SCIENCE AND THE BLIND CHILD

A blind child



A blind child is indeed a child that must be educated to have a good life like any normal child. It is, therefore, important for a teacher to have knowledge of the child's ability, and determine his learning processes. 

The reason for teaching science to the blind is to provide the child with concepts of the world of nature.

Specifically, objectives, why the child needs science, is to help him identity his environment and animals, to give him an understanding of the concepts of plant and animal growth, to teach him the meaning and uses of the calendar, the thermometer, and the clock, to bring him to understand the weather and to develop in his early concepts of the solar system.

The blind child becomes more familiar with more science concepts initially through instruction and demonstration by the teacher. The child should be helped to identify his interest in the environment and life in general, as they apply directly to him. 

His lessons should be simple concepts and ideas that he might be easily understood. For example, teaching the nature of types of animals and sounds, the teacher should point out the common characteristics among those animals.

Each day, the child must be allowed to listen to the weather forecast on the radio. To make sure that the child is getting the message, the teacher can request him to recall the reported temperature and weather conditions. 

For the teacher to let the child understand the calendar he must examine the braille calendar every day, that will keep him informed of the daily and past events and at the same time become familiar to the day, the month, and the year.

By the guide of the teacher, the braille clock should be available for instruction. At various intervals in the day's teaching, the child should examine the clock and set the hands according to the right time. 

A circle, semi-circle and a quarter circle are used as a strong means of developing a child's knowledge of reading the time. 

FIFA BOSS SEPP BLATTER, ENCOURAGES RACISM IN FOOTBALL WITH IMPUNITY

Racism is everywhere including sports


"There is no racism in football, and if ever anyone was racially abused in the field during a match, the victim must accept the racial abuse with hand-shake and the problem is solved."


This is the callous statement made by FIFA Boss Sepp Blatter, during his recent interview by CNN. This statement has caused criticism worldwide against Blatter, who seems to be in this world, but doesn't know what is going on in the world, in regard to racism in soccer. 

No one could believe a man in the caliber of Blatter and overall soccer boss could ever make such a statement.

Racism and discrimination in soccer are strong like a tornado sweeping objects across its path. It is like incurable cancer, eating the flesh of its victims, yet Blatter doesn't know about this. 

Real Zaragoza was fined 600 Euro, by a Spanish Football Federation, after a section of the fans chanted racial abuse at Barcelona forward player, Samuel E'too. 600 euros fine? 

That is nothing. In regard to such cases and to avoid such things in football matches, fines should be between 10,000 and 20,000 euros. This will convince the world that sports officials and organizations are working hard to eliminate racism in soccer entertainments.

In Italy, Ivory Coast defender, with the team Messina, threatened to stop a match in November 2005, after being a victim of football racism. In both Eastern and Western countries, England black players have been continuously victims of racial abuse on soccer fields. 

What is the significance of this racial abuse? Is it because the black players are incredibly good or just to stir racial hatred or bloodshed?

If the National Football Association, Ethnic Communities. and Anti-Racial Campaigners, want to convince the world that they are trying their best or working hard to eliminate racism in football, then "handshake" shouldn't be the solution.  

Any footballer that abuses a black footballer with racial remarks must suffer a heavy fine that will go to the victim as compensation. This will serve a lesson and racism in football would be less or eliminated.

TEENAGE LOVE AFFAIR LEADS TO EARLY SEPARATION AND DIVORCE

 Early teenage lovers

Many couples, seen with or without children, friendships began at school as teenagers, before they married or settled together. 

In principle, it is always good for people to study and know each other very well, before entering into relations or love affairs.

Children's and teenagers' liberty in advanced countries can’t be compared to that of African children and teenagers. 

For example in Africa, children are severely punished when they do wrong, but in Europe or America, punishing a child could lead to many problems. One may even end up in prison for punishing his son or his own daughter.

The rate of divorce and separation is very high in advanced countries that I looked back to review why divorce is very low in Africa. 

In Africa, it is a gross disrespect to parents when a sixteen-year-old child comes home to introduce his girlfriend or her boyfriend. However, in advanced countries, it is permitted.

Children as young as thirteen and fourteen indulged in caressing and kissing. This could go on until they go separate ways or settle. When they finally get married, the love isn't as strong anymore as before, in this case, the marriage doesn't go far. 

Both have seen their nakedness too much when they were teenagers, to the extent that they don't value their precious bodies any longer.

Here the dignity and the worthiness of the woman have been neglected by the man. It is always the man that causes the breakup because he wants something new. 

A woman or man may find real happiness in life, marriage, living together or in relationships, when they enter into love affairs as adults than as teenagers.

That is the reason in Africa, separation and divorce are less than in advanced countries. 

Europe, America, Japan, Korea, and other advanced countries, are far ahead in development, education, and technology, comparing to Africa, yet the rate of divorce, separation, and suicide is higher than in Africa.

Smoking is like a fashion among teenagers in advanced countries when it’s less in Africa. Teenage pregnancy is booming in Europe and America while it’s less in Africa. 

It time for advanced countries to stop underestimating Africa and learn something from that continent. Africa is called a poor continent but Europe and America forget that they made the continent poor by depending on its resources.

HEALTH MATTERS: MORE DEATH BY OBESITY THAN HUNGER

Obesity


Do you know that the rate of people dying worldwide, of excessive eating, is higher than the death rate of people killed by hunger because they don’t have much to eat? 


Following the report filed by ‘The World Disaster Report,’ it is estimated that more than 1.5 million people worldwide, are suffering from overweight problems, medically known as obesity. According to the report, Obesity is generally common in Europe, the United States of America and the Middle-East.

The report further states that even though hunger affects Asia and Africa, many people in that continent don’t die much from hunger than those having too much to eat. 

The report defines hunger as not having enough food to eat. Around the world, it is estimated that thousands of people are facing hunger. 

Many people also suffer hunger because they have no money to buy food. The scarcity of the commodity causes inflation and increases the price of commodities.

For example in Kenya, the price of maize has increased over the past year with 180 percent. That is a dramatic development if you know that 80% of income in the developing countries goes into only food. 

“More than a third of the food produced in the world ends up not in the mouth of starving people. Half of the annual harvested grain is processed into biofuel or fodder.” The report states.

Food is delicious, but that doesn’t mean that people must eat excessively to destroy themselves. What is the significance of causing much suffering to yourself when you know that too much of everything has a negative consequence? 

One could always avoid going to the gym, to waste money and time by shedding off extra pounds, when you eat the right food.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development to support rural dwellers in Ghana

IFAD logo



The International Fund for Agricultural Development-IFAD said thousands of households in Ghana would benefit from projects aimed at building small scale businesses and enhancing agricultural activity.

IFAD said in a statement that a US$31.5 million loan, under the 'Rural Enterprise Project', would provide Ghana's rural poor with quality and easily accessible services such as affordable credit and cost-effective technology to improve productivity.

The loan will finance the third phase of the project, which will focus on rural women and youth in all rural areas of Ghana. According to IFAD, "Ghana was the first country to have almost half of the proportion of the people in extreme poverty. 

However, despite the overall decline in the rate of poverty in the country, poverty affliction still lies in rural areas, especially in the Northern Region of Ghana.

IFAD also stated that it had invested a total of over US$677 million, since 1980, to help reduce rural poverty in Ghana, benefitting nearly 1.8 million households.

DAVID CAMERON CAN KEEP HIS AID, GHANA SAYS 'NO' TO HOMOSEXUALITY

Is that what Europe and America want Africa to legalize when they are still dealing with Aids and Ebola crisis?


In a recent interview with the BBC, British Premier David Cameron threatens to fold up aid to anti-gay countries and declares that “countries receiving British aid, should adhere to proper human rights.”


Can David Cameron define what it means by proper human rights? If a country doesn’t want to embrace a culture that they are familiar with or accept homosexuality on its soil, is that an abuse of human rights? 

Can David Cameron accept when the Ghanaian government tells him to stop the deportation of illegal immigrants because it is an abuse of human rights?

David Cameron has forgotten that he has a big task on his shoulders to deal with the problems of alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, and crime in his country, rather than interfering in the Ghanaian government’s policy on gay issues. 

His request to legitimize homosexuality in Ghana is meaningless. The Ghanaian government can take that.

The West and many advanced countries think that they can tell Africa what to do. If Cameron wants Ghana to legitimize homosexuality, he must first leave his wife and begin to enjoy the 'back' of men, then the whole of Ghana will follow him and take his advice. 

Africa has suffered enough. The continent is still fighting against AIDS, malaria and other deadly diseases, it is, therefore, clear that there is no room for homosexuality.

Ghanaian and religious leaders should fight against homosexuality in Ghana and let Cameron keeps his aid. Ghanaians will not die from famine. Yesterday was slavery and Apartheid. 

They are dead and gone. Today they are enforcing homosexuality in a country that is totally foreign to such acts. Cameron should begin to respect Ghana and understand the country’s cultural values. 

Above all, homosexuality has nothing to do with human rights, it is a human's choice.

A GENERATION OF DISOBEDIENT CHILDREN

A defiant child

" A wise child accepts a parent's discipline, a mocker refuses to listen to correction."

There are so many verses in the Bible that speak about children. The one stated above at 'Proverbs 13. 1, is my favorite. Parents can never be happy when a child fails to listen to them. 

Every adult was once a child, but not every child has reached adulthood. Parents, therefore, have the experience to bring up a child in the most disciplined manner to build a good future for the child.

It's unfortunate that today, our children are those that are trying to tell their parents that they know better than them. The way children are stubbornly behaving these days evidently tells us that we are now in a very wrong generation. 

Imagine, your only daughter that you want to give her the best education is now pregnant at the age of fourteen because every correction given to her were all ignored.

I visited a family in Antwerp. I have been there many times to see them because Sabrina's husband helps to fix my computer any time it breaks down. 

My last visit was a very sad one. I have made my mind never to go there again due to what I witnessed. Out of her children, one of her daughters at fourteen is the only one that is bringing misery, disrespect, and discomfort to her family.

"Imagine my own child calling me a prostitute, throwing things, including a knife at me. She has been throwing any object her hands could get at me and her father." Said Sabrina in tears. 

"It hurts so much when a child you love turns against you because of correction. At the age of fourteen, she wants to go out. I did allow her once but she came home very late. 

We were scared of her safety, so we decided not to give her that chance again. This made us a devil in her eyes." Sabrina concluded.

The question is "what is happening to our children that they simply do not like to listen to corrections? What are they looking for? It is now a fashion to see children smoking and sleeping around with young boys. 

It is like when a child hasn't made sex with a boy, she is a 'Mummy's child'-not brave. So young girls are now having sex indiscriminately with young boys. 

These young boys team up at cinema houses, squares, and amusement places to discuss the sex they had with these girls. This is morally wrong.

Would a mother spoil the child and spare the rod, because the child wouldn't listen? That mustn't be the solution. Whether a child is difficult or not it is always the responsibility of the parents to put a little common sense into the child's stubborn head. 

Parents mustn't forget that whenever anything bad happens to the child, they will be held responsible. So parents mustn't give up. They can always seek the best counseling for a troublesome child through many organizations.

GREENPEACE calls for halt to the plunder of African Oceans

Greenpeace volunteers


An investigation by the Greenpeace for some time now has revealed that the West Africa local fishing industries are under threat, due to European fishing trawlers fishing in West African waters. Under the theme 'Empty nets, Empty future,' Greenpeace calls for a halt.


The report focuses on how millions of West Africans depend on the fishing industry but now under threat due to Europeans trawlers that are increasingly overfishing. The activity is gradually taking its toll on the local fishing industry and also threatening the extinction of many unique species.

The West African Coasts have now become a destination of choice for European and Asian fleets. Since their fishing territory has become overfished by 88% of the commercially used fish stocks in EU waters. 

They have nowhere to go than to head to Africa, where they fail to put any protective measures in place to the diminishing fishing stocks.

The effect of climate change on oceans is another important issue to 'Greenpeace.' Increased water temperatures and changing weather patterns are among other factors affecting the ocean to sustain life. 

'Empty net, Empty future,' highlights on climate change that could spell the end of the export fisheries industry in West Africa. The report says this would destroy local economies, jobs, and food availability.

In order to maintain a free non-hostile environment and good economies for the local fishing industries, Greenpeace is demanding fewer foreign trawlers and factory ships at sea, sustainable fishing practices and establishment of a network of marine reserves to let fish stocks recover and protect the ecosystem. 

They call for the current fisheries agreements to be scrapped and be replaced with sustainable ones that would benefit West Africa.