A Holiday Wish

May all the readers, fans and followers of P.O.V. have a safe and happy holiday season. P.O.V. will return with new posts Jan. 2, 2012.

And two reminders:

Take the 12/20 poll and tell us what your New Year's Resolution is.

P.O.V. is seeking guest bloggers for 2012. Email your idea submissions and a writing sample to POV@povblog.net.

Do You "Spoil" Your Child/Children During the Holiday Season?

By Dana Arevalo,

P.O.V. Contributing Writer

'Tis the season to empty our wallets  ...  Maybe not? 

I have had a handful of conversations with parents about the holiday season and gifts for their children.  Some like to give their children everything on their list while others take the opposite approach and purchase a minimal amount of gifts. 

I personally take a conservative approach and purchase one expensive item and other small, less expensive items so that they have a handful of meaningful gifts to open.  Children often ask for very expensive items and many of them. 

Parents are left to wonder what to purchase.  Call me old fashioned but I believe in having children work for what they want through hard work and dedication to education, activities and respectful behavior.  Spoiling them with all the gifts on their list deprives them of values.  Put the extra money in a college fund or savings account for their future; they will appreciate this much more over time.  You can also save for a small family vacation, spending time with your children is priceless and memorable.   

As my children grow older, every year their lists contain more expensive gifts and many of them.  I am not one to run out and buy items just because Sally or John have them.  I have this debate with my daughter all of the time.  You must teach them to work for what they want. If you are undecided on what to do, compromise.   You can have a special holiday without purchasing expensive gifts.  My daughter made beautiful bracelets to give to her dance teammates; everyone loved them and the material to make them cost pennies. Their smiles were also cute and caring.      

Next time you are on a Holiday shopping spree, ask yourself, does my child truly need all of these gifts?  Most often than not, they do not even have the time to play or enjoy everything all at once.    Remember:  Quality over quantity and values over overindulgence. 

Bio:  Dana holds her MBA and BS in psychology from the University of Maryland University College.  Professionally, she has worked in hospital management. One of her biggest goals is to become an adjunct professor and write a novel.  She enjoys meeting new people, networking with other bloggers and professionals, and is on the road to mastering SEO and social media marketing. She also enjoys mentoring new students from her alma mater  - UMUC. Finally, Dana has two blogs: www.someonegotfat.org, a motivational fitness blog and http://www.endbullying4good.blogspot.com, a new non-profit anti-bullying project. 

Year in Review: Earth 2100 A Cautionary Tale

Much has been said lately about the Mayan calendar and the Earth ending in 2012. The truth is the way the world will end is much more prolonged and miserable.

This is the vision ABC News brought viewers in 2009, and History re-aired this year, in the special Earth 2100. The program follows the fictional Lucy, who was born in 2009, from childhood through to old age. Her lifetime is filled with political strife, wild weather, new diseases, power outages, extinctions and a myriad of other problems all caused by climate change and its effect on society.

But Lucy's story is a cautionary tale. As the experts featured in Earth 2100 point out, the future is not set in stone. All the change is preventable if we, as a society, make the necessary changes to our lives in order to protect both our own futures and those of our descendents.

The future is bleak, but it doesn't have to be. The Earth is our home, and we need to protect it before its gone.

12/20 Poll of the Week: New Year's Resolutions

This week's Tuesday poll question is do you make New Year's resolutions? If so, what's yours?

The results of last week's poll are below. The results of this poll will be published Jan. 2, 2012.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Last week's question: Would you take a job currently performed by illegal immigrants?

Results: Yes 100%, No 0%

Controversy Over Holiday Tree Much Ado About Nothing

The recent controversy over Rhode Island's holiday tree is yet another example of the Conservative media making much ado about nothing.

Consider the following:

Evergreen trees were a pagan tradition long before they were associated with Christmas. People brought them into their homes during winter not only as a reminder that life would return to nature in the spring but to ward off illness and evil. Tree didn't become a Christmas decoration until relatively modern times. In the United States, they weren't used until the mid-19th century.

When people say "happy holidays", it is not being disrespectful to Christians. There are many holidays happening this time of year -- Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, New Years -- and Happy Holidays encompasses them all.

There is something in this country called the separation of church and state. Therefore, there shouldn't be Christmas decorations at all in government buildings because by doing so you're indirectly advocating a state religion.

I don't hear anyone complaining about St. Nicholas being called Santa Claus. Isn't that also taking something religious and making it secular? St. Nicholas was a real person, a second century saint, who's feast day is Dec. 6, yet he's been made into a magically figure who delivers toys to children on Christmas Eve.

Finally, and most importantly, this nation was not founded as a Christian state. It was founded as a nation where everyone is free to practice their beliefs and where the government does not sanction one religious sect above the others. It doesn't mean you have to agree with it. It doesn't mean you have to like or even respect it. What it does mean is that Gov. Lincoln Chafee has the right to call his state's tree whatever he pleases, a tree that shouldn't even be in a government building in the first place.

2011 in Review: The Best and Worst States

It's that time of year. Time to look back on the year which is about to end. Needless to say, it has been a rough year in many parts of the country. Things like unemployment, pollution and financial issues continue to plague Americans. Two recent studies measure just how well or poorly the states are doing.

The first study, conducted by the organization 24/7 Wall St., measures how well the states are run. Its criteria is based on the states' debt per capita, the number of residents without health insurance, the number of residents living below the poverty line and the unemployment rate.

The best run states on the list, ranked from 1-10 are: Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Kansas and South Dakota.

The worst run states on the list, ranked from 41-50 are: New Mexico, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Kentucky, South Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Illinois and California.

The second study, conducted by America's Health Ranking, measures the health of the states' residents. Its criteria was based on several things including pollution, obesity rates, smoking rates, the number of cancer deaths, prenatal care and infant mortality rates. There was also a list of secondary criteria which included such things as the teen birth rates, the number of unemployed and median income.

The healthiest states on the list, ranked from 1-10 are: Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Utah, Maine, Colorado and Rhode Island.

The unhealthiest states on the list, ranked from 41-50 are: West Virginia, Nevada, Kentucky, Texas, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi.

You'll notice that the same states do not make both lists. Only Vermont, Utah and Minnesota rank in the top ten on both lists. Louisiana, Kentucky and South Carolina are the ones to rank in the bottom ten on both list. All the other states are stuck in mediocrity.

So what do these studies really tell us? They tell us what ranks as best and worst is determined by a number of factors and varies greatly by whomever is conducting the study and what that organization deems as important.

Where does your state rank?

Sources: The best- and worst-run states in the US

America's Health Rankings

Surprise! Women Think About Sex, Too

Another stereotype has been broken. Well, sort of. Turns out men don't really think about sex once every seven seconds and that women, gasp, really do think about sex, too.

A study conducted by Ohio State University found men think about sex 19 times a day while women think about it 10 times.

This should really come as no surprise to anyone. Did we really need a survey to tell us this? Anyone who sits down to think about it long enough would have known that men couldn't possibly think about sex every seven seconds. After all, when would they have time to do the other things men, things like their jobs, hobbies, spending time with friends and family?

And anyone who thought about it long enough would have known women do think about sex daily and throughout the day. It's a lay over from the Victorian period to think "good" women don't think about sex yet alone like it. If women didn't think about sex, there would be such things as vibrators for sale in drug stores, Victoria's Secret or talk about how hot celebrities look.

The study also found both men and women think about other physical urges -- hunger and sleep -- through the day, too. In other words, we're all human.

Nevertheless, it is good to break stereotypes. A professor involved with the study commented on the old belief that men think about sex once every seven seconds while women don't think abut it at all.

He said, "When a man hears a statement like that, he might think there's something wrong with him because he's not spending that much time thinking about sexuality, and when women hear about this, if they spend significant time thinking about sex they might think there's something wrong with them."

So what do you think? Did we really need to have a scientific study to tell us how often people think about sex?

Source: Do Men Think About Sex All the Time? Maybe Not

12/13 Poll of Week: Would You Take a Job Currently Performed by Illegal Immigrants?

This week's Tuesday poll question is would you take a job currently performed by illegal immigrants?

The results of last week's poll are below.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Last week's question: Should euthanasia be legalized?

Results: Yes 25%, No 25% Undecided 50%

Why is Twilight So Popular?

To date, the movie Twilight: Breaking Dawn has grossed more than $120 million, although for the life of me I can't figure out why. Right before Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to view the first movie in the series, so I decided to see what the fuss is all about. And I still don't get it.

I suppose it might be because I am beyond the age of believing there is such a thing as a knight in shining armor that will sweep a woman off her feet or that I must have a man in my life to feel complete. But it also might be the ridiculous points in the plot. For example:

Edward is supposed to be nearly 100 years old, yet he hasn't figure out yet how to talk to a girl. And he's been going to high school that whole time. Ever hear of homeschooling? It'd be a much better way to cover up a secret lifestyle.

Who knew a vampire's favorite past time is baseball? And why do they love it so much? Because, apparently, their pitches and hits can break the sound barrier.

Also, let us not forget the fact both vampires and werewolves live in and around this small town and no one knows of their existence, or the fact that vampires and werewolves in the same town just screams of a tired genre. Movies have been mixing monsters since Dracula Met Frankenstein in the early 20th century, if not before that.

Have you seen any of the movies in the Twilight series? Do you like them? Share you reasons why or why not.

Worst Christmas Gifts Ever

Tis the season for spending money mindlessly.

The saying goes, "it's the thought that counts" but if you receive one of these gifts under your Christmas tree you may wish you had been forgotten.

1 . Find that nightlights and flashlights are too complicated to use? Does it take too much effort to turn on a light switch? Then you'll want Bright Feet, the slippers with LED headlights.

2. Love the look of an open toilet? Wish you could potty train your pets like you can your children? Well, now you can with CitiKitty Cat Toilet Training Kit. Make the transition between litter box and toilet easy.

3. Washing your own feet is a hassle, right? It's so difficult to do and takes so much time? Well, we have a solution for you. It's called Easy Feet, the suction cup slipper that makes foot cleaning fun.

4. Can't figure out how to crack an egg? Is it too complicated to separate the yolk from the egg whites using a traditional egg separator? Try EZ Cracker that takes the guess work out of cracking an egg.

5. Does it take too much time to open your screen door? Would you rather walk through your door instead of opening it? Then you need Magic Mesh, the screen door that snaps shut.

6. Too embarrassed to use the local gym's sauna? Gaining a lot of embarrassing weight in your genitals? Be embarrassed no longer. You need Sauna Pants, the sauna that you wear like underwear.

7. Annoyed and frustrated by shoelaces? Don't know when to stop pulling on yours before they snap? Than you need Wonder Laces, the shoelaces with some stretch.

8. Have a bathroom that looks like crap? Love products with slightly suggestive names? Buy Caulk Dr. Pro, the professional caulk tool.

9. Do you find you never grow tired of fart jokes? Want to stick your money where your gas is? Then you need the Fanny Bank, the bare butt bank that farts when you insert a coin.

10. Miss the days of infanthood when you would walk around wearing one piece pajamas and no one thought it was odd? Is it too strenuous to take your pants off to go to the bathroom? No problem. Try Forever Lazy, a hood blanket with arms and legs that you can wear around and when your bladder calls, just use the handy escape hatch to go. You have to see it to believe it.

Remember, call now and receive a free gift.

Source: As Seen on TV

Women Uneducated on Their Own Fertility

I've always been amazed how some women can wait until they are in their 40s to try to have children and then are amazed when they can't. I thought it was denial. Turns out it's ignorance.

A recent study conducted by a biopharmaceutical firm and the National Infertility Association showed women are uneducated on their own fertility. The study participants were asked 10 questions about fertility. Half of the time, they could not answer at least seven of the questions correctly.

The participants over estimated how fertile a woman is; most thought it was easy to get pregnant, even after age 40. Doctors and representatives from the association blame the results on advanced medical treatments and celebrities having children at increasingly older ages. This gives women an unrealistic view of how easy it is to get pregnant.

According to NBC, "The trouble is, such thinking can cheat a woman out of her options. ... It’s one thing to postpone children in order to pursue education or a career, fully knowing it might be more difficult to get pregnant later. It’s another thing to be surprised by infertility."

And while the study focused on women, it is worth mentioning that men are equally ignorant on how human reproductive systems work. Most also believe it is very easy for a woman to get pregnant and know nothing more about the menstrual cycle other than women have one.

So who is to blame for this lack of knowledge? Parents? Educators? Medical professionals? Or is it the fact we live in a society which doesn't speak openly about sex unless it's for shock value or to be risqué?

Source: Fertility math? Most women flunk, survey finds

12/6 Poll of the Week: Should euthanasia be legalized?

This week's Tuesday poll question is should euthanasia be legalized?

The results of last week's poll are below.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Last week's question:   Is FOX News really fair and balanced?

Results: Yes 0%, No 50%, I never watch Fox News 50%

Culture of Hate

You may or may not have seen the show, but it has caused its fair share of controversy. That show is TLC's All American Muslim, a show which features Muslim families in Dearborn, MI.

Before the show ever aired its first episode in early Nov. there were calls on Facebook and Twitter to have the show removed. The reason? Because it was thought to be nothing more than Muslim propaganda meant to showing murdering terrorists in a positive light.

One woman posted on Facebook saying the show is "an attempt to make America accept Islam without showing the truth about what Islam is really about ... beheadings, stonings, amputations, hangings, oppression of women, minorities and global jihad."

Not surprisingly the groups who are most against the show are conservatives of all faiths.

There has been a culture of hate in the United States since the events of 9/11. Millions of Muslims have all been painted with the same brush for the actions of a few: They are all to be murders, terrorists, insurangants, people not to be trusted. People who should be forced out of the U.S.

 This pattern of thought makes more no sense than in past generations when all of society's problems were blamed on Jews, blacks, the Chinese, the Irish, Native Americans, the Japanese, immigrants, the list goes on.

Not being a Muslim myself I cannot attest for how accurate the program is for showing how life is in American for Muslims, but I do know this. If the show was called All American Christian or All American Jew, if it were about any other religious group besides Muslims, no one would have said a word.

Source: 'All-American Muslim' divides viewers

In the Best Interest of the Child or Too Much Government Intervention?

Is this a case of what's in the best interested of a child or is it too much government intervention on our lives?

In October, a eight-year-old Cleveland-area boy was taken from his parents and placed in foster care. The boy weighs about 200 pounds and suffers from sleep apnea. A normal boy his age should weight 60 lbs.

The boy's mother took him to seek medical treatment in 2010. At the time, medical officials told her his sleep apnea was caused by his weight and that he needed to lose 150 lbs. In more than a year and a half, the boy lost some weight only to gain it back. Social workers finally removed the boy from his home, claiming his failure to loose weight was medical neglect by the mother. In late November, a judge agreed. A court date has now been set for this month.

So what do you think? Should a child be removed from his home for being over weight.

The [Cleveland] Plain Dealer writer Rachel Dissell comments in an article, "Others suggest there's hypocrisy in a government that would advocate taking children away from being overweight while saying it's OK to advertise unhealthy food and put toys in fast-food kids' meals."

While there is hypocrisy in many things the government does, this isn't one of them. It isn't the government's responsibility to police what you put in your own body. It's your responsibility. It's up to individuals to educate themselves on the food they eat by reading labels and asking questions when eating out.

If you're a parent, you're the one who is responsible for what your child eats when the child eats at home. Commercials and toys in fast-food meals don't make children overweight. Parents are the ones who buy the unhealthy food. It's up to a parent to be a parent and say "no" when the child wants unhealthy food.

Dissell later goes on to say, "The mother wonders what role genetics plays in the boy's condition -- both she and his father and some other family members are overweight, she said. However, she also has a 16-year-old son who is tall and thin."

How many times must we hear people blame their weight on genetics or a medical condition? While there are some medical reasons why someone would gain weight -- prescription steroids, for example -- they aren't common disorders. The vast majority of families who are overweight are overweight because of dietary choices and lack of exercise. Not taking responsibility for your own life choices is nothing more than placing blame on someone or something besides yourself for your own problems.

The truth of the matter is the boy's parents were probably never taught healthy eating habits from their parents and didn't bother to learn for themselves. As a consequence, they ate unhealthy foods and served their children unhealthy foods. Those children will then grow up to repeat the same cycle with their families.

Are the parents guilty of medical neglect? I'm undecided on this one. But I do believe the entire family needs to be educated on healthy eating habits and enrolled in a supervised exercise regime.