Christmas and the
Scrooge
By CHIKA UNIGWE
Special to USAfricaonline.com
USAfrica The Newspaper, Houston
NigeriaCentral.com
The
Black Business Journal
Christmas and the
Scrooge
By CHIKA UNIGWE
Special to USAfricaonline.com
USAfrica The Newspaper, Houston
NigeriaCentral.com
The
Black Business Journal
It is that time of the year again: Christmas and the season of
goodwill and charity. Christmas is the one Christian tradition that
is almost universally celebrated. Television and radio ads. bombard
us with gift ideas for our children and for our loved ones, in the
West , children draw up lists for Santa to come ho ho hoing down the
chimney ( or through the door) to fulfill, people ask for
charity for themselves or for others in the community. If nothing
else, Christmas has become a time to give and be given. It has become
a time that we expect ou
rselves
to be generous. However, this is not always an easy task ( at least
for me).
Outside our local Loblaws supermarket, the Kanata Food Drive had
set up a Food Drive campaign for the less fortunate. With my trolley
bulging with grocery and toys ( some of which were totally
unnecessary) and my heart bursting with goodwill, I went to
contribute. I put my hand in my coat pocket, pulled out a note, took
a p
eep
at it but decided it was too much to give away. I checked in my purse
for some loose change and donated that instead. As soon as I walked
away, I felt very bad. The note I had declined to give was less than
the cost of my little boy's toy car. And believe me, that car was the
latest addition to an already large collection of cars.
I got home and opened my copy of the "Kourier Standard", a local paper. My eyes fell on a story about two young local girls who had been inspired, by the sight of an "executive-type looking man" who had given away his leather gloves to a homeless man on the street, to start an organization which caters to the homeless in winter. These girls collect warm socks and gloves and distribute them to the needy on the streets. Did I feel worse than I already did!
While we all cannot be Mother Teresas, working hands on with the poor and needy, we can give what we can, not just what we will not miss. While we cannot take on life's burdens, let us make someone's life a little bit easier this Christmas season. When next you dip your hand into your wallet for charity, surprise yourself and be really generous. Really impress yourself.
For those who are in the habit of sending money home, send a little bit extra for that relative or friend who is not expecting anything. Make someone's day, make someone's year. While you are at it, teach your children that this is a season for them to give too. Let them clear out their toy box, and choose which toys they want to give away. Generous children become generous adults ( and this is no critique on my parents!) The world could do with a lot of those.
This year, let us all resolve to do away with the scrooging
It is difficult for many of us, but, it is possible and it is
worth it. ARINZE: Will he be
the FIRST
BLACK AFRICAN
POPE?
By Chido Nwangwu
These views were
stated during an interview CNN's anchor Bernard Shaw and
senior analyst Jeff Greenfield had with Mr. Nwangwu on
Saturday November 18, 2000 during a special edition of
'Inside Politics 2000.' USAfrica
The Newspaper voted the "Best Community
Newspaper"
in the 4th largest city in the U.S., Houston. It is in
the Best of Houston 2001 special as chosen by the editors
and readers of the Houston
Press,
reflecting their poll and annual rankings. (USAfrica's
founder Chido Nwangwu, left, with then U.S. Ambassador
Carrington at the U.S. embassy, Nigeria)
Unigwe, an aulmnus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; KU Leuven
and UC Louvain in Belgium, has recently joined USAfricaonline.com and
USAfrica The Newspaper as Canada-based contributing editor and
columnist. She is the author of 'Teardrops', a collection of poems,
and her short story, 'Touched by an Angel', was broadcast on the BBC
World Service.
Osama
bin-Laden's goons threaten Nigeria and Africa's
stability
What
has Africa
to do with September 11
terror?
Africans
reported
dead
in terrorist
attack at
WTC
September
11
terror and
the ghost of things to
come....
Will
religious conflicts be the time-bomb
for Nigeria's latest transition to civilian rule?
AFRICA
AND THE U.S. ELECTIONS
Beyond U.S.
electoral shenanigans, rewards and dynamics of a democratic
republic hold
lessons
for
African politics.
CONTINENTAL
AGENDA
Bush's position on
Africa
is "ill-advised."
The position
stated by Republican presidential aspirant and Governor of
Texas, George Bush where 
he
said that "Africa will not be an area of priority" in his
presidency has been questioned by
USAfricaonline.com Publisher Chido
Nwangwu. He added that Bush's "pre-election position was
neither validated by the economic exchanges nor
geo-strategic interests of our two continents."
Nwangwu,
adviser to the Mayor of Houston (the 4th largest city in the
U.S., and immigrant home to thousands of Africans) argued
further that "the issues of the heritage interests of 35
million African-Americans in Africa, the volume and value of
oil business between between the U.S and Nigeria and the
horrendous AIDS crisis in Africa do not lend any basis for
Governor Bush's ill-advised
position which
removes Africa from fair consideration" were he to be
elected president. By Al Johnson
LITERATURE
Since 1958, Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" set a
standard of artistic excellence,
and more. By Douglas Killam.
Johnnie Cochran
will soon learn that defending Abacha's
loot is not as simple as his O.J Simpson's case.
Steve
Jobs and Apple represent the future of digital
living
USAfrica
FORUM
IN THE HOUSE OF MANDELA:
A SILLY CRY FOR REPARATIONS
By Prof. Chimalum Nwankwo
Nelson
Mandela, Tribute to the
world's political superstar and Lion of
Africa
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's
burden
mounts with murder charges, trials
Why Bush should focus on dangers facing
Nigeria's return to democracy and Obasanjo's
slippery slide
Acts of Cowardice.
By Jonathan Elendu,
contributing editor of
USAfricaonline.com.
USAfricaonline.com
is
listed
among the world's leading web sites by the international
newspaper, USAToday.
Recent
and continuing crises regarding Sharia in northern Nigeria
and security of lives in Nigeria highlight the other issue
whether the Obasanjo's government has failed to enforce
basic human rights of all Nigerians? See the
USAfrica
Special reports.
Sharia-related
killings and carnage in Kaduna reenact deadly prologue to
Nigeria-Biafra war
of 1967.
Is Obasanjo really up to
Nigeria's challenge and crises?
By USAfricaonline editorial
board member, Ken Okorie. His commentary appears
courtesy of our related web site, NigeriaCentral.com
Investigating
Marc
Rich and his deals
with Nigeria's Oil
DIPLOMACY
Walter
Carrington:
African-American
diplomat who put principles above self for Nigeria
DEMOCRACY'S
WARRIOR
Out of
Africa.
…The
cock that crows in the morning belongs to one household but
his voice is the property of the neighborhood. -- Chinua
Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah. An editor carries on
his crusade against public corruption and press
censorship
in his native Nigeria and other African countries. By
John Suval.
September
11
terror and the ghost of things to come....
Shred of all polite, fine talk, the terroristic
events of September 11, 2001, in New
York, Washington DC., and Boston raise many questions. Among
them: Are those wanton terror and wholesale visitation of
murder and mayhem the ghost of things to come into the U.S
as we glide into the so-called new world order? Whose order,
really, is it?... Are those the signatures of a world gone
awry, the continuing cannibalization
of our world, our so-called
civilization?
By Chido
Nwangwu, Founder
& Publisher. See DETAILS