Black Friday in United States

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the USA and falls on the Friday after the fourth Thursday in November. It is a busy shopping day as many people do not have to work. Many start shopping for the upcoming Christmas season.

In the United States, it is very popular to start Christmas shopping on Black Friday. Many stores have special offers with very low prices on some goods, particularly on electronics and popular toys.Most stores only have a few of the most popular items at very low prices. This means that some people go shopping very early in the morning or even overnight to make sure that they will find what they want.

Many people think that Black Friday is the busiest shopping day in the year. In most years, it is the day, on which the most people visit brick-and-mortar stores. However, the day on which most money is actually spent is usually the Saturday before Christmas.
There are some popular theories as to why the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. One theory says that it is because of the extremely heavy traffic on the roads on this day. The wheels of the vehicles left a lot of black markings on the road surface, leading to the term Black Friday.

I just got home from shopping and I found some good/cheap stuff that I needed: a GPS, women accessories and lots of clothes =)

Thanksgiving:be grateful for all the good things in your life!

Most of people in the world have no idea what Thanksgiving is. However, many Americans think of Thanksgiving as a wonderful time to celebrate getting out of school for a long weekend, and eating a great dinner. Or, maybe they think it is the start of the Christmas holiday season. What is the real meaning behind Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, at the end of the harvest season, is an annual American Federal holiday to express thanks for one's material and spiritual possessions. The period from Thanksgiving Day to New Year's Day often is called the holiday season. Most people celebrate by gathering at home with family or friends for a holiday feast. The United States is the only nation in the world that sets aside one day a year as a day of Thanksgiving to our God. Certain kinds of food are traditionally served at Thanksgiving meals. First and foremost, baked or roasted turkey is usually the featured item on any Thanksgiving feast table (so much so that Thanksgiving is sometimes referred to as "Turkey Day"). Stuffing, mashed potatoes withgravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, other fall vegetables, and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner.
So it is that on Thanksgiving Day each year, Americans give thanks to Almighty God for all His blessings and mercies toward us throughout the year.

I think Thanksgiving should not be only today but everyday ! We should be giving thanks to God, everyday of our lives.

Reference: www.wikipedia.com

Flood deaths in Brazil rise to 110!!!

Imagine being homeless at Christmas...

For most of us the festive period is a time to relax and enjoy being with our families, but for hundreds of thousands of people around the country Christmas merely underlines an uncertain future. It's pretty sad what all those people are having to deal with.

Rescue efforts are being stepped up in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, where floods have left 110 people dead and some 53,000 homeless.

The federal government and other states are sending aid, including helicopters to reach stranded residents.
The heavy rainfall of recent days also caused landslides that have destroyed homes and blocked roads in the region.
Eight towns have been cut off by the flood waters while more than 160,000 people are without electricity.
As many as 50 people were still missing in small cities and towns across Santa Catarina state, where torrential weekend rains far surpassed records going back to 1961.
Rain was still falling in Blumenau on Tuesday, and forecasters said it would probably continue until Friday.

In addition, brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced he will release nearly 700 million reais ($350 million) on Wednesday.

Map of Santa Catarina State

References: http://www.cnn.com/

http://www.globo.com/

Weight Loss Pills

Ok.. does this picture look good?

What is the deal with weight loss pills?

I have tried some in the past and have found it did not help with loosing weight. For some people it could help out as for me it does not. I spent more time shaking and feeling agitated than it was worth. I have found that most pills contain a high dose of caffeine and some other drugs that will keep you awake longer. I found I was able to have a slight boost and would not be able to sleep at night. I felt really happy for a while then really depressed. I have decided to avoid using pills and stick to regular exercise. I have a really good friend who takes weight loss pills. She's always trying different ones to make her lose weight. I already told her many times do not do it, but unfortunately she doesn't listening to me.

Pills help you very quickly. You can loose your weight in 2-3 weeks, but when you stopped to take them your weight is back plus few pounds more than you had before. Pills are not solution.Read some books, learn about nutrition and how to incorporate exercise into your busy schedule (some people keep saying that they have to take those pills because they don't have enough time to exercise,but for me its just one more excuse for take them).

There's no magic bullet for losing weight. The most effective way to lose weight and keep it off is through lifestyle changes: Eat healthy, low-calorie foods, watch portion sizes, and engage in regular physical activity. It's certainly no magic pill, but it works. LET"S WORK OUT!!!!

Brazilian economy is finally coming of age!

The Brazilian economy is finally coming close to the dream of creating the "broad mass consumer market" announced in 2002 as a campaign promise by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

For years, the joke in this country was that Brazil's economy was the economy of the future. The morose punchline, of course, was that the future never arrives. But finally, it seems, the future is now.

There's Petrobras, the quasi-state oil company, whose engineers have launched deep-water drilling projects in places as far afield as Angola, Colombia and the Gulf of Mexico. Petrobras announced last fall it had discovered what may be the world's largest oil find in 25 years in Brazil's offshore Tupi field. Tupi could propel Brazil into the ranks of significant oil exporters.After several boom and bust cycles in recent decades, Brazil is in the midst of its best sustained economic growth since the 1970s. Optimism there is high that the country may have turned the corner on the road to stability. And the emergence of companies such as Embraer, Odebrecht and Petrobras is one major factor in Brazil's improved fiscal health."The Brazilian economy is probably at its best moment in 25 years," said Paulo Levy, economist at the Rio-based think tank known by its Portuguese initials IPEA.

Of course, Brazil still faces some serious challenges that could take the wind out of its economic sales. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has invested little in infrastructure, and São Paulo economist Roberto Troster said that is causing Brazil to slip in world competitiveness.

References:

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s CountryData;

http://www.ipsnews.net/

What does love mean to you?

I've been thinking a lot about it and I keep trying to understand this very complicate feeling. But Love is a very deep emotion of varying complexities and levels,I guess.

There are different kinds of love, but the "soulmate" love or the love I refer to as "in love" love, has the main values as other types of love do.There is trust between the two "soulmates", equality, and respect. Each soulmate allows the other to grow mentally, physically, verbally, and spiritually and never limits them. Each person respects the other giving them freedom without doubt. They are able to be open with each other and communicate with each other if they wish however they want to. The relationship is not unhealthy for either partner, and no partner is limited in the relationship. The insecurities of one partner do not hold the other partner back. The partners truly care about each other and are prepared to be selfless and place the other partner's needs over their insecurities. Neither partner is a threat to the other. Their needs and wants can co-exist peacefully, and through troubled times they are able eventually to resolve them how they wish. They truly wish for happiness in their partner's life, even though sometimes they cannot be with the person they love. Anyway, love means many other things and wich I could be writing in here, but I decided get some definitions of love on the web instead:

-a strong positive emotion of regard and affection;

-any object of warm affection or devotion;

-have a great affection or liking for;

-beloved: a beloved person;

-a deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction;

-get pleasure from;

-be enamored or in love with;

-sexual love: sexual activities (often including sexual intercourse) between two people;

Well..I think love is everything. No one can see it but we can feel it!!!!!

Trust in God...Hope in God!!!!

As believers in Christ Jesus, we need to trust in the Lord. When troubles come our way and we don't know what to do, we must trust God that He has all things in control and that He has our best interests at heart.

Psalm 23 (I really like this psalm, because I've been reading every night since I was a kid and it kinda helps you to feel better)

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Welcome to my new blog!!!

Finally!It happened. I'm launching my newly redesigned blog! I haven't blogged in a while and it feels good to be finally back in the blogosphere =)

The idea for the blog has been ''brewing'' in my mind, but I never had the time to dedicate to starting it up. Some of my friends do it and in my opinion, it's the best way to express oneself, you can reflect while you're writing. Today, I was reading Paula's blog and realized that if I was waiting to ''have time'' to start it that I never would.

I thought about wich language should I pick and English is perfect because I'd really like to improve my writing skills.

I'd like to express my thoughts, feelings & what is happening now in my life.

As you could see, this is the right time to get started!

Few hours ago, I received a very special phone call from someone who I've been missing so much.

She's great as a friend, I could tell from the first day when we met.

I've been learning a lot and I'm sure we'll always be really good friends.

Paula... Thank you so much for your friendship. We can be thousands miles far apart, but whenever you need I will be there for you. Love yah!