Namib Independent Issue 171

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Tel: 064 200497

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Issue 171 - Thurs, 22 Oct 2015 to Wed, 28 Oct 2015

Diamond Arrow Winner Best Community Newspaper 2014

"The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?"

Let us continue the legacy which started with Comrade Sam Nujoma who brought independence, peace, unity and reconciliation.

Doc Emmett Brown from the Back to the Future franchise explaining why he chose the DeLorean for his time machine.

President Hage Geingob urged all candidates who stand ready to contest the upcoming election to continue to carry the flame of patriotism and selflessness for which the SWAPO Party is known for.

See Page 13

See Page 4

Namport Erongo Business and Tourism Expo to kick off next week

See Page 6

The Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Mr Chief Ankama, the Finish ambassador to Namibia, Mrs Anne Saloranta and the Mayor of Walvis Bay Mrs. Uilika Nambahu during the official opening of a logistics seminar held in the harbour town.

development Medical Centre Skills must aid infrastructure on the cards for Niel Terblanche

Mondesa Donna Collins

There is a light at the end of the tunnel for the abandoned Mondesa Municipal building which, since it was vacated in 2010, has been run down with its once thriving garden falling to decay.

But the dilapidated building and dying palm trees, which have

become an eyesore to the entrance of Mondesa, will soon be turned into a state-of-the-art medical centre.

In fact the building was bought for N$2.8-million by 'Khomas Medical Centre' (KMC) property division, back in 2010. But due to a re-zoning technical hitch with the Municipality, which prevented any refurbishments being made on the building - the

project has been dragging its feet for five years.

The re-zoning of the erf was only completed last month, but transfer of the property is now in its final stages.

As a result of the delay, all architect plans and developments were put on hold, according to the group CEO Karen Trumper.

"Construction will only start next year, but we are very excited to expand our services to Swakopmund, which is the first town outside of Windhoek," Continued on Page 3

Billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructural development to change Namibia and, more specifically, Walvis Bay into the logistics hub for the Southern African region will mean nothing if human resources to man the projects is not developed alongside of it.

In this regard, the Namibian Government and educational institutions have approached the Finnish Government and training institutions to find a solution to the envisaged skills shortage. A programme and agreement already in existence between the two countries was used to serve as a platform to

furnish new ways of cooperation to attain the required education, in specifically logistics and other maritime subject matter for Namibians.

The Satakunta University of Applied Sciences of Finland in cooperation with: the Faculty of Logistics and Maritime Technology, Finland; Polytechnic of Namibia; Namibian-German Institute for Logistics; Namibia Fisheries and Maritime Institute; Embassy of Finland and Walvis Bay Corridor Group organised a Maritime Logistics Seminar between Namibia and Finland, focusing on Economical Continued on Page 3

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Contact Us Tel (+264 64) 200 497 Email info@namibindependent.com.na

Thursday, 22 October 2015

Mercy flight to Swakop SPCA for Laya the 'Himba dog'

Sales Sharon Brooks 081 394 1235 sharon@namibindependent.com.na Rita Potgieter 081 150 5455 rita@namibindependent.com.na Gareth Amos 081 129 2157 gareth@namibindependent.com.na Editorial Niel Terblanche niel@namibindependent.com.na Design Maggie’s Attic Graphic Design sonya4maggiesattic@gmail.com 081 129 2158 Address 127 Theo Ben Gurirab Street (MVA Office Complex), PO Box 5085, Walvis Bay, Namibia 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.

Theresa Badenhorst (Swakopmund SPCA PRO) gets a hug from Laya the 'Himba dog'.

Donna Collins The Swakopmund SPCA was recently part of an amazing mercy airlift rescue, after receiving a call from a German tourist that a dog belonging to an Ovahimba village in Purros was in a critical condition, and needed urgent veterinary treatment.

The SPCA immediately swung into action, and contacted Jacqui Dreyer, who is a member of the Windhoek Flight Training Centre in Eros, and runs the Namibian 'Pilots 'n Paws' animal rescue project. This charitable animal mercy mission, which saves small and medium sized animals from areas which are almost inaccessible by vehicle, is based on the very successful operation that has been going in South Africa for years.

In this particular case, 'Laya' had caught the attention of a group of tourists visiting the area, who were concerned about her condition and contacted the Swakopmund SPCA to help her. The skin right around her back was raw and inflamed, with open wounds on her body and she was clearly distressed.

Under normal circumstances it would be impossible to fetch the dog by road, but in this case, pilot Bruce Cubitt and his student pilot collected Laya in a Cessna 182 from the Purros airfield. She was loaded into animal carrier, given water and was attended to during the flight.

She was flown directly to the Swakopmund airfield, where she was greeted by Theresa Badenhorst (SPCA PRO) and given the necessary care. Now nicknamed the "Himba dog", Laya is recovering well after medical treatment and a lot of nurturing. She has a sweet and gentle nature, and once fully recovered will be adopted.

"This was an extreme rescue case brought to our attention by tourists, so we couldn't turn our backs on Laya," "This was an extreme rescue case brought to our attention by tourists, so we couldn't turn our backs on Laya," said Theresa, adding that she has been treated for STDs and a severe skin allergy, which is healing well and is responding to the chemotherapy, with her last course of injections being administered by the end of this week.

Pilots 'n Paws was started by Jacqui three years ago, to rescue and transport animals across Namibia that would otherwise not be helped due to the vast travelling distances of our country. They respond on personal requests to rescue animals, and have set guidelines on how to handle injured or sick animals in the plane.

It was mentioned that depending on

the animal and the range they have to fly, 'Pilots 'n Paws" can make use of three types of planes available. And providing there is a landing strip nearby they can collect the animal and fly them to safety.

"Laya was very sick so she lay very still"," said Jacqui, adding that the flight cost for this rescue to Purros and back was around N$8 000 which the flying school covers.

This project is twofold - not only does it give flight training students an opportunity to notch up flying hours, but incorporates rescue work where needed – for both domestic animals and wildlife.

In fact, Bruce has done three 'Pilot 'n Paws' rescues this year, which included amongst others collecting an endangered Pangolin from Walvis Bay and flying it to Okonajima wildlife sanctuary. No distance is too far to fly to help animals in need for these young pilots of our skies.

Meanwhile, Theresa said that the SPCA staff and facilities are preparing themselves for the busy holiday season that is lying ahead, with already most of their boarding kennels fully booked.

She reminded everyone to please refrain from using fireworks in the residential areas.

Not only are they banned, but fireworks are the cause of many dogs being lost and injured due to the trauma they suffer.

The SPCA is always in need of pet food and donations for their strays. Also currently they have lovely dogs and cats up for adoption and looking for good homes.

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News

Thursday, 22 October 2015

3

Medical Centre Skills development on the cards for must aid infrastructure Mondesa

The run down building of the former Mondesa Municipality building is going to be transformed next year into a state-of-the-art Medical Centre, under the umbrella of the expanding Khomas Medical Centre group. (Photo Donna Collins) Continued from Page 1 Continued from Page 1 she said.

"We are continuously looking for new opportunities in the medical industry, and are trying to stay upfront with changing patients’ needs and technology," she added.

"As a family practice we serve a wide spectrum of patients and, in keeping with our motto "accessible quality health care", the new Mondesa Medical Centre will meet the needs of the lower-income earner patients."

She also mentioned that Khomas

Medical patients who either have no medical benefits, or whose benefits are exhausted, can register for their inbuilt Khomas Medical Centre Loyalty Card.

Khomas Medical Centre, which is 25 years old, consists of well managed private practices in Namibia.

Currently KMC has four medical practices around Windhoek seeing up to 6000 patients per month.

Referring to themselves as a 'one stop shop', their services provide professional medical care, which include GP consultations, dentistry, X-Rays and Medical Imaging, Optometry and Pharmacy to mention some, and they are open for consultations 365 days a year.

Gendev Fishing Group concludes wage negotiations amicably The Gendev Fishing Group (GFG) wishes to announce that wage negotiations between the Group and the union came to a successful conclusion on the 13th of October 2015. CEO of GFG, Volker Paulsmeier said that they were pleased with the negotiations which took place over a month and that all parties were respectful and negotiated in good faith.

He added: “The union (NAFAU) was open to our explanations, they were courteous and it was a pleasure doing business with them on behalf of our great workforce.”

The Gendev Fishing Group

agreed to a 7.5% increase on hourly rates, N$ 100 increase on housing allowance, while cold allowance increased from N$ 1.00 to N$ 2.50 per hour. “Furthermore, all employees in the strapping department will receive a strapping allowance of N$ 0.50 cents on actual hours worked as well as a freezer jacket. Lastly a transport allowance of N$ 530 will also be paid once a year during December.”

Paulsmeier thanked the union for their great cooperation and also expressed his gratitude towards the employees who have communicated their satisfaction with the allocated increases.

Potential between South and North. The aim of the Seminar is to develop capacity building between the Logistic Clusters of Namibia and Finland, in order to enhance business relations between the two countries.

The Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Mr. Chief Ankama, opened the seminar officially and said the initiative flows from the partnership and Memorandum of Understanding that was signed between the two countries when Namibia bought the MV Mirabilis from Finland.

“Cooperation in training of people to crew and maintain the ship was agreed upon then but developments since have caused a greater demand for even more skills to be made available, in order for Namibia to attain its development goals.

“Cooperation in training of people to crew and maintain the ship was agreed upon then but developments since have caused a greater demand for even more skills to be made available, in order for Namibia to attain its development goals.

Although Namibians can do courses and qualify for careers in the marine industry at the Namibia Fisheries and Maritime Institute these qualifications are not recognised internationally and this new

project will rectify the situation.”

Mr. Ankama said the Ministry is in the process of drafting a bill to elevate the status of Namfi to enable it to effectively engage institutions like the Satakunta University in Finland for help and for capacity building. Namfi will be able to develop internationally recognised curricula and to enable Namibians to attain top qualifications.

The Finnish Ambassador to Namibia, Mrs. Anne Saloranta, said during the opening ceremony that her government has always focused on increasing opportunities for Namibians.

“By increasing opportunities especially in the field of education, Finland has done much in decreasing extreme poverty amongst Namibians.

The new initiative will build yet another bridge for Namibians to increase their capabilities, thereby increasing the potential.”

The Ambassador said the Walvis Bay Corridor Group is but one of the projects supported

by Finland. Mrs. Saloranta said the development of the institution has led the way to Walvis Bay becoming a logistics hub for the whole of the southern African region.

She pointed out that the MARIBIA project already covered areas of maritime education, training and capacity building.

“The project is an excellent example of co-operation in a key sector to Namibia’s economy with an overarching goal of increasing opportunities for maritime education and enhancing its quality, thereby improving the lives and livelihoods of the population, in particular that of the

young people.”

She said Namibia has a clear vision to become a regional leader in logistics distribution in Southern Africa.

“For years, Namibia has been developing into an increasingly important transit to countries for goods from or going to landlocked countries in southern and central Africa. Finland is known for its world leading, maritime technology as well as maritime education, and we are truly grateful for Namibia to recognise our expertise and knowhow in this sector.”

While trade between Finland and Namibia is still relatively low, growth has been rapid in recent years and, according to the ambassador, the seminar shows that the two countries are ready to enhance trade in areas such as mining, construction, manufacturing, logistics, and energy in a concrete way. Exports from Finland to Namibia amounted to over 12 million Euros in 2014.

Imports from Namibia to Finland in 2014 were at a one million Euro level and the biggest imports consisted of fruit and nuts and meat.

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News

Thursday, 22 October 2015

President launches regional elections Niel Terblanche After the exclusion of several top candidates from the official electoral list for the upcoming Regional and Local Authority elections, the new SWAPO Party campaign was officially launched by the President of Namibia.

Regional and Local Authority Elections will take place on November 27 as directed by the SWAPO Party Election Manifesto of 2014, in which it is it is stated that one of the most important priorities of the SWAPO Party Government had been the creation and establishment of the institutional framework necessary for democratic governance.

During the ceremony, President Hage Geingob said, “Given that this election is for the Regional and Local Authority, it is crucial that we identify candidates that are suitable to deal with the demands of an urban centre such as Windhoek. In future, we should ensure that we select people based on prerequisite qualifications and they should be vetted six months before the elections so that our Party has a list of candidates to submit to the Electoral Commission of Namibia, well in advance.”

Dr Geingob said people are

the sovereign and they appoint leaders to govern on their behalf.

“Therefore they watch us and during periodic elections, they can remove us. We give account to them so that they can see whether we have performed according to their wishes. If we have not performed, then we should expect consequences.”

The President said he was disturbed to discover that everywhere he went while visiting the regions the people are unhappy with their councillors.

“That is why during the primaries, some of candidates were not included on the electoral lists. They lost out, including the old guard and subsequently there were complaints regarding these outcomes.”

A committee was subsequently established to conduct a post mortem on the elections at the primaries to find out why certain candidates were not included on the lists.

Dr Geingob said that he is confident that, given the SWAPO Party’s track record of effective Governance and its vision to expand and spread the opportunities for growth and prosperity to all Namibians from all walks of life and in all parts of the country, the party is ready to deal another devastating blow

to its opponents in the upcoming elections in November.

The President urged all candidates who stand ready to contest the upcoming election to continue to carry the flame of patriotism and selflessness for which the SWAPO Party is known for.

“Put all self-interest aside and pick up the mantle of hard work because the struggle continues.

Let us continue the legacy which started with Comrade Sam Nujoma who brought independence, peace, unity and reconciliation. This was followed by Comrade Hifikepunye Pohamba, the rainmaker, who brought stability. Now people want jobs, they want food, clothes, schools and decent shelter. They want prosperity. The only way to achieve that is by pulling together in one direction as selfless and committed comrades ready to tackle the new enemy which is poverty.”

The SWAPO Party Government has singled out poverty as the number one enemy of Namibia and a threat to its democracy and development objectives.

With reference to the strike organised by public servants in the north the President said: “We have declared all-out war

on poverty. In a war situation, one must be prepared to make sacrifices and incur losses for the greater good of all. It is therefore disturbing to hear that while we are fortifying ourselves against a looming drought, energy crisis, tackling high youth unemployment and readying ourselves to launch an offensive on poverty, it is disturbing to know that there are a number of Public Servants contemplating a strike.”

According to Public Service records, there are 100,000 people employed as Civil Servants while there are 278 245 people unemployed.

“Since we are fighting a war against poverty, it is not too much to ask those that are fortunate enough to have employment to think about their brothers and sisters who have nothing. Yes, I understand the issue

Police in the firing line Niel Terblanche

Alleged blatant abuse of equipment and resources as well as flagrant disregard for duties had the heads of department of NamPol in Walvis Bay back at the table answering questions.

For the second time in as many weeks, members of the harbour town’s community met with officers in the command structures of the Erongo police headquarters about niggling issues that seem to interfere with proper law enforcement.

Under the banner of Turn Back Crime, members of the Walvis

Bay Youth Forum met with police commanders to discuss these issues and to demand answers. Members of the youth forum had a list of questions which mainly focussed on the lack of service delivery from officers manning police stations in Kuisebmond.

Questions about lack of service delivery or disregard of duties accused officers being under the influence of alcohol when on duty or when attending to complaints from the public. Officers in charge also came under fire for allowing their subordinates to disregard uniform regulations when on duty and also not adhering to swift responses.

The youth forum also accused the

police of abusing their vehicles and resources. One question pertinently stated that officers are not able to attend to complaints from the public because, in many cases, the duty vehicle is often seen parked at some or other officer’s private home while off duty. Another excuse by police officers that a duty driver is not available to attend to complaints was also questioned.

Other issues pertained to the recognition of the Walvis Bay Youth Forum as a partner of the Namibian Police in fighting crime. The premises which the body utilises in fulfilling this duty is not being kept in good order and is not attended by officers, as was

of creeping inflation and how it increases the cost of living; however there are those who are just struggling to survive. Let all of us who are employed think about how we can reduce spending and sacrifice our salaries rather than fighting for increments when you are employed and at least have an income. I am ready to set aside 20% of my salary in order to set up a scholarship fund for impoverished children. The modalities around the 20% will be discussed later.”

Dr Geingob said poverty is a faceless enemy that comes in many forms. He was of the opinion that the nation should be more united than ever before and should hold hands to form an unbreakable chain that will form the boundary in which the Namibian House will be built and fortified.

agreed when the forum first started the initiative to co-operate with law enforcement in order to fight the upsurge in crime from a community perspective.

The Chinese community from Walvis Bay held a similar meeting with the regional commander recently where a lot of similar issues came to light.

Better communication between communities and the Namibian Police was the only solution offered by the police during both meetings. In the case of the Chinese community, a committee was established that will meet regularly with the command structure to address issues not reported through regular channels.

In the case of the youth forum, the

police gave out the personal numbers of officers within the command structure to enable members to report police misconduct and abuse of resources. Officers in charge of the community project to turn back crime undertook to address these issues with renewed vigour.

The Namibian Police has, for the last two decades, embraced initiatives from local communities to fight crime. NamPol has launched a variety of community policing programmes all over the country. One such initiative is the co-operation agreement with the Walvis Bay Youth Forum and it was built on the principle of communication and availability of police officers to attend to complaints from the public.

News

Thursday, 22 October 2015

5

Etosha Fishing at the top of Quality Awards agenda.

According to the NSI, the Quality Company of the Year Award is bestowed on registered companies which best reflect full commitment to applicable local and international high quality production practices and standards and norms.

The Namibian Exporter of the Year Award

relates to a company or organisation that has made significant progress in commencing or expanding exports to new or wider markets by introducing quality in their company.

Etosha Fishing will now challenge the other winners from the SADC Region at the Annual SADC Quality Awards later on this year.

Receiving the reward for Large Enterprise Company of the year, Large Enterprise Product of the year and Large Enterprise Exporter of the year 2015, Etosha Fishing MD Pieter Greeff (centre) is seen here flanked by Etosha Fishing Quality Manager Estelle van Dyk (on his left) and Assistant Quality Manager Gisbertus Nakale (far left). The awards were handed over by Deputy Minister of Industrialization, Trade and SME Development, Hon Piet van der Walt and NSI CEO Chie Wasserfall (right).

For the second year in a row, Etosha Fishing managed to walk away with top honours at the NSI National Quality Awards Ceremony.

The company was again awarded with the first prize in the Large Enterprise Company of the year category. Along with the award, Etosha Fishing also won in the Large Enterprise Product of the year and Large Enterprise Exporter of the year categories.

“With the right team one can achieve great things,” Managing Director of Etosha Fishing, Pieter Greeff, said at the event held in Windhoek. He praised his staff for their commitment and hard work in making Etosha Fishing a top quality company.

Etosha Fishing broke ground in recent years with the introduction of Namibia’s first canned horse mackerel product range called “Efuta Maasbanker”, the first Namibian canned product to receive the NSI Standard Mark of Conformity product endorsement.

It also carries Halaal Certification and is a proudly Namibian product displaying the Team Namibia logo. It was successfully introduced to the Namibian retail market and has ever since been available on the shelves of all major retailers. The product continues to achieve huge success as an export product to other southern African markets.

Efuta Maasbanker was first canned in 2013 in response to repeated calls by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources for employment creation and value addition in this sector, which is directly in line with the Government’s Vision 2030 and NDP4 policy framework. Moreover, the venture allowed for a more sustainable business operation with longer term employment for more Namibians.

It also materialised Etosha Fishing’s vision of putting the country’s most valuable fish resource in a can, offering the nation an

affordable, nutritious meal from the sea.

The NSI National Quality Awards is aimed at recognising industries, enterprises and individuals who perform excellently on quality. The awards seek to motivate producers to put quality as the central focus of all their productions at the forefront of their marketing

Etosha Fishing staff proudly celebrate their achievement of receiving top honours at this year’s NSI Awards. They won Large Enterprise Company of the year, Large Enterprise Product of the year and Large Enterprise Exporter of the year 2015. Pictured here are some of the Etosha Fishing staff with the coveted trophies.

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power to the people

PUBLIC NOTICE

CLOSURE OF ERONGO RED OFFICES Dear Valued Customer Please note that Erongo RED Offices will be closed on the following days and time as indicated below: Town

Offices

Date

Time

Walvis Bay

Head Office, Narraville, Kuisebmund and Town Paypoint

26 October 2015

08h00 - 10h00

Swakopmund

Apex Paypoint, Mondesa Paypoint and Technical Department

26 October 2015

15h00 - 17h00

Arandis

Arandis Paypoint

26 October 2015

14h00 - 17h00

Henties Bay

Henties Bay Paypoint

27 October 2015

08h00 - 10h00

Uis

Uis Paypoint

27 October 2015

14h00 - 15h00

Omaruru

Technical Department and Omaruru Paypoint

28 October 2015

08h00 - 10h00

Karibib

Karibib Paypoint

28 October 2015

08h00 - 11h00

Usakos

Usakos Paypoint

28 October 2015

08h00 - 11h00

We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Kindly contact our Call Centre at 081 9600 for urgent enquiries.

TEL +264 64 214600 FAX +264 64 214601 ERONGO RED BUILDING 91 HAGE GEINGOB STREET P O BOX 2925 WALVIS BAY NAMIBIA

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News

Thursday, 22 October 2015

Namport Erongo Business and Tourism Expo to kick off next week

Sharon Brooks

Preparations are well underway at the Walvis Bay Civic Centre for the annual Namport Erongo Business and Tourism Expo which will be held next week. Having attracted between 12 000 and 14 000 visitors last year, the expo is set to draw even more people this year when the event opens on 28 October.

The Governor of the Erongo region, Honourable Cleophas Mutjavikua will officiate the opening ceremony which will commence at 09h30 at the civic centre. Also expected to speak are Bisey Uirab, CEO of Namport and the Mayor of Walvis Bay Uillika Nambahu. Gates will be open to the public from 10 am on Thursday and Friday and from 9 am on Saturday.

There will be a total of 240 stalls at the expo and the annual event opens up a significant market in the Erongo Region of about 120 000 people for local, regional, national and international businesses and organisations to market their goods and services in the Erongo Region and Walvis Bay, as Namibia's vital trans-shipment port for the SADC region.

Namport (Namibian Ports Authority) has become involved in the Erongo Trade Expo and views its support as a long-term partnership to promote its port facilities locally, regionally and internationally. Expo Studio Namibia, who are the organisers of the event, regard Namport's involvement as crucial interest for the Erongo Expo as the staging of the event would not be possible without its vital support. This

picture would not be complete without the involvement of the Walvis Bay Municipality; their inputs to encourage Walvis Bay based SMEs to fully utilise the Expo to showcase their products and services and availing of their excellent facilities to host the Expo. Erongo RED has come on board, sponsoring the electricity for the second consecutive year which plays a vital role in the operation of the expo.

The Honourable Regional Governor of the Erongo Region is the Patron of the Namport Erongo Business & Tourism Expo. The staging of expositions would not be possible without the esteemed support and involvement of the business sector.

It is the intention of the organisers to grow the NAMPORT Erongo Business and Trade Expo, into a major Namibian trade event that would spill over into the SADC Region. It could connect the Erongo Region and Walvis Bay through its corridors with the rest of Southern Africa. The event has therefore adopted the appropriate slogan - Your port of call.

To maximise the exhibition opportunities, the various industries have been grouped together in the respective halls. The Erongo Hall has been dedicated to food, wine, catering & related industries. This event distinguishes itself from other exhibitions and fairs in Namibia by not charging any entrance fees. Visitors enter the expo terrain free of charge, except for paying for certain activities and entertainment. This as such will play a big role in attracting more visitors to the event.

Bank warns consumers about ongoing scam Unscrupulous fraudsters have found a new way to extort money from unsuspecting Namibians by preying on them when they are at weakest.

Nothing is more heartbreaking than a death in the family and this is when the fraudsters attack.

Several instances were reported to Bank Windhoek’s forensic department that, after a family member passed away, a client was contacted by an individual who claimed that, before a funeral benefit could be processed, a certain amount had first to be paid into specific account before the policy could be processed.

“How this works is that a family member of the deceased will be contacted by a stranger who claims to work for an institution where a funeral policy or coverage has become payable.

These fraudsters often find the contact details of the grieving family member from funeral notices in the media and even social media postings, as they have very personal information about the family of the deceased” says Johnny Truter, Head of Forensics at Bank Windhoek.

“Knowing that family members are

in mourning stage, fraudsters take the opportunity to prey on the family’s weaknesses. They will usually call the number provided in the media from a cellular number and claim that payment is outstanding on a policy. They will even provide a contact number where they can be reached, which may seem legitimate,” Truter warned.

It is imperative for clients to first establish the identity of the individual who requested that the money be paid into an institution’s account, by phoning the branch or institutions head office.

If this individual also constantly phones or sends text messages to the client about whether the money has been transferred into their account it should be construed that a scam is afoot.

“If there is even the slightest bit of suspicion that this is “out of the blue” or too good to be true, clients must immediately contact their nearest Bank Windhoek branch or report the matter to the bank’s forensics department at forensic@bankwindhoek.com,” Truter said.

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News

Thursday, 22 October 2015

7

Windhoek appoints Decline in tourist Bank new people in top management

numbers continues

Niel Terblanche The second quarter tourism index report compiled by Daniel Kavishe, Market Research Manager, FNB Namibia Holdings, reveals that the tourism sector is still facing some headwinds as tourist numbers decline within the Namibian market.

The travel index deteriorated as indicated by airplane plane load factor which declined by 11.6% and bed occupancy rate which only increased by 3.2%, lower than the average quarterly growth of 13.8%. The third proponent of the travel index, the exchange rate index, had shown a 1.3% strength during the quarter but seemed to have little to no bearing on overall travel index.

Figures released from the industry survey were discomforting. Business performance during the second quarter was down with most of the responses indicating that business was at best fair, with 35.3% mentioning that business was poor to very poor as compared to the same period in 2014.

“This was largely due to the drop in tourist numbers of which 55.3% of the respondents stated was dismally poor compared to the market expectations.

Revenue received by the industry has been dwindling according to the survey. 36.2% of the respondents stated that the overall revenue was positive but more respondents stated that the results were unsatisfactory.”

Employment numbers during the second quarter edged slightly higher in order to cater for the additional conferences and the tourism expo that took place during the period. 27.0% of the managers within the sector had to employ workers to cater for the market at the time but additionally to prepare for the third quarter activities.

Growth in CAPEX has been on a decline with most managers quoting “cost control” for the period to ensure maximum possible returns given declining revenue. Revenue over the past quarter was very poor according to 27.0% of the managers surveyed. Only 3.2% of the market stated that revenue had increased beyond their actual expectations.

Future expectations within the market are slightly positive. In terms of overall business sentiment, 31.5% of the managers expect business in the third quarter to be good. This is however 11% lower than the expectations within the market during the same period last year, but 40.95% of respondents expect revenue to increase during the third quarter.

The new smoking legislature has had an impact on the tourist numbers within various centres across the country. According to information from a few gambling houses, lower customers numbers have been recorded as clients look for alternative venues where they can smoke while gambling.

Surveyed results further indicate that there is an anticipated growth in services offered to the high end, higher spenders of the market as opposed to the

lower to middle income segments.

According to managers of lodges and games reserves, high spenders, although few, offer more value per customer than trying to meet the demands of the masses.

Still an area of concern is the Ebola pandemic.

Despite Ebola having a zero incidence rate in Namibia and concerted efforts for the various tourist associations to ensure the rest of the world that there is no Ebola in Namibia, tourist bookings have declined citing fears of the diseases proximity to the region.

Coupled with the hunting season another factor which could bring about good performance in the third quarter is the introduction of the new airline, Fly Africa.

Despite their flights being brought to a halt due to matters of licensing, their presence could lead to an improvement of international arrivals specifically within the region. If the cheap flights are packaged properly, international arrivals could possibly increase thus improving tourism numbers.

Daniel De Vries has been appointed by the top management of Bank Windhoek as Regional Executive Officer of Corporate Banking, Coastal Region.

Daniel joined Bank Windhoek in 2012 as Relationship Support Manager for Corporate Banking Coastal Division.

He has 13 years of banking experience and has held numerous positions in various branches and departments. Daniel has spent the last four years in a Corporate Banking environment and is committed to service excellence and believes in being involved with his clientele and their businesses, in order for him to gain a greater understanding of their business. ”I am excited to take up the challenges of his new role and look forward to promoting Bank Windhoek further,” Daniel said.

Bianca Bock has been appointed as Relationship Support Manager for Corporate Banking Coastal Division Bianca’s banking career started in 2002 at Bank Windhoek Swakopmund Branch.

She held various positions in the branch and gained experience in the different departments in the retail banking environment.

She holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science (UNISA) and successfully completed the Credit Development Program.

9th

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Thursday, 22 October 2015

COSDEF bring Topnaars to exhibit at NAMPORT Expo Donna Collins

Since COSDEF opened its doors a year ago, the N$22-million USA funded state-of-theart Arts & Crafts Centre in Swakopmund is making great strides in training and mentoring unemployed Namibians to become self sufficient in the market place.

And with the involved participation of SME (Small, Medium Enterprise) taking part in the upcoming NAMPORT Erongo Business and Tourism Expo, COSDEF have registered a group from the Topnaar community, who for the first time ever will be exhibiting their products.

Known as the 'river people', the Topnaars, whose survival as inhabitants along the Kuiseb River is a constant struggle, has seen their fortunes changing this past year, when COSDEF took them under their wing for training.

COSDEF has, during this past year, encouraged many community artists and craft people from outreach areas in our region and beyond to participate in their development programmes, which include small business training as well as craft skills courses.

And through a sponsorship from the 'Bread for the World' organisation in Germany, they have funded a training programme for the Topnaar community.

Training commenced at the beginning of

the year, and was held between the Gobabeb Research and Training Centre as well as at the COSDEF centre.

The group of nearly 20 men and women were taught the art of leather product making and business management. The women were taught the art of soap making, resulting in a divine product derived from the !Nara Melon.

COSDEF will also become the future outlet showcasing the new range of Topnaar products, along with all the other Namibian art, craft, jewellery and products that have been created.

Topnaar community leader Sebedeus Swartbooi, who spoke on behalf of the group, claimed that they are very excited to be part of the NAMPORT Expo this year. He said that they have made a lot of different products, and that this is the first time they will be exhibiting their craft to the public.

He said that COSDEF organised their participation at the upcoming Namport Expo as part of the art centre's outreach programme to expose the crafts of rural communities in a professional business environment.

"COSDEF's national outreach programme offers craft, product and business training to enable people to utilise their skills and become more financially independent," said Michelle //Inixas (COSDEF National Arts & Crafts Coordinator).

Michelle //Inixas (COSDEF National Arts & Crafts Coordinator) and Topnaar leader Sebedeus Swartbooi, with some of the ladies who will be exhibiting their products for the first time at the NAMPORT Expo. (Photo Donna Collins) "Once our training is completed, we initiate marketing opportunities for these SMEs to showcase and sell their products either through COSDEF, or at SWAITEX and the NAMPORT Expo, where they have the opportunity to exhibit their products in a dynamic and professional venue."

The NAMPORT Erongo Business and Tourism Expo, is scheduled to take place at the Walvis Bay Civic Centre from 28 October to

FIRST BEST FRIENDS - THEN BROTHERS - NOW NEIGHBOURS

31 October 2015.

This is sponsored by Namport, Walvis Bay Municipality as well as Erongo RED who are sponsoring the electricity for the duration of the event.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry supports the SME participation, and interested SME operations have been urged to contact the Ministry of Trade & Industry to secure their participation.

The Swakopmund Retirement Village now also offers world-class care services in partnership with GERATEC, the full-service provider of personcentred care. Visit www.geratecza.com for more information.

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Thursday, 22 October 2015

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LANGER HEINRICH URANIUM (PTY) LTD A Member of the Paladin Energy Ltd Group of Companies (An Equal Opportunity Employer)

Langer Heinrich Mine is committed to invest in and assist Namibian graduates to acquire the necessary education, training and career exposure, which will enable them to enter the Namibian labour market with confidence and to thereby alleviate the shortage of trained and experienced professionals.

GRADUATE TRAINEES 12-MONTHS INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME Langer Heinrich Uranium prefer to focus on solutions to challenges and we are looking for likeminded young Namibians in the following disciplines: • Metallurgical / Chemical Engineering • Mechanical Engineering • • • • •

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FULL-TIME BURSARIES Langer Heinrich Uranium invites Namibian students who are commited and interested in a careeer in the mining industry to apply for the following bursaries. Only students who have successfully completed their second academic year will be considered: • • • • • • •

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REQUIREMENTS: REQUIREMENTS: • Namibian citizenship • An overall average of 60% for major subject’s end-year results

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A comprehensive CV

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Certified copies of the grade 12 results and academic record

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Certified copy of your Birth Certificate or Identity Document

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Admission or provisional acceptance at a recognised accredited SADC tertiary institute (for bursary applicants)

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Thursday, 22 October 2015

Home grown barley gives birth to new beer In support of the Namibian Government’s 'Growth at Home' strategy, Namibia Breweries Limited announced the launch of King Lager, its latest innovation and addition to the brewer’s portfolio of superior world-class beer brands.

King Lager is the country’s very first un-malted beer, and is proudly brewed with barley grown in Namibia.

NBL conducted extensive quantitative and qualitative research to confirm the opportunity for the introduction of a new locally produced premium quality beer and tested the proposition, brand name and packaging with consumers, which was very positively received, before finalising the concept and launching King Lager.

In light of O&L’s purpose of “Creating a future, enhancing life” for all Namibians, extensive trials have seen NBL over the past five years explore the establishment of a local barley industry. This proved Namibia’s potential to successfully produce barley, which led to the conclusion of a smart partnership recently signed with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) as well as AgriBusDev, to grow

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barley at the Green-schemes in Namibia as from next year.

NBL Managing Director, Wessie van der Westhuizen said during the launch: “This initiative, which coincides with the Ohlthaver & List’s purpose of “Creating a future, enhancing life” for all Namibians, will create a local barley supply chain in Namibia that benefits each member of the chain, as well as the government and the community as a whole, resulting in the creation of many job opportunities thereby contributing in boosting the country’s economy. For NBL it eventually just made sense that a new local brand be embarked on to bring more to our consumers and the nation at large, and in celebration of our own grown barley.”

The barley used to produce King Lager is harvested at Shadikongoro in the far north of Namibia. Currently, barley is also planted at Otavifontein and is expected to be harvested at the end of December 2015. Project Manager for Project Kernel, Martin Krafft said: “The idea is that NBL buys from approved suppliers and supports the farmers with the knowledge gained during the trials. This year NBL has planted 30ha of barley at Otavifontein to continue collecting data, information and experience which we can use to support farmers and to optimise the program for all participants. It is important to note that all participants will need to make the Namibian barley program a success, due to the fact that Namibia as a whole is in competition with other members of SADC and the rest of world. All our results thus far have shown that a win-win scenario is

possible for the farmer, the government and community as a whole, as well as for NBL.” Van der Westhuizen added that the name ‘King’ was inspired by the quality and attributes of NBL’s core consumers.

“This is our way of honouring those men who act as guardians of our legacy. The brand name ‘King’ is highly desirable and cues respect. It conjures up imagery that is inspiring and personal qualities that consumers find motivating such as dignity, respect, royalty and class. Most of all, the brand name resonates because it is simple & easy to understand. One of the key ingredients of King Lager and what makes King Lager stand apart from its peers is that it is the first beer in Namibia to be brewed with homegrown Namibian barley.”

“At this stage King Lager will only be available to the Namibian market while we have elected to fully support King Lager with an extensive marketing campaign and establish the brand in Namibia before exploring opportunities for the brand outside of our borders.

I am confident that – like any of our superior world-class brands - we will be able to elevate our latest addition to our portfolio to the next level!” concluded Wessie.

Since commencement of the barley trials almost 5 years ago, NBL has so far invested more than N$5 million in the barley project for trial planning, execution, seeds, laboratory and brewing trials, as well as shipments and logistics. This excludes the product innovation work that has gone into developing the new brand.

Thursday, 22 October 2015

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Thursday, 22 October 2015

Windhoek Oktoberfest to be held in Cape Town The special 'Festbier' has always been a favorite and gladly welcomed by beer lovers at the annual Windhoek Oktoberfest. This beer, brewed specially for the Windhoek Oktoberfest by Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) will also feature at the Windhoek Oktoberfest Cape Town.

Men dressed in the traditional Bavarian wear, “Lederhosen” at the Windhoek Oktoberfest.

The much anticipated annual Windhoek Oktoberfest will, for the first time in the history of the event, be hosted in South Africa this weekend.

With the aim of bringing the purity, premium experience to Namibians in South Africa, Namibia Breweries Limited will host the Windhoek Oktoberfest in Cape Town. NBL has decided to include its South African clientele in the 57th annual Oktoberfest celebrations, with the aim of making it an annual activity. Arguably the best Oktoberfest in Africa, the event will be hosted at the Hillcrest Quarry in Durbanville this weekend.

Norbert Wurm, member of the Windhoek Oktoberfest organising committee said: “We hope Cape Town is geared up and ready to enjoy an unforgettable time at the Windhoek Oktoberfest celebrated by more than 6 million people across the globe, and regarded as the one of the largest cultural festivals. This family event certainly

promises great fun and memories to last.”

Over the years, the Windhoek Oktoberfest has seen tremendous growth in popularity with a steady rise in the number of visitors. NBL does not only make available excellent Namibian beer brewed according to the German purity law, the Reinheitsgebot of 1516, but visitors to the Windhoek Oktoberfest in Cape Town can also expect a ‘Festbier’ specially brewed for the event. NBL’s Camelthorn Weissbier and the Erdinger Weissbier will also be available at the fest.

Great German food, traditional games & activities, as well as world-class entertainment will add to the excitement that awaits Windhoek Oktoberfest supporters. This will include the popular world-class Oktoberfest band – the Kirchdorfer – straight from the original Oktoberfest in Münich, where they’ve been performing in the Hacker-Festzelt, every year since 1994. They bring the true Oktoberfest spirit to all corners of the globe.

Traditional Bavarian games such as the ever-popular

mechanical bull-riding, archery, log-sawing and beerlifting for the ladies also promises to bring exciting entertainment to the participants.

Wurm said: “Passion shown by the Bavarians toward the annual Oktoberfest is an immense contributor to the success this event has grown to become. NBL shares the same passion for its products, and for Namibia and its people. NBL was thus drawn to this global annual activity and committed to joining in with the rest of the world in the celebration of the Oktoberfest. The event continues to grow from strength to strength every year.”

The Windhoek Oktoberfest celebrates authentic German traditions fuelled by Namibian passion and quality local beers.

Visitors are reminded to round off their Windhoek Oktoberfest experience with traditional Bavarian costumes - the ‘Dirndl’ for the ladies and the ‘Lederhosen’ for the gents. For more on the Windhoek Oktoberfest visit www.oktoberfestnamibia.com

New Initiative identifies budding artists

A brand new initiative to identify budding creative artists from all levels of Namibian society has been launched by one of the major commercial banks in the country.

One of the participants was Laura Callard from Walvis Bay and she managed to secure one of the top ten spots during the final judgement of the competition.

Winners in the Bank Windhoek and the National Art Gallery of Namibia’s (NAGN) 30x30 Art Competition were announced last week.

“Although not well known, I am an artist and I thought to myself I might as well take part. I sent in my work and the judges really liked it. The piece I sent to Windhoek got damaged on the way but the people there managed to repair it and I could still be part of the competition,” she said.

Laura said the theme of the competition was ‘Keep Namibia Fresh’ and the work she submitted for judgement was called ‘Paint it Ours’. It was meant to symbolise that each and every Namibian should work diligently to Keep Namibia fresh.

The competition, which aimed to discover new and fresh talent in Namibia, required amateur artists to translate their creative ideas into any medium on a 30x30 centimeter stretched canvases.

The competition consisted of two categories, namely a School Category for secondary school learners and an Amateur Category for artists who do not have any tertiary art qualification and have not had a solo exhibition or participated in a curated exhibition.

A panel of judges selected the best artworks and the artists that were selected as the top ten each received a cash prize of N$1 000. The five runners-up each received a merit award, of a cash prize of N$750.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Hercules Viljoen, Director of the NAGN, said: “The 30x30 Art Competition is a new initiative that challenges an emerging generation of artists who may soon form the new creative elite of Namibian art. By becoming an annual event, the 30x30 Competition may soon expand the boundaries of creativity and boost the confidence of an - as yet – under-exposed group of new talents.”

“By providing all participants with the same challenge, which is a blank 30 x 30 cm canvas, the project promotes an act of problem-solving, which is at the basis of creativity. The artists of the artworks seen here tonight were all extremely brave by challenging themselves and by showing their creativity to an audience in this pioneering project,” Viljoen said.

Riaan van Rooyen, Head: Corporate Communication and Social Investment at Bank Windhoek said: “It is amazing to see all the creative and innovative ideas that were presented by artists on the

The top ten artists were Charmaine Meintjies, Elvis Garoeb, Gideona Smith, Jessica Sack, Jodine Strauss, Michelle van Rooyen, Natache Iilonga, Shirley Witbooi, Laura Callard and Nicola Nawes.

Some of the top ten artists also received merit awards and they were Jessica, Sack, Antje Diener, Tangeni Shinana, Michael Kangandji and Collins Haipinge.

30x30 canvasses.”

“In line with what Pablo Picasso said: “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life” the Bank Windhoek Arts Festival gives a platform to Namibian artists to establish themselves within the local industry, while creating enjoyment for art lovers and to wash their souls from the dust of everyday life. Art is an integral part of life and life itself can become an art. Bank Windhoek knows that finances and banking are very much a science, but how we bring what we do to the market and our involvement and empathy with the community, is an art. That is why we do not see ourselves as being in the money business, no, we are in the people business,” concluded van Rooyen.

The rest of the artworks, will be displayed at an exhibition where they will be on sale to the public for N$500. The exhibition will be open to the public until 31 October 2015.

Thursday, 22 October 2015

Back to the Future II: Top 10 inventions that we really use in 2015

Marty McFly famously landed his time machine in 2015 - and the film had a surprising amount of predictions which were right on the money.

Marty McFly finally went ‘Back to the Future’ on Wednesday - three decades after transporting himself from 1985 to 2015.

In the original sci-fi film’s sequel “Back to the Future II,” the teenage time traveller and his sidekick Doc Brown landed their now iconic DeLorean at 4.29pm on October 21, 2015. When they got there they discovered a world of flying cars, hovering skateboards and self-lacing shoes. Despite the movie’s ambitious predictions, none of those inventions have yet hit the mainstream.

But there are a number of things about life in 2015 that the movie did correctly predict. We today chart ten of the best ones, as well as five that are yet to become reality.

Smart glasses Marty McFly had a bulky pair of sunglasses he could use to answer and talk on the phone.

The invention may have seemed far-fetched to most movie goers when the film was released, but computerised eyewear Google Glass can now do exactly that and more.

It finally became available to the public in May last year, just in time for Marty’s arrival.

Facial recognition Doc Brown’s futuristic style binoculars were able to use facial recognition technology to track their subject and appeared ridiculous at the time. However, facial recognition software is now available on the iPhone and on most digital cameras.

Back to the Future Day

13

most games, some are motion-activated. Microsoft Kinect, an added system used to connect to an Xbox, allows gamers to play games using their own motions, rather than a control pad.

Drone cameras As the film’s baddie Griff and his gang are taken into police custody after crashing their hover boards into the courthouse, a drone camera, branded with the logo of American news outlet USA Today, can be seen whizzing around snapping pictures. Drones are now widely sold in Britain for cheap prices and can be bought either with cameras attached or with the option of adding cameras.

And the things that haven’t happened yet …

Flying cars Flying cars do exist to a point. Terrafugia unveiled a prototype the Aeromobil 3.0, which they claim could do more than 400 miles in one trip. However they are not currently on sale and their mainstream sale still remains a distant dream.The nearest equivalent of course is a helicopter.

Fingerprint recognition In the film a payment can be made just by the touch of a fingerprint. It is also used to open doors. This is now possible, with Apple’s latest products and the Samsung Galaxy S5 among other technology, showing how convenient fingerprint recognition is. Thumb print security systems also now exist.

Flat screen wall mounted TVs This was a pretty bold prediction back in the 1980s when TVs still had bulky backs and took up a large amount of space and Marty could not believe his eyes when he saw them in the film. They are now commonplace in most homes, with old style tubed TVs now virtually a thing of the past.

Online banking When an older Marty places a bet online, he does so by putting his bank card into a reader at home. In 2015, the public can use online banking and PayPal to transfer cash using an at home card reader, similar to that used in the movie.

Tablets In the movie, Doc Brown was seen walking around holding a tablet style computer. Tablets are now common place in 2015. More than 100 million Apple iPad’s were sold following its release in April 2010 and mid-October 2012.

3D movies Marty is left stunned when he spots a 3D advert for movie Jaws 19, but although, we have never got as far as that many Jaws sequels, 3D movies do now exist and many people now even have the technology on their TVs at home. 3D movie blockbusters include Avatar and Jurassic World.

Hover boards Marty ditching the wheels on his skateboard remains one of the film’s most memorable moments.

Hendo, an independent company, developed the world’s first hover board and Tony Hawke even got to test ride it, but we are still a long way from anything like the flying skateboard depicted in the film.

During an interview at the time of the film’s release, director Robert Zemeckis claimed that the hover boards were real but not released to the public due to ‘parental safety concerns’. Sadly, it was a lie.

Self-lacing shoes Nike has the patent for these shoes and in 2011 a small number of replicas were sold, with proceeds going to the Michael J Fox Foundation. However, they were essentially a publicity stunt and the vast majority still lace up our shoes the old fashioned way.

Rejuvenation clinics Doc Brown does not have to worry about night creams or exercise. He just has a quick visit to a rejuvenation clinic to get a new body. In the movie, he said: “I went to a rejuvenation clinic and got an all-natural overhaul. They took out some wrinkles, did a hair repair, changed the blood, added a good 30 to 40 years to my life. They also replaced my spleen and colon – what do you think?”

Although we do today have Botox and elective cosmetic procedures, Doc Brown’s life-changing clinic is still a long way off.

The clothing Perhaps thankfully, clothing has not quite changed to the extent that the makers of Back to the Future predicted.

Marty’s double-tie has so far failed to catch on as has the sound effect programmable vest sported by one of baddie Griff’s gang.

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Video conferencing An older Marty McFly speaks to Douglas J Needles and his supervisor Ito Fujitsu using live video conferencing on a giant TV. It looked like a far flung fantasy in the 1980s, but from FaceTime to Skype, it is now an everyday technology that most people have in their own homes and can use to speak to anyone in the world.

Motion controlled video games In the movie, two young boys mock Marty for playing a video game which needs him to use his hands, describing it as being “like a baby’s toy”. Even though we do still use controllers for

14

Worldwide

Thursday, 22 October 2015

Worldwide

Man cuts off ears to look more like his parrot

"It is the best thing that has happened to me." This was no fly-by-night decision.

Ted Richards loves his parrots so much that he had his face and eyeballs tattooed to look more them.

If that was not bird-brained enough, the 56-year-old resident of Bristol, England, went even further by having his ears removed in a six-hour operation.

"I think it looks really great. I love it. It is the best thing that has happened to me. I am so happy it is unreal, I cannot stop looking in the mirror," Richards told South West News Service. "I have done it because I want to look like my parrots as much as possible. I have had my hair long for so many years my ears have been covered up."

Richards said he used to be teased about his ears when he was younger, but insists that is not the reason why he went under the knife.

The retired shoe factory worker may like his new look, but admits he had a hard time keeping his glasses in place until he had two small metal pins added to the side of his head.

"I went to the supermarket the other day and when I went in I said 'Blimey, it is so windy out there it blew my ears off,' and everybody had a chuckle," he told SWNS. Richards has given his severed ear tissue to a friend who "will appreciate them," and has set his sights on another flight of fancy: finding a surgeon who can turn his nose into a beak.

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Oscar Pistorius moved from jail to house arrest

Oscar Pistorius is at his uncle's mansion after being moved from jail to house arrest, but the former track star faces another legal challenge next month when prosecutors argue at an appeals court that he should go back to prison for much longer for killing his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius, a double-amputee who inspired millions when he ran against able-bodied athletes at the 2012 London Olympics, does not have to attend the November 3 hearing at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.

He is likely to wait for the outcome in comfortable confinement at the Pretoria home of Arnold Pistorius, a wealthy businessman who watched from the gallery during his nephew's trial for fatally shooting Ms Steenkamp.

Pistorius, who was acquitted of murder but convicted of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, had spent a year of his five-year sentence in a downtown Pretoria prison where South Africa's former white rulers once executed the condemned during apartheid.

"Oscar is here, and Oscar is at home with the family," Anneliese Burgess, the spokeswoman for the Pistorius family, told reporters outside the home. She said the family was happy.

The media have yet to catch a glimpse of Pistorius, who was ferried from the prison to the house under cover of darkness on Monday night, a day earlier than expected.

Foam hearts 'could be used in human bodies'

Made from a material known as elastomer foam, the artificial organ can move and change its length by up to 300%.

Scientists have created an artificial heart made of foam that could be better than existing devices at pumping blood around the body.

Typical artificial hearts are solid blocks of machinery, but the new device is made of a new stretchy, lightweight material with the consistency of memory foam.

The material can be formed into any shape, and has connected pores that allow fluids to be pumped through it efficiently.

The polymer foam starts out as a liquid and can be poured into a mould to create a range of shapes.

Known as elastomer foam, it can move and change its length by up to 300%.

Cornell University's mechanical and aerospace engineering team used the foam to design the artificial heart, with carbon fibre used in the outer shell.

One of the benefits of creating organs out the material is that it is easily customised for individual patients.

The researchers are working with medical researchers to make their hearts biocompatible so that they can be used as replacement organs.

Assistant professor Rob Shepherd, who works on the project, said: "Testing shows the three-dimensional complexity we can get from our process ... we believe it has the potential, after further development, to be a viable replacement for a heart."

He added that the material could also be used to make prosthetic hands.

His discreet transfer to house arrest avoided the kind of jostling among media, onlookers, police and the Pistorius entourage often seen outside the courthouse during the murder trial, which generated intense global interest.

Under South African law, an offender sentenced to five years or less in jail can be released to correctional supervision after serving one-sixth of the term. That was 10 months in Pistorius's case.

Pistorius's sentence "has not been shortened or reduced" said Ms Burgess, the spokeswoman, an apparent response to criticism that the 28-year-old former star had been treated leniently. Some people have said on social media that the sentence was too light, questioning whether the runner got better treatment because he could afford a strong legal team.

Authorities have said conditions for the house arrest include continued psychotherapy for Pistorius and a ban on any handling of firearms.

Typically, offenders under correctional supervision can only leave their home for specific reasons, such as to attend church or do grocery shopping. They generally cannot leave the house at night. Pistorius will not have to wear an electronic tagging device.

If the appeals court rejects the manslaughter conviction and instead rules that Pistorius is guilty of murder, he faces going back to prison for 15 years, the minimum sentence for murder in South Africa. The appeals court has not said when it will rule in the Pistorius case.

Pistorius has maintained that he thought Ms Steenkamp was an intruder in his Pretoria home and killed her by mistake in the shooting on Valentine's Day 2013. Prosecutors said the two had argued and he shot her intentionally through the door of a bathroom cubicle.

On the day she was killed by Pistorius, Ms Steenkamp was due to give a speech on domestic abuse at a school. Her mother, June, will on Wednesday speak about the same issue at a school in the Steenkamps' hometown of Port Elizabeth, the lawyer for Steenkamp's parents Ms Koen said. South Africa has one of the world's highest murder rates and domestic abuse is also a common problem.

Pistorius, known as "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fibre running blades, was the first amputee runner to compete at the Olympic games. It is unclear whether he would want to resume training, and whether authorities would allow it.

It has been 12 years since chemist David Whitlock bathed. Whitlock learned after doing some research, that certain bacteria can neutralize dangerous organisms and hazardous substances on the skin.

This is all an attempt to recreate his skin’s original condition. He does use water when he really needs to get dirt off, but Whitlock avoids getting wet because it washes off his natural skin flora.

He has started his own company producing the spray named Mother Dirt. So people like you can enjoy a shower-less lifestyle without smelling poorly.

He suggests to use the product twice a day in order to stay squeaky clean at all times When asked if he has even been told he smells he replied “No, unless I have not changed my clothes. But that is something I do normally regularly.”

He also claims the product can positively affect your mood. Whitlock “nitric oxide is a very important psychological parameter. It controls a lot of brain functions, for example. Stress is the result of low levels of nitric oxide. So if you have higher levels of nitric oxide [like Whitlock does from not showering], then it acts as an anti-stress mechanism.”

Source: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Source: www.frequentspew.com

Source: www.news.sky.com

Chemist has not

showered in 12 years

Motoring

Thursday, 22 October 2015

Motoring

Renault Duster 1.5dCi 4WD

We spent a week with the recently face lifted Renault Duster. Are the changes enough to ensure this popular model’s continued success?

The Renault Duster has been a sensation on the local market with strong sales from the word go. Its success, along with the Clio 4’s popularity, has boosted Renault’s market share in this country significantly. Keys to the Duster’s appeal have been its disturbingly low pricing and no-fuss, solid mechanicals. Now there is a facelifted model available with minor exterior and interior enhancements. We had the turbo diesel 4×4 variant on test.

What’s changed?

It is a rather modest facelift, to be honest, and instead Renault is punting the fact that the manufacturing is now done in Romania instead of India. The company expects quality as well as availability to improve because of this production swap. From an exterior perspective, there is less chrome and shiny bits, including the new two-tier front grille and rear nameplate. The roof bars are new along with different alloy wheels.

Turning to the interior, there has been an upgrade to some of the materials. Star attraction is a seven-inch touchscreen that has been carried over from the Clio range. Cruise control is standard across the range as are rear parking sensors. As a final touch, navigation is available on the Dynamique variants (including our test unit).

Engine The diesel model tested here is equipped with a 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine that pushes out the same power and torque as before (80 kW and 240 Nm). There is an improvement in fuel economy, however, as Renault has reduced the Duster’s consumption from 5.5L/100km to just 4.8L/100km. The engine is now Euro VI emissions compliant, as opposed to the older Euro II specification of the previous model’s engine. It is quite a rough-sounding diesel, and certainly more obviously diesel (in engine clatter) than most of its rivals. It is old-school, then, but remember that with that clatter should come a sense of reliability and solidity. The engine is connected to a six-speed manual gearbox that has some of the shortest ratios we have ever had to shift through. It is possible to cruise around town in sixth gear at 60kph and not worry about stalling or being in the wrong gear.

The engine has quite a short torque band and acceleration tapers off as soon as you pass 3 000rpm. At 120kph the revs are a bit high meaning the fuel efficiency on long runs will not be as good as you might expect. The bonus to having the short ratios is that if you take it off-road the first gear could work as a low-range and you can tackle quite steep inclines without riding the clutch to explosion.

Climb aboard As a bare nuts-and-bolts entry-level 4×4

Ever

Executive Care

the Duster does a decent job of not being awful. The plastics feel solid and durable, but are not soft to the touch. Inside there is a vast expanse of grey plastic save for the cloth inserts in the door and the rubber steering wheel. The cloth seats are easily adjustable, but lack quality side support so you have to hold on while cornering.

All the basics are covered with regards to modern electric conveniences and the touchscreen adds an upmarket touch. The screen is however mounted too low and you have to take your eyes and peripheral vision off the road to use it. The Duster is spacious inside with plenty room for rear passengers and a good-sized boot. It’s easy to understand its family car appeal.

Rear Isofix child seat anchors and four airbags are also fitted.

Only this top-spec 4×4 model comes with traction control and it has a rotary switch to change between 2WD and 4WD on the fly. As mentioned before, cruise control is standard and controlled by the buttons on the front of the steering wheel.

Renault has persisted with controls behind the steering wheel to adjust the radio volume and after much fiddling for years, we have learnt where the buttons live.

road, but its short wheelbase combined tall ride can make it bouncy over speed bumps and pavements. It is better out on the freeway where it feels less springy and the steering provides solid feel and confidence. Once you take the Duster off-road it makes a lot of sense. The ride over rippled dirt roads is nothing short of impressive as it dances over the surface.

The shakes and rattles are ironed out by the suspension and it’s comfortable for long stretches on dirt sections. When the going gets a bit trickier the 4WD system works well and traction can be sent to the wheels that need it. The 210mm ground clearance is also very useful.

Verdict Renault South Africa has managed to bring the face lifted Duster in at nearly identical pricing to the pre-facelift model.

That alone is reason enough to upgrade to the newer, prettier version. If you are looking for a solid, reliable-feeling 4×4 on a budget then the Duster is first choice. Family buyers will be grateful for the spacious interior

and large loading space but it is a pity only the top spec model gets traction control. The engine may be a bit on the rough side, but that does not detract from the value for money offering that continues to be the Duster’s strongest suit.

Renault Duster Pricing The range of Dusters begins with a petrol 1.6 Expression at R215 900. The Dynamique 1.6 is R233 900. The Diesels start with the 4×2 Dynamique at R254 900 while the 4×4 Dynamique we tested here comes in at R269 900.

Test Team Opinion The Renault Duster is a wonderfully cheap baby SUV that offers practicality galore.

The diesel engine may sound a little unrefined, but it has a strong and willing unit. It is also surprisingly good off-road and happy to try take on everything.

The only downside is it feels cheap, but when the competition costs so much more, it is not a big problem at all.

Source: www.cars.co.za

On/off the beaten path The Renault Duster rides reasonably on

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