Bruce Fummey is a Scottish stand-up comedian whose routines are known for their irreverent presentations of traditional Scottish culture, with shows themed around topics such as the Jacobite rising or Burns' "Tam o' Shanter". The son of a Ghanaian father and a Scottish mother, Fummey describes himself ironically as "the finest comedian on the Afro-Celtic comedy circuit".
Monday, 8 April 2013
Comedy: Bruce Fummey
Bruce Fummey is a Scottish stand-up comedian whose routines are known for their irreverent presentations of traditional Scottish culture, with shows themed around topics such as the Jacobite rising or Burns' "Tam o' Shanter". The son of a Ghanaian father and a Scottish mother, Fummey describes himself ironically as "the finest comedian on the Afro-Celtic comedy circuit".
Sunday, 7 April 2013
A Ghanaian Hero: Bismark Mensah
Hero with a $20,000 heart: Walmart worker honoured for returning cash left in cart
By: Erik Lacitis / Date: April 5, 2013
An upbeat immigrant from Ghana, known for his cheerful helping of customers at the Walmart in Federal Way, is being honoured by the retail giant for his quick work in returning an envelope stuffed with cash to the customers who had accidentally left it in a shopping cart.
He was used to finding stuff in carts that customers had
somehow forgotten — keys, credit cards, wallets. And he turned them in to
customer service.
But this particular item stood out. It was a white
envelope with a clear window in the middle, bulging with what was inside, a lot
of cash. Around $20,000, it turned out.
Because of what he did that afternoon, Mensah now is in
possession of a plaque that names him the winner of the retail giant’s national
2013 “Integrity in Action Award.”
Mensah is 32 and he remembers the exact date — Feb. 8,
2012 — on which he arrived in the U. S. of A., at JFK International Airport,
from Ghana.
He has a photo of that occasion: standing in an airport
parking lot, wearing a cap and scarf in the Ghanaian national colours of red,
gold and green, an optimistic smile on his face.
He has dreams; you know, the perennial ones that
immigrants through generations, and from countries all over the world, have
told and still tell. They don’t mind sounding naive about America being the
land of opportunity.
For Mensah that meant get a job, go to college, study
business administration, eventually return to Ghana to expand the five little
shops that his mom, Irene, had started from her work as a seamstress.
But about that $20,000.
It belonged to Leona Wisdom and Gary Elton, a couple from
Black Diamond.
The wife says they were returning home from getting the
money at a finance company when they stopped off to shop at the Walmart at
South 345th Street and 16th Avenue South.
Wisdom says she’s a caregiver who works with people who
are disabled, and says the cash was for a down payment on a house the couple
was buying on a short sale. They didn’t get the money as a check, Wisdom says,
because they didn’t want to wait days for it to clear.
It’s also the case that, for reasons that might not seem logical
to many, some people deal in cash.
Wisdom had two carts full of merchandise and Mensah
helped her take the stuff to the trunk of her car.
As she was driving away, Mensah noticed what had fallen
out of her purse — that thick envelope.
“I run after them. I think somebody heard me and signaled
for them to stop,” he remembers.
Mensah handed her the envelope.
“She was like, ‘Wow!’ Tears are coming out. She took some
money and tried to reward me. I said, ‘No, no. I’m all right,’ ” says Mensah.
He figures that every couple of weeks, after deductions,
his take-home pay is around $620 to $640.
Mensah can manage because he’s staying for free at the
Auburn home of Vicki Campbell, who has traveled to Ghana and had come to know
Mensah’s mother when she sewed dresses for Campbell.
He has an aunt in Portland, cousins in New York.
“He’s a hardworking young man,” says Campbell, who has
grown children of her own. “I don’t like to work with people who are slackers.”
Mensah says keeping the $20,000 never occurred to him.
“My conscience wouldn’t allow it. I couldn’t even drive
home if I did that,” he says.
Wisdom says she called the store twice to make sure
management knew about Mensah’s good deed.
She also tried to again do something to thank him, but he
declined her offer to be taken out to dinner.
Wisdom says she also asked Mensah if he was single, which
he is, as she has a daughter who is single. “It’s hard to find honest people,”
she explains.
Mensah demurred at the matchmaking offer, too.
Jeremy Smith, who was then the store manager, says
customers regularly called the store about Mensah.
“Maybe they were trying to load something heavy into
their vehicle. He rushed right away to help them. They were overwhelmed with
his kindness and generosity,” says Smith.
A month ago, Mensah was moved to a full-time position,
and $9.19 an hour, with benefits.
Besides working in the parking lot, he now also has
responsibilities in the backroom, as an inventory-control specialist.
He says he knows that Wal-Mart has at times been viewed
negatively. Even his mom in Ghana was concerned about her son working at the
chain and phoned him.
Mensah says he “cooled her down,” reassured her that he
liked the place, people there treat him right, that he was learning a lot and
could take what he learned about running a big retail place back to Ghana.
He says, “You have to start someplace.”
These days, Mensah works pushing carts in the parking lot
a couple of days a week, the rest in inventory.
He’s easy to spot, the guy with the smile.
“In the parking lot, people chat, tell you their
problems, you see that a person is not happy. I tell them, ‘God is in control.
Everything is OK,’ ” says Mensah.
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Not to Be Missed: The Sound Factree featuring Sandra Hudson play tonight at +233 Jazz Bar and Grill, Accra….
Sat
6th April: THE SOUND FACTREE feat SANDRA HUSON on VOCALS!!!
Our Lady sings the Blues, whilst the Jazzy in
house band swings and bops. Music for the chill in you...
Come and listen to AFRICAN BALLAD's and favorite JAZZ STANDARDS!!
SANDRA HUSON on VOCALS!!
VICTOR DEY Jnr on KEYBOARD!!BERNARD AYISA on SAX!!
PHILLIP ACQUAH on BASS!!
ELI on TROMBONE!!
DANNY BLACK on DRUMS!!
RATE: GHC 10.00
For
more info call +233 23 323 3233 or visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/233-jazz-bar-and-grill/144325962271096
A Ghanaian National Hero: Big Man
Paulina
Opoku-Gyimah says: I’ve been feeling very sorry for myself of late, and have
been quiet out-of-sorts, but the above film clip (I’m sorry I don’t know which
news programme in Ghana filmed this) of Big Man, a real Ghanaian national
treasure and HERO has put me right!!!
I
am beyond inspired and humbled by Big Man and pray Ghanaians will celebrate
this incredible man the way they celebrate the likes of Jay-Z, Chris Brown, Lil
Wayne et al…
I
wish that I had a Facebook page or website for Big Man ---as I’m sure that like
myself, many of you would want to make contact with him… ***If you are reading
this and know how we can all genuinely contact Big Man -do let us know… or even
better maybe, –a FB page can be set-up for him –as, many people including
myself would like to be a Blessing to him and his family; just the sight of his
motor vehicle not working is driving me crazy!!!!
I
must confess, I’ve been soooo disillusioned with the state of affairs in Ghana
lately (cue: electrify, water & unemployment etc) but watching Big Man has
given me hope –Amen, plus, he has truly gloried God and deserves to be Blessed
for that. Thus, when I think of a ‘better’
Ghana or whatever the Ghanaian government’s new maxim is…… I think of the likes
of Big Man, going about their daily lives with or without help from the authorities
and I’m inspired…
***After
some unneeded vomit from someone professing to be a photographer, threatening
to take me to court or whatever, because she didn’t like what I said about her
damaging comments about Ghana, -- Big
Man is just what the doctors ordered.
God
Bless you and your beautiful family Big Man… xx
Lifestyle/Luxury Real Estates in Ghana: Palmers Place, Accra…..
Devtraco
Limited, owned by Joseph Aidoo are the property developers behind Palmers Place,
a development of eleven elegant, high-spec town houses set within a lush landscape
garden and state of the art communal swimming pool in a gated community , -touted
as the ‘soon–to-be’ hottest place to live in Accra.
Like
all the hottest properties in Accra -right now, it boasts the chichi Airport Residential postcode
and is only ten minutes from Accra Kotoka International Airport and other cosmopolitan
amenities including; Accra Mall, high-end supermarkets, top international
schools, restaurants, cinemas and numerous beaches…
For
more info about this exciting development visit:
http://www.rovellaltd.com/palmers-place/contactus.htmhttp://devtraco.com.gh/
https://www.facebook.com/devtracoliving
More
Info
Uncompromised,
first class workmanship forms the foundation of this purpose built exclusive
development of eleven modern town houses, in a master planned family friendly
gated community located within a green oasis in the popular vibrant and much
sort after Airport Residential district of Accra.
Classy, stylish, spaciously designed and
equipped to an excellent level of specification, Palmer’s Place offers a superb
home; from the ready-to-impress kitchen down to the finer details of the
finish.
With its setting, the Airport Residential
locale is packed with shops, foodie pit-stops and banks - so you will be spoilt
for choice whether your taste runs to family-run restaurants, boutique shops or
simply managing your finances.
This is a perfect abode for young cosmopolitan
families and retired professionals a like - both are guaranteed to find delight
in this gated residential haven fully equipped with first class amenities.
A Must Read: Mabel Dove: Selected Writings of a Pioneer West Africa Feminist
Mabel
Dove: SELECTED WRITINGS OF A PIONEER WEST AFRICAN FEMINIST
Edited
by Stephanie Newell and Audrey GadzekpoPrice: £8.99 ISBN 1 84233 097 7
For
more info or to order visit: http://english.ntu.ac.uk/trenteditionsnew/order%20form.htm
Thursday, 4 April 2013
EL unveiled as the Face of Airtel Ghana…..
Photo Credit: Airtel Ghana
Title: EL unveiled as Airtel Icon!
Date: 3 -4-
Songwriter and producer, EL, has been unveiled as a brands icon for telecommunications operator Airtel. EL composed and performed the signature tune for Airtel’s new thematic campaign, ‘my paddie, my network’.
Corporate Relations Manager of Airtel Ghana, Kwame Gyan, says with majority of the network’s customers being ‘youth’, Airtel is strengthening its appeal among young people.
“We have developed products and services that suit the very many classes of users we have on Airtel. Regardless of how old we are, we all have paddies who have helped us, or been around at various facets of our lives and it is these paddies that we want to identify and celebrate.”
“We look forward to building the Airtel brand going into the future and EL comes across as a solid brand that sits well with us.”
Airtel is the new brand name for the 17 Zain operations across Africa which was acquired by Airtel International in June 2010.
Credit: http://www.enewsgh.com/
Note, EL composed the song to the "my paddies my network" campaign for Airtel Ghana and it can be downloaded for free via: http://cl.ly/NZZr
For more info visit: http://www.bbnz-live.com/pages/el
https://www.facebook.com/EL4GH
http://www.africa.airtel.com/wps/wcm/connect/africaairtel/Ghana/
https://www.facebook.com/AirtelGH
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