Sal Mubarak

Happy Diwali. It's the Indian New Year. It wasn't a very festive, minus the activities and jovial attitudes of the people around me. I'm less than 12 hours away from a flight to India via Tokyo. I'm nervous. 1 - because I don't like flying and 2- the uncertainty. I'm going to a cousin's wedding with just my father to parts of India I've never been to before. My hindi is very, very rusty and I made false promises to my chosen tutor that I my hindi would be perfected by the time I leave. And she... she hasn't spoken to me in over 2 weeks and hasn't spoken hindi to me in over a month. I'm subconscious about my accent when I speak and my verb conjugation. It's a weird insecurity but I can't explain it clearly.

redistribution of wealth?

First off, I'm a registered Democrat. I was forced that way because my Dad made me register that way because of his political ties to certain organizations in the Greater PHX Metro area. Not that I'm a republican or libertarian or an independent. I'm just a dude that floats around. I'm pretty liberal so I usually side with the Dems and I can easily fit in with the Dems considering the majority of my friends are. I would have voted for McCain in 2004 if he was the republican candidate because he always fought for what is right. I remember him defending John Kerry against some of the pro-Bush organizations' attacks on him and his military record. He did it because a soldier is a soldier and you don't question that. NEVER. Shit happens in war that no one wants to talk about and it has absolutely no place in a campaign, in my opinion.

And that is one of the major reasons I won't vote for McCain this year. He never talked about his time in the POW camp, only once with TIME Magazine (could be wrong) where he talked about his captivity in detail. The McCain that I remember who came to my Middle School wasn't about that shit. He was all about doing the right thing and being stubborn about it regardless of party affiliation. Problem is, I don't trust his judgement or politics anymore. My gut feeling is telling me he feels entitled to be president. It's an end of the life crisis and that's cool. I hope I can do even 1/25 of what McCain does in his life. The guy is in an Arizonan!! I should partial to him and I can't even recognize the guy I know.

So anyways. Redistribution of wealth... What is welfare? What is social security? What are the benefits that non-profits get? There's so many things that the government does that classifies as redistribution of wealth (ahem, except health care) that makes me wonder whats going on? So if Obama is a communist just say it. What's wrong being a socialist. If I remember correctly that was THE popular movement at the turn of the 20th century, during the end of the industrial revolution. So what the hell?? Yeah things got out of hand with corporate America and the majority of people need their problems fixed based off this greed and negligence.

Anyways, the main thing I wanted to get across is that Joe Biden is a jackass. I think he's an endearing individual but he puts his foot in his mouth just about as much as I do. Which means he's a jackass.

history

When 2 people have a history, its the bond that ties them together for seemingly ever if they let it. I think that's dangerous. That attachment and the idealism (putting someone on a pedestal in comparison to others) holds people back. When I look back at those people that I had history with and I always thought the next time trying would be the charm. But we always faced the same problems. Its not bad to have history that is tied to good memories and beautiful moments. But when that history puts the vehicle in reverse, its hard to tell its a waste of time until way into the future, ironically.

There's a reason why people are in the past and when their brought into the present there's a decision to be made. When it boomerangs around its really refreshing to bring an old flame or an old friend back into your life. It's hard not be inviting unless it was too soon.

What I'm trying to say is you have to keep moving forward. Especially when life gets you down and that history is so comforting, things look like they only lead down that old path... You have to fight through all that and try to stay on that path. Yeah, its easy to feel like its bringing you back and the all reasons in the world start to avalanche into what is right. But really? In a clear head I know I had all the reasons in the world why it wouldn't work so what happened to logic?

ugh....

Desi Speed Dating Event- Los Angeles

Speed Dating Flyer - Upload a Document to Scribd

from webmd

Give the apples and bananas a rest and round out your repertoire with these exotic, antioxidant-packed picks

Though Americans are eating more fruit these days (go us!), more than half are the old standbys: bananas, apples, and oranges. Yes, they're good for you--but you're missing out. "Different fruits provide an array of disease-fighting vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants," says Joy Bauer, RD, author of Joy Bauer's Food Cures. In fact, broadening your horizons can measurably improve your health. Colorado State University nutritionists asked 106 women to eat 8 to 10 servings of produce daily for 8 weeks. Half the group chose from 18 different varieties, while the others ate the same 5 over and over again. Two weeks later, blood tests showed that the high-variety group reduced their rates of DNA oxidation, possibly making their bodies more resilient against disease; the other group had no change.

Ready to mix it up? Here's a quickie primer on some of the smartest "exotic" picks based on their health benefits--and how to serve them in place of common favorites.

For perfect blood pressure
Good: Bananas
Better: Fresh figs

Why: Six fresh figs have 891 mg of blood pressure-lowering potassium, nearly 20% of your daily need--about double what you'd find in one large banana. In a recent 5-year study from the Netherlands, high-potassium diets were linked with lower rates of death from all causes in healthy adults age 55 and older.

You'll also get...a boost to your bones. Figs are one of the best fruit sources of calcium, with nearly as much per serving (six figs) as 1/2 cup of fat-free milk!

Shop for figs that are dry on the surface and feel heavy in the hand. A perfectly ripe fig may have slight cracks that are bursting with the fruit's sweet syrup.

Serve by chopping and adding to yogurt, cottage cheese, oatmeal, or green salads. Or, enjoy them as a savory snack: Cut a slit in the side and stuff with 1/2 teaspoon of a low-fat version of a soft cheese such as chèvre or Brie.

To protect your heart and fight disease
Good: Red grapes
Better: Lychee

Why: A French study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that lychee has the second-highest level of heart-healthy polyphenols of all fruits tested--nearly 15% more than the amount found in grapes (cited by many as a polyphenol powerhouse). The compounds may also play an important role in the prevention of degenerative diseases such as cancer. "Polyphenols act like a force field, helping to repel foreign invaders from damaging your cells," says David Grotto, RD, author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life!

You'll also get...protection from breast cancer. A recent test-tube and animal study from Sichuan University in China found that lychee may help to prevent the formation of breast cancer cells, thanks to the fruit's powerful antioxidant activity.

Shop for lychee with few black marks on the rough, leathery shell, which can be anywhere from red to brown in color. Look for fruit that gives when pressed gently. Shells should be intact and the fruit attached to the stem.

Serve by peeling or breaking the outer covering just below the stem; use a knife to remove the black pit. Add to stir-fries or skewer onto chicken kebabs to add a sweet, grapelike flavor.


For beautiful skin
Good: Orange
Better: Guava

Why: One cup of guava has nearly five times as much skin-healing vitamin C (it's a key ingredient in collagen production) as a medium orange (377 mg versus 83 mg)--that's more than five times your daily need. Women who eat a lot of vitamin C-packed foods have fewer wrinkles than women who don't eat many, according to a recent study that tracked the diets of more than 4,000 American women ages 40 to 74.

You'll also get...bacteria-busting power. Guava can protect against foodborne pathogens such as Listeria and Staph, according to research by microbiologists in Bangladesh. Also, a cooperative study by the USDA and Thai scientists found that guava has as much antioxidant activity as some well-known superfoods like blueberries and broccoli (though every plant contains a different mix of the healthful compounds).

Shop for guava using your nose. A ripe guava has a flowery fragrance, gives a bit to the touch, and has a thin, pale green to light yellowish rind.

Serve by adding to fruit cobbler recipes (the tiny seeds are edible) or simmer chunks in water as you would to make applesauce. Guava also makes a super smoothie: Blend 1/2 banana, 1/2 ripe guava, a handful of strawberries, 1/2 cup soy milk, and a few ice cubes.

To lower cholesterol
Good: Apples
Better: Asian pears

Why: One large Asian pear has nearly 10 g of cholesterol-lowering fiber, about 40% of your daily need; a large apple has about half that much. People who ate the most fiber had the lowest total and "bad" cholesterol levels, according to a recent study of Baltimore adults.

You'll also get...protection from creeping weight gain. The same researchers found that people who ate the most fiber also weighed the least and had the lowest body mass index and waist circumference.

Shop for pears with a firm feel; fragrant aroma; and blemish-free, yellow brownish skin. Some pears are speckled in appearance; the markings shouldn't affect flavor.

Serve by dicing it into a salad of Boston lettuce, crumbled goat cheese, walnuts, and mandarin oranges. Or, make it a dessert: Add peeled and cored pears to a saucepan with 1 cup white wine, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, and enough water to cover the pears. Cover and simmer 40 minutes or until pears are soft.

To fight cancer
Good: Watermelon
Better: Papaya

Why: It is one of the top sources of beta-crypoxanthin, which research suggests can protect against lung cancer. Like watermelon, it is also a rich source of lycopene. "Although there is currently no recommendation for how much lycopene you should consume in a day, research shows that the nutrient may protect against several different types of cancer, including stomach, endometrial, and prostate," says Grotto.

You'll also get...better healing. Papayas may help speed burn recovery when used topically, thanks partly to the enzyme papain, which also aids in digestion. "Papain helps break down amino acids, the building blocks of protein," says Elisa Zied, RD, an American Dietetic Association spokesperson.

Shop for a papaya with yellow golden skin that yields to gentle pressure.

Serve by cutting lengthwise and discarding black seeds. Scoop the flesh using a spoon and sprinkle with lemon juice. Or combine chopped papaya, mango, red bell pepper, red onion, raspberries, lemon juice, and cilantro for a fruit salsa. Serve over grilled fish.

More exotic fruit ideas! For varieties you don't see here, visit our food encyclopedia at prevention.com/food.

this game means very little to me if cards dont win today

ill have alot to say after this one.

my expiration date

November 1st... Not even close... Don't really have much quite to say, other than I should have set it for October 1st.

my urge

The urge to do things... For someone like me who has a very difficult time staying focused (attributed to ADHD), in the middle of a task or activity I get the urge to do something else. It has made me a really impulsive person. I get very strong feelings in situations. So I can be very upset and in a moment's notice have no feeling at all for the previous moment where I got upset. It doesn't sound very normal.

Sometimes I have to duel with these urges especially when its something of significance. I have to fight myself everyday to make sure I won't send a text message or an email. I think of ways I can better myself so that I can be ready if I ever get the chance to gain back a friendship.

Another urge, I force myself to resist the temptation of asking for help from my friends. I know that they can help and wouldn't think differently of me but I don't want to change the dynamics of the relationship. In my world, showing vulnerability for me is like walking around naked.

The biggest urge which makes me either closer or distant from people is my urge to tell people how I feel about them. When you get to know someone and you observe in the manner that I do, I get to see who they are. They might think they are projecting themselves off a certain way but I look past that stuff to see how do they really think. When you live in LA and you see a lot of facades, you just get sick of it and want to tell people. But its like undressing someone and it has to have a time and place. I just don't have a good enough of a filter to stop from these things coming out subtly or in very clever/unclever ways depending on how you see it.

I don't think I see things that other don't see. Sometimes I'm just paying more attention than them for curiosity sakes.

My Endorsement

Somebody asked me about a cleaner that was safe to poor down the drain. This is the company I endorse and I love their products. They are ecologically and economically friend since most of them come in concentrated forms that can be diluted for much longer life in under your sink.

http://www.allamericanfacilityservices.com/cart/

www.simplegreen.com

Its fun to look at all their products. I wish I could go on a shopping spree and load up on this stuff.

yikes

Are you a proud American that invests wisely? Check this out.

If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you will have $49.00 today.
If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you will have $33.00 today.
If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you will have $0.00 today.

But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for recycling refund, you will have received a $214.00.

Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle. It is called the 401-Keg.
A recent study found that the average American walks about 900 miles a year.
Another study found that Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year. That means that, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon!


Makes you proud to be an American!

from yahoo

So you've said "yes" to each other, to marriage, to a lifetime together. A moment like that can spill right into joyful wedding planning, but there is some other planning a couple needs to do before focusing on a ceremony and a day of celebration. Money planning -- not for one day but for your life together as a couple.

When couples come together, they bring different approaches to money and often different lessons learned about handling money. Guaranteed, money will always be difficult to talk about as a couple and will often be the source of disagreements that lead to arguments. If you start the money conversation before marriage, you'll likely get off to a better start than many couples. So before you decide how many people to invite to the wedding and how much you should spend on a reception, here are some questions to ask each other about money to start life as a couple on solid financial ground.

1. How many accounts do you have, and what kind are they? (Checking, savings, money markets?) How long have you had them? Start with an inventory of the accounts you both hold and how you handle them. Do you balance checking accounts at the end of the month? Do you do your banking online? As this 25-question checklist from Real Simple magazine notes, if your partner has maintained one checking account for many years and checks it to make sure there are no mistakes, those are good signs of financial stability.

2. How many credit cards do you have, and how do you use them? Set aside lots of time to talk about credit cards. Since we are coming down from a consumer-credit frenzy, there's a good chance one or both of you have run up some scary balances on credit cards. Ask each other if you've ever maxed out a credit card, or if you pay off balances at the end of every month. If either or both of you have credit-card debt, you need to total it so you can come up with a plan to pay it off and get rid of it. Tackling debt is the first thing you need to do as a couple before you can achieve financial goals for your future.

3. What other debt do you have? Credit-card debt is only one kind. Chances are there are some student debts or car loans, too, and you need to decide how to tackle all of your debt for the same reasons as above.

4. Have you checked your credit score lately? We should each be checking on our credit reports and scores to make sure our credit is in good standing for when we need to apply for loans (once credit is available again!) Go to AnnualCreditReport.com to get credit reports from the three major consumer credit reporting companies. It's a good idea to do this once a year, and to definitely do so six months before you plan to apply for a major loan since it may take time to clear up problems or fix errors on the report.

5. Should we have separate, joint, or separate and joint accounts? Once you know how many accounts you each have, how much is in them, and how much you will need to spend on monthly expenses, you'll need to decide whether to merge your accounts, keep separate accounts or agree on a combination of the two. There is no one right answer. But you need to decide what works for you as a couple, and to make sure money decisions are transparent and up-front. Stacy Rapacon gives examples of how each arrangement works for different couples in this Kiplinger.com article.

7. How will we making buying decisions? To avoid arguments over individual purchases and to keep on track with your financial goals as a couple, it's a good idea to decide what purchase decisions should be made together and which should not. Maybe it will be a dollar cutoff ($100 or more, for example). Or maybe it will fall to household purchases. But whatever you decide, recognize that money matters are often tied up in emotional issues such as independence. So it's better to talk about the role emotions play than to shove them aside and spend individually as you please.

8. Who will be responsible for paying bills and preparing taxes? The day-to-day nitty gritty of finances needs to be addressed. You need to talk about who will take care of the monthly bills, if you'll split them, and what accounts they will be paid from. Same goes for taxes: whether you prepare them youselves or hire an accountant (another decision), one of you needs to be on top of keeping good records.

9. Do our work benefits overlap, and do you have insurance? These are the kinds of question that grow in importance if you own a home together or have children. But it's good to consider them early on in your relationship, too.

10. What are our your money goals? Fact is, we need money to achieve most of our goals in life -- be it a house, travel, having children and paying for their education, and finally, retiring to a comfortable lifestyle. You may think you share the same goals, but until you ask each other, you won't know for sure. Talk it out. One of you may want to work less if and when you have young children, while the other assumes you'll both keep working full time. One of you may want to travel, while the other hopes to buy a boat. You get the idea. Talking about your goals will help you figure out how to handle your money day to day in a way that meshes with your future aims as a couple.

Asking these questions early on and starting the conversation before you say "I do" will make it easier to revisit money talk, which may not be as fun as pillow talk but is certainly as vital to your relationship.

overkill

Do you ever find something you love and you beat it into the ground until you ruin it?? A song, a movie, a t-shirt, a cell phone, and relationship? You could get away from it for a couple years and come back and its still all jacked up.

Just throwing it out there.

seinfeld

I was watching a rerun of Seinfeld and it urged me to write this blog. I swear its the full moon. It puts me in a weird yet positive mindset. People who admire sunsets, can understand how I look at full moons, only with a strange fascination. I can go off on this tangent right now about full-moons, but this Seinfeld thing is making me think.

In the episode "The Lockbox", George intentionally cheats on his girlfriend who refuses to break up with him in order to force her to dump him. He says at the end of the episode that, I've ruined 3 lives."

It made me start thinking about Seinfeld. The 4 main characters do a lot of things that upset, interfere, hurt, inconvenience, and the people around them end up testifying against them in the Final episode in a strange court case. If I was put on trial who would come to my defense as a character witness?? And the yin to that yang would be, who would testify against me??

I know that I've probably hurt and definitely helped a lot of people in my lifespan and which side would outweigh the other? You can hurt somebody really bad and you can help someone out of a jam and the person that was hurt is going to have much stronger feelings.

I don't want to live a life like Seinfeld in his TV show. I know I don't. But when you know people out there that have bad feelings towards you (maybe even saying bad things about you) perhaps you've done something wrong with your life.

What makes me move on without doing a serious necessary life-inventory is that everyone goes through this if know it or not. My life impacts a lot of individuals and thats a sign of my influence whether its good or bad. But regardless this isn't to boost my ego, there's a point. In the Seinfeld episodes you can see when Seinfeld does something wrong or does something right and its misconstrued as a selfish or whatever act. But we have sympathy for the character because we know his heart is in the right place.

My heart's in the right place. People, including me will continue to make mistakes even after experiencing the best life-lessons, getting educated at the best schools. We're fallable creatures that deserve multiple chances. Obama has been associated with Bill Ayers and McCain has been associated Charles Keating. My goal in life is not be the Keating, but the good guy when people speculate.

CBRID

CENTER FOR BUSINESS RESEARCH, INNOVATION, AND DEVELOPMENT

I'm so happy I'm a part of this. Things are good...

Bouncing Back - John Calipari

I'm buying this book once it comes out.

"You need to stay positive. You want to hold a grudge, to be vicious to those who did this to you. If you’re obsessed with that, you lose. Be obsessed with positive thoughts. Conduct the phone call test — Sam, pay attention to your phone calls with friends. There are those who you talk to who make you feel good. But there’s one person who, every time you talk to them, they’re negative. We all know people like that. Do you really want to talk to them? No. Don’t be that person.

You need to let go and move on. Look in the mirror and say, “Everything I’m going to do today will be positive. I’ll be upbeat when people talk to me.” You’ll notice it’ll change how people look at you and talk about you. You want to be able to draw people to you because, at some level, someone is going to have to reach out and help."

my concious is killing me

If you can't share something that you did with certain people then I guess its a bad thing. Fuck me.

from darkness to light

When you're lost its so much harder to find your way when you spend time trying to figure out how you got lost in the first place. After my lifetime of experiences I've taken up the approach of finding a direction and just going with it even if its wrong until I can get to a point to recalibrate.

I met someone that was lost on their journey and the opportunity was presented to me be part of their journey. Only to later on to be told that their journey was sort of a pit stop. Needless to say thats where it ended for me. First of all, I had no business being there in the first place, but it did feel right at some point. Not that that is worth anything, but it needs to be said.

The following applies to friends and significant others: You always hear people tell you that they will always care about you, and they will always worry about you, they will always be friends, and blah, blah, blah. That is not true. Once, the moment is gone and it has been fully removed, and the space in the relationship ecosystem is replaced with someone else, there's little to no feeling left. I can confirm that from at least 2 ex-girlfriends based solely on action. And I'm not bitter about that, in fact the feeling is somewhat mutual. I don't wish hate or harm on anyone, but its a lot harder to sympathize or empathize when you don't any connection to them.

So rather than realize this later on, its better to admit it now. It's going to come to that point anyways.

The whole thing was a farce. We used each other. Anything that was said to me I can't hold to be true or untrue. I always had the control and I never utilized it. I was never Number 1 at any point. It was fun, but I never got what I really wanted. I was overly analyzed, compared, criticized to the point where it started wearing down my own self-esteem.

I'm keeping this story very short, and vague because it doesn't deserve much time. The good thing is, I got the fire in my belly back. I got a mega-chip on my shoulder that's going to turn into something positive. So much good is going to come out of this situation for me and the people directly and indirectly around me.

Out of the darkness and into the light....

Palin

People are giving this lady a hard time and deservedly so. Can I say that Tina Faye looks eerily similar. She's got a job for the rest of her life doing imitation work, especially if Palin continues to be in the national spotlight even if her ticket isn't elected. I'm pretty sure she's planning on running in 2012 if no strong candidates emerge from the GOP. Right now she's getting crushed in what the Republicans call the 'liberal media' but what she's not a seasoned veteran. She has very little color in her political background along with substance. She hangs her hat on these great things she did in Alaska, but really?

To me it sounds like she's more of a community organizer than Obama. Hell, I'm a community organizer too!! She should be running for seat in the Senate not for VP!! On a side note I think its awesome how politicians make outrageous claims and they don't catch nearly half the heat that they should be getting.

There's Al Gore who said he invented the internet. Palin saying she sold the Governor's Jet on Ebay. WBush and his nachos. Oh, and this guy... which doesn't fit in this category but any opportunity to here you have to go out of the way;

plagiarised, sue me...

Why Math is Taught in School (Written By A Very Wise Man)
> >
> >I was riding to work yesterday when I observed a female driver
> >cut right in front of a pickup truck, causing him to have to drive on to
> >the shoulder to avoid hitting her. This evidently angered the driver
> >enough that he hung his arm out his window and 'flipped' the woman off.
> >
> >Man, that guy is stupid,' I thought to myself. I ALWAYS smile
> >nicely and wave in a sheepish manner whenever a female does anything to me
> >in traffic, and I drive 48 miles each way every day to work.
> >
> >That's 96 miles each day.
> >
> >Of these, 16 miles each way is bumper-to-bumper.
> >
> >Most of the bumper-to-bumper is on an 8-lane highway.
> >There are 7 cars every 40 feet for 32 miles.
> >That works out to be 982 cars every mile, or 31,424 cars.
> >
> >Even though the rest of the 32 miles is not bumper-to-bumper, I
> >figure I pass at least another 4000 cars.
> >
> >That brings the number to something like 36,000 cars
> >that I pass every day.
> >
> >Statistically, females drive half of these.
> >
> >That's 18,000 women drivers!
> >
> >In any given group of females, 1 in 28 has PMS.
> >
> >That's 642.
> >
> >According to Cosmopolitan, 70% describe their love life as
> >dissatisfying or unrewarding.
> >
> >That's 449.
> >
> >According to the National Institute of Health, 22% of all females
> >have seriously considered suicide or homicide.
> >
> >That's 98.
> >
> >And 34% describe men as their biggest problem.
> >
> >That's 33
> >
> >According to the National Rifle Association, 5% of all females
> >carry weapons, and this number is increasing.
> >
> >That means that EVERY SINGLE DAY, I drive past at least one
> >female that has a lousy love life, thinks men are her biggest problem, has
> >seriously considered suicide or homicide, has PMS, and is armed.
> >
> >Flip one off? ....... I think not.

friendship ecosystem

There's a concept I believe when it comes to the friendship circles that we keep. Those friends that invoke certain states-of-minds that we go into when we're in there company, those friends fit in an ecosytem for our survival. So if there's someone that you turn to when you get upset about work or a significant other and that person isn't there where do you turn? Someone's status is elevated in the ecosytem. It works the reverse way too. People can take up precious space in the ecosystem at the cost of another.

I can't really figure out where some people belong in mine if they belong there at all but its never good to burn bridges. I'm trying to make an extra effort to fix the bridges, even the ones I didn't touch.

im 27!! never found a song so fitting

i need to find a nice jain girl...