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A MUST READ: 6 Ways To Be Frugal and RICH

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Money
Money

A frugal person is someone whose finances are always in order; who does not worry about how to pay endless bills because they have enough to cover those needs. Regardless of what you think about them, they are those people who make smart choices when it comes to spending.
In this economy, it is a wise call to everyone to tighten their belts when it comes to their finances because of crazy hikes in prices by the day.
It is advisable to forgo a lot of things to which you have accustomed yourself. These things are those you and your family can definitely do without. Sometimes, cutting down on certain things could pinch you to think that people will say you are poor. Honestly, they will hardly notice until you tell them yourself.
These changes in your lifestyle are not dramatic and make a lot of sense financial wise. Besides, you can make these lifestyle changes to support frugality and have your bank account will be eternally grateful to you.
Flip to the next pages for these 6 helpful ways…

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Alma House: Home Away From Home | Luxurious. Affordable. Hospitable

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Alma House in Accra
Alma House in Accra

During my recent trip to Ghana, I stayed at 3 of the popular luxurious places in the country; Labadi Beach Hotel, Oak Plazza and at the Holy Trinity Spa & Health Farm at Sogakope.
And then, I spent my last 3 days in Accra at ‘Alma House’, a carefully thought through ‘Home Away from Home’ hotel—well positioned; a few minutes away from Labone Coffee Shop.
I’ve stayed in some of the fine hotels around the world; in the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, France, Scotland, England, Wales and Spain—and mostly, they all serve the same posh ambience and layout on the back of expensive pricing.
In Ghana, ‘hotels cost more than having a brain surgery’ and mostly, the high cost is due to facilities you will never use, but you still have to pay for them as they make up the total charge.
Alma House in Accra
Alma House in Accra

Everyone has the basic things they look for when booking a hotel; of course the environment and affordability are paramount but as a writer and a web entrepreneur, I mostly add to my necessary requirements; a good internet connection, food and a comfortable working space.
Beyond these, every other thing may not really matter to me.
It was therefore a delight when my friend introduced ‘Alma House’ to me: it has a top class hotel ambience, with all its spacious rooms air-conditioned, fitted with private modern bathrooms, cable TVs and a working area.
From the outside, you may think it’s just a beautiful house but it’s obviously more than that, it’s a hotel—operating under a unique atmosphere of ‘Home Away from Home.’

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Is This Even Attractive? | Let’s Talk About the New Craze of Huge Bums & Small Waists

Globally, there is this new craze which was more of a fantasy to most people a few years ago—but Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj and several celebrities have succeeded in shifting the poles from it being a fantasy to a reality. And I am talking about the new generation of huge bums and small waists. As … Read more

UNICEF Cholera Rankings Places Ghana Second In West Africa With 28,944 Cases

Ghana
Ghana

How do you know a country is not a serious country? When they are battling a disease that emanates from filth in this day and age!

Human progress, human knowledge, has advanced to the level where we know what causes diseases and how to prevent them. This is not the world pre germ theory, where people died from such diseases because they did not know the causes.

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LIFESTYLE GUIDE: A Taste of Delicious Ghanaian Food in London? | Bongo Bar & Restaurant is Your Perfect Destination

Bongo Bar London-Akofem and Soya
Bongo Bar London-Akofem and Soya

London is multicultural and Ghana represents strongly on the spectrum of diverse cultures—ranging from our people, music to our food.

There are several Ghanaian restaurants scattered across London, just as there are several Ghanaians at every corner of London. But if you are looking for  a community of Ghanaians, the best place to locate them with ease is North London—some proudly call this place ‘the hub of Ghanaians.’

Being a popular choice for Ghanaians means almost every street has a Ghanaian restaurant—serving indigenous Ghanaian foods. I can vouch that almost all these restaurants are operated by proud Ghanaians but I can’t boldly say all the meals are of great taste.

This is where Bongo Bar takes the lead as my favourite Ghanaian restaurant, run by Ghanaians, which serves variety of delicious Ghanaian meals—with their TuoZaafi (TZ) being my top pick.

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LIFESTYLE GUIDE: Crouch End’s Jade Palace | Serving Authentic Delicious Chinese Food That Won’t Empty Your Pocket

Chris-Vincent Agyapong Febiri at Jade Palace
Chris-Vincent Agyapong Febiri at Jade Palace

Chinese restaurants are all over the world —and North London is by means exempted from the aggressive Chinese takeover.

However, not every Chinese restaurant is worth being recommended; they may all present the same menu but they surely do taste a lot different—ranging from those that will get you to throw up to those that take pride in serving delicious meals like Jade Palace.

North London may not sit in the minds of people as one of London’s posh suburbs but it has certain key affluent areas like Crouch End where you would find the residence of certain local celebrities. Of course you wouldn’t catch Jonathan Ross there, but trust me; it’s a preferred celebrity safe zone.

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Ellen King: Meet GC’s Health & Fitness Expert Contributor | Serving All Things Healthy

Ellen King
Ellen King

Hi all,

My name is Ellen King, former Miss Ghana UK 2009 contestant number one, (And no I didn’t win), Ex semi pro 100 meter sprinter, footballer, qualified sports therapist and all round fitness freak at your service!

Over the next few months, I will be running a health and fitness segment for GhanaCelebrities.Com. I hope you are as excited as I am, and yes it’s about time our nation got fit and healthy, too many of us have health related illness which we could combat and or potentially eradicate with just a tinny tiny bit of physical activity.

In the run towards Christmas, I will be putting my body and yours hopefully through its paces to help you lose weight, gain muscle, or just feel better.

We all know summer is unofficially over, (well when you live in London, the weather is temperamental!) however, you can still look hot, ripped and sexy for December either at that office party, in Ghana during new years countdown, in the club or when you bump into your ex! 🙂

I’m not just here to help you ladies but here for the guys as well. Now guys, if you want someone that looks like Beyoncé, you need to look physically immaculate like one of those guys in superhero movies.

Queen Bey isn’t going to want someone who looks like her granddad, that big belly is going to have to go, you’ve had that for a few years now and you still haven’t given birth!!

Now it’s going to be hard work, you are not going to like what I say, but stick with me and we will make it work J

For tips, pictures, videos, motivation etc. follow me on instagram @elleredbelle

Now let the below photos speak for themselves!

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The First ‘Female Viagra’ is Here…Now Women With Low Libido Can Make A Jump

Cou

When you hear of viagra, your mind runs quick to men looking to impress women with good s*x—but now, women can also boost their sexual desires with a new drug dubbed ‘Female Viagra’

According to the TIME, the “first drug to treat a lack of female sexual desire has been approved by federal authorities.

The drug flibanserin, which has been coined ‘female Viagra,’ is intended to treat women with a condition called hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) that’s characterized by lagging libido. On Tuesday, the drug was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Today’s approval provides women distressed by their low sexual desire with an approved treatment option,” Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.

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Do Names Really Affect Us?…I Really Don’t Think So

Baby Names

I find it intriguing when people, especially those of black origin attach so much importance to the names they give to their babies. Choosing a name for baby is such a big deal amongst all tribes in Ghana since many believe the names has a major impact in the child’s life.

Some names are given in honour of a grandparent while majority of Christians, with recourse to the bible find the appropriate name that reflects the “holiness” of the original bearers.

Last year, I went to a naming ceremony at the invitation of a neighbour in a popular church in my vicinity. After the customary routine with Christians’ way of ‘outdorring’ a baby, the pastor requested the name of the child which has been boldly written on a piece of paper.

The pastor looked at the name and chuckled. He thereafter declared that unless the first name is changed, he may not go ahead with ceremony. In fact we were all dumbfounded.

‘Modern parents’ search the net for ‘classic’ names whilst others derive names from their favourite celebrities and stars of telenovelas. To them choosing a baby name is a matter of choice rather than tradition.

Other parents consciously give unique names accompanied with odd spellings, which to broader spectrum reveal the ‘level’ of the choosers.  In order to unravel the mystique behind names and its associated influence-good or bad, I have explored how this subject is universally projected.

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Waakye, Kelewele to Be Served on British Airways Flights from Ghana

British Airways flights from Ghana to London will not only be carrying Ghanaian passengers anymore—they will be serving Ghanaian dishes such as Waakye, Kelewele and others… According reports, “as part of efforts to meet the varying needs of its customers, management of British Airways has launched a new on-board menu from Accra to London. The … Read more

Study Shows 184,000 People Die From Sugary Drinks Every Year

If you’re one of those people who probably cannot go a day without taking a soda, and I am one of them; you better take note of this. A new study has noted that 184,000 people die from sugary drinks globally every year. The study, carried out by researchers at Tufts University in Boston, covered … Read more

LIFESTYLE GUIDE: Yard Bird in Accra – A Little Case of Style Over Substance?

Yard Bird Table Setting
Yard Bird Table Setting

Where to go in Accra for a quick and no-fuss birthday treat?  It was my partner’s birthday and being that he was travelling the next day, neither of us had time for a long, relaxing sit down meal. It was my treat and so I opted for the Spintex Road Yard Bird as it was conveniently located for both of us, and we’d been waiting for the right time to enjoy the place.

The decor is as you’d expect of an American-style diner – comfy padded seats, loud colour pops and stripes, yet with (in a nod to the “Yard Bird” name) the extra detail of contemporary diner booths with corrugated iron chicken shed roofs gave the feeling of actually being in a chicken coop.

This design has a very European sensibility and so I’d like to see Auntie Adjoa and Uncle Kwaku being seated in one of the booths, guaranteed laughs for an entire week!  Despite the booths (which seat four) being a little on the small side, the interior is stylish, spacious and comfortable – I felt that I had a good rest from the hustle outside.

Alongside the decor, it is evident that much time and effort was put into creating Yard Bird’s menu to recognise local produce and tastes.  This must be applauded; for example there are plaintain nachos and juices containing moringa.  Daily Chef’s Specials help to broaden the choice of food and showcase the Chef’s repertoire.

Cocktails start at 20GHS and milkshakes are imaginatively split into two varieties – standard milkshakes (non-alcoholic) and “Moonshine” ones which hit you with alcoholic potency.  We didn’t try these on this occasion as we both had meetings after lunch, but I’d very much like to try them when possible.  For parents, you’ll be pleased to know that children are well catered for with a pared down “Baby Bird” menu and colouring-in pictures during their meal.

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Study Shows More Ghanaian Youth Are Contracting HIV/AIDS

HIV
HIV

A new study by the Ghana Aids Commission has shown that more Ghanaian youth are contracting HIV/AIDS than any other demographic in the population.

The survey, with disturbing implications for the continent with the highest prevalence rate, reveals Ghanaian youth (defined as between ages 15 to 24), stand at 50% risk of contracting the virus.

According to Starrfmonline:

More Ghanaian youth are contracting HIV/AIDS, a new survey conducted by the Ghana Aids commission has revealed.

The survey which was conducted last year also indicates that about 50% of the youth population is at risk of new infections.

Ghana’s general prevalence rate is however stabilizing, the survey noted.

Launching the survey in Accra Tuesday, deputy head of policy at the health ministry Emmanuel Ankrah said more efforts must be made to contain the rate of infection among the youth.

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How to AGE Gracefully…Don’t Say Marriage Makes People Age Faster

black-woman-happy

Some people age very gracefully while the same cannot be said of others. Some people age fast (faster). Men (majority) age gracefully but unfortunately a few women age gracefully. Some women claim ‘marriage’ accelerate faster aging but I don’t want to believe marriage makes people age faster; it’s the person you choose to marry who can/may contribute to your early wrinkling.

If marriage ages faster, then the singles will forever be young, look fresher and always look their age. So, it’s very ambiguous to say ‘you look young because you don’t have man problems’.  Forget good genes. Sometimes our lifestyles, carrying unnecessary baggage, making a big deal out of nothing, ‘worthless hustles’, peace, state of mind (worry and anxiety, unhappiness), among others facilitates quicker aging.

If we’re in happy situations, unions, families etc, it reduces our stress levels drastically – and that is why we should make good choices and take beneficial decisions in every area of our life.

But the issue is who is supposed to make unions a happy one, your spouse? No, a happy marriage is a product of conscious effort by both spouses. The quantity of contribution may differ, but both parties must put in something and make a conscious effort to make it happy. How we react to our problems, situations and people’s actions matters a lot. We always have control over our actions, but certainly not over other people’s actions so we have to take charge of what we have control over.

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Scientists Say Exercising is Good But It Won’t Help You Lose Weight

Are you one of those people who spend hours running and then when you check your weight by the end of the week—nothing has been lost? ” You’re not alone — or going mad. You’ve simply fallen foul of something scientists are increasingly recognising: exercise often doesn’t help you lose weight. And worse yet, there’s … Read more

DID YOU KNOW THAT: Loneliness ‘Shortens Lifespan’ Just As Obesity?

Black-Woman

Being lonely does not just have an immediate effect, in the long run, it shortens your lifespan—and as such, we have to build more healthy relationships.

According to a new research, loneliness shortens lifespan as much as being obese.

“Whether a person feels alone is as much of a predictor of whether they will die prematurely as their weight, researchers found. And they predict a loneliness ‘epidemic’ in the future as more people live alone – and warn people need to start taking social relationships more seriously.

They explained loneliness and social isolation can take different forms. For example, someone may be surrounded by people but still feel alone.Other people might isolate themselves because they prefer to be alone. The effect on lifespan, however, is the same for those two scenarios, researchers found,” MailOnline reports.

The lead author of the study-Julianne Holt-Lunstad, of Brigham Young University, Utah,  said; ‘the effect is comparable to obesity, something that public health takes very seriously’ and that ‘we need to start taking our social relationships more seriously.’

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The EBOLA VACCINE TRIAL in Ghana | The Deep Ignorance of Ghanaians + My Take

Ebola Vaccine Trial in Ghana
Ebola Vaccine Trial in Ghana

Clearly a lot of Ghanaians have no idea of what this whole vaccine trial is about. But that is beside the point, what has really saddened me is how well educated folks who could simply research on it to be informed have refused to do so and yet are busily making public comments on it.

Today, i have tuned in to two big radio stations and on both stations, I was simply EMBARRASSED by radio panel members seriously shouting with passion but sadly too, with a LOT OF IGNORANCE on this whole Ebola vaccine trial.

So I have decided to answer three questions most people ask ignorantly – i don’t mean for you to be offended, just be informed.

1.What is this whole vaccine thing? Are they really introducing Ebola into Ghanaians?

A vaccine is a weakened form of a virus that is introduced into an individual so that the body develops immunity (let’s call this “body soldiers/ ability to fight”) against such disease. Yes, the vaccine contains the virus content. However this is weakened and the amount is too small to cause the disease – this is ensured by passing the vaccine through several tests and using animal subject over and over again.

2. Ghana has no Ebola, why not Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea who have had the virus?

People who have already been exposed to the virus (naturally as in the case of people in these countries) may already be producing such antibodies in their systems and so the researcher cannot tell if those antibodies is due to the natural exposure to the disease or by the vaccine they are testing. That is why it wouldn’t be prudent to try vaccines in places already exposed to the disease in this case, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

3. Why Ghana, Volta region, Hohoe?

This is the most unreasonable among the questions. FDA has stated over and over again that the Principal Researcher (the person who is doing this research) is in the University of Allied Sciences in Hohoe.

Additionally, the University have the needed facilities and equipment for such trials which makes it a suitable site for such trials, as was done for Polio, Onchocerciasis, etc.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT: Your Birth Month Determines If You Will Get Sick Or Not?

Birth Month and Disease
Birth Month and Disease

A new research from Columbia University claims that the month you were born does have an impact on how likely you are to become ill—and it’s pretty interesting.

In order to find out the how the month of birth affects a person’s heath, the researchers created software to scour birth and medical records to look for links. After using the algorithm to examine New York City medical databases, they found 55 diseases that correlated with the season of birth.

“Overall, the Columbia University study indicated people born in May had the lowest disease risk, and those born in October the highest.

‘Lifetime disease risk is affected by birth month,’ the researchers wrote in in the Journal of American Medical Informatics Association.

‘Seasonally dependent early developmental mechanisms may play a role in increasing lifetime risk of disease. ‘

‘This data could help scientists uncover new disease risk factors,’ said author Nicholas Tatonetti.

The researchers now plan to replicate their study with data from several other locations in the U.S. and abroad to see how results vary with the change of seasons and environmental factors in those places,” writes MailOnline.

Though a small population was used, it’s interesting that there seems to be a correlation between the month of birth and a person’s health.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT: The Less You Sleep the More You Eat?

Seafood Meal at Melrose in Brighton (8)
Sea Food

For those looking to loose weight, how long you sleep for has a direct effect on how much you eat—consequently on how much weight you can loose.

According to a new analysis of the relationship between sleep and food, the less shut-eye a person gets, the more they eat and this can lead to problems like obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the long run, the researchers added.

Apparently, when a person is tired, the hormones controlling appetite are affected, so that person feels more hungry.

Writing in the Journal of Health Psychology, the study’s authors, Alyssa Lundahl and Timothy D Nelson, of the University of Nebraska, said: ‘It is well recognised that food intake is implicated in many chronic health issues including obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and diet is often a target of treatment to prevent the onset of these conditions.

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LIFESTYLE GUIDE: ‘Out & Taste’ in East Legon-Accra | That Perfect Take Away Joint You Should Note Down

Out & Taste in Accra
Out & Taste in Accra

Being a foodie/foodienne/glutton/munch-all-you-like, the eyes in my belly always seem to notice new eateries around town, no matter if my stomach is already groaning from excess. So imagine my excitement when I whizzed past a new take-away on the way to the office!??!  It was like utopia.

“Oooh, I must go there!” I thought, hoping not to forget where I’d seen the sign.  So when the opportunity presented itself a couple of days ago I knew exactly where I’d like to fill my belly!

“Out & Taste” in East Legon’s American House is a little take away offering a selection of Ghanaian food served on time and presented well.  I was later to learn that this week old venture was the business owner’s second branch; the first being located in Haatso.

Out & Taste in Accra
Out & Taste in Accra

It is evident that a lot of thought has gone into the branding for “Out & Taste”; the black, white and red colour scheme is present throughout the restaurant, staff uniform and the takeaway packaging. The logo is simple, original and effective – there is no doubt that this is a place to eat. Overall the branding creates the sense of consistency which is unfortunately a concept that has not been embraced by many business owners in Ghana.  I remain impressed.

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LIFESTYLE GUIDE: Thinking About Trying A Turkish Restaurant? | CharcoalGrill Or Gokyuzu Can Be A Good Start…

CharcoalGrill | Wood Green London
CharcoalGrill | Wood Green London

When many of us are looking to spend less and have the best of food, we head to the Chinese restaurants; they are good at giving you some tasty fried rice or noodles on budget, especially when we are with friends. It’s just not the Chinese restaurants alone which can offer this—and if you love to try different kinds of food from different countries, the Turkish restaurants are relatively inexpensive and you would be amazed at what the little money you allocate for a Lunch or Dinner can fetch you.

Starter from Gokyuzu Restaurant in WoodGreen London
Starter from Gokyuzu Restaurant in WoodGreen London

A platter for 3-4 people in a North London Turkish restaurant like the CharcoalGrill in Woodgreen where I recently visited will just cost you something around £27—and it comes with a tasty Mediterranean salad, a Turkish meze starter and the famous sweet Turkish bread.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT: A Power Nap Of Just 45 Minutes Can Boost The Memory Five-Fold?

Power Nap
Power Nap

According to researchers, a power nap of just 45 minutes can boost memory by five times. This has immense benefit particularly for students as a short doze helps to retain information you have learned and ‘significantly’ improves recall.

Of course it’s difficult to wake up after such a short nap when you are really tired—and that is why most people avoid it but considering the benefits, its worth the struggle.

Scientists from Saarland University in Germany who conducted the research say; during sleep, bursts of brain activity known as sleep spindles play an important role in consolidating newly learned information.

Professor Axel Mecklinger said a nap of just 45 minutes to an hour ‘produces a five-fold improvement in information retrieval from memory’

‘The memory performance of the participants who had a power nap was just as good as it was before sleeping, that is, immediately after completing the learning phase.

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World Health Organisation Study Says Listening to Music For Over An Hour A Day Is Damaging To Your Hearing

listening to music
listening to music

Music has become such a prominent aspect of daily life these days, and one virtually cannot go an entire day without coming across it in some shape or form, willingly or unwillingly.

Especially the youth, who seem to go everywhere with a pair of ear/head phones plugged in. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a huge chunk of the world’s population is at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices.

They identified the highest risk zones as ‘nightclubs, bars, and sporting events’, according to the BBC.

Per the data gathered, the figure of young people worldwide at risk of hearing loss stands at 1.1 billion. That’s a staggering figure when you consider the study focused on people aged 12-35.

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Do You Shower Every Day? | 4 in 5 Women Do Not Shower Every Day…

Black woman
Black woman

Of course this is a UK survey so it has nothing to do with most African women who take their shower as a religion—but it’s pretty interesting to know how others treat the act of showering.

According to a publication by UK’s Telegraph, “Four out of five women admit they don’t shower every day, and a third say they can go for three days without washing their body.

The personal hygiene of Britain’s fairer sex – or the lack thereof – has been laid bare in a survey of 2,021 women aged 18 to 50 for skincare range Flint + Flint.

It also found that almost two thirds can’t be bothered removing make-up before they go to bed, and one in eight own up to not brushing their teeth before they sleep.”

But then, we should take into consideration the climatic conditions because of you live in the Tropics where you sweat like hell; you cannot go for 3 days as a woman without showering—you will smell like the famous Ghanaian ‘Koobi’.

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