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KALSTER wrote:he doesn't trust Africans. Apparently every soul on the continent is a crook. He then claimed not to be racist!
Was surprised until I read:
KALSTER wrote:It was an American teenager.
I'm amazed he even knows about Africa's existence.
what a wonderful place that science forum must be.... very sciency with all those intellectual yankee teens posting
rustypup wrote:2010 Banana Rankings - sheesh... it's like we're not even trying anymore... we're just average now... with a little more effort we could have taken on columbia or madagascar...
Just as I thought Africa is Fail, there is not one country that is stable in the whole of Africa....
KALSTER wrote:he doesn't trust Africans. Apparently every soul on the continent is a crook. He then claimed not to be racist!
Was surprised until I read:
KALSTER wrote:It was an American teenager.
I'm amazed he even knows about Africa's existence.
what a wonderful place that science forum must be.... very sciency with all those intellectual yankee teens posting
It's a science forum for lay people, so anyone interested in science or with a question related to science can come and post there. We do get the idiots, zealots and crackpots as well though.
It just again shows that being a rich nation does not mean it has very high levels of education, rationality or tolerance.
Another lady posted a question related to a swallow that was nesting around her air conditioner. She sounded nice and caring, being all concerned for the swallow and it's babies, until someone made a comment to the effect that he wished we cared about each other as much as she did about a bird and said something about hungry children in Africa. The next moment she took off her sheep's clothing and turned into the most caustic racist you can imagine! There really are some weird people out there.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - Aristotle Intel i5 2500; AsRock Z77 Extreme 4; Asus GTX580; 4x 2GB DDR3 1333; Intel 520 240GB SSD + 2x WD 3TB + 2TB Samsung; Samsung 22X DVD/RW; 23" LG W2343T-PF; Huntkey 700W
Eyewitness News wrote:A new study by the South African Institute of Race Relations shows the number of children attending private or independent schools has jumped by 50 percent in the last decade.
The institute suggests this may be because parents are losing faith in the government schooling system.
The study indicates that by 2009 almost 400,000 scholars were attending schools not run by the state. That figure is only a fraction of the 12 million pupils who are still in the government system.
“There is a perception that people can get a better education in independent schools,” said the institute’s Marius Roodt.
Ya think?
Next thing you know there will be a government probe into the cause of lightning.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - Aristotle Intel i5 2500; AsRock Z77 Extreme 4; Asus GTX580; 4x 2GB DDR3 1333; Intel 520 240GB SSD + 2x WD 3TB + 2TB Samsung; Samsung 22X DVD/RW; 23" LG W2343T-PF; Huntkey 700W
Black students still suppressed - Vavi
2011-01-21 22:12
Johannesburg - Black students are still suppressed, Congress of SA Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Friday.
"They give you D's so that you do not proceed further with your studies and others unjustifiably collect A's, but always know what this is meant to do... destroy your confidence in your own intellect," he said.
"But what you must never allow, comrades, as you fight against these practices, is to let them instil in you a sense of self-doubt, a lack of confidence in your intellect."
Vavi was speaking at the launch of the the SA Students' Congress (Sasco) "Right To Learn Campaign" in Stellenbosch.
"...I think you should not let up on the continued suppression of black students in general and African students in particular.
"This Right to Learn Campaign must escalate the issue of preferential treatment and discrimination ... so that those discriminated against are blocked from proceeding further with their studies," Vavi said, adding that the biggest threat of all was the remnants of neo-liberal macroeconomic policies.
He told those in attendance that they shoulnt be surprised to hear that all promises made to the tertiary education sector have been rolled over to the next administration.
"Therefore you should use this Right to Learn Campaign as a platform to launch your own engagement process with the government’s new growth path."
Vavi said administrative injustices were still rampant in many institutions.
"The role of the revolutionary student movement in this conjuncture must be to serve as an 'ear on the ground' for the ANC-led government."
There was also a need to expand the entire tertiay education system, he said.
- SAPA
So now we must give "A"'s because they feel they deserve it? Instead of working toward them?
*sigh*...
JUSTICE, n A commodity which is a more or less adulterated condition the State sells to the citizen as a reward for his allegiance, taxes and personal service.
I really wish all these people making all these inflammatory speeches will just all go shoot them selves in the head and let us move on. A bonus will be if the idjits who voted them into power would do the same
"I hear voices in my head but they are my own this time" "Except for a battle lost, there is nothing so terrible as a battle won." "Sanity is for the weak!!"
Vote for opposition is 'hell', says Zuma
2011-02-05 16:17
Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma has come under fire for saying that people who opt to vote for opposition parties choose what he termed "hell", the SABC reported on Saturday.
Speaking in Zulu, Zuma said if one voted for the ANC, one chose heaven but a vote for the opposition meant hell.
He was addressing people in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape as part of the ANC's registration drive ahead of the 2011 local government elections.
Responding to the statement African Christian Democratic Party president Kenneth Meshoe said Zuma's comments were a disgrace.
Meshoe said no angels would be wearing ANC colours and Zuma's statement was simply blasphemous.
"... I am shocked to hear that the South African president would make such a ludicrous statement. It is not only shocking but it is disappointing to hear the head of state that should be an example of integrity choosing to be the laughing stock of the nation by being deceptive.
"This is nothing but deceptive. Nobody can access heaven because of their membership of a political party. For him to suggest that the angels in heaven are also wearing the colours of the ANC, that is nothing but blasphemy.
"All the Christians in the ANC should right a petition to their president and also ask the president to apologise for such shocking blasphemy... angels are not political beings," he told the broadcaster.
And the anc retort to the DA saying they must apologize is a classic...
Zuma's comments not blasphemous - ANC
2011-02-06 21:05
Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma's comments about heaven and hell during voter registration in the Eastern Cape were not blasphemous and were not meant to intimidate, the ANC said on Sunday.
"The figurative weekend expression by the president remains figurative and metaphoric," party spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
"We are, therefore, in agreement with the president that not voting for the ANC is tantamount to throwing your vote in... hell," he said.
Mthembu was referring to Zuma's speech to voters over the weekend, in which he likened voting for the ANC to choosing to go to heaven, and voting for another party to choosing the devil.
Zuma said that if people carried an ANC membership card they were blessed because it meant they would be let through to heaven.
He also equated the ANC's track record, history and policies to the goodness of heaven.
The DA on Sunday said that ordinary South Africans would find Zuma's comments offensive and unacceptable.
"His words are incendiary and dangerous, in that they seek to mobilise along religious lines, and sow seeds of division in our communities.
"Indeed, this is an act of shameless political and religious blackmail - the sort of political skulduggery that may be the norm in autocracies, but that should be anathema to our constitutional democracy.
"Mr Zuma should apologise unreservedly for these remarks."
Mthembu said that South Africans, both black and white, fully understood the use of Zuma's figurative expressions and the context in which it was used.
"Those who are 'alarmed' by his expression are probably driven by jealousy for not having thought of the expression themselves," Mthembu said.
- SAPA
JUSTICE, n A commodity which is a more or less adulterated condition the State sells to the citizen as a reward for his allegiance, taxes and personal service.
Vote for opposition is 'hell', says Zuma
2011-02-05 16:17
Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma has come under fire for saying that people who opt to vote for opposition parties choose what he termed "hell", the SABC reported on Saturday.
Speaking in Zulu, Zuma said if one voted for the ANC, one chose heaven but a vote for the opposition meant hell.
He was addressing people in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape as part of the ANC's registration drive ahead of the 2011 local government elections.
Responding to the statement African Christian Democratic Party president Kenneth Meshoe said Zuma's comments were a disgrace.
Meshoe said no angels would be wearing ANC colours and Zuma's statement was simply blasphemous.
"... I am shocked to hear that the South African president would make such a ludicrous statement. It is not only shocking but it is disappointing to hear the head of state that should be an example of integrity choosing to be the laughing stock of the nation by being deceptive.
"This is nothing but deceptive. Nobody can access heaven because of their membership of a political party. For him to suggest that the angels in heaven are also wearing the colours of the ANC, that is nothing but blasphemy.
"All the Christians in the ANC should right a petition to their president and also ask the president to apologise for such shocking blasphemy... angels are not political beings," he told the broadcaster.
And the anc retort to the DA saying they must apologize is a classic...
Zuma's comments not blasphemous - ANC
2011-02-06 21:05
Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma's comments about heaven and hell during voter registration in the Eastern Cape were not blasphemous and were not meant to intimidate, the ANC said on Sunday.
"The figurative weekend expression by the president remains figurative and metaphoric," party spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.
"We are, therefore, in agreement with the president that not voting for the ANC is tantamount to throwing your vote in... hell," he said.
Mthembu was referring to Zuma's speech to voters over the weekend, in which he likened voting for the ANC to choosing to go to heaven, and voting for another party to choosing the devil.
Zuma said that if people carried an ANC membership card they were blessed because it meant they would be let through to heaven.
He also equated the ANC's track record, history and policies to the goodness of heaven.
The DA on Sunday said that ordinary South Africans would find Zuma's comments offensive and unacceptable.
"His words are incendiary and dangerous, in that they seek to mobilise along religious lines, and sow seeds of division in our communities.
"Indeed, this is an act of shameless political and religious blackmail - the sort of political skulduggery that may be the norm in autocracies, but that should be anathema to our constitutional democracy.
"Mr Zuma should apologise unreservedly for these remarks."
Mthembu said that South Africans, both black and white, fully understood the use of Zuma's figurative expressions and the context in which it was used.
"Those who are 'alarmed' by his expression are probably driven by jealousy for not having thought of the expression themselves," Mthembu said.
- SAPA
Comment about above articles on News24
SharkBait wrote:
"The danger to South Africa is not Jacob Zuma but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of a Zuma presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Zuma, who is a mere symptom of what ails South Africa .
Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Jacob Zuma, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their President."
11 Reply to SharkBait | 2 replies (hide)
...But the story has grown into a monster, with poor Zuma being attacked from all sides as a blasphemer and a political cheat.
Nonsense.
It was a joke, people. Our leader has a sense of humour...
He's normally quite anti-Zuma et al...
MOOD - Thirsty
A surprising amount of modern pseudoscience is coming out of the environmental sector. Perhaps it should not be so surprising given that environmentalism is political rather than scientific.
Timothy Casey
@ doo even if it was a joke the sad truth is that the masses will gobble it up and believe it to be true. The anc has realized that the loyalty they once had is waning so now they are try the religion hook...
JUSTICE, n A commodity which is a more or less adulterated condition the State sells to the citizen as a reward for his allegiance, taxes and personal service.
A surprising amount of modern pseudoscience is coming out of the environmental sector. Perhaps it should not be so surprising given that environmentalism is political rather than scientific.
Timothy Casey
Don't you just love there explanations it is about the same as shooting someone in the head and then when the police want to arrest you, you tell them they can't because he isn't dead because I said so
And to be honest if one has so many murders and crime in heaven it might actually be worthwhile giving hell a shot
"I hear voices in my head but they are my own this time" "Except for a battle lost, there is nothing so terrible as a battle won." "Sanity is for the weak!!"
How much data do you think this would generate on our roads? Wonder if it could tell speed humps apart from pot holes? Still I think we could/should use this, just dont let the journos use them otherwise the cops can find them and arrest them...
Gov App Detects Potholes As Your Drive Over Them
Posted by samzenpus on Thursday February 10, @01:40AM
from the bump-in-the-road dept.
An anonymous reader writes
"The City of Boston has released an app that uses the accelerometer in your smartphone to automatically report bumps in the road as you drive over them. From the article: 'The application relies on two components embedded in iPhones, Android phones, and many other mobile devices: the accelerometer and the Global Positioning System receiver. The accelerometer, which determines the direction and acceleration of a phone’s movement, can be harnessed to identify when a phone resting on a dashboard or in a cupholder in a moving car has hit a bump; the GPS receiver can determine by satellite just where that bump is located.' I am certain that this will not be used to track your movements, unless they are vertical."
JUSTICE, n A commodity which is a more or less adulterated condition the State sells to the citizen as a reward for his allegiance, taxes and personal service.
IOL wrote:In an emotional appeal, ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema has urged hundreds of supporters to vote for the ruling party in the coming local government elections to prevent an ailing Nelson Mandela’s condition from deteriorating.
i sincerely have no idea which depresses me more... that this buffoon still has a public voice or that this idiocy will have a small but measurable impact on the general populace...
Most people would sooner die than think; in fact, they do so - Bertrand Russel
I think the man gets closer to the grave everytime he hears that our buddy Julius Malema has made another statement
"I hear voices in my head but they are my own this time" "Except for a battle lost, there is nothing so terrible as a battle won." "Sanity is for the weak!!"
Drivers may soon be banned from drinking any alcohol before getting behind the wheel.
“We are going to do away with the alcohol limit. We are drafting a document and we will put it out for public comment on the zero alcohol limit proposal,” said
John Motsatsing, chief director of road transport regulations in the Department of Transport.
“Irrespective of how many drinks you have had, you cannot judge if you are over or above the alcohol limit because you are not an expert,” he said.
“Why, therefore, can we not say ‘no drinking at all’ if you are driving?”
At least 203 people were killed in road accidents over the Easter weekend, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).
It is estimated that almost half of the people injured in weekend road accidents are in public hospitals as a result of the abuse of alcohol.
In metropolitan roadblocks, one in 10 drivers tested was above the legal alcohol limit, said Ashref Ismail of the RTMC.
Motoring website driving.co.za said this week that according to the National Injury Mortality Surveillance system that reports on non-natural deaths from mortuaries, traffic accidents accounted for 29 percent of all unnatural deaths.
The reports said 57 percent of drivers tested positive for alcohol in 2008 – an increase of 16 percent from statistics compiled in 2002.
The reports showed an alarming growth in alcohol use by all road users. There was an overall 6 percent increase by 2008 in the number of people who died in traffic accidents while they had alcohol in their bloodstream compared to 2002.
Howard Demvosky, chairman of the motorists’ lobby group Justice Project SA, said giving people permission to drive while under the influence of any amount of alcohol was irresponsible.
“It is not yet illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol in South Africa,” he said.
“It is just illegal to drive under the influence of too much alcohol. It is our belief that the limit on alcohol you may consume prior to driving should be scrapped entirely as it causes confusion and leaves things open to interpretation.”
Caro Smit, director of South Africans Against Drunk Driving, agreed.
She said her organisation would support a 0.02 limit that allows some sort of reasonable leeway for measurement error – especially to avoid criminalising people for taking medicine such as cough mixture when they have a sore throat.
“We feel strongly that the alcohol limit should be lowered drastically,” she said. “However, we wish to warn that it is no use lowering the limit if authorities are not going to catch those who drink and drive.
“They have got to catch people every single day but we still do not have enough testing of drunk drivers.”
Alta Swanepoel, an independent traffic and transport consultant, said a zero alcohol limit may not be easy to police.
“I would say the best way to hit an elephant is to cut it bit by bit,” she said, suggesting the plan could start with drivers aged between 18 and 25.
“It will be totally unmanageable to put a blanket prohibition for everyone. We don’t have enough traffic officers to take on hundreds of people and charge them at the same time.”
Gary Ronald, of the Automobile Association, said: “We certainly will support this. It is high time but this will also depend on the type of law enforcement that is brought with it.”
Ronald said that in Brazil there was a 30 percent reduction in road fatalities in three months after the zero alcohol limit was adopted. - Saturday Star
Well if the people act like children maybe it's necessary. It's amazing and scary how many people I know that drink and drive, because they think it's never gonna be them, but even 2 or 3 beers is enough to impair your judgement and reactions.
Not Nanny state no, but serious thinking... however, if they supply proper public transport.....
"Integrity" and "integer" both contain a Latin root meaning "whole; complete." The root sense, then, is that people may be said to be acting with integrity when their beliefs, words, and actions have a sense of unity or wholeness.
Ryan, the problem is the state doesn't ever address the problems, only the symptoms.
Lets give people money because they are poor / train and give them a job.
Lets toll the freeways into oblivion because there are too many cars (and we need more money to steal) / Lets give the public safe and reliable public transport and get cars off the roads.
Lets make the alcohol limit 0 / rather than coming to a sensible compromise or making reliable transport accessible after hours.
Let's give every squatter camp electricity and water so people keep packing into the place/ you only get electricity and water if you stay in the designated place.
Joburg is so big that if I go out at night, I have a 20km drive either east, or west or north. In my circle of friends, we live so far apart that it's impractical to have a designated driver.
And please don't get me wrong, i think it's stupid to drink and drive, but I don't think south africans have much alternative when they've had alot to drink.
