Ghanaian News - December 2012 Edition

2012 Personal & Business Tax Filing HST Filing

Vol. 16 No. 12 December 2012 Display Advertising : 416-916-3700 / Classified Advertising:

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

St. Andrew's Catholic Ghanaian Congregation Choir

GHANA ELECTIONS: John Mahama Wins 2012 Presidential Elections But Opposition NPP cries Foul

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr Kwadwo Afari- Gyan has declared John Dramani Mahama Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as the winner of the 2012 Presidential Elections in Accra today.

President Mahama pulled a total of 5,574,761 votes representing 50.70% whiles his closest contender Nana AddoDankwa-Akuffo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) obtained 5,248,898 represent-

John Dramani Mahama President-elect

ing 47.74%. The others are Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive aPeople’s Party received 64,365 votes, Dr Henry Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) also had a total vote of 38,223.

Mr Hassan Ayariga of the Prople’s National Congress (PNC) got 24,617, Dr Abu Sakara Foster of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) had 20, 323 votes, Mr Isaac Osei Yebocont'd on pg. 7

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Royal Ghanaian House of Chiefs and Queenmothers Association of North America On behalf of Royal Ghanaian House of Chiefs and Queenmothers Association of North America we would like to wish the Ghanaian Community in Toronto a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

Nana Aframeah

Nana Addai Amponsah

Barima AmoabenOko Awuakye II

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Nana Owusua

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May the miracles of Christmas fill your heart with love and warmth and God's grace lead you into another blessed year.

Remember that we are here for all our brothers and sisters. Anyone who wishes to contact us for advice, guidance, general information etc. should feel free to do so.

Charlotte Secretary

We would also like to entend a warm welcome to all Chiefs and Queenmothers from Ghana, currently residing in Toronto, who wish to join our association.

Please contact us at 416-710-0885 (Secretary for more information

The Ghanaian News

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

Ghana Consul General of Toronto End-of-Year Party in Pictures

The Ghanaian News

December 2012

5

Citizens of some countries Kenney names 27 countries as to appear in person for visa ‘safe’ in refugee claim dealings application process Starting in 2013, CIC plans to require nationals of 29 countries and 1 territory to appear in person to have their fingerprints and photograph taken when they apply for a temporary resident visa, study or work permit.

If you are a national of a country or territory listed below, you will need to appear in person to have your fingerprints and photograph (biometric information) taken when you apply for a: temporary resident visa, study permit, or work permit.

CIC will start to collect this information from people on a mandatory basis in September 2013.

By December 2013, biometric screening will be mandatory for

all temporary resident applicants who are a national of a country or territory listed below. The following are the proposed dates when mandatory collection of biometric information will begin: September 2, 2013: Columbia Haiti Jamaica October 15, 2013: Albania Algeria Democratic Republic of Congo Eritrea Libya Nigeria Saudi Arabia Somalia South Sudan Sudan Tunisia

December 7, 2013: Afghanistan Bangladesh Burma (Myanmar) Cambodia Egypt Iran Iraq Jordan Laos Lebanon Pakistan Sri Lanka Syria Vietnam Yemen Palestinian Authority These dates are subject to change. Visit http:// www.cic.gc.ca/english/ visit/biometrics.asp in spring 2013 to confirm when this will take effect.

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An Immigration System that Works for Canada New Federal Skilled Worker Program to accept applications beginning May 4, 2013 The new selection system for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) will take effect on May 4, 2013 at which time the program will re-open for applications, Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced “ T h e g o v e r n m e n t ’s number one priority remains jobs, economic growth, and long-term prosperity,” said Minister K e n n e y. “ T h e n e w Federal Skilled Worker Program criteria will ensure Canada is selecting the skilled immigrants our economy needs, who are the most likely to succeed and fully realize their potential in Canada.”

The improvements to the FSWP points grid are based on a large body

of research which has consistently shown that language proficiency and youth are two of the most important factors in the economic success of immigrants.

The final changes to the FSWP selection criteria include: Minimum official language thresholds and increased points for official language p r o f i c i e n c y, m a k i n g language the most important factor in the selection process; Increased emphasis on younger immigrants, who are more likely to acquire valuable Canadian experience, are better positioned to adapt to changing labour market conditions, and who will spend a greater number

of years contributing to Canada’s economy; Introduction of the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), so that education points awarded reflect the f o r e i g n c r e d e n t i a l ’s true value in Canada; Changes to the arranged employment process, allowing employers to hire applicants quickly, if there is a demonstrated need in the Canadian labour market; and Additional adaptability points for spousal language ability and Canadian work experience.

“For too long, too many immigrants to Canada have experienced underemployement and unemployment, and this has been detrimental to cont'd on pg. 16

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney named 27 countries he deems “safe” for the purposes of dealing with refugee claims in Canada.

One day before his omnibus refugee bill C-31 is to be implemented, Kenney on Friday listed 25 countries in the European Union, as well as Croatia and the United States, whose refugee claims have been deemed by the Canadian government as being largely unfounded or “bogus.” Romania and Bulgaria are not on the list.

Refugee claimants from the 27 countries will be fast-tracked with no right of appeal for a negative decision.

Hungary, which has generated a spike in claims from ethnic Roma, is on the list.

Mexico is not on the list.

The placement of EU countries on the list is thought to be designed to remove a major irritant in the process of negotiating a Canadian trade agreement with the EU. Those countries w i l l b e o n w h a t ’s called the Designated Country of Origin List.

Additional countries will be designated in the months following the implementation of the new system.

Refugee claimants from those countries will: - Be given less time

to prepare their claims before a hearing.

- Have no opportunity to appeal a negative decision before the new appeal division within the Immigration and Refugee Board.

- Will have only 45 days until their hearing if they make a claim at the border; 30 days if they make an inland claim.

- Be subject to much faster removal times once a claim is rejected.

- Will be allowed to appeal for a judicial review if their claim is rejected, but they could be deported before that.

- Like all failed claimants will not be allowed to appeal on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, or ask for a preremoval risk assessment, until one year after their claim is rejected, by which time they would likely be deported.

- Will not be eligible for basic and emergency health care (other than the treatment of conditions raising public health or safety issues).

According to the new law’s wording, countries can be placed on the list if their claims have a rejection rate of at least 75 per cent at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, or a withdrawn and abandoned rate of at least 60 per cent. But Kenney has

reserved the right to place any country on the list if he deems the country to be democratic, with an independent judiciary.

Refugee advocates say the new rules will lead to more mistakes in the refugee determination process, and could see people sent back to persecution or even death in their home countries.

They have also criticized the government’s and Kenney’s use of the term “bogus” to describe claimants that have produced a spike in claims in recent years.

Friday, Kenney said that EU countries have been the number 1 source of asylum claims in the past three years, more from Hungary than from Iran, China or North Korea combined.

Kenney said that 98 per cent of Hungarian refugee claimants around the world choose to make their claims in Canada though they have unrestricted, visa-free access to dozens of countries around the world. “ Vi r t u a l l y n o n e o f them turn out to be well-founded,” he said.

Kenney said that the majority of Hungarian refugee are rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board, or withdraw or abandon their claims, or do not show up for hearings

CBC News.

Demise of one-cent coin to cost a pretty penny The demise of Canada’s one-cent coin next year will cost taxpayers a pretty penny.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced the impending withdrawal of the penny in last March’s budget, saying the government would save $11 million a year in production costs.

That’s because produc-

tion of each one-cent coin had cost the Royal Canadian Mint about 1.6 cents.

Related Stories Humble penny to disappear after 154 years Budget: Penny to disappear from coinage system Flaherty given power to pay for returned pennies But a new analysis of costs shows that redeem-

ing the mountain of circulating pennies beginning Feb. 4 will cost taxpayers about $7.3 million a year.

The analysis projects a net cost of about $38.3 million to redeem some six billion pennies expected to be turned in by consumers and financial institutions over the next six years. cont'd on pg. 13

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

EDITORIAL KEEPING YOU IN TOUCH WITH NEWS FROM HOME AND LOCAL COMMUNITY ISSUES

EDITORIAL Publisher / Editor Emmanuel Ayiku Contributing Editors Dr. Michael Baffoe Joe Kingsley Eyiah Director of Operations Comfort Ayiku Community Reporter Jonathan Annobil Winnipeg Bureau Dr. Michael Baffoe

The Ghanaian News Publishes news and comments from the Community, serves Ghanaians across Canada with good source of information is committed to give good community Journalism The Ghanaian News is published in Canada by The Ghanaian News Corporation Editorial Office 2256 Sheppard Ave. Suite 202 Toronto, Ont. M9M 1L7 Tel:(416) 916-3700 Advertising Fax (416) 916-6701 Internet: www.ghanaiannews.ca E-mail: cayiku@gmail.com Subscription costs $12.00 for one year. $22.99 for two years. plus postage U.S. and foreign subscriptions costs US$79.99 per year.

REAL “GOOD”BYE TO H High Cost of Funerals in Ghana: Spending 2012: WELCOME TO 2013 More on the Dead than the Living We are a few days and hours to the end of a tumultuous year: Two Thousand and Twelve (2012) in the Year of Our Lord. What a great sigh of relief! This was a year when so many things were predicted to go wrong.

Yet so many good things happened, and the so many of the bad things that were predicted never materialized. In effect, most of the predicted bad things were simply in the heads of its prophets and apostles of doom.

To start with, a bunch of illiterate and mischievous thieves masquerading as “pastors” especially in the Land of Our Birth, Ghana, predicted towards the end of last year that the world was going to come to an end on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year: 11:11:11. Nothing though, happened on this date. Then they pushed the potential apocalypse to the twelfth day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year: 12:12:12. Thrown into this potential doomsday was the fact that critical national elections were going to be held this year. There was a lot of hype and predictions of doomsday come elections time. So frightened were people that all sorts of “peace campaigns and peace camps” were set up in Ghana.

Well, the elections have come and gone. There have been winners and losers, but no major upheavals at the levels that were predicted and feared. And a few days ago, the second “apocalypse” of 12:12:12 has come and passed with no hitch whatsoever. What would be the next apocalypse prediction of our false and doomsday prophets? So, slowly ending and Letters to the Editor coming to pass is this year 2012 into which We encourage your feedback and value so much fear was packed and very little by your comments. Please way of violence and destruction happened. feel free to write to us.

In our various Ghanaian-Canadian comkeep letters to a maximum of 200 words, munities here in Canada, we did not witinclude your full name, Telephone # and ness the kinds of violence and bad news that mailing address had engulfed our communities in previous with all correspondence. years, especially those that had involved our Address your letters to the Editor youth. In fact there were more good stuff and good news to celebrate in the various The Ghanaian News 2256 Sheppard Ave. Suite 202 communities across the country this year.

Toronto, Ont. M9M 1L7 Tel: 416-916-3700 or Fax: 416-916-6701 or e-mail us at afrocan@afrocan.com

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage

Opinion/ Commentary

As we prepare to say goodbye to the year 2012, we wish to salute all our compatriots, both here in Canada and in the Land of Our Birth, in Ghana, whose collective efforts and contributions ensured a relatively peaceful year and elections at the end of the year to cap it.

We wish everyone, including our numerous readers, our friends and allies in mainstream Canadian society and our collaborating partners, Merry Christmas. We all look forward to a new and even more prosperous New Year!!! AFENHYIA PA!!!

By: Kwabena Akuoko Saying a final goodbye to a deceased loved one in a dignified manner is the essence of a funeral.

Ideally, funeral is an occasion for mourning and also a celebration of life and it is one particular circumstance, which brings people together than none other. But due to commercialization and popularity reasons, more money is now spent on funerals in Ghana than never before. And I suspect I am not alone in this worrisome observation of how funerals have nowadays become very expensive undertakings in our country.

Some people deliberately overlook the true meaning of funerals and go overboard in spending more money than necessary through lavish display of material wealth in the name of mourning and celebration of when a relative dies.

Funerals have become expensive to the extent that bereaved families end up spending more money on the dead than the living. The solemn occasion of celebration of life and mourning has now become competitive and expensive than in the past. While understandably there are numerous expected and unintended costs associated with organizing a befitting farewell for family members who have passed away, many factors have added new twists to the traditional way of organizing funerals in Ghana, particularly among the Akan people.

Extravagant partying has crept into funeral celebrations lately and days are now gone when abstaining from “regular food” for a specific period of time, usually nine days and also eating only at dawn and dusk were common practices in the Akan tradition.

Expensive partying and consumption of all kinds of food as well as alcohol and non-alcohol beverages has now replaced the celebration of life aspect of contemporary Akan funerals. Similarly, out of what seems to be sheer competitiveness, bereaved families in most cases even bor-

row money to engage in extravagant display of nonexistent wealth to supposedly raise the family’s status in the local community and beyond.

Funerals have then become occasions in which more money is unnecessarily spent on the dead.

Funerals have thus become excuses for social celebrations where material wealth is openly displayed in the name of culture. The whole concept of celebrating the life of the deceased, which is one of the essential rationales for a funeral, is thus hugely misconstrued and replaced with over-spending.

Instead of truly bidding a farewell to the dead, Akan funerals have now become lavish show-off social gatherings. Consequently, many bereaved relatives unfortunately get caught up in competitive flaunting of materials things they at times do not have. In addition to extravagance, funerals are also now renowned for their size or the large number of attendees.

High cost of funerals in Ghana is real and it reflects the common joke that the most significant cost a person is going to incur is when she or he is no longer living and the irony is that someone else will pay for it.

Accordingly, funeral is now one of the leading causes of financial debts for many families. This anomaly defies logic and the notion that funeral is mainly a time of sombre reflections on the deceased’s life.

It is wrong then for celebrating the life aspect of the deceased to be replaced with lavishness.

Clearly, the average Ghanaian funeral budget has these days been stretched to the limit.

And included in funeral costs these days are for instance such things as keeping the corpse in the morgue for an extended period of time in order for the bereaved relatives to make adequate preparations, video recording of various mourning activities, renovation of the ancestral family home, and customized clothing

for the bereaved family members among others.

While families spend huge sums of money to keep a dead body in the morgue for legitimate reasons, I also want to emphasize that such practices have merely became fashionable. This is certainly a contributing factor to the high cost of funerals lately.

Another twist that has added up to the expensive nature of funerals has to do with the growing preference for customized caskets. Coffins are these days made to reflect the dead person’s occupation. It is not uncommon for a deceased cocoa famer’s casket to be made in shape of a cocoa pod for instance.

Instead of the traditional or simple coffins, which are reasonably priced, caskets are customized and extremely exorbitant. Our priorities are thus misplaced when it comes to funerals.

Certain contemporary Akan funeral practices from my standpoint are nonsensical and simply translate into spending more on the dead who in most cases were forgotten while alive. No wonder the funeral industry in Ghana continues to flourish compared to other local businesses.

How funerals are celebrated in Ghana has significantly changed lately.

In many communities, funerals have become avenues for excessive festivities and over indulgence instead of celebration of life or mourning. This new trend has made the common idea of saying a final good bye to the dead extremely expensive for the rich and the poor alike. Once solemn occasions, funerals have now become pretexts for feasting in which all kinds of expensive food and drinks are usually supplied in abundance.

Ghanaian funerals have been altered for all the wrong reasons and lost their true meanings. The basic idea of mourning and celebrating the life of a deceased family member is not what it used to be even a generation ago.

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Greetings from the Editor

Dear Community Members, In this ever-changing time, we would like to take the opportunity to say THANK you for your continued support and for being part of our Ghanaian News family.

May you and your family, friends and loved ones have a warm and joyful Holiday Season , happiness and prospertiy in the coming New Year.

Tel: 416-241-1366 Fax: 416-241-1361

From all of us at the Ghanaian News we say Thank You. Emmanuel Ayiku, Publisher/Editor

Christmas and New Year’s Statement by the Honourable Jim Karygiannis, Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Agincourt and Liberal Critic for Multiculturalism I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

As the festive season approaches, many people are busy with last minute preparations so they can celebrate Christmas with family and friends. In the midst of this hustle and bustle, we need to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

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This is a special time of the year when family and friends gather. Let us give thanks for our blessings and let us keep in our thoughts and prayers the people throughout the world who are in need. Let us also remember our soldiers who are far from home.

A Happy New Year, to you and your loved ones. In 2013, may you enjoy good health, happiness and prosperity.

GHANA ELECTIONS

cont'd from pg. 1

ah, the only independent candidate had 15,201 and Mr Akwasi Addai Odike of the United Front Party (UFP) had 8877 votes respectively.

The breakdown of the election figures were as follows: Total valid votes cast -10,995,262, Total rejected Votes – 251, 720 Total votes cast – 11,246,982. Total Constituencies – 275 The Voter turnout was estimated at 79.43%. The main Opposition party, the New Patriotic Party, (NPP) cried foul and threatened to challenge the results in court citing a number of voting irregularities.

Source: Ghana Government Website- Ghana.gov.gh

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

Truth and Politics Don’t Go Together

By Ejike E. Okpa, Dallas, Texas.

The ‘Rich’ class think and side with the politics of business while poor people are consumed by the business of politics.

The poor unbeknownst to them do so believing in politics religiously while they are left with empty promises , unmet and unfulfilled agenda, leaving them wondering what happened with their vote. ‘Government for the people by the people,’ is more like ‘Animal Farm’ survival of the fittest: All animals created equal but some more equal than others get in line. If one can’t, stay to the side and wait for social welfare programs and be glad for

what is doled out. When one see politics as business, they behave like the [rich] - benefits and having relationships on and from both sides. It takes possessing the two sides of a coin, to own it. Can one be happy with one side of a coin?

Pull back a minute and one can see there is really no difference between the handlers of GOP and Democrats. None of them ever says, ‘I will do the work for a minimum wage and move into poor neighbourhood to feel and see what exists there.’ No, they speak to poor people from posh offices, good homes and appear to solve problems for them from comfort

zones - Really! It is a fallacy, and we Americans often like lies as the truth as a mantra to set one free, is meant for those with putty brain.

There is no truth in the exercise of politics - having the electorate confused, serves the interests of the master. Jump into the stream of history and swim as fast as one can, is a good way to understand earthly life - most do not get to stop lights and knowingly yield to another - They just go - ‘energizer bunny.’

In America, we have gotten confused dishing out and using numbers, figures, opinions, stats to explain things that even defy simple logic. For instance, lis-

ten to Bob Woodward, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill Priest, Eliot Spitzer, etc., I often wonder why can’t they just shut up. To make their case, they claim to have inside information but will not disclose such.

Can we live a transparent life when we do not disclose? Why are journalists accorded this exclusive right of non-disclosure when what they say is not verified, unduly impacting us? What stops the so called purveyors of truth from making things up to beef up books/opinions, claiming that they

have insiders and access? It is fallacy at its height. Journalists overwhelm us with information but refuse often to disclose. More like, “trust me, I am here to save you”? Believe this, and one believes anything like James Hadley Chase eloquently stated in many of his novels; ‘suckers are born every second.’ Are we suckers in US America?

Given our penchant to engage and promote confusing and contradicting views/opinions, we by default seek and pay those who make most noise with sound

bites. Most Americans have become fans helping to enrich the loud mouths. To say that talk is cheap, is failing to understand that talk show hosts are often millionaires. Talking in America pays, even when what is talked is just pure lies.

I don’t know if I have added to your confusion, but politics of giving to Jesus and recognizing Caesar, makes one ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ - friends to all sides. One never goes wrong with good friendships but one can and always does with politics.

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The Ghanaian News

December 2012

11

Donors withdraw funds as Ghana turns middle-income There’s looming funding problem for the Ghana Health Service beginning next year as donor agencies that provide funding for the service are withdrawing because Ghana is now a middle income country.

The health service has therefore begun revising its strategies in order to be able to continue providing quality health care, and also raise funds for its activities such as immunization, training and research.

In 2010, the Ghana Statistical Service announced the country had attained middle income status.

Though good news, the repercussion is the reduction in aid-in-flows from agencies such as DFID, DANIDA and USAID. The Ghana Health Service must now find its own sources of funding for activities such as immunization, training and research.

Director General of the GHS, Dr. Ebenezer Appiah-Dankyira tells Joy News they are bracing themselves up for the rather unfortunate development.

He said because they now have to rely on their own resources, as a team is being put together to development guidelines to “ensure that we are able to rely more on ourselves”.

“We now have to look at how we disburse

money, we also have to ensure that there are lot of things we should be able to do without money like immunization.”

It would also affect per diems the service gives to personnel during workshops as well as feeding, he said.

Oil Money; Premature Dr Appiah-Dankyira was hopeful if the country is able to strategise well, its impact

on Millennium Devel- ily imply an increase opment Goal on Health in the county’s wealth. would be minimal.

Advocacy Officer, MiHe said they are also chael Boadi told Joy looking forward to ne- News the future would gotiate with the govern- look bleak for Ghana ment to fund the service should the donors carry with the oil proceed. through their threats.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Coalition of NGOs on health argued that the action by the donor agencies is premature.

According to the coalition, Ghana’s new status does not necessar-

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

FOCUS Making Our Schools Safe: Let’s Protect School Premises from the ‘Gun-Crazy’ People Asks Joe Kingsley Eyiah, OCT, Brookview Middle School, Toronto-Canada !School premises are places for teaching and learning and for such activities to go on smoothly, students as well as their teachers must be kept safe at all times in our schools! However, over the past few years quite a number of violent incidences have occurred in our schools. These unfortunate incidences include school shooting!

A school shooting is an incident in which gun violence occurs at an educational institution.

Such violence is often committed by a student or intruders upon the school campus. One of most prominent school shootings was that at the Columbine High School, near Littleton in Colorado-USA during which a teacher and twelve students were murdered in

1999. The worse so far happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown in Connecticut just a few weeks ago. In this school, twenty-six people were shot by a 20-year old young man.

The victims included 20 students and 6 teachers.

The students murdered here in cold blood were between the ages of six and seven. This school shooting has left the US in shock. In a daring and welcome move, the US President Barrack

Obama has vowed to launch his second term in office by pushing Congress to keep ‘weapons of war’ off the streets, to curb the worst violence.

A startling revelation shows a time line of worldwide school and mass shootings from 1996 to present (see Infoplease.com).

The school shootings ranged from the US and Canada in North America, Brazil and Argentine in South America to Finland, Germany, Sweden and Norway in Europe among others. In other parts of the world where gun control is in force school and mass shootings are barely heard of.

It was not surprising to me as a teacher in Toronto that the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, soon after the New-

town Elementary school shooting has announced funds to enforce school locks for all elementary schools in the Province to buttress school safety.

In an article on promoting school safety, Ronald Stephens suggests the following among others; Top of Form Bottom

of

Form

* Improving school designs: As school buildings are constructed and old ones are renovated, safety has become an essential element of their design. In new schools, office areas are now centrally located for easy accessibility from other locations in the building or campus. Hallways have convenient exits and are well lit. Dead-end hallways and staircase hide-

aways have been eliminated, and restrooms are located closer to administrators to prevent students from hanging out. * Monitoring visitors carefully: Schools are becoming more assertive in screening visitors, requiring them to register when entering the building or campus and by employing security personnel. Schools can be both secure and friendly by requesting visitors to check in rather than report to the office. Registered visitors are given a pass or badge to display prominently to let staff and students know that they have been acknowledged by the administration. Staff and students are instructed to report people without proper identification to a school administrator. In

addition, many schools now ask that parents give the names of adults who are allowed to pick up a child, and require those individuals to show identification to school personnel when signing a student out.

Such safety measures are appropriate for our schools. However, since most of the perpetrators of school shootings are identified as ‘troubled’ young people, more attention must be given to mental health to help families in our communities to deal with the unfortunate outcomes of stress and frustrations.

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The Ghanaian News

December 2012

13

The Free SHS: The devil is in the details

By Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi, Nj.USA

WILL THE SCARCITY AND ALLOCATION of our limited resources make the FreeSHS proposition possible in this day and age?

When politicians say they want to bring tuition- free SHS education to the masses without comparable increase in taxes, they’re only using political calculations, without any economic principles because everything has a cost or price.

One reason for the popularity of ‘free- education’ is the confusion between “prices” and “costs” of SHS education in particular and all levels of education and other social amenities in general.

For example, when politicians say they will give “free- SHS education”, they almost invariably mean that they will eliminate the costs of SHS education. That also implies that the actual costs of SHS education--resources and the years used in training teachers, the resources used in buildings and equipping the schools, the resources used to develop textbooks, etc—are all likely going to be eliminated or controlled. But, these things are not likely going to be addressed by politicians at all.

They don’t want to be bothered with any economic principles which will likely put a big hole in their proposition.

of SHS education, but the cost of SHS education is not affected at all. I’ll explain it to you in a minute so just stay with me a little longer.

Once the distinction between Prices and Costs is recognized, then it’s not very surprising that “price control “or elimination of price of SHS education has the negative consequence because price ceiling or elimination means a refusal to pay the costs of SHS education.And, those who supply learning equipment, food, or innumerable other goods and services for the SHS education system are unlikely going to keep supplying them in the same quantities and qualities require.

This may not become apparent immediately, which is why the elimination of the price for SHS education or providing a Free- SHS education is going to be popular, but the consequences are going to be lasting and will become worse over time. The SH schools’ buildings and equipment will not disappear immediately, when tuition free is introduced, but they will deteriorate over time without being replaced by sufficient new buildings as they wear out.

People who want freetuition education seem not to understand that what they are really asking for is for the prices What they mean by of SHS education to “free-SHS education” is misstate the relative reducing just the price scarcities of things and

limited resources the government has and the values that we as citizens put on them.

From the standpoint of the allocation of resources (capital, land, labor, etc) the government cannot give free SHS education without tradeoffs and substitutions.

It’s easier to understand that the real meaning of costs of SHS is the foregone opportunities to use the same resources elsewhere. Because an economy deals with scarce resources which have alternative uses.Every benefit has a cost in the alternative uses that could have been made of the same resources that created a particular benefit. In other words, the money needed to fix our pot-holes ridden roads and hemorrhage hospitals is going to be used to provide free SHS education so we may have to make a choice.

From political standpoint, however, politicians win votes by proposing special initiatives and incentives to please special interest groups or doing something for whomever or whatever might be popular at the moment. But, all this takes time to unfold and memories may be short for most people to connect the bad consequences they see to the popular polices they supported some years back.

Free-SHS will survive in the short run, but there won’t be enough colleges and businesses to absorb the rapid SHS graduates the system

will produce. The money and other resources needed to build new universities won’t be there anymore. There will be no money to build new hospitals or provide other social amenities because of scarcity and allocation of resources.

From economic standpoint, producing unmarketable SHS graduates can create huge problems for Ghana when large number of young people with SHS schooling but without economically meaningful skills or jobs will increase the “educated” unemployment rate astronomically. Since the marketplace has little to offer such people that would be commensu-

rate with their expectations, the government has to create swollen bureaucracies to hire them, in order to neutralize the potential for political disaffection, civil unrest or insurrection.

Inturn, these bureaucracies and the voluminous and time-consuming red-tapes they generate can become obstacles to others who have the skills and entrepreneurship needed to contribute to the nation’s economic advancement.

Do you has any experience with the bureaucracies at the Register General or Tema Harbor? I rest my case!

This is why this freeSHS education mambo –jumbo should be han-

dled judiciously because the oil money won’t be enough to go around fixing all our needs and soaring expectations.

No, I’m not anti-free SHS education; I’m anti-unrealistic expectations and decisions only made out of political calculations, without the application of economic principles.

I know I have ruffled some feathers by punching holes in such a national darling proposition, but I just want to bring all the facts out so as to generate a healthy debate about the issue so that Ghanaians won’t get disappointed. We must be careful what we pray for.

Demise of one-cent coin to cost a pretty penny Costs include $53 million expected to be paid out to redeem the face value of the coins, as well as another $27 million in handling and administration costs by the Royal Canadian Mint.

Recycling the zinc and copper from melted-down pennies will bring in about $42.5 million in revenue, leaving government in the red at just over $38 million.

However, adding the $11 million in annual savings from not minting any more pennies, which ceased production May 4 this year, still gives the government annual savings of almost $4 million over the expected sixyear redemption period.

The Finance Department posted a cost-benefit analysis Wednesday.

As required under government policy, the

department was also required to consider nonregulatory measures for the return of pennies.

“A non-regulatory alternative option would include refusing to pay for the returned pennies,” says the notice.

“This option has been rejected because, without a government commitment to cover the redemption costs, Canadians might lose confidence in the value of the penny, and other circulating currency.

“This could threaten the integrity of the coinage system as the intrinsic value of Canadian currency is based on a high level of confidence in the currency system.”

A cabinet order earlier this month conferred on Flaherty the authority to pay financial institutions for the pennies they’ll begin

to redeem starting Feb. 4. However, they’re not being compensated for handling costs, only the face value of the coins.

The mint has stamped an estimated 35 billion pennies from metal plates over the last century.

The penny remains legal tender even after Feb. 4.

As the coins are withdrawn, cash transactions will begin to be rounded off to the nearest five cents, but there are no governmentimposed rules or policing.

Electronic transactions, such as those on debit cards or credit cards, would still be registered in cents.

Pennies were to have been withdrawn from circulation starting this fall but retailers successfully stalled the plan, saying they wanted to keep the coins for the holiday shopping season. The Canadian Press

Donors withdraw funds as Ghana turns middle-income cont'd from pg. 10

nancing the scheme but the NHIS cannot do without premium.

Rojo Mettle Nunoo, Deputy Health Minister Rojo Mettle Nunoo, Deputy Health Minister Fight Against Malaria In an unrelated development, the country’s Malaria Control Program is urging Ghanaians especially pregnant women to use mosquito nets.

The warning comes after a World Health Organization report indicates a global slowdown in the fight against malaria eradication.

According to the report, a concerted effort by endemic countries, donors and global malaria partners led to strengthening control around the world.

nets delivered to endemic countries in subSaharan Africa which dropped from 145 million in 2010 to an estimated 66 million in 2012.

In Ghana though reported cases have reduced, an officer at the malaria control program James Frimpong tells Joy News a lot more effort must go into the The report cited for ex- fight against malaria. ample the number of long-lasting insecticidal

14

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

ANC re-elects Jacob Zuma as leader Jacob Zuma has been reelected as leader of South Africa’s governing African National Congress.

He received an overwhelming majority of votes cast by some 4,000 delegates at the party’s Mangaung conference.

Kgalema Motlanthe has been replaced as deputy president by anti-apartheid veteran Cyril Ramaphosa.

Mr. Zuma had been favourite to secure the leadership after he was challenged for the top job by his deputy, Mr Motlanthe.

The 70-year-old won 2,986 votes out of the 3,977 cast - making it a decisive victory against his rival.

“We can boast that we’re a leader of our society, that therefore we have something to contribute to the democratic life of this country, to this democratic Republic of South Africa,” Mr Zuma said after his win.

He stepped on to the stage beaming to shake hands with fellow ANC members.

“We are certain that at this course in our democracy we are correct, that what we do at all material times, it is in the interest, not just of our organisation, but of our country and its people,” he said.

The ANC, which has governed South Africa since white minority rule ended in 1994, is widely expected to win nationwide elections due in 2014. Mr Zuma is therefore likely to remain president until 2019.

There were deafening

sounds of vuvuzelas, huge applause and singing as the results of the election were announced, the BBC’s Milton Nkosi reports from the conference.

Four men appear in the dock on charges of treason and terrorism at the Bloemfontein Court, South Africa Four men arrested on Sunday have appeared in court charged with treason More than 4,000 ANC delegates crammed into the marquee, erupting into cheers as Mr. Zuma’s win became clear.

The election of Mr. Ramaphosa, a veteran of the anti-apartheid movement and a successful businessman, marks a return to the political front line for him.

His decision to run as Mr Zuma’s deputy has been seen by analysts as a way of shoring up the president’s flagging support.

“With a man like Cyril, our country is going to be booming. Our economy is going to be tops,” ANC delegate Peter Rankoe told Reuters.

Mr. Zuma has been accused of failing to reduce poverty or tackle corruption within the ANC and government, while in August there was widespread shock when police shot dead 34 striking miners in the most deadly police action since the end of apartheid.

The country’s former President FW De Klerk has told the BBC that a significant proportion of the South African population were un-

happy with Mr. Zuma.

“If the head of state loses the respect, I think that person loses the capacity to govern effectively.

I think it would be in the best interest of South Africa if there can be a change of leadership in the ANC,” he said.

Though he has also been dogged by personal scandals, his popularity within Nelson Mandela’s ANC is overwhelming.

Former President FW De Klerk told the BBC’s John Simpson that Jacob Zuma has lost respect”I don’t care what people say about Jacob Zuma,” another ANC delegate, Sinovuyu Kley, said. “When you hear him sing, you know he is one with the people.

He speaks our language and knows our struggles.”

It is less clear where the results leave Mr Motlanthe, who ended months of speculation by announcing his decision to run against Mr. Zuma for the leadership and declining to stand again as deputy leader.

Meanwhile, four white men have appeared in court accused of being part of a right-wing extremist plot to bomb the ANC conference.

The men were arrested on Monday in raids across the country and reportedly face treason and terrorism charges.

One was apprehended by police at a guesthouse in Mangaung, police said, according to the Associated Press. BBC

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Mali PM quits after pressure from ex-junta Malian Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra q u i t Tu e s d a y u n d e r pressure from influential former putschists who are opposed to a military intervention to drive out Islamists occupying the country’s north.

France and the European Union urged the exjunta which overthrew Amadou Toumani Toure’s regime in March to stop meddling in politics and called for a new government to be formed as swiftly as possible.

Diarra’s resignation came a day after the EU approved plans to deploy a military training mission of some 250 troops Mali to help the government regain control of the vast semi-desert north from Islamic extremists.

The 60-year-old astrophysicist and former chairman of Microsoft Africa was seized at home by soldiers late Monday and hours later at dawn went on state television to announce he was stepping down.

“I, Cheick Modibo Diarra, resign with my government,” h e s a i d s o l e m n l y, appearing drawn.

A spokesman for Sanogo’s former junta in Europe, Bakary Mariko, told France 24 television the sequence of events was “not a new coup d’etat”.

Mariko said Diarra was “not a man of duty” and added that a successor will “be named in the coming hours by the president.”

French foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot condemned the manner in which Diarra was forced to resign.

“These developments underline the need to deploy an African stabilisation force. The former junta must stop interfering in national politics,” he said, calling for a “new representative

government. . . to b e s e t u p q u i c k l y. ” EU foreign policy head Catherine Ashton called on Mali to appoint a new prime minister acceptable to all sides and also urged the military to cease interfering in political life.

A spokesman for Ashton said preparations for a training mission in which 250 European soldiers will be sent to train Malian combat units and help restructure the c o u n t r y ’s w e a k e n e d army, would continue.

“But we will be particularly attentive of the attitude taken by the military.”

President Dioncounda Tr a o r e h a d y e t t o announce whether he had accepted the resignation, as Diarra remained under house arrest in the capital.

“The prime minister is under house arrest. He can’t see who he wants or go where he wants.

There are soldiers at his house and he is not free to move around,” a member of his family told AFP. The former premier was a staunch advocate of French-backed plans to send in a west African intervention force to drive out the extremists, who are running the zone according to their brutal interpretation of sharia Islamic law.

Citizens have been flogged, had their hands amputated and been stoned to death as punishments for transgressions.

Such foreign intervention is fiercely opposed by Sanogo, who still wields considerable influence in Bamako despite handing over power to an interim government after his March 22 coup.

S a n o g o ’s c o u p w a s sparked by soldiers’ anger over their rout at the hands of well-armed Tuareg separatist rebels seeking

independence for their homeland in the north.

His retreat from power appeared to be a facade as he continued to order arrests of politicians, journalists, soldiers and those seen as close to the former regime.

“Since March Sanogo and his men have been implicated in a steady stream of abuses,” Human Rights Watch researcher Corinne Dufka told AFP, naming disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation of journalists.

As Bamako remained fragile in the wake of the coup, the Tuareg, allied with Islamists, continued their juggernaut, seizing the northern triangle of the bow-tie shaped nation, an area larger than France.

However the unlikely alliance between the secular separatists and AlQaeda-linked Islamists quickly crumbled and the Tuareg were driven out of key positions, leaving the vast arid zone in the hands of Al Qaeda-linked extremists.

Europe, the United States as well as Mali’s neighbours are afraid the vast occupied zone will become a haven for terrorist groups and pose a threat to their countries.

West African nations are pressing hard for the United Nations Security Council to approve the foreign force and Germany and the United States have also offered training and logistical support.

But misgivings are rife over the plan to send in 3,300 west African troops. Many of Mali’s neighbours still prefer a negotiated solution and both the UN and US have urged caution and demanded more detail on the force’s capabilities. AFP

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The Ghanaian News

December 2012

15

South Korea election: Park State department resignations Geun-hye defeats Moon Jae-in over Benghazi attack South Korea’s Presidentelect, Park Geun-hye, has said her victory will help the country’s economy recover.

South Korea election: Park Geun-hye defeats Moon Jae-in Ms Park, the daughter of former dictator Park Chung-hee, defeated her liberal rival Moon Jaein. She will be South Korea’s first female leader.

Votes are still being counted, but Mr. Moon has admitted defeat.

Turnout was high in a poll dominated by economic and social welfare issues.

Ms Park, 60, will replace her party colleague Lee Myung-bak.

country’s modern economy from the effects of the global slowdown.

scarves, cheered as poll figures emerged.

Supporters of her liberal rival, Moon Jae-in, have accused Ms Park of belonging to the past, and of having little understanding of the rough and tumble of modern democratic government.

Both bolstered and dogged by the legacy of her father, who built South Korea’s economy while crushing dissent, she apologised in September for human rights abuses under his administration.

Combined figures from the networks released after polls closed gave Ms Park 50.1% of the vote over Mr. Moon’s 48.9%.

“This is a victory brought by the people’s hope for overcoming crisis and economic recovery,” she told supporters in the capital Seoul.

He is stepping down as the law requires after his five-year term.

Economic growth has fallen to about 2% after several decades in which it averaged 5.5%.

Park Geun-hye’s win means that South Korea now has its first female president. In a country where rapid modernisation exists alongside ancient Confucian values, many people are saying her election will prompt real social change.

With the country having split almost equally along party lines, the BBC’s Seoul correspondent Lucy Williamson says Ms. Park will have to work hard to improve relations with her detractors.

Father’s legacy

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From the moment polls opened at 06:00 on Wednesday (21:00 GMT on Tuesday), millions of South Koreans queued to cast their ballots despite freezing temperatures.

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Mr. Moon of the Democratic United Party is a former human rights lawyer who served under former President Roh Moo-hyun. He was briefly jailed by Ms. Park’s father in the 1970s.

Daughter of former President Park Chung-hee Served as South Korea’s first lady after her mother was murdered by a North Korean gunman in 1974 First elected to the national assembly in 1998 First bid for the presidency in 2007 Has promised to redistribute wealth, reform big conglomerates and seek greater engagement with North Korea Both candidates put forward broadly similar policies, promising to boost social welfare spending, close the gap between the rich and poor and rein in the family-run giant conglomerates known as chaebol.

Three state department officials have resigned after a report into the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, US media report.

They include Eric Boswell, head of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and one of his deputies, Charlene Lamb.

Raymond Maxwell, deputy assistant secretary for the Maghreb, was said to be the third resignation.

The report said “grossly inadequate” Benghazi security led to the deaths of the US ambas-

The detained Argentine naval ship at the Tema Port has finally been released and is sailing off the shores of Ghana.

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release of the vessel.

The government of Ghana also secured a verdict at the Supreme Court to overturn the decision by the High Court.

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lars which culminated into the detention of the vessel since October.

This sparked a diplomatic row between Ghana and Argentina after government filed an appeal for the release of the vessel.

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after armed men had stormed the compound.

Despite “a lack of transparency, responsiveness, and leadership” among certain senior state department officials, the review found no “reasonable cause” that any specific individuals had “engaged in misconduct or willfully ignored” their responsibilities.

It also said there had been “no immediate, specific” intelligence about the 11 September attack or threats to the consulate. BBC

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It singled out both state department bureaus for their apparent lack of co-operation and ensuing confusion with regards to protection.

However, the report did not suggest disciplinary action be taken against any individuals.

Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other US officials died in the attack on 11 September.

Mr. Stevens died of smoke inhalation when he was trapped alone in the burning building

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16

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

IMMIGRATION AND SOCIAL ISSUES By: James A. Kwaatemg, B.A. (Hons), LLB (Hons)

Refugee Claims and the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement Under the Safe Third Country Agreement which was signed between Canada and the United States on December 5, 2002 and became effective on December 29, 2004, refugee claimants are required to request refugee protection in the first safe country they arrive in unless they qualify for the exceptions to the Agreement discussed below.

Canada has a Safe Third Country Agreement only with the U.S. even though on December 14, 2012, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism announced an initial list of countries whose citizens will have their asylum claims in Canada expedited for processing because those countries do not normally produce refugees. The Agreement, as it is now, only applies to refugee claimants who are seeking entry to Canada from

the U.S. at Canada-U.S. land border crossings, by train or at airports.

The Agreement notwithstanding, some refugee claimants coming through the U.S. may qualify under certain conditions to seek refuge in Canada. These exceptions may cover refugee claimants who have family members in Canada.

The family members may be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. They may also be protected persons under Canadian immigration legislation or family members who have made claims for refugee status in Canada that have been accepted by the Immigration and

Refugee Board (IRB) or family members who are holders of valid Canadian work permit or holders of valid Canadian study permit or a family member who is over 18 years old and has a claim for refugee protection that has been referred to the IRB for determination.

The other category of exceptions under the Safe Third Country Agreement is unaccompanied minors. This covers persons under 18 years of age who are not accompanied by their mother, father or legal guardian, who have neither a spouse nor a common-law partner, and who do not have a mother, a father or a legal guardian in Canada or the United States.

Refugee claimants generally referred to as “document holders” may also be rescued by the exceptions clause. This category embraces any

refugee claimant from the U.S. to Canada who holds a valid Canadian visa (other than a transit visa), a valid work permit, or a valid study permit. Any refugee claimant from the U.S. to Canada who holds a travel document or other valid admission document issued by Canada or claimants who are not required to get a temporary resident visa to enter Canada but require a U.S.-issued visa to enter the U.S. may also benefit from the exception.

Lastly, the Safe Third Country Agreement may grant exceptions to refugee applicants from the U.S. side of the border if public interest so dic-

tates. This last category which may be referred to as “Public Interest Exceptions” may include a refugee claimant who has been charged with or convicted of an offence that could subject him or her to the death penalty in the U.S. or in a third country. Unfortunately however, this category of exceptions has a very narrow scope because a refugee claimant may be found inadmissible in Canada on grounds of criminality and other serious violations of human and international rights.

Refugee claimants must know that Canada’s asylum system has changed effective December 15, 2012. Under the new

system, asylum claims will be heard faster and those who need Canada’s protection will get it faster while those who don’t will be sent home faster. The new system is complex and unfriendly.

Asylum seekers should therefore seek professional advice before they initiate their claims.

James A. Kwaateng is an Immigration Law practitioner with his offices located at 168A Oakdale Road, Suite 4, Toronto, Ontario. For thorough discussion of your immigration and related social and legal issues, you may contact him at telephone number (416) 743-2758.

An Immigration System that Works for Canada cont'd from pg. 5 these newcomers and to the Canadian economy,” said Minister Kenney.

“Our transformational changes to the FSWP will help ensure that skilled newcomers are able to contribute their skills fully to the economy as soon as possible. This is good for newcomers, good for the economy, and good for all Canadians.”

There are two new steps to the new selection system. First, applicants will have to demonstrate that they meet the minimum language threshold, which is level 7 of the Canadian Language Benchmark assessment system. Applicants will be able to get a language assessment from existing

agencies designated by the Minister and listed on the CIC website.

Second, applicants will have their education credentials assessed prior to arriving in Canada.

A list of assessment organizations designated by the Minister will be made available early in the New Year. The assessment of foreign educational credentials will provide prospective newcomers with a more realistic understanding of how their credentials compare to education standards in Canada.

It will also give them the opportunity to upgrade their education prior to coming to Canada if they choose.

It is important to note that these changes will

not apply to people who have applied to the FSWP prior to May 4, 2013 with a qualifying arranged job offer or under the Ph.D. stream.

As recently announced, due to the actions taken over the past months, new applications under the FSWP will be processed in a few months, rather than a few years. In order to ensure fast processing times and to avoid backlogs, the new FSWP will accept a fixed number of applications each year.

In the medium term, the Government is also moving forward to develop and implement an Expression of Interest (EOI) model, which will provide employers with access to a pool of skilled workers.

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The Ghanaian News

December 2012

17

18

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

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The Ghanaian News

December 2012

19

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

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Above prices are based on availability of seats in lowest inventory. They are subject to change without notice.

The Ghanaian News

December 2012

21

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Selassie -Lion of Africa goes on South Africa tour

The Lion of Africa, Juno nominee is embarking on a tour of South Africa and Lesotho.

He will be performing in Johannesburg, Cape Town and one gig in Maseru Lesotho. He will be leaving g on January y 13 for the 3-week tour

22

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

Amnesty slams feds over UN human right critiques Amnesty International Canada is taking the Conservative government to task over its recent dismissals of various UN human rights experts.

In 2012, UN representatives slammed Canada on a range of issues, from the housing crisis in Attawapiskat First Nation to its treatment of Quebec student protesters. Its right to food rapporteur visited to warn about rising food bank use, the need for national food policies and obesity rates.

And in response, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says Amnesty may have lost its “credible voice” when it comes to weighing in on human rights abuses. The Amnesty report also raises concerns in “The Canadian govern- relation to women’s ment publicly rebuked and aboriginals’ rights, and, on occasion, in- and trade, business and policies. sulted most of the UN refugee An unimpressed Kenney experts, officials and independent committees pointed to what he saw that raised these con- as Amnesty’s nitpicking cerns and made recom- of countries like Canada. mendations for reform,” Amnesty says in a report “This is why the late published Wednesday. (essayist) Christopher

Hitchens, it’s why other champions of human rights from the left have given up on Amnesty International as a credible voice for human rights, regrettably,” Kenney said.

Amnesty’s Alex Neve said Canada is simply failing to “engage seriously” with the UN on human rights.

“That’s very troubling, because obviously behind those reviews stand very real and sometimes longstanding human rights concerns that should be taken seriously,” he said.

And he added that Amnesty is a “global organization and Canada is part of the globe.”

The Canadian Press

Sherifatu Yahya; the girl who escape forced marriage to become a professional Sherifatu Yahya, the 15 year old girl who was almost forced into marriage by her parents last year and was only saved when Joy FM shone light on the matter is now a professional seamstress.

Following the story on

Joy FM’s Midday News about Sherifatu’s, officers of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service and the Department of Social Welfare intervened and rescued her.

The marriage was stopped and Sherifatu went back to learn a trade.

Over the weekend she graduated from Our Lady of Fatima Sewing Centre where she had been undergoing apprenticeship with seven others.

My Joy Online

Call Us First The Ghanaian News 416916-3700

The Ghanaian News

December 2012

23

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

Presentation of Equipments to Lakeside Police Station in Ghana

Staff of Lakeside Estate Ltd. Mustapha Ofori presenting to Station Officer

From Lawrence De Souza, Prince Joseph Ayiku, Emmanuel Ayiku, Salah Kalmoni, and Col. Timothy Barnes (rtd.)

Some of the Staff members

Lawrence De Souza

Lawrence De Souza and Emmanuel Ayiku at Lakeside Headquarter, Accra Lawrence De Souza at Lakeside site

The Ghanaian News

December 2012

25

ISLINGTON NORTH CHIROPRACTIC Dr. M. Agyemang, B.Sc. (Hons.), D.C.

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26

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

When winter comes and the end of the year approaches, the last thing you may want to think about is how your finances are organized.

But you should. It’s worth taking the time at the end of each calendar year to go through all your spending, look at whether it matches what’s coming in, and to make sure you’re budgeting, finances and tax

An End-of-Year Financial Checklist Can Keep You on the Right Track planning are on the right track for the coming year.

It’s easier than you think.

A good way to start is by putting together a financial checklist.

Your checklist should cover a few big topics.

Within each of these categories, you can ask yourself a series of questions to make sure you’re watching your money wisely and keeping on track.

Here’s an example of how your end-of-year financial checklist might look: · Organize — Do you throw all your receipts into a shoebox and never look at them? Do you even keep them? There are ways to deal with all these pieces of paper. ? By all means use a shoebox or a bin — but at the end of the year you should actually look at what you

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put in there. Don’t simply toss receipts in the garbage — you’ll never know how much you’re spending if you do. ? Put your receipts into categories — mortgage,

rent, food, clothing and other necessities, fuel, transit and repairs, vacation spending, entertainment and so on.

Pick the categories that are significant to you

for that year — for example, you may have a special one in a particular year for “Mom’s 80th birthday” or your anniversary cruise fund. cont'd on pg. 40

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The Ghanaian News

December 2012

27

Our Reflections In A Cracked Mirror.

By Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi (Voice of Reason) Ghana.

about the result. Why... ? Because the elections are over! It’s behind us.

You can’t change the results….whining, pissing -off, moaning and cursing won’t change a thing.

Analyzing what went wrong won’t do much for you either. And, posting negative comments on Faceboook or sending derogatory text messages certainly isn’t going to help you or Ghana.

In short, it’s time to stop focusing on the election and all of its painful or joyful experiences. It’s now time to look for what you can do today for yourself and your family, so that you can prepare better for tomorrow. Doing something meaningful and better today will help you prepare yourself for any future opportunities.

Please don’t take this the wrong way, as I fully understand why you would be upset over the results.

But, calling someone stupid or idiot simply because he doesn’t agree with your party’s politics is not going to help you in any shape or form.

Today is new. You’re responsible for your life, not President-elect John Mahama. When you design a life of your own creation that is greatly

Some people won't be happy about this one.

The 2012 elections are over Now what is next?

You can’t change the election result, but you can change your personal responsibilities.

Are you as screwed up and naïve as the media and politicians make you out to be? Impossible—otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this piece. But if you were to judge Ghanaian society solely by what you read from the press or see on TV and what you hear from the Politicians ,you’d assume that there are only two kinds of people in the country—the smart politicians and dumb voters.

It’s the most simpleminded social analysis imaginable, but it’s how we see ourselves portrayed every day. It’s no wonder that some of our soft-headed citizens buy into that so completely.

The rest of us just soak it up, mute with bewilderment –or we get loud with rage and agitation.

The 2012 elections are over. Of course, some folks are happy with the way things turned out and some are not happy at all.

However, it doesn’t matter how you feel

unaffected by whomever the political leaders are, you will be much happier with the result of the election. You get too pissed –off because your livelihood depends on it--that is not a great way to plan for the future.

Here are the real things you can change, including yourself: Personal responsibilities: Move on. Staying stuck in the election mode, whether or not your candidate won is pointless. It will only take up your useful energy that you could use for more productive and meaningful activities to better yourself.

Change Yourself, Not the politicians: We have a new day so change yourself. Remember, changing politicians or governments comes about every four years. But we can change the government or the politicians if we change our perspectives. There is a need to fix ourselves first so as to elect the right people. The kinds of governments or politicians we elect are reflections of us as individuals.

Case in point: The Kwaebibiriem MP has been winning every election since 2000, but people complain he doesn’t do a

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me started! All that I’m saying is, be able to protect yourself, your family and your mind.

This is not a sign of abnormal fear of anything or craziness —this is a sign of common sense!

Spend quality Time with Other People :If you had the privilege to grow up in an affluent home, try to spend time with “ordinary” people and learn more about life and what poor people go through every day. If you’re a boss of your company treat your subordinates like your valued customers. Employees who feel valued at work tend to remain honest and devoted to the company’s bottomline. On the other hand, if employees don’t feel that they are paid what they are worth, they are often tempted to make up the difference directly from the cash register or by moving the company’s merchandise out the back door .Or cook –up the accounting books. Remember, happy workers make good products and provide better services.

W o r k : When you are fortunate to have a job, you have to do a good job. When you’re known as the person who is always cont'd on pg. 61

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cash as you possibly can.

Emergencies happen and most people are not prepared financially for that.

The country is living on borrowed money so now the citizens are living on loans from rural banks and Susu Micro-finance institutions; these are loans they can’t pay or have no intention to repay. And once you have financial problems you can easily get agitated.

Prepare For Emergencies: We have seen just how long it takes the government to respond in a disaster. Does Melcom’s disaster ring a bell? The ambulance and rescue team couldn’t get there quickly enough to help everyone. There are not enough resources to go around when it comes to disaster rescue missions.

So you have to be careful how you go about your life. Be aware of your environment when you’re in public places like the bank, market or store. Robbery, fire, or any disaster can occur when you least expected it, and you don’t want to be a victim because you can’t depend on our legal system to protect you-it’s screwed up. The Public Safety machinery is also lousy and our other social institutions?....

Gee, please don’t get

(Formerly East-End Tropical Market)

Business Hours Monday - Wednesday Thursday - Friday Saturday Sunday

damn thing for the constituency. The question is what prevents the voters from voting him out?

Lack of integrity is the problem here. We need the right people doing the right thing every day in order for things in our society to change. We need integrity and commitment to affect change.

Take care of yourself: Stop expecting the government to come to your rescue, Yes, I know that some of the voters do expect some form of government handouts but, I hope you’re not one of them. Become selfreliant and self-sufficient .That means rely on your SELF. Your future is up to you and you alone; not your government, your company, your party, your uncles or cousins— Just you. Take control; of your life and take care of yourself. Turn off your cell phone and get off from Facebook and read one hour a day. You will see the difference that will make in your life.

Get Your Finances in Order: Try as much as possible to live within your means. If you do that you won’t be so tempted to get bribes to fix your financial leaking faucet.

So try as much as possible to stash as much

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28

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

BUSINESS Let’s Live and Act in 2013 and Beyond

By: Jayson Schwarz

By Eddie Twumasi Smith Bsc(Hons) Chem Eng, MBA,CGA, CPA

Person

#

3:

I’ve owned my own business for just over 5 years now which I work at full time. Although there are a great number of pros, here are some of the cons I’ve experienced:

As the year 2012 comes to an end, we welcome 2013 with new hopes and expectations. Many are those who want to right their wrongs and make the best to improve upon their lives and the lives of others who depend upon them.

There are many wishes, hopes, and dreams coupled with New Year resolutions come 2013.

To achieve and realized our wishes we have to act, do what we mean and mean what we do.

By virtue of the Canadian economic policies and business environment, in my previous articles, I tried to highlights the need for our community to start considering self employment as well as finding ways to serve a given market at a profit. Pursuing this career option provides unlimited rewards but I have to admit are not without challenges.

Ask any successful business person and you will realize they had to overcome a lot of hurdles or challenges. During my research for this article, I visited an internet job forum blog and below is the thread of communication between people who are self-employed and those with intentions to start their own business: Person

#

1:

Hi! Everybody would agree that there are many advantages to run your own business. You have no bosses, no schedules.

You work for yourself and are very flexible.

Still, not many people start their own business.

So I ask you: why? What are the reasons for this? Is it not enough money? Or connections? Or courage?

Person

#

2:

Although there are a lot of guides on how you can start a business it is not as easy as that. One thing people are afraid of is taking the risk, it is money that you will lose if the business will not succeed.

1) Getting new customers. This is a real challenge. I know my skills can be applied in many companies however it is very difficult to get your foot in the door. Often times marketing dollars are spent with no return on the investment.

2) Paperwork. Processing the bills, invoices, HST, taxes, customer statements, etc. is time consuming. If you’re not doing it yourself you’re paying someone to do it. At times this can take up to 20% of my time. That’s time that I’m not making money.

3) Vacation. It is hard to get away from the business for any length of time. The customers will still call. After 3 years in business I finally decided to just schedule some vacation time but it is still difficult to take more than 1 week at a time. Long weekends are easy to take however.

4) Long hours. Now this is a funny one. With my job I have always put in long hours, just the nature of my work. That being said, my first year in business I put in less hours but that quickly changed as my business grew. 60 to 80 hours a week was very common.

In this recession its not so common anymore, more like 40 hours a week now.

5) Constantly defending your prices. Customers always want to talk your price down. Doesn’t matter if you are the cheapest guy in town, they want to pay less. You need to have thick skin to handle all the comments about how much you charge. I’m always being bombarded for freebies and lower rates. This has always been the case for me.

The above are some of the real issues and challenges facing small business start ups. As a matter of fact, many people have not tried self employment because of the risk of failure. Although the above conversation may sound cliché, in a business world, one should be willing to take on some

Happy Holidays is for Woosses!!!!!

calculated risks else there will not be any rewards.

Many established businesses face similar if not same challenges in developing and growing their businesses. Established businesses adopt some techniques in management called the (S.W.O.T) and (S.M.A.R.T) analysis in managing their operations to overcome most of the challenges outlined by person#3 above. What these acronyms mean are as below.

S.W.O.T analysis and Option Strategies Strengths: Is your unique selling disposition or natural talents which are not common to everyone.

Permit me to use catering business as a case study.

Strength will be the talent for cooking various cuisines and gourmets.

Weaknesses: Is your limitations and inability to deliver a given service or product. For example, a catering business not having the knowledge and expertise in serving a particular cuisine Opportunities: Are external environmental factors that are available to everyone but not everyone can translate that into revenue or potential source of income. Example is a catering business will have opportunities like total services i.e. helping clients plan their parties, organizing & coordinating, renting halls and serving and finally cleaning the mess for an individual who wants to host a special occasion for family members or loved ones or friends. These are opportunities out there that are not being served which can be a model for a catering business.

Threats: Are external environmental factors beyond the control of an individual. Issues like competition, economic climate, financing etc. The strategy is to avoid threats or source competitive advantage through partnership, franchise, or building equity from property to serve as collateral security.

Options Strategies: Having considered your SWOT, the next step is to critically think about what you can do with your strengths to take advantage of the opportunities. For a catering business for example, one can have options like cont'd on pg. 32

I am Jewish and fairly observant and frankly I love Christmas. Not the religious, Jesus is born Christmas, but the Peace on earth, good will t’ords men Christmas. I love the lights, the brotherhood and the feeling of giving. I cannot for the life of me, figure out why people are threatened, or offended by someone answering the phone or greeting them with Merry Christmas. Duh. I grew up in Oshawa, Ontario and went to Sunset Heights Public School. We said the Lord’s Prayer every morning and I did not go up in flames. Oh and by the way 99% of it comes from the Torah (the Jewish Bible) and every Christmas we all sang Christmas Carols. I love Christmas Carols. Hmmm Jingle Bells, White Christmas; oh my goodness it ruined me. I have one extremely observant son living with his wife and my grandchildren in Israel and 2 observant children here. Ok the Christmas stuff converted me, perverted me and ruined my life. NOT ON A GOOD DAY. Ladies and Gentlemen, we live in a country founded on true Judeo/Christian principles. Not the religious kind but the values kind. In the last census 77% of Canadians are Christian, 17% believe in God without religion. Only 6% therefore appear not to like Merry Christmas. The heck with them!!!!!!!.

Wait, that means the majority is changing this country for a vocal, loud, obnoxious minority that hold no real Canadian values by definition. Why

should the rest of us have to forego the traditional greeting because it offends some twit with a complex. We as Canadians are forgetting that this country allows us all the freedom to worship and believe the way we want, so you have the option to say “Merry Christmas” or not. If you are a person who is so insecure in your beliefs, that someone saying Merry Christmas is offensive, pack up and go back to the dark, horrible, oppressive, regimes that you or your ancestors fled in order to come and join this wonderful nation with values that are strong and free. !!!!

My Roman Catholic receptionist has been instructed to answer the phone at my law firm, Merry Christmas.

Yes, we will have a Christmas Tree and a Menorah in the lobby and we will respect each others’ values and beliefs and not be offended by either.

I personally am fed up with political correctness. Our politicians and all of us need to recognise that this is Canada and we have good healthy traditions based on fellowship, respect and brotherly love and we should not have to change them because someone who has not been part of those traditions does not like them!!!!

I challenge all of you to say Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and whatever else makes you feel good. In closing I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and God Bless Canada.

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The Ghanaian News

December 2012

29

TALKING FINANCES Parable of Long Spoons Financial Similarities kindness thanked him and returned the favor by leaning across the table to feed his benefactor.

By: Gabriel Quayson, Toronto This article will focus on a parable I came across years ago and its significance to finance.

Embodied in this parable is the concept of Karma, Law of Harvest, Golden Rule, Leveraging and Law of investment. The parable is as follows: “A holy man was having a conversation with the Creator one day and said, “Creator, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.

“The Creator led the holy man to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table and row after row of tables were laden with platters of sumptuous food. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water.

The

people

sitting

around the table were thin, sickly, pale, emaciated and moaning in hunger. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and both arms were splinted with wooden slats so they could not bend either elbow or each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Creator said, “You have seen Hell.”

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one.

There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons and

both arms were splinted with wooden slats so they could not bend either elbow, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

As the holy man came closer, he was amazed to discover that here, too, each person had his arms splinted on wooden slats that prevented him from bending his elbows.

How, then, did they manage to eat? “As the holy man watched, a man picked up his spoon and dug it into the dish before him. Then he stretched across the table and fed the person across from him! The recipient of this

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The holy man suddenly understood. Heaven and Hell offer the same circumstances and conditions. The critical difference is in the way the people treat each other.

The holy man ran back to Hell to share this solution with the poor souls trapped there. He whispered in the ear of one starving man, “You do not have to go hungry. Use your spoon to feed your neighbor, and he will surely return the favor and feed you.” “’You expect me to feed the detestable man sitting across the table?’ said the man angrily. ‘I would rather starve than give him the pleasure of eating!’

“The holy man then understood the Creator’s wisdom in choosing who is worthy to go to Heaven and who deserves to go to Hell.”

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We have the opportunity to use what we are given (the long spoons in this allegory) to help nourish each other, but the problem lies in how we treat each other. Given the same level playing field one group of people will treat each other well, will create a pleasant and wealthy environment.

Whereas, another group of people, given exactly the same tools to work with, can create a living hell simply by how they treat each other. It’s a simple truth, but easy to forget. When you are in need, you can’t see what’s in front of you.

The way to turn things

around is to have faith and use your talent/gifts to help those in need without expectation of immediate reward. Once that helping seed is planted, its fruit will show up to service a need you might have at some point in the near or far future.

Financially speaking, you are getting the return on your investment. As per the Law of Harvest, you are reaping what you have sown. As per Karma, the positive energy will eventually vibrate back to the source.

As per the Golden Rule, what you did onto others has been done onto you.

We as humans are givcont'd on pg. 32

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30

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

Police: 20 children among 26 victims of Connecticut school shooting Dressed in black fatigues and a military vest, a heavily armed man walked into a Connecticut elementary school Friday and opened fire, shattering the quiet of this southern New England town and leaving the nation reeling at the number of young lives lost.

Within minutes, 26 people were dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- 20 of them children. Among the six adults killed were Dawn Hochsprung, the school’s beloved principal, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach.

The shooter, identified by three law enforcement officials as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, also was killed, apparently by his own hand. Separately, his mother’s body was found at a Newtown residence.

“Stuff like this does not happen in Newtown,” a tight-knit community of about 27,000 just outside Danbury, said Renee Burn, a local teacher at another school in town.

In the past 10 years, only one homicide had previously been reported.

With the death toll at 26, the Newtown shooting is the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, behind only the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech that left 32 people dead.

“Evil visited this community today,” Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy said of Friday’s massacre.

How do we stop the violence?

Young students described being ushered into bathrooms and closets by teachers as the first shots rang out. Janet Vollmer, a kindergarten teacher, locked her classroom doors, covered the windows and read a story to her 19 students to keep them calm.

Third-grader Alexis Wasik said police and teachers barged into her classroom and told students to hide in the corner.

“Everybody was crying,” she said. “And I just heard the police officers yelling.”

One parent who was in the school at the time of the shooting said she heard a “pop, pop, pop,” sound around 9:30 a.m.

In the room with her were Hochsprung, the vice principal and Sherlach.

All three left the room and went into the hall to see what was happening.

The parent ducked under the table and called 911.

“I cowered,” she told CNN’s Meredith Artley.

The shooter “must have shot a hundred rounds.”

Responding police officers helped evacuate the children, telling them to hold hands and keep their eyes closed to the carnage as they exited the building.

‘I hope my mom is ok’: Tweets from the shooting As reports of the shooting surfaced, frantic parents

descended on a nearby firehouse where the children had been taken.

“Why? Why?” one woman wailed as she walked up a wooded roadway leading from the school.

‘It doesn’t seem possible’ Police declined to speculate on a motive Friday evening, citing the ongoing investigation.

Lanza had no known criminal record, a law enforcement official said.

Alex Israel, a former classmate of Lanza’s, described him as “quiet” and “reserved.”

“You could definitely tell he was a genius,” Israel told CNN, adding she hadn’t talked with him since middle school. “He was really quiet, he kept to himself.”

Three weapons were recovered from the school: a semi-automatic .223 Bushmaster found in a car in the school parking lot, and a Glock and a Sig Sauer found with Lanza’s body, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said. The weapons were legally purchased by Lanza’s mother, the official said.

The official said Lanza died of an apparent selfinflicted gunshot wound.

Lt. J. Paul Vance of the Connecticut State Police said that the medical examiner will determine the cause of death for the gunman, though he noted that police never discharged their weapons.

In addition to the killings at Sandy Hook, another adult was found dead at a second location in Newtown, Vance said. A law enforcement source with detailed knowledge of the investigation identified that person as Lanza’s mother, Nancy.

Despite earlier reports that said she was a teacher, Nancy Lanza was not a teacher at the school where the killings took place, said Janet Vollmer, a kindergarten teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Meanwhile, authorities in

Nancy Lanza loved guns, and often took her sons to one of the shooting ranges here in the suburbs northeast of New York City, where there is an active community of gun enthusiasts, her friends said. At a local bar, she sometimes talked about her gun collection.

Adam Lanza in an undated group photo of the Newtown High School technology club, which appeared in the school’s yearbook.

Adam Lanza in an undated group photo of the Newtown High School technology club, which appeared in the school’s yearbook.

It was one of her guns that was apparently used to take her life on Friday. Her killer was her son Adam Lanza, 20, who then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary

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School, where he killed 26 more people, 20 of them small children, before shooting himself, the authorities said.

Ms. Lanza’s fascination with guns became an important focus of attention on Saturday as investigators tried to determine what caused Mr. Lanza to carry out one of the worst massacres in the nation’s history.

Investigators have linked Ms. Lanza to five weapons: two powerful handguns, two traditional hunting rifles and a semiautomatic rifle that is similar to weapons used by troops in Afghanistan. Her son took the two handguns and the semiautomatic rifle to the school. Law enforcement

officials said they believed the guns were acquired legally and were registered.

Ms. Lanza, 52, had gone through a divorce in 2008 and was described by friends as social and generous to strangers, but also high-strung, as if she were holding herself together.

She lived in a large Colonial home here with Adam Lanza, and had struggled to help him cope with a developmental disorder that often left him reserved and withdrawn, according to relatives, friends and former classmates.

At some point, he had dropped out of the Newtown school system. An older son, Ryan, did not live with Ms. Lanza.

In a statement on Saturday cont'd on pg. 61

For more information contact your local newspaper.

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of those killed were young children -- Sandy Hook serves students in kindergarten through fourth grade -- touched a nerve across the world Friday, from U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders expressing grief to regular folks reacting with horror on social media as the news unfolded. The overwhelming sentiment: Hug your kids closely.

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A Mother, a Gun Enthusiast and the First Victim

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Hoboken, New Jersey, were questioning Ryan Lanza, the suspect’s older brother, law enforcement sources said, though they did not label him a suspect. Lanza’s father, who lives in Connecticut, was similarly questioned, one of the law enforcement officials said.

Earlier, investigators had identified Ryan Lanza as the shooter.

It was not clear what caused the confusion among investigators.

The fact that so many

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The Ghanaian News

December 2012

31

Community Information For All Your Events Coverage

Movement of United Ghanaians Abroad ( MUGA-GHANA FIRST ) The Official mouthpiece Ghanaians Abroad OUR MISSION

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Is to serve as a forum where Ghanaians living Abroad express our concern about event and circumstances in Ghana that affect our well being and of our brother's and Sister's at home.

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32

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

The

Youth Journal

MOVING FORWARD WITH OUR YOUTH THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY

Youth Development Policy Initiatives Key to Ghana’s Future Economic Prosperity

By Kwabena Akuoko, MSW, RSW, Toronto

Young people constitute a significant segment of Ghana’s population. The country’s current cohort of children and adolescents is said to be the largest ever.

This means that whatever investment made in that population now will have vital effect on a significant number of Ghanaians in the future. Sound youth development policy initiatives will thus augur well for the country as a whole in the foreseeable future. Such policies inventiveness will in many respects improve Ghana’s economic status and ultimately help it to become a full middle income country. Also, given Ghana’s leadership role in Africa, I am of the view that our improved youth strategies will become the standards for other African countries in preparing their youth for the future good of our continent.

Like their counterparts in other parts of the world, young people in Ghana have many pressing education, economic, health and other needs that must be addressed now if long-term positive outcomes are to be achieved. The critical value of young people to the future prosperity of any society cannot be overemphasised, but Ghana seems to have investment gap in preparing its youth for a better future.

This view is echoed by Youth Challenge International (YCI) - a youth-focused international non government organization (NGO), which accurately asserts that Ghana’s rapid increase in its youth population has made access to education and employment opportunities particularly difficult for that demographic. This is despite the fact that every country’s future economic success is intrinsically tied to policy initiatives that comprehensively prepare and empower its young people.

There seems to be a general lack of understanding in Ghana that contemporary global economic challenges necessitate the need for the government to take a fresh approach towards youth development. Ghana has an obligation to invest in its young people in arrays of human development index as a means to preparing for the country’s future economic growth in a rapidly changing global economy.

Ghanaian government, in partnership with different stakeholders must then ensure that all young people have access to quality education and other opportunities that will enable them to grow or develop, and become fully engaged, responsive and productive citizens. This then critically calls for the government and its partners to support youth who by virtue of their vulnerability and other constraints such as poverty and geographic locations find themselves relegated to the margins of society and are unable to benefit from opportunities available to young citizens in a democracy.

Although youth-focused investments are cost-effective in improving health and reducing poverty for the benefit of a country’s future economic growth, yet there is a serious disparity between current and desired levels of investments in youth development in Ghana. And as an emerging regional economic power, which also

aspires to become a full middle income country, I think Ghana is yet to realize the economic and social importance of investing in young people and how investment in one area also improves others. For example, investment in youth job training and employment opportunities leads to the reduction of youth crime and poverty. Also, investment in nutritional standards for children will improve their health and school performances.

The importance of investing in key areas pertaining to young people, both through focusing on broader economic development and poverty reduction, and more specifically in the areas of education, health and social protection cannot be overlooked. Given that children and adolescents constitute a sizeable percentage of Ghana’s population, they represent important leverage point of investment in human capital and the fundamental means towards intergenerational poverty reduction objectives.

As an important human resource seen as pillar of Ghana’s economic future, young people can contribute immeasurably to national development if given the right tools through sound investments in their health and education for example. Such investment is then important not because children and adolescents represent a significant segment of the population, but vital to the country’s future economic growth.

One particular area, which I strongly believe Ghana, has to focus on to ensure a better future for its youth is to overhaul the post-secondary education system in order to produce employment-ready graduates.

The large army of university educated unemployed young Ghanaians for instance reinforces the need to appropriately invest in the tertiary education system that seems to focus on educating for public sector jobs, with less focus on the private sector. Far often, a university degree in Ghana is an entry requirement for government employment, with little attention paid to specific job skills in private sector. Hopefully, private providers of higher education could fill this void leaving the government with the responsibility for oversight of higher education. I firmly believe that effective revamping of the post-secondary education system along with quality primary and secondary education and effective job training skills are good starting points and practical ways towards investing in the future of Ghana’s youthful population.

We cannot pretend that the urgency to ensure that the succeeding generations are competently prepared for future economic challenges does not exist. Youthfocused investments now will certainly lead Ghana to future economic prosperity. Preparing our young people must be taken seriously if the ultimate goal is for our country to achieve full middle income status and become key regional and potentially, global economic player. The stakes for not empowering the youthful population for future economic development objectives are enormous.

The Ghanaian News online Check it out www. ghanaiannews.ca

Prez Mahama appoints seven new ambassadors Even before he is sworn into office, President John Dramani Mahama seems to have hit the ground running as he has started making appointments into his yet-tobe-formed government.

Albert Francis Yankey, Ethiopia; Mr. Edmund Kofi Deh, Japan; Mr. Sammie P. Eddico, Switzerland; Alhaji Bawah Gilbert Ayembillah, Iran; and Morgan Adokwei Brown, Belgium.

On Tuesday afternoon, the president made seven appointments when he administered the Oath of Office on new ambassadors who are going to countries where Ghana has established long standing diplomatic relations.

Giving the Instrument of Office to the newly appointed ambassadors, the president urged them to always endeavour to assist every Ghanaian they come across in their line of duty irrespective of the person’s immigration status.

The ambassadors are: Mr. Kodjo Asimeng Wadee, Liberia; Mr. Ernest Sowatey, Israel; Mr.

“We have a very adventurous population. Everywhere you go, you will find a Ghanaian. Prob-

ably even if you were posted to Greenland, you would find some Ghanaians there… I think that you represent all Ghanaians when you go to those postings,” he said.

President Mahama urged the ambassadors to have an open door policy to accommodate the problems and ideas of Ghanaians wherever they are posted.

On his part, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni appealed to the new ambassadors to serve as brand icons to Ghanaian products and services. Radioxyzonline.com

Parable of Long Spoons Financial Similarities cont'd from pg. 29 en dominion over many resources on earth. Such as: 1-fish of the sea, 2-fowl of the air, 3-animals, 4-land and its minerals, etc. From resources and environmental point of view, the African Continent is one of the most blessed, yet its citizens are one of the poorest per capita on earth. The wealth of the Continent is not realized because many members (especially leaders) are overly concerned with their needs without concern for others. In so doing, no investment is made in others and no seeds are planted. They do unto others, as they will not like it done onto them. This counter-productive action leads to scarcity and poverty by the participants (majority of the population). Wealth is like cow manure, if you spread it around, it makes things

grow. If kept in one place, it smells.

Your understanding of the parable of the long spoons will aid in your wealth creation by your understanding of LEVERAGE. According to the parable, the occupants in Heaven were all fed by the effort and labour of others.

Achieving more with less of your own resources is known as leverage. Using other people’s talents, skills, contacts, credibility, money and resources are all examples of leverage. The leveraging principle allows you to exponentially gain a return on your investment. For leverage to be effective you must be an influential leader with foresight, wisdom and most importantly, ensure other participant’s needs are being met, as per the terms of the written or verbal contractual agreement.

Let’s Live and Act in 2013 and Beyond cont'd from pg. 28

providing catering services during some annual events, determine the revenue potential and the financing implications of your choices. Having done this, one needs to design a plan and devise tactics on how to achieve these objectives.

S.M.A.R.T Objectives Specify Objectives: Decide on what exactly you want to offer your clients. Specify product or services that has the income potential Measurable Objectives: Make sure your objectives can be quantified. Example, serving 100 clients or 25 events in 2013 Achievable Objectives: Make sure your objectives are achievable given your resources, strengths and competitive advantage.

Realistic Objectives: Make sure your objectives are realistic giv-

en the potential external threats.

Time Bound Objectives: Make sure your set plan has a time plan. When to get your license, permits, when you apply for financing, looking for space to rent, etc.

Putting a time objectives will help you to determine your progress and where necessary revise your targets or tactics.

I hope and pray in the year 2013 and beyond, where we lacked the 4 Ds; we will have the Desire, the Discipline, the Doable spirit and the Dedication, be SMART to activate our God given talents & potential to realize our passion and wishes. Let’s live and act!

B y Eddie Twumasi Smith Bsc(Hons) Chem Eng, MBA,CGA Email: eddiesmith77@gmail.com

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December 2012

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The Apostle's Continuation Church Int'l Christmas Party December 1st 2012

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

Community in pictures

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Community in pictures

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PEOPLE AND PLACES Nana Kwarteng Amaning of Krobo Group in Toronto Mama Africa receives an after a meeting at Award from All Nations Afro Delicious Restaurant Church, Montreal

National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada End-of Year Dinner Dance

Hon. Jim Karygiannis presenting the Queen's Jubilee Medal to Ned Blair

Mr. Thomas Saras, President/CEO of NEPMCC

Hon. Eric Hoskins, Asha Rajak, Hon. Mark Garneau

Hon Jean Augustine and Mr. Kwodjo Mawutor

Invited guests

Invited guests

Ghanaian News Team with Hon. Rathika Sitsabaiesan, MP Scarborough-Rouge River

Invited guests

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December 2012

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Thanksgiving Service for Presiding Elder George Owusu Elder Owusu and family went to Church to thank God for his miraculous recovery after a very serious sickness.

The service was held at Bethel Prayer Ministry Int'l on Sunday 2nd December 2012.

Elder Owusu flanked by wife Deaconness Jennifer Owusu, Apostle Dennis Awuku, Emmanuel Adade and well-wisher

Elder Owusu flanked by wife Deaconness Jennifer Owusu,family and well-wishers at the service

Trinity Baptist Church Toronto Christmas Party Dec. 16 2012 Youth dancers

Mrs. Nana Amoakohene (left) and some Church Elders

Invited guests Invited guests

Invited guests

Invited guests

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Recipe for this special season

An End-of-Year Financial Checklist Can Keep You on the Right Track cont'd from pg. 26

- Consider setting up a better filing system for the coming year. Can you put different categories into different folders?

Should you scan them into your computer or try out an expense-tracking app on your smartphone? (Many are free.) · Analyze — Now it’s time to look at your spending patterns. As you do, ask yourself: - Is anything out of whack?

For example, are you paying a disproportionate amount of money on your mortgage or rent? Are you eating out too often? Are your credit card balances creeping up each month?

Are your car repairs getting more frequent and costly?

As African people, when it comes to food, we all about aroma and taste.

Here are some simple ways to dazzle your turkey with both, taste and aroma this Christmas.

1 medium turkey Half a cup of water One bush of thyme ¼ hand full of Pimentos One table spoon full of clove 1 whole white onion One branch of fresh ginger or 2 tea spoon of ginger powder 1 table spoon of cayenne pepper / 2 table spoon of paprika 2 table spoon of salt 1 teaspoon of brown sugar Chop a whole branch of celeries into cubs, chop 5 potatoes into cups and mix them together Blend all spices together for mixture; add your water to get liquid form. Set aside some of the blended seasoning to add to the mixed potatoes and celeries to fill the turkey.

Wash the turkey down and stuff with your mixture of potatoes and celery. Rub the exterior down with your mixture of seasons.

Prep…covers the turkey with a foil paper and let is marinate in the fridge for one hour.

Baking solution; Place the turkey in the oven and bake for at least, or until meat is to your liking. Baste frequently, for nice and slow bake with a deep penetration of your seasoning.

Note: there are many ways to give your turkey a face lift this year, what we just prepared brighten your kitchen and sings melodies of Africa. Your guest will keep coming back for more Tips: For more colorful and spicy turkey, add 1 spoon of chili pepper and red wine.

Add a blend of Afro Delicious house source to impress your guess this Christmas

- Did you buy a lot of stuff you didn’t need or use? That jewel-encrusted cheese grater — could you think about purchases like that a bit longer next time? If you separate your clothing bills, do you find that a lot of them are for clothes you already regret or couldn’t bring yourself to wear?

- Did you leave any room in your spending for saving or emergency? How long would you be okay for if you suddenly lost your job or if a pipe burst in your house or the furnace conked out? · Strategize — Once you’ve had a good look at what you’ve done with your finances in the last year, you’re in a better position to plan ahead. There’s time at the end of the year, and early in 2013 in the case of some programs, to take advantage of tax-saving measures such as Registered Retirement Sav-

ings Plans (RRSPs). So ask: - Can you contribute to (or open) an RRSP, a Registered Home Ownership Savings Plan, a Tax Free Savings Account or a Registered Education Savings Plan? Do you know how, or who to talk to at your credit union for help?

- Did you buy or sell stocks or a rental property in 2012?

If you sold and made a profit, you’ll be taxed for the capital gain. However if you sold and lost money, even if this was in previous years, you can apply these losses against the money you made. Make sure you have all your records of your stock market and property dealings.

- Do you have a lot of debt?

Is it manageable? Can you pay off the high-interest debt, for example, credit card balances, first? Do you have a realistic plan to whittle down this debt or do you need professional advice?

Most importantly, are there ways to make better use of your money in 2013?

Remember this is a checkup, not an exercise in making yourself feel guilty. In the course of each year, all of us do many necessary and sensible things with our money, and some things that are not so wise.

The trick is to take some time to figure out which is which before we plunge into the future Organize, analyze, strategize — and win.

Dave Schurman is chief operating officer at FirstOntario Credit Union and a regular contributor to Finance Friday on CHCH TV.

For more information on recipe, call Afro Delicious at 905-265-7767 or 416-316-0244

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December 2012

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Frankly Speaking GHANA ELECTIONS: OF WINNERS AND LOSERS

By Dr. Michael Baffoe, Winnipeg The much-hyped elections in Ghana have come and gone. With the end of the elections come the reality of winners and losers. And with the reality of winners and losers come feelings of bitterness, acrimony, fingerpointing and blame game on the part of the losers.

And on the winners’ side come high elation, happiness, celebrations and feelings of superiority and sense of entitlements (the spoils of war).

The losers of the elections, as announced by the Electoral Commission were the New Patriotic Party (NPP) whose Presidential candidate, Nana Akufo Addo pulled 47.74 per cent against 50.7 per cent for the NDC Candidate and sitting President John Mahama. The other six “also run” candidates pulled a meagre total of 1.56 per cent of the votes.

The results of winners, losers and also-runs were expected. Whether the losers would like to accept the results or not, as some are threatening, most of us in the media were not surprised. Despite crying foul and all sorts of reactions, the NPP has itself to blame for painfully losing this elections which they had every opportunity to win had they done their homework and underground work well. All the portends were there

for the opposition NPP to wrestle the power they narrowly lost in the 2008 elections from the NDC. Here was a country that was reeling under the heavy weight of scandals upon scandals and naked stealing and corruption that the NDC had rained upon the country for four years. This was a government and party that were openly, and without any remorse whatsoever were stealing public money and resources under the guise of “judgement debts” in the millions of dollars without any regrets or consideration of the plight of the average Ghanaian citizen. The public mood was one that was totally turned against the ruling party.

Here was a party and government that lost its leader only four months to elections time and was in a bit of disarray in the run-up to the elections.

The NPP was also keenly aware of the potential of the NDC to steal the elections in known areas in the Northern, Upper and Volta Regions. Yet,

the NPP sat there and pretended as if everything was “normal” and that the elections could be won only on the mood of Ghanaian voters. And added to the forces arrayed against the NPP was the Electoral Commission, a supposedly “independent” body charged with conducting a free, fair and transparent elections but whose behaviour and actions over the past four years had proved that they were rather in bed with the governing NDC party.

So against all these hard facts, which were not new, one expected the NPP to come up with intelligent strategies to counter the potential fraud and stealing of the election by its opponents with the connivance of the Electoral Commission. But, no! They carried on “business as usual”. I respect and trust the NDC for one thing: they are very sophisticated in their crudeness. When they want to steal, they steal big and they do it openly as well. They can steal elections and steal big. Who doesn’t? Even in the “headquarter” of democracy, the United States of America, elections are frequently stolen. Remember George Bush and Al Gore in Florida 2000? All smart politicians learn lessons from previous elections and devise measures

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to counter the potential fraud of their opponents. The NPP showed that they have learnt no lessons from the 1992, 1996 and 2008 elections.

An interesting case that comes to mind in Ghana is the 1992 Elections.

One Presidential candidate, General Erskine voted at a polling station with his wife and daughter and when the results were announced from that polling station, he got “zero”. Wao!!! This shows that the NDC and the Electoral Commission already had their ballot boxes stuffed ready for counting and whatever ballots were cast on elections day did not really matter.

The NPP are keenly aware of all these facts and the potential of the NDC to steal and steal big. Yet they sat there and decided to do business as usual relying only on the votes that will actually be cast to be counted. Good luck!!!

The NPP is threatening to go to the Supreme Court to get the results declared by the Electoral Commission overturned.

Hmmnn!! I will only wish them luck but we have records of the history of election results that have been challenged in court in Ghana before. It will drag on and on and on for close to four years by which time whoever was de-

clared the winner(s) have almost finished their mandate. So I honestly do not see any good that will actually come out of this intended court case which they have promised filing within the 21-day stipulated period.

Recently when someone challenged the power of the Electoral Commission to create 45 new constituencies, the Supreme Court of Ghana, although agreeing that the applicant had a good case, ruled that overturning the action of the Electoral Commission will create chaos and confusion taking into consideration all the resources that the Commission had already invested in the process.

What kind of legal reasoning was that? Going by this record, I predict

the Supreme Court will rule that although the applicants (NPP) had clearly proved fraud in some cases in the election, overturning the results will create chaos and confusion in the country and therefore the results as declared by the Electoral Commission should stand. Anybody wants to bet with me on this?

My simple advice to the NPP is this: If you really want to win subsequent elections you better get you acts together, design new strategies and match the NDC in their stealing game boot for boot, foot by foot, hand by hand. They should also get more young blood involved in their leadership. The time of the Old Guard from the Danquah-Busia days are clearly over.

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View Point

Community Concerns

Reflecting on practical words/ actions and challenges over the passing year and looking ahead

The Importance of Family this Christmas

By Golda Abena Quayson

As the year draws to a close, we often sit back and reflect on things we should have done, and things that we were happy about and some things that we were not so happy about. These reflections can sometimes be draining emotionally and physically. In reflecting over events in our lives, we should keep in mind that life is always full of ups and downs. Whatever we went through in the year that is about to close, we must look at the brighter side of it and strive to do even better in the coming year. There are some things we can never do away with, and somehow we have to continuously deal with them.

I want us to continuously keep these two words in mind: Health and Hope. If you don’t have good health, you’ve got very little. And health as a metaphor also works for all sorts of other areas outside the realm of mental and physical wellness, such as relationships, work and businesses. Do reflect on these words and concepts when the going gets tough: Boost, Cure, Energize, Flush, Food, Exercise and Vibrant.

Likewise, if you don’t have Hope, the outlook on life is bleak indeed. Hope is defined as “the expectation of something good”. The desire to believe that things will be better in the future is a primary motivator for action. Again, we have to put ourselves in a position of anticipating, or looking forward to energize us move through life with these words, and: Bright, Destiny, empower, overcome, Not giving-up and Undo or Sankofa.

Now think about words like Anger and Frustration. A lot of people are ticked off about a lot of things, and we get overcome easily with anger. And this is not healthy. These are few words to ponder on when you find yourself in this position to question yourself: Arrogant, Cruel, Greed, Hate and Unscrupulous.

Frustration stems from the inability to solve a problem. If you have a problem and cannot come up with a solution frustration sets in which in turn intensifies the immediate desire for a solution. Powerlessness is frustration taken to the extreme, and we all feel it from time to time.

Beyond that which is forbidden, we feel a solution is literally unattainable. Beyond anger, we feel intense resentment. The ability to empathize with and empower those who feel this way makes you a hero.

You will struggle with these feelings: Agony, Floundering, Helpless, Paralyzed and Surrender. But do not give up. It is

all part of life experiences.

In the face of problems, you have to be calm and consider phrases like: Had enough? Never again… Pointless, Temporary fixes and Tired.

What about dealing with Betrayal and Revenge?

The word betrayal itself is a powerful emotional trigger word. As a theme, it powers Shakespeare’s most powerful works, and runs repeatedly though current headlines regarding countries, politicians, economy, families, Wall Street, Companies, as well as in relationships. We all experience life’s roller coaster may at times. We feel cheated, and want to do something about that.

These words may come into your mind from time to time : Burned, Conspiracy, Unfaithfulness, Fleece, and Swindle.

The thought of Revenge is the result of actions of betrayal, and it’s so powerful because revenge connotes action. The action you should take when you feel betrayed should however be more along the lines of “living well is the best revenge,” not something ugly or destructive. Most of the time, revenge is an evil behavior and in the end it results in losses. These words and/actions may come to you: Avenge, Payback, Reclaim, Turn the tables, and Vindication.

But keep in mind that “living well is the best revenge”. Do not waste your energy on revenge. It serves no good purpose!!

Finally, consider Passion and Urgency.

When your audience is passionate about what you have to say or sell, there’s no need to convince them of the need for what you are offering. Beyond attaining the objects of our desire, we love to experience excitement along the way. So don’t take passion for granted; enhance it! Think about these words and create room for them in your life: Be Blissful, Delightful, and Jubilant, Rave, laughter and Thrilled.

In conclusion the Power of the Right Words always encourages and does wonders in people’s lives. It is understandable, non-judgmental, believing, assurance and healing. The difference between the right word and the almost right word is determined by the level of emotional identification that word prompts. In other words, the right emotional trigger words take the same basic message to all new heights. These are few words to ponder on during the holidays.

Be kind to one another, love more, and always remember to choose encouraging words and not words that dump the spirit.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. God bless you all.

Doris Osei Bonsu, Crisis Counselor, Toronto As we have now entered the month of December and the Christmas season, it is important to remember what is important in life. It is not always about the Christmas presents that you receive each year; it is the special people in your life who give you those gifts that really matter.

This could be family, friends, your boyfriend or girlfriend, or anyone whom you consider to be special to you. As you enter Christmas, and as you open those gifts, take the time to be grateful for all those people, and let them know what they mean to you this Christmas.

Many of us have family traditions, especially when it comes time for the Holiday seasons.

It might be anything from decorating the tree as a family to going somewhere or doing something fun. Family traditions are things that we should appreciate because they are events our families put time and value in, and they bring families together.

If you don’t already have your own traditions, it might be fun to start some. It doesn’t necessarily have to be with your family. It can be with a group of friends or anyone you want.

I was interviewing a coworker about the meaning of Christmas to her and this is what she said “For me, Christmas holidays lost its mean-

ing ever since I realized there was no Santa. The fantasy was shattered.

As I got older, Christmas became a stressful time where you feel you should be full of joy and happiness even though all you want to do is runaway (from the cheesy work Christmas party, the family obligations, the chaos of shopping).

Another colleague also stated that after working in retail for years and witnessing people (literally) fight over that last 25% off gift items, she started to really question the true meaning of Christmas and how she would like to spend it.

I believe that Christmas, with the Christian religion aside, is supposed to be a time of goodwill, peace and love toward mankind.

Somewhere in time, this was lost and it became the quintessential commercial celebration.

Just go to any shopping mall on December 24th, and you’ll know what I mean. The shopping craze with its attendant stressors is alarming!

Here are some things I am proposing families do, to bring the magic and meaning back to the holidays.

1. Do not make it about the presents. It’s hard when you have children and not give gifts. Although we don’t want to deprive children of gifts at Christmas, we also want to start introducing them to the idea that Christmas is about something more. We should begin a tradition for them – to buy a little gift

for them and give it to a child who is not so privileged as they are. We should also be making gifts for one another or giving each other something that is meaningful; such as: more ‘personal/ me’ time, more play time etc. Let’s face it, how much more ‘things’ do we really need?

3. Do some good. For the Man Evolved, service to others should be one of those things that is second nature. During this time, it is a good opportunity to involve the family in community work.

There are many things one can do in the community from volunteering at food banks to conducting a clothes drive.

4. Relax. Forget the Boxing Day sales. Say ‘no’ to events you don’t have to attend. It’s all about the family and spending time together. This is a good time to put your feet up and just enjoy doing nothing.

As you open your presents on Christmas morning, I challenge you to do something: take a moment to think about the name on each card.

Think about what role that person has played in your life and why you are thankful for them.

It is really easy to get caught up in the excitement of presents, being out of school and work, and having fun.

If we take the time to show appreciation for the important people in our lives, we might find that our Christmas is filled with even more happiness and joy.

For All Your Events Coverage Call The Ghanaian News 416-916-3700

The Ghanaian News

Ask The Doctor

December 2012

45

Lifestyle

By: David Yaw Twum-Barima, MD, MSc, FRCPC

This column is devoted to answering your questions on health and discusions of diseases which are common among the African Canadians.

Alcohol use: Why moderation is key Can alcohol benefit your health? It depends on how much you drink.

You’ve likely heard to drink in moderation, but what does that mean? And why is moderation important?

Moderate alcohol use seems to offer some health benefits, particularly for the heart. But too much alcohol raises the stakes, putting you at risk of adverse health consequences.

Whether you drink is up to you and your doctor. But here are some points on alcohol consumption to consider.

Benefits of moderation Moderate drinking is defined as two drinks a day if you’re a male 65 and younger, or one drink a day if you’re a female or a male 66 and older. A drink is defined as 12 ounces (355 milliliters) of beer, 5 ounces (148 milliliters) of wine or 1.5 ounces (44 milliliters) of 80-proof distilled spirits.

Moderate alcohol consumption may provide some health benefits. It may: - Reduce your risk of developing heart disease, - Reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack - Possibly reduce your risk of strokes, particularly ischemic strokes - Lower your risk of gallstones - Possibly reduce your risk of diabetes Risks of excessive drinking Though moderate alcohol use seems to have some health benefits, anything

more than moderate drinking can negate any potential benefits.

Be cautious because excessive alcohol consumption can lead to serious health problems, including: - Cancer of the pancreas, mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus and liver, as well as breast cancer - Pancreatitis (inflam mation of the pancreas), especially in people with high levels of triglycerides in their blood - Sudden death in people with cardiovascular disease - Heart muscle damage (alcoholic cardiomyopathy) leading to heart failure - Stroke - High blood pressure - Cirrhosis of the liver - Miscarriage - Fetal alcohol syndrome in an unborn child, including impaired growth and nervous system development - Injuries due to impaired motor skills - Suicide Who shouldn’t drink alcohol?

People with certain health conditions shouldn’t drink any alcohol, as even small amounts could cause problems.

Don’t drink alcohol if you have: - A history of hemorrhagic stroke - Liver disease - Pancreatic disease - Evidence of precancerous changes in the esophagus, larynx, pharynx or mouth If you have a family history of alcoholism, be particularly cautious when

Police: 20 children among 26 victims of Connecticut school shooting cont'd on pg. 30

ment about the shooting, saying, “Our hearts are broken today.”

“The majority of those who died today were children. Beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old,” he said.

The bodies of the young victims remained where they fell Friday night, as authorities worked to positively identify them.

Flags were ordered to fly at half-staff nationwide in tribute to the victims, and candlelight vigils were planned across the country as Americans came together to try to comprehend the tragedy.

At a vigil in Newtown, just a mile away from the school, mourners spilled from St. Rose of Lima Roman Cath-

olic Church, which was filled to capacity.

“This is most definitely the worst thing we’ve experienced in town,” Newtown Police Lt. George Sinko said.

Parents, meanwhile, struggled to come up with answers for their children who were among those safely evacuated Friday.

Aimee Seaver’s daughter is a first-grader at Sandy Hook.

“It’s a very rough night here,” she told “AC 360.” “When your firstgrader goes to bed and says, ‘Mommy, is anyone from my class last year -- are they all OK?’ and you look at them and say, ‘I’m not really sure,’ it’s a rough night to tell that to your 7-year-old.”

It is not yet known how the gunman entered the school.

Slain principal worked to keep students safe Hochsprung, the slain principal, had recently installed a new security system to ensure student safety.

Under the new system, every visitor was required to ring a doorbell at the front entrance after the doors locked at 9:30 a.m. and report to the main office to sign in.

Police began receiving reports of shots fired around 9:40 a.m. Friday.

In 1999, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, two students shot 13 people to death before killing themselves. CNN

it comes to drinking, as you’re at higher risk of alcoholism. And if you’re pregnant, avoid alcohol entirely because of the health risks for your unborn baby.

Also, alcohol interacts with many common prescription and over-thecounter medications. Check with your doctor if you take: - Antibiotics - Anticoagulants - Antidepressants - Diabetes medications - Antihistamines - Anti-seizure medications - Beta blockers - Pain relievers - Sleeping pills If you combine alcohol with aspirin, you face an increased risk of gas-

trointestinal bleeding. And if you use alcohol and acetaminophen, you increase your risk of liver damage. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration requires all over-the-counter pain relievers and fever reducers to carry a warning label advising those who consume three or more drinks a day to consult with their doctors before using the drug.

Drink in moderation — or not at all Above all, don’t feel pressured to drink. Few medical experts, if any, advise nondrinkers to start drinking. But if you do drink and you’re healthy, there’s no need to stop as long as you drink responsibly and in moderation.

Source: Modified from Mayo Clinic Housecall:

A Mother, a Gun Enthusiast and the First Victim cont'd from pg. 30 night, her ex-husband, Peter Lanza, an executive at General Electric, said he was cooperating with investigators. “We are in a state of disbelief and trying to find whatever answers we can,” he said.

“We, too, are asking why.”

He added: “Like so many of you, we are saddened but struggling to make sense of what has transpired.”

Ms. Lanza’s brother James Champion, a former police officer who lives in Kingston, N.H., said on Saturday that agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation had questioned family members on Friday night.

Mr. Champion would not discuss whether Adam Lanza had a developmental disorder or mental illness.

“On behalf of Nancy’s mother and siblings, we reach out to the community of Newtown to express our heartfelt sorrow for the incomprehensible loss of innocence that has affected so many,” Mr. Champion said in a statement.

He said Ms. Lanza had grown up and lived in Kingston with her husband and sons before they left in 1998. He said he had not seen Adam Lanza in eight years.

Ms. Lanza’s sister-in-law Marsha Lanza, who lives in Illinois, said Adam Lanza had been homeschooled for a time because his mother was not “satisfied with the school.”

Former classmates here described him as nervous, with a flat affect.

“He was always different — keeping to himself, fidgeting and very quiet,” said a classmate, Alex Israel. “But I could always

tell he was a supersmart kid, maybe just socially awkward, something just off about him. The same went for when I went to his house. His mother was always nice to me; she was a kind, typical suburban mom as far as I remember.

As time went on, he continued to keep to himself and I branched out more, so not much contact with him after middle school.

“By the time high school came around, he did sort of disappear,” she added.

“I’d see him in the halls walking quickly with his briefcase he carried, but I never had a class with him and never saw him with friends. I was yearbook editor and I remember he declined to be photographed or give us a senior quote or baby picture.”

Some former classmates said they had been told that Mr. Lanza had Asperger’s syndrome, which is considered a high-functioning form of autism.

News reports on Friday suggested that Ms. Lanza had worked at the elementary school where the shooting occurred, but on Saturday the school superintendent said there was no evidence that she had ever worked there.

The authorities said it was not clear why Mr. Lanza had gone to the school.

Ms. Lanza was a slender woman with blond shoulder-length hair who enjoyed craft beers, jazz and landscaping. She often went to a local restaurant and music spot, My Place, where at beer tastings on Tuesday evenings, she sometimes talked about her gun collection, recalled an acquaintance, Dan Holmes,

the owner of a landscaping company in Newtown.

“She had several different guns,” Mr. Holmes said. “I don’t know how many. She would go target shooting with her kids.”

Many of those who knew Ms. Lanza in Newtown were at a loss to describe what she did for a living. Her brother in New Hampshire said she had not been working, but had once been a stockbroker.

Louise Tambascio, owner of My Place, said Ms. Lanza volunteered occasionally.

“She stayed with Adam,” Ms. Tambascio said, adding that, as a younger child, he “couldn’t get along with the kids in school.”

Ms. Lanza spoke often of her landscaping, Mr. Holmes recalled, and later hired him to do work on her home.

He recently dispatched a team to put up Christmas decorations at her house — garlands on the front columns and white lights atop the shrubbery.

After the work was complete, Ms. Lanza sent Mr. Holmes a text: “That went REALLY well!”

Jim Leff, a musician, often sat next to her at the bar and made small talk, he said in an interview on Saturday.

On one occasion, Mr. Leff said, he had gone to Newtown to discuss lending money to a friend.

As the two men negotiated the loan, Ms. Lanza overheard and offered to write the man a check.

“She was really kind and warm,” Mr. Leff said, “but she always seemed a little bit high-strung.”

He declined to elaborate, but in a post on his personal Web site, he said he felt a distance cont'dfrom on pg.her 61

46

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

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The Ghanaian News

December 2012

New Generation Leaders: Africa’s Hope I feel honoured to be part of this august occasion; an occasion at which we all reaffirm our resolve to seize the moment and to promote a holistic extension of the ideals of Africa’s liberation struggles in order to transform our societies into relevant global players.

The new generation of Africa’s leaders have a compelling duty and deep-seated responsibility to take off where our brave, nationalist legion deposited the baton in the fight for the extension of freedom; economic emancipation; and the social visibility of the African person as an essential

performer within our entire humanity. We are not extinguishing the spirit of liberation; rather, we are building upon it, with the ultimate purpose of making independence more meaningful to the lives of ordinary men and women.

Like all new generation leaders, kindly allow me to salute Africa’s leading icons of the struggle against colonialism for paving the way for the recognition of our identity and position in our continent. By fighting colonial and racist rule, the nationalists left a legacy of profound patriotism, determination and sacrifice for our birthright.

That legacy has inspired

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the new generation after realising that many of our founding fathers immediately sunk into a cesspool of intricate political mud-spots arising from history; external factors, primarily the Cold War; and their own limitations in hunting down for a compelling vision for their people.

While the challenges they faced are a matter of public record, one cannot avoid mentioning a significant shortcoming that played havoc in their style of leadership and shaped their political behaviour. Many either turned onto their own kith and kin through unrestrained intolerance and dictatorships; or simply abandoned all they originally swore to observe and to uphold as sacrosanct. It is not a coincidence, therefore, that the history of Kenya and that of Zimbabwe shares similar hallmarks before and immediately after independence from Britain.

Unlike their counterparts in Asia, the old generation of African leaders toyed with a range of experiments and ideologies in the search for redressing the inherited colonial imbalances the continent faced with the departure of the racist oppressor. The otherwise noble quest for redress was not matched with forwardlooking policies aimed at modernisation, development and improving competitiveness on the global marketplace.

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condition of their people.

Indeed, some began to mimic the oppressor’s way of life as a mode of governance. It was a fulfillment of Frantz Fanon’s seminal work, The Wretched of the Earth, in which he wrote so eloquently of the transformation of the liberators from the caring and passionate advocates of freedom into the class of the new rulers who governed their own peoples with the iron fist. Others fell in the trap of primitive accumulation, openly looting heavily stressed national treasuries and impoverishing millions in the process. The voracious appetite for luxury and personal aggrandisement at the expense of the ordinary men and women was all too apparent.

Some succumbed to unnecessary score-settling against their opponents, real or perceived, in the quest to demonstrate their indomitable power over all they now surveyed.

Many remained caked in the past: that as liberators of their nations, they were immune to chal-

lenge, national advice and constructive criticism.

In the case of Zimbabwe and Kenya, our economies and the quality of life for our people were once the pride of Africa. I can safely say if it was not for political confusion, greed and avarice our two nations could have easily been part of the newly industrialised world today.

The crisis of governance in both Zimbabwe and Kenya deprived us of a cogent, political and democratic culture, firmly supported by credible and democratic public safety institutions and nationally agreed political practices. Because of these loosely rooted systems of governance, conflict and confusion often thrive even when they could be easily avoided.

This is what we, as new players carrying on the torch of freedom and development, swear to throw away instantly. To the quest for freedom we have added the developmental agenda, focused on the upliftment of our people, rooted in systems upon which good governance is constructed.

47

The days of Afro-pessimism and hopelessness are over and should give way to Afro-optimism and hope. This is the historical mission of this new generation of leaders represented at this Convention. We live in a phase awash with beckoning opportunities; an era where a break with the past is inevitable. It is important that as leaders we must clear the current disconnect between the people’s way of life with the practice of government. We must welcome and strengthen acceptable, universal habits of citizenship in the emerging culture of openness, debate and discussion.

We must clear generational suspicions about the negative role of the state in Africa in order to restore trust and confidence in Africa’s leadership. We must redefine the relationship between the state and its citizens to be that of respect, trust and accountability. I have no doubt that lack of faith and confidence in the state and in its institutions always stifle local initiacont'd on pg. 56

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

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The Ghanaian News

GHANAIAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, TORONTO

December 2012

49

GHANAIAN ANGLIGAN CHURCH, TORONTO

35(6(176 A 3-DAY END OF YEAR JOINT PROGRAM WITH THE THEME

“Tell my people to go forward” {EXODUS 14:15b}

MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR

9(18(

Ghanaian Presby Church @ 51 High Meadow Place (Finch & Signet) Rev. Fr. Gabriel Opoku-Ware (Ghanaian Angleican Church)

DATES: Dec. 29 - 30 2012 (7pm-10pm)

Rev. Frank O. Adu (Ghana Presbyterian Church)

Dec. 31 2012 (8pm - 12:30am)

All are cordially invited to come and experience the power of the Holy Spirit as Christ Jesus usheres us into The year 2013.

Contacts: Rev. Frank Adu (905-915-1461 Rev. Gabriel Opoku-Ware (416-901-3932);Bros F. Owusu (416-407-3161) Designed By Kofi Asem: 416-418-7004

50

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

Godwin Smith of Winnipeg Receives Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal On February 6, 2012 Canada began a year-long celebration of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her 60 years serving as the Sovereign of Canada. Medals have been presented to members of various Canadian communities to recognize ‘duty and service to others’ by honouring the significant achievements of a number of recipients.

At a ceremony held on Sunday 16th. December, 2012 at the Hotel Fort Garry, a member of the Ghanaian community in Manitoba, Godwin Smith (popularly called Smitty) was among 30 community members serving Winnipeg Centre that received a medal.

Following is an extract on Mr. Smith during the ceremony...

“Godwin Smith - Les Touch is a barber shop owned and operated by Mr. Smith that is a community hub for Winnipeg’s African population. A strong community connection is important at the shop where a haircut is as much a cultural experience as it is a grooming exercise.”

Uncle Smitty poses with community members

Uncle Smitty poses with community members

The Ghanaian Community in Winnipeg 2012 The Ghanaian Community in Winnipeg went through series of exciting events through the year 2012 Below is a pictorial story of some of these events. These ranged from an exciting Summer Picnic, a graduating party for its High School Graduates and an End-of-Year Church Service.

The Ghanaian News

December 2012

51

Season's Greetings from The Ghanaian News Team

Mr. Emmanuel Ayiku Publisher/Editor

Mr. Jonathan Annobil Community Reporter

Mr. Jayson Schwarz Columnist

Dr. Kwaku Danso Writer

Mr. Joseph Kingsley Eyiah Contributing Editor

Mrs. Doris Osei Bonsu Columnist

Dr. Michael Baffoe Contributing Editor

Ms. Golda Quayson Columnist

Rev. Joseph Osei-Amoah Columnist

Dr. David Yaw Twum Barima Columnist

Rev. Dr. Samnuel Kissieadoo Columnist

Mr. James A. Kwaateng Columnist

Mrs. Comfort Ayiku Director of Operations

Mr. Kwabena Akuoko Columnist

Mr. Gabriel Quayson Columnist

Mr. Eddie Twum-Smith Columnist

52

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

Ghana’s Societal Decay Causes and Proposed Solutions

By Kwaku A. Danso There is no doubt that the society of Ghana has fallen over the last few decades in ethical and moral standard, both in private and public sectors. Our people have ceremonies and our libations, supposedly to symbolize a tradition that should stand on ethical principles and remembers the good deeds of our ancestors.

In a recent discussion on GLU forum, I showed the picture of the libation pouring with the new President Mahama (courtesy of Myjoyonline.com) and asked what the value of that libation pouring was to Christian ethics. Cameron Duodu responded: CD: The pouring of libation is not the same as “prayer” (defined literally) in the Christian sense. It is to invoke strength in a current difficult situation by remembering that such things have also happened in the past and are universally present in daily human life. The names of old, dead but courageous

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or sagacious persons are recalled (with the tacit understanding that their courage/sagacity will be remembered, and used as an inspiration in the present difficulty. The rivers etc are mentioned to remind the living of the permanence of existence on earth (drink to thee, oh Asaase Yaa --Earth!) and the need to preserve and respect the environment. At the end of the exercise, everyone is psychologically strengthened, without necessarily expecting that magic will occur -- through the agency of ghosts or fetishes -to relieve people from their current difficulties. Selffortification is the objective (helped by the “Dutch courage” induced by drink!) Just ask yourself: would ALL the people have the same ancestors, fetishes or rivers? Impossible. Why would anyone pray to an unknown entity?

Suppose that entity turned out to be malign towards oneself or one’s family?

Missionaries have linked libation with superstition, in order to eliminate our self-belief and replace it with missionary-inspired beliefs, but it ain’t necessarily so!

(CD, GLU Forum, Sunday, 29 July 2012, 14:43) I asked: Can somebody help me with some written code of moral and ethical codes under which, assuming that we accept all these gods or Gods, or religions, we can hold people accountable if they violate rules and laws of the land, on both religious, moral and legal grounds.

CD: Yes, there is a code: at the end of the libation, the pourer says: “Don’t let our genitalia fail in their allotted function!” And everybody says “Zioh!” (Hear Hear).

“When we sleep with a woman, let us produce a child!” (Zioh mpa!)

The pourer then continues: “Don’t let us fall foul of the constituted authority” (Mma yennya Aban mu amane.) This is a warning to all that

“Aban mu amane” is a dangerous thing to fall into the hands of authority: you can be locked up with a wooden stock wobeda duam) or if the offence warrants it, “yebetwa wo ti” (your head will be lobbed off.)

There was more obedience of the law then than now.

(Read R S Rattray:Asante Law and Constitution).

(CD, GLU forum, Sunday, July 29, 2012 7:04 AM) I am glad our senior brother Cameron Duodu finds time to bring his wisdom to this debate of the deterioration in ethics and morals in our society so that the younger ones will know that there was a time Ghanaians were a more moral and ethically oriented people. We did not have to scare people with fetish killing for officials to remain ethical on their jobs. And we had enforcement of laws and rules – people used to be sent to prison for mismanagement and misappropriation of funds. I don’t know what is wrong with our Law School now why the AG office seems incapable of even filing cases.

I think the degradation in the moral and ethical nature of our people in society is simply economically induced, and caused by a culture where men in particular find it hard to admit they are short of money, especially to their family. I think our men (and women of course due to greed), have been forced to engage in illegal activities simply because of social pressure.

The causes are: 1. A CULTURE – as mentioned above, where men will not admit when they have financial difficulties and hence will rather compromise on integrity and cut deals under the table; 2. A CULTURE where women don’t ask their husbands where they got the money to buy that new car! Or even ask what kind of work their husbands do; 3. WESTERN EDUCATION - which raised our standards of expectations.

In other words because you have been to school, it should be a white collar job; for example my sister refuses for her son to even listen to a Business plan I had for him to employ some trucks to bring food from the village and he directs the distribution. They just don’t get the vision!

4. URBANIZATION – which makes the need for relying on jobs other than Agro- based industries and direct products from the farms. I did some calcula-

tions, and actually could see how Kwabena Darko could get rich. Farming or rather food production and distribution is the number one need of humans and largest industry. Why are Ghanaians not getting involved and we have to import Zimbabwean farmers and now Cargill to sell us seeds. Woe unto those who start using those seeds. I just tried some seeds in my backyard garden and the amount of water, morning and evening and yet very little yield – one tomato fruit so far from the four plants and still watering! Seedlings I doubt will grow.

These all combined to make the Educated Ghanaian more corrupt in public office. Government employees feel they have to make the same amount of money or show off wealth as those in private sector business, and that was crazy!

S O L U T I O N S : 1. Learn how to collect taxes through modernization, personal and property identification,andcomputerization; 2. Let the concept of Budgeting be mandatory taught to all at the University and even Secondary School level and demand standard format of Revenue and Expenditure type of Budgeting and stop the essay writing budgets. The Ministry should not be ashamed to ask for help; I won’t mind a pro-bono work to teach them Computerized Accounting and Budgeting design formats; 3. Pay all government workers what is fair and stop the benefits such as house, petrol car, and let them pay taxes; and make it open; 4. Push the Speaker of the House to enforce the Auditor Generals reports and put people in prisons every year who violate laws; 5. The Presidents should demands real work from his Ministers, to avoid risking mediocrity for another 20,40, 50 years till the right taskmaster arrives to crack the whip.

6. Have independent pollsters evaluate performance of all public executives, from the President and his Ministers and MPs, MDCEs, and where there is a high level of dissatisfaction, use recall elections to remove nonperforming executives.

Kwaku A. (Contact: jfk@gmail.com

Danso danso)

The Ghanaian News

December 2012

53

A Test Of Logical Thinking And Objectivity In Ghana’s Political Culture Nana Addo And Dramani Mahama – 2012 Election

By Nana Akwah (Modern Ghana) The 2012 Ghanaian elections if not the worst are among the worst in Africa in contemporary times. Whilst many observers claim it was free and fair, there is enough attestation to the massive rigging, irregularities and deliberate sabotage during the elections. The much touted democratic process is a farce and an insult to the international community.

The process of identification of variables and variable control is the most important process thinking skill that an avid person or scholar or politician must seek to develop. In order to design any investigational investigations we must be able to determine, discriminate and manipulate dependent and independent variables.

This skill is necessary in comprehending time and concurrent relationships.

Probabilistic reasoning allows the intellectual/politician to understand the need for repeated testing in investigations as well as the use of typical collected information from duplicated experiments through the use of laid down procedures.

To this end, the NDC failed to realize that nothing is impossible if there is a resolve to pursue. The NDC had overlooked the person they were dealing with. A shrewd and astute politician and a lawyer of no mean standing.

To identify and verify the relationships between variables in solving problems, we must have correlational reasoning which the NDC lacked in this instance. To interpret logical thinking and objectivity from displacement versus point in time, the politician must be able to determine the relationships between inconstant and capricious in nature or character from collected information.

Definitely it is a test of logical thinking and objectivity in Ghana’s political culture involving Nana Addo/NPP and John Mahama/NDC in 2012 election.

Countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Niger and Mauritania conducted better elections than prevails now in Ghana, if even there were any hiccups I believe it was manageable. John Mahama and his NDC planned the monkey business of election rigging and Afari Gyan and his bunch of collaborators executed it.

Why must the world believe the AU Observer Mission headed by President Obasanjo who superintended a similar election in Nigeria to force a decision of fraud on the people of Nigeria? It is on record that Obasanjo told the whole world that the election was a do or die affair for him. The same kind fraud can be said of Ghana’s elections of which he as the leader of the group sanctioned as been free and fair.

John Mahama had pleaded that he be given our mandate at the expense of credible elections.

It is known fact now, that the incumbent with the connivance of Afari Gyan has subverted the will of the people, massaging figures to favour John Mahama and the NDC Party.

The irony of the matter is the blatant hypocrisy of the so-called advanced democracies. They are quick to support surrogates and will do everything to undermine legitimate concerns.

They are a shame to their own senses. I believe they would have contested such rigging in the courts of law. Why are they trying to stifle initia-

Nana Akuffo Addo and John Mahama tive for the people to seek redress for grievances? Why should they force upon us, what is hurtful and fraudulent?

It is an absurdity to hear the Americans and their allies supporting what was wrong yesterday. Think about what happened in the Ivory Coast.

Laurent Gbagbo was hamstrung for not using laid down procedures and was seen as not credit worthy.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and the NPP are following the procedure and they are been branded as lawless people. A need for logical thinking and objectivity in Ghana’s political culture makes Akufo Addo a better ‘Statesman” than the President, John Mahama.

These so-called developed countries must give us a break.

Some of their actions and decisions smack logic. They must stop their support for any illegitimacy. It is an affront to the principles they espouse.

When I hear people make reference that Obama has spoken so all must hail him, I ask who is Obama and what knowledge has he to be quoted as an authority?

Every Ghanaian knows that John Mahama/NDC desperation to remain in power, and had gone about saying that the Constitution grants two (2) term tenure in Office, which is not the truth. It must be noted that it is not Nana Addo who is trying to undermine the Constitution but John Mahama. It is Mahama’s obsession to be President that saw late John Evans Atta Mills demise.

The truth about the matter is that the John Mahama/NDC has an insipid revulsion for Akufo Addo. The reasons are because they realize he has the disposition and demeanor to demand accountability for their past misdeeds, if he takes over from him because of the crimes against Ghana they have committed.

The monumental corruption, such Woyomization, the CP and others to mention a few, disrepair of services and the abuse from the State Security is unparalleled in the history of Ghana. To cover up themselves from prosecution, they have connived with Afari Gyan to rig the elections and to short change the mandate of the people and impose a leadership from fraud on many Ghanaians.

Nana Addo Dankwa and the NPP in their usual values has resorted to due process and recognizing discipline in politics and governance, are taking the case of election rigging to the Supreme Court praying the

court to review the results and if possible nullify the elections.

The overwhelming proof of rigging that the NPP is presenting and the evidence from the first few witnesses has made most well-meaning observers to think, that it is in the interest of all that “an audit” of the results be done to avert any doubt.

I want to predict that this is a test case for the Country’s Supreme Court on the way forward and on our democratic credentials. Their venerable suppositions will prove that Ghana has come of age. If there is a need for the elections to be nullified and fresh elections ordered by the courts it must be done.

The ruling NDC as expected of those mentored by Mahama and NDC are urging Nana Addo Dankwa to withdraw his case and some of them even advising the courts not to entertain and throw out their case.

The NDC under Mills/Mahama was known for contempt of court injunctions. The infamous “there is so many ways of killing a cat” is an attestation to the above statement.

Dr. Kwabena Adjei in fact threatened to deal with judges.

As a result of the very good judgment decision of the judge in the Ya-Na regicide case to acquit the accused, deliberately put forward by the National Democratic Congress government, represented by the Attorney-General, as the principal suspects, in an endeavor to scoring cheap political points, in August of 2010.

An angry Dr. Kwabena Adjei put out a carefully implied threat against the Ghanaian judiciary whose membership, the National Chairman and the NDC has over the years fervently laid blame on of unreasonable preconceived notion against their party. With his ensuing fatwa of “There are many ways of killing a cat, cannot escape our attention”.

Is the Judiciary capable of producing such very good result as happened in the Ya-Na case? I think it is possible. I believe no amount of intimidation will encumber the Supreme Court to take right decision.

In the days gone-bye, those of us who clearly recall the blood-spattered track record of the Rawlings-led Provisional National Democratic Congress (P/NDC), was of the opinion that Dr. Adjei must be fully mindful of the fact that far gone were the days when the P/NDC meanly pursued a political ethos of recrimination.

At this decisive moment, it should be hoped, all Ghanaians would put the interests of the nation first.

Any disputes arising from the elections should be resolved through the appropriate judicial mechanisms provided by the constitution.

It is extremely difficult for many to understand the Chairman of the Peace Council. He was quick to admonish the NPP but did not deem it right to caution the media outfits which were banding the figures around. Such approaches have the tendency in casting slur over their credibility.

People aren’t surprised because most of these Clerics are in bed with politicians and are corrupt and evil thugs.

The NDC is rallying their henchmen in the society to destroy Nana Addo’s case. They are urging Nana Addo and the NPP to desist from the court action which is totally wrong.

The Constitution has in built mechanism for addressing any elections disputes. Why are people trying to subvert such provision? The NPP must refuse and resist all attempts to discard the case. Hassan Ayariga, the leader of the PNC together with other corrupt and decadent hypocrites like Kofi Wayo, and Dr. Clement Apaak have shamefully sold their conscience at a mean price in advocating for a halt in the legal process. They are attempting to sabotage the court case of rigging against their masters in the NDC. Also are the crafty traditional rulers of Northern Region and Volta Region trying on behalf of the government to dissuade NPP from pursuing the case of rigging in the courts with their so-called congratulatory messages?

People wonder their reason for coming out to support cruel and cunning fraudsters while demoralizing those trying to look for justice. After the failure of politicians and their henchmen traditional rulers to block NPP from pursuing justice, religious leaders are been

drafted to complete the job.

The saddest situation is not only the silence of old and young intellectuals in the country, but the fact that some of them write dodgy articles while lurking under the umbrella of false hood to moralize the evil of those in power. Their aim is to be noticed and brought near the power no matter how the power was achieved. Such is our level of self-indulgence.

Intellectuals are supposed to be the social engineers that direct societal aspirations and goals. If their roles are compromised, then that society becomes corrupt and the next stage after that is degeneration.

One could think about how Mills/Mahama/Amissah Arthur four years rule has destroyed the country’s cohesion, forced textile industries to be closed, rendered many unemployed through dubious hankering for loans with the World Bank and the IMF. The total destruction of bank facilities and services from the banking sector in the country, hitherto very vibrant!

Insecurity, apathy, poverty, messed up of health, educational, energy and transport services has become part of daily life.

One must admire Nana Addo’s ability to think logically and objectively and must be commended. His understanding of what constitute democracy, rule of law, accountability, probity and transparency, believing in laid down procedures is a mark of “great intellectual and a leader.

One wonders why young intellectuals should join the bandwagon of decadence in any guise, instead of standing up to their responsibilities as guardians of societal aspirations and goals. Why should young intellectuals prefer to join those who want to push our nation at all cost towards the political quandary and turn away from the few honest leaders?

MP granted Presidential pardon Family and friends of the jailed Bawku Central MP, Adamu Dramani Sakande traumatized by his prolonged admission at the Cardiothoracic center at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital should be heaving a sigh of relief. It’s now confirmed; President Mahama has granted him presidential pardon because of his deteriorating health conditions.

Mr Dramani was sentenced to two years imprisonment after he was found guilty of false declaration of office, perjury and deceiving a public officer.

A cattle dealer, Sumaila Biebiel, challenged his eligibility to contest the Parliamentary elections, arguing the NPP MP had multiple nationalities at the time he filed to contest the elections – a clear violation of the Constitution which bars persons with dual nationality from vying for legislative seats.

Mr Dramani rejected the claims and spent most part of his term in Parliament fighting the case in court.

Adamu Daramani Sakande In a twist to his legal challenges, the state brought a criminal action against him, accusing him of false declaration, perjury and deceiving a public officer. He was consequently convicted of these and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

But he has now been granted pardon on health grounds.

John Jinapor, spokesperson of President Mahama, said the decision is purely on medical grounds Joy Online.

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

The Ghanaian News

December 2012

55

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

White House Releases Report on Beyond the Border and Regulatory Cooperation Council with Canada President Obama and Prime Minister Harper of Canada met at the White House and announced two initiatives to ensure that the vital economic partnership that joins the United States and Canada continues to be the cornerstone of our economic competitiveness and security -- the Beyond the Border (BTB) Action Plan and the Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) Action Plan. These Action Plans build on our wellestablished bilateral cooperation on trade, investment, emergency preparedness, and security. They also describe specific initiatives with timelines for implementation that promote transparency, efficiency, and the free and secure flow of people and goods.

Today, we are jointly releasing two reports that summarize the significant progress made under these initiatives. While our efforts are not complete, our two governments have worked together over the past year in a concerted way to advance our perimeter security and economic competitive-

cont'd from pg. 47

ness, achieving results that will translate into a significant savings that will improve the lives of residents, visitors, and businesses in both our countries.

The Beyond the Border Report highlights a number of the objectives achieved over the past year, which both provide economic benefits and enhance security, including: · Mutual recognition of our respective air cargo security programs for passenger aircraft, eliminating the need for re-screening, increasing the number of flights that can travel and allowing airports to shorten the time between flights; · An operational model for a pilot program to inspect truck cargo well before the border, reducing wait times at the border, and resulting in increased throughput of goods each day; and; · Providing additional benefits to trusted travelers, including expedited passenger screening at U.S. airports for Canadian travelers, making it

New Generation Leaders:

tives and turn away potential partners out of fear of potential instability.

Zimbabwe and Kenya have in recent years been used as guinea pigs and political experiments in the resolution of Africa’s stubborn history of national conflicts manifested by a refusal to respect the will of the people after an election.

Taken with hesitation at the beginning, we were all forced into grand coalitions and managed transitions to a free and fair election. I believe what we have gone through has left an indelible mark in the manner in which we should handle our political affairs.

We patiently went through one of the most difficult, post-colonial and generational transitions spawned by the reality of black-on-black oppression and, by extension, black-on-black violence. This is a lesson that shall remain etched in our souls. This is a message that drives us to respect the efficacy of good governance, as a national insurance premium against conflict and political corruption.

Given our experience, our nations now know the dangers of either political or military conflicts; and that the effective vaccine is a responsive leadership that regards the state as an enabler and facilitator rather than a ruler. We have both chosen constitutionalism over militarism, recognising that there must be limitations on governmental power to ensure responsibility and accountability towards the governed. From this new understanding, may I acknowledge and salute the people of Kenya for a successful Constitution-making process.

At home, we have reached the final stages of the same. It is our sincere

hope that nothing untoward shall interfere with this cherished dream. I must point out that we have used the Kenyan experience as an example in our own constitutionmaking process, drawing many lessons both in respect of the process and content of the Constitution. We commend the people of Kenya for being a source of inspiration that it is possible to redefine our nationstate through the constitution-making process.

The delays in our country in completing this difficult exercise could be attributed to residual traces of nostalgia and a natural but wholly unfounded fear for change. I remain positive that, like their brothers and sisters in Kenya, Zimbabweans shall celebrate a new Constitution in the New Year.

We are mindful of the old saying, as reflected in Paolo Coelho’s celebrated book, The Alchemist, that the closer one gets to the realisation of their dreams, the more difficult things become. In the pursuit of the dream, one is constantly subjected to tests of persistence and courage. We cannot be tempted into haste and impatience.

The challenges in our way are not designed to make us fail but to test our strength of character and the depth of our desire for what we are seeking to achieve. It is our historical obligation to deliver the new constitution for Zimbabwe, just as the nationalists of yesteryear delivered the Lancaster House Constitution that brought our independence. The new Constitution is our window into redefining the future of the country, just as the new Constitution of Kenya has played a key role

in the current transition.

Freedom demands more than just beautiful words on a piece of paper. As the celebrated American judge, Justice Learned Hand reminded us; “Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it; no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it.”

These words remind us of our historic obligation to take charge and carry the spirit of liberty. With the rapid changes in the global economic and political environment, Africa must stand out and move with the times. Our people are always looking inwards, looking at themselves more closely.

A democratisation wave is still sweeping across the continent as ordinary people, through civil society and other interest groups are demanding their political space; and access to national opportunities. Gone are the days when might, armour, force and the gun were fashionable instruments for regime change. That leads us to where we are today, with open but secure ballot being the most preferred means to confer legitimacy to any credible regime. This phase is still fraught with its own problems as the continent struggles to come to terms with competing demands of the ordinary citizen and the die-hard elements still trapped in the past.

The Africa I envision, starting from the new Zimbabwe in my mind, is a place where there is a healthy fusion of a culture of unhindered participation in all aspects and spheres of life by every person, from a peasant to a president. I see a region where ordinary people and politicians alike openly gather and share

rewards of their national heritage and the abundant opportunities in our societies. This means the creation of an environment in which our differences are respected and tolerated while our diversity becomes a source of unfettered celebration and national strength.

From our station, we have observed with admiration, Kenya’s great advances in the technological revolution which is shaping the future of business, uplifting rural and urban communities alike. These are lessons we are also emulating in Zimbabwe. We must change our approach and focus on economic and social development and not just raw politics. But this depends on leadership having a non-negotiable focus on the people and on national needs; and not on just staying in power for power’s sake.

An area of key interest to both Zimbabwe and Kenya is the management and exploitation of natural resources, which must be people-focussed.

We believe resources must be exploited to benefit not just the few elites but the majority of the population.

Africa is endowed with an excellent reservoir of natural resources and for that reason remains the envy of much of the world. We must guard these assets jealously ensuring that their exploitation is for national development rather than for the enrichment of the few in privileged positions.

By Dr. Morgan R. Tsvangirai, President of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and the Rt Hon Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

African Executive

easier to travel to more than one U.S. destination, increasing the number of tourism dollars spent here.

The Regulatory Cooperation Council, in fulfilling its mandate to promote economic growth and job creation, has spurred unprecedented cooperation to provide benefits to our consumers, regulators, and businesses through increased regulatory transparency and coordination while maintaining high standards of public health and safety and environmental protection. The Council has achieved significant progress over the past year, including: · Pilot projects for simultaneous submissions to regulators in both countries for approval of crop protection products;· In the area of veterinary drugs, simultaneous reviews by U.S. and Canadian regulators for several drug submissions; · A pilot project for the joint inspection of non-U.S. and non-Canadian flagged vessels entering the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, focusing on maritime security and pollution prevention, and monitoring living and working conditions for workers on these ships; and · A proposal to align U.S. and Canadian rules on tire safety and occupant restraint systems in frontal impact collisions.

For more than forty years, the increasing integration of the economies of the United States and Canada has been key to our two countries’ prosperity and security.

We intend to continue to work together under these initiatives through 2013, 2014, and beyond to reduce and eliminate barriers to trade and investment, securing our shared competitiveness for the 21st century.

KNUST cuts sod for Accra campus

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has cut the sod for the construction of a fivestorey lecture theatre in Accra to host regular and part-time students to pursue science and technology courses, as well as distance education.

The initiative, which was mooted about 23 years ago, has come to satisfy the needs of students yearning for tertiary education in the country.

The Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST, Professor Williams Otoo Ellis, was assisted to perform the sod-cutting ceremony by the Gbese Mantse for work to begin on the lecture theatre at Kwabenya, a suburb of Accra, yesterday.

Prof Ellis explained that the Accra City Campus of the KNUST would not limit its programmes to science and technology alone but that with time it would expand to other related courses.

He urged eligible students residing in the Ga West and Ga East municipalities where the campus was situated to take advantage of the campus to further their education.

He said the construction of the campus would create job avenues for unemployed youth of the area and urged them to take advantage

of the initiative.

Nii Kwaw Sackey and N i i A r m a h Ta c k i e , the Municipal Chief executives for Ga West and Ga East, respectively, who spoke at the ceremony, said the two assemblies had plans to extend the road network and electricity to the new site for the early completion of the project as their contribution to the establishment of the campus in their area.

They noted that the opening of the KNUST Accra Campus was an eye opener for the people and the youth, since it would bring development to the people in the area and its environs.

The municipal chief executives urged parents to invest in the education of their children and not see education as expensive, since ignorance was more expensive than education.

They also appealed to landowners to release land to the university, so that the eight hectares acquired could be increased to enable it to build more lecture theatres.

The Gbese Mantse, Nii Okaija III, said the opening of the KNUST campus in Accra had ushered in a new era for the youth in Accra, especially those in the two Ga municipalities who have had to contend with low standard of education.

Daily Graphic

The Ghanaian News

December 2012

57

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

cont'd from pg. 27 working when you’re at work, it’s called “job security”. You don’t have to like, love or enjoy your job, but you need to appreciate it and do what you’re paid to do.

Our Reflections In A Cracked Mirror Don’t pick on your customers if you hate your job. Customers’ needs are the reasons why you’re hired. If you need your job you better treat your customers right.

And stop goofing –off !.

Stay Optimistic: Interestingly, every meeting in this country starts with prayers but, after that we lie to our neighbors and come up with

cockamamie schemes to dupe our victims.

There is too much mistrust in the system but, don’t give up so easily.

What goes up comes down. In other words things change. We’re a

resilient people. We will survive all of that and more. Yes, it might look much different on the other side than it does now, but that is probably a good thing. If you’re prepared, open

to change, responsible, know how to recognize opportunities and seize the moment, and are willing to work hard and committed to the principles of integrity and honesty, you’ll be just fine. Trust me you will be fine, even if your party is not in power.

You may be comforted to know that John Mahama’s win is not going to be the end of things .It is the beginning of a new day for all of us so don’t sweat it. Seize on it and plan your life.

Yes I know I’m just a dreamer. And, you might even think I’m smoking something and perhaps that has gotten hold of my senses again—far from that but,that goes with the territory when one is devoted to the progress of Ghana. However, why should I spend my precious time worrying about things that I can’t control? Life is too short to sweat about little stuff.

Did I raffle enough cages yet? If you have issues with what I have said prove me wrong.

Fair? It seems so me!

Got it?

The Ghanaian News

December 2012

61

Let's Think Family - By Rev. Dr. Samuel Kisseadoo CHRISTMAS MESSAGE Mary & Joseph were rejected by the hotel in town (Bethlehem). They ended up in an animal house that most people find filthy & stinking. But God ensured that Shepherds, who were used to animal filth & repulsive odor, came along to worship their baby Jesus.

The Lesson? -- People may unreasonably & painfully reject you, but so far as you have good motives, do what is right, & humbly live in obedience, God will ensure that He finally grants you His favor, & brings people around you who will love & appreciate you. So, cheer up and keep on keeping on in faith. During Christmas & Easter, I always try to dig out or one or two nuggets of gold out of the recorded Biblical accounts in order to bring out important lessons for life, in addition to what are commonly narrated. I wish to focus on four of them: A) JOSEPH (earthly father of Jesus) --- “Joseph the husband of Mary, being a just (righteous) man, and not wanting to make Mary a public example (disgrace), was minded (considered) to put Mary away secretly. But while he thoughts about these things, behold, and Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Math. 1:19, 20).

LESSONS: 1) One primary sign (character) of a genuinely loving & righteous husband (or fiancée) is one that would never want to disgrace the wife or fiancee in public, no matter her offences. A good man considers

the welfare and interests of his female partner, and does not just pursue his own selfish agenda in the marriage or relationship. He patiently thinks through problems and unexpected challenges, and seeks to wait upon the Lord for God’s power, godly ideas, and wisdom that will enable him to deal lovingly and effectively with the issues without causing damage and bitter consequences. 2) There is what some of us call “pillowtalk” in communication and conflict resolution. It facilitates your efforts to hit home a very vital point into someone’s mind and heart. Since men in particular are wired

by God to be creatures of the mind, and are focused on being achievers, one should watch every man and put across (or discuss) a very important point when the mind is least busy. Men therefore take in quite more when their heads are resting on a pillow away from the active pursuit of achievements. Even God Almighty waited to give Joseph “pillow-talk” at night when he was away from the busy schedules of the synagogue, farming, social duties, distressed with finding a solu-

tion to mysterious pregnancy reported by his trusted lady etc. Women can always control their emotions and words, wait patiently, pray enough about issues, and give their men “pillow-talk” to minimize the tension in homes and marriages, and prevent many separations and divorces.

B) MARY (mother of Jesus) ---When the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he made 3 very important statements, with exclamation (excitement) at the end: “Rejoice (hail), highly favored one (GOD’S FAVOR; GOD’S APPROVAL), the Lord is with you (GOD’S PRESENCE); blessed are you among women! (GOD’S BLESSINGS)” (Luke 1:28).

LESSON: In my opinion, these 3 qualities must be in the life of every woman before she marries (if she understands that she will become pregnant and be a channel for God to bring other human beings into the world for God’s divine purposes). Every single lady must work towards these as her primary goals in life, and seek to get more of God’s favor, God’s Presence, and God’s blessings in her marriage and entire life. The absence of these 3 important qualities constitutes a major cause of many failed relationships, marriages, and families in today’s carnal societies.

These are among the fundamental reasons why many churches and ministries are weak because of weak foundations that are gradually built from the fragile bricks of weak homes. The man, who is going to marry the woman, or her husband, must have these qualities first in his life, and be spiritually sound

enough to patiently, humbly, diligently, and wisely help the lady to maintain the foundation and grow in these qualities. What makes you think (or believe) that God will excuse you; that you can live anyhow and get up to marry as a woman mainly according to your personal desires; or as a man, you can choose a woman to marry, without ensuring that the woman has lived a wise and holy life in obedience to the Lord, and therefore has a purpose in life, and has prepared herself for marriage and family life in a way that has caused God’s favor (approval), God’s Presence, and God’s blessings to be upon her? Many of us jump the first two steps and try to grab God’s blessings, without starting from the beginning by using scripture, prayer, humility, and obedience to seek for God’s grace and favor, and God’s Holy Presence in our daily lives.

C) WHY WAS JESUS BORN ---- Everyone is born in order to live and enjoy life, as long as possible. Every human being will move heaven and earth to stay alive with good food, proper hygiene, peace of mind and heart, exercise, precautions in daily activities, and medical attention. But Jesus was the only one who was born in order to die. His birth was filled with preparation for His ultimate death for us. Jesus was born in very strange and humble circumstances (which might even be referred to as unfortunate circumstances) but during His ministry, especially when he faced opposition and trials, He never made even one reference to the manger or stable where He was born, or the difficulty His parents faced when His mother Mary was going into labor etc., in self pity, defense, or to get attention. At the end of His life, when Jesus stood trial before Pontius Pilate, He made specific reference to His birth, and gave us the TWO MAJOR REASONS why He was born. Pilate asked Him two very important questions: “Are You the King of the Jews?” and “What have you done?” (St. John 18:33, 35). He asked Jesus WHO HE SPECIFICALLY WAS, and WHAT HE HAD DONE WITH WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE. Jesus emphasized the following points in his answers: “My Kingdom is not

of this world. You say rightly that I AM A KING. For this cause I was BORN, and for this cause I HAVE COME INTO THE WORLD that I should BEAR WITNESS TO THE TRUTH.” I conclude then, that Jesus was born to establish God’s Kingdom on earth by ruling in the souls and spirits of humans, for Him to become King over that Kingdom which will be an extension of God’s original Kingdom in Heaven, and do so with God’s truth (God’s word and God’s will). LESSONS: 1) Instead of focusing on what you can do with your life and the opportunities available to you now, do you rather waste your time blaming everything on your past unfortunate circumstances and lost opportunities, and blame other people for your failures and trials who “denied you a room in the hotel” just as the Inn Keeper did to the Joseph and Mary (parents of Jesus)? 2) Is Jesus really ruling as King in your life, for you to be part of God’s Kingdom? Do you faithfully live for the Lord, and consult your King in prayer for decisions and choices, power for daily living, and the proper use of resources? 3) Are you living by the truth according to God’s word and God’s will, in order to help expand God’s Kingdom? Are people being attracted to Christ because of your life? 4) Who really are you, in public and in private life? Have you identified all of your gifts and talents? Are you working diligently with scripture, prayer, and acts of obedience on your private life and inner character? ‘Character’ is who you are when no one is watching you.” 5) What have you done so far in this life with what you have received, and what you have been all along? As we celebrate Christmas and enter the New Year, let us sit, ponder, and find out who we sincerely are, and if we are living by God’s truth that wins other people to be part of the Kingdom of God, in the light of God’s Presence (as we meditate on scripture and pray). Then let us clearly analyze to find out if we have been maximizing the use of all of our qualities and what we are exposed to (talents, abilities, gifts, opportunities, status, promotions etc. ---- including your education, job or career, position of authority or responsibility, money,

your sexuality, singleness, marriage, children, in-laws, family members, friends, church or ministry, property, investments etc.).

Jesus later emphasized that if we diligently “SEEK FIRST the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, ALL THESE THINGS (all other things that we need) will be added unto us” (Mathew 6:33).

D) THE SHEPHERDS --They were among the most disrespected people in those days because of: 1) The job that they did was considered as dirty and demeaning (cleaning feces of animals, getting themselves dirty in the field etc.). 2) Absence from the temple most of the time, and therefore less participation in the ceremonial rituals etc., due to the extensive fieldwork with animals, in a society that placed high premium on religious and ceremonial duties. 3) They were not intellectual. 4) The held no positions of authority in the society. 5) They were not among the rich in the society, and usually served other rich people by looking after their sheep. But these un-respected shepherds were the people God chose to appear first, and they were the first to hurry and go to see Jesus (Luke 2:15, 16). God ensured that Shepherds who are used to the scent around animals came to the animal house to sincerely admire and worship Jesus. The Wise Men (Magi) came later to see Jesus as rich men with their special gifts. LESSON: 1) Do not allow your position in society to discourage or prevent you from getting up to exercise faith and tap into God’s power for change, progress, and success, no matter how low you are or how bad you feel about your circumstance.

2) Let us hurry (Just as the shepherds did) and go to Jesus when God has clearly spoken to us about an issue.

How many things did you delay in praying about and taking action in 2011, and in the past, when it is very clear that God had used several means to speak to you about the situation? 3) It doesn’t matter how unappreciated, ashamed, despised, denied, and disgraced you may feel in your present situation. So far as you live in God’s will, He will ensure that the right people come your way to ap-

cont'd on pg. 63

A Mother, a Gun Enthusiast and the First Victim cont'd from pg. 45 that was explained when he heard, after the shootings, “how difficult her troubled son,” Adam, “was making things for her.”

She was “handling a very difficult situation with uncommon grace,” he wrote.

She was “a big, big gun fan,” he added on his Web site.

There are many gun enthusiasts in this area, residents said.

When some people who live near the elementary school heard the shots fired by Mr. Lanza on Friday, they said they were not surprised.

“I really didn’t think anything of it,” said a resident, Ray Rinaldi.

“You hear gun shots around here all the time.”

Neighbors recalled Ms. Lanza as a regular at La-

bor Day picnics and “ladies’ nights out” for a dice game called bunco.

“We would rotate houses,” said Rhonda Cullens, 52.

“I don’t remember Nancy ever having it at her house.”

Ms. Cullens said Ms. Lanza spoke often about gardening — exchanging the sorts of questions typical of the neighborhood: Is maintenance worth the trouble for a house like the Lanzas’, scarcely visible from the street?

But for many of those on Yogananda Street, where the Lanzas lived, the recollections about Ms. Lanza were incomplete.

“Who were they?” said Len Strocchia, 46, standing beside his daughter as camera crews came

through the neighborhood.

“I’m sure we rang their door bell on Halloween.”

He looked down the block, then turned back to his daughter. “I’m sure of it,” he said.

Ms. Lanza’s sister-inlaw Marsha Lanza also struggled to make sense of events. “I just don’t have an answer,” she said, starting to cry. “I wish I had an answer for you. I wish somebody had saw it coming.”

Matt Flegenheimer reported from Newtown, Conn., and Ravi Somaiya from New York. Reporting was also contributed by Susan Beachy, Thomas Kaplan, Elizabeth Maker, Marina Villeneuve and Steven Yaccino.

The New York Times

62

The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

PLACES OF WORSHIP DIRECTORY The Apostolic Church Int'l.

Ghana Methodist Churches in Canada ( SOCIETIES UNDER THE GHANA METHODIST CONFERENCE)

The Apostolic Church International (Toronto Assembly) is a Branch of The Apostolic Church in Ghana

Sunday (Worship) 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Wednes: - (Bible Studies) 7:30 p.m.

Fri: (Intercessory/Deliverance Prayers) -7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Fri: (Alt.) All Night 10:30 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.

Saturday(Alt.) Women's, Men's,Youth Movement Meetings) 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

1st Saturday of every month Prayer for breakthrough) (Montreal)

9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

TORONTO CENTRAL ASSEMBLY Pastor: 905-791-8190 Cell: 647-218-1052 Church: 416-740-1979 94 Kenhar Drive, Unit 39 & 40, North York, Ont. BRAMPTON ASSEMBLY 270 Rutherford Road, Unit 10 Brampton, Ontario, L6W 3K7 HAMILTON ASSEMBLY 801 King Street East Hamilton, Ontario, L8M 1A8 MONTREAL ASSEMBLY Church 514-279-6565

845 Jean Talon West, Montreal, Quebec, H3N 1S5

HOLY ALPHA & OMEGA CHURCH We invite you to worship with us Church Service: Sunday Worship: 10.00a.m. - 12.30 p.m.

Wednesday Bible Studies: 6.00p.m. - 7.30 p.m.

Friday Prayer Meeting: 7.00p.m. - 9.00 p.m.

JESUS Loves You

invites you to worship with us

Apostle F.Y. Agyemang (Area Supt. Canada-Wide)

Meeting Schedule

Elder Eric Frimpong - 514-748-1545

The Superintendent Minister-In-Charge

Prophet John Mensah

869 Wilson Avenue, North York, Ont.

Tel: 416-638-5990 / 416-419-6671

EVANGEL ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH 1245 Martin Grove Road, Rexdale, Ontario, M9W 1L4

Place of Worship: 19 Penn Drive, North York, Ont. (off Finch Av./Milvan)

416-743-4555 (Office) 905-216-2323 (Residence) Day and Time of Worship: Sunday: Bible Class Meeting: 41 10:00 a.m. - 10.30 a.m.

Church Service: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Jericho Hour Prayer Meeting 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Friday: Bible Teaching/Prayer Meeting 8:00 p.m. - 9.00 p.m.

Saturday Organizational Meeting: 6.30 p.m. - 9.30 p.m.

Sunday Brampton Prayer Meeting 8:00 p.m.

Calgary Methodist - 403-603-2864 Edmonton Methodist - 587-336-1223 Ottawa Methodist - 613-823-2291

In Montreal at: Place of Worship: 6870 Rue de Terreborne, Montreal, Que, H4B 1C5

Day and Time of Worship Sunday Divine Service: 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Friday Prayer Meetings: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Contact: Rev. Emmanuel Ohene Gyimah - 514-542-0871 SERVICES ARE CONDUCTED FOLLOWING THE TRADITIONAL GHANA METHODIST LITURGY. PLEASE COME AND JOIN US. WE HAVE A PLACE FOR YOU. GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU

CHRIST REDEEMER CHURCH Pastor-in-charge: Pastor Eric Amoah Tel: (416) 748-1242 Cell: (416) 300-9970 Church Services Sunday Service: Bible Study: 10 a.m.-11a.m.

Worship Service: 11a.m. - 1p.m.

Wednesday: Bible Study 6:30p.m.-7:30p.m.

Friday Night Prayer: 8p.m.-10p.m. Pastor Eric Amoah Location: 4 Racine, Unit 9

Pastor in Charge Rev. Milton Offei

(Kipling/Rexdale)

Redemption Faith Church Invites you to worship with us at 1485 ALBION ROAD (Albion/Kipling) Tel: 905-495-1936 Fax: 905-495-1937

Tel: 416-242-7950 Fax: 416-242-8573 Church Activities Sunday School: 10a.m. -11:00a.m.

Church Service: 11a.m. - 1:30p.m.

Sunday Evening: 7p.m. - 8:30p.m.

Wednesday Bible Studies: 7p.m. - 8:30p.m.

Friday Prayer Meeting: 7p.m. - 9:00p.m.

Very Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Asare-Kusi

Toronto Society

This is a loving and caring Church that preaches and teaches the whole counsel of God. A place where the word of God is backed by strong anointing to bring Salvation, Healing and Deliverance to all people who believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST Rev. Dr. Stephen Ofori-Darko

CHURCH ACTIVITIES: Sunday Search the Scriptures - 12 noon - 12-45 p.m.

Church Service - 12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Fridays - 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Bible Studies, Intercession & Deliverance

The Ghanaian News

December 2012

63

FOOD FOR LIFE

Bringing the Gospel to our Community By: Rev. Joseph Osei-Amoah ON EARTH PEACE” “

“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

(Luke 2:8-14 NKJV) The writer of the third Gospel, Luke, affectionately called the “beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14) in his account of the birth of Christ, mentioned how an angel of the Lord announced the good news to some shepherds who were with their sheep by night, near Bethlehem.

After the angel had described how the shepherds would identify the new born child, a multitude of other angels joined the announcer in praising God saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” (Luke 2:14) The history of humanity from the fall of Adam and Eve

in Genesis 3 to the birth of Christ had never been peaceful. For centuries the descendants of Abraham had been waiting for the promised Messiah through whom God was going to bless all humanity, therefore, having found the newly born Ambassador of Peace from heaven, the shepherds widely shared the good news with their neighbors.

Two thousand years had passed between the birth of Christ and our generation including His three years of intense ministry which ended with His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension to heaven. During his ministry, the Lord preached a message of reconciliation between a sinful man and a holy God which leads the repentant sinner into the kingdom of God. He healed the sick, raised the dead; restored the sight of the blind; fed the hungry; saved a woman accused of adultery from being lynched; set the demon possessed free; the social outcasts like Zacchaeus, found forgiveness. Christ’s mission was truly universal; therefore, some officers of the Roman Empire’s occupying forces like Cornelius had accepted the gospel of peace preached by the disciples of the Galilean Rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth.

Interestingly a young Jewish scholar, by name, Saul of Tarsus, an avowed opponent of the ministry of the Lord Jesus with the support of the powerful religious leaders in Jerusalem persecuted the early

followers of the Lord.

From house to house he dragged both men and women to prison. While on his way to Damascus, Syria, to arrest the followers of Christ, he had an encounter with the risen Savior (Acts 9). His life was changed completely and he later preferred to call himself “Paul” the Greek version of his Hebrew name Saul. As the apostles continued to preach the gospel of peace in Israel, Paul led a team of evangelists to preach the message of peace among the Gentile world and the extent of their ministry is recorded in the book of Acts. He wrote 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament explaining the grace of God which made salvation and inner peace available to humanity. Working under hostile conditions created by the existing political authority, Paul still won converts from Caesar’s household (Philippians 4: 22). This proves the active participation of the Holy Spirit, the Power behind the gospel of peace. One may ask, “Why then is peace so scarce in our world today and evil appears to be wide spread in spite of the advancement in science,

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE cont'd from pg. 61 preciate and encourage you, just as God made the shepherds come to appreciate and worship Jesus. 4) Come to Jesus as a ‘Shepherd’ first, before you come to Him as a ‘Wise Man’. It is interesting that the two greatest names in the Old Testament, Abraham and Moses, were all shepherds. And, Jesus is called the Good Shepherd, and we as sheep. Sheep need a leader to guide, feed, and tend them, and are led by the voice of the shepherd, but not by sight.

They are very familiar with the voice of their particular shepherd. Jesus said “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (St. John 10:27). It was during the time when Moses was busily doing his job as Shepherd that he heard God in the burning bush, and acted accordingly. If you come to Jesus behaving as if you have everything, you will go away with nothing; but if you come to Him with nothing, you will go away with everything. Let us have the best attitude of humility, total dependence, true faith, and right motives as we come to the Lord and seek to know what to say and do, as well as what not to say and

what not to do in the coming year, in a world that seems to be increasingly more chaotic than ever. As the storms on the sea of your life threaten to deflate and devastate you, know that if you invite Jesus to go along with you, He has the ability and willingness to travel with you on those rough waters and act on your behalf: “Peace, be still! And the wind (trying to blow you away and ruin your blessings in addition) ceased and there was great calm” (Mark 4:39).

Claim this promise for yourself throughout the coming year when any storm erupts, as you live in faith and obedience. Engage in preventive prayers that will stop some storms from arising, and fortify you against any necessary storms that God, in His wisdom, will allow to come into your life for His purpose and His ultimate glory.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND A HAPPY PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR! May the Lord lavish on you the best of His rich blessings in 2013 and thereafter.

Obtain more information fr om Dr. Kisseadoo’s books

online from: RedLeadBooks. com or Amazon.com by searching with his name.

Tune in to JOY 99.7 FM in Accra, Ghana on Saturdays at 5:30 am – 6:00 am (Ghana Time) or US Eastern ST 12:30 am – 1:00 am November to March, and listen to Dr. Kisseadoo’s broadcast “Hope For Your Family”. Access on the Internet using MYJOYONLINE.COM, and click on “Live Radio”. Contact him in the USA (1-757-7289330) for copies of his books, free counseling and prayer. Visit his website: www.fruitfulministriesint.com for essentials that will enrich your life, relationships, and ministry.

Use DrSamuel Kisseadoo to access his Wall on Facebook. Copyright Nov. 2012 Rev. Dr. Samuel A. Kisseadoo (Professor of Biology, USA. International Evangelist.

Ordained & Licensed Minister. Teacher, Conference Speaker).

Founder and President, Fruitful Ministries International Inc. (Evangelistic & Teaching Ministry).

6 Red Robin Turn, Hampton, Virginia 23669, USA. Tel.1- 757-7289330 Email: kisseadoo@msn.com

technology, medicine, communication etc?”

Humanity like a drowning man cannot be saved without cooperating by holding the end of the line that had been thrown to him. We were created by God in His image; as intelligent beings; with emotion and the freedom of choice.

Unfortunately, when Adam and Eve submitted their will to the devil and chose to obey him instead of God, their personality and that of their descendants (intellect; emotion and will) as God meant it to be were adversely affected. In Genesis 6: 5, 6, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” The destruction of most of humanity leaving Noah, his wife, their three sons and their wives did not change humanity. Israel, given the moral law (The Ten Commandments) to live by as an example to the rest of the world failed to meet the demands of the Law.

That was a proof that fallen man can never please a holy and righteous God without help. God was not surprised for He had planned our redemption before the world was created (Revelations 13:8); when He would allow His sinless Son to be crucified as atonement for the sins of humanity (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). This is an act of grace, “For by grace you have been saved through faith and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2: 8, 9) The moment one hears the gospel (John 3:1617: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved”) and believes (John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name.”) that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for the individuals

sins and was raised from the dead, the individual is saved. Such person receives the inner peace Jesus promised: “27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) When the Lord Jesus was predicting the end time events in Luke 21:25-26 he added: “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” As we observe some of these events begin to happen before our eyes, the Holy Spirit helps us to draw from the inner peace from the Prince of Peace to support us in these trying times till the Lord returns to rule in perfect holiness and harmony. He is still inviting you if you have not yet responded to His call. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)

Living Word Assembly of God Church (Affiliated with P.A.O.C.)

139 Millwick Drive Toronto, Ont. (Steeles/Islington) Tel: 416- 741-6285 Fax: 416- 741-0133 Email: livingwordag@bellnet.ca

Church Activities

Senior Pastor: Rev. Joseph Osei-Amoah

Sunday Early Morning Prayer: 8:30 a.m.

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.

Tuesday Prayer: 10:00 a.m-12 noon Wednesday Bible Study 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Friday Prayer 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

(Last Friday of the month “All Night Prayer”): 7:30 p.m.-12 mid-night Youth Service (Fridays): 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Departmental Meeting (Every other Sunday): 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

Ghana Calvary Methodist United Church, Toronto 65 Mayall Avenue, Toronto Ontario, M3L 1E7

Tel: 416-614-6110 647-341-7305 Email: gcmethodist@hotmail.com

Invites all Christians to join us to worship and glorify the Living God

Worship Schedule: Sunday Church Service/Class Meetings: 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Friday Prayer Meeting: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Do you desire to experience the power and the presence of God demonstrated in your life? Do you want to experience the marvelous work of God's grace in your life?

Then, Bethel Prayer Ministry International would like to invite you to visit their church where the word of God is preached powerfully to release the power of God in your life.

Pastor Dennis Awuku COME AND YOU WILL BE BLESSED Senior Pastor

Contact:

Res. 416-740-6963 Church 416-642-0390 Worship Hours: Sunday Service: 9am - 1pm Tuesday 9am - 2 pm Consultation Wednesday: 7pm - 9p.m.

Friday: 9pm - 12 pm Saturday (Prayer Warriors) 6pm - 8pm Location: 52 Carrier Drive, Unit 12, (Albion/Hwy 27)

Etobicoke, Ont., M9w 5S5

Very Rev. De-Graft Semie Obiri (Calvary Methodist)

Saturday Auxilliary Minister Youth Musical & Computer Rev. Samuel Victor Mpereh Lessons Fellowship Meetings Choir Practice, Singing Band Practice 647-770-8440

Venue of Worship 65 Mayall Avenue, Toronto (Route: Through Jethro Road or Haymarket Road, off Wilson Ave. between Weston Rd. and Jane St., or walk across bridge from Chalkfarm North)

Tel: 416-614-6110

Bethel Prayer Ministry Int'l

Harvest Christian Church Invites you for a wonderful time with the Lord

Worship Hours Sundays (Mornings) 10 - 12:45pm Wednesday (Bible Study) 7 -8:30 pm Friday (All Night Prayer) 8-10:30pm Rev Moses Sarpong

COME AND EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF THE WORD Join us at 196 Toryork Drive(Corner of Weston/Finch)

Tel: 416-743-2507 Email: gcmethodist@hotmail.com

IT’S HARVEST TIME SO REACH OUT AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

It’s A Great Commission!

The Ghanaian News

December 2012

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Peace Light Ministries Senior Pastor & Founder: Rev. Augustine Adu-Anane BRE, M.Th. CPC

Senior Associate Pastor: Rev. Eleanor Adu-Anane BRE, ECE

TIME OF WORSHIP Wednesday: Bible Study 7:00 - 9:00 pm Friday: Group Prayer Meeting 8:00 - 11:00 pm Sunday: Christian Education 9:30 am - 10:30 am Sunday Service: 10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Rev. Augustine Adu-Anane

Tel: 416-839-1662 / 647-892-9412 LOCATION: 100 Penn Drive, Unit #3, North York, Ont. M9L 2A9 Happy are those who work for PEACE, for God will call them His children Mtt: 5:9

Lighthouse Assembly of God Church Senior Pastor: Isaac Takyi De-Graft Exclusive English Service: 8:00am - 10:00am School of the Light: 10:00am - 10:45am Exclusive Ghanaian Service : 10:45am - 1:00am Tuesday(Time with the Holy Spirit) 10:00 am-12:30 pm Wednesday(School of Ministry) 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm -Torontonians Thursday(School of Ministry) 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm - Bramptonians Friday(Time in His Presence) 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm Every First Friday is Special Youth Service 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm Every Fouth Friday is Half Night Service: 9:00 pm - 12:30 am

THE APOSTLES' CONTINUATION CHURCH INTERNATIONAL (CANADA) North American Headquarters: 10 Belfield Road Toronto, Ont., M9W 1G1 Tel: 416-247-6629 Fax: 416-247-5308

NEW LOCATION: 42 Steinway Blvd. Unit 1&2 (Hwy 27/Steeles) Toronto, Ontario, M9W 6Y6

Tel: 416-740-1200 Fax: 416-740-6435 Email:

lighthouse@lighthouseag.caWebsite: http:/www/lighthouseag.ca Apostle Charles Anokye-Manu

Power of Grace Chapel Int'l Invites all Christians, Non-Christians and members of the Resurrection Power Tradition to join us worship the Great Jehovah

Place of Worship:

350 Deerhide Cres, North York, ON Sunday Wednesday Friday

Rev. Joe Bonnah Days And Time of Worship - Divine Worship - 10a.m. - 1p.m.Pastor-in-charge - Bible Studies 7p.m. - 9p.m.

- Prayer / Deliverance - 7p.m. - 10p.m.

Contact Lines: Tel: 416-321-2796 (Pastor's Res) 289-981-1547 (Church)

Cell: 647-921-2414

Immanuel Assembly of God Church, Scarborough Sunday School: Church Service:

9:30am -10:30am 10:30am - 12 noon

There will be devotion each morning or evening from Monday to Friday on line 6:00 am to 7:00 am or 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Rev. Douglas O. Ansah Pastor-in-charge

Online telephone # 647-722-5570.

Access code: 226688# or 124488#

LOCATION Don Montgomery Community Centre 2467 Eglinton Ave. E. Scarborough, Ont., (Kennedy/Eglinton Subway Station) For more info contact:

647-880-4216

Website: www.apostlescontinuation.org

SERVICE TIMES: Worship Service Bible Studies All Night Service Deliverance

- Sunday 10:30 a.m.

- Wednesday 7:00 p.m.

- Friday 9:30 p.m.

- Saturday 4:00 p.m.

Worship With Us At These Branches In Canada

Toronto 10 Belfield Road Tel: 416-247-6629 Scarborough Assembly 1632 Midland Ave., M1P 1C2 Tel: 416-288-1333

Montreal Assembly 378 Cremazie East Montreal, Quebec, H2P 1E5 Tel: 514-271-9083 Pastor-In-Charge: John Arhin Contact: 514-274-2978

Pastor In-Charge: Pastor Patrick Antwi Contact: 647-402-4708

Praise Temple of Christ International Snr. Pastor: Apostle Osei-Bonsu

336 Gary Ray Drive @ Signet Worship Schedule Sunday Worship - 10 am - 12:30 pm Wednesday - Bible Study - 7 pm - 9 pm Friday - Prayer Meeting - 8 pm - 10 pm Second and last Friday of each month All Night Prayer Meeting 8 pm - 12 midnight

For information call: Apostle - 905-487-6658 Emmanuel - 289-400-7626 (cell)

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

GHANAIAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MONTREAL INVITES YOU TO WORSHIP WITH US REV. SOWAH ABLORH - MINISTER-IN-CHARGE

SUNDAY WORSHIP 10.00AM - 1.00PM WEDNESDAY SERVICE 7.00PM - 9.00PM FRIDAY PRAYER MEETING 7.00PM - 9.00PM

OFFICE: 514-278-8109 RESIDENCE: 514-683-8444 Eugene Kotey, Clerk of Session - 905-502-7875, Jennifer Agbanti, Treasurer - 905-908-2152

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New Covenant Baptist Church of Toronto P.O. Box 12514, Etobicoke, ON. M9R 4C7

Minister -in-charge: Rev. John Adedapo Have you missed the Sunday morning Service?

You have not missed it all - your blessing has not eluded you.

Join us for spirit-filled and powerful ministration on: 1.

Sunday Evening Sunday School Worship Service

4 pm - 7 pm 4 pm - 5 pm 5 pm - 7 pm

2. Friday All Night Prayer Vigil (12 midnight - 3:00 am) Venue: Kipling Avenue Baptist Church (lower auditorium) 2240 Kipling Avenue, Etobicoke, Ontario, M9W 4L4

Contact Us:

Tel: 416-900-3945 - Church office 416-312-1218, 416-262-4570 Email: ncbcoftoronto@gmail.com Website: www.newcovenantbaptistchurch.ca JESUS says, "Come and see" John 1:39 Your miracle is awaiting your presence at the service.

1345 LAPOINTE (CORNER OF OBRIEN)

New Light Chapel International 190 BOVAIRD DRIVE, UNIT 12 @ HWY 10, BRAMPTON You have been to Calvary for pardon, but you have not been to Pentecost for power.

We invite you to worship with us and experience the Pentecostal power in your life.

WORSHIP SCHEDULE. Sunday - Divine Worship 10am- 12pm Wednesday - Bible Study 7pm - 10pm (Call ahead) Rev. Kwaku Asare Friday Prayer Meeting 7pm - 10pm (Call ahead) For information call: Rev. Kwaku Asare

905-654-7364, 905-840-2012, 416-270-6822

Transformation Centre Assembly of God Church, Mississauga Join us on Sundays for worship at: Venue: Meadowvale Community Centre, Mississauga

Address: 6655 Glen Erin Drive Main Intersection: Glen Erin Drive and Aquitaine Avenue Room: Youth and Seniors

Time: 10.00AM-1.00PM Contact: Pastor Isaac K. Bonful Tel: 289-814-5482 Email: transformcentreag@yahoo.ca "...Be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Romans 12:2a

The Ghanaian News

Christian Hope Ministry Int'l

December 2012

GHANAIAN ANGLICAN CHURCH OF TORONTO

Invites You All To Come Worship With Us

1796 Lawrence Avenue West (Jane & Lawrence)

Apostle-in-charge: Apostle Twumasi Ankrah

Sunday: Bible Study Sunday Worship Wednesday: Teaching/Prayer Thursday: Prayer Meeting Friday: Prayer Meeting Saturday: Group Meetings

Tel: 647-344-6726 Cell: 416-200-2453 TIME OF WORSHIP: Sunday 10:30 am - 1:30 pm Tuesday 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Friday 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Apostle Twumasi Ankrah

- 2pm-3:00pm - 3pm-5:00pm - 7pm-9:00pm -10am-12noon - 7pm-9:00pm - 3pm-7:30pm

"COME AND EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF GOD"

Bro. S.H. Morris(People's Warden) 905-792-9761 Sis. Monica Akrofi(Priest's Warden)416-748-8246 Sis. Beatrice Asare(Secretary) 416-745-8148

Gospel Action Ministry

Welcome Home

VENUE: 1177 Finch Dr. #20, North York "And these signs will follow those who believe, in My Name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them, they will lay hands on the sick , and they will recover. Amen (Mark

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Rev. Fr. Gabriel Opoku Ware Priest-in-charge

416-901-3932 Cell: 647-624-4044

Evangelistic Ministries

Location: 135 Oakdale Rd. (Back door)

Affiliated with the Evangelical Church In Canada

Snr. Pastor & Founder: Evang. & Prophetess Winnie Manu BRE, M. Div.

Worship Celebration Services

Senior Pastor: Rev. Peter Awuah

Tel: 416-836-9235, 416-667-8637

Sunday Worship Celebration: 10 a.m.

Friday Prayer Meeting / Discipleship Group: 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Last Sunday of Every Month: Healing Service

Rev. Peter Awuah

Service Schedule Sunday: Church Service 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm Tuesday: Prayer Meeting 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Friday: Bible/Prayer Meeting 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Last Friday of the month: All Night Prayer Meeting 11:00 pm

Living Praise Ministries Int'l Church We are a diverse group of individuals who come together to build a church based upon a common foundation in Christ Jesus Pastor Sam & Helena Addai Pastor Elvis & Sonia Henry Our Services Friday: 7:30 p.m. Healing and Deliverance Service Sunday: 10:30 a.m. - Intercessory Prayer 10:00 a.m. - Worship Team 12:00 noon - Sunday Sch., children 3-13 yrs.

Weekly Spiritual Growth Tuesday: Bible Study, 7:00 p.m. at the church Friday: Youth Ministry, 7:30 p.m. at the church Pastor Sam Addai Friday: Prayer and Revival Service, 7:30 p.m. at the church Tuesday: Anointing Today, 7:30 a.m. on Vision TV (61) First Friday of each month: Midnight Prayer Meetings 11p.m.to1 a.m.

Tel: 613-228-2189, 1-800-973-2189 1877 Merivale Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K2O 1Y8

Place of Worship 236 Queen Mary Drive Brampton, ON L7A 3L3

Contact Info: Tel: 647 210 7057 Fax: 905 495 4789 Website: www.whemtoday .org

Healing Service: Last Sunday of every month at Cheyne Middle School. 236 Queen Mary Dr. Brampton.

Glory Pentecostal Ministry of Toronto Pastor-in-charge: Rev. Rockson Owusu Atwima - 416-708-7742 Elder Moses Frimpong 905-673-7237

Invites all Christians and Non-Christians to join us to worship the Almighty God WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday Regular Service 11:00 am to 1:30 pm Tuesday Prayer and Healing Service 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Friday Prayer Night 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm

PLACE OF WORSHIP 230 Eddystone Ave., #207, North York, Ont. M3N 1H7 We are more tan our conquerors Romans 8:37 "Come and see the manifestation and the power of the Holy Spirit at work"

DIVINE DESTINY CHAPEL INTERNATIONAL

Ghanaian Congregation

St. John's Anglican Church VENUE: 2125 WESTON RD., WESTON ONT.

Come And Be Empowered To Take Hold Of Your Destiny

Priest-in-charge: Rev. Michelle Childs-Ward , Incumbent 647-234-8229 Rev. Fr. Jojo Eduam Entsiwah, Associate Priest 647-400-7055

Invites You To Come And Worship With Us As We Exalt The Name Of Our Lord

Place of Worship:

Sunday: Bible Study - 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm Regular Service: 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm Isaac Aborah-Sei Daniel Oteng Evans Ackah Dwomoh Abebrese

-

647-859-9922 647-891-4211 647-403-6385 647-774-0747

Email: info@whemtoday.org

Pastor Koff Otten Duncan

Tel:

807 Arrow Rd. Sunday Service: 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm Wednesday Service: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

For more info. contact: 416-717-2291 Email:divinedestinychapel@gmail.com

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The Ghanaian News Deacember 2012

Around the Ghana Sports Scene

with Jonathan Annobil

Black Stars Coach Kwesi Appiah has announced Five Reasons Why Jordan Ayew a 26-man squad

Was Dropped From Ghana’s Afcon Squad

.The squad is made up of six locally-based players and twenty foreign-based players.

The 26-man squad will be pruned down to a final 23-man list for the tournament after the Black Stars’ training camp in the United Arab Emirates.

Below is the full list: G O A L K E E P E R S A d a m K w a r a s e y, F a t a u Dauda and Daniel Adjei D E F E N D E R S : Harrison Afful, John Paintsil, K i s s i B o a t e n g , Wa k a s u Mubarak, John Boye, Isaac Vorsah, Jonathan Mensah, R a s h i d S u m a i l a , Aw a l Mohammed, Jerry Akaminko.

M I D F I E L D E R S : Anthony Annan, Derek

Boateng, Rabiu Mohammed, Agyemang Badu, Solomon Asante, Albert Adomah, Andre Ayew, Christian Atsu and Kwadwo Asamoah S T R I K E R S : Asamoah Gyan, Boakye Yiadom and Emmanuel Clottey a n d Ya h a y a M o h a m m e d

Shocker: Black Maidens lose out on CAF Award

The Black Maidens have lost the 2012 AfricanWomen’s Team of the Year to Equitorial Guinea The Black Maidens have shockingly lost out on the African Women’s Team of the Year Award after Equitorial Guinea were adjudged the continent’s best at the 2012 GLO-CAF Awards in Ghana’s capital, Accra on Thursday night.

The Ghanaians were beaten to the award by Equitorial Guinea who won the 2012 African Women’s Championship on home soil this year.

The Black Maidens historic feat at the world showpiece where they defied odds to clinch bronze at the 2012 FIFA World Under-17 Women’s Championship in Azerbaijan was deemed not enough.

The news will be shocking for

many fans on the continent considering the fact the Black Maidens put the continent on the world map after they became the only African country to win a medal at the World Cup. Ghana FA boss Kwesi Nyantakyi was hugely confident about the chances of the team to win the award following their sterling performance in Azerbaijan The criteria by which the winner was chosen was not highlighted but this is set to spark massive debate in the West African country.

Zambia have been voted the Best Male National Team of the Year on the continent after winning the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations held in Gabon and Equitorial Guinea.

Source: ghanasoccernet.

Jordan Ayew emerged one of the major casualties in coach Kwasi Appiah’s provisional 26-man squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

The 20-year-old was shockingly left out of the team that hopes to end Ghana’s 31-year wait for an African title by the time the competition kicks off on January 19 in South Africa.

GHANAsoccernet.com analyses five plausible reasons for the Olympique Marseille striker’s exclusion from the squad that was announced on Thursday.

1. Below-par performance in recent games: For his club, Jordan has been very good this season.

Churning out impressive displays and scoring goals which resulted in him being named Marseille’s Player of the Month for November.

He has however failed to translate his good club form in a Black Stars shirt in recent games.

Jordan was a mere passenger in Ghana’s 1-0 defeat at Zambia in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers and again failed to make his presence felt in the first leg match of the final 2013 Nations Cup qualifier in Accra against Malawi.

In that particular game played at the Accra Sports Stadium, fans actually called for his immediate substitution when it became vaguely evident he had nothing to offer.

That stinking performance negated all his good works at the last Nations Cup where he came good particularly in the quarter final game against Tunisia and the last four match which Ghana lost against Zambia.

2. Stiff-competition: When the Goal King of an European league is unable to make Ghana’s provisional squad for a major tournament like the Nations Cup, then you really know there is just not enough places for too many quality materials.

Jordan at this point fell prey to the competition and dare I say the politics of player selection.

One is easily tempted pick a regular performer for Olympique Marseille into a squad of 26 players.

But just like I discussed above, Jordan comes up way to short on the score cards for the national team.

He was competing with Asamoah Gyan (who is always going to make the team), Richmond BoakyeYiadom who scores regularly at club level and makes a more meaningful impact relative to games he’s played for Ghana, an Emmanuel Clottey who shot up suddenly due to his exploits in the CAF Champions League and the fact that you needed some indigenous representation and then one who really epitomizes domestication, Ya h a y a M o h a m m e d .

Coach Kwasi Appiah, faced with these facts, needed to make a decision and he opted against taking the youngest son

of Abedi Pele to South Africa.

3. Destructive tendencies: Despite no clear proof of Jordan being a nuisance in camp, it has always stuck on him as a striking perception. This perception according to sources close to the team are very much REAL. And with the Nations Cup spans over a three-week period every coach would want to administer a happy camp thus the personalities they select to make the group.

4.

Temperament: Jordan Ayew is an acclaimed player with a very short fuse.

He wouldn’t mind getting into a brawl for his teammate or exchange unkind words with an opposition on the field of play.

Sometimes that kind of fire and passion is needed in a player, but the suspicion is that coach Akwasi Appiah is not prepared to risk anything in South Africa.

5. Allegation of being individualistic: “We realized also that some players played to secure individual fame and glory to the detriment of the team,” Ghana FA boss Kwasi Nyantakyi said as one of the reasons the Black Stars failed to deliver in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

And I try to make a list of people who fell into that category off the top of my head and you’ll find Jordan Ayew high on the list.

He is a delightful player to watch when he is on form, no two ways about that.

But in times where its just not coming together for him, the 20-year-old clearly lacks the maturity to alter his game and rather persists with his ambition to excite the crowd with needless skills and antics.

For All Your Events Coverage Call The Ghanaian News 416-916-3700

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