Deja Vu.-------Put it to good use. July 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

Friday, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008BETTY, CATCH AM.Air Raid Betty------Continued.


Betty did her job as Air Raid Marshall with class. She always felt great when the crisis was over. We took her vigilance and dedication for granted at the time but looking back now, I realize how Betty gave us ample time to hide and take cover before the jets came on their killing and maiming spree. How much that helped, I will never know, but from what I have learned from watching deputy sheriffs chase criminals by air in rural Lake County Florida where I live, those bomber and fighter jets had bird's eye views of the ground as they came down so low. They must have seen their targets scurrying around trying to hide.
We always were able to hide before the planes came within view. When the air raids were over, Betty was usually her happy self again.

Betty enjoyed other odd jobs around the house. She was very energetic and did everything with gusto.
She was a farm hand too.The goats, sheep, chickens, sometimes got in trouble with Betty. Then, there were the wild life who always turned up to help themselves to the crops and livestock, especially the fowls, in the backyard outside the compound. Hawks and other predatory birds were sometimes bold enough to swoop down to grab chicks inside the compound. Betty would dash out barking as the hen screamed at the hawk in protest.
Betty soon mastered how to keep everybody in line. Face offs with wild critters in the backyard were always brought to our attention by Betty's wild barking from the backyard.

Our home stead was on the outskirts of a dry virgin scrubland covered with saw grass (ata), which were so sharp they slashed whatever came in contact with the blade-like leaves. There wereChaleku/icheku tress which made delicious fruit snacks, andaraba/ahaba, which had stems which were were popular as support for yam crops. These were called alulu. In these bushes lived a wide variety of wild life. Patridges (Okwa), large rodents like (Nchi), and smaller (Ogini and Nkakwu) were abundant back there. So also were snakes, venomous and non-venomous. Betty loved to chase whatever showed up too close to the back gate. We always worried about Betty being bitten by a venomous snake back there. Years later, Betty died from a snake bite when she was much older and probably couldn't get out of the way fast enough as a snake lounged at her.

The domesticated animals learned two words of pigin English from their experience with Betty. "Catch-Am" which means Catch him, Catch her or Catch it was understood by humans and animals alike. When that command was yelled, things happened and happened quickly, too quickly to an unsuspecting observer who had never witnessed it before.
If some of the goats or sheep broke out and were attacking the crops, and they heard the command, they would stop in their tracks, do a double take,and bolt off back to their pens. If the gate was closed, they would break in from where they broke out in the first place. Even the chickens understoood the command. They would get excited and clack loudly and then run and fly at the same time to get away. To these animals, Catch-Am meant a black and white dog, chasing them, barking excitedly. Betty really enjoyed giving the chase and would sometimes leap in the air to bring down a rooster or hen as they tried to get briefly airborne to get away.

Betty would equally grab a goat or sheeep by the hind legs to bring them down following a furious chase. The animal would be panting and crying out with fear as Betty held them down.That was all Betty did though, she would hold the animal down, wagging her tail and breathless, until the animal was retrieved from her. She was usually very proud of the catch.

Sometimes when the command was yelled, Betty might be asleep in the house and would not have heard it. If Betty heard the command, she would shoot out of the house like a bullet and give chase, sometimes in the wrong direction, only to suddenly make a ground scratching halt, turn around to locate whatever she was supposed to chase and catch. She would then take off after it barking. The chase and catch game were routine entertainment.

Betty would stop an unknown visitor in their tracks with her barking and then run around in circles waiting for the command. No humans were ever chased although Betty would bare her teeth and raise the hair on her back and tail, if an unfriendly looking visitor showed up or if a family member seemed to be challenged by a person unknown to the dog. At times like that, Betty really had to be restrained or taken inside to calm down.

It was a different ball game with wild life which had their encounters in the back yard with Betty who would slip back there through the hole in the compound wall made for the chickens to come and go. Betty's adventures in the backyard were different. She knew she was not supposed to be back there. The only time she would really let anybody know she was back there was when she got in trouble or faced danger. Her furious barking would draw attention and we would call for her to come in. If she refused, that meant that she had encountered something she wanted us to see.
On some occasions, Betty was back there in a face off with a snake with head puffed and raised in a striking position. Betty would back off when called. Occasionally the snake would be killed. Once, a viper was killed that way, only to watch as small baby vipers ate through her and came wiggling out. It was so overwhelming and scarry that the snake had to be set on fire to kill all the venomous critter emerging from her. I was not present but learned that those present counted about fifty baby snakes when it was over. I also learned that vipers and some other species and also scorpions hatch their eggs inside the mother which then dies as the babies eat or bite their way out of her. I have not witnessed this myself.
A cobra was once spotted on a palm tree close to the compound in the backyard, following one of Betty's furious barking in the backyard. The snake had a bright red growth on its head, similar to a rooster's crest and it made a scarry noise. My father was not home and my mother sent for a neighbor, Ezeugonna who had a double barrel gun to come and shoot the snake. I don't remember if the snake was shot or if it got away. All I recall is being petrified with fear and staying away from the backyard for a while. We used to be back there collecting chaleku, Utu,
Uni, ( sweet wild berries and fruits), and even Elo/Ero (mushrooms).

To be continued.

Talking about scorpions, there were scorpions everywhere in those days and people occassionally got stung. Betty never got stung because she always smelled them and would start barking at the spot where the scorpion was waiting with stinger up.POSTED BY ONYE UWA OMA AT 1:24 PM [Photo]LABELS: BETTY, CATCH AM.
REACTIONS:

AIR RAID BETTY----DOWN MEMORY LANE.

ONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2008

AIR RAID BETTY----DOWN MEMORY LANE.

Betty, short for Elizabeth, was the name we picked for our new puppy during the war. Many dogs in those days were named after the enemies of the Republic. It was very satisfying to call those names and see a dog come running, tail wagging furiously.
Betty was the best dog we ever had. We always had pets, cats, dogs pigeons and other domestic animals. From what I know now, Betty must have been a Cocker Spaniel mix, black and white with floppy ears and a brown spot over each eye. Her hair was not too long like a typical spaniel. Betty behaved almost like a human maybe because she was alwyas around humans especially children. Many years later after I had left home and received news of Betty's death I had shed tears for her because she was almost like a little sister.
I remember clearly when my Aunt Ifeoma brought the puppy to our house at Christmas. We, my siblings and I were very happy. The baby at the time was too big to be carried around or tied to the back with a wrapper. Schools were out because of the war and we didn't really have too much to do after doing farm work and chores. Playing with Betty was an excellent outlet. We carried her around like a baby,sometimes dressed in clothes. My younger siblings would tie her ears together with pieces of rags for ribbons. They tied her to the back with a wrapper like a baby and she would sit there, paws in the air patiently bearing it. If she was occupied on a back or laps, and somebody else wanted to get her down for another event, she would look as if to say-------"Can I finish with this assignment first?" and she would quietly go to the next rotation which could be doing a dance routine, twist or atilogwu. One of Betty's dance songs went like this ------- a-betty nwa m ---o hmm, nwa m-o hmm, and she would start doing the twist.
Betty did it all gracefully. She never complained. I think she really enjoyed being the center of attention. She got rewarded for her patience in a way because she always received food favours from people who tried to be her favourite human, and Betty played along very well.

Visitors who came to the house would exclaim----"Nkita Oyibo--" the name for foreign breeds of dogs, usually characterized by floppy ears, bushy tails and longer hair than the local pedigree which were looked down on and referred to as "Eke Uke" simply because they were local and easily available in markets like eke Uke. Those Eke uke would fetch a handsome sum of money where people know the value of pedigree dogs like Chihuahuas. Betty was a beautiful dog and she got spoiled quickly. She must have believed she was human. She took naps in all the beds in the house. If it rained and the brush was wet, she eased herself in the middle of the yard where she would not get wet and when it was noticed, she would take off with her head lowered and her tail between her hind legs, admitting her shame for what she did. Next time it rained, Betty did it again. It became well known that Betty hated getting wet. Getting to give her a bath was a chore which had to be done from time to time since she was indoors a lot and got in beds.
Being around humans so much, Betty picked up on many human habits. She was very smart and picked up on things quickly. She quickly learned that the big monsters in the air which occasionally came roaring out of nowhere caused a lot of anxiety and distress in humans. These bomber and fighter jets would come unannounced and drop bombs or spray bullets at houses, churches, market places, killing or hurting people from time to time.
The sound of them always sent people scurrying for cover in bushes, against trees, under beds, tables or in bunkers. Very few families had bunkers. We usually ran inside and took cover under the big dining table or under the beds until the air raid was over. Betty always picked up the sound a good minute or so before anybody heard it. She would sit up straight, move her ears like radars and once the sound was confirmed, she would start whimpering aloud to get attention. While doing this, she may wet herself or be trembling with fear, her tail between her legs. Once she got the attention she needed, she would wait for reaction which was usually dramatic. Whoever noticed that Bettywas trying to warn about an air raid usually raised an alarm, shouting and calling out for everybody to take cover. There would be desperate scrambling to get into the house and take cover. Those too far from the house would usually dive into the bushes or flatten themselves on a tree trunk if they were out in the open. Betty would then join the mad dash for safety.She loved to be closest to the wall under the bed or under the table.
For some reason everybody felt safer inside the house which really did not make any sense because if the house was hit, it would have been over but who had time to think that way. Betty would hang on when anyone tried to push her aside. Those were the only times I saw Betty get angry at family members and snap or growl with a desperate look in her eyes. Then all went quiet when the airplanes zoom back and forth doing their grizzly jobs. Desperate whispered prayers filled the air as explosion after explosion was heard sometimes alternated with the sound of sprayed bullets ----kpa- kpa- kpa- kpa- kpa- kpa--- followed by loud booms of explosives. Sometimes, the attacks went on for a while and they always sounded so close but they were usually miles away. Sometimes, the attackers would leave, reload and come back within minutes.Those were very stressful days.
Betty would remain calm as long as everybody was calm. If anybody got overwhelmed and started crying or praying out loud, Betty would start howling and increase the volume to match the crying or prayer.
The reaction was always----- " Betty, mechie onu, osiso or Betty, com'on shut up." That would stress her even more and she would whimper really loud and look around from face to face as if looking for comfort. Her eyes would turn red. I learned later that dogs did not shed tears but the eyes would turn red when they would actually be crying. After the air raid, and the coast was clear, Betty would be very happy and go around from person to person wagging her tail vigorously almost as if to congratulate everybody for having survived the ordeal.---
To continued

ELU IGWE------- The sky

Akuko gi nke ubochi taa magburu onwe ya. Achoro m i zaghachi n'asusu igbo. Elu -igwe di egwu. Mgbe madu di na nwata, ana m eche n'elu igwe n'emetu ala n'ebe tere aka site n'ebe madu noo. O n'adi ka madu gawa, n'onwere mgbe o'geru ebe elu igwe meturu ala .Ma mgbe madu jegidere ije rue ihe dika nmiri/ iyi, ebe o dicha ka igwe o n'emetu ala, ahu kwa n'elu igwe emutughi ala cha cha. Mgbe ufodu, aluluu (clouds) n'agaghari n'elu igwe, udiri di iche iche, nke nnukwu abia nmiri n'eji oji dika unyi, nke n'adi ka anwuru oku di kwa, na ndi n'adi ka uzu n'esi na nmiri oku aputa. Ihe nile ndi a n'eme m ka mu tugharia uche nke ukwu gbasara ihe di n'azu elu igwe. Uche m n'gwam otutu ihe di iche iche gbasra elu igwe. Anyanwu bi n'elu igwe, onwa bikwa n'elu igwe, kpakpa-ndo, udiri di iche-iche bi n'elu igwe. Ikuku n'esi n'elu igwe abia, nmiri ozuzo n'esi n'elu igwe abia. Nwoke ji onyike atuwa nku, bikwa n'onwa di n'elu igwe. Onwa tiwe, o n'adi egwu n'ogbe. Umu aka n'eje ozi mgbede ha ososo, ka nne na nna ha were kwere ha puo jee/gaa soro umu aka ndi ozo wee zute onwa, ma gwukwaa egwu onwa. Udiri egwu di iche-iche ka umu aka n'eji egwuri egwu onwa. Onwa ohuru puta, umu aka agbaputa n'ele anya n'elu igwe n'aguru onwa egwu di otua------

Onwa nnoo, nnoo,

nnoo, onwa nnoo,

Mu weta jii, mu na gi erie,

Mu weta ede, mu na gi erie,

Mu weta ona, mu na gi erie,

Onwa nnoo, onwa nnoooo

Ha n'agu egwu a, ha n'ele anya n'elu igwe, n'agba okirikiri, rue mgbe aju buturu ha n'ala, ha adaa dika ndi nmanya n'egbu. Nime abali ole na ole, onwa ahu habu ka ntakiri ibe oroma ebuola dika eletrik Chukwu kwunyere n'elu igwe k'umu uwa jiri nwere obi uto.

Umu aka n'enweju obi anuri afo. Ha n'agba bolu, kpoo oga, gbaa mgba, gbaa kwaa egwu di iche iche dika ----

akpakoro, kpakoro,

udu moo, ogene,

Okuko oo o bia oo

onye o mara,

Suu yagha yagha yaa

Suu ya.

Ha daa n'ala n'anya aju. Onye o mara , bu/wu onye kpechaa azu daa n'ala, eburu ya tufuo na'kuku.

Uma aka n'ewere kwa onwa jee ozi di iche-iche. Ndi oshi na ndi nto ejughi e be nile n'oge ahu, ndi madu n'enwe ike jiri onwa jee iyi/ nmiri ikute nmiri na abali ma n'uzo ututu. Anakpo ya igba uzo nmiri. Ebe nile n'ada juu na nmiri n'uzo ututu, ihe dika elekere ise, nmiri anegbuke dika enyo, elu igwe adika nnukwu oku Chukwu chedoro umu ya ka ha jiri huu uzo. Umuaka n'ayikoso onu wee gbaa uzo nmiri maka egwu i hu ndi nmuo n'uzo nmiri. Onwere ebe a n'eli ozu madu n'agafe were n'agba uzo nmiri, oso k'aneji agbafe maka egwu ndi nmuo. Madu n'agba, o dika o g'eru ebe elu igwe n'emetu ala. Ma na elu igwe anaghi emetu ala cha-cha. Otu aka ahu kwa onwa oma ahu di n'elu igwe, n'adi k'ogeru aka i ji ngu kote ya, tumadi mgbe ojuru pim-pim. Ma n'onwebeghi onye kotere ya bu onwa di n'elu igwe. Dika I kwuru, i gba elu igwe nkele okpa bu inyere ndu aka n'ezie. K'anyi jiri kwa otu aka ahu n'agbali kwa ikote onwa ahu di n'elu igwe. Ebe oku nyuru, aghasa owa. Deme kwa maka ozi Krisimesi a. O mere ka mu cheta otutu ihe di nma n'ezie, n'eme ka madu nwee obi uto.

Udo diri gi na ezi n'ulo gi.

Nwada Chinwe Enemchukwu

Onye Uwa Oma

na Orlando, Florida.

- Show quoted text -

__._,_.___

Welcome to America & Through it all.

The Afro hair and platform shoes are the two of the most memorable fads of the seventies. Flared trousers were in but were not as outstanding as the afro hairdo. Sideburns and wide colorful ties were the in thing for men. I loved my afro and had it up to the late eighties, though not as pronounced as the seventies puff.. This picture was taken at the first Igbo party I attended in Boston after I came. I was very homesick at the time even though I had family. The lifestyle was different. Everybody was on their own.

On September 27, many many years ago. Too many years to count. Actually it was 1976 and America was still glowing from the their bi- centennial celebration. I had just missed it by weeks.

Two hundred years of nationhood with a rich vibrant history, America was still celebrating in little ways. There were reminders of the bicentennial everywhere. America the beautiful signs were still up on street corners and in the trolley, streetcar, subway which were all the names of the public mass transit I rode everyday to Northeastern University down the street on Huntington avenue.It was a ten minute walk to school and on days when I left the house on time,I walked to school and saved the money my sister gave for the trolley ride. I did not have a job yet. I had applied for a work permit and was anxiously waiting for it to come. When I finally got my work permit, I landed a job in the library for $2.40 per hour. I loved working in the library.Before long, with the few hours a day they gave me, it became clear that the library job will not do even with living with my older sister and her family, school expenses had to be taken care of. If tuition lagged behind one was usually withdrawn per action from the bursar's office as they described it. Very few Nigerians in those days had parents or relatives who sent them their school fees from Nigeria in the days when one Naira was about one Dollar and sixty five cents. I remember that clearly because I had a friend who received funds from her father and I would accompany her to the bursar's office to pick up her money. For those of us who had nobody to send them money had to find work and pay our way through. After weeks of looking, I landed a job in a nursing home in East Boston on the 11-7 shift as a nurse's aide. The pay was a mind boggling $3.65 per hour. I was very happy. My sisters popped my balloon when they wanted to know how I would be getting to East Boston at 11 pm at night. I refused to give up the job since I could not find any close to where we lived. I had no experience and this people were willing to train me.
Thus started my working days in America. I bought my uniform and went for training. Being
an Italian neighborhood, most of the residents and workers were Italian. The training was one of the first nightmares I lived through in America. My first nightmare was ending up in the hospital a few days after I arrived with a bout of malaria. I did not understand the American accent so well at the time and it was tough for me. I thought I was dying because of all the tests they were doing and all the questions I was being asked. I later found out that some of the interviewers were students, some residents and they were intrigued by my disease. I wrote a short will and left it under my pillow in which I asked my sisters to make sure I was taken back to Nigeria if I died. My sister was alarmed when she discovered the note and she thought I was depressed, which I was because America was not the bed of roses people have in mind when they are in Nigeria. The next thing I knew, I had nurse's aides staying in my room all the time. One intern would bring me magazines to read and sit and chat with me about Nigeria and his experiences in peace corps in West Africa, I forgot which country. An igbo nurse in the hospital would tease me ----anyi arakwa anu ndi ocha. I thought it was absurd for her to even go there. I was in the hospital for seven days. It felt like seven weeks. On my sixth day, my intern friend came to say goodbye because he was going on to another rotation.

I was very happy to go home. I was very homesick for Nigeria. What I was seeing in America was not what I had bargained for. My sisters, brother and cousins who I was lucky to have were too busy with school, work and everything else to worry about me. It was getting chilly and I complained and was laughed at. I later understood why I was laughed at when winter arrived.
I started school a few days after leaving the hospital. Realizing that I had covered most of what they were teaching us, I mentioned it to my sisters and learned about something called CLEP. With CLEP, I took care of freshman Chemistry, Biology and English. I got my credits for very little cost and saved thousands of dollars in tuition and hours sitting in boring classes. I could have clepped more classes, but I was afraid I would fail. My sister was upset with me that I did not at least try. Months later, I understood where she was coming from. The money and time I would have saved, but I was worried about failing which would not have mattered. Nigerian mentality, I guess---ITK. I spent hard earned cash later to pay for freshman French, freshman physics which I could have also taken care of with CLEP.

My job at the nursing home in East Boston started on a Friday night. It was designed that way so I could sleep on Saturday morning. My cousin drove me there that first night and
showed me the subway route to East Boston. I took the green line to downtown Boston where I changed to the blue line to East Boston. Then I had to walk across the railroad down a deserted road to the nursing home. That proved risky during the summer months when teenagers hung around the subway station and they would sometime call me names like the N word and wonder what I was doing in their neighborhood. With my uniform, they knew where I was going that time of night.
The training was an experience I will never forget. I shadowed the experienced nurse's aides
who started teaching me how to turn patients, how to roll them over and give them bedpans. The worst was having to clean those who had soiled themselves with feces and urine. I thought I would die. I was nauseated by the sight, the smell and the wiping action. I thought I would throw up and the ladies kept assuring me that I would get used to it in no time. I did get used to it after a while and was even able to wash up and eat in between patient rounds. Weighing under 130 lbs, turning, lifting and moving patients was a challenge. The other aides taught me how to manage on my own but would still come to help me turn very big patients.
Welcome to America------ to be continued-------

VITAMINS/ HORMOMES AND HEALTH.

My dog Babe has been gaining a lot of weight lately. She has also become very docile quite unlike her wild self. She used to love running around and playing. I would scold her for jumping up on people to play, even strangers who should be barked at. She would want to play because i was there.

Then suddenlly she changed and became quiet, sleeping a lot and then got fat, very noticably fat. Attempts to get her to execise have failed. She shows no interst whatsoever. I started wondering if she could be depressed. As funny as it sounds, animals do get depressed. I used to laugh at the

idea.

A friend suggested that I have her thyroid function checked out to make sure she is not suffering from hypothyroidism.

In my line of work, I recieve prescriptions for the treatment of all types of ailments for dogs and cats, and once in a long while other critters like rodents. Once there was this hamster who had a fungal skin infection and had a prescription called in for him. Ailments range from diabetes, epilepsy, infections, depression, anxiety, arthritis, eczema to cancer.

Some people spend outrageous amounts of money on their pets and I would wonder about it. Vitamin supplements are part of this expenditure.

Specialty pharmacies dealing soley in veterinary formulations and compounding are doing very well. Livestock like cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chiken and turkeys are at least being raised for food or recreation and source of income. Pets, on the other hand are like family and some people spend a lot of money monthly on their sick pet's healthcare and I would sometimes wonder why they won't just get another healthy pet. Then you see an individual mourn an animal which was put to sleep to end the suffering from pain, sickness or old age and the picture becomes clear why so much can be invested in a pet's wellbeing.

Taking care of health is very important for humans. Prevention is always better than cure. Healthy lifestyles and attitudes play a major role in maintaining good health.

Recently, I heard from two female friends who were very surprised at the alarm raised by their doctors at their vitamin D level. After routine checkups, they recived phone calls from the doctor to come pick up vitamin D prescriptions. One of them wondered aloud to the doctor----Vitamin D? Yes Vitamin D was the answer. She learned that her level was very low and needed immediate attention.

Some resarchers are now suggesting that Vitamin D is actually a hormone which plays in the functioning of many parts of the human body and in some diseases like Ricketts, Psoriasis, Colon, Breast, Prostate Cancer, Melanoma, Osteoporosis,Congestive Heart Failure, Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmune diseases like Lupus , Depression,Macular Degeneration and more.

Researchers and experts have recently put out new dosage recommendations for Vitamin D.

Vitamin D, Sunshine and Health: Coming soon.

OKPA AKU ERI ERI: PUTTING OUR RESOURCES TO GOOD USE.

Life goes on whether we like it or not. Life also ends whether we like it or not. Michael Jackson's demise last week brought the world grinding in shock, but life went on as usual---sunrise, sunset, moon and stars. Nothing stopped. The world went on as usual with no interruption whatsoever.What people do in their lives and with their lives have consequences, whether we like it or not. Our actions and inactions all have consequences.Last weekend in Atlanta Georgia, the keynote speaker at the NnewiUSA convention, an Nnewi so, resident in the United States delivered the best keynote speech ever delivered at our conventions. In other years, keynote speakers were invited from the homeland or outside the country and with great effort. This year, with the great wisdom of the president Mr Nathan Mommah, Dr Ndubeze Okonkwo of Louisiana was tapped as keynote speaker. His speech was short, to the point and very powerful. His speech accomplished so much for Nnewi, ushering in deep thinking, soul searching, and motivation. It was as if a breeze blew over the house taking with it deep resentments and discord. To God be the Glory. We live as the "Okpa aku eri eri" of Oriental Brother's glory days. They asked Okpa aku eri eri to take a good look at the mouth of the dead. We need to do that today. We acquire knowledge, sometimes great knowledge and flount our degrees and honors and titles, yet we accomplish very little with our academic "aku". Our nuclear families, our extended families and our communities continue to suffer. Death and dying has become the biggest business in our homeland. Premature aging and dying have taken seige of Igbo at home and abroad, yet we have so much in monetry terms and otherwise. India and South Africa have become places where the haves rush for emergency medical treatment sometimes going home in caskets or half dead only to die. Nobody really knows what kind of treatment or non treatment they receive, yet we have the best in every specialty, name it residing in foreign lands laboring for others, wasting time in pettiness, planning and helping in pulling down or destroying their very own.I will get Dr Ndubeze Okonkwo's permission to publish his keynote speech. Maybe more soul searching will result from it. If we as individuals put in the little bit we have or if we can leave the few who truly want to chip in what they have alone, our homeland and our people will gain so much and in so many ways. Tackling our problems with whatever we have goes a long way in improving things and bringing understanding which help solve our problems.Take for example the case of Domestic violence and spousal homicide. This year 2009, no single case of spousal homicide have been reported. The publicity it recived in the last few years and the discussion from it at great cost to some, played a major role in the progress. The awareness was made and the problem was out there for all to see and think about. It was at great cost as toes were stepped on to bring truth and ugliness to the surface.Prices are still being paid as slander and malicious press continue to follow people to their church and places of work and neighborhood. One thing is certain----- --- Ochu Okuko nwe ada, nwa okuko nwe mwo- mwo oso. Ezi okwu na emechaa put ihe na ikpe azu. Let the bad press and slander continue. It will not change anything or stop anything that God himself did not stop or change. People may avoid, mock, sneer at innocent people, but only for a season. The truth usually emerges at the end of the day.There are consequences for everything. The consequences of our inaction in the real sense of it is very evident in the state of affairs and life in the homeland. The truth must be told, be it to parent, child, brother, townsman os woman, the truth and the hard truth must be told. Character assasination will not cut it. If God is with one, who, WHO, can be against him or her ? Even if the whole church and co workers reject him or her as they are told, what diference does it make when GOD Has not rejected her and Has not avoided him or her. Being a social reject is laughable because those doing the rejecting are most likely already rejected by God, who is no respecter of persons.Michael Jackson (May his soul rest in peace) succumbed to daeth when it came, even with all his glory. The world did not stop when he passed on into history. The sun, the moon, the stars and everything else in the universe continued in their continous march, declaring the glory of God.Using our individual " Aku" for our own benefit and the benefit of the world around us will save Ndi Igbo, Nigeria and Africa form the grip of backwardness and poverty. Instead we invest our best in bringing out the worst in others whether real or staged. May God help us.

Nwada (Lady) Chinwe Enemchukwu

Onye Uwa Oma

na Orlando, Florida