Hola MaHigh School Volume 6, issue 6, June 2017
Brrrrrr..... cold!!!
But also Youth Day and Comrades. And this time: Nokia 6 vs Samsung S8
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Contents 06 Editors letter 07 Poem 08 We need writers 10 Contributors 11 Holler at us 12 Month of June 14 Youth Day - the roots 16 Youth Day - other countries 18 Father’s Day
Contents 20 Education - Hotels and resorts 22 Exams at university - Masiziba 24 Comrades Marathon - Wow 26 The Climate Deal - What now? 32 The future of the car? If any? 36 Stars - Engen is doing it! 38 Science - Agriculture 42 Gadgets - Nokia 6 vs Samsung S8 44 Conspiracy - Black Helicopters 46 Next issue
Editors Letter
June already - wow. And now it is winter. But June is also Youth Day - 16 June. But did it resonate with the times? Of course Masiziba is still with us. So let us see what university is now all about. But June is also Comrades Marathon. And there is a lot of history there. Science today is about the future of the car - or the car of the future. Let us face it. We cannot pollute the planet aymore. Trump pulling US out of the climate deal is just disaster. But what does it all mean? Is it just a hoax after all? There is a lot more to it, so get reading. Agriculture! sounds like animals and wheat and mealies and so on. Well, yes. But if we need to feed the world population, some scientific things must be pulled into it. So that is what we look at. ... and a good conspiracy. LOL GOOD READ
Sybil
Time for poems:
Cold, Cold, Cold Hot, Hot, Hot Cold, Cold, Cold The joy of winter the changing temp the change of seasons using the winter clothes imagining an icy world longing for snow, never having seen it settling in, ... and then it is warm and dusty again
Sybil
We need writers! Our writers are growing up and getting older That is og course good. BUT.... it means they are leaving us Therefore: would you like towrite for us? What is required? That is easy You have to be in grade 10-12 Impeccable in your preferred language-and that might not be English. We try to be more than just English Passionate about your topic of choice no dull articles here
Do you get anything out of it? Well, not money, sorrry. BUT if we publish your articles you will have: Your bio in a commercial magazine A photo of yourself You can put it all on your CV you can use us as a reference ... and it goes in your portfolio
Is it important? YES it is. Look what Rofhiwa said: My name is Rofhiwa and I love to write. I think I am rather decent writer too. I took my talent and have used it to express my thoughts on international dealings of the world which have been published in Hola MaHigh-School. It has paid off, not only is my work printed for young people in the country to read, but it also contributed to me gettng a bursary from CNBC-Africa to do my post-graduate studies. Would be a lot harder to get by if I didn’t have platform like Hola MaHigh-School.
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n iva n co.za @romele . : nam e scho Cell n ol E-ma umber ... and il addres s we w ill tal k!
Meet our contributors I am Masiziba Hadebe. I study a BSc in Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State. I am originally from a small rural town in Mpumalanga, Balfour. My hardworking trait proves that anyone, regardless of the background, can make it. I love plants and animals. During leisure, I read anything readable and interesting. Writing is and will always be my passion, I would starve food just to write! Pinky Rapoo is a creative writer by nature and not yet by profession.She lives in Vosloorus and is currently in grade 12 at Vosloorus Comprehensive SecondarySchool. Listening to music is her hobby,writing is her passion. Her motto is “Think twice before speaking,think three times before acting and think thoroughly before writing�. My name is Fikile Unifire Zulu, I hail from Evaton West in the Vaal Triangle, Gauteng. I love art and started doing so ever since I can remember. I am a go-getter, determined, ambitious and diligent young woman, I strongly believe in reading because it allows you to look at the world in a new perspective and writing .. well you get to express your thoughts and imagination without any fear. Besides writing, I am passionate about serving the community, currently I am a Provincial Secretary-General for Disabled Youth South Africa, Deputy Chairperson for Evaton West Local Drug Action Commitee, PR officer for Educate South Africa and part of Gauteng Youth Road Safety task team.
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The month of Ju something spe Winter and cold. And clear blue skies, at least on the Highveld. What is happening in June? We found an absolute gem on what used to happen, many years back. And something rather typical British. Wiki: The Secular Games was a Roman religious celebration, involving sacrifices and theatrical performances, held in ancient Rome for three days and nights to mark the end of a saeculum and the beginning of the next. A saeculum, supposedly the longest possible length of human life, was considered as either 100 or 110 years in length. According to Roman mythology, the Secular Games began when a Sabine man called Valesius prayed for a cure for his children’s illness and was supernaturally instructed to sacrifice on the Campus Martius to Dis Pater and Proserpina, deities of the underworld. Some ancient authors traced official celebrations of the Games as far back as 509 BC, but the only clearly attested celebrations under the Roman Republic took place in 249 and in the 140s BC. The Games were revived in 17 BC by Rome’s first emperor Augustus. Later emperors held celebrations in AD 88 and 204, after intervals of roughly 110 years. The Games were abandoned under later Christian emperors. What about celebrating Christmas every 100 years?
une: also having ecial to tell us Trooping the Colour We all know that the weather in the UK can be a bit – ‘left-field’. So the British (since 1748) has operated with the sovereign’s ‘natural’ birthday and an official birthday. The official birthday has then always been scheduled for June as the weather typically could be good. Like summer and nice and warm. Marking it as a great holiday, Trooping the Colour got latched onto it. That is the big parade in London of the different regiments making up the Household Division. Let me say something: it is spectacular! The Queen travels down The Mall from Buckingham Palace in a royal procession with a sovereign’s escort of Household Cavalry (mounted troops or horse guards). Then the entire Household Division assembly conducts a march past the Queen, who receives a salute from the saluting base. Returning to Buckingham Palace, the Queen watches a further marchpast from outside the gates. Following a 41-gun salute by the King’s Troop in Green Park, she leads the Royal Family on to the palace balcony for a Royal Air Force flypast. Beat that, anyone!
16 June 1976 We probably all know the story. Hector Pieterson, Orlando, etc. But was it just local? Did it resonate with anything in an international setting? A lot from Wiki as usual. It is absolutely clear that the late 1960’s and early 1970’s saw an increase in youth awareness. It was a generational shift and a way of evolving from the control of the older generation, i.e. parents. Let us also face it: A lot of it happened in Europe. Because that ‘older generation’ was the one who had lived through the Second World War. And remember: that totally devastated Europe. That generation is/was marked for life by the unimaginable hardship and death of millions. But time changed and the new generation (born in the late 40’s and 50’s) had it easy. Unemployment was down. Jobs were good and pay was good. So it was time to challenge the establishment and the austerity. Paris 1968: The unrest began with a series of student occupation protests against capitalism, consumerism, American imperialism and traditional institutions, values and order. It then spread to factories with strikes involving 11 million workers, more than 22% of the total population of France at the time. USA 1970: On April 30, 1970, President Nixon announced the expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia. On May 1, protests on college campuses and in cities throughout the U.S. began. At Kent State University, a demonstration with about 500 students was held on May 2. Students burned down the ROTC building at Kent State and on May
– inspirations? 4, National Guardsmen confronted and killed four students. Soon, more than 450 university, college and high school campuses across the country were shut down that involved more than 4 million students. Angola 1974-75: The Portuguese pulled out in 1974 and the border wars started with SADF invasions. In all, there was a new wind across the globe. The youth was being vocal in its demands for a new world order. Flower-Power, Anti-Vietnam, African liberation movements on the rise (and winning independence!), protests never seen before, mass action with a victory at the end. The international inspiration must surely have been there. It might have been felt that now was the time where the old regime could be challenged and some concessions be claimed. The world had changed very fast and maybe this was the ‘watershed’. … But, alas, it was not to be!
Youth movem What about youth movements globally? I found something interesting here: https://www.one.org/us/2015/08/11/10-youth-movementschanging-the-world-for-the-better/. I do not vouch for any of the info. Have a look and judge yourself. While not technically a movement itself, Global Youth Action Network (GYAN) plays an important role as a clearinghouse for today’s youth movements! It is one of the largest networks of youth organizations ever created and connects youth-led and youth-serving organizations in more than 190 countries. It’s known for its role in increasing youth participation within the United Nations System. In 2001 GYAN merged with TakingITGlobal, an award winning “social network for social good” that carries out its motto to “inform, inspire, and involve” through digital youth engagement, social innovation and global education programs. Sawa World believes there is a way to end extreme poverty for billions of people on our planet. The solution lies in the minds, hands and hearts of those who suffer it most. They call them Sawa Leaders; unsung heroes who have themselves been among the one billion people living on one dollar a day or less. Their solutions are documented and shared by Sawa Youth Reporters – unemployed youth in their communities who are trained by local media partners to become community reporters. The Youth Reporters produce short videos and regular updates about the practical solutions and impact of Sawa Leaders and present them throughout their region and through local media. This allows other impoverished people to feel inspired and to replicate the solutions in their own communities!
ments globally With over 40 million members from 223 countries around the world, the Scouts is the largest youth movement in the world. It is a voluntary non-political educational movement for young people, open to all without distinction of gender, origin, race or creed. Scouting offers young people the opportunity to develop their full emotional, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible global citizens, and as members of their local, national and international communities. There are National Scout Organizations all over the world. With over a million members (youth under 30), the World Youth Alliance promotes the dignity of every human being and works to build a global culture that supports social and economic development, human rights, global health and education. They do this by speaking at the UN, OAS, EU and other important international and regional organizations, as well as through providing training programs, and organizing global campaigns, regional events, internships, camps and festivals.
Fathers! an Was it just a copy of Mother’s Day? It did start (modern times at least) in the US. The inspiration was surely Mother’s Day (it did come about in 1908 and took off in the 1920’s). Father’s Day had a bit different life. Sure it also had its roots in the 1920’s but we need to get up in the 1950’s before it started to be well-established.
One fathe than a hun As for Mother’s day, the basic should be to cele- schooldma brate the influence of the father (in the family), George Herbert fatherhood, good parenting etc. But it never really took off. Then the retailers started to see the light. It could easily be turned into another ‘Christmas’ for men. Father’s day celebrations started to spread across the globe as a part of American culture. However, when the more raw commercialisation of father’s Day (as for Mother’s Day) became a more accepted part of it all, the consumerism made it a success. Has father’s day become another occasion for going to the mall to buy something? Give dad some tools? The soap-on-the-rope gift? Socks? What does a dad/father need? What is fatherhood anyway? To what extent is the role of the father recognised in the greater society? that is a very good question.
nd their day Looking at the Sunday papers reveal something. There are a few articles about fatherhood. An article by Wessel van den Berg, (children’s rights and positive-parenting unit manager at Sonke Gender Justice in Cape Town) in Sunday Times is a good read. We need to see a father as much more than a bread-winner. However, that is just not so easy due to both culture, tradition and really economic pressure.
er is more Next to that article (in Sunday Times) we find ndred one written by Mbuyiselo Botha – commissioner asters - at the Commission for Gender Equality (writing in his personal capacity).
He is quoting that the number of children growing up without their fathers in SA is some 9 million. Quoting from the article: “Research has shown that the absence of fathers is associated with poor educational outcomes, antisocial behaviour, lack of confidence in girls and behavioural problems among boys”. This is a serious problem! City Press has a set of articles about being a single father. And that is not so easy due to the ‘traditional’ way of thinking about single parents. Very good read! At least we are ready to talk about things. But the advertising for ‘stuff’ leading up to Father’s Day did outweigh the articles about fatherhood
Education: The answe economic em The following has been emailed to us by Eclipse PR on behalf of Premier Hotels & Resorts. It does not necessarily represent our opinions and all facts are on their behalf. “Education remains the key to both economic and political empowerment” - Barbara Jordan, Civil Rights Movement leader. Every year, during the month of June and on the 16th (Youth Day) in particular, South Africa’s youth are celebrated. This year’s festivities are being held under the theme of ‘The Year of OR Tambo: Advancing Youth Economic Empowerment’. “Education is vital for empowering the country’s youth to take control of their economic destiny, especially when one considers that, according to Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate remains high at 33,1% among those with an education level lower than a matric certificate - 5,4 percentage points higher than the national average,” says Sigal Geva, Managing Director of the Academic College of South Africa and Chief Operating Officer of Premier Hotels & Resorts. She continues: “While the unemployment rate among graduates remains at 7,3%, factors contributing to this include the graduate’s field of study, not having the skills required by employers and the quality of education received. With this in mind, young people who are looking to further their education should consider attain-
er to advancing youth mpowerment ing qualifications in sectors that are currently creating jobs and seek out reputable institutions that equip students with high-demand skills in these industries.� Tourism is a growth industry globally. The tourism industry creates jobs, with 32,186 new jobs added during the period under review. Geva shares that the Academic College of South Africa, managed by Premier Hotels & Resorts and accredited by the Culture Art Tourism Hospitality and Sports Sector Education and Training Authority (Cathsseta), was established to address the dire need for appropriate training within the hospitality industry in order to create a competent and skilled workforce. The College enables students to pick from a myriad of career paths and attain nationally recognised qualifications (including matric and higher education equivalents). Both classroom theory and practical work experience are provided along with the possibility of employment at properties within the Premier Hotels & Resorts group. To enrol at the College visit, www.academicsa.co.za, or for more information on Premier Hotels & Resorts, go to www.premierhotels.co.za
Exams at university can be daunting. I recently learnt that. It is a dire situation where you have to expect the best and the worst at the same time. Lack of time management can literally terminate any chance of one passing the paper. In addition to this, the paper set-up influences the level of thinking. The longer the question paper, the more time allocation it needs. The attention span of an average human on one thing is about 20 minutes, although a person can still decide to re-focus. That adds another 20 minutes on average. Furthermore, the amount and quality of studying influences time management. If one panics and suddenly goes blank, the mind then lacks efficiency to answer any questions. This usually happens to students who go through the paper and realise they could have enrolled for a sick test instead, either because of the amount or wrong method of studying, and in some cases, incorrect work. However, those students who are able to link ideas and recall “possible” answers tend to be more efficient and answer questions more effectively. Therefore, the amount and quality of studying influences how the mind will operate, and “what the mind conceives and believes, the mind achieves” —Napoleon Hill. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ’s) places some students into a mode of ease. It is believed that answers are there, and one has to “link an answer” to the questions. This type of set up needs
extensive studying especially for ‘reading’ for modules such as biology or history. MCQ’s consist of a stem, the correct answer, keyed alternatives, and distractors. Moreover, problem-solving and higher-order reasoning skills are assessed through short-answer and essay tests. This too requires quality studying. It is important for one to prepare in small, minute steps of studying. This is recommended for engineering students as engineering, (as an example) requires build up. This is where the minute steps come into play. In any case, to get into a university exam, you have to qualify for your exam based on your semester mark, which is commonly a combination of assignments and tests. Then you have to obtain a certain percentage in the exam, and a specific overall mark to pass. In addition to this, you are expected to submit all assignments or else you receive an incomplete that translates to a fail. At the end of the day, one cannot afford to fail or miss any assessment.
Did you know The other big event in June – every year – is the Comrades. OK, it is like very late May or early June, but never mind. It is here. But where did it come from? Wiki says: The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately 89 km which is run annually between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race. The direction of the race alternates each year between the "up" run (87 km) starting from Durban and the "down" run (89 km) starting from Pietermaritzburg. The field is capped at 20,000 runners, and entrants hail from more than 60 countries. In all but three runnings since 1988, over 10,000 runners have reached the finish within the allowed 11 or 12 hours. Runners over the age of 20 qualify when they are able to complete an officially recognised marathon in under five hours. The spirit of the Comrades Marathon is said to be embodied by attributes of camaraderie, selflessness, dedication, perseverance, and ubuntu. The Comrades was run for the first time on 24 May 1921, and with the exception of a break during World War II, has been run every year since. To date, over 300,000 runners have completed the race. The race was the idea of World War I veteran Vic Clapham,
w? Comrades to commemorate the South African soldiers killed during the war. Clapham, who had endured a 2,700-kilometre route march through sweltering German East Africa, wanted the memorial to be a unique test of the physical endurance of the entrants. The constitution of the race states that one of its primary aims is to "celebrate mankind's spirit over adversity". 48 runners entered the first race in 1921, but 34 elected to start. The course at the time was tarred only for the final few kilometres into Durban. Of the 34 starters, only 16 completed the race. The 75th anniversary of the Comrades Marathon in 2000 was the largest ever staged, with a massive field of 23,961. In 2010, on its 85th anniversary, the race gained a place in the Guinness World Records as the ultramarathon with most runners. 14,343 athletes, the largest field since the turn of the millennium, finished in the allowed 12 hours. Now we know that.
President Trump has pu Paris Climate Deal Acc President Trump has pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Deal Accord. Is it a big deal? Let us start with the basics: Global warming. It is a fact that the climate has warmed dramatically since around 1950. It is proven that it is because of human activity. The direct cause of global warming is emission of CO2 and other green-house gasses. A rising temperature will directly cause spreading of deserts, melting sea ice and glaciers, rising water levels globally. Extreme weather in the likes of drought, floods caused by very heavy rainfall, and so on. What does it mean to humans? Rising sea levels will mean that populated areas along the coasts cannot be inhibited any more. That means that millions of people will have to move inland. In essence, habitable land will be less. Spreading of deserts will mean that farming areas will turn to desert. In essence: the world population will still grow and there will be a lot less space for us all. On top of, where we used to be able to grow food will now be desert. Food security is at risk for millions and millions of people. An example: unless we do something NOW, the average temperature in Middle East will be some 70 degrees by 2050. Nobody can live there then. The nice buildings we see in Dubai etc. will be like ‘Mad Max’ areas. THIS IS REALITY.
ulled the US out of the cord. Is it a big deal? What is the Paris Accord all about? First of all, this conference was attended by some 174 countries. In essence the entire world. The core of the deal was to LIMIT the global warming to 2 Degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. The deal also calls for zero green-house gas emissions after 2050. It sounds tame, doesn’t it? However, we are talking something real now. It is a reduction and a goal of zero emissions within the next 50 years. That is major. Getting to this will require a major shift in energy production. Wind and solar will be the major winners in this as this can be ramped up very fast. Building nuclear plants could be a solution, but will still take decades to get commissioned. The accord is non-binding and there are no sanction or stated country goals. However, it is the realisation of all the world leaders that this is something very serious and time is short. So why would anyone not adhere to this? And that is where Trump comes on stage. We need to look at one of the growing economies: China. China has been a major pollutant, basing a lot of energy generation on coal. China, together with Europe, is pushing for this accord. They know they are vulnerable. THE WORLD HAS CHANGED
Will US be left behind no US is now the third-biggest country (PPP) after China and EU. It is still a big economy and produces a fair amount of green-house gasses. That is the crux of it. Just for comparison of GDP expressed in PPP: China – 23,2. EU – 20,8. US – 19,4. In essence: the world is now China and EU, and US just some 44% of those two blocks. But this is a significant development insofar as the US IS a major player and a major polluter. Why did Trump make this decision? Buszzfeed.com says: “Trump repeatedly framed the Paris agreement Thursday as an unfair deal for the US that would negatively impact the economy and bring about “a massive redistribution of United States wealth to other counties.” According to Trump, US has to finance the change of energy production in other countries. However, Trump also campaigned in the ‘rust belt’ in the US, promoting coal mines. So is it a domestic issue or reality? Trump has also said that climate change is a hoax concocted by China and that the Paris Accord is a way of luring money out of US. Unless US is a part of the Paris Accord, climate change might get to a stage where it will be a run-away process. But there are other consequences.
ow? What’s the big deal? US is being isolated. What is happening now is that EU and China is going ahead with real clima change initiatives. Different meetings are coming up and it is now cler that the two biggest blocks have more in common in terms of economic goals. Also note that China is a leading force in the change-over to zero emission energy generation (wind and solar). EU has among its members countries (Germany, Denmark, France, etc) where more than 40% of energy generation is based on wind alone. Such a co-operation is bound to form a new world order. And that is to the detriment of the US. US might be isolated from now and not be viewed as a reliable partner. Insofar as the rest of the world do believe that climate change is reality and something has to happen NOW, the US has bailed out. Undone what Obama strived for. This might also flow through to NATO where Trump has had some major issues. On top of, Asia might view US as not so reliable anymore and that open the door for Chinese military expansion. If EU is looking the other way and actually ignoring US under Trump, we will see a potential conflict. US might not like it after all. With Trump going out of his way to insult all EU leaders, we might see that US is left behind. ‌ and still not cutting gas emissions!
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The future car or th Let us face it. Personal transportation – a car – is going to be around for many more years. Public transport, rapid busses, trains, trams ar all very good. BUT the car will still be there. Does it then mean that is has to be a petrol guzzling monster? Polluting with green-house gasses (and this is a major thing)? Let us look at what type of technologies we might see – some of these things are already around and have been in use for years. Diesel-electric drive trains. This is simple stuff: We have a diesel engine which is not tied to the drive train. It produces electricity (stored in a battery if need be) and the drive train are electric motors coupled to the wheels – the drive train. Why is this smart? The diesel engine can be smaller as it does not drive the car. Electric motors are faster to spin up and there is less friction in those parts. Smaller engine = less pollution. Is this new? Not at all. It has been used for diesel electric locomotives for the last 80 years because: it is economical, simple, efficient and provides better traction. Efficiency = money.
he future of the car Regenerative brakes: When brakes are applied in a car, the friction (the braking) dissipates as heat. Simple physics. The energy has to go somewhere and it goes into heat emission. Here is the new thing. Apply the energy to turning a (heavy) flywheel. That one can go spinning for some time and when the car is accelerating (starting from the robot), that energy is then applied to the wheels. Car goes without having to apply the engine. Revving the engine is one of the most pollution-generating things to do. Busses throughout the world have had this technology for years! Nothing new here. So what is new then? The new thing is to apply all of this to smaller cars. One thing is to build a locomotive of several tons. A bus is also a bit more heavy than the family car. It is the downscale of technology that has been lacking. Battery technology also had to be smarter. Bulky batteries always killed the idea. In essence, it will also mean that car design can have many more opportunities as the engine compartment can be downsized dramatically. There are more technologies to be applied, but these two things are in production in cars we can go buy today.
Are there green c Let us look at the cars we can meet today with new technology applied: Volvo V60 Diesel Plug-in Hybrid It looks like any other Volvo. Safe and boxy. But it is something else. We all know those Swedes are crazy about the environment, so what have they done: It is running on a 2,4l diesel engine, generating electricity for the drive train. According to Wiki, it has three modes: • In Pure Mode the car runs only on its electric motor as much as possible. The driving range is up to 50 km. • Hybrid Mode is the default mode. Emissions of CO2 are 49 g/ km, corresponding to diesel fuel consumption of 1.8 l/100 km. The car’s total range is up to 1,200 kilometres. • In Power Mode, the hybrid system is optimised to give the car the best possible performance. 0 to 100 kph acceleration time of 6.1 seconds So, it is a fast big family car and can go some 1,200 km on a full tank. That is like from JoBurg to Cape Town. At a cost of some R280-00!!! The battery is Lithium-ion, like the one for the cellphone (a little bit bigger though). There is more to come, but this car can be bought today.
cars to buy, then? VW Golf TDI Hybrid This is info I have from Autoexpress.co.uk. I do not vouch for the correctness etc. According to Autoexpress, the new Golf range will feature a 48V electrical system. It will be powered by a small 1,5l engine, generating electricity for the drive train. It probably means that the smaller diesel engines are gone, also in other VW models. Whether it will also feature the regenerative brakes or not, I do not know. However, it is technology which was there in their first launch of the concept car. The launch car had a 3-cylinder 1,4l engine. The car produced 90g CO2km. going 30 km/l . That is 40 l of petrol to go to Cape Town = R520-00. See where it is all going in terms of cars. And the newest thing as well: Low-emission or zero-emission zones. These are urban areas where internal-combustion cars, etc. are banned. Electric busses or trams and electric cars are allowed, and of course bicycles. Walking is fine! Some 220 cities in Europe have introduced this (or low-emission zones as it is difficult to ban delivery trucks). All in the name of combatting global warming and pollution.
Engen Celebrates Y We have received the following from Magna Carta on behalf of Engen. All statement are attributed to Engen and do not necessarily represent us. This Youth Day, Engen is celebrating the bright futures of their recent graduates of the 2016 Engen Maths and Science School (EMSS). EMSS is a national initiative that addresses key skills shortages in the engineering and technical fields by providing after hours Math and Science education to learners who show an advanced aptitude in the subjects. Leading super star, Unathi Bhodlingwe was recognised as the top learner in the EMSS Class of 2016. Unathi, a former learner from Umlazi High School, attended classes at Mangosuthu University of Technology (Mantech) and attained an overall average of 91%. Unathi is studying accounting at the University of Cape Town this year. A learner at Westville Boys High School, Sasasa Dlamini’s 89% average saw him finish second nationally, with distinctions in all his subjects. “Knowing that someone believes in you is a great feeling,” he stresses. “Engen’s approach and their teachers were highly motivating. My maths and science distinctions got me to Harvard, and will give me the opportunity to change my world.
Youth on June 16th My EMSS teachers always taught me that I could do more. And since both economics and politics are premised on changing the world, perhaps I can repay their faith in me by creating the means to solving challenges and employing thousands of people. Choosing which subject to study will be tough, but I’m really excited to get this opportunity.” In third place, another star pupil is Kerisha Lutchmia who attended Fairvale Secondary and is studying actuarial science at the University of Cape Town this year. Kerisha started the EMSS programme in grade 10 as she saw an opportunity. “It was made easily accessible, and I continued as a dedicated pupil through to grade 12. My passion lies in mathematics so I knew I wanted to go into a mathematical-orientated field. “After much research, I found there was a lack of actuaries in South Africa. Therefore I chose actuarial sciences as I will not only be doing what I enjoy but I will also be contributing to South Africa,” she said. Engen’s corporate social investment manager, Mntu Nduvane said the company is delighted to have given bright young pupils such as Unathi, Sasasa and Kerisha the chance to pursue their dreams of working in maths and science fields. “Many pupils in the programme had to overcome great socio-economic hardships to achieve their high results. We are very proud of all the graduates of the class of 2016 and wish them all the best in their tertiary studies and future careers,” said Nduvane.
Agricultural scie We know that Masiziba is doing Agricultural ‘things’ at UFS, but what is ‘agricultural science’ really all about? Of course agriculture has been a part of humanity for the last 10,000 years or more. Growing crops for food and having animals to eat, well, that has been a hallmark of civilisation. But science? Science is such a big word, and we know about the Greeks and science and the Egyptians as well. So science? And agriculture? Let us (as usual) turn to Wiki: “Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture” “Agriculture, agricultural science, and agronomy The three terms are often confused. However, they cover different concepts: • Agriculture is the set of activities that transform the environment for the production of animals and plants for human use. Agriculture concerns techniques, including the application of agronomic research. • Agronomy is research and development related to studying and improving plant-based crops. Agricultural sciences include research and development on: • Production techniques (e.g., irrigation management, recommended nitrogen inputs) • Improving agricultural productivity in terms of quantity and quality (e.g., selection of drought-resistant crops and animals, development of new pesticides, yield-sensing technologies,
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simulation models of crop growth, in-vitro cell culture techniques) Minimizing the effects of pests (weeds, insects, pathogens, nematodes) on crop or animal production systems. Transformation of primary products into end-consumer products (e.g., production, preservation, and packaging of dairy products) Prevention and correction of adverse environmental effects (e.g., soil degradation, waste management, bioremediation) Theoretical production ecology, relating to crop production modeling Traditional agricultural systems, sometimes termed subsistence agriculture, which feed most of the poorest people in the world. These systems are of interest as they sometimes retain a level of integration with natural ecological systems greater than that of industrial agriculture, which may be more sustainable than some modern agricultural systems. Food production and demand on a global basis, with special attention paid to the major producers, such as China, India, Brazil, the USA and the EU. Various sciences relating to agricultural resources and the environment (e.g. soil science, agroclimatology); biology of agricultural crops and animals (e.g. crop science, animal science and their included sciences, e.g. ruminant nutrition, farm animal welfare); such fields as agricultural economics and rural sociology; various disciplines encompassed in agricultural engineering.
With this I rest my case. This is as hi-tech as it can be! and remember, the World population is rising and we need to be fed all of us.
Agricultural Biotechn Let us look at just aspect of agricultural science: Agricultural biotechnology. Wiki says: “Agricultural biotechnology, also known as agritech, is an area of agricultural science involving the use of scientific tools and techniques, including genetic engineering, molecular markers, molecular diagnostics, vaccines, and tissue culture, to modify living organisms: plants, animals, and microorganisms. Crop Biotechnology is one aspect of Agricultural Biotechnology which has been greatly developed upon in recent times. Desired traits are exported from a particular species of crop to an entirely different species. These transgene crops possess desirable characteristics in terms of flavor, color of flowers, growth rate, size of harvested products and resistance to diseases and pests”. Cross-breeding of especially plants has been done for thousands of years. Nothing new there. It is the application of a bit of science to it which also made the industrial revolution possible. Feeding a growing population based on ‘old’ methods would simply not have been possible. Look at it this way, the population of UK in year 1800 was some 10 million. In 1841 it was 16
nology: the answer? million. Now it is 65 million. See my point? So what is the new thing? It is indeed to be found in the above quote: “Desired traits are exported from a particular species of crop to an entirely different species”. This is where genetic modification and genetic engineering comes into play. It is of course mighty complex. It is important to know exactly which gene is coding for what and to be able to ‘slice’ the right part and combine into the target species. Just the molecular slicing tools are a science all by itself. All of that said, the results are spectacular. Is it the next revolution in agricultural science? Well, if the world population is growing with the same rate as now, something has to happen. And that just might be genetic engineering. The big question is of course: are we playing God and tinkering with things better left alone? … and that question we will leave to you to answer!
Nokia is back! But I c Have you really got a ‘telephone’? or is it really your … well, yes. What is it and where is it going? No doubt. Samsung is in the lead, but leading in what actually? Remember Nokia? What is the impression of Nokia? Robust, durable, cutting edge, and foremost: TELEPHONY! Nokia was a TELEPHONE! Nokia is now back under the name (or the other way round) of HMD. Phones are now simple things again: Nokia 3, 5 and 6. This is pure Android. And everything else is pure … whatever it is inside. Nokia is pushing hardware. But although the phone looks great, is this enough? The thing is: do I buy a TELEPHONE? Or do I buy a device, which incidentally can make a telephone call. When do I actually TALK on the thing? Now here comes Samsung S8. Hopefully the battery will stop killing me. Design is … like nothing I have ever seen. This is beautiful. The display is from edge to edge, and even spilling over the edge. Just because of its looks it is a winner. Iris scanning for unlocking the thing is just into hi-tech. maybe it is even working? Of course we are also seeing Gear 360 and Gear VR as a part of the entire experience. The fingerprint thing is said to be .. cumbersome and not quit Samsung. But they will get it right.
can get Samsung S8! The real hectic thing will be Bixby. There are three parts to Bixby. Bixby Voice is triggered by calling it. From there other applications can be called. Wiki says: Bixby Vision is built into the camera app and can “see” what one can see as it is essentially an augmented reality camera that can identify objects in real time, search for them on various services, and offer the user to purchase them if available. Bixby is also able to translate text, read QR codes and recognize landmarks. Wiki says: Bixby Home can be found by swiping to the right on the home screen. It is a vertically scrolling list of information that Bixby can interact with, for example, weather, fitness activity, and buttons for controlling the smart home gadgets. So Samsung is really not a telephone at all. … and that is why I will go for that one… because I really don’t talk on the thing…. I do so many other things, really!
Conspiracy: Black Helicopters Here is my favourite conspiracy: Black Helicopters. In the 1990’s there was a rumouir that the US military would take over the US. The agents were flying black helicopters and were somehow also mixed up with the aliens - the space bat, I think. The connection was the ‘Men in Black’ as that, according to rumour, was real. It got better: It was actually the UN which had decided to iinvade the US! The several federal agencies (like the FBI etc) were claimed to be using unmarked black helicopters to track down wild life (what? yes, wild life). Somehow, I believe it is also something to do with the mysterious underground work of Denver airport. These theories most commonly claim that DIA is a new, secret (?) headquarters or compound used by the Illuminati, New World Order, Neo-Nazis, or Reptoids. These claims are usually based on an alleged swastika shape that the runways and taxiways make when seen from the air, as well as murals, sculptures, and other engravings claimed to be secret code or “alien” language. Black’ part. Wish sometimes ...
Maybe it is reality? I like the ‘Men in
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