Paragliding, from sports to tourism…South Africa, Ghana showing the way

A captivating scene of lakes, rivers, estuaries and beaches gently unfolds against a backdrop of lush forest and lofty mountain. These are all elements that characterize Paragliding.

For a long time, it has been a desire of man to fly in the open skies, enjoy the beauties of nature and look upon the landscapes, rivers, and mountains from high above.

Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure.

Despite not using an engine, paraglider flights can last many hours and cover many hundreds of kilometres, though flights of 1–2 hours and covering some tens of kilometres are more the norm.

Paragliding is a potentially dangerous recreational activity. In the United States for example, an average of slightly less than 1 in every 1,000 active paraglider pilots has been fatally injured every year since 1994. In France around 6 of every 1,000 pilots were seriously injured, while only 2 of every 10,000 pilots were fatally injured in 2011.

With all the challenges characterized in paragliding, it remains one of the sorts after recreational activities worldwide.

Though the adventure has its roots from Europe and the Americas, South Africa and Ghana has showed that the sports can be use as a potential landmark to boost tourism on the continent.

Paragliding in South Africa

Haven't we all at some point watched in envy as raptors soared overhead in flight? South Africa's many ridges and mountain lines run like great arteries throughout the country, making paragliding in South Africa both a delight and, at times, a daunting challenge. South Africa is the first African country to engage paragliding as a recreational activity.

South Africa is a popular tourist destination, and a substantial amount of revenue comes from tourism. Among the main attractions are the diverse and picturesque culture, the game reserves and the highly regarded local wines. In recent years, tourism in South Africa has seen high growth with the first five months of 2007 showing the highest levels of tourism in South Africa since 1998.

The South African Hang Gliding & Paragliding Association (SAHPA) has generated more than 50% of world records in this sport - most of them established in the Karoo.

Although most of the country's 9 provinces offer the sport, the relatively flat Karoo heartland is one of the best areas for paragliding. The towns of De Aar and Kuruman in the Northern Cape Province are the centers of Karoo paragliding.

The Western Cape has more than 60 official paragliding launch-and-flight sites.

KwaZulu-Natal Midlands are also a favored spot for this rewarding leisure activity.

Paragliding is the simplest and purest form of flying there is. Whether you dream of soaring above the hills, or taking your canopy on holiday with you to explore exotic locations from the air, paragliding is the way to go.

Paragliding in Ghana

When you step off of the plane in Accra, the capital of Ghana, the equatorial air hits you like a steamy, sultry cloud, full of unfamiliar aromas and promises of exciting adventures. Loud music, hot food, gorgeous views and friendly faces begin to warm your soul and spread a huge smile across your face! And that's not all that you have to be happy about, because there is also plenty of sky to explore while free-flying!

Since its inception in 2005, the Kwahu Easter Paragliding Festival has attracted thousands of Ghanaians from all walks of life and foreigners alike.

Twenty-one pilots from the United States of America, Norway, France, Brazil, Japan, South Africa and Australia participates Paragliding festival on the Atibie Kwahu Mountains in the Eastern Region.

Paragliders are not cheap, although they represent one of the least expensive ways to get into the air. A new paraglider suitable for a recently trained pilot will cost up to around £2,000; secondhand canopies can be obtained for much less.

The Minister for Tourism, Ms. Akua Dansua reiterated her Ministry's agenda to promote tourism internationally and domestically, adding that the paragliding festival at Kwahu is going to be a significant part of this development.

According to her, with the passage of the Tourism Bill by Parliament, which is awaiting presidential assent, Tourism development will be taken to another level.

She encouraged stakeholders in the industry to continue to nurture the festival and other domestic tourism programmes to attract participation from both local and international visitors as Ghana prepares to move into a phase of accelerated development and modernisation agenda.

The Paragliding festival enriched the local economy since facilities such as hotels and restaurants experience increased patronage.

According to the Special Events Manager of the Ghana Tourist Authority (GTA), Benjamin Anane Nsiah the 2012 paragliding festival in Kwahu suffered a decline in revenue compared to that of last year.

The low revenue was blamed on bad weather conditions that caused disruption in flights.

GTA officials say already, more than 200 people subscribed to paragliding one of the biggest sorts after events in West Africa.

The Kwahu Easter Paragliding Festival has become a popular event attraction on the country’s tourism calendar and imprinted on the country’s domestic tourism calendar.

It is normally characterised by a plethora of entertainment, music and dancing, greatly enhancing domestic tourism as it encourages more Ghanaians to show interest in the tourism potentials of the country.

Samuel Mantey

Email: Sammyoo3@yahoo.com

Twitter: SamuelMantey

The current state of the world …. Deception!

My friend told last time that he bought a mobile phone at the local shop in the city at a very expensive price only to get home to find out that the phone was not working.

I was not entirely surprise as they were so many confident tricksters who do so many crazy things just for survival. This is one of the many stories on the current state of the world.

The only successful people are the best ones that go free deceiving the poor. Indeed, as the Bible says in Hosea 4: 6 that ‘my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you’ emphasizing that the people will surely perish for their lack of knowledge.

Deceptions are acts to propagate beliefs that are not true, or not the whole truth. It can employ distraction, camouflage or concealment to attain a particular purpose. Deception was the means Satan made Eve to eat the fruit of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. By his means of deception, he made Eve commits a mistake that would turn God against man (his image) forever.

Below is a list of the current state of the world;

The End of the World

Over the past few years so many people from all sort of life’s have announce the date for the second coming of Christ thus the End of the World. Interestingly none of the date seems right and yet there are more dates been set. In the world of deception, dates like 11/11/11, 10/10/10, June 30^th, May 21^st, May 27^th, 2020-2037, 2060 etc makes sense but these dates are part of a means to deceive the world. That is not to say that Jesus will not come anytime soon, indeed, Jesus is coming sooner and earlier than we might think.

Definition of success

The world defines success as having a house, car, well-paid job, and number of girlfriends. But must success be defined with materialistic things? This deceptive definition of success has led to rise of criminal activities just to attain worldly success status.  With these criteria, politicians, gamblers, celebrities, and personalities are successful people. Meanwhile, the means of their worth has not been questioned. The Bible explains better that following God and obeying His instructions is the meaning of success. When Solomon became king, he didn’t ask the Lord for wealth and power, but for wisdom and discernment in order to lead God’s people. God was pleased by this request and granted it, giving Solomon a wise and understanding heart, more than any man had ever had before.

The glory of sin

The world has welcome and graciously received sin as the new fashion trend.  Now, sex before marriage is adored, cohabitation is perfect, cheating is okay, insults are friendly, unhealthy relationship is fun. Deception has turn off the moral foundation of the youth to an awkward phenomenon in accepting that doing the wrong things is right. For example, in 1 Timothy 4:1-2, Paul wrote to Timothy,

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron."

Hypocritical liars! People who teach one thing but practice another, or perhaps, people who preach something that they know to be false, and do so because of some agenda that they might have, somehow convincing themselves that God will wink at such behaviour because of their good intention. Whichever, the evidence is that both types are prevalent in Christendom today.

The youth are now engaging in fornication, drugs and other immoral activities because of the devil has deceived them in believing that the trend is the right module in life but  Galatians 6:7-8  says ‘Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life’.

The way OUT!

 There is no other way of pleasing the Lord than obeying his instructions and doing his will. When we please the Lord he delivers us from all forms of deceptions and distractions.

We have to renew our mentality and focus our attention to Christ Romans 12:2 says ‘Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect’.

Another way the Bible teaches us to escape the spirit of deception is Put to death therefore what is earthly in us: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters escape from the world of deception. What might look good to your eyes might be evil in the eyes of God. Watch and Pray

-By: Samuel Mantey
Email: Sammyoo3@yahoo.com
Twitter: SamuelMantey

5 Countries Where Being a Journalist Can Be Dangerous to Your Health

Low pay, long hours, and dwindling job opportunities are professional challenges faced by many journalists.  For some, however, the risks can be considerably steeper.

At least 17 journalists have been killed so far in 2012 and there are currently 179 journalists imprisoned around the world because of their work.

These numbers only begin to describe the risks faced by journalists, bloggers, filmmakers and others who dare bring to light uncomfortable truths that powerful interests would prefer to conceal.  Most of those detained or killed were reporting on human rights failings in their country.

Today on World Press Freedom Day (May 3), here is a brief look at five countries where people risk much in the service of truth:

1. China: The escape from house arrest of blind activist Chen Guangchen put the spotlight on China’s deplorable human rights record this week.  But the list of those jailed in China for calling attention to human rights is a long one.  Journalist Shi Tao continues to serve 10 years in prison for sending an email describing government efforts to censor the media.  Filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen has been imprisoned since 2008 for speaking out about Tibetan human rights through his filmmaking.

2. Ethiopia:  In Ethiopia, news outlets are monitored closely by security agents, and freedom of expression has been criminalized.  Journalists there are prosecuted and sentenced to long prison terms for covering issues that the government finds objectionable.  Increasingly, the government has used anti-terrorism charges against journalists, as it did with imprisoned Woubshet Taye and Reyot Alemu.

3. Honduras: Writers and human rights defenders in Honduras have been threatened, attacked or killed because of their work.  In 2012 alone, numerous journalists in Honduras have received threats, including Dina Meza.  In April, she received text messages and phone calls threatening her with sexual violence.  But Dina Meza refuses to back down saying “I have the obligation to make the truth known.”

4. Sri Lanka: Many people died in Sri Lanka’s long civil war, and journalists covering the war and its aftermath have also fallen victim to killings, imprisonment and enforced disappearance.  Government officials have used state-controlled media to assail the country’s journalists as “traitors.”  Journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, whose work was critical of the government, went missing after leaving work one day in 2010.  His wife told the BBC that “he was abducted by people who did not like the truth.”

5. Turkmenistan:  Radio Free Europe correspondent Olgusapar Muradova was arrested in Turkmenistan in 2006 for reporting about the country’s human rights record.  Months later, she was dead, apparently the result of injuries she suffered in prison.  Her colleagues Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev remain imprisoned, and the government of Turkmenistan continues to clamp down on independent voices.

These are just a few of the countries in which journalists face tremendous risks for carrying out their professional duties.  For information on other countries, see the Committee to Protect Journalist’s new list of the 10 most censored countries, and check out the U.S. State Department’s current focus on endangered journalists.

Those who dare risk so much to speak truth to power deserve our support.  Please take action today through Amnesty’s World Press Freedom action.

By Michael O'Reilly

You Cant Keep A Good Man Down!

Hello and Praise the Lord, !

Have you ever fallen down? Maybe you were learning to ride a bike. Maybe you were running and stumbled. Maybe you were walking in the woods and tripped over a rock or a tree root. Depending on the situation you were in, it probably did not feel very good to you. It was probably unexpected. You may have even gotten some bumps and bruises from the impact of the fall. If others saw you fall, it may have even been quite embarrassing. It probably wasn't something that you would tweet about or announce on Facebook. We have all experienced a fall of some magnitude in our lives. We have all been there. Chances are pretty good too, that in the very near future, we might experience another unexpected fall. It happens. It's life. But we get back up again.

It also happens in our spiritual lives as well. We all make mistakes. Whether you are a Pastor, Sunday School teacher, usher, secretary, musician, mow the church lawn, balance the church's bank account, clean the baptismal, or run sound, we all fall down. It doesn't feel good, either. It's usually an unexpected fall. Sometimes, others see us in this fallen state and it can be embarrassing. It's not something we want everyone to know about. We have all been there, and chances are, if God tarries, we will fall again. It happens. It's life. But, We have to get back up again.

The enemy would love for us to stay down and discouraged. The Devil loves to see God’s children down and discouraged. He loves to see us make mistakes. He cherishes the moments that we fall flat on our faces over traps he has laid in our paths. However, not only does he love to see us fall, his ultimate goal is for us to stay down. When we finally throw in the towel and give it all up. When it seems we have no more strength to fight anymore. When we are ready to stop preaching the Bible and its Truths. The Devil loves this season of our life. However, the Bible says;

"Rejoice not against me oh mine enemy, when I fall I shall arise.." (Micah 7:8)

Not "if" I fall, or maybe, or I might, but WHEN. It's inevitable. It's going to happen. But when it does happen, how are we going to respond?

Rev. David Kent has recently contributed 19 brand new messages to Preachit.org. One of his latest messages is such a wonderful insight into this very subject. His message, entitled "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down," addresses this very subject.

He writes about three different people's perspectives at the cross. It was their darkest hour. One of them was Mary.

"Mary went to see Jesus while it was still dark. That’s when we need to seek Him as well. When you think about it, things could not have been any more discouraging for the disciples. They had followed Jesus for more than 3 years, seen the miracles, heard His teaching, but now He had been tried and crucified. He was dead and had been buried in a tomb. All their hopes and dreams had been dashed. It must have been a very dark time. But Mary went to seek Jesus while it was still so dark, before there was even a glimmer of light or the slightest ray of hope."

It would have been easy for Mary to just give up. It would have been easy for the disciples to deny everything they had lived for and turn their backs on Jesus. After all, they saw Him crucified Him on a cross! But, they remembered a promise that He had made to them! And although He had been crucified, the Devil couldn’t keep this good man down!

In this message, there are 2,257 words. If you are in the "Fall" season of your life right now, you will want to read every one of these words from Rev. David Kent. They will transform your life and your way of thinking and help you to encourage others to get back up again!

PURC CONSTRUCTS BOREHOLES FOR RESOLVE WATER SHORTAGE IN ACCRA

As part measures to boost the accessibility of water supply in the country, the Ghana Water Company in collaboration with the Public Utility Regulatory Service (PURC) has commission boreholes in Madina and Teshie in the Greater Accra Region. 

The Executive Secretary of the Public Utility Regulatory Service (PURC), Mr. Stephen Adu stated that the construction of the boreholes forms part of the social responsibility of the company to give back to the society. He said the selection of Madina as the first beneficiary community is due to intensive nationwide survey conducted by the PURC team in which the chose the community. 

Mr. Stephen Adu stated that Teshie will be the next town in the Greater Accra Metropolis to benefit from the borehole construction. According to him, the establishment of the borehole facilities will be extended to other neigbouring communities. 

The Member of Parliament for Madina Abokobi Constituency, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho expressed his gratitude to PURC to the construction of the projects. He stated that the community will form a management committee to be in charge of the projects to ensure that there is high level of maintenance and pay use. 

Alhaji Amadu Sorogho says he believes that construction of the boreholes will help reduce cholera infections in the community. 

Story: Samuel Mantey 

Email.sammyoo3@yahoo.com