Unedited | Jordan Ayew's temporary retirement letter

Jordan Ayew

Following the unexpected resignation of brothers, Jordan and Dede Ayew, the following unedited letter was published by GhanaWeb.

The following is the letter:

I write to formally communicate to you my decision to withdraw my services from the senior national team, the Black Stars.  temporarily. The reasons for my decision, although personal, I believe, I would eventually inure to the benefit of the Black Stars, the reason being that in this period of my temporary absence, I intend not only to work hard in my club as a young player so I can obtain the quality, experience and stature necessary for a call up to play in the national team, but also ensure that my membership of the national team when I soon come out of my temporary resignation endures in a more secure manner so as to avoid the situation where I am unsure as to when my services are required for the national team.

The point I have just made is  vindicated by the fact that although on every occasion that I have had the opportunity to play for my nation I have played to the best of my ability and served my nation with commitment, it appears that my efforts have not impressed the management team of the senior national team. The reason is that in the position for which my services are required for the national team, I have been ranked way behind several players as not to merit a place in the team on occasions when it mattered. My observation comes against the backdrop of the fact that I was considered not good enough to play for the national team even at a time when my club believed I was doing very well and honoured with player of the month for my club.

In this regard, I have decided that I need to work harder especially in my club in the hope that I can convince the management team of the Black Stars in the very near future by the grace of the Almighty that my efforts merit a place in the national team, not just occasionally or sporadically but more permanently in so far as I still actively play football.

I wish my colleagues in the team all the best and hereby affirm my commitment to my beloved country the Republic of Ghana and pledge to always faithfully and dutifully serve the nation to the best of my ability when I return. I also assure the fans of my love for them and affirm to them that I am as always committed to all matters involving the national team.

Thank you

JORDAN AYEW

Meteorite hits central Russia - Video Collection (16 minutes)

 A meteorite streaked across the sky and exploded over central Russia on Friday, raining fireballs over a vast area and causing a shock wave that smashed windows, damaged buildings and injured 1,200 people.

People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt the shock wave, according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 1,500 km (950 miles) east of Moscow.

The fireball, travelling at a speed of 30 km (19 miles) per second according to Russian space agency Roscosmos, had blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail that could be seen as far as 200 km (125 miles) away.

Car alarms went off, thousands of windows shattered and mobile phone networks were disrupted. The Interior Ministry said the meteorite explosion, a very rare spectacle, also unleashed a sonic boom.

"I was driving to work, it was quite dark, but it suddenly became as bright as if it were day," said Viktor Prokofiev, 36, a resident of Yekaterinburg in the Urals Mountains.

"I felt like I was blinded by headlights."

The meteorite, which weighed about 10 metric tons and may have been made of iron, entered Earth's atmosphere and broke apart 30-50 km (19-31 miles) above ground, according to Russia's Academy of Sciences.

The energy released when it entered the Earth's atmosphere was equivalent to a few kilotonnes, the academy said, the power of a small atomic weapon exploding.

No deaths were reported but the Emergencies Ministry said 20,000 rescue and clean-up workers were sent to the region after President Vladimir Putin told Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov to ease the disruption and help the victims.

The Interior Ministry said about 1,200 people had been injured, at least 200 of them children, and most from shards of glass.

WINDOWS BLOWN OUT

The early-morning blast and ensuing shock wave blew out windows on Chelyabinsk's central Lenin Street, buckled some shop fronts, rattled apartment buildings in the city center and blew out windows.

"I was standing at a bus stop, seeing off my girlfriend," said Andrei, a local resident who did not give his second name. "Then there was a flash and I saw a trail of smoke across the sky and felt a shock wave that smashed windows."

A wall and roof were badly damaged at the Chelyabinsk Zinc Plant but a spokeswoman said no environmental threat resulted.

One piece of meteorite broke through the ice the Cherbakul Lake near Chelyabinsk, leaving a hole several meters (yards) wide.

The region has long been a hub for the Russian military and defense industry, and it is often the site where artillery shells are decommissioned.

A local Emergencies Ministry official said meteorite storms were extremely rare and Friday's incident may have been connected with an asteroid the size of an Olympic swimming pool that was due to pass Earth.

But an astronomer at Russia's Academy of Sciences, Sergei Barabanov, cast doubt on that report and the European Space Agency said its experts had confirmed there was no link.

The regional governor in Chelyabinsk said the meteorite shower had caused more than $30 million in damage, and the Emergencies Ministry said 300 buildings had been affected.

Despite warnings not to approach any unidentified objects, some enterprising locals were hoping to cash in.

"Selling meteorite that fell on Chelyabinsk!" one prospective seller, Vladimir, said on a popular Russian auction website. He attached a picture of a black piece of stone that on Friday afternoon was priced at 1,488 roubles ($49.46).

RARE EVENT

The Emergencies Ministry described Friday's events as a "meteorite shower in the form of fireballs" and said background radiation levels were normal. It urged residents not to panic.

The first footage was shot by car dashboard video cameras and soon went viral.

Russians also quickly made fun at the event on the Internet. A photo montage showed Putin riding the meteorite and Nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovksy said in jest it was really a new weapon being tested by the United States.

Experts drew comparisons with an incident in 1908, when a meteorite is thought to have devastated an area of more than 2,000 sq km (1,250 miles) in Siberia, breaking windows as far as 200 km (125 miles) from the point of impact.

Simon Goodwin, an astrophysics expert from Britain's University of Sheffield, said that roughly 1,000 to 10,000 metric tons of material rained down from space towards the earth every day, but most burned up in the atmosphere.

"While events this big are rare, an impact that could cause damage and death could happen every century or so. Unfortunately there is absolutely nothing we can do to stop impacts."

The meteorite struck just as an asteroid known as 2012 DA14, about 46 m in diameter, was due to pass closer to Earth - at a distance of 27,520 km (17,100 miles) - than any other known object of its size since scientists began routinely monitoring asteroids about 15 years ago.

($1 = 30.0877 Russian roubles)

(Additional reporting by Gabriela Baczynska in Moscow; Writing by Timothy Heritage and Thomas Grove; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Michael Roddy)
courtesy: liveleak.com, reuters.com

Amazon Beats Apple As Most Trusted Company in U.S.: Harris Poll

Reputation is everything, or at least it is for American corporations. According to the 2013 Harris Poll Reputation Quotient, six out of ten U.S. consumers study a company’s reputation before buying a product or service. It’s not uncommon for large American companies to spend billions on advertising annually to endear themselves into the hearts of the public and to prove that they are trustworthy.

The reputation can impact a company's sales revenue and stock price. Robert Fronk, executive vice president of Harris Interactive Reputation Management, sat down with The Daily Ticker to explain why.

Apple’s (AAPL) dramatic fall in stock price happens to correspond with its fall from the number one most reputable company in the United States last year. “For a number of years, their reputation was driven by their innovation, their products and services almost being ahead of their time and almost driving the market,” says Fronk. “Now, actually, financial performance is a dominant driver of their reputation and of course financial performance can be somewhat out of your control, as they’re finding.”

The American people may have lost faith in Apple but are finding it again in Amazon (AMZN).

Amazon.com earned the highest reputation in this year’s Harris Poll, edging out not only Apple but also companies like Google (GOOG), Disney (DIS), and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ). According to Harris, Amazon holds the most emotional appeal, provides the best products and services, and is the most trusted company in the U.S.

Of all households surveyed, 50% had discussed Amazon within the past year and nearly 100% of those conversations had been positive.

“There’s no doubt that having an array of products and services at the right price is valuable,” explains Fronk. “But they take that advantage and actually use a lot of the information that they’re able to define about their consumers and make recommendations back to them, help them lead a better life, and even delight them on occasion.”

Customers trust Amazon to use their private information properly, a significant act of faith given that 70% of survey respondents are concerned about companies invading their privacy.

“I think that the way they do it is that they use that information to create the right level of intimacy with you, but without going over that fine line of being intrusive,” says Fronk. “Perceptions are that they’re not giving that information to anyone else to monetize it.”

Some of the least reputable companies in America include Bank of America (BAC), Goldman Sachs (GS), AIG, Halliburton (HAL) and American Airlines. 

When it comes to reputation, the power may not be in the purse, instead company's must find a gentle balance between soft factors and the bottom line.

Story by 

Nicole Goodkind | Daily Ticker

" This is one of those things you don't hear everyday. Share your thoughts and concerns in the comments section. Thanks for visiting!"