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Our newsletter today, in acknowledgement of Women's Day, deals with a number of serious topics, but it is not all ernestness... we have brought you some very light and entertaining pieces. We feature our usual satirical look at the news of the last week, our usual columns, some features on gender issues, and some more lighthearted pieces.
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This is a longer-than-usual newsletter, but you have all day to read it.
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We hope it makes you think, makes you laugh, and makes you (spoiler alert) hungry and thirsty!
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Women's Day. Three issues.
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A while ago, someone decided to spread the rumour that I was a lesbian. The only thing that disturbed me about this, was that this person had the conviction that to call someone a lesbian is an insult. You should never be defined by what you are, but what you do.
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Secondly, many times I issue some invitation to a female friend, and they reply: 'I have to ask my husband'. No, lady, you do not 'have to ask your husband'. You should consult with him as a matter of courtesy or logistics, but you do not need anyone's permission. It is this feeling of entitlement in relationships, abetted by women themselves, that leads to physical or emotional abuse.
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And finally, when I am out in public in the company of a black or coloured female, I find that we are the focus of catcalls and suggestive comments from nearby black males, ranging from passing taxi drivers to other male pedestrians. White or Indian women are never subjected to this kind of public harrassment.
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Why do black men of a certain class feel that they have the right to invade the emotional space of black women? Where does this come from? Where are they learning this behaviour?
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I don't have the answers.
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By sheer co-incidence, this week's recommended series is all about women who take charge in a very male-dominated environment. It's called The Bletchley Circle.
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Students of military history will know that the UK set up a secret code-breaking team during World War II, based at a town called Bletchley. It is widely known that our modern computing systems were refined at Bletchley Park. What is only now becoming known is how many women were integral to the success of the war effort at Bletchley Park. Despite their work, they were forced to return to civilian life after the war, and were never allowed to tell anyone what they had done.
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This series is how a group of these female code-breakers formed a circle of friends after the war and began solving mysteries.
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The British do these period dramas so incredibly well, the script is intelligent and the performances impressive. And once you start watching, you will feel compelled to do more research about Bletchley Park, which is a very good thing.
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It is an ITV series, currently showing on Netflix and Amazon Prime. See the trailer here
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If cricket is such a sublime game why do some of its greatest exponents sound like they have swallowed a bottle of prosaic. A Weak in the News takes in the first Test at Old Trafford, casts an eye over South African football’s empty stadiums and wonders about rugby’s bosses.
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Citizenship, Personal Power and Responsibility
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CPR of a different life-saving kind? Orson Welles said: “We’re born alone, we live alone and we die alone”. He also added: “Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for a moment that we’re not alone.” Illusions aside, the fact is we live in a world with others – first as part of a nuclear unit …
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A Life of Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth
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Danger permeates all spheres of women's lives in South Africa. For that reason, women have lost their freedom to be.
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If your child’s assigned gender is causing nothing but distress, could he or she be transgender? From when she could speak, Jen and Gary’s son Alex* talked about “sparkly cupcakes and shiny fabrics,” Jen remembers. “I like to think we brought her up as a normal little boy, surrounded by trucks and train sets that she had zero interest in.” …
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Nomads of the Kalahari and the Namib Desert - The Khoisan People
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I love and greatly respect the Khoisan people of the Kalahari Desert in Namibia and Botswana, and those spread across the Western, southern, and Eastern Cape of South Africa. They live nomadic lives, but not randomly nomadic. Each clan has a set nomadic pattern, which is repeated each year, whereby they live in pre-chosen areas specifically dedicated to each season …
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Column - Peter's Punchbowl
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There is no Box
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Boxes are wonderful things. They can contain almost anything. But apart from receiving or giving gifts, what can we learn from boxes?
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Column - Media and Marketing:
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The Chicken that Could
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In our regular column featuring the world of media and marketing, Niki Moore talks to CEO of Professional Evaluation and Research, Shanaaz Nel, about a very successful, very South African, marketing campaign
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Meet Me Under the Ombu Tree
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Author: Sante Montefiore Short excerpt: "At seventeen she was more independent and obnoxious than ever. She was doing badly in her schoolwork, failing everything, coming bottom of the class, except in essays in which she excelled because she could indulge the imaginary world of her dreams. Her teachers lamented her lack of concentration and her deliberate efforts to disrupt the …
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Column: Business Writing:
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Let's speak plainly, shall we?
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Plain language means that the average Joe should be able to understand every word of your fine print. It’s a legal imperative. Here’s some help.
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Column - Where Words Take Us:
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Where Words Take Us - Source
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Our headword for today is source, and it takes us all the way back to the story of a young woman, told by Pip Williams, about the female side of the Oxford English Dictionary. A narrative, like so many others, hidden between the lines of a history written by men.
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Why rabbits make great pets: Rabbits make lovely pets - they are as interactive as a puppy yet a lot less demanding. Therefore, if you have a small home, or don’t want to walk a pet but have the time to play with it, a rabbit would be a pet you may like to consider, especially if you don’t have …
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Wild, weird and wonderful
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Words cannot describe the spectacle of wildflowers that flourish every year on the West Coast and Namaqualand. Photographs give an idea, but you have to visit there to be caressed by soft air, to smell the earth and sea, feel the sun’s warmth, the silkiness of the petals, the lustre of the blooms.
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This is a wish-list item that reminds us how magnificent nature can be...
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Making your own alcohol is not for sissies, as Niki Moore discovers. Sometimes your concoction fights back.
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