Breaking Kola?

Recent Report in Nigeria

Sahara Reporters’ activist Omoyele Sowore is arrested again!

He is the founder of Sahara Reporters, an internationally recognized news source, known in the US and around the world.

He has been indicted before. In 2019 he was said to be affiliated with crimes, but not charged. He was held for 144 days that time.

This time he was arrested on charges that include national rights. “According to Nigerian media, he has been denied bail and arraigned at the Magistrate Court in Abuja; he and other activists are now being held in Kuje prison,” the statements say.

His protests have been peaceful. Some people see the term ‘revolution’ as countering the government. But he holds his demonstrations peaceably.

Sowore lives in the U.S. He resides in New Jersey. There he has alerted Bob Menendez, Congressman, about his arrest.

I don’t know if he has alerted Menendez about this recent arrest.

“The incoming Biden administration has signaled that it will be deeply concerned about human rights issues,” the Biden people say.

“The arrest of Sowore and the denial of bail is a poor representation of Nigeria to the incoming administration,” his critics in the US report.

Thinking of Aging

I had lunch with MJ last Sunday. MJ is my friend from church and a neighbor here in Norwalk. I asked her about her move to Texas. She said, “It’s in the works. It’s now about 95% sure!”

My interest was motivated by who will care for her. Not now, certainly, but as we age, our needs change.

Her best friend Karen and Karen’s son Alex are there, MJ is godmother to Alex, who is about 26 or so. MJ is relying on Alex to take care of her when she is older. He has said so and can be counted on!

My own age-related process is being fitted with a cpap mask. (I haven’t figured out what cpap stands for.} When I did the Sleep Center test, it showed that I do have sleep apnea.

Now I would like to get the mask to fit properly. It’s about right; I just need to get it to fit on again after I wake during the night.

New Name for My Journal?

I discussed the name, Catherine Onyemelukwe, for my blog with MJ. I like the name Breaking Kola. Should I change the name?

It doesn’t identify me, but then neither does the name Catherine Onyemelukwe! Except I’m already known to the people, it does not mean anything.

It certainly covers the main topics that I report on – the mostly current news in Nigeria and racism in the US.

Hmm. I’ll have to consider the consequences of changing the name.

My COVID-19 Test

During my recent desperate search for my COVID-19 test, I found this site, AFC Urgent Care Norwalk. They took my case. l had my time set at 6:45 five nights ago. They then had to tell me who was testing me at 2:30 four days ago!

I simply went outside, waited in the car, and someone came to test me!

It was almost a miracle; I had nearly given up getting tested before my eye evaluation two days ago!

In the end, the eye evaluation process was simple. I simply placed my eye in the grid they use to test for eye exams. Then the doctor inserted her tiny point into my eye. She had me watch the red spots.

It took all of about five minutes. She removed the spots and I was ready to go!

But I am seeing the fragments of the pieces she removed; they’ll be around for several days. They are the little bits. When I am not aware of it, they are arriving randomly.

I went to choir on Thursday evening. When I was seeing the music I nearly had to bat a few away, though they were not really there!

Professor Gates’ Guests

Two of Dr. Gates’s guests tonight had important fathers in their backgrounds.

One was the great-great grandfather of his mother’s people. He supported the slave trade, including holding slaves himself, as a Black man! He freed his own daughter and wife, the enslaved people he held, before the end of slavery.

Another was a more recent person. This was a white man, just two generations ago, who grandfathered the Black granddaughter. She was as surprised as I was about her grandfather.

She had not expected this result!