"The square root of 3" - Harold and Kumar 2

The square root of 3
I’m sure that I will always be
A lonely number like root three
The three is all that’s good and right,
Why must my three keep out of sight
Beneath the vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine
For nine could thwart this evil trick,
with just some quick arithmetic
I know I’ll never see the sun, as 1.7321
Such is my reality, a sad irrationality
When hark! What is this I see,
Another square root of a three
As quietly co-waltzing by,
Together now we multiply
To form a number we prefer,
Rejoicing as an integer
We break free from our mortal bonds
With the wave of magic wands
Our square root signs become unglued
Your love for me has been renewed

Feature on Me

Check out a feature done on my life and carreer up 'til now...

http://thetalking2myselfblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/the-drama-about-roscoe-please-forgive-me-p/#comment-12

Sparkle Horse - By Roscoe Ratangee

Sparkle Sparkle Sparkle Horse
Are you deprived of your food, your kos
How on earth will you get it back
I'll tell you, by force

Sparkle Sparkle Sparkle Horse
Maybe you should go to the Dros
Have a burger, maybe a steak
NO, have some ribs drowned in sauce

Sparkle Sparkle Sparkle Horse
Im writing this poem, Juuust because
You are now full, but not for long
Finding you next meal is your only cause

Sparkle Sparkle Sparkle Horse
Oh...Your a band, Of course!
I bought your CD, i swear i did
It must have gotten lost between my draws

Sparkle Sparkle Sparkle Horse
May your path be...melodic...on your course
don't you play rock...no...pop?
NO, you like Enya, YOU MAKE ME WANNA DOS!

They Walk Among Us

Caution... They Walk Among Us!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some guy bought a new fridge for his house. To get rid of his old
fridge, he put it in his front yard and hung a sign on it saying:
'Free to good home. You want it, you take it.' For three days the
fridge sat there without even one person looking twice at it. He
eventually decided that people were too un-trusting of this deal.
It looked too good to be true, so he changed the sign to read: 'Fridge
for sale $50.'

The next day someone stole it!

***They walk amongst us!***
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


*One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when someone
shouted....'Look at that dead bird!' Someone looked up at the sky and
said...'where?'

***They walk among us!!***
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In N.Z. a police officer pulled in a lady for driving too fast. When
they both stopped he got out of his car and while walking towards her
took out his pad flicking through the pages. He stopped by her door
and before he had a chance to speak she said, " I suppose you are
going to sell me some tickets for the police ball ?" his instant reply
was, "The police in New Zealand do not have any balls". He just looked
straight in her eyes, closed his book, walked back to his car and
drove off. The lady had great difficulty in restarting her car, she
was laughing so much.

"Remember they walk among us."
________________________________________________________

While looking at a house, my brother asked the estate agent which
direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun
waking him up every morning. She asked, 'Does the sun rise in the
north?' When my brother explained that the sun rises in the east, and
has for sometime, she shook her head and said, 'Oh, I don't keep up
with that stuff'

***They Walk Among Us!!***
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we
overheard one of the administrative assistants talking about the
sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the beach. She drove down in a
convertible, but 'didn't think she'd get sunburned because the car was
moving'.

***They Walk Among Us!!!!***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car it's designed to cut
through a seat belt if she gets trapped She keeps it in the trunk.

***They Walk Among Us!!!!!***
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring
attached to an earring by a chain. My friend said, 'Wouldn't the chain
rip out every time she turned her head?' I had to explain that a
person's nose and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which
way the head is turned...

***They Walk Among Us!!!!!!! ***
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area. So I went to
the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never
showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a
trained professional and I was in good hands. 'Now,' she asked me,
'Has your plane arrived yet?'...
(I work with professionals like this.)

***They Walk Among Us!!!!!!!!***
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While working at a pizza parlour I observed a man ordering a small
pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he
would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some
time before responding. 'Just cut it into 4 pieces; I don't think I'm
hungry enough to eat 6 pieces.

***Yep, They Walk Among Us, too.!!!!!!!!

"alone" with and by Maya Angelou

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Truth within "The Blind Men and the Ellephant" (writer unknown)

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, "Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"



The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
" 'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

Moral:

So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

Athol Fugard’s “Master Harold and the boys” review

‘Master Harold and the Boys’ is a proudly South African play written by world renowned and local boy, Athol Fugard. The play based on his own personal life and experiences tackles hard hitting socio-political topics is South Africa. The play is based on a real incident in Fugard’s life which rook place in his mother’s business, “the St Georges Park Tea Room” in Port Elizabeth, 1950. In this incident, Fugard – who plays the character of Master Harold or Hally – witnesses the corrupting power of apartheid through his own actions, namely racism.
Fugard wrote this play about his human relationships he encountered that were put to the test by societal and personal forces. In the beginning of the play, fugard returned from school to the Tea Room to have lunch and to hang around like he usually does everyday. Two main characters are introduced into the play, that of ‘Sam’ and ‘Willie’. Sam and Willie are both Black and in their mid forties, who both work in the St Georges Tea Room. Sam, the waiter, seems to be the wiser and more mature of the two, is an expert ballroom dancer and plays a dominant role in Hally’s life. Willie on the other hand has a mutual respect for Hally and Sam, and is the uneducated cleaner who is being tutored but Sam for a dance competition he is taking part in .Hally respects Sam and teaches him all the work that he has learnt. This was still in the apartheid years, so the racial hierarchy was still a major factor of that time, offcourse, whites being the highest. The use of bad language in his conversations with Sam and Willie shows the lack of respect for elders that he has. His way of speaking to his parents and other white elders differ to a great extent than his mothers black employees. This shows the unconscious hierarchy taking effect due to the affects of the apartheid era, even on children like him. The racial hierarchy and respect, or the lack thereof is one of the themes that occur throughout the play. One line that emphasises this is, “don’t turn your back on me! I haven’t finished talking” and “mind your own fucking business and shut up” (page 42-43).
Hally’s father is in hospital and his mother alongside him after receiving a phone call from the hospital whilst him being at school. Sam was instructed by Hally’s mother to inform Hally that she was off to the hospital and would give him a call a later, which he delivered on. First, it seemed that Hally was confused as to why his mother had rushed to the hospital, as the previous night he looked in no condition to be discharged. It seemed as if his father might have taken a turn for the worst. However, eventually receiving a phone call from his mother informing him that his father would be discharged caused the twist of events. Instead of being relieved, Hally became infuriated with the news. This is where the relationship between his father and him were exposed. This is another important part of the play in that it seemed as if Hally was worried about the health and well-being of his father, which was certainly not the case. Fugard used this kind of relationship between a drunken father and son as a social problem that happened and still happens behind closed doors in society. This was another one of his socio-political issues he addresses. As this play is a memory of his past that has continued to haunt him, Fugard must have been a victim of an unstable and unhappy household. Fugard uses the lines, “I’m sick and tired of emptying stinking chamberpots full of phlegm and piss” (page 38), to show his utter dislike for his father even in his ill situation. Fugard portrays this theme of domestic unhappiness and turmoil through these scenes. Fugard used his own life situation and portrayed it in this play as a trigger to explode into the unpredictable and unforseen climax.
The climax of the play was when Hally started bad-mouthing his father in front of Sam and Willie. Sam makes a conscious effort to calm his rage and stop him in his tracks before he says something that he would regret. Then Hally turns on Sam and plays the racial hierarchy card by filtering his anger for his father towards him. This is when Hally goes overboard and starts attacking Sam with racial comments, jokes and remarks. He now demands to be referred to as Master Harold, and reminds them of whom and what they are. “You are only a servant in here, and don’t forget it”, “All you need to remember is that he is your boss” and “He’s a white man and that’s good enough for you” (page 42-43) are lines that Hally said to Sam to put him in his racially oppressed place. This is the major climax of the story containing the theme of racism. Fugard lived in the times of apartheid and this incident haunted him all through his illustrious life. This was a very difficult time in history as the racial oppression undermined people in South Africa and classed them according to skin colour.


Fugard critically focused most of his work on the injustices of the apartheid system. Government officials called many of Fugard's works subversive and attempted to prevent publication and/or production of his plays several times. Much of his early work was presented to small private audiences to avoid government censorship. The play was officially banned by the South African government. "Master Harold''…and the Boys earned the Drama Desk Award and Critics Circle Award for best play in 1983, and London's Evening Standard Award in 1984. The play has subsequently earned a place in contemporary world drama, undergoing frequent revivals around the world and a vital work valued for both its universal themes of humanity and its skilled theatre craft.
Fugard is famous for his hard-hitting truths and realities he was apart of, guilty of or have witnessed throughout his childhood and adult life. He uses a creative writing style that allows his works to come across as satirical and humorous but targeting many of the sensitive issues of South Africa’s, Mainly Port Elizabeth’s past. Many other issues were exposed by Fugard such as “A lesson from aloes”, “Marigolds in August”, “Tsotsi”, “Boesman and Lena”, “People are living there”, “Hello and Goodbye”, “Valley song”, “Exits and Entrances”, “No Good Friday”, “The Blood Knot” to mention but a few
Athol Fugard shows us the human potential for racism and social conflict imbedded in all of us. Through the use of style e.g. metaphors, he paints a picture of the present and past state of human relationships and associations with each other and as a whole. He reveals the psychoses present within the human mind and condition that make racism and political strife possible. At the same time, Fugard successfully reveals how simple it is to resolve society’s struggle of hate, prejudice, and oppression, by telling the stories of one man, himself.

"I Know why the caged brid sings" by Maya Angelou

A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange suns rays
And dares to claim the sky.

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.

But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.

A Family Is Like...

A Family is like a circle
the connection never ends
and even if at times it breaks
in time it always mends
a family is like the stars
somehow there always there
families are those who help
who support and always care
A Family is like a book
the endings never clear
but through the pages of the book
their love is always near
A family is many things
with endless words that show
who they are and what they do
and how they teach you so you know
but don’t be weary if it's broken
or if through time its been so worn
families are like that-
they're split up and always torn
but even if this happens
your family will always be
they help define just who you are
and will be apart of you eternally
Grandmas are beams of sunshine built into a hug
That leaves a smile on your face and love within you heart
Grandpas are the wise ole ones that are cuddly as a bear
Who always have a neat new trick and story yet to share
Then there's aunts and uncles, who let us play around
Who we can share our wishes with and still wrestle to the ground
Sisters are our best of friends even when the times are tough
They're there to hold each other's hand and be each other's rock
Brothers often feel the same though it can be too soft to hear
But underneath the silent bond, the love runs strong and clear
And all the above can come in more than one, even more than a pair of two
There's cousins, 'greats', 'in-laws', 'steps', nieces, nephews, and even pets
That warm our hearts and give us joy
Making treasured memories that last a lifetime through
Still the most important two we cannot leave unsaid
Is the love and life that surrounds around that of a mom and dad
For dad is warmth and gentle breezes that stir us in our soul
Guides us in such qualities of dignity, integrity,
and values we should hold
And in those moments when we reflect on what it all should mean
Mom is there at the core, the heart of the family
She lights our path with every step we take so we can see our way
She's really what the roots are made of in our family tree

“Cry my beloved country” by Rajar Mattar

Cry for my non-existent childhood
Cry for my stolen youth
Cry for my uprooted olive trees
Cry for my village which lost its name
Cry for the maimed children
Cry for the widowed mothers
And cry for the raped land.
A land I tended with my tears

Yes, cry, as I am crying
For non-caring kin
Yes, cry as I am crying
For non-caring humanity
Cry because I stopped crying
I have no more tears to spare
I need them for my children’s graves

My children have gone to war
They will not come back alive
They think their blood will bring back the olive trees
They think that their blood will wipe out the infamy
Of kin who did not raise a finger
Of humanity which did not utter a word
To protect my olive trees

Homo'

The main pressures condemning homophobia from being seen as equal to all other groups in South Africa stems from the earlier generation. Us as youngsters and the youth are the future of this country Our Parents and grandparents on the other hand, have a vital role to play in the damning view of gay and lesbian Relationships today. The Older days were much more conservative as well as Homophobic, not because our parents are bad people and they deserve to be punished, nor should we be punished for not necessarily agreeing to the notion of sexual equality and freedom, but I believe that our conception of anything and everything is moulded through the beliefs of our parents, and they to theirs and so on. So, our history and earlier generations mould our ideas of what is acceptable and what is not. What is a social norm and what isn’t?
Homophobic people seem to practice the In-group Out-group concept, but in a misleading way. They believe that they are socially accepted if they are straight and only associate themselves with their own ‘so-called’ kind. They see themselves as the in-group, not because of the dynamics in which the group characterises itself, but because it is seen as a social norm and an accepted norm by society in general. Thus, they don’t really see homo groups as an accepted in-group, but an out-group so they can conform to the norm and accepted.
Like with the majority of racially biased voting, people always seem to stick to their kind and see others as demeaning. E.g. most white people vote for the DA, black for ANC. The same principle applies with reference groups. People say that they are fine with Homosexuality and freedom of choice, but their actions speak louder than their words. Most claim to be fine with homosexuality, but wouldn’t reference themselves as a part of a group or movement for or in some way linked to homosexuality e.g. ANC would most probably lose many votes if it was led by a homosexual.
These are some unusual points I know, but some of you have pretty much covered the rest. See this as a fresh angle and that of a different angle when viewing the homophobic situation that is South Africa

...In the Development of Children

In the development of children, many vital factors play key roles in the development of the child. Development includes the physical aspects that halt the framing and growth of the child. Social development also is a vital factor in the development of the child and children at large. Another main aspect of development is the cognitive and learning aspects that effect the mental stimulation of the child during growth. All these developments can be seen as vital to child growth. These developments have been seriously altered in the introduction of poverty, ethnicity and gender socialization. There have been studies that show the link between these aspects in the development of our youth.
Poverty
Poverty is a major influence on how children grow up physically. The child’s physical dimension can serio0usly be altered by the a lack of nutrition (vitamins and minerals), which insure could and often does lead to a weaker immune system this weaker immune system allows the body to be highly susceptible to health problems and diseases leading to a general increase in e.g. low birth weight, infant mortality, childhood death and injury, contagious diseases and mental injury. Retarded physical growth is promoted through malnutrition. The first year of growth is supposed to be the most rapid, but a lack of nutrition slows down that speed. Thus inturn creates slower reflex actions and negatively affects motor development It has been proven that as bizarre as it sounds, poorer underprivileged children generally grow up to be physically smaller than their financially stable friends.
Cognitive development is a huge factor in the development of the child and inturn has great effects the economy of the country. Poverty and malnutrition negatively affects language ability and development. Family stresses and a lack of support lead to lower education levels of children. Due to physical halts in development of children due to poverty and bad health, mental and intellectual stimulation and development of the child create developmental delays such as low educational performance and low school achievement as well as social, emotional and behavioural problems. By the time the child reaches adolescence, there are many instances and behaviour that proves this theory correct, such as juvenile crimes, early childhood pregnancy and ‘dropping’ out of school. This becomes a norm for children living in poverty as it is a common everyday thing that they experience, and became accustom to. These behaviours become a negative reinforcer in the community. Because of the low levels of education and educational opportunities, there is a negative/low level of learning available to children living in poverty. This creates a generally low level of education in the youth of these poverty strickened communities and families. There is not enough operant conditioning for these underprivileged children that will either motivate them to repeat good work and behaviour or punish bad work or behaviour, as there are not enough resources to reward or discipline these children to mould them into sound adults. If this wasn’t the case, then there would be more role models for these kids to follow and to encourage them.
It is well that income provides children with material possessions and opportunities. There are a host of non-material social aspects that create a positive influence on the social development of the child. These social aspects involve parents’ time, parents ability to teach and provide guidance, emotional support by peers and family, quality schools, safe neighbourhoods and communities resources (Bekker, 1981; Haveman & Wolfe, 1994; Johnson, 1996). The immediate environment plays a big role in the social acceptance of the child. If the child is born into poverty, generally the child will grow up and remain poor as it is the only life and way-of-life that the child might know. Patterns and regularities occur with children who grow up in poorer communities. Their interaction between different people and groups are altered and negative. Children in these situations seem to be more violent and tend to join groups that they feel powerful and safe in. these groups, commonly known and gangs are what these children call friends and feel a sense of security in numbers. This sense of security is all that they saw in the streets since they were born and very rarely know of a better lifestyle, as this lifestyle is the one they were born into. This creates a sense of power relations and ideologies in the communities, which continue a negative cycle. Another aspect that underprivileged children have are negative attitudes. These attitudes are like brick walls. These children feel that they do not have a chance to live a better lifestyle, so they learn to live with the fact that they are forever damned to the situation and life of poverty, so they do not even try. This causes a ripple effect as there is no real peer support system in place to attempt to better themselves, therefore influencing others and being influenced by others. This also leads to false perceptions that as a child living in poverty, there is no way out. They perceive themselves to be less that their wealthier financially stable friends. This creates a negative mindset in the minds of these children. This creates a negative level of social learning by children in the community, which generally continues the cycle of poverty in the social aspect of the community and of its children.
Ethnicity
Ethnicity in children makes each and every one unique. The term ethnicity regards the race and culture differences. In South Africa, race has been categorised and amplified. Children who are white are seen as clever and extremely light of complexion with straight hair. Black people are often seen as the complete opposite. Cultures make all inter-races unique. But this could lead to the physical downfall of a growing child. In the case of poorer families, many traditional diets are held as it is seen as cheaper and recognisable. In many African cultures, there are many dishes that primarily involve maize and rice. These are both carbohydrates that contain little or no other vital nutrition for the body, especially for a growing baby. This could lead to two different outcomes, malnutrition or obesity. These are neither good for the body, especially in the case of a child, which could lead to extreme health conditions such as kwashiorkor or heart conditions.
Ethnicity can play a huge factor in the cognitive development of a growing child. The primary key to the disintegration of cognitive learning is ‘Racism’ and ‘stereotyping’. Racism is a major part of our history not so long ago, and today it seems that the problem has not totally been eradicated. Many scholars in history were forced into racially based schools. Now with integration of races in schools, a few problems arise. Racist teachers can have an immense effect on the cognitive learning and development of a child. If teachers spend more time with specific races and considerably less with e.g. blacks, then the black child would not be getting the mental stimulation and education that he or she deserves. This could lead to a decrease in cognitive learning and development in some learners which is vital to their intellectual stimulation. Some argue that it is less racism and more favouritism. Stereotyping could be another major issue. Stereotypes such as e.g. black people are stupid, could really alter the cognitive development of that black child. People, children and teachers, will dismiss them in the classroom as stupid and not make much effort with this child. This child will develop a low self-esteem and receive a much lower quality of education that she or he rightfully deserves. These children affected will develop a negative attitude and feel inferior to their opposite counterparts.
Social development is a vital aspect of a child. Social groups are little by little becoming racially integrated. By society, it seems weird to so a cross racial relationship. There are not many cross racial relationships in communities as yet. This has been argued by many sociologists that it is because of parental pressures that integration of races are not totally accepted. Many parents are happy with the fact that their children are friends with kids of all races and cultures. But they are not comfortable with their children e.g. getting married out of their race group. This creates many social boundaries for the social and emotional development of growing children. This lack of acceptance by parents causes children to still stray away from other races as they are made out to either be inferior to them or not accepted. Many argue the same about culture and religion. Many African cultures see each other as enemies and portray the same view onto their children and youth. E.g. it is seen a big no-no for a Zulu to be married or dating a Xhosa. These two cultures are create a lot of animosity between children and friendship circles by parental pressures and society. Another wider example is Christians and Muslims. These two are seen as different religions, so no relationship or marriage can be allowed unless one of the parties in the relationship converts. In the case of one party converting, that parties’ family generally won’t be very supportive of the change and in many cases disown them. This creates many social pressures in the choices of the youth today, and the social learning of children through other races and cultures/religions.



Gender socialization.
There are obvious gender differences in the physical structure of our bodies.

At birth, the beginning stages of gender development: the level of testosterone, in male infants, is approx. 120mg/100ml, about half that of the adult level and, in female infants. It is common that e.g. males are associated with the colour blue and females associated with the colour pink (Campbell, Benson, Wallace, Doesbergh, & Coleman, 1999). This could alter the quality of sensory and motor skills developed. Males in their childhood are expected to be tough, sporty and aggressive, whist female children are expected to be soft, emotional and have tea parties. Boys while growing up are by society supposed to be heavier and stronger that that of woman. It is expected that males should also have deeper voices that females. All these straits are evening out to day as woman and men dress similarly. Woman isn’t expected to wear dresses and skirts anymore. The effects of these physical characteristics influenced by parents and society can alter the physical development of a child, whether male or female e.g. if girls aren’t allowed to play male-dominated sports, then how will they ever develop a love to it. It might just change and exclude physical talents and skills exploration that a girl might have. During adolescence, maturation occurs and physical alterations develop in the body. E.g. puberty.
It is said that females and males perform differently in cognitive development and learning. This is not entirely true. Woman genetically only have 1 chromazone more that the average man. This doesn’t mean much in terms of cognitive development and learning. The deprivation of certain toys which hold symbolic value can alter the cognitive learning and development during childhood. E.g. limiting boys to cars and guns, and limiting girls to tea-cup sets and dollhouses. They could limit the learning process of the children to limit them to certain toys, which to them hold symbolic value. This could decrease the amount of ‘pretend play’ and language ability. Toys should be broadened beyond the norm of gender differences to retain optimum cognitive development and learning.
Gender socialization is a norm in the social dimension of children. These children do not elicit physical attraction at the stages of childhood development. Studies have shown that during childhood, girls become more emotional and boys become more aggressive. This is what is viewed by society as the norm. During adolescence, maturation occurs and physical attractions develop, but not necessarily to the opposite sex. Many children during adolescence have developed interests in their own gender. This is still viewed as unacceptable by many parents and society. This picture of being ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’ is viewed as ludicrous and often these children get discriminated about. These children often don’t have a support system at home or in their social groups for their sexuality. This leads to a decrease in social learning and skills. These children seem to form groups amongst themselves and refrain from other social groups. There children often get discriminated against and not accepted by society. These events have major implications on the child’s social development and social status. These events normally produce low self-esteems amongst these children and leads to a high child suicide rate.
These are basic characteristic of the development of childhood. Many of these aspects intertwine with the behavioural structures, learning and social development during childhood. These examples used are of all the flaws of society and households. These vital aspects such as poverty, gender socialisation and ethnicity have primary roles in the development of the physical, cognitive and social dimensions of childhood. For the better of for the worst, these events and aspects affect our youth and need to be considered by parents and all influences. These are important aspects of child development and in order to maximize childhood development, these aspects needs to be strongly considered and altered.

"THE LANGUAGE YOU CRY IN" - Film Response

This is an amazing story of a man, Lorenzo Turner, who collected and catalogued over 3,000 names and words of African origin in coastal Georgia and South Carolina. He found that in these states, some of the Gullah living there could recite texts in African languages. One of the longest texts he came across was a five-line song sung by Amelia Dawley, who lived in a Georgia fishing village. She did not know the meaning of the song, but a Sierra Leonean graduate student in the US recognized the language as Mende, the major language of Sierra Leone.
This is where the story begins, with a simple song, past down from generation to generation and sung by Africans living in America due the slave trade. Sierra Leone is a country out of all that provided slaves for the west, was the ancestral home of this rice-growing, island dwelling people. This was a major breakthrough in the understanding of how the song from the western coast of Africa came and be based in South Carolina and the state of Georgia in the United States of America.
It took 50 years for anyone to follow up on these so called clues. In the 1980s, Joseph Opala, an American anthropologist teaching in Sierra Leone, paid an interest in Turners works and decided to pick up where Turner had left off. Opala he discovered that Bunce Island, a British slave castle in Sierra Leone, sent many of the local native captives to Georgia and South Carolina. These slaves already had experience growing rice in Africa, so they were of great value to the slave owners in those US states, which are predominantly rice growing regions themselves. This resulted in a tight community of slaves in that area, called the Gullah people. The Gullah has been able to preserve many of their roots through writings, names and especially song. Remarkably one song in particular, a mende funeral song, “A Wa Ka Mu Mohne”. This song amazingly stood the test of time, westernization, the adaptation of new cultures and languages, and technological advancements through the simple yet ignorant human characteristic called ‘memory.
After learning of the song, Opala and his colleagues, ethnomusicologist Cynthia Schmidt and Sierra Leonean linguist Tazieff Koroma in a formidable search to see if Amelia Dawley's song was still remembered and see if it was still sung in Sierra Leone. They learned that one of the words in the song was unique to a dialect in southern Sierra Leone; however, by chance Dr Cynthia Schmidt discovered a woman living in the remote interior village of Senehum Ngola, and discovered a woman named Baindu Jabati, who knew a song very similar to Amelia’s. The song was traditionally performed at graveside ceremonies called Tenjami (crossing the river), and she knew it because in her culture, woman were responsible for the rites of birth and death. The first puzzle piece fitted.
Opala and Cynthia Schmidt, who discovered Baindu, then traveled to Georgia, and were able to get in touch with Amelia’s daughter, Mary Moran. She knew the song as well, and it was discovered that women on both sides of the Atlantic were responsible for passing down this song – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In 1997, Mary and her family were able to travel to Sierra Leone, meet the prime minister, meet her potential family member Baindu and visit her village which could very well have been Many Moran’s roots, and take part in a Teijami ceremony. Opala asked the tribe’s 90 year old chief why this song would be preserved by woman removed against their will from their homeland roughly 200 years ago; he said, “That song would be the most valuable thing she could take. It could connect her to all her ancestors and to their continued blessings.” Then he quoted a Mende proverb, which is where the tital came about and one of the most powerful lines in the film, “You know who a person really is by the language they cry in.” Today, Opala is credited with identifying the “Gullah Connection” between Sierra Leone and the Gullah people in Georgia and South Carolina.
This inspirational story was that of luck, miracle, total coincidence or just fate, one would never know. This film is the kind of breath-taking detective story that will keep you intrigued and will always bring a warm yet numb feeling in your heart. The language and simply life barrier was surpassed and one couldn’t help but feel guilty that our very own roots could and probably were involved in these inhumane acts of terrorism and segregation. The Language You Cry In links Africa and America, past and present, but also serves as only the beginning one would feel for the retracing of steps into the past and tracing all displaced people to their original roots. This was a sensational film, a provocative and breathtaking narrative, a real feel provided by the camera work and a story to be remembered, a story of memory.

"No" - my first lyrical attempt

In your arms
I hold my breath And yet
im all alone
Between these stone walls
Now your gone
To find yourself
but where does that leave me
all alone
your just not hear, tell me

how is it so
first you go,
but now want back in
but i say no
i just say no

all sweet tones
why now and not then im still
all alone
another raindrop in the fall

no, you were wrong
to come back
and make me feel like this
just let me go,
i need to fall, right now
i need to know
about the road i’ve road on
for so long
you have to go
because i said so
i’m saying no

i’m saying no
the road i’ve been on is now closed
i’m saying no

Oh Africa

Africa is a place of beauty, power, riches and value. Africa, containing no first world countries, should by all means be entirely third world. There are a few major problems that cause this fact to be predominant-that of poverty. Poverty is the root of most of its problems. With poverty, comes the lack of education. This lacking has a major effect on nutrition, which intern causes a very low life expectancy rate due to the mass of deaths. This is influenced and caused by the increase of diseases such as malaria and HIV-AIDS. The lack of education also leads to a lack of family planning. Culture also has a big role in this. But this causes a problem with alarming rates of population increase. This causes a lack of skilled workers, less money injected into their economies and therefore governments not being able to cater to the basic necessities of its people-thus demoting technological and economic growth. African countries trade its resources and technology between themselves and the world mainly through exporting. Very little however gets imported. That that does, causes high debts which cripple their economies. It’s a rich man’s world and the exploitation of the economic powerhouses will be Africa’s biggest obstacle for reaching sustainable economic growth.

Rhodes University's afri-drum soc

Drum society had a gig at the Botanical Gardens that began on Friday, the 19th of March, at 4pm in the afternoon. Drum Society is exactly that, just drumming. It consists primarily of instruments, namely, the djembe’s and other sorts of African drums. The ensemble was very small, only four djembes being played by five different people. The one would sit out and take a breather, and so it rotates.
The Location was ideal. The Botanical Gardens has wonderful grass patches, which is exactly where the performances take place. The audience literally sat alongside, in front of them stood behind them, wherever they felt comfortable, they were. It is not only the most ideal venue because of its natural setting, but also because the Botanical Gardens are easily and readily accessible from campus, which seemed to have reached its target audiences, the students.
Ironically enough, with the use of the African drums one would think that it would have attracted a whole lot more black audiences. But that does not seem to be the case. Its seemed to have attracted the biggest and widest variety of cultures, religions and races across national borders and language barriers, something I have not seen before. There were two white performers, one being Hippie and the other Christian. There were two black female performers too; whom one was a Hippie and other Atheist, the other an Indian girl. The audience presented itself with a whole host of races and intertwined cultures E.g. White, Black, Coloured, Asian, Catholics, Atheists, Hippies, Gothic Girls as well as international exchange students.
The first thing that came to mind when hearing the beats from the drums was that there was no clear-cut leader or chorus. The rhythm seems to consist of primarily free Rhythm, but there are many cyclic moments of specific pieces being repeated. One would often start a beat, and the others would listen and improvise to what the current leader is doing. The leader is anyone who changes a beat or freestyles a rhythm, then the rest improvise around that new beat and leader. The beats and performers seemed to play more tribal and local cultural music from the Zulu and Xhosa cultures. They all just rely on improvisation, sort of allowing the music to flow and find its way naturally. None of the performers are formally trained, but each of the performers’ collaboration and personal style and rhythm allows for an interesting and fresh experience every time.
The beats are very tribal and quite fast. The collaboration of these artists, each with their own style, tunes and volumes emits a very heart-pumping performance whilst the audience looks on. The grass being used as seating allows the audiences to relax and unwind whilst listening and enjoying the cultural experience. Some moments the beats and pulses seem to be quite bold and defines when all the performers join together in harmony, others are quite staggered and polyphonic. So in a broader sense, it can be seen as a large work, but made up of different individual songs and styles in a form of mash-up. These forms are mostly improvised, with some cyclic arrangements. Fast, light-hearted and upbeat paces are the only predominant musical feature throughout the performance.
The audience enjoyed the relaxing setting of nature whilst “zen’ing” on the grass. The culturally diverse audience seemed to connect in unison clapping and some free styles, unstructured dancing. The audiences were allowed to interact with the musicians, and occasionally join in the festivities by trying their hand at drumming. The audience had a big role to play in the drive of the musicians to keep the continuity of the performance and creative improvisation.
The audience trotted in drips and drabs towards the performance space, many making themselves comfortable before the festivities. The musicians all entered together, greeting the audience and sharing some mild chit-chat before slowly transitioning into the drumming. Near half-way, the musicians moved with audience to the monument, and completed their second half there. The last half at the Monument was the prelude to a ‘Revolution’ drum and bass party.
Was it effective? Yes and no. In the context of a concert, it will have to be a no. The lack of structure in the performance, the location as well as the informal setting would and clearly could exclude older generations. But I liked the setting and the fresh sounds of the drumming in nature, the informal musical ensemble and ‘chilled’ relaxing atmosphere allowed for quite an experience, that is Drum Society.

I'm on Slumdog Millionaire's music

This Danny Boyle's 'rags to riches' film needs no introduction. Adapted from Vikas Swarup’s novel 'Q&A', the epic love saga is significant in all respects for Bollywood. East Meets West!With highly acclaimed musician and composer A.R Rahman's manner of expressing and conveying various moods, sounds and genres for the hit film makes its presence felt worldwide.
A.R Rahman's throbbing racy and pulsating instrumental, 'O...Saaya', flows in the introductory track. Making use of bombastically thumped drumming, soppy choir vocals and thriving percussions lifts the spirits and intensity for the opening serge through the cluttered street-slums of Mumbai, India. 'Riots', another pulsation instrumental by Rahman brings out different beats and sounds that collide together to portray an intimidating thrive of violent happenings in the plot. This instrumental has North African styled drumming with an electro feel that sets an everlasting impression of the events.

It connects to global audiences as well with UK based pop singer M.I.A’s (Mathangi 'Maya' Arulpragasam), No.1 track 'Paper Planes'. M.I.A’s noisy style in her best-selling pop/ alternative hip-hop hit has energetic inputs and political lyricism that give it an international position. The music is thematically melodramatic with gunshots, trigger locks and cash register clinging sounds getting mixed in a sluggish-tempo. This was used in a very smart and effective way in comparing the traditional past slums and informal alleyways with that of not only modernization but westernization in India today, which was one of the turning points in the plot.
'Mausam and Escape', one of the instrumental gems, portrays the subtleness of the eastern musical flair with the gravity of western rigorously plucked 'Sitar' (an Indian lute with a small, pear-shaped body and a long, broad, fretted neck), including animated rhythm loops, hard-line percussions and guitar solo accompaniments for that 'fusion' feel. Intern, it creates an outstanding 'Jugal-Bandi' (vocal or instrumental duet).

The mood swivels to the 90's “stylized” Bollywood where Laxmikant-Pyarelal's much acclaimed 'Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai' gets resurrected and revamped with similar informal thrust in 'Ringa Ringa', using the same vocals of Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun with Raquib Alam's chirpy wordings to emote a typical vulgar Bollywood appeal for international audiences as the original. The final product is enticing and riveting enough to deliver the required blaze into the narration of the film.
'Liquid Dance', has fiery vocals from Madhumita and Palakkad Sriram fiercely interwoven in wild percussive elements to create a ferocious feel for the compelling situations and moments of the screen-play.
'Latika Theme', an alaap (performance with harmonious notations) in stifling tones in rhythmic flows comes out as a fresh and new. Suzanne D'Mello hums it gracefully with a sad tone backed with mild orchestral works. It is simply amazing in its entirety as sounds and humming work expressively in drawing solemn emotions from the viewer.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's floor dancing track, 'Aaj Ki Raat', gives a thriving boost with added electronic beats. It's was cool way to make the experience even hotter and spicier for international audiences adds thrust in the story-telling.

A.R Rahman shows out his international class in the ballad 'Dreams on Fire' by Suzanne D’Mello. The subtleness of feminine emotions arises when soothing vocals get interwoven with textures of enthralling music and heart-warming lyrics. It stylishly revisits Celine Dion's soulful 'Its All Coming Back to me' with influential Rahman's melodic finesse.

After being served with blend of international music, the finale presents contemporary victorious notes with racing traditional orchestrations emoting volumes about joy and enthusiasm, that is 'Jai Ho' by Sukhwinder Singh's an US sensation The Pussycat Dolls. Gulzar's poetic wordings stem the joyous moments with Rahman's bombastic orchestral flows of loud drumming and percussions, taking listeners and viewers by surprise.

The fiesta of melodic excellence where international genres, moods, sounds, vocals and instrumentals together to showcase the multidimensional facades of the genius, that is A.R Rahman and Danny Boyle’s ‘Slumdog Millionaire”.

How do I Act so Well

How do I act so well? What I do is I pretend to be the person I’m portraying in the film or play. You’re confused. A perfectly simple case and point, Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson comes from New Zealand, says to me, roscoe, I want you to be Gandalf the wizard, and I said to him, you are aware that I am not really a wizard! And he says yes, well I’m aware of that. What I want you to do is to use your acting skills to portray the wizard, for the duration of the film. So I said ok, and then I said to myself…mmm…how do I do that? And this is what I did. I imagined what it would be like to be a wizard, and then I pretended and acted in that way on the day. And how did I know what to say? The words were written down for me in a script. How did I know where to stand? People told me. If we were to draw a graph of my process of my method, it would be something like this, Roscoe Roscoe Roscoe, action “WIZZARD, YOU SHALL NOT PASS” cut, Roscoe Roscoe… now you will be pretending to be my loyal subjects in this play, and how do you know what to say, well there is a script. And you will know the words as you will not have the script on the night, everyone hear that, there will be no scripts on the night. You learn the words. You say them as if you said then for the first time. See, if you had your scripts you would break the illusion and the whole thing is an illusion, you see. You are not really my loyal subjects. You are pretending…and that is acting. This is a new play, my 21st, and you would be the part of my loyal subject, and your in love for me, and the whole centrepiece of the play is the emotional confrontation where you address those unspoken feelings towards me, which you have been bottling up.

Conformity

A social norm is an expected standard of belief and behaviour established and enforced by a group on the individuals who belong to it. Conformity is the tendency to align your attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours with those around you e.g. the community or society at large. It is a powerful force that can take the form of evident social pressure or subtler unconscious influence. As much as we like to think of ourselves individuals , the fact is that we're driven to fit in, and that usually means ‘going with the flow’. I think that the people in general conform to social norms in an effort to feel apart of a group and accepted. The mindset of our modern world is that if someone does not conform to the social norm, than he or she is seen as different in a negative way. The ultimate fear of rejection and exclusion is what drives the majority of people in a group or community to conform to social norms. E.g. men drink beer as it is seen as a man’s drink, and woman drink ciders. Conformity is not necessarily a bad thing all the time. In life and in our communities and society at large, there has to be set boundaries in what is acceptable behaviour and what isn’t. E.g. one can’t just slaughter a cow in the middle of the highway for ceremonial purposes, it need to be done out of the public eye. However, conformity leads to the entrapment of people’s true attitudes, beliefs and desired behaviours, which inturn, they offer their true selves up in order to abide by the laws of the norm. E.g. if a woman decides she wants to dance down the road singing the “The sound of music”, although she is not upsetting or harming anyone, it would be seen as an act of a mentally unstable woman. So for the majority, conformity has negative effects.

This is a real issue that occurs worldwide from day to day, minute to minute, person to person. I believe that opposites attract, but differences dont. If someone is to be in a group, there must be some kind of middle ground reached that benefits him or herself as well as all the other group members. This middleground could be in terms of behaviour boundaries, attitudes and beliefs etc. in order to ensure the functionability of the group and the happiness and satisfaction of all who belong to it. Be your own person, do your thing, as long as it does not interfere with other people and their happiness, especially those who are important to you. These are jus a few wise pointers and words i learnt and added to my wisdom archieve while i make my way DOWN LIFE LANE...

Hell Shaped as Earth

The past few days, which were the start of my academic year was hot, like really hot. Could this be a result of global warming, where Mother Nature is trying to give us a peep into the future if we continue emitting poison into the atmosphere. could this be Armageddon, the 'end of days', is it the beginning of the destruction and elimination of the human race by the scorching temperatures evaporating our most precious mineral. Well...What do you think?

I say its all a lot of bullsh$t. Yes global warming is a world wide problem and affect all continents, but have you ever stopped to realise the obvious. Go back to school all you 'end of days' theorists. For those who don’t know, I will be glad to inform you. ITS HOT BECAUSE ITS SUMMER!!!. Yes, this might seem to be a difficult idea to grasp. its hot every year at the same time of year, consistently. Yet every year more and more theories arise to explain the climatological phenomenon.

For the 'end of days' saga and the destruction of the earth, well, no! Geographical, geological and historical facts have proven that the earth is built to recover and repair itself. like Noah in the bible, just buy a boat or something before 2012 if your going to panic after watching a FICTIONAL blockbuster at Nu Metro or Ster Kinekor. if you are a believer, i guess ill see you in 2013.

Life comes up with strange people with strange ideas and beliefs. Well, I guess that’s what makes it all worth living. The exploration of other beliefs and the crossing of paths with unique people all make my life interesting as i make my journey DOWN LIFE LANE.

2010...its a party in the RSA

2010, yahoooooo!!! Probably the most anticipated year as a South African. Wow what a blast 2009 turned out to be, my first year at Rhodes, my first job working for the biggest publishing company in the eastern cape, freelancing at the National Arts Festival and met life long friends all along the way.

2010, are we ready, mmm, i have no clue. What am i to do to top my preceeding successes. I have made it my mission to top 2009, royally. I started by moving out of res and into diggs...well not really. I'm bording at a charming old couples humbled abode untill the end of the first term. Then i plan to move to digs with my buddy-mac Chris. A Colourd and a German, we could rule the world....ME WOO HAA UHHH UHHH. But on a serious note, i think that it sounds like a really cool prospect and cant wait to live my own possie in the big bad world. As of 2010, naaa, i think ill go to a few games in PE, but my big bad wallet doesnt allow any more than that. Ive had a good start to what seems to be a great year on my way to greatness, and i simply cant wait to kick-off.

Life rules when your a drama king like myself, and when the unpredictable avenues arise as i make my way DOWN LIFE LANE.