Revenge of a Vampire

Monsters are not real, monsters are not real. I repeatedly told myself as if trying to convince myself of the goodness of the world. Do monsters really exist or not, I don’t know, let’s find out.

THE BEGINNING

Daniel and his older brother Nathan moved to the countryside for a fresh start, both their parents had passed away in an accident. Daniel had a twin sister named Sarah who was killed by hunters a few months back. Nathan was the kind and gentle brother who always saw the brighter side of life while Daniel was more of a rebel and after his sister’s death, he became aggressive. The two brothers are three years apart and have distinctive features, while. Nathan is blue eyed with dark hair, while his younger brother Daniel is green eyed with blonde hair.

After the tragic loss of their sister, they decided to move to start a new life and avenge their sister’s death.
A few months after the brothers moved to the countryside, they met Liam who introduced them to three of his friends, Marc, Neil and Tony. Nathan confided in Liam about what brought him and his brother to the countryside and that they needed a place that was cheaper than the one they were currently occupying, but he decided to keep the real reason to himself. Liam being a kind person he was offered Nathan and his brother Daniel a place to stay which he shared with his three friends.

Two years had passed Liam and Nate grew closer as friends, but even with the friendship they developed, Nate kept a big secret from his best friend, a secret that was bound by blood.

Nathan’s bedroom

Nathan kept on pacing up and down in his room to the annoyance of his brother. The thought of him keeping such a big secret from the one he calls friend started to keep him up at night, but the anger that filled his heart after the murder of his only sister made sure he kept mum. After all this was between Daniel and himself.

DANIEL: Will you quit your pacing, it’s annoying. Sit down.
NATHAN: ‘’ I feel bad that I cannot tell my best friend the truth about why we left our home and why hunters killed Sarah’’.

Hearing this made Daniel angry, it made his blood boil. Daniel could not comprehend the fact that his brother had a human friend and now he felt bad for not telling him about their secret? He wanted to lash out but kept his cool.

DANIEL: ‘’Nathan, remember why we came here, we came to avenge Sarah’s death, Sarah OUR SISTER, we are not here to make friends with humans. Remember that no matter how nice Liam is to you he is not one of us. Keep your head in the game’’.

Daniel said while exiting the room. Daniel was never a fan of humans to begin with, but after they murdered his twin, he hated them with passion, if it were up to him, he would kill every human in sight to avenge Sarah. Nathan stood there recalling how vampire hunters killed his beloved baby sister.

NATHAN: What do I do? Daniel has a point, but Liam was not amongst the hunters that killed Sarah, and he is a good person. Nate was conflicted.

Meanwhile in the living room Liam had called a house meeting. Liam has a baby sister named Riley who is still in college studying dramatic arts. Liam adores Riley so much because she reminds him of their mother who died after giving birth to her, the brother and sister are very close as they have no family and have each other to rely on.

The living room

DANIEL: This better be good

LIAM: Don’t worry everyone this won’t take long.

DANIEL: It better not, I have things to do, he mumbles.

LIAM: Okay is everyone here? Where is Nate? I can’t see him.

NATHAN: (Nate comes running down the stairs) Here I am sorry I took a while.

LIAM: It’s okay Nate please take a seat. Thank you all for coming, I have a request to make.

EVERYONE: Mumbles, request?

LIAM: Do not worry it’s not something serious, but it is important that I ask first.

MARC: What is it? Are you kicking us out?

LIAM: Laughs no I’m not kicking anyone out, but…

EVERYONE: But what?

LIAM: Let me finish will you, but my baby sister will be doing her final year in college next year and I would like for her to come and live with us for final year, because she has to do an internship and if she stays here, it will cut some of her expenses and help her save up some money.

NATHAN AND DANIEL: You have a sister? The brothers were shocked at the news.

NEIL: Yes, Riley and she is such a gorgeous girl…

TONY: Yes, and Neil has a crush on her, but she is not interested(laughs). She really is a bombshell, and Liam does not want any guy around her. That is the real reason he wants Riley to stay here so that he can keep an eye on her.

LIAM: Hey(laughs) there is nothing wrong with a brother protecting his sister from the dangers of the world.

NATHAN AND DANIEL:( Thinking about how Sarah was brutally killed) Yeah that is true.

NATHAN: Liam, you never told me you have a sister.

Nate and Liam have been close for a couple of years, but Liam never mentioned a SISTER!

LIAM: Yeah man I do, I guess a lot has been going on and it slipped my mind. So, do we have an agreement that Riley can live here with us next year?

EVERYONE: Yeah man there is no problem.
After the meeting Daniel stormed out of the room, with anger visible in his eyes. Nathan followed him outside to try and calm him down. Hearing Liam talking about his sister opened an old wound that refuses to heal in Daniel. The killing of his sister turned Daniel into a monster his brother could not control.

NATHAN: DANIEL! calm down what is wrong with you?

DANIEL: Calm down, calm down! Nathan why are you telling me to calm down, these humans killed Sarah, and you are telling me to calm down? I think it is time we set our plan in motion (he says fuming, his hands trembling as he pictured Sarah laying in a pool of her own blood, slaughtered like an animal).

NATHAN: There is no plan that will be set in motion here, Liam and his sister did nothing wrong to us.

DANIEL: I say we kill the sister as revenge.

NATHAN: DANIEL are you stupid? We are not killing anyone especially not Liam and his sister or anyone that did us no wrong do you hear me. Do you hear me, Dani? Get a hold on yourself before you blow our cover. Daniel’s eyes were glowing as fangs started to protrude. Nate held his trembling brother who was close to losing control to calm him down.

NATHAN: Why do you hate Liam so much that you want to kill him though he did you no wrong?

DANIEL: Because he reminds me of the man that killed Sarah, it is worse now he has a sister, and I don’t anymore.

NATHAN: Remember he is not the one, remember that.

A few months passed and Daniel managed to calm himself down, and tried to forget about the people that took his sister from him while also trying to build a friendship with Liam. The year seemed to be short and soon it was a new year and Riley is about to live with her brother and his friends. A week before Riley moved in with her brother, she decided to surprise him with a visit, but to her surprise that day her brother Liam had gone out on a date and only Nathan was at the house.

At the house

Knock, knock, knock as Nathan opens the door he is greeted by a young beautiful lady, with hazel brown eyes, long black curly hair wearing a short shoulder exposing baby blue, figure hugging dress. Nathan gawked with his lower jaw dropped. The girl looked at him, smiled and gently lifted his jaw. I’m looking for someone she said or am I lost she asked, but he lived here the last time I came.

What is his name? asked Nathan, Liam do you know him she asked. Liam of course stuttered as he spoke. He still lives here. He just went out, he said he was going to meet you at the restaurant since it is close to where you live. Nathan said thinking this is Liam’s date. The girl looks at Nathan laughs and says oh I see.

Thank you…Nathan, my name is Nathan, he said , stumbling on his words. Well thank you Nathan, the girl said. And your name is…? you will know when the time comes, just please let Liam know someone came looking for him, but not the one he went to meet at the restaurant. The girl said as she looked at him, smiled and said goodbye, what a goofball, poor man he thought I was. Liam’s date laughs.

He looked at her while she got into a car with her friend and he wondered who she was as he had never seen this girl in their area before, a lot of unanswered questions filled his mind. Liam and the rest of the guys come back in the evening to find a confused Nathan, ‘’Nathan are you alright’’ asked his brother, ‘’yes, I am okay just that something weird happened today, but don’t worry about it’’. Daniel, being tired as he was, just said OKAY so that he could get some sleep.

Daniel’s bedroom

NATHAN: Daniel, aren’t you hungry?

DANIEL: No, I’m not. I had something to eat with Tony after work.

NATHAN: Alright then.

NATHAN: I need to talk to Liam, and ask him who that girl is, could he be cheating? He thought to himself.
Nathan went into Liam’s room and found him fast asleep, he went back into his room to get some rest. The thought of that girl he saw in the afternoon did not allow him to sleep that night as he kept on asking himself who she was and why she was looking for Liam.

NATHAN: Is Liam cheating? but I know my friend well, he would never do such a thing. Why am I thinking about that girl so much? Just one smile and I was blown away, get your head in the game Nathan you can’t be falling in love not at this point, not with a human, not especially when you came here on a mission, don’t complicate things for yourself by falling in love. He said as if to convince himself not to fall for a human.

The next morning Liam rushed for work and Nathan did not have time to speak to him. for the rest of the week this was the case Liam had to leave early for work, and he came back late from work and would go straight to bed, Nathan forgot to tell him about the girl as a result, and since the girl did not come back, he thought it was not important to tell him about her visit anyway.

The weekend came and Liam left to go and get his sister Riley from their family home and took her to her dorm to get her things. After a few hours they arrived at the house, while they were in the driveway, Riley told her brother about her encounter with a strange guy last week.
The driveway

RILEY: I came over to see you last week.

LIAM: Oh really.

RILEY: Yes, but instead I met one strange guy, he said his name is Nathan.

LIAM:(Laughs) Riley what makes you say he is strange?

RILEY: The way he looked at me, his jaw literally dropped when he saw me, dear brother you have some weird friends.

LIAM: Nathan is not strange in fact he is one of the good guys left in this world plus he is my best friend so be nice.

RILEY: Well, I did not say he is not nice, he did seem like a good guy and good looking too I’ll give him that. Did he tell you that I came?

LIAM: No, strange but I was hardly at home last week because of work. Come let’s get you settled in.
After they had arranged Riley’s room she asked if she could freshen up and take a nap before she could meet her brother’s new friends. Liam agreed. Around 2pm Neil and Tony arrive from work then Nathan and Daniel follow.
The living room.

NEIL: So, has your sister arrived yet?

TONY: Come on Neil, a bit of patience won’t kill you.

DANIEL: Yeah, where is she?

NATHAN: She is probably resting, what is wrong with you guys?

LIAM: Yes, she is here, and she is in her room, she probably just woke up from her nap and is taking a shower.

NEIL: It’s been a while since I saw her, and I can’t wait to see…

RILEY: See me again. I didn’t know that you were obsessed with me(laughs) . I thought it was just a little innocent crush, but clearly, I was wrong(laughs).

Nathan realises that he had heard this voice before, but he couldn’t remember where he had heard it or whom it belonged to. He turned and saw Riley leaning against the wall and he immediately realised that the girl he thought was Liam’s date was actually his sister. Riley looked over and saw Nathan and said ‘’ hello Nathan, remember me?’’.

NEIL: (Surprised) You know Nathan?

RILEY: Yes, well not really but I met him last week and he thought I was Liam’s date.

NATHAN: Yeah, I did, but I see I was wrong, and you didn’t tell me your name.

RILEY: Turns out I didn’t need to tell you my name even today because you already knew my name. I told you, you would find out when the time was right. (she smiled)

DANIEL:(Looked at Nathan) I’m Daniel, Nathan’s younger brother. Nice to meet you.

RILEY: Likewise.
After three months Daniel confronted Nathan about a suspicion he had ever since Riley came to live with them. ‘’Nathan, are you in love with Liam’s sister?’’ he asked, “Yes I am” he answered, Nathan admitted that he had fallen in love with Riley from the first day he had met her, and that he and Riley have a secret love affair without anyone in the house knowing.

DANIEL: Why would you fall in love with a human when you know that that would complicate things.

NATHAN: I did not plan on falling in love, it just happened.

DANIEL: You need to break up with her. It’s too risky if she finds out what we are and that we seek revenge, she will expose us.

NATHAN: Nothing like that will happen, besides Riley would never betray me like that. She would never do something that would get me killed.

DANIEL: Nathan, open your eyes she is a human and we are not. Dump her and let us focus on our mission so that we can leave this place. We have wasted three years already.

NATHAN: I can’t hurt her like that. I love her too much.

DANIEL: Are you serious Nathan? We came here to find Sarah’s killer and not for you to fall for Liam’s sister. Think about your own sister for once.

Two weeks passed with the brothers going back and forth with each other, while the love and passion between Nathan and Riley grew stronger. One day while Daniel was looking for his brother, he noticed Sarah’s necklace that he had made for her in Marc’s room, he got angry and thought that he had found the people that killed Sarah. He rushed out to look for Nathan and told him that they had been living with their sisters’ killers all this time.

Nathan felt betrayed and felt like he let his feelings cloud his judgment. The two brothers decided it was time to get their revenge on the people that killed their sister, and they were not going to spare anyone, Riley included.
Riley, her brother and the rest of the guys were in the kitchen preparing lunch for everyone, laughing and having fun not knowing what was waiting for them.

Liam, Marc, Neil, and Tony took the serving plates to the dining table, went back to the kitchen and each took a bowl of fruit for the table. When they got to the dining room this time around the brothers pounced on them. When Riley entered the dining room, she saw the man she was in love with tearing her brother’s neck with his teeth, and he had a cold stare with no emotions whatsoever, her brother looked at her as he drew his last breath. She ran as fast as she could out of the house without making a sound because she knew that they would kill her too if they saw her.

Riley stopped the first car that drove by luckily the driver stopped and took her with him. The man, seeing how shaken she was, asked where she was going, and she said ‘’anywhere out of the country’’.
The poor girl could not attend her only brother’s funeral because she was running for her life. A month after the incident Riley found out she was pregnant with Nathan’s baby. Greg, the man that saved her life, fell in love with her and asked her to marry him and let him adopt the baby because he could not father a child, to which she agreed.

Five years passed and Riley was in a happy marriage with Greg she had a daughter that they named Lia Reign after brother. Though she had escaped with her life the nightmares were merciless. Every night the screams of her brother and his friends kept her awake for the first three years of her escape. The cold eyes of her lover staring blankly as he sank his teeth in her brother’s neck tormented her. Greg did not know what to do. He could only hug her in his helplessness.

Three years after Nathan and Daniel killed Liam and his friends the brothers went back home because they could not find Riley. One day their cousin Jeff told them about an incident that occurred a few days back when he and his friend were out fishing, they were attacked by the hunters that killed Sarah, but they managed to escape.

JEFF: Those bastards killed Sarah and took her necklace and sold it to some guy by the name Marc because they needed gas money. Nathan and Daniel looked at each other eyes glowing at the revelation that their beloved sister was killed for a few measly bucks. Then, the realisation that they killed innocent men who knew nothing about their sister kicked in. So, the brothers set out to find Riley and apologise to her. But how do they apologise to someone that witnessed her brother’s murder.

Paris, France
Two years after that discovery, the brothers went to Paris coincidentally Riley, and her family were there for a vacation. In front of the Eiffel Tower a young girl with piercing blue eyes with brownish blonde hair ran from her mother’s arms to her dad. She passed by Nathan who was smiling seeing how this young child was so happy seeing her dad.Something about this girl unsettled him, her resemblance to Sarah was uncanny. When he turned around the child’s mother nearly knocked him off his feet.

The young lady caught his attention, he never thought he would find her after so many years.

Reign! Reign! Riley called out to her daughter, wondering who her daughter was calling daddy because she could not see her husband.
Riley was relieved when she saw her daughter in her husband’s arms. For some reason her gaze shifted from her husband and daughter and met with Nathan’s eyes. She looked at him with no fear in her eyes.

She stared blankly at the man that killed her brother in cold blood. He smiled at her, yet she kept on looking at him while the thought that he had killed her brother lingered in her mind. He approached her and said…

NATHAN: I know she is my daughter; she has my eyes, and her hair colour is a mixture of my and Daniel’s. Besides she is half vampire, I can smell her.

RILEY: Who are you, and how dare you say my child is yours? How dare you claim my child.

NATHAN: Riley, have you forgotten me?

RILEY: Forgotten you? I never knew you. (she said as she stared up blankly at those blue eyes that could pass off as her daughter’s piercing blue eyes). The blue eyes that were once filled with love for her. Those same eyes that held a blank and icey look as the teeth sank down her brother’s neck.

NATHAN: It’s me Nate, your first love.

RILEY: I knew Nate he was the love of my life, but he died the same day my brother Liam died, and you Nathan killed both of them five years ago. I have nothing to say to you, you are nobody to me, you are a stranger in my eyes. Have you come to finish what you started 5 years ago? Are you here to kill me too?

NATHAN:What, no of course not, I would never harm you. You are the love of my life and the mother of my child.

NATHAN:Please forgive me Riley I made a mistake; my brother and I thought that Liam and the others killed my sister Sarah. Forgive us, we made a mistake.

RILEY: I saw the look in your eyes that day Nathan. You wanted to kill me too, it just happened that you couldn’t find me. That is the reason I’m still here. You know it, your brother knows it too.

You Nathan are a monster, you took away the two most important people in my life that day, and you denied my daughter the chance to know her uncle. You will never be able to fool me again. Never again. AND I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT. (she said as tears streamed down her cheeks).

NATHAN: I am truly sorry; I understand that you cannot forgive me but please do not deny me my child.

RILEY: YOUR CHILD! Which child?

NATHAN: Reign, I’m her father.

RILEY: Reign already has a father who loves and adores her, as much as she adores him. Reign does not need you; I do not need you. Leave me and my child alone.

NATHAN: I’m her biological father.

RILEY: The biological father of my child is dead. (she said to Nathan, she turned to leave but said her final words) and YOU KILLED HIM. (she said with tears rolling down her cheeks and she left Nathan with his brother drowning in their regrets).
THE END

Hi…hope you find this little story interesting. Leave thoughts

Media Practice

09-o-clock-news-bulletin Download

12-o-clock-news-bulletin Download

compilation Download

These news compilations are courtesy of ENCA, SABC NEWS, Eyewitness news and Algoa

The End of South African print Journalism as we know it

The consumption of print media in south Africa is constantly declining, data shows that in the first part of 2019 the circulation of newspapers declined by 5%. For ten years the circulation of newspapers dropped by 49%.

Research shows that the biggest losses were incurred by daily newspapers that saw a 10% drop and weekly newspapers declining by 7.9% making it the second largest decline.

Studies by Reuters Institute have shown that newsrooms will have to rely on subscriptions and memberships to ensure sustainability in the face of the declining revenues across various mediums.

According to Reuters “Despite relatively high trust levels in the news overall, revenue for news media has been on a downward path for several years, with a 12% drop in ad spend last year for television, 5.6% for radio, and 7.7% for print.”

Journalism is frequently losing the fight for people’s devotion and in some countries, for the public’s trust. For example, the Gupta saga and their hired journalist that really gave South African journalism a bad name.

The love of money and greediness is what will lead to the downfall of the South African journalism. The way the media normalization corruption and public service failure means that media coverage does not result in actual accountability.

It is not something new that the print media has been declining for several years now. It is no surprise that there have been no changes and that things are going to spiral downhill as time goes by.

According to research South African magazine and newspaper publishing industry has become another casualty of Corona.

With media houses like Media 24 announcing that it is considering the closure if five magazine and two newspapers and possibly taking the publications to digital platforms. There is 20% potential job losses and 2,971 staff complement in the division.

Things have not been any better since the pandemic, there has been a plunge in South African print journalism. Journalists think that just reporting on scandals, corrupt government officials or maladministration validates their jobs as watchdogs.

The print journalism world has been declining because of the lack of production during this Covid19 pandemic and more. The growth of online journalism has been booming, there are a lot of online news productions that are taking over print.

The move to digital media generally does not helping print. Instead computerised serendipity and secondary exposure drive people to more and more numerous sources of information.

The country has seen a rise in social journalism and desktop journalists that are getting their information from social media. With almost every journalist getting their news from twitter and other media platforms.

Writing news articles based on those pieces of information on their blogs is making it hard for print to survive. Broadcast journalism here in South Africa may have been booming during Covid19 in the early days of the virus but the views have gone down.

Online journalism is a good way to spread news as it is quick, but this will have devastating consequences for the print world. This means that more and more people will stop buying newspapers as they would rather have something quick to match their busy lifestyles.

People are not watching the news as they were, all they do now is get the latest news of how many new cases of the viruses and to see if there are any changes. Other than that, the world of broadcast has also had its fair share of declines over the years with people choosing to read a headline instead of sitting in front of a television.

The truth is that journalism is slowly dying not only in South Africa but in the world. People are being replaced with robots to work as journalists. This will eventually lead to the end of journalism as we know it. What is the future of journalism in South Africa, what is the fate of journalism in South Africa?

Nobody really knows what is going to happen, is it going to skyrocket or is it going to be worse than what is now. But the real question is with the fourth industrial revolution making itself known will journalism still be relevant.

There are a lot of factors that come to play when it comes to the future of journalism anywhere in the world. These factors are namely social journalism, online journalism and how people reciprocate it.

Sources of news offline Photo from Reuters Institute

Journalism could survive but it can also die, by the rate that things are going print media is more less likely to survive online while broadcast has a bigger chance of surviving with television and radio being the main steam of broadcasting.

The more the technology improves the more chances that journalism in South Africa is going to either improve or going to die. If journalists were to put their hearts into their work and craft instead of harvesting news or information from twitter or other social media platforms and actually backing up their story or finding the information that supports their claims, then broadcast and online journalism has a very strong chance of surviving.

For the past few years journalists have been bribed in order to have the media on their side, with things like these journalism does not stand a chance in surviving it is more likely that at this rate journalism is going to die sooner than later. Corruption among journalists and people of “affluence” is also what will bring down journalism in South Africa.

In conclusion “News is more diverse than ever, and the best journalism in many cases better than ever, taking everyone from the most powerful politicians to the biggest private companies”. According to Reuters Institute “opportunities afforded by the digital world must be leveraged to rebuild ties between producers of news and those who consume it.”

References

Chris Roper, N. N. A. S., 2019. South African Suplementary Report, Oxford: Reuters Institute.

Flueckiger, S., 2019. The Media Online. [Online]
Available at: https://themediaonline.co.za/2019/03/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-future-of-journalism/
[Accessed 13 June 2020].

Mahlaka, R., 2020. Business Maverick. [Online]
Available at: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-07-07-end-of-an-era-as-top-media-house-plans-cull-of-iconic-titles/#gsc.tab=0
[Accessed 1 August 2020].

Maliloan, V., 2018. The Media Online. [Online]
Available at: https://themediaonline.co.za/2018/05/south-africas-print-media-is-failing-to-empower-citizens-on-corruption/
[Accessed 12 June 2020].

Omarjee, L., 2019. Fin 24. [Online]
Available at: https://www.news24.com/fin24/Companies/ICT/sa-media-faces-grim-future-as-it-battles-falling-revenues-reuters-study-20190616
[Accessed 01 August 2020].

CREAMY MAC AND CHEESE WITH TOASTED TUNA BREAD

Creamy-cheesy mac and toast Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

YOU WILL NEED:

1 Cup of cheddar or gouda cheese depending on which one you love
3/4 cup of gruyere cheese
3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese
mix them well together in a bowl
Boil water in large pot depending on the serving or number of people.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt then add 14 oz or 400g of pasta stir it and let it boil.

THE SAUCE:

Add 4 tablespoons of butter, melt it over a low heat
Add 4 tablespoons of flour then whisk and cook for two minutes over low heat
Add 4 cups(1L) of milk while mixing it, whisk until smooth and cook for about 5-6 minutes until the sauce is slightly thick.
Remove the sauce from the heat and add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/4 nutmeg mix it. Then gradually add 3/4 of the cheese mixture, whisk until each ingredient has melted.
Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce stir.
Transfer the pasta to a baking dish, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Bake at 360F for 20-25 min until golden

THE TOAST

Toasted bread Photo by Yukiko Kanada on Unsplash

Place two slices of bread in the toaster
In a bowl take some leftover tuna add 2 tablespoons of mayo, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper.
Add 1/4 of bell pepper finely chopped mix it well together
Remove the bread from the toaster, put the bread on a plate and put some of the tuna paste on the toast.

ENJOY!

Chicken Alfredo and Asparagus with Lemon

Chicken Alfredo has always been a classic dish and one of the most loved Italian cuisine. When preparing this dish, you can either go the traditional route or make it your own by re-inventing the recipe to suit you.

You will need:

2lb chicken breast, parsley, 3 ½ cups of milk, salt, pepper, 3 cloves of garlic fettuccine, mushrooms, olive oil and butter,

Method

1.Start by boiling your fettuccine pasta in a large pot of salted water, drain the water after ten minutes and set the pasta aside.

2.While the pasta is cooking start slicing up your mushrooms and onion. Mince up three cloves of garlic. Slice 2lb of chicken breasts into strips and season the chicken with salt and pepper.

3.Place a large skillet over a medium heat, add two tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is heated add in your chicken and onion while stirring occasionally. Remove the chicken when it is cooked through.

4.Add one spoon of butter in the same pan and a little bit of oil, add onion until it is soft, then add mushrooms simmer for a few minutes while stirring occasionally. Add garlic 3 and a half cups of milk or heavy cream and bring it to a boil for 10 minutes, add in the cooked chicken, parsley season with salt and pepper. Now add the pasta into the skillet stir till fully mixed, serve in a bowl and sprinkle parsley and cheese on top.

In order to balance all the flavours, it is always a good idea to have a side dish that is healthy.

Asparagus with lemon

You will need:

20 medium asparagus rinsed and trimmed, 1 fresh lemon, 2tbsp of mayonnaise, ⅛ tbsp of black pepper and salt1 tbsp of dried parsley

Method

1.Place water into the pot with a lid, place a steamer basket inside the pot and add the asparagus. Cover the pot to bring to a boil over high heat. After a few minutes reduce the heat to medium. 2.Cook for 8 minutes or until the asparagus is easily pierced with a fork. Do not overcook the asparagus.

3.While the asparagus cooks, grate the lemon zest into a small bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl then add mayonnaise, parsley, pepper, and salt then stir.

4.When the asparagus is tender, remove the pot from the heat, place the asparagus into a serving bowl, drizzle lemon sauce over the asparagus.

Eight easy Italian dishes that you should know

“Growing up in New Jersey in the 60’s this was Italian: garlic, canned tomatoes, fried basil and oregano on overcooked spaghetti and meatballs. When we would go out it was that or pizza or a deep-fried veal cutlet buried in the same universal red sauce and processed cheese”._ Anthony Bourdain.

Everyone loves a good pasta dish. If there is one thing that made me want to pursue a career in the culinary arts at one point in my life, it was Italian dishes. The beauty of Italian dishes is that one can choose to go the traditional route by following the recipes or you can add your own twist to it.

What makes Italian cuisine unique is the artistic and ancient way they present the food. The quality and richness of the ingredients is just impeccable which makes the dishes special. Just like George Miller had said “The trouble with eating Italian food is that two to three days later you’re hungry again”.

Italian food is a Mediterranean cuisine that consists of ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques that are from Italy. Flavours that epitomise Italian cuisine range from olive oil, basil mozzarella and so forth. It is these flavours that caught the taste buds’ chefs like Siphokazi from Let’s Eat with Siphokazi who said:

“I wanted to show the world that you can turn traditional food into modern food or as they say, ‘traditional meets modern’. Food I grew up eating makes me passionate and experimenting with different cuisine also adds to my passion for food. My favourite pasta dish is homemade gnocchi with a simple marinara sauce, and grated parmesan cheese or if not then leftover lamb ravioli. This is easy to make because the ingredients are easily available in the pantry.” _ Chef Siphokazi Madlankomo

Here are eight Italian recipes to enjoy ranging from chicken ravioli to gnocchi

Ravioli Lasagne

One and a half Ravioli Lasagne dinner that is easy and quick to make, make it as healthy or creamy as you like

Photo from Unsplash by Angele Kamp

What is better than Ravioli and Lasagne? Ravioli Lasagne, nothing beats your two favourite pasta dishes combined together to create a bomb dish. This dish will only take you an hour and a half to prepare.

Chicken Alfredo

Chicken Alfredo with mushrooms and parsley Photo from Unsplash by: Demorris Bryd

Chicken Alfredo has always been a classic dish and one of the most loved Italian cuisine. When preparing this dish, you can either go the traditional route or make it your own by reinventing the recipe to suit you. The traditional route being your usual spaghetti and a simple creamy cheese sauce

Caprese salad

Photo by Parker Bach from delish

Spring is near and nothing beats a fresh bowl of out of the garden salad that combine fresh tomatoes and cheese along with a homemade pesto sauce

Caprese Chicken

Photo from delish by Ethan Calabrese

Just like the caprese salad the caprese chicken is a fan favourite that one can enjoy lunch or dinner. It is a dish cooked in balsamic vinegar, the fresh produce from your garden is sure to compliment the creamy and cheesy dish.

Tiramisu

Photo from delish by Brandon Bales

The tiramisu is a delightful sponge cake that is easy to make for a tea party or to simply enjoy as dessert after dinner. This creamy round tiramisu is exactly what the name suggests, a pick me up on those rainy days.

Lasagne

Photo from delish by Parker Bach

Talk about the classic and all-time favourite Italian dish. The best way to enjoy this dish is to use the original recipe, which includes homemade Bolognese sauce.

With dishes like pan fried hare with pumpkin by Francesco Bracali and vension goulash with bread souffle by Ana Ros that compliments the lasagne dish as starters or entrée.

Gnocchi

Photo by Parker Feierbach from delish

This is a variety of pasta in which you can choose eighter to make the gnocchi with potatoes or flour. It consists of thick and thin, soft dough eighter or dumplings. You can enjoy this dish with a simple butter or marinara sauce and sage leaves together with a bowl of chicken salad.

Calzones

Photo by Parker Bach from delish

“Pizza does not deserve all the hype, justice for the calzone especially this one”. The calzone is an Italian oven baked pie that is more or less similar to pizza, but the difference is that the calzone is a folded turnover pastry that can be enjoyed as a snack or starter.

Though some of us are creatures of habit it is not a bad idea to branch out and try something new. So go on and these amazing recipes you are surely going to love them.

References

Abraham, L., 2019. delish. [Online]
Available at: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a29359451/tiramisu-cake-recipe/
[Accessed 27 July 2020].

Funston, L., 2020. delish. [Online]
Available at: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a51707/caprese-chicken-lasagna-recipe/
[Accessed 27 July 2020].

Gentile, M., 2008. The Italian Cookbook The Art of Eating Well. 1 ed. America: Adrian Mastranadi.

Gore, M., 2019. delish. [Online]
Available at: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a26091626/easy-calzone-recipe/
[Accessed 23 July 2020].

Handler, R., 2020. delish. [Online]
Available at: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a47891/four-cheese-gnocchi-bake-recipe/
[Accessed 28 July 2020].

Madlankomo, S., 2020. Food [Interview] (22 July 2020).

No reservations. 2018. [Film] Directed by Adam Lupsha. United States Of America: Development for zero point zero production.

Bell’s Palsy the untold story

It got me down when I was first diagnosed. I had to use a straw and plenty of eye drops. I slowly started getting out more though and after five weeks things had really improved” _ Andy Kirk.

Taking care of a child with Bell’s Palsy is not easy especially when you are a single mother and live in a township. People look at your child and pretend to be sympathetic while they mock you on the streets. Motlatsi Moseme (19) is a single mother who lives in a township of Rietvlei in Krugersdorp Gauteng and she has a two-year-old child that was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy one year ago. Being uneducated about the condition did not help matters, when Motlatsi was told about the condition that her baby has she was clueless.

“I woke up one morning and there was something wrong with my child’s eyes. Her eyes would not stop twitching.” Motlatsi took her daughter to the community clinic where she was then transferred to the hospital for further tests. “When the test results came back the doctor told me that my child was suffering from Bell’s Palsy and I had no idea what he was talking about.”

The doctor had to explain to her what the conditions and how it was going to affect her and her baby daughter. There are different types of Bell’s Palsy and the one that Motlatsi’s daughter was diagnosed with is eye twitching which is a little bit easier to manage as compared to the others. “I had to educate myself on the condition as well as the precautions and things to do and not do in order to help my baby.”

What are the symptoms of the Bell’s Palsy condition?

Bell’s palsy is an acute condition of the seventh cranial that mainly affects children from the age of one till adulthood. Being an idiopathic condition means that the cause of bell’s palsy is not yet know. In 1844 Sir Charles Bell in his book titled Nervous System of the human body referred to a lot of different facial paralysis.

In the nineteenth century was when the term Bell’s Palsy became customary for all facial paralysis.

It is important to note that not every patient will experience the same symptoms
In many cases people with Bell’s Palsy have the inability to raise their eyebrows
A dropping face is a common feature, this usually only affects one side of the face
Difficulty in blinking
Weakness in the muscles in the face cause difficulty in eating

Sharp pains in the ears
Sensitivity to loud noise
Pronunciation difficulty

A representation of a person with the condition of Bell’s Palsy

How can it be treated?

After finding out about her daughter’s condition Motlatsi had no clue as to how to treat her child. She started using eye droplets to keep the moisture in her eyes.

A steroid known as Prednisolone is usually what is prescribed for the treatment of Bell’s Palsy with it there have been a reduction in attacks. The steroid prescription needs to be taken with 72 hours of when the symptoms start. It is of utmost importance to get enough rest and drink plenty of water. It is also important to exercise in order to see some changes, do not force your face to move if you are only starting out. Relaxing your face is crucial.

Is it infectious can it be affected by diet?

Bell’s Palsy is not infectious nor is it contagious
No studies have shown any evidence of dieting playing a role in the condition

Can it be linked to pregnancy?

Yes and no but in 1830 according to Sir Charles Bell had described the association the condition and pregnancy. In some previous cases there have been associations on the onset of Bell’s Palsy in pregnancies and the risk of pre-eclampsia and gestational hypertension. Pre-eclampsia is a complication that usually occurs in pregnant women. Studies have shown that pregnant women are more at risk of developing Bell’s Palsy more especially those in the third trimester.

Tips on how to protect yourself or your child with Bell’s Palsy

On windy and wet days, it is best to wear sunglasses
Carry your eye drops wherever you go
Cut food into smaller pieces to avoid food falling out of your mouth
Keep the face warm by wearing a scarf
Get enough rest it is very important

Conclusion

According to JF Jarvis there are two hundred and fifty cases of Bell’s Palsy in South Africa. The findings indicate that this condition mainly affects women in South Africa than men.

Magazine

My target magazine is Drum magazine. Drum magazine is trending from 6.5% to 6% and it has about 1.777 million readers, which is good for my article. My target audience is mainly mothers who do not know what Bell’s Palsy is. It is important for parents to learn and to be informed about such conditions and for them to know the measures to take in case their child or their loved one is diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy. Drum magazine is a very diverse and versatile platform or magazine to have my article published as it is an informative piece and the magazine sells quite a number of copies meaning a lot of people will get to learn about what Bell’s Palsy, what are the symptoms, how to manage it as well as the tips on to protect themselves if they have the condition.

FOG INDEX CALCULATION

In family photographs they look like three ordinary kids a gap-toothed boy who loved playing with his toy dinosaurs and his two older sisters who doted on him. But there might be secrets hiding behind their seemingly carefree smiles. Because it turns out that life in their home in Brakpan, Gauteng, was far from happy. Pictures show fire-damaged rooms in disarray, with clothes and toys strewn all over the floor. Most disturbing of all are two bloodstained mattresses pushed together on the living room floor this was where two of the siblings, were recently found shot dead along with their mother, Sandra Schwartz (39). There’s blood spatter nearby, next to a black leather couch where their sister, Lee-Ann (16), was also shot.

Average sentence length = 122words/ 6sentences =20.33

Average sentence length = 122words/ 6complex words =4.91

20.33(Ave sentence) +4.91(% of complex words) = 25.24 *0.4= 10.09

Fog Index = 10

FEATURE IDEATION

Bell’s Palsy the untold story

The idea for my feature article came from a video I watched about a toddler whose parents noticed that he could not wink properly. I will be writing an informative feature article, which will inform and educate people on what Bell’s Palsy is and what measures people can take toward curing it. I derived my article idea from looking at various articles on what the disease is.

As it is there are quite a few people that suffer from this condition in South African communities, but the parents are not aware of it, nor do they know how to treat it. 11 to 40 cases of Bell’s palsy are recorded in South Africa a year.

In my story gathering I used the internet to read up on Bell’s Palsy as well as social media platforms being YouTube for me to further understand the condition and how I am going to write my feature. My target magazine is Drum magazine. The am for this article is to spread awareness about the condition.

I feel that is article is necessary as there aren’t as many articles on the disease as there are on other syndromes and diseases. This piece will be beneficial especially in the black communities in instances that the mother did not get to further her studies and they are not too educated on different syndromes and diseases that affect children.

Bell’s Palsy being a medical condition that my anecdotal sources are going to be Doctors, more especially the paediatrician as my article will be more focused on toddlers. I will set up an interview with Dr Wayne Jones (0413633133) and Dr AJ Daniels (0414537445) who are paediatricians in Port Elizabeth. The experts that I will use are an organisation called the Smile Foundation SA (011) 325 648/ info@smilefoundationsa.org. I will also interview a young parent whose child has the condition.

FOG INDEX CALCULATION

Dementia is a cruel disease, robbing us of the people we used to know so well. We took her for tests, and she was finally diagnosed with vascular dementia, a general term describing problems with reasoning, planning, judgment, memory and other thought processes caused by brain damage from impaired blood flow to the brain. We agreed on two things one, that we needed help. And two, that we did not want to put her into a home. Her familiar surroundings were terribly important, and her house had a spare bedroom for live in help. We started searching for a career.

Average sentence length= 100 words/6 sentences= 16.66

Ave words 100/6 complex words= 6

16.66(Ave sentence length) + 6(%Complex words) = 22.66*0.4= 9.06

(Fog Index =9)

Turning your business into success

In this feature article I will be discussing a young woman’s journey into the business world. The young lady’s story will give the reader a different view of buying and co-owning a business at a young age as well as studying at the same time. The article will be a profile feature that will showcase the ins and outs of the business world as well as the technique of running a business. My target magazine is CFO because it is a South African magazine for audiences that like business news. It reaches thousands of readers and it has twenty-two thousand South African newsletters.

I derived my story idea after watching a show where a young woman got into business as well as starting a YouTube channel which is also quite like that. When gathering information about a profile feature. I used Google books to help me put the story into perspective. I used books like Zero to One, the Art of Hustling Sell or Surrender as well as documentaries and Pressreader to gather the information on how to start a business as a young person.

For the anecdotal source I will of course interview the young lady Thando Mkhombo is a 27-year-old woman that is determined to fight against stereotypes of women in business. She runs a business with her co-owner, she will tell us more about her tuck shop and how it came to be. To add value and credit to my story I will look at articles in CFO magazines to see how they were written as they usually feature powerful businesswomen in their articles.

FOG INDEX CALCULATION

Average sentence length = 122words/ 6sentences =20.33

Average sentence length = 122words/ 6complex words =4.91

20.33(Ave sentence) +4.91(% of complex words) = 25.24*0.4= 10.09

Fog Index = 10

References

Jacques, M., 2019. Bloodbath in Brakpan. In: H. v. Dyk, ed. YOU. Gauteng: Lyners Edwina, p. 8.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztaIinkR8q4 YouTube

Smile Foundation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic1hKbk4CKc YouTube

Zenande Confirms Pregnancy and Reveals Gender.” The fruit of my Womb is Blessed “

By Mariana Chiwaya
“For this child, I prayed, and the Lord answered my prayers”. The former Generations and The Queen actress Zenande Mfenyana, who plays Goodness recently revealed on her Instagram that she is going to be a mother. The soon to be mother left her fans speculating as to how many babies she is expecting.
The joy of motherhood is an exciting journey for any women, and this is no exception to The Queen’s Goodness Mabuza. The actress whose real name is Zenande Feziwe Mfenyana who is a 34-year-old mother to be. The gorgeous actress and model revealed her pregnancy on her Instagram account on the day that the country was celebrating mothers all around. The actress posted a series of images on her Instagram that were taken by her sister.
She first confused her fans by posting images of moons on her Instagram page that symbolise pregnancy, she did so in a manner that did not tell or give away the details of her pregnancy. The were speculations regarding her pregnancy because of the moons she posted, with the likes of Rami Chuene saying, “there was one, there was two and now there’s three! still not crying”.
Zenande is popularly known for portraying Noluntu Memela, she was born in Johannesburg then moved to Queenstown in the Eastern Cape where she completed her matric. She later enrolled at the University of Pretoria and she holds a degree in Drama.

The star shot to fame in 2011 after starring in the SABC 1’s Generations but was later fired 2014 alongside other stars. She later went on to Star along side fellow former co stars like Menzi Ngubane in a new soapie Ashes to Ashes. She went on to star in Mzansi Magic’s drama series Igazi alongside the like of Vatiswa Ndara that was before she landed her new role as Goodness Mabuza on Mzansi’s The Queen.
Rumours have been making around and people have been speculating and suspecting that the Queen actress might be pregnant, the soon mother to be only confirmed earlier this month that she really is expecting. Fans started to speculate that the star may be pregnant after her character Goodness started carrying her handbag everywhere.
On May 10th was when Zenande announced her pregnancy on her Instagram in a stunning yellow bodysuit in her under water photoshoot. The actress celebrated Mother’s Day in the most unexpected way. On Mother’s Day the actress posted her first maternity photo under water that showed her baby bump. She set the internet of a buzz when she wrote “God knew my heart needed you” on her recent post.
Zenande’s fans were suspecting that the actress could be expecting more than one baby, but the actress took to twitter to correct the misinformation and the fake rumour that was going around. Weeks after revealing that she was expecting Zenande has been throwing some hints to the gender of her baby.

Zenande shared a bit of information that points to her expecting a baby girl. Just before that she wrote that she needed a full day at the spa before her “ballerina lands”. “I thought I would have cut my hair by now, but I figured my daughter picked me like this when she was choosing her mama, so the locks stay. I don’t want her to give me the side eye when she meets me for the first time”. The star was contemplating cutting her locks, but she decided to go against that. Fans have reacted to her post in very different ways, others were encouraging her to cut her dreadlocks while others are in support of her decision. Some fans left some adorable and cute messages.
For the past weeks the actress has been writing sweet messages for her baby while posting photographs of herself in a bathtub while showing of her baby bump. “God saw me worthy of you, and I’m honoured to be your Mama”. She also added “I can’t wait to kiss you and hold you in my arms, my baby love” to her list of sweet messages.
After stunning the internet with the news of her pregnancy speculations have been made as to the gander of her baby. Zenande finally shared to the world the awesome news that she is expecting a baby girl on twitter. Fans and people in the industry such as Dineo Langa have been sending her their well wishes. “My heart is so full; the love is overwhelming” she said upon receiving the beautiful messages of love and light. I could not reach Zenande. The last post she made on her Instagram said, “You’ve taught me to be more selfless, I pray I never fail you my ballerina”.

“There were days my aunt refused to give me food”. But she managed to survive.

Thandolwethu Mahloli is a 25-year-old woman who survived abuse as a child in the hands of a woman who once showed her love.

“I was a victim of abuse from a very young age, unlike most people my story is different. Everything started when I was eight years old and my father suffered a stroke and he could no longer work and take care of the family.

I was born into a family of five that consisted of my father, mother, me and my two siblings. I am the oldest child. When I turned eight my father suffered a fatal stoke while he was at work. Due to his ailment he could no longer work, and my mother had to take up the responsibility of a breadwinner.

The following year my father’s condition got worse, and my mother had to leave for Gauteng in order to make more money so that she could afford to pay my father’s hospital bills. My aunt moved in with us so that she could help me look after my father.

Later that year my father died, and everything went south. My mother took my siblings to live with her and she left me with my aunt who is her sister. The first few months that I lived with my aunt and her family were great, she showed me love like any aunt would. As the year went on, I noticed a change in my aunt.

My aunt would call me names and remind me that my father was dead and that my mother chose my siblings over me. I never understood how fast my aunt changed or why. The abuse got worse as I grew older, she would physically abuse me in front of her family. My uncle would try to defend me whenever he was around, but it was not often because he did not live with us.

There were days that my aunt refused to give me food, she would say “there is no food for you, if you are hungry ask your mother to send you money for food”. She did not care about me; I believe that she wanted me dead.

https://www.saferspaces.org.za/understand/entry/child-maltreatment-in-south-africa

My mother came back after two years to check up on me. I was malnourished and I had scars all over my body. She did not understand why I looked like that, yet she sent money to her sister who supposedly took care of me.

When my mother asked her why I looked worse than she left me my aunt lied to my mother saying that I had gotten very sick and I was not eating enough because I had no appetite. “why does Thandolwethu have scars and it looks like burn marks on her body” my mother asked. “your daughter likes to play rough and at one point she accidently got burnt by an iron”. I begged my mother to take me with her to Gauteng because I did not like living with my aunt anymore. My mother said she take me after I completed my ninth grade so that I would be able to start high school in Gauteng.

I agreed deep down my heart broke knowing that the torment and the torture was going to continue. After many years of physical, emotional and verbal abuse I completed my ninth grade. A week before my mother came to take me, I accidentally broke my aunt’s favourite vase, I remember her shouting and cussing, the next thing I remember is feeling so much pain on the left side of my head, then I woke up in hospital.

After that incident my mother took me with her to Gauteng and she pressed charges of child abuse against her sister, who got bail due to a lack of evidence and my cousins did not want their mother to be in prison, so they refused to testify against her”.

This graph shows the different types of maltreatment of children in South Africa

Child abuse is one the biggest issues that the country faces. Cases of child are usually swept under carpet because family members do not want people to know that one their members is a child abuser. This affects children in a negative way, as you may find that children withdraw themselves from other children.

Child abuse and maltreatment can range anywhere from the age of one to seventeen. Child abuse can happen wherever, and child abusers come from all walks of life. They can be anyone from their parents, close family members, and family acquaintances. It could be anyone who has access to a child and is able to mistreat them.

In many children the withdrawal builds up anger which in turn leads to an adult who has anger issues and a violent nature. If such issues were dealt with properly and abused children taken to counselling a lot of issues that an abused child deals with would be avoided.

A study by Optimus has shown that one every three to four young people has experienced some sort of abuse in their life. The research found that 36.8% of boys and 33.9% of girls reported some form of physical abuse.

https://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/child-abuse-stats-shock-10831327

There are different types of abuse that children go through in their homes or under their guardians

Child abuse and neglect takes numerous forms, including physical and mental abuse, sexual abuse, unequal work and trafficking. Children are abused in a broad variety of situations in their family, at school, on the streets and in legal care.

Despite the increase in child abuse cases in South Africa, it seems that the investment in prevention of violence against children keeps on declining. Studies have shown that not only do abused children become abusers themselves, there are higher numbers of abused youth that turn to substance abuse as means to supress the hurt that still hunts them in their teen and adult lives.

There are ways that one can stop or help prevent child abuse. You can recognise the signs of abuse, though it is not easy but learning about abuse could help with recognising it. Other things you can do is support your children, be an advocate, raise awareness and report child abuse related crimes. https://www.unicef.org/southafrica/resources_2549.htm