Heather Barnes

There has scarce been a time in history where human rights have been more revered than in today's society. In the west individual rights are paramount. There is little that can trump one's rights. In Canada we have the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which entrenches our rights as citizens in law. Most of the West shares similar laws, ensuring its people are afforded freedom as a basic, foundational right.

Lovers of Apple Inc. technology fell into mourning on October 5 following the loss of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Having been the face of the popular Apple products for the better part of three decades as well as the CEO of Pixar Animation, Jobs himself became an icon in his own right, representing technological and artistic progress. Apple products ushered personal technology into reality; Pixar changed the face of animation forever. Steve Jobs was brilliant and will rightfully be remembered for his impressive accomplishments.

The contrast between wealth and poverty in Ghana is striking. The wealthy comfortably drive their recent-model, fully-loaded Toyota LandCruisers through the streets while filthy, impoverished children play on the curbs in open gutters full of sewage and garbage. While the difference in their material possessions is obvious, the greater difference lies in their spirits. Since we’ve arrived, we’ve found ourselves almost continuously showered with gifts from the villagers.

Ghana is a country of beats, heat, and hospitality. We arrived a couple of weeks ago and were hit by a wave of heat as we stepped from the plane and made our way down the stairs to the tarmac in the darkness of the African night. As we exited the terminal, many locals shouted “Akwaaba" to us, which we learned is the traditional Ghanian greeting of welcome.