Are you ghetto????

You know you ghetto if you thought putting a window air conditioner in your 78 cutless was a good idea
 

More wedding pics

I had a good time at the wedding. See Kathy with her pretty dolled up face. She is such a cutied. Her sis looks just like her. And K. finally admitted as much last week. I told her she was late cause everybody been telling her that for a long time. And my two Rachels were there too. I was too much fun to be with everyone that I have not seen in a long long time. I will have a to a better job of keeping in touch.  

Labor Day weekend in Charleston

We went to Charleston, SC Labor Day weekend. It was a lot of fun. As you can see Soria caught a crab. No not from a skanky ho, but he dug up the beach to find it. Funny thing is that crab pinched him. But in the crab's defense, dude did dig a hole deep enough to reach his WHOLE ARM while he was laying on his stomach.
Other than that excitement, we were just chillin, soaking in some rays. Sweet! 

His last thoughts?
"I should have tried to rob the little lady down the street"

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/08/nurse.intruder.ap/index.html

Want an iPod? Read my review

I bought my iPod off of Ebay and I want to share what I have learned
from that experience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buying a used 4G 40GB iPod iPod comes with its ups and downs.
It is great to have all that memory space to listen to hours and hours
of music.
Don't expect to have 12 hours of battery life with a 4G. I am finding
that my 4G iPod might last 5-6 hours. Not that I am complaining, but
that is half of what I thought I would be getting.
But be careful that you don't erase all the music off the iPod when you
connect to iTunes. Better yet, find another program to manage your iPod
music collection. There are plenty of them out there. Just google it.
You will find it will be better for you in the long run.
There are also programs that will allow you to use your iPod for all
sorts of things. Making good use of all that hard drive space has
allowed my iPod to become like a Palm Pilot of sorts for me.
And if you are buying off of Ebay, make sure that you note if the vendor
shows an picture of the iPod or a stock photo. A stock photo means that
it is a picture of what the general new iPod looks like. So you should
not base your buying decision on that. You want to be sure that the iPod
does not look too beat up. The hard drive is very sensitive. If there
are lots of scratches you might be buying a ruined hard drive which will
die on you as soon as you get it.
And when you hear the hard drive running, keep iPod completely still.
Like I said before, the hard drive is very sensitive.
You might want to invest in a decent docking unit, preferably one that
will allow you to listen to music while it is charging.
Treat your iPod with care and you will be glad that you have it. Drop or
shake it, and you will probably be looking on Ebay to buy iPod parts.

Animal-Rights Protests Get Personal

I read this article and I think that Pharmaceutical companies R&D should
perform their testing on the animal rights activists since these people
want to bully firms into not testing the animals.
I know that if the choice was between me and lab rat, I rather the lab
rat try the drug first. I got more to live for.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Animal-Rights Protests Get Personal

Some animal-rights activists have stepped-up their protests, targeting
pharmaceutical companies-and, in a few cases, their employees-in an
ongoing campaign to end the use of animals in biomedical research.

As animal-rights activists have stepped-up their efforts to protest
animal testing, even a few Pfizer colleagues have felt the effects. A
small number of colleagues have received e-mails and letters, according
to Judy MacArthur Clark, who chairs the Pfizer Animal Care and Welfare
Board, and there have been a handful of isolated incidents in which
activists protested outside colleagues' homes.

"Thankfully, no one has been hurt or threatened with harm," she said.
"Nonetheless, we are taking these incidents very seriously. Colleagues
have every reason to be concerned that these groups are disrupting both
their business lives and their personal lives."

Despite the necessity for animal studies in R&D to develop life-saving
medicines, animal-rights groups insist that all animal testing be
stopped, MacArthur Clark said.

"We provide humane care for all laboratory animals and insist on a
compassionate approach to their use," she said. "Our facilities,
personnel and practices meet or exceed strict regulations protecting
animals. We work hard to refine our procedures so that they are
minimally invasive, to reduce the number of animals used in studies, and
to replace animal studies with other technologies wherever possible."

Many activists have singled out Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), a
contract research organization (CRO) which serves the pharmaceutical,
biochemical, veterinary and food industries. Accusing HLS of animal
cruelty, the activists recently expanded their protests to include major
firms who they believe are clients of HLS. During the week of August 14,
protesters picketed and chanted outside the Washington, D.C. offices of
several pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer.

"The animal-rights groups involved in these demonstrations are
specifically attacking us for using contract research organizations
which they are determined to undermine," MacArthur Clark said. "What
they do not realize is that we carefully audit all CROs before placing
studies with them, and our veterinarians ensure that this audit covers
the standards of care and welfare in addition to the quality of
operation. We are confident that the CROs we use practice similar high
standards of care and welfare as ourselves."

John Theriault, Pfizer's vice president of Global Security, explained
that, while recent protests aimed at Pfizer have not been violent or
gone beyond the legal bounds of free speech, some activists have been
known to be physically aggressive in the past.

"As a result, we are monitoring activities directed at Pfizer and our
colleagues, and we are in regular contact with law-enforcement
authorities," Theriault said. "Our objectives are to protect colleagues
by raising their awareness of the problem, providing guidance on how to
deal with protesters if they encounter them, and ensuring that law
enforcement takes prompt and decisive actions if protests turn violent."

The worthless music industry

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/08/21/itunes.holdouts.ap/index.html

I would almost pity the artist. But if their songs were worth anything,
people would not mind buying the album.

Prohibited Items

I hate terrorists!!!!!!!

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/new-items.shtm

95% of my cosmetics fall under the list of now prohibited items. Do the
terrorist care that now I won't be so soft and smooth and so fresh and
clean after my journey? I guess not. They should realize not everyone
wants to to smell FUNKY like them!

Animal activist looking like retards to me...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/14/foie.gras.ap/index.html

Soon they will tell us we can't eat chicken.

Charleston

I went to Charleston, SC to go to the beach. It was cool. I slept most of the weekend. I enjoyed relaxing. Well you know anytime that I am able to sleep, I am having a good time. 

WYFF4.com - News - Dead Mouse Found In Restaurant Customer's Salad

http://www.wyff4.com/news/9608370/detail.html?treets=gs&tid=265557567581
3&tml=gs_7am&tmi=gs_7am_1_06000108022006&ts=H

Do you agree or disagree?

So a few weeks ago, I sent out this message to all my friends for them
to describe me in one word. This is a portion of how my friends
described me.

Melissa said I was "Luminous"
Abby said I was "Strong-willed"
Gustavo said I was "Amitosa" (friendly)
Hector Luis said I was "Amorosa" (loving)
Stephany said I was "Trustworthy"
Jorge said I was "Alegria" (Happiness)
Seraphin said I was "Alegre" (Happy)

Dave Chappelle is a comic genius!

I was going to try to boycott the lost episodes of the Chappelle show
since it was sans Chappelle. But the lure of his
oh-so-funny-all-the-time comedy was too great.

I know that I have made myself a pawn for Comedy Central in the
meantime. But at least I am not going to buy the DVD that they put out.
I have already seen adverts for it. That is where I draw the line.

THIS IS FOR YOU CHAPPELLE!

Yea I said it like Chappelle is going to Google his name and my posting
will come up. Who knows? Dave if you are reading this, how about doing a
show in Clemson, SC again? Or maybe even Charleston, SC? If your tix are
not too high, I will try to support you best I can.

Exercise machines

We have a internal trading post where people post the items they have
for sale.
I saw this

"Nordic Track CX 925 Elliptical Machine. Less than 2 years old $475
with Delivery available. For details call x **** or 803-***-****. "

My question is "Why is this person trying to get the $$ they put into
the exercise machine?" Don't they know that all exercise equipment
depreciates faster and greated that an automobile driving off of a car
lot.

If I am paying that kind of money for a exercise machine it will be
brand new. And here is another thought. For that kind of money, if I
wanted to work on used machines, I would just join a gym.

Tripped me out so much that I had to share.

Looking GLAM!

Zoila and I went to a Mary Kay party. It was fun. We put on a lot of makeup and complimented one another. Good day. But I could not wait to get home a wash all that stuff off. Made my face itch and you know I don't like to touch my face anyway. I did buy some perfume, so it wasn't a total waste of time to go. And Reyna was happy that her first Mary Kay party was a success. 

She is a cutie

Ana is such a cutie for 2 reasons.
1. She is a doll.
2. She is generosa (I asked for a piece of her candy and she gave it to me!- you don't find many kids that will do that) 

ATL Aquarium

So last weekend, I went to the aquarium in Atlanta. It made me reminiscent for Charleston aquarium. It was okay. I was a little miffed that there was no rate for students. I had my college ID all ready. But all in all, we had a good time. The piranahs were the freakiest(top far right). So still, as if they were waiting for something to fall in the water so they could tear it apart. And the jellyfish were mesmerizing. They look too delicate to be so hurtful (their tentacles sting, if you did not know). 

Learning Italian

I have decided that I want to learn another language. And I am going to help all my friends by posting some of what I am learning....

For now I want to learn some Italian phrases. I am also trying to learn Portuguese.

I tried French, but it seems difficult to me (and that is with a CD).

And to all my friends out there: If anybody has learning Italian/Portuguese CDs, let me know. Maybe I can burn it or you can e-mail me the lessons in MP3 form.

---

Blue font is for the polite form that is usually used when you don't know the person or to a person that you respect (teachers ….)

Sometimes the blue font is used for the feminine form, either way you will find the reason between parentheses.

English Phrases	Italian Phrases
Greetings:
Hi!	Ciao!
Good Morning!	Buongiorno!
Good Evening!	Buona sera!
Welcome! (to greet someone)	Benvenuto!/ Benvenuta! (female)
How Are You?	Come stai?/ Come state (polite)?
I'm Fine, Thanks!	Bene, grazie!
And You?	e tu? e lei? (polite)
Good/ So-So.	Bene/ così e così.
Thank You (Very Much)!	Grazie (molto)!
You're Welcome! (answering "thank you")	Prego!
Hey! Friend!	Ciao! Amico!
I Missed You So Much!	Mi sei mancato molto!
What's New?	che c'è di nuovo?
Nothing Much	Non molto
Good Night!	Buona notte!
See You Later!	A dopo
Good Bye!	Arrivederci!

 

I need to start drinking more

Hearty Drinkers Have Healthy Hearts

Less Heart Disease in Women Who Drink Most, Men Who Drink Daily

May 25, 2006 -- The more women drink -- and the more often men drink --
the healthier their hearts.

The new findings, based on the self-reported drinking habits of some
57,000 middle-aged Danes, confirm a previous report that the lower risk
of heart disease in men who drink alcohol depends more on how often they
drink than on how much they drink.

And for the first time, the study finds that alcohol's heart benefit for
women doesn't depend on how often they drink -- just on how much. Study
co-leader Janne Tolstrup, PhD, is a human biologist in the Center for
Alcohol Research at Denmark's National Institute for Public Health,
Copenhagen.

"For men who drink alcohol, the most healthy way they can do that is to
drink frequently, but only in small amounts," Tolstrup tells WebMD. "To
get the beneficial effect, you don't have to drink very much."

It's a different story for women.

"What we see with women is a beneficial effect on heart disease, but
this seems associated more with amount than with frequency," Tolstrup
says. "This is a different message than for men, because the women
drinking the most have the lowest risk of heart disease. It seems to be
independent of how often they drink."

Tolstrup and colleagues report the findings in the May 27 issue of the
British Medical Journal.

Uncorking Bottles and Heart Risk

The findings don't mean that immoderate drinking -- let alone binge
drinking or alcoholism -- is good for your overall health. Doctors won't
start telling teetotalers to be tosspots.

"What also should be remembered is, here we study heart disease and see
a beneficial effect for alcohol drinking," Tolstrup says. "But alcohol
has a lot of disadvantageous effects on other diseases, such as breast
cancer. There are other health outcomes where drinkers' risk will be
increased."

Moreover, the heart benefits of drinking apply only to middle-aged or
older people.

"If we had studied young people, we would not see this beneficial effect
of drinking -- just the detrimental effect," Tolstrup says. "This is
because people in their 20s and 30s are not at risk of heart disease
yet. So this drinking benefit is confined to postmenopausal women and
men over age 50."

That having been said, the heart benefit is real. Over nearly six years,
men who drank every day cut their risk of heart disease by 41%. Women
who drank at least once a week cut their risk of heart disease by 36% or
more.

Women who drank the most -- 14 or more drinks per week -- generally had
the lowest risk of heart disease: as much as a 73% decrease in risk. For
this study, a drink was defined as 12 grams of alcohol. A 12-ounce
bottle of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof
distilled liquor has between 11 and 14 grams of alcohol.

Men who drank 21 drinks or more a week, and drank every day, had the
lowest risk of heart disease.

A Grain of Salt on Rim of Drinking Benefit

Annie Britton, PhD, worries that people will use the Tolstrup team's
findings to justify their dangerous drinking habits. An editorial by
Britton, a public health researcher at University College, London,
accompanies the Tolstrup study.

"We really need to interpret this with a great deal of caution," Britton
tells WebMD. "It's a good study. But people will hear you have to drink
every day, and young people will see this as an excuse to increase both
the frequency and volume of their drinking."

Britton points out that too many of us drink too much -- a problem that
is getting worse, not better. Many diseases, as well as driving deaths,
are directly linked to alcohol consumption.

"We need to consider the societal implications of drinking before we
encourage people to pour the next glass," she says.

And Britton worries that people who drink every day may become
alcohol-dependent without realizing it.

"I think you can drink every day and be moderate. A glass or two of your
favorite drink doesn't sound like risky behavior," she says. "But having
a few days free from alcohol seems healthy, just to make sure you are
not addicted -- even in a mild way. To make sure you're not using
alcohol as a crutch would certainly be a sensible thing to do."

Note to would be robbers...

 

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/31/veteran.robbery.ap/index.html

 

All you would-be robbers out there, ROBBING CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH! At least that is what some unsuspecting robbers found out when they tried to jack a ex-Marine. Oh well, hope the ones who survived learned their lesson....