So last night I told you that Summer and I are getting married. We are both very excited about it, and we are counting the days when we are man and wife. It will be a wonderfully fantabulous day come July the 4th.

So it also had me thinking. what does it all mean, and how is it making me a better person?

Well wedding are normally a great milestone in a relationship, it signifies a commitment to each other that should last a lifetime. For Summer and I it does mean that, however Summer and I made that commitment to each other a long time ago. I feel that it is something that has only gotten stronger over the last year, and over the last several months.

Summer and I are tuned into each other, we can feel the vibrations of moods and feeling from each other, and in someways pick up what the other is thinking. I know that sounds a little more metaphysical then you were expecting, but that is the best way i can explain it.

I love Summer more then I have loved anyone else. I love her more then my 1st wife, and I think that is because Summer cares about me and worries about me, and Summer actively works to make me happy. And I appreciate everything Summer does for me. It is why I call Summer my Angel. Because she lifts me up and makes me better.  Unlike my 1st wife who only took from me, and never made an effort to make me happy. She only thought of herself, and what she could get out of me.

Summer isn't by any stretch lazy, in fact she is a bundle of energy most of the time, and that is something that I feed off of a lot of the time. Where i am a lot more low energy, my Angel is gogogogo most of the time. I love that about her, it keeps me from being lazy most of the time.

Our interest at times can be very different, however i think that is wonderful time, it allows for us to be diversified and keeps things from getting boring.

I think I have said enough for now. I love Summer with the whole of my being, and with the depths of my soul. She is a blessing and I will be happy to be her husband for the rest of my life.  

So this coming July the 4th I'll have 2 reason the celebrate the 4th. Summer and I will be getting Married in Las Vegas. So it will be at the Las Vegas Chapel.

This is something that has been long in coming, and something that Summer and I have been working on, and have been planing for quite awhile.

This will be a second chance at happiness for Summer and I. This is going to be our second marriage for the both of us. We have had ups and we have had our downs.

We are looking towards our future, and we are going to be working towards that future that we both see for each other, and together.

we will have a URL for those of you that can't make it, so you can watch it online. I will be posting that later.

Have a great day!

That I made a major change on my profile page. Both myself and my very wonderful fiancee Summer are Huge... Huge fans of the HBO show TrueBlood and I wanted to show my support of the show.

I have been watching it since the first season and it has only gotten better with the 2nd season and will be very good for the upcoming 3rd season. Every episode has you wanting to see the next one.

So if you enjoy the show as much as I have, show some love and add them as a friend, follow them on Twitter, oh and have a bottle of TruBlood while your at it, you can pre-order it on HBO.com

So I have been doing a lot of thinking about Relationships as of recent. I have the same view point now that I have always had, Relationships are work. The really good Relationships are a lot of work. weather they are with your friends, family, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife. They are a lot of work, and it is the kind of work I enjoying with my girlfriend Summer. 

Although it seems rather seamless at times, it isn't, we communicate a lot, and sometimes we even miscommunicate, but we always try to understand each other, and support each other no matter what.

I have always felt that when you are in a relationship you have to be rather selfless, and not selfish. You have to be willing to make compromises, and have to sometimes pass on the things you want to do. Be it staying at home and watching your favorite show, or maybe even seeing a movie you wouldn't normally watch. I firmly believe that being in a relationship means being able to give to that person you are with.

I also feel that it is important to wake up every morning and looking at the person you are with and take a moment to think about how that person makes your life better because he or she is in it. I do that every morning when I wake up and see Summer sleeping next to me.

I also think it is important not to ever take the other person you are with for granted, or take for granted that other person will alway be there. So i alway make sure to give Summer a kiss before I leave for work, and I always tell her how much I love her. Because you never know when it will be the last time.

I also always make an effort to make sure Summer knows how Beautiful and sexy she is to me, and how important that she is in my daily life. I would be completely lost without her. She remembers the things I forget and makes sure that I am taking care of myself, and not forgetting to do anything important.

well that is all I have for now.

Have a Great Day!

It is the season... for debates, and for political ads, and S.N.L. skits of the candidates. It is the silly season in the News. Where people talk about this issue and that issue, and people talk about what should have been said, and what shouldn't have been said, and the validity of this argument and the invalidity of that argument.

We all know that career politicians talk out their ass, about as much as they wipe them. I guess I should say up front here that I am a Republican. However don't judge me just yet. I have a few things to say about what I think a Republican is, and what a Republican should be.

I hear the word Republican, and I get images of Lincoln and of Franklin, and Washington, I get images of Jefferson, and of all our four-fathers. Today's Politician are the type of people that they would have been speaking out against.

The greedy, out of touch with the Real people, who are struggling with 4 dollar gas. Why should Congress get a pay raise when they are doing such a bad job. Why should they get a pay raise when there are people struggling to get the medical care they need, but can't even afford Medicaid, because their state tells them they have to spend so much money before they will kick in and start helping, or when Medicare, has a $100 premium. I though that we were paying taxes so those that can't help themselves, would be able to get the help.

I am a fiscally conservative Republican, however I am socially moderate. I feel that government should be small, and that the budget for our government should be small as well. It should be there to help the people, and to guide the nation. I think that those running for office shouldn't be allowed to make a career out of running for office. I strongly support term limits for all political post. I also feel that our federal, state, county, and city Representatives shouldn't make more money then those they are representing.

I feel that the Government should stay out of our private lives, they should have no say whatsoever, in who can, and can't get married. The Government just isn't qualified to make those kind of choices.  

I feel that there is a better way to do low-income housing, one that empowers, builds, and has people better when they leave then when they starting living there. I think that with the current and expanding level of technology, that there could be low-income housing that has no power, or heating bill, and one that offers to teach the skills that will be needed in the 21st century workforce.

So there are a few thoughts and my P.O.V. on politics. I will have more post about current events, and what my take on them is, and how I view things from a more grounded perspective

Ok so i know that it has been awhile since I have posted anything here. I have my public mainstream blog over at http://www.muscleboundgeek.com , however I am going to start using this one for the more personal blogging.

Love

So to start things off, I wanted to talk about a wonderful person that has come back into my life, someone that is sweet, and beautiful, and sexy, and really cares about other people, she is beautiful in every way that matters both inside and outside. Her name is Summer, and her and I have been together before, however do to a situation that happened in the past, we ended up seperating for awhile.

We are back together now, and soon we will be living together and building a life together. Which I feel is the most important thing. Living together, supporting each other, and being committed to each other in every way. We had been talking about her coming here to SLC to visit in November, however after talking about things we have decided that she is going to move here in Decemember, so that way we can get our life together started.

Summer is a fantastic person, and I am happy that she is back in my life, and I am looking forward to the life that we are going to have together, and being committed to her, and bringing her into my life here, and having her being apart of everything that I am doing here in SLC.

Life

So I started my job here in SLC back in June, and it has been going very well, I am hoping I will be promoted soon, and a lot of the talk with Managment, which of course is all unoffcial, has been that once the project I am on is over, or if it should expand, is that I will be put into a team lead position. I hope that is the case, cause I really want to build with this company.

The Apartment complex I am living in now is really nice, of course for what it cost in rent it better be nice. LOL.

All That Other Stuff

Alast the Valiant Chevy Blazer has driven it's last mile and last month it the engine blew, of course i wish it could have waited until I had gotten home first, but hey, I gotta stay positive here, so I will be puting a donation button my my front page, and if you are feeling generous, please donate to the "I really dislike riding the bus" fund. I am hoping to raise about 6,000 bucks so i can get a half way desent car.

I have been making friends here, and there in the SLC area, although that has been somewhat curtailed now that I don't have a car.

Whelp that is all for now.

Have a Fantabulous Day!
David

hey everyone I hope you all had a great x-mas and New Years, and by that I mean lots of presents for x-mas, and lots of great sex for new years. LOL

Ok so i have a new blog, and i am going to be having it over at http://www.muscleboundgeek.com/ 

That is where i will be talking about everything from Bodybuilding to News, to anything else that is on my non-stop mind.

And for those of you that know me personally, (cough ex-wife cough)
Well I don’t care if you go and read it. I have a new out look on life and it goes like this. If you Love me great, if you don’t then I don’t need you and you can go jump off a plane for all i care.

I only want people around me that will support me, edify me, and that will help me in recognizing that I am of value, and that I am important to me and to the ones that love me.

Like my grrlfriend Summer. She is just awesome, and I am very proud of the effort that she is putting out to better herself, mentally, physically, and spiritually. She is a person that is trying to grow, and expand her sense of self.

So anyways I don’t have much there right now, but i will over time and so go check it out, and leave a comment or 2 to let me know what you think of the new diggs over at blogger. http://www.muscleboundgeek.com/ 

Have a great day!
David

I was checking out Violet Blue's blog and I saw that her newest post had to do with MySpace editing your MySpace mail, and removing links that might be of an adult nature.

Her post had a reference to another blog post which follows.

My dear friend Steve Diet Goedde blogs,

Yesterday I had written to a friend on Myspace, and I had to use the words "sex toys" in order to describe what the Stockroom sold. When they received the email, Myspace had replaced "sex toys" with . And then this morning, my photographer buddy Geoff Cordner informed me that Myspace had removed all links to his site from his Myspace profile. I tried it on my profile, and sure enough, all links to my site now direct to the Myspace home page. Umm, I think we're living in China now.

This has me thinking.... What the hell does myspace think it is doing. What right do they have to censor anything. I think they are mistaken in their censorship. This is seriously fucked up, and wrong of myspace to censor messages and links. what's next they censor your profile to fit into what they think it should look like....hmmm i wonder.

 

Divorce is Bad for the Environment, Researcher Says

Monday, December 03, 2007

WASHINGTON —  "Save water, shower together," young people proclaimed a few years ago. Turns out, they were right.

Americans spend an extra $3.6 billion annually on water as a result of the extra households created when people divorce, Jianguo Liu, an ecologist at Michigan State University, estimated.

In countries around the world divorce rates have been rising, and each time a family dissolves the result usually is two households, explained Liu, whose analysis of the environmental impact of divorce appears in this week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"A married household actually uses resources more efficiently than a divorced household," said Liu.

Households with fewer people are simply not as efficient as those with more people sharing, he added.

A household uses the same amount of heat or air conditioning whether there are two or four people living there. One person or several use the same refrigerator. Two people living apart run two dishwashers instead of just one.

Liu, who researches the relationship of ecology with social sciences, said people seem surprised by his findings at first, and then consider it simple.

"A lot of things become simple after the research is done," he said.

Some extra energy or water use may not sound like a big deal, but it adds up.

The United States, for example, had 16.5 million households headed by a divorced person in 2005 and just over 60 million households headed by a married person.

Per person, divorced households spent more per person per month for electricity, compared to a married household, as multiple people can be watching the same television, listening to the same radio, cooking on the same stove and or eating under the same lights.

That means some $6.9 billion in extra utility costs per year, Liu calculated, in addition to the extra $3.6 billion for water, plus the other costs such as land use.

And it isn't just the United States.

Liu looked at 11 other countries such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Greece, Mexico and South Africa between 1998 and 2002.

In the 11, if divorced households had combined to have the same average household size as married households, there could have been a million fewer households using energy and water in these countries.

"People have been talking about how to protect the environment and combat climate change, but divorce is an overlooked factor that needs to be considered," Liu said.

Liu stressed that he isn't condemning divorce: "Some people really need to get divorces."

But, he added, "one way to be more environmentally friendly is to live with other people and that will reduce the impact."

Don't get smug, though, married folks — the savings also apply to people living together and hippie communes or Shaker communities would have been even more efficient.

So, what prompts someone to figure out the environmental impact of divorce?

Liu was studying the ecology of areas with declining population and noticed that even where the total number of people was less the number of households was increasing. He wondered why.

There turned out to be several reasons, divorce was one of them along with demographic shifts such as people remaining single longer and the demise of multigenerational households.

"I was surprised because the divorce rate actually has been up and down for many years in some of the countries ... but we found the proportion of divorced households has increased rapidly across the globe," he said.

So he set out to try and measure the difference, such as in terms of energy and water, land use and construction materials and is now reporting the results for divorce.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.

Pat Robertson Announces Handover of Christian Broadcasting Network to His Son

Monday, December 03, 2007

The Rev. Pat Robertson said Monday that his son, Gordon, has succeeded him as chief executive of the Christian Broadcasting Network, the most recent shift to a younger generation of leaders within major conservative Christian groups.

Robertson, 77, announced the transition on "The 700 Club," the Virginia-based network's flagship show, with Gordon, 49, on air with him.

"I thought that some of this day-to-day operation was important to pass down the line, especially to somebody a little more adept at figuring out the new technologies coming at such a bewildering speed to all of us," the elder Robertson said.

The network's board of directors voted over the weekend to name Gordon Robertson the CEO immediately. Pat Robertson will still be chairman of CBN and will continue to appear with his son on "The 700 Club." He will also remain president of Regent University, which he founded.

Gordon Robertson said in a phone interview with The Associated Press that his father had knee replacement surgery last spring and over the summer developed an irregular heartbeat that required surgery. But he is "in remarkably good health now."

"I call him the Iron Horse," Gordon Robertson said. "He doesn't have any quit in him."

Gordon Robertson is among several sons of major Christian leaders who have recently been charged with carrying on their fathers' work.

The Rev. Franklin Graham, son of 89-year-old evangelist Billy Graham, became chief executive of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association several years ago.

When the Rev. Jerry Falwell died last May, his sons, Jerry Jr. and Jonathan, took leadership of their father's Virginia megachurch and the school he founded, Liberty University.

Last year, Robert A. Schuller succeeded his father, Robert H. Schuller, as head of Crystal Cathedral and its ministries in California, including the popular "Hour of Power" televised services from the megachurch.

J. Michael Lindsay, a sociologist at Rice University and author of "Faith in the Halls of Power," noted that CBN faces significantly more competition now than when it started more than four decades ago and no longer has the dominant role it did in the 1970s and '80s.

"The question is whether Gordon will have the same kind of flair for the dramatic and rhetorical flourish" as his father, Lindsay said. "I don't see any evidence of that currently. He has been much more below the radar."

Pat Robertson founded CBN in 1960 with a tiny UHF station in Portsmouth, Va.

The network has grown to about 2,800 employees, producing programs in 99 languages in more than 225 countries. The elder Robertson also founded the service ministry Operation Blessing, ran unsuccessfully for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination, founded the once-influential Christian Coalition and made millions of dollars through business investments.

The elder Robertson is also known for on-air commentary that critics called offensive and that many evangelicals considered an embarrassment. He once said that American agents should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and suggested that the debilitating stroke suffered by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was divine retribution for his decision to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

Robertson wound up apologizing for both remarks.

Gordon Robertson, who shares his father's Pentecostal-style faith, told the AP that he and his father have different styles, pointing to their approach to playing chess.

"Dad likes the bold strikes and bold moves," he said. "I like looking at the end game, and I think it's good to do that."

He says he won't endorse a presidential candidate.

Last month, his father backed Rudy Giuliani for the Republican nomination, despite the former New York mayor's support for abortion rights and same-sex marriage. Explaining his endorsement, the elder Robertson said, "The overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the bloodlust of Islamic terrorists."

Gordon Robertson, a graduate of Yale University and Washington & Lee Law School, was active in the Republican Party when he practiced law, but said, "I literally walked away from all that." However, he said he does plan to speak out on "issues of the day."

"I think that's something ... that Christians have an obligation to do. I don't see myself shying away from that," he said.

Gordon Robertson spent five years in Manila as head of CBN's Asia operations before returning to the U.S. and working with his father. He plans to expand CBN ministries overseas through TV and the Web.

Woman Born With Feet Facing Backwards Insists She Is Not Disabled

Monday, December 03, 2007

A woman, born with a rare condition, has refused to be classified as disabled.

Wang Fang, 27, of China, was born with her feet facing the wrong way, but has learned to live with her condition and recently refused a disability pension.

Click here to see pictures.

"I can run faster than most of my friends and have a regular job as a waitress in the family restaurant. There is no reason to class me as disabled," Wang said in a report published in the Daily Mail.

Doctors and her family feared she would not be able to walk properly when she was born, but now agree that she can outrun anyone she knows.

"I can walk as well as anyone else, and even run faster than them. I'm like everyone else — except of course that I put my shoes on backwards."

British Man Believed to Have Drowned Shows Up 5 Years Later

Monday, December 03, 2007

LONDON —  The last trace of John Darwin was the wreckage of his canoe, which washed up on a beach in northern near his northern England home more than five years ago.

On Saturday, the father of two walked into a London police station and told officers he did not remember where he has been.

Police in Cleveland, northeast England, said Monday that Darwin gave his name, birth date and previous address but no information on his whereabouts over the past five years. The 57-year-old formerly lived in Seaton Carew, 250 miles north of London.

Click here for more from Sky News.

"He can't be suffering from total amnesia," a Cleveland police spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity due to force policy. "He says he can't recollect where he's been, but that's something we're investigating."

Police said Darwin was staying with family in London and would be interviewed later this week.

Darwin's wife, Anne, reportedly moved abroad this year.

Police visited the couple's former home to take away mail, said the house's new owner, John Duffield.

Darwin's 91-year-old father, Ronald, said he always believed his son would reappear.

Ronald Darwin said his son suffered a serious head injury when he was 4 or 5 years old, and he thought this might have caused amnesia later in life.

"When I speak to him, I will ask him where he has been these last few years and I'll ask, 'Why didn't you make arrangements to see me before now?"' the elder Darwin said.

"I'll tell him a lot more too, but I'm extremely happy now."

So I got this bulletin from Kat Von D and she is aiming to do a world record of the most tats in 24 hrs all the details are below so check it out if you wanna be on tv and are going to be the L.A. area.

have a great day!
David

 

So, we have been talking about setting the record for the most tattoos done in a 24 hour period by one person, since the Miami Ink days, and FINALLY we are gonna do it, here, in Los Angeles, at my tattoo shop!

I know it's short notice, but here's your chance to help me out AND be part of history! I'm gonna be tattooing for 24 HOURS STRAIGHT, and I'm aiming at doing 400 tattoos! I'm pretty sure with the help of everyone, this can be an amazing and fun success!

HERE ARE THE RULES Guinness sent us:

1. Each tattoo is to measure a minimum of 1.25 x 3 inches.
2. Each tattoo must have a minimum of 2 colors.
3. The attempt must be overseen by 2 independent persons, with experience in tattoo techniques. Only tattoos satisfying these 2 judges count towards the total.
4. The event is continuos. Rest breaks may be taken at will, but THE CLOCK DOES NOT STOP.
5. The record is not limited to 1 tattoo per person. (so you can get more than 1 tattoo)
6. Theres is no restriction on the location of each tattoo.
7. The total should not include any tattoo not completed at the end of the time period.
8. All people getting tattooed must be 18 with ID.

So with that in mind, I'm gonna be doing an "LA" tattoo logo that was approved by Guinness, on anyone who wants to be a part of this!!

I'M INVITING ALL OF YOU WHO ARE DOWN TO GET THIS TATTOO, TO COME HELP ME SET THIS WORLD RECORD!

I'm gonna be doing the tattoos for $20, just to cover costs of material, and its gonna be on a first come first serve basis! (No appointments, JUST SHOW UP!)

HERE'S ALL THE SERIOUS STUFF:
You gotta be 18 WITH ID to come to this event. Normally, all ages are welcome, but due to Guinness rules, no one under the age of 18 will be able to come into the shop during the event.
I'm hoping a lot of people will be able to show up!! As you guys already know, I'll need at least 400! So there may be a line, but considering how small the "LA" tattoo is, (each one is estimated to only take about 2 to 3 minutes), the wait should not be long!
Because I'll only have 24 hours to attempt this, it's important to fill the time slots from the hours of 3am to 10am! Im pretty sure those will be the prime hours with the less waiting time, and would TOTALLY HELP ME OUT if there's any night owls out there that are down to get tattooed at that time as well!

HERE'S ALL THE INFO YOU NEED!

WHEN:
Friday, December 14th, 2008
Begins NOON (Sharp!)
and goes straight through,
FOR 24 HOURS,
until NOON the next day!

WHERE:
High Voltage Tattoo/LA Ink
1259 N. La Brea Ave.
W. Hollywood, CA 90038

Obviously, during that 24 hour period, we will be closed to regular walk ins, but will go back to our daily schedule the next day!

If everything goes smoothly and I can set this record, it'll be so awesome to share this moment with the 400 of you who helped me out!! This episode will air in the second season of LA INK!

PLEASE HELP GET THE WORD OUT and REPOST THIS!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Kat Von D

Sperm Donor Ordered to Pay Child Support for 18-Year-Old

Sunday, December 02, 2007

 

A New York doctor who donated his sperm to help a gay colleague conceive has been ordered to pay child support for the boy, now an 18-year-old living in Oregon, the New York Post reported Sunday.

The donor was a married doctor at a Long Island hospital in the late 1980s when he donated his sperm to a female hospital resident who was trying to have a baby with her lesbian partner, the Post reported. Although the donor gave up all claims and rights to the child, he allowed his name to be put on the birth certificate.

Click here to read the full story at the New York Post.

For several years after the boy's birth in 1989, the doctor sent the child gifts and money and cards signed "Dad" and had regular contact with the child, the Post reported. However, when the boy moved to Oregon with his mother and her partner in 1993, regular contact stopped. Since then, the man's contact with the child consisted of seven phone calls and one brief meeting over the past 15 years.

A New York family court judge ruled last month that the man must now pay child support for the boy, now 18 and heading to college, the Post reported.

Cops: Wisconsin Parents Poured Water on Pantsless, Duct-Taped Children Outside

Saturday, December 01, 2007

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. —  A man and wife from Cadott face child neglect charges that include allegations they duct-taped their two boys together as they stood outside without their pants and also poured water on them.

A criminal complaint filed in Chippewa County Circuit Court said the case began Oct. 18 when a sheriff's investigator and social worker spoke with a 6-year-old boy at Cadott Elementary School who had bruising around one hip, across his back and on the left jaw and ear area.

Investigators said they learned the boy's mother slapped him on the face and his stepfather punished him with a belt. They said they also learned of an incident in which the boy was hit with a belt and then had to stand duct-taped to his 7-year-old stepbrother as they were standing outside with no pants on and water was poured on them.

The 28-year-old husband was charged with two counts of physical abuse of a child and one of causing mental hart to a child. His 27-year-old wife was charged with two counts of child neglect and one of causing mental harm by failing to protect a child.

The are scheduled to be in court Jan. 2.

New Hershey Candy Leaves Sour Taste in Cops' Mouth

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Narcotics cops in Philadelphia are having a tough time figuring out if people are trying to get high or just freshen their breath.

Police claim Hershey's Ice Breakers Pacs look too much like the heat-sealed bags of illegal drugs such as heroin or crack, MyFoxPhiladelphia.com reported.

Click here to view the full report from MyFoxPhiladelphia.com.

The sugary powder candy is sealed inside square dissolving breath strips.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector William Blackburn told MyFoxPhiladelphia he has been a narcotics officer for most of his career and mistook the candy pouches for the real thing.

In a written statement, Hershey defended its product, saying in part it is clearly labeled with product identification.

Scientists Turn Cockroaches Into Zombie Slaves

Friday, November 30, 2007

Israeli scientists have figured out how to turn cockroaches into zombie slaves.

They're replicated the mysterious power of the jewel wasp, also known as the emerald cockroach wasp, which incorporates the cockroach into its reproductive cycle in a most gruesome way.

Most parasitic wasps paralyze their victims, but the jewel wasp's sting mysteriously leaves a cockroach able to walk, yet robbed of all free will.

The wasp leads the zombie roach back to its lair, lays an egg in the poor creature and then lets the wasp larva eat the roach alive from the inside out.

• Click here to watch a video clip of a wasp zombifying a cockroach.

The Israeli team, led by Frederic Libersat of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, discovered that a synthetic form of the neurotransmitter octopamine freed stung cockroaches from their zombie-like state.

They then injected other roaches with compounds that blocked octopamine -- and turned them into docile zombies.

The study was documented in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

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September 10, 2007 University of Minnesota ranked No. 1 Ivy League most sexually healthy conference Majority of students polled think health centers need to improve their services

PRINCETON, NJ — September 10, 2007 — The makers of Trojan brand condoms today released their 2007 Sexual Health Report Card (see full results),the second annual ranking of sexual health resources at American colleges and universities. The study, conducted by Sperling's BestPlaces on behalf of Trojan, finds a lack of access to information and resources may prevent some students from being sexually healthy. This year's report card arrives in the wake of Trojan's "Evolve" campaign (www.trojanevolve.com), a multimedia effort aimed at redefining the national dialogue on sexual health with an emphasis on responsible behavior and partners' respect for one another. In total, 139 colleges and universities representing each state and major NCAA Division I athletic conference were reviewed. Placing first and second, the University of Minnesota and University of Wyoming demonstrated "well-evolved " sexual health programs and were the most sexually healthy schools according to the study. While Ohio State and the University of Florida may have recently triumphed in sports, the Trojan Report Card indicates their sexual health programs have room to improve, as OSU and UF ranked 26th and 43rd, respectively. Researchers polled student health centers and reviewed their websites to assign a grade point average (GPA) for sexual health resources across 11 separate categories: • Sexual health awareness programs • Condom & contraception availability • HIV testing • Other Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing • Student health center hours of operation • Drop-in vs. appointment-based service • Navigability and usability of Web-based sexual health information • Anonymous advice / newspaper columns • Lecture outreach programs • Student peer groups • Sexual assault programs With a significantly expanded scope including more judging categories, more schools, and broader data collection methods like live health center interviews, Web reviews and student polls, the 2007 Trojan Sexual Health Report Card tells a different story from last year. The University of Minnesota was the surprise standout, moving up to number one this year, from 54 last year. The University of Wyoming claimed second place, up from number 92. According to the report, both schools improved dramatically, making major enhancements to sexual health resources offered to students. Availability of anonymous advice, free contraception including condom distribution, and separate sexual awareness programs were the biggest factors in differentiating the top ranked schools from the rest. "We were quite surprised and gratified by our findings," said Bert Sperling, president of Sperling's BestPlaces, an independent research firm based in Portland. "The top-ranking schools made significant improvements to their programming—due in part, we hope, to last year's study results—and they deserve to be commended." While only one Ivy League school cracked the top ten (Harvard, No. 10), all schools in the league placed in the top 40, posting the highest conference-wide GPA of 3.28 combined. Conversely, four schools in the Sun Belt conference fell into the bottom 10 (University of Louisiana, No. 138; Arkansas State University, No. 137; University of Arkansas, No. 136; Middle Tennessee State University, No. 131). No schools in this conference made it into the top 20 and the overall conference GPA was 2.23. Yale University, which topped the rankings in 2006, came in at number 16 this year. Access to sexual health information and resources, including the schools annual Sex Week at Yale (SWAY), continue to be highly rated; however, the school's lower ranking is a result of the expanded categories and schools considered. The 2007 Sexual Health Report Card examined 139 schools, nearly 50 percent more than last year, and judged several categories not taken into consideration last year, resulting in different rankings. Highest- and Lowest-Ranked Schools 1. University of Minnesota (GPA 3.91) 2. University of Wyoming (GPA 3.91) 3. University of Washington (GPA 3.73) 4. Rutgers University (GPA 3.68) 5. Purdue University (GPA 3.64) 135. Villanova University (GPA 1.45) 136. University of Arkansas (GPA 1.36) 137. Arkansas State University (GPA 1.14) 138. University of Louisiana (GPA 0.91) 139. Louisiana Tech University (GPA 0.82) For the first time, researchers allowed students to weigh in with an online survey that generated more than 3,300 responses. This opinion poll did not factor into the rankings, but does point to the opportunity for health centers on campus to evolve how they meet the needs of their students. While 66 percent said their health centers are "doing a good job," 32 percent of respondents said they would not consider contacting their student health center for health concerns and 53 percent agreed their centers could improve overall. "The fact is, college students are at serious risk for STIs and unplanned pregnancies," said Jim Daniels, vice president of marketing, Trojan brand condoms. "It's time to evolve the way we address the realities of sexual health and provide students with the practical resources they need to protect themselves. The Trojan Sexual Health Report Card helps students and their schools celebrate areas of excellence and focus on opportunities to improve." Information was gathered over an eight-week period beginning in the spring of 2007, and was collected via live student health center phone interviews. This data was then corroborated through visits to student health center Web sites. About The 2007 Trojan Sexual Health Report Card One-hundred-thirty-nine colleges and universities were selected to be included in the survey, up from 100 last year with every state represented by at least one school. The schools were chosen for their size and general level of familiarity to the public. Information was gathered over the course of three months – April to June 2007. The students of each school participated in a poll to judge their opinions of their school's student health services regarding matters of sexual health and awareness. Each school's student health center was contacted via telephone and email to participate in a brief poll regarding the center's services. Each school received a score of 1-10 in each of 11 criteria, and then each of the numeric scores was converted into a letter grade, from which a score was calculated for each in the same manner a student's grade point average is computed. Criteria included: Student health center hours of operation, drop-in vs. appointment based service, sexual health awareness programs, contraception availability, HIV testing, other STI testing, anonymous advice / newspaper columns, lecture outreach programs, student peer groups, sexual assault programs and navigability and usability of website. In the event of a tie, schools with the lowest individual category score were ranked below those with higher individual scores. For example, a school with a C as a lowest of the 11 grades would rank above a school with a D or F in one of its categories. In the event of a further tie, the winner was determined by the best score in its web site. About TROJAN® TROJAN® Brand Condoms are America's 1 condom and have been trusted for nearly 90 years. TROJAN® brand latex condoms are made from premium quality latex to help reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Each condom is electronically tested to help ensure reliability. There are over 29 varieties of TROJAN® Brand Condoms. More Americans trust the TROJAN® brand than any other condom. For more information visit www.trojancondoms.com and www.trojanevolve.com. About Sperling's BestPlaces Bert Sperling has been helping people find their own "Best Place" to live, work and retire for more than 20 years. His firm, Sperling's BestPlaces, puts facts in the hands of the public so they can make better decisions about best places to live, work, retire, play, or relocate. His bestselling books, Cities Ranked and Rated and Best Places to Raise Your Family, are published by John Wiley & Sons. More information about Bert and his work is available at www.bestplaces.net.

..> 23 <TD>University of Houston..>

'07 Sexual Health Report Card
New Ranking	2006 ranking	Conference	COLLEGE NAME	Overall GPA
1	54	Big 10	University of Minnesota	3.91
2	92	Mountain West	University of Wyoming	3.91
3	57	PAC 10	University of Washington	3.73
4	13	Big East	Rutgers University	3.68
5	59	Big 10	Purdue University	3.64
6	11	SEC	University of South Carolina	3.64
7		MAC	Western Michigan University	3.64
8	26	Big 12	University of Nebraska	3.64
9		C-USA	East Carolina University	3.59
10	43	Ivy League	Harvard University	3.55
11		Ivy League	University of Pennsylvania	3.55
12		Ivy League	Columbia University	3.45
13	30	SEC	Louisiana State University A&M	3.45
14	21	Big 10	University of Wisconsin	3.36
15	77	PAC 10	University of Oregon	3.36
16	1	Ivy League	Yale University	3.36
17	5	PAC 10	Oregon State University	3.36
18		ACC	Georgia Institute of Technology	3.36
19	15	Big 10	Pennsylvania State University	3.36
20		MAC	Central Michigan University	3.32
21	2	Big 10	University of Iowa	3.27
22		Sun Belt	Florida Atlantic University	3.27
3	Big 10	University of Michigan	3.27
24	8	ACC	Duke University	3.27
25	63	Ivy League	Dartmouth College	3.18
26	9	Big 10	Ohio State University	3.18
27	32	Big 12	University of Colorado	3.18
28	62	PAC 10	Washington State University	3.18
29	10	Big 10	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	3.18
30		MAC	Ohio University	3.18
31	17	PAC 10	University of Arizona	3.18
32	29	PAC 10	University of Southern California	3.18
33	31	C-USA	University of Southern Mississippi	3.14
34	6	Ivy League	Princeton University	3.14
35		C-USA	Tulane University	3.14
36		ACC	Wake Forest University	3.14
37	41	ACC	University of Virginia	3.09
38	40	PAC 10	University of California-Berkeley	3.09
39	44	Ivy League	Brown University	3.09
40		Big East	University of South Florida	3.09
41	4	PAC 10	Stanford University	3.09
42		Big 10	Northwestern University	3.09
43	49	SEC	University of Florida	3.09
44	60	Big 12	Kansas State University	3.09
45	79	Big 12	University of Kansas	3.05
46	25	SEC	University of Georgia	3.05
47	56	Big 10	Indiana University	3.05
48		Mountain West	San Diego State University	3.05
49		Sun Belt	University of South Alabama	3.05
50	55	ACC	University of Miami	3.05
51	23	Mountain West	Colorado State University	3.00
52	48	WAC	Boise State University	3.00
53	53	Big 12	University of Texas at Austin	3.00
54		WAC	San Jose State University	3.00
55		MAC	Miami University	3.00
56	61	ACC	University of Maryland	2.95
57		C-USA	University of Tulsa	2.95
58		MAC	Kent State University	2.95
59	37	ACC	North Carolina State University	2.95
60	20	Big East	Syracuse University	2.91
61	42	Big 12	University of Missouri	2.91
62		MAC	Ball State University	2.91
63		Ivy League	Cornell University	2.91
64	46	ACC	Virginia Polytechnic Institute	2.91
65	97	Big 12	Oklahoma State University	2.91
66	65	Big East	University of Pittsburgh	2.91
67		MAC	Eastern Michigan University	2.86
68	45	WAC	University of Hawaii	2.86
69	67	Big East	West Virginia University	2.82
70	69	Big 12	Iowa State University	2.82
71	83	ACC	Florida State University	2.77
72		Big East	Seton Hall University	2.77
73		Sun Belt	University of Denver	2.73
74	96	C-USA	University of Memphis	2.73
75	34	Big 10	Michigan State University	2.73
76	98	Mountain West	University of Utah	2.73
77	76	SEC	University of Arkansas	2.73
78	86	Mountain West	University of New Mexico	2.73
79		Sun Belt	Western Kentucky University	2.73
80	71	SEC	University of Alabama	2.73
81	68	PAC 10	University of California-Los Angeles	2.64
82	95	ACC	Clemson University	2.64
83	93	Big East	University of Louisville	2.64
84		WAC	Utah State University	2.64
85	78	Mountain West	Texas Christian University	2.64
86	52	MAC	SUNY Buffalo	2.64
87	50	Big East	University of Connecticut	2.64
88		Sun Belt	Florida International University	2.64
89	28	SEC	University of Kentucky	2.59
90	39	Big 12	Texas A&M University	2.55
91	70	PAC 10	Arizona State University	2.55
92		C-USA	University of Texas at El Paso	2.55
93		Sun Belt	University of Louisiana at Lafayette	2.55
94		Sun Belt	Troy State University	2.50
95	19	Mountain West	University of Nevada-Las Vegas	2.50
96	36	Big 12	University of Oklahoma	2.45
97	74	SEC	Mississippi State University	2.41
98		MAC	University of Toledo	2.41
99	47	WAC	New Mexico State University	2.41
100		MAC	Bowling Green State University	2.41
101		C-USA	Rice University	2.36
102	14	ACC	University of North Carolina	2.36
103		Big East	Providence College	2.36
104	88	SEC	University of Tennessee	2.36
105		C-USA	Southern Methodist University	2.36
106		Summit League	Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis	2.32
107		MAC	University of Akron	2.32
108		Sun Belt	University of North Texas	2.32
109	99	Big East	University of Notre Dame	2.27
110		Sun Belt	University of New Orleans	2.27
111		C-USA	2.27
112		Independents	Utah Valley State College	2.23
113	84	Big East	Marquette University	2.18
114		Mountain West	U.S. Air Force Academy	2.18
115	80	Big East	Georgetown University	2.09
116	27	Big East	University of Cincinnati	2.09
117		MAC	Northern Illinois University	2.09
118	64	SEC	Auburn University	2.00
119		WAC	California State University-Fresno	2.00
120		ACC	Boston College	1.91
121	100	Mountain West	Brigham Young University	1.91
122		Big East	DePaul University	1.91
123		Independents	Chicago State University	1.86
124		Independents	University of Texas-Pan American	1.86
125	81	SEC	University of Mississippi	1.82
126		WAC	University of Idaho	1.82
127	94	Big 12	Texas Tech University	1.82
128		SEC	Vanderbilt University	1.73
129		C-USA	Marshall University	1.68
130		Independents	Savannah State University	1.64
131		Sun Belt	Middle Tennessee State University	1.55
132		Big East	St. John's University	1.55
133		C-USA	University of Central Florida	1.45
134		Big 12	Baylor University	1.45
135		Big East	Villanova University	1.45
136		Sun Belt	University of Arkansas at Little Rock	1.36
137		Sun Belt	Arkansas State University	1.14
138		Sun Belt	University of Louisiana at Monroe	0.91
139		WAC	Louisiana Tech University	0.82

Thursday, November 29, 2007

It's no secret that as a nation we are struggling with an ever-expanding waistline — but, this piece of information may surprise you: Just standing up may be as important as exercise, according to a group of scientists at the University of Missouri, ABC news reported.

The researchers found, in most cases, hitting the gym alone isn't enough to take off the extra weight. The big problem: We sit too much. Researchers say when we sit, the enzymes that are responsible for burning fat just shut down.

Click here to read full story on abcnews.com

It turns out that sitting for hours at a time, as so many of us do in these days of computers, electronic games and 24-hour television, attacks the body in ways that have not been well understood.

"It was hard to believe at first," said Marc Hamilton, associate professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia and leader of the research team, told ABC. He noted the team didn't expect to find a strong signal when they began researching what happens to fat when seated. But the effect, both in laboratory animals and humans, turned out to be huge.

Arm of World Health Organization to Classify Late Shift Work as 'Probable' Carcinogen

Thursday, November 29, 2007

It was once scientific heresy to suggest that smoking contributed to lung cancer. Now, another idea initially dismissed as nutty is gaining acceptance: the graveyard shift might increase your cancer risk.

Next month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization, will classify shift work as a "probable" carcinogen.

That will put shift work in the same category as cancer-causing agents like anabolic steroids, ultraviolet radiation, and diesel engine exhaust.

If the shift work theory proves correct, millions of people worldwide could be affected. Experts estimate that nearly 20 percent of the working population in developed countries work night shifts.

It is a surprising twist for an idea that scientists first described as "wacky," said Richard Stevens, a cancer epidemiologist and professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center. In 1987, Stevens published a paper suggesting a link between light at night and breast cancer.

Back then, he was trying to figure out why breast cancer incidence suddenly shot up starting in the 1930s in industrialized societies, where nighttime work was considered a hallmark of progress. Most scientists were bewildered by his proposal.

But in recent years, several studies have found that women working at night for many years are indeed more prone to breast cancer, and that animals who have their light-dark schedules switched grow more cancerous tumors and die quicker.

Some research has also shown that men working at night may have a higher rate of prostate cancer.

Because these studies have been done mainly in nurses and airline crews, bigger studies in different populations are needed to confirm or disprove the findings.

The idea that shift work might increase your cancer risk is still viewed with skepticism by some, but many doubters will likely be won over when IARC publishes the results of its analysis, the result of an expert panel convened in October, in the December issue of The Lancet Oncology.

The American Cancer Society said it would most likely add shift work to its list of "known and probable carcinogens" when the IARC makes its reclassification. Up to now, the society has labeled it an "uncertain, controversial or unproven effect."

Experts acknowledge the evidence is limited, but the "probable" tag means that a link between shift work and cancer is plausible.

"The indications are positive," said Vincent Cogliano, director of the Monographs program at IARC, which decides on carcinogen classifications. "There was enough of a pattern in people who do shift work to recognize that there's an increase in cancer, but we can't rule out the possibility of other factors."

The research suggests a correlation between people who work at night and increased cancer rates. But the cause of the cancer might still be something else that people who work at night do that is unaccounted for in the research.

Scientists suspect that shift work is dangerous because it disrupts the circadian rhythm, the body's biological clock. The hormone melatonin, which can suppress tumor development, is normally produced at night.

Light shuts down melatonin production, so people working in artificial light at night may have lower melatonin levels, which scientists think can raise their chances of developing cancer.

Sleep deprivation may also be a factor. People who work at night are not usually able to completely reverse their day and night cycles. "Night shift people tend to be day shift people who are trying to stay awake at night," said Mark Rea, director of the Light Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, who is not connected to IARC or its expert panel.

Not getting enough sleep makes your immune system vulnerable to attack, and less able to fight off potentially cancerous cells.

Confusing your body's natural rhythm can also lead to a breakdown of other essential tasks. "Timing is very important," Rea said. Certain processes like cell division and DNA repair happen at regular times.

But if the body needs to do something at an unusual time — like produce insulin in the middle of the night to help digest food — that can set off a chain reaction of biological mistakes.

Even worse than working the night shift would be to frequently flip between day and night shifts.

"The problem is re-setting your body's clock," said Aaron Blair, of the United States' National Cancer Institute, who chaired IARC's recent meeting on shift work. "If you worked at night and stayed on it, that would be less disruptive than constantly changing shifts."

Anyone whose light and dark schedule was frequently disrupted — including frequent long-haul travelers or insomniacs — could theoretically face the same increased cancer risks, Stephens said.

Scientists are now trying to figure out what might be possible to reduce shift workers' risk of developing cancer. Melatonin can be taken as a supplement, but experts don't recommend taking it long-term, since that could ruin the body's ability to produce it naturally.

Some companies are also experimenting with different types of light, hoping to create one that doesn't affect melatonin production. So far, the color that seems to have the least impact on melatonin is one that few people would enjoy working under: red.

With no answers at the moment, experts say it's best to avoid shift work in the long-term. But if that is impossible, there may be a simpler solution.

"The balance between light and dark is very important for your body," Stevens said, advising workers to make sure they sleep in a darkened room when they get back from work.

"Just get a dark night's sleep," he said.

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CDC: U.S. Obesity Rate Levels Off at 34 Percent or More Than 72 Million People

In "Pumping Iron", a then almost 30 yr old Arnold Schwarzenegger explained the process of being single minded in his pursuit to become the worlds best Bodybuilder. In the examples that he used to illustrate his point was very good. He used first the example of having his car stolen. Arnold said that having his car stolen was minor, and that he would just call the insurance agent, and has it replaced. The second example he use was during the time that his Father had died. In this example he stated that his mother had called him to tell Arnold that his father had just died, and she asked him if he was going to be there for the funeral. As it was just a couple of months to a contest, Arnold told his mother that he would not be there. These are two great examples of being single mined in ones pursuits.

 

In order to be successful in any goal or pursuit, you have to have a single mindedness, which allows you to block out everything that would cause you to detour from your goal. In bodybuilding this goes double, during the time that you are in the gym. You should only have one thing on your mind that is you should only be thinking about your workout. The sets, reps, and the movements themselves, total concentration is needed to get the mind-muscle connection that you have too have in order to get the most out of your workout.

 

Goal setting is a great tool to help you gain the single mindedness needed to reach the potential that you believe that you have in yourself. It doesn't matter if other people can see it, or even if they agree or support your belief that you have for yourself. Any kind of goal setting is good. Both short and long term goals will help you reach the success that you are looking to reach.

 

Short-term goal setting is great for when you go to the gym. I would even suggest daily and even hourly goal setting. All a goal is, is a way for you to mark each temporary stop in your journey. I would even recommend writing down your goals for that day each day while you are eating the first meal of the day. This will allow you to put structure to your day, or even write down the next day's goals, the night before.

 

Once every year, or even once every six months take some time and evaluate your long term goals and gauge where you are at in reaching them. Are you closer, or farther away from reaching the long term goal that you had set for yourself? If you are farther away then you feel you should be, look at the steps need to reach your goal. See if there is anything different you can do, or if you need to eliminate something temporarily in order to better focus on reaching your long term goal. Are you spending too much time watching TV, or on the internet? When you could be studying, or preparing for the next days workout.

 

It is up to you to reach the goals you want to reach, no one is going to do it for you. There are no shortcuts for success. To be successful you need to be committed 100 percent to reaching your goals. If you're not, then you should be asking yourself why that is, and you should then be considering your motivation.

 

Well that is all for now.

 

Have a Nice Day!

David