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Ranting, Raving, Neverending Story

Officialese speak:
The round circular shape must been enlargened by you.
After Subbing and grammar training:
Make the circle bigger.

After almost three months of the most intense journalism training I have ever undergone, the end has come. It's over. The book has been shut. Neo Maditla, also known as "the CAG" (cosmo-african girl), sits to my left and laughs endlessly at my lame 18:45 jokes and impersonations. The CAG says she'll miss me. She's being rather complimentary, like the nuts in the Savanna ad: http://neocadet.blogspot.com/. Admittedly, I've never met someone like the CAG before and the feeling is mutual.In the spirit of my favourite film, The Neverending Story, I should believe that it's not over, that there is no end and that I'll be back.If I'm not, I was just meant to have different experiences.

Klein Vrede- Antjie Krog

This poem is still as beautiful and relevant as the day I read it...

Vanmiddag wag sy vir hom in 'n klein hoëmuurhuisie
half toe-oog ingekruip agter 'n straatstoepie

5.12 hang hy sy hoed aan die haak
trek sy baadjie uit en sy gooi kookwater deur die koffiesak

vee haar hande aan die geblomde voorskoot en wag darem
dat hy haar eers teen hom vasdruk, so skuinserig met die een arm

voor sy hom die dag se nusies vertel
die gat in die heining, die hond, Anna-jannie het gebel

Na ete haal sy die Bybel uit die boonste laai
en hy lees vir hulle van Israel se afgode teen die berg Sinaï

haar hande vou 'n stopskulp in syne as sy bid:
Onse Vader wat hoog bo die aarde in die hemel sit ...

Die maan rys soos 'n koringmeelbrood bokant die dak
sy was skottelgoed met lifebuoy en 'n omgesoomde meelsak

hy luister nuus op die treetjie by die agterdeur
oor dinge wat met ander mense in die wêreld gebeur

Later as die luggie begint trek
die windpomp klap-klap in die dam in lek

sit hy die sproeier af, maak die hoenderhokke toe
sit die kat uit en kom langsaam kamer toe.

In die na-nag as die wind uit die noorde begin
skuif die maan oor hul bed dieper die kamer in

tot op die woorde geraam in krulle:
My vrede gee Ek julle.

From: Mannin

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Rant and Rave

OK, so I've been updating this blog mostly with some of my creative pieces but I think it's time to take a break from fiction and fun and look at some real issues.

15 year old ET murder suspect
Some intense journalism this week revealed that the boy now has shoes, clothes, a bed, food and schooling etc, things that he never had before. In some ways that makes me feel good. An under-privileged farm worker has things he'd probably never have if his life didn't take a different path. But look at the alleged means to the end. If he is guilty of the murder charges, what grave sins did he commit to improve his life. What a catch 22. Is this what people have to do to move up? And what precedent does this set? Grossly unfair. How different will this chap's life be now compared to if hadn't been arrested.

Intros
Cape Argus (14/04/2010, Late Final): THE 15-YEAR-old accused of murdering AWB leader Eugene Terre’-Blanche has abandoned his bail application for now and has been declared fit to stand trial. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said outside the Ventersdorp Magistrate’s Court this morning that the minor had decided not to go ahead with his bail application.

The Star (14/04/2010, Fourth Edition): HE WAS born and brought up in abject poverty and, until last week, had never slept in a bed or worn a pair of shoes. Now life for this 15-year-old has changed dramatically: he has shoes, a bed, gets three meals a day– and has lost his freedom. Now life for this 15-year-old has changed dramatically: he has shoes, a bed, gets three meals a day– and has lost his freedom. And he is “bearing up” under the strain of being accused of murdering AWB leader Eugene Terre'Blanche.

No guesses for which intro paragraph makes for better, more grabbing reading. This is not the first time the Star has streaked ahead with this savvy, punchy style of writing. It's short, sweet and should have appeared across the group like this. I wonder why not. How different are Argus and Star readers? Not much I think. Both papers splashed with this story that day, and both had the same byline: Sapa and Staff Reporters. Who ever is cobbling these fourth edition splashes at the Star, they are doing a great job. If papers want to remain relevant and appealing, then smart, inticing writing like this is a must.

Price of papers
The Times: R2.
The Daily Voice: R2.70 (Cape-based tabloid)
The Daily Sun: R2.50
Cape Argus: R5
Cape Times: R6.20
Daily News: R4.50
The Mercury: R5.50
The Star: R5.30

Hmm, a very strange set of affairs. Best way to look at: Would a person pay R6,20 for a regional morning title, or even R2.50 for a national tabloid when you pay R2 for a national title? Sure, there is the arguement that people are loyal to their regional brands or tabloid newspapers but this is a still a big deal. It is obvious that this price drop is definetly going to affect many people's choices. What does this say about The Times and which market they are competing in? Is the content going to change and will we see more sensational tabloid content emerging from this title? Or will still be seen as the daily sister of the R14 Sunday Times? How does this affect their budget? At R2, it is clear that they are opening themselves to a wider range of LSMs. And as you know, publications tend to charge advertisers more for having readers in the exclusive higher LSMs.

Radio
The SABC have announced that their radio stations will be playing 80% local and 20% continental music from May 1st to the end of July. Gulp. Sure some stations might cope with this (SAfm, Radio 2000, Metro, RSG, Ukhozi, Umhlobo Wenene, Lesedi etc) but 5, Good Hope and Lotus? I don't think so. 5 and Good Hope have the Parlatones, Tasha Baxter and HHP etc but as commercial hit music stations, it's certain their listnerships will take a knock. Lotus, oh boy. As their playlist is dominated by content from the Indian sub-continent, once that is out the way, be prepared for 24 hours of the Flash Entertainers Nagara special and others. I'm not saying that there is no place for this on radio, and yes, I do listen to local Indian music occasionally, but I, like many other listeners, are going to have a hard time digesting this. Will Lotus even be able to source Indian-language content from the continent? Not likely. There isn't much of an alternative either. Unless of course you have a good internet connection and can listen to the likes of BBC Asian Network and Radio NRI. Perhaps it's time to create an alternative. Yes, there is Hindvani, but the south Indian community needed a local radio station like yesterday. I'm looking forward to listening to what the corporation's various niche stations pull out of a hat come May 1, especially Lotus. I'm sure you are too. If ever there was a time for the local Indian music scene to up their game and record top-class linguistic music, it's now. If ever there was a time for communities to catch a wake-up and drive an alternative into existance, it's now. "Feel it, It's here".

Scribbles
Non-DStv Premium viewers the country over, are reaping the benefits of a three times a week dose of Gossip Girl. Aah, I love nothing better than to watch Blair "The Witch" Waldorf tear her claws into the yuppies of Manhattan's upper east-side. Everyone's inner mean girl is probably bursting out their chests as damsel Serena van der Woodsen wilts under Waldorf's crunch.
While watching the show recently, my fellow cadet, Molly "The Sub" Manzi reflected on a phenomenon from her hamlet of Steelburg in Limpopo. Scribbles. Everyday, students at her former school write a little story about their friends, and enemies, often dishing the dirt on the student body's biggest secrets. At the end of the week, a thick A4 booklet of re-handwritten "Scribbles" is produced by a group of compilers and a supervising teacher and sold for R2.5o. The scribbles are interspersed with lists of top 10 hottest guys, girls and couples for the week. Fully endorsed by the school and the Headmaster with the only rule being no foul language. The Sub tells me that it was socially acceptable to write, buy and read Scribbles. And light reading it was not. Imagine the dirt one would find there about pregnancies, parties, drugs, who's doing who, who hates who, cat fights etc. Aah, what a playground... or minefield. I made her promise to get me a copy. And to think, this kind of brilliance from small town SA? My former high school would have waved away such activity with the large cane of endless detentions and hearings, let alone publish and endorse something like this. We might not have mystery bloggers lurking in leafy urban suburbs, but the all-knowing eye of Scribbles has it's eye on the rural north. Clearly pen and paper... and the photostat machine still rules. Will Scribbles could become a new craze, it's seems more likely than GG type blog. Sure news travels on Mxit and even Facebook, but Multi-Mixes are so passe. They all certainly don't have the anonymity or variety of Scribbles. Perhaps a local dramedy series on Scribbles is in order?

As a final note, does anyone know where I can find Sunsilk Dazzling Shiny Black Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave-in? Great for Indian hair I hear but rather hard to find in SA.

Liverpudlian hospital maid dies! (inspired by Eleanor Rigby sung by the Beatles)

The silence of a frozen English evening is broken as St. Peter’s bells begin twelve tolls. The last grain of rice falls to the murky puddle on the cobbled paving outside the church as its scrawny, sickly picker drew her last breath of icy air. The street lamp shines on what was once Eleanor Rigby, a 44 year old former scullery maid at Liverpool City Hospital.
A few hours earlier, the stone church against which Rigby’s body lay was abuzz with festivity. At three o’ clock, Father McKenzie placed the hands of a bride into a groom’s, while the congregation cheered and applauded the latest couple to the quiet suburb of Woolton. Rigby was allowed to attend the ceremony by the grace of the bride Mary, who had noticed the beaming, fair-skinned woman at the church, lining up hymn-books and straightening banners that morning.
After the service, Rigby carefully cleaned the church, moving about like a church mouse, picking up every grain of rice. It was her last meal.
She had been fired yesterday from her job at the hospital. She had been accused of eating a piece of beef from the superintendant’s lunch.
The grain hits the puddle at one toll past midnight and Rigby is no more.
“What difference does it make?” thought Father McKenzie as he nudged the lifeless body lying below a stained-glass window. “She has no mouths to feed. Another burden on our parish I suppose and one less tithe. I’ll have to bury her along with all the other bodies piling up in the mortuary next week. I’ll have to write another sermon no one will hear.”
McKenzie had known her all her life and yet didn’t. He knew she was parishioner number 122 and that she was the simply-dressed, brown-haired woman who sat under the stained glass depicting the holy family. Next week, after much idle research among dusty records, McKenzie might deliver a sermon describing her life as an orphan at the Woolton Children’s Home, a diligent primary school pupil who had to leave to work as a maid at a young age, a hard worker at the Hospital kitchens and a faithful member of his flock. Although he was often a cast member of the scenes of her life, he probably won’t mention the bruising he her gave her at Sunday School for not remembering the fifth commandment, nor the form he signed as her guardian when he was a young priest, discharging her from school and giving her adult status at age 11. The old man, however, might remember her baptism.
The ripples in the puddle fade as bell makes its twelfth toll and the body is alone again, minus the women’s only valuable possession now dangling from the pocket of the tall dark figure that had passed by moments earlier. He is in quite a hurry to get home and doesn’t see his attacker. As his life flashes before his eyes, he remembers that Rigby’s clothes were torn and that her thighs were blood-soaked. The gleaming knife darts into McKenzie as the killer makes off with the gold holy family charm and necklace. “Ah,” he mutters as he passes his victims, “look at all the lonely people.”
This short story was inspired by the Beatles' ode to loneliness Eleanor Rigby. It is pure fiction and any bearing to real people or places is unintentional.

Democracy Scenes

I STOOD in a queue that was much shorter than I expected. It was a late afternoon in the Autumn of 2006 and the musty smell from the dust of learners shoes filled the school hall filled with sleepy, blue shirt-wearing officials idling after a long dull day.
After much nagging and soap box preaching, I had managed to drag a total of one family member, my older brother, along with me to exercise my democratic right to vote for the first time.

It was a municipal election, which for some reason translates into much fewer votes. It seems that many people don’t value participating in democracy in their immediate environment as much as at a provincial or national level.
When looking back at that moment, which was barely a month after I turned 18, I still wonder why I really voted. Was it out of novelty or did I really want to make a change? I’d like to think the latter.

Fast-forward three years and I am running around like a headless chicken at a polling station at 6am looking for the infamous and now late Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. It’s the nation’s fourth national democratic elections. This time, I’m on the other end of a stick… I am attempting to cover the elections for a newspaper. It’s a very different picture to the sleepy scene of three years prior with its early morning queue that snaked across a brown, mowed field in one of Durban’s dodgiest neighbourhoods, Albert Park.
As Tshabalala-Msimang cuts across the queue, the crowd ululates and give her way to the front of the queue. Journalists crowd her, jostling for quotes and pictures. Minutes later, the same voters tell me they feel left behind and forgotten by politicians. I’m immediately struck by my failure to fathom the contradiction of voters’ behaviour. The conservative nature of Durban citizens rears its ugly head as they fail to question their leaders at the most poignant of times.

And now I stand at my own turning point. I’m back at school, well cadet school, and I am learning that I need to unlearn many bad habits picked up while previously reporting. I am standing in the middle of a very different scene, upon the instructions of my Training Editor. I am at a bookshop launch at the offices of IDASA (Institution for Democracy in South Africa) in Cape Town. It feels like a rather high-browed event; filled with society’s suit-wearing, cream of the crop; hobnobbing around glasses of wine and plates of cheese puffs and sausage rolls; discussing politics and books in an English I don’t understand. I am struck by the contrasting pictures of my experiences of democracy. Where are the bergies who should be eating this food? Where are the people that need to be reminded about practicing democracy at awareness campaigns like these? Will they be willing to pay for a thick new book filled with more statistics and complicated academic language? I highly doubt it.

Through the scenes of democracy in my life; seeing empty polling stations in the suburbs, the effects of party propaganda, confused voters, mixed messages and the elite nature of democracy awareness initiatives; all lead me to believe that this is just not working. For democracy awareness to work, I believe that it shouldn’t only happen every five years. It needs to be more accessible and easier to understand.

DVD review: Music: Jamiroquai – Live in Verona

I was attempting to funk dance in front of our TV. “Whatever, happened to Jamiroquai?” I ask my brother, the owner of the Live in Verona disc spinning in the DVD player- Does it really matter anyway?

British musician Jason Kay and his once popular band seem to have vanished after the release of his 2005 album Dynamite. Yet the tunes off their 2001 release Space Odyssey, which dominate the track list of Live in Verona, remain as some of their most popular work to date and are still widely listened to nine years later.

Released in the midst of their heyday, Live in Verona documented a very passionate and spirited performance filmed on rainy June evening in Italy. Although one would think this would add a romantic feel to the show, but fans at the Arena Di Verona appeared as wild a rugby crowd in the UK. I think this is part of the reason why I still love this DVD so much.

The front man himself obviously plays a big role in the success of this disc which was played a lot at home back then when the idea of music DVDs was still new and novel. Jason Kay’s on-stage theatrics, including a Native American chief-styled glass hat and regular crowd-flirting, makes the show highly watchable and difficult to forget.

As a whole, the band did not disappoint in terms of their musical performance. Enough variation is displayed when compared to the Space Odyssey recording, making the show appear unique. The music is very catchy and I still find myself humming it when ever I hear or think about this band. Some describe it as Jazz and others as funk but I think its wide appeal outside of those circles render it a little less easy to define. I believe that dance, electro, pop and even aboriginal influences are combined by this groundbreaking group to produce the once much-hyped package that is their music.


I don’t think it matters that Jamiroquai doesn’t have any new music. I’d rather listen to quality music from yester year than run the risk of being disappointed by new, unvaried music. I’m beginning to sound much older than I am, but this is the kind of music that my generation will remember associate memories with. Whatever reckless and drunk appearing Jason Kay maybe doing now doesn’t matter, we have his DVD to remember the fun he gave his fans.

Liposuction in Pink City

The sight of a buffet of finger food at a plastic sugery clinic in Green Point was one of the last things I'd ever expected to see, taste or smell. A large video screen transmits images from a nearby theatre room where a guinea pig is undergoing a new laser-assisted treatment that apparently makes recovery easier. The Egyptian surgeon comments that, "it's like playing the violin" as he swings his laser-tipped rod in an out of the women's stomach, while melted fat drips from the incision. Morbidly-fascinated observers around me chomp on cocktail sausages and keish while squishy sound effects blare from the speaker as the Doctor swings his fat-busting wand around the stomach. The combination makes me quesy.
Many of the people in the room appear to be experts on the matter as they praise the magician on the screen for the quick results he yields. Their faces seem tight and pinned, in a permanent state of glee. The surgeon's laser light shines through the thin skin as it hunts for fat to melt. He places the rod down on the woman and offers it to his colleague to try.
And then the vacuum comes out and sucks away unders the loose skin that appears suspended off the skeleton.
At this point the stomach looks like a deflating baloon.
The camera swings away and 400 mls of fat liquid is dispalyed in jug.
The women's frame begins to show. Hip bones that weren't there before appear from below.
The surgeon says she'll be very happy with the results on her right.
We are told that she could be back at work within a few days.
I wonder if they'll give her a DVD copy of the surgery?

To tweet or not to tweet...

and if I do am I a twit or tweeter or a twitterer? I once had this conversation with a friendly sub (what an oxymoron) back home. She insisted that I was "twit". You can't argue with them. I suspect they have secret fraternity meetings about style and convention in their spare time but let's not let my imagination run away with me.
I think the most shocking thing to me about the twitter phenomenon is that now even my 50-something-year-old father has an account He claims he has been enjoying keeping in touch with people who have similar interests to him around the world. What next Dad? Surprise me.
I'm a Mafikizolo (Johnny-come-lately) to twitter. Seriously. Compared to my facebook abilities, twitter is still very much a learning area for me. Having so much choice in terms of who to follow and who not to leaves me befuddled. Do I follow hundreds or thousands of people, or just a few interesting ones? And I'm finding the site rather difficult to navigate. Eyewitness News flood the page with updates, and searching and adding other people is becoming quite a mission. Let's hope I get it right before Natasha Joseph's next blogging seminar on Friday.
Speaking of Ms. Joseph, who reckons that only women can multitask, her Friday seminars are proving effective in shedding light on the gloomy darkness that is savvy SNS use. Well, minus the slow Internet and blocked sites, but that's not her fault.
The art of tweeting news stories appears to be strikingly similar to blurb and headline writing. I can barely tell the difference. I guess it's all about grabbing people's attention.
I'm pretty sure that if I get my tweeting skills right, I'd be able to effectively use it in the newsroom to be more er... efficient. You know, get information quicker etc.
But, there is still one major burning issue I have with this.
I feel Durban newsrooms are far more competitive and I've experienced encounters with people saying that you have to be careful about what you say in public forums about your work and stories because you not supposed to tip off your competition. They talk about things like exclusivity and scoops. Gives me the shudders. It's a tough issue, but I'll have to strike a balance.

The Facebook Toolbox

What a tool. Facebook is a such a tool! A pretty double-edged one though. After Friday afternoon's engaging seminar on Facebook, I have to admit that as rad as the social networking phenomenon is, I still have many unanswered questions about how to draw the distinct line in the cyber-sand... What can't you say on Facebook that can get you fired or in the dog box at home and how do you politely decline invites without offending people... including family members or senior colleagues?

Each of the groups examined different aspect of the Facebook phenomenon, with ourselves, the infamous News Hacks, dissecting it uses as a tool that journalists. This brought out varying opinions from working reporters, some who are adamant about the immediacy and convenience that it offers while others are of the opinion that exclusivity is lost due to social networking with stories flying "willy-nilly" to journalists.

The Maggie Websters, yes as in Maggie Webster the eternal gossip on Isidingo, gave us a brief history of Faceboook. Only seven years old and already the fifth most populous country on earth, well if it really existed anyway. The MW's told us the true fairytale of the American college student, Mark Zuckerberg who became a millionaire by a turning a small university social site called "Facemash" into the Goliath they are today. They also chronologically explained the changes and added features that happened over the years, although I have to admit, not all of them were pleasing. Can someone please tell me why the mobile site doesn't work some phones anymore?

The Supremes, like as in Diana Ross and the Supremes, unpacked matters further by telling us about how people use the platform to network. Although I feel a topic like this was self-explanatory, I mean who isn't on Facebook these days, the group brought ought interesting points about features I have previously overlooked such as playing games, observing market trends and even serving court notices in Australia. This along with the usual stalking of exes, following big break-ups, finding romance and remembering birthdays.

The Open Doors, had to research the hardest topic of all... Ethical Pitfalls: The misuse of Facebook by journalists. Although I am aware of instances were reporters have got into deeeep trouble for bad-mouthing their firm, these cases are apparently still rather rare. I guess we are a responsible breed these days. Although the group could not find an example of a reporter getting fired for misusing Facebook, they brought up very valid points about people relying only on Facebook as a source and not verifying facts. Natasha brought up a good point after this about not making bad comments about your company on Facebook, it could just get you fired. I also think that discussing one's stories in progress on your status or on someone's wall is downright daft. Use the messenger service, that's what it's there for.

Well, I'm hoping with a little more time and all this really good insight, I'll be able to draw the line, and maybe log back onto Facebook mobile.

The Republic of Cape Town

Upon landing at Cape Town International, a regional radio station's slogan perfectly summed up the vibe of this city... The Republic of Cape Town.
This place really feels like it might even be a Martian colony. OK, maybe that's a bit OTT but from its clueless drivers who seem to have no clue of K53 rules to its weird landscape (I mean the sea seems to be like everywhere), I'm pretty justified in saying this is largely different to life on the east coast.
I have to admit, I have been pleasantly surprised by other things. Things in town are relatively safe compared to back home, although I'm still in the habit of watching my back ALL THE TIME, and I can walk longer distances here without the worry of getting harassed for my phone.
Living in a commune away from my family for the first time is not as bad as I expected it to be. In fact, I hardly sleep due to long conversations with interesting housemates from as far away as Germany. There is always someone who wants to know something, or someone who wants to know where you from and how you think. However, housemates beware, I'm cooking tonight and it might not be pretty.
One thing that really made me feel at home was mass at St. George's on Sunday. Man, those people can sing. Seriously the best mass I've ever been to... ever. Freak, I'd move here just for that. Yet, there is so much more I want to see, just not right now with the large hole burnt in my pocket. Not just the obvious places like Table Mountain and Robben Island, but also lesser known places of interests. Just got to figure what those are but it will definitely involve the arts such as theatre and music.
The Media industry here is soooo different. The radio stations are so cool, I'd find way to listen to them back home. Waking up to Nigel Pierce's madness with his trusty minion "the Knob" on Good Hope, takes me back to my high school days of Mark Gillman and Danger Boy on 5FM. What a rad station. So in touch with their audience and clearly reflective of life in the Western Cape.
I also think the newsroom here is largely different to Durban newsrooms. Seminars like "the Brown Bag", allow reporters and editors to share views on important issues very candidly. I think that is just wonderful. Even outside of seminars, senior staff here are so approachable and engaging.
Well, here's hoping that life in CT brings more discoveries over the next few months.
Right now, my news nose has got some work to do.