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Perdeby Tuks se amptelike studentekoerant / Official Tuks student newspaper / Kuranta ya baithuti ya semmušo ya Tuks
23April2012
Asterhof student falls from window
P3
year74issue09
Oom Gert dries up
Counting Crows album review
P4
P9
Dan Patlansky interview page 8
Photo: Brad Donald
International sport update
P11
Students sleep on campus
DANIELLE PETTERSON Students are sleeping on Hatfield campus due to a lack of affordable transport and nearby accommodation. SRC member for Transport, Justice and Constitutions, Jordan Griffiths, says many students do not have transport home after tests in the evening. According to Griffiths, buses do not run in the evenings and some of these students can’t afford to take a taxi. “Currently, there are no routes that operate down to Arcadia and Sunnyside and this is a massive issue as there are many students who live in these areas,” said Griffiths. Griffiths added that several students had expressed their concern to him over the number of students they saw sleeping in the study centre early in the morning. Griffiths explained that many students resort to sleeping in the study centre or in toilets. “It is shocking and disgraceful and something needs to be done to help them,” said Griffiths. Busisiwe Radebe, SRC member for Student Well-Being, claims that some of the students sleeping on campus live long distances from the university and should ideally be placed in a residence. Radebe said, “I am unfortunately placed in a position where I cannot do anything to assist them because these students are not coming forward [and] seeking assistance.” According to Thabo Mdlalose, COPE@Tuks Chairperson, students who write late tests or stay late in order to study sometimes sleep in the study centre to avoid risking their safety when walking to their homes in Sunnyside or the CBD. Mdlalose said COPE@Tuks would like the university to provide an evening bus service for students who live long distances from the university. This bus service, he said, should not only cater for students who stay on external campuses, but also for students who travel from, in and around the CBD daily. Third-year BCom student Vusi Manqule “didn’t have a place to sleep last year.” As a result, he ended up “squatting” in the Tukkiewerf offices on Hatfield campus. “There was the issue of food and the issue of a place to rest. I was always
tired,” said Manqule. This, he felt, caused him to fail. He is now repeating his final year. University management later assisted Manqule and he now stays in Campus House. According to Manqule, he spent approximately 97 days sleeping on campus last year. SRC President Mthokozisi Nkosi tells Perdeby that students who were sleeping on campus earlier in the year have been assisted. According to Nkosi, the office of the Dean of Students and the Temporary Student Committee worked together to ensure that those students who needed accommodation were placed in residences or in private accommodation such as Urban Nest, Pulse Living and Campus House. “We never let a student sleep just anywhere around campus. [W]e even made our offices available at some point for them to sleep in (although that is not allowed) but we couldn’t let them sleep outside in the cold,” said Nkosi. According to Colin Fouché, Director of Security Services, purposefully sleeping on campus is not allowed and should be discouraged. He explains that the Department of Students Affairs is equipped to help with professional counselling and support, and encourages students who are experiencing problems to approach them. “The university goes beyond to assist and to support and to encourage students in making a success [of] their academic careers, but there are always limitations,” says Fouché. He added that if the university can’t help students financially, they can still help them emotionally. “There is a lot of support going out but students must ask for it and accept it,” he said. Griffiths believes that much of the problem can be solved by ensuring that these students have access to transport in the evenings. “Currently the last bus to Mamelodi runs at 17:20. This is unacceptable.” According to Nkosi, the SRC is looking into getting regular buses to go to Mamelodi in the evenings, particularly during test and examination periods. “I would like to appeal to the students to come to us if they are still experiencing problems,” Nkosi said. See COPE@Tuks’s comment on this matter and the contact details of the Crisis Service hotline or the SRC @ pPerdeby749a.
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Perdeby www.perdeby.co.za perdeby@up.ac.za m.perdeby.co.za @perdebynews Tel: (012) 420 6600 Editorial Editor-In-Chief: Carel Willemse carel.willemse@up.ac.za @Ed_in_Chief Editor: Beyers de Vos perdeby@up.ac.za @perdebyeditor News: Margeaux Erasmus news@perdeby.co.za @MargeauxErasmus Features: Meagan Dill features@perdeby.co.za @meagandill Entertainment: Nadine Laggar entertainment@perdeby.co.za @Alula273 Sport: Carlo Cock sport@perdeby.co.za @CarloRP Web: Marissa Gravett webeditor@perdeby.co.za @perdebynews Copy: Hayley Tetley @Hayley_Tet Layout: JP Nathrass @JPNathrass Visuals: Brad Donald @Brad3rs
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Editorial
23 April ‘12
I will not grow up. I won’t. I won’t. So, I graduated. It’s a weird thing, the graduation ceremony. It’s a very solemn occasion, but you’re not entirely sure whether to take it seriously or not. Part of me rebelled against the sheer absurdity of it all (it’s just so patently mockable) but at the same, it’s a very empowering feeling: standing on that stage, wearing those robes, getting the most expensive piece of paper you’ll ever own bestowed on you by important people in silly hats. I am now an adult, I suppose. Studying is just a kind of postponement of adulthood, after all. Deny it all you want, but students like being students because they don’t have to grow up. Which is why I’m still studying, and will continue to study for at least another year: being a grown-up is hard work, and hiding behind the skirts of academia is probably one of the healthiest ways of avoiding the real world. But now I’ve graduated, which, while an immense boost to my ego is also a sharp reminder of the fact that soon – too soon – I’ll be on the precipice of the real world: a big black abyss of taxes and mortgages and other things that need to be paid. My idea of adulthood might be a little warped and dramatic and not at all based on what it’s actually like in any way, and I’m probably revealing some deep psychological aversion to change here, but there it is. I’m beginning to think these editorials are revealing too much of my mind. So, let’s chat about other things.
From the Editor
There’s a clandestine treasure hunt currently happening on campus after hours, which is somehow linked to Kaya Rosa and campus ghosts. Last week, I just so happened to be on campus late when I got caught up in the hunt for a while. I’m not exactly sure what happened, or how it works (and no one seems to be able to tell me) but from what I can gather a mysterious clock appears on campus at random points on different nights, counting down to a specific time and when it stops, a pay phone in the vicinity rings and a creepy computerised voice gives you instructions and then you follow the clues and, supposedly, at some point, you win. Although that seems to be a very difficult thing to do. I am intrigued. But also lazy. So, I don’t think I’ll be carrying on with the game. But if someone else is, and wants to tell us all about it, please drop me an email. So, Dan Patlansky. He’s pretty awesome. Pretty damn awesome. And we got to interview him. And now you get to see that interview. See how that works? Exciting, isn’t it? Page 8. We also investigate the pretty serious issues of euthanasia and virginity testing, so check those articles out. The rest of the paper is also, as usual, completely rad (even if I say so myself). Remember to play nice with others Beyers @PerdebyEditor
Perdeby
30 000 students read Perdeby To advertise contact carel.willemse@up.ac.za
Layout Nolwazi Bengu Yannick Pousson Meghan van Rooyen Copy Louis Fourie India Goncalves Jaco Kotze Nolwazi Mngadi Saneze Tshayana Lizette van Niekerk Marié van Wyk Nadine Wubbeling Yuan-Chih Yen Advertising Sales Tel: 012 420 6600 Cell: 083 318 9738 carel.willemse@up.ac.za Copyright Perdeby is printed by Paarlmedia. All rights reserved. Contributions are welcome. All due care will be taken with materials submitted, but Perdeby and printers cannot be held responsible for loss or damage. The Editor reserves the right to edit, amend or alter in any way deemed nescessary. Perdeby cannot be responsible for unsolicited material. The opinions expressed in Perdeby are not necessarily those of the editors and printers of Perdeby.
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News
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23 April‘12
Asterhof student falls from window STEPHANIE VAN DER PLANK
The 20-year-old Asterhof resident who fell from the third-storey window of Xayata on Sunday morning has been released from hospital and is recuperating at home. Director of Security Services, Colin Fouché, said that she is safe and with her family. He told Perdeby that the university is following the proper institutional processes and that an investigation into the particulars of the situation is underway. He added, “We are trying to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding this unfortunate incident. We would like to give the involved student time to recuperate while in the care of her family. Therefore, we would not like to jump to unfounded conclusions with reference to this event.” An anonymous source claims he saw the student go into the third floor bathroom of the Xayata residence and lock herself in. Two minutes later, people heard her scream. However, Fouché maintains that there was no foul play and that there is no information available suggesting it was a suicide attempt. He said that the university has not had the opportunity to speak to the Asterhof girl, who is the only person able to give clarity on the circumstances. When approached, the Asterhof Primaria refused to comment, saying that any official statements would be made by TuksRes. Perdeby is still waiting for an official statement from TuksRes. SRC President Mthokozisi Nkosi said, “The SRC is very concerned about the recent events happening at the Hatfield campus, where students harm themselves when they feel overwhelmed about their personal issues.” The SRC is investigating how the Asterhof student gained access to Xayata before dawn, and whether security at the residence is sufficient. Despite recent events, Fouché guarantees that students on campus are safe and that there is “no anarchy” to worry about. Regarding the incident at Xayata, he promised that the investigation will not be left unfinished.
Res bites AMY-MAE CAMPBELL AND STEPHANIE VAN DER PLANK Klaradyn On Saturday 14 March, the ladies of Klaradyn gathered in Brooklyn Design Square to perform a flash-mob. According to Klaradyn Primaria Keegan Moolman, the ladies performed a modified version of their Serrie repertoire to prepare for the Serrie prelims competition in May. Moolman explained that it was a spontaneous team-building strategy and added that technical difficulties with the music during the flash-mob also taught the ladies how to keep composure during a public performance. “We have succeeded in making the group bond, build stronger relationships, and enhance [the] confidence of individuals and the Serrie as a group,” she said. Curtlitzia Curlitzia held their annual Miss Kloekie first year’s beauty pageant at Sonop on Thursday 29 March. The Miss Kloekie beauty pageant is a tradition at Curlitzia and is an opportunity for the first years to bond. Entries were open to all first years and the contestants were selected by their peers. Each contestant had to participate in three categories: Ienk-wear parade, semi-formal attire and formal dress. According to Suné Senekal, Curlitzia VicePrimaria and HK of Finesse, Finances and Sport, who organised and delegated the event, Miss Kloekie does not have any special responsibilities or duties. She only has to represent her residence with pride and crown the new Miss Kloekie the following year. Occupational Therapy student Thembelihle Sibiya won the title of Miss Kloekie.
Photo: Hendro van der Merwe
UP Security stops thieves at LC DAVID CROSS
A group of men was arrested on the LC de Villiers Sports Grounds last week Monday. The men were arrested in connection with cellphone theft. The vehicle used by the suspects was identified and detained by UP Security as the same vehicle involved in previous cases of theft that occurred on the sports ground. UP Security proceeded to search the vehicle and interrogate its occupants. The suspects were in possession of equipment used to break into vehicles. UP Manager of Investigations, Rowan Watson, said that the suspects were swiftly apprehended and handed over to the Brooklyn SAPS. “UP Security Services are working closely with the SAPS in an effort to identify any possible crime syndicates targeting campuses in Hatfield,” Watson said. LC de Villiers Sports Ground has become a target for criminals. Thieves often take bags from the various sports fields, halls and arenas on the grounds. Criminals are able to operate without being noticed because it is difficult for UP Security to distinguish suspicious persons from participants and spectators on the sports grounds. “Cases of theft on LC de Villiers Sports Ground are generally fostered by a sense of negligence,” said Colin Fouché, Director of UP Security Services. Fouché urges students who use the sports grounds to remain vigilant and assume responsibility for their possessions. Photo: Eleanor Harding
Boekenhout On Friday 9 April, Boekenhout hosted a Golf Day at the Waterkloof Golf Club. The Golf Day marked the first official event of their 50th jubilee celebration or Festival Year 2012. According to Feesjaar HK and ViceChairperson Marco Koch, the Golf Day was a new initiative that was started this year as a means of raising funds for their jubilee events. They also wanted to bring old Boekenhout residents together with current residents for a special occasion and reunion. “The Feesjaar Golf Day is not only to celebrate the past 50 years of Boekenhout, but to build relationships for the next 50,” said Koch. Former Blue Bulls player and Boekenhout resident, Ruan Vermeulen, attended the event, as well as the TuksRag first princess, Cecile Brits, to represent Vividus ladies in supporting their Boekenhout Rag partners. Kiaat The Kiaat magazine, Kiaat Diaries, released its second edition at the end of March. Kiaat Diaries is a new online magazine that incorporates all news and events happening at Huis Kiaat and other Groenkloof residences. Previously, the only news outlet was a one page newsletter and Kiaat’s Chief Information Officer, Innocent Mulalo, was dissatisfied with its limited space. The online magazine allows for more information and details to be included. The first edition was released at the end of last year. It received over 400 views in the first week and was downloaded over 700 times. The magazine is also available in Afrikaans. Go to http://goo. gl/LPtbp to view Kiaat Diaries.
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News
23 April ‘12
Oom Gert dries up Intervarsity news
MAXINE TWADDLE Popular campus hangout Oom Gert se Plek is limiting the types of alcohol available to students. From April 2012, only wine- and beer-based liquor, such as coolers, ciders and beer, will be sold before 17:00. It is only after 17:00 that students will be able to purchase stronger drinks such as spirits. The owner of Oom Gert, Xander Schoeman, told Perdeby that he made this decision because he does not want the establishment to be seen as a “drinking hole.” “It is better for students to enjoy a beer, or a cider while having lunch – they don’t need shooters,” he said. Schoeman said that students should be able to relax at Oom Gert, without being disturbed by the drunken behaviour of students at the next table, adding that “this isn’t Hatfield Square.” Tuks Afrikaanse Studente (TAS) has objected to Oom Gert’s new rules. TAS has approached the Student Representative Council (SRC) in hopes of pressuring the restaurant into reversing its decision. TAS, which is a cultural organisation, will also conduct a survey to ascertain what Tuks students think about this new regulation. Francois Cloete, chairperson of TAS, told Perdeby, “The big worry is that if students cannot get this kind of alcohol on campus, they will go look [for it] in other places [like] Hatfield Square.” Cloete suggested that this could lead to students missing lectures because they are socialising off-campus.
ZUBENATHI JIZANA
“There was never a problem when stronger alcohol was sold at Oom Gert,” Cloete said. SRC Deputy President, Gerbrand Lindeque, who also heads the Service Providers portfolio in the SRC, said that the SRC supports responsible drinking, “especially on our campuses,” but added that “Oom Gert is part of the culture of Tuks.” Expressing the SRC’s belief in freedom of choice, Lindeque told Perdeby that the SRC “[trusts] that students will not abuse the privilege to consume alcohol on campus.”
Lindeque assured students that the SRC would investigate the matter once more information has been made available. The University of Pretoria holds a blanket liquor license, which allows restaurants on campus to sell all types of alcohol, and the university does not dictate what alcohol they may sell, or when they may sell it. What do you think of Oom Gert’s new ‘rule’? Tweet us @perdebynews or use the i-lincc: pPerdeby749b. Photo: Charné Fourie
SRC visits Western Cape universities MARGEAUX ERASMUS
The Student Representative Council (SRC) embarked on a benchmarking tour last week to universities in the Western Cape. According to SRC President Mthokozisi Nkosi, the SRC bench-marking tour will enable them to visit other institutions across the country to gather information and use this information to improve the University of Pretoria and the functionality of the SRC. “Benchmarking is a very important exercise that the SRC must embark on as stipulated in the constitution of student governance. It gives the SRC an opportunity to be able to learn from other SRCs at different institutions in the country: how their SRCs tackle certain issues and overcome certain challenges,” he said. Nkosi added that they will be visiting the University of Cape Town (UCT), Stellenbosch
University (SU) and The Western Cape University (WCU) during this tour. “We are also going to Wits and UJ later in the year,” he said. The SRC launched the SRC Study Aid Fund earlier this year and this fund, according to Nkosi, is similar to UCT’s bailout fund. The SRC Study Aid Fund provides students with money to buy textbooks. Nkosi said that “[T] he UCT fund is self-sufficient, and therefore doesn’t require the UCT SRC to always pour a certain portion of their budget into it [...] the SRC thought it is best to go to UCT to discuss how they are able to ensure that the fund generates its own money, the challenges they face on [a] yearly basis and how they control the fund.” Similarly, the SRC is going to visit SU to see how they manage their student centre, Die Neelsie, where both day and residence students are able to buy food and eat their meals. Nkosi
Perdeby
said that he hopes that they will be able to use SU’s Neelsie as a model to improve problems that the Kloostersaal is experiencing with the number of students that are using its facilities this year. “At Stellenbosch, we are also looking into exploring their general student life and residences,” he added. Nkosi said that the tour will ensure that the SRC will be able to implement new initiatives to satisfy UP students’ needs. “[O]ur SRC has to [...] make sure [that] we learn from those who have walked the path before so that we do not experience the same problems as other institutions have, thereby ensuring that our fellow Tukkies are best taken care of.” Nkosi said that the knowledge they gather will provide the SRC with the platform they need to make their slogan “Making 2012 the year of the student” come true.
Rhodes University A Rhodes University (RU) graduate was stabbed to death on Thursday 12 April. She was on her way to her graduation ceremony. The Oppidan Press reported that the graduate, Lelona Fufu, was hitchhiking from her home in Motherwell to Grahamstown for her graduation ceremony. Her family last had contact with her at 14:30 that afternoon. Her body was later found in Addo Road in Port Elizabeth. Fufu was pronounced dead by the police on Friday 13 April. Motherwell’s Communication Officer, Andre Beetge, said that Fufu sustained four major stab wounds in her chest and neck, and it is presumed that she died from these injuries. Beetge told News24 that it appeared that Fufu was murdered as part of a robbery, as her clothes were still on her body but her valuables were missing. Fufu’s statistics lecturer, Stefan Janse van Rensberg, described her as a “diligent, hardworking student.” University of Witwatersrand The University of Witwatersrand’s (Wits) Student Representative Council (SRC) is set to review their constitution. The reason for this decision is the removal of their SRC President from office after she was found guilty of striking in 2009. According to the Policy, Constitution and Legal Affairs Officer, Yusuf Peer, their current constitution does not allow her to continue with her term in office. Peer added that their constitution was last amended in 2007 and that many dynamics of student governance have changed since then. The Wits SRC want to refine their election and financial processes and address the viability of converting their SRC system to one that uses a student parliament. The University of Pretoria’s student parliament is being used as a model in their research. Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University (SU) received its third bomb scare in six weeks on Monday 16 April. Staff and students were immediately evacuated from the JC Smuts Building in Merriman Street and police arrived soon after. It was not clear whether the police found anything during their search of the premises. An SU spokesperson said that bomb threats were being taken very seriously. The university received two bomb threats on 1 March this year, but in both incidents the police could not find a bomb.
30 000 students read Perdeby To advertise contact carel.willemse@up.ac.za
@perdebynews
Fun & Games
1. The Fego guy. This is the man who has the coffee, and therefore he is the most important person in my life before early morning classes.
than you can say “student card” when you try and climb over the turnstiles at the main gate because they aren’t working. Again.
2. The campus kiosk ladies. They are custodians of the snacks. Snacks which they guard with a ferocity that is quite alarming sometimes (whatever you do, don’t use their microwave for food you brought from home).
6. The barmen at Oom Gert. Listen, they have the booze. And I like the booze. Enough said, really.
3. The library help desk ladies. Probably would have failed and dropped out ages ago if not for these women. BEYERS DE VOS In honour of the release of Time’s 100 most influential people list, Perdeby decided to compile our own one. So this week we present the top ten most influential people on campus: a mix of people who influence your life every day (in good and bad ways) and people who have impressed us so far this year.
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23 March ‘12
4. The HSB cleaners. They are so important that they are the only ones allowed to take the elevator from floor three to four without being slapped though the face by angry lift-users. Apparently. 5. The security guards, who are up in your business faster
Sudoku
Last time’s solution:
7. Student Parliament. Shame, they try. Not very hard, but they do. 8. TuksFm DJs. They’ve won awards, you know. 9. The first rugby team. They won the Varsity Cup, finally proving Pretoria is better than all other places. Booya. 10. Sipho van der Merwe, Die Skaap. This one is cryptic on purpose. If you figure it out, I’ll buy you a drink.
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23 April ‘12
Features
Five crimes of grammar worth fixing LUSANDA FUTSHANE Grammar Nazis: the dictionary-bashing, selfappointed gatekeepers of language. The ones who point out concord errors in Aerosmith lyrics and who are willing to give a complete stranger at a urinal an impromptu lesson on the difference between “who” and “whom.” In today’s text messaging, LOL-ing generation, grammar Nazis have become the enemy of the general public (although it is probably safe to say that no one with “Nazi” in his/her moniker has ever really been well liked). People go out of their way to avoid confrontation with them, much like telemarketers or tax collectors. No one wants to be reminded exactly how inept they are when it comes to communication, but someone has to do it or before we know it, language will eventually become nothing more than sighs, grunts, bubblegum pops, hair flips and eye-rolls. So, in honour of grammar Nazis, Perdeby brings you five words and phrases that people need to stop using incorrectly. Literally Really? You could literally eat a house? That must be a very profitable talent to have, considering the inordinate sums of money that the construction industry spends demolishing old buildings. Why are you not rich yet? This is the type of internal response every grammar Nazi has when someone suggests that he/she could achieve something supernaturally impossible and simply append “literally” at the end for dramatic effect. Instead of saying it aloud, the grammar Nazi will respond with a “Really?” through gritted teeth. While we’re sure that no one needs counselling on the difference between figurative and literal speaking, people still think that using “literally” when you actually mean “figuratively” somehow qualifies whatever statement you just made as impressive. It probably doesn’t. Your hunger won’t be in doubt if you clarify that you are only figuratively trying to eat a house. In fact, millions of people might thank you – literally. Touché Who would have thought that fencing jargon
could cause such confusion? “Touché” is French for “touch” and is used in fencing to acknowledge a hit from an opponent. In conversation, you say “touché” when someone else has made a valid point during an argument, thereby “acknowledging a hit”. It does not mean “voilà”. It does not mean “damn”. It certainly does not mean “awesome”. So when people say that their pets have passed away, please do not say “touché”. When you learn a new word or phrase, you tend to get excited. You want to use it as much as possible so that you can impress people with your fancy vocabulary. Fair enough. But maybe you should look the word up instead of assuming you have figured it out after encountering it only once.
It will save you a lot of embarrassment. You’re versus your If you don’t see this error at least five times when you scroll through your Facebook news feed or your Twitter timeline, then congratulations, you know all the best people. You would think that this is something we would all have covered in primary school. It seems simple enough, yet there is no shortage of people who still believe “your” is an acceptable substitute for “you’re”. It takes so much effort to type out “you’re”. There’s that annoying apostrophe you have to hold down the shift key for and then you have to add an entire extra letter at the end. No one has time for that, right? Wrong. Especially when
you end up with confusing statements like “Your sexy.” My sexy what? And just like that the mood is dead and no one will want to sext with you ever again. These are the kinds of benefits you miss when you’re lazy with your grammar. Per se First, note the spelling. Per se, not “per say.” Secondly, never use “per se”. (It will make you sound pretentious.) Per se is Latin for “by itself” and is more of a legal term than a feature of regular conversation. “As such” is probably a better, less pedantic substitute. But that is not the issue. The issue is when someone has insisted on using it, but not correctly. To wit: “I don’t hate tequila, per se. I just don’t like it.” Note how you have said absolutely nothing with that sentence. Compare that with “I don’t hate tequila, per se. I just hate the way I feel the morning after drinking it.” That is how it should be used. All of a sudden “as such” becomes a simpler, more manageable option. Should have, could have, would have There’s no quicker way to get a grammar Nazi bounty on your head than using one of these. What do they mean? No one knows, not even the people who use them. “Should have,” “would have” and “could have” become “should’ve,” “would’ve” and “could’ve” when contracted. Phonetically, you could say that “should’ve” sounds like “should of”, but surely when you type it out you realise how wrong it sounds? Are people so preoccupied with getting the message across that they couldn’t be bothered with how it gets there? “You knew what I meant” is the popular excuse. Unfortunately, that’s not how communication works. The rule of thumb with language is to do your homework. Look words up when you’re confused or even slightly unsure about what they mean. Read something other than your textbooks and You magazine. Do not assume that musicians or the Kardashians are authorities on language. And remember: grammar Nazis aren’t born, they’re made. Photo: Eleanor Harding
Droomland in al sy glorie MIGNON PEENS Die inhoud en doel van drome is reg deur die geskiedenis, asook hedendaags, die onderwerp van wetenskaplike en filosofiese spekulasie. Daar is `n algemene nuuskierigheid rondom die redes waarom mens droom, wat jy droom, hoe om jou drome te beheer, hoe om jou drome te onthou en veel meer. Hier volg `n kort oorsig van die talle interessante feite en spekulasie wat neurologie en die wetenskaplike studie van drome te voorskyn bring. Niemand se drome lyk eenders nie Die meeste mense droom in kleur – slegs 12% van mense droom in swart en wit. Daar is ook blinde mense wat steeds in duidelike beeld droom lank nadat hulle blind geword het. Mense wat blind gebore is, kan egter slegs sintuie soos klank, reuke, emosies en fisiese gevoel in hul drome ervaar. Dit is ook `n feit dat jy slegs kan droom oor wat jou sintuie inneem en dus kom die wildvreemde mense wat `n rol in jou drome speel nie vanaf jou verbeelding nie. Jou brein het beelde gestoor van regte mense wat jy iewers in jou lewe teëgekom het. Die moordenaar in jou onlangse nagmerrie kon net so wel die petroljoggie wees wat jou pa se bakkie gevul het toe jy twaalf was. Mense droom oor dieselfde temas Drome waarin mens val, vlieg, gejaag word, laat kom, probleme moet oplos, nie vinnig genoeg kan hardloop nie, nie kan skree nie, `n eksamen dop of `n seksuele gebeurtenis, kom algemeen by verskeie mense voor. Ander algemene drome sluit in: vriende wat leef wat in jou droom doodgaan of dood is, iemand wat jou wil doodmaak, `n motor wat met jou wegry, motorongelukke en jou tande wat uitval. Meeste mense kan met hierdie drome identifiseer. Dit is nou indien jy jou drome kan onthou, aangesien jy die helfde van jou droom binne vyf minute en 90% daarvan na tien minute
vergeet. Jy sal jou droom beter kan onthou indien jy tydens REM-slaap (die stadium van slaap waarin `n mens droom) wakker gemaak word. `n Ander interessante feit is dat mens nie droom terwyl jy snork nie. Vir diegene wat ophou rook Volgens `n studie in die Journal of Abnormal Psychology word mense wat wil ophou rook en gebruik maak van nikotienplakkers se drome baie duideliker en kry hulle gruwelike nagmerries as `n onttrekkingsimptoom van nikotien. Dit word vererger indien jy met die plakker gaan slaap. Ons droom wat ons voel Wanneer ons liggaam deur eksterne faktore, onder andere klanke, sensasies en temperature beïnvloed word, word dit in ons drome geïnkorporeer. Mens sal herhaaldelik van hierdie bogenoemde faktore droom, tot jy uiteindelik opstaan en besluit om iets daaraan te doen. Dit is
byvoorbeeld waarom jy droom dat jy hardloop met `n propvol blaas tot jy uiteindelik by `n toilet uitkom met `n enorme verligting wat daarmee gepaard gaan. Ongelukkig besef mens min of meer twee minute later dat dit slegs `n droom was en dat jou blaas (hopelik) steeds propvol is. Of jy nou `n man of `n vrou is, as dit kom by “wet dreams” ondergaan beide geslagte seksueel verwante fisiese reaksies al is dit nie eers `n seksuele droom nie. Mans kry ereksies en vrouens ervaar verhoogde vaginale bloedvloei. Daar is tog `n verskil tussen die geslagte se tipe drome en mans neig om meer oor ander mans te droom en vrouens ewe veel oor beide geslagte. Die mediese kant van drome en nagmerries Indien jy sukkel met nagmerries moet mens eers bepaal of dit tydelik of chronies is. Akute (tydelike) nagmerries kan verband hou met aansteeklike siektes, `n aanpassingsprobleem en
selfs kopbeserings. Daar is ook verskeie medikasie wat nagmerries veroorsaak, soos malariapille, slaappille, melanien, vitamien B5, sommige antidepressante, `n groot verskeidenheid kosse en baie ander dwelms. Chroniese nagmerries kan met skisofrenie, depressie, bipolêre depressie, angs, post-traumatiese stresversteuring en epilepsie geassosieer word. Dr. Paul Masters van die Universiteit van Metafisika het in `n studie bewys dat mense wat nie toegelaat is om te droom nie, na slegs drie dae begin sukkel het met konsentrasie, hallusinasies en geïrriteerdheid. Hulle het ook tekens van psigose begin toon. Toe hulle uiteindelik toegelaat was om te slaap het die duur van hul REM-slaap drasties toegeneem. Die betekenis van `n droom Die uitleg van drome dateer terug na 5000 vC. Die antieke Grieke het geglo dat drome profeties kon wees, of `n boodskap van die gode of die dooies was. Vandag is droomuitleg so maklik soos om DreamDictionary.com te besoek, waar 10 000 tipes drome uitgelê en verduidelik word. Lauri Quinn Loewenberg, wat spesialiseer in droominterpretasie, beweer dat haar reeks boeke jou in staat stel om diere, mense, simbole, seks, iemand wat doodgaan en veel meer gebeurtenisse in jou drome te verstaan en te ontleed. Sy instrukteer mens ook hoe om beheer te hê oor wat jy in jou drome doen, soos wat jy eet, wie jy in jou drome wil hê, waar jy wil wees in jou droom en veel meer. Drome is soveel `n deel van ons as wat ons realiteit is. Party drome los `n vaste spoor in ons geheue en eienaardige nagmerries kan met tye ons gedagtes totaal oorneem. Die moderne era het gelukkig spesialiste soos dokters, teoretici, sielkundiges en droomlesers wat met hul spekulasies, feite, teorieë, interpretasies, boeke en webwerwe droomland en al sy glorie tot ons beskikking stel.
Foto: Charné Fourie
Features
23 April ‘12
7
The right to die or the responsibility to live?
BERND FISCHER “I want to have a quick death without suffering, at home surrounded by my family.” This was the final wish of Diane Pretty, a woman who suffered from motor neurone disease and had her request to be euthanised denied by British courts. According to her husband Brian Pretty, she “endured breathing difficulties, pain and distress” in her final hours before dying on 11 May 2002. Ten years later, the euthanasia debate continues. On 10 April this year, The New Zealand Herald reported that a man in Auckland had been charged of assisting his terminally ill wife in her quest to commit suicide. With the debate about euthanasia currently raging in Canada, Perdeby investigates these “mercy killings”. Euthanasia is the practice of deliberately ending a terminally ill person’s life in order to free them from suffering. It is performed by taking drugs orally, through an intra-muscular
injection or intravenously – the latter being the fastest and most reliable method. Some euthanasia machines make use of oxygen deprivation to end the life of the patient. Although illegal in most countries, voluntary euthanasia is allowed in Luxembourg, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and the US states of Washington and Oregon. Non-voluntary euthanasia (when a patient, for example, is in a coma and no explicit consent can be given) and involuntary euthanasia (when a patient is able to give explicit consent but does not) are both illegal worldwide, with the latter generally being considered murder. The type of euthanasia which has caused the biggest stir among medical professionals for years is that of voluntary euthanasia, also known as physician-assisted suicide (PAS). According to The Vancouver Sun, the issue of legalisation of this practice in Canada was debated earlier this month. “I think as a society we are too scared of death. We need to see death as a part of the cycle of life and not go
to extraordinary lengths (and expenses) to preserve life when death is the kinder option,” says Wanda Morris, the executive director of the organisation Dying with Dignity. Morris, among other supporters of the practice, argues that the patient’s freedom of choice to undergo euthanasia should remain a top priority, especially in countries that consider themselves liberal democracies. Another issue which should be deliberated is the patient’s quality of life. Proponents of euthanasia maintain that the value people place on life is linked to their quality of life – chronically ill patients who lose their independence endure emotional pain on top of large amount of physical pain. Economically, it is also expensive to live with a terminal disease when patients continually have to spend money on medication. Lochan Bakshi, an 87-year-old Canadian man suffering from type 2 diabetes and impending kidney failure, would like the choice of euthanasia. “I absolutely believe that God does not want you to be miserable and, if that is so, why do we keep hanging on to the little thread of life at the very end?” Bakshi says. Religious and moral grounds have often been cited as the main reasons for the banning of euthanasia. In most religious denominations, suicide is considered a sin. Despite this, Colombia, a country known for its large Roman Catholic following, has allowed the practice of euthanasia since May 1997. According to MSNBC, although euthanasia is legal, the country has no set guidelines for medical professionals on how the practice should be performed. It is also argued that euthanasia can only be truly considered “voluntary” if patients are mentally capable of making the decision to end their life. According to The Gazette, a 2005 study from the Netherlands (published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology) found
that people suffering from depression were four times more likely to consider euthanasia. Similarly, a study approved by the Dutch Ministry of Health, the Dutch Ministry of Justice and the Royal Dutch Medical Association found that 32% of PAS cases had complications. These included the time for patients to die being longer than expected, problems with administering the necessary drugs and the development of physical symptoms. As maintained by The Vancouver Sun, this month marks ten years since euthanasia was legalised in the Netherlands and Belgium. In one year alone, approximately 4 000 people are provided with assisted suicide in these countries. On the other hand, as Willem Landman of the NGO Dignity South Africa states, “South Africa is struggling with the debate over legalising euthanasia.” He believes that this is due to the underdeveloped health care systems that plague the country. Landman argues that the majority of South African doctors would be willing to practise euthanasia if it were legal, especially because withholding life support is already a medical practice in the country. He maintains that because there are not enough doctors in South Africa, “[legalising] euthanasia [here] would be premature and difficult to put into practice.” Proponents of the practice contend that legalisation would have numerous benefits for the medical industry. Doctors could spend their time and energy focusing on the people whose lives could be saved instead of wasting their time on those who would like to end theirs. Whether euthanasia goes against the Hippocratic oath taken by doctors or if it allows freedom of choice to be exercised by those in doctors’ care, it is certain that this controversial issue will be contemplated for years to come.
Photo: Charné Fourie
Virginity testing: is it justifiable? BERND FISCHER
Virginity testing is a contentious issue around the world. A court in Egypt recently cleared a military doctor of charges alleging that he forced virginity tests on female activists after a demonstration held in the wake of the Arab Spring. Amnesty International describes these tests as “nothing less than torture”. Perdeby investigates this controversial method of testing and its place in contemporary society. According to The New Age, Zulu girls in South Africa as young as six years old undergo hymen examinations to determine whether damage has been caused by penetrative sex. Similarly, as told in Sex and Society, a book published by Marshall Cavendish, Kenuzi girls of Sudan are married off to adult men before reaching puberty. On their wedding night, they are inspected by their new husbands to confirm their virginity. Virginity testing determines whether a woman has ever engaged in sexual intercourse. The test’s outcome relies on the condition of a woman’s hymen – the membrane located inside the vagina – to establish whether it has been torn or not. The test, however, assumes that the hymen can only be torn as a result of vaginal penetration. Medical professionals maintain that the presence or absence of a hymen is not a reliable indicator of whether a woman has engaged in sexual intercourse. The hymen can break during numerous non-sexual activities. These include horse riding, athletics, gymnastics, the use of a tampon and certain medical procedures such as Pap smears. The tearing of this membrane may happen at a young age and go unnoticed. Some women are even born with an already perforated hymen. Critics have also accused proponents of these tests for disregarding rape as a possible reason for no longer being a virgin. This has raised ethical questions about the definition of virginity.
Virginity testing has been condemned by human rights activists, especially when performed on behalf of a government. According to The Independent, Samira Ibrahim, a 25-year-old activist, is the only woman out of seven who went public about the forced virginity tests in Egypt last year. “No one stained my honour. The one that had her honour stained is Egypt. I will carry on [fighting] until I restore Egypt’s rights,” Ibrahim tweeted following the acquittal of the accused. Despite Egypt’s admission that the tests were carried out to contest claims that the women had been raped while in custody, the case collapsed due to conflicting witness testimonies. Virginity testing by military officials has since been banned in Egypt as of December 2011. In January this year, similar tests performed on rape victims in India have also been stopped. Human Rights Watch called the tests “degrading and unscientific”.
The so-called “fiancée visa” was a 1970s policy which required women who were immigrating to Britain to undergo virginity testing. This policy applied to women who were moving to the United Kingdom to marry their fiancés already living in that country. It was based on the assumption that women were thought to be more likely to tell the truth if they were still virgins. This practice was exposed by The Guardian in 1979 and immediately abandoned. Despite the practice being illegal in several countries, some societies consider it an integral part of their culture. Here in South Africa, for example, the Zulu custom known as the “reed dance” requires young girls to undergo virginity testing before participating. According to the Mail & Guardian, older and respectable Zulu women examine the young girls to determine whether their hymens are still intact. If the girls pass the test, they are
invited to the king’s palace. If a girl fails the test, she may not participate in the dance as this would render the ceremony impure – she disgraces her family and risks being shunned. A surgical procedure known as a hymenoplasty can restore a torn hymen and thus a virginity test can be passed. Reuters maintains that this procedure is becoming increasingly popular among Muslim women of north-African descent living in France. “Many of my patients are caught between two worlds,” says Dr Marc Abecassis, a doctor in Paris. He believes that the increase in the trend is due to religious demands – a custom he calls “cultural and traditional, with enormous family pressure” in which women are expected to remain virgins until marriage. Apart from promoting abstinence before marriage, proponents of virginity testing argue that the practice has other advantages. According to News From Africa, Naboth Makoni, a Zimbabwean village chief said he would implement monthly virginity tests among female youths as an active attempt to decrease HIV infections among his people. He also argued that it would lower teenage pregnancies. “If a young woman is not a virgin, she is considered to have less value,” Makoni says. He insists that this commonly held view leads to abuse by the woman’s husband and often results in divorce. Rudo Gaidzwana, a sociologist from the University of Zimbabwe, strongly criticised Makoni’s plan. Gaidzwana called the system sexist and one-sided as it focused on girls and ignored the role boys have. Olivia Masore of the Woman Action Group reiterates Gaidzwana’s stance: “Virginity testing leaves a man free to do whatever, without enforcing similar checks and balances on him, while it strips girls of their dignity.”
Photo: Hendro van der Merwe
8
Entertainment
23 April ‘12
Review
Interview
“I just want to make a really cool blues/rock album”
MELINA MELETAKOS Unless you’ve witnessed it for yourself, what blues maestro Dan Patlansky can do with a guitar at the age of 30 seems impossible. His fingers move so dexterously across the strings that they become a blur. Hoping to catch a glimpse of Patlansky’s overwhelming talent, fans crammed into Arcade Empire for the launch of his fifth album, 20 Stones. Perdeby caught up with Patlanksy before the show to talk about the album, his love of country music and playing alongside some of the world’s most renowned blues artists in New Orleans. Looking at international bands like The Black Keys and local ones like Shadowclub, it’s evident that blues is becoming more popular. Why do you think people are starting to pay more attention to the genre? Well, I think it’s definitely the most relevant genre of music in the world at the moment. I think maybe people are sick and tired of computer-generated music, which is not music in my opinion. I can do the electro thing with good tunes and good players but the bumper action I can’t do because it’s not music to me. It’s a computer making music. Maybe people are sick of that and maybe they actually want to see musicians make music again. Shadowclub and The Black Keys, they’re doing the blues thing obviously but it’s almost like classic rock [...] the Led Zeppelin type of thing and even that is blues in its own right. All I know is that I’m pleased about it. It’s only good news for me. Why did you decide to take such a different path with your music on 20 Stones? I’ve always been a fan of the blues/rock thing. I’ve always been a massive fan and obviously the previous albums have been more straight-down-the-line blues, more classic type of blues stuff. I just thought, I’m such a big fan of the blues/rock thing, not all blues/rock but a certain style of it. The big guys in the world at the moment doing the blues/rock thing, like Joe Bonamassa, guys like that are big in Europe and the States and that’s the sound they’re going with. I didn’t go with that sound to sell records. I’m just a really big fan of that stuff. That’s the direction I think we will be moving in. It will always be bluesbased though, no doubt. What has the response been to 20 Stones so far? Fantastic. It’s been the best response we’ve had from any album thus far in South Africa and in the States. It’s been reviewed by a couple of guys in the States too and we’ve had a fantastic response [to] the album and from doing the songs live. That’s been great and it’s obviously something you don’t know. You don’t know if people are going to dig the tunes and dig the album. So far so good, and I think it’s not too much of a departure from where I’ve been. It’s not like a completely different album. It’s still me and it still sounds like me, it’s just a little bit different. I think that’s also why it worked: it’s not a complete change. What was it like working with the legendary Theo Crous on the album? It was great. That was right at the end. We recorded up in Jo’burg at a studio called Sumo Sound with a guy called Peter Auret. Peter and I produced the album [and] we recorded it there. Then about six months later, we got the opportunity for
Theo to mix the album and post-produce [it]. I’m a big fan of Theo and I love Theo as a guy so it’s always great working with [him]. It was great for him to mix the album, he’s got great ears and I couldn’t be happier with the mix. Obviously he’s got the connection of getting it mastered in LA, so that was great. So it was an absolute honour and treat to work with Theo and we will definitely work with him again. When working on a new album, do you constantly keep in mind how audiences will receive it or do you take a bit of a gamble every time? You do, in a way. Where I keep the audience in mind, I don’t want to have a departure where I lose fans. You want to gain fans on each album but you don’t want to ever lose fans. My biggest fear is losing fans. Generally, when we’re picking the songs for the album [and] writing the songs for the album, I always think of the album as a whole sort of thing. I don’t think of it song by song. All the songs have to fit into the final product, so that’s the main thing I think of. I just want to make a really cool blues/rock album. That’s the main thing. I hope guys like it at the end of the day. I think as a musician, if you go with that sense for the most part, you will have a cool album at the end of the day. This is your fifth album. Would you say the process gets any easier? I definitely think so. When you go to the studio for the first time, a studio environment is a very different environment to a live [one]. It’s a lot deader and a lot colder, so obviously the more you do it, the better you get at doing the recording and the studio thing. It’s taken me many years to realise that you really have to approach a studio differently to a live show. I’ve always, when I was younger, just gone in and just tried to play like I do at a live show. You can’t do that in the studio – it just doesn’t work. You just have a bad performance because you aren’t drawing off the audience. It definitely gets easier and I just think as an artist, you start finding your own voice, especially in the blues world. You learn from all your influences as a kid, all your heroes, and for the most part you become a carbon copy of someone because that’s all you want to play like. In my case, it was Stevie Ray Vaughan, that’s all I wanted to play like. I wanted to play exactly like him, sing exactly like him, be like him. That’s a good thing for a while because you learn so much from doing that, but then you almost have to shed your skin and get your own voice. I think that takes many years and I’m still getting there. Every album you do, it will be more and more of your sound and I think 20 Stones is the closest we’ve gotten. That’s the feedback we’ve gotten to my own sound. You can still hear influences on the album, that’s for sure, but it’s as an underlying tone. In that sense, I think it gets easier. You only started playing guitar at the age of 14, which is pretty late compared to other blues musicians. To what do you owe the mastery of your instrument? I honestly believe that it’s not necessarily the age you started at. It’s how much passion and effort you put into it – that’s the main thing. I’m not a believer in talent at all. I don’t believe that it exists. If there were such a thing as talent, you would be born able to play. It just takes many hours of work and practice and I think that passion for something takes you through all those hard hours of practising. That’s what gets you through all that stuff. You’ve performed in New Orleans with a number of blues legends like Snooks Eaglin and The Batiste Family. Has your musical journey thus far ever felt a bit surreal at any point? It does, at moments. Obviously, playing in New Orleans was a big thing for me. I don’t know about surreal, more daunting when I got there but once we got into the swing of things, it was unbelievable. I don’t know. It probably was a bit surreal. I feel honoured to have had that opportunity. Man, it was probably the biggest learning experience I’ve had in my life, playing with those great musicians in those famous clubs. I took so much back from that experience. You’re famously modest about what you do. What do you think keeps you so grounded? If you look at guys in my genre and genres all over the world, music is not like a sport or something where you can be classified as the best or you have an Olympic gold medal now, so you’ve got as far as you can. Music is a constant thing and you will never be happy with where you are as a player and as an all-round musician, so I think that’s the thing that keeps you really grounded. If you think you’re good, there are a million people better than you. That’s how music works. That’s the sad reality of it but it’s a great reality because it’s always pushing you. There’re always guys who are doing something different and something that keeps you inspired, so I think that’s the main thing. You never get to a point where you’re happy with where you are as a musician. That definitely keeps you grounded. It’s also like a love/hate thing with yourself as a musician. It’s kind of a crap thing sometimes, you know. I think a lot of musicians and artists are like that. You tend to be too hard on yourself and your head space just gets caved. Photo: Brad Donald
MELINA MELETAKOS Beloved blues maestro Dan Patlansky is back with 20 Stones, his fifth studio album. This time around, he’s doing things a bit differently. While his previous albums were drowning in blues, 20 Stones is a blend of blues and classic rock and roll. Patlansky draws from the two genres to create a ten-track album which reflects why he is easily one of the most skilled guitarists in South Africa. 20 Stones also introduces fans to Patlansky’s voice, which featured minimally on his previous albums. With contributions from Jonny Lang and Tom Waits, the sound is best described as ragged and gravelly. This slight variation in Patlansky’s sound adds a new dimension to his music and most definitely puts a stamp on his brand of the blues. The title track “20 Stones” stands out as the only acoustic song on the album. Written for the lady in Patlansky’s life, the absence of words makes way for an instrumental piece that is loaded with emotion. “Bye Bye” is a perfect example of the successful marriage between old school rock and roll and blues. Patlansky’s vocals ooze the sultry trademark of rock and roll, while the moaning of the guitar compliments the ambience already created. “Daddy’s Old Gun” and “Too Late to Cry” are tracks which also prove that the pairing of the two genres is timeless. “Slap in the Face” starts off as a suave and silky instrumental track. It then progresses into a fast-paced, intense number which leaves you contemplating how Patlansky’s fingers could possibly move so nimbly across a guitar. While “Lost Your Good Thing Now” is a cover of the BB King classic, Patlansky’s admiration of Stevie Ray Vaughan can be heard in this rendition of the song. Another noteworthy cover is “Bright Lights, Big City”, originally sung by Jimmy Reed. While the song has been covered by various musical stalwarts such as The Rolling Stones and The Animals, Patlansky still manages to makes it his own. 20 Stones is a refreshing departure from the computergenerated music that has bombarded the music market of late. It’s an ode to music that is raw and real. It is dirty and sexy and it will leave you wanting more. See the “Bye Bye” music video on the web or @ pPerdeby749c. RATING: 8/10 Image: media.2oceansvibe.com
Competition
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Entertainment
23 April ‘12
Karen Zoid: Zoid Afrika Perdeby
DAVID STEYN In haar sesde studio-album stel Karen Zoid weereens nie teleur nie. Dit is die eerste keer wat sy `n vollengte album met slegs Afrikaanse liedjies die lig laat sien. Jy voel nie noodwendig dadelik tuis sodra die eerste note begin speel nie, maar as jy eers haar stem hoor voel dit of niks uit plek uit is nie. Zoid Afrika is kenmerkende Karen Zoid,
maar met `n oorspronklike baadjie aan. Alhoewel die lirieke meer repeterend en minder rou is as op Poles Apart en Media bly die snitte sterk in haar styl. Die album het `n goeie balans tussen sagter en harde snitte. Dit kan as `n love-song album met politieke en sosiale kommentaar as ondertoon beskryf word. Saam met die CD kry aanhangers ook `n DVD met Die Storie Agter Die Songs en twee live optredes op. Op die album verskyn daar `n snit, “As musiek begin speel”, wat blykbaar vir haar kind geskryf is. Hierdie liedjie bewys weereens dat Zoid die vermoë het om suksesvolle persoonlike werk voort te bring, sonder om in kommersialiteit of rou ruken-rol te verdwyn. “Waansin” en “Goeiemore optimiste!” is onderskeidelik die ernstige en satiriese weergawes van sosiale kommentaar wat nie ongewoon is op `n Zoid-album nie. “Terug na Babilon” en “In Suid-Afrika” is bewyse van haar veelsydige stem en haar fyn musikaliteit. Die bonussnit is `n liedjie uit die pen van Bruno Andries, die wenner van Litnet se liedjieskryf kompetisie, SingIt. Die album, wat by Sunset Recording Studios in Stellenbosch opgeneem is, is gevul met tipiese Henry Steele kitaarspel, terwyl Tim Rankin dromme speel. Die byklanke en agtergrondstemme is uniek aan Zoid se studiowerk en skep `n musikale diepte wat net op haar albums gehoor kan word. Met Zoid Afrika het sy `n unieke hoogtepunt in haar loopbaan bereik. Die lirieke weerspieël waar sy vandaan kom en waar sy op die oomblik is. BEVINDING: 8/10 Die album word op `n landswye toer, wat in April begin, bekend gestel. Hou Perdeby se Events Guide dop vir meer inligting oor die Zoid Afrika toer en optredes in Pretoria.
9
EVENTS GUIDE
Music: • Tuks FM Presents: Guns n’ Roses – Use your illusion world tour, Arcade Empire, 24 April. • Saving Silence, Firkin Centurion, 25 April, R30. • Arno Jordaan, Firkin Centurion, 26 April, R60. • Klopjag & Die Tuin Dwergies, Firkin Centurion, 27 April, R50. Theatre: • Riders from the Storm, Atterbury Theatre, 23 April, R140-R200. • Betésda, SA State Theatre, till 28 April, R110 or R80 for students. • Die Fledermaus Johann Strauss, Brooklyn Theatre, till 4 May, tickets at Computicket. • 15 Minutes of Fame, SA State Theatre, 25-29 April, R60 or R40 for students. Film: • The Avengers, Sterkinekor, showing from 26 April. • Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Cinema Nouveau, showing from 26 April. Other: • FHM Pole Fitness Dance Show, DropZone, 24 April. • R9 Student Night, Stones Centurion, 24 April. • Wednesday Comedy Night, FTV Brooklyn, 25 April, R50. • Phuza Thursday – Ladies Night, Stones Centurion, 26 April, ladies R10 after 22:00 and guys R20.
Beeld: www.karenzoid.co.za
Puncture: defending safe needles MELISSA PARSONS Puncture is a courtroom drama with a difference. It is based on a true story about lawyer Michael David Weiss (Chris Evans). Weiss is an extraordinarily talented lawyer who never reaches his peak because of his inability to kick his drug habit. Weiss and his partner Paul Danziger (Mark Kassen) are approached by ER nurse Vicky Rogers a few years after she is infected with HIV/Aids when she was pricked with a needle while trying to inject an infected patient. Rogers introduces Weiss and Danziger to engineer Jeffrey Dancort (Marshall Bell). Dancort is the inventor of the safety needle which, he says, will save millions of lives because it cannot prick you and it cannot be re-used. Despite this, Dancort has been struggling for years to get hospitals to buy his needles. Weiss and Danziger are plunged into a head-on battle when they go to court against the United Medical Group (UMG) which is defended by the powerful Nathaniel Price (Brett Cullen). Weiss uncovers corruption in the government-controlled Group Purchasing Organisation (GPO) which will not purchase safety needles because they are too expensive. As Danziger and Weiss’s law firm is about to go bankrupt, a glimmer of hope appears in the form of a donation from Senator O’Reilly. O’Reilly offers the donation on the
condition that Danziger and Weiss give up the case to another law firm due to Weiss’s drug habit. While going through the painful withdrawal, Weiss learns that O’Reilly has been paid off by United Medical Health Supplies, who make a generous contribution to her re-election campaign. Puncture is a touching, if a slightly dull, tale that reveals the tormented and lonely character that Weiss is as well as drawing attention to the re-use of plastic needles, which is said to be the major cause of the Aids epidemic. Despite this, we watch Danziger and Weiss get more and more tangled in the web of corruption surrounding UMG. The partners are faced with the moral dilemma of whether to fight for what is right or to take the money and run. Punture may not keep viewers on the edge of their seats but it is an informative story, with a surprising number of facts that are bound to shock the audience. Puncture may seem a bit flat on a superficial level, with no real climax to the film, but it is the complexities of the narrative you have to pay attention to in order to catch the small details that really make the movie worthwhile. See the movie trailer on the web or @ pPerdeby749d. RATING: 6/10 Image: www.homorazzi.com
Counting favourites: a summer of recollection NATANYA SPIES It might not be what fans expected but that could be a silver lining. Californian band Counting Crows is surprising fans with a novel stance on their sixth studio album, Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation). The album consists of covers selected from 14 artists, including Bob Dylan, Travis, The Faces and Gram Parsons. This album reveals the musical roots of what sparked the band’s inspiration and formed their style since their first album, August and Everything After, in 1993. According to an interview with lead singer Adam Duritz on Music-News. com, the band expected criticism but didn’t let that affect their decision. They wanted to record their old-school favourites – songs that deserve to be heard. While most of the songs still echo the signature sound of Counting Crows, the band generally takes a mellow rock stance to their music, focusing less on deep baselines and more on acoustics. Duritz’s voice, which has impressed fans for the past 20 years, is easily recognisable throughout most of the album.
Underwater Sunshine kicks off with “Untitled (Love Song)”, a song from a newer band, The Romany Rye, that Duritz wanted to create more publicity for. “Ooh La La” is a standout track and is a matching, almost enhanced version of The Faces’s song on their Without a Paddle soundtrack. “Jumping Jesus” presents a gloomy tone and is a classic from Duritz’s former band Sordid Humor, which broke up in 1992. “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”, previously recorded by legendary artist Bob Dylan, brings out a folk-rock approach, exhibiting Counting Crows’s drive to highlight other genres. Through affecting vocals and new arrangements, Counting Crows successfully brings a spark to a collection of assorting genres through a stretch of decades, which many other cover albums fail to do. Die-hard fans of Counting Crows may be disappointed that no new songs have been recorded, but the band manages to credibly infuse these covers with an originality and charm that makes the project worth it. Listen to the “Ooh La La” music video on the web or @ pPerdeby749e. RATING: 7/10 Image: www.goodseedpr.com
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23 April ‘12
Advertorial
Sport
23 April ‘12
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Netball Res league off to good start NATALIE THOMPSON On Tuesday 17 April the Tuks ladies residences showed their competitive sides in the intra-mural first years’ netball league. Seventeen teams participated with 23 matches being played in total. Three of the impressive teams on the night were Madelief’s Knolle, Nerina’s Spriete, and Asterhof’s Sterretjies. The match between Madelief and Radiography proved to be a walkover with the Knolle dominating the entire match. Madelief stole the first centre pass from Radiography and opened the scoring. The Radiography team responded by scoring the next goal. However, it was the last time that they would trouble the scorers. The Radiography team seemed overwhelmed throughout the match, leading to their making mistakes which Madelief capitalised on. Madelief’s defence did not allow Radiography any space. Where Madelief worked well as a unit, the Radiography team did not communicate effectively, missing opportunities to score. During the second half, scoring was opened by Madelief who again stole the ball from a Radiography centre pass. This evidently discouraged the Radiography team as they made no convincing effort to score for the rest of the match. The final score was 23-1 to Madelief. The Knolle’s coach told Perdeby that she was immensely proud of her team. Fast play by Nerina took the Jasmyn girls by surprise, leaving the Slurpies a few beats
behind from the start of the match. At the start of the second half it looked as though Jasmyn were going to gain ground on Nerina. However, their attacking momentum did not last. Nerina had outstanding players in the positions of goal attack and centre who played well together, feeding the ball into the goal circle with impressive crosscourt passes. The Spriete defended their lead successfully, ending the match with a convincing 20-6 win. The Spriete’s coach told Perdeby that she was “very proud, [the match] was awesome.” The match between Katjiepiering and Asterhof saw the Katte being completely dominated by the Sterretjies throughout the game. Asterhof did not allow Katjiepiering to score a single goal throughout the match, with the Katte only venturing into their goal circle on a few occasions. According to the Katte’s coach, the Katjiepiering girls did little training before the game and it showed on court. Asterhof, on the other hand, played as a team and this resulted in an impressive halftime score of 16-0. During the second half, the Sterretjies continued with their impressive play, ending the game with a 21-0 win over the Katte. The intra-mural netball league will continue until 31 July, the day of the finals. The finals will take place at the outdoor netball courts on LC de Villiers sports campus. Photo: Provided
International sport update KATLEGO PHEEHA The Formula 1 season started on 16 March with the Australian Grand Prix. The 58lap race saw McLaren-Mercedes’s Jenson Button take first place and 25 points. Close behind were Red Bull Racing-Renault’s Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, another McLaren driver. Next on the calendar was the Malaysian Grand Prix on 25 March. At the start of the year, Ferrari unveiled their new car which is designed to counter Red Bull’s dominance in recent seasons. The new car finally proved its worth, as Fernando Alonso finished the race in first place, clocking a time of two hours and 44 minutes. He was closely followed by Sauber-Ferrari’s Sergio Perez and McLaren-Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton. The next Grand Prix was held in Shanghai, China and saw Mercedes’s Nico Rosberg take the chequed flag for the first time in his career after 111 races and six years of waiting. Jenson Button had a frustratingly long pit-stop which saw him drop to second place, trailing Rosberg by 20 seconds. Hamilton took third place and earned himself a third consecutive podium finish. On the golf course, South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen narrowly missed out on winning his second major title at the76th US Masters at Augusta National. The final day of the contest saw him and self-taught American golfer, Bubba Watson go head-to-head for the green jacket. Oosthuizen looked set to claim his second major title, having dominated proceedings. However, on the second sudden-death hole when Watson made par, Oosthuizen was unable to match it and bogeyed the hole, which saw Bubba Watson win his first major championship. On the rugby front, it has been an absorbing start to this year’s Super Rugby season. The biggest surprise of the season has been the Auckland Blues, who went into this year’s tournament as firm favourites, having been beaten last year in the semis by eventual champions the Queensland Reds. This year, the Blues turned heads when they signed Hurricanes’s outcasts and All
Blacks Ma’a Nonu and Piri Weepu. The New Zealand outfit, however, has not lived up to the hype and have only recorded one win in seven matches, leaving them at bottom of the New Zealand conference. For South Africa the only disappointment has been the Lions. Many expected their performances in Super Rugby to improve, having won the
Absa Currie Cup last year. This has not been the case as they have only managed a single Super Rugby win this season and currently sit at the bottom of the table in both the South African Conference and the combined log. One other talking point was whether threetime champions the Vodacom Bulls would remain competitive this year after having lost
the likes of captain Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Fourie du Preez, Bakkies Botha to retirement and transfers abroad. The Bulls have shown that they remain a strong force with a convincing start to their campaign, which included a 61-8 thumping of defending champions the Reds. The log leaders thus far are Chiefs (31 points), Stormers (29 points) and Brumbies (24 points), who lead their conferences and occupy the top three spots on the combined log. The three wildcard spots are occupied by the Bulls (29 points), Highlanders (26 points) and the Hurricanes (25 points). In football, the English and Spanish football leagues are at the business end of the season with both leagues being closely contested. This year, the Barclay’s Premier League has been a tug-of-war between defending champions Manchester United and their newly revived neighbours Manchester City. With only four games left to play, Manchester United held a five point lead over City heading into their clash with Everton on 22 April, with United and City set to play each other on 30 April at the Etihad Stadium in a title decider. City are chasing their first league title in 44 years while United are looking for a record-breaking 20 league titles, 13 in Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign as manager of the club. In Spain, the title race is even tighter between arch-rivals Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona. Having let a comfortable 10-point lead slip through their fingers, Real Madrid are aiming to withstand the momentum that Barcelona have built up. Following a surprising week in the UEFA Champions League, where both teams lost their semi-final first leg ties to Bayen Munich and Chelsea respectively, the teams faced off this past Saturday in the El Grande Clasico. The two clubs could also face each other in the UEFA Champions League final if they manage to overturn their first leg deficits in their semifinal second legs on 24 and 25 April. Image: Motorsportpress.com
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LJ van Zyl kwalifiseer vir Olimpiese Spele ZENNA MULLER Die Suid-Afrikaanse 400m hekkies- en Tuksatleet, LJ van Zyl, het gekwalifiseer vir die Olimpiese Spele wat later vanjaar in Londen sal plaasvind. Volgens SASCOC (South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee) se kriteria moet atlete twee kwalifiserende tye vir die Olimpiese Spele opstel: een keer in die binneland en een keer in die buiteland, of twee keer in die buiteland. Van Zyl het die brons medalje in Augustus 2011 by die Wêreldkampioenskappe verower, waar hy sy eerste kwalifiserende tyd van 48.80 sekondes opgestel het. Hy het sy tweede kwalifiserende tyd vanjaar op 5 April by die Yellow Pages Interklubkampioenskappe by die ABSA Tuks Stadion behaal. Hy het die 400m hekkies hier gewen met `n tyd van 49.42 sekondes, net onder die 49.50 Olimpiese kwalifiserende tydmerk. In die 2008 Beijing Olimpiese Spele het hy vyfde gekom in die 400m hekkies en was hy ook deel van die nasionale aflosspan. Van Zyl het nog nooit `n Olimpiese medalje ingepalm nie. Hy sê dat die Amerikaanse atlete op die oomblik sy sterkste teenstanders tydens die 2012 Olimpiese Spele sal wees, maar dat enige atleet wat in die finaal is `n sterk opponent is. “`n Mens moet nooit jou teenstanders onderskat nie,” het hy aan Perdeby gesê. In die 400m hekkies by die 2011 Wêreldkampioenskappe het Van Zyl `n brons medalje verower en `n silwer medalje in die 4x400m aflos saam met die nasionale span. Gedurende 2011 het hy ook `n nuwe nasionale rekord opgestel met `n tyd van 47.66, nadat hy
Llewellyn Herbert se 11 jaar lange rekord met 0.15 sekondes verbeter het. Hy het sy eie rekord met byna een sekonde verbeter. Van Zyl het ook deelgeneem aan die SuidAfrikaanse kampioenskappe, wat die naweek van die 13de en 14de April plaasgevind het. As gevolg van `n ligte kuitbesering het Van Zyl `n tweede plek behaal en die wedloop in 51 sekondes voltooi. “My groot fokus is natuurlik die Diamantligas [`n atletiekreeks in Europa] en dan die Olimpiese Spele.” Atlete kan enige tyd gedurende die atletiekseisoen deur SAIDS (South African Institute for Drug-free Sport) getoets word vir
die gebruik van verbode middels. “Ek’s maar `n redelik konserwatiewe ou. Ek vertrou ouens tot hulle gevang word,” sê Van Zyl. Sy ouers en die mense saam wie hy oefen, hou hom gefokus en gemotiveerd. “Ek’t nie een spesifieke mentor nie. Ek het goeie vriende,” verduidelik Van Zyl verder. Sy afrigter, Hennie Kotze, werk al 10 jaar lank saam met hom en is definitief een van die mentors in sy lewe. Van Zyl sê dat hy altyd sy nommer die aand voor die tyd op sy atletiekfrokkie vasmaak sodat hy dit nie sal vergeet nie. “Ek trek gewoonlik my linkerkantste skoen altyd eerste aan omdat ek my eerste hekkie links hardloop en ek het
ook altyd `n sekere manier hoe ek opwarm.” Hy sê dat `n mens veral in sport moet onthou om nooit goed as vanselfsprekend te aanvaar nie en dat jy altyd dankbaar en nederig moet bly. Van Zyl is positief dat Oscar Pistorius, Caster Semenya en Willie de Beer (almal Tuksatlete) ook vir die 2012 Olimpiese Spele sal kwalifiseer. Perdeby wens LJ van Zyl voorspoed toe in sy voorbereiding en deelname by die Olimpiese Spele. Photo: Theperformancematrix.com
TuksCricket gears up for Club Champs
KEVIN VAN DER LIST The Tuks1 cricket side will look to finish off a successful season by winning the annual Club Championships. The event is set to take place from 23-27 April. This prestigious tournament is comprised of all the top club-cricket sides in the country, all of whom won their respective leagues to qualify for the tournament. The teams will all be vying for the honour of being named the top cricket club in the country. The week-long tournament boasts an array of franchise and professional players. Although TuksCricket has the likes of Albie Morkel, Morné Morkel, Paul Harris and AB de Villiers in the club set-up, they will all be unable to
take part in this year’s tournament due to other commitments. Tuks1 cricket coach Pierre de Bruyn said that the absence of these players will not spoil the team’s chances of winning the championship. “We have stars without those stars and it’s an opportunity for young players to make a name for themselves,” said De Bruyn. Tuks will be confident going into the tournament as they recently won the Premier League, in which they have remained unbeaten for in the past two years. Tuks had an adequate club championship last year, winning three of their five games. However, they will look to improve on that this year. De Bruyn said that this year’s competition will be one of the toughest club championships in a long time. According to him, Tuks find
themselves in the tougher of the two groups, but he is still confident in his team. “I’m very confident in the team. We know it will be very hard and of a very high standard, but we believe we can compete if we learn from [last year’s] mistakes,” said De Bruyn. He said that Tuks will need to stay focused and play their own brand of cricket, namely, clinical and disciplined cricket. He emphasised that they will need to stay calm under pressure and not be distracted by the stars that the other teams will field. Tuks will get their campaign underway with one of their two home games on 23 April against NWU Pukke at the Tuks Oval. The following day, Tuks will come up against Kia CUT Cricket Club at Memorial Park. Tuks
will play another game at Memorial Park on Wednesday, this time against TIB Crusaders Cricket Club. Tuks will return to their home ground at the Tuks Oval to face the Mecer NMMU Madibaz. The last day of the group stages will see Tuks clash with the University of the Western Cape at Sinovich Park. The winners of each group will then play against each other on 28 April in the final which will be held at SuperSport Park. De Bruyn said that winning the club championship will be the “cherry on the cake” for an already successful season. Photo: Kobus Barnard
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