Calling People Names: The American Pastime

Name-calling is when one person uses a negative label to describe another person. Young people call each other “stupid,” “moron,” and “idiot.” Adults call children “rude,” “lazy,” and “selfish.” Adults call each other “meatheads,” “bums,” and “rednecks.” Everyone seems to do it.

Name-calling, an ad hominem attack, is a type of bullying. Ad hominem attacks appeal to a person’s emotions and beliefs rather than their ability to think. The purpose of the attack is to connect a negative concept with a person. By linking someone to a negative symbol, the person doing the name calling hopes the other person will be rejected on the basis of the symbol, rather than the facts.

Name-calling is a powerful influence on how people think and what they do. It’s almost always used to achieve negative ends, like causing conflict, ruining reputations, and influencing decision making through prejudice and fear.

When words are used to describe someone—whether it’s you or someone else—think about what you’re hearing and how you react. Are the words being used in a positive or negative way? You can recognize negative words because they give new, uncomplimentary meanings to existing words (butthead, for example) or they use taboo words to describe a person (sh*t head, for example).

The next time you feel like calling someone a name, try expressing your feelings without attaching a negative label. Instead, replace the negative label with a word meaning the exact opposite. For example, instead of saying, “You’re stupid.” Say, “I don’t like your idea.” Or, “I disagree.” Here are a few more ideas to consider:

• “You’re rude” changes to “Please be polite.” 
• "You act like a baby" changes to "Let’s be mature about this." 
• “You’re mean” changes to “Please be nice.” 

You get the idea. With a little practice, using positive words is easy and a whole lot better than their negative counterparts.

Name-calling Dos and Don’ts 
· Be respectful.
· Be considerate.
· Make sure you’re brain is in gear before your mouth starts running.
· Choose your words carefully.
· Think before you let a name influence what you believe.
· Make it a rule that you don’t call people names.http://www.bigbookpress.com

Stretching Exercises for Young Women (6 of 13)

Neck Stretch

1. Begin with your head in its normal upright position.

2. Gently tilt your head sideways, first to the right, then left, front, and back.

3. Hold the stretch in each direction 10 to 15 seconds.

Stretching makes your muscles and joints flexible, preventing injuries, and stopping your muscles from cramping. Flexibility allows you to move your muscles through their full range of motion. That helps you jump higher, reach further, and run faster.

The ABCs of Smelly Body Parts

B.O. can mean many things, including box office, bowel obstruction, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, bacterial overgrowth, and the Born-Oppenheimer approximation in physics. It’s also the name of a language spoken by the Bo people of Laos, a French rugby club, and a German rock band.

B.O., as in body odor, also known as bromhidrosis, is what you get if you don’t keep your body clean. Here’s how it happens. You sweat when your body overheats or you get stressed. That sweat contains proteins and carbohydrates that mix with the bacteria on your skin and, voilá, you have B.O. Bathing washes away the bacteria and helps control the smell.

Some B.O. has a pleasant smell, giving us all a unique and hopefully beguiling odor. And here’s the best part: B.O. can be used to identify people, though dogs more often do this than do humans. Still, it might be fun to try.

Okay, now let’s talk armpits. They are by nature a particularly bad smelling area. And that’s where deodorant comes in. About all we can say about armpits is that if they smell—and you’ll know without a doubt when they do—wash them, buy deodorant, and use it.

B.O. is one result of poor personal hygiene practices; that is, the things you do for your personal health and well-being. Besides smelly armpits, poor hygiene will get you stinky feet, bad breath, and rotten teeth, not to mention a generally disheveled look because you don’t trim your nails or wash and comb your hair. If any of this sounds familiar, consider these dos and don’ts. Friends—particularly girlfriends and boyfriends—will be glad you did.

Personal Hygiene Dos and Don’ts

• Stock up on soap, shampoo, dental floss, a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, nail clippers, mouthwash, a razor, shaving cream, and lest we forget, toilet paper. 
• Use them!

Stretching Exercises for Young Women (5 of 13)

Shoulder Stretch

1. Cross you right arm over your chest.

2. With your left hand, gently pull your right elbow toward your left shoulder. Keep your right arm straight.

3. Hold the stretch 10 to 15 seconds.

4. Repeat on the other side.

Stretching makes your muscles and joints flexible, preventing injuries, and stopping your muscles from cramping. Flexibility allows you to move your muscles through their full range of motion. That helps you jump higher, reach further, and run faster.

Excercise Tips (Girl's Fitness Fact #10)

Here are some tips from The Girl's Fitness Guide on how to start exercising and how to keep your exercise program going:

• Decide on your exercise goals. What do you want to achieve? For example, if you want to improve your endurance, emphasize aerobic exercises. If you want to tone your body, emphasize resistance exercises. Make your goals reasonable and realistic.
• Develop an exercise plan based on your goals. Be sure your plan includes warm-up and stretching (flexibility), aerobic (endurance), and resistance (strength) exercises. To excel in any one requires work in all three.
• Set up a regular exercise schedule and stick to it. You are more likely to continue exercising when you have a schedule to follow.
• Begin slowly and progress little by little. If you’re just starting a program, start with easy exercises. Gradually work up to more advanced exercises.
• Keep track of your progress by writing it down.
• Get a friend to exercise with you.
• Consider working with a coach or trainer to motivate you and provide instruction.
• Try to exercise three to four days a week for about 30 to 45 minutes each time. It’s important to allow your body time to recover between workouts. Don’t overdo it.

Stretching Exercises for Young Women (4 of 13)

Triceps Stretch
1. Start with your arms overhead.
2. Grab your left elbow with your right hand.
3. Slowly pull your elbow toward the back of your head.
4. Hold the stretch 10 to 15 seconds.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Stretching makes your muscles and joints flexible, preventing injuries, and stopping your muscles from cramping. Flexibility also allows you to move your muscles through their full range of motion. That helps you jump higher, reach further, and run faster.

Chewing With Your Mouth Open (Bad Habit #8)

Sharing is good. Food is good. But sharing the sights and sounds of food in your mouth as you chew isn’t good. Smacking your lips as you open and close your jaws makes lots of noise. It’s a spectacle. Partially chewed food falls from your open mouth or is catapulted across the table. People are grossed out. So why do they even care?

Well, since you asked: how you chew is a part of etiquette, the customary code of polite behavior. Nine thousand years ago, prehistoric men had rules (manners) to determine who dipped their wooden spoons into the common cooking pot to eat first. By the way, the men were first.

Two thousand years ago, Greek and Roman manners dictated that people eat with their fingers while reclining on a couch and propped up on one arm. Today, certain indigenous peoples of the Arctic consider it proper to eat from a common cooking pot with their hands, men first, then women and children.

American table manners had their beginnings in the European courts around 1100 A.D. The rules were to make eating a more pleasant and orderly experience. People were asked not to speak with their mouths full, not to pick their teeth with their knives, or to grab food.

As time went by, diners learned not to lick their fingers, smack their lips, snort, or put their faces in their food. Forks were used for the first time during the Renaissance. People began eating from plates, and bones weren’t to be thrown on the floor anymore for the animals to eat. Everyone had his own cup, too.

While table manners have improved since then, we still have a way to go. According to Emily Post,[i] here are the top 10 bad table manners to be avoided:
1. Leaving the table without saying, “excuse me.”
2. Doing a “boardinghouse” reach to get what you want from across the table.
3. Slouching over your place setting or leaning on your elbows while eating.
4. Cutting up all your food at once.
5. Drinking while still chewing food—unless you’re choking, of course.
6. Failing to put your napkin on your lap or use it at all.
7. Picking your teeth at the table or, even worse, flossing.
8. Holding eating utensils like a shovel.
9. Slurping, smacking, blowing your nose, or making any other unpleasant noises while seated at the table.
10. Chewing food with your mouth open or talking with food in your mouth.

Table manners vary from place-to-place and culture-to-culture. What’s okay in America won’t pass muster in Rangoon, or the other way around. What’s acceptable one day may not be the next because manners are always changing to meet society’s needs. As things stand now, here are some general pointers to chew on.

Table-related Dos and Don’ts

• Avoid Emily’s top 10 bad manners at all costs.
• When you’re not sure what to do, watch other people and follow their lead.
• Don’t bite off more than you can chew, literally and figuratively.
• Set aside time to eat. It’s impossible to have good manners when you’re in a rush.

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[i] Post, Peggy. Emily Post’s Etiquette (17^th Edition). Harper Collins, 2004.

Stretching Exercises for Young Women (3 of 13)

Biceps Stretch
1. Lift your arms to shoulder height at your sides.
2. Rotate your wrists so your palms face behind you.
3. Hold the stretch 10 to 15 seconds.

Stretching makes your muscles and joints flexible, preventing injuries, and stopping your muscles from cramping. Flexibility also allows you to move your muscles through their full range of motion. That helps you jump higher, reach further, and run faster.

Exercise Program Tips (Fitness Fact #8)

Here are some tips from The Boy's Fitness Guide on how to start exercising and how to keep your exercise program going:

• Decide on your exercise goals. What do you want to achieve? For example, if you want to improve your endurance, emphasize aerobic exercises. If you want to tone your body, emphasize resistance exercises. Make your goals reasonable and realistic.
• Develop an exercise plan based on your goals. Be sure your plan includes warm-up and stretching (flexibility), aerobic (endurance), and resistance (strength) exercises. To excel in any one requires work in all three.
• Set up a regular exercise schedule and stick to it. You are more likely to continue exercising when you have a schedule to follow.
• Begin slowly and progress little by little. If you’re just starting a program, start with easy exercises. Gradually work up to more advanced exercises.
• Keep track of your progress by writing it down.
• Get a friend to exercise with you.
• Consider working with a coach or trainer to motivate you and provide instruction.
• Try to exercise three to four days a week for about 30 to 45 minutes each time. It’s important to allow your body time to recover between workouts. Don’t overdo it.

Stretching Exercises for Young Women (2 of 13)

Chest Stretch
1. Clasp your hands behind your head.
2. Keep your elbows straight.
3. Rotate your shoulders backward, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Hold the stretch 10 to 15 seconds.
(For a greater challenge, look up while doing the stretch.)

Stretching makes your muscles and joints flexible, preventing injuries, and stopping your muscles from cramping. Flexibility also allows you to move your muscles through their full range of motion. That helps you jump higher, reach further, and run faster.