Wandering Christine

Pregnant at 17?

With the nomination of Sarah Palin as VP also comes the public scrutiny of her private life. More specifically the pregnancy of her 17 yr old daughter Bristol. This revelation has brought - again - to America, the reality of teenage pregnancy.

Here are some stats about teenage pregnancy you might be interested in:

• Each year, almost 750,000 women aged 15-19 become pregnant. Overall, 75 pregnancies occur every year per 1,000 women aged 15-19; this rate has declined 36% since its peak in 1990.
• The majority of the decline in teen pregnancy rates is due to more consistent contraceptive use; the rest is due to higher proportions of teens choosing to delay sexual activity

Girls and Boys, Learn - from Bristol, from Jamie Lynn Spears, from all the other teenagers saddled with kids even before they step off high school. As it is, the country has too many incidents of abortion from teenage pregnancies, as well as children for adoption. Parents, educate your kids before it’s too late.

Now that McCain has chosen Sarah Palin to be his VP in this, I deem Very Very Historic Elections, will she be able to get the votes of Clinton? Or of women at that.

There had been talk of Clinton supporters who’ve shifted parties because of the democrats choice for president (Obama), and now there is bigger reason to vote for McCain.

However it isn’t her gender that would get her the votes.

Fact : she is a hunter and anti-abortion (a vital issue for women), a conservative at that. Now whether she’ll be able to get the votes of women or of Hillary is something we have to watch out for in the next few months. She is, after all, just beginning to unravel.

Image by stevegarfield via Flickr

Hillary Clinton is one tough cookie.

Or she’s really just a true-blue politician who does what is supposed to be done. For instance, a few months back Obama and Hillary were in a battle to be endorsed by the Democrat party, and now she’s endorsing Obama.

Nerves of steel.

“No way. No how. No McCain. Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our president,” Clinton said.

or a REAL politician.

“Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. We are on the same team, and none of us can sit on the sidelines. This is a fight for the future. And it’s a fight we must win together,” she said.

You decide.

Image via Wikipedia

…on a plane that is.

With the news hitting our boobtubes about the plane crashes (one in Spain, the next one in Kyrgyzstan and another one  Guatemala), it makes me - a frequent traveler - scared out of my skin to fly.

It has been a long time since humans have first tried to conquer the skies, and so far we have been successful - it’s been said that more people are killed by other modes of transportation than in airplanes, so whatever fear I have of flying should be quelled with that fact.

However, have we been too lenient on aviation standards and such? For example: 9-11. It was sometime before I was able to ride a plane again, and now I feel my fear creeping behind me again with these current wave of plane crashes. I just hope something gets done. I wonder how the presidential candidates will deal with the problems of the aviation industry.

This is nothing more than a personal musing, so bear with me. If you don’t want to read, feel free to do so.

Still there?

There had been news all over the net how MAYBE the candidates and their wives have had plastic surgery in the past. Obama apparently had a nose job, so does his wife while Cindy, wife to McCain, had a few eyelid surgery as well as facelifts.

Should this matter?

I was wondering about it over coffee the other day. Now that plastic surgery has somewhat become a “norm” in our society (teenagers get nose jobs for their sweet 16 parties!), I ask… what’s the fuss? and since when did it matter if they had plastic surgery or not?

Of course, here’s what I found to be the funniest issue for today:

WSJ: Obama May Be Too Thin To Be President

what!? now he’s too thin to run for prez?!?!?!?

Speaking to donors at a San Diego fund-raiser last month, Barack Obama reassured the crowd that he wouldn’t give in to Republican tactics to throw his candidacy off track.
“Listen, I’m skinny but I’m tough,” Sen. Obama said.

But in a nation in which 66% of the voting-age population is overweight and 32% is obese, could Sen. Obama’s skinniness be a liability? Despite his visits to waffle houses, ice-cream parlors and greasy-spoon diners around the country, his slim physique just might have some Americans wondering whether he is truly like them.

You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m not sure how his built should be a factor for his competency and eligibility to be president.

Just another day in Politics.

Learning another language can be quite tough. You have to learn a lot of words, then form those into coherent sentences. That in itself can be very difficult if the sentence structure is very different from your primary language. Example, you are an English speaker then you have to learn Japanese which has a different sentence structure from English. There are ways to make it easier though and most of them involve practice, practice, practice.

Learn from mistakes - While learning a different language, you will make mistakes. There’s no doubt about it. Making mistakes can be embarrassing, of course. But by making mistakes it will be easier to remember after being corrected. Afterwards, when you try to say the same thing again, you will remember what you said wrong and say it correctly. Try to avoid making the same mistake twice, though.

Put it into writing - The most basic method of learning a language is to write it first. It is often easier to remember what we wrote than what we said. So by writing what you learn, it will be easier to remember in the future. Of course, you also won’t learn just by writing so do both - say it and write it down. It’s also a good thing to write it as how it is written, like Chinese characters for Mandarin for example. You’ll be able to learn a lot from that.

Talk to yourself - There are times that we don’t have anybody to talk with. In that situation, try using your imagination. Imagine talking to yourself and try to speak as fluently as possible. Think of a topic, and then just keep talking about it. Since there’s nobody there anyway, you wouldn’t look like an idiot. So don’t be embarrassed!

Share what you learned with others - If you know someone you can talk to, try using some of the words you learned during the conversation even if they don’t know what you are talking about. Afterwards, tell them what the words mean. It is something I frequently do when I try to learn a foreign language so I can remember it easily. Just make sure to tell them what you are trying to achieve or they’ll think you are simply messing around. It happened to me once. Also, make sure you are telling them the correct things or that would be embarrassing if they found out you were wrong at some point.

Watch movies or read novels - A language teacher told me to do this while learning. By watching movies in a foreign language, not only will you learn new words but also the correct way of saying them. Also, most of the dialogs in those media can be used in casual conversations. So by doing that, not only are you learning the language itself, but also learning how to use it in a casual conversation. It’s also good practice since you will be forced to keep up with trying to understand what the characters are saying.

Be enthusiastic - This not only applies to learning foreign languages but also learning stuff in general. By being enthusiastic about learning something, you will have that positive vibe that will help you learn quickly and easily. Again, don’t worry about making mistakes. It happens to everybody so don’t let those affect you.

Learn with a partner - Or go the full mile and get yourself a girlfriend or boyfriend. Just kidding, although that was half meant. I remember a language teacher saying that the best way to learn another language is to get a lover. Another student took it a step more and said “The best way to learn another language is in bed”. He got bonked on the head promptly by our teacher.

When somebody says lagoon, I’m sure a picture of a body of water comes into mind instantly. A lagoon is just that - it is a shallow body of salt or brackish water that is separated from the sea or ocean either by coral reefs or sandbanks. The word lagoon may have originated from the Venetian word laguna meaning “empty space”. With that definition, the waters in the middle of a barrier reef or atoll reefs like the ones in French Polynesia would be considered as lagoons.

Usually, lagoons formed by the growth of coral reefs make the lagoon quite pretty with the water turning bluish and the surrounding area, green. here are some of the most beautiful lagoons I’ve seen.

Christmas Island - Kiritimati is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands and is known to be the island that has the greatest land area of any coral atoll. The island is also the first inhabited place on Earth to experience New Year’s Day each year. A funny fact is that although the name Kiritimati sounds Polynesian, you just have to replace “ti” with “s” and it sounds a lot like Christmas.

Lagoa dos Patos - Lagoa dos Patos is located in Rio Grande do Sul in Southern Brazil and is the second largest lagoon in Latin America. It is seperated from the Atlantic ocean by a sand bar around 8 kilometers wide. Apparently, it is the the remains of an ancient depression in the coastline.

Balos Lagoon - Balos Lagoon is located at the western coast of Crete, Greece near Kissamos. It is also recognized the one of the most beautiful spots in the area. It’s a few minutes away from Gramvoussa by boat but its warm turquoise waters is something that you won’t forget for a long time.

Blue Lagoon - A geothermal spa in Iceland and one of the most visited attractions in the country. The lagoon itself is fed by the water output of a geothermal power plant near it keeping the bathing and swimming area of the spa at around 40 degrees celcius. The water is rich in silica and sulfur. The spa is known for treating skin diseases like psoriasis.

Bora Bora - I have to admit that this well-known island still has the most beautiful looking lagoon I’ve ever seen. Bora Bora is an island located in French Polynesia and is surrounded by a barrier reef and lagoon. Many species of sharks inhabit the waters around it and snorkeling or diving is still one of the best activities for this destination. Over-the-water bungaloes have become a standard feature of most resorts in the area since three decades ago when Hotel Bora Bora started the trend.

I have traveled a lot and have picked up a few words from where I visited. Especially in Asia, some people have mixed their own dialect with English and created a whole new word. In other countries, some have words that mean something extraordinary or outrageous. I have found some words all over the web as well so here are 10 non-English words and their meanings.

Layogenic - From the Philippines. It combines the words “Layo” meaning “Far” with “-genic” from “photogenic”. The word describes someone who is beautiful or handsome from far away but not-so-beautiful or handsome upclose.

Talikodgenic - Another one from the Philippines. It’s basically a mix of the words “Talikod” meaning “to turn around showing your back” and the “-genic” from “photogenic” to create a word that describes a person who looks good when showing his or her back but not-so-good when facing you.

Jayus - From Indonesia. It describes someone who tells a very unfunny joke that you can’t help but laugh about it.

Embarazada - This is Spanish for pregnant. What makes it funny is because it closely resembles the word “embarrased”. When native English speakers say it in front of Spanish speakers, most usually interpret it as “I’m pregnant”. It sets up hilarious situations, I tell you!

Slikpik - Slikpik is a popular lotto choice in Australia (also known as Quick-pick or Auto-pick). However, in Dannish it’s quite offensive since the word “slik” means “lick” and “pik” could mean a d-, I mean a man’s genitals. You get what I’m saying?

Bablat - Something interesting I found out while browsing. It’s a Hebrew word for something similar to “baloney”. Though it is an acronym for “beelbool beytseem le-lo takhleet” which means “bothering someone’s testicles for no reason”. Whaaat?

Gattara - The Gattara are a minority community of Sri Lanka’s past but are now nearly nonexistent. They were a sub-caste of the Govigama during the British period. In Italian however, it describes a woman who feeds stray cats.

Rhwe - Rhwe is a Tsonga word from South Africa. Basically, it means to sleep on the floor while drunk and naked. The information about the word rhwe came from a book titled “The Meaning of Tingo”, by Adam Jacot de Boinod.

Jug - We know what it means in English. A container for holding liquids. Or it could also be the popular slang which refers to women’s breasts. In Romania however, it means yoke - the thing that people put on oxen to make them work together.

Fag - Hold your horses! It’s not what you think! Although the popular usage of the word seems to be directed at homosexuals (well for English speakers, that is), it’s actually a Romanian work for beech - the tree or the hard wood that is used as a low cost alternative for Oak, Ash and Hickory. Seriously. I really meant the foreign word!

If you have plans to visit the perfectly aged country of Spain, you should be there in time for the annual pandemonium. You have to make sure that you don’t have any agoraphobia. You need to have the stomach to run fast or strength to throw. Yes, Spain takes pride on its yearly crazy festivals.

The first one is the Pamplona Bull Run in San Fermin. It takes place in the balcony of the Casa Consistorial in Pamplona. Thousands of people, both local and tourist, are waiting in the square for the bull to chase them all. If you want to be there and get that Spanish high from running, you have to take note of the following:

• The event starts on July 7 every year.
• The run begins at 8:00 A.M. Be there around 7:30 or earlier.
• The bulls will be coming from the corral at Santo Domingo.
• The distance of the run is 825 meters, which lasts 3 minutes.

Also, don’t forget some other precautions.

The La Tomatina Festival in Buñol, Spain is the second Spanish crazy festival. Every year this so-called tomato fight happens near Valencia. The occasion is actually the highlight of the Spanish summer festivities. It’s a chaotic affair that rockets off the local population from 9,000 people to 30,000, including the visitors. You should remember:

• The Spanish fiesta is held every last Wednesday in August.
• The tomato fight happens between 11 A.M. and 1 P.M.
• Get a train ride from Valencia to Buñol at 8:08 A.M., 9:08 A.M. or 10:08 A.M.
• Change your shirt before riding back to Valencia, there are no public showers in Buñol.

Check the rest of the festival rules.

Events like these are perfect for those who clamor for wild crowds and scary exhilarating experiences. In fact, most road junkies in Europe head to those places during such time of the year.

Even in the age of all out girl power and other feminist advocacy, there are still countries that conceive women as second class citizen. It’s not just about how they are treated or abused. They also barely have access to education, health care and even the simplest form of human freedom. According to the United Nation, these are the countries where it is not healthy to be a woman.

In HAITI, rape has not been a criminal offense until 2005. However, rape only becomes a crime if the victim is a virgin. Sexual assault and rape are part of Haitian woman’s life. According to the United Nation, it is not culture or tradition that put local females in jeopardy, but it is poverty. The limited value of women also pushes them to take their selves for granted. After all, they don’t have those rights like the men. Some of them even exchange sexual favors for money. Others just submit because of helplessness.

In MOLDOVA, Trafficking women for prostitution is a daily business. This small country located between Romania and Ukraine is the worst country to be a woman in Europe. Women are recruited and promised with a good salary and better self worth. Ironically, women can keep up with men in terms of getting a job in Moldova. However, it is their weakness that makes them vulnerable. They rather rely on their male counterpart for financial support. Domestication is the “only” job for women. Also, Moldovan culture says that when the man abuses his woman, it means that he loves her.

In NEPAL, A woman’s word is only half true. Females have no economic rights. Their only legal role is to become a wife and a mother. They actually marry at very young age. A marriage also means complete surrender to the man. Nepali women lack the basic emancipation and education. As a result, they cannot function normally without any aid from their husband. Also, it is hard to give birth in Nepal. It is one of the deadliest countries to bear a child. Only 1 out of 5 babies survives.

In PAPUA NEW GUINEA, traditional attitudes and customs dictate that women should be lesser than men. They don’t have enough access to information as well as basic health care in order to improve themselves. What’s worse - women are often accused of sorcery. If someone becomes sick or dies in the village, a woman is blamed. She will then be beaten, raped and even killed in some instances. Not to mention, women with HIV are growing in number in PNG. Its society does not believe in safe sex.

In SIERRA LEONE, women are only expected to live in their 40’s. The United Nation reports that the country has the worst gender inequality. It is also a normal fact that in every eight women giving birth, one always dies in the process or even during the pregnancy. Aside from deprivation, one third of Sierra Leone’s women have been sexually abused and raped. Such incidents have heightened during the civil war. Just lately, the government has recognized this issue. A law has been passed making wife-beating a criminal offense among others. However, enforcement is still in question.

In YEMEN, women have to be married even at the age of 12. This ultimately results in very poor health for babies and their mothers. Children are expected not to live long. Women, on the other hand, live a very restricted life. They have to ask their father’s or husband’s permission before doing anything like traveling.

Although international programs are pushing through to promote woman empowerment, it is still very hard to beat the local system. The greatest enemy is social belief, culture and tradition. If the women themselves will not change their minds, then the unfortunate drama will continue throughout generations.