saundra busieka obote: August 2013

Wednesday, 21 August 2013

CONFESSIONS , THIS ARE MY CONFESSIONS

There are things to confess that enrich the world, and things that need not be said. These words were famously said by Joni Mitchell .

In the recent months, many university and high school orientated confession pages have pop up left right and centre, all over many of the social networking sites out there, mainly facebook. The aim of these confessions pages are for people to confess to their inner most thoughts about certain things happening mostly around , or within their schools, yet remain anonymous with very little chances of the confessions being traced back to them

Although the concept of confession pages has gone viral due to its popularity within the teen and young adult as they can send anonymous messages to a certain Link and have this messages posted up, interestingly enough confession pages were initially started as a platform for working people or people out of school from a particular institution to reminisce on the good old days and all the adventures they went through or the experiences they had and also confess on some of the things that they had always wanted to share but were unable to, back then for various reasons

Bringing this matter close to home , current figures show that TUT confession pages is the most liked viewed and most updated of all the university pages. On the link http://www.news24.com/Technology/News/Student-confession-sites-go-viral-20130531 news 24 states that the craze over the confession pages started at the University of Cape Town and swiftly spread across the country.

TUT’S confession pages has about 24,116 likes with 13,045 talking about this , it is closely followed by Tuks(University Of Pretoria ) with approximately 21,974 likes , with 156 talking about this . The University of Cape Town has about 21,693 likes and 324 talking about this. the confession page of the university of Johannesburg has approximately 19,111 likes with 165 talking about this while Rhodes university has about 12 359 likes with 4586 people talking about the page

As a keener follower of the various confessions pages I have come to realize that while Some students live vicariously through this pages, confessing as often as possible, commenting on the various post put up, others find this pages a complete waste of time and as a way of degrading the school name, and other people through the commends posted up

In many ways this pages have positive attributes as they at times allow people to confess a about a dilemma or problem they could be facing and ask for help without fear of being judged, and in return, he or she at times gets positive feedback, while this is a positive impact, I worry about the constant sexual confessions posted up with very vivid details that would have many parents out there, worried as to whether they send their students to school to learn or carry out sexual activities and also the sense of tribalism and racism that some comments do bring up .

Trinity Molobi a current student at TUT says “I think all the things that pop up on this pages especially TUT’s is scripted, and the grammar is poor and it’s an insult to tut students as a whole “

Tinah Masonga also a student at TUT said “ I think it’s sad if you read the confessions and the comment s , because it shows there is no peace at TUT , cause the students don’t get along , as they fail to help on another “

At the moment the jury is out on whether the confession pages are good or bad, but like all other social networking fever, the hype over confession pages may soon come to pass as technology will allow for another form of innovation to come up and grab everyone’s attention.

links to others similar stories

http://www.buzzfeed.com/justinesharrock/the-stange-world-of-high-school-confession-pages

http://thewebkick.com/how-to-make-confessions-page-on-facebook-using-google-docs/

http://news.insing.com/tabloid/craze-facebook-confessions-pages/id-6c6d3f00

http://youtu.be/P_d3hQJ4e40

http://soundcloud.com/missobote/views-20on-20confession

Wednesday, 14 August 2013

YOU STIKE A WOMAN , YOU STRIKE A ROCK

PHOTOS FROM GOOGLE

women marching toward union buildings

the four leaders of the march

YOU STRIKE A WOMAN YOU STRIKE A ROCK !!!

This is a man's world, But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl “this is a versed from one of music’s legendary icon James Brown and this words in many ways resound the opinion of many out there in the world that man rules the world however he is quick to remember that without women a man is as good as a lost soul.

History has it that On 9 August 1956, 20,000 women staged a march on the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against the proposed amendments to the Urban Areas Act (commonly known as the pass laws) of 1950. They left bundles of petitions containing more than 100 000 signatures at Prime Minister J.G. Strijdom's office doors. Outside they stood silently for 30 minutes, many with their children on their backs. The women sang a protest song that was composed in honour of the occasion: Wathint'Abafazi Wathint'imbokodo!! (Now you have touched the women, you have struck a rock.): "you strike a woman, you strike a rock"). This phrase has since then come to represent women's courage and strength in South Africa.

It’s been 57 years since the infamous march to the union buildings in Pretoria led by Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophie Williams, Among other South African women of all races in demand of equal rights and gender equality and since then the path to equality has been a very long winding road with lots of bumps on the way.

Statistics reflect that South Africa is ranked third in the world for female representation in parliament and although this shows the government’s effort to create equality and empower women. If you pay close attention to the CVs of these women you will note that they have incredible wealth of knowledge, and experience.

Despite of this south African women still face a lot of challenges in their everyday life, south Africa is reportedly the rape capital of the world, cases of violence against women are on the rise, access to land and economic empowerment remain a challenge, many women still live in poverty, and when decisions are made at times women’s input is not considered.

As a woman I pride in myself in celebrating the achievements of fellow women, I take pride in their success and hope that others get inspired in the achievements of this women, and work hard to also feel the joy that comes with the knowledge that you have succeeded in something.

So here’s to all the women of south Africa who have and continue to work long hard hours, to make sure there is food on the table, that their families are well taken care of among others tasks , to those that have worked hard to achieve their success and in many ways have rewritten history, and inspired many.

From Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, South Africa's first woman deputy president, who was recently been appointed head of UN women, an international agency promoting equality for women. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the current chairperson of the African union has so far very impressive job. Nonkululeko Gobodo is the first black woman chartered accountant in South Africa and founding member of Gobodo Inc. I should also mention Thuli Madonsela the Public Protector Of South Africa. Believe me this are very senior position and demand a lot of effort and hard work and so my hat goes out to this women.

Happy women’s month to all the women of this country (Grandmothers, Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Aunties, Etc) and May your hard work pay off, and continue smiling, “Smiling is definitely one of the best beauty remedies. If you have a good sense of humour and a good approach to life, that's beautiful”. Rashida Jones

SA is home to women of all races and religions

links to other other similar stories and public views

http://soundcloud.com/missobote/are-men-and-women-equal

http://youtu.be/MxwhHtEaDKk

http://www.capetownmagazine.com/events/womans-day-celebrations-and-amp-events-in-cape-town/11_37_9156

http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/1956-womens-march-pretoria-9-august

http://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/20-000-women-march-union-buildings-protest-pass-laws

http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2013/08/08/sa-women-s-lives-improving-study

move over prince harry , the new king is born

photos from google

And the king was born!!!!

PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE MIDDLETON WELCOME BABY BOY

MOVE OVER HARRY THE FUTURE KING IS HERE

For months since the announcement of Kate Middleton’s pregnancy, the world waited in baited breath for the birth of her baby .After all her pregnancy was no ordinary one and her baby was no ordinary baby either. Despite a somewhat difficult pregnancy in the first trimester, Kate recovered well in enough to carry the pregnancy to full term.

The Duke And Duchess of Cambridge welcomed a bouncing baby boy on the 22 of July in the late afternoon. Their son who stands third in line to the thrown weighed a whopping 3.8 kg .This baby whom they named George Alexander Louis is the queens 3 great grand child and Prince Charles first grandchild.

In a statement to the media a few hours after the birth of the future king, Prince William released a statement stating that the couple "could not be happier" and “It's such a special time”. While Catherine The duchess said the experience has been "very emotional". “Prince Charles was quoted as saying that "It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy," said Prince Charles, the heir to the throne.

Being a royal baby is a fate only few people get to experience, born under the star sign of Cancer, the new prince should grow up to be a sensitive monarch - but with a streak of iron, says the Daily Express. This combination of caring and tenacity, along with leadership skills, could be ideal characteristics for the future king, says the newspaper.

As a future king the newborn prince may eventually be in charge of about 15 common wealth countries , below are a few interesting facts about this new born royal baby and the monarch in general

Ø His official title will be His Royal Highness Prince [name] of Cambridge!

Ø The Prince of Cambridge title has not been used for 190 years.

Ø He will most likely share Prince William’s surname… Mountbatten-Windsor.

Ø At 8 lbs.6 ozs (3.8KG) the newborn prince is the heaviest future king in 100 years

Ø This is the first time since 1894 that the “reigning heir has three direct heirs to the throne.”

All this being said and done, the future king has a long ways to go and the world would be watching his every move.

big brother africa.... the chase for the money

photos from google

Big Brother Africa in a nut shell!!!

let the chase continue!!

It’s entertaining, thrilling, captivating, scandalous and absolutely full of drama. Over the past few years big brother Africa a 24 hour reality show that runs for 91 days (14 week) has kept the African continent on its toes and raised a lot of eyebrows in the years in been on air.

This season of the show is no different and with just 2 weeks left before the finale things are definitely heating up, at this point the viewers already know 4 of the contestants who will be in the finale (Elikem-Ghana, Cleo-Zambia, Beverly and Melvin-Nigeria). Interestingly Nigeria’s female representative Beverly Osu, made history on Monday night by being the only contestant never to have been nominated for eviction since the reality series started in 2003. With just one spot left the battle lines have been drawn for the 3 other contestants (Angelo-South Africa, Bimp-Ethiopia, Dillish-Namibia) whose heads have been up on the chopping board, and are helplessly at the mercy of Africa and the viewers, if they hope to remain in the house till the last day.

Unlike other reality shows, the concept of the big brother shows all over the world - (yes just like idols and survivor, big brother is a brand ,and big brother Africa is the African edition of the hit international show) - is for a group of contestants to live together in one house or two separate houses , perform different tasks given to them by anonymous big brother , with the aim of entertaining, educating ,and informing the viewers of various aspects of life

Here in Africa the show is produced by Dstv and the Africa magic entertainment channels and 28 contestants , 2 from various African countries ,from East, West and Southern Africa are brought together to compete for a whopping $3000,000 American dollars , now loosely changed in to Rands that would be approximately ( +_)R 3,000,000. Every week the contestants nominate each other for possible eviction and the contestants with the most nominations are put up for evictions and it’s up to the viewers and Africa as a whole to save their favourite contestants.

Yes, to stand a chance at winning the 3 million Rands all that is needed from the contestant is for them to be entertaining, someone whose name is always at the tip of peoples tongues in a good ways, stand out from the rest, someone with the x factor that makes Africa fall in love with them. For 91 days this contestants do not have any sort of communication with the outside world at all, basically they are stuck with each other and one can only imagine what this sort of atmosphere can do to an individual’s mind as the days go by.

Now this may sound easy but Africa is made of 54 countries, and has millions of people, who are quite hard to please at times, people with different social upbringing, different cultural and religious believes, and as a whole Africans tend to be much conserved people and certain behaviours can raise a lot of questions.

Earlier on I mentioned that the show is entertaining, thrilling, captivating, scandalous and absolutely full of drama and this are the reason millions of Africans glued to their TV sets watching other people live their lives. To someone who has never watched the show or rather is not a fan of the show the idea of sitting and watching other go about their lives sounds ridiculous, but the big brother house is no ordinary house, not even the best script writers can pen down the events that take place in this house.

To those who have never watched the show it’s okay , perhaps you should give it a try and to those like me love the show keep calm , keep watching and keep voting for your favourite contestants.

beverly osu

other links to this story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SIL1UdsX9M

http://soundcloud.com/missobote/iews-on-big-brother-audio

http://www.channel4.com/news/big-brother-africa-taking-over-a-continent

http://bigbrotherafrica.dstv.com/

sabc news 24 hour channel

photos from google

SABC News 24 Hour Channel Launched

By Saundra Obote

After months and month of delays SABC finally launched its 24 hour news channel on Thursday 1 of August at 6 pm, on Multichoice’s Dstv channel 404. The date of the launch also coincided with the 77 anniversary of the SABC.

In a statement to the media ahead of the launch SABC’s acting COO; Hlaudi Motsoeneng said “We are very excited about this partnership with Multichoice, as it will expose South African news stories to an audience not only in the country, but outside of South Africa as well." While the Multichoice SA group CEO, Imtiaz Patel, said: "The news channel in particular will bring diversity to our news programming, as it will provide our audiences with different views and news from an African perspective."

Also speaking at its launch, communications minister yunus carrim said the news channel will be available on free-to-air TV once the move from analogue to digital terrestrial television happens.SABC's Group Chief Executive Officer Ms Lulama Mokhobo also supported this statement stating that when the channel has approached ICASA and applied for a free to air channel license, ICASA had unfortunately said that there were no more free to air channel space forcing the channel to decide to launch on Dstv rather than wait for a longer period of time for the move from analogue to digital which may only take place as early as 2015.

On hand to at the launch was president Zuma who said the launch happened at the right time He also expressed hope that the channel would help South Africans realize their right to freedom of expression.“Journalists will be able to share with South Africans the successes of their country in the past 20 years, as well as the work that must still be done further in building a prosperous South Africa and a better Africa,” he said , “In short, the true and full South African story is waiting to be told.”

The new 24 hour news channel has a host of information-packed programming on the cards and will be crossing to its international correspondent s within the course of the news bulletins to get perspectives of the different stories from all corners of the world. With less than 24 hours on the air, the channel has received mixed reactions in terms of feedback from the viewers

Mark Pilgrim ‏@MarkPilgrimZA 9h Watching SABC’s new 24 hour news channel (ch404) with Zuma’s “dynamic oratory”… I’d rather watch MORE re-runs of CHiPS.
lindani ‏@lindanigasa 11h Well done #SABC for the 24 hour news channel, channel 404. We also salute the department of communications for taking SABC forward!
Andre Pentz ‏@AndrePentz 9h new #SABC 24 Hour News channel what a comedy showcase.
M. Shaahid Abdool ‏@moshaahid 10h #SABC is one of the largest public broadcasters in the world. You cannot launch a 24-hour news channel in this manner. Professionalism?
☺Londiwe♥ ‏@The_Media_Girl 2h So SABC has a 24-hour news Tv channel on Dstv channel 404. Hope there’s a diversity of news compared to the sabc1 channel #Sabc
At this point in time, all that viewers can do is to sit back and watch as the channel develops, hopefully this is the beginning of something great for SABC as it lays its footprints on the ground.

for more views on this please visit www.sabc.co.za
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWPtmt5Y0yA

http://soundcloud.com/missobote/sabc-24-hour-news-channel

http://themediaonline.co.za/2013/08/i-am-desperately-trying-to-be-positive-about-24-hour-sabc-news/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sS4mG4kLpk

Initiation schools in South Africa ; culture vs commercial interest

Initiation Schools: Culture vs. Commercial Interest

In many aspects South Africa is a deeply traditional country with strong cultural emphasis on certain things, one of them being initiation for young men. However In a recent article in the Mail&Guardian Chris Mann wrote that “More people continue to be killed and mutilated in initiation schools in South Africa each year than died in the Sharpeville massacre”. And with the new cases of death at initiation school the question of whether money has become more important than cultural practises has come to light.

In a recent debate in the National Assembly Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said that “ The deaths of dozens of boys at initiation schools in Mpumalanga and Limpopo was akin to tenderpreneurship gone wrong” and “the deaths had nothing to do with culture or tradition, but with commercial interests”

Initiation can be defined as a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense it can also signify a transformation in which the initiate is 'reborn' into a new role; this is according to Wikipedia, while the oxford dictionary defines initiation as the act of somebody becoming a member of a group, often with a special ceremony.

Recently the media has been flooded with stories of young men who have passed away while in initiation schools. Promoting the public to demand answers as to what exactly is causing the death of this young men, and whether the government is doing enough to combat bogus initiation schools.

Initiation schools are meant to be a place where young men go and learn about the essence of manhood, and life in general and leave the place with more knowledge than they came with. Unfortunately some don’t live to implement the lesson taught within these schools. With the current unemployment rate in the country being so high many have taken upon themselves to open up initiations schools. They Claim that it is their constitutional right to practise their cultural practises, and that the schools cannot be shut down.

Due tradition many men feel it’s imperative for them to go to initiation schools as opposed to going to the hospital as they will not be “man enough” should they take the easy way out, and unfortunately for those that do go to initiation schools and experience problems later on, what they fail to understand is the cause of death is usually septicaemia(infection of the blood by harmful bacteria , septicaemia can also be known as blood poisoning) and thanks to this phony schools families have lost beloved sons, brothers, breadwinners to mention a few.

Although the government, the ANC Youth League and the Opposition Parties have strongly called for this illegal schools to be shut down, a lot has to be done to educate the public about the importance of this schools and the dangers that lie ahead when not enough care is taken when dealing with initiates.