A Psalm of Life-------- longfellow.

"A PSALM OF LIFE"

Tell me not in mournful numbers,
"Life is but an empty dream!"
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
"Dust thou art, to dust returnest",
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us further than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums,
are beating Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act -- act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labour and to wait.

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882).

WHAT HAS FOOD GOT TO DO WITH IT? Part 2

I will start off with tips on how to serve beans to make it more palatable and attractive as a meal.It is a well known fact that many people, both adults and children consider eating beans a punishment. Even in Latino cuisine and restaurants where beans feature, beans are served in ways that do the dish no justice at all.

Most of the beans dishes are served as " slimy" bowls of soup. Children hate slimy stuff. In Nigeria, beans dishes are mostly served as sloppy looking mess mixed in palm oil with weevils clearly visible in it and to many, the weevils and the resulting gas from eating beans make the experience undesirable.

Eating beans can be a pleasant activity if the meal is served properly. The best method of cooking beans is in a pressure cooker, which may not be available to many especially in the homeland. Pressure cookers can be dangerous if used carelessly. A pressure cooker will cook the beans properly, leaving them soft and intact, nor mushy. When beans are properly cooked, well done, the gas problem is diminished.

The beans can then be served as a side dish with chicken, fish and other foods. It can also be served half and half with rice and stew. Another way is to serve it with plantains, preferably plantain sliced and baked on a greased pan in the oven. The plantain can be fried, although baking is better.

Combining beans with rice cooked in the same pot, starting out with the beans and then adding rice when the beans is almost done, then adding onions, spices, salt, chopped or stewed tomatoes, vegetables and olive oil, simmer on low heat until done, stir and mix and serve.

For people who love soup, Lentil soup is a real treat, especially in the cold winter. Lentil cooks very fast and will get mushy if cooked with high heat. A wide variety of items can be added to the lentil soup--- onions,stewed tomatoes, chopped vegetables, cut up chicken, fish, olives, mushrooms,spices, a little bit of olive oil and the consistency can be thick which is more filling, to watery for a nice winter soup to get rid of the chill after coming home on a cold day.

Black and white ( black eye )peas or beans cause the most gas. Black beans become a good substitute. Black beans cook quickly in a pressure cooker. They taste great with rice or plantain or stew.

Beans ( any beans) with canned fish like---Sardine, Jack mackerel, tastes great and at same time is a complete meal loaded with protein, Omega 3 fatty acids, calcium from the soft fish bones, and carbohydrate from the beans. A few heads of boiled broccoli or cauliflower will put a finishing touch to that. Some children may not like the brocolli. Ouch, gas, you may think. Yes, but one can take care of that by having papaya for dessert ( papaya is not cheap and may not taste great when purchased from grocery stores). Farmer's markets or fruit stands offer the best choices of papaya. Better still, chewable papaya tablets are available where vitamins are sold. They are advertised as digestive aids and are quite inexpensive. ----------------------------------To be continued.

Back to Diet and exercise and good health------

Diet and exercise play a very important role in maintaining good health. Good health means every aspect of health-- physical and emotional, In the past,most emphasis had been laid on Cardiovascular health and the devastating effects of bad diet and lack of exercise.
Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart disease, strokes and other ailments which have direct link to obesity and bad eating habits, in addition to heredity are currently taking people out in large numbers in our homeland. The absence of adequate health care does not help the situation at all. People are dying in their thirties, forties and fifties from these diseases. One is then left to wonder how our forefathers managed to live to the ripe old age common in the past.

Infant and childhood mortality was high, but those who managed to survive the childhood diseases, mostly caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa, fared well in adulthood. Death in adulthood were mostly due to infectious processes again and those who survived lived to a ripe old age.
Today, in addition to the old infectious diseases and insect borne diseases, the problem of HIV/AIDS,Cardiovascular disease and disease from pollution is as real as can be. The older people are passing on and the younger people are dying in their prime. The life expectancy in Nigeria and especially in Igboland is at an alarming low numbers for both males and females. For many, it is not even clear what caused the premature death. As much as we believe that God decides how long we live on this earth, it is clear that we continue to tamper with God's plan for us by the way we live.

Our environment is under serious attack. Pollution of the air with constant burning of plastic trash and other toxic materials render the air unsafe for human consumption. Our soil and groundwater is under serious attack with the dumping of toxic chemicals, be it at mechanic joints, factories or at home where people dump chemicals indiscriminately. These pollutants find their way to our streams and groundwater which is pulled up from boreholes for consumption. Birth defects, miscarriages, diminished fertility in both males and females, and various forms of cancer are direct results of these various forms of pollution.

Bad diet and bad eating habits have compounded all these problems, making the future look very bleak indeed. It is my belief that our ancestors fared better and lived longer because of the way they lived and the way they respected their environment and their bodies. They were fighting off germs and dealing with genetic issues. Their diet actually had them well equipped to fight for survival and longevity. That has changed today. Eating the wrong things and over indulgence for those who can afford to have become serious and complicated problems, coupled with stressful living conditions.

To be continued-------CE

WHAT HAS FOOD GOT TO DO WITH IT?

I have been receiving inquiries on how I maintain my skin. I have been asked what I use, but my secret is mainly diet and exercise and one or two vitamins. I decided to do this write up on healthy skin, diet and exercise and their connection to good health and overall well being.

(Akwaete, worn a different way, suitable for traditional occasions----igbo dancing, ikwa (igba) nkwu, ikuputa nwa et.c)

Having beautiful healthy skin is a quality many people especially women spend a lot of money on. The cosmetics industry spend a bundle on research and advertising of all kinds of products and miracle treatments and in return they make billions annually selling products which sometimes do more harm than good in the end.

The quest for beautiful skin also drive some, in an effort to bleach their skin to make it look better, to buy products which actually strip the natural top layers of the skin and the natural melanin which God Himself put there for good reason. The most serious form of abuse of the natural skin is bad diet. There is a saying----"garbage in, garbage out."

A lot of the foods consumed today are doing a lot of damage to the skin in many ways, be it clogging the pores in the skin, to stripping the skin of natural emollients. Fried fatty foods, which are the mainstay of many fast food diets are disastrous for the skin, yet many children eat them regularly. Fast food is addicting and the habit is hard to break. The size of the servings keep increasing with the super sizing and double whopping and the damage to overall health and the skin is getting super sized also. Most of the time attention has been focused on the cardiovascular damage done by bad food, bad diet, and lack of exercise.

Very little attention is paid to the damaging effects of bad diet on the skin which shows up as pimples, blackeads, dry skin, oily skin and allergies such as eczema ( by the way, ugwo is not eczema, ugwo is a fungal infection). Skin problems may not be life threatening, but they may negatively affect a person's self esteem and sense of well being. A healthy self esteem and self worth leaves no room for envying others which is a major problem in our society.This is quite different from being arrogant and conceited. It is well known that when people hate who they are, it is impossible for them to love anybody else especially so in children and teenagers who grow up and get into relationships. In other words, being content with who we are holds the key to the way we live our lives and how we interact with others.

Genes play some role in having beautiful flawless skin, but not as much as diet and exercise. When I say exercise, I mean putting the body through activities which produce enough heat to result in serious sweating which cleans out the pores and eliminates wastes which will otherwise cause illness and bad skin. Exercise includes working out in the gym or at home, jogging, walking, and work such as farm work and gardening, which in addition to trekking, were the most common forms of exercise for our ancestors. Profuse sweating which results from such vigorous exercise cleans the skin while cooling the body.

Diet is the next. In the days gone by, our people ate very healthy foods. In addition to the starchy yam and cassava, they got protein from legumes---various types of beans, they also ate lots of fruits and vegetables and nuts, and ate everything in moderation. These fruits and vegetables and palm wine which was also consumed in moderation,provided vitamins and minerals for good health. Strong bones and healthy teeth were also benefits of well balanced diets.
Most of these fruits and vegetables provided anti oxidants which kept certain illnesses at bay.

Oranges, papaya, ugiri, for example are loaded with Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) which plays a major role in healthy gums, wound healing, in addition to being an antioxidant which protects the cells from toxins. Papaya (pawpaw) is also loaded with digestive enzymes which facilitate digestion of gassy foods and has a calming effect on the digestive system.

Red meat consumption was very limited in the old days for various reasons---- not being easily available is one of them, but still protein came from beans (akidi, okwe, okpa,) and fowls,fish,bushmeat and other wildlife. Omega 3 fatty acids for cardiovascular health came from fish which was easily available. Today, most of those healthy foods are considered poor man's food and avoided or reserved for the very poor. The very poor look down on the healthy foods and strive for the so called rich people food and drinks.

A wonderful diet regimen which anybody can enjoy weekly without spending much can rotate around these few items---- Beans ( black beans, lentils, soy are best), oatmeal ( quick oats, Quaker oats) and fruits especially Papaya (pawpaw). These can be augmented with rice, fufu,plantains, and other regular food. Some may complain that beans cause gas. That is true but the enzymes in the papaya take care of that problem. Beans are loaded with healthy protein and enough carbohydrate, and also fiber or roughage which is great for colon health and reducing cholesterol.

Oatmeal is a fantastic food.It is loaded with fiber and is very filling. A bowl of oatmeal can keep a person full for several hours and it is not fattening. It also reduces cholesterol levels. Oatmeal can be ground up and made like fufu and eaten with soup just like pounded yam or cassava. Some may prefer to mix ground oatmeal half and half with yam powder, or unripe plantain powder ( for diabetics), still cutting down their carbohydrates and calories.

Vegetables are also very good for maintaining healthy skin. For those in the homeland, growing as much vegetables as one can for personal consumption and as a means of vigorous exercise is an excellent idea. Such work is very beneficial and helps with not only clear skin, but relieving arthritis and improving the mind. Nothing is more rewarding than watching your work flourish and then having your own rather than buying from the market. Papaya is very easy to grow and matures quickly. Papaya should be a must in every compound. It is loaded with health benefits and is very filling. A bowl of papaya for breakfast is a blessing. It calms the digestive tract and provides needed water. If not full after a bowl of papaya, eat a little bit of some regular breakfast. Eating papaya for dessert after a meal of beans takes care of the gas problem. Unripe papaya for those watching their sugar contains less sugar than the ripe.

Good eating habits is something acquired from childhood or learned with great discipline. I picked up good eating habits from childhood probably for two main reasons. I was provided with healthy food because my father was very conscious of that. Secondly, with a houseful of children and wards, he provided what he could afford---- beans, beans and more beans and we ate it with joy, adding yam, vegetables,plantain and occasionally rice to it for variety. Fruits were always there and vegetables and other native foods like ukwa and staples people grew for personal consumption. I never shook the habit. I eat beans up to 5 times a week, different kinds and never use palm oil in it. I will share recipes later for those who may like to introduce their children to beans at a young age.


TO BE CONTINUED--------- more on healthy eating, exercise and------ DENTAL HEALTH AND DIET.

DEJA VU-------- PUT IT TO GOOD USE. ( JUNE 2007)

Today the Supreme court of Nigeria did the right thing again just like the honorable men they are, the judges did not succumb to pressure or money and reverse their judgment. There was absolutely no merit to the appeal brought to them by Mr Andy Ubah. It was surprising that the some people actually lost sleep over the possibility of Andy Ubah winning this case. No amount of money and Otumokpo or whatever else people use to swing things their way could have worked in this case. Even if the judges received handsome sums of money and other expensive presents as was claimed by some, they were under no obligation to deliver the case to the generous and affluent Santa Claus wannabe. If I were in their shoes, I would take the presents as long as I did not solicit for them and still deliver the interpretation of the law without giving a thought to the generous gift.

The Supreme Court of Nigeria was voted "Man of the Year" for 2007 and today's deja vu confirms that these judges are real Men of Honor. The Judiciary has become the beacon of light which will lead Nigerians out of the dungeon of oppression and corruption where greedy military and ex-military renegades held them hostage for decades.

During these years every area of Nigeria's development became stagnant and actually became wiped out. Our Universities fell off the international radar. Our hospitals
became comatose and died while poverty and disease took a stranglehold on the average Nigerian while a few lived and continue to live like kings in the midst of the suffering and premature dying from disease and crime.

If Andy really wants to rise from this second fall, there are many ways he can brush
off the dust and rise and bring himself even higher that the position of governor which he wants so much. Ndi Igbo n'asi na Agadi nwanyi da nda ada n'bu, oguo ife O bu n'ukpa onu.
This second fall calls for reflection and reckoning. Political power is not the key to success in life. Many successful people do not even engage in politics and public life. They actually shy away from the limelight of political power. They put their names in the history books with their service to humanity. Their works of charity and compassionate giving leave indelible marks in the memories of their people. Some of these great men and women live their entire lives as "servants" improving the lots of the less privileged and providing services which otherwise would not be available to many.

Possibilities abound for Andy Ubah to pick up his ukpa and count the contents before proceeding to rise and shine for Ndi Igbo by using his enormous wealth to improve the lives of the masses in Anambra State and other parts of the Igboland .
There is a medical emergency in Anambra State as we speak. People are dying and dying very young and many people walking around are simply walking dead bodies waiting to fall anytime, anywhere. When people in their thirties and forties, very many people walking around with systolic blood pressure registering over 200 and the diastolic in the mid one hundreds, sometimes coupled with high blood sugar sometimes in the three and four hundreds and these people are totally oblivious of their situation and have big plans and projects they are pursuing. Some will assure you that the vital signs had actually improved from what they used to be.
Many factors contribute to this emergency situation. Ignorance,stressful living conditions, bad eating habits, hardship and useless pursuits are some of the factors involved in this tragedy.
Andy can champion a massive public health awareness campaign with his private jet distributing fliers to his people, teaching people how to take care of their health. He can give out free monitoring equipment for his people to check their blood pressure and blood sugar. He can improve the hospitals and equip them. He can help the health care providers stay on top of things by providing them with computers which will keep them connected to up -to- date information. Andy can rebuild the surgical theaters (operating rooms) which look like butcher joints.
Nutritious food, vitamins, milk and formula for babies and young children and quality pre and post natal care for pregnant women and nursing mothers will make him an overnight hero. Many baby boys will be named Nnamdi (Andy), making the name popular again.
There are so many ways Andy Ubah can "serve" his people and engrave his name in their hearts. No governor will be greater than Andy Ubah, the Philanthropist..

Let this Deja Vu be put to good use.

Chinwe Enemchukwu
Orlando, Florida

In Rememberance of--------NLOGHA ENWELUM OKEKE MD,FACS.

It has been a year since Ndi Igbo and Nigeria lost one of their brightest and most illustrious sons in the person of Dr Nlogha Enwelum Okeke. In a period of months, Dr Okechukwu Ikejiani, Dr Nlogha Okeke and Dr Ene Henshaw ( Cross River State) passed on, leaving Eastern Nigeria without three of her brightest pioneers in the field of Medicine. They were never appreciated for their contributions because the powers ruling Nigeria for the past forty years have no appreciation for true greatness.

This write up was first posted a few days after Dr okeke passed away. I will repost it as a rememberance of a great and humble man, for those who are new on the forum.

CE


A TRIBUTE TO NLOGHA ENWELUM OKEKE MD,FACS.

"That man is a Success"

Who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much;
who has gained the respect of intelligent women and men,
and the love of children;
who never lacks appreciation of the earth's beauty,
or fails to express it;
who follows his dreams,
and pursues excellence in such task;
and who brings out the best in others,
and gives only the best of himself. ------
Bessie Anderson

The above poem adapted from an original verse by Bessie Anderson totally describes the life of Dr Nlogha Enwelum Okeke during his journey through this world. When news of his passing reached me at work recently week, I was stunned beyond words. The caller asked if I was still there and as I attempted to answer, my phone as if sensing my shock cut off at that moment. I quietly went back to what I was doing but my mind was not there.Even my co workers noticed and made inquiries. They expressed their sympathy, but of course they did not understand the magnitude of the loss. I was very grieved, feeling a painful sadness but as I thought back to how long I had known my beloved aunt's sweetheart, I realized it was my entire life, as far back as I can remember. I was amazed at how fast the time had passed with me already at mid life , Dr Okeke must have grown old and I never realized or expected it. He was always in top shape, handsome as ever, unruffled and ever so kind to everyone especially children. I am not saying that anybody who has grown old should die, not at all, but my shock and utter bewilderment at the news slowly gave way to acceptance of the fact that we are all here for a season before we go back to our maker. I cannot start telling stories about Dr Okeke because I will not have enough space. The poem I borrowed above has told it all for me. I will tell only one short story to drive my point home. Many years ago I went home to visit with my young children and we visited my aunt Ifeoma's house at Enugu. My youngest was just over two years old and he still used a pacifier (sucker). He was so dependent on it that I always carried a spare in my bag in case we lost the one he always had in his mouth. As soon as Dr Okeke saw the children his eyes lit up and he was chatting with them and invited two year old Ugo to come to him. He perched on his lap and they conversed . Dr Okeke had a way with children. Left to me he should have been a Pediatrician instead of a Surgeon. The next thing I knew, Ugo pulled the pacifier out of his mouth and offered it to Dr Okeke. That was very serious because the boy would not let anybody touch his pacifier not even me. If it fell to the floor, he would hold it while he was taken to the sink to wash it. On this day, he offered it to Dr Okeke who thanked him and quietly put it in his pocket. When we were leaving he put it in my bag when Ugo wasn't looking. On the way back to Nnewi, Ugo remembered his pacifier and the other children and I were worried about his reaction which would have been prolonged crying until I found the spare, but instead he declared---- " I gave it to big uncle, he can have it " and that was the end of sucking a pacifier. I had no idea what they talked about. My heart goes out to my aunt Ifeoma because she and her beloved husband were so close. Losing him will compare to loosing one arm, but since we know where he is and with the great hope that we shall all meet again, we will continue praying for her and the family he left behind that the Good Lord will uphold and comfort them as they grieve this great loss.
He is gone from our midst but we know he is with the Lord and with that great assurance, I will close with another borrowed poem titled " AWAY" by James Whitcomb Riley

I cannot say, I will not sayThat he is dead. he is just away!
With a cheery smile and a wave of the hand,
He has wandered into an unknown land.
And left us dreaming how very fairIt needs must be,
since he lingers thereAnd you -- oh you,
who the wildest yearnFor old time step and the glad return--
Think of him faring on, as dear in the love of There as the love of Here;
And loyal still, as he gave the blows
Of his warrior strength to his country's foes----
Mild and gentle, as he was brave,
When the sweetest love of his life he gaveTo simple things;
where the violets grewPure as the eyes they were likened to,
The touches of his hands have strayed
As reverently as his lips have prayed;
When little brown thrush that harshly chirred
Was dear to him as the mocking-bird;
And he pitied as much as a man in pain
A writhing honey-bee wet with rain.
Think of him still as the same, I say;
He is not dead- he is just away! ---------
James Whitcomb Riley.

With the incredible legacy Dr Nlogha Enwelum Okeke left behind, I will boldly say like the poet --- He is not dead-- he is just away, at the bossom of the Lord--- May The Lord's Name Be Praised! Amen.

Chinwe (Odunukwe) Enemchukwu Orlando, Florida
USA.

Jesse vs Barrack. What a coincidnece.

An attack on my vegetable garden by huge Florida locusts reminded me of a poem by an anonymous poet many years ago. "Remonstrance with the snails", a very funny poem about the frustration of a gardner at snails which made nightly visits to his rows of peas.

A large number of big Florida locusts had descended on my vegetable garden over the fourth of July week end. Maybe they were celebrating the fourth too and decided to feast on my vegetables. They had one night to pack up and leave or face the music. These creatures were big and their teeth showed from a distance. They were chopping away at the juicy leaves leaving huge holes and stubs.

Spraying them with chemicals was not an option. In the good old days in the village, fresh ash from the fireplace deterred pests from attacking vegetables. I had no ash to sprinkle on the leaves. Hitting them would mean killing the plants too and the locusts looked like they would fight back. They would stop feeding and watch carefully when aproached, as if trying to figure why they were being disturbed. No sign of fear at all.
The next t morning, they were still busy and their destructive work was quite evident. Still no clue how to get rid of them without using insecticide sprays.

All day at work, the thought would pop up in my mind, what to do with the locusts -- actually what to do to them if they didn't leave and move on to the fresh shrub all over the place for them now that the rains were regular and everything is flourishing.

On opening my mailbox for a quick glance at break, there was CNN news and up popped Jesse Jackson Sr, looking grim after the bad remarks about brother Barrack Obama. Brother Jesse looked like he could fit both feet in his mouth. Was he guilty as charged, of saying all those nasty things about Obama? He probably said much more than the microphone picked up.
I remembered pictures from the civil rights era. The Alabama sheriff's deputies using powerful water hoses on African Americans like Jesse and others of the civil right era, who were fighting the injustice against Africans in the United States in those days, not that injustice had totally ceased today.
Jesse must be feeling less important and neglected, just like the baby suddenly shoved to the side when a new born baby fresh from the hospital joins the family.
For the past several months, everywhere you look, it is Barrack this, Barrack that. Nobody is talking about Jesse Jackson. Even when he ran for president, nobody really took him seriously. He was just making a statement, that African Americans, a black man could actually run for the office of the president of the United States of America. Here we have Barrack, known as Barry in his younger days, actually just a few months away from living in the white house. Quite a good possibility.
Jesse acted like the typical former baby who would pinch or bite the new baby when nobody seemed to be looking. The former baby would try so hard to be happy with the new arrival, but when everything which used to be his go to the new arrival, problems arise and it takes experienced parents to settle things for everybody to live happily ever after. Sometimes, happily ever after never happens and bad blood remain between siblings for a lifetime. We shall see how this Jesse and Barrack thing fans out in the end.

My mind went back to the water hose attacks on civil rights marchers of the nineteen sixties and all of a sudden, I got it. Yes, yes, yes, powerful jets of water. That's it. I wondered why it took so long to think of that. No chemicals, no mess, and quite humane too. The locusts will not even know what hit them. The plants have survived Florida's torrential rainfalls, so what's new with powerful jets of water.

That evening, after work, I got my arsenal together quickly as soon as I got home, before it got dark. The feast was still going on. A test blast showed promise.

The locusts were taken by surprise. They never came back.

FOR THE YOUNGSTERS: IGBO TONGUE TWISTERS # 1

Nwanyi n'akwa akwa, n'akwa akwa, na okuko yiri akwa, n'elu akwa, o'kwara akwa, di n'elu akwa.

Meaning:
The seamstress ( female tailor) is weeping or crying because a hen laid an egg on the finished outfit ( fabric/material) she left on the bed.

Akwa in this case means:

1. Fabric ( material, dress, cloth)

2. cry, weep.

3. Egg

4. Bed

5. Sew, sewing

The word "akwa" takes on a new meaning with a change of the tone of pronunciation.

Another meaning of "akwa", not featured in the tongue twister is: Bridge.

More to come.

FOUND THIS ON U TUBE

I just stumbled on this terrific site on Youtube. They had Igbo traditional songs and dances. Really great to watch and listen to. Hopefully, I can link it on here. www.youtube.com/codewit The particular video I saw was called Shidodo- Anyi ejewe. It was really good. There are other videos including Oriental brothers, Praise songs and other Igbo songs. Check the site out.

NWAEKE RETURNS TO THE WILD

Nwaeke remained firmly wrapped around the old man's arm with her head resting in his hand between his thumb and his forefinger. She kept flicking her forked tongue to check out what was going on around her. A crowd still followed. The noise had not subsided either. There seemed to be a lot of excitement and she felt an occasional quick stroke as the children mustered enough courage to touch her.

Some of the children were trying to find out how easy it would be to get the snake off gramps if they had to. They knew very well that the snake was not venomous, the chances of hurting gramps would only be by constricting him.

"My goodness, it is cold. The snake feels very cold, and it is hard." a voice called out. " I just touched the snake. Come and feel it." The children took turns touching the snake and concluded that getting the snake off gramps would not be so easy. The snake's muscles were firm.

They asked gramps how he would be able to get the snake off his arm, since it was hanging on so firmly. Gramps explained to them that the snake would get off when prompted to do so. His Nnaa had taught him how to handle snakes. He had taught him the features differentiating venomous vipers (Aju ana)from the python (eke). He warned them not to try identifying or touching any snakes, to call an adult, just like they did in this case, whenever they saw a snake.

It took many years for him to learn what he knew about snakes. He could identify different species of snakes. He had learned more about snakes at Agriculture school and had lived and worked as a teacher in remote areas where there were lots of snakes. He learned a lot about venomous snakes from the natives in those days. He even learned how to treat some snake bites. The grandchildren remembered this very well and that was why they ran straight to him when they saw the snake.

The older grandchildren found some of gramp's snake stories very interesting and tried to figure out the science behind some of them. They could not agree on any single theory and decided to do more research when they got back to school.
The crowd filed through the gate leading to the backyard ( azu-uno) and proceeded through the cassava plot. Gramps stopped after crossing the cassava plot, at the edge of the small brush of small trees and shrubs.

Everybody stopped and the chatter stopped. The amateur photographers took their positions and were clicking away, getting good shots of the old man as he positioned to release the snake into the brush.
"Gramps wait, gramps wait", they kept saying. The old man waited patiently, actually posing for them to get good shots.

He had always been very gentle and understanding with his grandchildren. At his age, he still remembered their names, who their parents were, and special things about each of them. In return, they respected and loved him very much for his easygoing ways and understanding. He is so unlike their grandmother who wastes no time spanking them when they deserved it. They loved grandma too, but in a different way. They knew where the boundaries were and never crossed them. Gramps and grandma were so different and each had special things about them that the children loved.

Coming home to Nnewi to celebrate gramp's ninetieth birthday was a big treat. It meant bringing the whole family together for a lot of fun activities with the extended family. Some nights the cousins stayed up late into the morning hours chatting with each other or practicing the dance routine they performed to the crowd at the birthday celebration for gramps. On that particular morning when Nwaeke was found in the chicken coop,some of the youngsters had gone to bed very late. They had practiced Kirk Franklin's Stomp late into the night. They wanted to get it right for the occasion and on the day of the celebration, they did a fantastic job and the crowd loved it very much.

Gramps leaned over and, and gently with his right hand touched nwaeke's head. The snake unravelled from his arm and slowly crawled into the brush. The photographers kept taking pictures until nwaeke's tail disappeared.

" Wow! that was cool," declared the young fellow who had discovered nwaeke partially hidden in the chicken coop. Everybody agreed that it was a very exciting and interesting morning. The story will be shared with friends and family in the years to come. The story of the day gramps removed a python (eke) with his bare hands.

The End.

NEXT :

AKWAEKE: The story of a mother eke who lost one of her eggs and how she found it at the most strange and unlikely place. Stay tuned.

The NnewiUSA akwaete worn without the second piece, showing off the unique design created by a dedicated onye Nnewi, depicting the four quarters of Nnewi , Otolo, Uruagu,Umudim,Nnewichi, joined together, holding hands in unity and harmony. The logo is centered on the front and the back and bordered underneath with Nnewi USA. Fabulous!

AKWAETE: OUR VERY OWN. Why not?

NnewiUSA Akwaete--------unbeatable.

We, as a people spend lots of money buying our traditional attire. The kind of money we invest in these fabrics and accessories that go with them has made many rich. A non Nigerian in Boston, many years ago, started selling lace and george materials from a suitcase on Sunday afternoons. He visited Nigerians in their apartments, showing and selling these fabrics. Before long, it became a family business with the man quitting his job and selling fabrics to Nigerians full time. He makes good money and many of us know him very well. Years after moving away from Boston, I still receive his brochure in the mail whenever he has a promotion or sale going on.

The sad part of this picture is the that the fabric we buy at such high prices are made in countries other than Nigeria or Igboland. This means that we are giving our business and our money to people other than our own people. Most of the lace we love so much are made in Europe, while the george materials come out of India. Nobody comes to Nigeria to buy our tie-dye or the ashoke/asoke or the hand woven Akwaete. These sell in Nigeria, but hardly enough to create jobs for people. When will we learn to patronize ourselves and create work for our own people ?

Don't get me wrong. I am not in any way discouraging people from buying what they like for whatever reason, neither am I trying to spoil business for those of us who sell these materials. I am just wondering why we don't wear our own, take pride in it and improve it to measure up, if the problem is the quality of it. Most of the textile mills in Nigeria have shut down.

In other cultures, people wear their own. Indians wear their sari, which is what we copy when we enrich them tremendously by buying their george. Even the abada is imported from Holland and England. They weave these specifically for Africans, hardly wearing the fabrics themselves. The Chinese and Japanese have theirs. It is imported from Africa or anywhere else. They make their own fabric. So, what is wrong with us? Is it because our people used to run around naked or wearing leaves and the intruders came in gradually clothed our people with fabrics they brought in? I am just curious.

I will zero in on the fabric which is specifically woven in Igboland, Akwaete to be exact. This beautiful fabric which is hand woven with cotton thread can be worn many ways and looks very elegant. Recently, some weavers have moved on to weaving akwaete with silk thread and the finished product is not as good as the original cotton. Even ashoke weavers are now weaving what looks and feel like akwete, thereby causing confusion as to the authenticity of the fabric.

Recently, NnewiUSA adopted the akwete as their official wear. The motive is to put our money where our mouths are by sending business back to our own people. Every good thing starts with one first step and this is a step in the right direction. Last December, NnewiUSA blazed a trail in Medical Missions by joining hands with Medical colleagues on the ground to provide needed care to many who ordinarily would not have had it. Technology techniques were transferred and the impact on the community is still resounding. It did not take a whole army of volunteers, it took a handful of dedicated individuals and a handful of dedicated individuals on the ground. Neither did it take a ton of cash.

With this move to use our own fabric, thus promoting ourselves and providing livelihood to the weavers, NnewiUSA is setting another example. If handled properly, with the motive not being gain, we can revive the akwaete weaving industry and raise it to a new height. Why not?

To be continued------ with more detail of NUSA akwaete depicting the four villages/quarters of Nnewi.

" REMONSTRANCE WITH THE SNAILS "

Every farmer or gardener knows the frustration of seeing their hard work over run or destroyed by pests like caterpillars, locusts, beetles, moles, deer and even livestock. These critters leave everything else growing in abundance for them and attack the delicate shoots of plants and drill holes in fruit to lay their eggs,rendering hard work, toiled over daily by a farmer or gardener, useless.

Some people fight back with insecticides, or by erecting fences, or by any other means which may slow down or stop the intruders, after all, they have to survive too.

Here in Florida, there thrive, every summer, these huge locusts, the size of a small bird. They are yellow, black and red and will scare the bravest person who had never seen the likes of them before.
Nothing likes to eat these monsters. I am not sure if they were man -made by genetic manipulation, like the love bugs of which there is a rumor that they were man- made to help in citrus pollination, but instead became a nightmare which no creature will eat.

I just got home from a week end away and my plants, green ( Nigerian green), Onugbu, and other delicate plants which I carefully weed and tend to on a regular basis, are under siege by these monstrous locusts, very unsightly indeed. I was furious, to say the least. I hate insecticides, especially on my food. These creatures look like they will fight back if hit.

While trying to figure out my battle plan, I remembered a poem by an anonymous author I found in an old book titled," Library OF WORLD POETRY" The poet told a bunch of snails which were visiting his pea garden exactly how he felt.

I feel just like that this evening and have warned these critters for the last time, to be gone by morning or else--------
enjoy---




Ye little snails,
With slippery tails,
Who noiselessly travel
Along this gravel,
By a silvery path of slime unsightly,
I learn that you visit my pea rows nightly.
Felonious your visit, I guess!
And I give you this warning,
That, every morning,
I'll strictly examine the pods;
And if one I hit on,
With slaver or spit on,
Your next meal will be with gods.



I own you're a very ancient race,
And Greece and Babylon were amid;
You have tenanted many a royal dome,
And dwelt in the oldest pyramid;
The source of the Nile!- O, you have been there!
In the ark was your floodless bed;
On the moonless night of marathon
You crawled o'er the mighty dead;
But still, though I reverence your ancestries,
I don't see why you should nibble my peas.

The meadows are yours,- the hedgerow and brook,
You may bathe in their dews at morn;
By the aged sea you may sound your shells,
On the mountains, erect your horn;
The fruits and the flowers are your rightful dowers,
Then why- in the name of wonder-
Should my pea-rows be the only cause
To excite your midnight plunder?

I have never disturbed your slender shells;
You have hung around my aged walk;
And each night have sat, till he died in his fat,
Beneath his own cabbage-stalk:
But now you must fly from the soil of your sires:
Then put on your liveliest crawl,
And think of your poor little snails at home,
Now orphans or emigrants all.

Utensils domestic and civil and social
I give you an evening to pack up;
But if the moon of this night does not rise on your
flight,
To-morrow I'll hang each man Jack up.
You'll think of my peas and your theivish tricks,
With tears of slime, when crossing the Styx.

ANONYMOUS

Food For Thought This Sunday.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor wisdom.
I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.

Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come;

As fish caught in a cruel net,
or birds taken in a snare,
so men ( people) are trapped by evil times
that fall unexpectedly upon them.

-------- Solomon---
Ecclesistes 9 10-12.

THE HONOR SYSTEM. Part 1

This was written after the rally at the CNN center, where decicated Ndi Anambra gathered to tell the world how the election winners in Nigeria, especially Anambra State were "elected".
That was plan A, which did not fan out very well, then ASA USA shifted to plan B and alerted the UN, EU, US congress and others who put Nigeria's feet over the fire, the rest is history.




Here in rural Central Florida there is a system that Farmers and Growers use to move their merchandise. They call it "The Honour system" To a new comer it usually is unbelievable until they see it working. There's another kind of honor system that Restaurant owners use which they call "All you can eat". This is the way the honour system works-- grove owners at harvest time set up roadside fruit stands most of the time Citrus, many varieties of it in large troughs which they refill daily with fresh fruit from their Citrus groves very closeby. Sometimes they have people manning them and then when they leave in the evening or on week ends, the honour system takes over. A large wooden box with a big padlock on and a long slot is set up in the middle of the fruit stand with a sign on " The honour System". Then they put out different sized bags, quarter bushel, half bushel, one bushel and a price list. Customers are supposed to help themselves and put their money in the slot. Every morning, grove workers retrieve money from the wooden box and refill the troughs with tractor loads of fresh fruit. The first time I saw that, it was hard for me to believe it was working. I once asked a grove owner why they still keep this practice in this day and age and his response was thought provoking." We try to keep them honest, he responded, adding that few people do walk off with fruit but not enough to be noticeable but the fact remains that many others respect and value their honour and do the right thing in exchange for fresh fruit straight from the tree. I could see the wisdom in it. To this day, the honour system is alive and well and I have never heard of any wooden boxes broken by thieves to retrieve money or troughs of Citrus worth hundreds of dollars depleted by thieves. The honour system practiced by Restaurants is a similar idea but works like this. They set up self- service food lines stocked with a wide variety of food and desserts and customers pay a flat fee and then eat until they are full, pass out or die. For a new comer to the idea, it sounds unbelievable until they actually get to work eating and quickly find out that a stomach can only hold so much food and drink. Some young people go and sit there eating, and eating some more and then get sick and find it all futile to binge because it is all you can eat. People take advantage of the positive part of it and get a wide variety of food, a little bit of everything for a fixed price. No food is to be removed from the premises so people satisfy their hunger and leave. Lesson learned, use or eat what you can, you can't take it with you. A fact of life. Yesterday as I drove back from Atlanta after the Free and Fair election rally, the thought of the honour system popped in my mind as I cruised down Interstate 75. I had my radio on a Macon, Georgia Country station. I go on long road trips a lot, not as much I did in the past but all the same I drive the highways a lot, within Florida, to North Carolina, Washington D.C, once to Dallas, many times to Boston, so driving to Atlanta is usually not considered a long or significant trip. While on road trips,which I prefer to do at night, staying awake becomes crucial and I found out that the country stations offered the best keep awake option. Finding a good country station in the Southeast is very easy and you pick and choose. Listening to them is like listening to " akuko iro" like we did in the good old days, it is one story after another. These songs tell stories that have you dying with laughter, shaking your head in agreement or just listening to someone's life story. Like the man who complains that life ain't fun since he quit drinking. After he went sober, his wife started asking him to do stuff- honey this, honey that, take out the trash, feed the dog--life ain't fun since I quit drinking " he laments,or the cowboy who asked to be propped up by the juke box if he died ( for one last party before he went to heaven), then the songs about the pick up trucks and cowboy boots and girls and love lost and love found. A man confessed he likes girls on the thrashy side. Whatever they sing about,It is usually expressions of human condition in the various aspects of it, some funny, some sad, some hilarious. Acquaintances find it totally unbelievable that I listen to Country music but I always point out that I listen to keep awake while driving. As funny and as sad as some of these lyrics sound, they tell of human condition and everyday struggles. Failures ranging from family break ups, alcoholism, illness and loss. I think it's Jimmy Buffet who put out the number pointing out that at any given moment, it's five o'clock somewhere (happy hour), so he could drink himself silly because even if it's not five o'clock where he was, it must be five o'clock somewhere, around the world, so bring it on, margarita after margarita, it's happy hour all the way. But where does it and when does it stop. Going back to the honour system as I thought about it, I realized that we have lost as Ndi Igbo,our sense of Honor. Honour has been reduced to nothing. One of the highest gifts a human being has, is a sense of honour on which human dignity hangs. I remember people singing with all conviction ---- "On my honour as an Easterner, on Aburi we stand" They stood on Aburi and their belief in honour gave them the courage to stand up against genocidal killers who were out to exterminate. They held the killers at bay with unbelievable sacrifice and secured Igbo survival. Today, it is up to us to uphold the Honour system, doing the right thing no matter what, for our survival as a people. I congratulate everybody who came out of their comfort zones to make their voices heard across the country condemning Election fraud, Corruption and 419 in Nigeria. People took notice and they appreciated the education on Nigeria. Even people who have heard of Andrew Young's Good Works didn't know of Good work's involvement in Nigeria. They asked questions. That's raising awareness right there. A big congratulations to the young Igbo Americans who came out in Atlanta, in Washington D.C and everywhere else. You are true heroes. Thanks for keeping the faith. It shall be well.

This poem was a must for many fourth to sixth grade children in this country generations ago. A simple deeply religious poem, it lingers in the minds of many who consider it their favorite poem and favorite reminder of childhood and grade school days.
The poem talks about peace, love of God and fellow man and the result of such love------ name appears at the top of the list.
Enjoy, and remember ------various medical missions, the needy, other projects to benefit God's creation,----your nuclear family, your family, yourself last.


Here goes Leigh Hunt's classic



"Abou Ben Adhem"

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An Angel writing in a book of gold:
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?"
The Vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accordAnswered,
"The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou.
"Nay, not so,"Replied the Angel.
Abou spoke more low,But cheerily still; and said,
"I pray thee, then,Write me as one who loves his fellow men.
"The Angel wrote, and vanished.
The next night It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!

Leigh Hunt.