Contents Issue No. 323/324 -- 4 April 2005

  • Editor's Message
  • Quote/s of the Week
  • Ad Hoc Article/s of the Week
  • Bits and Bobs
  • The Legal Beagle
  • Help Desk
  • Where are they now?
  • Club and Other News
  • Humour
  • Recipes
  • Sports News
  • Credits and Contact Info
  • Subscribing and Unsubscribing

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    Editor's Message TOP

    Apologies to those of you that missed SAWmail last week. With the Easter break we just didn’t get round to sending it out. A bumper edition this week to make up for it!

    Captain Ken and I spent the long weekend out at K’Shane dog-sitting for our friends. It was reminiscent of living in New Hampshire to not hear cars and gates and doors and city sounds in general! All we missed were the sounds of the loons.

    Yesterday it rained and rained and rained. We managed to get our Sunday walk in – due to the cloudy weather I walked faster and am now under 60 minutes for the walk.

    What sports do you all do? Have those of you who are now living outside of South Africa taken up any new sports or hobbies?

    Apologies for late delivery of this week's SAWmail... no bandwidth yesterday courtesy of Telkom. Still no office phone, nearly a month now, also courtesy of Telkom.

    Talking of bandwidth... if you are looking for a great deal on bandwidth (apart from having to use Telkom to get things going...) I recommend All You Can Eat. They have amazing deals on bandwidth... virtually uncapped bandwidth. Contact them here.

    Quote/s of the Week TOP

    These from me...

    That which we persist in doing becomes easier - not that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased. ­ Ralph Waldo Emerson

    What most people need to learn in life is how to love people and use things, instead of using people and loving things. ­ Author Unknown.

    We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit. ­ E.E. Cummings


    This from Shep Adkins gnu356@charter.net

    A woman has the last word in any argument... anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

    Always remember that life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

    Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive... show patience, empathy and love....
    do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not... remember that what you now have, was once among the things only hoped for.

    p.s. I attended the Rand Show in 1935, as a boy scout in a Troop from East London... a highlight to any youngster in those days.


    Send in any quotes you love... that have some special meaning for you... and I will use at least one every week. Usual address! editor@saw.co.za

    Ad Hoc Article/s of the Week TOP


    Coming Home
    Each week we will feature a question and answer sent in to the Company for Immigration. We hope these will help answer any questions you might have regarding any part of the coming home process. If you would like to send in your own question, please feel very free to do so.

    We will also be featuring a great amount of information on the SAW Website (www.saw.co.za) under the Coming Home section. You can also find out info by visiting our newly relaunched site, South Africa Online (www.southafrica.co.za) and checking out the Coming to SA section.

    Here is a bit more info...

    Whenever and wherever South Africans meet, the surest way to start a lively discussion, is to ask someone for an opinion about emigration from or remigration back to South Africa. In 2002 we (i.e. the non-profit immigration service, Company for Immigration, and the trade-union, Solidarity) realized that the return of South African expats had become a fact and that their inputs are essential for the growth and development of the country. We are neither interested in a debate about the reasons why people leave or come back, nor about the merit of their decisions. We prefer to provide a practical service instead:

    offering advice and assistance to prospective remigrants;
    addressing the problems which cause people to emigrate; and informing people about the pros and cons of emigration, to help them make an informed decision before leaving.

    Interested? Want to receive our monthly newsletter by email? Have questions or suggestions? If so, please visit our mirror sites www.comehome.co.za or www.komhuistoe.co.za and leave your details on the visitor's page, or contact us at admin@cfi.org.za. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

    Alana & Annatjie
    COME HOME CAMPAIGN

    This week’s Q and A:

    This week it is just info for you!

    As of 1 April 2005, the South African Department of Home Affairs has increased all fees relating to South African passports and identity documents. An ID will henceforth cost R15-00 and an adult's passport or passport extension, R150-00. For the time being, immigration application fees have not been increased. For other fees, contact the nearest office of the Department of Home Affairs, or Alana Bailey at Alana@solidarity.co.za.

    Kind regards

    Alana

    Company for Immigration / Maatskappy vir Immigrasie
    P.O. Box 1283, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
    T: 0027-12-3231428
    F: 0027-12-3239587
    admin@cfi.org.za


    New books
    This from Bill McDonald

    Dear Maureen
    We have just published some new books and was wondering if it would be possible to post this info in your next newsletter
    Kind Regards
    Bill McDonald
    www.Rhodesiawassuper.com

    Title: Fireforce – One Man’s War in the Rhodesian Light Infantry
    Author: Chris Cocks
    This classic has just been re-printed First 200 copies will include a bonus Fireforce video cd.
    This is the compelling, brutally honest account of Chris Cocks’ service in 3 Commando, The Rhodesian Light Infantry, during the bush war was considered a close parallel to the French Foreign Legion. He joined the RLI at the age of 18, after living a somewhat sheltered life. Fireforce, a method of combat developed by the Rhodesians and perfected by the RLI, involved troops being helicoptered or parachuted into an area immediately after a guerrilla presence had been reported or a sighting made. Due to the enormous shortage of ground troops the same men were sometimes parachuted into contacts as many as three times per day. This is his story of his experience.

    Editorial Reviews
    Armed Forces South Africa
    Of the many books that are appearing dealing with Rhodesia and the war years, this is probably the best.

    Maj. D.A. Wilson, The Australian Defence Force Journal
    "Fireforce" is the compelling story of one man's experiences...(it) is hard to put down - read it soon.

    Title: If I should die
    This is a story of Africa, shown at its most cruelest and tender moments. It is a story of violence set against the breathtaking beauty of the land, where cicadas sing their interminable song and elephants gambol in a mud hole.

    It is a story of vengeance and endurance. It is not a story of Black against White, but of the resistance to the winds of change; the drawing in of empires and the global trend towards righting past wrongs. It is a conflict where Sergeant Wilson and his men fight a war they know they cannot win, but they fight it anyway, because it is their job.

    Appalling events personalise the conflict into a brutal and unremitting contest to the death between Sergeant Wilson and the leader of a terrorist band, known as `Chaka’, the best men each side has to offer. Severely wounded and taken across the border for interrogation Sergeant Wilson is beyond pain.

    Hopelessly in love, the Beautiful Sally Ferguson arrives in the same country and with the aid of friends’ attempts to discover where Bob is being held, with the ill conceived idea of effecting a rescue. She finds herself in a terrifying situation. It is also a story of love and passion, where a frightened woman kills and finally gives her life for the man she loves.

    The story is unremitting in its action and the saddest thing about it is that most of it could have happened. It is set in Nyanga, a make-believe country in Africa. But those who were there will know.

    Available at www.Rhodesiawassuper.com


    A Morsel of Goat Meat
    This from the New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof

    Binga, Zimbabwe — The hungry children and the families dying of AIDS here are gut-wrenching, but somehow what I find even more depressing is this: Many, many ordinary black Zimbabweans wish that they could get back the white racist government that oppressed them in the 1970's.

    "If we had the chance to go back to white rule, we'd do it," said Solomon Dube, a peasant whose child was crying with hunger when I arrived in his village. "Life was easier then, and at least you could get food and a job."

    Mr. Dube acknowledged that the white regime of Ian Smith was awful. But now he worries that his 3-year-old son will die of starvation, and he would rather put up with any indignity than witness that.

    An elderly peasant in another village, Makupila Muzamba, said that hunger today is worse than ever before in his seven decades or so, and said: "I want the white man's government to come back. ... Even if whites were oppressing us, we could get jobs and things were cheap compared to today."

    His wife, Mugombo Mudenda, remembered that as a younger woman she used to eat meat, drink tea, use sugar and buy soap. But now she cannot even afford corn gruel. "I miss the days of white rule," she said.

    Nearly every peasant I've spoken to in Zimbabwe echoed those thoughts, although it's also clear that some still hail President Robert Mugabe as a liberator. This is a difficult place to gauge the mood in, because foreign reporters are barred from Zimbabwe and promised a prison sentence of up to two years if caught. I sneaked in at Victoria Falls and traveled around the country pretending to be a tourist.

    The human consequences of the economic collapse are heartbreaking. I visited a hospital and a clinic that lacked both medicines and doctors. Children die routinely for want of malaria medication that costs just a few dollars.

    At one maternity ward, 21 women were sitting outside, waiting to give birth. No nurse or doctor was in sight, and I asked the women when they had last eaten meat, eggs or other protein. They laughed uproariously. Lilian Dube, a 24-year-old who had hiked 11 miles to get to the hospital, said that she had celebrated Christmas with a morsel of goat meat.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/23/opinion/23kristof.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=print&position=


    Forget rugby, SA has the world's best brewers
    This from Matthew Green

    Forget rugby, SA has the world's best brewers
    Centurion hobbyist Mike Heydenrych has successfully defended his Tri-Nations home-brewing crown. His was the final beer to be judged by a panel convened in Australia and "as the last beer to be judged it was not a decision of if he would win but by how much".

    http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20050321072147298C815859


    The Good News – Jewish community gets its first South African born Chief Rabbi
    This from Guy Lundy...

    South Africa’s 80,000-strong Jewish community celebrated the inauguration of the country’s first South African born Chief Rabbi, Warren Goldstein, on Sunday. Goldstein is South Africa’s fifth Chief Rabbi and at the age of 33 he is by far the youngest ever to hold the position in this country.

    Prior to Goldstein’s appointment, all of South Africa’s Chief Rabbis have come from the United Kingdom. His predecessor, Cyril Harris, played a significant role in challenging apartheid during his 17 year tenure and is well respected throughout the country. Goldstein has spent the past year in a form of apprenticeship with Harris.

    The inauguration, held at the Sandton Synagogue, Bet Ha-midrash Ha-gadol, was attended by President Thabo Mbeki, Cabinet Ministers, judges of the Supreme Court of Appeal and the High Court, members of the National Religious Leaders’ Forum and local rabbis – all in addition to the synagogue’s usual congregation.

    In an address at the inauguration, President Mbeki recognised that the Jewish community has “always enriched the tapestry that is South Africa,” and noted that Chief Rabbi Goldstein is well placed to assist in the moral regeneration of the country and in winning the war against poverty and inequality.

    Jewish leaders around the world have hailed the “bold” decision to choose such a young man for this politically high profile and challenging role in a religious country where most people identify with one of a wide range of faiths. But his youth belies his credentials.

    Goldstein, whose father is High Court judge Ezra Goldstein, is a fourth generation South African. He began his rabbinical studies at the age of 17, while at the same time studying law and philosophy. He completed his LLB and was admitted as an advocate of the High Court, but his intention to practice human rights law gave way to his work as a Rabbi. He later completed his doctorate on Jewish law’s relevance to human rights and modern constitutional law. He is also the author, with Dumani Mandela (grandson of former President Mandela), of a book called African Soul Talk, which takes the form of a dialogue debating their visions for South Africa.

    Many see Chief Rabbi Goldstein’s youth as an asset that will contribute to his effectiveness, since he was at school when apartheid was coming to an end and he has fewer “issues with the past” than many older South Africans. He is one of a number of leaders in their late 20s and early 30s who have recently been appointed to key roles in the Jewish community. They are seen as being able to inject new energy, especially in encouraging younger members of the community to remain in the country and help build the new South Africa.

    Goldstein, who is well-known for encouraging South African Jews to see the enormous positive aspects of South Africa’s future, said in his inauguration address that “South Africa is a beacon of hope for humanity, showing the world that racial conflict can be overcome with respect and compassion”. Both he and Mbeki also took the opportunity to send their condolences to Christians around the world after the death of Pope John Paul II.

    For more interesting and exciting news about developments in South Africa, subscribe to the International Marketing Council's regular BrandSA newsletter by visiting www.imc.org.za/goodstuff.htm or www.imc.org.za/subscribe.asp.

    Bits and Bobs TOP


    I'm reading...
    This from Helen Edmonds jhdk.edmondsfam@tiscali.co.uk

    Hi Maureen,

    I have just discovered Barbara Trapido and am reading her novel, "Frankie and Stankie". My word! It brings back memories. I grew up in the same era. Although her family grows up in Durban and I grew up near Johannesburg, I can relate to the main character's school experiences, the teachers she had bear an uncanny resemblance to my teachers. I have now just reached the beginning of Dinah's university days with a similar feeling of deja vu. Recommended to all S. Africans in exile!

    Helen Edmonds in Southampton, U.K.


    An oldie but a goodie...
    This from Merle gijima@lgcy.com

    Jerry is the manager of a restaurant. He is always in a good mood. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs when he changed jobs, so they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant. Why? Because Jerry was a natural motivator.

    If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always there, telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him "I don't get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

    Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood. I always choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be victim or I can choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I always choose the positive side of life."

    "But it's not always that easy," I protested.

    "Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. It's your choice how you live your life."

    Several years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business. He left the back door of his restaurant open. And then ??? In the morning, he was robbed by three armed men. While Jerry trying to open the safe box, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.

    Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital. After 18 hours of surgery, and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.... I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?"

    I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor,
    I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or could choose to die. I chose to live."

    "Weren't you scared?" I asked?

    Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expression on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'He's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."

    "What did you do?" I asked.

    "Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything." 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'."

    Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day you have the choice to either enjoy your life or to hate it. The only thing that is truly yours - that no one can control or take from you - is your attitude. So if you can take care of that, everything else in life becomes much easier.


    When I got to Heaven
    This from Errol Errolimpala@wmconnect.com

    I was shocked, confused, and bewildered as I entered Heaven's door.
    Not by the beauty of it all, and not by the lights or decor.
    But it was the folks in Heaven who made me sputter and gasp;
    The thieves, the liars, the sinners, the alcoholics, the trash.

    There stood the kid from seventh grade who swiped my lunch money twice.
    Next to him was my old neighbor who never said anything nice.
    Uncle Bill, who I always thought was rotting away in hell,
    Was sitting pretty on cloud nine, looking incredibly well.

    I nudged Jesus, "What's the deal? I would love to hear Your take.
    How'd all these sinners get up here? God must've made a mistake!
    And why's everyone so quie t, so somber? Give me a clue."
    "Hush, child," said He. "They're all in shock. No one thought they'd see you .


    The Folded Napkin - A Truckers Story
    Another oldie and goodie

    I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn't sure I wanted one. I wasn't sure how my customers would react to Stevie. He was short, a little dumpy with the smooth facial features and thick-tongued speech of Downs Syndrome. I wasn't worried about most of my trucker customers because truckers don't generally care who buses tables as long as the meatloaf platter is good and the pies are homemade. The four-wheeler drivers were the ones who concerned me; the mouthy college kids traveling to school; the yuppie snobs who secretly polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching some dreaded "truck stop germ" the pairs of white-shirted business men on expense accounts who think every truck stop waitress &nb sp;wants to be flirted with. I knew those people would be uncomfortable around Stevie so I closely watched him for the first few weeks.

    I shouldn't have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my truck regulars had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot. After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table.

    Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished. He would hover in the background, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, scanning the dining room until a table was empty. Then he would scurry to the empty table and carefully bus dishes and glasses onto cart and meticulously wipe the table up with a practiced flourish of his rag. If he thought a customer was watching, his brow would pucker with added concentration. He took pride in doing his job exactly right, and you had to love how hard he tried to please each and every person he met.
    Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled after repeated surgeries for cancer. They lived on their Social Security benefits in public housing two miles from the truck stop. Their social worker, who stopped to check on him every so often, admitted they had fallen between the cracks. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home. That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work.

    He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochestergetting a new valve or something put in his heart. His social worker said that people with DownsSyndrome often have heart problems at an early age so this wasn't unexpected, and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.
    A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine. Frannie, the head waitress, let out a war hoop and did a little dance in the aisle when she heard the good news. Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of this 50-year-old grandmother of four doing a victory shimmy beside his table. Frannie blushed, smoothed her apron and shot Belle Ringer a withering look.
    He grinned. "OK, Frannie, what was that all about?" he asked.
    "We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay."
    "I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?"
    Frannie quickly told Belle Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery, then sighed: "Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be OK," she said. "But I don't know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is" Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables.

    Since I hadn't had time to round up a busboy to replace Stevie and really didn't want to replace him, the girls were busing their own tables that day until we decided what to do. After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand and a funny look on her face.
    "What's up?" I asked.
    "I didn't get that table where Belle Ringer and his friends were sitting cleared off after they left, and Pony Pete and Tony Tipper were sitting there when I got back to clean it off," she said. "This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup." She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed "Something For Stevie. Pony Pete asked me what that was all about," she said, "so I told him about Stevie and his Mom and everything, and Pete looked at Tony and Tony looked at Pete, and they ended up giving me this." She handed me another paper napkin that had "Something For Stevie" scrawled on its outside. Two $50 bills were tucked within its folds. Frannie looked at me with wet, shiny eyes, shook her head and said simply: "truckers."

    That was three months ago. Today is Thanksgiving, the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work. His placement worker said he's been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, and it didn't matter at all that it was a holiday. He called 10 times in the past week, making sure we knew he was coming, fearful that we had forgotten him or that his job was in jeopardy. I arranged to have his mother bring him to work. I then met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back. Stevie was thinner and paler, but couldn't stop grinning as he pushed through the doors and headed for the back room where his apron and busing cart were waiting.

    "Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast," I said. I took him and his mother by their arms. "Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me!"

    I led them toward a large corner booth at the rear of the room. I could feel and hear the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after booth of grinning truckers empty and join the procession. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups, saucers and dinner plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded paper napkins.

    "First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I said. I tried to sound stern. Stevie looked at me, and then at his mother, then pulled out one of the napkins. It had "Something for Stevie" printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table. Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it. I turned to his mother.

    "There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems. "Happy Thanksgiving,"
    Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering and shouting, and there were a few tears, as well. But you know what's funny? While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table. Best worker I ever hired.
    Plant a seed and watch it grow.


    Choice Coach – Grounded in the Earth, Reaching for the Sky
    I tend to spend a lot of time and focus on the ecumenism of spirituality. Spirituality (not religion) reaches out to the Creator in a huge spectrum of ways, and a major theme of mine is the extent to which we, when we demand that one specific aspect or name of the Creator be used, are actually limiting that Being.

    However, today I read a newspaper column, originally published a couple of days ago, that pointed out that the same issue arises not only between religions and cultures, but also within religions. For some reason, the column moved me hugely.

    It was by William McKenzie of The Dallas Morning News, and you can read it in its entireity at http://tinyurl.com/7ylcu, although I don't know if you will have to register (free) before accessing it. Sometimes it seems that you do, and sometimes not.

    McKenzie writes of the book The Purpose Driven Life, which he had been given, and had chosen not to read because, in his judgment, it seemed to formulaic. As he says, his perception of the book was that "You get a game plan, and, presto, you're right with God." He judged that the book was too simplistic for him and for his brand of religion - which happens to be Christian but the lesson goes far beyond any one form of faith.

    McKenzie's awakening came via the story of Ashley Smith and Brian Nichols. Many people know the story - how Brian Nichols escaped from a courtroom and killed four people in the process, and how he, unnoticed by authorities, took Smith hostage, hiding out in her apartment. How Smith, in addition to cooking him breakfast with real butter - which apparently amazed him - also read to him from The Purpose Driven Life, and persuaded him to give end his rampage. She urged him to use the time looming ahead of him to help others in prison. She has now received a large reward, incidentally. But McKenzie's point is that he, in rejecting the book, had done just what he had mentally accused the book of doing - he had put limits around what the Creator can do, and the materials with which the Creator can work. A book that some see as formulaic, a murderer headed for prison and perhaps the death-chamber, and a young woman whose own husband had been murdered not long ago, all combining to bring about an amazing outcome.

    In whatever way we limit the Creator, and the ways in which the Creator's ends can be achieved, I believe we are guilty of something akin to blasphemy. It is not for us to decide who our Higher Power will choose as a servant. It is not for us to decide that this route is okay and that one is not. We really do not know.

    It is for us to keep always in mind that the people we meet may be "angels" in the sense that they may be the ones who speak the words that we need to hear today. They may be the ones who need to hear our words. What if the words you speak today might all be life-changing for their hearers? How would you silently ask your Higher Power for guidance in all that you say and do? How would you rein in the negatively and seek to find the good in everyone? So... how do you know that this is not the case. Perhaps we all need to live "as if." As if we are indeed messengers of the Higher Power. As if everyone we might may also be such messengers. Because it may be true.

    In that apartment in Georgia two people's lives were changed, each by the other. Neither was someone that the world would have picked as "the next messenger of God." But for Nichols, Smith was exactly that. Given the changes that are coming into Ashley Smith's life, perhaps Nichols was a "messenger" come to change her life, also.

    Will you be a messenger for those you meet today? If someone you meet is a messenger for you, will you be ready to hear?

    Special times this month

    Dates and descriptions obtained from www.interfaithcalendar.org/ unless marked with ##.

    Do not be confused by the fact that some celebrations occur on different days according to different religions. For example, celebrations for those of the Orthodox Christian faith, some of whom adhere to the Julian calendar and some to the Gregorian calendar, often differ from those of most western Christian faiths. For more information about the history behind this confusion, see www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7070.asp.

    Celebrations marked with one asterisk actually begin at sundown the previous day. Those marked with two asterisks may vary by date according to location. Also, because the Islamic calendar is moon-based, some dates may be off by one day, depending upon location.

    April 2005

    4 - Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the coming birth of Jesus - Catholic Christian

    9-18 - Ramayana ** - Hindu celebration of the birth of Lord Rama, hero of the religious epic poem, The Ramayana. The day involves telling of stories and going to the temple.

    14 or 13 - Baisakhi (Vaisakhi) - Hindu start of the New Years. Greetings that wish good life in coming days are exchanged. In Sikhi the day commemorates the founding of the Khalsa, a distinctive Sikh brotherhood.

    21 - Mawlid an Nabi - Islamic commemoration of the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam. Not universally observed.

    21-May 2 - Ridvan * - Baha'i commemoration of the twelve day period when Baha'u'llah declared that he was God's messenger for this age. Work is to be suspended on days 1, 9, and 12 of the festival.

    23 - Lazarus Saturday - Orthodox Christian celebration of the resurrection of Lazarus by Jesus, celebrated on the eve of Palm Sunday; revealing that Jesus in "the resurrection and life" of all mankind.

    23 - St. George's Day - Christian remembrance of a person who, in the 4th century, was a martyr and became an ideal of martial valor and selflessness. Legend of killing a dragon is connected with this patron saint of England.

    24-May 1 - Pesach (Passover) * - Jewish 8-day celebration of the deliverance of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. The story of the Exodus is recounted, and the ongoing struggle of all peoples for freedom from internal and external tyranny is celebrated. A special meal is a central feature.

    24 - Palm Sunday - Christian celebration of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The day begins Holy Week. It is observed by worship celebrations and parades using palm branches.

    24 - Theravadin Buddhist New Year **

    29 - Holy Friday - Orthodox Christian remembrance of the crucifixion of Jesus and related events.

    30 - St James the Great Day - Orthodox Christian recognition of the martyrdom of the Apostle James the Great.


    For more information visit Diana's web site http://ChoiceCoach.com or contact her at Diana@ChoiceCoach.com.

    Copyright 2004 Diana Robinson, PhD., PCC. Grounded in the Earth, Reaching for the Sky may be reproduced in its entirety only, including this copyright line. Disclaimer -The contents herein are solely the opinions of Grounded in the Earth, Reaching for the Sky owner, and should not be considered as a form of therapy nor advice. There is no guarantee of validity or accuracy. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

    2604 Elmwood Avenue #230
    Rochester, NY 14618
    USA


    Mind Massage
    Holy Matrimony, Batman!

    My husband and I just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary this week.

    So, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to share with you some of the most mindLESS moments of our marriage.

    With love,

    Maya ;-)


    Mindfulness and Marriage: Moving Along
    Marriage has to be the greatest opportunity for mindfulness on the planet.
    I used to think that parenting took top honors, but really, a good marriage lasts a lot longer than a good childhood. After all, the kids do move out eventually, but the spouse stays.

    Never the type to do things half-heartedly, my husband and I up the ante when it comes to spending time together. We have breakfast together. We ride to work together. We work all day together. We ride home together. We eat dinner together. We go to bed together.

    This could be a recipe for disaster, but instead, we think it's the coolest thing ever, and we never take that for granted.

    With all that proximity, we have learned tremendous patience and we've got a killer sense of humor. This means that even in our snarkiest moments, we know we will find a reason to crack up about it later.

    In fact, some of our favorite stories are about moments of extreme mindlessness, and if truth be told, I tend to be the mindless one.

    I know, I know. I'm supposed to be the mindfulness expert. Well, as I always insist, you can't be mindful of everything AT ONCE, right?

    So, here is my favorite mindless moment--and what I learned from it....

    While moving from Oregon to Montana several years ago, my husband was driving the U-Haul packed with all of our worldly possessions. Inside the cab of the truck with him was our second daughter, Tara, and our hyperactive yellow Lab, Thor. Meanwhile, I was driving behind him in the car with the other three daughters.

    Hours passed. I obediently followed behind him, despite the fact that driving behind a big truck is, well, annoying. So, when we finally got to the mountain pass and the U-Haul was chugging along at 30 miles per hour, I felt it would be just fine if I passed him and made my way to Missoula. I figured I'd get to the new house first and get ready for the move-in.

    I sailed happily along Montana highways (no posted speed limit), smiling to myself, excited to be heading to our new home. In fact, so thrilled was I that I didn't even stop to think that maybe Tom wasn't behind me. What could go wrong?

    Well, everything. Unbeknownst to me, the truck's axle had broken, leaving Tom and Tara and Thor stranded along the road miles behind me. He tried to call me on my cell phone, but so blissful was I that I had, ahem, turned off my phone. They ended up hitching a ride in the filthy cab of a junk-hauling pick-up with three other people (hyper dog included) for over an hour to stay at a hotel (hyper dog included) until the next day when the truck was repaired.

    Needless to say, I got an earful when we were all reunited in Missoula. I felt terrible, and yet I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of them stranded in Idaho with our out-of-control dog yanking our daughter hither and yon while Tom is calling my cell phone repeatedly. Fortunately, Tom and Tara laughed about it too--eventually.

    What did I learn?

    It is possible to be mindless and happy at the same time.
    It is not possible to hear your cell phone when it is turned off.
    Be wary of U-Haul's promised "Adventure In Moving"...
    Stay connected, stay connected, stay connected.
    Sometimes it's better to go slowly, even if you're stuck behind a truck.
    Make sure you are married to someone who can laugh with you instead of holding a grudge.
    Mindless moments can lead to mindfulness.
    Marriage can make you more mindful--especially if you stick with it for twenty years.

    Mindless Moment #2
    A few months ago, Tom dropped me off at the train station so I could head downtown to my office. Having just missed the train, I knew I had about 15 minutes to wait, so I took the opportunity to sit on a bench in the sunshine and simply enjoy it.
    After a few minutes of peaceful sitting, I opened a book and started reading. I became absorbed in it. When the train arrived, I stood up and, with the book still open, boarded the train.

    As soon as the doors closed, I realized that I had left my purse on the bench. I banged on the door, pushed the "open" button...and watched helplessly as the bench--with my purse--disappeared from view.

    Thus began the flurry of phone calls to cancel credit cards and checking accounts, etc. Not a happy situation.

    The book I had been reading?

    The Power of Paying Attention

    Mindless Moment #3
    A few years ago, Tom and I were in Mexico during Valentine's Day. That morning, we ordered breakfast in a local restaurant, and I was delighted when the waiter presented me with a lovely little cellophane-wrapped wafer in the shape of a heart.
    Never one to miss an opportunity for chocolate, even at breakfast, I opened the ribbon-trimmed heart and took a big brown bite.

    It was soap.

    My husband nearly fell off his chair laughing, and so did I--once I got the taste out of my mouth.

    Lesson #1: Brown heart-shaped wafers presented on Valentine's Day are not necessarily chocolate. Always sniff first.

    Lesson #2: Never drink water after you have taken a large bite of soap.

    Lesson #3: Foaming at the mouth tends to alarm others.

    Lesson #4: If you have occasional mindless moments--and who doesn't?--it's much more fun to share them with your best friend.

    Happy Anniversary, Tom!

    -----------

    You know you're smart.

    But did you know that you're smart in eight different ways?

    Better yet, you can use Multiple Intelligences theory to improve the way you develop greater mindfulness.

    Let's get started!

    Warmly,

    Maya ;-)


    Mindfulness and Multiple Intelligences: 8 Ways To Pay Attention
    How are you smart?
    Let me count the ways.

    Harvard professor Howard Gardner was the first to describe the concept of Multiple Intelligences. According to this widely-accepted theory, we are each born with a certain amount of intelligence in each of eight areas, and we have the potential to harness or develop each of these throughout our lives.

    In 1983, Gardner first described seven intelligences: linguistic, logical/mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal and intrapersonal. He later added an eighth: naturalistic.

    Nothing too earth-shaking about this. We all know gifted writers (using words), engineers (using numbers), artists (manipulating spaces), musicians (inspired by sound), athletes (using physical skills), counselors (understanding others), and biologists (passionate about nature).

    But here's the one I find most interesting: intrapersonal. According to Gardner, someone with great intrapersonal intelligence enjoys spending time alone, likes being still in their own space, is especially adept at understanding themselves, and is inspired by contemplation.

    Now, remember that each of us has at least a little of all eight kinds of intelligence, with one or two areas being the most dominant. Although we can increase our abilities in all areas, we are naturally attracted to certain activities. A person with dominant or developed intrapersonal intelligence is likely to be innately interested in silent contemplation and naturally drawn to meditation.

    So....what about everybody else? If meditation comes easily to only a small percentage of the population, why is it that all approaches to mindfulness require sitting still and focusing inward?

    If we use Multiple Intelligences theory as a way to recognize our different learning styles and natural tendencies, we see that there must be a number of ways to develop mindfulness without relying solely upon meditation.

    Teachers around the globe are employing Multiple Intelligences theory in the classroom in order to prepare lessons that appeal to the learning styles of all types of students. The ultimate goal of learning specific material is the same no matter what, but this enlightened approach to teaching is inclusive and exhilarating.

    If meditation fits only ONE of the eight intelligences (intrapersonal) we are missing out on seven other areas in which we can learn--and teach-- mindfulness! Being attached to a single approach is decidedly limiting and downright archaic.

    If you find it difficult to get motivated to meditate, consider this: perhaps your particular combination of multiple intelligences would benefit from a different approach to mindfulness.

    In other words, it's not you--it's the teacher! Or, more precisely, the teachings.

    If meditation isn't working for you, take heart. There are seven other areas in which mindfulness training can inform, inspire and delight you.

    That's what counts.

    Take This Test!
    Want to learn about your dominant types of intelligence? Take the Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences test.
    Answer the 49 multiple choice questions, and you'll get some interesting results that clarify your natural inclinations.

    It's free and fascinating. Try it!

    http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/b/x/bxb11/MI/MIQuiz.htm

    Which One's What?
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    For a clear description of the different learning types, take a look here:
    http://www.ldrc.ca/projects/miinventory/miinventory.php?eightstyles=1


    My Man, Dr. Armstrong
    There are a lot of experts when it comes to incorporating Multiple Intelligences theory into various aspects of our lives. My clear favorite is Dr. Thomas Armstrong.
    He has some pretty strong opinions about some hot topics, including "learning disabilities" and ADD/ADHD.

    I tend to agree with him wholeheartedly, but you might not. Still, he's worth investigating, as he has serious credentials and is passionate about developing a more profoundly effective approach to education.

    Learn more at:

    http://www.thomasarmstrong.com

    New Site Under Construction
    I'm still hard at work on my new website, which will be at www.Real-WorldMindfulness.com.
    I'm putting the finishing touches on two ebooks and an ecourse that use this Multiple Intelligences approach to teach mindfulness in exciting new ways.

    I'll keep you posted on that, but what I'd love to hear from you is this:

    What are your Multiple Intelligences test results? What's your dominant learning style?

    Send a quick message to:

    maya@mindmasseuse.com


    **********************************
    Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse offering specialized mindfulness training to individuals and groups in Portland, Oregon. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 100 countries. To subscribe to her free ezine, the Friday Mind Massage, please visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.
    **************************************
    ©Copyright 2004, Maya Talisman Frost


    52 Best Stories
    A "D Minus"

    I remember my Landon Junior High School seventh grade, math teacher's name very well. It was Mr. Young. He stood out because the kids made fun of him. He was missing one of his fingers, and always pointed at students with his middle finger.

    For some reason I was not very good in school. English and Math were my worst two subjects. There was just something wrong with me, inside my head. No matter how hard I tried, I just could not figure out why I did not understand what all the other kids found so easy to learn. I don't think there was ever a day I went to school that I was not afraid.

    One day, I was told by Mrs. Winters, the head matron of the Children's Home Society Orphanage, that if I got one more F on my report card, I would be taken to the Juvenile Court in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. She would tell the judge to send me away to the 'big prison for kids'.

    I tried really hard for weeks to learn how to multiply, do fractions, and compound things. I just couldn't understand how to make different parts of numbers into whole things, but my brain just couldn't do it, no matter how hard I tried.

    The day before report cards were to come out, I knew that Mr. Young would give me an F, just like he always did.

    After class ended, I went to Mr. Young and told him that the orphanage was going to send me to the big prison if I got another E on my report card. He told me there was nothing he could do; it would be unfair to the other kids if he gave me a better grade than I had actually earned.

    I smiled at him, turned and walked towards the door, then I stopped. I looked at the teacher and said, "Mr. Young, you know how all the kids make fun of you because you're missing your finger?"

    He looked at me, moved his mouth to one side, like he was biting the inside of his gum, and said nothing.

    "They shouldn't do that to you because you can't help not having a finger, Mr. Young. Just like I can't help not being able to learn numbers and stuff like that," I said.

    Again, he said nothing as he looked down at his desk, and began grading papers.

    The next day, when I got my report card, I tucked it into one of my books. While on the school bus, I opened the report card envelope and looked at my grades: Geography B+, Mechanical Drawing C-, English D-, History C-, Gym B+, Art C, Math D-.

    That math grade was the most favorite one I ever received in my whole life. Not because I didn't get sent to the big prison for kids, but because I knew that someone in the world finally understood what it was like for me to be missing a finger inside my head.

    ~ The Author is Roger Dean Kiser who went on to be come a published author. Many of his stories published in books such as Chicken Soup for the Soul. This story is from "The Life and Times of Roger Dean Kiser" http://www.rogerdeankiser.com ~

    -------------------

    Today's Story - One Unstoppable Woman

    In 1984, Marion Luna Brem was 30 years old-and she was dying. Marion had cancer of the breast and cervix and had undergone two surgeries in 11 weeks-a mastectomy and hysterectomy. Now she was suffering the horrifying effects of chemotherapy.

    Adding to her pain, the disease had robbed her of her hair, her savings, and now her husband. He walked out saying he couldn't deal with the pressure any more. Marion was left with two small boys and no means to support them. Worse, her prognosis was a death sentence: Doctors told her she had 2 years to live, 5 if she was really lucky.

    So, on a hot Texas morning in May, Marion laid with her cheek on the cold bathroom floor trying not to throw up-again. And despite her gut-wrenching pain and paralyzing fear, she knew she could not afford to lie there feeling sorry for herself. Instead, Marion had to focus on taking care of her kids.

    And that meant finding a job. But she had almost no experience and little formal education-not exactly a powerful rsum to launch a budding career. Plus, she was a woman-an Hispanic woman-which in many people's eyes meant she had two strikes against her. Marion thought only of survival. The words rich and successful didn't even enter her mind.

    Where to begin? Susan, Marion's best friend, suggested she look for a job in sales, but Marion worried about her lack of experience. Susan reminded her that there was a lot of value in the job market for the skills she possessed as a housewife: time management, budgeting, not to mention the people skills she developed while being a room mother and a member of the PTA. So with all the resolve she could muster, Marion thought, "Why not?"

    Of all the industries to pursue, Marion chose the male-dominated field of selling automobiles. One of Marion's past part-time jobs was a switchboard operator at a Dallas car dealership, so she knew there was good money in car sales. She had also seen firsthand how salesmen talked only to the male half of the couple, virtually ignoring the woman. Intuitively, she knew women were an important part of the decision-making process and believed this was an opportunity.

    Statistics now reveal that Marion was right. When couples purchase a car, the woman influences the decision 80 percent of the time. Marion recognized the need for car saleswomen, and she was determined to fill that need. Armed only with her gut instinct and a funky blonde wig, Marion approached the first dealership.

    "Have you ever thought about hiring a woman?" she asked.

    "No!" was the curt reply.

    She heard the same response from 16 other sales managers around town. Yet Marion Brem didn't give up. She couldn't!

    "I think courage is something you decide upon," she says. "You wake up in the morning and have a meeting with the mirror and say, 'Today I'm going to be courageous."

    But her approach clearly wasn't working. So on her 17th try, she modified her pitch and said,

    "Here's what I can do for you.."

    After telling the manager her angle on women car buyers, she was hired on the spot! Marion Luna Brem's career in car sales had begun. At first, her all-male colleagues embraced the rookie saleswoman.

    "It really wasn't until I began competing with them, beating them, that I noticed a change of heart," Marion recalls. "But when they see that you're not going away, and not going to personalize their derogatory remarks, then a kind of respect is born."

    Brem's first year out, she was named salesperson of the year. Of course, the plaque read "Salesman of the Year," and the award included a trip to the Super Bowl and a man's Rolex watch. Still, it was a great honor and a wonderful achievement. Meanwhile, her cancer went into remission and Marion was going strong.

    For 2 more years, Marion was a top producer, but she wanted more. It was then that she approached her boss about a management position. Her proposal was flatly rejected. He said that he'd be "nuts" to take her out of sales with all the money she was making both of them.

    As difficult as it was for her to leave the security of the established clientele of repeat and referral business she had worked so hard to create, she moved on, believing she would find what she was looking for. That meant, once again, knocking on doors.
    After several frustrating weeks of pounding the pavement, Marion was finally hired as an entry-level manager at a new dealership. She quickly climbed the management ladder. Two and a half years later, she was ready to start her own dealership. She envisioned an operation run by women for women. All she needed was a "measly" $800,000 and she was off to the races.

    To Marion, it might as well have been $800 million. Once again, Marion rolled up her sleeves.

    "I put together a portfolio on myself. I literally went to the drugstore and got 50 of those school folders," she recalls. Inside, she put her certificates, press clippings, and a biography. Marion called it her "brag folder." On the advice of a trusted friend, she sent the package to 50 CPAs all over Texas-money managers who represented doctors looking for investment opportunities.

    Two weeks later, Marion received a call from one of her contacts. It would change her life. The CPA had a client, a cardiologist, who had agreed to become her silent partner. The doctor helped arrange $800,000 in working capital as well as millions more in loans needed to lease, stock, and market her first dealership. Marion approached Chrysler Corporation-and quickly struck a deal.

    Now all she needed was a name for her brand-new dealership. Marion wanted something distinctive-and it had to be feminine. She tried several "feel-good" names, but nothing stuck. Finally, it hit her:

    "Love." "It's the most positive word in the dictionary," she thought. "And it's the way I feel about this project, the way I'm going to treat my customers and employees."

    So in 1989, just 5 years after selling her first car, "Love Chrysler" was born, complete with a heart logo on every car. Marion's motto: "It's not just the hearts on our cars, it's the hearts inside our people. We're spreading Love all over Texas!"

    Marion's labor of love paid off handsomely. Today, she is cancer-free, is the owner of two car dealerships, and recently celebrated the 11th anniversary of Love Chrysler. Her company is 89th on the Hispanic Business 500 with revenues of more than $45 million.

    At the age of 30, Marion Luna Brem had lost her breast, her womb, her marriage. and soon, the doctors said, she would lose her life. But Marion literally dragged herself off a cold tile floor, put on a cheap wig, and took on a world dominated by good ole boys. In the process, she raised two kids, beat a devastating illness, and turned steel into love.

    ~ The author is Cynthia Kersey and this story is included in "Unstoppable Women" which is published by Rodale ~


    One Man’s Australia
    On dying in the Amphictyony and in the Antipodes

    The iterative and demeaning progress of the looming death of Terri Schiavo has re-opened memories in our family.

    To many Australians it appears to be a circus run by a conservative political party playing to its religious right constituency.

    April 7th will be the second anniversary of Lynette's death. Our grieving had moved on to the stage where our memories of her are the fond ones of the happy times, rather than being overwhelmed by those of the final five months of her life.

    Given the potential parallels in our family we are very grateful that we live in the Antipodes.

    On November 6th 2002 I returned home to find Lynette unconscious and having breathing difficulties. I pulled her into the unconscious position, cleared her airway and rang the ambulance. They inserted an airway, put up a drip because her blood pressure was falling and hit her with a shot of Narcan because her pupils were pinpoints. As the Narcan shot had no effect they gave her a second shot - again without effect.

    In the emergency room they found that a lung had collapsed.

    They ran a CT scan of her brain and found a tumour the size of a walnut in the left frontal lobe. They ran a CT scan of her lungs and found another tumour on her right lung.

    She was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit and put on life support with a steroid drip to reduce the intra-cranial pressure as it was too high to be able to operate on the brain tumour and she was judged to be in imminent danger of a catastrophic stroke.

    She remained in a coma for five days. During this period they carried out a bronchoscopy to try to get a closer look at the lung tumour, but it was inaccessible.

    When the intra-cranial pressure had reduced sufficiently they excised the brain tumour, sent it to pathology and returned her to the Intensive Care Unit.

    When the pathology report arrived the news was bad. The brain tumour was a secondary, but the lung tumour was not the primary. The trace cells with the brain tumour suggested that there was a primary on the ovaries.

    Further CT scans confirmed this, along with tumours on the liver and the pancreas..

    In the meantime she had appeared to be no longer in a coma, but was paralysed and could not speak. Only her eyes moved. Assorted tubes emerged everywhere.

    Crunch time came at the end of November. In the normal course of events the brain surgery would have been followed up with radiotherapy using a linear accelerator. One consequence of this would have been collateral brain damage causing irreversible lowering of cognitive ability.

    The normal benefit would have been the prolongation of Lynette's life, but there were known cancers at four other sites plus possibly more that had not yet been found. And these were advancing.

    I was asked to attend a conference with the medical specialists. There appeared to be two mutually exclusive courses of action open.

    The first was for radiotherapy of the brain followed by aggressive treatment of the other known cancers. This would leave her effectively a permanent resident in the Intensive Care Unit and the High Dependency Unit for the foreseeable future but still with no guarantee that her life would be prolonged. Her quality of life would be marginal.

    The second was to opt for the quality of her residual life and to stop all further treatment of her assorted cancers.

    She would be transferred to a specialist rehabilitation unit for intensive physiotherapy and intensive speech therapy. These would open new neural pathways in her brain. She would learn to walk and talk again.

    But the untreated cancers would kill her swiftly.

    I decided that the quality of her life was worth far more than its length and chose the second course.

    Over December and January what was predicted happened. Watching her memory return was an awesome experience. It returned like the pieces of a super-jumbo jigsaw puzzle dumped in a heap. Lynette could recall individual episodes but could not relate them to each other in time or place.

    We were told that this was a normal pattern after major brain surgery, but that as more and more cortical triggers were activated a critical mass would be reached and there would be a chain reaction. Her memory would return with a rush.

    Towards the end of January her memory snapped back into place as predicted - but with a gap of about 8 weeks from the beginning of November.

    With Lynette's multiple cancers, her residual physical weakness, her complex medication schedule and her high care needs it was apparent that I could not care adequately for her. She was transferred to a care hostel at the summit of Mt Warrigal on the East shore of Lake Illawarra, with 360 degree views of the Illawarra escarpment and beaches and extensive grounds.

    She had her own small unit, with ensuite bathroom fitted with a chair in the shower and a toilet seat with arms so that she could push herself up. There were hand-holds everywhere. She had a small set of cupboards and a sink, with electric kettle and bar fridge. She had her own TV, radio and direct-line private phone.

    Meals were in the communal dining room and there were large TV lounges and activity rooms. Nursing staff were on duty 24 hours a day. There were no restrictions to visiting.

    She found several other bridge players among the residents.

    She had a nursing plan mapped out that moved progressively towards palliative care as her condition deteriorated - as it would.

    There was a strong plus side.

    As a family we were able to open the subject of her terminal illness and death for discussion. All of us came to terms with them.

    She and I had some long and very personal conversations. For me the most important issues were, firstly, that she had no regrets at having married me and, secondly, that my decision to stop aggressive cancer treatment and concentrate on her quality of life was the decision that she would have made if she had been capable of making it at the time.

    She had worked as an RN for 30 years and had seen too many people who had been kept clinically alive, in that they had a pulse and respiration, but who otherwise might as well have been vegetables.

    We took it one day at a time. She looked forward keenly to the arrival of our first grandchild in April.

    She maintained lively telephone contact with her two sisters in South Africa - one in Johannesburg and the other in George. She maintained lively telephone contact with her favorite cousin in Canberra - who was raised in Harare.

    She read voraciously and was up to date with news and current affairs. She enjoyed visits from friends and family and visits to them.

    We all knew that this was an Indian Summer. We enjoyed it while it lasted.

    On Sunday 30th March Lynette phoned. She was incoherent so I rang the duty sister at the care hostel. She checked and sent Lynette to hospital. The brain tumour had returned and she had lung, liver, spleen and ovarian cancer in addition which had all advanced.

    She was transferred to palliative care with specialist medical staff trained to keep her out of pain, support her through the dying process and permit her to die with dignity.

    On Saturday 5th April she said to me calmly "I am going to die now". She never spoke again.

    She died on Monday 7th April.

    Miranda Lynette was born on 11th April - the first girl born into our branch of the family for 108 years. She was given Lynette as her middle name because her grandmother Lynette was always know by her middle name. Her first name was actually Gretta.

    Miranda is a joy. She will be 2 on April 11th. She is talking a streak - never stops. She can count to 7. She sings things like "Twinkle, twinkle little star" and "Hickory dickory dock" with surprisingly true pitch - and spontaneously - while she is playing. She loves books and goes to the infant's section of the City Library regularly to get new ones. She loves "playing" the piano (unfortunately she also loves climbing to the top which is unnerving for an adult caring for her). She goes to group kinder music classes on a Monday morning (has been for 6 months), playgroup in Friday mornings and swimming classes on Saturday mornings. She also loves going swimming with her Daddy in the mornings when he is on afternoon-evening roster. She can throw a ball accurately enough for us to catch it. She can kick a ball accurately enough for us to trap it.

    On the climbing bit she fearlessly climbs anything - the front fence, her climbing gym in the back yard, the piano, the tallboy, the ..........

    We have resigned ourselves to the realisation that ballet is not likely to feature in her future. She is growing into a typical Aussie Sheila - fit and healthy but too well muscled for a partner to lift with any semblance of ease and grace - and in time to music yet!

    And she is VERY pretty. I hesitate to say so because I am her hopelessly biased grandpa but we are always being told that by people who see her.

    The one sadness that I have is that Lynette's sisters disagreed with the decision that I made to concentrate on her quality of life and stop treatment of her cancers. They have cut me off. They do not reply to my letters or emails and phone conversations are brusque - to put it mildly.

    In that sense I guess that we mirror the Schiavo case.

    ----------

    Undercurrents in Australian politics

    Australians have become complacent about their image of themselves as pragmatic people and have watched with some bemusement American society passionately battling over issues that had been long laid to rest in Australia.

    As examples, two of these are the death penalty and abortion.

    The death penalty ended in Australia in at 8 am on February 3 1967 with the hanging of Ronald Ryan at Pentridge prison in Melbourne for the shooting of a prison guard, Hodson, with his own carbine during an escape attempt.

    There were serious misgivings about his guilt, including the failure to explain a discrepancy in the ammunition audit carried out on the carbine and the forensic evidence that the guard had been shot from above, not from ground level.

    The previous 35 death sentences had been routinely commuted to life, so no one really believed Ronald Ryan would hang, and neither did the jurors. The 12-men jury had originally wanted to find Ryan not guilty, but two jurors convinced of Ryan's guilt (who also believed capital punishment had been abolished) persuaded the others to deliver a guilty verdict. A secret (non-publicised) eleventh-hour plea to save Ryan was made by seven members of his trial jury. Four jury members signed separate petitions for a reprieve. The pleas were ignored.

    Ryan was eventually hanged, despite the biggest public protests ever seen in the history of Australia. Pleas came from the public, the media, journalists, church leaders, elite opinion leaders, prominent political Liberal and Labor party members, workers' and trade unions, and university student groups.

    The then Victorian State Premier Sir Henry Bolte, saw the case as a contest of wills and brushed aside all appeals and petitions. Bolte dismissed a petition by members of the jury who sat on the Ryan case, regarding the severity of the sentence. Bolte's comments in public and private records, show his obsession to set an example of Ronald Ryan - to show that ‘authority’ must prevail. Bolte announced to the public that, "There is no possibility of the decision to hang Ryan being reversed. It is quite definite and final". In the weeks that followed, Bolte confronted what eventuated into the greatest crisis of his political life.

    In 1986, nineteen years after Ryan's execution, Douglas Pascoe, a prison guard who was on duty at the Number 3 prison guard tower during the escape, confessed on national television to firing at Ryan. He believed that his shot may have accidentally killed Hodson. Pascoe claims he did not say anything about it at the time, fearing that he might get into trouble. During the trial he remained silent, believing that Ryan's death sentence would be commuted to life, and that Ryan would not be executed.

    No more executions have ever taken place – which was fortunate for Lindy Chamberlain in the early 1980s who served 6 years of a life sentence for murdering her baby (without the baby’s body ever having been found) – before the finding of the baby’s clothing in a deserted dingo den resulted in a new inquest – and her acquittal and compensation.

    Abortion was decriminalised at about the time we arrived in Australia – circa 1970. The reasons were pragmatic.

    It was realised by Governments that abortions would occur anyway – as they always had. The taxpayer had to pick up major costs for the medical treatment of women who had been butchered by backyard abortionists. It made a lot more sense to make the procedure available legally through the health system – both in the alleviation of the suffering of the women and in the cost to the taxpayer.

    Since then abortion has been a matter between women and their medical practitioners.

    But a political holy war began in Australia under lights at the Sydney SuperDome in July 2004.

    The combatants did not know it at the time, nor did the 20,000 strong crowd who poured in on this winter's night to celebrate the annual conference of the Hillsong Church. As music filled the arena, the fervour washed over the congregation. They raised their palms to the heavens, closed their eyes and swayed to the rhythm of God.

    But on this night last July, the Almighty was eclipsed by a middle-aged man who emerged onto the stage to a thunderous applause. Peter Costello - Baptist, family man and federal Treasurer - stood in the spotlight and praised Hillsong for promoting "the values that made our country strong".

    On that winter's night, Costello's very public message resonated far beyond the confines of the SuperDome. In Brisbane, federal Labor frontbencher Kevin Rudd was spellbound by the footage of Costello holding sway over a euphoric army of Christians on questions of faith and family values. Rudd, a committed Christian, had several large Pentecostal-style evangelist churches such as Hillsong in his own electorate in Brisbane. He knew better than most of his Labor colleagues that Costello was doing far more than professing his shared faith with true believers.

    Costello was also sending a subliminal political message that had the potential to seriously harm Labor's electoral prospects: God = family values = Liberal Party.

    Rudd was sufficiently alarmed to discuss it with his Labor colleagues. Sources reported that Labor's shadow cabinet - chaired by the agnostic Mark Latham - held "a long discussion" on the issue of how Labor should try to keep God on its side, or at least to stop him from becoming appropriated by the conservatives.

    But it was already too late. At the Paradise Community Church in Adelaide, another political party was busily blurring the divide between politics and religion. The Family First party – recently established almost entirely by members of the Assembly of God church - was quietly mobilising a small army of religious helpers to fight its first federal election on a promise to restore Christian family values.

    At the time, some in Labor ranks dismissed Rudd's concerns as overblown. Surely a few public church appearances by government ministers and a rookie political fringe party would not inflict more than a minor flesh wound on Labor's chances, they argued. Surely God belonged just as much to the Labor Party as he did to the conservative side of politics? They were wrong.

    Months after Labor's election loss, Rudd is sitting in his Parliament House office talking openly about the God Factor - a topic that was until recently considered something of a political taboo.

    Rudd is chairman of a new caucus working party set up after the election to investigate the new links between religion and politics in Australia. But this is much more than just an academic political analysis. It is also a journey into the changing religious soul of Australia. Put simply, Labor believes it has been outfoxed by the conservatives on God, values and faith. Now it is planning to fight back.

    Historically, Labor has always fared worse than conservative parties with religious voters. The 2003 Australian Survey of Social Attitudes found that 81 per cent of Liberal voters and 92 per cent of National Party voters said they have a religion compared with only 72 per cent for Labor and 53 per cent for the Greens. If Labor is both alarmed and perplexed by recent trends, then it can take comfort from the fact that other social commentators are also struggling to reconcile the notion that religion is making a political comeback at a time when church attendances are falling. The 2002 Wellbeing and Security Survey found that the proportion of the population who claimed to attend religious services at least monthly had dropped from 20 per cent in 1998 to 18.6 per cent in 2002. Meanwhile, weekly religious attendance as a proportion of the population had dropped from 9.9 per cent in 1996 to 8.8 per cent in 2001.

    But these figures mask the changing nature of religious observance, which has seen a sharp growth in Pentecostal denominations at the expense of traditional Catholic, Anglican and Protestant denominations. More people (about 200,000) now attend Pentecostal churches - and offshoots such as Hillsong, Assemblies of God and Catch the Fire - than attend conventional Anglican services (178,000), according to the 2001 National Church Life Survey. Observers believe this trend has only increased in recent years. It is these fast-growing, cashed-up Pentecostal evangelical churches that are driving the new marriage of God and politics.

    The problem for Labor is that these new Pentecostal churchgoers have a more natural affinity with conservative politics than they do with traditional Labor values. These churches draw their strongest supporters from one of the country's fastest-growing demographics - the aspirational, upwardly mobile, new-money middle-class living in the outer suburban mortgage belts of the big cities. They are largely hostile to the welfare state and believe heavily in self-made wealth. For these people, who often live in outer suburbs dominated by soulless shopping malls, the church offers a spiritual dimension to their lives.

    Labor is concerned about the fact that congregations such as Hillsong and Paradise embrace Costello and other visiting conservative politicians as if they were kindred souls.

    Family First was founded by, and is still dominated by, members of the Assembly of God Paradise Community church. The party's promotion of traditional Christian family values and its opposition to abortion, IVF and gay rights is almost a mirror image of the beliefs of that church. The party says it does not favour any side of politics, yet more than 95 per cent of Family First preferences in the last election went to the conservative Coalition.

    Relying almost entirely on its Pentecostal support base and shrewd preference deals, Family First won 2 per cent of the national vote, decisively influencing several key lower-house seats and getting its first senator, Steve Fielding, elected to parliament from Victoria with the help of Labor preferences.

    Harris and other Family First leaders including founder Andrew Evans, party leader Andrea Mason and Senator-elect Fielding are keenly aware that Australians are naturally wary of Christian parties. At every turn they have downplayed Family First's Pentecostal origins, fearing that it will limit their future electoral potential. They say that it is the values, rather than the Christian link, with which they want people to identify and that as the party expands, the party's Pentecostal origins will become less important.

    Family First appears to be copying the "tried and true strategy" of US conservative evangelical organisations. They play down their religious association and instead emphasise terms such as family, common sense, decent, middle-of-the-road. These are motherhood words and focus groups go wild when they hear them.

    Rudd says he understands why Family First wants to play down its religious affiliations. Rudd says he is concerned that Family First goes too far in blurring religion with politics.

    Ashley Evans, senior pastor at Paradise and son of Family First founder Andrew Evans, says there is nothing wrong with churches having some political influence. But at Paradise, the divide between church and state appears to be perilously thin. Evans says he has never advocated his flock to vote for Family First. At the same time, Evans has invited church member, party leader and Senate candidate Andrea Mason on to the stage to tell his flock what she is doing and to wish her luck.

    But Labor is not so much concerned about the emergence of Family First as it is about how the Liberal and National Parties are also harnessing religion to their advantage. When looking to end the Labor Party's 20-year grip on the Sydney seat of Greenway at the election, the Liberals turned to Louise Markus, a prominent member of the massively popular Hillsong church. The impact of the Hillsong connection remains speculation, but Markus scored an upset win.

    When another committed evangelical Christian, 30-year-old Michael Ferguson, also scored an upset win for the Liberals in the Tasmanian seat of Bass, he immediately vowed to take his Christian values to Canberra. Sniffing the wind only two days after the election, National Party leader John Anderson outlined a pro-family agenda for the Government, including a re-examining of censorship laws and greater protection for children.

    While the Government is keen to lure the Christian vote, Prime Minister John Howard is also aware of the practical limits of religion in politics. The manner in which Howard quietly but ruthlessly stamped out health minister and devout Catholic Tony Abbott's post-election call for a new debate on abortion suggests that religion will come second if it threatens votes. Later, as politicians once again fanned the abortion debate, Howard once again made it clear that there would be no change to abortion laws.

    At heart, Howard is a secular pragmatist who lacks the religious zealotry of his US counterpart George W. Bush. So are there any parallels between the Christian conservatives in Australia and the powerful US Christian Right? There appear to be some striking similarities in their techniques and their strategies and in the way they present themselves to the public.

    But the biggest difference appears to be simply that the US is more religious and is therefore more tolerant of religious influence in politics. More than 53 per cent of Americans say they attend church regularly and more than two-thirds pray regularly. The born-again President Bush invokes God often, and has implied he received divine inspiration to strike at al-Qa'ida targets and prosecute the global war on terror.

    But Australia's Pentecostal movement appears to be growing along similar lines to its more established US counterpart. Churches such as Hillsong and Paradise deliver what are more rock sermons than anything resembling traditional religious services. With live bands, backed by 30-member youth choirs, hi-tech sound systems, lighting, smoke machines and giant video screens, these churches are attracting young followers in their thousands.

    The messages these churches give out are also different. It is more aspirational and upbeat than traditional churches. There is no dwelling on guilt or repentance. For them, religion is a celebration of God and the promise of a better future. Rather than focus on wealth redistribution, these churches talk openly and unashamedly about wealth creation. In this respect, they are more natural allies of the Liberal and National parties than Labor. Br

    The Legal Beagle TOP

    Our Legal Beagles are available for all your relevant queries... please continue to send in any queries you have for them and we will get them answered for you free of charge!

    We have expanded our circle of helpers to include New Zealand and Europe. Remember that sometimes it takes a while for the relevant ‘Legal Beagle’ to answer. Also please remember that the advice is offered as a free service, THOS and SAW are not personally responsible for the content.


    Legal Beagle - SA
    Editor’s note: this query goes back to September last year!

    Dear Maureen

    My daughter has been trying to track down information re the following: What date and under which Act of Parliment did the South African Govt grant automatic citizenship to children of immigrants when they turned 16years and when was it recinded. I think it was sometime in the mid eighties and was a way of widening the pool of young men available for National Service. My daughter's citizenship was granted in this way. Any infomation on this matter would be appreciated.
    Sincerely,
    Carole

    Julian replies:

    I have eventually managed to track down this information.

    The Act that deals with this is Act No. 44 of 1949 and in specific section 11(a)(1).

    I trust that this will answer the question and I apologise for only responding at this stage but this was a very technical question on legislation and is not readily available.

    REGARDS

    Feedback from Carole

    Dear Maureen, Many, many, thanks for this information I had a feeling that if anyone could help in this matter it would be you and your colleagues, well done. My children were born in Australia and prior to 2001 were not able to hold dual citizenship (law now changed) however, if citizenship was granted automatically and not applied for this apparently makes a difference and one is able to retain Australian citizenship, unravelling immigration department red tape in any country can be a nightmare, don't you agree?

    Thank you for SAW - after 20 very happy years in SA it is great to be able to keep in touch in this way.

    Help Desk TOP

    These requests are from subscribers to SAWmail and or members of the SAW Web site. I print them in good faith.

    This from Serg svzyk@yandex.ru

    Dear Maureen Cram!
    “SAW” is popular in South Africa, therefore through your website and newsletters I want to address to the businessmen of South African Republic my request. Please print my letter as the appeal for them:

    Offer from Ukraine!!!
    Ladies and gentlemen!!!

    If you have business interests in Ukraine or Russia and you want to export your goods and your services, we can be useful each other. About myself: I am from Ukraine, 42 years old, ended Kharkov Polytechnic Institute. I want to have joint business with a foreign firm. For to find the partners for cooperation and for to earn the starting capital, I seek a job as the electrical welder in your country. Please, help me to find this job. Why I want to have job in South Africa? The goods and services from South Africa are little-known in Ukraine, but in South Africa are unfamiliar the goods and services from Ukraine too (for an example in Ukraine and Russia produce and manufacture the qualitative and competitive equipment, materials of metal and so on). In free time I want to study the market of South Africa well and may be I shall find the future partners for cooperation and joint business. Why I want to have work as the electrical welder? I well qualified and I have wide experience (I can to send my CV). Due to this job I can be useful the employer and I can have good earnings too. If it will be done and will be carried out, I could open own business later. Also I want to have job in South Africa for opportunity to improve my knowledge the English!!!

    I shall be grateful you for any advice or any help for reception work.

    Thanks & best regards,
    Sergiy

    Where are they now? TOP

    If you are looking for a lost friend... if you would like old friends to contact you... If you want to find old school friends... if you just want people who used to know you to find you again for a chat...

    Send in your info, the info of anyone you are looking for and let’s see if we can find them for you!

    Club and Other News TOP

    Humour TOP

    If you were wondering why I haven't used a joke you sent in; some of the jokes
    I receive are just not suitable for general publication. So send me suitable jokes and I will publish them and acknowledge their origin.

    Please note that these articles DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT the opinion of SAW, The House of SYNERGY (THOS) or your editor. They are published here for your consideration – you can agree, disagree or ignore, but please don’t shoot the messenger!

    SAWs are a diverse group of people with diverse opinions on many issues.


    You want what?
    This from Errol Errolimpala@wmconnect.com

    A man walked into the Women's Department of Macy's in New York City. Het told the sales clerk "I would like a Baptist bra for my wife, size36B."

    With a quizzical look the sales clerk asked, "What kind of
    bra?"
    He repeated, "A Baptist Bra, she said to tell you that she wanted a Baptist Bra, and that you would know what she wanted." "Ah, now I remember," said the sales clerk.

    "We don't get as many requests for them as we used to. Mostly our customers lately want the Catholic bra, or the Salvation Army bra, or the Presbyterian type."

    Confused, and a little flustered, the man asked "So, what are the differences?"

    The woman responded. "It is all really quite simple. The Catholic type supports the masses, the Salvation Army lifts up the fallen, and the Presbyterian type keeps them staunch and upright."

    He mused on that information for a minute, and asked "So, what is the Baptist type for?" They," she replied, "make mountains out of molehills."


    Where German originated from
    This from Captain Ken...

    The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

    As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

    In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

    There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20 percent shorter.

    In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

    Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

    By the fourth yer peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th"with "z" and "w" with "v". During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords ontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza.

    Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru. If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl. Zen ve vil rul ze world!!!


    Recipe for a black eye
    More from Errol...

    While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant and resumed their trip.

    When leaving, the elderly woman unknowingly left her glasses on the table. And, she didn't miss them until after they had been driving about twenty minutes. By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to travel quite a distance before they could find a place to turn around in order to return to the restaurant to retrieve her glasses.

    All the way back, the elderly husband became the classic grouchy old man. He fussed and complained and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire return drive. The more he chided her, the more agitated he became. He just wouldn't let up one minute.

    To her relief, they finally arrived at the restaurant. And as the woman got out of the car and hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, the old geezer yelled to her...

    "While you're in there, you might as well get my hat and credit card..."

    Recipes TOP

    With Easter behind us and the weather seemingly cooler here in the highveld, this soup sounds just right for a weekday supper... another recipe from the Dr Weil.com site

    Ginger-Carrot Soup

    4 servings
    Usually found in tropical gardens, gingerroot - which is actually an underground stem, or rhizome - sprouts large, conical pink and orange flowers that look as if they've been carved out of wax. Although they are a much more common sight in home gardens, carrots (a member of the parsley family) aren't given to such exotic blooms. Nevertheless, carrots pack a nutritional punch as impressive as any ginger blossom. Put the two roots together and you've got one of the most delicious flavor combinations I know of. Buy ginger with a smooth skin (wrinkled ones are old and dry). Peel away the skin to get at the tender flesh below. Ginger is a wonderful digestive aid that strengthens the lining of the upper gastrointestinal tract, protecting against ulcers and parasites. The carotenes from carrots fortify the immune system and help maintain healthy skin and hair. When buying carrots, avoid those with cracks and be sure to remove carrot greenery, as it leaches moisture and vitamins from the roots. This soup will fillyour kitchen with a lovely fragrance and your body with needed nutrients.

    2 teaspoons canola oil
    1 medium onion, chopped
    3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh gingerroot
    3 cups carrots, chopped
    1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
    8 cups vegetable stock
    Salt to taste
    Dash of dry sherry
    Dash of nutmeg
    Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro (optional)


    Heat the canola oil in a large pot, add the onion and ginger, and sauté, stirring just until the onion is translucent.
    Add the carrots, potato and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and boil gently until the vegetables are tender, about 30-45 minutes.
    Purée the soup in batches in a blender or food processor.
    Add salt to taste and flavor with the sherry and nutmeg. Serve plain or garnished with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.

    ------------

    And just in case you are somewhere nice and warm, try this recipe:

    Cocoa-Banana Frozen Dessert

    6 servings
    The flavors in this simple dessert remind us of beach fare - frozen bananas on a stick coated with chocolate. This is a healthier version that you can whip up in no time at all. It contains no dairy and is very versatile. Improvise by adding different flavors. Make this a few hours before you plan to serve - it's best when just frozen. Any leftovers will keep for a couple of weeks in the freezer, but (at my house) rarely last that long.
    4 very ripe bananas
    2 tablespoons pure unsweetened cocoa powder
    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    2 tablespoons real maple syrup
    Peel the bananas and place in a blender or food processor along with the cocoa powder.
    Add the vanilla extract and the maple syrup.
    Blend till very smooth. Pour into individual custard cups or small bowls and freeze until just frozen.

    Sports News TOP

  • Kallis hundred saves SA [iafrica.com]
    Jacques Kallis completed a record-equalling 21st Test hundred to help South Africa salvage a hard-fought draw in the opening cricket Test against West Indies on Monday.
    http://sport.iafrica.com/news/topstory/429865.htm


  • Boks should've been taken out of comfort zone [IOL]
    Marius Joubert was involved in 38 rugby matches in 2004. Is it any surprise that he has struggled for form in the current Super 12? That, of course, is the kind of issue we should be considering when assessing the performance of leading players.
    http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&cli...


  • Comrades queen Frith makes a comeback [IOL]
    It's official! South Africa-born Comrades "queen" Frith van der Merwe will be on the starting line for the 2005 race from outside the Pietermaritzburg City Hall to Durban's Sahara Stadium, Kingsmead on June 16.
    http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&cli...

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