Some of the cast of Mystic India (SA tour)
I was recently coerced into watching what was described to me as a “Bollywood” dance show… 
Because it was set up by my sister-in-law, I decided to just shut up and attend and if I was irritated, I’d go to the bathroom and not return… That was the plan and I was going to stick with it.
The show is called Mystic India. And it blew my mind.
It really has no bearing on my life if Oscar got bail or not. But I was interested to hear the magistrate’s reasoning, as long and drawn out as it was!
Pretty obvious that Oscar wouldn’t be a flight risk. And there are numerous jokes on that particular subject circulating…
What I would like to know is why the State didn’t properly explore the possibility that Oscar could be a suicide risk.
There’s all the talk of his anger management issues coupled with a currently fragile psychological state and they didn’t do more than just touch on the possibility?
Oh well. I hope his family has at least recognised the potential and will put him on suicide watch.
And that is about all I’ll be saying on the subject for now…
Ciao
A few hours after hearing the news about Oscar’s drama with having shot and killed his girlfriend by accident, more details emerged and it is now less likely that this was an accident.
Today, police revealed that they will be opposing his bail application and the world is waiting with baited breath to hear why.
Turns out bad-boy Oscar is not just a tantrum-tot in his chosen sport… And I tried my best to give him the benefit of the doubt.
The stories that have materialised have been steadily feeding my disappointment in Oscar. Is there no South African “hero” we can actually be proud of?
Ah well. The incident and the outcome have very little bearing on my life… I wait watch with interest but it is really only spectator value.
Best wishes to everyone who needs it…
Can’t be easy on either family, and it certainly isn’t easy on South Africa.
Oscar Pistorius
I’ve been going on about guns in the USA and this morning I read this news report about Oscar Pistorius shooting his girlfriend dead in the early hours of this morning… Valentines Day nogal!
I don’t know how to react to this news, really. Living in South Africa, I understand the need to keep a weapon in the home. Our problems with crime are real ones. We don’t just get burglars who steal and leave, we have bloodthirsty monsters who steal, hurt or kill you and then leave.
Waking up to strange noises in your home at night or during the early hours of the morning in South Africa is not a pleasant experience. Any number of things could be going on. But the first thought is always: “Someone’s broken into the house”.
We obviously don’t know details yet, but I don’t understand how Oscar didn’t notice that his girlfriend was not in the room with him.
Given the circumstances, though, and until another story comes to light, my sympathies go out to Oscar and his girlfriend’s family.
What a way to kick off Valentine’s Day…
As promised in my post Outrun my Gun, here’s more discussion on the gun issue in the USA.
I am disappointed that I have missed Piers Morgan’s series of programmes about this on CNN. As soon as I find the time, I’m going to sit and watch all of these if I can find them online. I will be sure to post links to relevant discussions here as we go along.
Following discussions on Twitter, I am aware that Piers came under fire [all puns intended] for pointing out the sheer stupidity of the situation in that country. The Second Amendment right to bear arms that is “enshrined” in the Bill of Rights of the USA is so grossly outdated and irrelevant to the modern world but it remains unchanged and well adhered to.
This matter has been bothering me since a Twitter discussion on Sunday. It started with a journalist friend posting a link to an article about a Saudi cleric issuing a fatwa that in order to prevent child rape, babies should also wear the burkah – that is the face veil.
Natural reaction from me – who hates the idea of adult women covering their faces - was to be angry at the man’s ignorance… The fact that he hails from the part of the world that has mutilated my Faith and turned it into a difficult Faith to follow, just compounded my anger.
The Twitter discussion with a group of freinds got a bit heated and warped and we all ended up saying random things that were making sense to ourselves, but not to each other.
I want to dissect this issue here… I’d appreciate commentary to help the thoughts along. I have one view and may not be considering others.
This post is not about my personal violent tendencies… I’ve very unceremoniously discovered that I have none… but don’t tell anyone else please…
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, you’d better run, better run, faster than my bullet.
This song1 is currently one of my favourites and it is the reason I’m writing this. It’s a catchy song that put’s a smile on your face until you pay attention to the lyrics. What then becomes clear is that it speaks to a very real issue that is boiling over in the United States – and is growing in other parts of the world.
Gun control. Especially in schools.
I remember the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 [well, the news of it anyway] and then most recently the Newtown, Connecticut shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on 14 December 2012. Massive tragedies that should have sparked serious action… Actually, after Columbine, things should have buttoned up fast and tight.
I’m fond of slamming American society as lazy and uninformed and pointless. But they haven’t proven me wrong yet. And here’s another reason I’m baffled by them.
Let me explain:
