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Triskaidekaphobia – the fear of the number 13.  The first time I heard that word, I was hooked.  Trying to figure out the nature of the phobia from the clinical term used to define is a fun game.   Let’s take a look at some of my personal favorites.

Chronomentrophobia is the fear of clocks.   I wonder if that applies to your biological clock.

Ereuthophobia is the fear of the color red.  Don’t all democrats already suffer from this?

Chaetophobia is the fear of hair. I wish this extended to the fear of “bad” hair, then it would include a much larger demographic.

Ideophobia is the fear of ideas.  I like this one because the lack of creativity in the name sums up what it is.

Geniophobia is the fear of chins.  Do I even need to make a Jay Leno joke? No?  Okay.

Automatonophobia is the fear of ventriloquist dummies.  I second that one.

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words.  No joke.  Although I may have gone with supercalafragilisticexpialidociousophobia.

Spacephobia is the fear of outer space.  Or, it could be the latest original series on Sci Fi.

And, I’ve saved the best for last:

Dutchphobia is fear of the Dutch.  I wonder if it’s the wooden shoes.

There are plenty of health and fitness experts telling people how they should live their lives and what they should do to have a healthier life. I am not one of those people. I do however think that one thing that health experts say is true. I think that water is the most important thing that you can, and should, put into your body.

Water makes up almost our entire bodies and we always need more. For the most part the experts agree that we should drink about eight glasses of water a day. But besides the fact that we have to drink it, water is also very useful. When something needs to be chilled quickly people tend to use ice, aka frozen water. And drinking water can keep you hydrated and energized.

So water is by far the best thing to drink. It is also one of the most refreshing things to drink when you are hot and thirsty and it is great for you. And besides the fact that you need water, it is one of the key ingredients of life. Plants need it and so do we.

Whether you’re a fan of art or not you should probably is able to tell that the masterpiece paintings of the Western culture greatly differ from that of Chinese paintings. To most people that I know, the Western art is better because it looks fuller. It shows complete pictures of things with plenty of colors.

Something that most people don’t understand is the philosophy behind Chinese paintings. The Chinese artists would use very few, simple colors. They mostly just use black and grey. And the paints are very light and mixed with water. The artist would put their souls and chi into their painting. Therefore, it takes great concentration for them to paint in the manner that they do.

Another thing is that Western painters painted the whole picture in great detail. Chinese painters would use as few lines as possible. They would make simple and defined lines. They would work to just use enough paint to make the image visible to where you can tell what it is. That’s what the method for Chinese paintings is so in the future I hope you can appreciate it a little more.

Some may disagree with me, but, in my opinion, America has lost its taste for good rock. Some of the new rock that is being made is trash in my opinion. Very few bands are still producing good rock or metal in America. So few in fact that most people think that they hate metal when, in the great scheme of things, it was the most popular music around not too long ago.

Germany on the other hand has still got it. They are still making great modern rock music. Bands like Ramstein is just one that proves German bands make really great music. The fact that they speak German in their songs is another thing that makes their sound that much cooler, which I just cannot figure out. Why do rock lyrics in German sound so much better?

The rock that we make in America just can’t compare as a whole to the rock in Germany. We still have a few great artists like Rob Zombie but the Germans have us beat in pure numbers. Those wild Germans really know how to get crazy when it comes to rock.

In William Golding’s famous novel, Lord of the Flies, one of the main themes of the story is that humans are naturally savage and evil. He demonstrates this by depicting a group of boys who have survived a plane crash. They are all stranded on an island. One of them takes charge and tries to form a plane to get all of them off of the island. At first all of the boys are with him but eventually they give in to savage behavior and start following another, evil leader. This leader directs them to hunt for food and to worship a pig head and even murder other members of the group. In the end most of them had given into their instincts which were to murder and kill.

While I do believe that the book is a great work of literature, I do not believe that that particular theme is correct. I do not believe that humans are evil. I believe that the majority humans are followers and there are few leaders. These leaders can be good or evil and they can use the people that are willing to follow them to do good or evil. Humans are not savage but we are pack animals and pack animals always have an alpha male.

The web has opened up ways for receiving entertainment. You no longer have to wait on a broadcast of a show or release of a movie. You don’t have to buy a DVD or Blu-ray. You can simply connect online, and experience the content on your terms.

Initially, when services like Netflix streamed their content, you really only had the option of watching it on a computer. Obviously, this wouldn’t work for most people. Now, you can use an Xbox 360, Blu-ray player or even some newer televisions to connect to the web and view your content.

I think this trend will continue, although the form is still being determined. There is a debate in government over Net Neutrality. Services like Google, Netflix and Boxee want the right to stream their content to anyone who wishes to see it. The providers like AT&T and Comcast want to limit the connection of those services in favor of their own. Of course the consumer is caught in the middle.

We are in the midst of an entertainment revolution. The web has changed the marketplace, and everyone is struggling to figure out what this means. Stay tuned.

Sleep is a beautiful thing. I’m sure everyone loves it. But not everyone knows just how important it can be to get enough. If you have ever had one of those days where you just lain down and passed out for the rest of the day. You may even sleep through till the morning. This is simply a lack of sleep but there are even worse things that can happen with lack of sleep. If one does not get enough sleep, their immune system will begin to weaken and they will be more likely to get sick. That is why you need plenty of rest when you feel ill. The rest helps strengthen your immune system, which can then fight the sickness.

So there is a reason that sleep feels so good when you are so tired. Not only are you totally refilling your body but you are also strengthening your body. Sleeping is just as important as eating or drinking water. So don’t forget to get enough sleep. It’s much more important than anything else you can think of to stay up and do.

Trends are always going in circles. Has any one ever told you that? Well it’s true. Just look at clothing. It’s more obvious in women’s clothing but I think it’s still clear in men. A few examples for both genders are as follows: fat necktie versus skinny necktie and high heels versus low heels. Another great example is the popularity of the new Mustangs. These cars were looking kind of wimpy for a few years but recently they have been looking top notch cool. Am I the only one who thinks they look very similar to the older Mustangs?

I think it’s a plan that the developers have. They just keep selling us “new” things because they sold before and they will sell again. The developers just have to alternate when products are popular and available. Now that makes sense but what happens when the sales of some merchandise go down. I think it’s because the developers tried to market some new products. These products were unfamiliar to the people and it either takes them awhile to get used to it or they don’t get used to it at all. So if you have ever wondered if styles really do go around and around, well now it’s a bit clearer.

I had a friend last year who told me she had found a great new diet that I should try. So like any good friend, I asked her about the diet and why I should try it. In other words, are you trying to tell me something? She laughed and told me she was on a diet from the news and talk shows that have taken over the airwaves and can drive you crazy if you let them. She said she was feeling better than she has for years and no longer worries because there’s not a lot to worry about when you aren’t listening to all the chatter.

So I decided to take the news diet and see what happened and I must tell you that I feel perfectly great and ready for the New Year! I still hear about the important stuff that we all need to hear about from friends and the internet but all the cross talk, dooms day theories, bickering and accusations are gone and it feels wonderful not to hear all that crap! It took all of a week to throw off the old and embrace the new that gets me away form all the stuff I don’t really even care about. Now that I am fee, I am not going back and that is my resolution for 2010.

Several weeks ago a friend of mine sent me one of those email letters about how bad it was to take Christ and the religious meaning out of Christmas and if someone says to you, “Happy Holidays”, don’t let them get away with it! Correct them and let them know that you will not stand for them taking Christ out of Christmas! As I read the letter it dawned on me that whoever wrote this nonsense had just done more to take Christ out of Christmas then anyone I have ever known who had wished me, “Happy Holidays”.

From my understanding of Christ, He would not have cared what you said to anyone but would be all about what you did to those around you. Did you love your neighbor, feed the hungry, and clothe the poor? What about visiting prisoners in your local jail, visiting seniors in the local senior facility, give a room to the homeless or a place for the sick to lay their heads? What someone says to you about Christ cannot match what you do in His name. BTW: the church took over a pagan holiday and switched it to Christmas so Christ was really never a part of Christmas in the first place; but who looks up the truth when the lie takes over?