Trying to get more shut-eye? Take a look at your diet. Eating the right foods in the hours before you hit the hay may help you fall asleep faster, say experts, and even improve the quality of your sleep. Keep reading for your get-sleepy grocery list, and remember to stop noshing two hours before bedtime to give your body enough time to properly digest.
Almonds
“Almonds are a winner,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, medical director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers, and author of the bestselling book From Fatigued to Fantastic! “They contain magnesium which promotes both sleep and muscle relaxation,” he says. “And they have the added benefit of supplying proteins that can help maintain a stable blood sugar level while sleeping, and help promote sleep by switching you from your alert adrenaline cycle to your rest-and-digest cycle.” Try this bedtime snack: Have a tablespoon of almond butter or a 1-ounce portion of almonds to help your body relax. Photo: Shutterstock
Tea
Yes, avoiding all caffeine in the evening hours is key, but some decaf varieties can help get you into sleep mode, says Dr. Teitelbaum. “Chamomile tea is a very helpful and safe sleep aid,” he says, adding that green tea is another good choice. “Green tea contains theanine, which helps promote sleep. Just be sure you get a decaf green tea if drinking it at bedtime.” Experts recommend trying a 1-cup serving of the hot stuff. Photo: Thinkstock
Miso Soup
You love to order this comforting, broth-based soup in Japanese restaurants, but keeping a few 8-ounce packs of instant miso soup at home may be key when you’re having trouble falling asleep, says Stella Metsovas, CN, a nutritionist in Laguna Beach, California. Here’s why: Miso contains amino acids that may boost the production of melatonin, a natural hormone that can help induce the yawns. Bonus: Research shows that warm liquids like soup and tea may also relieve cold symptoms, helping you sleep better when you're feeling under the weather. Photo: Shutterstock
Banana
Worried about falling asleep tonight? Have a banana before bed, says Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD, an internist and the author of Set Free to Live Free: Breaking Through the 7 Lies Women Tell Themselves. “Bananas are an excellent source of magnesium and potassium, which help to relax overstressed muscles. They also contain tryptophan, which convert to serotonin and melatonin, the brain’s key calming hormones." Try this tasty and incredibly simple bedtime smoothie: Blend one banana with one cup of milk or soy milk (and ice, if desired). Pour and enjoy!Photo: Shutterstock
Dairy
Yogurt, milk and cheese do contain tryptophan, notes Dr. Dalton-Smith, but also have a surprising sleep-inducing nutrient: “Calcium is effective in stress reduction and stabilization of nerve fibers, including those in the brain." That means a serving of your favorite Greek yogurt before bed can not only help you sleep, but also help you stop worrying about the weird thing your boss said earlier at work. Photo: Thinkstock
Oatmeal
You eat it for breakfast, but could a bowl of warm oatmeal help you get more rest? Yes, says Stephan Dorlandt, a clinical nutritionist based in Southern California. “Think about it,” he says. “Oatmeal is warm,soft, soothing, easy to prepare, inexpensive and nourishing. It’s rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon and potassium—the who's who of nutrients known to support sleep.” But go easy on the sweeteners; too much sugar before bed can have an anti-calming effect. Instead, consider topping your bowl with fruit, like bananas (see above). Photo: Shutterstock
Hard-Cooked Egg
If you have trouble staying asleep at night, it may be because you didn’t eat a pre-bedtime snack high in protein, or perhaps your snack was too high in simple, high-sugar carbohydrates, like cake and candy. “The problem with simple carbs is that they can put you on a ‘sugar roller coaster’ and drop your blood sugar while you're sleeping, causing you to wake at 2 or 3 in the morning,” says Dr. Teitelbaum. A better bet? “Eat an egg, cheese, nuts or other protein-rich snack instead,” he says, “so you can not only fall asleep, but stay asleep.” Photo: Shutterstock
Edamame
Craving a salty snack before bed? Turn to lightly salted edamame, says Dr. Dalton-Smith—especially if you’re dealing with menopause-related symptoms. “The natural estrogen-like compounds found in soy-based products can be very beneficial in controlling those nighttime hot flashes that can disturb your sleep,” she says. If it’s crackers and dip you’re craving, try making this easy edamame recipe: In a food processor, blend together 2 cups of shelled, cooked edamame with 1 tsp salt, a drizzle of olive oil and 1 clove garlic (optional) until smooth. Photo: Thinkstock
Cherries
Oddly, a glass of cherry juice may be an effective way to fall asleep faster, says a team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and University of Rochester. In their study, they found that cherries, particularly tart cherries, naturally boosted the body’s supply of melatonin, which helped people with insomnia. While the jury is still out on how much juice or how many cherries are needed to make you sleepy, experts say sipping a glass of cherry juice (available at most natural foods stores) or having a serving of fresh, frozen or dried cherries before bedtime couldn’t hurt. Photo: Thinkstock
Cereal
There’s no need to feel guilty about having a small bowl of cereal before bed, especially if it’s a low-sugar, whole-grain cereal. Not only is it a healthy snack (make sure you top it with milk to give your body the protein it needs), but it may also help you snooze. “Complex carbohydrate–rich foods increase the availability of tryptophan in the bloodstream, increasing the sleep-inducing effects,” says Dr. Dalton-Smith. Bonus: Top your bowl with a sprinkling of dried cherries (see above) for extra help catching your zzz's. Photo: Thinkstock
Original article appeared on WomansDay.com.
(Extracted from:http://shine.yahoo.com/event/vitality/10-foods-that-can-help-you-sleep-2433545/ )
Motorola and Google must have been pleased at hearing the Xoom tablet computer was voted the best tablet at the CES 2011. The computer electronics show is an annual event where the best and the not so good display their models which are due for release next year.In what is set to be a competitive year in the tablet computing industry, with numbers expected to triple over the coming years, Motorola’s new product has done exceptionally well to win the coveted ‘best in show’ award.
The Xoom runs Google’s Android operating system 3.0 which has been called Honeycomb. This operating system has been optimized for tablet computers.
Motorola and Google launched the marketing campaign for the Xoom last year with subtle and not so subtle strategies. It peaked the interest then and it is nice to see a product deliver on the back of the hype.
It will be interesting to see if it can take on the iPad once it is released...
We’ve rounded up what we know about upcoming Google Android tablets to see if any devices will give the Apple iPad a true rival.
With the success of Apple’s iPad, virtually every manufacturer is brainstorming their own version attempting to ride the tablet wave. Sound familiar? The tablet market seems to be following the path of smartphones, but there is a key difference this time: Apple doesn’t have quite the head start they had back when the first iPhone was released. Android has made a big dent in the mobile industry and it’s looking to do the same for tablets. Apple sold 3 million iPads in the first 80 days and they’re expected to sell around 20 million more in 2011. If Android wants to get its foot in the door then the time is now, before they fall behind again and it takes years to catch up. More and more manufactures are unveiling plans for tablets and the vast majority are choosing Android (sans HP with their Web OS tablet). Below we’ve rounded up everything we know at this point about upcoming Android tablets and when they might hit the market. If there is a tablet we have missed, let us know and we will add it to the list!
Archos 7The Archos 7 features a 7-inch (800×400) display, 8GB of internal storage along with a micro SDHC slot (for additional storage) and an ARM Cortex A8 processor. The Archos 7 has been available since March and it runs for $199.99.
Cisco CiusLast month Cisco revealed its plans to join the tablet arms race with the Cius. The Cius will pack a 7-inch screen, a 720p webcam on the front and a 5 megapixel camera on the back. No firm launch date has been set, but Cisco has stated that they’re shooting for early next year.
Velocity Micro Cruz TabletVelocity Micro will step away from its luxury gaming throne to dabble in the emerging Android tablet market with the release of their Cruz Tablet this summer. It will feature a 7-inch touch-screen, 4GB of built-in storage, and will accept SD cards for additional storage. The Cruz Tablet will release this summer at a surprisingly low price of $300.
Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000Samsung unveiled a picture of its upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab last month and it looks like the iPad’s smaller twin. It will feature a 7-inch AMOLED display, Android 2.2, 16GB of internal storage with a microSD expansion slot, and will be powered by a 1.2GHz A8 processor. The Galaxy Tab is expected to launch sometime this summer and a larger 10-inch tablet from Samsung has been rumored to follow.
Dell StreakStewart Wolpin thought the Streak was closer to a large cell phone than a tablet in his hands-on impressions, but it’s being promoted as a tablet so we’ll play along. The streak will feature a 5-inch display, 5 megapixel camera, and integrated social media apps such as Twitter and Facebook. No solid release date has been set for the Streak, but its unlocked price is expected to be $500.
Notion Ink AdamThe Adam will be the first tablet on the market to feature the Pixel Qi display. The 10-inch transflective LCD display offers 3 different modes for viewing including a reflective e-paper mode for low power viewing even in bright sunlight. The Adam is expected to be released in Q3 of this year in selected countries.
ICD UltraICD’s follows up its 15-inch Vega tablet with the ICD Ultra, a smaller Android-based device. The ICD Ultra will feature a 7-inch touchscreen display, a NVIDIA Tegra T20 chipset, and integrated 3G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Pricing and a final release date have not been set.
Pandigital NovelThe Pandigital Novel can be classified as an eReader but since it features a web browser and media player we think it crosses into tablet territory as well. The Novel will features a 7-inch color 800×600 touchscreen, an SD card slot for adding storage, and will integrate with the Barnes & Noble eBookstore. It will be priced at $199 and is slated to go on sale this month.
NEC Life TouchThe Life touch will feature a 7-inch TFT LCD screen, ARM Cortex A8 processor and 256MB of RAM. The Android 2.1 device is expected to be available in Japan in October with no official price as of this article.
Google TabletDetails are still scarce on the rumored Google Android Tablet. There have been reports that Verizon and Google are working together on a tablet, but at this point we don’t even know if Google’s Tablet will run on Chrome OS or Android.
Acer TabletThe Acer tablet looks very similar to its LumiRead e-book reader that was announced at the same event back in may. Not many details have been released but we do know that it will feature a 7-inch color display, will run Android, and has a likely Q4 release date.
LG TabletLG announced on July 6th that they will be jumping into the Android tablet market. They didn’t however provide any details on the device, only stating that it plans to release it in the fourth quarter of this year.
There comes a time in the Christian life when you realize that the verse “Who will deliver me from the
Our check shows that after being held for several hours at the SSS airport office, Prof Ndibe was asked to write down his Nigerian address, and then released. However his Nigerian passport was taken from him and was asked to report back tomorrow at the SSS Lagos office in Ikoyi, Lagos , for further interrogation with the SSS director in Lagos .
Sources who elected anonymity told huhuonline.com that Prof. Okey Ndibe arrest has to with the fact that his name was on the government watch list. Recall that in 2008, Mr. Jonathan Elendu and Emmanuel Emeke Asiwe were arrested by SSS, upon arrival at the airport, Mr. Asiwe obtained a judgement from an Abuja high court, which declared his arrest unconstitutional and has sought five hundred million in damages against the government. ..
At least 11 others including some of her staff members were reported to have been injured, some seriously, and there were reports that between four and six people had died. There were conflicting reports over whether Miss Gifford had herself been killed. ..
Miss Giffords, 40, who is married to astronaut Mark Kelly, was talking to a couple outside a Safeway grocery store when the attacker ran up and opened fire indiscriminately.
She was shot point blank in the head. At least 11 other people were reported to have been killed or injured in the rampage which occurred mid-morning local time.
Andrea Gooden, an eyewitness who was working across the road from the scene, said: “I heard about 15 shots. Then there were people racing across the parking lot.” She said there were many sheriffs and firefighters on the scene within minutes.
A respected US website reported another eye-witness, Steven Rayle, who was on the scene at the time of the shooting and helped to hold the suspect down while waiting for police. He told Gawker.com: “The event was very informal: Gifford had set up a table outside the Safeway and about 20-30 people were gathered to talk to her. The gunman, who may have come from inside the Safeway, walked up and shot Gifford in the head first.”
According to Mr Rayle, who is a former emergency room doctor, Gifford was able to move her hands after being shot.
Miss Giffords had been named as a political campaign target for conservatives in November’s elections by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin for her strong support for the health reforms of President Barack Obama.
Mrs Palin had published a “target map” on her website using images of gun sights to identify 20 House Democrats, including Miss Giffords, for backing the new health care law.
The congresswoman, who is Jewish, is a gun-owner and supporter of the right to bear arms. She was also a strong advocate of abortion rights. She nonetheless won re-election to her third term in Congress.
Law enforcement officials told local media that a suspect was in custody. Witnesses said that the gunman was tackled to the ground by a bystander as he attempted to flee the scene of the shooting.
Mr Rayle, who a former emergency room doctor, said Miss Giffords was able to move her hands after being shot.
Miss Giffords, who was first elected to Congress in 2006 and was re-elected for a third time in November, had just returned from Washington to Arizona after being sworn in to the new House.
She had sent a message on the social networking site Twitter inviting constituent to a “Congress on Your Corner” event. “Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later,” she wrote. In a message earlier in the day, she said: “So good to be home. Happy New Year!”
Her husband is a veteran of the Desert Storm military campaign against Iraq and the couple have two children. Mr Kelly was the commander of the Endeavour, the final planned mission of the American space shuttle programme which flew in 2008. His twin brother Scott is also a NASA astronaut.
Born in Tucson, Miss Giffords was a strong supporter of the right to bear arms. She was a target of conservative Republican campaigning for her enthusiastic backing of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reforms and last year complained that her office in Tucson had been attacked by vandals.
It is believed to be the first time that a woman politician has been the object of an assassination attempt in America, a country where elected leaders have often been the subject of attacks.
US President Abraham Lincoln was shot dead while at the theatre with his wife in 1865. Another US president, James Garfield, was assassinated in 1881.
President John F Kennedy was shot while driving through Dallas, Texas, in an open topped car in November 1963. His brother Robert, a senator and presidential candidate was shot dead in 1968.
President Ronald Reagan survived an attempted assassination in 1981, when John Hinckley Jnr fired shots at him in the hope of impressing the actress Jodie Foster, with whom he was obsessed.
The black nationalist leader Malcolm X was killed while addressing a crowd in New York city in February 1965, while Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the States, was shot dead in November 1978.
With the Lagos Guber Candidate Ticket of Fashola confirmed by the ACN .
Now, for the second time in a month, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday accused the Federal Government of plotting to arrest and silence its national leader and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Federal Government, the ACN alleged, plans to put Tinubu out of circulation to check his rising political profile and demobilise the ACN ahead of April’s general election.
The party had on December 5 last year alerted Nigerians to "the surreptitious and dangerous moves being made to silence Tinubu."
A few days later, the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) chair, Sam Saba, said the CCB would dust up against Tinubu, a case of keeping a foreign account while in office. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had earlier investigated the case without any evidence against the former governor...
Spokesman of the ACN, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, told reporters in Lagos yesterday that President Goodluck Jonathan had finally succumbed to the "unceasing pressure by signing on to the evil plan."
Mohammed said: "Now, we have it on a good authority that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, (Mr. Mohammed Adoke), has been under tremendous pressure to look for any offence, no matter how flimsy, to get Tinubu arrested and prosecuted – just to put him away." He alleged that the President "may sign a warrant of Tinubu’s arrest anytime from now."
He warned: "We will not sit back and fold our arms while those who fought for the democracy we are enjoying today are demonised and decapitated. We reject the targeting of Tinubu, who they see as the architect of the change that is threatening the PDP.
"Nothing must happen to this icon of democracy and good governance, so as not to set in motion a chain of events the end of which no one can predict."
Mohammed said the ACN’s phenomenal leap is making the PDP envious, hence the focus on Tinubu who is seen as "the architect of PDP’s deconstruction, who has to be stopped at all costs."
Apart from winning back its mandate in Edo, Ekiti and Osun states in the South-West where its candidates are now occupying the government houses, the ACN has also been making an in-road into other parts of the country.
Mohammed said internal democracy in the ACN and its discipline have attracted into the party the likes of Senator John James Akpanodoedehe (Akwa Ibom); Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and ex-Governor Achike Udenwa (Imo State); Former Transport Minister Abiye Sekibo (Rivers State); Senator George Akume (Benue State), Senator Saminu Turaki (Jigawa State); Senator Joel Danlami (Taraba State); five members of the National Assembly in Anambra State and the entire Congress of Progressive Party (CPC) structure in Bauchi State.
"As our party’s fortune rises, the prospect of the ruling PDP becomes dimmer and dimmer by the day.
"As the general elections approach, it is becoming increasingly clear to the discerning that we are the toast of all Nigerians seeking better governance and the deepening of democracy".
During the week, former President Olusegun Obasanjo was believed to have visited the national secretariat of the PDP to press the leadership to "do something about the crises in the party in the South-West so as to check the ACN" or he would quit.
Mohammed said those behind the plot to arrest Tinubu, in one of their meetings, "said everything must be done to stop the putative alliance between our party and the CPC, which they see as capable of ending the years of misrule by the PDP."
He then raised some posers: "Why the arrest of Tinubu at the time of the registration of voters? Why when there is a merger talk between the ACN and the CPC? Why when people are leaving the PDP in droves?"
He said the PDP men pressuring the President to get Tinubu arrested "are firmly of the belief that his arrest will destabilise the ACN".
Mohammed said there is a growing desperation by the PDP, saying the sum of $1billion "was secretly and hurriedly shared out to states from the excess crude accounts, just to secure support for President Jonathan and give his backers the necessary war chest needed to fight ahead of the April election." The money, he alleged, was shared in foreign currency to the detriment of the naira.
"In recent times, bombs have been exploding across the country in an unprecedented degeneration of security in a country that is not at war. Hundreds have been killed or maimed. Do we know those behind it? Do we know their motives? Could it be part of the end game? We leave Nigerians to judge."
But Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation yesterday dismissed the allegations. The organisation also said it was not true that six Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors were made to donate N500 million each to the President's campaign.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the organisation, Mr. Sully Abu, in a statement in Abuja frowned at what he called "the recent penchant of politicians for broadcasting total fabrications in the garb of 'revelations'."
The ploy, according to Abu, is to "pile up one lie over the other with the hope that something murky would stick."
Describing Alhaji Mohammed's allegations as similar to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar's "tissue of lies", Abu wondered under what financial sub-heads the monies allegedly taken from states' coffers would have been released.
He called on the security agencies to investigate Mohammed's "outrageous claims" that "one billion dollars have been secretly and hurriedly shared out to the states from the excess crude oil accounts, just to secure support for President Jonathan and give his backers the necessary war chest needed to fight ahead of April's election."
Abu stressed that no amount of blackmail or wicked propaganda would distract President Jonathan from his focused march to keep a date with destiny in the 2011 elections
A cute critter story courtesy of New Zealand's Stuff website, about a zoo penguin in Germany that by some miracle did not become cat food:
A resourceful baby penguin took advantage of Germany's wintry weather to give her minders the slip and embark on a tour of the zoo before waddling into the lions' den.
A visitor spotted the African penguin, born in September, taking a stroll in the lion enclosure but the animal was lucky as the lions were asleep inside rather than braving the icy weather outside, Muenster zoo said on its website.
It took keepers a day to get the penguin out of the den, luring her out with a trail of herrings, the statement said.
The escape gave the penguin, up to then only known as number 459, a name. Her minder now calls her Leona, the zoo said...
-- Photo courtesy of Allwetterzo
AFRICAN CULTURE PROMOTED IN AWARD-WINNING 3D ANIMATION
-- Disney's first black princess comes 72 years after Snow White with their production of "The Princess and the Frog". Now, a few guys with a startup budget of less than $5,000 dollars have produced titles that can be compared with that of Pixar and Dreamworks. --
Nationwide
(BlackNews.com) -- An African film company is gaining global attention by producing award-winning 3D animation titles made from an African perspective.
TransTales Entertainment was started in 2005 on a budget of less than $5,000 dollars by Segun Williams and Obinna Onwuekwe, and is the first film company to produce African themed 3D animation films to fill the void in animation with myriads of authentic African stories.
The titles produced by TransTales are widely acclaimed by industry experts and the animated series "Mark of Uru" recently won the United Nations World Summit Award for the use of technology to promote African culture.
According to the UN World Summit Awards website, "Mark of Uru" is an exciting web animation series combining digital expertise with local folk story, imagery and culture.
"Mark of Uru" is written and directed by Obinna Owuekwe and produced by Segun Williams. Owuekwe also lends his voice to two of the characters: The Warrior and Isi Agu. The costumes and makeup are authentically African and the series has a woman empowerment theme embedded in it. The voices also feature varied accents, mostly Igbo and Efik from West Africa. According to TransTales, very few countries rival the diversity of Nigeria across the world; with 250 ethnic groups, 500 languages and a population of over 160 million. "Such diversity brings with it unique experiences and stories that need telling. While Nigerians have explored film, music, arts and literature to tell their stories, animation has been absent; but this is about to change."
In "Mark of Uru", Azuka is a girl born with a birthmark identical to the tattoo of a sinister sorceress Uru, who died long ago. Despite her mother's effort to conceal the birthmark, it is eventually discovered, and the annihilation of the child becomes imminent, in order to protect her people from the curse of Uru. The intervention of the earthbound elemental spirit Isi-Agu and his protégé Etido forestalls Azuka's execution. She is taken to a sacred mountain well beyond the reach family, friends and foes. The moment she grows into a woman under the protection of Isi-Agu and Etido, the news of her survival sparks a deadly manhunt initiated by people bent on her annihilation. With the assistance of a band of outcasts, she embarks on a grueling journey, through the most treacherous terrains to unravel the mystery behind her bizarre birthmark.
For more information, visit www.transtales.com
Extracted from http://theindustrycosign.com/site/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=11438
If you are a person that pays attention to your health you should know we are in the middle of a health war and it looks like the enemy is winning. Cancer is now the number one cause of death in the United States, obesity is at an all time high, and we are identifying diabetic teenagers on a regular basis. Young adults with heart disease are the norm. We are taking medications that are supposed to help us (which they do) but they have side effects which are breaking down our bodies and preventing us from achieving optimal health.
The food we eat is a mess as well. You need to look into high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, MSG and you’ll see what I mean. There’s a reason you can’t eat just one French fry or one potato chip, these chemical laced foods are designed to keep you eating. Your body doesn’t recognize chemicals, it cannot properly digest them so it stores it as fat, which may lead to the accumulation of free radicals which could be one of the reasons cancer is killing so many of us. I also feel these chemicals are the catalyst for our obesity issues. As I stated before, your body stores these chemicals as fat. Your body pulls these chemicals away from your major organs and surrounds it with fat and water.
These days so many people have trouble losing that last 10-12 lbs. When we are eating food that has more chemicals than nutrients there is no wonder we are obese and full of disease.
As bad as all this sounds there is good news. We can rid our bodies of toxins, we can fill our bodies with nutrients, we can lose those stubborn 10-12lbs. Nutritional cleansing is the key. Many of you may not be familiar with Nutritional Cleansing.
Many cleanses deal with cleansing specific organs. Nutritional cleansing works at a cellular level, so we’re talking about cleansing your entire body from head to toe. Many cleanses require you to fast. Nutritional cleansing programs REQUIRE you to eat. Many cleanses help you to lose weight but in the process you may lose muscle. With nutritional cleansing you may lose the weight while you gain lean muscle. The most powerful component of nutritional cleansing is the replenishing aspect. ALL cleanses remove toxins from your bodies; however, when your body is still lacking the proper nutrients your body is not capable of truly taking care of itself. What nutritional cleansing does is not only cleanse the body but it also provides the body with vital nutrients which also enables the body to function at its highest level, which in turn helps the body to fight off disease and stay healthy and keep you feeling great.
I interviewed former World Series Champion Sean Wooten, listen as he discusses the powerful benefits of nutritional cleansing.
Post by Ken Coward in Elev8 Original on May 26, 2010 at 6:56 pm
http://elev8.com/health/kencoward/its-time-to-give-nutritional-cleansing-a-try/
Proverbs 18:16 (King James Version) :A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.
Proverbs 18:16 (Contemporary English Version):A gift will get you in to see anyone.
Proverbs 18:16 (Young’s Literal Translation):The gift of a man maketh room for him, And before the great it leadeth him.
Proverbs 18:16 (The Message Version):A gift gets attention; it buys the attention of eminent people.
For a long time I had read this verse of scripture. And most preachers I listened to implied that the “gift” was referring to inborn talent. I disagreed because it was obvious to me that the verse was written in the context of the “gift” being a present or some form of offering given to a person of higher status.
The more I heard Preachers emphasize the first interpretation, the more the conflict grew within. I just couldn’t accept that translation of the scripture. Until something happened…
And what was that thing that changed mind? Simple. Michael Jackson died!
I am sure you’re wondering. What does a secular artist like Michael Jackson have to do with something as spiritual as a bible verse right? Well, Michael Jackson’s life achievements and the way he was celebrated even in death, proved to me the authenticity of the pastoral interpretation I had resisted for many years.
How does one of the youngest sons of a steelmill worker born into a less than affluent family, become the world’s most celebrated entertainer, outselling any other artist in his whole career? How is it that his burial ceremony received a greater worldwide attention than any past world leader? It could only have been through the expression of his gifts -his inborn talent.
From the age of five Michael Jackson did nothing else but express his God-given talents (we could argue that he never honored God with his talents but I am not about to get into that debate). He could have lived for something else but he chose to entertain the world with dancing and singing. And that brought him before kings and earned him all the wealth and honor during and after his lifetime.
This was enough evidence to prove that truly ones gifts/inborn talents are certain to make a way for him/her. We can see similar evidence of these in the lives of Bill Gates, Billy Graham, Martin Luther King Jr, The Wright Brothers, Nelson Mandela, King Solomon and Moses. Their lives were a sum total of their commitment to a life of expressing their gifts. And this made them great and brought them before other great men.
My message to you today is start focusing on developing and expressing your god-given talents. For therein lie your wealth, honour and the fulfillment of your purpose! Your gift will make a way for you!
THEBROKEN SALT PITCHER
Something happened,one I never forget.
Whether caused by a Demon or an Angel I cannot tell.
‘Cos a moral lesson was taught from a sin so grave.
This farted in my mouth and poured in honey.
Honey I love; fart, nobody cherishes.
My siblings and I were playing like normal kids,
In the visitor’schamber after mama left for her trade
Papa never came home easy, for his work;
Itinerant trading; from coast to coast would he go
That fateful day,whether Devil’s or God’s work I will never know
Bang, bang, bang,the ball I threw went
The direction we could control not.
Set in motion for fate to decide.
With a loud crash, the pitcher hit the floor.
Salt and enamel all mixed together.
Just then papa stepped inside.
Who broke thispitcher? Nobody responded.
Straight to the room he went.
I, conscience pricked did the confession later.
But papa said something else was broken.
With confusion all over my face I said nothing was.
He shook his head bitterly and said there was;
And it was something bigger and greater than a jug.
Trust, he said was broken, ‘cos my confession came
Just a little late after I killed his trust in me.
i started
with step so fast and assured,
a trek for life
a trek for survival
armed with “papers” and confidence.
every corner i turned
every place i visited
the story is the same
no vacancy please or milder;
we shall contact you soon.
i grope on,
day by day i stumble
on the rocky floors of offices
with hope that had died
ressurated time immemorable
i move about, a ghost,
with leg too worried for cares
with body tired but not retired.
the ghost is everywhere
dancing to the same rhythm
never leaves this realm
yet in another world
hangs on spider’s thread of hope
seeking what had been shared
long before I started dreaming.
omolara olufemi stephen
Breaking News
A WINNER was yet to emerge last night in the Delta State governorship election rerun.
The votes were still being collated this morning, but there were indications that there were two leading candidates – Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and Chief Great Ogboru.
Uduaghan is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Ogboru is of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP).
Fourteen political parties fielded candidates in the election..
The results released at the collation centre as at 2.10a.m. put Uduaghan ahead of his closest rival Ogboru.
But the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) identified the lapses in the exercise.
The TMG is a coalition of over 400 civil society organisations, which has been monitoring elections in the country since 1999. It deployed its observers in all the wards and the 25 local government areas in Delta State during yesterday’s rerun election.
In its preliminary report on the election signed by its chair, Mashood Erubami and Public Affairs Officer, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the TMG listed the problems that plagued the election as: large presence of police and other security outfits; late arrival of election officials and materials in some centres; missing names in INEC voter registers; ballot snatching; harassment of voters; vote buying; and lack of secrecy at some of the voting centres.
It said the election is a template for a new dawn for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The TMG said notwithstanding these lapses, the election “went on well in majority of polling booth”. “It was generally peaceful without the reported loss of lives either by error of omission or commission, unlike before. “Expectedly, INEC officials operated above board as there were no pointed accusations against their operations, they demonstrated competence and efficiency in the conduct of the election, signposting that they were adequately trained before their deployment into the field.”
The TMG said it was not surprising that some people could not find their names on the voter register, given the fact that INEC issued the old and discredited register.
Jega gave his men a pass mark, in spite of the odds that dogged the election.
Jega spoke to reporters at the INEC office in Asaba last night after monitoring the election across the state.
He said the commission would learn from the experiences gained in the rerun election to improve on the April general elections.
He said the commission had to work extra hard in order to make a success of the rerun.
He blamed some of the political parties for exhibiting insincerity, adding after some political parties abused the trust of the commission by producing fake cards.
He said the attitude of the commission was to uphold the sanctity of one man, one vote objective.
Jega said due to the constraint of time the commission had to use the old voter register, adding that had the electoral body insisted on using a new register it would have violated the court order to conduct the rerun in 90 days.
He said the commission tried to increase the credibility of the old register by setting up a committee to scrutinise the register, adding that despite the commission’s effort some problems still arose on the register.
He admitted some of the challenges, including late arrival of election materials, snatched ballot boxes, violence and physical abuse.
Jega promised that the April elections would be better, adding that it will satisfy the yearnings of Nigerians for credible elections.
According to him, the introduction by the commission of new guidelines brought credibility into the electoral process.
He said INEC had been non-partisan while acknowledging that the commission had not conducted a perfect election but had done a good job.
He said many disenfranchised residents of riverine communities showered encomiums on INEC as this was the first time they had participated in any election.
Jega monitored several riverine communities in Burutu, Bomadi and Patani.
He praised the Youth Corps members who assisted to organise the election for their commitment.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has expressed shock over the death of former international Uche Okafor on Thursday in the United States
So sad. . .may his gentle soul rest in perfect peace
Seriously I still find it hard to believe when I got the call from the US yesterday (Thursday) evening. This is a really sad way to begin the year,” said Iroha.
Iroha added that he is yet to know what really transpired up to the death of his former teammate. “I am yet to know what happened. But I feel so sad to hear this because he was a very marvelous friend and brother,” said the former Heartland assistant coach.
However, there are still no details concerning surrounding the death of the former winner of the Africa Cup of Nations. The former Nigerian footballer was said to have taken his daughter to school early Thursday and was later found dead in his US home.
The police in the United States are said to have cordoned off the home of Okafor, as a coroner is carrying out an inquest into circumstance surrounding his death.
Okafor’s professional career began at defunct ACB of Lagos before he moved to KRC Mechelen.
The late Nigerian player has also played for Hannover 96 before ending his career at Sporting Kansas City, formerly known as Kansas City Wizards.
Late Okafor also featured in one of the four matches of Nigeria’s Super Eagles at the 1994 Fifa World Cup in the USA. He was also a football pundit on African football for ESPN until his death.
