.com/2010/03/drinking-alcohol.html

I think that it is absolutely absurd to write something off that you have never even tried! No one is forced to drink it! It is mine-and everyone else'- human right to decide what i do with my time and money. How small minded of you to presume to know what is best for everyone else! And prohibition?? Maybe you should research what happened the last time that was attempted!

response to Bulling Tactics At University

http://jodieosullivan.blogspot.com/2010/02/bulling-tactics-at-university.html

I think that it's a terrible shame that in what I would like to think of as a grown up environment, like university, people are trying to bully and belittle fellow students. It is definitely a form of bullying, as is anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. I think something should have been done about it.

response to Extreme Body Mods

http://jodieosullivan.blogspot.com/2010/03/httpwww_02.html

I totally agree with Jodie's point about society judging people who chose to be different but forcing it's self to accept people who are 'different' through no fault of their own. I think that it's absurd that it's even an issue to accept people. I cannot understand why how one person leads their life/chooses to look/spends their time, could possible bother another. It is definitely a double standard. Live and let live!

response to Marquis de Sade

http://jodieosullivan.blogspot.com/2010/03/marquis-de-sade.html

I found this really interesting, as I don't think I'd ever heard of him.

I find it strangely comforting to know that there have always been nutters and extreme sexual deviants. I suppose it implys that the modern day versions of the Marquis de Sade are not a product of modern society.

I enjoyed looking through the linked website too; I never knew where the term 'sadism' came from, and now I do!

response to Jeremy Kyle

http://jodieosullivan.blogspot.com/2010/03/jeremy-kyle.html

It's my belief that people only watch things like Jeremy Kyle to make themselves feel better about their lives. Othere than that it's just a laught to see what sad people have brought their sad problems to national television!

Illegal Downloads

Incredibly common, very easy to do, and still very illegal. Most people who illegally download, wouldn't mug anyone, of shoplift, so why do they consider it OK to steal music and films etc? I think that the simple answer is, why not? The advertising companies begging that we help stop it are begging on behalf of one of the world's biggest businesses. It's as if people if the track that they just 'stole' lost the multi-billionaire artist 70p.

http://stuff.tv/blogs/music/archive/2008/07/24/uk-s-illegal-downloading-crackdown-the-facts.aspx

The above link is to a site highighting the changes that are being made.

Unprotected Sex

STI and unwanted pregnancy rates are still on the rise, so why do people still do it? It's my personal belief that all adolescents (and adults) should be provided with protection freely and at every opportunity. It wouldn't encourage them to to have sex, it would encourage them to use condoms.

Certain religious groups state that (even in countries riddled with AIDS and HIV) it is a sin to protect yourself! Some people still feel that there is a stigma attached to carrying condoms- not as much of a stigma that's associated with certain STDs!

This is a link to a slightly small minded website on the lack of safe sex.

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/sex_relationships/facts/safesex.htm

Phet

Wanna lose weight? Wanna frantically clean your house? Wanna hallucinate? Wanna know what it's like to not want to be anywhere near food, or lose the will to sleep? Wanna feel light headed everytime you stand up for days after? Wanna come down that will make you wish you'd never been born? Then speed's the one for you. Its cheap, it's readily available and it'll make you wanna dance the night away...three days later it aint so great.

I found this website, but I'm unsure of it's accuracy, mainly because of the number of typos I spotted.

http://www.drugscope.org.uk/resources/drugsearch/drugsearchpages/amphetamines

Wait 'til I get you home!

I need to start this by saying I'm not talking about any kind of child abuse here. Nothing that will end you in jail. Just the debate that has split the nation for many years and will very likely continue. The main argument for not smacking your child seems to be that it's difficult to differentiate between 'reasonable punishment' and abuse. Surely if you can't see that difference you should not be allowed near children full stop?

It seems to me that the more people campaign for a law against smacking your children, the worse behaved children are. I suppose it's what ever works for you!

http://www.childrenslegalcentre.com/Legal+Advice/Child+law/Smacking/Whatisthelawonsmackingchildren

The above link takes you to a page that outlines the law on smacking children.

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/HelpAndAdvice/Parentsandcarers/BetterBehaviour/betterbehaviour_wda35993.html

This link will take you to by far the most patronizing site I have found so far, full of spelling mistakes and advice aimed at owners of pets rather than parents of children- but that's just my opinion...

Neeeeawm!

If I'm too late, if I'm in a bad mood or if there's nothing in the way, I will speed. I have numerous points due to be applied to my licence (which I really do treasure) that I'm hoping the DVLA have decided to overlook; they do do that right? But I still speed. My passengers get out of my car shaking, but I just love it! Loud music, sunny day, winding country roads and the sound of a roaring engine... bliss..

This said, it's bad. it's unlawful, it's dangerous, it's not great for your car, (how I drive) put simply, it's not big and it's not clever.

Below is a link to a very useful site on speed camera loopholes :D

http://www.coolblue.org.uk/SpeedCameras.htm

It Could Be You- but it probably won't be

Scratch cards, Lottery tickets, Bingo, Casinos, the bookies, on line.. so many ways to squander your hard (or not so hard) earned cash. When I found out I was pregnant, I quickly had to give up all of my other addictions and thusly took up gambling; I was spending more on the Lottery than I used to on cigarettes! It's the thrill that keeps people going, just one more game, one more race, one more ticket. All in the hope of that ellusive 'big' win. It seems to me that the only way to enjoy gambling is if you play for the sake of playing, not because you need to win.

Here's the link to a website that'l help if you're gambling a little too much.

http://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/

Bitchin'

Absolutely everyone does it. You do it. Your mates do it, people you don’t like do it. And they’ve probably done it about you. Even celebs do it- Charlotte Church and Cheryl Cole hit the headlines doing it. Whether you’ve just caught them on a bad day, and they need to let off steam (at your expense) or they really are that pissed off with you. People talk, and if you’re not there while they talk about you, then it’s going to be behind your back. It can be seen as harmless fun, about someone you don’t know and will never hear: “have you seen what she’s got on??” or it could be downright evil shit stirring, either way it’s bitching. And as long as people can talk it’s going to be around.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/jul/02/lucyrock.theobserver

The above link will take you to an article on whether it’s just women who like a good bitch.

Llello

Addictive, fashionable, easy to get hold of and usage is on the rise. It has a million different nicknames and the stuff you end up with is likely to be a fraction of what you paid for.

So why the fascination? Why do people get involved in such a serious and addictive substance? It's as common place at parties as lighting a ciggy and you don't even have to go out side at the pub.

It's been splashed over the media by celebrities and apart from the odd horror story about noses rotting, people don't seem to care about the side effects as they ware off in half an hour...don't they??

The truth is, if you take it again and again then the addictive effects are lasting longer, and when you start spending more and more cash on it, then it's probably got you hooked, by then though, it may be too late to just leave it alone.

Coke will make you feel like a new and improved version of yourself, it can make you cocky and it will sober up the side effects of alcohol. But that's about it. It will make you feel like just one more line will help you reach that high that you're now craving. It lies.

It will give you a Colombian cold that won't shift, it'll make you groggy and tired and in the long run it'll make you broke.

My advice? Don't start!

http://www.talktofrank.com/uploadedImages/Drugs/LARGE%20PHOTOS_cocaine.jpg

The above link will take you to talktofrank.com, where you can read about the effects of cocaine.

Reasons to Smoke

I cough, I wheeze, and my habit is widely frowned upon, and yet still, I spark up. why? Because I love it!

I started way too young because, well, just because I suppose. And now, at 23, I smoke between ten and twenty a day. I love smoking, I love the way a cigarette finishes off a meal or perfectly, accompanies a drink- be it alcohol or a good brew, a ciggie is perfect!

Cigarettes are very addictive and no one knows this more than I do; I endured nine long months when I was pregnant, and my God was I glad when I could smoke again. Obviously I had a 101 questions as to why I had started smoking again, and my simple answer was because I was no longer pregnant!

Smoking is enjoyable, and although I know it may well be killing me, the truth of the matter is, you have to die of something, and I'd rather loose my lungs before my mind!

http://www.forestonline.org/output/Best-Quotes.aspx

Follow the above link for amusing quotes about smoking and the smoking ban.

Binge Drinking

I am writing this with a thumping head ache, a dry mouth and the remains of my fry up breakfast on the kitchen side, reminding me of how sick I feel. I think it's quite clear why drinking is 'bad'.


Alcohol is addictive, it makes people feel invincible, argumentative, emotional, and carefree (in a bad way). It has the capability to ruin lives. So why drink it?


I don't drink for any of the above reasons. I don't think that it is only alcohol that is addictive; I think it's the social atmospheres that it creates that are so enjoyable. I drink because it helps me to let go and relax, I drink because I like the flavour and feeling of being drunk, and I drink because it's the only legal intoxicant!

I drink regularly and when I do I drink a lot. I am an infamous binge drinker! *insert gasp here*

It seems to me that unless you are t-total or an alcoholic, then you must be a binge drinker. Even my nan, who drinks fewer than 10 units a year fits the bill!



But as long as it is frowned upon to drink each and every day (whilst at work and driving etc) I believe that binge drinking and it's ludicrous side effects (karaoke, table top dancing, and public urination to name but a few) will continue- cheers!






http://www.thesite.org/drinkanddrugs/drinking/problems/bingedrinking


Follow the above link for statistics on and a definition of binge drinking.