Tag: The Liebster Award

This award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers to recognize them and their hard work. I was tagged by the lovely MUA Annette of http://naturalistagh.blogspot.com way back in February!! I'm extra embarrassed because this has just been sitting in drafts! so much for hard work. Smh at myself.  

The Rules:
1. Each person must post 11 random things about themselves (optional)
2. Answer the 11 questions that the tagger set for you.
3. Choose 11 bloggers who you would like to give the Liebster Award.
4. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you have tagged with the award to answer. 

11 random things?? pick 11 from here: https://www.facebook.com/notes/abbie-agyekum/a-number-of-random-thingsfinally-wrote-it/54984114823

1. Food or Music?

That's a toughie!! But music is the lazier option, so I'll go for that,lol. Food requires a lot of work, unless I am not the one cooking it.... I'm lying food.

2. Favourite movie

My fave Ghanaian movie of all time is True colours. I'm not sure if animation counts but my all time favourite movie would be the Lion King, lol.

3. Favourite Shop

My fave shop is Zara. I will raise money and pull that company to Ghana. 

credit: The Guardian 

4. What is your pet peeve?

I have so many...from black polyethene bags in my fridge to people digging for gold (boogies) in public...mad hatter trotro drivers...oohhh don't get me started

for sale at: http://www.artsyhome.com/product/dont-get-me-started

5. I have a "phobia" of ......

cockroaches...they're disgusting and sooo hard to destroy.

(don't expect a picture)

6. Tell me a secret about you

I'm very shy. But I fake being bold so well even I believe it,lol. 

credit: http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/keep-calm-and-fake-it-till-you-become-it/

7. Makeup or Hair?
Until very recently I'd have said hair. But I'm getting into make up now so I'll say both.

8. Heels or Flats?
What are flats????

9. Boobs or Butts?
I have boobs so butts...which reminds me I must start doing squats!

credit: http://fitnessbunny123.wordpress.com

10. Facebook or Twitter?
Facebook. I like pictures and talk too much for Twitter.

11. Natural Haired or Relaxed Haired
Naturalista and enjoying it!

credit: http://www.123rf.com

My 11 Bloggers:
+Annette Akye  of http://naturalistagh.blogspot.com
+Esther Gbudje  of http://houseofsienna.blogspot.co.uk
+Cecil Tim-Pappoe of http://www.lifeandcookingit.com
Dava of http://dramedies.blogspot.com
+Nana Achiaa Amoako of http://mzunderstood-junkmail.blogspot.com
+Juliet Ajaab of http://azedi.blogspot.com
+Nana Oye Odame of http://etoileoye.blogspot.com
+Jemila Abdulai of the famous http://www.circumspecte.com
Sandidy of http://sandidystories.blogspot.com
 +Theo Acheampong of http://theoacheampong.blogspot.co.uk  (it's not an economics quiz but try! lol)

Totally Random Questions:
1.What was your first blog post about (not the welcome one)?
2. What's your style sense like? Not a hair out of place or more laid back?
3.Would you rather watch TV or read a book?
4.R & B or Rap?
5.Homemade cake or bakery/ shop bought?
6.Favourite book and favourite author?
7.Cupcakes or muffins?
8.Daredevil activity you would attempt if you knew you'd come out unharmed?
9.5 of your Wardrobe staples? (eg. white shirt, black tee...)
10. Would you wear African print daily if you could?
11.Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

Against the Tide

Sitting on a rock on the stony shore, she watched the waves wash the sand away from her feet, then run back to kiss her toes. Over and over again. 
She did not have a particular reason for being on the shore so late. Maybe she did. Perhaps it was to make sense of the turbulent waves of her own life. Perhaps it was for some peace. Even she was not sure. 
Her phone rang, as phones often do, inconveniently interrupting the moment before the long awaited epiphany. Irritated she said, "hello!" sharply into her earpiece. 
The sound of his voice surprised and disarmed her. She had not been expecting to hear from him. Her tone immediately softened, and she apologised for the frosty reception. |She smiled because they said people could hear a smile in your voice and she wanted him to know she was happy to hear from him. They exchanged pleasantries, he delivered a mundane piece of information a went on his merry way. Just like that. He never seemed affected or bothered. She was the one left struggling to hold it together. Once again.  
Her disappointment was so palpable that she could taste it in her mouth. It was salty! Then she realised that the salt was from her tears. She hated how he dangled himself as a carrot before her. She was the ass, the proverbial donkey, hankering for a bite of the juicy carrot and drooling after him. How she hated it and yet how helpless she felt. 
Slipping out of her jeans and sweater, she waded into the ocean. It was an icy shock to her system. Any shock was better than the heart shocks she felt though. Determined to outrun her pain she swam deeper and deeper. 

The ocean was a mystical thing: dark and swirling, foamy and frothy. It called to her, opening its arms in a welcoming embrace, and she answered. 

picture credit: jessicakristie.com

 

The Best Man's Dilemma (2)

Continuation of The Best Man's Dilemma 
Declining, she explained that she had driven her sister's car to work that day, so assured Ato that he didn't need to drop her off. Guard down, he leaned in to accept the grateful hug that she offered....

As they often say, One thing leads to another. That hug led to a kiss. That kiss led to a 'proper' make out session. Primal urges took over: jackets were crumpled, make up was wiped off, shirts were missing a button or three and a rip appeared in Tina's hem, accompanied by the obligatory stamp of shame.

Neither of them could remember exactly how they had gotten home that night or who had stopped their session from escalating further. But now they were both hooked. They still snuck out, but no longer just for lunch. They masterminded covert operations to meet up secretly, coded messages were transmitted and they engineered their schedules to ensure they always worked late, all the while laughing off their colleagues comments and taunts.

They continued this way for months.

One day, while shooting each other seductive glances across the room, Tina’s eyes fell on Ato’s desk. They fell on his girlfriend’s picture to be precise. It was still on his desk, and she was still smiling sweetly in the frame. Tina furrowed her brow. Across the room Ato wondered what that meant, this gaze wasn't the usual come hither look he was used to.

There and then she decided to cut it off. She wasn't a “bad girl”. Neither had she set out to steal any one’s man, or become the dreaded ‘other woman’. She definitely didn't want to be second fiddle to anyone. The only one her man should have on his desk was her! And if he couldn’t do that then she shouldn’t be with him.

Tina had been talking to a guy for some time. He was really charming and caring, plus he was single. Picking up her phone, she replied his message, which had been left unanswered from morning.

A few weeks after that she decided to go on a weekend away with him to an idyllic spot that she had wanted to visit for ages. The entire trip was amazing. Michael was sweet, charming and completely attentive. 
There was only one problem, he wasn't Ato.

As soon as Tina got home she arranged to meet Ato. As she later narrated to a friend, I decided that I couldn't lie to myself anymore. "...I told Ato that I loved him and only him  and that I didn't want to be with anyone else, regardless of his circumstances...but he didn't say anything and I was so crushed and disappointed"

The silent man may not have said much at the time but he broke up with his girlfriend a few days later. Ato did not tell his girlfriend the real reason why he was splitting up with her. He felt that it was better that way. He really didn't want to hurt her and he truly cared for her very deeply. But the connection that he had with Tina was so intense; he simply could not ignore it any longer.
Ato and Tina started to date officially after that, much to the revulsion of their colleagues. But they didn't care, instead they worked through the guilt they both felt about how their relationship started. They were finally free to be together and shrugged off all the nastiness. Tina ignored all the comments that people passed and the 'advice'. She could not even fathom the thought that Ato would cheat on her: Their relationship was too important, they had been through too much and what they shared was much too special. Those were Ato's precise words, and she believed them.


...Three years later Ato and Tina are getting married and are at the rehearsal dinner...

Kwame shook his head. In church? Hmmm. How can I possibly tell this 'adulterous' story, even though it would captivate and titillate its audience, in the church!??! The best man wondered. Catching, the eye of the groom he gestured for him to come over to his seat. They needed a cover story, and fast!  

The Best Man's Dilemma

Ato and Tina worked in the same office. Tina had gotten to know him pretty well after working closely with him on a client's account. She found him absolutely irresistible but he had a serious girlfriend and he was a straight laced kind of guy. He wore the girl like a shield and made it clear to everyone in the office that he was serious about his girlfriend. He even kept a picture of her on his desk and spoke to her often during the day. He spoke so highly of her and the work she did. No one couldn't believe such handsome, 'clean' guys existed any more!
It started out as a joke, Tina began to call him my "my office boyfriend", named their relationship the "AccuRate affair" (after the name of the client whose account they were working on) and it quickly turned into a major flirtation.
They would e-mail each other all day, sneak out for lunch, meet by accident after work, magically bump into each other on weekends and joke about it all at work. Ato was joking...initially. Tina laughed through it all, but not because she found it funny.
Tina knew it was getting serious one afternoon when they were driving back to the office after a cosy lunch somewhere. He placed his hand on her knee the whole way. You think that was nothing, but it was electrifying for Tina.  And if you knew Ato you would understand that it was a big deal.

All this while nothing 'major' had happened.

A few weeks after the 'first contact' Ato and Tina had to work late. Nothing untoward happened. It really was a just a late nate at the office, working hard to meet a deadline. When they wrapped up their tasks they congratulated each other and Ato offered Tina a ride. Declining, she explained that she had driven her sister's car to work that day, so assured Ato that he didn't need to drop her off. Guard down, he leaned in to accept the grateful hug that she offered....

[to be continued]

Stolen Affection

I opened my eyes, giving up on the sleeping charade. I was sweating, even though the A/C was on, blowing a cool breeze right over my head. I had been tossing and turning for about an hour. The bed felt huge and lonely. I hadn't slept a wink since Nat left. 

Sitting up and wrapping the sheet around myself, I hugged my knees. They were all I had to hold. I had never had trouble sleeping alone. In fact, I enjoyed nothing more than sprawling across my large bed and enjoying the fact that I didn't have a man hogging my luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets or snoring loudly, disturbing me. 

Today wasn't one of those nights. 

Tonight I wanted nothing more than my boyfriend's comforting arms. His soothing voice telling me that everything would be fine. I wanted his comforting presence. His, perhaps empty reassurances, but assurances nonetheless. 

But there was nothing. Nothing but the deafening silence of the night. The coolness blowing from A/C suddenly felt like an Arctic wind. I shivered and reached for the duvet. My phone was underneath it. I picked it up and slid my finger across the screen to unlock it. The harsh light from the display made me wince. A tear fell from my eye and surprised me.  Irritated,  I swatted the tear away like a fly. 

The truth is that I couldn't call him. Not at this time. It was much too late. He would probably be in bed, asleep. Maybe not asleep, but it wouldn't be convenient. It would be risky to upset him. I didn't like upsetting him. 

That unruly bit of me was it it again; screaming, urging me to dial, what about you!? what about your needs?? Call him! But in times like this I thanked God that I was reasonable and level headed enough to ignore my recalcitrant inner voice. Thinking about God made me feel guilty. I shouldn't be thanking Him, I should be hiding under an impermeable rock from Him. In times like this, when I felt most alone, I felt Him watching intently, asking if I was ready to walk back into His embrace. But the pleasure, stolen kisses and clandestine meetings were so much more alluring during the day. I often felt so powerful. Only to be reduced to this embarrassingly whimpering figure once in a while. More and more often lately.

I decided to be stubborn, so I dialled his number, pressed the speaker button and waited. I wish you could see me. My whole body coiled in readiness like an athlete. I waited with bated breath as the phone icon appeared and began to transmit the call. It rang. Once. Twice. Thrice. It kept ringing. Again and again. "The number you have dialled has not answered..."

 The screen was a blurry fuzz of light. I was crying.

When did I allow myself to become this person??  I felt like such a stereotype. A mere statistic. Listening to the same old excuses, believing the same old lies, forgiving the same old broken promises?? 

When? What happened to me? When did it push me away from God? leaving me fatherless. How on earth had I gotten to this point? I had been lonely before, that was my justification but I was as good as alone now, wasn't I? 

I would see my little sister the following morning. She always made me happy. I made a mental note to tell her to learn to guard her heart. People will use it, stomp on it, destroy it and throw it away...if you allowed them. 

That is what I have learned. The great love that I felt has destroyed the person I once was and replaced it with a woman who has no identity, heart and soul. All I am now is mostly depressed and inconsolable, unless he is with me. I would tell her that as women we need to think twice about getting involved with a man who belongs to someone else, no matter how much we love him.

My phone beeped, a text message. 

It was from Nat:

My wife is sleeping and I don't want to disturb her. Is something wrong? Hope you're ok. I'll call you in the morning,on my way to work. Sleep tight x

credit: wisdom4wives on Instagram

Jurist prudence: Can women be fashionable dressers and lawyers? - The Washington Post

Jurist prudence: Can women be fashionable dressers and lawyers? - The Washington Post:

'via Blog this'


This is a subject that keeps me up at night! Ask my friends, I'm not kidding. I don't want to give up style and become a wear-black-all-the-tine, stuffy, staid dresser just because I'm a lawyer. At the same time I don't want to look... inappropriate either.
God bless these women! I would Love to meet these women! I think I just found a couple of new legal role models!

Daydreaming of Fashion Law

I've liked fashion for a long time but I've only, just recently become aware of the existence of fashion law. If I hadn't already majored in Oil and Gas I might have taken a crack at it. [That would have been a truly interesting conversation with my very African dad,lol]. 

Imagine that: fashion and law! two of my favourite things together! Why am I just hearing about this??? *sigh*

Fashion law fascinates me. It's a relatively new niche in the field of law. Well, the fashion industry is a multi-million [insert any international currency here] industry which has relied on lawyers for a long time. It just didn't have the title 'fashion law'. Fordham is about the only school which has a Fashion Law institute. They  are organizing a boot camp on Fashion Law, I'm putting this on my wish list. Fashion law deals a lot with intellectual property law (incidentally one of the subjects I enjoyed the most) but I'm certain, like any other lawyers, fashion lawyers deal with contracting, licensing, mergers, perhaps health and safety compliance, maybe even a couple of wills,lol. I think it's such a cool title: *wears sunnies, strikes pose* "The Fashion Lawyer". If it was a course offered by a lot of law schools you would definitely find all the well dressed and well heeled fashionistas there. 

Hmmm, Ghana's fashion industry is growing by the day....who knows?

;) look out

Offside rule for women - in ENGLISH!

I intended to write a summary of the unprecedented week we had in Ghana: aviation tragedies in the sub-region, a gargantuan slap which is dividing public opinion, trials of public interest and interesting agitations.
But alas I decided to commit myself to preparing for my exams so I couldn't [i'm so tired of talking about it, and i'm sure you're tired of hearing about it too! shame we can't boycott them]. This is the point where you chime in and encourage me and say it will all be worth it, wish me well, pray for me blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda.

The World cup qualifiers have started, I haven't been watching the matches simply because I forgot the times. I have been studying. That said though, I love the World Cup. Note that I said world cup, and not football. Because I CANNOT stand the constant emotional stress that people put themselves through, several times a week during football season, to support their teams as they play league matches.  The time, the effort, the hope, the suspense, the disappointment!. It beats me. My heart is not cut out for such vigorous work. I save it all up over a respectable four year period and go football crazy for a little over a month. I think this is sensible and a judicious use of emotion, time and screams.
I always get entangled in this particular series of unfortunate events:
Unfortunately, because I spend so little time on the game I do not understand some of the rules. The one that baffles me the most is the offside rule. Most unfortunately, I forget all about it until it comes up in a game. But I never get a clear explanation because the ones to do the explaining are all so caught up in watching the game! The game ends and I forget all about it until the next game....and the vicious cycle continues. Sometimes someone has pity on a poor soul and attempts to do me a favour by explaining it at half time, but I never get it. They never speak English, they always speak football...which I'm not as fantastically fluent in.
This situation has persisted for years now. Till today!!! God bless Rachael for sharing this on Facebook and the writer for finally clearing it up [ and he used a shoe scenario! I can sooo relate :D ].
I can't wait for the next football game to demonstrate my new [clear] understanding of the rule!!! #winning. Go forth! dazzle and impress fathers, brothers, boyfriends and other ladies. Don't forget to annoy the (smug) women who understood the rule before you did.


Offside rule for women:
'via Blog this'

In preparation for the World Cup, the "offside rule" explained for women:
You're in a shoe shop, second in the queue for the till. Behind the shop assistant on the till is a pair of shoes which you have seen and which you must have.
The female shopper in front of you has seen them also and is eyeing them with desire. Both of you have forgotten your purses.
It would be rude to push in front of the first woman if you had no money to pay for the shoes.
The shop assistant remains at the till waiting.
Your friend is trying on another pair of shoes at the back of the shop and sees your dilemma.
She prepares to throw her purse to you.
If she does so, you can catch the purse, then walk round the other shopper and buy the shoes!
At a pinch she could throw the purse ahead of the other shopper and "whilst it is in flight" you could nip around the other shopper, catch the purse and buy the shoes!
BUT, you must always remember that until the purse has "actually been thrown", it would be plain wrong for you to be in front of the other shopper and you would be OFFSIDE!

finally! Enlightenment has come. 

Thank me later.

The Sky Fell Down

I didn't watch the news reports or take any of the pictures myself, but 10 people have been confirmed dead tonight as a cargo plane crashed into the Hajj Village near the El Wak sports stadium in Accra (which is alarmingly close to a filling/fuel station, as well as thousands of people and millions of dollars in infrastructure).
The plane flattened some cars on its way down, including a trotro ( 207 benz bus), killing its passengers. The crew of the plane, 4 I think, survived.

Joy Fm has the story: http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201206/87684.php 

It seems a lot of unprecedented things are happening lately, first the black out during the match and now this. I feel sorry for Poor president Mills who will in some way be blamed (I've already received a broadcast to the effect that it was because he was watching Music Music, a popular TV show and not paying attention to tower control at the airport). Perhaps someone could lessen his burden and fire or suspend the parties responsible [ok,  now I'm taking the piss, I'm sorry ,lol ]

There is no point going over the fact that our airport is badly located, it's waaaay to close to a huge number of people in case of an emergency (that is even if we had the required emergency response for such a situation). I shudder to think of what would have happened if the plane had caught fire and, fanned by the wind, had reached the filling station on that road...
hmmmm...
I was informed that the 'rescue' emergency services reacted quite commendably to this disaster. They secured the fuel leak with foam and took other timely measures to save a bad situation from getting worse. I hear the fire service was on point today! Kudos to them.
Thank God that it was a cargo plane and not a passenger one and that this didn't happen during the Hajj season...and that it had just rained so there weren't as many people about...just thank God.

Here are some pictures:

Nana Kofi Acquah of http://africaphotographer.blogspot.nl/ has put up some pictures as well (spot the difference between a professional and phone camera photos) :

What are the odds of taking a trotro and being flattened by a plane[!] on your way home?!? oh hoh! That's some awful, rotten luck, especially for those who haven't even travelled in a plane before. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. Let's pray that their deaths will be the catalyst to bring some major changes much sooner than much later, as is usual of us. May they not be forgotten.

but ps. those who were there taking pictures, ad3n??? what if the plane had caught fire? ehn?? because you want to know and have something to say abi??! please don't take unnecessary risks with your lives.

Apart from the dangerous location of the airport and the probably preventable nature of this event, which we have all known for years (analysts please don't disturb us on the radio stations), there's something else that's reallllly bugging me. In the surrounding circumstances it is terribly trivial and perhaps finicky of me to even bring it up...but I have to or I won't be me...
A plane CRASHED...but you might not have known it from the Facebook and twitter updates that were 'released' as people heard about it. It became a plane crush...0_o who crushes on planes instead of people?? hmm, it's not by force to update your status on social networks for all the world to see, especially if  your spellings are suspect. "a plain had crush" " a flight has crush" "crush landed plane"
oh hoh! 
I'm  informed my good people are saying a prane clash landed, but I cannot confirm this.
hmmmm.
Please take note that, thanks to the internet, everything you write on Facebook or tweet or however you release it into cyber space can probably be seen by the rest of the world. Try to spell correctly ok. Please.
Apparently, even the station of the nation was guilty of this offence *sigh*

can you see GTV saying crushed too? smh

God help us.

Open Closure

Konadu shifted from one foot to the other. She stared, confounded. This wasn't how she had imagined it.
When she was buying her plane ticket, she had imagined him being remorseful, beside himself with grief and unable to bear the pain he had caused; full of excuses, none sufficient.
When she boarded the flight, she dreamt of him offering the heavens to make amends, which she naturally refused. She didn't want anything from him.
...Or did she?
Right now, face to face with her father after 27 years she realised she might not really know what she wanted.
But she didn't want this!! -
The man who was her father, had been indignant that he had done no wrong! Saying he had done the best he could have afforded to do in the circumstances.
Ehn!?
"The best!??" She echoed, incredulous.
Unconsciously she scratched her head, puzzled. He did the same, unsettled.
They went back and forth for a while and Konadu unexpectedly burst into tears.
He offered a hesitant embrace and his reward was a stinging slap.
She was immediately sorry and moved towards him to comfort him...then flinched, instantly upset with herself for harbouring a shred of pity towards this cruel man.
Overwhelmed by her emotions Konadu sank into a settee and cradled her knees, tears falling silently.
"I'm sorry M'ewura" he said, using a pet name she thought belonged only to her grandmother. The fact that he knew it and had used it angered her more.
"For what!??" Konadu spat out, venom colouring each word, "You did the best you could, didn't you?"
He hung his head and wrung his hands.
"For causing you pain" he offered in a small voice, as if afraid.
"Pain!??" Konadu laughed,a bitter sound she didn't recognise. She felt as if she was having an out of body experience. She shot out of the seat,
"I'm so past apologies 'Dad'! I just want to know what happened...what went wrong! so I can explain it to myself and move on with my life!!"
The dad had been hurled out with such scornful force that she had no doubt his shocked reply was the truth:
"I honestly dunno"
Her sails lost their billowing wind. Even her tears evaporated. She sank back into the seat.
She hadn't been expecting this. She had expected a story. An incident. An explanation!
Something!!
Not this...empty victory.
What was she supposed to do with this??
How would she heal or construct anything from that?
She thought he would give her something. Why after 27 years of virtually nothing she expected so much she did not know.
This was worse than square one. It was ground zero.
That awkward moment when the much hyped confrontation brings no closure...only questions no one can answer.

"Ok"
And that was it.
Who knew? He might even allow her to leave peacefully. She picked up her bag, what else was left to do but to walk away?

Oldies but goodies and fabulous newbies

Was just having a chat with friends about great movies....I can't learn 24/7...allow me.

My all time favourite Ghanaian movie is True Colours...but I seem to be the only one who really remembers it! :( 

Michelle Attoh was in it, and I had/have a huge crush on her, so I remember paaa. It's a 1997 film; I remember the film had Omanza Shaw,Dusty Wayne, and Naa Kwale Dove (her name struck me) in it.
It was such a good film! I remember they went camping, that was soo cool to me,lol. And in the exciting 'last show' or "lasshow" as others say, Michelle Attoh and the Police had to chase Omaza Shaw, who had kidnapped her son, down the runway of the airport as he tried to flee the country in a small plane.

waaaaaooow!
I like the movie because it was a change from ghosts haunting people; naughty kids going mad from weed and ignoring advice; the villains committing suicide; people dying from the sheer shock of an event or becoming paralysed etc lol.
I really want to watch it again and see how it measures up against today's movies. (I think it can stand though). Wonder what happened to the movie's writer and its producers. Did they make any other movies? anyonw know where I can find it?
What's your favourite Ghanaian oldie? (Don't say Who Killed Nancy?!! Lol)
Who remembers The Schemers?? And Step Dad? Police Officer!! Lol! #memories. Can you remember other oldies???

Speaking of great films, have you seen the Avengers? You should!! 10/10! I've seen it twice already and I'm prepared to see it for an unprecedented third time. 

 (Well unless you don't like comics, but if you have watched silliness like American Pie, you should watch such awesome-ness too)
I soo don't regret all the comics I bought and harassed my parents to buy for me when I was a kid. (O my poor mother, who wanted a girly girl). One or two characters didn't make it but it doesn't matter. The film killed it. The other movies coming out this year have a seriously high standard to live up to.

ps. I dare say my dear ol' true colours is better than this movie....even though I have not seen it,lol!

Cheers!

(Anything to get away from my books!)

*Dedicated to 'Paul' En_wae - a new convert with more zeal than the old followers*

My fave book(s) at the moment is the Song of Fire and Ice series, I cannot wait for that last book to be written. My love for it has grown even more since it was made into a series: A Game of Thrones. Episode 5 of Season 2 is out, but I'm saving it for a special occasion, eg when I'm studying and I make some headway in the Law of Interpretation of Deeds and Statutes.
Saw these on The Drunken Moodle and had to share. Cheers to all Game of Thrones fans!

Go here if you want to see more or buy a t-shirt.

Happy May Day

Happy May Day to all workers!!!!

This is coming at a time where the economy is reported to be booming but (youth) unemployment is at a very high rate and there are many other issues but thank you for your hard work!

God bless

http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201205/85832.php

Slapstick, Treason and other Literary devices

I studied literature in high school and once in a while an event happens and, out of the dark recesses of my mind, a literary devices pop up and it makes total sense . . .

On my way to school on Thursday  morning I heard a news story on Joy fm. (My station of choice is usually Yfm  but Mz Naa’s usual commentary about the world news annoyed me more than usual so I switched) and my word of the day is Slapstick.

Slapstick is a type of physical comedy characterised by broad humour, absurd situations, and vigorous, usually violent action. It is also described as exceeding the boundaries of common sense. It is an art form that was looked down on by the ancients because of its perception as a ‘low’ form of comedy or humour. The actors may hit one another repeatedly with great audible effect (which in fact causes very little actual damage). Slaptick has evolved as an art form, and is now –thanks to The Three Stooges and performers like Rowan Atkinson, is considered not so ‘basic’.

(Keep this in mind:

Absurd (adj)

1.(of an idea or suggestion) wildly unreasonable, unsound, illogical or inappropriate.; at variance with reason.   

2. (Of a person’s behaviour or actions) foolish, unreasonable, unsound, ridiculous.)

Now that we have been reminded of what absurd means, let me see if I get the story right:

A  man (literally foaming at the mouth) makes unwarranted, terrible comments on radio, declaring war and ordering fake security agents be lynched. There is a public uproar – many condemn his statements, others too ...*sigh*. The Police react and he’s whisked away with fanfare. Apparently causing some damage to inappropriately placed human beings on the way. The man’s alarmed, irate following storm the premises where he’s being held to demand his release. Tires are burnt, warning shots are fired and tear gas is used. The man is eventually kept in custody for more than the 48 hours prescribed by the Constitution. He was then sent to the Adjabeng court on charges of treason felony, terrorism and attempted genocide. The court declined jurisdiction and asked for the matter to be sent to the High court where the learned judge released the man on bail and advised the prosecution to review the charges, preferably for lesser offences. But not before an a habeas corpus application was made by his lawyers, and a judge made an interim order for his release from custody. A section of the public, including members of the legal fraternity condemn this strongly.

Yesterday I heard this same man was being sent to the international criminal court. This was the straw that broke this skinny camel's back.
You don't get it, do you...

Let’s see if I can paint you the picture in my mind:

A frustrated man (literally foaming at the mouth) makes unwarranted, terrible comments on radio. There is a public uproar – many condemn his statements, others too...*sigh*.

 [Absurd situation: man should have known better. The Radio station should not have permitted it, even if their owner was the one making the comments. They should have known better and been more responsible]

The Police react and he’s whisked away with exaggerated fanfare. Apparently causing some damage to inappropriately placed human beings on the way [Vigorous action, violent action]

The man’s alarmed, irate following storm the premises where he’s being held to demand his release. Tires are burnt, warning shots are fired and tear gas is used. An arrest or two is made by the Police.

 [Absurd situation  + Vigorous action, violent action : but as for followers I won’t make any comments about them. The priorities and IQs of the average person is a continuous source of worry for me.  The Police should have been a wee bit more moderate in their reaction.]

The man is eventually kept in custody for more than 48 hours, as prescribed by the Constitution. 

[Absurd situation: law enforcement should stick to the rules!] 

slapstick

He was then sent to court the Adjabeng Magistrate court on charges of treason felony, terrorism and attempted genocide.The court declined jurisdiction ...

[Absurd situation: a magistrate court does not have jurisdiction to try treason. Matters involving high treason, armed robbery, hijacking, genocide, and narcotics like cocaine are beyond that of the district magistrate courts and should be dealt with by a High Court.The prosecution should have known that. They should have played by the rules!

As for the crowd, they jubilate as soon as they hear the wind blowing so I have no comment about them]

 ....and asked for the matter to be sent to the High court where the learned judge released the man on bail and advised the prosecution to review the charges, preferably for lesser offences. But not before an a habeas corpus application was made by his lawyers, and a judge made an interim order for his release from custody.

1992 Constitution:

Article 3 Clause 3(a) and (b); and Article 19 Clause 17(a)(b) and (c) states:
(3) Any person who -
(a) by himself or in concert with others by any violent or other unlawful means, suspends or overthrows or abrogates this Constitution or any part of it, or attempts to do any such act; or
(b) aids and abets in any manner any person referred to in paragraph (a) of this clause; commits the offence of high treason and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to suffer death.
Article 19
(17) Subject to clause (18) of this article, treason shall consist only-
(a) in levying war against Ghana or assisting any state or person or inciting or conspiring with any person to levy war against Ghana; or
(b) in attempting by force of arms or other violent means to overthrow the organs of government established by or under this Constitution; or
(c) in taking part or being concerned in or inciting or conspiring with any person to make or take part or be concerned in, any such attempt.

The Criminal Code :

Section 180—Treason
(1) Whoever commits treason shall be liable to suffer death.
(2) For the purposes of this section, "treason" shall have the meaning assigned to it by clause (3) of Article 3 of the Constitution.
(3) A person who is not a citizen of Ghana shall not be punishable under this section for anything done outside Ghana, but a citizen of Ghana may be tried and punished for an offence under this section wherever committed.

          Section 182—Treason Felony.

A person is guilty of treason-felony and shall be punishable as for first degree felony who—
(a) prepares or endeavours to procure by unlawful means any alteration of the law or the policies of the Government; or
(b) prepares or endeavours to carry out by unlawful means any enterprise which usurps the executive power of the State in any matter of both a public and a general nature.

So the question is, by (merely) uttering those words, had the man in question committed treason? 

The offences relating to public order include:

Rioting; Rioting with weapons; Provocation of riot; Unlawful assembly; agreeing to fight with weapons; disturbance of lawful assembly, Assault, etc., on public officer, carrying offensive weapons, Offensive conduct conducive to breaches of peace, Publication of false news with intent to cause fear and alarm (a local favourite,lol) , Discharging guns, etc., in town.

These are mostly misdemeanours. These are probably the lesser offences the judge referred to.

In relation to the Judge granting bail in case involving a 'non-bailable charge' the following case is instructive:

SEIDU AND OTHERS v. THE REPUBLIC [1978] GLR 65

Any person preferring a charge under a a criminal statute must be quite sure that the offence charged was within the letter of the law. It was unbelievable that the legislature, by section 96 (7) of Act 30, intended the courts to refuse bail to persons against whom no proper charge had been preferred. The presumption was that the legislature did not intend what was inconvenient or unreasonable. Those whom the legislature intended section 96 of Act 30 to cover were those against whom, the charge preferred could be said by the court to be supported by evidence which the prosecution professed to have, and not persons against whom there was no legally acceptable evidence connecting them with the charge… The power of preferring charges against persons suspected of crime must be exercised in good faith for which the power was conferred. A court was entitled to request the prosecution to advise the court on the basis for the prosecution. If on examination, it appeared to the court that those entrusted with the power to prefer charges had exercised their powers improperly or in bad faith, then there would be no basis for the compliance by the court with the injunction to refuse bail. In this case the power of charging the applicants with criminal offences was improperly used. 

Also see:
REPUBLIC v CRENTSIL AND ANOTHER [1987-88] 2 GLR 712: 

For the mandatory provisions of section 96 (7)(a) of Act 30 to operate and oust the hitherto known jurisdiction of the High Court to grant bail in [certain] cases, the charge must have been properly laid. The charge would have been improperly laid if there was no evidence in support of it. Further it was the responsibility of the court to determine if the charge had been properly laid or not. Therefore, the mere charging of an accused with the offence under [section 96], irrespective of the nature of the evidence in support, could not strip the High Court of its power to grant bail in such a situation.

A section of the public, including members of the legal fraternity condemn this strongly: here's such a comment by a lawyer: http://politics.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201204/85256.php

 Actually:

CI 47, Order 65 Rule 4—Power to Order Release of Persons Restrained

"Without prejudice to rule 2 (1), the Court or Judge hearing an application for a writ of habeas corpus ad subjiciendum may in the Court's or judge's discretion order that the person restrained be released, and such order shall be a sufficient warrant to any officer in charge of a prison, police officer or other person for the release of the person under restraint."

His  lawyers applied for the detained man's release under this order so it is within a Judge's powers to grant the release of a prisoner when there is an application for a writ of habeas corpus (an extraordinary writ issued upon a petition challenging the lawfulness of restraining a person who is imprisoned or otherwise in another's custody). It is also within a judge's power, per the two stated cases, to release an accused person if they feel the charges are not correctly framed, ie when the facts in support do not properly constitute the charge against the accused. This is also absurd (remember the definition) because you would expect a lawyer to know this, right?

ps. The first order made by Justice Essel was not 'bail' it was an interim release order, pending another hearing. It was the second one by Justice Quist that was bail, properly so called.  Someone should please correct the newspapers and radio stations.

The terrorism issue: Below is the act, try and figure out where the statement falls...pretend it's a sodoku puzzle:
ANTI-TERRORISM ACT, 2008 (ACT 762).

1. Prohibition of terrorist act
A person shall not engage in a terrorist act.
2. Terrorist act
(1) An act is a terrorist act if it is performed in furtherance of a political, ideological, religious, racial or ethnic cause and
(a) causes serious bodily harm to a person;
(b) causes serious damage to property;
(c) endangers a person’s life;
(d) creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public;
(e) involves the use of firearms or explosives;
(f) releases into the environment or exposes the public to
(i) dangerous, hazardous, radioactive or harmful substances;
(ii) toxic chemicals; or
(iii) microbial or other biological agents or toxins;
(g) is prejudicial to national security or public safety;
(h) is designed or intended to disrupt
(i) a computer system or the provision of services directly related to communications;
(ii) banking or financial services;
(iii) utilities, transportation; or
(iv) other essential services; or
(i) is designed or intended to cause damage to essential infrastructure.
(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable on conviction on indictment to a term of imprisonment of not less than seven years and not more than twenty-five years. 

Yesterday I heard this same man was being sent to the international criminal court by The Ghana Coalition for the International Criminal Court (ICC) -who I have never heard of, but anyway, what do I know....

ROME STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

Article 5
Crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court

The jurisdiction of the Court shall be limited to the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole. The Court has jurisdiction in accordance with this Statute with respect to the following crimes:
(a) The crime of genocide;
(b) Crimes against humanity;
(c) War crimes;
(d) The crime of aggression.

Article 6

Genocide
For the purpose of this Statute, "genocide" means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Article 25

Individual criminal responsibility
3. In accordance with this Statute, a person shall be criminally responsible and liable for punishment for a crime within the jurisdiction of the Court if that person… (e) In respect of the crime of genocide, directly and publicly incites others to commit genocide.

Last time I checked the charge levelled against the man was attempted genocide, doesn't that alone oust the jurisdiction of the court?? ie, because no ACTUAL genocide was committed. So isn't this yet another absurd situation???

hmmmm.

I didn't and still don't support the statements made but now this is just getting out of hand...and getting quite silly and embarrassing if you ask me...but no one has. He too, after they show him where power lies, next time he'll think before he speaks.

Well, the legal slapstick continues...stay tuned

{ }

Sonia's eyes gently fluttered open. She frowned and squinted at the clock. 00:49am it read in harsh digital red. Without turning she felt the other half of the bed with her hand. It was cool to the touch and smooth...not yet slept on.
He wasn't home.
She sighed. The arresting officers in her mind arrived: question upon question upon question. But she didn't have the answers! She didn't bother calling him. Each unanswered ring felt like an insult or a slap. And it was difficult to subject yourself to slaps over and over, so she had stopped calling. Sometimes, every so rarely, a text would be replied. A one-liner, maybe short sentence, but it only raised further questions. She had stopped working herself up: first into a blind rage and later dissolving into helpless tears.
Now she would just lie there in the dark, on her side of the bed, trying to keep her mind blank.
More recently she would read 1 Corinthians 13 and concentrate on the attributes of love. She had read it so often she knew it by heart. Constantly praying, reminding herself to be patient and not keep record of wrong. The Peace the followed was the only way she could go back to sleep.

Today was different. . .
Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. So why was he acting selfishly and not considering her feelings or pride? Why was he the one who was quick to get upset and cut her off?

Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful and trusting. Where was her support!?? Where was his loyalty? She no longer had hope, merely daydreams. She had no fight left in her. She no longer trusted, but chose to live in ignorant bliss.

What is perfect will one day appear and what isn't will disappear...

The door creaked open and he came in.

Her heart usually pounded, her breaths shallow, her palms clammy and her body tense as she thought of a million things to say. Frozen in anxiety the words never formed till he was sleeping, often snoring peacefully. Her face contorted in frustration as she bit her lip and pushed back her tears.

Today she was calm and in perfect control. She didn't need any words. She had just realised:

 today was the day the imperfect would disappear. 

The imperfect love her heart had been harbouring had just disappeared.

She smiled.
All was well.

iRegistered

I am wondering whether to continue with this post...
In view of the Electoral Commission of Ghana's decision to change the voters register to a biometric one to minimize fraud, I went to register to vote and dutifully took pictures ( with the permission of the officials at the Jack and Jill school polling station) ....but I security wiped my phone yesterday and would you believe those pictures are the only ones that are missing!?!? *slaps forehead*
:(
I have only one picture, the one I took with my digital camera, before deciding that the phone would be more convenient, smh... I was so excited about sharing the whole experience too... complete with pictures of the annoying individual who crossed the queue  (nka 3bey3 d3n na ay3 me ya,lol) and everything else. It took me a while too! There were about 30 people queued up to register. I was there from 9am to 11.45 am (by which time my carefully applied make up had melted away thanks to the heat, so I am NOT showing you my card!)
If it wasn't for the fact that I would be jailed for at least 2 weeks and/or fined, as well as not be called to the bar because I would have a criminal record, I would go and register all over again, just to provide you with pictures.
*sigh*
Let's hope the process stays generally peaceful, if we all speak out against and condemn the incidents of violence I want to believe  the politicians will behave..it's an election year! it's when they're most obedient and pliable.

There's something that I was wondering about: you are allowed to bring two voters along to vouch for you if you do not have any other means of proving you're a Ghanaian etc. But no information is taken from these 'guarantors': there is no form to fill and no particulars collected. At least I haven't seen or heard of such a form. Apparently all they have to do is show up and say they know the person and that he/she is a Ghanaian.
simple. Isn't that too simple??
I felt that was a little too easy. It should be slightly onerous so people do not vouch 'by heart', no?. And there should be some records kept, so that if an issue came up later on there would be someone to contact or hold responsible. At least that's what my little brain thought.
I've managed to get two usually apathetic people to register, and I'm very proud of myself.
Go and register too, if you haven't already....you might come in handy,lol.

What have you noticed while registering?
What irregularities have you heard about?

Unfinished business

Apparently there's one person that you will never get over.
You may go for aaaages: weeks, months, even years without a thought of this individual but one day you will see him/her.
Or someone will bring them up.
Or that ultimate catalyst: Facebook will pull up a picture of theirs or their profile.
Suddenly all your progress is retarded and you find yourself back at square one.
That square where you found yourself stuttering and bumbling, perhaps a bit teary eyed, at worst complete water works; right back at the spot you never ever want to be back at: the spot before you were over him/her.
Such betrayal by your body and your brain,huh? I mean, hello!?? I thought we had agreed we didn't care anymore! so what gives!??? *pout*

But you do care, don't you?

All he/she has to do is beckon to you to come and you'll drop everything and fly to their side, calmly and in a dignified manner, of course. If he/she handed you a key to a room, the expression "get a room" would be what you'd want to illustrate in 3D: naked limbs and flying clothes and all incidental bodily contact.


If at this point you're still in denial, on question: can he/she still piss you off?
Ka-ching.
Does a small comment, from him/her insignificant-from-any-other-person but from him/her dissolve you into tears or turn you into an active volcano? No matter how hard you try to ignore it? 

Ka-ching!

We're praying for you. Maybe one day they will find a cure, ok? There, there.

Who chooses who gets to stay in our brain anyway? Because if you remember all the cute gestures, stolen kisses, holding hands, or sappy songs

that were sung to you, or favourite sayings, you're still at square one. Maybe you'll bump your head and amnesia will be kind to you. Maybe.
But why is this person different in your (long?) list of discarded love interests?

Maybe he/she was the one you wanted the most, but didn't want you back? The one you expended the most effort and time on? Maybe he/she was the one everything was perfect with but something kept you apart, a mum or dad or tribe or something. Maybe he/she was the one you just couldn't figure out? Just couldn't tune to your frequency. The one who couldn't love you the way you wanted to be loved.
Aren't you tired though? Everybody knows how hard you have tried. You've already done everything you could do twice over and it didn't work? What is left to try?

Nothing. (Repeat out loud. )

(Again)

Your friends are tired of talking and the self help columns on the internet were written for you.
Read carefully: he/she will never answer your questions. He/she will never be there the way you want. He/she has to be written off as a bad debt. History will repeat itself.

So you lost one, you couldn't conquer them all. One slipped through the cracks. One got away.

Please let it go, before they take you away in a straight jacket. Business will always feel unfinished with that person, as long as you care. At least you know you have such a great, long suffering capacity to love. That's good! (Right?). It will come in handy again...soon.
It must be infuriating to know that someone somewhere can just snap his/her fingers and bring down your house of cards with zero effort. But you are stronger than him/her and those feelings. You just have to believe that too! Pray for it with all your strength.

You will get over him/her. 

One day you will see them and not be jarred out of the comfort of your existence... Maybe a small jolt, but not the earth shattering apocalypse that usually happens.
Then you would have arrived. Until then give it up and go on.
No. Really.
Stop wondering.
Now!
And if this doesn't work, fake it till you make it. It beats being a messy wreck, trust me.

(And no, I'm way beyond such immaturity. I'm not telling you this from anything close to a personal experience. How ludicrous).

A Penis in Technicolour: Whose fault -The Flasher or the Broadcaster?

I hardly watch TV, so I am always at a disadvantage when it comes to issues that involve TV-watching. (Just yesterday I discovered there's a program called "Azonto and you"!!)
I usually discover TV programs while walking past the TV on my way to one activity or chore or another, then BAM! something catches my eye.
This time my attention was drawn to a TV show by picture I was sent  on BBM of Wanlov's "own lov" that was apparently laid bare on Delay's show. Soon enough people posted the clip on  Facebook so I watched it for myself.
O_o



As is usual of attention seeking antics it has generated a lot of talk (hehehe, I can only imagine what sort of questions some parents of some young children will have to deal with after this).
But why are people upset with Wanlov though? he isn't exactly known for "responsible" behaviour, so why saddle him with all this responsibility. He actually brands himself as an anything goes, feel-free, do whatever he pleases artiste. Just listen to some of his more explicit lyrics and you will just smile or shake your head. But you will "give up" on him when it comes to the 'responsibility' issue. Not to say that he should be allowed to do "just anything" but he didn't film it personally and out it on the net himself. Other people did. He was just being his usual attention seeking  controversial self.

I think responsibility lies with the Producer(s) of the show and the channel it was broadcast on. I don't watch TV often, but I have seen that show once and I don't remember it having a live audience or being a live show. That means the scene could easily have been edited; they could have blurred the man's bits so it didn't appear so vividly, clearly and in live colour on TV. But that is exactly what the presenter wanted.
I'm not yet sure if the presenter can be held (legally) accountable as she did egg him on quite a bit. She seems to court controversy though so that's exactly the kind of stunt she would pull. So why didn't anyone else at the TV station call someone to order??


The moral argument is a whole different ball game, ie should he have known better and refused? She should not have pushed the issue. Did he have to go so far? blah blah blah. (Remember that this is showbizness and they felt they had a show to put on. Nb. I'm in no way condoning it)


For those whose anger has tied their undies up in bunches, you can make a complaint to the National Media Commission. In fact, the National Media Commission is empowered to act on it's own in certain cases, so maybe they will act....or not.

Wanlov the Kubolor

But I'm just saying I think the one to be called to answer..no, let me put it this way, the to one to be held primarily responsible (legally, at least)  is really not the "flasher" (Wanlov)  but the one who broadcast the flash (whichever station the show is on) the entire world and the one who produces the flashing show (the producer(s) of Delay's show. (Please note that 'flash' is used here as a figure of speech, for that length of time that that penis was exposed 'pay per view' would have been more appropriate, hehehehe)

I just wanted to put that out there.

Let's see how this turns out more fire or if it will be a usual Ghanaian thing and die out next week.

On this day in History: 6th March 2012

Today is: the Independence day of Ghana, we're 55 today! and my grandma's 90th birthday!
*cheers*

Unfortunately today Ghana lost a great actor: Godwin Kotey. I remember him from Inspector Bediako  but he went on to do many other things. Apparently he died at the Ridge hospital this morning :( 

 


Today felt like a Sunday to me, I lazed about for the most part of the morning, which is a welcome change. After all it is a holiday. Children have been at various grounds around the country, itching to show off their marching prowess at colourful march pasts and ceremonies. Even Google rolled out a nice surprise:

I logged onto facebook only to see a barrage of lamentations about how empty Ghana's Independence is. Complaints about how bad everything was and how nothing has been achieved since independence. This really upset me. I love birthdays, and if on a birthday the only thing you got was insults you wouldn't feel very happy would you? especially from people who have never given you a single gift. So I put up the following status on Facebook:
"It's really depressing to see people only pointing out flaws on a 'person's' birthday. Sure there are loads of problems but many have been minimized and effects mitigated. Sure there are loads of challenges but there's also been a lot of improvement. Sure you can complain all you want and you're allowed to but what have YOU done about it??? Any of it? Name one single thing. I bet you don't have much to say now, do yah? Kmt. If you haven't done squat, Shut up and enjoy the holiday. If you're have ,keep on Being positive and hopeful. God bless Ghana." 

I feel you can only really have a real cause to complain if you have actually tried to do something about the situation. I dislike idle talk. I am a very action oriented (when I can be bothered, that is). Why talk if you do not mean to do anything about it, especially when is within your reach? (This is part of the reason why Ghana is so hot, too may mouths opening and closing for nothing, letting out warm gases, smh)
My status caused a few debates about what the focus of the day should be, some as comments and some in my inbox. What should the focus be: how far Ghana has come? or how little things have actually changed over time. A radical or two went on to suggest that we were a failed/failing state (o_O). S

I was arguing on a completely different plane because I didn't think that was what the focus should be at all. I felt that the question we should ask ourselves, for once, is what have I done to change things? YOU! not anyone else. Not the government, not the Member of Parliament (MP), not anyone else...You.

It's so easy to talk about things happening other people, but when it's our turn we want the matter handled sensitively and tactfully.  So let's put the spotlight on you:
What have you done to help/ change something you dislike about Ghana? let's see, what do you complain about the most??
Is it the bizarre driving on some of the highways? are you a good, law abiding driver yourself?
Is it the poor level of education in schools? have you, with your good education, ever visited your community school or any school anywhere in Ghana to ask questions or offer any form of assistance? have you tried to set up a library or donate books or generally encourage children to read more, for example?
Is it the levels of corruption? have you aided and abetted by offering a policeman or public officer a bribe to cut short a matter or speed up a process? (i know I've gotten a lot of us with this! lol)

Are you a police offer or public officer or offering a service to the community? are you doing your work diligently without always asking people to "dash you something" and
are you doing your work in the best manner possible without being overly difficult so people have to "give you something small?" and
are you doing your work as quickly and diligently as possible?

Do you try to cheat the ailing, limping system every chance that you get?
Is your motto what does the government do for me anyway??

what do you do for your country?!?

Maybe if we all played our parts; the nameless, faceless government would be forced to work harder too

if we all held governments, MPs, DCEs, Assembly men and women etc accountable, regardless of partisan politics,
if we all did our jobs as if we worked for ourselves, instead of dismissing it as 'aban adwuma'
if students actually studied  and thirsted for knowledge to improve themselves and not learn by rote for exams....
if we eschew sycophancy and mediocrity...


....the list of issues is so long that I suddenly felt too weary to type it all out. that's how bad our situation is.

But thank God we are not where we were sometime back...even if we are not as far from it as we would like to be. There has been undeniable progress. The lack of imaginative and dynamic leadership has hurt us but all is not lost. Never. Every little helps, we just have to learn to help ourselves. Apathy and greed only hurt us in the end.

Field Ruwe of Lazy intellectual scum fame, is trying to lead a renaissance of Africans to shed off the 'lazy' legacy we seem to be building. The motto is : 

"Ours is a future of Innovation" 

So I hope on this day in history a group of Ghanaians are taking it upon themselves (after all we're 'honam p3 job anyway')  to actively lead the way and make this country a place everyone can be wholly proud of, in every sense of the word...a country where BBC and CNN can descend like birds of prey  to scavenge and have nothing newsworthy  cringe worthy to report, hehehe.
Ghanaians are trailblazers, after all we even invented democracy and taught everyone else (lol, joke) and this was waaaaay before we colonized the world with Azonto ;) .
It is about time we took back our place as the beacon of Africa by redefining our priorities and setting new boundaries. Boundaries unaffected by laziness and mediocrity or bludgeoned prematurely to death by corrupt officials and politicians. It's about time! 

 I hope...no we shall we pave the way to a new Africa, leading as Nkrumah always knew and hoped we would.

Starting now!

Next year, the question should be what MORE can we do for Ghana?

Happy Independence day!

Added on the 7th:
You see: I just read  Davida 's post on Independence: http://dramedies.blogspot.com/2012/03/ghana-firing-at-55.html the revolution has began already!