Methodological God at Work

The Methodist Church at New Weija, determined not to cede an inch of its land encroached on by the Assemblies of God, has perforated the original wall of Assemblies of God auditorium to erect their own fence wall in order to methodologically secure their land.

The space in contention is less than two feet and residents of New Weija in Accra, are wondering what may have compelled the Methodist Church to break and build through the Assemblies of God walls for encroaching on just less than two feet of their three plots of land.

Even though the leadership of the Assemblies of God admitted to an architectural error on their part and made various overtures to the Methodist Church to solve the issue amicably, their pleas were not considered.

A lay preacher of the Methodist Church, Jerry Mpraim on July 4, 2012 led some members of the church who ignored petitions from colleague pastors from the other church, to perforate portions of the Assemblies of God Church and constructed a fence wall about 9 feet tall through the church of the Assemblies of God at night.

A frustrated Rev. Justice Akwasi Agyei, Head Pastor of the Assemblies of God church, Power Centre at New Weija, expressed shock his colleague ministers and fellow Christians took such drastic measures. “It’s rather unfortunate that this thing is happening here, most especially, in the house of the Lord,” he said.

“The portion that they are demanding now is less than two feet, we spoke to them in so many ways but still they chose to do their own thing.”

Residents described the incident as “shameful and disturbing”. And for a church of the standing of the Methodist faith to take such an “inappropriate” measure to resolve such a ‘harmless’ miscalculation involving another church, some residents have even threatened to prevent their friends and relatives in the area from worshiping with the Methodist Church there.Expatiating on the issue, Rev. Justice Agyei, admitted that the architect they contracted to work on their church building made a “genuine mistake” and encroached on about two feet of Methodist Church’s plots. The two churches sit on a four plot of land: one for the Assemblies of God with the remaining three belonging to the Methodist Church.

Immediately the attention of the church was drawn to the encroachment when they were about roofing the building, he said, he and the leadership of the church quickly made proposals to the Methodist Church to enable them to coexist, but to no avail.

“We agreed [that we have encroached on their land] and since we are all Christians and on the same land, there shouldn’t be any problem, we have to solve any problem amicably. They came to us and we also went to them, and then we presented our options to them: either we compensate them or they should allow us to stay on the land because in the next two or three years the building would be broken down and a new one put up. Or they should lay their wall to close our main door that opens to their land or they should lay the wall so that people would not know that we have encroached into their land.”

He said not even the intervention of the Regional Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Rev. George Annan, and another senior pastor Rev. Theresa Klottey could persuade the Methodist Church to tempter justice with mercy.

Appeals to the Superintendent Minister of the Methodist Church Dansoman Circuit, Very Reverend George Mensah, who has a supervisory role over the branch of the church at New Weija, for an intervention to save the situation did not yield any results.

Members of the Methodist Church connected light from their church to the Assemblies of God church, broke the padlock to the rear door of the church and entered the building. They then broke the two sides of the church building and laid their wall through on July 4, 2012.
They did not demolish the portion of the church sitting on their land; the builders only cut through the wall of the Assemblies of God auditorium and raised their own wall. The greater portion is where they worship now and the other inaccessible part - which is just about a foot-long - still standing on the Methodist land.

The Steward of the Methodist Church, New Weija, Yaw Boateng explained that his outfit started discussion with the Assemblies of God over a year before taking that step.

“We asked the Rev. of the Assemblies of God to remove the portion so that we can fence the [part] that belongs to the Methodist, and the Rev. told us he doesn’t have problem at all, so we can do it [in a manner that] will bring peace.”
He said the action was a unanimous decision by the entire church: “Even Rev. Justice went to our headquarters to apologise that we can leave that portion for them, but you see it can’t be possible like that. The church is not for one man, the church belongs to the majority, so when we discussed issue like this and majority agree that we use this or sell the portion for the Assemblies, I don’t have nothing to do. So we all agree to fence our fence wall which belongs to the Methodist.”

A step in the right direction but...

Nothing has changed and nothing will change until the people use their innate power to bring about the desire changes. As Ghanaian voters ready themselves to choose a new set of leaders to shape the destiny of the population on December 7, 2012, people who have either personally put themselves up or have been nominated by political groups to contest, the question of free, fair and transparent process comes up. One of the main criterion for assessing and establishing a level playing field for all contenders in the political arena is the abuse of incumbency.  It is a referendum on the maturity of Ghana's democratic experiment.

The phrase abuse of incumbency refers to the use of government resources, not available to any other candidates, to aid an incumbent running for reelection. There are many ways political appointees in Ghana use their positions to further their election campaigns. This includes the use of government funds to pay campaign expenses, including travel costs, publications, salaries of campaign staff, sending campaign literature to constituents at government expense, as well as manipulating government statistics to make the government look better than the situation actually is. Acts of abuse of incumbency also include actual or threats to transfer or even fire non-supporters and coercing state and local leaders to support the incumbent government’s bid for re-election with state funds. Theoretically, the political process can check abuse of incumbency because challengers may make the unconstitutional acts a major campaign issue. Such an initiative to curb the practice is the ongoing 'naming and shaming' exercise by three civil society organisations. On Thursday August 16, 2012, the three non-partisan, non-profit civil empowerment organisations focused on the delivery of essential themes necessary for the creation of a national anti graft system reported the outcome of a survey in progress in this regard. The organisations are Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Centre for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD Ghana) and Ghana Anti Corruption Coalition (GACC). The activities under this project are aimed at promoting electoral integrity by engaging the electoral process in order to enhance election transparency, equality of opportunity, credibility, and peace. The Coalition seeks to use this monitoring project as an early warning mechanism where findings of electoral impropriety will be passed on to electoral stakeholders and the general public for prompt action. The overarching goal of this project is to initiate a set of interventions that will ensure that the 2012 elections are conducted in a peaceful and fair atmosphere. 

The survey covering the period of the months of May and June 2012 cited Ghana's ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) over its penchant for wanton abuse of incumbency and power for electoral gain and at the expense of the Ghanaian tax payer. The survey found Brong Ahafo, Volta, Western, Eastern and Central Regions were predominately notorious for such abuse of incumbency. Political corruption was also ripe according to the survey findings. Political corruption is the misuse by government officials of their governmental powers for illegitimate (usually secret) private gain. It refers to behaviour by public officials, elected or appointed, which violates social or legal norms regarding what is or is not legitimate private gain at public expense. From civil/public officers to politicians, laws are circumvented to obtain riches and/or win and stay in power. Political corruption threatens democracy and good governance, undermining the legitimacy of government and democratic values. The findings, based on groups' monitoring report further faulted NDC appointees for claiming credit for projects undertaken with the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF). As if this was not enough, NDC party officials in government were also cited for buying votes and using their positions to compel people to support the party.

To a number of Ghanaians who follow the political game in the country over the course of 20 years of the 4th Republic, this sounds like nothing new. What is new is the attempt by the group to document the much-talked about but often grossed over, hard evidence. According to the group, they have photos and other forms of electronic evidence to back their claims. As the group itself acknowledged, it does not have the constitutional mandate to take action against official abusing of incumbency, but by such public disclosure exposing the rot in the system and the culprit officials, a step in the right direction has been taken. This has many implications for the public to make their own judgment as well as providing ammunition for constitutionally mandated bodies such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to act.

Democracy envisions rule by successive temporary majorities. The capacity to displace incumbents in favour of a representative of a recently coalesced majority is an essential attribute of the election system in a democratic republic. Consequently, both all ordinary Ghanaians including civil society groups and courts encompassing every constitutional entity charged with the responsibility of securing free, fair and transparent elections should be chary of efforts by NDC appointees to control the very electoral system which is the primary check on this power through abuse of incumbency. Few prospects are so antithetical to the notion of rule by the people as that of a temporary majority being NDC entrenching itself by cleverly manipulating the system through which Ghanaian voters, in theory, can register their dissatisfaction by choosing a new leadership on December 7 election day. Going forward, Ghana must legislate that all ruling party appointees who win primaries to contest an impending national election at any level  and at any time must be made to stand down their positions. Although this may in the short run deprive the nation of the services of some very competent appointees, the country stands to gain in the long that what is immoral and undesirable is removed and a sense of legitimacy bestowed on the very elected. We should never again allow ourselves to be taken for granted by citing similar wrong doings committed in the past as history can only offer us one valuable lesson; guiding us against repeating past errors. We should be bold and take the bull by the horn.

Greater success is within Ghana's grasp

In his first nationwide address since assuming the highest office of Ghana on July 24, 2012, President John Dramani Mahama has admonished his fellow country men and women to remain united while he promises policy initiative in two weeks. The broadcast basically sought to inspire before his tenure expires as a stand in President in accordance with Ghanaian tradition.

"I will ensure we protect our unity in diversity. Lets build on the legacy left behind by the late President and those that served before him. Everyone must take ownership of the country" by erasing negativity and petty name-calling. Ghana is yet to achieve its greatest achievement. The best we can offer lies ahead of us and not behind us.Greater success is within Ghana's grasp."

The question is what policy can achieve in just three months to the end of his tenure of office which he and his ex-boss, the late John Evans Atta Mills could not do in 44 months? President Mahama, it would be recalled was sworn in as president of Ghana following the demise of JEA Mills on July 24, 2012 who was finally interred at the Asomdwee Park in Accra on Friday August 10, 2012. 

"GOD, I GIVE IT ALL TO YOU"

And so the controversy ranges on since the late President of the Republic of Ghana, Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills reportedly died at the 37 Military Hospital, on Tuesday 24th July, 2012 after being rushed there. Many are those propounding their own conspiracy theories.

In rendition of the vote of thanks at Mills' burial on Friday August 10, 2012, Dr Cadman Atta Mills, the late President’s brother and also a member of the Mills-Mahama’s Economic Management Team said, 'President Mills’ final moments, were marked with a submission to his Maker'. He said President Mills raised his hand and said his last words: "God, I give it all to You."Dr. Cadman Atta Mills had earlier revealed that the late President suffered a stroke before he was pronounced dead at the 37 Military Hospital. Speaking at the grave side on behalf of the family, Dr. Mills said doctors together with some family members tried their very best to resuscitate the President without success. It is very instructive to note that a person who had suffered 'massive stroke' could lift his hands and open his lifts to utter his last words. The cause of Prof. Mills' death has generated lot of controversy with some sections of the public advocating a Coroner's Inquest to establish the cause of death of the late President. Dr. Cadman Mills' revelation of the cause of death on Friday August 10, 2012, was the first time the family of the late President was publicly speaking on the issue. The inconsistency in his account of events leading to the demise of the late President has rather rekindled the desire of the doubting Thomases to demand inquiry into the death.

Firstly, one fact that has been acknowledged by his image makers, is the tribute attributed to him as his last written autotribute as appeared on page two of his funeral 'Tribute' and 'Journey' booklets. People are questioning the authenticity of this claim. Some say the signature was forged. Others argued that if indeed the late president authored the suppose last message, then he knew he was about to die, contrary to his continuous denial about his ill-health. Was the late president evasive or lying to Ghanaians? The question is what was his reason for concealing his ill-health which in any case was something already in the public domain? Was he also the one who put together music video clip showing on TV indicating that he is sitting on the right hand side of God interceding on behalf of Ghana and Ghanaians?  On hindsight, sober reflection would show that it is getting absurd.

Secondly, the sheer coincidence of the launch of President John Dramani Mahamathen the veep's book called "My First Coup d'Etat: And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa." The book published on July 3, 2012, chronicles the coming-of-age of John Dramani Mahama in Ghana, who unbeknownst to him or anyone else, would grow up to be president of his nation. Was he a fortuneteller or was there 'a crystal ball' he was reading? I hope and pray this book was not a prelude to some palace coup d'etat in the offing. While not suggesting that the current president had a hand in the dispatch of the late president to the other side, this sort of premonition appears to be too real. Maybe as already written 'Mahama's is a rare literary voice from a political leader, and his personal stories work on many levels'- stories in this book "rise above their specific settings and transport the reader into a world all their own, one which evokes a time lost and explores the universal human emotions of love, fear, faith, despair, loss, longing, and hope despite all else." How does this premonition fit into the Informer newspaper's editorial of Monday, June 25, 2012, that exposed compelling signals of power game at the Castle of some apparent infighting between loyalists of President Mills and a faceless group purported to be aligned to Vice President John Mahama? The newspaper stated in its editorial that "an intel picked from the Osu-Castle pointed to the fact that the latest news of another death of President Mills emanated from the Castle itself. The NDC is, arguably, becoming escalated bits of self-destruct individuals with personal interests to safeguard than a political party with a common purpose, industry and destiny.”

Thirdly, people question what prompted his entire family from Cape Coast to visit on that fateful Tuesday July 24, 2012 considering that the President had earlier told Parliament he was travelling to Nigeria on the said day. Was there no communication between the President and his family in Cape Coast before the set off? Was it the President himself who wrote the notification and permission to travel letter to Parliament? How come it was one of the late President's sisters who had to go and procure a neck collar for the late President when according to the same sister doctors were treating the late President when they arrived? People are ill at ease with what prompted the letter written from the Castle to the House of Parliament seeking to inform the House on a purported trip to Nigeria, where fallen President Mills was to confer with Goodluck Jonathan, Head of State of the Federal Republic, on the very day that he died. 

Lastly but not the least, is it true that for well over 30 minutes, the key to the ambulance used in transporting President Mills to the 37 Military Hospital could not be found?Is the DAILY GUIDE report that "there are strong indications that former President John Evans Atta Mills choked on his own blood after suffering a rupture of a major blood vessel" true? Is it also true that "the late president died before reaching the military hospital some two hours earlier"?Why did the people around the late president like Brigadier-General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah his National Security Advisor refuse to let him resign as he and his wife Ernestina had wished? "He (Mills) told me General, 'my wife has advised me to step down', but I (General Nunoo-Mensah) told him that God is in control and has put him there...so he can't leave and abandon his people," Nunoo-Mensah said. Could he have lived longer like the first president of Caremoun, Ahidjo Ahmadou? In November 1982, President Ahmadou Ahidjo of Cameroon who had ruled the country since independence in 1960, abruptly resigned and handed over power to the Prime Minister Paul Biya ostensibly with only few days left to live. Ahidjo Ahmadou however survived and lived on for seven more years till his death in 1989. Was ex president Jerry John Rawlings right when he asserted that “quite frankly, I think had he been advised and done something wiser earlier on, he could probably have survived for another six, seven months, I guess?”

Indeed death is the inevitable end of all mankind. For this reason, I cannot but trust in the Lord as the giver and taker of life, and that the late president was called by his maker. Nevertheless, like many other well meaning Ghanaians, groups like the Ghana medical Association and as is done in any civilised community of nation, I hold that the circumstances surrounding the death of President Mills call for fuller explanation than the piecemeal releases being offered by officialdom. The whole episode of the President’s death sounds like a comedy hence warrants proper investigation that will tie up all the loose ends. GOD, GHANAIANS GIVE IT ALL TO YOU. WEEP NOT, FOR MILLS IS NOT DEAD, HE IS ALIVE AND AWAKE IN THE LORD. MILLS CAME TO SERVE; HE HAS FINISHED HIS TIME HERE ON EARTH AND HAS MOVED ON TO EVERLASTING REST AND CELESTIAL DUTIES WITH HIS HEAVENLY FATHER. Everlasting beatification message!

A Rare Ugandan disease that gives people a sense of hopelessness and helplessness

Augustine Languna's eyes welled up and then his voice failed as he recalled the drowning death of his 16-year-old daughter. The women near him looked away, respectfully avoiding the kind of raw emotion that the head of the family rarely displayed.

"What is traumatizing us," he said after regaining his composure, "is that the well where she died is where we still go for drinking water." Joyce Labol was found dead about three years ago. As she bent low to fetch water from a pond a half mile from Languna's compound of thatched huts, an uncontrollable spasm overcame her. The teen was one of more than 300 young Ugandans who have died as a result of the mysterious illness that is afflicting more and more children across northern Uganda and in pockets of South Sudan. 

The disease is called nodding syndrome, or nodding head disease, because those who have it nod their heads and sometimes go into epileptic-like fits. The disease stunts children's growth and destroys their cognition, rendering them unable to perform small tasks. Some victims don't recognize their own parents.

Rare nodding disease afflicts young Ugandans

Ugandan officials say some 3,000 children in the East African country suffer from the affliction. Some caregivers even tie nodding syndrome children up to trees so that they don't have to monitor them every minute of the day.

As a result, Uganda is hosting a four-day international conference on nodding syndrome that health officials believe will lead to a clearer understanding of the mysterious disease. World Health Organization officials in Uganda said the conference will be attended by about 120 scientists from all over the world. Anthony Mbonye, of Uganda's Ministry of Health, said the conference will allow scientists to share knowledge about the disease.

Scientists are working to find the cause of the disease, which is stretching health care capacities here and testing the patience of a community looking for answers as to why it attacks mostly children between the ages of 5 and 15, why it's concentrated in certain communities, and whether it is contagious.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has been investigating nodding syndrome at the request of the Ugandan government, has ruled out 36 possible causes since 2009 and is carrying out a clinical trial for potential treatments. In mid-February the lead investigator said on a visit to Uganda that there is now "clear evidence that this is an epidemic" about which very little is known.

"We did repeated exams on several of these children and found that some of the children had stayed the same, some of the children had gotten worse, none of the children had improved," said Scott Dowell, director of CDC's Division of Global Disease Detection and Emergency Response.

Researchers are focusing on the connection between nodding syndrome and the parasite that causes river blindness, Dowell said, though it is not yet clear there are any links. Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, has been around for a long time, but nodding syndrome is somewhat new, he said. "And we also know that there are many parts of the world that have onchocerciasis but have no evidence of nodding syndrome."

Many residents here in the northernmost reaches of Uganda, nearly 300 miles from Kampala, say they think the disease is rooted in violence. Locals have said it's the only explanation for the disease's prevalence in places most affected by the legacy of a brutal war carried out by Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group. Kony and the group have waged a campaign of murder, rape, and the abduction of boys and girls who go on to become killing machines or sex slaves.

"We the Acholi have suffered a lot, and I am asking why," said Benjamin Ojwang, an Anglican bishop in the area. "In the absence of Kony, we were beginning to find relative peace. When are our people going to rest?"

A disease as strange as nodding head gives people a sense of hopelessness and helplessness, said N.K. Okun-Okaka, a retired veterinarian who has the status of a village elder. "They can only do something about it if they know the cause, how it is spread. My heart goes out to these children. We feel very sorry and we feel like we do not live in the modern world," he said.

Ugandan health officials have known about the disease for nearly 10 years. By 2006, after Kony was repulsed from Ugandan territory, health care providers had diagnosed several cases of epilepsy without stopping to ask why.

"This thing is old," said Emmanuel Tenywa, a World Health Organization official in northern Uganda. "After the war there were so many cases of epilepsy. That's how this thing started." Yet serious steps to manage the disease were taken only in the last year after a group of parliamentarians accused the authorities of criminal negligence. The government then announced a $2.2 million plan. But the cash has been slow to reach treatment centers.

Sick children have remained stuck in villages where biting poverty sometimes combines with the inattention of caregivers. Children have been badly burned after falling in fires. Others have died falling into water, like Languna's 16-year-old girl. And it is common to see children tethered to trees by caregivers too busy to look after them.

In Languna's household alone, eight children suffer from the disease, including a 12-year-old boy whose growth is so stunted he looks half his age. Languna has given up on all of them. "We lost a child who was so promising," he said. "But what pains us more is that these ones you see are destined to (die)."

Investigators said they are not certain the disease is non-communicable, but they advise against alarm. In the absence of definitive answers, some here have been taking matters in their own hands by isolating the sick. At the Okidi primary school, which Labol attended before she drowned, teachers once attempted to segregate the children and then dropped the idea after being criticized. Since 2007 there have been 141 cases of nodding disease at the school, with seven ending in death.

Now sick children rarely come to school, science teacher Paska Atto said. Luke Nyeko, the Kitgum chairman, is frequently stopped by parents demanding to know what exactly their children are suffering from or why they cannot be cured.

"I feel very bad, very bad," he said of encounters with distressed parents. "It's a bit tricky because you can't go and lie to them. We just tell them that we don't know the condition."

President Mills died two hours prior to arrival at 37 Military Hospital

The Accra-based tabloid DAILY GUIDE newspaper at the beginning of the three-days official funeral memorial of late President John Evans Atta Mills is reporting that it has intercepted a copy of the autopsy report on the cause of death. The post-mortem, according to the DAILY GUIDE, rather than settling the issue of the cause of death of the former president, is likely to raise other issues, especially since the government has kept quiet on it, rather referring it to the family. This is because though "there are strong indications that former President John Evans Atta Mills choked on his own blood after suffering a rupture of a major blood vessel," the fact that there was "there was nobody by his side to render a helping hand or even engage medical assistance when the danger signs were manifesting" brings to the fore the demands by groups such as the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) for a coroner's inquest.

"The report also showed that the late president died before reaching the military hospital some two hours earlier, a revelation which further throws a question about the veracity of previous reports of whether he died at the hospital or at the Castle. The report has provided more grounds for those agitating for a post-mortem to proceed with their demands, especially since the autopsy shows that there are still gray areas in the management of the late president’s situation. Why was the deceased left unattended to when it was obvious that he was suffering from a terminal ailment and so could not be left alone without attention? At the time that he was struggling to breathe because of the blood getting in the way of his air passage, someone in attendance could have raised the alarm for an expert attention to be sought immediately. The report brings to the fore, once more, the inconsistencies regarding where the late president died. While some claim he died at the Castle, others want us to believe that he passed away upon reaching the military hospital at 2:15pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012," the DAILY GUIDE reported.

The post-mortem report DAILY GUIDE chanced upon it claimed revealed that the remote cause of death, which has been in the public domain for a long time yet disputed by the deceased’s handlers, is throat cancer. The immediate cause of death however has been attributed to the choking resulting from the ruptured blood vessel.

The only known child of the late president, Samuel Atta Mills paying his last respect

The cancerous growth, according to the report, metastasized or spread to his sinuses, that is the cavity of the nasal passage, which perhaps accounted for his altered voice in his last days. The inflammation or diseasing of this part of the body is referred to as sinusitis. It would be recalled that the deceased, in the heat of questions about his health when he sought treatment in a South African hospital, said he was suffering from sinusitis.

The autopsy report explained that the tumor or growth ruptured his carotid artery, a major blood vessel so he bled profusely and with no assistance at the time, he suffocated, which was what was referred to by those who set eyes on him when he was brought to the military hospital on that fateful day.

The loss of blood from his nostrils led those agitating for a post-mortem to suspect poisoning because in their estimation, bleeding was consistent with the symptoms of poisoning, especially when the deceased had said for the umpteenth time that he was not sick.

"The position taken by government is seen as hypocritical, especially when it has told the family that the departed president was a state asset since he died in office," the DAILY GUIDE stated.

Why Zimbabwe thief 'begs to be jailed for life'

Lovemore Manyika, 22, wrote a note which was read out in the Harare court, saying: "Life in prison is better than life in the streets."
A Harare magistrate court had convicted Manyika of house-breaking in Zimbabwe has asked the judge to jail him for life.
The Herald newspaper reports that he was disappointed to be only sentenced to three years.
Manyika was released from prison in April after a previous conviction, the paper says.
He broke into two houses in central Harare in July, stealing two mobile phones, a plasma TV and $1,800 (£1,150) in cash.
Six months of his prison term were suspended if he repays $1,956 by 30 September, the paper says.

Detaineese walk with guards at Chikurumbi Maxim Security Prison outside 

 

Zimbabwe's prisons are often condemned for squalid overcrowding but a thief begged a magistrate to lock him up permanently, saying life was better behind bars, state media reported Tuesday.

Repeat offender Lovemore Manyika, 22, pleaded for life imprisonment in a note during mitigation after he was convicted for housebreaking.
"Life in prison is better than life in the streets," Manyika is reported to have said in his note which was read out by the state prosecutor, according to The Herald newspaper.
"May I have life in prison."
But the court sentenced Manyika to three years in jail.
Prosecutors said Manyika scaled a security wall at a block of flats in July before entering an apartment through a toilet window and stealing various electrical gadgets, two Apple iPhones and $1,800 (1,467 euros) cash.
The magistrate suspended six months of Manyika's sentence on condition that he pays back $1,956.

A Prophet is honoured except in his own hometown

Prophet TB Joshua, the founder and general overseer of the Synagogue Church, Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos, in Nigeria who has said the late President John Mills of Ghana 'was like a spiritual son to him' has made some mind-blowing revelations about the state of health of the late president. 

Late President Mills and Prophet TB Joshua at SCOAN in Lagos

Prophet TB Joshua disclosed that 'Mills was a very dear son to me and I was his spiritual godfather.' The late president Mills had openly admitted that Prophet TB Joshua played a crucial role on his ascension to the presidency and even said so publicly in a thanksgiving service held at the Synagogue Church in March 2009.
According to the late Mills , the Prophet TB told him that the election would travel to the third round before he would be declared the winner, which came to pass. “It, therefore, came as no surprise, when the Synagogue Church of All Nations was the first church he visited in Nigeria, after the Electoral Commission had declared him winner of the 2008 election.”
Prophet TB Joshua made three statements worth considering and where need be, lessons learned.
Firstly, TB Joshua who had predicted that one African head of state will die, said he did not receive any revelation concerning the death of his own spiritual son, otherwise he would have intensified more prayers to avert his demise. Indeed, a prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house (Mark 4:6; Matthew 13:57). TB Joshua could not do any miracles about JEA Mills.

Further, Prophet TB Joshua disclosed that he had done so much concerted prayers for the late Mills’ health. Concerning the ailment that led to Mills’ death, Prophet TB Joshua said the late president was suffering from throat cancer. Why was the President and people around him not truthful to Ghanaians about the ailment that afflicted the president? Who were they deceiving? Mills said he was suffering from sinus. In recent interview with the BBC in reaction to the demise of Mills, former president JJ Rawlings mentioned same disease and further asserted that it had affected his vital organs like the eyes and ears constricting his ability to work to three hours daily.

 Furthermore, Prophet TB Joshua revealed that aside his prayers, "the late Mills had also had frequent visits to the United States hospitals – three times this year alone - and yet God still allowed him to die.” This confirms a statement from the Presidency issued on Saturday July 18, 2012 'for a routine medical check-up in the United States'.  This was the only time the President had told Parliament as require by law that he was travelling to the US for routine medical check up. This must be investigated. The President travelled three times to the US without informing Parliament.

Importantly, is the death of President Mills going to be another 'fama Nyame matter' or the country will take the needed steps to firmly establish procedures that will prevent the recurrence of this unfortunate problem in future.

Ghana mourns President as uncertain future awaits the ruling party

The President of the Republic of Ghana, John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills has been pronounced dead. 

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the Republic of Ghana." A statement signed by the Chief of Staff, Martey Newman indicated that the 68-year-old died a few hours after being taken ill.Click  here to read the statement confirming the President’s death.

Earlier in the day he had informed Parliament he was going for a day’s visit to Nigeria.

Rev Amo Darko, a member of the Council of State, was traveling with the president when he was said to have collapsed at the Kotoka Airport and was quickly rushed to the 37 Military Hospital.

The president is said to have died from acute cardiac arrest soon after getting to the hospital. Other sources claim President Mills died of Throat Cancer.

President Mills, 68, is the first sitting President to have died in the political history of Ghana.

He has been in power since 2009. President Mills a few weeks ago returned to Ghana after visiting the US for medical check-up.

Veep turned President John Dramani Mahama taking oath of Office

Parliament convened immediately to swear-in Vice President John Dramani Mahama as President of the Fourth Republic in accordance with Article 60 (6 -10) of Ghana's constitution as interim leader for the remainder of his tenure.
As per the Ghanaian constitution:

Article 60.

(6) Whenever the President dies, resigns or is removed from office, the Vice-President shall assume office as President for the unexpired term of office of the President with effect from the date of the death, resignation or removal of the President.

(7) Where the unexpired term served by the Vice-President under clause (6) of this article exceeds half the term of a President, the Vice-President is subsequently only eligible to serve one full term as President.

(9) The Vice-President shall, before commencing to perform the functions of the President under clause (6) of this article, take and subscribe the oath set out in the Second Schedule to this Constitution in relation to the office of President.

(10) The Vice-President shall, upon assuming office as President under clause (6) of this article, nominate a person to the office of Vice-President subject to approval by Parliament.

President John Mahama will do well by quickly nominating someone to complete the transition to send positive signals to both the international and business communities that Ghana has come of age to take its rightful place among community of nations. He must consider competence rather than ethnic allegiances as the current situation proves that the position of a Vice President is not a mere formality. So far names I gather have been penciled are Fanti ethnic group: Hannah Tetteh, Kwesi Botchwey, Goosie Tanoh, and Kwesi Ahwoi. Not a good omen on ethnic grounds and age wise.

Mills was selected as the ruling National Democratic Congress' (NDC) candidate for the forthcoming presidential election scheduled to take place on December 7, 2012. His tenure in office was due to end on January 6, 2013 for his first term. 

Political scientists however say the real challenge ahead is not the transition from the deceased president to his vice but the candidacy for the NDC in the December presidential poll. According to the NDC's constitution, in the current circumstance, the candidate who placed second in the party's presidential congress last July 2011 is the automatic replacement. If this were to be the case, then the former First Lady and wife of the founder of the NDC, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings will have to be the presidential candidate of the NDC. The fear of many is whether the competing interests within the NDC will allow the constitution of the party to take its natural course as the national constitution prevailed. 

 If this scenario was to happen, that will mean an end to the Johns dynasty and the heralding of the Nanas epoch. Since the coming into effect of the 1992 Fourth Republic on January 7, 1993, all the occupants of the presidential seat have first names as JOHN. From 1993 to 2001 (JOHN Rawlings), 2001 to 2009 (JOHN Kufuor), 2009 to 24 July 2012 JOHN Atta Mills, and 24 July 2012 to 7 January (JOHN Mahama).

The ruling NDC's formidable opponent, the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) candidate also has first name NANA Akufo Addo. So the question is will it be NANA Akufo Addo or NANA Konadu Agyemang Rawlings?
Africa will learn to escape this fate: Guinea Bissau (Malam Bacai Sanhá 64; 9 January 2012) Malawi (Bingu wa Matharika 78; April 5, 2012),  and Ghana (John Atta Mills 68; July 24, 2012) all within the first seven months of 2012 I believe had dwarfed Prophet TB Joshua's prophesy that one African leader was going to die in 2012. The Ethiopian government has kept the deteriorating health of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, 57, a secret. His absence from 19th African Union summit in Addis Ababa between 9th and 16th July 2012 as a host for the first time since he took power 21 years ago raised a questions about his state of health. The government has since admitted Meles is under medical treatment and the situation is not "life threatening". But reliable sources insist the prime minister is in "critical condition.” He is in Brussels Belgium clinic. Mills was also absent for same poor health. Why ordinary African civil and public servants have to retire mandatory by age 60 years old but the 54 African Chief Civil servants are not subjected to same rule?

Namibia Discovers Huge Desert Groundwater Reservoir

A vast underground water source has been discovered in northern Namibia that could provide a secure and sustainable water supply to about 40 per cent of the population for 400 years. This discovery could have a major impact on development in the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa.

Scientists say the water is up to 10,000 years old but is cleaner to drink than many modern sources.

However, there are concerns that unauthorised drilling could threaten the new supply.

For the people of northern Namibia water is something that they either have too much of or too little.

The 800,000 people who live in the area depend for their drinking water on a 40-year-old canal that brings the scarce resource across the border from Angola.

Over the past decade the Namibian government have been trying to tackle the lack of a sustainable supply in partnership with researchers from Germany and other EU countries.

They have now identified a new aquifer called Ohangwena II, which flows under the boundary between Angola and Namibia.

On the Namibian side of the border it covers an area roughly 70 km by 40 km (43 miles by 25 miles).

According to project manager Martin Quinger, from the German federal institute for geoscience and natural resources (BGR), it's a substantial body of water.

"The amount of stored water would equal the current supply of this area in northern Namibia for 400 years, which has about 40 percent of the nation's population."

"What we are aiming at is a sustainable water supply so we only extract the amount of water that is being recharged.

"What we can say is that the huge amount of stored water is will always be enough for a back up for an area that is currently supplied only by surface water."

Water is the world’s most critical strategic resource, and a $470 billion industry.

'Dark Knight James Holmes' rise was no stunt Batman

The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film and epic directed by Christopher Nolan. Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.Instead of enjoying the thriller, the movie goers endured fear and horror as they became victims. The premiere appeared to have lived up to its theme. Gunman James Holmes dressed like a SWAT team member, fired steadily except when he stopped to reload early Friday at a suburban Denver movie theatre on the opening night of the latest Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises, killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 other people. 

The gunman, who is in custody, stood at the front of the theatre and fired into the crowd at about 12:30 a.m. MDT at a theatre at a multiplex theatre in a mall in Aurora. The gunman entered through the emergency exit, stood at the front of the theater and fired into the crow.

President Barack Obama released a statement Friday morning, in which he says he is "shocked and saddened" by a deadly shooting at a suburban Denver movie theater. He is urging the nation to "come together as one American family."

Police, ambulances and emergency crews swarmed on the scene after frantic calls started flooding the 911 switchboard. The suspect spoke of "possible explosives in his residence.

Sepsis killing thousands in the absence of drugs to help

Rory, a 12-year-old New Yorker, cut himself when he dove for a basketball at his school gym in late March, according to the New York Times. Two days later, he was vomiting, feverish and had a pain in his leg. A few days later, on April 1, Rory died at NYU-Langone Medical Center of a kind of blood poisoning known as sepsis.

His death, and others, point to a major problem in treating sepsis -- there are currently no drugs approved to fight it. The only drug developed for it, called Xigris, was withdrawn from the market in 2011, when the drug failed rigorous testing required to maintain regulatory approval. The drug's fall from grace highlights just how difficult fighting sepsis is, and leaves doctors wondering whether developing a drug will ever be possible.

Bleak Prognosis, Then Brief Promise

About 750,000 people in the U.S. each year get sepsis, and about 225,000 of them die from it. The condition is an infection of the bloodstream, and it can arise from any number of infectious bugs that attack the body, such as meningitis, pneumonia and infections of the skin or bladder, to name a few. The blood poisoning is caused not by the germs themselves, but by the body's hyper-response to those germs, when it releases a barrage of chemicals that can lead to organ failure.

Those chemicals cause the body to go into shock, and patients have symptoms such as chills, fever, confusion, rapid heartbeat, headache and skin rashes.
The best shot patients have is for doctors to treat them early, ideally giving a patient antibiotics and fluids within the first hour that they show symptoms. Dr. Andre Kalil, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said even in the best-case scenario, antibiotics don't always help.
"Unfortunately even with the best antibiotics and supportive care, a third of these patients will die," Kalil said. "We don't have other drugs that actually can act in the body in response to the infection. We just don't."

That wasn't always in the case. In 2001 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Xigris, made by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, hopes were high that it would keep thousands of patients from dying. The company's initial clinical trials of the drug showed that it reduced the chances of dying by 20 percent in patients at risk of developing sepsis.

But the drug's initial performance was somewhat disappointing. Some patients benefited from the drug, others did not, and doctors had trouble defining which type of patient would benefit the most. The drug was also very expensive, so many hospitals put protocols in place that strictly limited when the drug could be given -- usually when all other methods had failed.

Dr. Jonathan Janes, medical director of acute care for Eli Lilly, said the company was encouraged by studies of the drug in real-life clinical settings, which showed that it kept many patients alive.

"We felt encouraged by those results, they seemed to support that the drug worked," Janes said. "Obviously, you need your clinical trial data, but these results were nice to have."

But questions about the drug's effectiveness and safety began to surface. Patients getting Xigris had a slightly increased risk of bleeding. Increasingly skeptical that the expensive drug was actually effective, European regulators asked Eli Lilly to conduct a second clinical trial. The results were the nail in Xigris' coffin -- the trial showed that the drug was little better than placebo. Based on those results, Eli Lilly voluntarily pulled the drug from the market in October 2011.

"This was the first drug specifically licensed for sepsis, which leaves us essentially with nothing now," said Dr. Greg Martin, director of the medical and coronary intensive care units at Emory University.

Drug's Withdrawal A Premature Decision, Some Say

But a new analysis, published Monday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, throws into question whether or not Xigris should have been withdrawn at all. In it, Nebraska's Kalil analyzed the results of more than two dozen studies of Xigris, most performed in the "real-world" of clinics and hospitals, trying to save patients with sepsis.
The results suggest that Xigris is effective after all. The study found that Xigris reduced patients' risk of dying by 18 percent, similar to the results Eli Lilly had reported in its first study of the drug.
"I was expecting to see a very small effect, close to no effect. I was surprised when we saw these kinds of results," Kalil said.
So should the drug be put back on the market? The answer is uncertain and, as far as Eli Lilly is concerned, unfeasible. Putting the drug back on the market would mean conducting another long, expensive clinical trial to clear regulatory hurdles. Janes said the company has no plans to do that, even in the face of evidence suggesting the drug's effectiveness.
"We have to live with the results of our clinical trials," Janes said. "It goes back to the point of deciding what the company is going to invest in."
Although the drug would likely help hundreds of thousands of patients, it will likely never be as profitable as drugs that can help millions of patients with more common conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or cancer.
And questions remain about whether the drug was ever truly helpful for patients. Doctors never really identified the type of patient who would benefit the most from Xigris. The new study suggests that perhaps only the sickest patients really improve after taking the drug. Trials of the drug in pediatric patients like Rory never succeeded.
Dr. Cliff Deutschman, a professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Pennsylvania, said he was never really convinced that the drug was better than treating patients with antibiotics and fluids.
"Ultimately, it's pretty hard to know what to make of the results of these studies," he said.
Since Xigris was introduced and withdrawn, doctors and hospitals also seem to have gotten a little better at screening and stopping sepsis in its early stages. Programs like the Stop Sepsis campaign, a program started by the Greater New York Hospital Association, emphasize promoting awareness of the condition and the critical importance of getting care to patients in the first hours of their symptoms.
But many doctors say a drug like Xigris would be invaluable in saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients. Martin said he still believes Xigris could be that drug.

"There's real potential that this drug has the ability to treat and cure people. But we don't know who the drug works best in, and that's probably where the interest was lost," Martin said.

And for now, it seems that doctors will never know. Since Eli Lilly withdrew the drug from the market, it is no longer available even for research purposes.

Deutschman said the biggest blow is that given the Xigris's failure and Eli Lilly's experience, other pharmaceutical companies will be reluctant to spend the money to pursue any treatment for sepsis. For now, the scientific and regulatory bar for a drug is very high.

"There still may be groups of people that it [Xigris] does work on, but because the drug is no longer available we'll never know. And that's discouraging," he said.

Mutant Mosquito May Be The Cure For Malaria

On Tuesday July 17, 2012 Florida Keys residents were up in arms over a British company, Oxitec, that intended to release genetically modified mosquitoes into the Keys region. Mutated mosquitoes or to put it more elegantly, genetically engineered ones -- could help protect people from mosquito borne infections. The reason being that these mosquitoes would not be carriers of the particularly nasty Dengue fever. Florida residents were still skeptical and didn’t want any new species released that could damage the ecosystem. Well, there’s a new mutant mosquito on the block, but this one is aimed at Africa.

Mutant mosquitoes can prevent plasmodium falciparum from developing fully.

It’s no secret that malaria is the number one killer in Africa. Due to lack of cheap vaccines and territorial conflicts, the people who need help the most never get it. Scientists have now found a way that attacks malaria at its source – the mosquito’s stomach.
Malaria begins its life in the stomach of a mosquito. After biting a human, the parasite can work its way into the bloodstream of a person and begin to wreak havoc on their body. The genius solution is to introduce bacteria into the mosquito that specifically targets malaria. Technology Review explains how it works:

The malaria parasite, called Plasmodium falciparum, must complete a crucial part of its life cycle within a mosquito’s midgut before it can be transmitted to people. So bacteria in that compartment are well positioned to deliver antimalarial compounds. When the mosquito takes a blood meal—that is, when it bites someone—bacteria in the mosquito’s midgut also proliferate, thanks to the blood nutrients.

It’s during this stage in the parasite’s life that the bacteria triggered by the proliferation of blood can target the parasite and kill it. In studies performed by the scientists, they found that only 14 to 18 percent of the mosquitoes that were fed the malaria-killing bacteria became infected by the parasite.
The big question facing the scientists now is how to introduce this new bacteria into the wild. As they point out, people become touchy whenever the subject turns to genetically modified organisms. It has the potential to save a lot of lives, but it can also have adverse side effects. They must do more thorough testing before they can convince local governments that this is a good idea.

FDA approval of Truvada signals 'turning point' in AIDS epidemic

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the first drug shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection, a milestone in the 30-year battle against the virus that causes AIDS.

The agency approved Gilead Sciences' pill Truvada as a preventive measure for people who are at high risk of acquiring HIV through sexual activity, such as those who have HIV-infected partners.

Public health advocates say the approval could help slow the spread of HIV, which has held steady at about 50,000 new infections per year for the past 15 years.

Truvada can prevent people from contracting HIV when used as a precautionary measure

Gilead Sciences has marketed Truvada, which can cost up to $14,000 a year, since 2004 as a treatment for people who are already infected with the virus.

But starting in 2010, studies showed that the drug could actually prevent people from contracting HIV when used as a precautionary measure. A three-year study found that daily doses cut the risk of infection in healthy gay and bisexual men by 42%, when accompanied by condoms and counseling.

Last year, another study found that Truvada reduced infection by 75% in heterosexual couples in which one partner was infected with HIV and the other was not.

Because Truvada is on the market to manage HIV, some doctors already prescribe it as a preventive measure. FDA approval will allow Gilead Sciences to market the drug for that use, which could dramatically increase prescribing.

STORY: Truvada Q and A 

STORY: Truvada drug trials signal 'turning point' in AIDS epidemic

watch me

Watch me

Ghana's version of Josef Fritzl incest in the dock

A 47-year-old farmer who fathered five children with his biological daughter is in the grip of the law.

According to the officials, Hatekah began having an affair with his daughter after his wife died.

His alleged incestuous act was brought to their attention by the local chief of the community, TorgbeSekpetey II of Gonu Ashiagborkorpe, in the Volta Region. Unlike the Josef Fritzl incest case, the residents of the community had known of Hatekah’s incestuous act all these years. He got away because the people were afraid of him as he threatened to kill anybody who dared to criticise him or make a report to the police.
Yao Hatekah impregnated his daughter, known as Baby, when she was 11 years old and subsequently had children aged 14, 12, 3, 2 and a month-and-a-half-old with her.

Hatekah, who pleaded guilty to the charge of incest on June 20, 2012, changed his plea to not guilty when he reappeared before the Sogakope Circuit Court, 4 July 2012.

According to him, he had one child with his daughter and was not responsible for her other children.

The court, subsequently, remanded him to reappear on July 12, 2012.

It would be recalled that in April 2008, a 46-year-old woman, Elisabeth Fritzl of Amstetten, Austria, made a report to the police that she had been held captive for 24 years in a concealed corridor part of the basement area of the family home, a condominium-style apartment complex built by her father, Josef Fritzl (77), and that Fritzl had physically assaulted, sexually abused, and raped her numerous times during her imprisonment. The incestuous relationship forced upon her by her father resulted in the birth of seven children and one miscarriage.

What killed Arafat?

'What killed Arafat' is the title of a new documentary being broadcast by Gulf leading satellite channel, al Jazeera, that seems to have disturbed the hornets' nest in the Palestinian Authority. The discovery of traces of a radioactive agent on clothing reportedly worn by Yasser Arafat in his final days reignited a cauldron of conspiracy theories. The documentary suggested that former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and the symbol of the Palestinian struggle and fight for freedom had been assassinated while being treated in a Paris hospital. Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini (24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat died at age 75 on Nov. 11, 2004 after long illness and subsequently going into coma . He had been suffering from a mysterious illness. The cause of the death was never determined and French medical officials would not release details of his illness because of privacy laws. The medical report was given to his family.

At the time, French doctors said Arafat died of a massive stroke. According to French medical records, he had suffered inflammation, jaundice and a blood condition known as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).

But the records were inconclusive about what brought about the DIC, which has numerous causes including infections, colitis and liver disease. Outside experts who reviewed the records were also unable to pinpoint the underlying cause.

The uncertainty sparked speculation about the cause of death, including the possibility of AIDS or poisoning. Many in the Arab world believe he was killed by Israel, which held him responsible for the bloody Palestinian uprising of the early 2000s. Israeli officials have repeatedly denied foul play, and they dismissed the latest theories as nonsense.

 

The documentary this week disclosed that a Swiss institute had examined clothing provided by Arafat's widow, Suha, and determined there were high levels of polonium-210, the same substance found to have killed a Russian Alexander Litvinenko, a one-time KGB agent turned critic of the Russian government, in London in 2006. Litvinenko drank tea laced with the substance.

A 2007 study by radiation experts from Britain's Health Protection Agency concluded that once Polonium-210 is deposited in the bloodstream, its potent effects are nearly impossible to stop. A poisoning victim would experience multiple organ failure as alpha radiation particles bombard the liver, kidneys and bone marrow from within.

Polonium-210 breaks down relatively quickly. The isotope has a half-life of 138 days; the time it takes for half of the sample to decay. Experts were divided over whether a reliable sample could even be salvaged.

Suha Arafat has since called for her husband's body to be exhumed from its mausoleum in the West Bank city of Ramallah. 

The al Jazeera report was the subject in every shop and street corner throughout the Palestinian territory. In East Jerusalem's main commercial street Saleh al Din, it replaced conversations about the Arab Spring and the Syrian crisis.

And most people said the reports confirmed their own suspicions saying they had "knew for a long time that Arafat was poisoned. What they need to know now is who is behind the killing?"

The prime suspects in mind are the Israeli Mossad and the American CIA".

They demanded that Arafat's body must be exhumed "so we will know the truth and also we might find who was behind it." Others praised al Jazeera's findings and want them followed up. "It was always on our mind (that Arafat was killed), however, Arafat's body must not to be disturbed.They reasoned that the truth is there with the military hospital in Paris, and it will be disrespectful for such a great leader like Arafat to have his body exhumed."

One key question is where the polonium-210 might have come from. This is more reason experts say Arafat's remains would have to be tested to know more else the conspiracy theories and suspicions surrounding what killed Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini won't simply go away anytime soon.

Nevada Attorney rules No crime in Pacquiao Loss

Many believe that Timothy Bradley's victory over Manny Pacquiao in their June 9 bout for the World Boxing Organization welterweight title was a robbery, but the Nevada attorney general said Tuesday it was not a crime.

Catherine Cortez Masto, the Nevada attorney general, wrote in a letter to Top Rank's Bob Arum that "there do not appear to be any facts or evidence to indicate that a criminal violation occurred." 

That pleased Bradley manager Cameron Dunkin, who said, "I'm not surprised at all." However, it did little to soothe the feelings of Arum, who in the immediate aftermath of the majority decision favoring Bradley was blamed by the public for somehow influencing the result.

Arum said he didn't think the inquiry, conducted by Dale Liebherr, the attorney general's chief of investigations, was thorough enough. He sent a letter to Cortez Masto on June 11 requesting the result be investigated to clear his name and with the hope it would restore public confidence in boxing.

Not interviewing judges Jerry Roth, C.J. Ross and Duane Ford was a mistake, Arum said. 

"I have no reaction to it," Arum said. "They spent a lot of time interviewing the referee [Robert Byrd] who had nothing to do with judging the fight, and I didn't see any interviews with the three judges who scored it? Wouldn't you do that if you were looking into it?" 

Ross and Ford each scored the bout 115-113 in favor of Bradley, while Roth had it 115-113 for Pacquiao. The overwhelming consensus of fans and media who saw the fight was that Pacquiao won handily.

Surprising health benefits of marriage for men

Men who have never done this are three times more likely to die of heart disease, research shows. During midlife and beyond, men's leading causes of death include familiar standbys: heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke, diabetes, respiratory disease, suicide, and Alzheimer's disease.

Not too late to fix. To lessen your odds of dying from these killers, curb the critical habits that lead to them.

One of these is marital status. 

Numerous surveys have shown that married men, especially men in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, are healthier and have lower death rates than those who never married or who are divorced or widowed. Never-married men are three times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease, for example. After 50, divorced men's health deteriorates rapidly compared to married men's, found a RAND Center for the Study of Aging report.

What's the magic in the ring? The social connectedness of marriage may lower stress levels and depression, which lead to chronic illness. (Women tend to have more social ties outside of marriage.)

Oops: Unmarried men generally have poorer health habits, too -- they drink more, eat worse, get less medical care, and engage in more risky behaviors (think drugs and promiscuous sex). Exception: It's better to be single than in a strained relationship, probably because of the stress toll, say researchers in Student BMJ.

Silver lining: It's never too late. Men who marry after 25 tend to live longer than those who wed young. And the longer a fellow stays married, the greater the boost to his well-being.

Barwuah Balloteli's Ghana family want him in Ghana

Balotelli dedicates Italy triumph to his foster mum Silvia

As the Italian football team clinched their place in the Euro 2012 final, their two-goal hero Mario Balotelli wanted to celebrate that special moment with one person.

Running from the edge of the pitch he dived into the crowd in the stands to give the woman he calls “Mum” a big hug.

Emotional Mario dedicated his goals to Silvia Balotelli , the woman who brought him up from the age of three.

He said: “I told her, ‘these goals are for you’. I waited for this moment for so long and I wanted to make my mum happy.”

Just as proud were Mario’s other family – the one he has never met – who were crouched around a TV set watching the action thousands of miles away in Ghana.

Mario was born to Ghanaian immigrants, Rose and Thomas Barwuah in Palermo, Italy.

But health problems led to him being fostered then adopted by Francesco and Silvia Balotelli, an Italian family in Brescia.

Legally, the family separation might be complete but the Barwuah clan have kept a close eye on Mario’s career.

Sadly, one family member missed Mario’s finest moment – his grandfather Nana, a retired bus driver - died two weeks ago.

Mario, 21, had plans to visit the African state for the first time in August to see his grandad and had sent him a baseball cap with his signature embroidered inside as a gift.

But it was not to be and his father Thomas had to make the heartbreaking call to his son to tell him that Nana had died aged 74.

The Man City star, whose transfer value has soared to £52million, made no mention of his ­grandfather’s death in his post-match interviews, preferring to focus on his adoptive family who have brought him up since he was a toddler.

But there is no ill feeling from his blood relatives, only congratulations and a hope that he will still make a visit to Ghana.

Alex Barwuah, 30, Mario’s uncle, is a mechanic by trade, could not be happier for his famous nephew.

He said: “We are all extremely proud of him. It was wonderful when he scored both goals and we were ecstatic.

"When he pulled his shirt off and showed off his chest after scoring my friends made me do the same thing.

"It made me feel closer to him. I’ve never met Mario but I feel very happy when I see him on TV.

"We watch him whenever we can. I’m so proud he is part of the family.

“I feel sad though that we have never met, and that my father never saw his grandson.

“My father watched every game he could showing Mario and longed to meet him, but it was not possible.

"I hope now Mario comes to see us and gets to learn about his ancestors.”

Unlike his sports-car driving nephew, Alex lives a modest life in Zone Five of the gold mining town of Konongo, which has a population of just 40,000.

Alex is philosophical about their different lives, saying: “I am very pleased at his success and understand that he is rich now but the professional life of a footballer is an extremely short one.”

On his 18th birthday, Mario gained Italian citizenship and there have been reports that he had turned his back on his Ghanaian heritage.

However, the Barwuahs have never stopped following his career.

Kwaku Awuah, Balotelli’s grandfather on his mother’s side, also wants to welcome his grandson “home”.

Kwaku, 80, said: “Its pathetic to have a superstar as a grandson but to have never set eyes on him.

"It makes me so sad whenever I see him on TV or read about him in the papers.

“I’m not interested in his money. I just want to tell him to come back to his roots because, as the saying goes, there really is no place like home sweet home.”

Akosua Osaa Barwuah, Mario’s aunt and his father Thomas’s sister is also upset that she has never been able to meet her nephew.

Akosua, 44, a market trader, said: “I feel so sad whenever I see him on TV.

"My brother Thomas sent me Mario’s picture when he was about three. I have a nephew of this calibre and I’ve never set eyes on him.”

In the streets outside the Barwuah family home, children play football wearing shirts from some of Europe’s biggest teams.

Everyone in Konongo knows the name Balotelli and his famous 45 shirt even though he has never set foot in the country.

UEFA has confirmed Balotelli had ­registered his shirt name as “Barwuah ­Balotelli” indicating he recognised his roots but as yet he has not worn a shirt with the name on it.

Balotelli might be a man with a hefty price tag on his head, but he has been in trouble both on and off the pitch.

There’ve been car crashes and trouble with indoor fireworks which forced him to move out of his home.

Man City manager Roberto Mancini has said if they had been team-mates he may have hit him.

Now he seems to have got his life on track and he has become a football superstar.

His goals against Germany have made him the bookmakers’ favourite.

And he has two families as well as thousands of fans wishing him well.
Source: mirror.co.uk

Ethnic clashes force boy, 9, to work at galamsey pit for survival

If you think peace is expensive try throwing a war sometimes. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. Every war is going to astonish you in the way it has occurred and in the way it is carried as the experience and life touching story of this little poor soul below vividly depicts.

Nine-year-old primary three school pupil, Tengzor Yinbang has been forced to work as a labourer at an illegal gold mine to raise money for survival.

Little Tengzor, a pupil of Tindongo Primary School, is a victim of the recent ethnic clashes at Tindongo and Namolgo in the Upper East region during which nine people were killed and several houses were torched.

Tengzor Yinbang who lost all his belongings hopes to raise money to continue school.

Poor Yinbang was living with some good Samaritans who became victims of the clashes.

Little Yinbang narrated the circumstances of his family amidst tears. The boy lost his mother before he learnt how to speak and his father did not live long after that.

He earns a mere GH¢3 a day out of which he saves GH¢1 daily, hoping to raise enough money to go back to school. When will better Ghana reach this poor boy whose only is the fate of his birth? Hope someone is reading this piece. God have mercy!

CNN's anchor Anderson Cooper admits being a gay

They say wonders will never end hence be content with your lot because all that glitter may after all not be gold. Anderson Cooper has confirmed what most people in the media world and New York already knew: He is gay.

"The fact is, I'm gay," Cooper wrote in an email to Daily Beast blogger Andrew Sullivan. "Always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud."

Sullivan, who is gay and is a longtime friend of Cooper's, had asked the CNN anchor for his reaction to a recent Entertainment Weekly story—"The New Art of Coming Out"—which was, in part, about the importance of gay celebrities coming out of the closet to combat America's bullying epidemic.

"Andrew, as you know, the issue you raise is one that I've thought about for years," Cooper responded. "Even though my job puts me in the public eye, I have tried to maintain some level of privacy in my life. Part of that has been for purely personal reasons. I think most people want some privacy for themselves and the people they are close to."

"But I've also wanted to retain some privacy for professional reasons," Cooper continued. "Since I started as a reporter in war zones 20 years ago, I've often found myself in some very dangerous places. For my safety and the safety of those I work with, I try to blend in as much as possible, and prefer to stick to my job of telling other people's stories, and not my own. I have found that sometimes the less an interview subject knows about me, the better I can safely and effectively do my job as a journalist. I've always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly."

Cooper said he did not come out in his 2006 memoir, "Dispatches from the Edge," because the book was meant to be about war and not about his personal life.