Archive Page 3
It’s ever so tough being an animal on planet earth – bloggers speak up for them
If you want to get involved and find out all about it – here’s a excellent site to go to
http://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/index.asp
It’s jam-packed with info and what and how to[s]
MISSION STATEMENT – WORLD ANIMAL DAY
To celebrate animal life in all its formsTo celebrate humankind’s relationship with the animal kingdom
To acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives – from being our companions, supporting and helping us, to bringing a sense of wonder into our lives
To acknowledge and be thankful for the way in which animals enrich our lives
Top photo by ThroughMyEye – LINK
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Is it ALL non human animals I wonder?
Bacteria, viruses, amoebas, periwinkles etc?
Need to include all living critters in my book
food chain and all
interconnectedness….
LINK – Distance healing event for all animals – Saturday 4 October
Filed under: Animals | Leave a Comment
Tags: PHOTOS, Animals, world animal day
Filed under: AFRICA, CAPE TOWN, XENOPHOBIA | Closed
Tags: CAPE TOWN, Gauteng, REFUGEES, SOUTH AFRICA, UNHCR, XENOPHOBIA
2 300 displaced people by the May xenophobic attacks remained in three consolidated camps – Provincial government – gave the refugees the option of reintegrating or going back to their home countries – will close all the camps by end of September.
Refugees to receive money for rent – By Francis Hweshe
Refugees in camps who opted for reintegration are set to receive R750 to pay for one month’s rental accommodation from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Continue reading ‘●Xenophobia survivors: Rent for a tent from UNHCR – R750 (92.48 USD) per month’
Filed under: HUMAN RIGHTS, SOUTH AFRICA, XENOPHOBIA | Leave a Comment
Tags: REFUGEES, SOUTH AFRICA, UNHCR, XENOPHOBIA
●Cape Town: UNHCR attacks civil society – on role during Xenophobia crisis – ARE THEY INSANE?!
Bloody Marvellous! Read the response to UNHCR attack – endorsed by Mike Louw, Cosatu, ALP, TAC, UCT, MSF, PSAM, HST, ARASA, OUT, RHRU, SWEAT, CSPRI, ALN, SCAT, Sonke Gender Justice plus comments at the end of it
BIZLINKS’ REQUEST: PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THE FOLLOWING WIDELY!
Hi All
The press statement released on Friday 19 September by the UNHCR was an unfounded attack on the role of civil society during the xenophobia crisis. Therefore, it has been necessary to respond to the UNHCR with the release of this joint press statement endorsed by several organisations. Civil society has been unified in condemning the UNHCR statement.
Please read the attached press statement and the attached document which is a list of expenditure during the xenophobia campaign. Although donations were made to TAC, and TAC played a central role in the distribution of humanitarian aid, many other organisations and individuals making up civil society have played a major role throughout.
Scott Dunlop
TAC Communications
021 422 1490
084 719 8258
LINK – To view the expenditure of the xenophobic violence, click here [pdf file]
LINK – UNHCR [the UN Refugee Agency]
“The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) protects and supports refugees and assists in their return or resettlement.” [UNHCR]
LINK – The article quoting the UNHCR press statement
LINK – TAC refugee status report [pdf file]
LINK – TAC website – you can register & follow the xenophobia links on the left to find out all about the campaign.
LINK – TAC [Treatment Action Campaign]
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JOINT PRESS STATEMENT BY CIVIL SOCIETY: ON UNHCR CRITICISM OF CIVIL SOCIETY’S ROLE DURING THE XENOPHOBIA CRISIS
Tuesday 23 September 2008
On Friday 19 September 2008 the UNHCR office in South Africa released a press statement criticizing the “negative role civil society has played” in the xenophobia crisis since May 2008. The UNHCR press statement was in response to a joint civil society report which, amongst other areas of attention, detailed the failure of the UNHCR to act according to its’ mandate during the crisis.
At the beginning of the crisis civil society recognized the importance of utilizing the expertise and practical support of the UNHCR as the internationally experienced and mandated body in dealing with issues of displacement. With this in mind, many attempts were made to invite the UNHCR to meetings, address concerns to them via correspondence and work together with them.
Filed under: CAPE TOWN, TAC, UPDATE, XENOPHOBIA | Leave a Comment
Tags: ALN, ALP, ARASA, CAPE TOWN, CSPRI, HST, HUMAN RIGHTS, Khayelitsha, MSF, OUT, PSAM, REFUGEES, RHRU, SCAT, SOETWATER, Sonke Gender Justice, SWEAT, TAC UCT, UNHCR, Vickers Road, Wadeville, xenophonia
Life is the blossoming of flowers in the spring, the ripening of fruit in autumn, the rhythm of the earth and of nature. Life is the cry of cicadas signaling the end of summer, migratory birds winging south in a transparent autumn sky, fish frolicking in a stream. Life is the joy beautiful music instills in us, the thrilling sight of a mountain peak reddened by the rising sun, the myriad combinations and permutations of visible and invisible phenomena. Life is all things.
● Quote by Buddhist Philosopher Daisaku Ikeda
● Photo: by Rana Pipiens with a facinating account about the Lotus flower
LINK – Daily Quotes
The Spring equinox?
In astronomy…. An equinox is the moment in time (not a whole day) when the centre of the Sun can be observed to be directly above the Earth’s equator, occurring around March 20 and September 22 each year.
LINK – for more info on an equinox – Wikipedia
● Photo: by © Bahman Farzad The most exquisite collection of lotus images I have ever seen – absolutely uba!
Filed under: Buddhism, DAISAKU IKEDA, PHOTOS, nature | Leave a Comment
Tags: astronomy, Buddhism, DAISAKU IKEDA, equinox, FLOWERS, lotus flower, PHOTOS, QUOTE, spring
Click on image to go to source & see Zapiro’s other brilliant cartoons – the man is a true genius – THE doyenn of political satire
Zapiro – More @ Mail & Guardian Online [www.mg.co.za]
I’m sooooo shocked that the ANC hadn’t the decency – no matter what shenanigans are going on behind the scenes – to wait for Mbeki’s full term as president to end – I’m feeling depressed – I think we’re in trouble…
Zuma is giving a press conference as I write – he is reading what he has to say – he has hardly looked at the audience as he speaks – and I hear no reason why Mbeki has resigned – “recalled” – were was he? I’m surprised that Zuma didn’t say it was for family reasons that he’s stepped down @ least it would save face for SA in the eyes of the world – great way to turn the investors off
I thought it was ambassadors that are recalled – the ANC have fired him, that’s what.
“It was such a painful decision we had to make..”
bollocks! You couldn’t wait 4 more months?
Politicians think we are so thick don’t they!
Mbeki was so composed when he gave his talk on TV last night- just as Zapiro draws him – always with the same expression but with no pipe!
Zuma has just said
“I would like to reiterate that we will always abide to the rule of law and respect the judicial system” [paraphrased]
I think he’s addressing all the criticism – especially the reaction to Zapiro’s recent cartoons showing him and his cronies [& Mbeki & his cronies] about to rape the woman representing the judicial system
A carpet
To sweep under the carpet = an english idiom
sweep something under the carpet (British, American & Australian, American & Australian)
to try to hide a problem or keep a problem secret instead of dealing with it. The incident has forced into the open an issue that the government would rather have swept under the carpet. The evidence was on film and the police couldn’t just sweep it under the rug.
LINK – to idiom @ the thefreedictionary
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Other Zapiro Gems
●Zapiro: on Mbeki’s removal – spot on!
●Zapiro: So what’s all the furore about? Freedom of expression for starters – that’s what!
●Zapiro: On the gay bishop debate – betwixt those men in fancy gowns, hats & jewellery
●China olympics: Zapiro – spells it out
Filed under: POLITICS, SOUTH AFRICA, zapiro | Leave a Comment
Tags: ANC, ART, MBEKI, POLITICS, rat, SATIRE, SOUTH AFRICA, zapiro, ZUMA
You may have heard about the amazing experiment that has taken 10 years to put together.
“If you keep an eye on the big picture, we’ve been building the machine for 20 years” James Gillies – Cern’s [CERN] director of communications. [BBCNews online]
“The most powerful physics experiment ever built” – CERN
[It took 7 years [seven!] for Thabo Umbeki’s soft diplomacy to get some action from Mugabe] [And Mugabe took 20 years to do something about the land issue]. [It took 200? years to abolish slavery]
A 27 kilometres long [16.8 miles], circular tunnel was excavated under ground [imagine a dough nut] & cooled – as the superconducting magnets have got to be at absolute zero.
A group of scientists are wanting to study what happened at the point of the big bang – the birth of the universe – in ultra miniature assimilated conditions and as outer space is at a temperature of, absolute zero, they had to fill the tunnel with helium to bring the temperature down to −273.15C [-427.8F?] ["Superconducting magnets are cooled down using liquid helium" - LINK]
Absolute Zero
Absolute zero is the lowest possible temperature where nothing could be colder and no heat energy remains in a substance. Absolute zero is the point at which molecules do not move (relative to the rest of the body) more than they are required to by a quantum mechanical effect called zero-point energy.By international agreement, absolute zero is defined as precisely 0 K on the Kelvin scale, which is a thermodynamic (absolute) temperature scale, and −273.15 on the Celsius (centigrade) scale.
Source Wikipedia – LINK
Photo/top: The Large Hadron Collider [LHC] at CERN1 – THE Accelerator LINK
No credits for the photographer/s that I could find [bloody marvellous - such gorgeous images and no names of who took them - I wonder why there is generally such disrespect for photographer’s work by not naming who they are? Why does a text writer get credits and not the image maker - after all an image is worth at least a thousand words!]
I heard on the news today [BBC Wold News] that a plug caught fire and helium leaked out of the contraption – which means to fix it, will take a month for the temperature to be brought back up to the point where they can fix it and then another month to take it back down to absolute zero. The spokesperson mentioned that it was a costly repair!
[not as costly as the "war against terrorism" a billion plus dollars a day for bleep sake - & governments wont talk to them! I recall reading a book a while ago that mentioned the many of the most powerful families in the states are connected to the army and the administration [civil service] by them marrying each other. Who are the weapons manufacturers, who owns them? Who are the dealers, go betweens? Who are the people benefiting from the conflict? History keeps showing that wars don’t stop as it’s making people loads of money – just like the slave trade – why it took so long to stop and why the US had a civil war over it was that it was too lucrative – I’d say! when you’ve got free labour – slave labour still goes on today – Sex slaves for starters – guess what? It’s a multi billion dollar industry – Let’s start by legalising sex work – let’s stop being bigots about the so called oldest profession in the world – spouting morality for bleep sake! They legalised dope in Holland and the nation hasn’t fallen apart – in fact its a great tourist attraction & it got rid of the dope dealers]
[I'm on a circular rant and rave to day 
]
Here is one of the first images captured from the LHC’s experiment
[Written on the image it says -Run62063. Event 2433. Orbit 15231634 BX680]
“It’s a fantastic moment,” said LHC project leader Lyn Evans, “we can now look forward to a new era of understanding about the origins and evolution of the universe.” – Source: Press release
First beam in the LHC accelerating science – LINK
LINK – CERN web site – brilliant stuff on it – one can spend ages peroozing
LINK – What happened to the Big Bang machine? By Paul Rincon – Science reporter, BBC News Online + lots of links to more info
“If you keep an eye on the big picture, we’ve been building the machine for 20 years ” James Gillies – Cern’s [CERN] director of communications [BBC News online]
Photo: No credits [ On BBC News Online]
Looks like ground zero? – the caption does not ID what one is looking at
[I'm sure it's due to horrendous live lines!]
LINK – Tim Berners-Lee – he invented/put together the internet @ CERN way back in the early days when he worked there. [wikipedia? sorry]
Filed under: SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY | Leave a Comment
Tags: arms dealers, arms manufacturers, big bang, LHC, MBEKI, mugabe, physics, SCIENCE, SLAVERY
The Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) of Cape Town, Invites you to attend a seminar – “Building Bridges with Cricket: The Legacy of Bob Woolmer” - on Tuesday 30th September 2008 – All are welcome and entry is free.
UPDATE: as soon as the transcript of the seminar is ready i will post the link to it! [1st October '08]
Continue reading ‘●Cricket: Building Bridges – The Legacy of Bob Woolmer’
Filed under: ART, CAPE TOWN, HEALTH, PHOTO, SPORT | 1 Comment
Tags: Bob Woolmer, Conflict Resolution, Cricket, Helen Moffett, Tim Noakes
Some feared that firing up the LHC [Large Hadron Collider] would create a black hole and/or doom the Earth
The internet needs a way to help people separate rumour from real science, says the creator of the World Wide Web. [heard on BBC world radio this morning - in the news]
Talking to BBC News Sir Tim Berners-Lee said he was increasingly worried about the way the web has been used to spread disinformation.
Source: Pallab Ghosh – [Science correspondent, BBC News]
LINK To article – Warning sounded on web’s future
Photo: by Pashasha [Flickr] with good caption about Tim BL
VIVA! Tim Berners-Lee VIVA!
A debt of gratitude goes out to you, Tim Berners-Lee!
If you didn’t know who this man was you’d never guess that he is one of THE super geeks – I believe he developed the web when he was working at CERN, where the Large Hadron Collider lab is. He came up with the www so that all the scientists could communicate with each other. [This could be a load of old rubbish of course]
need to check – now where do i go to check this?…………
Filed under: BBC, INTERNET, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY | Leave a Comment
Tags: BBC, INTERNET, SCIENCE, tim berners-lee, world wide web
Filed under: HEALTH, PHOTO | Leave a Comment
Tags: break dancing, PHOTO, street culture, visual poetry, young men
Good news for BAD SCIENCE blogger & Gaurdian columnist, Dr Ben Goldacre, whom exposes all the bad science us unscientific types often fall for – hook line and sinker.
[South African] vitamin pill magnate Matthias Rath has pulled out of his gruelling legal case against me and the Guardian. He bought full page adverts denouncing Aids drugs while promoting his vitamin pills in South Africa, a country where hundreds of thousands die every year from Aids under an HIV denialist president and the population is ripe for miracle cures. I said his actions were highly worrying, in no uncertain terms. I believe I was right to do so.
Link – full article – Bad Science blog – loads of other bad science claims exposed
LINK – Fall of the doctor who said his vitamins would cure Aids by Sarah Boseley, health editor The Guardian
LINK – Dr Rath Health Foundation [Matthias Rath]
LINK – Wikipedia Matthias Rath
LINK – Wikipedia article by Dr Rath Health Foundation
UPDATE – 14.9.08
LINK – Speaking gigs this week in London, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday..
Filed under: HEALTH, SCIENCE, UPDATE | Leave a Comment
Tags: AIDS, Ben Goldacre, HIV, legal, medical, SCIENCE, SOUTH AFRICA, vitamins
…
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Photo [Top left] by Ev Lloyd
Photo [Top right] by DigiDragon
Photo [Middle left] by Andrew Dunn
Photo [Middle right] by Ann J P
Photo [Bottom left] by Zachstern
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Filed under: PHOTOS, nature | 2 Comments
Tags: photographers, PHOTOS, TRANQUILLITY, TREES
UPDATE - Follow up cartoon - 11th September - Zapiro has also done a cartoon of the identical image replacing Zuma with Mbeki & his cronies @ http://www.mg.co.za/zapiro/all/2 click on image to go to M&G source
Zapiro says his cartoons of Jacob Zuma are all based on quotes that are ” out- landish, chauvinistic and ignorant things about aids, women and the rule of law……” uttered by Zuma.
Even though this particular cartoon is so shocking to look at – whether we agree with it or not – is the artist’s rite to express it. If this rite is eroded then we are all in serious trouble.
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UPDATE – 14TH MAY 2009
The latest on Zuma’s actions against Zapiro
Jacob Zuma is suing Zapiro for R7 million for the ‘Rape of Justice’ cartoon which was published in The Sunday Times on 7 September 2008.
On Wednesday 17 December the Sheriff of the Court served Zapiro with a letter of demand claiming R7 million – R5 million for injury to Zuma’s reputation and R2 million for injury to his dignity ‘ to be paid within 2 weeks, failing which Zuma will take Zapiro to court……..
LINK – To read full article on zapiro’s web site – it’s packed with goodies
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It is absolutely necessary to analyse the cartoon – to find out what it means – for instance, why has Zuma got a shower thing on his head?
SA’s Zuma ’showered to avoid HIV’
Mr Zuma is a veteran of the struggle against apartheid . South African ex-Deputy President Jacob Zuma said he showered after sex with an HIV-positive woman, thinking this would reduce his risk of being infected.
This emerged as he was cross-questioned during his trial for rape. He denies rape but admits to consensual sex, and said he was ready to marry his accuser.
Remarks about HIV made by Mr Zuma in court earlier this week have angered Aids educators.
[Source:BBC NEWS 5 April 2006 - LINK]
Photo: by T_13 [Flickr] – Justice
There have been calls for the resignation of Mondli Makhanya, the Sunday Times editor, who published the controversial cartoon last Sunday.
And
COSATU [Union] have demanded an apology from The Sunday Times – It’s lucky the editor isn’t white or there would have been rioting in the streets and accusations of racism
My unflattering portrayal of Jacob Zuma is entirely based on actual quotations of his……I was once an admirer of Jacob Zuma. I admired his commitment during the apartheid era, his pleasant personality and his ability to establish rapport with people. I’m afraid that those qualities have been overshadowed by his recently displayed attitudes, his inability to control his own finances ……As a cartoonist and therefore a commentator, I don’t have to hold back
if I feel these things strongly, which I do. I think negative characterisation is justified.
[Zapiro Interview by Koelble & Robins (2007)]
Source: Sandisiwe Vilakazi
her open letter to Zapiro – LINK
Photo: by ILKIN [Flickr] – God of Justice
LINK - Zapiro’s credentials/biography.
LINK – Zuma cartoon: Worth a thousand words?
LINK – Zapiro in Zuma cartoon uproar – Imke Van Hoorn
LINK – In defence of Zapiro – Jonathan Berger
LINK – What others are thinking of the Zapiro/Zuma cartoon @ History Matters
LINK – Watch & listen to Julius Malema of the ANCYL attacking Zapiro
LINK – Zapiro’s web site
LINK – COSATU demand for apology
LINK – What if Zuma wins in court? – Nic Dawes [Sep12 '08 07:05]
LINK – Friends of Jacob Zuma web site
LINK – Power of Comics
LINK – Sandisiwe Vilakazi
LINK – ANC
LINK – ANCYL
LINK – SACP
LINK – CASATU
If any of the LINKS don’t work PLEASE, pretty please, ,
drop it in HERE [& then scroll to the Bottom of the page]
I found an excellent commentary of Brett Davidson’s on, Africa is a Country
I recommend you go there to read the whole article which explains the issues very clearly
Yes, Zapiro’s cartoon is very shocking. It elicits a visceral response – it’s like a kick in the stomach. But let’s just think about the situation it’s referring to. Supporters of Jacob Zuma have lately been making some very disturbing comments about the judiciary. Some have gone so far as to call our top judges — judges with impeccable credentials — ‘counter-revolutionary’.
These comments, which are being repeated over and over again, are steadily undermining faith in and respect for, our judicial system and thus for the rule of law. The rule of law is the bedrock of democracy. If that goes, society descends into chaos or tyranny. It is very dangerous territory that Zuma’s backers have dragged us into and that I find that infinitely more worrying and disturbing than this cartoon.
Brett Davidson – an extract
Source: Africa is a Country – LINK
Photo: by Thiago Martins [Flickr] – Justiça – P&B de Brasília
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LINK – For more Zapiro posts
Filed under: ACTIVISM, AFRICA, BBC, CENSORSHIP, HUMAN RIGHTS, JUSTICE, LINKS, SATIRE, VISION | Leave a Comment
Tags: AIDS, BBC, bigotry, CENSORSHIP, COURAGE, court, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, furore, POLITICS, SATIRE, sexism, sueing, WOMEN, zapiro, ZUMA
Cupcakes that brighten up yr day! Just looking at them made me smile
Each one is unique – they look too good to eat don’t they
These baked gems are designed and created by Lucia & Luz, Architect students from Buenos Aires Argentina
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What a delightful gift to give someone – the problem is – I wouldn’t be able to eat them – they look to good
They are designed & produced in their factoría de cupcakes [cupcake factory]
Photos & styling: Lucia & Luz
LINK – Look at all the others they have made – they call them” bombalistic colour-balls” – “very de-stressfuling and joy giving, to bake and decorate cupcakes!”
Photo & creator by Chotda – LINK to see all the others
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Filed under: DESIGN, FOOD, PHOTOS | 1 Comment
Tags: argentina, baking, color, colour, cupcakes, DESIGN, FOOD, PHOTOS
●Ikeda: On being flexible
Whether in life or in a specific undertaking, there will undoubtedly be times when you achieve genuine progress, only to come up against a wall or feel yourself regressing. There will be times when you just need to stop and rest. Such are the vicissitudes inherent to any struggle. When you challenge to achieve something, be ready to face the unexpected.
● Quote by Buddhist Philosopher Daisaku Ikeda
● Photo: by Retinol Mediterranean Summer (flickr)
LINK – Daily Quotes
Filed under: Buddhism, DAISAKU IKEDA, HAPPINESS, LIFE, PEACE, VISION | Leave a Comment
Tags: Buddhism, DAISAKU IKEDA, fulfilment, HAPPINESS, PEACE, PHILOSOPHY, PHOTO, VISION
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