PRINCE IS DEAD, REST IN PEACE.

PRINCE DEAD AT 57, RIP.

Icheoku says Prince Rogers Nelson, the consummate musician and iconic idol known as Prince, is dead. He was 57 years old and died from complication of drug overdose and flu-like symptoms which some sources hinted might be "HIV/AIDS" related? Some sources also said he possibly had a premonition or inkling of his impending death as he had last Saturday told his fans to "wait a few more days before you waste any prayers" for his recovery from his relapsed illness. 

A mega star extraordinary and as of his own right, his stellar career spanned over forty years dating back to 1978. Among his many songs which saw him sell over one hundred million records, win several awards including seven Grammys and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Icheoku likes 'When doves cry', Purple Rain and 1999" most. 

With Michael Jackson gone, James Brown gone, Whitney Houston gone, David Bowie gone, Glenn Frey gone and now Prince also gone too, to join them; imagine the kind of parties angels in heaven will now be exposed to. He was iconic and his music gets any party going and there is no parking on the dance floor when Prince is performing or his song is being played by DJs. The world has again lost another music idol and Prince will be greatly missed. Icheoku says adieu Mr Purple Rain and thank you for entertaining those of us who grew up listening to your music. Say hi to all those other greats departed, so long.

NEVER GIVE UP ON LOVE - LEIGH CRANIAL.

It was an instant attraction when this flight attendant and pilot met at a Chennai beachside restaurant. After a long-distance love affair around the world, the rest became history. When they were children living on opposite sides of the world, Christine “Tin” Miguel and Matt Mandino had something in common: they were afraid of flying. 

Growing up as one of six children in the Philippines, Tin would hold her sister’s hand in a tight grip whenever they flew. In the US, Matt was so nervous about boarding a plane that his parents had to drag him to the airport. “I was afraid of heights too,” Matt laughed. 

As they got older though, both were seized with a sense of wanderlust. Their desire to see the world outweighed their initial fears, and eventually, they not only conquered their fear of flying, but they made it their careers. Tin became a flight attendant and Matt, a commercial pilot. 

It was because of their jobs in aviation that they both found themselves at a restaurant on the beach near Chennai, India, in June of 2012. Matt was living there, working for Indian airline Jet Airways. Tin, who was based in Saudi Arabia, had a layover in Chennai and had decided to spend the day at the beach with a colleague. They headed to lunch at Santana restaurant (178, Fisherman's Colony, Othavadi Street; +91-944-429-0832,) overlooking the water.  

“We were the only ones in the restaurant when Matt and his friend walked in,” Tin recalled. “I thought he was cute and, for some reason, felt like I’d known him a long time.” 

Matt was also instantly attracted. “Her smile was so pretty and comforting. I went up to her and asked what she was eating. She said ‘calamari’, and I actually reached down and grabbed some off her plate because I’d had a couple of beers. Usually I’m not that outgoing,” he said. “[My friend and I] asked what they did for a living and they said they were flight attendants, and we’re like, ‘we’re pilots!’” 

“And I rolled my eyes,” Tin laughed. “He gave me his card and he said he’d be happy to show me around the next time I was in India. I sent him an email a few days later, and we started writing back and forth. I was scheduled to be back on my birthday in September.” 

On their first date, Matt drove to pick her up from her hotel. “He was so late,” Tin remembered. “Later I found out [it] was because he had driven all over town looking for flowers. He asked if he could fly to my next destination to see me again, and soon after that, he asked me to be his girlfriend.” 

They got to know one another while travelling, meeting as often as possible and heading off on adventures across India. Then, in 2013, Matt moved to Hawaii. 

Tin remembers the day she was helping Matt pack for his move. “I was thinking, ‘I care about him so much, but it’s Hawaii, which is on the other side of the world. It will take 48 hours to travel just to see him, and it’s expensive,’” she said. “I thought that, if nothing happened, at least we’d had a great time. But of course I was hoping we would end up together.” 

That day, Matt presented Tin with a family heirloom – a sapphire promise ring – and asked her to come to Hawaii on a fiancé visa. “It's the same ring that his dad gave to his mom,” Tin said. “His mom and I both have September birthdays and sapphire is our birth stone. From that point on, I realized he was willing to make it work.” 

“I asked if she would mind moving, and she said ‘I’ll live wherever you want, even if we have to live in a cardboard box,’” Matt remembered. 

I always think there will be opportunities and jobs everywhere,” Tin said, “But each person is unique. There’s only one Matt. We don't know where we'll be based next, but it doesn't matter as long as we are together.” 

Unfortunately, it would still be months of paperwork before they could be reunited for good. “Just to gather the requirements was a process,” Tin said. “While Matt was working in Hawaii, I was still living in Saudi Arabia, so he invented a game called ‘Follow Tin’ where he would fly on his free time to see me wherever I was scheduled.” The couple met in cities like Geneva, Milan and Barcelona. “Our layovers were often only 36 hours so it was really special,” Matt said. “We made a lot out of the short time we had together.” 

Finally, in July 2014, Matt and Tin were married in Hawaii. “I just wanted the marriage, I didn't need a wedding,” said Tin about the simple courthouse ceremony. “We decided to save our money for other things.” 

The couple now lives by the beach in Bali, content to finally be under the same roof for good. Reflecting on their years spent in a long-distance relationship, Tin said that there are some positive aspects to being apart. “It makes you more passionate. You really think about what you want and ask ‘is this worth the time and the energy?’… If you love each other, you don’t give up.”

TRUMP WINS BIG IN NEW YORK, THANK YOU NEW YORK FOR YOUR AFFIRMATION.

Icheoku says the people of New York have in no unmistakable way sent a message to the Republican National Committee that they have implicit confidence in their son who is running for the presidential nomination of the party. In  a resounding vote of over 500,000, more than 60%, they voted Donald Trump the winner of the party's primaries. Icheoku says thank you New York and with such a message of affirmation, the rest of the country hears you once again that with Donald, America will be made great again. Also you gave Ted 'the vampire' Cruz the middle finger that anyone who is not down with New York values ought not to seek any blessings from New York. It is onward march thence to the White House and together we all shall help Donald Trump realize his dream of making America great again. Vote Trump and lets make America great again. Thank you New York.

NEW YORKERS, HELP TRUMP DEFEAT THE ESTABLISHMENT, VOTE FOR TRUMP.

Icheoku agrees that no one is perfect; but a time like this calls for a formidable force to successfully take on the entrenched forces who are not ready to yield up their power. We all can help achieve this and together, we can help him make it happen. New Yorkers, this one is for you and Donald Trump is one of your own; so send him on his way to the White House, vote for him. Any other vote, for any other person, is a vote in betrayal and a wasted vote. Although, like New York Post said, "Trump is now an imperfect messenger carrying a vital message. But he reflects the best of "New York values' and offers the best hopes for all Americans who rightly feel betrayed by the political class;" but this novitiate mistakes does not and should not take anything away from him. He will learn from his rookie missteps and with our collective help, make America great again. VOTE TRUMP.

SUPER PREDATORS HAVE NO CONSCIENCE NOR EMPATHY - HILLARY CLINTON

I am Hillary Clinton and I said the above about black people. It led to the worst mass incarceration in America which destroyed so many black peoples lives and families. I have no regrets; I did not apologize for saying it earlier; I never wanted to apologize for it for this past 22 years and would not have apologized for it now if not that I am running for election. Why should I care about the most ruthless of our society. Icheoku says any black person voting Hillary Clinton is part of the problem, the Uncle and Auntie Toms of America who have drank of the Clinton's coolaid. Away with the Clintons, DO NOT VOTE FOR ANOTHER ONE NAMED HILLARY

NEW YORK POST ENDORSES TRUMP AND SO DOES ICHEOKU.

Icheoku concurs with the opinion of New York Post Editorial Board endorsing Donald Trump as the best candidate in the running for the United States presidency. Here is their endorsement:-

"Donald Trump is a rookie candidate — a potential superstar of vast promise, but making rookie mistakes. The nominee Republicans need for the fall campaign is often hard to make out amid his improvisations and too-harsh replies to his critics.

New Yorkers vote Tuesday. What to do?

Here’s how we see it.

–– ADVERTISEMENT ––

Should he win the nomination, we expect Trump to pivot — not just on the issues, but in his manner. The post-pivot Trump needs to be more presidential: better informed on policy, more self-disciplined and less thin-skinned.

Yet the promise is clearly there in the rookie who is, after all, leading the field as the finals near.

Trump has electrified the public, drawing millions of new voters to the polls and inspiring people who’d given up on ever again having a candidate who’d fight for them.

That’s the work of the Donald Trump we know — a New Yorker, born and bred.

A plain-talking entrepreneur with outer-borough, common-sense sensibilities.

Trump is a do-er. As a businessman, he’s created jobs for thousands. And he’s proven how a private-sector, can-do approach can rip through government red tape and get things done.

These last 10 months, he’s ripped through a different morass — the nation’s stale, insider-driven politics.

And he’s done it by appealing to the public’s anger at a government that’s eternally gridlocked when it comes to serving the people — but always able to deliver for the connected.

He’s slammed the system for being rigged — and he’s right.

To those fed up with the rule of lobbyists and an insular political class, to those who’ve seen their government ignore their needs — seen it continually degrade the quality not just of their economic lives, but of their plaace in society — Trump offers hope.

But then there are those rookie mistakes.

Start with policies that seem made on the fly.

No, pulling US troops out of Japan and South Korea — and pushing both countries to go nuclear to defend themselves — is not remotely a good idea. American commitments may need rethinking — but careful rethinking.

Yes, controlling the border is one of Washington’s fundamental duties — but “Build the Wall” is far too simplistic a policy for a nation of immigrants.

By all means, get the best trade deals for America — but remember that trade means cheaper goods for the less well-off, and challenge US industries to improve.

Trump’s language, too, has too often been amateurish, divisive — and downright coarse.

But what else to expect from someone who’s never been a professional politician and reflects common-man passions?

Indeed, his political incorrectness is one of his great attractions — it proves he’s not one of “them.” He’s challenging the victim culture that has turned into a victimizing culture.

In the general election, we’d expect Trump to stay true to his voters — while reaching out to those he hasn’t won yet.

Trump is now an imperfect messenger carrying a vital message. But he reflects the best of “New York values” — and offers the best hope for all Americans who rightly feel betrayed by the political class.

He has the potential — the skills, the know-how, the values — to live up to his campaign slogan: to make America great again.

For those reasons, The Post today endorses Donald Trump in the GOP primary.

CROOKED HILLARY, WHAT IS SHE HIDING?

Icheoku says she is hiding a lot of stuff and you wonder what are in those Wall Street Speeches that she wont let voting Americans see otherwise it would derail her election campaign. Icheoku says Crooked Hillary, not a woman we can trust as first female president of America. Vote Trump.

NOT RELEASING HER SPEECHES, WHAT IS HILLARY CLINTON HIDING?

Icheoku says Hillary Clinton is taking the nation for a ride, especially members of the Democratic Party who are being asked to nominate their presidential flag bearer for the forthcoming American's presidential election. A woman who is so flawed in so many ways and derided by so many Americans, who find her very untrustworthy, yet instead of working tirelessly hard to debunk and dissipate this believe held by so many Americans, is stonewalling and giving the Democratic Party primaries voters the middle finger. Icheoku says what is she hiding?

By obstinately refusing to release those lofty speeches she delivered in some Wall Street sponsored events, where she praised them profusely for sticking it to little guys and gals of America, Hillary Clinton has shown complete contempt and disdain to the American people. How else can a people being asked to choose her as their leader know and understand who is offering herself for service if not through full disclosure? That she is running an abysmal campaign which is hydroplaning on her sordid records and hoping to hoodwink Americans into voting for her but without vetting her, is ironic at best. Icheoku says to the former first lady of Arkansas and America and senator and secretary of State that she will not get into the White House through the back door, not this time. 

If Hillary Clinton wants America to consider her candidacy for the presidency of the United States of America, she must come clean with Americans and tell the voting masses who she is in bed with, the Wall Street or the masses. Americans are a forgiving people and provided Hillary Clinton comes clean and levels with Americans, avoiding the current bullshitting, her sins might be forgiven. But if she continues in her current trajectory of no vetting, she will meet a big boulder blocking her entrance into the White House in form of her rejection at the polls. Ordinarily, one would expect that if Hillary Clinton's speeches were innocuous and has nothing in them which actually portrays her for who she truly is, she would have since released those speeches or even release them now without any further delay. Good enough Bernie Sanders, the 75 year old grey-haired hippie grandfather has accepted Hillary Clinton's challenge and released his tax returns, so Americans expect Hillary Clinton to bite the bullet now and make public her Wall Street speeches. 

Icheoku says if after Bernie's Tax records release Hillary Clinton still refuses to so release those her Wall Street speeches, Americans should reciprocate that by rejecting her for the presidency of the United States of America beginning with the remaining primaries. How can such a cunning, untrustworthy and untruthful person be rewarded with the highest office in the land. Hillary Clinton cannot be trusted and has time and time again shown that she cannot be trusted and Americans do not want a person they do not and cannot trust leading them. Therefore, in the manner of Ronald Reagan demand on Soviet's  Gorbachev to tear down this wall, Icheoku hereby ask Hillary Clinton to come clean with American people and release those her Wall Street speeches; and thereafter let Americans decide if indeed she is truly worthy of the honor of being let into their White House. So no release of speeches, no voting for Hillary Clinton - the woman who hardly makes an eye contact and it is a sign of evil. Away with the Clintons, enough of the Clintons; say no to another Clinton in the White House.

COLORADO CHARADE, NOT THE DEMOCRACY WE CAN BELIEVE IN.

Icheoku says those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable. If this particular man will not allow Americans to chose who they want to lead them, how else does he want them to change an outcome they are not happy with? Violence? Colorado Republican Party chairman Steve House  sure confirmed that his House is not a large tent for everyone as he is prepared to exclude some people he does not like and would rather do such injustice pursuing it. 

What a shame. Americans still have the right to choose who leads them and will not accept the untoward behavior of Colorado Republicans trying to deny Americans the right to choose their leader. The Republican presidential primaries is a contest and in a contest, participants are supposed to be availed equal opportunity to compete. But a situation where the party officials have a dog in the fight and would go to any length to deny a competitor his day in court is simply unacceptable and should be condemned by every righteous person. It is fairness; it is justice; it is equity and it is the only the acceptable operating procedure in any given contest. Let each and every participant be heard and be allowed to be voted for. 

That the Colorado Republican honchos could dare deny the front runner of the Republican Party's presidential primaries, Donald John Trump, the opportunity to be voted for, is rather incredible to say the least. They decided to award all the Colorado delegates to Ted Cruz and the supposed Christian zealot and fanatic happens to find nothing wrong with such brazen act of pervasion? Ted Cruz appears to be a christian in name only and only when it suits him; but fails or rather chooses not to see anything wrong in this injustice that was wrought to Donald Trump. Americans understands this very weird, vampire-looking man from Texas, the reason his moniker "Lyin' Ted" has stuck to him thus far. Icheoku says that an injustice to one is an injustice to all. Today it might be Donald Trump that is at the tip end of the sword, who knows for whom the bells will toll tomorrow. 

Icheoku therefore calls on Colorado republican party honchos to reverse themselves and at worst divide the delegates proportionally. If we can demand of the Chinese Communist Party to open up their electoral system to allow the Chinese people choose their leaders; and often quarrels with Putin's Russia because their system is not transparent, how then does America explain the sham that took place in Colorado? Icheoku says with a democracy like that no one actually needs democracy and we might as well revert to a politburo system where henchmen handpick who they feel is best for the citizens. In the manner Ronald Reagan admonished Soviet Union's Gorbachev to tear down this wall, Icheoku says to Colorado Republic Party Chairman Steve House to reverse the Colorado outcome in the spirit of fairness and justice to everyone of the candidates in the running to become the party's presidential nominee.

CLINTON'S EMAIL-GATE INVESTIGATION, OBAMA MUST BACK OFF.

Icheoku says President Barack Hussein Obama has nearly completed his two term of eight years presidency without any scandal so far. Icheoku prays and wishes the president well in hopefully riding out the remainder of his presidency without any scandal either; except that the Hillary Clinton's emailgate scandal is somewhat, increasingly, threatening to tarnish that unblemished record. Any attempt by the president to cover up for Hillary Clinton or in any way influence the outcome of the investigation might result in the biggest scandal of out time and might torpedo his presidency, the Nixon way. The whole world and Americans are watching and waiting and nothing else will provide the president's numerous critics and haters the opportunity to say I told you so than a president impeached for trying to pervert the cause of justice. 

To this effect therefore, Icheoku says the president must stay as far away as is humanly possible from entering or even nearing the fray and let the Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Investigation do its job. If at the end of the day, they come up with any decision, the American people can live with it. But the president must not either by his body language or any other telegraphic message or suggestion or inference signal to the investigating authorities that he would rather Hillary Clinton is not found indictable, regardless of whatever trove of evidence that may be available to them, upon which Hillary Clinton could be indicted and possibly convicted. 

This is because when a president of the United States of America, the man who appointed the Attorney General, under whose jurisdiction, the Director of the FBI serves, suggests or seems to suggest that a person under their investigation did not commit the crime for which she is being investigated, such statement is indeed very far-reaching. It is capable of levying preemptive consequences on the investigation and thereby render useless whatever the eventual findings. If it were to find the former Secretary of State indictable, it  would conflict with the president's earlier position and no person appointed by the president would easily go against the wishes of such her appointor. If otherwise indictable and the appointees decide to save their jobs by not indicting, the findings will leak, resulting in a big scandal. If nothing was found, eyebrows of a possible influenced outcome will still be raised.

President Barack Obama would have cleverly stayed out by not offering an opinion; but by so stating his position, he has fully inserted himself in a matter still under investigation and such is inimical to fair administration of justice; both to the investigating authorities and the suspect. Either way there will be conflict - if she is indicted, it will be going against the president's wish and if she is not, it will be that the president influenced the decision. 

Icheoku is says listening to what the president said in the interview with Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace that "I continue to believe that she (Hillary Clinton) has not jeopardized America's national security;" the question then remains, would the president's judgment have been wrong if the FBI eventually comes up with indictable charge against Hillary Clinton? How could the president be so certain in his believe that Hillary Clinton did not jeopardize national security when investigation to determine that is still ongoing? Icheoku says the best practice would have been for the president to respond that the issue is still under investigation, hence he is handicapped to dabble into the matter by offering his opinion. But no, a president, rather anxious to burnish his former rival and former secretary of State decided to throw his weight into the matter and now Americans are wondering what is going on and if any official's arms is being twisted in favor of Hillary Clinton. 

Icheoku laments that the belated attempt to fix what he said fell flat because saying that there is carelessness on the part of Hillary Clinton in managing her emails is not enough. A person entrusted with such a high level security clearance cannot be careless in any way as to probably endanger the security of the nation in any form, including being careless with managing her official emails. Icheoku, like many Americans, are not buying it that a woman who engineered the killing of African King Moummer Gaddafi after he surrendered his nuclear weaponry program; paid compensation for the Lockerbie bombing; handed over the mastermind of the bombing; opened up his country for Western businesses, including his vast oil reserves and was making every effort to become a very good world citizen, is a resume of doing an outstanding job. 

Where then lies the trust and confidence among comity of nations, when a man who was misled into changing his old ways, believing in the veracity of assurances received from the West, was so betrayed? Which other rogue leader in the world, of whatever axis of evil, would ever again trust the West in reaching any understanding, with regard to conflicting issues, after the tragedy that was Moummer Gaddafi's fate in the hands of Secretary Hillary Clinton's State Department. Yet she did a great job according to the president? That Libya as we knew it previously is no more, courtesy of Hillary Clinton, is yet another bitter pill for the world to swallow. But the supervisor of the mayhem that is a failed Libya is being lauded by the president as doing an outstanding job. 

Icheoku says if the president is not trying to burnish Hillary Clinton's records, nothing else so qualifies. It was under Hillary Clinton's stewardship in the State Department that the laughable 'reset button' with Russia took place and Ukraine is a mess today as a result. The Arab Spring Revolution is still a spewing disaster in the Middle East and some parts of North Africa, including the birth of ISIS and it was also midwifed by the top American diplomat, Hillary Clinton, that did outstanding job, according to President Obama?

Icheoku says whatever the motive, if any, President Barack Obama must stay out of the ongoing Hillary Clinton's email-gate scandal investigation. Let the FBI complete their investigation and adjudge her accordingly - either or not indictable for mishandling classified information by using private email server for work related communication during her four long years as Secretary of State. Until then, the president must treasure and guard with all his sinew the remainder of his presidency, which he has almost completed without any scandal, and saving Hillary Clinton is not worth risking it being besmirched now with a scandal. 

America have enough scandals already and don't want another one; not after Iran-Contra gate; Watergate; White Water gate; MonicaLewinsky-gate and Weapons of Mass destruction gate. Americans are not ready to have yet another Emailgate scandal which a cover up or attempt thereat of the ongoing Hillary Clinton email scandal will foist. Let the tree fall where it is cut and if Hillary Clinton is indicted, so be it; but the president must and should butt out and stay out the ongoing investigation. That the president said he does not talk to the Attorney General or the FBI about pending and ongoing investigations is not enough; as the appearance of it suffices and the president must avoid this read or interpretation. Please Mr President, no more opinions on the ongoing email-gate scandal. Allow the FBI to do the deciding, whether or not Hillary Clinton breached national security by her conduct and action. 

NOT VOTING TRUMP, THINK AGAIN.

Icheoku says Donald John Trump is the only one ready and able to do the heavy lifting required to make America great again. Don't be an outsider, join the Trump train to the White House and now. Icheoku says just ask yourself why the raved up desperation by entrenched power to stop the moving train, if not that they are afraid that politics as usual would become a thing of the past and the man DT will shake things up and also change things. Go Trump; build that wall and together, lets make America great again. DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR VOTE, MAKE IT COUNT, VOTE TRUMP.

THE MINDFUL MARRIAGE: TRY IT, YOU’LL LIKE IT - JANICE HOLLY BOOTH

Distractions are everywhere, but learning how to be mindful will deepen your relationship with your mate.

Your partner starts telling you about his day and suddenly your mind wanders back to work and that email confirmation you forgot to send. Next thing you know, he asks what you think about so-and-so, and you have no clue who he’s talking about. It’s a commonplace scenario, and an oft-cited complaint of couples in therapy: a partner who doesn’t listen.

All relationship problems stem from poor communication, says medical writer Elaine Fantle Shimberg, author of Blending Families and 22 other books. “You can’t communicate while you’re checking your BlackBerry, watching TV, or flipping through the sports section.” If simple distraction, and not something deeper, is keeping you from really hearing all your partner has to say, learning how to be present will enhance your listening skills and your life.

Alexandra Frey and Autumn Totton, founders of the Mindfulness Project and authors of the upcoming book, I Am Here Now, lay out 10 ground rules for becoming more present and mindful, even when chaos swirls around you.

Be right here right now. Anytime you’re swept away in thoughts about the past or future, notice that your mind has drifted and gently bring yourself back to the present moment by focusing on an anchor, such as your breath, a specific part of your body (like the space between your eyebrows or the way the soles of your feet feel on the ground), or sounds.

Be aware when you judge. Practice paying attention to your thoughts and the judgments your mind tends to make. Don’t try to stop or resist them; just curiously notice them, then usher them out. The point here is to become aware of how often you render judgments, on others and yourself. Awareness of your tendency to judge is the first step to stopping it. 

Practice patience. Be willing to see how your experience with mindfulness unfolds. Be patient with yourself when it’s uncomfortable and your mind would rather rush to the next item on your list. It’s just the wandering nature of your mind. Treat it as you would a puppy being trained to sit; bring patience, affection and a sense of humor to the task.

Be kind to yourself. Mindfulness allows you to recognize and even turn toward some painful thoughts and emotions. When you do, be compassionate toward yourself, just as you would turn with warmth and kindness to a friend having a rough time.

Find beginner’s mind. Sometimes the mind likes to think it has seen all there is to see and knows all it needs to know. Try looking at everything with a new sense of curiosity, and stay open to discovery. That’s when real surprises and magic happens.

Begin to trust. Tune into your own basic wisdom and intuition. This doesn’t mean always trusting your thoughts. Mindfulness will help you see that thoughts come, go and change.

Don’t strive. Sometimes we come to mindfulness hoping to solve our problems or change and improve ourselves. In fact, wanting things to be different can be an obstacle to truly experiencing mindfulness. Mindfulness is not about being somewhere else, but rather just being with what’s here now.

Try acceptance. Accept that things are the way they are in each moment. That doesn’t mean they won’t change or can’t be changed. A wise Buddhist once said that all suffering comes from desire. When we desperately want the things in our lives to be different than they are, we feel pain, and it’s that resistance that leads to suffering. If you can stop railing against the way things are (your boss is an idiot, your partner steals the covers) you can calm your emotional waters, which will allow you to be more present.

Let go. Practice releasing ideas and thoughts that cling; try letting go of the desire for things to be a certain way. Notice what it feels like in your body when you cling versus when you let things go.

Commit. Mindfulness is a practice, but it’s not just meditation. You can take mindfulness into all aspects of your life. But as with every significant life change, the work is yours and yours alone. There is no question that by becoming a better listener you’ll become a better co-worker, parent, friend, and partner, not to mention how zen your internal world will start to feel. Before you can use mindfulness to improve communication between you and your honey, you’ve got to become a confident practitioner yourself. Make a commitment to meditating and mindfulness as a way of living/being. 

Try looking at everything with a new sense of curiosity and stay open to discovery. Thats when real surprises and magic happens. 

HILLARY CLINTON'S MISSTEPS ADD UP TO TROUBLES - ERIC FEHRNSTROM

Most political candidates get better with time. They may run and lose, but they absorb the lessons from defeat and apply them successfully to subsequent races for public office. This is true of Democrats like Barack Obama, beaten in his first run for Congress in 2000, as much as it is for Republicans like Ronald Reagan, who became president on his third attempt.

This is not true of Hillary Clinton. Clinton’s skills as a candidate have deteriorated, measured not just by a lengthening string of losses but by miscues and gaffes. What makes it all the more remarkable is that Clinton’s primary opponent is fighting with one hand tied behind his back, refusing to make an issue of major vulnerabilities like her mishandling of classified information as secretary of state.

Even so, the dashboard warning lights have blinked on. After getting beaten in Wisconsin by Senator Bernie Sanders on Tuesday, Clinton has now lost seven of the last eight Democratic contests. For the month of March, she raised less than Sanders, taking in $29.5 million compared to $44 million for Sanders. It was the third month in a row Clinton’s fundraising lagged behind Sanders.

Just as a magician’s sleight-of-hand depends on misdirection, Clinton has benefited from the spectacle created by Donald Trump’s candidacy to escape hard scrutiny. But in any other season, the number of errors committed by Clinton is enough to get her demoted to triple-A.

On NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, Clinton’s reference to a developing child in the womb as an “unborn person” inflamed supporters on the left who prefer medically neutral terms like “embryo” or “fetus.” Abortion activists worry that if a fetus is thought to possess personhood, then it arguably has a right to life. Clinton’s blunder was comparable to Trump’s statement, later retracted, that women should face “some form of punishment” if abortion becomes illegal. The difference is we expect Trump to make rookie mistakes.

Hostile questioners routinely greet politicians at rope lines. Experienced candidates know to either ignore the questions they don’t like or answer without losing their cool. Last week, confronted by a climate activist over contributions from oil and gas interests, Clinton angrily switched the subject to her opponent: “I do not have, I have money from people who work for fossil fuel companies. I’m so sick. I’m so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me. I’m sick of it.”

Clinton’s answer recalls Bob Dole’s ornery response in 1988 after he lost to Vice President Bush in New Hampshire’s primary. Asked by interviewer Tom Brokaw if he had anything to say to Bush, Dole snapped: “Yeah, tell him to stop lying about my record.” Dole went on to lose that campaign and his humorless comment lives on in the annals of campaign blunders. 

The continuing refusal to release the transcripts of Clinton’s closed-door speeches to big banks on Wall Street is another unforced error. The New York Times called Clinton’s “everybody does it” defense a child’s excuse. More perplexing is why Clinton embarked on the highly paid speaking tour in the first place, knowing how it would look to liberal voters suspicious of the financial industry.

After creating a political headache, Clinton refuses to take the only medicine that can make it go away — full disclosure. Until she does, Clinton will keep losing among voters who rate honesty and trustworthiness as the most important candidate characteristics.

Clinton’s five-state sweep in the March 15 primaries seems like a lifetime ago. As Clinton’s supporters constantly remind everyone, “the math” is in her favor and she remains the front-runner for the nomination. But her inability to unite the party and her missteps suggests more trouble ahead.

STAND BY YOUR MAN, THE MELANIA TRUMP'S WAY.

"But sometimes he cannot stand that somebody attacks him because if somebody attacks him he will punch back ten times harder. He is a fighter and if you elect him president, he will fight for you and our country." - Melania Trump, the next First Lady of the United States of America. ICHEOKU says America needs a strong leader at this hour of our greatest need and Donald Trump is a right fit. Vote Trump and together lets make America great again.

WISCONSIN, PLEASE VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP

Icheoku says Wisconsin please do not join the conspiracy to maintain the status quo and therefore must come through for Donald Trump to help make him unstoppable as he coasts through to make America great again. Please forget all the traps being set and hatchet jobs being done to stop his train to the White House as only The Donald can make America great again. So on Tuesday, VOTE TRUMP and together lets make America great again.

THE CASE FOR BIAFRA, STRONGER THAN SOUTH SUDAN AND KOSOVO - BRUCE FEIN

Biafra, dominated by the great Igbo race, enjoyed sovereignty before Great Britain commenced exploitive colonial rule over Nigeria under the racist banner of Rudyard Kipling’s “the White Man’ burden.” Britain asserted authority over Biafra based on the tyrannical doctrine that the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.

​The Berlin West Africa Conference, 1884-85, and the Berlin General Act symbolized colonial lawlessness by treating Africa as a carcass to be divided up among European vultures.

​Restoration of Biafra’s sovereignty is justified under international law and practice—especially with the ongoing ethnic-inspired killings and persecutions of Biafans by Nigeria’s elected military dictator from the North touting sharia law, President Muhammdu Buhari.

Biafra’s sovereignty journey will require deft international diplomacy and the marshalling of widespread popular support from Biafrans and their resources. Power is never voluntarily surrendered. Rights ultimately are what you are willing to fight and die for.

​Prior to British colonization in 1906, the great Igbo people to the East of Niger, numbering some 3 million, and their cognate tribes enjoyed decentralized self-government. They were not living in a state of nature. Their self-rule came by force of arms—not voluntarily.

In 1900, the British government assumed responsibility for the Royal Niger Company’s territories, and formed the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria, the Niger Coast Protectorate and the Lagos Colony Protectorate territories. 1913 witnessed the amalgamation of Nigeria into three administrative areas: the crown colony of Lagos and the Protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria.

​In 1960, Britain ended its colonization of Nigeria without reference to the Igbo or any other peoples of Nigeria entitled to self-determination. The Nigeria Independence Act established Nigerian territorial boundaries not by popular referendum or other reliable manifestations of self-determination of peoples, but according to the Nigeria’s Orders in Council, 1954 to 1960. They reflected British selfish maneuvers to dominate Nigeria economically.

Britain’s failure to offer Biafrans the right to self-determination violated the United Nations General Assembly Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples adopted on 14 December 1960. Paragraph 5 of the Declaration required that immediate steps be taken by the colonial power “to transfer all powers to the peoples of those [colonized] territories…in accordance with their freely expressed will and desire…in order to enable them to enjoy complete independence and freedom.” The 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations emphasized that, “By virtue of the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, all peoples have the right freely to determine without external interference their political status….”

The people of Biafra—recognized as distinct by British colonial authorities—were never provided an opportunity to vote for complete independence and freedom from the rest of Nigeria according to their freely expressed will and desire. They were never consulted on the subject when Nigeria became independent in 1960. Further, the 1960 Constitution of Nigeria was never approved by the people of Biafra in a referendum or otherwise. And neither has any subsequent Nigerian Constitution, including the current version decreed by a military dictator in 1999.

​In sum, the British decolonized Nigeria in violation of international law by failing to transfer power to the peoples of Biafra in accordance with their freely expressed will.

​That violation was not a technicality, but an affront to a fundamental human right. All governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. Consent is required to legitimate authority and to forestall external subjugation, oppression, persecution, or even genocide fueled by tribal, sectarian, ethnic, or megalomaniacal ambitions or hatreds.

​After independence from Britain, Nigeria soon became a charnel house for Biafrans. Deprived of their right to self-determination, they were left to the tender mercies of the Hausa-Fulani of the North and the Yoruba of the South in a unitary state unsuited for its diverse tribal, ethnic, and religious landscape. The gruesome 1967-1970 Biafran War was emblematic. Ethnic-based massacres of Biafrans and countless starving children who died as little more than skeletons was its grim face. The horrors suffered by Biafrans gave birth to the first modern international relief effort to lessen unspeakable misery.

​At the war’s conclusion, Nigeria’s General Yakuba Gowon’s sloganeered, “No victor, no vanquished.” The words proved a cruel hoax. The Igbo were marginalized, persecuted as traitors, and subjected to a Northern political yolk. Under incumbent Nigerian elected military dictator Buhari, the repression of the Igbo have reached new heights featuring indiscriminate killings, torture, and detentions without trial.

​Last March, for instance, 13 Biafrans were murdered and their corpses burnt to ashes and dumped in a burrow pit located in the area of Aba-Port Harcourt Road in Abia State by suspected Buhari agents. Last February, a team of Buhari’s Army, Navy, and Police and gunned down 22 Biafrans protesting Buhari’s detention of Biafran leader Prince Nnamdi Kanu.

​A complete chronicle of Buhari’s horrors only would numb by repetition.

​The point is that there is no political remedy for Biafra’s suffering—like an abused wife in a forced marriage—short of self-determination to regain its sovereignty that was illegally extinguished by the British and never surrendered after decolonization.

​States born from longstanding repression of peoples by ruling authorities are part of the woof and warp of international law or custom. Think of Bangladesh, Namibia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, East Timor, Eritrea, and Kosovo.

​The case for Biafran sovereignty is as strong or stronger as these precedents.

​But to succeed, Biafrans will need to organize, unify, and make their case to the United Nations Security Council, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the African Union, the European Union, and the United States.

​If they do not all hang together, they might all come to hang separately.