Features
The Water Palaver
When Ghanaman is relaxing at home and hears a knock at the door, he is likely to suspect that a Jehovah Witness man show him the best tax-free way to heaven. If it is not the Jehovah Witness man with the black bag, then it must be the landlord coming to talk nonsense.
“Yes, come in.” “You owe us ¢350,000 in water bills. We’re in to disconnect.”
“Wait a minute. Your presence is giving me heart attack, so come back later for payment.
Fact is I’m allergic to water bills.”
Some people don’t care a damn about electricity disconnection. No light, so what? What they are scared about is water cuts. They can cause instant diarrhoea. And soon, water and electricity costs are going to be increased, and an epidemic of diarrhea is highly expected.
It is, however, very difficult to disconnect some consumers because they make conscious efforts not to get cut off.
One favourite method is to train a dog which can detect a disconnector from a normal human being and do the chasing out accordingly. The dog must have appetite for human leg or human balls.
Another way is to allow yourself to be disconnected and then you can go to the water or electricity company, dressed in suit with a deep-frown on your face. That is where you can blow your horn.
“The interior minister is my brother-in-law. I command you by state power to reconnect me before I change gears. You don’t respect? If you don’t know me go and ask. Kofi Annan was my classmate. If you play, I’ll deal with you at the United Nations level.”
Sometimes, officials can take the bluff as very authentic and proceed to re-connect Kofi Annan’s classmate. But others will feel they are doing their job and the interior-minister’s in-law’s big mouth has nothing to with the execution of official assignments.
“Well, we know the Interior-Minister is related to you. But the bill must be settled anyway. If you can settle half, we’ll re-connect and give you time to settle the rest.”
It turns out that the man finally settles the bill, but doesn’t even know how Kofi Annan like.
As for his relationship with the interior Minister, it can only be at best, a dog’s imagination.
At any rate, Ghanaians are waiting for the new utility rates and are also hopeful that a corresponding raise in salary will be in place to absorb the shock.
Now Electricity Company and Ghana Water Company have many problems they would have to solve. One of them is waste. With electricity, illegal connections are very common and many are using power and paying nothing for it.
Others are using air-conditioners and pay nothing because they connect the wires in such a way that power used does not go through the meter and is, therefore, not recorded. What the company loses in a month countrywide is so huge that if it can be recovered, the company would be on rather good footing
The problem also is that, consumers who are disconnected have become wiser than the serpent. Some have taught themselves Basic Principles in Electricity. Many housewives know the principles better than any electrical engineer at ECG.
When you disconnected power to their homes, they simply wait for five minutes and reconnect. No sweat!
It is a simple procedure they have repeated so many times that they are no longer worried about and disconnection.
So bills pile up and ECG is helpless, and goes whining about the need to increase tariffs without really tackling the waste problem.
With water, it might be worse. People have illegal connections through which they sell water for their own pockets. Some pipes have burst for over six months and no one is bothered. People report leakages and no one is worried.
Ghana Water Company is not doing well because of waste. You can’t import expensive chemicals to purify water and let it go waster. No company can thrive on a system that is not bothered about waste.
So Ghana Water Company better wake up and save water. In some countries, water is imported. If we have it here, we should learn to conserve it.
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
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
