Features
Promoting Ghanaian food for the Finnish/European market
In my last writeup, I discussed how I heard that one could buy the typical Ghanaian Asaanaa drink from a food shop in Finland.
I mentioned how a Ghana “big brother” of mine had bought the Asaanaa drink and told me about it.
I decided to share information about it and to help encourage ideas about food and business/investment opportunities for entrepreneurs and other business-minded people. And today, I continue with this kind of endeavour.
Palmwine and ‘Asaanaa;’ drinks in Finland
My further chats with some Ghanaians in Finland revealed that one could also buy bottled palm-wine (nsaafuo/nsafufuo) from an “African” shop here in Helsinki owned by a Nigerian. I know palm-wine is also popular among Nigerians and I understand they call it “Palmi”. I think the bottled palm-wine drink is imported from Ghana.
This means that it is not only Asaanaa that has found its way into the Finnish market, but also the bottled palm-wine had already been in the shop.
As I said the last time, my interest in all these Ghanaian foods is how Ghanaian Diaspora companies and Ghanaian immigrants in Finland generally could make a business in more Ghanaian food products for the Finnish/European market.
Other potential Ghanaian products
I have already said in my last post that some Ghanaian shea butter body lotion products are making quite an impact in the Finnish market.
I have also sometimes seen pineapples from Ghana in some Finnish grocery shops. Yams and plantains can also be found in almost all African-Asian shops.
I have just remembered that some Ghanaian friends told me some time ago that one could also buy from some Asian-African shops here cow-skin (what we call in Ghana as “coat” or kawuro) as well as stinking fish that looks and almost tastes like our own Ghanaian “opaa momone”. I think these packaged products are imported from Asian countries.
So, my point is that we should think of promoting Ghanaian food products. As someone on a Ghanaian social media platform I belong to rhetorically asked, who says one cannot pack Ghana products like neem tree and prekese for the European market?
As I wrote the last time, other potential products that could attract Finnish and other European markets are our own alata samina (soap), sobolo drink or the flower/hibiscus for making the drink, prekese, kokonte/cassava flour, and many more.
I am sure there would be a big patronage for such Ghanaian products as Ghanaian food is popular among Ghanaians here. Moreover, many Finnish people love African food. Whenever Ghanaian groups participate in food fairs here, many people patronise the jollof rice, “red-red” (fried riped plantain and beans stew), waakye, and ginger drink.
Collaboration
Again, all that is needed is for Ghanaian Diaspora companies and entrepreneurs to find the right kind of collaboration within the community or with Finnish/European companies.
So, over to you those with business minds to take this up.
As I have written here before, the attention of Finnish authorities and business leaders on Ghana and Ghanaian products for business and investment is high.
The COVID-19 situation may have slowed things down but life goes on and so must business thrive, especially so with border restrictions that were imposed in the thick of the pandemic gradually being eased now.
Growing Ghanaian diaspora communities
The Ghanaian diaspora in Finland has been growing as in other places in Europe and elsewhere in the world.
There are more than 1,600 Ghanaian immigrants living in Finland and possibly well over 10,000 in all Scandinavian countries. I am sure Ghanaian products will always find a good market.
The Ghanaian products for the Finnish market and in other European countries will also allow Ghanaian immigrants to have access to their “home country food”, as one of my friends puts it.
There are many Ghanaian immigrant families in which the children very much enjoy “Ghanaian food” when they can have it, even though they have been born here in Finland and have never been to Ghana.
Like I said the last time, that is how most of us living abroad make use of the two worlds we find ourselves in. Thank you.
Features
Preventing the brain’s melting point with BOS
The human brain is a complex and delicate organ, susceptible to damage from various factors, including extreme temperatures.
The brain’s melting point, also known as the temperature threshold beyond which brain tissue begins to degrade, is a critical concern for individuals seeking to maintain optimal cognitive function.
Fortunately, the Brain Operating System (BOS) offers a revolutionary solution to prevent the brain’s melting point.
Understanding the brain’s melting point
The brain’s melting point refers to the temperature threshold beyond which brain tissue begins to degrade, leading to irreversible damage.
This temperature threshold varies depending on individual factors, such as age, health, and environmental conditions. However, research suggests that the brain’s melting point is approximately 104°F (40°C) to 107°F (42°C).
The role of BOS in preventing the brain’s melting point
BOS, a cutting-edge technology, plays a crucial role in preventing the brain’s melting point. By leveraging advanced neural interfaces and artificial intelligence, BOS monitors and regulates brain temperature, ensuring that it remains within a safe range.
How BOS prevents the brain’s melting point
BOS prevents the brain’s melting point through several mechanisms:
1. Temperature regulation: BOS continuously monitors brain temperature, adjusting neural activity to maintain a stable temperature.
2. Heat dissipation: BOS enhances heat dissipation through increased blood flow and sweating.
3. Neuro protection: BOS protects neurons from heat-induced damage.
Benefits of BOS in preventing the brain’s melting point
The benefits of BOS in preventing the brain’s melting point are numerous:
1. Prevents brain damage: BOS prevents brain damage caused by excessive heat.
2. Maintains cognitive function: BOS ensures optimal cognitive function by maintaining stable brain temperature.
3. Enhances brain resilience: BOS enhances brain resilience to temperature fluctuations.
Real-World applications of BOS
BOS has various real-world applications:
1. High-performance computing: BOS enables high-performance computing by maintaining optimal brain temperature.
2. Medical applications: BOS has medical applications, such as treating heat-related illnesses.
3. Space exploration: BOS is crucial for space exploration, where extreme temperatures pose a significant risk.
Conclusion
BOS is a revolutionary technology that prevents the brain’s melting point, ensuring optimal cognitive function and overall well-being. By leveraging advanced neural interfaces and artificial intelligence, BOS monitors and regulates brain temperature, protecting against heat-related damage.
Glossary:
1. BOS: Brain Operating System.
2. Brain’s melting point: Temperature threshold beyond which brain tissue begins to degrade.
3. Neural interface: Connects human brain with digital devices.
Contact Information
virginvtech@yahoo.com
Additional resources:
1. BOS research: Explore scientific studies.
2. Neural interface resources: Discover books and articles.
3. Brain-computer interface communities: Join online forums.
Future directions
As BOS technology continues to evolve, we can expect:
1. Improved temperature regulation: Enhanced temperature regulation mechanisms.
2. Increased cognitive enhancement: Advanced cognitive enhancement capabilities.
3. Expanded applications: New applications in various fields.
By harnessing the power of BOS, individuals can safeguard their brain health and maintain optimal cognitive function, even in extreme environments.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
Features
Lotto wahala and Tuobodom palaver
In Sikaman lotto is not a game. It is a profession, a noble career which people aspire to. It is the highest paying profession after armed robbery and the most widespread job on this side of the Atlantic.
In places like China, lotto is a disease that has no cure. Once you are infected, no doctor on earth can cure you. May be Kofi Larteh, Ghana’s most celebrated magician, can help ease the symptoms, but no definitive cure will be forthcoming.
Coming back to Sikaman, lotto has been the financial messiah of many. That is how people look after their large families, pay school fees, marry two wives and do their own ‘monkey things.’
If you are very poor and you win a lottery, chances are that you will die before you even collect the money. You’ll die out of excitement or you’ll start day-dreaming in the streets and an articulated truck will hit you.
As such, very heavy wins are not recommended for poor people, lest they get listed too soon in the obituary columns.
The sad story is told of a heavy-duty caterpillar driver who had a very heavy lotto windfall of several millions, his first big win after several years.
CATERPILLAR
He was driving the caterpillar home when he saw his son running towards him, shouting. “All your numbers have dropped! All your numbers have dropped! He could not believe his ears.
All the four numbers he had staked had dropped and his son, who had gone to stake them for him, was himself over-excited. The poor caterpillar man just could not handle the good news. He suddenly stepped on the brakes and the caterpillar jolted him a trifle too violently, throwing him off. He landed right in front of the still moving heavy-duty machine and it crushed him flat.
I don’t think the bloke would have died if he had won a smaller amount. Sometimes too much cash is not good for the health.
Seldom, people get too confident and that can also result in a wake-keeping, like that of a man who used his lifetime savings and borrowed extra money to crack the machine with a two-sure that the compiler must compulsory drop or the world will end.
Even the shadows of the numbers or their counterparts were nowhere near the winning numbers. His shock-absorbers crumbled under the weight of the heavy disappointment. He crashed to the floor and started foaming at the mouth. He was declared dead on arrival at the nearest clinic.
WINDFALL
Recently, there was a countrywide lotto windfall, and in Kumasi it was more than a festival. Most stakers had between ¢30m and ¢40 million on two-sure that the lotto magicians had predicted at least three weeks earlier,
Kejetia chop bars were besieged with overnight millionaires, carrying huge appetites induced by Opeimu Bitters popularly called Opeimu Peters. All the meat and mudfish got sold out within an hour and procurement agents had to double up to restock.
While some were celebrating, others were weeping and gnashing teeth. The problem was that, three weeks beforehand, the two sure numbers were declared by all the lotto sorcerers, dreamers, magicians, tellers and all the self-appointed and self-promoted forecasters.
Everybody including 10-year-olds, who staked and lost. The following week, they were advised to continue staking. The faithful did continue but the faithless stopped. All of them lost. In the third week or so, a good number of confident stakers had lost faith in the two numbers. That was when the number landed.
So the windfall was for only those who had the unshakeable faith in the numbers. See what faith can do? It can move dollars. Don’t waver, so saith the holy scriptures.
The faithless indeed gnashed teeth. The winners on the other hand celebrated with a song that is as controversial as the business of lotto. It is a song played by the group called Nkasei and has something to do with a town in the Brong Ahafo Region called Tuobodom whose capital we hear is Jinijini.
I hear it is a derogatory song and the queen mother of Tuobodom got charged and breathed out electric current during her protest on air. She allegedly ended up demanding a mobile phone from Nkasei so that she could communicate with them to settle the matter peacefully, lest wahala.
Well, the song is rising up the charts and Nkasei are making the dough, but should it be at the expense of a whole townsfolk, their forebears and generations to come?
WATERPROOF
Waterproof, the famous comedian, was allegedly given hefty slaps at the Kumasi rail station by some Frafra jingoists who felt he was deriding their tribe. And Bob Okala had to run with his tail between his legs when he was confronted and realised that slaps were going to be visited on his lean face.
Let’s not use words and lyrics to cause discomfort to others.
This article was first published on Saturday July 9, 2005
