South African teen wins 800 amid gender-test flap

By RYAN LUCAS, Associated Press Writer

BERLIN (AP)—Facing questions about her gender, South African teenager Caster Semenya easily won the 800-meter gold medal Wednesday at the world championships.

Her dominating run came on the same day track and field’s ruling body said she was undergoing a gender test because of concerns she does not meet requirements to compete as a woman.

Semenya took the lead at the halfway mark and opened a commanding lead in the last 400 meters to win by a massive 2.45 seconds in a world-leading 1 minute, 55.45 seconds. Defending champion Janeth Jepkosgei was second and Jennifer Meadows of Britain was third in 1:57.93.

After crossing the line, Semenya dusted her shoulders with her hands. Semenya did not speak to reporters after the race or attend a news conference.

About three weeks ago, the international federation asked South African track and field authorities to conduct the verification test. Semenya had burst onto the scene by posting a world-leading time of 1:56.72 at the African junior championships in Maruitius.

Her dramatic improvement in times, muscular build and deep voice sparked speculation about her gender. Ideally, any dispute surrounding an athlete is dealt with before a major competition. But Semenya’s stunning rise from unknown teenage runner to the favorite in the 800 happened almost overnight. That meant the gender test—which takes several weeks—could not be completed in time.

Before the race, IAAF spokesman Nick Davies stressed this is a “medical issue, not an issue of cheating.” He said the “extremely complex” testing has begun. The process requires a physical medical evaluation and includes reports from a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, internal medicine specialist and gender expert.

South Africa team manager Phiwe Mlangeni-Tsholetsane would not confirm or deny that Semenya was having such a test.

“We entered Caster as a woman and we want to keep it that way,” Mlangeni-Tsholetsane said. “Our conscience is clear in terms of Caster. We have no reservations at all about that.”

Although medals will be awarded for the 800, the race remains under a cloud until the investigation is closed, and Semenya could be stripped of the gold depending on the test results, IAAF general secretary Pierre Weiss said.

“But today there is no proof and the benefit of doubt must always be in favor of the athlete,” Weiss said.

Semenya’s rivals said they tried not to dwell on the issue before the race.

“I’ve heard a lot of speculation, but all I could do was just keep a level head and go about my business,” Meadows said. “If none of it’s true, I feel very sorry for her.”

One thing not in doubt was Semenya’s outstanding run.

“Nobody else in the world can do that sort of time at the moment,” Meadows said. “She obviously took the race by storm.”

MOTHERS WHO HURT THEIR SONS

A MOTHER IS A RAY OF SUNSHINE, A SMILE A MILE LONG AND A HAND TO LEAD A CHILD INTO THE WORLD. (Brenda Ysaguirre)

I have thought long and hard on this topic and it blows my mind so I am going to write something that will hurt some mothers and hopeful will get them to change if they can, some won´t be able to, but this is for them to realize THAT THEY ARE HARMFUL AND INSTEAD OF HELPING HAD PROBABLY DESTROYED MORE THAN ONE PROBABLY GOOD HUMAN BEING!!!!

The topic may seem hot. You may wonder what the h... is she talking about? Mothers? Hurt their SONS?? By the time you finish reading it will blow your mind too, I believe.

Well, in this world today we know of a lot of abuse going on where children suffer at the hands of their parents. But what about those mothers who do so to older children and do not realize it? And to top it they have done it before in the past in some other form or fashion.

Mother A
Nice woman, nice family of four. Two sons. Is it possible to be a mother and not have the motherly instinct? Can´t be right? So what happens when the children you bring up into this world end up being failures and break your heart. They become drug addicts and jail birds and you still want to believe you tried your best.Let me tell you right now, your children´s failure will always be your failure.


Mother B
Only son. Shouldn´t do anything. Not a single thing. Hahaha. Stop, look and listen. In this harsh world you better let that boy learn that life is hard. Let him mow the lawn, wash dishes, sweep the house, wash his socks and then gradually promote him to washing his briefs and clothes. He probably has more dirty clothes in the wash bin than anyone else in the house anyway!!! Gone is the day of the prince of the house. Life will teach him to be independent if HIS MOTHER HELPS HIM TO BE INDEPENDENT!!!

Mother C
Lord, preserve us!! This is the mother who failed with the older sons and decides to try to make amends with the new kid on the block. But she goes and does the same darn thing by buying him all he WANTS and needs. All his whims and craving are answered. Mother, my a**. You have helped to destroy a great mind.

DO I REALLY HAVE TO GO ON WITH EXAMPLES???? JUST ABOUT RIGHT NOW SOME MOTHERS ARE SAYING.. SHE IS TALKING ABOUT ME. HOW DOES SHE KNOW ME SO WELL? I DON´T KNOW HER AT ALL. TO BE TRUTHFUL, YOU DON´T HAVE TO KNOW ME. BUT THESE ARE REAL LIVE EXAMPLES I WAS USING HERE OF PEOPLE I KNOW. THAT IS WHY I AM SO PISSED OFF. IF IT WAS JUST THE FICTIOUS MOTHER I COULD BE HAPPY.

A note to mothers everywhere:

In the first place you should not have to buy your child´s friendship, if he is yours by birth or adopted. There is no reason you have to give and give and give. And I am talking about giving to grown men who should be able to fend for themselves. God preserve the mother who makes this mistake and tries to buy the love of the son who should be self reliant by now. YOU HAVE CREATED A MONSTER, WOMAN!!! YOU HAVE CREATED THE BEAST OF ALL BEASTS. In your search for peace you have created chaos. Look around you. Are you proud of what you do? I do not think so. So..... is there something you should be doing. Maybe get a shrink to clear your mind????? I give up. This is too much stress. I do this to myself all the time when I get serious in this blog.

But seriously, please, mothers, BECOME MOTHERS, NOT SLAVES, NOT THE PURSE AND NOT THE PUPPET!!!

Have a great day and God help and bless all the mothers of the world who know the true meaning of motherhood.

ALL THE GOOD WE GET FROM FRUITS AND VEGGIES... FROM GOD, WITH LOVE!!

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... All before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & mo re powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...

God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!
God's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.
A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.
Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.
A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop mo re than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.
Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.
Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many mo re look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.
Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hor mo nes, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) mo nths to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods ( mo dern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).
Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mo bility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.
Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.
Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries
Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the mo vement of lymph in and out of the breasts.
Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

ONE OF THE BEST

While the C-5 was turning over its engines, a female crewman gave the G.I.s on board the usual
information regarding seat belts, emergency exits, etc.

Finally, she said, 'Now sit back and enjoy your trip while your captain, Judith Campbell, and crew
take you safely to Afghanistan '

An old MSgt. sitting in the eighth row thought to himself,
'Did I hear her right? Is the captain a woman? '

When the attendant came by he said 'Did I understand you right? Is the captain a woman?'
'Yes,'! said the attendant, 'In fact, this entire crew is female.'

THIS WILL NOT CHANGE IN BELIZE... AT LEAST NOT TODAY!!

I keep wondering when things will change in Belize. Well, today I have decided to stop wondering. I have come face to face with a reality that is too much. Things will never change in Belize. That can be good or bad. Depending on what it is you are thinking or doing.

1. Belizean Bad Mind
This will never change. There will always be envy, hatred and jealousy towards each other because we cannot help ourselves. We compare ourselves to others, we want what they have and we want to see them suffer. THAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT BELIZEAN BAD MIND.

2. Jobs SCARCITY
This will never change. We have so many young people coming out of Univeristy and Sixth Form these days and there will NEVER be enough jobs for them to each have at least one! This will create laziness because when the sould seeker of a job realizes there isn´t that dream job he or she was expecting, they will loose heart and ssit back and relax in this jewel called Belize.

3. Crime Rate Going UP
This will not change. Because there are not enough jobs, and because some people prefer to no work, we will have a lot of criminals looking for the easy way to attaining things. Sad but true. We create criminals.

4. The Cost of Living Going UP.
This will not change. All we can do right now is sit back and hurt! Everything is going up except our salaries!! So the shop keeper sees less of us buying in stores and we see less food on our tables. Then the Government goes into schools and say the children are under nourished!! Hell, I wonder why!! Do you?

SO WHAT WILL CHANGE? WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT?
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. YOU CAN MAKE A CHANGE. DO YOU WANT TO?
LOOK DEEP WITHIN YOUR HEARTY AND SAY "I CAN MAKE A CHANGE. I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE." THAT IS STEP ONE!

Step two is to get up and be heard. YOU HAVE A VOICE. USE IT. SAY HOW YOU REALLY FEEL. FORGET POLITICS. IT DOES NOT FEED US. IT DOES NOT CLOTH US. NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE. NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS. SPEAK OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE!!!!

Diabetics can lower heart attack risk

CAMBRIDGE, England (UPI) -- A meta-analysis found people who have diabetes but maintain low-blood sugar levels are at less risk for heart attacks, researchers in Britain say.

Dr. Kausik Ray of the University of Cambridge and colleagues said the meta-analysis pooled information from five large trials.

The study, published in The Lancet, determined there was a 17 percent reduction in heart attacks and a 15 percent reduction in coronary heart disease. The study also found a more modest trend toward reduction of strokes with intensive control of glucose levels compared with standard care.

The researchers, in contrast to smaller studies that suggested possible harm from better blood sugar control, found no adverse impact on the risk of death from any cause.

The five trials involved more than 33,000 individuals, including 1,497 heart attack cases, 2,318 cases of coronary heart disease and 1,227 strokes.

"Previous studies have been inconclusive, leaving diabetics and their doctors unsure as to whether maintaining lower blood-sugar levels actually benefited the patients," Ray, the lead author, said in a statement.

"Although additional research needs to be conducted, our findings provide insight into the importance of improving glucose levels, which should include lifestyle changes as well as medication."
Copyright 2009 by United Press International

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROLYN ANGELA

Today is a day I always look back to and remember when my baby girl was born. It is a day I think changed my life forever in a very good way. I may have made many mistakes in my 50 years of life but I can never and will never call the day Carolyn Angela was born as anything other than one of the best days of my life. I have remembered that day, now 29 years later with great love, joy and peace in my heart and soul. It is like it was only yesterday that I held that little baby in my arms for the first time and smiled at her as she looked back at me. She was not a greedy baby and for the first day did not feed at all. I was worried but the nurses told me not to as it was probable that she was full from all the food I had been eating prior to her birth. Tia Brenda was ecstatic that night when Carolyn was born. In the years to follow she was nanny and aunt and grandma to this child that lit up our world. Grandma Ada was also very proud and please with this new addition to the family. Yes, Carolyn Angela, you were and are a blessing that came one June 26th and stayed to light up our world.

Daugther of my life, baby of my heart and child of my soul YOU are everything to me.

You are the sunshine each morning and the stars at night.
You are my mornings battles and my peace at night.
You give my strenght and you give me love.
There is one thing I know, You are a blessing from above.
So on this your birthday I send you this thought,
Knowing and accepting all the joy that you´ve brought.
For the stars in the sky can never shine as bright,
As the child I held on that late June night.

Happy Birthday, baby.
I love you, Mama.

Brenda A. Ysaguirre