Inspired by someone I love...

And so she stands. With every gust of wind blown against her, her tired and closing blue eyes fade into fine lines cracked symmetrically on either side of her delicate nose. As hurricanes of the past are conjured by storms of the present, she is left standing in her open space with, “should haves and whys”, whirl winding all around her. A space where her head spins as fast as the coin of fate before it elegantly twirls off the table and onto the floor, revealing to all whether she can head on with her life, or whether this will be another tale to tell with baited breath. But dear friend, even as you stand there in the eye of the storm, this is your coin. And this is your life. Even if regrets whizz around her like a halo of doubt, she’s still standing. With her coin in her pocket and her charisma in her hand, the world is hers for the taking. After the storm comes the calm, and after the calm comes her. Peeling her eyes open she sees the future, and the future sees her back. She may still feel the wind on face, but now feels the sun on heels. And with every ray of sun shining upon her, her eyes glow with ferocious potential and are no long closed to the world ahead. 

They stare on, wide and beautifully disillusioned. She will not be defeated and with the sun wafting her forward with its vibrant pulses she’s no longer standing. She’s sprinting forwards towards that future of hers. Every step graces the ground to the beat of her baseline, and she only ever looks back at the stormy land behind, as memory of what she has overcome. With legs pacing onwards, her face is turned to glace one last time over her hurricane. Where the villains of her past are reduced to a whirling blur, and all the “should haves and whys” are bellowing “it’s going to be ok!”. For one second only, she stops. She smiles up at the sunrise, and waves a final goodbye to the storm. Her storm, to remember or forget, with its snarling winds releasing their hold on her. She looks down at ground, and gives a thumbs up at the coin. Her coin, to keep and to cherish, with its cheeky face winking up at her. Time to head on, her future is as bright as the sun that moves her. Now, run towards it and never look back. And if the winds howl at night when the sun sleeps below the horizon, she must take that coin of hers and flip it with all her faith. The life we lead is a futile one, winds push us back as often as the sun lulls us forward. But whichever way the coin lands, whatever the weather, remember, the faces are yours to chose. Engrave them wisely and you will never lose. 

Stationary of Horror!

This stationary designed for 13^th Street, the NBC – Universal owned crime and horror channel, is about as gruesome as it comes! As their official stationary, it represents an expected level of gore but remains somewhat tasteful. I don’t think I’d be using it on my coursework but for all you zombie lovers out there it’s an epic homage to all things bloody!

And they have even designed their very own doctor’s prescription pad that reads,

Very legitimate! 

Egypt: Unity's back with a vengeance!

January 1st 2011 was celebrated worldwide as a symbol of the New Year, proving an opportunity for new outlooks and new possibilities. However, for the people of Egypt; there was little to celebrate as twenty-one Copt Christians were killed in a brutal and unprovoked bombing on Saints Church, Alexandria. The weary Coptic community were terrified that there would be further terrorist attacks during their Christmas, which like many other Christian sects that fall outside of the Western divide, is celebrated after New Years Day. The events that followed this attack are a truly remarkable example of humanity at its finest…

Throughout Egypt, Muslims came together in the defence of the Copts who account for only 10% of the population. Millions of Egyptians of all races and religions changed their Facebook profile pictures to the image of a cross within a crescent – the symbol of “Egypt for All” and throughout cities banners went up calling for unity. As the Coptic Christmas Eve Mass fell upon Egypt, thousands of Muslims showed up at Coptic Churches nationwide, honoring their call for unity and with the hope of providing a human shield in case of further attacks. With the slogan, “We either live together or we die together” firmly respected, the Muslims and Copts of Egypt stood collectively to fight the threat of Islamic militants. The New Years bombing was the final straw for many Egyptians who feel equally marginalized and oppressed by their Government whose electoral campaign consisted of the clichéd hatrick - vote-rigging, corruption and widespread violence.

This is a valiant movement for the people of Egypt as the triviality of religious indifference has been acknowledged and fought by rising nationalism in the face of terrorism. “We are one. This was an attack on Egypt as a whole.” The growth of both Americanisation and Islamofacism, culminating in our modern day war on terror has provided a sinister reminder of Samuel P Huntington’s theory that the next source of war will be cultural; a clash of civilization. However, in a country often referred to as the cradle of civilization due to its rich history, it is heart warming to see that somewhere in this world of ethnocentric destruction, unity is finally back in fashion! 

They see me rollin'... They hatin'

Say hello to Tzvika. About two months ago chaos ensued as this adorable little guy was almost killed in a hit and run lawn mower attack. He was left fighting for her life in Tel Aviv with severe damage to his shell and spine. On January 5^th 2011, he was told he would never walk again. However, thanks to hi-tech veterinary science, Tzvika has become the first cyborg turtle. At the Ramat Gan Safari, hope rained down as wheels were attached that would elevate him to prevent shell deterioration and give him the gift of mobility. He now spends his days zooming around, making some dough, puffing on the odd joint and is jumping on the “ first HIV-positive muppet” bandwagon and considering a role as the first ever disabled teenage mutant ninja turtle!

I just like turtles, especially these guys!

AIDS denialism: a Hauntingly Ignorant Vision

South Africa - two words that stand for as many victories as they do injustices. A country that is lost in time, finding itself forever under the rule of one racist leader or another. And as-if the people of South Africa had not suffered enough they are now in the pit of one of the most extreme epidemics of all time. Three letters that do not stand for as many victories as they do injustices – HIV. 

There is an average 5.4 million people currently living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa and an estimated 310,000 South Africans have died of AIDS. These numbers are so colossal that they are almost surreal, but this is sadly an inevitable reality created by the Mbeki Monster himself. He spent his nine years in government ruthlessly and ignorantly denying that HIV was a cause of AIDS and brandished the use of Anti-retroviral’s as ineffective and simply an Western tool of the pharmaceutical industry. He then foolishly invited leading AIDS denialists to serve on his “Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel” and under his clichéd tyrannical rule he further denied his people the right to ARVs. This resulted in the death of 300,000 South Africans and the confirmation that Mbeki was an uneducated murderer, who held his disillusioned pride as an anti-Western revolutionist higher than the lives of his very people.

Mbeki casually admitted his belief that AIDS was caused by immune deficiency, but this had nothing to do with this thing the West called HIV. Instead, he promoted alternative treatments such as massage and music therapy, yoga, spiritual care and homeopathy to help strengthen the immune system and rid the body of that pesky AIDS virus. Ignorance is truly the root of all evil and nothing depicts this better then a self-righteous president preaching lies to a scared and unaware public in desperate need of nothing more then the truth. But what could be more terrifying then this untamable wave of denialism? The fact that there are numerous beliefs amongst African men that having sex with a virgin, child or baby can cure HIV/AIDS fueling South Africa’s appalling rate of child exploitation which is one of the highest in the world. A lack of awareness coupled with the fear and stigmatism of the virus has lead to the fictional creation of this sick-fix solution. There are alarmingly high rates of child and baby rapes and an estimated 330,000 under-15’s currently live with HIV. The evil of ignorance has spread from the top down, infecting the minds of the weak and claiming many lives in the process.

However, we must not dwell on the past as South Africa is finally rid of the Mbeki Monster and in his deathly shadow Zuma the Zero has fittingly taken his place. Finally, change, the chance for freedom from this vicious cycle… under the loving wings of a man who was accused of rape and during his trial openly admitted to the court, “that he could not have caught AIDS as he had a shower after having unprotected sex just to be sure.” 

When will it end?! Although Jacob Zuma is undoubtedly just as corrupt as his predecessor, 2010 witnessed a well overdue step towards AIDS eradication. From April 15^th 2010, everyone attending a clinic or hospital was  offered a HIV test regardless of symptoms. I respect South Africa’s attempt to reduce the HIV incidence rate by 50 percent by June 2011 through various testing and awareness campaigns, however, I feel there is yet again a disregard for one of the most important factors…

ACCESSIBLITY

In order for Zuma to scrape whatever reputation he has left off of the pavements of South Africa, the accessibility of testing and treatment needs to be tackled head on. Currently, only an estimated 37% of infected people are receiving treatment for HIV in South Africa even though the country is home to the largest ARV Therapy programmes in the word. Raising awareness is a great first step, but after the first step must come the second otherwise you are merely walking on the spot, and without accessibility – you can’t walk anywhere!

… However, I must say that I am a fan of Takalani Sesame’s (South African Sesame Street) introduction of KAMI the world’s first HIV-positive Muppet! Kami’s name is derived from kamogelo, which means acceptance of welcome in Zulu, Sesotho and Setswana.

Still unsure of what to make of these rings that represent that HIV virus though…

Muppets vs. Kanye!

While chilling in the office at NUTS, I have stumbled across endless jokes, videos, cartoons that are equally as mind numbing as they are entertaining! However, nothing quite beats this you tube sensation. This Muppets vs. Kanye combo is pure brilliance and I can’t help but watch it and smile as I relive my youth whilst bopping my head like the ganst 101 that I am! This song is not only one of the best on Kanye’s new album but reminds us that although old K.Dubz may at times be an award ceremony ruining, metal-plate cheeked fool, he is still one hell of a force to be reckoned with in the industry! And who better to promote this track then those lovable critters we have come to know as The Muppets. When I was younger, I wanted to be a Muppet so, so bad! I would even dream of what I would look like Muppefied, something along the lines of Kermit the Frog and Pepe the Prawn’s love child! For all those fellow Muppet fans out there, keep a look out for The Muppet’s movie out later this year. Jason Segal has teamed up with many other celebs, including Foo Fighter’s frontman Dave Grohl (who will be the voice of the one and only Animal!) for this nineties throwback. I’m also keeping my fingers crossed that Mr. Segal’s epic “Dracula Song” from Forgetting Sarah Marshall is featured! And if I see Van Helsing, I swear to the Lord I will slay him! A-ha-ha-haa!