2 March 2010 Van Koos Malherbe - Overschot, Smithfield Taalgebruik Dankie vir 'n koerant met so baie interessante inligting. Daar is tog iets wat my pla. Die laaste paar maande is dit opvallend hoe baie berigte en artikels in Engels gepubliseer word. Op die voorblad van die Februarie uitgawe is bykans alles Engels. Die datum, die skrywe daarby, Your voice for sheep farming issues. Alles wat op die voorblad jou belangstelling prikkel is Engels. Op bladsy twee, in die kassie waar jou foto verskyn, is 95% van die skrywe Engels. So kan ek aangaan in geheel gesien is bykans twee derdes in meer van die totale koerant in Engels. Wat sal die rede hiervoor wees? Hoeveel boere (wolboere) se huistaal is Engels? Ek dink dit is 'n skande om jou eie taal so te minag! Oral word Afrikaans vertrap, is dit nodig om dit self ook te doen? Sal u asseblief my brief in die koerant publiseer en die nodige, aanvaarbare antwoorde verskaf? Ek glo die meerderheid Afrikaanssprekende mense voel soos ek! Antwoord van Redakteur Baie dankie vir jou brief. Dit is altyd goed om te hoor dat die koerant so vol inligting is en van hoek tot kant gelees word. Afrikaans is belangrik en lê my ook na aan die hart - dit moet sover moontlik bevorder word, maar onthou asb. dat wol n internasionale produk is en ek kan met trots sê dat die koerant ook in die buiteland gelees word. As ons Suid-Afrikaanse wol in die buiteland wil bevorder sal dit in Engels gedoen moet word. Die voorblad is Engels reeds vir diè rede, so ook internasionale berigte wat van wolbedrywe wêreldwyd verkry word. Ek probeer om 50/50 Afrikaans en Engels in die koerant te gebruik. Die spesifieke uitgawe waarna u verwys het ses Afrikaanse volbladsye en net drie Engelse volbladsye. Van die bladsye is 12 in beide Engels en Afrikaans. Een blad is in Xhosa en Afrikaans en een blad in Xhosa en Engels. Ek gebruik die Xhosa artikels vir ons kommunale boere en baie van diè produsente lees gemaklik Engels. Ons plaas ook graag alle berigte in die taal waarin ons dit ontvang. "True Happiness isn't getting what you want, its experiencing who you are" Stephen Paul Men s Fashion Grey has become the ultimate staple for winter; the key is to mix tones and textures. Combine with neutral colours, such as dark browns, camel, black. Or opt for shades of grey for outerwear, tailored pieces and knits. This going to be the season for knitwear! The chunky knitted jacket and coat have been key items. The feel is rustic and comfy, in a palette of browns and urban greys. Contrary to first impressions, the double-breasted shall be one of the hot items for next winter as proved by models on the runways of Milan and Paris. Women s Fashion * Sculptured dresses made of stiffened wool, bright prints and heavy jewelling returned to the fashion scene. Opening with a structured grey dress with protrusions in stiffened wool and a cape-style top, designers offered sumptuous fur coats, collars and gillets matched with playful bright dresses and multi-coloured prints. * Layering is pretty much a necessary way of dressing in South Africa. Trans-seasons tend to oscillate between summer and winter in one day. Layering is also a great way of texturing and colouring a look. * The trends are a color range constructed around graphic black and white completed by neutral tones like gray and honey brown. Meanwhile, orange touch position itself in a direct contrast. Fabrics are light and supple, sophisticated. Accent is on blends - synthetic fabrics with wool, silk or cashmere for more comfort. Black Coffee presented their Autumn/W i n t e r 2 0 1 0-2 0 1 1 collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week New York as part of the Arise African Collective. Burberry Send news, notes, letters and photos to: The Editor NWGA Wool Farmer P.O. Box 13670 Humewood Port Elizabeth. 6013 or fax to 0865842678 or email - elize@nwga.co.za REDAKTEUR/EDITOR Elize Pretorius Tel: (041) 365 5030 Cell: 083 651 0371 E-mail: elize@nwga.co.za ADVERTENSIES/ ADVERTISEMENTS Address changes Riana Serfontein Tel: (041) 365 5030 Cell: 084 506 6460 E-mail: rianas@nwga.co.za Deadline for articles, letters, advertisements: 15th of every month Head Office: 41(a) Pickering Street Newton Park Port Elizabeth 6055 www.nwga.co.za Trying to conform? Livestock conditions a key world issue, says FAO Urgent investment, major agricultural research efforts and robust governance are needed to improve the conditions of the world livestock and safeguard animal and human health in a time of growing worldwide demand for proteins, says the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Regarding animal health, involving poor countries and small livestock producers in the decision-making process is essential to guarantee food safety and the efficiency of surveillance systems. The recommendations, as well as an analysis of the sector that contributes 40% of the global value of agricultural production and supports the livelihoods of almost one billion people, have been published in the FAO report The State of Food and Agriculture 2009. The risk of animal diseases becoming serious economic and public health problems is growing due to the combination of rapid structural change in the livestock sector, geographic clustering of intensive livestock production facilities near urban population centres and the movements of animals, people and pathogens between intensive and traditional production systems, says the document. One of the problems with current surveillance systems is that too little attention has been paid to the concerns of the poor and the endemic diseases and unrecorded food-safety problems that affect their livelihoods. The FAO argues that management of livestock disease risks should engage all stakeholders, including poor people, in decision making. As, according to the FAO, the demand for animal protein is likely to continue to grow, attention to livestock conditions should become a key concern globally. The organization estimates that global annual meat production will expand from 228 currently to 463 million tonnes by 2050 with the cattle population estimated to grow from 1.5 billion to 2.6 billion and that of goats and sheep from 1.7 billion to 2.7 billion. Meer geld uit wolskape I don t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. - Bill Cosby Although being an editor is by and large an enjoyable occupation, there are, as in all professions, considerable stress to deal with. Some people go to extraordinary lengths to be difficult. The difficult person elevates the deliberate provocation to an art form. The underlying message is often, "Unless you agree with me and go along, you'll regret it." They are constantly on the look-out for you to make a mistake. Giving credit for a job welldone is not on their agenda. For someone who is enthusiastic, creative and full of initiative it is not always easy to conform. Being an editor has made me much more critical of my own work. But when you have to deal with negative criticism I don t let it bother me to begin with. It wasn t always this simple, and took me some time before overcoming this natural urgency to protect myself and attack back. I ve learned that when people initiate negativity, it is a reflection of their inner state expressed externally and you just happen to be in front of that expression. I know it s not easy, if it was easy, there wouldn t be difficult or negative people to begin with. Yes, I also know it's not always possible to please everyone, but I try my best. Journalism has always been a profession requiring practice, dedication to the events that is important, creativity and for me the ability to compile a newspaper that matters. However, we must remember that people are as entitled to their opinions as you are. Allow them to express how they feel and let it be. Remember that it s all relative and a matter of perspective. What we consider positive can be perceived by another as negative. When we react, it becomes meversus-you, who is right? Some people may have a less than eloquent way of expressing themselves - it may even be offensive, but they are still entitled to do so. They have the right to express their own opinions and we have the right and will power to choose our responses. One of the attributes of a good editor is a very thick skin. After all the years in the industry I am still trying to achieve just that. Maybe the lesson is: Where attention goes, energy flows. What we focus on tends to expand itself. Negativity is energy that could rather have been spent on our personal well-being. More money from wool sheep