Hola MaHigh-School - August 2018

Hola MaHigh
School
Volume 7, issue 8,
August 2018

Contents
06 Editors letter
07 Poem
08 We need writers
10 Contributors
11 Holler at us
12 Womens Month
15 Quotes
18 Masiziba at University: Stress
22 Food Security

Contents
24 The month of August
26 BRICS - very up in time
32 Crazy IT
34 Crazy Agriculture
38 Cows - Yes, Cows
40 Gene Editing
44 A wonderful conspiracy
46 Next issue

Editor’s Letter
August is upon us. Dusty and hot. And back to school. The
last stretch for some and the end of a new beginning for
some. But surely not boring.
This time we look at Womens Month of course. We could
have been writing reams of paper on it, but we chose to do it
different this time. Look and be amazed.
August has a few surprises. But so has the science article:
Gene editing. Good or bad? you decide on that.
BRICS is so much up in time.At least we give you something
to think about.
Masiziba is continuing her
series on university. Learn
from her. Stress is coming to
us all.
And now for the not-so-serious:
Cows! Did you know...?
And crazy IT - remember to
take your medication. And
crazy agriculture.
Urban myth! believe it or
not.
GOOD READ
Sybil

Time for poems:
Home run. I am coming now. hitting hard
the exams are flying, Over the fence
Over the rope, Out the park
It is my time. Time is now. And I know
I will arrive. In style. Be there.
When the final whistle sounds
New beginning. End of the beginning
How the end begins.
Or how the beginning ends.
Words. Just saying.
I am close to finishing. In Style. Nogal
Sybil

We need writers!
Our writers are growing up and getting older
That is og course good. BUT.... it means they are leaving us
Therefore: would you like towrite for us?
What is required?
That is easy
You have to be in grade 10-12
Impeccable in your preferred language-and
that might not be English. We
try to be more than just English
Passionate about your topic of choice -
no dull articles here
Do you get anything out of it?
Well, not money, sorrry. BUT
if we publish your articles you will
have:
Your bio in a commercial magazine
A photo of yourself
You can put it all on your CV
you can use us as a reference
... and it goes in your portfolio

Is it important?
YES it is.
Look what Rofhiwa said:
My name is Rofhiwa and I love to write.
I think I am rather decent writer too.
I took my talent and have used it to
express my thoughts on international
dealings of the world which have been
published in Hola MaHigh-School. It
has paid off, not only is my work printed
for young people in the country
to read, but it also contributed to me
gettng a bursary from CNBC-Africa to
do my post-graduate studies. Would
be a lot harder to get by if I didn’t have
platform like Hola MaHigh-School.
What to do?
Email me on ivan@romele.
co.za:
name
school
Cell number
E-mail address
... and we will talk!

Meet our contributors
I am Masiziba Hadebe. I study a BSc in Agricultural
Economics at the University of the Free State. I am
originally from a small rural town in Mpumalanga,
Balfour. My hardworking trait proves that anyone,
regardless of the background, can make it. I love
plants and animals. During leisure, I read anything
readable and interesting. Writing is and will always
be my passion, I would starve food just to write!
Pinky Rapoo is a creative writer by nature and
not yet by profession.She lives in Vosloorus and is
currently in grade 12 at Vosloorus Comprehensive
SecondarySchool. Listening to music is her hobby,writing
is her passion. Her motto is “Think twice
before speaking,think three times before acting and
think thoroughly before writing”.
My name is Marcia Ramodike, a 20 year old young
lady from Limpopo at Lenyenye. I am doing my
second year law degree at the University of the Free
State and I am also an author of a book entitled from
an empty pride to a full price which is touch based on
issues that affect black families such as black tax. I
am very passionate about writing. It is actually my
first love. I love chilling indoors while reading books
and novels; I am a fun, loving person who always
smiles and care about other people. My favourite
quote is “when the caterpillar thought it was the end
of the world it turned into a butterfly “.

HOLLER AT US
Hola MaHigh-School
The stuff we need
to mention:
Editor & Publisher
Sybil Otterstrom
sybil@romele.co.za
Advertising sales
Next level Management services cc
011 614 5046
076 360 1792
sybil@next-level.co.za
Publlishing
Romele Publications cc
32 Eleanor street
Troyeville
2094
011 614 5046/076 360 1792
Enquiries
Romele Publications cc
32 Eleanor Street
Troyeville
2094
Production and Art Direction
Ivan Otterstrom
ivan@romele.co.za
Distribution
On-The-Dot
Printing
United Litho
Website
www.romele.co.za
Hola Ma High School
When you post
your comments
here, it will go
to the website
follow us on Twitter
@holamahigh
When you post
your comments
here, it will go
to the website

The quote of the month:
... and I trust I do not get into
trouble with any copyrights!

Voted in the top 10 of the most strikingly architecturally
beautiful museums in the world, Freedom Park is
breathtakingly spectacular. A vantage point that offers
visitors a spectacular panoramic view of our city and
beyond, visitors are guaranteed to stand in awe at the
contrasting view, offering the opposites of our world.
Lauded for its effortless beauty,
Freedom Park is the perfect hidden venue for all events, as
people escape the bustle of the city and enjoy the serenity
and peace of the surrounding nature. Amidst the
enchanting architecture, Freedom Park helps create
unforgettable memories.
Why not experience it for yourself!
www.freedompark.co.za | call: +27 12 336 4000

What is Freedom Park?
This is all from their website:
Freedom Park celebrates South Africa’s heritage. It is a centre of knowledge
aimed at deepening the understanding of the nation. It strives to accommodate
all of the country’s experiences and symbols to tell one coherent story.
Freedom Park is a national and international site that celebrates the ideals of
liberty, diversity and human rights.
Freedom Park is a cultural institution housing a museum and a memorial
dedicated to chronicling and honouring the many who contributed to South
Africa’s liberation. The museum aims to preserve and narrate the story of the
African continent, and specifically South Africa, from the dawn of humanity,
through pre-colonial, colonial and apartheid history and heritage, to the
post-apartheid nation of today. It is a long walk, spanning some 3.6 billion
years.
Vision
To be a leading national and international icon of humanity and freedom.
Mission
To provide a pioneering and empowering heritage destination in order to
mobilise for reconciliation and nation building in our country;
To reflect upon our past, improving our present and building our future as a
united nation; and
To contribute continentally and internationally to the formation of better
human understanding among nations and peoples;
The Freedom Park cultural precinct:
• Advocates for tolerance, inclusivity, transparency, and accountability;
• Archives and preserves South Africa’s indigenous knowledge;
• Tells the South African story as it unfolds;
• Honours those who gave their lives for South Africa’s freedom;
• Provides a place where visitors can experience the diversity of our history
and remember loved ones who played a role in the country’s history;
• Provides a venue where South Africa’s unique heritage and cultures can
be remembered, cherished and celebrated;
• Fosters a South African community spirit, by being a symbol of unity
through diversity; and,
• Works with African and other international institutions to tell the story
of Africa from an African perspective.

Are you stressed?
It is often glamourizing to be an academic. In fact, your introductions
come easier because you will refer to yourself as a “second
year” or “final year” student. However, it unfortunately does not
come easy to some of us. And it does
require a lot of perseverance and persistence
which includes overcoming
high levels of stress and working under
extreme pressure.
To put it into context, university can
have only six months (semester) to
cover a certain amount of work regarding
a specific field of study. Additionally,
as a student, one has to maintain a
social life; one that continues to’ diversify
itself through popular social media
platforms. Moreover, one may want to
participate in other extra-curricular activities
that may be of interest, whether
it is sport or student societies. These
activities do also need their own fair
amount of effort and work.
Any student who may be able to balance all these activities without
experiencing a peak in their stress level is extremely lucky
and able.
For sport persons who are in academics, stress levels may be
induced by time management goals. For instance, a sport season
may come and it can stretch up to the whole month. And one
cannot catch up with academics. It can be challenging to regain
stability in terms of academics. Right there, levels of stress may
then peak.

For other students, it may lie in the fact that they have no access
to resources that can enable them to complete their daily
tasks. This can include resources such as food, books or transport
fees etc. This may increase stress levels and anxiety.
Fortunately, one can overcome these unfavourable circumstances.
It is possible. We all have to.
For those who did, numerous lessons
were learnt. These include great time
management skills. People who succeed
at university, have remarkable
time management skills.
This is because they now know where
exactly the door to the room of improvement
is and it becomes easier
for them to open that door. Additionally,
they develop another remarkable
skill of working under extreme pressure
which allows them to thrive in
unfavourable circumstances leading
to them successfully completing their
tasks.
The mantra is: focus on
what is important, not what is urgent.
To conclude, university can deliver a tried and tested student
who has gone through dust and has had to swim in deeper
oceans in order to achieve their goals. University is indeed a
wonderful experience that can come along with its share of
thorns and cuts. Be ready, be prepared.
Masiziba Hadebe.

Gauteng, home to Africa’s
economic powerhouse,
Johannesburg, boasts an
exciting mix of urban lifestyle,
diverse cultural and natural
attractions, as well as
advanced infrastructure.
Call us and we’ll show you
why Gauteng in South Africa
is the perfect location to
bring your big idea to
vibrant, colourful life.

Food Security -
Food to plate can be a normal thing; while to some, especially if it is not freque
certain processes and stages which include production, processing, transportat
processes are then considered the logistics of food.
Interestingly, the logistics of food may influence food security. This can be in a
otal in identifying challenges and successes which can influence food security b
Food security should not only be based on the production of agricultural comm
post consumption of food.
Luckily, the logistics of food are inclusive of various industries and fields of wor
wheat (production), and then the wheat needs to be stored in the appropriate
industries can design innovative buildings or storage facilities that can meet th
nations has to also be adequate and efficient (car manufacturers can then inno
until wheat becomes bread that can be used for a sandwich.
All these stages are required to be managed and developed by different segme
and/or building that will initiate minimal loss through adequate transportation
Regarding transportation of agricultural produce, it is a diverse segment in foo
(railway) and via boats on the sea (marine), but have you ever wondered if agri
lishing a safe, functional, efficient, affordable, and reliable air transport network
The exact role of developing the logistics of food in order to achieve food secu
the available products within the different industries can mean better risk mana
Masiziba

also logistics
nt, can mean hunger. However, the common thing is that food has to undergo
ion, storage and what may happen after post-consumption (i.e. waste). All these
beneficial or detrimental manner. Understanding the logistics of food is then pivy
proposing solutions and showing what does not work and what can be fixed.
odities but should focus on the storage of the produce, the transportation and
k. Hence, integration can mean opportunities. For instance, a farmer can plant
manner immediately after harvest. This could then mean that construction related
e storage requirements of wheat. From there, transportation of wheat to destivate
suitable transportation vehicles). The warehouse also has to be efficient etc.
nts other than agriculture. For example, a farmer cannot design his own vehicle
and storage especially without prior experience and knowledge.
d security. The produce can be transported by trucks, cars etc. (road) or trains
cultural commodities can be transported via the air? Well, that may rely in estab-
.
rity is quite complex and very interesting. However, access to information about
gement for farmers and ensure that food security is achieved.
Hadebe

August - the sort of
August is a sort of in-between month. It is now starting to be
towards the end of the year. Next month is spring and then it is
in full gallop to Christmas.
However, before we do that, let us just look at some strange happenings
in August. Here is an absolute gem: Bank holidays.
We have surely heard the term,
but where does it come from? it
sounds totally un-related to anything.
OK, here goes. This is UK of
course. Who else could come up
with something like this! LOL
From time memorial, the UK (less
Scotland, which was – of course
– different) there were 33 public
holidays. That is a fair amount
and not conducive to doing business
at all. Just imagine South
Africa with this amount! We complain
about 12 days off.
Then clever soul - Sir John Lubbock – came up with a plan: Scrap
the lot an introduce four – 4! – bank holidays. Banks would be
closed and it immediately spilled over to the entire country.
These became public holidays although they really are only for
bank employees. This was in 1871, btw.
What were the days: Easter Monday, Whit Monday (first Monday
in May), First Monday in August and Boxing Day.
In today’s world, bank holiday is now a retail event to be compared
to Black Friday. And they are still fiddling with the days!

in-between month
Here is one day in August which I think is great: National
Grandparents day.
It is about time to honour our grandparents, especially in South
Africa where grandparents are so much a part of us all. Where
would we be without grandparents? All of this is from Wiki of
course.
“Marian McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia, has been recognized
nationally by the United States Senate – in particular by
Senators Jennings Randolph;[2] and Robert Byrd – and by President
Jimmy Carter, as the founder of National Grandparents
Day” so that is where it is coming from.
“In February 1977, Senator Randolph, with the concurrence of
many other senators, introduced a joint resolution to the senate
requesting the president to “issue annually a proclamation designating
the first Sunday of September after Labor Day of each
year as ‘National Grandparents’ Day’.”
Congress passed the legislation proclaiming the first Sunday
after Labor Day as National Grandparents’ Day and, on August
3, 1978, then-President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation.
The statute cites the day’s purpose: “...to honor grandparents,
to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children’s
children, and to help children become aware of strength,
information, and guidance older people can offer”
That really says it all!
But wait, there is also a tune:
A Song for Grandma and Grandpa.
Here it is!

Have not got enough of these international bodies? OPEC,
EU, G20, AU and many more. What can another one add tour
well-being?
Is BRICS really different? Will it make a difference to me?
OK, let us not get into the deeper history about BRICS. Let us
look at what makes it interesting:
Wiki says: “The BRICS members are known for their significant
influence on regional affairs; all are members of G20. Since
2009, the BRICS nations have met annually at formal summits.
In 2015, the five BRICS countries represent over 3.1 billion
people, or about 41% of the world population; four out of five
members (excluding South Africa at #24) are in the top 10 of
the world by population. As of 2018, these five nations have a
combined nominal GDP of US$18.6 trillion, about 23.2% of the
gross world product, combined GDP (PPP) of around US$40.55
trillion (32% of World’s GDP PPP) and an estimated US$4.46
trillion in combined foreign reserves. Overall the BRICS are
forecasted to expand 4.6% in 2016, from an estimated growth
of 3.9% in 2015.
The World Bank expects BRICS growth to pick up to 5.3% in

2017. The BRICS have received both praise and criticism from
numerous commentators. Bilateral relations among BRICS nations
have mainly been conducted on the basis of non-interference,
equality, and mutual benefit”.
Let us peel a few facts here: 1/3 of the world economy and ½
of the world’s people. Which means the countries are not the
wealthiest. It is even more: it is the major block in the southsouth
sphere.
Can they be said to be developing
countries? Well, yes and no.
Surely China and India are developing,
but so are the others.
Russia went through a turbulent
time from 1991 (break-up
of the Soviet Union) but increased
its standard of living by
some 300-800% (depending how we measure it).
China is now the largest economy and combined with India’s the
possibility of being the dominant block.
So why do they need us? Where
China is putting $41 billion into
the BRICS bank, we must put in
$5 billion, which we have difficulty
in finding. If these are
BRICs are we a briquette?
There is one factor here: we do
represent Africa as a continent and we do have the infra-structure
which can match any other country.
But maybe we should shape up our game a bit?
Remember: Nigeria is now a bigger economy
than South Africa.

BRICS: initi
What are the two main achievements of BRICS?
I can be debated, but let us look at the New Development Bank.
Wiki sums it the objectives as:
• Promote infrastructure and sustainable development projects with a significant
development impact in member countries.
• Establish an extensive network of global partnerships with other multilateral
development institutions and national development banks.
• Build a balanced project portfolio giving a proper respect to their geographic
location, financing requirements and other factors.
This is important. All countries could need an infra-structure boost. There are
structural problems and challenges (Mumbai traffic, Beijing pollution, etc). But
not one country can finance it all. That is where the bank comes in.
Where the terms of commercial banks (or financing from other sources, i.e.
World Bank) might not be conducive to any developmental goals, the BRICS
Bank must be seen as a more responsive partner. However, let us be clear: It is
not charity!
If we look at the list of projects financed, we clearly see a focus on improving the
life of people (water quality, judicial processes, roads) and a dominant attention
to energy production). This is focused on renewable energy and the achievements
are in CO2 reductions.

atives, etc
BRICS Contingent Reserve
Arrangement
This is quoted from Wiki. No way I can sum it up more precisely:
“The BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) is a framework
for providing protection against global liquidity pressures. This
includes currency issues where members’ national currencies are
being adversely affected by global financial pressures.
It is found that emerging economies that experienced rapid economic
liberalization went through increased economic volatility,
bringing uncertain macroeconomic environment.
The CRA is generally seen as a competitor to the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and along with the New Development Bank is
viewed as an example of increasing South-South cooperation.
It was established in 2015 by the BRICS countries. The legal basis is
formed by the Treaty for the Establishment of a BRICS Contingent
Reserve Arrangement, signed at Fortaleza, Brazil on 15 July 2014.
With its inaugural meetings of the BRICS CRA Governing Council
and Standing Committee, held on September 4, 2015, in Ankara,
Turkey it entered into force upon ratification by all BRICS states,
announced at the 7th BRICS summit in July 2015”.
What does it mean? Developing countries are more prone to serious
problems when the world economy takes a dip. This is the fund
which will help stabilise the BRICS countries (and Turkey).
In essence: eliviate poverty as a consequence of world economy!

We provide loans and bursaries to
students at all 26 public universities
and 50 public TVET colleges
throughout the country.

IT is crazy -
Blue tooth
Ever wondered? OK< we know what it can do, but the name? Wiki says:
The development of the “short-link” radio technology, later named Bluetooth,
was initiated in 1989 by Nils Rydbeck, CTO at Ericsson Mobile in
Lund, Sweden and by Johan Ullman. The purpose was to develop wireless
headsets, Nils Rydbeck tasked Tord Wingren with specifying and Jaap
Haartsen and Sven Mattisson with developing.
communication protocols.
The name “Bluetooth”
is the epithet of the
tenth-century king
Harald Bluetooth who
united dissonant Danish
tribes into a single kingdom.
The implication
is that Bluetooth unites
The idea of this name was proposed in 1997 by Jim Kardach of Intel who
developed a system that would allow mobile phones to communicate
with computers. At the time of this proposal he was reading Frans G.
Bengtsson’s historical novel The Long Ships about Vikings and King Harald
Bluetooth.
Python
Python is an interpreted high-level programming
language for general-purpose programming.
Created by Guido van Rossum and first released in
1991.
His continuing central role in Python’s development
is reflected in the title given to him by the
Python community: Benevolent Dictator For Life

e careful!
(BDFL) – a post from which he gave himself permanent vacation on July
12, 2018.
On the origins of Python, Van Rossum wrote in 1996:
...In December 1989, I was looking for a “hobby” programming project
that would keep me occupied during the week around Christmas. My
office ... would be closed, but I had a home computer, and not much else
on my hands. I decided to write an interpreter for the new scripting language
I had been thinking about lately: a descendant of ABC that would
appeal to Unix/C hackers. I chose Python as a working title for the project,
being in a slightly irreverent mood (and a big fan of Monty Python’s
Flying Circus).
Is Python being used?
• Dropbox, a web-based file hosting service
• Civilization IV uses Python for most of its tasks
• The Sims 4 uses Python
• Cinema 4D
• Corel Paint Shop Pro
• NASA is using Python to implement a CAD/CAE/PDM repository and
model management, integration, and transformation system which
will be the core infrastructure for its next-generation collaborative
engineering environment[citation needed]. It is also the development
language for OpenMDAO, a framework developed by NASA for solving
multidisciplinary design optimization problems.
• “Python has been an important part of Google since the beginning,
and remains so as the system
grows and evolves. Today dozens
of Google engineers use
Python.”[6]
• YouTube uses Python “to produce
maintainable features in
record times, with a minimum
of developers
• …. And very much more

Crazy Agricultural terms - an
These are real terms in the agricultural sector – some it I can’t pronounce
– even on a good day.
Did you even know…?
anastomose: Branching and then rejoining, as with leaf venation
Yes, well, no, fine
camptodromous: Pinnate venation in which the secondary veins
curve toward the margins, in some cases becoming nearly parallel
with them, and not reconnecting with other veins to form loops
No clue. Anyone?
Elephophily: A form of pollination
whereby pollen or spores are distributed
by the feet of elephants, as in Rafflesia
arnoldii
So elephants are pollinating things? That
is a mighty big bee!
hysteranthous:A type of growth in which
new leaves appear after flowering.
Hysterics!
chiropterophilous: Pollinated by bats.
BVADR!!
craspedodromous:Pinnate venation in
which the secondary veins terminate at
the margins, often as teeth.
Teeth on plants? Let me get outta here
obdiplostemonous: Having stamens arranged in two whorls, and
having twice as many stamens as petals, with the outer whorl being

d you thought IT was crazy?
opposite the petals.
Try me again on this one?
insectivorous: catching,
and drawing nutriment
from, insects.
Plants eating insects?
Well, mosquitos
would be fine. Can I
buy one of those?
monocarpic: Flowering and setting seed only once before dying.
This is sad! Really? Only once and then .. puff?

IT IS
ILLEGAL
FOR ANYONE
UNDER THE
AGE OF 18
YEARS TO
PURCHASE,
POSSESS
AND CONSUME
ALCOHOL
NEGATIVE
EFFECTS
OF ALCOHOL
ABUSE ON
LEARNERS
ALCOHOL ABUSE
HAS NO RIGHTFUL
PLACE ANYWHERE
IN SOCIETY,
ESPECIALLY IN SCHOOL
ENVIRONMENTS
WHERE LEARNERS
SPEND MOST OF THEIR LIVES.
GAUTENG LIQUOR LICENSING OFFICE

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF
ALCOHOL ABUSE ON LEARNERS
ALCOHOL ABUSE HAS NO RIGHTFUL PLACE ANYWHERE IN SOCIETY, ESPECIALLY
IN SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS WHERE LEARNERS SPEND MOST OF THEIR LIVES.
CONSEQUENCES OF ALCOHOL ABUSE
HIGH-RISK SEX
Alcohol abuse in teenagers results in high-risk sex, unprotected sex and sex with multiple partners.
SEXUAL ASSAULT
Sexual assault including rape occurs most commonly among women due to high consumption of
alcohol.
ABUSE
Harmful use of alcohol is a major contributor to violence both at schools and in the communities.
SUICIDE
Alcohol use interacts with conditions such as depression and stress which contributes to suicide which
is the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 14 and 25.
IT IS ILLEGAL FOR ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS TO PURCHASE, POSSESS AND
CONSUME ALCOHOL.
Remember, you DO NOT NEED drugs or alcohol… it’s OK NOT to drink!
For any Liquor related issues please contact:
Matlotlo House
94 Main Street
Johannesburg
Tel: 011 355 8000

What? Cannot be? .. yes... and much more!
Imagine eating beef from a cow that has been massaged and given
beer! Well that is possible. Kobe beef, sometimes misspelled
as Colby beef, comes from the Tajima-gyu breed of cattle found
in Japan’s Hyōgo Prefecture, of which Kobe is the capital and the
meat’s namesake. These cows drink beer and are massaged with
rice wine and made to listen to classical music.
Interestingly, there is no concrete evidence to propose that any
of these techniques improve flavour or
texture. However, they do undoubtedly
give us the image of the cows
living as kings, especially if one had
to consider the rich history associated
with these cows.
Kobe beef is popular for its superior flavour, tenderness and high
amount of intramuscular fat, giving the meat a marbled appearance.
It is often cited as being healthier than commercial beef
because of its high concentration of monounsaturated fats and
omega-3s. Therefore it is expensive and rare, even in Japan.

Although Kobe beef is majestic and very expensive, it is not the
most expensive in the world.
The most expensive beef in the world though is reportedly from
a farm in North-eastern France where a butcher who runs his
own abattoir creates aged steaks from his
Blonde Aquitaine stock through a process
of hibernation. Through the process, in
which cold air is blown at 75 km per hour
onto the meat in a -45 degree Fahrenheit
environment, the beef may be kept for an
indeterminate amount of time without loss
of quality.
Fascinatingly, Uruguay, New Zealand, Argentina, Australia and
Brazil are the only countries with more cows than people. So the
amount of cows is larger than the population of people.
Also, the first cow to fly in an airplane was Elm Farm Ollie in February
1930. Incidentally, Ollie was also the first cow to be milked
on an airplane. One could ask why the cow was on an airplane.
Did they need to transport it or its milk that urgently or was it an
experiment?
Interestingly, cows can walk up a flight of stairs, but once there,
they can’t walk back down. Their knees just don’t bend the right
way. How did this fact come
about? Was someone keeping
the cows inside a house or
building with stairs? Or was it
an experiment to improve a security
measure for the cows? I
mean who would want to carry
a cow all the way through the
stairs into a truck outside. That
could be hard robbery.
Masiziba Hadebe

A new word:
Today we are learning a new word: Gene editing. The inspiration
for this article is from an article on the BBC News website: “Gene
editing is GM, says European Court” By Paul Rincon, Science editor,
BBC News website.
We have all heard about GMO - genetically modified organisms.
GMO is inserting a DNA string into organisms. This DNA can be
anything really. It can be from a plant and inserted in a frog for
that matter. The frog will then glow in the dark and we are all very
amazed (or something like that).
Gene editing is vastly different. We are quoting from the above
article:
“Genome editing techniques, such as the system known as Crispr-Cas9,
involves cutting strands of DNA with molecular “scissors”.
When the organism’s natural repair systems kick in to repair
the break, it presents scientists with the opportunity to insert the
DNA sequence of their choosing - essentially rewriting the blueprint
for life.
Scientists hope this emerging technology could be used, for example,
to develop crop varieties that are resistant to pests, or that
produce large yields under challenging climatic conditions. They
are also hoping to use it to correct genetic diseases in humans.
Unlike traditional genetic engineering
techniques, genome
editing does not involve the
introduction of DNA from another
organism. It is also nearly
impossible to detect whether
a living thing’s DNA has been
edited or not - the changes are

Gene editing
indistinguishable from naturally occurring mutations.”
In short: the new technique Crispr-Cas9 gives us the opportunity
to identify a piece of the DNA we wish to alter, cut it out and provide
a new strand which might have been created by the scientist.
It is not necessarily something which nature designed. We design
it!
Let us rewind a bit on this:
We need to invent a ‘scissor’ that will recognise a specific sequence.
What if this sequence is also found somewhere else in the
strand of DNA, not where we want to cut? So we can cut something
else and we might never know? Until we see the result? The
organism does not do what we intended it to do. Because we cut
the wrong piece! And what we inserted does not make sense at
that place in the DNA.
Now what? Exactly!
We now insert a designer piece of DNA. Do we really know what
it will code for? So we ‘edit’ a piece of DNA and insert it in a living
organism and now we can see the change. Crop yields or immune
to cancer. But if we get it a bit wrong? Exactly!

Gene editing
As much as it is a great idea to dive into the technicalities of
gene editing (look it up on Wiki), we can also start to look at
who is doing what.
It is so easy to say ‘scientists’, but who are those? The business
environment in biotechnology and in providing tools for bioresearch
is operational. There are companies who are doing a lot of
research and also patenting their tools. Let us look at these.
Wiki says (about just one of them): “Thermo Fisher Scientific is
an American multinational
biotechnology product
development company,
created in 2006 by the
merger of Thermo Electron
and Fisher Scientific.
In April 2013, after
a competitive bidding
with Hoffmann-La Roche,
Thermo Fisher acquired Life Technologies Corp for $13.6 billion
in a deal that would rank the firm as one of the leading companies
in the genetic testing and precision laboratory equipment
markets
If we really want to, look at this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/CRISPR/Cas_Tools. The
first sentence is: “This page
describes a list of software
platforms and bioinformatics
tools built to facilitate the design
of guide RNAs (gRNAs)
for use with the CRISPR/Cas
system.”.

This is a commercial venture now. Companies are actively designing
the tool box and licensing the technology for genetic
editing. Is it still science or is it something we can now all do at
home? The borders are blurring a bit now.
Here is another link: https://www.genedata.com/products/selector/crispr/
From their website: Genedata Selector provides one integrated
system that allows for the efficient design and management of
all relevant CRISPR/Cas9 experimental data”.
Nothing wrong with selling products. What we point out is
that we are now moving from the science lab to a fully-fledged
commercialised environment. The tools are now there, commercially
available, to change the genetic make-up of species of
our choice. The tools do not have a moral dimension, only the
user can have that.
THAT is why the EU has said that gene editing is to be classified
as GM and therefore regulated by these strict guidelines and
laws.

Global warming:
Cars melt in the sun
I love this one! It is coming from https://www.snopes.
com/fact-check/cars-melting-in-arizona-heat-wave/.
The images are showing cars melting in Arizona during
this summer 2018. The image was uploaded on social
media and immediately got tons of viewers.
Although it looks great, it is not true!
Well, the cars did melt, but not because of global
warming. It was caused by a fire next door that was so
intense and hot that it actually melted the cars nearby.
Sorry folks! Let us try another one next week!

career path, by collecting information that will help
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR CAREER
Knowing
yourself
and your
capabilities
Choose your
Subjects
Career
Planning
Career
choice
For you to pursue
your career choice.
You need to pass
your National
Senior Certificate!
The Eastern Cape Department of
Education encourages learners to choose suitable
them pursue their career / field of study.
“ it is in your hands “
- Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Sondlo & Knopp Advertising

Next Issue
September. Spring should be
here. We will start looking at
what to do for summer.
Exams, well, yes. We have to.
look out for a few tips and
how-to.
There are many things happening
in the international
sphere. Where to start? I
think we need to unpack
BRICS. And BREXIT is still
a bit of a mystery, but with
severe impact.
Of course we wil look at the
trade wars. Who can ‘win’?
or will we all just lose?
Masiziba and myths and fun
will be there for you.
So - the message is clear:
Look forward!
Sybil