AMERICA IS GRATEFUL

It is the eve of Thanksgiving and indeed everything around show the spirit of gratitude. People are feeding the poor,visiting the sick and celebrating life just to say "Thank You"
I find it very humbling to know that United States although a supper power in the world will pause and show appreciation despite all the trouble facing the nation.
Thanksgiving is aspecial ooccasion or like a festival which is about showing appreciation to one another and altimately to the most high God. It also celebrates life and any act of kindness from the family, community and at the national level but it is largely based on family gathering.
Thankgiving is the time of the year every American both old and young look forward to celebrate and it is seen as the biggest holiday in every last week of November aside Christmas.
What makes this occassion quite interesting is the use of turkey as the main meal.
Infact almost every woman I spoke to as of this evening had bought her turkey already. Every home is expected to cook a meal made with turkey, granmothers, mothers and wifes who do not cook on thanksgiving to invite the family for a meal for no reason might be considered as " irresponsible" I am tempted to say that if there is a day once in the life of any American woman to cook out of the 365 days in the year, then it is on thanksgiving. No matter how small or big sharing a meal on this day makes it complete.
Indeed the nation maybe going through difficult time with issues such as gun-voilence, natural disastets, homeless people roaming the streets yet looking beyound there are acts of kindness being done by people each and every day showing appreciation for such moment is a great thing.
Like Oprah Winfrey said "Be thankful for what you have; you will end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never ever have enough"
So if for nothing at all, once there is life, then there is the need to show appreciation.
I take this opportunity to say THANK YOU for patronising this blog and following me too.
Happy thanksgiving to you all.

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH MOVEMENT IN CHURCHES MEET IN SLOVAKIA

A 10-day conference for International Youth Movement in churches is underway in Mondra-Slovakia. The national chairperson, Mrs Sara Ofori and the assistant national organiser, Ms Elizabeth Mademe of Catholic Youth Organisation (CYO) are the delegates representing Ghana. About 35 coutries across the glob are participating in this year's conference to delibrate on the theme "Children's Right".The conference will evaluate events and activities of the movement in the past three years and also elect new leaders at Regional and Intercontinental levels for the next three years ahead.

Ms Elizabeth Mademe, One of Ghana's delegates is the only candidate from Africa contestanting as president of the Federation of Catholic Pariochial Youth Movement( FIMCAP) for the African Region.

Apart from deliberations, participants will also share and learn from each others country for global integration on religion and culture

FEMALE POLITICIAN DIES IN CHILD DELIVERY

43 year old Mrs.Anastasia Wiredu Mensah died in the early hours of thursday after giving birth to twins at the government hospital in Prestea.

According to media reports, the two babies are in stable condition and are under observation at the hospital.
The cause of death is not known at the moment.

Madam Anastasia Mensah was the 2012 Parliamentary candidate for the opposition party NPP for Prestea Huni Valley Constituency in the Western Region of Ghana.

Her constituency chairman described the death as a great loss to the party.
Despite all efforts by government and non-governmental organizations including international institutions to curb this unfortunate menace, still maternal mortality continues to be a nightmare for every potential mother.
It actually knows no bounds as both the elites and the illiterate as well as the haves and have not are all at risk.
It is sad for a woman to die in the course of giving life to another human being.
Pregnant women in Ghana do not only have to deal with the biological and emotional trauma associated with pregnancy but also have to carry the burden of whether or not they will survive during and even after birth.
Until we wake up one day to hear maternal mortality is no more a threat to the Ghanaian woman and in fact African woman,to be pregnant although is natural right for women,it remains a big deal and a serious risk for all parties involved.

Source:peacefm

MAY THE STARS OF GHANA CONTINUE TO SHINE IN EGYP.

Ahead of today’s World Cup Qualifying football match between the Black Stars of Ghana and the Pharos of Egypt, a delegation invited by FIFA went for security inspection at the Air Defence Stadium in Cairo to inspect the facilities and also receive security briefing from the Egyptian authorities.

FIFA Security Officer Bola Ojo-Oba, Egypt FA officials and the security agencies of Egypt were all part of the team that visited the St, included Ghana's ambassador to Egypt H.E. Said Sinare, Ghana FA chief Kwesi Nyantakyi,Ibrahim Sannie and Alhaji Saeed Lartey of National Security.

The visit was to verify the safety of both supporters and players in Egypt amidst security threats concerns due to the political instability in the country.

With assurance from these officials, the match is secheduled to take place in the next hour.
All is well that ends well. We pray for a peaceful and a successful football encounter.

Egypt conceded 6:1 in Ghana and today Ghanaians hope for another victory over the Pharos in a return match as they play away in Egypt to qualify for Brazil.
GO BLACK STARS!!!!!!!!!
GO GHANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GHANA FACES ‘CIVIL WAR’ IN 2016 UNLESS…

A pressure group named Coalition for Free, Fair and Transparent Elections (COFFTRE) says Ghanaians have lost hope in the judiciary especially when it comes to electoral matters ‘ Too often we hear people saying ‘no court in 2016’. If care is not taken, no political party would be interested in solving any election dispute in Court in 2016. This perception is further strengthened by the over 30 parliamentary disputes which are locked up at various stages at the High Court in relation to the 2012 elections”.
This was contained in a press statement issued by the group to draw the attention of the Electoral Commission ( EC) to certain issues such as over voting and voting without biometric verification to avoid another electoral court dispute in 2016.
According to the Coalition EC Ghana faces an eminent civil war in 2016 if EC continues to allow electoral mal-practices in the country.


Below is the full speech

PRESS STATEMENT BY
COALITION FOR FREE, FAIR AND TRANSPARENT ELECTIONS (COFFTRE)
GHANA FACES ‘CIVIL WAR’ IN 2016 UNLESS ELECTORAL COMMISSION DEMONSTRATESA ‘GLASS HOUSE EFFECT’.

One of the components of democracy is elections. From a political point of view, democracy is a system of government in which political leaders are chosen in regular, free, fair and transparent elections. Unfortunately, Ghana is likely to face ‘civil war’ in the 2016 elections because Ghanaians have lost faith in the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana.
In spite of the Constitutional Instruments C.I 75 which was laid before parliament for consideration and approval, as well as the existing 1992 constitution which guides the Electoral Commission to conduct elections in this country, the EC chose to use its whims and caprices to conduct the 2012 elections which resulted in many infractions across the country.
To our amazement, despite admissions by the Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Afari Gyan, on statutory violations and omissions during the cross examination at the Supreme Court, which could have overturned the results, the Supreme Court saw nothing wrong with Voting without biometric verification, Over voting, No Signature, Duplicate Serial numbers and so on, which suffered the dismissal of the land mark petition by the nine Justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana.
This ruling, which has become law, can be interpreted that, Voting without biometric verification, Over voting, No Signature, Duplicate Serial numberswould be allowed in the 2016 elections. Without doubt, such a scenario would portend that we are dealing with over 26000 flashpoints in election 2016. Note, not potential flashpoints, but actual flash points.
It is in this direction that we have come together as a Coalition to push forward an agenda that would ensure an election that Ghanaians can live with in 2016. The Coalition intends to rescue Ghanaians from very likely war in 2016.
In that direction, the Coalition for Free, Fair and Transparent Elections is calling on the EC to grant Ghanaians certain immediate reliefs.
1. The EC must create a ‘Glass House Effect’ in its operations. By Glass House Effect, we mean that the EC must grant the fullest, 100% access to all its decisions, documents and records and the rationale for taking such decisions. It must be like a glass house, into which every Ghanaian who is interested can look at any time to establish what is going on. We would demand a regime of ‘no secrets’ at the EC.
2. The Coalition demands from the Electoral Commission within two weeks, to publish its itinerary or roadmap leading up to election 2016. By this we mean that the EC must publish its operations calendar, such as when it would conduct registration, when registration would be completed, when the final register would be ready, and when this register would be made available to all players, including all members of the general public. It also includes the provision and publication, for the benefit of the general public, complete samples of all material for use during elections.
3. The EC must agree that all its decisions would be arrived at only after the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) has come into agreement, as to the mode and nature of documentation for employment in every aspect of election 2016. The EC must give complete undertaken that it would not employ any item, document, machinery or any other material without approval by parties to the election.
It is the intention of the Coalition that these demands would become the reality. In that direction, we give the EC one month to tell Ghanaians what it intends to do about the demands stated above. Failure to engage us on these demands would lead to further action on our part.
In the meantime, the Coalition is calling on members of the general public desirous of saving Ghana from imminent war in 2016 to join our membership.
It is now clear that Ghanaians have lost hope in the judiciary at least when it comes to electoral matters. Too often we hear people saying ‘no court in 2016’. If care is not taken, no political party would be interested in solving any election dispute in Court in 2016. This perception is further strengthened by the over 30 parliamentary disputes which are locked up at various stages at the High Court in relation to the 2012 elections. We ask, can we really call upon dissatisfied candidates to go to court in 2016, giving the history of the Isaac Amoo case, the presidential election petition hearing and the pace of the parliamentary disputes? The refusal by candidates to go before the courts would only increase the pressure at the polling stations and collation centres in 2016.
To prevent real trouble, we must all begin to work now.
That is why we are calling for membership across Ghana. This process belongs to Ghanaians.
Finally, the coalition has the intent of fielding members to the over 26000 polling stations across the country to monitor and observe the 2016 elections. We are therefore calling on well meaning Ghanaians for assistance to recue Ghana from going to ‘war’.Only Ghanaians can prevent this ‘war’ therefore all must come on board.
Signed
Kenneth Agyei Kuranchie (Convenor)
Joseph Otoo (National Coordinator)

KEEP GHANA CLEAN IN MEMORY OF ALIU MAHAMA.

Aliu Mahama will be much happier in his grave if programmes marking his one year anniversary celebration included an activity from his ANTI-IDISCIPLINE INITIATIVE.

As a disciplinarian and principled statesman, the late Vice President Aliu Mahama under the Kufour administration launched an anti-indiscipline initiative in May 2002 which included ‘keep Ghana clean campaign” and tree planting exercise. Before the introduction of this initiative, it used to be very common to see trash flying out of cars as passengers indiscriminately and carelessly throw out filth on the street. Pedestrian were no exception of this misbehavior. Coupled with this bad attitude was how common it was to see people urinating anyhow and anywhere publicly.

Aliu Mahama’s Keep Ghana Clean Campaign with series of educative media and public announcements created the awareness of proper waste disposal. This campaign made it some sort embarrassing for people to openly liter the streets. It also made Ghanaians to be each other’s keeper by drawing the attention of others who ignorantly throw trash in the streets. Under the same initiative in September 2002, he led a team of delegation to plant trees in Accra to kick of his 7-year National Tree Planting Exercise. This according to him was to check the rate at which the country's vegetation was being depleted in order to prevent an environmental disaster.

So how come his one year anniversary program listed series of activities such as health-walk, public lecture, showing of his life documentary, a launch of a foundation in his name as well as holding of Moslem and Christian prayers but did not include any of these very remarkable projects which are of great importance to the country especially now that Ghana seems to have lost touch with sanitation problems.

Public lecture in his honour is good but for how long are we going to continue delivering long lectures and propound big policies at the least opportunity. Let us walk the talk with action because action they say speaks lauder than words.

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME SPEAKS ON PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION IN GHANA.

The Education and Gender Specialist for African Development Programme ( ADP) Ms. Elsie Odonkor is calling for a national policy which ensures that every primary classroom block built by the District Assembly includes at least one room for either a nursery or kindergarten.

She explained that such policy will promote access to early childhood education especially in the rural areas. Ms. Odonkor highlighted that statistically 70% of early childhood centers in the country are being run and controlled by the private sector, and such centers comes with high cost to most parents. Adding that this largely restrict access to quality pre-school education since majority of Ghanaians cannot afford the higher cost of these private schools but have no choice than to over burden the limited 30% controlled by Government.As a result making available a policy for more rooms in every primary school will go a long way to enhance quality pre-school education for all.
She also stressed the need for District Assemblies to provide sponsorships for certain number of interested students from their localities who wants to be trained as Teachers so they can filled-up in areas within the communities that are in need of Teachers and this she says will solve the 12,000 shortfall of Pre-school Teachers needed nationwide.
In a humble appeal, she called on the Ministry of education to adopt a proper monitory of early childhood development model since the current monitoring center at Kanda-Accra is woefully inadequate. Ms. Elsie Odonkor made this known in a newsletter issued by ADP.

WHAT KIND OF PRESIDENT DO GHANAIANS WANT?

Critics of President John Dramini Mahama’s decision of firing Victorial Hammah as Deputy Communication Minister should come again.

A minister of state not just any other person is heard in a phone conversation of how she intends to make money from politic because according to her it is very easy to control powers in her party with money as well as vilifying her fellow Minister by insulting her intergrity . She was also heard saying her appointment was solid way back before NDC even came to power. Then the President who appointment her proves he is not controlled by anyone, take steps by terminating her appointment and people including some members of his party are complaining that the decision was harsh.

Before this “Vickyleaks” saga, the President had been under serious fire from the public over growing corruption concerns in the country. There were several calls on him to take pragmatic steps in dealing with corruption. Now he takes actions over a Minister who says she intends to milk the nation and as usual of Ghanaians we hear chiefs and party supporters calling on him to temper mercy with justice.

I am not surprised about this hypocritical attitude of Ghanaians because most of us have short memories. All we know is to talk and the next day we forget about what happened. Let us not forget that President Mahama earlier pardoned this same Victoria Hammah for embarrassing the country by publicly complaining on stage that the content of her speech had been change, when she was supposed to deliver an address at a function related to her Ministry. As a result, she failed to do justice to that assignment at the expense of the country. The President, in the view of many at the time should have terminated her appointment for that show of incompetence but did not do so. She got away with that. Wasn’t that enough? That was her first chance so people should stop saying firing her was too hasty.

Sometimes I wonder what we want as Ghanaians. The same people lambasted the late President Mills for issuing warnings instead of sacking those Customs and Immigration Officers who were caught on camera receiving bribes and duping the nation in an investigation by Anas Aremeyaw Anas. In the same vain Prof. Mills was called all sorts of names when he did not sack the managers at the Osu Children’s Home when they were also caught on camera maltreating the children entrusted in their care. So what kind of leader do Ghanaians actually want?

I am not in any sense saying it is right to secretly record somebody’s private life neither am I condoning betrayal but in my opinion, relieving Victoria Hamah off her post is in the right direction. It is also in her own interest to step back and come again that is if she wants to.

Victoria Hamah is an intelligent woman. Knowing her back in 2005 as the Women’s Commissioner for the National Union Of Ghana Student (NUGS), her contribution towards the advancement of women empowerment at the student front were enormous. However, her take in national politics needs more experience and probably this particular saga is one the experience.

MICHELLE KNIGHT...ONCE A VICTIM, NOW A VICTOR.

I listened to the bizarre ordeal of Michelle Knight, the first of the three young ladies who were kidnapped for more than ten years by their own neighbor, Ariel Castro in Cleveland-Ohio. The Kidnapping was described by several news headlines as one of the most shocking in America’s History.
The vivid narration of the whole incident, how and where it happened and what she went through is so incomprehensible. Telling her side of the story as the first among the three on the Dr. Phil’ Show, Michelle who was 20 years at the time said although she lived every day hoping to be free someday and the thought of her son kept her going , but she could not believe it lasted for 11 years. She suffered brutal torture from this man.
She described how she was chained, beaten, raped, starved, left naked at the mercy of the cold weather and most sadly Castro forcing her to miscarry by punching her in the lower abdomen each time she became pregnant for five times.
When the story of their rescue by the police brook in the media,one question that everyone following the story kept asking was how can one be kidnap in her own area just few blocks away for that long and no one will notice anything despite police investigations and constant community search as well as annual vigils held to create the awareness of their missing.
Speaking out for the first time in an Exclusive interview with Dr. Phil McGraw, she recalled that on that fateful day in 2002 she was on her way to attend to some matter relating to her son who was just a toddler at the time with the social welfare department office. She stopped to ask for direction since she could not locate the place. Little did she know that Castro was eaves dropping on her. He followed her in his car, pulled over like a Good Samaritan and offered to give her a ride.
He later came up with an excuse of wanting to attend to his puppies and drop her off later since it was on the same route. Ariel Castro then lured her to come over to see the puppies and also offered to give one of the puppies to Michelle to be given to her son.
According to Michelle, that made her to get down from the car into his house in a broad day light. So she more or less walked willingly down to the dark basement of Ariel’s captivity of hell without knowing it was a trap. ‘When I got there, the puppies were not there, I asked him to let me go but he refused…that was when he started chaining me and I was chained like a fish” she described.It was indeed very disheartening to look at the chains, the pole she was tied to and the dirty rooms she lived all those years.
Despite the fact that the house was located in a closely knit area, he made it impossible for them to escape as he did not only threaten to kill them but he also subjected her to severe abuse each time she tried' ...i became the most hated one ... because he could not break me". In addition to all what she was going through, this monster mandated her to deliver Amanda Berry of her baby and was warned that failure to do so safely will result in their death, he threaten.
Although there were very little about her in media something she blame her family for, she said we had access to TV and we knew all about the annual vigils held by the families of Amanda Berry and Gina Dejesus but there was nothing we could do than hope for the best.
So with hope from thoughts of her son, that day came on May 6 2013 when Amanda fled the house while the door was presumably left unlocked for once by the captor and she made a 911 call to their rescue. Indeed the experience has left deep emotional wounds and physical damage to her sight among other things yet she survived as a victor, a strong woman and an inspiration for many families searching for their missing loved ones and those still living in such bondage‘… I wanted to come out as a victor and not his victim” she said.
Ariel Castro committed suicide by hanging in prison one month into his sentence He was arrested on the same day the women were finally freed and was charged two days later with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape. Castro pleaded guilty to 937 criminal counts of rape, kidnapping, and aggravated murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole, plus 1,000 years.
With tears in her eyes but beam of smile on her face Michelle described Castro as a coward for not being able to endure a gist of what he subjected them to instead, chose to commit suicide. An estimated of 2,300 children are missing every year in America.
In writing this article, my prayers and thoughts are with everyone in this situation and hopes no one live to suffer any more of what Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina Dejesus had to go through.

HEADMASTER CALLS FOR HELP FOR HIS PUPILS.

Thomas Owusu, headmaster of Ejumako Brofoyedo District Assemby Primary School in the Central Region of Ghana has called on the good people of his community particularly the District Chief Executive to come the aid of the school which is in a very poor state.
Lamenting about the plight of the school, the headmaster said it really break his heart to see little children who are willing to go to school are deprived of their basic right such as drinking water and place of convenient. He said due to lack of portable drinking water in the school, pupils have to abandon class while school is in section and go home any time their thirsty.
He added that this is increasing the rate of truancy in the school since teachers can not really stop any child from going home with such an excuse of seeking for water.
The headmaster recalled that one of the children was almost hit in a car crush when he was crossing the road to go home for drinking water. “Drinking water is not the only problem of the School but lack of classrooms is another worrying issue, there are not enough classrooms so we have combined two KG class but they over crowded so we really need help’ he stressed Thomas Owusu who spoke to Peace FM News today also pointed out that there are only few furniture in the school, forcing most of the children to sit on the bare floor during lessons. He humbly called on Government and philanthropist to come to the aid of the school in order to motivate the children who desire to be educated ‘…I see that these children are making every effort to be educated so we need to make life comfortable for them as they pursue their life goals. Ejumako Brofoyedo DA primary school like many other schools in Ghana lacks infrastructure and other basic social amenities and continues to appeal for help to better the lives of school children.

HOW MANY VICTORIA HAMMAH’S ARE STILL IN POLITICS?

President John Dramani Mahama has issued a letter to relieved Ms. Victoria Hamah Deputy Minister of Communication off her post. Although the President did not state any reason why she being sacked, the reason is not far- fetched . This came barely 24 hours after the release of an audio tape purported to be the voice of Deputy Minister saying her main aim of getting into politics is to make 1million dollars. Ms Victoria was secretly recorded shamelessly blabbing on phone to another female about her influence in the party and how easy it is to control powers in her party with money. As if that was not enough she also revealed how the party used their Lawyer allies such as Lawyer Tony Lithur to influence the supreme court decision in favour of ruling party. The Former Deputy Communication Minister was caught in the gossip web over the recent fracas between two other female Ministers at the Ministry of Gender and Social welfare headed by Nana Oye Lithur and her Deputy Minister, Racheal Nana Adwoa Appoh. Ms Hamah went on to describe Nana Adwoa as “No Body” but a hypocrate who pretends to be morally upright in the eyes of the public but very dirty within the party. However the most stricking aspect of the conversation is about her quest of acquiring money from politics. As infuriating and embarrassing the content of the tape may be, the issue has gained so much attention both locally and internationally because it has pop-up at a time the country finds itself in corruption crisis. Just few days ago, a Senior Member of Parliament of the ruling party who doubles as a member of “Government wisemen” Hon. Gbabin came out to complain about how bad government business is being handled and the way it has become impossible to reach the President to offer any advice on how to deal with the growing rate of corruption in the government. Following this, some members of his party descended heavily on him and called him all sort of names. So, dose this Victoria Hamah case vindicates Gbabin and many other opinion leaders who have been calling for a radical approach of handling corruption that has become a cancer and difficult for economic progress of the country? Another question is? How many of her type are still in office milking the nation and depriving the ordinary Ghanaian of their daily bread? And how many are making frantic effort by jumping from one media house to the other as social commentators and hiding behind party colours without any qualification only to enter into politics to amass wealth for the parochial interest. How many are yet to be expose and sacked like Victoria Hamah? Untill we find a way to fish-out all these selfish politicians and public officials to allow the good ones to work, Ghana is in serious trouble in the hands of these looth and share attitudes of such public figures. Anyway let us all be citizen vigilante to be bold and defend the good name of Ghana.