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Inside May 10, 2019.qxp_Layout 1 10/05/2019 7:21 PM Page 11 WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH Opinion DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, MAY 13, 2019 Lemon wedges are dirty little secret BY NANA ABA MENSAH, STUDENT, GIJ WHETHER IT'S going into your water, cocktail, tea, or soda, the lemon slice is a common drink companion. But have you ever wondered where it's actually been? What happens when you go and sit in a restaurant? The nice and polite server comes and asks you, ‘What would you like to drink?' Whether you order a soda, a pint of beer or lemonade, it often comes with a slice of lemon. But be warned. Despite all the health benefits of lemon, lemon wedges are not as clean as you might hope. You might want to ask your server not to put lemon wedges in your drink after reading this. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Environmental Health tested 76 lemons from 27 restaurants for germs and other dirty stuff. They give your drink a boost of flavour, but they may also offer a whole host of other things. The study found that nearly 70% of restaurant lemon wedges are covered in up to 25 different types of germs. Among them: faecal matter, E. Coli, and contamination from raw meat. And it wasn't just the lemons' rinds the pulps, A SECTION of the inhabitants of Tema Community Seven expressed their concerns on the issue of excessive increase of smoking in the community as they lay down few disruptive concerns, including dangers to the environment. Smoking of weed and cigarettes is no news in Ghana and definitely not in this community. Every community experiences a lot of changes from quiet days to happy days, fights and quarrels to theft and insecurity, sudden deaths of neighbours and noise pollution. Judging from the direct personal interviews conducted, one common worry that they never seem to get rid of is the excessive public smoking that goes on from dawn to dusk. It is said that in times past, the only time you would smell the smoke of cigarette was when you pass by someone who had just had a joint or when you pass by a spot. The ‘wee base’ as it was and still is hosts anyone willing to smoke a joint. It was an inner circle thing and age did matter. It is always left to your imagination what happens inside. Effects of smoking In recent times, nothing is left for the people to imagine anymore. Now, the wee base isn’t enough, all smoking activities are now in the open. People in the community, who wanted to remain anonymous, said one alarming factor was how males and females who smoke are underage. Some single mothers bitterly expressed fears that their adolescent sons may engage in such acts as they leave them at home in the morning for work and come home at night. They said their only prayer was that their kids would not get influenced by what they see as normal in the area. Another concern is the health hazard it causes to those who don’t smoke. One man described a scene that always takes place under a big tree with benches around where the old men sit to play draft and chat. He said you could be sitting and all of a sudden boys would come and sit around and start smoking. Its is two things: you either vacate the place or take the smoke in. As some may not see it as hazardous, it was announced by the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) that those who inhale smoke are exposed to over 700 chemicals, 70 of which cause cancer. Most of the inhabitant of the community complained about the unnecessary creating of noise by 29% of the dirty lemons contained crawling bacteria. Although lemons have known antimicrobial properties, the results of the study indicate that a wide variety of microorganisms may survive on the flesh and the rind of a sliced lemon, the authors wrote in their report. "Restaurant patrons should be aware that lemon slices added to beverages may include potentially pathogenic microbes." Lemons could be contaminated for a number of reasons. While you might be diligent enough to scrub your lemons at home, there's no guarantee that the wait worker at your go-to restaurant is washing every single one (or their hands after their bathroom break) to perfection. This is coupled with the fact that possibly they may use the same knives for meat and other food items or worse, the same cutting boards and contamination can quickly spread. Lemons and other citrus are especially susceptible because they are covered in pores, giving bacteria extra surface area to dig into. But before you swear off the slices altogether, we should note that there haven't been any illness outbreaks traced to contaminated lemons in drinks. Your best bet is to ask for slices on a small plate. Then, squeeze the lemon juice directly into the water, and refrain from dropping the entire thing into your glass. It may not protect you entirely, but it'll greatly reduce your exposure to any unwelcome bacteria. Another investigation conducted by the ABC investigations tested lemons from 10 different restaurants and found out that more than half the lemon slices contained human waste. Philip Tierno, Ph.D., clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at NYU Langone Medical Center, has conducted dozens of similar experiments, including one commissioned by ABC News, which found that half of the lemon wedges collected from various restaurants were contaminated with human faecal matter. What's more, the ABC cameras nabbed employees handling lemons with their bare hands. And in Tierno's experience, restaurants may not be diligently washing lemons or they rinse them, but don't scrub. It's also easy for a worker's hands, whether it be a bartender serving up a drink or a chef slicing the fruit in the kitchen, to cross-contaminate after dealing with patrons, washing glasses and handling food. But beyond the gross-out factor, how likely is lemon to actually make you sick? The answer, according to Tierno, is that there is a decidedly small but distinct risk. "The usual course will probably result in no infection, but there is a possibility," he says, with a caveat: "You can't live in a bubble. Your immune system is usually pretty good." Germaphobe lemon lovers might opt to squeeze the juice directly into the smokers, boys and girls alike. This disrupts their peace in the course of the day. After they get ‘high’, it’s as if there is a need for noise making. Woe unto the one that tries to shut them up or reason with them. They get into quarrels and fights. And in the evenings as you pass by corners or paths where they stand or sit to smoke and make the mistake to peep or just look at them, they pronounce certain threats and insults on you. This restricts some people from sending kids on errands and passing by certain lanes in the community. Police operation Under the infamous tree, the men talked about a scene they describe as funny. One hot afternoon just recently, the police, upon many worrisome complaints from people, literally stormed the various corners and wee base to make some arrest. They described how the fortunate ones were able to escape leaving the unfortunate ones, mostly ladies, behind. This, they say, wis not the first or second time the police have been involved in this matter. A waakye seller also lamented about how she had to wake up and sweep away chunks of joint sticks along with the other items the smokers decided to leave in her space. She said she comes to work water instead of letting the wedge float about for the duration of a meal -- doing so will reduce exposure, though not eliminate it, as Tierno points out that even the flesh of the lemon can be contaminated. A new study by a New Jersey microbiologist found nasty bacteria on twothirds of the lemons that were tested from 21 restaurants. “It was gross,” said Anne LaGrange Loving, an assistant science professor at Passaic County Community College.” Loving decided to do the study after noticing a waitress with dirty fingernails delivering a drink to a table. “They put lemon in my Diet Coke, I didn’t ask for it, and so I decided to do a study.” Loving and her team swabbed for bacteria as soon as drinks hit the table at restaurants all around Paterson, New Jersey. “You would think they had dipped the lemons in raw meat,” she said, referring to the high levels of bacteria that she found. The swabs of lemon wedges revealed everything from high counts of faecal bacteria to a couple of dozen other microorganisms most of which can make you sick. They found bacteria on the rind and on the flesh of the lemons. Health laws require lemons to be handled with gloves or tongs. But it is common practice for waiters and waitresses to simply pop the little lemon and sees her benches and tables she ties or keeps around all scattered at different places. She says she believes some of the boys sit or sleep on them during the night. Some people did raise an alarming issue stating that one corner or base of the smokers was right behind a filling station. They said they feared as the activity got deeper and deeper, there may be an unfortunate day when one lighter or joint may come into contact with fuel and endanger the lives of the people living in the community. Suggestions In trying to prevent such unfortunate situations and solving these many problems and issues, some solutions were mentioned. The first possible solution given was for the boys and girls who smoke to stay in their various homes. As funny as this may seem, it’s serious. To come out and endanger the health and peace of someone, staying home seems like the best solution. Others called for the strict involvement of the police in protecting and helping to save citizens of the various communities and the country by making strict laws and regulations because it seems the existing ones are not being respected. She also added that even upon the wedge onto a drinking glass with their bare hands. If an employee’s hands aren’t clean, however, then touching the lemons is likely to contaminate them with bacteria according to Loving. This is not the first time that Anne Loving has gone looking for bacteria in unusual places. She did a study several years ago and found bacteria on communion cups. The restaurant health standards tend to be less rigid for garnishes and thus the lemon slice in your drink is more likely to have way more bacteria than the food on your plate. All the above investigators found that chefs at the restaurant often grabbed lemon without gloves, which means if they didn’t clean their hands after using the bathroom or touching other germy spots, there are high chances of transferring those germs to the lemon. But before you get super paranoid, you must know that the garnish won’t actually make you sick. The authors of the 2007 study admitted that there haven’t been diseases and outbreaks due to dirty lemon in the drinks and this still holds true. But why take a chance when it comes to your health? So, next time you visit a restaurant, request your server to bring your water or soda without any lemon slices in it. The writer is a level 300 student of the Ghana Institute of Journalism Weed and cigarette smoking in public rampant now BY DANIELLA OBBOH, STUDENT, GIJ recent arrest, there has been no improvement to curb this issue in the community. The boys have become comfortable in their mess. Also another suggested that increasing the tax on cigarette and weed would be helpful because as it is now, one stick of cigarette costs as low as 20 pesewas so it’s very easy for even a kid to purchase it. If weed becomes expensive to buy, maybe the number or the excessiveness concerning its use will reduce. Conclusion It may seem that smoking in public is normal but actually it’s not. Smoking in public places is banned in Ghana to protect non-smokers from tobacco- related diseases. The possession, use or growing of weed or tobacco should only allowed and legal if permission or licence is granted by the Ministry of Health. If anyone is caught unlawfully possessing weed, he or she is liable to up to ten years in prison. The Narcotic Drugs ( Control, Enforcements And Sanctions) Law, 1990 (PNDC Law 236), Section 5 states that No person shall without lawful authority or excuse smoke, sniff , consume , inject in his body or otherwise administer narcotic drug on his body. The people of Tema community Seven deserve peace and quiet, don’t you think so? The writer is a level 300 student of the Ghana Institute of Journalism
DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH Sports DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, MAY 13, 2019 15 Lucy Quist quits Normalisation Committee LUCY QUIST, the Vice Chairperson of the Normalisation Committee put together by FIFA to fix Ghana Football after the #12 investigations by Anas Aremeyaw Anas has resigned from the committee. Announcing her decision on Facebook, the former Airtel Ghana CEO said: ” I would like to express my profound gratitude to my colleagues on the Normalisation Committee, FIFA, the State and people of Ghana for the opportunity to serve in the capacity of the Vice President of the NC for the last 8 months since inauguration in September 2018. For personal reasons, it is now time for me to leave the committee. “The continued transformation of football in Ghana will require the support of everyone passionate about the game. I pray that all stakeholders will put their differences aside and focus on achieving the greater vision of football that not only produces great players for Ghana but by extension makes a positive impact on our economic fortunes. “I am particularly proud of our work in bringing experienced people • Lucy Quist together in ad hoc committees to redefine our strategies for the national and domestic teams, referees and coaches, technical development, and marketing and sponsorship. Collectively the exercise produced blueprints for change and I commend the various committees for the great work they did”. FIFA in September last year appointed the four-member Normalisation Committee that will run Ghana football and organise election of new executives of the Ghana Football Association (GFA). The mandate of the committee which expired in March this year has been extended to September. • Sulley Ali Muntari Muntari asks to play at AFCON? CONTROVERSIAL GHANA star Sulley Ali Muntari has begged the chairman of the Normalisation Committee (NC) to be included in the squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Dr Kofi Amoah says he received a phone call from the Spain-based midfielder who said he will even accept the chance to play for the Black Stars for 15 minutes at the tournament in Egypt. Muntari is making the desperate plea to Dr Amoah even though he has an outstanding stand-off with the Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah who is on the verge of naming his squad. The 34-year-old has not played for Ghana since he exited from the Black Stars at the 2014 World Cup for indiscipline under coach Appiah who is keen on instilling discipline in the squad. Dr Amoah has now told coach Appiah to consider whether to name Muntari in the squad even if he won't play a starting role in the squad at the tournament in Egypt. “I had a call from Sulley Muntari and the way he was talking with passion I couldn't believe it. He said if coach Kwesi Appiah will only play him for 15 minutes, he will be grateful and accept it. This is a player who was clubless but now playing regularly but I think the final decision is in the hands of the coach,” he added. Muntari has made just two appearances in the Spanish second tier since joining since Albacete five months ago. Muntari has played 84 times for Ghana with 20 goals to his account. The Black Stars will play in Group F of the Afcon alongside Cameroon, Benin and Guinea- Bissau. ENGLISH CLUBS have created European football history by taking all four final spots in the continent's two major competitions. Arsenal won in Valencia and Chelsea beat Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday to reach the Europa League final. That followed dramatic wins for Liverpool over Barcelona and Tottenham against Ajax in the Champions League. It is the first time all four finalists in Europe's top two competitions have come from one nation. There have only been two all- English finals before, with Tottenham beating Wolves in the 1971-72 Uefa Cup and Manchester United Champs League & Europa League: English clubs make history by taking four final places • Son — Tottenham • Hazard — Chelsea • Sallah — Liverpool • Aubameyang — Arsenal beating Chelsea in the 2007-08 Champions League. Spain had three teams in the finals of the two competitions in 2015-16, with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid contesting the Champions League trophy and Unai Emery's Sevilla winning the Europa League. "In England the level is very high and the Premier League is the best championship in Europe," said Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri. Arsenal and Chelsea will meet in Baku, Azerbaijan - 2,468 miles from London - on 29 May, with a Champions League spot at stake for the Gunners, who could become the fifth English side to qualify for next season's competition. Chelsea are already assured of their place after cementing a top-four finish in the Premier League. Baku's Olympic Stadium has a capacity of 68,700 but Uefa has allocated only 6,000 tickets to each club, a decision Arsenal described as "disappointing", adding that it presents them with "extreme difficulties" in how to allocate tickets". Tottenham and Liverpool will meet in Madrid on 1 June, with fans of those clubs also facing travel issues of their own, with direct flights from the UK reaching £1,300 and some airlines being accused of "profiteering". The Premier League clubs' achievements means there will also be an all-English Uefa Super Cup in August. That game will be played in Istanbul, Turkey.
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MAY 13

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