New Year Resolutions and Happiness Strategies | Santa Barbara ...

Guest column by Summerland resident Jackie Ruka

Yes, it?s that time again, a new year means creating new intentions, setting new goals and embracing change for being better with our health, career, finances, relationships, community and spiritual well-being.

According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology 2012 the most common New Year resolutions by Americans are: self-improvement, weight, money-related and relationship resolutions are only successfully achieved by 8 percent within a six-month time span.

While many assume happiness is a derivative of success, studies have proven that isn?t quite the case. Many professionally successful people and those with notable wealth are actually not happy ? often quite the opposite. Even more surprising is that what you might perceive as success could actually be hindering your happiness.

As a society we?ve gotten it backwards: it is happiness that leads to success not vice versa.

Scientific studies actually prove that we are the ambassadors of our own happiness in that we have full control over this enviable state of mind, which is a powerful precursor of success in terms of the true meaning of the word and how it impacts the human experience.

An array of credentialed psychologists and other respected researchers have studied people around the globe to discern how money, culture, attitude, health, memory, altruism and daily habits affect our well-being. The field of ?positive psychology? has dug deep and formerly recognized that a person?s thoughts and actions can have a significant effect on their happiness and life fulfillment.

With this in mind, here is a list of 10 scientifically proven happiness strategies:

1. Savor ordinary events. Study participants who took the time to do this ?showed significant increases in happiness and reductions in depression,? psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky notes. Reflecting back on moments of your day, even those you might ordinarily hurry through, is a worthwhile effort.
2. Avoid comparisons. Focusing on your own personal achievements instead of making comparisons to others will better impact your happiness and self-esteem, according to Lyubomirsky, which leads to greater life satisfaction. It?s easy to lose sight of what achievements, both personal and professional, have enriched our life, and we must remind ourselves ? often.
3. Put money low on the list. According to researchers Kasser and Ryan, those who put money high on their priority list are at greater risk for depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. ?Money-seekers also score lower on tests of vitality and self-actualization,? Ryan says.
4. Have meaningful goals. As humans, we thrive on having a purpose, but what is purpose if there is no meaning behind it? ?People who strive for something significant, whether it?s learning a new craft or raising moral children, are far happier than those who don?t have strong dreams or aspirations,? father and son team Diener and Biswas-Diener found.
5. Take initiative at work. Researcher Amy Wrzesniewski says that, ?when we express creativity, help others, suggest improvements or do additional tasks on the job, we make our work more rewarding and feel more in control.?
6. Make friends and treasure family. This may seem like a no-brainer, but we need relationships. Sometimes we underestimate the importance of such connections.
7. Fake it until you make it. ?This actually works, according to Diener and Biswas-Diener, who assert, ?Happy people see possibilities, opportunities, and success. When they think of the future, they are optimistic, and when they review the past, they tend to savor the high points.? This may take some practice, so try to smile even when you don?t feel like it.
8. Keep a gratitude journal. When you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, you can either become a time bomb waiting to go off or you can recalibrate. An excellent tool for detoxing and redirecting your thoughts is with a gratitude journal. Those who write in a journal on a weekly basis are healthier, more optimistic, and more likely to achieve personal goals, according to author Robert Emmons.
9. Get moving. According to a Duke University study, exercise may be as effective as drugs in treating even major depression. Exercise releases endorphins, the feel-good hormone. Duke researcher Blumenthal suggested that ?exercise may be beneficial because patients are actually taking an active role in trying to get better. Patients who exercised may have felt a greater sense of mastery over their condition and gained a greater sense of accomplishment.
10. Serve others. This is often referred to as a ?helper?s high.? According to ethicist and researcher Stephen Post, helping a neighbor, volunteering, and donating goods and services results in more health benefits than exercising or quitting smoking. ?Researcher Elizabeth Dunn similarly found that those who spent money on others reported greater happiness than those who spent it on themselves.

With so much science underscoring that we are active participants in the process, I prefer to regard happiness as a verb. Navigating happiness is a journey filled with a series of actions. It?s not an outcome. No matter the circumstance, we all have the capacity to be happy. The only question is what next step you will take to foster your own?

??America?s Happyologist? Jackie Ruka is a lifestyle expert who founded the Get Happy Zone (www.gethappyzone.com) personal development organization. She is also the author of the soon-to-be-released book, ?Get Happy and Create a Kick Butt Life, a Toolbox for Rapidly Activating the Life You Desire.??Contact her and take her Fearless Quiz online at?www.tinyurl.com/HappinessQuiz.

Source: http://www.santabarbaraview.com/new-year-resolutions-and-happiness-strategies442545/

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Unloved Congress unfazed by public's disapproval

Roger L. Wollenberg / Getty Images

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speak to the media at the White House on Nov. 16, 2012.

By Carrie Dann, NBC News

Four months ago, the United States Congress had a gloomy approval rating of just 12 percent.?And that was before most Americans had ever heard of a "fiscal cliff."?

The last NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll to measure congressional approval (August), showed that a whopping 82 percent of Americans disapproved of the job Congress was doing, an all-time record for the history of the survey.

By some estimates, Congress' approval rating could now -- after an ugly fiscal cliff fight and the brewing storm over aid to Hurricane Sandy victims -- be nearly within the margin of, well, zilch.?

Big policy losers in tax deal: deficit reduction and 'certainty'

So is Congress doomed to forever be the branch of government eating alone in the proverbial cafeteria of public opinion? And can it go any lower?

For the last four years, no more than one-in-three adults has given Congress a thumbs up, according to the poll. And it's been longer than a decade since more?than half of Americans approved of their representative government on Capitol Hill.

After intense pressure, the House vote on some emergency aid for areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy will be held on Friday. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports.

Experts say that because the ratings have been so poor for so long, members are no longer fazed by the public's overall disapproval. They note that the lambasting of Congress as a whole has minimal effects on individual races, especially when candidates run against the status quo of the very body they're trying to join.

Some 90 percent of lawmakers who ran for re-election in 2012 will be coming right back to Capitol Hill for the 113th Congress.?

"Nobody ever votes on Congress as a whole, they vote on individual members," says Jack Pitney, professor at Claremont McKenna College in California. "The message that most lawmakers give their constituents is 'I'm great, it's these other bozos who are the problem.'"

For the most part, that pitch works.

'Everybody has something to hate'
In the August NBC/WSJ poll, even though only about one-in-ten Americans approved of Congress, four times as many said that their own representatives deserved re-election.

Apart from keeping the same lawmakers they seem bent on throwing out, the public has also sent mixed signals on whether or not it wants a government divided between two parties.

For more than 20 of the last 30 years, the White House has been controlled by a different party than one or both houses of Congress.

Boehner likely to be reelected speaker, but there could be drama

With Congress frequently butting heads with the president -- particularly on budgetary matters that could have real and unpleasant consequences for American taxpayers -- it's not easy for lawmakers to compete for a "Miss Congeniality" trophy.

"These fights, combined with difficult economic times, leave the public to understandably think very poorly of the Congress," says Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and the co-author of a recent book on political dysfunction.

"I don't think it's destined to always be that way, but when you have a war going on between the two major parties, not just during campaign season but throughout the governing season, then it's not surprising for Congress to get these kind of ratings," Mann said.?

House Republicans are under the public microscope after apparently delaying action on a Hurricane Sandy relief package.

Making matters worse for Congress:?the issues at stake often involve spending cuts and federal program changes likely to affect voters directly -- many of them negatively.

"We have an enormous deficit and the only steps that we can take to reduce the deficit are painful and unpopular," says Pitney. "Plus, you have split party control, so everybody has something to hate."

Public wants unity
In a model divided government, the Congress would serve -- at least in principle -- to cancel the most partisan priorities from the executive branch in favor of centrist ideals.

But with that rosy idea of balance often replaced by inaction and gridlock, polling suggests that the country may be shifting toward a preference for unity.

A recent Gallup survey showed that the number of Americans who said they want to see divided government is at record lows, with just 23 percent favoring a president and a Congress from different parties.

What the fiscal deal means for you

That's a finding that Brock McCleary, the former deputy executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee and founder of the survey firm Harper Polling, has seen replicated in polls throughout various House districts.

"Our assumption was voters would want one branch of government as a nice check and balance on the other one and think that as long as everyone's tapping the brakes on one another it's probably better for the country," he said. "But we would go and look at polling and find that wasn't actually the case. Very few people were telling pollsters that's what they wanted."

But, McCleary added, that sentiment didn't translate into change in the two most recent elections in 2010 and 2012, which resulted in a Republican House despite a fairly decisive re-election for a Democratic president.

Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., joins Chris Cillizza to talk about Tuesday night's fiscal cliff negotiations and how the House closed session on a sour note.

"There's a disconnect there," he said.

With divided government in place for at least the next two years, and with the vast majority up for re-election likely to return each year -- Congress's best hope may ultimately depend on the economy that each party aims to improve. But in the immediate future, those prospects look bleak.

"People generally need to feel as though the country is back on the right track," said McCleary. "Until that turns around it, sliding approval numbers are a fact of life for American politicians."

Source: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/03/16309992-unloved-for-so-long-congress-not-fazed-by-publics-disapproval?lite

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Interval Training: Blast Fat & Burn Calories? In Less Time! | Lucille ...

Women today have got a lot on their plate. Some are lucky enough to squeeze in a daily workout session. However most of us are pressed for time and exercise is often put on the back burner because of it. If you think that you need to spend hours at the gym to see results, you?re wrong! In just 30 minutes or less you can get an effective workout that blasts fat and torches calories?with interval training.

The Benefits

Studies have shown that using interval training?workouts in which you alternate periods of high-intensity exercise with low-intensity recovery periods?yields greater fat loss and burns more calories than exercising at a steady pace for a longer amount of time. It?s intense and challenging, but you?ll see results fast!

A study from?Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise?also showed that high-intensity intervals may be better than moderate, steady exercises for improving cardiovascular fitness in adults.

If you?re looking to speed up your metabolism, then interval training is great for that as well. As opposed to a steady-paced workout, interval training boosts your metabolism during your workout and well after it has ended. That?s because high-intensity intervals require more oxygen for your body to recover after exercise, and leaves your metabolism operating at a higher level of efficiency for hours after you?re done exercising.

Aside from the physical benefits, training using high intensity intervals is guaranteed to shake up your regular fitness routine. If you?re tired of your everyday exercise regimen, then this is the workout for you.

Get To Work

Now that you know all the facts, it?s time to get to work! The good news is, there?s no set rule on how to do interval training. Just mix up high intensity exercises or cardio with periods of rest, and repeat. To get you started, here are three interval workouts you can do at the gym or at home. Get ready, they?re intense!

Cardio Blast

1. Warm up for 10-12 minutes, finishing the warm-up at 75% of your maximum heart rate or at 7.5 on the perceived exertion scale, in which 0 is no effort and 10 is your max.
2. Choose any type of cardio. Do it at your maximum effort for 30 seconds.
3. Slow your pace and recover for 2 minutes.
4. Do this up to four times.
5. Cool down for 10 minutes.

Body Weight Countdown

1. As fast as you can, do 10 squats, 10 push-ups, and 10 full sit-ups.
2. Then do nine reps of each. Then eight, seven, six, and so forth, until you reach one rep of each exercise.
3. Rest halfway through the exercise, at five reps, for 30-45 seconds and then continue.
4. After finishing rest for 3 minutes and repeat the exercise.
5. Cool down for 10 minutes when completed.
6. Record your time and try to improve each week.

Plyo Fat Burn

1. There are 3 exercises in this routine. Each will be done for 60 seconds, with a 60 second low-intensity rest interval (ie, marching in place).
2. The moves:? Jumping Jacks, Burpees, Mountain Climbers.
3. After completing all 3 exercises, rest for 2-3 minutes and repeat up to three times.
4. Cool down by walking for 10 min.

Source: http://www.lucilleroberts.com/blog/http%3A/www.lucilleroberts.com/blog/interval-training-blast-fat-burn-calories-in-less-time/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=interval-training-blast-fat-burn-calories-in-less-time

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Clinton talking to staff as she recovers from clot

FILE - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, listens to a reporter ask a question during a news conference with African Union Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, not seen, after their meeting at the Department of State in Washington, in this Nov. 28, 2012 file photo. Doctors treating Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for a blood clot in her head said Monday Dec. 31, 2013 that blood thinners are being used to dissolve the clot and they are confident she will make a full recovery. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, listens to a reporter ask a question during a news conference with African Union Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, not seen, after their meeting at the Department of State in Washington, in this Nov. 28, 2012 file photo. Doctors treating Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for a blood clot in her head said Monday Dec. 31, 2013 that blood thinners are being used to dissolve the clot and they are confident she will make a full recovery. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, center, is transported on the New York Presbyterian Hospital complex Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, in New York. Officials say Clinton who was admitted to the New York hospital Sunday continues to be treated with blood thinners to dissolve a clot in the vein behind the right ear. Doctors found the clot during a follow-up exam stemming from a concussion she suffered in early December. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, center, is transported on the New York Presbyterian Hospital complex Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, in New York. Officials say Clinton who was admitted to the New York hospital Sunday continues to be treated with blood thinners to dissolve a clot in the vein behind the right ear. Doctors found the clot during a follow-up exam stemming from a concussion she suffered in early December. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been speaking with staff and reviewing paperwork from the New York hospital where she is recovering from a blood clot in her head, the State Department said Wednesday.

Doctors continue to monitor Clinton's progress and her response to blood thinners intended to dissolve the clot. Aides said there was no update Wednesday on her condition, but emphasized that the secretary remained engaged with staff in Washington who are handling U.S. foreign policy in her absence.

"She's been quite active on the phone with all of us," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

Clinton was admitted Sunday to New York-Presbyterian Hospital for treatment of a clot stemming from a concussion she suffered earlier in December. While at home battling a stomach virus, Clinton had fainted, fallen and struck her head, a spokesman said. Clinton, 65, hasn't been seen publicly since Dec. 7.

Clinton was photographed Wednesday getting into a black van with her husband, Bill, daughter, Chelsea, and a security contingent to be taken elsewhere on the sprawling hospital campus.

Doctors found the clot, located in a vein that runs through the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear, during a follow-up exam and began administering blood thinners. Her physicians said Monday that there was no neurological damage and that they expect she will make a full recovery.

Sidelined by her illness for most of December, Clinton was forced to cancel scheduled testimony before Congress about a scathing report into the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, and was absent on Dec. 21 when President Barack Obama nominated Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to succeed Clinton when she steps down at the start of Obama's second term, as had long been planned.

But Clinton had expected to return to work this week and had already started to resume regular phone contact with her foreign counterparts. On Saturday, the day before the clot was discovered, Clinton had a half-hour conversation with Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. envoy to Syria, in which the two discussed the state of affairs in that civil-war-torn country, Nuland said.

Also on Saturday, Clinton spoke by telephone with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, discussing recent developments in Syria, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories.

Clinton's doctors said they planned to release Clinton from the hospital after the proper dose for the blood thinners had been established, and doctors not involved with her care say it's likely she will have no long-term consequences from the clot. But it remains to be seen whether she will be able to return to work before she resigns as secretary of state.

The illness has also raised questions about Clinton's political future and how her health might influence her decision about whether to run for president in 2016, as prominent Democrats have been urging her to consider. Clinton also suffered from a blood clot in 1998, midway through her husband's second term as president, although that clot was located in her knee.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-01-02-Clinton/id-e1a04015372d42a2b7c1afdafd550f0b

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N. Korea's Kim offers olive branch to South

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a surprise New Year address in Pyongyang on Tuesday.

By NBC News wire services

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for an end to confrontation between the two Koreas, technically still at war in the absence of a peace treaty to end their 1950-53 conflict, in a surprise New Year speech broadcast on state media.

The address by Kim, who took over power in the state after his father, Kim Jong Il, died in 2011, appeared to take the place of the policy-setting New Year editorial published in leading state newspapers.

But North Korea has offered olive branches before and Kim's speech does not necessarily signify a change in tack from a country that vilifies the United States and U.S. ally South Korea at every chance it gets.

North Korea raised tensions in the region by launching a long-range rocket in December that it said was aimed at putting a scientific satellite in orbit, drawing international condemnation.

North Korea, which considers North and South as one country, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is banned from testing missile or nuclear technology under U.N. sanctions imposed after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear weapons tests.

North Korea missiles could reach US, says South

Elizabeth Dalziel / AP

From work to play, see pictures from inside the secretive country.

"An important issue in putting an end to the division of the country and achieving its reunification is to remove confrontation between the north and the south," Kim said in the address that appeared to be pre-recorded and was made at an undisclosed location.

"The past records of inter-Korean relations show that confrontation between fellow countrymen leads to nothing but war," he said.

Economic reform?
Kim also called for improving living standards of his impoverished nation, with passages in his speech acknowledging the poor state of the country's economy that has long lagged behind the rest of the region.

But Kim gave no indication whether he plans to introduce economic reforms or allow free enterprise, except to say the economy should be underpinned by science and technology.

"The industrial revolution in the new century is, in essence, a scientific and technological revolution, and breaking through the cutting edge is a shortcut to the building of an economic giant," he said.

North Korea: Detained American tourist has 'admitted his crime'

The speech avoided harsh criticism of the United States, its wartime enemy. North Korea has used past New Year's editorials to accuse the Washington of plotting war.

In other signs of changes in the country -- at least at a superficial level -- North Korea also had its first grand New Year's Eve celebration, with residents of the capital treated to the boom of cannons and fireworks at midnight.

David Guttenfelder / AP

In this March 9, 2011 photo, a girl plays the piano inside the Changgwang Elementary School in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

In Pyongyang, residents danced in the snow at midnight Monday to celebrate the end of a big year for North Korea, including the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung and the first year of Kim Jong Un's leadership. Fireworks lit up the cold night sky, and people stood in fur-lined parkas, taking photos and laughing and dancing with each other in plazas.

High tensions with South remain
The New Year address was the first in 19 years by a North Korean leader after the death of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Un's grandfather. Kim Jong Il rarely spoke in public and disclosed his national policy agenda in editorials in state newspapers.

"(Kim's statement) apparently contains a message that he has an intention to dispel the current face-off (between the two Koreas), which could eventually be linked with the North's call for aid (from the South)," said Kim Tae-woo, a North Korea expert at the state-funded Korea Institute for National Unification.

South Korean navy ships have found what appeared to be debris from the rocket launched by North Korea this week. NBCNews.com's Alex Witt reports.

"But such a move does not necessarily mean any substantive change in the North Korean regime's policy towards the South," he added.

The two Koreas have seen tensions rise to the highest level in decades after the North bombed a Southern island in 2010, killing two civilians and two soldiers.

More photos from inside North Korea on NBC's PhotoBlog

The sinking of a South Korean navy ship earlier that year was blamed on the North but Pyongyang has denied it and accused Seoul of waging a smear campaign against its leadership.

Last month, South Korea elected as president Park Geun-hye, a conservative daughter of assassinated military ruler Park Chung-hee, whom Kim Il Sung had tried to kill at the height of their Cold War confrontation.

Complete World coverage on NBCNews.com

Park has vowed to pursue engagement with the North and called for dialogue to build confidence but has demanded that Pyongyang abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions, something it is unlikely to do.

Conspicuously absent from Kim's speech was any mention of the nuclear arms program.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

More world stories from NBC News:

Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/01/16279284-north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-offers-olive-branch-to-south-in-rare-address?lite

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Special report: The Price of Education ? Ghanamma.com

General News of Monday, 31 December 2012

Source: Joy Online

It was bad news. It was not the kind of news 52-year old Njorfuni Wajah wished to hear after travelling more than 600 kilometres with his ailing son to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH). That was not what his wife, Victoria, who cannot tell her age but looks like someone in her mid-thirties, wanted to be told. And that was certainly not what 11-year-old Kwadwo Njorfuni, who is paying dearly for his father?s decision to educate him, wanted to know of his future.

But greater burden at this moment, perhaps, lay on Dr George Wepeba, a consultant neurosurgeon at the KBTH, who had to confirm the couple?s fears after close to 30-minutes of physical examination, scrutiny past medical records a stack of X-ray films which Kwadwo?s father brought with him to the Hospital. Wearing an I?m-sorry-but-that?s-it look, Dr Wepeba had the onerous task of telling the couple what contradicted their expectation, what would dash their hopes.

Kwadwo would never be able to walk for the rest of his life, Dr Wepeba told the couple. He had lost the ability to pass urine so a urinary catheter would forever be connected to his penis, else he would always wet himself anytime there was the urge to empty his bladder. He had lost the ability to control his bowels and would forever wear diapers in order to soak the involuntary discharge of faecal waste.

Kwadwo had also lost his manhood, Dr Wepeba added.

?So what can be done about it?? Mr Wajah asked after an awkward silence that came in the wake of Dr Wepeba?s bombshell. He was hopeful that something could be done about his son?s condition once he got to Korle-Bu. That turned out differently.

The doctor said Kwadwo needed to be put on special diet, especially high protein meals. Kwadwo?s life-threatening bedsores, he said, drained him of lot of nutrients so he needed special care to survive. This imposed cost implications on the impoverished family.

?I?m very sad we could not intervene surgically again,? said Mr Selorm Azumah, one of the group of individuals who had sponsored Kwadwo?s transportation to Korle-Bu and paid for all the expenses. He was with the family at Korle-Bu and stood beside Kwadwo?s father in the consulting room.

Kwadwo was taken back to Banda. His bedsores, the doctor advised, could be treated at the nearest health facility instead of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Disappointed but without any option, Kwadwo?s family found their way back home to hope that a ?miracle? would happen in the life of their son as Mr Serlorm Azumah said.

Kwadwo Njorfuni was among ten pupils of the English Arabic Primary School in Banda in the Krachi West District of the Volta Region who were seriously injured in 2008. A weak classroom wall collapsed on them. One of pupils, Godwin Ayensu, died on the spot while seven others, including Kwadwo, survived with scars of the November 21 tragedy.

Kwadwo?s father was able to send him to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where medical authorities said he had suffered from ?fracture dislocation of T11-T12 with cord transection? or spinal fracture, in lay terms. After the surgery, he was asked to come back for a medical review in six months. But he could not go because all attempts by his father, a peasant farmer, to get money failed. This visit to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital was facilitated and financed by some individuals who felt touched by the story, which was carried by this reporter.

Dr George Wepeba was not sure whether the medical review could have put Kwadwo back on his feet but he says lucky patients who reported early enough for the review were able to walk again after similar operations. He however said Kwadwo could have been better if his parents had carried out the recommendations of doctors at that time and provided the boy with much physiotherapy care.

Mr Wajah said his son?s predicament some three and a half years ago had brought hardship to the family. His eldest son, he pointed out, was the one farming to cater for the family while he and his wife spent much of their time taking care of Kwadwo.

Mrs Wajah said before Kwadwo?s accident, she had taken a loan of GH?1,000 from someone in the community to engage in petty trading. She said the business had collapsed and she could not repay the debt.

?Before we came here, were spent almost six months at the Krachi [Government] Hospital,? Mr Wajah said. He also said he was unable to repay the monies he had borrowed from people for the initial surgery of Kwadwo in 2008. He said he had regretted taking his son to school.

?They [educational authorities] often say we should take our children to school; what is the benefit of this kind of education that leaves the family with so much debt and suffering?? he asked.

Three years after the accident the educational infrastructure in the Banda town, where Kwadwo suffered his spinal injury, has not seen any improvement. ?The classrooms are more or less death traps so we have asked the students to sit outside,? said Lapoah Alfred, the head teacher of the Banda D/A Junior High School, the best school in the district according to the 2010 Basic Education Certificate Examination rankings.

The immediate past District Director of Education for the Krachi West District, Mr Bernard Akara, said most of the school buildings in the district were not fit to house human beings. ?Sometimes you wonder whether they are hencoops or classrooms,? he said. Such deplorable infrastructure coupled with the non-availability of teachers accounted for the poor performance of students in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

For the likes of Kwadwo Njorfuni and the other injured children of Banda, the price they paid for education in rural Ghana is beyond failure in their exams.

?I took Kwadwo to school to learn but I have regretted taking that decision,? Kwadwo?s father said. But Kwadwo still had hopes of getting better and going back to school one day.

The kind of songs students of Banda sang when they welcomed Kwadwo back from the hospital, however, meant that his dreams had come to an end. Kwadwo passed away after four years of fierce resistance and indescribable suffering.

Outside the family?s thatched house in Banda, where a short burial ceremony was held for Kwadwo, his distraught mother leaned speechlessly against the mud wall. But his father said the family was relieved that it was all over. He and his wife would now have time to work and cater for the rest of their children.

Inside the room lay the emaciated body of Kwadwo rapped in an old and oversized grey shirt and trousers. A short debate ensued after he was lifted and put in a coffin. Before the coffin was nailed some of the people gathered in the room opposed the idea of burying him with the new pair of green bathroom slippers popularly called ?aka me last (Charlie wote).? But they lost the fight and as the hammer hit the nails deep into the coffin, Kwadwo lay sideways with his feet tightly gripping the slippers.

Kwadwo was buried at the Banda public cemetery. This is where Godwin Ayensu, who died in the same accident, was buried four years ago. Kwadwo Njorfuni?s life and suffering have ended but clouds of danger still hung over students of Banda and perhaps many more across the country who study in classrooms turned death traps.

Education was the major issue for political parties in the just-ended parliamentary and presidential elections. But matching past electoral promises on education against concrete achievements of elected governments, it does not seem much will change until politicians stop focusing on the next election and spare a thought for the next generation.

Note: Manasseh Azure Awuni followed Kwadwo?s story for almost two years and witnessed most of the incidents personally. He witnessed the transportation of Kwadwo to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital as well as his burial among others. Details of the accident were recounted to him by teachers and students who witnessed it.

Source: http://www.ghanamma.com/2013/01/special-report-the-price-of-education/

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State Has Non-Alcoholic Drink Recipes to Keep New Year's Eve ...

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December 31, 2012. Posted 16 hours ago.Posted in: Drink Recipes

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