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The other day while watching a local Mexican TV show to improve my Spanish (yeah, right), this unsettling TV commercial was shown. Several teenagers, carrying their bottles of pop (the advertised product), wanted to go swimming at a public pool. Unfortunately, it was closed. They decided to break into the place.

They were clever in committing their criminal act. One girl took an instamatic picture of the undisturbed pool and taped it to the video security camera so the napping doofus security guard would see only the before-the-breaking-and-entering-scene on his monitors. Then over the wall they all went–chortling, frolicking and having all sorts of fun after they had just broken the law.

Soon the photo of the undisturbed pool scene blows off the security camera and the jig is up. The guard comes unglued and rushes into the pool area only to be overcome by a scene of fun-filled excitement. The next thing you know, he is drinking the advertised pop with the little law-breaking hooligans and starts having a gay old time.

I wonder what is going on here? Now, before you jump to any conclusions, let me tell you this. A well-known American soft drink company manufactures the soft drink advertised in this Mexican TV commercial-one you would immediately recognize if I had the guts to tell you the brand.

You know this commercial had to be produced in the United States (there wasn’t a Mexican among any of the actors) and approved by an American advertising executive who probably would say he or she thought the commercial was “cute”.

What is the message this TV commercial is sending to its ever-so-obvious target audience–teenagers?

1. If the object you are seeking is denied you then you should use whatever means necessary to get it.

2. Adults are stupid idiots that can be easily hoodwinked. But, if they catch you doing something wrong, you can still win them over with your youthful exuberance.

3. You can escape the consequences of wrongdoing by tricking or fooling adults.

Will someone tell me what this commercial has to do with the refreshing taste of a soft drink? No one in the ad ever talked about the drink. Remember what ads used to be like? “Yummy…This sure tastes good. It is so much better than that other icky soft drink. Won’t you run out to the store and buy some?”

Whatever happened to TV commercials where someone talks about the product and compares it to the other brand with a sneering grimace on his or her face?

I realize that companies have to push their product somehow to make their stockholders happy campers. I am all for that. However, just how does a bunch of kids breaking into a closed swimming pool and seeking to deceive the security guard have anything to do with drinking the soft drink? And then, to show the adult in the commercial as incapable of thinking, “Oh! Perhaps I should call the cops and then detain these little varmints until the authorities can arrest their little butts and take them away.”

This is, I fear, NAFTA’s contribution to the Americanizing of Mexico. The Mexican airways are now full of senseless American advertising. The TV stations play commercials that show criminal acts or parental disobedience that are supposed to somehow make you want to run out and buy their wonderful products.

This makes me so mad that I think I shall switch to drinking something non-cola. Oops!

Mexican Living Print and eBooks - What You Need To Know When Traveling or Planning To Live in Mexico.

1. Approach violence as an issue involving people of all ages and socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. View violent people not only as perpetrators or possible offenders, but also, as someone who is also an abused person who is simply repeating what she/he experienced.

2. If a brother, sister, friend, classmate, or teammate is verbally, physically or sexually traumatizing his/her partner –or is disrespectful or abusive to people in general — don’t look the other way. If you feel comfortable doing so, talk to him/her about it. Urge him/her to seek help. Or if you don’t know what to do, consult a friend, a parent, a professor or a counselor. Report any suspected child or adult abuse.

2A. THE WORST THING TO DO IS TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY AND REMAIN SILENT.

3. Have the courage to look inward. Question your own attitudes. Avoid being defensive when something you do or say ends up hurting someone else. Work to understand how your own attitudes and actions might inadvertently perpetuate sexism and violence, and work toward changing them.

4. If you suspect someone close to you is being verbally, physically or sexually traumatized, offer to help.

5. If you are emotionally, psychologically, physically, or sexually abusive to anyone, or have been in the past, seek professional help. Aftereffects of abuse does not heal itself. It will eventually manifest on a physical level in the form of physical illness. All physical illness has a connection to emotional trauma.

6. Be an ally to people who are working to end all forms of gender violence. Support the work of centers which aid victims of violence. Attend “Take Back the Night” rallies and other public events. Raise money for community-based rape crisis centers and battered women’s shelters. IF you belong to a team, fraternity, sorority or another student group, organize a fundraiser.

7. Recognize and speak out against homophobia and gay-bashing. Discrimination and violence against lesbians and gays are wrong in and of themselves. This abuse also has direct links to sexism (e.g., the sexual orientation of men or women who speak out again sexism is often questioned, a conscious or unconscious strategy intended to silence them. This is a key reason few men or women do so).

8. Attend programs, take courses, watch films, and read articles and books about multicultural masculinities, gender inequality, and the root causes of violence. Educate yourself and others about how larger social forces affect the conflicts between the individual men and women.

9. Don’t fund sexism. Refuse to purchase any magazine, rent any video, subscribe to any Web site, or buy any music that portrays peoole in a sexually degrading or abusive manner. Protest sexism in the media.

10. Mentor and teach young boys/girls about how to live life in ways that avoids degrading or abusing others. Volunteer to work with violence prevention programs, including anti-sexism programs. Lead by example.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD,author, If I’d Only Known…Sexual Abuse in or out of the Family: A Guide to Prevention is noted for her pioneering work in verbal, physical and sexual abuse prevention and recovery. http://www.gen-assist.com

Ready to take your modern lifestyle to the streets? You have the modern nursery furniture, now it’s time for a modern stroller! These mini status-symbols are becoming smaller, sleeker and dare I say it-more stylish! Below you find the best of the best in stroller design:

• Xplory Stroller by Stokke: With celebrity power-moms like Angelina Jolie and Courtney Cox-Arquette pushing it around town, the Xplory series from Stokke is tops. Winner of the prestigious Red Dot Product Design Award in 2004 the Xplory has a lot to offer. Touted as the only stroller that elevates baby higher up and closer to Mommy, Xplory features two-way sitting and includes an array of coordinating accessories. Available in six colors, you can even coordinate it with your favorite piece of modern nursery furniture!
• Quinny Buzz Three-Wheel Stroller: A real eye-catcher, the Quinny Buzz Stroller is versatile and sporty. This all-terrain stroller is perfect for active mothers-featuring revolutionary gas spring technology, it unfolds automatically! State of the art safety features include a parking brake, five-point padded safety harness and a removable safety bar. Optional ad-ons include the Mico Infant Car Seat from Maxi-Cosi for a complete travel system. Celebrity fans include Mariska Hargitay, Heidi Klum and Gwen Stefani.
• Bugaboo Frog Stroller: The innovative Bugaboo Frog is both functional and easy to use! This sporty stroller allows parents more room to move. The Frog has a unique flowing suspension ensuring that a child can safely lie down or sit up, however uneven the surface. Lightweight, compact and tough, the Frog is perfect for a day at the beach and an evening in the city. Celebrity fans include: Edie Falco, R&B singer Faith Evans & Heidi Klum.
• Urban Rider Next Stroller by Mutsy: Tiger Woods’ wife Elin is a fan of the Urban Rider Next Stroller by Mutsy! With its stylized hard-cased body and luxurious leather handle, this stroller is super stylish! An easily interchangeable second set of smaller front wheels converts the stroller to a front wheel swivel stroller for maximum mobility.
• Bugaboo Bee Stroller: The Bugaboo Bee doesn’t look as fancy as some of its futuristic counterparts, but looks can be deceiving. The Bugaboo Bee packs quite a powerful punch! The Bee’s compact, one-piece foldable design accommodates your child from infant to toddler and with a whole slew of safety features and optional accessories you definitely get a lot of bang for your buck. Celebrity fans include Milla Jovovich, Gwen Stefani and Foo Fighters’ front man Dave Grohl.

Jamie Sward has a BA in Journalism from Indiana University. As an expert in Modern Decor and Nursery Furniture, he is dedicated to sharing his expertise with customers on All Modern Baby, a website dedicated to modern nursery furniture, decor and other top-of-the-line products designed to be both functional and stylish.

Diamonds are coal as if touched by the hand of God, on their lightning way up from hell to us. And while we fear, and should, the lightning from above, we do sometimes get to see those ancient moments that still happen from below. We now get to see it on our screens; many types of fiery blasts come down upon, or up out of our good mother Earth, such as volcanoes spewing molten rock down into the sea as villagers flee. Not exactly the same as stumbling over a rubble of diamonds, and if so they will soon be controlled by a warlord who will plant mines and enslave the locals.

Happily the great new diamond finds are in democracies; it is happening now in hot deserts in Australia and cold northern rocks in Canada. Two democracies, and that makes all the difference in responsible supply. And thus, these days, where the ‘roo and the polar bear roam, that seldom is heard, a discouraging word, and the skies are more cloudy each day. Home, home on the range now involves diamond drills and homes for workers and machines that dig and trucks to drive and locals to train for high tech skills; partners, partners away, no cartels to get in the way.

So jewelry stores from Fifth Avenue to home are now partners, no longer just buyers from those mysterious men from Antwerp who always set the rules, the volume, the prices, supply, those things. Not any more, Isador. Now more plentiful diamonds make their way from polar bear land to the Fifth Avenue hand at a deal better than planned. And here on the net, an even better bet. We come in the back door, take best seat in the store, walk our fingers through the warehouse and bid low to main store. Will they accept this low bid?

If it beats the one before, yes once more. The Canada diamonds in particular break down into smaller bits, which means bargains galore for your teenagers hits. I have four grown daughters, all who skated, rode horses, and danced. At contest times, they had to be with a pretty new costume, with sequins and elegant things. But if only in those long gone days, we had had a small bag of loose diamonds, at a song of a price, what a song my daughters would have sung. So keep this in mind if you have an angel for a daughter, niece or grand daughter.

Watch her eyes match the sparkling little burgundy bags contents, and feel so deeply good. What a way for her to help create her inheritance from you, with her until it is her turn to let her daughter show off her diamonds, with your name on them forever. The new availability combined with the quick ability of net buying to bypass so many layers of former retail sales. You are deep inside the greatest warehouse: wonderfully extensive bargain bins, aren’t they? And these low bid offers. We got savings!

Derek Dashwood enjoys noticing positive ways we progress, the combining of science into the humanities to measure politics and use and wise use of power and love at Loose Diamonds

Skin cells would make you look old, faster or sooner. This is nature’s law and nothing we can do to stop it. But of course we can at least try to prevent our aging process as hard as we can. Who doesn’t want to look as young as 25 when our age actually is 35? Now let’s try to get some examples.

The best people who can use anti-aging solutions are celebrities and models. Everyone always look younger than their real ages. People like Angelina Jolie and Heidi Klum still look sexy and pretty despite of their real ages (more than 30). Compare them with most housewives. You know what I mean? I don’t talk about their photos in magazines as lighting plays very important role in magazines. I’m talking about their real skin (beside of make ups).

So how to make your skin smoother and younger? It’s a bit difficult to find a good skin product. Don’t get scammed by advertisements on television and internet. Find the real skin care solution. If you ask me, I recommend a product which contains aloe vera. This is essential. Aloe vera is probably the most valuable product in skin care industry. It has been clinically proven as the best method to make our skin look younger and better.

Aloe vera gels, juices, or pills all have their own advantages. If you are looking for instant solution, go for an aloe vera pill. Aloeride would be your best bet for this one. Anyway, not all products with aloe vera are good for your health. Some of them only use 2-3 drops of aloe vera extract and they use the other ingredients. Better be careful because these “other ingredients” might harm you.

You can learn more about aloe vera as it can help you to prevent aging. Try to read about aloeride as well, the best aloe vera pill.