WHO INVENTED THE USB?

When did USB flash drives emerge? Who invented usb flash drives? What's the difference between a USB Flash Drive and a Flash Drive? Well, The USB Flash Drive was introduced in 1996. The USB interfaced NAND memory was invented by Dov Moran. He worked for M-Systems, where the very first Flash Drive was manufactured. Netac and Trek2000, Ltd. developed similar porducts about the same time. All three companies, M-Systems, Netac and Trek2000, have very similar and hotly disputed patents. The first Flash Drive was manufactured and distributed in Europe under the "disgo" brand name. It was only available in four sizes; 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, and 64MB. The first distributor in North America was IBM.

WHO INVENTED EASTER EGGS?

History of Easter Eggs

Many people today associate Easter with a deluge of chocolate eggs rather than the Christian commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and many other religious festivals and customs. A sign maybe that religion plays a lesser part in our lives than once was or simply that the chocolate manufacturers and retailers see this as an opportunity to make further sales over the Easter period with chocolate easter eggs and gifts, which over time has become the trend. A combination of these and a whole host of many other factors from the way we eat to the way we live generally has determined the chocolate fest that is now Easter. Whilst the chocolate Easter egg is a relatively new tradition the origin of the Easter egg, and many more modern day Easter symbols, such as the Easter bunny, goes back a very long way and pre-date Christianity. The historical intermingling of pagan, Christian and Jewish beliefs and practices has left its legacy in many of the things we maybe take for granted about Easter and its traditions today.Pagan rootsEaster comes near to the time of the spring equinox on 21 March, when the length of the day and night are equal. Throughout history, many ancient cultures have celebrated this as a time of birth and renewal, following the darkness of the long winter.Historians have traced the origin of the word Easter to the Scandinavian word 'Ostra' and the Germanic 'Ostern' or 'Eastre'. Both of these derive from the names of mythological goddesses of spring and fertility, for whom festivals were held at the time of the Spring Equinox. Similar goddesses were known by other names in other cultures around the Mediterranean, such as Aphrodite from Cyprus, Astarte from Phoenicia, Demeter from Mycenae, Hathor from Egypt, and Ishtar from Assyria. All of these goddesses were celebrated in the spring.Modern symbols of Easter, such as the egg and the bunny, have their origins in paganism. Rabbits were the most potent symbol of fertility and the egg, the start of all life, was often thought to have magical powers.Modern-day pagans continue to celebrate the coming of spring as part of a seasonal cycle known as the 'wheel of the year'. Some pagans carry out rituals at this time, such as symbolically planting seeds, and holding egg races and egg hunts.The Jewish PassoverThe Christian Easter also falls near to the time of the Jewish festival of Passover or Pesach, one of the most important feasts in the Jewish calendar. Passover is an eight day observance commemorating the freedom and exodus of the Israelites (Jews who were held as slaves) from Egypt during the reign of the Pharoah Ramses II. Passover is a time of family gatherings and lavish meals called Seders, accompanied by special foods, songs and customs. It begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan — which in 2004 will be April 5th. Early Christians, some of whom were of Jewish origin, were influenced by stories of the coming of the Messiah as foretold by the Jewish prophets, and integrated the Christian Easter with the existing festival. In some parts of Europe there are similarities between the name for Easter, as in the French 'Pâques', and the Jewish 'Pesach'.The date of Easter is not fixed, and always falls on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox, making it any time between March 22 and April 25. However, Christian churches in the East, closer to the birth of Christianity and in which old traditions were strong, observe Easter according to the date of the Passover.The Christian traditionChristianity is the largest religion in the world, with over a billion followers. Around 30 million people in Britain claim to be Christian, though only about 6 million of these are actively committed to the Christian faith. Easter is the most important Christian festival, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. It follows Lent, a 40-day period of penitence beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending with Easter Sunday.The last week of Lent is Holy Week, which progresses according to the story of Jesus' last days, through Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday (the Last Supper), Good Friday (the Crucifixion) and Easter Sunday (the Resurrection). Holy Saturday is marked by the first Easter service, the Easter Vigil, when faithful Christians watch and wait, hopeful that Christ will return at midnight. The Easter or Paschal candle is lit during the service, a symbol of Christ risen as the light of the world, helping mankind to shed the darkness of its sins.Some historians believe the death and resurrection stories were first associated with the Roman myth of Attis, the son by virgin birth of the fertility goddess Cybele, many centuries before the birth of Jesus. Attis' death and resurrection were celebrated at the time of year we would call Easter and there are other similarities between the two stories, such as the effigy of Attis hanging from a tree. In ancient times, Christians and pagans used to quarrel about which of their gods was the imitation, but modern Christians regard the story of Jesus's death and resurrection as true and as unrelated to the Roman tradition. It's believed that early Christians may have gradually incorporated existing pagan influences into their religion in order to make it more acceptable and to prevent converts from being persecuted. Pagan legaciesHot cross bunsAt the feast of Eostre, the Saxon fertility goddess, an ox, was sacrificed, and its crossed horns became a symbol of the season carved into the bread. The word 'bun' derives from the Saxon word 'boun' meaning 'sacred ox'.Easter liliesIt's believed that the lily, because of its shape, was associated with the reproductive organs, and therefore with fertility.Easter candlesThe pagans would light bonfires to welcome the rebirth of the sun God. Christians now celebrate the Easter Vigil service.Easter BunnyThe symbols of the Norse goddess Ostara were the hare and the egg, both representing fertility. The earthly symbol for the goddess Eastre, goddess of the dawn, was also the rabbit, a symbol of new life. Historians believe the legend of the Easter Bunny originated in Germany before surfacing in the New World in the seventeenth century. Children believed the Easter Bunny would leave them coloured eggs if they were good, and left out their Easter bonnets and caps for the gifts.Easter eggsThe egg has been a symbol of rebirth and fertility for many centuries. Long before Christianity was introduced, eggs were painted with bright colours to celebrate the sunlight of spring. Decorating and colouring Easter eggs was a popular custom in the middle ages, and throughout Europe different cultures have evolved their own styles and colours. In Greece, crimson-coloured Easter eggs are exchanged, whereas in Eastern Europe and Russia silver and gold decorations are common, and Austrian Easter eggs often have plant and fern designs.The first of the highly wrought Fabergé eggs was made as an Easter gift for the Empress Marie of Russia from her husband, Tsar Alexander, in 1883. It featured a small gold egg in an outside shell of platinum and enamel.Easter eggs have been coloured and decorated from earliest times. In Edward I's household accounts for 1307 there is an entry of:"18 pence for 450 eggs to be boiled and dyed or covered with gold leaf and distributed to the Royal household".Later, craftsmen made artificial eggs of silver and gold, ivory or porcelain, often inlaid with jewels. The ultimate Easter egg-shaped gifts must have been the fabulous jewelled creations by Carl Fabergé made during the 19th Century for the Russian Czar and Czarina. Today, these superb creations are precious museum pieces.In the 18th century, people could buy pasteboard or papier-maché eggs, in which they hid small gifts. By the 19th century cardboard eggs covered with silk, lace or velvet and fastened with ribbon were fashionable.In Europe Easter eggs are taken seriously. The old art of decorating the real egg is still very much alive. Many of them are dyed red to symbolise Christ's blood.The chocolate Easter egg The chocolate Easter egg has developed from the simple type wrapped in paper to the beribboned variety wrapped in brightest foil and packed in a box or basket.The first chocolate Easter eggs were made in Europe in the early 19th Century with France and Germany taking the lead in this new artistic confectionery. A type of eating chocolate had been invented a few years earlier but it could not be successfully moulded. Some early eggs were solid while the production of the first hollow chocolate eggs must have been rather painstaking as the moulds were lined with paste chocolate one at a time!John Cadbury made his first 'French eating Chocolate' in 1842 but it was not until 1875 that the first Cadbury Easter Eggs were made. This may have been because he was not sufficiently impressed with continental eggs to wish to compete with them or because he was too busy with other aspects of his growing business. In fact, progress in the chocolate Easter egg market was very slow until a method was found of making the chocolate flow into the moulds. The modern chocolate Easter egg with its smoothness, shape and flavour owes its progression to the two greatest developments in the history of chocolate - the invention of a press for separating cocoa butter from the cocoa bean by the Dutch inventor Van Houten in 1828 and the introduction of a pure cocoa by Cadbury Brothers in 1866. The Cadbury process made large quantities of cocoa butter available and this was the secret of making moulded chocolate or indeed, any fine eating chocolate. The earliest Cadbury chocolate eggs were made of 'dark' chocolate with a plain smooth surface and were filled with dragees. The earliest 'decorated eggs' were plain shells enhanced by chocolate piping and marzipan flowers. Decorative skill and variety soon followed and by 1893 there were no less than 19 different lines on the Cadbury Brothers Easter list in the UK. Richard Cadbury's artistic skill undoubtedly played an important part in the development of the Easter range. Many of his designs were based on French, Dutch and German originals adapted to Victorian tastes. From Germany came the 'crocodile' finish which by breaking up the smooth surface, disguised minor imperfections; still used today by some manufacturers, this was the forerunner to the many distinctive finishes now available. The launch in 1905 of the famous Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate made a tremendous contribution to the Easter egg market. The popularity of this new kind of chocolate vastly increased sales of Easter eggs and did much to establish them as seasonal best sellers. Today the Easter egg market is predominantly milk chocolate.Egg rollingThere's ancient evidence of egg rolling. Egg rolling, which symbolised the rolling away of the tomb of Christ was a popular custom, probably the most popular, and is still played today in many countries throughout Europe today. The Washington Easter Egg Roll dates from at least 1872, and now takes place as an annual event in the grounds of the White House. The children and grandchildren of the American President traditionally take part.In pagan times the egg was believed to have special powers. It was buried under the foundations of buildings to ward off evil, and brides stepped upon an egg before crossing the threshold of their new home. To be given an egg was to wish many children upon the recipient.Whatever your beliefs, Easter today represents a time for celebration of new life, spring and fertility. The giving of decorated Easter eggs and gifts, the Easter egg hunts, familiar images of young bunnies and chicks. They all combine many of the age-old customs so we can each enjoy in our own way, no matter how big or small the gesture.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, CAROLYN AND CIARRA

Dearest Carolyn,This was the first year I was unable to be with you all for Christmas and New Years Day is here and I am filled with so much love and wishes for you. Daughter, you have been and will always be the joy of my life. You have been loved from the moment I found out I was carrying you in my womb. The love your father and I had for each other and the love we had when you arrived was special.

Over the years I became a single parent and that did not stop me from seeing you through high school, Sixth Form and University. Today you are thousands of miles away in Georgia, USA but you remain in my heart as the ray of sunshine that has brightened and guided me over the years.

I wish you all the best, Bibs. If Tia Brenda and Chichi were alive I know they would be so proud of all that you have achieved. I know that I am proud of you and have always been proud of you. Your successes are my successes. Keep on attaining that star that shines in your eyes and heart.
As we move into 2009, I look forward to seeing you and being with you. Keep on smiling and joking and being the best friend a mother could ask for. Baby girl, you are my greatest achievement. You are the best poem I have ever written, the best song I have ever sang and the best speech I have ever given. Reach for the unreachable and remember that you can be all you want to be.

Just say I CAN and you will be surprised at how much you will be able to do.

I love you and always will.

Mama

Ciarra, my little princess,From the first moment I held you in my arms I knew you were grandma's girl. You are my joy and my peace. You are my blooming lily, my walking happiness. God Bless you my little angel. You are loved and you are cared for. Keep on making us proud of you. Keep on smiling and keep on learning.

Your journey of life has just begun. You have much to achieve and you will!
I love you and I miss you.

Grandma's special little star, know this: I will always be there for you. Reach out and take my hand.

All my love and kisses,

Grandma Brenda

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!

Wonder who first celebrated New Year's Day?

To all my friends and readers, at this time of the year, with much love, I wish to tell you thank you for all the attention you have given t0 my blog. I hope to conitnue giving you the same service like I did during 2008.

"Happy New Year!" That greeting will be said and heard for at least the first couple of weeks as a new year gets under way. But the day celebrated as New Year's Day in modern America was not always January 1.

ANCIENT NEW YEARS

The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible cresent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring).
The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a new year. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new crops, and of blossoming. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.
The Babylonian new year celebration lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to say that modern New Year's Eve festivities pale in comparison.

The Romans continued to observe the new year in late March, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun.
In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the new year. But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar. It again established January 1 as the new year. But in order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days.

THE CHURCH'S VIEW OF NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS

Although in the first centuries AD the Romans continued celebrating the new year, the early Catholic Church condemned the festivities as paganism. But as Christianity became more widespread, the early church began having its own religious observances concurrently with many of the pagan celebrations, and New Year's Day was no different. New Years is still observed as the Feast of Christ's Circumcision by some denominations.

During the Middle Ages, the Church remained opposed to celebrating New Years. January 1 has been celebrated as a holiday by Western nations for only about the past 400 years.
NEW YEAR TRADITIONS Other traditions of the season include the making of New Year's resolutions. That tradition also dates back to the early Babylonians. Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.
The Tournament of Roses Parade dates back to 1886. In that year, members of the Valley Hunt Club decorated their carriages with flowers. It celebrated the ripening of the orange crop in California.

Although the Rose Bowl football game was first played as a part of the Tournament of Roses in 1902, it was replaced by Roman chariot races the following year. In 1916, the football game returned as the sports centerpiece of the festival.

The tradition of using a baby to signify the new year was begun in Greece around 600 BC. It was their tradition at that time to celebrate their god of wine, Dionysus, by parading a baby in a basket, representing the annual rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility. Early Egyptians also used a baby as a symbol of rebirth.
Although the early Christians denounced the practice as pagan, the popularity of the baby as a symbol of rebirth forced the Church to reevaluate its position. The Church finally allowed its members to celebrate the new year with a baby, which was to symbolize the birth of the baby Jesus.
The use of an image of a baby with a New Years banner as a symbolic representation of the new year was brought to early America by the Germans. They had used the effigy since the fourteenth century.

FOR LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR

Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year. It was once believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.
Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.
Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

Have a wonderful New Year's Day.

Love Always,

Brenda

Success comes to he who is willing to work hard, fight a good fight and sacrifice everything when necessary. (Brenda A. Ysaguirre)

As we near the end of another year we are faced with many new challenges. The economical situation at home and abroad dims the festive moment. If what the analysts are saying is true, we can look forward to a new year filled with more hardship as more people lose there jobs and many others graduate into a world that offers very little for them. Only the strong will survive. Only those who know the true meaning of sacrifice will succeed. Only the fearless will attain the satisfaction of a hard day's work for a well earned pay. I do not mean to dampen the eve of New Year's Eve. I only want to make sure we all understand that there will be a lot of hardship but that we can win the battle in the new year if we use stamina and sacrifice.

Good Luck to everyone and do have a Happy New Year. Go out or just stay at home and eat some grapes (12 actually to follow the Spanish tradition of one for each month of the year. You eat them just before midnight and our ancestors believed it would give you a good year.)Have a Blessed New Year.

Remember, we can make 2009 all it was meant to be if we work hard and sacrifice when necessary.Brenda A. Ysaguirre

QUIEN INVENTO EL TEMAZCAL?

Parece que los Mayas lo inventaron.
Es un baño de vapor prehispánico utilizado actualmente por los mayas, que por sus cualidades terapéuticas es complemento importante durante sus rituales y ceremonias de purificación.Es parte de una tradición muy antigua para limpiar el cuerpo, la mente y el espíritu que se trasmitió a través de las culturas de el norte de América y sigue en práctica hasta el día de hoy gracias a la tradición oral que de padre a hijo se trasmite en las comunidades mayas.

El ritual del Temascal se realiza dentro de una estructura de piedra como cúpula que el sacerdote ceremonial,. (chaman) limpia y prepara con humo de copal (incienso derivado de una resina de árbol) convirtiéndolo en un lugar sagrado. En el interior del Temascal se acomoda la gente sentada alrededor de piedras volcánicas calientes, previamente preparadas en el fuego del ritual, que se reciben con respeto como “viejos sabios” (abuelitos) , y que son bañadas de te de hierbas que produce un vapor para curar la mete y el espíritu. Dentro del Temascal nos acompaña el Chaman que nos guía por este mágico momento en el vientre de la madre tierra para renacer purificados.

RENACER COMO GUERREROS
En la simbología maya la entrada al Temascal representa el regreso en el vientre materno que nos recibe para curarnos y renacer purificados. Cada uno de los participantes vive la sensación de armonía pacífica gracias a la oscuridad y silencio, que da la posibilidad de conectarse con su interior debido al correr del tiempo que no tiene modo de ser medido, en las practicas mas auténticas puede durar hasta 4 horas. En la antigüedad esta práctica era considerada una prueba para renacer como guerrero.

I AM BUILDING A TEMAZCAL IN MY GARDEN FOR MY SPA.

Once it is done, this Temazcal will house up to 25 persons. I have presently open a massage spa and the plan is to get a mud bath on the premises, too along with beach benches. It will be opened to the public and you are all invited to check us out if you are in the area.

The name of our SPA will be:

Brenda's Recreational Club

Rustic prehiSPAnico

WE WELCOME YOU!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE

Carolyn, Ciarra and Miya

EL GRUPO MAS SUPER DEL UNID, CHETUMAL, Q. ROO

MI QUERIDO AMIGO y MAESTRO, ABEL. Felicidades y amor hoy y siempre. S.Q? T.A!!!

Finally the day is here. Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Millions across the earth rejoice in the coming of this day. Many will be in church, with family and friends or they will just relax at home to a quiet day.

In the past all my Christmas' were spent with my daughter, Carolyn and the past five years also with my grandaughter, Ciarra. This year due to inforeseen circumstances I have not travelled to the USA like I always do. As I write this blog, I am filled with thoughts of the child I brought into this world and the child she brought into this world. So much love and happiness they have brought me and today I am thousands of miles away from them. I can only say that while I will be with other loved ones, it is going to be hard to not remember last year and the years gone by and wonder if this year should have been this way. Unfortunately, it is beyond my control and I can only pray that it is all worth while - this sacrifice I make today. I will be calling them and across the miles I will be hearing that little voice that was so disappointed when she found out that her grandma Brenda was not coming this year.

Ciarra Alexander, my darling granddaughter, I love you and I always will. I am so sorry I cannot be with you this year for Christmas but I promise to try my best to be there in the coming year when I get a longer time off. You see this year we had a really bad time with the flooding in Belize and the school I work at had days off that had to be made up. So, I worked until yesterday and will have to work next week so that I can know if my students passed their classes and can move on to the next level in January. Anyway, the sacrifice will be all worth it if, and only if, the majority of my students pass their courses and can move on to the next level.

I know there is a reason for eveything in this world and so I am filled with the satifaction that they know I love them and that they know i will always be there for them even though I am miles alway.

At this time I would like to send my love to Carloyn and Ciarra. Darlings, you are my light and my happiness. I love you both and Miya, my son-in-law, I love you too. Sorry for changing your Christmas tradition but I will be there in the heart! Have a Blessed Christmas. We are alive and well. That is more than we could ask for. Trust in God and know that everything that happens in life is for a purpose. Like the love of my life always says and I quote: " We have so much to be thankful for. We are alive and millions of people did not wake up today. We have our health and many are sick. We love and are loved. Even when we are miles away, we are never apart. LOVE IS ALL WE NEED. "

Love Always,

Grandma Brenda/Mama

In the light of all this, I reach out to Abel for comfort and happiness. Thank you, dear friend, for being there for me. I sometimes fall beyond your expectations but you pick me up and lead me on. My love for you grows with each dawn and heightens with each dusk. Whether we are together or apart on each given day, you add to my life knowledge, peace, joy and happiness that has grown with each passing day.

Abel, te amo, y siempre te voy a amar. Mi quierido Desestress, tu y solo tu has llegado a un nivel en mi vida que ningun otro ha logrado. Todo mis ayers son necesarios para que mis hoy sean realidad y para que mis mananas sean posibles. El amor que me das, y el amor que te doy son dos distinctos formas de ese amor profundo que nace cuando dos personas apoyan uno al otro. Gracias por ser parte de mi vida. Gracias por abrir mis ojos, para encenarme que la vida es diferente de lo que yo vivia. Mi amor, mi cielo, mi corazon. Hombre en blanco, hombre con tanto, hombre sabio, hombre de mi alma. Feliz Navidad. Mucho amor y mucho deseos. A tu lado estoy. A tu lado abri mis ojos hoy. A tu lado, quierido Abel, a tu lado. No te tengo que decir mas porque lo sabes todo. Te Amo. Paz, querido amigo. Eres el unico hombre que me ha llevado a la luna, y has hecho que toque las estrellas. Besos Especiales siempre.

Tu Chica de la Nueva Vida

A mis companerios de UNID. Felicidades a todos. Espero que nuestro amor y amistad sigue. Eres parte de mi gran familia. Disfruten cada minuto de cada dia como si fuera el ultimo. Vive hoy. No se preocupen por ayer. Ya no existe. (Pero si reprobaron, ayer si no lo vas a olvidar, verdad? jajaja) Viven hoy. Disfruten HOY. Haz de HOY una cancion, una lucha, una felicidad como que si manana no llegara. Y cuando llegue vas ser otro HOY asi que ya saben. LIVE IN THE NOW!!!!

A los profes: Eulises, Adrian, Veronica, Yasmini, Sra. Blanca y Daniela, muchas gracias por su ayuda con mi espanol, gracias por lo que nos encenaron y gracias por su amistad. Les mando un afectuoso abrazo en esta temporada. Feliz Navidad. Mucho amor, paz y esperanza.

Remember everyone: He is the reason for the season. El es la razon por la temporada.

WHO INVENTED THE OBAMA SODA?

The election of Barack Obama has inspired one French entrepreneur to create a new soft drink. The maker of Obama Soda says he hopes his beverage, and its namesake, will inspire young people living in some of France's grimmest housing projects by giving them a little taste of the American dream.
La Courneuve is a working-class suburb only 5 miles from the center of Paris, but it seems a different world from the glittering City of Light. In the drab housing projects — or cites, as they are called here — rows of gray cinder block apartments dominate the landscape.
It is here that 31-year-old Jean-Jacques Attisso has decided to base his advertising business. Attisso grew up in a nearby housing project; like most young people here, his parents were immigrants from Africa. The energetic entrepreneur says one of the biggest problems in La Courneuve is the apathy and hopelessness among young people.
"There is like a gap between this area and Paris," says Attisso. "And for me, it's really important to be here and to try to give a positive message."
Attisso gives back to the community by mentoring young people in his spare time. He says President-elect Obama has inspired young people like nobody else. That, and the fact that one of his clients is a can manufacturer, gave him the idea to create Obama Soda.
The drink comes in a red and blue can featuring Obama's photo and the slogan "Yes We Can." It's the perfect tool to get young people to listen to his message, says Attisso — even if the success story is from another country.
"They know that Barack Obama is American, and here in France, the situation is a bit different," says Attisso. "But still, if someone is able to do that in the biggest country in the world, why not? It could happen in other countries."
On a recent afternoon, Attisso took his energy drink and his motivational message to the La Courneuve youth center.
After astonishing a few adolescents with his cans of Obama Soda, Attisso begins his spiel. He describes Obama as practically an orphan, a guy whose father left him and who was raised by his grandmother. But, Attisso says, Obama studied and kept going.
He tells the boys that they, too, could do anything they want if they work hard and set their minds to it.
Jean Marie Cyrelli, 19, says his father, like Obama's, was African. And he says young people in the French suburbs feel they have no future.
"People don't believe in France anymore," Cyrelli says. "They feel stuck out here in these ghettos in the suburbs, and the young people don't feel integrated with the rest of the country. It's an identity problem.
"They can't find their place in society, and they don't feel French," he says.
Unemployment in La Courneuve and other minority-populated suburban areas is nearly three times the national average. Residents say they face discrimination and exclusion.
And just three years ago, this area and others like it across the country exploded in violence. Young men of African and North African background burned cars and fought with police during nearly three weeks of nightly rioting.
In front of some small shops that include a halal butcher and a grocer advertising African specialties, Attisso stops some younger tweens on their way home from school. They all seem more optimistic than their older neighbors.
"I love Obama cola. This is the first time I've tasted it," says Muhammed Cherki, 11. Cherki says he's sure he could become president of France — but that he'd rather be a chef or the mayor of Hollywood.
When Attisso tells him that African-Americans couldn't even sit down in the front of a bus 50 years ago, Cherki replies that now Obama doesn't need the bus — he's got limousines.
Maria Tudjay, 14, and her friends say they love Obama Soda because it tastes like bubble gum, and that the can is pretty because it's in the colors of the French flag.
"And I'm very proud to drink it, because Obama is such a good example for black people," she says.
When asked if anyone would like to try a soda named for French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the response was unanimous: a chorus of "Non."
"All Sarkozy wants to do is bring the cops here," one boy says. "We don't like him at all."
Despite Obama Soda's success among these young people, Attisso says the cans are not yet on supermarket shelves. For now, he wants to use the drink to convince young people that a French version of the American dream is also possible.

WHO DISCOVERED THE GOLGI APPARATUS?

A Golgi apparatus is an organelle (a structure within a cell).
Other names for the Golgi apparatus
The Golgi apparatus is also known as the Golgi body, Golgi complex, or (in plants) dictyosome.
Why is it called "Golgi"?
It is named after an Italian microscopist, Camillo Golgi, hence the capital "G". Dr Golgi announced his discovery of this organelle in 1898.
Structure, appearance, and location
There may be a number of Golgi bodies in a cell. They vary in size, but a typical diameter is 2 micrometers. In an electron micrograph, each one can be seen to consist of a stack of flattened sacs, each sac (cisterna) bounded by a membrane. A Golgi apparatus is often found in a perinuclear location, i.e. near the nucleus of the cell. It is also typically close to the rough endoplasmic reticulum.
Receiving, sorting, modifying, and dispatching proteins
There is a continuous movement of vesicles (small, more or less spherical membranes enclosing, in this case, proteins) to one side (the cis surface) of the Golgi apparatus.
These vesicles have budded off the rough endoplasmic reticulum, and contain proteins that were synthesized within the lumen of the rough endoplasmic reticulum.
On reaching the Golgi apparatus, a vesicle fuses with it; its membrane merges with that of the Golgi cisterna. The proteins enter the lumen (cavity) of the cisterna.
Within the Golgi apparatus, the proteins are sorted according to their eventual destination. Some of these proteins may be destined to be secreted (released from the cell to perform a physiological function elsewhere) e.g. as digestive enzymes, others will become proteins of the cell membrane (plasma membrane), and yet others will end up in a lysosome or back in the endoplasmic reticulum.
The Golgi body also modifies proteins (e.g. by adding a polysaccharide chain).
Proteins are moved from stack to stack of the whole structure in vesicles that bud off one layer of the Golgi apparatus and carry the proteins to another.
From the opposite (trans) surface of the Golgi apparatus, vesicles bud off and are moved to their various destinations.
Polysaccharide synthesis
A number of other chemical processes occur in the Golgi body, including polysaccharide synthesis. The Golgi body makes the materials of which new cell walls are made during plant cytokinesis.
Does the Golgi apparatus replicate?
No. It is dismantled at mitosis, and reassembled later.
Analogies
Some people like to make comparisons between parts of the cell and other, more familiar, places or processes. A Golgi apparatus has been likened to a business department that handles receiving and dispatch. The items received must be sorted by destination before they can be dispatched. A postal service is another metaphor.
But what about packing and secretion?
Textbooks sometimes say the function of the Golgi apparatus is packing and secreting proteins.
By "packing" they mean that proteins are surrounded by a membrane in the form of a vesicle before they leave the Golgi apparatus. However, the rough endoplasmic reticulum does this too, before sending proteins to the Golgi apparatus. Endocytosis involves something similar. So there is nothing so very special about the Golgi apparatus here.
Secretion means the release from the cell of a useful substance (as opposed to excretion, which is the release of a waste, potentially toxic substance). Secretion happens when a vesicle reaches the cell membrane and its contents leave the cell by exocytosis. The Golgi apparatus prepares proteins for, but not does perform, secretion.

THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE FOR ME

A lot has changed since I last wrote. I became a student at the University UNID en Chetumal, Q.Roo, Mexico in the day sessions, I still am Director of CCC ACE and CJC ACE, I have opened a Health SPA in Corozal Town, Belize and my once calm world now is filled with work, friends, problems, sleepless nights, in all A NEW LIFE. While much has changed, much has remained the same and for that I am grateful. I thank all those who give meaning to my life: my daughter, Carolyn, my granddaughter, Ciarra, Miya, my son-in-law, Triccia, my stepdaughter and Abel, the light in my world and the brain behind many of the wonderful things that I now experience. As this year comes to an end, I give love to all my readers, friends and family for being a part of my life. Thank you for being there and for being energy to my sometimes tired bones. Life is a miracle of people, places and things. How we live it makes it worth living or worth dying for.

The Man who walks this world alone has nothing while the Man who struggles down the path with the help of family and friends lives a life of many splendours. (Brenda A. Ysaguirre aka Brenda Izaguirre Gill)

For the time being the rains have stopped and now we have a cold front over Belize. However, all is not over. Now is the time of recovery. The people in the areas that had the flooding ae still suffering. Many are still not in their homes and many have lost most of their personal properties.
NOW IS THE TIME WHEN WE HAVE TO GIVE A HELPING HAND.
PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY TO THE RELIEF ORGANIZERS WHO ARE GOING TO TAKE FOOD, MEDICINES AND CLOTHING ( AMONG OTHER THINGS) TO THOSE WHO NOW NEED OUR HELP.
In an effort to assist our brothers and sisters who have suffered so much in the past weeks, the YO PUEDO GROUP OF COROZAL and CCC ACE and CJC ACE have initiated a drive to collect non-persishable goods and clothing. THIS IS THE TIME WHEN WE NEED TO COME TOGETHER. LET US GIVE FROM THE HEART.
TO MY READERS ABROAD, YOU TOO CAN HELP. YOUR MONETARY DONATIONS CAN BE SENT TO THE RED CROSS OF BELIZE OR GET IN CONTACT WITH ME AT 501-607-8315 (3pm to 31am Belize time) OR AT 00521-983-131-5669 FROM 7AM TO 11AM (Mexico time).
Thank you and God Bless.

WHO INVENTED THE MILK TANKER BREATHER?

The Milk Tanker Breather was invented in the state of Victoria by Bob Roff.
BOB ROFF: I remember when I told my wife about being on 'The Inventors', she turned around and said, "Bull----!" My invention was designed to stop milk from being spilt out of a tanker. Actually, it was inspired by my wife having an accident with milk being spilt on the road from a tanker.

STUART WAGSTAFF (host, 'The Inventors'): There you are: $1,000 from the Commonwealth Bank Travel Strength. Congratulations!

BOB ROFF: Thank you very much.

STUART WAGSTAFF: We'll see you later.

BOB ROFF: Actually, I won $1000, which was quite handy. I spent it all on bills. Well, I guess I started to be inventive during 1966, when I went down to the Antarctic. Inventors, um...I don't think there's too many that become multibillionaires. I think it's one of those things that you get the satisfaction of having invented something. I've had a pretty full life and I'm still continuing on with it.

WHO INVENTED THE COMFORT CHAIR?

Mount Gambier is famous for many things — its Blue Lake, pine forests, white coralline limestone.
But now, an invention hailed as one of the most important discoveries of this century has come on the scene. And it may make Mount Gambier famous the world over. We present this gleaming star in the world of personal comfort — the deluxe, centrally heated toilet seat. The designer has called his invention the 'Comfort Seat' and he plans to introduce it in seven different colours — white, grey, pink, blue, black, primrose and aqua. There are four different temperature settings on the Comfort Seat, much after the style of an electric blanket.

PRESENTER: Mr Coward, what inspired you to direct your energies towards a heated toilet seat?

MR COWARD: Well, now, if you must know, a very, very cold posterior.

JAMES O'LOGHLIN: Yeah, I must say I wasn't sure about that one until I found out it came in primrose. That really sold me.

WHO INVENTED THE BED WETTING ALARM?

Let's now have a look at another invention from the past — something that's designed to stop children from wetting the bed.

INVENTOR, ON VIDEOTAPE: Well, a full-size pad will be 18" by 24", which we think will be quite adequate. Now, a teaspoon of moisture tipped upon the pad will set the alarm unit off. And that noise, hopefully, will wake the child up. In some instances, it may not wake the child up, but it still doesn't matter, because subconsciously, the trigger mechanism will still be...will still work within the child.

INTERVIEWER, ON VIDEOTAPE: It sounds a fairly cruel sort of way to cure a child of this.

MAN: Well, it is much more effective than, say, using drugs. There are some machines around which use shock therapy, which isn't very good. Um...it is...

INTERVIEWER: This machine, though, it appears to be a form of shock therapy. You wake the child up. MAN: Only audible shock. Normal children wake up anyway, when they go to the toilet, without any prompting.

JAMES O'LOGHLIN: Yes, and if you were a child on whom that invention was tested, you can send your therapy bills to the inventor.

WHO INVENTED THE SANDWICH MAKER THE THE 70'S?

In the 1970s, a man called John O'Brien sniffed the wind and saw the world was changing.
It wasn't just bad fashion and big hair. More women were entering the work force and families were looking for quicker ways to cook dinner. John had six kids, and when they went camping, they loved the jaffles they cooked over the fire so much he decided to import some toasted sandwich-makers from the only place in the world where they were being made: Belgium. He used Newcastle as a testing ground and they sold like hot sandwich-makers. John then tried to get 250,000 more, but the Belgians told him no. "Stuff 'em! I'll build my own," he thought, "but mine will be better." Toasted sandwiches back then were too big and too messy: a culinary treat that was booby-trapped. And when you bit into it, anything could happen. John invented the scissors action, which automatically cut and sealed your toasted sanger. The late John O'Brien patented the scissors action and turned the world of toasted sangers upside down. His company, Breville, have now sold over 23 million sandwich-makers around the world. John O'Brien, we salute you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BELIZE

Today is Independence Day in Belize and as a true Belizean I take this time from the norm to wish each and every Belizean a happy Independence Day. Long Live Belize and Long Live the Belizean People.

Love Alway,

Brenda A. Ysaguirre

WHO INVENTED THE USB WHO CALL A FLASH DRIVER?

When did usb flash drives emerge? Who invented usb flash drives? What's the difference between a USB Flash Drive and a Flash Drive? Well, The USB Flash Drive was introduced in 1996. The USB interfaced NAND memory was invented by Dov Moran. He worked for M-Systems, where the very first Flash Drive was manufactured.

Netac and Trek2000, Ltd. developed similar porducts about the same time. All three companies, M-Systems, Netac and Trek2000, have very similar and hotly disputed patents. The first Flash Drive was manufactured and distributed in Europe under the "disgo" brand name. It was only available in four sizes; 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, and 64MB. The first distributor in North America was IBM.

WHAT GADGET NEVER BECAME SUCCESSFUL? PART IV

During the 1930s, body massage was not seen as a luxury or part of being pampered but was, correctly, regarded as important for maintaining healthy skin and good circulation. However this functional-looking dynamo massager appears neither pleasurable nor safety conscious, as it gave tiny electric shocks to the user.

WHAT GADGET NEVER BECAME SUCCESSFUL? PART III

Highwaymen were a real danger in the late 19th century and this cunning design might just have saved your honour, property and even life. A dainty weapon was concealed in a secret compartment of this seemingly normal ladies' purse. The barrel could hold only one bullet - so you had to make your shot count.