The fact that you are alive is proof that you are becoming something.

What you have become today is a product of the choices, decisions, indecisions, actions and inactions of yesterday.

What you will become tomorrow is a function of today’s choices, decisions, indecisions, actions and inactions.

The truth stands that you are becoming something.

The question then is what are you becoming?

In a world where too many people are on autopilot: doing the same thing every day, without thinking, and expecting that out-of-the-blues breakthrough, we must stop and think.

If I continue living, acting and reacting as I currently do, what will I become in ten (10) years?

The answer to that question is the key to a meaningful existence

There are three great painters of old;

Leonardo da Vinci who painted Mona Lisa, Michaelangelo who painted the Sistine Chapel and Pablo Picasso who invented the art form known as Cubism

Picasso had this to say about his life:

My mum said to me

If you become a monk, you will end up the pope

If you join the army, you end up a general

So I became a painter and wound up as Pablo Picasso

What are you becoming and how well are you becoming what you are becoming?

Welcome to Become Excellence where we are committed to equipping you to Become EXCELLENCE.

You can be the best, don’t settle for anything else.

It was absolutely justified if the traders in the new Ashaiman-Ghana market refuse to pay their tolls.This is because the illegal hawkers and vendors around the market sell their items to buyers before the buyers get into the designated market area.But it is quite commendable that this menace is being tackled.It really depicting the real Ghana.FREEDOM AND JUSTICE

The video says it all ... :o)

This second video comes through openalex and explains the Barefoot College's solar electrification programs across Africa. Very cool.

19 June, 2009

By: Alhaji Jalloh, Freetown

Senior Adviser of the Fullah Union in Germany has said in Freetown that his organization was working towards helping the poor and needy in Sierra Leone.

Mohamed Lamrana Bah who was on a month's vacation to Sierra Leone recently told newsmen in Freetown that his German registered organization had plans to help Sierra Leone in the areas of scholarships for the poor and needy children, construction of schools, recreational facilities for children and other development programmes.

In an exclusive interview at his No. 11 Easton Street residence, Mohamed Bah said: "Its high time Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora came and assisted in the development of their country. Developing our country should not be left in the hands of government alone or development partners abroad."

He further queried: "If we do not develop our country, who else can? I therefore, on behalf of the ‘Fulbe' Union in Germany call on all Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora to consider coming back home with development packages for our beloved country."

Giving the background of the Union on the telephone line from Germany, the Union President, Madieu Bah, said it was established in 1999 and the organization has been growing from strength to strength with over 150 members.

When asked if the organization was political, the President was quick to say: "The ‘Fulbe' Union is non-political and a non-profit-making organisation with the objective of helping to familiarize our host citizens in particular and the world community at large with the Fullah culture."

Bah maintained that the union which has its official seat in Frankfurt Main, in the Federal State of Hessen, "is wholly and solely a socio-cultural and charitable organisation."

Asked about their aims and objectives, Bah outlined the following:

• Preservation and cultivation of the Fullah culture.

• Organizing and promoting communal development projects pertaining to the cultural values of the Fullahs.

• Offer charitable help to members in need in cases of natural and artificial catastrophes as well as to foster co-operation among its members for social, cultural and recreational activities.

• Endeavour to render help to the needy in our beloved countries.

• Work and maintain contact with other unions with similar aims and objectives.

About its membership, the president says: "It's open to all those who share its aims and objectives, regardless of nationality, race, political and religious belonging."

He concluded: "Our union has an international network spanning the Sub-Saharan region, Europe and America. And we hope to establish contacts to our sister unions elsewhere."

Meanwhile, their sister union in Belgium, Tabital Pulaaku International (TPI) recently invited Sierra Leone's Tourism and Culture Minister, Hindiolo Sumanguru Trye and Former Chief Justice, Dr. Abdulai Babagaleh Timbo to their two day festival running from 26th - 27th June, 2009 in Belgium and it is expected to attract participants from Africa and across the world.

Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news: http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/

It's been in the works for the last two months as we coordinated the translation work from the very adept Mr. Oumar Bah, who now blogs (in French and Fula) at Konngol Afirik. And now, we're happy to announce that the Fula language version is live on Maneno! It's the 'FUL' option at the top for those who may know the language via a different spelling, such as 'Peul' in French.

Fula (or Fulfulde as it is known in the language) is spoken primarily in West Africa with around 16 million speakers or so according to Wikipedia. Although, it is the case that the amount of speakers could be as high as 50 million, as a commenter mentioned below. Given the number of dialects and the spread of the language, hard, fast numbers are hard to come by, but it is generally assumed that the Wikipedia article is far too conservative in its total.

The amount of countries that this language is spoken in to at least some extent is massive (take a look to the left), which is why we're very happy to have it as a language interface option. We hope that there will be a far reach with this language as Oumar is extremely well-versed in the Fula language mechanics. He compiled the first Fula-French online dictionary, which he is also looking to publish.

If you look at this language version of Maneno, you can see that there are similar issues as with the Bambara version in that there are a a number of characters which are outside the typical ones in the extended Latin alphabet. These should all have native supported on the internet, but that can support can sometimes be lacking. Thankfully, due to the Bambara experience, this was much less of a problem this time around, although Internet Explorer 6 simply will not display these characters, so upgrade if you can.

Again, we thank Oumar for all his work as well as Claire Ulrich who worked to connect us with Oumar in the first place.

As the BBC reported, the country of Benin now has the dubious distinction in joining the EU no fly list. I say the country because every single airline has been banned from flying in to the EU on account of safety issues. This is not the first time this has happened to an entire country in Africa unfortunately:

The list also imposes a total ban on airlines based in Equatorial Guinea, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Gabon - save for Gabon Airlines and Afrijet, which have exemptions for a small number of aircraft.

You'll notice Kyrgyzstan in that list and Kazakhstan has also had most of its airlines banned. So, it's not like the regulators are singling out the continent of Africa, it just so happens that they majority of their list is based there. It also happens that there are a greater number of European-based flights to Africa than to Central Asia and lemme tell ya, they ain't cheap.

Is this list justified? Probably to some extent. As shown with accidents on this one from Angola will probably never make you want to fly again. But, the US and Europe aren't without their accidents. Percentage-wise, they definitely have less than Africa as a whole and if given the choice, I would rather not fly on most African airlines with the exceptions of Kenya Airways or South African Airways.

It does make me wonder if it's just a wee bit profit driven because if the only airline that can fly from Benin to Europe is Air France it does make it easy for them to charge whatever they want as there is next to no competition. Such is life I suppose and to be honest, the only serious crash in Benin I can find on the interweb was back in 2003 which was a Lebanese charter flight. Maybe the Benin airlines are indeed problematic. Maybe it's a money grab. Whatever the case, it's a rather severe limiting of options for the people of Benin to connect with the rest of the world.