our babies!

We have babies! Sweet little babies! Husband of feitpingvin and I have adopted FOUR African penguins from SANCCOB! Wheeee!

OK, we don't actually have them with us (duh), but by contributing to the care and rehabilitation of penguins and other South African coastal birds, these penguins are "ours" :-) Too bad tourists can't go to see the colonies at Robben Island or Dyer Island. It would have been fun to go over there and look for them!

Here are our flightless feathered sweethearts:



Aurora (R-4791)
Age upon arrival at SANCCOB: juvenile
Date admitted: 9 August 2007
Reason for admission: Oiled
Weight on arrival: 2.38 kg.
Area found: Dyer Island
Date released: 28 Aug 2007
Weight on release: 2.78 kg.
Release site: Robben Island













Pengdora (F401)
Age upon arrival at SANCCOB: Chick
Date admitted: 28 October 2007
Reason for admission: Abandoned (by moulting parents)
Weight on arrival: 1.76 kg.
Area found: Dyer Island
Date released: 29 November 2007
Weight on release: 2.78 kg.
Release site: Robben Island













Wolfgang (A12572)
Age upon arrival at SANCCOB: Blue
Date admitted: 3 November 2007
Reason for admission: Abandoned (by moulting parents)
Weight on arrival: 1.86 kg.
Area found: Dyer Island
Date released: 5 December 2007
Weight on release: 2.5 kg.
Release site: Dyer Island














Pingu (F427)
Age upon arrival at SANCCOB: Chick
Date admitted: 28 October 2007
Reason for admission: Abandoned (by moulting parents)
Weight on arrival: 2.36 kg.
Area found: Dyer Island
Date released: 29 November 2007
Weight on release: 3.04 kg.
Release site: Robben Island

Ndihamba Nawe

I love this song, and I finally got around to finding the lyrics:

Chorus x2

We bhuti we bhuti
We bhuti mina ndihamba nawe
We bhuti we bhuti
We bhuti mina ndihamba nawe

Verse 1 x2
Ngithanda na le way
Unguyo ngakhona
webhuti mina ndihamba nawe
Ngithanda na le way
Ucula ngakhona
Webhuti mina ndihamba nawe

Bridge 1 x2

Eh ndihamba nawe
Hei ndihamba nawe
We bhuti mina ndihamba nawe
We bhuti ndihamba nawe, We bhuti ndihamba nawe
We bhuti mina ndihamba nawe

Verse 2 x2
Ndafika endaweni ngibona abantu
ehh ufak'umfana wam
Ugcwel'umfana wami
Ngathi loya lobhuti loya
isoka isoka lami

Bridge x2

Chorus x2

Ndithanda na le way
Ujika ngakhona
We sisi mina ndihamba nawe
Ndithanda na le way
Ududla ngakhona
We sisi mina ndihamba nawe

Bridge 2 x2

Eh ndihamba nawe
Ohh ndihamba nawe
We sisi mina ndihamba nawe
We sisi ndihamba nawe, We sisi ndihamba nawe
We sisi mina ndihamba nawe
Ndithanda na le way
Ungiyo ngakhona
We bhuti mina ndihamba nawe
Ndithanda na le way
Ududla ngakhona
Ay' suka mina ndihamba nawe
Eeh Ndihamba nawe
Eeh Ndihamba nawe
We bhuti mina ndihamba nawe
We sisi ndihamba nawe
We sisi ndihamba nawe
We sisi ndihamba nawe

What does it all mean? From one of the reader responses:

Ok, so Ndihamba Nawe literally means "I'm going with you", but it has much greater significance in the Zulu culture. When you say Ndihamba nawe, yre essentially telling someone that "I choose you".At parties, if people are really feeling the DJ, they'll say "DJ, Ndihamba nawe!" or if you've found that one boy/girl that just does it for you, you tell them "Eish, ndihamba nawe!".

Girl's verse
Ngithanda na le way -- I love the way
Unguyo ngakhona -- you just are
webhuti mina ndihamba nawe -- Brother, I choose you
Ngithanda na le way -- I also love the way
Ucula ngakhona -- the way you sing
Webhuti mina ndihamba nawe -- Brother, I choose you

Guy's verse
Ndithanda na le way -- I really love the way
Ujika ngakhona -- You turn (walk/stride)
We sisi mina ndihamba nawe --Sister, I choose you
Ndithanda na le way -- I also love the way
Ududla ngakhona -- You gain weight just right
We sisi mina ndihamba nawe -- Sister, I choose you

Gotta love African music hehe...

and even more on gay marriage in South Africa...

How cool is this?!?!

Jewish same sex marriages welcomed

Jewish gays have lauded a decision by the South African Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ) to allow marriage between Jewish couples of the same gender.

The Jewish OutLook: SA Jewish Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Alliance - an organisation representing lesbian and gay people in the Jewish community - said the decision affirmed the full humanity of all Jews.

"It is particularly important that the status of lesbian and gay relationships will be equal to that of heterosexual couples and will be recognised as full Jewish marriages or kiddushin," it said in a statement on Wednesday.

SAUPJ announced the decision to allow marriage between Jewish couples of the same gender on Monday.

more on gay marriage in South Africa...

This is cool... lots of churches are actually applying to officiate gay marriages. Too bad about the exam delay though...

Churches get nod for gay marriages

eventeen churches across South Africa have applied to, and been accepted by, the department of home affairs to officiate gay marriages.

A list of the churches, released to the Cape Argus on Thursday by the department of home affairs, excludes the major church groupings.

The 17 institutions had applied to solemnise same-sex unions after the Civil Union Act, which legalised gay marriages, was implemented on December 1.

All were approved by Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, said department spokesperson Mantshele Tau.

Ministers at these churches, are, however, still required to write an examination - which tests their knowledge of the Civil Union Act - but this process has been considerably delayed.

A pastor at the Unitarian Church, Gordon Oliver, applied for his licence on December 5 and is still waiting for material to prepare for the exam.

On Thursday, the Cape Argus reported that four leading denominations - the Anglican Church, the Baptist Church, the Presbyterian Church and the Catholic Church - had instituted policies that barred their ministers from officiating at gay marriages.

It was also reported that individual officials at religious institutions were obliged to submit letters to Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula if they did not wish to officiate over gay marriage ceremonies.

However, Tau said that, according to the Civil Union Act, "churches make their own decisions on whether to marry same-sex couples".

He said the rule of submitting letters to the Home Affairs Department applied to Home Affairs marriage officers only, if they did not want to marry gay couples.

In the meantime, the policies barring gay marriages at larger churches have not gone down well with certain ministers.

Nineteen ministers in the Methodist Church Cape of Good Hope District recently challenged the decision not to marry homosexual couples.

A minister of the church, the Reverend Timothy Attwell, said the church was in discussion with those ministers.

At another church, a gay minister, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, told the Cape Argus that he planned to leave his church denomination to move to a smaller denomination that supported same-sex marriages.

He said while he felt strongly about officiating at gay marriages, his church, which is one of the country's largest denominations, would fire him for even considering it. The church is not aware of his sexual orientation.

"I am definitely going to change my denomination because of the church's views towards same-sex couples.

"There are smaller churches that don't seem to be as unfriendly about it and encourage it, but they are in the minority."