The Bigger Picture

South Africa – the rainbow nation, the heart of Africa, and its second most populous nation; the first country in Africa to host the soccer world cup, the biggest sporting even in the world, the house to some of the most remarkable people on the continent - Nelson Mandela, Oliver Thambo, Miriam Makeba, Winnie Mandela, Trevor Noah are just a few of those. 

A nation filled with harmony and warm people although some have tried to tarnish its image.

Historically many have tried to destroy it through apartheid and its atrocious ideals giving birth and rise to discrimination and unfair treatment of the natives here yet the perseverance of many South African heroes and the will to be free proved to be stronger than anything; such was so strong that it impacted not only South Africa but the continent and the world allowing many to free themselves as well and keep the legacy of Nelson Mandela engraved upon their hearts and books.

Nature has thoroughly blessed it with its beauty, adorning it with an abundance of landscape, plateaus, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, sea and wild life. The table mountain in Cape Town, regarded as the most Iconic place in South Africa, has established itself as one of the most beautiful places in Africa and one of the wonders of the word as it is the most photographed place in South Africa. The Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga houses a variety of wild life that attracts many visitors around the world. 

 

Beauty is understandably subjective and everyone has their own views, nevertheless South Africa is house to some of the most beautiful women on the planet and everyone that has traveled around a few African countries can attest to that. Moreover, the diversity amongst women here concerning physical attributes is assurance that it can aesthetically and physically cater for everyone without having to rely on medical assistance!

As an African, South Africa has taught me some, if not the most important lessons in life. It has enabled me to engage in new social gatherings and learn more about different people, cultures and customs. It has also given me real friends that I know I will always cherish. I have been fortunate to be a part of the new South African generation where equality and civil rights are for everyone regardless of their colour or race. This freedom has allowed me to be able to have access to education just like any other South African as well as live or have fun anywhere I want. I also learnt that democracy and freedom of speech can, in fact, exist in more African countries if they could learn a bit from South Africa and the way they deal with their social-economic political issues.

The diverse ethnicity, languages, and heritage here overwhelm me and although different they are all somehow connected and that is the power of UBUNTU that lives among the people here.

These are just a few of the divine attributes that this country has to offer!

S.A Xenophobia: Who to blame?

South Africa's democratic image has once again been marred by one of the most cruel acts on the face of humanity known as xenophobia. Horrible scenes of a small number of black South African chasing and killing fellow black Africans because of, Lord knows what exactly, left me perplexed, knowing the history of this country and how hard they fought for freedom and equality in Africa as a whole with the help of many African compatriots.

According to some of these perpetrators "...these foreigners come here to take our women, jobs, opportunities and money..." they claim; and that for them, is enough reason to make them believe that they have the right to abuse and kill humans in the same manner exterminators deal with a plague of insects or rodents as seen in the picture bellow...

Moreover, the reactions we get from some of the prominent figures in the country are somewhat unintelligible making most people wonder about whether they stand for or against it. Zwelithini, one of the Kings here, said in a statement that "foreigners must pack their bags and go home" only to deny it afterwards saying that his statement was misinterpreted because he had said it in his native language. Other controversial statement came straight from the President's nest through one of his son who fiercely said that government must stop using taxpayers money to accommodate xenophobia victims... quiet an ironic statement here in Africa, seeing that some of his family's income comes from the same fund but oh well, he is South African and his black! so that is his for the taking...

I truly commend everyone who firmly stands against it, supports and promotes peace over all. Everyone is a foreigner somewhere and I believe that everyone has the right to live anywhere on this planet and make a living regardless of your color, race, ethnicity, nationality or social status... Was that not what the "End of Apartheid" symbolized?

This is not the first time xenophobia has hit South African shores and this time government only recognized it as such up until the world started to take notice of it.

Is the end of the world nearer than we think it is?

Over the past days we have seen outrageous things happening all over the world. Some of these things might be considered unbelievable by a few but they are as real as real can get. Plane crashes have become the new hobby for some nations. While many are killed negligently by the diabolical actions of  some of the world leaders, the world's major "Justice System" still undecided weather these acts are to be considered criminal or simply accidents.

The war caused by Israel against the Palestine is another case in need of divine intervention. Militants attacking schools and children is now considered as a defense act by "our worldly leaders". Are they killing these children to completely neutralize the chance of Palestine growing into becoming a better and stronger nation in years to come? Or, is it simply a way of inflicting more pain to the people (Parents) in Palestine and get them out of focus so as to lose the battle? Well, whatever the reason might be, these kids do not deserve any of this. 

And again the world's major "Justice System" still awaits for the "right time" to act.

Ebola is back with a bang! After so many years of absence, this uncontrollable plague has come back and taken more lives than it has before during the same period of time. It has been a major problem during some parts of North Africa, quickly spreading down to the central parts and extending it-self to the southern parts and middle-east.  

I'm not the type to believe in secret societies and conspiracy theories but none of these things happening right now all over the world seem like mere accidents to me.

Picture of the day

A chest x-ray shows the chainsaw that was embedded in James Valentine's neck and shoulder. Valentine, 21, was part of a crew pruning trees on Monday afternoon when his saw suddenly kicked back and the blade sliced into him. His co-workers brought him down from the tree and he was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Picture: REUTERS/Allegheny Health Network

Sunday Thoughts - Technology

Has anyone ever wondered what the world would be like without technology? Do you feel that perhaps, we would have been better human beings if we did not have all the technology we have around us today, or do you feel like technology has rather, helped us more than anything? Well regardless of your response to those questions, we all have to admit that technology has arguably played the most important role in the world we live in today.

Technology is the most important field of science right now, as it helps create, maintain, solve problems, handle different tasks and situations as well as learn new techniques that can have a huge impact on society. This is usually seen by the way everyone happens to be so hooked to it without even noticing sometimes because it is everywhere and it is, at most times, unavoidable.

 Many people have become consciously addicted to it due to the new tech-gadgets that are made available almost every minute hence causing a never-ending dispute among masses. Computers, tablets, cellphones, cameras, watches, vehicles are just a few of the most popular products that have been created and enhanced as a result of technology.  

Libraries have turned into museums, people have lost their jobs, virtual world (The Internet) has taken over physical socialization, having the latest cellphones has become more important to some than having a proper meal and that is how obsessed some have become with technology.

We may not see droids very often around us nevertheless, the way we has technology won us makes me feel like we have turned into droids ourselves. It is as though they have inserted a small chip into your brain that commands all your movements and behavior and impels us to firmly be reliant on all of these tech-gadgets for fear we maybe considered outdated.

With all of that said, I still think technology has helped us in a lot of ways and has made things easier for us, perhaps it should not, or maybe we feel that way because our brains have become so indulged into it yet, it is hard not to be impressed with what technology has offered us, thanks to our powerful brains.

Greetings - Sunday Thoughts

If you didn't know yet, Facebook's C.E.O Marc Zuckerberg has officially acquired most of the shares belonging to whatsapp, meaning he is in charge of the latter right now.

When I first saw the news on Facebook, I wondered to myself if this would be good news for us. I started asking myself questions such as "What does this mean for whatsapp? Will everyone who has Whatsapp be forced to have a Facebook account? Will Whatsapp/Facebook be integrated into each other and make it easier for users to connect through both media platforms as the likes of Facebook and Instagram or would Whatsapp have a bigger platform and even end up being used as, not only a mobile app, but a full computer application? I am sure everybody must be asking themselves a lot of questions regarding this news and how it will affect both parties not only physically but technically as well.

 Last night, 22/2/2014, the whole world got the first taste of Marc's reign when the Whatsapp app went down for a few hours, leaving users confused and upset. Some "experts" suggested that it was due to technical change caused by some of Facebook's developers, who have been trying to make both, Facebook and Whatsapp, work together.

I simply can't wait to see what this partnership will mean for the internet world and to everybody that uses both platforms. Mark is a smart guy, as we have come to learn from him throughout the years and he takes every opportunity he sees. I wish him all the best at his new endeavor and may this be a good partnership for all of us.

Is school really necessary?

I have recently been with a group of students that unfortunately have had the sad experience of failing grade 12. I told them that failing grade 12 is not the end of the world, as they still have a chance to make up for it but, I also told them that this could be one of the most important steps in their life, not only because it's the end of their high school experience but this also marks the beginning of  a new stage in their lives as they prepare to face the world.

I asked them what they think this meant for them and surprisingly, or not, many of these young peers assumed that being successful does not really depend on passing grade 12, which is debatebale, but I was shocked when few even went as far as saying that school isn't really a necessity in the lives of people. Never did I think, I would come across people with that mindset in this era. School holds us back yes, but there are advantages.

Life's a school itself, and having school experience is not only about having to study maths and science, but it teaches us how to interact with people of all types. School is the first glance we get at being involved in society and understanding it. It helps us, weather we like it or not, and it's up to us to use that to our advantage. It's impossible for human beings to live alone for we need each other because that's in our DNA, that's how we were made and school just makes it easier for us to understand that. I understand everyone has their own opinions, but I don't think I'd be able to write what I am right now if I did not go through the school experience.