History in SA 2010

I am sure if you regularly visit this blog, you would have realised that the posts on here are far from consistent with each other. That is the point. Life has all these aspects to it and we shouldn't restrict ourselves to only one aspect. That said, let's return to this post. History is being made and all Africans or lovers of the continent and its culture should rise and support it. The next world cup is scheduled to be held on the continent. This is the first time the continent is hosting such a huge sporting event. That is history in itself. Something great is happening folks. I feel it in my bones. Lol. The continent's son is the first black president of the greatest nation on earth. [Like the first black president could have come from anywhere else.] And then Ghana wins the U-20 World Cup in 2009. [The first time ever with all sorts of records including top goal scorer.] And I must mention, Ghana won against all odds. I had to put that in. I hope you're beginning to sense where this is going. If not, pay attention. Ghana became one of the very first countries to comfortably qualify for the world cup in SA. Eventually, Cameroon, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire and Algeria joined the train. I accentuate the fact that this is the very first time Africa is being well represented on the world stage in football. Well if Egypt had qualified instead of Algeria we would have had Africa's perfect five. But the countries that have qualified thus far are the best in Africa. There should be no way none of these countries shouldn't make if to the finals and in fact win the cup (hopefully Ghana...LOL). The cup should remain in Africa for at least the next 4 years and because of that we need the 12th member of the team. Yes we need to rally behind each African team in the world cup and support them with all we've got, mainly with prayers. If you can attend the matches please do otherwise watch it on television and scream or yell or lose your mind (not literally). The world cup draw is December 4, 2009. Let's make history. I'm certain you will return to this post in August 2010 and agree that we made history.

More Labour Trouble

Many were surprised when the news came that the Belgian Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy, had been unanimously elected as the first president of the EU Council. When I say many, I refer to many in the UK. This is because up until a month ago Mr. Blair stood unopposed. There wasn't a doubt that he would be the first president of the EU Council. What a blow this must have been for Mr. Blair and of course the Labour Party and his friend the Mr. Brown especially since we're currently in an election.

In my view, Mr. Blair happens to be one of best politicians Britain has ever seen or perhaps the world. I'm almost certain his dream of becoming the first EU president was properly orchestrated. He championed EU causes and other European causes whilst he was a PM, particularly in his last days.

It was during his tenure as prime minister that the 1998 Human Rights Act which introduced the European Convention of Human Rights in the UK was passed. I must emphasis that this has no relation to the EU. I mention it to prove Mr. Blair's dream for Europe. He championed EU causes like the constitution and further intergration of Europe. That is not to say that was a bad thing but Mr. Blair knew what he was doing.

When he finally left power to Gordon Brown, he became catholic and focussed on peace in the middle east. All this being part of his plan to gather support for his candidacy. He changed to catholic because a significant majority of Europe belong to the catholic faith. He was lecturer for religion and law at Yale whilst I was at Cornell. Pushing for peace in the middle east (though a good thing) demonstrates his foreign relation abilities whilst ensuring that the interest of Europe is maintained in that area.

So up until a month ago, Mr. Blair stood unopposed. Then suddenly his support seemed to disappear after all countries had agreed to the idea an EU president. France and Germany changed from "support for Mr. Blair" to "we think the person shouldn't be a very popular person". Mr. Brown maintained his support for his long time friend. Of course he would. Why wouldn't he? If he lost the next election and Mr. Blair was EU president, Mr. Brown would have had a job of some sort. So now no EU job for Mr. Brown from his friend Mr. Blair.

Therefore he has to put more effort in this election campaign. Though both may not be related, a loss to Mr. Blair (Labour's most popular politician) may be viewed as a rejection of Labour at the EU stage. This definitely has a negative impact on the Labour Party at home. Also, with Harriet Harman, one of Labour's popular politicians at present, facing criminal charges, there is nothing but more trouble in the Labour Party.

Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart

My favourite song for the last three weeks. Alicia Keys at it again. And I'm sure I'll still love it a year or two from now. Enjoy.

The So Called Porn Movie

I just finished watching the movie that has caused debate amongst Ghanaian circles in the diaspora. Yes, I watched Heart of Men. After seeing the trailers, I vowed never to watch that movie. However, I watched another promo trailer as the premiere of the movie in the UK got closer. That got me curious to the extent that I wanted to attend the premiere.

Luckily, as always, a friend had the DVD. I made countless efforts to obtain this DVD but because of our professional conflicts, all efforts proved futile. To cut a long story short, she told me I could watch it online. So I did. I spent my Saturday morning watching the Heart of Men.

Before I go on, I admit it was a brilliant movie far from the pornography that was displayed in the trailers and promo posters. The plot was wonderful. I loved every bit of the movie. Unlike most African movies where the ending becomes obvious after five minutes into the movie, I had to get to the end of the movie to understand what was happening.

The setting was brilliant. The cast were so professional. I can't believe I am singing this amount of praises about a movie I was so ashamed to claim was Ghanaian. In fact, I am proud it was a Ghanaian production. Ok maybe I am getting ahead of myself. But it was a very engaging movie from start to the end dealing with all sorts of issues that affect young people on a daily basis. I related to more than one of the issues (don't ask me which). Lol.

I also praise the fact that they included the Northern regions of Ghana which are usually left out in everything. The sex scenes were professional for African standards. It was not at all revealing. I now understand why the British Board of Film Classification gave it a rating of 15. In my opinion, this movie is far from any kind of porn.

I am not saying this movie is a perfect movie. It definitely has its flaws. The role played by Richie was that of a Barrister and being a Barrister myself, it was easy to identify those flaws. I am sure doctors and police officers will also be able to identify the flaws in those areas that were portrayed in the movie.

In the future, I wish the script writers or whoever is responsible will be briefed about the proper roles of the actors. Firstly, Kay was tried in the Supreme Court in Accra and found guilty. The Supreme Court is not a trial court so no one can be tried and found guilty in the Supreme Court. Secondly, lawyers for Kay said they will appeal. How can you appeal from the Supreme Court? That is the final court in the land.

Another flaw I found was Kay waking up in Upper West and speaking twi with the lady. I am almost certain twi isn't spoken in that area. They should have spoken hausa or something and given an English interpretation.

Besides all that, I think it was a brilliant movie and everyone one should see it. I recommend it and may post it on my blog. From Scorned to the Perfect Picture to Heart of Men, I believe Ghanaian movies are slowly meeting international standards. I am aware of two other movies to be released and I look forward to their success. Well done to all persons in the Ghanaian movie industry. You've made me proud.

Find the movie below and enjoy:

Heart of Men Part 1a

Heart of Men Part 1b

Heart of Men Part 2a

Heart of Men Part 2b

Parents Just Don't Listen

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has experienced this. When you tell your parents or even older folk something you know is very right and all the facts point in your favour and they still insist that they are right. Eventually, when they find out they're wrong they deny they said what they said. Even more annoying is when they claim to have said what you said. Maybe, it's the African culture. We're brought up to think the older person is always right even when they're wrong. I remember when I was young, an uncle of mine was saying something which was completely wrong. Especially, since he wasn't present when the event took place. I called him out on it and in the presence of everyone, he asked me 'are you calling me a liar'. How was I supposed to respond to that? Of course I said he was right. Parents always use the 'I'm older and more experienced' card anytime they are challenged on whether what they are saying is right or wrong. I agree older and experienced make a person wiser but sometimes listening to the young ones and taking on board their point of view strengthens the wisdom. They may decide not to take on the points raised but the idea of them considering it shows the young ones that they listen. We can only hope they accept their mistakes.

In the 24th Year

I turned 24 last Saturday. I received so many wishes on Facebook to the extent that I had to put a disclaimer as my status. To be honest, I am still saying thank you to the kind people who made my day one of the best in the year. So, just in case you didn't know and couldn't wish me a happy one, now you do. Wishes and gifts are still being accepted. Gifts can be in the form of cash donations to my Paypal Account. Lol. Nah seriously. Anyway, I kissed 23 goodbye and entered the 24th year of my life. I was and remain forever grateful to God for the favour he has shown me in the 23 years of my life. His final favour and grace was in relation to the New York State Bar Exam. Two days before my birthday (5th November, 2009) I received good news that I had passed the New York State Bar Exam. What a birthday present? In 23 years of my life, I have been an academic and professional success. Being modest and with every ounce of humility in my intentions, I shall mention a few. With 9 ones from Morning Star School to Prempeh College (the Kings' College) to Holborn College to study a Foundation in Law course (awarded best student on the course). Then to the University of Westminster. In my third year and with second year results, I applied and was accepted to pursue a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree at both Cornell University (Ivy League School) and Fordham Law School, both in the State of New York. I was also accepted to King's College, London and University College, London to pursue the same programme. I applied and was accepted onto the Bar Vocational Course (BVC) at the best Bar School in England and Wales, BPP Law School as well as the College of Law. I graduated from Westminster with an Upper Second Class Honours Bachelor of Laws (LL.B. Hons) degree. I subsequently completed the BVC with a Very Competent (the second highest grade). I was called to the Bar of England and Wales by the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn in July 2008 earning the title of Barrister-at-Law. Then I went to Cornell Law School and graduated with an LL.M. degree in May 2009. Following which I sat the New York State Bar Exam in July 2009. The results of that exam as I mentioned earlier, was successful. That so far is a summary of God's blessings in the 23 years of my life. At the moment, I'm part of the unemployed population in the world despite all these qualifications. You can imagine my frustration. But a reflection of the blessings in the last 23 years reassure me of more to come if I continue to put my faith in God. There is no better way to celebrate a birthday than to reflect and I hope in 360 days from today I can add more blessings to the above.

Bailout, bailout, bailout...Restructuring

I'm sure I'm not the only person who got interested in the economy, particularly in these times. My interest in the economy and finance actually started before this mess. I was amongst those sucked into the stock bubble (i.e. those who thought stocks only rose). I called stock trading the rich man's lottery. Because honestly it was a gamble. How could one be sure that the stock they purchased for $10 will be $15 dollars at the close of the trading day? Lots of factors had to swing in one's favour for that to happen and it was someone's job to predict risers and fallers on the stock exchange so maybe it isn't a lottery. Ah call it what you want I still think it is the rich man's lottery. So I got sucked in before all this mess so you can imagine how pissed I am to realise my investment has been a loss. But everything happens for a reason right? And I guess the reason was that I became interested in the market.

So then financial institution after financial institution started collapsing. People were withdrawing money out of their accounts like there was no tomorrow. Ok maybe not like that but investors were worried about investing. Then the government decided to step in because the banks decided to stop lending or at least slow it down and because the banks were "too big to fail". The banks (institutional investors) had made more losses than anyone could have imagined. In England, the government had to step in to save Northern Rock after it failed to find a buyer for the bank. Then it bailed out the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds TSB and HBOS (Lloyds). Billions of pounds of tax payers money was used to bail out these banks. So it is only right the tax payer knows what is going on with these banks that were bailed out with its money and also whether the money used to bail out these banks will ever be returned to the tax payer (we know this never gets into the tax payer's account or pocket). An on-going debate in parliament for about a month was restructuring the financial system domestically and internationally. Brown argued that if this wasn't done internationally, then all banks will do is move where the rules are relaxed. Also, separating investment banking from retail/commercial banking was not the answer as both types of banks failed in the last year (Northern Rock and Lehman Brothers).

Then in a week, the good news comes. The EU Commission agrees to the restructuring of Northern Rock. The bank will now be split into a good bank and a bad bank. Just like the name, the good bank will have all the good assets of the bank i.e. the good loans and mortgages whilst he bad bank will have all the toxic assets such as the soured loans. The government will then find buyers for both banks. You may ask yourself, who will buy the bad bank? I would if I had money and for very very very cheap too. I don't think the government will have a strong negotiation position with regards to the price of the bad bank. The good bank, of course, will have a good price. More good news comes this week when the Commission further orders a shake-up of RBS and Lloyds. Basically, RBS will have to sell its lucrative insurance business including Direct Line, Churchill and Green Flag as well as 318 branches. Further, it will sell its NatWest brand in Scotland, RBS Insurance and Global Merchant Services, its card payment business. Lloyd on the other hand must sell 600 branches, TSB, its mortgage lender Cheltenham & Gloucester, and the Intelligent Finance online bank.

I totally agree with this shake up. Virgin and Tesco have been tipped to take advantage of all this restructuring. And why shouldn't they? Some analysts have said that Lloyds have had it easy compared to RBS. Really? All that money that was pumped into RBS? RBS definitely deserves this shake up. They can't eat their cake and have it. Others are worried that the big banks will be back in five years to buy them up. Everything is a cycle, ain't it?

Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind

This happens to be one of my favourite tracks on Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 album. And also, I love Ms. Keys. I've loved her since her first single - Falling. Those corn-row braids. I miss New York and I hope the Yankees go on to win the world series.

Rights and Responsibilities – A Birdie Story (Part 2)

Third encounter: In preparation for my call ceremony to the Bar, I had to sign the Bar Register. I went over to Lincoln's Inn to do this. As I walked on the terrace, I saw a few people on the stairs leading to the library and the stairs leading to the walkway. A little bird lay on the ground close to the stairs leading to the walkway. I made nothing of it as it is normal for people to watch a little bird learning to fly. I had ear buds in my ear with the music blazing so loudly. I was in my own world. As I got close to where this little bird lay I saw a white seagull flying towards me from the heights of the Lincoln's Inn building. Again I thought nothing of it. The girls on the stairs started waving frantically at me. I proceeded to remove one ear bud so I could hear them. Just as I did that, the seagull got closer and missed me narrowly. That's when I realised what was going on. The little bird who lay on the ground was the offspring of the seagull that attacked me and the little bird was learning to fly. As I was figuring this out, the seagull had turned around and was heading my way again. This time from behind. It missed me again but this time I felt its wings flap so hard. I ducked slightly and that was enough. But why me? There were other people in the open especially, those standing around the little bird. I hurried inside to do what I had to do. When I got out everyone had disappeared including the little bird. And they weren't eaten by the seagull.

I thought that was the end of the seagull attacks on me. Boy was I wrong. A couple of days later, I had to go to Lincoln's Inn again to sort out my seating and some payments. Again, I walked on the terrace. I honestly thought the attacks were over. The attack this day was worse than the one a couple of days earlier. I immediately realised I was under attack when I saw the bird dive straight at me making attacking noises. I ducked as hard as I could and it missed me. The seagull made the second attack whilst still mid-air instead of flying further and turning around. I ducked again and this time made for the door. I was shaking. It took me a while to catch my breath and explain to the receptionist why I was there. As I explained, a black man ran inside yelling "those seagulls have gone crazy". So then it wasn't just me. It wasn't a personal attack. Maybe it was a racial attack. Who knows? He had just reactivated my fear to return outside. I stood inside for another five minutes after I had been served. The receptionist asked whether there was anything else. To which I replied "oh no. It's raining outside". It was really raining. Lol. I went to the doorway aiming to make a dash for the stairs leading to the walkway instead of the terrace. Why? Because the walkway had trees providing shade and I knew there was no way the birds will attack that way. So immediately the rain calmed down I made a dash for the stairs and escaped.

As if I had not learned my lesson, I returned on Sunday for chapel service. When I got to the gate, I asked the porter what was wrong with the seagulls because I could hear the attack cries and he explained that they were brooding. It was brooding season. So I walked along the high wall to remain unseen until I got to the chapel. I didn't go for drinks with the benchers because that would require walking on the terrace and I might just be the unlucky one.

On my numerous trips to Brighton, I saw these seagulls again. Except this time they were bigger and it was not brooding season. I was told they are such a nuisance, in that, they swoop down and steal people's food. They are that brave. I attribute this bravery to all the rights they have. Yes they are a weaker species than we are but should we protect them to our own detriment? I mean what laws protects us from animals in the wild such as lions and tigers? Answer: the law of common sense. It is common sense that if a human being walks into lion pride he will be eaten without hesitation. Similarly, it is common sense that if an antelope fails to make a run for it if a pack of wild cats attack, it'll be the end of its life. Why shouldn't birds follow the same law of common sense all species follow in order to survive? I think the time has come for birds to know their natural place in this world. They have abused the rights we (humans) have given them by attacking us and defecating on our clothes and property. They need to face the consequences. At the moment, they enjoy rights without any responsibility whatsoever.

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Rights and Responsibilities – A Birdie Story (Part 1)

Why would anyone dislike birds? They are graceful creatures that beautify the skies. Sorry, I don't view them in that regard. They seem to have a personal vendetta against me so it's only right that I have one against them. It's the laws of nature - to every action is a reaction. And that should be the way it is. Where I come from, birds are a delicacy. They are hunted down and are proper game. They are very aware of their surroundings and try to avoid situations which will bring an end to their already limited life in a man's world. Or at least it used to be - it's a woman's world these days. Where I come from, birds don't have rights, they still recognise men as the dominant species. I don't care so much about they having rights except they should mind their business and I'll mind mine. I mean I can't sue a bird for common assault yet, I can't kill it when it attacks me in public. Such bollocks. So, where from this resentment? I have had three encounters with birds which were not very pleasing.

First encounter: I was on my way to college early one morning and as I waited at the bus stop, I felt something fall on the cap I was wearing. It was a brand new suede adidas cap I had just gotten from the US. I looked up to see if it was raining. The sky was clear without a single drop of rain. I proceeded to take off the cap guessing what could have fallen on it. I was shocked and disgusted to find the substance on my cap was bird crap. I looked up again for the culprit but this time, staying very clear from another hit. A pigeon posed on a branch way above me. I could have sworn it had a smirk on its little pigeon face. If it were any closer to me, I would have brought its life to an end that morning but it wasn't. I could return home to clean the cap but I cleaned it immediately I got to college.

Second encounter: I was on my way to Nottingham another early morning. I hadn't had any breakfast as I waited at the coach station at Victoria. I decided to get something to eat since the journey to Nottingham was a good four hours. I didn't think putting my stomach through such an experience was a good idea. So I got something I could have on the bus. The seats in the seating area around the gate I was waiting at were all occupied so I sat on my bag which had wheels underneath. The snacks I had gotten were in both hands as I sat. The gates opened for a split second and in flew a few pigeons. One pigeon flew directly at me as if it had no flight chart or was simply blind. In an attempt to duck and not have the pigeon collide with my face, the wheels underneath the bag moved and I fell flat on my butt. I sat on the floor with my arms raised because I was protecting my food. It was embarrassing. Even worse, an old lady walked up to me and tried to help me up. I told her I was fine and she said sorry. There was a beautiful girl who sat in the seating area watching me with an apologetic look as I struggled to get to my feet. That was one of the most embarrassing moments in my life.