Happy Easter.

Mind Your Language in this Easter Season.

The History of Father’s Day.

In the year 1909, a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd began campaigning for Father’s Day. She was one of six children raised by a widower. In the year 1910, Washington State celebrated the country’s first statewide Father’s Day.

Father’s Day began to spread around the country. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge urged states to honor the fathers within their borders by recognizing this holiday.

Finally in 1972, Richard Nixon, in an attempt to garner votes for re-election, signed a proclamation instating Father’s Day as a federal holiday. Thus, Father’s Day came about as a way for children to show their fathers how much they love and appreciate them. It is also a day where you can show your husband, or Significant Other (S.O.) what a great father they are in your eyes, and how much you appreciate all they do for your family.

Happy Father’s day.

Martin Luther King, Jr in the Eyes of Dan Rather.

Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been 88 years old today - an age where, had he lived, I can imagine his singularly powerful voice still contributing to the betterment of American democracy. Can you imagine what he would have to say in these troubled times? Tomorrow we will celebrate his birthday as a national holiday, one I strongly support. 



And yet I fear that the elevation of Dr. King to the pantheon of great Americans who have national birthday celebrations has come at a subtle cost. These days no public official dares speak ill of Dr. King. For most it would be political suicide. However I worry that this universal acclaim has deadened the radicalism of Dr. King's message. We must remember that he was a deeply contentious person at the time of his death. The clarity of the morality of his message about racial prejudice and social justice was not welcome in many corridors of power. He not only preached powerfully about the necessity of racial healing and integration. He also issued stirring rhetoric from his pulpit on the need for economic fairness across racial lines.  

To re-listen to his speeches in today's political climate is to reconnect with the hard truths he eloquently hurled at the American establishment. If he had survived the assassin's bullet and continued on his life path, I am convinced that he would have remained a divisive figure. I fear that many who now pay homage to his legacy with florid paeans would be singing different tunes if he was still actively rallying civil disobedience toward the twin causes of racial and economic fairness for the marginal and dispossessed.  

I had the supreme fortune of covering Dr. King in the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. There weren't many reporters around him in those days, and he understood the power of the press as a megaphone for his message, particularly the images that television could transmit. He was always cordial, but never overly familiar. He knew we had a job to do and so did he. He would be the first to admit that he was not a perfect man. That made him more interesting, and the power of his message all the more difficult to ignore.  

So today, please don't revere Dr. King the American saint. Please engage with Dr. King as the unique vessel for a message America was long overdue to hear. And please reflect on how that message, with all its fervor, is still one of great urgency. - Dan Rather.

The American Sniper- An Irony.

The American Sniper, directed by Clint Eastwood, may be a box-office success but the big irony of it is the negative talks going on about it. The movie is about the life of a Navy SEAL, Chris Kyle. The same movie got Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.

However, there are some folks who are describing the movie as a celebration of cowards. To these people, Snipers (whether in military or civilian garbs) are known for hiding in safe places to shoot down unwary, armed or unarmed human targets. Notable among the critics of The American Sniper is Michael Moore who tweeted that his uncle was killed by a sniper in World War II. Hear him on Tweeter: “We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren't heroes…”

He went further to tweet that “But if you're on the roof of your home defending it from invaders who've come 7K miles, you are not a sniper, u are brave, u are a neighbor.”

The liberal film maker concluded by reminding everyone that the movie opened on the Martin Luther King holiday, the day that marked the assassination of the civil rights activist by a sniper.

Let's Appreciate our Differences.

"We need to expand our minds to appreciate our differences. To be color-blind, is not a thing I don't think that one should boast about. See color and celebrate it. See our differences and celebrate it. When somebody says to me, 'I'm color-blind. I don't see color,' I'm thinking 'You're missing out on a lot of beautiful colors.' " - Selma director, Ava DuVernay in a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day message.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year in Advance!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is possible only for those who take time to remember. No one can give thanks if they have a short memory!

In the same vein, you can never attract anyone to your faith or belief if the aura people see around you is that of gloom all the time. No one will want to partake in such a dreadful existence, irrespective of your claim of being a God-believing individual. No one wants to be miserable all of the time if that is all they see in you. If truly the joy of the Lord is your strength, then you need to be cheerful and appreciative of God’s grace in your life.

Today and forever more therefore, we all need to demonstrate the good, old hearts of gratitude for all of God’s blessings in our lives. And to effectively exhibit this sense of gratitude, we have to imbibe the habit of counting our blessings, listing them one by one and then seeing, with great surprise, all the great things God has done in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving!



 

 

Halloween and its Same old Risks.

Halloween, the day dedicated to remembering all that was paganic, evil and negative in the history of America is here again. This is the day the young and the old, dressed up in colorful costumes, spread out to eat candy and go into merry-making in one spooky manner or the other. But not everyone is all about the Halloween. Lurking in the many street corners and houses are some guys with ulterior motives and negative objectives.

It’s therefore advisable for parents to keep eyes on their kids, never letting them out on the streets alone.

According to national statistics, Halloween is the deadliest day of the year for pedestrians and especially, the kids. A child pedestrian is four times more likely to die on Halloween than any other day while many more are injured, usually at the hands of drunk drivers.

Parents and guardians are also advised to prevent their kids and wards from eating the collected candy until they return home. Back home, the candies should be carefully scrutinized to ensure that none of them is laced with marijuana. There are some crazy individuals and perverts who target kids with marijuana-laced candy. Incidentally, the candy looks and tastes like any other candy.

It’s not only kids that are at risk on Halloween though. Same goes for college students and especially, the females.

The first rule for these college students is for them to be alert to mischief makers who hide behind masks and costumes. Among those masked individuals on every campus are the sexual predators, rapists and other criminal-minded people. This is therefore all the more reason why students need to move about within groups of friends. Whenever a female student feels she has wandered off and finds herself alone or among total strangers, she is better-off leaving for home before it gets too late. It is also necessary for every female student to carry along a fully-charged cell phone, some cash (in case she might need a local cab) and important phone numbers.

The Halloween is not the time to accept an offer of a drink or Halloween “portion” from anyone, including so-called friends. This is to avoid a “date rape” stuff being casually slipped into drinks by some “friendly-looking” dudes dressed in the costume of a wizard, witch or ghost.

If, in spite of all these precautions, a female student still finds herself in some dangerous situation, she is strongly advised to use her vocal cord in raising alarm. A mere scream of the word “HELP” a few times can go a long way in attracting a much-needed help or assistance.

 

 

 

 

Nigerians’ Obsession With America.

Some years back, I was on vacation in Nigeria, my ancestral home. And while there, I marveled at the obsessive interest that most of my folks back home have in America. For instance, I observed that almost all the young people, including elementary school pupils, appeared to be daily equipped with the latest news about America. To them, America is not just the pace-setter in every field of endeavor but also the ultimate in nationhood. Even the American currency is fondly called the “almighty dollar”. There is therefore the desperate urge to tailor personal styles and business goals along every trend that emanates from God’s own country.

I noticed that in spite of the year-long Nigerian summer, when my folks are on vacation, nothing at home attracts their interest. Not some of the popular local tourist attractions such as the Yankari games reserve and the Osun grove. And not even the mysterious Ikogosi spring which serves as the confluence for two different streams, one hot and the other cold, and both of unknown sources.  Ironically, these are the stuffs that attract foreigners, including Americans every year.

Vacationing Americans, I argued with friends resident in Nigeria, are known for visits to local attractions such as the Grand Canyon and Walt Disney. Those of them who venture out of their country often do so only to explore natural wonders of optimum interest in other lands. And while the Americans return from each vacation with a fresh outlook, their Nigerian counterparts are all stressed out. This is so because all they do is wander through the American inner cities, usually in the humid heat of summer.  It’s quite mind boggling that anyone will, on annual basis, incur outrageous expense just to see business districts, skyscrapers and the hustle and bustle of a foreign city as if similar structures don’t exist back home.

All through my stay in Nigeria, I listened as my people made frequent comparisons between their nascent democracy and the over 200 year-old American political system. I also noted their habitual cynicism and routine assumptions that corruption and inefficiency are a monopoly of the corporate managers in their home land. When reminded of the scandals that rocked Worldcom and Enron some years back and the current financial indiscipline of such a company as AIG, they only shrugged their shoulders nonchalantly. Not even tales about the dwindling fortunes of several American corporate entities in the wake of the current economic melt down would convince them that human nature is the same all over the globe.

And there is the issue of animals. To those folks back home, America is simply a replica of the biblical Garden of Eden where Man and animals co-habit amicably. On satellite TV channels, Nigerians are ever amused to see deer, squirrels and other animals roam about the American neighborhoods without let or hindrance. This is in sharp contrast to their “cat and mouse” relationship with animals. Over there in Nigeria, animals are smart enough to confine themselves to some far-away, thick jungles. Even favorites among pets and domesticated animals such as dogs, rabbits and goats have to watch their backs lest they end up in the cooking pots of some lurking human predators.

Nowhere however, is the obsession of Nigerians for America so glaring as in the lifestyles of the younger generation. American-oriented funky churches, Hip-hop, rap music, fast food joints, fashion and technological trends are all over the nation’s social and economic landscapes.

Incidentally though, there still exist some no-go areas. For example, counselors and psychiatrists are often rendered idle in such a communal setting where payment for an advice is considered absurd. It comes freely from an experienced parent or older relation with age-long wisdom to share and ready shoulders to offer.

There is also the idea of a man adorned with ear-rings. While this is a popular fad in America, it is anathema to most Nigerians.  The few visiting American-based Nigerian men who dare try to “show off” with ear-rings are often jeered at and stared down with ignominy by the locals. It’s indeed worse when the same man braids his hair. Over there, in the most populous Black nation on earth, it’s religiously sacrilegious for a man to braid his hair.  Besides that, Nigeria is a man’s world. Therefore nothing can be more ridiculous and scornful than a man who looks like a woman. But as they say, one man’s meat is another’s poison. There are some other peculiar habits and orientations that Americans tolerate but which Nigerians consider as taboos and assaults on societal sensibility.

Much as the young Nigerians sheepishly eye every fad from America, the conservative society at large knows where to draw the line. Therefore, just as rice is separated from chaff, so are existing local core values constantly protected from the negative influences of all eroding foreign cultures, American included.