My favorite granola bar seems to be the latest item on my grocery list to be downsized. What used to be a healthy snack to satisfy my mid-afternoon hunger has been reduced to bar that can be eaten in just a few small bites. The wrapper appears to have remained the same size, yet the bar inside is noticeably smaller. Of course the price hasn’t been downsized, because businesses don’t want to lose any of their money. Do they think that we don’t mind losing our money, or is it simply that they don’t care as long as it’s not their loss?
I recently called one of the companies who’s product seems to be reducing in size, and they did send two free coupons for future purchase of the same product. That was a nice gesture, but it doesn’t change the fact that if I want to continue to purchase this product, I’m still going to have to continue to pay more for less product.
I understand that everyone is effected by the recession, including businesses, I just don’t like being deceived and treated like an idiot who won’t notice that I’m not getting as much as I used to for my money. If I have a favorite food, I’m going to continue to buy it even if the company has to increase the price in order to be able to continue making their products. What bothers me are the companies that are simply doing whatever it takes in order to keep their profits at an all-time high at the consumer’s expense.
I feel like I’m constantly telling my oldest daughter to stop cracking her knuckles, and I find myself using the same line that’s been passed down for generations; “Stop cracking your knuckles or your going to end up with joint problems.” Well, as I’m saying this, she points out that I’m usaully cracking my ankle, so I decided to see if this old wives tale is actually true. Here’s what I found.
According to an article in The Washington Post, it usually doen’t cause any harm unless you count the trauma caused by disgusting or annoying your friends! People who crack their knuckles find that their joints feel a bit looser after they’ve been cracked. Unfortunately, the effect is only temporary, which leads to more cracking. Kids often crack their knuckles to get attention. Even if the attention is negative, it encourages them to do it more often, sometimes simply because they enjoy the reaction from people when they crack their neck.
Although cracking your joints hasn’t been found to lead to arthritis, overzealous cracking can injure the ligaments that support those joints. This generally results in pain which is mild and temporary. In severe cases, it can weaken a person’s grip by loosening the tendons that attach muscle to bone. So even though it shouldn’t cause permanent damage, that doesn’t make it any less annoying. It’s almost as bad as listening to someone crack their gum!
Jeff Buckley’s rendition of “Hallelujah” is included on Rolling Stone’s list of ”The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. This song, written by Leonard Cohen, earned Buckley his first #1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs in March 2008 and reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart. In March, 2008, “Hallelujah” went to No. 1 on the iTunes chart, selling 178,000 downloads. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t live to see the success of his music and the impact that it’s had on his audience around the world. Buckley died in 1997 as the result of an accidental drowing in Wolf River Harbor, a channel of the Mississippi River.
A phobia is an extreme fear of an object, activity, or situation. These irrational fears may not make sense to someone who’s never experienced this paralyzing sensation, but it can be crippling to the effected person. Everybody is afraid of something, but there are some pretty unusual phobias, and the names are even more peculiar! Here’s a list of some of the more interesting fears.
Alektorophobia: Fear of Chickens
Arachibutyrophobia: Fear of Peanut Butter Sticking to the Roof of Your Mouth
Ataxophobia: Fear of Disorder or Untidiness
Barophobia: Fear of Gravity
Bogeyphobia: Fear of the Bogeyman
Chionophobia: Fear of Snow
Coulrophobia: Fear of Clowns
Cyclophobia : Fear of Bicycles
Eisoptrophobia: Fear of Mirrors
Ereuthophobia: Fear of Blushing
Geliophobia: Fear of Laughter
Hylophobia: Fear of Forests
Ichthyophobia: Fear of Fish
Lachanophobia: Fear of Vegetables
Melophobia: Fear of Music
Mythophobia: Fear of Lying
Ophthalmophobia: Fear of Being Stared At
Pogonophobia: Fear of Beards
Scolionophobia: Fear of School
Telephonophobia: Fear of Telephones
It always sounds like a good idea to sit down as a family and play a friendly game of Yahtzee, Battleship, or Sorry, but it rapidly escalates into an arguement over who’s turn it is, who’s not paying attention to the game, or someone accusing somebody else of cheating.
I’m trying to teach my children the importance of good sportsmanship which includes learning to be a good winner as well as gracefully accepting defeat. So far, the lesson has taken effect. My youngest daughter continues to do a victory dance when she wins, and threatens to quit in the middle of a game when she’s losing. We’ve tried to explain to her that no one else will want to play with her if she acts that way, and she promises to behave at the beginning of every game, but it usually doesn’t take long for something to go wrong.
Some people naturally have more of a competitive spirit than others. However, nobody wins every time, and it’s important to learn how to be happy for others when it’s their turn to win. Despite the arguments and occasional name calling between my children, I enjoy our family game nights. Hopefully they’ll learn a few life lessons along the way and have memories that they’ll look back on and enjoy.
