Sunday, August 06, 2006
Out of this world, back in a second
Whew! It's been like AGES since I've had free time (what's that) on my hands. But now I'm on hols and FREE to BLOG as I see fit.
First I'd like you'll to know that yours truly finished his first year of medical school with 3 distinctions! (To the uninformed, that means I kicked ass and got an A in every subject!) So if there's anyone out there handing out medical scholarships, just add my name to the list, okay?
Now I have four weeks left on my hols, I plan to just kick back and relax, take a load off, if you get my drift. Next year's the toughest year in medical school (according to my seniors) so I need to prepare myself for it. I already went shopping for the textbooks I'll use next session, not that I plan on reading them anytime soon. I've crammed them under my bed somewhere.
By the way, I'm currently in Nigeria visiting old friends and just plain hanging out. I should be travelling back to Ghana on Tuesday, I have some friends who are having refferrals and I wanna help em out. (Yeah, yeah I know, boy scout stuff).
Anyways, just want to let y'all know I'm back and blogging (till skul starts anyway)!
Adios
P.S. Did u catch the title of todays entry?
"Out of this world" and "back in a second" are two common phrases people use. But place them side by side in the same sentence and you get "out of this world and back in a second", which makes you either Superman or some form of sattelite transmission.
First I'd like you'll to know that yours truly finished his first year of medical school with 3 distinctions! (To the uninformed, that means I kicked ass and got an A in every subject!) So if there's anyone out there handing out medical scholarships, just add my name to the list, okay?
Now I have four weeks left on my hols, I plan to just kick back and relax, take a load off, if you get my drift. Next year's the toughest year in medical school (according to my seniors) so I need to prepare myself for it. I already went shopping for the textbooks I'll use next session, not that I plan on reading them anytime soon. I've crammed them under my bed somewhere.
By the way, I'm currently in Nigeria visiting old friends and just plain hanging out. I should be travelling back to Ghana on Tuesday, I have some friends who are having refferrals and I wanna help em out. (Yeah, yeah I know, boy scout stuff).
Anyways, just want to let y'all know I'm back and blogging (till skul starts anyway)!
Adios
P.S. Did u catch the title of todays entry?
"Out of this world" and "back in a second" are two common phrases people use. But place them side by side in the same sentence and you get "out of this world and back in a second", which makes you either Superman or some form of sattelite transmission.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Skul starts, Been busy
Hey hey! You lot probably wondered whats been happening 2me right?
Well, it's simple. I started med Skul! Yep, thats it!
Suddenly I don't have a life anymore.
Lectures start 8am in the morning and go on nonstop till 5pm. With two breaks in between for meals. And we started cutting up dead bodies right from the first day! Ooops sorry, Cadavers is what I'm supposed to call them (that doesnt change the fact that they're dead bodies).
I was kinda scared at first, but after two weeks of slicing and dicing and looking at nerves and blood vessels and organs and plexuses and muscle insertions and what not...I guess I'm hardened to the whole thing.
But the schedule is so HECTIC! I've got no time for anything but to eat sleep and rest before another day is here and another 1o hours of lectures! Sheesh!
And everybody in skul is some kinda brain box or genius or something. So if you don;t read your lecture notes, they're gonna make you feel like a total dunce!
So, bear with me, I've taken some good pics of the cadavers (not for the faint hearted) and I'll put them up here pretty soon, plus my thoughts on the whole medical school system and other stuff.
Now I got a study meet with my flat mates (the only social interaction we have...it's wierd!) so I gotta run.
Leave any messages or comments, I do read them you know, even if I don't reply them all.
Dave
Well, it's simple. I started med Skul! Yep, thats it!
Suddenly I don't have a life anymore.
Lectures start 8am in the morning and go on nonstop till 5pm. With two breaks in between for meals. And we started cutting up dead bodies right from the first day! Ooops sorry, Cadavers is what I'm supposed to call them (that doesnt change the fact that they're dead bodies).
I was kinda scared at first, but after two weeks of slicing and dicing and looking at nerves and blood vessels and organs and plexuses and muscle insertions and what not...I guess I'm hardened to the whole thing.
But the schedule is so HECTIC! I've got no time for anything but to eat sleep and rest before another day is here and another 1o hours of lectures! Sheesh!
And everybody in skul is some kinda brain box or genius or something. So if you don;t read your lecture notes, they're gonna make you feel like a total dunce!
So, bear with me, I've taken some good pics of the cadavers (not for the faint hearted) and I'll put them up here pretty soon, plus my thoughts on the whole medical school system and other stuff.
Now I got a study meet with my flat mates (the only social interaction we have...it's wierd!) so I gotta run.
Leave any messages or comments, I do read them you know, even if I don't reply them all.
Dave
Monday, August 22, 2005
How DFID blew £18m aid to Ghana
On July 20, just before British Parliament rose, Austin Mitchell, the MP for Grimsby, unfolded a chilling tale in Westminster Hall, heard by only three other MPs, one of whom was in the chair. It concerned his old friend Howard Horsley, who won a sterling reputation during his 14 years of running a comprehensive school.
In 1999, looking for a new challenge, Mr Horsley was sent to Ghana to take charge of the biggest educational aid programme ever run by the Department for International Development (DFID).
When Mr Horsley arrived in June 1999, he was soon made aware that all was not well with this project. Both Ghanaian officials and senior staff of other international agencies, such as the World Bank, warned him of their concern at how DFID’s money was being spent. Financial controls seemed so lax as to be nonexistent. As Mr Mitchell tactfully phrased it, this “could give rise to corruption in purchasing, for instance, Land Rovers and computers”, although the evidence went rather further. Mr Horsley reported to London in some detail, asking for a disciplinary investigation. He was confident that his frankness in communicating his concerns would be protected by the new Public Interest Disclosure Act, hailed as “the whistleblower’s charter”.
A particular problem for Ghana at this time was the financial losses the country had suffered when Gordon Brown sold off a hefty chunk of Britain’s gold reserves to buy euros. This had resulted in a steep drop in the gold price, inflicting serious damage on the Ghanaian economy.
In September 1999, Mr Horsley was told at a meeting with senior officials of the Ghanaian government and the British High Commission that the UK Government had handed over £18 million in compensation, and that this would be spent on education.
Before Mr Horsley saw the money, he contracted typhoid from his travels round the country and was flown back to Britain. After his recovery, December 1999 he planned to return to Ghana, calling in first at DFID for what he assumed to be a routine briefing. Four officials greeted him with the news that he had been sacked, for reasons they refused to disclose.
He could only assume they were connected with the allegations he had made against a senior DFID colleague. He told them he intended to appeal. He was given permission to return to Ghana to collect evidence, and was assured that his files would be “protected”.
This was on a Thursday. When he arrived in Accra on Saturday, he found all the locks in his office had been changed. When he finally gained access to his office, he discovered that all the contents of his computer had been wiped, on the instructions of DFID in London, the day after his meeting.
From then on Mr Horsley found he had been plunged into a Kakfa world. He was told he must not speak to anyone about what had happened, on pain of prosecution under the Official Secrets Act. Sir John Vereker, the permanent head of DFID, promised an internal inquiry, with no apparent outcome.
He appealed to an employment tribunal, where he was still not told of the reasons for his dismissal and denied access to documents, despite the Treasury Solicitor’s assurance that all relevant documents had been declared. The tribunal refused to accept jurisdiction. Mr Horsley then, at considerable expense, sought a judicial review and was eventually turned down by the Court of Appeal.
By now at his wits’ end, Mr Horsley turned for help to his friend Austin Mitchell, who then saw how the nightmare continued. As Mr Mitchell told Parliament, subsequent correspondence showed that Sir John Vereker had not instituted the promised inquiry. At a meeting with Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney-General admitted that the tribunal had been misled over the documents, but insisted that it was not up to the Treasury Solicitor to check whether DFID was telling the truth. The Ombudsman said he had no jurisdiction in employment matters.
The senior Civil Service Commissioner said she could do nothing because Mr Horsley was not technically a civil servant. The only senior official at all helpful was Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, who sent his officials to Ghana where they confirmed that DFID’s financial controls were indeed hopelessly lax, but could find no hard evidence for corruption. Nor could they find any trace of the £18 million which Mr Horsley was told in September 1999 had already been handed over.
The final blow for Mr Horsley came when he was offered a senior post in educational administration on condition he was given a reference by his last employer. Without explanation DFID refused to give it. Mr Mitchell described their experience as being “batted around like two shuttlecocks”, between public bodies all of which seemed determined simply to “put up the shutters”. Mr Horsley, he said, had been treated in an “abominable and disgraceful fashion”. Mr Mitchell has now written to Hilary Benn, DFID’s new Secretary of State, asking that there should be a full inquiry, and that Mr Horsley should be compensated for such outrageous treatment. Finally, after years of silence, Mr Mitchell and Mr Horsley have also agreed that this horrendous story should be given a public airing: hence Mr Mitchell’s debate, in which a junior minister, Gareth Thomas, claimed at length that DFID had a reputation as “the top performing UK Government department” and that, in light of Mr Blair’s concern for Africa, it had much to do.
He then refused to answer any of the specific points about Mr Horsley’s case raised by Mr Mitchell, on grounds of confidentiality and claiming it had all been fully investigated. There was therefore nothing more to say.
(This report was published in the Sunday Telegraph of the UK on August 7).
In 1999, looking for a new challenge, Mr Horsley was sent to Ghana to take charge of the biggest educational aid programme ever run by the Department for International Development (DFID).
When Mr Horsley arrived in June 1999, he was soon made aware that all was not well with this project. Both Ghanaian officials and senior staff of other international agencies, such as the World Bank, warned him of their concern at how DFID’s money was being spent. Financial controls seemed so lax as to be nonexistent. As Mr Mitchell tactfully phrased it, this “could give rise to corruption in purchasing, for instance, Land Rovers and computers”, although the evidence went rather further. Mr Horsley reported to London in some detail, asking for a disciplinary investigation. He was confident that his frankness in communicating his concerns would be protected by the new Public Interest Disclosure Act, hailed as “the whistleblower’s charter”.
A particular problem for Ghana at this time was the financial losses the country had suffered when Gordon Brown sold off a hefty chunk of Britain’s gold reserves to buy euros. This had resulted in a steep drop in the gold price, inflicting serious damage on the Ghanaian economy.
In September 1999, Mr Horsley was told at a meeting with senior officials of the Ghanaian government and the British High Commission that the UK Government had handed over £18 million in compensation, and that this would be spent on education.
Before Mr Horsley saw the money, he contracted typhoid from his travels round the country and was flown back to Britain. After his recovery, December 1999 he planned to return to Ghana, calling in first at DFID for what he assumed to be a routine briefing. Four officials greeted him with the news that he had been sacked, for reasons they refused to disclose.
He could only assume they were connected with the allegations he had made against a senior DFID colleague. He told them he intended to appeal. He was given permission to return to Ghana to collect evidence, and was assured that his files would be “protected”.
This was on a Thursday. When he arrived in Accra on Saturday, he found all the locks in his office had been changed. When he finally gained access to his office, he discovered that all the contents of his computer had been wiped, on the instructions of DFID in London, the day after his meeting.
From then on Mr Horsley found he had been plunged into a Kakfa world. He was told he must not speak to anyone about what had happened, on pain of prosecution under the Official Secrets Act. Sir John Vereker, the permanent head of DFID, promised an internal inquiry, with no apparent outcome.
He appealed to an employment tribunal, where he was still not told of the reasons for his dismissal and denied access to documents, despite the Treasury Solicitor’s assurance that all relevant documents had been declared. The tribunal refused to accept jurisdiction. Mr Horsley then, at considerable expense, sought a judicial review and was eventually turned down by the Court of Appeal.
By now at his wits’ end, Mr Horsley turned for help to his friend Austin Mitchell, who then saw how the nightmare continued. As Mr Mitchell told Parliament, subsequent correspondence showed that Sir John Vereker had not instituted the promised inquiry. At a meeting with Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney-General admitted that the tribunal had been misled over the documents, but insisted that it was not up to the Treasury Solicitor to check whether DFID was telling the truth. The Ombudsman said he had no jurisdiction in employment matters.
The senior Civil Service Commissioner said she could do nothing because Mr Horsley was not technically a civil servant. The only senior official at all helpful was Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, who sent his officials to Ghana where they confirmed that DFID’s financial controls were indeed hopelessly lax, but could find no hard evidence for corruption. Nor could they find any trace of the £18 million which Mr Horsley was told in September 1999 had already been handed over.
The final blow for Mr Horsley came when he was offered a senior post in educational administration on condition he was given a reference by his last employer. Without explanation DFID refused to give it. Mr Mitchell described their experience as being “batted around like two shuttlecocks”, between public bodies all of which seemed determined simply to “put up the shutters”. Mr Horsley, he said, had been treated in an “abominable and disgraceful fashion”. Mr Mitchell has now written to Hilary Benn, DFID’s new Secretary of State, asking that there should be a full inquiry, and that Mr Horsley should be compensated for such outrageous treatment. Finally, after years of silence, Mr Mitchell and Mr Horsley have also agreed that this horrendous story should be given a public airing: hence Mr Mitchell’s debate, in which a junior minister, Gareth Thomas, claimed at length that DFID had a reputation as “the top performing UK Government department” and that, in light of Mr Blair’s concern for Africa, it had much to do.
He then refused to answer any of the specific points about Mr Horsley’s case raised by Mr Mitchell, on grounds of confidentiality and claiming it had all been fully investigated. There was therefore nothing more to say.
(This report was published in the Sunday Telegraph of the UK on August 7).
Friday, August 19, 2005
My dad knows vodoo
Today my dad paid the first installment on my school
fees. I don't know how in the world he raised the
money. I know he has investment portfolios and stuff
and but this was too much! And with only two weeks
notice!
How come he could afford my fees but neglect all my my
requests, demands and threats about upgrading my PC,
which barely manages to putt along with Windows 95?
(Yesterday Ruth asked me if I'd install Windows Vista
on my PC when it came out....<belly laugh>)
Anyway, I'm supposed to be at the UG Medical School on
Monday to start the registration process and all the
formality stuff. I'm even going to be given a look at
my new room. Rumor has it that each foreign student at
UGMS is allotted a room of his own! Yay! Enough
privacy, and enough room for mischief, heh heh!
I'm crossing my fingers for cable, phone lines and an
Internet connection. Lawd help me, if there's cable in
my room I'm not going to be much of a medical student!
Ditto for Internet access.
So I guess any-which-way cable or no cable will be a
blessing.
I'll be going shopping for bed clothes and stuff on
Tuesday. I don't really know where to buy these items
in Ghana, so I called up Ruth this morning (my
Ghanaian-girlfriend-in-the-making) and arranged for a
"guided" shopping trip.
My dad intends for my mum to go shopping with me, so
she can "get used to Ghanaian markets". Great! Just
what I need. My mum peering over my shoulder while I
try to score some points with Ruth. As if going
shopping with my mum is not embarrassing enuff in the
first place!
I plan to "shock" Ruth on Tue by purchasing some
underwear for myself in her presence. Then I'll pull
coup by purchasing some underwear FOR HER and see how
she reacts. LOL Yeah, I've got a lot of mischief
planned for Tuesday, which is why I need my mum
tagging along like I need a hole in the head.
I've got a plan to shake her off though....Operation
Shake Off Mum will begin this Sat.
Heck, what kinda doctor will I make, when I'm
obviously mentally unbalanced?
been busy
Wow! The blogsphere is huge! And it's getting bigger yet!
I've spent the last few days blog surfing, blog hopping and comment posting, till I had other people's lives coming out of my ears, to the detriment of my own blog. There's a lot of damn good stuff out there.
It'll take thousands of computers to index it all! Like Google has! (hint)
Well, pedal to the medal, I gotta start blogging again!
I've spent the last few days blog surfing, blog hopping and comment posting, till I had other people's lives coming out of my ears, to the detriment of my own blog. There's a lot of damn good stuff out there.
It'll take thousands of computers to index it all! Like Google has! (hint)
Well, pedal to the medal, I gotta start blogging again!
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Are Ghanaians "sharp"? - An analysis of Ghanaian mentality from a Nigerian's view point
One things Nigerians are famous for (or infamous for) is their ability to see money making opportunities and turn almost any situation into a profit. For the typical Nigerian, no obstacle is too great and no gain too small. In short...Nigerians are "sharp".
And in case the word "sharp" conjures up pictures of your television set or any other electronic gadget, let me simplify by saying the measure of a man's "sharpness" depends on his ability to see opportunities where he can make a quick buck. It's similar to business sense, but it's not quite the same thing.
"Sharp" Nigerians are the ones who buy cheap, substandard goods and resell them to unsuspecting tourists as luxury items.
"Sharp" Nigerians are the ones who make thousands of dollars from Internet scams.
"Sharp" Nigerians are the ones who rush to carry your bags for you at the airport and thus pressure you to into giving them tips.
"Sharp" Nigerians are the ones selling pirated copies of the latest Hollywood movies a week before they were scheduled to be released.
"Sharp" Nigerians are the ones that are responsible for the fact that at least 95% of PCs in Nigeria run on pirated copies of Microsoft Windows.
While I lament that a whole lot of this "sharpness" is used for illegal activities, a still admire the ingenuity of the perpetuators. But at least now you get the gist of what I mean by "sharp".
Now the crux of the matter is, can we say the same for Ghanaians?
Case in point:
Yesterday, motivational speaker Brian Tracy was in Accra to do his stuff. For almost a month prior to his arrival the TV stations in Ghana were advertising the event and showing short clips from some of Brian Tracy's videos.
Now, if this had been Lagos, I could bet you that within one week after the debut of the adverts you would find pirated Brian Tracy VCD's in the hands of street hawkers and in every music shop. Pedestrians on the road will be besieged by hawkers shouting: "Learn how to sell well! Boost business! Make money! Buy Brian Tracy video!" And lawd help you if you're a vehicle owner! Unless you have air-conditioning, you'd have Brian Tracy CD's shoved in your face at every traffic light!
I remember when the Silverbird Cinema started in Nigeria and they were showing Television previews of movies "now showing". It only took an average of two days after the movie had been advertised on TV for the pirated versions to be available "at a corner near you"!
But, for some reason, this doesn't happen in Ghana. When I first started seeing the Brian Tracy ads on TV, I remembered that my dad had one of Brian Tracy's videos in his library somewhere. I found it, watched it and thought "Hey, this guy's good! Where can I get more of his videos?"
I didn't know, and neither did any Ghanaian! In Nigeria, I wouldn't have had to ask!
What could be the problem? Is it a lack of motivation? Or inability to see opportunities where there are available? I really don't know.
While I'm not advocating that Ghanaians should resort to piracy of copyrighted material as a means of earning an income, I feel that the spirit of entrepreneurship, the ambitious drive to convert opportunities into profit is seriously lacking in Ghana.
It's an issue that needs to be addressed if Ghanaians want to make something out of this country.
And in case the word "sharp" conjures up pictures of your television set or any other electronic gadget, let me simplify by saying the measure of a man's "sharpness" depends on his ability to see opportunities where he can make a quick buck. It's similar to business sense, but it's not quite the same thing.
"Sharp" Nigerians are the ones who buy cheap, substandard goods and resell them to unsuspecting tourists as luxury items.
"Sharp" Nigerians are the ones who make thousands of dollars from Internet scams.
"Sharp" Nigerians are the ones who rush to carry your bags for you at the airport and thus pressure you to into giving them tips.
"Sharp" Nigerians are the ones selling pirated copies of the latest Hollywood movies a week before they were scheduled to be released.
"Sharp" Nigerians are the ones that are responsible for the fact that at least 95% of PCs in Nigeria run on pirated copies of Microsoft Windows.
While I lament that a whole lot of this "sharpness" is used for illegal activities, a still admire the ingenuity of the perpetuators. But at least now you get the gist of what I mean by "sharp".
Now the crux of the matter is, can we say the same for Ghanaians?
Case in point:
Yesterday, motivational speaker Brian Tracy was in Accra to do his stuff. For almost a month prior to his arrival the TV stations in Ghana were advertising the event and showing short clips from some of Brian Tracy's videos.
Now, if this had been Lagos, I could bet you that within one week after the debut of the adverts you would find pirated Brian Tracy VCD's in the hands of street hawkers and in every music shop. Pedestrians on the road will be besieged by hawkers shouting: "Learn how to sell well! Boost business! Make money! Buy Brian Tracy video!" And lawd help you if you're a vehicle owner! Unless you have air-conditioning, you'd have Brian Tracy CD's shoved in your face at every traffic light!
I remember when the Silverbird Cinema started in Nigeria and they were showing Television previews of movies "now showing". It only took an average of two days after the movie had been advertised on TV for the pirated versions to be available "at a corner near you"!
But, for some reason, this doesn't happen in Ghana. When I first started seeing the Brian Tracy ads on TV, I remembered that my dad had one of Brian Tracy's videos in his library somewhere. I found it, watched it and thought "Hey, this guy's good! Where can I get more of his videos?"
I didn't know, and neither did any Ghanaian! In Nigeria, I wouldn't have had to ask!
What could be the problem? Is it a lack of motivation? Or inability to see opportunities where there are available? I really don't know.
While I'm not advocating that Ghanaians should resort to piracy of copyrighted material as a means of earning an income, I feel that the spirit of entrepreneurship, the ambitious drive to convert opportunities into profit is seriously lacking in Ghana.
It's an issue that needs to be addressed if Ghanaians want to make something out of this country.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Brian Tracy in Ghana
Motivational Speaker Brian Tracy visits Ghana today.
I don't know who I'll have to kill to get tickets to see him at the International Conference Centre, but I plan on being there if I can. I need a little pep talk to get my creative juices flowing.
I don't know who I'll have to kill to get tickets to see him at the International Conference Centre, but I plan on being there if I can. I need a little pep talk to get my creative juices flowing.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Nigerian email scams reach No. 3 in Internet Frauds
2004 Top Ten Internet Frauds according to Fraud.org
1. Online Auctions
2. General Merchandise
3. Nigerian Money Offers
4. Phishing
5. Information/AdultServices
6. Fake Check Scams
7. Lotteries/Lottery Clubs
8. Computer Equipment/ Software
9. Fake Escrow Services
10. Internet Access Services
-David Mends
University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
Blogging is the next step in the creation of Homo sapien informaticus
(I may be a little incoherent in expressing my thoughts on this, but you should get the gist of what I mean)
As I was reading Ethan Zuckerman's research on African names and Google keyword pricing yesterday, I had an outstanding revelation. It was so great...it was earth shaking (you probably felt the tremor where you're staying). It was the answer to the question I asked a couple of days ago on why we blog.
We blog because we are driven by our very nature to add to Mankind's store of information.
The drive that leads us to blogging is the same drive that leads us to writing autobiographies and diaries.
We know that we are not going to live forever. We also know that mankind will advance, with or without us. So we are driven to make our contribution - to "leave our mark" so to speak - to the development of mankind.
Look at it this way...by reading Ethan's blog , I was able to benefit from research I didn't carry out myself.
(It's the reason why the Internet was invented in the first place - a network linking institutions of learning).
Think back to the dawn of time, when men were still living in caves and hunting in packs. In order for men to share knowledge, they developed a common language. This language was not universal because all humans were not living together, having split into different groups and clans.
Each clan developed its own language for communication amongst members. Some clans split into sub-clans and had their own version of the clan language. Some clans migrated and mixed with other clans and so their own languages diluted with the language of the foreign clans.
[This is probably the reason why Africa has a unique place amongst the nations. As the cradle of civilization Africa probably had (and still has) more clans and subclans than any other continent. This explains why Africa has so many languages and diverse peoples.]
Throughout our history, man has been striving to improve communications and communication methods. Starting with the development of languages, the invention of writing, old technologies like letters and telegraphs, newer technologies like email, cell phones and the Internet.
The primary reason for all this was TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE.
Think of it, if every scientist kept what he learns to himself then science would never advance. In fact the technologies of today would never have existed. Imagine Thomas Edison locking up the secret of the lightbulb in his safe!
Next, imagine every person on earth having a blog! All the thoughts, discoveries and comments of EVERYONE at the disposal of ANYONE! It's probably the closest thing to reading minds that is possible for now.
But sharing knowledge is not as easy as it seems. Let's say I want to find out what a "Spitfire" is. In the old days I would have to go a library, today I go to Google. In both cases a problem exists. Namely: how to obtain the information I need from the large amount of data available.
As technologies advance, and it gets easier and easier to share and store information, the amount of raw knowledge available to sift through increases greatly. Technologies like blogging only add to the pile.
Have you noticed that as information and communication technology advance, so does the technology needed to store information? Storing larger amounts of data in smaller amounts of media led to the development of hard drives and optical drives like CD's and DVD's, and technology is not stopping there either.
Improving storage technology is not enough. We also need to improve the way we sort through all this data. That is why library books are indexed and sorted, and why search and indexing technologies like Google are million dollar industries.
"We are the information age." You've probably heard that over and over again but have you given a thought to what it really means? How about the popular saying (popular on CNN anyway): "You are what you know"?
The fact is that in the "information age" whoever controls the flow of information controls the power.
So next time you make an entry in your blog, remember...you're contributing to the developement of mankind! So blog on, the world blogs with you!
-David Mends
University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
As I was reading Ethan Zuckerman's research on African names and Google keyword pricing yesterday, I had an outstanding revelation. It was so great...it was earth shaking (you probably felt the tremor where you're staying). It was the answer to the question I asked a couple of days ago on why we blog.
We blog because we are driven by our very nature to add to Mankind's store of information.
The drive that leads us to blogging is the same drive that leads us to writing autobiographies and diaries.
We know that we are not going to live forever. We also know that mankind will advance, with or without us. So we are driven to make our contribution - to "leave our mark" so to speak - to the development of mankind.
Look at it this way...by reading Ethan's blog , I was able to benefit from research I didn't carry out myself.
(It's the reason why the Internet was invented in the first place - a network linking institutions of learning).
Think back to the dawn of time, when men were still living in caves and hunting in packs. In order for men to share knowledge, they developed a common language. This language was not universal because all humans were not living together, having split into different groups and clans.
Each clan developed its own language for communication amongst members. Some clans split into sub-clans and had their own version of the clan language. Some clans migrated and mixed with other clans and so their own languages diluted with the language of the foreign clans.
[This is probably the reason why Africa has a unique place amongst the nations. As the cradle of civilization Africa probably had (and still has) more clans and subclans than any other continent. This explains why Africa has so many languages and diverse peoples.]
Throughout our history, man has been striving to improve communications and communication methods. Starting with the development of languages, the invention of writing, old technologies like letters and telegraphs, newer technologies like email, cell phones and the Internet.
The primary reason for all this was TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE.
Think of it, if every scientist kept what he learns to himself then science would never advance. In fact the technologies of today would never have existed. Imagine Thomas Edison locking up the secret of the lightbulb in his safe!
Next, imagine every person on earth having a blog! All the thoughts, discoveries and comments of EVERYONE at the disposal of ANYONE! It's probably the closest thing to reading minds that is possible for now.
But sharing knowledge is not as easy as it seems. Let's say I want to find out what a "Spitfire" is. In the old days I would have to go a library, today I go to Google. In both cases a problem exists. Namely: how to obtain the information I need from the large amount of data available.
As technologies advance, and it gets easier and easier to share and store information, the amount of raw knowledge available to sift through increases greatly. Technologies like blogging only add to the pile.
Have you noticed that as information and communication technology advance, so does the technology needed to store information? Storing larger amounts of data in smaller amounts of media led to the development of hard drives and optical drives like CD's and DVD's, and technology is not stopping there either.
Improving storage technology is not enough. We also need to improve the way we sort through all this data. That is why library books are indexed and sorted, and why search and indexing technologies like Google are million dollar industries.
"We are the information age." You've probably heard that over and over again but have you given a thought to what it really means? How about the popular saying (popular on CNN anyway): "You are what you know"?
The fact is that in the "information age" whoever controls the flow of information controls the power.
So next time you make an entry in your blog, remember...you're contributing to the developement of mankind! So blog on, the world blogs with you!
-David Mends
University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
Nigerian Police
While I was discussing with the newly wed couple the day before yesterday, the guy told a funny story of how he had been driving on the streets of Lagos one day, and had been pulled over by a policeman.
The policeman asked him for his licence and registration. My friend handed them over for inspection. When the policeman saw that his licence and registration were in order he asked to look in the car boot.
Now, anyone familiar with Lagos police will recognize this procedure as a typical "wetin de for boys" tactic. However, my friend was determined not to give the policeman a bribe.
After 15mins, during which the policeman asked my friend for everything from his C-Caution (hazard sign) and fire extinguisher to his engine number, my friend got pretty annoyed. He demanded that the police man charge him for some offense or let him go about his business.
Whereupon the policeman asked: "OK sir, where are the papers you used to import this vehicle?"
[I cracked up at this point]
"DO I LOOK LIKE AN IMPORTER TO YOU?" my friend demanded, thoroughly pissed now. "So nobody can buy a car without importing it from overseas!"
Policeman: "Look here, sir. If you don't have the papers you used to import this vehicle then I will have to take you to the station."
My friend: "You crook! Who do you think you are threatening? Do you know that I work in a bank? And that many of my customers import cars like these? And that many times they have asked me to fill out the forms for them? In order to import a car you need a (name of form1) and a (name of form2) and that is ALL you need! If you want I can take you to the district station and you will see the notice where it is posted on the billboard! So what rubbish are you talking?"
Policeman: (laughs) "You "buruku" people sef? So you de work for bank! And you no wan' drop something?"
My friend: (hisses angrily, gets into his car and burns rubber)
Another typical day in Lagos.
-David Mends
University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
The policeman asked him for his licence and registration. My friend handed them over for inspection. When the policeman saw that his licence and registration were in order he asked to look in the car boot.
Now, anyone familiar with Lagos police will recognize this procedure as a typical "wetin de for boys" tactic. However, my friend was determined not to give the policeman a bribe.
After 15mins, during which the policeman asked my friend for everything from his C-Caution (hazard sign) and fire extinguisher to his engine number, my friend got pretty annoyed. He demanded that the police man charge him for some offense or let him go about his business.
Whereupon the policeman asked: "OK sir, where are the papers you used to import this vehicle?"
[I cracked up at this point]
"DO I LOOK LIKE AN IMPORTER TO YOU?" my friend demanded, thoroughly pissed now. "So nobody can buy a car without importing it from overseas!"
Policeman: "Look here, sir. If you don't have the papers you used to import this vehicle then I will have to take you to the station."
My friend: "You crook! Who do you think you are threatening? Do you know that I work in a bank? And that many of my customers import cars like these? And that many times they have asked me to fill out the forms for them? In order to import a car you need a (name of form1) and a (name of form2) and that is ALL you need! If you want I can take you to the district station and you will see the notice where it is posted on the billboard! So what rubbish are you talking?"
Policeman: (laughs) "You "buruku" people sef? So you de work for bank! And you no wan' drop something?"
My friend: (hisses angrily, gets into his car and burns rubber)
Another typical day in Lagos.
-David Mends
University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
Thursday, August 11, 2005
I host a couple of Accra Visitors from Lagos
Yesterday, I played chaperon to a newly wedded couple from Nigeria. They're in Accra for their honeymoon, and they knew someone who knew my dad. So they called my dad a couple of days back and asked him to make arrangements for them. My dad, unfortunately, had to travel to Nigeria on the very same day (yesterday) the couple arrived. So, it fell upon me as "a responsible young man" (my dad's words, not mine) to play the host.
So that's what I did.
They were to arrive at about 6pm local time (GMT) via road (Lagos to Accra is about a 10 hour journey by road and pretty interesting, since you also pass through Benin and Togo, not to mention corrupt border officials, remind me to blog about it sometime).
First I had to find a good hotel for them. "Good" meaning affordable, and not "luxurious". My dad wanted them to stay in Osu, bcos of its central location in Accra. So I had two hotels in mind: Frankies hotel and Biney's Bed and Breakfast.
Frankies is a posh place, real nice, but at $80 a night...pretty expensive.
Biney's was much better at $25 a night, so I made reservations.
Next stop...the pickup.
The couple arrived at about 7:30pm local time (GMT) at the ABC terminal at Circle, Accra. I was there to meet them (just barely, I arrived at the bus terminal the same time the bus did). As I stood watching the passengers disembark I wondered at the large number of Nigerians that come into Accra on a daily basis. Never mind that I'm one of them.
It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't met the couple before and so couldn't tell what they looked like. So how could I tell which of the many couples on the bus they were?
Simple, look for a young couple exuding the "newly wed" aura. (Have you noticed that newly weds exude a sort of signature aura? Some kinda zen or what?)
And sure enough, I spotted a couple that matched my description. I walked up to them and asked; "Excuse me, are you..." and they were!
So I tell them "Akwaaba!" (Welcome) and then flag down a taxi to take them to their hotel. Fortunately, they didn't come with much luggage.
The trip to Osu was fun! I was barraged with 1001 questions about Ghana and Ghanaians, never mind that I'd only been a Ghanaian for less than a year.
The couple were real nice and the man especially was a born comedian.
One thing the couple couldn't get over was the weak power of the cedi (a lot of visitors to Ghana have that problem, even I did at first).
The man kept on shouting "I'm a millionaire!" referring to the fact that he had changed some naira at the border and it had amounted to more than a million cedis. Never mind that 1 million cedis is roughly $110.
Well, we got to the hotel and the couple checked in. My work was done and I wanted to leave (I was having fun but you know what they say about newly weds and third parties) but my friends asked where they ("we" since they included me) could obtain a good meal and so I led them across the street to Papaye (a fast food joint).
In case you happened to be at Papaye last night, we were the noisy group that sat beside the entrance and had to use a calculator before we could make our order.
As we waited for our orders our small talk covered everything from corruption in Nigeria to the aesthetic curves of Accra females.
Can you imagine a country where the Inspector General of Police (IGP) - the highest ranking police officer - is arrested for corruption?
My friends were also of the opinion (and I totally agree) that Ghanaian ladies are not as endowed as their Nigerian counterparts.
Then food arrived and we fell to with gusto, they because they hadn't eaten much all day and me because I love demolishing anything that can be served with ketchup.
I should mention that the man was rather shocked when he ordered a bottle of Star beer and the size of the bottle was much smaller than expected. It was the first time he'd seen a mini-star, since we don't have any in Nigeria.
Him: "Hey look, a baby Star!"
Me: "We call it a mini-Star here in Ghana!"
Him: "'Mini-star'? Minister for what?"
Me: "Minister for drunks and louts!"
Him: (nudging his wife playfully with his elbow) Such an eminent personality deserves two bottles eh, honey?
Her: (bites him on the arm)
Him: "OW!"
Crazy couple those two were!
After the meal - and after the man had failed to convince his wife that he needed another bottle of mini-star - we left Papaye and I said my goodbyes and headed for home, with a promise to arrange for a tour guide for them tomorrow.
Got home at 11:30pm local time (GMT), setting a new "lateness" record!
-David Mends
University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
So that's what I did.
They were to arrive at about 6pm local time (GMT) via road (Lagos to Accra is about a 10 hour journey by road and pretty interesting, since you also pass through Benin and Togo, not to mention corrupt border officials, remind me to blog about it sometime).
First I had to find a good hotel for them. "Good" meaning affordable, and not "luxurious". My dad wanted them to stay in Osu, bcos of its central location in Accra. So I had two hotels in mind: Frankies hotel and Biney's Bed and Breakfast.
Frankies is a posh place, real nice, but at $80 a night...pretty expensive.
Biney's was much better at $25 a night, so I made reservations.
Next stop...the pickup.
The couple arrived at about 7:30pm local time (GMT) at the ABC terminal at Circle, Accra. I was there to meet them (just barely, I arrived at the bus terminal the same time the bus did). As I stood watching the passengers disembark I wondered at the large number of Nigerians that come into Accra on a daily basis. Never mind that I'm one of them.
It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't met the couple before and so couldn't tell what they looked like. So how could I tell which of the many couples on the bus they were?
Simple, look for a young couple exuding the "newly wed" aura. (Have you noticed that newly weds exude a sort of signature aura? Some kinda zen or what?)
And sure enough, I spotted a couple that matched my description. I walked up to them and asked; "Excuse me, are you..." and they were!
So I tell them "Akwaaba!" (Welcome) and then flag down a taxi to take them to their hotel. Fortunately, they didn't come with much luggage.
The trip to Osu was fun! I was barraged with 1001 questions about Ghana and Ghanaians, never mind that I'd only been a Ghanaian for less than a year.
The couple were real nice and the man especially was a born comedian.
One thing the couple couldn't get over was the weak power of the cedi (a lot of visitors to Ghana have that problem, even I did at first).
The man kept on shouting "I'm a millionaire!" referring to the fact that he had changed some naira at the border and it had amounted to more than a million cedis. Never mind that 1 million cedis is roughly $110.
Well, we got to the hotel and the couple checked in. My work was done and I wanted to leave (I was having fun but you know what they say about newly weds and third parties) but my friends asked where they ("we" since they included me) could obtain a good meal and so I led them across the street to Papaye (a fast food joint).
In case you happened to be at Papaye last night, we were the noisy group that sat beside the entrance and had to use a calculator before we could make our order.
As we waited for our orders our small talk covered everything from corruption in Nigeria to the aesthetic curves of Accra females.
Can you imagine a country where the Inspector General of Police (IGP) - the highest ranking police officer - is arrested for corruption?
My friends were also of the opinion (and I totally agree) that Ghanaian ladies are not as endowed as their Nigerian counterparts.
Then food arrived and we fell to with gusto, they because they hadn't eaten much all day and me because I love demolishing anything that can be served with ketchup.
I should mention that the man was rather shocked when he ordered a bottle of Star beer and the size of the bottle was much smaller than expected. It was the first time he'd seen a mini-star, since we don't have any in Nigeria.
Him: "Hey look, a baby Star!"
Me: "We call it a mini-Star here in Ghana!"
Him: "'Mini-star'? Minister for what?"
Me: "Minister for drunks and louts!"
Him: (nudging his wife playfully with his elbow) Such an eminent personality deserves two bottles eh, honey?
Her: (bites him on the arm)
Him: "OW!"
Crazy couple those two were!
After the meal - and after the man had failed to convince his wife that he needed another bottle of mini-star - we left Papaye and I said my goodbyes and headed for home, with a promise to arrange for a tour guide for them tomorrow.
Got home at 11:30pm local time (GMT), setting a new "lateness" record!
-David Mends
University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
President Kuffour's Media Chat
Yesterday the President of Ghana the honorable John Kuffour had his media chat with the press. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to watch it on TV because I had a meeting at the University of Ghana, but I got whiffs of it as I hopped between taxis on the way to my meeting. Enough to make me shake my head in disbelief.
After the President's speech (which I'm sure was carefully prepared to highlight the achievements of the present government) the media had a chance to ask questions. I had expected intelligent, thought provoking questions after all, this was the creme-de-la-creme of the press, wasn't it?
I was sadly disappointed when the Hotel Kuffour issue propped up again. Aren't there more serious things to talk about than the bussiness interests of the president's son? What happened to the questions about bridging the digital divide? Telecommunications? HIV and AIDS?
I give kudos to the lady that asked about the steps the government was taking to encourage human resource developement. That was a question I could really relate to. Why? You try paying almost $8,000 a year as school fees and you will relate as well!
Kuffuor's description of how the government was encouraging the banks to grant loans as a way of putting money in the pockets of the common man was shot full of holes. Granted the government policy leaves banks with a lot of cash to offer as loans, but what's to ensure that they actually do so? Is there a government official at every bank's loan office to ensure compliance? Of course not.
Not up to a week ago I applied for a loan to pay my school fees. I was turned down flat, by two different banks. Whither government policy? What's the use of telling me all about "putting money in the pocket of the common man" when I'm at risk of being kicked out of school because I can't afford the fees?
Anyway, that's enough political maundering for today.
After the President's speech (which I'm sure was carefully prepared to highlight the achievements of the present government) the media had a chance to ask questions. I had expected intelligent, thought provoking questions after all, this was the creme-de-la-creme of the press, wasn't it?
I was sadly disappointed when the Hotel Kuffour issue propped up again. Aren't there more serious things to talk about than the bussiness interests of the president's son? What happened to the questions about bridging the digital divide? Telecommunications? HIV and AIDS?
I give kudos to the lady that asked about the steps the government was taking to encourage human resource developement. That was a question I could really relate to. Why? You try paying almost $8,000 a year as school fees and you will relate as well!
Kuffuor's description of how the government was encouraging the banks to grant loans as a way of putting money in the pockets of the common man was shot full of holes. Granted the government policy leaves banks with a lot of cash to offer as loans, but what's to ensure that they actually do so? Is there a government official at every bank's loan office to ensure compliance? Of course not.
Not up to a week ago I applied for a loan to pay my school fees. I was turned down flat, by two different banks. Whither government policy? What's the use of telling me all about "putting money in the pocket of the common man" when I'm at risk of being kicked out of school because I can't afford the fees?
Anyway, that's enough political maundering for today.
Why do we blog?
Do you believe in fate? or in coincidence? Yesterday, I started a blog and not 30 mins later I came across this line in a book I was reading:
"People who are busy and happy don't write diaries; they are too busy living."
That was in the novel - Friday
by Robert A. Heinlein. (Love this novel by the way)
I guess the same saying goes for blogs. So does having a blog mean that mean that I'm jobless and sad? Maybe for the former, but definately not the latter.
To be frank I know why I'm blogging. I want to make my voice heard. What about you? Why do you blog?
"People who are busy and happy don't write diaries; they are too busy living."
That was in the novel - Friday
by Robert A. Heinlein. (Love this novel by the way)I guess the same saying goes for blogs. So does having a blog mean that mean that I'm jobless and sad? Maybe for the former, but definately not the latter.
To be frank I know why I'm blogging. I want to make my voice heard. What about you? Why do you blog?
Need a camera
Anyone willing to "lend" me a camera? I wanna to add
some daily photos to this blog. Kinda like this one. It's one of my graduation pics from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. (I'm the guy, the girl's my class pal)
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
My first Blog!
OK....OK...I give in. After several months of stubbornly refusing to give in to the blog hype...I've finally caved. I knew this would happen! Just my luck...yet ANOTHER thing to do on the web...at this rate my butt's going to have to be surgically detached from my chair before I leave my PC again.
Oh...I forgot....Hi World!
Oh...I forgot....Hi World!
