Recession

So, the global economy is going to shit. I'll think I'll just let Hank explain.

A Little Green Blog (Lolz Noodles)

WARNING: I have a strange feeling none of this makes any sense.....

Hello all!!!

Sorry in advance I is a little sick Noodles's germies obviously like me!!!!

So on my CC blog this very intelligent comment was left by Ellen:

"Ellen said....
I agree with emily...but she already knows it. There is no cure for cancer so prevention is our only protection. In a world where just about every second product on the market is "cancer causing" it truely is time to start working towards provention."

Now I found this sentence VERY interesting:


"In a world where just about every second product on the market is "cancer causing" it truely is time to start working towards provention."


Now as the only one in my family capable of reading labels without having to wear glasses (this has a point its not mindless ramble I promise) I have found it very interesting what the different food/additives "prevent" or "can cause" certain things like cancer that have been in the news
The reason I put those in speech marks is that nothing (meaning science) is concrete when it comes to foods and dieseases but a little while ago they discovered that aspartame in gum is VERY BAD. I'm sure everybody has seen/ heard of this 25 year old girl who was eating gum and got poisoned well she is healthy now but getting sick from chewing gum?!?!?! what is the world coming to?!?!
She also claims that she has been repoisoned (this was in 07 but still...) also she isnt the only victim....
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0707/S00298.htm <----- Scoop on the 'repoisoning' "The additive artificial sweetener aspartame (951/Equal/NutraSweet ) is used in many different types of processed food, especially sugar free and diet products, and also sports drinks and medicines."
Personally I have no clue why compaines such as Coca Cola and Wrigley’s are using and backing this stuff as a safe alternative to sugar! I know that there are other sweeteners that are out on the market that are safer and dont reek havoc with our nervous systems and even effect brain activiy...
"The nerves serving this area and their vascular supply derive directly from the brain, so the Aspartame absorbed through them goes directly into the brain, by passing the spinal cord and blood brain barrier."
How I know theres other sweeteners you ask?
Well because I was sooo freaked out by this story I reserched gums without sweetener 951 or aspartame so i went into common sense organics and looked at there gum in there well theres this gum made by Annes (the people who make those yummy fruit bar things) they use a sweetener in there gum called Xylitol. Xylitol is a sweetener from sugar and is found in fruit making it WAYYYYYYY better than any articial sweeteners.......

So next time read the label or read up on sweetners....

Lots of Natural Love

Kermit_2.0 xoxoxox

Ps Im not saying never eat foods with sweeteners in... small doses is always the best

AC and beyoond!(like in space term beyond)

So, i just wanted to post, about this little talk moi, lily and romana had. This was how the conversation kinda went:
Lily: "So, i was thinking guys, i dont think the AC will continue after we leave."
Moi: "Yeh..." *thinks back to the enormity of our meetings*
Lily: "I think we should still continue with meetings out of school."
Moi: "Yea! thats a Great idea!"
Lily: "We can all meet up in a room..." ect. ect.

so that was a really bad recall of the conversation, but you get the gist! Howabout it guys?! I think its LE AWESOME. Imagine if we became a political group o.0

Anyways, everyone have a fun holidays, i hope eveyone gets to sleep and play sand castles alot if they wanted. And don't forget all the super fun assignments, like English...and Bio.

SHAMELESS PLUG

i feel so bad doing this

but i just started my twilight blog

and this is a shameless plug for it

you wanna contribute??

let me know!

heres the address

http://planettwilight.blogspot.com/

again im sorry for this

you can kill me later

hello my dears..an introduction to my posts

oh.....hello there!

so if your reading this that means

YOU ARE EPIC!

and im just here to say

(ok this post is pointless but hey whatever)

that my posts

will be

(a) twilight related (i will raise issues no worries there)

(b) horse related (horse slaughter etc)

(c) yeah i got nothing

il think of some more

i may come on to have a rant every now and then

so forgive me

so active collective

long and live prosper!! 

and a pondering question........ 

if all the world is a stage where is the audience sitting?

I Blog, You Read? We Have An Understanding :D

Hello there

I'm Noodles

yeah, you all know who i am

and if you dont...well...its totally coz im black and you're racist.

Never, ever, is it my fault.

Guess what?!?

Dial up sucks.

Thats right. I said it.

Dial. Up. Sucks.

you all have broadband

you know how i know that?

because i stalk you in my spare time.

and to find out that you have broadband must make me a pretty good spare-time stalker because i dont have that much spare time.

i use it all up waiting for my dial up to load

and that, my friends, is how much dial up sucks.

And whats with everyone writing their posts in BLACK?

i have nothing against the colour black, really.

its practically my skin colour believe it or not.

but would it kill anyone to put a LITTLE colour into their blogs?!?

*sigh* what a boring, uneventful world we live in. hold up, thats not true.

~Noodles

PS: do you think i hit the "opinionated" mark?

John Key Sucks

I was writing a cool blog on the election and how I think National is the pits... Then it was deleted! It was probably a computer error but I'm choosing to believe it was John Key's fault.

I'll take this hole and label it blog....

First of all wow this site has taken off in like one day its awesome!
Second of all this will be brief

My blog is about the bus drivers!
I am for the bus drivers campain. Even though my only transport anywhere is bus but they start on $12.35 an hour to drive around roudy teenagers and rude adults...
GO Wellington wanted to increase that amount by 7% to $13.01 now if you compare that to 4 days work in melborne for a bus driver they get $ 1400 (again im not too sure but its around there...)

Think of it another way is that they are responsible for 1000s patrons lives and they are driving around Wellington in 1/2 million dollar machines thats alot of responsiblity on a under paid bus driver.....
Today i drove past the bus depot and they were outside drinking coffee and had placards they were all in uniform and ready to work... and so what if we had to walk...exercise is good it releases happy hormones....

Personally I think that they need to be given the 12.5% they are asking for! They are stressed and need to be paid for what they are doing! instead of what the people think they are doing!

So next time your on a bus being loud or tagging it (I hope none of you do that) remember the driver and how they have to put up with all of the Wellington public!!! (and our school buses get pretty loud!)


lots of (Bus) love
Kermit_2.0 xoxox

Charity Sucks

(i'm sorry for offending anyone with this)

Okay, charity as a concept doesn't suck - there's absolutely nothing wrong with helping others wherever and whenever you can. But there is a problem with attitudes, in New Zealand, and in other MDC's, towards charity and how to best deal with the multitude of problems faced by the people and governments struggling in LDC's.

Charity organisations run advertising in New Zealand. Advertising, for the most part, is good - it helps make people aware that there are issues affecting people around the world, something that the AC tries hard to do. What's not so good is the way they try to solicit donations, by broadcasting images of starving children, guilting you into donating money. While donating money (as opposed to not donating money), is a good thng, it over-simplifies poverty. It creates the impression that by thowing money at these charities, the children won't be starving, and you can resume your life, guilt-free. The problems are much more complicted than that, and run a lot deeper. Throwing money at it, just as throwing a key at a door without bothering to find the lock, isn't helpful. By sponsoring a starving child, you help that child, yes, but behind that child are millions more, starving and sick, and you just can't sponsor them all.

Not only are traditional forms of charity ineffective, but many are counter-poductive, and harmful. Many western aid agencies promote traditional forms of farming, as attitudes in our society become more environmentally conscious, and supportive of 'organic food'. They tend to be anti-technology, instead promoting the same methods of farming present in the region hundreds of years ago. We can afford to support organic food choices in MDC's - we have an abundance of food and money. But when aid agencies, and green activists (who often support organic farming as a way to reduce carbon emissions, and sell the carbon credits to people in the west) push these ideals (which are just that -ideals) on the peope they're trying to help, they hinder the progress of that society. Without the latest technology - plants that are resistant to disease, salt and flooding- the impoverished farming communities of the world, in plces like the Democratic Republic of Congo, will be left further behind. Their farms will barely, if even at all, keep them above the povery line, creating problems that didn't even need to be there in the first place. Furthermore, this holding back of technology by aid groups mens crops fail, and land is used inefficiently. we're in the middle of a food shortage - using the latst food technology in these areas would certainly help alleviate the strain and the cost caused by food. These 'aid' agencies supporting traditional farming are holding impoverished nations back, contributing to the problems they, and the rest of the world face.

There are many ways peope in MDC's can help alleviate the strain felt by those elsewhere. pressuring governments to set up trade policies that are non-exploitative, and thoughtful, instead of capitalist, would be a nice step. Other legislative measures, such as regional pressure (such as the African Union on Zimbabwe, or if the EU encouraged prospective member states t solve issues, rather than hide them) on horrible governments would also be beneficial to the welfare of the world's poor. 'Most of the poverty and misery in the world is due to bad government...' (George Soros). By encouraging governments to make policies that help rather than hinder, much poverty could be solved, and much pain on both sides) alleviated. The problems created by bad policies cnnot be solved through charities, and just throwing money at people through them. An actual change needs to be made globally to the way we view poverty, and choose to combat it, or the people unlucky enough to be born in an impoverished nation will be left behind the rest of us, with no hope of escape or improvement.

-Romana

Bush administration 700 billion bailouters

SO...the Bush administration can whip out 700BILLION dollars like zat to save Wall Street, but no, they cannot even commit fully to their agreement with the other rich G8 countries in 2005 to rause the annual aid levels to 50 billion by 2010, and oh so suprisingly, is falling very short of the goal by 40 billion because of their own current spending plans. I know its good to focus on the economy, to avoid depression and the spread of poverty within their own people, but it kinda seems they've just pushed it to the side, and they just can't ignore the deepening poverty- as a previledged member of a "first world" country, we have the power to help the helpless. They need a balance, not "this" or "that".

p.s. American 700 million= NZ 1 trillion or some crazy expensive number like that. and i was just pulling ya strings when i said i was asexual. more like bisexuallyheterosexual.

The Fear of Fat.

First blog. Hello I'm Ellen. I live on a planet could earth where very strange things happen.

And I have this baked idea that one person can make a difference.

My first question for you all is, why is there so much discrimination against those who tip the scales?

In my eyes it is the same as racism for this reason. Nobody has to know you to judge you for being larger. It is simply exposed by your appearance. A person may see a person of a larger body type and think that they don't look after themselves, they have no self control and maybe even that they are a monster.

Not all of us are 'petite' or 'stick thin'. Some of us don't go on dangerous diets just so other people respect us.

It's your body, it's your life and you should live for yourself.

It doesn't matter if you a big, small, tall, short, have oily skin or dry skin, black, white, blue, yellow or rainbow.

You are beautiful if you believe you are beautiful it will shine through.

The fear of fat is a desperate ignorant fear.

"You canchange your weight but not your body shape". - Cosmopolitan

Love from Ellen

HIV: Removing the Stigma

Hey again!

Ok, firstly, Lily about your comment. Are you serious that there is no age restriction?!?! So, basically our school is promoting heterosexuality paedophilia!!

Anyway, onto the next topic. HIV. Lots of people avoid this subject like the plague, but I think that the active collective are an accepting group, so I'm going to break the bonds of society and share my views. Even though the ratio of citizens with HIV in New Zealand than is lower than in other countries, but the taboo-ness (that's a new work, ok?) surrounding the disease is still present in our society.

One of my best friends' mum has HIV, and it's never been a secret. I knew since I meet her, and it doesn't bother me because she's an amazing woman, and an illness does not define who a person is. But I don't feel like everyone shares this same view. Often she'll stay at our house, and have meals with us, and so what? She's just another human being, but the other day my sister's friend found this out and totally freaked. She wanted to know if my friend's mum had brought her own cups with her (!), or if we'd sterilized the cutlery she used once she's left. Wtf?!?! Yes, we washed the cup, but we wash EVERY cup ANYONE uses. Seriously!! This is just ridiculous. People with HIV are denied housing and jobs, based purely on the fact they have an illness, and this has to stop.

My favourite movie...and musical...and cd at the moment, is 'Rent', and for anyone who does not know what I'm talking about here's a quick run down. It's the story of a group of 19-25 y.o living in Tent City in NYC, at the end of the millenium (that's a lyric from one of the songs, hence the italics), and the majority of them have either HIV or Aids. It follows their journies of hardship and discrimination, and is amazing! For those of you who know me, you'll know that I am sooooo obsessed with 'Rent' right now, but I do seriously suggest that everyone should watch it at some point of their lives! It deals with relevant issues in a sometimes enjoyable, sometimes saddening way, but acts as a bridge between the real world, and the fictional world.

Anyway, my point is, that all over the world, people with HIV are treated with caution and this is not right. I have numerous medical conditions, but they do not change who I am as a person, or sum up my personality. I personally don't like it when people treat me differently just because my health isn't brilliant, and if I were ever to have a power position in New Zealand/the world (This would never happen as politics are, in a word, boring! Lily, don't hate me!!), I'd want to make a huge effort nationwide to change the way in which those suffering from HIV were treated, and to promote the acceptance of people no matter what their situation or health status. I hope that there are others who feel the same as me, and if not, society has really failed me.

For now, have a day. xox Ailsa xox

Oh, dftba! for all those nerd fighters out there!

I'm Gay, deal with it!

Mhm, so i got this title from the gay and lesbian magazine i flipped through and saw all the feature people wearing. Anyways, i thought i might mention the inability of the Americans to accept some things....like gay marriage- i know, i know, not all americans are like so...just...quite a bulgy majority. Since California has made Gay marriage legal, anti-gay marriage people have gathered enough signatures/the same amount that made the law be passed or something to get the law repealed. Honestly, i don't know whats going in on their brains, too much damn additives. Some cite religion (like someone said...the devil could quote the bible for his actions. But didn't god say love your neighbour like yourself? It didn't say the limits of love and to whom (er, neighbourly love?), and love transcends anyway), some through straight dislike and ignorance. And sadly, our school seems to be a hotspot for such. So like the previous post about the ball and having to register if you happen to swing the way of the same sex, we need to do something about it- i mean, it should be a goal, since with Oxjam on our daily bread (hohoho PUN!) we won't really have time, but we could do something there to promote open mindedness or something.Yes, moi is an advocate for this because i happen to be asexual and love love, my crossdressers and God (Mana-sama!!!!<3>

xxx

i think i just wanted to put a picture in.

Cross my blog hope to die....

Ok Title from a song tick!

Hello all I'm Emily or Kermit 2.0...
First of all I wanna say thanks to Lily for the invite I really appreiate it!
Four thing you must know about any blogs I make are:
1. I can't spell to save a dying cow (I didn't want to be Clice!)
2. I hardly use any putuation
3. I like werid spacing
4. The Active Collective is AWESOME!

Right now on to the issue...

Ok so in the news lately the talk of Cervical Cancer. I know in our school we have had posters go up and I've got a letter from my doctor about the vaccine. You are possibly sitting at your computer say WTF? what has this got to do with anything well I'm getting there!!! Just keep reading!!!

Well I want to know your opinons on this because I have the view that its a good thing! Many NZ women die unessasily from Cervical Cancer with is mostly caused by the HPV virus or Human Papilloma Virus and diet. Every year in New Zealand around 160 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and around 60 die from the disease. Many other women have abnormalities in the cells of their cervix which are detected by cervical screening.
But if getting this vaccine we can reduse those number in our generation why aren't we? but then comes the fact that it isn't tested enough but the test that have been done have shown positive effects.
I mean look at this:

"Immunisation with HPV vaccine is highly effective in preventing infection with the 2 most common HPV types - 16 and 18, that cause at least 70% of cervical cancer."

Those are pretty good stats! also:

"Three years after becoming sexually active, around two thirds of women have been exposed to HPV virus (regardless of the number of sexual partners)."

Thats pretty scary! (Well thats what I think...) But having the HPV virus doesn't mean you'll get cervical cancer but cell mutate easily and viruses are always changing (Thus why theres no cure for the flu sorry I do biology) because :

"If left untreated, cervical cancer can spread to the bladder, intestines, lungs and liver and is ultimately fatal"
also by getting the vaccine you cannot REPEAT cannot get the virus!

Another point is if its free for most of us then why not? what have you got to lose?


Anyway I have so classics homework and this is too distracting and people on msn are getting annoyed at me!
You gotta love procrastination!!!

xoxo Kermit 2.0
BTW Ailsa your blog rocked my socks! (really lame I know!)

(Ps Don't be afraid to comment if you don't agree... I wont hurt you and I want to see it from both POVs)

I hope I have done the AC blog proud!

It's my party and I'll blog if I want to

I realise that it's been a month since our last blog post, which is absolutely shocking. I was tempted to title this post "Blogging Blues", but I think you've had enough alliteration for now, so instead I'll base my titles on lame allusions to obscure pop hits.

In any case, may we now usher in the Golden Age of Blogging for the Active Collective, with a blog post everyday! (This is likely not making any sense but I'm terrified of Mr Hardyman looking over my shoulder and realising that I'm not actually researching ex-French colonies.)

ANYWAY! With the addition of fresh blood (Welcome Ailsa!) to the AC blogging team, we hope to bring you more blog posts than ever before, with topics ranging far and wide from the School Ball to Sarah Palin to Katy Perry.

Soon I'll be starting my own blogging series "Election Erection" (yes, I am that lame) about the New Zealand, US general and Canadian (NOT!) elections. Most of my material will be based on The Daily Show, as I'm not original enough to come up with my own ideas.

In case you're hungry for some (or any) socially concious blogs, I fully recommend scoop.co.nz, feministing.com and racialicious.com.

And remember, if you're at all interested in blogging yourself tell me your email address so I can add you. Please!

Peace out
Lily

Gay? No way! - School Ball Blues

Hey! So, anyway, I'm sitting in French, discussing The Active Collective with my dear friend Lily aka. The Active Collective blogger, and we got onto the topic of our school ball. That set me off on a rant, so I thought I'd post my view here for everyone to see! *laughs*

For the school ball, all year 12's and 13's are allowed to bring a partner of their choice, granted they are of high school age and have a school id. Unless their a girl. In that case, you must sign a form declaring for all to see that you're gay, and they're your girlfriend. Talk about a denial of human rights. The UDHR says that everyone has the right to choose their sexuality and that this right should never be denied. But here at Wellington East, the school ball and its stupid rules, are in fact denying people the right to be who they are. How can someone be comfortable with who they are, if they feel that the 'norm' is to date the opposite sex, and anyone who does not fit this category, is abnormal or strange. It frustrates me that my school is promoting hetrosexuality, and do not represent the other half, so to say. I, for one, am not gay, but I believe that people like me need to speak out for those who are. I thought the ball would be a time to hang out with my friends who go to Marsden and Wellington Girls', and I've been looking forward to it since year 9. Part of my vision was being able to bring my friends who go to other schools to enjoy the evening, also. However, unless I'm willing to falsely state that me and my friend are gay, I will not be allowed to enter along side them. I do feel that it is good practice that we can only take school age students to the ball, for safety reasons, but these students should be able to be boys OR girls.

Wellington East are proud to say they are accepting of all, and that homophobia is not present in the school community, but unless the absurd regulations change in regards to the ball, I cannot agree that we are in fact free of prejudice. Basically, I'd like anyone who reads this post and feels strongly about this issue, also, to speak out and comment me. I think that if a group of us approach the school council, or ball committee, we may be able to change this rule for next year's ball. Oh, and about the title of this blog? Blame Lily!!! Haha

Until next time, have a day!
xox Ailsa xox