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ISSUE NO. 002 MAR-APR 2015<br />

6 IDEAS FOR WHEN YOUR TEEN SEEMS DEPRESSED BUT VAL’S DAY IS 23RD APRIL<br />

T H E O F F I C I A L E D U - I N S P I R A T I O N A L H I G H S C H O O L M A G A Z I N E<br />

ALPHA PLUS EDITION


FROM THE EDITOR<br />

will simply be in awe.<br />

<strong>Me2moro</strong>, your official<br />

edu -inspirational<br />

high school magazine<br />

is here with a bang. This<br />

edition is a masterpiece. Well<br />

crafted, deeply thought of<br />

and created just for you as<br />

we start 2015 together. With<br />

content that will unveil to<br />

you, your limitless abilities.<br />

Help you envision your<br />

future as a change maker<br />

and yet keep you entertained<br />

by the one and only Miss<br />

Jeremie Van Garshong. You<br />

Have you ever wondered how the Good Old Days<br />

could have been for our Mr. Music Man, Kojo Antwi..?<br />

Well, we have got the answer for that. For our career<br />

bowl we bring you an exclusive from the Head Of<br />

Safety Monitoring and Clinical Trials at the Food And<br />

Drugs Authority- a pharmacist. P.E.A. is also poised,<br />

answering mind boggling and helping to solve the<br />

dilemmas of students. Our pic gallery in this session<br />

features Accra Girls High School’s activities organized<br />

in the past term. You will be educated on the rich<br />

culture of the people of Akuapem Traditional Area and<br />

be blown away with chic designs from Inspire-F.O.G.<br />

There is simply so much for you in <strong>Me2moro</strong>. So just,<br />

Buckle up your seatbelt and Prepare to Flyyyyyyy!<br />

Y.T. Aggrey<br />

Copyright subsists in all work published in this magazine. The<br />

magazine or any part thereof may not be reproduced or adapted<br />

without written emission of the publishers. Failure to obtain<br />

permission constitutes an infringment of copyright and may<br />

constitute a criminal offence. <strong>Me2moro</strong> magazine welcomes<br />

material submitted for publication but retain the unrestricted<br />

right to edit any received copy. <strong>Me2moro</strong> magazine assumes<br />

no responsibility to return unsolicited material. The opinions<br />

expressed in the magazine are not considered those of the<br />

publishers who accept no liability of any nature arising out of or in<br />

connection with the contents of this magazine. While reasonable<br />

care has been taken to ensure the advice given in this magazine,<br />

the editor and publisher cannot accept responsibility for any loss,<br />

damage or inconvenience that may arise therefrom.<br />

CONTRIBUTORS<br />

MANAGING EDITOR<br />

Yvonne T. Aggrey<br />

ARTICLES EDITORS<br />

Pst. Susanna Asare<br />

Pst. Ebenezer Komey<br />

Ebenezer Pobee<br />

JOURNALIST<br />

Daphne Addison<br />

WEB/GRAPHIC DESIGNER<br />

Felix Offei<br />

SALES & MARKETING<br />

Godwin Namboh(Head)<br />

Email: gnamboh@myrtleeagle.com<br />

Mina Adu-Baffour<br />

Email: mbaffour@myrtleeagle.com<br />

PHOTOGRAPHY<br />

SpeakLife Photography<br />

PUBLISHER<br />

MyrtleEagle Company Limited<br />

CONTACT US<br />

info@myrtleeagle.com<br />

MyrtleEagle International<br />

+233 (0) 302-337-285


WELCOME<br />

CONTENTS<br />

Page 27<br />

06 PREPARE TO FLY<br />

08 UNLIMITED ABILITIES<br />

10 ACRES OF DIAMOND<br />

12 QUALITIES OF A CHANGE<br />

MAKERS VISION<br />

15 BUT VAL”S DAY IS<br />

23RD APRIL<br />

16 FROM THE MOUTH OF A<br />

PHARMACIST<br />

Page 26<br />

23 MELON BALLS<br />

24 UNI-DI-VERSITY<br />

(FOCUS ON UG)<br />

27 FRUITIFY,VEGEFY,NOURIFY<br />

YOUR SKIN<br />

28 FASHION BY INSPIRE<br />

29 THE AFRICAN BEAT OF SOCCER<br />

31 STRAIGHT TALK WITH P.E.A<br />

33 JOKES,SHORT STORIES<br />

37 WASSCE NO BE RUMOUR<br />

41 SHOUT-0UTZ<br />

43 MEET YOUR MINISTERS<br />

45 IT’S PREACHIE COOL WITH<br />

49 JEREMIE CULTURE-RICH-STIC<br />

Page 29<br />

53 GALLERY<br />

55 6 IDEAS FOR WHEN<br />

YOUR TEEN FEELS<br />

SAD OR DEPRESSED<br />

58 GENESIS OF THE<br />

MAESTRO<br />

60 AGGREGATION OF<br />

MARGINAL GAINS<br />

65 POWER BANK<br />

Page 49 Page 12 Page 24 Page 24 60


Entrepreneur Extraordinaire<br />

DR. STRIVE<br />

MASIYIWA<br />

Strive Masiyiwa is a well-known<br />

international business leader whose<br />

principles for business and living<br />

has inspired many leaders and<br />

educationists all over the world. He<br />

has won numerous international<br />

recognition and awards. Some of his<br />

awards include the following:<br />

“10 Most Outstanding Young<br />

Persons of the World” (Jaycees 1999<br />

– Business Category)<br />

“15 Global Influential’s of the Year”<br />

(CNN/Time <strong>Magazine</strong> Poll -2003)<br />

Builders of Modern Africa (2010 –<br />

Winner)<br />

“25 Leaders of Africa’s Renaissance”<br />

(Times of London – 2011)<br />

“20 Most Powerful Business People in<br />

African Business” (Forbes <strong>Magazine</strong> –<br />

2011)<br />

Invited by President Barak Obama to<br />

attend G-8 Summit at Camp David<br />

(G-8 Summit, Camp David - 2012)<br />

Prepare to fly<br />

A<br />

woman sat on a park bench over lunch<br />

one hot afternoon. And while she did,<br />

she noticed a butterfly trying to come<br />

out of its cocoon. She watched it struggle for<br />

over an hour. Eventually, feeling sorry for the<br />

poor creature she reached for a small scissors and<br />

gently used it to clip open the cocoon. To her<br />

surprise, the butterfly that was released did not<br />

fly away. It just lay there totally crippled.<br />

You see, what she failed to realize was that the<br />

struggle a butterfly goes through is what pumps<br />

blood into its wings so that it may be able to fly.<br />

Isaiah 40.31 but they that wait upon the Lord<br />

shall renew their strength<br />

They shall mount on wings as eagles<br />

They shall run and not be weary<br />

And they shall walk and not faint<br />

The eagle is an unusual bird; it has mustered<br />

the ability to fly into a storm. It mounts strong<br />

winds as though going up a staircase. It is the<br />

only bird that you will find flying during a<br />

storm. From today, you have got to approach<br />

life with the majesty of an eagle. Do not be afraid<br />

of headwinds or opposition. Mount them like a<br />

ladder unto success.<br />

You might be struggling to get your grades<br />

through, you might be struggling to pay your<br />

school fees, or you might be finding it difficult<br />

to combine all the pressures coming at you from<br />

6


every side. You might even be going through<br />

viscous persecution that threatens your very<br />

life.<br />

The use of the word wait comes from the<br />

Hebrew word qawah which means to serve.<br />

Thus, you must learn to actively serve. As a<br />

student, serve all those in authority. Serve your<br />

teachers, serve your seniors serve your prefects,<br />

and serve even your friends and your mates.<br />

that we live to please God not man, and your<br />

life should be lived to the glorification of the<br />

one who created and sustains your life.<br />

Start thinking about your challenges differently.<br />

No matter how dark, no matter how pressing,<br />

you are not going under. You are more than a<br />

conqueror in Christ. It cannot be stormy all the<br />

time…the sun will rise.<br />

It does not matter if you are of the same age<br />

or perhaps even older than them because your<br />

greatness lies in your service. Always remember<br />

“Dont you give up. Joy comes with the morning.<br />

No situation is permanent.<br />

It cannot be stormy all the time”<br />

This article was culled from Strive<br />

Masiyiwas’s blog post on facebook.<br />

Follow Dr Strive on<br />

www.yookos.com/strivemasiyiwa<br />

www.facebook.com/strivemasiyiwa<br />

7


Teevo<br />

Unlimited<br />

Abilities<br />

(Be Audacious)<br />

God has granted you ability<br />

in Christ. Therefore be<br />

determined to do big things<br />

for him.<br />

To the bible! Philippians 4:13 NIV “I can<br />

do everything through him who gives me<br />

strength”<br />

Let’s talk<br />

Have you ever been reluctant to stand up<br />

to speak in front of your class or address a<br />

crowd, because you thought they’ll shout<br />

you down and ridicule you? Well, I want<br />

you to know today that there’s absolutely<br />

nothing you can’t do as a child of God. Paul<br />

had a powerful revelation of the Gospel of<br />

Jesus Christ and the difference it made in his<br />

life. He said, “I can do everything though<br />

Christ who gives me strength.” Notice he<br />

didn’t say, “Some things” but “everything”;<br />

that’s talking about unlimited abilities!<br />

Romans 5:6 say, “You see at just the right<br />

time, when we were still powerless, Christ<br />

died for the ungodly” (NIV). Without<br />

Christ, you may have been spineless and<br />

timid; you may have given up easily and<br />

turned tail at the slightest opposition. But<br />

now that you’ve embraced the gospel of<br />

8


Jesus Christ you’re strengthened from<br />

within by God’s divine power. Now you’re<br />

bold and courageous; you’re audacious in<br />

faith and can face any crisis and win.<br />

Always be conscious of God’s mighty<br />

power at work in you. No matter the<br />

opposition you face, you can activate<br />

that miracle-working power by speaking<br />

fervently in other tongues. When you<br />

speak in tongues, you build up yourself<br />

from within and are strengthened to do<br />

the impossible. Be resolute to do big things<br />

for the lord, for he’s given you unlimited<br />

abilities in Christ.<br />

Go deeper- Ephesians 6:10, Colossians<br />

1:10-11<br />

Speak<br />

Dear father, I thank you for strengthening<br />

me with might by your spirit. I declare<br />

that I can do all thing through Christ, who<br />

strengthens me in Jesus’ name. Amen.<br />

Act<br />

Always be conscious of<br />

God’s mighty power at<br />

work in you. No matter the<br />

opposition you face, you<br />

can activate that miracleworking<br />

power by speaking<br />

fervently in other tongues.<br />

Is there any task you’ve given up on? I<br />

encourage you to go back to it today<br />

and tackle it boldly with the i-can –do<br />

mentality, and you will succeed!<br />

This article was culled from Rhapsody of<br />

Realities Teevo<br />

9


Acres of Diamonds<br />

by Russell H. Conwell<br />

There was a farmer in Africa who was<br />

happy and content. He was happy<br />

because he was content and he was<br />

content because he was happy. One day a wise<br />

man came to him and told him about the glory<br />

of diamonds and the power that goes along<br />

with them. The wise man said, “If you had a<br />

diamond the size of your thumb, you could<br />

have your own city. If you had one like your<br />

fist, your own country.” And with that this wise<br />

man went away. That night the farmer couldn’t<br />

sleep. He was unhappy and he was discontent.<br />

He was unhappy because he was discontent<br />

and discontent because he was unhappy.<br />

The next morning he made arrangements to<br />

sell off his farm.He took care of his family and<br />

went in search of diamonds. He looked all over<br />

Africa and couldn’t find any. He looked all<br />

through Europe and couldn’t find any. When<br />

he got to Spain, he was emotionally, physically<br />

and financially broke. He got so disheartened<br />

that he threw himself into the Barcelona River<br />

and committed suicide.<br />

Back home, the person who had bought his<br />

farm was watering the camels at a stream that<br />

ran through his farm. Across the stream, the<br />

rays of the morning sun hit a stone and made<br />

it sparkle like a rainbow. He thought it would<br />

look good on the mantle piece. He picked up<br />

the stone and put it in the living room. That<br />

afternoon the wise man came and saw the<br />

stone sparkling. He asked, “Is Hafiz back?” the<br />

new owner said, “No, why do you ask?” the<br />

wise man replied, “Because that is a diamond.<br />

I recognize one when I see one. “The man said,<br />

No, that’s just a stone I picked up from the<br />

stream. Come, I’ll show you. There are many<br />

more. “They went and picked some samples<br />

and sent them for analysis. Sure enough, the<br />

stones were diamonds. They found the farm<br />

was indeed covered with acres of diamonds.<br />

MORAL OF THE STORY<br />

When our attitude is right,we realise that we<br />

are all walking on our own acres and acres of<br />

diamonds. Opportunity is under your feet all<br />

you need to do is to recognise it.<br />

10


From The Depths Of My Heart<br />

Qualities of a Change-Maker’s Vision<br />

(As far as your eyes can see..)<br />

OMG!!!……It seems almost impossible<br />

to believe. In just a few months you<br />

will be walking out the School Gates<br />

for the last time as a student. No more exeats or<br />

chits for you to go outside these once seemingly<br />

imprisoning walls. Just a few months ago, you<br />

had just checked the BECE results and waited<br />

anxiously for your school placement. Nino’s<br />

Day seemed just like this morning and in what<br />

seems to be a blink of an eye, you will be an<br />

SHS Graduate. Then what?? I am pretty sure<br />

you think you have it all figured out. I will go to<br />

University...Most likely Tech or maybe Legon.<br />

Then What?? I will graduate with honors and<br />

do my National service. Impressive. Thank You.<br />

OK?? What then?? I will work in a Reputable<br />

Institution, Continue my Education or marry<br />

my SHS sweetheart and then raise a Family<br />

together, whichever comes first. Nice, What<br />

then…….?? …….Erm, Erm, Erm……….<br />

What do you mean???<br />

You see, the plan for most people stops HERE.<br />

Few people ever think of living beyond<br />

themselves. They are satisfied with living the<br />

so called “ideal” life of the majority, hoping<br />

for a mass attendance at their funerals and an<br />

occasional floral tribute at their tombstones.<br />

If this is the life you intend to live, please be<br />

advised to stop reading. You have got to live<br />

your life to the fullest. Like every grain of<br />

sand in an hourglass, make your time count.<br />

Every day, hour, minute to the last second and<br />

micro second. It must all count for something,<br />

because purpose-filled seconds add up to a<br />

purposeful life. And for this, you need to have<br />

the rare ability to see beyond sight. You need<br />

to have VISION. You need to Define Your<br />

Purpose and Start Creaming Your Dream. No<br />

worries, unlike the countless pieces of literature<br />

out there that simply state what you should do,<br />

this one actually stretches a friendly hand and<br />

does it along with you. Just like a Friend.<br />

So, you are almost 18 or past it. What would<br />

you want to accomplish in the next five years?<br />

What about the next ten years? Ok, when you<br />

12


are 40? Who would you be? What would you<br />

be known for?<br />

At your age, it’s imperative that you have a<br />

plan, a vision of the kind of life you want to<br />

live. You are not too young to start creating<br />

your future. If it never occurred to you, your<br />

present is already a 13 year Old’s future. It is<br />

well said that “failure to plan is planning to<br />

fail”. And we not want to fail. Do we?? So let’s<br />

eliminate that option. Did we just change the<br />

rules?? YES!!! Why?? Because we can. This is<br />

one secret a lot of people don’t know about<br />

life.<br />

Most people spend their lives choosing from<br />

the options life gives them never realizing<br />

that you can give Life your own option; The<br />

Option of Success. Just so we are clear, let’s get<br />

a few things out of the way<br />

Driving the Range Rovers, Living at the<br />

Trasaccos, Manning the conglomerates<br />

etc. can all be ultimately be considered as<br />

Success…… NOT!!! A life without a God<br />

centered purpose with impact is a wasted life<br />

even if littered with all the fancy and classy<br />

adornments money accessorizes the elite with.<br />

Now for a bit of long overdue controversy and<br />

play of words, GOD IS NOT INTERESTED<br />

IN WHAT YOU HAVE, He is interested in<br />

WHO YOU BE-come. Life is a gift from God<br />

meant to be lived and enjoyed. Look at it as<br />

God’s present to you. NOW, your present will<br />

only have a future if you present your present<br />

to God as a present. Stay with me. Then and<br />

then only can your present have a pleasant<br />

future. God is more keen on who you become<br />

than what you have. He wants you to have the<br />

best but not at the expense of who you are…<br />

Maybe that’s why we are rightly identified as<br />

Human BEings not Human HAVEings.<br />

Okay, Now that I have your attention.<br />

Qualities of a Change Makers<br />

Vision<br />

1. Be Big<br />

Your dreams should be big enough to<br />

require supernatural help. Do not dream of<br />

something you can acquire or accomplish on<br />

your own or with the help of men. That’s just<br />

dreaming within ability, which is quite lazy if<br />

I might add. Why waste your time dreaming<br />

of something that can be accomplished by<br />

yourself. Your dream should be big enough<br />

to contain God #truetalk. Dream of being<br />

greater than Bill Gates or even King Solomon.<br />

Dream of being the best brain surgeon or<br />

heart surgeon. Whatever you are thinking of<br />

doing, dream of being so excellent in your<br />

field that you are studied as a course in Ivy<br />

League Schools…<br />

NOW THAT’S A DREAM!!!!!<br />

High Five Pal! The sky is definitely not your<br />

limit. It’s your starting point.<br />

Take out time, Close your eyes and begin to<br />

see you. See you at 25, See you at 30 and at<br />

40, See you2moro. Don’t just be a dreamer.<br />

Be a change maker and Go for what you see.<br />

It’s your birth right.<br />

Watch out for Part II.<br />

CHOOSE to BE YOUR BEST, LIVE YOUR<br />

BEST AND HAVE THE BEST while doing<br />

so. BE A CHANGE MAKER.<br />

13


...But Val’s Day is 23rd April<br />

Right after Christmas and New Year, the<br />

breeze of love continues to heighten<br />

as the month of love draws near. It’s<br />

FEBRRRRUUUUUARY! Valentine becomes<br />

the new craze, a day having been specially set,<br />

the 14th of February becomes one savoring<br />

good and bad memories, for lovers both far and<br />

near. The guys just dread it, and the girls can’t<br />

wait for it. lol. The shops are flanked with gifts<br />

wrapped in red, couples parade the streets in<br />

style, showing off ‘what they deem to be love.’<br />

Love huh? Is it that holistic feeling that<br />

consumes the heart and sends happy vibes<br />

down the spine? That uncontrollable drive<br />

within you that makes you go “giddy googoo<br />

gaga” over that special someone?Is it that thing<br />

that consumes your mind and your very being<br />

with his very presence?That causes you to miss<br />

her even when she has not left yet …Is .that the<br />

L. O. V. E?????<br />

Absolutely not! Love is that driving force,<br />

that overwhelming nature of God in you that<br />

causes you to reach out from deep within<br />

for another’s sake. Love is that constant state<br />

of being and mind that propels an infinite<br />

change and lightens up a gloomy day. It is the<br />

connection with the divine that brings you<br />

heaven on earth. Love is our nature, love is a<br />

decision. It is the decision to heal instead of to<br />

hurt. The decision to give life instead of to kill;<br />

to lift instead of to tread upon, to give freely,<br />

instead of holding back.<br />

The power of love and its attributes have<br />

been greatly underrated and misconstrued.<br />

Its significance has been tied to lust,<br />

infatuations, sex and materiality. But no, love<br />

is the expression of God in us that flows out to<br />

EVERYONE around us EVERYDAY and not<br />

just on 14th February. It can be 21st March or<br />

even 23rd April. Heck! If there was 32nd May,<br />

it would still be a day to love and celebrate<br />

unconditional love. This selfless show of<br />

affection, loyalty, friendship, and trust between<br />

individuals. This force, this nature; simply can’t<br />

be bottled up in a day. It’s Impossible. you<br />

were born of Love to love anyone and everyone<br />

despite the odds. Just a day for love is pitiful.<br />

A month would not be enough. A year would<br />

not suffice. This thing called love is a lifetime<br />

“kinda” thing. For EVERY-“Kinda”-ONE.<br />

Not just one special one. So if love is expressed<br />

on Valentine’s Day, then I hereby declare every<br />

every day Valentine’s Day.<br />

15


Career Bowl<br />

From the mouth<br />

of a Pharmacist...<br />

In a meeting with one of Ghana’s finest<br />

and most recognized personalities in<br />

the field of Pharmacy, hidden but open,<br />

Mrs. Mimi Darko is one of the engines<br />

behind Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority.<br />

A professional by all standards, Mrs. Darko<br />

graced our magazine with her first ever<br />

interview, and guess what, it wasn’t on<br />

phone, via Skype or in passing, it was one<br />

on one, and you get the chance to read as<br />

it all unfolds…a journey into the world of<br />

Pharmacy<br />

Q<br />

How did it all start?<br />

Completing school in 1991, working for<br />

23 years and still vibrant, I am currently<br />

the head of Safety Monitoring and Clinical<br />

Trials, at the Food and Drugs Authority,.<br />

I worked with the Pharmacy Board from<br />

1991-1994, where in 1998 a law was passed<br />

to separate the ‘Regulation of Practice’ from<br />

the ‘Regulation of the Product’ previously<br />

called Food and Drugs Board, and currently<br />

changed to the Food and Drugs Authority.<br />

Q<br />

Growing up, did you<br />

always want to be a<br />

Pharmacist?<br />

Originally, No! I wanted to be a pediatrician;<br />

back then pharmacy wasn’t a well-known<br />

profession. I did my 6th form in UK, there<br />

you get the opportunity to combine subjects,<br />

16


Career Bowl<br />

and it’s a lot easier to maneuver around the<br />

educational system, it’s not as rigid as in<br />

Ghana,. It was after I finished school and doing<br />

my service for one year at the Police Hospital<br />

that pharmacy became lucrative to me; I<br />

realized I could do everything in Pharmacy even<br />

related to Medicine in ‘regulatory’, taking into<br />

consideration community practice, clinical,<br />

and patient safety, there and then I knew there<br />

was more to it than just counting drugs behind<br />

a counter.<br />

Q<br />

What are the perception<br />

people have about<br />

pharmacy?<br />

Most people think ‘pharmacy’ is “just a place<br />

to go buy medicine” but it’s more than that.<br />

A doctor listens and gives diagnosis and the<br />

pharmacist finds out which drug is good for<br />

you; they direct you to take the right drug that<br />

best suits your immune system, based on test<br />

results and prescription issued to you at the<br />

hospital. A community pharmacist per say has<br />

all your records and medical history so he/she<br />

can detect if there’s any mishap in your body<br />

and will keep you on course as to the dosage<br />

of drugs to take and a change of prescription<br />

where necessary.<br />

Q<br />

What do you like about<br />

doing pharmacy?<br />

I used to do drug registration, which is before<br />

anyone brings a drug into the country, we check<br />

the conditions of manufacturing but now I do<br />

drug development which is in three (3) phases;<br />

one, we test the drugs on animals before testing<br />

on people, secondly, if it’s safe and ready we<br />

introduce the drug onto the market. Finally,<br />

we look at how the drugs work when it’s used,<br />

that’s assessing the side effect on 20 to 1000<br />

people by carefully monitoring them. What I<br />

love about this is the opportunity to participate<br />

in something that will save lives.<br />

Q<br />

Everything comes, with its<br />

set of challenges, what will<br />

you say are the Challenges<br />

you encounter in your line<br />

of work?<br />

We have pressures from the industry to circulate<br />

drugs and make them readily available, but it’s<br />

my job to make sure the drug is tested first<br />

before it is released onto the market, so that’s<br />

the challenge, if the drug goes wrong we have<br />

to re-draw it, and tell the industry to withhold<br />

circulation because of the effects and reactions<br />

people might have had with it. It usually tends<br />

to be difficult holding them off. Lots of people<br />

also do not know about the importance of our<br />

work and tend to disregard it. However, our<br />

work is important so that they can get the best<br />

out of our services and their health.<br />

Q<br />

Still full of youthful<br />

exuberance - a CEO<br />

and married how do you<br />

combine family and work?<br />

Its only by grace, I have two children, one<br />

in the University and the other about to go<br />

to the University. You have to make time for<br />

everything; you can’t put everything into your<br />

career and neglect your family, I don’t know<br />

how I do it, I believe it all by the grace of<br />

God, He orders my steps. My work involves<br />

a lot of travelling, I have a lot of meetings<br />

with the World Health Organization, doing<br />

presentations on experiences in Ghana, what I<br />

do amongst others, I am barely in Ghana, and<br />

for instance this year since September I have<br />

been in Ghana for just a week. This makes me<br />

strongly believe that it’s all by the grace of God<br />

18


Career Bowl<br />

that I balance family and work and other<br />

responsibilities so successfully.<br />

Q<br />

What advice will you give<br />

someone who wants<br />

to pursue a career in<br />

pharmacy? Academics,<br />

Character wise<br />

You need to be very diligent in what you do,<br />

you need to have patience to be a pharmacist,<br />

you need patience in handling patients, you<br />

need to be meticulous because you have to<br />

observe patients and monitor their health. You<br />

must keep in mind that you are dealing with<br />

products and how they concern people’s health<br />

and in effect their lives. For instance when<br />

someone walks into a shop and asks to buy two<br />

‘amoxicillin’ drugs, you don’t just give it to him<br />

/her, directly refusing to dispense the drug can<br />

also cause them to go elsewhere for the drug, so<br />

as a pharmacist you have to step in and question<br />

them, you need to be able to balance business<br />

and the patients wellbeing, because clearly<br />

other business minded / unqualified dispensers<br />

will sell to them without caring.<br />

Academically, the person should develop an<br />

interest in chemistry and biology. Some have it<br />

naturally; others will have to grow it. There are<br />

schools of pharmacy in all the top universities<br />

in Ghana. Students should do well in their<br />

WASSCE exams in order to be admitted<br />

into these schools if they have the interest in<br />

pursuing a career in pharmacy.<br />

model, so far as pharmacy is concerned, I have<br />

friends who are pharmacists, whom I learned<br />

a lot from growing into the profession, like<br />

Thomas Appiah Adjei, he was as strict as he<br />

was kind, he had patience to listen to you. To<br />

him if anything is to be done it must be done<br />

properly, integrity is key to him, he always says<br />

“If you do it do it well.”<br />

Q<br />

Describe Pharmacy in one<br />

word?<br />

One word, hmm, I will say pharmacy is<br />

‘Fulfilling’, the work I do is fulfilling, deep<br />

down my heart, I love what I do and I do my<br />

knowing I have done it.<br />

Q<br />

What is the next level for<br />

you?<br />

I want to move pharmacy from being just a<br />

business to being a profession. I always say the<br />

pharmacy profession is going down; I want<br />

to re-vamp the pharmacy profession to move<br />

pharmacy to where it’s supposed to be, to a<br />

place where ‘to do pharmacy but not just sell<br />

medicine’.<br />

Q<br />

Growing into the<br />

profession, were there<br />

people you looked<br />

up to, role models?<br />

I don’t really have mentors, I am my own role<br />

20


Health & Lifestyle<br />

is an ideal fruit to eat during menstruation.<br />

In men, water melons help fight prostate<br />

cancer,erectile dysfunction and hypertension.<br />

Melon Balls<br />

Large, round and green, water melons are<br />

a delicious delicacy. Scooped up and<br />

eaten raw, this green ball opens<br />

up to a red mesh of fiber that when<br />

consumed topples up to provide the<br />

essential nutrients for growth and<br />

vitality.<br />

Water melon, just as the name suggests<br />

contains 90% water and 10% of fiber. Due<br />

to its water concentration, juiced up, it provides<br />

a refreshing drink which quenches the thirst,<br />

making it a natural substitute for water.<br />

The flesh of the water melon contains essential<br />

nutrients that helps improve blood flow in and<br />

around the heart, it improves bone formation<br />

and it is very good for your lungs and hearts.<br />

It helps in reduction of cramps and replenishes<br />

the body with water and blood, water melon<br />

22<br />

Most frequently, when one buys water<br />

melons from a fruit shop, the concentration is<br />

basically on its juicy red fibrous mesh whiles<br />

ignoring the seeds; now this is the secret,<br />

water melon seeds contain iron and zinc! Yes<br />

they do. Surprised, well, now you know! To<br />

attest to this fact and more in a recent study<br />

done by food scientists, to compare the<br />

nutrient content from the flesh of different<br />

melon species, it was discovered that large<br />

amounts of concentrated nutrients such as<br />

(phenolic antioxidants, flavonoids, lycopene<br />

and vitamin c). Oops, these terms may be<br />

unfamiliar but in a nutshell, they are essential<br />

to your bodies’ growth and development!<br />

So get yourself a handy fruit squeezer or a<br />

blender and make yourself a healthy fulfilling<br />

melon drink to flash out the toxins in your<br />

body, quench your thirst and savor your<br />

hunger cells.<br />

Water<br />

Melon is<br />

an ideal fruit<br />

to eat during<br />

menstruation<br />

Whether scooped up for a fruit<br />

salad, or a glass of freshly<br />

squeezed melon juice, a daily<br />

intake of water melon pays off<br />

offering you a wide range of<br />

nutritional benefits. Let’s get<br />

healthy and healthier!


Uni-Di-Versity<br />

Uni-Di-Versity<br />

-Focus on UG<br />

Founded in 1948 as the University College of<br />

the Gold Coast, the university was founded by<br />

Ordinance on August 11, 1948 for the purpose<br />

of promoting uni¬versity education, learning and<br />

research, and has lived beyond expectation.<br />

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was the University of Ghana’s<br />

first chancellor. Churning out many great men and<br />

women in the society, the university is prided as<br />

Ghana’s alpha university. Having grown over the years,<br />

it currently houses over 30,000 students, and lectures<br />

in a world-class learning environment, mak¬ing it one<br />

of the best in Africa and the world as a whole.<br />

Faculties/ Schools/ Colleges<br />

College Of Health Sciences<br />

Medical School<br />

Dental School<br />

School Of Allied Health Sciences<br />

School Of Public Health:<br />

Noguchi Memorial Institute For Medical<br />

Research<br />

School Of Nursing<br />

College Of Agriculture And Consumer<br />

Sciences<br />

Faculties<br />

Arts<br />

Law<br />

Science<br />

Social Studies<br />

Business School<br />

Engineering Sciences<br />

Programs Offered<br />

NOGUCHI MEMORIAL INSTITUTE<br />

FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH: An<br />

institute for research into Medical and<br />

paramedical issues.<br />

SCHOOL OF NURSING: Community<br />

Health, Maternal & Child Health,<br />

Mental Health, Adult Health, Research,<br />

Education and Administration.<br />

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE:<br />

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness,<br />

Agricultural Exten¬sion, Animal Science,<br />

Crop Science, Home Science and Soil<br />

Science.<br />

Faculties<br />

ARTS: Classics, English, Language<br />

24


Centre, Linguistics, Modern Languages<br />

(Arabic, French, Russian, Spanish, and<br />

Swahili), Mathematics, Philosophy, and Study<br />

of Religions and the School of Performing Arts<br />

(with Departments of Dance Studies, Music<br />

and Theatre Arts).<br />

LAW: Law (non-departmentalized).<br />

SCIENCE: Biochemistry, Botany, Chemistry,<br />

Computer Science, Fisheries and Oceanography,<br />

Geology, Mathematics, Nursing, Nutrition and<br />

Food Science, Psychology, Physics, Statistics<br />

and Zoology.<br />

SOCIAL STUDIES: Archaeology, Economics,<br />

Geography and Resource Development,<br />

History, Information Studies, Mathematics,<br />

Nursing, Political Science, Psychology,<br />

Sociology and Social Work.<br />

BUSINESS SCHOOL: Accounting, Public<br />

Administration & Health Service Management,<br />

Marketing & Consumer Management, Banking<br />

& Finance, Organization & Human Resource<br />

Management and Management Information<br />

Systems.<br />

ENGINEERING SCIENCES: Agricultural,<br />

Biomedical, Food Process, Materials Science<br />

and Engineering (Ceramics Option) and<br />

Computer Engineering.<br />

Halls/ Hostels<br />

Mensah Sarbah Hall<br />

Volta Hall (Females Only)<br />

Commonwealth Hall (Males Only)<br />

Akuafo Hall<br />

Legon Hall<br />

Hilla Liman Hall<br />

Alex Kwapong Hall<br />

Frances Elizabeth Sey Hall<br />

Jean Nelson Hall<br />

Africa Union Hall<br />

Evandy<br />

Bani<br />

Tf<br />

Admission Requirements for a<br />

Bachelor’s Degree<br />

The general requirements for entry to LeveL<br />

100 of the bachelor’s degree programmes are as<br />

follows:<br />

i. Senior Secondary School Certificate/ West<br />

African Senior School Certificate Examination:<br />

Credits in the four core subjects, namely,<br />

English, Mathematics, Integrated Science and<br />

Social Studies and Three Elective Subjects,<br />

in the Senior Secondary School Certificate<br />

Examinations (SSSCE) or West African<br />

Senior School Certificate Examination<br />

(WASSCE). This is however subject to review<br />

by the Academic Board.<br />

ii. Other Qualifications : Other qualifications<br />

include International Baccalaurette (IB),<br />

IGCSE, GCSE, the American Grades 12<br />

and 13 examinations and other external<br />

qualifications which have equivalences to<br />

the SSSCE or the WASSCE. Candidates<br />

with external qualifications are admitted to<br />

Level 100,.<br />

iii. Direct entry to the next higher level is possible<br />

if a course of approved content has been taken<br />

in a recognised institution. Additional Faculty<br />

and Departmental (Subject) requirements must<br />

be satisfied. Bachelor’s degree courses<br />

(BA, BSc, BMus, BFA) are of an 8-Semester (4-<br />

year) duration for all candidates.<br />

25


Beauty<br />

Once a while, you want to hang out with friends and gnaw on a few nuts and crackers,<br />

chit chat over pizza and drinks and order plates of French fries and fried rice. Totally cool,<br />

but… Aiming at that plush, beautiful skin? Then you need to avoid fried and greasy foods<br />

that have less nutrients, give acne/pimples and will eventually affect your immune system<br />

when you’re older. Give yourself a double treat; get nourished inside by feeding your body<br />

right and enjoy the beautiful healthy glow it produces on your face. What’s more, there are<br />

certain foods that can be applied outwardly on the face to nourish your skin.<br />

You eat the right foods to keep a healthy and fit body. But are you aware that certain foods<br />

can literally nourish and beautify your face?<br />

Well, here’s a simple guide on what foods to eat and which ones to use for masks and other<br />

facial applications that will leave you with a beautiful glowing face, always.<br />

• Eat foods that are rich in essential vitamins<br />

and minerals to enhance your facial skin and<br />

give it a youthful healthy glow.<br />

• A natural sweetener for your beverages,<br />

porridges and bread, honey is also a unique<br />

beauty ingredient.<br />

• Feeding your skin with a healthy dose<br />

of Mangoes and citrus fruits will naturally<br />

enhance your facial complexion.<br />

• Oysters are a rich source of zinc that help<br />

in fighting pimples, preventing acne, and<br />

keeping the facial skin moist and supple.<br />

• Want a scar- free face? Mushrooms in your<br />

diet are essential in cell regeneration and<br />

tissue repair, of scars gotten during injuries,<br />

and surgery.<br />

• Milk, yogurt, cheese, and other foods rich<br />

in calcium have skin-nourishing properties.<br />

• Regular doses of broccoli, cauliflower, dark<br />

leafy green veggies, and citrus fruits in your<br />

diet will help to give your skin a healthy<br />

tone.<br />

• Inculcating nature’s undisputed miracle<br />

foods like soy products, fish oil, flaxseed oil,<br />

kale, pomegranates, and avocados into your<br />

meals will leave you with a very radiant facial<br />

skin.<br />

Beyond eating right, there’s more:<br />

• Raw honey, yogurt and banana have<br />

superb healing properties that are effective<br />

for cleansing and toning the facial skin, and<br />

removing dead skin. After washing your face, use<br />

your hands to smear honey, yoghurt or mashed<br />

bananas on the face for 15minutes, then carefully<br />

rinse it off. Do this regularly and watch your skin<br />

clear up and begin to give off that radiant glow<br />

Ageing is no longer scary, you can now maintain<br />

your youthful glow at all times by eating right.<br />

Give your skin a treat; fruitify, vegefy and nourify<br />

your body, for healthy glowing facial skin,<br />

always.<br />

26


Fashion<br />

With inspire F.O.G<br />

(pronounced<br />

en-spee-ray), we<br />

acknowledge that<br />

what you wear comes from your<br />

heart. true fashion in essence is<br />

inspired, a daily expression of who<br />

you are, your ideals, your values<br />

without the need to utter a word.<br />

Inspire F.O.G has designs<br />

in clothing and accessories<br />

customized right to the person<br />

you. We know that there is no<br />

other you on the face of this earth<br />

and we intend to highlight this<br />

with inspiration. tell us what you<br />

are, what you do, and why you<br />

do what you do and give us the<br />

opportunity to blow your mind by<br />

showing the you in fashion. like it<br />

or not we intend your fashion to<br />

be more of an inspiration, the kind<br />

that’s full of grace.<br />

Contact<br />

baabafrunesis@gmail.com<br />

inspirefog<br />

+233 54 698 6213<br />

27


Sports<br />

The Africa Cup of Nations 2015<br />

champions, The Elephants of Ivory Coast.<br />

Photo Credit: mirror.co.uk<br />

The African Beat of Soccer -<br />

The day Dede cried “Maamaa”!!!<br />

On a continent like Africa, soccer is<br />

the one game that merges us as one, a<br />

common language spoken by all, both<br />

young and old, males and even the females. No<br />

one is left out. Soccer affords us one opportunity<br />

to show the world what we are made of.<br />

Held every two years since its inception in 1957,<br />

the African Cup of Nations is ranked 3rd after<br />

the FIFA World Cup and the European Nations<br />

Champions leagues in terms of its cumulative<br />

TV audience. This year’s tournament came in<br />

full display with Equatorial Guinea hosting<br />

the tournament after other countries declined<br />

to do so for fear of Bad New Ebola! With<br />

Participating teams and football lovers from all<br />

walks of life; some trooping into stadia whilst<br />

other stayed glued to their television sets, this<br />

year’s tournament was poised to be a thrilling<br />

experience no one was willing to miss.<br />

Sixteen qualifying teams from Algeria, Burkina<br />

Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Togo, Cote<br />

d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana,<br />

Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal,<br />

South Africa, Zambia and Tunisia all took their<br />

turns in the group matches. The teams lambasted<br />

their opponents on the field of play. Qualifying<br />

teams progressed as expected from their group<br />

stages to the quarter finals, semi-finals, 3rd place<br />

play offs and then…. THE FINALS.<br />

When two elephants fight, the grass suffers. This<br />

was the situation in the final match between<br />

Ivory Coast and Ghana. The Elephant here were<br />

of Cote d’Ivoire but the Black Stars of Ghana<br />

were also determined to blind the elephants<br />

with the brightness of their rays. Being closer to<br />

28


taking home the Cup than ever before, players<br />

played their hearts out, supporters cheered<br />

their voices hoarse, and emotions run amok as<br />

several chances were missed<br />

all through 120 minutes of<br />

energetic football.<br />

The pulse of<br />

onlookers raced like<br />

Vin Diesel’s car in<br />

Fast &Furious 7.<br />

With Cote d’Ivoire<br />

conceding two goals in<br />

their first shoot out, the<br />

game left loyal Ghanaian<br />

supporters bloating with<br />

joy as though Issa Hayatouthe<br />

CAF President, had just presented the Cup<br />

at Flagstaff House. The Elephants with a loud<br />

thump however, recovered quickly as our dear<br />

Acheampong and Afriyie Acquah decided to put<br />

the ball everywhere else but in the goal post. The<br />

deciding shots would be that of the goalkeepers.<br />

The pulse of onlookers raced like Vin Diesel’s car<br />

in Fast &Furious 7. Cote d’Ivoire Goal keeper<br />

led the team to victory with a shot that sent<br />

Ghanaian goal keeper flying so out of reach that<br />

even his Spiderman could not web that ball out<br />

of the goal post. Dede wailed uncontrollably,<br />

Asamoah Gyan was saddened and Yaya Toure<br />

was floating on cloud nine. Shockingly and sadly<br />

Ghana’s dream of becoming a five<br />

time AFCON champions<br />

faded away in what seemed<br />

to be a bitter turn of events<br />

as the Elephants of Ivory<br />

Coast stampeded their way<br />

to victory.<br />

Yet another gallant<br />

tournament history has<br />

nevertheless been written, with the flame of<br />

soccer still blazing in the hearts and minds of<br />

both supporters and players alike. Disappointed<br />

and fulfilled teams disperse with the hope of<br />

fighting another day, poised for another thrilling<br />

experience of dancing to the beat of rich African<br />

soccer.<br />

SOCCER AT ITS RICHEST!!!<br />

SOCCER AT ITS RICHEST!!<br />

Ghana celebrates<br />

DR Congo Medals<br />

KaraMbodji in action<br />

29


Straight<br />

Talk<br />

with P.E.A<br />

Hello P.E.A; I am an SHS Graduate, all my<br />

friends have boyfriends and I feel left out.<br />

They keep laughing at me for still being a<br />

virgin, and call me funny names, the pressure<br />

to get a boyfriend is too much, what should<br />

I do? #GLADYS<br />

Hello Gladys, it’s quite an interesting<br />

thing that your friend’s laugh at and scorn<br />

your honor. Its however neither surprising<br />

nor uncommon. The fact that all your<br />

friends have boyfriends doesn’t mean you<br />

should get one too. You do not need a boy<br />

to complete you or make you fit in. Maybe<br />

you’re trying to fit into the wrong crowd.<br />

First of all, you need to define yourself for<br />

you. Who are you? What have you got in<br />

you? What are your potentials? What’s your<br />

future like? And therefore; what are your<br />

standards? Your standards, based on the<br />

Word of God, must not be compromised<br />

for anyone or anything. You are beautiful,<br />

special and very unique as a person.<br />

You don’t need to be anyone’s girlfriend<br />

to fit in, you just need to be you. That’s<br />

completeness… That’s perfection.<br />

Hello P.E.A I am a guy of 17 years,<br />

unfortunately I have become addicted to<br />

porn, a day doesn’t go by, that I do not<br />

watch, I masturbate all the time, what can<br />

I do to stop? I need to stop this. Because I<br />

am aware it will not help me. Also it does<br />

not please God. And I really want to please<br />

Him. #RICHARD<br />

Heya! Richiee dear, I think your desire<br />

to please God with your life at this age is very<br />

remarkable. However, as you may very well<br />

know, desire does not always culminate in<br />

results, it requires deliberate action. What do<br />

you need to do to stop? Simple- JUST STOP!!!<br />

Watching porn is not a passive, but rather an<br />

active deed. So just stop. Don’t do it. Anytime<br />

you feel the strong desire to watch porn and<br />

masturbate, HOLD YOURSELF IN!!! Also,<br />

one way to get rid of old habits is by replacing<br />

them with good ones. Get yourself involved<br />

in positive activities that would enhance your<br />

potentials. You should also begin to regulate your<br />

thoughts. Culture your mind to navigate away<br />

from thoughts that would arouse a desire for<br />

porn in you. The more you do this, the less the<br />

desire for the wrong things will become and you<br />

will overcome that addiction. More so, as you<br />

pray in the Spirit, your spirit will be edified and<br />

you’ll subdue the negative tendencies of the body.<br />

Be strong. You’ve got this.<br />

Hello P.E.A; I am a lady of 18 years of age and<br />

recently completed SHS. I recently found out<br />

my best friend was going out with a married<br />

man. This man showers her with gifts and a lot<br />

of money. She has financial challenges at home.<br />

However I do not think that is reason enough for<br />

her actions. I have tried talking to her severally,<br />

but to no avail. Of late she avoids me totally<br />

saying she doesn’t want me to “preach” to her.<br />

Her attitude has changed considerably. And I feel<br />

like I am losing her, and yet I am to do something<br />

to help her. Please help me out here. I am at my<br />

wits end. #ALBERTA<br />

First of all, Alberta, take a deep breath,<br />

30


smile. From what you are communicating<br />

now, I’d say you are a good friend and you<br />

sound like a Christian too. Firstly, no matter<br />

the circumstances surrounding her, going<br />

out with a married man is totally wrong; it’s<br />

non-negotiable. Doing this is partaking in<br />

adulterous practices, which God is strictly<br />

against. However, it may be very difficult for<br />

your friend to hear you because she may be<br />

consumed by both her needs and the lavish<br />

supply by this married man. You do have some<br />

options though. You can talk to someone elderly<br />

who she respects, to talk to her. I think it would<br />

also be necessary to inform her parents about<br />

this, so they can take the appropriate actions.<br />

Most of all however, you need to pray for her,<br />

so that her eyes will be opened to see the reality<br />

of the situation and she can adhere to counsel<br />

and also for the Holy Spirit to guide her on<br />

what next to do. Finally, to aid her financial<br />

situation, you can come together with a group<br />

of friends and discretely put some funds together<br />

to help her gain some grounds and establish<br />

something lasting. You’re a good friend.<br />

Hello P.E.A; I am a 16 year old lady in form<br />

3, I fell in love with a guy because of his inner<br />

qualities, he is funny and smart but he is not<br />

handsome, so I cannot introduce him to<br />

my friends. What should I do? I think I am<br />

embarrassed about his looks, I do not want to be<br />

looked down upon and laughed at…you know<br />

how friends talk? Hmm #ANITA<br />

Wow. This is actually quite funny. First of all,<br />

Anita what are the indicators of love? If you<br />

love someone for his inward qualities, does it<br />

really matter how he looks? Answer is, YES!!<br />

It matters how he looks, not how he looks to<br />

others though, but to you. Even the Bible lets<br />

us know, beauty is fleeting. The true beauty<br />

of an individual is seen on the inside. If you<br />

have been able to spot that quality of beauty in<br />

anybody, trust me, it doesn’t matter what they<br />

look like on the outside, their inner beauty will<br />

always shine right through. Remember, our<br />

faces will not remain the same forever, first<br />

will come the wrinkles, then the folds and<br />

the dimmed eyes and weakened muscles.<br />

What would you have to hold on to then?<br />

Never be ashamed of what a friend, family<br />

or anyone you love looks like. Be proud of<br />

the investments of their personalities and<br />

showcase them to the whole world. Ever<br />

wondered why supermodels aren’t the<br />

richest people in the world? Be real, enjoy<br />

beauty that’s concrete and lasting. Enjoy<br />

love<br />

Hello P.E.A, I am a 17 year old boy in<br />

the boarding house, in my first year, I just<br />

realized that my school father is gay, and he<br />

keeps trying to convince me to have sex with<br />

him, I fear I will be raped one day by he and<br />

his friends. I want to leave the school and tell<br />

my parents, but I am afraid. What should I<br />

do? #BRIGHT<br />

Hello Bright. I’m truly sorry to hear that<br />

you have to go through such an ordeal.<br />

It’s a good thing that you’ve been able to<br />

stand against his advances so far. However,<br />

you’ll have to report this matter both to<br />

your parents and to the school authorities.<br />

Truth is, you’re not the only one, even in<br />

your school, going through this. Somebody<br />

will have to get this out so that others can<br />

also be saved from the ordeal. Moreover,<br />

even if you leave this school to another,<br />

what’s to say that you won’t meet the same<br />

situation where you’re going? This is what<br />

you need to do; Say NO, report the matter<br />

to the authorities and keep away from such<br />

relationships. Now, reporting them is not a<br />

means to get them punished, but rather, a<br />

means to get them the help they need. In so<br />

doing, you’ll save yourself, others like you<br />

and even those trying to get you to do the<br />

wrong thing. So, my dear, be bold, stand<br />

out and stand up for what’s right. Don’t<br />

let fear dominate you. You can do this. For<br />

you and for everyone else.<br />

31


Jokes & Stories<br />

Akpos enters into a pharmacy<br />

reaches into his pocket and takes<br />

out a small bottle and a tea spoon. He pours<br />

some liquid onto the tea spoon and offers it to the<br />

chemist’s assistant, “Could you taste this please? Says Akpos.<br />

The chemist assistant takes the tea spoon, puts it in his mouth,<br />

swills the liquid and swallows it. “Does it taste sweet? “Says Akpos”, “No,<br />

not at all” says the chemist assistant. Good, says Akpos “The doctor told me<br />

to come here and get my urine tested for sugar.<br />

There were two old guys, Akpos<br />

and Emeka sitting on a bench outside<br />

Emeka’s house and talking about football just like<br />

they did every day. Akpos turns to Emeka and says, “Do<br />

you think there’s football in heaven? Emeka thinks about it for a<br />

minute and replies, I don’t know Akpos. But let’s make a deal: if I die first<br />

I will come back and tell you, and if you die first you come back and tell me if<br />

there is football in heaven. ”They shake on it and, sadly, a few months later poor Akpos<br />

passes on. One day soon afterward, Emeka is sitting on the bench by himself when he hears<br />

a voice whisper, “Emeka…Emeka…Emeka responds, “Akpos! Is that you? “Yes it is me,<br />

Emeka,” “whispers the spirit of Akpos. Emeka, still amazed asks, “So is there football<br />

in heaven?” “Well” say Akpos, “I got good news and I got bed news. “Give me<br />

the good news first,” says Emeka. Akpos says “Well… there football in<br />

heaven.” Akpos sighs and whispers, “But you re playing<br />

on Friday.”<br />

32<br />

Send your articles, poems, short<br />

stories and questions for P.E.A to<br />

me2moro@teenzgh.com. You can call<br />

us on 0302337285, whenever you need<br />

somebody to talk to.


A: Hello are you there?<br />

B: yes, who are you please?<br />

A: I’m Watt.<br />

B: what s your name?<br />

A: Watt is my name.<br />

B: yes, what s your name?<br />

A: My name is John Watt.<br />

B: John what?<br />

A: Yes, are you Jones?<br />

B: No, I’m Knott<br />

A:Will you tell me your name then?<br />

B: Will Knott<br />

A: Why not?<br />

B: my name is Knott<br />

A: Not what?<br />

B: Not Watt, Knott.<br />

A: what.<br />

A Nigerian lady who married a Chinese guy<br />

gave birth to a baby girl, after nine months<br />

of marriage. But after three months, the baby<br />

died. The mother of the Nigeria lady came to<br />

visit them. She started shouting, “I knew it! I<br />

knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it...” And<br />

so on and then a man that noticed her shouting,<br />

now called her outside and asked her what<br />

she knew. She replied, “I knew China products<br />

don’t last.<br />

John and Akpos were arguing whose father<br />

was stronger.<br />

John said, “My father is stronger. Well you<br />

know the Pacific Ocean? My father was the<br />

one who dug the hole for it.”<br />

Akpos not impressed said, “Do you know the<br />

dead sea? It was my father who killed it!<br />

In a mother’s womb were two babies. One<br />

asked the other: “Do you believe in life after<br />

delivery?” The other replies, “why, of course.<br />

There has to be something after delivery.<br />

Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what<br />

we will be later. “Nonsense,” says the other.<br />

“There is no life after delivery. What would<br />

that life be?” “I don’t know, but there will be<br />

more light than here. Maybe we will walk with<br />

our legs and eat from our mouths.” The other<br />

says “This is absurd! Walking is impossible.<br />

And eat with our mouths? Ridiculous.<br />

The umbilical cord supplies nutrition. Life<br />

after delivery is to be excluded. The umbilical<br />

cord is too short.” “I think there is something<br />

and maybe it’s different than it is here.” the<br />

other replies, “No one has ever come back<br />

from there. Delivery is the end of life, and in<br />

the after-delivery it is nothing but darkness<br />

and anxiety and it takes us nowhere.” “Well, I<br />

don’t know,” says the other, “but certainly we<br />

will see mother and she will take care of us.”<br />

“Mother??” You believe in mother? Where is<br />

she now? “She is all around us. It is in her that<br />

we live. Without her there would not be this<br />

world.” “I don’t see her, so it’s only logical that<br />

she doesn’t exist.” To which the other replied,<br />

“sometimes when you’re in silence you can<br />

hear her, you can perceive her.” I believe there<br />

is a reality after delivery and we are here to<br />

prepare ourselves for that reality.<br />

These are men for you. We sometimes even<br />

doubt the existence of God and Heaven. But<br />

we forget that it is in Him that we live n have<br />

our being. The mere fact that we can’t see God<br />

doesn’t mean that He doesn’t exist.<br />

33


“WASSCE No Be Rumour”<br />

Copy and complete the multiplication table modulo 5 on the set {1, 2, 3, and 4}<br />

* 1 2 3 4<br />

1 1 3<br />

2 4 1<br />

3 3 2<br />

4 3 1<br />

b). from the table<br />

i) Solve the expression 2n × 4 = 3<br />

ii) Find the value of n for which 2 × (3 × n) = 2<br />

c). The function f and g are defined as: f:x ->x−2 and g:x->2x 2 −1<br />

Solve: i. f(x)=g(-½)<br />

ii. f(x)+g(x)=0<br />

Solution<br />

a).<br />

* 1 2 3 4<br />

1 1 2 3 4<br />

2 2 4 1 3<br />

3 3 1 4 2<br />

4 4 3 2 1<br />

b. i. Let 2n = x ii. 2 × (3 × n) = 1<br />

x × 4 =3 2 × 1 =2<br />

x = 2 2n = 2 n = 1 3 × n = 1<br />

3 × 2 = 1<br />

n = 2<br />

c) i) g(-½) = 2(-½)² − 1 ii. f(x) + g(x) = 0<br />

= 2 × ¼ − 1 = -½ x − 2 + 2x² − 1 = 0<br />

f(x) = g(-½) 2x² + x - 3 = 0<br />

x = 2 − ½ = 1½ = 1.5 (2x + 3)(x − 1) = 0<br />

I. What is meant by dairy cattle?<br />

ii. Give three body confirmations characteristics of dairy cattle.<br />

b. i. Draw and label the mammalian eye.<br />

ii. Explain how the eye focused distant objects on the retina.<br />

x = -3/2<br />

c. i. what is salt? Write balanced equation to show the reaction between each of the following<br />

pairs of substances.<br />

ii. HCL and NaoH iii) H 2<br />

SO 4<br />

and Cu (OH) 2<br />

d. Explain the importance of wearing seat belts in vehicles.<br />

36


Solution<br />

1. Dairy cattle, it refers to cows raised to produce milk<br />

a) They have wedge shaped bodies<br />

b) Body is lean not fleshy<br />

c) Legs are long and slender bodies<br />

d) They have a well-developed udder<br />

e) Wide space between the hind legs<br />

b. I)<br />

1. Rays from distant objects travel parallel to the eye.<br />

2. The rays go through the transparent cornea<br />

3. The rays reach the lens via the pupil<br />

4. Rays pass through the lens focused by the lenses refracted, by the lenses, aided by the aqueous<br />

and vitreous humor converge the lens on the retina<br />

C. I) Salt is a substance formed when the hydrogen atom of an acid or part of hydrogen atom is<br />

replaced with a metal or ammonium ion in a reaction<br />

Or it is the main product formed when an acid reacts with a base<br />

Or a salt is a compound whose cation comes from a base and anion from an acid<br />

II). HCL+NaOH -> NaCL+H₂O<br />

H₂ SO₄+Cu(OH)₂ —> CuSO₄+2H₂O<br />

d. i. when a moving vehicle breaks suddenly/accident<br />

ii. Passengers continue to move at the speed at which the vehicle was travelling<br />

iii. This may cause passengers to hit their heads/slash bodies against objects in front of them or<br />

thrown out of the vehicle<br />

iv. Seat belts hold the passenger firm to the seat to avoid injuries<br />

37


Contact<br />

KeeBee Phones, Accra Near UTC, Tel: +233 (0) 243 011 299


SHOUT<br />

OUTS<br />

From: Zainab Mohammed [Agiss]<br />

To: Hassan Babs Khalid [Aquinas]<br />

Message: Shark hard! And be a good boy<br />

Track: wrecking ball [miley cyrus]<br />

From: Manuuella Okletey [Agiss]<br />

To: Dela Edem Atatsi [P.J]<br />

Message: Boo….hope u good, just missing you<br />

and want to check up on you. Keep the midnight<br />

candle burning. Love you bunch.<br />

Track: Dorobuccci<br />

From: Iris & Durga [Agiss]<br />

To: Emmanuel Addae [Pojoss]<br />

Message: We miss you bunch, shark hard and<br />

stay blessed. We love you.<br />

Track: Nathaniel Bassey [is your name in the book<br />

of life].<br />

From: Curtis Millson [Botwe]<br />

To: Chelsea Noltinson [Agiss]<br />

Meesage: I miss you bunh. All the best, marry<br />

your books and god loves you.<br />

Track: Dangerous love [fuse ft sean paul]<br />

From: Jane Alisah Babi [Agiss]<br />

To: Oko Yemo-Booba [Academy]<br />

Message: Yo, Sup….. Hope you good. Charley,<br />

i wish you the best of luck in achieving your<br />

dreams okay. Remember this bible verse, James<br />

1:5, stay blessed always.<br />

Track: Wonder God [sonie badu]<br />

From: Dhayana Aubeng [Agiss]<br />

To: Gabriel Ahiable [Ketasco]<br />

Message: Love you big bro, shark hard<br />

and keep the midnight candle burning.<br />

Stay blessed.<br />

Track: MHB 12<br />

From: Nayanka Binda [Agiss]<br />

To: Priscilla Ahu [Ola girls, Ho]<br />

Message: Long time ooh! Just wanted to<br />

say hi, keep the candle burning but don’t<br />

burn your dorm. Stay blessed.<br />

Track: john legend [all of you]<br />

From: Ethel Hehetor [Agiss]<br />

To: Delali Gbekle [Gey Hey]<br />

Message: missing you badly. I love you,<br />

shark harder.<br />

40


Current Affairs<br />

Prof. Jane Nana Opoku<br />

Agyeman<br />

(Minister of Education)<br />

Ms. Hannah Tetteh<br />

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs<br />

and Regional Intergration)<br />

Mark Owen Woyongo<br />

(Minister of Interior)<br />

Mr. Seth Terkper<br />

(Minister of Finance)<br />

Dr Kwabena Donkor<br />

(Minister for Power)<br />

Nana Oye Lithur<br />

(Minister of Gender, Children<br />

and Social Protection)<br />

Mr. Emmanuel Buah<br />

(Ministry of Energy and<br />

Petroleum)<br />

Ekwow Spoi-Garbrah<br />

(Minister of Trade and<br />

Industry)<br />

Benjamin Bewa-Nyog<br />

Kunbuor<br />

(Minister of Defence)<br />

Alhaji Inusah Fuseini<br />

(Minister of Roads and<br />

Highways)<br />

42


Dr. Edward Omane Boamah<br />

(Minister of Communication)<br />

Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah<br />

(Minister for Water, Works<br />

and Housing<br />

Fiifi Fiavi Franklin Kwetey<br />

(Minister of Food and<br />

Agriculture)<br />

Mrs. Marieta Brew Appiah-<br />

Oppong<br />

(Minister of Justice and<br />

Attorney-General)<br />

Alhaji Collins Duada<br />

(Minister for Local<br />

Government and Rural<br />

Development)<br />

Mr. Akwasi Oppong-Fosu<br />

(Minister of Environment<br />

Science and Technology)<br />

Nii Osah Mills<br />

(Minister of Lands and<br />

Natural Resources)<br />

Mrs. Dzifa Attivor<br />

(Minister of Transport)<br />

Haruna Iddrisu<br />

(Minister of Employment and<br />

Social Welfare)<br />

Hanny Sherry Ayittey<br />

(Minister of Fisheries and<br />

Aquaculture Development )<br />

Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare<br />

(Minister for Tourism, Culture<br />

and Creative Arts)<br />

Alhaji Dr. Mustapha Ahmed<br />

(Minister for Youth and Sports<br />

Arts)<br />

43


Entertainment<br />

M2M: Who is Jeremie?<br />

To sum that up, Jeremy is the only child of her<br />

parents, I’m crazy about God, He is everything to<br />

me, I’m 100% Christian, I love what I do, I love<br />

music, I love shoes and hey, my love for shoes is<br />

on a different level, that’s me in a nutshell.<br />

M2M: How was life in Aburi girls?<br />

I am a different person now, hmmm, , Jeremy<br />

in Aburi girls, I was the ‘beauty queen chic’, I<br />

won five different pageants in school, I was<br />

always a good talker, it was easy to talk my way<br />

through stuff, I saw pageants as ‘please is that<br />

the question you have for me’? (Laughs) I was<br />

a little bit of a bad girl then, I was the chic who<br />

will roll my house dress like 4times and sew on<br />

it, I had a click in school called the Ice Clan,<br />

I was vanilla ice, and there was chocolate ice,<br />

hahaha gosh, when I think about it, I feel so silly,<br />

(giggles) but we thought it was cool. Everyone is<br />

all grown up now; most of them are married and<br />

have kids. Am the only one that ended up in this<br />

space (entertainment) but we are still very good<br />

friends.<br />

M2M: How would you describe the Showbiz<br />

Industry in Ghana?<br />

I think the showbiz industry is two things. Firstly,<br />

it is good but could be better; there are certain<br />

things that are a little mediocre, and especially<br />

when it comes to shows. I strongly think we<br />

44


elieve we can improve a lot on them. I believe<br />

our sets need improvement. I think it’s about time<br />

Ghanaians are able to put out international quality<br />

standards that people can see and go ‘o wow that’s<br />

from GH, cool’ we are en route there actually, I<br />

have seen some amazing productions on TV and<br />

some astounding<br />

people do incredible<br />

stuff, so I think in a<br />

way it’s cool. Most<br />

shows on TV and<br />

other events that I<br />

think we need to do<br />

a little better;<br />

“If you don’t have<br />

God in this industry,<br />

you will be lost”<br />

Secondly, I want to say that the entertainment<br />

industry is getting a little scary, because there are<br />

certain unsaid things. If you don’t have God in this<br />

industry, you will be lost. It makes you wonder<br />

what goes on behind the scenes but then again I<br />

really don’t care because I have God, I’m covered<br />

by the blood of Jesus.<br />

M2M: Would you advice the young ones to<br />

venture the Entertainment Industry?<br />

I think it depends on what you want to do in the<br />

industry, if you know exactly what your purpose is;<br />

it makes it so much easier. Let me blow my own<br />

horn, I came into the industry as the chic with a<br />

nice voice, before I even went on television had.<br />

Stuff happen in the industry. But I think if you<br />

know who you are. You know whose you are and<br />

know what your purpose is. I was actually talking<br />

to someone today, the person came to see me in<br />

the studio, and said “I actually followed you for all<br />

these years and I admired you and want to be like<br />

you and I was hoping I could learn from you,”. I<br />

felt that was cool; what you should know is that<br />

anything that you see on me, around me is God,<br />

so if you want any of these, I can give you some<br />

pointers and all, but if you want anything you see<br />

on me and really have it, then you have to go to<br />

God, because He is the one to really help you out<br />

way beyond your imagination. At the end of it all,<br />

there really cannot be another Jeremie.<br />

M2M: Anything under the pillow you<br />

think we should know?<br />

I am working on a brand that I call<br />

‘UNASHAMED’, I used to be ashamed but<br />

I am not ashamed anymore and I am going<br />

to be telling a lot of truth<br />

that are going to shock a<br />

lot of people but the word<br />

says ‘we overcame by the<br />

lamb and the word of the<br />

testimony’. Everybody<br />

struggles to be what they<br />

are, some people think we<br />

don’t go through any of that but the truth<br />

is, we do.<br />

M2M: What do you think is the challenge<br />

most young people face in GH?<br />

Every young person struggles with purity; I<br />

think the biggest thing God sees as a sacrifice<br />

for every young person is purity; this is<br />

because it’s not as easy as we may think, that<br />

is the hardest thing to keep. I guess that the<br />

reason why God started me from where He<br />

did was for me to come out of a relationship<br />

and then cut out the sex and all other worldly<br />

things. Back then I didn’t understand what<br />

was going on, but now I totally get it.<br />

Woow, this is impressive, So Jeremie what’s<br />

your last word for all high school students<br />

and others reading this?<br />

“Aaww,” “Gotta” go so soon? ok I’ve actually<br />

said it all, it’s God over everything, be<br />

UNASHAMED.<br />

M2M:Nice one Thank you Jeremie! Catch<br />

you sooner!<br />

47


Our Culture<br />

Culture-Rich-Stic<br />

The Odwira Festival<br />

Besides graceful ceremonies and<br />

occasions on the yearlong calendar of<br />

Ghana, festivals and durbars are yet<br />

another occasion to meet distant relatives,<br />

make new friends and re-live history.<br />

The ‘Odwira’ festival is the main festival of the<br />

Okuapeman Traditional Area, constituting of<br />

about 18 towns on the ridge. It is celebrated<br />

in ‘Akropong’ where the paramount seat of<br />

Okuapeman is situated. ‘Odwira’ meaning<br />

‘purification’ is a celebration of the cleansing<br />

and purification of the people, town and its<br />

chieftaincy stools. It lasts for a week (7days),<br />

with activities lined up for each day.<br />

The week-long celebration extends from Monday<br />

to Sunday with friends, family, the people on the<br />

ridge, royals, dignitaries, etc. all assembling to<br />

grace the occasion.<br />

Below are the days and their specific activities that<br />

are usually outlined;<br />

To begin the celebration, a forty day period<br />

known as ‘adabutum’ is set aside for resting<br />

and meditation. The people and ancestors<br />

require these days off to spiritually prepare<br />

themselves before the seven day ‘Odwira’<br />

festival begins. During this period, a ban is<br />

placed on drumming, singing, and dancing<br />

on the ridge.<br />

The‘Mawerehene’<br />

of Akuapem graces<br />

the celebration by<br />

holding a grand yet<br />

special durbar as part<br />

of the Odwira<br />

Festival.<br />

48


Monday<br />

This is the first morning, ushering in the celebration for the<br />

week. The morning is actually the beginning of the Odwira<br />

festival, it is filled with both anguish and excitement. Men<br />

from the three royal families in the town go and clear the path<br />

to their ancestral burial grounds. This is the sacred cemetery<br />

or “Ammamprobi”. This is symbolically done to invite the<br />

(ancestors) to join in the festivities.<br />

Tuesday<br />

This is one of the busy days for the executioners. The Bamu<br />

Hene and Adum Hene are guarded by executioners or ‘abrafo’,<br />

who would sing, chant and shoot fire arms on this day. The<br />

men from the royal family go to the sacred cemetery to get the<br />

ancestors’ permission to begin the festival. On their arrival,<br />

the entire towns coupled with other surrounding towns gather<br />

along the streets to welcome and cheer them. A message from<br />

the Abrafo hene is then sent to the paramount chief to begin festivities. The ban<br />

is lifted on the eating of the new yam; which is usually bought and kept ahead of<br />

time. The new yam is introduced to the people, and the strongest men in the town<br />

“battle” against each other to grab one of these new yams to take home to cook.<br />

One yam is introduced at a time until all six of them have been exhausted. This<br />

yam game shows who the strongest man is in the town.<br />

Wednesday<br />

This is referred to as a mourning day; it is reserved for mourning. The day begins<br />

on an empty stomach, mostly amongst the royals of the town. On this day,<br />

49


Our Culture<br />

ancestors and all loved ones who passed away<br />

are remembered. This is also the day to bury all<br />

those that died during the six week ban. This<br />

is a sad day and usually people wear red/black<br />

clothes to mourn the dead.<br />

Thursday<br />

The feasting begins on Thursday; the royal<br />

families prepare mashed yams with eggs to<br />

be sent to a shrine for the ancestors to eat.<br />

This food is carried on the head by women<br />

guarded by men through the principal streets<br />

to the shrine. These women, who look drunk<br />

and tired, walking and staggering in an<br />

uncontrollable manner, are believed to be at<br />

this moment “possessed” by the ancestors.<br />

On the Thursday, people exchange foods and<br />

other gifts. Some people also pay homage to<br />

the chief and queen mother and give them all<br />

sorts of presents.<br />

Friday<br />

Friday marks the climax of the Odwira Festival.<br />

A Grand Durbar is held. This is targeted at<br />

all participating towns and their chiefs. This<br />

brings together inhabitants, dignitaries, chiefs<br />

and queen mothers from all over Ghana. It is a<br />

colorful event full of glamour; at this moment,<br />

the Okuapehene and Queen mother wear<br />

their full traditional regalia, flanged with gold<br />

ornaments. They dance and exhibit meaningful<br />

gestures whiles the bounce in the air, they are<br />

carried by their attendants in a palanquin (a<br />

boat-like chair). Guns are fired by the ‘Abrafo<br />

and the chief is then sent to the durbar grounds<br />

to be seated. On the durbar grounds, the chief<br />

and queen mother receive homage from all sub<br />

chiefs, queen mothers and dignitaries amidst the<br />

drumming, dancing and ritual performances.<br />

Miss Odwira Beauty Contest is held, with the<br />

Odwira state dance being held in the evening.<br />

Saturday and Sunday<br />

Saturday and Sunday is all about fun, fun<br />

and more fun and culture. Soccer matches,<br />

scrabbles competitions and other field games<br />

are held on Saturday. Sunday is actually the end<br />

of the entire celebration; the ‘Manwerehene of<br />

Akuapem graces the celebration by holding a<br />

grand yet special durbar as part of the Odwira<br />

Festival. On this day, you would witness the<br />

trouping in of tourists, young folk from the<br />

cities etc. to partake of the fun activities that<br />

are organized.<br />

50


Dramafest<br />

A c c r a G i r<br />

AGISS choir leading the dignitaries to<br />

the ceremonial grounds<br />

AGISS Cadet<br />

Azonto time<br />

GES Greater<br />

Accra Regional<br />

Director graced the<br />

event<br />

52


Drama group of Accra girls performing at<br />

the state house<br />

l s i n P i c s<br />

DJ Black giving a talk to students<br />

Selfie time with<br />

DJ Black<br />

53


Parent Network<br />

Six Ideas for When<br />

Your Teen Seems Sad or<br />

Depressed<br />

Teens get down just like adults do. They<br />

feel sad, miserable and depressed. For<br />

some teens these times pass fairly quickly.<br />

For others, they last a long time. In either case,<br />

parents are crucial in helping sad teens cope.<br />

Here are six ideas to consider.<br />

1 Sympathize and don’t try to “talk<br />

them out of” being sad<br />

It is hard to see teens feeling sad. We feel upset<br />

to see them suffering. And because they often<br />

act irritably when they are feeling sad, we get<br />

frustrated. For both of these reasons, we often try<br />

to “jolly them out of feeling bad” or minimize<br />

their sadness. We say things like “you’ll be okay”<br />

or “don’t be upset”, “it’s not that bad” or similar.<br />

Unfortunately while meant well, these kind of<br />

statements can make teens feel worse. It can<br />

suggest to the teen that it’s not okay that they<br />

are upset, which makes teens feel like no-one<br />

understands or cares. Instead, we should be<br />

frequently saying things like, “I’m so sorry you<br />

are feeling so disappointed”, “I know you are<br />

feeling hopeless, and I’m sorry it feels sad right<br />

now”, “I don’t know exactly how to help you but<br />

I care a lot about you feeling so sad”. And skip<br />

the “but….here’s the lesson” comments at the<br />

end. At least for now.<br />

2 Try to keep sad teens talking and<br />

being with others<br />

When we feel sad, we have a strong instinct to<br />

withdraw from others. We don’t want to talk, be<br />

around other people, share our thoughts nor to<br />

listen to others. Unfortunately, being apart from<br />

people makes us feel worse in the long run. On<br />

the other hand, research is clear that when we are<br />

socially connected to people, depression is more<br />

likely to lift. Sad teens need to be with and be<br />

communicating with friends, talking to adults<br />

they trust and spending time with family – not<br />

shut in their room constantly. Because they often<br />

don’t feel like doing this, we need to encourage<br />

and facilitate this social activity. This might mean<br />

helping them to organise outings with friends,<br />

54


quietly asking people to call them, facilitating<br />

actitivites with peers, engineering longer drives<br />

in the car to prompt conversation and so on.<br />

This is tough, requires persistence and patience<br />

– but don’t give up. The longer a teen spends<br />

on their own, the more depressed they will get.<br />

3 Try to keep sad teens fairly busy<br />

When we feel sad, we also have a strong instinct<br />

to stop doing things, to become less active and<br />

sit around more. Unfortunately, as is the case<br />

with withdrawing from friends, withdrawing<br />

from activity almost always makes people feel<br />

worse. We must support teens to keep doing<br />

the things they used to care about, even if they<br />

don’t feel like doing it right now. They must<br />

be doing something most of the time: going<br />

to school, playing sport, being physically<br />

active, socialising with friends, going to a<br />

part time job, reading, playing games, and so<br />

on. Sometimes we need to break it down into<br />

manageable chunks (“I know you don’t feel<br />

like going to netball; let’s just go for the warm<br />

up and then decide if you want to play”). But<br />

however it happens, we need to minimise the<br />

time spent doing nothing and just thinking and<br />

feeling sad.<br />

4 Invite them to engage in problem<br />

solving and planning<br />

It’s very tempting to give sad teens advice and<br />

try to solve issues for them. The problem is<br />

not just that we get it wrong, but also that we<br />

deny teens the learning and “depression-lifting”<br />

experience of making plans and problem solving<br />

themselves. A better approach is to spend 80%<br />

of conversations about problems asking them<br />

questions rather than offering opinions. It<br />

might be questions such as, “what would make<br />

this a little better?”, “what are your options do<br />

you think?”, “have you considered where to<br />

next?”, “do you have any ideas what might help<br />

you feel more positive?”, “how you cope with<br />

this”, “what might you say” and so on. Invite<br />

the teen to put these ideas in writing, or to have<br />

a three point plan<br />

that they create.<br />

You can also<br />

direct the teen<br />

to books, articles<br />

and people who<br />

can help them.<br />

Look for articles<br />

on the net about<br />

sadness, difficult<br />

times in life or<br />

depression. Email<br />

We must support<br />

teens to keep<br />

doing the things<br />

they used to care<br />

about, even if<br />

they don’t feel<br />

like doing it<br />

right now<br />

them a link to these resources. Sometimes teens<br />

will be more open to ideas which come from<br />

other places other than parents. For example,<br />

you send them to headspace.org.au or go to my<br />

e-bookWhen Life Sucks For Teens: Strategies to<br />

Deal with 40 Teen Crappy Life Situations<br />

5 Keep boundaries in place<br />

Just because a teen is unhappy, does not mean<br />

allowing them to be rude, disrespectful or treat<br />

themselves or others badly. It is important to<br />

keep roughly the same boundaries in place as<br />

you have always done (a little latitude in the<br />

short term is fine). It is essential to be really<br />

compassionate in the way you enforce these<br />

boundaries, (“I’m sorry but if you say that to<br />

me again I’m going to have to leave the room”,<br />

“I know you are sad and so I feel for you, but<br />

I can’t let you speak to your brother like that.)<br />

6 Get help from a professional if it<br />

continues or if you need support<br />

If you have any doubts at all as to whether<br />

your teen is unsafe, seek immediate help from<br />

a health professional such as your GP. Even<br />

if safety does not appear to be an issue, never<br />

hesitate to get an extra opinion or advice from<br />

other parents, teachers, GPs, counsellors or a<br />

psychologist in how to care for a sad child/teen.<br />

This article was culled from www.<br />

developingminds.net.au. Author:<br />

kirriliesmout@developingminds.net.au<br />

57


Genesis of the<br />

Maestro<br />

With an exciting and successful musical<br />

career spanning over two decades,<br />

Kojo Antwi ‘Mr Music Man’ has<br />

established himself as a consummate vocalist; a<br />

prolific songwriter, producer and arranger; and<br />

an enigmatic performer, making him arguably<br />

the best Ghanaian muss alive. Over the years,<br />

he has delighted lovers of good music with his<br />

clear and flawlessly seductive voice that radiates<br />

through his massive repertoire of smooth and<br />

sultry ballads. His music defies categorization<br />

and is often a blend of West Africa’s highlife,<br />

Caribbean’s lover’s rock and a dash of Afro-<br />

America’s soul and R&B.<br />

Life In The Middle School<br />

Kojo Antwi had his middle school education at<br />

Odorkor 1 and 2,from age 13 through to age 17.<br />

Interestingly; it was a middle school then. At the<br />

time, the separate shift was in operation; some<br />

came in the morning and others in the afternoon<br />

shift. To go to school, teenaged Kojo Antwi<br />

had to walk from Darkuman to Odorkor every<br />

day because he wasn’t residing in the boarding<br />

house.<br />

Whilst in middle school , Mr. Music Man had<br />

several nicknames that kept changing because he<br />

was into music. One of them was “Nas Turner<br />

Black Tornado”, a name Footballer Steven<br />

Appiah eventually started using. My friends<br />

also used to call me ‘Nash’ after my single called<br />

Jonny Nash”, He said.<br />

You will be amazed but The “Afrafranto”<br />

orchestrator was a shy guy whilst in school; “I<br />

was even shy to approach girls”, He said. There<br />

‘Kojo Antwi’<br />

was one girl whom he had a crush on. So,<br />

after mustering some courage and gathering<br />

vim, He went in to make his move…But<br />

boy, did it backfire! In the end she spilled the<br />

whole thing to the class and even the whole<br />

school heard about it. Everyone made fun of<br />

our Music Man….Hmmm. If only she knew<br />

his future, she would have jumped at the<br />

opportunity. Lol<br />

He reminisces about things that imparted his<br />

personal life whiles in High School. “I had<br />

58


a music teacher called Mr. John; this teacher<br />

was known to be very strict; we even believed<br />

he could whip the whole school three times<br />

and wouldn’t get tired. We all dreaded being<br />

in his class, when I was in JHS 3, I was sent to<br />

his class, I managed to move to the next class<br />

but he was moved to that class too. (Laughs).<br />

However, in the long run it became more like<br />

a blessing in disguise, because he was also the<br />

music teacher, so he kept forcing the music<br />

on us, knowing the basic sulfa s in music, and<br />

terms like crescendo and other musical terms<br />

like Tempo, rhythm, etc. Sir John was very<br />

strict and that act of discipline really helped<br />

me and it actually shaped my life. I had a<br />

better life as a result of adhering to most of Mr.<br />

John’s advice. This meant a lot to me because<br />

everybody knew I could sing; because I was<br />

always making noise. They regarded it as noise;<br />

they didn’t know it was something I could use<br />

in the future”. Kojo, the Maestro goes ahead<br />

the lament on how his talent could have gone<br />

waste if he heeded to the directions of his<br />

parents, especially, his father. He feels that<br />

His father simply failed to discover his talent<br />

or even identify that his noise was worthy.<br />

Parents/guardians may want something else<br />

for the child even though that may not be the<br />

child’s wholesome desire or field. He stated “we<br />

all want to take our kids to school and we want<br />

the best for our kids but sometimes we lose out<br />

on the talent of the child.<br />

The Challenge<br />

“I am willing to share with you my utmost<br />

challenge. I was very bright in school and even<br />

in form 3, I sat the common entrance exam<br />

and passed with distinction. I even had a<br />

scholarship in Ebenezer School; I had a father<br />

who was from a tribe that didn’t really regard<br />

education. In form 4, I sat common exam<br />

again and passed with distinction. I went to St.<br />

Paul’s and had to do manual labor at a certain<br />

point in time. I continued to pursue music,<br />

and along the way I started getting some kind<br />

of education on my own, those where the<br />

challenges, I could overcome them, but some<br />

of my siblings couldn’t do it.<br />

I believe life itself is a form of education<br />

and education has no end. If I had pursued<br />

education further, it could have enhanced<br />

some of the things I’m doing now”. This reveals<br />

how important it is to pursue education to at<br />

least a certain level where you can boast and<br />

enhance your circle in which you operate and<br />

have greater influence.<br />

The Regrets<br />

The music part is what I wish I had taken more<br />

seriously in middle school. Discipline in music<br />

is what people take for granted. There are notes<br />

you have to hit in a certain way, there are notes<br />

you have to hit with the microphone far away<br />

from you, those discipline when you learn<br />

them lives with you forever.<br />

Music Today<br />

Music is sweet, Music is good and finally, Music<br />

is the food for the soul! This is what seems to<br />

be coming out of the Maestros mouth every<br />

second, however, he has a concern. Kojo says<br />

“the introduction of technology is keeping us<br />

apart; we are not making music in harmony/<br />

groups anymore, it doesn’t feel like it used to<br />

feel. Music has to be made in groups, orchestra,<br />

symphonies, now gadgets are been brought in,<br />

if you sing bass, there are instruments that<br />

can play it, so that’s the challenge, separation,<br />

divide.”<br />

To do good music, one needs to stay healthy,<br />

have a sound and positive mind to write and<br />

compose, arrange and orchestrate. This serves<br />

as caution for up-coming musicians who see<br />

the Music man as their Mentor in the music<br />

industry in Ghana, Africa and the world at<br />

large.<br />

59


Get Inspired<br />

The Aggregation<br />

of Marginal<br />

Gains<br />

In 2010, Dave Brailsford faced a tough job.<br />

No British cyclist had ever won the Tour de<br />

France, but as the new General Manager<br />

and Performance Director for Team Sky (Great<br />

Britain’s professional cycling team), Brailsford<br />

was asked to change that. His approach was<br />

simple.<br />

Brailsford believed in a concept that he referred<br />

to as the “aggregation of marginal gains.”<br />

He explained it as “the 1 percent margin for<br />

improvement in everything you do.” His belief<br />

was that if you improved every area related to<br />

cycling by just 1 percent, then those small gains<br />

would add up to remarkable improvement.<br />

They started by optimizing the things you<br />

might expect: the nutrition of riders, their<br />

weekly training program, the ergonomics of<br />

the bike seat, and the weight of the tires. But<br />

Brailsford and his team didn’t stop there. They<br />

searched for 1 percent improvements in tiny<br />

areas that were overlooked by almost everyone<br />

else: discovering the pillow that offered the best<br />

sleep and taking it with them to hotels, testing<br />

for the most effective type of massage gel, and<br />

teaching riders the best way to wash their hands<br />

to avoid infection. They searched for 1 percent<br />

improvements everywhere.<br />

Brailsford believed that if they could successfully<br />

execute this strategy, then Team Sky would be<br />

in a position to win the Tour de France in five<br />

years’ time.<br />

HE WAS WRONG. THEY WON IT IN<br />

THREE YEARS.<br />

In 2012, Team Sky rider Sir Bradley Wiggins<br />

became the first British cyclist to win the Tour<br />

de France. That same year, Brailsford coached<br />

the British cycling team at the 2012 Olympic<br />

Games and dominated the competition<br />

by winning 70 percent of the gold medals<br />

available. In 2013, Team Sky repeated their<br />

feat by winning the Tour de France again, this<br />

time with rider Chris Froome. And now for the<br />

important question: what can we learn from<br />

Brailsford’s approach?<br />

The Aggregation of Marginal Gains<br />

It’s so easy to overestimate the importance of<br />

one defining moment and underestimate the<br />

value of making better decisions on a daily<br />

basis.<br />

60


Almost every habit that you have — good or<br />

bad — is the result of many small decisions<br />

over time. And yet, how easily we forget this<br />

when we want to make a change.<br />

So often we convince ourselves that change is<br />

only meaningful if there is some large, visible<br />

outcome associated with it. Whether it is losing<br />

weight, passing your WASSCE exams, or any<br />

other goal, we often put pressure on ourselves<br />

to make some earth-shattering improvement<br />

that everyone will talk about.<br />

Meanwhile, improving by just 1 percent isn’t<br />

notable (and sometimes it isn’t even noticeable).<br />

But it can be just as meaningful, especially in<br />

the long run. This pattern works the same way<br />

in reverse. (An aggregation of marginal losses,<br />

in other words.) If you find yourself stuck<br />

with bad habits or poor results, it’s usually not<br />

because something happened overnight. It’s<br />

the sum of many small choices — a 1 percent<br />

decline here and there — that eventually leads<br />

to a problem.<br />

In the beginning, there is basically no difference<br />

between making a choice that is 1 percent<br />

better or 1 percent worse. (In other words, it<br />

won’t impact you very much today.) But as time<br />

goes on, these small improvements or declines<br />

compound and you suddenly find a very big<br />

gap between people who make slightly better<br />

decisions on a daily basis and those who don’t.<br />

This is why small choices don’t make much of<br />

a difference at the time, but add up over the<br />

long-term.<br />

The Bottom Line<br />

Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced<br />

every day; while failure is simply a few errors<br />

in judgment, repeated every day. —Jim Rohn<br />

You probably won’t find yourself in the Tour<br />

de France anytime soon, but the concept of<br />

62<br />

aggregating marginal gains can be useful all the<br />

same. Most people love to talk about success<br />

(and life in general) as an event. We talk about<br />

losing 50 pounds or building a successful<br />

business or winning the Tour de France as if<br />

they are events. But the truth is that most of<br />

the significant things in life aren’t stand-alone<br />

events, but rather the sum of all the moments<br />

when we chose to do things 1 percent better<br />

or 1 percent worse. Aggregating these marginal<br />

gains makes a difference. There is power in small<br />

wins and slow gains. The system is greater than<br />

the goal. You need to master your habits. This is<br />

what determines the outcome in the long run.<br />

So… Where are the 1 percent improvements<br />

in your life? How much time do you spend in<br />

getting ready for class?<br />

How effective is your current mode of studying?<br />

How much time do you spend on chores at the<br />

boarding house?<br />

Can the tools you use help you reduce the time<br />

and increase the effectiveness of your work and<br />

study?<br />

GET STARTED ON THE 1 PERCENT<br />

IMPROVEMENTS IN YOUR LIFE….IT’S<br />

JUST 1 PERCENT ANYWAY<br />

A version of this article first appeared at<br />

JamesClear.com. This article was culled from<br />

www.entrepreneur .com


Power Bank<br />

Status Update<br />

Living in a time like this has definitely got<br />

its perks. From the use of mobile phones<br />

to electronic banking. Everything seems<br />

so easy and simple. Only God knows how<br />

our people of old managed to survive without<br />

all these luxuries we enjoy today. From your<br />

room, you can know what all your friends are<br />

thinking, doing and even see what they are up<br />

to with just a click of a button or as the case<br />

is now, a touch of a screen. Why visit a friend<br />

when we can chat on WhatsApp? Who needs<br />

to be with one friend at a time when I can see<br />

64


what they are all doing at the same time. God<br />

bless Instagram and Facebook.<br />

And for the bunch of us who are just not<br />

satisfied with pictures, Skype provides the<br />

almost near ultimate experience with video<br />

calling. Hey I said near ultimate, there is the<br />

occasional internet malfunctions but hey,<br />

I am sure we can live with that. BOY!!! One<br />

could say that it’s almost possible to live your<br />

entire life in your room and never miss out or<br />

anything or be missed.<br />

Life in the 21st century definitely rocks. Or<br />

almost definitely rocks. If only Facebook could<br />

make an account for God that would just about<br />

seal it. I would never have to go to church,<br />

or endure the never ending lectures from my<br />

parents. I could just mail or private message<br />

God directly but am sure I might probably be<br />

too busy to reply immediately. Hmmm, or I<br />

could send Him pictures or what I am up to<br />

but then again He sees everything anyway so<br />

what is the point. He would probably not even<br />

accept my friend request anyway. Let’s face<br />

it; what would he want with a friend like me<br />

when His Friend’s list would probably include<br />

the likes of Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Sarah and<br />

Simon Peter and all these other Great Men<br />

and Women of Faith that they talk about in<br />

Church.<br />

Besides, I am not pure enough for Him, we<br />

probably have nothing in common, what we<br />

would talk about, and I know almost nothing<br />

about the bible. He would probably get bored<br />

hearing me recite John 3:16 every time we<br />

spoke. Let’s face it; God does not need me and<br />

I would probably just get in His way. I think<br />

it’s safe to just keep things the way they are.<br />

Its best for both of us. An occasional church<br />

appearance should just about be enough for<br />

both of us. I’ll get serious about God when I<br />

grow up.<br />

The truth is, many of us have found ourselves<br />

in this condition before or are presently in this<br />

condition. We make way too many excuses for<br />

God. He this and He that and I this and I can’t<br />

that. The excuses are just our way of making<br />

ourselves feel better about the emptiness<br />

inside and the insatiable desire we can’t seem<br />

to fill up with anything outside. But no matter<br />

how many friends you have on Facebook,<br />

WhatsApp, Skype or telegram, their messages<br />

are not there when u feeling all alone and lost.<br />

Their pictures don’t answer the question of your<br />

purpose in this life and no matter how close<br />

they seem, they will never come close enough<br />

to understanding the real you.<br />

Ok so you make mistakes occasionally, alright<br />

a lot. You are not the most punctual person<br />

when it comes to church, and the bible doesn’t<br />

seem so interesting to you. You talk too much<br />

or too little and don’t like everyone around you.<br />

In your opinion all these things disqualify you<br />

from God but the truth of the matter is they<br />

actually qualify you for Him.<br />

God is not looking for perfect people but for<br />

willing ones whom He can perfect. He wants<br />

just as you are. John 3:16 says that “For God<br />

so loved the world (everybody) that He gave<br />

His only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever<br />

(that’s you) believes in Him should not perish<br />

but Have ever lasting Life.” You see, God loved<br />

you before you even knew He existed. In fact<br />

He loved you before you even existed. He loved<br />

you knowing all you could do wrong. He loved<br />

you knowing all you could become. He loved<br />

you believing you could love Him back and the<br />

truth is, He loves you even now.<br />

He sent His Jesus to die and as He hang on<br />

the cross with arms stretched as wide from<br />

each other, it were as though He was saying ’’I<br />

love you this much’’. God is never too busy for<br />

you. As a matter of fact He has all the time in<br />

the world for you.Do you?Every second with<br />

him....IS A STATUS UPDATE.<br />

65


1. Identify one quality of a change maker’s vision.<br />

2. What does the Bible say concerning you in Phil 4:13?.(Quote the Scripture)<br />

3. How can you activate that miracle working power in you?<br />

4. Love is a decision not a feeling. True/False?<br />

5. Water melons contain 90% water and 10% fiber. True / false?<br />

6. Name three chronic signs of Ebola.<br />

7. Odwira means………………?<br />

8. Mention an attribute one must have to be a great pharmacist.<br />

9. What is the mantra for Jeremy’s program ‘Unashamed’?<br />

10. State two lessons to be learnt from the article “ Aggregation of Marginal Gains.<br />

11. What was position of the Host Country’s in the AFcon 2015 Tournament ?<br />

12. Name 5 fruits and vegetables that ‘fruitify’, ‘vegefy’ and ‘nourify’ the skin.<br />

13. Who is CAF President?<br />

14. Who are the publishers of <strong>Me2moro</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>?<br />

Send correct answers to<br />

me2moro@teenzgh.com to<br />

win amazing prizes including<br />

credit vouchers, movie tickets<br />

and KFC vouchers<br />

Criteria<br />

Must follow our teenzgh and<br />

me2moro facebook pages<br />

66

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