ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE A TROJAN DRAFTED BEFORE A BRUIN!

It is always a good thing to see USC drafted higher than UCLA regardless of what UCLA has...or how far they went in March Madness....USC may never get the same respect in basketball as UCLA because of Wooden and all that is UCLA Basketball..but that is what makes it all the nicer to get a player drafted higher than the Bruins...Only Westphal has done it before Mayo, so it is good to see it happen again!

Congratulations Fresno State on your First NCAA World Series Championship

click on the title to read the story....but regardless of the sport...it is ALWAYS cool to beat up on the SEC and all the better that it was a California school giving Georgia the beat down...and it was! It was a shutout till the 8th inning before a solo HR broke it up! It is the BIGGEST Cinderella team EVER regardless of the sport..Fresno State was the LOWEST ranked team in the tournament and went up against the best teams in the country...(6)Rice, (2)North Carolina, (4)Arizona State, (19)LB State, (9)San Diego, and (8)Georgia.

To the best of my knowledge, at NO point were they EVER on the top 25 -30 teams in the country throughout the year...sometimes the WAC teams go underrated...but with teams like Boise St winning in Football against Oklahoma, Hawaii going undefeated and playing at Georgia and Fresno State winning their first NCAA title in a man's sport not to mention playing my SC Trojans as hard as they did a few years ago...do NOT take these teams lightly...YES Hawaii DID get humbled by Georgia in their BCS bowl, but the WAC has established itself more so now than ever...no MID MAJOR conference has had 2 BCS bowls and a NCAA World Series in a 3 year run. That is UNHEARD OF. So, my hat goes off to the Bulldogs for kicking Georgia Bulldogs in the teeth!

So what are you?? I don't need to know...but maybe YOU DO!

Sometimes, we THINK that we're Republicans or we get ticked with the way things are today with Iraq, Gas Prices, immorality of today, Drug war, etc..and we wonder if we are Republican or Democrat or sometimes we don't really even fit in either??

well...instead of just accepting 1 of the 2 because you fear throwing your vote away....AT LEAST know what party you belong to...

you can obviously vote for whoever you want either way...so that you don't feel that vote is getting thrown away...but at least know what party your beliefs belong to...

By clicking on the post, there is a 10 question quiz that maybe more telling than you thought!

gas stations cry over credit card fees

GAS STATIONS ARE GETTING ALL BENT ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING 4 DOLLAR GAS AND PUTTING IT ON THEIR CREDIT CARD BECAUSE OF THE CREDIT CARD FEES THAT ARE IMPOSED..
SO I SAY THIS....BUY PREMIUM GAS AND BUY IT ON YOUR CREDIT CARD...
THIS GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT MAKES SENSE..EVEN TO ME IN THE BEGINNING..BUT THINK OF IT THIS WAY..
AS LONG AS YOU HAVE A LIMIT IE..7 GALLONS OR 30 BUCKS WHATEVER COMES FIRST, YOU WILL HAVE FILLED YOUR CAR WITH PREMIUM GAS...SO YOUR CAR WILL RUN BETTER AND WILL HAVE BETTER QUALITY GASOLINE.
PAY YOUR CREDIT CARD THAT EVENING OR THE FOLLOWING MORNING TO AVOID INTEREST. THE MORE FREQUENT THAT YOU PAY YOUR CARD, THE BETTER YOUR CREDIT WILL BE AND IT WILL BE THE SAME AS IF YOU USED YOUR DEBIT CARD.
IN THE END, YOUR CREDIT CAN GO UP, YOUR CAR GETS BETTER GAS AND YOU SCREW THE GAS STATIONS...THE MORE MONEY THEY LOSE ON THE DEAL, THE MORE THEY WILL BITCH AND MOAN ABOUT IT...
IT MAY NOT LAST A LONG TIME AND YOU HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FINANCIALLY TO PAY YOUR CREDIT CARDS...BUT HEY...NOT A LOT OF DOWN SIDES IF YOU ARE CAREFUL.
THE ONLY DOWNSIDE IS THAT YOU GET A LITTLE LESS GAS...SO INSTEAD OF FILLING UP AT THE 1/4 MARK, FILL UP AT THE 3/8 OR EVEN THE 1/2 MARK...THEN IT WON'T CHANGE AT ALL..AND YOUR TANK WILL BE FULL.
I DID IT THIS MORNING AND THE RESULT WAS VERY LITTLE DIFFERENCE, YET I COULD FEEL THE DIFFERENCE WITH THE BETTER GASOLINE!
I FILLED IT WITH THE SAME 30 BUCKS AS ALWAYS AND IT WON'T BREAK MY BANK BECAUSE I ALREADY HAVE THAT BUDGETED INTO MY ACCT.

Easy Crab Cakes

Easy Crab Cakes

2 pouches of Chicken of the sea Crab (3.53 oz)
2 Tbs finely chopped red bell pepper
2 Tbs finely chopped green onion
2 Tbs mayo (substitute lite mayo?)*
2 Tsp lemon juice
1/4 Tsp seasoned salt
1/4 Tsp garlic powder
1 dash cayenne powder
1 med. egg beaten
2/3 C. seasoned breadcrumbs
3 Tbs butter (lighter substitute?)*


In bowl, combine red peppers, green onions, mayo, lemon juice, seasoned salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Stir in the 2 pouches of crab, egg and 1/3 cup breadcrumbs (mixture may be sticky). Divide and form into 4 balls. Roll crab balls in remaining breadcrumbs; flatten into cakes about 1/2 inch thick. In skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Fry (bake?*) crab cakes 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Makes 4 servings.

Prep time: 10 min cook time: 8 mins

* items are for alternate measures to make the crab cakes more healthy...but is completely optional...if they (alternative crab cakes) turn out well ...let me know! I am not sure if you CAN bake them instead of frying, I imagine you COULD in a toaster oven, but I am not sure how long to bake them or at what temp...that is the experiment part!

After living in Maryland, I learned to LOVE these...and if your kids want to make REAL crabby patties...well here you go!

Marine-ated Grilled Tuna

For Harvey Walden's
Marine-ated Grilled Tuna:

1 thick tuna steak
Pinch of salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Zest and juice of 2 limes
Olive oil spray


Place the tuna in a shallow dish and season with the salt and pepper.
Mix the soy sauce, lime zest and juice, chili pepper, and ginger in a small bowl and pour over the tuna. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.
Preheat a nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat and lightly coat with olive oil spray.
Place the tuna steak gently in the pan when it is very hot and cook quickly for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. DON'T overcook.
Great with a small, green leaf salad, maybe with a touch of vinaigrette if you have done your exercises thoroughly.

Non conference slates continue to weaken

April 14, 2008


Mike Huguenin
Rivals.com College Football Editor


It's time to face facts: College basketball is over and we're 135 days away from the first college football game of the season.



Brian Kelly and Cincinnati play three road games against non-BCS conference opponents.
In other words, it's time to panic. Now you have to spend time with your family, read a book, clean out the garage, do yard work or focus more intently on your job.

But we're here to help. It might be four-plus months away from the start of the football season, but that doesn't mean it's too early to start breaking down 2008 schedules.

Today, we're breaking down each league. Tuesday, we'll look at the 12 most embarrassing non-conference games of the season. Wednesday, we'll look at the 12 best non-conference games of the season. We agree that it might be a tad early to look four-plus months down the road. But given the alternative …

Two things: First, we will be referring to games against "Division I-AA" teams even though the NCAA now refers to that division as the "Football Championship Subdivision." Given that the NCAA has far more important matters to worry about than changing the nomenclature of its football divisions, we still use the "I-AA" moniker as a sort of silent protest. Second, while Notre Dame isn't a member of a "Big Six" league, we are including the Irish when we talk about "Big Six" schools.

Here's a league-by-league look at each league's non-conference schedules.


THE "BIG SIX" LEAGUES


INSIDE THE SCHEDULES
"BIG SIX" VS. I-AA GAMES
2008: 51 games
2007: 41 games
2006: 47 games
2005: 31 games
NOTE: Starting in 2006, teams were allowed to play 12 regular-season games.
PLAYING AT LEAST 3 "BIG SIXERS"
*Connecticut (3)
East Carolina (4)
Florida International (3)
Florida Atlantic (3)
Fresno State (3)
Hawaii (4)
Louisiana-Monroe (3)
Marshall (3)
Middle Tennessee (4)
Navy (5)
*Notre Dame (10)
Troy (3)
UCF (3)
*USC (3)
*Syracuse (3)
*Wake Forest (3)
Western Kentucky (4)
PLAYING TWO I-AA TEAMS
*Clemson
*Florida State
*Georgia Tech
*Texas Tech
Western Kentucky
PLAYING NO "BIG-SIXERS"
Air Force
*Arizona
*Indiana
*LSU
*Minnesota
*Texas Tech
*Wisconsin
NOTES: This is the third season in a row Texas Tech is on this list. This is the second season in a row for Arizona, Indiana and Minnesota. It's the second time in three seasons for Wisconsin.
TEAMS WITH EIGHT HOME GAMES
*Indiana
*Louisville
*LSU
*Nebraska
NOTE: Last season, there were eight teams with eight home games, and four of those were from the SEC, two from the Pac-10, one from the Big Ten and one from the Big East.
TEAMS WITH FIVE HOME GAMES
Akron
Arkansas State
Bowling Green
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
FAU
FIU
Fresno State
Kent State
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Monroe
Middle Tennessee
Navy
North Texas
Ohio U.
Troy
*Stanford
Temple
Western Kentucky
Western Michigan
NOTE: Last season, there were 22 teams with five home games, with two of those (Duke and Florida State) from "Big Six" leagues.
NON-"BIG SIXERS" HOSTING "BIG SIXERS"
Vanderbilt at Miami University, Aug. 28
Mississippi State at Louisiana Tech, Aug. 30
Minnesota at Bowling Green, Sept. 6
West Virginia at East Carolina, Sept. 6
Maryland at Middle Tennessee, Sept. 6
Texas Tech at Nevada, Sept. 6
Texas A&M at New Mexico, Sept. 6
Connecticut at Temple, Sept. 6
USF at UCF, Sept. 6
Texas at UTEP, Sept. 6
UCLA at BYU, Sept. 13
Wisconsin at Fresno State, Sept. 13
Arizona at New Mexico, Sept. 13
Stanford at TCU, Sept. 13
USF at Florida International, Sept. 20
Iowa State at UNLV, Sept. 20
Cincinnati at Akron, Sept. 27
Oregon State at Utah, Oct. 2
Cincinnati at Marshall, Oct. 3
Louisville at Memphis, Oct. 10
Washington State at Hawaii, Nov. 29
Cincinnati at Hawaii, Dec. 6

*— signifies member of "Big Six" leagueACC: The league gets the ignominious honor of being the league whose members are playing the most games against Division I-AA opponents, with 14. Every league team except Wake Forest is playing a I-AA foe, and – shame, shame – Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech are playing two each. The flipside is that the ACC gets to boast that its members are playing far more non-conference games against "Big Six" schools than any other "Big Six" league, with 23. Every league school is playing at least one such opponent. Nine of the 12 league members – all but Boston College, Maryland and Virginia Tech – are playing at least two such games, and Wake Forest and North Carolina are playing three.

Big East: There are seven non-conference games against I-AA members, with each league school expect for Pittsburgh playing one such game. The Big East is second among "Big Six" leagues with 16 non-conference games against fellow "Big Six" members. Each league member has one such game, and Connecticut and Syracuse have three each. Louisville is one of just four schools nationally with eight home games this season.

Big Ten: League members have nine games against I-AA schools, with all but Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue partaking. Big Ten teams are playing just 13 non-conference games against "Big Six" schools – the lowest total among all the conferences. Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin are playing zero non-conference games against "Big Six" programs. Of note: Big Ten teams are playing 13 games against MAC schools, with each league team except Iowa playing one and Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota playing two each. Indiana also is one of the four schools nationally with eight home games this season.

Big 12: There are 10 games against I-AA teams. Each league team has at least one of those – Texas Tech has two – except for Nebraska, Texas and Texas A&M. There also are 15 games against other "Big Six" programs; every league school has at least one except for Texas Tech. Baylor has three such games. Nebraska is the only Big 12 school with eight home games this season.

Pac-10: Give it up for the Pac-10, which has just two games against I-AA opposition, by far the lowest of any league. (Arizona State and Washington State are the only league teams playing I-AA foes.) There also are 14 games against other "Big Six" schools; every league team except Arizona is playing at least one and USC is playing three. Of note: Stanford is the only "Big Six" school with just five home games this season.

SEC: There are nine games against I-AA foes, with each league team except for Alabama, Tennessee and Vanderbilt playing one such game. There are 15 games against other "Big Six" opponents, with each league school playing at least one such game except for LSU. LSU also is one of the schools with eight home games in '08.


THE OTHER LEAGUES

Conference USA: The league has seven games against I-AA opponents and 23 against "Big Six" foes. Each of the league's 12 schools has at least one game against a "Big Six" foe, with East Carolina having four and Marshall and UCF three each. ECU, Marshall, Memphis, UCF and UTEP each have one home game against a "Big Six" opponent.

Mid-American: There are eight games against I-AA opponents. But the MAC can crow about its 28 games against "Big Six" programs, the most of any league (13 of those are against Big Ten schools). Four of those 28 will be on MAC campuses – at Akron, Bowling Green, Miami and Temple. But eight of the 13 league members have just five home games: Akron, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Ohio University, Temple and Western Michigan.

Mountain West: There are seven games against I-AA schools, with each MWC team except New Mexico and UNLV playing one such game. There are 14 games against "Big Six" schools, with every league school involved in at least one except Air Force. Six of those "Big Six" opponents will be playing on a MWC campus, with New Mexico playing host to two such opponents and BYU, TCU, UNLV and Utah playing host to one each.

Sun Belt: There are five games against I-AA opponents, with provisional member Western Kentucky playing two of those. There also are 26 games against "Big Six" members, the second-most of any league. Each Sun Belt team is playing at least two "Big Six" opponents; Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky are playing four each, and Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Monroe and Troy are playing three each. Each of the league's nine members have just five home games, with FIU and Middle Tennessee the only league schools playing host to a "Big Six" member (USF is at FIU and Maryland is at MTSU).

Western Athletic: There are seven games against I-AA schools, with Fresno State and Utah State the only WAC schools not involved in such a game. There also are 17 games against "Big Six" members, with every league school playing at least one such game; Hawaii has four and Fresno three. Hawaii has two home games against "Big Six" schools, and Fresno, Louisiana Tech and Nevada have one each. In all, though, Fresno has just five home games this season.

Independents: Army and Navy each play one game against I-AA schools. Those two plus Notre Dame will play 17 games against "Big Six" opponents, with Army playing two, Navy five and Notre Dame 10. Navy has just five home games.

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=796874

Let's assure that Hillary never "Misspeaks" again!

McCain may be a military man...but most military families have NO desire to LIVE in Iraq on any military base. You have to guess that under McCain's century long plan in Iraq..that a base cannot be far offbase (pun intended).

4000 soldiers and sailors are dead already...how many have to pass away before this war becomes silly? we support all of the military and understand that they are following direct orders to continue, but they are well aware of the situation at hand as well.

What will be the final cost? at this moment, it is over 3 trillion dollars..when is it simply ENOUGH?

LET'S GET BARAK IN THERE AND GET THE TROOPS SAFELY OUT! DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHETHER WE WIN OR NOT...THIS WAR OFFERS NO WINNERS AND TERRORISM WILL EXIST EITHER WAY.

Mom, I DIDN'T LIE!!!! I MISSPOKE!!

Leave it up to the Clintons to redefine what a LIE is...

so what happens if you MISSPEAK in court?

What happens if you MISSPEAK on your presidential campaign?

What happens if you Misspeak anywhere???

Do we rename the LIE detector as the Misspeaking detector?

Did Judas misspeak?

Thou shalt not "misspeak"?

This changes EVERYTHING!!!

FANTASTIC PAC10 BASKETBALL IN CALIFORNIA

Well that is, if you are from Southern California. If you're from the Bay Area, you are not sure how everything happened. At the Galen Center, USC had a decisive lead with roughly 2 minutes left when Cal goes on a 10-0 run to get into range with USC. USC and Cal fouled each other all the way throughout the game with Eric Vierneisel, Patrick Christopher and Randle fouling out for Cal. Davon jefferson was the sole eviction for USC. USC opened up OT and had a 10-2 run before Cal answered back and came as close as 3 points away before losing by 4. While USC gave Cal as many opportunities as they were willing to receive, Cal continually gave those back to USC who did take advantage more often than not.




Across the way in Westwood, Stanford had a lead for the better part of the game up until 40 seconds to go in the 2nd quarter. The only time UCLA had a lead was early in the first half at 2-0. They didn't see the lead again until they forced OT due to Collison's free throws 4 seconds away from regulation from a controversial foul by Lawrence Hill. In OT, UCLA made it happen 7-2 in OT and took a decisive lead with 35.2 seconds at 75-65. Stanford was not able to shut down a very strong UCLA offense. Collison and Love were strong all night combining for 39 pts. While the end of the Stanford/UCLA game was not as close as the SC game, UCLA had to scratch and claw in order to even get into OT, so you have got to love their chances in the dance and the upcoming PAC10 tourney.

The Steelwells ROCK!

Here is some good information for this band! The Steelwellians United is the community page on both Myspace.com and on Orkut. Check out the Steelwellians new EP called The Open Letter!

http://www.myspace.com/thesteelwells

ANYBODY BUT McCAIN

I AM A REPUBLICAN, BUT IF McCAIN WINS OVER ROMNEY, I WOULD VOTE CLINTON AHEAD OF McCAIN IF NECESSARY...

IF McCAIN ENDS UP AS THE FRONTRUNNER, OBAMA WILL HAVE MY VOTE!

Brasil E'

01. O único país do mundo onde se pode abastecer simultaneamente um carro com Álcool, Gasolina e gás. Tudo isso, com tecnologia nacional;
02. Que seremos o primeiro país do mundo a desenvolver o biodiesel à base de mamona. Novamente tecnologia nacional. Será a redenção do Nordeste, pois a mamona é praga por lá e a PETROBRAS já está começando desenvolver o sistema produtivo;

03. Que as fábricas mais modernas de produção de automóvel (General Motors, Mercedes Benz e FIAT) e Volks Caminhões, também estão aqui;
04. E entre outras coisas, a PETROBRAS é a única empresa do mundo a deter a tecnologia completa de produção de petróleo em águas profundas;
And among other things, PETROBRAS is the only company in the world to

05. As empresas produtoras de aço estão em sua capacidade máxima instalada;

06. Finalmente os Estados Unidos renderam-se a qualidade de nossos aviões (EMBRAER) e vão adquirir aviões altamente especializados para Treinamento de sua força aeronáutica.

Os dados são da Antropos Consulting:

01. O BRASIL é o país que tem tido maior sucesso no combate à AIDS e outras doenças sexualmente transmissíveis, e vem sendo exemplo mundial.
Brasil is the frontrunner on AIDS and other STDs and is seen as an example.

02. O BRASIL é o único país do hemisfério sul que está participando do Projeto Genoma.

Brasil is the only country in the southern hemisphere participating in the Genova Project.

03. Numa pesquisa envolvendo 50 cidades de diversos países, a cidade do Rio de Janeiro, acusada por violência, foi considerada a mais solidária.

04. Nas eleições de 2000, o sistema do Tribunal Regional Eleitoral (TRE) estava informatizado em todas as regiões do Brasil, com resultados em menos de 24 horas depois do início das apurações. O modelo chamou a atenção de uma das maior es potências mundiais: os Estados Unidos, onde a apuração dos votos teve que ser refeita várias vezes, atrasando o resultado e colocando em xeque a credibilidade do processo.

05. Mesmo sendo um país em desenvolvimento, os internautas brasileiros representam uma fatia de 40% do mercado na América Latina.

06. No BRASIL, há 14 fábricas de veículos instaladas e outras 4 se instalando enquanto alguns países vizinhos não possui nenhuma.

07. Das crianças e adolescentes entre 7 a 14 anos, 97,3% estão estudando, hoje!!!.

08. O mercado de telefones celulares do BRASIL é o segundo do mundo, com 650 mil novas habilitações a cada mês.

09. Na telefonia fixa, o país ocupa a quinta posição em número de linhas instaladas.

10. Das empresas brasileiras, 6.890 possuem certificado de qualidade ISO 9000, maior número entre os países em desenvolvimento. No México, são apenas 300 empresas e 265 na Argentina.

11. O BRASIL é o segundo maior mercado de jat os e helicópteros executivos.



Por que esse vício de só falar mal do Brasil?



01. Por que não se orgulhar em dizer que o mercado editorial de livros é maior do que o da Itália, com mais de 50 mil títulos novos a cada ano?

02. Que o BRASIL tem o mais moderno sistema bancário do planeta?

03. Que as agências de publicidade ganham os melhores e maiores prêmios mundiais?

04. Por que não se fala que o BRASIL é o país mais empreendedor do mundo e que mais de 70% dos brasileiros, pobres e ricos, dedicam considerável parte de seu empo em trabalhos voluntários?

05. Por que não dizer que o BRASIL é hoje a terceira maior democracia do mundo?

06. Que apesar de todas as mazelas, o Congresso está punindo seus próprios membros, o que raramente ocorre em outros países ditos civilizados?

07. Por que não lembrar que o povo brasileiro é um povo hospitaleiro, que se esforça para falar a lí ngua dos turistas, gesticula e não mede esforços para atendê-los bem?

08. Por que não se orgulhar de ser um povo que faz piada da própria desgraça e que enfrenta os desgostos sambando.

É! O BRASIL é um país abençoado de fato.
Com suas raças e todos os credos.
Bendito este povo, que sabe entender todos os sotaques.
Bendito este povo, que oferece todos os tipos de climas para contentar
Bendita seja, querida pátria chamada Brasil!

Free Agency in relation to my political views

First and foremost, I am an advocate to free agency. I believe that we all have the free agency and the right to voice our opinions and to believe as we would like. At no point does it mean that I am IN FAVOR of the actions that each American decides. People CAN commit abortions, they can do stem cell research, they can get a same sex marriage. They can do LEGALLY what they insist on doing. Americans should have the free agency to do that which they feel is morally correct. It is NOT my abortion. I do not have to feel the consequence of the actions of another anymore now, than I have had to for the better part of my life. I am not making these actions ok, nor am I condoning them, but due to free will being a concept that I truly DO believe in, I feel that we will all be held accountable for our actions and we have responsibilities for the rights that we are so happy to have. The freedoms and rights that we have received, have been afforded to us by the blood of the military regimes of this country that have kept us safe and sound. We DO have the right to make our own choices. These choices should NOT be limited by a government that has better things to do than to cater to personal decisions of individual americans.

This is NOT a free for all. I am not allowing all to happen in the name of free agency. We have free agency already and BECAUSE of existing laws, we are able to coexist. There are rules and regulations that are common law and are approved by our congress and our society demands that they exist. There is a lot of gray area however that may allow things to be freed up considerably. We as a country need to put our efforts into activities and efforts that will strengthen this country. I do NOT condone, practice or approve of same sex marriage, abortion or stem cell research. I do not believe that same sex marriages should have the same benefits of a regular family. It is NOT my choice however. I am overstepping my personal bounds by limiting the free agency of other people. We are all taxpaying individuals, we are all adults. We all have the ability to make our own decisions. it is to be noted, however, that we will be responsible for every action of commission and omission. We will pay the consequences whether good or bad. it is up to each of us to make sure that we use our free agency to the best of our ability. Our free agency can and will affect other people and we will be held responsible for those actions.

I am not for drugs, but I am not for a drug war that has been proven inefficient. There is no reason to fight a war that has been going on longer than WW1, WW2, Vietnam and the Gulf War. We are dropping millions into a war that has not shown its efficiency. I am not saying that we should completely distance ourselves from illegal drug use, I am saying that, we should work with countries like Colombia and Venezuela and hold the governments accountable for the money they receive in order to curb drugs. We should receive a report that tells us how the money has been used. We need to know that we are not in an involuntary drug recycling program. We need to assure that the government is putting our tax money to good use in this war, or, put it to other uses completely.

I am not for abortions, I have seen the aftermath of a miscarriage and it is ONE THING to have a D and C involuntarily. I can only imagine what consequences and the culpability must lie in the hearts of those who do it voluntarily. it is a heavy weight as a husband to know in that situation, that I was literally useless, I felt bad for my wife, but i will never understand THAT physical and emotional scar. Again, I feel for those who would inflict that upon themselves voluntarily because they insist upon having untimely, irresponsible sexual relations with other people. Again, they will have faced the consequences of their actions and I can only hope that is the ONLY consequence they have to face. that said, it is a decision for every woman to decide, I will NOT put myself in the way. I much prefer that they are treated in a clinic to avoid back alley abortions do not occur. These are consequences that are naturally occuring due to choices that were made. Whatever divine consequence is believed upon, so be it.

AM I WHITE ENOUGH? SEE? RACISM IS IGNORANT!

If you need another reason to understand how STUPID and assinine the subject is. The US media moreso than anyone else, is responsible for keeping the subject on our televisions as often as it is. The concept of racism is at best, immature and self serving. People who have issues as far as race, have to look JUST a tad deeper than skin-deep.

When I was in Washington DC, I noticed a trend that happened in EVERY race, and it is based upon the concept of each race helping itself out. You can be in a parking lot and physically WATCH someone putting their purchases into their trunk, get into the front seat, their lights come on....and...NOTHING..that is...until you continue driving. At that point, they pull out from their parking spot RIGHT after you leave and allow the person behind you who is from their SAME race into their spot. Now I am not sure how their vision is SO adept that they can see a couple cars down, but if this happened only once or twice to me, then I wouldn't say anything. Unfortunately it happened SEVERAL times. I am NOT going to cry racism. I don't know WHAT provokes that kind of activity. I don't know if it is based upon racism or they just decided to eat something in the car or sorted mail. I cannot say why that happened with the frequency that it did. I just know that it happened a LOT.

There are African Americans who are discriminated against because they are NOT dark enough. Well that is, unless they are Halle Berry or other ridiculously hot celebrities where they MAY have faced these things in their youth, but not as much in their celebrity status. There is racism/nationalism in Asia where if you are from one country or another, you are NOT as good of a person as someone from THAT country. The nationalism that occurs in Asia is somewhat paralleled with the classism or class issues in Latin America where the problem is NOT so much racism, but is based upon rich vs. poor. They don't care about somebody's race in Latin America as much as they care about a very rich man marrying below himself to a poor woman or vice versa. If I were single, I could NEVER, even as an American, marry a rich Brazilian Victoria Secret model. I am NOT single, and I am NOT looking. My Brazilian wife is what makes me rich! That said, I don't make enough for a rich latina to marry me. I don't make enough and the class status DOES matter.

There are people from ALL RACES who are DETERMINED to keep marriages within the race. Often we see issues from parents in the Baby Boomer generation who have SERIOUS issues with interracial marriage and often their support HINGES conditionally upon who they feel is best for their kids. A young man or woman cannot marry someone that their parents are set against? Why can't I marry this girl/guy? Is it because they are a different race? They are a different nationality? What year is this?? What CENTURY is this? Isn't this MY choice? Ahhh but I don't know what I am getting myself into...right? And you, who have married several people from several races....you know? Ohhh no, wait, you haven't...so how do you KNOW this from a first account? This is my point. We are NOT in the 50s or 60s. Segregation is over, slavery is over. Racism is FAR overdue to end as well.

This country is SUCH a brewing pot, we have people from every country speaking over 100 different languages. We NEED to call people for what they are. They are illegal or they are legal. If they are Illegal, they are deportation bait. If they are legal, they are AMERICANS. I don't care which community they belong to, the latino, asian, native indian, african american...I don't care. They are AMERICANS., if they have their citizenship, then they are US Citizens! We as a country need to recognize as well that Americans ARE from North America, Central America and South America.

The concept of having a political race which continues to deal with gender and race is an insult to this whole country and the media drives as hard to the hoop as they can to keep the subject on the front page.

It is rumored that,"to the caucasians, race means nothing and to everyone else, it means everything". While I can definitely understand how and why every race continues to reach back to their ancestors and their roots, and are proud of their forefathers for the sacrifices that were endured for over 500 years. I feel that race IS as important as WE make it in our own lives. We can make it the center of everything and use it as a scapegoat or as an excuse for everything we do, or we can just live our lives and ONLY talk of race when it is challenged or discussed. We all have to decide how our race will play in and to what degree depends on how sensitive we are about it as well as how our family has been impacted possibly DUE to our race. I will ALWAYS hold several Americans as heroes regardless of their race. I will also hold some Americans as heroes based upon how their civil right efforts. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was MUCH more important than ANYTHING that LBJ could have created. He was the political piece that HAD to be there, but it would have been any other President had it happened before or after he was in office. Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey revolutionized how sports would end up today. The African American community had the homerun record LEGITIMATELY cornered with Hammerin' Hank Aaron and Willie Mays for decades! While Mr. Bonds is on trial, he STILL holds the record. You may think that THAT was all Jackie, but he just started everything off. I can't forget Dr. King's wife Coretta King, Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Thurgood Marshall, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, or Booker T. Washington. Walter White was the FIRST LEADER OF THE NAACP and was OFTEN criticized as not being Black enough. Condoleeza Rice is viewed as not being Black enough because she is a Republican. Where does that kind of stupidity end? Of course, the absolute stupidest thing ever stated was that Clinton is the first balck president...Really? Ask Martin Luther King III if he respects Clinton for sleeping in the background? Seriously, Barack Obama is not yet President, but he WILL be if elected.

But, no matter what, look to people for who they are, if the ONLY thing you do in life is look to the character of people rather than the color of their skin, then you are only cheating yourself.

The NEED OF Latin Participation here in the USA

My Fellow Latinos,

Independant of your native country, you are now here in the United States. Many of you have arrived here legally. I am grateful for your willingness to have completed the process here legally. I am grateful for your time and your will to read or hear my message to you.

The United States is a country of promises. It is time for these promises to be realized. The realization of these promises hinge on you doing your part.

During the last 2 terms, here in the USA, we have progressed, but not nearly enough. There are various programs of the government that simply are not doing sufficiently to help the Latino community that IS legal. This is NOT about those who are here illegally. This is about the benefits that legal latinos SHOULD be receiving and ARE NOT. Those who DO have their permanent resident cards should also have the benefits that they DESERVE to have. If you have a green card or are citizens, you SHOULD have precedence over those who are here illegally.

I need to talk to you about an unfortunate case of mortgage fraud that is occurring and that is where people are purchasing homes, they take out large HELOCs on their homes and simply return back to their native country. My hope is that that nobody reading this is in that company. This level of crime is deplorable and it undoes this country. We are already having difficulty in the housing industry where many people are being taken out of their country due to bankruptcy due to mortgage fraud and faulty lending where the paperwork is ANYTHING but transparent. My hope is that whoever is guilty of mortgage fraud or lending scandals are found, arrested and punished for whatever they have done that is unethical and illegal.

As far as hourly kitchen and cleaning jobs, I will look to augment the minimum federal salary and also create ways by which the LEGAL latino community will have all of the benefits that they rightfully deserve. One of the most important rights is that you all have the ability of taking English classes. While you can speak whatever language you desire in your home, I would hope that you would procure opportunities to integrate within the American threadwork and that you have the best academic opportunities that you can have whether at your work or in your community. Your opportunity to learn English can be at either a school, work, or at home. By learning English, the assumptions and discredits to the Latino community may begin to subside. It will also help your resume and allow you to compete for better paying jobs so that you can help your families.


The best part is to have someone who can empathize and present your questions and doubts and, with respect to your culture and having lived in Brazil for over 2 years, I have the capability to help you in a more personalized manner. I can show more sympathy and empathy in general. I have lived and I live now within the Latin population. I have lieved among you. I have lived in poor neighborhoods in Belo Horizonte, Vespasiano (Morro Alto) and Betim. I am not your typical rich ignorant politician, whose interest lies at those lobbysits and others who will help the rich and leave the poor behind.

I am just like you, married to Isabel, my Brazilian American wife who came here legally in June of 2000 and I am grateful to her for her support, her assistence and a different perspective that helps me remain empathetic and understanding for the need to have cultural awareness among all races and communities.


I will be very grateful for all of your help and participation. I will do all that I can to help you, the Latino community in each of your respective industries, be it education, transportation, food and hospitality, tourism, military, engineering, sciences etc. This country is ready and the need for a dramatic change is overdue. With your help we can make this country the one that realized all of our goals.

La Necesidad de Participacion de los Latinos Aqui en Los EE.UU

Mis Queridos Latinos,

Independente de qual pais Ustedes pertencen ou llaman su pais nativa, Ustedes estan aqui en los Estados Unidos. Bastante de ustedes llegaran aqui legalmente. Yo estoy muy grato por ustedes tienen hecho y completado el processo de immigracion legalmente. Estoy grato por su tiempo e voluntad de leer y apoiarme al leer mi mensaje a ustedes.

Los Estados Unidos da America es um pais de promesas. Es la hora que estas promesas sean realizadas. La unica forma que estas realizaciones van acaecer, es se todos ustedes continuan haciendo su parte.

Durante esta epoca, aqui en los EEUU, tenemos progredido, pero nao es el suficiente. Hay varias programas del gubierno que simplesmente nao hacen el suficiente para ajudar el pueblo latino que SON legales. Esto, NO es sobre personas ilegales, esto son beneficios que no llegan por los latinos que no son solomente residentes permanentes, pero tambien algunos que pueden tener recebido su cidadania.

Infelizmente, hay una sistema de fraud adonde personas estan comprando casas, hacen emprestimos altos e simplesmente vuelvan para su pais de origen. Mi esperanza es que nadie haga esso, este nivel de crime e' deplorable y tambien abaja este pais. Ya estamos teniendo dificultad en la industria de casas adonde tiene mucha gente sendo tirado de sus casas por falta de pagar debido a um contrato y pagamiento que no tiene condicion de cumplir. Mi esperanza es que las personas culpadas desde fraud seam cativos e punidos, y se necesario..deportados.

Cuanto trabalho en las cocinas e trabajos horarios, me voy buscar a aumentar el salario minimo federal y tambien crear medios por qual los latinos legales van tener todos los sus beneficios. El mas importante, es que como residentes legales, es que ustedes tienen la capacidad de tener clases de Ingles. Por mientras que ustedes pueden hablar cualquer lenjua que quieren, buscamos oportunidades adonde ustedes tengan el mejor educacion que podan receber independente de su trabajo, para que todos tienen la oportunidad de estudiar, mejorar su Ingles y tambien ser capaz de abajar los preconceitos contra ustedes y aumentar sus curriculos vitales. Esto va ayudarles a ser capazes de conseguir trabajo bien mas facil y aumentar la cantidad que van ganar financeramente.

El mejor parte es de tener alguien que ustedes pueden pedir ou apresentar sus preguntas o dudas y, con respecto a su cultura y teniendo vivido en California Del Sur y endo hecho vacaciones en Mejico, yo tego la capacidad de ayudar ustedes en una forma personalizada. Yo puedo mostrar mi empatia. Yo ya vivia entre ustedes en un pais latino. Eu ya vivia em barrios pobres de Belo Horizonte, Vespasiano e Betim en Brasil. Yo no soy aquel politico rico, ignorante que solomente beneficia los ricos y ignora los pobres. Yo soy bien como cualquer persona, y la mejor cosa, es que casei me con una Latina! Yo soy muy grato a mi esposa por su ayuda y su apoyo y las diferencas de opinion de el porque ellos me ayudan a ver otros perspectivos y pontos de vision.

Me voy ser bien grato por su ayuda, y voy hacer todo que yo poda hacer pra ayudar los latinos adonde yo puedo me envolver en todas las industrias que ustedes se participan, sea educacaion, transportacaion, comida e hospitalidad, turismo, militar, engenerismo, ciencias, etc. Este pais bien listo para las mudanzas que estan por vir! Espero que ustedes sean a voluntade de me ayudar muevar este pais para el mejor!

A Necesidade de Participacao dos Latinos Aqui Na America

Meus Queridos Latinos,

Independente de qual pais voce pertence ou chama sua pais nativa, voces estao aqui nos Estados Unidos. Muitos de voce chegaram aqui legalmente. Eu vos agradeco por terem feito e completado o processo de immigracao legalmente. Estou grato por seu tempo e vontade de ler e me apoiar ao ler minha mensagem a voces.

Os Estados Unidos da America e' um pais de promessas. E' a hora que estas promessas sejam realizadas. A unica forma que estas realizacoes vao acontecer, e' se todos voces continuam fazendo sua parte.

Durante esta epoca, aqui nos EUA, temos progredido, mais nao o suficiente. Tem varias programas do governo que simplesmente nao fazem o suficiente para ajudar o povo latino que SAO legal. Isso, NAO e' sobre illegais, isso sao beneficios que nao chegam pelos latinos que nao sao somente residentes permanentes, mas tambem alguns que podem ter recebido sua cidadania.

Infelizmente, ha uma sistema de fraud aonde pessoas estao comprando casas, tomam emprestimos altos e simplesmente voltam para seu pais de origem. Minha esperanca e' que ninguem faca isso, este nivel de crime e' deploravel e tambem desfaz este pais. Ja estamos tendo dificuldade na industria de casas aonde tem muita gente sendo tirado de suas casas por falta de pagar devido a um contrato e pagamento que nao tem condicao de cumprir. Minha esperanca e' que as pessoas culpadas desde fraud sejam cativos e punidos.

Quanto trabalho nas cozinhas e trabalhos horarios, eu vou procurar a aumentar o salario minimo federal e tambem criar meios pelo qual os latinos legais terao todos os seus beneficios. O mais importante, e' que como residentes legais, e' que voces tem a capcacidade de ter aulas de Ingles. Enquanto que voces podem falar qualquer lingua que quiserem, procuramos oportunidades para que voces tenham o melhor educacao que possam receber independente de seu trabalho, para que todos tem a oportunidade de estudar, melhorar seu Ingles e tambem ser capaz de diminuir os preconceitos contra voces e aumentar seus curriculos vitais. Isso vai lhes ajudar a ser capazes de conseguir trabalho muito mais facil e aumentar a quantidade que vao ganhar financeiramente.

O melhor parte e' ter alguem que voce podem pedir ou apresentar suas perguntas ou duvidas e, com respeito a sua cultura e tendo morado em Brasil por mais que dois anos, eu tenho a capacidade de ajudar voces numa forma personalizada. Eu posso mostrar minha empatia. Eu ja morei entre voces. Eu ja morei em bairros pobres de Belo Horizonte, Vespasiano e Betim. Eu nao sou aquele politico rico, ignorante que somente beneficia os ricos e ignora os pobres. Eu sou muito como qualquer pessoa, e a melhor coisa, e' que casei me com uma Brasileira! Eu sou grato a minha espousa por sua ajuda e seu apoio e as diferencas de opiniao dela porque eles me ajudam a ver outros perspectivos e pontos de visao.

Eu vou ser muito grato por sua ajuda, e vou fazer o tudo que eu puder pra ajudar os latinos aonde eu puder em todas as industrias que voces se participam, seja educacao, transportacao, comida e hospitalidade, tourismo, militar, engenherismo, sciencias, etc. Este pais esta' pronto pelas mudancas que estao por vir! Espero que voces estejam a vontade de me ajudar mudar este pais pelo melhor!

America and Homeland Security

As a member of the US Coast Guard, I was involved actively in our missions have centered around helping Americans feel more secure and comfortable. With terrorism being at the centerpiece of a table where every country that sits at the table wishes for peace and union between one another, our need to work diplomatically with each other and our insistance to NOT negotiate with terrorists, We may be able to remain incident free and assist other countries to remain equally peaceful.

Equally however, as a member of the Coast Guard, I was also very aware of our weaknesses and discrepancies at our ports. I am aware of where we are exposed and what is needed to ameliorate the situation.

We need to address the Airport security issues such as near hits/misses on the tarmac as well as oil plants, energy plants and water plants.

We need to assure that our natural minerals and resources are untainted and are well taken care of. We need to assure that any chemical warfare and suicide car bombs are not taking place here in the US.

We need to assure each and every person in this country that while there are natural emergencies, there are ALWAYS fellow americans in our neighborhoods and in our cities who are willing to show their charity and caring for their neighbor and help them where needed. Hurricanes, Nor'easters, Tornadoes, Earthquakes and Floods are challenges we face annually in this country...the strength of this country is NOT only how we deal with the emergency itself, but also to reach out to others and show our humanity towards others.

America's Men, Fathers and Family

"No other success can compensate for failure in the home."-David O. McKay. I love this quote. I know that you can look into this and break it down and spin it to your liking. I would expect that. However, if you take it at face value, it means what it says. Whether we are debating the role of the father, the role of the mother, the role of the husband and wife, the most important part and the most gratifying part of having a family and home, is that its success is based upon the example and love of the parents towards each other and to their children.

I would challenge every person who enjoys having intimate relations, to recognize that if it DOES result in pregnancy, that they take ownership of their actions and hold themselves accountable for their actions and father or mother this new child of theirs and provide a loving home in which that child can develop and grow with a loving mom and dad. Any man can become a biological father, any woman can become a biological mother. It is one thing, to do that, it is quite another to truly become a mommy or a daddy. The reason that those terms are endearing and tender, are because our memories of our own mommies and daddies are parents who care about us and take care of us. They have unconditional love and are willing to die for us. They sacrifice their wants and desires to assure we have what we need.

It is imperative that these parents truly take part of the education process of their childrens' lives from the get go and NOT rely purely upon the education system to take care of their kids. The Department of Education does NOT have a WING dedicated to babysitting. It is very important that parents are interactive with their children's schoolwork as well as with their teachers. it is important that we KNOW when our children are unfortunately in positions that they need to be removed from.

Our homes should be havens, they should be refuges for our families, they should not be anything less, but in order for that to happen, we need, as a country, as men, as fathers, to be daddies. We need to take time away from ESPN, away from our DVDs, OUr laptops, our work and all that consumes our time away from our children and re-dedicate ourselves to our children. We need the men of this country to BE examples to their children and to show their kids what they should and should not do. The rule of life should NOT be, "Do as I say and not as I do." We should educate our children in a way that our actions can be reflected in their behavior and we can be proud of their upbringing. If our lives are in disarray, what can we expect, when the lives of our children are comparably dysfunctional? If we have conditions that require prescription medication, please be a responsible parent and take them so that your kids may see you and respect who and what they see.

The healthier our homes are spiritually, physically, mentally and socially, the more mature and educated our kids will be and the happier the overall feeling will be in the home!

Our kids are the future of this country, they depend upon us to assure that they get the education and the training they need to become well balanced and mature adults. We as adults and parents are solely responsible to see that they have the ability to get to that point.