text:
Community Safety MEC condemns Mfuleni shootings
The Western Cape's Community Safety MEC, Albert Fritz, has condemned the spate of shooting incidents in Mfuleni that occurred on Sunday and Monday.
Ten people were killed in separate incidents. Three men were killed by 4 suspects in Ligwa Street, a 29-year-old was shot in a tavern by an unknown assailant, 2 men were shot and killed in Bosasa, and four people were killed in a suspected revenge shooting in the COVID-19 informal settlement on Monday.
Fritz has called on the public to come forward with any information and report it to SAPS
"I call on any members of the community with information to immediately come forward and to report such to SAPS. We cannot allow our communities to tormented and traumatised by dangerous criminals. These acts are akin to terrorism and we must not protect those who hold our communities at ransom."
''The SAPS provincial management in the Province has ordered that additional police be deployed to the area. As part of the SAPS 72-hour Activation Plan, provincial organised crime detectives are pursuing leads.'' Fritz added.
posted by Bush radio 89.5FM newsroom @ Wednesday, March 31, 2021 0 comments
Search continues for teenager who believed to have drowned at Gwaing River Mouth
The search continues for a teenager who believed to have drowned at Gwaing River Mouth, in the Southern Cape on Tuesday.
NSRI Wilderness duty crew were activated following eye-witness reports of a drowning in progress at Gwaing River Mouth.
''NSRI rescue swimmers responded to the scene in our NSRI rescue vehicle and NSRI crew responded to Herolds Bay where the sea rescue craft Oscars Rescue was launched.'' Said Garth Dominy, NSRI Wilderness station commander.
''On arrival on the scene a sea and shoreline search commenced for a local male teenager, believed to be aged 15 or 16, who was last seen appearing to be in difficulty in the surf while swimming with friends before he disappeared in the water.'' Donimy added.
A Police Dive Unit are tasked to continue in an ongoing search operation.
PICTURE: NSRI
Four victims of mob justice within a week
Four suspected robbers have all dies within the past week, this comes after one robber was set alight In Philipi.
Another burnt body of an unidentified man was discovered by a school teacher on Monday at Bongolethu Primary School in Browns Farm. Police stated they are following up on leads in order to arrest the suspects responsible for this murder.
A 23-year-old man was stoned to death on Sunday, allegedly by an angry mob, after being accused of attempting to rob a resident in Kosovo, Philippi.
On Friday, an unidentified man was found on the street after allegedly being beaten to death. He was accused of attempting to steal a cellphone in Litha Park, Khayelitsha. Last Monday, 24-year-old Samkelo Nyeka was burnt and stoned to death after being accused of stealing clothes.
Luvuyo Mamba of Kosovo Community Police Forum (CPF) said he doesn't condone violence nor the community taking the law into their own hands.
Gugulethu Development Forum secretary Vincent Domingo said that the spike in incidents of alleged mob justice stemmed from a deeper issue. This is a reflection that they are slowly losing faith in the police and felt the need to protect themselves and this needed urgent attention.
By Everngelista Muza
posted by Bush radio 89.5FM newsroom @ Tuesday, March 30, 2021 0 comments
President Ramaphosa to address nation at 7pm on Tuesday
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on developments in the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic at 7pm on Tuesday.
According to the Presidency, the address follows meetings in recent days of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC), the President's Coordinating Council (PCC) and Cabinet.
"As South Africa rolls out its national COVID-19 vaccination programme, government and social partners are continuously monitoring infection, treatment and patient recovery rates, as well as compliance with health regulations and other prevention measures," the President's Office said.
Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde said the province does not support a move to lockdown level 2 as ''it is not supported by the province's data, and it will undermine economic recovery.''
Winde stated that the province's response to COVID-19 has from the very beginning been based on data, evidence and science.
"We have also always maintained that a balance must be achieved in saving both lives and livelihoods in our province. This is because a humanitarian crisis caused by economic restrictions will also cost lives in the Western Cape and South Africa.''
"In considering whether a move to alert level 2 should be introduced ahead of the upcoming religious holidays, we have again applied these guiding principles and compared the data available to us." Winde added.
A foreign national kidnapped and rescued in Langa with 10 arrested
10 people connected to the kidnapping of a 49 year man have been arrested over the weekend- this follows after the Cape Town police successfully extracted the man from the clutches of a gang who took him captive on the morning of Thursday 25 March before demanding a substantial ransom for his safe return.
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said the unidentified victim was a foreign national. The man was said to have been detained to Voortrekker Road after he was robbed of a substantial amount of cash and a cell phone.
The suspects aged between 20 and 30 were arrested after Investigations led the members of the National Intervention Unit (NIU), Bellville police, the hostage negotiation team and crime intelligence to an address in Nyanga on Saturday evening before successfully retrieving the man.
The suspects have been charged with armed robbery and kidnapping, they will appear in the Bellville magistrate's court on Monday 29 March.
posted by Bush radio 89.5FM newsroom @ Monday, March 29, 2021 0 comments
GABS turns 160!
Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) turns 160 years old on 1 April 2021.
As a token of appreciation, all weekly, monthly and pensioner products purchased during April will receive a free trip added to their card.
We will also be charging a flat fare of R10.50 for all cash trips on 1 April 2021.
''Over the last 160 years, millions of Capetonians have made use of our services, thousands have spent time in the Company's employ and thousands more have benefitted from the Company's corporate social responsibility programmes.'' Said GABS General Manager, Derick Meyer.
''Golden Arrow has never been just a "bus business", at our core we are people-oriented. We move people, we employ people, and we uplift people. This is our true legacy.'' Meyer added.
GABS thanked its clients for using their services
''…we have only made it this far because of the incredible support of our passengers and we are truly grateful for their loyalty.''
PICTURE: GABS
posted by Bush radio 89.5FM newsroom @ Friday, March 26, 2021 0 comments
Cape Nature discovers what appears to be elephant teeth on Dyer Island, Gansbaai
Cape Nature has discovered what appears to be elephant teeth on Dyer Island, situated in Gansbaai, off the coast of the Western Cape.
The discovery of what appears to be elephant molar teeth, was made by Cape Nature staff during a routine trip to the island.
Extensive documented and peer-reviewed evidence indicates that around 18 000 - 20 000 years ago following the Last Glacial Maximum, reduced sea levels exposed a broad southern coastal plain or "Palaeo-Agulhas Bank" of around 60, 000 km2. This allowed large land-based mammals to migrate onto this coastal plain and possibly make their way to the area known today as Dyer Island. Fossil evidence discovered to date, indicates that the large mammal community was species-rich and dominated by large grazing ungulates, including equids and antelopes, and quite possibly elephants.
More recent evidence also suggests that elephants occurred on the Agulhas Plain as the remains of an elephant skeleton was found at De Mond Nature Reserve some years ago. The Shipwreck Museum in Bredasdorp also houses elephant remains from the region.
The Western Cape's Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC, Anton Bredell says the province has a unique heritage that dates back thousands of years.
"There is so much about our province we are still discovering. Finding elephant teeth on an island 8.5km in the sea is exciting and opens up many possibilities and mysteries which we hope will continue to unravel in years to come."
Bredell says the latest discovery is under investigation to confirm the record and to try and determine how it ended up on Dyer Island.
PICTURES: WCG
WCED extends deadline for 2022 school admission
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has extended the application for the 2022 school year until midnight of 1 April 2021.
The initial deadline was on Friday, 26 March, but the WCED said that it has noticed an upsurge in website activity on the online application system. Parents have also pleaded with the department to extend the date, ''to allow parents to complete the last few applications.''
The WCED warned that there no further extensions will be granted beyond this date.
''Parents will then have had 35 days to apply. We believe that come 1 April, parents have been given ample time to get the necessary documents together and to complete their applications.'' It said in a statement.
''However, the activity on the website over the past few days has indicated that some parents have left this process to the last minute with 16 000 applications being submitted on Tuesday this week, 19 000 on Wednesday and 22 000 yesterday. The site has also had increased activity this morning.'' it added.
The department recorded 344 305 applications by 104 038 registered users.
''We would like to thank the parents who have applied timeously, and appeal to those that are still to apply, to do so immediately. It is recommended that they do not leave it until the last minute.'' Said Bronagh Hammond, WCED Director for Communication.
Applications can be made either online or through a paper-based application process should a parent not have access to technology. They must please ask the relevant school for the application form.
The link to the WCED admissions website is: https://admissions.westerncape.gov.za/admissions/login
Parents must apply to at least 3 schools, including the ones closest to your home, and order their preference on the system.
Parents will be asked to submit the following supporting documents:
· The last official school Report Card
· ID, Birth certificate, passport of the learner; or
· A study permit (foreign learners); or
· Proof of application (study permit) or a police affidavit
· Immunisation card (Road to Health Chart) [Primary Schools Only]
· Proof of Residence (Rates account, Lease agreement, an affidavit confirming residence).
PICTURE: WCED
Nine suspects arrested following protest action on N2/R300
Nine suspects were arrested following the protest action that occurred since Tuesday.
It's believed that a group by the name of Intlungu Yasematoytoymbeni movement are demanding water and temporary toilets in all new informal settlements. The movement, in a statement said that they also want to share their unhappiness about alleged threats made by the City of Cape Town to evict land invaders.
Two arrests were made in Kraaifontein on Wednesday. Seven arrests were made the following day, six of those were in Delft and one in Kraaifontein.
The suspects have been charged with public violence and are expected to appear in the Blue Downs magistrate's court soon.
The Western Cape's Community Safety MEC, Albert Fritz, says the Court Watching Brief Unit will be requested to monitor these cases for any SAPS inefficiencies, resulting in the case being struck off the court roll.
Fritz welcomed the arrests.
"I welcome the arrests made as they send a strong message to anybody wishing to destabilise the province through violent protest action. Let me be clear that citizens have a constitutional right to peaceful protest, whatever the issue may be but when these protest actions become a pretext for violence and blatant criminality they cannot then be hidden behind the notion of unhappiness with service delivery."
The MEC claims the protests are politically motivated.
"In fact, based on information that we have received, the real intention behind these so-called service delivery protests is to destabilise communities, and are politically motivated. These actions actually halt the crucial services into those affected communities including sanitation, education, healthcare and transport which our citizens dependent on." Fritz added.
"The modus operandi is to wear SAPS' resources thin by appearing sporadically in different locations. I was however pleased to hear this morning that all roads including the N2, Hindle Way, Mew Way and other affected roads were clear," said MEC Fritz.
Premier Winde request President Ramaphosa for special provincial funeral for Cecyl Esau
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa to request a special provincial funeral for Western Cape struggle stalwart Cecyl Esau.
According to a statement from his family, Esau died from natural causes at his home in Table View last Wednesday.
Esau who was born in Worcester, was an anti-apartheid activist who was involved in the 1976 national student uprising while studying at the University of the Western Cape.
He was arrested for his political activities in 1986 and spent 12 years imprisoned on Robben Island.
''Should the President assent to the request, support will be made available for the memorial service which will be held in Worcester on Saturday, 27 March.'' Said Premier Winde.
"We extend our condolences to Mr Esau's family, friends and loved ones at this difficult time and look forward to a positive response to our request from President Ramaphosa." He added.
PHOTO courtesy: TimesLive
The clock is ticking - World TB Day
Wednesday, 24 March, is World TB Day.
This day is commerated to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of Tuberculosis, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.
The theme for this year is - 'The Clock is Ticking' – which the World health organisation says conveys the sense that the world is running out of time to act on the commitments to end TB made by global leaders.
TB remains one of the world's deadliest infectious killers. Each day, nearly 4 000 people lose their lives to TB and close to 28 000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease.
In 2019, City of Cape Town Health facilities conducted close to 43 thousand TB tests. This figure dropped to just over 29 thousand last year
People with TB or a history of TB are likely to be vulnerable to Covid-19 as they have similar symptoms, such as coughing and shortness of breath. Both also causes fever and weakness in the body.
Mayco member for community services and health, Zahid Badroodien has urged citizens to get tested for TB should they experience symptoms.
''In an effort to minimise the risk of clients' exposure to Covid-19, health services have made modifications to patient flow and treatment practices and where possible, reduced the number of unnecessary patient visits to health facilities.''
''On a positive note, Covid-19 has highlighted behavioural practices around infection prevention and control, and cough etiquette, including the de-stigmatisation of mask wearing and social distancing, which may contribute to reducing TB transmission.'' Badroodien added.
PICTURE: WHO
11-month-old baby from Kraaifontein missing
Capetonians are asked to help find missing 11-month old baby from Kraaifontein.
Akhimbali Mafentile was last seen at 10p.m on Sunday in Bigaba Street at Marikana Squatter Camp, Wallacedene.
''His mother left the child alone at home and asked friends to look after him. When she came back in the morning of Monday, the child was not with friends and not at home.'' said the Pink Ladies Organisation,
Akhimbali was wearing a grey all in one (onesie) with blue dots all over.
Anyone with information are asked to contact Pink Ladies Organisation on 072 214 7439 or the South African Police Services (SAPS) on 08600 10 111
PHOTO - Pink Ladies Organisation
69-year-old man drowns at Strand Beach
Western Cape police have opened an inquest docket after a 69-year-old man from Somerset West has died following an incident at Strand Beach on Monday evening.
''The man had gone for a swim near to The Pipe, on the South Western side of Strand Beach. It appears that later he was spotted face down in the surf by bystanders who recovered the man from the surf.'' Said the NSRI's Craig Lambinon.
Lambinon said the man was confirmed to be deceased from what appears to be a fatal drowning accident.
''NSRI Gordons Bay, the SA Police Services, GB Med Security ambulance services and Emergency Services were alerted at 18h36 and on arrival on the scene the man was confirmed to be deceased from what appears to be a fatal drowning accident.''
''The body of the man has been taken into the care of WC Government Health Forensic Pathology Services.'' Lambion added.
PHOTO: Courtesy - NSRI
Protesters demand water and temporary toilets at all new informal settlements in Cape Town
Various roads along the N2 and R300 were closed on Tuesday morning following protest action.
It is understood that a group by the name of Intlungu Yasematoytoymbeni movement are planning a total shutdown until Friday.
The protesters are demanding water and temporary toilets in all new informal settlements. The movement, in a statement said that they also want to share their unhappiness about alleged threats made by the City of Cape Town to evict land invaders.
The following roads are closed:
· Ramp at N2 /Mew Way,
· N2/Baden Powell Drive
· N2/Spine Road
· Baden Powell between Swartklip and N2
(Last updated at 11:45)
Head of communications at the Western cape Department of transport and Public Works, Jandre Bakker said: ''We urge road users to avoid the area until the road is declared safe enough to be reopened.''
PICTURE: Courtesy - SAPS
Deputy President visits Biovac Manufacturing Facility in Cape Town
Deputy President David Mabuza visited the Biovac manufacturing Facility in Pinelands in Cape Town on Thursday.
The visit follows a similar visit to the institute in Gauteng. Mabuza was accompanied by Higher Education and Science and Technology minister, Blade Nzimande, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, and CEO of BioVac, Dr. Morena Makhoana.
The purpose of the visit is to provide the Deputy President who is the Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Covid-19 Vaccines, an opportunity to witness the country's scientific capabilities, biotechnology infrastructure and the investments made to support vaccine manufacturing and development efforts.
BioVac performs product development, formulation and filling of vaccines, packaging, labelling as well as cold chain and distribution.
''This is the only facility of its kind in the African continent. It started in 2003, just with packaging, but it has been moved up the value chain 9filling and finishing). Plan is to move higher the value chain, to be able to produce invest, initially our own research, and manufacturing our own vaccine. Not just for COVID-19, but other diseases/illnesses as well.'' Says Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande
Mabuza said that R10 billion has been dedicated to purchase Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. As for the AstraZeneca vaccine, the plan is to send it to other countries in Africa that is able to use it.
''We are purchasing from Johnson & Johnson, Phizer. Those are the two we entered an agreement with. The AstraZeneca vaccine, we are discussing with the African union (AU). Other African continents are using this vaccine, and soon South Africa will be one of those countries.''
So far over 168,000 healthcare workers have been inoculated so far, as of 17 March 2021. The aim is to have 1 million healthcare workers vaccinated by the end of March. However, Mabuza admits that they will not meet the deadline.
''Innoculation is continuing, though not at a very good space. In the next few weeks, we are expecting more vaccines – by the end of March. We would've reached the 1 million mark of inoculation, but it doesn't look like it. We predict the million mark will be reached by the first or second week of April.'' Says Deputy President David Mabuza.
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor says she is thrilled that their plans with BioVac is finally coming in to play and that they're working with an international partner.
PHOTO: Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister, Blade Nzimande, CEO of BioVac, Dr. Morena Makhoana.
Done By: Mitchum George & Danielle Mentoor
posted by Bush radio 89.5FM newsroom @ Thursday, March 18, 2021 0 comments
Easter break a concern for a possible third wave of the Covid 19
The Western Cape Education Department dwells on the possibility of a third wave of the coronavirus.
With the easter break approaching the department would like people to remember the importance of adhering to covid 19 regulance. The department said the vaccine is currently being rolled out to healthcare workers, but not enough of us have been vaccinated at this stage to stop the spread of the virus.
Western Cape Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said residents must remain vigilant, while restrictions have been eased, the virus has not come to end. The best play to prevent a third wave is for people void crowded areas, continue with the wearing of masks, sanitize constantly, stay within their bubble, leave their homes when it's an absolute. The provincial health department also asked that people keep their holiday gatherings small and outdoors, and encourage "at risk" people to stay home.
Mayco member for community services and health, Zahid Badroodien had earlier lamented the increased threats to the City's environmental health service, who conduct Covid-19 compliance inspections.
He stressed that these are a key focus area as part of the City's response to the pandemic, and residents should heed their instructions.
Image by pasja1000 from Pixabay
Fire broke out in parts of the old Parliaments Assembly building.
A fire broke out in parts of Parliament's Old Assembly building in Cape Town, an investigation has is being conducted to establish the cause.
On Tuesday night the fire was successfully contained affecting several upper floor offices and committee rooms. Parliament said the affected areas, including parts of the lower floor were not affected by the fire but have been left flooded due to the activation of the fire sprinkler system.
An immediate response by the city's fire and rescue services successfully contained the fire. The cause is still unknown and no one has was injured.
Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said fire crews from Roeland Street, Salt River, Sea Point, Brooklyn and Milnerton were dispatched. The fire was reported to have originated in a room of the National Assembly.
Photo: Christa Eybers
School principle charged with attempted murder for coercing a 4th grader to retrieve his phone in toilet pit.
The principal of Luthuthu Primary School in Ugie, Eastern Cape appeared in the Nqanqarha (Maclear) Magistrates court on Tuesday for attempted murder.
Spokesperson for the Eastern Cape Education Department Vuyiseka Mboxela confirmed that the 46 year old man told an 11-year-old pupil to search for the cellphone which had fallen into the toilet.
The incident reportedly happened in the first week of march. Petros Majola, an activist from the Khula Community Development Project, said they wanted the principal to be dismissed and for his name to be removed from the council for educators. He said the child should be given counselling services.
The learner's grandmother told GroundUp that she is happy that the matter is getting attention and that the suspect will be accountable.She said it has been hard on her grandchild to go to school because he has been laughed at by other pupils.
Eastern Cape Education MEC Fundile Gade said that the department is working closely with the Department of Social Development to offer the learner and his family support.
Photo: Susan Secretea
Five senior students claim being targeted following student protests
Five senior engineering students from the CPUT are calling for legal assistance to help them fight the institution after they were allegedly suspended during the November protests.
Four of them now face disciplinary hearings and another student who claimed he was wrongfully accused by an alleged by-passer for throwing stones at the building has already been expelled. They were arrested during campus protest about financial exclusions while on of the student said CPUT student representative council's deputy president Sihle Ngxabi said as the SRC they reject and condemn the alleged victimisation of the five students.
CPUT Spokesperson Lauren Kansley said any disciplinary hearing between CPUT and a student followed a stringent process before any outcome was reached. She further ensued, CPUT is unfortunately not in a position to divulge any further information.
Photo: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp
Three suspects were arrested yesterday for the alleged murder of a young couple.
Limpopo police stated: Three suspects were arrested yesterday for the alleged murder of a young couple.
This follows the discovery of the bodies of 18 year old Lucia Malapane and 19 year old Nius Malatji by a neighbour on Sunday.
Provincial SAPS spokesperson Motlafela Mojapelo said the 47-year-old businessman had gone to see why Malatji had not been to work, when he made the gruesome discovery with their toddler beside the bodies.
The murders sparked widespread violent protests by community members in the area, after they accused the businessman of being responsible for the murders of the couple.
The angry mob from the village went on a rampage, torched the businessman's shop and a motor vehicle. They proceeded to his house, burnt it and in the process killed some livestock, including chickens, goats and pigs. The suspects then fled the scene
Three suspects were arrested later on the same day. The suspects were found in possession of some items belonging to the deceased.
The suspects, aged between 34 and 47, appeared before Bolobedu Magistrate's Court yesterday, facing charges of house breaking with intent to commit two counts of murder, rape and robbery.
Mojapelo said the motive for the murders would be determined by police investigations.
Photo kat wilcox / Pexels.
Two men assaulted by community members while cops watch
Western Cape police have on launched an internal investigation following a video showing two men being assaulted in the presence of police in the Delft area. The video that's been doing the rounds on social media - shows two naked men being assaulted by community members. Three viral clips of the incident at N2 Gateway in Delft, shows cops in a police van retreating from the scene as several men wielding hockey sticks and a hammer- beat and strip the two men accused of robbing a house.
The man's screams are hardly heard over the sound of the hockey stick hitting his body and the attackers' swearing with bystanders watching.
The incident resulted to one of the victims succumbing to his injuries in hospital. Six people were arrested and charged for murder and attempted murder following the assault. Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said: Part of the internal investigation is focusing on the response of police officials who attended the crime scene. The management of the police condemns all forms of vigilante attacks, those involved will be charged and they will face the full might of the law!
So far the police said the incident took place on 25 February at approximately 6:50 am. The accussed are expected in courts on 9th May.
Picture: vukuzenzele.gov. com
K9 dog sniff out 13 year old housebreaker in shower
A 13-year-old teenager was found hiding in the bathroom after he allegedly broke into a houseon 13 March 2021. The suspect was found with bags of stolen items; it was alleged they might have been other suspects still in the house when the teen was removed.
It is was reported that at about 11:30, K9 unit members assisted SAPS Swartkops and a security company after they received reports that an alarm was triggered at a house in De Mist Cres in Bluewater Bay.
K9 dog handler and his dog 'Cylo' entered the house through a window and sniffed out the suspect standing on the shower wall. Investigations are continuing to establish whether the suspect can be linked to other housebreakings in the area. Police are advising homeowners to make sure that their burglar bars are securely fastened to their structure as well as to ensure that the space between the bars are narrow enough so as to deter any person from sliding through.
The teenage suspect was released in the custody of a relative and will appear in the juvenile court on 23 March 2021 on a charge of housebreaking. Detectives are still searching for two other suspects.
Picture: k9invetion.co.za
THE AMAZULU KING GOODWILL ZWELITHINI DIES
The passing of the Isilo Samabandla, His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu has been described as a great loss to the nation at large.
The dignitaries paid their respects including Former President Jacob Zuma and KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala who visited the Royal House in KwaNongoma in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday. Zuma described him as a father who taught the nation a lot and what it means to be a human being.
President Cyril Ramaphosa paid his respects to the king saying, "This sad news comes at a time when we had all been hopeful that His Majesty was recovering well in hospital where he had been over the past few weeks."
"His Majesty will be remembered as a much-loved, visionary monarch who made an important contribution to cultural identity, national unity and economic development in KwaZulu-Natal and through this, to the development of our country as a whole."
The late King will be laid to rest on Wednesday night. A memorial service will take place on Thursday. Due to COVID-19 protocols, the Royal House has decided the remains of the king will not lie in state at the Royal Palace.
BY: CHWAYITA HLANGWANA
DA Chief Whip, Natasha Mazzone, receives the 'Italian Order of the Star'.
The Democratic Alliance's Chief Whip in Parliament, Natasha Mazzone MP, received the Italian Order of the Star, an equivalent of a knighthood in Italy, for her outstanding leadership in Parliament and fighting for a just society in South Africa.
The award recognises the preservation and promotion of national prestige, promoting friendly relations and co-operation with countries and ties with Italy and is awarded to Italian expatriates and foreign nationals.
''Natasha was one of the most prominent Parliamentary figures to fight the State Capture scourge within the State machinery. She has fought tooth and nail to uncover evidence, which she later testified on before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.'' The DA said in a statement.
''It was her relentless effort to fight the state capture and hold Parliament accountable during the dark phase of our democracy that is now in the public discourse. Her efforts are now internationally recognized and we will continue to fight for all South Africans as they deserve a better government in South Africa.'' It added.
Pictured: Natasha Mazzone (Courtesy: Parliament)
A 45-year-old pastor has been found guilty of raping a hitch-hiker, taking her clothes and leaving her naked in the bushes after violating her.
A 45 year old pastor who threatened a hitchhiker at gunpoint has been convicted of rape and robbery in the Witbank regional court in Mpumalanga.
Police said Chris Derrick Gabisani Xaba, had offered his 39-year-old victim a lift in December 2019. The woman desperate to get to Nelspruit accepted what appeared at the time to be generous offer.
Police spokesperson Brig Leonard Hlathi said as soon as the woman got inside the car, Xaba said he needed to collect other commuters who were heading in the same direction. A Little while later Xaba drove to a secluded area at a farm near Witbank, took out a firearm and threatened to kill the woman if she did not co-operate. After brullally raping the girl he robbed her of her personal belonging, including the clothes she was wearing, then shot a fire into the air to scare the victim before leaving.
The traumatised victim somehow managed to go to a nearby house where she was offered help and taken to the nearest police station. A case of rape and robbery was opened but the suspect was only apprehended 3 months later.
Police allegedly found him in possession of two stolen cars. They also discovered Xaba was out on bail in another rape case registered against him in Kwaggafontein in December 2019.
On Thursday Xaba was convicted of rape and robbery, he will be sentenced march 17 2021.
Two weeks left to apply for 2022 school year
With less than 2 weeks before the deadline for the admissions of the 2022 school year, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is urging parents and caregivers to apply if they haven't done so already.
In total, 180 080 applications have been processed by 54 236 registered parents and caregivers.
''So far, we have exceeded the number of applications received from the same time last year – with 83 704 more applications processed by day 12 of the online admissions process in comparison to 2020,'' says Education MEC, Debbie Schafer.
the WCED 2022 admissions application system will close on midnight, on the 26th of March 2021.
Applications can be made either online or through a paper-based application process should a parent not have access to technology. The WCED admissions website: https://admissions.westerncape.gov.za/admissions/login
Parents then have 7 days to drop off hard copies of the documents to the schools to complete the process, and any other forms that a specific school may require.
Schools are able to capture applications of undocumented learners. Parents are advised to submit such applications directly to schools for capturing.
The WCED has created two video tutorials to assist parents to navigate both the registration and application process online:
How to register on the website:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nm8svoRmSE
How to apply online:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GS2yR57RuY
LEAP officers permanently deployed to Mitchells Plain
Additional Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) law enforcement officers have been deployed on a permanent basis to Mitchells Plain.
Their deployment, says Community Safety MEC, Albert Fritz, will assist in reducing gangsterism and violent crime such as murder.
The deployment of the additional LEAP officers has been made possible through the Western Cape Safety Plan which aims to halve murders in the province over the next decade.
As of October 2020, LEAP officers were redeployed to five communities which include Philippi, Delft, Nyanga, Khayelitsha and Bishop Lavis. "LEAP members have now been deployed permanently to Mitchells Plain to assist the South African Police Service (SAPS) to stabilize the recent increase in murders in the area. This makes Mitchells Plain the sixth area to receive LEAP deployments in the Cape Town Metropole. These officers will work in an integrated manner with SAPS." Said Fritz.
"Going forward, the Mitchells Plain contingent of law enforcement will be topped up with additional LEAP officers during the coming weeks. The top up is made possible through the appointment of additional law enforcement officers who will serve to bolster law enforcement and SAPS' response to crime in Mitchells Plain." Added Fritz.
King Goodwill Zwelithini has died
King Goodwill Zwelithini of the Zulu nation has died.
IFP founder and traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, confirmed the tragic news in a statement issued on Friday morning.
"It is with the utmost grief that I inform the nation of the passing of His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini ka Bhekuzulu, king of the Zulu nation.
"Tragically, while still in hospital, His Majesty's health took a turn for the worse and he subsequently passed away in the early hours of this morning."
Buthelezi said the royal family thanked the nation for "your continued prayers and support in this most difficult time. May His Majesty our King rest in peace."
Last Friday, Buthelezi said the king was making progress in hospital.
He was admitted to the intensive care unit in a private hospital last month after "several unstable glucose readings".
President Cyril Ramaphosa said he is saddened by the news of the passing.
"This sad news come at a time when we had all been hopeful that His Majesty was recovering well in hospital where he had been over the past few weeks.''
"His Majesty will be remembered as a much-loved, visionary monarch who made an important contribution to cultural identity, national unity and economic development in KwaZulu-Natal and through this, to the development of our country as a whole," the President added.
Picture: Goodwill Zwelithini
(Courtesy: IFP)
The National State of Disaster extended to 15 April 2021
The National State of Disaster has been extended to 15 April 2021.
Government declared a national state of disaster on 15 March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The latest extension marks a full year since the first state of disaster was introduced.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has gazetted the extension of the National State of Disaster.
"The decision to extend the state of national disaster follows consultations and Cabinet approval. Consideration of the material conditions within the context of the Risk-Adjusted Strategy motivated a decision to endorse this further extension," it said in a statement.
Dlamini-Zuma in the statement said the public must sustain the commitment to remain responsive, agile and compassionate as government works to save lives and protect the livelihoods of all South Africans.
Cabinet also urged all to continue adhering to all COVID-19 health measures and restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.


Below are form guides, head-to-head results and betting value guides for the Grand Final Series of the 2018/19 NBL season. Select a fixture from the list below or scroll down the page to browse the data.
Be sure to check out the NBL	odds comparison section to compare bookmaker odds for each fixture.


text:
Book Reviews, Charles, Law, Political Economy, Post-Liberalism
Against Democracy (Jason Brennan)
Jason Brennan is The Man Who Was Born Yesterday. His book is incisive, insightful, interesting, funny, and well-informed. It delivers a sound and compelling case that democracy is fatally flawed. But everything he says in "Against Democracy" lacks depth, because he thinks that history began roughly twenty-four hours ago. So, while his analysis of democracy is good, his prescriptions are unbelievably shallow and poorly thought-out, making the book very like a delicious-looking piece of cake that is wholly stale upon the eating.
Perhaps this is not surprising, since Brennan is a Millennial (born in 1979), and the wisdom of the ages does not appear to figure heavily in his thinking. Moreover, Brennan self-identifies, not in this book but elsewhere, as a "bleeding heart libertarian." This appears to be a libertarian who trims his views, especially on controversial social issues of the day, such that he continues to be invited to East Coast dinner parties, where history is apparently not a hot topic of discussion.
Beyond its shallow historical vision, though, the major problem with "Against Democracy" is an equally shallow and more centrally fatal conception of "knowledge." The author claims his book is an argument for epistocracy—rule by the knowledgeable. ("Epistocracy" is a 2003 neologism, although the general concept is not new.) Brennan, in one of his very rare acknowledgements that anyone engaged in relevant political thinking prior to John Rawls, remarks that Plato, to the extent he endorsed a "philosopher king," was an epistocrat. But when Brennan talks about "knowledge," he means not wisdom, as Plato did, but a very specific set of very narrow and blinkered modern "social scientific" knowledge—which just so happens to exist only at the intersection of left-liberal and "bleeding heart libertarian" thought. This is perhaps the fatal problem of the book—not that rule by the knowledgeable is necessarily a defective form of government, but that Brennan's definition of the required knowledge is circumscribed in a way calculated to raise as the new philosopher kings people who bear a suspicious resemblance to Jason Brennan. But pointing to a specific fatal problem in the prescriptions offered by "Against Democracy" is like pointing to which stab wound killed Julius Caesar—you can never be sure which one was fatal, but then, really, does it matter?
We're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's go through the author's arguments, which Brennan lays out clearly—this is a very readable book. In his introductory chapter, "Hobbits and Hooligans," he defines three cleverly named species of political participant: hobbits, who are "apathetic and ignorant"; hooligans, who are mostly ignorant but don't know it, but are aggressively involved in politics; and vulcans, who "think scientifically and rationally about politics," with their opinions being "strongly grounded in social science and philosophy." Almost everyone, he claims, is a hobbit or hooligan; and trying to involve hobbits more in politics merely creates more hooligans.
In this brief introductory chapter, Brennan might as well build a graven image of the term "social science," and worship it. On one set of two pages, he uses the term not less than eight times. For him, social science is the Alpha and Omega of allowable political thought. So, for example, ignorance is repeatedly defined in terms such as "not having a strong background in the relevant social sciences." Brennan never defines "social science," but throughout the entire book, his Venn diagram of "social scientific thought" and "epistocratic thought" has 100% overlap. No knowledge that is not "social scientific" is relevant or permitted to influence decisions in Brennan's proposed new political order. You'd think that makes it essential to define "social science," but as I say, that doesn't happen. Presumably "social science" excludes anything that Jason Brennan finds not relevant to "competent political decision making," such as appeals to tradition, any form of moral or religious belief not found cast in a positive light in modern "social science" journals, and generally anything not approved by the glitterati at Georgetown cocktail parties.
Anyway, Brennan then turns to his major thesis: that democracy is not a uniquely just form of political organization—in fact, it has tremendous defects, such that despite its visceral appeal, we can and should determine if a better system can be found. Among several problems, the biggest is that most voters are incompetent, and democracy enables them to impose their incompetent decisions on other people. His targets here are a range of professional philosophers who advocate the absolute or relative superiority of democracy on either proceduralist or instrumentalist grounds.
In the series of chapters following his introduction, Brennan first reviews the voluminous literature definitively proving that the vast majority of voters (by which he means American voters) are utterly ignorant of politically relevant book learning. This ignorance, as he shows, is actually rational, because it costs a voter to obtain knowledge, and the expected return for most people is less than the cost, given that the impact of their vote is very close to zero. This chapter is compelling, and damning of the quality of voter decision making, to the extent based on knowledge. But it's not original and does not warrant writing a book. Everyone knows democracy is awful; as Churchill said (whom Brennan does not quote) and Brennan says, the question is what's better, if anything?
This first chapter is also where Brennan's lack of history (and other) knowledge shows up first. He says, talking of rational political choice, "Suppose one lived in a fundamentalist theocratic monarchy or something close to it, such as most of Europe in the Middle Ages or Saudi Arabia right now." This is the height of ignorance. No European monarchy was ever a theocracy, or anything related to a theocracy. Zero. (Byzantine monarchs were caesaropapist, as was much of the historical Muslim world, which is vaguely similar in some ways to a theocracy, but the opposite in other ways. And the Anabaptists in Münster ran a theocracy, which was not a monarchy, for about three seconds in the 16th Century. Like I say—zero.) Nor is today's Saudi Arabia a theocracy. It is a purely secular monarchy where the ruling family subsidizes the clergy for political gain, while at the same time tightly controlling it. Iran is the closest government to a modern theocracy, but Brennan seems unaware of that. (This quote from Brennan also shows a common but disconcerting tendency of Brennan's—attempting to insulate himself from attack by using vague and undefined qualifying phrases that can be defined post hoc in the manner necessary, such as "something close to it" and "most of.")
Maybe this type of gross historical error is meaningless in a philosophy book. But that Brennan does not see his historical errors, and none of his editors or his long list of thanked assistants and helpers did, suggests that they all live in a narrow, insular world, where historical, organic knowledge is undervalued and reasoning based on abstract knowledge, in a vacuum, or more accurately an echo chamber, regarded as admirable. Additional such historical errors in the book, along with lengthy, serious discussions analyzing the cut-rate thought of the bell-bottom flavored philosopher John Rawls, reinforce this feeling—the feeling that Brennan believes all relevant thought and political action began around 1970, to the tune of "Hey Jude" and the reek of marijuana.
In the next chapter, Brennan demonstrates that "Political Participation Corrupts." Deliberation leads not to reasoned results and consensus; it instead leads to hardening of various forms of bias and a total lack of enlightenment. It is irrelevant that some theoretical forms of deliberation can theoretically lead to good results, for they fail to do so in practice, in the same way as the high ideals of fraternities in practice lead not to refined men but to drunken louts. Similarly, "Politics Doesn't Empower You Or Me." Democracy does not result in the consent of the governed. Nor does it lead to autonomy, nondomination, or moral development. Brennan goes on at some technical length regarding philosophical arguments put forward by John Rawls, rejecting most or all of what Rawls and his acolytes have to say regarding democracy as a basic liberty, therefore one essential for justice. (All you need to know about Rawls, though it's not covered here since Brennan favors abortion rights, is that Rawls excludes unborn children, the original members of the "original position," from the protection of his Veil of Ignorance—as far as I can tell, and Brennan seems unlikely to disagree, Rawls's entire thought project was finding dubious "philosophical" justifications for left-liberal positions already arrived at.) In sum, Brennan shows that democracy fails to empower any given individual (although it can empower groups as a whole). All this is entirely convincing on the level both of philosophical argument, in which it's quite rigorous, and of instrumentalist rejection of democracy as not achieving the goals for which its proponents put it forward.
In "Politics Is Not A Poem," Brennan rejects that democratic systems have a symbolic, or semiotic, value. For example, democracy does not need to signal non-superiority, because some people ARE superior—namely, the people Brennan wants to rule in an epistocracy. And in a later chapter, "Civic Enemies," Brennan posits that involvement by most people in politics is corrosive of civil society, because the incompetence of most members of society makes them incapable of decent deliberation. Plus, society is unnecessarily divided by issues that are almost all not worth fighting about (although Brennan conveniently ignores all controversial social issues, ranging from guns to gay marriage to abortion, presumably because no Right Thinking Person can think there is an actual controversy about those, and only cretins who should be denied the vote would take any other position than the left-liberal one).
Brennan then pivots to what politics is supposed to provide—namely, "The Right To Competent Government." He posits that it is unjust to "forcibly deprive [a citizen] of life, liberty, or property, or significantly harm [his] life prospects, as a result of decisions made by an incompetent deliberative body. . . . Political decisions are presumed legitimate and authoritative only when produced by competent political bodies in a competent way and in good faith." An incompetent monarchy, which is unjust because incompetent and because a monarchy, is not made just by becoming a democracy and remaining incompetent. If we don't let children vote because we think on average they're incompetent to govern, why do we let adults who are incompetent govern? And, as Brennan has already shown, most adults are systematically incompetent to govern—so they should not be allowed to govern.
Finally, Brennan has a brief chapter, "Rule Of The Knowers," pushing an ill-defined epistocracy as an alternative to democracy. He makes modest claims not focused on an ideal system: "Given what we know . . . which is likely to deliver better results, some form of epistocracy or some form of democracy?" He suggests the possibility of restricting voting to "citizens who demonstrate a basic level of knowledge," that is, to eliminate those "who lack basic social scientific knowledge." He suggests possibly allowing everybody to vote, but giving more votes to the knowledgeable. He suggests trying universal suffrage with a veto by an "epistocratic council" (naturally, composed exclusively of those who can "pass rigorous competency exams in which they demonstrate strong background knowledge in the social sciences and political philosophy"—welcome your parade of overlords who look just like Jason Brennan!)
Here, again, Brennan demonstrates historical ignorance. Even more jarring than simple historical error, he repeatedly fails to make any historical reference where one would both be apt and instructive, leading the reader to believe he is probably unaware of the relevant historical point. For example, the Spartan gerousia was an actual epistocratic council. Its performance and characteristics seem highly relevant—but of it, there is no mention. Similarly, early America, as conceived and implemented by the Founders, had a sharply restricted franchise, which in many ways mirrored Brennan's epistocracy, in practice if not in intent. But again, this is not mentioned, even though any informed reader would think of the parallel. This reinforces the reader's suspicion that in Brennan's epistocracy, abstract ideology will be rewarded, and concrete, incrementalist, tradition-respecting government will be punished.
In any case, Brennan's epistocracy suffers from the wholly fatal flaw that not only does Brennan never define "social scientific knowledge," he nowhere attempts to show why it is superior to any other kind of knowledge. Brennan habitually conflates all knowledge with "social scientific knowledge." He literally seems unaware that any politically relevant knowledge that is not "social scientific" can exist. He equates abstract knowledge with competence—but scoring high on a civics exam does not equal good decisions. Good decisions, as any ancient philosopher could tell him, come from wisdom, which can informed by abstract knowledge, but is not the same thing as abstract knowledge. Brennan relies on decisions made based on the statistics of social science, rather than decisions based on the knowledge created by historical experience, which may be less presentable in charts but is much more relevant to human experience as actually lived.
That's not the only fatal flaw of the book, though. For another, Brennan seems to think that the only players in a human society are the governors and the governed. But this is like the two-dimensional view of a citizen of Flatland, who really lives in a three-dimensional world he cannot see. Any actual society has between the government and the individual society a range of intermediary institutions—churches, labor unions, clubs, associations, and so forth, upon which the real strength of society is based. An epistocracy based on abstract knowledge must necessarily oppose intermediary institutions; they are a drag on the rulers' ability to get things done by exercising their superior knowledge in an efficient manner. And a society that destroys its intermediary institutions is merely a society headed down the stainless steel chute of the abattoir. Those in line can't always see what lies ahead, but they can tell from the screams it's not going to be good.
Yet another flaw with Brennan's scheme is that those possessing abstract knowledge are frequently the most maleficent at governing in practice, because they believe their knowledge, which would be validated as supreme in Brennan's scheme and therefore become even more overweening and pernicious, SHOULD lead them to DO SOMETHING. One hundred percent of the time, the epistocrats in Brennan's scheme would implement Utopian ideological schemes, unrooted in reality and ignoring prudence and tradition. Brennan even makes a nod to Burke to note that changing from democracy to epistocracy should not be done precipitously wholesale—but he does not seem to grasp that his epistocracy would inherently be a Burkean nightmare, no different than the French Revolution, any post-independence African country, or Twitter's odious Trust & Security Council. It would be rule by the abstractly knowledgeable, who are always really a prideful, unrooted, amoral group, tainted by groupthink and inflamed by the human lust for power and dominance over others, lusts fully enabled and validated by the new testing regime that divides society into the rulers, creatures of abstract thought who must necessarily reject all tradition and rootedness, and the ruled.
"Against Democracy" would have benefited from considering, whether, if we are going to restrict universal equal suffrage, we should focus less on abstract knowledge, and more on increasing the power of those with organic knowledge. This distinction was a core distinction in most of the original Greek democracies (which, of course, were not universal suffrage democracies), which mostly found abstract philosophies something between dubious and contemptible. A system preferencing organic knowledge would offer more power to those with a stake in society, who are likely to be more knowledgeable about what really matters for a society, even if they cannot match wits with philosophy Ph.Ds. As Robert Nisbet said, "rootless men always betray."
For example, perhaps those with children should be given 10X votes per child, so those with five children would be given 10^5 votes, or 100,000 votes, compared to one vote for the childless. Similarly, property owners, especially owners of real property, which is not portable, might be given extra votes. Recent immigrants would get no vote at all until they proved integration into and worth to society. Voting power could be reduced for those who are value takers, not value creators. So recipients of significant government benefits (mostly the elderly and the middle class, not the poor), as well as anyone working for the federal or state governments, directly or indirectly, would be stripped of most or all votes (regardless of their amount of children or holdings of real property). Anyone with an advanced degree in a worthless and loathsome topic like Gender Studies would be wholly and permanently stripped not only of the right to vote, but also of the privilege of working in government, and therefore exercising power over others, at any level. But Brennan never adverts to any other possibility for the measure of epistocratic fitness, other than a paper test for compatibility with Jason Brennan. Too bad. Maybe in the second edition.
Filed under: Book Reviews, Charles, Law, Political Economy, Post-Liberalism
The Sanctuary Society and its Enemies
By Gary North:
One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
At least two fundamental principles of Western law had their origin in Mosaic Israel. The first principle was the rule of law itself: every resident was to be protected equally by the civil law. The second principle was open immigration. The nation's treatment of the immigrant served as a touchstone in Israel of the nation's faithfulness to the first principle.
The Mosaic law did place some limitations on non-Israelites who lived in the land of Israel, but not many. The main one was the system of inheritance governing rural land. Nevertheless, strangers and newcomers could buy, sell, bequeath, and inherit houses in walled cities. In general, the rule of law was to prevail.
This made national Israel unique in the ancient world.
The rule of law was God's way of announcing His universality to all nations: His law was universal and just.
The righteousness of God's law would be seen by strangers and praised. This was a form of international evangelism. Resident aliens could provide testimonials to the folks back home regarding the justness of Israel's law and Israel's God. Because of this aspect of the Mosaic legal order, it was a violation of the law for Israelites not to honor the rule of law. To do so constituted false evangelism, i.e., false testimony regarding the sovereignty of God over all men and nations as the Creator and Lawgiver.
The sanctuary status of Israel was to serve as an international testimony to the righteousness of God. Fundamental to this sanctuary status were open borders. In a legal sense, Israel was supposed to become a refuge for the afflicted, even the runaway slave.
The landless, oppressed alien had a sanctuary in Israel, if he could reach the borders of the land. Freedom was available to all by law in Israel, and this lure of freedom was designed to bring strangers into the nation.
Open immigration was an important means of evangelism. Strangers could come to Israel, settle there, buy houses in walled cities, become productive, and live in peace. They could obtain security of ownership for their property even though they were not citizens or members of the religious congregation. They even had access to the temple if they were willing to be circumcised, which was a unique openness in the ancient world. This was also part of the rule of law.
The stranger was listed as one of the three representative classes that deserve honest treatment, along with orphans and widows.
Thus, Israel was not just the Promised Land for Abraham and his heirs. It was supposed to remain the Promised Land for the oppressed of the world. And, in some periods, it really was.
America as a Sanctuary
Americans like to think of their nation as the "Land of the free, home of the brave." Indeed, the image of America as a sanctuary was a dominant one in the nineteenth century and the early twentieth. This image goes back to the early colonies. It was the steamship, with its low-cost, relatively safe passage across the Atlantic, that made this image nearly universal.
Americans retained the image of America as a New Jerusalem or New Israel through World War I. One aspect of this image was of America as a sanctuary. Emma Lazarus's famous poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty was consistent with this earlier, highly religious image.
The New Priesthood
In ancient Israel, there was a national priesthood, which was assumed to be the primary agency of cultural assimilation for immigrants. This is why immigrants were allowed to become Israelites through circumcision.
Political citizenship followed in three generations for Egyptians and Edomites, and in ten generations for Moabites and Ammonites.
Confession, circumcision, and Passover were the initial means of assimilation. That is, the assimilation process began with religion. The same outlook long prevailed in the West, with the Christian church serving as the priesthood. The church was the primary means of cultural assimilation.
https://mises.org/library/sanctuary-society-and-its-enemies-0
Richard says
"perhaps those with children should be given 10X votes per child"
Have you come across Demeny voting? Apparently this was considered in Hungary and Japan but never went ahead, unfortunately.
No, but it sounds like an excellent idea, and easy to implement. Of course, as I have written elsewhere, those who are dependent on the government for the necessities of life, whether they work for the government or on welfare, should be barred from any voting. Because of demographic patterns, pure Demeny voting without that limitation would lead to those least invested in society getting more votes. (I suspect the problem with Gypsies, nearly all of whom are public charges, and their high birthrates made Demeny voting a non-starter there.)
Erisguy says
The US is ruled by an epistocracy. Unfortunately, the epistocracy is composed almost entirely of those knowledgeable in law. When the rulers—rarely—seek opinions on topics other than law, they hire other epistocrats who supply the preordained opinion in meteorology, engineering, biology….
True to a large extent. Lawyers are mostly a curse upon the land.
Ron Dodson says
The North piece quoted above is true, but Gary left out one thing — there was no vote to change the Law. So immigration was to a place where you had to assimilate.
Previous PostCapital without Borders: Wealth Managers and the One Percent (Brooke Harrington)
Next PostGlock: The Rise of America's Gun (Paul Barrett)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Rated R for Nudity (Denis Villeneuve, 2011, Canada)
Rated R for Nudity is 2011 short by Denis Villeneuve, made for the National Film Board of Canada. The film opens with a warning to epileptic audiences, to close their eyes for the next two minutes to avoid seizures. In both English and French, the film then asks the viewer to concentrate directly on the center of the screen. The film then begins with a jarring narration in a woman's voice, who reads a narration in English, which is accompanied by the corresponding translation in French on the screen - flashing in black and white.
In the first act, the narration - which is punctuated in the non-dialogue spaces by a low, ominous droning - talks about a dream. The second act is called "Teenage Years." It is clear, however, that there is something unconventional going on. Namely, the narration on the screen does not match the spoken narration. The narrator recalls seeing Apocalypse Now, and states she wanted to be the next Ingmar Bergman - but on the screen, instead of Ingmar Bergman, we see Steven Spielberg's name. Act 3 is called "Adult Life."
The narration becomes increasingly incoherent, and then the screen begins flashing in black and white. The screen then shows red text on a black screen - "Your consciousness is mine" - and the ominous drone grows in loudness. The film ends abruptly. Rated R for Nudity is perhaps Villeneuve's most obtuse film, and certainly the most obtuse of the shorts we have seen here thus far. Whether or not this is an actual attempt at cinematic hypnosis is not clear. There also seems to be some attempt at subliminal imagery in the film. The film is worth a watch for Villeneuve completists but will be of limited interest to anyone outside that circle of Villeneuve fans.
Labels: 2010s 2011 canadian canadian cinema denis villeneuve experimental short short film
fm05zm786u February 3, 2023 at 5:16 AM
Some view Lathes as the only common CNC Machine as a result of|as a outcome of} a lathe can make all of the elements needed for another lathe. A lathe spins the workpiece in a spindle whereas onerous and fast|a set} slicing software approaches the workpiece to slice chips off of it. Because of this geometry, lathes best for|are good for} elements that have symmetry round Portable Washer some axis that probably be} chucked up in the spindle. This orientation to round elements additionally be|can be} why the act of slicing recognized as} "CNC Turning". It is an outgrowth of the older time period "NC", which stands for "Numerical Control".


text:
Beneath Mulholland
"[Thomson is] one of the finest film
critics in the English language."
--philip lopate, the new york times book review
If most film critics write about movies, David Thomson creates their literary counterpart with essays that are as dazzling, haunting, and moving as the pictures they discuss. In this bravura new collection, the Esquire columnist trains his eye on Hollywood's ghosts, exploring their tendency to rise from the grave or descend from the screen to intimately haunt our lives.
Thomson conjures up Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo, Jack Nicholson in Chinatown, and Cary Grant in any of the pictures where he makes every scene look like a lucky accident. With equal aplomb, he imagines a James Dean who survived the car crash and a post-Saturday Night Fever Tony Manero. We learn the "20 Things People Like to Forget About Hollywood" (Number 3: "You Are Their Playthings, Not the Other Way Around"). And on every page of Beneath Mulholland, we are educated, entertained, and enlarged by a book as savvy and incisive as any Hollywood reportage and as lyrical as the best fiction.
"Not just...one of our sharpest
writers-on-film, but...one of our
wisest and best writers, period."
--film comment
Ingrid Bergman. Audrey Hepburn. Elizabeth Taylor. Jane Fonda. Meryl Streep. The list of women who have won the coveted and legendary Academy Award for Best Actress is long and varied. Through this illustrious roster we can trace the history of women in Hollywood, from the rise of Mary Pickford in the early 20th century to the #MeToo and Time's Up movements of today, which have galvanized women across the world to speak out for equal pay, respect, power, and opportunity.
This lavishly illustrated coffee table book offers a vital examination of the first 75 women to have won the Best Actress Oscar over the span of 90 years. From inaugural recipient Janet Gaynor to Frances McDormand's 2018 acceptance speech that assertively brought women to the forefront, Best Actress: The History of Oscar(R)-Winning Women serves to promote a new appreciation for the cinematic roles these women won for, as well as the real-life roles many of them played - and still play - in advancing women's rights and equality. Stories range from Bette Davis' groundbreaking battle against the studio system; to the cutting-edge wardrobes of Katharine Hepburn, Diane Keaton and Cher; to the historical significance of Halle Berry's victory; to the awareness raised around sexual violence by the performances of Jodie Foster, Brie Larson, and others.
Showcasing a dazzling collection of 200 photographs, many of which have never before been seen or published, Best Actress honors the legacies of these revered and extraordinary women while scrutinizing the roadblocks that they continue to overcome.
Best Film You've Never Seen
In this book, 35 directors champion their favorite overlooked or critically savaged gems. Among these guilty pleasures, almost-masterpieces, and undeniable classics in need of revival are unsung noirs (Murder by Contract), famous flops (Can't Stop the Music, Joe Versus the Volcano), art films (L'ange), theatrical adaptations (The Iceman Cometh), B-movies (Killer Klowns from Outer Space), and even a few Oscar-winners (Some Came Running). In these conversations, the filmmakers defend their choices. These films, they argue, deserve a larger audience and for their place in movie history to be reconsidered. But the conversations' tangents, diversions, and side trips provide as much insight into the directors' own approach to moviemaking as into the film they're discussing. The filmmakers are the perfect hosts, often setting the tone, managing expectations, and giving advice about how you should watch each movie. They're often brutally honest about a film's shortcomings or the reasons why it was lost in the first place. The Best Film You've Never Seen is not only a guide to some badly overlooked movies but a bold attempt to rewrite film history.
Best Old Movies for Families: A Guide to Watching Together
If a child can watch Barney, can't that same child also enjoy watching Charlie Chaplin or the Marx Brothers? And as they get older, wouldn't they grow to like screwball comedies (His Girl Friday), women's weepies (Imitation of Life), and westerns (The Searchers)? The answer is that they'll follow because they'll have learned that "old" does not necessarily mean "next channel, please."Here is an impassioned and eminently readable guide that introduces the delights of the golden age of movies. Ty Burr has come up with a winning prescription for children brought up on Hollywood junk food. FOR THE LITTLE ONES (Ages 3--6): Fast-paced movies that are simple without being unsophisticated, plainspoken without being dumbed down. Singin' in the Rain and Bringing Up Baby are perfect.FOR THE ONES IN BETWEEN (Ages 7--12): "Killer stories," placing easily grasped characters in situations that start simply and then throw curveballs. The African Queen and Some Like It Hot do the job well.FOR THE OLDER ONES (Ages 13+): Burr recommends relating old movies to teens' contemporary favorites: without Hitchcock, there could be no The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, without Brando, no Johnny Depp.
Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood
From the New York Times bestselling author of Fifth Avenue, Five A.M. and Fosse comes the revelatory account of the making of a modern American masterpiece
is the Holy Grail of 1970s cinema. Its twist ending is the most notorious in American film and its closing line of dialogue the most haunting. Here for the first time is the incredible true story of its making.
In Sam Wasson's telling, it becomes the defining story of the most colorful characters in the most colorful period of Hollywood history. Here is Jack Nicholson at the height of his powers, as compelling a movie star as there has ever been, embarking on his great, doomed love affair with Anjelica Huston. Here is director Roman Polanski, both predator and prey, haunted by the savage death of his wife, returning to Los Angeles, the scene of the crime, where the seeds of his own self-destruction are quickly planted. Here is the fevered dealmaking of The Kid Robert Evans, the most consummate of producers. Here too is Robert Towne's fabled script, widely considered the greatest original screenplay ever written. Wasson for the first time peels off layers of myth to provide the true account of its creation.
Looming over the story of this classic movie is the imminent eclipse of the '70s filmmaker-friendly studios as they gave way to the corporate Hollywood we know today. In telling that larger story, The Big Goodbye will take its place alongside classics like Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and The Devil's Candy as one of the great movie-world books ever written.
Praise for Sam Wasson:
Wasson is a canny chronicler of old Hollywood and its outsize personalities...More than that, he understands that style matters, and, like his subjects, he has a flair for it. - The New Yorker
Sam Wasson is a fabulous social historian because he finds meaning in situations and stories that would otherwise be forgotten if he didn't sleuth them out, lovingly. - Hilton Als
The Big Lebowski is a razor-sharp comedy thriller of mistaken identity, gangsters, bowling, kidnapping, and money gone astray, written by the Coens, directed by Joel Coen, and produced by Ethan Coen. In addition to Jeff Bridges, whose portrayal of The Dude has become iconic, and John Goodman, his bowling buddy, the film stars Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Willem Dafoe, Sam Elliot, and Ben Gazzara. Not given to talking publicly about their work, the Coens gave access to Tricia Cooke and William Preston Robertson to interview the cast and crew. In a prose style that complements the Coens' filmic one, the book discusses the Coens' oeuvre, the themes of their films, their atypical brand of humor, their craft, and their artistic vision. Several scenes of The Big Lebowski are examined closely to see how the movie goes from idea to reality, making this an ideal book for fans, filmmakers, and filmmaking students.
Big Screen: The Story of the Movies
"The Big Screen "tells the enthralling story of the movies: their rise and spread, their remarkable influence over us, and the technology that made the screen smaller now, but ever more ubiquitous as important as the images it carries.
"The Big Screen "is not another history of the movies. Rather, it is a wide-ranging narrative about the movies and their signal role in modern life. At first, film was a waking dream, the gift of appearance delivered for a nickel to huddled masses sitting in the dark. But soon, and abruptly, movies began transforming our societies and our perceptions of the world. The celebrated film authority David Thomson takes us around the globe, through time, and across many media moving from Eadweard Muybridge to Steve Jobs, from "Sunrise "to "I Love Lucy," from John Wayne to George Clooney, from television commercials to streaming video to tell the complex, gripping, paradoxical story of the movies. He tracks the ways we were initially enchanted by movies as imitations of life the stories, the stars, the look and how we allowed them to show us how to live. At the same time, movies, offering a seductive escape from everyday reality and its responsibilities, have made it possible for us to evade life altogether. The entranced audience has become a model for powerless and anxiety-ridden citizens trying to pursue happiness and dodge terror by sitting quietly in a dark room.
Does the big screen take us out into the world, or merely mesmerize us? That is Thomson's question in this grand adventure of a book. Books about the movies are often aimed at film buffs, but this passionate and provocative feat of storytelling is vital to anyone trying to make sense of the age of screens the age that, more than ever, we are living in."
Black Panther The Official Movie Companion
Black Panther: The Official Movie Companion reveals secrets of one of Marvel Studios' biggest movie blockbusters. Discover the world of Wakanda with amazing images and articles. Delve into the origins of one of Marvel's most iconic superheroes. Uncover the story behind the making of Marvel Studio's Black Panther.
With revealing behind the scenes photos from the movie sets, stunning concept art revealing the beautiful, mysterious nation of Wakanda, interviews with the cast and crew of the film, this stunning collector's book is a must-have for all fans of everything Marvel!
Black Panther The Official Movie Special
Black Panther: The Official Movie Special is a complete visual and behind-the-scenes guide to Marvel Studios' highly anticipated next movie.
With exclusive behind the scenes photos from the movie sets, stunning concept art revealing the beautiful, secretive nation of Wakanda, interviews with the stars of the film, including Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Forest Whitaker and Danai Gurira, this stunning collector's book is a must-have for all fans of everything Marvel!
Bogie & Bacall
Ever since nineteen-year-old Lauren Bacall seductively taught Humphrey Bogart how to whistle in the most famous scene from 1941's To Have and Have Not, fans have been fascinated by the palpable heat between these two movie legends. Their onscreen passion blossomed into a full-blown off-screen love affair, and culminated in a blissful marriage that lasted twelve years, until Bogart's untimely death in 1957. Bogie & Bacall celebrates their love, with rare photos of the couple, along with tips and anecdotes that will inspire you to ignite your own legendary romance.
Bohemian Rhapsody: The Official Book of the Movie
Bohemian Rhapsody will look at all aspects of the making of the Queen biopic and the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen. Foreword by Brian May and Roger Taylor.
The author has full access to key cast and crew members who recount how Freddie Mercury (and Queen's) story was brought to life. See how 1970s London, Live Aid and many other pivotal moments and places in the history of the band were recreated for the film, with then-and-now imagery highlighting how carefully the people, events, music and costumes were recreated for this hotly anticipated movie.
Bond by Design: The Art of the James Bond Films
Featuring the work of legendary Bond film designers such as Ken Adam, Peter Lamont, and Syd Cain, Bond by Design brings the James Bond art department's story right up to date with behind-the-scenes artwork from the latest film, SPECTRE. With two exclusive prints and authoritative text by EON's own archivist, Meg Simmonds, Bond by Design provides unique, spectacular, and fascinating insights into this hugely successful film franchise.
1962-2015 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation. All rights reserved.
"James Bond," 007, and related James Bond Trademarks are trademarks of Danjaq, LLC, licensed by EON Productions Limited.
Brat Pack America
From the fictional towns of Hill Valley, CA, and Shermer, IL, to the beautiful landscapes of the "Goondocks" in Astoria and the "time of your life" dirty dancing resort still alive and well in Lake Lure, NC, '80s teen movies left their mark not just on movie screen and in the hearts of fans, but on the landscape of America itself. Like few other eras in movie history, the '80s teen movies has endured and gotten better with time. In Brat Pack America, Kevin Smokler gives virtual tours of your favorite movies while also picking apart why these locations are so important to these movies.
Including interviews with actors, writers, and directors of the era, and chock full of interesting facts about your favorite '80s movies, Brat Pack America is a must for any fan. Smokler went to Goonies Day in Astoria, OR, took a Lost Boys tour of Santa Cruz, CA, and deeply explored every nook and cranny of the movies we all know and love, and it shows.
Breakfast with Sharks
What They Didn't Teach You in Your Screenwriting Course
Screenwriters, listen up! Breakfast with Sharks is not a book about the craft of screenwriting. This is a book about the business of managing your screenwriting career, from advice on choosing an agent to tips on juggling three deal-making breakfasts a day. Prescriptive and useful, Breakfast with Sharks is a real guide to navigating the murky waters of the Hollywood system.
Unlike most of the screenwriting books available, here's one that tells you what to do after you've finished your surefire-hit screenplay. Written from the perspective of Michael Lent, an in-the-trenches working screenwriter in Hollywood, this is a real-world look into the script-to-screen business as it is practiced today.
Breakfast with Sharks is filled with useful advice on everything from the ins and outs of moving to Los Angeles to understanding terms like "spec," "option," and "assignment." Here you'll learn what to expect from agents and managers and who does what in the studio hierarchy. And most important, Breakfast with Sharks will help you nail your pitch so the studio exec can't say no.
Rounded out with a Q&A section and resource lists of script competitions, film festivals, trade associations, industry publications, and more, Breakfast with Sharks is chock-full of "take this and use it right now" information for screenwriters at any stage of their careers.
Breaking Bad 101
AMC's Breaking Bad is among the most beloved, critically acclaimed American television series of our time. Created by Vince Gilligan, the series charts the transformation of high school science teacher Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston) into a cold, calculating meth kingpin. Breaking Bad 101 collects esteemed critic Alan Sepinwall's (Uproxx) popular Breaking Bad recaps in book form, featuring new, exclusive essays and completely revised and updated commentary--as well as insights from and interviews with the creative masterminds behind Breaking Bad. The ultimate critical companion for one of the greatest television dramas of all time, Breaking Bad 101 offers fans Sepinwall's smart, funny, and incisive analysis of the psychology and filmmaking craft behind each episode and celebrates the series' unique place in pop-culture history.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Encyclopedia
A comprehensive, authorized compendium of all things Buffy the Vampire Slayer, published in celebration of the revered show's twentieth anniversary.
From its debut in 1997, Buffy the Vampire Slayer became a cult hit with legions of devoted viewers and propelled the show's creator Joss Whedon to stardom. Now, fans can discover Buffy's world fully with this full-color A-to-Z encyclopedia that catalogs, explains, and cross-reference every detail of the Buffyverse, from characters, locations, and weapons to episodes, demons, and recurring gags.
Packed with content from the television show, The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Encyclopedia is the first companion book that also includes key facts from the official canon comics and its spin-off show Angel--making this comprehensive volume the only truly complete guide to the entire Buffyverse.
Lavishly produced and written by Buffy experts, The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Encyclopedia is the authoritative source for fans, allowing them to indulge in the intricacies and nuances of the series as never before. With color stills and photography throughout, an eerie cover with special effects, and an incredible design that reflects the show's aesthetics, this fully authorized companion is a must-have for all Buffy enthusiasts.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer TM & (c) 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Slay Like a Girl
Are you ready to be strong? Inspired by the badass ladies of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this is the ultimate guide for living your most killer life.
Buffy turned tired, sexist tropes on their head when it debuted in the '90s and introduced a truly empowered heroine (and a kickass roster of female supporting roles). So who better than Buffy and her fellow babes -- Willow, Cordelia, Faith, Anya, Tara, and others -- to teach us how to slay our own personal demons? The ladies have much to offer in terms of savvy insights, observations, and life lessons.
Slay Like a Girl examines the groundbreaking female paradigms presented in Buffy and offers digestible, entertaining lessons for slaying at work, in love, and beyond. Also featuring photos from the show, memorable quotes, and fresh input from modern ladies who slay, Slay Like a Girl is an indispensable handbook for fans, feminists, and all other fierce folk.
Buffy: Demons of the Hellmouth
Demons of the Hellmouth is a fully licensed guide to the vampires and other demons that flocked to the Sunnydale Hellmouth in Joss Whedon's cult TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This in-universe illustrated guide is written by Rupert Giles, and also contains handwritten notes from Buffy and Willow. This unique book promises a diabolical romp through the highlights of the beloved show.


On PC, online video was next only to search engine in MAU which was 520.10 million for search engine and 509.46 million for online video in June 2015. They are the top2 PC Internet services by MAU in China.
iResearch believes that with fairly large user base and being relatively saturated, PC online video market is currently a stock market.
Online video ranked first by monthly time spent.
Online video took up 33.1% of the time spent of all PC Internet services in June 2015, a little lower than the 34.6% in June 2014, but it was still the No.1 Internet service by monthly time spent.
iResearch analyzes that thanks to the various and large amount of video content, online video has become the most important entertainment of China Internet users.
1.People's adoption of multiple devices brings new opportunities.
Wider growth space for online video companies. The four devices (PC, smartphone, table and TV) enable Internet users to view video in a long period of time or with fragmented time which is favorable to attracting more users and getting more traffic.
More complete user profile for online video companies. The four devices are used by online video audiences in different scenarios. Through analyzing their account, network environment or by other means, it is possible to reveal audiences' usage behavior of different devices and advertisers are then able to place ads precisely according to audiences' profile and the different usage scenarios of different devices.
More complicated industry chain. Due to the mutual penetration and integration of online video companies and offline content production agencies, the industry chain is becoming increasingly complicated which creates lots of opportunities for involved parts.
Data about users' activity degree, including the days and time when they are active, etc.
Above data can be classified into user data, content data and behavior data. With accumulation of many years and cooperation with other data providers, online video sites usually hold massive valuable data, so mining of these data will greatly enhance the precision of advertising. Since the high return of precision advertising is based on abundant traffic, large user base is vital for precision advertising to realize its value.