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Mask-wearing is now so much part of our lives that we no longer have to do the 'mask-walk': this is the stride characterised by three stages: firstly a purposeful walk; then a sudden stop, a forehead-slap, and a smart 180-degree-turn, and finally a knuckle-dragging stomp while your lips furiously mouth swear-words. Safrean Iza Grek put together a list of reasons to cheer herself up about mask-wearing, which would resonate with all of us:
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Ten reasons why wearing a mask is good
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You don’t have to worry about the spokey hairs on your chin
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You don’t have to find earrings to match your outfit
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You save on the cost of lipstick
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You can dodge someone on purpose and claim non-recognition without feeling guilty
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Halitosis is between you and your mask
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Trips to the dentist are no longer necessary – no one will see your discoloured teeth
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Smiling is wasteful so you can say goodbye to fake positivity
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It’s great for hiding pimples on your nose/chin
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It protects you from bad odours
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You can swear silently in public and no-one will be able to lipread.
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In the rest of our newsletter, we have a number of interesting, entertaining and diverse offerings. Enjoy!
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There is a moment, when visiting the Smuts House Museum, that the poignancy of the lives of its residents becomes real. And the thread of loss that that runs like a hum beneath the surface banalities of our lives is starkly displayed.
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How COVID-19 has upended our world
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My grandmother died this month, not of COVID-19, but COVID-19 definitely called the shots on how her long and amazing life was celebrated, or not. I saw first hand how lonely families have become in their time of loss, being forced to stay as far away from each other as possible, at a time when they need to be around each other the most. This is certainly a heartbreaking time
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Interest rates remain unchanged: Is this a sign of a looming rates hike?
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The Reserve Bank has again left interest rates unchanged at 3.5% per annum – have we reached the end of rate cutting?
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Within ten years of arriving from the Orkney Isles in Scotland in 1879, the young John J. Kirkness was a master builder in Africa. His first major construction project was the iconic Raadzaal, President Paul Kruger's 'parliament' building in the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR). From humble beginnings, he built a successful enterprise, supplying his distinctive red Kirkness bricks, roofing tiles and terracotta pots, still to be seen at the Union Buildings in Pretoria and South Africa House in London.
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A volcanic hike defaults to golden research
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If wily old President Paul Kruger had indeed managed to spirit away some of the Transvaal’s gold in 1900, was there even a vague chance I would find clues to its whereabouts in New Zealand? That was the last possibility in my mind when my wife Wendy and I set out to hike the legendary Tongariro Crossing Alpine Trail on …
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Jotus Remus: the dancing suitor of the spider world
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Jotus Remus spiders woo their mates in a dance ritual guaranteed to get a favourable response. Waving their 'heart-shaped' paddle in a courtship ritual charms their boos ensuring a receptive female.
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Reminiscing over a late pet's experience with eccrine carcinoma - a rare and aggressive cancer
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Our journey with a little Yorkie's eccrine carcinoma diagnosis and further complications post surgery.
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Wouldn't it be great if we could push a button and reset the world. At this point we're all hoping for things to get back to 'normal'. Don't put your life and business on hold until then...we have to keep pushing!
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Colonial and cultural celebrations and Arseholes
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What is the "fun" in frightening animals? What has culture, tradition and religion got to do with it? Only arseholes harm animals.
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Imaginings and Illusions Kept in the Deep
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A few years ago, I responded to a challenge to write a poem in the Gwawdodyn form, which originated centuries ago in Wales. Gwawdodyn is pronounced Gwow-Dod-In. The challenge was to write the poem to the theme ‘Kept in the Deep’.
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There are some people who think they know nothing about classical music. But they most probably know more than they think.
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