How Our Kids Perceive Beauty In The Modern World

Beauty Perception of Children

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what if your young daughter is the beholder and she’s being manipulated by clever, yet misleading, advertisements to form her perception? Until recently, almost all popular fashion and beauty billboards have painted long, lean and skinny women who are accessorized by expensive clothes and handbags as the beauty norm. But thanks to the beauty industry’s evolving agenda and big brands backing the efforts (the real life portrayals of young women in the Dove Campaign For Real Beauty is one example) today’s modern girl is beginning to feel more confident embracing her version of beauty and style. Young minds will likely be tempted by how media outlets present beauty, but below are a few tips to help your daughter feel happy in her own skin when she’s struggling most.

1. Experiencing big body changes

Puberty is a whole mess of changes and hormones. While we can hopefully chuckle at those days, for your daughter, the experience is happening now and is a very real weight on her self-esteem. If your daughter is feeling conscientious about the changes she’s going through—maybe all of her friends are taller and developing faster or maybe she’s breaking out and can’t wear makeup yet. This is a great time to help her bust through the one-size-fits-all approach to beauty. You can’t tell her enough how bright her eyes sparkle or how amazing her hair is; research shows that positive encouragement from parents positively influences children’s self-perceptions.

2. Glasses are in, but contacts boost self-esteem in teens

Most teenagers who experience eyesight issues are psyched that glasses are in style, and could spend hours online finding their favorite styles. Some kids still feel self-conscious wearing eyeglasses though, and might find a big self-esteem boost when allowed to choose contact lenses, according to optometrist researcher, Jeffrey J. Walline, from Ohio State University’s College of Optometry. By the end of his study, he found that kids wearing contact lenses were more confident about their appearance and athletic performances. Your optometrist will help your daughter find the perfect pair of contact lenses for her needs. If you’re a busy parent, order her contact lens prescription online. Internet retailers like Vision Direct even have auto-reorder features that make keeping fresh contacts on hand effortless. When they arrive, help her practice putting them in so she feels comfortable and confident.

3. Weighing in

In the past, everyone wanted to diet and lose weight to become the ultra-skinny envy of their friends and family. Unfortunately, body image experts say the “thin ideal” is still in. With today’s pressure, the new beautiful is to still be thin, but also super fit. Let’s face it, no matter how much some of us work out, the bone structure we were born with is not going to budge and that tiny waist/curvy butt combo is fought down by genetics. If your daughter struggles with her perception of weight—whether she thinks she is over or underweight—assure her that regular exercise makes her beautiful because she’s engaging in a life-long healthy activity. Encourage her to find fitness she actually enjoys doing though.

Show her how powerful the media is by showing her pictures of what beautiful was in the ’60s and ’70s. She’ll be surprised when you show her people once thought a woman holding a cigarette was “beautiful” because that’s what popular media convinced them to believe. Unhealthy habits can often be glamorized, and just helping create awareness will help your daughter begin raising her own questions about what beauty really is to her.

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Basic Human Needs: Shelter, Family & WIFI

Basic Human Needs: Shelter, Family & WIFI

More and more, our Basic Human Needs are looking like this.
Air, Shelter, Water, Food, Friends, family, Self-esteem… but holding it all up is WIFI.

  • Do you agree?
  • Anything else that should part of this list?

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Basic Human Needs WIFI

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If you had $1 million dollars would you feel wealthy? You won’t.

Money Cash Pile HappyDoes money make us happy?

  • What is considered “wealthy?”
  • How much money would it take for you to be happy?

Is it the amount that you have? It is whether you have no financial constraints to do what you want? Is it the sense of security you get from just having money?

Wealth equals no financial constraints on activities

Did you know the majority of millionaires don’t consider themselves wealthy? Only 31% of those with $1 Million dollars in assets consider themselves wealthy. Only after the $5 million dollars threshold do a slight majority (60%) of the millionaires feel they are wealthy. Absurd? or just the nature of people?

Wealthy Money Perception Statistics

How much does it take to be happy?

As a kid, we would be happy with $20 in our pocket. That’s all we needed. As a poor college student, if we could just have a couple hundred bucks to eat decent food and pay some of our loans, we would be ecstatic. As a working professional, we needed enough money to get a nice car, an iPad, and bunch of other gadgets. Family. Kids. Investments. Retirement. Vacations. Bigger homes. As we grow older, and our standard of living continues to rise, is it really that big of a surprise that our happiness threshold in terms of money only increases? When then will anyone be happy?

Money & Happiness - Financial Goals

Though the identity of being “wealthy” goes from 31% to 60% between having $1 million in assets to $5 million, note that when they are asked how confident they will be to achieve your financial objectives for the future, there is negligible difference.

The full report is here: Investors Wealth Report

  • Do you think having $1 Million Dollars is considered wealthy?
  • Do you think you will feel secure with $1 Million Dollars?
  • Comment below and give your take!

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Top 10 Most Polluted Toxic Cities in the US

Who is the Most Toxic of them All?

Just for fun folks. Only because I have friends who grew up in these cities or currently live in them.

Forbes came out with 2011 Most Toxic Cities List.

What would be your first guess for #1?
Los Angeles maybe? Good guess. That is where I grew up and I miss those orange sunsets, sunrises, and… daily sky color… but LA only comes 6th on the list.

Good Ol’ Philadelphia comes in on #1, but California will not be out done as it holds 4 of the top 10 spots with #2 Bakersfield, #3 Fresno, #6 Los Angeles, and #10 Riverside.

The rankings was based on the average of five variables. Air quality, water quality, superfund sites (areas no longer in use that contain hazardous waste), Number of Days with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 100+ (higher the number the worse the air), and EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). The pool was limited to the 80 largest Metropolitan Areas.

Without further delay:

America’s 10 Most Toxic Polluted Cities!

#1 Polluted Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Pollution Cities
MSA: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa./N.J./Del./Md.
Number of unhealthy air quality days (2009): 2
Pounds of on-site toxic releases reported (2009): 11.3 million
EWG top water concern: Total trihalomethanes

#2 Befoul Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield Pollution Cities

Number of unhealthy air quality days (2009): 43
Pounds of on-site toxic releases reported (2009): 2.2 million
EWG top water concern: N/A

#3 Foul Fresno, California

Fresno Pollution Cities

Number of unhealthy air quality days (2009): 26
Pounds of on-site toxic releases reported (2009): 338,000
EWG top water concern: Nitrates

#4 Nasty New York, New York

New York Pollution Cities

MSA: New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y./N.J./Pa.
Number of unhealthy air quality days (2009): 5
Pounds of on-site toxic releases reported (2009): 4.1 million
EWG top water concerns: Total haloacetic acids; dieldrin; total trihalomethanes

#5 Bedraggled Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge Pollution CitiesNumber of unhealthy air quality days (2009): None
Pounds of on-site toxic releases reported (2009): 33.6 million
EWG top water concern: N/A

#6 Loathsome Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles Pollution Cities

MSA: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif.
Number of unhealthy air quality days (2009): 14
Pounds of on-site toxic releases reported (2009): 3.8 million
EWG top water concerns: Arsenic; total trihalomethanes; nitrate; total haloacetic acids

#7 Heinous Houston, Texas

Houston Pollution Cities

MSA: Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
Number of unhealthy air quality days (2009): 1
Pounds of on-site toxic releases reported (2009): 54.8 million
EWG top water concern: Alpha particle activity

#8 Sooty St. Louis, Missouri

St Louis Pollution Cities

MSA: St. Louis, Mo./Ill.
Number of unhealthy air quality days (2009): 1
Pounds of on-site toxic releases reported: 22.3 million
EWG top water concern: Total haloacetic acids

#9 Soiled Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City Pollution CitiesNumber of unhealthy air quality days (2009): 15
Pounds of on-site toxic releases reported: 130.4 million
EWG top water concern: Total haloacetic aci

#10 Rancid Riverside / San Bernardino, California

Riverside Pollution Cities

MSA: Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif.
Number of unhealthy air quality days (2009): 16
Pounds of on-site toxic releases reported (2009): 1.3 million
EWG top water concerns: Total haloacetic acids; nitrates; perchlorate

Now don’t get all worked up now, I didn’t make up this list – just the adjectives but all in good fun. I grew up in Los Angeles and visited all the other California locations as well as New York and I can say that all.. ok some… of those cities (la, riverside) are beautiful and a great place to live. Bakersfield smells tho…

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Media Owned by the Big 6: GE, Disney, CBS, Viacom, Time Warner, & News Corp.

False Security in Diversity

As you flip through 3000 channels, listen to numerous radio stations, and cruise around the Internet – you may be thinking how great it is to have access to so many different ideas and shows. It is like going to the supermarket and having access to 100s of different kinds of cereal. Great! Except you look closer at the box and realize, the vast majority of those cereals are owned by 3 companies: General Mills, Kellogg’s & Post. Wait, 75% of all soft drinks are owned by Coke & Pepsi as well. What is going on here!?

The truth is that through years of mergers and acquisitions, very few powerful media corporations control the vast majority in almost every market. Media is no different. That same company that produces great children films probably produces the trashy movies as well – just under a different name. What is your favorite movie? Favorite TV Show? Favorite children film? Favorite Sports radio station? Don’t be surprised if it is all owned by the same company.

US Media Controlled by the Big 6

The U.S. media landscape is controlled mostly by six massive media corporations: General Electric, Walt Disney, News Corp., Time Warner, Viacom, & CBS. These six media corporations control most of what we hear, read, and see. Our perceptions, worldviews and our culture is dictated by the message portrayed by a few corporations. With so much influence and control it is very easy to capitalize on such influence to market products, create desires we never had, influence our emotions and ultimately use it all to make huge profits.

TV Influence on Children - MediaIs that thought scary? Is it to much to think companies control media messaging for maximum profit? Chime in and let us know in the comments!

Just to note, there are other big media companies who are big players in particular media markets (ex. Cox, Bertelsmann), but these six are easily the biggest both in terms of profits and sweeping influence. These companies are vertically integrated, meaning they control everything from production to distribution.

Did You Know?

Zondervan – The largest Christian publishers, including the vast majority share of the “Bible” is owned by News Corp. Every time someone purchases a bible, the #1 bestseller in history, News Corp profits.

Let us know what you think about these media facts!

  • Did you know that six companies controlled most of media?
  • Did any of the facts shown below surprise you?
  • What is your biggest concern with a few companies controlling and dictating the vast majority of media?

Let us know in the comments!

Snapshot of the Big 6’s Control over Media


GENERAL ELECTRIC

2008 Revenues: $183 Billion
Sample Ownership: NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Telemundo, USA, A&E, Universal Pictures, NBC.com, CNBC.com, iVillage.com, and Hulu.com (joint venture with News Corp).

TV – Television networks: NBC Networks, Telemundo, Ion Media (partial stake).

TV – Cable: NBC Entertainment, NBC News, NBC Sports, NBC Television, NBC Universal, CNBC, CNBC World (Arabia, India, Asia, Europe), MSNBC, Bravo, Sci Fi Channel, Telemundo, USA, Oxygen, Weather Plus, Mun2, Sleuth, Chiller, Universal HD, A&E Networks (25%; includes A&E, the History Channel, History en español, the Biography Channel, Military History Channel, Crime & Investigation Network, A&E HD, the History Channel HD, History International), the Weather Channel (partial), Sci-Fi Channel HD.

TV – Production and distribution companies: NBC Universal Television Distribution, Universal Media Studios

26 television stations, owned under the “NBC Universal” division. These include NBC affiliates, 46 stations, Telemundo affiliates, and a small number of independents.

TV – International Channels: 13eme Rue (France), 13th Street (Germany), Studio Universal (Germany), Sci-fi Channel (Germany), Calle 13 (Spain), Sci Fi Channel UK, Movies 24 (UK), DivaTV (UK), Studio Universal (Italy), Universal Channel (Latin America), CNBC Asia, CNBC Europe, 18 Hallmark Channels (worldwide), KidsCo (worldwide, partial).

TV – Programming: NBC Network News, NBC Universal Global Networks, NBC Universal International Channels, The Today Show, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Dateline NBC, Meet the Press, Early Today, CNBC, Squawk Box, Mad Money, CNBC World, CNBC Arabia, CNBC-India TV-18, Hardball with Chris Matthews, the Rita Cosby Specials Unit, Morning Joe, Mun2, Sleuth, A&E [partial], the History Channel [partial], the Biography Channel (partial), ShopNBC (27%).

Film – Production: NBC Universal (80% ownership): Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Rogue Pictures. Universal has production agreements with Imagine Entertainment, Jersey Films, Tribeca Films, Shady Acres, the Kennedy/Marshall Company, Playtone Company, Strike Entertainment, Type A Films, Depth of Field, Stephen Sommers and Working Title Films (Europe).

Film – Distribution: Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Online – NBC.com, CNBC.com, iVillage.com, Scifi.com, telemundo.com, nbc.com, hulu.com (a joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp.), Bravotv.com, Triotv.com, msnbc.msn.com, nbcolympics.com, ShopNBC.com. Partial: aetv.com, biography.com, historychannel.com, military.history.com, Thehistoryhcannelclub.com, Historytravel.com, Newsvine.com.

Walt Disney Logo - DisneyWALT DISNEY

2008 Revenue: $37.8 Billion
Sample Ownership: ABC, ESPN, Disney, A&E, History Channel, 277 radio stations, Marvel Entertainment, Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, NBA.com, and NFL.com

TV – The ABC Television Network: ABC Entertainment, ABC Daytime, ABC News, ESPN on ABC, ABC Television, ABC Kids, and Touchstone Television.

TV – Production & Distribution Companies: Walt Disney Television, Walt Disney Television Animation, BVS entertainment, ABC Studios, Walt Disney Television, Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

TV – Cable Networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN PPV, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU, ESPNHD, ESPN2 HD, ESPNEWSHD and ESPNUHD, Disney Channel HD, Toon Disney, SOAPnet, ABC Family Channel, A&E Television Networks (37.5% equity; includes A&E, the History Channel, the Biography Channel, History en español, Military History Channel, Crime & Investigation Network, A&E HD, The History Channel HD), Lifetime Entertainment Services (50% equity; includes Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network, Lifetime Real Women).

TV – International Channels: ESPN International, ESPN Classic Sport Europe, ESPN Latin America, ESPN Asia, Jetix Europe, Jetix Latin America, Jetix Canada, Jetix Israel, International Disney Channels, History International, NASN Limited.

The ABC Television Network has 226 affiliated stations reaching 99 percent of all U.S. television households. The company owns and operates ten ABC television stations in the nation’s top markets.

TV – Programming: Good Morning America, World News with Charles Gibson, World News Now, 20/20, Primetime, This Week With George Stephanopoulos, Sportscenter/Monday Night Football, ESPNplus, Playhouse Disney, Jetix, ABC Kids.

Radio – Programming: ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes Radio, Radio Disney, Lifetime Radio for women (50% equity), ABC Music Radio, ABC Radio Networks: Imus in the Morning, The Mark Levin Show, Morning Joe, The Tom Joyner Show.

Publishing – Magazines: Family Fun, ESPN the Magazine, Jetix Magazine, Wondertime Magazine, Bassmaster Magazine and Disney Adventures

Publishing – Music: Disney Music Group distributes music and motion picture soundtracks under its four labels: Walt Disney Records, Hollywood Records, Buena Vista Records, Lyric Street Records, Disney Music Publishing Worldwide.

Film – Production and Distribution: Walt Disney Pictures (includes Walt Disney Feature Animation and DisneyToon Studios), Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, Pixar Animation Studios, Hollywood Pictures, Buena Vista International, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment International, Disney Theatrical Group, A&E IndieFilms (37.5% equity).
Publishing – Books: Disney Publishing, a subsidiary of the Company, owns Hyperion Books, Hyperion Books for Children, Disney Press, Disney Editions, Disney Adventures, Disney Fairies, Disney Digital Books, Mirimax, ESPN books, ABC Daytime Press, Hyperion East, Hyperion Audiobooks, Volo, Jump at the Sun, Disney Libri (Italy), Disney Hachette JV (France).

Online – ABC.com, ABCNews.com, Oscar.com, Disney.com, Disneychannel.com, Family.com, ESPN.com, Familyfun.com, Go.com, Soccernet.co (60%), NFL.com, NBA.com, NASCAR.com, Toysmart.com (partial), Go Network, www.disneysgamecafe.com, ESPN.com, Abcsports.com, ESPNdeportes.com, Wondertime.com, iparenting.com, celebrityparents.com, incrediblebabynames.com, disneyfairies.com, clubpenguin.com, Disneyshopping.com, (37.5% equity: aetv.com, biography.com, historychannel.com, militaryhistory.com, thehistoryhcannelclub.com, Historytravel.com).

News Corp LogoNews Corp

Sample Ownership: Fox Network, Fox News, Fox Sports, Fox, Myspace.com, Ign.com (gaming), Scout.com (sports), Simply Hired (job), New York Post, Rotten Tomatoes, Marketwatch, Hulu.com, 150 newspapers, Harper Collins, & Zondervan.
2008 Revenue: $33 Billion

TV – Networks: Fox, MyNetworkTV. In the United States, News Corp. owns 27 television stations.

TV – Cable: Fox Business Channel, Fox Movie Channel, Fox News Channel, Fox College Sports, Fox Regional Sports Networks (16 owned and operated), Fox Sports En Espanol, Fox Sports Net, Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Reality, Premier Media Group (Australia 50%), Premium Movie Partnership (Australia 20%), Cine Canal (Latin America 23%), Telecine (Latin America 13%), FUEL TV, FX, FX HD, National Geographic Channel (US 67% and Worldwide 52%), National Geographic Channel HD, SPEED Channel, SPEED HD, Big Ten Network & Big Ten Network HD (49%), Premier Media Group (Australia 50%).

TV – Production and Distribution Companies: Fox Television Studios, Fox Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Television, Regency Television (50%).

TV – Satellite Television: Fox International owns 120 channels around the world.

TV – Europe: SKY Italia includes Sky Sport, Sky Calcio, Sky Cinema, Sky TG 24, Premiere AG (25%). British Sky Broadcasting (39%) includes Sky News, Sky Sports, Sky Travel, Sky One, Sky Movies, Artsworld. News Corp. also owns Balkan News Corporation.

TV – Latin America: LAPTV (33%), Telecine (13%).

TV – Asia: STAR Channels, Space TV (India DBS 20%), Phoenix Satellite Television (18%), Hathway Cable and Datacom (22%), China Network Systems (17 affiliated cable systems), Vijay, Xing Kong Channel [V], ESPN Star Sports (50%), ANTV (20%), TATA Sky (20%).

TV – Australia & New Zealand: Sky Network Television Limited (44%), FOXTEL (25%).

TV – Programming: Fox Sports, Special Report with Brit Hume, Fox Report with Shepard Smith, On the Record With Greta Van Susteren, Fox News Sunday, The O’Reilly Factor, Fox Pan American Sports (38%).

Publishing – Magazines: Barron’s, SmartMoney (50%), Big League, InsideOut, donna hay, News America Marketing (In-Store, FSI (SmartSource), SmartSource iGroup, News Marketing Canada), Alpha, The Weekly Standard, The Weekend Australian Magazine, sundaymagazine, body + soul, STM (WA), home, TVGuide, News Magazine (Australia).

Publishing – Newspapers:

Publishing – Australia/Asia: More than 150 titles including: The Wall Street Journal Asia, the Fiji Times, Daily Telegraph, Nai Lalakai, Shanti Dut, Gold Coast Bulletin, Herald Sun, Newsphotos, Newspix, Newstext, NT News, Papua New Guinea Post-Courier (63%), Sunday Herald Sun, Sunday Mail, Sunday Tasmanian, Sunday Times, Sunday Territorian, The Advertiser, The Australian, The Courier-Mail, The Mercury, News Limited, The Sunday Mail, The Sunday Telegraph, Weekly Times, The Weekend Australian, MX, Brisbane News, Northern Territory News, Cumberland (NSW), Leader (VIC), Quest (QLD), Messenger (SA), Community (WA), Darwin Sun/Palmerson Sun (NT).

Publishing – United Kingdom: News of the World, The Sun, The Sunday Times, The Times, News International.

Publishing – United States: Newspaper holdings include the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, MarketWatch and Dow Jones Newswire; News Corp. also acquired the Ottoway group of community newspapers through its takeover of Dow Jones in 2007.

Publishing – Books: HarperCollins Publishers, Zondervan

Film – Production and Distribution: Fox Film Entertainment: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, Fox 2000 Pictures, 20th Century Fox Espanol, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising, 20th Century Fox International, Fox Atomic, Blue Sky Studios, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Music, Fox Studios Australia, Fox Studios Baja (Latin America), Canal Fox (Latin America), Balaji Telefilms (26%, Asia), 20th Century Fox Animation.

Online – Fox Interactive Media manages Fox’s online holdings, which include MySpace.com, Scout.com (a college sports site), ign.com (Internet gaming), Simply Hired (an online job search site), FoxSports.com, Fox News.com, Fox.com, Intermix, IGN.com, IGN.com.au, NYPost.com, MSN.Foxsports.com, WeeklyStandard.com, Broadsystem.com, NewsOptimus.co.uk, NewsOutdoor.com, RottenTomatoes, Fox.com, AmericanIdol.com, MarketWatch.com, Photobucket.com, Hulu.com (45%), jamster.com (51%), askmen.com, whatifsports.com, ksolo.com, springwidgets.com, flecktor.com milkround.com, nds.com, newsoutdoor.com, wsj.com, dowjones.com, barrons.com.

Time Warner Logo - CableTime Warner

2008 Revenue: $29.8 Billion
Sample Ownership: Warner Brothers, CNN, Cinemax, HBO, Cartoon Network, TBS, TNT, AOL, AIM, Mapquest, Moviefone, Advertising.com, ICQ, TMZ, PGA.com, Bebo, New Line Cinema, Castle Rock, DC Comics, Times Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Fortune Magazine, People Magazine (150+ Magazines)

TV – Network: CW Network (50% with CBS).

TV – Cable: Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO, Cinemax, HBO Sports, HBO Pay-Per-View, HBO on Demand, Cinemax Multiplexes, Cinemax on Demand, HBO HD, Cinemax HD, as well as HBO channels around the world), TruTV, TBS, TBS HD, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies, TCM Europe, TCM Asia Pacific, TNT, TNT HD, CNN Airport Network, CNN International, CNN Headline News, CNN en Español, CNN en Español Radio, CNN Pipeline.

TV – Regional and Local Channels: NY1 News, NY1 Noticias, Sports Net, R News (Rochester, NY), Turner South, Capital News 9 Albany, MetroSports, News 8 Austin, News 10 Now — Syracuse, News 14 Carolina-Charlotte, News 14 Carolina-Raleigh.

TV – International: CNN International, CNN Headline News in Asia Pacific, CNN Headline News in Latin America, CNN+, CETV (36%)(China), CNNj, CNN Turk, CNN-IBN, Cartoon Network Europe, Cartoon Network Latin America, Cartoon Network Asia Pacific, Cartoon Network Japan (70% share), Imagen, TCM Classic Hollywood in Latin America, TNT Latin America, Nuts TV, Cartoonito, Pogo, 7 networks in Latin America.

TV – Production and Distribution: Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Home Video, Warner Horizon Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, Telepictures Productions, HBO Video, HBO Independent Productions, New Line Television, Williams St. Studio, Cartoon Network Studios, CNN Newsource.

TV – Programming: CNN Newsroom, Live From The Situation Room, Lou Dobbs Tonight, Larry King Live, Anderson Cooper 360, NBA Games, MLB Playoffs, NASCAR, Entourage, Kids’ WB, American Morning.

Film – Production: Subsidiary The Warner Bros. Entertainment Group owns: Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Castle Rock, Warner Premiere, Picturehouse, Warner Bros. International Cinemas, Warner Independent Pictures, a joint venture with Village Roadshow Pictures, and a joint venture with Alcon Entertainment.

Film – Distribution: Distribution to more than 125 international territories.

Publishing – Comics: DC Comics, E.C. Publications, Inc. (publisher of MAD magazine).

Publishing – Time, Inc. : Time Warner Book Group (with publishing companies The Mysterious Press, Time Warner Book Group UK, Warner Faith, Warner Vision, Warner Business Books, Aspect, and Little, Brown and Company (includes Little, Brown Adult Trade, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Back Bay, and Bulfinch Press); Oxmoor House, Inc., Sunset Books, Books-of-the-Month Club, Inc., Southern Progress Corporation, Grupo Editorial Expansion (publishes 15 magazines in Mexico).

Publishing – More Than 150 Magazines: People, Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, This Old House, 25 Beautiful Homes, 25 Beautiful Kitchens, 4×4, Aeroplane, All You, Amateur Gardening, Amateur Photographer, Ambientes, Angler’s Mail, Audi Magazine, Balance, Bird Keeper, Business 2.0, Cage & Aviary Birds, Caravan, Chat—Its Fate, Chilango, Classic Boat, Coastal Living, Cooking Light, Cottage Living, Country Homes & Interiors, Country Life, Cycle Sport, Cycling Weekly, Decanter, Entertainment Weekly, Essence (joint venture), Essentials, EXP, Expansion, European Boat Builder, Eventing, Family Circle (U.K.), Fortune Asia, Fortune Europe, FSB: Fortune Small Business, Golf Magazine, Golf Monthly, Guitar, Hair, Health, Hi-Fi News, Homes & Gardens, Horse, Horse & Hound, Ideal Home, In Style, In Style U.K., International Boat Industry, Land Rover World, Life, Manufactura, Marie Claire (joint venture), MBR-Mountain Bike Rider, MINI, MiniWorld, Model Collector, Money, Motor Boat & Yachting, Motor Boats Monthly, Motor Caravan, NME, Now, Nuts, Obras, Outdoor Life, Park Home & Holiday Caravan, People en Espanol, Pick Me Up, Practical Boat Owner, Practical Parenting, Prediction, Progressive Farmer, Quien, Quo (joint venture), Racecar Engineering, Real Simple, Rugby World, Ships Monthly, Shoot Monthly, Shooting Times, Soaplife, Southern Accents, Southern Living, Sporting Gun, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Stamp Magazine, Sunset, Superbike, Synapse, Targeted Media, Teen People, The Field, The Golf, The Golf+, The Railway Magazine, The Shooting Gazette, This Old House Ventures, Time Asia, Time Atlantic, Time Australia, Time Canada, Time for Kids, Time, Inc. Content Solutions, Time Pacific, TV & Satellite Week, TV Easy, TVTimes, Uncut, VolksWorld, Vuelo, Wallpaper, Webuser, Wedding, What Camera, What Digital Camera, What’s on TV, Who, Woman, Woman & Home, Woman’s Own, Woman”s Weekly, World Soccer.

Online – America Online: AOL, AOL.com, AOL Instant Messenger, AOL Wireless, AOL Music Now, AOL Local, McAfee VirusScan Online (bundled with AOL services), AOL by Phone, AOL Call Alert, AOL CityGuide, AOL PassCode, AOL Voicemail, AOL Europe (Germany and Luxembourg), America Online Latino (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Chile, AOL Global Web Services, AOL Latino).

Online – Other Online Holdings: CNN.com, CNNMoney.com, CNNStudentNews.com, MapQuest, Moviefone, Movietickets.com, RED, Advertising.com, CompuServe, ICQ, KOL, SI.com, People.com, Pipeline, GameTap, CartoonNetwork.com, DCComics.com, Time.com, VeryFunnyAds.com, Cwtv.com, Golf.com, Truveo, Weblogs, TMZ.com, Momlogic.com, AIM, Bebo.com, NASCAR.com, NASCAR.com en Espanol, PGA.com, PGATour.com, Play On!, superdeluxe.com, MyRecipes.com, MyHomeIdeas.com, ThisOldHouse.com, buy.at, MedioTiempo.com, Goowy, Sphere Source, Mousebreaker.com.

Viacom LogoViacom

2008 Revenue: $14.6 Billion
Sample Ownership: MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1, BET, Paramount Pictures

TV – Viacom owns 10 TV stations (primarily broadcasting MTV Tr3s).

TV – Cable: MTV, MTV2, Nickelodeon/Nick-at-Nite, TV Land, VH1, Spike TV, CMT: Country Music Television, Comedy Central, Palladia, MTV U, LOGO, MTV World, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount Comedy, BET, BET Jazz, BET Gospel, BET Hip Hop, Nick Jr., MTV Tr3s, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Pure Country.

TV – International Channels: MTV Networks International operates in 160 countries. Viacom also owns Colors, The Music Factory, The Box, Game One, VIVA, QOOB, MTV Network Europe, Comedy Central Germany, MTV Base, MTV Arabia.

TV – Production: BET Event Production, MTV Productions.

TV – Programming: The Hills, Nick Gas, Turbo Nick, Nicktoons Network, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, MTV Jams, MTV World and TeeNick.

Radio – MTV Radio, BET Radio, Imagine Radio Limited

Publishing – Music: The Extreme Music Library, Director’s Cuts Production Music.

Publishing – Magazines: Nickelodeon Magazine.

Film – Paramount Pictures (includes Dreamworks, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, MTV Films, Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Home Entertainment), Viacom 18 (50%) (India).

Online – MTV.com, VH1.com, Spiketv.com, ComedyCentral.com, Nick.com, GT.TV, GameTrailers.com, Neopets Inc., MTVi Group, SonicNet.com, GoCityKids.com, MTV Overdrive, VH1 Vspot, BET.com, BET on Blast, Cmt.com, TurboNick, Quizilla, Nick Jr. Video, The Click, Nicktropolis, Addictinggames.com, Shockwave.com, ParentsConnect.com, Atomfilms.com, Rhapsody America (49%), Virtual Worlds (Nickropolis, vmtv.com), thedailyshow.com, colbertnation.com, southparkstudios.com (51%), spiketv.com, ifilm.com, jokes.com, Xfire (gaming).

CBS Logo OfficialCBS

2008 Revenue: $14 Billion
Sample Ownership: CBS, CBS Sports, Showtime, Simon & Schuster, CBS radio, Paramount, 29 television stations.

TV – Networks: CBS Network consists of 29 stations. CW Network (50% with Time Warner).

TV – Cable: CBS College Sports Network, the Smithsonian Channel, MountainWest Sports Network (50% with Comcast). Showtime Networks, Inc. (SNI) owns Showtime, the Movie Channel, Flix, Showtime Too, Showtime Showcase, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Beyond, Showtime Next, Showtime Women, Showtime Familyzone, the Movie Channel Xtra, Showtime HD, Showtime Too HD, Showtime PPV, Showtime on Demand, the Movie Channel HD.

TV – Programming: CBS Television Distribution: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Survivor, Everybody Loves Raymond, Jeopardy!, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Entertainment Tonight, The Early Show, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, Face the Nation, Two and a Half Men, The Young and The Restless. CBS also owns CBS News, CBS Sports, CBS Entertainment, and broadcasts the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

TV – Production and Distribution: CBS Paramount Network Television, CBS Paramount International Television, CBS Television Distribution, CBS Films.

Radio – CBS Radio owns 140 radio stations in 31 markets; most of these are in the nation’s top 50 markets.

Radio – Books:
Publishing – Simon & Schuster: Atria Books, Kaplan, Pocket Books, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, The Free Press, The Touchstone, Fireside Group.

Publishing – Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing: Aladdin Paperbacks, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Little Simon, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Simon Pulse, Simon Spotlight.

Publishing – Other Publishing: Simon & Schuster Canada, Simon & Schuster UK, Simon & Schuster Australia, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, MTV Books.

Online – CBS.com, CBSNews.com, CBS Interactive, CBSGames.com, CBS Outernet, CBSSports.com, Sportsline.com, CNet.com, ourchart.com, ProElite, Inc., smithsoniannetworks.com (50%), MaxPreps.com, NFL.com, NCAAsports.com, ParentConnect.com, PGATour.com, Sho.com, Innertube, TheShowBuzz.com, Last.fm, GameSpot, TV.com, MP3.com, help.com.TV show?

  • Let us know what you think!
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Third of US Teenagers sends 3,000+ Texts a Month

1 in 3 Teenagers Send 3,000+ Texts a Month

Texting TeenagersPrepare for an overload of Teenager Texting Statistics:

  • Half of teens send 50 or more text messages a day, or 1,500 texts a month. One in three send more than 100 texts a day (or more than 3,000 texts a month.)
  • 15% of teen texters send more than 200 texts a day, or more than 6,000 texts a month.
  • Boys send and receive 30 texts a day while girls send and receive ~80 messages per day.
  • Teen texters ages 12-13 send and receive about 20 texts a day.
  • 14-17 year-olds who text, send and receive 60 text messages a day.
  • Older girls who text are the most active, with 14-17 year-old girls sending 100+ messages a day or more than 3,000 texts a month!
  • 22% of of teen texters send and receive just one to 10 texts a day, or 30 to 300 texts a month.
  • Just the Girls

    • Girls typically send and receive 80 texts a day; boys send and receive 30.
    • 86% of girls text message friends several times a day; 64% of boys do the same.
    • 59% of girls call friends on their cell phone every day; 42% of boys call friends daily on their cell phone daily.
    • 59% of girls text several times a day to “just say hello and chat”; 42% of boys do so.
    • 84% of girls have long text exchanges on personal matters; 67% of boys have similar exchanges.
    • 76% of girls text about school work, while 64% of boys text about school.

    Teens & Texting Report - Text Messaging

    More interesting tidbits about Teens & Texting –

    • A third of U.S. teenagers with cellphones send 100+ texts a day as texting has exploded to become the most popular means of communication for young people, according to new research.
    • The Pew Research Center said that three-fourths of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 now own cellphones and of those that do, girls typically send or receive 80 text messages per day and boys, 30 per day.
    • Study author Scott Campbell said focus groups conducted by Pew also offer insight into the subtleties of teen communication and culture, revealing for example that, while boys don’t typically use punctuation, for girls such nuances are critical.

    “If a girl puts a period at the end of a text message (to another girl) then it comes across as she’s mad,” Campbell said, which explains the prevalence of smiley emoticons.

    “They have these practices because they’ve learned that texts can lead to misunderstandings,” Lenhart said. “It’s a deliberate thing and it’s also part of a culture that’s interested in differentiating itself from adult culture.”
    Cell Phone Text Image

    • The mobile phone has become the favored communication hub for the majority of American teens.
    • Cell-phone texting has become the preferred channel of basic communication between teens and their friends, with cell calling a close second. Some 75% of 12-17 year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45% in 2004. Those phones have become indispensable tools in teen communication patterns. Fully 72% of all teens2 — or 88% of teen cell phone users — are text-messagers. That is a sharp rise from the 51% of teens who were texters in 2006. More than half of teens (54%) are daily texters.
    • Among all teens, their frequency of use of texting has now overtaken the frequency of every other common form of interaction with their friends (see chart below).

    How are Parent’s Responding to it All?

    For parents, teens’ attachment to their phones is an area of conflict and regulation.

    Parents exert some measure of control over their child’s mobile phone — limiting its uses, checking its contents and using it to monitor the whereabouts of their offspring. In fact, the latter is one of the primary reasons many parents acquire a cell phone for their child. However, with a few notable exceptions, these activities by parents do not seem to impact patterns of cell phone use by teens.

    • 64% of parents look at the contents of their child’s cell phone and 62% of parents have taken away their child’s phone as punishment.
    • 46% of parents limit the number of minutes their children may talk and 52% limit the times of day they may use the phone.
    • 48% of parents use the phone to monitor their child’s location.
    • Parents of 12-13 year-old girls are more likely to report most monitoring behavior.
    • Limiting a child’s text messaging does relate to lower levels of various texting behaviors among teens. These teens are less likely to report regretting a text they sent, or to report sending sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images by text (also known as “sexting”).
    • Teens whose parents limit their texting are also less likely to report being passengers in cars where the driver texted behind the wheel or used the phone in a dangerous manner while driving.

    Cell Phone Uses Functionality

    • 83% use their phones to take pictures.
    • 64% share pictures with others.
    • 60% play music on their phones.
    • 46% play games on their phones.
    • 32% exchange videos on their phones.
    • 31% exchange instant messages on their phones.
    • 27% go online for general purposes on their phones.
    • 23% access social network sites on their phones.
    • 21% use email on their phones.
    • 11% purchase things via their phones.

    Texting & Driving

    • Half (52%) of cell-owning teens ages 16-17 say they have talked on a cell phone while driving. That translates into 43% of all American teens ages 16-17.
    • 48% of all teens ages 12-17 say they have been in a car when the driver was texting.
    • 40% say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put themselves or others in danger.

    What are your Thoughts?

    That my friends, is a ton of statistical information. What is clear is that texting has become the favored form of communication for teenagers. 100-200 texts a day? Many will grow to have finger arthritis at that rate. But seriously, what are your thoughts in all this?

    Though I see it can be beneficial in being able to stay constantly connected to friends, what I fear the most is that when teenagers grow up relying on less personal mediums that do not requires face-to-face interaction – it could have some negative effects in the way a teenager is able to relate to people in real life situations. It is so easy to text something, especially something seemingly uncomfortable, then to pick up a phone and call or *gasp*.. meeting up with someone. It creates a easy way to not experience the real work of building personal relationship. Just a thought. What do you think?

    • Do you feel there is little harm in youths sending 100 texts a day?
    • Do the benefits of constant connection outweigh the detriments of losing real social interaction?
    • How many TEXTs do YOU send a day?
    • If you don’t mind – kindly state your age (or age range) since I am going to go out on the limb to assume different age groups will think very differently about this issue.
    • Take the Poll: Come Back to See Results:

      [poll id=”15″]

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    What Awesome Media Articles Did you Miss?

    Media Influence StatisticsHey Clean Cut Media Readers,

    During this thanksgiving holiday, I am very thankful to have YOU, the readers here on Clean Cut media. I am even more thankful for those of you who have started to engage the posts by commenting with your thoughts. I would hate for readers to miss out on the interesting comments and poll results on past postings. Some of the comments are very interesting and we would all benefit from hearing the thoughts of each of you! So please visit some of the past articles, check out the comments and polls and share your thoughts! As always be courteous or should I say – Clean Cut.

    Most Commented Articles

    Have you read some of the comments made by our readers? Most of the posts on Clean Cut Media end with open ended questions in the hopes that collectively we can discuss the influences of media and our culture. I truly hope we can get to a point where we can post up topics and it is the COMMUNITY that will create the “real” juicy content through the discussions and commentary. So help us out! If you find the article or a comment made by another user interesting, please let us know your thoughts!

    Teenager Kills Mother, Shoots Father Over Halo 3
    – The comments have been a bit one sided due to the influx of readers coming from Halo Forum sites. What are your thoughts? Agree or disagree?

    Clean Family Friendly Movie Reviews & Rating
    – Many users have contributed to this list. We wanted to create a list of family friendly movies so users can know what movies are safe both for themselves and their children. Please be as detailed as possible when you contribute!

    Creativity: Amazing 3D Building Art
    – The art postings on Clean Cut Media always brings out a flurry of comments expressing their awe and delight in what they’ve seen. Check all our 3D Chalk arts postings.

    Movie Review: Watchmen Morality Review
    – Lot of interesting takes on this movie. What are your thoughts? If you didn’t see the movie, it’s ok! Still give us your take!

    AdBlock Plus: Blocks All Ads on the Internet
    – Have you downloaded this awesome plug-in? Eliminates Ads altogether!

    Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince Movie Review
    – Too much emphasis on teen love? Is the message behind the film good? Give us your thoughts?

    Polyamory Relationships & Cultural Subjectivity of Truth
    – Again, heavy feedback from the Polyamory community. Word got out about this posting via twitter. Comments are mostly by Polyamory participants. Your thoughts?

    Top 5 Polls

    Which is your Favorite Street Art – 820+ Votes
    Users voted on their favorite 3D Chalk Art piece. River Rafting & Coke Bottle have run away with this.

    Do you use Facebook and/or MySpace – 630+ Votes
    In this article, we discussed the growth of Facebook vs Myspace. This poll helped determine who uses MySpace and who uses Facebook. Facebook easily is the most popular.

    What is the Most Amazing – 300+ Votes
    Users again voted for the most amazing Chalk Art. Dive Plank edged out Batman and Robin!

    Which 3D Building Art is Your Favorite – 280+ Votes
    Users love these opinion polls! Which one was their favorite? The one I voted for, the building ripped open. Really incredible. Check it out.

    Have sites like YouTube helped or hurt our culture – 70+ Votes
    Has Youtube helped our culture by enhancing the proliferation of information? Or has it somewhat hurt our culture? See how the votes are panning out!

    Most Tweeted – Follow us at @CleanCutMedia

    Those who are interested in Social Media Marketing tend to follow this blog for the statistical summaries and commentaries. There is a lot of information out there and users have found it useful to find it all consolidated on a couple posts. “ReTweet” is something fairly new on this blog, so it hasn’t picked up just yet, but hopefully it will continue to grow in the future. See the list below!

    Social Networks in Asia: Korea, Japan, China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore etc

    YouTube Statistics – The Ultimate Time Suck

    Polyamory Relationships & Cultural Subjectivity of Truth

    Teenager Kills Mother, Shoots Father Over Halo 3

    Twitter Statistics: Visitor Growth

    Social Media Statistics Video – Growth & Impact

    15 Beautiful HDR Photography Art

    Most Visited Postings (excluding 3D & Social Media Articles)

    Below are the most visited postings on Clean Cut Media this year. I’ve only linked the ones not linked above. Don’t want to link you out!

    Movie Review: Watchmen Morality Review
    Teenager Kills Mother, Shoots Father over Halo
    Teens Sharing Nude Photos Online
    – I really hope people are finding this article for the right reasons.
    Influence of Media Advertising in our View of Life
    – Pretty straightforward title. Very old post that started it all.
    Israel Palestinians Media War
    – Interesting post on the digital media war waged in the middle east.

    Girl Self-Esteem Image Issues

    – Great piece about Media’s affect on girl’s self image. Lots of Statistics.
    Pro Anorexia Pro Ana Sites
    – Discussion about Affects of Social Networks on Pro – Anorexia Groups.
    Famous Manipulated Photos, Pre-Photoshop
    – Take a look at famous pictures from history that were photoshoped for various purposes.

    Hope that was helpful to help you navigate around the site. Please let us know which article was your favorite. Also please comment on the ones you find interesting and give us your take!

    – Media Influence

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    You’re Teaching My Child What? – Dr. Miriam Grossman


    The sex-ed lobby has always claimed it was all about health—teaching kids how to stay safe. But in reality, their goal was not preventing disease, pregnancy, and emotional distress. It’s about indoctrinating them into a radical ideology—sexual freedom….

    What’s the result of this [sex education] teaching? One in four American girls now has a sexually transmitted disease. – Breakpoint

    • Are sex educators not providing the latest medical facts?
    • Are we really missing out on scientific facts about our sexual health?
    • What are the latest findings on the effects of living with sexual freedom?
    • What are those scientific facts! Am I in danger?

    You're Teaching My Child What - Physician Dr. Miriam Grossman M.D. - Sex Education

    Dr. Miriam Grossman vs. Sex Educators

    Dr. Miriam Grossman M.D, a board certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, recently wrote a book called “You’re Teaching My Kid What?”.

    She writes about the fact that sex educators as well as the SIECUS [Sexual Information and Education Council of the US], the organization that sets the standard for sex education, are not presenting the medical facts thus rather than empowering people to make the right decisions, they are giving them a false sense of security with disastrous results.

    One example is how sex educators urge kids to avoid pregnancy by engaging in oral sex. But what about the medical facts?

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    Euthanasia: Naturalism vs the Sanctity of Life

    Is Truth Relative? Do we have a “right” to do as we please?

    This discussion is not about abortion, but let me lay it out as an example to make a point. Everyone has heard the abortion arguments before: the argument for life and the argument for choice. Is abortion wrong because the child is a human being and no one has the right to kill a child? Or should abortion be considered a valid option because it is in the right of the mother to determine whether they can or want the child? How about the right of a person to kill oneself? Do old sickly people have the right to end their own lives? Can other people assist them? Stop them? The debates continue but underlying these discussions is a much deeper battle: the battle in the validity of the sanctity of life.

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    Sept 11, 2001 – World Trade Center, Remembering 9/11

    Remembering 9/11 – Attack of the World Trade Center

    911 - Sept 11 2001 - World Trade Center An early apology for dampening your day, but I am a strong advocate for the need for all people to remember the events of September 11, 2001. This was a historical moment in history, one that will be seared in our minds forever. As hard as it is to relive the experience, I think it is important that we remember the fragility of life and how in the aftermath of this horrible tragedy, everyone had to stop their hurried life to reexamine why they do what they do. Questions about the meaning of life, why suffering exists, questions about God and afterlife all became a real issue in the eyes of those not only living in the United States but around the world.

    See first the details of the event, followed by my own experience that morning.

    Details of the Sept 11, 2001 Attack on WTC

    Early in the morning on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, nineteen hijackers took control of four commercial airliners en route to San Francisco and Los Angeles from Boston, Newark, and Washington, D.C. (Washington Dulles International Airport). At 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 was crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower, followed by United Airlines Flight 175 which hit the South Tower at 9:03 a.m. Another group of hijackers flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. A fourth flight, United Airlines Flight 93, whose ultimate target was thought to be either the United States Capitol or White House, crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m, after the passengers on board engaged in a fight with the hijackers.

    During the hijacking of the airplanes, the hijackers used weapons to stab and/or kill aircraft pilots, flight attendants and passengers. Reports from phone callers from the planes indicated that knives were used by the hijackers to stab attendants and in at least one case, a passenger, during two of the hijackings. Some passengers were able to make phone calls using the cabin airphone service and mobile phones, and provide details, including that several hijackers were aboard each plane, that mace or other form of noxious chemical spray, such as tear gas or pepper spray was used, and that some people aboard had been stabbed. The 9/11 Commission established that two of the hijackers had recently purchased Leatherman multi-function hand tools. A flight attendant on Flight 11, a passenger on Flight 175, and passengers on Flight 93 mentioned that the hijackers had bombs, but one of the passengers also mentioned he thought the bombs were fake. No traces of explosives were found at the crash sites, and the 9/11 Commission believed the bombs were probably fake.

    On United Airlines Flight 93, black box recordings revealed that crew and passengers attempted to seize control of the plane from the hijackers after learning through phone calls that similarly hijacked planes had been crashed into buildings that morning. According to the transcript of Flight 93’s recorder, one of the hijackers gave the order to roll the plane once it became evident that they would lose control of the plane to the passengers.Soon afterward, the aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, at 10:03:11 a.m. local time. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, organiser of the attacks, mentioned in a 2002 interview with Yosri Fouda, an al Jazeera journalist, that Flight 93’s target was the United States Capitol, which was given the code name “the Faculty of Law”.

    The World Trade Centers Collapse

    Three buildings in the World Trade Center Complex collapsed due to structural failure on the day of the attack. The south tower fell at approximately 9:59 a.m., after burning for 56 minutes in a fire caused by the impact of United Airlines Flight 175. The north tower collapsed at 10:28 a.m., after burning for approximately 102 minutes. When the north tower collapsed, debris heavily damaged the nearby 7 World Trade Center (7 WTC) building. Its structural integrity was further compromised by fires, and the building collapsed later in the day at 5:20 p.m.

    Widespread Confusion, a Traffic Controller’s Nightmare

    The attacks created widespread confusion among news organizations and air traffic controllers across the United States. All international civilian air traffic was banned from landing on US soil for three days. Aircraft already in flight were either turned back or redirected to airports in Canada or Mexico. News sources aired unconfirmed and often contradictory reports throughout the day. One of the most prevalent of these reported that a car bomb had been detonated at the U.S. State Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. Soon after reporting for the first time on the Pentagon crash, CNN and other media also briefly reported that a fire had broken out on the Washington Mall. Another report went out on the AP wire, claiming that a Delta Air Lines airliner—Flight 1989—had been hijacked. This report, too, turned out to be in error; the plane was briefly thought to represent a hijack risk, but it responded to controllers and landed safely in Cleveland, Ohio. [Source: Wikipedia]

    Casualties of Sept 11, 2001 – The Statistics

    There were a total of 2,993 deaths, including the 19 hijackers: 246 on the four planes, 2,603 in New York City in the towers and on the ground, and 125 at the Pentagon. An additional 24 people remain listed as missing. All of the deaths in the attacks were civilians except for 55 military personnel killed at the Pentagon. More than 90 countries lost citizens in the attacks on the World Trade Center. In 2007, the New York City medical examiner’s office added Felicia Dunn-Jones to the official death toll from the September 11 attacks. Dunn-Jones died five months after 9/11 from a lung condition which was linked to exposure to dust during the collapse of the World Trade Center.

    NIST estimated that about 17,400 civilians were in the World Trade Center complex at the time of the attacks, while turnstile counts from the Port Authority suggest that 14,154 people were typically in the Twin Towers by 8:45 a.m. The vast majority of people below the impact zone safely evacuated the buildings, along with 18 people who were in the impact zone in the south tower. 1,366 people died who were at or above the floors of impact in the North Tower. According to the Commission Report, hundreds were killed instantly by the impact, while the rest were trapped and died after the tower collapsed. As many as 600 people were killed instantly or were trapped at or above the floors of impact in the South Tower.

    At least 200 people jumped to their deaths from the burning towers, landing on the streets and rooftops of adjacent buildings hundreds of feet below. Some of the occupants of each tower above its point of impact made their way upward toward the roof in hope of helicopter rescue, but the roof access doors were locked. No plan existed for helicopter rescues, and on September 11, the thick smoke and intense heat would have prevented helicopters from conducting rescues.

    911 - Sept 11 2001 - World Trade Center FlagA total of 411 emergency workers who responded to the scene died as they attempted to rescue people and fight fires. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) lost 341 firefighters and 2 FDNY paramedics.The New York City Police Department lost 23 officers. The Port Authority Police Department lost 37 officers, and 8 additional EMTs and paramedics from private EMS units were killed.

    Cantor Fitzgerald L.P., an investment bank on the 101st–105th floors of One World Trade Center, lost 658 employees, considerably more than any other employer. Marsh Inc., located immediately below Cantor Fitzgerald on floors 93–101 (the location of Flight 11’s impact), lost 355 employees, and 175 employees of Aon Corporation were killed. After New York, New Jersey was the hardest hit state, with the city of Hoboken sustaining the most deaths.

    Weeks after the attack, the estimated death toll was over 6,000. The city was only able to identify remains for about 1,600 of the victims at the World Trade Center. The medical examiner’s office also collected “about 10,000 unidentified bone and tissue fragments that cannot be matched to the list of the dead”. [Source: Wikipedia]

    The Morning of Sept 11, 2001 – Shocked & Confused

    I woke up to the sound of someone talking on the radio. The sun was already beating down through the bedroom window, another beautiful day I thought. Half alert, I was wondering why my roommate had the radio on. I had planned to sleep in a bit. Then I heard over the air-waves, someone speaking of a plane crashing into a building. For a second I thought I must have misheard. Planes being run into buildings? That’s crazy. I need more sleep. Then I heard it again, a plane has hit the world trade center. I am not dreaming. Something is going on. I jumped out of bed. My roommate and I ran out to flip on the TV and there it was. The country was in utter chaos. Everyone was confused. It was surreal, you don’t ever hear such words like planes, buildings, terrorists uttered in the same sentence. Our eyes were glued to the TV, looking at the burning tower, the people screaming, the people crying. It was as if the world stopped. Are the people out? What about those on the top floors? What in the world happened? Why is no one making it clear what happened?! By now everyone was on the phone calling their own families. Then it happened, the tower collapsed. We gazed in horror as New York was engulfed in smoke. The dust smoke crawled and expanded in and between all the buildings as if it had the intent to bury all in it’s path.

    The thought of the lives of 3,000 some people, gone in an instant, was something impossible to even fathom or comprehend. What about their families? How many people left that morning as if it was just another day in their lives to only have their lives transformed in a blink of an eye? I don’t know about you, but in that moment my view of life itself became very focused. What is the meaning of life? What really matters in life? What happens after life? Why is this happening? What is evil? Why is there suffering? Emotionally this day would shake the foundations of many who witnessed what we would later call 9/11.

    To be honest, it is only the next year as I attended a gathering memorializing the event, when it really hit me what kind of horrible event I had just lived through. I just hope that all those questions people had then, will not be forgotten and those who dared to ask such tough questions, chose to find answers. If they did not, I think that is a tragedy in itself. Don’t let such an event not change you for the better.

    • What is your memory of the Sept 11, 2001?
    • Did your life change at all due to the incident?
    • Did you ever grapple with questions like the meaning of life, suffering, afterlife or any other “life questions”?

    Update Sept 13, 2011 – 9 11 Quotes & Statistic Infographic

    Also Check out: Religion, the Greatest Source of Bloodshed, Persecution & War
    Also Check out: Amazing Time-Lapse Video of One World Trade Center Being Built!

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    Polyamory Relationships & Cultural Subjectivity of Truth

    Polyamory Relationships

    What is Polyamory?

    Polyamory is relationships with multiple mutual consenting partners.

    The difference between Polygamy and Polyamory is that the former involves multiple spouses, while the latter still has only one spouse, just multiple partners. Essentially it is a belief in non-monogarmy, engaging in loving, intimate relationship with more than one person with the full consent of all those who are involved.

    With the rise of the gay community and various wins in the advancement of gay marriage rights, Polyamory believers are starting to become more bold and the public will slowly have to take notice. Some estimate the polyamourous family count to be more than half a million in the United States alone. There are polyamory events, magazines and groups and the numbers continue to grow.

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    E3 – Microsoft Natal & Star Wars Video

    3 Latest Viral Videos Floating around the Web

    I am not one to be promoting video games. I personally believe video games, though can be fun activities in groups, usually ends up as a huge time sink. This isn’t an issue just with children and teenagers, but adults. In the modern era, even adults spend hours on end playing video games rather than living life in the real world. This is especially a concern for young children who spend so much time in front of the tube that it hinders their general interpersonal development.

    I mean, a kid shot his parents over Halo 3 a while ago. I am not claiming the game caused him to do it, but if he wasn’t so obsessed with playing the game, it probably would not have never happened! Games are very addicting.

    Having said that, I appreciates graphics, CG, and creativity. The following few videos are trailers and previews that came out of the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo or “E3” conference. It has been making it’s rounds in the internet world.

    What is Microsoft Natal?

    Heard any buzz yet? The first of these is a trailer by Microsoft in regards to new concept technology they are currently developing. With the success of the Wii and it’s movement sensing controller, Microsoft decided to take it further by proclaiming “no controller!”. Basically what they dubbed “Natal” will be able to detect your entire body movements and use your actions for the game. Imagine playing a fighting game actually swinging fists and legs. Imagine racing with an imaginary steering wheel. That is what Natal is trying to do. See the video.

    E3 – Microsoft Natal Trailer Video

    The next two videos are preview shots of upcoming games Star Wars and Final Fantasy XIV. These previews show mostly CG Rendering and Visual Graphic effects. The graphics are simply spectacular. The battle scene depicted in Star Wars between the Jedi Knights and the Seth empire is truly epic, grander than any of the movies released so far.

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