Kwarasey Welcomes Pressure

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Adam Kwarasey

Adam Kwarasey made his African Cup of Nations debut for Ghana and conceded that playing for the Black Stars comes with pressure.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper kept a clean sheet as 10-man Ghana beat Botswana 1-0 in the Group D opener on Tuesday.

After tasting his first Nations Cup game, Kwarasey, in a post-game interview, explained, “There is always pressure in football and especially when you play for a great nation like Ghana.

“Of course, there is pressure but that’s what we do. We live with pressures and we have to handle it.”

STILL SLAVES OF FOREIGN IDEOLOGIES

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STILL SLAVES OF FOREIGN IDEOLOGIES or WHY CONTAFRIKAIDEOLOGY FOR ALL CONT/DIASPORA AFRIKANS IS FREEDOM FROM THE HELL OF WESTERN/JEWISH/ARAB IDEOLOGIES FOR US,

By (c) 2012 by Prof. Afrikadzata Deku, Docteur d’Etat; Doctorat d’Etat (PhD); [email protected];

My Afrikan Brothers and Sisters in White USA, are you aware that your today’s ideologies you are defending and promoting with all your might in the White man’s controlled world are not your ideologies but alien ideologies imposed on you to make you forget your own Continental Afrikan Ideology of AfrikaFidodo or Continental Afrikanism on Earth?

Do you know that your today’s ideologies you hail as your liberator in the White man’s world exist to rob you of your divine right, duty, mission and responsibility to develop, have, own , practice and benefit daily from your own Afrikan based and oriented Ideology as others have successfully done for their benefit?

Are you aware that the Ideology of your Continental Afrikan Ancestors who were brought here in the White man’s chains was and is still not any of the today’s slave, colonial, and neo-colonial ideologies that you are programmed to refer to as the only ideologies that matter to you on Earth?

As the world’s first and oldest ideology on Earth and Mother of today’s world ideologies, your Ancient Continental Afrikan Ideology of Afrika Communalism or Fidodo kept your Afrikan Ancestors united, empowered, liberated, developed, rich, protected and safe for more than three million years in Ancient Term and ten thousand years in Modern Term.

This means, long, before the birth of the White man’s ideology of capitalism, materialism, socialism or communism on which you are now dependent, enslaved by and addicted to in your self-ignorance, your Continental Afrikan Ideology of Communalism or Fidodo, was the one and only fuel or petrol that successfully ran the engine of Humanity’s life in Ancient Afrika.

All because, your Ancestors know Continental Afrikan-based and oriented Ideology for all Continental Afrikans to use for their benefit is as crucial and indispensable as Western ideology for Western world and people or Chinese ideology for the Chinese and Japanese ideology for all Japanese to practice for their benefit.

That is why, all over the world, every conscious human group on Earth, makes sure it develops its own ideology that is based on its history and culture for the satisfaction of its needs and interests in life.

That is why, until the White man came to the world scene as a force to reckon with some 500 years ago, as a Greek power which because Roman power, then Spanish power, Portuguese power, British power, French power, German power and now as USA power, not less than ninety-five percent of the world or humanity knew and practiced only Ancient Afrikan Ideology which we now call Continental Afrikan Ideology or Communalism or Fidodo.

This was so because, Humanity originated from Continental Afrika as the Cradle or Birthplace of Humanity and as such lived and practiced Ancient Continental Afrika-based and oriented Ideology of Fidodo or Communalism in one form or another from the birth of Humanity in Afrika 3 million years ago to 500 years ago when the White man began to conquer, dominate, control, influence and disconnect or uproot the rest of Humanity from Continental Afrika-based and oriented Culture, Values and Ideology to a Judeo/Western/White/Caucasian-based and oriented ways of life that reached its zenith/climax in the 20th century when the White man via USA power has finally ascended through the use of his guns, armed robbery and bribery , the world’s throne of super power-ness based on the Material power of money, things and military might .

And since them, the world’s ideology of Ancient Afrikan Communalism saw itself replaced gradually by the White man’s created, White man-centered and controlled ideologies of Aristocracy which became Bourgeoisie, then, Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism and now back to Capitalism/Materialism after the defeat and death of Communism and Socialism by Capitalist Forces led by Capitalist USA/Europe.

With the demise of the world’s chief promoter of communism called the Soviet Union through the world’s chief promoter of capitalism known as USA, today’s world is no longer forced, by the two super powers to choose between the two ideologies they promote throughout the world for their own benefit instead of the benefits of all People on earth .

So, today, the only ideology that counts on Earth, we are told, is not socialism/communism which we are told is dead and buried never to resurrect again but USA/Western/White American style capitalism which strives desperately to replace humanity’s original Ancient and Traditional Continental Afrikan based and oriented Ideology of Weism Or communalism or Fidodo with I-Me-Myself ideology of life to embrace for its benefit.

In this way, more and more USA people including you my Afrikan Brothers and Sisters in USA and Europe and elsewhere have become more and more programmed to live and die for the ?I? the individual? or the ego rather than live and die for the ?We? or the Collectivity which capitalism rejects and condemns as anti-freedom.

Hence, it is no longer a shame to be called a capitalist but an honor while the socialist/communist of yesterday is now ashamed to refer to himself/herself as such for fear of losing favor from the Almighty King Dollar of today’s only world super power on Earth.

However, as a Western/White/Caucasian-based and oriented ideology, capitalism, in spite of all of its sea of blood , sweat and tears , has certainly been good if not excellent for the Western/White world and people.

But to you, my Afrikan Brothers and Sisters in USA and Europe and elsewhere, the White man’s ideology of capitalism is your death sentence if not a genocide.

It is everything we Continental/Diaspora Afrikans are not and never be.

All because, the ?I? based and oriented ideology of capitalism destroys and kills the ?We? based and oriented Philosophy of our Continental Afrikan ideology of Afrika Weism or Communalism or Fidodo .

As ?We? based and oriented people, Continental Afrikans, especially your Ancient ones, avoided totally the ?I? based ideology of capitalism as Selfish, egocentric and greedy and completely anti-Afrikan, anti-We, anti-Collectivity and anti-Afrikan Ideology of Afrikan WEISM , Culture, Values and History.

That is why, your Afrikan Ancestors consider capitalism to be basically a selfish ideology that turns its practitioners/believers into the world’s most selfish, egocentric and greedy human beings who have ever lived on Earth, who live and die for nothing but money, profit, and material things.

And the more they have them, the more they want them and the less time they have to enjoy them and the more they worry themselves to death for fear of sharing or losing their material things which they often have little or no time in enjoying.

Hence, to your Ancient Continental Afrikan Ancestors, it does not make any sense for them or any sensible human beings to prefer a capitalist or selfish way of life and being to a Communal Way of life and Beingness.

All because capitalism says you alone matter , nothing else matters, which is nothing but a lie because the ?I? is only a part of a Whole and never the Whole.

And since, the parts of a body can never be more than the whole or the body, it stands to reason that the whole or the body or the collectivity in any given society/race/human group on Earth is greater, bigger and more powerful than any of it parts.

Hence, to live for only the ?I? is to never to live but perpetually survive in the hell of perpetual self-ignorance, selfishness, greed, fear, anxiety, and worry.

And since no one ?I? in life is an island, to practice ?I? based-ideology of capitalism is to disconnect or uproot yourself from the limitless power and benefit of the greater Whole or the Collectivity.

Hence, to be a capitalist is to limit yourself to a short-lived, limited , partial and empty , restless and insecure power and ways of life that are mostly material or things or money-based and oriented.

And also because, capitalism is plagued with all kinds of restlessness, stress and chronic fear, anxiety, worry due to the eternal need of the capitalist to compete, struggle, fight, win, grab, have, keep, profit, increase, accumulate, at all cost and by any means necessary, more and more money/material things .

That is why your Ancient and Traditional Afrikans never practice capitalism because of its evil motto of Material Heaven for the Few and Material Heaven for the Many no matter how hard they sweat and die in life.

This explains why, even in chains and in the belly of the crocodile of White USA, your early Afrikan Ancestors practiced not capitalist but communalist way of life as did their Ancient and Traditional Continental Afrikan brothers and sisters they left behind.

Afrikan Communalism or Fidodo because it is not an alien ideology to them like capitalism.

And also because it enables them to pull their resources together as one Afrikan people in the White man’s chains.

Instead of fighting each other and pulling each other down for the White man to conquer and reign over, they cooperated secretly among themselves for the things they need and want to survive and without whom, you my today’s Afrikan sisters

and brothers in USA and Europe will not be born here today to prefer the Hell of the White man’s ideologies to the Heaven of your own Afrikan Ideology of Weism.

In other words, to say No to capitalism is to say Yes to Communalism or Fidodo as your Ancestral Afrikan ideology that connects you to your Afrikan Ancestors for their daily empowerment, protection, guidance, blessings and freedom from turning yourselves into invisible slaves or photocopies of the White Man or the Arab or the Jew of today .

That means, your urgent recovery of your own Afrikan Ideology is the only Ideology on Earth which is Continental Afrika-based and oriented and designed specifically to awaken, unify, empower, liberate, develop, enrich, protect and defend all Continental/Diaspora Afrikans against the genocide of preferring alien/slave ideologies to your own Afrikan Ideology you know nothing of and which you are now invited or called upon to rediscover, claim, develop, practice and benefit from

And also because, it is the only Ideology on Earth that is capable of bringing together, mobilizing and motivating from inside out , all today’s One Billion Continental/Diaspora Afrikans to unify , empower, liberate, develop, protect, defend and protect the Richest Continental Afrika for their Benefit as the Owners and Beneficiaries of Continental Afrika’s Untold Riches and Resources .

Hence, to recover, practise and benefit daily from your Afrikan ideology of Weism is to be free forever from the Hell of I-Me-Myself ideology of life.

In this way, you learn and master once and for all, how to share rather than accumulate, cooperate rather than fight each other, live in Heaven on Earth rather than survive perpetually in the hell of selfishness, greed, and short-lived, limited and partial power and pleasures and happiness which turn capitalists into the world’s most empty, restless, frightened, and unhappy people on Earth.

By COPYRIGHT (2012) Prof Afrikadzata Deku, Docteur d’Etat, PhD; *Doctorat d’Etat (Ph.D.) * D.E.S.S. (M. Phil) * Diplome De L’ I.I.A.P.(Post-Grad. Dipl.) * M.Sc. * BA. Double Majors *

Emails: [email protected] ; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; ; [email protected], [email protected]

*SKYPE : AFRIKAPHARAOH or AFRIKAFIAGA or WindowsLiveID: AFRIKAPHARAOH* ;

*URLS: http://www.youtube.com/profafrikadzatadeku & https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=4d3310fc746b4eaf&page=play&resid=4D3310FC746B4EAF%21107; http://www.facebook.com/profafrikadzatadeku; ; http://www.myspace.com/profafrikadzatadeku; http://afrikacentricitybooks.blogspot.com/

By: Prof Afrikadzata Deku.

Lying, drug-taking, speeding and having an affair all seen as more acceptable in the modern age

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The moral maze of life has never been easy to negotiate. But a survey suggests more and more of us are taking a wrong turn.

According to researchers, Britain is experiencing a major increase in dishonesty with many of us willing to lie and cheat.

Having an affair, lying to further one’s interests, buying stolen goods and having underage sex are all seen as more acceptable than they were a decade ago. Scientists at the University of Essex believe levels of dishonesty could get worse because the young seem more tolerant of it.

They are so concerned about its future impact on society they have set up a Centre for the Study of Integrity devoted to the subject.

In the year 2000, 70 per cent of us said an extra-marital affair could never be justified, but now it is just 50 per cent, according to the University of Essex study.

The proportion who say picking up money found in the street is never justified fell from 40 per cent to 20 per cent over the same period. In eight out of ten categories termed as ‘low level dishonesty’, rather than major criminal activity, the number who say each activity is totally unacceptable has fallen.

Failing to report damage to a parked car and breaking speed limits appear to have become an acceptable part of life – with only a minority condemning them.

There was more opprobrium attached to not paying a train or bus fare – one of the few activities which is seen as less acceptable – than having an extra marital affair.

Women were shown to have slightly more integrity than men, but in both sexes it was unrelated to social class, education or income
Some things seem more outrageous today with falsely claiming benefits seen as less justifiable in these straitened times than in the boom years. Attitudes to dropping litter have remained the same.

Accepting bribes and drink-driving have fallen a bit, but are still mostly condemned, however smoking cannabis or having underage sex are seen as more acceptable.

Professor Paul Whiteley, who led the study, said: ‘It is apparent that large changes have occurred in sexual mores, attitudes to keeping money found in the street and smoking cannabis. These activities are much more sanctioned than they were 11 years ago.’

An online survey was carried out in 2000, and another group of 2,000 people were surveyed last year.

There was a strong correlation with age – with just a fifth of under 25s saying lying is never justified compared with 40 per cent of over 65s.

However, the researchers do not know whether this indicates we are heading for a less honest society or whether honesty increases with age.

It comes as a ‘trust barometer’ by the PR company Edelman found two-thirds of us do not trust politicians to tell the truth, and just 38 per cent trust businesses.

The researchers say integrity has a ‘profound effect’ on society, as communities who are reluctant to work together ‘have worse health, worse educational performance, they are less happy and they are less economically developed’.

From: dailymail.co.uk

What your hair says about you

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We all know that it’s what’s on the inside that really defines a person. But in the real world, your external appearance, including your hair, can do a lot to affect your success in life. Hair care and styling can be a factor that may affect your ability to get a job, get a promotion or a raise, or succeed in the dating world and other personal relationships.

“We have many decades of research that physical attractiveness — including hair — does affect how others perceive you, and the opportunities that are created,” says Carla Lundblade, MS, a clinical therapist in Beverly Hills and a sports and celebrity counselor. “For example, studies have shown that attractive men earn an average of 5% more than unattractive men. And attractive women are also presented with a wider range of opportunities in their careers and personal lives.”

So what kind of message are you sending to the world with the appearance and style of your hair? While a stylish haircut and color may not be what gets you that job or that raise, it may be true that the opposite — an unkempt or uncared-for look — could make a recruiter think twice about hiring you. And in today’s economy, you don’t want to let any negatives drag you down, so your hair is important!

“Hair and appearance are part of a total package for anyone looking to move forward in their career or in life, and should be considered as something you’d improve just like your resume,” says Lundblade. “This doesn’t mean looking like somebody else — it means looking like the best ‘you’ you can be.”

Finding your best you

So how do you find that best you and bring it out with your hairstyle? Rowena Yeager, who owns Salon Wish in Streetsboro, Ohio, and serves on the Salon and Spa Council of the Professional Beauty Association, says it’s about finding something about you that’s striking and beautiful, and then using your hairstyle to highlight it.

“Some people focus on hiding flaws, but to me, it’s more important to find where the beauty is than to look for flaws to correct or conceal,” she says.

Do you have high, strong cheekbones? A great smile? Large, captivating eyes? “Your stylist should try to enhance your best feature through your color and haircut,” Yeager says. For example, if your cheekbones are your best feature, consider styling your hair so that layers brush gently in toward the face at cheekbone level.

Maintain to gain

No matter what style your hair is, make sure that it’s well kept and cared for. “If you have color, make sure that you don’t have a regrowth line, for example,” says Yeager. “If you have dramatic, straight, Bette Page-style bangs, you need to take particular care of your eyebrows, since they’ll draw attention there. You want to project that you care about yourself and care about the position you’re applying for, or the people that you’re meeting.”

From: webmd.com

Producer Price Inflation Falls To 15.19% In December

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Ghana Cedis

The annual Producer Price Inflation (PPI) fell to 15.19 percent in December 2011 from a revised figure of 17.94 in November, the Ghana Statistical Service said on Wednesday.

The all industry monthly inflation is negative 0.17 per cent. On specific industry performance, mining and quarrying sector recorded the highest year-on-year rate of 18.23 percent while the manufacturing sector increased to 17.23 per cent.

Utilities recorded the lowest rate of 9.07 percent for the period. Dr. Philomena Nyarko, Acting Government Statistician, said the high contribution of the mining and quarrying sector was as a result of the high international gold prices.

Petroleum prices have been relatively stable since a sharp rise in January 2011, recording 25.82 per cent inflation rate for December 2011. Dr. Nyarko said the monthly change rate showed that manufacturing recorded the highest monthly change of 1.53 percent, followed by utilities at 1.41 percent.

Mining and quarrying recorded a negative monthly change rate of 8.37 percent. Dr. Nyarko said eight out of the 16 major groups in the manufacturing sector recorded inflation rates higher than the sector’s average of 17.23 per cent.

The manufacture of machinery and equipment recorded the highest inflation rate of 38.05 percent whilst manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers recorded the lowest rate of 2.33 percent.

GNA

It Was A Difficult Game- Gyan

APO
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Asamoah Gyan

Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan has described the Black Stars game against the Zebras of Botswana as a difficult one despite clawing all three points in their Group ‘D’ opener of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations.

”’I said earlier on that there will be surprises in this tournament, but let’s see what happens in our next game. We hope to lift our game on Saturday, Ghanaians should keep calm,” he said.

Gyan, Ghana’s top marksman, is hoping to hit the back of the net   when the Stars play their second group game against Mali.

He told fans to continue backing the Black Stars despite labouring to beat debutants Botswana 1-0 on Tuesday.

The striker had little space to operate in after being marked well by the Zebras captain Mompati Thuma.

Botswana coach Stanley Tshosane fielded five midfielders and that affected the fluidity of the match.

Ghana failed to unlock the defensive rearguard of their opponents and were lucky not to have dropped points. Gyan said his team deserves some plaudits for winning the match.

“I think it was a big win and what I want to tell Ghanaian fans is to keep calm because we were expecting a difficult game,” the Al Ain striker said.

“It (the performance) wasn’t what people were expecting. We knew what we were doing and at the end of the day we scored so let’s see what will happen in the next game.”

Meanwhile, Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic is ruing the missed chances against Botswana, insisting that the Black Stars have taken some lessons from their opening 2012 Africa Cup of Nations match..

Ghana fluffed several scoring chances while an outstanding goal-line clearance from John Boye prevented the Zebras from drawing level.

The Serbian trainer said he has taken a lesson or two from mistakes made in the opening game. “We learned that here in this tournament it is not easy to win anybody,” he said.

“We need to give our 100%, our maximum. In the first half we made some mistakes, some tactical mistakes, the players know what I am talking about.

“I think that the commitment and vision and all other things of my team show and I am really satisfied because I know well how important the first game is.

“It is always difficult to play a game when you are always pre-game winners and now we have one game experience so we prepare for the next game.”

From Kofi Owusu  Aduonum,Franceville,Gabon

View the original article here

Genetic testing: NHS ‘must back revolution’

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Putting genetic testing at the heart of the NHS could herald a “revolution” in diagnosing, treating and preventing disease, according to the government’s genetics adviser.

Prof Sir John Bell has been presenting a report on how the NHS should prepare for advances in the field.

He said missing out would come at a high cost to patients.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has announced plans to speed up the introduction of genetic cancer tests.

One of the problems with modern medicine is that some of the definitions of disease are too broad.

Prof Bell told the BBC: “Breast cancer has always been defined because it is a tumour in the breast.

“But if you look at the molecular detail of those cancers, some are much more similar to ovarian cancers than they are to other breast cancers, in molecular terms and in terms of their response to therapy.”

Target treatment

Cancer drugs are generally effective in fewer than one in three patients who take them, the report says.

The theory is that by looking at which genes are active inside a tumour, it will be possible to pick the correct treatment.

This is already happening in some cases. Bowel cancer patients with the defective gene K-RAS do not respond to some drugs, while the breast cancer drug herceptin works only if patients have a specific mutation, HER2.

One of the driving forces behind genetics in medicine is the plummeting cost of working out a patient’s genetic code. To sequence one patient’s genome once cost millions of pounds but it now costs thousands, and Prof Bell argues that in the future, the “cost could be essentially nothing”.

Prof Bell has previously accused the NHS of being “completely unprepared” for advances in the field of genetics. He has called for ministers to develop a strategy which would see the NHS adopting genetic tools, and training current and new staff in genetics.

He also wants a national centre which could store genetic information about patients who were sequenced. It would allow doctors to compare mutations in the genetic code with other patients who had the same mutation, to help plan treatment.

Prof Bell acknowledged that reforming the healthcare system to take greater account of genetics would require investment, but he added: “Innovation in any setting has to deliver a much better product or lower cost, or both, and I think genetics may be one of the things that does both.”

More testing

The government has yet to formally respond to the recommendations. However, Mr Lansley has announced plans to develop a new way of introducing and funding genetic tests for cancer.

“We want to make sure that all patients can benefit from these tests – as soon as the tests are recommended by NICE (the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence),” he said.

He compared the genetic code to a treasure map, saying the Xs were starting to appear, and that the promise of the field was “immense”.

The chief medical officer for England, Prof Dame Sally Davies, said genetics was “terrifically exciting” and would have an “increasingly important role” in areas such as cancer screening.

However, she said she was “quite worried” about some of the consequences, such the possibility that telling patients they had a low risk of developing lung cancer would give them a licence to smoke.

From: BBC 

Mensah Injury Not Serious

ameyawdebrah.com
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John Mensah

Black Stars skipper John Mensah, after suffering a setback in Ghana’s opening game against Botswana, exiting midway as a result of a red card offence, has suffered another misfortune.

The strong libero did not train with his colleagues yesterday due to a thigh injury he picked when he fouled goal-bound Jerome Ramatlhakwane and that has heightened fears among the Ghanaian sporting fans.

But the player has revealed that there is no cause for alarm and that the injury is a minor one and he would make an early return.

He was scheduled for a medical treatment yesterday but the result was not available at the time of going to press.

“I am doing ok, it is a minor injury which won’t keep me away for a longtime. I will be seeing the doctor this afternoon, and I am hoping  to  return to the pitch  soon,” said Mensah.

Ghana team doctor Percy Annan added in an interview, ”We will take John Mensah to the hospital this afternoon for MRI scan to find out the severity of the injury.”

“He has some pain in this lower left thigh and that is why he is not training today.”
Ghana will play their next Group D match against Mali in Franceville on Saturday.

From  Kofi Owusu Aduonum, Franceville, Gabon

There’s nothing exciting about Mills’ reshuffle – Akomea

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Nana Akomea

The Communication’s Director of the NPP Nana Akomea, says President Mills’ latest reshuffle will add nothing new to the government.

President John Mills in his latest reshuffle has brought on board Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma South, Fritz Baffoe, and the MP for Nabdam, Moses Asaga.

Fritz Baffoe will be heading the Information Ministry while Moses Asaga takes oversight responsibility at the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare.

To many political pundits, the president’s latest reshuffle is important, going into an election year.

However, to Nana Akomea, “nothing is exciting about the reshuffle”.

To him, the resignation of former Education Minister, Betty Mould-Iddrisu is more dramatic and should generate the needed questions; not a reshuffle.

The NPP had called on the then Education Minister who was serving as Ghana’s Attorney General when the judgment debt were paid; to resign but, Nana Akomea said though she has resigned, questions still remain as to the main reason why she did.

“We don’t know if she resigned because of our call; that is, if she has resigned because of the role she played in the loss of 928 billion cedis to the state; or she resigned on health grounds; or she resigned because she didn’t like her job as a minister”, he told Xfm 95. 1 in an interview.

He added that “we hear she has been appointed as a high commissioner to South Africa which is very strange; for a senior cabinet minister to be appointed as a high commissioner; which is lower than a deputy minister. So it’s all very strange; we need to be told why”.

“Because the matter involves corruption and the massive loss of gargantuan fund, we need to know the reason why she has resigned. Anything short of that, the case will still not be closed”, he said.

A statement which indicated President John Mills’ acceptance of Betty Mould-Iddrisu’s resignation stated that she did not want to be a hindrance to the president’s Better Ghana Agenda. But Nana Akomea is not convinced.

He asked, “why will she be a hindrance to the better Ghana agenda? Is it because of some gargantuan mistake that she has done? We just need to be told. In what way has she been a hindrance to the Better Ghana Agenda? When we have the reasons, then we can interrogate the matters. And the people of this country deserve answers to how come this government paid up to 928 billion cedis to an NDC financier when we have so many basic everyday needs of the people that are not satisfied”.

Source: XFM

Cancers – are they preventable?

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Cancers can be referred to as a group of diseases in which there is uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells in the body and there are over 200 types of cancer.

Technically speaking, cancers are a variant of the diseases described above in which the disease spreads locally or the abnormal cells travel through the blood and lymphatic system to continue the abnormal growth at other parts of the body.

On the other hand, tumours referred to as benign do not grow uncontrollably, do not invade neighbouring tissues and do not spread through the body.

Healthy cells control their own growth and would destroy themselves if they become unhealthy.

Cell division is a complex process that is normally tightly regulated. Cancer happens when problems in the genes in a cell prevent these controls from working. Genes are very tiny inheritable chemical ‘structures’ in a cell that directs various growth and development processes in the cell and hence the body. These problems with genes may be from damage to the gene or may be inherited.

Determining what causes cancer is complex and it is often difficult to point to a specific cause for a specific cancer. Many things are known to increase the risk of cancer including tobacco use, infection, radiation, lack of physical activity, poor diet, obesity and environmental pollutants.

These can directly damage genes or combine with existing genetic defects within cells to cause disease. A small percentage of cancers say about 5-10% are entirely inherited.

Cancer can be determined in a number of ways, including the presence of certain signs and symptoms, screening tests, or medical imaging. Once a possible cancer is detected, it is confirmed by microscopic examination of a tissue sample and is usually treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or surgery or any combination of these three options. The chosen method of treatment or combination would depend on the extent of disease and the patient’s condition. The chances of surviving the disease vary greatly by the type and location of the cancer and the extent of disease at the start of treatment. While cancer can affect people of all ages, a few types of cancer are more common in children and the risk of developing cancer generally increases with age. In 2007, cancer caused about 13% of all human deaths worldwide (7.9 million) and rates are rising as more people live to an old age and lifestyles changes in the developing world.

CANCER CLASSIFICATION

Cancers are classified by the type of cell that the tumuor resembles which is therefore presumed to be the origin of the tumuor. These types include:

• Carcinoma, which are cancers derived from epithelial cells. This group includes many of the most common cancers, particularly in the aged, and includes nearly all those developing in the breast, prostate, lung, pancreas and colon.

• Sarcoma are cancers arising from connective tissue such as bone, cartilage, fat, nerve and each of these develop from cells originating in what is referred to as mesenchymal cells outside the bone marrow.

• Lymphoma and leukaemia: These two classes of cancer arise from haematopoietic or blood-forming cells that leave the bone marrow and tend to mature in the lymph nodes and blood respectively.

• Germ cell tumuors are cancers derived from pluripotent cells most often showing up in the testes or the ovary. Pluripotent cells have the capacity to develop into various fetal and adult tissues.

• Blastoma: cancers derived from immature ‘precursor’ cells or embryonic tissue tend to occur more commonly in children.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Cancer symptoms are usually non-specific which means that many other illnesses also show the same symptoms and signs. Cancer symptoms can be divided into three groups:

• Local symptoms are restricted to the site of the primary cancer and these could include lumps or swellings, bleeding from the skin, mouth or anus, wounds and pain. Initial swellings of tumuors may be painless but advanced cancers can be really painful.

• Metastatic symptoms are due to the spread of cancer to other locations in the body. These include enlarged lymph nodes which can be felt under the skin or enlargement of the liver or the spleen which is felt in the abdomen.

The spleen is an organ situated in the upper left region of the abdomen involved in the immunological defense of the body. Other symptoms include the pain or fracture of affected bones and symptoms involving the body’s nerves.

• Systemic symptoms are those symptoms that occur due to distant effects of the cancer but are not related to the direct or metastatic spread of the cancer. Some of these symptoms include weight loss due to poor appetite and body wasting, fatigue, excessive sweating especially at night, anaemia and other non-specific conditions that may be mediated by the immunological or hormonal signals from the cancer cells.

CAUSES

It is almost always impossible to prove exactly what caused a cancer in any individual because most cancers have multiple causes. For instance, a heavy tobacco smoker who develops lung cancer would blame the tobacco but all of us have a small chance of developing lung cancer due to air pollution and radiation.

As stated earlier most of the causes of cancer are environmental and these include factors such as tobacco, diet, obesity, infections, radiation, stress, lack of physical activity and environmental pollutants.

CHEMICALS

Many chemicals have been known to have carcinogenic effects. Aside tobacco that has been mentioned above, other chemicals include alcohol, exposure to benzene at workplaces and the inhalation of asbestos fibers.

DIET AND EXERCISE

Diet, physical inactivity and obesity are related to approximately about 30% of cancer cases. Physical inactivity is believed to contribute to cancer risk not only through its effect on body weight but also through negative effects on immune system and the network of hormones.

Diets that are low in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and high in processed or red meats are linked with a number of cancers. A high salt diet is linked to stomach cancer and aflatoxin B1, a frequent food contaminant with liver cancer. Our local kokonte sometimes gets contaminated with aflatoxins.

INFECTIONS 

About a fifth of cancers are linked to infections and the agents include viruses, bacteria and parasites. Cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus and liver cancer can be caused by hepatitis B and C viruses.
Leukaemias and Kaposi Sarcoma can also be virus-induced. Stomach cancer is linked to a bacterium called helicobacter pylori and a parasite called schistosoma haematobium is known to cause cancer of the urinary bladder.

RADIATION

About 10% of invasive cancers are related to radiation exposure. Sources of radiation include medical imaging and radon gas. Non-ionizing radio frequency radiations from mobile phones, electric power transmission and other similar sources have been described by the WHO as a possible carcinogen.

HEREDITY

About 5-10% of all cancers have been linked to factors that are inherited. Some cancers in this category include breast cancer, ovarian cancer, bone cancer, brain tumours, colon cancer, stomach cancer, testicular cancer, leukaemias and retinoblastoma in children.

A related factor to heredity causes is the level of hormones. Breast and ovarian cancers are believed to be linked to inherited levels of high female hormones while high levels of male hormones in men of African ancestry are believed to be a factor in the high level of prostate cancer in this group.

PREVENTION

Cancer prevention is defined as active measures undertaken to decrease the risk of cancer. The vast majority of cancer risk factors are due to environmental (including lifestyle) factors, and many of these factors are controllable. More than 30% of cancers are considered preventable by avoiding risk factors including tobacco, obesity, inappropriate diet, physical inactivity, alcohol, sexually transmitted infections and air pollution.

However, not all environmental causes can be prevented such as background radiation. Dietary recommendations to reduce the risk of developing cancer includes reducing intake of foods and drinks that promote weight gain such as energy-dense foods and sugary drinks, eating mostly foods of plant origin, limiting intake of red meat and avoiding processed meat, limiting consumption of alcoholic beverages and reducing intake of salt and avoiding mouldy cereals.

Vaccination is helpful in preventing certain types of cancer such as hepatitis B vaccine and vaccine against human papillomavirus which causes cervical cancer. Screening tests are available for certain types of cancer but not possible for all types of cancer.

A screening test would make good medical sense when it causes little harm and there is ready and accessible treatment for the disease that is being screened. Screening tests can be done for cervical cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer etc.

CONCLUSION

Most of the factors linked to the causation of cancer are lifestyle-related and hence preventable and the adherence to these recommended interventions takes a lot of discipline so the earlier one begins implementing them, the earlier one can get used to them and the easier it becomes.

The B&FT

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