Features
The taxi driver
Taxi drivers are scared when passing near the Accra Sports Stadium. One has told me, he was driving past the stadium at around 10:30pm when he heard someone running football commentary through the nose. What! He levelled the gear to third, fourth and then fifth and fired the accelerator. The car dashed forward in full flight.
Then he saw someone in the distance stopping him for ‘dropping.’ The person looked like a soccer fan. Assuming he stopped and the guy turned out to be a ghost, could he control the steer and not end up in the sea?
He took a split-second decision. After all, ghosts did no harm unless you were responsible for turning them into ghosts. He’d stop and see if the gentleman spoke through the nose. He applied the brake and the car screeched to a halt.
“Take me to Labadi,” the man said, “how much?”
The taxi driver was too scared to answer. He did not know whether the man spoke through the nose or through the ears. Before he could say anything, the man open the front door and sat down. He banged the door hard! The driver wondered whether he was dealing with a human being or someone else; something transcendental. A ghost?
In his apprehension, he mistakenly put the gear into ‘third’ when it should have been in ‘first.’
He began moving the car. The wrong gear made the car jerk twice and the ignition went off. His first thought was that he’d picked a ghost who had just turned the engine off.
Wahallahi! Kakusunka!
Should he run and leave the car behind or simply scream for help? He did not know which would do under the circumstance. He shook like leaf, fiddled with the gear and sparked the car again. It sparked. The gear was at its right place.
He moved enroute to Labadi, glancing cheerfully at the man next to him on the front seat. When the man got down and paid for the short trip, the driver said he thanked his stars. Actually he nearly defecated in his ‘supporter.’
Next time, he’d not pick anyone around the disaster area. You wouldn’t know whether the passenger is a soccer fan in external glory, or true flesh and blood who eats salt and bread.
When he told me his story the day I chattered his car, I began thinking about ghosts. I haven’t seen any before and I don’t wish to. I don’t think it would be good for my health.
Fact is, I don’t want my blood pressure dangling like a pendulum. I am a simple man with no worries.
I went to a pastor friend and asked him about ghosts. They do not exist, he told me as a matter of fact. Every ghost is an impersonator, or an imposter.
“My friend get serious” I queried. “People say they see their dead friends, lovers, mothers, brothers, and so on.”
“That doesn’t mean there are ghosts,” he said. “The devil is only playing tricks. He impersonates people, using their faces to frighten others, to make them believe there are ghosts on earth, According to the Holy Scriptures, there are nothing like ghosts.”
“When you die,” I asked, “where will your spirit go?”
“To its Maker.”
“What for?”
“And before then, wouldn’t it hover on the earth?”
“What for?”
“So the so-called ghosts are in fact evil spirits and not human spirits?”
“That’s right
“Heard of the stadium disaster?”
“Yeah!”
“They say ghosts are displaying there basaa! You hear them at night shouting goa-a-l! ‘Offside! Penalty! and the rest. Aren’t they the spirits of the unlucky fans who died?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Meaning you are not sure.”
“I am sure dead people don’t shout.”
“But their spirits can.”
“Have your heard one shout.”
“No. But if they exorcise the place and there is no more shouting, doesn’t it means the ghosts have left?”
“It only means the evil spirits impersonating the dead people left. There are over one billion demons and principalities in the world .127 of them can easily be mobilised to be shouting at night to frighten people, to make them believe ghosts exists. That is no big deal for Satan.”
I was not quite convinced. Why would the devil want people to believe there are ghosts if they do not exist?
At any rate if the spirits were exorcised with cows, sheep, and fowls then it was not cost effective. The authorities should have hired the charismatic churches to do the job for them. They don’t need cows to chase spirits away.
The other day members of a church were attending a crusade and carried pestles and mortars on their heads to the crusade ground. I was amazed. I thought they were going to pound fufu mid-way during the programme.
When I asked one lady whether the fufu was going to be eaten with groundnut soup or aponkye nkrakra, she said they were going to pound the devil in the mortars and that it was no fufu festival. “The devil will confess today,” she assured me.
Before long, a man also carried a carpenter’s saw and hammer. He was going to saw Jimmy Satan into two halves; no two ways about that. There, he hammer his forehead and him to vamoose.
Before I left a little boy walked past with ten canes.” we are going to cane the devil,” he promptly announced. “He’d take 100 lashes on his bare-buttocks, then he’d learn sense.
Of course, Christianity is becoming more practical than theoretical. The devil must be attacked physically, battered and pounded. But it might be wasted effort. Christians must learn to speak the word and the devil will flee. As for pounding and sawing and caning, you might as well do it as a productive venture.
Sikama Palava takes this opportunity to express its deep-felt sympathy to the bereaved families of the stadium disaster. Not entirely belated, I hope!
This article was first published on Saturday, June 23, 2001
Features
The Palestinian martyr-Little Hind Rajab
THE wickedness of some people in our world is gradually getting out of bounds. From local arena to international arena, reports of wicked acts that defies logic, is on the rise.
Russia has attacked Ukraine and as a result, the economies of many countries have been negatively impacted. Residential apartments which have no military purpose. Just sheer wickedness and cruelty.
After this came the Brutal attack on Gaza by the Israel Defence Forces. Hospitals were bombed, buildings were razed down and civilians were deliberately targeted which is a war crime according to the Geneva Convention.
The IDF will release pamphlets in the skies informing them to move to certain specified areas. They move there with their families only to be bombed again without warning.
It was one of such movement from one place to another that, the family of a 5 year Palestinian girl called Hind Rajab and her family, travelling in a vehicle, were shot at by an IDF Tank.
This wounded girl managed to call emergency services to come and save them.
The sad thing is that while this brave little girl kept talking to the emergency response person on the phone, telling them that they should come quickly and that she was afraid.
She further told the response team on phone that any time she tries to speak, blood comes into her mouth and it soils her dress and she dies not want her mum to scold her so they should come quickly.
The response team rushed as usual to her location but they were also shot and killed, the driver and his assistant, in a vehicle clearly marked as an ambulance. Ten days later when they got to her location, Hind Rajab and her family were dead and their vehicle was riddled with 335 bullets.
The wickedness with which the IDF waged the war against Hamas, the administrative authority in Gaza, was unbelievable, given the damage to civilians both collateral and in most cases deliberate.
There are reports of some Doctors from the US and other countries, who have described how children they attended to, who were brought in dead, had evidence of sniper bullets.
A report by one of the media platforms, indicated that one of the IDF snipers who died recently, had bragged about shooting children in the abdomen so they will suffer before dying.
What baffles me in all these atrocities, is why Jews who have been saved by a collective action of the world, from Hitler and his Nazis from destruction, infamously known as the Holocaust, is now visiting mayhem on others, namely the Palestinians.
One begins to wonder if Hitler was right after all and that he saw something that the rest of the world did not notice about the Jews. I must admit that it is not all Jews that are racist. It is the Zionist who are the problem with their Talmud which teaches that Jesus is burning in hot feaces.
They deliberately teach their children to hate other people who are not Jews especially the Palestinians. They do not consider the Palestinians as humans and therefore they believe they have the God given right to treat them anyway anyhow.
Hind Rajab’s death has pricked the conscience of the world and countries which used to blindly support Israel, are now putting pressure on them to observe a ceasefire as part of a peace negotiation.
Let the world through the UN show that it does not support barbarism and that the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel, must come to an end.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
Features
Angioplasty: A comprehensive overview of the procedure and its applications
Angioplasty is a minimally invasive medical procedure used to widen narrowed or blocked arteries or blood vessels. The procedure involves the insertion of a catheter, a small tube, into the affected artery, followed by the inflation of a balloon to widen the artery. In some cases, a stent, a small mesh tube, may be placed to keep the artery open.
Indications for Angioplasty
Angioplasty is often used to treat conditions such as:
1. Coronary artery disease: Narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart.
2. Peripheral artery disease: Narrowing or blockage of the arteries in the legs or arms.
3. Atherosclerosis: Buildup of plaque in the arteries, which can lead to narrowing or blockage.
The Angioplasty Procedure
The angioplasty procedure typically involves the following steps:
1. Preparation: The patient is given local anesthesia and may be sedated to help them relax.
2. Insertion of the catheter: A small incision is made in the skin, and a catheter is inserted into the affected artery.
3. Guidance: The catheter is guided to the affected area using imaging techniques such as fluoroscopy or angiography.
4. Inflation of the balloon: The balloon on the catheter is inflated to widen the artery.
5. Stent placement: A stent may be placed to keep the artery open.
6. Removal of the catheter: The catheter is removed, and the incision site is closed.
Benefits of Angioplasty
Angioplasty offers several benefits, including:
1. Improved blood flow: Angioplasty can help improve blood flow to the affected area, reducing symptoms such as chest pain or leg pain.
2. Minimally invasive: Angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure, which means that it requires only a small incision and can reduce recovery time.
3. Reduced risk of complications: Angioplasty can reduce the risk of complications associated with more invasive surgical procedures.
Potential Risks and Complications
While angioplasty is generally a safe procedure, there are potential risks and complications, including:
1. Bleeding or hematoma: Bleeding or bruising at the incision site.
2. Artery damage: Damage to the artery during the procedure.
3. Restenosis: Narrowing or blockage of the artery again after the procedure.
Conclusion
Angioplasty is a highly effective procedure for treating narrowed or blocked arteries or blood vessels. While it carries some risks and complications, the benefits of improved blood flow and reduced symptoms make it a valuable treatment option for many patients.
References:
1. American Heart Association. (2020). Angioplasty and Stenting.
2. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2020). Angioplasty and Stent Placement.
3. Mayo Clinic. (2020). Angioplasty: What You Need to Know.
4. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. (2019). Angioplasty and Stenting in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of angioplasty, including its indications, procedure, benefits, and potential risks and complications.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
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