6
www.thevillagenews.co.za
FROM THE EDITOR
20 January 2021
Medical staff need our support
The Covid-19 pandemic is hitting closer to home than ever before as the number of infections and deaths grows by the day. Barely a day goes by without seeing a social media post from someone who has tested positive or someone in our community that has died. Just last week we reported that the number of local infections showed a decline. Barely two days later there was another surge in new cases, making it almost impossible to predict whether we have reached the peak of the sec-
ond wave or not. Medical personnel relate stories of countless residents and visitors needing Covid-19 tests over the holiday season. One said it felt at times as if the line of those waiting to be tested would never end. The most horrifying aspect was that the majority of those tested had indeed contracted the virus. Of serious concern to health workers is the number of people who continue to socialise and go about their normal daily business even though they feel ill.
NEWS WhatsApp or SMS your stories and photos to 083 700 3319
PUBLISHING EDITOR T: 083 700 3319
E: dewaal@thevillagenews.co.za
Hedda Mittner
CONTENT EDITOR T: 083 645 3928
E: hedda@thevillagenews.co.za
Raphael da Silva ONLINE EDITOR T: 074 125 5854
E: raphael@thevillagenews.co.za
Elaine Davie
JOURNALIST T: 084 343 7500
E: elaine@thevillagenews.co.za Taylum Meyer PRODUCTION MANAGER, PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN T: 084 564 0779
E: taylum@thevillagenews.co.za
Charé van der Walt MARKETING & SALES MANAGER T: 082 430 1974
It is with great joy and pride that we see the numerous undertakings by our residents and local businesses to assist especially hospital staff with food and treats. The Overstrand has proven itself to be a community with a big heart and this time around is no exception. But whether we decide to give time, money, or resources to help the brave men and women who battle the virus in our hospitals, we must always be mindful that the biggest gift of all would be for us to stay healthy.
It is difficult for us to understand the pressure our frontline medical staff are currently experiencing. Many of them have been in the eye of the storm since last year and with the dramatic increase in infected people requiring hospitalisation, they need as much support as they can get.
the lockdown regulations aimed at stopping the spread to the letter of the law. Yes, there are some regulations that simply do not make sense, nor do they meaningfully contribute towards flattening the curve. But the basics of wearing a mask, sanitising your hands, practising social distancing, and reducing your interaction with other people have proven to be effective. Let this be the biggest contribution we make to our medical staff. This is the good NEWS – Ed.
We urge all our readers to follow
Repairing the ozone and Spell-check 2.0
THE VILLAGE
De Waal Steyn
The regulations regarding self-isolation are clear. If you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive or if you show any symptoms, you must immediately isolate yourself and have a test done as soon as possible.
By Murray Stewart murray.stewart49@gmail.com
T
he For Fact’s Sake columns are – according to Google and The Duck ’n Fiddle’s Explanation of Everything – based in truth. Occasionally however, some names and places have been changed to protect innocent people involved. Blown in the wind We’re all aware that various products we consume, have ‘powdered’ versions of themselves. We have powdered eggs, powdered milk, jelly powder, gravy powder, and of course the wildly popular powdered wine. But, over the last decade, scientists and dietitians have created an organic, vegetable-based formula going as powdered meat – a somewhat coarse, granular compound ideal for hamburgers, horrogs, worsrolle and curries. Just add water, create your own shape of patty or sausage, and let it set/harden before cooking. Quick, convenient and animal-friendly. Their mission, however, wasn’t to put abattoirs and butchers out of business for humane reasons, but rather to help repair the ozone layer. Methane expelled by livestock is a major contributor to this problem. By radically reducing the amount of cattle on the planet, they reckon that the greenhouse effect would dwindle and disappear over a few decades. Apart from rising up and destroying the ozone
layer, some methane stays hovering just above ground level – a highly combustible, invisible killer.
than the cows. Food for thought, nè?
As we all know, cows are the world champions at expelling gas. Large herds are particularly dangerous. A ranch-hand in Kansas learnt this lesson too late when he lit a cigarette with cows all around him. The air simply exploded in a blinding flash, and he was dead in seconds. At the funeral his boss delivered the eulogy and tried to lighten the mood with a wise-crack. “I told him that smoking would kill him one day.” Nobody laughed though.
Last year we discussed how the words through, tough and thorough were spelt similarly but sounded vastly different. English, like many other languages is a fruit salad of multiple influences, adopted and incorporated over many years. The spelling therefore often pertains to the original language.
Alternate Spelling
This got a bloke called Ben Dover from New Zealand all fired up, because he emailed me a single word, and bearing in mind the strange English spelling of words, asked me if I could work out what it was.
Anyway, vegetarians and vegans are delighted not only for the plight of the ozone layer, but that the slaughter of animals would be curtailed. This triggered off another group of scientists – probably ordinary carnivores – who did their own survey, and came up with some interesting data.
The word is ghoughphtheightteeau, and he claims it is something we come across every day – nothing cryptic or mysterious at all. Well, needless to say I was none the wiser after days of pondering and head-scratching, so I emailed Ben and after pleading and eventually bribing him, he finally gave me his formula. This is what he wrote:
As any dietician will confirm, the consumption of fresh fruit and veggies generates a build-up of gas. Cows are the living proof. The study also revealed that vegans and vegetarians expel 20% more gas than non-veggies.
GH stands for P as in hiccough. OUGH stands for O as in dough. PHTH stands for T as in phthisis EIGH stands for A as in neighbour TTE stands for T as in gazette EAU stands for O as in plateau
Quite how they managed to arrive at that figure I find somewhat disturbing, but nonetheless they were then able to calculate that if the 7.8 billion people around the world all switched from eating flesh to munching veggies, that extra 20% increase in their personal output – multiplied by 7.8 billion similar outlets – would do more harm to the ozone layer
Therefore, according to Ben, this is a legitimate way to spell potato, and to be honest, he’s probably right. It’s just a lot easier not to.
FORECASTS: HERMANUS, OVERBERG Proudly sponsored by Talisman Tool Hire Hermanus
LEGEND / KEY
Wed | 20 Jan
Thu | 21 Jan
Fri | 22 Jan
Sat | 23 Jan
Sun | 24 Jan
Mon | 25 Jan
Tue | 26 Jan
E: chare@thevillagenews.co.za
Wind
ADMIN & FINANCE
Sunrise/set
17°/25° Clear
19/26° Partly Cloudy
20°/27° Clear
20°/22° Partly Cloudy
18°/20° Partly Cloudy
18°/23° Clear
17°/22° Clear
32km/h
8km/h
25km/h
22km/h
32km/h
32km/h
14km/h
05:51/19:56
05:52/19:55
05:53/19:55
05:54/19:54
05:55/19:54
05:56/19:53
05:57/19:53
E: admin@thevillagenews.co.za
www.pressreader.com www.issuu.com/dwaal
www.thevillagenews.co.za
Tides
De Bos Dam 93.3% Last week N/A Weekly Rainfall 0mm Last week N/A
LOW HIGH LOW HIGH
01:27 07:56 14:24 20:20
LOW HIGH LOW HIGH
02:17 08:52 15:34 21:39
LOW HIGH LOW HIGH
03:32 10:09 17:00 23:17
LOW HIGH LOW
05:07 11:31 18:14
HIGH LOW HIGH LOW
00:33 06:24 12:36 19:08
HIGH LOW HIGH LOW
01:24 07:18 13:26 19:50
HIGH LOW HIGH LOW
02:04 08:01 14:07 20:27
