Namib Independent Issue 129

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Issue 129 - Thursday, 11 November 2014 to Wednesday, 17 December 2014

ExxonMobil Signs Deal

02

Local In Dakar Sa Team

06

Oval Track Roars to Life

09

The Origins of Christmas

11

Local Teens

Talk Sex

& 064-Videos Lana Groenewald

Following a discussion and first hand access to shocking cell phonerecorded sex videos showing local high school kids partaking in what can only be described as hard-core homemade porn (one school girl and four boys), the Namib Independent set about interviewing a group of teens who are part of the 064-productions.

During the course of the interviews the intricate sexual behaviour of our coastal youth was exposed, indicating that there is a lot more to our local teen’s sex-lives than we knew, and that home-made porn videos are shared more among peers than internet porn.

The conversation started off slow, but once a certain level of comfort set in, the experiences flowed freely.

According to the groups the average age for both boys and girls to lose

their virginities here on the coast is 13 years. The majority also indicated that in most cases both boys and girls lose their virginities to a slightly older teen.

“The school girls want to lose their virginity as soon as possible, because it makes them feel grownup and cool,” was one of the boy's take on why they start at such a young age. Others believe it is because they are exposed to porn from the tender age of ten and 11 years already, which makes them so promiscuous.

“My 11-year-old brother watches porn with me, and even shares sex clips with me,” another admitted during the interview.

The various answers indicated that by the time teenagers leave school, they would have had an average of at least 15 sexual Continued on Page 3

Rhino Fundraiser Rhino charity drive wine tasting evening hosted by the Europa Hof in Swakopmund on Tuesday evening Donna Collins pointed out the critical situation our endangered Rhinos are facing in A heartfelt address by Sem Namibia, and called for the public Shikongo (Director Tourism at large to urgently step in and help. & Gaming) during a Save the "Can we think the unthinkable, that

A Call for Help

Wishing all our readers a very Merry Christmas. We hope you enjoy our Jolly Christmas 2014 Supplement on Page 10. the call of the wild will be silenced, and that one day we will say that rhinos, elephants, leopards, lions, and the wildlife that used to roam free in Namibia are extinct? Because unless we step in to fight for the survival of these animals, that day is coming and it might be too late," Shikongo urged, adding that protection of our species is not only the task of Government but everyone.

"The issue of poaching rhino horn has turned into a global disaster and Namibia

is caught up in this racket, perhaps because these creatures are seen to be ancient and it is perceived that their horn carries qualities of rare powers - which is a myth.

"Unless the war against our rhinos and wildlife is stopped, Namibia might become another Jurassic Park - where footage of these animals that once roamed our land will only be played out to our next generations on television.

"Poaching is a terrifying threat to the

future of the country and it is our responsibility as Africans to bring back the consciousness of how man and nature can share this planet, because currently rhinos and other animals are being pushed to the brink of extinction, and once this happens everything will be affected.

"The increasing demand for land Continued on Page 3

2 | News

Thursday, 11 November 2014

ExxonMobil Signs Deal

With Local Company International energy and petroleum producer ExxonMobil has signed a Lubricants Distributor Agreement with Lubrication Specialists, making the company an authorised distributor in Namibia for Mobil automotive, industrial and marine lubricants.

The Lubricants distribution agreement was signed in Walvis Bay on 9 December 2014, and comes into force on 1 January 2015. The General Manager of Lubrication Specialists, Alwyn van der Merwe, described the new distributorship as an exciting chapter for the Namibian lubricants market.

"Having distributed Mobil products for several years, we are well acquainted with ExxonMobil.

We are very excited about this new distributorship agreement, as it means we will drive the growth of

the Mobil brand in Namibia with robust and proven local presence coupled with the strong Mobil brand and a worldwide reputation of technology leadership and product performance.”

By appointing Lubrication Specialists as an authorised distributor, this new deal aims to further strengthen the Mobil brand by providing more value to the Namibia market.

“We can deliver superior quality Mobil products to our customers as this new agreement enables Lubrications Specialists to work directly with the ExxonMobil team. Customers will be able to access available stock in Namibia, at warehouses in Walvis Bay and Windhoek, in addition to receiving strong support from the ExxonMobil South African team located in Cape Town," van der Merwe said.

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Sales Lorna Bock 081 350 0346 lorna@namibindependent.com.na Gareth Amos 081 128 2197 gareth@namibindependent.com.na Editorial Tanya Calitz tanya@namibindependent.com.na

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Disclaimer:

Namib Independent is published by Halfround Communications CC. All rights are reserved. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within, no liability can be accepted by the publishers or contributors for any errors, misstatements or omissions which may have occurred. The opinions expressed in the publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Also, the publishers accept no legal liability regarding copyright ownership for material which was supplied directly to the publishers by any of the advertisers or contributors.

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News | 3

Thursday, 11 November 2014

Rhino Fundraiser A Call for Help Continued from Page 1 and resources by humans is threatening our wildlife in Namibia, which prides itself as a country with one of the only free roaming lion, giraffe, elephant and rhino populations."

Referring to the House of Wines launch of their anti-poaching fundraiser initiative at the Europa Hof Hotel that evening, Shikongo ordered, "We need more of these fund raisers, everywhere, because we cannot afford to lose our Big 5."

Proceeds generated from ticket and win sales from the launch and throughout the season for the Mofam range of Blanc,

Pinot Noir and Shiraz wines bearing the rhino on their labels, will be donated to the Save the Rhino Trust and Palmwag Concession.

Ernst Dukes (House of Wines) said that the House of Wines has supported the Save the Rhino Trust for decades, and that he was proud to be part of this newly launched initiative.

"As long as we sell our wine the money for Rhino conservation will flow." It was mentioned that this particular wine is available at the Hotel Europa Hof for the remainder of the festive season.

Meanwhile, Lorraine Tjazuko (Fundraising Manager SRT), said that they have been working very hard on fundraising projects that will allow SRT (Save the Rhino Trust) to double

Local Teens Talk Sex & 064-Videos Continued from Page 1 partners from age 13. How about sexual transmitted diseases, the paper wanted to know.

“When you are in the moment, you do not care. Those things do not exist, and who wants to wear a rubber anyways,” one of the boys pointed out.

Another was not so nonchalant about the dangers, and said that he is terrified about the ‘big sick’ indicating HIV. “I make sure I use condoms most of the time. I get it from the clinics, police stations and I sometimes buy."

“I have even used plastic bread bags before,” one of the boys said, causing a round of laughter from the group.

Soon the conversation steered towards the home-made porn videos, and this is where things became really complex.

“We make our own videos. There are so many of them,” they all agreed. They refered to these videos as 064-videos, or in other cases 061-videos, depending on the area the videos come from in Namibia.

These area code videos are there to brag and entertain with.

“If I tell the guys I slept with this or that girl, they do not believe me, but now I show them and no one can deny. The videos are there to prove that you have slept with all the girls you claim you have slept with,” one of the more outspoken lads proudly exclaimed.

From all the male teens interviewed, over 50% have appeared in these videos themselves or personally know someone

who has been in one of these. These videos are spread like a disease.

This journalist also learned that these videos are used as blackmail material.

“Many of the guys would use the videos of girls they know, show it to them and threaten to put it online, if they do not perform sexual acts on them.

I know this 15-year-old girl from my school (Walvis), where this guys showed the girl a video of herself having sex with this guy. He said at a click of a button it will go on the internet, unless she has sex with him. So they went to the back of the school pavilion, and when they got there, his friends were waiting for them. They all banged her.”

In another instance one of the boys told me about the video he made just last week, where four boys had sex with a 14-year-old girl.

“We were all sitting in the garage, when one of the guys signalled the girl to go with him to the bedroom. She went

presence in the field.

"There will be no downtime for us and the SRT trackers are in the field 365 days a year including Christmas.

These men spend long, hard, hot days away from family looking out for our rhino by foot, donkey and vehicle, and their work is very difficult and dangerous but they do it because we believe it makes a difference.

"But after nearly two decades of rhino population growth, there has been loss of life and Namibia has been hit, and we are devastated by the loss of even one rhino, and together with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Community Rhino Rangers, IRDNC, Special Field Forces and the entire communities, we have vowed to strengthen our efforts to protect our beloved rhinos.

"We have heard the Honourable and they started having sex. I then also entered the room and said I am going to film them, she agreed and before I knew it three others joined in and also had their way with her. She did not seem bothered by this at all,” the guy who filmed it told the paper.

The paper queried the boys on whether they realise that by sending these videos around they are actually committing a crime and can be charged with the distribution of child pornography, but again it did not seem to hit home. The interviewers also claimed that these sexual practises amongst teens are rather the rule than the exception, at least for the past five years.

Responding to my question on why they think the girls allow this kind of exploitation, they speculated that they too want to be cool like the girls on the porn videos, and through

Minister of Environment and Tourism speak of Team Destination Namibia, but now it's time for Team Rhino.

"We must stand together with the Ministry, our partners at NGOs, tourism enterprises, communal

being sexy or the promise of sex, they get a lot of attention. It appears to be a vicious cycle. The more they put out the more the boys expect it, and by allowing this behaviour and disrespectful treatment, they set a low standard.

“I had an encounter with a girl a few weeks back who showed me a porn clip and told me to perform sex like the porn star on the movie.

For once I was a bit shocked,” the chieftain of the group exclaimed.

Despite all their big talk, they all want a decent girl. This journalist personally tried to explain that respect cultivates respect, but the boys were adamant that the main responsibility lies with the girls and that they always have the last say in how far it goes.

Slightly doubtful of their big talk, I requested some proof to all

conservancies, and every single Namibian to fight to protect what is part of our legacy, our birthright - those beautiful desert adapted black Rhinos that roam Namibia," Tjazuko said.

their boastful claims, and to my utter shock, they provided it within minutes. The one boy sent a request to a local girl for a picture of her private parts, rudely stating, ‘send me a pic of your c@#*, and within minutes he had one. To prove his point again he showed me how quickly he can organise a shag.

“Wil jy bietjie N@*&,” he texted her, and within minutes again the new participant replied saying that she is a bit far, but will be back next week for shenanigans.

How do we solve this problem, the paper asked?

“There is not much the parents can do. I believe the girls from the strictest homes turn out to be the wildest once, and the girls with more open relationships with their parents are less inclined to be so wild,” they claim.

4 | News

Thursday, 11 November 2014

Where Is My

Container?

Scammers Cause Containers to Vanish Into Thin Air Siglinde de Villiers

As the coast experiences an increase in the hustle and bustle of the festive season, scammers have also increased their activities, targeting unwary locals in their get rich quick schemes. The ghost containers of Namport however, are not a new scam to hit the coast.

Around the same time last year, the Namibian Ports Authority called together a press conference to warn the public about bogus transporters telling random customers that their containers had been released and once they had a down payment, they could receive their containers. However, those victims who were unfortunate enough to have paid these bogus transporters never saw or heard anything about their container again afterwards.

“It is like they have vanished into thin air,” a victim of last year explained.

After a period of quiet, it seems that the scammers have been resurrected and are active again.

According to recent reports, various coastal residents have recently received calls, where the scammers are employing the same technique as last year. However, they have stepped up to their game and are ready to give their victims container numbers as well as reference numbers for various documents.

“They even go as far as to find out various details about their victims which do not appear in the phonebook,” a coastal resident reported.

Similarly to last year, the scammers

pretend to be employees of Namport, obtaining Namport’s numbers to sound legitimate. They then inform their victims that Namport is responsible for the transport of the container, however, this can only be done once a down payment has been made. The caller may sound legitimate, but the process does not coincide with any of Namport’s operating procedures.

“Namport is not responsible for the transport of any containers. Most containers are handled by a clearing agency, because they have to be cleared by customs first before they can be released. Once customs issues a release order, which is a legitimate document, the container also needs to be released by the shipping agency and then by Namport.

Once this process is done, the clearing agency usually organises transport,” a local logistics operator in Walvis Bay commented. Thus, it is evident that no container can simply ‘exit’ the harbour without a set of proper documents.

Taking the proper procedures for releasing a container from port into account, it is advisable for the public to request a set of documents before they do any payments.

“Namport does not do business over the phone,” the Head of Security emphasised at the press conference last year. This has not changed, and the public is advised to enquire and confirm with Namport itself if they receive any suspicious calls about a ghost container that has arrived for them in port.

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6 | News

Thursday, 11 November 2014

Local Lad in Team S.A. for Dakar Siglinde de Villiers Another great milestone in Namibia’s history, one of the coast's local residents has been selected to be part of a racing team that will compete in one of the world’s toughest races – the Dakar Rally. In an interview with the Namib Independent, Philipie Baard revealed a bit more about the magnitude of this race.

Philipie Baard, who has been working as a mechanic for the past seven years at the coast, has been selected to be part of Team Rhide South Africa (SA) as their Chief Mechanic. Other members of the team are Brian Baragwanath, the main racer and team leader with 15 years racing experience and Hannes Saaijman with 18 years of racing experience as the second racer.

Apart from Philipie, the support team consists of team manager Clive Baragwanath and team driver Frank Stein.

“We gave our team its specific name in order to support Save The Rhino,” Philipie said. He continued to explain that rhino poaching has severely limited the rhino population in the world, and all funds they generate will go towards ensuring their survival.

“The team goal is to win the 2015 Dakar Rally in the quad category, as well as win the quad category in the South African National Off-road Championship to promote world awareness to save the rhino,” Philipie said.

As the most difficult and gruelling race in the world, the Dakar is also the largest motorsport spectacle on the planet with over four million live spectators in South America. With over an estimated 1200 hours of TV broadcasting, the race will be televised to more than 190 countries with a viewership of about 1 billion people.

Internationally the race generates approximately $415 million in direct and indirect benefits, with an average number of 745 entrants. The race starts on 5 January 2015, covering a total distance of 8746 km in 13 stages across Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, until it ends on 18 January 2015.

“One of my personal missions is to cover and post some of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes. When it comes to broadcasting, television stations usually only cover the first five races, which mostly go down smoothly. However, there is so much more to the race than that,” Philipie explained. Team Rhide will post daily updates onto facebook, twitter and youtube.

In order to prepare for the Dakar race, Team Rhide had to compete and champion in three different races as well as attending regular Navigation Training sessions in Namibia with previous Dakar competitors. The first race was the South African National Off-road Championship where Team

Rhide SA competed in 4/6 Rounds of the National Championship. Each race was approximately 400km and after seven hours of hard racing, Brian came 1st and Hannes 5th.

Thereafter, Team Rhide SA competed in the Namaqua African Rally from 26 April to 3 May. Brian scored a record best 3rd position overall on his quad against the bikes.

Team Rhide SA also won the Dakar Challenge entitled the Botswana 1000 Desert Race. This secured Brian a rider entry fee and secured entry to Dakar 2015.

“We are also getting used to sleeping with earplugs, since we will have to sleep amidst a lot of noise during the Dakar rally. In truth, even though I am very excited to go, I do not exactly know what to expect. It has a reputation of being the toughest ride in the world and very demanding on its riders. I will know more once I return,” Philipie said.

Even though the Dakar rally is a race, Philipie says that racers have to abide by all the traffic laws of the respective country.

“Each racer is given a GPS that monitors his speed and such. The information then gets pulled at night and put on the racers record,” Philipie revealed.

The entry fee for the Dakar comes down to about N$222 000 per racer. In addition, the entry fee for the support crew is N$135 000 per person.

“To this we have to add the entrance fees for all the vehicles, our flight tickets, accommodation, insurance and medical aid, fuel for the bikes as well as shipping of the container,” Philipie explained. Thus, it comes down to a grand total of approximately N$ 3,030,000 for Team Rhide to partake in the Dakar rally.

News | 7

Thursday, 11 November 2014

Road 'Demons' Rule the Walvis Highway

Opinion by Donna Collins Road 'demons' rule the lanes apparently, and the way I think is - enough is enough with the bad driving already. I have been living in Windhoek where I actually thought those drivers were beyond redemption, but after a move down to the coast recently - I am not so sure any more.

There have been furtive warnings in the past on how dangerous the Walvis Bay road has become, with odd reports on fatalities making the headlines, converting this scenic route that hugs the Atlantic Ocean into a death trap.

But who would think, this is the coast, after all, where everyone is 'chilled', and quality of life replaces the city helter skelter, which is supposed to manifest in a more laid back driving approach.

Alas, you just have to look at the little shrines and crosses dotted along the route as a reminder of

those loved ones who perished in accidents on that road over the years.

But! Yes, there is always a big but, this does not deter the speed freaks from 'jaaging', nor stop those lunatic drivers from turning their vehicles into moving missiles. But with no speed traps, no traffic cops, no police presence, it is carte blanch for the 'maniacs'.

Last weekend whilst driving to Walvis to cover motorsport events, I found out a thing or two. People actually do not care how they drive or whose lives they endanger so long as they get to where they are going in some or other manner of speaking - to hell with the rules of the road.

I escaped with my life twice on that occasion. The first instance was on the airport road when an oncoming souped up Golf with a fired-up driver who had just left the drag races, lost it whilst travelling at some ungodly speed, and missed connecting me head on by a hairs width.

If that was not enough, whilst driving back to Swakopmund at around dusk, I was astounded to see how many drivers overtook on solid white lines with little regard for oncoming traffic and floored it at ridiculous speeds.

I was nearly driven off the road a couple of times to make way for speed freaks. Some drivers even used this as an excuse to dice their 'buddies', and the road became a public drag track; other drivers were just plain bad drivers and should not even own a driver’s license.

With my Nikon camera always handy, I convert to paparazzi mode, to show the readers out there just who the perpetrators of bad driving really are.

And apart from one road block just outside the harbour town, where a weary officer checks your driver's license, the lack of visibility from the Traffic department along this route is worrisome, since anything goes between the two towns.

8 | News

Thursday, 11 November 2014

Swakop Uranium Safety Up Swakop Uranium has joined forced with the Metal and Allied Workers Union of Namibia (MANWU) and contractors on the Husab Project site to intensify efforts to ensure the health and safety of employees, contract workers, as well as adhere to the best environmental practices.

Swakop Uranium, MANWU and the contractors signed the Health, Safety and Environment Agreement, which is effective from 1 December 2014. The agreement strives to set down principles and procedures that shall govern the relationship between Swakop Uranium, the contractors, MANWU and its members in respect of matters related to

Health, Safety & Environment. Although it is agreed with the stakeholders to observe Swakop Uranium values and other agreements which are in place, such as the Project Labour Agreement, Recognition Agreement, all stakeholders must work as a team to promote an injury free environment.

According to Mr Zheng Keping, Swakop Uranium’s Chief Executive Officer, the signing of this agreement is not just another event.

“This is an important occasion aimed at setting the tone and ensuring that all stakeholders are committed to critically observe risk assessment, standards operating procedures and relevant

Vacancy:

EMR, Reefer & TBL coordinator/Equipment and Hinterland controller – for Maersk namibia (Pty) Ltd Local Position: Walvis Bay

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legislations to ensure that all potential incidents, accidents, injuries and fatalities are prevented and reported when they occur.”

Swakop Uranium, Contractors and MANWU recognise their mutual interest in the occupational Safety and Health of employees and the protection of the environment and the parties undertake

to co-operate in an effort to eliminate occupational Safety and Health hazards and conduct all operations with due consideration for the protection of the environment, Mr Zheng says.

The parties further agree to promote occupational HSE awareness, encourage and ensure discipline and compliance with occupational HSE practices and

Reports to: Operations Manager

Maersk Line is the world’s largest container shipping company, serving customers all across the globe. Maersk Line has 25,000 employees across 325 offices in more than 125 countries. As a leading provider of container shipping services, Maersk Line’s mission is to provide opportunities in global commerce. Maersk Line helps customers source goods from anywhere in the world, creating efficiencies in their supply chains, and making it possible for commodities to reach new markets more quickly. Maersk Line sets the standards in ensuring continuous and consistent reliable and quality service to its customers and is regarded amongst the most reliable carriers in the world.

The Maersk Group comprises A.P. Moller - Maersk A/S and subsidiaries based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Group employs about 89,000 people in around 135 countries across the world.

Key Responsibilities • Recon daily reefer monitoring reports to prevent any loss of cargo. Coordinate with reefer technicians and vessel agents to resolve discrepancies on Reefer units • Monitor empty equipment flow in both Namport and APMT depot facilities to ensure adequate available units • Passing of orders for cartage between Namport and depot facilities. Passing of orders for empty returns • Approve / reject valid estimates for repairs of work performed • Accuracy of physical stock in locations • Monitoring of longstanding equipment in all locations and provide weekly action plans and comments • Planning of special equipment (including sorties) • Plan evacuation vessels • Ensure stock levels are at an acceptable level in all locations • Depot & Terminal audit (quarterly) • Coordinate repacks and inspections with surveyors, Customs and Customers • Documentation for feeder vessels

Hinterland (Through Bill of Lading) coordinator • Co-ordinate capacity requirements with suppliers and Internal stakeholders (as well as origin office if / when required) • Monitor performance of suppliers and provide proactive measures to address service issues • Proactively manage claims ensuring safeguard of our assets • Ensure regular status updates and progress reports from clients and that same provided to Customer service or directly to clients and stakeholders • Promote corridor development and actively engage with local stakeholders as well as origin and destination offices • Provide market intelligence on corridor development • Ensure system updates at all times

procedures among employees as well as contractors and hired services.

“All Companies contracted by Swakop Uranium shall comply with Swakop Uranium HSE Policies and Procedures and applicable legislation,” Mr Zheng Keping added.

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News | 9

Thursday, 11 November 2014

Walvis Dirt Oval Track

Roars to Life Donna Collins Last Saturday, opened N$2 million Desert Raceway in Walvis Bay roared with action, when some 40 entries in the different classes let rip to chase championship points for a last shot at the title.

A blistering wind tore up the sand during the afternoon, which put more grit into the day than expected, but, died down towards the evening when racing continued into the calm of the night. The flag dropped for the first race at 17h00 with the last engine being turned off just before midnight, each class completing four heats.

The Desert Raceway dirt oval track which held its inaugural event in August this year, has now become the icon arena for motorsport at the coast, with organisers and competitors delivering dirt racing of the highest standard.

Bigger and better than the former track, the Desert Raceway is geared up for first class competition with spectator friendly facilities, and Saturday's event was no exception with over 1 000

motorsport fans pouring through the gates.

There was no stopping the front runners leading the title scoreboard, and racing was fast and fierce. Richard Owen in his VW Golf was unstoppable in the 8-valve 4-cylinder Class and took the top podium slot ahead of Zachary Martin and Riaan Viviers in second and third places respectively.

A heated dice in the contested 8-valve 16-cylinder (Hot Rod) Class brought Jan Everson in his space frame Corsa dicing the hell out of his rivals to take the chequered flag in first place. Allan Martin in his lime green Corsa 13B Rotary space frame 'Sideways', who has been chasing points to defend his championship title, finished second overall ahead of Michael Behnke.

Undoubtedly the V8's are a huge crowd puller on the race track, and when the boys unleashed their super machines with the thunderous roar of engines and spectacular slides into the corner; there were exuberant shouts of excitement from the stands.

Durant Oosthuizen was the driver to

V8 competitors Johan Roodt with Charles Gabrielson and their service crew Erker Jona and Albert Antonius

beat in his big 'Monster', which flew the chequered, winning ahead of Johan Roodt who was hot on his bumper in second spot followed by Leon Bruwer in third.

A race is not a race without some drama, and the Midget races gave the crowds what they wanted.

Right from being push started onto the track, their presence added to the already super charged mood of the day, especially when Windhoek racer Albert Van Zyl crashed into the safety tyre barrier early in the proceedings, rendering him unable to continue the race.

Piet Simon emerged as the winner of the Midget category, with Louwtjie Louw and Leon Wessels in second and third places respectively.

A big field of quad bikes participated in Saturday's event with guys dicing hell for leather.

Dyllan Roodt won the quad bikes open Class ahead of Joshua Camos and Hugo Arangies, while Jacques Simon won the quad bikes 200cc category.

For those of you who missed Saturday's race, a social event is being held on 20 December to provide some action for holiday makers visiting the coast. Spinning fans can look forward to the guys participating again and this will be a huge get together for all.

With "Live to Race - Race to Live" as their motto, the Desert Raceway Club is building a heritage of motorsport in Walvis Bay that is going to be hard to beat.

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Home is where the heart is this Christmas!

The team from FNB Home Loans would like to wish all our clients a wonderful festive season and prosperous 2015.

We are truly proud to have been able to help hearts across Namibia find a place they can call home.

Winner of the Hot Rod Class Jan Everson being congratulated by runner up Allan Martin

Namib Independent

Christmas

2014

Supplement

Namib Independent's JOLLY CHRISTMAS 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Origins of Christmas Popular myth puts Jesus' date of birth on 25 December in the year 1 C.E. However, the New Testament gives no date or year for Jesus’ birth. This suggests that the earliest Christians had no interest in Jesus' birth date.

How is it then, that Jesus' birth is celebrated on 25 December?

It could be because Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of Saturnalia, a week long period of lawlessness celebrated between 17 and 25 December. During this period, Roman courts were closed, and Roman law dictated that no one could be punished for damaging property or injuring people during the week-long celebration. The festival began when Roman authorities chose “an enemy of the Roman people” to represent the “Lord of Misrule.” Each Roman community selected a victim whom they forced to indulge in food and other physical pleasures throughout the week.

At the festival’s conclusion, on 25 December, Roman authorities believed they were destroying

Saturnalia. The Reverend Increase Mather of Boston observed in 1687 that “the early Christians who first observed the Nativity on 25 December did not do so thinking that Christ was born in that Month, but because the Heathens’ Saturnalia was at that time kept in Rome, and they were willing to have those Pagan Holidays metamorphosed into Christian ones.”

| 11 Because of its known pagan origin, Christmas was banned by the Puritans and its observance was illegal in Massachusetts between 1659 and 1681. However, Christmas was and still is celebrated by most Christians.

the forces of darkness by brutally murdering this innocent man or woman. The ancient Greek writer, poet and historian Lucian (in his dialogue entitled Saturnalia) describes the festival’s observance in his time. In addition to human sacrifice, he mentions customs such as widespread intoxication, going from house to house naked while singing, rape and other sexual license and consuming human-shaped biscuits.

In the 4th century CE, Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival, hoping to take the pagan masses in with it. Christian leaders succeeded in converting to Christianity large numbers of pagans by promising them that they could continue to celebrate the Saturnalia as Christians. The problem was that there was nothing intrinsically Christian about Saturnalia. To remedy this, these Christian leaders named Saturnalia’s concluding day, 25 December, to be Jesus’ birthday.

Christians had little success, however, refining the practices of

To all our clients, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Thank you for all the support during 2014.

your complete solution to equipment rental

cranes / forklifts / trucks mobile offices / waste skips welding machines container packing/unpacking

Source: TheRealStory.com

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12 |

How It All Got Started

Long before the advent of Christianity, plants and trees that remained green all year had a special meaning for people in the winter. Just as people today decorate their homes during the festive season with pine, spruce, and fir trees, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows.

In many countries it was believed that evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness.

In the Northern hemisphere, the shortest day and longest night of the year falls on 21 or 22 December and is called the winter solstice. Many ancient people believed that the sun was a god and that winter came every year because the sun god had become sick and weak. They celebrated the solstice because it meant that at last the sun god would begin to get well. Evergreen boughs reminded them of all the green plants that would grow again when the sun god was strong and summer would return.

The ancient Egyptians worshipped a god called Ra, who had the head of a hawk and wore the sun as a blazing disk in his crown. At the solstice, when Ra began to recover from the illness, the Egyptians filled their homes with green palm rushes, which symbolised for them the triumph of life over death.

Early Romans marked the solstice with a feast called the Saturnalia in honour of Saturn, the god of agriculture.

The Romans knew that the solstice meant that soon farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs.

In Northern Europe the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The fierce Vikings in

Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder.

Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. Some built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if wood was scarce. It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, composing a sermon, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens.

To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.

Most 19th-century Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. The first record of one being on display was in the 1830s by the German settlers of Pennsylvania, although trees had been a tradition in many German homes much earlier. The Pennsylvania German settlements had community trees as early as 1747. But, as late as the 1840s Christmas trees were seen as pagan symbols and not accepted by most Americans.

It is not surprising that, like many other festive Christmas customs, the tree was adopted so late in America. To the New England Puritans, Christmas was sacred. The pilgrims's second governor, William Bradford, wrote that he tried hard to stamp out "pagan mockery" of the observance, penalising any frivolity.

The influential Oliver Cromwell preached against "the heathen traditions" of Christmas carols, decorated trees, and any joyful expression that desecrated "that sacred event."

In 1659, the General Court of

Massachusetts enacted a law making any observance of 25 December (other than a church service) a penal offence; people were fined for hanging decorations.

That stern solemnity continued until the 19th century, when the influx of German and Irish immigrants undermined the Puritan legacy.

In 1846, the popular royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were sketched in the Illustrated London News standing with their children around a Christmas tree. Unlike the previous royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at court immediately became fashionable — not only in Britain, but with fashionconscious East Coast American Society.

The Christmas tree had arrived.

By the 1890s Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and Christmas tree popularity was on the rise around the U.S. It was noted that Europeans used small trees about four feet in height, while Americans liked their Christmas trees to reach from floor to ceiling.

The early 20th century saw Americans decorating their trees mainly with homemade ornaments, while the GermanAmerican sect continued to use apples, nuts, and marzipan cookies. Popcorn joined in after being dyed bright colours and interlaced with berries and nuts. Electricity

brought about Christmas lights, making it possible for Christmas trees to glow for days on end.

With this, Christmas trees began to appear in town squares across the country and having a Christmas tree in the home became an American tradition.

The Rockefeller Centre Tree is located at Rockefeller Centre, west of Fifth Avenue from 47th through 51st Streets in New York City.

The Rockefeller Centre Christmas Tree dates back to the Depression Era days. The tallest tree displayed at Rockefeller Centre came in 1948 and was a Norway

Spruce that measured in at 33m tall and hailed from Killingworth, Connecticut.

The first tree at Rockefeller Centre was placed in 1931. It was a small unadorned tree placed by construction workers at the centre of the construction site. Two years later, another tree was placed there, this time with lights. These days, the giant Rockefeller Centre Tree is laden with over 25 000 Christmas lights.

Source: www.history.com/topics/ history-of-christmas

Namib Independent's JOLLY CHRISTMAS 2014 SUPPLEMENT

How Other Religions Celebrate Christmas The Jewish Festival of Lights Chanukah, or Hanukkah, lasts for eight days, beginning on the 25th day of the Hebrew month Kislev (November-December). It celebrates the victory of Judah the Maccabee over the Greco-Syrian tyrant Antiochus over 2100 years ago.

In 165BC, after three years of war, Judah won a decisive victory over the Greco-Syrians and returned with his followers to Jerusalem to reclaim the Temple.

On their return, they could find only one small cruse of oil, enough to last one day. But when they lit the temple menorah with it, a miracle occurred and the menorah burned for eight days. Since then, the Jewish people celebrated the success of the Maccabees’ and the miracle of the oil.

Each night of the festival, the family gathers around the menorah, a special candelabrum that holds eight candles. On the first night the head of the family uses a helper candle – called a shamos – to light one candle.

On the second night, two candles are lit, and so on, until all eight candles are lit on the eighth night. Each night, gifts are given. In some families, children play games with a small four-sided wooden top called a dreidel. On each side of the top is one letter of NGHS, or Nes Godol Hoyoh Shom, which means “A great miracle happened there.” Hanukkah means “dedication.”

Islam Muslims around the world celebrate Ramadan, which marks the month the prophet Mohammed is believed to have had their holy book, the Koran, revealed to him by God. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, being 11 to 12 days shorter than the Gregorian

calendar. The celebration starts at the first sighting of the moon in Ramadan.

Muslims cannot eat and drink at all in the daytime during this period, breaking their fast only when the sun sets and again before the sun rises, sharing special Ramadan treats, such as Konafa, an Egyptian dessert made of shredded wheat and syrup, or Katayef, sweets stuffed with nuts. They also eat dates (iftar) which, according to Islamic teachings, were eaten by Mohammed at the end of each day of the fasting month.

The days are spent in prayer and reflection.

The fast ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, the festival of the breaking of the fast. Some Muslim governments grant amnesties to political and other prisoners on this day.

Kwanzaa Kwanzaa is a cultural festival during which African Americans celebrate and reflect upon their heritage as the products of two worlds. It begins on 26 December and lasts for seven days.

Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by Dr. Maulana “Ron” Karenga, a college professor and African American leader. He studied the festivals of many African peoples and decided that the new holiday should be a harvest of “first fruits.” Kwanzaa is a Kiswahili word meaning “the first fruits of the harvest.”

Hindu The 25th of December also is considered to be the birthday of the Hindu god, Krishna, as well as Mithra, the Greek god of light.

Wicca The annual Tree Festival, which had long been

BAARD

| 13 celebrated in Northern Europe before the Christian era, is still celebrated among nature-based faiths such as Wicca.

Madmen There used to be a Festival of Madmen on Christmas day, when servants became masters and masters servants for the day.

Festival of the Ass In the middle Ages, the Festival of the Ass was held on Christmas Eve,

recalling Joseph and Mary’s flight into Egypt. A young girl with a baby in her arms entered the church riding an ass or donkey. During mass, all the prayers ended with “hee-haw.” The Catholic Church banned the celebrations because they deemed them sacrilegious in character.

Source: http://didyouknow.org/

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Email: baard@afol.com.na

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14 |

How To Get Into The Xmas Spirit Step 2 Make a batch of Christmas cookies. Make sugar cookies, and decorate with frosting, sprinkles, etc. They will smell wonderful while baking and are sure to bring out the Christmas fun.

Have the kids decorate their own cookies for something to do.

Step 3 Hang up Christmas ornaments. When you focus on the ornaments, and just on getting it done, it is not fun. But when you have fun, dance with the Christmas music, put a garland up, put little trinkets of Santa Claus, angels and whatnot. You will see that you will have fun. Have other family members help with the tree.

Step 4 Get out of the house. Go to special stores like Macy's and Target and shop in the Christmas aisles, and have fun picking out what stuff you could possibly need. When you see other spirit around you, you are more likely to have that special feeling once again.

Take time out. Go and do things for yourself now and then, to relieve the pressure of always preparing and being around busyness. You cannot please all people all of the time, so do not even try; by taking breaks, you will feel refreshed and able to cope with difficult people all the more constructively.

Step 5 Learn a Christmas song, one that you have never heard before, or one that is your favourite. Print it off the internet and sing the verses quietly to yourself at work, or at the store.

Step 6 Put up your tree early. It does not matter if you put it up after you read this article, or in a few days, just get it up

Sometimes it is hard when you grow older, as the business and pressures cause you to lose that wondrous spirit of Christmas. When money is tight and time is too, you can end up feeling disappointed, lost or dreading Christmas. Yet, everyone deserves to feel special at Christmas. Restoring your spirit of Christmas is worth your focus and you will feel better for

N

early. That way, you can decorate the tree and have fun with it, expressing your creativity and feeling like you are really into the spirit.

Step 7 Give a gift, it does not matter to who. But take time with the gift, wrap it, and make your own card, add a special poem.

Step 8 Spend time with family and friends. This probably is the most important way to feeling happy. Make some cookies, and invite a few over, and watch a Christmas movie such as "White Christmas".

See if you can find a party to go to this year instead of organising it all yourself. It makes for a nice change.

Step 9 Have reasonable expectations of the Christmas season.

If you expect too much, you may feel disappointed.

Instead, expect things to be low key and easy and you will feel a lot calmer and happier about the season, being able to enjoy the experience more.

Realise that the commercialised version of Christmas is the marketer's dreams, not yours. Do not try to live up to them and do not fall for thinking you need to buy happiness at Christmas time. Enjoyment does not mean expense.

Step 10 Be jolly. Laugh more, see the funny side of things, even more so when things do not go to plan. Be genuine in your mirth; forcing jolly feelings will feel artificial. That might just mean watching something that makes you laugh for real or taking time out to watch a frolicking puppy or your children at play.

Source: http://www.wikihow.com/

it after.

Step 1 Play Christmas music in the background while you prepare for Christmas. Great songs such as "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby, "O Holy Night" by Josh Groban and "Believe"

by Josh Groban are great examples, and they will help you lift your spirit.

NOVEL MOTOR COMPANY

THANK YOU! We would like to thank all our customers for their support throughout 2014!

May the magic of the holidays never end and it’s greatest gift be family and friends.

for your business this past year

Novel Motor Company Walvis Bay Cnr. Hana Mupetame Road & Moses Garoeb Street | Walvis Bay | Namibia Tel: (064) 203 411 Christo van Wyk Tel: (064) 203 411 081 128 7847

William Lewin Tel: (064) 203 411 081 1270 9541

t: +264 64 213350 f: +264 64 209635 info@wbsalt.com

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How to Make the Most of

Christmas, When Alone Christmas is a great reason to celebrate and party with your loved ones. However, what do you do when you are celebrating Christmas all alone?

Do not worry, there are plenty of amazing things you could do even all by yourself on Christmas.

Below are a few examples.

Go Shopping: Christmas is a time to gift presents to your loved ones. You love yourself, do you not? Pamper yourself, by getting yourself something you have been eyeing for a while.

Visit an old friend: Everyone has a friend whom they have not seen for a while. This Christmas, meeting an old friend can work magical wonders on your mood.

Visit a charitable organisation: You are alone this Christmas, why not spend it with someone who celebrates every Christmas alone? You can choose to visit an old age home, an orphanage or any other such organisation.

Go to the Church: This Christmas, spend your time at the church and pray to God for His blessings. If you are alone because you are travelling, you can still visit a new church. It will be an amazing experience. You will find yourself at peace.

Decorate your house: Shun away the sad and depressing atmosphere.

Decorate your house using lights, Christmas trees, cribs, mistletoe, stars, crib, etc. Lighten up the atmosphere more by playing some lovely Christmas music. Sounds exciting, does it not?

Watch a Christmas Movie: Go to the video library and pick a collection of Christmas movie DVDs. Choose from Christmas movies like Home Alone, the Grinch, The Elf, The Santa Claus, A Christmas Carol, The Polar Express, etc.

Go for a Vacation: This may not always be possible, however, for the luckier others, you can take a small trip alone.

Treat yourself, with a luxurious vacation to a place you always wanted to visit. Go backpacking.

Do not let the fact that you are alone stop you from having fun on Christmas. There are many things that you could do by yourself on Christmas, which maybe will not be as much fun when done with someone. You never know, you may just have one of the best Christmases this year. http://www.wishafriend.com

| 15

Namib Independent's JOLLY CHRISTMAS 2014 SUPPLEMENT

16 |

Tactics to Save Money During Christmas Time

Decorate in a sentimental fashion For me, Christmas is not Christmas without using a set of handmade Christmas tree ornaments that my mother made for me when I was young. She made a few a year for more than a decade, eventually making a very beautiful set that I remember fondly from my early years. Then, during the first Christmas I had in a home of my own, my mother gave the ornaments to me. They are the centrepiece of all of our decorations. Rather than buying cheap disposable decorations that you will toss out in a few years, make your own – high quality ones that will last for many, many years. There are lots of ways to do this – ceramics, wood, and so on. If you do not have artistic ability, you can still simply seek decorations made by others that are well made, have personal meaning to you, and will last for many years.

Write thoughtful notes, not mindless cards Several people I know send out about two hundred Christmas cards a year. They are generic cards, merely signed and without a note – and thus I feel indifference when I look at them. Instead of plopping down money for a mass mailing of meaninglessness, spend some time writing notes to the people you genuinely care about. That way, you will reduce your cost (fewer “cards” sent out and less expensive “cards”) and provide something of value to the recipient.

Focus on thoughtful gifts, not showy or expensive A ten dollar gift that actually matches a recipient well means far more than a thirty dollar gift that is useless to the recipient.

But how can you know what to get? If you are stymied, make a list of the interests that the recipient has – think hard about it. Then, research one or two of those areas and find intriguing and useful gifts in that area. Know a golf fan? Get that person a box of the latest, greatest balls.

Make gifts for more casual exchanges Make and can a batch of caramel pear butter, for example, and give away jars of this in an exchange. It is a gift that most people will appreciate and if you make a large batch of it, it is pretty cheap per jar. In fact, my wife and I are planning on giving many people gifts like this for Christmas.

Be selective about the gift exchanges you participate in In the past, I have been encouraged to exchange gifts with as many as ten different groups at Christmastime, each one expecting a gift in the $20-30 range. That wound up being very, very expensive – and very timeconsuming, too. Instead of just agreeing to be in every gift exchange that comes along, bow gracefully out of a few. Suggest to the people involved that they just skip the exchange and instead just have a pleasant potluck dinner instead, saving everyone some cash.

Set a strict dollar limit for what you will spend on each person When you are writing your list, set a dollar limit that you will spend on each person and literally write it next to that person’s name. This will help keep your focus – just like a shopping list.

Buy one nice gift instead of multiple less expensive gifts When buying gifts for a spouse or a parent or a child, you may be tempted to buy a lot of gifts.

The problem with buying a lot of gifts is that not only do you avoid putting as much thought into each one; you also end up restricting your gifts

to inexpensive items. Instead, focus on one or two very nice gifts instead – ones that you can put a lot of thought into selecting the right thing.

Start shopping now for those gifts – the earlier the better Right now is the best time to start that Christmas buying process – in fact, you are better off starting even earlier.

Think of ideas, write them down, and seek them out through comparison shopping. The longer in advance you plan a gift, the more time you have to wait for the perfect price on eBay or by comparison shopping.

Stagger gift purchases so that you are not putting the purchases on credit Many people go on a giant rush of buying right after Thanksgiving, and then are hammered with a huge credit card bill in late December or early January. Do not let that happen to you. Buy a few gifts now, a few more in a few weeks, and so on – and consider paying in cash, too. This way, you will not face the mountain of purchases all on one bill (or set of bills that arrive at the same time).

Source: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/

Enjoy a Carefree Holiday with our top five house and

safety tips

1- Ensure that all windows and doors are securely locked 2- Inform a trusted friend or neighbour 3- Think before you advertise your holiday plans 4- Ensure your house looks occupied 5- GENERAL

Do not leave valuable or essential items on the seat of your vehicle.

Ensure that your handbag and purse are always safe Do not leave a portable GPS in your vehicle when you make use of a long term parking at an airport.

Elect to withdraw cash from an ATM with a security guard

Important Telephone Numbers Erongo Emergency Centre 081 922 (Cellphone) | 922 (Landline) Walvis Bay (064) 213922 | Swakopmund (064) 415300 | Henties Bay (064) 500407

Enjoy Your Well

Deserved Holiday

Securing Your World

Namib Independent's JOLLY CHRISTMAS 2014 SUPPLEMENT

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Namib Independent's JOLLY CHRISTMAS 2014 SUPPLEMENT

The Colours of Christmas There are several colours which are traditionally associated with Christmas. This site uses Red, Green and Gold. But why do we have them and what do the colours represent?

Most the colours and their meanings come from the western/northern European traditions and customs, when Christmas is in the middle of winter and it is dark and cold.

Green Evergreen plants, like Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe have been used for thousands of years to decorate and brighten up buildings during the long dark winter. They also reminded people that spring would come and that winter would not last forever!

The Romans would exchange evergreen branches during January as a sign of good luck. The ancient Egyptians used to bring palm branches into their houses during the mid winter festivals.

In many parts of Europe during the middle ages, Paradise plays were performed, often on Christmas Eve. They told Bible stories to people who could not read.

The 'Paradise Tree' in the Garden of Eden in the play was normally a pine tree with red apples tied to it.

Now the most common use of green at Christmas is Christmas Trees.

Red As mentioned above, an early use of red at Christmas was the apples on the paradise tree. They represented

the fall of Adam in the plays.

Red is also the colour of Holly berries, which is said to represent the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross.

Red is also the colour of Bishops robes.

These would have been worn by St. Nicholas and then also became Santa's uniform!

Gold Gold is the colour of the Sun and light - both very important in the dark winter.

And both red and gold are the colours of fire that you need to keep you warm.

Gold was also one of the presents brought to the baby Jesus by one of the wise men and traditionally it is the colour used to show the star that the wise men followed.

White White is often associated with purity and peace in western cultures. The snow of winter is also very white!

White paper wafers were also sometimes used to decorate paradise trees.

The wafers represented the bread eaten during Christian Communion or Mass,

when Christians remember that Jesus died for them.

White is used by most churches as the colour of Christmas, when the altar is covered with a white cloth (in the Russian Orthodox Church Gold is used for Christmas).

Blue The colour blue is often associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus. In medieval times blue dye and paint was more expensive than gold! So it would only be worn by Royal families and very rich people. Mary was often painted wearing blue to show she was very important.

Blue can also represent the colour of the sky and heaven.

During Advent, purple and sometimes blue is used in most churches for the colour of the altar cloth (in the Russian Orthodox Church red is used for advent).

Silver Silver is sometimes used instead of (or with) gold. But gold is a 'warmer' colour.

Source: http://www.whychristmas.com/

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| 19

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Make Your Own Christmas Crackers Christmas crackers are a fun way to decorate your Christmas table.

Although you can buy them in the store, they are very easy and fun to make. When you make this fun craft idea yourself you can decide what goodies and treats to put inside.

Traditional crackers contain a hat, a joke or riddle, candy or nuts and a little treat. If you are having trouble thinking of a riddle or joke look at Squigly's Jokes and Riddles. Treats for your crackers can be bought at a Dollar Store where you will find lots of items.

Here are a few suggestions: Key rings; a ring; toy car; a small puzzle (taken out of the box); erasers; nail clippers; lip gloss; nail polish or candy.

Use your imagination and will find something just right!

What you need: Empty toilet tissue rolls - enough for everyone at the table (it is a good idea to bring along an empty toilet roll to the store to make sure your gift fits inside); curling ribbon; tape; scissors; tissue paper or Christmas wrapping

paper; marker or pen; treats; stickers (optional) What you do: 1. Start collecting empty toilet tissue rolls until you have enough for everyone that will be joining you for your holiday meal.

2. Use left over Christmas wrap or tissue paper to cover the outside of the tissue roll. Lay the tissue roll on the paper and make sure to leave 2" or 5cm overhang on both ends of the toilet roll. Your piece of paper should be approximately 8 1/2" wide and 7" long.

Since tissue paper is so thin you might want to double or triple the length.

| 21

3. Secure the paper with tape or stickers along the length of the cracker.

4. Use curling ribbon to tie closed one end of the cracker.

5. Fill the cracker with goodies.

Once you have everything in the roll tie up the last end. Use scissors to curl the ribbon ends.

6. With a pen or marker write the recipient's name on the cracker. If you want you can also use stickers to decorate your cracker.

Source:

www.squiglysplayhouse. com

To our esteemed clients and the coastal community a great and joyous

May the spirit of giving be with all of us.

Namib Diesel will be closing the 19th December 2014 until 2nd January 2015 and will re-open on the 5th January 2015.

Emergency numbers during the festive season will be 081 272 4360 / 081 128 3987.

Take care and see you back in 2015!

Namib Independent's JOLLY CHRISTMAS 2014 SUPPLEMENT

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Shepherd’s Pie

Total Time: 1 hr 30 min Prep: 15 min Cook: 1 hr 15 min Yield: 6 servings Ingredients Beef Filling: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 16 ounces canned tomato sauce 1 1/2 cups cooked mixed vegetables (peas, diced carrots and corn)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Mashed Potatoes: 5 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup sour cream Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Cornbread Crust: 1 (12-ounces) boxed corn-bread mix Directions In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in vegetable oil.

When the onion is soft add the ground

beef, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon and brown. Stir in tomato sauce and mixed vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the potatoes about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain well and return to the pot. Whip the potatoes with an electric mixer until moderately smooth.

Add milk, butter and sour cream and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Adjust consistency with more milk, if desired.

Follow directions on box to make cornbread batter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Wishing you the

Coolest Christmas ever.

techcool@iway.na

celebrating years of logistics excellence

GAL

We wish all our customers, suppliers and stakeholders a Merry Christmas and a splendid

Tel: +264 64 201 2911 pr@manica.com.na www.manica.com.na

(180°C).

Lightly grease 6 (8-ounce) ramekins with non-stick cooking spray.

Spoon the mashed potatoes into the bottoms of each prepared ramekin, spreading them evenly with a rubber spatula. Then add the meat filling, spreading that evenly over the mashed potatoes. Pour the cornbread batter evenly over the meat layer in each ramekin.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the cornbread is cooked through and golden on top.

Source: www.foodnetwork.com/

Namib Independent's JOLLY CHRISTMAS 2014 SUPPLEMENT

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Things You Did not Know About Christmas A Very Merry Un-Birthday?

Contrary to popular belief, the Bible does not actually mention a specific date for Jesus' birth. In fact, most historians believe he was probably born in the spring, hence the Bible's description of shepherds herding animals.

But in the 4th century, when the Catholic Church decided to recognise Jesus' birth as an official holiday, Pope Julius I chose 25 December for the Feast of the Nativity. That the date happened to coincide with the pagan festival known as Saturnalia must have been pure coincidence.

War on Christmas Five months into the First World War, troops along the Western front took a Christmas Eve break from fighting to sing carols to one another across the battlefield. The following morning, German soldiers emerged from the trenches and began to approach Allied troops while calling out "Merry Christmas" in English. Luckily, it was not a trick; dozens of British fighters came out to greet them and shake hands, some even exchanging cigarettes as gifts. Later dubbed the Christmas Truce of 1914, it was one of the last examples of wartime chivalry.

SANTA’S

Helper in the port of Walvis Bay To our clients and service providers we send Holiday Greetings and best wishes for a New Year of happiness.

May peace, love and prosperity follow you always. One of the real joys of this season is the opportunity to say thank you and to wish you the very best for 2015.

Tel +264 64 275 180 • Fax +264 64 275 190 Email operations@kld.com.na Website www.kld.com.na

84 Theo Ben Gurirab Street Unit 2, CLA Building PO Box 4731, Walvis Bay

Christmas in the Colonies From 1659 to 1681, showcasing one's holiday spirit in Boston could cost you a fine of as much as five shillings.

That is right — Christmas used to be illegal. It is somewhat surprising, then, that the same puritanical minds also created the first American batch of eggnog at Captain John Smith's 1607 Jamestown settlement. (The word nog comes from the word grog; that is, any drink made with rum.) Christmas was so inconsequential in early America that after the Revolutionary War, Congress did not even bother taking the day off to celebrate the holiday, deciding instead to hold its first session on Christmas Day, 1789. It took almost a century for Congress to proclaim it a federal holiday.

What Advertising Hath Wrought Like the Energizer Bunny, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer got his start as an advertising gimmick. A copywriter named Robert L. May first created the merry misfit in 1939 to lure shoppers into the Montgomery Ward department store. Frosty the Snowman and his famous corncob pipe could not escape the clutches of the advertising industry either; a whiskey maker in 1890 used Frosty's likeness to showcase an entirely different kind of holiday cheer. Once Prohibition ended, the chain-smoking snowman quickly became the go-to guy for alcohol ads, appearing in posters for Miller beer, Jack Daniel's, Ballantine ale, Rheingold beer, Schlitz beer, Schenley,

Oretel's lager beer, Chivas Regal scotch, Fort Pitt pale ale, Mount Whitney beer and Four Roses.

NASA's Christmas Sighting In 1965 two astronauts on their way back to orbit spotted something in space they could not identify. Frantic, they radioed Mission Control. After several minutes of tense silence, engineers at Cape Canaveral began hearing the

faint jingle of sleigh bells followed by a harmonica rendition of "Jingle Bells" ... played by none other than the two "frantic" astronauts. The men later donated the harmonica and bells to the National Museum of Space & Aeronautics in Washington, where they now sit on display Source: http://content.time.com/

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Namib Independent's JOLLY CHRISTMAS 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Wishing all our clients a blessed Merry Christmas & happy new Year!

Tell +264 64 270 500 • Tell +264 64 270 510 197 Nangolo Mbumba Drive • PO Box 2933 Walvis Bay

May your home be filled with sweet memories this holiday season.

Happy Holidays From your Neighbourhood Experts!

Tel: 064 - 220 028 120 Sam Nujoma Ave, Walvis Bay

Namib Independent's JOLLY CHRISTMAS 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Christmas Jokes What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?

It's Christmas, Eve! What did the big angel say to the little angel on Christmas Eve? Halo there!

If Santa Claus is crossed with a detective then you

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would get what?

Santa Clues!

A snowman loses weight in what way?

He waits for the weather to get warmer!

What is the snowman’s breakfast?

Frosted flakes!

What is said by one snowman to the other snowman?

Can you smell carrot?

What do you get if you cross mistletoe and a duck?

A Christmas Quacker.

What do you call Santa when he stops moving?

Santa Pause!

What do you get when you cross an archer with a gift-wrapper?

Ribbon hood.

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

Frostbite.

Tel: 081 350 2723 / 081 340 8021 Email: info@kartingnamibia.com B2, exit Swakopmund Airport

Opening times 15 December 2014 till 10 January 2015: 09h00 – 20h00 Beverage available in our new bar area Gift Voucher Available New playground, adsafety pedal go kart & ro park for kids N$30

For all your Probst t Bäckerei ChristmasBäckerei Backing, visit our or Shop OpensCake Décor Shop Opens

s now ter to

ndent icing rently South e local

ecome le for

Cake Décor Shop Probst Bäckerei

A

cake baking plus Decorators. Even locally she has fter 56 years of trade, Probst Bäckerei has now found suppliers in Henties Bay and Swakopmund who added onto the existing building cater to We provide cake decor to tools and make these decorations at home. the homeicing baking industry. decorations to the home She also said she encourages registered cake Astrid Probst-Deetlefs the NamibBe Independent baking told industry. creative bakers that bake cakes from home to come and put that her aim is to provide cake decor tools and icing visit us and turn your kitchen their flyers or business cards in her shop and she will decorations to into the Santa’s home industry. bakery She this currently holiday promote the local home industry. “Sometimes we are imports most ofseason the goods from major cities in South too busy and have an overflow and I am happy to give Africa but said that she would like to support the local the business to local people who clearly also need the market. support” Astrid said that over the years there have become

more and more

Wishing all our clients a tools and decorations available for Merry Christmas

cake baking plus Decorators. Even locally she h found suppliers in Henties Bay and Swakopmund w make these decorations at home.

She also said she encourages registered ca bakers that bake cakes from home to come and p their flyers or business cards in her shop and she w promote the local home industry. “Sometimes we a too busy and have an overflow and I am happy to g the business to local people who clearly also need t support”

Tel +264-64-202744 Fax +264-64-209704 Cell +264-812301344 email probstbakery@iway.na www.facebook.com/probst.willi.bakery Probst Willi Restaurant, Boulevard Cafe, Confectionery and Cake-Decor Shop

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a New Year filled with prosperity and success!

Tel: +264 64 277 600 | Fax: +264 64 277 601 Email: info@metrotech.com.na | Web: www.metrotech.com.na C/o John Newman & 2nd Str East | P.O. Box 1416, Walvis Bay, Namibia

Namib Independent's JOLLY CHRISTMAS 2014 SUPPLEMENT

Wishing all our customers and suppliers a

Wonderful Festive Season Thank you for your support throughout 2014 and we look forward to working with you again next year.

Waste Management (Pty) Ltd

Engineering Services (Pty) Ltd

Group Namibia

PO Box 157 | 34, 2nd Street East | Syncrolift Industrial Area Walvis Bay | Namibia

info@wesco.com.na

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