Saturday 31 October 2015

Planes Crashes at Sinai.

The passengers of MetroJet flying from Egypt to St Petersburg, Russia, did not know they would never tell their loved ones goodbye.

This morning the world woke up to the news of the Russian airline Kogalymavia's Airbuss A321, with the name MetroJet which crashed over the  Sinai peninsula with 224 people on board.

I first heard the news on the local radio station, and later on read the full story online here

As i read the story i wept. I wept because of the 17 children on board, whose lives have been cut short.

I cried because of the women and men who had just finished enjoying their holidays in Egypt.
Most importantly, i cried because i am a frequent flyer, and i remember how many times i have flown from and to different destinations this year.
I just could not control myself. I kept crying for people whom i never knew, but whose family's pains i can feel.

Its really a sad story. It was said that the plane crashed 23 minutes after take-off, and it split into 2 parts. The larger part crashed against a rock, while the other part burst into flames.

Planes crashes are terrible, because people hardly survive.

All those who died in this crash never thought it was going to be their last day on earth.

May their souls rest in peace..and strength to their families.



Saturday 24 October 2015

Halloween: For or Against?

Its Halloween on October 31st, and if you're Nigerian, you'll probably be wondering what the fuss is about?

I have never been a fan of Halloween. Especially with the hollywood horror movies set around it like The Amityville Horror. For me, it just seems to pass across a scary message. I particularly don't like the decorations and costumes like lighted pumpkin lanterns, scary grave-like decorations, skulls, graves, spooky webs etc.

Generally, i perceived the celebration to be negative, ugly and promoting the devil.. However, i never thought this celebration will affect my life, as back home where i come from,we don't celebrate Halloween..or so i thought, until i saw an advert on Facebook, advertising Abuja's Halloween FunFair & Picnic.

During the week, i had a discussion with my husband, and i said i was not going to allow any of my children to celebrate or partake in the Halloween.He however, challenged me to find out what it really is all about. Especially as i have a child and i know that he'll definitely begin to notice it soon, especially when he starts school.

From Wikipedia The word Halloween or Hallowe'en dates to about 1745[26] and is of Christian origin.[27] The word "Halloween" means "hallowed evening" or "holy evening".[28] It comes from a Scottish term for All Hallows' Eve (the evening before All Hallows' Day).[29] In Scots, the word "eve" is even, and this is contracted to e'en or een. Over time, (All) Hallow(s) E(v)en evolved into Halloween. Although the phrase "All Hallows'" is found in Old English 

It is note worthy that Today's Halloween costumes are thought to have been influenced by celtic-speaking  countries. The Origin of Halloween have been linked to the Roman feast of of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain", which comes from the Old Irish for "summer's end".


Halloween's Influence
While searching the internet, i came across an article: Halloween and the Forces of Darkness. You can read it here"Halloween has its origin in the British Isles about 1300 years ago. In those days, there were many men and women who practiced a so-called “nature religion” known as Wicca. (The word “Wicca” means “wise ones.” The word “witch” is derived from “Wicca.”) The witches worked their spells and magic as individuals or sometimes in groups of 13 known as Covens. Sometimes the witches and wizards worked as a triumvirate or power of three. The female Wiccan was known as a witch, and the male Wiccan was known as a wizard. The word “warlock” was not used by witches to identify themselves. It is actually a Scotch-Gaelic word that means “traitor.” Satanists use the word “warlock.”

The Wiccans were worshippers of the “Earth Mother”, the sun, the moon, and stars. Witches do not believe in Satan. The Wiccans or witches meet every Friday night at a gathering called an “esbat.” They draw a magic circle with a six-pointed star in it called a “hexagram”, from which we get the word “hex.” The coven of 13 stand “sky clad” or naked in the hexagram and work spells by chanting and doing rituals such as “drawing down the moon.” The full moon is sacred to witches, especially if it is on a Friday. It is considered to be even greater if the Friday is the 13th day of the month. 

Eight times each year, the witches celebrated a sabat and the ritual work and spell casting was always done on the eve of the sabat. The sabats are Imbolc on February 2nd, the spring equinox on March 22nd, Beltaine on May 1st, the summer solstice on June 22nd, Lugnahsaid on July 31st, the fall equinox on September 22nd, Samhain on October 31st, and the winter solstice on December 22nd, which is also known as Yule. "



OK. So from what i gathered from the internet, i personally do not trust the origins of Halloween. I also do not like the way it is depicted in the society today.

Personally (as PSquare sang), the celebration does not appeal to my sight. I mean, why do majority of people have to dress ugly and scary. Why do they have to paint their faces and look like ghosts etc.

Why does Halloween have to be celebrated with Witched, graves, cemetery and the likes?


As for me and my family...#IPLEDGENOTTOCELEBRATEHALLOWEEN.
Rather on Halloween, i would dress them up as angels, in white with beautiful makeup, and have a fun-filled family treat, something nice and entertaining.

I know a lot of folks are not going to agree with me on this. Seriously, this is my stand. What's yours on Halloween?

Wednesday 21 October 2015

The Super Brand called Oprah- $700 Million richer!!!

So we all know that Oprah Winfrey is a brand; We are aware of her OWN Network, O magazine , Oprah Winfrey Show and so forth and so on.

But then Oprah is not just a brand, she is a powerful brand, a super brand that changes other brands and any company or business that associates with such a brand is a sure winner.

Weight Watchers is a company known for helping people loose weight. One popular celebrity who is known to have lost weight via Weight Watchers is Jennifer Hudson, who later on became a brand ambassador for the company.

According to Fortune. com, Weight Watchers which is 52 years old, has struggled in recent years to reclaim its market might, and in February 2012, its stock peaked at $80. 

For a total of $43 million, Winfrey purchased 6.4 million shares with the option to buy 3.5 million more ore (an additional 5% stake). Her bet has already paid off, and then some.

Weight Watchers’ stock spiked to more than $13 per share from just under $6.8 -per share at market close on Friday. Tuesday, the company’s stock price soared to more than $18 per share, more than doubling her return on investment.For a total of $43 million, Winfrey purchased 6.4 million shares with the option to buy 3.5 million more (an additional 5% stake). Her bet has already paid off, and then some.

Weight Watchers’ stock spiked to more than $13 per share from just under $6.8 -per share at market close on Friday. Tuesday, the company’s stock price soared to more than $18 per share, more than doubling her return on investment.


If that is not a super brand, then what is? In just 2 days..she turned the fortunes of Weight Watchers around. I have read Oprah's grass to grace story so many times. She gives me encouragement. I remember when Oprah Show was still on air....i was such an ardent viewer. I would say..I dream of being like her 'businessically' (am sure there's no word like that). 

Thumbs up to a great brand -OPRAH.

I would love to read your comments. 


Tuesday 20 October 2015

Death at the Airport

Hello dearies,

Its been a while i was on this space of mine to pen down my thoughts on issues relating to women and the world at large. Lets just say i was hibernating.(lol).

Winter is setting in gradually..so it would be safe to hibernate like the bears do.

Anyways, while reading the news yesterday, something caught my attention; The death of a British woman Jacky Sutton who died at an Istanbul airport in Turkey. (You can read the story here).

So the Turkish authorities say this woman committed suicide because she missed her connecting flight to Iraq. Having read some comments on twitter by men and woman who knew or worked with this woman....questions are being raised as to why a 50 year old, ex-BBC journalist, who was undertaking her PhD, would commit suicide. Apparently, something is amiss.

Well, i do have my postulations about the whole thing, especially since i am an ardent follower of the American series: Homeland.

I smell foul play, and so do a lot of other people. I wait patiently for the outcome of investigations on this case.

Whats your thought on this? Do you think she was murdered?


One Love!!!