Bob can’t build it

By Bianca Silva and Siphosethu Stuurman

Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa, likened the situation in Zimbabwe to the sinking Titanic. There are currently three to four million Zimbabwean refugees, which is equivalent to Iraq. Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has been assaulted and consequently hospitalised.

CPU calls false alarm

By Deva Lee, Lara-Lee Rothwell and Rachel Baasch

James Hamilton, a second-year student, was subject to a homophobic attack on March 23. Campus  Protection Unit (CPU) apparently offered little help after they had been called to assist.

IsiXhosa transformed

By Daniella Potter

Rhodes University will start offering an isiXhosa mother-tongue course again in 2008. The Department of African Languages is also working on projects developing the use of the language in diverse fields of study.

To the point with Dr Margot Beard on women drinking

Many women students do not consider their health or safety when indulging in their preferred drink, sometimes with longlasting effects. Michael Rance and Tallulah Habib speak to Dr Margot Beard about her opinions on women drinking.

      

Are they prepared for a nightmare on New Street?

By Leigh Raymond, Ross Alford and Siphosethu Stuurman 

Rhodes’ students are well known for being enthusiastically involved with the night life of Grahamstown. So, for the past few weeks, Activate has been investigating four of the traditional party places – the Rat and Parrot, Friar Tuck’s, Equilibrium and the Old Gaol. Each establishment has been rated with regard to safety and control.

      

Neko Anime

By Ilana Koegelenberg

Rhodes finally has an official society dedicated to anime. If you paid any attention at Societies Evening there would have been no way you could have missed these funnilydressed characters running around.

Dan’s raw brand of blues

By Stuart Buchanan

When hearing Dan Patlansky for the first time, one expects his brand of loud, guitar-driven blues coupled with deep, rasping vocals to be coming from an overweight middle-aged black musician from the deep south of America. Instead, what you get is a 25-year-old skinny white guy from the suburbs of
Johannesburg.

Wretched of the Earth

By Luzuko Buku

Grahamstown’s street children say that although they have developed good relationships with some students, others continuously insult and ridicule the homeless.

Hit the big time with HIV

By Kyla Herrmannsen

Aids has become big business. The notion of profiting from the disease is controversial, but plausible. Aids generates billions of rands ofrevenue every year and it is fast becoming feasible for individuals to benefit financially from this.

Save money, go green!

By Nontobeko Sibisi and Babongile Zulu

Fancy yourself a gardener? Whether it is to save money on food or purely for the love of gardening, vegetable patches have been springing up around the backyards of Rhodes oppidans. These ecological treasures are helping students save money on their food expenses.

 

On rock stars, head injuries and school kids

  Ciro De Siena 

School ruined my life. Let me explain. You see when I was young, as in before I hit teenage status, I could sing – properly. Choir and everything. Now that’s not that remarkable, except the problem was that I was in a typical all-boys private Joburg high school, where rugby was the religion and everything lined up behind it.

Politics of Politics

By Mufamadi Azwihangwisi

The past few weeks saw the opening of yet another chapter in Zuma’s rainbow nation book (or should I say popularity contest) with a little help from the Afrikaans newspaper, Rapport. In a braai organised by the editor of Rapport for its May edition, Jacob Zuma was given the opportunity to compile a guest list of a few prominent Afrikaners. Among these were the likes of Steve Hofmeyr, Leon Schuster and Bok van Blerk.

Gypsies Return

By Stuart Buchanan

Southern Gypsey Queen played their first gig in over two years at De Tap Huijs on Wednesday March 14, to a small but energetic crowd. Whether it was a lack of advertising, or just because they’re still unknown among students, most people missed one of the best up-and-coming rock outfits currently on the scene today.

Oppie dining hall finally open

By Reyhana Mahomed

After two years of delays, the oppidan dining hall was finally opened on the first day of term at the Kaif inside the Union building. The opening was met with mixed responses. Some oppidans were unhappy about the location and the limited menu options, but others were content with having their own dining hall.

‘n Boer maak ‘n plan, of twee

By Ulandi du Plessis

The De la Rey generation has emerged with growing Afrikaner national pride. Early last year, Louis Pepler, aka Bok van Blerk, co-wrote a song called “De la Rey” about a general being called to lead the boers to freedom. His debut album by the same name, released in October last year, has made platinum status.

Sports psych is the new edge

By Greg Wilmot

It’s difficult to imagine Schalk Burger lying on the couch describing his feelings while at the bottom of a  ruck to the umms and aahs of a bespectacled psychologist but modern sportspeople can use psychology to their advantage.

Boots on for soccer kickoff

By Oliver Field

This year’s Rhodes Internal Soccer League promises to live up to the hype that has surrounded the league for the past decade. It has always been one of the most widely participated in, and well-supported sports events at Rhodes University.

 

Coastal stuntfest

By Fleur Rollason

Two Rhodes students, Scott Reinders and Craig Rivett, spent eight days of the April vac on the Wild Coast doing what they do best, ocean kayaking.

 

That Digs Column

By Candace Whitehead

When we’re students, we think we can do anything. And so we think once we gain ultimate independence we’ll discover hidden talents of housekeeping. That illusion of mine shot out the window as I sat among
boxes and suitcases while my digsmate tried to cook cottage pie for dinner. An ominous smoke started
pouring from the bottom of the pan from a label I hadn’t been able to remove.

From the stands

By Adam Wakefield

Brian Lara retired from cricket last Saturday, removing one of the brightest diamonds from cricket’s crown. Lara epitomised cricket’s paradoxical nature, proving that cricket is the ultimate individual sport played by a team (thanks go to Rahul Bhattacharya for that beautiful description).