-
-
9:19
»
Circumspect
Before I start, just a quick 'thank you' to Moi for reminding me that I even intended to share my Ramadan experience/lessons on here. Like you said, God sometimes speaks through people :)
Okay, back to the scheduled program. Days two through five of Ramadan have been filled with so many lessons, I'm surprised I even have the energy to write this post. Unlike Day one which was essentially a physical test of my adaptation to the Senegalese sun and long hours, these three days have been a revolving door of churning out my thoughts and feelings. I keep going back and forth on this same issue, but this time it's a bit different.
Actually, let me speak plainly. That was lesson number one:
Say what you need to say. Speak your truth. Not THE truth, mind you. But YOUR truth. Most situations involve many truths. Hence speak YOUR truth. And allow others to speak their respective truths as well. I don't want to believe that God made life out to be this complicated, it's our unspoken and half-said truths that make things so difficult.
So yeah, as I mentioned in my first post on Ramadan, this month represents peace for me. Here comes lesson two:
It is not guaranteed that it (Ramadan or any other venture you might undertake) will be all that you expect it to be. What you put in is what you get out of it. Sure, maybe there are more blessings floating around because that's just how holy Ramadan is, but you've got to actively work for the rest. That means focusing on your objectives for Ramadan. In the past I have had one, two or three very specific things that I would pray/fast about for Ramadan. This year, I thought I had a pretty good list, and then life threw me a curve ball (it always delivers right on time, doesn't it?), and guess what? I lost focus, I panicked. Needless to say, I wasn't feeling too peaceful after that.
And along rolls lesson number three:
Trust in God cannot be selective. If you really trust God like you claim to (and boy, have I made so many of those claims), then it should be complete. Why was I panicking? Because something came along that I didn't expect, most certainly didn't like, and didn't trust God to handle it. The realization that I tend to choose when and in what I will trust God, hit me. So now I ask, does half trust/half faith still constitute trust/faith? I'd like to think God is merciful enough to ignore all those halves, while guiding me towards the fullness of my belief and trust in Him.
Anyway, where was I? Yes, I panicked. And when I panicked, I lost focus and suddenly, the peaceful beach with palm trees and saline water gently lapping at the shore became a scary possibility that I would lose my footing on the summit of this volcano that appeared from nowhere and fall head-first into the burning molten lava below. Out went the peace with the panic, and once that delicate balance was disturbed, in rushed the adrenaline and its fight or flight tendencies. It's usually one or the other, in my case it was both. Talk about emotionally draining.
Now here's a key difference between this Ramadan and past ones, and also, in general. In addition to observing the month of Ramadan I've always had my support systems - family, friends, books, writing, prayer, etc - in place to help secure that peace. If anything were amiss, I would turn to one, some or all of those. Despite what some people think - and I always find it amusing when people come up to me and tell me "You always keep it together. Nothing seems to faze you." - I
am pretty sensitive. I think everyone is affected by things going amiss in their lives. Some of us are just better at hiding or dealing with it than others. I tend to be more private, but that doesn't mean I'm any less affected. So yeah, I just needed to put that out there.
Here I was, with a meddlesome issue disrupting my 'peace', and guess what? I didn't have half the tools I normally have. The friends I would confide in are not just far away, but hours away too. Include the costs involved if I were to pick up the phone and call, and you can understand why the option was unavailable. Sure there's gchat and skype and all that, but honestly, can any of those really substitute for having a friend talk to you on the phone or in person? Tool number two is my self-help books. Yes, you read right, self-help books. No, they don't have "self-help" written in bold on the cover, but that's what they do for me. Give me inspiration, help me sort out my feelings and thoughts, and give me some equilibrium. All those books- with the exception of "Eat, Pray, Love" which I borrowed from my dear soul sis (Shout outs 'Seina! ;) ) and happen to have with me - are in a plastic container in Accra. My Qu'ran, which I bought last Ramadan, is in that same container. Good thing I was able to download a Qu'ran software online. The only two tools I really have right now are writing (and no, you won't find those write-ups on here lol. Like I said, I deal with these things privately) and prayer. So, I cannot distract myself from any of this stuff. I have to face them headon.
Now you know it's never easy where human beings are concerned. I resisted, I fought, I went back and forth, I'm sure I've driven my flat mate crazy by now (Shout outs 'K!), I know I've driven the people involved half-mad, I rationalized (If there's one thing I'm great at, it's analyzing and rationalizing. They used to call me "Analyzer" in high school, LOL), all of that. And then, after all this roundabout stuff, I finally prayed. I prayed and I prayed some more. And at one point, when I didn't have the energy to actually stand on a shajadda (prayer mat) and pray, a voice told me, 'Go ahead and say what's in your heart. That too is prayer.' So I talked to God/myself in my head - this wasn't rationalizing, it was stating the facts - and when I was done, that same voice said 'Go get the Qu'ran and read.' When you're awake in the middle of the night or early morning and you start hearing voices in your head, you tend to listen to them. So that's what I did.
Which brings me to lesson four:
God speaks to us all the time. Most times we just hear and then go right ahead and ignore. When we listen however, we'll find it's exactly what we needed. And lesson 5:
After all is said and done, you will have to face the hard facts and present your case to God. Save yourself the time and energy and just go straight to Him. I opened up the Quran software - which, I must say, I totally love. It has a clean interface and the translation is great! - and somehow found myself to the bookmarked page, only to find that the software came with default bookmarks. What were the three categories?
- The Compassionate
- Trust in Allah
- Miscellaneous Ayahs (found out recently "ayah' literally means "miracles" and refers to the Qu'ranic verses)
Long story short, I read all those bookmarked verses and they were basically telling me "Don't worry. Allah is Compassionate. Trust in Allah to forgive your shortcomings and do what is best for you. Allah is sufficient for you and the best one to trust."
That last sentence
"Hasbunallahu Wa Ni Mal Wakeel," or
"Allah is enough/sufficient for me" was something my dad sent to me about a year ago, and I'd been tryna remember it, but couldn't. And here it popped right up at me at the moment I needed it the most.
[I'm continuing this post 3 days later since I started telling myself this is waaaaay too private to put on here, and I'd be making myself vulnerable. But hey, this is how I deal with stuff and of what worth is life if we don't give of ourselves? Hopefully, it will go beyond being therapeutic to me and help someone else too.]
So, where was I? Oh yes,
"Allah is enough/sufficient for me." In that moment, those words were what I needed and they helped a ton. But it was by no means the end. I went through the whole cycle of wondering, doubting, asking, crying, all that. But this time, I had a quiet voice reassure me that "Allah is enough for me." Which brings me to the next lesson:
Live in the Present. Enjoy the memories of the past and revel in the hopes for the future, but never substitute either for the present. How many times have we heard that? I've always wondered - how exactly do you live in the present when your mind is like an excited child always running around, skipping from past to present to future, trying to figure one thing or the other out? I'm still wondering on that one, but I think I have a better sense of it. Yesterday was a good day. It's interesting to note that in the midst of all this emotional turmoil raging within, I had moments of undeniable happiness and laughter. I was quite surprised. I also got to sleep which is a HUGE thing for me. I never sleep when I'm in disharmony or disequilibrium (if something's bothering me). So, already, I can tell that God's answering the prayers I said within bouts of tears. And yes, miracles are still happening. Now, for the final and most poignant realization (so far):
True Peace is not the absence of turmoil. It is the silence in the midst of cacophony, the security amid danger, the knowledge that God exists.
Anyway, I'm still hoping, still praying, still thankful and still living. I think at some point between Day 2 and Day 8, I resolved that this situation wouldn't rob me of the opportunity to commune with God. So here I am, searching again for the peace that I've always known during Ramadan, and trying to really trust Allah and have faith in His knowledge of what is unknown to me. Alors, I guess this is a long enough post and I definitely feel like my thoughts and feelings are under a microscope. It's weird, lol. But hey, it's done. Also, check out the Nasheed (Islamic song) 'Allah Knows' by Zain Bikha (heavenly voice!). Juma Mubarak to my Muslim peeps and have a lovely weekend to everyone else!
Photo Source:
Photo 1
Photo 2
-
-
4:14
»
Circumspect
"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death."
- Anais Nin
At different points of the earth, there once lived two oysters.Both were oysters, true. Yet one hailed from a small, pond in the middle of a grand forest, while the other rode the waves of the Atlantic.Conspicuously the same, inherently different, it so happened that the currents decided to let chance take course.--
A fisherman, well known for his skill on the high, reined in his net on a particularly promising day.
However, try as he might, he caught naught but a single oyster.
'What a curious thing', he thought to himself
'The light is right, the winds on course, the shrimp is particularly fresh, yet the fish resist'
Out went the nets again. And a second. And a third.
But each time, only the oyster remained embedded in the criss-cross of coiled twines.
'Very curious,' he mused to himself
'Oh well, might as well call it a day.'
And with that he retracted his net, retrieved the oyster, and proceeded to the shore.
--
"Daddy!" a gleeful young voice called.
Smiling to himself, Mr. Fisherman, or rather, Daddy, set down his tools, and opened his arms to embrace his little girl
"You came home early today, daddy!" she exclaimed
"Yes I did, my love. And I brought you something too!"
With that, he reached through his car window and retrieved a small pail full of water
"Wow, daddy. Is that a fish?" his little girl asked in awe
"Yes my dear. It's a special kind of fish. Like you're a special kind of girl."
"But it's not moving. It's just...there."
Daddy smiled.
"Yes, that's true. It looks like it's doing nothing, but a lot is going on inside.
Just give it some time, you'll see."
With that, he picked up his baby, set her high on his shoulder, and they marched towards their small, backyard pond.
--"Would you like to do the honors my lady?"
"I'd be delighted my lord."
Such was the ease of their banter.
Each down on both knees against the soft earth, a mini-ritual commenced
The little girl reached into the salt water with her chubby hand and gently lifted the oyster
Staring at it, she whispered to it
"My daddy says one day you're going to be something amazing. I think so too."
Raising it to her lips, she planted a soft kiss against its hard, slimy, shell.
"All set now, my baby?"
"Yes daddy"
With that, she eased the oyster into the pond, as Daddy emptied the pail water onto it.
Heading back to the house, the little girl asked
"Why did you pour the pail water on the oyster? There's already a lot of water in the pond."
"Because, my inquisitive one, this oyster has only known salt water.
Going into fresh water can be scary for him, so we had to introduce him to it gently."
"Aah," she replied in wonder. "You're very clever Daddy!"
"Why thank you, my love."
And with that, he picked up his little girl and off they went to spend the delightful day.
***
'What is happening to me? I can't breathe.'
In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.
Yet it wasn't enough
First, he had been entrapped in that web of God-knows-what
Then, he had heard and felt the most violent storm imaginable (the car in motion)
And finally, after staring up at some creature with the blackest, most penetrating, eyes,
he found himself here
It was like home, but not quite. There were other fish, but nobody like ...
If only he could breathe!
'Help!' he screamed silently
"Long and slow," a quiet voice said.
"Take long and slow breaths."
Glancing out of the corner of his shell, he saw the most beautiful creature imaginable.
Glistening white shell with elaborate designs, she was one of his kind.
Long and slow. Long and slow.
After moments of burning pain, the roar in his ears calmed and finally, he knew he would live.
Turning ever so slightly around, he felt another tremor approach.
Heart beating wildly, he didn't even have to utter a word, he was a goner.
--Ever the same, ever different, their journey together was one of a kind.
Each had a vastly different experience, yet both were quiet souls.
And unlike other oysters in the world who sometimes lived in communes,
Until then, they had each ventured separately.
Yes, their union was a fulfilling one and they spent many a night gazing up at the moon through the warm pond waters.
But it was also tumultuous, for never had each had another challenge them so.
"You don't listen to me," "You're being insensitive" "Can I have some alone time please?"
It was never ending.
But regardless of how tough it got, they always pushed on.
They knew they had some purpose in each others' lives, but they were yet to find out just how much.
***
On a day that could only be described as bad from the start, our two oysters had a terrible fight.Sand rising from the bed, it got under both their shells.
Angry words hurled, the painful irritation of the sand, and a feeling of helplessness dawned.
They'd had enough.
No more trying, no more crying, it's all for naught, they decided.
Each ventured to a separate section of the pond and although they could have crossed the threshold and forgiven each other,
They remained as stubborn as *moules.
And so it went. He in his corner, her in hers, longing for one another, but resisting the urge.
Tides changed and years passed, and fish came and went from that small pond of theirs.
Still begrudging, still wary, they each held grains in their heart.--On a regular Sunday afternoon, they felt the current change.
Confused, the entire community of fish looked around in panic.
"Net!"
The alarm was sounded and all went awry.
Now, remember our friend from the Atlantic? He didn't know what "net" meant,
But he did remember what it looked like.
'It can't be happening again. Not now. Not so soon.'
He rushed around the pond-turned-madhouse,
Desperately in search of her.
They hadn't spoken in over two decades and he couldn't remember the last they'd uttered those three words to one another.
"Where is she?"
Finally, he opened his mouth and called out her name.
His ears might not have heard a response, but his heart did.
Instinctively, he looked up.
Caught in the coil of twines was his love
Scared as she was - he could tell from her eyes - she remained brave.
Net retreating from the pond, there was naught they could do or say.
Each knew this was it. The end had come.
***
“Daddy”
He looked up from his reading to the familiar voice and there she was.
All grown up and heavenly, but still his baby girl
“You look beautiful, my love, as always,” he replied and motioned to her to come over.
She turned to look at the other love of her life, who gave her a reassuring smile.
“Go on, I’m not going anywhere,” he said.
She walked across the room and sat on her daddy’s bed as she had done so many times before.
“Come closer, my child, so I might see you better,” he ventured with emotion in his voice.
She arranged her white wedding dress about her and eased herself into the pillows and against her daddy’s chest.
“Look at you. It was just yesterday I held you in my arms for the first time and looked into your eyes.
Then, as now, you captured my soul and you changed my life. You taught me to treasure life as I’ve never treasured it before and you helped make me a better person.
Look at you and how you’ve grown. It might seem like you’re still that little girl, but you’ve become someone even more amazing. You’re a blessing and a gift, and I’m glad for the opportunity to call you my little girl. I’m proud of you.”
“Daddy…you’re going to make me cry,” she whispered. “Who cries on their wedding day?”
He smiled and continued, “I have something for you.”
She looked over at her husband-to-be and raised her eyebrows questioningly.
With that look and not a single word, she asked: “He’s already given so much, what more could he be offering?”
Her soon-to-be shrugged.
Such was their connection and understanding of one another: unspoken.
--
“Close your eyes, my child,” her father said, drawing her attention back to him.She obliged and he took her hand. Something cold rested in her palm.
“Open”
Her eyelids fluttered and she looked down at two silver wedding bands.
“Oh Daddy, you shouldn’t have…” she started.
“Ssh. Take a closer look.”
Raising the rings towards the light, she noticed that embedded in the tulip-like detail of her band was a white pearl.
Confused, she looked over at her chosen life partner.
“Is this why you refused to let me help with the ring choosing?”
He smiled mischievously and winked at her dad who continued:
“Remember. About twenty years ago, I brought home an oyster and we released it into the pond out back. We could not see it then, but something amazing was happening within. It might have undergone a drastic change in circumstances, and a huge part of its life might have seemed static, but an amazing transformation was taking place. We’ll never know exactly how tumultuous dealing with grains of sand might have been, but we’ll know this: those struggles helped form the oyster and led to this pearl. Its situation might have changed, but its essence was never disturbed.”
--
She gazed at her father with tears in her eyes and as she made to speak, he held up his hand.
“I almost forgot.”
Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out a small black suede box and motioned to his son-in-law to join them.
Once at the bedside, he handed over the box.
As her husband pulled out a silver watch, her eyes widened.
Like the rings, this was no ordinary watch. Embedded on the mantle face beneath the numbers 12, 3, 6, and 9 were little shards of pearl
Not too much tackiness, and a whole lot of class.
“That is for you my son; a gentle reminder of your connection with my daughter. Days will come and days will go, but what is true will always remain. Time is relative and will sometimes get tough. But if you both remember that there will always be a new day and another opportunity, you will be fine. Be patient and gentle with each other. Because although you might not always see it, things will unfold as they should. There will be irritating grains along the way, but they will only fashion you to be stronger and better. So long as you love and remember from whence you came, you will not only succeed, you will go beyond the ordinary.”
A wrinkled old hand reached over and gently took the wedding band from his daughter. He handed it to his new son. He repeated the action, this time placing the watch in his daughter’s hand.
“Go on. You know what to do.”
Undoing the watch strap, she smiled as she reached for her husband's hand. The watch fit perfectly.
Then, he held up her hand and slipped the pearl ring onto her finger.
When they were done, they both looked at the Fisherman-Daddy-Turned Wise Ol’ Man.
He reached first for his daughter's hand and then for his son’s and placed the watch adorned hand on top of the ring adorned one.
--
At that very moment, the oysters awoke. Only, they were no longer oysters living in water. They were precious stones symbolizing love.
What they were meant to be all along. And they were together.
“I don’t understand,” she started to say. “I thought we had lost each other for good.”
“I thought we had too. But a few minutes after you left, I heard a voice say, "Look, I think there’s another one in there. Can you see it glistening in the sunlight?" And here we are. Together, right where we’re supposed to be.
And so they were. For many years and even generations, the wedding bands and the watch got passed on down the line, and the story was always foretold in what came to be known as the tradition of the pearl.
The End.
--
*Moule is the French word for 'mussel', another kind of shell fish. In this case, the word moule was used more for its phonetics and closeness to the word "mule", from the expression "As stubborn as a mule".
Read more about oysters & pearls here:
[animals.howstuffworks.com]
Photos:
1,
2,
3 4
5,
6,
7,
8,
9
-
-
20:48
»
Circumspect
I'm tempted to agree with those who say that silence is the language of the soul, because words are not enough. I'm sitting on my bed, mac on lap, tryna think up the best way to express what I'm feeling right this moment, but I can't find the words. They don't do the feeling any justice.
After a little hide and seek with the moon, Ramadan finally came upon those of us in Senegal. Others in France, Saudi Arabia and Ghana started yesterday, but we got another day to "prepare". But tell me, can you ever adequately prepare for Ramadan? Each year, it's the same, but slightly different. For me the consistency has been a calmness of mind, heart and soul that I can only call peace. I can't explain it fully, but over the past couple of years, my entire system kicks into auto-gear with the arrival of Ramadan and I just trust. Yes, there are still hopes, there are still fears, but over that month, it doesn't matter.
Maybe its because of the heavenly presence on earth? Abu Hurairah, (may Allah be pleased with him) quoted the Prophet (PBUH) as saying:
“When the month of Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of the Hellfire are closed, and the devils are chained.” (Reported by al-Bukhari)
Just as Angel Gabriel appeared to Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him [PBUH]) that night many years ago when illiterate him was commanded to "Read in the name of your Lord", our heavenly neighbors are said to frequent the earth during Ramadan. And as to the question of whether the devils are really chained up during Ramadan, I must say I believe they are. Coming home hot and tired around 10pm, after a long first day, I was highly tempted to go straight to bed after showering. "You have all those prayers to say," a voice whispered. "It's hot, you're tired. Take a break." Maybe if there were more mischievous creatures making trouble on the land, I would have. But I didn't. And guess what? It didn't feel half as hard as my mind was making it out to be. With each prostration, I felt lighter. I know this probably sounds mumbo-jumbo to some of you, but like I said, even these words cannot adequately describe it.
All in all, I can only say Alhamdulilahi (thanks be to God) for seeing us through day one. It was so hot, by 3pm I thought I would faint. Now to my Ghana peeps, yes, Ghana is hot. But the heat doesn't compare to here, trust me. To my U.S. peeps, yes, the length of day is longer, but it's about the same length of day here coupled with all this heat. To my Senegalese peeps, all I can say is I admire your fortitude. On the way to Dakar, people were going about their usual business. There were construction workers on the roads, working. In the burning heat, no A.C., no water. It could almost be regarded as impossible. But, I think it has to do with the feeling of community. Knowing that just a stone throws away, there's someone who's experiencing the same pangs as you are. It makes all the difference.
Before I end, here's a Qu'ranic verse I found in
this HuffingtonPost article earlier. It spoke volumes, and the way I see it, it could be in any religious or spiritual book. Not just the Qu'ran. Stay blessed all!
"True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west -- but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day; and the angels, and revelation, and the prophets; and spends his substance -- however much he himself may cherish -- it -- upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage; and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God." (2:177 [Asad])
--
Photo Source:
[www.myspace.com] 
-
-
20:17
»
Circumspect
Inspired by a condominium of thoughts, and stylistically influenced by my interpretation of Regina Spektor's "Eet"
They call it an outer body experience. And they're right, that's exactly what it is.It's like floating out in the universe, and watching the earth chug along on its axis.Like planning a speech to the very last detail, only to be tongue-tied when the grand moment arrives.Kin to doing the very thing you said you would never, ever, for the life of you do, and being achingly conscious as you're doing it.It's like being a mannequin on Fashion Ave. in NYC, oohed and aahed at, but never quite understood.
--They call it an outer body experience, but they forget the inner-body element.The fact that each is a universe onto themselves, and that's what makes living so
annoyingly complex.Eerily similar to that Grey's episode where a woman awoke during surgery and stared
down at her entrails.Unable to move, unable to scream, unable to stop the many fingers from prying within.Having to balance the outer universe, with the internal wonderland, and oh, make sure you smile while you're at it!
--They call it an outer body experience, yet they haven't the slightest idea themselves.About how you haven't a say in what you wear on this day or thatOr how you would trade in all the bling and fur they so admire, for a moment under the warmth of the sun,And would give up your coveted post in the concrete jungle, for a minute with
someone you love. Oh, what you would do to explore the entire spectrum of emotion!
To laugh, to cry, be happy and sad.Yet all you're stuck with is lifeless, glazed over eyes from your numerous attempts to
have a good cry.
--They call it an outer body experience, but it's really a lone planet thrown out of orbit.A constant maneuver between what's beyond the glassed window display and what's embedded in your fiberglass structure.A haphazard interaction between the wants, needs, dreams, hopes, fears, goals of Earth's inhabitants and their yet unknown "alien" neighbors.Somewhere between here and there, yes and no, future and past. You know exactly which key needs to be played to reinstate the harmonious melody,
but you can't do a damn thing about it.Paralysis.
-- In all this insomnia and disorder, there comes a merciful moment of nothing but silence.An overflowing vacuum of The Love that is, has been, and will always be.When all care is tossed from within and upward, and you just trust.For two or sometimes three glorious hours, you escape the madness into the
silence of your heart.And in that moment, paralysis is the liberty you've been seeking all along.
--
Photo 2
Photo 1
-
-
3:52
»
Circumspect
Jemi: You are soo cheating!
RealJemi: No, I’m not.
J: Really?
RJ: Yes. I think.
J: Didn’t you feed the same lines to the other fella from yesterday?
RJ: Yes…but, it’s not the same.
J: [Raised eyebrow]
RJ: What?! This interaction has the potential for something much more different. Much better. Much more…challenging and stimulating.
J: Doesn’t change anything. You’re still cheating.
RJ: Ei, why? Did someone patent the lines I’m using and hire you to police the rest of us? No? Well, last I checked, there was freedom of expression and association. So mind your own business.
J: What do you think they will say when they find out what you’re up to? Two-timing them the way you are.
RJ: [Mischievous grin] But who says they ever have to know?--
And so it goes. The guilt-trip that follows the ritualistic love dance, mating call, whatever-you-want-to-call-it, that is West African price bargaining. They say everyone likes a good bargain. But what they don’t mention is that the true art of bargaining can be found in West Africa. So, consider this the ad that runs in the local newspaper after a gross omission has been made.
If you want true bargains, get out of Filene’s Basement and trek to Sandaga, Madina Market, or whichever your nearest West African market is.
Mind you, the operational word is market. Not mini-market or mini-marche. Shooting for the minis? You’re better off staying at Filene’s. They ain’t budging on the prices either.
If however, you want to hit the town, indulge in spontaneous and witty tete-a-tetes with strangers, and see how far flattery will get you, then jump aboard the bargain express.
Okay, that definitely sounds too PR. Back to what we were talking about: the love dance. You can’t avoid it. At some point or another, you’re gonna have to get off your high horse and admit that the love (bargain) bug bit you. And you’re still falling.
True West African Sport (Forget Football)
If you’ve never been to West Africa or if you’ve spent a huge part of your life in the U.S. or Europe, this whole phenomenon might sound alien to you, but don’t worry, you’ll catch on soon enough…after overpaying for one, two, or three items of course. That’s the way they break you in. Been away from home for a bit and still in that constantly-converting-everything-from-one-currency-to-another-zone? They got a special kind of love just for you as well. Hey, what can they say? There’s a lot of love to share.
It might sound unbelievable, but bargaining is more popular than football. Regardless of what you do, you can’t escape it. If you actually do, it means you’re overpaying for practically everything you’re getting, or you haven’t really looked for the bargain spots. If you’re cool with that – maybe you have more than enough to share or are riding on an abnormal (luxury) demand curve? – then quit reading. If, however, you would like to be introduced to a much more interesting way of doing business and experiencing W. African culture, read on.
Alors, here goes.
Pandora’s Box: A Bargain or Not?
Let’s have a story, shall we:
- Newbie enters market (that would be you). Newbie has newcomer written all over him/her (that’s your I <3 NY t-shirt giving you away) and is overly conspicuous (that’s you stopping to allow every single person to bypass you on that small path).
- Bargain professors (that would be the salespersons) notice newbie and figure (s)he needs to be taught a lesson (that’s your first (overpriced) buy coming your way). Newbie sees bargain prof coming with pandora’s box and expresses interest.
- Prof heads over, all smiles (that’s him sizing you up to determine how much to overprice) Newbie smiles too (that’s you thinking about how lucky you are to have chanced upon this item [forgetting that nothing truly worthwhile comes easy and quick]) and asks how much it costs. Prof assumes a serious stance and mentions 10,000 CFAs.
- Newbie (you haven’t been in the ECOWAS region for a while) does a quick calculation of the amount and arrives at $25! For an entire outfit? Not bad! Newbie pays, prof smiles, hands over pandora’s box. Everyone’s happy. Only…you just missed out on a bargain!
The Art of West African Bargaining
So, backtrack.
From living in Ghana and spending some time here in Senegal, I’ve found that there’s somewhat of a general rule to bargaining on prices at a local market. Considering the fact that 90% of the time I get what I(a friend) want(s) for exactly the price I’m((s)he’s willing to pay or even less, and considering the salespersons usually end up saying “You, you know money eh. You’re my sister/friend!” or something to that effect, the general rule has proven its worth.
Whether its for taking a taxi, purchasing jewelry at the beach or getting that African print material from the fabric section downtown, you generally have some leeway with how much you pay for something.
General rule (and considering how much I try to stay away from math, I’m only writing this once, so pay attention ):
Take amount proposed by salesperson, divide by two and then divide one half by two. (I believe the mathematicians call it dividing the total amount (proposed) into quarters.)
OR
Tip 1: Decide on how much you’re willing to pay before you start talking/bargaining - Remember to keep it to yourself, or if you’re with a friend who’s gonna do the talking for you, keep it between the two of you!- THEN apply the general rule. Only, make sure whatever you propose is a couple of notches BELOW how much you’re really willing to pay. That’s your bargaining power.
Let’s have a real-life example:- You want to take a taxi 40 minutes out of Dakar. You stop the taxi driver and tell him where you’re going.
Tip 2: If you have an accent not native (foreign) to the country you’re in, you might wanna cover it up as much as possible. It’s a glaring “newbie” sign. And please, if you’re a local who has an “acquired” foreign accent, save both you and the driver/salesperson some time and money and just speak in your local language.
- Driver proposes 10,000CFAs as the price. By now, you should know/have already made up your mind that you’re not paying more than 3,500CFAs or 4,000CFAs if you’re pressed for time. Here’s the kind of exchange that would ensue:
You: 10,000CFAs? C'est pas vrai! D'ici a ...? (10,000CFAs? For real? Just from Dakar to…?)
Driver: Oui, c'est le prix. Aucune bleme? (Yes, that's the cost. Any problem)
You: Bah, oui (Of course). C’est trop cher! (It’s too expensive! )
Driver: Bon, vous donnez combien? (Ok, how much will you pay?)
You: 2,000CFAs
Math fact >> You took 10,000CFAs, divided it by 4, which is 2,500CFAs and went down a couple of notches, allowing yourself a bargaining power of 500CFAs. Since you’re really willing to pay 3,500 or 4,000CFAs, you have a REAL BARGAINING POWER of 1,500CFAs or 2,000CFAs.
Driver: 2,000CFAs? C’est trop petit (2,000CFAs? It’s too little). Je pars (I’m leaving)
You: Ey, attends (hey, wait). On parle, non? (We’re talking, no?) Alors, diminue le prix un peu (Reduce the price a bit)
Driver: Bon, tu es ma soeur, alors donne-moi 5,000 (Ok, you’re my sister, so give me 5,000)
Math Fact >> He halved the price. 10,000/2 = 5,000CFAs. He realizes you know (of) the rules and he’s not gonna get a huge overprice on you.
Tip 3: Once they play the sister/brother/friend card, you can use the same card as well. For example: You said I’m your sister, so be nice to me and reduce the price eh. However, it’s advisable to use it as a last resort.
You: Okay, je te donne 3,000. (Okay, I will give you 3,000)
Driver: Non, c’est pas bon. D’ici a…c’est trop loin. Il y a l’emboutaillage. (No, it’s not enough. From here to …. Is too far. There’s traffic)
You: Mais 5,000 c'est beaucoup eh. Chaque jour je prends cette route et je paye 3,000, ou 3,500 maximum. (But 5,000 is too much eh. I’m on this route every day and I pay 3,000 or a maximum of 3,500)
Tip 4: Even if you’ve never taken that route before, you need to let them know that you know how much the charges are. And in order to know, you need to ask around. No, not from the taxi driver! He's tryna see how far he can go on overcharging you, remember? Ask a local - a friend or family you're staying with, a neighbor, etc. Asking questions is part of travel 101. You won't know until you ask.
Driver: Ok, paye 4,500 et on part (Ok, pay 4,500 and lets go)
You: C’est trop pour moi. Toujours je paye 3,500, alors c’est tout que j’ai avec moi. Eh, je suis ta soeur, eh. (It’s too much for me. I always pay 3,500, that’s all I have with me. I’m your sister, am I not?)
Driver: (Most likely silent) [Congrats! U used tip 3 and checkmated him on the sister/brother/friend card!]
You: Okay bon, je prends un autre taxi. (Okay, I’ll take another taxi)[Turn away from the taxi and walk a short distance.]
Driver: Bon, donne 4,000 et on part. (Okay, pay 4000 and let’s go)
You: Sigh deeply. And enter the taxi. Bingo! You just bagged yourself a bargain :)
Tip 5: This entire exchange should take no more than 5 minutes. If it takes anywhere past 10 minutes, then you have yourself a stubborn salesperson. Find another one.
In Conclusion...
Alors, there you have it! The art of bargaining. Please, this is supposed to be a light-hearted exchange. No fists involved. Go with the flow and if you’re not ready to have some fun with it (if you’re in a hurry or a bad mood), please pay the overpriced amount and let everyone have some peace of mind.
That said, I cannot guarantee that things will play out exactly as this post depicts. For instance, if you’re a girl trying these tactics on a female salesperson. Not sure what it is, but for some reason, the girl on girl action just doesn't cut it. LOL. But seriously, its different for different people, and yes, even I have overpaid on some stuff (I paid 4 times the amount for an outfit my first time in Dakar and then vowed never to overpay again! The way it pained me eh!) and you will most likely too at some point. But don’t dwell on it too much. (It took me MONTHS to get over that swindle) You’ll make up for it, and in due time you’ll be a master bargainer. Like me :)
Tip 6: While bargaining is a norm in West Africa (and probably other parts of the continent as well), you shouldn't use that as an opportunity to pay less than the value of an item/service. As the case may be, the greater percentage of Africa's population lives on less than a dollar a day and so most likely than not, the sale of the day makes a huge difference in that person's life or that of his/her family. In this regard, try to be fair and follow the golden rule: do unto others, what you would have others do unto you. Or, as my favorite author puts it in the story below, pay the right price.
Paying the right price (Paulo Coelho)
Nixivan had invited his friends to supper and was cooking a succulent piece of
meat for them. Suddenly, he realised that he had run out of salt.
So Nixivan called to his son.
'Go to the village and buy some salt, but pay a fair price for it: neither too
much nor too little.'
His son was surprised.
'I can understand why I shouldn’t pay too much for it, Father, but if I can
bargain them down, why not save a bit of money?'
'That would be the sensible thing to do in a big city, but it could destroy a
small village like ours.'
When Nixivan's guests, who had overheard their conversation, wanted to
know why they should not buy salt more cheaply if they could, Nixivan replied:
'The only reason a man would sell salt more cheaply than usual would be
because he was desperate for money. And anyone who took advantage of that
situation would be showing a lack of respect for the sweat and struggle of the man
who laboured to produce it.'
'But such a small thing couldn't possibly destroy a village.'
'In the beginning, there was only a small amount of injustice abroad in the
world, but everyone who came afterwards added their portion, always thinking that it
was only very small and unimportant, and look where we have ended up today.'
Bargain Tips, Anyone? If you already consider yourself a pro at W/African bargaining, do share some of the more eccentric experiences. Did you ever have a bargain go wrong? (Like after you decide on the price, exchange whatever service/item it is, and when its time to pay up the salesperson tries to double cross you) Which tactics worked the best? Ever been to an African country where there isn’t a culture of bargaining? Let us know! In the meantime, happy bargaining!
P.S. I can’t believe I talked so much math in this post!
Photo Source:
Photo 1,
Photo 2 Photo 3,
Photo 4,
Photo 5
-
-
4:05
»
Circumspect
Dear God,
How do I put this? You blow my mind. You have millions of people to cater for, and yet you make time for little me. True, sometimes I get impatient (make that most times), but you keep your promises and deliver right when I need it. Although you have proven over and over that things will be beautifully done in YOUR time, I sometimes ask myself “why, when, and how long will this take?” And what do you do? You gently – or if necessary, sternly – remind me that you will never give me more than I can handle and what you have not yet delivered is to prevent me from harm or prepare me for something better. You have blessed me more than I could ever ask for.
Normally I would write a “At 24 I have learned that…” piece, but not this time. This time, I just want to say thank you. So in no particular order of importance...
1-
Thank you for answered prayers. For delivering exactly what I asked for a year ago. I was confused, hurting, and doubtful. I asked for peace of mind and you delivered exactly that and more.
2-
Thank you for the gift of expression, and particularly, the gift of writing. Your gift to me has done more than I ever would have dreamed. Before, it served as a medium to assuage my temper and calm my internal storms. Now, it enables me the opportunity to partake in other gifts you have bestowed on us: creativity, inspiration, and dialogue. Curiously enough, it took the movie “Letters to God” to show me another imbedded gift in your gift of writing: prayer. So thank you for the opportunity to use writing as a medium of communicating with you. I am humbled.
3 –
Thank you for love. In all its forms, durations and intensities. You have given me so much love, my eyes tear just thinking about it. So, I won’t go all sappy on you. Instead I will say this: thank you for the opportunity to not only love others, but to love and know myself.
4-
Thank you for angels. For the people you have brought my way for various seasons and reasons. You have been so good to me in this regard that I dare not try to list any names. I wouldn’t be able to fit everyone in this blog and nobody likes a long-ass blog post anyway. So instead: Thank you for family, for acquaintances, for colleagues, for friends (real and virtual), and even for enemies. Thank you for the good, the bad, the annoying, the funny, the toxic, the discouraging, the optimistic, the calming, the crazy, the wild, the quiet, the wise, the local, the international, the I’ll-call-you-back-in-a-few-but-never-actual-does, the Just-dropping-by-to-make-sure-you’re-okay, the Came-across-this-and-thought-you-might-find-it-useful, the You-won’t-be-able-to-achieve-this-and-that-so-don’t-even-try, the I’ll-pray-for-you, the C’mon-go-out-and-live-a-little, the You-think-you’re-all-that, the I‘m-here-for-you, the We-don’t-talk-too-often-or-we’re-miles-apart-but-we-never-miss-a-heartbeat-when-we’re-back-in-touch, the We've-only-met-on-facebook-but-we-have-such-a-strong-connection… Everyone. With each of these angels, you have shaped my path and shaped my person. You have molded me into who I am today, and you have shown me your wonders. I am thankful.
5-
Thank you for health. For the fact that in my 24 years of living, the most serious illness I have had was a skin infection, which although irritating as hell, gave birth to an entirely new layer and skin, and also made me delve within.
6-
Thank you for education and knowledge. For choosing the parents you chose for me: ones who believe so much in the value of education that they would go to great lengths to make sure that their kids and people around them share in one of the greatest gifts you have ever bestowed. I look forward to completing your charge of seeking knowledge and I appreciate where you have brought me thus far.
7 –
Thank you for the spirit of forgiveness. For the fact that you have shown me many times how to forgive another, even if my mind was telling me I shouldn’t. For the ability to forgive myself, because God-knows I have screwed up and disappointed myself too many times than I care to count. But that’s in the past. Thanks for highlighting the fact that whatever the situation is, your plan is still unraveling and for that reason, I shouldn’t begrudge another or myself our misgivings.
8- And since we’re talking forgiveness,
thank you for pain. And for the gift of feeling. Because of these two, you have drawn me back to you when I got too caught up in myself and in the increasingly fast-paced life. Now I know not to dread the pain, but to welcome it as I would joy, because under that cloak, you and I have real dialogues about things I really should come clean about, but instead, choose to pretend are non-existent. Through this pain, you remind me that whatever the case, I am still here and still alive. And after the internal spring-cleaning is done, you renew me and fill me up again with joy,love and hope.
9- You’ll probably have a good laugh at this one considering our history, but
thank you for patience. And for hope and strength. For stopping me when I’m about to turn the doorknob to giving up, and for reminding me that it will be more than okay in the end. By showing me possibilities, you give me hope. You make me want to stick around and do what I can to explore those new territories. And yes, sometimes I want it all now, but as you’ve told me “You will learn patience, and when you get caught up in the swirl of things, you will learn it again.” And I do. Thank you.
10 – Finally - and eventhough there is a whole lot more I could list on here - I say
thank you for life. For this crazy journey of ups and downs, ins and outs and what have you’s. For everything it encompasses and represents: YOU. I have a vague memory (or maybe it’s my mind playing tricks) of me telling you that I wanted to be part of this thing called life, and you told me to be patient (as always lol), my turn would come. And it did. I don’t know why you chose me, but I can only hope that I fulfill whatever mission you sent me on.
Thank you for choosing me.
So there. This is by no way a conclusive list of all the things I am thankful for, but you know me more than I know myself. So I say thank you. Oh, and one last thing. Thank you for delivering this short piece by Paulo Coelho to me today. I’m not asking for anything on my birthday (who are we kidding, I already did lol), but if I had to, this is what I would ask for. For myself, my fellow July 20 borns, and everyone I have been blessed enough to encounter.
Love Always,
The prayer that I forgot (Paulo Coelho)
I was out walking one day in São Paulo, when a friend - Edinho - handed me a pamphlet entitled
Sacred Moment. Printed in four colours, on excellent paper, with no mention of any particular church or religion, this pamphlet bore only a prayer on its reverse side. Imagine my surprise when I saw the name of the author of this prayer - ME! It had been published in the early eighties on the inside cover of a book of poetry. I did not think it would stand the test of time, nor that it would return to my hands in such amysterious way; but when I re-read it, I did not feel ashamed of what I had written. Because it appeared in that pamphlet and because I believe in signs, I felt it only right to reproduce it here. I hope it encourages every reader to write a prayer of their own, asking for themselves and for others the things that they judge to be most important. That way we place a positive vibration in our heart which toucheseverything around us.
Here is the prayer:
Lord, protect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exist to one question. And in order for this to be possible…
Lord, protect our decisions, because making Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage, after our doubts, to be able to choose between one road and another. May our YES always be a YES and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse. And in order for this to be possible…
Lord, protect our actions, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be the result of the very best that we carry within us. May we, through work and Action, share a little of the love we receive. And in order for this to be possible…
Lord, protect our dreams, because to Dream is a way of praying. Make sure that, regardless of our age or our circumstances, we are capable of keeping alight in our heart the sacred flame of hope and perseverance. And in order for this to be possible…
Lord, give us enthusiasm, because Enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the Heavens and to Earth, to grown-ups and to children, it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing. And in order for this to be possible…
Lord, protect us, because Life is the only way we have of making manifest Your miracle. May the earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. And this is only possible if we have Love; therefore, do not leave us in solitude. Always give us Your company, and the company of men and women who have doubts, who act and dream and feel enthusiasm, and who live each day as if it were totally dedicated to Your glory. Amen
[To read this and other inspirational pieces from Paulo Coelho et others, check out Stories for Parents, Children and Grandchildren. You should be able to download the e-copy free on Scribd.com!]
Photo Source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
-
-
12:52
»
Circumspect
A TED spin on the birds and the bees
So, the
TED Global talks are taking place in Oxford, England this year and as I was looking around at their latest pool of videos, I came across this short "Talks in Less Than 6 Minutes" piece. What's the topic of discussion? "The Talk". Now, in case you didn't know, "The Talk" is just parent code for the subject of sexuality. Other variations in code include "the birds and the bees", "the stalk story", and so on.
Anyway, this is quite a funny piece, but very real. It made me think about how everyone back in junior high was so excited as we slowly progressed towards the end of the integrated science textbook. What was at the end? (and now that i think about it, why was it at the very end?): the human sexual reproductive system. The topic of sex seems to be such a big deal, especially for adolescents. I remember that some of my classmates even bookmarked the date we were supposed to cover that in class, in order to make sure that they were present for the discussion. Needless to say, the boys were excited, the girls a bit shy, and the teacher, well, let's say this was one class he probably couldn't wait to be over with.
The Role of Youth in Sex-Ed
Which brings me to another news piece from earlier this week. According to
this BBC report and UN research, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among youth 15-24 in African countries has reduced considerably, by 25%! That's not a small margin. The main reason behind the decrease? Young people being more engaged in sexual reproductive health and HIV/AIDS campaigns. Personally, I think this is a HUGE deal. For one thing, most African cultures (and the mix of religion) make the topic of sex seem quite taboo. Even young people find it hard to talk about it amongst themselves, much more with their parents or adults. However, the dangers are real. These days, children lose their innocence relatively early (no pun intended) due to
exposure to graphic or sexually-heavy content. Physically, they look much older than they are. Not just because more kids were makeup or dress like adults, but also because the nutrition base of many developing and African countries is changing as a result of increased trade, food shortages, influx of
genetically modified foods (GMOs) and so on.
Traditionally, most African communities have rituals for ushering young adults into the new stage of their lives. Now, with modernity and the influence of other cultures, those rites seem to be dying out -- at least in the big cities, which also happen to be the locations where population hikes are expected within the next couple of decades. My "talk" with my mother went along the lines of, "Well now you're growing up and if you allow a guy to touch you in a certain way and you get pregnant, you're keeping the child and you'll take some time off school to look after the kid." My mum's a teacher, so technically, that talk was probably easier for her than it would be for other parents. I ended up getting most of my knowledge on SRH issues from being an HIV/AIDS peer counsellor and undergoing training. When I tried having a similar discussion with my lil' bro who's now taller than me, his response was "You know I don't do
such things". In other words, don't ask/talk to me about it. If your big sister who's trained to talk about SRH stuff and who thinks herself cool enough to not scare you away can't talk to you about sex, who can?
Who's Responsibility?
So, with the prevailing perceptions concerning sex, where do young people get their information on sex, sexuality and sexual health from? In your opinion, when is an appropriate age to talk to a young kid/adolescent about sex? Should the parents be the ones talking to them about it, or an elder sibling, mentor, other family member, peer or teacher? Do you wait until they ask you -- which, considering how sex-heavy media is these day, might be sooner, rather than later -- do you wait till they hit the milestone of 13, 16, or 18 years? Or do you just leave it up to them to figure out on their own? Do you remember what your "talk" with the parents was like? Did you even have one?
They say information is power. While my classmates and I got some form of introduction to the topic of sex -- a very, very short, scientific introduction mind you -- not many Ghanaian basic schools cover the topic or even if they do, they just skim over it. Does our reluctance to engage youth on the topic of sexuality do our societies more harm or good considering the current threats - rape, STDs, etc? Should sexual reproductive health (SRH) education be integrated on a national level or should it be left to the family units? And since we're asking a string of questions, who decides what goes into such a curriculum anyway?
FYI, this year's International AIDS Conference kicks off in Vienna on July 18th. Check out the site >
[www.aids2010.org]
Here's the TED video:
--
P
hoto 1,
2
-
-
7:32
»
Circumspect
DiasporaCamp DC 2010 - Financial innovations for African small & medium-scale enterprises
On July 25, 2009, about 80 young Africans and people interested in Africa congregated in Washington, DC for
BarCamp Diaspora '09 to exchange ideas on entrepreneurship, innovation and development under the theme "Investing our talent where it counts. Through a breakout session at the event about healthcare in Ghana, a healthcare-focused NGO called REACH-Ghana was formed. Many attendees also have partnered to work on ongoing projects as a result. On July 24, 2010 at the Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced International Studies - Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, the conversations continue again, bringing together the African Diaspora to exchange ideas on doing business in Africa.
DiasporaCamp is a BarCamp with a focus on African Diaspora, primarily African affairs and issues. A BarCamp is an ad-hoc gathering where attendees meet for discussions, demos and networking. Unlike a typical conference, at a BarCamp everyone is both a speaker and a participant. The content is provided by all attendees based on their interests, unified under the theme. Though discussions will center on financial innovations and access to capital, there will be breakout sessions on various topics as organized by attendees.
DiasporaCamp DC '10 is a FREE event for anyone who is interested in using their skills, talent, and resources to benefit Africa. African entrepreneurs and people with an active interest in African affairs are encouraged to attend. The focus will be on access to capital to fuel these entrepreneurial ventures, business ideas and projects. Panelists and speakers will include Joseph Obi of USAID, Dr. Philip Auerswald of George Mason University, Nii Simmonds of Nubiah Cheetah and Magogodi Makhene of Zenzele Circle. DiasporaCamp DC 2010 is sponsored by the
GhanaThink Foundation, and
African Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies - Johns Hopkins University. It will run from 8am - 6pm at the Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced International Studies - Johns Hopkins University at 1740 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC.
Register/RSVP today on the
DiasporaCamp DC '10 Eventbrite page or at
DiasporaCamp.org. You may also
contact us for sponsorship opportunities. You may participate online at the conference website if you are not close to the Washington DC area. If you are interested in organizing a breakout session,
let us know, especially if you have special needs.
See you there!
-
-
7:14
»
Circumspect
Dear United States of Africa,
It's been a good 50 years since the day you were born from that mustard seed of hope. You've come a long way since then. Today (July 2, 2060) historians are trying to pinpoint exactly the moment you were birthed. Was it the day ECOWAS, COMESA and all the other economic unions finally became one - the African Economic Union (AEU) - and adopted the Afco (African currency) as the nation's currency? Or rather, the day Afrikaans was accepted as the standard language linking all across the motherland? No, it must have been the hour when Africans - both home and abroad - cast their votes in that historic and highly contested presidential election. One that led to ascension of one visionary and exemplary leader to the position of President of the U.S. of Africa. They have it all backward. If you ask anyone from my generation - I'll be 74 in a fortnight or so - they will tell you that mustard seed of hope was planted the day South Africa won the bid to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup: May 15, 2004. Yes, it was eons ago, and very dramatic too, but look at you now!
I remember it so clearly! (And as I quickly approach that threshold, I don't remember much) What was I saying again? Oh yes. The story of how you came to be. There were many who said "Africa's not ready." Sometimes, its seemed like it. With reports of hindrances in building the stadia and preparing the host cities for the rush of thousands of football fans, it seemed Africa would be inadequately prepared for its moment in the limelight. Along with what was then the usual reports of militia taking over governments or armed rebels killing off civilians for mere rocks, grass and what-have you, the host nation South Africa also experienced outbursts of xenophobia which almost spread to neighboring nations. It definitely seemed the skeptics would have their day. What actually transpired however, was beyond anyone's wildest imagination. And believe me, we had very wild ideas back then.
With 32 teams in contention for the Jules Rimet trophy, better known as the World Cup, and its accompanying bragging rights, Africa's warriors stood tall and proud - Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria, and Ghana - the big six. In addition to making it far in the tournament, many Africans hoped that the tournament would win over more tourists to the continent (yes, back then, if you called Africa a country, you'd be met with strong disapproval!) and showcase Africa's best. We especially hoped to disintegrate the constant media portrayal of the motherland as a dark continent of hunger, war and extreme destination. (You might have to go to the archives section of the Great Library of African History to find out what those words mean since they no longer exist in your time).
And so it begun. On June 11, 2010, the first of many matches kicked off Africa's first (of many) World Cup. Things didn't go too well. One by one, Africa's warriors lost their matches until there was only one: Ghana. In comparison to countries like Ivory Coast and Cameroon, Ghana was often regarded as the lesser threat. So, not many people - except maybe Ghanaians themselves - had high expectations of the Black Stars in their first group match against Serbia. As God did with David and Goliath, the underdog prevailed with a penalty goal from Ghana's "baby jet" and lone striker Asamoah Gyan. Thus started what many still call the one goal campaign. The Black Stars who later became GhAfrica's Black Stars, went on to play and beat Australia with the same one goal stint. When the Germans finally came, the Stars conceded their first loss. Nevertheless, thanks to the prayers (and maybe even "juju") of millions of Africans and Black Stars supporters, they made it through to the final 16. Then came the Americans and a repetition of history, as Ghana advanced into the group of 8 with a 2-1 scoreline reminiscent of the 2006 match between both countries.
While the Black Stars played in South Africa, an amazing transformation was taking place across the continent. The collective consciousness had changed. People were beginning to believe in themselves and in miracles again. This might sound confusing to you, my little one, but things weren't always as they currently are. With all the poverty, lack of child innocence, hunger, violence and what-have-you, most Africans were not living. They were simply existing. And that's a dangerous place to be. Because of the constant struggles they had to go through, and because of the wide-spread desperation, many of your ancestors forgot that they always had all they ever needed. God had given them the one thing he'd denied ever other creature (That we knew of at the time. Your cousins on mars were just mere speculation at the time): creative energy.
With the Black Stars as the sole representative of Africa, a beautiful picture emerged. Not only were they living up to their very name - the black star of Ghana's national flag represented hope and unity for Africa - enemies or rivals, shut down their bickering to cheer collectively for Ghana. Even Nigeria - Ghana's "rival" since time immemorial - threw its weight behind Ghana. And believe me, Nigeria almost never conceded that Ghana was probably better at some things than it was. That's how powerful the moment was. Some of us young people urged others to BELIEVE. There wasn't a long declaration of the need to work together, nor a detailed plan of action for "How to support the Black Stars". All we asked for was for every African to BELIEVE. You know what the power of belief and positive thinking can do. Your generation knows that one person's thought (and action) affects all of us. We were just beginning to realize just how much. Sometimes, I felt like if I could believe just a little more, then the Black Stars would play a little better. Needless to say, that mustard seed of hope was entrenched in African soil, and it wasn't going anywhere. As far as Africans were concerned, GhAfrica's Black Stars already had the Cup in hand.
And it did. Just not in physical terms. You see, my dear one, while the Black Stars struggled and fought to become the first African team to ever reach the World Cup semi-finals - and boy, did they fight for it - they never got there. In what is still hailed as the most dramatic football match, Uruguay and Ghana battled it out for that one spot in the competition. It was a close game, with both sides chalking a goal each. And then, during the final moments of the match, a breakthrough happened. Well, it depends on who you ask. Luis Suarez, a key Uruguayan player, mishandled (or should I say handled) the ball and Ghana won a penalty. Was the one goal campaign to resume? Everyone thought so. After all, Ghana's own Gyan was gonna take the shot. He would have also set a record as the newest player to score four goals during the World Cup tournament. But God had other plans. Gyan missed the shot, the game went into penalties, the Uruguayans advanced with a 4-2 penalty win and Africa and its supporters were disappointed. But they were also proud. Proud of the Black Stars and proud of themselves. Because, where international peace treaties had failed, football had succeeded in unifying Africa for a common goal.
Why do I say that GhAfrica already had the cup in hand? Because in truth, there were TWO golden cups. One was won by...who was it again? I can never quite remember because I'm always in euphoria over the second cup. The won Africa won: the creation of a unifying power. After that tournament, things were no longer the same. We Africans realized that we could and should work together. The "boundaries" we clung so tightly to hadn't even been drawn by us. We were one people; the very soul of the world. We'd forgotten. But losing the physical cup made us realize that we'd lost something that was much more important ages ago: ourselves. It wasn't easy. There were some who resisted the winds of change sweeping across the continent. There were some who still instigated wars and who put in place policies that deepened rather than reduced poverty. And there were many who never got to see the dream become reality. But through it all, we believed. We believed so much that we were willing to commit our entire lives to ensuring that we turned things around. Such was the force of the transformation.
And there you have it. The story of how you, the United States of Africa, came to be. That's your heritage and that's your truth. As K'Naan predicted in his song "Waving Flag", all your states would come together to hold one flag and to work towards one destiny. Even Shakira knew what it was all about when she elected to redo "waka waka": "Today's your day, I feel it. You paved the way, believe it...It's Time for Africa". See it? The prophecy didn't say "It's time for Liberia/Nigeria/S.Africa/Senegal/Sierra Leone/Sudan". It said, it's time for AFRICA.
So my darling. If ever you forget. Or if ever you're unsure. Or if ever external forces threaten to break you. Keep calm, look within and re-member. You have the power, you've always had it and you always will. All you have to do is BELIEVE.
With much love,
Great-grandma
P.S. How could I forget something this important? Needless to say, the world of football was never the same after Africa's World Cup. And then YOU came on stage: Team Africa. From then on, the ball game was transformed. So as you go onto that pitch tomorrow to do what you do best, remember: You're THE Black Star (Hope)!
--
Photo Source:
Photo 1,
Photo 2,
Photo 3,
Photo 4,
Photo 5,
Photo 6
-
-
6:09
»
Circumspect
Some blog topics come to you in the form of a sentence from a stranger’s mouth, others come in dreams, and yet more from trending topics on twitter. My first blog topic in Ghana met me at the airport.
As the plane descended into Accra’s Kotoka Airport, I thought to myself, “I’m finally home!” As is apparently the case with most flights arriving in Ghana, the passengers broke into spontaneous applause once we hit the runway. That’s when I saw it.
The first thing to greet us upon arrival was a wretched-looking shell of what used to be a Ghana Airways airplane. The engine had clearly been removed, but the actual body was still intact, and while some paint was peeling off it, the words “Ghana Airways” and the familiar red-gold-green colors of our national flag seemed to stare wearily at the relatively spic and span Delta aircraft. Oh Ghana!
My heart broke. I thought about taking a photo, but I was too distraught. Right there and then, my expectations of the “new” Ghana everyone seems to be talking about slowed from a galloping run to a sluggish walk. I blame Facebook and Washington, D.C. for those high expectations. Facebook because most of the photos posted depict high-end areas and events. But then again, I guess that’s the percentage of the population that has the most access to the internet anyway? Washington, D.C. because, despite knowing very well that Ghana is currently the West’s favorite poster child, I still fell for the scam! All those sweet words about showing results, and how Ghana is doing this and that…Darn it all.
I’d promised myself that my first post about Ghana would be positive. I’d talk about finally running into my mother’s arms and laying my head on her bosom (something I (day) dreamed about constantly before leaving the U.S.), or about how beautiful the roads are. Unfortunately I cannot. Not when I see my mum wondering where all the money went, or when the previously passable “road” to my house is now a miniature version of the Rockies. Besides, I think it’s more important to be objective.
So I’ll give Ghana and Ghanaians our due. We’re still in the race. We haven’t given up. We’re still striving. We still have each other’s back. However, the words “desperation etched on their faces” pop into my head every time I take a trip into town.
Whether it’s a hawker selling water by the roadside, or an MTN agent waving top-up cards in your face, that look of desperation is there. And the sun doesn’t help one bit. But who am I to complain? Everyone tells me I came at an opportune time; the heat is less intense and the rainfall guarantees some cool(er) days.
Anyway, to get to the heart of this post. Seeing that Ghana Airways plane made me think about how unable we are to manage our affairs. Not only do we make a waste of the national airline, we don’t even have the decency to store the aircraft anywhere but on the airfield – a hollow shell of what Ghana (Airways) could have been. How many years has it been since Ghana Airways closed shop? I can imagine all the foreign aircrafts smirking mockingly at that poor piece of equipment. I dare not even think about what’s on the minds and lips of investors and foreign air crews when they touchdown. We must have missed the memo on first impressions being important. Unfortunately, the airplane was just the first of many neglected things.
After going through customs and meeting up with my co-conspirators (in surprising my family), we got in the car and started the journey from Airport to Adenta. Like I said, I’m not here to complain, so I won’t mention the traffic. I finally saw the Accra Mall and if nothing at all, at least Ghanaian youngsters will know what it means to “hang out at the mall” when they come across the term in Sweet Valley High, Babysitters Club, and Enid Blyton books.
Generally speaking, everything I saw, or rather, every public infrastructure I saw was either very old or very new. Very few in between. That made me sad. Apparently we don’t know the meaning of the nursery song, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold,” or the idiom “A stitch in time saves nine.”
Mismanagement of resources tops my list of why Ghana (and Africa) is slow to develop. Poor Leadership is a close second. And now, I’m ashamed to announce that Lack of Maintenance has joined that top-tier.
Why do we have to wait until a road develops gashing teeth at its edges before we think of filling up the holes? How many able-bodied Ghanaian men, women and children would we have sacrificed by then? How do we expect a motorway which was built for a population of about 6 million at the time of independence to support the 20million or so Ghanaians of 2010? And the biggest question in the maintenance arena, do we honestly think that the Akosombo Dam alone will be able to provide electricity for today’s Ghanaian population much more our neighbors in other West African countries?
This post might be considered ramblings from someone who just returned to Ghana with high expectations. And you’re right, that’s exactly what it is. Because the way I see it, Ghana (and Africa) has too much potential to be content with the current state of affairs. Current is even an understatement. It’s been the same thing for the past five years!
Ghanaians do have a culture of maintenance. Virtually half the population wouldn’t survive without it. Just take a look at the mother with a single church cloth for all special occasions. Or the school boy and aspiring footballer who uses one pair of sneakers and comes up with inventive ways to keep them together when they start falling apart. Or even the trotro drivers who make do with second-hand mini-buses imported from abroad.
Think about the fact that the second-hand industry is a huge and booming one and you’ll know that Ghanaians are not foreign to the notion of maintenance.
Now, what we need to do is apply it on a national scale. We can’t always expect “new” things, when we’ve barely repaid the debts of old. Unless that culture of maintenance is ingrained in our policies and society, we’re going nowhere fast.
Nevertheless, I’m hopeful. Like I said, not much has changed - the major changes are that people are more gadget-wise and that banks and mobile companies rule supreme – and that includes some positives. Like the generosity of people, the willingness of Ghanaians to open their homes up to you, the desire to help one another, or the sheer determination that accompanies that look of desperation. If we keep those in store and make a few changes to the “bad” habits, we stand a chance. And regardless of what anyone says, keep those expectations high! It’s probably one of the few ways we’ll succeed in pulling ourselves out of the depths of poverty. Forward ever, backward never!
Photo Source:
Photo 1,
Photo 2,
Photo 3
-
-
13:29
»
Circumspect
First post in a month! It's been a while coming and it's finally here.
Warm breeze playing softly on the nape of your neck, you gaze up enthralled.
There it is. What you have longed for for eons on end; finally within your grasp.
You take in the expanse of it all. The red-golden-green colors silently inviting you to indulge.
Yet, you hesitate.
Maybe it's because some call it the forbidden fruit. That last drop of water that tips the calabash over.
Come to think of it, it's quite ironic that it should be titled as such when its seeds are commonplace.
At one point or another, everyone falls for its charm and after that, you're never quite the same.
You either get sucked into its sweet succulent juices or you feel the stinging burn of its acrid taste.
Bittersweet.
The silent buzz of a bee draws you out of your reverie and you shuffle across the vast, green lawn to the foot of the tree.
Some say its the exact replica of its ancestor in the garden of Eden.
A physical manifestation of the tests and temptations humans continually endure.
As for you, you consider it a tree just like any other. A sign of life and the mercy of His Highness.
Bittersweet.
Back against the bark, your mind drifts away once more and settles upon the legend
Legend has it that "forbidden fruit" has an alternate meaning; one lost in dusty bounds of papyri
"Fore" - Pre-, Before, Prior
"Bidden" - Uttered, Commanded, Invited, Summoned
"Fore-Bidden" - Predetermined, Called into Existence, Predicted [Pre-dictated(uttered)]
As with most legends, there are those who believe and those who don't.
Those who think man charts his own destiny, and others who are sure God chuckles at man following the path that He Himself mapped out for him.
You fall into the latter.
Not because of the idea of having someone else in control, but rather because of choice.
The forbidden fruit chooses its devourer.
Many are the tales of people - old and young, male and female - going about banal activities, until suddenly - *Plop*
There it is right in their lap: The gleaming forbidden fruit.
To eat or not to eat.
That question sparks a secondary cycle of choice which reverberates throughout the universe.
And so it goes, like ripples formed in a pool of water, the action of one influences all.
*Plop*
You jolt up in surprise. You had been nodding off. Going about the "mundane" thing called life.
But not anymore. You have been picked. Now the ball - or rather the fruit - is in your court.
Do you take a bite and forge into the fluid of life which runs both bitter and sweet?
Do you put the fruit aside and leave it for another to "chance upon"?
Are you ready to make that decision that will undoubtedly leave you different?
The trail of questions continue as you pick up the fruit and raise it to your face.
Before you had no options. Now you have two choices.
Bittersweet.
To be (chosen) or not to be (chosen). That is the question.
--
Photo Source:
forbidden-fruit1.jpg
-
-
18:00
»
Circumspect
There are moments in life when you panic. When things change. When you're venturing into the unknown. Or when everything you thought you knew, or in some cases had, unravels right before your eyes.
And the fact that we only know too well how to rev ourselves up into a state of constant panic and goose-bumps, doesn't make it a pretty sight. Anyway. Here we are again.
What is it about May?
If we were asked to choose the most hectic month, I'd nominate May. Not only because of the alternate meaning of the word 'may' - meaning nothing's guaranteed, everything's up in the air or hanging in the balance - but because of the significance of that month to many people. And no, I don't mean birthdays, my dear May babies. Although, if you're quickly approaching a birthday milestone, you could count yourself in the mix.
Think about it. Graduation, moving up a class, having people move away for the summer, trying something new, starting an internship, a job, etc etc. May is full of change! Oh, and not to mention Mother Nature re-adorning herself with the very best. Change is constant and change is ever present. But goodness, does change have to be so scary every single time?
Anyway. I don't really know what I'm trying to say here. But that seems to be the order of things these days.
Tell me. How, does one and one's family invest so much in an education. Go ahead to secure that degree, even get one heck of a job experience, only to realize... I don't know what in heaven's name I want to do with my life.
For real, this is where I'm at...again. I mean, it seems sometimes you have to go through something to undo all your assumptions about it in the first first. Makes sense in a weird twisted way, doesn't it?
Ok here's the deal. For the most part, I've had a pretty steady idea of where I want to be academic or career-wise. No two ways about it, development is what I want to immerse myself in.
Now, I come to D.C. - the capital city of everything development - and I find out, along with the rest of the world, that the so-called 'development experts' don't know how to do development. (Unfortunately it took Haiti for us to realize how off the mark we are) And I'm thinking, what about me who graduated barely a year ago? Beats me.
Tips for development/global career enthusiasts Anyway, since I know there are many of us out there looking to eat, live and breathe development, I figured I better share these insights so you guys don't find yourselves in the same "say, what's my name again?" situation. Or even if you do, you'll be better prepared.
1.
Passion: To do development work, you need passion. Lots. of. it. While you might get your pay check bi-weekly or monthly, the fruits of your work tend to be bear in the long term rather than the short. You need passion and patience. And like I said, lot's of it.
2.
Skills, man, skills!: Development entails a lot. - education, humanitarian relief, health, environment, diplomacy - basically everything you can think of under the sun. You have to be somewhat of a jack of all trades (understanding the macro issues) yet have a set of specific, refined skills. [I'm thinking of opting out of just a graduate degree in development route and pairing it up with an MBA or something.]
3.
What's Hot?: With the current state of events, here are some specializations you might want to consider if you're looking at development work.
-
Humanitarian relief: so long as there are natural and human disasters, these peeps will be in demand.
-
Logistics: The value/ delivery chain systems for delivering humanitarian assistance are far from top-notch.
-
Gender specialists: 'Gender' is a big thing right now, and will probably be around for a while. The tricky thing is, you need to come to the table w/ extra skills on this one. Whether it's gender responsive budgeting, microfinance, research, what have you, you need something extra.
-
Climate specialists/Environmentalists: Well done humanity, we've messed up our earth so bad, we're gonna be in need of these folks for quite a while to come
-
Procurement specialists: Our work is far from done and the big development organizations rely on procurement mechanisms to secure the best goods and services, especially in disaster situations.
-
Monitoring & Evaluation Experts: If things finally go the way they should, there'll be more emphasis on accountability, hence the need for these folks
-
Communications/PR/Research: Because we're gearing towards 'showing results', they'll need people to explain all the mumbo-jumbo in plain layman's English, French etc.
-
Public-private partnership experts: the days of competition are over, it's all about collaboration now. If you can sniff out a good partnership and make it happen, you'll find your niche quite easily. Besides, the world is getting smaller.
-
Business Folks: More money, means more counting, means more of the business stuff you guys do.
-
Technical Assistance experts: Organizations are pushing more towards "country-ownership" and capacity building, so peeps with those hardcore technical skills will be in high demand.
-
Agri-Business/Food Security Experts: We're on the verge of starvation and the development office space (developing countries) relies mainly on the primary sector. We need these guys!
-
Technology experts: Anyone hear that the internet is the future? Well, with Google Maps and so on being used to help flood victims around the globe, you can bet your last penny that innovation and technology are here to stay. Aim to be ahead of the pack and you won't lack in clients.
The Value Chain Called Life
The list above could go on and on, but it ultimately points to one thing: everybody counts. We are more connected now than we were ever before - look at the havoc a volcano all the way in Ireland is causing for the entire world - and unless we start realizing that we are all part of the value chain called life, we'll be screwed for eternities to come.
I'll try to do a post on some of the main resume + cover letter + networking tips that I've garnered throughout my time as a Devex international development correspondent. Can't believe this journey is coming to an end already, but it's been worthwhile :D In the meantime, do check out
www.devex.com there's some pretty valuable information on there.
--
Photo Source:
Photo 1,
Photo 2,
Photo 3
-
-
1:33
»
Circumspect
Just a quick heads up that the travelogue - or in this case should I call it a relocatologue - I mentioned in
my coming/going home post is live!! Found a pretty swell template that relays the excitement, disorder, and pure spontaneity of it all. So, if you'd like to hear about my travels (yes, with an 's' -- you need to stay tuned to find out more lol) scoot on over to
Tikulma! For my Ghana peeps, I have some really interesting questions for you peeps cos as it turns out, I'm somewhat clueless on a lot of things going on in the GH right now. There, I said it. I'm out of touch. But inshallah not for much longer. :)
-
-
11:22
»
Circumspect
There's a time for everything. A time to laugh and a time to cry. A time to pursue and a time to roll back. A time to leave and a time to return. Home. Yes, I did just say return home. Finally, after 4 years, 8 months and 5 days (and counting), I will be returning to the motherland. While I cannot tell you the exact date, I can say that the day is drawing closer and closer as each day passes. Haha, very helpful right? For real though, the date is under wraps for good reason. Not because I'm afraid the "witches" will hinder my progress or journey. And those of you who do know it for one reason or another, pray keep it to yourselves. Anyway, I am extremely excited. And sad. And scared. And optimistic and so many jumbled up emotions in one! If there's a pre-cultural shock, this has got to be it. I'm pretty good at handling transitions and I absolutely love traveling to new places, meeting new faces, trying new things etc, but I'm usually quite composed and organized when getting ready to make a move. For some reason, this one is a huge bag of extremes. Maybe it's because I've been away for so long. Maybe its because I know I've changed and I'm wondering how to pick up where I left off. Or maybe its because of all these expectations I have. Guess it's all part of the process.
So. I tried to keep this huge, major, major announcement under wraps, but some of the things I've been thinking about, I just had to write about. Tell me how I was sitting in my room one morning doing a mental checklist of all the pre-departure things I should be doing and what pops into my head but soap? Yes, soap.
I caught myself thinking "I need to get some liquid shower soap. The nice scented ones. Lots of it. What will I do when it runs out?" That's when I stopped dead in my tracks. Of all the important things to worry about, I was sad I'd not get to use my favorite brand of soap?
As if there's no soap in Ghana or W/A. Hmm. That's when I realized that no matter how much I love my country and have faith in it's potential, it's still very easy to buy into the consumerism that is prevalent in the U.S. and other western countries.Also, I've been looking around trying to find information from other Ghanaians/Africans on preparing for the big move back to the motherland. How do you deal with readjusting? Handling relationships - especially those that largely involved you being tolerant of people - when you and others have changed? Making your debut back onto the professional and social scenes? A whole battalion of thoughts. But alas, most that I found had to do with Americans or British peeps visiting "Africa" for one program or another. Some were helpful, but they definitely didn't incorporate the nuances related to Africans in the diaspora returning home. So this "record of events" is aimed at providing insight into some of the things you deal with or think about when making that move. Hopefully it'll help me a ton and other peeps as well.Disclaimer: This could be considered a social experiment of sorts to see the processes the human mind (or being) undertakes when readapting to formerly familiar situations.
I'm going to try to be as honest as possible in recounting my thoughts, emotions, experiences, but if these past couple of weeks have been any indication, I will have some pretty naive questions or thoughts, so please bear with me.
Will be setting up a separate website for this 'adventure' and will share the link once I have it. In the meantime, enjoy and do let me know if you have suggestions on what to pack, things to absolutely do in Ghana when I return, changes to brace myself for, etc. Can't wait to see you all again, inshallah! :)
-
-
11:57
»
Circumspect
Hi All,
Just a quick heads up that a video of the
YAP -Chimamanda Adichie event at the
Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C. last year is online, courtesy of Kobina Aidoo [who's quite an amazing person, if I say so myself! Check out
his website ] Find the vids below. You can also read
my summary of the event. Enjoy!
Photo Source
-
-
23:08
»
Circumspect
[Originally written and published on July 11, 2009.]
So, I was walking by this morning, and a single feather floated right before my face>> leading to this lil short story, or as I call it, a "rhyming tale". For me, it just means using what talents, skills, resources etc we have at any given time...and being willing to take a chance. Enjoy!
---------------------------------------------------------
Once upon a time, there lived a single feather
A simple single feather, on the back of an ordinary hen
But while this single feather looked no different from the next
It was this single feather that showed what it meant to be blessed
When landlady hen went a-peckin', single feather soon learned
That there was something called motion, and the wind could be his friend
He went round a-asking, about how he could connect
But all the other feathers told him not to be inept
"All you are good for, is to stay on with landlady hen"
Yet simple single feather, still couldn't comprehend
Day-in, day-out he wondered, as he stared up at the sky
If all he could really do, was sit and glare and sigh
Then finally he decided, he would find out for himself
Why should he have to listen, to those who'd never delved
And so great was his desire, so poignant was his passion
That soon enough his calumus started to look a bit ashen
"When you really want something to happen,
the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true”
Paulo Coelho wrote this, but simple single feather hadn't a clue
As is frequently said, "The darkest hour is just before the dawn"
Single feather's wish was realized, just as he grew forlorn
His calamus broke free, and soon enough he could see
Beyond Landlady hen's pen, to the great world speeding by
He floated around content, and was glad he didn't relent
Cos nothing could explain, the joy that did transcend
Finally, he floated down to earth, flustered and fluttered he was
But also full of mirth, for he had finally achieved his cause
See, although he was simple, and although he was alone
He knew how to use what fell within his zone
--Photo Source:
feather.jpg
-
-
20:03
»
Circumspect
When you first arrived in town, you'd asked, "Where are all the pretty lassies of this land?"Many names were delivered, but only two had stuck out: Avril and Soleil.
"That Soleil is quite a feisty one, she is!" one guy said."Pretty hot and tempting. No doubt, she's definitely phat," another added."She would make you forget your own name," someone else ventured.All the men agreed as they tended their usual business of the day: discussing women.
"What about Avril?" you enquired. "Is she really the belle of the ball?""Ah. That one. Y'better watch out for her, mysterious lil' thang that she is!""She has such a sweet demeanor, bound to knock your socks right off."
Hmm. You thought to yourself.
A lil' mystery never hurt."But," a booming voice cut in, "You'll have to wait in line. All the menfolk are after her. Including me."
Turning to look at the speaker, you see a man as old as time. Stick in hand, smoking pipe perched to the side, and laugh wrinkles dancing around his eyes.
Pff. A lil' competition never hurt neither. Just makes it all the more interesting, you chuckle to yourself.
For this one, I intend to go charm 100%.And so it was decided. Avril would be pursued.
---
You waited through the fall with its red, gold and orange gifts adorning the streets. Then came winter with her icy cold stare.Still no sign of Avril.From what you gathered around games of draught, Soleil had also absconded. Only, not into nothingness, but rather to the tropics.
Pas de probleme. If Avril's the belle of the town, she's certainly worth the wait. And with that, you comforted youself for many a night.
Finally, the day came. And unexpectedly so. Going about your work in the fields, you looked up from tending tomato seeds to find her
smiling down at you.
"I hear you've been waiting for me," she said.Watering can in hand, dirt-smudged shirt hiding gleaming muscles, your eyes began to ache. Such was the intensity of her beauty.
"Well," she laughed. "No introduction?"Rising up from the moist earth in a manner reminiscent of a sun flower straining towards the universal source of light, you took in the contours of what had to be, the last goddess on earth.Everything in place, everything in tune, the world seemed to quieten in recognition of this extraordinary meeting.
"Pleasure's all mine," you said, making your voice as deep as you possibly could.You then proceeded to provide her with the sort of details that people often provide when they first make one another's acquaintance. It was love at first sight!
---
Soon, you two were inseparable. The charm was 100%, like you'd sworn the first day you heard about her. Long strolls and hide and seek in the breezy wheat fields, picnics in the park with a basketful of fruits, evenings watching the sun go down into the oceanic wonderland.Just your typical fairy tale romance.She was the nucleus to your very system, and you were...
"Well, you have to understand darling. They need me. I've been gone so long it's only natural they'd want to spend time."
...You were one of the many battling for her coquettish smiles and stolen glances.All the same, you were happy.Well, maybe not happy, content is more like it. At least for a while.
Eventually, it'll be just she and I, you told yourself. But eventually took its sweet time in coming.
People started to talk. Nothing new there. They always do.But this time,
you were the topic of discussion.
"He's gonna get his heart broken.""Look at him, following her around like a lovesick puppy. What's he gonna do when she leaves? And she always does. You know that right?"
You mention it to her, and she says: "Ignore them munchkin. They are just jealous we make a perfect pair."She proceeded to run her fingers gently through your hair. When that didn't reduce the creases of worry etched on your forehead, she brushed feather-light kisses across your face. Soon, you were re-engulfed in only her.
---
Yours was a whirlwind romance. A day of intense flirtation. A week of "dating" and by week two, you were an item...
ignoring her countless other suitors who seemed to grow more persistent by the day.
That fortnight eve, you came down with a flu.
"Don't worry about it love. You've been working so hard. Maybe some time off will do you good."So that's what you did. Spent all your time with her with the assurance that her warmth, gentleness and pure magic, would nurse you back to health.It didn't.
Fitful nights in bed. Virtually no sleep at all. Crusty eyes from tears cried somewhere from the depths of your soul - not because you were sick, but rather because she wasn't there by your side.And curiously enough, when she did come around, you could barely get a word in, your coughs seemed to intensify with her presence.
People said she'd put a spell on you. Just as she had the others. You begun to think she had. But yet, you knew you'd love her to the point of death.
One morning, you woke up to find Soleil at your bedside."Hey you," she smiled.You returned her smile and looked weakly around the room. "Oh, Avril? She's no longer here. Gone off to wherever it is that she goes around this time of year. But no worries, I'm here now," Soleil offered.You'd been sitting propped up by your elbows. Now you lay back into the pillow.
Gone. Gone. GONE!It was all gone. The cold, the stuffiness in your chest, the itchy eyes, everything.
You reached for the medicine at the bedside table.
Did they finally work?"Let me go grab you some food. Breakfast in bed. Hows that sound ey?" Soleil said, getting up.She winked mischievously and sauntered away.
Soleil was nothing new. You knew her kind. There were plenty where you came from.Avril on the other hand...Avril. You sighed deeply.Soleil soon returned, food-laden tray in hand. You immediately started eating."Well, I guess you're all better now. Guess you won't be need these anymore." She picked up the packet of pills you'd lain on the bed."Clairitin? No wonder you were down for so long. This has no effect."You look up at Soleil, confusion evident in your eyes."When it comes to Avril, you want Benadryl or Zyrtec. Nothing else does it for her," she explained
Realization dawning, you curse under your breath and gaze into space.To think you'd thought you had it all planned to the tee.
But don't we all. We welcome spring with open arms, only for her to screw us over with her pollen friends. Talk about dangerous seduction!
;)
[Inspired by the bouts of allergies that accompany spring. Whatever happened to simply enjoying the sun?"]
--
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4
-
-
16:23
»
Circumspect
"My Wish"
I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,And each road leads you where you want to go,And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.And if one door opens to another door closed,I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
But more than anything, more than anything,My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,You never need to carry more than you can hold,And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,All the ones who love you, in the place you left,I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,And you help somebody every chance you get,Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,And you always give more than you take.
But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,You never need to carry more than you can hold,And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,Yeah, this, is my wish.
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,You never need to carry more than you can hold,And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,Yeah, this, is my wish.
This is my wishI hope you know somebody loves youMay all your dreams stay big
[Thanks to psadams52@cox.net, aber.fitch.addict@gmail.com, puma7709@aim.com, baseballrulz2117@yahoo.com for correcting these lyrics]
Lyrics Source:
http://www.azlyrics.comPhoto Source
-
0:00
»
Circumspect
[Inspired by a fascination for accents, language, dual/multi interpretations and hoping that others can make sense of my sometimes bizarre free writing]
"Life. Hmm."
Wonder how many times that statement has been made, and what it's been followed by
Maybe hours pondering this and that, whys and why nots.
When you think about it , the only relevant why is "Why the hell are you pondering life when the Good Book has already told you it's meaningless?"
But then again, you never did listen. Did you?
Oh, what's that? You wanna show me some att-itude, now?
Talking about "I'm a grown-ass person, I can do what I want"
Mmm-Hmm, that's what I thought.
Every single time you said that you ended up right back here.
Hot charcoal pot to the side, fresh soot decorating its ears.
And you. Looking at me with beseeching eyes.
Here we are again.
I mean really. It's pretty simple. What you put in, you get out.
You ain't no chef, and practically every stomach that done pass through this house na sabi the fact, o.
So why? Eh, why? Do you insist on this.
Insist on trying new things. On throwing caution to the wind. And undertaking such a
dangerous venture?
What happened to simple rice and stew, now?
Rice - Water on fire, dash of salt, wait till it boils, add the rice, wait till it cooks. Rice done ready.
Stew - Small oil, onions, tomato, whatever spices you want - he! enough of the salt, o! - let it cook. Perfecto.
EH simple.
If nothing at all, at least, that one is cost-reducing.
And though you don't exactly "savor the delicate flavors of the scrumptious dish" you're able to eat it no bi so?
It's palatable, abi?
But nooo. You want prove that you too you bi master chef! Oga for the kitchen. Who lied to you, eh?
Next thing we know, spagetti, egg, vinegar,
But that's not all - konkonte, kontombri, dawadawa.
All that in one pot.
Tryna go glocal (global + local) on us are you?
Please, where I come from, that only spells R-U-N --S-T-O
So chale, lay the fan elsewhere.
And let the real chef take charge.
I done watched this whole spectacle.
And I've seen many cooking attempts since Adam and Eve
And if there's one thing you people have right, it's that too many cooks ruin the stew.
Allow. Make I handle your needs for you.
When you have ME - Who hath it tried and tested. Who wrote the cook book saf
Why worry yourself with measuring cups and foreign ingredients?
And so-called recipes that others have attempted?
So go sit in the living room and leave the machinations to me
I created this cooking pot of conundrums. The thing you fret night and day about
"Life.Hmm" need not be your anthem.
Make you sit down, Allow me cook up the recipe for your success
And when dinner is ready, trust me. You naa, you'll find your way to the table.
[If you can't make any sense of this, no probs. Guess it stays true to its title. Just hope it was at least amusing.]
--
Photo Source
-
-
18:01
»
Circumspect
It's amazing the kinds of things you find on the net. Especially when you're not looking. Devex recently published
an interview I did with the president & CEO of the Global Fund for Women, Kavita Ramdas - a phenomenal woman (and Mount Holyoke alum) by the way - and as I was doing some quick fact checking on their site, I stumbled upon this: the
Global Women's Water Initiative.
Global Women's Water Initiative
GWWI is a program that is sponsored by three international organizations dedicated to the issue of water access and other development concerns -
A Single Drop,
Crabgrass and
Women's Earth Alliance . As most of you probably know, water access is one of
my key development concerns, so I was so excited to find that, not only does GWWI provide information and advocacy tools to African women on the issue of water access, they actually train them to test water and construct things like pipelines, bore holes etc. Amazing!
Anyway, I just had to share this with you guys! It's a video showcasing their latest training session in no other place than Ghana!
2010 West African Women & Water Training Program from
Unseen Pictures on
Vimeo.
Running for Water!
On a personal note, I will be participating in the
Live Earth Run for Water race this weekend with some of my co-workers to raise funds for and draw attention to the issue of water access. The race covers a 6 kilometer or 3 mile course, the average distance women and children walk when in search of water. I have done a bit of competitive running in my day, in high school mainly, and unlike other sports like soccer and handball, running/racing is not exactly my strongest athletic trait, lol. All the same, I'm doing this more for the cause (water access, duh!) and also just to try something new and have fun while at it (perfect excuse for if I turn out last lol). Hopefully, my work out days in the gym (more like recent lack of) will pay off :) And if I make it out alive, I'll try to post some photos. Wish me luck! YOU can also sign up to run, host an event, or just
donate to the cause of providing clean water.
BTW,
Earth Day 2010 is exactly a week away! >> April 22nd. It's also the day Avatar comes out on DVD, hehe. What are your plans for celebrating this beautiful home we call earth? Do tell. In the meantime, enjoy the Avatar trailer
here. You absolutely should try to see it if you haven't already. Great movie, creative, and so many important messages - nature, colonization, climate change, women's empowerment. Simply, I loved it! Lol. Ciao my friends!
--
Photo Source:
Photo 1,
Photo 2
-
-
11:32
»
Circumspect
This is how it ends. You. Stuck underground with a hundred or so unsuspecting victims. Only, you’re not in the warm embrace of the earth. You’re in a train, and the conductor hasn’t said a word in the last 20 or so minutes.
Segments of recent news reports play back in your mind: “And in Moscow…rush hour…tens dead and hundreds injured.”
Doesn’t do much to help your current situation, does it?
People are getting restless. The group of three – Indian, you suppose – students chatter on, but the continuous fidgeting of a jean clad leg bemoans their growing boredom.
The lady next to you squats down; obviously fatigued from standing for the last…30 minutes now.And you. Music still blaring from your ipod, you take out your notepad and jot down observations. Lady next to you is up again, and she’s struck a conversation with the passenger next to her.
If the entire world were locked up in a confined space, we wouldn’t have a choice than to become best friends…or worse enemies. Either way, there’d be more interaction than we allow ourselves in “normal” situations.
A second train heading in the direction of Shady Grove whisks past your motionless carriage.
What’s happening at Dupont?
Anyway, back to playing Sherlock.
Moscow sounded as far away as Pluto when it happened. But standing here, impatiently waiting to get to work with hundreds of strangers, it sounds uncomfortably familiar.
Leather jacket, black heans, purple shirt, matching bag and somewhat outrageous sunglasses. Those could be the identifying elemtns that distinguish you from a mass of other bodies were the worst to happen.
Now, even the previously annoying allergies seem to have waned; a much larger threat looms. Or not. The train just moved – still, no correspondence from the conductor.
A collective sigh of relief as the train pulls into your final stop: Dupont Circle.
--Photo Source:
Photo 1
-
-
17:04
»
Circumspect
For Immediate ReleaseContact: help@museke.comDiaspora: +1 617 818 3102Southern Africa: +277 9468 1310East Africa: +254 722407717West Africa: +233 21 230276
Museke Online Africa Music Awards (MOAMAs) Nominees 2010Wande Coal, Lizha James, Barbara Kanam, AY, HHP, Bracket, Blu3, Radio & Weasel, Alikiba, Black Coffee, and Cheb Khaled lead the nominees for the Museke Online Africa Music Awards. The MOAMAs will award the best of African music over the last year and put the winners in the spotlight as Africa preparesto host the globe at the World Cup in South Africa. The awards are being organized by Museke.com,home of the African music fan which seeks to unify Africa through its music.
The nominees were selected over a 3 month period by an academy made up of African musicenthusiasts and fans. Nigeria has the most nominees with 31, followed by South Africa with 22, Kenyawith 18, DR Congo with 15, Uganda with 14, Tanzania with 13 and Mozambique with 10. There are 28categories in all with 7 nominees for each. The nominees come from all over Africa and with variedstyles.
Voting will take place on
http://awards.museke.com (
http://moamas.com) until 15 May, with winnersbeing announced on 1 June. Users can vote once everyday.
Nominees for African song of the year (arranged by song/album, name & country)Bumper to bumper – Wande Coal – NigeriaJuju ‐ Black Coffee ‐ South AfricaMeme pas fatigue – Magic System/Cheb Khaled – Cote d’Ivoire/AlgeriaShow ce soir – Bisso na Bisso ‐ Congo BrazzavilleSunshine ‐ Nameless – KenyaWhere you are – Blu3 – Uganda
Kindly visit Museke.com for a
full list of MOAMA categories and nominees!
-
-
11:20
»
Circumspect
Dear Ghanaian Movie Industry,
Initially, I was upset because you weren't exploring the depth of your potential. But now, you've done the ultimate and unleashed untold anger upon yourself. And not just from me. By sashaying your hips into the 'soft porn' industry, many Ghanaians - and Africans - are fuming mad! There's even a Facebook group called
Ghana Movie Industry, What's Going On? Enough Is Enough. What's that you say? Who am I to dare chastise you? Well, for one thing I'm a concerned Ghanaian who's tired of seeing your tasteless movie trailers. For another, I'm your consumer - the consumer is always right, no? - and even though I'm not a big fan of your products, I have sisters, a brother, family and friends who are exposed to your latest exploit. So, it ends up being my business. And finally, I'm someone who really believes that Ghanaians have a lot to offer and consequently, deserve more than you're giving. Great, now that we're well-acquainted, let's get down to the nitty-gritty.
The Issue of Scarcity & Competition
Economically speaking, you're under intense pressure. I get that. There's only so much infrastructure and income dedicated to the Ghanaian film industry and you're trying to ensure that you make the most of your scarce resources. In the past, it was much easier to get by. You didn't have to do too much. Just have a good-enough story line, a couple of "big names" on your lineup, maybe some tension here and there, and you'd be fine. Not anymore. That "annoying" Nollywood had to up the game on you and now you're scrambling to catch up. Add the globalization element with Hollywood and Bollywood strutting their stuff all over the African continent, and you naa, you knew you had to switch it up fast in order to keep a captivated audience. Times are hard. You are caught on the precipice of a new era and you have to act quickly. Well, my dear one, let me tell you. You're falling. Really fast. And unless you snap out of your reverie and figure out a way to grow some wings, you're going to crash badly and take the whole Ghanaian society along with you.
Your Prerogative: Sex Sells, But At What Cost?
While you worry about the financial and business aspects of your industry, please spare a moment to consider your prerogative in all of this. You - like other media agents - have a special calling and privilege: the ability to influence how society thinks. You have a huge stake in how Ghana is shaped today and in the future. So before you fall for the whole notion of "sex sells", think about "at what cost?" And here, I'm talking not only to the movie producers and the entire industry, but specifically to the actors and actresses that have become it's "ambassadors": Jackie Appiah, John Dumelo, Majid Michel, Nadia Buari, Lydia Forson, Yvonne Nelson, etc. I know I'm treading a fine line here by calling out these names -- and please, feel free to pass this on to them, they need to hear/read it -- but you people have a great opportunity to make a huge difference in Ghana, and unfortunately, some of you are misusing it, or rather, not making the most of it. The problem with Ghana and other African societies is we think too much about the short term (our pockets) instead of the long term (our development).
The average Ghanaian: After a hard day at work or school, Ghanaians turn to you to get their minds off their sometimes harsh realities. They welcome you into their homes, their living rooms, the very confines of their bedrooms and ultimately, into their hearts and minds. What you transmit stays with them, and if they hang out with you long enough, you significantly change how they see life or a particular issue. Aside the people around them, whether knowingly or unconsciously, young people look up to the people they see on T.V. and in movies. Why do you think there's such a celebrity craze here in the U.S.? Actors and actresses essentially set the tone for a lot of things - fashion, which products to buy or use, what issues get prominence on debate platforms etc- so if our 'favorite' artistes are glorifying overt sex, make no mistake, others will follow suit (as is happening now).
Africa, the Diaspora, and the World: Ghanaians aren't the only ones who find you interesting. Many Africans and people in the Diaspora take advantage of what you offer as well. Ghana has always been a trailblazer on the African continent, and even if it's not apparent, a lot of countries look up to us. We're a 'big sister' of sorts. And with any sibling dynamic, what the big sister does, the younger ones like to emulate. Hopefully, other African film industries will not tread down the questionable path you're going. Instead, they will make a well-deserved mockery of you, as I believe, Nollywood has already started doing. And guess what? Eventually, when Ghana REALLY needs her African counterparts to listen to her on issues of importance like regional integration, trade and development, they will laugh in her face. After all, we would have sold ourselves really well on the 'sex' ticket. Now, if your African counterparts don't take you seriously, how do you expect Hollywood, Bollywood, and the rest of the world to pay you mind? Even 'liberal' societies like the U.S. have a bias against the porn industry. Why do you think it's taking them so long to figure out whether or not to have a .xxx site domain or not. Gosh, wake up already!
Striking A Balance: The Case of Sparrow Productions
In my opinion, everything changed when you birthed
Sparrow Productions. The quality of your movies have improved drastically. With
Life and Living It,
Scorned, and
the Perfect Picture came better viewing quality, the use of Ghanaian soundtracks, focus on African wear, and better story lines. I believe
'A Sting in A Tale' is your best by far (although I haven't seen 'Checkmate' yet). It focused on so many important themes, unemployment and friendship for instance, and I think it's a pretty good depiction of Ghana today. It wasn't too heavy on the LAFAs (locally acquired foreign accents) either and it had a good element of humor. Shirley Frimpong is one heck of a producer, and with movies like Turning Point Pictures'
I Sing of A Well, there's a lot of potential out there. Some of these movies do have intimate scenes. But guess what? They are
tastefully done with their audience under consideration. If you want to secure a spot on the global movie platform, you're going to have to use what differentiates you from others -- putting a "Ghanaian" spin on things.
If nothing at all, Sparrow Productions has shaken up the competition. So much such that Frank Rajah Arase came out with 'Heart of Men'. While Heart of Men had a good enough story line, they got one major thing "wrong": marketing. Deciding to go the 'sex sells' route, and putting a lot of focus on the movie's sex scenes, helped build anticipation and ultimately made the movie a grand success in terms of viewership. But it also had a probably unintended effect: the current 'viral strain' of trailers which have eerie 'soft porn undertones'. I say trailers because from what I hear, the movie itself wasn't as 'sex heavy' as the trailer made it out to be. However, the damage has been done and with the movies you're currently out-dooring - 'Kiss Me If You Can' '4Play' etc - I can only hope they are not as sex heavy as they look. What happened to a suggestive look or a hand on a thigh being enough indication for a sex scene? Even if you want to get all hot and heavy, there's no need to 'go all the way'! Whatever the case, one thing is certain: You have a lot to learn about being creative and striking a balance when it comes to how you present yourself and your movies.
Let's Talk About Sex
Regardless of what anyone says, sex is an important element of human societies.To some degree, it's what keeps us in existence. Without the stork who delivers the bouncy babies, you and I, all of us, probably wouldn't be here. So yes, you're going to have to talk about "it" at one point or another. Whether in an awkward setting with your parents as they have "the talk" with you, or in bemusement as you listen to your friends detailing what they think they know about sexuality. Alternatively, you can have it tossed rudely in your face - as we're seeing today - as you watch what you expect to be an audience-worthy movie.
Point is, I DO think you should cover the question of sex and sexuality. No doubt about that. However, I also think you need to think twice about how you're presenting these issues to the Ghanaian and global public. It's one thing to try to encourage confidence in one's sexuality by talking about the inherent issues, and it's another thing to go the overt sex or soft porn route. One - the actual sex act- belongs in the 'private domain', while the other - sex education -is in the 'public domain'. Education concerning sexual reproductive health and rights is just beginning to take root in many African societies and that's precisely because of the fabric of those societies. You need to keep that in mind the next time you decide on a detailed threesome or office tryst. And for heavens sake, keep the buttocks-showcase to a minimum. This whole soft-porn business might not be too bad for the male actors, but with the double-standard society we live in, I can only imagine the havoc it's wrecking on the females' reputations. That statement might sound sexist, but it's the truth. And the worst of it all, is that with this focus on sex, less attention is going to be paid to talent, as this
Myjoyonline article pointed out.
Flippin' the Script: Forget Porn, Welcome a New Dawn!
While you might think you're capitalizing on a niche in the film industry - because at the end of the day its about competition - the American porn industry already beat you to the punch and there's no way you can compete there. So instead, I'd suggest you use your 'scarce resources' as effectively and efficiently as possible. Alors, after my ramblings and criticism, here are some suggestions for themes that can be covered in your movies - other than sex, sex and more sex:
-
Ghanaian culture: Use what you've got. Ghanaian culture is so rich and diverse, you could come up with endless scripts on that alone. How about a film that focuses on the different wedding traditions across Ghana and even the tensions that exist concerning marrying between ethnic groups? You might say that that's already been done, but in this day and age of globalization there are interesting new dynamics going on there.
-
African relations: We've seen the movies about Ghanaians traveling to Europe and the U.S., can we have some about Ghanaians moving around the continent? And I don't mean Nigeria , the Gh-Naija collabos pretty much have that covered. Apparently a lot of Ghanaians go to S.A? And what about something w/ our immediate neighbors Cote d'Ivoire, Togo and Burkina Faso?
-
High School + University: High school in Ghana has a lot to offer that is yet to be covered by the film industry. What about a focus on the way Ghanaians are taught to study - chew and pour - and how that impacts us in the long run with regards to taking initiative and being entrepreneurial?
-
Amazing Ghanaians: For heavens sake, when are we going to see a movie about Kwame Nkrumah? Or are we waiting for Hollywood to do that one for us? What about all those successful Ghanaians? Gosh, we need to inspire ourselves for heaven's sake!
-
Development Issues: If we did movies that really highlighted the socio-economic situations in Ghana - as opposed to the current showcase of rich Ghanaians in movies - we would not only gain a better understanding of the issues ourselves, but would also draw better understanding in global circles.
Alors voila, those are just a couple of suggestions. the movie industry might not be the richest in Ghana, but if a group of independent film makers with an even more constrained budget was able to pull off something as amazing as
Bronx Princess, you guys have no excuse. So. Let's flip the script and start making some real movies! Lights, Camera, annnnnnd Action!
P.S.: You'll notice that I didn't really link to any of the 'questionable' trailers. Yes, they are THAT bad and I for one don't think it necessary to promote the likes of such. Go figure.
[Since the initial publication of this article, I have received word that "Ghallywood" is the name of a private Ghanaian film company and not a colloquial reference to Ghana's movie industry as supposed. To avoid any confusion concerning who this open letter is addressed to, the salutation has been changed to "Dear Ghanaian Movie Industry". Any inconvenience caused is highly regretted. Thank you.]
--
This article was written by Jemila Abdulai and was initially published on the web site Circumspect - http://www.circumspecte.com. Kindly obtain permission from the author prior to republication. She may be reached at j.abdulai@circumspecte.com.
Photo Source:
Photo 2,
Photo 3,
Photo 4,
Photo 5,
Photo 6
-
-
16:43
»
Circumspect
[Here's an interview that has been long overdue, but which, I guarantee, will have been worth the wait. This interview, I found to be particularly inspiring, especially for African youth, and I knew that no amount of literary craft could communicate the passion and enthusiasm relayed during the interview. So, we're going to let Peter F. La-Anyane Yobo and Pichon Duplan of iStandAbove tell you all about their amazing initiative themselves! The motivations behind it, why self-esteem is important for youth, their thoughts on development in Ghana and Africa through our first Circumspect podcast! Enjoy!]
Pioneering Pals
In addition to having similar backgrounds and first names starting with ‘P’, Peter F. La-Anyane Yobo and Pichon Duplan have another thing in common: South Africa.
“Class four, that’s when I pretty much met Peter coming back from South Africa. Well, in fact class two I went to South Africa for a year and a half. I didn’t meet Peter then. But class four, came back and that’s when – so we both came back around the same time – and then that’s when I met him,” Pichon remembered.
While all the ingredients for a potentially great friendship were there, these commonalities also fueled intense competition between the two.
“Every situation we found ourselves in, we were looking for ways to lead the pack,” Peter disclosed. “Pichon and I used to butt heads a lot. Like, Pichon and I were enemies in the beginning. I used to hate Pichon, he hated me too. Why? Because he wanted to lead the pack, that’s what I wanted to do as well.”
However, being the true pioneers that they are, the two transformed competition into collaboration and re-channeled their passions and ideas into an innovative youth movement that emphasizes leadership, teamwork and creativity: iStandAbove.
Peter F. La-Anyane Yobo
Peter Yobo was born in New Jersey, USA and returned to Ghana with his family at the age of four. He attended Soul Clinic and then moved to South Africa to continue school for two years. When he finally returned to Ghana, he enrolled at Alsyd Academy, and for high school, went to Achimota Secondary School. A day after SSSCE, Peter wrote the SATs and a month later he moved to the U.S., worked for a year and then enrolled at San Jose State.
“I was really into sports in Mo-town. So, that was my main focus….I was always looking up to schools that were pretty good at sports and what-not,” Peter said.
One of those schools was his current school USC, which Peter transferred to from San Jose State.
“I didn’t really feel I was growing as a person [at San Jose],” he explained.
Peter is co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of iStandAbove, a non-profit geared at youth leadership. His aspirations: “I kind of want to save Africa, that’s through the youth of Africa.” With his background in sports, Peter’s passion for leadership started way back in high school. “…Ever since then I’ve done my best to be involved. I love sports. I always use sports as a way to stay focused on the leadership thing, just staying devoted to my passion,” he said.
He draws inspiration from his family - two sisters, step-dad, and mum - and friends, and regards his mum as his role model.
He said: “…I mean my mum has always taught us to give back…Because she kind of knew where she came from, so she felt, she made us understand that for you to progress you have to have people basically thanking the stars for you, like people have to wish you good. If you give people stuff or if you help people out, they wish more for you so you can continue to help uplift them or help them more. So she kind of had that engrained in us when we were growing up, so I’ll say my mum.”
Pichon DuplanPichon Duplan started life in Los Angeles, USA and moved back to Ghana with his family – brother Jean-Pierre (of
LSG) and parents - at the age of three. He first went to Faith Montessori, then Alsyd Academy, and after junior high school, moved to SOS Hermann Gmeiner International School for a year. He then returned to the U.S. to complete high school at Kimball Union Academy. There, he pursued his passion for basketball and discovered a prowess for American football.
“I was playing basketball all my life, and then moved to Kimball Union Academy, so I started playing American football and basketball at the same time. I became captain of both teams in high school," he said.
On the academic front, Pichon’s interests turned from engineering to business and he started exploring college business school options including Babson. “I got a scholarship to Babson, so came to Babson and had to forfeit my sports career, even though a lot of people tell me I could have gone that route too. I’m at Babson now, I have a double major in finance and accounting, and I graduate in May,” he explained.
With a great future ahead, the iStandAbove co-founder and Chief Financial Officer’s key aspirations lie in problem-solving. “I know that sounds generic, but I’ve always tried to be a problem-solver wherever I go or wherever I’ve been,” he admitted.
When it comes to role models, Pichon has quite a number to draw inspiration from.
He said: “For me it’s divided three-ways and I’ll tell you why …My dad, because of his self-confidence. I’ve always admired the way he speaks in public, the way he presents himself in public. I’ve always admired that and aspired to be at that level….And then my mum, for just not being - like for normal people, they would be stressed about something - but she doesn’t get stressed about a whole lot of things and that’s something I’ve always admired about her. My brother, just how passionate he is about whatever he believes in.”
[To find out all the insider secrets about the origins of iStandAbove, listen to the audio files below. Not working? Visit Circumspect's audiocast site.]
iStandAbove Interview Part 1Peter and Pichon discuss the motivations behind iStandAbove, their current projects and what the future holds.
Powered by Podbean.com
---
i
StandAbove Interview Part 2The duo discusses their thoughts concerning development in Africa and how youth can make a difference.
Powered by Podbean.com
iSA in Pictures
Hard work has always been a hallmark of the duo--
iStandAbove teams up with Open Hands Foundation to grant a merry Christmas to orphaned kids in Ghana--
Pichon addressing a group of young students (and future leaders)
--
Workshop facilitators of iSA's Dec. '09 Xpect Leadership program collaborate before a session
--
Participants at the Xpect Leadership program in Accra
--
Peter, Pichon and Halim (Gh Xpect Leadership MD)
--
And at the end of the day, after a job well done, everyone's happy--
To find out more about iStandAbove and their programs, check out their
website, read their
blog, and join their
facebook group.
--
Photo Credit: Pichon Duplan, Peter Yobo, iStandAbove
-
-
2:23
»
Circumspect
NB: This post is part of a GhanaBlogging event to commemorate World Water Day (March 22) --The word floating around in Ghanaian circles these days is oil. Since 'the great find' the hopes of numerous Ghanaians have been buoyed and politicians are having quite the field day using the 'expected oil revenues' as bargaining chips for one thing or the other. I don't share in that optimism, hence my delay in writing about Ghana's "oil miracle". Instead, I'm focused on another precious resource, one that has unfortunately become more of a commodity than a right. Water.
Science tells us that water and oil don't mesh together. They just don't. But if what the analysts are saying is correct, the two might have more in common than we think. At the rate things are going, water is becoming increasingly scarce. So much to the point where it's expected that
water could be the next oil: a precious element in the hands of few. Unless Ghana realigns its efforts into ensuring water access, we won't even have the necessary human capital to manage or reap the benefits of our current oil find.
Every Drop of Water...You can complete the subheading above however you want, but one thing is clear: water is essential to life. And I'm not just saying that to sound cliche and go along with the "Water is Life" saying. It really
is life.
Science: Let's go back to the formation of the solar system. The
main element that distinguishes our Earth from the other planets in the solar system is the presence of liquid water. If not for water, you, I and every living creature - plants included - on this earth wouldn't exist, period.
Theology: According to
the Holy Bible (Genesis 1:6) God created (liquid) water on the second day, only after he created light - which could be interpreted as establishing his presence, since many religions refer to God as "the light".
In
Surah 11:7 (Prophet Hood), the Holy Qu'ran states the presence of water before anything else in the universe, with the exception of Allah's throne (presence). In Surah 21:30 (The Prophets) it emphasizes the fact that life wouldn't be possible without water .
Daily Living: It is general knowledge that humans can live without food for a relatively longer time [weeks] than without water. The life span for an individual without a drop of water is 2 to 3 days.
Water: A Right or Privilege?This topic is a controversial one in numerous circles. On the one hand, water existed before any of us came into being, so technically, nobody should be dictating who can or cannot have access to water. On the other hand, like all resources, water needs to be managed effectively in order to ensure equal access and use. While some think this should be in the hands of the government, others believe private corporations will manage it more effectively.
Whatever the case, our current situations are far from the ideal. An estimated 1 billion people - mainly in developing countries - lack access to water. Although 70% of the earth is covered with water, and the most advanced technology can make undrinkable water consumable, climate change (global warming especially), environmental degradation and so on are threatening the world's water bodies. Result: the already scarce element is on the verge of even more scarcity. Some experts have already dubbed it "The Water Wars".
The Case for Water: Ghana's "Forgotten Oil"The scary thing about being denied a right for so long is that we begin to think that not having that right is the norm. I'm certain most Ghanaians have experienced the water situation in Ghana to some degree. Whether you're the richest man on the block or the shoe shine boy across the street, you have either seen or experienced the dire circumstances in Ghana when it comes to water. Until summer 2008, I was conditioned to not having access to water. As far as I knew, it was normal. Sometimes you have water, other times you don't. And when you don't, everything else comes second place. But do you realize that this is rather the absurdity?
In summer 2008 I participated in an institute and I literally saw the blinds open when I realized this fact. Looking back at my life in Ghana, I saw how the water issue was not only a nuisance, but a deterrent for economic productivity. I decided to focus my economic development seminar paper on privatization in Ghana. After conducting the necessary research and writing the paper, I was fuming mad. Bit by bit, Ghana let go of something it should have conserved and managed for both the current and future populations. Unfortunately, with the privatization of the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation, things have only gone downhill.
Ghana's [Non-Existent] Water PolicyI won't bore you guys with the details of my findings. If you're so inclined,
you can read the entire research paper here. Instead, let's talk about a few reasons why the Ghanaian government should redouble its efforts to ensure water access and in so doing, turn our economy around.
Health, Sanitation & Nutrition: Water comes into play in all areas of health and nutrition. In order to grow food, water is needed. In order to cook, water is needed. In order to eat, water is needed (washing your hands before eating). In the long run, water helps provide the body with the necessary nutrients which in turn keeps an individual healthy. Should someone fall sick, water is needed to keep their fever down, keep them hydrated (especially in the hot African sun!), keep them in good sanitary conditions, have them take their medicines and so on. A healthy, clean and well-fed populace = a healthy + more productive work force. Enough said.
Education: As fate would have it, the water crisis in Ghana tends to hit just as senior high school students are preparing for the big SSSCE. There have been many instances (too many!) where students have to go home as their respective educational institution cannot provide for their water needs. Without the right amount and type of water, the incidence of diseases (cholera anyone?) is high. As anybody knows, studying at home is practically next to impossible -- unless you're just disciplined like that. Such disruptions in student educational schedules not only plays on their psyche, but could potentially affect their future and ours (Ghana's). Personally, I definitely know I skipped many a 'prep-session' because we had to go in search of water. More access to affordable water = more time for studying and developing human capital (Ghana's
most valuable resource).
Electricity/Power: The water issue in Ghana is closely linked to the "lights off" situation. It is quite sad that Ghana is still running on a plant built about 50 years ago for a population way less than the current one. This is where Ghana's leadership has failed seriously. Sure, there are talks about adding the Weija and Bui Dams to the Akosombo Dam in order to generate electricity and what-not, but for heavens sake, when shall we actually see these 'plans' come to fruition. I cannot believe it has even taken us this long. As far as I'm concerned, the president/ government that finally solves Ghana's water and electricity situation will go down as one of the best - if not the best - in my book. Anyway, better water management + access = increased hydroelectricity = increased productivity (through the use of technology especially).
Development of Industries: All of Ghana's major industries - cocoa, gold and so on - require water. Even the upcoming oil industry would require millions of gallons of water in order to work. Think it's just the primary sector that needs water? Think about the burning sun. Unless people are hydrated, the financial, tourism, manufacturing etc industries would literally die of thirst.
Human Rights: Women and girls suffer disproportionally when it comes to the water crisis as they are the ones who go hours in search of this essential element. Making the necessary investments in equal access to potable water is an investment in human rights.
Play Your Part: Little Drops of Water Make A Mighty OceanThe
Earth 2100 project points out that if the world were to end due to climate change, the developed world wouldn't notice until they try opening their taps one morning without retrieving a single drop. Even if our government(s) aren't putting the right policies in place, there are some simple things we as global citizens can do to help conserve water and increase awareness about the issues. In addition to doing little things like turning off the tap when brushing my teeth - or better yet, using a cup - I'm working on
"The Water Chronicles" - a series of short stories aimed at depicting the struggles and nuances of lack of water access. With each of us chipping in, we can help turn this absurdity around. Not sure where to start? Share this blog post with friends, family, acquaintances and let's awaken ourselves to reality!
Also:- Check out posts from other members of the
Ghanablogging team for World Water Day.- Read
this Forbes article for further insight, and do share your tips for conserving water.- Discover more facts about water at
Water.org.- See what others are doing via the
official World Water Day site.
"Happy" World Water Day and let's keep our lifeline (water) going!
Photo Source:
Photo 1,
Photo 2,
Photo">[www.umber.asia] 3,
Photo 4,
Photo">[www.rotaryeclubny1.com] 5,
Photo 6
-
-
0:22
»
Circumspect
My anticipation about writing a post on international women's day (March 8) has been building up so much, but now that I'm here, for some reason, I can't decide which route to take. I kid you not when I tell you that I have written and rewritten this at least 3 times! First, I was thinking of talking about feminism. But I think that deserves a post on its own. Then I thought about writing about how exasperated or "overdosed" I've been feeling about all this "woman" or gender business in development, but that started sounding too textbookish. So now, I'm just going to go with the flow. I'm going to talk about what being a woman means... to me :)
Growing Up...Against the "Norm"
Going with the norm, I probably shouldn't be here. I should probably be married by now, maybe onto my second, third, or even fourth child. I shouldn't be living alone, miles away from my parents and family. Heck, how dare I make certain "important" decisions on my own without consulting a man. Going with the norm, there are countless things I shouldn't be able to do, say or think. But thanks to Allah, I grew up against the norm.
Both my parents are educated and educationists, so the question of whether or not I or my sisters should go to school never arose. There were four of us, with my brother smack in the middle and me being the eldest. I realize quite often that having the kind of parents I do is an immense blessing. Some people barely know their parents or even if they do, they don't have the necessary parental support.
Having my parents support me in whatever venture I decide to pursue has helped build up my confidence and self-esteem. And yes, I think it is perfectly okay to acknowledge one's confidence. My dad tells me I was always quite adventurous, and now that I think about it, my willingness to try new things and to keep an open mind is because of my upbringing. My parents taught me to roll with the punches, make lemonade from lemons and learn from experiences. I was also quite the tomboy...for a while. And even now, I don't consider myself a "girly girl".
For most of my early school years, I had mummy right there with me. In school and sometimes in class. She taught English, Social Studies and Religious and Moral Education. I felt it was my "moral obligation" to excel in those subjects if nothing else. Hence, even though I was in a co-ed school for my elementary and junior high school education, I never actually felt threatened by the boys in my class. Quite the contrary, I thrived on the competition and was actually quite disappointed to find that college lacked that competitive edge. One vivid image I have of my mum is during an inter-section football (soccer) match at Alsyd. I was goalkeeping, it was a penalty shoot-out and she was right there on the sidelines cheering me on in what was/is a male-dominated sport.
After JSS, my dad signed me up to a Cisco Networking Course. I was the youngest in the class. And the only girl. Most of my classmates were university students or young professionals. But even then, I never really felt threatened. The issue of seniority is a big deal in Ghana and many African countries. When it comes to seniority between genders in my ethnic group, it's even more complex. As a young woman, you not only have to be 'respectful' to seniors, but even to boys your own age. Being in the kind of classroom setup I was in taught me how to grant my respect to people who earn it. People who go out of their way to prove their unworthiness get my civility and nothing more - ok, maybe the occasional benefit of the doubt.
There are many more childhood experiences that have shaped me into the woman I am today, but these are just some of the ones that came to mind immediately.
I Love Being a Woman!
I've often wondered what it would be like to be a guy. But come to think of it, I'm glad I came out a girl. Being a woman is the most amazing experience ever. Not like I have any other to compare it to lol. But for real, I love being a woman. I love getting dressed up or slacking in that department, because I feel like it. It's exhilarating to know that one day I'll have the honor of carrying a little child in my arms and helping him or her along this course called life. I enjoy being complex and not having to stick to just one identity. Most importantly, I love interacting with, hearing about and seeing the quiet strength of women. Whether it's listening to a sister talk about her struggles and crying with her, working from dawn till dusk to feed a husband and child, or even risking one's very identity as a woman and speaking against injustices, life as a woman is very inspirational. I know more amazing women that I could have ever imagined meeting and although this is a belated post, you are all amazing individuals. For your inner beauty, your silent fortitude, your sensitivity and your intelligence. For being exactly who you are: a woman.
What I Didn't Say
So you see, I didn't tell you that a woman's issues are everyone's issues. Take away the 'wo', replace it with 'hu' and you'll see for yourself that even the word "wo[hu]man" proves the point. That would have been going the "feminism" route.
Neither did I mention that: - According to the
World Bank's '09 Urban Report, population is expected to triple in developing countries by 2050. Hence the key to urban development lies in engaging women (since they'll be having the kids), educating them on sexual rights, getting them to choose family planning options, influence how households are formed etc.
-
UNDP's '09 Human Development Report expects migration is be one of the largest phenomena in our time. Not just between countries, but within countries, particularly African and Asian - the same regions where the population boom is supposed so happen. Again, women come into play (see above).
-
UNFPA's '09 State of World Population pinpoints climate change as impacting women the most since they are the ones who - along with their children - go miles in search of water, firewood, etc, till the land for home food, etc.
No, that would be going the textbook route. Instead, I simply shared childhood experiences that influenced the woman I am today, and why the sisterhood inspires me so! And as far as equality goes, it's less about competing with the men, and more about being the best woman you can be and helping other women grow to be their best too! :)
Belated International Women's Day to all my lovely ladies + the men who support them.
--
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5
-
-
22:43
»
Circumspect
"On this day of your life, Jemila, I believe God wants you to know that a point of view different from your own might be well worth entertaining. Sometimes it is not easy hearing an idea that is different from the one you advancing -- yet it might be that second idea for which you were actually reaching for.
Answers sometimes arrive in more ways than one. Sometimes they come through us, and sometimes they come to us. You will not have to think but a second to know exactly why you received this answer today."
- March 17 "Conversations With God" Email
-------
I got that email yesterday ago. A day after I received some really "harsh" feedback from my supervisor concerning an article I'd written. It's not easy hearing people critique your work, especially when you think that a piece of work is at its best. But take the pointers down I did. And then when I came home and read the above message, I figured I'd give the article rewrite a shot today.
Like everybody else, writers have good days and bad days. On a good day, you sit at a computer and the words flow out on their own accord. On a bad day, you sit at a computer and a sentence flows out every 30 minutes or so. Today, I sat at my computer and only got TWO sensible-enough sentences the ENTIRE eight hours I sat there! TWO! That has NEVER happened to me before.
Normally, I can switch myself into writing mode by slamming the earphones on and finding the right music or radio station. But the tunes just weren't doing it for me today. I tried, I promise, I really did. Impending deadline and pressure aside, I really tried to get into the insurance and risk mitigation mindset - I was supposed to profile a risk insurance agency - Usually, I'm able to fake it (aka sound intelligent and well-informed about a topic I just learned about a few hours prior to writing the article ) but somehow... I don't even know.
Towards the end of the day, my co-worker, editor and I were chatting and I mentioned how unproductive - or counter-productive as my co-worker said - today was. My editor stated that it happens sometimes. You just need to find the lede (introduction) and the rest of the article flows out. Which is generally true, the beginning of a project is usually the hardest. As we were talking, I realized this: my current pattern of "writer's block" didn't start just today. Today might have been the culmination, but it's been going on for about a week and a half now.
I have two main policies I adhere to when it comes to personal writing and blogging:
- Never feel pressurized or obligated to write something, only write when inspired.- If and when writing begins to feel like a chore, it's time to switch things up. Writing (and learning) should be fun and stimulating!
These have been great for staying true to myself as a writer. But the thing is, they only work under "normal" circumstances. The past couple of weeks have been far from normal. True, I have been quite busy between trying to finish up interviews, cover the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, try to plan out the next year or so of my life, and have a social life. Normal, everyday, hectic life right? Problem is, my mental faculties were far from present. My mind was somewhere in the future, leaving the rest of me to deal with the work piling up.
It's like sitting in a nice, comfortable car, driving around. Actually, you're not driving, you're being driven. Everything is going smoothly. You're enjoying the scenery. The latest R&B sensation is crooning on the FM. My bad, the satellite radio. Everything's going swell. Suddenly, someone throws ice cold water on your face. Wake Up! Yea. That's exactly the kind of wake up call I had today.
Morale of the Story: It's okay to anticipate things in life, but it's also important to make sure your head isn't in the clouds while the rest of your (headless) body is wandering around clueless on earth.
I owe some people a number of apologies, and I'll get back on rolling out those posts. Right now though, considering this is a letter to myself, thank you, but can I have my life back?
xoxo,
P.S. Come what may, we're finishing that article tomorrow, so get your act together!
-
-
10:53
»
Circumspect
Have you ever woken up from a dream, a dream about someone special, and wondered whether they had dreamed the same dream?Have you ever woken up from a dream, and patiently, but excitedly, waited to see them, only to see if they had dreamed the same dream?Have you ever gazed into their eyes, hoping, waiting, for the same glint in their eyes, the look that needed no words to say, I dreamed a dream….Have you ever casually said hello, waiting, ever so patiently, with bated breath, for them to speak the words before you do, that last night, I dreamed a dream…Have you ever had the pleasure, of confirming what you knew certainly the moment you awoke, the pleasure of telling your beloved, I too, dreamed the same dream….Have you ever set your eyes on them, and knew, the moment you looked into theirs, that surely they had not, but you still hoped, that they had dreamed the same dream?Have you ever spent time with your beloved, danced with them, laughed and cried with them, hoping that they would one day realize, though they never did, that you had dreamed a dream?Have you ever thought that you were awake, and then realized that you were still sleeping, dreaming of what could be, but what is not, what may forever be, but what will never be?One who dreams is never sure if they are awake, One who is awake is always sure they are not dreaming. If you are not sure if you are awake, then you must be dreaming.Awake, arise from your slumber, and dare to dream, but only if your beloved dares to dream with you.--Check out Mr. B's blog >>
[bambostic.blogspot.com] Photo
-
-
10:56
»
Circumspect
Yes, I just went there. I dared say that it's time to tuck away our beloved
Kwame Nkrumah, the Big Six, and all those other valiant Ghanaian men and women who have done more than their part in Ghana's development. We've lauded their deserving work for over 50 years. But guess what? It's a new decade, and whether or not we have things to celebrate in Ghana's future now depends on us. YOU and I. Each one of US. So yes, I went there. And guess what? I'm only getting started on the "ridiculousness".
Why Ghana?
Have you ever stopped to think, why Ghana? And I'm not talking about why Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence, or why our Black Stars were the first African football team to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Like I said, this is about you. Why did you end up Ghanaian or in Ghana? Why do you have these ties to a relatively small West African country, instead of the big shots like the US, UK, France, China, India and so on? On the flip side, why aren't you part of the mass populations struggling for basic peace of mind in Sudan, Haiti, Congo, Iraq and so on? Really, why Ghana? I have asked myself that too many times than I care to count.
The Soul's Reckoning: What Are YOU Waiting For?In J.S.S., during Religious & Moral Education (RME), I remember learning about the perceptions of Ghana's different ethnic groups concerning the soul or how human beings enter the physical world. I cannot remember which Southern group exactly, but one of them believes that God calls a soul before him and tells it about all its strengths, weaknesses, talents, faults and everything it will do - its ultimate aim - once it gets to the physical world. The soul then has the option of accepting the package and joining the physical world (being born) or not.
If I'm going by this traditional Ghanaian theory, each one of us who are Ghanaians or who have strong links to Ghana, "chose" this nationality. If that statement is too outward for some of you, how about this:
God, the universe - whatever/whoever you believe in - is not an entity of mere coincidence. The very formation of the universe shows that there is a plan, some meaning, to everything. I like to think that my being a Ghanaian/African, Dagomba, Muslim Woman is not by mere coincidence, but by God's design. And the very set of skills, weaknesses, family, experiences and so on, that I have, are in order to allow me make the largest contribution to humanity as I possibly can.
Still a little out there? How about this:
"Judge not the karmic path walked by another. Envy not success, nor pity failure, for you know not what is success or failure in the soul’s reckoning." - Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God
Allow me to break it down for you:- You are what (Ghanaian) or where (Ghana) you are, because you have a purpose you need to fulfill.
- Each one of us has a different contribution to make to Ghana. And while on the surface it might seem impossible - eg, you're poor, no family support, you're differently-abled, you don't have 'connections' etc - you have been handed your set of skills, situations, etc, because you CAN fulfill that mission. Your soul determined the level of difficulty for this particular course a long time ago, and God will never give you more than you can handle anyway.
- While you might occasionally be impressed or overwhelmed by another's progress or state of affairs, you shouldn't use them as a yardstick for determining your own progress.
Wake Up Call
So, it's time. Time to quit resting on past laurels and time to chart our own courses. Time to call upon the talents that God has given each one of us. Yes, you too! Not to be cliche, but for real, in this day and age, many of the excuses we use to supplant our reluctance or pure laziness and negligence no longer count. Obama is president, get that? He did this with a single mother. He wasn't the richest kid out there. Just hardworking, hopeful and willing to learn.
Put Obama aside. Nkrumah. And I know I said to forget about Nkrumah too. But what I meant by that was, let's not make Independence Day solely about Nkrumah and the Big Six. It's about all of us. Most of us young ones probably cannot imagine what it was like living during colonial times. But this man rose to the occasion and did what he could for his country. Am I missing something here, or wasn't he as human as any of us are? And he probably faced more challenges than we currently do. Please, no more excuses.
Ok, big shots aside. Ghanaians are amazing people. The wealth of knowledge and talent out there is simply staggering. I feel so blessed to have encountered and interacted with so many Ghanaians - or people interested in Ghana - who are doing amazing things!!! Many have been featured right here on Circumspect. To all of you Ghanaians trying to not only make a living, but make a difference, I salute you! Your work might not be recognized, but you're part of the wind of change helping put Ghana on the right track
From my work as a journalist, I have realized that many of today's leaders started out like you and I, without a penny to their name (unless they had a trust fund bequeathed to them). Take the Ecobank CEO for instance. I recently interviewed him for work and it's just amazing how this success story came out. They set up a private bank when havoc was being wrecked by the structural adjustment programs- meaning high levels of poverty - and when the industry was dominated by government and foreign banks. [
Read interview here] So please, no more excuses.
Where's The Love?I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely love Ghana. Whether we're scoring goals or not, I wouldn't miss a heartbeat to declare that love. Sure, I'm critical of our policies and of things going on in the country, but it's only because I care and because I believe we have so much more potential than we're making use of.
Now, what saddens me, is when I try to demonstrate that love and it's like "Wow, you're all about Ghana aren't you?" From a Ghanaian. Yes, I love my country and so should you. If - God forbid - a war were to break out across the globe, the only country that would accept you is your motherland Ghana. Real talk.
We can try to copy the Americans, British, French etc, but think about this: When natural disasters or wars break out and those governments are airlifting people from danger zones, they airlift their citizens, not people who are aspiring to look, talk or dress like them. It's about time we redirected our efforts towards growing our country's potential. Nobody else will do it!
Reigniting PatriotismI think there needs to be an infusion of patriotism back into Ghana. There's too much ethnocentrism and not enough Ghanaian. So, as we go about celebrating Ghana's 53, and remembering Nkrumah and the Big Six, please spare a thought for yourself.
What are you doing to advance Ghana? Why won't you accept that National Service post outside of Accra or Kumasi? Why won't you return home to help the motherland? Why won't you pick up that rubbish on the street?
Who should if you won't?
Let's reignite that love. I believe in Ghana so much and regardless of how tough it gets, we are Ghanaians for a purpose.
Here's my adaptation of
Pastor Martin Niemoller's poem "First they came..."
First they came for the poor Ghanaiansand I did not speak out -because I was not poor.
Then they came for the illiterate Ghanaiansand I did not speak out-because I was not uneducated.
Then they came for the marginalized Ghanaian populationsand I did not speak out-because I was part of the ruling class
Finally, they came for me-And there was no other Ghanaian left to speak out for me.
We're all in this thing together. And unless we all play our part, we're going nowhere fast. Happy Independence Day and God Bless Ghana!
--Photo Sources:
Photo 1,
Photo 2 ,
Photo 3 ,
Photo 4 ,
Photo 5
-
-
23:42
»
Circumspect
How much are you worth?
Won’t it be a very funny thing if you were worth just as much as the amount of cash in your pocket right now? Well that’s if you –like me- have just GHC1 and some change in your pocket. But if it was even a cheque significant enough to pay a month’s salary of a 100 Ghanaian policemen (no disrespect intended) i.e. Ghc15,000 (10 laptops only!), still it won’t be anything worth boiling an egg over. O and it will be even funnier if you’re a ‘credit carder’, because the way I see it, the credit card is just another way of letting you know how much in debt you are allowed to be whilst spending other people’s money till you can do small
susu to be able to pay back.
Fortunately however, our worth isn’t so much in how many zeroes we have on our bank statements as it is in how we perceive ourselves to be and how much respect we accord our own selves. Now this should have meant that we’d all have a 13-digit number on our ‘worth tags’ (since its us who determine our worth anyways), but I find it unfortunately funny that when it comes to really according ourselves the prestige and worth we deserve…we fumble and fall-short of the task. Because I’ve seen a million dollar lady allow herself to be treated like something from a penny store. Several several people take trash from everywhere because they’re afraid to even think they deserve more….afraid to join the school of aim highs, afraid to be what they reeeeaaalllllyyy are supposed to be; HEIRS! Such fear is equal to being afraid to say your name out loud, I can’t even imagine how little meaning there’ll be to life if I couldn’t tell you -or anyone else for that matter- that my name’s Anyan.
It’s unfortunate that so many people think that their candles would shine brighter if the other guy’s candle was off, that they’ll be richer if the other guy’s broke, that by suppressing another person and making him/or her dependent we assert our power and authority. But like my pastor said in church one fine Sunday morning; “there’s too much space in the sky for two birds to collide as they fly.” i.e. You can be whatever you wanted to be, make as many millions as you’ll like, attain the greatest heights known to mankind without being A PAIN IN SOMEONE’S NECK, seriously!!!!
When we come to terms with the fact that we aren’t defined by the comments or impressions of the human beings who we go out of our way to unnecessarily impress, we become liberated from the 1 main factor that makes us veerry vulnerable and usually unfulfilled. For verily verily I say unto you,
(lol, I just couldn’t resist the urge to use that phrase that paints a learned-rabbi picture of me in your mind) if two men walk, one with a million $ in his pocket, but a low self esteem within, and the other with GHC 1 in his pocket but with such an infectious positive attitude and high self esteem, the latter will be less prone to suicide and will in fact be WEALTHIER than the former.
I don’t know rocket science, and if we had a conversation about quantum physics, you’ll find it’s like speaking English to a middle-aged Chinese entrepreneur (enthusiastic, but ABSOLUTELY incapable of comprehension), but I know a couple approaches that can help you feel better about yourself.
Have a beautiful picture of a tomorrow you earnestly desire in your mind…and live like it was now! Walk like you were wearing a size 8, sing like you had your own record label, talk like the whole world needed your opinion first (make sure to sound same), make and pursue your corporate goals and ambitions like global security and advancement depends on it, refuse every negative thought…unless it’s a constructive criticism. Treat yourself like you desire a banker to treat your bank statement 10 years from now, find something that magnifies your strengths and virtues to be passionate about. And try, try earnestly to improve every facet of your being…that’s the key to being indispensible, because in this world we live in THERE’S AALLWWAAYYSS ROOM FOR AN ASSET!
What’s the worst that’s gonna happen right now if you decide to turn and walk away…from that thought that you don’t deserve more…from that habit that degrades you from within…from that person, OOOHH that PEERRSSOONN who treats u in such a way that even dirt seems more prestigious!
What will it cost you if you decide -based on some realistic plan- to loss that extra weight if its departure will return some self-confidence?
So for the last time dearest friend, take a good look at that degrading mentality, at that extra flabby weight, at that progress-retarding ‘friend’…and walk away. Leave a note if you may, but don’t stay! And the shortest cut I know about is a prayer away.
P. Picasso said once; "When I was a child my mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general. If you become a monk, you'll be the pope.' Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso." —
Pablo Picasso
--
Photo 1
-
23:39
»
Circumspect
Howdy people!
Yea, I'm in cowgirl mode. (Honestly dunno where that one came from). Anyways. It's been, what a week, since I wrote here, and just thought I'd check in with y'all - especially those of you who are getting worried. No fretting, I'm not going anywhere. In fact, I am extremely excited to introduce our latest - and soon-to-be frequent - guest contributor!!! His name is Benjamin Anyan, he's from Ghana, and his writing is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It's the kind of thing you look forward to reading. Not because it talks about heavy stuff or anything, but rather it is really fresh, simple, clean, yet carries such profound messages. And boy, is it entertaining. I really hope you peeps enjoy his writing as I have. Alors,
his first Circumspect post is coming right up. You can find all these on
his blog and if you're his friend on facebook, you've probably come across some of his posts. What can I say, he's just that good. His words speak for themselves. Now for the self-introduction. Drum roll please...
-
-
14:59
»
Circumspect
Thought I was done blogging for the day -- until I came across
this BBC photo feature on Ghana's market girls or "kayayo". When I was back in Ghana, I would occasionally go to the Madina market in Accra with my mum and I remember seeing them every time. I often wondered why they weren't in school, why they were doing what they do and why they didn't bargain how much money was paid them. My mum would lament about their situations and each time she patronized their service she would ask them how come they were doing what they did. Unlike my mum, most patrons of the Kayayo's services are not as considerate and don't think twice about having them carry things twice their weight! This is a very sensitive topic to me, because the way I see it, a twist of fate, and I could have been one. I've been meaning to blog on this issue, but somehow it escaped me. Not about to let that opportunity slip by again. Alors, voila.
Here's a youtube slideshow (by the same photographer -
Peter DiCampo (a Pullitzer Grant Winner) - as in the BBC feature) depicting the life of Kayayo:
Who exactly are the Kayayo?
Typically, kayayo are young girls and women - generally from the Northern section of Ghana - who migrate to the southern part of Ghana to work in cities like Accra and Kumasi. They tend to work in major markets where they help carry produce or shopping done by market patrons. These loads are usually very heavy - imagine shopping for a family of five or six for an entire week. Include stuff like heavy yams, bottles of palm oil, I guess you get the picture - and when it comes down to age dynamics, some of these girls are barely teenagers.
Why this trade?
Most of these women and girls do not move south just because they feel like it, but rather because of dire economic situations up north. Given the fact that most of Northern Ghana is focused on subsistence farming and agriculture, issues like climate change and the ever impending Sahara have limited the economic and financial base of most northern families, who still face costs of living. Factor in the fact that government pays relatively little attention to Northern Ghana, and the prospects for future economic opportunities are slim. As in most African countries, families pull together when it comes to finances. In order to help out, some families might elect that their young women and girls go south in search of better work opportunities. In other cases, these young women and girls choose to do so themselves; partly in order to earn their keep, but also because of notions of "greener pastures" down south.
There's also the element of societal pressure. For instance, if one Kayayo woman in Accra succeeds in sending some items or money back home, other women and girls living with their families might be regarded as "selfish" or "lazy" for not going south to do the same. Many women also want to start preparing for marriage by buying necessities like kitchen equipment, cloths, etc, while others need things to start businesses in hairdressing, retail, dressmaking and so on. In order to do so, they need the money. There have been instances where some Kayayo have been "tricked" into the trade, by unscrupulous individuals who promise gifts, wealth and what-not. In other cases, some women and girls run away from their villages and homes in order to participate in the trade.
What's the danger?
Women and girls are generally vulnerable in "ordinary" situations. In comparison to their male counterparts, most women lack the physical strength or endurance necessary for escaping dangerous situations. Add the fact that some men think it amusing to exploit women sexually, and you have that entire conundrum as well. But let's not even get into all that complex stuff. Let's look at the basics.
In most cases, prospective kayayo might not know anyone in the city they are migrating to. They might know one girl or another who's supposedly working in that city, but they usually don't have someone who would be willing to put them up, feed and clothe them. So where do they end up? In kiosks, in shacks, in the slums, sometimes in abandoned buildings and cars. At the end of the day, they tend to be homeless or slum dwellers.
Now market places are beehives of activity. And that also means there's a lot of vice. From pickpockets to full-blown thieves, to swindlers, you name it, they are all there. When you have young women and girls living, working, bathing, eating and doing practically everything else in the open market, they tend to fall victim to social vice. Robberies, gender violence, rape etc are some of the things these women have to endure.
Mind you, this is usually after carrying heavy things the entire day without even being certain they have enough money for food - from what I remember, Kayayo didn't have a price they charged for carrying items but would say "give me whatever you can afford". Some people end up not paying them anything!! - and then, not even being guaranteed security at night. Needless to say, many Kayayo turn out pregnant, have the babies (when they can barely feed themselves) and of course, the fathers are nowhere to be found. Let's not forget the obligations they have to their families back home. Aside the strain on their bodies from carrying heavy things, count in malaria (from sleeping in the open air and in the reach of mosquitoes), HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases and it worsens the situation. Some supposedly "well-meaning" families or middle/upper class women might offer a kayayo the opportunity to work as a house help, but all too often, they end up being mistreated. Being a Kayayo is not only a risky venture, but also a life-threatening one!
How to salvage the situation
I believe there is more knowledge about the kayayo situation than there has been in the past. And even the kayayos have formed networks that they use to inform and protect themselves. Some kayayo wisely set the price before carrying items or will decline carrying really heavy things. But the danger is still present. I'm not sure if this exists or not, but some sort of "Kayayo Trade Association" would greatly help improve the situation.
It would also help if some NGOs or non-profits set up a technical/vocational skills training structure for them to ensure that they gradually leave the trade. It would be more appropriate for the government to handle something like this, but I think the government should be more concerned with dealing with the root of the problem: lack of development initiatives in Northern Ghana. Once employment opportunities are made available up north, the tendency for girls and women to move south will be reduced. And even if they do, it would be more out of personal choice or to pursue career and educational opportunities than out of dire need.
Found a feature film via youtube on the issue. Hope it helps you understand the cultural, economic and social dynamics better:
--
Photo Credit: Peter DiCampo,
Photo Source
-
13:05
»
Circumspect
Hi Everyone!
Hope you're all doing well. Can you believe February is just about over?! So far, 2010 is going great for me, hope it's the same with you guys. Anyways, this is a mini update.
Circum-Vlog "How To Blog" Series:
It's been a minute since I posted a new video. And it's not like I want to leave all you new bloggers hanging. Not at all. My computer is having problems and I don't want to risk doing any high-memory stuff (like editing and publishing videos) so for now that is on hiatus. I'm waiting on some accessories which I hope will be here within the next couple of days, and depending on how that affects my laptop's performance, I'll get right back to that. In the meantime keep sending your questions or if you need an immediate response, email me:
j.abdulai@circumspecte.com.
The Water Chronicles:So some of you might have seen
Part I and
Part II of "Calabash Tears". Part III is on it's way, I assure you LOL. I just wanted to explain the concept behind
The Water Chronicles. Basically, water access is a huge development problem and many seem to be unaware of the fact. Yes, even those of us who live in Ghana and other African/developing countries and have to go on water searches. Why? Because that's all we know and have been used to. This series is geared at shedding light on some of the challenges around water access. Analysts project that water will be the next oil in the course of a few years. It's becoming scarcer and it's such an important commodity that some mind has to be paid to it. So this is my contribution in that vein. The Water Chronicles will feature a series of short stories around the central team of water access. Hope you enjoy and please, do share your own experiences.
Upcoming Interviews:
As always, people are forever doing exciting things!! Some stuff to look out for:
- Interview with
iStandAbove
- Interview with "Rocky" of
Bronx Princess
- Interview with
DreamOval [For you techy peeps ;)]
We are Africans!
There's a lot going on in the world and so much to share. So, Circumspect is extending the interview series to Africans in general. Alors, if you know about (an) amazing African(s) doing amazing stuff to fuel development, pray do tell. I think I should be able to handle Francophone interviews as well, so send along. We'd be happy to interview + feature them. And in the Circumspect sense, the individuals don't necessarily have to be Africans themselves. Just pro-Africa youth undertaking innovative ventures on the continent. Just thought I'd clarify :)
Look forward to your suggestions, opinions, questions etc and thanks for being part of the Circumspect experience!
Best,
Jemila
--
Photo Source
-
-
20:50
»
Circumspect
Dear Valentine,
"Should I blog on Val's day or should I not?" This question has been tossed back and forth numerous times in my mind. I've wondered: what could I possibly have to say about Val's Day that isn't already out there? Heck, there's an entire movie dedicated to the day. But finally, the story found me. Just as it always does.
My "Gnashing" History
In primary school, I gnashed. In JSS, I gnashed. In SSS, I gnashed. Right now, well, I've obliterated the word "gnash" from my vocabulary, so let's just say "I...". But wait. That leaves it open to interpretation, doesn't it?
I'm sure many of you who went to high school in Ghana know all too well what "gnash" means; even if you claim to have never experienced it yourself. For those foreign to the word, hmm, how do I explain this? It's kind of like getting stood up? Or having an important occasion go unnoticed? Well anyway, I'll admit that I did. If you're talking about gifts, sweets, cards, teddy bears and what have you from boyfriends and significant others, then yes. I gnashed. For one thing, I'd told myself I didn't want or need a boyfriend because I didn't want or need that distraction in my life. Honestly though, I didn't want to find out my parents' reaction at learning I had a boyfriend. And yes, I believe I would have told them.
The "Unpopular" Valentine
But the fact that I had no boyfriend to "spread" (pamper) me on Val's Day didn't mean I gnashed in other areas. Not at all! The "suppression, oppression and depression" affected me occasionally, but certainly not all the time. I'd receive cute lil' surprises from supposed admirers; I once received a little red book entitled "On Love"! I know right, how appropriate! And boy, did I fill my head with those love quotes. And then, there were the little expressions of love from my girls. - For those who don't know what "a-girling" is, it's basically the Wesley Girls' version of the "school mother - school daughter" relationship. - So my girls always made Val's Day a memorable occasion. With Amansh for instance, we wrote notes to each other on a daily basis. On Val's Day or even Novi (November) Rush, we went the extra mile...literally. She'd find a wad-of-cash-looking note all rolled up on her nicely decorated bed, and once she unrolled it, there wasn't any way she wouldn't notice. So, I must say that while I haven't had many valentines in the "popular" sense, I have had valentines; spontaneous ones which always succeeded in warming my heart.
My Pre-Valentine
This year, my Valentine's Day started early. I met up with a wonderful woman and friend, Arame Tall, after work on Friday, and she took me out on a date. We went to dinner at another friend's place - Sali - where we had a sumptuous meal, talked about Africa's economic integration and development - which, by the way, we ended up calling "The Cause" - and she bought Sali and I roses! Now how sweet is that?! Afterwards, we headed to the theater to watch
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, author of my favorite book/movie,
The Notebook. I adored it. Sparks seems to have a thing for letters, just like I do. Like his characters, I save my letters (and birthday cards and sweet memorabilia). Needless to say, I'm a grade one romantic. We left the theater around midnight and then spent at least an hour trudging ten blocks in the snow, slush and freezing cold. I was convinced I was getting frostbite. Talk about not feeling the love! Eventually, a taxi did stop for us - thanks to Sali's persistence - and then I was awakened to the fact that despite my consideration of blacks and whites as equals, others would still deny a consumer service because of the color of their skin. Mind you, some of those cab drivers who ignored us were black themselves! Anyway, our lovely cab driver - bless his heart - eventually got Sali and I home. I was so thankful when I arrived that I gave him one of my roses in addition to a generous tip. I guess he counts as one of my valentines?
To Val's Day or not to Val's Day?
Now I've seen and heard some people say that Val's Day is overrated. That it's too commercialized, that it shouldn't be celebrated. In fact, it should be scrapped altogether. I beg to differ. First, I don't believe Val's day should be so burdensome to the point where some guys would pretend to be sick just to avoid the cost! Quite the contrary. I believe Val's Day should be a simple affair with the respective parties chipping in. It doesn't always have to be dinner for two at an expensive restaurant; it can be dinner at home trying out a new recipe, messing up badly and settling for leftovers from the night before while reminiscing about how far you've come
together. Nor does it have to be "chinchinaa" (by force) you have to get me something or else...It can be "how about I get you something this time, just for the heck of it?" And finally, Val's Day doesn't have to be commercialized. It should be whatever you make it to be. Instead of spending money, what about spending time? - We're in a recession, abi? -How about you sing (or try to sing) me my favorite song, write her a poem or offer to take him out for a walk?
Love Is The Message, and the Message Is Love!
Yea, I'm definitely against scrapping Val's Day. True we should show the love each and every chance (day) we have, but Val's Day is also for those people who need an opportunity to hope, love, dream again and give themselves up to the romantic notions that daily living sometimes seeks to rob us of. At the end of the day, love is all there is. [I must say, I have spoken like a true romantic!] So, if you think you're gnashing this Val's Day, think again. Happy Valentine's Day! Will you be my Valentine? ;)
Now & Always,
J
-
-
14:13
»
Circumspect
So. I normally don't write posts on all these social media tools and networks, because I can barely keep up. But Google has just unveiled it's latest competitor to Twitter and Facebook:
Google Buzz!
Been trying it out, and I like it. One thing about Google is they always seem to look at convenience. Put chat in email, and everyone's signing up. Come up with your own version of twitter and put it in email ... and what? Everyone's signing up. I don't know what happened with
Google Wave, but everything else seems to catch on.
I've been saying this for a long time, and I will say it again. Google is taking over. Now with Buzz, here are some things I'm wondering about:
- How will it affect Twitter...and to a lesser degree Facebook?
- What will employers think about Google Buzz? More distraction for workers?
- Will the productivity level of employees soar or reduce?
- What about misdirected information...you know how you send an email to everyone in your department when it's meant for one person
If anything, I think Google will come up with a Corporate version of Buzz and convince companies that it's worth their while to utilize it. Heck, they've pretty much sold all their other products.
Now I wish we could come up with some information database thing like this in African countries!!!
But let's be real. Some people are skeptical about Google. And yes, we do have to question what Google's motives are. I read somewhere recently that the CIA is looking to improve upon it's information base. Well, if they partnered up with Google, that would be deadly. Why? Google has all the information. Unless you decide not to go on the internet EVER!
The way I see it, Google is the new world order. And at some point, we're gonna have to come on board or jump ship. At the end of the day, it's a plus for information access. And as we all know, knowledge is power. Check out fellow Ghana blogger,
Emmanuel Bensah's post on Google domination.
Anyway, this is not supposed to be a long post. And I should probably be careful what I post, seeing that Google controls my blog platform too. LOL. Back to work.
In Google Bliss,
J
--
Photo Source:
09_google_k.jpg
-
-
20:32
»
Circumspect
[Haven't read part 1? Do so here]
"This is all your fault!"someone hissed. Jostled from her reverie, Amsatou looked up in confusion. She glanced at her young cousin to her left, who stared blankly back at her. Realizing that it was her other cousin who had spoken, Amsatou sighed deeply and looked to her right. Leila's face had an accusatory air to it, and she was wearing her usual black top with the words "I Love N.Y." proudly displayed in red. Leila was a good five years older than Amsatou, but at 23, her smooth face and soft voice made her look as though she had just stopped suckling at her mother's breast."What are you talking about?" Amsatou replied, feigning ignorance. She hooked her arm securely around her bucket's handle and quickened her already fast pace. Auntie Adiza was a good distance ahead of the girls, and was still muttering incoherently to herself. Amsatou glanced down at her aunt's small feet; ordinarily chocolate brown in complexion, they had taken on a reddish tinge from walking in the orange clay soil that was characteristic of new communities like Adenta. Feeling a nudge at her side, Amsatou turned and looked down at ten -year old Selma, the youngest of her aunt's five children and the prettiest. "She's talking about Mr. Adjaklu," Selma offered, before breaking into a fit of giggles. Amsatou opened her mouth to respond."What are you girls doing way back there? Have you seen the time?" Auntie Adiza was standing a few houses away from them, arms akimbo, and she didn't look too amused. "It's already six o'clock, we haven't even found water for tonight's meal, and you three are busy modeling? Do you think this is a catwalk? Hurry up, will you!" As abruptly as she'd stopped to address them, Auntie Adiza turned on her heel and walked off.Amsatou transferred her empty bucket to her right arm, and reached down with her left to grab Selma's free hand. Staring straight ahead, she walked quickly. Selma struggled to keep up. Amsatou didn't need to look to her right to know that Leila was glaring angrily at her. She could feel it. Auntie Adiza might have rescued her from Leila's confrontation, but she knew it would come up again. A wave of heat spread across Amsatou's face. There it was again, the guilt that was slowly eating away at her insides. After the default tuo-zaafi and green soup that night, Amsatou helped Selma with her homework, while Leila cleaned up. It was ten o'clock. The group had returned from their water expedition just as the call to the final prayer for the day was being made. After filling the kettle-like containers with rain water collected two night earlier, Leila performed ablution and joined the others in saying their prayers. All three of them: Asr, Maghrib and Isha. Islamic tradition dictated that the five daily prayers be said at their appointed times. But surely, Allah would be understanding and forgive their tardiness. They had been in search of water since 2pm that afternoon. At 6:45pm, they'd trailed exhaustedly into the open compound of their 3-bedroom bungalow without a single drop of water to show for all their toil. Fortunately, Auntie Adiza's husband, Baba, had succeeded in filling two of the jerry cans he had taken to work, and Auntie Adiza had used some of that water to prepare the evening meal.Amsatou wondered why they couldn't just fetch water from the school where Baba taught mathematics. Afterall, they were already paying for taps that didn't flow. Would it hurt to get the water elsewhere? Ghanaian politicans always promised to ensure that the taps ran, because "water is life, and of course, nobody should be denied the right to such an essential commodity." Then, they went and used their flamboyant expressions on so-called investors, who had no qualms about charging double the actual price in order to secure high profit margins for their non-Ghanaian companies. However, the politicians weren't the worst. In Amsatou's book, it was men like Mr. Adjaklu who were the real perpetrators."Amsatou, I'm finished. Can I go and sleep now?" Selma rubbed her drowsy eyes with the back of her hand. Reaching across the mahogany coffee table for her young cousin's exercise book, Amsatou smiled tiredly. "Let me look it over , so you make corrections okay?" Selma's lower lip quivered, "But I'm tired," she whined. Amsatou looked over her shoulder towards her aunt's bedroom, which was cracked slightly open. Her aunt was probably counting the money she'd made from selling her popular rice and beans at the market. "Okay, go and sleep. I'll finish it for you." She watched as Selma got up and walked towards the room the three girls shared. She got to the door, and as if remembering something important, stopped, turned around, cocked her head to the side and said, 'Thank you, okay?" before disappearing into the warm confines of their bedroom.Amsatou remained seated on the green plastic mat that served as makeshift furniture when the family had guests. Selma never ceased to amaze her. She was one of the most considerate, intelligent and mature ten-year olds Amsatou knew. Her perceptiveness always left people scratching their heads in confusion. Even old folk with bald or graying heads. Some suggested that Auntie Adiza's deceased mother had come back as Selma. Grandmother's spirit or not, Amsatou was glad to have Selma in her life. They interacted more as sisters who were close in age, than as cousins with eight years between them. Ever since Selma was born, Amsatou had taken a special liking to her. Maybe it was because she had no siblings of her own. No, that couldn't be it. Her relationship with Leila was nowhere close to what she shared with Selma. Amsatou had helped take care of her aunt's youngest daughter after she was born. While everyone slept at night, the then eight-year old Amsatou would keep an ear open for Selma's soft wail, and once she heard it, she would hurry over to her cousin's side and offer her little finger, which baby Selma grabbed onto almost immediately. The two were inseparable, and people often mistook Amsatou for Selma's big sister. Initially, Amsatou would explain, "I'm actually not her big sister. Leila is. I'm her cousin." Each time, the inquirer would respond, "Cousin? Ah-ah, do we even have cousins in Ghana? That's Western talk. She's your sister, have you heard?" The idea of having her very own sister had grown on her, and each time someone asked, Amsatou would respond with a huge smile on her face, "Yes, I'm her big sister." "Doing her homework for her again, are we?" As if to remind Amsatou of the fact that Selma had a blood sister, Leila appeared from the kitchen. Grabbing a wooden stool from the corner of the room, she sat down. Amsatou ignored her. She'd taken to ignoring her a lot these days. Leila watched as Amsatou signed her name right below Selma's neat handwriting, and then said: "You know, if you keep doing her homework for her, she'll never learn anything. All those fees Mma struggles to pay will go to waste." Amsatou pretended not to have heard. She closed the exercise book and reached for Selma's book bag. She knew exactly where Leila was headed with this. Almost on cue, Leila stretched out her legs, and reached for a tuft of her hair, which she proceeded to braid."Come to think of it, if you just did what Mr. Adjaklu wanted, we wouldn't have to spend ages water-hunting, and Selma would be able to concentrate on her school work." Grinding her teeth together silently, she fastened the buttons on the green book-bag. Leila laughed dryly. "You could save us from this struggle, but because of your selfish pride, you won't. Or is it that you think you're so much better than the rest of us?" Still, Amsatou ignored her. She got up, placed Selma's book bag against the wall and retreated into the bedroom. A couple of minutes later, she felt the mattress sink in as her cousin joined her on the queen-sized bed. "I know you're intentionally ignoring me, but think about what I said," Leila muttered before turning to face the wall. And that's all Amsatou did that night. Think. --This piece was written by Jemila AbdulaiAll Rights Reserved.
Photo
-
13:22
»
Circumspect
A tune of devastation plays over the land
Time is trying to heal yet still no one understands
A lifetime of work all buried under endless rubble
And all over the land people gather in a huddle
In search of an explanation that for now remains a mystery
Mourning the many thousands, their eyes unleashing their misery
Through disobedient tears
And the debris of disaster does little to diminish their fears
Dark clouds continue to hover ominously above
Seemingly relegating all hope to some dark inaccessible enclave
Forlorn faces now adorn the streets with much murkiness
Shattered dreams scattered around with great sullenness
The battle for survival rages on unabated
While the shrill cries for help are constantly reverberated
Across the globe with one simple plea, “Help Us”
Gloomy images are beamed live on our TV screens
Of mothers earnestly in search of their children
And men so palpably grief-stricken
That they can’t help but break down and cry
As their whole life’s work evaporates before their very eyes
I know I can’t comprehend your pain
But I can offer you a prayer to make things change
Because no matter how difficult your burdens may appear
I know in due time God wipes away every tear
Just continue to hang on to hope
And he’ll surely help you cope
Haiti this is a poem I wrote from my heart
Urging you to stand tall despite your hurt
And to believe you will overcome this strain
Yes Haiti, from your ashes you will rise again
God bless and strengthen you, Amen
This poem was written by Masahoud Codjoe
--
Photo Source:
Haiti photo
-
-
22:16
»
Circumspect
Another double (multiple?) entendre piece. Enjoy!
--I'm in that mode again. You know, the one that only I can savor and others find irritating.I'm not trying to be anti-so[cial]. Far from it. I'm totally engrossed. In. YOU.Try as I might, I keep coming back to this place. If only to hear you utter one more line.And even when you fail to switch it up, and it's the same thing on replay I'm too hooked to notice. Or rather, I'm too hooked
not to notice...YOU! People say "her ears dey sweet her". I don't care. Let them blabber. All I'm listening to is you.Some figure it should be a quick act - a hit it and quit it.But me? No way. I want to savor every delicious bit.You hear that? Every. Delicious. Bit.
Now, I'm not saying that I overanalyze..But the things you say, I simply can't resist. I have to comply.When you say sway slightly, my hips react on their ownAnd you talk about beautiful smiles, my lips curve in replyMy ears twitch to hear more. And my heart's a-racing in anticipation.They say I pay them no heed. But in truth, I've lost my mind and I gotta find it.There, I said it. You drive me crazy.
And the best moments. Goodness gracious. They're the ones of just you and I.Sure, we could be surrounded by dozens. Or be seated in a clattering train.But all I'm focused on is YOU. Hanging on to your every word. Your every move.I can have my eyes closed. And still anticipate that change in tempo.Because our very beings are in tune. You are to me as I am to you.With the nightfall comes even better times. Somber moments of reflection gazing upon thine eyes. You keep me spellbound. It's inconsequential to say.
Now we both know: others might chance upon you.But when all is said and done, honey, you know your way home.And then its butterflies and thumping hearts all over again.Just like the very first day. When you were you, and I was I.And we became us.And like old folk, we begin to think, look and sound alike.Where do you think I got these "ronning" skills from?
Lyrics!
;)
--Photo Source:
music.jpg
-
-
17:21
»
Circumspect
Pitch dark. Either way you look at it, that's all it is. Black, dark, uninteresting, uninspired.
You move your head to the right and you might as well stay in your initial position, nothing's changed.
How ever did you come upon the depths of the Mariana trench?Professor A. certainly wasn't kidding when he said it was the lowest point of the earth.But even he hadn't the slightest idea of just how low it gets.Battered and torn. Tattered and forlorn. A misguided grin creeps upon your face.It wasn't always like this.
Far from it. At one point, you were riding high, soaring to the skies. Believed you'd landed among the stars. And then, like all the others, you never saw it coming. Scorn reinstated.And oh, what the downthrow it was.Out flew the self-respect, in seeped the conceitTo hell with the morals, who's even thinking values?In that vacuum greed and self-satisfaction took seedAnd boy, what a party they threw!
Eventually, it appeared on the surface, in plain day light for all to seeNeglect, insecurity, dishonesty - that trio wrecked havocSoon, the dollars, euros, eco- all the currency drained awayThey say: "You will never lose women chasing money, but you will lose money chasing women"Then why the hell had Ms. L. - who'd been there regardless of account balance - left? The cronies were next. Damn it! You'd stuck your neck out for some of them!Finally, the people who should have stuck around - your own flesh and blood - even they left
They didn't leave, you didWho said that?
I did. You did. We did.So this is where delusion sets in.
You're not delusional...confused maybe, but all your faculties are top-notchThen why am I talking to myself? That's it! I've lost it.
If that's how you want to see it.Look here me, myself and I - whichever one you are. Quit your nonsense!
If that's what you want.That's what I'm...wait, you listened. Nobody's listened in a while.
Of course I listened. I've always listened. Can't say the same for you though.
I'll ignore that. Heavens, I'm talking to myself!
About time. It's taken you long enough.So...you are?
I'm whoever you choose to be. Okay, right this moment?
I'm hope, faith, love. A few hours ago I was fear, despondence, and hate.Wow. You're deep.
Thank you. You too.So if you're those three, what are you doing in the depths of nothingness?
Question is: What are YOU doing here?Me? I don't know, I guess I got off track. Beats me.
Un-huhHey. You know, right? C'mon tell me.
Not with that tone, I won't.Please.
How can I be sure you'll listen?Do I look like I'm going anywhere else?
You have a point. You're exactly where you need to be.
So...
So?Aren't you going to tell me?
Tell you what?How I ended up such a failure. How I lost it all. How... *Sobs*
I just did.When was that?
A few seconds agoI don't think so...wait, you said I'm where I need to be. Are you mocking me?
Now why would I do that?Because, because..
Yes?I don't know.
Now you're ready to hear the truthI am?
Yes. If you'll let me finishSorry. Go on.
Admitting your weaknesses is the first step toward empowering yourselfListening to yourself is the first step toward knowing and loving yourselfWith love, you shall always strive to sponsor the action of loveBearing in mind that what you do unto another, you do unto yourself
Like I said, you're deep. But what has this got to do with me?
Everything.I don't understand. I was rich, now I'm poor. I had friends, now I'm alone. I had love, now...
Go on...I still have love.
:)
At the top of the world, I thought I was unstoppable. I stopped working myself, stopped improving myself. I became satisfied in and within myself.Then I neglected myself. And once that top was sent a-spinning, it didn't stop.I became confused. Forgot about loving my fellow humans, for how can I do for them what I neglected to do for myself?And then. Then, I became bitter because nobody's reciprocated...Or so I thought.
What you do unto another, you do unto yourself
Exactly!I hated myself, to the very depth and core. And then. Then I became scared that everyone else would find out.So I covered it up with things. To make it seem like I was ok. But all along, I was screaming for attention.My family and friends called my selfishness to my attention. I told myself they were jealous of my successes, the leeches that they were.By the time I knew it, they'd left. Only, they had not deserted me as I assumed, but rather granted me space: space to refocus.
And now we're here.Yes. Where's here?
Another chanceBut, but...
Hold your tongue. Words are powerful. Besides, we've already determined love still remains. For that alone, you are deserving.Yes I am. Quick question.
Yes?How did love remain? After all that happened. All I did.
You know the answer. But I'll remind you.
Love is all there is. God is all there is. He is never changing, unwavering, ever constant. Even in the worst-case scenario, He is right there with you.He's the fluttering in your heart that produces hope. He is the song of your soul that sponsors joy. And in the depths of darkness, He is the light to your lamp that sees you through.
Wow.
I know right. He's amazing.So, why all this trouble, if He was there all along?
Because you - we - forgot. And to remind us, we had to take the long way home.We had to sit in silence, because that's when the memories of who we had been and could be resurfacedOnce again, we saw our weaknesses, and the desire to be the best we could be was reignited. But most importantly, we saw the blessings He lay upon our path and re-realized that we are worth it. And that's when we opened our eyes and saw love staring back.
Wow.
:)You're amazing.
So are you.
I really do love you.
I know you do.:D I'm ready now.
Let's do this.
Hand in hand, you pick yourself up and look upon a crack of light shining through.
There was a door all along!Still disheveled, still winking in pain, you stumble over.
Your current state matters not. What matters is where you're heading.
With hope, love and faith, open the door to another chance. Go on.
Now all you have to do is take over the reigns, and sail on through.
[When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. - Alexander Graham Bell]
--Written by Jemila AbdulaiAll rights reserved.
Photo
-
-
22:59
»
Circumspect
To days when yes was yes, and no was no, and maybe made sense even when the month wasn't May and there were no bees to be found.
To the final run of teeth through school girl hair in anticipation of seven o'clock when cartoon network assumed its rightful place on GTV.
To afternoons watching "Hindi Movie" while munching on rice and beans, with salad, spagetti, gari and everything in between.
To vacation classes that had less to do with science and math and more to do with mingling with boys-boys, girls-girls and a cross-section of the two.
To waiting in restless anticipation for the weekend in order to escape school. And then waiting in anticipation for Monday to return to school.
To kingsbite chocolate, nkate boga, and coke; worthy prizes for good behavior, hardwork, and treats from visiting family and friends.
To times when internal rivers gushed over things like who got to sit at which dining table chair and who got to be (claim) which power ranger
To moments when it was perfectly normal for siblings to fight like cats and dogs and immediately resume collaborative mischief against everyone else
To the morning rush to call shot-gun, sit up front and decide who could read the Daily Graphic, Junior Graphic and Spectator first
Back to when.
When the simple things counted.
When life was all play and tears were momentary lapses.
When being troublesome was the norm, and being "good" the exception
When mistakes were okay and ego barely known
When laughter and smiles were abundant regardless of strife
When kids could be kids - acting grown-up, without actually being it.
Back to... when?
Yea. Sure seems like a distant memory, doesn't it?
--
Photo 1 Photo 2
-
-
22:12
»
Circumspect
[Something I've been working on. I intended to use it for something else, but I feel like I'd rather share it with you guys! Everything in it's own time. Dedicated to YOWLI 08ers! Thoughts appreciated. Enjoy!!]
--
Amsatou detested it. Not the weight of the aluminum bucket on her head after it was filled, or the fact that they’d been walking for hours in search of water. No. Those she could handle. Those were part of life.
What she could not tolerate was the feeling of guilt that nibbled at her conscience every time they reached a station, only to be told there was no water available for sale that day. And here it was playing itself out again.
Amsatou loosened her orange and blue tie-dye cloth from her waist, grabbed a corner of it, and raised it to her sweaty, round face.
“Oh, uncle. Even this small bucket? Won’t you give us water for this small one? Me pa wo kyew.”
Amsatou looked up towards the partly blue, party grey metal gate with peeling oil paint where her aunt was begging a stout, dark man. Like most of the middle-aged men in Accra, the beginnings of a pot belly was protruding beneath his oversized t-shirt.
“Madam, I said we have no water to sell! Are you deaf?” The man shouted over the low gate. “The small water we have too, you people want to take away. Instead of going to work to connect your house to the water system, you lazy, good for nothing…”
He didn’t get a chance to finish.
“Hey! Hey!” Auntie Adiza snapped.
Dropping her wide rimmed basin onto the ground, she advanced towards the gate and began to clap her hands loudly.
“I didn’t come here for you to insult me oo! I’m not your size, do you hear me? If you won’t give us the water, just say so! But don’t you dare call me lazy, have you heard! Mchew!”
With that, she adjusted her faded Dutch print cloth across her chest, picked up the basin that was twice her size, and said, “Let’s go! Nkwasiasem kwa kwa!”
Amsatou and her cousins trudged behind Auntie Adiza’s retreating back. Auntie Adiza was right about one thing. She was not his size. For someone with such a small structure, Auntie Adiza’s voice and demeanor were quite overbearing. And those eyes; large, round, and expressive. Those eyes could throw daggers at a person when she was especially mad. Like right now.
“Can you imagine him calling me lazy? Ah! The impudence!” Auntie Adiza muttered as they walked past houses with high cement walls topped with multi-colored pieces of glass from broken coke, sprite and fanta bottles.
Amsatou found it amusing how easily Auntie Adiza had taken personal offense to the man’s words even though he’d referred to all four of them. But then again, that was Auntie Adiza for you. She took personal offense to anything that implicated any member of her family. It was her fierce protectiveness that had blinded Amsatou to the fact that this Napoleon character of a woman wasn’t actually her real mother.
Like many other children across Ghana, Amsatou had been brought to Accra for grooming by her aunt; a successful trader at the Medina market. Never mind the fact that Auntie Adiza had her own children to look after, or that the meager wages she made from selling
waakye was barely enough. So long as she was living in the capital city and not the village, she was successful.
As for Amsatou’s own mother, she'd had no say in the matter. What could a mother say when family members, both far and near, insisted that it was time for her only child to earn her keep and contribute to the family's income?
When the land hardened itself against the hoes and machetes it was all-too familiar with; a silent rebellion against all the years it had been denied the opportunity to fallow and regain its nutrients?
When the old-school black and white TV set that Amsatou's father owned showed the apparent wealth and opulence of people living in Accra through Ghanaian films like
Beyonce: The President's Daughter and
Perfect Picture.
When, by all indications, it was certain that the grass had to be greener on the other side.
She'd resisted sending her daughter for two years. She'd used Amsatou's lithe and frail body as an excuse for why the child was unwell and too sick to be subjected to the hard labor her peers had already been introduced to. And for two years that excuse had worked.
Until last season's harvest.
The village women had gathered around the large cotton tree in the wee hours of the morning as they normally did on harvest day. They'd chattered amongst themselves about who's husband was about to take on their second, third, or fourth wife, and how the junior wives of the time had no respect, absolutely none, for the first wives.
Laughing and chattering, arguing and shouting, a thick silence had befallen them when they arrived at the village farm. It was as if doomsday had finally descended upon humanity.
The leaves of the tomato plants, the corn ears, everything, had a deathly look to it. It was as if someone had decided to take the
chilo or khol that the women used to adorn their eyes and spray it all over the farm.
Black, rotten produce. That's what that harvest day had brought. And even as she joined the other women in salvaging what they could of the deathly farm, Amsatou's mother had known that she would lose her only child.
The morning of Amsatou's departure was a beautiful one with the sun peering playfully over the horizon. For Amsatou's mother, the weather had rubbed in the cruel reality of her situation.
She'd put on a stoic face and fought the urge to cry as her husband carted their daughter away from the collection of grass-thatched huts they called home. Every step seven-year old Amsatou took in her brand new blue bird
chale wotes was like a death grip on her mother's soul; a tightening of iron chains that threatened to squeeze the very life out of her.
As for Amsatou, she couldn't have been happier. Not because she was going to the big city where everyone had a job and wore western clothes shipped straight from America, but because the blue flip-flops she was wearing had been bought especially for this occasion.
Because they were her very first.
[Continue to part 2]
--This piece was written by Jemila AbdulaiAll Rights Reserved
Photo
-
21:36
»
Circumspect
Sweat trickling down her browSkin pulsating as blood rushes through her veinsFluorescent light overhead; blinding, but all she can do is stareSomewhere in the distance, voices chattering"Is she okay?" "Breathe" "It won't be long now"This is what death must feel like.
Seconds later, in impressions of eternityThe pain slashes at her heart and her very coreThat portion of her that none but few hath the pleasure of knowingAngel of Death, pray come take me and end this miseryNothing.Huffing and puffing, if only she could blow that house down!
"Almost there" "Keep going" "Almost there"Ah! If almost there, wouldn't she have arrived by nowA scream retches the air. Hers. From whence it came, she knoweth notBlood rushing, skin pulsating and then searing painCorrection, this is what HELL must feel like.
Plastic touching her brow, cold wet cloth offering little respiteEarth shattering. The very core of her hurled back and forthIn resistance to? Or rather in tune with?Why me? What have I done to deserve this? You know I was ever faithful Lord.Nothing
Okay fine, maybe a white lie here and there, but this?"Keep going" "Almost there" "Breathe""Shut up!!"SilenceThank you.
As suddenly, it all stopsBlood stream flowing lazily, breathing no longer laboredCalm, eerie calm.Ah, this is what heaven must feel like
Another scream. Guess I spoke too soonFrom whence cometh that...that...sound!"You did it" "Beautiful" "Absolute Perfection"Eyes open slightly as tired sigh escapes parched lipsSudden weight in arms, head motions forwardBrown eyes barely open, pouting mouth twitchingThe spitting image of his dadGood Lord, this is what love must feel like.
--Photo Source:
Photo
-
-
20:05
»
Circumspect
Oh the joys of motherhood. My baby Blanche de Castille (hp dv 6000 laptop) is ill and even as I type this, I might be pushing it. But hopefully, "safe mode" is exactly what it says it is. Safe. So a couple of weeks ago, someone accidentally spilled some liquid on Blanche, and like any true baby who's exposed to the elements, Blanche has gone through a series of ailments. First her keys were sticky and the quickplay buttons wouldn't work. I didn't really mind that, don't really use them much anyway --except for the mute button.
Then the mousepad was acting iffy. To rectify that, I switched the primary mouse from the left to the right. Thing is, whenever I switch her on, it alternates between the two. So I can never tell which my primary mouse is, unless I remember what it was the last time. Sigh. That I could handle as well.
Next, the battery wouldn't charge. It got up to 1% battery power left, and anytime I accidentally unplugged the power cord, everything would shut down. Which, you can imagine, can be VERY annoying. Anyway, I figured that so long as it was just the battery, and not the motherboard and all that, I could handle it.
Until. Until Blanche started freezing up. I'd be working on something, and she'd just freeze up. The mouse would move, but nothing was "clickable". Frustrating! Each time, I'd have to restart her - which I doubt, could be very good for her. Talk about having the flu with chills and the fever!
Finally, I decided to go see the Geek Squad at the local Best Buy. Now tell me how this girl, or rather, her battery, decides to work perfectly once the attendant plugs her in. He didn't do anything special, I ran him through everything I'd done, but it turns out she just wanted some geek guy to hold her. I mean, how? Isn't that the ultimate betrayal? Anyway, since her senses are obviously not in the right place, I've forgiven her. Her fan is working alright, that's supposed to be a good sign.
So I come home, thinking everything will be fine. But it's the same old drill. Turn Blanche on. Work for 5-10 minutes. Screen freezes. Restart. Over and over again. Sigh. I'm a patient person, but not THAT patient. I ran a diagnostics test, which told me her memory was fine. I checked to see if any drivers needed updating. All in top-notch working order -- or so it says. Finally, I decided to just restore her to before all these dire symptoms started.
Lucky me, my dad is a computer scientist. So desperate daughter shoots daddy dearest an email about how sick Blanche is, and my dad tells me to use CCleaner, which I've done. So far, so good. Maybe if I just work in safe mode it'll be ok? Thing is, not everything works in safe mode. Like my itunes isn't working cos the audio hardware is disabled. Sigh. I really hope Blanche gets well soon and that it was just an annoying plug-in or virus that was making her act up. Else I'm gonna have to start a get-jemi-a-laptop fund.
But Alhamdulilahi. I'm not as worked up as I'd normally be. I figured, everything has it's time and place. And with Haiti going on, who am I to complain about a sick laptop? There are other important things to deal with. Besides, I need to get on studying for the GRE anyway.
In this digital world, things like this creep up all the time. So here are some pointers for you, if you ever have a liquid spill.
1 - Turn off your computer and disconnect the power. According to the geek squad attendant, the computer shouldn't be used for a good number of days after a liquid spill. I didn't get that memo early enough.
2 - Back up all your important documents. Use a jump drive, external hard drive, CD, whatever. I couldn't run a proper back up so I just copied and pasted onto Ebony-Noire (my external hard drive)
3 - Run a virus check. If you already have virus software like McAfee installed, use that. Otherwise, try
CCleaner.
4 - If your computer is under warranty, contact the maker -- Hp, Dell etc. You might qualify for a free diagnostics or servicing.
5 - Research or contact your tech savvy friends. The geek squad guy told me the diagnostics would cost about $170. After a little research, I figured out how to do it on my own. Check computer forums, youtube etc.
6 - Sometimes, it has nothing to do with the spill (or hardware) but rather your software. Check to make sure all the key drivers have been updated. If so, check to see what your latest updates were. Maybe one of them is causing your computer to malfunction. Restore your computer to just before the update and see what happens. If your computer doesn't allow you to do this in normal mode, switch to Safe Mode. If you need to get online, use Safe Mode with networking.
7- Reinstall the operating system. If all else fails, you might need to reinstall your OS. Bear in mind that this would mean losing EVERYTHING. Make sure you've backed up what you need. Also, make sure you have the necessary software (CDs) to reinstall. Especially if you have Microsoft Office and so on installed. They will be wiped out with the system restore.
8 - Keep the faith. I believe that the personal connection I have with Blanche, helps determine the outcome of many things. I'm sending positive vibes to her right now so she gets well soon. And what would you know? I just worked on an entire blog entry; must be working :)
Besides...there's no use crying over spilled milk.
--
Photo Source:
Photo 1,
Photo 2,
Photo 3
-
-
7:43
»
Circumspect
When will Haiti get a break? In the midst of extreme poverty from tsunamis to floods to earthquakes, these people have endured more than some of us can ever imagine. My heart breaks for
Haiti. Not because it's poor, but rather because these people's efforts at rebuilding their lives are continuously thwarted. Some people don't understand what the fuss about Haiti is. After all, earthquakes are nothing new. A so-called evangelist, Pat Robertson - who apparently ran for the U.S. Presidency?! - went as far as saying that the
earthquake is a result of a "pact" Haiti made with Satan. Seriously, give Haiti a break.
Haiti Profile
I heard about the earthquake during a
Young Professionals in Foreign Policy event I was covering for work Tuesday night, when the Brazilian representative mentioned it. Brazil and many other countries have a strong presence in the Caribbean nation as they strive to help it get on its feet. This country which was once a beacon of hope for the Diaspora - being the first Latin American nation to gain independence and the first post-colonial independent black-led nation in the world, the result of successful slave rebellion - has fallen far into the depths of extreme poverty. Some people even refer to it as a "fourth world" country. Contrast this with the levels of opulence found next door in some places like the U.S. and it just doesn't make sense. But I guess it never does.
Gone in Seconds
For some reason, Haiti's unfortunate events have rattled me to the core. I don't know why. I wondered about an aid worker who I interviewed late last year. She's currently in Pakistan or Afghanistan I believe. During the interview she mentioned that her first relief assignment was in Haiti with a local NGO and right there, she knew she'd found her calling in life. I can only imagine how she must feel hearing this news. And now, according to CNN, about
100,000 people are feared dead - possibly more. Don't get a sense of the enormity of the situation? How many people do you know? 100,000 give or take? Well, imagine all of those people gone, just like that, in mere SECONDS.
It's just very disheartening to think that this poor nation's capital, Port-au-Prince, along with its administrative, health, governance, and diplomatic faculties have been rendered incapable in mere seconds. To make matters worse, the majority of the foreigners based in Haiti - relief and aid workers - have also suffered numerous losses with the UN reporting damages to its properties and possible staff deaths in the hundreds. It doesn't make sense, but Allah knows best.
If nothing at all, this event is a reminder that humanity is at the mercy of Almighty Allah. We humans really are very fragile, yet we tend to forget. A mere parasite, changes in temperature, or tectonic plates turning in their beds, and the fragility of humans is evident. Natural disasters and circumstances unify us, where man-made situations separate us. This could happen to any country, at any time.
How You Can Help Give Haiti A Break
With the extent of the damage, aid organizations are requesting monetary donations for now. For God's sake and for whatever you hold dear, kindly do one of the following. Even if all you have left is $10, please send $5 along. You will still have $5; many Haitians will not only have $0, they would have also lost their loved ones or shared in national grief.
> Text "YELE" to 501501 to donate $5 to Haitian national, Wyclef Jean's NGO Yele. Your donation amount will be charged to your phone bill. You can donate via the same cell number six times, I believe. For larger donations, kindly visit
http://www.yele.org.
> Text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross; also charged to your phone bill. For non-US/Canada donations please contact your local
Red Cross/Red Crescent.
You can also send your donations through other NGOs. But in order to ensure you're not being
scammed, here are two lists of reputable NGOs with operations in Haiti:
-
*
Devex List (Development Executive Group)
- *
CNN List
For those of us who cannot contribute in cash, prayers will do nicely. Also, once the alert is given for donations in kind - clothes, food items, etc - kindly make an effort to contribute.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE.” [1 Corinthians 13:13]
May the victims of this disaster RIP. God bless Haiti, and God protect us all.
--
Photo Sources:
Photo 1,
Photo 2,
Photo 3
-
-
17:24
»
Circumspect
-
-
20:47
»
Circumspect
.jpg)
Dear Descendant,
If my projections are accurate, you should be reading this letter in the year 2100; by which time I have probably become part of Mother Earth --or what's left of her. The present year is 2010, on the ninth day of January. The time is approximately 7:53pm ET and the location is Washington, D.C. Why all these details? I don't know. I just thought that maybe some of these details would interest you -- especially considering your world must be very different from what mine is. And given the fact that humanity must be on the verge of extinction.
Extinction?!
Humanity on the verge of extinction in 2100? I fervently hope that projection is inaccurate. Even writing it feels ridiculous. I mean how? The most advanced of all of Earth's species extinct? Mais, c'est pas possible! Well, according to Lucy's story on Earth 2100, it is very probable. Especially if we don't wake up and act soon. And what's worse, it's our own negligent actions that will do us in. Yep, like all the other great civilizations before ours - the Mayans, the Romans, and God knows who else.
Earth 2100
What's this Earth 2100? Well. I just found out about it myself. It's a
History Channel documentary that covers climate change and the turn of events following humanity's negligence of Mother Earth and the natural balance. Just in case this letter is intercepted before the year 2100, I would suggest checking local listings or youtube and watching Earth 2100. It definitely woke me up.
Climate Change
Already, things seem to be going downhill. Evidence of climate change is all around us. Apparently, the heat in Ghana and other African countries is unbearable. It is expected that sea levels will rise rapidly over the coming years, and given the fact that most "modern" and advanced settlements are coastal, the physical manifestations of our "success" might soon be wiped out. As many expected, the Coppenhagen Talks failed. Some are saying that the 2015 talks might be better, but environmentalists and other scientists are telling us that waiting till 2015 is cutting it close. According to Lucy and Earth 2100's 'worst case scenario', the 2015 talks fail as well and humanity spirals down into nothingness.
Ripple Effect...For the Worst
It's quite a delicate web we live in, this thing called life. Some people think it philosophical nonsense when others say 'we are all connected.' To those people, I suggest watching
Avatar. To you, dear descendant, Avatar must seem like child's play when it comes to top notch movie technology. But in this day and age, it's the happening thing. Especially in 3-D. Yea, so back to the intricate web of connectedness. Essentially, what happens with climate change -- or what has already been set in gear -- is that our insatiable demand for natural resources - wood, oil, and what-have-you, leads to an outright rebellion by Mother Earth.
Since we no longer allow trees the necessary time to grow, they stop growing altogether. Nations continue to fight for oil, especially countries like the one I'm currently in, where the dependence on oil is on catalytic proportions. With all the feuding going on, the inequality gap continues to increase, and where starvation and poverty were only associated with Africa and some parts of Asia - even though every country has its own nooks and crannies of utmost poverty - it has become the global norm.
Global Warming
Global warming reaches new highs and with it, the melting of the Earth's ice regions and glaciers. This further destabilizes the water cycle and leads to reduced food production, more starvation, more fights, more poverty. If we humans are already panicking, you can imagine what other species are doing. Everyone and everything is scrambling for what little is left. Even those species we consider "pests". Hence, the little food we have is besieged with disease and attacked before they even grow their full term. Life is hard. But according to Lucy, it only gets worse.
Sure, there are efforts made and in some places, New York, apparently, innovations in wind and solar energy afford the people living there more time. Turns out it's only borrowed time. Once they realize the gravity of the situation, desperate measures are taken -- measures which only worsen events. And so, dear descendant, according to Lucy, in the year 2100 she is one of the few humans left and one of the oldest at that. What she was able to experience - breathing in clean air, feeling the brush of the wind on her cheek, watching birds fly from tree to tree - she can only tell you about, and you in turn, can only imagine.
The Fight Against?
The only things that are timeless are the simple things in life. The memories, the feelings, the connections. And even those, we risk losing for all our greed. I sincerely hope that when you read this, dear descendant, that it turns out to be quite a hilarity. Not because someone like me thought this letter would make it to 2100, but because all that Lucy talked about in Earth 2100 came to naught. Because we made the necessary corrections to our systems before it was too late. Because we finally gave the respect due to Mother Earth, and realized that we all really are connected.
Maybe there is hope yet. If more people ponder the arguments put forth by Earth 2100. If more people watch the youtube videos below and forward them on to their family, friends, acquaintances. If humanity comes together, as we have always done in the midst of crisis, to make the necessary changes.
With hope for humanity's future,
Your great-great-great-great-great grandmother
P.S. This happens to be my 150th post! It's crazy how much ground has been covered in 2.5 years! To many more!
Earth 2100 Part 1 [Please go to Youtube to watch the remaining parts]
--
Photo Source:
[www.freemoviestheatre.com] 
-
16:03
»
Circumspect
Salut Tout le Monde,
Here are my responses to the
"Ask Me Anything: Q&A session". Interestingly enough, most of the questions and suggestions I got are development based. And frankly, I think it's time I got back on development anyhow. So, keep an eye out for more blogs on development-related issues (corruption, education, investment etc).
The question below came from Mash via Facebook. He sent me some very relevant questions, which deserve an entire post each, so instead of a short answer, I'm going to go in depth with each response. I'm interested in seeing what you peeps think about what he asks, whether you agree with me, or disagree and all of that. Do leave your own opinions and thoughts after reading.
Q: What in your opinion is the greater impediment to development in Africa? Poor leadership or harsh conditionalities by donor organizations?
A: Both poor leadership and harsh conditionalities make navigating the development trail hard for African countries. But in my opinion, one takes precedence over the other. Poor leadership is without a doubt, the greater impediment. Especially since it's the lack of the necessary leadership that gives birth to some of these "harsh conditionalities".
I understand that being a leader is not an easy task. It takes a deep understanding of not only one's country or charge, but also the political, socio-economic and global climate. However, those should not be an excuse for slacking on one's responsibilities as a leader. African leaders' obligation is - and should be- to their people first and foremost, because it's the people who entrust them with their resources, lives, hopes and dreams.
Many leaders today feel entitled to the positions they occupy. And maybe, it's true to some degree. They might have made great strides in education and professionally, with degrees and accolades to show for their work. But when it comes to representing one's people or a cause, I believe it's important not to rest on one's laurels and just assume that things will come easy. Nothing worthwhile comes easy.
The Well of Poverty
I often make the comparison between African leaders and "a well of poverty", a spin-off of the cycle of poverty. Most Africans are stuck in that well and just about every one is trying to climb out of it. Some will step on their fellow Africans in order to get closer to the opening, while others sit sunken-eyed in a corner of the well and submit themselves to their fate. Others still discuss plans for escaping the well, but alas, when they attempt to put the plan together by building a 'human ladder' of sorts, those who refused to partake in the plan, simply thwart their efforts by pushing them aside.
Once in a while, someone is able to escape that well of poverty; usually by making promises to some of the well's inhabitants, who then contribute what little resources they have so as to see this person emerge as their "leader". In some instances, these leaders succeed in pulling some of their counterparts out of the well -- usually within the first couple of years of holding the position as minister, president or what-have-you. In most cases however, the "leader" gets out of the well, looks down at the beseeching eyes of his supporters and spits on them, wondering to him or herself how he/she ever associated with such scum. After all those years in the well, it's his/her time to live in luxury and enjoy the comforts of life. That's when the feeling of entitlement starts, and it just goes downhill from there.
Donor Conditionalities
For those of us who don't really understand what donor conditionalities are, I'll try to explain. Take a regular bank. People go there for loans and most of those loans have terms of application or conditions. The borrower usually requires some form of collateral in order to issue the loan. At the end of the day, it's an agreement between two parties and any deviations from the agreement incur some penalties.
It's the same thing with developing or African countries and big shot loaners like the World Bank, IMF, developed countries like the U.S. etc. Only a tad more complex. African countries seek to pursue certain development projects - say, providing water to their citizens. They don't have the capital base, so they go to these institutions which they are members of. The institution agrees to provide the capital on condition that...It's usually a long list of conditions. In some instances it might be said that the African country has to appoint American or British nationals as project managers (for instance). Or that they have to use tools and resources from the West. Or that they have to institute particular policies in order to receive the loan. What makes these conditions "harsh" is the fact that they limit the "policy space" of African leaders. It's like giving someone a list of 10 options with 7 of the options crossed out. Also, it ends up worsening the debt situations of many African countries since the premiums paid on the loans tend to be very high.
Now initially, I was very biased against donor conditionalities. Until recently. Having done a lot of research on donors - particularly U.S. and European - I've gotten a glimpse at their side of the story. Don't get me wrong, I haven't jumped ship. I've just opened my mind to understanding their point of view. Many of these donors regard their loans as investments. Investments are generally risky, but where African countries are concerned - especially in weak democracies like war-torn African countries - they are especially risky. In order to "protect" their investments (and their interests) these donor countries rely on the conditions they place on loans and what-nots. At the end of the day, the West is protecting it's interests. What are we doing to protect ours? That's the question Africans should be asking.
A Question of Interest and Responsibility
More and more, I've come to realize that development work these days is more of business and less of philanthropy. Like any business agency, development organizations invest in ventures that they consider profitable - whether in the long-run or the short run. Hence U.S. and other western agencies protecting their interests.
Now this is where many African leaders have failed to show true leadership. Sure, you might have to take loans from multi-lateral institutions like the World Bank and IMF, and yes, they will impose certain conditions - like insisting that you use resources from a particular country or organization, that you pay a certain premium on a loan etc - BUT your duty is to negotiate the best possible deal for your people.
Many African leaders today are not willing to take the necessary risks or do the necessary work to negotiate the best deals for their constituencies. Why? Because they fear the ire of their western counterparts. At this point, I guess its fair to say that more often than not, the loyalties of many African leaders change - they forget why they're in those positions in the first place. Some of them might argue that they are "just playing the game." But the longer that game is played, the less obligation they feel to their people. Once this happens, it is easier for donors to lay on ridiculous conditions. And seriously, it's not their fault. It's because African leaders let it happen - by not doing their research, by neglecting their duties, and by just falling on the fact that conditions are "harsh".
A Glimmer of Hope
I will say that I am more optimistic about African leadership than I have been in the past. There seems to be a wave of change going around - and I think it has to do with the current generation, and also with technological advancement. With easier access to information, many Africans are seizing opportunities that were closed to them before. And on the international negotiation front, a lot is being done.
With the WTO negotiations for instance, last I checked, there has been somewhat of a forestall because African leaders have (finally) realized that they can use what they have (agriculture) to make the best possible negotiation for their people in other areas. The recent climate talks is another area where African leaders are stepping up to their responsibilities. Sure, it may cause some confusion, but I believe it's making stakeholders think twice when dealing with Africans. Now, they expect a fight and therefore bring somewhat better options to the table.
I believe that African leaders have a lot to offer. And now is a great time to do our homework and strive for the interest of Africans. Donors will always have conditions. But the "harshness" of those conditions are dependent on our leaders' willingness to fight in the interest of their people. Until the necessary signatures are placed on the document, there is still an opportunity to strive for the best deal possible.
--
Photo Source:
Photo 2,
Photo 3,
Photo 4,
Photo 5
-
-
12:41
»
Circumspect
I am so excited to present
Myne Whitman to you guys! Not only is she a fellow blogger, she's an active Circumspector! Plus, she just came out with her debut novel
A Heart to Mend, which she self-published! Yep, that's right! Self-published! So if you're interested in finding out how to get involved in
her interactive blogsville or what the 411 on how to self-publish, go right ahead and read the amazing interview with Myne!
--
Circumspect: Tell us a bit about yourself. Who is Myne Whitman?
Myne Whitman (M.W.): I am a Nigerian writer/blogger. Myne Whitman is a name I coined myself when I began to write seriously while in secondary school. The pseudonym is a play on the transliterated words of my maiden name, Nkem Okotcha. Most of the books I read were in English, and since I was writing in English too, I decided my name would be the same.
Personality-wise, I am quiet and laid-back, but do like a good, loud debate sometimes. In three words, I will describe myself as friendly, caring and fun-loving. I have been a teacher, NGO consultant, banker, skate-hire attendant, researcher and Scottish government worker. After a postgraduate degree and a few years in Edinburgh, Scotland, I now live in the United States with my husband.
Circumspect: Did you ever envision yourself as an author/writer/blogger? Where did the interest come from?
M.W.: I have been writing for a very long time, ever since I was a child and always dreamed of holding a book in my hands with my name on the cover as the author. I decided to start the
Myne Whitman Writes blog because of several factors. Some of the members of my writing group had blogs where they shared excerpts of their work. They advised that I could start one to get more feedback on the story I was writing then, and to know when it's ready for the market. I also got great feedback from readers of my poetry blog on my favorite online forum (
Nigeria Village Square).
When it came time for me to go for a larger audience I was motivated by two Nigerian writing bloggers -
Favoured girl and
Flourishing Florida. Their blogs gave me an idea of what I wanted to do. Blogging has been amazing especially in my chosen niche and I got overwhelming response to the Gladys and Edward story - which is now
A Heart To Mend- which added to my decision to self publish. I'm happy I have been able to establish my blog as a story and writing site and have opened it up to other budding writers. I want to also salute all blogsville members especially those who have stood the test of time and made it the community it is.
Circumspect: About your debut novel - A Heart to Mend - where did the concept come from?
M.W.: I have always wanted to write an engrossing story and from when I was old enough to think about love, the concept of it being unconditional has interested me. The book is about two people, Edward and Gladys, who meet and are [in love] almost immediately, but have difficulty in resolving their feelings for each other, especially because of Edward’s past. Just when they have finally got around to declaring their love for each other, a crisis arises that tests that love to its limits. I also felt that there were not enough romance novels set in contemporary Nigeria, and that I could do something to redress that. That was how
A Heart to Mend was born.
Circumspect: How did you come up with the title?
M.W.: It was an iterative process. I wanted something which reflected one of the main themes of the book - in this case, that they surmounted the obstacles to their love. The manuscript therefore started out as "Not the End of the Road" but as the story progressed and Edward emerged as the focal character, the final title framed his difficulty in committing to a relationship. I still wanted something positive and I felt that “A Heart to Mend” satisfied all counts.
Circumspect: As someone who self-published, can you tell us about the process? Was it hard? What resources did you use?
M.W.: A Heart to Mend is a genre novel or category romance in the suspense line; some may call it romantic fiction. I decided to self publish because I heard some good stories about the process and how it can be successful if you apply yourself. I also decided on the route since I had my full time to dedicate to it and wasn't out purely for commercial success.
To prepare, I took some free online courses and workshops for Creative Writing and Fiction from the University of Utah, MIT, Open University UK and Suite 101. I'm still taking these trainings and they're an on-going project. I also became a member of a writing meet up group in my area which includes traditionally and self published authors and gifted writers and editors. The members were a great help in the course of writing
A Heart to Mend.
Finally my blogger page and the NVS forum where I shared excerpts helped a lot. One particular blogger did a good job as a critic, and I had several bloggers act as [a] focal group for the story. Most important though is my husband who is a talented writer too; he helped edit and proof-read the manuscript before we went to the publishers. Author House has several good things about them and that's why I chose them and they have met those so far.
Circumspect: How would you describe your writing style and how do you find the inspiration to write?
M.W.: I would describe it as direct and simple. I prefer using short sentences and lots of dialogue to tell a story. I like to think that this style is tailored to the situations I'm writing about and will carry my audience on the fluid journey of reading my books. I find inspiration from my life, people around me and stories you read in the news or books. It could be just a sentence in a newspaper or a line in a movie and my imagination just feeds on it.
Circumspect: Who are your key literary influences? Any favorite authors?
M.W.: I look up to almost all authors and writers because I know how much work goes into writing. I have also read very widely, but some authors that come to mind are Barbara Cartland, Francine Rivers, Sidney Sheldon, Flora Nwapa, Buchi Emecheta, Cyprian Ekwensi, and more recently Chimamanda Adichie and Jude Dibia. Of all them I identify most strongly with Buchi Emecheta’s books and characters.
Circumspect: What's your opinion on Africans "taking back their voice" through literature and art?
M.W.: I think it is a very welcome development and can only be positive. It limits the “dangers of a single story” like Chimamanda Adichie pointed out in one of her talks. The more we tell our stories the more versatile Africa is seen to be and the fuller and truer the picture of what our contemporary life is like. Somehow related to this is the surge in the number of African bloggers over the past few years. I think this expands the young African's scope of writing and offers phenomenal scope for us. Writers can see more writing by other Africans that we can relate to, and it also provides a platform to receive constructive criticism that improves our writing.
Circumspect: As a Nigerian living in the U.S. what is your hope for the development of Nigeria and the African continent as a whole?
M.W.: Like most Africans living outside the continent, I hope that my country will become a better place. A country, a continent where things like healthcare, education, and basic amenities like clean water and sanitation are available and accessible to the majority of people right there within the country. Sometimes I think hope is the wrong word, I KNOW we have the capability and resources to achieve these things and so maybe that's a better word. And also, though there seem to be negative reports every day, there is corresponding good news that makes me think this development may come sooner rather than later.
Circumspect: Now that A Heart to Mend is published, what's next?
M.W.: I definitely plan on writing more books. A sequel is not on the books right now but who knows what will happen? LOL. I am currently working on another romantic suspense manuscript and a couple of short stories, one of which I hope will be published before the end of the coming year.
At the end of all this, I wish to still remain in the midst of my readers and fans. Coordinating the Blogsville Interactive Story has shown me so much talent and given me some ideas. I'm still playing with those thoughts for now and will broach them with the necessary people in due time.
Circumspect: Any words of advice for up and coming African writers, bloggers, and authors?
M.W.: I will say that they should keep at it. It was Petina Gappah who said on her blog “A writer is a person who writes...You, at your computer or with your notebook, writing, and writing, revising and writing, and revising again.” A writer thus has to persevere, have a story they want to share and push till it's in a form others can understand and appreciate. I wish everyone the best.
For more information about Myne and her book, check out her
website and her
blog. Connect with her via
facebook and
twitter. Read a
sample of A Heart To Mend. Like what you see? Get copies of her first novel in
paperback and
e-format!
--
Photo Credit: Myne Whitman
-
-
20:11
»
Circumspect
Welcome to A New DECADE!
Happy New Year!!! I know, I know, I've been saying "happy new year" for the past two weeks or so, but isn't it just amazing?! Despite the struggles, the dark hours, the stress, and everything, we made it! Not only to a new year, but to a new decade!! If tonight is anything to go by, my 2010 will be spontaneous. There, I've declared it into existence. Growth, change and spontaneity, inshAllah!
Hmm, What To Do For The Countdown?
So I'd been making plans to be in N.Y. for a while, and then made other plans to be in D.C. instead, which ended up falling through. So I was like, really, what am I going to do for new year's? Anywho. I went on a limb, got online, and got a ticket to N.Y. So right this moment, I'm on the Bolt Bus, blogging away and chugging along to spend new year's with some of the most amazing people I know. And no, the ball drop is not on my agenda. Did that last year and ended up on some random street shouting "happy new year" in the freezing cold. This year I want to be warm, thank you very much. LOL.
Sisterly Tradition at Its Best
When I was in Ghana my sister Annatu and I had a special new year's tradition. Practically everyone in the house would fall asleep, but we always stayed up. We'd save up in the run-up to new year's, and the night before we'd go out with our stash of gold and buy soft drinks - usually coke, sprite, or fanta cocktail - and some cookies. We'd put the drinks in the fridge to freeze a bit, and then we'd stay up watching the late night movie and talk about the past year, "do you remember this-eh I can't believe they did that" kinda thing. Afterwards, we'd talk about our resolutions - standing outside on the porch and gazing at the stars. And I'd always wonder what would happen that year and if I'd ever look at the stars from another part of the world.
Well, tonight I'm in another part of the world, but I'm not looking at any stars since I'm on the bus. And surprisingly, skype wasn't as reliant as it usually is. So my sister and I are on facebook chatting away, just like old times. And I suppose virtually everyone else in the house is asleep lol. Although I'm miles away, my heart was right there in Ghana counting down with her, and I feel so blessed to have her, my family and friends.
My New Year Wish For You Wonderful Peeps!
So for 2010, I wish you all the very best! All the blessings and opportunities to make you become the grandest versions of yourselves. All the patience, strength and perseverance to overcome the trials that 2010 might bring. And above all, I pray that in every action and decision, you choose the action that is sponsored by love, instead of that instigated by fear. Happy New Year people!
--
Photo Source:
[gipscorp.com]
-
-
22:02
»
Circumspect
I stumbled across this great initiative on early education in Ghana through good ol' facebook.
Titagya Schools is a new project started by Fatawu Abukari, Andrew Garza, and Habib Manzah and aims to provide high quality early education for children in Northern Ghana. What's interesting about this project is the fact that it's a partnership between Ghanaians and an American who never thought they'd be working on early education. As someone who's from northern Ghana and who believes that Ghana's educational system needs some fresh ideas, this was quite a happy find. Hope you guys are as inspired by Titagya (pronounced Ti-tahi-ya).
--
Circumspect: Tell us about yourself.
Andrew Garza (A.G.): I graduated from Haverford College in 2008, majoring in sociology and minoring in economics. After that I worked for another organization that consults with small and medium enterprises in Ghana. Throughout college I’d done a number of internships with similar organizations that promote private sector development in Latin America, the U.S. and also in Ghana. So, about eight months after graduation I worked with some people that I had been in touch with since my internship in Ghana in 2006 and together we started Titagya schools.
[Photo: (R-L)Andrew Garza, Abdul-Fatawu Abukari, Manzah Iddi Habib - co-founders of Titagya schools]
Circumspect: How come you decided on Ghana specifically? Where did that interest come from? Was there a particular experience that made you want to start it?
A.G.: The initial reason why I went to Ghana in 2006 was because the previous summer I had read a book by Jeffery Sachs called
The End of Poverty talking about how there are these clusters, there are these poverty traps essentially. And the region that had been slowest to eliminate extreme poverty had been sub-Saharan Africa. So that just got me interested in learning more in the region, and the next summer I wanted to go do an internship in some country in Africa. I had researched different possibilities and Ghana seemed like the best choice for a number of reasons. One, it was English-speaking. Two, it seemed like there was a lot of need. Three it is pretty stable politically , so there weren’t any concerns - it’s fairly peaceful - so no security concerns essentially. I guess lastly, it seemed like there were some organizations doing very interesting work there. So that’s why I originally went to Ghana. So I worked in northern Ghana for two months, and just stayed in touch with a couple of colleagues from that and we decided that northern Ghana would be a great place to start our organization since the income in northern Ghana is half to a third of that in southern Ghana. And literacy rates are far less than half that in southern Ghana, so we thought the need was really there to start our work there.
Circumspect: What made you think of schools? Were you always interested in early education? Was that something you always thought you would do?
A.G.: It’s interesting because I think our focus on schools really arose fairly organically. I have two co-founders; one of them is named Fatawu [Abukari] and one of them is named Habib [Manzah]. So Fatawu, for a number of years, about four years, has been working for an educational radio station based in the village where Titagya is also based; it’s a village called Dalun . So his radio station had done kind of an informal study in the nearest town with a good early education facility. So they were interviewing teachers at the secondary school there, and found that students in secondary school who had gone to kindergarten performed much better than those who didn’t, according to the teachers. So I think that is part of what spurred the initial interest. And at the same time, the community in Dalun - for a long time - had wanted to have a place for young children to go. And it was important culturally too, to them, so older girls in particular wouldn’t have to watch their younger siblings. That would free up the older girls also, to go to school. For these various reasons we saw a need for early education.
Fatawu contacted me after that summer I worked in Ghana, saying that he wanted to start a day-care center in Dalun. So, I suggested that we research a little bit more [on] the importance of early education. And we did that. We saw that there are so many positive effects to early education. We saw that it helps develop social skills, motor skills; it prepares children academically with basic language skills – just how important it was. I think in a sense, I’ve always been interested in education, but I’ve kind of been a convert myself to the importance of early education. It’s not something I’ve always known I would be interested in, but kind of through a process of research and just seeing how effective it’s been in other areas, I’ve been a convert to that cause. And I think, it’s the same for Fatawu and Habib. That’s kind of how the idea started.
[Photo: A Titagya school facility in Dalun, northern Ghana]
Circumspect: How did you go about setting it up; with regards funding, staff, building the school structures and so on?
A.G.: In terms of raising money, we just recently opened our first pre-school for 50 students. And our model is going to be in villages throughout northern Ghana. We’re specifically focusing on villages rather than towns since that seems to be where the need is greater. We’re planning to start these clusters of schools; a cluster will entail one pre-school, one kindergarten and then a shared administrative center and computer center between the two. So the children are exposed to that kind of technology at a fairly young age. That’s kind of what we’re trying to pursue. We went about raising money mainly by reaching out to personal contacts; initially people in our networks. So Fatawu reaching out to people that he’d worked with in Denmark; he’s gone to Denmark a couple of times for training programs. Then I reached out to my network, and we got funding from a small non-profit called Hands on the World Global.
We started small, and it’s really around now that we reaching the point where there’s really this increasing pressure to scale up, and we’re writing larger grants. For instance we recently submitted a grant application for $90,000. So yeah, I think that’s kind of part of the process so far. And it’s really been Habib and Fatawu managing the process on the ground in Ghana, and then I’ve been doing a lot of the institutional work here in the U.S. in terms of raising money. In the summer we got incorporated in New York State, and managing interns in the U.S., so those are some of the areas that I focus on.
Circumspect: Where did you go to find the information you needed to decide whether to set up or not. And how did that process go?
A.G.: It’s interesting. I would say, Dr. Google, and then - the most important source – I think we relied a lot on Google Scholars to find different reports that focused on the importance of an early education. And we found some great ones; we found a couple of reports by the U.N., we found a report by the Government of Ghana - I believe from 2003 or 2005 - that laid out a vision of how the government wanted to expand its early education program and have almost every primary school in the country have a kindergarten attached to it by 2015. So we thought that was very interesting, that the government was already trying to pursue some of that work. And then, we just found a variety of other studies; a key one that was supported by the University of Sussex in the U.K. So, we tried to look at a variety of sources and it seemed like there was just this general consensus that early education was strongly needed, that many times – and this is throughout a lot of the country in Ghana – that a lot of times children would arrive at primary school and secondary school, not really adequately prepared for the work.They might not be studying effectively because they were not ready for the educational level that they were in at the time. It was just a fascinating, eye-opening process for us. Yeah, there were some nights when I had a hard time going to sleep because it was just amazing reading all of these different reports.
Circumspect: What has the community’s reception of the school been? Do you get support from local agencies or the government?
A.G.: In terms of the local community, the reception has been extremely positive in Dalun. I think the opening of the school has been the buzz of the town for quite a while before the opening. At the opening itself, which took place in November [2009] we had more than 120 people come, and the Chief of Dalun came, and he strongly endorsed our strategy and was telling the community that they had a responsibility to help us keep up the school, that parents have to work closely with us, so that we can really offer a very effective education. So we had his strong personal support and that of local politicians, other officials, local head masters as well from other schools, community leadership as well. Most of our parents were there with the students and other community members. It seemed that most people were very excited to have this high quality option for their children. So that’s in Dalun.
In terms of working with the government; we’re collaborating fairly closely with the government; the government will be paying for three teachers at our school. Naturally, it’s an important part of our strategy. That really forces you to scale up what you’re doing more effectively, whereas if, I think, non-profits just work on their own in isolation in a country like Ghana - where you do have a fairly reasonable government that you can work with - I think that’s an ineffective strategy because you’re not really sharing your lessons learned as much as you could be, or gaining from the government’s experience in learning about what’s worked well in the area and what hasn't.
[Photo: Fatawu showing the Chief of Dalun (yellow gown) some of the books for the school during the opening ceremony of Titagya Schools.]
Circumspect: How many staff do you have and what are their focus areas?
A.G.: We have two administrative staff in Ghana and we have three teachers. In the U.S., I’m the main full-time person and we have a number of people who have been advising us, volunteering for us, helping with fundraising, designing the website, designing marketing material, so really helping in all areas of the organization. So we’re fairly reliant on volunteers and their amazing work. I guess that’s part of our model.
Circumspect: What’s the financial commitment for individuals whose wards attend Titagya schools?
A.G.: We have a policy where 20 percent of our students don’t pay anything; and the 20 percent of students are people in the community whose families don’t have much money and otherwise would have a very difficult time affording an education at our school. For the other 80 percent, people pay approximately 5 Ghana cedis a month; right now that’s about $3.50 a month. We set that rate because it’s similar to a couple of other kindergartens in other towns that we enquired about. We thought it was at a level where the money would significantly help us with our operational costs, but it wouldn’t be overly burdensome to the families.
Circumspect: What’s an average day at Titagya like?
A.G: My average day would probably include some kind of meeting with Fatawu. Until recently we’ve been using phone cards. But that’s quite expensive so we’re trying to shift over to Skype, and there’s been a little bit of a challenge with that because the reception isn’t that clear yet. But, we’re trying a couple of different things to make that work better. So it would include a meeting with Fatawu and likely, some kind of fundraising meeting during the day or in the evening. Meeting with a potential funder or meeting with someone who might be interested in helping us to raise money. At the moment one of our key priorities is to get our 501(c)(3) status. So it involves, right now, a fair amount of research into what we need to do, and working on the paperwork for that. Also getting our financial statements into the form that they need to be with to submit properly for 501(c)(3).
In Ghana, the focus recently has been on making sure our first school runs very well. I think that’s our top priority. Yeah, the quality has to be very high and I think with any new organization, when you’re establishing a model you have to anticipate that there are going to be challenges and be kind of be open to troubleshooting them. So we’re really trying to keep our eyes wide open and make sure the quality is very high. So Fatawu spends a lot of time at the school right now in making sure things are going very well. In the near future we’re going to be looking at other villages where it would make sense to expand our program in the future. So that’s also going to take a fair amount of his time.
Circumspect: Have you had any challenges? Culturally- related to the people you work it? Do speak Dagbani? How does that go?
A.G.: I think that’s been one of the most interesting parts of the experience so far. There has been – I don’t know if challenge would be the right word – I think certainly that adds an interesting layer to what we do; that there is this element of cross-cultural communication between Habib, Fatawu and I, and others. But it’s really been an enriching process for, most importantly, for the school. Because I think when you come from different countries you question one another’s assumptions. So there might be, for instance, a certain policy that I think we should have in the school. But Fatawu would say, ‘Wow, I don’t know if that would work there. Gee, I don’t know if that would be culturally appropriate.’ There might be other areas where there’s something that I suggest we might do, that’s not necessarily the norm in the educational system in Ghana - which works well in other areas - and might work well there too. For instance, I think with a number of schools in Ghana – and a couple that we visited – the education, even at an early level, is fairly top-down and almost based on a university style lecture model in some sense; even if it’s very young children who can’t learn most effectively that way. So part of our model is going to be having a very interactive classroom experience, where there are lots of stories and role-playing games and small group activities to really get the children thinking and excited, and developing their different thinking capabilities. I think that’s an instance where it’s helpful having people from different areas working on this project because it really helps to germinate new ideas.
[Photo: Andrew Garza giving a speech - with a translator- during the opening of Titagya Schools.]
I speak a few words of Dagbani. And I’ve asked Fatawu to send me a list of more words so that I can become more proficient in Dagbani. So I speak a little bit, but I think it’s important that I learn more.
Circumspect: Can you tell me about one experience that resonated deeply with you?
A.G.: One experience that was especially strong for me was at the opening of the school when we had most of our first 50 children actually sitting in chairs with their parents, in their uniforms, excited, smiling, running around before the ceremony started. I think that really hit it home for me; how amazing it is that we’re starting this up and that this is going to be starting soon at that point. How real it is. A lot of my personal work has taken place from the U.S.; getting ideas for the curriculum, incorporating that with the town’s curriculum, raising money, marketing and all of these things. But I think being on the ground and meeting some of the children and seeing them in their uniforms; that was pretty impactful for me.
[Photo: School pupils, parents, and Dalun community members at the opening ceremony.]
Circumspect: What exactly does “Titagya” mean? Where did that name come from?
A.G.: “Titagya” means “we have changed” in Dagbani. It was Fatawu’s idea to take that name. It’s interesting because I think in Dagbani it has slightly different connotations than in English. In Dagbani it has very positive connotations, more along the lines of “we have grown”. We thought that was a great name to talk about how education can really transform someone’s life opportunities.
Circumspect: Where do you see Titagya in the next five to ten years?
A.G.: With Titagya, I see us expanding fairly progressively throughout northern Ghana. I think initially in the northern region and the total Kumbungu district; but eventually in many other areas. I expect, within five years, to have schools in a number of parts in Northern Ghana. We’re planning to have three schools in 2010; three more schools. In addition to that, we are planning to start a scholarship program for children who need assistance to pay their school fees and buy their books for primary and secondary school. And a third component of what we’re doing , that we’re weighing at the moment – kind of a strategic decision - is deciding how we’re going to ensure that children who go to our school and finish well and have this great head start, how we continue that momentum.
I think the direction that we’re leaning with that is to have a program where we work with other local primary and secondary schools to help refurbish the physical structures. For instance, in schools where they need help to put things like fans so children can focus better in the very hot dry season. So items like that. And also helping in areas where it’s desired, to incorporate more interactive exercises in the curricula; to really strengthen the academic foundation of the children going forward. Lastly, just partnering with the government; especially to get their feedback on what we’re doing and see suggestions they might have for improvement. And where appropriate, offering our suggestions on ways that public schools might be strengthened based on our experience.
Circumspect: What about Ghana’s educational system?
A.G: I think what we’re really hoping to be a part of – we’ve seen that spending on schools had increased towards the final years of the Kuffour administration in northern Ghana, certainly continues under the new administration, although it’s not clear to us exactly how much. We’re hoping to be an important partner with the government as it tries to scale up early education and the government has already identified that as a priority early. Yeah, we’re hoping to be a useful partner in that area. I’m certainly hoping and expecting that Ghana will have success in instituting a greater quantity of very high quality early education facilities.
[Photo: Fatawu speaking during the opening ceremony. Chief of Dalun (yellow) and head of Ghanaian Danish Community Program (blue) were among some of the dignitaries present.]
Circumspect: What words of advice do you have for young people who are interested in pursuing projects like yours?
A.G.: If people are still in college - or high school even - I would certainly suggest taking relevant classes. Taking classes in a variety of areas: economics, sociology, political science. I think they come to mind for just being, kind of, an institutional sense of how change happens. And then, things like writing classes, English classes, other languages – they’re also important for how you can convey your ideas. And I would say, even technical classes like accounting, corporate finance, statistics; I think those could be very useful for some of the nuts and bolts activities of running an organization. I guess I would suggest taking a variety of classes in the areas that people are interested in. Also, going out of their comfort area a little bit to take some of these other classes. Meet speakers; reach out to alumni in areas that people are interested in. That’s kind of in an academic and networking sense.
[Photo: Some of Titagya's students at Dalun]
Aside from that, I would also definitely suggest trying to get some great relevant internship experience in a variety of fields, especially concentrating on areas that the person is interested in. Maybe one or two summers where it’s something that’s a different experience that you think you’ll be interested in. So for instance if you’re planning to go into healthcare and do that from the non-profit sector, maybe spending one sector working in the private sector so you have that experience as well. Yes, I think I would definitely suggest taking advantage of the internships for all that you can.
--
Photo Credit: Andrew Garza
-
16:06
»
Circumspect
Hi Everyone,
I was recently contacted by Kathryn Buford, one of the creators of
Live Unchained. She and her co-creator Miriam Moore have set up a virtual community and are developing a multi-media anthology for and by black women across the African Diaspora.
I feel so honored and humbled to be profiled alongside some of the most phenomenal women on their site like Nigerian author and professor
Nnedi Okorafor and would like to share my interview and Live Unchained's amazing project with you guys!
You can access my interview with Live Unchained
here. And you can check out other interesting profiles and works on the
Live Unchained Blog. I hope you guys find their project as amazing as I have, and please share with interested individuals!
Much love,
Jemila
--
Photo Source: Live Unchained Website
-
-
14:38
»
Circumspect
Circumspect interviews Maame Sampah and Emmanuel Lamptey, Executive Board Members of the Representatives for Equal Access to Community Healthcare (REACH) Ghana to find out how they got started, what projects they're currently working on, and what they're looking forward to.
--
Circumspect: Tell us about yourselves.
Maame Sampah (M.S.): I’m currently a graduate student. I’m with an HIV group right now, and so I basically do HIV research. Before then, I did undergrad in biochemistry and French at Grinnell College. I’m doing grad school at [Johns] Hopkins now. I went through the Ghana education system - Wesley Girls, Bishop Bowers before then. I can give you the name of my nursery school. And yeah, so here I am. I’m going to be in school for a while, and basically I’m going to end up in a career in clinical and research medicine. I have a huge family, I have four siblings. My parents both live in Ghana. My siblings however are kind of scattered in the U.K and here [U.S.] and in Ghana. And, I guess my interest in healthcare probably came from my mum who is a nurse. I grew up playing with medicine at home. I don’t know how it happened. I mean I actually didn’t set out; I went to college thinking physics major, chemistry. It was always something “sciencish” but I didn’t really head out towards healthcare until I did some college internships in hospitals and I loved them.
Emmanuel Lamptey (E.L.): My name is Emmanuel Lamptey, I’m also a graduate student right now. I have a masters already in diplomacy and international relations; specialization in global health and human security. So that’s my interest. Specifically my research areas have been in OVCs (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) and HIV/AIDS. Right now I work for a non-profit in D.C. in the programs department on a USAID funded project. I was born and raised in Ghana, came to the US for my undergrad and grad school. I have two younger brothers and my parents are both in Ghana. My interest in health, and I think that’s what I want to do, I see myself with a career in public health and global health. My interest peaked – because when I was younger I was more interested in international relations and politics. But in grad school, my thinking and my formative ideas about what I wanted to do with health started with the breakout of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. For me it was linking health with politics and the politics of health. So that’s what spread my thinking, so that’s why I’ve been interested in health stuff.
[Photo Insert: REACH Board Members Emmanuel Lamptey & Martha Sampah]
Circumspect: Where did the idea for REACH come from?
M.S.: The idea for REACH came from BarCamp. We basically went for BarCamp [July 2009]. I had actually attempted to go to BarCamp in Ghana before; it didn’t work out. But we went to BarCamp not really sure what to expect, and we went and basically started a breakout session on healthcare in Ghana. And it turned out a lot of people were interested in that. We spent about an hour or maybe a little bit over an hour bashing the healthcare system in Ghana hardcore. And yeah, there was a lot that people had to say about what was going wrong, but people also noted there are all these improvements being made. In the end what it came to was everybody chipped in at the end about what we could do specifically to help. I mean there was a long list of suggestions about specific things that we could do at our stage to help somehow. After BarCamp, a couple people who had been in the discussion got to emailing back and forth. We also had other contacts that we knew were very interested in the cause, and that ended up with a group of nine of us who have since then been planning this from the get-go.
Circumspect: Can you tell me a bit about REACH – what your aims are, where you see yourself within the next two to five years?
E.L.: Well, there are several things. I think our overarching goal is to be a part of the discussion and be a part of the solution. So, our idea is to influence, contribute and assist in the Ghana government’s effort to improve access to healthcare and quality of healthcare for Ghanaians. So we work through various engines. One of them is being a forum for networking of ideas and programs, of organizations that are interested in health projects. That’s one thing that we do. Education is another part, and not just focusing on the macro level; from the micro level to linking individual students - here in the U.S. and in Ghana - to network and bridge and bring ideas together.
Thirdly, it’s through programs and initiatives; be it a book drive, be it an HIV/AIDS project, be it research opportunities. So people, professionals who have ideas about how to improve the healthcare system, if they have ideas about how to do research, the government of Ghana wants to implement a research opportunity or research into a specific area. Being able to be a source or an organization that can either help facilitate that process or take part in that process. To actually do that research, so that we can bring out sustainable results. That’s our big thing. Our big thing is working with individuals, working with governments, and creating sustainable projects that lead to our overall access to care and improved access to care.
M.S.: You mentioned in two years, where do we see ourselves? I guess, part of the whole premise of REACH was really to bring people together. I mean, I can’t believe how much we’ve gotten done in the past six months just by virtue of the fact that there was a bunch of us who were working towards the same thing. None of us individually could have accomplished any of this on our own. That’s the point, you know, to create all of these opportunities. Basically what we see in two years, hopefully, will be that REACH will be a place where people interested in healthcare and doing a project in Ghana, will come, you know, just to get other people to help them on those projects. Be it in the planning, finding funding, the execution, program assessment, and whatever it is that they need. Basically, the point is, we’re pulling together all these resources so you can go to one place and not have to be running all over the place.
Another thing that we talked about is the fact that volunteerism is such a big thing in the U.S. That’s what we’ve all learned from being here. Going to a liberal arts college, Emmanuel and I both went to liberal arts college, it’s just such a big thing; public service. Everybody does it. It doesn’t happen in Ghana. I mean, the only thing that I can think about is National service, which is almost mandatory, you have to do it. People only do it because, well, I don’t know what people’s individual motives are, but it’s almost as if everybody does it because you have to do it. Here’s the case where people from the time you’re in middle school, high school, you know [about] service. That’s what we’re trying to encourage as well.
E.L.: Yes, creating service-oriented communities.
M.S.: So that at the end of the day, a high school based in Cape Coast is taking care of the Cape Coast community. We’re hoping that’s what’s going to happen. That REACH is going to be an organization that’s really run mostly by volunteers. We understand that there are going to have to be paid people to facilitate the whole process, but really, mostly run by volunteers. Be it volunteers from Ghana or study abroad kids from the U.S., whatever it takes; just people who are willing to put in something. And that’s how we’re planning on cutting costs.
E.L.: One of the things that we [the executive board of REACH] actually talked about when it came to our programs is building communities to be sustainable in giving them the capacity-building skills and techniques to be sustainable. A lot of the commentary on health care, not just in Ghana, but in developing countries is, what can the government do? What is the government doing? What about – what are the communities doing? And what kind of skills can the communities have so they can be sustainable so it’s not the government of Ghana building a university or a hospital in Swedru, but organizations in that community having the skills, the know-how, to raise money to build that hospital. A lot of the hospitals in the U.S. are not controlled by the government. They’re hospitals that were built to feed the need of the communities and are thriving based on the income tax, the kind of money you raise. So we’re trying to create the self-help part of it. So every program that we do, or will do, has a capacity-building sustainability part of it that is integral to our mission.
M.S.: Yeah. Actually an example is right in my own backyard. Hopkins, where I go to school, is purely the product, and it’s easily ranked one of the best hospitals in America. It was the product of one merchant. I mean it came from somebody’s foundation. But it was basically somebody in the Baltimore community who started Hopkins. There was a hospital that was built for African-American kids who didn’t have access to regular hospitals, and that’s kind of how it started. And then, after that, more funds were donated. But then it was people in the community who really, pretty much built it up. I understand, you do need a huge funding source for such a large scale project, but at the end of the day, I haven’t seen it in Ghana. I haven’t seen an individual or a group of people come together. Korle-Bu is government-owned, from Kwame Nkrumah’s time. And that’s what everybody depends on. Okomfo Anokye, same thing. All the major hospitals in Ghana, somehow, are just the result of the government. I mean, the point is that it’s time for us to step up and do something for ourselves.
[Photo Insert: Martha and fellow board member Aida Nana Ama Manu with REACH Advisory Board Member Dr. Ana Hitri.]
E.L: There are not enough Nyaho clinics; there should be more Nyaho clinics, more individuals. And it’s not so much that people don’t have the skill set or the money to do it, it’s sometimes, they don’t have the vision or there’s not the right atmosphere and maybe infrastructure, legal rights and privileges that are given by the government. Those are some of the things that REACH is more interested in as well. We’re not just talking about building those projects, but also advising and creating opportunities, and encouraging the government to provide the legal framework for people to be innovative.
Circumspect: Where did the name REACH come from?
M.S.: Oh, REACH. Ha! Brainstorming. Hardcore brainstorming. It was hard. We thought about it. We knew we wanted some kind of an acronym. We wanted something that people could remember easily. And, I guess it ended up being, we knew it was going to be REACH almost, just the whole concept of reaching out, which is what it’s all about. And then, we were thinking letters, and we were thinking community, healthcare, advocacy, excellence, excellent healthcare. I mean, we were thinking all kinds of words. And somehow it just kind of came together. You know, this is what we are: representatives of this cause that we’re committed towards. It just strung together, and it was just, ah, perfect, that’s what it was meant to be from the beginning. Yeah, we were really excited about that when we figured it out. The whole concept of reaching out and it standing for essentially what we are and what we represent.
E.L.: And reaching out from both ends. That was the big thing. It was not just us reaching out to communities in Ghana, but communities in Ghana also reaching out back to us and to themselves. The idea was creating an area for connection, where people with like-minds or visions can come together.
Circumspect: Would you like to give an update on what you’ve done so far?
M.S.: Okay, so far we’ve filed an article of incorporation which is just to say we’re an organization that exists in [Washington] D.C. and we’re in the process of applying for NGO status in D.C. and in Ghana. So that’s basically what allows us to take grants and donations, and it being tax-exempt. So we’ve been basically getting out organization together, trying to recruit members, trying to set up little committees, getting our first couple of projects going. December is the month that we chose for our launch. We started out with an HIV/AIDS project mostly because that was a common interest a lot of us on the board had. We were also in touch with Benedicata [Osafo-Darko ] who comes from an HIV background who was very excited about doing an HIV project. So that’s what we started with. We chose December for our launch because that’s when we felt we were about ready to start the nitty-gritty of getting things done. And that coincided with World AIDS Day on Dec. 1
st, and we thought, perfect, let’s do that. So far, we have two projects going, that is mostly being run by the executive board. We’re looking for people. So far we have members who have expressed interest in starting their own projects. Yeah, as many projects as is within our control, we’re ready to take on at this point. And hopefully our launch this whole month over here, and in Ghana and the U.K. will bring some results where we should have a couple more going. As of now, REACH has its executive board of nine, an advisory board of eight members - all this information is on our website - and we have a general membership of approximately 35 to 40, right about now. That was before tonight [Dec. 11], and tonight has been really great. Good stuff.
E.L.: And we have a book drive project. The books have actually been sent to Ghana. It was work by a couple of our executive board members, who already had this plan going before we officially formed REACH. So the idea was, they were able to get donations, and raised money to get textbooks to send to the medical school in Ghana.
M.S.: There are some books that are already in Ghana, we’re still soliciting for more. The point is there are certain books that you just can’t do without. Reference books for example, you can’t have reference books be outdated. And that’s what you see in a couple of the universities in Ghana. It’s not that they’re no good if they haven’t been updated, but if a book is ten years old, there’s so much information, I mean, just coming from a research background, you find out so much in a year in one field, that in ten years you’re missing so much. We thought that that would be an easy contribution.
E.L.: Yea, adding to the catalogue of materials that we already have. We’re not saying that Ghana doesn’t have any books; we’re saying that the more access, the larger access and a wider range of access to textbooks and research is better. More is better, that’s the idea.
M.S.: Related to this book drive project is also a web portal project that we’re planning, where it’s going to be basically a portal where health students and professionals in Ghana and over here, will have access to different kinds of information. So for example, students in Ghana should be able to access, you know, all the basic scientific journals and databases available. If somebody is a medical student in America and has a question about a tropical disease such as malaria, that is not known about as much, they can easily send a message to this portal, and a student in Legon [University of Ghana] should be able to pick that up and say, hey, this is what we know about malaria here. Same here, if there is a question about rheumatoid arthritis, which people might not know much about in Ghana, then they’ll do that. We’re thinking that should apply to not just medicine, nursing, psychology, public policy, whatever it is, basically making use of technology to make the exchange of information that much easier.
[Photo Insert: REACH prospective member holding the REACH membership Form.]
Circumspect: What do you think Ghana’s key health issues are, and what recommendations or hopes do you have for overcoming them?
M.S.: Ooh, that is a hard question. I mean I can tell you what some of the key health issues are, but recommendations; that would take a textbook. Okay, malaria is still a serious issue, which is sad almost. Because, I mean, people can’t even afford malaria medication, or if they have malaria, if you’re in a really rural area, you don’t even know what it is you have. You can’t even go to a hospital because there is no hospital right there. Yeah, malaria is one of the big killers in Ghana. And it’s getting more complicated because the more this problem goes on, there are strains of malaria that are becoming more resistant to the medications that are available. So, the more people are getting infected by malaria that can’t be treated, the more of a killer it’s becoming. HIV is another problem, I mean; it’s not as bad in Ghana as other areas in Africa.
E.L.: But that has been because there’s been a saturation of, and an influx of money, sponsors and donors in education on HIV/AIDS. So that’s a success area of showing that if you have the infrastructure, the commitment, the money and the education, you can have success. Those four things are very important. If you generalize that to the Ghanaian healthcare system, I think that’s the big issue: commitment, the money, the education, and competent people running the system.
M.S.: I agree.
E.L.: You should be fine, because you’re providing the groundwork for people to be innovative. Healthcare should not just be a top-down approach, it can also be a bottom-up approach, but if there’s no infrastructure to allow that to happen, there’s no money to allow that to happen, there’s no competency for that to happen, and there’s no commitment for that to happen, it’s just a recipe for disaster.
M.S.: Yeah. And I mean, of course, that’s part of the reason for REACH. We’re still trying to put our heads together to think. There are models that have worked in other parts of the world, but what’s going to happen is that we’re going to have to come up with our own way for how healthcare is going to work in Ghana. And that’s why we’re together; we’re all still learning from each other, learning from our older advisory board people, whoever it is. It’s good, it’s a learning process for all of us, and hopefully we come up with something great in the end.
E.L.: We’re definitely not claiming to be the know-all, be-all of everything. What we’re doing is presenting our self as an instrument for use for contact and an instrument where people with like-minded ideas and visions can come together.
[Photo Insert: REACH executives and members at the organization's happy hour networking event on Dec. 11.]
M.S.: We’re basically saying, everybody come. Let’s brainstorm, let’s figure this thing out, let’s get it down.
Circumspect: Any last words?
M.S.: Join REACH. And it doesn’t matter; you don’t have to be from a healthcare background. Actually on this executive board, there are only some of us that have healthcare backgrounds. Obviously you need technology, like we said we’re trying to make all of these projects sustainable. You need marketing tools, you need all kinds of different things. I mean, I can’t think of what discipline I can say is not relevant to what we’re doing. Bennie is a sociologist, that’s part of what we’re doing on this HIV project; trying to figure out what the social premise behind higher HIV prevalence in Agomanya is.
E.L: What are some of socio-cultural characteristics that affect or influence whether a program can be successful in this area as opposed to another area.
M.S.: So don’t be turned off just by thinking, oh healthcare. No, that’s not what it is. We need everybody on board.
E.L.: Some organizations have been successful in linking social marketing and profit making to healthcare. Some organizations have been able to link already profitable programs to healthcare. For example, the Grameen Bank. Known for small-scale finance, but now they’ve realized that they’re working in countries that have healthcare issues, and they’ve been able to tailor their programs to fit the need. So there’s room for everybody at the table, and people need to realize that. My parting message is join REACH, but also realize that there’s room for everybody. It’s just a question of getting involved. Building that spirit of volunteerism, spirit of innovation, and just realizing that it’s all about coming together, working together as a group; because unity is very important.
[Photo Insert: Participant at REACH's Bukom Happy Hour in D.C. signing up as a REACH member.]
I think that, there’s a quote, I can’t remember, about what Kwame Nkrumah said when he was addressing parliament, less than a year after coming into power. He basically said, that we will be judged as a country by how our healthcare, our education, our children, - are they able to wake up in the morning and eat? Are they able to go to school? Those are the things that a country and a government should be judged on. I think that’s very important. Mandela has another quote that says that the measurement of a society is how they treat the children, and we’re thinking about the future. So I think that the mark of Ghana should be how we help each other out, and how our country progresses, for better healthcare, and even to other things. Healthcare is just one aspect of development.
M.S.: There are people who have said, oh, why Ghana? People in America are struggling with access to healthcare as well. Well, Ghana because there are people who have to travel two hours just to get to a basic healthcare centre. It’s not the same in America. You have an emergency, you can call 911 and someone will get to you in five minutes; in most areas of America. I mean, it’s a different question altogether, it’s not even about who can pay to go, it’s about is it even there. And it’s not there in Ghana, most of the time.
--
Photo Source:
REACH Ghana Facebook Page and Website
-
-
20:51
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://lawinquebec.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/how-to-blog-blackboard-classroom1.jpg?w=300amp;h=228" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="151" src="http://lawinquebec.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/how-to-blog-blackboard-classroom1.jpg?w=300amp;h=228" width="200" //abr /
/divspan style="line-height: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Happy holidays to everyone and Merry Christmas!nbsp;I hope you all got some family-time in, or if you went at it solo, that you had a great time eitherways! I got some much needed down-time, and then I spent the rest of the day working on this! The first vlog (video blog) on 'how to blog.' I know many of you have been waiting for this, so without further ado, here goes! Part one of the Circumspect "How to blog" series!/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: monospace; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"br /
/span/spanbr /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"object height="344" style="clear: left; float: left;" width="425"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/J9Xkc-MKgEAhl=en_USfs=1rel=0"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/paramparam name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/paramembed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/J9Xkc-MKgEAhl=en_USfs=1rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectbr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"Photo Source:nbsp
[lawinquebec.files.wordpress.com] /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-5615829783974510631?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=jHE6B4NTrak:UPdbxqvxBy0:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/jHE6B4NTrak" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
22:57
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.keithmallett.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/amira1.53181647_std.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="640" src="http://www.keithmallett.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/amira1.53181647_std.jpg" width="219" //abr /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"bspan style="color: purple;"Alicia Keys:nbsp;"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tightly closed in a bud, was more painful than the risk it took to bloom."/span/bbr /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"bspan style="color: purple;"br /
/span/bbr /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"bspan style="color: purple;"Original quote by Anais Nin (BTW, she has the /span/ba href="http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/anais_nin.html"bspan style="color: blue;"most amazing quotes/span/b/abspan style="color: purple;"span style="color: blue;"!/span): "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."/span/bbr /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"--br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"I get bored really easily. And not just that, boredom is painful for me, as it usually results in migraines (weird init?). So I like to keep busy and I'm usually on the lookout for new experiences. When I did the post on span style="color: purple;"a href="http://www.circumspecte.com/2009/12/tick-tock-happy-new-year-well-according.html"span style="color: purple;"bmy new year resolutions/b/span/a,/spannbsp;I noted that I would "experiment" and "continue this love thing". Deciding to go natural falls under those categories, and coincidentally, under "let my hair down" as well, in a literal sense. Alors, if you want a short version of why I decided to go natural, it's because it's a new year, I'm trying new(or rather old?) things, and I'm taking an extra step to understanding amp; taking care of myself.br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"At this point, you can a) Skip to photo of my new cut nbsp;b) Read on for the nitty gritty details of my hair journey.br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"bspan style="color: blue;"My Hair History/span/bbr /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"Going through w/ the big chop(BC) has been quite a surprise for some of my friends. Especially since I was always a "I want long hair" kinda girl. Why I wanted long hair? Well. Because for the greater part of my life I've had short hair; like really low cut short hair. Cetirus Paribus, being denied long hair led to a greater thirst for long hair. (The law of scarcity) So when I finally finished high school in Ghana, I jumped right into relaxing, no questions asked.nbsp;As the fates would have it, my quest for "long hair" has been thwarted many-a-time.br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"By the end of the first winter in the US, I had a gaping hole near the nape of my neck, where my hair had literally broken off. I got a cut. And I hated it. Factor in the price differentials for hair care in the U.S. in comparison to Ghana, I couldn't afford to go to the salon as frequently as I should have, poor college student that I was. More hair breakage. Good thing though, I love braids, so those were my fall-backs. Until France. Along with sumptuous French pastries came Adjoa. A Ghanaian woman residing in France, and an awesome hair specialist. Under her gentle care, my hair blossomed. Needless to say, I was happy. Throughout this entire time, I've had friends who've gone natural, and I've thought about it myself, but my desire for "long hair" was too strong.lol. So I resisted.br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"br /
Long story short. For the reasons below - and a couple I've probably forgotten to add - I'm officially and absolutely natural (Dec. 23). The goal is to keep it natural. But you know how we always make excuses lol.br /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"bspan style="color: blue;"Why Now? [in no particular order of importance]/span/bbr /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"1. I got bored. It's a new year (well, soon), time to spice things upbr /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"2. Meeting amazing and extremely beautiful women w/ short haircuts gave me the helping hand I neededbr /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"3. Realizing that I actually have a lot of friends who are natural and talking to them about the pros and consbr /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"4. My frustration w/ my last weave. Gosh, disentangling the stuff took hours each day!!!br /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"5. Realizing that if one is indebted to someone else, and keeps his or her income in the bank, it doesn't change the fact that he/she still owes that person. In other words: Ignoring the fact that my hair needed a break, and that I wasn't taking care of it the way I should, didn't make my hair situation any betterbr /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"6. Identity: I'm embracing myself as many things, and this is simply who I choose to be nowbr /
br /
7. It's much easier to fulfill my religious obligations w/o having to worry about messing up/damaging my hair (God knows best!)br /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"8. Choice!!!! In the past, having low natural haircuts was a requirement for school. This decision was made entirely of my own free will. Hence "the element of freedom" lol.br /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"9. Music: India Arie, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Asa etcbr /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"10. Time amp; Money: I don't have much of either these days, so might as well use what I have efficientlybr /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"11. The blues: I think missing home, family and friends subconsciouslynbsp;promptednbsp;me to return to familiar terrain? lolbr /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"br /
12. I love my eyes amp; I absolutely love earrings. Short hair allows me to accentuate both.br /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"And in case you're wondering, the movie Good Hair, had ispan style="color: red;"nothing/span/i to do w/ it. Haven't watched it...yet. I just might lol.br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"Okay, enough talk, the photos! But first.br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"Appreciation (also a resolution): Freda, Pearlyn, Yvonne (REACH crew ;D ), a href="http://justyougirl.blogspot.com/"Abby/a, a href="http://chisomudeze.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-bucket-list.html"Chisom/a, a href="http://ma-coeur.blogspot.com/"Moiyattu/a, Trish, Yaba, Annatu, Charles, Philippe, Mummy, Daddy (for having a convo on hair w/ me even though it's "women talk" lol), a href="http://www.naturalchica.com/"Mae/a, All my "natural" friends (you're too many to be listed, but you know yourselves), Youtube, and of course, Allah.br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"br /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"Now to the grand finale (I sound like an ad lol)br /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"Unveiling...br /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"The "new" me (until I get bored again, jk lol)br /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SzLlnYazudI/AAAAAAAADIc/Acu_DnfwqcM/s1600-h/transition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SzLlnYazudI/AAAAAAAADIc/Acu_DnfwqcM/s400/transition.jpg" //abr /
/divdiv style="text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"Needless to say... I'm happy :), and it's not an exaggeration. You really do feel renewed. Not to be cliche or anything, enjoy India's "I'm not my hair" Peace out peeps!br /
br /
object height="344" width="425"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/H7DuC7925OEhl=en_USfs=1"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/paramparam name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/paramembed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/H7DuC7925OEhl=en_USfs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectbr /
br /
br /
br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"--br /
/divdiv style="text-align: left;"Photo Source:nbsp
[www.keithmallett.com] /
/divbr /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-2612895001986968416?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=3r3Tddtvf0U:YycQ5rCk2eQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/3r3Tddtvf0U" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
11:27
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://kharsley97.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/alterego1_r1_c2.gif?w=300amp;h=201" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://kharsley97.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/alterego1_r1_c2.gif?w=300amp;h=201" //abr /
/divb[I always found a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_entendre"this kind of writing/a fascinating. So I decided to try my hands at one. Would be interesting to see what peeps make of it. Enjoy! ]/bbr /
div class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"bbr /
/b/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" Don’t click on it ./span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" Oh, why ever not, you know you want to./span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" Just don’t! You’re setting yourself back./span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" C’mon, it’s just a photo, geez Mother Theresa./span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" Don’t, don’t…please./span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Too late. The page was loaded, and she succumbed herself to the painful pangs that slashed at her heart. He looked so happy. So dashing. So…without her. /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" Why do you do this to me? To yourself? To Us? Why? /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"She didn’t know why. But she kept coming back to this place. This no-man’s land. Where she saw everything she ever wanted, but never achieved. /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" You need this. You need to see the reality of the situation, and deal with it. And maybe, just maybe, after seeing it so many times, one day you’ll take a look and be numb to it all. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"But that day hadn’t yet come. So instead, she kept going back to that no-man’s land, hoping to one day come upon a beautiful mirror, gaze into it, and see herself looking back.nbsp;Such poetry.nbsp;/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="color: blue; font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Click.nbsp;/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="color: blue; font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"She looks just like me! He actually went for someone who looks just like me! Maybe one day, he’ll realize it was me he wanted all along, not her./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" Really? Is that the best you can come up with? /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Sigh. It really happened didn’t it? /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" Yep, without a doubt. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"But why??? /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" Why not? You and your notions about being untouchable.That’s the irony of it all. You all think you’re untouchable. Oh, this could never happen to me, that could never happen to me…until it actually does. And you’re left sitting up late into the night, joining in the chorus of your ancestors as you contemplate the silent question. “Why?”/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="color: blue; font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Click. /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" C’mon, sign out, turn off the computer, and go do something else. Call someone, read a book, go for a walk. Anything. Please. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Yea, you’re right, that’s exactly what I should do. /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" Are you kidding me? So you go read a book, call someone, go for a walk. At the end of the day none of those are gonna help you get over him. The only one who can do that is you. And you have to do this actively. Let’s look at the next one. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Click.nbsp;/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="color: blue; font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Oh wow, look at her goggling at him. That’s definitely a serious case of love’ims. /span/span/spanspan style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"But how can she look at him like that? What does she see in him? He’s supposed to be mine. /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" Ummm. Let’s not go there. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Go where? /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" Leave her be! She’s dealing with it. You go right ahead girl. The truth shall set you free. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"What are you two talking about? All I want is…all I want is him. /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" Now, you’ve definitely gone overboard. Shut down and let’s leave./spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"But why? Is it so bad for me to acknowledge what I feel. /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" Acknowledging is not bad. It’s good actually. It’s the wanting, that’s bad. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop! You? I never expected you to say something like that! You’re supposed to be on my side! /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" And I am, just as Good Cop is. We just take different approaches to it. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Different Approaches? You’re both telling me that wanting him is bad. Even though it’s want I feel in the depths of my heart. What’s so wrong with that? /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" Umm. He’s not yours. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"I know that. That’s what’s gotten me in this position in the first place. /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" Yea, so technically, you shouldn’t want him. You should try to curb that want at all costs. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"But that doesn’t make sense. What I feel, is what I feel, there’s nothing I can do about it. /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" Well, in another instance, that might be true. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Are you saying I’m having misguided feelings? /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" No, quite the contrary. You’re targeting exactly who you want to target with your feelings. But that’s the no-no. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Whatever do you mean Bad Cop? Just lay it out for me. /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" Go Ahead. You’ve been pushing the entire deal with this head-on thing. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"So? /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" Here’s the deal. Before, when he wasn’t umm…attached. You could target him with your feelings and it’d be ok. But now. That he’s someone else’s…you’re coveting. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"*Blank stare* /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" Umm, do you need some tissue? /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"How can I possibly be coveting? I knew him before she did. We shared something special, that she probably has no idea about. /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Good Cop:/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" That’s true. But the Lord delivered him unto her for a reason. And he stipulates that you shouldn’t covet. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop? /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/b/spanspan style="font-style: normal;" Sorry partner, I have to agree with Good Cop on this one. /spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"span style="font-style: normal;"Coveting him? Seriously? Me? /span/spanspan style="font-style: normal;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"span style="font-style: normal;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bspan style="color: red;"span style="font-style: normal;"Bad Cop:/span/span/bspan style="font-style: normal;" There you go again thinking you’re untouchable!nbsp;/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="color: blue;"Sigh. I knew I should have bidded on him when I had the chance! Now it's too late.nbsp;/span/span/spanbr /
span style="color: blue; font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="color: blue;"The package has already been delivered, and that...that...woman, has already uploaded photos on Facebook with him in tow.nbsp;/span/span/spanbr /
span style="color: blue; font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="font-style: normal;"span style="color: blue;"How am I ever gonna find another like him? Especially on Ebay? Sigh. He really was the most fabulous pair of Jimmy Choos ever!/span/span/spanbr /
span style="color: blue; font-family: Garamond, serif;"br /
/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"bbr /
/b/span/spanbr /
span style="color: blue; font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"span style="line-height: normal;"ibr /
/i/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"--/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="font-style: normal; line-height: 18px;"Photo Source:nbsp
[kharsley97.files.wordpress.com] /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-1013873420423222844?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=Adu-4wTN1AE:ZUVfY89-q6k:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/Adu-4wTN1AE" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
13:06
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://nimako.net/images/penciltribelogo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="67" src="http://nimako.net/images/penciltribelogo.gif" width="400" //abr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"br /
/spanbr /
span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"The following is a transcript of the interview with the creator of a href="http://www.penciltribe.com/"bspan style="color: purple;"Pencil Tribe/span/b/a – an online literary and art magazine for new inspired voices on Africa. As per the request of the interviewee - henceforth PT - his name and details have been excluded for personal and professional reasons. Despite this, I am confident the information presented below will be of great value to those of us who are budding writers or who are simply poking around in the art and literary worlds. o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bispan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"Circumspect: Where did the idea fornbsp;Pencilnbsp;Tribenbsp;come from?/span/i/bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"br /
br /
/spanbspan style="color: #333333; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"PT:/span/bspan style="color: #333333; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;" It grew from my personal experience as a creative writer trying to find a welcoming platform to publish and get feedback for my work. /spanspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"Most budding writers know the agony of submitting a piece for publication in an 'established' mainstream magazine. The turnaround time for getting a response from editors is usually 8 weeks to several months. What is worse, most 'established' magazines have no interest in creative works that focus on Africa, even if tangentially. Part of the reason for this is that mainstream publishers fear their traditional audiences may not be interested in African writers and artists since the subject matter does not relate to their immediate life concerns.nbsp;ibr /
br /
Pencilnbsp;Tribe/inbsp;is primarily a community of writers, artists and contributors who appreciate Africa-related content for its own sake, without any profit motive or need to sell. Even though there are African literary publications in existence, some of these have fallen to commercial interests and have, as a result, picked up a few of the nasty habits of mainstream magazines such as turning away unpublished young writers just because they have no brand. Atnbsp;iPencil Tribe/i, we publish what we enjoy and appreciate. Whenever possible, we give constructive feedback to contributors in a timely fashion so they can continue to develop as writers and creative people.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"br /
/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bispan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"Circumspect: How did you arrive at the name "Pencilnbsp;Tribe"?/span/i/bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"br /
br /
/spanbspan style="color: #333333; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"PT:/span/bspan style="color: #333333; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;" “Pencilnbsp;Tribe” was meant to be a metonym of sorts; to connote creativity and community. I brainstormed with close friends until it popped up from ether. I will spare you some of the more embarrassing names we thought up./spanspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"bbr /
/b/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bispan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"Circumspect: What's your vision or objective for Pencil Tribe, say, within the next two to five years?o:p/o:p/span/i/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"br /
bPT:/b We aim to serve two primary audiences: i) writers and artists who focus on Africa in some way, and, nbsp; ii) audiences interested in works which are stylistically and thematically related to Africa. For the first group, we want to provide a welcoming platform for getting material reviewed, commented on and where applicable, published. For the second group, we aim to provide high quality content that will expand the boundaries of African literature and art. Our success as a publication will be driven largely by how well we achieve these goals. If we get a closely knit and growing community of people who share our vision, we would have achieved our version of success.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"br /
/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bispan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"Circumspect: Why should people read or submit entries for publication on Pencil Tribe?/span/i/bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"br /
br /
bPT:/b At iPencil Tribe/i, we have no political, religious or ideological agenda. We are only interested in the form and quality of the works we publish. We strongly believe in diversity of opinion and ideas and are willing to give every piece a chance. The staff and contributors tonbsp;iPencil Tribe/inbsp;have a strong passion for promoting African literature and art. Given the paucity of this content in mainstream literary magazines, we hope to provide a unique and refreshing outlet for inspired and inspiring new voices on Africa. Without the support of artists, writers and our readers, this vision cannot be realized. That is why we hope to build a strong community of people interested in African literature and art.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"br /
/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bispan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"Circumspect: Anything else you'd like to add?br /
/span/i/bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"br /
bPT:/b In our far-from-perfect world, literature and art are powerful means of re-building and re-creating what is true, beautiful and good on earth. In the case of Africa, decades of negative news has created the illusion that nothing good and beautiful comes from the continent. Thankfully, African-themed creative writing and art can help clear that false cloud, even if in a modest way. We hope Pencil Tribe can help create a new aesthetic and sensibility about the African continent and its diverse people.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Check out bspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"span style="color: blue;"http://www.penciltribe.com/span/span/b for more information and to submit your work.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-3061146781673845256?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=0uMRio2HxvM:JVuNm7G07Ws:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/0uMRio2HxvM" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
12:53
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.ne.edu.sg/images/WakeUpYourIdeas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="255" src="http://www.ne.edu.sg/images/WakeUpYourIdeas.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/divHi Everyone!br /
br /
C'est moi! I just wanted to touch base with all you wonderful Circumspectors real quick. Over the holidays, I'll be doing research on the newest social media to incorporate those stuff on here. I've got sooooo nbsp;many ideas and I can't wait to experience the new stuff with y'all.br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"What Do You Want To See On Circumspect?/span/bbr /
Since this is a forum for information-sharing, I'd like to get your ideas on this. What would you like to see on the site? Any topics you'd like me to blog on? Are you itching to find out something? Any other blogs I should be checking out? Do you want more of the serious stuff, philosophical insights, or just laid-back every day news. Send me all the juicy info.br /
br /
In the past, some of you have suggested blog topics to me, and I've happily obliged - See a href="http://www.circumspecte.com/2009/07/obamas-message-to-africa-reiterating.html"bObama in Ghana /b/aand a href="http://www.circumspecte.com/2009/11/personal-statement-meet-insert-name.html"bPersonal Statement/b/a . I'm looking to amp that up in 2010 by including sections on the site where it's all about you peeps, your thoughts, experiences and what-nots. After-all, sharing IS caring. In the meantime, if there is something you wanna submit, please do send along, I'll put it up and list you as a guest blogger.br /
br /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.archiveslives.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/questions-qa-300x298.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="198" src="http://www.archiveslives.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/questions-qa-300x298.gif" width="200" //abr /
/divbspan style="color: blue;"Ask Me Anything. Go Ahead. It's Not a Ploy/span/bbr /
Finally, many people have mentioned that they'd like to see a more "personal" side of me on the site. I usually tell people that my life really is an open-book if you know where to look, but I figured, what the heck, a new year is rolling in, let's give the people what they want. Soooo. If you have any burning questions for me - it can be about bspan style="color: magenta;"ANYTHING/span/b. Yes, anything. - do send them along. I'll answer them to the best of my ability and put them up on the site. You can email me (see below) or post your question as a comment to this blog.br /
br /
I look forward to hearing from y'all as we try to make the Circumspect experience even better and more meaningful. All comments, suggestions, questions, criticisms (constructive please), can be sent tonbsp;a href="mailto:j.abdulai@circumspecte.com"span style="color: purple;"bj.abdulai@circumspecte.com/b/span/anbsp;.br /
br /
Perfect. I wish you all a successful wrap up to the year and happy holidays! We're coming back stronger in 2010!!!br /
br /
Best wishes,br /
Jemilabr /
br /
P.S. Some stuff to look out for in the coming weeks: Interviews with a href="http://www.reachghana.org/"bREACH GH/b/a, a href="http://www.titagyaschools.org/"bTitagya Schools/b/a, and a href="http://www.penciltribe.com/"bPencil Tribe/b/a . Also, a post on bhow to blog/b (2010 is a perfect time to start, don't you think?!)br /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"br /
--/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"Photo Sources:nbsp
[www.ne.edu.sg] /
br /
/spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-3785550069996347766?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=l1_rg5TECf0:dTiJUvJDEDk:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/l1_rg5TECf0" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
12:15
»
Circumspect
span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://100musicalfootsteps.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/236000-fblighthouse-hope-leadership-inspiration-posters.jpg?w=400amp;h=300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="240" src="http://100musicalfootsteps.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/236000-fblighthouse-hope-leadership-inspiration-posters.jpg?w=400amp;h=300" width="320" //abr /
/divMy aunt just forwarded this to me, and I decided to share with y'all - going w/ the whole end-of-year-time-for-reflection theme. The insert below was written by a href="http://www.reginabrett.com/"bRegina Brett/b /a(Columnist with The Plain Dealer) and was copied from a href="http://www.cleveland.com/brett/blog/index.ssf/2006/05/regina_bretts_45_life_lessons.html"bCleveland.Com/b/a. I find them to be very inspiring and great advice! I did a similar post when I turned a href="http://www.circumspecte.com/2009/07/at-23-and-yes-im-embracing-it-lol-ive.html"b23/b/a. Enjoy!br /
br /
--br /
span style="color: #444e5c; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"/spanbr /
h1 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: rgb(41, 53, 70) !important; font-size: 18px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on/h1h4 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 1px;"Bynbsp;a href="http://connect.cleveland.com/user/rbrett/index.html" style="color: #305cb6; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"Regina Brett/a/h4h5 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 1px;"May 28, 2006, 10:13AM/h5div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me./span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"2. When in doubt, just take the next small step./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"5. Pay off your credit cards every month./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"12. It's OK to let your children see you cry./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"22. Overprepare, then go with the flow./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"24. The most important sex organ is the brain./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"/span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"27. Always choose life./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"28. Forgive everyone everything./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"29. What other people think of you is none of your business./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"33. Believe in miracles./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"45. The best is yet to come./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"48. If you don't ask, you don't get./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"49. Yield./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="font-size: medium;"span style="color: black;"50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift./span/span/spanbr /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"br /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"To reach this Plain Dealer columnist:br /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"rbrett@plaind.com, 216-999-6328br /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"--br /
/divdiv style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px;"Photo Source
[100musicalfootsteps.files.wordpress.combr] /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-8389193481596963204?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=zvNQT_wzhsE:XFPmgROWku4:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/zvNQT_wzhsE" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
23:33
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.vinfolio.com/staffblog/images/newyearsclock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"/aa href="http://www.vinfolio.com/staffblog/images/newyearsclock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="228" src="http://www.vinfolio.com/staffblog/images/newyearsclock.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/divHowdy everyone! It's about that time of the year, when its mad crazy at school, work, with life in general, and everything's winding down because a huge event is around the corner: New Year!!! And in true new year fashion, most people make resolutions. My New Year came early this year -- at least, as far as my body/mind clock is concerned. Which is pretty weird, cos I start feeling all sentimental and reflective around my birthday -- that's my real new year anyway. But this time around, I've shifted into clean-up,-reflect-and-make-new-decisions mode early. Guess I'm tryna beat the traffic.nbsp;Anyways. To the point.br /
br /
bIn A Nutshell/bbr /
2009 has been a roller coaster ride. So many major events happened, and there were extreme highs and lows. From finalizing and receiving my B.A. to thinking I couldn't possibly find a job in this recession, to having to say "see you later" to wonderful college friends, to staying an extra three months in beautiful Mount Holyoke, to having to make some tough decisions concerning my personal life, to being horribly homesick, to switching up Circumspect's layout and to finding myself here in D.C. with an amazing new life, friends, prospects, challenges etc etc. Life is unpredictable, but I think '09 tops it in my book (so far). [Whew, what a mouthful!]br /
br /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SyRugKFb1zI/AAAAAAAADCw/uNY_mXCCDkA/s1600-h/simplymoi+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SyRugKFb1zI/AAAAAAAADCw/uNY_mXCCDkA/s320/simplymoi+002.JPG" //abr /
/divbMy New Year Resolutions/bbr /
In 2010 I hope to:br /
span style="color: blue;"gt; /spanbspan style="color: blue;"Listen and Learn: /span/bMy current job allows me to interview the most amazing people ever. And every time, I'm blown away - by their accomplishments, their experiences, the passion in their voices when talking about what they enjoy doing, all of it. So for 2010, I'm gonna try to listen more. And not just to people. But to the sounds of life and nature - well, there isn't so much nature in the city, but just to surroundings in general. I wanna take it all in, and enjoy this ride (life) while it lasts.br /
br /
span style="color: blue;"gt;/spanbspan style="color: blue;"Let My Hair Down: /span/bI think I take life too seriously sometimes. I'm almost always in "professional" mode, and usually making a mental list of things I'm supposed to be doing, should be doing, haven't done yet etc etc. For 2010, I intend to let my hair down more often and take a breather. All those tasks will be there waiting for me, but if I don't slow down from time to time, I might not see the break of dawn to attend to them.br /
br /
span style="color: blue;"gt;/spanbspan style="color: blue;"Talk to Random People:/span /bWell, it depends on the setting, of course. About a week ago, while sardined in the metro, my co-worker and I started talking about whether I'd wanna live in the U.S. permanently. To which, I automatically said "no, I wanna go home." There was a girl next to us, who responded that she knows exactly how I feel. She felt the same way when she was abroad in Paris. Coincidence, we were both abroad in France around the same time. Then this guy who I kept bumping into when the train screeched to a halt mentioned he has some Euros and he thought about selling them, but decided not to because the Euro's value keeps going up against the dollar. Long story short, within the space of 10-15 minutes, we found out we had things in common. The connection between humans is but an invisible thread ;)br /
br /
span style="color: blue;"gt;/spanbspan style="color: blue;"Make A Decision to Start Something...And Get Right To It:/span/bnbsp;While I might have graduated, it seemsnbsp;procrastinationnbsp;didn't get left behind. And it's nerve-wrecking!! You know, I do the whole "to-do" list thing. And then I sit for hours thinking of how I should be doing whatever's on that list. But I don't actually start. And then last minute, see me rushing to get my stuff done. Yea, def throwing procrastination out the door in 2010.br /
br /
span style="color: blue;"gt;/spanbspan style="color: blue;"Explore Islam More:/span/bnbsp;I embarked on a mission to read and contemplate the entire Qu'ran (in English) during Ramadan. It's gone pretty well so far, and I intend to continue with that. At this point, I want to find out nbsp;these things for myself instead of relying on he said-she said.br /
br /
span style="color: blue;"gt;/spanbspan style="color: blue;"Experiment:/span /bNothing life-threatening, rest assured. I just realized that a lot of the new music I'm into - David Guetta, Asa, Kate Voegele etc - is because I took a chance on someone's recommendation. So I'm gonna try to broaden my horizon on music and other things too.br /
br /
span style="color: blue;"gt;/spanbspan style="color: blue;"Read:/span/bnbsp;I'll say I read quite a number of books in '09. And I've rediscovered my first love. I love being immersed in a good book. But these days, other things tend to distract me. I wanna go back to wonderland in 2010, and immerse myself entirely in a book, flipping from page to page, unable to put down the book. Yea, that definitely sounds tempting.br /
br /
span style="color: blue;"gt;/spanbspan style="color: blue;"Continue This Love Thing: /span/bMy hostess commented recently that many people don't know how to live/be alone, so when they grow old, it's like torture. I've generally been a loner. Don't get me wrong, I adore people. But I also like some me-time. And I'm pretty comfy being alone for weeks on end. So far this love thing (with myself) is going great, and even though I sometimes have to stop myself from muttering aloud in public, I couldn't ask for a better mate. In the same vein, I intend to eat better, workout whenever possible, and learn more about myself.br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"gt;Learn to Say No:/span /bI've already had to do this towards the latter part of the year, and it's going to continue in 2010. I'm happy to help people out w/ things, but right now things are getting to be a little too much on my plate. To the point where I feel like I'm always on go. Weekdays, weekends, whenever. I need a breather. And especially since I want to be effective in whatever I do, I'm going to have to decline some requests for help etc. That's not to say that people can't ask favors of me. You can. But I'll just be honest with myself and you, and tell you no if I absolutely won't be able to help out.br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"gt;Come Up With A Five-Year Plan: /span/bNothing too detailed, just a general trajectory of where I would like my life to go. I'm currently plan-less. Well, to some degree. And I feel like I need to get on that. There are so many possibilities and opportunities, I need to start doing my research. Does this cancel out the "letting my hair down" resolution?br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"gt;Use the Phone More Often:/span/b Okay, so I know some people are gonna do a double-take on this one. I'm generally not a phone person. When I use the phone, it's on average 20-30 minutes max. And even then, it's few and far in-between. But I miss my mummy and my siblings. And my daddy called me today! On the phone! (That's a big deal, trust). So I've decided I'm gonna do more voice communication as opposed to just texting, emailing etc. This is exclusive to family and friends though. Baby steps. Lol.br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"gt;Make the Circumspect Experience Better:/span/b I have big plans for you folks out there. And I'll be soliciting your ideas and suggestions soon. And I'm gonna do some research on new technologies out there. So keep an eye out. Let's leave it at that shall we? :)br /
br /
span style="color: blue;"bgt;Express My Appreciation More: /bspan style="color: black;"By that, I don't just mean saying "Thank You". I mean letting people know how and when and where they impacted me. Because there are so many people out there I should be telling. And if I decided to do a blog on it, it would be endless. So I'm gonna do it a person at a time. And hopefully, by the end of 2010, I'd have covered a good chunk of those individuals :D/span/spanbr /
br /
Alors, these are my resolutions so far. As the clean-up and reflection process continues, and more come up, I'll let y'all know. In the meantime, I wanna know what YOUR resolutions are. Did you keep the ones you made for 2009? What were they? Details people, details. Lol. Ciao peeps!br /
br /
--br /
Photo Source:nbsp;a href="http://www.vinfolio.com/vinfolioblog/education/index.html"http://www.vinfolio.com/vinfolioblog/education/index.html/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-4683911098239475012?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=HHWO-chikPI:HGu9j_PxsvE:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/HHWO-chikPI" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
11:29
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.fao.org/newsroom/common/ecg/40269/en/Africa_Harvest_17576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="211" src="http://www.fao.org/newsroom/common/ecg/40269/en/Africa_Harvest_17576.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/divIn Ghana, the first Friday of December is set aside to acknowledge the hard work of some of the country's most important individuals - farmers and agricultural workers. So that would mean today! Happy a href="http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/200912/38862.asp"bFarmers' Day/b/a!!br /
divbr /
/divdivFor a while now I've wondered about the future of agriculture in Ghana. It has been Ghana's predominant sector since the early days of independence, and even though a lot of activities are undertaken, the potential for growth still remains. Question is, are Ghanaians willing to take up that charge? Or more specifically, are Ghana's youth willing to do so?br /
/divdivbr /
/divdivOne of the typical composition questions featured in English examinations in basic schools when I was younger was: ib"The Farmer and the Doctor: Who Is More Important?"/b/i I always grappled with that question, but more often than not, it came down to the farmer. Why? Because basic human instinct seeks nourishment before other needs or wants.nbsp;Maslow's theory confirms this, and it's also true in our everyday lives.nbsp;Also, when you think about traditional African societies, medical practitioners (herbalists) relied on plants (grown by farmers) to treat their patients. So it would seem like the presence of the farmer with his food and plants for medicine gave birth to the doctor. In a sense.br /
/divdivbr /
/divdivEitherways, I'm not here to argue about whether the doctor or the farmer is more important. If my guess is right, thousands of Ghanaian school children are still contemplating that question in their essays. What I'd like to talk about though, is the youth's perception of agriculture.br /
/divdivbr /
/divdivThanks to globalization and western influence, many Ghanaian and African youth look down upon careers in agriculture. Particularly with regards to farming and fishing. They think it's beneath them. Let me correct myself. Since I'm also a Ghanaian and African youth, we, as a collective, think it's beneath us. Which is really incredulous. How can an honorable trade such as farming, that essentially offers the opportunity of life and health, be a second-thought or second-class career option?br /
/divdivbr /
/divdivAnd it's not just the youth who think this way. Adults do too. Many parents will say, "oh my daughter/son is going to grow up to be a medical doctor, lawyer, or teacher." Very few say "my child will be a farmer or fisher when he/she grows." Why is this the case? We seriously need to think about this. Especially since our main economic strengths lie in agriculture. If we ever want to advance into strong manufacturing and services sectors, we're gonna need to fill up our breadbaskets to the brim and have extra in storage. The agricultural sector needs us. Without the human resource base in that sector, we're basically screwed. We're letting our key strengths go to waste, and in addition to that, we're paying a dear price for it by having to import food we can grown ourselves and dealing with food shortages and crises.br /
/divdivbr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://news.myjoyonline.com/photos/news/vegetables%20woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="256" src="http://news.myjoyonline.com/photos/news/vegetables%20woman.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/divdivWhen Kofi Annan stepped down from his post as UN Secretary-General, he declared he would be returning to Ghana to farm. The reaction? "What is wrong with this man? You go as far as being the head of one of the most influential international organizations, and now you want to be a mere farmer?" I admire Annan for his decision. Why? Because despite his association with top global leaders and dealing with complex issues, he realizes that food security is the essential ingredient to keeping humanity afloat. A hungry (wo)man is an angry (wo)man. And when Awuradjoa, Aishatou, Kofi, Selorm or Habib are angry, nobody else is happy. When you're hungry, you're not only irritable, you can't concentrate until you get something in your system.br /
/divdivbr /
/divdivThe great news is that in this era of technological advancement, there are many sexy agricultural jobs out there. Yep, you heard right. We need to change our idea about what agriculture entails because there are so many components to it. For instance. If you feel like you don't have the muscles necessary to till the soil, you can concentrate on helping design and invent new technologies to make that process easier. Not convinced yet? Okay. Let's say you're more interested in legal structures. You can do research and evaluate current labor laws governing the agricultural sector - both at the local and international levels (within the framework of the WTO for instance). Figure yourself as more of a business person? No worries. You can help develop and implement marketing schemes to help farmers get as much profit as their hard work deserves. Interested in climate change? You can help develop new, 'green' initiatives to keep the agricultural sector, well, green. And for those of us who think women are no good as farmers, think again. Women contribute the most to the subsistence agricultural sector in many African and developing nations.br /
/divdivbr /
/divdivAt the end of the day, it all comes down to perception. If your window of perception about agriculture is limited to days under the sun toiling for hours on end, then you've got another thing coming to you. We're in a new era with new possibilities. And even if you do end up sweaty and panting under the tropical sun in a field of corn, is that so bad? You would be participating in one of the most honorable trades (in my opinion) out there, and you'd be contributing more than your quota to humanity. Think about it. It's time to make agriculture sexy.br /
/divdivbr /
Here's an interesting TED video on food security in Ethiopia (where a serious food crisis is ongoing)br /
br /
object height="326" width="334"param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /param name="wmode" value="transparent"/paramparam name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"/paramparam name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/EleniGabre-Madhin_2007G-medium.flvsu=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/EleniGabre-Madhin-2007G.embed_thumbnail.jpgvw=320vh=240ap=0ti=185introDuration=16500adDuration=4000postAdDuration=2000adKeys=talk=elene_gabre_madhin_on_ethiopian_economics;year=2007;theme=the_rise_of_collaboration;theme=not_business_as_usual;theme=africa_the_next_chapter;theme=rethinking_poverty;event=TEDGlobal+2007;preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="334" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/EleniGabre-Madhin_2007G-medium.flvsu=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/EleniGabre-Madhin-2007G.embed_thumbnail.jpgvw=320vh=240ap=0ti=185introDuration=16500adDuration=4000postAdDuration=2000adKeys=talk=elene_gabre_madhin_on_ethiopian_economics;year=2007;theme=the_rise_of_collaboration;theme=not_business_as_usual;theme=africa_the_next_chapter;theme=rethinking_poverty;event=TEDGlobal+2007;"/embed/objectbr /
br /
/divdivbr /
/divdivbr /
/divdiv--br /
/divdivPhoto 1:a href="http://www.fao.org/newsroom/common/ecg/40269/en/Africa_Harvest_17576.jpg"http://www.fao.org/newsroom/common/ecg/40269/en/Africa_Harvest_17576.jpg/abr /
/divdivPhoto 2:
[news.myjoyonline.com] /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-5773265554603213335?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=avXBhizc5zo:zeHbuSBIkUs:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/avXBhizc5zo" height="1" width="1"/
-
0:14
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"span style="color: red;"span style="font-size: x-large;"bbr /
/b/span/spana href="http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2amp;ik=b3bb807504amp;view=attamp;th=125574555cecbd36amp;attid=0.0.1amp;disp=embamp;zw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2amp;ik=b3bb807504amp;view=attamp;th=125574555cecbd36amp;attid=0.0.1amp;disp=embamp;zw" //abr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"span style="color: red;"span style="font-size: x-large;"bbr /
/b/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"span style="color: red;"bspan style="font-size: x-large;"Africa's Open For Business, and Her Citizens Are Taking Charge!/span/b/spanbr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"It's about that time of the year again.br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"You know, when many people decide to make "new year" resolutionsbr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"(although when you think of it, actual "new years" fall on birthdays).br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"Anyway, 2010 is just around the corner; how about making a new year resolution you can actually keep?br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"Yep, you heard right.br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"All those past resolutions for networking and expanding your professional expertise, learning from industry experts, finding a job, making a difference in your country or the African continent.br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"All of it.br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"Register for the Inaugural Africa Business Conference at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago on Jan 30, 2010.br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"Go Ahead. a href="https://www20.kellogg.northwestern.edu/Conf/EventRegPart.asp?EventID=380"span style="color: purple;"bRegister Online/b/span/a.br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"ba href="http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/conference/abc/keynotes.html"span style="color: black;"Keynote Speakers:/span/a/bbr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"span style="color: blue;"bArnold Ekpe (CEO, Ecobank Group)/b/span amp; bspan style="color: blue;"Charles Mbire (Chairman, MTN Africa)/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"Get a jumpstart on bimaking and keeping/i/b those professional resolutions for 2010br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"Why? Simple.br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"span style="color: red;"bAfrica's open for business and her citizens are taking charge!/b/spanbr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"span style="color: red;"bbr /
/b/spanbr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"b(Visit a href="http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/conference/abc/"span style="color: blue;"Conference Site/span/a for Further Details)/bbr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2amp;ik=b3bb807504amp;view=attamp;th=12558271111c100damp;attid=0.1amp;disp=inlineamp;zw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2amp;ik=b3bb807504amp;view=attamp;th=12558271111c100damp;attid=0.1amp;disp=inlineamp;zw" //abr /
/divdiv class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"nbsp;nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; br /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-1475734314772115005?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=0d7jWKwxZS0:i-hMc5zEtNw:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/0d7jWKwxZS0" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
12:25
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://teriberi.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/hello-my-name-is.jpg?w=300amp;h=198" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="264" src="http://teriberi.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/hello-my-name-is.jpg?w=300amp;h=198" width="400" //abr /
/divNow that I have finally completed my personal statement for a graduate program, I think I can do this post on how to write a good personal statement, without feeling tinges of guilt (at not finishing mine). It's application season, and more often than not, recruiters require a personal statement. Whether its for graduate school or for an internship or job (they call those cover letters, but essentially, it's a personal statement, albeit a more technical/reserved one). So, this post will be based mainly on my own experience with writing personal statements, and also from reviewing and editing those of friends, colleagues etc. I hope you find it helpful, and if you have any other tidbits or questions, please feel free to leave a comment.br /
br /
Here goes:br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"What's a personal statement?/span/bbr /
In my opinion, a personal statement is exactly what it says it is. A personal statement. Some people think they need to be very removed and technical in their personal statements, but that's begging the point. When you're asked for a personal statement, give exactly that: a statement of who you are as a person. Of course, in this case, you won't be going into detail about your favorite food or music, when you last went on a date, or took your siblings out, no, none of that. Unless. Unless it ties into what you're applying for. In that case, those personal details will help whoever is reviewing your application get a sense of who you are as a person. In that case, you span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: lime;"definitely/spanspan class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: lime;" /spanwant to add those nuances.br /
br /
span style="color: blue;"bPaying Attention To Context...and Doing Your Research/b/spanbr /
Personal statements can go many ways. What sets two personal statements apart, is the context. Are you applying to a graduate program in the sciences? Or maybe it's in finance? Is the program you're applying for looking for specific skills or expertise? Are they seeking more "minority" students, for instance? These are some of the questions that will help you determine what context your personal statement should be in. The only way you'll have a sense of the context, is when you do your research. More often than not, institutions tell you what they are looking for; on their website, in the application, in a brochure etc. They know what they want, now it's up to you to convince them that you're exactly that. Check their website out. Read about the program you're applying for. Read everything if you can. Yes, read about what courses you'll be taking, what the classroom structure is like, who the professors might be, etc. And while you're doing that, look out for things you identify with.br /
br /
For instance, a program might say that they're looking to recruit more minority students from Africa or Asia. If you've lived in either of these areas, that's a point in your favor that you should try to at least touch upon. When looking at the course modules, think about classes you've taken in the past that might be related. Never taken an international trade or biological science class before? That doesn't need to go against you. These things form part of daily life. Talk about your experience at a local Ghanaian market or your fascination for how frogs croak at night. Learn to draw on your passion, your personal experiences, and your surroundings. That's what will make your personal statement...well..yours.br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"The Introduction (And, most likely, the deal-breaker)/span/bbr /
Many interviewers will tell you that they make their decision about a candidate within the first 30seconds to 1 minute of meeting them. When it comes to the personal statement, the 30 seconds to 1 minute time frame is your introduction. Your introduction will determine whether the person potentially holding your fate in their hands will read on, or put your statement away. Different people fashion their introductions differently, but I always advocate telling your bspan style="color: blue;"'personal story'/span/b in the introduction. Why? Because it increases the chances of you being recognised and remembered as a person; as Adjoa, Kofi, Fatimata, Chioma or whoever you are. Once you share your personal story, you transition from being just another candidate, to being a person who shared their story. And that's important, because guess what? That's what the personal statement is about!br /
br /
In my opinion, the key element of the introduction should be bspan style="color: blue;"your passion./spanspan style="font-weight: normal;"nbsp;What makes your heart race? What gets you up at 7am in the morning? What would you undoubtedly say is your own? That's what you want to communicate in your intro. Of course, it should be related to the opportunity you're pursuing in some way, and if it isn't in a direct sense, find and highlight the linkages. span style="color: blue;"b(If you're applying for a graduate or job opportunity that doesn't link to your passion in someway, then you should probably take some time to brainstorm why you're pursuing that opportunity in the first place.)/b/span/span/bbr /
span style="color: blue;"bbr /
/b/spanbr /
For example: I'm passionate about economic development and information access. So my intro normally talks about how my fascination for development came about, and I tie that into the fact that my interest was so strong, I actually dedicated four years of my life to studying and learning about that field of study at college.br /
br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"Your Experience - How you've prepared and what you can bring to the table/span/bbr /
After putting a human face to the title "candidate" with your intro, you proceed to tell a bit about your life story -- specifically, your academic or career story. Which opportunities have you taken in the past? Why did you take them? How do you think they have prepared you for pursuing this new opportunity. Whether its a cover letter or a college application, recruiters want to see (read) you make the connections between your past life and this future opportunity. Sure, some of the connections might speak for themselves or seem obvious, but you need to spell it out. This is really important because it shows that you have taken the time to research and think about how this new opportunity is a great aspect of your academic or career path. nbsp;Initially, I neglected to state these connections because I thought it was apparent. But one of my really good friends from college, Ukwori (shoutouts babe!) sat me down and told me "State the connections.It might be obvious, but they want to hear it from you!" And boy, has that made a world of difference ever since.br /
br /
For instance: You had the opportunity to participate in a science student lab on nanotechnology, so you talk about the fact that you were one of a selected few who got to do this, at so-so and so institution with so-so and so renowned scientist. That's all beautiful and dandy, and although its obvious you have some lab experience, you need to state the connection with your new pursuit. Saying something like "My experience at the lab increased my interest in nano-technology and gave me an opportunity to work with lab equipment - both in teams and alone. This will not only enable me to work in the Chemical lab course modules offered by the "so so and so" program, but will also make me an active team player when the need arises." could make a world of difference.br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"Sucking Up (Ahooshing) Time: Why that particular opportunity?/span/bbr /
People like to talk about themselves. That's a fact. From the store owner down the street to the president of a prestigious organization, everyone. The only thing that tops talking about oneself, is hearing other people talk about you. Particularly if its full of praise and applause. At some point in your personal statement, you're gonna have to do some major sucking up and ahooshing. But hold your horses. I don't mean "Your organization/program is the best organization/program in the entire world, and that's why I want to be with you!" Umm, that's a tad over the top. For one thing, you're not yet a part of the program/organization, so technically, you cannot tell that they're the best. Secondly, you haven't sampled all the similar programs/organizations out there, so you can't conclusively say that either.br /
br /
Here's the thing.You tell them what they want to hear. Yes, exactly that. It's not about being pretentious or anything of the sort. It's about having done your research, and figuring out that's where you want to be. Most organizations/programs will tell you what they think makes them stand apart. It's your job to reiterate those facts and link it to yourself. Read a program/organization's mission statement or values. Check to see what successes they have garnered lately. Look at what elements of their organization/program they pride themselves on. Those are the things you use for your major suck-up mission.br /
br /
For Example: An international studies program states on its website that they have a strong focus on language integration in courses, and also pair their students up with sector organizations in order to give them professional experience. Here's what you could say: " I am excited about your Master in International Affairs program, because of its language integration and professional experience elements. I believe that these elements will not only help me improve my language skills and put me in touch with industry professionals, but will also help me achieve my goal of being a competitive player on the international scene. With a Masters in International Affairs from so-so and so univeristy, I will be adequately prepared for succeeding in the dynamic and challenging international sector."nbsp;Get it? You essentially told them they're the only ones who can make you successful!br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"Conclusion - Stating the highlights of your personal statement, and reiterating your interest/span/bbr /
Many people don't pay attention to the conclusion of their personal statement, but it is just as important as the other parts of your statement. Some recruiters (who get hundreds or thousands of applications) read the introduction and if they like what they see, they skip to the conclusion. Why? Because they don't have that much time, and expect your conclusion to summarize the key points in your statement. So that's what you should give them. If you don't say anything at all, you should most span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: lime;"definitely/span communicate your passion, what you hope to gain from the program, and where you see yourself after the program. This doesn't have to be an entire essay on its own. It can be something as simple as:br /
br /
"I believe the so so and so program will enable me to channel my passion for so so and so in a constructive manner. In addition to building upon the skills and expertise I already have, it will serve as a learning experience that will introduce me to (mention some of the key things you will be learning), and help make me achieve my dream of promoting sustainable economic change in Ghana."br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"Other Things To Look Out For/span/bbr /
bTenses:/b As much as possible, try to make sure your grammar is on point. One of the key things I notice from reviewing people's statements is that they use multiple tenses. This gets very confusing for the reader and can ruin your chances of making a good impression. If you start with the present tense, stay consistent with it. Of course, if you're narrrating past events, you'll use the past tense, but don't jump between tenses unless it makes absolute sense.br /
br /
bSpelling:/b Make sure you're spelling accurately. You can spell check your statement to ensure you're spelling things right, but aside that, you also need to be aware of which language you're using. If you're applying to a school in the U.K. for instance, and you're based in the U.S. either find out which variation of the English language they would like, or use their official language: U.K. Also, watch out for the punctuation marks. A comma in the wrong place can lend an entirely new meaning to a sentence.br /
br /
bWord Limits:/b Make sure you adhere to the word limit, and any other instructions for that matter. If you go beyond the limit, edit until you meet it. It could simply mean reducing the number of examples you give, or checking to make sure you're not repeating yourself.br /
br /
bProofread, Get a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and even 5th opinion:/b Proofread, proofread, proofread! That's what a lot of recruiters advocate. Make sure you look over your personal statement at least three times. And then look it over three times again, reading backwards (meaning, start from the last sentence and read up). You'll be more likely to catch silly mistakes that way.br /
br /
Also, get a second opinion. If you can get up to 5 opinions, do so. No matter how good of a writer you might be. Why? Because everyone has a particular writing style that might sound fine to the writer, but is a bit awkward with the reader. In this case, you want to tailor the statement to the reader. Also, everyone has what I call "comfort words" and tend to use them frequently. Mine for instance (at least when I speak) is definitely span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: lime;"(I used it twice in this single blog!)/span. Make sure you're not repeating the same word(s) too many times, and especially not back to back! It just sounds awkward. Here's an example:br /
br /
" I am excited about your Master in International Affairs program, because of its language integration and professional experience span style="background-color: yellow;"elements/span. I believe that these span style="text-decoration: line-through;"span style="background-color: yellow;"elements/span/span will not only span style="background-color: yellow;"help me/spannbsp;to improve my language skills and put me in touch with industry professionals, but will also span style="background-color: yellow;"span style="text-decoration: line-through;"help me/span/spannbsp;assist me in achieving my goal of being a competitive player on the international scene. With a Masters in International Affairs from so-so and so univeristy, I will be adequately prepared for succeeding in the dynamic and challenging international sector." -- In this case, synonyms are your best friend!br /
br /
So get those opinions and have them edit and proofread for you. Once you get the feedback, please, please be open to the suggestions. You don't absolutely have to apply them, but take them into consideration, and ask for an explanation if necessary. After you're done editing, look over the statement a couple of times, and if you feel good about it (its important to feel optimistic about it, else it's not finished. This is your very own showcase!), send it along.br /
br /
bMake sure you address it to the right person/organization/program!:/bnbsp;This is probably the worst mistake you could commit. Going through the trouble of writing an entire personal statement, sending it out, and then, finding out that in paragraph 3 line 2, you said " I'm excited about Colombia University's so so and so program" instead of "Harvard University's so so and so program". Organizations and graduate programs know they have competition out there. They don't need you to rub it in. So don't! lol.br /
br /
Aight, I hope this was helpful. As I said, if you have comments, other tips, and suggestions, please comment on this article or email them to me and I'll share em. Happy personal statement writing, and all the best!br /
br /
--br /
Photo Source:nbsp;a href="http://teriberi.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/hello-my-name-is.jpg"http://teriberi.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/hello-my-name-is.jpg/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-1782061069512650629?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=oZl37Ajw6OU:UROLMevfQFw:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/oZl37Ajw6OU" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
14:23
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://images.zwani.com/graphics/thank_you/images/de4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="214" src="http://images.zwani.com/graphics/thank_you/images/de4.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/divHappy Thanksgiving and Eid Mubarak to everyone!!! This weekend has been a power packed one: a deep well of thanksgiving that has surely overflown its boundaries. And of course, such a special weekend can't go unnoticed!!! I think it's really special that two holidays set aside for reminding ourselves of how lucky and blessed we each are, were commemorated back-to-back! And in addition to the turkeys and lambs, I hope we all took a moment or two to be thankful for something.br /
br /
In that spirit, I'd like to say thanks to all of you who follow Circumspect (publicly or under an invisible cloak), comment on my posts, make suggestions, or simply email me. I cannot express how much I appreciate you guys for joining in the Circumspect experience, and I'm learning as much (if not more) as you are (I hope). It's crazy cos I never anticipated that this blogging experience would grow as large as it has. And sometimes, its all very overwhelming.br /
br /
At moments when I've felt like I cannot go on, or it's taking up a lot of my time, or I should take a break, I get a message of encouragement from one of you lovely people, and I'm reminded that Circumspect is making an impact. Not only in the quest for increased information access, but also on me as an individual. So thanks a bunch for the feedback, comment, criticisms, suggestions, recognition, all that fun stuff. And as always, if there's more where those came from, bring them along! Merci a tout le monde! It's been an honor serving y'all, and I look forward to even more of such opportunities! Keep your eyes peeled, 'cos Circumspect has more coming your way!br /
br /
Best,br /
Jemilabr /
br /
P.S. I got the opportunity to interview one of the most amazing and exceptional leaders of our time, Harriet Fulbright. She inspires me, and I hope she inspires you too! Enjoy!! gt;gt;nbsp;a href="http://devex.com/articles/for-harriet-fulbright-education-s-end-goal-is-peace"http://devex.com/articles/for-harriet-fulbright-education-s-end-goal-is-peace/abr /
br /
--br /
Photo Source:nbsp
[images.zwani.com] class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-7012655861966067225?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=HkFriho6aA0:9u-V1FVehTg:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/HkFriho6aA0" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
12:07
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs094.snc3/16150_547698156445_10402829_32379898_8174485_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"/abr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs094.snc3/16150_547698246265_10402829_32379916_311508_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="240" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs094.snc3/16150_547698246265_10402829_32379916_311508_n.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/divAnyone who knows me, knows how big I am on information access. Yesterday I covered an Oxfam/FP event at theb /ba href="http://www.newseum.org/"span style="color: purple;"bNewseum/b/span/aspan style="color: purple;" /span- the latest addition to D.C.'s museums, and the most interactive. My editor told me what a big deal it was, but I didn't get it. Until I got there! The place is massive, with interactive screens for learning about the most important news in human history, the progression of media through the ages etc. I was soo giddy with excitement, I couldn't decide what to look at first. For those of you in D.C., def head up to the Newseum! It's amaaaazing!br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"Information Access amp; Documentation/span/bbr /
I eventually did a quick run through of the entire place, and I loved every bit of it. It made me appreciate information access even more, and I'm even more impassioned to help improve information access in Ghana and Africa as a whole. We need to document our histories, it holds the key to understanding (or trying to) humanity better. We need more movies on historic, progressive African leaders and societies, instead of just the cliches. It's great that they did a movie on Iddi Amin, so we understand how failed states and leaders come about, but seriously? Why not start with Nkrumah, Senghor and the others?br /
br /
Furthermore, it made me realize the fact that history is always in the making. That's right, every second of every minute, of every hour of every day. Right this moment, history is being made!br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"A Question of Ethics/span/bbr /
Some of the interactive features that the Newseum (i love the name!) has included a couple of games to test one's knowledge of journalism -- and as it turns out, ethics. It's crazy how ethics is a big part of journalism. For instance:br /
br /
gt;gt;"If your friend or family member begged you not to report his drunk-driving escapade in the newspaper, would you remove that news piece from your paper?" - The "right" answer is No. span style="color: purple;"b[Journalism shouldn't be compromised by family and friends. If it's relevant to a story piece, you go for it. The whole thing about the independence of the media.]/b/spanbr /
br /
gt;gt;"At the high school prom, students fell ill after consuming punch that was apparently mixed with soap. The principal says there isn't a health scare. Would you report the story?" The correct answer is Yes. Public Safety should be priority. It's a journalist's duty to inform. span style="color: purple;"b[Also comes down to not allowing people in positions of "power" to compromise the media. The media helps make democracy possible by helping reduce corruption and promoting transparency and accountability.]/b/spanbr /
br /
Then there was this other section with regards to photo journalism. For some reason, I found those questions harder to answer. Maybe because it's easier to retract a news statement by publishing a correction, but harder to take away the imprint of an image from people's minds? I don't know. Anyways, here are some of the questions:br /
br /
gt;gt; "Would pretend to be mentally insane in order to report on conditions in mental hospitals.?"br /
br /
gt;gt; "Would you sneak a camera into a death chamber and take a photo of an execution by legal order (death sentence) being carried out?"br /
br /
br /
a href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs114.snc3/16150_547698261235_10402829_32379919_141844_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="240" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs114.snc3/16150_547698261235_10402829_32379919_141844_n.jpg" width="320" //aPerhaps the most poignant one had to do with famine in Sudan. A starved child crawls to a UN food base and a hungry vulture is slowly pursuing the child. Would you take the photo or pick up the child?br /
br /
I hesitated in answering that question. Questions like that have no right or wrong answer. It comes down to personal decision-making and ethics. Some of the thoughts that ran through my head while thinking about the question:br /
br /
nbsp;If I take the photo, what will happen to the child? I would have missed a chance to help at least one of the possible famine victims. On the other hand, if I don't take the photo and save the child instead, then what about the millions of other children in similar situations? If the photo doesn't get published, how will they even get more food aid, much less have a chance of survival? I didn't come to a definite answer. What would you guys do???br /
br /
Here's what some people (general public + journalists) said they'd do, and here's what happened with the journalist who actually took the photo.br /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs114.snc3/16150_547698256245_10402829_32379918_7976587_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="240" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs114.snc3/16150_547698256245_10402829_32379918_7976587_n.jpg" width="320" //aa href="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs094.snc3/16150_547698251255_10402829_32379917_7809440_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="320" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs094.snc3/16150_547698251255_10402829_32379917_7809440_n.jpg" width="240" //abr /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-1250149438457215557?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=YccnlNBxCGA:M0hKWOTdUaY:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/YccnlNBxCGA" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
23:47
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://adderworld.com/blog1/wp-content/uploads/saying-sorry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://adderworld.com/blog1/wp-content/uploads/saying-sorry.jpg" //abr /
/divDear You-Know-Yourself,br /
br /
Last week I went to an event for the Charter of Compassion launch, and it made me think about a couple of things, particularly with regards to the golden rule: treating others like you would like to be treated. One particular statement resonated with me intensely: bspan style="color: blue;""Many people don't want to be compassionate, they'd rather be right."/span/b Karen Armstrong's words. And boy, was she right on the money. The first person I thought of after she said that, was you. And with super-sonic speed my mind replayed everything that had happened-- at least from my point of view -- and that had led us to this point. And as incredulous as it might be, now, the whats, whys and hows don't even matter that much. The bottom line at this point is that it happened.br /
br /
iAnd so what? /iThat's what I asked myself. So, am I going to tell myself that I'm not really holding a grudge, yet hesitate to say those three words that could probably make a world of difference even if they don't rectify the situation? I don't know. Do we ever know? But when I think about it, if saying those words to you is as hard as it is, what hope do we have for forgiving injustices committed against humanity? iPause . /iAnd in the same vein, how do we expect other people to overlook our follies? iAnother Pause/i. We never quite know some of these things, do we? Not unless...dare I say it...not unless we try? iThat sounds more like a question than a statement. /iIt does, doesn't it?br /
br /
Well, maybe I have the benefit of confused hormones and mellow music to help along my sensitive mode...or maybe I'm finally doing what I should have done a while ago and saved us both a lot of time and energy. But then again, maybe I'm tryna save my conscience from the guilt that sometimes pulls at its fringes, I don't know. What I do know is that this is a hard process, and that its taken A LOT of effort to go ahead with this, and put it out there. It's taken even more effort to leave this unedited and to ignore the fact that others (aside you) might figure all of this out, and judge me. And maybe tomorrow when my chemical levels are back to normal, and I have punk rock playing instead, I'll consider this a terrible terrible mistake. iWho cares?/i I'm trying not to.br /
br /
I miss you. A lot. I wish it never ended the way it did, and I wish I'd put my pride away and apologized for how it went down. Truth is, I've been bashing myself about it because it didn't feel right, yet I went along with it because I wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt me. I wanted to make sure you'd never forget. But now, neither can I. iIronic huh? /iAnd to think we're not even talking? It almost seems impossible. But it's not. It's real. Sometimes I want to reach out, but I don't. Because I'm afraid you'll reject me or try to hurt me again in order to make sense of what you are going through. And sometimes I think that maybe it's better this way. Us not talking. But you know me, it's never that simple. I wish we would at least talk or that I could say sorry. Even though in my mind, you should be saying sorry to me instead, and you probably don't deserve it. iThat's my ego talking./inbsp;I know many times before you did just that. Said sorry. For us. And maybe right now, there's no us. But you're still important to me regardless. So although I can't whisper this to your face, I. am. sorry. I hope that when the chance actually presents itself, I'll be able to say it. Because ultimately, it's only a matter of time. But in the meantime, this will have to do. Take care of yourself.br /
br /
Affectionately,br /
Jbr /
br /
span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif;"span style="font-size: small;"br /
/span/spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-744447793810309880?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=cIQqVjTp-7Q:ausK2atzGuk:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/cIQqVjTp-7Q" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
0:07
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/12/26/mecca271206_wideweb__470x312,0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="212" src="http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/12/26/mecca271206_wideweb__470x312,0.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/divOn Oct. 29, I received a forward from a friend talking about a supposed miracle in Egypt broadcast by CBS. Curious, I read the message. By the time I was done, I was fuming. Doing a quick google search, I failed to find the so-called CBS video. Maybe they took it off? I don't know. What I do know though, is that the kind of negative information spread online about Islam and Muslims is what makes Islamaphobia so rampant these days.br /
br /
I have come to the conclusion that it's not God's word that sucks, but man's interpretation of it. Consequently, I've resolved to study the Qu'ran myself, and make my own deductions instead of going by heresay. A couple of days after, two things happened.br /
br /
First, I came across a verse in the Qu'ran which outrightly condemns mistreatment of women and children, and specifically decries the burying of children alive (which the supposed CBS video is said to have portrayed) from Surah Al-An-am (Chapter: The Cattle):br /
br /
i139. And they say: "What is in the bellies of such and such cattle (milk or foetus) is for our males alone, and forbidden to our females (girls and women), but if it is born dead, then all have shares therin." He will punish them for their attribution (of such false orders to Allah). Verily, He is All-Wise, All-Knower./ibr /
ibr /
/ibr /
i140. Indeed lost are they who have killed their children, from folly, without knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allah has provided for them, inventing a lie against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and were not guided.nbsp;[Translation from this /ia href="http://noblequran.com/translation/surah6.html"ispan style="color: purple;"bOnline Qu'ran/b/span/i/ai]/ibr /
a href="http://noblequran.com/translation/surah6.html"/abr /
span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"bspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"span style="font-weight: normal;"br /
/span/span/b/spanbr /
bspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"Karen Armstrong amp; her TED wish: The Charter of Compassion:/span/bbr /
a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SvzpBU_07dI/AAAAAAAACcE/OOFfWl-vo3w/s1600/IMG_3626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SvzpBU_07dI/AAAAAAAACcE/OOFfWl-vo3w/s320/IMG_3626.JPG" width="320" //aspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Helvetica, sans-serif;"/spanbr /
span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Helvetica, sans-serif;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"Second, I received an email from the TED conference series (which I have featured many times on this site) about a new initiative being launched called the /spana href="http://charterforcompassion.org/"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"span style="color: purple;"bCharter of Compassion/b/span/span/aspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"span style="color: purple;"bnbsp;/b/spanbased on the /spanbspan style="background-color: white;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"Golden Rule/span/span/bspan style="background-color: white;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"nbsp;nbsp;/span/spanspan style="background-color: white;"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"(Treat others the way you want to be treated)/span/spanspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" and inter-faith dialogue. It seemed interesting.nbsp;Another couple of days passed, and there was an invitation to sign up for a film screening of the Unity Production Foundation's /spana href="http://www.upf.tv/upf06/Projects/InsideIslamWhataBillionMuslimsReallyThink/tabid/319/Default.aspx"span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"span style="color: purple;"bInside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think/b/span/span/aspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"nbsp;. Guess what? It turns out that film screening is part of the launch for the Charter of Compassion --nbsp;which was thought up by Karen Armstrong, a religious thinker and author, and one of TED's speakers and prize winners. Talk about coming full circle huh?/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"br /
/span br /
span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"The Charter of Compassion is a global initiative aimed at promoting understanding and inter-faith dialogue. According to Armstrong, the one thing that she has found to be universal with all religions is compassion. One thing she said that resounded with me is this: /spanspan style="color: blue;"bspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;""Many people don't want to be compassionate, they'd rather be right." /span/b/spanspan style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"When I think about it, I know I'm definitely guilty. Anyways, here's an insert of her TED video so you get a sense of who Karen Armstrong is./spanbr /
span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Helvetica, sans-serif;"br /
/spanbr /
object height="326" width="446"param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /param name="wmode" value="transparent"/paramparam name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"/paramparam name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/KarenArmstrong_2009G-medium.flvsu=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/KarenArmstrong-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpgvw=432vh=240ap=0ti=647introDuration=16500adDuration=4000postAdDuration=2000adKeys=talk=karen_armstrong_let_s_revive_the_golden_rule;year=2009;theme=media_that_matters;theme=ted_prize_winners;theme=is_there_a_god;theme=speaking_at_tedglobal2009;theme=new_on_ted_com;event=TEDGlobal+2009;preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/KarenArmstrong_2009G-medium.flvsu=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/KarenArmstrong-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpgvw=432vh=240ap=0ti=647introDuration=16500adDuration=4000postAdDuration=2000adKeys=talk=karen_armstrong_let_s_revive_the_golden_rule;year=2009;theme=media_that_matters;theme=ted_prize_winners;theme=is_there_a_god;theme=speaking_at_tedglobal2009;theme=new_on_ted_com;event=TEDGlobal+2009;"/embed/objectbr /
br /
bGallup Poll amp; UPF's Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think/bbr /
I think the timing for the film screening couldn't have been better, especially with the recent Fort Hood incident. Many people have their doubts about Islam and Muslims, and justifiably so. Following the Sept. 11 attacks, Gallup- a leading polling organization - decided to conduct a survey of what Muslims think about Islam, the West, terrorism, gender equality etc. Their premise was this: Everyone was talking about Sept. 11th, from politicians, to terrorist organizations, and individuals affected by the attacks. Everyone, except the one billion Muslims of the world, that is. So, Gallup sent researchers out to 35 predominantly Muslim countries to interview people. UPF found out about the Gallup poll and decided to produce the film documenting the results of the poll. Here are some of the key findings:br /
br /
*bRespect for Muslims:/bnbsp;Only 15% of Muslims are Arabs, and the majority of Muslims are not in the Middle East as is the perception. They're in South East Asia (particularly Indonesia and Malaysia). And, get this, the U.S. has the second largest concentration of Muslims. On the issue of respect, the majority of Muslim countries said that the Western world doesn't respect the Muslim world. 84% Palestinians, 80% Egyptians. Interestingly, the majority of Americans (54%) also agreed that Western world doesn't respect Muslim world.br /
br /
*bMedia Misrepresentation:/b US Media misrepresents Islam and Muslims by focusing on a "tiny fringe minority". Media content analysis shows that 57% of the people portraying Islam in the U.S. are militants. These 'militants' only make up 1% of the world's actual Muslim population. Giving them such media space pushes the stereotype that Muslims are violent people. Add the fact that most Americans didn't know anything about Muslims and Islam before 9-11, and the situation just gets worse.br /
br /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/03_02/muslimDM_468x275.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="188" src="http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/03_02/muslimDM_468x275.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/div*bGender Equality:/b The main areas of divergence between Muslim societies and western societies is in the role of women and gender equality.nbsp;What do Muslim women think about themselves?The majority of muslim women believe that women should have equal rights and access to jobs they are qualified for: 96% in Lebanon and nbsp;92% in Malaysia.nbsp;In Lebanon, Malaysia and Sudan, there's little difference between men and women's views on the issue: 74% of men in Saudi Arabia believed nbsp;muslim women should get jobs they are qualified for. In Iran and Egypt, there's a larger difference, but even then, the majority of men believe women should have equal access to jobs, services etc.span style="color: blue;" [To find out my views on being a Muslim woman, check out my guest feature on/spanbspan style="color: blue;" /span/ba href="http://justyougirl.blogspot.com/2009/11/real-beauty_09.html"span style="color: purple;"bGirl, It's Not Just You/b/span/a.span style="color: blue;"]/spanbr /
br /
*bHijab: /bHas been used as a symbol for women's oppression for years. But educated Muslim women nbsp;view the hijab differently: believes it takes the emphasis away from their exterior and focuses it on their interior, on their minds and hearts. So that dispels the notion that Muslim women wear the hijab because they don't know their rights or are not educated enough. Why do women wear the hijab? The majority of Muslim women who wear it do so because they believe its a religious mandate.br /
br /
*bSharia/Islamic Law: /bPeople associate Sharia Law with fear. Muslims view Sharia law differently; "as the rule of law defined in Islamic concepts" and "protections that God guarantees as human dignity for each individual that no government is allowed to take away". The negative stereotype concerning Sharia has to do with man's interpretation of the Qu'ran. Many muslims are taking a second look at Sharia and using it to fight for gender justice. In Pakistan, women used Sharia law (the Qu'ran) to prove that it wasn't right to kill a woman who'd been subjected to rape.br /
br /
b*Awareness of Islam and Muslims:/b In 2002, Gallup asked Americans how much they knew about Muslims. 54% said they didn't no anything or very little. In 2007, the same question was asked (when there was increased portrayal of Islam in the media under the topic of terrorism) and there was a jump in the number of people who (still) didn't know much about Islam and Muslims --57%. Essentially, the media only talks about muslims and Islam in the context of terrorism. By doing this, they are not only ostracizing Muslims, but also erasing any chance of non-Muslims understanding who Muslims really are and what they stand for. BTW, Islam means "peace" in Arabic. That should count for something, shouldn't it?br /
br /
b*9/11 and Terrorism:nbsp;span style="font-weight: normal;"The majority of Muslims consider the attacks completely unjustified (about 50%), some thought it was somewhat justified (somewhat justified), and 7% considered the attacks completely justified and had unfavorable views of the US. According to the poll the "politically radical" 7% couldn't support their views with a verse from the Qu'ran, and instead sounded like revolutionaries. These radicals -who've been used as a stereotype for who Muslims are - really aren't that different from other "terrorists" in human history. Essentially, these terrorists are revolutionaries who try to upturn governments in their own countries and who are marginalized (ignored) in their own societies, and want media attention. They use religion as a platform for achieving their goals since they know that's what will get them attention. Ultimately, they probably care less about what the world thinks, and are more concerned with what their governments are doing.What they are doing is not ordained by Islam. Results found that majority of muslims aren't involved in acts of violence, and condemn the few who do because they believe that terrorism is against their faith.nbsp;/span/bbr /
b/bbr /
br /
b*U.S. Policy: /bThere's the notion that Muslims are against democracy, but the poll showed that the majority of Muslims were for freedom of speech and other democratic ideals. Muslims greatly admire democracy, but most feel that the U.S. is not pursuing its push for democracy in Muslim/Arab countries in the same way as it is in other parts of the world. Policy is the driving factor for how Muslims view the West, not so much culture and religion. Egypt views France more favorably than it does the US and UK. The most interesting country to contrast the US with is Canada since they are so similar. 67% of Kuwaitis view the US unfavorably while only 3% of Kuwaitis view Canada unfavorably. The difference? Foreign policy, especially with the oil issue. "It's very clear that its not our culture, but our perceived foreign policies." The majority of Muslims think the invasion of Iraq did more harm than good.br /
br /
There were some other stuff, but all in all, it was very insightful, and I'd recommend watching it. You can check the Unity Productions Foundation to order a DVD (free) and host a viewing etc. They also have a couple of other videos on Islam. It's important to learn about each others' religion and not settle for all this propaganda and what-not. Personally, I have many non-Muslim friends, and we get along just fine. I respect their religious views, and they respect mine. We don't have to agree on everything (it would be against our very nature as humans anyway), but we should try to inculcate a culture of tolerance in our societies. Remember the span style="color: blue;"bGolden Rule: Do unto others what you would have others do unto you/b/span!br /
br /
To watch the launch of the Charter for Compassion and hear Karen Armstrong's speech (starts at 13:40), please see the video below:br /
br /
embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="390" src="http://blip.tv/play/AYGu8wMC" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480"/embed br /
br /
Here's the trailer for the film. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the issue. Peace!br /
br /
object height="344" width="425"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FFDyDHSlTfchl=en_USfs=1"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/paramparam name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/paramembed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FFDyDHSlTfchl=en_USfs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-475999976429200130?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=SxgZ3oWdhT4:oXJ_ZmU_YU0:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/SxgZ3oWdhT4" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
11:04
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs052.snc3/13932_546648769425_10402829_32339273_5118910_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="320" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs052.snc3/13932_546648769425_10402829_32339273_5118910_n.jpg" width="240" //abr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"For all you Chimamanda Adichie fans out there, the wait is finally over! I really wanted to put this up earlier, but smart me, left the cable for uploading the sound file onto my computer, so couldn’t exactly transcribe it. I must say that the event (hosted by the a href="http://www.africacenter.com/yap/events/"bD.C. Young African Professionals Network/b/a amp; the Center for Global Development) was less of a lecture, and more of a conversation. I’ve been to a number of similar events, and she’s definitely the most engaging and down-to-earth speaker to date. And the moderator a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/29377/Uzodinma_Iweala/index.aspx"bUzodinma Iweala/b/a (Author, iBeasts of No Nation/i) was great as well, asked all the good questions! Chimamanda (whose name means “My God Will Never Fail” ) jokingly mentioned that she regards Uzo as a smart younger brother and likes to harass him, so you can imagine the kind of dynamic between those two at the event./spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Alors, for those of you who don’t know Chimamanda Adichie, she’s a Nigerian author who currently lives between the U.S. and Nigeria. Author of award-winning i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Purple Hibiscus/i (2003), i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Half of a Yellow Sun /i(2005) and now her latest book, a collection of short stories, called i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"The Thing Around Your Neck/i. You can find out more about her a href="http://www.l3.ulg.ac.be/adichie/"bhere/b/a.nbsp;/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Adichie read “Cell One”; set in Nsukka, the university town where she grew up.This is pretty long, but it’s all good stuff. To make it easier, I’ve structured the article thematically. Enjoy!!/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Africa is not a single storyo:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[Adichie noted that she sometimes worries about being repetitive on the issue.]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"“I worry about just singing the same song over and over, because I find that I’m often in situations where I have to say this over and over, where I’m saying, look, people cannot insist that Africa is one thing. Also, I think it’s important for me to say that. But in insisting that Africa isn’t a single story I’m not trying at all to deny or evade certain things. There are many problems where we come from, I think we all know that. But for me, what’s problematic is when most people focus on one thing; it just turns the whole thing into a lie. It’s also about how the story is told.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[As an example, she talked about a recent episode of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360.]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"“I’m watching CNN and Anderson Cooper is covering Congo. And he has a Belgian expert. Of course, we know the history of Congo, so the irony of a Belgian being the expert in Congo is a problem in itself. So you have the Belgian expert, and then u have Congolese sort of lined up behind him. And they never talk. And the Belgian expert explains Congo to us, and the Congolese are just sort of there as a backdrop. I was so offended by this, because I was really interested in Congo, I was interested in the rapes for example, in what was going on. But having that Belgian explain to me, while the Congolese - who might as well have spoken for themselves - weren’t allowed to, I found took away from the truth. For me, that’s why I insist that there isn’t a single story.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"What is “truth”?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “We’re talking about the feeling we have within our souls. Now we’re gonna have to go into this philosophical thing about what’s the truth. I like to look at truth as multi-faceted...Going back to that example, I think that we should hear the Belgian speak. I’m all for that. It would be fantastic if we hear the Belgian and the Congolese. For me that’s the idea; that truth is full of counterpoints.” o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[Uzo asked her about her approach to truth, given the fact that she uses fiction (which is somewhat ironic).]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “I don’t like to analyze, so I find it really difficult [to write non-fiction]. In approaching fiction I want to retain my creative lens. I could invent something, but I’d just rather not.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"[span style="color: blue;"On how she goes about writing her fiction]:/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “I usually start with the character. At the same time I try very hard not to lie, if that makes sense, because I think that it’s very easy to say things like ‘love conquers all’; I’m not sure that’s entirely true. It’s very complicated. You start with a character and start believing that these characters love each other, and want it to work. I start with a character and hope that I will be honest about the truth and let it go where it will. I find that I just don’t usually do happy… I seem to be suspicious of happiness. I start these stories and I mean well, but somehow there’s disaster. And it’s just never the intent.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"a href="http://www2.gcsu.edu/library/reference/Circles/purplehibiscus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="320" src="http://www2.gcsu.edu/library/reference/Circles/purplehibiscus.jpg" width="210" //ab style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Us Vs. Them: Africa Vs. the Westo:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[On the question of being African yet subscribing to Western ideals, Adichie noted that it doesn’t have to be an ‘either-or’. Especially since the notion of being a ‘world citizen’ is increasing, and at the same time, some Africans think that the West is intruding.]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “I think it’s a very complicated question. I feel very strongly and comfortable about this African identity that I’ve taken on. I say taken on because, in many ways, it’s a choice that one makes. I’ve made this choice to take on this African identity. My politics in the past 10 years has become decidedly pan-African, and again, it’s a choice. On the other hand, I like Sweden. I’ve had a fairly good time in Stockholm... I think that sometimes we shouldn’t see the question as either-or, the idea that somehow we have options; that you have to pick A and you can’t have B or C and D. But then also it would be dishonest to pretend that there isn’t in a large political sense, in talking about power, an ‘us’ and a ‘them’. There is. We can’t, for example, pretend that African leaders really have a say in what goes on in the world. They don’t.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Question of identityo:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[Chimamanda spoke abouther perceptions on the issue of identity, and how some people are surprised that an African can actually speak and write good English.]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"“I remember a professor in my college reading an essay that I had written. Sometimes a professor wants to read one or two in front of a class... I don’t think he expected me to look like I did. So he read the essay and he said ‘who wrote this?’, and to confront me, ‘you wrote the essay?’ For me it was one of those moments, a moment I’ll never forget.” o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[According to her, that moment made her more aware of identity, and led her to incorporate the question of identity in her work.]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"“In some ways I think fiction is one’s way of making sense of things that don’t make sense. It informs my fiction; that whole idea of ‘what are you?’, and ‘what’s your identity?’. Again, I don’t set out writing fiction to make a point – about how the world is full of inequality, even though it is. I hope it’s more thoughtful and a bit more complicated. Things always are complicated, there’s just never anything that is easy.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[Chimamanda also discussed the element of expectation within one’s own race.]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"“On one hand you might complain that the professor was surprised you could write a decent sentence. But then you find that the person next to you, who also looks like you, is surprised that you can write a decent sentence.” o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Inter-racial relationships – another theme in her writingo:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[She highlighted the interplay between society and individuals in a relationship, by saying that identity is usually something the world imposes on you.]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “I’m often cynical, but deep inside I’m a hopeless romantic.I believe in love, I believe in the possibility of human affection. I believe very much in the possibility of connection, between a guy from Sweden and a woman from Ghana for example. However, I think, with relationships, it’s easier when you have certain things in common. And I think often it’s less about the people involved, and more about the way the world sees you.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[/spanspan style="color: blue;"On the issue of black women’s anger towards black men-white women relationships, she discussed some interesting elements of a Toni Morrison essay she read recently.]nbsp;nbsp;/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “She said a lot of people think the anger is about the whole idea of there being very few eligible black men, and now they’re going to white women and the black women stay alone... Toni Morrison argues that the basic reason the black women are angry about this union is because black women have a fundamental feeling of superiority over white women. I’d never quite thought of that. She suggested that while black men look at white men in awe, black women just never looked at white women in awe. I found that fascinating, so maybe it sort of comes into play.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs072.snc3/13932_546648779405_10402829_32339275_935598_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="240" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs072.snc3/13932_546648779405_10402829_32339275_935598_n.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/divb style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Obligation to country and continento:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[/spanspan style="color: blue;"Like most people who live in relatively developed cities in Africa or other parts of the world, there’s the issue of family obligation or obligation to one’s homeland. Adichie touched on this and mentioned that her sense of obligation comes primarily from acknowledging her privilege.]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “I have lots of cousins in Nigeria and I do Western Union. I think a lot of people here identify with that. It’s so interesting, in thinking about the way that my non-African friends look at it. It had never really occurred to me to question the kind of entitlement that relatives have. Sometimes it increasingly becomes annoying, ‘You know I really don’t owe you anything. How can you call me up at 3am telling me to send you money?’ On the other hand I really believe in family. I think it’s a sense of obligation that comes from what I like to call 'acknowledging my privilege'. I’m just very fortunate in many ways and it’s not necessarily because I did well in school. I think about my cousin who, if she had had the opportunity to go to Nsukka primary school, probably would have done as well. But she didn’t because she was in the village... So I feel there’s that obligation because I have to acknowledge the privilege I have.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[On the issue of helping develop one’s country or continent this is what she had to say]:/spanspan style="color: blue;"o:p/o:p/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"br /
Chimamanda: “When it comes to Nigeria and Africa, I feel the same way. There are people who are really talented, writers in Nigeria for example who have these crazy ideas about how publishing works because they don’t know any better; nobody’s told them. But since I know how it works I feel an obligation to tell them how it works. Sometimes people say give back. Giving back sounds so cool. But I don’t really see it like that. For me, it’s a practical thing. I get angry about how Nigeria is. I read i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"This Day/i and I find the writing atrocious. I’ve read the Kenyan one as well and it’s the same thing. And then I realize it’s atrocious because the best have gone. o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"It’s a practical thing. I want to do this work and I want to do more non-fiction. We have to change it, but we’re not going to change it unless we all participate. I’m really heartbroken about Africa, and I think a lot of us are.nbsp; It becomes the reason to just try and do one kind thing.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Coping with ambition and success: “Happily ambitious”o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “I really don’t know how; the most honest answer would be that I’m happily ambitious. When I came second in primary school I cried, because I needed to come first. I’ve always been happily ambitious, and I also think, particularly for women, ambition is a fantastic thing. In general women are socialized to be in the background, which I completely disagree with.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[/spanspan style="color: blue;"She made a distinction between why she writes, and how her ambition informs her decisions.]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"“Writing is something I deeply love. I made the choice to research being published because of my ambition, but I didn’t make the choice to write because of my ambition. I made the choice to write because I loved and I love it, and when it’s going well it’s the thing that makes me happiest. I’m sort of a loner, I just love to be alone and usually it’s at night, and I just feel transported. I really feel that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, if that makes sense. At that moment and only at that moment do I believe in things like spirits, and do I believe that my great-grandmother is watching.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[On how she copes with success, Chimamanda said she sometimes forgets she’s chalked so many successes, and also talked about the pressures associated with those successes.]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"“… with successes, I feel very lucky. The problem with this kind of success - which I feel very grateful for -but I think, Good Lord people are reading me in Sri Lanka and Japan, and sometimes I think why?... The success is lovely; there are times when I sort of feel really happy. On the other hand, I don’t always think about it. I often forget, because I’m just sort of sitting there hoping to write a sentence. I don’t really remember that I won the Orange prize, and I’m sitting there and thinking “I hate this thing that I’m doing, that the sentences are not working.” o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[And with most ‘successful’ people, she's her toughest critic.]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"“Also, there’s the pressure of wanting to please yourself. I’ve always found that I’m a difficult person to please in many ways. I find that I often don’t please myself. If anything there’s the pressure of knowing that when my editor asks, 'How are u doing Chimamanda?', she really means, 'Are you working?' But those things don’t worry me as much as me worrying me. Thinking, am I going to be happy with what I do next? And I write something and think its just crap. It’s always difficult, there are times when it’s not such a bad thing, but there are times when I could do without it.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[Following her ‘lecture’, there was a Qamp;A with the audience. Some of the questions and her responses below:]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-100/0292-1/%7BB639993A-7198-46EF-B3AB-C1735E32B4D9%7DImg100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="320" src="http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-100/0292-1/%7BB639993A-7198-46EF-B3AB-C1735E32B4D9%7DImg100.jpg" width="240" //abr /
/divspan style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bQ: /bibThing Around Your Neck/b/ib- What do you mean by that title?nbsp;/b/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “The thing about fiction is that I like to see the possible interpretations of the story. It’s also why there are literature departments in universities; people read one text and have all kinds of interpretations. I’ve read people writing about i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Purple Hibiscus/i, often in academic settings, and I just think, really? – Point is, it really depends on what you make of it. I just like the title.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bQ: Qualities of a good leader – based on an article Chimamanda wrote in /bibNext /b/ibabout her experience with a policeman in Nigeria/bo:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “A sense of the government as human beings is important. His question was based on this piece I wrote in i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Next/i newspaper where I was going back to my hometown from Lagos and we drove. I hadn’t driven back in a while, usually we’d fly, but my brother and I drove. It was Christmas, and at Christmas the police sort of get more ‘active’. We were stopped many times, and each time we were stopped, they’d ask us to give them money, and we really didn’t want to be late. So when they’d stop us, my brother would bring out the money...o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"...I know these people are underpaid so we’d do the ‘spreading the wealth’ thing. At some point a man became very aggressive and told me my papers were fake. I stood there in the sun for an hour because I refused to give him the money since I knew my papers weren’t fake. Finally he let us go. Then this policeman stops us and my brother is bringing out money and the guy says, no let me see your papers. He looks at the papers, gives it back and says safe journey. o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"For me, it shows that there’s still hope. This man was in the sun, he was underpaid like all officers, but he just refused to take money, asked for our papers and said safe journey. I was so moved by that. He’s obviously an example of what I think our leaders should be. Things are difficult, our infrastructure is messed up. However, there are people like that policeman and my father who will never do such things...o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"...The problem in a country like ours is the people who should lead don’t want to play the game in getting to positions of leadership. The more pertinent question is how to get the people, because they are there. How do we get them to reach positions of leadership? One answer would be to form political parties to reach out to do the kind of grassroots mobilization which is possible.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;"Q: Are your short stories based on real happenings?/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"span style="color: blue;"[Chimamanda threw the question back to the enquirer with a “what do you think?” to which she responded, “tell me”- just to give you a sense of the kind of rapport at the event]/spano:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="color: blue; font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “The reason I ask is it’s very easy to broadly say yes or no. Often it depends on which story; there are some which are based in a more direct sense on things that happened to me or people I know. Some start with my reading an article, which then becomes the starting point for a story. It really depends. The ‘Headstrong Historian’ started from my father telling me stories about my great grandfather. And I read a book about the history of West Africa…With each of the stories, there’s a story behind the story./spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"bbr /
/b/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;"Q: Should African countries stop receiving foreign aid?/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px;"span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-weight: normal;"[Chimamanda pointed out that some communities depend on aid for their very livelihood, hence stopping foreign aid in its entirety wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do. What should be asked is how the aid is structured.]/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"“I don’t like pity; I think things should be done in a dignified way.”/spanbr /
span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/spanbr /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://14.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kpb1ij4IRR1qzxqz4o1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="320" src="http://14.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kpb1ij4IRR1qzxqz4o1_400.jpg" width="208" //abr /
/divspan style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"bQ: How did the Nigerian community react to /bibHalf of a Yellow Sun?/b/i/spanbr /
/div/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda noted that since the Nigeria-Biafra war was not spoken about (even in schools) people asked her to leave it alone when she mentioned her book. The book wasn’t supposed to be political, but the issue was important to her since she grew up in the shadows of Biafra. It was inspired by her grandfather who was fiercely loyal, and she wanted to make sense of ‘the thing’ that had taken him. There are pre- and post-war stories, and she grew up in a space of inherited loss.nbsp; She’d read about the period since she was 9 and at 15 she wrote a ‘terrible’ play. She was aware that her book would essentially be documenting history so she wanted to make sure she got the facts right. Coincidentally, she read everything she could about the topic.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"“I was pleasantly surprised at reception in Nigeria, especially young Nigeria...The first book reading ended in a shouting match, but there was progress; people were finally beginning to talk about it."nbsp;/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Some people who were around during the war felt she didn’t have anything to offer since she wasn’t there when it happened. o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"nbsp;“You’ve rigged yourself. Now, you can only do better” – What’s next?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chimamanda: “A woman wrote to me after reading half of a yellow sun and said the book blew her away... And then, ‘But Chimamada I feel really sorry for u now because there’s no way you can top this.’ That answers the question If iHalf of a Yellow Sun/i was that, then I can only go downhill and I will go gracefully.”o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"o:pnbsp;--/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"Photo Sources:nbsp;a href="http://www2.gcsu.edu/library/reference/Circles/purplehibiscus.jpg"Photo 2/a ,a href="http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-100/0292-1/%7BB639993A-7198-46EF-B3AB-C1735E32B4D9%7DImg100.jpg"Photo 4/a,a href="http://14.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kpb1ij4IRR1qzxqz4o1_400.jpg"Photo 5/a/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"br /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-2284104146571710566?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=DGlTQcYoUFg:L46V2AoyJtM:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/DGlTQcYoUFg" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
11:41
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://lmtsd.org/14532081722412333/lib/14532081722412333/College%20Applications.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="317" src="http://lmtsd.org/14532081722412333/lib/14532081722412333/College%20Applications.png" width="320" //abr /
/divbr /
Hi All,br /
br /
I've gotten quite a number of requests to do a blog on how to write a good personal statement, and I would like to get a sense of what other people out there think. Kindly take a moment to fill this quick survey, and forward on to other individuals who are working on applications or might be interested. Thanks!br /
br /
a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Poi7sokt8tvfbQM_2bY7vARQ_3d_3d"Click Here to take survey/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-8164136441108092621?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=sFH_DsFvX38:OPY6mKryJgU:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/sFH_DsFvX38" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
21:23
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_bxp26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_bxp26.jpg" //abr /
/diva href="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_bxp23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_bxp23.jpg" //aAbout a month ago, I did a a href="http://www.circumspecte.com/2009/09/ant-ghanaian-film-to-watch-skip-perfect.html"review of iBronx Princess/i/a; a short film about a young Ghanaian living in the U.S. I was really impressed with the film and most of the people I shared it with were too. But I was also curious. Really curious about who the actors were, who the producers were, how come they made such a great and genuine short film, and especially, how the non-Ghanaian producers were able to capture elements of Ghanaian culture that a lot of "Ghanaian films" fail to communicate. So, I contacted one of the producers, Yoni Brook, and we had a little chat about all that. Here are all the interesting details. Enjoy!br /
br /
br /
div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"Circumspect: Who are Yoni Brook and Musa Syeed? /span/bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; tab-stops: 238.5pt;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"bYoni Brook:/b Musa Syeed and I are co-directors that met at NYU’s film school in 2004. We made a film together that was on PBS in 2008 called “a href="http://sonsacrifice.com/"A Son’s Sacrifice/a” about a father and son working together at an old-school slaughterhouse in Queen’s New York. That had nothing to do with Africans; it had to do with first generation immigrants living in NY and was a father and son story. After we’d finished that film we had our eyes open for a mother and daughter story that would complement that story. o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: How did the concept of iBronx Princess/i come about?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"bYB:/b Coincidentally, we were in the Bronx in 2007 working on a short film; totally unrelated. It was about a mural and the mural was being drawn across the street from Auntie Yaa’s store. We were in that neighborhood for about a week filming, and whenever we needed to charge our batteries or go to the bathroom, Auntie Yaa would welcome us into her store to do that. And we were really grateful. She has an amazing personality; everybody on the block loved her and was drawn to her. After a week we just thought she was funny and warm and genuine, and we came back a couple times to hang out with her. And we thought to ourselves, oh it would be fun to make a film about this woman. We didn’t know what the movie would be; we just thought it would be captivating. nbsp;We had no plans to make a movie about her. It was just sort of a fantasy thing. o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_bronxprincess023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_bronxprincess023.jpg" //abr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"One day, when we were in her store, her daughter walked in after school, and we could see immediately that there was a mother-daughter conflict; that Rocky was working the store, and she really didn’t want to be there, she would rather be out with her friends, or studying for school and doing other things. The first time we met Rocky, she basically told us, “Hey, my life is a movie. Within the next three months I’m going to go from graduating high school to becoming the first woman in our family to go to college on a scholarship, and in between all of that, I’m actually going to go visit my dad in Ghana who’s a chief. And I haven’t seen him in Ghana since he became a chief.” So we were really blown away, and we could see that that was giving us the recipe to make a great movie. So we basically dropped everything that we were doing and decided that we would make a movie about her during these next four months. The next thing we knew, we were buying plane tickets to Ghana. It was sort of like living in the moment, and realizing that she had a great story. There are a million great stories in NY, everybody has a great story. Sometimes things are happening at that moment that you can’t pass it up. It’s too awesome.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"o:pnbsp;nbsp;/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: Did you use actual Ghanaian actors? Is the screenplay based on a true story?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"bYB:/b We shot over 100 hours of footage in making the movie. We spent a lot of time with them to get the family to just sort of forget about us. So I would say that the Rocky in the movie is very close to the real life Rocky. But the biggest difference is that with Rocky in the movie you don’t see all the aspects of her life, that make her Rocky (in real life). It’s just impossible to show all the dimensions of a person in 38 minutes. I’d say her personality is really similar, but she’s a really smart, nuanced, complicated person as most people are. So I don’t like to claim that the movie is who she is.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: That’s interesting. I’d thought you’d gotten actual professional actors to play the roles. So is it more of Reality TV, since you used the actual people?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"o:pbYB:nbsp;/bI think it’s a really interesting question. Our movie is classified as a documentary, and there’s a difference between reality TV - which is really popular now - and documentaries, both of which are shown on PBS. A documentary like the kind that we made is not scripted in any way. We asked the family to let us follow them around, and we tried to influence the situation as little as possible. We tried not to tell them where to stand, we tried not to say much at all actually. Of course we talk to them, at other times we shared our feelings, had fun with them, but while we were filming and recording we tried to disappear. Everything they said, or everything that happened in the movie, actually happened in real life. None of it was sort of staged or coached by us in any direct way./o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: Out of curiosity, prior to that, did Rocky think she would be doing a movie or a film?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"bYB:/b I think the reason that Rocky and her mother are so compelling in the movie, is that they’re just such open people to begin with. At the same time, Rocky is not interested in acting professionally at all, but she was in her school play like a lot of teenage girls. She has a performative aspect to her. I don’t think she ever thought about acting, and I don’t think she wants to actually be an actor now. She didn’t view iBronx Princess/i as an acting job, but sort of like a time capsule of her life. I should add, the family wasn’t paid to be in the film. It was basically like journalism where we followed them around. o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: On your end what were the budget constraints, who were your sponsors?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"bYB: /bThe film was sponsored by ITVS, which is a tax-payer supported organization that supports independent documentaries and films in order for them to be broadcast on PBS. When we met the family and heard their story, we basically said, hey, this is a story that is not on TV. People don’t know about this kind of thing. When you think about immigrants in America, and then think about royalty, it’s a lot more complicated and interesting. So this is a really unique story. That’s kind of how we pitched it to ITVS, and then it was broadcast. We also got some additional funding from POV which is the point of view documentary series on PBS. That’s where the money came from and what we did to fundraise so we could pay for our plane ticket, food, cameras, editing time – those are the kind of things that you have to take into account.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_yoniamp;musa3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_yoniamp;musa3.jpg" //abr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: How did it pan out when you got to Ghana? Where there people on location that you were working with? o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"bYB: /bAll the time that we were making the movie, it was basically two people; myself holding a camera, and Musa holding a boom pole to record the sound. We didn’t need a lot of people to make the movie, and I think that having fewer people gave us a more intimate feel to the film because there weren’t 500 people around that would distract the family from being who they are. So when we got to Ghana, we just did the same thing. A friend of ours named Godwin, who lives in Ghana, helped us navigate our affairs. So he was sort of a co-producer in Ghana, who helped with everything else, including following the chief. We actually lived in the palace, which was a tricky situation because there are a lot of rules involved with living in a palace. We had never been there before till we got there and had to start filming. So we had to learn quickly what the rules were, how to talk to the chief and convince him that it was okay to wear the wireless microphone. All these little things I had never thought of before became kind of important. o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: Were there any particular challenges that you faced?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"o:pbYB: /bI would say the biggest challenge was living in the palace with the chief. It wasn’t a very free place, so it was hard to live with that and also film them at the same time. That was a challenge. We had to really learn pretty first about the culture; like the way you speak to the chief. We were of course very respectful, but sometimes I would do things by accident like cross my legs while I was speaking to him, and that was really offensive and I had no idea. I made a lot of stupid mistakes. But by the end of this, the chief and us got along very well. You know, it’s a learning curve to any new culture and we had never been to West Africa before so that was tricky./o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_bronxprincess018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_bronxprincess018.jpg" //abr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: Since you had many hours of filming, how did you choose what to capture and which ones to portray in iBronx Princess/i?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"o:pbYB:/b Because we shot over 100 hours of film and only used 38 minutes for the actual film, there were 100 different movies that could have been made out of this material. The principle we used to edit the footage – the editing took longer than the shooting – was to try and tell the story from Rocky’s perspective; what it’s like to be a teenager who’s going to school. Also, to take into account the journey that her parents were going through. Rocky was really focused on “hey I wanna get out of here, I wanna be independent.” But her father, the chief really wanted to teach her the lessons about the traditions of Ghana; of being a member of their community. So while we were editing, we tried to balance all those different ideas./o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: Tell us more about the bigger picture – your outreach campaign. What were your reasons for showcasing Rocky’s particular story and what responses did you anticipate?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px;"bYB:/b The reason we put together this outreach campaign is that a lot of people go through similar experiences as Rocky, whether or not they have a royal family, a lot of people – whether they’re teenagers or growing up – learn what it means to live away from home and want independence. In Rocky’s situation she was the first woman in her family to go to college and that’s a situation a lot of people are in. We wanted to use the film as a way of starting discussions, giving people tools for achieving access to college. With partnerships with different organizations, we’re putting the film into classrooms, community centers, online viewing etc. We have short films where Rocky gives advice about how to succeed in college, what you get there etc. Even though we only knew this part of her life, we didn’t know how it was going to turn out. Now that we’ve finished the film, it’s not just entertainment; it’s a tool that can help people with the lifestyle./spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_bronxprincess-signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://www.bronxprincess.com/pix/thumbs/th_bronxprincess-signature.jpg" //abr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: How were you able to capture the “genuineness” of Ghanaian culture portrayed in iBronx Princess/i - given the fact that neither you nor Musa are Ghanaian or even African?/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"bYB:/b I kind of asked myself that question. I’m not an expert on Ghana; I’d been to Africa, but I hadn’t been to Ghana before. Why should Musa and I – two men who are not women, not African – why should we tell this story and how do we make it resonant and real?o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"There are two parts to that. One part is that both of our parents are immigrants. We know what it’s like to have parents who are from another country, and to go back there and experience that from the perspective of a kid born in America; similar to what Rocky’s journey is about. Musa’s parents are from Kashmir, my father is from Israel – so we kind of knew what it was like to go back.nbsp;On the question of why the movie feels accurate and real, I think we really tried to listen and observe, and see what was important to the family we were shooting. We definitely played a role in shaping the story since we were filming it, but we tried to be listeners as opposed to imposing a Hollywood ending, or overly dramatic soap-opera style. We just wanted it to reflect what their lives are, and we hoped that would be interesting./spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"It’s a really tricky question anytime you have people of one culture trying to tell the story of people from another culture. How much are you projecting your own story? How much are you listening? We were both very cautious -both during filming and editing- with issues of identification. Rocky was really adamant about presenting Africa as a multi-dimensional place, and that was really important to her.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: Do you have any tips or advice for young aspiring film makers?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"bYB:/b The most important thing that people can do is talk to other people around them. We started iBronx Princess/i because we could walk to their house. We didn’t set out to do something exotic or tell a story on another continent. We started with stories that were nearby; stories that people really connect to. We didn’t tell a story we thought would bring us the most success or money, we did something that we thought was genuine and that we appreciated. If producers don’t see film as a big-buck thing - at least in our world of documentaries it isn’t – but instead look for stories that are genuine and real and don’t necessarily fit the kind of pre-conceived Hollywood stereotype, they’ll actually make films that people will connect to. o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"C: What are your hopes for future projects?o:p/o:p/span/bbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"span style="color: black; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt;"bYB:/b Documentaries take a long time to make. iBronx Princess/i took like two years. But I hope to tell more stories like iBronx Princess/i; I’d love to make another film in Ghana. More important than working in any one country is telling stories like Rocky’s that sort of change people’s ideas about what it means to be an American. That’s really important to me.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divbr /
object height="340" width="560"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DAZywYxaBEghl=enfs=1"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/paramparam name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/paramembed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DAZywYxaBEghl=enfs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"/embed/objectbr /
br /
--br /
You can watch Bronx Princess online until November 24 on thenbsp;a href="http://video.pbs.org/video/1248747353/program/1154485580"PBS Website./abr /
Photos fromnbsp;a href="http://www.bronxprincess.com/"http://www.bronxprincess.com//adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-8004454037909887410?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=1k-Bd6alQrE:RGmPSqFSAJk:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/1k-Bd6alQrE" height="1" width="1"/
-
0:21
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://marlinmark.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/burning-bridges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://marlinmark.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/burning-bridges.jpg" //abr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"Dear cousin,br /
br /
I got your very frantic missed phone calls. All 30 of them. I also got your rushed voice messages filled with sighs and words I’d better not reproduce here. And as for the email messages, I think you succeeded in achieving what spam has failed to – you filled my inbox to the brim. Given your obviously erratic state of mind, I decided to give you some time to cool off, hence this letter - which will reach you in due time. We rarely make sense when we’re at such heights of emotion anyway, so it’s best to talk about these things when we’re done riding the waves of our anger.br /
br /
Now to your little situation. The one person you put all your trust in went and betrayed you. She did what you yourself had expressly told her you wouldn’t tolerate in anyone. You probably forgot to mention that it included her, right? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Should you or shouldn’t you remain friends with her? Can she even be trusted after this? Is it even worth the effort? All valid questions my darling, and although I’d like to give you the answers, only you can do that for yourself.br /
br /
See, (and yes, I’m about to talk some philosophical mumbo-jumbo as you call it) there are bound to be little tiffs here and there in life. Does each have to end in disaster and mayhem? Well, it depends. Yes, I did say it depends. It depends on you, and your reaction to the situation. Unlike what most people think, we actually are the creators of our experience. If someone does something really annoying, you are confronted with a choice. How you choose (respond to that situation) will determine your experience.br /
br /
In your instance, you cussed the girl out, defamed her for all she’s worth, and even contemplated divulging what information she’d shared with you? Sister, take a moment and re-evaluate. You’re doing to her, exactly what was done to you. What’s that? She deserves it? Well then, I guess you might have deserved it too. Have you two even sat down to discuss what string of incidents led up to this blow-up? *Silence*. Didn’t think so.br /
br /
Okay, let me cut to the chase on this one. Basically, you need to look at what risks you’re willing to take in this situation. What does your friendship with her mean to you? Yes, yes, I knew you’d say there’s no friendship. But hold your horses. During your entire relationship, what were the things that stuck out to you as beneficial to your growth as an individual? How do you think you influenced her life? If the positives seem to outweigh the negatives, I’d say take some time to think about the situation before making a final decision. And by take some time, I don’t mean doing a drive-by her house.br /
br /
On the other hand, if you feel like you have nothing more to learn about her, or yourself, and you think your friendship does you more harm than good, then walk away. But know this. Regardless of how good it gets with any friend, relative, lover, colleague and so on, there’s likely to be times when you’re crowding each other’s space, gasping for breath, and strangling each other in the midst of your individual struggles. You can’t escape it. It’s just part of that thing called life. The same differences that make us unique can trigger disagreements. Which is fine. You don’t have to go on an all-out war, you can simply agree to disagree. Pretty neat huh? Yea, I got that one from Harriet Fulbright.br /
br /
Besides, why ever would you want to spend all this energy fighting for something you might end up deciding you don’t even want? Is it just the thrill of the fight? We always complain how time flies, and how there aren’t enough hours in the day –maybe there are, we’re just not using them as well as we could. Think about that. Remember that train we had when we were both 5? Yes, the little “choo-choo” train with the whistle and song.br /
br /
span style="color: blue;"b“It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears, it’s a world of hopes and a world of fears, there’s so much that we share, that it’s time we’re aware, it’s a small world after all!”/b/spanbr /
br /
We used to sing that song all the day, but boy, were we clueless about what it meant! I guess this is where we understand it all. Everything comes full circle, doesn’t it? And so it will with your friendship. As much as possible, if you decide that being friends with her no longer serves you, do move on. But don’t burn that bridge. Try to end it on good terms. And if she won’t allow you to do so, or is just being a plain ass, then just let it go. Don’t be the one to burn that bridge. Why? Because in some way, some time, some where, it will come full circle. If not directly, then indirectly. Six degrees of separation? This week alone, I have met/re-connected with at least three people! That’s been the theme of my entire week, “It’s a small world!” And with the internet, trust, at this point, it’s smaller than a global village.br /
br /
Hopefully by the time this letter reaches you, you’d have patched things up with her. But if not, just keep an open mind as you read what I’ve written, and whatever you decide, you know I’ve got your back. And as for those 30 missed calls diee. Aden?! Are they paying you to call a single person that many times? Anyways, it’s the weekend again, and I’m sure you have a bunch planned. Enjoy it to the max, and keep me updated.br /
br /
Yours in missed calls amp; overflowing inboxes,br /
Jbr /
br /
P.S. Since this is an e-letter, enjoy the video insert. For 'old' times sake :)br /
br /
br /
object height="344" width="425"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7jiaU0xbOKshl=enfs=1"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/paramparam name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/paramembed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7jiaU0xbOKshl=enfs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectbr /
br /
--br /
Photo Source:nbsp;a href="http://marlinmark.wordpress.com/2007/10/26/the-wonderful-world-of-query/"http://marlinmark.wordpress.com/2007/10/26/the-wonderful-world-of-query//abr /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-1129007987570822255?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=sSvmcvpb2nI:Gd6HEFQk8zY:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/sSvmcvpb2nI" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
13:27
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/port/376/s/stock-lipstick-mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/image-library/port/376/s/stock-lipstick-mark.jpg" width="212" //abr /
/divspan style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"So apparently, CNN decided to switch up its look online. It has a more streamlined look with more social media features and what-not. Social Media is taking over! Anyways, I like the new look, although it’ll take me a while to get used to the glaring red header./spanbr /
div class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"The key video on the Africa page today is on prostitution in Kenya, and specifically, teenage prostitutes. Two of the girls spoken to first participated in the sex trade at 10 and 11 years respectively. During World AIDS Day in 2003 (Dec 1supst/sup.) myself and my fellow peer counselors at Wesley Girls High School went on an education and outreach trip to basic schools in neighboring villages in Cape Coast. At one of the schools, we got to talk to some of the children, who were in primary school, and who were generally below 12 years old, and one of the girls told us her story. o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"She was from a very poor background and her parent could barely afford to feed her much more pay her fees. She would go about three days without a real meal, and after that, she would go to the local taxi and bus center and offer herself to any of the drivers there who was willing to pay to have sex with her. Take note, these drivers ply the Accra-Cape Coast road regularly, so you can imagine how high the risk of HIV transmission is. I remember being greatly affected by the girl’s story. Despite the fact that she’d experienced such trauma, she was still an innocent child.o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"At Mount Holyoke I took a French class called “Love for Sale”, which looked at prostitution in France. The French are definitely more liberal when it comes to sexuality, but even then, the societal perceptions on prostitutes are alarmingly one-sided. People assume that prostitutes are inherently ‘promiscuous’ or ‘bad people’ – whatever that means. In Ghana and other African countries, its ten times worse. o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Personally, I try not to judge without at least hearingnbsp;peoplenbsp;out . Instead of looking at prostitution as a moral issue, I think it should be looked at as an economic issue. What are the main factors that propel people to engage in prostitution? From the accounts I read during my French class, and from other resources, most women become prostitutes due to economic pressures. A very limited number actually become prostitutes because they want a more liberal sexual experience. And in that case, it’s still not an issue of morals or religion, it’s an issue of sexuality./spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"The link between prostitution and poverty is one that is very obvious, but which is also very ignored. People would rather sweep it under the rug than deal with the realities. Well guess what? The more you sweep dust under a rug, the more that dust will pile up into a nice mound, and one day, it will trip you up. There needs to be a change in how the issue of prostitution is regarded. It’s labeled as being ‘the oldest profession’ in human history, yet we still don’t really understand the dynamics of the situation.nbsp;As opposed to labeling and beating down these women, our societies and governments should think of offering them other options. If those options are not available in the meantime, we should provide them with the tools to ensure their safety – health and security-wise (especially when it comes to child prostitutes)./spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"These are just my thoughts on the issue. Here's the span style="color: red;"a href="http://us.cnn.com/video/?/video/world/2009/10/30/rugman.kenya.sex.tourism.itn"span style="color: red;"CNN video/span/anbsp;/span. I would also suggest reading Paulo Coelho’s i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Eleven Minutes/i, which looks at the issue of prostitution. As always, feel free to share your thoughts. Peace!o:p/o:p/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond, serif; line-height: 18px;"BTW: It was hard for me to find a photo that isn't too risque or stereotypical, so decided to go abstract./spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/div--br /
Photo Source:nbsp
[www.femalefirst.co.uk] class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-2495528899869573178?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=FIN6M58vz44:H-YYX-tLHto:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/FIN6M58vz44" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
20:49
»
Circumspect
Just love it when God springs wonderful surprises on us. The weather forecasts said there'd be rain, rain and more rain today, but it was as dry as a button, with a warm breeze and beautiful sunshine! Couldn't resist, had to immortalize the day. Enjoy!br /
br /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SujmTfQaX0I/AAAAAAAACac/re5KSzIVDzg/s1600-h/IMG_3504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SujmTfQaX0I/AAAAAAAACac/re5KSzIVDzg/s400/IMG_3504.JPG" //abr /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
/divdiv class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"br /
a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SujmQnwKtEI/AAAAAAAACaU/sT_3UhB-mYc/s1600-h/IMG_3503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SujmQnwKtEI/AAAAAAAACaU/sT_3UhB-mYc/s400/IMG_3503.JPG" //abr /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-2663675642841574948?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=23uEUh9ScVY:lV1HeDglpDA:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/23uEUh9ScVY" height="1" width="1"/
-
1:37
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://joanharvest.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/psychic-lit1.jpg?w=500amp;h=375" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="240" src="http://joanharvest.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/psychic-lit1.jpg?w=500amp;h=375" width="320" //abr /
/divspan class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"iGod-fearing. Check. Attractive. Check. Interesting. Check. Smart. Umm. Funny. No comment. Dimples. Zero. Guess he’s already disqualified. And he’d looked like he had so much potential. The injustices of this world/i. “Awura Adjoa, so what d’you think?” “Huh?” She’d drifted away again as his voice droned on. He chuckled, and smiled sweetly. “About the existence of extra-terrestrial beings. A definite yes or an undeniable no?”nbsp;iAnd, he’s here sprouting nonsense! Unh-huh, that’s it, I’m out./inbsp;“Umm…I can’t be too sure,” she shifted her chair back and started putting her belongings in her handbag. “But, wow, would you look at the time, definitely way past my bedtime!” She smiled feebly, and grabbed her coat. “Gotta run! Nice..uhh…talking.” She made a beeline for the exit. Just as she stepped off the restaurant onto the street she saw him get up from the corner of her eye.nbsp;iOh no/i, she groaned inwardly.nbsp;iDon’t let him be a stalker, please. I promise, I’ll be nicer to the next one./inbsp;Awura Adjoa crossed the street hastily while trying to button up her coat against the chilly fall wind./spanbr /
span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" br /
br /
A few moments later, she stepped into the warm embrace of her college apartment.nbsp;iWe made it!/inbsp;She thought to herself. Reaching down to slip her booties off her feet, she heard a sound behind her and craned her neck to see which of her two roomies it was. The punk rock attire confirmed that Al was up again enjoying her nightly delight. “So?” Al said, as she slurped drops of melting ice cream off her spoon. Awura Adjoa finished unwinding her checkered scarf and hang it in the closet along with her coat. “So, what?” she asked innocently. “How’d your date with mr. he-could-possibly-be-the-one go?” Al was known for her often cryptic statements and sarcastic humor. Awura Adjoa walked towards the kitchen area. “Let’s just say mr. he-could-possibly-be-the-one quickly dissipated into mr.-a-definite-no-no.” “Ha! I told you so!” Al squeeled jubilantly. Awura Adjoa groaned “Yeah, yeah, and you promised not to say that dreaded statement. Besides, what happened to having a little faith in my ability to decipher people occasionally?” She grabbed a spoon from the cabinet and pulled a stool towards Al. She was ravenous. Trying to come up with a polite excuse to ditch “Sir” Alfred, as he’d introduced himself, had failed and she’d left in a rude rush. It had also succeeded in inducing her usual craving for ice cream which surfaced when she was famished. “Simple. The “occasionally” is yet to show up, so until that finally happens, I’ll remain your faithless servant.” Al snickered and the crevice of a dimple showed in the corner of her lip.br /
br /
br /
Awura Adjoa sighed. True, the ‘occasionally’ hadn’t yet arrived. You would think that after ten dates with guys from different ends of the male spectrum, she’d have met at least one person who fulfilled 75% of her expectations in a possible mate. Either they had no belief system, meaning they had no value systems and would probably treat her like trash, or they were close to religious fanatics, meaning they’d probably sit down and wait for life to happen to them. They were either not smart enough, or too smart to the point where they used the date as an opportunity to prep for their upcoming research symposium. And those who had it all spiritual and personality-wise, just didn’t do it for her physically. I mean, is it so hard to ask for an interesting man I am actually attracted to? “No, it’s not.” “Huh?” Awura Adjoa said as she awakened from her reverie. “No, it’s not impossible for you to find that guy you’re looking for.” Al said softly. She looked Awura Adjoa straight in the face. “You’re probably going over your mental checklist of what he had, and what he did not, and you’re asking yourself why he – or they – can never be the complete package, right?” She cocked an eyebrow. “Darn, you’re good!” Awura Adjoa replied. She licked her silver spoon and looked at it thoughtfully. “How exactly do you know what’s on my mind?” “Call me psychic.” Al grinned mischievously. Awura Adjoa gave her one of her famous looks. The “seriously, just cut to the chase” eye.br /
br /
br /
Al assumed her smart-alec stance as she leaned back against the fridge and folded her arms. “Well, I’m not saying you’re predictable, but after going through this process, seven-eight-nine-ten times, I think I know what stages of denial and self-rebuttal you go through after mr. he-could-possibly-be-the-one fails to deliver. Heck, even a two-year old could figure that one out!” Awura Adjoa ran her hands through her braids. “Am I that much of a nutcase?” she whispered. Al set what remained of the vanilla and almond ice cream on the table and touched her arm. “Not a nutcase, just trying too hard.” “You really think so?” Awura Adjoa asked. “Yep. You’re no longer living, you’re simply existing. Waiting for the next thing to happen. Spending all your energy looking for mr. possibly-the-one, while remaining incognizant of the fact that your braids need to be taken out. You need to pay attention to you, right now.” Awura Adjoa looked down at her peeling clear-nail polish painted toes. Al was right. She’d gotten spun into this whirlpool of finding ‘the one’. She’d set up a default checklist in her mind against which she rated any guys she had the opportunity of meeting. And in all of this, she’d ignored the one person who’d been begging for attention that whole while. Herself. “Why do you have to be so on point all the time?” she asked as she raised her head. “I already told you,” Al said as she reached for her and pulled her into a warm hug. “I’m psychic.”/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"--/span/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"Photo Source:nbsp
[joanharvest.files.wordpress.com] class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-7156169074562002165?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=4e8viMSUqdo:oBu9_sQVCSI:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/4e8viMSUqdo" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
23:36
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://publicrelations200.com/Pictures/Lightbulb%20People.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="256" src="http://publicrelations200.com/Pictures/Lightbulb%20People.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/divspan style="font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Finally, finally, finally. I brought my notepad home with all the juicy info from an event I went to a couple of weeks ago: "Media as a Global Diplomat II: New Findings on the Science of Media and Conflict". It was organized by the US Institute of Peace, and boy, was it a blockbuster event! Great and inspiring people like Al-Jazeerah's Riz Khan (formerly of the BBC) and Jordan's Queen Noor were present, as were a whole bunch of amazing individuals. I really enjoyed the event cos I'm all about policy and media, and at one point in my life I figured I'd be a psychologist (until I had to take psych 100 at 8am and chickened out.)/span/span/spanbr /
divspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"So anyways. Details. Essentially, some researchers from MIT (Rebecca Saxe, a neuroscientist), Harvard (Dean Jay Winsten) as well as media personnel like Riz Khan (Al-Jazeerah) and Michael Medavoy (a Hollywood film maker) spoke about how media influences global diplomacy and conflict./span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"The researchers presented their findings on the issue. Some of them were:/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"span style="color: red;"gt;The most powerful persuasion messages are messages about what other people around you think and believe./span span style="color: blue;"[If African countries are continuously portrayed as being poor, starving, and dirty, in due time, most people will think that's all Africa is (which in my humble opinion, is where we're currently at)]/span/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"span style="color: red;"gt;People pick up on information that is fed to them. Images of violence against a group you identify with will increase your allegiance to that group./span span style="color: blue;"[I found this particularly interesting. Apparently, it also informs our decisions about what to watch. So scientifically-speaking, people who watch Fox News most likely don't agree with Obama in the first place, and so they gravitate towards that kind of media. As another example, a young black woman might choose to watch BET over...I dunno.... the history channel? I don't intend to sound stereotypical, but that's what the research findings suggest.]/span/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"span style="color: red;"gt;Altruistic punishment - the desire to retaliate in order to regain self-esteem occurs when people feel a strong identity to a particular group./span span style="color: blue;"[I guess the Gates incident could be considered as one? Many black people here in the U.S. cried out against the treatment of the Harvard professor and there were allusions to racial influences as well.]/span/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"span style="color: red;"gt;Tower of social norms. It's more powerful to make people believe that society's attitude to something is changing./span span style="color: blue;"[This was my favorite. Essentially, we're all teenagers. Yep, even our grandparents, mothers, fathers, all of us :). I have a similar theory, so I was quite (pleasantly) surprised when the experts confirmed this. It all comes down to the issue of peer pressure. People will most likely change their attitude to something if they get the impression that it's the norm or the 'cool' thing to do.]/span/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"span style="color: red;"gt;We learn by observing the behavior of others and do so by media./span span style="color: blue;"[Who told you you wanted that haircut? Are you sure you're not skinny? And how certain are you that Obama is President and it's a great milestone in human history? Hold on a sec, is that even your real name? (just kidding lol). But yeah, hope you get the drift. We're all part of the matrix people!]/span/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"span style="color: red;"gt;People act in accordance with the negative stereotypes that they are associated with./span span style="color: blue;"[ Say what? Come again? Yea, that's the reaction I had. But apparently, it's true. As an example, the researchers talked about having a group of students write their gender/race on a math test. Once gender is written on a math test for instance, women would do worse than if they didn't have to write their gender. Why? Because there's the negative stereotype that women are less capable at math than their male counterparts. Your system actually sends signals to your brain cells to reinforce those stereotypes?! Crazy, init?]/span/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"span style="color: blue;"br /
/span/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"span style="color: red;"gt;Sending information in a propagandistic manner fuels resistance./span span style="color: blue;"[ I guess this one's pretty to the point. If people feel like they're being threatened, they will retaliate. Taking it back to how things were dealt with in the stone age I guess.]/span/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"The researchers suggested that societies promote sharing and engaging with one another, in addition to listening in order to promote mutual respect.nbsp;/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiva href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/kaylyred/Story%20graphics/Storytelling.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="220" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/kaylyred/Story%20graphics/Storytelling.gif" width="320" //aspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"The second part of the event was really interesting! Some of the things that came out from that:/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"span style="color: red;"gt; Use the internet not only as an informative tool, but also as a story-telling tool. Enabling people to tell their stories about their identities and then having constructive dialogue is powerful./span span style="color: blue;"[I couldn't agree more. That's what Circumspect and the millions of other blogs and social media tools are about. It's about putting your story out there; it's your mouthpiece to the entire world!]/span/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdivspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"A TED video on Chimamanda Ngozi (Author of Half of a Yellow Sun amp; Purple Hibiscus), has been doing its rounds on facebook recently, and Ms. Ngozi talks about the danger of a single story. I think she's exactly on point about the issues. Here's the video for those who haven't watched it. It really ties into a lot of the research findings listed above.nbsp;/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divobject height="326" width="446"param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /param name="wmode" value="transparent"/paramparam name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"/paramparam name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/ChimamandaAdichie_2009G-medium.flvsu=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/ChimamandaAdichie-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpgvw=432vh=240ap=0ti=652introDuration=16500adDuration=4000postAdDuration=2000adKeys=talk=chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story;year=2009;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=speaking_at_tedglobal2009;theme=words_about_words;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=master_storytellers;event=TEDGlobal+2009;preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/ChimamandaAdichie_2009G-medium.flvsu=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/ChimamandaAdichie-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpgvw=432vh=240ap=0ti=652introDuration=16500adDuration=4000postAdDuration=2000adKeys=talk=chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story;year=2009;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=speaking_at_tedglobal2009;theme=words_about_words;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=master_storytellers;event=TEDGlobal+2009;"/embed/objectbr /
br /
One of the panelists presented an amazing project he's running to try to help resolve the Gaza Conflict. nbsp;It's called Gaza Sderot nbsp;-"Life in spite of everything" and basically what they do is put 2 new videos on the website everyday, showing life in Israel's city Gaza and Palestine's Sderot. The point of it all, to show that the people aren't as different as they've been led to believe. Another great aspect of it is that its translated in many different languages including Hebrew and Arabic so the inhabitants of these two cities and countries can understand it. Check out the a href="http://gaza-sderot.arte.tv/"Gaza Sderot Project/a!br /
br /
Some other things that were highlighted:br /
br /
gt;The fact that even though the new social media is phenomenal, innovative and life-changing, many of the communities in the developing world - that really need these tools- don't have access to them. span style="color: blue;"[That's definitely true, and I think its for this reason that the cell phone revolution is regarded as extremely amazing in many circles. I got the chance to speak to an Iraqi social innovator at a George Mason event and what he did was set up a text-message recruiting system whereby people (especially women who had to stay at home) who were job-searching could text in to the company and provide their details. The company would then look into their database of prospective employers and match them up. Helped save money (travelling to cities in search of jobs), time and energy. Talk about innovation!)/spanbr /
span style="color: blue;"br /
/spanbr /
gt; The quality of journalism today and publishing heresay rather than fact. span style="color: blue;"[Apparently there's less and less education and training for journalists, and this affects the quality of reporting and management in the broadcasting sector. Riz Khan stressed how important being a journalist is since your words can actually determine history. He gave the example of a journalist writing "eject" instead of "elect" during an important election in a volatile region. By using eject, the title of the article gave the impression that there was a coup...you can imagine the mayhem!]/spanbr /
span style="color: blue;"br /
/spanbr /
I find it quite interesting that the world is going back to the ancient tradition of storytelling, albeit in a more technologically advanced manner.At the end of the day, everyone has a story to tell. nbsp;So go ahead a tell yours. Whether its through music, poetry, articles, comments on blogs, whatever. Nobody's gonna secure your place in this world unless you do it for yourself and the timing has never been better! To listen to the entire USIP event, go a href="http://www.usip.org/newsroom/multimedia/audio/media-global-diplomat-ii-new-findings-the-science-media-and-conflict"here/a. Happy storytelling people, and leme know what you think about the research findings!br /
br /
--br /
a href="http://amp3pr.com/blog/"Photo 1 Source/a, a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v706/kaylyred/Story%20graphics/Storytelling.gif"Photo 2 Source/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-7854610404094704743?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=H8CStBPodm0:KL7b0a4cJ4k:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/H8CStBPodm0" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
23:12
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://thejosevilson.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/9496black-mother-and-son-posters-237x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://thejosevilson.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/9496black-mother-and-son-posters-237x300.jpg" //abr /
/divspan style="color: #333333; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;"My dearest sweetheart,/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;"/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;"/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;"a name='more'/a/spanspan style="color: #333333; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;"We probably haven’t met yet (or maybe we have), but I already have you in my mind’s eye. I already know the shape of your eyes; deep-set dark brown almond eyes that light up whenever you smile or laugh. Laugh, that laugh! Pearls of joy dropped down by Mother Earth. Your skin; rich and luxurious; smooth and soft. An endless invitation to touch, hold, and comfort you. That nose. Some people worry about the nose; it’s either too large or too small, and never quite perfect enough. But I have no worries there. As cute as a button your nose will be. And your lips. Slightly upturned, probably your most convincing feature, especially when you pout in indignation, when I tell you “no, you can’t have more candy.” And the rest of you. Every exquisite inch. I seriously cannot wait to meet you my dear one./spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"div class="MsoNormal"span style="color: #333333; font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;" br /
There’s a lot you will learn. Yes, you will most definitely go to school, but you will learn even beyond and outside the confines of the classroom. Perhaps the first thing I should tell you is not to rush. bDon’t be in a hurry to grow up/b, which, since you’re reading this, you’re probably already doing. *Sigh*. Ah well. I guess you take right after me and everyone else who’s ever been in your position. I know my telling you to take your time and enjoy every stage of life won’t make you tarry less. But one day, one day, you’ll remember that I told you and then, you’ll slow that panicked run into a leisurely jog and take in the beautiful scenery.br /
br /
What’s that? Did I write this to you when you were but a wee lil’ one in my tummy? No, my inquisitive one. I’ve barely been passed on from your grandparents’ hands myself. Shouldn’t I wait till you’re actually in the making? My dear, bdreams are what life is made of/b. One way or another, you shall come to me. Even if you don’t emerge from the warm cocoon that is my womb, you will enter my life. I know it for a fact. I myself have had numerous mothers, even though I was borne by only one. Some, including my very own, became more of sisters and friends to me as our relationships flourished. So my darling, you can rest assured that we will meet inshallah. Besides, who said letters of anticipation should be left to those who are in their first, second or even third trimester? And honestly, I wanted to make sure you know. Especially since one tends to get ‘busy’ in this life and either forgets or chooses not to say all these important things.br /
br /
Your grandparents are such wonderful people, and they taught me so much! Well, granted they both chose to be teachers, it goes without saying, but believe me, they went far and beyond that call to service. And with you, if I could do even half of what they do, then you shall be set for your journey. Details? Eh, how curious you are! Lol, okay, here are the details. Your granny is so beautiful to the core. And she exudes such youth! Her charm, her smile, and her personality are such a delight to behold. But mind you, she will put you in your place if you misbehave. Hmm, you have no idea how many times I…Infact, let’s leave my misdemeanor days in the past shall we? And grandpa! Oh, he’s going to have a whole bunch of stuff to tell you! He’ll probably lead you up those school stairs on your very first day, and he’ll spoil you rotten with books and books on end, and open you up to endless worlds of wonder. As for your aunties and uncles, you will have plenty. And most likely, countless cousins too! Child, you will never want when it comes to family, that I can assure you!br /
br /
That brings me to another thing. Even though we are your family, family extends beyond just us. Oh, the friends you will have. Yes my baby, there is an immense world out there! I’m sure at this very moment another is talking to her young girl and telling her this same thing. Are we in a plot together? Lol. You sure have the most interesting questions. No, we’re not. Or rather, not consciously. Let me explain. There are many different people in this world. Some might look like you, others might not. Some will think like you, others won’t even listen. But whether or not the similarities are apparent, just know that they are there. Everyone is connected. For this reason, if not for any other, I implore you sweetie, learn the ‘golden rule’ and live by it. Your grandma taught it to me well, and it has yet to let me down. bDo unto others what you would have others do to you/b, and Allah will surely bless you a thousand fold.br /
br /
I almost wish I didn’t have to include this part, and maybe you can ignore it in your time. Unfortunately, not everyone out there will have your best interests at heart. Some people will try to take advantage of you, and others might actually have the impudence to do it. When the hard times roll in, my dear one, turn to me. Turn to your family, and above all, turn to Allah. He is your sole protector at the end of the day. Should you stay locked up in your room? Ah-ah, and miss the great classroom that is life? No child, you will not stay locked up. bEach…misstep (I hesitate to say failure since it sounds so final)…will either redirect your path, or give you the opportunity to look inward and make some necessary adjustments. /bAnd you will come out stronger. I can already tell that you will be very intelligent, and guess what; the best students get the hardest tests, so prepare for it all, my little one. And you will succeed. No two ways about it. How do I know? Well, my munchkin, because Allah has told us that he will never give us more than we can handle. So there, you will be fine.br /
br /
Hmm, my dearest. It’s getting late, and I have work tomorrow. But before I go, here’s something else. Make sure you’re responsible in everything you do. When you make a commitment, follow through and give it your best. But when you find that where you are is not where you want to be, know that it is okay to make a change. Change can be scary, but it can also be good. And inshallah, there will always be someone nearby to guide you. Always try to keep an open mind, follow your passion, and above all, try to have fun! Umm…that last bit is not an outright call for rebellion ok? But seriously, have fun. And like I said in the beginning, breceive all the good things in a grateful manner, and meet the tough times with the fortitude that Allah himself will provide./bbr /
br /
So, my darling. I think this is an appropriate first letter to you. There just might be a couple more. It’s sad to think the art of letter-writing might die off before your time, but at least, you have your very own for keepsake! Anyway, before I mail this out to the great outdoors, let me just reiterate, no I’m not pregnant, and no, I’m not going off the edge. This is just a missive to my little girl to let her know she is loved and…y’all know the routine here…blessed.br /
br /
Forever and Unconditionally Yours,br /
J/spanspan style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: x-large;"span style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;"br /
/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: x-large;"span style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;"--/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif; font-size: x-large;"span style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 21px;"Photo Source:nbsp;span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"a href="http://thejosevilson.com/blog/2008/08/"http://thejosevilson.com/blog/2008/08//a/span/span/spanbr /
/div/spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-5122721711583890564?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=1NfnnazVX50:5HoYJr2BEQo:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/1NfnnazVX50" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
18:50
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/StpDism4CzI/AAAAAAAACYs/8hRRBt5EDNc/s1600-h/IMG_2999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/StpDism4CzI/AAAAAAAACYs/8hRRBt5EDNc/s320/IMG_2999.JPG" //abr /
/diva href="http://www.blogactionday.org/"Blog Action Day on Climate Change/a was on Oct. 15th, and I'd signed up to participate. Unfortunately, one thing led to another, and I didn't get a chance to blog that day. But anyway, I made a commitment, so regardless of the fact that Blog Action Day on Climate Change is over, it's never too late to talk about climate change. Especially when I have some extremely interesting stuff to share!br /
br /
a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/StpBKyDkMfI/AAAAAAAACYk/Qzy1-jyY8dk/s1600-h/IMG_2991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/StpBKyDkMfI/AAAAAAAACYk/Qzy1-jyY8dk/s320/IMG_2991.JPG" //aAbout a month ago I headed over to the National Mall for the a href="http://www.circumspecte.com/2009/09/in-honor-of-reading-2009-national-book.html"National Book Festival/a here in D.C. nbsp;On my way there, I came across a group of people who were talking about climate change. I figured I'd listen in and see what they had to say, and boy, did they have a lot to say. The organization, a href="http://truthaboutgreen.org/default.aspx"Truth About Greennbsp;/a, basically pushes the notion that climate change or global warming is not actually a natural phenomenon, but rather a man-made phenomenon set up to advance the economic and business ideals of top business elements. Additionally, they said that green initiatives would actually result in higher taxes for the average citizen (in this case American). When I realized what they were talking about, I was a bit skeptical. Like seriously, who would call climate change a hoax? Well, they certainly had no qualms about making that accusation.br /
br /
Anyways, I tried to upload a video of one of the speakers at the event, but it was too large (smart me, huh?). So here's a video I found on youtube that has similar (if not the same) argument. I'm only putting part 1 on here, but if you wanna watch the remaining parts, it's all on good ol' youtube:br /
br /
object height="344" width="425"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hpWa7VW-OMEhl=enfs=1"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/paramparam name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/paramembed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hpWa7VW-OMEhl=enfs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectbr /
br /
br /
bspan style="color: #38761d;"My Reactions:/span/bbr /
I don't think I agree with the notion that climate change is a hoax. Politics aside, I think anyone can pretty much figure out that there's something seriously wrong with Mother Earth, and she's letting her frustrations show all around us. For one thing, look at the temperature change. It's only October and already, temperatures have dropped as though we're in the height of winter. Heck, some places have already gotten their first dusting of snow! Sure, there's the whole argument about the earth being in a "cooling off" period, but the way I see it, it's better to pay attention to climate change now, and ensure that we're putting our rubbish and toxic waste in the appropriate places, instead of having to deal with extreme environmental disasters in the future.br /
br /
"Cap amp; Trade": Until this event, I didn't have any inkling about what "Cap amp; Trade" is. Generally, its a policy currently being debated in the U.S. Congress which would require businesses and corporations to monitor their emissions and ensure that they do not go over a certain limit. So essentially, its an attempt at controlling pollution. No problem there. The main criticism against "Cap amp; Trade" is the carbon trading element. A company which projects that its greenhouse emissions will exceed the limit can "buy" pollution allowances from other companies which might not be meeting their limits. Here's a a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissions_trading"wikipedia article/a on it for those of you who want detailed info. Now here, I might agree with the Truth About Green arguments. By making the issue of pollution reduction a business venture, we risk actually dealing with the issue of pollution at all.br /
br /
span style="color: #38761d;"bLessons for Ghana/Africa/b/spanbr /
bInformation amp; Education:/b One of the speakers at the event mentioned the fact that Spain, which was heralded as an economically stable economy,recently slipped into a recession. It was a model of sorts for the green campaign. I don't know that much about Greening in Spain, but what I do know is the fact that if we intend to incorporate models and structures from other countries, we need to educate ourselves. Ghana and other African countries are relatively better-off (I think) when it comes to pollution. How can we reduce what pollution we have, and how can we prepare for the future?br /
br /
We should be doing our research and looking at all these models (failed or otherwise) to inform our own policy decisions. If we don't keep ourselves informed, we will have a situation similar to our current economic systems; we'll have policies, laws and structures that do not work for us. Already, many multi-lateral companies get away with polluting our countries without so much as a slap on the hand for this. That's where our concern should be: strengthening our legal structures to protect our environment and consequently, our population.br /
br /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/StpL5gWSWjI/AAAAAAAACY0/Heu2gmh7Mh4/s1600-h/IMG_2998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/StpL5gWSWjI/AAAAAAAACY0/Heu2gmh7Mh4/s320/IMG_2998.JPG" //abr /
/divbAccountability: /bAs you can see from the photo, this group is certainly not for Al Gore and his "Inconvenient Truth Campaign." As far as they are concerned, Al Gore is using his film as a platform to make millions (since his film and ideas are on the market). On the issue of the politicians advocating for "Cap amp; Trade", these same politicians fly in private jets which add to the greenhouse emissions in the atmosphere.br /
br /
Essentially, this brings about the question of intent and accountability. If you are pushing for climate change and environmental awareness, then you shouldn't just talk the talk, but walk the walk as well. I remember in J.S.S. we would have a teacher tell us about how its important to not litter the environment, and then after school, that same teacher would finish eating an orange and throw it on the ground. If we want to make our earth and environments cleaner and more comfortable to live in, each of us is accountable. From the school kids to the politicians. Each of us.br /
br /
Alors, since I'm all for democracy and fairness, here's a TED video on Al Gore and his ideas concerning climate change. Regardless of whether you agree or not, he's definitely got a humorous spin on his talk!br /
br /
object height="326" width="334"param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /param name="wmode" value="transparent"/paramparam name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"/paramparam name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/AlGore_2006-medium.flvsu=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/AlGore-2006.embed_thumbnail.jpgvw=320vh=240ap=0ti=1introDuration=16500adDuration=4000postAdDuration=2000adKeys=talk=al_gore_on_averting_climate_crisis;year=2006;theme=bold_predictions_stern_warnings;theme=not_business_as_usual;theme=speaking_at_ted2009;theme=technology_history_and_destiny;theme=design_like_you_give_a_damn;theme=presentation_innovation;theme=top_10_tedtalks;theme=a_greener_future;event=TED2006;preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="334" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/AlGore_2006-medium.flvsu=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/AlGore-2006.embed_thumbnail.jpgvw=320vh=240ap=0ti=1introDuration=16500adDuration=4000postAdDuration=2000adKeys=talk=al_gore_on_averting_climate_crisis;year=2006;theme=bold_predictions_stern_warnings;theme=not_business_as_usual;theme=speaking_at_ted2009;theme=technology_history_and_destiny;theme=design_like_you_give_a_damn;theme=presentation_innovation;theme=top_10_tedtalks;theme=a_greener_future;event=TED2006;"/embed/objectdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-7942122694859875793?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=AxbGOrLnVIE:Scjoa3ug1a0:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/AxbGOrLnVIE" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
17:26
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs246.snc1/9333_178634491527_99054086527_3813211_1091057_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="186" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs246.snc1/9333_178634491527_99054086527_3813211_1091057_n.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/divOkay, so I'm sitting here at work, and I'm soooooooooooo giddy with excitement!!!! Ghana vs Brazil U20 World Championship game, Ghana trashed Brazil!!!! 4-3 in penalties.And with man 1 down (they played 10 against 11) I loove penalties (used to be a goalie and just loved the adrenaline rush). Anyways. This post is to commemmorate the fact that Ghana is the first African country to win the U20 Cup! How many more firsts is this country going to bag??br /
br /
Thought a couple of things were interesting:br /
br /
- Didn't watch the game, but knew exactly what was going on via the fifa.com webcast updates +...drumroll...facebook updates! Chale, u don't need to be in front of the T.V. to see things going dowwwn lol.br /
br /
- The famous Ghanaian footballer Abedi Ayew Pele, took his 'Pele' from Brazil's amazing sportsman Pele who won the title of "Athlete of the Century" in 1999. Now Abedi Pele's son Dede Ayew plays against Brazil about a decade later as the captain of the Ghana team, the Black Satellites and Ghana takes the title of U20 Champs!!! Wow, things do come full circle don't they?br /
br /
- And now for what I think is probably one of the most important. The Ghana U20 team was led to victory by none other than a Ghanaian Coach!! Sellas Tetteh! How beautiful is this eh??br /
br /
As for this one dieee, if the Ghana Government decides to give a holiday, I absolutely concur!!! Ghana oseee yeee!!!! Putting Africa on the map!! Gotta watch out for their big brothers- the Ghana National Team the Black Stars - during S. A. 2010!!br /
br /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs222.snc1/6934_562716429608_701822_32845205_4939598_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="239" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs222.snc1/6934_562716429608_701822_32845205_4939598_n.jpg" width="320" //abr /
/divbr /
br /
Here are some of the interesting facebook status updates on the win:br /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/kayobiclothing?ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:200901349:11:::0:nf:::155905754329quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Kwabena Boateng/anbsp;/spanGhana is a trending topic on TWITTER BRAP/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1469745789amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:1469745789:18:::0:nf:::193230742432quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Daniel Arthur/anbsp;/span1 man down against brazil amp; winning is like going into an exam room wid nuthin in ur head and gettin an A(where i'm from,dat's IMPOSSIBLE).....so chale de boys force....IM GOING OUT/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/paul.akrofie?ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:740603243:22:::0:nf:::156095688458quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Paul Akrofie/anbsp;/spanCHALE... BRONYA HAS COME EARLY THIS YEAR !!!!!!! EEEEIIIIII !!!!! FIRST AFRICAN COUNTRY !!!!!! CHALE SO PROUD TO BE GHANAIAN !!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/WORLD-CUP-2010/99054086527?ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:247:99054086527:29:::0:nf:::178634511527quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"WORLD CUP 2010/anbsp;/spanGhana, the African Pride defeated the Great Team of Brazil on penalty shoot-out and became the Under-20 World Cup Champion of 2009!! Congratulations Ghana, congratulations to 2nd place Brazil and to all the great young players who played in this world championship tournament!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=500805546amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:500805546::::0:nf:::152156926703quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Peter Finor La-Anyane/anbsp;/spanI just got back inside from running outside with my flag. Everyone was looking at me like "you know you're in the USA right?" God won this game for us!! Ghana U-20 World Cup Champions. More reason to XPECT GREATNESS FROM US!!a href="http://www.xpectgh.com/" onmousedown="UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this), quot;1f2be9a454e269ded70f907364a2a80equot;, event)" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"http://www.xpectgh.com/a/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=614035645amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:614035645::::0:nf:::156485656099quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Yaa Asantewaa Appiah Korang/anbsp;/spanGoooooooooooooooooooooooooo Ghana!!!!!!!!! "Ghana DO the best!!!!!!" Under 20 World Cup Champions!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To God be the Glory!!!!!!!!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10401864amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:10401864::::0:nf:::152245159723quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Adu Ampofo/anbsp;/spanFirst African U-20 world champions AND on African soil. We are so well beyond A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!!!!!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=517490604amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:517490604:4:::0:nf:::155721991373quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Frankie Marvin Cofie/anbsp;/spanFor all who dnt knw, God is an African/h3/divdivbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10403658amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:10403658::::0:nf:::160022234867quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Opk Ac-day Opoku/anbsp;/spanGhana do the best.. we do the best.. Who said Ghana didn't do the best has a problem.. Ghana do the best.. we do the best! Brazil is nothing before us.. they can't change us!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/saka.linus?ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:11307723::::0:nf:::191033285883quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Saka Linus/anbsp;/spanbr /
I just want to send a MEMO to GFA...Coach Silas Tetteh is Ghanaian, he(Silas) led the Satelites to WIN U20 against Brazil...case in point, GFA pay him watever he says he deserves, give him d salary u pay foreign High School Gym Teachers to come to GHspan style="display: inline;"nbsp;ad coach and let him lead the Stars to Bring to trophy from SA...I'm just saying/spanbr /
br /
span style="font-size: 11px;"/spanbr /
/h3h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="font-size: 11px;"br /
h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=701822amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:701822:3:::0:nf:::151045457685quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Ato Ulzen-Appiah/anbsp;/spanHaven't heard Atta Mills speak live all year but I/m now. He's congratulating d Black Satellites on making #Ghana world champions! Adom FM./h3/spanbr /
/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1340432026amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:1340432026::::0:nf:::154855513809quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Edna Lola Owusu-Ansah/anbsp;/spanThe great Goliath has fallen.it is finished/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/osekre?ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:116050::::0:nf:::157042490052quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Ishmael Osekre/anbsp;/spanbr /
Where are those who predicted our loss? The analysts said we didn't have the technique, we didn't have the flair, we didn't have the stamina. They said we were playing too defensively. We got a red card. They said it was a wrap. They sspan style="display: inline;"aid maybe we will lose in the 2nd half then ... and on and on. Everything was against us. BUT WE WON. Ghana is the 1st African team to win the U21 World Cup. See you in South Africa!/spanbr /
span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 11px;"span style="font-size: small;"span style="font-size: 13px;"br /
/span/span/span/spanbr /
/h3divh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=500209699amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:500209699::::0:nf:::154257943284quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Senam Apaloo/anbsp;/spanyoure from where? oh Brazil- thats the country Ghana beat right?I THOUGHT SO!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=4807287amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:4807287::::0:nf:::157416852359quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Sharon Somuah/anbsp;/spanaccra is on fire tonight! white cloth on Sunday!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=604806130amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:604806130::::0:nf:::159797290941quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Brigid Yirenkyi/anbsp;/spannever a better time to be Ghanaian!!!! i'm so proud of us!!!!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=645220471amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:645220471::::0:nf:::182024052655quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"PaaMilitary Yanful/anbsp;/spantoday is the day i stopped calling football soccer! GO GHANA greates footballing nation on the continent!!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/kwizzle?ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:14700520::::0:nf:::186626561899quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Kwesi 'pk' Fynn/anbsp;/spaniREP G.H.A.N.A.!!! You know the name right?!/h3/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/div/divdivbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=68117377amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:68117377::::0:nf:::182714505271quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Angellah Asiah Choi/anbsp;/spanProud to be ghanaian, brazil u aint got nothing on us!!!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=672985342amp;ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:672985342:11:::0:nf:::320273190472quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Philip Odei/anbsp;/spanWe trusted in God to make Ghanaians da happiest pple on earth 2day!!! To GOD be the GLORY!!!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/phebelicious?ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:610157694:24:::0:nf:::160723335910quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Phebe Awura-Abena Fantedorkono Brako/anbsp;/spanmy mother skipped church to watch soccer. so if i skip class on monday cos of basketball, should she get mad? lol!/h3divbr /
/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/rubsio?ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:310851::::0:nf:::151971823460quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Ruth Ofeibea Botsio/anbsp;/spanGHANA DOES IT BEST AND DOES IT REAL- IT'S NEVER FOR THE SHOW (balloon boy). Pacesetters for generations to come ♥. Now where's my jollof?/h3divbr /
/div/div/div/divdivbr /
/divdivspan style="color: red;"And of course, yours truly..../spanbr /
/divdivbr /
/div/div/divdivh3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" data-ft="{quot;typequot;:quot;msgquot;}" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"span style="color: #444444; font-weight: bold;"a href="http://www.facebook.com/jabdulai?ref=nf" onclick="ft(quot;4:10:46:10402829::::0:nf:::176622418979quot;);" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"Jemila Wunpini Abdulai/anbsp;/spanWooopie!!! Yay Ghana!!!! Brazil, we have put pepper in your eyes!!! Who's talking about the African Brazil? We're the U20 Champs, go figure!/h3divbr /
/divdivbr /
/div/div/spanbr /
To go with a popular Ghana "gyama" / celebratory song, "Brazil, we scored you, we put pepper in your eyes!" (I'm not hating on Brazil, I'm just elated :) ) Okay enough for the day lol. Wooopie, Congrats U20 Champs, you brought the gold back to the Gold Coast!!!br /
br /
--br /
Photo Sources: Fifa Web sitediv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-7041666343356239536?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=DDBrEPeeDzU:gtWWh0f6Y5o:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/DDBrEPeeDzU" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
17:20
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Working_Together_Teamwork_Puzzle_Concept.jpg/600px-Working_Together_Teamwork_Puzzle_Concept.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Working_Together_Teamwork_Puzzle_Concept.jpg/600px-Working_Together_Teamwork_Puzzle_Concept.jpg" width="200" //abr /
/divspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"The long dry untarred road, leads up to a cement-based incomplete bungalow/spanbr /
div class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"A row of tables along the veranda, with plastic table covers of bougainvillea/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Uniformed men and women, each with a pair of ‘specs’ perched lightly on their nose ridges/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Papers strewn left, right and center, and not a single computer in sight/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"br /
/span br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"At the gate of so-called opportunity, a long queue waits/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Market men and women, ‘kubolor’ boys and girls, and even a politician or two/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Colorful Holland print cloths wrapped haphazardly around waists of different sizes,/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"And you know there was some sort of sleepover the night before/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"br /
/span br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Basins overturned to serve as makeshift chairs/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Plastic and steel buckets, for finding water after this quest is done/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“Gyai saa”, “Kyel la la”, “Stop that”, and you know the kids are getting restless/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"In the corner, a group of young men; from their vantage point a sea of well-endowed behinds they do peruse/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"br /
/span br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“The first fifty can come in!” a loud voice pronounces/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Scramble for Africa re-enacted, feet and hands gravitating towards that single door/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"In all the confusion, two do get stuck/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"One from the capital city itself, the other from a town whose name nobody recalls/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"br /
/span br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“Eh, my two sisters, go in. Everybody else go home! Ah, can’t you count? I said 50!”/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"With muttered complaints and wagging fists, the others walk away/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"While Mr. I-finally-feel-important, hurls undeserving insults at their retreating backs/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"The two momentary Siamese twins eventually dislodge, and assume their rightful places in line/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"br /
/span br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“Hmm, look at the plenty lipstick she has put on her mouth! Definitely a spoiled city brat”/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“Ah, what kind of outfit is this? And her hair…waa hwe, she’s wearing chale wote sef”/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"With an observer’s eye, you’d just see two young women attempting to find a job/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"But just like that, the dice has been cast, and each had categorized the other without a thought/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"br /
/span br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"In the heat of noon, with house flies drifting from one person to another/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"The girls finally approached the high tables strewn with so many papers/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“Yes, how can I help you?” the matron asks/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“I want a job”, “I’m looking for work”, both girls say at once/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"br /
/span br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“And why should I hire either of you,” the destiny-holder asks, gazing from one to another/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“Because I’m…” Both attempt to put their best foot forward and out-do the other/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“Well, there’s only one position left” Ms. Matron proclaims/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“Ah, then you have to pick me! She’s not good enough”/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"br /
/span br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Desperation etched on each of their faces, they glare angrily at one another/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“Tofiakwa! I’m not going to let that…thing, take this from me”/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“Ladies,” a feminine voice calls out “You didn’t even let me finish”/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Looking back at their prospective employer, they feel the blood rush to their faces/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"br /
/span br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"The first rule in any game is to watch, listen, and learn – and they’d messed up that very first step/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“…As I was saying, there’s only one position. But it requires two people who are willing to work together”/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Hearts sinking, fingers wringing, they already know what the outcome is/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“Obviously, neither of you is qualified for this job, I wish you better luck next time”/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"br /
/span br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"High heel grinding stone, chale wote slapping against sand, our two sisters walk away/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Once again, at that overbearing iron-gate, they finally look at each other/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"“After you, my sister” both chime at once, and in equal unison upturned lips appear/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Away into the sunset, hand-in-hand this time, they venture forth/spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"Finally realizing that working together is what’s gonna get us all there./spanspan style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"o:p/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"© 2009 Jemila Abdulai/span/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"o:pnbsp;--/o:p/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Working_Together_Teamwork_Puzzle_Concept.jpg/600px-Working_Together_Teamwork_Puzzle_Concept.jpg"Photo Source/a/spanbr /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"br /
/divdiv class="MsoNormal"br /
/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-3492234946227524900?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=hsKGcjs6d8s:BWQjF17lK0A:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/hsKGcjs6d8s" height="1" width="1"/
-
13:49
»
Circumspect
span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"There once lived a wee little fellowbr /
Quite a troublesome little fellow was hebr /
Fidgety, fidgety, fidgetybr /
He never could sit stillbr /
Until one day he encountered geologybr /
Yes, you heard right, geologybr /
And with that as silent as a mouse he would bebr /
br /
He learned about igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocksbr /
And how one was hard, the other layered, and the last changed with timebr /
He discovered up throws and downthrows and all kinds of faults in betweenbr /
And he saw the world transform right before his eyesbr /
Then he learned about volcanoes, lava and dried granite conesbr /
And the thought of it curdled his blood to a near stand stillbr /
br /
But it wasn’t until he encountered earthquakes that his trance was brokenbr /
With fat tears plopping down his face, and tremors overtaking his beingbr /
You’d think he’d rate an 8.0 on the Richter scalebr /
br /
At the end of the class when everything was packedbr /
This wee little fellow stayed behind in classbr /
(Now remember it was he who never could sit still)br /
And as the teacher cleaned up the last bit of the chalkboardbr /
He walked up to her and tugged at her shirtbr /
“But why the earthquakes?” he asked in a quiet voicebr /
She looked at him in bemusement; he’d never asked a question in class beforebr /
br /
Quiet did he stay until she regained composure, then sit him down she didbr /
“Because it’s all part of the cycle,” she saidbr /
“The cycle?” he repeated, his eyes full of wonderbr /
She nodded with a smile on her facebr /
See, with the igneous, sedimentary and metamorphose rocksbr /
And the downthrows and upthrows, and sliding tectonic platesbr /
There comes a time when the pressure within has reached its hiltbr /
And in order for new mountains, valleys and oceans to be formedbr /
Everything must be broken down silt by siltbr /
Until finally, the time comes for the cycle to start againbr /
And the wonder of it all begins a-newbr /
br /
That wee little fellow kept staring at his teacherbr /
Deep in thought as he digested it allbr /
Then all of a sudden, “okay! Thanks ms!” he shoutedbr /
And out the room he ran, with her staring at his retreating back in wonderbr /
For although he was still too young to understand every minor detailbr /
The violent wonder of earthquakes had for a moment quelled his stormbr /
And in that moment he’d been drawn into an alien silencebr /
One that gave him the courage to finally ask “why”.br /
br /
© 2009 Jemila Abdulai/spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-7120551435653231897?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=1W6rxdrEXWs:x_utgX75yw0:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/1W6rxdrEXWs" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
14:31
»
Circumspect
span style="color: magenta;"bbr /
/b/spanbr /
span style="color: magenta;"bI Love My Breasts!/b/spanbr /
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.schemamag.ca/archives/feelyourbooies1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="417" src="http://www.schemamag.ca/archives/feelyourbooies1.jpg" width="420" //abr /
/divOkay, this might sound a tad ridiculous, but I love my breasts! They have stuck it out with me through thick and thin (literally), and they are every bit a part of the woman I am. I think every woman is unique breast-wise, but I've never actually given much thought to my breasts, unless something important comes up. Like when they first started developing. Gosh, breasts are a big deal to adolescents - male and female. The girls either can't wait to have their first real pair (given the fact that people have the choice of unreal ones), or are annoyed they're one of the first in their class to have them. Boys are fascinated by them. And I don't think that changes as their level of maturity grows. For me, my breasts are a strong indication about if everything's going okay with me health-wise. Aside the periodic change in size and feel, they are pretty good at letting me know if I'm stressing myself etc.br /
br /
bspan style="background-color: white;"span style="color: magenta;"Breasts, the foundation of humanity/span/span/bbr /
Have we actually stopped to think about how important breasts are to the entire human race??? Before milk concentrates and what-not, breast-milk was the essential determinant in ensuring that a new babe actually lived. If the kid's mother didn't have enough breast milk, they would find a wet-nurse to ensure that the kid got all the delicious elements of nutrition that breast milk provides. I don't know about you girls out there, but I'm definitely big on the 'breast-feed' your child thing. Besides, who wouldn't want a chance to bond with their baby?br /
br /
bspan style="color: magenta;"Breast Cancer Awareness/span/bbr /
Now, breast cancer. The first time I encountered that term was in JSS 2 when a fellow school mate had a breast cancer scare. And boy, did that episode terrify the daylights out of me! Aside that, I didn't really know that much about breast cancer, and I never really bothered. My mum insisted I do regular breast checks, and I would, but I never really understood why it was necessary. Fast forward to college, and the importance of breast checks more than doubled. Being an all women's school, there was no shortage of info on breast cancer. Even then, I'd do the necessary checks, but still never quite grasped the enormity of the situation.br /
br /
Final year in college, someone close to me has a breast cancer scare, and it takes on a whole new meaning. Luckily, this person found out about the issue early on, and alhamdulilahi, the worst has been averted. I've had the opportunity to work with the American Cancer Society in organizing their annual "We Can Weekend" at Mount Holyoke, and I must say, the resilience of the participants is amazing! October is breast cancer awareness month and there are a lot of things going on in this regard. There are some marathons, fundraising events and a whole bunch of other stuff.br /
br /
span style="color: magenta;"span style="background-color: white;"bFundraising Effort: The Cool Runners Team/b/span/spanbr /
In support of this, I'd like to put in a plug for a former school mate, Maame Sampah, who's participating in the Komen Maryland fundraising effort. Please support her goal to raise $2000 towards breast cancer research by going to her site:nbsp;a href="http://komenmd.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=310505amp;team=3461321"span style="color: magenta;"The Cool Runners Team/span/aspan style="color: magenta;"nbsp;/span. Cudos Maame, and keep it up!br /
br /
br /
bspan style="color: magenta;"How to do a Breast Self-Exam:nbsp;/span/bbr /
b/bHere are two videos (one kind of funny) on how to do a self-exam. Might not be suitable for viewing at work or around kids.br /
br /
a href="http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-examine-your-breasts-for-any-lumps"span style="color: magenta;"How To Examine Your Breasts For Any Lumps (Health amp; Wellbeing)/span/abr /
br /
br /
object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="336" id="videojugplayer" width="400"param name="movie" value="http://www.videojug.com/player?id=894b736a-b88e-42f8-6211-db6f4580c808"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/paramparam name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/paramembed src="http://www.videojug.com/player?id=894b736a-b88e-42f8-6211-db6f4580c808" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="336" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"/embed/objectbr /
br /
br /
bspan style="color: magenta;"Facts:/span/bbr /
Here are some quick facts from a href="http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/breast-cancer-fast-facts.html"iVillage.com/a :br /
br /
- Breast cancer is the span style="color: red;"leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 and 54/span, and the second cause of cancer death in women 55 to 74.br /
br /
- span style="color: red;"Breast cancer can develop in men/span, but occurs at a much lower rate than in women. In 2008, nearly 1,990 new cases of breast cancer were to be diagnosed in men in the United States.br /
br /
- span style="color: red;"Women with a mother, sister or daughter affected by breast cancer have a greater risk of developing the disease themselves./span Certain genetic mutations, such as the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene also increase the risk.br /
br /
bspan style="color: magenta;"Triple Negative Breast Cancer/span/bbr /
span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="line-height: 16px;"span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"span style="line-height: normal;"CNN did an expose on an African-American doctor's research in Ghana. Black women are twice as likely than white women to have breast cancer, and it might be even more fatal where African women are concerned. You can read the piece a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/21/bia.triple.negative.cancer/index.html?iref=newssearch"span style="color: magenta;"here/span/a. /span/span/span/spanbr /
span style="color: magenta; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"span style="line-height: 16px;"bspan style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"span style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"br /
/span/span/b/span/spanbr /
bspan style="color: magenta;"Some other sites for information:/span/bbr /
- a href="http://www.breastcareghana.org/"Breast Carenbsp;International/abr /
-nbsp;a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Cancerresearchuk#p/a"National Breast Cancer Foundation/abr /
- a href="http://ww5.komen.org/default.aspx"Susan G.Komen/abr /
- a href="http://www.breastcancercampaign.org/"Breast Cancer Campaign/abr /
br /
nbsp;We need to get the info out there, and ladies, please please please let's do our monthly self-exams. Gentlemen, I'm sure there's at least one special woman in your life. Please get the information to her. span style="color: magenta;"bPrevention IS better than cure/b/span!br /
br /
--br /
a href="http://www.schemamag.ca/archives/2006/10/index.html"Photo Source/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-3028147077240564071?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=1ALUBqYXltw:wTh0Qykyriw:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/1ALUBqYXltw" height="1" width="1"/
-
12:05
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.ieeegoldegypt.org/EED/Images/2518update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="177" src="http://www.ieeegoldegypt.org/EED/Images/2518update.jpg" width="200" //abr /
/divHi Everyone!br /
br /
It's been a while, I know. For those of you who checked in with me to make sure everything's aight, thanks. And no, Circumspect is not closing shop anytime soon. Quite the contrary. There's much to tell!!br /
br /
bspan style="color: blue;"What I've Been Up To/span/bbr /
br /
bDevex:/bbr /
I recently started working as an International Development Correspondent for the Development Executive Group (Devex); a great organization committed to the international development community. For those of you in the sector, looking to enter it, or just plain curious, you should check out a href="http://www.devex.com/"span style="color: blue;"www.devex.com/spanspan style="color: black;"nbsp;/span/anbsp;. There's a job board, networking section, as well as a news amp; analysis section where you can find out about the latest trends in development, advice on which skills + expertise is in demand etc etc. There's also a business info section for organizations.nbsp;Aight, enough with the sales pitch lol.br /
br /
a href="https://www.t-mobilepictures.com/myalbum/photos/photo03/21/48/a4fcfbf10dc1__1254391071000.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="200" src="https://www.t-mobilepictures.com/myalbum/photos/photo03/21/48/a4fcfbf10dc1__1254391071000.jpeg" width="150" //aa href="https://www.t-mobilepictures.com/myalbum/photos/photo21/16/56/6219308f0816__1254391206000.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="200" src="https://www.t-mobilepictures.com/myalbum/photos/photo21/16/56/6219308f0816__1254391206000.jpeg" width="150" //aSo basically, I've been doing research, attending events, networking, learning new and interesting stuff, and writing articles. Some of the amazing peeps I've met are Riz Khan and Queen Noor of Jordan. Needless to say, I was a bit starstruck lol. I have two blogs up so far. One on the rest unrest in a href="http://devex.com/blogs/17/blogs_entries/62250"span style="color: blue;"Guinea/span/a, and another on a href="http://devex.com/blogs/17/blogs_entries/62043"span style="color: blue;"Afghanistan/span/anbsp;. I think the writing style is slightly different from what I'm used to. It's less of analysis and critique and more of 'advice'? So I'm tryna get used to that. Aside that, with spending an entire work day researching and writing, my brain cells are usually toast by the time I get home, hence the lack of Circumspect blogs over the past couple of days. I'm gonna have to come up with something in order to keep writing on here, cos there is SO much I wanna share!!!br /
br /
br /
bspan style="background-color: white;"span style="color: blue;"My Thoughts on Recent Events/span/span/bbr /
br /
bObama's Nobel Peace Prize:nbsp;/bbr /
Like many people, I am a mix of elated, surprised, and skeptical. Definitely, it's a great thing that he won. On one hand, I'm really impressed considering he's the third sitting president and first African-American president to have won it. On the other hand...I think it's a bit premature. Sure, he did a great job of getting a multitude of people involved in a single effort, and he has made some great strides, but the work is nowhere near complete. I think there were some other candidates who actually have tangible results who could have won the prize. And then, I'm also amused. Guess the 'Obama effect' is doing quite a number on the world. Essentially, what his win indicates is that people have A LOT of faith in him. They expect him to make great changes. That's quite a responsibility to shoulder if you ask me, but all the same, congrats Mr. President.br /
br /
bGhana on "Harsh Donor Conditionalities":/bbr /
I came across a href="http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/200910/36183.asp"this myjoyonline article/anbsp;which talks about Ghana's decision to reject harsh donor conditionalities, and I was definitely happy to see it. The influence of donor conditionalities on developing countries cannot be understated. Sometimes you actually do have governments that have their citizens' best interests at heart. But include donor conditionalities in the mix, and its downhill from there. I sincerely hope Ghana walks the walk instead of just talking the talk. As always, it's easier said than done, but acknowledging something like this opens numerous possibilities to act on it. Looking forward to hearing more.br /
br /
bGhana on the International Scene:/bbr /
I know Ghana has always been a poster child for 'progressive African economies,' but I'm a bit bewildered, and slightly skeptical about the amount of space and time being allocated to Ghana on the international scene. Since I've been in D.C., I've come across at least 3 specials on Ghana in newspapers. It's like a Ghana galore or something of the sort. And as much as I'm all for Ghana and everything, it's a bit scary. Why? Because with all the media attention about Ghana being the ideal investment destination, there'll probably be a jump in how many foreign companies target Ghana. That's not too worrisome. What's worrisome is the fact that we don't have our laws governing investment, worker protection etc in place. I'm gonna have to do a piece on investment laws under the WTO soon.br /
br /
bThe Economics of Polygamy:/bbr /
Okay, so there's been a number of articles on a South African man who married four women in one huge wedding a couple of weeks ago. Thea href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8292312.stm" latest article/a really cracked me up. Essentially, the man, Mr. Mbele, contends that having one huge wedding saved him a lot of money as opposed to doing 4 separate weddings. I guess having to upkeep 4 different households (yes, each wife has her own abode) doesn't count as expenditure. But seriously though, this question of polygamy is quite an interesting and touchy topic. Personally, I'm not for it. Maybe at some point in human history, polygamy served a divine purpose. But in this current day and age, I'm not too sure I agree with it. Of course, if ALL the parties involved (and not just the man) think it's ideal, then more grease. Aside that, I think many men use it to satisfy their selfish whims.br /
br /
From discussions I've had with people about polygamynbsp;(in Islam at least), it wasnbsp;allowed because of the social dynamics of the time. A woman's 'success' or livelihood depended on a man, and since there were fewer men than women, a single man would oversee the upkeep of up to three or so women. True, there are still more women than men today, BUT the dynamics have changed. A woman's success is no longer dependant upon her association with a man, or if it's still the case in some parts of the world, it's to a lesser degree. Alors, until someone comes up with a really good argument for polygamy, I think I'll pass on that one, thank you very much. Lol.br /
br /
Okay, so these are just some of the things I've found quite interesting. Oooh, and of course, Ghana qualified for the World Cup along with Ivory Coast and S.Africa. I really cannot wait for 2010! And Ghana's U-20 group is wrecking serious havoc on the field! Sweet success lol.br /
br /
I should have a couple more posts coming up on specific things I wanna share - one on recent findings concerning how the media influences human perceptions and attitudes - so keep a look out. Have a great week people!div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-7542379391195967411?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=F404C-INDgM:cfAA-A2essA:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/F404C-INDgM" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
1:58
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.crystalinks.com/cloudsbuildingmiddle550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="154" src="http://www.crystalinks.com/cloudsbuildingmiddle550.jpg" width="200" //abr /
/divbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande'; line-height: 14px;"span style="font-size: medium;"I -Spotlight on.br /
II -Geez, no need to singe my hair!br /
br /
I -Cameras rolling. Lie detector operational. All right. Spill the beans.br /
II - Which beans are you talking about? Did you give me a pan of beans?br /
br /
I - Listen kiddo, we don’t have time for any of your antics. As you can see, there’s a whole line of people in the self-denial lane who need to get through.br /
II- [Silence]br /
br /
I - Well…br /
II -[More silence].br /
I- Ok that’s it, head on out.br /
br /
II- Waitbr /
I - Did you say something?br /
br /
II - [Deep sigh.] Castles.br /
I - Excuse me?br /
II - Castlesbr /
I- Go On…br /
br /
II - Castles in the air. That’s what I built. Many of them, with tall arches, high towers, expansive walls, the works. All was fine and dandy, but in all the jubilation, I forgot one thing. The bricks in the walls. Bit by bit, the winds chipped away at them. And over time, well, it looked more like ruins than a majestic castle.br /
br /
I - So after your “castle” lay in ruins, what did you do?br /
br /
II - Exactly what any smart monarch does.br /
I - …br /
br /
II - I built more castles. I mean, that’s what we’ve been told to do, right?br /
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again.”br /
I - [Raised eyebrow]br /
br /
II - So I kept a-hammering, a-shoveling, and a-plastering.br /
Sometimes I improved on the design, other times, I totally blotched it up.br /
But what nobody told me was that I’d have to go back to the drawing board for each new castle I planned to build.br /
br /
I - [Thinking: Here we go again, another long tale.]br /
br /
II - See, although I had the mortar and design ready to go, I no longer had the vision.br /
Come to think of it, I lost that when the first castle fell to its demise.br /
Instead of stopping to re-evaluate, I groped blindly in the darkbr /
Wood, nails, plaster, whatever tools I could lay hands on to “finally get it right”br /
br /
But who was I kidding? Without that essential element, my effort was all in vainbr /
Planks laying haphazardly, bags of cement exploding into a puff of smokebr /
And beneath it all, the rush to finish up before the next breachbr /
br /
And boy, were there many breachesbr /
Knights in shining armor, learned court jesters, kings and beggars, princes and noble old menbr /
Heck, I even had an alien of sorts pass on throughbr /
br /
I- [Raised eyebrow]br /
br /
II- Don't give me that look, he was...interesting.br /
br /
II - And so it went, day-in day-out,br /
Build, destroy, and try againbr /
Until one day, the ‘strange one’ arrivedbr /
br /
I - Strange One?br /
br /
II - Yes, strange one. He was a queer fellow of sorts.br /
br /
I - Oh.br /
II - [Realization hits.] No not like that! Castles, knights...we talking old English here.br /
I - Ah Okbr /
br /
II - And for the first time, there was no breach.br /
br /
I - [Impressed Look] You finally got the security system right.br /
br /
II - Quite the contrary. The system was virtually non-existent, there was no need for his forces to even try.br /
br /
I - So…br /
II - So that’s why I’m here. Going back to the drawing boardbr /
Putting the vision into play. Taking the necessary time.br /
br /
I - I see.br /
br /
II - So…br /
br /
I - So?br /
br /
II - Aren't you gonna do your psycho-analysis mumbo-jumbo?br /
br /
I - Nope.br /
br /
II - No?br /
br /
I - No psycho-analysis. I will say one thing though.br /
br /
II - ?br /
br /
I -Whatever took you so long to head on back home?br /
br /
II - [Exasperated Air] Have you been listening to me at all? I don’t know…maybe the prospect of…br /
br /
I - I know, I know. Castles in the air.br /
br /
II - Exactly.br /
br /
--br /
br /
© 2009 Jemila Abdulai/span/spanbr /
span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande';"span style="line-height: 14px;"a href="http://www.crystalinks.com/cloudsbuildingmiddle550.jpg"Photo Source/a/span/spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-6010308315692466599?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=E0nLqeSeUCw:1GLwXdfAGi4:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/E0nLqeSeUCw" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
21:55
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.bronxprincess.com/images/bronxprincess-signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" height="279" src="http://www.bronxprincess.com/images/bronxprincess-signature.jpg" width="420" //abr /
/divWant a Ghanaian film to watch? Skip the perfect pictures and hearts of men and go straight to "Bronx Princess". Even though this film isn't produced in Ghana or by a Ghanaian, I found more elements of Ghanaian culture and society in it than in other so-called Ghanaian movies. The film maker, Yoni Brook, and his team have certainly done a great job!!!! And it makes me wonder, how come foreigners seem to appreciate and highlight our own culture better than we do? The film's website isnbsp;a href="http://www.bronxprincess.com/"http://www.bronxprincess.com//a, and I believe it's showing in a number of select independent theaters, at least in NY. I also happened upon it on a href="http://www.pbs.org/"Pbs.org/a where you can watch it for free until October 23rd! Here's the direct link for watching the film:nbsp;a href="http://video.pbs.org/video/1248747353/program/1154485580"http://video.pbs.org/video/1248747353/program/1154485580/anbsp;. Sonbsp;spread the news!! "Bronx Princess" is definitely a breath of fresh air! Here's a trailer for the film:br /
br /
object height="340" width="560"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/g5ktE0L1CVAhl=enfs=1"/paramparam name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/paramparam name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/paramembed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/g5ktE0L1CVAhl=enfs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"/embed/objectbr /
br /
br /
Some of the things in the movie I found interesting (you'll probably understand me better after you watch the film):br /
br /
- bGenerational gap: /bEspecially since the lead character Rocky is just about 18 years old and longs for her "freedom". It also looks at the different points of view between she and her parents, and I must say, probably every young girl (regardless of culture, I daresay) should be able to identify to some degree. Talk about rebellious teens lol. Haha, her dad thinking she was 20 years is also classic. My dad mixes up my age too from time to time. Hmm, wonder if its intentional lol.br /
br /
- bExtended family:/b There's a scene where Rocky visits Ghana and her father "the chief" is introducing her to people. I can so identify with her. lol. Her dad says "this is so so and so's daughter, she's your sister," and Rocky has a blank look on her face. But at the end of the day, family's the best; whether far or near!br /
br /
-b Religion:/b I was very impressed that the movie showed different elements of religion in Ghana. They showed Rocky's mum and family praying, and then they showed some members also singing Christian hymns and songs. It's really interesting to see the interconnection between religion and culture.br /
br /
-bGhanaian sounds, accents and language: /bFinally, finally!!!!! No attempts at circumventing the Ghanaian accent. Love love love it! And the Twi and Ga featured. Lol, the part where Rocky complained that she didn't understand Ga was definitely funny, with her dad telling her "you look like a rat...and I've been told you look like me." And of course, the cock and sheep made their own appearance.br /
br /
-bThe Market: /bThe local Ghanaian market is another thing on its own!! So unique and diverse and...man, I miss it. lolbr /
br /
bNew York (USA):/b I think it's great that the film showed an actual neighborhood in the U.S. and not just Times Square or any of the other glamorized places. At the end of the day, people go through similar struggles, whether it's in Ghana or in the U.S. It's important we get rid of our far-fledged notions of what the U.S. is.br /
br /
bCollege/University: /bFound it interesting that Rocky wanted to study international relations. Lol, is it me, or do most international students wanna study Economics and I.R.? The goodbye scene is also very universal I think. Probably every mother, father and guardian finds it hard to see their ward go. Lol, Freshman-15 is unavoidable!!! And home-cooked food...no comment lol. Her haircut...total flashback to SSS!br /
br /
I dunno if this film is being shown in Ghana, but these are the kinda films we need. All you can ever offer to the world, is yourself. We need to showcase our culture and lifestyle, not our poor-attempts at western culture. There's already enough of that, it's time we build our own niches. Can you imagine the kinda films we can make based off of simple things like senior secondary school (sss) in Ghana? That alone could run for at ileast/i five years! It's time to flip the script people!!! Cudos again to the "Bronx Princess" team!!!br /
br /
--br /
Photo source:
[www.bronxprincess.comdiv] class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-7955654514913844792?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare"
a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?a=WOPSvNXAwpE:uEkxU92qHxQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/Circumspect?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a
/divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/WOPSvNXAwpE" height="1" width="1"/
-
15:44
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://www.lawpundit.com/blog/irasallskycompressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="210" src="http://www.lawpundit.com/blog/irasallskycompressed.jpg" width="420" //abr /
/divTime and spacebr /
Whoever thought him/herself so wisebr /
So as to determine the value of these twobr /
Hast surely thrown mankind, into insurmountable vicebr /
For no matter how absolute they seem on papyrusbr /
They’re always relative in the mind’s sightbr /
br /
br /
--br /
a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lawpundit.com/blog/irasallskycompressed.jpgamp;imgrefurl=http://www.lawpundit.com/blog/2007_02_01_lawpunditarchive.htmamp;usg=__TTukDchiz54p-klVxsyrSr-Ding=amp;h=300amp;w=600amp;sz=116amp;hl=enamp;start=5amp;sig2=wFP7676JkON9V1t5FA8kfQamp;um=1amp;tbnid=GpWybyBqKKShNM:amp;tbnh=68amp;tbnw=135amp;prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtime%2Band%2Bspace%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1C1GGLS_enUS312US312%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1amp;ei=-7-_StDlFcHelAfnmpixBQ"Photo Source/adiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-1924319382836250366?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/VlX5EhItnz0" height="1" width="1"/
-
12:46
»
Circumspect
a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/Sr-QkRQhDXI/AAAAAAAACQA/dNnV8cfxfxQ/s1600-h/IMG_3007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/Sr-QkRQhDXI/AAAAAAAACQA/dNnV8cfxfxQ/s320/IMG_3007.JPG" //aYesterday, the Library of Congress hosted the annual National Book Festival at the National Mall here in D.C. After finding out about it in the weekend newspaper, I knew I definitely had to be there. So even though it was pouring outside, I grabbed my trusty umbrella, plugged myself in (to my ipod lol) and trekked over to the National Mall. It was spectacular! It had been quite a while since I felt extremely giddy with excitement, and that's exactly how I felt once I stepped onto the program grounds. There werenbsp;pavilions/ tents set up everywhere, with notices indicating what genre of books were housed there: Poetry and Prose, Teens amp; Children, History amp; Biography, Mystery amp; Thrillers etc etc. There were authors who gave speeches and had book signing periods, and even though I didn't get to see John Grisham (his talk was scheduled for 10am), I got to listen to some spectacular authors! Unfortunately (and quite mysteriously), some of the pictures and videos I took disappeared from my camera. And those were the interesting ones too!!br /
br /
Anyways, I had a pretty swell time, and it took me a trip down memory lane. Book fairs have always been great events for me. In Alsyd (primary school and junior high) we'd have mini-book fairs from companies like "Books for Less" and they were always spectacular. The culture of reading is one which I greatly believe in, and even though we're in a technologically-advanced era with e-books, podcasts, audio-books etc, there's something so intimate about curling up in bed with a book. Total escape. And withnbsp;initiativesnbsp;like the National Book Festival, how can one not get drawn back into reading? I wonder if Ghana and other African countries have similar initiatives, if not, this is one definitely worth 'borrowing' - especially with the new crop of young African writers springing up across the continent. Another initiative in Alsyd was to award students who'd borrowed the most books from the library that year. I had the pleasure of being one of the first students to win that award, and if anything, it encouraged my classmates and I to read more.br /
br /
Aside the various tents, they also had a couple of nbsp;"America Reads" sections where kids could play word games, meet human-sized book characters etc. Not surprising, I had the most fun in the "Teens amp; Children" section. The author -- don't remember his name -- was really engaging and told a story about how he and his childhood friend were determined to ruin a toy they had bought specifically for that purpose: destroying it. I'd filmed it, and would have put it up, but unfortunately I lost it :(. At the end of the anecdote, he talked about why henbsp;utilizesnbsp;multi-media - videos, internet, CDs etc - in his work. As a (clearly) distracted child, he would rarely sit still for a few minutes, much more pick up an entire book and read, so he figured incorporating multi-media - collector cards, internet games and so on - he could get more kids interested in reading. Which I think is pretty smart. When I was 11 years old, my parents got my siblings and I, a couple of education-based CDs -nbsp;Carmen Sandiego Math and Geography - nbsp;and they were so interesting and engaging that we forgot we were actually "learning". nbsp;I liked the Geography edition the most, cos I got to solve crimes and travel the world over in search of the villain, and boy, did I learn a lot about countries and their capitals, monuments, culture etc. [Mayhap, that has something to do with my aptitude for picking up languages and my interest in traveling and international affairs?]br /
br /
Okay, so instead of going on and on about the event, I'm just gonna put up the pictures that I do have so you guys can share in what was a great event. Enjoy!!br /
br /
embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.comcaptions=1hl=en_USfeat=flashalbumRGB=0x000000feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fjabdulai%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26access%3Dpublic%26psc%3DF%26q%26uname%3Djabdulai" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"/embeddiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-7596243258408610788?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/mbx6EZz_3l0" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
20:47
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/mexicomarti/DiverseWomen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"img border="0" height="256" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/mexicomarti/DiverseWomen.jpg" width="420" //abr /
/divIt's interesting now that I think about it, but I have never wanted for housing. There has always been someone out there who has been willing to open up their home (and heart) to me when I was in dire need. And with each person I encounter, I get the sense that indeed, our paths are to some degree, already chartered, and that the 'meeting' had in fact been on the drawing board a gazillion years before we even happened upon this life.br /
br /
Once again, I have come upon a unique living situation. And just as was the case in summer 08 when I nbsp;stayed with a wonderful MHC alumna and her family, I am realizing that the MHC network and connection is a very special one. I won't mention any names, but this lady is indeed a phenomenal woman. It's been exactly a week since I joined her in her beautiful house, and I've already learned a lot about Mount Holyoke, U.S. History, African History etc. And although we are from two entirely different eras, there have been a number of instances where I could have sworn she was talking about my era.br /
br /
Like most MHC women, she was one of the first to chart her own course in life - hers being African Studies at MHC. She then went on to work with the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, and given the time period (the 60s), it was definitely a brave feat. So we were talking tonight, and she mentioned how she and her fellow peace corps colleagues had some time to themselves one weekend and being girls, they were trying to pretty themselves up. While the 'white' girls were busy trying to curl their hair and get tanned, the 'black' girls were trying to bleach/ lighten their skin tone and straighten their hair. And then...then, they had an 'aha' moment where they realized that it was really unnecessary for them to try to change who they are. Here were the black girls, who were trying to be like the white girls, who were trying to be like the black girls...and vice-versa.br /
br /
After my hostess finished her story, I just stared at her and said "It's funny to think that the same situation is still true today." Guess it brings another dimension to "history repeats itself," huh? And then you wonder, how long are we going to deny who we are and miss out on ourselves while we're busy ourselves trying to be something we're not?br /
br /
--br /
Photo Source:nbsp
[img.photobucket.com] class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-1236246505885550702?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/IIxrfVK5hBw" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
18:58
»
Circumspect
div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SrgE_2YjgYI/AAAAAAAACPg/vaJ48aiytQg/s1600-h/eid-el-fitr-09+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SrgE_2YjgYI/AAAAAAAACPg/vaJ48aiytQg/s320/eid-el-fitr-09+002.JPG" //abr /
/divspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"Eid/spanbr /
divSo it's Eid in Ghana today, and it's also Kwame Nkrumah's birthday!! Talk about celebration and holidays!!! Eid was yesterday here in the US and in most parts of the world, and I had a pretty memorable Eid. Spent it with family in Virginia, and boy, what an interesting time it was. Showing on the T.V. was a Nigerian Cable Channel, and it was really interesting to see all the news segments commemorating Eid in the various Nigerian states. I even got a glimpse of my birth town Kaduna, which I definitely need to visit soon. I also got a chance to see my "husband" and other cousins. Gosh, the last time I saw him, he was shorter than me, and now, he's towering over me! It was quite the surreal moment lol.br /
br /
bMy Ramadan Experience/bbr /
On one of my posts on Ramadan, someone asked what I hoped to achieve throughout the Holy month. Basically, my goal was to reflect on my life, on the Qu'ran and on the teachings of Islam. I got a new Qu'ran before Ramadan started in order to literally study the Qu'ran. Sure, I've been studying it since I was younger, but it was generally in Arabic. This time around, I wanted to understand the words (in English) and determine what significance the words have to my life. I must say, it went pretty well, and the moments of peace I felt throughout Ramadan are ones I wouldn't exchange for anything. Ramadan is over, but I still intend to continue with studying the Qu'ran and inshallah, I will learn a whole lot more! :)br /
divbr /
/divdivbAl-Jazeerah: Trafigura's toxic waste in Ivory Coast/bbr /
So aside the munchies, what else was interesting about Eid? Al-Jazeerah. Some inhabitants of Abidjan have filed a suit against an oil company Trafigura which apparently dumped its toxic waste in their environment, and this has led to a whole bunch of health-related problems for about 3100 inhabitants. The UN estimates that the toxic waste could also be responsible for the death of about 15 people in the area. Of course, the company denies any responsibility for this - nothing new there- but has agreed to compensate the people (guilty conscience obviously). The compensation of about 1000 pounds per complainant is however deemed meagre by many. Anyways, I'm not gonna go into a detailed analysis on this, lol, this is supposed to be a personal post. You can read on the Trafigura case on the a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8265193.stm"BBC website/a. Now back to Al-Jazeerah. While most of the western media just touches on issues related to Africa and the developing world, Al-Jazeerah apparently does a more detailed analysis on issues. Yesterday was the nbsp;first time I actually watched more than 10 minutes of the channel, and it was a breath of fresh air from the usual stuff. Will definitely recommend watching or following the channel, especially if you want different sides to one story. Here's the a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/"Al-Jazeerah English website/a. br /
/divdivbr /
/divdivbIntellectual Talk on Development/bbr /
A couple of days ago I went to a friend's birthday get-together, and I must say, sometimes you're just bound to meet certain people in your lifetime. Turns out if we hadn't met at this particular gathering, we probably would have met elsewhere. I met a bunch of interesting and amazing individuals and we had a really stimulating conversation about...take a wild guess...development!! I am definitely looking forward to interacting with more interesting and open-minded people, and I believe DC is the place to be when it comes to global issues.br /
/divdivbr /
/divdivbNew Blog Alert: La Romanessence/bbr /
Now to another thing that's global. Relationships. I got a notification that another person was "following" my blog, and as I always do, I perused this 'newcomer'. Turns out the blogger actually is a newcomer, since he/she just has a couple of posts, but what stood out to me the most was how extremely personal the posts are. The blog, "La Romanessence", seems to be focused primarily on relationships, and in the author's own words "We're all romantics, and the essence of life is love." I definitely concur on that one, and I'm looking forward to reading more of the posts on La Romanessence. So, if you're a self-proclaimed 'romantic' or are just curious, check out a href="http://laromanessence.blogspot.com/"La Romanessence/a.br /
/divdivbr /
/div/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-3198890345140491400?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/l7odFLY4MLM" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
10:38
»
Circumspect
a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ghana-pedia.org/org/images/stories//nkrumah%20-%20pic%203.jpg"img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 392px; height: 601px;" src="http://www.ghana-pedia.org/org/images/stories//nkrumah%20-%20pic%203.jpg" border="0" alt="" //aa onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/africa/images/kwame-nkrumah-mausoleum02.jpg"/aMonday, September 21 2009. That date is important for two main reasons: span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"Eid/span span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"ul/span-span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"Fitr/span and span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"Kwame/span Nkrumah's 100span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"th/span anniversary. Going along with the a href="http://ghanablogging.com/"span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"GhanaBlogging/span.com /a "Nkrumah" theme, I'm gonna focus on what I think Nkrumah's most important legacy to Ghanaians and Africans is. I don't idolize him, but I definitely do admire and applaud him. I strongly believe that the true mark of an span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"individual's/span success is in how (much) he or she is able to positively impact others. Nkrumah definitely did that. Heck, he is STILL doing it. With Ghana's population quickly approaching 24million, it is a wonder that we're not bursting at the seams. divbr //divdivThe fact that our economy is being sustained by infrastructure and systems put into place by this man who, mind you, was an ordinary human being like ourselves, is even mind-blowing! Sure, he had his issues, but that's the beauty of it all! Despite all the criticisms against him, this man achieved what no Ghanaian man or woman has been able to parallel. Critics say he let the power get to his head (what do you think today's politicians are doing?), and that he wanted to rule Africa, and this and that, but at the end of the day, he certainly had one thing that set him apart from all the others (past and present): Vision.divbr //divdivLet's look at the European Union. This span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"vessel/span of power, integration, and a definite symbol of what we humans can achieve if we're willing to work together. Sure, there might still be some cracks here and there, but all in all, it's an amazing thing. It's pretty ironic to think that Nkrumah's very own country (and continent) men swept his suggestion of a "United Africa" under the rug, while the Europeans paid heed to what could only have been the immense vision of this man. The man was simply phenomenal. He possessed the vision and foresight that is isorely/i lacking among our so-called leaders today. /divdivbr //divdivSure, I've listened to my dad and grandma talk about Nkrumah numerous times. I know the acclaimed "Ghana, your beloved country is free forever" speech all too well. And I've felt pride everytime a foreigner recognises Ghana as a result of Nkrumah. He put our country on the map, and indeed, brought a different light to the continent. However, it wasn't until I was conducting my independent research on Ghana and Malaysia, that I fully appreciated what a visionary Kwame Nkrumah was. /divdivbr //diva onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/africa/images/kwame-nkrumah-mausoleum02.jpg"img src="http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/africa/images/kwame-nkrumah-mausoleum02.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 525px; " //adivHidden in the depths of chapter four of iCritical Perspectives in Politics and Socio-Economic Development in Ghana/i by Tettey et al. (2003) was a section on how social and ethnic unrest in Ghana influenced (or rather impeded) its development efforts. The author, Adjibolosoo, explored Kwame Nkrumah's attempts at dealing with these tensions. The iGhana Young Pioneers /imovement of June 1960 which aimed at character building and citizen development amongst youth was one of the initiatives that led to the ideology of patriotic nationalism or "Nkrumanism." Through the Ghana Young Pioneers initiative, educational programs were implemented to educate children in the concepts of social solidarity, political action, value stabilization, individual integration into changing social structures, the direction and meaning of life, and learning to think in terms of a nation rather than ethnic groups. I think Nkrumah's target group alone (children) is indicative of how forward-thinking this man was. /divdivbr //divdivAnd, he didn't end there. He implemented similar initiatives at the professional level, where Ghanaians from different ethnic groups were offered civil service jobs in languages other than their own. The current National Service Scheme is remiscent of this initiative; although many Ghanaians today will move heaven and earth to ensure that they remain in Accra or large cities like Kumasi and Tema. Adjibolosoo acknowledges that although Nkrumah's initiatives did not rid Ghana of ethnic rivalries, it did have a significant impact on ethnic dynamics in Ghana. And I concur with that observation. /divdivbr //divdivI cannot imagine what it must have been like living in Ghana a couple of decades ago. Nkrumah knew that in order for Ghana (and Africa) to prosper, we would have to put our differences aside and work together. United we stand, divided we fall. And boy, are we racing each other to the depths of poverty, instability and all the other inefficiencies that plague our country and continent. All nations who have achieved some semblance of democracy and development, have had to let some sleeping dogs lie and work together. In Malaysia, the native Malays and the Chinese and Indian foreigners did this. In the United States, the north and south divides came together. In Ghana...well, let's look on the bright side, things are better./divdivbr //divdivThis example is just a case in point of how visionary Kwame Nkrumah was. We are still living off of his vision. But at some point, the roads, schools, bridges etc that Kwame Nkrumah set up will be in need of serious repair, or will have to be done over entirely. It's time that we quit nit-picking, and go on a full-out campaign to work and make necessary changes. Who cares whether high school in Ghana goes for a term of three or four years? What, pray tell us, are students supposed to be studying over that period of time? That is what we are supposed to be focusing on, the curriculum, the essentialities, the specifics! We need to have a vision and long term goals, and then, we strategize step-by-step and determine how we will achieve these goals. Enough, of the short-term planning already! If we don't commemorate Nkrumah's 100th birthday in any way, I hope we at least take a page from his book on leadership, and strive to be visionaries and work not just in the present, but also for the future. In his own words, "Forward ever, Backward never." RIP Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972)./divdivbr //divdiv--/divdivSources: a href="http://www.ghana-pedia.org/org/index.php?option=com_directoryamp;page=viewListingamp;lid=10amp;Itemid=36"Photo 1/a, a href="http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/africa/kwame-nkrumah-mausoleum02.shtml"Photo 2/a/div/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-6415069016801461244?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/5Nklu2VQA1o" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
23:00
»
Circumspect
a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.japaninc.com/files/mgz-79_silencing_the-sound-of_370x424.jpg"/aimg src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/Sq8VwUtBPeI/AAAAAAAACNk/VoN0RskQ9xA/s320/5859560-md.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 220px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381543999666470370" /Over the past week, I've spent time with my cousins and a visiting "sister" from Ghana who recently had a baby girl. The baby is adorably cute, and my would-be "maternal instincts" immediately kicked in. I've always found it amazing how a tiny baby can grow up to be an individual with dreams, hopes, fears, opinions and the whole hammock of complexities that form a human being. One thing that sticks out to me about babies is the fact that they want to be treated as anything but what they are. You lay her down, she squeals, you cradle her in your arms, she throws a fit, you put her in her crib; are you seriously asking for a full-fledged tantrum? The trick is to treat them like adults. And by 'treat them like adults,' I don't mean throw a suit on her, throw a briefcase into her hand, and sit her at a desk for hours on end. No, what I mean is talk to her. Yes, the baby, talk to him/her. divbr //divdivNow, that suggestion might sound incredulous, and I can definitely understand why. About a decade ago, when my mum was pregnant with my youngest sister, she would occasional mutter words of concern to her swelling tummy. I didn't get it. Why would you talk to a baby, who has not even completed her 9-month hibernation period in the womb? As it turns out, talking to a baby in the womb is recommended by doctors and nurses worldwide. So, how is it that once these span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"lil'uns/span actually have the capacity to talk and ask questions, we do a total 360 and try to silence them? That was the question on board a couple of nights ago. How is it that children in the US and Europe are more outspoken or vocal than their counterparts in African countries? One of my cousins was convinced there had to be something genetic going on; maybe it has to do with their baby formula? I believe it's deeply rooted in our culture of 'respect'./divdivbr //divdivspan class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"Myjoyonline/span.com featureda href="http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/200909/35139.asp" this article/a and audio excerpt involving some children who went on-air on span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"JoyFM's/span Super Morning Show to talk about issues of national interest including the recent unrest in span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"Bawku/span. Coincidence or not, it was a pretty timely piece given the conversation I'd had with my cousins the night before. In our attempt to instill a culture of 'respect' among Ghanaian and African children, do we unknowingly span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"rob/span them of the very tools they need to be leaders and span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"change makers/span in society? During the radio show, 13-year old span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"Yehoada/span said, "span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"Politicians/span should put aside politics and their parochial interests on air and focus more on education, health, security and other issues that can help Ghana to progress." Whoever said children were clueless? That statement does make me wonder though. Maybe our politicians aren't to blame. After being denied a platform for expressing their views on issues under the guise of instilling respect in them as kids, it's no wonder why many Ghanaian politicians engage in a "he said- she said" dance in lieu of dealing with the real issues./divdivbr //divspan class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "img src="http://www.equity.psu.edu/reporthate/assets/respect_poster_lrg.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 432px; height: 594px; " //spandivThe notion of 'respect' today is one that, I believe, is highly overrated and misplaced in many African societies. That's not to say that children shouldn't respect their elders. No, I am not advocating an absolute rebellion against elders, because truth be told, elders do have something that children lack to a large extent - experience. At the same time however, I think it is important to differentiate between bearning respect/b and bgiving respect/b because it is demanded. While the first is usually borne out of something profound like genuine admiration, the latter is steeped in fear. Many of the rape and child abuse cases in Ghana I have come across seem to have a common thread. The young girl is asked by the older man to go and buy something for him. Once she arrives with his purchase, he directs her to deposit the item in his room. Now, a typical Ghanaian child who is brought up with the ideology of "the adult is always right," won't ask any questions and will do as requested. And there lies the trap to which many child rape victims fall prey. I strongly believe that a child who has been brought up to think critically, to ask questions (in a respectful manner of course), and to evaluate situations, would probably hesitate before entering the suspicious depths of any man's abode. /divdivbr //divdivBy asking children to "keep quiet when adults are talking" or "do without asking", we are not only putting them at risk when they're in the midst of unscrupulous individuals, we are also hindering their growth potential. A couple of generations ago, the attempt at fostering respect for elders among children most likely did exactly what it was supposed to do. Why? Because the level of social vice back then was lower, for one. And also because elders actually deserved the respect they asked for. These days however, you really have to wonder about some of the actions portrayed by adults and elders in society. Think I'm exaggerating? You only have to look to your T.V. set to see who the role models of today are. Undeserving adults who demand respect, also sow another deadly seed in the lives of children: that of span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"hypocrisy/span. Sure, I'll act respectful towards you when you're around, but once you're out of sight, I'll snicker and talk about you behind your back. And trust, it won't be anywhere near 'respectful'./divdivbr //divspan class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "img src="http://www.japaninc.com/files/mgz-79_silencing_the-sound-of_370x424.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 370px; height: 424px; " //spandivNow, after conditioning a child to 'do without asking' and to 'respect all elders', we do serious havoc to a child's ability to discern (between right and wrong, what they have been taught and what is new information etc), even worse is the damage done to a child's self-esteem and confidence. The current culture of 'respect' has done more than span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"rob/span children of the opportunity to dream, to question, and to simply be who they are. When else are you going to be convinced that you can fly and save the world, than when you haven't the inkling of what problems abound in the world? Next in line, we span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"rob/span them of their creativity. Creativity, I believe, is borne out of a desire to do something new, and something different. And in many cases, going against the norm requires some iota of courage (which, remember, we have already robbed them of). So essentially, we're not only placing the children's present life in jeopardy, but their future as well. And here's the twist. Children are the future. It's no secret. So if we're robbing the children of their future, we're essentially robbing ourselves, our societies and our countries of what the future could be. I don't know about you guys, but I think that's a pretty heavy responsibility to shoulder, don't you?/divdivbr //divdivAll in all, I think adults in society (whether you're in your 20s or late 60s), should make sure they're worthy of the respect they demand. Respect should be mutual. I know many amazing children who are extremely respectful and who are also given the opportunity to voice their opinions on issues. This is not a case of either-or. You can inculcate an attitude of respect in a child without silencing them and ruining them for God-knows what prospective future they could have had. I think it would suffice to say that any self-respecting individual would be willing to grant audience to his or her counterparts. Regardless of how coherent, incoherent, young or old./divdivbr //divdiv--/divdivPhoto Sources: a href="http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5859560"Photo 1/a, a href="http://www.equity.psu.edu/reporthate/"Photo 2/a, a href="http://www.japaninc.com/files/mgz-79_silencing_the-sound-of_370x424.jpg"Photo 3/a/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-4854949943674762390?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/GG_FztAYrjQ" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
9:35
»
Circumspect
a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/kitchen/2008_03_21-GMFoods.jpg"/aimg src="http://www.theclinicard.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/genetically-modified-foods.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 313px;" border="0" alt="" /I said I was gonna take a break from writing on development stuff for a while, and technically I have. But this is highly important, and people need to be aware of this, so here goes. I woke up this morning and went online to get my daily doze of global and Ghana news. Head to myjoyonline.com, and what do I see? span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF0000;""Health Alert!: Will Parliament Succumb to US Pressure?" /spanAlways one for intrigue, I proceed to read the article. It turns out the Ghanaian parliament and U.S. Congress are working on passing a Bill known as the "Biosafety Act" which will allow the introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) into Ghana's food chain. GMOs are organisms (food, animals etc) made using molecular biological techniques. And far from what the bill's name suggests, these foods are far from being "safe". There have been numerous reports of people suffering from "mysterious" diseases due to the production or consumption of GMOs. I wrote an article about how GMOs affect the international student population at MHC. You can read the article a href="http://www.circumspecte.com/2009/04/debate-on-genetically-modified-food.html"here/a. divbr //divdivThe proponents of GMOs claim that it can help avert a food crisis or starvation in the poorer nations. And that's why they push for GMO production in developing countries. True, you might increase the ability of your crops to resist disease and bad weather, and you might even be able to grow those crops in more seasons thus increasing your total yield. But these crops are not destined to remain on the field, are they? So what then are the ireal effects/i of GMOs? I can testify that the results are not as beautiful as they are made out to be. I started college in the US in September 2005 and since then I have noticed a number of changes in my physique. Sure, we have the normal changes as one grows up, but these ones...definitely triggered by something other than just growing up. /divdivbr //divdivThe US mass produces GMOs, and they are the cheapest foods you'll find around. Big food companies like McDonald's use GMOs in their food and so they transmit this food to a huge populace. My college offered numerous food options other than fast food, as it has many dining halls which operate at the same time. However, the ability to pick and choose and plan healthy meals didn't save me or my friends from the effects of GM food. For one thing, if you're a girl/woman, you'll most likely experience some irregularities when it comes to your period. I'm generally an active person, so I usually don't have painful cramps and what-nots. Until I got here that is. All of a sudden, you have highly unbearable cramps with nausea and what-nots. One of my friends actually gets bed-ridden during her period, and this wasn't the case when she was back in Ghana. What's going on here, you ask? Hormonal interference. The artificial hormones injected into GM food messes with your body's natural hormone system and then you have a whole bunch of probs. Oh, lets not forget the "love-handles". They are far from loving when you finally have them and figure out what they are. Basically, it's excess fat that your body has stored, and its usually at hip or waist area. Now there's one thing when you've put on a few pounds in a healthy and even manner. It's a totally different ball game when you see a skinny girl walking around with huge love-handles. Trust me, it's not a pretty sight./divdivbr //divdivYou might be thinking this has nothing to do with you. But please, take a moment and think about this. Once this bill is passed, most Ghanaian farmers will probably opt for GM foods. Why? Because the US will be giving higher support to farmers who push for GM foods. Real, healthy, organic food will become ab luxury, /bthat only the rich in Ghanaian society can afford. How am I so sure of this? It's exactly the same thing thats happening in the U.S. In order to be guaranteed organic food (which practically all Ghanaians, for the most part, have access to right now), you have to be pay a higher price. Many people who can afford it, and want to eat healthy food, opt for products from Whole Foods, which carries organic food. And trust me, it is quite an investment./divdivbr //divdivHow would the passing of this bill affect the Ghanaian economy? Well, according to those who push for GM food, more people will be fed, which will lead to more people who are able to work, hence increasing the economic producitivity of the country. True, that will most likely happen. But not indefinitely, because eventually, the health effects of consuming those GM foods will show up. I know that Ghanaians LOVE to chew their chicken bones after some serious fufu and light soup. Once the GM take-over is finalised, chewing your bones will probably be a thing of the past. Why? Because the hormones injected into chickens are usually put in the bone, so you'd essentially be putting yourself at risk if you decide to go ahead and chew on those bones. Obesity, health disease, cancer etc. There are untold number of diseases emerging every day in countries that use GM foods. Trust, those will show up in Ghana too. We barely have our health insurance system straightened out, so who's gonna pay the cost? You the consumer. And since your entire family is probably consuming the same GM food, its gonna be quite a pinch for you money-wise. Unless of course, you're just swimming in money. Meaning, the income -divide will most likely widen further, as poorer people channel their resources towards health-care instead of investing in business ventures or reaping back profits./divdivbr //divdivbr //divspan class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "img src="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/kitchen/2008_03_21-GMFoods.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 423px; height: 288px; " //spandivAnother element of this entire thing is the fact that we could possibly be giving away the right to produce these foods. Yam, cassava, okro, tomatoes etc. Anyone who can afford it, and is willing, probably has a private vegetable garden in their homes. With the GM takeover, it might be illegal for you to grow these without first obtaining permission. I'm not making this up (why would I?), there have been cases in other developing countries where people adopted GM variants of their local foods and have been sued for using food without going through the necessary procedures of obtaining permission. How is this so? Well, since GM manufacturers add a different gene or hormone or what-have you to a regular tomato (for instance), in order to make it more hardy or increase its yield, they figure they have come up with something 'original' and hence claim that GM variant as their own. Now, should this bill pass, the US will be more than happy to supply these GM variants to Ghanaians at a cheaper cost than what we currently have. Going by economic logic, the consumer will opt for the cheaper good, hence GM foods. Note that the 'consumer' in this case doesn't just mean you and I, it also means our farmers. They might even get the first couple of GM seeds and what-not for free. And once they plant those seeds and start growing them, the US can claim ownership. No more can you eat a tomato, and plant the seeds. Because essentially, those seeds have been modified and patented, and so, you don't "own" them. It's how the system of intellectual property rights works, and I did a piece on the need for awareness on those issues as well. Check that out a href="http://www.circumspecte.com/2009/07/question-of-intellectual-property.html"here/a. /divdivbr //divdivThe final danger is with regards to foreign assistance. In as much as I wish our government would limit how many foreign loans and grants it accepts, that's not gonna happen anytime soon. Passing the 'Biosafety Act' and producing GM food will limit our policy space. Organizations wishing to grant us loans and aid can mandate that we accept so-so and so amount of so-so and so GM food as a pre-condition for getting the loan. We're just spinning ourselves into a tight web of conditions. We don't need any more. Seriously. I sincerely hope the Ghanaian parliament looks at the whole picture and the blong term effects /bof passing this Bill, before making a final decision. True, the US operates on GM food, but does that mean we have to? Heck, beven the US is shifting its attention to organic, healthy, non-GM foods/b. That should tell us something. And yes, there bare /bother advanced countries which operate on an organic-food only basis. France and Germany for instance. I hope Ghana holds talks with these two countries to find out how they are operating on a Non-GM basis. We need to quit looking for the easy way out, cos it always ends up doing havoc in the long-run. Instead of looking at GM foods, let's think about overhauling our agricultural sector and getting young people interested in agriculture. That is practically the only feather we have in our cap, let's not give it away. There is no shame in being a farmer or fisherman. It is a great honor to help feed multitudes of people. Unfortunately, many young Ghanaians look down upon working in the agricultural sector. There are however, people who are willing to do the work. Like Kofi Annan for instance. He talked about the importance of overhauling the Agric sector in Ghana and Africa as a whole. Let's at least listen to these people and give them a chance. I didn't even know they'd already passed the Legislative Instrument on Biosafety, which allows for field trials of GM food in Ghana. We need to get this information out there so people know what they're gonna be dealing with. Please pass on. If this bill is passed, not only will we not get to chew on our chicken bones, our children will probably have an entirely new set of diseases to deal with...and we're barely done handling the current ones./divdivbr //divdivRead the myjoyonline article a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94d-KVorSHMamp;feature=related"here/a./divdivbr //divdivI also came across these videos on the danger of GM food:/divdivbr //divbPart 1/bbr /br /object width="425" height="344"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/94d-KVorSHMamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;"param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/94d-KVorSHMamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectbr /br /divbr /divbr /divbPart 2:/b/divdivbr //divobject width="425" height="344"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/710tmYMxsyYamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;"param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/710tmYMxsyYamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/object/div/divbr /br /span style="font-weight:bold;"Part 3:/spanbr /br /object width="425" height="344"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ggtAzd8HMj0amp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;"param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ggtAzd8HMj0amp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectbr /br /span style="font-weight:bold;"Part 4:/spanbr /br /object width="425" height="344"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Eyzu5NEWCTEamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;"param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Eyzu5NEWCTEamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectbr /br /span style="font-weight:bold;"Part 5:/spanbr /br /object width="425" height="344"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ElKHbNAETMEamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;"param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ElKHbNAETMEamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectbr /br /span style="font-weight:bold;"Part 6:/spanbr /br /object width="425" height="344"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j4UmYU7cCkEamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;"param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j4UmYU7cCkEamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectdivbr //divdiv--/divdivPhoto Source: a href="http://www.theclinicard.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/genetically-modified-foods.jpg"Photo 1/a, a href="http://berto-meister.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html"Photo 2/a/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-1066937664219109931?l=www.circumspecte.com' alt='' //divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/tPGrv5ZMimY" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
9:28
»
Circumspect
img src="http://th04.deviantart.net/fs26/300W/i/2008/082/9/d/African_woman_4_by_Tsabo6.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 686px;" border="0" alt="" /What does it mean to be a woman? That question might seem out of the blue, but given the whole gender saga concerning South Africa's 18-year old 800m athlete Caster Semenya, I think it's a pretty valid one. Many women would have numerous responses to that question, as would many men. It could range from descriptions of a woman's physique "...It means you have curves, breasts, annoying cramps, etc..." to observations on the emotional state "...Women are sensitive, emotional, caring, loving...", to allusions to women's roles "...She'll most likely have children one day, be a wife, take care of a household...", or it could come down to qualities "...She's strong, dignified, compassionate..."divbr //divdivI googled "what does it mean to be a woman?" and came across some responses on Yahoo Answers (I absolutely love google and yahoo answers lol). Here are some of the responses:/divdivbr //divdiv- From icloeen: /i"To love people! Help teach my children and make the world a better place because they are in it! I am a woman with love, strength, power and will to make it! (This response was chosen as the 'best answer' to the question)./divdivbr //divdiv- Fromi Vampyres/i: "Cramps and sexual harrassment." /divdivbr //divdiv- From iscaldy62001p/i: "It means having babies and taking care of them, cooking, washing dishes, washing clothes, cleaning the house, listening to arguments and being everyone's maid."/divdivbr //divdiv-From ifuertas_rafagas/i: "To me it means beauty (in all its myriad forms, not just what society says is "beautiful"), stength, power. It means vaginas and breasts. It means knowing who we are and where we came from and recognizing all of our ancestors that helped to get us here. It means rcognizing our sisters and our community everywhere we go in the world. It means balancing power and nurturing. It means fighting for the oppressed and not becoming the oppressors. It means Goddess and Mother Earth."/divdivbr //divdiv- From idurb1215: "/iCramps and kids/divdivbr //divdiv- From iGENIUS:/i "To me it means having self-respect, having dignity, having the desire to be fruitful and multiply. It means teaching others, such as young girls, how to be a woman also. It means providing a safe environment for your children. It means having strength, willpower and grace."/divdivbr //divdiv-From imanuho/i: "It means to create the next generation"/divdivbr //divdivIt's interesting to note that I checked out these responses on yahoo answers ibafter /bspan class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"I wrote the intro and stated what possible responses there might be. And as expected, the answers do fall under some of those categories. I think the "cramps and kids" response is a pretty universal one. But really, is that all there is to a woman? I certainly hope not./span/i/divdivbr //divdivGoing to an all-girls' high school, and then an all-women's college, I have come across many girls and women in my time. Although we all (or most of us) identified as "women", we were by no means the same. Which is why, on the one hand, I can understand the skepticism surrounding Semenya's case, but on the other hand, I find it utterly ridiculous. When there are so many different kinds of women in the world, how can we come up with a box of classifications for who a woman is? For one thing, Ms. Semenya's birth certificate clearly indicates that she's female, and if that is not enough, wouldn't the fact that the people who know her and have worked with her (her family, community, trainer, fellow athletes), recognise her as a woman count? Even if the gender test turns out saying she's actually a male, this whole episode does raise two interesting questions. Is the world limiting it's view on who women are? What is the experience of women in /divdivsports?/divdivbr //divimg src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SpVViCUCWDI/AAAAAAAACM8/urMaMrruIyQ/s320/black_women.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374295773561378866" /divI believe strongly in Simone DeBeauvoir's statement that "one is not born a woman, one becomes one." I think one of the key struggles a young girl or woman has to deal with, is figuring out and accepting herself for who she is. First, you have her own expectations of who she, then you have her family's expectations, society's expectations, and then the final bomb, the world's expectations. The world - or should I say, the media? - has quite a limited view on what "beauty" and "being a woman" is, and this infiltrates the minds of young girls and women. By boxing up and limiting who a woman can be, we are setting women and girls up against many prejudices./divdivbr //divdivI'm sure any woman in and beyond her 20s will tell you she's been many different women in her lifetime. I certainly have. As a youngster, I was quite boisterous and tomboyish. I even went to a psychologist to determine what was up with me. Turns out I was hyperactive. I had excess energy that I needed to burn. Had my parents limited their view of who a girl should be, I probably would have been miserable. But no, they didn't do that. Instead, I found myself channeling that energy in different ways - swimming, skating, skiing (when I was younger), and then soccer, handball, basketball and athletics from junior high up. /divdivbr //divdivThen comes the issue of women and sports. There is the general notion that women are "the fairer sex" and so, should limit their activities to things that are not so tedious and that would not blemish their fairness. Add the fact that some things are regarded as being "improper" for women to participate in, and the web has already been spun. In the Ghanaian society, as well as many other socieites, women who are involved in sports don't get the necessary support they need. Either that, or they are regarded as being "less of a woman" or too "hard". It is okay for girls to participate in sporting activities, but only to a certain point. Many women who are actively involed in sports (football for instance), are labeled as being "hard" or not looking feminine enough. For fear of not finding a man who is willing to marry them, or not being able to have children, a lot of young girls and women hesitate to pursue a career in sports./divdivbr //divdivI got actively involved with sports in primary school. Now that I think about it, I can't remember exactly how I started playing football (soccer,not American football lol), but I did, and surpise, surprise, I turned out to be good at it. I was usually the goalkeeper. I had a lot of fun with it, and I remember one particular time when we had an intersectional sporting event and I was goalkeeping during penalties (for some reason, I loved the rush I got when it was just me against a player), my mum (who was a teacher in my school) and friends were all on the sidelines cheering me on. It was a really exhilirating experience, and I think in many ways than one, for me, it kind of erased the limitations that society puts on what women can and cannot do./divdivbr //divdivIn high school, I did some more goalkeeping in handball and football, and also participated in basketball. Athletics was a general no-no for me. Until one day. We had our annual inter-houses sports competition, and my house needed one more athlete in order to register for the hurdles competition. Now, for someone who considered regular running/races to be a no-no, why in heaven's name would I opt for a race with wooden impediments in my path? I have absolutely no idea, but I opted in. My logic was this. If we didn't present someone for the competition, our house could have been disqualified altogether. If I went ahead, participated in the race, and came in last, at the very least, we would get 1 point. So, that's what I did. And I came in last. Now, i'm sure it was quite the laughing galore, but that episode taught me (and as it turned out, many of my schoolmates) something about perseverance. Because, regardless of how many times I /divdivknocked those hurdles over, and regardless of how many people I saw cross the finish line before me, all I was thinking was I need to finish this race./divdivbr //divimg src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SpVV8PUplRI/AAAAAAAACNE/rQwsoXenia8/s320/queens.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 250px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374296223730210066" /divA couple of years ago, the Women's World Cup was held. And there was barely any news about it (not even from Ghanaian football enthusiasts eventhough the Black Queens were participating). I know many wonderful women who were exceptional sports girls in high school, and I know for a fact that if they pursued professional sports, they would have excelled. But for one reason or another, once 'girlhood' is over and 'womanhood' begins, many of us turn in our running, soccer and basketball shoes, tennis rackets and sports equipment and realign ourselves to what society thinks we should be doing as women. We are doing ourselves a huge disservice by not encouraging and supporting young girls and women to participate in sports. Sports teaches a lot of things that are applicable to life. It teaches teamwork (as in basketball amp; football), creativity amp; strategy (for determing which play would be the best), sacrifice (waking up early to practice, forgoing unhealthy but delicious treats etc), dedication, and last but not the least, perseverance./divdivbr //divdiv /divdivAs the responses on "What does it mean to be a woman" indicate, there is no right or wrong in being a woman. A "perfect woman" doesn't exist. (Sorry guys, the fantasy is over). What does exist are young girls, young women, older women, and simply women, who have the option to make or unmake themselves in whatever way possible. We're more than the makeup, clothes, curves, and whatnots that the media puts forth as who we are. We are just......Fill in the blank. What does it mean for you to be a woman, or if you're a guy, who do you consider to be a woman? Can and should women excel in sports? The ball is in your court./divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-6537674465281455769?l=www.circumspecte.com'//divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/TRcZl3Q2bmM" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
10:54
»
Circumspect
img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SpAaESSipBI/AAAAAAAACMc/MV0ULvuvcqo/s320/lunar_crescent.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 210px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372823016384406546" /So it's official! Ramadan has begun!! Muslims in Ghana and other African countries started fasting yesterday, Friday August 21st, while those of us on this side of the Atlantic, and in places like S. Korea, started fasting today on Saturday August 22span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"nd/span. Whew, that was quite a mouthful. Last week, I was talking to my co-workers and supervisor about what Ramadan entails, and a couple of questions cropped up. How many days do you fast for? Can you drink water? Does EVERY Muslim have to fast? When do you break your fast? Do you still go to school and work? Why do you fast? Is fasting in the US the same as fasting in Ghana? I figured some of you might have the same or similar questions, so this blog is to give you some more insight into the process of fasting in Islam.divdivbr //divdivLike I mentioned in the a href="http://www.circumspecte.com/2009/08/ramadan-special-islam-in-ghana.html"bfirst edition/b/a of this/divimg src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SpAb_ZvCX-I/AAAAAAAACMk/xP_dWh_IF5E/s320/47369877_c2ea9f0fc6.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372825131506884578" /divseries, there are quite a number of similarities between Islam and Christianity. Muslims aren't the only ones who fast or are encouraged to fast. Jesus Christ ("Isa" in Arabic) fasted for 40 days and 40 nights while he was in the desert, and this is often referred to as "The Temptation of Christ" in Christianity. Many of my Christian friends in college would fast for a number of weeks or days. If I remember correctly, it was usually during the Spring Semester and sometime close to the Easter celebrations. One thing that I found interesting was the fact that they didn't necessarily stop consuming food and drink altogether, like we do during Ramadan, but rather, each person could decide what they would restrict/fast from. So some people would fast from watching span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"TV/span, some would fast from listening to secular music, from clubbing, some would even fast from span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"faceboo/spank (yes, span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"facebook/span). Others would fast from eating meat, some would choose to have just fruits and veggies etc. It was quite interesting, and I think it holds the same spirit as Ramadan: to teach ourselves self-restraint and nurture our spiritual relationship with God./divdivbr //divdivbHow is fasting conducted in Islam?/b/divdivBasically, Muslims fast throughout the month of Ramadan. That could either be 29 days or 30 days; depending on the sighting of the new moon. Contrary to what some people think, we do not go the entire 29 or 30 days without a morsel of food or a drop of water. Allah is merciful, and understands that our bodies probably would not be able to sustain itself that long (He is after-all, the architect, no?)./divdivbr //divdivEach day of fasting starts with a morning/ span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"pre/span-dawn meal known as the "span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"suhoor/span". Many families have different kinds of food during the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"suhoor/span, but with my family back in Ghana, we would usually have something slightly heavy like span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"jollof/span rice, rice balls or span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"tuozaafi/span, and then, there was also the option of having 'breakfast' - fried egg sandwich with tea etc. The trick here is to monitor yourself. I for instance cannot have too much food else I get hungry quicker during the course of the day. Too little food, and you'll probably be weak. So essentially, Ramadan does help us attune ourselves to our the unique needs of our individual bodies; something that we tend to ignore in general./divdivbr //divimg src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SpAYFKmeeQI/AAAAAAAACMM/cr81g0CRNUk/s320/dates-winter-market-lg-32617684.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 250px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372820832477149442" /divIn Ghana, we fast from the break of dawn so generally around 5:00am (marked by the first prayer "span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"fajr/span") till sunset generally around 6:00pm(marked by the fourth prayer "span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"maghrib/span"). In the US this year, Ramadan falls somewhat in the summer, hence longer days and shorter nights...meaning we have a couple more hours of fasting than Muslims in Ghana (from 4:45am till about 7:45pm) During this period, no food or water must grace thine lips. How do people cook? Well, that's where measuring apparatus comes in handy. Or in the case of most Ghanaian women I know, the ever sharp internal span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"guesstimate/span tool. Alternatively, if there are members of the family who are not fasting, they can taste a meal to make sure it has the right quantities of/divdiv salt etc./divdivbr //divdivThe evening meal for breaking the fast is known as the "span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"iftar/span". Some of the prominent food that features during this time include: water (of course! It's usually the first thing I go for), dates (it is actually recommended that a fast be broken with dates first, then water. The Prophet span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"Mohammed/span (span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"PBUH/span) broke his fast with dates), oranges, span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"pawpaw/span, apples (fruits in general). Some households also have local drinks, span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"porridges/span, like Hausa span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"koko/span and span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"koose/span (I miss those so much!). Right after breaking the fast, the Maghrib prayer usually commences, and then there's dinner. Alors, Iftar is supposed to be a light meal -- hence the need to restrain oneself from consuming a lot too quickly lol./divdivbr //divdivbr //divdivbSo people still cook during Ramadan? Isn't that tempting? And what do you mean by 'members of the family who are not fasting'? I thought ALL Muslims are supposed to observe Ramadan./b/divdivYes, people still cook during Ramadan. If your household has children, the elderly, sick persons, etc, they will most likely not be fasting, hence the need to cook. However, I would say the volume of cooking during the hours of the fast tends to be lower. If you live alone, like I do, then most likely there won't be any cooking at all. span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"lol/span. Except of course, if you have absolutely nothing in the fridge and need to rustle up some grub./divdivbr //divdivFasting is span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"contingent/span on all Muslims except children (generally below the age of 12), old people, convalescents, people who are travelling, women who are on their period, etc. In the case of children, they can start to learn how to fast, but they are not required to do it in the proper manner. For instance, when I was 13 years old and fasting, my little sister who is 4 years younger than me, hence 9 at the time, would join us in span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"suhoor/span, fast until midday, take a break (aka eat something span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"lol/span), and "continue" her fast until sunset when we all broke the fast with the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"iftar/span meal. It's pretty much the same as having breakfast (span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"suhoor/span), lunch (her break) and dinner..or should I say span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"pre/span-dinner...span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"iftar/span. As each year progressed, she pushed back when she took her 'break' until she was mature enough to fast the entire period. Talk about ingenuity!/divdivbr //divdivbDo you still go to school, work etc during Ramadan?/b/divdivYes, we basically do everything we'd normally do. I started fasting when I was in primary school I believe, and I would still go to school, participate in class, etc. In boarding school (high school) it was much harder to fast what with all the rules and regulations (for one thing, you had to eat at least one spoonful of food in the dining hall so as to so appreciation for the person who cooked it), but I still fasted nevertheless. I had a whole bunch of extracurricular activities including basketball, but I would still go and practice. It might sound impossible, but it's amazing how span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"adaptable/span the human body and mind are. The initial days of Ramadan tend to be the hardest as you're breaking routine, but after a while, you get used to it and it goes swimmingly from there./divdivbr //divdivWith regards to work. Yes, people still work during Ramadan. My parents both went to work, and I'm sure fulfilled what obligations they had to. In college, I had to go to both class AND work, as many of my fellow Muslim classmates had to, and we all did it. Once again, the trick is understanding yourself and your limits. Neither myself nor my classmates once fainted, but I guess that's because we knew ourselves well enough. If I had a tennis or dance class for instance, I would let the professor know that it was Ramadan so I wouldn't be able to exert myself as I normally did. And the beautiful thing is, people understand. Well, if they are open and respectful of religion in general that is./divdivbr //divimg src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SpAfOB03J-I/AAAAAAAACM0/bQHXnx3mXcI/s320/muslim_kids_praying.gif" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372828681321785314" /divbWhat else do you do during Ramadan (besides not eating or drinking), and why do you do it?/b/divdivRamadan is a month of reflection and meditation. Many Muslims use this period to evaluate themselves and their lives, to pray for forgiveness of past sins, to thank Allah, and to put their fears, concerns, hopes before Him. It is also encouraged that Muslims give charity (span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"Zakar/span) to the poor and read the Holy span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"Quran/span more during this month. As it turns out, the Holy span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"Qu'ran/span was revealed to the Prophet span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"Mohammed/span (span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"PBUH/span) during Ramadan. One another thing which is prominent during Ramadan is prayer. Generally Muslims are obliged to pray 5 times a day, and can offer span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"supplicatory/span prayers if they are so inclined. During Ramadan, there are a set of special prayers that many participate in. It is especially important to prayer during the last ten days of Ramadan. Why all this praying? Because it is believed that all past sins will be forgiven if a Muslim observes Ramadan in the recommended manner. Ramadan brings with it immense blessings, but the last ten days are extremely special because of the "Night of Power". On one of these days, the Holy span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"Qu'ran/span was revealed. The "Night of Power" or "span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35"Laylatul/span span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36"Qadr/span" holds even more blessings to Muslims and many stay up to pray, read the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37"Quran/span and meditate during the final ten days so as to receive those blessings./divdivbr //divdivbIs there a difference between observing Ramadan in Ghana and in the US?/b/divdivPersonally, yes there is. The main difference here is the element of family and community. Ramadan is easier to observe when you have the support of other Muslims. At home, practically everyone in my family would be fasting. While at college, it was only the Muslim community who would fast, and we were scattered all over campus. If you were lucky and had one other Muslim in your dorm, you could head out together (in the blistering cold, as was the case) to the Religious house or the Halal kitchen area to observe the span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38"suhoor/span. The great thing though, is the fact that Muslims generally do regard one another as brothers and sisters, so wherever you are in the world (even if you're not with blood relatives), you will probably get a warm invitation from a fellow Muslim to observe Ramadan./divdivbr //divdivI came across this video on span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39"youtube/span. It's an Arabic song about Ramadan. You probably won't understand what the guy is singing (I didn't either), but it gives a good span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40"depiction/span of what an average day of fasting is like. Check it out:/divdivbr /object width="425" height="344"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0aaa3_cLnUoamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;"param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0aaa3_cLnUoamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectbr /br //divdivspan class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41"Alors/span, I guess we covered most of the general questions. If there are any others, do ask. Until then, happy fasting! :)/divdivbr //divdiv--/divdivPhoto Sources:/divdiva href="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:4KVUz9wkJ0ROCM
[www.phys.uu.nl] Crescent/a/divdiva href="http://ilhamsuardi.wordpress.com/"Holy Quran/a/divdiva href="http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/winter-farmers-market-recipes"Dates/a/divdiva href="http://theblackcordelias.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/muslim_kids_praying.gif"Prayer/a/divdivbr //divdivbr //div/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-6548858564372570881?l=www.circumspecte.com'//divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/gAWZhmKFgmM" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
10:16
»
Circumspect
a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.pro-pakistan.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/ramadan-mubarak.jpg"img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 323px;" src="http://www.pro-pakistan.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/ramadan-mubarak.jpg" border="0" alt="" //a"So-so and so sent you a Ramadan-Mubarak/Ramadan Kareem card! Send one back!" Even facebook heralds the Holy month of Ramadan. In the past, I've written about what Ramadan represents to me as an individual and the difference between observing Ramadan here in the U.S. (in college) and back home in Ghana. (You can read a piece a href="http://www.circumspecte.com/2007/10/uni-versatality-of-ramadan-since.html"here/a.) I believe that some of the religious conflict and tension that exists stems from our lack of understanding of one another. Sure, you might know that a certain friend of yours is Muslim/Christian, or you might assume that he or she is a believer in either religion because of his/her name, but do you iactually know/i what his or her religious beliefs entail and stand for? When we don't inform ourselves, it's very easy to fall for media propaganda and to be incited towards hating one another. Hence, this post is going to be the first of several (inshallah) that will give insight into what Islam is about, and particularly what Ramadan is about. I sincerely hope that people learn something new from this, and that it helps us all reclaim our right to think for ourselves, instead of feeding into propaganda and hearsay.divbr /img src="http://thelightwithin.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/musjid.jpg?w=225amp;h=300" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" /divFirst off, Islam doesn't represent or encourage terrorism. Quite the contrary. Islam teaches peace and submission to the will of God. It is derived from the Arabic word "Salam" which literally means "peace". "Allah" is the Arabic word for "God", just as "Onyame", "Nawuni", "Dieu" and "Dios" are the Twi, Dagbani, French and Spanish equivalents of the English word "God." Islam is founded on five pillars, known as the pillars of Islam (pretty straightforward, huh? lol) and is a monotheistic religion (Mono= one. Belief in one God). They are:/divdivbr //divdiv- Faith [Kalimat Shahaddah]: Bearing witness to the 'Oneness' of Allah/God and recognising that Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him (PBUH) ) is a prophet of Allah./divdivbr //divdiv-Prayer [Salat]: The observance of the five compulsory prayers./divdivbr //divdiv- Charity amp; Alms-Giving [Zakat]: The provision of some portion of a Muslim's wealth (be it in money or in kind) to the needy and poor in society./divdivbr //divdiv- Fasting [Sawm]: Fasting during the Holy Month of Ramadan./divdivbr //divdiv- Pilgrimage [Hajji]: Pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca./divdivbr //divdivbr //divimg src="http://www.30-days.net/muslims/wp-content/uploads/p16_day8_ghana-300x225.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" border="0" alt="" /divDepending on where you live in the world, you might or might not have daily interactions with Muslims, and actually see elements of their religion around. Most of my Ghanaian friends who aren't Muslim are cognizant of Islam...to some degree. Generally, they associate Arabic names (such as Jemila, Maimouna, Aisha, Abdul, Mohammed, Samira etc) with Islam. And half the time, they might be right in their speculation that someone with an Arabic name is Muslim. But that is not always the case. And the phenomenon where most people from Northern Ghana have Arabic names and are Muslim is also not to chance. Generally-speaking, many Northern communities in Ghana originated from places like Nigeria where Islam was propagated by the Moors. /divdivbr //divdivAnother thing that automatically points to Islam in Ghana (from my experience and those of other Ghanaian Muslims I know) are the two main Islamic festivals which are observed as holidays in Ghana: Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. For most, these two celebrations are associated with a lot of meat and food. And to some degree they are. But they go way beyond that. Eid ul-Fitr or the Festival of "Breaking the Fast" is the celebration of thanksgiving at the end of Ramadan (yes, soon!! lol). Eid ul-Adha commemorates the sacrifice that Abraham and Ishmael (Isaac according to Christianity) made to God (yes, Islam and Christianity share similar histories)./divdivbr //divdivOne thing that I've heard many people associate Islam with in Ghana is "noise-making". Which in itself is ironic since the very act of prayer and worship in Islam are particularly solemn. Anyways, many teachers (especially) would often say to a noisy class "Keep quiet, this is not a makaranta" (meaning an Arabic school). Unfortunately, they only succeed in displaying their ignorance about that particular matter. What the teachers refer to in this case, is the Qu'ranic recitations that go on in the Arabic schools. Many Muslims around the world memorize the Qu'ran and it's considered a great honor and blessing to commit the entire Qu'ran into memory. (It is believed that the mention of each letter or syllable while reading the Qu'ran garners some amount of blessings upon the person reciting it.) Additionally, the chapters and verses in the Qu'ran are used for praying, so it is an integral part of a Muslim's life. The fact that one doesn't understand a specific language (in this case Arabic), doesn't mean that it should be discarded and labeled as "noise". If a Ghanaian who spoke absolutely no English were to walk by a nursery school where the children were reciting "Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool" at the top of their lungs, it would probably sound like jibberish to that individual. Taking such a situation, giving it negative connotations and encouraging others (in the case of teachers, students) to do the same is exhibiting one's ignorance as far as I am concerned./divdivbr //divdivOkay, I suppose this is quite the intro to Islam in general, and in Ghana specifically, but it is by no means everything. Ramadan in Ghana and many other countries starts tomorrow on Friday, August 21st. Which, come to think of it, is in itself special since Friday is the day for congregational (Juma) prayers. It's kinda the Islamic equivalent to Sunday in Christianity. Anyways, for those of you who happen to have Muslim friends out there, you can surprise them with a Ramadan Mubarak as they prepare for this important month! Peace!!!/divdivbr //divdivbr /divbr //divdivbr //div/div/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-5270468380800649382?l=www.circumspecte.com'//divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/1Pqn3mH00JQ" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
17:41
»
Circumspect
a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SonRivDIfzI/AAAAAAAACME/z81_7K7FfBA/s1600-h/ILWoAD.jpg"img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SonRivDIfzI/AAAAAAAACME/z81_7K7FfBA/s320/ILWoAD.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371054425291390770" //aI'm on my way to the gym, but before I head out, I just have to put this video up. I did some narration work for a UNIFEM/UNDP film "The Big Picture: Macroeconomics, Women and HIV/AIDS" in January, and the film has finally been produced and published on youtube. It was really interesting to work on, and the topic couldn't have been more ideal for a debut project. Apparently, I handled it like a pro (lol), and the entire recording took less time than anticipated. It's also a testament to the lengths one can go when there's someone who believes in them (Merci Tata). Anyways, I hope you guys get a sense of why I'm passionate about international development, media and all. Nothing is isolated in the development world. Enjoy, and pass along to others.br /br /object width="560" height="340"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Cbxb-h_HL5oamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;"param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Cbxb-h_HL5oamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"/embed/objectdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-2611233824924437561?l=www.circumspecte.com'//divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/8VJwvcPBOSI" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
12:08
»
Circumspect
a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SZSqyf-flgI/AAAAAAAAA60/t1PSbj-qqLM/s320/Afi.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 233px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SZSqyf-flgI/AAAAAAAAA60/t1PSbj-qqLM/s320/Afi.jpg" alt="" border="0" //aspan style="font-family:Tempus Sans ITC;font-size:130%;"Dear Diary,/spanspan style="font-size:130%;"br //span pspan style="font-family:Tempus Sans ITC;font-size:130%;"I have just had the most upsetting experience in my entire career as a student, my entire career as a living being even. I never understood why the Cowries Television Network insisted on airing that segment on strange happenings but I do know that my experience ought to be aired on their show. /spanspan style="font-size:130%;"br //span/p pspan style="font-family:Tempus Sans ITC;font-size:130%;"I flunked on the last major assignment for literature class and it’s not even my fault! Ms. Ashie gave us the assignment three weeks back and I did it. No cat pooped on it, no dog or hamster chewed on it, nothing of the sort. I actually submitted it on time! But…(You should be feeling all apprehensive right about now) When she handed it back, there, staring me right in the face, in a thick red marker, and embolden to about twice Ms. Ashie’s handwriting was “UNACCEPTABLE!” Talk about absurd!/spanspan style="font-size:130%;"br //span/p pspan style="font-family:Tempus Sans ITC;font-size:130%;"What’s more is the fact that the assignment was issued in groups. Objective: research into the life of Efua Sutherland. Unfortunately, I landed in the worst group ever created; Vugo, Tijani,Yelba, Suhyini and I.I mean, there couldn’t be a worse combination in the history of mankind! Everyone in the group had a GPA of four point something; meaning major attitude problems. Of course, the part about attitude problems doesn’t apply to me./spanspan style="font-size:130%;"br //span/p pspan style="font-family:Tempus Sans ITC;font-size:130%;"Anyways, for two whole weeks, we could not settle on which presentation style to adopt. Vugo and Yelba were for a prosaic informative essay while Tijani and Suhyini insisted on a hip and fun narrative. I didn’t really mind which approach we took so long as we did the assignment. Well, the only agreement we came to was that we split up. So we did./spanspan style="font-size:130%;"br //span/p pspan style="font-family:Tempus Sans ITC;font-size:130%;"I actually took the pains to go to the library AND research on the internet for the assignment. Why all the effort? Just so I could hear a remix to Ms. Ashie’s remarks to me on the last assignment we did.” Afi, your work was great. You have a unique style of writing that could take you places. Well done.” Yea, some remix I got. To think that I took time off my busy schedule…ok. Enough. I won’t think about it. But next time…in case I ever have a group assignment…please remind me to ensure that the assignment is presented as a group as all cost ok? Apparently, that was the essence of the assignment in the first place: teamwork./spanspan style="font-size:130%;"br //span/p pspan style="font-family:Tempus Sans ITC;font-size:130%;"ADVICE/span/p p align="justify"span style="font-family:Tempus Sans ITC;font-size:130%;"Read over the instructions carefully before attempting the questions. Yea, that’s really all there is making your grades in school. Sure, you can study like crazy for a test or an exam. You can decide to present your assignment in a corporate file. You could even go the extra mile of having a video taped interview with one of the personalities you’re studying about in school. But if you got the instructions wrong in the first place, you might as well be working on a couple of trial questions you set for yourself./span/pdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-4436486322540746460?l=www.circumspecte.com'//divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/jKPWPF3-fEg" height="1" width="1"/
-
12:06
»
Circumspect
a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SZTXXCSpYcI/AAAAAAAAA7U/tyox4htDCYM/s320/mash.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SZTXXCSpYcI/AAAAAAAAA7U/tyox4htDCYM/s320/mash.jpg" alt="" border="0" //aspan style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" Dear Diary,/spanbr /p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;" align="justify"span style="font-size:100%;"Hey yourself, I just got back from work and boy, am I tired! On the whole, work is pretty cool but (there’s always a but), it does get frustrating as hell. Talk about “hard to please” customers, rebellious machines, power cuts etc. Working in a café ain’t easy; especially with the special group of people I refer to as the “Alicia Keys peeps.” (Take note: They ain’t half as cool as her though). They just take pride in walking all around the café (braids swaying like crazy) acting all bossy like they own the place you know? I mean who do they think they are?/spanbr //p p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;" align="justify"span style="font-size:100%;"And then we have the rebels (machines), now ithey/i are something else. From the computers, through to the printers and the photocopiers. Its just hell dealing with these guys. I mean, we created them but now they wanna control us? Goodness! We deserve more respect than that. Does it have to do with me not having an IP address or something? God! /spanbr //p p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;" align="justify"span style="font-size:100%;"Oh, let’s not forget the service providers, They have an irritable habit of cutting the line every few minutes. And of course, our “hard to please” customers always play on that. “Oh, as for this café, you always have problems. I’ll go to a different café next time”. The next day they are the first to show up with a “I hope today the service will be better” statement. Empty barrels for sheezy!/spanbr //p p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;" align="justify"span style="font-size:100%;"I like the experience though. The peeps I work with are just great. By the time I get back to school I would be glad to say I have a little working experience; a privilege most graduates are without. /spanbr //p p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;" align="justify"span style="font-size:100%;"Observation: /span/p p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;" align="justify"span style="font-size:100%;"Like I said it’s all about the experience. I guess you can say working opens your eyes and mind to a lotta stuff you were otherwise oblivious to. So I’ll keep enjoying it to the max, even though sometimes it ain’t nothing to enjoy. But I’m hopeful of better things./spanbr //p span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:Shelldon;font-size:100%;" *sheezy-sure *lotta- lots of/spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-9092200689138606056?l=www.circumspecte.com'//divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/rHzROi4vQvs" height="1" width="1"/
-
12:00
»
Circumspect
a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SZSgbT4JpBI/AAAAAAAAA6c/1UfuHYZd-bE/s320/bolade2.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 303px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SZSgbT4JpBI/AAAAAAAAA6c/1UfuHYZd-bE/s320/bolade2.jpg" alt="" border="0" //aspan style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" Dear Diary,/span p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" align="justify"span style="font-size:100%;"I still can’t believe that in barely a year, I’ll be in university. I mean, how did this happen so fast? It was just yesterday that I was kidding around with my boys after the BECE./spanbr //p p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" align="justify"span style="font-size:100%;"Anyways, I have been doing some thinking with regards to my tertiary education, Thinking about what I’ll major in, how it would feel to live an independent life, which girls I’ll meet (hey, don’t be surprised, there’s always the issue of girls you know), partying….I can’t wait. Did I say can’t? I meant couldn’t. That was last week./spanbr //p p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" align="justify"span style="font-size:100%;"Sundiata came to visit yesterday, and we had a chat. He was telling me about all the clubbing and chilling he’s been doing and all. I was real impressed cos his grades are good despite all the chilling he does. So what did I do? I asked him how he manages. Hmm… I sometimes wish I didn’t cos he started talking about how he has to wake up at dawn to study and read ahead of the class and all. I mean, come on! Who’d want to sit at a desk studying when he could be snug under the covers?/spanbr //p p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" align="justify"span style="font-size:100%;"Man, it really got to me. Taking my own notes, having to make my own decisions on when, where and with who to study? I guess University is two totally different ball games rolled in one, huh? Hey, that’s a good idea for an essay. I better write it down before I lose my line of thought. Ciao./spanbr //p p style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" align="justify"span style="font-size:100%;"OBSERVATION/span/p span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-weight: bold;font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" span style="font-family:georgia;"Regardless of the level of education that you’re at, there’s the issue of both work and play. University life isn’t just fun, fun and more fun. Sure, you may decide to spend all your time enjoying life, but at the end of the day, you lose cos you only get half the bargain. You not only waste your time and resources, but you also lose the chance of exploring the world of education./span /spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-7335542074428978830?l=www.circumspecte.com'//divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/NFkGJJUyDFQ" height="1" width="1"/
-
11:55
»
Circumspect
a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SnNZuUXCfsI/AAAAAAAACAw/kVRH7RdfqA0/s320/taeyafinal.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 274px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SnNZuUXCfsI/AAAAAAAACAw/kVRH7RdfqA0/s320/taeyafinal.jpg" alt="" border="0" //aspan style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" Dear Diary,/spanspan style="font-size:100%;"br //spanp style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;"span style=";font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" Have you ever felt like you just want everything going on around you to stop; if even for a second? Yea, well I’m feeling like that right this moment! What’s it about this time? I’ll tell you: its about people making a choice to be dedicated to a cause and failing. Its amazing the effect the slogan “Globe Trekkers -we trek the world” seems to have on the juniors. But I’m not surprised; it had the same effect on me when I was a junior. I mean, when the juniors hear that slogan, they’re thinking fun, fun and more fun! Yea, that’s true. But for us executives, its more like work, work and more WORK! I can hardly imagine how the President of the country manages his affairs, because I can barely handle mine as the President of the Globe Trekkers Club! I’m telling you, I had to stop myself about a zillion times over the past week from handing in my resignation letter./spanspan style="font-size:100%;"br //span/p p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;"span style=";font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" This last week has got to be the worst week of my entire life! Ok, maybe not the worst week, but its most definitely discouraging (I just realized that I ALWAYS use extreme definitions for every experience I have. How many “worst day of my life” can I accord to my experiences?). Here’s the ish.: We- the Globe Trekkers Club- had a cultural integration program here in school last week and everyone was really involved; every single one of us. Even the “members” who had never been to a club meeting before. Perfect right? Wrong! On the actual day, there wasn’t a single member in sight! It was like they had all decided to perform a disappearing act! So here I was with the other executives, juggling about four or five tasks at a time. I was ushering in our invited guests, giving the welcome address, running after the models for the Cat-walk session as well as sitting at the high table trying to look all calm and in control. I really don’t know how we managed! Meanwhile, the so-called members were busy chatting to the guys who were at visitor’s inn! You’d think they’d never seen a guy before!/spanspan style="font-size:100%;"br //span/p p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;"span style=";font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" Anyway, the good thing is that our visitors obviously didn’t realize that anything was wrong, and they enjoyed the program. They even asked for a re-run next year( As if!) Yea, so that’s it…a day in the life of the President of Globe Trekkers. Honestly, next time we’re hosting a program like that, I’ll personally purchase electronic trackers for every single member! /spanspan style="font-size:100%;"br //span/p p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;"span style=";font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" OBSERVATION/spanspan style="font-size:100%;"br //span/p p style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;"span style=";font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" Most of us do not appreciate the co-curricular activities that go on in our schools. We rather regard them as a waste of time and energy. That’s what it may look on the surface, but sometimes, we have to look harder and deeper till we see the core. Club activities, sports and all the other co-curricular activities that form part of our school lives are necessary. They not only help in the total development of the self, but also help to let off steam. I mean, c’mon, who would be caught dead still studying after about five class tests? Definitely not me! Besides, who knows? Your participation in these activities could very well help you decide on what career path to take. It’s no secret that top professionals in the various careers developed their capabilities through one co-curricular activity or the other. Let’s think about it and lay low on the hateration on co-curricular activities./spanspan style="font-size:100%;"br //span/p span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:100%;" *ish-issue wbr *hateration- contempt/dislike/spandiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-9006147167663274762?l=www.circumspecte.com'//divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/ve3sz5lojFY" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
9:57
»
Circumspect
a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://coloradoindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/death-of-print-12-12.png"img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 598px; height: 413px;" src="http://coloradoindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/death-of-print-12-12.png" border="0" alt="" //abr /div style="text-align: left;"Over the past couple of weeks I have been contemplating switching back to real/divdiv style="text-align: left;" journal writing ie. using a pen and a notebook made of paper. For some reason, I find it more personal, more enjoyable and more artistic than sitting at a PC typing away. Especially considering the fact that the ideas for my book project just seem to vanish when I open up Word and attempt to build up the characters, setting and what-not. So yesterday, I decided to head out to South Hadley's very own Odyssey Bookshop, and make it official. I got a journal for personal thoughts (I hardly ever stick to writing daily entries so I wonder if I should even call it a journal = journee/jour in French = day) and a regular notebook for my book project. For me, finding the right journal is a very personal thing because it is in essence a documentation of my very existence. Sure, there's the birth certificate, but if someone where to find that a good number of years after my demise, it wouldn't tell them much about who I actually am. And especially since I have these romantic notions that my private journals will be uncovered one day (after my demise) and do some young lady (or the world?) a whole lot of good, I figure I'll want them to know what good taste I /divdiv style="text-align: left;"have as well lol./divdiv style="text-align: left;"br //divimg src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SoLWXIeD65I/AAAAAAAACJk/OCr0C9JVqec/s320/3681342307_8b25bb7567.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369089398677957522" /divBefore I happened upon my journal, I came across this: [Refer to inscription on photo to the left]. Those are the words that stared up at me as I searched for the perfect journal yesterday. I'm not usually one for crude jokes (or language), but I couldn't help but chuckle to/divdiv myself. Especially since I am a blogger. After I left the store, I remembered a question asked by Fred Obeng-Ampofo at BarCamp Diaspora in July during the social media and blogging breakout session I led. "Since there are all these blogs springing up on the internet, what will happen to traditional journalism? How will journalists fend for themselves?" At the time, I didn't have a well-formed reply and muttered off something along the lines of "like everything else, we have to adapt with the times." I gave the question some more thought as I made my way back to 1837 (my dorm. yes, it has a year as it's name.) Really, what will happen to traditional print journalism once online journals take over?/divdivbr //divdivWell, for one thing, considering the fact that I am both a blogger, and a paper-based journal enthusiast, I think it should (and hopefully will) be a two-way street. Why do things always have to be either-or? We should have the benefit of choice and variety, hence both print journals and online journals. It's kind of a similar phenomenon with letter-writing. Until email, letters were the in-thing. You had different forms: telegraphs, love letters, official letters, notes, you name it. And then came email, and try to dominate it did. And...maybe, it has for the most part. But, many people still write regular letters. I know I do from time to time. Truth be told, there is something more personal about taking time to buy the perfect writing/letter pad, select the best pen, and put that pen to paper. And for me especially, it's all about seeing your creative ability develop right before your eyes. If you think you never created anything, take a pen and paper and scribble nonsense, and voila, you're accomplished./divdivbr //divdivIf you want to approach the question with a business mindset, here's what I think. While online journalism will certainly take over a market share of print journalism, at the end of the day, it's the consumer that wins. More variety, more choice, more 'efficient' ways of allocating their resources. For the producer (journalists, bloggers, reporters etc), it's a challenge. And maybe a good one at that. If there's anything I can't stand, it's poor journalism. Not checking facts, not editing articles, making reading tedious, all of that. So, as this challenge (competition) presents itself, I would anticipate that the quality of journalism will be better. Additionally, it's about being creative in approaching this "challenge". The trick here is to regard the challenge as an opportunity. And many media houses have already done this. The NY Times, The Economist, CNN, BBC, The Washington Times, Joy FM, etc all have online portals in addition to their print/tv/radio editions. I personally think having online bloggers and readers is great because it allows not only for interaction, but for fact-checking. In a sense, gone are the days when the 'winner' wrote history. Why? Because if a media megahouse makes unfounded claims in an article, there is bound to be someone who was on the ground, to challenge them. People have often called for the need to make the media accountable, that's what blogging, ireporting etc offers. Additionally, blogging gives people who didn't actually have a 'voice' to reclaim their voices. The world might be a tougher place to live in if everyone speaks their truth, but ultimately, I think/divdivit'll be a better place./divdivbr //divdivA subset question that Fred also posed was about journalists earning a living. And lets be realistic here, journalists typically don't earn much, and now this?! Here's what I think. People/Businesses looking for journalists are still likely to go for the more seasoned ones who have had extensive training and who have a degree to prove it (as it is, the world is obsessed with degrees). We live in a world of possibilities and opportunities. Chances are, you probably have some specific topics or areas that interest you and that you tend to concentrate on in your articles, videos, reports etc. Don't limit yourself to just/divimg src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DjYcxxwgO0I/SoLcLvCdBcI/AAAAAAAACKE/hdUSHm4Kd1U/s320/tech-marriage.gif" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369095799942481346" /div journalism. If you like to report on the environment for instance, you're most likely to garner a good number of contacts through your work. Find out if there's a job opportunity in the area. Maybe you could be...drumroll...the inhouse blogger for an environment-based company. Or better yet, you could be a researcher. Trying times calls for creative measures. In my opinion, anyone who is in journalism probably did not have money as their number one goal. Your main reason for pursuing this industry could have stemmed from a passion for writing, current affairs, informing people, being in the know, having multiple projects etc. I believe in the goodness of humans and in karma. You do a good turn (which you are! you're helping write history! literally!!!) and many good turns will come back to you. So, let's embrace this marriage between online and print journalism, and instead of allowing the relationship to turn stale, let's infuse it with new possibilities./divdivbr //divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-1773769663316217118?l=www.circumspecte.com'//divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/cwd-l3MEV20" height="1" width="1"/
-
-
14:32
»
Circumspect
a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://wheelontheweb.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/creativity.jpg?w=300amp;h=225"img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 224px;" src="http://wheelontheweb.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/creativity.jpg?w=300amp;h=225" border="0" alt="" //aMy dad sent me this TED video a couple of weeks back, and I only got a chance to watch it last night. Like all the TED series, I learned something new. Additionally, the presenter, Sir Ken Robinson makes his piece on education very light-hearted, funny, yet to the point. If you don't learn anything at all from this video, you will definitely be awed by this man's ability to bring humor to something as serious as accusing schools of killing creativity. divbr //divdivHe notes that education is important because it is what will essentially take us into the "future we can't grasp." He states, "if you think about it, children starting school this year (2007), will be retiring in the year 2065." His point being, we're educating children for the future, yet we can't even determine what will happen in the world in 5 years. At the bottomline, he contends that "creativity is as important as literacy and we should treat it with the same status." Here's the video./divdivbr /object width="425" height="344"param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iG9CE55wbtYamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;"param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iG9CE55wbtYamp;hl=enamp;fs=1amp;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"/embed/objectbr //divdivbr //divdivI couldn't agree more. The notion of 'formal education' has certainly done humankind a lot of good. Unfortunately, it has also done us a lot of damage, as thousands of people worldwide strive to meet the generic expectations of societies in order to survive. With the current economic situation, I have wondered more often than once whether the investment my parents made in my education has really been worth it. True, I have a B.A. degree, but I'm yet to find a job. And even as I undertake my job search, I am often tempted to steer away from applying to those jobs that genuinely intrigue and excite me, and instead apply for jobs that will assure me a steady enough income to pay back my school loans and help my siblings in the pursuit of their own education./divdivbr //divdivI jokingly mentioned to a friend the other day that we ought to start saving up for our children's education, because God-knows how much education will cost by the time our lil'uns come scampering about. For a joke, it sure does hold a lot of weight. A college education in the U.S. today costs anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 a year depending on where you go. Take into consideration the fact that B.A. degrees are gradually becoming the barest minimum for securing jobs - I once saw a job description for working at McDonald's which required the applicant to hold a college degree - and you'll realize that in order to stay ahead of the game, our children will most likely need a Masters or PHD. Who knows? We might even have to create another level of higher education to deal with this situation./divdivbr //divdivWhen I think about the fact that I had greater leeway in expressing myself creatively in academics (not taking extracurriculars into consideration) while at a liberal arts college, I cannot help but ponder Sir Robinson's words, "if you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original...we're now running national educational systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make. The result is, we're educating people out of their creative capacitities." As a student in Ghana, I always tried to take a new twist on writing essays, reports etc. No sooner would I be done with my work, and I would hear a remark from a classmate saying "you're too known." The worst of it was when I would receive my marked work and see in bright, red writing "you're not following instructions." /divdivbr //divdivMany of my friends have similar stories, and I think this is what has established and maintained the "chew and pour" situation in Ghanaian schools. I went to primary school in Ghana in class 4, after my family moved to Accra. Since we had been in Norway for a while, I had 'forgotten' all my twi, and boy, did I have a hard time in those Ghanaian language classes. I "chewed" or memorized no less than 3 essays for the B.E.C.E. Twi exam. Ironically, none of the essay questions I anticipated came, and basically all the things I memorized were of no use. The only way I was able to answer the questions on comprehension, was because the excerpt was an adapted version of "Chicken Little" which I had read years before on my own time./divdivbr //divdivAfter passing the SSSCE, I started applications to university. But even as I applied to the University of Ghana, I knew that's not where I wanted to be? Why? Because at that point in my life, I had A LOT of interests, and I didn't like the idea that I had to narrow all those interests into just a few subject areas. I did gain acceptance into Legon, and just as I'd feared, I was being told what to do, even though I had clearly stated what my interest areas were. When I opted for Economics, French and Computer Science, I was offered admission on condition that I pursued Economics, Mathematics and Geography. Not surprising, since I had studied Economics, French, Mathematics and Geography in high school. /divdivbr //divdivI understand that for logistical, financial and other reasons, every prospective Legon student could not have the exact course offerings they wanted. And that's what points to a deeper issue with our educational system. We have streamlined the system to the point where there is practically no leeway in how one is educated. And of course, there's the hierachy in which institution you go to. Many young people find it especially distasteful to go to a technical or vocational school, but I believe that's where creativity and invention are actually supported. In most of the other institutions, the emphasis on theory is at the expense of practice. Then comes the question of whether going to school is even necessary. There are many successful individuals who have made it despite (or rather because of) the fact that they dropped out. Take Bill Gates for instance. /divdivbr //divdivSir Robinson talks about Jillian Lynn, a renowed choreographer who is known for pieces such as 'The Phantom of the Opera' and 'Cats'. Apparently, as a kid, her teachers thought she had a learning disorder (the term used before ADHD was invented), but in reality, her very being just wanted to move and dance. The glamorization of specific careers - being a doctor, teacher etc - does great harm to human development. Why? Because no two people are created alike and different people are good at different things. We need to make some allowance for those differences. I find it really telling that 'ideas' and things done 'just for fun' have turned into huge businesses and opportunities in this era. Facebook for one, and Youtube as another example. /divdivbr //divdivIf we intend to continue on the march to development, we need to overhaul our educational systems. The current nit picking going on within Ghana's educational system where government selects only one thing or another to change, is ridiculous. How do we expect an educational system that was put in place over two decades ago, at a time when Ghana had different needs and resources, to be effective today? And this whole hulabaloo about keeping the high school term at three or four years is just begging the point. Deal with the real issues. Add new areas of study into the curriculum. Focus on developing the logical and critical thinking skills of Ghana's youth. Other institutions like Ashesi and the Kofi Annan Center for ICT have implemented programs that gear towards this, take a look at their models, modify them and implement them at the national level. "We don't grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we're educated out of it." Sir Robinson definitely hit the nail right on the head. What are we gonna do about it?/divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/30396251-3653636839366010000?l=www.circumspecte.com'//divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Circumspect/~4/3RveCCBqESA" height="1" width="1"/
![[lawinquebec.files.wordpress.com]](http://lawinquebec.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/how-to-blog-blackboard-classroom1.jpg?w=300amp;h=228br){kind=link}
![[kharsley97.files.wordpress.com]](http://kharsley97.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/alterego1_r1_c2.gif?w=300amp;h=201/span/spanbr){kind=link}
![[www.ne.edu.sg]](http://www.ne.edu.sg/images/WakeUpYourIdeas.jpg,nbsp;http://www.archiveslives.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/questions-qa-300x298.gifbr){kind=link}
![[joanharvest.files.wordpress.com]](http://joanharvest.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/psychic-lit1.jpg?w=500amp;h=375/span/spandiv){kind=link}
![[www.phys.uu.nl]](http://www.phys.uu.nl/~vgent/islam/images/lunar_crescent.jpg){kind=link}