Author: Staff Reporter

We all to a certain degree have this hunger to feel useful, to feel we’re making a difference. Peter shares the secret to being useful in 2 Peter 1:5-8.  He writes as follows; 5 Make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Christian Standard Bible). Basically Peter is saying to us that in order to be useful, we need to add a…

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Pro Carmine choir is once again breaking out the sherry and mince pies for all those attending their annual end-of-year concert next Friday (30 November at Christ Church), held in aid of the Grocott’s Mail Christmas Cheer Fund. The choir says that the programme is a varied one including some old favourites, starting with the rousing Fanfare for Christmas followed by Mendelssohn’s Weihnachten and ending with that homage to overweight poultry, Christmas is Coming. There are also some newer pieces including interesting treatments of traditional carols, The Holly and The Ivy and I Saw Three Ships; two modern arrangements by…

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LA Lore II Quentin Hogge and Bugs Wilmot Illustrated by Basil Mills ISBN: 978-0-620-80250-5 Review by HARRY OWEN Does anyone actually know how hot cakes sell? Quickly, presumably, and in considerable quantities. That seems also to be the case with a new and already immensely popular book: LA Lore II…and more! by Quentin Hogge and Brian ‘Bugs’ Wilmot, a light-hearted, irreverent and iconoclastic compilation of stories from Lower Albany. I have been dipping in and out of this book – superbly illustrated with Basil Mills’s appropriately quirky cartoons – because that is what it demands: it’s very much a lucky dip of narrative delights, some…

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Op 16 Augustus het PJ Olivier `n talentaand vir Graad R – 12 gehou waar leerlinge die geleentheid gehad het om hulle talente asook hulle liefde en passie vir die uitvoerende kunste ten toon te stel voor `n vol gepakte saal en 3 beoordelaars.  Daar was `n groot variasie van items wat gelewer is, onder andere kontemporere dans, ballroom danse, sangitems, kitaar/klavier items, acapella sanggroepe en nog meer.  Die beoordelaars het die uitdagende taak gehad om die 3 gunsteling optredes te kies en hulle is as volg: Wenner:  Shalisha Sampson (Solo Sang item:  Run – Leona Lewis); Naaswenners:  Lindokuhle Goba,…

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Retailers started getting shoppers revved up for the holidays with festive season advertising last month, and mania around Black Friday and Cyber Monday is no exception. Black Friday falls on November 23, the traditional kick-off to the shopping season and often the busiest shopping day of the year. November 26 is Cyber Monday, born out of retailers trying to persuade customers to shop online. “South Africa is the latest country to follow these two shopping crazes, and while there are some great deals to be found, consumers need to watch their spending, especially in the current economy where downsizing and…

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At 6pm on Friday 16 November, Nebula Productions joins forces with the National Arts Festival to present the screening of the staged performance by the Royal Ballet (UK) of MAYERLING choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan. Dangerous desires, family secrets and political intrigues twist through every moment of daring choreography in Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet inspired by true events.  Mayerling is a classic of the Royal Ballet repertory, with its emotional depth, haunting imagery, and one of the most demanding roles ever created for a male dancer. From the ballet’s start, the glamour of the Austro-Hungarian court is contrasted with undercurrents of sexual and political intrigue that drive the story…

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This week, Grade 3 St Andrew’s Prep pupil Megan Wienekus progressed from the chanter on to a full set of bagpipes, making her the youngest Preppie in the history of the 133-year-old school. Megan is also the only girl to take up the bagpipes at Prep. Because she is so young, a specially made mouthpiece and chanter had to be fitted to the set to enable to her to play comfortably. “Megan is self-driven and extremely enthusiastic,” her music teacher and Old Preppie Murray Roodt said. “She progressed quickly through her tunes to make it possible for her to qualify…

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The Electoral Commission said it welcomed the ruling by the Constitutional Court granting an extension to November 2019 for the Electoral Commission to update the voters’ roll with addresses for all voters. In a media statement issued Thursday 22 November, the Commission said the ruling provides certainty on the status of the voters’ roll and especially those voters without addresses ahead of next year’s national and provincial elections. “Today’s judgment will greatly assist the Electoral Commission in ensuring the elections are free and fair. The Electoral Commission remains committed to meeting the conditions set by the Constitutional Court including that voters…

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Hooggenoeg and Phola Park will play host to their first ever Garden Competition on Saturday 17 November. Gardens will be open to the public from 10am. Prizegiving in the hall in 5th Avenue is at 3pm. The aim of the competition, says organiser Cary Clark, is to begin the process of beautifying the area. “The initiative raises awareness of permaculture food gardens and the importance of healthy eating and a clean environment,” Clark said. Guided garden tours will begin at 10am. At 3pm the hall in 5th Avenue will be the venue for the prizegiving. Clark encouraged other residents to come…

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85% of South African pupils aspire to go to university Most still aspire to pursue traditional, well respected careers  as doctors, dentists, engineers and psychologist/psychiatrists The study also explored areas such as technology in the classroom, teacher motivations, exams, students’ favourite subjects and celebrating success According to new research by Cambridge International, 85% of South African school pupils aspire to continue their studies at university once they have left a school. In addition, many still aspire to go into the more traditional, highly respected careers like medicine and dentistry (13%), engineering (13%) and psychology and psychiatry (11%). The first ever…

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