By NYX MCLEAN I have a suspicion that we, as citizens of Makhanda, are in a bit of a going-nowhere relationship with the municipality. On a good day, we’re being gaslit into believing that our concerns are not so severe, and on most (bad) days, we are being outright ghosted. On Thursday morning, a video came through one of the WhatsApp groups that Grocott’s participates in. A massive crack had appeared down Bathurst Street outside of Connock’s Butchery, and the water – water some have not had in their taps for weeks – was making a great escape to a…
Author: Nyx Mclean
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By SHANNON SKAE, Health and life coach at Revive with Shan This week’s column starts with something a little more personal than usual. Recently someone felt that they could make a rather hurtful comment about who I am as a person. I expressed a strong opinion about something, and he asked me, “Do you know why you have been single for so long?” I had not sought this commentary on my life or my relationship status, but he felt moved to tell me about myself. It came from a space of spite, and as a way to make me feel…
By SHANNON SKAE, health and life coach at Revive with Shan Mental health is something we need to keep having conversations about. In 2021, especially, we saw a significant jump in mental health crises due to the pandemic and lockdowns. While it appears that COVID-19 is losing its sting, we are not yet in the clear because the consequences of the pandemic will be felt for years to come. The most common mental health disorders include anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders, mood disorders, and depression. There is a substantial stigma in response to these disorders despite how frequently they occur.…
By ROD AMNER and NYX MCLEAN This week’s editorial is a little bleak. But when dealing with public offices, one’s outlook can get gloomy. If it isn’t the municipality and their inability to get us water, keep us on the power grid, manage their finances, or even ensure our stormwater channels are cleared, another public office is messing up. This week our focus is on SAPS – local and national. We have spent the better part of this week assisting one of our Postgraduate Diploma students – that is, one of our Grocott’s journalists, Likhapha Thaathaa – with her ongoing…
By SHANNON SKAE, health and life coach at Revive with Shan What is fast food? And is it bad for us? Fast food is food that is easily prepared, commercialised, and heavily processed. It does not require much time to make and is high in saturated fats, trans fats, preservatives, and additives. Examples of fast foods include cakes, sweets, biscuits, chocolate, sugary drinks and sodas, takeaways, and processed foods such as deli meats. This food is tasty and can be a feel-good meal in moderation. But having too much of it can have adverse health side effects such as: Acne…
By SHANNON SKAE, health and life coach at Revive with Shan Why is it that almost everyone in society seems to do things at a breakneck pace? We work fast, socialise fast, use the internet fast, eat fast, and do not get enough sleep. We move at warp speed to fit all our tasks for the day, week, month, and year. Many of us do not take holidays or the breaks that we need because, increasingly, financial stability is precarious. Believe it or not, stress and doing everything at a fast pace only slows you down. It can slow down…
By ROD AMNER and NYX MCLEAN We are a community made up of many different lived experiences and ways of thinking about the world. Every one of us matters, and what we have to say about the world matters. It makes for a richness to life that would be otherwise one-dimensional if we all thought the same way. Those lived experiences and perspectives will sometimes clash, as we have seen around COVID-19 and vaccination conversations. Different views are important, but when the diversity of thinking devolves into name-calling, stereotyping, and violent speech bordering on hate speech – if not crossing…
By NYX MCLEAN Pronouns: They/Them International Transgender Day of Visibility falls on 31 March every year, and is a day that celebrates transgender people, raises awareness of the discrimination faced by transgender people, and also seeks to celebrate their contributions to society. One way that transgender people are frequently harmed is through the use of incorrect pronouns – sometimes this is deliberate, but more often than not, it is done accidentally because people often assume what another’s pronouns may be based on the way they look. Imagine for a moment that your closest friend has told you that they are…
By SHANNON SKAE, Health and life coach at Revive with Shan I decided to write this article because I have recently begun a course on becoming a diabetic educator. This disease sparks a lot of uncertainty, and people often do not know that they have it. A person can have diabetes for ten to twelve years and not know about it because it does not present symptoms for a very long time. People can also be pre-diabetic due to their lifestyle, which puts them at greater risk of developing it. Diabetes mellitus is defined as a metabolic disorder where the…
By ROD AMNER and NYX MCLEAN We had a despairing conversation today – as editors and concerned Makhandans. Several stories are brewing in our news diary that ask tough questions about our public service offices. To list only a few of the items that appeared in our most recent news diary meeting: First up is the state of litter and waste management in Makhanda. There’s the not insubstantial matter of the 130+ illegal dumpsites in the city, which in September last year, the high court ordered Makana Municipality to catalogue and remove. But, just as disturbing are the attitudes…