Teens Got Talent

Superhero

You may think superheroes are just comic book inventions and don't really exist. A 13 year old Australian boy proved that wrong.

Jordan Rice stood on the bonnet of his family car as flood waters rose around it. Rescuers fought frantically to save Jordan, his mother and younger brother. He had the option of being saved but instead handed his brother to rescuers. Jordan was apparently afraid of water which made this heroic act even more incredible.

Jordans brother was saved but unfortunately there was nothing they could do for Jordan and his mother who were swept away. I'm not religious but at times like this I hope there is a heaven because if anybody deserves a place there it is Jordan.

Rest In Peace Jordan and Donna.

Farming Hazard

Boy buys big in Farmville

A 12 year-old British boy has used his mother’s credit card to make purchases exceeding £900 in Facebook’s popular agriculture game, Farmville.

He did spend £288 of his own savings in this investment. The rest of it was all on his mum’s plastic though, and was spent completely without her knowledge:

“The first use of my card was on 14th March,” the mother said to The Guardian newspaper. “I discovered it on the 29th and the card was stopped at that point. Any transactions after that date were already in the system, so what I thought was a £427 spend turned into £625 over the next few days.”

And the rest, as they say, is history – just like the boy’s chances of ever being allowed back on the home computer again.

To add insult to injury Facebook, which hosts the game, has cancelled the boy’s account too. Perhaps that’s because, at 12 years old, he’s actually too young to be playing it.

Meanwhile it appears that the possibility of a refund from either the credit card company or the game’s makers is slim, since the credit card was supposed to be the mother’s responsibility. However HSBC, the card issuers, has said it may consider reimbursing the woman if she decides to file criminal charges against her son.

“Obviously the idea of a stupid farm simulation jeopardising his future earnings is not something that I want to consider,” is all she had to say about that proposition.

So how did the lad himself account for his wayward spending spree?

“...they had brought out good stuff that I wanted.”

LMAO! However the biggest irony in all of this is that Farmville is mostly free to play, with users purchasing extra items only if they want them. But therein lie many lessons about the dangers of supposedly free applications – as well as the pitfalls of leaving minors alone with their mum’s purse!

Now if that wasn't insane enough people were invited to comment about this on Yahoo Games and at the time I read the article there were only four comments. Look at them and tell me if you can see the hilarity of them.

Comment on this article

User comments

(1) lol this I understand it was my reaction
(2) How did a 12yr old know the pin number?  he's 12 are you serious?
(3) little brat has no right to even be on a computer at that age unbelievable comment
(4) wat can it be speant on? 900 quid to just play the game? made me wonder too.

Masturbation

Against what we are often led to believe (usually by religious fanatics) masturbation is NOT harmful to body or soul.

Encouraged masturbation

In the UK in 2009, a leaflet has been issued by the NHS in Sheffield carrying the slogan, "an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away". It also says: "Health promotion experts advocate five portions of fruit and veg a day and 30 minutes' physical activity three times a week. What about sex or masturbation twice a week?"

This leaflet has been circulated to parents, teachers and youth workers and is meant to update sex education by telling older school students about the benefits of enjoyable sex. Its authors have said that for too long, experts have concentrated on the need for "safe sex" and committed relationships while ignoring the principal reason that many people have sex. The leaflet is entitled Pleasure. Instead of promoting teenage sex, it could encourage young people to delay losing their virginity until they are certain they will enjoy the experience, said one of its authors.

The Spanish region of Extremadura launched a programme in 2009 to encourage in young people, aged between 14 and 17, "sexual self-exploration and the discovery of self-pleasure". The €14,000 campaign includes leaflets, flyers, a "fanzine", and workshops for the young in which they receive instruction on masturbation techniques along with advice on contraception and self-respect. The initiative, whose slogan is, "Pleasure is in your own hands" has angered local right-wing politicians and challenged traditional Roman Catholic views. Officials from the neighbouring region of Andalucia have expressed an interest in copying the programme.

Among some cultures, such as the Hopi in Arizona, the Wogeno in Oceania, and the Dahomeans and Namu of Africa, masturbation is encouraged.

Rites of passage

Other cultures have rites of passage into manhood that culminate in the first ejaculation of a male, usually by the hands of a tribal elder. In some tribes such as the Agta, Philippines, stimulation of the genitals is encouraged from an early age. Upon puberty, the young male is then paired off with a "wise elder" or "witch doctor" who uses masturbation to build his ability to ejaculate in preparation for a ceremony. The ceremony culminates in a public ejaculation before a celebration. The ejaculate is saved in a wad of animal skin and worn later to help conceive children.

Benefits

It is held in many mental health circles that masturbation can relieve depression and lead to a higher sense of self-esteem. Masturbation can also be particularly useful in relationships where one partner wants more sex than the other – in which case masturbation provides a balancing effect and thus a more harmonious relationship.

In 2003, an Australian research team led by Graham Giles of The Cancer Council Australia found that males masturbating frequently had a lower probability to develop prostate cancer. Men who averaged five or more ejaculations weekly in their 20s had significantly lower risk. However they could not show a direct causation. The study also indicated that increased ejaculation through masturbation rather than intercourse would be more helpful as intercourse is associated with diseases (STDs) that may increase the risk of cancer instead.

A study published in 1997 found an inverse association between death from coronary heart disease and frequency of orgasm even given the risk that myocardial ischaemia and myocardial infarction can be triggered by sexual activity.

The association between frequency of orgasm and all cause mortality was also examined using the midpoint of each response category recorded as number of orgasms per year. The age adjusted odds ratio for an increase of 100 orgasms per year was 0.64 (0.44 to 0.95).

That is, a difference in mortality appeared between any two subjects when one subject ejaculated at around two times per week more than the other. Assuming a broad range average of between 3 to 5 ejaculations per week for healthy males, this would mean 5 to 7 ejaculations per week. This is consistent with a 2003 Australia article on the benefits against prostate cancer. The strength of these correlations increased with increasing frequency of ejaculation.

A 2008 study at Tabriz Medical University found ejaculation reduces swollen nasal blood vessels, freeing the airway for normal breathing. The mechanism is through stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and is long lasting. The study author suggests "It can be done from time-to-time to alleviate the congestion and the patient can adjust the number of intercourses or masturbations depending on the severity of the symptoms."

Masturbation is also seen as a sexual technique that protects individuals from the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Support for such a view, and for making it part of the American sex education curriculum, led to the dismissal of US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders during the Clinton administration. E.U. Nations include masturbation in their sex education and promote the practice.

Sexual climax, from masturbation or otherwise, leaves one in a relaxed and contented state. This is frequently followed closely by drowsiness and sleep – particularly when one masturbates in bed.

The legal status of masturbation throughout history has varied from virtually unlimited acceptance to complete illegality. In a 17th century law code for the Puritan colony of New Haven, Connecticut "blasphemers, homosexuals and masturbators" were eligible for the death penalty.

Chill Out

After reading so much crap in the papers recently I had to find something to settle me down. Fortunately there are a number of simple ways this can be achieved.

1. Breathing - breathe in deeply. Inflate your lungs fully then exhale slowly. Do this for five minutes. What actually happens physically is that more oxygen will be sent to your blood and this will reduce the effects of stress.

2. Go outside - Research from the University of Essex has stated that five minutes in a green space relieves depression, stress and low self-esteem. The National Trust have backed this up saying people who spend a lot of time outdoors are in general happier people. Combine this with step one and you should really chill.

3. Foot massage - If you can't get outside, with the aid of a tennis ball you can give yourself a simple foot massage. Slip off your shoe and roll your foot gently over the ball. Use the full length of your foot including the toes and apply a little more pressure on the ball when you reach the middle of your sole.

4. Head massage - Place your thumbs behind your ears and spread your fingers over your scalp. For 15-20 seconds move your scalp back and forth with your fingertips in a circular motion.

5. Hold hands - Yes, just hold hands with someone. This relaxes muscles and slows a racing heart thus reducing heightened blood pressure and also levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Other ways can be achieved through eating or drinking the right things. For instance crunching on an apple or stick of celery helps to combat stress, according to psychologists, by the noise and crunching action. Tea - herbal or otherwise - also helps reduce cortisol.

Religion, Why?

I don't know who or what Jesus was but I know he was a good guy. Son of God? Hard for me to imagine but who knows? The point is he along with Moses and Abraham are recognised by Muslims and Christians as prophets if nothing else (Jews? Well two out of three ain't bad). So it seems strange how one 'God', 'Jehovah' or 'Allah' (presumably the same guy) has caused such division.

Not only is there division, peoples of all creeds are killing each other which is basically against all scriptures however you try to manipulate them. Muslims split into a number of factions after Mohammed's death because they couldn't agree on a successor, then promptly went to war with each other and anybody else close enough.

Christians were no better. Henry VIII changed the church to suit his own ends and 400 years later bombs were going off everywhere. The crusades tried to take the moral high ground but as with oil today, plunder and conquest were the main incentives.

Many biblical events occurred, perhaps a little less spectacularly than described, but they can be explained by natural phenomena. Why in the days of such technological enlightenment can't certain factions accept the possibility of the non-existence of a supreme deity? Wouldn't that make war a thing of the past?

NO!!!

Why not? Because there will always be greedy people who wants to spoil the party!

If there was no religion then surely there would be no racism either! I don't judge by colour or creed (there are nice and nasty everywhere it's not exclusive to one nation), its best to just take each person as an individual because that's what we all are.

So now by getting rid of religion, I've stopped wars and cured racism, what else?

I know! It won't be a sin to be gay anymore! Now I'm not saying it's right because I don't believe it's natural otherwise the human race would die out! However I don't see how anybody can tell anybody else how to live their lives.

Right so thats war, racism and general ignorance. Wait! Wait! I forgot famine!!!!!

Of course if all the money spent on weapons was spent on food and social welfare nobody would go hungry and everyone would have somewhere to live.

Wow, I'm a genius!

Right so let's get started, anyone got any ideas how I can get religion banned?

Our Neighbours - 1. The Moon

Lunar Facts

Distance from the Earth: 239,000 miles (384,000 km)

Revolution Period: 27.3 days

Mass (Earth=1): 0.012

Radius at Equator (Earth=1): 0.272

The Moon is a piece of the Earth that splintered off when struck by a meteor whilst still largely molten. It is still moving away from the Earth. 

A couple of odd facts are that the Moon is 400 times closer to Earth than the Sun and coincidentally 400 times smaller, enabling us to see a total eclipse and the 'diamond ring' effect. 

The other fact is that we only ever see one face of the Moon as its rotational spin is locked together with its revolution around the Earth.

To see what sort of battering the Earth has taken over the ages, you need look no further than the Moon. In fact with a larger surface area it is reasonable to assume the Eart has been hit far more often. The hits on the Earth have with the passage of time all but disappeared, with the Moon however there is no atmosphere and the impact craters are there to be seen.

To see the full article visit http://abeorigine.blogspot.com/2011/01/skywatch-1-moon.html and don't forget to prepare for the partial eclipse on Tuesday between 0800 and 0930 hours.

Must See Movies

Starring a 13 year old Christian Bale, John Malkovich and Nigel Havers, the film is a true account of J.G.Ballard's experiences in a Japanese work-camp from 1941-45.

Jamie Graham (Bale) is a somewhat spoilt brat enjoying the good life in the International Sector of Shanghai. Although Japan and China had been at war for 4 years the Sector was protected by diplomatic treaties. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour all that changed.

When Jamies parents realised - too late - the danger they were all in, they tried (along with thousands of others) to evacuate. In the confusion Jamie was separated. He went home and waited for his parents but they never came. Facing starvation at home Jamie went into the city where he was taken in by Basey (Malkovich) an American merchant seaman who had plans to sell the boy.

When nobody wants to buy Jamie he promises Basey 'rich-pickings' from the houses near where he lived. They are caught by the Japanese and put in holding warehouses until the fittest are chosen to go work in the labour-camp.

The focus of the film then turns to a childs instinct for survival in testing circumstances, in spite of a usually 'devil-may-care' attitude.

With Steven Spielberg as director, the photography is excellent and some of the sequences even for such an old film (1987) are outstanding. It's a must see for war buffs and true-story lovers like me. The end sequence moistened my eyes as it would anybody with any sort of emotions.

Click on the thumbnail to see full size image

Star Gazing

Tuesday morning the UK will experience a partial solar eclipse. These are rare events and are worth seeing even though it won't be as dramatic as the one in 1999. However it can still be dangerous and the Department of Health's Chief Medical Officer has issued advice on "safe viewing" of this stellar event.

As the eclipse will occur between 8.00 and 9.30 in the morning, if the weather is clear then it will be easily seen by millions on their way back to work or school after the Christmas break.

During a previous eclipse in 2005 a young boy suffered damage to his central vision after looking directly at the sun, so it is important that everyone, children and adults, is aware of the dangers and the precautions to take.

Anyone who wants to experience the eclipse must do so either by indirect means or by using special eye protection. Just because you experience no pain looking at the eclipse does not mean that your eyes have not been damaged, so follow this advice to be certain of a safe viewing experience.

Direct viewing

• Sunglasses are NOT safe. They do not block the harmful radiation that causes eye damage.
• To directly view the sun, you need to use properly designed and certified solar filters. These will be identified as such, and should have the CE mark and a statement that it conforms to EC Directive 89/686/EEC. Alternatively a welder's glass rated 14 or higher can be used.
• Even with the correct filters in place children could still be at risk if the fitting is designed for an adult's face. These should only be used by children with fully trained adult supervision.

Indirect viewing

This is the safest way to see the eclipse. A simple home-made "pin-hole" camera can be constructed to view the eclipse. You will need two thin but stiff sheets of white cardboard.

• Make a very small, clean hole in one piece (with a sharp pin).
• Stand with your back to the sun.
• Hold up the sheet with the hole so that it is exposed to the sun.
• Place the second sheet below the first. An inverted image of the sun should be cast on the second sheet.
• To make the image brighter, move the screen closer to the pinhole.
• Do not make the pinhole wide or you will only have a shaft of sunlight rather than an image of the crescent sun. 

Remember, this instrument is used with your back to the sun. 

 The sunlight passes over your shoulder, through the pinhole and forms an image on the cardboard screen, beneath it. DO NOT look through the pinhole at the sun.

Under no circumstances should you look directly at the sun.

By all means watch this special event but do so safely!