WHY BOTHER?

MY OPINION

I'm interested in politics to the degree that it effects the important issues in the world like nuclear war and global warming and feeding the hungry -education and our health care systems
Nations and people are too cynical. People are disgusted, turned off and disengaged, and has of recent evolved into meanness and fear.
There is a veil of impossibility over people particularly people of the south . We spend our time talking about what we can't do... I worry about where things will be when if we have the audacity to accomplish our dreams and hope
There is a deep deficit of apathy all over the world. People say "hello, how are you?" just out of politeness without any care, meaning or feeling.

In My 30s, life has gotten progressively harder for working people and those who want to work no matter where you are. As a child I could run to a neighbour’s house to eat, to ask for help if something was going wrong. Where on earth can I do that again?
I believe that people today really expect very little from their governments - to feel that they will be cared for if they get sick, to feel that they have a chance to send their children to school, and to feel that their work will be rewarded with a chance to retire with some dignity. If we even talk of retirement when I know for a fact that in my own country those that go on retirement mostly die still going after their pensions.
To be candid, People don't want much –they just want to be able to take care of their families.

Tell me about a country that of late has elected a president of the people without some nepotism and king makers behind.

I grew up having not much to eat but knowing that some other neighbour was sleeping in hunger which made it difficult for me to just eat without asking or finding out whether the neighbour had eaten.
I see the presidency and leaders as the ultimate way to try to make a difference for others. You don't sit on your blessings, and you don't give to people who already have more than enough, you reach out to the ones who need it.

While everyone struggles, in a country like mine, there is plenty of money to resolve the challenges most countries of the south face. It is not rocket science.
We all know what good schools look like, we have seen lots of them , have examples of them- but we don't have consistency. Public education is deteriorating, the cost of secondary education is growing out of reach. People can't afford to aspire to be a teacher or a nurse for caring sake BUT for money sake. Where is morality? Not to talk of a social worker. Have we ever heard of that in the south?

There is a lack of character in most of our current leaderships, and the result is that the plight of the poor is largely ignored. I know that our standards are measured by the weakest of us. By that measure, we should be ashamed of ourselves.
When shall we have the opportunities to choose candidates that we think are most likely to bring change and not just talk about it. We have got to go out and search for morality because MORALITY IS JUST NOT THERE ANYMORE.

But I also do think that people should take their right to vote seriously, I wish elections could be mandated as in Australie.Sometimes many of those good people that are still there get lost along the way because people GAVE UP their urge and will to vote for what they really want. Do they even remember that someone offered them something temporal? That they sold their futures and souls for? I think they always remember and regret. But then it is too late.

Look at Kenya, we respected kenya in Africa, and surprisingly, someone who defeated another in a democratic election turns around to say that democracy was only for the man he defeated. Is it selfishness? Power? Money? Or just plain wickedness? How much does the life of one striking kenyan cost.? And why does he think he is going to be poor just because he leaves the presidency? Do we encourage our presidents in the south?

In most countries the constitutions are being rewritten so that if you are in power, you stay in power. OF what use should we have leaders that live behind glasses? How much of our interests do they really represent? There is one in Cameroon that does not remember to even come out more than twice in a year. He is a president for the people and claims he won an elections I wonder how those that campained for him feel. And he has been there for almost 3 decades.

We can talk about the climate and how it is in peril…….BUT where is democracy? Why not return to the dark ages of monachies and empires and emperors? Because at least back then we knew that benevolent despotism was the other of the day. I am so pissed off today because we do not even know the type of governments that rule 75% of the world’s countries. What a lot of Shame!
Everyone wants a personal piece .Nepotism, favouritism, deseases, anger, hunger, wars, droughts, egoism end egotism is everywhere. As a result melancholy looms. Nobody is his brother or sister’s keeper anymore I wish there was a means of destroying everything to start again. God said he will come again not to detroy with water but with fire. Why is he taking so long?

Should I hope? Or am I just naïve?

WE ALL DREAM. DO WE HAVE THE AUDACITY?

I have been observing the American presidential primaries race for sometime now, and to give a summary of the man they call the audacity, the eloquence of truth and “the one” I would have to say something before I come back later. But I would have to say something today about Obama before the first caucus votes are cast in Iowa.

He effects me in a very positive way he just sounds like an unselfish person who wants to share his intelligence with aspiring peole and carries himself with dignity, speaks and addresses the issues so perfectly. I have put up with the cynics and those that have been preaching limitations for a long time now. Where are we now because of that cynism? you always hear, we can't, you can't. No one ever wondered why.
Barack Obama was president of the Harvard Law Review, a status that could have had him living as a billionair now. Instead, he chose civil rights advocacy. We all know from his CV what he has done up till now.

IF elected, he would become the first African-American president, has put himself in the running to win by stressing his willingness to reach across political divides and calling for an end to partisan vitriol.

"We can't have the same partisan food fight," Obama says

He has mostly avoided polarizing allusions to racial strife that energized presidential bids of Jesse Jackson in 1988 and Al Sharpton in 2004.

What is fascinating is Obama is not running on identity politics, he is attempting to transcend that and it has allowed him to have greater appeal."

His rejection of racial politics has, however, stirred dissatisfaction among some old-guard civil rights leaders, including Jackson, who in November accused Obama of not emphasizing enough "the plight of African-Americans."

But a few days later, Jackson's son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), defended Obama. "Like Lincoln, Obama called on us to come together and face the new millennium together, as one people - as Americans," the younger Jackson, Obama's national co-chairman, wrote in an editorial.

To be sure, Obama has made frequent reference to slavery and his own African heritage. "I am running in this race because of what Dr. [Martin Luther] King called the fierce urgency of now," Obama repeats on most of his stumps. That he is standing where he is standing because someone somehwere stood up when it was unpopular, and then anotherperson stod up, and another. And finally a people is standing up for change. We all know what happens when a people stands up.

But he also reminded Americans that whites were among the abolitionists and today, are bonded with urban workers in Chicago, traders on Wall Street and immigrants in San Diego by a shared desire for safe neighbourhoods for their parents, good schools for their children, the freedom to chose their own sense of spirituality and a comfortable retirement when they are old.

That has won him passionate support everywhere in America where there is the new generation as he himself calls it though blacks are less than 14 percent of the population. Because as he says, there is no black america, or latino america, or white america, BUT the united states of america that has the same problems. That one voice can change, a city, a state, a country and the world.

In this day and age I wonder what the next few months hold for us descendants of the so called ‘inferior race’. But like Obama I would agree that what the people of the state of Iowa have shown in their presence at his rallies, defying the temperatures, the hate mails, the cynics to attend, is already a VICTORY for inspiration and the desire to mend the world. NO MATTER the outcome of the caucuses. And never in future will the Black man be regarded as the other anymore. Congratulations Mr. Barrack Obama

We all DREAM. And it is ok to dream. If not we would not be able to define HOPE.

RECIPE FOR A HARD WORKER. FUNNY OR TRUE?

MY VERDICT

1. Walk with a document in your hands.

It gives the impression that you are a hardworking employee. With nothing in your hands, you look like you are heading for the cafeteria, with a newspaper you look like you are heading for the toilet. Make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, creating the impression that you work longer hours than you do.

2. Use The Computer.

It always looks like "work" to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal e-mails, chat, do everything without doing anything remotely related to work. These aren't exactly the societal benefits that the proponents of the computer revolution would like to talk about but they're not bad either. When you get caught by your boss: and I assure you: "you will get caught" Your best defense is to claim you're teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable training money.

3. Keep a Messy desk

Top management can get away with a clean desk. For you, it looks like you are not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents around your workspace. To the casual observer, last year's work looks the same as today's work; it's volume that counts. Pile them high and wide. If you know somebody is coming to your workspace, look for the document (you buried hafway down in an existing stack and rummage) when the person arrives.

4. Keep your Phone on Voice Mail

Do not answer immediately, people calling for work will call back. That's no way to live. If somebody leaves a voice mail message for you and it sounds like impending work, respond during lunch hour when you know they're not there and many other colleagues are around. It looks like you're hardworking and conscientious even though you're being a devious weasel.

5. Look Impatient and Annoyed

It gives your colleagues and bosses the impression that you are always busy.

6. Leave the office late

Always leave the office late, especially when the boss is still around. You could read magazines and storybooks that you always wanted to read but had no time until late before leaving. Make sure you walk past the boss' room on your way out. Send important emails at unearthly hours 15 minutes before opening times and 15minutes after closing times and during public holidays.

7. Sigh for effect

Perform a little bit of creative sighing when there are colleagues and others around, giving the impression that you are under extreme pressure.

8. Cubicle Library

Put lots of books on the floor, very high, thick books that you never read, like complicated computer manuals. It frightens the casual looker off your desk and you know the impression it leaves behind.

9. Impressive Vocabulary

Read up on some computer crap and manuals and pick out all the jargon used in your specific trade and more at random information on new products. Use the phrases freely when in conversation with bosses. Remember: They don't have to understand what you say, but you sure will sound impressive.

10. Most Important:

You Be the Judge of the above points. True or Funny?

BUT REMEMBER THESE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR BOSS

When you take a long time,you're slow.
When your boss takes a long time, he's thorough.

When you don't do it, you're lazy
When your boss doesn't do it, he's too busy.

When you make a mistake, you're an idiot
When your boss makes a mistake, he's only human.

When doing something without being told, you're overstepping your authority.
When your boss does the same thing, that's initiative.

When you take a stand, you're being bull-headed.
When your boss does it, he's being firm.

When you overlooked a rule of etiquette, you're being rude.
When your boss skips a few rules, he's being original.

When you please your boss, you're apple polishing.
When your boss pleases his boss, he's being co-operative.

When you're out of the office, you're wandering around.
When your boss is out of the office, he's on business.

When you're on a day off sick, you're always sick.
When your boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill.

When you apply for leave, you must be going for an interview.
When your boss applies for leave, it's because he's overworked.


When you don't show up on time for a meeting, you're late.
When your boss doesn't show up on time for a meeting, he must have been delayed.

Haha, maybe I had also worked.

IBIMI's First Letter

What happens when you are suddenly faced with the birth of a child in conditions that one or you could only describe as unexpected? How much man do you become to introduce the child into the world? When my ex-girlfriend put to birth on July 6th 2006, I looked at the appearance of a human being unto our mist, into the world and I stood alone, in all the hype that was going on in the world around that time and I wished I had something to tell the child when he opened his eyes...But what?

Should I tell him about the hypocrisy engulfing the world? Or the one that brought him into it?

Should I tell him about the wars? the honger? the sicknesses? the immorality? the death of faith in God? and the less believe in what ever our leaders said? and the portrayal of power?

What would I describe as the causes? greed? foolishness? hatred? or just domination? Should I also introduce him to the world already with lies that showed that I understood?..... in fact I had to accept that I was either too stupid to understand or the people that made things happen were too smart for me. BUT is that true?

With all these questions in mind, I had to write him his first letter:

A LETTER TO AN INNOCENT SON

Welcome to this world IBIMI Gilbert,

I am so proud of you and the position you are taking in this world.

When you open your eyes and know that you belong in this world,

I hope that you do not just watch or hear or read how the world goes by.

But also contribute in your own way to show that you were in this world.

I and your mum will like to remember what was going on in the world the day you decided to join it......you will remember when you open your eyes.

Let No one ever stop you from doing the right thing for someone......

NOT me and NOT your mum.

Be wise, empathetic and compassionate, always remember the defination of a human being and human dignity.

May God Bless you in all your daily undertakings.

Your Father,

Gilbert.

FAREWELL GRANDMA MARTINA

Tell Her.

Tell ‘M’, ‘EM’, MY GRANDMA that I remember.

I smiled.
Yes I smiled again when mummy repeated the news 15 minutes later.
“‘M has died’ ” she had said the first time I picked up the phone.
Only this time she was consoling me with our favourite jokes about ‘M’

15 minutes, yes 15 minutes that’s what it took for me

As I remembered her, time and again:
Her touch, her smile,

Her softly spoken words,

Her kindness, her passion for life,

Her faithful courage.

I remembered soft and gentle hands,

Reaching out to dry my tears;

I remembered warm and loving arms,

That chased away my fears.

I remembered Someone that I could run to,

Who always made sure she was there;

An ear that would patiently listen,

Someone who always cared.

There's something rare and wonderful

God placed in a Grandmother's heart;

Something he knew a child would need

Right from the very start. Ask those who knew her.

I know. I believe. Heaven has a place reserved for her.

God has taken her from me to care for her now timelessly.
But I had a little Heaven on earth
In the Grandmother I called mine.
The love that was swollen to burst inside of me for her.

She goes on. She breathes inside me.

For every time I will grow desperately lonely

And long to hold her in my arms

My beloved Martina,

I will only have to glance up

To know she is with me,

My ascending angel “M”

I remembered all the things she used to do,

sitting for hours telling me tales about her brother- grandpa ngwang,
How they loved each other,
How they survived the odds.
She taught me right from wrong

and so very much more.

When I realise how much I miss her,
Thinking about her makes me sad

but she warned me against being sad.

She was my inspiration, my key,

As much as I loved her,

I never did confess although I know that she knew.
Her story will always live on, in my heart, body and mind,

she'll always last, and for that I am sure.
For as much as I try to talk of her life,

my feelings for her are locked up inside me.

I remembered when she would sing a song,

when she would encourage me to sing along

and she would sit and rock with her rosary.

I can still see it as she held it in her hands

well worn from all the rubbing while she prayed for us.
I remembered that she wouldn’t worry about me

because she taught me all so well Years ago upon her knee.
And that wisdom lives in me.

Tell my dearest grandma;

that her time on earth seemed all too brief

because I wanted her in my life forever.

And although I really miss her, in my heart I know that she is at peace.

Still, countless times throughout my life

I will find myself needing her.
Tell her that

although I cannot see or hear her,

I know that she is with me.
Tell her that

I'll feel and need her in the warmth of the summer sun.

I'll see and sense her in the brilliance of autumn leaves.

She'll be beside me in the peacefulness of a gentle snowfall

She'll rejoice with me at the emergence of the first flowers of spring.

Tell her that

I'm thankful for the times we shared

and the priceless memories too;

for those memories are my strength and comfort now

when I lovingly – remember HER.

Please tell her for me. Thank you

A Child? 11 reasons NOT to have one. We Westerners..Haha

One takes a lot of our time. Parents or pets?

According to my observation and confirmed by recent researches in the western world, 44% of women from 25 to 42 do not want children. Reason number 1: Children are difficult to combine with work. Very true. But have they thought of the next reasons?

Shopping: As a childless mum,there is no problem jumping into a chinese takeaway shop after work and taking home your diner after work.Compare that with trying to shop for something with your child.

Appearance: Yes that is what they say , like my 26 year colleague who looks at the foto of her 27yrs colleague who is a mum and says... "do you see..... she looks older and urglier because of having a baby. Is she naive? NO not really, that is the impression they have due to the appearance of the depressed new mums that forget everything about themselves and blame it on the baby as if they were younger and more cuter before they got the child.

Giving Birth is painful: Do birds have wing? sure putting to birth is painful. But what is the pain? is that the process? or the nature? if that was the only reason of not having a child.. aha!

Your intelect does not show itself anymore: Yes if you are a nuclear scientist and you become a mother, you have to behave as a child to make the child feel at home. Is that so difficult? .. well ask my colleagues that provide me with their reasons of not having a child.

Your career is not more important: Just ask the female middlemanagers,when hey stand infront of a hall full of young ambitious men.....and women who have been sterilized from their 23rd birthday( so they say) and who all want their jobs. How do they make time for the little one and also for the defence of their positions in the company.

The disappointing statistics: 100million children do not go to school and 30000 die each day because of poverty. what if yours was one of them?

Less Sex: ha interesting, the best topic. I wonder how long the western women can hold. NO Sex? as a reason not to have a child? anyway there is always sex after but maybe later but do they miss it because of the child? I have got a case study of colleagues.

No Need: yes simply no need to have a child. in the 50s happiness was still there and children took care of their parents. But now, these days in the western world, children have the same value for their parents as they have for their hamsters and dogs.

No Holidays: haha , yes that their holidays are not going to be the same again. reason, they want to carry their backpacks and travel, and walk through, mexico, australia, and more. how do they do that with a child on their backs they ask. I wonder what they brought back from those travels that was different from a postcard.

The Cost: Yes some say the cost. This, at least is a comprehensive reason.Diphers; a child uses about 5000 of them in the west. x 25euro cents is about 1250 euros.
I wonder how much kofi annan could have cost his mum as a child. haha or how many children mandela's mum had.

THE NIGHT: Some say, with a child, you discover how long a night really is. True again. but will there be a difference between the day and the night in the west?

Actually, I had four answers from my 10 female colleagues between 25 and 42. Here was the question;

Why do you not yet have children?

1 I want to preserve my freedom 38%
2 I do not have the urge/need to have them 33%
3 I do not have a partner 38%
4 The financial cost 26%

They had 3 reasons to have a child.

1 For the future. because the children will be able to pay their old age insurances.

2 Children keep them young. They are the only means to keep them connected to the ever changing realities of the modern world.
3 And Finally, a child was an excuse ( a good excuse) to lie down every evening on the sofa and watch Tv reruns and soaps.

Due to this observation, and in comparison with my background, it is safe to say that the near future of the west hangs on adoption, and singles having their hamsters and dogs ride with them in their cars- male and female alike. But how much do we care if there is no difference between our parents, (humans) and our pet animals?

PEOPLE LIKE ME

How Fair?

For people like myself it is all about hard work. They are more than happy to put in a full day at the office, realizing that it will likely take a lot of those days to get to the top. That's no problem, since people like myself are both ambitious and determined: they will get there. Life is one big project for these folks, and they adapt to this by adopting a businesslike approach to most everything they do. They are practical as well, taking things one step at a time and being as realistic and pragmatic as possible. People like myself are extremely dedicated to their goals, almost to the point of stubbornness. Boy, those victories sure smell sweet, though, and that thought alone will keep them going.

Goats love to climb to the top of the mountain, where the air is clear and fresh. In much the same way, people like myself want to get to the top of their chosen field so that they can reap the benefits of success; namely fame, prestige and money. Getting to the top isn't always a walk in the park, however, so it's likely that Goats will ruffle a few feathers along the way. These folks can indeed be domineering, even egotistical, on their route to the top. They'll tell you it's part of being a leader with bright new ideas (in keeping with the Cardinal Quality assigned to these people). They are industrious, efficient, organized and won't make a lot of waves. They are scrupulous with details and adopt a rather conventional posture in business and in life. They feel best playing it safe, since this is a fail-safe way to get to the top -- eventually. Thankfully, They are patient, too, and are happy to wait for their ship to come in.

The flip side to this staid behaviour is that they can become quite unforgiving of those who aren't as diligent or ambitious as we are. They need to remember that they do need allies along the way, ambitious or otherwise. In any case, once they receive the recognition and social status they so fervently crave, it's likely that all will be forgiven.

They are ruled by the Planet Saturn. In ancient Roman mythology, Saturn was the father of many of the gods. Consider him top dog, if you will, and then you'll see a parallel to people like me. People like myself also want to be the top dog, and they're smart enough to know that the title won't simply be handed to them. They are happy to work for it, and luckily they possess enough discipline and sense of responsibility to get them there. They tend to be mature and are amply blessed with common sense, two more qualities which help their success-driven endeavours. With any kind of luck (make that considerable work), They will find themselves on that top step, but they would also remember those who have helped them on their quest because of their ever so good memory of what is a good deed. They are traditional (but not quite the button-down stiffs some would suggest) and somewhat inhibited, prompting others to wonder if they can ever enjoy success and its rarefied air. Rest assured, they will be smiling inside.

The Element associated with them is Earth. There's no surprise there! They aren't interested in wild ideas or round-the-world dreams. They would much rather stay put and get to work. Remember, these are the businesspeople of the Zodiac, so in their sensible and economical way, they'll get up every morning and see to it that their job is well done. While they can occasionally get a bit materialistic and greedy (hey, everyone needs a few perks), they are far too dignified and practical to get carried away. Plus, they love tradition and reserve and want to appear polite and friendly.

People like me at rest (yes, there is such a thing) enjoy leisurely sports - so long as they have a chance to win! Playing with a crew is also nice, since it brings to mind their beloved workplace. Sports-bound people like myself also need to watch their teeth and knees, and they shouldn't be too daring, lest they break some bones. When it comes to love, they are ever devoted and never emotive.

The great strengths of people like me are their willingness to work hard and their determination to succeed. Their ambition is boundless, yet they are cautious, responsible and always play fair. That's why their successes are all the more sweet.

A FAMILY, I cherish

I saw a monkey called Bobo grow up to be the leader of a group of monkeys although it had been adopted by the nursing mother of another group of monkeys just after bobo's mum died during birth.
HAD BOBO A FAMILY?
And why would a 'monkey' adopt the abandoned offspring of another?

A family is defined sociologically as a group of two or more people living together and related by birth, marriage or adoption.

And when we live with these people what do we have in common? What do we share with each other? Values, norms? Or just oxygen and vanity?

Knowledge in this area can be related to:
Family diversity e.g. Relations with wider kin forms of extended family, old age,
Economic e.g. consumption, production, survival, etc
Political e.g. socialisation, social control, identity etc
Cultural e.g. reproduction, sex, education, health, religion etc
Psychological e.g. love, trust, affection, stability - for emotional support functions

My sociology teacher once defined 'culture' as the accepted way of doing things in a particular society.......single out the word "'particular'" .
But what is the accepted way? and why do we accept a particular way?
I asked this question 15yrs ago and I still remember that he said.........YOU, FAMILY, community, SOCIETY.
He said it was like fitting little bowls into other bowls with each one larger than the other. BUT making sure that you began with the right one because you have got to fit all of them!
So how do we define a family? if we cannot fit it into a community or society?

In Africa, a family even ends up being a group of people with a common background, some eat in the same plates what ever their ages, others build compounds in other to be nearer each other, others have matrilineal successions where the child succeeds the uncle, others own land.....BUT NONE will abandon another in a storm or in the rain or outside when it is cold because he/she is not family.

But it comes with a Dark Side, which can be:
Organisational: e.g. division of family labour
Class: can bring out the difference between different social classes
Cultural: can also bring out the difference between different ethnic cultures
Life-course can also bring out differences in family relationships at different stages in an individual's life

I understood why in the popular mafia film "The GODFATHER" Marlon Brando makes a catch phrase that even those that had no bases of a family could repeat...................'never go against the family'.
I wonder what his definition of the family in that movie was...............blood relations, Or relationship? We all know how far he defended 'his'.
Pride is one of the deadliest sins BUT I do not think it is as deadly as the idea of going against the family..................what ever the reason.
How do we make each other understand our differences? How could we fight greed, gluttony, envy, jealousy, anger, laziness.........................by the way, which definition of 'family' will be the right one in a world in which NO BODY compromises?... or Should we change the WORD?
to favour what ever we are thinking in our favour?

What would you do if a person came from a different background and told you that you should change the definition of a family? i.e. reduce it to mother, father and child ( that is a standard nuclear family) instead of broadening it to mother, father, child, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, grandpa, grandma (an extended Family).
What reason would such a person give you apart from the few afore mentioned, like pride, envy, anger, jealousy, fear, gluttony, sluggishness.
And what would you think of such a person?

I sometimes wonder if there is a typical family structure in ANY society because most societies are typified by diversity of family structures and forms resulting in a general worldwide increase in single-parent family structures also known as FAMILIES, if our expert definition still holds.

The main causes of these single structure families can be;
Death: which this time is not to be commented upon.
Divorce: Where allowed, Separation and Desertion
Choice: Lifestyle choice………….. Is it really a choice?
Decline in religion: Is it as a result of our moral decadence

In Fact, we all know that even in diversity, majority spend some of their life in a conventional nuclear family arrangement. It sometimes involves different relationships and experiences. But it ends up with the fact that the core of our society remains with the family no matter the definition we take to sooth our views! What then will be our reason to care whether it is a nuclear or extended family/ if we cannot stay away from a form of family?

I do thus adhere to what ever it is that they call a family.