Articles written by Mataba

What is Helium

About me - Mataba

An interesting and yet hard life; I have made more mistakes than most. I have seen war, seen deprivation, and seen politicians of the past create problems for the future. I am African and I still recall the beauty of a land that some said 'God went to rest'.

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Religion & Spirituality > Spiritual Insights Is mind-reading real or fake?: 2 of 69
If we were to look back at moments in our lives, especially when in the company of someone we care about, we would probably be able to recall a moment when we either pre-empted, or were pre-empted in a thought, action or word. At the time there was no intended intrusion from either party, the communication coming naturally an... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > After School Should parents raise their children without television?: 5 of 122
If television improved the society in which we live, I would have voted yes! Unfortunately this media has been a force for major change in our society, and unfortunately not all of it, good.As an entertainment, television has a place in our homes, but what has actually happened overshadows any positives presented by the 'gogg... More..
Celebrations & Holidays > Christmas Is Christmas becoming too commercialized?: 5 of 69
It is sad to think of Christmas as a time of stress, hurt, loneliness and commercialism. Perhaps a little overreaction here, but to me the whole principle, concept, and spirit of Christmas has disappeared. Caught up in the philosophy essential giving, which by the way has been created by consumerism, we drag our way through a... More..
Politics, News & Issues > International Politics (Other) How has your immersion in or exposure to a foreign culture fundamentally changed your perspective on something?: 2 of 25
Born a white colonial in the mid forties and brought up in the world of south Central Africa, I grew up acquainted with the local population. Western history presented the people in my surrounding communities as backward, barbaric and savage.One group, a small family of San Bushmen living at the bottom of an extended African ... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Storms: 15 of 145
An African Storm A whisper, White, there and gone, To reappear, and float in silent drift. Rising, it bulges, billows, and churns, Climbing, a tumult of swirling steam, The stratosphere in targeted display, It's weight, oh it's weight, Darkening in leaden'd overloaded base, The thunder cloud, a shadowed storm in moment res... More..
Education > Education (Other) Should the school year be lengthened?: 4 of 33
There is a misconception that pupils require a certain number of hours in the day to satisfy their educational requirement. This is a very dangerous principle, and when applied to the extension of the school year, could cause a reversal in the learning process.Children have a limited concentration span. This varies from child... More..
Sciences > Social Science (Other) Which came first: Language or culture?: 4 of 25
If we are to enter a room full of strangers, we seek a position in the room that brings comfort. Sometimes this is because we find someone we know, sometimes we are welcomed, and sometimes it's a result of unknown feelings and factors guiding us towards faces. Body actions seem to bring a silent understanding of familiarity.C... More..
Education > Education (Other) Do you really need an education to succeed in life?: 17 of 100
Education, or at least the word, is often restricted to academic achievement. This, unfortunately is a misguided view of the word's true meaning. True, education is going on all the time. In fact, as this article is being written, education is taking place. Both the reader and the writer are receiving benefit from the experie... More..
Relationships & Family > Family Life Is blood thicker than water?: 9 of 52
There can be no greater bonding created, than that between the child and the mother. As many fathers will agree, the relationship between father and daughter is also something few can describe, especially when what I would call, 'a silent relationship', develops from birth and over time. Blood is the continuum of the f... More..
Education > Reading & Writing Skills Which is a better way to teach children to read: Whole language or phonics?: 4 of 23
I voted phonics, simply because the question asked for, an either/or answer. Learning to read requires a multi-task approach, where every system is an integral part of the process. No one system is sufficient to teach a child to read, reason, reading is a living process. It is dynamic and affects children in different ways an... More..