Life

I was thinking today about all of the people that have come and gone from my life over the years. I remember being told in high school that "the friends you have now you won't have when you're an adult and you all go your separate ways" and for a majority of my high school friends that is exactly how it turned out. People that will always hold a special place in my heart and are in countless memories that I love to look back on yet, most of those people I never see and rarely even talk to. I think the teenage years of our lives hold bittersweet memories for everyone. I treasure those friends from those years that I do still see and spend time talking and staying current on each other's lives, they're rare people that I can honestly say, "I've known them forever!".
It's not just the teenage years though, there were friends in college that I saw every day and now I no longer talk to. We grew apart once the common denominator of our friendship ended and new careers and priorities took over. I don't think it means our friendship was meaningless or shallow, I just know that as life goes on and becomes more complicated and busy we tend to have less time for the people outside of our immediate family and coworkers. Now that it's not surprising when an American works more than they sleep and spend time with their family put together, the workplace has become literally, "our home away from home". The same goes for sports teams, volunteer groups, church families, kids activities, etc.
When I was fifteen my family moved from the place I had grown up to a city almost two hours away. It was hard to stay in contact with my "old" friends as school pressure intensified and we all started our first jobs. When you add distance to any relationship the probability of it lasting drops drastically. It was hard as a teenager to accept this but as an adult I realize that sometimes letting go gives way to life experiences you couldn't have imagined and new relationships that help you grow, it's a hard part of life to learn and there are probably those that struggle at every transition because they never do.
It's amazing how someone can be such a big part of your life for so long then only in a matter of weeks or months you realize they're not even a part of it at all. Crazy how quickly our emotions and life evolve! Relationships, friends, coworkers, it truly is an ever changing journey. One that we adapt and conform to, changing a little as each phase gives way to the next.

Response to Today's "Yahoo" Article Regarding New York's Recent Ruling on Child Pornography

Some of you may have seen the headline picked up today by Yahoo titled, "Viewing child pornography online not a crime: New York court ruling" Here is the link if you missed it!
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/viewing-child-pornography-not-crime-according-york-court-165025919.html

You have to read the article to understand the "whole story" not just the headline, what the ruling stated was that if there were images of child pornagraphy on your computer, it isn't necessarily a crime unless you saved them.

In response, I am shocked and disappointed. I have heard the story about the grandmother who innocently took pictures of her granddaughter in the tub and playing in the yard in a swimsuit and when she took the roll of film to be developed the clerk reported her and I've heard about those who have had pornography sent to them in a mass email attachment that they did not mean to open or receive or those who have stumbled across a site of pop-up once or twice. What I am talking about is completely different, the criminal this article references had HUNDREDS of pictures that were viewed by him on his computer, he claims he never downloaded them. He was just looking. Repeatedly apparently.

It's absurd to say that if someone sends an email to someone with a picture of child pornography in it, that it's their fault, and it's wrong to call a grandmother a pervert for receiving a picture of her grandson or granddaughter in the tub HOWEVER, this is going to open a floodgate for defense cases all over the country to reference. We are talking about hundreds of images "viewed" but saying it's OK because they didn't "save" them. Are you kidding? They don't need to, they can just revisit the site again and again now. I am originally from NY and am disappointed that they've made this decision, how sad that they would blur the lines where child abuse and pornography are concerned.  Especially with these types of crimes and trafficking on a rise all over the world, INCLUDING America. I get their thinking, I do, that our computer will hold thousands of cache images over the lifetime that we own it, however, there is no reason that hundreds of those would fall under the category of child pornography and there is no reason why clear intent cannot be seen. It is frustrating seeing the direction this is headed with people seemingly uncaring. As humans we need to watch the road ahead, not just the present. Each decision has a way of affecting every generation after us.

The Rainforest

A couple years ago I posted the final paper I wrote for my advanced composition class on the Rainforest. You can view the post here, forewarning though, it's a long one: http://nikkisbubble.blogspot.com/2008/08/last-persuasive-paper-from-adv-comp.html. I'd like to revisit the topic because to me, it is so important and not nearly talked about enough. One of the most important facts about the Amazonian Rainforest that I think few people realize or even think about it that there are 18,000 known plants in the rainforest not found anywhere else on the planet and 25% of all Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, yet less than 1% of these tropical trees & plants have been tested by scientists. For me, this is a no-brainer. We need to preserve this resource better and dedicate more time and research to discovering and cultivating it's wealth while at the same time making sure that we are taking care to protect it for future generations.

Here is a link I wanted to share that if you click daily, sponsors will donate towards habitat protection.
http://www.therainforestsite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=4
Why do they do this just for you clicking daily? Because their ads and products are all over the site and their incentive is that you will see them and be drawn to click on them as well.
A benefit to this is that there is a "Rainforest Store" with various products you can buy where a small portion of the profit will go back to the site for the protection of the Rainforest. So check it out. It only takes a second to click and you will be contributing a small part towards preservation!

A Couple Website Suggestions

Recently I added two new websites to my "Favorite Sites" list on my sidebar, (scroll down the left side of "My Bubble" to see the list), and I wanted to take a second to tell you about them.

The first is "What I Think You Should Know". It's a new blog, really new in fact, as in last week new. The writer has a few posts up there that are worth a read but what is really different is that he has pages on the blog. These are tabs along the top with headers for a finances section and a travel section as well as the main home tab. Check it out when you can and be sure to leave some feedback for the new blogger. :)

The second is the "Calorie Count" site. This has been featured on "The Today Show" as well as "SELF" magazine, so it isn't new to the web, just me. What's great about this fitness tool is that not only is it free, but also you don't have to sign up for the site or anything else to use it! If you scroll to the bottom there is a "Browse Foods" header where you can search by category. It is awesome!! I see myself using it every day. A couple other really neat things it offers are the recipe and activities section. The activities section has estimated calories burned for everything from kneeling and praying to bicycling! I have never seen a site that has such a wide range of possible activities. Definitely check it out!! If you are a beginner to calorie counting or have been doing it for years, if this site is new to you, I guarantee you will find something beneficial!

As always, thanks for stopping by and I hope one of these recommendations becomes a favorite of yours too!