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Collapse of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos Nigeria
Now the recriminations, finger-pointing and deflection of blame have commenced.
Like in most disasters, the emergency services and the management are not able to cope with the magnitude of the cataclysm. On the other hand the families and loved ones demand immediate answers as to the fate of the victims and precise timelines for when their fate will be known.
Malema: Uncouth firebrand or savvy politician?
Indubitably Malema’s lexicon and gratuitous use of the Race Card at every opportunity could certainly brand him as an uncouth firebrand. In his own way beneath the reckless populist does Malema represent an audacious savvy politician?
Most South Africans can readily recite their litany of examples of Malema’s uncouth behaviour or fraudulent actions. Amongst the one most quoted would be when he referred to Lindiwe Mazibuko as “Zilla’s tea lady.” Others might remember the incident where he cited Naledi Pandor diction as being un-African. In both these incidents, the recipient of his obnoxious comment was an intelligent, honest and respectable person not worthy of such opprobrium.
Schooling around the World in Pictures
Schooling is one of the most formative experiences of a young person’s life. How one is schooled affects a child development indelibly. Both the First World and the Third World can learn from each other’s experiences. In the West the overarching impediment to proper education is child having more rights that the teacher. If the teacher only had to cope with a dozen pupils perhaps this approach would suffice but in classes of forty and even more, all the happens is that the disruptive child impinges upon the learning of the rest of the class.
In the third world, the powers of the teacher to discipline incalcitrant and errant children has not yet circumscribed by children’s rights but what they gain from being more studious is a patent lack of appropriate facilities and in some instances excessive corporal punishment.
Main picture: The Maths teacher and his class in a Cairo school in 1922
The remaining blight on education is the continued refusal of many governments especially those in the Middle East to allow females to receive an edcation. The barbaric Taliban regime in Afghanistan even went so far as to ban females from attending school. The most famous example in this regard is the recent incident where the Taliban in Pakistan attempted to assassinate Malala for her pro-schooling campaign for girls.
Where females have been granted full educational rights such as in the Occident, their exemplary performance in most fields where they outperformed their male counterparts have engendered a new breed of females who can be regarded as equals in every sense instead of being at the mercy of the whims of their male companions.
The full impact of such a revolutionary change has not yet been fully felt by the fabric of society but already its impact has been stunning from lower birth rates and more equality demanded in relationships but the housework still remains an unequal partnership.
Every Day Heroes in Road Running
It is not just the record breakers in Road Running, such as Bruce Fordyce, who are the heroes. Heroes come in a multiplicity of shapes, forms and even abilities. One does not want to detract from the winners’ performance, but these unsung heroes are what breathe life into a sport.
Recognition in sport is normally only accorded to the winners. They are lauded and receive the accolades, prizes and sponsorships. Many others also need to be recognised for their achievements. One such program that aims to do just that, is the 1000km Challenge.
Cats can be so Damn Dramatic
I will be brutally frank and state boldly that I am not a cat person. Dogs are my preference. Now that I have incurred the wrath and enmity of all the cat lovers in South Africa, let me alienate another important segment of the population: the females. On what grounds would I do that willingly? It is simple: I equate cats with females and dogs with males.
The basic dichotomy between cats and dogs is that dogs offer unconditional love whereas cats are more detached, remote and complicated. Not to put too fine a point on it, cats are moody creatures.
Quo Vadis Self-Actualisation?
With most of the lower order needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs having been met, the Millennials are focusing on self-actualisation albeit by a different name but for the self-same reason. The basic premise of self-actualisation is that passion drives purpose which in turn generates inspiration. Is this theory attainable or does it only apply to ennobling ideals and not to the mundane aspects of life?
Western Europe is currently facing a crisis of unemployment with record levels of productive people being unemployed. A cursory investigation reveals a startling dichotomy: the huge number of graduates who cannot find employment whereas on the other hand in France, for example, it is experiencing huge shortages in fields such as teaching and nursing.
Surreal but Sublime Places with that Salvador Dali Painting Vibe
In this photo gallery, five unusual places are visited, each with its own surreal vibe.
The iWatch: Will it revolutionise the Textures and Rhythms of Life?
Like its predecessors from the Church Clock to the Pocket Watch & finally to the Wrist Watch, will the Apple Watch, as it is officially being called, fundamentally revolutionise the textures & rhythms of life? Furthermore will it initiate the march to a totally connected always-on world?
The very idea of a wearable computer has existed in the human imagination since at least the birth of the James Bond movies. Fifty years ago it was a science fiction gadget which nobody least of all the scientists took seriously. Finally Apple has placed it at the pinnacle of its new revolution – a wearable computer. Continue reading
ISIS – Even Crueller and More Radical than al-Qaeda
Who would have thought that a more militant and fundamentalist organisation than a-Qaeda would arise? Well it has happened. So radical that not even Al Qaeda will associate with them. ISIS or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is adding a new dimension of chaos and instability to a region already plagued with both.
Formerly known as ISIL – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – ISIS is a Sunni jihadist group in the Middle East. In its self-proclaimed status as a Caliphate, it claims religious authority over all Muslims across the world with aspirations of bringing most of the Muslim-inhabited regions of the world under its political control beginning with Iraq, Syria and other territories in the Levant region which include Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus and part of southern Turkey. Continue reading