Absolutely. It makes me laugh when people will jump on a thread without reading it fully just to go after specific posters just to stop them from expressing their right to their opinions, yet no one put a bullet to the complainers' heads and forced them to read it. That kind of bullying tactic throws the thread of course, and the reason it ends up getting deleted or locked. Same poster does the same sh*t in P&R. I just ignore him.

As long as everyone stays within the rules of the forum, then no one shuld be telling us that we can't express our opinion on the topic. On top of that, not one single poster on this thread said Sammy couldn't do what he wanted with his skin.
[Edited 11/12/09 8:41am]

Absolutely. It makes me laugh when people will jump on a thread without reading it fully just to go after specific posters just to stop them from expressing their right to their opinions, yet no one put a bullet to the complainers' heads and forced them to read it. That kind of bullying tactic throws the thread of course, and the reason it ends up getting deleted or locked. Same poster does the same sh*t in P&R. I just ignore him.

As long as everyone stays within the rules of the forum, then no one shuld be telling us that we can't express our opinion on the topic. On top of that, not one single poster on this thread said Sammy couldn't do what he wanted with his skin.
[Edited 11/12/09 8:41am]

Let's start by you proving I haven't completely read the thread shall we?

What bullying?
Never said you couldn't express your opinion(s).
I'm just expressing my disagreement. Is that allowed?

Does someone have to literally say what is being implied?
My response is MY response. Feel free not to read them.

Is there PICTURE proof that Sammy said this. If not, get over it. Plus, I have a college degree.

Let's start by you proving I haven't completely read the thread shall we?

What bullying?
Never said you couldn't express your opinion(s).
I'm just expressing my disagreement. Is that allowed?

Does someone have to literally say what is being implied?
My response is MY response. Feel free not to read them.

Let's start by you proving I haven't completely read the thread shall we?

What bullying?
Never said you couldn't express your opinion(s).
I'm just expressing my disagreement. Is that allowed?

Does someone have to literally say what is being implied?
My response is MY response. Feel free not to read them.

She's not talking about this thread, there was another one on this topic that got deleted due to a lot of shenanigans. Maybe you missed it, so you might wanna dial it back.
[Edited 11/12/09 8:47am]

She's not talking about this thread, there was another one on this topic that got deleted due to a lot of shenanigans. Maybe you missed it, so you might wanna dial it back.
[Edited 11/12/09 8:47am]

How about you stop replying to my posts. I've ignored your posts for over a year, and it would be a great honor if you don't reply to mine at all.

That's not gonna happen.
And you have not ignored my posts for over a year.

Sammy Sosa Saga appears to run skin-deep

CHICAGO -- Happy 41st birthday, Sammy Sosa, or however old you really are.

We send only our best wishes for you to stay young long after the tubes of anti-aging cream are squeezed dry.That's what all this silliness is about, folks -- a harmlessly vain Sosa feeling as equipped as Kevin Gregg for the late inning of life.Years in baseball's spotlight damaged Sosa's ego more than his skin. The skin-lightening product Sosa is believed to be putting on his face twice a day is best known throughout the United Kingdom for its anti-aging effects.

So the creepy picture of Sosa at the Latin Grammys looking like the latest addition to Madame Tussauds wax museum has little to do with too much day baseball at Wrigley Field. Sosa's explanation to a Hispanic TV show that he needs the special cream to combat "playing at 1:20 p.m. in Chicago for 19 years," frankly seems, um, beyond the pale.

Ever see Ernie Banks, who played 2,528 games as a Cub, looking like a bleacher bum?Sosa's actual Cubs tenure lasted 13 years, but he has a history with inflated numbers. Anyway, the thing we remember most about Sosa's skin was that it could be pretty thin.

In fairness, did Sosa roaming the outfield for 917 career games at Wrigley expose him to enough sunlight damage that requires skin rejuvenation? Sure, professional dermatologists say. Any beer vendor probably can relate.

"Years of chronic sun exposure and all the ultraviolet rays could have made his face darker than the rest of his body and made him feel uncomfortable," said Dr. Melanye Maclin, a noted dermatologist in Maryland who grew up on the South Side.

Maclin hadn't seen the Sosa photo widely distributed around the Internet until Wednesday. Her first reaction when it popped onto her computer screen was: "Wow!" As a medical professional who appears on the Steve Harvey radio show and was featured in the Chris Rock movie, "Good Hair," Maclin recognized a popular culture symptom."Making the skin lighter is becoming the 'it' thing to do for people of color," Maclin said. "I don't find what he's doing unusual at all."

Neither does Abdul Alim, the manager and co-founder of British-based Nur76.com, the Web site that annually sells $20 million worth of the anti-aging, skin-lightening cream. Five years ago in London, Alim and his sister, Nurjahan Begum, developed the dual-function cream made from plant extracts such as licorice and bearberry and based on a non-animal Hyaluronic acid. Many testimonials praise Nur76 as a painless alternative to Botox.

The blog skinbleaching.org.uk first referenced a report acknowledging Sosa's use of Nur76 and, though Alim wouldn't confirm or deny Sosa was a customer, he conceded he has "high-profile clients for whom we create custom formulations." Among them was the late Michael Jackson.

According to Alim, his company sends unlabeled shipments in plain brown packaging to preserve clients' confidentiality because Alim said "many of their relatives don't know they're using it."Asked hypothetically if a client such as Sosa wanted to reverse the process to return his skin to its natural color, Alim said yes.

"The cream doesn't bleach the skin, it just inhibits the production of melanin that gives skin its pigment," Alim said on the phone from his London office.
Thus we have Sosa the former slugger cast in his post-career role of light hitter.

The sight has been a source of humor, such as when comedian George Lopez put pictures on two bottles of beer and said, "Sammy Sosa and Sammy Sosa Light. Tastes great, less threatening."

It also has been the source of scathing social criticism, such as the blogger who viewed Sosa's lighter face as a sign of deep-seated feelings of self-loathing prevalent in the Dominican Republic. Another critic interpreting the racial overtones auctioned off Sosa's blackness on eBay.

"People want to run with that idea, but there's too much unknown to say that," said Brian McRae, a former Cubs teammate who has been critical of Sosa in the past. "I just looked at it as vanity. What's the difference in Sammy doing that and a woman getting plastic surgery? Some of the biggest stars and celebrities also are some of the most insecure people in the world."

If Sosa says he's not trying to look like Michael Jackson, that's good enough for McRae. But cynics who remember the way Sosa played right field at the end of his career may point out it's not the first time he has resembled Jackson

Sammy Sosa Saga appears to run skin-deep

CHICAGO -- Happy 41st birthday, Sammy Sosa, or however old you really are.

We send only our best wishes for you to stay young long after the tubes of anti-aging cream are squeezed dry.That's what all this silliness is about, folks -- a harmlessly vain Sosa feeling as equipped as Kevin Gregg for the late inning of life.Years in baseball's spotlight damaged Sosa's ego more than his skin. The skin-lightening product Sosa is believed to be putting on his face twice a day is best known throughout the United Kingdom for its anti-aging effects.

So the creepy picture of Sosa at the Latin Grammys looking like the latest addition to Madame Tussauds wax museum has little to do with too much day baseball at Wrigley Field. Sosa's explanation to a Hispanic TV show that he needs the special cream to combat "playing at 1:20 p.m. in Chicago for 19 years," frankly seems, um, beyond the pale.

Ever see Ernie Banks, who played 2,528 games as a Cub, looking like a bleacher bum?Sosa's actual Cubs tenure lasted 13 years, but he has a history with inflated numbers. Anyway, the thing we remember most about Sosa's skin was that it could be pretty thin.

In fairness, did Sosa roaming the outfield for 917 career games at Wrigley expose him to enough sunlight damage that requires skin rejuvenation? Sure, professional dermatologists say. Any beer vendor probably can relate.

"Years of chronic sun exposure and all the ultraviolet rays could have made his face darker than the rest of his body and made him feel uncomfortable," said Dr. Melanye Maclin, a noted dermatologist in Maryland who grew up on the South Side.

Maclin hadn't seen the Sosa photo widely distributed around the Internet until Wednesday. Her first reaction when it popped onto her computer screen was: "Wow!" As a medical professional who appears on the Steve Harvey radio show and was featured in the Chris Rock movie, "Good Hair," Maclin recognized a popular culture symptom."Making the skin lighter is becoming the 'it' thing to do for people of color," Maclin said. "I don't find what he's doing unusual at all."
Neither does Abdul Alim, the manager and co-founder of British-based Nur76.com, the Web site that annually sells $20 million worth of the anti-aging, skin-lightening cream. Five years ago in London, Alim and his sister, Nurjahan Begum, developed the dual-function cream made from plant extracts such as licorice and bearberry and based on a non-animal Hyaluronic acid. Many testimonials praise Nur76 as a painless alternative to Botox.

The blog skinbleaching.org.uk first referenced a report acknowledging Sosa's use of Nur76 and, though Alim wouldn't confirm or deny Sosa was a customer, he conceded he has "high-profile clients for whom we create custom formulations." Among them was the late Michael Jackson.

According to Alim, his company sends unlabeled shipments in plain brown packaging to preserve clients' confidentiality because Alim said "many of their relatives don't know they're using it."Asked hypothetically if a client such as Sosa wanted to reverse the process to return his skin to its natural color, Alim said yes.

"The cream doesn't bleach the skin, it just inhibits the production of melanin that gives skin its pigment," Alim said on the phone from his London office.
Thus we have Sosa the former slugger cast in his post-career role of light hitter.

The sight has been a source of humor, such as when comedian George Lopez put pictures on two bottles of beer and said, "Sammy Sosa and Sammy Sosa Light. Tastes great, less threatening."

It also has been the source of scathing social criticism, such as the blogger who viewed Sosa's lighter face as a sign of deep-seated feelings of self-loathing prevalent in the Dominican Republic. Another critic interpreting the racial overtones auctioned off Sosa's blackness on eBay.

"People want to run with that idea, but there's too much unknown to say that," said Brian McRae, a former Cubs teammate who has been critical of Sosa in the past. "I just looked at it as vanity. What's the difference in Sammy doing that and a woman getting plastic surgery? Some of the biggest stars and celebrities also are some of the most insecure people in the world."

If Sosa says he's not trying to look like Michael Jackson, that's good enough for McRae. But cynics who remember the way Sosa played right field at the end of his career may point out it's not the first time he has resembled Jackson

I think tanning is not just an aesthetic of color, but rather is associated with being outdoorsy, maybe having healthy bloodflow in your cheeks (even though, yes, tans themselves are unhealthy). Your skin becoming lighter (paler) is associated with being sick.

So I don't get the aesthetic reasons to lighten your skin when I think people for the most part try to change their appearances to look more young & healthy.
[Edited 11/11/09 16:24pm]

I keep thinking, he looks like something. Than it dawned on me, the movie, "Interview With the Vampire". Mr. SoSa must be one miserable sapp.