Hello Again

For anyone who has taken a walk down the streets of Cape Town city, you will know that there are many interesting shops displaying and selling local, vintage, designer or very unique items. If this is the type of shop that you like, then Hello Again is definitely the place to stop in at.

Hello Again is a shop for guys and girls who are looking for the perfectly unique printed t-shirt and other trendy items like hoodies and vests. They also have rails of good second hand garments, accessories made by local designers, screen printed posters, some fixie bicycles and whatever else takes the owner, Lynne Groenewald's fancy. Most things in the shop are locally made, or else they are things that have already been in circulation.

They have additionally just launched their own skinny jean at the beginning of August. It is very popular, has a nice cut and fits like any skinny jean should.

Just look out for the brightly coloured rainbow bench and vintage bicycles outside their shop at 44 Bloem street Cape Town (tel: 021 4260242) and you have found this interesting little gem aptly called Hello Again.

Breeding season has started for the Western Leopard Toad

Mating calls of the Western Leopard Toad (Amietophrynus pantherinus) have been heard at The Cape Point Vineyards Pond and at Fishhoek soccer fields since the beginning of August this year. Breeding season generally occurs during first warm days of spring (usually in August), but can be as early as the end of July and as late as the beginning of September each year.

The first indication that breeding is about to start, is the appearance of a large number of adult toads after dark (particularly on rainy nights) at selected breeding sites and the symphonies heard thereafter.

They tend to call in bouts and in choruses of up to 50 individuals (as many as 200 males have been heard chorusing on one night at a breeding spot). Their calling is generally at night, but can continue throughout the day during peak breeding periods, especially if very large numbers of males are present at a site. The male toads make their calls to the opposite sex from stands of waterside vegetation (e.g. bullrushes), but prefer to call from areas of open water at night in a floating position with limbs outstretched.

Their call is a deep pulsed snore that continues for about a second and is repeated every three to four seconds. It can also be described as sounding similar to a tractor or motorcycle engine.

Some toads need to move quite a few kilometres to reach their breeding sites, posing a great danger to the species, as they have to counter many man-made obstacles (including crossing busy main roads) to reach their preferred breeding site each year.

The Western Leopard Toad has a rough skin and two large parotoid glands on either side of the head and neck region (behind the eyes). It has a beautiful pattern of chocolate to reddish-brown patches on a bright yellow background (although duller individuals are also found).

They usually have a yellow stripe running the length of the back between the patches while the underside of the toad is granular and cream-coloured (males having a darkish throat). The Western Leopard Toad can reach an impressive size of about 14cm in body length.

For more information: Western Leopard Toad Website

Vaccine available for Cervical cancer

A second vaccine against a cancer type is now available in South Africa and is being recommended to young women by gynecologists all over the country.

HPV virus

The most common strains of HPV that affect sexually active women of all ages are:

• HPV Types 16 and 18 (cause 70% of cervical cancer cases)
• After 16 and 18, types 31 and 45 are the two types most commonly associated with cervical cancer.
• HPV Types 6 and 11 (cause 90% of genital warts cases).

While half of all women diagnosed with cervical cancer are between 35 and 55 years old, many of these women were probably exposed to cancer-causing HPV types in their teens or 20s (HPV is spread through direct skin-to-skin contact with someone who has an HPV infection). For most women who have HPV, the virus will disappear on its own, but in other cases, abnormal cervical cells can develop in the lining of the cervix. If these abnormal cells are not found early and treated, precancers and then cervical cancer can develop.

Unlike cervical cancer, genital warts are not life threatening, but they can impact negatively on a person's way of life. Even after treatment, about 25% of cases reoccur within 3 months.

Having regular Pap tests helps detect abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix before they have a chance to become precancers or cervical cancer and is one of the best ways to help protect against cervical cancer in the future. A Pap test can't diagnose HPV, but it can look for abnormal cells (that are caused by HPV) in the lining of the cervix before the cells become precancers.

A woman's first Pap test should be 3 years after becoming sexually active or at age 21 (whichever comes first). After that, a Pap test should be part of an annual gynecological exam.

Vaccines available

Now a second vaccine (Cervarix) has been manufactured and made available in South Africa to prevent certain strains of the HPV virus from developing.

Note: These vaccines are preventative cervical cancer vaccines, not therapeutic i.e. HPV immunity is type-specific, so a successful series of HPV vaccine shots will not block infection from cervical cancer-causing and HPV strains other than HPV 16, 18, and 31, 45 (Cervarix vaccine) or 16, 18 (Gardasil vaccine), so experts continue to recommend routine cervical Pap smears even for women who have been vaccinated.

Currently, there are two vaccine options available to young women:

1. Cervarix (manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline - 2008)

   "Cervarix is designed to prevent infection from HPV types 16 and 18, which currently cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases. Type 16 is also associated with oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma, a form of throat cancer. Additionally, some cross-reactive protection against virus strains 45 and 31 were shown in clinical trials. Cervarix is also formulated with AS04, a proprietary adjuvant that has been found to boost the immune system response for a longer period of time.

   Vaccination has been shown to offer protection for at least 6.4 years. In the clinical trials, women were given three doses over a six-month span; at 0 month, 1 month, and 6 months.

   The study found that Cervarix generated over two times more antibodies than Gardasil for HPV type 16 and over six times more for HPV type 18 at seven months in all women aged 18 to 45 years. At seven months Cervarix also induced 2.7 times more memory B cells than Gardasil for both HPV types 16 and 18 in women with no detectable B-cell response before vaccination."

   Further reading:

   • Cervarix
   • Cervarix Product Information

2. Gardasil (manufactured by Merck - 2006)

   "Gardasil is designed to prevent infection with HPV types 16, 18, 6, and 11. HPV types 16 and 18 that currently cause about 70% of cervical cancer cases, and also cause some vulvar, vaginal, penile and anal cancers.

   Gardasil is also effective in males, providing protection against genital warts and some potentially precancerous lesions caused by some HPV types. An ongoing study of 4,065 males demonstrated the efficacy of Gardasil in males who did not have HPV infection prior to vaccination. The vaccination is expected to protect against penile cancer and anal cancer caused by included HPV types, and research in this area is still underway.

   In December 2008, Merck requested permission to market the vaccine in the United States for males between ages 9 to 26. In the UK HPV vaccines are already licensed for males aged 9 to 15 and for females aged 9 to 26."

   Further reading:

   • Gardasil
   • Gardasil Product Information

One unknown property of the vaccines now being researched is the persistence of their protective effects. Since the vaccines have been administered for only a few years now, it is unknown whether it will provide life-long immunity to recipients.

Sources: Wikipedia, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck

Spring is in the air

Taking a drive along the N7 from Darling, Citrusdal, Clan William to Vredenberg, one can see the essence of spring budding in the fields of lush green crops. The roadside has a flourish of yellow Senecio, orange Arctotis, and the Canola fields bring a lovely contrast of fresh yellow to the dark green Canola leaves.

The West Coast Nature reserve opens its gates to an influx of nature lovers in September, showcasing a wonderful variety of coastal fynbos and brightly coloured flowers. This is not an opportunity to be missed!

The Postberg Nature Reserve (held within the West Coast Nature Reserve) boasts the top number of flowering species in one small reserve. The time of the flowering season that a person visits the reserve affects the visual display that would be experienced. The colours and the density of the flowers are very much driven by the weather and the seasonal changes, and a person is guaranteed never to see the same flower display year after year.

For the passive observer, dirt and tar roads in and around the reserves lead you and your fellow passengers through a vista of fauna and flora. For the active observers, lookout points, hiking trails with overnight huts are great ways to become one with nature, allowing you the opportunity to get up close with a macro lense for brilliant flora photography pictures.

Visit The West Coast National Park for more information on their location, facilities and activities.

is selling the tickets on behalf of Soma for the performance of internationally acclaimed tribal fusion belly dancer, Sharon Kihara, which will also feature a selection of exciting fusion performance acts from Cape Town.

This amazing show is happening on the 4th of October at 8pm, at the New Space Theatre in Long street and there are only 200 tickets available. They cost R120 each.

Visit Hello Again's website for more information on their shop or the show.

Clan William Wild Flower Show

Clanwilliam, the gateway to South Africa's finest floral region, is once again opening its doors with its Wild Flower Show taking place from the 28 August to 2 September 2009.

Showcasing the inimitable flora exclusive to the Clanwilliam district and Ramskop Nature Reserve while also raising public awareness on conservation issues, the Clanwilliam Wild Flower Show has become a standing tradition for flower fanatics since its inception in 1972.

The theme of this year's Wild Flower Show is bushfires and its impact on the regions indigenous flora.

For more information on the Clanwilliam Wild Flower Show visit their website or alternatively contact the Clanwilliam Tourist Information Office on 027 482 2024.

Winter Wonderland - 22 Aug

Celebrate the end of winter on the 22nd August by making edible snowmen or your own snowglobe at the Noordhoek Farm Village! Bring a jar and a personal trinket to make a snow scene in a bottle.

Spring Fair - 5 Sept

Or if Spring is your prefered season, then celebrate spring on the 5th September at Noordhoek Farm Village.

Lots of fun to be had by all - Flower arranging competition (kids should bring an interesting container for their arrangement - old wellington boots, ceramic pots etc), home made lemonade, balloons and face painting are some of the items available.

Visit Noorhoek Farm Village's website for more fun activities on their event calendar.

Chasmanthe Floribunda
(Piempiempie or Suurkol)

Family :

Description :

Flowering time :

Conditions :

• Full sun
• Lots of water
• Deciduous
• Some frost sensitivity

We all love a chance to test our own brain capacity with brain teasers. Try see if you can figure out this one...

July's Teaser Answer :
"Forgive & Forget"

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Contact Cheral:

Cell: 082 82 509 82
Email: info@livingmatter.co.za
Website: www.livingmatter.co.za