by Tshepo on 17 May 2012
Wits University Press invites you to the book launch of The AIDS Conspiracy by Nicoli Nattrass.
Nattrass and Mark Heywood (Executive Director of Section 27) will be in conversation at the Professional Development Hub at Wits University on Thursday May 24th at 6PM.
See you there!
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by Lindsay on 17 May 2012
Zola Budd was a young running sensation during the apartheid-era sports boycotts in the 1980s. Budd was given British citizenship so that she could participate in the Olympics, but during one of the races she and Mary Decker made contact and Decker was tripped up. This incident went on to define her early career as Decker accused her of purposefully tripping her. The Guardian has included this event in their round-up of “50 Stunning Olympic Moments” ahead of the London 2012 Olympics:
The story of Zola Budd’s involvement in the 1984 Olympics is the tale of three races, each extraordinary in their own way, held in the space of six months. Two of them took place on a running track, the third around the corridors and meeting rooms of Downing Street, Whitehall and Fleet Street.
The first was run on a vicious, windy night in Stellenbosch in January 1984, when Budd introduced herself to the world with a stunning performance over 5,000m. A tiny, fragile young woman of 17, her vulnerability magnified by her preference for running barefoot, her time of 15min 1.95sec shattered the world record, held by America’s Mary Decker, by more than six seconds. Because she was South African the International Association of Athletics Federations refused to ratify the time, but she nevertheless suddenly found herself among the most talked-about athletes in the world.
Gallery: 50 Stunning Olympic moments – Zola Budd
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Photo courtesy The Guardian
by Tracey on 24 Apr 2012
“Having a baby is hard for everyone. And for some women it’s worse than hard – it’s a living hell.”
Did you know that postnatal depression (PND) may affect as many as 30 percent of mothers?
PND is a widely misunderstood illness, but it is treatable. In Recognising Postnatal Depression journalist Paula Levin, clinical psychologist Zahava Aarons, and Doctor Andy Taub-Da Costa contribute their own personal experience and expertise in the area of PND. They explain just what this illness is, how to recognise it and the best ways to achieve recovery of body, mind and spirit. It is a handbook for mothers.
The journey to motherhood is sometimes clouded with unrealistic expectations and society’s unfair judgement of any woman who isn’t immediately blissfully happy with her new baby. PND is believed to affect as many as 30 percent of mothers, but partners, children, extended family, friends and colleagues all feel its ripple effect, and many mothers do not know, or do not wish to acknowledge, that this misunderstood illness can be treated just like any other.
Women from different walks of life — Sam Cowen, Debora Patta, Busi Mahlaba to name a few — agreed to share with the authors, and now with the reader, their tough yet transformative experiences of PND, offering hope and encouragement, and revealing the power of healing through openness and the telling of their stories.
About the authors
Zahava Aarons is a clinical psychologist who has been in private practice since 1997. Since experiencing PND herself in 2001 and mid-2004 she has worked extensively with women suffering from the condition.
Over the past 17 years Dr Andy Taub-Da Costa’s work has ranged from running the Milpark Hospital Trauma Unit, working at the Alexandra Township Clinic and working as a general practitioner in private practice. Fourteen years ago she experienced PND and has been working with women and families ever since. Andy is also a Martha Beck Master Life Coach.
Paula Levin is the editor of Jewish Life Magazine. Also a survivor of PND, Paula has first-hand experience with this illness and is committed to helping other women.
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by Tshepo on 18 Apr 2012
In an interview featured at Columbia University Press, Nicoli Natrass, author of The AIDS Conspiracy: Science Fights Back, elaborates on the various conspiracy theories surrounding HIV and AIDS and explains the link with AIDS denialism:
Question: What is AIDS conspiracy theory?
Nicoli Nattrass: The central AIDS conspiracy theory is that HIV was created in a laboratory (perhaps with the help of the CIA) to inflict harm. Ironically, the idea that U.S. scientists invented HIV was initially promoted by the Russian KGB and the East German Stasi in a genuine conspiracy to spread misinformation. There are now many local variants of AIDS conspiracy beliefs–for example, in South Africa a common story is that HIV was created by the apartheid government’s chemical warfare program, with assistance from the United States.
Q: Why does AIDS conspiracy theory matter?
NN: AIDS conspiracy beliefs matter because they reflect and reinforce broader suspicions toward medical science. AIDS conspiracy believers in the United States and South Africa are less likely to use condoms, less likely to test for HIV, and less likely to take antiretroviral treatment. Why did you write the book? I was concerned about the way that AIDS conspiracy theories had been promoted at the highest levels in South Africa, and continue to resonate today. The book is the product of my exploration of how these ideas travel and take root, why they resonate socially, and what can be done to fight them.
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by Luso on 18 Apr 2012
In his Daily Maverick column, Jacques Rousseau questions the science behind Tim Noakes’ latest commentary on the diet of athletes.
Noakes, the author of the recently updated book Challenging Beliefs: Memoirs of a Career, usually gets a lot of attention, especially when making pronouncements about dietary matters. After many years of endorsing carbo-loading, Noakes finally made an about-turn and said it may not be the healthiest choice, as carbohydrates are “addictive”. Rousseau takes his ideas to task:
Tim Noakes has moved from advocating carbo-loading to suggesting that carbohydrates are an addiction posing severe health risks. But while his revised recommendations are couched in the language of science, does the science support them?
In one of my first columns on Daily Maverick, Michael Pollan and his food rules (“the whiter the bread, the sooner you will be dead”) were used to illustrate the modern obsession with eating “healthy” food, or orthorexia. Pollan is an example of a celebrity nutritionist, who – while not necessarily offering harmful advice – could be accused of simplifying things to such an extent that what starts as sound advice mostly ends up being accepted on faith or as dogma.
Recently, South Africa’s sports-science guru Tim Noakes has been receiving plenty of media coverage following his apparent about-turn on matters dietary. Many of you will recall Noakes as an advocate of carbo-loading, especially for athletes. But even those of us who aspired to complete a 10km shuffle had little to fear from the carbohydrate. Until now, where for many of us our fondness for carbohydrates “is an addiction that is at least as powerful as those associated with cigarette consumption and some recreational drugs like heroin.
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by Carolyn on 10 Apr 2012
Uitspraak: wortel
Ek moet toegee, toe ek hierdie boek uit die koevert haal en ek sien die skrapsgeklede verpleegster met die rooi rompie en die rooier oprygstewels, die rooi lippe en die ewe rooi suigstokkie voorop, het ek dadelik gedink dat ek hier met die opgekikkerde weergawe van die een of ander hospitaalhygroman te doen het. Agterop moes ek vaskyk in die priemende blik van die langhaarouteur in ’n rondenektrui.
’n Voorblad vir die mans en ’n agterblad vir die vrouens dalk?
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