Blogging Endorsement from my workplace?

After 5 grueling days working outside of Accra, I  stumbled into work on Tuesday and was delighted to hear that our new staff IDs were ready. Seems like the people at work are regular followers of my blog and decided to drop my surname outright. I'm taking this as an endorsement of my procrastinatory ways! 

 I feel like Angelina Jolie !

He's the Gaffe-r!: Pat Robertson and his 'Pact with the Devil'

Once a upon a time in the Kingdom of Swaziland, the folks in charge of programming at the state television station decided that controversial televangelist Jimmy Swaggart on Sundays was not sufficient for the spiritual nourishment of the people. 

 Jimmy Swaggart in one of his trademark weepy moments. This may have been the one he admitted to frequenting a commercial sex worker. That was one episode I missed! 
Source: bbc.co.uk

So somewhere in the mid-80s, Swazi TV added a daily early evening offering of the religious programme The 700 Club. Children like me were shattered since we would have preferred more Transformers, GI Joe or Care Bears but instead got televangelist Pat Robertson sitting on a couch talking about things we did not quite understand. He seemed pious, sincere and very spiritual.  (Above) Pat Robertson and his 700 Club panelists. Source: http://www.payer.de

More than 20 years later, the same Pat Robertson has resurfaced on my radar. This is because, from the comfort of his Christian Broadcasting  Network base in Virgina, he has offered some 'helpful' observations regarding the real reason behind the recent earthquake in Haiti. Unlike what many of us may have thought, it had nothing to do with nature but is all to do with the Haitian revolution that started in 1791 and saw the establishment of the first black republic.

 Depiction of Haitian Revolution
Source: Wikipedia

Mr. Robertson's comments are reproduced in a Reuters blog as follows:

“...They were under the heel of the French … and they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French.’ True story,” Robertson said in a matter-of-fact tone on the broadcast.
“And so the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal. .. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after another,” he said.

This statement led many on Twitter and Facebook to conclude that either Pat Robertson is:

• Battling senility
• Smoking *very hard* narcotics or 
  
• Was there when this pact was made
  

At first I thought it was all a joke but fortunately the broadcast is on YouTube. Is Mr Robertson...

• suggesting that slaves rebelling against slave-owners  was morally wrong?
• saying all Haitians and generations to come are cursed?
  
•  reinforcing the old notion popular among racist bigots that black people are cursed?

Pat Robertson
Source: Sikh Times Online

Interestingly, Pat Robertson is no stranger to  nonsensical statements. Time Magazine online has a wonderful piece on the Top 10 Pat Robertson Gaffes. "Top 10"  suggests there are many more gems out there. All I can say is thank goodness us kids did not understand what Mr. Robertson was saying back in the '80s.

The Great Television Purge and the Productive Worker Effect

 Random Television

Source: businessweek.com

Yesterday, while listening to Haiti news updates on the BBC, I caught part of an interview with the Ghanaian Deputy Minister for Information Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah about the latest Presidential directive to ban television sets from government offices .The aim of  the directive is to  increase productivity among government workers putting them on par with their private sector counterparts. 

I was particularly delighted to hear about the television-off initiative. After all, how many times have I gone to a government office to find civil servants completely entranced by a tepid plot involving Desmond Elliot/Ramsey Nouah/Emeka Ike desperately trying to woo Mercy Johnson/Stephanie Okereke/Genevieve Nnaiji ?

The expectation appears to be that as soon as the last television is switched off, workers nation-wide will suddenly exclaim:

A. "What? No more Juana la Virgen rerun reruns to enjoy? Well I guess I will just get to that pile of documents I have to review for urgent action right away!"
 

B. "No more riveting Naija movies to relish? Why don't we work on those reports so that the school contracts can be awarded next week?"

According to the government, there is a thin line dividing productivity between government and private sector workers. On this line appears to lie a television set. What I'm wondering about is whether the government has done a survey to explore factors leading to the purported low work-output among civil servants. Aside from television sets have they also taken into consideration ways to increase productivity such as:

• Better remuneration/incentive packages
  
• Turning off radios/banning newspapers/banning discussions
  
• Inflexible goal-oriented approaches 
• Strict structured supervision
• Shorter lunches 
• Avoiding workers going out on errands that take all day 
• Lighter lunches (I rambled on about this in one of my earliest posts!)

Post-lunch siesta in an office without televisions!

The list is endless but then again I'm also guilty of talking without supporting evidence from a study! In the meantime, the televisions will go off and we are all waiting patiently to see if there are any resultant 'productive worker' effects.

Catastrophic Earthquake in Haiti!

Building completely destroyed 
Source: Lisandro Suero/AFP/Getty Images

Woke up this morning to the devasting news that Haiti had been hit by an earthquake of magnitude 7.3. It is being described as Haiti's worst earthquake in 2 centuries. Hundreds are feared dead and out of a population of 10 million, 3 million will be affected. The focus is now on search and rescue with the US government providing assistance. My heart goes out to all Haitians at this difficult time.

Tainting the Beautiful Game

The past weekend was a harrowing one for African football and Africa in general. Just to think it was all supposed to be about  the mounting excitement in anticipation of the glorious Africa Cup of Nations. 

Yet, last Friday, disaster struck with  the tragic attack by gunmen on the Togolese national football. Three people were left dead and several wounded. Some onlookers were learning for the first time about the existence of the volatile Angolan enclave of Cabinda while others (I'm sure)  were discovering that 'Angola' did not only refer to the Louisiana State Penitentiary! 

 Togo Team Captain Emmanuel Adebayor 

Source: The Gunning Hawk  

I felt particularly saddened for a number of reasons. Aside from the needless loss of life there is the fact that Togo is our neighbour. Also, I can't help but feel bad for my Angolan friends who were excited that a positive spotlight  was to be shone on their re-emergent and rebuilt  nation. Finally, (completely frivolously), I have a huge crush on the young 6 ft 3  captain of the Togo national team Emmanuel Adebayor who remains *divine* despite his antics on the field.

The future father of my children Adebayor in a misunderstanding with his former Arsenal teammate  van Persie

Source: thisislondon.co.uk

My entire weekend was spent following whether Togo would stay on BBC and Twitter. It has now become apparent that Togo is out of the Africa Cup of Nations  but there are a couple of issues that are still bothering me:

• 'Highway to the Danger Zone'?

Why were Togo traveling by road despite the  supposedly well-documented insurgency problem in the area?

• The English Premier League and Ownership
  

For years some English Premiership club bosses have disliked the Africa Cup of Nations because it involves releasing 'their' African players for national duties in the middle of the football season. After the  tragic incident , the manager of the premiership team Hull City Phil Brown made the shamelessly opportunisitic move of the weekend by demanding that 'his' players should come back 'home' to England. He was not the only one. This got me really confused. Don't these players have national allegiances first and foremost?

Secondly, do the clubs actually own these players body and soul? Is English premiership football akin to slavery? Extremely well-paid slavery that is. Luckily, other managers such as Arsene Wenger of (my) Arsenal have alot more perspective as well as respect for African football.

• '2010 World Cup question marks after Togo attack'
  

The delightful Phil Brown of Hull City is also one of the people making the curious link that the attacks in Angola somehow have implications for World Cup security in South Africa. I could have sworn that there were 1000s of miles between Cabinda and South Africa but I may be wrong.

  Mr. Phil Brown of Hull City himself

Source: thisislondon.co.uk

If we were to equate events in Cabinda to security fears in South Africa, then that would mean the greatest threat would be from insurgents operating in the Republic of South Africa.  Of course the only separatists existing in South Africa are White supermactists agitating for a self-governing white homeland. Fascinating. Hopefully they don't have plans to taint The Beautiful Game.

Third World Living: Mesmerized by Roadworks Part 2

I have always been excited by make-over programmes. You know the type with the sad-looking,  dowdy, badly-dressed person in a pathetic "Before" shot who is magically transformed into a happy-looking fabulous person in a glossy "After" shot. So when road work started on our street back in August 2009, I longed for that beautiful "After" shot. It was not meant to be. Instead, the road was left half-done, half-baked and  fully shoddy. Voila:

 Our Street: The Before Shot 

Suddenly, around New Year's, we heard the rumble of engines outside. Lo and behold, we were about to ring in the New Year with our road *finally* complete! 

Alas, it was too good to be true. Instead of re-doing the tarred and making a uniform road, the good 'ol contractor was sure to just tar the un-tarred portion leaving the road still very shoddy.

 Our Street: The After Shot 

It has been a week and there's no sign of the road contractor. Apparently, a crew was supposed to sweep the road to make it look slightly presentable. However, a tractor and some equipment were abandoned on the street. Maybe I should hot-wire them and use the tractor to sweep our very dusty street myself!

Happy New Year! Welcome 2010!

I must admit I stumbled into 2009 without a plan and within the blink of an eye, the year was over!

Is it really possible that an entire decade has just come to a close? For me the thought was daunting. While I was trying to come to terms with the end of an era, I came across a high school friend's facebook status:

"In the past decade, I graduated from university, fell in love, got marrried, birthed two beautiful boys, found meaningful work, and bought a home. This may have been the best decade yet! "

Although we may have started at the same point, for some of us our journey through the decade cannot be summed up in a few beautiful sentences. For some of us, visibility on the road ahead was not always clear. We may have encountered major potholes and also, may have taken interesting diversions off the path. Even now, where the road ahead is taking us may not also be so certain.

Despite so many uncertainties, there is something about 2010 that I cannot help but be optimistic and excited about. Maybe its the thought of the world's spotlight being on Africa not because of poverty, war, famine, corruption and crime but for the love of The Beautiful game. In 2010 I have resolved to be more focused, to be more organised but at the same time enjoy life alot more. Wishing you all a peaceful, prosperous and productive 2010. May it be a year full of hope, joy, possibilities and love. NB: This post was generated using my phone so apologies if it comes out looking dodgy.