January 16, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
On December 13, 2013, Igbozue Connecticut USA held an all night family party. It was an opportunity for the Igbozue men to thank their wives. There were many reasons for these men to do so. It is the women who provided, among other good deeds throughout the unfolding year, hospitable homes when members of the group host monthly meetings.
Igbozue family night is an annual event. This particular event was surprisingly different from earlier ones in three main ways: the event-threatening snow, the big fat cake from ‘IWAC’ and the win or lose anxiety of the raffle.
Igbozue Connecticut USA is a non for profit organization that encourages social interaction among the Igbos- one of the major ethnic groups in Nigeria.
The men presented their token gifts and the women received them in full admiration. In an all out display of gratitude, the women danced glowingly in a way that only Igbo men would understand.
IWAC, Igbo Women Association of Connecticut which is the female counterpart of Igbozue Connecticut, had something under wraps for one of their members who had retired and is about to move. They wanted to honor her with a gift. Halfway through the party, it was still a toss-up if the recipient will show up.
Then bingo, she showed up. The dancing crowd went wilder as the Dj played ‘Udor Akpuenyi’ (one cannot pull an elephant on a leash) by Sunny Bobo.
Not familiar with the rhythm of the music, children danced exuberantly in missteps while the oldies danced in measured steps to the beat and lyrics.
The Honoree, Professor Omaa Chukwurah, is a founding member of IWAC. Many misty eyes and cracked voices emerged as peers gave testimonies and recounted their interactions with her. Then it was time to devour the cake.
The indefatigable DJ, Joe Anyafulu had the music right. He delivered soul and highlife music that made guests dance most of the night.
Attendees said that it was a party to remember. Men bantered and laughed heartily while women held conversation and smiled. What started as a shaky night later became one of the organizations most memorable Christmas events.
The raffle generated lots of excitement. There were five winners. Mrs. Eneh won the first prize of a Godiva gift basket containing gourmet chocolate bar and glass tea cups. Mrs. Lolo Anna Okonkwo won a Christmas wreath. The Oredo family from Stamford won a set of Wild-Eye table knives and spoons and the fourth prize, ‘How Broccoli Head Lost Thirty Pounds’, went to Mrs. Pat Anekwe.
The event took place at the executive-inn and suite in Meriden Connecticut. It began at 8 pm with the breaking of the kola nuts, ended at 12.30 A.M with a toast of Champaign. Members came in from different places within the state of Connecticut. A guest came from as far as Stamford. My spouse and I came from Sandy Hook.
Food and drink were plentiful. On the dinner tables were the usual suspects of goat meat, bitter leaf soup, fried plantain, jollof rice, moi-moi, roasted fish, chicken and rice. There was salad for the health-conscious attendees.
The President of the association, Mr. Polycarp Okeke was thankful to participants and praised them for supporting the group despite the bad weather and he reminded guests to drive home safely.
January 14, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
Thanksgiving Day is approaching soon, and it will arrive at Nov. 25 this year. It’s the time to express your gratitude and love to your colleagues, friends and especially your family members who support you throughout the year. Send them sweet Thanks cards, or present special gifts to let them know your gratitude and feelings. But it’s always difficult to come up with a good gift idea. Here are some great Thanksgiving gift ideas for your family. Go ahead to choose one and present to express your feelings.
Gifts for Parents
The best gifts to present to your parents are flowers and wine. Thanksgiving Day is the time for family reunion. At other times, as the result of busy work, long distance, or your new family, you can hardly spend time with your parents. On this special and meaningful day, go back home with a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers to have a family meal.
Gifts for Husband
He takes an important role in your life, and without him your life may be incomplete. On this special day, you can give him a kiss, a hug or some meaningful gifts to show your love and to memory your time spending together. Gifts for your husband need not to be expensive, but must be special and containing your love. Then, a photo album, some DIY chocolate, or two tickets to his favorite games can be the best thanksgiving gifts for him.
Gifts for Wife
When selecting gifts for your wife, you should first know what she wants and is interested in these days. For example, it is fall already, maybe she needs a new handbag for this new season, or she recently has interest in some art exhibition or concert, then you can buy two tickets and enjoy the show together. But when preparing the thanksgiving gift to her, remember add a sweet card or something special, like sexy lingerie. The additional small gift must give her a big surprise and enhance your relationship.
Gifts for Kids
There are lots of options when choosing gifts for your kids, like chocolate, toys, books, and models. You can choose according to your children’s interests. If you do not know what they want, then ask them. They will happily to tell you what they want, and consider you as a great parent.
January 14, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
Every company, and every type of company has there own set of strengths and weaknesses which differentiate them from their competition. Here are some of the differences between owning a family business, and a non-family business.
1) Nepostism
Family business owners often feel some sort of obligation to hire there relatives, instead of outside people looking for a job. The other people who are not related to them, often have better qualifications, and are clearly much better choices. The owner however may still chose to hire his or her relatives however, due to family pressure or sense of obligation.
2) Donations To Charity
Unlike public companies who feel pressure from share holders to make money, and not donate too much to charity, small business owners, specifically family business owners, can to a large extent do what they want with the money. Often they will donate it to there favorite charity, even though they may not be able to afford it, or it’s not in the companies best interests.
3) Less Profit Concerns
Small businesses often want to make their customers happy, or do what is morraly right. This in itself is a great thing, and it’s great that the companies want to do this, however sometimes the company will go over board, doing too much for too little profit. This can cause some serious problems and it may even cause the company to go out of business.
4) Loyalty
Employees in family businesses feel loyalty to their company. They are unlikely to leave, and if they do leave it is extremely rare for them to go to work for a competitor. In public companies on the other hand this is constantly happening. Even in high position jobs employees will leave and go work for a competitior, to get an increase in salary.
5) Huger Sacrifices
In family businesses the members of the family will work extra hard to make sure their company works out good. They will do every thing in there power to make the company as succesful as possible. They will work longer hours, without expecting additional pay. They will constantly think about how to improve the company, in order to make it better. They do this, either because they own part of it themeselves, or even if they don’t have any ownership in the company, they will do it to benefit there family.
6) Teamwork
Family business members don’t have to question there coworkers motives (most of the time) because they know that they are acting in the companies best interest. If a coworker asks someone to do something, they will usually do it without second guessing why they made that request.
January 14, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
Increasingly, consumers are viewing their cell phones not just as communication tools, but as extensions of themselves. Most take their phones with them wherever they go, using these devices not only to keep up with their hectic lives but also to keep themselves and their loved ones entertained during downtime on the go.
With today’s advanced cell phones as their gateway, people of all ages are downloading all kinds of fun, including ringtones, voicetones and wallpapers to personalize their phones with their favorite music, characters and movies. Additionally, many enjoy downloading video clips and mobile games to keep themselves and their children entertained wherever they are, whether traveling, standing in line or hanging out at home.
But how can people find what they’re looking for quickly and easily without having to scroll through multiple menus? One of the world’s largest entertainment companies now provides an online tool that can deliver wholesome, family-friendly fun straight to a mobile phone in a fast and simple process.
mDisney.com is an online superstore that carries a wide range of Disney-themed mobile content. The first major collection of family-oriented mobile content available for purchase online, the site carries everything from ringtones and voicetones to games and wallpapers. Fans can personalize their mobile phones with their favorite tunes and characters. Visitors will find new content, such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “High School Musical,” as well as classic Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh. There is content available for virtually every phone service provider and handset model. In addition, the site is also a resource for how to download and includes special offers, including the Disney TXT club.
After registering on the site, visitors enter in their phone’s carrier and model. They are then presented with a menu of ringtones, voicetones and graphics that are compatible with their phone. They can easily purchase what they want and have it immediately sent directly to their phones.
January 13, 2016 / como / 0 Comments
When we think about a chordophone the first one that comes to our mind is probably the classical guitar, but the family of chordophones includes many other instruments, from the contrabass to the banjo.
The family of chordophones is not only very large, it is also very ancient: the first chordophones, or at least the ancestors of the modern chordophones, were used even in the prehistory. Our ancestors invented the so-called “earth bow”, a sort of hunting bow which was made of a flexible stick and a rope stretched to its ends (later it was equipped also with a sound box, which could be derived from an empty coconut, from a cut in half pumpkin and so on), and the “reed psaltery”, which was derived from bamboo reeds, from which people took thin strips of bark. Instruments that are now better-known, like harps and zithers, originated from these first music experiments that were carried out by our ancestors.
With the passing of time the peoples of the past improved the technique to make more and more advanced chordophones, inventing also some devices that could be used to increase the intensity of sound, like resonators. Many ancient peoples used to know and appreciate chordophones: from Egyptians, which along with Jews, the peoples of Mesopotamia, Greeks and Romans used above all harps, zithers and lyres, to Asian peoples, which used to play other types of chordophones, like the seven-stringed k”in, the four-stringed P”i p”a (both coming from China), the Indian vina and the Indian four-stringed sarangi. From these instruments to the chordophones that we use today, like guitars and violins, it was not a short step: the first lute appeared in the 16th century, and from this instrument came the various sorts of mandola and mandolins and so on, while the classical guitar was invented only in the 19th century.
Given the ancient origin of the family of chordophones and their diffusion among many different peoples, no wonder that there are many subcategories of chordophones. In general chordophones are divided three categories: bowed string instruments, plucked strings instruments and struck string instruments. The category of bowed string instruments includes the chordophones in which the vibration of chords is produced with a small bow made of horsehairs. This category includes instruments like the viola, the cello, the violin and the contrabass. As for plucked string instruments, the sound is produced plucking the strings with a plectrum or with fingers. This is the proceeding that characterizes instruments like the harp, the banjo, the zither, the bass, and all the types of guitars, from folk to electric guitars, the lute, the mandolin, the ukulele and so on. The third category, that of struck string instruments, includes instruments like the piano, the harpsichord and the clavichord, where the chords vibrate thanks to some hammers, which are usually activated by a keyboard.
In conclusion, the world of chordophones, which includes also many accessories, is very large and heterogeneous, as well as very ancient.