Oh super moon so bright

A poem by Barbara Anderson - An ode to the Super Moon

Oh moon so bright
The sky so light
Brings change at night
Seen at first light

When change does come

Its like the Sun

A strong new path

that brings healing at last

No one can understand

The love I have

Of all things steller

So truly spectacular

 

Education - We've lost the plot

I don't have kids so some would ask what I have to bleat about education?  Well I'll tell you!  Our entire education system as well as our entire culture are just in shambles and yet those in the know with small voices (figuratively) can do little to change the tide of devastation.  Our country is ripe for a new revolution, but sadly the only revolution currently taking place is heading in the wrong direction as well. 

We are 20 years post the dawn of democracy and what do we have to show for it?  A 75% pass rate.  Mind you they don't even tell us how many of those who failed have done so for the second or third time, so technically that should push the figures down.  Even more shocking is how few children that start in grade 1 actually matriculate. 

But is it only the school system that is to blame?  I don't think so but I'll come back to the schools in case you were thinking I'd spare them.  No education begins at home.  I'm no idiot I know that in today's society in most cases both parents HAVE to work in order to make ends meet if you are in the lower classes, but there are those who could afford to stay home that choose to work.  Ja right, women's lib, I hear you, BUT!....... I know what a key role my mother played in my education. 

Was my mother a teacher?  Nope, but the one thing she did teach me is how to think for myself and not only that, how to learn by myself.  My mom nurtured childish curiosity not by giving me the answers to all the questions I had about life and school work, but with some simple words, "Go and look it up in the dictionary or encyclopedia."  Mom knew full well that the moment I sat down and looked up a word in our beautiful Readers Digest dictionary's that I would not leave the study for a good hour.  The pictures drew me in, captured my imagination and fed my hunger to learn.  What do we do nowadays?  There is no time for parental guidance, so we push the kids through their homework with only completing the bare minimum that needed to be done. 

Okay so now I hear you say, "but what about the rural areas where there are no resources?"  Well Mr President, if you had taken the money spent on Nkandla and rather spent that on rural school buildings, our country would be richer for it.  There are a ton of ways that we could improve rural education without having to increase the staff compliment, like video's, computer access, education TV and so much more.  We don't need more teachers, we need more tools. 

But lets go back to teachers for a moment.  Now if you consider that most likely the teachers teaching your child today probably also only completed schooling with the bare minimum education and then probably skidded through teachers training college, then how in the world are they supposed to deliver top quality education to our children and get them to excel?  Is there a requirement that in order to teach you need to have an 80% pass rate?  Nope!  Then don't get me started on unions and strikes!!!!!

The worst part for me about how poorly children are passing these days is that they never figure out what their aptitude is inclined towards, so they finish school and take the wrong jobs and make the rest of the population unhappy and that does affect me directly, so again, yes I have a right to bleat!

So what are the answers?  I don't have them because I did not study to be an educator but an accountant.  What I do know is that in the multitude of counsellors, good counsellors, comes wisdom.  So if you don't want to take advice from a South African white person, then go to another country where they are getting it right and ask them how to sort out this mess. 

So much more

It has been a long time since I just sat down and doodled or wrote something creative, just for the sake of putting words on paper.  Today is my Friday afternoon off and yes there are things that need to be done, so many things, but if I don't first take the time to express my heart and soul I just won't find meaning in anything else. 

This year has been hard, rough in many ways and it has taken its toll on me, but I would not change a single moment of it for anything better.  I have found so much meaning in every tragedy and every triumph and I know deep down in there is just so much more to life than I am currently experiencing and I so desperately want more.....I want so much more!

There are so many things that have happened this year that could have left me feeling angry and bitter at life but I am choosing not to go there.  I am choosing to allow each of these difficult circumstances to break chains of bondage that have held me back for so many years from achieving my dreams and goals. 

Now I have no more inhibitions!  I have found my core.  I know what I am capable of in life, love and in my career and I know that next year will be the year I break all barriers and limits and I am going to forge on in the direction I want my life to go in.  I will let nothing hold me back, not money, not race, not religion, not my marital status, not the car I drive or the home I live in....it is indeed time to break free!

In the next 2-3 months I will gather my strength, I will plot my course and when the new year breaks I will be ready to take on the challenges that will most certainly face me. 

I am ready!

HOW TO WORK IN ANY ENVIRONMENT (By: T.D. Jakes)

1.  Don't expect to be appreciated. Your only expectation should be to get a pay cheque.
2.  Don't come to work to have personal relationships.  Don't allow what you do to affect who you are.
3.  Do your job well, but remember your mission. God put you there to be a Light.
4.  Seek opportunities to change the atmosphere without commenting on the problems.
5.  You are on an assignment. Quietness and competence shall be your strength.
6.  Don't let your environment get inside of you. You should influence it, not let it influence you.
7.  Stop going to work to be fed. You didn't come to receive, you came to give.
8.  Increase your capacity to work with different personalities. God will often bless you through people you don't even like!
9.  Remember, where you are does not define where you are going. This will deliver you from frustration. God has a plan for your life. Keep your     eye on the prize.
10.  Get the optimum results with minimal confusion. Be effective without making the environment worse.
11.  Don't be associated with one group or clique. Labels limit your usefulness. God wants you to work with everybody but be labelled   by nobody.
12.  Use all your gifts.
13.  Always keep your song near you. Keep a consecrated place in your soul. Hold on to your praise.
14.  Understand that God anoints you for trouble. Put on the whole armour of God before going to work.
 

Just chilling

Note: This article shares my personal convictions and political views and don't expect others to share my opinions.

The icy cold weather in SA over the last two weeks certainly has changed the way I look at the two words 'just chilling'. It was reported last week that it was the first time in known history that it has snowed in all 9 provinces in SA at the same time and we certainly felt that.

I suppose the biggest frustration for me is knowing that in nearly 20 years of democracy our government has shown little resolve in fixing the problems of the homeless and destitute with many still living in shacks and informal dwellings. This while millions of rands of government funding by tax payers is wasted through fraud and corruption.

Though I would certainly never join our current governing party myself as I don't share their political views, I certainly would have more respect for the party if it showed any real commitment to being a government for the people, by the people (To quote Abraham Lincoln). The world stands by and applauds that we now have democratic freedom in our country, but I have to dispute that view.

A balanced democracy would have a balance of power that forced the governing party to act in a manor that would benefit the majority of the population. This benefit should be best shown in the way we treat the poor and everything possible should be done to ensure that we provide adequate housing for all.

What is the purpose of having rigid building codes when faster, and cheaper building methods could be found that could possibly cost less and support recycling initiatives? In the tornado rife USA, wooden homes are a norm. Sure America has larger forestry supplies than SA but have you taken a drive through our forestry lands? We certainly have sufficient stock of wood to be used for better purposes than just paper and furniture.

Why are we not engaging the engineering skills of other countries as opposed to adopting a do it yourself strategy that is clearly failing the poor? What about using all the top notch university qualified brains that we do have at our disposal to find solutions to our dilemma.

When the 'housing boom' hit the country, why could foresight not be given into ensuring that all new homes were built with solar geysers? Surely if this was done we would not have seen the collapse of our electricity energy grid.

I think a drastic change of mindset is needed in our country. We have the means, opportunity and ability to address the issues of poverty, what we lack is the political will to make it happen. That being said, street riots, burning buildings and destroying government property is not the solution. Has no thought been given to the fact that if you break something, time and money needs to be spent first fixing what is broken before new money can be spent on new infrastructure?

If pen and paper were all it would take to fix the problem, I'd write until my fingers bled. I wish there were more I could do but for now, I suppose the only option I have is stand by my convictions and write about them and hopefully one day, when the sun shines on a reformed country we will see justice, peace and above all provision for all who live in our beautiful country.

Interesting Springbok Facts

1. Barry John was the first International player to be replaced (substituted), British Lions vs Springboks, the Replacement of injured players was added to the 1968-69 Laws (law 12) of up to two players per team. Keven de Klerk is first Springbok replacement.
2. Herbert Hayton Castens was the first Springbok cricket & rugby captain.
3. Paul Roos was the first Springbok captain as they where only called "Springboks" since 1906.
4. South Africa (Springboks) has never lost in a IRB Rugby World Cup Final.
5. Chris Koch only Springbok to play for 3 decades.
6. Victor Matfield & Fourie du Preez became the first rugby players to beat the All Blacks four times in a single year when they defeated the Kiwis in the Barbarians match as well.
7. Since the Springboks inception at IRB Rugby World Cup in 1995, the mighty All Blacks has never again won the Webb Ellis Trophy.
8. The Springboks are one of only two teams since 1987 who have managed to win the Webb Ellis Cup twice.
9. In 2009, the Springboks beat the New Zealand (All Blacks) in all three tests they played against each other.
10. In more than 100 years of test rugby, no one has ever scored a hat trick of tries against the Springboks.
11. Legendary Springbok Prop Os du Randt is one of only four players to have won the Rugby World Cup twice. The others are Australians (Wallabies) John Eales, Tim Horan & Jason Little.
12. On 25 September 1937, the Springboks clinched their first-ever series victory in New Zealand by beating the All Blacks 17 – 6 at Eden Park in Auckland.
13. The Springboks have never lost to Canada, Fiji, Georgia, Namibia, Romania, Spain, Tonga, USA, Uruguay, Argentina, Portugal or Samoa.
14. Two players, Christian Stewart & Tiaan Strauss, have played both For & Against the Springboks.
15. South Africa played their first test in 1891 in Port Elizabeth against the British Isles, and lost 0-4.
16. Percy Montgomery is the first Springbok to have played in 100 tests. He retired in 2008 after a record 102 tests & 893 points in the Springbok jersey. Victor Matfield & John Smit also have 100 test caps now.
17. Ten sets of fathers and sons have played for South Africa, the most recent being Hennie & Andries Bekker.
18. The wives of twelve Springboks have represented South Africa in other sports, the most recent being Hannelie du Randt, wife of Os, as a swimmer.
19. Francois Pienaar, led the South African national team, the Springboks, to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the first major tournament held in post-apartheid South Africa. Pienaar was praised by Pres. Nelson Mandela for his leadership of the team and his attempts to reach out to all sectors of South African society.
20. In 1949 Danie Craven became selector & manager/coach of the Springboks & he served in that capacity for several years. In 1956 he became president of the South African Rugby Board (SARB), a position he held until his death in 1993. In 1959 he was elevated to chairman of the International Rugby Football Board (IRB).
21. Tom Van Vollenhoven (Karel Thomas Van Vollenhoven), born April 29, 1935, Bethlehem, South Africa. He is Springbok rugby player who reached the pinnacle of success in both Rugby Union & Rugby League. He played on the wing for the Springboks, in 1955 against the British Lions (known as the British & Irish Lions) & during its 1956 tour of New Zealand. Against the Lions at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town, he became the first Springbok to perform a hat trick (score three tries) on home soil.
22. In 2005, the Springboks scored 134 points against Uruguay in East London, their most in a test ever.
23. Joost van der Westhuizen scored 38 tries in 89 tests for the Springboks.
24. Percy Montgomery & Naas Botha are the only Springboks who have kicked 50 or more conversions in tests.
25. After scoring for the Springboks in 2004, Victor Matfield had to wait 57 Tests before scoring for the Boks again in 2009.
26. The Springboks have won 15 out of 18 Tests at neutral venues.
27. The first drawn Test for South Africa was on 26 August 1903 against the British Lions in Johannesburg (10 – 10).
28. South Africa scored 10 tries in their 38 – 0 victory over Ireland in Dublin in 1912.
29. The Springboks have drawn 19 Tests between 1891 & 2010.
30. The Springboks have never lost to Argentina.
31. South Africa's first Test victory was on 5 September 1896 against the British Lions at Newlands in Cape Town. The score was 5 – 0.
32. The Springboks' first overseas victory was on 24 November 1906 against Ireland in Belfast. The score was 15 – 12.
33. In 1910, the Springboks beat the British Lions 2 – 1 in South Africa.
34. Springboks Jannie du Plessis, Brendan Venter, Divan Serfontein, Chris Pope, Dr Edrich Krantz, Uli Schmidt, Dr Daan du Plessis, Derick van den Berg & Ian Mc Cullum are all medical doctors.
35. At 893, Percy Montgomery has scored the most test points ever in a Springbok jersey
36. Former Springboks Felix & Morné du Plessis are to date the only Father-Son combination to both Captain the Springboks
37. The late Jaco Reinach was a Springbok wing in four tests and represented South Africa in track and field.
38. Schalk Burger was the IRB International Player of the Year in 2004.
39. Between 1984 & 1986 Springbok centre Danie Gerber scored tries in six successive tests for the Boks, scoring a hat trick twice!
40. Garry Pagel, Rudolf Straeuli & Brendan Venter were used as Springbok replacements in the 1995 Rugby World Cup Finals.
41. The quickest try ever scored in a Bok test was by Fourie du Preez against the All Blacks in Wellington in 2006. Du Preez scored in 15 seconds!
42. Peter Cronje scored the first four-point try for the Boks in the last test against the British & Irish Lions at Ellis Park in 1974.
43. Tonderai Chavhanga's six tries against Uruguay in East London in 2005 is the most in one test by a Springbok.
44. Five Boks – Chester Williams, Pieter Rossouw, Stefan Terblanche, Bryan Habana and Jongi Nokwe – have scored four tries in one test.
45. Percy Montgomery holds the Springbok record for the most conversions in one test: In 2007, he converted 12 tries against Namibia at Newlands.
46. Gavin Johnson, Johan Roux and Naka Drotske were the unused Springbok replacements in the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final.
47. Bismarck du Plessis and Wikus van Heerden were used as Springbok replacements in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final.
48. George Daneel is the only Springbok to ever reach the ripe old age of 100. He was born on 29 August 1904, played eight tests between 1928 and 1932 and passed away on 19 October 2004.
49. Between 23 August 1997 & 28 November 1998, the Boks won 17 successive test matches.
50. Johan Ackermann, at 37 years & 34 days old, was the oldest Springbok to ever play in a test match. The game was on 7 July 2007 against the Wallabies.
51. On 22 September 2007, the Boks had a combined total of 311 test caps on the bench when they faced Tonga at the Rugby World Cup. The reserves were John Smit, BJ Botha, Victor Matfield, Juan Smith, Bryan Habana, Francois Steyn and Percy Montgomery.
52. Morné du Plessis & his dad, Felix, both captained the Boks.
53. Morné du Plessis captained the Boks to 13 victories in 15 tests.
54. Jaque Fourie has scored tries against each of the 16 opposing nations he has faced in tests for the Boks.
55. The first time the Boks managed to score more than 50 points in a single test was against Western Samoa at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
56. Danie Gerber scored 19 tries in his 33 tests for the Boks, the best Springbok try-scoring ratio.
57. With six tries, Joost van der Westhuizen is the Springbok who has crossed the All Blacks' try-line the most in tests.
58. Three Springboks have scored hat tricks of tries against the All Blacks, although Bryan Habana scored his tries playing for the Barbarians. The others are Ray Mordt & Marius Joubert.
59. John Smit scored tries in two consecutive Castle Tri-Nations tests in 2011, the first two of the season.
60. Morné Steyn's eight penalty kicks against the All Blacks in Durban in 2009 are the most by a Springbok in a test.
61. Chiliboy Ralepelle scored his first test try against Australia in Sydney in 2011.
62. From 1891 to the end of 2010, the Boks have played 395 tests & 339 friendlies.
63. Irish referee Alain Rolland has handled the most Bok test matches – 13 to be exact.
64. Os du Randt holds the record for the longest Springbok career – 13 years and 12 days – stretching from his debut in 1994 to his last test in 2007.
65. Out of the 28 tests Adrian Garvey played for the Springboks, they won 24. This is the highest winning percentage (86%) by a Springbok for players with 20 tests or more.
66. At 60 tests, Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha hold the world record for the longest lock partnership in a starting 15.
67. Breyton Paulse's seven tries against the Wallabies are the most by any Springbok in tests against Australia.
68. Ten sets of fathers and sons have played for the Boks – the last being Flippie (prop) and Flip (lock) van der Merwe.
69. The Springboks scored 15 points in both Rugby World Cup Finals that they've won, 1995 it was 15-12 & in 2007 it was 15–6.
70. To date, the Boks have won 20 out of their 26 tests in Port Elizabeth.
71. To date, the Boks have won 20 out of their 31 tests in Durban.
72. The Springboks have the second-highest winning percentage in test rugby out of all the major test-playing nations.
73. Ollie le Roux, with 43 appearances on the Bok bench, is the Springbok who was used most as a replacement in tests.
74. Joost van der Westhuizen and Henry Honiball played together as half-backs 24 times – the most in tests for the Springboks.

Winter blues

1. Winter Solstice

In the northern hemisphere, the first day of the winter season is the day of the year when the Sun is farthest south, normally on December 21^st or 22^nd. This day is known as the Winter Solstice. A common misconception is that the earth is further from the sun in winter than in summer, but the Earth is actually closest to the sun in December which is winter in the Northern hemisphere. The day of the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, because the length of time elapsed between sunrise and sunset on this day is a minimum for the year. In the United States, there are only about 9½ hours of daylight on this day.

2. Boy that's cold!

The coldest temperature ever recorded in the world was -128 degrees Celsius, in Vostok Station in Antarctica in 1983.

3. Ice

Black ice is extremely dangerous, because this type is difficult if not impossible to see. Black ice usually forms in a very thin, very slippery layer, and usually forms first on structures such as bridges. Much of the damage done by winter storms is not from snow, but from the weight of ice.

4. No Two Snowflakes are alike!

Snowflakes start as ice crystals that freeze around small pieces of dust in the air. As they fall to the earth, the ice crystals join together to form snow flakes. The shape of each snowflake is determined by temperature, wind, the amount of time it takes to fall to the ground, and the amount of water vapor in the air.

5. The Largest Snowflake

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, on January 28, 1887, a 15 inch wide, 8 inch thick snowflake ever observed fell in Fort Keogh, Montana.

6. World's Tallest Snowman

It was built to bring attention to the Bethel, Maine area and allow the total community to come together for a project. The people of Bethel and the surrounding area worked 5 months to plan and build the 113 foot 7 inch tall snowman which broke the former record held by Yamagata, Japan of 96 feet 7 inches. At 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 17, 1999 the record was officially broken. Two town officials, a regional photographer, a videographer, a licensed professional surveyor and the president of the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce were on hand to verify the actual size and height for the Guinness Book of World Records.

7. The Winter of 1779 – 1780

It was so cold that ice was piled 20 feet high along the Delmarva Coast and stayed there until spring. The upper portion of the Chesapeake Bay and the entire Potomac River was frozen solid, allowing people to walk from Annapolis to Kent Island and from Alexandria in to D.C.

8. Snow

The all-time world record for the largest snowfall in a single day was set in the United States on December 4, 1913, when Georgetown, Colorado received a staggering 63 inches of snow – more than five feet.

9. Seasonal Affective Disorder

The "winter blues" were first diagnosed in 1984. And have recently been named seasonal affective disorder or S.A.D. According to the Mayo Clinic, Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. If you're like most people with seasonal affective disorder, your symptoms start in the fall and may continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

10. Chionophobia

People with chionophobia are simply said to have a fear of snow. One of the largest components to this fear is the idea of becoming snowbound. A forecast calling for a snowstorm can bring on cold sweats, panic attacks, and even an unrealistic feeling of doom and dread. People with chionophobia will rarely venture out into the snow for fear of being stranded as well.