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as a person whos consciousness was raised the south africas apartheid, i speak for those of us who fought against it and supported mandela when he was in prison

it is such a sad sad day today

no one can truly realise what apartheid is and what it does unless you have been part of it..

"I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands."

which he did
 
Favorite Mandela quote....

"What I am condemning is that one power, with a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust."

- about then-US president George W Bush on the build-up to Iraq war in January 2003.
 


A great man, who at 95, can now rest in peace.
 
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Very insight story on Nelson Mandela from John Carlin (He wrote the book which was the basis Invicitus - the story of Mandela)

It's a long story but very insightful.

Nelson Mandela: the freedom fighter who embraced his enemies
John Carlin knew Mandela in the tumultuous years just after his release. Here he tells of the private meetings that proved he was a master at winning over even the most implacable opponents


Nelson Mandela arrived early for work on 11 May 1994, the day after his inauguration as the first black president of South Africa. As he walked down the deserted corridors, past framed watercolours celebrating the derring-do of white settlers at the time of the Great Trek, he paused outside a door and knocked.

A voice said "Come in" and Mandela, who was 6ft, found himself looking up at a vast, second-row forward of a man, an Afrikaner by the name of John Reinders, chief of presidential protocol during the tenure both of the last white president, FW de Klerk, and his predecessor, PW Botha.

"Good morning, how are you?" said Mandela, with a cheery grin.

"Very well, Mr President, and you?"

"Very well, ve-ry well …" Mandela replied. "But, ah … may I ask, what are you doing?"

Reinders, who was packing away his belongings into cardboard boxes, replied: "I am taking away my things, Mr President. I am moving to another job."

"Ah, very good. Where is it you are going?"

"Back to the prisons department. I served there as a major before coming to work here in the presidency."

"Ah, no," Mandela grinned. "No, no, no. I know that department ve-ry well. I would not recommend doing that."

Turning serious, Mandela proceeded to persuade Reinders to stay. "You see, we people, we are from the bush. We do not know how to administer a body as complex as the presidency of South Africa. We need the help of experienced people such as yourself. I would ask you, please, to stay at your post. I intend only to serve for one presidential term and then, of course, you would be free to do as you wish."

Reinders, as astonished as he was charmed, needed no further explanations. Slowly, shaking his head in wonder, he began to empty his boxes.

Reinders, whose eyes filled with tears as he recalled that story some time later, told me that during the five years he had served at Mandela's side, travelling far and wide with him, he had received nothing but courtesy and kindness. Mandela treated him with the same respect, he said, as he showed the president of the United States, the pope or Britain's Queen, who, incidentally, adored him. Mandela must have been the only person in the world, with the possible exception of the Duke of Edinburgh, who always called her "Elizabeth" – or at least who was able to do so without drawing even a shadow of a rebuke. (A friend of mine who was having dinner with him once at his home in Johannesburg recalled how a servant came in with a portable phone. It was the Queen on the line. Smiling broadly, Mandela put the phone to his ear and exclaimed: "Ah, Elizabeth! How are you? How are the children?")
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/07/nelson-mandela-freedom-fighter-john-carlin
 
The most touching Mandela tribute came from the least expected place

(From Yahoo South Africa)

A South African chain store has laid on one of the most touching tributes to Nelson Mandela we've seen in the past week – and it was in the form of a flash mob. Woolworths teamed up with the Soweto Gospel Choir, who posed as shoppers and store workers at the Parkview store in Johannesburg.

The choir then began an "impromtu" rendition of Asimbonanga [We have not seen him], singing:

Asimbonanga [we have not seen him]
Asimbonang' uMandela thina [we have not seen Mandela]
Laph'ekhona [in the place where he is]
Laph'ehleli khona [in the place where he is kept]

Asimbonanga
Asimbonang 'umfowethu thina [we have not seen our brother]
Laph'ekhona [in the place where he is]
Laph'wafela khona [in the place where he died]
Sithi: Hey, wena [We say: hey, you]
Hey, wena nawe [Hey, you and you]
Siyofika nini la' siyakhona [when will we arrive at our destination]


The song was written during Mandela's incarceration as a call for his freedom.

 
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bellenuit that's beautiful. Thank you.

Totally different and not news (it's been up for 18 months), but glorious:




The most touching Mandela tribute came from the least expected place

(From Yahoo South Africa)

A South African chain store has laid on one of the most touching tributes to Nelson Mandela we've seen in the past week – and it was in the form of a flash mob. Woolworths teamed up with the Soweto Gospel Choir, who posed as shoppers and store workers at the Parkview store in Johannesburg.
 
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Why does David Cameron look like Catherine The Great ?

Because they are (relatively closely) related.

: David Cameron IS related to Catherine the Great
101 Comments 17 December 2013 16:26 Steerpike Follow @MrSteerpike


There has been much amusement in the last couple of days after Sophie Gadd, a student at the University of York, snapped a picture of Johann Baptist Lampi’s 1794 oil on canvas portrait of Catherine II the Great while visiting the Deutsches Historisches Museum in Berlin. Eagle-eyed Sophie pointed out the immediate and obvious similarities between the Empress of Russia and David Cameron. Her story traversed from the Twittersphere, and made into the pages of the Daily Mail and the Telegraph.

But it does not end there. The Spectator can now reveal that the reason Catherine the Great and our Prime Minister look so similar is because they are related. Quite closely in fact ”” second cousins, nine generations removed.

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/steerp...eron-the-great-pm-is-related-to-catherine-ii/
 
No proper news so: Do you suffer from back pain or that pain in the leg? Think about this, on visiting a zoo have you ever seen a gorilla or monkey holding their back or leg? Well, here is your answer:

Quite wrongly we are told to hold our shoulders back or stand up straight and do you see our nearest relations doing this, NO, they are not that stupid.
Walk with your shoulders forward and arms dangling, also bending the knees. Hard to walk like a gorilla as they have short legs but do your best.
 
Several Bombings in Russia.

Could be more before the Winter Olympic games begin.....



The moment a bomb blast hits Volgograd train station

A female suicide bomber attacked a train station in a southern Russia city on Sunday, authorities said, killing at least 13 people in the deadliest such blast outside the volatile North Caucasus region in nearly three years.

The explosion just two months after another suicide bomber struck in the same Russian city will bolster fears of attacks by Islamist militants as Russia prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea city of Sochi in less than six weeks' time.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee said in a statement a female suicide bomber was to blame for Sunday's explosion. At least 13 people died in the attack, a spokesman for Russian investigators said in a statement.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10541169/The-moment-a-bomb-blast-hits-Volgograd-train-station.html

1388314832-00f9a5d9e94fd51d350ac1f44d08db0f.gif





Consecutive Volgograd suicide bombing kills at least 14 (PHOTOS, GRAPHIC VIDEO)

A terrorist attack in the Russian city of Volgograd has killed at least 14 passengers on a trolley bus. The explosion comes a day after a suicide bombing in the city which killed 17 people and injured scores of others.

Read RT's live updates on the terrorist attacks in Volgograd.

Health officials reported 14 fatalities in Monday morning’s blast, two of whom died in hospital from the wounds they sustained. 28 survived the blast, with 27 being treated in hospital, according to the latest update. It is feared that the death toll will rise.

An infant aged around five to seven months is among the survivors. Doctors are fighting to save the baby’s life, who is in a coma.

The identity of the baby has not been established yet. It is feared that its parents were killed in the explosion.

There is also a pregnant woman and two 16-year-olds among the victims. They remain in hospital in a serious condition.
http://rt.com/news/russia-volgograd-trolley-blast-957/
 
Malaysia Airlines 'has lost contact' with plane bound for Beijing

A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 239 people bound for Beijing has lost contact with air traffic control after leaving the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

A statement from the airline says flight MH370 disappeared at 2:40am local time.

The plane, a Boeing 777-200, left Kuala Lumpur at 12:41am on Saturday, and had been due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30am local time.

The company says the plane was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members.

"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their search and rescue team to locate the aircraft," the carrier said in a statement.

The airline says it will provide regular updates on its website.

Among previous accidents involving Malaysia Airlines planes, one of the smaller Twin Otter aircraft crashed upon landing in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island last October, killing a co-pilot and a passenger.

An a jet crashed in 1977 in southern Malaysia, killing all 93 passengers and seven crew.
ABC/AFP

God bless all those on board.
 
Horrible stuff. Just, horrible. Hopefully the wreckage can be located as quickly as possible.
 
Strange that nothing has been found yet, a whole day gone and nothing found in a very populated part of the world?
 
Strange that nothing has been found yet, a whole day gone and nothing found in a very populated part of the world?

Agree, this is strange...whatever happened seems catastrophic.
 
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