Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
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