A FIRST IN WHITE HOUSE HISTORY?

Clinton: Determined to be the xxxxxxxxxxxObama: Determined to be the First
First woman elected PresidentxxxxxxxxxxxxxBlack elected President













ill be the extHillaryClinton Senator Hillary Clinton seeks to become First Woman elected to White House and Senator Barack Obama will be the First Black elected President of the United States in case he will win 2008 Presidential election.

Just checking the news today, Polls shows that they are the top contenders for Democratic Party's presidential nominations. Which Democrat would be more competitive? Which candidate would fare better against likely Republican nominee John McCain?

The first caucus was held here in Iowa, Obama won. But Clinton captured the biggest prizes, California, her hometown New York and Massachusetts. She also got New Hampshire and Nevada.

On their Super Tuesday showdown, Obama won 13 states: Georgia, Illinois, Delaware, Alabama, North Dakota, Utah, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, Alaska and Missouri , some of them smaller, and Clinton won eight: California, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Arizona.

Well, I'm not really into politics and I'm not voting here ( got a woman President already in my homeland). I remember Hillary Clinton only for her controversial issues while she is the First Lady of Billy, whereas his Second Lady working with them in the White House. And her performance as Head of a White House task force to reform the U.S. Health care system is not remarkable. More controversial issues was her role in Whitewater Land deal, and her vote to authorize Military Intervention in Iraq.

As for Obama, Ophra Winfrey can get people(lot of fans) vote for him, she even raised million of dollars for Obama's campaign. She even draws big crowd here in Iowa, (knowing not a lot of blacks in here) during their campaign here. How important are endorsements? Especially from a celebrity who talks to millions of people a week in her top-rated daytime talk show in television, publishes a weekly magazine and has a radio show. It's proven whatever she suggests or says, people will do , unbelievably influential figure.

Of course, (since I don't know about politics here) first time I hear his name (Obama),being one letter off from US #1 terrorist, (i know its silly, is it only me?), its like Osama . So, I thought Americans will not like him, but surprisingly, he is leading the caucuses now, Hillary needs to get more percentage to be able to cope up with Obama's figure. But what's in a name, it is really that simple Muslim sounding name in it? I was exposed to a Muslim environment 3 years of my life aware of the words and names of Muslims, his full name is Barrack Hussein Obama, its so interesting. I have a lot of Muslim friends by the name of Hussein, Barrack, Osama, etc. working in King Fahd Hospital in Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

Just curious though, so I thought I'd look more into his Muslim/Islamic background if any. He was born mixed with a white mother and black father, they got divorced and his mom married a radical muslim man, he attended Muslim School in Jakarta (another Muslim solid country). According to sources, his stepdad introduced him to Wahabism, its the radical teachings of the Muslim terrorist?

I am not sure if its true but when he was sworn into office, he did not use Bible instead use Koran, and turns his back to the US Flag?(this is not from me, hehehe, just hear it from others). Just very intrigued to find this info, but no matter what his background, his color, the point is, not all Christians are Christ and not all Muslims are terrorists! don't look at religion, thinks about what person has accomplished and also are they making promises that are realistic.

Extra-ordinary bond

I was about to hit the bed when this documentary came on about Abby and Brittany and I was immediately hooked. This was the first I had seen about these girls & they really are amazing, I think those girls are so strong minded and brave, the way they dealt with people staring at them, and the way they said "we'd rather people asked us questions rather than take pictures"...... it showed such a level of maturity.

This is an astonishing case to the Medical world, confounding all expectations of Dicephalus Conjoined twins (I'm always fascinated with conjoined twins, siamese twins and the like), with their bodies so closely linked it was clear the separation was out of the question. How can two people live in such a close and constant proximity for an entire lifetime?

Sharing bodily functions makes the challenges, Abigail controls her side of the body while Brittany controls her side, meaning, when they walk or run, its a coordinated effort between two brains. Each twin has no sensation of touch from the arm of the other. I was amazed by their coordination, they can type together, when they controlling separate hands, or that they finish each other's sentences so easily.

Each twin controls 1 leg, and 1 leg. Apparently they dont have "cross" sensation.
They have two spines which join at the pelvis.They have two stomachs, three lungs, and two arms. I mean above the belly, they have mostly two sets of organs, Three kidneys, 3 lungs, two stomachs, 2 livers. But only 1 intestine and one reproductive organ.

There are endless questions from this documentary about their life. If each twin controls one one arm and one leg, how can they ride a a bike? Swim? Type in the computer? Hit a baseball? when they drive, how do they decide where to turn to? And do they get one license or both of them will get?

The questions about the driving license was answered in the Documentary on their 16th Birthday, they each take the test and having passed, (both turning the wheel, so interesting see them driving) each received their own driving license. (Uhh, good job girls, I can't even take my own driving test yet, still scared, hehehehe).

They seemed to me like two amazing individuals who can show us all the true meaning of cooperation and unconditional human love and tolerance. I love their attitude and how the family just wants a normal life for them.

Congrats on your Driver's License, have a fun summer, girls!

A clip from on the girls is available on YouTube.

Snow Pains

I had only 3 days work last week because of Winter Storms. They cancelled Wednesday and Thursday School. And who wants to go out with below zero temperature plus blowing chilly snows? So as expected, I will be staying home all day but as I can see the snow accumulating in our front yard, driveway, parking spot, and most importantly the sidewalk, I decided to get the shovel and try shovelling coz' I don't want to walk in the snow tomorrow when the school resumes. As I can see some neighbors having fun doing it, there's an excitement for me, my first time to do it.

Haven’t tried it before, very confident that I will be enjoying doing it, our pathway from the door to the sidewalk streets is like 15 yards, (see right photos,our house is far from the street, this is long enough compared to the houses that I see here). And this season, the snowfall amount is unusually high compared to my first winter last year. While most can feel the burn of a hard day of shovelling and realize the stress it can put on your back, few realize the severity of this strain, including me. I’m on my halfway when I feel the strain in my back but I want to finish it quickly as possible. I alternately used both my left and right hands but still the excessive stress on my spine is really hurting me. That night, my lower back is really bad, more when I stoop or bend. I realize a combination of factor contribute to the strain put on the lower back by shovelling. The repetition of throwing heavy snow from the shovel, as well as simultaneously twisting and rotating the spine and lifting excessive weight of snow to get the job done faster, all add to strain and discomfort on the lower portion of the spine.

So, I made an adjustments to put my spine back on track, simple stretching to reduce the strain. I think I will never do shovelling again, or its just I did it the wrong way. My husband even told me that its a man’s work ( I disagree, I told him women can do it too). So, in order how to it the right way, here are some tips:

Some shovelling tips:

• If you experience pain or any kind, stop immediately.
  
• Be sure that your shovel has a curved handle, as this enables you to keep your back straighter when shovelling.
  
• Push the snow–do not lift it. Pushing puts far less strain on the spine than lifting.
  Be sure your muscles are warm before you start shovelling. Cold, tight muscles are more likely to strain than warm, relaxed muscles.
  When you grip the shovel, make sure your hands are at least 12 inches apart. By creating distance between your hands, you increase your leverage and reduce strain on your body.
  
• Your shovelling technique is important. If you must lift the snow, lift if properly. Squat with your legs apart, knees bent and back straight. Lift with your legs. Do not bend at the waist.
  
• Never throw snow over your shoulder.
  
• Remember that wet snow can be very heavy. One full shovel load can weigh as much as 25 pounds.
  
• Pace yourself by taking frequent breaksto gently stretch your back, arms, and legs.
  
• Consider buying a snow-blower. When used correctly, a snow blower will put far less strain on your back than snow shovelling. (source: Colorado Spine Institute)

Early Christmas Presents

It’s only the 23th of December, but Santa decided to bring the gifts early for the girls. He knows that they will not be with us on Christmas Day, so we have an Early Christmas Gift opening.

the girls opening their gifts, I can see the excitement in their eyes while doing this.

And finally, they got what they wanted…..a Barbie Cash Register. They love to play Cash Registers, buying and selling merchandise, acting as a workers in the store like McDonalds and Malls.

they also received a High School Musical 2 DVD from Santa. the happiness in their faces were priceless.

Seems Santa knows that they’ve been good all year, their stockings were full, gift cards, a resort tickets, candies, girlie stuffs, hannah montana and high school musical posters. After the gift opening, we went to the mall to shop. Although, its like zero visibility and very foggy, we drove all the way to Madison to drop the girls, and we had Chrismas Eve dinner at Chili’s. For us, its Christmas already.

Martin Luther King Day

I started working last year of January at Dubuque Community School, and on my 2nd week, January 21st, I took the day off because of this Holiday Celebration, so- called Martin Luther King Day. I do not know King, I only know him as a founder of one religious organization, a religious icon. Being in the University (back in the Philippines)with a lot of student activists and protesters, his name is popular, I remember most intellectual group of students that time idolize Martin Luther King.

Who is this man that even had a National Holiday declared in his honor, an honor accorded to no other American, not Lincoln not Washington, not Jefferson (Washington and Lincoln no longer have holidays — they share the generic sounding “President’s Day”).

Free gifts, free samples, paid survery scams

Who doesn’t love freebies? The best things in life is FREE! . But is there really a free nowadays? My husband always called me “gullible”. Because I am a kind of person who easily believes and trust. I was scammed by friends who loan money and never pay me back. I have a heart that easily gives when someone is in need and begging. While we are watching a commercial for a wonder bra that can enhance boobs, I told my husband is it really working? he laughs and told me, why you easily believe on those commercials, most of them are not true. So, I want to prove to him that I am not a gullible person. But my gullibilty(my invented word) again, was tested…

As I’m reading a forum discussion on my friendster groups, they mention about freebies and paid surveys. They gave some sites for samples and freebies, paid surveys. There is one who testified that she already got a check for her paid surveys. She even attached the check that she recieved. Then, I figured it out, what do I have to lose if I try it, no money involve, after all, they’re only asking for information on your thoughts and opinions. After filling out some surveys on my first day, I received a lot of spam emails and gift offers like $250 gift cards for simply answering a short survey. I tried it and after answering the first batch of questions theres more and more and more products they are offering, I realized not only this “survey’ be a waste of time, it will be a waste of money too. Because before you qualify for your free gift(the $250 gift card)you need to complete a few special offers that equates to spending time and money on services or products you don’t want. There’s a question there that goes like this ” Do you want a free cellphone?”, I checked the box for “yes”. Then, the following day, they immediately shipped my “free phone”, my husband which is in our house that time (I’m at work) refused the “free phone” stating the deliveryman that we doesn’t need it. And maybe its just a mistake. It was after a month when I received a bill from a certain mobile phone company. I never used a phone or never accepted the delivery, how the hell I have a bill? I emailed the phone company and told them to terminate my account that I never used. They emailed me back that they already terminated my account and apologized for the incoveniences. But after a month, I received a reminder about my bill. We called the phone company, lady that we talked to said that I am responsible for the said bill. We reported it to the BBB.

Here’s what I learned about paid surveys scams, the major way they make money is by selling the participant’s contact information to marketing firms. Then, the marketing firms use that data to send unsolicited mails, emails (this is why the reason I received a lot of spams in email and via mail too), and phone calls ( we received a lot of calls from marketing agencies) to the survery participants. These unwanted advertisements is a real nuisance.

I won 1 million

I received the following email. At first glance I know it is a fraud . But to tell you the truth theres this thing inside myself that whoaa maybe this is real and I really won. This money will help my family in the Philippines. I am in the denial state, that this is not a hoax, so instead of ignoring this, I use my precious time to verify this first. First, I googled the Lottery Promotion Sponsor, and I’ve got a lot of testimonials from the victims. Here’s the email that I received:

CONGRATULATION!!! YOUR E-MAIL HAS WON Standard Header Full Message
View SA LOTTERY PROMOTION Add Monday, November 26, 2007 12:44:00 PM
To:Cc:

Congratulation”you have won $1,000,000,00.One Million US dollars winning No:24/2/6/37/15/45 with a ticket number: B9665 75604546 199 in the just concluded draw held to promote South African 2010 World Cup,please call your claim Agent MR.SMITH NELSON Email: smithnelson@hotmail.co.uk Tel:+27 72 727 6662 Give your agent this info: your Name,Address,winning number,Telephone,Age, Sex,Nationality,Company,and Occupation.Yours Sincerely,Mrs rebecca zuma(Zonal cordinator

The same email was received by the victims, however, they answered them, and they soon found out that they have to pay some fee in order to get the winning millions. Then comes the second fee, third fee, and fourth fee, etc. etc. No one has ever received the millions, but many have lost lots of money, and some have even stop their studies, ruin their families, and worst got killed. This so called “Advance Fee Fraud” has become an industry in South Africa, Nigeria and the surrounding countries. Another common name is “419 fraud” after Section 419 of the Nigerian Penal code, the section that specifically prohibits this fraud.

This fraud is difficult to stop, but we can have some fun and have the criminals use their time in vain. That is called scambaiting.