Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Financial Engineering

Definition of 'Financial Engineering' The creation of new and improved financial products through innovative design or repackaging of existing financial instruments. Financial engineers use various mathematical tools in order to create new investment strategies. The new products created by financial engineers can serve as solutions to problems or as ways to maximize returns from potential investment opportunities. 
@QtalkGhana

Health Tip : Salad Dressing


Do you avoid salad creams and use dressing ?
Well,Salad dressing can significantly increase the calories
and fat content of salad.  For a tasty no fat dressing;
blend 1 Cup Fresh Tomatoes (in chunks), 1 Cup mango
(flesh only), 1/4 cup water and 2-3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar.
Enjoy! 

Monday, February 27, 2012

GRIDCO attributes Nationwide Blackout to System Failure

The Public Relations Officer of GRIDCO, Albert Quainoo, has attributed
the Nationwide blackout that occurred Sunday night to System Failure.

Speaking to Radio Ghana, Mr. Albert Quainoo, explained that the whole
nation was affected because the Plants at Akosombo, Tema and Takoradi
are interconnected.

The whole nation was Sunday night plunged into darkness between the
hours of seven and ten.

Meanwhile, The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of VRA, Mr. Kweku Awotwi
at a press conference in Accra said the inability of the West Africa
Gas Pipeline Company (WAGPCo) to supply it with gas,
will make it impossible for VRA to operate its third turbine between
now and next month.

Mr. Kweku Awotwi disclosed that WAGPCo supplies VRA with 90,000
British Thermal Units (BTU) of liquefied petroleum gas daily but the
supply has been reduced to 60,000 BTU as a result of some technical
problems encountered by the supplier.

Noting that the problem will be short-lived, he said Ghana currently
needs a daily supply of 1,600 megawatts power for both domestic and
industrial use.

He said Between this year and next year, 960 megawatts would be added
to the national power pool.

He said from 1967 to 2010, electricity supply increased between 4 and
5 percent each year, howver over the last two years, it has increased
to between 10 and 11 percent. He said With the oil production it is
even expected to go up.

The gas shortage might affect the operations of GRIDCo, ECG and the
Northern Electrification Department (NED).


Source: GBC

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Wutah Demands $60,000 From Glo…. Threatens Court Action!


Even though Hiplife duo Wutah (Fire) made up of Daniel Morris (Wutah Kobby) and Frank Osei (Wutah Virus) have gone their separate ways musically, they have reunited to demand an amount of $60,000 and more, from new comer telecommunication network in Ghana, 'Globacom'.

The group who were signed on as Glo Ambassadors with sixteen others in 2009, claim the green and white branded company has only paid them for one year, out of the three year annual renewable contract.

Speaking on Peace FM's "Entertainment Review", one half of the group i.e. Wutah Virus aka P. V. (now known as Afriyie) disclosed that Globacom Limited has refused to fulfill its part of a three year contract they signed with them as brand ambassadors.

"We signed a contract with them for a period of three years which was renewable every year, and it took effect from 1st April 2009 till date. They paid for the first one year which was between 1st April 2009 and 1st April 2010 but as we speak now, from 2010 to 2011 no money has been paid to Wutah as a group", he stated.

Afriyie said, per the contract, Glo had the first right of refusal so at the tail end of the second year, getting into the third year, they (Wutah) had information by word of mouth by a source from Glo, that they (Glo) have information that they had split as a group, and that they didn't sign the contract with individuals but they did so with the group. For that reason, Glo is disengaging them as a group and they no more qualify to be ambassadors of Glo.

Afriyie stressed that Wutah as a group does not have any problem with the fact that they have been disengaged because of the split, but all they are demanding is to be paid for the period they have worked as Glo Ambassadors while they were still together as Wutah. He explained that their separation did not affect the contract in the second year, because as at the second year 2010, they were still together, recalling that they won two awards in that particular year, 2010 Ghana Music Awards.

He lamented that the most painful part of the story was that the contract forbids them from performing on any platform or any events sponsored by competitive companies, "In Ghana the only way we get to make money is from the shows we play. So if a contract forbids you from performing on shows sponsored by any competitor, it tells you how much we lost within that one year period in the name of an amount that would be paid you for one year".

The singer also stated that they hadn't received any official letter from Glo stating that they have disengaged them. "Just as they gave us an official letter engaging us, there should be an official letter stating that they have disengaged us from this period to that period and the reason but we haven't seen any like that".

Asked if they have made any official complaint to Glo as to why they have not been paid for their second year and if indeed they have disengaged them, Wutah Virus said "We have been there many times, even last week my colleague was there more than two times and any time we go there, it is the same song they sing to us that, they will get back to us, and it's been back and forth like that for over one year now, and we are still where we were last year".

He said they had several meetings with Glo Executives from Nigeria and they promised to pay them any money they (Glo) owed them, but nothing came out of it.

Asked exactly how much Glo owed them, Virus said according to the contract, Glo was supposed to pay them $60,000 every year for three years making it $180,000 for the full contract period. But now they have been fully paid for one first and they were supposedly disengaged in the third year so Glo still has an outstanding $60,000 to pay them for the second year.

Asked what action they were going to take to get their money paid, he said they will still try all amicable means possible to settle this with Glo, but if all their attempts proved futile and they couldn't wait any more, they would have no option than to take legal action again the company.

Meanwhile, the other member of the group, Wutah Kobby who also spoke on the program, said when they raised the issue of whether it is true that the company has disengaged them because of their split as it is being speculated in town, some Glo Executives stated in one of their meetings with them that " it is not the reason why they are disengaging us, but they have sat down to think that Glo had still not started operating in Ghana yet, so they want to cut down the number of ambassadors, and after doing their own research they have realized that Wutah is the people they want cut out".

He intimated that, Glo agreed to pay the outstanding $60,000 and calculate the extra months after the second year and also pay them, if they use any of their images or voices in any of their commercials in the future. "But if all of this is still outstanding and nobody from Glo is actually sitting us down to tell us the reason why this is delaying and why none of us is getting any proper feedback, then I think it is not right".

However, several attempts by Peacefmonline.com to get an official response from Glo have not yielded results, as officials have refused to comment. But at the time of filing this story, a source hinted Peacefmonline.com that Officials of Glo are yet to meet over the issue, to decide on the way forward.

Windows 8 Logo





Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Premier league returns on Sunday



Accra, Feb. 14, GNA – The Glo Premier League will return to action after a month long break with League leaders Kumasi Asante Kotoko returning to the Essipong Stadium to face Medeama SC in a top liner opener of the season.

At the Dansoman Stadium, Acra, Liberty Professionals will take on Wa All Stars while Berekum Arsenals play host to Tudu Mighty Jets at the Golden City Park, Berekum, with Heart of Lions engaging Accra Hearts of Oak at the Kpando Park.

Struggling Bechem United will battle against Wassaman United at the Bechem Park with AshantiGold FC playing host to Edubiase FC at the Len Clay Stadium, Obuasi while Tema Youth will seek to add Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs to their victims at the Tema Stadium.

The game between Aduana Stars and Berekum Chelsea will be played on Thursday, February 23, due to a continental assignment by the defending League champions, Chelsea.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan received a rousing hero’s welcome


Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan received a rousing hero's welcome reception on his return to his United Arab Emirate side Al Ain on Monday morning.

The 26-year-old was flown to his Dubai-based from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea on a self-financed private airplane and landed at the Al Ain International Aiport at 2:20 am local time.

Hundreds of Al Ain fans organized a cars procession after his car from Al Ain airport to his house in Al Shuaibah Area.

After he got home he again went out, expressing his gratitude and appreciation for his fans and the unforgettable welcoming he received.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

RANK OF UNIVERSITIES OF GHANA-JANUARY 2012



Rank of Universities of Ghana
     
   POSITION
WORLD RANKUNIVERSITY  SIZE VISIBILITY RICH FILES SCHOLAR
      




































Source : 
http://www.webometrics.info/rank_by_country.asp?country=gh

Central University Withdraws 695 Students

Six hundred and ninety-five unqualified students who were admitted by the Central University College (CUC) to pursue various degree programmes this academic year have been withdrawn.

That followed an order from the National Accreditation Board (NAB) which ensures that standards set by the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) are adhered to.

The students did not obtain grade C6 or less in one, two or all three of the core subjects of Mathematics, English and Integrated Science or Social Studies in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Even though the CUC knew the students did not qualify, it admitted them on condition that they would re-write their examinations and better their grades within two of the four years they were required to complete their degree programmes.

The students had paid fees to the university, some as much as GH¢1,600, and had begun lectures before the NAB order.

Mr Kwame Dattey, Executive Secretary of the NAB, told the Daily Graphic that the requirements were not new and that the board had continuously educated the universities on those requirements.

He said it was true that private universities were playing an invaluable role in the educational sector, but insisted that the right thing must be done.

Mr Dattey said the board's auditing team would continue to inspect tertiary institutions to make sure that they complied with the regulations set out by the NCTE.

Head of the Public Relations, Mrs Laila Boafo-Foleson, said the university was taking some measures to mitigate the impact of the decision on the affected students.

She said students who wanted a refund of their fees were to apply for them, while those who did not were to be given an option.

She said the university was to sponsor a special mitigation programme that would provide the affected students the opportunity to expeditiously remedy their poor grades and explained that the programme was to begin on February 20, this year and run until November 2012 when students would sit the remedials.

"The full cost of tuition for the programme is to be borne by the university," she said.

Mrs Boafo-Foleson said the university would also credit the first semester results of the affected students to them, adding that students who succeeded in redeeming their grades would resume their programmes of study in the second semester of the 2012/2013 academic.

One of the affected students whom the Daily Graphic spoke with said, he was devastated by the development and had not yet decided what to do.

He said he dreaded the "plenty talking my parents are going to do all over again because I did not pass in Maths".
 
 
 
Source: Daily Graphic
 

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Here are six reasons why you should think before you speak



 Here are six reasons why you should think before you speak -


 the last one is great!
 Have you ever spoken and wished that you could
 immediately take the words back...
 or that you could crawl into a hole?
 Here are the Testimonials of a few people who did....
 

 
FIRST TESTIMONY:
 I walked into a hair salon with my husband and three kids in tow and
 asked loudly,
 "How much do you charge for a shampoo and a blow job?"
 I turned around and walked back out and never went back
 My husband didn't say a word... he knew better.
 
 
SECOND TESTIMONY:
 I was at the golf store comparing different kinds of golf balls.
 I was unhappy with the women's type I had been using.
 After browsing for several minutes, I was approached by one of the
 good-looking gentlemen who works at the store. He asked if he could
 help me.
 Without thinking, I looked at him and said, "I think I like playing
 with mens balls"

 THIRD TESTIMONY:
 My sister and I were at the mall and passed by a store that sold a
 variety of candy and nuts.
 As we were looking at the display case, the boy behind the counter
 asked if we needed any help.
 I replied, "No, I'm just looking at your nuts."
 My sister started to laugh hysterically.
 The boy grinned, and I turned beet-red and walked away.
 To this day, my sister has never let me forget..
 
 
FOURTH TESTIMONY:
While in line at the bank one afternoon, my toddler decided to release
 some pent-up energy and ran amok.
 I was finally able to grab hold of her after receiving looks of
 disgust and annoyance from other patrons.
 I told her that if she did not start behaving "right now" she would be punished.
 To my horror, she looked me in the eye and said in a voice just as threatening,
 "If you don't let me go right now, I will tell Grandma that I saw you
 kissing Daddy's willy last night!"
 The silence was deafening after this enlightening exchange. Even the
 tellers stopped what they were doing. I mustered up the last of my
 dignity and walked out of the bank with my daughter in tow. The last
 thing I heard when the door closed behind me, were screams of
 laughter.
 
 
FIFTH TESTIMONY:
 Have you ever asked your child a question too many times?
 My three-year-old son had a lot of problems with potty training and I
 was on him constantly.
 One day we stopped at McDonalds for a quick lunch, in between errands.
 It was very busy, with a full dining room.
 While enjoying my burger, I smelled something funny, so of course I
checked my seven-month-old daughter, she was clean.
 Then I realised that Danny had not asked to go potty in a while.
 I asked him if he needed to go, and he said "No".
 I kept thinking "Oh Lord, that child has had an accident, and I don't
 have any clothes with me."
 Then I said, "Danny, are you SURE you didn't have an accident?"
 "No," he replied.
 I just KNEW that he must have had an accident, because the smell was
 getting worse.
 Soooooo, I asked one more time, "Danny did you have an accident ? This
 time he jumped up, yanked down his pants, bent over, spread his cheeks
 and yelled "SEE MOM, IT'S JUST FARTS!!"
 While 30 people nearly choked to death on their food laughing, he
 calmly pulled up his pants and sat down.
 An old couple made me feel better, thanking me for the best laugh
 they'd ever had!
 
 
LAST BUT NOT LEAST TESTIMONY:
 This had most of the state of Michigan in America laughing for 2 days
 and a very embarrassed female news anchor who will, in the future,
 likely think before she speaks.
 What happens when you predict snow but don't get any!
 We had a female news anchor that, the day after it was supposed to
 have snowed and didn't,
 turned to the weatherman and asked:
 "So Bob, where's that 8 inches you promised me last night?"
 Not only did he have to leave the set,
 but half the crew did too they were laughing so hard!
 
 
Now, didn't that feel good?
 Pass it on to someone you know who needs a laugh!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

















Health Tip of the Day | "Getting Fit. . . One Step at a Time"



"Getting Fit. . . One Step at a Time"

It is best not to need an alarm clock to wake you up. Adjust
your bedtime until you wake up naturally just before your
alarm clock goes off. Adults require between 5-10 hours of
sleep a night. You will need to discover the proper amount
for your body.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Facebook and Twitter are more addictive than cigarettes or alcohol, study finds



A new study suggests that social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter are more difficult to resist than cigarettes or alcohol. A team from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business recently conducted an experiment involving 205 people in Wurtzburg, Germany to analyze the addictive properties of social media and other vices. Participants in the week-long study were polled via BlackBerry smartphones seven times per day and asked to report when they experienced a desire within the past 30 minutes, and whether or not the succumbed to that desire. They were also asked to gauge each desire on a scale from mild to "irresistible."

In total, 10,558 responses were recorded and a total of 7,827 "desire episodes" were reported by participants. The results of the team's study will soon be published in the Psychological Science journal, however preliminary data provided to The Guardian suggests the highest rate of "self-control failures" were tied to social media services.

"Modern life is a welter of assorted desires marked by frequent conflict and resistance, the latter with uneven success," said Wilhelm Hofmann, the leader of team conducting the study. Hofmann suggests people may fail to resist social media so much because there is no obvious or immediate downside to checking services like Twitter or Facebook. He does warn that these services can ultimately be a huge drain on users' time, however.

"Desires for media may be comparatively harder to resist because of their high availability and also because it feels like it does not 'cost much' to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist," Hofmann said. "With cigarettes and alcohol there are more costs – long-term as well as monetary – and the opportunity may not always be the right one. So, even though giving in to media desires is certainly less consequential, the frequent use may still 'steal' a lot of people's time."

Follow @QtalkGhana 

Friday, February 3, 2012

Rio Ferdinand not interested in England captaincy

Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand has ruled himself out of the running to replace John Terry as England captain.

Terry, who will stand trial in July over allegations he racially abused Ferdinand's brother and QPR defender Anton, has been stripped of the role.

"I don't want to be England captain after the last episode," Ferdinand wrote on social network site Twitter.

"Just want to concentrate on playing for Man Utd and if I make the squad then as ever I'll be delighted."

Ferdinand was handed the captaincy for the first time in 2008 as part of coach Capello's rotation ploy ahead of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

Later that year, manager Fabio Capelloappointed Terry as permanent skipper, only to stand him down following allegations that the Chelsea defender had an affair with team-mate Wayne Bridge's girlfriend.

Ferdinand then took over,before managerFabio Capello's decision to turn back to Terry in March 2011, the "eposide" to which Ferdinand refers.

Terry was in line to face Ferdinand inChelsea's meeting with Manchester Untied on Sunday, but the Blues skipper has pulled out with injury.

Speaking before that news emerged, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "I think I'd have a word with Rio to see what his stance is.

"He's been fighting the racism issue for years. But if he has to rise above that he's got nothing to be ashamed of - if he does decide to shake John Terry's hand [on Sunday]."

Source: www.bbc.com


AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS 2012 : JOURNEY SO FAR



Group A
P W D L GF GA Pts
Zambia 3 2 1 0 5 3 7
Eq Guinea 3 2 0 1 3 2 6
Libya 3 1 1 1 4 4 4
Senegal 3 0 0 3 3 5 0

21/01/12: Equatorial Guinea 1-0 Libya, Bata
21/01/12: Senegal 1-2 Zambia, Bata

25/01/12: Libya 2-2 Zambia, Bata
25/01/12: Equatorial Guinea 2-1 Senegal, Bata

29/01/12: Equatorial Guinea 0-1 Zambia, Malabo
29/01/12: Libya 2-1 Senegal, Bata

Group B
P W D L GF GA Pts
Ivory C 3 3 0 0 5 0 9
Sudan 3 1 1 1 4 4 4
Angola 3 1 1 1 4 5 4
Burkina F 3 0 0 3 2 6 0

22/01/12: Ivory Coast 1-0 Sudan, Malabo
22/01/12: Burkina Faso 1-2 Angola, Malabo

26/01/12: Sudan 2-2 Angola, Malabo
26/01/12: Ivory Coast 2-0 Burkina Faso, Malabo

30/01/12: Sudan 2-1 Burkina Faso, Bata
30/01/12: Ivory Coast 2-0 Angola, Malabo

Group C
P W D L GF GA Pts
Gabon 3 3 0 0 6 2 9
Tunisia 3 2 0 1 4 3 6
Morocco 3 1 0 2 4 5 3
Niger 3 0 0 3 1 5 0

23/01/12: Gabon 2-0 Niger, Libreville
23/01/12: Morocco 1-2 Tunisia, Libreville

27/01/12: Niger 1-2 Tunisia, Libreville
27/01/12: Gabon 3-2 Morocco, Libreville

31/01/12: Gabon 1-0 Tunisia, Franceville
31/01/12: Niger 0-1 Morocco, Libreville

Group D
P W D L GF GA Pts
Ghana 3 2 1 0 4 1 7
Mali 3 2 0 1 3 3 6
Guinea 3 1 1 1 7 3 4
Botswana 3 0 0 3 2 9 0

24/01/12: Ghana 1-0 Botswana, Franceville
24/01/12: Mali 1-0 Guinea, Franceville

28/01/12: Botswana 1-6 Guinea, Franceville
28/01/12: Ghana 2-0 Mali, Franceville

01/02/12: Botswana 1-2 Mali, Libreville
01/02/12: Ghana 1-1 Guinea, Franceville


Quarter-Finals:

1. 04/02/12: Zambia v Sudan, Bata
2. 04/02/12: Ivory Coast v Equatorial Guinea, Malabo
3. 05/02/12: Gabon v Mali, Libreville
4. 05/02/12: Ghana v Tunisia, Franceville

Semi-Finals:

08/02/12: QF1 winner v QF4 winner, Bata
08/02/12: QF3 winner v QF2 winner, Libreville

3rd place play-off: 11/02/2012, Malabo

Final: 12/02/2012, Libreville