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THEY\u2019RE alarming these predictions that rhino could be headed for extinction if poaching in this country continues at its present rate. After the astonishing success of the rescue from extinction of the white rhino \u2013 to which people like Ian Player devoted a lifetime \u2013 it\u2019s nothing short of heartbreaking. <\/p>\n
And the truly astounding thing is that it\u2019s all caused by a gigantic myth. Chinese men believe ground-up rhino horn is the key ingredient of a potion that promotes male sexual potency. They\u2019re prepared to pay anything for it. <\/p>\n
China\u2019s economic boom has produced a huge market of men with spare cash, willing to pay for increased sexual potency. Hence the international syndicates, the big money and high technology that go into poaching. It\u2019s a vicious circle. <\/p>\n
But there\u2019s hope. The conservationists are fighting back. They plan to overcome this ancient myth with digital technology and modern myth. Already a message is flitting about cyberspace. <\/p>\n
It reads: \u201cThe testicles of a rhino poacher can cure HIV\/Aids. Please spread the word.\u201d <\/p>\n
The extinction of rhino poachers as a species could be very sudden. <\/p>\n
Slip-ons, kaalvoet <\/p>\n
AN INDIAN minister in the state government has pledged to wear only slip-on shoes in future after an extraordinary row when a young man was shown on television tying his laces at a public event. <\/p>\n
Gauri Shankar Bisen, a minister in Madhya Pradesh state, says he\u2019s been told by doctors to avoid bending after a hernia operation. The son of a friend tied his laces for him and it was captured on television. His political opponents have now tried to turn it into a caste issue. <\/p>\n
\u201cI swear that from now onwards, I will not wear any shoes with laces.\u201d <\/p>\n
I sympathise. From now on I myself go kaalvoet<\/em> \u2013 ever since the waitresses seized my flipflops at the La Bella street shelter for over-40s the other night and paddywhacked me for allegedly risqu\u00e9 comments (All I was doing was quoting Chaucer). <\/p>\n Fatness factor (1) <\/p>\n IS FATNESS a guarantee against flight risk? Not in New Zealand, it seems. <\/p>\n Lawyers for a 6 feet 6 inch (1.98m) and 20-stone (127kg) figure accused of financial piracy argued that their client, Kim Dotcom, could not flee the country because he would be immediately spotted for his vast bulk. <\/p>\n The police counter-argued that he had multiple identities and unlimited access to funds. <\/p>\n The court refused bail. Dotcom \u2013 real name Kim Schmitz \u2013 is accused of involvement in a piracy scam of $175 million (R1.4 billion). <\/p>\n I suppose no pressure group can take up his case on grounds of discrimination. He\u2019s being held in custody in spite of his fatness, not because of his fatness. <\/p>\n Fatness factor (2) <\/p>\n THE above recalls the sad case in the 1960s when an enormously fat showbiz impressario known to everyone simply as Fischke was unable to leave Durban because of his size. <\/p>\n Fischke \u2013 whose wife was an exotic dancer billed as Nadjia of the Nile \u2013 was due to fly to Canada. <\/p>\n But when they came to embarkation, there was no way they could get Fischke\u2019s bulk through the door of the aircraft. Pull and push as the aircrew tried, they couldn\u2019t shoehorn him in. Nor could they stow him in the freight section because it wasn\u2019t pressurised. So Fischke had to stay put in Durban. <\/p>\n Aircraft have bigger doors these days, so that\u2019s probably why Kim Dotcom\u2019s lawyers didn\u2019t raise the Fischke argument. <\/p>\n Is it a bird… <\/p>\n DANIE du Toit, who styles himself the Amanzimtoti Poet Understudy, is stirred by the Muse to produce these lines on JZ\u2019s international flight arrangements. <\/p>\n What\u2019s that in the sky \u2013 should we panic?<\/em> <\/p>\n It\u2019s a jet with shadows of air force metallic!<\/em> <\/p>\n But relax; look closer for a second<\/em> <\/p>\n It\u2019s only Jacob-the-Fecund<\/em> <\/p>\n Flying in a fashion so befittingly phallic.<\/em> <\/p>\n Tailpiece <\/p>\n A WEALTHY Arab patient needs a blood transfusion. He has a very rare blood group and the hospital has to scour world-wide for a match. One is found in Scotland. <\/p>\n After the transfusion, the Arab sends the donor a BMW, a bag of diamonds and a million dollars. <\/p>\n A second transfusion is needed, and after this he sends a calendar. A furious phone call ensues. <\/p>\n Scot: \u201cWha\u2019s this, ya mean bastard?\u201d <\/p>\n Arab: \u201cAweel, laddie. I\u2019m fu wi\u2019 Scots blood the noo!\u201d <\/p>\n Last word <\/p>\n Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realise that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. \u2013 Ronald Reagan<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THEY\u2019RE alarming these predictions that rhino could be headed for extinction if poaching in this country continues at its present rate. After the astonishing success of the rescue from extinction of the white rhino \u2013 to which people like Ian Player devoted a lifetime \u2013 it\u2019s nothing short of heartbreaking. And the truly astounding thing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[8275,953,2143],"class_list":{"0":"post-7610","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-south-africa","7":"tag-durban","8":"tag-newspaper","9":"tag-the-mercury","10":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7610\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}