Running in Two Forms

Did you vote?

I voted on Tuesday. For me, voting is (almost) a sacred duty. Even on Tuesday, when I knew just a few of the candidates, I went to the Greens Farms School on Morningside Drive to cast my vote.

Jeff Wieser, head of Homes with Hope, Westport’s organization dedicated to fighting homelessness, was running for another term on the Representative Town Meeting, the town’s governing body. He had my vote.

Most of the town committees – Planning and Zoning, P&Z Appeals, Board of Education among them – had no more people running than there were open slots, so I voted for the maximum number. I had met several candidates and knew a little about others.

Whether I know them or not, I applaud all those who are willing to devote time and energy to keeping our town in good order.

One person I do know wasn’t in Westport at all. Patty Nolan, my 1988 classmate at the Yale School of Management, won election to the Cambridge, Massachusetts City Council last night! She is a brilliant and dynamic woman, with high standards and dedication to principles I agree with.

The news was reported by Helene York, our class communicator. She said, “Patty was the highest vote-getter among insurgents. There were 22 candidates, nine were elected (all seats were up), and Patty finished third overall. Hooray for Patty and for Cambridge!”

On Patty’s website I found she had posted this note she received from a constituent she didn’t know: “When I first saw you were running for city council, I was excited, and a dive into your website affirmed my initial instincts. I’m particularly appreciative of your longtime climate activism and the fact that you brought your kids to city hall to celebrate the night when Cambridge began issuing its first same-sex marriage licenses.”

Rice in Nigeria

Rice is among the staple foods in Nigeria. I’ve written about rice in Chapter 2, “Major Ingredients,” of my book on Nigerian cuisine, where I say,

Rice is grown in four states in northern Nigeria and in three states in the middle belt. It is today also grown in two states in the south. However much of the rice is imported. Nigeria is said to be the highest importer of rice globally and the largest producer in West Africa.

In the north rice is most commonly made into tuwo shinkafa. For this dish, the rice is cooked until soft, then mashed, formed into balls the size of a child’s fist, and served with either miyan taushe, a pumpkin soup with meat, chicken or fish, or another soup. (In the US we would call these stews, not soups.)

In the south rice is usually boiled and served with a stew or made into the popular jollof rice.

Despite the fact that Nigeria produces masses of rice, it is no where enough. According to a recent article in Quartz, in May Nigeria signed a trade agreement with other African countries to improve intra-Africa trade.

The article says,

In August, just three months after celebrating its signing the AfCFTA, Nigeria slapped a ban on the movement of all goods from countries with which it shares a land border: Benin, Niger and Cameroon, effectively banning all trade—import and export—with its neighbors. Nigerian officials have pointed to the primary objective of curbing smuggling of goods such as rice, tomatoes and poultry to bolster Nigeria’s agricultural sector. The border closure has impacted Nigerian consumers and exporters with traders being refused entry of goods, even those for which they have already paid customs duties, and consumers facing inflated prices of imported food products—with some products having doubled in price.

You can probably imagine the result! The ban “has made smuggling from neighboring countries especially lucrative. The World Bank has estimated 80% of imports into Benin are destined for Nigeria.”

When I had my clothing company Trinity House in Nigeria, almost all the fabric we purchased was brought in illegally. Again the government had banned fabric importation to support local manufacturers, but their products were unsatisfactory for stylish women’s clothing.

The Black Market thrives when countries don’t consider the consequences of their actions!

The New York City Marathon

My grandson Kenechi and his girlfriend Mary sent pics from the New York City Marathon.

Here are two for you.

I haven’t been told their times. Just the fact that they finished is impressive enough for me!