'Abstain for the All Blacks' campaign gets a red card
Published by Mail and Guardian on 17 August 2011
New Zealand rugby fans have overwhelmingly rejected a campaign urging them to give up sex as a way of supporting the All Blacks during this year's Rugby World Cup.
Telecom, a team sponsor, planned to launch an advertising campaign calling on fans to "Abstain for the All Blacks" next week to generate publicity ahead of the September-October tournament, the New Zealand Herald reported.
It said fans would be given black rubber rings to wear to show they were supporting the abstinence campaign, which will be fronted by former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick.
While the campaign was approved by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU), the idea of putting sex in the sin bin has found little support from the country's sporting public.
"Dumb, dumb, dumb, that's just dumb," one All Black supporter, who identified himself as Grant, said in Wellington.
Are you kidding?
A New Zealand Herald online poll asking fans if they would forego sex during the seven-week tournament attracted almost 10 000 votes, with 92% responding: "No, are you kidding?"
One supporter, who did not want to be named, said he did not relish the prospect of being ridiculed by boozed-up England fans if he turned up to a match sporting a celibacy ring.
NZRU spokesperson Juli Clausen confirmed the campaign would go ahead, but stressed it was being organised by Telecom, not the sporting body.
"It's their campaign, their creative [idea], obviously we've been across it, but it's very much their campaign and owned by them," she said.
Clausen was unable to immediately confirm reports that All Blacks coach Graham Henry was asked to front the no-sex campaign but declined.
'Kiwi humour'
Telecom marketing director Kieren Cooney said it was a fun way to galvanise support for the All Blacks, who will be desperate to succeed on home soil at this year's tournament after decades of World Cup underperformance.
"We've tried to take a way that is fun and is absolutely tongue-in-cheek, and is based on what we think is Kiwi humour," he told the newspaper.
The New Zealand YWCA said Telecom was sending the wrong message by promoting abstinence and should instead push a safe sex message.
"We need to be realistic that there will be a lot of sex during the Rugby World Cup ... instead of black rubber finger rings that promote abstinence, produce some black male and female condoms for fans," YWCA spokesperson Sarah Davies said. "They will get much more use." -- AFP
Haffajee does it for white masters
This is a copy of the article written in The Sowetan by Eric Miyeni. The newspaper has chosen to remove the original article because of the debate surrounding it. It is here for you to inform your own opinions...
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Originally published by The Sowetan on 1 August 2011:
Haffajee does it for white masters.
JULIUS Malema must never answer a Ferial Haffajee. Who the devil is she anyway if not a black snake in the grass, deployed by white capital to sow discord among blacks?
In the 80s she'd probably have had a burning tyre around her neck. We know where she comes from. She was groomed by The Mail & Guardian, the same newspaper that produces the Jacob Dlaminis of this world, black people who say it was nice to live in the townships under apartheid.
And today we must believe that Haffajee's utter hatred of ANC politicians is based on journalistic integrity. Quadruple crap. I am more inclined to think that people like Haffajjee, who edits City Press, are most likely to be the kind that wakes up in the morning, sees their black faces in the mirror only to feel a wave of self-hatred rising up to nauseate them.
Who's this mystery businessman that apparently paid R200 000 into Malema's family trust? Which government tender did Malema grant him and how?
Can we be sure that City Press did not manufacture these facts? If it didn't, how do we know it did not break the law to obtain them and then twisted these "facts" to ruin Malema? We know that News Of The World was closed down in England because its journalists illegally hacked into people's private phones for news. Who's to say that Haffajee's City Press isn't doing the same?
And let's say Malema does have a family trust, that the trust is funded by black businesspeople and that these businesspeople made their fortune through government tenders. What the hell is wrong with all that?
It's clear to everybody that white South African business is locking black people out. The only real source of business for us is our government. Are we now being told that if we make money through government contracts, our only hope, we cannot use that money to help fellow black people who are in politics, who need private funding to function?
Where then should black politicians get financial support?
Trusts are legal entities. There is no legal limit to how much legally earned money can be put in them or by whom. If Malema has a family trust that is not in breach of any law, it is none of Haffajee's or anybody's business. The man is not a government official.
Mandela has trusts in his name, but because white people put money in them there are no Haffajee complaints. The white DA receives money largely from white business, which is the main economic beneficiary of the government's tender system.
The Haffajees of this racist world are not digging up any dirt on DA officials. Instead, they sickeningly presume that white fortune is legitimately earned until proven otherwise and that it's the opposite for black success.
To hell with Haffajee and her kind.
Fresh Start
I'm embarrassed with myself! Its been a year since I last posted anything to my blog. Anyway, time has been the enemy. A lot has happened in the life of this man and I'm not going to go too deep into the details. The bottom line is that I'm in a better space now.
At the end of last year I left Zim for SA to ply my trade in Zimbabwe's capitalist neighbour. Started my new job at the beginning of January. I'm going to try use my blog as a means to track my progress as an individual in this foreign land.
Party up in here...
Babies
It is the season to be making babies or having them for that matter. My little sister (20 years old) gave birth to a bouncing baby boy on the 18th. They named him Daryl. I’m really proud of Tafadzwa because she has become a woman overnight and she has taken it in her stride.
As if that wasn’t all the baby drama that I had to deal with, Kudzi and Dalphine had Simone Danai Chifamba on the 27th. Shouldn’t I be having my own kids now? Well I’m not ready yet. The first thing is finding Ms. Right and then taking it from there. I think that I might be on the right track, I might I've found the girl, but we are still a long way off. Need to see if I can put up with her first before we jump into that pond.
Work has been quite taxing. I’m glad that I’m going away for 3 weeks with the hockey team. That is going to give me time to recuperate and gather my thoughts. The stress of living in this country takes a serious toll on a person. There is also money to be made in this country, but you have to ignore all the economic fundamentals that you learnt in school. Here we survive on bundu economics.
HAZ names World Cup team
By our Staff (The Standard - 10 July 2005) THE Hockey Association of Zimbabwe have named an 18-member Under-21 team for the fifth Women Junior World Cup Championships scheduled for Chile in September. The competition will run from 14-25 September.
Ginny Ross, the team manager, said on Thursday the team is scheduled to leave for Chile on 9 September, adding the squad had already secured the necessary foreign currency for the trip. The team is making its maiden appearance at the championships.
"Training is going on well and we are processing visas for the team. The government has managed to secure foreign currency for the team," Ross said.
Zimbabwe are in Pool A which includes England, the Netherlands and the United States at the 16-team tournament.
South Africa, who are the only other African country at the championships, are in Group B together with Germany, India and Canada.
The girls won their ticket to the junior showcase after finishing as runners-up to hosts South Africa at the 2004 African Cup of Nations finals.
Zimbabwe team
Amy-Lee Levey, Geraldine Raynor, Kundai Mawema, Sarah Bennett, Faith Musengezi, Jacquelin Katanenza, Mutsawashe Mutembwa, Ruth Fraser, Jenna Palmer, Belinda Mannix, Rudo Mawema, Sarah Blythe-Wood, Tatenda Chikumbirike, Danielle Pycroft, Stacy Logan, Robyn Williams, Pauline Ndlovu, Chantelle Zietsman. Non-travelling reserves- Netsai Matengarobvi, Sanja Murray and Stephane Mazingi.
Preps for hockey tourney intensify
By Blessing Maulgue (Sunday Mail - 10 July 2005) PREPARATIONS for the upcoming women’s Junior World Cup to be held in Chile have reached fever pitch as the national Under-21 team seeks to emulate that milestone achievement by the Golden Girls at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.
The team’s participation at the prestigious world event was until recently hanging in the balance after the cash-strapped Hockey Association of Zimbabwe failed to raise the required US$85 000 to foot their accommodation and travel expanses. The Government had to come to the team’s rescue after availing US$80 000 through the Sport and Recreation Commission in April for them to make their maiden appearance.
The girls are now set to depart for Brazil on September 9 where they are expected to play a few warm-up games before connecting to Santiago three days later. The global youth event takes place from September 14 to 25.
Currently, the national ladies’ side are undergoing a gruelling eight-week training programme which includes three days of specialised drills every week. On Tuesdays the girls concentrate on fitness training, followed by basic ball controlling skills on Thursdays, while on Sundays team coach Kumbirai Mundangepfupfu has lined up friendly matches.
Mundangepfupfu revealed that he was happy with the way preparations were going, but lamented the lack of funds for the girls to play a few international friendly matches against neighbouring South Africa, who will also be taking part at the World Cup.
"The inter-provincials are upon us and we are also going to use them as part of our training regime. I am going to split the girls into two teams and field both teams in the tournament so that they are exposed to stiff competition before we leave. Also since most of the girls are still students they will be taking part in the Golden Girls hockey showcase which is being hosted by Arundel at the end of this month.
"The Golden Girls tournament has emerged as one of the toughest school competitions since its inception in 1981 as participating schools have to go through qualifiers with only the best teams meeting in the finals.
"In addition the girls will be playing against the Under-18 boys’ national team, a Mashonaland men’s side and clubs. The main idea is to keep the girls in action for the next two months so that when we leave the whole team will be mentally and physically fit for the grand stage," he said.
Meanwhile, the team has received a timely shot in the arm following the release of funds to purchase equipment for the goalkeepers and other accessories by World Hockey. Playtime has pledged to provide the girls with full playing kit, while Medical Air Rescue Services (MARS) has come up with a generous US$50 000 health cover insurance for the players.
The dreadlocked mentor went on to express his gratitude towards HAZ, SRC and the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee for their unwavering support to the team’s efforts.
"We have received tremendous moral support from all corners of the sporting fraternity. The SRC is at the moment negotiating with the (Harare) City Council for us to have floodlights so that we can train at night, and ZOC has short-listed us to benefit from the Olympic Solidarity Fund," he added.
Hockey has been on a steady decline over the years and even though some teams have won medals at various international competitions, it has remained largely a minority sport. The major hindrance is the unavailability of modern astro-turf surfaces to play on, after the two in the country were declared unsafe to host international matches. This has left the national hockey league in a shambles as most players are reluctant to play on the traditional grass fields, which led to the abandonment of the Mashonaland league after only three games.
However, it is hoped that if the girls perform well on the world stage their achievements will once again thrust this once vibrant sport into the limelight.
Whiskey
Spent Friday Evening at Louis' house in Greystone Park. I was with Joe, Lou, Shingi, Fadzi and Sue (Left). Decided to dig into the whiskey at my disposal. Got totally smashed I couldn't even wake up on Saturday morning. The morning was made worse by the fact that I don't have DSTV for the time bieng. I couldn't watch all the wonderful rugby that was on in the morning, espcially SA Rugby getting thrashed by the Aussies. I always love it when SA is beaten in any sport. I now have to buy a new decoder if i want to enjoy the DSTV experience again. What crap! Need to find about R700 to give to my boss when he goes to SA in the near future.
Ties
What a weekend. I was at Prince Edward on Saturday to watch PE take on the Rams (St. Johns). The ref was certainly not on PE's side on Saturday, but the end result was a tied game (18 all). PE had the opportunity to wrap it all up but the conversion attempt hit the upright...
I don't know if i should be disappointed with the support. There was nothing close to the support that "Tigers" used to get in my good old days. But I must admit, I enjoyed the remix of the school song. There are some creative young men at that good old school.
A Woman's Worth
In a brief conversation, a man asked a woman he was pursuing the question "What kind of man are you looking for?" She sat quietly for a moment before looking him in the eye and asking
"Do you really want to know?" Reluctantly, he said, "Yes." She began to expound...
As a woman in this day and age, I am in a position to ask a man what he can do for me that I can't do for myself. I pay my own bills.
I take care of my household without the help of any man...or woman for that matter. I am in the position to ask, "What can you bring to the table?"
The man looked at her. Clearly he thought that she was referring to money. She quickly corrected his thought and stated, "I am not referring to money. I need something more."
I need a man who is striving for perfection in every aspect of life." He sat back in his chair, folded his arms, and asked her to explain.
She said, "I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection mentally because I need conversation and mental stimulation. I don't need a simple-minded man."
I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection spiritually because I don't need to be unequally yoked... believers mixed with unbelievers is a recipe for disaster.
I need a man who is striving for perfection financially because I don't need a financial burden. I am looking for someone who is sensitive enough to understand what I go through as a woman, but strong enough to keep me grounded.
I am looking for someone who I can respect. In order to be submissive, I must respect him. I cannot be submissive to a man who isn't taking care of his business. I have no problem being submissive...he just has to be worthy. God made woman to be a helpmate for man. I can't help a man if he can't help himself.
When she finished her spill, she looked at him. He sat there with a puzzled look on his face. He said, "You're asking a lot." She replied,
"I'm worth a lot."
Blogger
I was asking myself “why do I not blog more often?” A lot of shit happens in my life; I’m sure if I blogged everything, there will be a couple of arrest warrant with my name.
So what are the trials and tribulations of a JAVA developer? For one, I hardly have a social life during the week. I only ever meet up with my friends over the weekend; that’s the only time I can afford them. I spend between 12 – 15 hours at the office coding, testing code, and doing more coding. What a life!
The other weekend activity that I enjoy is coaching hockey on a Saturday afternoon. I’m turning a bunch of average girls into an exceptional team. The amount of untapped talent that we have in this country is amazing. I really hope that the girls will do well when we go to Chile in September.
TV Star
Damn! It’s amazing what TV can do for people’s images. It seems as if everyone in my building was watching the interview I had on ZTV the other night about hockey. Every second person now seems really interested in what I’m doing.
On the work front, I’m developing like a possessed man. I want to see the end of this project as soon as possible. It feels like my part that is left is the biggest, but I just have to look around me and I see Gibby & Manu working just as hard as me. There is money to be made with our talents elsewhere and we now want out from here.
What a week
It has been a week where work has not been the best thing happening for me. I’m totally exhausted and I find myself fixing a fix that I had fixed when I was told to fix my module. Its shit when you are focused on the same crap for over 4 weeks. Damn I hate the termination module I’m working on.
I took some time to reflect on my relationships with people this week. I found myself emailing people I had not done so for a while. It’s good to see that some people are getting on with their lives.
It’s my birthday soon and people at home are not making me forget anytime soon. I now feel its time I leave my house. Move out and start thinking about my own shit... I’ve put the word out and I have people looking for something for me right now. I’m very open to the Idea of a two bedroom flat which I can share with someone. I will hardly be there because of the time I spend working at the office.
This weekend, I’m gonna try and salvage my social life. I have a few girls that I want to see. Watch this space next week for updates...
