I suspect I have exercise induced asthma as well, especially in the cold air. I went biking this morning and tried to concentrate on not breathing too shallow or hard, but I still ended up feeling like I couldn't breathe and my chest hurt really bad. Likewise, when I run, I feel enough energy to but I have to stop because of the breathing problems. I'm thinking about getting an inhaler - I don't want it to stop me from working out.

Err, I'm not so sure. Babies may not fear them because their fear mechanism has not been developed yet, or they are not cognitively aware enough to know what the spider/snake is apart from any other object or animal. Sure, they can be conditioned to fear, but what about those like me who were conditioned to NOT fear those things but still do?

I have always been scared of spiders even though my grandma would try to get me to not be afraid of them at a young age. She used to tend to her large garden and did not mind them. In that sense, I was never taught to fear insects, but I believe I inherited a gene that tells me to stay away from them, which explains my irrational fear.

Actually, Capitalism can't function without poverty. It's common sense! If the Capitalist model allows for a wealthy class, then there must be a poor class since not everybody can be wealthy. Remember: even if we all try to get rich, we must settle somewhere in the pyramid of Capitalism, and most of us will reside far from the top because of the way money is controlled. Most of us are going to be wage slaves for the rest of our lives - not filthy rich. Today's Capitalism is like trickle-down economics thanks to the hoarders at the top, who evade taxes with their offshore bank accounts and rake in the dough off the backs of laborers who are paid a fraction of CEOs and other suits. 2% of Americans control the wealth, and greed dictates that they will keep it to themselves. This explains the ever-growing divide, and the shrinking middle class. And with the increasingly global economy, it's gotten even more competitive for jobs that can put food on the table. So much for the "American dream" when our own system is collapsing around us and the rich are making off with their money, leaving us with nothing left. Actually, I take that back. Nothing left would be nice - the reality is we're all in debt, so we must pay.