Are You Special?

Odds are probably not, but you think so.

Today?s college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.

In fact even Oprah pointed this out a few weeks ago when she was explaining why she opened her school in South Africa rather than the US.

“I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn’t there,” she said. “If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don’t ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school.”

…somehow I don’t think that is completely true.

Are we now the “me” generation?

I don’t think it is the cool gadgets that are to blame but rather the privatization of human relationships. Much in the way that has happened in the business world and with Congress (damn lobbyists) more groups with fewer people (or individuals) can now wield more power than ever before in history.

In the sense that a blogger can become a celebrity (Perez Hilton for example) and people with money can convince our political leaders the importance or fringe issues we are now products ourselves. Resumes, Myspace pages, and email address are now our “brand” that we market at every opportunity.

Dirty French Word of The Week [2/28]: Dirty French Word

Makes sense to have this as a word right?

• Infame francais mot (pronounced “infam fransay moe”).

There you go!

Obama Has A Myspace Page

In fact you can keep tabs of all of the US presidential candidates and what they are up to online with techPresident. (Who knew Hillary Clinton has 25,674 Myspace friends and John McCain deleted his)?

It also has Flickr feeds, blog links, and other Internet goodies – enjoy.

Gilbert Arenas Wins Best NBA Blog Award

Alright, so it’s not a very important award from an even less important blogging website, but Gilbert has deserved it I think. He has even given us here (at the newly named) foXnoMad a few good blogging posts. The blog has done its job of keeping people entertained, including those with little basketball enthusiasm. A man who has this charity and donates $100 for every point he scores deserves some recognition don’t you think?

Gil’s blog never lack new material and this week he wrote this:

My son is about to be born in about a week or two.

We?re going to have another junior, the junior junior. The 2000 Gilbert is going to be a bad man.

I don?t know what to name him yet, I?m contemplating on it. He needs a real name so he can get girls and kids won?t laugh at him.

No stranger to controversy all bloggers eventually find out that your blog will get you in trouble at some point.

On The DHS No-Fly List And Want To Get Off?

Now you can and here is how.

Barcelona, Spain

Our very own Peaceluvbug has somehow managed to find her way over to the land of Antonio Bandaras otherwise known as Spain. She has pictures posted as well as some travel tips and advice. You can see the pictures here and read her blog about the trip here.

As in any other big city, the metro is a cheap way to get virtually anywhere. Placa de Catalunya is the main stop on La Rambla (kind of like the MetroCenter stop in D.C.). Once you learn how to use the metro in one city, every other city is easy to figure out. You just need to know which direction you are going! Here we found out that people are extremely helpful. Most people in the La Rambla area speak English? actually, many people in Barcelona speak English. Everyone we talked to was very willing and able to help us when we needed it!

Spain is very high up on my list of places to visit, anyone else been there? I think a stop over would require a combo trip to Morocco.

Get EcoFriendly Drunk: French Rabbit Wine

I ran across this in a magazine that happened to be sitting in my bathroom. French Rabbit wines look to cut down on waste products that take up alot of space and don’t biodegrade (aka. wine bottles). If you like to French wine for a happy heart, go to wine festivals in Switzerland, or monkey wine to just to get outta control, you can do so without hurting mama nature.

Born out of a passion for delicious wine and respect for the earth, French rabbit wines are perfect for everyday enjoyment. Our vintage-dated wines, the first premium French wines in an eco-friendly Tetra Pak? container, are sourced from sustainably farmed vineyards in the sunny Pays d?Oc region of Southern France.

You can find a list of sellers in you area by clicking here. They are worldwide so check FrenchRabbit.com if you live outside of the US.

I plan to pick up a bottle? case or whatever this weekend and will update in the comments to see if the stuff is any good. It’s wine though, so it must be right!

New URL Hommies: FoxNomad.com

So here is the “big” change. I pretty much spent many a brain-cell trying to come up with an easier-to-remember name, but on that is unique and not a word. There were some good alternatives out there, but here it is.

I really want to know what you guys think…love it or hate it holla at me in the comments! I’ll get the quality posts up and running tomorrow

Also, if something isn’t working, please let me know – in the comments or contact me, whatever floats your boat.

Tenks you,
-Aop

Army Stories Part 6: A Look At The Army Bunks

…in Burdur, Turkey.

Fighting Travelers Weight Gain

Not a bad article I ran across, the guy is really just trying to sell his book. Here are some of the highlights that you should know if you hit the road often:

As airlines have cut back on serving food, airports are filling the void. And, more often than not, they are filling that void with calorie-laden comfort food. Something to perk travelers up. The problem is that when you’re stressed and tired, you tend to pick what’s more palatable, and that translates into two bad words in the world of diet: sweet and fatty.

Solution:

The good news about the fast food you find in airports is that many chain restaurants, from Starbucks to McDonald’s, now have their nutritional information online. McDonald’s has even announced plans to put nutritional information on its wrappings (although one could argue that receiving nutritional information after you’ve bought your item is a little late).

Probably something I’m not going to do; look up the exact calories of everything, but try to look for menu items that have power foods in them.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest measured a snack offered by Southwest Airlines and found that those little crackers and cookies contain more than 25% of a day’s calories for white flour, fat, sugar and salt. While you’d think the cheese and crackers might provide some protein, you only get 2 grams, no more than the six-packs of Oreo cookies. They also point out that the “fruit snack” is mostly sugar with a little grape and cherry juice mixed in for taste.

Solution:

The point is to bring your own snacks. Or at least pick up some nuts in the airport before you fly.

Remember, nuts will cut your risk of a heart attack by 46%, low in carbs, and easy to find in airports, bus stations, and around the world.

In almost every piece of research I’ve seen, travelers rate fitness centers as the most or second-most important amenity when traveling. In fact, an overwhelming number of travelers responded that they booked a hotel in large part if it had a fitness center and/or pool. But the actual utilization rate?how many of the guests actually use the facilities?is a disheartening six percent ? or less.

Solution:

In general, if you do even a short workout at the beginning of the day, you’ll feel better for it, and that might help you not overeat the rest of the day. And, hey, don’t sabotage yourself by “forgetting” to pack sneakers or shorts.

Personally, I like LL Cool J’s 20 second ab workout you can even do on the plane.

One study concludes that those with jet lag don’t just eat at irregular times, they eat larger-than-normal portions. The worst part is the link between sleep deprivation and weight gain: The brain may send out false signals of hunger. And therein lies a big problem among travelers?combine a rigorous travel schedule and sleep deprivation, and there’s a direct correlation with obesity.

People who are sleep-deprived get hungry. When we restrict sleep duration in healthy, lean, normal adults, we quickly observe two alterations. Leptin, the hormone that regulates appetite and promotes satiety, the feeling of fullness, decreases. (When leptin levels are high, you feel satiated. If you’re feeling hungry, your leptin levels have dropped). That, coupled with increased levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, sends false signals to the brain that you’re starving. Hunger increases even when your caloric intake has been more than sufficient.

Solution:

In the end, it’s not just about jet lag, or how well you adjust. It’s really all about sleep deprivation and how that affects your ability to think clearly, and in particular, how it affects your brain’s ability to allow you to register how hungry you are versus how hungry you feel. My advice for jet lag hunger pains? Water, and lots of it.

Have your own tips? Share them with us in the comments

 

 

 

 

 

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