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.