Tractor Pull Saluda style

  Last Friday night I went to Saluda for the annual Tracker Pull. It was fun stuff. The funny part about it is the looks that I got when I arrived. Of course I was fashionably late. It started at 7:30 and I got there about 10:30. I was very conspicuous because I happened to be the only one like me there (i.e., the only brown girl). Some of the looks that I got seemed to be saying "Are you lost?". But there was great fun to be had with Teila. And the guy in the above pic was someone that I met during the course of the night. He became more eloquent speaking the more Bud he drank. A couple more hours and he might have been ready for a toastmaster's dinner or something. He was cracking me up with the constant taunts of the sorry Dodge and Chevy trucks during their drive of shame after hauling loads like little girls (instead of like REAL trucks). As soon as I get some video uploaded, I will post that so you know what a tractor/truck pull is supposed to be like.

 
So last week I went to the American Museum of Nat History because it was something to do on a Friday afternoon. I did not know about Starry Nights Jazz until we went in. The music was pretty good. I tried to take some video. There are a couple of kids that kept running in front of the cam. And ppl wonder why their children get kidnapped. They let the kids run all over the place instead of keeping them in check...but I digress. Back to the music. It was good. I would do it again.

immigration comments

More comments about the immigration debate.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/31/navarrette/index.html

 

This guy said the same thing that I said about a week ago. The Spanish people that come to US, yes many illegally, are contributing to a economic boom in towns that were previously in decline. Many people, especially in the South, are stuck on the way things used to be and do not want change. They freak out because signs are in 2 languages. And they make comments like “We don’t speak Mexican” which reveal their ignorance. And many times these are the same people that are content with doing mediocre work but expect premium wages.

To these people I say “HAVE A LITTLE COMPASSION!” There are people willing to work hard to support extended families and they are also doing something for the communities in which they live. If they are not disrupting the peace, let them be.

This was on CNN the other day.

 

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2007/07/30/roberts.blogging.pedophile.cnn

I think that the police have every right to warn the public about him. And he is complaining that his rights are being violated. How about the rights of the children he is posting to his website? I believe that they and their parents have the right to know what he is doing.

What a perv! And he wants someone to feel sorry for him. He says that he has not committed any crime against child. But in my opinion, the fact that he is talking about is just as bad as doing it. The opportunity just has not presented itself. And why should everyone just sit and wait for him to ruin some child’s life before they warn the public when he has already made known what turns him on?

 

I say let’s put up more flyers.

Doctors not charged in the 'Katrina' case

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/07/24/katrina.doctor/index.html

I am glad that the doctors were not charged in this case. Yes this is a tragic case. I cannot begin imagine the deplorable conditions that those people endured. At least some people did stay to help. I wonder how I would feel if my grandmother was bedridden and stuck down there in the blistering heat, foul stench, and no power or running water. I can imagine her telling the doctor to give her something to put her out of her misery. I would not fault anyone them for giving it to her because I would not want her to suffer. And I would feel guilty that I did not do more to get her out of the hurricane area.

 

Do you like crocs?

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070712/LIFE01/70711013/1005/

The tag line to this story is that "Crocs make clunky cool". No they do not. Just because people are wearing crocs all the time does not make them fashionable. They are still ugly. I am not disputing the fact that they are extremely comfortable shoes. But then so are bedroom slippers. The fact that some people wear them with anything makes me shake my head. Have they no sense of style? Obviously not. But that just goes to show that some people are blind followers. One nurse must have worn her shoes in the grocery store when she got off work, and all the soccer moms thought it was the new style. So they went and bought every color, wearing them with every outfit.

China is trying to kill us

http://www.who-sucks.com/business/made-in-china-2007-danger-timeline

So I was reading the article about recalls on Chinese goods. I was
thinking that there is so much more stuff being recalled than I thought.
Why hasn't the government put some sort of ban on stuff from China? It
is all a political mess. No one cares about people and their welfare
anymore. It is all about the $$ and who can get more of it. And the
Chinese government was complaining after the deadly pet food incident,
saying that things were blown out of proportion. Why should we believe
anything they say when they obviously do not care enough about their own
people?
So then I figured it out. China is trying to kill us by poisoning the
products that we buy from them. But they won't get me. Oh no. I am
checking labels on everything from toothpaste to toilet paper to paint.

I am limiting what I buy from China because who knows what the FDA will
find and have to recall next.

I knew I needed more sleep

The Dream Diet: Losing Weight While You Sleep
Can more sleep really help us control our weight? Three top experts
explore the possibilities.

By Colette Bouchez

Lose weight while you sleep. It sounds like something you'd hear on a
late night infomercial -- just around the time you are reaching for that
bag of cookies because, well, you can't sleep.

But as wild as the idea sounds, substantial medical evidence suggests
some fascinating links between sleep and weight. Researchers say that
how much you sleep and quite possibility the quality of your sleep may
silently orchestrate a symphony of hormonal activity tied to your
appetite.

"One of the more interesting ideas that has been smoldering and is now
gaining momentum is the appreciation of the fact that sleep and sleep
disruption do remarkable things to the body -- including possibly
influencing our weight," says David Rapoport, MD, associate professor
and director of the Sleep Medicine Program at the New York University
School of Medicine in New York City.

While doctors have long known that many hormones are affected by sleep,
Rapoport says it wasn't until recently that appetite entered the
picture. What brought it into focus, he says, was research on the
hormones leptin and ghrelin. First, doctors say that both can influence
our appetite. And studies show that production of both may be influenced
by how much or how little we sleep.

In fact, have you ever experienced a sleepless night followed by a day
when no matter what you ate you never felt full or satisfied? If so,
then you have experienced the workings of leptin and ghrelin.

How Hormones Affect Your Sleep

Leptin and ghrelin work in a kind of "checks and balances" system to
control feelings of hunger and fullness, explains Michael Breus, PhD, a
faculty member of the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and director of
The Sleep Disorders Centers of Southeastern Lung Care in Atlanta.
Ghrelin, which is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, stimulates
appetite, while leptin, produced in fat cells, sends a signal to the
brain when you are full.

So what's the connection to sleep? "When you don't get enough sleep, it
drives leptin levels down, which means you don't feel as satisfied after
you eat. Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means
your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food," Breus tells WebMD.

The two combined, he says, can set the stage for overeating, which in
turn may lead to weight gain.

Studies: Those Who Sleep Less Often Weigh More

How the hormones leptin and ghrelin set the stage for overeating was
recently explored in two studies conducted at the University of Chicago
in Illinois and at Stanford University in California.

In the Chicago study, doctors measured levels of leptin and ghrelin in
12 healthy men. They also noted their hunger and appetite levels. Soon
after, the men were subjected to two days of sleep deprivation followed
by two days of extended sleep. During this time doctors continued to
monitor hormone levels, appetite, and activity.

The end result: When sleep was restricted, leptin levels went down and
ghrelin levels went up. Not surprisingly, the men's appetite also
increased proportionally. Their desire for high carbohydrate,
calorie-dense foods increased by a whopping 45%.

It was in the Stanford study, however, that the more provocative meaning
of the leptin-ghrelin effect came to light. In this research -- a joint
project between Stanford and the University of Wisconsin -- about 1,000
volunteers reported the number of hours they slept each night. Doctors
then measured their levels of ghrelin and leptin, as well as charted
their weight.

The result: Those who slept less than eight hours a night not only had
lower levels of leptin and higher levels of ghrelin, but they also had a
higher level of body fat. What's more, that level of body fat seemed to
correlate with their sleep patterns. Specifically, those who slept the
fewest hours per night weighed the most.

Sleep: You Can't Lose

Until doctors do know more, most experts agree that if you are dieting,
logging in a few extra hours of sleep a week is not a bad idea,
particularly if you get six hours of sleep or less a night. You may just
discover that you aren't as hungry, or that you have lessened your
craving for sugary, calorie-dense foods.

"One thing I have seen is that once a person is not as tired, they don't
need to rely on sweet foods and high carbohydrate snacks to keep them
awake -- and that automatically translates into eating fewer calories,"
says Breus.

If, on the other hand, you already sleep a lot, or you increase your
sleep and feel even more tired, you should talk to your doctor. Experts
say you may be one of the thousands of people with undiagnosed sleep
apnea.

Says Roca: "As research continues, more and more data comes to the
forefront to suggest that you simply can't cut back on sleep without
paying some price."

SOURCES: David Rapoport, MD, associate professor and director of the
Sleep Medicine Program, NYU School of Medicine, New York City. Michael
Breus, PhD, Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine; clinical director of The
Sleep Disorder Centers of Southeastern Lung Care, Atlanta. Dominic Roca,
MD, director of the Connecticut Center for Sleep Medicine, Stamford
Hospital. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2004; vol 141: pp 846-850. PLOS
Medicine, December 2004; vol 1. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and
Metabolism; vol 89: pp 5762-5771. American Journal of Physiology --
Heart and Circulatory Physiology, July 2000; vol 279: pp H234-H237.

(c) 2005 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.

I love this blog entry

Everybody needs to read this blog entry. And check out the link in her blog so that you get the FULL understanding.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=2853964&blogID=281202363

In my opinion, let them pay for their own surgery. I can't believe that this is even an issue.

 

I stayed at a Holiday Inn the other weekend. My roommate thought the sky was falling. But I could not be mad at HI. They have full breakfast with lots of bacon. That made up for a lot.

R Kelly

I was wondering what happened to the trial against R Kelly. It was all in the news and then nothing. How many underage girls does he have to pee on before they give him a speedy trial?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/05/07/rkelly.trial.ap/index.html

killer scared to die

Why is it that Killers are afraid to die? They were so big and bad when they were killing other people. But when their time has come, they want the all those bleeding heart liberal activist group to find loopholes in the system to save their lives.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/02/lethal.injection/index.html

Check this article out. Article states that "Muslims need to have better sex". I have to agree with this.

Imus in the morning

Imus in the morning

The above link talks about Imus losing MSNBC over his commments the other week. A white guy calling those girls "nappy headed" was bad enough. I don't know what he meant with calling them nappy headed. Where did he even hear that? Given the fact they were playing BASKETBALL, I am sure they were not going to look like they just stepped out of a beauty salon. So that was just plain asinine on his part. But the "hoes" part was ridiculous. He called in to question the character of people he does not even know. I know some newcasters like to ask what is the difference between a rapper using the word "hoes" and everybody else. First of all, why would any one with any modicum of intelligence want to use rappers, gangster, thugs, or pimps as their model standard. If Imus had been a 14 year old kid from the Mid-west saying something like that, I would be more inclined to think he got it from listening to that rap crap. Yea I said it. A lot of that rap is crap because all it does is demoralize women and idolize people who sell drugs, ruin lives, and kill people over trivial matters.
But I digress.
Back to Imus. What an idiot. It is those small comments that people make that give insight into how racist they really are. I hope he loses his job over that thoughtless comment.

My thoughts on various news items of the day

I hope they are wrong about this year's hurricane season (click here). Or at least that it does not mess up our vacay.

Country singer got warrents! I thought this kind of stuff only happened to rappers. But then again, this did happen in Texas. (to read the story click here)

This is why you have to be able to trust the person who you are dancing with. A girl just cannot let any Joe Blow throw her in air. Make a bad judgment and the next thing she knows is that she is being treated for a concussion. I don't think she will win the lawsuit. But if she does, it would set a precedent. We all know that it is hard enough to get guys to dance now. Imagine how it would be if they were afraid they might get sued. I can hear the excuses already. Or better yet, the women have to sign a waiver before entering the club saying they will dance at thier own risk. (to read the story click here)

What is up with that?

Why is Newt so hateful towards people who are not native English speakers?
Click here to read the story.

Foxy Brown

Foxy Brown has warrents

And I thought that was her hair!

NYC mugger

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/14/mugging.outrage.ap/index.html

When are they going to catch this guy? I mean he is beating up 100+ year ladies. Can we put this crackhead in jail so that he can receive some "street justice"?

Chinese food

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/03/21/chinese.food.ap/index.html

So basically don't eat American-ized Chinese food. If real Chinese food was so bad, all the Chinese would be fat instead of the fat Americans.
That being said, I will just drink an extra cup of water to try flush that sodium out my system, because I LOVE Chinese boneless ribs with extra hoison sauce and hot mustard!

Que nice!

 

I just wanted to share because I like this picture.