#university of pretoria

[robynsassenmyview]

A love affair with Rembrandt: Remembering Marianne Meijer

"A love affair with Rembrandt: Remembering Marianne Meijer", by Beck Glass.

MARIANNE MEIJER, remembered. Photograph courtesy Facebook IT IS NOT every day that an artist’s work can be contained by the conventional genres of still life, portraits and abstraction, but also by another almost invented genre: ‘Rembrandt’. The painter and arts writer, Marianne Meijer enjoyed a lifetime-long love affair with Rembrandt’s work, which brought darkness and joy to her canvases.…

[misosuper]

The Zimbabwe choir is singing Indodana!

The world is oftentimes such an ugly place, but sometimes it can be so beautiful.

Like, when two choirs, one from Croatia and the other from Zimbabwe, met on the opposite sides of a Lisbon subway station and both sang to each other.

I unfortunately do not know what the Zimbabwe children choir sang to them (although it was so beautiful), but the Croatian klapa Kastav sang 'Kuća puna naroda' (a house full of people).

And let my reward be a house full of people, my life, give me a voice, so I can embrace you with songs.

Video source: Irena Grdinić

[sillyteecup]

"Tee are you okay?"

NO😭😭😭

[thethief1996]

Israel has cut water, electricity and food to Palestinians in Gaza. They are buying 10.000 M16 rifles and plan to distribute to civilian settlers in the West Bank to hunt down Palestinians. They're bombing the only way out of Gaza through Egypt, after telling refugees to flee through it, and have threatened the Egyptian government in case they let aid trucks pass through. Entire families, generations, are being wiped out and left to wander the streets hoping they don't get bombed.

Palestinians are using their last minutes of battery to let the world know about their genocide and are being met with a wall of "What about Hamas? What about the beheaded babies? Killing children on either side is bad!" even though the propaganda claims have been debunked over and over again. How cruel is it to ask somebody to condemn themselves before their last words? Or before grieving the loss of their entire families? When there's no such disclaimer to Israelis even though their government has shown over and over genocidal intent? Like who are you even trying to appease? What will your wishy washy statement do against decades of zionist thought infiltrating evangelical and Jewish stablishmemts?

Take action. Israel will fall back if public opinion turns its tide. The UK fell back on its bloody decision to cut aid to Palestine under public scrutiny. The USAmerican empire spends $3.8 billion dollars annually solely on this proxy war while its people suffer under a progressively military regime as well. News outlets are canceling last minute on Palestinian speakers while letting Israelis tell lies unchecked. Palestinian refugees are being targeted in ICE establishments and mosques are already being hounded by the FBI. France and Germany have banned pro-Palestine protests, while Netherlands and the UK have placed restrictions . You have the chance to stop this from turning into repeat of the Iraq war.

I want to do something but there's hardly anything for me to do from Brasil besides spreading the word and not letting these testimonies fall on deaf ears. I'm asking you to do this same ant work from wherever you are.

Follow:

Eye On Palestine (instagram / twitter)

Mohammed El-Kurd (instagram / twitter)

Decolonize Palestine (website with a chronological explanation of the occupation and debunking myths)

Muhammad Shehada (twitter)

Plestia Alaqad (directly from Gaza. Many of her videos are interrupted by bombs)

If there's a protest in your city, please attend. Here's an international calendar of events:

Friday, October 13

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (US) – Fri Oct. 13, 3 pm, UNM Bookstore, University of New Mexico. Organized by Southwest Coalition for Palestine.

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA (US) – Fri Oct 13, 6 pm, Sproul Hall (Vigil), University of California Berkeley. Organized by Bears for Palestine.

DOUAIS, FRANCE – Fri Oct 13, 6:30 pm, Place de’Armes.

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN – Fri Oct 13, 5:30 pm, Brunnsparken. Organized by Palestinska samordningsgruppen Gothenburg.

GREENSBORO, NC (US) – Fri Oct. 13, 4 pm, Wendover Village, 4203 W Wendover Ave, Greensboro, NC. Organized by Muslims for a Better NC.

LONDON, ENGLAND – Fri Oct 13, 5 pm, Keir Starmer’s Office, Crowndale Center, 218 Eversholt St, London. Organized by IJAN UK.

MEANJIN/BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – Fri Oct 13, 6 pm, King George Square.

MIAMI, FL (US) – Fri Oct 13, 4:30 pm, Bayfront Park. Organized by Troika Kollectiv.

NAPOLI, ITALY – Fri Oct 13, 4:30 pm, Piazza Garibaldi, Napoli. Organized by GPI and Centro Culturale Handala Ali.

NGUNNAWAL/CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA – Fri Oct 13, 5:30 pm, Carema Place.

PERTH/BOORLOO, AUSTRALIA – Fri Oct. 13, 5:30 pm, Murray Street Hall, Boorloo/Perth. Organized by Friends of Palestine WA.

PORTLAND, OREGON (US) – Fri Oct 13, 3 pm, 1200-1220 SW 5th Ave, Portland.

PORT RICHEY, FL (US) – Fri Oct 13, 7:30 am, Route 19 and Ridge Road, Port Richey. Sponsored by: Florida Peace Action Network; Partners for Palestine; CADSI

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA – Friday, Oct. 13, 7 pm, UP Main Campus, DSA Building opposite Thuto. Organized by PSC UP.

WITSWATERSRAND UNIVERSITY (SOUTH AFRICA) – Fri Oct 13, 1 pm, Great Hall Piazza, Flag demonstration. Organized by Wits PSC.

Saturday, October 14

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – Sat, Oct. 14, 2 pm, St. Nichlas Square. Organized by Scottish PSC.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – Sat Oct 14, 2 pm, Aotea Square, Queens St, 291-2997 Queen St. Organized by PSN Aotearoa.

DETROIT/DEARBORN, MICHIGAN (US) – Sat Oct 14, 2 pm, Ford Woods Park, 5700 Greenfield Road. Organized by SAFE, PYM, SJP, Handala Coalition, more.

DUNDEE, SCOTLAND – Sat, Oct. 14, 2 pm, Place TBA. Organized by Scottish PSC.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – Sat, Oct 14, 2 pm, Princes Street at Foot of the Mound. Organized by Scottish PSC.

FRANKFURT, GERMANY – Sat Oct 14, 3 pm Hauptwache, Frankfurt am Main. Sponsored by Palestina eV, Migrantifa Rhein-Main and more.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – Sat. Oct 14, 2 pm, Buchanan Steps. Organized by Scottish PSC.

HOUSTON, TEXAS (US) – Sat Oct 14, 2 pm, City Hall, 901 Bagby St. Organizd by PYM, PAC, USPCN, SJP and more.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – Sat Oc 14, 12 pm, Church St. Organized by FRFI.

LONDON, ENGLAND – Sat Oct 14, 12 pm, BBC Portland Place, London. Organized by a broad coalition.

MILANO, ITALY – Sat. Oct 14, 3:30 pm, Piazza San Babila. Organized by Young Palestinians of Italy, UDAP, Palestinian Community, Association of Palestinians.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – Sat Oct 14, 3 pm, Lake Eola at Robinson and Eola, Orland. Organized by Florida Palestine Network.

TORINO, ITALY – Sat. Oct. 14, 3 pm, Piazza Crispi. Organized by Progetto Palestina.

VALPARAISO, CHILE – Sat Oct 14, 6 pm, Plaza Victoria, Valparaiso. Organized by Comite Chileno de Solidaridad con Palestina.

WASHINGTON, DC (US) – Sat Oct 14, 1 pm, Lafayette Square. Organized by AMP.

Sunday, October 15

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – Sun Oct 15, 2 pm, March from Dam Square to Jonas Daniel Meijer plein.

NAARM/MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Sun Oct 15, State Library Victoria.

TARDANYA/ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – Sun Oct 15, 2 pm, Parliament House.

AUSTIN, TEXAS (US) – Sun Oct 15, 3 pm, Texas Capitol. Organized by PSC ATX.

GADIGAL/SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – Sun Oct 15, 1 pm, Sydney Town Hall.

SANTIAGO, CHILE -Sun Oct 15, 11 am, Plaza Dignidad, Santiago. Organized by Comite Chileno de Solidaridad con Palestina.

[conandaily2022]

Miss South Africa 2023 results: Ndavi Nokeri crowns successor in Pretoria, Gauteng

beauty pageant: Miss South Africa edition: 65th date: August 13, 2023 venue: SunBet Arena, Time Square, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa international memberships: Miss Universe, Miss Supranational national director: Stephanie Weil (Weil Entertainment) broadcasters: SABC 3, Miss South Africa App host: Bonang Matheba performers: Siki Jo-An, Jimmy Nevis, Brenda Mtambo, Robot Boii judges:…

[probablyasocialecologist]

Half the land earmarked for regeneration by the 34-country African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) is in savannah or other non-woodland areas, says a paper published in Science on Thursday.

[...]

“There is a vast area of non-forest across Africa that is earmarked for restoration, principally through tree planting,” said Catherine Parr, a co-author of the paper and an ecologist at Liverpool, Pretoria and Witwatersrand universities. “The focus solely on forests and trees is highly problematic for these non-forest systems.” The AFR100 project seeks to restore at least 100mn hectares of degraded land — an area the size of Egypt — in Africa by 2030, with big plans in countries including Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mali and Sudan. The initiative’s backers include the German government, the World Bank and the non-profit World Resources Institute. But about half of the approximately 130mn hectares that African countries have committed to restore through AFR100 is earmarked for non-forest ecosystems, principally savannahs and grasslands, according to the paper.

[...]

The dispute over the research highlights growing friction over pledges by philanthropists and corporate leaders to plant a trillion trees worldwide. These ambitious plans face obstacles including potential shortages of available land suitable for planting. Other questions concern how effective newly planted trees are at locking in significant amounts of carbon dioxide — and how vulnerable they are to risks such as forest fires. “There’s such a big focus at international level on deforestation, but the level of sophistication and understanding about ecosystems writ large is really low,” said Alex Reid, a policy adviser on nature and finance at Global Witness, a non-profit group.  Some scientists and conservationists argue that it is better to focus on preventing deforestation, by creating incentives to retain woodland areas. Greenhouse gases released by deforestation make up about 11 per cent of global emissions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Which packaging type for a 12-ounce, single-serve container of orange juice would you choose as the most sustainable option: 1. Aluminum/canned, made with recycled material; 2. Carton, described as biodegradable/compostable; 3. Glass, 100% recyclable; or 4. Plastic, described as biodegradable/compostable? If you were like the U.S. consumers surveyed by food scientists in a University of Massachusetts Amherst study, you'd prefer glass and believe it was the most sustainable choice. And you all would be mistaken. "Glass was the most sought-after and most highly esteemed packaging type," says Nomzamo Dlamini, lead author of the paper recently published in the journal Sustainability. Dlamini, a food science Ph.D. candidate, was a recent visiting Fulbright scholar from the University of Pretoria in South Africa studying in the UMass Amherst lab of senior author Alissa Nolden, assistant professor of food science. "But it turns out, glass is actually among the least sustainable if you look at the whole packaging lifecycle," Dlamini added.

Read more.

[mindblowingscience]

A golden mole that "swims" in sand has resurfaced in South Africa after 87 years in the wilderness when many specialists feared it had become extinct, researchers have said. Traces of two De Winton's golden moles have been found under the sands of a beach after a "detective novel search", said Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) senior field officer Esther Matthew on Tuesday. EWT and University of Pretoria researchers covered up to 18 kilometers (11.2 miles) of dune habitat a day as they spent months hunting for signs, said Matthew. The blind moles are cute but excessively timid. They pick inaccessible areas to burrow homes and have extremely sensitive hearing to detect ground vibrations made by anyone who could be looking for them. The last scientific trace dates back to 1936. The team used a scent-detecting Border Collie dog, Jessie, to find traces of the moles' tunnels.

Continue Reading.

[haveyouatethisfruit]

Large Num-Num

(carissa macrocarpa)

Not to be confused with num-num (carissa bispinosa)

Also known as natal plum or amathungulu

Often grown in coastal areas, the large num-num is native to southern Africa. The flowers of this species bloom throughout summer and autumn, together with its oblong, plum-resembling red fruits which are used in pies, jams, jellies, and sauces. The fruits are said to taste similar to cranberries and are often used as a substitute for them. Carissa macrocarpa contains latex and because of the similarities to other plants with milky sap it's often thought that the other parts of the plant are poisonous. According to the University of Pretoria this is not true and they have classified the species as harmless.

🫐 Reblog to share a fun fruit and to increase sample size! Check out even more interesting fruits in the list of all polled fruits. 🫐

Suggested by impalaparkedat221b

[unhelpfu1]

Israel committing genocide in Gaza, new study concludes

The study, conducted by the University Network for Human Rights, the International Human Rights Clinic at Boston University School of Law, the International Human Rights Clinic at Cornell Law School, the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, and the Lowenstein Human Rights Project at Yale Law School, presents a thorough legal analysis of Israel’s conduct in the context of the Genocide Convention of 1948.

[mybeingthere]

Willemien de Villiers was born in 1957, in Pretoria, South Africa. She studied Fine Art at the University of Pretoria, graduating in 1978. Currently based in Muizenberg, Cape Town, Willemien also writes, paints and works with ceramics.

She says: "Soft and mutable, cloth by its very nature is a tangible signifier of connection, with its interwoven warp and weft. The ubiquity of textiles – which cover our skins and fill our homes, allowing for a bodily engagement with the world – is also used by De Villiers to examine and elevate shared female stories. The fabrics the artist chooses are those used in everyday, ordinary domestic settings, sourced from thrift shops, family and friends. A tablecloth, for example, can be practical and decorative. It can be a symbol of celebration, of home, of togetherness. Of distance and loss. It can be part of a bride’s trousseau, a tangible result of hours of work, a family heirloom. It often shows signs of history in its stains, tears and mends, in its lacework and existing embroidery. Willemien considers these an essential part of her own final artwork, as witness to a life – the beauty as well as the hurt. She accepts and draws attention to the messiness of existence by adding her own stains to the cloths she sews on. Dripping substances like red wine, turmeric and coffee, the artist subverts the onerous task of removing stains – so often left to women. Moving between ritualistic and prosaic, her substrate of choice is a carrier of densely expressive meaning, underscoring the conceptual framework of her practice."

https://willemiendevilliers.co.za/

https://www.instagram.com/willemien_de_villiers/?img_index=1

[agentfascinateur]

A study by scholars concludes Israel violated the Genocide Convention:

By the University Network for Human Rights, the International Human Rights Clinic at Boston University School of Law, the International Human Rights Clinic at Cornell Law School, the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, and the Lowenstein Human Rights Project at Yale Law School. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[sillyteecup]

Uni has really been fucking me in the ass raw with no lube😭

[ptseti]

COULD BIKO PLAN SAVE SOUTH AFRICA? In today's South Africa, White people still hold over two-thirds of the country's wealth, despite making up less than 10 per cent of the population. The economic divide is as bad as it was during apartheid. But this shouldn’t surprise you. Some fifty years ago, anti-apartheid icon Steve Biko warned the wealth gap would remain unless racist economic structures are dismantled. His solution was simple, a combination of state and private enterprise. He wanted the government to run strategic industries like mining and forestry and own land for the benefit of the people. That hasn’t happened. In fact, it’s estimated just 3,5000 individuals own 15 per cent of all wealth in South Africa. Biko railed against racist policies from an early age, which saw him expelled from school. While at university he founded the South African Students Organisation (SASO) to represent the interests of Black students. Later he established the Black Consciousness Movement (BMC) to counter apartheid White propaganda which constantly told Blacks they were inferior. In 1977 Biko was detained by the notorious ‘security’ branch of the apartheid police force. He suffered a brain haemorrhage after being beaten by officers. Instead of taking him to hospital, police transported him to a Pretoria prison. It was a journey of more than 700 kilometres that he endured chained in the back of a pickup truck. Within hours of his arrival, he died. He was just 30 years old. Biko’s shocking death sparked outrage across South Africa and beyond. More than 20,000 people turned up for his funeral in his hometown of King Williams Town. The country was robbed of a future leader who would have played a key role in post-apartheid South Africa. He was born on December 18th 1946, and to mark his birthday we've decided to run this speech. He outlines his plans for a prosperous, fair, South Africa. Could this action plan work today? #SouthAfrica #Wealth #Econony #Division #Apartheid #Racism #SteveBiko

from african_stream. IG

[lboogie1906]

Ambassador Gayleatha Beatrice Brown (June 20, 1947 – April 19, 2013) was a foreign service officer and ambassador. She has served in several diplomatic posts during her career with the US Department of State including US ambassador to Benin.

She was educated at the Red Jacket Elementary School, Matewan Elementary, and High Schools in Mingo County, West Virginia. She was senior class president and graduated from Edison High School in Edison, New Jersey. She has BA and MA honor degrees from Howard University. She conducted post-graduate work in international relations at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Before joining the Department of State, she was a Special Assistant to the Agency for International Development, an Assistant Administrator for Africa, and a legislative assistant in the House of Representatives.

Ambassador to Benin

Counselor for Political Affairs at the US Embassy in Pretoria,

US Consul General at the American Consulate General, and concurrently as the US Deputy Permanent Observer to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg,

Chief of the Economic and Commercial Sections at the US Embassies in Harare and Dar es Salaam,

Desk Officer for Canada, Senegal, Guinea, and Mauritania at the State Department in Washington

Economic Officer/Regional US Agency for International Development Representative and Finance, and Development Officer at the US Embassies in Paris and Abidjan.

Representative of the State Department Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Export Credit Arrangement negotiations. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #alphakappaalpha