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19 Sep 2009 10:07

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Sports: South African official in Caster Semenya case lied about gender tests

  • If we did not let her run, we would be confirming that she is not normal.
  • Athletics South Africa President Leonard Chuene • On the decision to let Caster Semenya run even though they knew gender tests were being performed on her. What’s important to note is that this apology did not come out on its own; South Africa’s Mail & Guardian printed e-mails essentially confirming that they knew the tests were happening before Semenya ran the 800-meter race in Berlin, a race in which she crushed the competition. He lied. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Aug 2009 12:12

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Sports: Three examples of awkward Caster Semenya press coverage

  • one From this NYT article: “Medical experts said assigning sex was hardly as easy as sizing someone up visually. Even rigorous examinations can result in ambiguous findings.”
  • two From an L.A. Times article: “An Italian rival, Elisa Cusma Piccione, called her a man. Russian runner Mariya Savinova agreed. ‘Just look at her,’ she told journalists in Berlin.”
  • three The BBC notes that what’s down there isn’t enough for the judges: “They will look at her external genitalia, but they will also look at hormone levels and her chromosomal make-up.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Aug 2009 22:40

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Sports: Caster Semenya could be a fast female, or a speedy sir

“Looks like a man and runs like a man, it might be a dude.” That’s how our girlfriend put it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Aug 2009 22:07

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Offbeat: These ostriches make you hungry, don’t they?

Ostrich farming
  • Ostrich farming, currently catching on in South Africa, has a lot of benefits: The meat is healthier and less fatty, there’s a higher percentage of it on a single ostrich than cattle or chicken, and they only take about a year to be ready for consumption. So why aren’t you eating an ostrich burger already? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 5 Comments • Permalink

24 Jun 2009 21:05

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Sports: FINALLY. The U.S. has a reason to care about soccer.

That’s right, the U.S. pulled off an improbable win today, kicking long-undefeated Spain’s butt in international action. Wow. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jun 2009 00:05

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World: In South Africa, rape is not just a problem. It’s an epidemic.

  • 25%+ of South African men admitted to committing rape in a recent poll
  • 73% of those admitting it said they did it before the age of 20 source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jun 2009 23:01

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Music: As musical tastemakers, we highly recommend Rodriguez.

  • Rodriguez’ urban folk classic “Cold Fact” came out 40 years ago, was forgotten, became popular in South Africa, and was re-released last year. It’s still awesome, by the way. Gritty, subversive, critical and polished, it’s a real treat. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

24 Mar 2009 10:18

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U.S., World: South Africa has some pretty lame people in charge of visas

  • peaceful A group in South Africa wants to hold a peace conference, and they invited Tibetian spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to come.
  • lame South Africa denies him a visa out of fear that his visit might overshadow the 2010 World Cup, which they’re hosting. WTF? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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