Flagstaff House: Present in Google Maps when the White House is not!

This revelation from the first-ever Africa Media FORUM on Geoinformation Systems was too juicy to leave to oneself.

So now you know how very seriously the US security services take their security--and that of their most important man...!

All Hail Ghana's new President...

...Professor John Evans Attah Mills: renowned lawyer and tax expert. I will save you from going to wikipedia by culling mini-bography about him below:

Mills was educated at Achimota Secondary School, where he completed the Advanced Level Certificate in 1963, and the University of Ghana, Legon, where he received a bachelor's degree and professional certificate in law in 1967.

While earning a PhD in Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, England, Mills was selected as a Fulbright scholar at Stanford Law School in the United States.[2] Before then, Mills had earned an LLM at SOAS, University of London.

At the age of 27, he was awarded his PhD after successfully completing his doctoral thesis in the area of taxation and economic development. Mills' first formal teaching assignment was as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana, Legon. He spent close to twenty five years teaching at Legon and other institutions of higher learning, and rose in position from lecturer to senior lecturer to associate professor, serving on numerous boards and committees. During his almost thirty years of teaching and researching, Mills traveled as a visiting lecturer and professor at a number of educational institutions worldwide and presented research papers at symposiums and conferences throughout the world.

Adam, you're right! It does feel good to have a Professor as President. Important thing now is he makes sure he surrounds himself not with sycophants, but dedicated professionals!

Good weekend to all!

When Scarce Water is No one's Cup of Tea

Last time I looked, the only thing in common water had with tea was the fact that they were both liquids! So, what really takes the biscuit in this entry is the fact that for the past couple of days, even drinking tea and trying to wash the cup has rarely been any one's cup of tea, on account of needing to fetch water into a bowl, and then clean the cup separately before washing it.

As Ghanaians gear themselves up to watch the second of the Presidential debates organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in the Northern region of the country, potential and floating voters will be (re-)considering which of the major four parties will ensure that water will be running regularly, I'm sure!

Ouch, hope with all this talk of food and liquids, you're not hungry?

How about some tea?;-)

Traffic. A Crowd. An Accident. Involving the Ghanaian President

Traffic on the 37 military road

.

A crowd

.

A police tow van

.

a police officer directing traffic

A crowd is able to congregate round a green light, against the backdrop of what looks like heavy traffic

Something's certainly caught the crowd's attention

This is the perfect scene for comment. Some twenty-five minutes before I arrived here from a work-related press conference to see this scene--and take a picture of it--my Mum called me to ask me whether I had heard the news about no less than the President of Ghana John Kufuor being involved in a near-fatal car crash that involved the car somersaulting THREE times, after a car, travelling at top speed hit it.

Here is how Reuters reported it:

Ghanaian President Kufuor involved in car accident - witnesses

Wed 14 Nov 2007, 13:34 GMT
[-] Text [+]

ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghanaian President John Kufuor, chairman of the African Union, escaped unhurt when a car crashed into his vehicle on Wednesday, rolling it over several times, officials and witnesses said.

Presidential Press Secretary Andy Awuni said Kufuor appeared healthy and composed but was undergoing medical checks in the presidential palace to ensure he was not at risk.

Witnesses said a red car coming from the opposite direction struck the president's vehicle at a major intersection near the Kotoka International Airport in the capital Accra.


"The car finally rested on the sidewalk and the people around helped his security men to pull him out. The president came out holding his head," James Kobinah, an electrician working nearby, told Reuters.

Awuni said police were investigating the cause of the accident and would question the driver of the red car, who was being treated in hospital. Some other people involved in the accident were also receiving medical attention.

"The picture is not very clear about the accident," Awuni said. "It's a bit strange for the car to run into his car directly."

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved
from: http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN447886.html

This is how Ghana's Joy FM reported it:

President Kufuor escapes unhurt after his car was rammed late morning Wednesday while on his way to his office.

President Kufuor is reported to be in good health and already back in his seat at the Castle, Osu, after he escaped unhurt in a late morning accident on Wednesday.

A man yet to be identified is said to have driven a Benz saloon car straight into that of the President at the Opeibea Intersection on the Airport – 37 Military Hospital road.

President Kufuor was said to be on his way to his office.

According to Mr. Andrew Awuni, Press Secretary to the President, those who were injured, including the President’s driver, have been moved to the 37 Military Hospital for medical check-up.

“But the President is doing well. He is right in his seat here at the Castle,” Awuni assured.

Awuni, who described the accident as a strange one, said only two cars were involved but added it was not clear how many people may have been involved. He could also not tell the whereabouts of the driver of the other vehicle and suggested he might be at the hospital or with the President’s security detail.

Explaining why the accident appeared strange, he said usually outriders would be fending off all junctions, which they did, “nevertheless this car came and just ran into the President’s car and of course nobody expects to see an accident so sometimes you don’t get to see how it happens.”

News filtering from the rumour mill as I walked round to take pictures was that the driver was a Lebanese man. The taxi driver who brought me to the office speculated about how problematic it would have been if it had been a Ghanaian that crashed into the presidential convoy!!

Images of Ghana President John A Kufuor in the UK on State Visit

Well, these are not exactly pictures as I wasn't in London myself, but pictures captured by my digital camera of TV images from Ghana's state television GTV. Sue me!;-) This is Westminster, UK, as you might have surmised, and you can see one of the quintessential landmark that typifies the UK: the Big Ben. I fyou look closely enough at the image capture, you can see the ticker scrolling from righ to left with the words :you are watching a live coverage of..."
this image, regrettably, is not as clear as I would've wanted it to be, but let me just say that it provides a vignette--of sorts--of Ghanaians in the UK watching the Queen of England move graciously, albeit geriatrically, with the Ghanaian president.
Finally, this image shows both UK and Ghana flags (can you see the red-gold-green of the Ghana flag?)lined up one after the other on both sides of that famous road near the Palace, and ,with a motoracade I could only describe as UK-protocol-engineered-yet-formidable. The road is so famous I forget the name...;-)

Apologies--yet again--for the lack of posting, but the sporadic nature of the Net has been so bad it's not funny. Please bear with me, and have a great weekend in the meantime!!