Momentum Project – Page 82 – We saw what is unseen

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The Long-Term Affects Of Spying On Your Teen And Why You Shouldn’t Spy

March 26, 2020February 24, 2022BrianComment(0)

In this day and age, of suicide and depression, of sex and drugs, parents want to know what’s going on in every breathing moment of their teenagers lives. They want to know where they’re going, who they’re with, and what they’re doing. But, being a teenager myself, we all know that one little lie can […]

Swimsuits first came about in the 1920s where women wore tank-like suits, then slowly progressed to suits with skirts in the 1930s. After this, along came the corset style swimwear that was in the ear of the 1940s to 1960s, although more stars and celebrities sported this style as the rest of the women wore […]

What to Wear to an Interview: A Girl’s Guide

March 8, 2020February 24, 2022BrianComment(0)

Visit Temecula, Southern California’s Weekend Getaway

January 27, 2020February 24, 2022BrianComment(0)

The Disney Vault

January 25, 2020February 24, 2022BrianComment(0)

Hearing Aids: Why I’ll Never Wear One

March 1, 2020March 13, 2020

I’m deaf, well, nearly deaf. A year of mortar fire in Vietnam, years of loud rock music and bringing up three crazy boys have taken their toll on my ears.

Most every family has somebody who drives them crazy by saying “Huh?” and “Whadja say?” all the time. Sooner or later they will harangue this person into getting their ears checked with the express purpose of getting a hearing aid. My family was no different and I finally buckled and saw an audiologist. After reading some of the muama enence reviews, I made this stark decision.

I have to say I found out some very interesting things. First, I had a hearing loss at most tone levels with at significant level at the high pitches. This is known as “high frequency hearing loss”. Additionally, though, I found out some fascinating things about how we function when we don’t hear so well.

It turns out that when we talk with those we are close to such as family members that live under the same roof, we get used to the same topics coming up over and over again. As a result we actually “fill in the blanks” when it comes to words we don’t hear clearly; we assume certain things are being said and most of the time we are right. It also means that in many situations we don’t really pay that much attention. We minimize our listening effort in order to think about what we are going to say next.

In another venue, when people are talking and we really can’t make out the words through sound, we read lips; so the audiologist said. I didn’t believe her because I didn’t remember consciously reading lips. I had my wife mouth a short sentence and I couldn’t believe it; I understood it!

I was fascinated by the new information and was ready to go on with my life but, my family had other ideas. They wanted me to get bilateral (both sides) hearing aids. I priced them and the ones that didn’t make me look like an idiot were priced at $4,500 each; $4,500…each! That was the initial reason I decided against ever wearing hearing aids.

My wife, claiming that was there no way that there wasn’t an option lower than $4,500 dragged me out to several stores. She found a pair of hearing aids for $1,200. I’m not kidding you, they weighed about ten pounds each and I had to wear a battery on my back that looked like scuba gear; that’s the second reason I won’t ever get a hearing aid, I refuse to look goofier than I already do.

However, there is an overriding reason that a hearing aid is not a part of my future. We have two dogs. These dogs occasionally whine. I have high frequency loss so I can’t hear them. When I go into a noisy restaurant, it just sounds like a low hum, not a lot of obnoxious people talking. Why would I pay money to add irritating sounds to my life?

I have learned the fine art of smiling and nodding my head about every 20 seconds and frankly, people don’t want to hear me talk anyway.

Yes, I need a hearing aid. I’ll never get one because they’re too expensive; they look too stupid and I don’t want to hear most of the noises I’m missing anyway.

My hearing loss bothers other people; it doesn’t bother me. I know I should put others first, especially my family…nah.

Facebook, Myspace, and Xanga: Why All 3 Are a Danger

February 27, 2020June 19, 2020

Social networking websites run rampant in the big world of the World Wide Web and there are many legitimate uses that a person can have for all three of the major websites, like Facebook, Myspace, or Xanga. Unfortunately, not everyone does have good intentions, but instead there are those people who carry the concept of social networking to feed their own habits. A couple examples of this is stalkers finding an innocent teenager to stalk and prey on, rapists who look for adolescents to commit their next crime, and others who only use social networking websites as a way to continue statistics of crime-ridden America.

Age Restrictions

There are age restrictions to using Myspace and you cannot have a Facebook account while in junior high. The age restrictions for Myspace, however, include not being able to create an account unless you are at least 14 years old. On the other hand, Facebook’s Terms state that users can use a Facebook account if they are 13 years of age or older and in high school. The age requirement for Xanga is also 13 years old.

Safety Precautions

Myspace –

Even though Myspace automatically makes a user’s account “private” for children under 16 years old, they do have a glitch in the system. For a child under 16 years old, no one can add that user as a friend until they input some personal detail, like their email address or last name, about the child they’re trying to add. That might stop a predator from adding a child under 16 years old to their friend list, however, it does not stop them from messaging the user under 16 years old. Therefore, users on Myspace can be threatened, harassed, stalked, and otherwise preyed upon through the use of the Myspace messaging system.

Facebook –

Facebook does not have any safety precautions when it comes to the safety of children under 16 years old. Furthermore, Facebook’s terms state that children under 18 are not allowed an account unless they are in high school. How many children begin their high school career at 13 years old? Not many, but this is not to say that 13 year olds cannot have Facebook accounts and falsify the information they pass along to Facebook to say that they are in high school. Facebook wouldn’t necessarily have to verify the teen’s account, nor would they have enough time to do so. In order to get information about instagram safety, then a check can be made at the https://lightninglikes.com site. All the necessary information will be provided to the person.

Xanga –

Probably the worst of the three social networking websites when it comes to safety precautions for young children, Xanga allows children who are at least 13 years old to have a Xanga account. They don’t even require them to be in high school as Facebook does. Of course, Xanga does state in their Terms of Service that Xanga is not to be used to harm or stalk anyone else. However, this doesn’t prevent the meeting of young children and predators, pedophiles, and stalkers. But Xanga admits and even states that they have no responsibility to filter or monitor any of the content that is put on their website.

At a time when an adolescent is developing physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, it is not a time to introduce things and websites that could potentially cause harm to them. Parents definitely need to be on the lookout if their child is using these social networking websites for anything inappropriate or if they have reason to believe that their child is being stalked, harmed, or preyed upon in some way. The safety of adolescents is definitely not left up to these social networking websites themselves, so parents need to do all they can to protect their children when social networking!

Visit Temecula, Southern California’s Weekend Getaway

January 27, 2020February 24, 2022

Temecula, California, also known as Temecula Valley Wine Country, is a beautiful unique city located outside Northern San Diego County and 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles off the 15 Freeway. Temecula is nestled between beautiful scenic mountains and offers award winning wineries, hot air balloon rides, golf, hiking trails, lakes and a casino. It is the perfect weekend getaway.

Old Town

Old Town Temecula is a quaint and historic town built in the early 1800’s. It has over 640 antique dealers in addition to craft stores offering unique shopping. Every Saturday morning there is the popular Farmers Market from 8:00 am to 12:30 p.m. featuring local organic fruits, vegetables, and crafts.

Temecula

Temecula has the perfect climate for growing olives. Located in Old Town is a specialty olive oil store that accommodates an olive oil tasting room offering many unique blends of olive oils that will delight any palate. They also sell olive oil products such as soap, scrubs, lip balm, food, gift baskets and clothing. Temecula Olive Oil Company

Wineries

Temecula is Southern California’s Wine Country. There are over 30 Wineries to choose from, some offer wine tasting rooms and tours of the winery. Each winery is unique, and some are first class resorts featuring villas and spas, shopping and restaurants. A few specialize in group getaways and weddings, which have houses, condominiums and rooms for rent. You can drive to them yourself, or choose from many of the Winery Tours, including limousine and van rentals. Temecula Wineries

For a one of a kind experience, try a beautiful horseback riding tour through some of the wineries. Morning, afternoon and evening tours are available. Wine Country Trails by Horseback

Hot Air Ballooning

There are Hot Air Balloon adventures over the beautiful rolling hills of Wine Country lasting 60 to 75 minutes. They offer special occasion tours such as proposals, anniversaries and birthdays. In June, there is an annual Wine and Balloon Festival where hundreds of thousands gather to watch over 40 to 50 hot air balloons while listening to famous bands perform. Hot Air Ballooning

Gamming

Temecula has one of the largest Indian Casino’s in Southern California, Pechanga Resort amp; Casino. Besides gamming, it hosts a hotel, spa, restaurants, nightclubs, holds concerts and events with top entertainers. In addition, there is RV parking with overnight stays. Pechanga Resort amp; Casino

Lakes

Lake Skinner is great for camping, fishing and boating. Rentals are available including kayaks and 10 person pontoons. Although there is no body contact allowed on the lake there is a swimming pool nearby. They have beautiful hiking and nature trails and offer a camp store and caf©. Lake Skinner is host to the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival held in early June. Lake Skinner Vail Lake Resort is the largest private lake in Southern California surrounded by the Cleveland National Forest, Agua Tivia Wilderness and the BLM lands. It offers, camping, hiking, mountain biking, bass fishing, water slides, wakeboarding, beaches and swimming. On the weekends, they have a Saturday night Carne Asada grill that includes evening headline entertainment at their lakeside amphitheater. They offer many festivals such as the Temecula Wine and Food Festival held in April, in addition to special events throughout the year. Vail Lake Resort

For a special weekend of adventure, beauty, relaxation, and entertainment, Temecula is the perfect getaway. Temecula, California Official Website

UFC 143 Nick Diaz Vs. Carlos Condit

January 27, 2020March 4, 2020

Most of the UFC’s fighters are respectful, even-tempered and professional. And I think that’s the way it should be. But every once in a while, it’s kind of refreshing to see a fighter who acts like, well, a fighter. Nick Diaz apparently grew up in a pretty tough neighborhood and learned to fight out of necessity, rather than as a way to compete or make money. He’ll be headlining Ultimate Fighting Championship 143 when he fights Carlos Condit.
More MMA: UFC 144 Edgar vs. Henderson

For some reason, the UFC has been slow to announce the entire card, so we’ll only look at a couple of bouts. Before we go further with Diaz vs Condit, let’s look at the the second most anticipated matchup, Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce.

Josh Koscheck has this “villain” image to him, which to be honest, I don’t get. He may have come off as a bit of a jerk on the original Ultimate Fighter, but that was a long time ago, and it was a reality TV show. He definitely doesn’t seem to be Mr. Nice Guy, but I don’t see why he apparently continues to be disliked by many. Regardless, he’s a good fighter.

Related: Gambling on MMA: An Explanation of Betting Lines

Mike Pierce is not exactly a big name, but he’s only lost to top level fighters while in the UFC. Unfortunately for him, his wins aren’t exactly against top level guys. And Koscheck is a top level guy. So using that simplistic logic, Koscheck should win. Koscheck does once in a while surprisingly get knocked out in a fight he’d be expected to – and probably otherwise would – win, and that’s the only way I see Pierce winning. But that’s unlikely, so I’m going with the obvious choice, Koscheck. I haven’t been able to find any betting lines in this one.

Back to the main event, Nick Diaz vs Carlos Condit. Again, I like Diaz for his badassedness, but I also like him for his skills. It’s not hype when they talk about his cardio, he’s got a strange but effective punching style, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with such impressive ground defense. He’s also the former StrikeForce champ. And he fought a bunch in the UFC years ago. The betting lines have him at around -150.

The problem is, he didn’t face very tough competition in StrikeForce. And his prior UFC record wasn’t that great. Nice win against BJ in his return, but BJ has rarely been impressive past the first round in welter weight fights. And I’m a BJ fan. At least I used to be. Diaz is a good fighter, but I think the hype might be a little excessive.

Carlos Condit’s streak might be shorter, but his wins are bigger. He had the WEC belt, which is more impressive than the Strikeforce one. I see Condit winning this one. And since the betting lines have him as the underdog at around +120, that’s a pretty easy bet.

As always, let’s hope for a great night of fights.

More Extreme Sports: Snowboarding

The Disney Vault

January 25, 2020February 24, 2022

I recently heard that Sleeping Beauty would be returning to the Disney Vault again soon. This makes me sad. I happen to love Sleeping Beauty and unfortunately hadn’t had the chance to pick up a copy during its short stint outside of the Vault. I can now only hope that she comes back out again before I have children so that I may acquire a copy for them before she is banished back inside the Vault for the rest of eternity.

I understand the theory of the Disney Vault. In fact, it’s an ingenious marketing tool. I probably could care less about Sleeping Beauty, and would have forgotten about her completely had she not been locked up in the Vault, kept from me, and then released for a short time only. This scared me. I knew if I didn’t purchase the DVD immediately there would be an indeterminable period of time where she would be unavailable and I would have no way of knowing when the Disney gods might give her back to me again.

I imagine that this same mindset plagues many Disney fans, and is the exact reason Disney continues to thrive off of movies made years ago. The bigwigs at Disney know exactly what they’re doing to us; there is an enormous sense of urgency to have these movies when they are released from the evil grip of the Vault. Good for them.

But it makes me wonder… what the hell goes on inside of the Disney Vault??? Yes, I believe it is a real brick and mortar place, and yes I believe there are thousands upon millions of Disney classics stacked to the ceiling. But I also believe there’s a little bit of magic going on inside of the Disney Vault. If I could take a vacation to anywhere in the world, it would NOT be Disney World… but to the Disney Vault. Its door is shaped like Mickey Mouse’s head for goodness sake!!

Here is a list of things that I firmly believe goes on inside of the Vault:

1. The Disney Princesses definitely live largely inside of the Vault when they’re not being pimped out to the public for a limited time only. Not only do they live inside, but they are good friends. They lunch together, gossip, drink cosmos and get mani/pedis in their spare time. Cinderella is clearly the Carrie Bradshaw of the group. They take turns talking trash on Snow White because she lives with seven small men, think Jasmine wears extensions, and Ariel has had a boob job. FYI…The Real Housewives of the Disney Vault would have made a much better show than the chicks from Atlanta.

2. The Princes play poker on Thursdays, bowl on Fridays, and golf on Saturdays. Yes, they have all of these things inside the Vault. No, they’re not as charming out of the public eye…especially after a couple of rounds.

3. Obviously Mickey Mouse is Mayor of the Disney Vault. The people generally love him but he’s up to his ears trying to stay out of the press by keeping Minnie out of the liquor cabinet.

4. It’s common knowledge that Jiminy Cricket and Tinkerbelle have an illegitimate love child.

5. There is a community swimming pool. There is also a problem… it’s made up of gold coins… and only Scrooge McDuck (Chairman of the Disney Vault Board) can swim in it.

6. There is a county jail as well. The Beast is the warden. There are individual cells for Captain Hook, Jafar, and Maleficent. Ursula is unfortunately in solitary confinement.

7. Belle runs the local library, and with the exception of seeking donations for fundraising events doesn’t make a habit of cavorting with the other Princesses.

8. The Fairy Godmother and Genie were finally married a year ago. They live happily at the edge of the vault in whatever creation they can think of and conjure up on any given day.

9. There is a town square… and you can bet there is an enormous statue of Walt Disney in the center of it. He’s like Kennedy to these people.

10. After trying a few times with no success, Donald and Daisy Duck deciding not to have children after all. Much to the community’s and juvenile court systems appreciation, they decided to legally adopt Huey, Dewey and Louie instead.

I know it’s farfetched but you have to agree that these lovely characters must be doing something when they’re banished inside of the Disney Vault for years at a time. Something to pass the time until Mickey announces at the monthy town hall meeting who will be the next to leave briefly and make Disney millions? Right?

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