Come one of her sporadic visitations, Mère Serendipity shares in abundance all that is fortuitous, especially so toward the underprivileged. Mind you, you have to have fate on your side as her charitable stopovers are few and far between. Such was the good fortune of blind Charly and silent Trixibelle. You see, in the beginning […]

BLIND CHARLY & SILENT TRIXIBELLE

I’m on Instagram as @lordmartinbookclub. Install the app to follow my photos and videos. https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1x5xcnbl3xxng&utm_content=1tazs3h

MEDICINE THE TRUE HERO OR THE TRUE VILLAIN? The movie industry is one that over the years has entertained us in every ramifications, we’ve most times depended on this industry to kill boredom, spend quality time with family and friends etc and as a result we have even taken most of the actors as our celebrity crush both local and foreign. Every year we see massive improvements in their works and we marvel. From the days of “living in bondage” to these days of lion heart,king of boys and so on. The difference has been very obvious. From video quality to costume. From VHS to DVD now to cinema. What A transition🙌🏼 Sports,especially football has been a major source of joy for all since time immemorial. From world cup to nation’s cup. From league football to champions league football. From super eagles to arsenal, Barcelona,man utd, Chelsea etc.. our weekends have been super packed. From the days of players wearing really short nickers to the quality play pants we have now. From the days of pele and maradona,to zidane and ronaldinho,now Messi and Ronaldo. Football has never failed to put smiles on our faces🙌🏼 The music industry has been a major source of joy and entertainment to us all over the years too. From the days of fela, sunny okosun,sunny ade, to the days of remedies,plantashun boiz, mentain. To when we had the solo careers of 2face, black face and faze,to dbanj and don jazzy,psquare. Up until now that the music has become quite different. The industry has seen a major transition. From the video quality which has really improved to marketing which has since gone across the border. We can’t do without them in our parties, weddings,clubs,on radio,tv etc. Our musicians have been our heroes too🙌🏼 Then comes MEDICINE. Over the years we have seen advancements in a whole lot of aspects, especially in the areas of fertility, transplant, plastic surgeries etc… These advancements have made people interested in medicine, especially as these particular aspects directly affects the average person in one way or another. In that case then we can say our medical experts are our heroes🙌🏼 But somethings are just not adding up right🤔 While other professions and industries are getting to their final destinations, medicine is advancing slowly but because the people are Cheering her on,she feels she is also arriving at her destination. In other words, medicine is focusing on giving the people what they WANT and forgetting that it’s main aim is to give them what they NEED. because the essence of medicine is to provide CURE and PREVENT OUTBREAKS. In that case can we say,that medicine has gone commercial🤔 Mr paulinus is always thinking of conquering madam in the other room; medicine invents something that makes him last LONGER and even increases his SOMETHING. Mr paulinus comes out satisfied because MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Medicine on the other hand has been able to SELL MARKET customer is SATISFIED. DEMAND has met SUPPLY (equilibrium) MEDICINE feels happy that she has fulfilled her ESSENCE. And she goes on to focus on more discoveries that will make mr paulinus and his likes better in the other room, forgetting that her essence is provision CURE and preventing INFECTIONS Caro is a fine girl,but she feels that the reason men are lot looking too much in her direction is because at the BACK she is flat and the FRONT is like that of martin🤭. MEDICINE looks at this situation,decides to come to Caro’s aid. It discovers the use of silicone to increase Caro’s FRONT &BACK. Caro is HAPPY, medicine is HAPPY. it’s a win-win situation. Medicine goes back into the lab for more of such discoveries to satisfy Caro and her likes. Forgetting that her essence is CURE and prevention of OUTBREAK Janet was born a woman,but she would have preferred to be a man o🤔 she runs to medicine for succour, medicine goes to the lab and discovers that it is quite possible for Janet to be transformed into a man . At the end of the day, surgery was successful,Janet is happy,more money for medicine, therefore medicine too is happy. Medicine feels she’s fulfilling her essence thereby forgetting that her essence is CURE and PREVENTION of OUTBREAKS Over the years,we have seen some medical discovers and we have been marvelled that medicine is really advancing. Plastic surgeries,facial transplant,genes transplant etc… And we really were happy that medicine was advancing,but what we didn’t notice was that these advancements were also distracting medicine from her essence. Which is CURE and PREVENTION. As soon as medicine is able to contain a particular outbreak,she drops it and continues on her commercial life. Up until this day, medicine has not provided a cure for AIDS. as soon as they discovered anti retroviral drugs that could suppress the virus,case closed. Till this day cancer has no cure. As soon as they discovered that early detection would prevent the spread,they slowed down. Same goes for so many other diseases that continue to threaten the health of man. And then comes the small matter of covid19 We’ve had so many pandemics ravage the world over the years, some killing as much as 200million people worldwide. As soon as we’re able to contain them and then business resumes as usual, everything goes back to normal. Same thing happened with Ebola,Lassa fever, chicken pox and will also happen with covid19 Today the world is on stand still as we look to medicine to bail us out of this mess, businesses are losing money, people are loosing jobs. As it stands, the NBA might lose up to $500m in tickets, if the season is cancelled. The the EPL will lose over $1billion in television money. The top5 leagues combined will lose over $6billion ,the Olympics committee also has alot to lose because of the virus,. The world is on lockdown while our medical researchers say that a vaccine could take as much as 18 months to come through. As at today,over 200,000 people have died of the covid19 pandemic. Obviously medicine was not prepared for this, obviously medicine was caught napping. more people will die both of hunger and virus and that includes medical workers themselves. So the question is.. “IF MEDICINE HAD STAYED FOCUSED ON HER ESSENCE, WOULD WE BE NEEDING AS MUCH AS 18 MONTHS TO GET A VACCINE FOR COVID19?” “IS MEDICINE THE TRUE HERO IN THIS PICTURE OR THE REAL VILLAIN?” Your guess is as good as mine.🙌🏼

Yam and Fresh Fish Pepper Soup is one of the easiest Nigerian food to prepare. It is a bit spicy but undeniably, a delicious meal for any time of the day.
 

  This delicious meal is also regarded by many, as a remedy for common cold and flu.
 Below is an easy to follow recipe.Hope you E

Ingredients for Nigerian Yam and Fresh Fish Pepper Soup

– 150grams Yam (you can use the hard sweet potato as a substitute)
– 500 grams Fresh Fish(You can use Catfish, Conger eel, Tilapia or any tasty fish of choice)
– 1 tablespoonful Ground Crayfish
– 1 medium onion (chopped)
– 1/2 Scotch bonnet Pepper( atarodo) (chopped)(use ground chili peppers as substitute)
– 1 tablespoonful pepper soup spice mix
– 1 tablespoonful chopped uziza leaves or Basil leaves (known as scent leaf,efirin or Nchuawun
– 1 seasoning/stock or Bouillon cube
– Salt to taste

Cooking Directions

* Slice the yams, peel the skin ,cut into cubes and wash thoroughly.
Place the yams into a pot, add enough water to cover the yams, add a level teaspoon of salt and leave to boil for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then strain out the water and set aside.

* Now wash and cut the fish(if you have whole fish), then place in another pot, add water to almost the level of the fish. Add diced onions, seasoning cube and salt to taste.
Leave to boil for about 5 minutes . Be careful not to overcook the fish

* After 5 minutes, add the precooked yams,chopped peppers, ground crayfish,pepper soup spice and the chopped uziza leaves or Scent leaves.  

Leave to simmer for 5 more minutes and your Yam and Fresh Fish Pepper Soup. 
Tip: I used dried uziza leaves and it came out nice. So feel free to use it if that’s what you have.

Ingredients

• 3 2/3 Cups All-Purpose Flour (more for dusting and kneading)
• 1/2 Cup Milk (your choice)
• 2/3 Cup Granulate Sugar (adjust to your liking) plus 2 tablespoons
• 10 Tablespoons Cold Butter (1/2 cup +2 Tablespoons)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Grated Nutmeg
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Eggs
• Oil for frying

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, Sift flour, baking powder, nutmeg, salt, and sugar.
2. Cut butter into chunks, drop the butter into the flour mixture and mix to form crumbs. It is okay to have small butter like a ball in the crumbs.
3. Pour eggs (crack eggs into a small bowl to prevent egg shells from dropping into the mixture) and milk (your choice) into the flour mixture and mix to form a dough ball. Sprinkle flour on a worktop and transfer the dough and knead for a few minutes, don’t over-knead but it shouldn’t be sticky. 
4. Cover with a plastic wrap and set aside (or refrigerate) for 30 minutes.
5. I cut the dough into five balls (I worked on each ball one at a time). So,  depending on the size of your pot or fryer cut the dough into the part that when you roll out and cut you can fry that portion at a time and make sure you wrap up the remaining dough.
6. Roll out each dough, make sure it thin (don’t forget to wrap the rest of the dough). Cut into any shape you choose. I cut the dough into strip before cutting into bite size. sorry I forget to take pictures of the tiny bite size.
7. Heat the oil in a pot or fryer to about 300-325 degrees F. If you don’t have a thermometer drop one dough and if it floats immediately you can fry the first batch. If the oil is too hot the chin chin will turn dark immediately you drop inside the oil and you don’t want that.
8. Drop the dough into the oil and fry. When it is light golden brown (you don’t want it to be too brown because the color gets darker after it has been taken out of the oil) 
9. Remove the chin chin and drain on the paper towel-lined pan.Continue the rolling out, cutting and frying until you exhaust all the dough.
10. Let it cool down and store in an airtight container.
11. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Note:

You can use fresh, evaporated, or powdered milk but you will need to mix the milk with water to give you the quantity you will need for the recipe. Adjust the sugar to your liking.

Do not over knead the dough because you don’t want your chin chin to be too hard, and feel like you’re eating stone (too crunchy) when eating it. 

Madagascar’s Institute of Applied Research (IMRA) has developed a herbal remedy for corona virus called “Covid Organics”.

The President, Andry Rajoelina, who officially ensorsed the drink in a ceremony in Antananarivo on Monday, stated that the beverage had been tested and proven on two patients and would be effective within seven days.

While downing a dose of the drink, he said: “I will be the first to drink this today, in front of you, to show you that this product cures and does not kill.”

According to the Malagasy Institute of Applied research, Madagascar, the drink had been principally made from Artemisia annua —a green leafy plant that emits a striking odor also known as sweet wormwood and would be distributed across Madagascar free of charge.

“COVID-Organics will be used as prophylaxis, that is for prevention, but clinical observations have shown a trend towards its effectiveness in curative treatment,” Director General of the IMRA, Charles Andrianjara had pointed.
The president further lifted lockdown in three main cities in the country as 121 cases of covid-19 and 39 recoveries had been recorded so far.

Nigerian man identified as Japhet Ikuni has shown off the sum of money he received from the Canadian government – Japhet said that he got N888, 359 as financial aid – The chemical engineer stated that the Nigerian government only told citizens in Diaspora to come back home that they would bear the flight cost People over the world are using the coronavirus pandemic situation to weigh their government’s responses to the citizens compared to other countries and Nigerians are in no way different. As soon as the lockdown was announced across nations, some governments made a preparation of palliatives to send to their citizens. Infact, Nigerians in other countries have taken to their various social media pages to show off what they are enjoying in the countries where they are. Runtown said that he got over N360k stimulus payment from the US government even after he was banned from the country for over two years. Instagram giveaway winner blocks comedian Craze Clown after receiving N100k instead of N10k Meanwhile, many Nigerians are still yet to get the relief materials the government promised them.  According to Japhet, he received a deposit of N775, 860, a few days ago and also got another cheque of N112, 499, some days later as support during this global crisis. Comparing the kind gesture of the Canadian government to the Nigerian government, the chemical engineer stated that the Nigerian government only told foreigners to come back home. He stated that the Nigerian government told foreigners that they would bear their travel costs. According to Japhet, home is not where a person is born. He revealed that it is where the leaders care about the person.

Moi moi and pap is a very well balanced meal. Moi moi is made from beans while pap is made from maize corn. Eating moi moi and pap is just like eating beans and corn with other nutritious ingredients added. If you serve yourself moi moi and pap for breakfast, lunch or dinner, that’s the most nutritious meal you have eaten that day especially if you eat some green vegetable stew after that.

MOI MOI HEALTH BENEFITS

The ingredients we add to moi moi are very rich; beans, peppers, onion, cooking oil, salt, seasoning cubes and water. These cover the six classes of food. Moi moi especially the one made with beans skin is the best because beans skin has some insulin to give to our bodies. When we remove beans skin, we end up depriving the beans of a nutrient that’s very important especially for diabetic patients.

Some people want to know if moi moi and pap is fattening. My answer is, depends on the quantity consumed. If you are eating to lose weight, you have to eat a very reduced portion of moi moi and pap. When I went on a weight loss journey using Nigerian food last year, it was posted daily here on the blog and was it successful? Yes!

Did I get to my goal weight? Yes! Eating smaller portions of Nigerian food, I went from about 89 kg to 86 kg when I started posting and then went down from 86 kg to 79 kg which was my goal weight. After that I stopped posting because all I need to do afterwards is goal weight maintenance.

If you are diabetic and eat only foods meant for diabetic patients, make your homemade moi moi, ensure that the beans is not peeled. Just wash, blend and make the moi moi like that with your insulin intact. Aside the carbohydrates and proteins in beans.

The beans skin is also filled with insulin. The onion and pepper in moi moi covers the vital vitamins we need daily. What about oil added to the blended beans? That’s fat and oil for the body. If you want to learn how to make moi moi yourself, there is a moi moi making post here on the blog.

Moi moi made from beans has so many benefits to offer:

Eating moi moi will give you all the nutrients in beans like;

• Improving your heart rate
• Reducing appetite by making you drink more and more water while feeling full
• It’s an antioxidant
• Helps reduce cancer risk.
• Source of energy
• Folates
• Helps with easy bowel movements

HEALTH BENEFITS OF PAP

Pap like I said earlier is made from maize. Some parts of Nigeria call pap ogi, eko (cold and thickened formed wrapped in leaves), akamu and other names but it’s all the corn starch meal served in Nigerian homes. We have a post here on how to make pap from scratch.

Basically, corn gives us starch. I love corn starch because unlike yam, cassava and other forms of starch. Corn  has very low caloric content. Corn starch is not heavy at all. Using Cornstarch or pap has very little compared to the calories in eba or pounded yam.

• Pap made from corn, guinea corn, dawa or even millet digests easily.
• It’s light
• A good source of body fluids
• It increases breast milk flow for nursing mothers.
• Natural
• A very good source of energy (Carbohydrates).
• Corn also has insulin if it’s not dehulled.
• When you add milk to pap, that’s protein in there already.
• Pap from millet and guinea corn is even lighter and good for diabetic patients.

Gene Deitch directed 13 episodes [Photo- Avalon]

Oscar award-winning director Gene Deitch is dead at the age of 95.

It is gathered that the Tom and Jerry director died on Thursday night at his apartment in Prague in the Little Quarter area.

Speaking to The Associated Press, his Czech publisher Petr Himmel said he died “unexpectedly.”

Born Eugene Merrill Deitch, he directed 13 episodes of Tom and Jerry and several episodes of the series Popeye.

He was born in Chicago but moved to Prague in 1959 after what was only supposed to be a 10-day visit. But he fell in love with his future wife, Zdenka and stayed in the Czechoslovakian capital.

The animator and illustrator won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Munro in 1960.

Gene was the co-producer of Sidney’s Family Tree which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1958.

He was then nominated for the same award twice in 1964 for his movies Here’s Nudnik and How to Avoid Friendship.

In 2004 he was presented with the Winsor McCay Award for his lifelong contribution to animation.

He is survived by his wife and three sons from his first marriage. The children all followed in his footsteps and work as cartoonists and illustrator.

When the weather is cold, you are home warm and cosy, then your tummy starts rumbling, demanding food, what usually springs to mind? hot chocolate, steaming plate of spicy jollof rice, a large bowl of pepper soup, fresh fish pepper soup…? So I made this steaming hot pot of catfish pepper soup because it was raining and cold

 outside but warm and toasty indoors and we were hungry. I served it with white rice. My Rennaisance man, son no. 3 and I ate and were contented.

Catfish pepper soup is always high in demand by guests at Nigerian parties and is about the most common pepper soup cooked in Nigeria. It is served to a nursing mother during Omugwo (see Yam pepper soup (Ji mmiri oku). Catfish pepper soup is called point-and-kill in drinking parlours for a reason see Baked Catfish in Pepper sauce point and kill.

Catfish pepper soup is one of the easiest and fastest to cook in the repertoire of Nigerian pepper soup but it is also very easy to mess up. This pepper soup is an unforgiving soup and demands concentration, good timing and attention. Catfish is usually the fish of choice and I believe it is because it is predominant in Nigerian rivers and is the most farmed species of fish in Nigeria. It doesn’t have too many loose and threatening pieces of bone, one of my fears in life, fish bone and I, we have a history. Catfish needs to be cleaned well of its slime, see my post on how to kill and process Catfish. Tilapia and croaker fish are also used, I wouldn’t use mackerel though, the taste will be too overpowering.

The cooking time will depend on the type and age of the fish used. Fish being delicate doesn’t need prolonged cooking, so you will need to get enough flavour into it in the short time it takes to cook it. If not handled with care, it will break up. I used a mixture of spices here but you can use a store bought pepper soup spice blend if you like. See Important Notes below.

Get the fish monger to kill, gut and cut up your catfish even if you have to pay some money, it will save you of time.

To prepare Catfish pepper soup (Point and kill)

1.2 kg fresh fish 110g onions, chopped (1 medium) 2 seasoning cubes 1 tablespoons ground crayfish 2 scotch bonnet* salt 2 big ehuru (3 small), ground 1/2 teaspoon ground uziza 2 sticks uda utazi leaves (bitters)

*You can use less scotch bonnet and add a little Cameroun pepper, tastes really good.

Wash catfish slices well.

Toast and grind ehuru, hit uda to just break it open.

Pour hot water and leave to stand for 1-2 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water.

whole live catfish

catfish steaks soaking in hot water

Catfish clean and ready to be cooked

Place in a pot and add just enough water to just cover the fish. Place over medium heat.

Add onions, seasoning cube, crayfish, peppers and sprinkle some salt.

Cover and bring to a boil, add ground ehuru, uziza and uda, gently shake and swirl your pot, cook for 5-8 minutes.

Add about 5 leaves of shredded utazi and some water. Taste and correct seasoning.

Cook for another 5-8 minutes until fish is well cooked. Take off the heat.

Serve your Catfish pepper soup with boiled yam, plantain, rice, agidi (eko, corn paste pudding) etc.

Note

To prevent your catfish from disintegrating in your pot of soup, use the hot water method so you can cook it long enough to get the seasonings and spices into the fish.

Do not overload your fresh fish pepper soup with too many seasoning and spices. If using a spice blend, use just enough to have a mellow (not harsh) taste.

Cook long enough to remove that harsh raw taste of spices.

If you can stand the heat of hot peppers, this is one pepper soup that benefits from being very hot.

Fish is one ingredient you do not want to cook from frozen. It needs to defrost properly right through to the centre and because it cooks very fast, there is no way the centre will defrost and cook at the same time as the outside. Leave your fish to totally defrost before cooking.

Toast ehuru or better buy already toasted one like I always do.

Does anyone command the spotlight better than Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Did you really have to ask?BY JAMES HORNCASTLEILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVE FLANAGAN06/08/16

Open the Swedish dictionary, flick to the letter Z and shortly after running your finger down the page, you will come across “zlatanera.” The literal definition is “to Zlatan.” Figuratively it means “to dominate” and, after originally being coined by a French satirical show, it was accepted for entry by the Swedish Language Council in 2012.

A couple of years later, the Swedish post office announced its own way of recognising Zlatan. It released a “zlamp,” the special commemorative stamp celebrating his performance against England and the Puskas Award-winning bicycle kick he scored. Five million of them were pre-ordered; one imagines they were all first class.

Then last October, Zlatan picked up a Gold Record award. His own take on “Du Gamla, Du Fria” (the Swedish national anthem) had been streamed three million times in Sweden. “Rumour has it that it’s the most streamed national anthem ever,” posted Zlatan on Instagram.

To get a genuine appreciation of Zlatan’s impact and influence, you have to localize. What makes him special and arguably sets him apart from fellow members of the League of Extraordinary Footballers, is that he has changed how a nation thinks about itself. Zlatan’s motivation for putting his own spin on the national anthem was not completely egotistical. Aside from being “boring,” he felt the original version didn’t represent him, nor modern Sweden. “It hasn’t clicked for me,” he said to Dagens Industri. Zlatan’s interpretation, by contrast, “is what Sweden looks like” today.

“I do not speak perfect Swedish, but that is how it is. Mixtures everywhere. We are all different, yet equal. My dad is from Bosnia and Muslim. My mother is Croatian and Catholic. But I was born in Sweden and am a Swedish citizen. You cannot change that.”

When Zlatan was a boy he felt like he was “from Mars” and didn’t fit in. He had a lisp and couldn’t pronounce the letter “s.” Rosengard, Sweden, where he grew up, was full of “Somalis, Turks, Yugos, Poles — all sorts of immigrants — and Swedes,” but there was “no Swedish-style civilised conversation at home.” He was 20 before he saw his first Swedish film. “I didn’t have a clue about any Swedish heroes or sporting figures, like Ingemar Stenmark or anybody.”

While most wannabe footballers his age in Sweden wanted to become the next Thomas Ravelli, Martin Dahlin or Thomas Brolin, he was “into Brazilian stuff and tricks” and would “download all kinds of feints that Ronaldo and Romario were doing.” He was different. The outsider. Parents of the “blonde and well-behaved” kids in Malmo’s academy organised a petition to stop him playing for the team. “When it really comes down to it, they didn’t want any brown kids or hotheads who did showy Brazilian moves all the time.”

How things have changed.

Zlatan on YouTube

Never afraid of what the camera might record, Ibrahimovic has provided more than a few memorable clips down the years.

When Princess Madeleine and her British-American husband announced they were expecting a baby boy in 2015, one of the papers in Sweden had a few name suggestions. Zlatan, 34, was one of them because he “embodies Sweden’s open and tolerant approach to immigrants.” With that in mind, maybe the Swedish Language Council should add that to its definition of “zlatanera.” No one is more symbolic of the New Sweden than Zlatan.

Ask people around the world what or who they identify Sweden with and Zlatan is up there holding his own, if not out-performing Ikea, Abba, Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Nobel and Stieg Larsson. Indeed, it’s hard to think of any Swede under 40 who is more famous than Ibra. People identify the country with him; Zlatan, tongue firmly in-cheek, believes he has “put Sweden on the world map.” After four years at Paris Saint-Germain, he thinks he has “put France on the world map, too.”

It makes this summer’s European Championship of great personal significance. Unless he jets off to Brazil to represent his country at the Olympics, this tournament promises to be his last for Sweden. It could be Zlatan’s final act in France, too, given that he is to leave PSG for four seasons. “Replace the Eiffel Tower with a statue of me and I’ll stay,” he said, joking, before he chose to move on.

His cult of personality is so huge in France that even the snobbish custodians of haute cuisine haven’t been able to resist. The menu at Doddy’s Coffee in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt features a 600g burger with onions, bacon and three different kinds of cheese known as Le Zlatan.

Players and coaches on Zlatan

Ibrahimovic has played with and for some of the game’s greats. Not surprisingly, he made an impact on pretty much all of them!

• “What do you say to motivate Ibra before games? Nothing, just don’t kill anyone.”
  Rino Gattuso — Ibra’s former teammate at AC Milan
• “They say he’s a master in kung fu.”
  Arsene Wenger — Offered a 17-year-old Ibra a trial at Arsenal that the player turned down
• “I’m just glad that I don’t have to face him all the time. It’s not that I’m scared of him and what he can do, no. But I do respect him and what he can do.”
  Jose Mourinho — Ibra’s coach at Inter Milan
• “Zlatan is a giant. He’s like Gulliver.”
  Antonio Conte — Has coached teams vs. Ibra
• “[Ancelotti] was a bit tense so Ibra approached him and asked if he believed in Jesus. Ancelotti said he did, so Ibra told him: ‘Good, so you believe in me. You can relax.'”
  Marco Verratti — Ibra’s teammate at PSG
• “He was getting on a plane to Barcelona to sign for Barca after his last training session with the team and he said: ‘It’s been nice playing with you, but you won’t win anything without me’.”
  Massimo Moratti — President of Inter Milan during Ibra’s time there

When Sweden begins their tournament against the Republic of Ireland in Paris on June 13, the locals will not be neutral. Zlatan will get the same support Diego Maradona did when he played for Argentina at Italia ’90 and you can bet it will extend beyond the capital as well. Four days after the Ireland game, Sweden plays Italy (“my second home”) in Toulouse. Their hosts, TFC, rather oddly sent Zlatan a message on his 33rd birthday referring to him as “Oh great Z.” A box of presents included a couple of Toulouse shirts with his sons’ names on the back, a copy of the latest “Call of Duty” video game for his Xbox and a balm to heal a heel injury.

It’s Zlatan’s heel that instantly springs to mind when you think of him at the European Championships. More specifically, Zlatan using it to flick the ball into the top corner against Italy in 2004. If ever there was a more quintessential Zlatan goal, a special move for a character that would not seem out of place in Street Fighter II or Mortal Kombat, it’s precisely strikes like this one, and the regularity with which he scores mind-boggling variations of them, that make him such a unique talent. Italy’s Taekwondo team once even felt compelled to make him an honorary black belt.

Zlatan is by no means finished. Sweden and PSG’s all-time top scorer goes into this European Championship on the back of the most prolific season of any PSG player since Carlos Bianchi in 1978 with 35 goals in 29 appearances. He is not considering hanging up his boots, either. This past November, Denmark tried to send him into early retirement during the playoffs only for Zlatan to score three times in a 4-3 aggregate win, qualifying Sweden for the Euros at their expense.

“They said they were going to send me to retirement.” Zlatan huffed. “I sent their whole nation into retirement.”

Portrait of Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, taken 10 November 2001 in Manchester, before the start of the friendly soccer match between England and Sweden. Both teams are qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan scheduled from 31 May to 30 June 2002. Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images

Doctor with a Roman Collar? Nun with lab coat? They’re helping the hospitals in managing the patients with CoViD-19:)
These two are products of the Catholic Church.
These pictures are not to impress, but to inspire and to help answer the question: “Where is the Catholic Church?”

So yesterday I watched The Mask, a film that I haven’t seen in years. I can’t believe that I’d forgotten about this, it had such humour and… a green faced loon in a yellow Zoot Suit… yeah.Ha ha ha! The truth is, this was such a favourite film when I was at school and so in keeping with my sense of humour. It’s thanks to The Mask that I first discovered Jazz / Swing and I loved the film so much that I even dressed as The Mask for a charity walk. Of course, nothing ever goes to plan and it ended up raining that day. The water soaked the mask I was wearing, caused the paint to run and I spent the rest of the day with a green nose. Good times! XDIn short, this is my little tribute to a sssmokin’ film!

IF WE MUST DIE, LET IT NOT BE LIKE HOGS

HUNTED AND PENNED IN AN INGLORIOUS SPOT,

WHILE ROUND US BARK THE MAD AND HUNGRY DOGS,

MAKING THEIR MOCK AT OUR ACCURSÈD LOT.

IF WE MUST DIE, O LET US NOBLY DIE,

SO THAT OUR PRECIOUS BLOOD MAY NOT BE SHED

IN VAIN; THEN EVEN THE MONSTERS WE DEFY

SHALL BE CONSTRAINED TO HONOR US THOUGH DEAD!

O KINSMEN! WE MUST MEET THE COMMON FOE!

THOUGH FAR OUTNUMBERED LET US SHOW US BRAVE,

AND FOR THEIR THOUSAND BLOWS DEAL ONE DEATH-BLOW!

WHAT THOUGH BEFORE US LIES THE OPEN GRAVE?

LIKE MEN WE’LL FACE THE MURDEROUS, COWARDLY PACK,

PRESSED TO THE WALL, DYING, BUT FIGHTING BACK

If we must die

How to cook Nigerian Ogbono and okro soup with a sprinkle of uziza vegetables. Served with my homemade millet flour fufu, Tastes really good with this homemade millet flour fufu and less expensive.
Ogbono soup can be cooked without okra and uziza, okra soup can also be cooked without ogbono and uziza or with either. Uziza can be used in different Nigerian soups like white soup and vegetable soups. This okro and ogbono soup is like making three soups in one pot with less. The next post is going to be how to make millet fufu from scratch (Easy steps). See ingredients for ogbono and okra soup below…
See picture of uziza leaves here

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cow leg
1/2 kg Beef
Salt to taste
1 medium sized onion to steam meat
A teaspoon ground fresh Pepper (You may add more)
1 tablespoon Palm oil
1 cup roughly ground Crayfish
Half cup ground Ogbono
2 Seasoning cubes
Smoked titus fish (Mackerel)
2 cups chopped Okra
A handful Uziza leaves (Pepper leaves)
Water for stock
Cooking procedure for ogbono and okra soup.

OGBONO AND OKRA SOUP COOKING PROCEDURE
The step by step cooking pictures (below) on this post are self explanatory.

Start with pressure cooking the meat seasoned with salt, pepper, seasoning cubes and onion. After that, the stock is emptied into
another pot and used to to make the soup.

A tablespoon of palm oil is added, just one o. Too much oil in soups doesn’t taste good because palm oil on it’s own has no great taste sef.
The ogbono and ground crayfish came in when the stock started boiling.
Smoked fish followed
Okro and uziza leaves came in last. Uziza is a major ingredient in ogbono and okra soup. Check for taste and doneness before turning off the heat. This soup goes well with ALL forms of swallow; Eba, amala, semo, wheat, millet, akpu, guinea corn, maize (Tuwo), Rice flour fufu and even plantain fufu. Can be cooked with just crayfish or fish alone and will still taste great.

Let’s Get A Closer Look At Amandla Stenberg’s Finger Wave Braids At The 2019 Oscars

The Hate U Give actress Amandla Stenberg stunned at the 2019 Oscars with mesmerizing braided finger waves.

Let’s make this a trending hairstyle – this hairdo is remarkable, and we have Vernon Francois to thank. ESSENCE’s Black Women In Hollywood honoree’s glam for the 91st Academy Awards is perfect for the occasion and tempting to replicate.

The braided finger waves are chicly unique and completed with cornrows into a bun. According to Francois’s Instagram post, the two-toned hairstyle was completed with just a few products that we tend to keep readily accessible at home like holding spray style and shine mouse, and most importantly a comb.

Francois depicted old Hollywood so well with this modern take on classic finger waves, which complimented Stenberg’s Miu Miu gown, Forevermark jewelry, and the perfect cat eye.

Today I write what life has taught me
About the conflict arising between thedays gone by and the days to come

A broken relationship between two generations

About dropping shoulders on which some children once sat to see the world
About the trembling hands that once held the hands of their children,as they taught them how to walk
About the perched lips that once sang lullabies
But which have now been silenced
But times have changed
Life has changed
Gone are the days when when we were always caught up ties and in relations that yielded nothing
Our father was God
At our mother’s feet lay out heaven
But now people have become very sensible
The new generation is very clever and practical
For them every relations is like a ladder on which they will step to rise further in life
But when they have no use for the ladder anymore, with the rest of the broken furniture in the house “old vessels,old clothesand newspapers they are dumped in the attic

However,life does not take you up like a ladder
Life grows like a tree

Parents are not the steps on a ladder
Parents are the soul to one’s life
However big the tree is , however green and filled it is ,it can stand on its own,once its roots are hacked

With all humility and respect I ask today,the children for whose happiness a father spends every penny of his hard earned money with a smile.
Those very children,when the father’s eyesight weakens,why do they hesitate in giving them light?
If a father can help his son to take the first step in his life,why can’t the son give his father support when he’s taking the last few steps of his life?

What crime is it if the parents who have devoted all their lives to their children,that they are given tears and loneliness?

If they can’t give us any love,who gives them the right to snatch our love from us?
What do these children think?
The parents God has United in love,can they separate and force them to lead a life of misery and dispair?

Is it for a day like this that man seeks children?
Children perhaps forget “what is our present today ,will be their present tomorrow”
If we are old today,they will also grow old someday
The questions we ask today,they will ask tomorrow

As for me, please don’t worry about me.because I am able to bring up my children, helping them to become able and independent,I am able to take care of myself too.

I feel no need to expect anything from anyone, because I am very fortunate.
Because life has given me a companion, walking with whom has made my path easier. Walking with whom my hardships were always blown away and that companion is my wife.
People often fall in love. However they don’t express it as often as they should. I wouldn’t want to make a mistake like that.

Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi
in GIVEAWAY, RECIPES on 10/16/13

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Looking for a quick, easy and flavorful homemade recipes for your family? Look no further than this delicious Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi, which only takes 15 minutes from prep to plate! My entire family LOVED IT! Seriously, it was gone faster than anything I’ve ever made!

15 Minute Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi

Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi Ingredients
8 ounces of linguine or other pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup (half stick) of butter

1 pound defrosted large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 package McCormic® Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi Seasoning Mix

1 tbsp lemon juice or 2 tbsp white wine (optional)

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garlic butter shrimp scampi recipeDirections
Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in large skillet on medium heat until butter is melted. Add shrimp and Seasoning Mix; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Stir in lemon juice or wine, if desired.
Then, toss with cooked pasta to coat well. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Grilled Shrimp Foil Packets
These quick & easy foil packets take inspo from the beloved (but tedious) shrimp boil.

by LAUREN MIYASHIRO
MAY 20, 2019
Shrimp Boil Foil Packs
by Delish US

We love a good shrimp boil, but sometimes we don’t have time for the production. Foil packs turn a shrimp boil into individual parties that are so fun tho throw onto the grill! It’s everything you love with way less work.

YIELDS: 4 SERVINGS
PREP TIME: 0 HOURS 10 MINS
COOK TIME: 0 HOURS 15 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 0 HOURS 25 MINS
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 smoked andouille sausages, thinly sliced
2 ears corn, each cut crosswise into 4 pieces
1 lb. red bliss potatoes, chopped into 1-in pieces
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
1 lemon, sliced into thin wedges
4 tbsp. butter
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DIRECTIONS
Preheat grill over high heat, or preheat oven to 425°. Cut 4 sheets of foil about 12 inches long. Divide shrimp, garlic, sausage, corn, and potatoes evenly over the foil sheets. Drizzle with oil, then add Old Bay seasoning and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Top each mixture with parsley, lemon and a tablespoon of butter each.
Fold foil packets crosswise over the shrimp boil mixture to completely cover the food. Roll top and bottom edges to seal them closed.
Place foil packets on grill and cook until just cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes (or transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes)

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