Sexism in Society

There has always been a strict line between how a Man and Woman should behave, and I think it's about time society 'gets with the current times' and realizes no one should be expected to do something, or be judged for things that the same gender does.

Recently a prank video of Sam Pepper has reached media with wild responses and allegations. This video features sam pinching girls bums as they turn their back and him covering it up (blaming it on other people mostly). I believe that although it is degrading for the women in the video, if it was a woman prankster in the video there wouldn't be as much media attraction and there would be almost next to none allegations of sexual abuse/harassment. 

However, I feel like women have a lawful favouritism when it comes to things like harassment. Women can just as equally abuse someone sexually, but of course, in the eyes of the law a woman cannot rape a man. This is basically because you have to be penetrated for it to be classed as rape, and most peoples response is 'Men can't be raped because they would have to be unwilling' I find this pretty dim-witted and shocking that society actually believes that men just think sex 24/7 (That's only the nymphomaniacs) Equally however, A women who has slept with over 2 men is classed as a 'slut' whereas a Man gets praise for bedding as many woman as he can find; I also find this pretty sexist.

An expectation society also seems to have for women, is that they must be perfectly presentable at all times, even if that means they have to suffer in pain in order to fit into a 'stylish' dress. Teenage girls these days are also expected to wear make-up every day to cover up their flaws and make themselves seem more attractive, and I think this is honestly atrocious that people can make others feel so uncomfortable and insecure.

In conclusion, basically society just needs a wake-up call that we are our own person and we shouldn't be judged for acts people of the same sex commit; we should all be equally praised and punished. Also please do not take this as hate for whatever gender you are, I just brought up points I felt were relevant.

The Two Sides of Scotland

Recently, on the 18th September, there was a very special vote which took place in Scotland. This vote was (or would have been) the first step toward Scotland's independence, and how we would break away from the UK.

I was one of few who weren't very intimidated by the Scottish Referendum, and actually voted without A moment of stress or regret. I decided to vote Yes down to the the fact that I believe my country would do fine on it's own with the amount of resources we have access to, and the strong trades within the country. I would however, still be happy if we stayed within the UK (Let's not lie to ourselves, Thorpe Park and Alton Towers are great)

Over the past few days since the final result however (which was a NO, by the way), there has been riots between Yes and No voters all throughout Scotland, and mostly within our most popular city, Glasgow. Not only is it pointless, but it is downright embarrassing. Whether the Vote was tampered with or not (There have been several allegations of miscounts and fraud during the referendum) Scotland as a country will need to accept whatever outcome occurs and adapt to it; but of course this wasn't the case.

Riot in Glasgow George Square

Since the result, there has been a great divide in Scotland between those who voted Yes and those who voted No, which has also caused a petition for a re-vote to surface. This just shows how badly countries can react to votes of Independence, and I personally think the country would be better off if no vote had taken place.

Ebola Outbreaks

There are soooo many dangers in the world, and the most deadliest are often too small to see with the naked eye. An example of these microscopic killers is the Ebola Virus, which has been fighting it's way through our population since 1976.

It all started in 1996, in the village of Yambuku near the Ebola river - where the virus got It's name from - and the first person to contract the disease was the village Headmaster, Mabalo Lokela, who became infected after touring the Ebola river during the 12th-22nd of August 1996; he later died on the 8th of September. Since then, there was another 318 other cases reported near the same area which resulted in 280 deaths (Meaning the virus had a 88% fatality rate).

The virus was then eventually contained with the help of the World Health Organization, but then another species of the virus was identified in Sudan, which effected 283 people and killed 151 - Meaning this species has a 53% fatality rate -. Since then, the Ebola Virus was generally unheard of up until 6th December 2013 in Guinea, where an outbreak was traced back to a 2 year old boy who later died. Since then, by mid-august there has been around 2,127 cases and 1,145 deaths, and due to this, on the 8th August 2014, the World Health Organization declared an "international public health emergency" epidemic, which urged the rest of the world to aid effected regions of the world.

The virus can often be confused with viruses like Cholera, Typhoid fever and Malaria (Symptoms also tend not to appear for up to 21 days). The virus has flu-like symptoms such as headaches, fevers and muscle pain, but anyone infected with the virus may also suffer internal bleeding and even external bleeding from the eyes, ears, mouth and nose. The only current way to treat anyone infected is to isolate them in intensive care, where body organs can be correctly supported as the body fights the virus. The only discovered way for the virus to transmit from human-to-human is through bodily fluids, although the natural host for the virus is thought to be fruit bats.

All of this was the thing that led up to the deadly virus that is migrating from country-to-country today, so as long as you don't exchange bodily fluids with anyone who has recently visited countries around the equator (specifically Africa) you should be fine!

Dexter (TV Review)

Rating = 10/10        Seasons = 8        Genre = Crime Drama

I thought it was time for another TV show review, and one show I have been watching a lot lately is Dexter. It ended it's run in late 2013 after 8 seasons and 7 years of production. Although it ended last year, it is still one of Netflix's most viewed shows and that is for that reason; it's amazing. It has to be one of a few shows where everyone is rooting for the 'bad guy' not to get caught.

Plot Summary

The show starts off with it's central character, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) who is portrayed as having a bipolar-like life. He is a Forensic Scientist for the Miami Metro Police by-day and then a sadistic serial killer by-night. As the show progresses however, we soon learn Dexter has a code which he kills by, and one of his rules is to only kill people who he believes should die, which basically means he doesn't kill anyone who is 'innocent' but only criminals.

James 'Surprise Motherfucker' Doakes, Portrayed by Erik King

Later into season 1 of the show however, we learn how Dexter came-to-be such a hellish human being, and that is mainly down to the fact that his mother was ripped apart by a chainsaw right in-front of him. His adoptive sister, Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) is also a very interesting character. Her foul mouth and obliviousness are part of the key elements why she is a show favorite, and she also plays a vital role throughout season one (I won't tell you why, check out season one yourselves!) Lastly, another interesting character in the show is Rita Bennett (Julie Benz) whom is a caring mother for her two children, Aster and Cody, but she is also very emotionally damaged due to being abused by her ex-husband, Paul. When her and Dexter first start dating, it is clear he only really sees her as camouflage for his vigilant acts, but soon we begin to see how Dexter starts to form monumental feelings for Rita, which creates A lot of problems with his 'code'.

My Thoughts

Now, obviously I don't want to give away too much (although surprisingly I actually haven't, the show is full of mysteries) so that is all I'm going to write for the plot summary (It is only a summary after all)

Surprisingly accurate still of Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter)

Basically, Dexter is the type of show that can play with your feelings pretty well and you honestly get sucked into it pretty fast. It has a rating of 9.1/10 on IMDB, and as we know IMDB are pretty tough critics. I have just recently finished season 4, and I have to say that it actually had an emotional effect on me (Once I stop feeling so sad I'll start season 5!) and I think this is an experience with a show that everyone should have

In conclusion, Dexter's anticipation, mystery and interesting plot proves to be the best combinations for a very successful and enjoyable show. It is different to any other show and kind of turns the tables on what we would normally go for in a TV show; this will definitely get you excited about the bad guy instead of the 'hero', and as Dexter would once say, "If I had a heart, it would be breaking right now".

Graze Nibblebox #2 (Review)

Recently, my second Graze box came through the letter box and I have to say, after last time, I was pretty excited for this weeks box.  It came on the exact day it was supposed to (It must have been a problem with the post last time) and the box was packaged very nicely (as always)

Basically, after gently pulling off the pieces of plastic separating me from the food, I opened the box to a lovely picture of blackberries. Inside the bottom compartment was the usual booklet containing information on the treats received and also some friend code slips.

These are the treats I got inside my box, which I was quite happy with. The ones that looked the most appealing were the My Thai soy bites and the Walnut & Vanilla Truffle. Now, obviously they can't ALWAYS send you the stuff that you like so they will try to send you new things to try and then rate, so that's where my Rhubarb & Pear compote came from (I kind-of despise dried pears). Now I'll write my review on each individual snack!


      Salt & Vinegar Nut Selection                                                                 Walnut & Vanilla Truffle
            606 calories (Per 100g)                                                                                                               484 calories (Per 100g)

                                                   

The Salt & Vinegar Nut Selection consists of Salt                         The Walnut & Vanilla Truffle consists of
& Vinegar flavored peanuts and Almonds. You can                       Walnuts, Pieces of fudge, Vanilla flavored
taste the salt more than the vinegar, but they are still                 Pumpkin seeds and Raisins. Although this
very nice! The nice crunch and unique taste of Salt &                   looks very nice, it does not taste the way it
Vinegar are just a few reasons why I already prefer                      looks (especially the walnuts, which look
these to regular shop-bought nuts.                                              slightly caramelized but taste plain)

Rating = 8/10                                                               Rating = 5/10

            My Thai Soy bites                                                                          Rhubarb and Pear compote
            336 calories (Per 100g)                                                                                                            329 calories (Per 100g)

                                                     

The My Thai Soy bites consists of 8 bakes soy                               The Rhubarb and Pear compote consists

bites (which are very nice btw) and a sweet chilli                             of Cranberries, Rhubarb and Pear slices

dipping sauce (which is also very nice). All together, I                     (which have been dried I assume) They 

have to say this was one of the best savory snacks I have                all taste pretty nice aside from the Pear

received so far from graze, the crackers were absolutely                  having a very weird aftertaste and first-

amazing and the chilli since was nice and sweet!                              hand taste. Not one of my favorites.

Rating = 10/10                                                          Rating = 6.5/10

I hope you guys enjoyed this second review and if you want to give graze a try, click here to get your first, fifth and tenth box free! Also a quick reminder I am still doing a giveaway to win two £5 graze vouchers! This competition is over

ALS Arguments

Recently there has been an abundance of videos surfacing allover the internet involving people throwing cold water over themselves to raise money for charity, and somehow the original intention for it has disappeared and it has now been known as just a "Fun summer challenge" or "A challenge to raise awareness"

Although no one here is to blame really, It is slightly annoying about how many different variations these videos have about them and I thought I would do a little summary of what the challenge was originally for. Basically, there is this disease called ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) which - long story short - degrades A persons motor-skills over time, and as the disease worsens/spreads it can also cause numbness and muscle spasms to the persons body.

The challenge was for anyone nominated to donate to ALS research, and also do an ice water challenge (you donate either way) The ice water challenge is basically nominating a person to dump freezing cold water onto themselves and then nominate other people to do it too, but the freezing water was to symbolize the progression of the disease and how it numbs the affected body. (Fun fact, ALS is the disease Stephen Hawking has, and is the reason he is paralyzed)

Sorry for the short post today guys, I promise I have more on its way soon!

Graze NibbleBox (Review)

So, on twitter I told you guys I would be doing another review so here I am!

Last week I started a subscription with graze because I wanted to see what the fuss was about with the boxes, and then today (Tuesday) it came in the mail. It was supposed to come on Monday but I'll let it slide since they can't control the postage. It came in a small cardboard box, ideal to fit through letterboxes (So you don't need to be home to wait for the package) and it was easy to open. Then, inside I found two £5 Gift Vouchers which I thought was very nice of them to include (I did mention my blog to them via twitter and said I would be doing a review, but I highly doubt that is the reason I got the vouchers)

The box also comes decorated and has a different picture each month, this month it was this picture of lemons, which is pretty colorful. They also include a few little books inside the box, one with news about graze, another with information about each snack (Calories, fat etc) and then one with friend code paper slips. Now I'll show you guys what snacks I got and what I thought of them.


         Triple Berry Smoothie                                                                      Honeycomb Flapjack
                 109 calories                                                                                          241 calories                                                 

                 

The triple berry smoothie consisted of Banana,                    The honeycomb flapjack basically consisted of a
Cranberries, mini strawberries and blueberries.                    'Rustic rolled oat flapjack with honeycomb and
The banana tasted pretty much like banana, but                   chocolate drizzle' although you can only slightly
with a not-so-nice after taste. The rest of the fruit               taste the honeycomb, the flapjack was still very
was quite nice though, especially the strawberry's.                very nice! It tastes as good as it looks
Rating = 7/10                                                               Rating = 9/10

            Cheddar Gorge                                                                        Mississippi BBQ Pistachios
                    139 calories                                                                                                                         104 calories

                   

The cheddar gorge consisted of cheesy cashews,                     The Mississippi BBQ Pistachios consisted of

baked herb cracker bites and salsa corn sticks.                        basically just roasted Pistachios with a BBQ

Everything on this taste pretty nice, but I wouldn't                   Seasoning on them. Although there isn't much

say that the name of the product suits it, since it's                  to this product, it was pretty much the best

only slightly cheesy (the cashews)                                           tasting one of all four!

Rating = 7/10                                                             Rating = 10/10

So I hope you guys enjoyed my review! If you guys want to check out graze for yourself, click here 

This link includes my friend code inside it which gives you your 1st and 5th boxes for free!

I am also doing a little competition with the vouchers I received from graze! This contest is over