From: Rodrique Ngowi

http://atasehirilaclama.com/happy.php?Rodrique_Ngowi

Rodrique Ngowi
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This from @AP: What President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney said in their third and final presidential debate: http://apne.ws/VxvAFW

Video I shot while on holiday in Tuscany, Italy.

I met a very rare cat with two faces the other day. It's name is Frank and Louie. The cat was not expected to survive for more than just a few days, but it has now lived for more than 12 years, making it the longest-living two-faced cat on record, according to the Guinness World Records.
The story of the cat and its owner, whose big heart saved it from being put to sleep at one-day-old, is very touching.
Below are links to a story I wrote and video I shot for The Associated Press:

Mass. cat with 2 faces lives 12 years, sets record

By RODRIQUE NGOWI 
Associated Press

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - Frank and Louie the cat was born with two faces, two mouths, two noses, three eyes - and lots of doubts about his future.

Now, 12 years after Marty Stevens rescued him from being euthanized because of his condition, the exotic blue-eyed rag doll cat is not only thriving, but has also made it into the 2012 edition of Guinness World Records as the longest-surviving member of a group known as Janus cats, named for a Roman god with two faces.

"Every day is kind of a blessing; being 12 and normal life expectancy when they have this condition is one to four days," Stevens said, stroking Frank and Louie's soft fur as he sat on her lap purring.  "So, he's ahead of the game; every day I just thank God I still have him."

READ MORE HERE: http://apne.ws/rlF6rP

You want to see the cat and its saviour? Check out this AP video I shot.

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I was at a gold party in Connecticut the other evening.

Party goers came bearing their gold bounty in silk jewelry bags, purses, zip-lock bags and mailing envelopes.

Below you will see video footage I shot as guests gathered at Cheryle Podgorski’s kitchen to sip on some wine, taste delectable treats and swap stories behind some of their unwanted, outdated or mismatched gold they were going to sell to Maggie Percival that evening for cash.

Gold parties, that first began to thrive in Michigan amid problems in the auto industry th

ere, have become increasingly popular around the nation as desperate Americans seek  for ways to raise money for personal use, fun or to finance charity projects amid a deepening economic recession.

At the party I attended, guests donated part of the money they got from selling their gold to a Connecticut charity Podgorski runs that provides free prom dresses to high school girls who cannot afford one.

Seating at a dining table, Percival, a representative of a Michigan-based business that has aggressively promoted gold parties, used a jeweler’s loupe, an electronic gold testing kit and a digital measuring scale to test and appraise the jewelry before paying friends and aquaitances on the spot for their gold.

The parties essentially tap onto a hostess and organizer’s social connections to drive up attendance and the presence of friends to reassure partygoers that selling gold may not be a taboo. Their settings, a home of a friend or an acquaintance, set them apart from pawn shops and jewelry stores that also compete for the same business.

 Check out the video clip below that I shot at the party. © Rodrique Ngowi. All Rights Reserved.

America has turned to an extraordinary man to deal with extraordinary challenges. 

Barack Hussein Obama -- whose Kenyan father abandoned him at  young age and watched his mother lose a desperate struggle with cancer -- has been elected the 44th President of the United States of America. He becomes the first African-American to win the nation's highest office.

But he takes over The White House at a time the world's largest economy struggles to deal with the worst economic downturn in more than 70 years,  a slumping housing market, its troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, its rivals around the world looking for opportunities to challenge its leadership and the nation smarting from a bruising campaign season.

Few American presidents have taken over the Oval Office facing such serious challenges.

 The man Obama defeated in the presidential election, Arizona Senator John McCain, acknowledged the significance of the outcome. He called and congratulated Obama for being elected the first Black American to be elected U.S. president. 

McCain also noted that Obama's election will make African-Americans proud.

One of the leading African-American figures, former U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell, said Obama's victory was particularly significant because he ran for office as "an American who happens to be African."

Powell, a former U.S. millitary chief, said he was not ashamed to admit in public that he shed tears -- together with his wife and son -- when Obama was declared president elect.

Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson -- who was twice candidate for the Democratic party nomination for president -- also was seen shedding tears after Obama was elected. 

Obama was elected after an extraordinary campaign that saw him beat formidable political rivals.

He first defeated New York Senator Hillary Clinton to win his party's nomination before taking on McCain, a Republican, in the general election .

Obama also harnessed the power of the internet in ways never seen before, helping him raise more than $600 million from donors around the country to fund the most expensive campaign in U.S. history.

He also inspired millions of young and new voters to register and cast their ballots, a move that ultimately paid off as these essentially made the difference between the number of votes garnered by McCain and himself.

Obama ran a very disciplined campaign that enabled him to focus on his election message, instead of scrambling to put out small fires that could have been sparked by gaffes.

Obama campain's rallying cry was "Yes, We Can." But the president elect's first message to the nation was simple and straight forward: the tasks of rebuilding the economy and delivering on campaign promises may take longer than just one term in office. 

As Americans prepare to elect a new president, one result is very clear -- one of the two candidates is guaranteed to make history. 

If elected, Democrat Barack Obama would be the first African-American to be elected President Of The United States of America. And his opponent, Republican John 

McCain, would be the oldest person taking over the presidency for the first term if he is elected to office.

As campaigning heats up, one cannot escape witnessing the political contest play out on TVs, on the radio, online, in the mail and right in the streets.

I was walking the other day near Harvard University and saw Obama supporters seeking out potential voters, talking to them,  encouraging them to vote and asking for contact details to continue keeping in touch. There was no evidence of McCain supporters in the neighborhood, partly because he deployed fewer resources in Mass

achusetts because the state has a history of voting for Democratic presidential candidates.

Here are some of the photos I shot during my walkabout, including a mannequin  wearing a message promoting Obama.