The terrified wedding party with Star Wars Imperial AT-AT Walkers coming behind . . Yikes! — click to enlarge

We’ve all heard of Star Wars the movie. How about Star Wars the wedding?

“So for all you Star Wars fans, this ones for you”
– Little Blue Lemon

The intrepid couple pictured here commissioned Toronto-based Little Blue Lemon to create a very special wedding photo – being chased down the street by a terrifying squadron of Star Wars Imperial AT-AT Walkers.

As can be seen from the pics that follow they really threw themselves into the role with enthusiasm.

Apparently, the meme was started by one Quinn Miller, 22, who produced a digitally put together image of a wedding party in Louisiana being chased by a huge T-Rex. Incredibly, the shot was taken in just one shoot lasting 2 minutes.

After Quinn shared the photo on Facebook, things went viral and the pic has now spread across the internet (6 images).

The happy bridal couple embrace their role with enthusiasm – click to enlarge

Star Wars Imperial AT-AT Walkers are coming – click to enlarge

T-Rex chasing the wedding party, the shopped photo that started it all when it went viral – click to enlarge

Katie Young and James Lowder from Louisiana – click to enlarge

T-Rex, unwelcome wedding guest shows up – click to enlarge

Sources: Little Blue Lemon photography; Quinn Miller Photography

Chief Big Eagle of the Sioux Indians circa 1862

Native Americans are a proud, fascinating and diverse group of people.

Though there are hundreds of stories told of their proficiency in battle, unforgivable treatment at the hands of white settlers and fables of their nature-based spiritualism, there aren’t nearly enough shared that comment on their contributions to Americans’ modern experience.

Mostly lost to time, the origins of thousands of products, techniques and skills are nonetheless attributable to Native acumen. It’s important for all Americans to recognize the amazing gifts the Chickasaw, Sioux, Apache, Cherokee and other tribes gave in the form of food, tools, medicine and ideas.

Still used in every day life, most people have no concept of where these items originated. In order to help rectify this failure of the educational system, here are a few profiles of magnificent Native Americans who made this nation great.

Chief Joseph

Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce

Well-regarded among historians, Chief Joseph is famous first for his principled resistance to relocation at the hands of white settlers.

Urging his people, known as the Nez Perce, to remain steadfast in their lands, he advocated peace and compromise. Considered a great humanitarian, Chief Joseph routinely attempted to broker negotiations that would benefit his people, and he emphasized equality.

Ultimately, however, he was forced to run and fight, as the army continually demanded more concessions.

Sacagawea of the Shoshone circa 1805

Sacagawea
Perhaps the most famous Native woman along with Pocahontas, Sacagawea played an essential role in the exploration and mapping of the western United States.

Guiding and interpreting for Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, she also cooked for them, assisted in their survival through rough expeditions and weather, and even contributed her own goods to procure gifts for then President Thomas Jefferson.

Though she passed at 25 years of age, she was the primary figure in the Women’s Suffrage Movement and is a beloved feminist role model.

John Harrington

Astronaut John Harrington of the Chichasaw

Modern Native Americans are contributing to this day. John Harrington, of Choctaw and Chickasaw ancestry, is the first Native American astronaut in U.S. history.

He carried a Chickasaw Nation flag with him on the trip to outer space, which was presented to him by Bill Anoatubby, the Governor of the nation. His contributions are more nuanced, as he teaches, gives speeches and travels the country as a Chickasaw ambassador.

But, his work with science, technology and education are invaluable, and he stands for their philosophy “unconquered and unconquerable” as he pushes humans into the next unknown.

Chief Wilma Mankiller of the Cherokee

Wilma Mankiller
Her name may sound intimidating, but Wilma Mankiller is only a threat to those individuals who attempt to erode her people’s rights further, or disenfranchise Native Americans in any way.

The first female chief of the Cherokee tribe, she worked tirelessly to improve federal-tribal negotiations and develop better infrastructure to reservations and increase small business opportunities for Natives.

Though she recently passed, she still stands as an inspiration not only to young native women everywhere but also to all women with ambitious dreams.

Charles Eastman

Charles Eastman of the Dakota Sioux

Of Santee Dakota and white ancestry, Charles Eastman founded and expanded two of the most well-known youth organizations: Boy Scouts of America and the Y.M.C.A.

As for the Y.M.C.A., he helped create 32 additional chapters for Natives, ensuring they enjoyed the same recreational, educational and social assistance as all Americans.

He was also a prolific author, and he wrote the first historical account of America from a Native viewpoint.

This is only a small handful of the truly astonishing and prodigious members of the Native American population.

With many more notable names, like Sitting Bull, Pocahontas, Fred Begay and Lyda Conley to consider, there’s a wealth of information hiding deeply in textbooks and across the Internet that reveals just how indispensable Native people have been in American history, despite their treatment at the hands of settlers and depiction as blood-thirsty warriors.

Cape Town is an ideal destination for any family interested in outdoor sports and adventure.

There’s so much for families to do in and around Cape Town that you’ll be spoilt for choice

The activities on offer in this most beautiful area of South Africa include everything from diving, golf and water sports to climbing, hiking and abseiling.

Just don’t forget to take out the right level of travel insurance before heading out for the family adventure of a lifetime.

Diving and water sports

The Cape Town region is particularly rich in water-based activities, from deep sea fishing and surfing to shark cage diving, scuba diving and wind- and kite-surfing. With deep sea fishing you can hire a boat for a day or more throughout the year and enjoy going after Yellowtail, Swordfish and Reef Fish, with even the occasional Marlin from October to May.

Choose between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans for some great scuba diving. The Cape Peninsula has excellent coral reefs and a plenitude of shipwrecks, and visibility is up to 25 metres in waters of between 10 and 18 degrees.

In the air

Paragliding and hang gliding from Table Mountain, Signal Hill and Lions Head are all popular, and for families there are always the spectacular hot air balloon trips over the wine regions that take place in the early mornings.

To see Cape Town and its surroundings from a fresh angle, try a helicopter trip that takes in the extensive vineyards and the Atlantic Seaboard’s miles of exquisite sandy beaches. Flights take off regularly from the V&A Waterfront.

Boat trips

If boating, yachting and sailing are your thing, then the Cape peninsula is the perfect place to head for to either charter a vessel or hop on a boat for the day and explore waters rich in wildlife such as whales and seals, set against truly spectacular scenery.

Harbour trips and cruises set out from Hout Bay Harbour and the V&A Waterfront in the mornings throughout summer and return at sunset after hugging the shoreline between Camp’s Bay and Clifton.

Caving

Peers’ Cave, Fish Hoek – image: Ian Junor

On the first Sunday of each month members of the Cape Peninsula Speleological Society (CPSS) lead organised tours of the cave systems for the general public, and there are special rates for family groups.

Kayak tours

Kayak at sunset – Image: Jacques Marais

Take the organised Boulder’s Trip to see the penguins, or the Cape Point route to see Cape Town as the old sailors did on their approach centuries ago.

There’s so much for families to do in and around Cape Town that you’ll be spoilt for choice, and the activities mentioned here are just the tip of the iceberg. The weather is excellent throughout the year and there are few places on earth more suited to outdoor family fun and excitement.

The sun dips behind the Kogelberg mountains at sunset on the Bot River Estuary – click to enlarge

It’s 17:53pm as the sun dips behind the Kogelberg mountain range.

The windless and warm conditions and the absolute silence magnify the beauty of the Bot River Estuary.

This estuarine system lies on the eastern border of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve on the Southern tip of Africa.

5 Tests to help choose the right real estate agent

Most sellers will end up choosing an estate agent that charges the lowest fee or one that offers the highest valuation. However, as some of you may know, neither of these criteria should ever be used to select an estate agent.

“You need to use a little truth serum to get prospective real estate agents to come clean.”
– Becki Saltzman

Aside from the obvious requirements, like a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate (FFC), without which an agent may not legally operate, there are a several essential traits to look for in an real estate agent.

Before you put your home on the market, or sign a mandate and agree to a marketing plan, here are 5 tests you can apply to your shortlist of candidates to help you sort the wheat from the chaff:

Buy or Sell test – This may be a good indication of how well your prospective agent can think on his or her feet and whether sincerity is a strong point or not. You need to ask these two questions before giving any indication of selling motive or level of urgency. First ask: “Is this a good time to sell?” and listen carefully to the answer. Then ask: “Do you think it’s a good time to buy?” Pay very close attention to the answer; you need a confident and plausible response.

Low Offer test – Also known as the “Cheeky Offer test”, this can be a useful gauge of negotiating skills. Ask what the agent’s reaction would be to a ridiculously low offer. Tell the agent that you don’t even want to see such an offer. If the agent readily agrees with you, it may indicate a lack of experience; a good agent knows that any offer, even a low one, is a great place to start the negotiating process.

Response Time test – When a buyer makes an offer, speed can often make the difference between closing a deal and losing the buyer. Use your preferred method to contact the agent via website, social media, email, SMS or phone and see what comes back. The response time may be a pointer as to what you can expect from the agent when a potential buyer pops up.

Ethics test – Estate agents must act in the best interests of their clients and are subject to a Code of Conduct in South Africa and many other parts of the world. However, it’s an unfortunate reality that a significant minority sail close to the wind where ethics are concerned. Dealing with such an agent can have disastrous consequences for both parties if a deal goes wrong. Ask if the agent is willing to conceal an imaginary defect in the property from potential buyers. Walk away if the agent shows any willingness to accommodate you on this. If the agent is prepared to pull the wool over the buyer’s eyes, know that you can expect the same treatment.

Skills test – Successful agents need to have a sound knowledge of a raft of legislation relating to the property industry. This includes the the Alienation of Land Act, Consumer Protection Act, FICA (Financial Intelligence Centre Act) and the laws applying to foreign buyers, to mention but a few. Agents must also be able to pre-qualify buyers for mortgage finance and have a sound working knowledge of different forms of ownership such as Trusts and joint-ownership agreements. Check to see if the prospective estate agent can field questions on these issues comfortably and with conviction.

To achieve the best selling price in the shortest possible time, qualities like openness, intelligence and experience can make all the difference. Look for enthusiasm, dedication and a large dose of market savvy, too.

Piekniek-vlieers — oil on canvas 50 x 40cm – click to enlarge

I recently came accross the work of Alexis Bester, a full-time local artist, who lives and works on a farm near Tulbagh at the foot of the Witzenberg Mountains.

From the website kunste huijs:

His medium is mainly oil paint on either board or canvas. He draws his composition in charcoal and adds preliminary shades and colour by mixing paint and turpentine. The painting is then allowed to dry before he starts to work through the painting, applying paint only and mixing colours as needed. Alexis primarily uses flat brushes, but also uses round brushes, pallet knives and his fingers.

His work portrays a vivid imagination, the skillful use of bright colour and shadow, and an interesting combination of perspective with geometric forms. There is a gilded thread of vitality and energy and a playful, uplifting and child-like vision that sees mystery and wonder in the everyday experience (See 15 Images, or click here for Flickr slideshow).

The artist’s style is described as naive surrealism and shows a delightful focus on the positive. The many harlequin and clown images in his work speak to a personal and lifelong fascination with the circus and the performing arts.

Child on a zebra — oil on canvas — 50x50cm

Child with cat and rooster — oil on canvas — 50x50cm

Ladies of luxury — oil on canvas — 55x35cm – click any image to enlarge

A windy day — oil on canvas — 30x30cm

Beach concerto — oil on canvas — 30x30cm

London play park — oil on canvas — 50x50cm

Waterfront — oil on canvas — 50x50cm

Summer surf — oil on canvas — 55x35cm – click any image to enlarge

Ice creams at Melkbos — oil on canvas — 50x50cm

Timeless music — oil on canvas — 50x50cm

Young love — oil on canvas — 50x50cm

Darwin and the tree — oil on canvas — 50x50cm

Maanlig dans — oil on canvas — 65x53cm

Searching — oil on canvas — 100x80cm – click on any image to enlarge

Sources: Alexis Bester; Robertson Art Gallery; kunste huijs; Dante Art Gallery; Oh!Art

Whether for employment or enjoyment, a second language can be useful and enlightening – Image: Tobias Mikkelsen

From the moment we’re born, we are taught in the primary language of our parents.

During our formative years, we develop a certain mastery of the spoken word in order to communicate our needs and wants with others.

This fluent mastery can suit our purposes well in the world we were raised in, but what if we needed to communicate with someone outside of this world of ours?

There are a variety of reasons why one would want to learn a secondary language:

1. Bi-lingual Employment – Many organizations hire translators in order to communicate with individuals of a specific ethnic background.
Being able to communicate with others who don’t speak your primary language could help discover details regarding any circumstance that is required. The ability to speak multiple languages could almost guarantee employment in government or related careers providing you have some kind of background in the workload you are applying for.

2. Vacationing – Millions of people travel abroad every year for their vacations. Most of these people will purchase translation books of some kind so they can speak the language of the destination they are traveling to. Not every country practices bi-lingual studies and being able to communicate with your waiter could mean the difference between eating something that is delectable versus something that moves around on your plate on its own.

3. Enlightenment – Some families will study specific languages as a group in order to open themselves up to its culture. There are many aspects of a culture that can be discerned from its spoken language. To learn how the people interact with each other could help enlighten how the culture functions. This could be greatly beneficial when one is trying to determine how a specific mindset of a people reflects the rest of the world.

Some people learn more than one new language for the enjoyment of it.

4. Enjoyment – Some people will learn a second, third, or even a forth language for nothing more than the enjoyment of it. As many of these people will use the experience as nothing short of bragging rights, some will do it for the sheer enjoyment of knowing several languages. You never know who you’ll meet at any given party, and it could be used to break the ice to speak to someone in his or her native tongue for a first impression.

5. No More Secrets – Have you ever been in the grocery store and heard people talking in a language you don’t understand while they laugh and point at you? Wouldn’t it be nice to know what they’re saying? Not everyone experiences this situation but many will go through something similar. At times, others will use their foreign languages in order to speak among themselves without fear of someone over-hearing them.

There is nothing wrong with being able to speak only a primary language. Adding secondary languages to your skill set would only enhance your abilities to conduct yourself in varying circumstances. Whether it is for employment or enjoyment, learning a secondary language could be useful and enlightening.

If you’re thinking of traveling or relocating, stop and think before you visit Elbonia’s capital city. It could be dangerous to your health.

Source: Dilbert by Scott Adams

Looking North over the Bot River Estuary, the renowned Arabella Estate is visible at centre on the opposite bank. In the middle distance, just left of centre, a group of four pelicans is feeding in the shallows – click to enlarge.

It’s amazing to see the changes that have taken place in the last six months, on the the Bot River Estuary.

Everywhere the banks of the estuary are taking on a more beach-like appearance. On clean white sand, sea shells, sea weed, red-bait and cuttlefish are in evidence.

The water tastes salty and it’s not unusual to see large shoals of tiny fish being preyed upon by diving sea birds, kestrels and duikers.

In the middle of August 2012, the mouth of the Bot River Estuary was artificially breached. This was done after consulting with the Bot River Estuary Forum (BREF), and estuarine specialists (9 Images, click here for Flickr slideshow).

The water level of the Bot River Estuary was at its highest in many years, approximately 3 meters above mean sea level. Consequently, when the mouth was opened, the fast flow facilitated a deep scouring of the bed at the mouth.

When the mouth is opened, the water levels drop dramatically — to about 20 centimetres above sea level within a matter of hours. Over time the Bot River Estuary gradually becomes more saline as the tidal surge periodically brings fresh sea water into the system.

The estuary mouth has now remained open for an extended period; at this point 7 months and counting. With each passing month, the beauty of a true estuarine system is gradually unfolding.

Four pelicans feeding in the shallows – click any image to enlarge

Beach pumpkin or seepampoen Arctotheca populifolia is found in deep sand on coastal dunes and around estuaries

This green spikey example of estuarine vegetation is a semi-succulent plant type and is a recent arrival on the banks of the estuary

Sandy shores and sea weed are in evidence on the banks of the estuary – click any image to enlarge

Typical tidal debris that is found in healthy estuarine systems

Cuttlefish skeletons are commonly found lying on the tidal high-water mark

Pyura stolonifera, commonly known in South Africa as red bait or rooi aas

The sandy bottom is clean, and the water is saline and crystal clear