South African Coat of Arms
A national coat of arms is the highest visual symbol of the State. The coat of arms is also a central part of the Great Seal, traditionally considered to be the highest emblem of the State. Absolute authority is given to every document with an impression of the Great Seal on it, as this means that it has been approved by the ruler of a country.
A new coat of arms now replaces one that has served South Africa since 17 September 1910. The change reflects the aim of Government to highlight the democratic change in South Africa.
THE DESIGN OF THE NEW COAT OF ARMS:
The new Coat of Arms is a series of elements organised in distinct symmetric oval shapes placed on top of one another.
THE LOWER OVAL SHAPE OF FOUNDATION:
The first element is the motto, in a green semi-circle. Completing the semi-circle are two symmetrically placed pairs of elephant tusks pointing upwards. Within the oval shape formed by the tusks are two symmetrical ears of wheat which in turn frame a centrally placed gold shield.
The shape of the shield makes reference to a drum, and contains two human figures from Khoi san rock art. The figures are depicted facing one another in greeting and in unity. Above the shield are placed a spear and a knobkierie, crossed in a single unit. These elements are arranged harmoniously to give focus to the shield and complete the lower oval shape of Foundation.
THE UPPER OVAL SHAPE OF ASCENDANCE:
Immediately above the lower oval shape, is the visual centre of the Coat of Arms, a Protea. The petals of the Protea are rendered in a triangular pattern reminiscent of the crafts of Africa. The secretary bird is placed above the Protea and the flower forms the chest of the bird. The secretary bird stands with its wings uplifted in a regal stance. The distinctive head feathers of the secretary bird crown a strong and vigilant head.
The rising sun above the horizon is placed between the wings of the secretary bird and completes the oval shape of ascendance.
THE SYMBOLS OF THE NEW COAT OF ARMS
The Motto:
!KE E: /XARRA //KE, written in the Khoisan language of the /Xam people, literally meaning: diverse people unite. On a collective scale it calls for the nation to unite in a common sense of belonging and national pride – Unity in Diversity.
The Ears of Wheat:
An emblem of fertility, it also symbolizes the idea of germination, growth and the feasible development of any potential. It relates to the nourishment of the people and signifies the agricultural aspects of the earth.
Elephant Tusks:
Elephants symbolize wisdom, strength, moderation and eternity.
The Shield:
It has a dual function as a vehicle for the display of identity and of spiritual defence.
The Human Figures:
The figures are derived from images on the Linton stone, a world famous example of South African Rock Art, now housed and displayed in the South African Museum in Cape Town. The Khoisan, the oldest known inhabitants of South Africa, and most probably of the earth, testify to a common humanity and heritage. The figures are depicted in an attitude of greeting, symbolizing unity.
The Spear and Knobkierie:
Dual symbols of defence and authority, they in turn represent the powerful legs of the secretary bird. The spear and knobkierie are lying down, symbolising peace.
The Protea:
The Protea is an emblem of the beauty of South Africa and its flowering. The Protea symbolizes the holistic integration of forces that grows from the earth and are nurtured from above. The most popular colours of Africa have been assigned to the Protea – green, gold, red and black.
The Secretary Bird:
The secretary bird is characterised in flight, the natural consequence of growth and speed. It is the equivalent of the lion on earth. A powerful bird whose legs – depicted as the spear and knobkierie – serve it well in its hunt for snakes symbolising protection of the nation against its enemies. It is a messenger of the heavens and conducts its grace upon the earth, in this sense it is a symbol of divine majesty. Its uplifted wings are an emblem of the ascendance of the nation, whilst simultaneously offering protection. It is depicted in gold, which clearly symbolizes its association with the sun and the highest power.
The Rising Sun:
An emblem of brightness, splendour and the supreme principle of the nature of energy, it symbolizes the promise of rebirth, the active faculties of reflection, knowledge, good judgment and willpower. It is the symbol of the source of life, of light and the ultimate wholeness of Humanity.
The completed structure of the Coat of Arms combines the lower and higher oval shapes in a symbol of infinity. The path that connects the lower edge of the scroll, through the lines of the tusks, with the horizon above which the sun rises at the top, forms the shape of the cosmic egg from which the secretary bird rises. In the symbolic sense this is the implied rebirth of the spirit of our great and heroic nation.
Hip Hop – Fad Or Culture?
What is hip hop? This question has been posed to many a person and the answer varies as much as the people in our society vary. When most people think of the term hip hop they tend to focus on the musical aspect of it. Much like with rock and roll in the 60s parents figured that this music was simply a form of rebellion for their children and that it wouldn’t even last past its infancy. Thirty plus years later and not only is hip hop still alive but it is quite the power house in terms of the economy. If there is something that needs to be sold and your target demographic is under the age of 35, there is not a more powerful tool then hip hop.
You would not have to look any further then your own children to see the effects of hip hop on our present society. Every era had its form of expression! I don’t care if it’s the fifty’s, sixties or seventies but it’s always been that teenagers have a different way of dressing, dancing and talking then their adult counterparts. This new era is no different. How many times have you seen or heard your child talking to their friend’s right in front of you and felt as thought they were speaking a foreign language? Turn on your television and you’ll see these same youth doing dance moves that seem as though if an adult were to attempt these same moves that an ambulance would have to be placed on standby. You can go to any mall and see the youth wearing the baggiest clothes that are barely hanging on them for dear life. All these things come from hip hop.
Don’t get me wrong. Hip hop is not only about the rebellious nature of young people. There are many accomplished clean cut adults who should be considered every bit as much hip hop as their young counter parts. The message that any person in their 30s grew up listening to is a much different one then what is being circulated today. The rap music of the seventy’s and eighties was about self empowerment and making something of your lives. Many kids in the eighties would have had no where to turn if it wasn’t for after school programs consisting of break dancing and other aspects of hip hop. We have doctors, lawyers and other successful individual who grew up not only listening to hip hop but living it.
When I hear the word fad, I quickly think of the way a person might dress or the music they may listen to. Hip hop is partially about those two things but it’s also about the way you speak, the way you move and most importantly the way in which you live your life. If hip hop is a fad someone forgot to tell entire nations that they need to find a new one! Hip hop is 30 years strong and still growing!
Asian Culture
If one looks at the map of the world, it is hard not to notice that Asia is the biggest land mass. Asia is important to the rest of the world. The importance of this part of world is not only because it is the biggest continent of the world, but also because it is the portion if the world which is home to the majority of humanity. All densely populated countries are located in Asia. Asia spans hundreds of longitude and as a result you find a variety of culture and traditions in Asia. Asian people are generally closely bound to their traditions and for them it is always difficult to break away. The continent as a whole is rich in traditions and values.
Asian people are descendents of a variety of races. You find one kind of people dominating one region in Asia. For example, the Indian subcontinent is home to the Aryans. The East of India is mostly home to the yellow races which include the Mongols. These people have very typical features and can be identified very easily. The West of India is mostly populated with Iranian and Arab features. More towards the West you find western mix in the mosaic of population that lives in Asia. Asian people are different from the people of the other continents as these people are still close to their roots and in most of the countries you find agro based economies. The economies are not very well developed and you find tat the pressure on land is great. Still, being blessed with the most fertile plains of the world, Asia is feeding the rest of the world as a granary.
In Asia, you still find that generations after generations of people are bound with the traditional values. The West of Asia is mostly dominated by the Muslim values as a chain of Muslim countries is located in this part of the world. In general here Islamic values are followed and family unit is appreciated. Families are the basic structural unit in making up the societies here. Even in the technically advanced and developed countries like Japan, you still find that family ties are important to them. People from more developed parts of the world sometimes consider Asian people to be backward and superstitious, but I believe the Asians are happy and at home with their family units still intact.
Asian traditions are most of the times really colorful and in some cases difficult to understand for people coming from highly developed countries. The impact of religions on the traditions and values of the people of Asia is prominent. Most of the people living in Asia find religion and language to be really important to them. The dress codes are specific and the festivals are also under the religious influence. In general, you can say that Asian life is different from the life in other parts of the world. It is still about home and family. People here are still bound to their roots, and most of all, they are happy about it.
Inter-Racial Dating
Have you been only dating people from your own ethnic background, to find that no matter what you try, there just seems to be no spark or real passion occurring in the relationship? Are you just about ready to give up on finding a soul mate? Well before you lose all hope in the dating world, you may want to try exploring dating someone who comes from a different culture than you. Who knows, you may just discover that a multicultural relationship is what you need to discover that special spark you’ve been searching for.
One of the best ways that you can explore your dating options, without having to worry about pressures from friends or family, is to join an online dating community, such as Love Empire, which is designed to bring you close to those who share the same interests as you, regardless if they are black, white, Eurasian and so on.
Love Empire allows you the chance to really explore the beauty of the multicultural dating world with no strings attached, and no outside judgments interfering with your choices. In this online dating community the only opinion that matters when it comes to dating is your own. Therefore, listen to you heart, trust your feelings and use your common sense to decide what’s best for you. Besides, the whole point to dating is to have fun, and to enjoy the company of the person you choose to be with.
There is true potential in being apart of a multicultural relationship in today’s society, as these relations have really become a more common and accepted part of Western culture. Because of this, blacks, whites, Eurasians and other ethnic groups have more reason to mix together than any other time in history. For instance, it has been estimated that in Britain alone, over 30 percent of black men are either living with or are married to white women, and over 20 percent of black women are living with or married to white men. When you stop to think about that, it’s truly beautiful to know that something such as multicultural relationships has grown from a small minority and become common and socially recognized.
Don’t be afraid to believe in love and companionship, no matter what others may think of your interracial dating. Remember, the most important ingredient to any relationship is love. No force on this Earth is greater than that of love, and once you find it gender, age, race, and religion are nothing more than small details that add to the beauty of the individual you love.
Hawaii – Island Culture Shines
Great concern has been rampant about the lack of “Hawaii” in the so-called “Hawaiian” activities, merchandise and demonstrations witnessed throughout the island’s hotels. Such items like leis and bracelets being strung with shells from the Philippines or tropical print bags, dolls and pot holders bearing the status of “Made in China”—even many souvenirs sold to visitors in Hawaii are created in and sold from such places as Bali, Thailand.
As odd as it can be, much of what is offered as authentic “Hawaiian” arts and crafts is actually imported from other foreign countries and guests of the islands haven’t the slightest clue!
As a result, a lot of time and energy has been spent on allowing the “real” Hawaiian culture to stand out and become noticed by all those millions of people who come to Hawaii annually. For much too long, the tendency was to push touristy trends like torch lighting ceremonies, Polynesian dancing revues and flashy hotels—all of which were ultimately lacking in substance when authentic “Hawaiian” cultural experiences were what was really desired.
In 1998, the Kauai Heritage Center of Hawaiian Culture and the Arts opened—a 1,200 square-foot facility with a purpose to educate and create mind awareness for appreciation and respect of the true “Hawaiian” culture. Exhibits in the Center focus on the Hawaiian quilts, hand-carved fishing tools, hula instruments and implements, as well as a vast array of mats, fans and baskets, to name just a few. Most of the artefacts making up the exhibits are treasured heirlooms belonging to Hawaiian families for decades.
The Center also instructs hands-on classes that probe and discuss all aspects of a specific subject, i.e., hula, leaf printing and the Hawaiian language. These sessions also cover lei making techniques along with the sharing of its protocols and customs that span the entire experience— from the preparation of materials to the actual leis disposal.
Realizing that to preserve Hawaiian culture and perpetuate its message is a daunting undertaking, the Center’s goal is not one of just providing an activity exercise but to share information and knowledge so that responsibility is assigned to the participant. Thus, programs are constantly in the planning stages, including work shops teaching cultural insights inspired and motivated by Hawaiian themes. The presenters are artists and practitioners specializing in their specific field of expertise.
Special permission was granted by the owners of the historic Coco Palms in Wailua, heavily damaged in Hurricane Iniki in 1992, to the students of the Center to sketch its structures and lagoons. More lectures will be presented on ancient places of worship and on these lagoons—which were first used as fish ponds by the Royalty.
The Center will also organize cultural excursions, like taking 5th-6th graders to learn about Hawaii’s environment, it’s native plants and about conservation. The group size will be limited to anywhere from 6 to 30 people because of the impact on the sacred cultural sites.
With the advent of new technologies and conveniences, many of today’s Hawaiians have forgotten the value and wisdom of the “old ways”. So, a comprehensive training program aimed at Hawaiian Islands’ visitor industry—hotel employees and business organizations—commenced based on traditional Hawaiian values.
This training program offers 8 hours of instruction covering subjects on healing with herbs, sacred offerings, massage, music, proverbs and poetry.
Perpetuating the integrity of the Hawaiian culture is what the Center is all about. Its goal, in short, is to accomplish every- thing possible to keep Hawaii “Hawaiian”. There is a constant vigil to correct false and inaccurate representations of Hawaiian practices. Both visitors and locals alike are encouraged to discover the “real” Hawaii and not fall victim to activities referred to as “traditional” when in fact, they are “gimmicks for amusement”.
Earth Day
As Earth Day 2006 approaches, there seems to be good news on the environmental scene, which should come as welcome change to anyone concerned about the state of our Earth. That’s in stark contrast to the first Earth Day, back in 1970.
Earth Day 2006 sees lakes in New England beginning to rebound from their sorry condition after being bombarded by acid rain for decades. The acid rain itself has decreased, as well, and the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that comprise most of our air pollution have diminished by some 50 percent–due in no small part to the fact that the burning of leaded gas is virtually a thing of the past.
Environmentalists have also been encouraged to discover that a number of endangered species, including America’s national symbol, the bald eagle, as well as wolves and grizzly bears, have begun making a promising comeback. All of that good news is even more significant when you compare today’s environment to the way things were on the first Earth Day.
In Ohio, the Cuyahoga River was so polluted that it actually caught fire. In New York, all of the residents of a neighborhood called Love Canal were forced to move away forever when it was discovered that their homes had been built upon a toxic chemical waste dump. Pollution in cities was so bad that residents were told to stay inside because the air was actually hazardous to breathe during “code red” days.
The interesting thing is that the environmental improvements took place in spite of increased pressure in America. For instance, EPA statistics show that the total emissions of the six major air pollutants dropped by more than 50 percent, even though America’s population increased by 40 percent and energy consumption increased by 47 percent. Automobile hydrocarbon emissions also decreased during that time, despite the fact that both the number of vehicles and amount of miles driven more than doubled.
All in all, it appears as if America is headed in the right direction in regard to the environment. It’s been a fierce, hand-to-hand battle, but the country is moving forward, thanks to dedicated environmentalists and bureaucrats at all levels of government.
However, even though American rivers don’t catch fire anymore and the smog levels have decreased in most major cities, there’s still a long way to go. Urban sprawl is still endangering woodlands, prairies, and farmland, and global warming is still on the rise. Even so, the overall trend is positive. But we must all work to continue the momentum set in motion by the first Earth Day in 1970.
Latin American Recipes
I just recently found this feature on Latin American Recipes. The recipes are broken down by country and styles of cooking across Latin America (just like we in the US are used to seeing Southern, New England or West Coast recipes in countless cookbooks.)
I’m excited to try some of the new recipes and really pleased to see some old favorites that we’ve picked up over the years. The slide show is amazing – makes your mouth water just looking at the pictures. It’s nice to see that the recipes aren’t all Americanized versions of Latin cooking. These are authentic recipes – food you eat when you grow up in Latin America and travel there.
Authentic Mexican cookbooks at MexGrocer.com
Enjoy!
King friends recall day of assassination
“Sometimes there are playbacks in my head,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a former King aide. “I see him talking and laughing and going to dinner.
“All of a sudden,” he said with a clap of his hands, “it was over.”
Jackson joined the Rev. Billy Kyles, a Memphis pastor, at the site of the assassination recently to talk to The Associated Press about April 4, 1968, the day King died.
Kyles was a few feet from King on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel when the bullet struck. Jackson was below, joking with King about going to dinner at Kyles’ house.
Then King fell, and panic ensued.
“Blood was everywhere,” Kyles said. “The nightmare was that I was awake. This really was happening.”
King was in Memphis helping lead a strike by city sanitation workers. The civil rights leader had shifted his focus to helping the working poor of all races and opposing the Vietnam War, which was stirring up a whole new wave of enemies, Jackson said.
“He is a beloved man today, but a hated man when he was killed,” Jackson said.
King had hoped to lead a peaceful protest march with the garbage workers as a sort of dress rehearsal for the Poor People’s Campaign he was preparing to take to Washington.
But a march through downtown Memphis on March 28 fell apart when small groups of unruly protesters and looters began breaking store windows. Police rushed in with nightsticks and tear gas leaving many of the marchers – the peaceful and unruly alike – bruised and bloodied.
King, whose career was built on nonviolent opposition to the powerful, was accused of hypocrisy and of having lost control of his followers. Doubts were raised over his ability to lead the Poor People’s Campaign.
King was warned he could be in physical danger if he returned to Memphis, Jackson said, but he came back anyway vowing to lead a a second march, this one peaceful.
In his last public address, King told a packed house at Mason Temple in Memphis that he had been to the mountaintop and seen “the promised land.”
“I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land,” he shouted to thunderous applause. “And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man.”
The “mountaintop speech” on April 3 and King’s apparent reference to the possibility of an early death showed he was under more stress than even those closest to him had realized.
“We had no way of knowing how much pain … he was internalizing. How much more he knew than we knew about the threats,” Jackson said. “But his courage rose above the threats.”
The following day, King and his associates mostly stayed in their rooms at the Lorraine. The conversations were light, “just cracking jokes and having fun,” Jackson said.
About 6 p.m. the group prepared to go to dinner.
“I said, guys, come on let’s go. We have a rally after dinner,” Kyles said. “I turned and walked away, got a few steps, a few feet, and that’s when I heard the shot.”
The .30-caliber bullet hit King in the jaw, severed his jugular vein and spine and knocked him to his back.
There was little anyone could do but cover him with a blanket and wait for the ambulance. Jackson went into one of the rooms and called King’s wife, Coretta Scott King, telling her she had better come to Memphis.
Jackson said he told her King was shot in a shoulder, though it was obvious he was mortally wounded. “I just couldn’t say it,” he said.
James Earl Ray, a career criminal and prison escapee from Missouri, confessed to killing King and drew 99 years in prison. Numerous conspiracy theories have cropped up over the years, but none has been proven. Ray died in prison in 1998.
It’s unlikely Ray could have killed King alone, Jackson said, and King’s vilification by the FBI and other champions of the status quo had created a dangerous emotional climate that lead to the murder.
“He was trying to live in peace and they just blew him away,” Jackson said. “They didn’t have to kill him.”
Jackson’s voice began to break as he talked with Kyles on the Lorraine’s balcony.
“I don’t come back much. It’s a lot to take,” Jackson said, his eyes growing wet. “It’s still a lot to take.”
