Hands down, Words With Friends has to be one of the most addictive games I’ve ever played. The game is fun and addictive by itself, but combining that with the Facebook social aspect AND using Words With Friends Cheat to find exotic words and I’m caught, like a big mouth bass……..hook, line and sinker.

I used to enjoy Scrabble growing up and the way that technology has collided with this game brings a large amount of joy to my everyday routine. I’ve decided to put together a series of hub pages devoted to Words With Friends and my obsessive chase for 100 point words. This hub will give a few basic pointers on how to improve your wordplay and rampup your point totals. I hope this will be useful to you.

The Beginning

Before you play your first word, keep in mind that the first few rounds are crucial and could determine the outcome from the beginning. There is a term in Words With Friends that is called ‘BINGO‘. A Bingo occurs when you are able to play all of the tiles in your rack. Not only do you get the point values for playing the large word, you also get an additional 35 points for emptying your rack. The highest probability of you scoring a BINGO is the first few rounds.

As a backup plan, playing the longest possible word during the first three rounds is a good suggestion because it will open up the board to better possibilities and give you room to breathe. By playing shorter words, the ability to play a decent word becomes more difficult, due to the fact that there are fewer open spaces on the board.

The Middle

After the first few rounds, you should have a feel for your opponents style. Your focus for the middle rounds is to keep an eye on your highest point letter and try to play words where that letter lands on a Triple Letter or Triple Word score.

If you are blocked out from the Triple tiles, focus on the Double Letter and Double Word tiles. A good strategy question to ask yourself : “Will I get more points by playing my word on the Double Word tile or will I get more points on those Double Letter tiles?” Estimate your point totals with either option and go with the one that garners you the most points.

If you are having trouble finding decent words to play, consider using the Words With Friends Cheat Generator to give you the list. Simply type all of the letters in your rack into the ‘RACK’ field and hit submit. The generator will give you a complete list with average point totals to consider. There are also options to develop words based on letters already played on the board.

THE END

The end of the match is where the rubber meets the proverbial road. If you are in a tight match against your opponent, these last few rounds will determine your fate. Mastery of the 2 and 3 letter words becomes an important element to the contest.

Hopefully, you have managed to save a few ‘BLANK’ or ‘S’ tiles in your rack. These will come in handy for bigger value words. If you happen to have an ‘S’, analyze the board and figure out a word you can turn from the singular to the plural. But, don’t just stop at playing the ‘S’. If you have the room, try to play a word using that ‘S’ in it. This will give you point values for both words and a term I like to call the ‘Double Play’.

Words With Friends Cheat | 3 Letter Words

Below is a comprehensive look at the range of 3-letter words you can play at Words With Friends. Give consideration to the multiple word play, colored tiles and maximizing every word. These final stages could put you back into the game or even put you ahead for the win.

ABS – ACE – ADD – ADO – ADS – AFT – AGE – AGO – AID – AIL – AIM – AIR – AIT – ALE – ALL – AMP – AND – ANT – ANY – APE – APT – ARC – ARE – ARK – ARM – ART – ASH – ASK – ASS – ATE – AUK – AWE – AWL – AXE 

BAD – BAG – BAH – BAN – BAR – BAT – BAY – BED – BEE – BEG – BET – BIB – BID – BIG – BIN – BIT – BOA – BOB – BOD – BOG – BOO – BOP – BOT – BOW – BOX – BOY – BRA – BUB – BUD – BUG – BUM – BUN – BUS – BUT – BUY – BYE

CAB – CAD – CAM – CAN – CAP – CAR – CAT – CEE – COB – COD – COG – CON – COO – COP – COT – COW – COX – COY – CRY – CUD – CUP – CUT

DAB – DAD – DAG – DAM – DAY – DEN – DEW – DID – DIE – DIG – DIM – DIP – DOE – DOG – DON – DOT – DRY – DUB – DUD – DUE – DUG – DUH – DUN – DUO – DYE

EAR – EAT – EBB – EEL – EGG – EGO – ELF – ELK – ELM – EMU – END – EON – ERA – ERR – EVE – EWE – EYE

FAB – FAD – FAG – FAN – FAR – FAT – FAX – FED – FEE – FEN – FEW – FIB – FIG – FIN – FIR – FIT – FIX – FLY – FOB – FOE – FOG – FOP – FOR – FOX – FRY – FUN – FUR

GAB – GAG – GAL – GAP – GAS – GAW – GAY – GEL – GEM – GET – GIG – GIN – GNU – GOB – GOD – GOO – GOT – GUM – GUN – GUT – GUY – GYM

HAD – HAG – HAM – HAS – HAT – HAY – HEM – HEN – HER – HEW – HEX – HEY – HID – HIM – HIP – HIS – HIT – HOE – HOG – HOP – HOT – HOW – HOY – HUB – HUG – HUH – HUM – HUT

ICE – ICY – ILK – ILL – IMP – INK – INN – ION – ITS

JAB – JAG – JAM – JAR – JAW – JAY – JEM – JET – JIB – JIG – JOB – JOB – JOT – JOY – JUG – JUT

KEG – KEY – KID – KIN – KIT

LAB – LAD – LAG – LAP – LAW – LAX – LAY – LEA – LED – LEG – LEI – LET – LEW – LID – LIE – LIP – LIT – LOB – LOG – LOO – LOP – LOT – LOW – LUG – LYE

MAC – MAD – MAG – MAN – MAP – MAR – MAT – MAW – MAX – MAY – MEN – MET – MIC – MIT – MIX – MOB – MOD – MOG – MOM – MOO – MOP – MUD – MUG

NAB – NAG – NAP – NEO – NET – NEW – NIB – NIL – NIP – NIT – NOB – NOD – NOG – NOR – NOT – NOW – NUB – NUN – NUT

OAK – OAR – OAT – ODD – OIL – OLD – OLE – ONE – ORB – ORE – OUR – OUT – OWE – OWL – OWN

PAC – PAD – PAL – PAN – PAP – PAR – PAT – PAW – PAY – PEA

PEE – PEG – PEN – PEP – PER – PET – PEW – PIC – PIE – PIG – PIN – PIP – PIT – PIX – PLY – POD – POG – POO – POP – POT – POW – POX – PRO – PRY – PUB – PUD – PUG – PUN – PUP – PUS – PUT

RAD – RAG – RAM – RAN – RAP – RAT – RAW – RAY – RED – RIB – RID – RIG – RIM – RIP – ROB – ROD – ROT – ROW – RUB – RUE – RUG – RUM – RUN – RUT – RYE

SAC – SAD – SAG – SAP – SAT – SAW – SAX – SAY – SEA – SEC – SEE – SET – SEW – SEX – SHE – SHY – SIC – SIM – SIN – SIP – SIR – SIT – SIX – SKI – SKY – SLY – SOB – SOD – SON – SOP – SOW – SOY – SPA – STY – SUB – SUE – SUM – SUN – SUP

TAB – TAD – TAG – TAN – TAP – TAR – TAT – TAX – TEA – TEE – TEN – THE – TIC – TIE – TIL – TIN – TIP – TIT – TOE – TOM – TON – TOO – TOP – TOT – TOW – TOY – TRY – TUB – TUB – TUT – TWO

URN – USE

VAN – VAT – VET – VEX

WAD – WAG – WAN – WAR – WAS – WAX – WAY – WEB – WED – WEE – WET – WHO – WHY – WIG – WIN – WIT – WOE – WON – WOW – WRY – WYE

YAK – YAM – YAP – YAW – YEA – YEN – YEP – YES – YET – YEW – YIP – YOU – YOW – YUM – YUP

ZAG – ZAP – ZED – ZEN – ZIG – ZIP – ZIT – ZOO

Words With Friends Cheat | 2 Letter Words

Two letter words are the bread and butter of Words With Friends. Knowing what crazy combinations you can play could be the difference between an epic win or a crushing defeat. Here are a few two-letter words that can get you out of a bind :

AA – AB – AD – AE – AG – AH – AI – AL – AM – AN – AR – AS – AT – AW – AX – AY
BA – BE – BI – BO – BY 
DA – DE – DI – DO
ED – EF – EH – EL – EM – EN – ER – ES – ET – EX
FA – FE – FI
GI – GO
HA – HE – HI – HM – HO
ID – IF – IN – IS – IT
JO 
KA – KI 
LA – LI – LO 
MA – ME – MI – MM – MO – MU – MY
NA – NE – NO – NU
OD – OE – OF – OH – OI – OM – ON – OP – OR – OS – OW – OX – OY
PA – PE – PI 
QI
RE – SH – SI – SO
TA – TI – TO
UH – UM – UN – UP – US – UT
WE – WO
XI – XU
YA – YE – YO
ZA

I hope that this quick guide can help you improve point totals and your word retention.  Words With Friends Cheat is a website dedicated to strategy and ways to win.  You can choose to view the generator as a cheating mechanism OR you can actually use it as a great tool to learn new words and improve your long-term strategy.

Sometimes it is good just to show a simple reader for the beginners, as a way to illustrate how many words he should learn. These readers are carefully graded so that he learns a certain amount of descriptive words within a given period, say an academic year. That could be a 1000 for that year. The vocabulary of these books gradually increases in complexity as sentences become more complex, comparisons are made and more difficult concepts are communicated such as a past wish, a regret or an analogy.

There are specific books out on the market that can be used to increase word usages and one of them is a vocabulary builder. It is set up to cover different areas of interest so that the person can learn new words based on the location of an object and its association to other elements. So as in the case of the supermarket that is illustrated the student may see a floor plan showing the various aisles with different food sections, stalls counters and containers. If there are employees pictured at the location, he may then learn their different job titles too besides the various foods. On an adjoining page one can further his word usage by illustrating the containers used for various foods, like a bin, carton or tube.

Language can also be learned through films by listening to a scene and getting an overall picture of a scene. Then one has to stop and think about what a particular word means. If this is impossible to do for the learner he may also listen to the film in own language o find the missing word. This kind of vocabulary learning involves recognition and intuition; the person may  even be able to predict what words will follow once he is familiar with a certain scene. This will help reinforce his learning. Re-watching a film will help the learning process overall besides reinforcing words that have just been learnt.

Another way to learn words is through their function. Words may present themselves as nouns but with a little effort the learner may learn to convert that word into its adjective, adverb or verb. He may also create a negation by adding a certain prefix like ‘un’ or a prefix which denotes something that will occur later in time, like ‘post’.

If the person carries an agenda with him while all these words are being learnt that will definitely help but there are other means such us filling ones pocket with scraps of paper and words on each or littering the house with post-its so that its objects are clearly named. Vocabulary learning can be reinforced through word games like scrabble or boggle. The challenger learns from his opponent and vice versa.

Before an article about this tips improve memory, Indonesian Netter Zone once wrote an article about 10 tips how to improve your memory skills as well as tips on how to explore the potential and maximize the talent that might be useful for you. These articles have a wider range of materials. While the article is more my point of emphasis to the elderly where his memory abilities relative decreases as they age.

Research conducted several renowned research institutions, showed that seniors are very active and still means that they are always eager to maintain the performance of his brain and certainly healthier than other seniors. The ability of the brain of the elderly requires a “sports” like your body needs to maintain their health through exercise.

Below are some tips to improve memory and stimulate brain performance ability and concentration, among others:

1. Learn something new or try different things every day. Research suggests that curiosity will keep the brain   or one’s mind remains strong and sharp.
2. Do the games that tend to rack your brain or mind, such as Scrabble, chess and cards.
3. Try filling TTS (Teka Teki Silang) in the daily newspaper or you can buy a special crossword book that has sold in the market.
4. Read the articles of books or magazines about the problems unique and interesting to you.
5. Attend lectures, plays, exhibitions and watch television programs of education.
6. Use a memory aid, such as calendars agreement with a person meeting, a list of “must do” and notes for  postal mail
7. Try concentrating on what others have to say, repeat what you want to remember more powerful, and connect an action with certain objects, such as putting the key in the drawer, so you remember to take it when leaving the house as well as other relevant examples.

Tips for improving memory and concentration, will be able to work well depending on your willingness and motivation to restore memory and the ability of your brain. If you do so with great enthusiasm, the confidence zone Indonesian Netter memory ability and the performance of your brain will be back bright and even exceed the capabilities of your memory has been lost. Good luck and hopefully useful!

Play with toys 

Next time boyfriend in the shower or walking the dog is, use the few minutes of solitude to use sex toys in the drawer. Start with a vibrator , and when he returns home, you’ll want to tear his clothes! 

Kiss it better 

Remember when the hottest thing in high school in the world was to kiss the school yard? Make sure that every kiss and now last at least 10 seconds. 

Put a sexy movie 

It should not be porn, but have a hot scene. Y Tu Mama tambien recommend you or Unfaithful. 

Let fantasies free rein 

Write in a journal erotic fantasies and give you your partner to read it. Now is not the time to be shy! His will like to know your deepest desires and they might want to translate them into reality … 

Do steam 

Nothing is sexier than two hot bodies, wet, naked and surrounded by steam. Bonus: a refreshed skin! 

A two-night games 

Take break from books and Scrabble, and instead try Sexopoly, a strategy game sexy adult challenges such as removing clothing partner only with teeth. 

Treat it with a massage 

Start with your shoulders – will be so happy and that you will moan with pleasure! Before you know it, you’ll want more than just a foot massage! 

A night at the hotel 

Hotels are not just for holidays! Take a camera of a night at a local hotel. You’ll feel better in an outrageously foreign bed, and the sign “Do Not Disturb” guarantee uninterrupted hours of pleasure!

A game that is comically funny that should be in everybody’s game closet is ‘ Clue ‘.

Don’t forget the timeless classic Scrabble. Just be sure you have a dictionary near you.

Since 1960, The Game of Life offers career and family plans.

In the past 45 years, the game of operation is still popular. In this game, the player has to take parts out of the body of a man with tweezers without touching him or his nose will light up bright red.

There are other toys that parents can buy their kids from the past. There are fake bugs a boy could put somewhere in his house and in good fun scare somebody.

Fascinating toys were Lite Brite and Etch a sketch.

If you want your kids to think, how about a Rubiks cube.

There is a magic 8 ball that has basic yes/no/maybe type answer in a cube in water. You asked a question then shook the ball to find out the answer to your questions.

Don’t forget simple toys like Lincoln logs and Tinker toys, a game of pick up sticks or even a game of marbles can be fun to teach your child.

Though funding was difficult, they finally pulled it together and released about eleven hundred copies of the game to the Canadian market.  Unfortunately, the release was not a big success.  It was not till the game was sold on American soil with some upgrades and tweaks that the game of Trivial Pursuit became a household name.  In 1993, the magazine, Games, put the game into their game hall of fame.  Will it see the success of other famous counterparts, such as Scrabble and Monopoly?  Who knows.

Scrabble is a game that my family loves to play and while my nine year old may not think of the long words that my hubby and I use, it is a fun filled and somewhat educational way to spend a Sunday evening. 

Scrabble was first invented during the Depression by Alfred Mosher Butts.  After losing his job as an architect, he decided to devise a game that was not about luck (as dice were) but was based solely on putting words together.  His first game offering was called Lexico.  After submitting the game to several companies, he got a polite no thanks, but he refused to give up.  He made several copies of his game and gave them to friends and family members. Then he had a brilliant idea!  The popularity of the cross word puzzle in the New York Times was just beginning to catch on and become popular, so Butts decided to use his letters in addition to a board that could be used in such a way that it had a cross word puzzle on it, then naming it Criss-Crosswords.  The release of his new game saw the same disappointing acceptance that Lexicosaw, but again, Butts did not give up!  World War 2 appeared on the scene and disrupted Butts dreams of producing a game, but in 1948, Butts met a fellow by the name of James Brunot, who tweaked the game, made and sold it commercially and the game of Scrabble became what it is today!

The game of Scrabble is now sold in 121 countries and is sold in 29 different languages around the world!

My hubby collects all things Monopoly and enjoys them, from a pen to key chains to different versions of the game.  He collects this stuff not just for the game itself, but for the collectable icon that the game has become.  The game of Monopoly was the brain child of Charles Darrow, who, in 1934 developed a game.  It was the height of the Depression and Darrow had a friend who was a printer by trade.  He made the game and showed a copy to Parker Brothers, who rejected it due to flaws in the game, but Darrow was not swayed.  He and his printer friend made up 400 copies of the game and sold them at a local Philadelphia department store and it was an instant success!  As demand grew for the game, Darrow found he could not keep up with the orders for the game.  He again talked to Parker Brothers and well, this time they were interested and as they say, the rest is history! 

Today, Monopoly is one of the best selling board games.  The game pieces are so popular that some of them are even trademarked and all four of the corners of the game are legally protected!  Available in 26 different languages, it is sold in 80 countries world wide and will no doubt continue to be the popular game it always has been!

Board games will always be around.  They are a good way to spend time indoors on a rainy or snowy day and do not only cause you to have some fun, sometimes they even teach you a thing or two!

 and for unifying the American and British spelling

Then what about words such as chutzpah? There are thousands plus words in English with the letter z in them. Have they taken care of all of them?

 In my opinion X is a more complicated latter we could do away without.

Let me give my ideas:

xerox can be zeroks

ex can be eks

xeno can be kzeno and so on…

 Well I dint understand either of the purposes.

When they say “to simplify the phonetic aspect of the language” what about words containing x which sound different with different words? What about syllables like “ough” which have eight different sounds?

What about complications in pronunciation of words with similar spellings such as put-cut-hut, moor-door-poor…list will go on

Check out these poems on absurdities in English language you will understand what I am talking about.

Ah! what will people already possessing scrabble do with their z tile?

And whatever new scrabble games get  sold now must not only compensate their buyers with more x tiles and s tiles but also change the scores of their x to probably 7 from the present score 8 because now the frequency of occurrence of x has increased because of absence of z. Well since only one Z tile and X tile is give in a scrabble set one could think of using the z as x itself from now onwards.

S need not change its score because it is already the commonest alphabet and we cant give it less than its existing point of 1.

Then J will be the only letter left in scrabble game to have 10 points on it.

When we talk of unification,  what about spelling differences like odour and odor? And what about word differences such as kidding and joking? fibbing and lying? and the very popular one lift and elevator which even has a joke credited to it?

What about algebraic equations and geometry where z in conjunction with x and y is commonly used. Hope the imposition is wavered her.

In Agony aunt/Uncle columns often we see people referring to themselves as XYZ, here also the rule must be relaxed so people do not have to spend unnecessary time on think what to refer themselves as.

  And what about our current editors, which point out spelling mistake with letter ’s’ in the which people are already using instead of ‘z’ as in words ending with “ise”?

This game has been around for a long time. Two players take turns in dropping their coloured discs into the grid, the object of the gain is to think ahead and get 4 of your coloured discs in a row. The rows can be vertical, horizontal, vertical or diagonal so the game is harder than it looks. The rules are very simple and even  young children can have a go.

Operation

A fairly simple battery operated game suitable for one or more players age 6 or over. The playing surface consists of a cartoon man with a red light up nose. He has a number of openings containing plastic pieces. Players take it in turns to pick up a card and remove the piece indicated by the card, if they touch the edge his nose lights up and a buzzer sounds, meaning they have failed and they do not get a fee. There are also specialist cards, the person who holds the specialist card for that part can then try to remove it for a double fee. The winner is the person who has the most money when all the parts have been removed. 

Kerplunk

This is another old favourite. A series of plastic sticks are pushed into holes in the game tube so that they form a platform for the marbles to rest on. Players take turns to pull out plastic sticks trying not to cause any marbles to drop. The game ends when all the marbles have dropped and the winner is the person with the least marbles.

Monopoly

Image via Wikipedia

There are countless versions of Monopoly, there may even be one featuring your hometown or your favourite television series. The rules of the game are fairly complicated but the object is to move around the board and buy property so that you can earn rent from other players who land on your property. The game can go on for ages and can cause emotions to run high, but many people including my own children love it.

Trivial Pursuit

I love this game. There are various versions available including versions suitable for children. The game involves moving the counter around the board and answering questions on a variety of subjects to gain wedges to fit into the counter. The winner is the person who collects all the wedges and then reaches the centre of the board and correctly answers a final question selected by other players. The game can last quite a long time, but not as long as Monopoly. 

Othello

This is my favourite game, it is also known as Reversi. It is a game for two players. Each playing piece is white on one side and black on the other. The game starts with four playing pieces in the four centre squares two black and two white. Players then take turns to put down playing pieces of their colour and if they trap counters of their opponent between two of their own colour they can turn them over to make them their colour. The object is to have the most counters on the board at the end of the game. 

Twister

I remember this game from my own childhood and it is still going strong. You spread the large plastic mat on the floor to reveal four rows of different coloured circles. A spinning arrow is used to indicate the move that each player must make. Gradually players fall over and are eliminated the last person on the board is the winner. It causes a lot of laughter.

Jenga

Image via Wikipedia

54 wooden blocks are built into a tower according to the game instructions then players take turns to remove a piece using only one hand trying not to let the tower fall. The piece which has been removed has to then be placed at the top of the tower. The looser is the person who makes the tower fall.

Cluedo

Image via Wikipedia

I loved this game when I was a child. This is a complicated game, at the start of the game three cards a character, a room and a murder weapon are chosen at random and placed in an envelope where no one can see them. These represent the identity of the murderer, the place and the weapon. Players move from room to room and can make suggestions about the three components of the murder, but only if their suggestion relates to the room they are in. The other players have to disprove the suggestion by showing one card of that combination. By a process of deduction a player reaches a point where he can make an accusation if this is correct he is the winner, if not the game continues until there is a correct accusation.

Scrabble

Image via Wikipedia

This is a game for two to four players. There are a quantity of letter tiles, each player draws seven to begin, the game involves making words to connect with existing words on the board and scoring according to the values marked on the tiles. The winner is the one with the highest score at the end of the game. It leads to arguments about the validity of certain words, but it is fun and educational.

Ashrita walked almost 81 miles over the course of more than 23 and a half hours, with milk balanced on his head! Actually, since Ashrita is a strict vegan, it was actually soy juice, not milk.

#2 – Driving Course from Hell

David Morgan from the United Kingdom has a lot of cones. Traffic cones! He has 137 different kinds of traffic cones.

#3 – It’s a Jungle Out There

In September 2005, 637 people dressed as Gorillas gathered in London to support the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

#4 – When Pigs Jump?

The highest pig jump was recorded at 2 feet 3 ½ inches by Kotetsu the pig in Japan.

#5 – Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd, and Eight is…?

The largest space crew in history is, get this, an entire eight people! Then again, good luck trying to break THAT record.

#6 – Holy Molars

The largest sets of dental caps are 50 centimeters in length! But they of course weren’t for a human. They were for Spike, the elephant! Each one weighed 28 pounds and the surgery to put them on took three and a half hours.

#7 – Unscramble the Scrabble

The highest number of simultaneous games of Scrabble ever played occurred at Northland Secondary School in Singapore. On March 14, 2006, 1,042 participants played in 521 games of Scrabble, all at the same time.

#8 – Gymnastic God

In April of 2003, young Aratak Grigoyan held a technically correct Azaryas cross position for 22.9 seconds. His record was recorded at the Yerevan State Physical Culture University in Amenia.

Conclusion

World records aren’t something you can just pick up and do when you’re bored. They take time and a lot of effort. While some may be impossible for the average person to break, like the giant dental caps, or the space crew, some like collectables can be done! So who’s not to say your name might be in a book some day?

Over the last couple days we have heard time and again about the steroid and HGH scandal in professional baseball and how men who take these substances gain an unfair advantage over others in the sport. There is talk of stripping men of honors or banning them from the game for some time for using these drugs. I have a bigger concern than the level playing field, whatever that means. I have serious concern about the impact these men’s actions have on impressionable young men and older boys who may start down the same self destructive path. Let’s face it, there are grave health risks in this behavior and there is reason to take a dim view of these activities. The steroids also increase aggression and make the person taking it a ticking bomb. They can easily be pushed over the edge and harm or kill someone else. I agree with stripping the participants of honors and records if the drug use can be proven.

I felt saddened when I heard about a week ago of Marion Jones being stripped of her Olympic medal. I was also saddened by Floyd Landis being stripped of the Tour de France win for using steroids. These two put so much effort into these sports as did the baseball players who are being charged. But I know that if each of them did as charged, the action was right. But my heart was sad for them.

And my mind wandered to other things. Why have only a limited group of sports figures been singled out for disgrace while others continue in practices that have damaging effects on them and the impressionable ones who watch, some of those even more damaging? Should those in the limelight be penalized for these activities as are the athletes?

Look at fashion models and entertainers who starve themselves to be ultra-thin. They set a standard of appearance that young girls aspire to, some of these and the young girls who look to them die of anorexia. Karen Carpenter, one very talented singer died in February 1983 and August 2, 2006 a Brazilian model, Luisel Ramos died of the results of anorexia. Later that year on November 17, 2006 Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston also died of anorexia. There are many others. But as tragic as this is, it is but the tip of the iceberg. Many others lives are shortened by as much as forty years. We could argue that they have the right to do with their bodies as they wish but isn’t that statement inconsistent with the stripping athletes of their medals? And the damage they do goes far beyond what happens to their own bodies. I personally knew one young girl who starved herself to death in this way. And there are others I am aware of who have drastically shortened their lives by this activity. The media focuses on obesity but the other end of the scale is even more deadly. And the press for being thin that is fueled by the entertainment industry, abetted by its accomplice, the same media that is feasting on the baseball players. They focus attention on the super models asd make role models of them that young girls want to follow.

A very few fashion shows have started requiring a health certificate for models to participate and are using a BMI (Body Mass Index) in the 17-18 range as a guide. A person with a height of five foot seven inches and a weight of one hundred fifteen pounds has a BMI of 18. A normal BMI is 18.5 to 24.5. When a person gets below 17 the risks escalate. Below 17 it gets very risky. These rules are a good start but because they are not universal and there are still shows that will not only hire women below 17 BMI, they tend to give preference to them so there is still pressure to be overly thin. I dislike government intervention but something should be done. I would prefer the modeling industry police itself but I would also prefer those who consider robbing banks police themselves but that is a vain hope. Government intervention is sorely needed.

Look at the Hollywood women (and men) and the amount of plastic surgery that is being done in the quest for perfection. Many have had breast enhancement. This has pressed the need for perfect sized breasts to the point that in 2005 over 330,000 girls eighteen and under had breast enhancement in the United States. There are approximately two million girls of each age in the U.S. If you assume that only those fifteen through eighteen would have breast enhancement that means about one third of a million girls out of eight million or one of twenty four girls have the procedure each year! With this incidence several anesthesia deaths a year is expected if the screening of candidates for he surgery is stringent. With the press for this beauty corners are cut, both by surgeons and by patients not telling the doctor everything which is even more dangerous because the doctor cannot anticipate problems. In addition to this there are other surgical risks, bleeding, infection to name two. The incidence of these problems is low but remember, this is not a procedure to save a life, it is to make the person more attractive.

But this is only part of the equation. Many celebrities misuse drugs including alcohol. Many of them do it publicly and many do it while driving. Too often this misuse is treated as something humorous or a desirable part of their persona. The substances are detrimental to their health and they set a tone for impressionable fans. Shouldn’t these be treated the same as athletes who used drugs? Why shouldn’t an actor, actress or singer who is caught DUI or fails a drug test be prohibited from being considered for any award for a year, and longer on second offense? Maybe they should be stripped of past awards. Why shouldn’t they be prohibited from performing publicly for a year or two? The media could help with this, they could easily quit inviting them as guests on shows. But ratings for the media override the public good.

How about taking awards from entertainers who commit despicable acts, who commit assaults against others? How about recording companies and production companies refusing to use people who have recently been convicted of felonies. How about stripping them of past honors or preventing them from being considered in the future?

Are these in baseball being singled out? Unless this is taken across the board, yes.