Hanger View

Soccer does that sometimes

2010-06-14T12:31:00.004+01:00

All right, I admit it that I never expecet Friday to go the way that it did. There was such unity and spirit throughout South Africa it was amazing.

I went into a local Mcdonalds to use the toilet while the opening cerimony. Everyone was focused on that TV. Families, the staff, old, and young alike. they had the glow of spirit in their eyes.

There are still a lot of people that don't care, but on that day they were nowhere to be seen.
It's just the start and I'm sure there are still a few more supprises in store

Dr I have soccer fever...

2010-06-10T14:32:00.002+01:00

I am south african, and as we all know the FIFA world cup is being held in my beautiful home land. I fact the kick off game is tomorrow which is June 11.
If you turn on the TV or the radio then it's a soccer orientated ad. If you open a magazine then it's soccer news. Banks, fast food resturants even ice creams are riding the wave. Don't get me wrong this is great for the country and I support my team. It's just that the marketing has created so much hype that people that don't even like soccer are forced to whear their team shirts and watch the games or they will actually seem unpatriotic. It's so bad that people that would normally watch the world cup in previous years are rebelling. They refuse to show any support because of all this marketing. I don't know if any of the news of the world cup contraverse reached international countries. Protests that the goverment is putting the world cup before providing the citizens with proper service delevery. Many unions and institutions have boycotted the world cup since we found out in 2007 that we are to be the host country. I personally really want this world cup to be a success. In the long run it will do a lot of good for our international image and foriegn investment. On the other hand it will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of people living below the breadline and people that just dont like soccer.

ICU blues

2009-10-08T09:24:00.003+02:00

My uncle recently had a triple bypass for his heart. I went to go visit him in ICU (the intensive care unit). It was around 7 at night and the nurses had just changed shifts.

I walked through the large steel doors with a finger print identifier next to it. Visiting hours had just started so there were not many people yet. Then I saw my uncle. He had a tube stuck down his throat to help him breath. I can only imagine with that thing down his throat all he is thinking of is a block of ice to easy the pain on his dry, raw, throat.

There were huge desks in front of every bed with charts and comment boxes to keep record of blood gas, and heart rate and much more.

The other patients were in the same conditions. One guy had a gunshot wound in the side of his head and he was rolled up into a little ball on his bed wishing he was at home.

It was one hell of an experience for me. I commend the staff of that hospital whose in the business of saving lives.

If you have every experienced whats the inside of an ICU is like and have something interesting to say please leave a comment.

All they want is a home

2009-10-01T11:56:00.003+02:00

We walked down the street in the beating hot sun. Zinc plate and cardboard shacks lined the street no bigger that a single bed room. "12 people or so" said an old woman when asked how many people live in such a house. Her face was dry from the hot sun. it looked painfull.

"We heard somebody died yesterday?" asked the senior journalist with me. The woman merely pointed to a man sitting in a chair under the shade. "Thats her husband" she added.

He was stairing emotionlessly at the ground infront of him. One could feel his sorrow even through the barrier we built up to protect us from what we might see.

I was working at a paper a few months ago called the witbank news. We got a call saying a woman died from the cold last night at the RDP housing (goverment houseing). Dozens of people were evicted from houses thaat were unfinished. They moved in illegaly.

But what I saw that day. Even if they were illegal, they did not deserve to be dumped on the side of the road by police and left with nothing.

Please leave a comment and tell me what you think of this story? Or let me know if you have heard anything similar?

Interactive news sites

2009-09-29T11:45:00.003+02:00

I feel it is my duty to get people involved in the news gathering process.

With that in mind there are two websites to check out. Propeller.com and Helium.com. They are news sites that allows average Internet surfers the chance to write and submit news. The best source of news is the man in the street.

If you have visited these websites let me know what you think, or if you know any other sites let me know.

Kira's music reviews

2009-09-29T11:39:00.004+02:00

I will be posting a bi-monthly music review from a good friend of mine. he does not want to be named because he feels that that will associate him with one music genre. So he will be known as Kira. He is an expert of music in his own right and he plays the piano.

The first review will be this weekend. Posts from Kira will be placed on my blog the first two weeks of the month so don't miss it.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2009-09-24T10:39:00.003+02:00

This movie is about as the title implies, the origins of Wolverine. How he gets the metal claws, how he loses his memory and so on. It answers many of the questions one would ask about him in the first three movies. I Will not give too much away, because there are a lot of twists.

I cannot be completely objective since I am a big marvel fan, so I am reviewing this movie as that and not in the cinematography sense. Personally I thought the movie was great. I mean have you heard Hugh Jackman's American accent. It's flawless.

I did not enjoy the first three as much as the other hero movies like Spiderman, because I was not true to the comic books for me. the movies were just making references to what X-Men were actually about. This movie was the first one that was about the X-Men even though it is focused on Wolverine.

I will definitely recommend this movie to any marvel fan, and to those that don't know the first thing about a comic book just to see what the fuss is about.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of the movie.

They pay taxes too

2009-09-24T08:47:00.001+02:00

I always think to myself what celebrities are doing right now? As I am writing this blog post I wonder what Angelina Jolie is doing right now. Is she having breakfast by the Olympic sized swimming pool, dressed all in white watching the sun rise(I'm not good with time zones. but lets just say the sun is rising where ever she is).

We all know that that is probably not true, but that's what I picture regardless. The real picture is probably more...well average. She is waking up with bed hair, crusty eyes and a dry mouth. Sahara and Shiloh are screaming in the next room and Brad is doing that new Tarentino movie on location somewhere. She drags herself out of bed with a sigh and a curse word only to find out that her slippers had been chewed to bits by the dog.

Maybe that's pushing it a bit, but I'm trying to make a point. They also pay taxes and get flat tires. They look up to people and have awkward moments on first dates.

Jennifer Aniston would probably be a librarian if she didn't become famous. Danny Di Vito would be a used car salesman. Arnold swarchenegger would have started his political career early so he would be the president of the USA by now.

New to swine flu

2009-09-21T12:04:00.007+02:00

International news

The World Health Organisation says that swine flu vaccine production falls short of the amount needed to protect the global population.

Did you know that Tammy Flu the vaccine used to cure seasonal flu is also used to treat Swine flu? At least in South Africa it is.

Did you know that all other departements in major pharmasutical companies are at a loss due to the ressesion except the Flu vaccine departement Which has increased profits?

And did you know that in America in the first 30 weeks of outbreak not more than 1000 people have died of swine flu, but 36000 people die of seasonal flu each year in America?

I can't convince anyone that something is not right about how much mainstream media has blown this out of preportion. Make up your own mind but these are the facts.

Had enough of Malema?

2009-09-21T09:48:00.006+02:00

South African news

According to Sapa published on the Mail and Guardian online Julius Malema Assualted his neighbour at a housewarming party. This person claimed that Malema slapped him several times, but Malema denyed that he even knew the man.

We know he has a history of verbal "expressivness" but violence is a whole new level for him. I'm not saying he is guilty of assult, But the question is what does it mean if he is. My answer is nothing...

Nobody in the youth league would think less of him. The media would not report on his antics any less, and anti - ANC persons would not be any less irratated by him.

He is also been in the media spotlight lately for slamming white people for not being at the welcoming parade when the South African Athletics team came home. Most people would look at the welcoming of the Rugby team and notice that Malema is nowhere in sight and the word Hypocrit then comes to mind.

Other people might say that this is completely understandible since rugby is considered a white sport. Personally I don't really like sport anyway and I probably would not have gone to either event anyway.

The point is That there is a bigger issue than Melama being a racist, that is Melema abusing his power. This man WILL be our next president. In 16 years maybe less. Then what will he do with that power I wonder.

Please leave a comment. I would love to hear what you have to say.

Watch it grow

2009-09-17T17:52:00.002+02:00

Have you ever thought how interesting a blog is? It lets us rant and rave about how crap our day was or how crap it's going to be. It lets us spend hours in front of the computer until three in the morning. yet I think it's the most wonderful thing that a computer screen can display except for facebook and YouTube O and of course Flickr. I came to realise something I didn't fall in love with a group of websites. It was the idea I enjoyed. It is called Web 2.0, and the key word is interactive.

This is my new baby. I will care for it and watch it grow. And just like a young seedling It needs involvement not passive observers!

Comment, Express and get involved.