Archive for the ‘society’ Category
Saturday, November 21st, 2009 |
What a week!
That Ras Dumisani anthem story pretty much set the tone for the whole week.
Loads of blog traffic (yayy! And thanks!).
But otherwise the rest of the week’s craziness just continued in the spirit of Ras Dumisani.
First the great weather in Cape Town made those of us who love summer just a bit giddy.
We went from mid winter to mid summer within hours. Bu the weather gods were immediately forgiven!
I went on an all day course Wednesday…supposedly. Except that I finished it in 90 minutes. And it would have been quicker had I not spent half the time on my phone surfing the net.
I contemplated going back to the office, but sanity prevailed. (I confessed to our team manager afterwards!)
Somewhere along the line I heard that Johnny Depp was voted People Magazine’s sexiest man alive? What were those people smoking?
Depp seems like a nice guy, but I don’t find him attractive at all.
Thursday was our office lunch. We went to a nice restaurant in Claremont and had a good time. Not that I’m keen on office outings.
Our main function will be dinner and Mark Lottering in the Three Wiser men at the Baxter in December. This I am excited for!
Speaking of actors…this week you could not go anywhere – online and offline – and not be subjected to New Moon and it’s actors.
It already broke box office records and it’s not even Saturday proper in the US!
Still three more weeks before this working year ends.
As for blogging – the show must go on.
Posted in society | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 |
Maybe Ras Dumisani did us all a favour when the SA National Anthem was Butchered in France last Friday evening.
Yes, he gave some of us a good laugh with his rendition of Nkosi Sikele Afrika – and he was even funnier on Gareth Cliff’s show this morning, when he tried to prove that he could sing the anthem. (He couldn’t!)
I was laughing so hard during that interview. Not an easy feat first thing on a week day morning. His righteous indignation was even funnier than the singing.
More importantly though, Dumisani’s and his massacring of our revered national athem, held up a mirror to the rest of us South Africans who don’t know the complete national anthem.
How many times have we heard the anthem been sung at local sports matches – heard mumbling during the first half of the anthem and then “uit die blou van onse hemel” belted out?
Who are we to then to so critical of Ras Dumisani who (according to my Xhosa speaking colleague) sang the wrong words to the entire anthem. Not just the Afrikaans and English parts.
Why was there such anger leveled against Dumisani when on any given test match Saturday more than half the crowd doesn’t know the complete anthem?
I know I’m definitely guilty as charged and not laughing as loudly as before.
Posted in society | 1 Comment »
Sunday, October 25th, 2009 |
I saw this on a forum the other day and found it….uhmmmm…interesting.
Apparently I should be an atheist. But I don’t like to be labelled.
Posted in society | No Comments »
Monday, October 19th, 2009 |
Where does Prof Jonathan Jansen get off giving a general pardon to those four University of Free State students – known as the Reitz Four?
Was he or family the ones being humiliated – on video???!!
This has absolutely nothing to do with racism.
Luckily the university cannot stop the pending court case though.
Just like most criminal acts in this country it’s about humiliation and taking away people’s human dignity.
Can we really blame this one on apartheid?
Just like those hijackers and house robbers who go in with the intention to not only take people’s stuff, but also stripping their victims of their lives or every bit of dignity (if they’re lucky), while they’re at it.
Should we forgive those people too?
Should we blame the circumstances they grew up under? Should we feel sorry that most of them probably never knew their fathers, likely had to go work instead of finishing their schooling.
Should we sympathise with them that they were probably beaten to an inch of their lives by their caregivers and grew up in 1 room shacks with 10 other people?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
We make our choices, regardless of our backgrounds. This wasn’t some university initiation prank with consenting fellow students.
As far as I know their victims have not forgiven them, so who does Prof Jansen think he is – using this as an another example of reconciliation? To hell with reconciliation!
Shouldn’t we just open the prison doors and let all criminals out?
Whether their act of video taping horrendous acts against fellow human beings was racially motivated or not is besides the point.
How would you like that sort of thing done to your mother, sister or family member – for whatever reason?
Just as we got angry at the lengths hijackers and other criminals go through to humiliate their victims, so we should be angry at these men for what they did to those women.
At the very least these men should be tried in a criminal court for a criminal act and they should pay for what they did by doing community service or something similar.
Posted in crime, society | 1 Comment »
Sunday, October 11th, 2009 |
According to all4women.co.za:
Identical twins occur when 1 egg splits causing 2 foetuses to develop in the same amniotic fluid. Fraternal twins are when 2 eggs are fertilised.
Here is some information about the chances of conceiving Fraternal twins:
Older mothers have a higher chance of conceiving twins. 17% of women over age 45 have a multiple pregnancy.
If you have had twins once you are more than 4 times as likely to have multiples again than a woman who hasn’t had twins.
If you have many children, your chances of conceiving twins are higher.
If you fall pregnant whilst on the pill, through missing the odd day, you are more likely to have twins. The first month after you stop taking the pill, you are also more likely to conceive twins.
Women who are undergoing fertility treatments, such as Clomid, have a higher likelihood of hyperovulating (releasing more than 1 egg). If you have in vitro fertilisation, as there are about 3 fertilised eggs inserted into your womb, you have a higher likelihood of having a multiple pregnancy. If you have had IVF, you have a 23% chance of twins.
If a woman’s mother or maternal grandmother had or was fraternal twins, her likelihood
of releasing more than 1 egg per menstrual cycle is increased.
Those taking Folic acid daily have a 40% higher chance of conceiving twins than
those who don’t – you should start taking it at least 1 month before conception
if you want twins.
Eat cassava root, a type of wild yam/sweet potato found in Africa. In areas where
cassava is a staple food, women have the highest rate of conceiving twins in the
world. Eating this yam increases ovulation. To find cassava, try your nearest fruit
and vegetable store.
Drinking milk increases your chances of having twins. It is suggested that milk
stimulates the ovaries, encouraging the production of multiple eggs. Women who consume
dairy are 5 times as likely to conceive twins than those who don’t.
It helps if you carry on breastfeeding your baby, whilst trying to conceive twins.
Although some women do not ovulate whilst breastfeeding, it causes some women to
release more than 1 egg whilst ovulating.
Women with a slightly higher percentage of body fat and those who are slightly overweight
are more likely to have twins. Women who are tall are also more likely to have twins.
Even though twins can be conceived up to 24 days apart, they will both develop at
about the same times. Each twin has its own placenta and amniotic sac.
Posted in society | No Comments »
.jpg)
