Now you see me... and now you don’t

Today Cape Town bid a rather sad, and surprised 5mins early, farewell to the legendary Two Ladies of Athlone. A familiar landmark to many, commonly also referred to as the Salt n Pepper shakers, left Cape Town with a bang after being around for about 50 years.

I remember as a kid, often driving pass the towers, the vicinity usually became the butt of smelly car jokes. “Oh no! Was that you? What did you eat? Damn!” And this, no matter how many times we passed, went on for years. Happy times! As I’d later learn, the foul smell was only due to the cooling towers being fed with reclaimed water from a nearby sewage plant.

As sad as may have been to see the Two Ladies go, authorities felt it rather necessary since the stabilising rings of the right tower collapsed in February this year. The towers had not been in use since 2003, prior to which it was only used to generate power in peak periods of demand. And with a bit of a bang, Cape Town said goodbye to its last coal-fired power station.

As a legendary landmark, you’d often be directed to “turn left at the Salt n Peppers” or “pass the Salt n Peppers” and bla bla bla. Its a bit sad and weird now that the area will be marked with emptiness - well at least for a little while I believe. The City recently announced that redevelopment of the site would most likely be completed in about three years. Suppose it would be exciting to see exactly what this redevelopment entails.

On the upside of things, it was nice to learn that the remains of the Two Ladies would be put to good use. Ross Demolition has arranged for the rubble to be carted to Salt River where the concrete would undergo extensive recycling and be used to manufacture 10 million concrete bricks, blocks and pavers. Who knows, you may land up with a piece of the Old Ladies after all.


(Pics: by me)

Tree hugging – while you still can

I am by no means a major tree hugger or environmental expert – but I am an avid walker and have noticed something that I find a bit disturbing. What I don’t understand is that with all the hooo-haaa of planting trees and their importance – why are they being chopped off and poisoned?

I’ve been enjoying walks for some time and nothing is more pleasing than to walk amongst these mighty beasts – some of which have been around way before I was born. On my last walk from Constantia Nek to Kistenbosch, I noticed that here too trees were being chopped leaving large expanses of open ground. A common phenomenon it seems. And it’s not as pleasing to walk in the heat of the sun I might add. This seems to be happening just about everywhere I consider my favourite spots. One of the best places to walk these days is Newlands Forest, and this only because of the trees. On Lions Head and Table Mountain, a walker is exposed to so much sun that your walk has to be appropriately timed in order to enjoy it. Not the case with Newlands Forest.

The pics on the side I took whilst on a walk close to my home and found the incisions a bit puzzling. My tree-hugger friend then informed that these trees are poisoned in order to kill them. It’s claimed that since these trees are not indigenous, and for whatever other reasons, they have to go. And even if I were to entertain these ideas, why are trees not being planted in their place?

What I do know is that trees absorb carbon dioxide – of which we have been emitting in over-abundance. To help reduce damage to the environment of our carbon emissions – we need more trees desperately. In my opinion, can we really afford to lose the ones we already have? And thus the hoo-haa about planting trees. Thing is- they take years to grow and it seems we not doing the environment any favours by chopping or poisoning them. Indigenous or not! How can they possibly be that harmful to deserve the axe?

It’s certainly not as nice to walk amongst fynbos- of which we’re already drowning under just about everywhere else. If they’re say in your backyard and infested with beetles – that may be another story. What I’m concerned about are our lovely forests transformed into fynbos heaven. If anyone can explain this validly- I would certainly appreciate it. I’m running out of places to walk and the concrete-jungle is just not as appealing.

(Pics: by me)

Are cell phone towers a health risk??

Just about everyone these days have cell phones, use microwaves, watch TV etc. We see cell phone towers increasingly being erected in our neighbourhoods, around our workplaces and schools. We scramble from room to room to get better reception from these towers. Have you ever considered whether these towers and our increased exposure to electromagnetic waves pose any health risks?? If not, it’s about high time you start questioning it in my opinion.

I was chatting to a friend recently who relayed her stories and troubles with these cell phone towers. Living on a bit of an incline – her neighbours discovered that a flat block just below them had erected several cell phone towers to its roof. These electromagnetic waves are thus directly filtering through their homes. Neighbours soon started complaining of sleep disturbances and even skin problems with their children. Some even opted to move out since no amount rallying to do something about yielded any joy. With news of yet another cell phone tower to be erected in the neighbourhood- many residents complained and petitioned with the City to avoid its erection.

My friend in particular, a school teacher, complained of sleep disturbances. Whilst on holiday abroad recently, she discovered that she easily fell asleep (within 5 mins) after waking up for a loo-run in early hours of the morning. Back home- it would take hours even if she was lucky enough to fall asleep again. She then sought aid in sleeping pills for a while but luckily a healthier solution presented itself after a little discovery – which I’ll tell you a bit about later.

Bottom line- governments and cell phone companies insist they pose absolutely no health risks. And if you asking me, its got more to do with meeting the increasing demands of cell phone industries. Typically, cell phone companies pay you rent to erect a tower on your property. Ching Ching Ching!! Yet there is countless research to prove otherwise that we are not made aware of for obvious reasons. Some of this research proves that exposure to electromagnetic waves have grave adverse effects on our health, such as: mood swings, indigestion, ulcers, joint pain, brain tumors, suppressed immune function, depression, miscarriage, Alzheimer's disease. Some of the symptoms of microwave exposure are reported as: asthma, cataracts, headaches, memory loss, bad dreams, depression, fatigue, concentration loss, appetite loss, heart and blood pressure problems, and cancer. And it is insisted that they do not pose any threats???

To educate yourself a bit on some of this research, do yourself, and your health, a favour and go through some of these links:
http://www.discoverrealanswers.com/Cell_Towers.shtml
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/09/28/what_are_the_dangers_of_living_near_cell_phone_towers.htm
http://www.metatech.org/danger_of_cell_phone_tower.html
http://www.blockemf.com/

Back to my friend and her discovery. She found a dude (a very old dude actually) in Somerset West that sells electromagnetic field protectors. It looks much like a fridge magnet actually. Basically- she popped this little thing under her bed and even bought one for her dog. Not only has she stopped taking sleeping pills, but now also has to wake the dog in the morning. So the dude advises its good to keep one of these on your person, place it near your PC when working and pop it under your bed at night. This helps protect us from “electro-smog” as he calls it. He explains that electro-smog has the effect of raising the body’s acid levels and the idea is try to alkalize it. There are countless more things we can do to assist our bodies with this mission. And, if you’re interested in the dude’s details – just hola.

My humble advice, educate yourself about electromagnetic waves and its effects and decide for yourself. Try out an electromagnetic field protector and check if you feel any difference. Quite easily, you’d be making the health choice of the century.

(Pics: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3332/3629963086_a24241ac87.jpg ; https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHQWLRCqhP_zGwbpKYGtn5L8UZRqvx-XQdW61mR6Yii34-dkc1b7EEcCcpdaXArNXmzxrse9SBOxEUVK5noSkWT8TNSExj0A7yeU7CnW0rnfAj-CiCgiBplCBVJFoz3KMtwVmOeUvb9Uo/s400/fuck+cellphone+towers.JPG)

What motivates me

It really doesn’t take much to excite me and get me going. Mostly this happens because of people and sometimes it’s something I’ve read or seen…. rather random I’d say. Although- much of my inspiration and motivation is drawn from the arts.

I certainly get motivated when something that started out as just a figment of my imagination… is realised. Seeing your ideas come to fruition is a mega booster in my books. And somehow- it provides the steam to keep that train going. And well, I also get motivated when someone recognises or compliments my abilities and efforts. It confirms I’m not too crazy and it’s not just me blowing steam up my @SS:-)

I am motivated by others achieving some goal or dream or even just expressing themselves in some creative manner. Particularly drawn to the arts, creative and performing, I love observing or sharing in others' artistic expressions. Don’t mean to harp- but I’ve mentioned a few times …the time-stopping moment and passions story. It’s motivating to observe expressions of the artistic form as I see it as pure passion in action. Somebody expressing their very own special gift.

For 2 years I was involved in this NGO that worked with teens and the performing arts. One of the programmes we hosted on Fridays was the Jam Session – something like an open mic where anyone and everyone was welcome to express themselves in any art-form. Fridays were certainly something to look forward to in those days. We had hip hop rap performers, poetry, singing, instruments and even a drama piece one particular Friday – one man show playing three different roles. What was so inspiring about these Fridays was that these performers, mostly teens, had no other motivation to be there or to attend or to perform but for the pure love of doing what they did and expressing themselves. Nobody got paid or forced to attend… we merely provided the platform. Content of poems and rap pieces often struck me – about everyday situations and experiences… sometimes very painful. And no copies of famous hits or artists…no! I’m talking raw material and expression. You’d see artists with their little pieces of papers- doing a little private practice session in some corner before their turn. For me this was simply amazing!

People and this mysterious world motivates me – people have so much to offer and this world has so much to be explored.

(Pics: by me)

The 10 most unexpected consequences of being online

Many of us spend hours online and these days – its not just about finding information – it’s also about engaging in conversations and exploring the randomness of the great world wide web. Our hours of browsing and engaging it seems also come with some unexpected consequences – some good…some bad. Here’s my list of some of those consequences:

1. Finding an old school friend from primary or secondary years – I think just about everyone can relate to finding Natasha after 10 years

2. Having an argument with someone you don’t even know – it’s a looooong story, it happened via email and had nothing to do with work

3. “Forgot your password?” … thankfully just about every site is equipped to “reset” those gazillion passwords we accumulate.

4. The joys of online banking!!! – yaaaaaay! Transacting by a coupla clicks here and there has changed paying bills which could take all day to just a few minutes… love it!

5. Checking out reviews of a product or service ahead of a possible purchase – its reeeeaally helpful to know about others experiences when considering something new

6. Freedom of expression!! – I just love the fact that I can air my views, concerns and opinions with no consideration of censorship at all … clearly.

7. The randomness of searching for really random information and actually getting hits – yes midgets can have babies and babies can be perfectly normal.

8. Chatting and catching up with a friend in London, Cayman Islands or India- its like they’re just around the corner and have never left….although ye… nothing beats face to face – miss u Claire!

9. When last have you received a handwritten birthday card?…. a bit of a sentimental-I tend to hold onto these things and loved the little thoughtful notes … precious. These days… Facebook or an email seems to do the trick- its impersonal man!

10. Your whole life splattered across an array of social media networks… there is no such thing as secrets my friend and don’t even try to keep anything to yourself… if its not on your page somewhere – its on a friend’s or somewhere – some poor woman found pics of her husband’s wedding….er yes… her husband’s wedding… what a way to find out.

(Pic: http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Addiction-To-Social-Media1.jpg )

Elephant in the room

To say that drugs with teens in Cape Town have become a huge problem would certainly be the understatement of the century. How we got here and what are we doing about it is the elephant in the room I often consider.

Yes there are rehab centres, loving support from families and loved ones to try to tackle the problem- but is this really enough? We still have mega-stats compared to other regions of the country. Where will this leave us in 10 years time? Many of you may have first-hand experience of dealing with a loved one involved in drugs or even know someone whose still addicted.

I personally have first-hand experience in dealing with a loved one involved in drugs and can certainly tell you it can drive you insane. And we’re not even talking about a teen here. It’s just beyond taxing to deal with. You’re concerned all the time – don’t know what madness you might come home to and cannot trust the person at all. The promises, the attempts to cover it all up. There’s the stage where you’re suspicious… and the policing starts to find clues. You die a little horrible death when these clues are found and your suspicions are confirmed. Then there’s the stage of attempting to deal with the problem. Scolding, threatening, being loving and supportive, counselling and rehab. You question all the time what could have driven the person to undertake such measures to deal and cope with life and what you can do to help. At the time- I endeavoured to do whatever I could in an attempt to help the person concerned…. or so I thought. There were times I thought great progress was made and times where my hopes were shattered. If anything I realized- nothing… and I mean nothing… no amount of counselling scolding or rehab can help the person unless he/she wants to do something about it. Unless he/she really wants the help and really wants to rehabilitate. Then and only then might your efforts be worth something.

That’s attempting to deal with the problem already there- or the symptom of the problem rather. What can we do towards prevention is my question? And here I think looking at the reasons for using in the first place is your first pointer. Peer pressure? Make them feel good? Escape problems? So many teens, particularly in Cape Town, and adults use all sorts of drugs to get the high. Meth, crack, cocaine, heroine…name your preference, are all used to get some sort of a high. To get that feeling of omnipotence, that feeling of pleasure… that feeling of I’m handling life. I think rather it’s high time we look at what we can do to prevent our loved ones from succumbing to these unnatural highs and prove life can be just as pleasurable.

If you’re asking me, drug addicts are highly intelligent people that lack healthy stimulation in their lives. These days children get propped in front of a TV set or sit with video games for hours on end. Or they’re dropped off at the mall to spend countless hours to do what?? Stare at flashy stores and advertisements…movies? Please, what are you stimulating your child or loved one with?

I think towards prevention- everyone should be stimulated to explore and find their passions. Everyone has a gift and sometimes it takes a bit of work to find it. There are many ways to find pleasure and relax. You’re into numbers, words, creative arts, performing arts, sports, cooking… the possibilities are endless. When you focus on something you love doing, you’re engaged for hours. I normally refer to it as the time-stopping moment. And in this light- I think we’re much better served taking the time and effort to assist each other in finding and engaging in our time-stopping moments. Sitting in front of a TV set is not a time stopping moment people!

I think our natural passions and lessons in taking responsibility are the keys to dealing with this elephant in the room. It’s not just the person dealing with the problem’s problem - It’s our problem and all of us can do something about it by setting the example. Explore your passions and encourage your loved ones to do the same.

(Pic: http://www.topnews.in/files/Drug-Related-Deaths.jpg)