In a discussion today that I had in a class about gay marriage, a lot of emotion came up. The argument for most seem to boil down Morality Vs. Equality. For me though I have a different way to decide what I vote when it comes down to issues like this. I base my decisions on the inalienable rights as defined by the United States Declaration of Independence. These inalienable rights are defined as "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness". So when I look at an issue such as Gay Marriage I do not look as what I believe , whether or not I see it as a correct or incorrect behavior, instead I ask myself how will a yes or no vote effect another persons life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In the state of California recently, this is the dilemma I along with tens of millions of Californians were faced with, it was called Proposition 8. Proposition 8 proposed to define marriage as between a man and a woman, thus banning gay marriage in the state of California. To me this was really a no-brainier, I have always been fighting for gay and lesbian rights. I have participated in multiple 'days of silence'. This is something I truly believe in, but my conclusion took a long journey to come to.

When I was younger I decided not to be a democrat and the basis for my decision was not based on anything political, instead it was based on the fact that I despised homosexuals. I thought they were disgusting , they were immoral and they were an abomination. I was young and impressionable and this was what everyone around me believed and this is what they taught. They would site gods laws to me. I remember listening to how god was all loving and all caring yet vengeful and alienated certain groups. I accepted these conundrums though. The only thing that made me feel weird was that,I felt alienated. I am genuinely attracted to females and attracted to males at the same time. I do not ride the fence, these are my preferences. I am a true bisexual. So in growing up in the church atmosphere i did, I felt hated and alienated. I wasn't like anyone else and if I acted the way that I felt inside, I would be hated. I would break my mothers heart and perhaps even she too would hate me.

As I made the transition from Elementary, I began to see that I wasn't alone, there were others just like me. This is where my thinking began to change and this is when I began taking up politics. As I entered High School, I found even more people like me and people began to talk to me about these issues that were a form of taboo in my mothers church. At the end though I realized that I am perfect just the way I am. When I would get up to argue my position on things like gay marriage though i didn't see the point in arguing morality, because the Constitution is based on a separation of church and state, ensuring that no ones personal beliefs become infringed upon. So as prop 8 came up and people began to tell me why they were voting yet, I used the United States Declaration of independence to retort back. All Americans Are Guaranteed Three Inalienable Rights.

If I were to vote yes on 8, was I infringing upon someones right to LIFE? Answer: No. Prop 8 is not a life or death proposition.
If I were to vote yes on 8, am I infringing upon someone right to LIBERTY? Answer: Yes. Marriage is a legal binding contract between two people and by discriminating on who can enter into this legal binding document and with whom, means that voting yes on 8 would infringe upon someones freedom in America.
If I were to vote yes on 8, would I infringe upon someones PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS? Answer: Of course. Getting married to most people is the happiest day of their life, there are few other occasions that compare. Two people are in love and this contract of marriage helps them guarantee that they will be with each other and no ever, they will stick together in sickness and in health, through the good and the bad. This contract is someone giving up there life to make it apart of anothers. It is truly one of the most selfless acts that can be committed and for most will guarantee love until death.

Okay so were now know that voting yes on 8 would infringe on certain individuals inalienable rights, how about a no vote. What would a no vote on 8 do?

If I were to vote no on 8, am I infringing on someones right to LIFE? No. Once again, this is not a life or death situation.
If I were to vote no on 8, would I be infringing on someones right to LIBERTY? No. If anything I believe this guarantees the rights of a minority and promotes the American ideal of Freedom for All.
If I were to vote no on 8, would I be infringing on someones PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS? No. If anything by voting no on 8 I would be encouraging someones pursuit of happiness, because there is nothing happier than devoting yourself to the one you love.

So by voting no on 8 I believe that this does not infringe upon any persons inalienable rights. Even the people voting yes, we do not infringe on your lives, it is not your liberty at stake and it is not your pursuit of happiness at stake, so I believe that a vote no on 8 is the best for the American Ideal of freedom for all.

I am sad though, 8 passed 52% to 48%. Although, there are lawsuits being filed to overturn this vote, I am disappointed that the vote went this way. Is the the freedom of the few worthless? I stopped saying the Pledge of Allegiance in the 9th grade because i stopped believing in it. The Pledge of Allegiance is said as follows:

I stopped saying it because it is no longer true and I cannot pledge my allegiance until injustices are fixed. We are not one nation indivisible, we are truly divided morally, on equality on everything, even the support of troops. How can I honestly say that there is liberty and justice for all, while the majority bullies another minority. What we stand for, are freedom everything is at stake. We are divided under different gods with liberty and justice for the majority. I am saddened that this occurs in America today, in 2008. I thought that the discriminatory mindset of the 50s and 60s were over. I thought we as a nation were past civil liberties, but apparently not many have read the history of this nation or do not remember it and now another minority is doomed to repeat it.

In Closing, Marriage should not be between A MAN and A WOMAN. Marriage should be between two people that love each other, people willing to scale any mountain for the one they love or"swim in shark infested waters just to get lemonade" (Dr. Laura AM 640 KFI). Marriage should be about LOVE. The love for each other. With marriages in America failing and divorce rates skyrocketing, marriage is becoming more and more demoralized. Marriage is becoming less and less about love between two people and suddenly about what society wants it to be. I think when gay marriage passes, we will be bring back to marriage what matters, LOVE.

Maybe one day America can again be indivisible, with liberty and justice for all and I guarantee you on that day I say the pledge of allegiance again.

(RM if you read this, you win because this is filled with emotional evidence that even I see as validated, so okay I get your point you win.)

The results are as follows:

Presidential Race Winner: BARACK OBAMA

Prop 1A: Yes: 52.1% No:47.9% -Passed
Prop2: Yes: 63.1% No: 36.9% -Passed
Prop3: Yes: 54.8% No: 45.2% -Passed
Prop4: Yes: 48% No: 52% -Failed
Prop5: Yes: 40.1% No: 59.9% - Failed
Prop6: Yes: 30.8% No: 69.2% -Failed
Prop7: Yes: 35.2% No: 64.8% -Failed
Prop8: Yes: 52.5% No: 47.5% - Passed
Prop9: Yes: 53.5% No: 46.5% -Passed
Prop10: Yes: 40.3% No: 59.7% -Failed
Prop11: Yes: 50.6% No: 49.4% -This is still undecided and is probably going to get recounted
Prop12: Yes: 63.5% No: 36.5% -Passed

These are the Results as they stand currently and only 2 seem to be under speculation. The first one under speculation is Prop 11, because the counting is so close they are probably going to recount to make sure that this measure did indeed pass, as it looks right now. The only other proposition under scrutiny is Prop 8. Three lawsuits have been filed on behalf of gay rights supporters. Just wanted to post the results for anyone who wanted them. I won't lie I'm not the happiest about the results, but I know things will work themselves out. I'm still in a state of shock after Prop 8 passed, but I do not believe that Prop 8 will be upheld because even if the majority believes in discrimination, it's still discrimination and it's still wrong. Next year if we voted on Heterosexual marriage or in Christian marriage, then what? It's not fair. I believe in democracy though and I believe that in this country Equality is for ALL and that something like a gay marriage ban will not stand, not in California, not anywhere!!! I know that similar measures passed in Arizona and Florida and personally I don't believe that they can stand very long either.

It's 12:45am on election day and i'm wondering how this day will play out? what will change from today to tomorrow? This year was the first year I had the pleasure to be able to vote in a presidential election. I know i'm going to be very anxious today as the hours pass, I had a big opinion on who i believed should win and what propositions I did and did not want to pass. I am proud though, no matter the outcome, to have voted and helped ensure democracy exists one more year. I can't wait though to see and hear all the results, i'll post again as soon as they are all known. And i would like to leave everyone who reads this with a quote that i have thought through this entire election, Dylan Thomas once said :



"Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. "

I really like this and it reminds me that no matter how dark things are, that I should never give up. And in this election as my opinion becomes greater and i become more anxious, at least i never gave up hope, I raged against the dying of the light.

I understand that homosexuality may end up being taught in schools this does not bug me because being gay is not a choice, it is biological. Teaching children to accept Homosexuality to me helps ensure acceptance and tolerance in the next coming generation and that does not seem like a bad thing to me. I do have a child and so I am not only speaking as a person but as a mother, I believe that my son should be taught tolerance, acceptance and love, NOT hate and discrimination. I think this helps ensure a more unified America in the future.

• Extreme weight loss
• Thin appearance
• Abnormal blood counts
• Fatigue
• Dizziness or fainting
• Brittle nails
• Hair that thins, breaks or falls out
• Soft, downy hair covering the body
• Absence of menstruation
• Constipation
• Dry skin
• Intolerance of cold
• Irregular heart rhythms
• Low blood pressure
• Dehydration
• Osteoporosis
• Refusal to eat
• Denial of hunger
• Excessive exercise
• Flat mood, or lack of emotion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Preoccupation with food
• Skipping meals
• Making excuses for not eating
• Eating only a few certain "safe" foods, usually those low in fat and calories
• Adopting rigid meal or eating rituals, such as cutting food into tiny pieces or spitting food out after chewing
• Weighing food
• Cooking elaborate meals for others but refusing to eat
• Repeated weighing of themselves
• Frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws
• Wearing baggy or layered clothing
• Complaining about being fat

This Disorder is horrible and has more than just death as a consequence. Anorexia causes:

• Weight loss
• Starvation
• Death - about 10% of cases end this way.
• Infections
• Kidney failure
• Cardiac arrest
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Suicide
• Osteoporosis - in the short-term or later in life.
• Muscle wasting
• Delayed puberty
• Constipation
• Hyponatraemia
• Hypokalaemia
• Weight loss
• Erectile dysfunction
• Female infertility
• Osteoporosis
• Purpura
• Hypothermia
• QT lengthening
• Pathological fracture
• Hypercarotinemia
• Sex hormone binding globulin raised (serum)
• Lanugo hair
• Amenorrhoea
• Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism
• Hypercholesterolaemia

Anorexia has a variety of sources that include: genetic, biological, societal, and developmental.

Societal is probably the most recognized. Please take a look around, watch commercials or America's next top model and you'll see what i mean. Even Barbies is too skinny. But this is something that you wouldn't know, society never talks about it. I have always thought that no matter even if your eating disorder was determined to be a genetic one that it isn't truly. I think society plays a part in it, we wouldn't be striving for it if this image of beauty wasn't everywhere.

Skinny is in.

I know not everyone will get an eating disorder but i want to help anyone who has. I remember at 12 beginning to obsess over my weight. At 13 begin strict dieting regiment, eating no more that 27grams of fat a day and nothing past 7 pm. I remember at 14 becoming more extreme and restricting myself to one meal a day. I then began an insane exercising regiment that included doing 1800 crunches a night. At 15 all i remember doing was getting fatter, so one day in the shower i shoved my finger down my throat and threw up. I loved it. It was a way to get skinny. I did it all the time. At 16 and At 17 i continued with this trend and then finally at 18 i got help. People don't realize how many people are out there like me. This is not just a disorder. Eating disorders are an epidemic. Some estimate that eating disorders affect 2% of the population. that may not sound like a lot but 2% of 330 million Americans is 6.6 million people.

If you have anorexia i was refereed to Over Eaters Anonymous. There are Groups and people out there to help. Tell someone. Seek treatment. Don't end up like all those who were so determined to be pretty they died. It's not worth it.

I am lucky though. People cared enough about me to step in and save me from myself. It's still a struggle to go through each day not purge, it is a struggle to eat when I'm not hungry (i can literally go days before I'm hungry), it is a struggle every day to look in the mirror. I know i am not a perfect weight or perfect body shape but perfection for me is death. I did something to change my life and i hope this will help someone else realize that their life is more important than being skinnier. Don't keep telling yourself, just 5 more pounds or just a little skinnier. You need help. You need to stop. Don't wait one more moment.

I know this does not exactly explain a lot about this disorder. It is more about me, I really just wanted to talk about this and let others know that they are not alone. Ana and Mia no longer have me in their grasp.(Ana and Mia are kind of nicknames for BuliMIA and ANArexia, based on how the words sound) I will admit each day i wake up afraid because there are so many people who this they are in control but they are not. I really hope that i am truly in control and this is not a delusion.

The Tiger is the largest cat in the world. They can grow up to 720lbs,(The smallest tigers are about 240lbs. on average they can grow to 500lbs easy) are about 6ft long and have a 3ft tail. Some however can grow to 8 or 9 ft and still have a 4 foot long tail. The Tigers that live in colder areas tend to be bigger. Unlike lions and other wild cats the Tiger is a lone hunter, that predominantly hunts at night. There night vision is about 6 times greater than a humans. They are known to be the top of the food chain with canines that can grow to 3 inches long and can bite through any vertebrae on the planet. Tigers have been known to eat up 60lbs of meat per day but generally eats about 12lbs in one setting. Try to think of that the next time you see an eating contest. Something i think that is really cool is they cover their food with leaves when their done and save it for later, kind of like humans with Tupperware.





















Another interesting fact: did you know tigers are the most water loving cat, according to some sources, tigers that live in hot areas can spend more than half their waking time in water. Tigers live anywhere for tropical climates to very cold climates but are never found far from water. Some tigers however live in very cold areas such as certain parts of India and southeast Asia.
























Random Fact: White tigers are NOT Albino. They are actually believed to have descended from a single white bangle male known as Mohan.

Another Random fact i want to just stick in: A Tigers roar can be heard as far as 2 miles away. And weirdly enough, we know they do not purr.

Also did you know kind of like fingerprints no two tigers have the same stripes and their stripes are on their skin as well as their fur. There are 5 sub-species of Tiger: the Bangle, South China, Indochinese, Sumatran and Siberian. There used to be 8 subspecies of Tiger but the Caspian, Bali and Javan are extinct. The Bali Tiger became extinct in the 1940's. The Caspian tiger became extinct in the 1970s. Finally the Javan Tiger became extinct in the 1980s. One by one they are slowly leaving us. The South China sub specie of tiger looks like it will be the next to be extinct with about 60 left in captivity and an estimation of 20 left in the wild. In 1959 the South China was deemed a pest and so from then on has been hunted. In 1959 there were estimated 4000 South China Tigers in the wild. That should give you a pretty clear idea on human affect. And most Tiger activist have given up on this sub specie all together. After that it is expected to be the Siberian tiger with estimated amounts left in the world between 230 and 400. After that will be the Sumatran with 500-1000 left in existence. And After that will be the Indochinese with 1000-1500 left in existence and the largest species of tigers left is the Bangle Tiger with an estimated 3000 left in the world, however they are diminishing quickly with a kill rate of one per day. Think about those numbers then think about the fact their is 6.8 billion people. The highest estimated amount of tigers left in the world is 5,980. Really, Really think about that, please, for the sake of them.

Above is the Bangle Tiger.