Food likes and dislikes: nature or nurture?

Why is broccoli a difficult food to enjoy? Is it texture? Taste? But some people like broccoli. The question is, do we learn our tastes or are we born with them?

Certain things are associated with experience (ie. I can't eat twizzlers anymore because I ate too many once and threw up all evening). But why are some people more susceptible to hot/spicy foods than others? Some enjoy the heat, for others it is downright painful.

Do our tastebuds stay the same, or do they "learn" in a sense? What do you think?

Why are many Mormons mean?

Okay, I know this is a different answer for each specific case of meanness, but I want to explore this. I work in Park City, Utah and most, if not all of my co-workers are not LDS. I was talking to one of my co-workers the other day and the fact came up that I was Mormon.
He told me that he wouldn't make fun of Mormons around me. And he told me that when he was in school the people who were meanest to me were LDS kids. They made fun of him because he was a different religion. I felt awful and I wanted to apologize that someone of our religion would be so rude.
But I realized that I went to school with mostly mormons and they were the ones that were rudest to me too. I just don't understand this hypocrisy. I find it sad that we aren't more inclusive. This guy now has a permanent bad impression of Mormons and probably our religion as well.
For our religion that preaches tolerance, charity, and love why do the followers not practice those most basic of principles?
A negative question, but one that needs to be asked and a situation that needs to be changed.

What's with this fad of Trolling?

So a "troll" as defined by Wikipedia is "In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response."

I understand sarcasm; I love sarcasm! But this whole swearing at people for the sake of causing an emotional response is a little ridiculous. I don't understand why people feel like they need to express themselves like that.

There is enough negativity and horrible stuff in this world that people on the Internet with nothing to add to society should add to it by cussing up a storm at random people.

But I fear that people will never get over this fad. I feel that negativity spreads like a fungus. Just as a smile is contagious, a bad mood is infectious. When there are always people around with nothing positive to say, it brings everyone down.

I can only laugh at these ridiculous, pointless comments for so long. I believe it needs to be stopped. But what can I do? I'm only one blogger in a whole ocean of bigger bloggers, writers, and unfortunately, trolls.

What causes an itch?

Thinking about the fact that out skin is comprised of millions of skin cells that are forever flaking off and then being replace, what is the real cause of an itch? I'm not talking about itches with other reasons, fungus, dandruff, etc. I mean just a regular itch. I have no idea about this one. Help anyone?

Why don't we look more closely at word origins?

I have been making connections in my mind about words. Lately, not because I'm perverted, I've been thinking of the word masturbation. I've been thinking about the root "turb" because the only other words I associate with that root are disturb, perturb, and bioturbation. So I looked at the word root, "turb" comes from the root which means, "disturb, confuse, turmoil or crowd." Interesting. Also part of the word is: stuprare "defile" (oneself), from stuprum "defilement, dishonor."

So something that the world seems as normal and acceptable, taking the actual word apart shed some light on the actual repercussions of that action.

Word origins... informative.

Why do some people take offense when others don't like the same things they like?

This question applies to me. But the times that it bothers me most is when I ask someone, "do you like such and such?" and they reply with " I HATE that!" I take that personally because the word hate is so strong, and I feel that if people hate something that I love, by extension, they hate me.

I don't think I'm the only person like this. I often feel disappointed when someone criticizes or dislikes something that I love or appreciate. But we just need to remember that it's just taste.

The reason I bring this up today is the whole Harry Potter craze going on. I like the Harry Potter books; but I am better without them. They really have a negative effect on me. But that doesn't mean that I disrespect people who like it.

Anyway, I feel this is a valid question.

Why do mustaches look so hideous on younger "men?"

I go to school at BYU-Idaho (holla!). And we have a certain "code" with which to live our college lives. One rule is that the only facial hair men can have on campus is a mustache. And the more I see these younger guys with mustaches, the more I question WHY?

On another hand, I know several professors with mustaches, and they look great with them.

Is it an age difference? Is it a maturity thing?

All I know is, I've never yet seen a mustache that enhances a younger guy's face.

EWW.....