and go to "Manage Layout" from the Blogger Dashboard??3. Click on the "Edit HTML" tab.??4. Delete the code already in the "Edit Template" box and paste the new code in.??5. Click BLOGGER TEMPLATES - TWITTER BACKGROUNDS?
treepants.blogspot.com is a general cultural critism on pretty much everything that makes up life but no, we are not talking about the tree in our webmaster's pants rather we are talking about issues affecting student's lives in a truely opinionated and analytical manner.
“I do it on a whim, its rhyme without reason whatever comes to mind I'll pull it from thin air” The Fray tells us. This line came to mind when me and two of my friends decided to walk. Just walk. The caprice came to us on an overcast evening in Grahamstown. The air was chilled but the night seemed to call us. ‘Walk with me’ it said. So we did.
The night was young and liberated with lack of destination. There was nowhere to be and no errands to be done. Neither Rat and Parrot nor Pick ‘n Pay had us as potential customers. Not tonight. No, tonight was for simply being in the moment and appreciating what was usually over-looked in everyday passer-by state of mind. Trees were climbed and pathways were not used. We walked from res into town and around town as the darkness covered us like a blanket.
After an hour of wondering, the chill got to us and we decided to become homeward bound. We faced the clock tower and noticed our shadows on the pathway. We looked like enigmas, almost as if silently observing the night without actually being there. The clock tower became clearer and our shadows faded as we walked. We were a part of the real world again. And as we continued back to res we thought of the Fray once more “I do it on a whim, with no motivation following this line and I don't know why, but I've learned to capture time…”
Among the seemingly infinite sea of blogs circulating around the endless webs of information known as the internet, there are very few which go beyond narcissism and contain both good writing and compelling themes.
Among the first year journalism and media studies student’s blogs in terms of titles the most honest one belongs to Wanna.b.Journos (http://wannabjournos.blogspot.com/). The title matches the spirit of the blog. The bloggers Sarita, Jessica, Rose and Ayanda are honest, earnest, and down to earth and you get a sense of their hopes and journalistic ambitions through their post. Even when writing about seemingly far off political issues, the blog manages to fit these into the narrative of being an aspiring journalist.
A sense of everyday issues which face students manages to be brought across without dropping into narcissism , from the torments suffered by Jessica Kriedemann due to res food to Sarita Pillay’s tackling of the issues of racial integration on campus. Both Sarita and Jessica particularly stood out as blogger and they were able to maintain a blogging personality, you could get a sense of the idealism of Sarita and the optimism of Jessica. Ayanda also gets a notable mention for her article on the Abahlali baseMjodolo Movement .
The blogs background is both attractive and easy to read, it fits well into the image of journalism students, I particularly enjoyed the pictures of coffee, cell phones and other items which are part of everyday student journalism. I as a student can relate to the horrors of all-nighters, writers block and the distraction of University life evident in the template.
Now to the negatives, the blog like many other JMS1 blogs did not go beyond the call of duty of the blogging assignments it had only 22 posts. It could have done with more posts. The template had a couple of errors most obviously the “write some words about you and my blog” left in.Otherwise the blog was well written, well edited and had interesting content. I lost out for the lack of self-inspired (not by the lecturers) posts and a couple of lazy errors.
Revolution Readers is for people who like shiny things and then something that will keep the shiny things at bay. Well what I mean, in English, is that the blog is very well designed (shiny) and entirely charming and readable. The writing is easy to read but not children’s-book-ee, it’s entertaining and deep. Who would ever think, well considering the images of freedom fighters that play as their logo?
Personally, I get bored very easily and will often stop reading halfway through a piece, however, this blog (which can be found at http://revolutionreaders.blogspot.com) managed to keep my attention through four whole posts before I realized that I was actually running out of time to actually write this review!
The article “Final Blog Post” really made me think about my own life and how easily I take being happy for granted, and it’s not very often that things make me think deeply about my own life and how good I’ve got it. Reading through the titles of each post also made me realize how witty and smart the writers are, however, not only do the writers appear witty and smart but their writing makes YOU feel witty and smart when you take the time to actually read the posts. Another post, “A Hairy Situation”, was not only enlightening to the tedious life of keeping African hair good-lookin’ but insightful in the way that the author used her own experiences to question beauty.
I really enjoyed this blog. And I say this for reasons other than the fact that these kids really know how to PUN.
I’m not the most organized person on the planet. Alright I’m the worst! I mean I had a four page assignment due at 09h30 this morning that I decided to only start at 05h00 this morning. So to choose something I wouldn’t normally do or become involved in a group I normally wouldn’t associate with becomes a little difficult when you’re like me – unorganized and up for pretty much anything! The only thing to do then, with that definition of myself, was to become organized for the day. OK if you must insist, from 05h00 to 17h00, 12 hours should suffice.
Last night I got down and planned my day. To the letter (and then promptly slumped into bed to watch a movie instead of doing my Sociology assignment).
I woke up at exactly 05h00 when my alarm went off, no snooze button today, I took 5 minutes to do the regular morning wake up ritual (some do coffee, I do Berocca and moisturizer) and then gave myself exactly four hours to start and complete my Sociology assignment. Then at 09h00 I got off my bed and went downstairs to print the assignment. This gave me 25 minutes to get ready for the day which by exactly 09h30 I was perfectly ready for. By 09h35 I was sitting in my tutorial of which I will not bore you with details, by 10h40 I was back in my room and already using up the 5 minute toilet break I had budgeted for on a cake sale on the way back home I sat down to write my review. NO SUCH LUCK. The powers of Hollywood drew me in and I promptly wasted an hour and a half of my meticulously timed day. By 12:10 I was on my way to lunch and again failed to leave on time for the pharmacy by 12h30. My plan on a 30 minute town trip ended up taking an hour thanks to payday and glorious traffic conditions. So by the time I got into my room to finally complete my two journalism assignments at 14h00, both due at 17h00, I notice that RUconnected is down from 16h00 thus leaving me with a mere hour to complete each assignment!
The moral of this story, kids, is that people who plan are wasting their time as it never works out anyway and you just become forlorn when it doesn’t work out. So don’t plan! The other more side-note-ish point is that you shouldn’t go to town on payday. You’ll get hit by a car and die.
As a nascent journalist, it is vital to remain in touch with the mediated world. What others write and say is an important way in which to gauge the journalistic personality I would like to take on. It is also important in learning how to distinguish between what is good and what simply leaves much to be desired. Along my path in doing such ‘research’ I came across the Revolution Readers blog. This blog holds an educated, academic calibre throughout yet gives taste to that which is interesting, different and amusing.
With headlines such as: “Academic books… Booooring,” “Scenes from Grahamstown,” “Gone are the Days…” and the like, it is clear that the blog touches on everyday commentary. It speaks to the masses and has posts that are easy to relate to and they clearly share a commonality with their readers.
On the other hand, however, their more serious topics that revolve around hard news and more serious issues like stigmas and change are well researched and offer great insight. Each post is carefully attended to and offers new ideas and the sharing of beliefs. Along with this, their posts were often decorated with photos that add another aspect to the writing. It brings it alive and makes the read that much more effective.
As Samuel Johnson quite aptly put it “What is written without effort is in generally read without pleasure.” I enjoyed making my way through posts that ranged from personal matters to more broad topics that were all equally well-equipped with effort.
This title is taken from the famous Vodacom advertisement with a black poet asking the fireman; if they are “free- or dom”. However, this is not the only place freedom and liberation end, it has been fifteen years into democracy and freedom of speech has been emphasised amongst journalists more than anything.
It is deemed a big deal when journalists are deprived to write what they like especially because they are the voice of not only their newsroom agendas, but of the community as a whole. The late Steven Biko was the driving force behind the title “I write what I like”, which is the name of the JMS1 course for term four.
In his struggle he fought for freedom and mostly for freedom of speech, it is from him journalists feel the urge to; “write what they like”. This however, has certain limitations as things such as objectivity and subjectivity exist in the media world. Regardless of the freedom to write what one pleases, it is unacceptable for a journalist to bring out their opinion as though they are writing for themselves. This is where the line between mainstream and blogging is drawn; blogs tend to be more subjective as opposed to mainstream.
A blog titled Revolution Readers http://revolutionreaders.blogspot.com, represents the freedom that exists in writing (blog writing). They focus on timeless aspects in society, and feature interesting pieces of writing on both their personal lives and their surroundings.
So on Friday morning I did my everyday getting ready for lectures routine. I woke up, took a shower, got dressed, put my swagger on and went to lectures. The lecture that I went to on this particular morning was very interesting. In this lecture the first thing I realised was that the students were different, they were all dressed the same...simple. When I say simple I mean nothing like what I am used to, the male species were dressed in simple pants, tops and shoes, in fact even the females. Funny enough I found this to be wired, I’m so used to BA students who dress up in colourful clothing, have distinguished hairstyles and looking like fabulous fashion esters.
As an individual you get so used to the norm of your everyday lifestyle and expect everyone around you to be and act the way you’re used to. When I sat in this lecture I felt and saw the difference, I had this feeling that everyone was looking at me asking each other “who is she?” Maybe I was a little bit paranoid or something. Every single student in the lecture room sat in the front and no one came in late or walked out of the lecture room, which was impressive.
I could say the reason I went to this lecture is because it’s been something I’ve actually wanted to do and never had the courage and chance to. That would be a lie, because I went to the 11:25 Friday lecture instead of the 10:30 lecture. This was something I have never done before, going to a wrong lecture, let alone a pharmacy lecture! Anyways, I guess this was an unexpected experience; it was fun and worth it. I finally got to find out what those Rhodes University students in white lab coast learn.
The year has come to pass and we are now nearing towards exams, assignments are piling and everything feels bleak. This year has taken me by storm and I felt I owed it to myself to watch the sunrise at the Monument. This is something I have always wanted to do, but have never been focused enough to actually take a walk to the Monument and fulfil my hearts desire.
The morning is filled with hope and is a time where one can count their blessings. It is a time where you have your moment with God and decree greatness upon your life. There was always a power that I could feel in my heart; it was guidance telling me the right from wrong. And nowadays I feel as though a robbery has taken place in my life, my power has been stolen and I want it back. There is a way in which we perceive the world and because of this we become deceived by our senses, we become the slave to our heartaches and miseries.
I might have lost people close to my heart, valuable items, friends, but there is always a reason why life turns out the way it does. There is a reason, the death of someone else should bring life into yours, for you are given a chance to life, why not seize the moment? I have been so drained and tired of holding on to water, I was tired of having to build the house of my future on a bunch of bullocks. I want a house built on truth and certainty.
When I decided to go watch the sun rise, I knew I would reach into the inner, and it is within the inner that we find solace and peace. My head and my heart have been at war and I have not been able to hear what God says. My bank account is doing just fine, but my emotions seem to be bankrupted, but I know that all this too shall pass. God is Love. O_o
The first year journalism blogs screech with words like student journalist, Rhodes University, Grahamstown and purple. The blogs are overloaded with students that write about pretty much whatever pops into their head at the keyboard. What makes I Have No Idea stand out is that the four students at the keyboard HAVE AN IDEA and know how to write about it. These students can write quite comfortably about what they know - the adventurous experiences they’ve went through and issue that they want other bloggers to know about. At the same time, I Have No Idea is targeted at today’s generation, enlightening individuals to know about and understand the issues that surround them, at times, through the use of free spirited writing. This blog gives out a feeling and visualisation of cleanness, its content is conspicuous which draws in the blogger to read more. What’s humorous about the blog is that on the home page the tool bar that links to photos, videos and contact details can not be used or should we say ‘is still under construction’. I Have No Idea is a really cool blog and if its creators continued to blog and improve it, it could stand a chance in gaining recognition and being established as one of the top student blogs on the internet.
A taste of I Have No Idea post: The night before last, a friend and I took a drive to find a cemetery. It was 2 o'clock in the morning and we felt like being adventurous.
I often get caught up in the routine of my life in Grahamstown, I begin to think that the world consists of my residence at the top of Prince Alfred Street and BP in Africa Street. Only by separating myself from the town entirely, am I reminded that Grahamstown is just a bubble and Rhodes a smaller bubble within a bubble.
I decided to pop this bubble, by venturing into the great unknown the hills just outside the town and take a meditative walk up away from civilization. I find that I do my best thinking and reflecting while walking, whether to a lecture or depending on my state from a night out at 4am. By heading up aimlessly without any eventual destination, I can sometimes remind myself its not about the destination it's about the ride.
I proceeded at the unholy hour of 8am to walk down from my res towards the fence, I then wedged myself through the gate and there I was, free! Outside Grahamstown, outside my worries and routines which have made up my first year at Rhodes. It's a reminder that there is a world outside this small town which I have begun to call home.
I walked up through the Eastern Cape bush until I found a path of sorts, which I followed. After a while I came across a rock, smooth flat rock. Now from this rock I could observe the valley outside my res, Grahamstown, the road leading to Port Elizabeth and the chimneys of the Tunnels. For I brief moment I surveyed the world beneath me and pondered the sheer possibility of life.
By Rose Molefe Jay-Z's new album, The Blueprint III, is said to have sold 476,000 records in it's first week. The hit single of the album "Run This Town", is deemed for passing a 'demonic' message, this has not been proven, but the signs are there. The song seems to praise all "Black Men", by deeming them as God's and having the power to overthrow the actual God in heaven.
He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $150 million, shipping over 30 million copies of his albums in the United States alone and receiving several Grammy Awards for his musical work. Jay-Z also co-owns the 40/40 Club and the NBA's New Jersey Nets and is also the creator of the clothing line Rocawear, one could swear he actually "Runs This Town".
In the music video to the song; he's pictured wearing a sweatshirt with the phrase "do what thou wilt" printed across the chest. "Do What Thou Wilt" is the official dictum of the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) and of its reformer, occultist Aleister Crowley. The O.T.O. is a hermetic order modeled after Freemasonry and German Illuminism and teaches its initiates the secrets of the Mysteries, gnosticism, sex magick, Kaballah and other occult sciences. Contrarily to Freemasonry, the O.T.O. is however based on the "Law of Thelema" which main precept is "Do What Thou Wilt be the whole of the Law". Although this saying was interpreted in different ways, most agree that it refers to the dismissal of conventional moral and ethical rules in order to find one's "True Will". In other words, the usual guidelines by which good and evil are determined have to be blurred and forgotten to obtain the true path to illumination.
Although not officially considered "satanic", the O.T.O. does fully embrace the Luciferian doctrine.
"Run This Town" is an announcement of the coming of a New World Order, lead by secret (Luciferian) societies. At the beginning of the video, a man hands a lit torch to Rihanna who holds it up in the air. This symbolic gesture sums up perfectly the concept of the video. Anybody vaguely familiar with occultism can easily associate the symbol of the lit torch held high to Lucifer a.k.a. the Light Bearer. Most occult orders secretly acknowledge Lucifer as being the savior of humanity, the fallen angel who liberated men from the oppression of the biblical God (Jehovah, Yahweh). At the philosophical center of this new world order: the Luciferian Doctrine, where men are free to become gods by their own means.
When Jay-Z comes along and announces the coming of "Roc Nation",he is asking you to "Pledge your allegiance" to the new ruler and to wear black everything to honor him, since he is 'black' and is a god. Jay-Z's lyrics contain hints to Freemasonry who are hidden in the double meaning of some lines, one would have to pay close attention so as to understand.
Because all this is suspicion, we can only say that Jay-Z has "affinities" with occultism and secret societies. "Run This Town" only adds to the suspicions surrounding him due to the symbolism and philosophy displayed in the video. I know where I stand, do you?
It is through the fast moving evolution in knowledge and the way in which we are able to access that knowledge with technology that we become witness to a revolution. We have the ability to get knowledge and information on cue at any time of the day with minimal effort and from almost any location in the world. We have even come to the stage where we can have information find us. We can set news headlines on our homepages and have certain web pages suggested to us for our viewing pleasure. The important thing is that we are wide enough awake to grasp this revolution and use it to our full advantage. !!!!!Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4CV05HyAbM
We live in a society fundamentally dominated by economics; we are encouraged from a young age through a variety of sources that a career is what we want. Now our notion of a career is subjective, for some people being a ‘housewife’ could be considered a career or others consider a career to be Law, Investment Banking or Accounting. We are socialized to believe that we come to University to get a qualification to get a job.
Universities are assessed on the percentage of employed graduates and the amount that they earn. Universities are increasingly being run like businesses, focusing increasingly on the production of students who go on to find bountiful employment, regardless of their qualifications in their ability to lead the good life or their knowledge of the world.
In this protest the original function of a tertiary institution is forgotten that of a well rounded education. We can observe in South Africa one of the most prominent and well regarded institutions Wits University, recently dissolved their Classical Studies department, as data showed that Classics majors did not get employed to the same extent as say accounts or Law.
Classics is the study of the foundation of Western Civilization through art, history, philosophy and literature. Surely we lose sight of the origins, basis and foundations of the hegemonic culture of Western Europe and some of the great treasures of the world, if we discontinue studies in such areas due to their ‘unprofitability’. There are still lessons to be learnt from Aristotle, Homer and Plato.
I often hear tones of derision and skepticism from students and parents about useless ‘abstract’ subjects like Philosophy and English Literature. But the reality is that the assessment of the employability of a student, does not take into account the questions of is can we help this student live the good life and can we produce students committed to progress in this country.
Words are superfluous entities. They cage us into a world of semi-conformity and are merely a reaction to the way in which we think or experience life. Imagine you have never experienced the colour red and I was to try my utmost to explain it to you. I would tell you that it is warm and passionate but violent and harsh; it is the colour of love but that of bloodshed too. There is no way that a mind can grasp that concept unless experienced by the brain in question. Words fail to accurately grapple the true meaning of pain, of love, of guilt. Unless first-hand experience is engaged with, nothing else remains besides worthless words that may as well be gibberish.
We have been falsely informed that language is in fact a mechanism designed to free the soul of its emotions and beliefs, a way in which to express what lies at the heart. However, it has failed. Here, I am referring to any and every language. Yes, the Swiss have 12 words for snow and the Arabs have various words for “brain” or “common sense”. This only means that some languages have a greater ability to come close to the reality but fall short in reaching it.
Although, admittedly, it is vital to have a way in which to communicate between one other, I find it even more vital to ensure that you do not misinterpret this as a liberating practise. The only way one can truly free their mind and heart is to dedicate themselves to embracing situations and learn that words hold no validity when attempting to explain what the body and mind experiences.
I was born in 1988 at Diepkloof Clinic in Soweto, Johannesburg, born bread and buttered in that city. My childhood was spent in the two townships my parents each call home, Sharpeville for dad and Soweto for mum, which means both for me.
Along the way, on the journey to adulthood, I went astray and created an abyss in between the reality of my purpose and the fallacy of my purpose. I lived in accordance to my own dreams and desires, and forgot that God created me in His likeness so that I may be like Him. He sent His only son to die on the cross for you and I and His son gave His life.
All my life I have been looking for someone to give me their smile, hug, love, heart, joy or anything that shows compassion and I had forgotten that all these feelings and emotions were created by God. How did I doubt that I had these, when my Father created them? We all know that “Doubt is the absence of certainty”, or better yet, it’s the absence of Faith.
I doubted that I have the fruits of the spirit built in me; I doubted that I could be forgiven, restored and made whole again. How did I forget that a Man in Heaven was thoughtful enough of me to give me His son as a sacrifice?
Why did I seek so hard for love, when God is Love? Why did I seek for joy in another man on earth when the Joy of the Lord is my strength? My vision became blurred with the waterfall of joy that flowed from my eyes when I realised that in Christ I have a bolt hole and not an abyss.
I think many times we forget where we stand with Christ, and are not aware what an abyss it creates. If you know your place in Him, no weapon formed against you shall prosper.
An opinions piece. That’s what is required of me and I suppose I could have used one of the many posts I have already written for this blog as they are purely my opinion, however, it is only fitting to come up with something new and exciting. But what? And then it hit me.
I live across the road from the university library! It’s a glorious thing during exams and near due dates, a highly convenient situation I will admit. What’s the catch? For the past 8 months that I have resided in this room I have woken up to drilling and other such construction noises. Not such a highly convenient situation after all.
Yes, I fully understand that the new extension on the library will benefit everyone, once it’s done, and that logically the noise will result in a positive improvement on my studies, eventually, however, currently the noise is driving me mad. But the noise will result in a better library. So the question is, will it really be beneficial to me to be mad while the university is benefiting from a better library? If I turn 100% crazy how will an improved library help me if I’m sitting in a white, padded cell in the psyc ward? I suppose it will help the people in the psychology department who are looking for a way to fix me… But maybe not considering the psyc department is my neighbour and we’ll all end up crazy together!
My mind is a balloon being filled with a never ending supply of knowledge, however, to keep that never ending supply never ending, the man is pressing on my balloon with a very hazardous drill!
For many years, I have been very fascinated with gays and lesbians. Firstly, it was very mind boggling how a man can be in a physical relationship with another man or how two girls can be girlfriends.
It was only when I came to university that I was fully exposed to homosexual relationships. I used to just see it on television and back home being homosexual is not a norm.When I was growing up, I was told that only male fashion designers could be gay. Well, them and hairdressers, but soon that all changed.
I remember one day during Orientation Week for first year students we had a talk about HIV/AIDS. Somewhere during the conversation the issue of homosexual relationships came up. The first thought that popped into my head was “TWO WOMEN CAN HAVE SEX”? That became a “wow” moment for me. It was not long before I became friends with some gays and lesbians and I realised that actually, they are people just like you and I. They too have feelings and they too want to feel loved and accepted because coming out about their sexuality is not easy.
I now know that all those things that we were bombarded with about fashion designers and hairdressers’ being gay are not true. I also know that there is nothing wrong with being homosexual because at the end of the day, it is all about preference and yes, maybe some people really do prefer fashion designers.
Peace. A word that spends most of its time M.I.A. An unfortunate state of affairs but it’s the heartbreaking truth. We live in a society that has become so desensitised to violence and find unnecessary killings and brutal suffering a part of everyday news. We turn a blind eye to it in a silent hope that it will all maybe just go away if we ignore it. However, that said, I came across a video. While I could try to explain it, it really just speaks for itself.
Recently a balloon lifted up into the air supposedly with a 6-year old from Colorado inside when the father - Richard Heene, who created the balloon, noted police and had extensive search parties were sent out. However, the balloon lost helium and plummeted to earth only to find it was empty and the boy safe at home the whole time Three days after the coverage authorities announced that it was a hoax because in an interview with the family on the Larry King show, Falcon was asked why he did not respond to his parents calling him and he replied, “You guys said we did this for the show.” Heene responded that he had nothing to gain from such a stunt as he was not advertising anything. However, I am doubtful of this response. Richard Heene and his wife were previously on the reality show ‘Wife Swap’ and have been looking into possibly having a reality show about their family. This gets me thinking that such a stunt may have been good publicity. The video I watched at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/33342538#33341104 revealed to me what seemed to be a guilty man and his bad acting and stories to cover up his son’s Freudian slip. CNN News manages a detailed coverage of the story being a hoax and the charges the family faces if it is at http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/10/15/colorado.boy.balloon/index.html and further analysis into the father’s response can be found at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33341233/ns/today-today_people/. This was definitely a hoax in my opinion. My only concern is the three children of the family. If the parents force their child to fake a disappearance which I believe they did) in the name of their own gain, is that home a safe environment for them?
The disputed election results in Afghanistan, have potentiall catoshpric consequences for security in the region and Barack Obama’s presidency. According to the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8314302.stm the current President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzi received around 55% of the vote compared to the 28% received by his closed challenger Dr. Abdullah, Abdullah in an election marred by allegations by the United Nations based Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC)of widespread electoral fraud. It is alleged that as many as 1 in 4 votes may have been tampered with. This is happening against the backdrop of the chief General of the forces in Afghanistan Stanley McChrystal making a request for an additional 40000 troops to the White House. But can Obama afford to be seen as propping up a undemocratic regime , which has committed wide spread voting fraud especially after just receiving the Nobel Peace Prize? Acoording to Rahm Emanuel http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/18/rahm-emanuel-no-troop-esc_n_325099.html the White House Chief of Staff the US will not send additional troops unless a” credible and legitimate” government is power. This is happeing while a major battle rages in Pakistan between the Pakistani government and the Taliban, further adding to the instability in the region. A piece in the Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125587282013392519.html stressed the differences between the primary voting bloc of Karzai being of the Pashtun tribe and those of Abdullah being ethnically Tajiki. The piece also stressed Karzai’s claims of the elections commission being foreign interference. It also made a point of how the Taliban drew most of its support from ethnic Pashtuns and how disputing the election made help the Taliban and make the Coalition forces even more unpopular, as they could be perceived as occupying forces. All this makes the War in Afghanistan perhaps the make or break world politics issue of Obama’s presidency.
Warning: This post contains vulgar language and massive anger directed at anything/anyone that will take it!
Sorry about this but I am a very very pissed off blogger today and the steam needs to be let out! To put things in perspective I have now officially failed my drivers test twice. That is two times for those of you who need clarification. Some of you may be saying, well I failed more than that, what is this bitch moaning about?? Well let me tell you!
Firstly, the deal with my parental units was that they would pay for all the firsts, the minute I fail it's coming out my pocket! Secondly, it costs R245 just to book the damn test. Then it's R183 if you pass. Then it's R135 for every hour you use the driving schools car. Not exactly a cheap thing to fail over and over again, agree? And seriously, why is it so fucking expensive to get a laminated card that says I'm allowed to drive when I've been driving since I was 14 and perfectly cappable (and if I don't say so myself, a much better driver than most people I know who pasted their tests first time and have been driving for a while)? Normally I'm not so paranoid but I think that this whole system is a scam to rob innocent teenagers of their money!!! (and their bloody time!) Thirdly, my learners licence expires on the 2nd of November ... Yes in TWO FREAKING WEEKS!!! and just guess when the next available test date is??? - January! This means I'm also going to have to fork out the extra R180 (to book) + R59 (for the paper that says I can drive as long as there is a licenced driver in the front seat) to get a new learners (nevermind the time taken to restudy for the stupid test)!!
Really sorry about the ranting but how is it that people can get a licence in the Cannary Islands (or whatever island it actually is) by driving up and down a dirt road when I have to suffer through "mirror, morror, blindspot, indicate, mirror, break, stop, handbreak, first, clutch control, all around check, blindspot, mirror, intersection, go" everytime I come to a freaking stop street or if I stop anywhere for that matter!! Oh and if you roll forward just 5 millimeters when you're supposed to be going backwards well just have the R245 ready. It's honestly insane and who really does all that when they're driving anyway?
I've failed twice now and I'm going to have to rewrite my learners before I can attempt to do the test again, this means that my plans to road trip with my brother this holiday are shot to hell. I'm not saying it's not my fault I failed but more that I'm frustrated with the damn system leaching me of my time and money!!!
Something has to change, the reason there are so many idiotic drivers on the roads is because the tests are rediculous and it's much much easier to buy a licence (trust me!). The stress of the test is enough without having to worry about checks and such idiotic time wasting elements that the transport department decides are necessary!
I was truly shocked when I was informed that USA president, Barack Obama had won this year’s Nobel peace prize and apparently I wasn’t the only one. According to the article found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8298580.stm “An estimated 75% of comment sent to The BBC expressed surprise at the award. Some said awarding the prize to Mr. Obama was plain wrong, others that the decision had come too soon, before he had made any concrete foreign policy achievement.” This same site also has a video of the actual award ceremony and a number of video links relating to the situation. High Five to The BBC for their coverage!
More seriously however, Obama was only inaugurated two weeks before the nomination deadline, what could he have possibly done in two weeks to deserve this honor? Being a South African with relatives in Zimbabwe I honestly believe that nominee Morgan Tsvangarai, prime minister of Zimbabwe, deserved the award far more than Barack Obama, he’s at least been fighting a tyrant for a few decades. Another view is from The Guardian1 which feels that this award is another way of Europe saying to America that they’re in cahoots* again and not truly about who the nominations comity (of only five people by the way) feels is deserving of this prestigious honor.
South Africans (not all, but some) have a bad habbit of criticising South African music. They're more than willing to splurge on international band albums and pay up for their gigs while the music created in their home land are neglected. Don't get me wrong, there are some die-hard SA-band groupies. As for the rest of you... It is about time South African music got the recognition it deserves. The problem lies in the fact that because the support here is not strong enough so our extremely talented musos venture abroad for willing souls to steal. This type of behaviour must be stopped and the answer lies in you and only you. Support support support. I came across a music video of two Capetonian brothers that have recently, as recently as yesterday, signed a deal with BGM in Belgium. Don't let them become another loss to our beautiful country.
This past Sunday an innocent women was killed after police officers misinterpreted Section 49 of the Criminal Procedures Act and instructions by President Jacob Zuma and other government leaders, to increase police force on criminals and “shoot to kill”. Now everyone is asking the question who’s to blame: the politicians or police?
We could debate whether Zuma said and should be blamed for saying, “shoot to kill”. The poor president could have said do not kill, speak gently to criminals instead of shooting them, and straight after than five cops get killed. He would still be blamed.
However, he cannot be blamed for this incident. When Zuma and other government officials announced that force should be used to stop criminals most people, if not everyone agreed and cheered at the idea. Secondly, he clearly stated at the presidential launch of hotline, that the police have the duty to protect themselves and the lives of people, and ONLY when great threat is posed to them do they have the right to use force. This was not the case when the innocent woman was shot on Sunday.
So, are we seriously going to ask the question who’s to blame, let alone think that the amendment of Section 49, which was previously amended after the case of S vs. Williams, is going to change things? Nothing will change, instead the police need to admit to incompetence and Section 49 needs to be explained and understood properly because a new law will only lead to another incident.
Barack Obama has been honoured with a Noble Peace Prize for his great words of humility. ‘I pledge allegiance’ to the: tell me what this means?
Obama winning a noble peace prize amazes me, as those who have won it in previous years can point out specific achievements. Martin Ahtisaari, for his important efforts to resolve international conflicts, won the award for the year 2008. In 1984 Bishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu took the award for his work against apartheid.
Three of America’s presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president, was awarded the prize in 1906 after negotiating an end to the Russo-Japanese War. Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president, won in 1919 for his peacemaking efforts during World War I. Jimmy Carter, 39th president, for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development. Barack Obama, the 40th president, awarded for genetically being born with dark skin. However, the rest of the Noble committee, are defending him on his win.
The man has not been president for more than 10 months and already, his been ranked with people who have spent decades striving for some sort of social change. Before we know it, Julius Malema will be in line for receiving a Noble Peace Prize, for being consistent in his high levels of illiteracy.
The term noble, should be clarified, I do not disregard that Obama has brought some sort of change by being the first black American president, but is that all black folks receive recognition for?…the colour of their skin.
GLOOM…as the weather changes, the homeless people of Johannesburg draw closer to their diminutive fire, hoping for some sort of warmth. Photo: Madoda Mkhobeni.
Photo by: Cara du Toit This Photo was taken on the Kaif Lawns at Rhodes University. Candyce and I were embracing spring and dancing to music in the middle of the day. Finally we could don the sunnies and walk outside without an extra jacket on!!! Summer awaits :)
I was just messing around on the internet, when I came across a selection of Grafitti written by French Students during the riots of 1968, when a group of intellectuals , student radicals and workers brought a developed first world country to its knees to prove a point. This same apathy which they fought against is still present in our soceity over 40 years later. Just remember people actually can make a difference and in typical French style the irony and wit of the grafitti is everpresent.
In the decor of the spectacle, the eye meets only things and their prices.
Commute, work, commute, sleep . . .
Meanwhile everyone wants to breathe and nobody can and many say, “We will breathe later.”
And most of them don’t die because they are already dead.
Boredom is counterrevolutionary.
We don’t want a world where the guarantee of not dying
of starvation brings the risk of dying of boredom.
We want to live.
Don’t beg for the right to live — take it.
In a society that has abolished every kind of adventure
the only adventure that remains is to abolish the society.
The liberation of humanity is all or nothing.
Those who make revolutions half way only dig their own graves.
No replastering, the structure is rotten.
Masochism today takes the form of reformism.
Reform my ass.
The revolution is incredible because it’s really happening.
I came, I saw, I was won over.
Run, comrade, the old world is behind you!
Quick!
If we only have enough time . . .
In any case, no regrets!
Already ten days of happiness.
Live in the moment.
Comrades, if everyone did like us . . .
We will ask nothing. We will demand nothing. We will take, occupy.
Down with the state.
When the National Assembly becomes a bourgeois theater,
all the bourgeois theaters should be turned into national assemblies.
[Written above the entrance of the occupied Odéon Theater]
Referendum: whether we vote yes or no, it turns us into suckers.
It’s painful to submit to our bosses; it’s even more stupid to choose them.
Let’s not change bosses, let’s change life.
Don’t liberate me — I’ll take care of that.
I’m not a servant of the people (much less of their self-appointed leaders).
Let the people serve themselves.
Abolish class society.
Nature created neither servants nor masters. I want neither to rule nor to be ruled.
We will have good masters as soon as everyone is their own.
“In revolution there are two types of people:
those who make it and those who profit from it.”
(Napoleon)
Warning: ambitious careerists may now be disguised as “progressives.”
Don’t be taken in by the politicos and their filthy demagogy. We must rely on ourselves.
Socialism without freedom is a barracks.
All power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
We want structures that serve people, not people serving structures.
The revolution doesn’t belong to the committees, it’s yours.
Politics is in the streets.
Barricades close the streets but open the way.
Our hope can come only from the hopeless.
A proletarian is someone who has no power over his life and knows it.
Never work.
People who work get bored when they don’t work.
People who don’t work never get bored.
Workers of all countries, enjoy!
Since 1936 I have fought for wage increases.
My father before me fought for wage increases.
Now I have a TV, a fridge, a Volkswagen.
Yet my whole life has been a drag.
Don’t negotiate with the bosses. Abolish them.
The boss needs you, you don’t need the boss.
By stopping our machines together we will demonstrate their weakness.
Occupy the factories.
Power to the workers councils.
(an enragé)
Power to the enragés councils.
(a worker)
Worker: You may be only 25 years old, but your union dates from the last century.
Labor unions are whorehouses.
Comrades, let’s lynch Séguy!
[Georges Séguy: head bureaucrat of the Communist Party-dominated labor union]
Please leave the Communist Party as clean on leaving it as you would like to find it on entering.
Stalinists, your children are with us!
Man is neither Rousseau’s noble savage nor the Church’s or La Rochefoucauld’s depraved sinner.
He is violent when oppressed, gentle when free.
Conflict is the origin of everything.
(Heraclitus)
If we have to resort to force, don’t sit on the fence.
Be cruel.
Humanity won’t be happy till the last capitalist is hung
with the guts of the last bureaucrat.
When the last sociologist has been hung with the guts of
the last bureaucrat, will we still have “problems”?
The passion of destruction is a creative joy.
(Bakunin)
A single nonrevolutionary weekend is infinitely more bloody than a month of total revolution.
The tears of philistines are the nectar of the gods.
This concerns everyone.
We are all German Jews.
We refuse to be highrised, diplomaed, licensed, inventoried, registered, indoctrinated,
suburbanized, sermonized, beaten, telemanipulated, gassed, booked.
We are all “undesirables.”
We must remain “unadapted.”
The forest precedes man, the desert follows him.
Under the paving stones, the beach.
Concrete breeds apathy.
Coming soon to this location: charming ruins.
Beautiful, maybe not, but O how charming: life versus survival.
“My aim is to agitate and disturb people. I’m not selling bread, I’m selling yeast.”
(Unamuno)
Conservatism is a synonym for rottenness and ugliness.
You are hollow.
You will end up dying of comfort.
Hide yourself, object!
No to coat-and-tie revolution.
A revolution that requires us to sacrifice ourselves for it is Papa’s revolution.
Revolution ceases to be the moment it calls for self-sacrifice.
The prospect of finding pleasure tomorrow will never compensate for today’s boredom.
When people notice they are bored, they stop being bored.
Happiness is a new idea.
Live without dead time.
Those who talk about revolution and class struggle without referring
to everyday reality have a corpse in their mouth.
Culture is an inversion of life.
Poetry is in the streets.
The most beautiful sculpture is a paving stone thrown at a cop’s head.
Art is dead, don’t consume its corpse.
Art is dead, let’s liberate our everyday life.
Art is dead, Godard can’t change that.
Godard: the supreme Swiss Maoist jerk.
Permanent cultural vibration.
We want a wild and ephemeral music.
We propose a fundamental regeneration:
concert strikes,
sound gatherings with collective investigation.
Abolish copyrights: sound structures belong to everyone.
Anarchy is me.
Revolution, I love you.
Down with the abstract, long live the ephemeral.
(Marxist-Pessimist Youth)
Don’t consume Marx, live him.
I’m a Groucho Marxist.
I take my desires for reality because I believe in the reality of my desires.
Desiring reality is great! Realizing your desires is even better!
Practice wishful thinking.
I declare a permanent state of happiness.
Be realistic, demand the impossible.
Power to the imagination.
Those who lack imagination cannot imagine what is lacking.
Imagination is not a gift, it must be conquered.
(Breton)
Action must not be a reaction, but a creation.
Action enables us to overcome divisions and find solutions.
Exaggeration is the beginning of invention.
The enemy of movement is skepticism. Everything that has been realized
comes from dynamism, which comes from spontaneity.
Here, we spontane.
“You must bear a chaos inside you to give birth to a dancing star.”
(Nietzsche)
Chance must be systematically explored.
Alcohol kills. Take LSD.
Unbutton your mind as often as your fly.
“Every view of things that is not strange is false.”
(Valéry)
Life is elsewhere.
Forget everything you’ve been taught. Start by dreaming.
Form dream committees.
Dare! This word contains all the politics of the present moment.
(Saint-Just)
Arise, ye wretched of the university.
Students are jerks.
The student’s susceptibility to recruitment as a militant for
any cause is a sufficient demonstration of his real impotence.
(enragé women)
Professors, you make us grow old.
Terminate the university.
Rape your Alma Mater.
What if we burned the Sorbonne?
Professors, you are as senile as your culture, your modernism
is nothing but the modernization of the police.
We refuse the role assigned to us: we will not be trained as police dogs.
We don’t want to be the watchdogs or servants of capitalism.
Exams = servility, social promotion, hierarchical society.
When examined, answer with questions.
Insolence is the new revolutionary weapon.
Every teacher is taught, everyone taught teaches.
The Old Mole of history seems to be splendidly undermining the Sorbonne.
(telegram from Marx, 13 May 1968)
Thought that stagnates rots.
To call in question the society you “live” in, you must first
be capable of calling yourself in question.
Take revolution seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously.
The walls have ears. Your ears have walls.
Making revolution also means breaking our internal chains.
A cop sleeps inside each one of us. We must kill him.
Drive the cop out of your head.
Religion is the ultimate con.
Neither God nor master.
If God existed it would be necessary to abolish him.
Can you believe that some people are still Christians?
Down with the toad of Nazareth.
How can you think freely in the shadow of a chapel?
We want a place to piss, not a place to pray.
I suspect God of being a leftist intellectual.
The bourgeoisie has no other pleasure than to degrade all pleasures.
Going through the motions kills the emotions.
Struggle against the emotional fixations that paralyze our potentials.
(Committee of Women on the Path of Liberation)
Constraints imposed on pleasure incite the pleasure of living without constraints.
The more I make love, the more I want to make revolution.
The more I make revolution, the more I want to make love.
SEX: It’s okay, says Mao, as long as you don’t do it too often.
Comrades, 5 hours of sleep a day is indispensable:
we need you for the revolution.
Embrace your love without dropping your guard.
I love you!!! Oh, say it with paving stones!!!
I’m coming in the paving stones.
Total orgasm.
Comrades, people are making love in the Poli Sci classrooms, not only in the fields.
Revolutionary women are more beautiful.
Zelda, I love you! Down with work!
The young make love, the old make obscene gestures.
Make love, not war.
Whoever speaks of love destroys love.
Down with consumer society.
The more you consume, the less you live.
Commodities are the opium of the people.
Burn commodities.
You can’t buy happiness. Steal it.
See Nanterre and live. Die in Naples with Club Med.
Are you a consumer or a participant?
To be free in 1968 means to participate.
I participate.
You participate.
He participates.
We participate.
They profit.
The golden age was the age when gold didn’t reign.
“The cause of all wars, riots and injustices is the existence of property.”
(St. Augustine)
Happiness is hanging your landlord.
Millionaires of the world unite. The wind is turning.
The economy is wounded — I hope it dies!
How sad to love money.
You too can steal.
“Amnesty: An act in which the rulers pardon the injustices they have committed.”
(Ambrose Bierce)
[The definition in Bierce’s The Devil’s Dictionary is actually: “Amnesty: The state’s
magnanimity to those offenders whom it would be too expensive to punish.”]
Abolish alienation.
Obedience begins with consciousness;
consciousness begins with disobedience.
First, disobey; then write on the walls.
(Law of 10 May 1968)
I don’t like to write on walls.
Write everywhere.
Before writing, learn to think.
I don’t know how to write but I would like to say beautiful things and I don’t know how.
I don’t have time to write!!!
I have something to say but I don’t know what.
Freedom is the right to silence.
Long live communication, down with telecommunication.
You, my comrade, you whom I was unaware of amid the tumult,
you who are throttled, afraid, suffocated — come, talk to us.
Talk to your neighbors.
Yell.
Create.
Look in front of you!!!
Help with cleanup, there are no maids here.
Revolution is an INITIATIVE.
Speechmaking is counterrevolutionary.
Comrades, stop applauding, the spectacle is everywhere.
Don’t get caught up in the spectacle of opposition. Oppose the spectacle.
Down with spectacle-commodity society.
Down with journalists and those who cater to them.
Only the truth is revolutionary.
No forbidding allowed.
Freedom is the crime that contains all crimes. It is our ultimate weapon.
The freedom of others extends mine infinitely.
No freedom for the enemies of freedom.
Free our comrades.
Open the gates of the asylums, prisons and other faculties.
Open the windows of your heart.
To hell with boundaries.
You can no longer sleep quietly once you’ve suddenly opened your eyes.
The future will only contain what we put into it now.
