VODAFONE - DAY 120

Approaching a hundred and twenty days since my HOME PHONE LINE(s) and BROADBAND SERVICE went OFF.

I kind of figured with the rebranding and change in management of Gh. Telecom to Vodafone that the service they provided to their customers would be improved. Like everything in Ghana that undergoes rebranding, indeed for the first few months and if you are lucky up to a year, you would experience exceptional and over the top service. But like a new product when all the hype about it is gone, that is when you experience its true nature.

My home phone lines(s) and broadband service have been down for nearly 3 and half months. Like every loyal customer, I called the customer care line as soon as I realized the service was down. The person on the other line was so convincing and assured me the problem would be rectified immediately after reporting the issue and that I would receive a call from their field technicians.

I waited a few days and nothing happened so I decided to call one more time to find out what was preventing them from sorting out my issue. Once again the customer care officer reassured me the situation was being handled and since it was in the system, in no time it would be handled.

One week passed, same scenario. Two weeks passed, same problem. Three weeks went by and I picked up my phone once more and made a complaint. This time the response was quite different from what I expected. Apparently the complaint I had made for a while now magically had been resolved without my knowledge. Crazy Huh!! How can a problem I had just reported, be showing on their system as being resolved. What kind of system do they have. If it was resolved I would know. So why am I calling the customer care help line? Is it because of the lovely lady picking up the phone to talk to me or is that I have nothing doing.

So once again another report was made and an apology given. After that I kept calling every other day, even sometimes as late as 10pm only to be given the same response by a semi sleepy customer care personnel. Now the frustration level rises. I then decided to acquire the mobile broadband service. Life get easier and for about a week or two my expenditure sky rockets, that’s when I decided to start calling the help line again. Why is it even called a help line when what you get is added problems. This merry go round got even worse. They kept tossing me from one help line to another help line. Each help line explaining to me they can only report the situation but beyond that they cannot assist me. How can you have a customer care center and the employees over there don’t even know how to help the customers. Do you really want the customers to move to another service provided.

SERIOUSLY it’s approaching a hundred and twenty days (120) since I lost the dialing tone for the house phone and connection for the broadband service. All hope is lost. I guess their slogan “Vodafone is the only total communications solutions provider” isn’t so true after all.

Did He or Did He Not-The Appietus Saga?

Hey blogsville!!!Happy New Year!

So if you guys remember I did a piece[http://asantewarrior.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-borrowed-it-but-forgot-to-tell-you.html] on sampling sometime around December 14th last year. It was about a Cabo Snoop song titled "Windeck" and a track by Zigi from Lynx Entertainment titled "You sey wey tin". I'm not against sampling. Sampling as I said earlier, it is an essential part of the music industry today. A lot of people sample worldwide, the issue is whether the originators of the song are being given credit for the work. If they aren't, then it becomes a big problem. Even the likes of Jay-Z and Kanye West have sampled beats and phrases from different artistes. But none of them have stolen virtually the entire song and tried to pass it off as their own making.

So did Appietus steal/sample the song for 5five's "Move Back"? The way I see it I'd say they did.
After listening to to this track by DJ CNDO released sometime in 2009

and that of 5five can you honestly say that Appietus didn't steal the instrumental?

When asked about this, He said "there is nothing wrong with sampling other musical works" and yes he's totally right about that. There is a possibility that somewhere in this wonderful place we call earth someone is also sampling Appietus's instrumentals.

I think he should just admit and be honest that he stole the beat, and was counting on the fact that most Ghanaians aren't open-minded enough to listen to diverse music from other countries or different genres unless its from Yankee(USA) or from Nigeria.

If we conduct a survey to find out the number of Ghanaians who listen to foreign music excluding those from the USA or Nigeria I have a feeling the pie-chart would be very disappointing.

Back to the topic. Appietus played it very smart when he said "What is stealing if you give credit? The boys have not even released their album, so that one can conclude that they have failed to acknowledge the source of the sampled beat, he urged, advising people should wait for the album before they start talking."

Obviously since he was unlucky and he got caught he's going to now give credit to DJ Cndo. What if he wasn't caught, would he have given DJ Cndo credit or would he have passed the beat off as his own? We all know the answer to that.

People we need to be more creative because we as a people lack that alot.

My 2010

Its a couple of hours till the new year starts 2011. If i'm supposed to pay any attention to the movie 2012, I guess I have a year to do everything that's on my bucket-list and geez I don't think one year is enough for me to get through everything.
So this year i decided not to go for the watch night service at church to usher in the New Year like I have been doing for the past twenty something years, but rather stay home and blog about my 2010 as it ends. So where do I begin, ah yes January 2010.
So January was intense. I began the year signing up for an 8month insurance diploma, during which that time I was involved in collecting data in the Central Region of Ghana for research. So basically January was all work and no play for me. But it also led to my meeting a lovely young lady which has led to a very interesting friendship.
Then came February which marked then end off my research and also marked the beginning of someone I love and care about deeply not talking to me for 8months straight. Glad to say that part is over.
It was or is supposed to be the love month but I guess cupid skipped a house or maybe died before reaching mine. ooh yes I stop going to church around this time.
Nothing really happens in march so I guess we will skip that, no offense to people born in march.
AAAh next up is April, the month which I was born. The month that starts the Zodiac calender. Fast forwarding to my birthday April 10, I woke up feeling empty inside. Empty in the sense I looked back at my twenty something years off existence and realized I had not really accomplished much and felt really low. The day ended with yours truly at home watching a crappy Ghana Music Awards show which resulted to a little blog war. lol!!
Just when I thought things were gonna go well May through August brought about a very dark time in my life I prefer not to talk about. All I can say is I wouldn't wish anything like that to happen to anyone ever.
October through to November was all fun. Just having loads of fun. Meeting interesting people, bar hopping etc. life was just easy, not worrying but just living as if there was no tomorrow.
DECEMBER!!!!! Christmas!! everyone loves december. everyone's cheerful happy about the holidays. And yes lots of carry over holidays this December. This particular year I was and still so excited because most off my really close friends where going to be in town. 23rd of december started my christmas campaign but the following morning saw this come to an end when i got involved in a motor accident and its costing me an arm and a leg to get it fixed. hmmm!!!!
Its now 31st December 2010 11:54pm exactly and I am wondering how 2011 is going to be like. The things I am most grateful for in 2010
1. My life
2. My Family
3. My Friends

Hoping 2011 brings greater things and so much more.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I Borrowed It but forgot to tell you

Music changes year after year. Sometimes it takes a turn we all don't approve of and most times we just love it and follow it even if whatever is being said in the song is silly or inspiring.
Sampling is an essential part of music today. Like Kanye West All falls down, was sampled from Lauryn Hill's mystery of iniquity. The same with The Alan Parsons Project , Ammonia avenue in his song Heartless. Jay-z also sampled Andrea Mcardle's Hard knock life in his album Life and times of Sean Carter Vol.2 Ghetto anthem. We have our V.I.P borrowing from Mario and Luigi in the ever classic Mario brothers in their song Lumbe Lumbe. So i guess its something we cant do without. But my problem is are the originators of these sampled songs getting any credit.

So i came across a song earlier on in the year,really great song.



Now its the end of the year and a similar song just popped up. Hmmm!!!



So the question is who borrowed from who and forgot to tell the other?

Relevance 1

Dont you hate it when you hear something or you've been told about something great, fun , interesting whatever only just to be disappointed. Yea disappointed coz you dont see the connection to whatever you've heard to what you've seen. It really bugs me, why ? coz u raise my expectation only to crush it.

Asem came out with a song Pigaro and Gh went all WOW!!! It was something new, one could say a bit refreshing from the super mario instrumental type songs we've been hearing. So there was some talk about a video that was gonna blow our minds only to find out Pigaro 1-5 was just another video with no concept. If pigaro is a dance, what type of dance is it?

Couple of years down the line and Gh Self-proclaimed Diva Eazzy drops Wengeze!!
OMG!!! chale chale!!! Banging track kraah..This trackz got all da dem girls shaking something. I'm like this one dier itz gotta have a Sick Ass video..



WTF!! x2 Aaaah not again.. the video comes out only to find eazzy doing borborrbor, dressed up like Terry Bon-chaka. Talk abt disappointment paaah. Watz with da wengeze. chale catch ma eye small erh.. The only interesting/cool thing abt the video is the silhouette. chale on point.

Thinking all the crappy ass songs/videos are over, I stumble across a track from Praye recently "New Dance" aka "Getoge" The song is talking abt doing a new dance.. hold ur waist with ur two hands and do the dance..WTF!! after listening to the track expectation level like 4.



Yep and I was right. Ok video but what happened to the new dance. Replayed the song like 5 times trying to figure out which part of the video da New dance featured in. SMH!!

Only in Ghana!!!

I'm an African

I had a really fun weekend. It started out with fifa 11 yea yea I know... then it went to playing squash which left me with lots of aches and pains. Finally when i decided to go to bed, I check my facebook page and twitter to say gudnyt to my lovely #twitfam and pals on the #Fbook, I noticed peeps where talking about a beauty pageant(Miss.Malaika) and the hilarious things some of the girls where saying.
So I turn on my Tv and decided to watch for a while. So many hilarious things were said but that will be discussed in a follow piece. Right now i want to dwell on a question that was asked to 5 of the contestants who made it to the final round, the make or break round.

Q. Who is an African, what makes you an African, Is it your Country or your Colour?

So i asked myself the same question who is an african and what makes me one. I said to myself, this is a really tough question. It is a bit difficult to answer that without sounding racist. To me an african is not defined by their colour. Obviously their (Contestants)trip to Egypt didn't educate them enough. I guess either they missed all the lighter skinned africans or maybe they thought they were tourist coming to explore the african deserts and pyramids. But seriously so what makes me an african. I was born and still live in Africa that's if i'm looking at it from a simple view, and no i dont live on trees.lol!!!!

I read somewhere that to being an African means that you must be committed to Africa and its future well-being. Well i guess it makes more sense than what the Malaika ladies were saying.(An African is someone who is likes african food, someone who is black!!!!! etc)
What about foreigners who care or are committed to Africa and its progress, should we call them Africans too?

This is what wikipedia had to say:

The African continent is home to many different ethnic groups and people of wide-ranging phenotypical traits, both indigenous and foreign to the continent. Many of these populations have diverse origins, with differing cultural, linguistic and social traits and mores. Distinctions within Africa's geography, such as the varying climates across the continent, have also served to nurture diverse lifestyles among its various populations. The continent's inhabitants live amidst deserts and jungles, as well as in modern cities across the continent.
Wow I like the way the put it saying we leave amidst deserts and jungles carefully highlighted, as well as modern cities across the continent.


I guess the definition of an African that i would stick to probably would be someone born in Africa, of African descent, committed to the well being and progress of Africa, understands its unique culture and appreciate it's diversity and acknowledges it's problems with a vision for a brighter future.


Deadprez take on being an African



Well Malaika is over and done with, waiting for Miss Ghana this weekend. Really wanna know what wise things that are gonna be said on the show. Lets just hope they do better than Malaika girls or else we just have to scrap beauty pageants till it becomes both beauty and intellectually entertaining.

**Focus on the info not the "Gbaaament"****

Cannabis- Guest Writer Jack Jones Jnr

In Ghana, using or even openly talking about cannabis or 'ntampi' is pretty much taboo. literally translated, one of its names "abonsam tawa" actually means devil's tobacco and it is typically associated with madness. Judging from our culture and from general attitudes towards the plant, one would think it had no place in Ghanaian society. This is far from true, and for those in the dark about it, this is the reality.

Marijuana use in Ghana even though illegal is five times the world average. People use marijuana in Ghana more than in the Netherlands
where it is legal and more than in Jamaica where it is used by the Rastafarian population for spiritual purposes. The 2007 UN World Drug Report shows that in 2006 about 21% of Ghanaian's aged 15 to 64 used marijuana. The world average for that year was 3.8%. In another survey, Out of a sample of 894 senior secondary students, it was discovered that 58%
of the sample population were current marijuana users. Figures for alcohol and cigarette users were 46.2% and 44.6% respectively, thus making marijuana the recreational drug of choice for that age group. What is even more surprising is that the parents of these secondary school kids are utterly oblivious to their children’s 'narcotic pastime'.
Thanks to "Visine" and little tricks such as the old towel under the bathroom door the kids leave no traces or evidence of their drug use. To the parents, everything seems perfectly normal.
The plants roots go even deeper. In my research, i came across a number of articles and
'testimonies' by tourists about their experiences and impressions of Ghana. To many visitors, Ghana is a 'stoner's paradise'. Seriously, not all tourists mentioned
it in their stories, but for those that did, i usually saw the article transform from a general account of the holiday to a detailed account of a marijuana expedition.
Seaside locations feature frequently in these accounts. Basically anywhere with a "rasta" population is a potential hotspot for pot loving
tourists.

For the sake of readers who don’t know much about it, we should note some facts about the cannabis plant and dispel some of the myths associated with it.
First of all, the name cannabis refers to the different preparations and variations of the plant, the most common of which is marijuana. This variation contains the psychoactive compound THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which is what gets users 'high'. Immediate effects include reddening of the eyes 'red-eye' dryness of the mouth 'cotton mouth', increased heart rate, relaxing of the muscles and of course 'the munchies' or hunger. In the short term, users will have impaired short term episodic memory, working memory and impaired concentration. This is probably why students and workers who use marijuana get lower grades, have more work related accidents and are absent more frequently than non-users. The drug is however no more harmful to the body than alcohol or tobacco . Long term effects of marijuana are not so clear.

Till date there is no conclusive evidence linking marijuana smoking to lung, head or neck cancers. Quite surprisingly, some studies have discovered the anti-tumoral properties of certain cannibanoid’s and moderate use of the drug is said to protect against head, lung and neck cancer as well as breast cancer.
The long term neurological effects are yet to be established.

Not all plants from the cannabis Genus or family are grown for their psychoactive properties. Hemp, the soft durable fibre cultivated for industrial and commercial
use is obtained from a strain of the cannabis plant which lacks in THC and thus cannot get you high. Arguably one of the best fibre's for clothes ropes etc, the hemp plant
has been used for many industrial purposes including biodegradable plastics, paper, health foods, textiles and fuel. Countries including China, France and Canada
produce and reap the economic benefits of industrial hemp.

Other countries and states have allowed the controlled use and possesion of marijuana. Pot loving tourists like those i mentioned earlier flood cities like Amsterdam
with little else but marijuana on their minds. One can only imagine how much revenue is generated from Amsterdam's 'Coffee Shops' (Coffee Shops are bars licensed to sell marijuana.).
With legalization comes a decrease in drug crime and the freeing up of courts and prisons for more serious offenses. Often, prisons and courts are held up by
the arrest and trial of people, for the possession of marijuana, (from drug dealers) regardless of the amount. Control of the drug by the state itself not
only removes the drug dealers from the picture but also takes away the excitement some users get from doing something illegal. With drug dealers out of the way marijuana is less
likely fall into teenage hands. Countries where the sale of marijuana is institutionalized have found effective ways of limiting the amount a person can buy for any given period so as to
prevent its abuse. No more smoking till you pass out.

So which is the greater good? Should cannabis be made legal so the country can enjoy the health and economic benefits that come with it? After all its not like a new substance is being
introduced into the system. Its use being already widespread, legalizing would just be a way of taking advantage of a problem. Or should it remain an illegal
drug for our 'morality' and for sake of the youth? No matter what the answer may be, the cannabis plant is and will probably remain the most controversial plant on the planet.

Guest Writer
Jack Jones Jnr