Why Do People Bully?

What Is Bullying?
Before we can discuss why people bully, we need to have a clear understanding of what bullying is. Some consider bullying to be purposeful attempts to control another person through verbal abuse - which can be in tone of voice or in content such as teasing or threats - exclusion, or physical bullying or violence, which the victim does not want. While some ties the feature of "peer abuse" and "repeated activity" into the definition of bullying, others acknowledge single instances and age difference in their definitions of bullying. Bullying occurs in schools, workplaces, in homes, on playgrounds, in the military, and in nursing homes, for example. In the article "Uncovering the hidden causes of bullying and school violence" published in Counseling and Human Development in February, 2000, Barry K. Weinhold states that bullying is the most common type of violence in contemporary US society. Although a form of harassment, bullying is considered to be a separate category from sexual harassment.

Why Do People Bully?
There are a variety of reasons why people bully.

*Cultural Causes of Bullying In a culture that is fascinated with winning, power, and violence, some experts suggest that it is unrealistic to expect that people will not be influenced to seek power through violence in their own lives. Researchers point to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as glorification of bullies in the name of entertainment and point out that the high rate of domestic violence means that many young people grow up expecting that violence is an acceptable way to get what one wants.
*Institutional Causes If the institution at which the bullying takes place - whether the home, the school, or the workplace - does not have high standards for the way people treat each other, then bullying may be more likely and/or prevalent and have an influence on why people bully.
*Social Issues The fact that one gets more social recognition for negative behaviors than for positive ones can also contribute to reasons why people bully. Situation comedies and reality television, as well as real life situations in schools, for example, show that acting out is more likely to get noticed than behaving oneself civilly and courteously. Jealousy or envy and a lack of personal and social skills to deal with such feelings can also be reasons why people bully.
*Family Issues Families that are not warm and loving and in which feelings are not shared are more likely to have children who bully, either within the family home or in other locations in which the children meet others. Another home environment that is prone to producing bullies is one in which discipline and monitoring are inconsistent and/or a punitive atmosphere exists.
*The Bully's Personal History Children who experience social rejection themselves are more likely to "pass it on" to others. Children who experience academic failure are also more likely to bully others.
*Having Power Some research indicates that the very fact of having power may make some people wish to wield it in a noticeable way, but it is also true that people may be given power without being trained in the leadership skills that will help them wield it wisely. Either situation can contribute to why people bully others.
*Provocative Victims People who are annoying and condescending to others and/or aggressive verbally, or in other ways that are not picked up by those in authority, may contribute to the dynamic that can be characterized as bullying by one individual but actually grows out of provocation by another individual.



3 Healthy foods for Healthy Hair!

"Lather, rinse, repeat" may be standard advice, but shampoo and conditioner alone won't give you the healthy hair you crave. For the most luxurious locks possible, you'll need to step out of the shower, and into the kitchen.

Healthy Hair Food No. 1: Salmon

When it comes to foods that pack a beauty punch, it's hard to beat salmon. Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, this high-quality protein source is also filled with vitamin B-12 and iron.
"Essential omega-3 fatty acids are needed to support scalp health," says Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD, a dietitian in Los Angeles and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "A deficiency can result in a dry scalp and thus hair, giving it a dull look."
Vegetarian? Include one or two tablespoons of ground flaxseed in your daily diet for some plant-based omega-3 fats.

Healthy Hair Food No. 2: Dark Green Vegetables

Popeye the Sailor Man didn't eat all that spinach for healthy hair, but he could have. Spinach, like broccoli and Swiss chard, is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, which your body needs to produce sebum. The oily substance, secreted by your hair follicles, is the body's natural hair conditioner.
Dark green vegetables also provide iron and calcium.

Healthy Hair Food No. 3: Beans

Beans, beans, they're good for your ... hair?
Yes, it's true. Legumes like kidney beans and lentils should be an important part of your hair-care diet. Not only do they provide plentiful protein to promote hair growth, but ample iron, zinc, and biotin. While rare, biotin deficiencies can result in brittle hair.
Blatner, who is also a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, recommends three or more cups of lentils or beans each week.

Vitamins-Some quick info

Food or Pills?

Popping a vitamin supplement may seem like a convenient and easy way to ensure you are meeting your vitamin requirements, but there are some important differences between getting your nutrients from supplements and getting them through food. Although people who eat foods rich in vitamins have a lower rate of disease, this is not the case for people who get these vitamins through supplements, according to the Consumer Reports Health website. This may be because healthy foods typically contain a number of nutrients, all which act together to provide health benefits. However, while it is always preferable to try to meet recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals through your diet, this is not always possible.

If you are not consuming enough vitamin enriched foods, then vitamins can ensure you are getting what you need.  However, taking too much can cause some issues as well.  Always do your research or ask your doctor questions if you don't have the answers.  Don't assume that just because they are vitamins that they can't do any harm.  Sometimes too much of something isn't a good thing, so be wise and always take what is needed.

Also, something to note, if you are deficient in your vitamins it can also cause a huge impact on your health.  Eat right, excercise, take vitamins if needed, drink water, etc.  The number one thing here is to treat your body with respect.  It will respect you right back if you do. Be healthy everyone!

Interesting Info on Organic Food

Organic food is still a niche market, representing just over two percent of all food sold. According to Consumer Reports, it costs consumers on average about 50 percent more than conventionally grown foods. But organic food is more visible today than ever before, with most large supermarket chains in Canada now offering dedicated organic sections.

A reason for the surge in popularity in organic foods? Most Canadians say they buy organic because it's healthier, according to an ACNielsen survey. But are they right?

Eighty-five percent of organic food sold in Canada is grown in the United States. Wherever grown, no food - whether organic or conventional - can be sold in Canada unless it meets Canadian standards for legal pesticides and for residue limits. Says Health Canada's Paul Duchesne, "Our main interest is to ensure that both types of food are safe to consume."

Organic food is brought to market according to the National Standard of Canada for Organic Agriculture, principles "that endorse production and management practices that contribute to the quality and sustainability of the environment and ensure the ethical treatment of livestock." One of the main differences is supposed to be that organic produce is not sprayed with synthetic pesticides.

Yet, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says, "the term organic is not synonymous with pesticide-free." Several large U.S. studies have found traces of synthetic pesticides on as much as 25 percent of organic foods. (There have been no similar major studies done on organic foods in Canada, but the CFIA found that ten percent of all Canadian-grown produce - conventional and organic - had pesticide residues.)

Some of those residues found on organic food may be due to "uncontrolled contamination," says Andy Hammermeister of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada at Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro. That could be the result of the wind blowing synthetic pesticides onto organic crops, prior use of synthetic pesticides on the land, old or used spraying equipment, and so on. But it's not always by accident that pesticides end up on organic foods. "Most people don't realize that organic farmers are allowed to use a wide array of natural, non-synthetic chemicals as pest killers," says Alex Avery, director of research and education at the Centre for Global Food Issues, a United States-based Hudson Institute group that researches agricultural and environmental concerns. Many conventional farmers, meanwhile, are actually using less pesticide. In Ontario, for example, pesticide application has dropped by 50 to 60 percent overall since 1983, according to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture.

And just because pesticides are natural doesn't mean they aren't toxic. The natural pesticide rotenone, for instance, found in a number of plants, causes Parkinson's symptoms when injected into rats. Pyrethrum, derived from dried chrysanthemum heads, has been classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as having "suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity." For humans, Avery says, "the natural poisons pose the same theoretical, but remote, dangers as the synthetic."

But consumers need not be alarmed by pesticide residues, natural or synthetic, left behind on both organically and conventionally grown produce. For one thing, most comes off en route from the farm to your shopping cart – in the process of trimming, shipping and washing. According to Christine Bruhn, director of the Center for Consumer Research at the University of California, Davis, washing alone removes from 70 to 99 percent of pesticide residues. After washing, any traces left are minute. In fact, we're exposed, on average, to only about 0.9 milligrams of synthetic pesticides daily.

For more, click this link:
http://www.besthealthmag.ca/eat-well/healthy-eating/does-organic-mean-healthier

More information (answers to questions) about Apricot Seeds

Q22. Is B17 (laetrile) or apricot seeds toxic to the body?
Technically, every food on the planet earth is toxic. However, when a person uses the term "toxic" it generally means the substance is poisonous when taken in low doses. With this definition, laetrile or raw apricot seeds are not toxic, even when taken in high doses. This is just another urban myth the medical establishment has conjured up to scare you from seeking the truth and using all natural and inexpensive cancer treatment methods. Aspirin is actually 20 times more toxic than the equivalent amount of B17. But even with aspirin, if an individual consumes a massive amount of the product, serious health complications may result. When in doubt take the smallest amount possible and consult a natural medical doctor as to exactly how much you should be consuming. Dr. Neilson may be contacted at 1-800-799-4393, 24/7. Tell his secretary that you got his number off the myapricotseeds.com website.
 

http://www.rawapricotseeds.com/vitamin-b17.html#a22

 

See website above for important questions answered about apricot seeds/B17

Munchy, Crunchy Broccoli Salad!

Ingredients

• 2 heads fresh broccoli
• 1 red onion
• 1/2 pound bacon
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions

1. Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cool and crumble.
2. Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut the onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine with the bacon, raisins, your favorite nuts and mix well.
3. To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad, let chill and serve.               

This is a yummy summer salad that uses an interesting combination of fruits, vegetables and meats. Before you decide you won't like it, try it. You'll be pleasantly surprised. You can add an extra head of broccoli, if you like.


More interesting and delicious ideas at: www.allrecipes.com

Women, Power Up!

This is not some women's lib message that bashes men...I want to start by saying that first and foremost.  Men are crucial in assisting women develop relationships, and of course so much more (but we won't get into any of that in this message). 
However, in many cases women depend on men way too much!  It is unhealthy to think of men as the only way we define who we are.  Women, if you are in a relationship with a man, I am telling you that it is unfair to him to expect him to empower you. It is not a man's job to lift you up.  It's your job.  What would you do if you didn't have a man?  Would you melt away into the cracks of the sidewalk? I highly doubt it.  What you would do, is simply learn to accept who you are and walk in confidence, or be unhappy for the rest of your life because you can't accept yourself (I don't like this option).
By the way, a little side note: Men dig women who are confident.  They don't want a sniveling, depressed woman leaning on them to always make her feel good about herself.

I can say all this because at one point, I was always struggling with who I was.  I had a low self-esteem and based on some of my past family situations, became confused with confidence.  Because I knew nothing about being confident, I ended up dating at a young age (yes, 15 is young, ok).  The bad part of this dating process, was that I went into the relationship with a low self-esteem.  Don't get into a relationship with someone if you don't feel good about yourself (just a tip).  Why?  Well, I ended up leaning on my boyfriend for the emptiness that I was feeling about myself.  It was a huge burden for him of course, because it always seemed no matter what he said or did, it was never good enough.  Yup, that's right, you have to want to believe what this person is saying about you.  If you don't, they can give you the moon and be the best mate you have ever had, but it won't amount to much in your eyes.  Sad. 

Needless to say, he started to resent me.  I was too much for him.  I had way too much emotional baggage that he didn't cause, but I was looking to him to fix.  Shame on me.  He just wanted a fun date life, not a crazy commitment of being a pyschologist.  Face your fears on your own. 

Now, don't get me wrong, men should compliment their women, and do some sweet things for them, but if you already have a negative look on things, you may not even accept their kind gestures of affection.  I had to teach myself to say thank you, when I would receive a compliment.  It wasn't easy.  The one thing that assisted me a lot in boosting my self-esteem, was learning to be independent.  Learning to not have to lean on a man for support of any kind.  Especially emotional support.  If I could be happy in my own skin without being in a relationship with a man, then I was on the right track. 

All of this means, that even if your boyfriend or husband lacks in the area of compliments and romantic acts, that you will not all of a sudden keel over and die.  You may want to remind your spouse that you would like a little more attention in some areas, but you shouldn't need it to be happy.  I hope all of this makes sense.

This was brought on by a text message from a dear friend having a hard time leaving a destructive relationship with a man.  She was afraid of the unknown (being alone).  I gave her some advice similar to this.  Change is sometimes scary, but it can be good for us.  We need to learn to be ok on our own as individuals.  We need to believe in ourselves and what we can accomplish aside from people around us.  Who are you?  Are you confident?  Do you believe that you are a strong person?  i hope that this empowers you to check yourself.  Don't lean on people for happiness or worth.  You are worth it all on your own!  You are special and the world wouldn't be the same without you!

written by the author of this blog with love <3