29 Sept 2007

C is for.....


This is me... aahhhh...what a life!


Bill..........


Charlie..........
Birdy..........
Bud.......
Smokey........

and.....Hannah!


All five these cats are cats of a chess player, he lives in Florida(USA)...(there is a Florida in Johannesburg, SA too....only difference...Florida in Jo'burg is just a suburb and not a state!)This is what he says about his felines...- and they just turned up at his house....and he was kind enough to home them and to care for them.....- "Charlie likes to catch popcorn in the air. He is quite animated! Bud, who I think used to be a prize fighter, has mellowed a lot. He likes to cuddle with Bill or me. Bill, the ambassador, gets along with everybody. He has had cancer surgery and is living on borrowed time...and we appreciate every day we have him. Smokey was an abused Main Coon cat who was severely under weight. He keeps to himself as I think he would rather be outdoors hunting wildlife! Birdy was a stray who having been fed by me for several months finally accepted me and became a member of the family. His eye was injured while he was a stray and could not be saved...but he seems to get along quite well with the one. Hannah is the only outside feline in the family. She prefers to not be around other cats. She is tiny but very street smart. She has feline aids and asthma, but appears to being doing ok. In the evenings she stays in a separate building that has creature comforts including heat and air."
Very sweet of him! Wish more people would do that with pets!

Follow this link to the Cat Federation of South Africa and have a look at the competition you can enter in October! and...have a look at previous years' cat winners...

And here...The Southern Africa cat council.

Here....to follow links to
International cat sites all over the world.

Crumpets

I want to post this recipe especially for one chess player....Earl... he said that he hasn't eaten crumpets and wants to know more...so..here's some work to catch-up on!...Earl!

Ingredients: 350 g plain flour
1 level teaspoon salt
5ml baking powder
300 ml milk
sunflower, oil for frying and greasing
cooking rings or crumpet rings

How to: Tip the flour into a bowl and stir in the salt and baking powder. Add the milk. (I usually like to add 1 egg too....it's up to you if you want!) Beat the mixture well for about 5 minutes with a wooden spoon. The mixture should be quite liquid and of a spoonable consistency. Grease the cooking or crumpet rings with sunflower oil and smear a light covering of oil over the base of a solid frying pan. Place the rings on the base of the pan and heat. When hot, spoon in the batter to about half-fill the rings. Cook the mixture over a gentle to moderate heat for about 4-8 minutes. Remove the rings and turn the crumpets over. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until lightly golden.
Serve the crumpets hot with melted butter+honey/syrup. Enjoy!

Prevent Alzheimer...

As kids, we were given cod liver oil every night. I can remember the bad taste of it! You would get sick just to think of that bad taste! Very interesting reading here...

Health Benefits of Fish Oil - Omega 3Health Benefits of Fish Oil - Omega 3 include improving survival after heart attacks, reducing fatal heart rhythms and decreasing all-cause mortality in patients with known coronary heart disease. Fish oil has been shown in epidemiological and clinical trials to reduce the incidence of heart disease by lowering cholesterol. Large-scale epidemiological studies suggest that individuals at risk for coronary heart disease benefit from the consumption of fish oil as it is high in omega 3 fatty acids.Omega-3s, specifically DHA and EPA, are being examined for other health benefits, such as treating rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's (because of anti-inflammatory properties); treating depression and other psychological disorders (because they may boost serotonin and dopamine, decreasing depression and violent behavior); reducing the risk of diabetes, insulin resistance in people with diabetes, psoriasis and other skin conditions; helping osteoporosis (because they may enhance bone density); and fighting cancer (because they may inhibit cancer cells in the breast, prostate and colon). A recent Canadian study suggests a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish such as salmon and sardines, and in fish-oil capsules, can help keep Alzheimer's disease at bay. Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) found that a diet high in docosahexenoic acid, or DHA--an omega-3 fatty acid found in relatively high concentrations in cold-water fish--dramatically slowed the progression of Alzheimer's disease in mice. Specifically, DHA cut the harmful brain plaques that mark the disease.

Read more HERE about fish oil.

And........follow THIS link to read about cod liver oil!

28 Sept 2007

Kramnik vs Gelfand round 13




Kramnik played black...this game was a draw!

Chess game 5


In this game I played black and think my last move was quite unexpectedly.....

Gonna be a bear!

Click on image to read! I'm gonna be a bear!

Weekend!








"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. "





I got this in my email with this pic and found it sweet...

I cannot change the way I am,

I never really try,

God made me different and unique,

I never ask him why.

If I appear peculiar,

There's nothing I can do,

You must accept me as I am,

As I've accepted you.

God made a casting of each life,

Then threw the Mold away,

Each child is different from the rest,

Unlike as night from day.

So often we will criticize,

The things that others do,

But, do you know, they do not think,

The same as me and you.

So God in all his wisdom,

Who knows us all by name,

He didn't want us to be bored,

That's why we're not the same

SA's play rugby for Australia?

Wallabies eye more Bok recruits
2007-9-28 11:58
France - Australia is looking at unearthing more young South Africans like Dan Vickerman and Clyde Rathbone in the build-up to the next Rugby World Cup in 2011, according to reports.
Newly-appointed Australian Rugby Union high performance manager Pat Howard has arrived at the World Cup in France to examine what countries and what systems are producing the best results.
Australia has had great success poaching young Springboks into its ranks, with lock Vickerman a member of the current national squad and outside back Rathbone forced out of World Cup selection reckoning through injury.
"It's a matter of looking at how we, with our very small player base, stay up there at the top end," Howard told Australian media on Friday.
"If we leave it to luck, you might get the Argentine model occasionally coming through, but it's not a consistent model."
Read further...
More SA's to abandon the country to play rugby for Australia!?

Kramnik vs Leko round 12



This is the game of Kramnik vs Leko, round 12, played last night in Mexico. Kramnik played white and he won the game.LinkLink

Huisgenoot 1916




Read HERE on my Wordpress-blog everything about Huisgenoot...there are images and a link to the University of Pretoria where you can download some articles too. This link will open in a new window.


The "Huisgenoot" magazine is certainly THE oldest family magazine in South Africa. These pics come from the magazines which I found on TUKKIES (University of Pretoria) website. I myself have got a few of these old Huisgenoot mags, but they are in bits! I've got a few complete pages and others are half pages and bits...and...pieces....I think my oldest one dated 1932.(all in SA packed away) In our family, I was always the one that liked the old history stuff and wanted to keep all kinds of precious, (well to me) historical "artifacts" safe. I hated History as a subject at school when I had to study and learn for exams, but love to read about it and visit historical places and museums. In my last two years of study, I had an optional "subject", called Museum studies. We visited every Thursday a museum in the city....or near the city...we were only about 15 students...my History tutor was really an interesting man. He joined us on all those trips and could come up with the most amazing facts about Pretoria and you were like..."oh my....gosh...I didn't know that! and I do live here!"...your jaws dropped every minute he was talking...anyway...those trips were just big fun...the Post Office museum...which is not in Pretoria anymore, but in Cape Town....was the biggest fun...we played like 10-year old kids with everything, about the only museum where we were allowed to touch everything...we made phone calls to one another with the old phones and sent messages with the morse code machine...that was great fun! We had to hand in a folder with information about every visit and museum by the end....and....I still have mine! ...I couldn't throw away such precious articles and photos/post cards/information/leaflets/notes ...etc.

27 Sept 2007

Ontwikkeling van Afrikaans/history of Afrikaans

Follow this link to read more...
You want to learn Afrikaans?

Click HERE and have a go!

De ontwikkeling van het Afrikaans
Het Afrikaans heeft zich ontwikkeld uit het zeventiende-eeuwse Hollands: De Oost-Indische compagnie (VOC) koos in de 17e eeuw de Kaap de Goede Hoop als rustplaats op haar weg naar Indië. Op de lange zeereizen had men behoefte aan een vast station, waar vers eten en drinken aan boord kon worden gehaald, zieken konden worden achtergelaten enz.
De eerste kolonisten aan de Kaap kwamen uit het zuiden van de Nederlanden, wat aan bepaalde details in het huidige Afrikaans nog te merken is. Het waren matrozen en boeren, allebei groepen met heel verschillende woordenschatten en dialecten. De inheemse bewoners van het zuidelijke Afrika waren toen voor het grootste deel zogenaamde Hottentotten en Bosjesmannen.
Vanaf 1740 was de voertaal in Zuid-Afrika niet meer zuiver Nederlands. Een van de meest plausibele theorieën over het ontstaan van de nieuwe taal is, dat de belangrijkste veranderingen in het Afrikaans teruggaan op interferenties.
De Franse hugenoten die in de 16e/17e eeuw naar Zuid-Afrika kwamen, hadden geen grote invloed op de taal, alleen de Franse namen herinneren er nog aan. De Franse woorden die in het Afrikaans overgenomen zijn, kwamen uit het Nederlands van de 17e en 18e eeuw.
Ook de "Maleise slaven" uit Indonesië, Angola en andere gebieden, meestal Portugese kolonieën, die in de 18e eeuw naar Zuid-Afrika gebracht werden, hadden maar beperkte invloed op de taal. De Maleise en Portugese woorden in het Afrikaans werden al vroeger door het Nederlands ontleend (zeemanstaal).
In het midden van de 18e eeuw was het proces van deflexie (vereenvoudiging en reductie van de nominale en verbale paradigma; vgl. ook het flexieverlies in het Middelnederlands) al zo ver, dat een eigen variant van de taal was ontstaan, het "Kaap-Nederlands". Vanaf de 2e helft van de 18e eeuw was een eigen taalsysteem gevestigd. Door analyse van de bronnen is een ontwikkeling van het Nederlands via het Kaapnederlands naar het Afrikaans te zien.
Rond 1800 kwamen de Engelsen naar Zuid-Afrika. Hun komst had echter geen grote invloed op de taal. Maar de Engelsen bleven hun eigen taal spreken, het bestuur en het onderwijs werden Engelstalig. De Kaap werd Britse kolonie. Het Engels had toen een veel hogere sociale status dan het Afrikaans; de bovenlaag, het bestuur en de intellectuelen praatten Engels, het Afrikaans werd als "kombuistaal" beschouwd. De opvolgers van de Nederlanders en de Vlamingen ("conservatieve boeren") werden meer en meer ontevreden over het Engelse bestuur (slavenbevrijding) en trokken in de zogenaamde. "Grote Trek" (1836-44) naar het noorden, weg van de kust. In verschillende gebieden vond men nu ook verschillende varianten van het Afrikaans. De ruzies met de Engelsen gingen door.
Het opkomende nationalisme in de 19e eeuw vroeg ook om de verdediging van de taal door de Afrikaans-taligen. Voor het eerst begon men nu de Afrikaanse taal op te schrijven. Er werd een spelling ontworpen, men gebruikte de taal in het onderwijs en er werd een Afrikaanse bijbelvertaling geschreven. Deze vertaling was vanwege het gezag van de bijbel belangrijk voor de ontwikkeling van het Afrikaans (vgl. hierbij ook de "Statenvertaling" en de gotische bijbelvertaling).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read more about the history of Afrikaans....



SPACE! SALT...




Sutherland is THE place to be to have a clear view of the stars in South Africa. If you haven't heard of Sutherland....you're having a gap in your education!! Then, to fill that gap....follow the link...quickly!

Read HEREabout SALT (Southern African Largest Telescope) and HERE about it too...
Observing the NIGHT SKY and enjoy!

Spring



Spring in Clanwilliam....follow here for more daisy pics in South Africa... Louis Leipoldt - one of our BEST poets, wrote a poem about spring...the month October....I must post it here when it is October! In his poem, he says October is the most beautiful month, and for South Africa, it is the truth!

WHAT!!??



Click on images to read...
By reading this article, I first thought, when I saw the link..."oh no, must be in South Africa"....and then....following the link....goodness gracious!!! America!!!!! THE country....of all that think they are well clear of "racism"...wow!!
Read here the article of the first one further...
Second article can be found here.....

Madness Visible

I've started reading this book quite recently....-while reading "In Search of South Africa", the book which Dennis from the chess site sent me....I posted an extract of it somewhere on my blog...- anyway...this book about Janine di Giovanni's memoir of the war, is about the Kosovo-War....only now on page 13, and do agree with her...it is about "madness"....

SA BACK? Top Film Producer....

Is this what we want from South Africa? Is it what we predicted....Is it busy happening? Is this the start of another "African" country....? Wonder!
Click on the image to read and HERE to read the rest of the article....
SA's top filmproducer, Johan Heyns shot! READ it... here on news24.

Export chess


Export your chess game HERE as a pgn file and convert it!

chess movies



This is really a good site...do VISIT and enjoy!

Accident

I'm still sorting some pictures. On these pics you can see some really heavy traffic....I think it was on the Ben Schoeman Highway....at this point, there was an accident and the man on this pic, was really not pleased with everybody, as you can see...people started driving off the highway to pass, it was about 10-ish the morning and you know....still a bit of rush-hour for some...and as this is a very busy highway...people don't have the patience to wait for a traffic inspector to turn up to direct the traffic. Though this man tried to direct the traffic and stopped at some point...looking very frustrated....it's unbelievable what people will do when they are in a rush! We were not really in a rush, but just following the "crowd"...because, if you are in Rome, you do as the Romans do! haha....
.....more traffic.....
....and this was the cause of the problem! A huge truck turned over...
This Lion-statue is at a Restaurant...I think in Krugersdorp....was really a lion I couldn't miss...standing there very proudly...showing off a bit...I think...

26 Sept 2007

Hein Simons






It's been the second time now that Chris from Kop-op-'n-blokinspires me to blog a piece of music. Hein Simons was/is a great singer. I've got an album called "Ruiter van die Windjie" where he sang Afrikaans. His songs were always great hits in SA and he was very popular in request programs.


Chess championship round 11 results

This is the World Chess player, Anand's game played on Tuesday 25th Sept in Mexico. His opponent was Morozevich. Anand played white and won the game.

Round 11 Results:
Gelfand ½ - ½ Svidler
Leko ½ - ½ Aronian
Grischuk ½ - ½ Kramnik
Anand 1 - 0 Morozevich


Standings after Round 11:
Anand 7.5
Gelfand 6.0
Aronian 5.5
Kramnik 5.5
Leko 5.5
Grischuk 5.0
Morozevich 4.5
Svidler 4.5

Pairings for Round 12
Svidler - Anand
Kramnik - Leko
Morozevich - Grischuk
Aronian - Gelfand



This game is Leko and Aronian's game...a draw! Leko played white.

Energy flow!


Osterley Park 2

My topic is "green". Green is the colour that changes into different colours! During Autumn, it is amazing to see all the changes....if you look closely, you will see the seed of the Horse Chestnut on this tree...
Here it is, but it has changed! And it has dropped down....ready for another cycle?
The English call this a "concker" and earlier, they played games with the conkers and children knew how to keep themself busy with it!



In the corner of the garden, green, but with an invader....
Once again, beautiful green! Some children in London say that they hate green as a colour, because there is so much green in the country! .....never thought someone will say that...
.....more green......
And.....there's the invader...he thought I would never see him, I think he was ready to jump....wonder how fast that would be...

One Laptop per child







Follow this link to read more...
Read this article on the BBC's sitetoo....

Is this Madeleine??


A photograph of a small blonde girl in Morocco is to be examined by experts investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
The picture was taken by a Spanish holidaymaker just over three weeks ago in the town of Zinat.
Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann are understood to have seen the image and their spokesman Clarence Mitchell says it could be significant.
The image shows a light-skinned, blonde-haired girl being carried on an elderly woman's back.
Madeleine, four, went missing from her parents' holiday apartment in Praia Da Luz, Portugal, on May 3.
Despite being declared suspects in the disappearance of their own daughter, Mr and Mrs McCann have repeatedly insisted that they believe Madeleine could still be alive.
The photograph emerged after a series of other reports of possible sightings of Madeleine in Morocco were publicised in recent days.
It follows two sightings of a blonde girl matching Madeleine's description in Marrakech on May 9, and reports of a third sighting in northern Morocco later the same month
Read the article here.

Stop Child Abuse!


WHAT IS CHILD ABUSE?
Child abuse is any interaction (or lack of interaction) between a child and his/her parents and/or other caregivers which results in the non-accidental harm to a child's physical and/or developmental state.
The terms has come to include not only the physical, non-accidental injury of children, but also emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Therefore, abuse can range from habitually humiliating your child to not giving the necessary care, and from excessively shaking a child to rape.
Some people think that children are only abused by strangers, but sometimes the person who abuses children is a friend of the parents or even a family member, like an uncle or aunt, or even a parent.
If abuse is taking place in your family, remember that you CAN get help for your child by talking to someone who cares, like Childine, a Social Worker or a Psychologist. These trained professionals will help and counsel you, your child and your family and also offer help for abusers.
There are 4 different kinds of abuse:
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is when children are forced or persuaded into sexual acts or situations by others. Children might be encouraged to look at pornography, be harassed by sexual suggestions or comments, be touched sexually or forced to have sex.'I thought for a long time that what was happening was OK because Dad said it was a game that all fathers played with their sons, a secret game that only the men knew about.' more here
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is when children are hurt or injured by parents or other people. Hitting, kicking, beating with objects, throwing and shaking are all physical abuse, and can cause pain, cuts, bruising, broken bones and sometimes even death.
'I haven't been to school for two days because I'm afraid that people will see the bruises on my arms in PE.' more here
Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is when children are not given love, approval or acceptance. They may be constantly critisised, blamed, sworn and shouted at, told that other people are better than they are and rejected by those they look to for affection.
'I'm in care and I'm always being moved between foster homes. I feel unloved and unsettled.' more here
Neglect
Neglect is when parents or others looking after children do not provide them with proper food, warmth, shelter, clothing, care and protection.'My mum and dad both have drinking problems. Sometimes there's nothing to eat in the house. And I'm often left alone to look after my brothers and sisters.'

Childline in South Africa.....

25 Sept 2007

Karringmelk Beskuit...rusks

This is what South Africans call "Rusks"....it is not for children when "teething"...but our children like it too, even when teething! We like to give them these Boudoir biscuits...they are soooooo yummy!! For an English recipe...click on this link to go to my Wordpress site and you will find the recipe! Enjoy!
http://chessaleeinlondon.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/buttermilk-rusks-karringmelk-beskuit/






Read
HERE about Rusks



Please click HERE for a recipe in Afrikaans and English on my Wordpress-blog! You can also read about the history of the rusks.