News
Principles of ‘New Start’: Air Continued from previous edition
Did you ever stop to think that we live at the bottom of an ocean of air that surrounds the earth? We could live a few weeks without food and a few days without water, but how long do you think we would live if we had no air?
In one or two minutes, we would all become unconscious and within five or six minutes, we would all be dead. We need a constant supply of pure air into our bodies to keep our blood pure and healthy, to soothe our nervous system and fill our lungs and keep our voices speaking clearly.
The first thing a baby needs when it is first born is to breathe air. Air is “life” to a new born baby and that air is essential to that little one right through life. Children should run and play in the fresh air every day if possible. This will help them to be more cheerful, healthier, and happier.
Pure, fresh air gives a good appetite, helps improve the blood flow, purifies the blood, refreshes the body, helps digestion of food, helps us sleep soundly and helps to heal the sick.
Our homes should be kept clean as well as well ventilated with fresh air. Curtains and drapes should be open to allow sunshine and air to fill the rooms with life-giving elements. We should also sleep with windows open at night where possible.
The fresh air will help our sleep to be more relaxed and restful. If there are sick in the home, the room should not be shut for them to breathe the same air over and over again. The oxygen in the fresh air will help bring a quicker recovery, help the blood to cleanse and purify, resulting in greater strength and health – sooner.
AIR THAT REFRESHES
There is a kind of air that can energise and relax the mind and body within minutes. It is found near waterfalls, in forests, at the beach and after a rainstorm. However, there is another kind of air that can bring on anxiety, depression and even suicidal feelings.
WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE?
Air contains positively and negatively charged molecules called ions. These ions become electrically charged as a result of gaining or losing an electron. Air containing an abundance of negative ions is refreshing, as found in the bush, or by river, lakes, waterfalls and at the beach.
On the other hand, air containing mostly positive ions as found in city centres, airports, poorly ventilated rooms and on crowded motorways, is associated with headaches, anxiety, insomnia and depression.
The blend of exercise and fresh air is important, as good active exercise increases the demand for fresh air and we naturally breathe more deeply.
Take time out of the busy day to take a walk in the bush or some other quiet place and do some deep breathing. It will not only lift your chest, but lift your day.
REST
In the hustle and bustle of our busy modern lives, most of us keep going until we finally drop at the end of the day from exhaustion.
We have all heard of the saying “burning the candle at both ends” to describe a person who is always going full speed, borrowing from the store of energy and robbing themselves of needed rest to let body and mind rest up and refresh.
This is not the best way for us to live. Being moderate, even in creative and productive work is what is best for our health. The first place we think of when we speak of rest is in our beds for the evening sleep. We should get into a regular pattern.
Going to bed at 8:30 – 9:00pm is a good time for settling down to sleep and 5:00 -6:00am is good for rising. This pattern brings a good night’s rest and unloads pressure in the morning to beat the clock before work starts.
Quiet reading, some exercise and family time at the breakfast table brings a sweet start to the day. This may be the ideal, but not always practical for certain lifestyles, but if one is able, the pattern soon starts getting easier and life is enjoyed more fully.
It may be hard to sleep the first few evenings at the earlier time, but upon rising at the earlier time of 6:00am approximately, one will soon be looking for sleep by 8:30 – 9:00pm.
Other places of rest, rather than sleep, is out in the beauty and quietness of nature. If possible, it is good to leave the busy cities behind and seek that rest in the quietness of a country setting, beside a river, or lake, in a grove of trees, or in the mountains.
Other ways can be in a good book, giving good counsel and guidance, talking to a friend, quietly taking a walk, and taking time to be with the family.
The Speaker of the Algerian Parliament, Mr. Azouz Nasri, has arrived in Accra to take part in the Next Steps High-Level Consultative Conference on the implementation of the landmark United Nations Resolution on the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans.
He was received at the Jubilee Lounge, Kotoka International Airport, by Ghana’s First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor.
The 3-day conference runs from June 17–19, 2026 in Accra. It will bring together parliamentary leaders, diplomats, civil society, and other key stakeholders to reflect on the implications of the UN Resolution for Africans and people of African descent worldwide.
Organisers say the meeting is aimed at advancing a coordinated global framework to strengthen advocacy around the Resolution and provide practical guidance for its implementation across member states.
The Resolution is described as a historic step toward acknowledging the transatlantic slave trade and addressing its lasting impact, with this conference marking one of the first high-level efforts to move it from declaration to action.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Aspiring National Chairman for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Awentami Paul Afoko, has stated that the party has a unique opportunity to annex power in the 2028 elections.
According to him, the one person who has been on Ghana’s ballot paper for several elections will not be on the ballot paper in the 2028 elections, paving the way for the NPP to properly market its flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who is already a formidable force to reckon with and will go ahead to win the polls.
He argued that voters already know him, he’s battle-tested and ready to win.
He reiterated that the NPP will have a well-marketed candidate in the 2028 election and just as the party did in 2016 when it annexed power from a sitting government, the same can be done.
The Former NPP National Chairman, however, noted that this can be possible if the NPP unites as a unit and approach the elections with all the seriousness it deserves to ensure that its quest for victory does not become a mirage.
Mr Awentami Paul Afoko made this known when he met with Regional Executives, Patrons and Elders of the party in the Volta, Oti and Eastern Regions yesterday.
“For the first time we have a unique opportunity. At the time I put the New Plan for Power in place, we knew that the sitting president could go again and if he won another term, we would sit in opposition for twelve years.
We had to put a plan in place to make sure we come to power and we came to power. This time around, he will not be on the ballot paper and this offers us a unique opportunity, but without unity we will not get there,” he stated.
“As for unity, it is not negotiable. You can’t sit here and look at the lady sitting next to you and say I don’t like her so we can’t work together. We are working together for power, and if we let emotions get in the way, we lose” he said.
“Those of you who are old enough to remember Muhammad Ali the boxer, he is in the ring with you, he’s talking and calling you names then you get emotional and he takes advantage. Emotions won’t give us power. I didn’t get anything so I won’t support; no, let that go because it is in the past,” he noted.
Afoko, who is pushing his 3R Agenda of Reunite, Rebuild, and Recapture power, said the party must adopt a clear message to win back the confidence of Ghanaians and believes, with Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, whom he described as the right candidate will guarantee the NPP victory in the 2028 polls.
“For years I chose to work quietly behind the scenes, supporting the NPP in private,” Afoko said.
“But recent developments have compelled me to step forward. We need to get our party back into winning ways, and that starts with unity of purpose,” Afoko reiterated.
He framed the upcoming period as a test of whether NPP politics would mature or remain stuck in cycles of blame, but was optimistic that everyone who loves the party would come on board to realize the goal of making Dr Mahamudu Bawumia the next President of Ghana.
By: Jacob Aggrey
