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/ 14 December 2005

Beyond the pale

Four centuries after the Europeans arrived in sub-Saharan Africa, four decades after they began withdrawing from their colonies, their genetic sediment survives across the continent, mostly now to its benefit. The native whites are scattered over the mainland and the offshore island states in pools ranging in size from the millions in South Africa to the thousands in Kenya.

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/ 14 December 2005

A school that fits

By the time Stevens* parents came to Margaret Logan at Rosemeade Private School, they were at their wits end. Their son had been expelled from three schools. He was doing drugs, despised authority and had a criminal record pending. Even Logan, who had been a remedial teacher for 25 years, was intimidated.

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/ 14 December 2005

Spilling the beans on GM

Most of us are aware of the simmering row around genetically modified (GM) food and crops. But the arguments are leaving general confusion in their wake because of the deeply polarised views put forth by those who promote, and those who are cautious about, these products.

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/ 14 December 2005

Taking the classics to the country

Tohe Kokstad Concerto might not roll off the tongue quite like the Brandenburg Concerto, but one cant help wondering what Johann Sebastian Bach, the 18th-century composer of the latter, would have come up with had he been commissioned to create the former. Would the rumbling trucks, sentinel-like electricity pylons and dry, dusty plains of the southern interior of KwaZulu-Natal have inspired him to create something critics would immediately praise for its harsh beauty? And would the quasi-Swiss quaintness of the more mountainous inland towns, such as Matatiele, have tempered this with flowing, pastoral romance?

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/ 14 December 2005

Africa gets tough on persistent

South Africa has an estimated 250 tons of obsolete pesticides within its borders, with more unaccounted for either in buried containers or scattered across its agricultural land. The reasons for the accumulation of stockpiles in developing countries vary, but include aggressive sales practices by the pesticide industry, inappropriate procurement and central purchasing policies.

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/ 14 December 2005

Sports, beer and waxing at male salons

Steven Wooke takes a swig from a bottle of Heineken as his left hand rests on a small table, his fingers spread out like a fan of playing cards. He’s getting a manicure — or hand detailing, as the salon calls it — and it’s a form of pampering the 24-year-old information technology manager has learned to enjoy.