Saint John’s Senior High School, the popular Second Cycle institution providing the best of education for residents of Western Region and Ghanaian males in general are in the season of remembrance of their alma mater.
The school, Saint Johns, which is recognized in the country for their great achievements in the field of education and their birth of big names in all the respected occupations in the country plans to celebrate this year’s anniversary with all inclusive programs which will provide slot for every old student to have a category as his best.
As a sister school from the same catholic root, Saint Johns Secondary School which is paired with Archbishop Porter Girls as their ‘girls school’ are in this celebration together. Known together as APSAINT, Saint Johns Senior High School and Archbishop Porter Girls School will not do this solely, as they will ‘flirt’ with other Second Cycle Institutions in Takoradi.
Speaking to Abeiku Quansah the organizer of the whole anniversary, he told this reporter that this year’s celebration is one of a kind and that there will be many activities added to it which the previous ones did not have. In a telephone interview, Abeiku who is an old student of Old Saint exclaimed “Chale this year, e go be pass what you guys no see, M3nnhw3”. Asking him what will make it unique in this year’s anniversary, Abeiku, popularly known as Breezy added that “Y fm they mong now, so u for know!”. Sounding very optimistic about the upcoming anniversary of which he is the architect, Abeiku mentioned that, since Saint Johns is known to be at the best in everything they embark on, it will be a great and never-to-forget memory.
On the anniversary plan, the 25th of February, 2012 is scheduled for MD Phoenix, Oil City’s (Takoradi) best night club to host the APSAINTS in a night life which will wet their clothes with an equalized quantity of pool water because of the dancing-all-night experience. Joel and Clenzy, both of Y fm will master the ceremony as the ‘bouncers’ allow ever old students to enter with the blue print currency of Ghana which has University of Ghana structure at one side and The Big Six on the other. DJ H, Y fm’s pride will be behind the turn tables.
The anniversary which is already a discussion topic on almost all of the media in Sekondi-Takoradi promises of great and student friendly activities from the start to the end of it.

Author: Nana Kwesi Coomson

Related Stories:

1. Ghana, 4 development partners sign $60 million grant agreement
2. Jay-Z Partners With Pharrell Williams’ Billionaire Boys Club
3. Shakira helps rebuild Haiti school

Valentine’s Day and known in Ghana as National Chocolate day. This is a day where most shows are scheduled to bring lovers to together. Celebrities, especially, songsters mount stages to give themselves as present to their fans and non fans alike on this day.
Nhyiraba Kojo, the man behind ‘Turn Around’ hit song which featured D. Cryme, spent his Love Day at the hospital, not as a patient but as a donor to the patients. The hospital, a private one in Takoradi, received an undisclosed amount of money from the fashion designer cum rapper, Nhyiraba Kojo. The man with a golden heart, Nhyiraba Kojo, in addition, gave items worth of thousands of Ghana Cedis to the hospital. “I most a times think about those in the hospital and the pain and emotional bruises they go through, that is why I embarked on this donation”, Nhyiraba Kojo told this reporter. Nhyiraba Kojo, who did not want this endeavour to be public, told this reporter that, when he is doing donations, he does not want it to go public so he will not speak much on it. Nhyiraba Kojo is known to be making such donations often to the needy and less privileged in the society.
Asking him whether it will be an annual thing he will be embarking on, Nhyiraba Kojo told this reporter that, he will plan it with his management. Nhyiraba Kojo, the man who has submitted his nomination to the organizers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards assures his fans that, this year (2012) is solely dedicated to him and he is receiving not less than three (3) awards coming this April.
Author: Nana Kwesi Coomson

Related Stories:

1. Nhyiraba Kojo To Win More Awards in Vodafone GMA 2012
2. Soulja Boy’s Got Money To Blow, Spends $55 Million On B-Day Treat
3. R Kelly Released From The Hospital After Surgery

logistical reasons”.

The final, between Zambia and Ivory Coast in Libreville, had been due to start at 1900 GMT, but has now been pushed back to 1930 GMT.

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has not given any further explanation for the delay.

The final has yet to sell out, with nearly a third of tickets available.

Organisers said on Wednesday that 70% of tickets have sold out for the showpiece event in the Gabonese capital on Sunday.

Zambia will contest their third final, at the Stade de l’Amitie, as they seek to win their first Nations Cup title.

Ivory Coast will be seeking their second continental title, 20 years after their last triumph against Ghana.

The two teams set up their final showdown, after the Chipolopolo beat fancied Ghana 1-0 in Bata, and the Ivorians defeated Mali 1-0 in Libreville on Wednesday.

BBC

Related Stories:

1. ‘Nations Cup Cash Not Enough’
2. Black Stars to camp in Rustenburg for Nations Cup
3. Ghana FA grants Marseille, Udinese and Rennes to delay player arrivals for Nations Cup

Guinea, when he flared up over a question by a Ghanaian journalist.

He was asked whether with the recurrence of his muscle contusion and other injuries, the Gabon-Equatorial Guinea tournament could be his last for Ghana.

The Lyon player said “look I respect you and I respect myself, but this question is not necessary and I am sorry but it is useless.”

He said no one has the right to demand his early retirement and that it was only the coach who determines whether he was in shape or not.

Mensah, 30, is a key figure in the national team and has scored two Nations Cup goals in five appearances.

But on two occasions the “Rock of Gibraltar” had to limp off the pitch because of a nagging thigh injury and a lot of people fear it could end his career prematurely.

However, when his tempers had subsided, the French League 1 player said “I still have a lot of football in me and have more to offer my country.”

Meanwhile the player has apologised on behalf of the team for not qualifying for the final and eventually winning the trophy.

He said, for once they played well and deserved to have won. “We do not deserve to be eliminated but that’s football for you,” he said.

graphic sports

Related Stories:

1. Mensah Otabil decries politics of insults; calls for revolution
2. Ghana loses $4.9 billion through capital flight
3. Profiling Celebrities: John Dramani Mahama

weather threatens to ground flights for a fourth consecutive day.

According to the National Meteorological Service, commercial flights are not likely to operate to these destinations today and possibly the rest of the weekend because the weather is still not likely to be conducive enough for flying.

This means massive revenue loss for the domestic flight operators.

A senior officer at the Ghana Meteorological Service, Mula Tsatsu Siame explained that commercial flights cannot operate under such weather conditions.

He told Citi Business News: “Pilots depend on visibility. Presently visibility around the coastal areas, like Accra, Takoradi, and Cape Coast ranges between 800 and 1000 metres, we are hoping it would improve to at least, 1200 metres and even that is not safe for flying. ”

According to Mr. Siame, it is unlikely the weather will be favourable for flying in the next few days.

By Citifmonline

Related Stories:

1. Ghana loses $4.9 billion through capital flight
2. British Airways partner Kulula stops flights to Maputo
3. Tullow strikes oil in Enyenra-3A appraisal well offshore Ghana

Chief Executive Officer of the centre, Mr Samuel T. Essel, has said.

Out of the amount, $2 million has been confiscated to the state. The remaining $7 million is still under investigation.

The action followed the centre’s investigation of 248 suspicious transaction reports it received over the two-year period.

Additionally, the centre disseminated 107 of the reported cases to the appropriate authorities as intelligence, while investigations continue into the remaining cases.

Launching the anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) guideline in Accra, Mr Essel said, “Money laundering/terrorism financing threats confronting the country are real. We, therefore, need to demonstrate our commitment to ensure that the country succeeds in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing. ”

Money laundering is a process by which the illicit source of assets obtained or generated by criminal activity is concealed to obscure the link between the funds and the original criminal activity.

Terrorism financing involves the raising and processing of funds to supply terrorists with resources to carry out their attacks.

While the two phenomena differ in key ways, they often exploit the same vulnerabilities in financial systems that allow for an inappropriate level of anonymity and non-transparency in the execution of financial transactions.

The FIC was established to, among other mandates, make crime less profitable by receiving, analysing and disseminating intelligence to investigative bodies and revenue agencies for enforcement.

In light of a growing awareness of the potential for the utilisation of the insurance industry for money laundering and terrorism financing operations, the National Insurance Commission collaborated with the FIC to develop the guideline to ensure that the insurance industry is insulated from the nefarious activities of money launderers and terrorists.

Additionally, the implementation of the guideline is expected to minimise the risk faced by licensed insurance entities falling prey to money launderers and also serve as protection against fraud, reputational and financial risks.

The insurance sector, particularly insurers and insurance intermediaries underwriting or placing life insurance and other investment-related insurances, is said to be potentially at risk of being used or misused, knowingly or unknowingly, for money laundering and the financing of terrorism, making the sector vulnerable to legal, operational and reputational risks.

Activities that trigger suspicion in the insurance sector include transactions set up and then quickly cancelled for no identifiable reason, transactions involving placements from or the involvement of intermediaries in different jurisdictions for no discernible purpose.

Others are return premiums, overpayments or claim payments where a third party appears to benefit; transactions where insurance does not appear to be the primary object or make no economic sense and over-inflated values, for example, on jewellery/fine art.

Ghana finds itself on a continent where terrorism is gradually eating deep into some parts and gaining notoriety with the activities of terrorist sects such as Al Shabab, Al-Qaeda and more recently Boko Haram and the Movement for the Unity of Jihad in West Africa.

Mr Essel said after the launch of the guidelines, the system would not tolerate any excuse born out of ignorance or the insatiable desire for profit.

Prof Newman Kwadwo Kusi, who launched the guidelines on behalf of the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, accordingly urged players in the insurance industry to place premium on due diligence.

Source: Daily Graphic

Related Stories:

1. Zap Changes To Airtel Money
2. Why Barclays Gave Up Its Offshore License
3. Apple Has More Money Than US Gov’t

Not to exclude Devin the Dude, Redman, Method Man and B-Real of Cypress Hill, but few other Hip Hop artists have expressed their love of that sticky-icky more often than Snoop Dogg. Now, the Doggfather is passing his torch as High Times Magazine’s Stoner of the Year on to none other than Wiz Khalifa.

While at a cover shoot for High Times’s upcoming issue, Snoopy D-O-G-G took the time to officially nominate his Mac and Devin Go to High School co-star for the magazine’s prestigious Stoner of the Year Award 2011. According to the Long Beach legend, no other stoner has better represented weed culture in ’11 than the Pittsburgh emcee.

“It gives my great honor and pleasure, being on the fact that I have won the Stoner of the Year Award before and that I am on the board of stoners, for me to take time right now to say my recommendation, slash, nomination for Stoner of the Year 2011 is none other than Pittsburgh’s finest – yes sir, Mr. Wiz Khalifa,” he explained. “That’s a prestigious award, to have that on your mantel…who better [than Wiz to receive it?] He smoked everywhere he went. He did it high, he did it low. He did it underwater, he did it overseas. He did it everywhere he went. He’s the uncut champion. He’s the Stoner of the Year, man, and this is coming from me, Snoop Dogg.”

The Stoner of the Year 2011 will be crowned at this year’s Medical Cannabis Cup in Los Angeles on February 11 and 12.

hiphopdx

Related Stories:

1. Snoop to spark up new stoner movie
2. Wiz Khalifa Accused of Stealing “Black And Yellow,” Served Lawsuit
3. Snoop Dogg Arrested for Weed in Texas

in Orange County, California prior to his death, the healthcare facility is now suing his estate over unpaid medical expenses.

According to TMZ, Nate moved into a treatment center following his second stroke in 2008. He racked up $293,512.52 in bills for care from 2008 to 2010, which manager David Michery guaranteed they would pay to the facility.

The lawsuit claims that Nate Dogg’s camp did not pay the expenses, even after his death in 2011.

[February 9]

UPDATE: According to TMZ, former Nate associate David Michery says that he vowed to pay the bill back in 2010, but that “none of Nate’s so-called rapper friends” cared to help out following his death.

“I was the only person who would come forward because I didn’t want him to die,” he said. “Me and Nate have 20 years history together and I did what everyone should have done and tried to save his life … not let him get kicked out in the streets and die.”

Michery claims that he will make up the difference by releasing previously unheard Nate Dogg songs, and says that he has no regrets. “Not at all … I would do it again in a minute. I just wish that the people he looked out for all these years and the people who claim to love him so much would help out.”

hiphopdx

Related Stories:

1. Rapper Nate Dogg Dies at 41
2. Snoop Dogg And David Beckham Reportedly Team Up For Clothing Line
3. Snoop Dogg Attempts To Break Guiness World Record

at the home of a lesbian couple whose 2008 Chicago nuptials were described in a local paper as the “wedding of the season.”
Obama will collect an estimated $1.4 million for his re-election campaign from an intimate group of around 40 gay and lesbian supporters at the home of Karen Dixon and Dr. Nan Schaffer in Washington, D.C., according to a campaign official.
Dixon and Schaffer, transplants from Chicago, held a wedding ceremony in July 2008 with hundreds of guests attending from all across the country, according to an account in the Windy City Times. Photos of the ceremony are available HERE.
But their marriage was not afforded the same legal recognition and benefits as heterosexual couples because same-sex marriage is not legal in Illinois. (It’s unclear whether the couple has filed for a legal marriage certificate in D.C., where gay marriage is now performed. The couple could not be reached for comment.)
Obama has remained mum on his view on whether couples such as Dixon and Schaffer should be able to legally wed in states across the country, preferring instead to let each state decide for itself.
“I think it’s important for us to work through these issues because each community is going to be different, each state is going to be different,” he said in June after New York became the sixth and largest state to legalize same-sex marriage. Washington state this week became the seventh.
The position – a new twist for Obama, who appeared to support legalizing the unions in 1996, later opposed them and most recently said his views are ” evolving” – has rankled advocates who say the president is making a calculated political decision with an eye toward 2012.
He has, however, opposed the federal Defense of Marriage Act and opposes a federal marriage amendment to the Constitution.
“The president’s position on these issues writ large are well known,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said this week. “You know his position, where it stands now, on the position of same-sex marriage. I don’t have much to add on that.”
Asked whether Obama supports marriages like that between Dixon and Schaffer and whether their marriage in Chicago should have been afforded the same rights and privileges as those given to heterosexual couples, Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt offered the following comment:
“The President has long opposed a Federal Marriage Amendment, supported the repeal of DOMA, and been clear that this was a matter than states should decide.”
Schaffer is a veterinary doctor who specializes in rhinoceros reproduction, according to her biography in the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. She is also a philanthropist, political activist and co-founder of the Windy City Media Group.
Dixon is an attorney and GLBT community advocate.

yahoonews

Related Stories:

1. Obama Supports Bill to Repeal Federal Gay Marriage Ban
2. J.Lo says loved herself enough to quit marriage
3. WILL SMITH AND JADA “OUR MARRIAGE IS INTACT”

here in Washington – to drop out of the presidential race. Then, he was the conservative alternative to the eventual nominee, John McCain. And when Mr. Romney made his announcement, the crowd groaned with disappointment.
How things have changed. In 2012, Romney is seen as the moderate in the presidential race. And his address at CPAC on Friday is his chance to create enthusiasm for his campaign among the conservative base.
Since Mr. Romney’s stunning loss in three, albeit non-binding, contests on Tuesday, the political universe has been buzzing with advice: Project a “vision.” Stop reciting the lyrics to “America the Beautiful” – we get it, you’re patriotic. Explain how you would change Washington in moral terms, don’t treat it a management problem.
The list goes on and on. But the problem is real: Romney on the stump can utterly fail to inspire. At times he succeeds.
Republican strategist Whit Ayres, who polled for the campaign of Jon Huntsman Jr. and is now unaligned, points to Romney’s remarks after winning the New Hampshire primary as his best speech yet. Riffing on the theme of a future that is “brighter and better than these troubled times,” Romney stood up for free enterprise – a bow to his background in the private sector – and rejected “the bitter politics of envy.”
“Make no mistake, in this campaign, I will offer the American ideals of economic freedom a clear and unapologetic defense,” Romney said. “Our campaign is about more than replacing a president; it is about saving the soul of America.”
The Romney campaign has promised the candidate will get more specific about his proposals as the campaign goes on. And expectations are high that he will use his CPAC speech to lay the rhetorical groundwork for the next phase of the campaign.
“He has to do no harm,” says Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak.
That suggests playing it safe, which in fact may be a bit risky. Rick Santorum, who beat Romney on Tuesday in Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado, has the buzz. Romney does not.
“What can he say that would really get people’s attention? Apologize for Romneycare,” says Mr. Mackowiak, referring to the health-care reform that Romney implemented as governor of Massachusetts and which was the model for President Obama’s reform. “He can’t do that, of course. He wrote a book called ‘No Apology.’ He’s been accused of being a flip-flopper. But if he wants to allay concerns that he’s not a moderate sheep in conservative wolf’s clothing, that would be it.”
Saul Anuzis, former Michigan GOP chairman and a Romney supporter, suggests more stylistic changes to Romney’s approach on Friday rather than any eyebrow-raising policy pronouncements. Romney has spoken to CPAC before, and therefore understands the audience, he says.
“People here are looking for his passion, his convictions,” says Mr. Anuzis. “He has to speak from the heart and let people know what he believes in. There is a lot of concern about the fact that Mitt Romney is not a movement conservative. But he shares the values of the people who are here, and I think he just has to articulate that and let people know that he’s sincere and committed to upholding those values.”
Ethan Hollenberger, a student at Marquette University in Milwaukee, voted for Romney in the CPAC straw poll, because of Romney’s executive experience, though he’s not certain of whom to support in the primaries.
So what can Romney say on Friday that will make Mr. Hollenberger feel more comfortable with him?
“People want to hear him say that Romneycare failed,” he says. “He doesn’t have to apologize, he can just say that it hasn’t worked. He should also talk about social issues. No one disagrees with him on fiscal issues.”
Among the most committed conservatives at CPAC, Romney faces a steep climb in his speech on Friday. Jamie Radtke, a tea party leader from Virginia who’s running for the Senate, thinks long and hard before answering a question on what Romney can say that would reassure her.
“I don’t know what Mitt Romney can do to win over this crowd,” Ms. Radtke says. “When it’s one conservative versus Mitt Romney, the conservative seems to win pretty handily. I guess he needs a more focused message. A 50-page economic proposal doesn’t cut it.”
The results of the CPAC straw poll will be announced on Saturday, and it’s anybody’s guess who will win. Last year, Ron Paul won, with a heavy contingent of supporters in attendance. This year, Congressman Paul isn’t even attending CPAC, choosing instead to campaign in Maine. His son, Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky, addressed the conference on Thursday.
This isn’t Romney’s crowd – very few attendees are sporting Romney stickers – and it’s conceivable he could come in last. If he does, that would be embarrassing. In his ideal world, he will do well enough among CPAC-ers – his best friends four years ago, after all – that the conference doesn’t add to the perception problem that Minnesota, Colorado, and Missouri have already given him.

yahoonews

Related Stories:

1. Campaign ad spending surges past $12 million in SC