Latest news with #Karin
The Citizen
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Get ready for Zini's annual Art in the Shade extravaganza
Get ready for Zini's annual Art in the Shade extravaganza The date has been set for Mtunzini's 9th annual Art in the Shade – Friday, 26 to Sunday, 28 September. This year's Mtunzini Rotary Club fundraising project will have a carnival theme, and is set to be hosted at Mtunzini Primary School. Friday's focus will be on the visual arts displayed in the school hall, while the Saturday will be Carnival Day with a beer tent, food hall, craft stalls, art workshops, educational talks, live music, and big screen rugby. Sunday will be a chance to buy the art you've been eyeing the whole weekend, and to enjoy a tea garden with the 'Great Zini Bake-off'. For more information, contact Karin on 072 8608741. Watch snippets from last year's Art in the Shade: Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Daily Maverick
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
Dine and wine where history meets heritage
In a vibey central Cape Town restaurant, my American and South African mentors and I got to dine out on the food of chef Vusi Ndlovu. In a restaurant that challenges culinary customs and experiments with flavours, on Shortmarket Street in Cape Town, five plates were placed on the table in a moody dining hall. Small vases adorned the table and menus were laid next to each plate. Five guests – two Americans and three South Africans, of different ages and professional backgrounds – sat down to enjoy the same meal. Well, except for the pescatarian that is. A woman with high cheekbones, a colourful hair scarf with a knot in the middle and Afrocentric earrings greeted us at the table. Panashe Makande, a tall man, stood quietly, waiting to serve water. Our table was right next to the fire, and immediately my memory transported me to my first braai. But in reality, braais are all around you in South Africa, in the township and even in fine dining restaurants like EDGE. Braais are represented in every culture in the country. Food has the power to bring people together, a theme I am finding to be proven true daily. I took a seat next to Tony – naturally I've been sitting next to him as he's my mentor in South Africa. At the opposite head of the table was Karin, and two seats were reserved for Jan, her husband, and one of my professors from Syracuse University, Ken Harper. Jan and Karin are two of my hosts in Kayamandi. Ken is visiting South Africa to work on his own projects while also checking in on the student interns. I must say I do feel greatly supported throughout my internship. While we waited for Jan and Professor Harper, Tony, Karin and I caught up with how our weeks had been going. The woman with the high cheekbones, Luyanda Peter, wiped the bottle with a cloth and the words revealed Aslina. My eyes widened. The Aslina wines? Before opening the bottle she asked me which one I would like to try. I am on a mission to find my favourite red wine, so without hesitation I said 'red'. She opened the bottle and poured the red liquid into my wine glass. I'd been wanting to try the wine from Ntsiki Biyela since I arrived and was now having the opportunity to do so. The wine selection at EDGE is intentional with the inclusion of Black, people of colour, female and young winemakers in the cellar. I quickly took out my phone and drafted an email to send to a representative at Aslina wines. I just had to schedule an interview with Ntsiki. Send. The menu at EDGE includes bokkoms, kingklip, egusi and wine from Aslina, the second Black female winemaker in South Africa. Below the restaurant name the message on the menu reads 'Local ingredients cooked over wood fire, highlighting the beauty and depth of Africa's culinary heritage & the abundance of the great African pantry'. The African pantry is diverse with ingredients such as red pepper, various seeds and amaranth verte to reimagine African cuisine. The hibachi-style setup along with a green egg and coal oven helps create the essence of the menu at EDGE. The portions are tailored to represent the shared-plates concept. Founder and owner Vusi Ndlovu has relationships with his butchers, portraying the ethos of EDGE. The South African chef has graced the kitchens in both his homeland and in Europe, exploring his culinary craft. Co-founder Absie Pantshwa, from the Eastern Cape, is described as demure and mindful, and though she is not directly making the food, her upbringing in the kitchen, and even knowledge of how to slaughter a sheep, creates a space of collaboration with Vusi's casual and witty personality. The first course was inspired by tradition. In Xhosa, the meaning of the meal translates to water of bread. The meal is traditionally served at family gatherings with the meat that has been cooked over as a stew. The meal at EDGE was prepared with water, the beef elixir and the plump, round steamed bread known as dombolo. Small oil pockets form in the centre. The dombolo quickly absorbed the elixir without any sogginess, allowing the flavours to seep into the carb. Refresher towels were placed next to our food so we could enjoy the meal with our hands. The second course was the main one, served on a small plate to give us a glimpse of the menu, of cabbage, mussels and zamalek (the colloquial name for Carling Black Label beer). The bright-yellow sauce reminded me of eggs waiting to be scrambled. As I mentioned in a previous story, there are two foods I swore I would never try: mussels and oysters. Would you believe that one of my favourite parts of the dish was the mussels? Who knew mussels could be so tender yet chewy? The creamy sauce paired deliciously with the green apples, a pleasant topping on the dish. Now, I want to add green apples to every meal. I excused myself from the table during the evening to use the bathroom and when I returned, a man with a blue hat, brown skin and grey puffer jacket was sitting at a nearby table talking to Jan, Karin, Professor Harper and Tony. Tony introduced me as Naomi Campbell, and the ice has been broken yet again. Vusi Ndlovu can now say Naomi Campbell has visited his restaurant, and if her PR representatives are reading this, you should book a reservation for her immediately. At some point during the evening, and as with most of my outings with Tony, it was revealed that I am pescatarian. The waitress looked apologetic, but who can blame her? I've been politely teased as to how I can come to a poultry-loving continent as a pescatarian. Can you imagine how my Caribbean parents feel? She also has a great memory. As she walked back to the table with my personalised plate she announced to us all what I would be eating. Before the plate was even placed on the table, I saw something excitingly familiar. The brown rice was neatly placed in a miniature bowl. It was jollof rice. I had briefly mentioned to her that Senegalese food is one of my favourite cuisines and there on my plate was a taste of the country I hope to visit one day. My third course was mackerel topped with fresh tomatoes and peppers on top in yet another broth. Vusi is well versed in broth brilliance. I won't lie to you when I say I didn't get a glimpse of my dear friends' plates to see what they were eating – when you are treated like a pescatarian princess it is hard to take your eyes off of your own dish. The jollof had a slight spice to it with hints of amaranth verte. The salt and black pepper shakers sat untouched at the table. The perfect blend of salt and various spices could be tasted. A tip of the hat to the chef. The final course was a dessert – a pastry with rooibos, egusi and vanilla flavours with a hint of peach jam on top. I appreciate all of the desserts I have tried in South Africa and I think the American culinary industry should take note – your desserts can taste sweet without a whole lot of sugar. The natural sweetness of vanilla, blended with the crispy pastry and fruity taste of peach, offered a complimentary treat which left me craving tea. After we dined, Vusi guided us to the rooftop. We initially dined downstairs due to an event happening upstairs. During the walk up the narrow staircase I briefly spoke to my professor who asked me about my experience so far in South Africa. Where do I even begin? I thought. On the rooftop, Vusi ordered us all a cocktail. I can't remember what I was given, partly because of the wine, but also because of the speakers. Is that amapiano I hear? One of my favourite parts of being in South Africa, specifically Kayamandi, is being woken up by passing cars blasting amapiano music. So it isn't a cliche? Amapiano really is part of the culture. Vusi introduced the five of us to his team including chefs Nthabeleng Ntsewa and Owame Chupulogo. I told them about my love for amapiano and asked them to play Mali by Dlala Thukzin and Zee Nxumalo. The chefs and Vusi were surprised I knew the song. I tried my best to pronounce the words in isiZulu, one of South Africa's official Nguni languages. I waited eagerly to hear the ad lib, 'Dlala Thukzin', from the song. I've listened to this song more times than I can count and I wanted to impress my new peers. After about four minutes into the song, I put on a cheeky grin and mouthed 'Dlala Thukzin', and they laughed and cheered me on. Mission accomplished. The sounds of the percussion and chords paired with the vocals – how isn't amapiano more played in the States? I long for the day that I hear Dlala Thukzin's name echoed through the speakers. After our jam session I was able to briefly interview Vusi. When I asked him what inspired EDGE, he said: 'The flavours of the African continent inspire me a lot, and what we bring forward to the table.' What some might call casual cuisine is redefined through chef expertise at EDGE X VUE. My experience at EDGE restaurant was where history, trying Aslina wine, meets heritage, tasting traditional African cuisine, all by the fire. 'When you come here, you are going to find different types of ingredients that we like to play around with, and we also like to try new things, explore flavours,' Owame said. As Karin, Jan, Professor Harper, Tony and I prepared to part ways, I was reminded of something that chef Nthabeleng said: 'It's always a vibe here.' I enjoyed my first taste of First Thursdays (which happen weekly in the neighbourhood) and it wasn't even a Thursday. , I hummed as I walked down the flight of stairs to exit the restaurant and enter onto Shortmarket Street. DM
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lifelong sci-fi fan launched into space in loving, posthumous tribute
From boyhood, Steve Garner Nielson qualified as the most devoted sci-fi nerd in the galaxy, so passionate about all things space that he loved 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' equally — a heresy all but the truly obsessed. He kept bookshelves stocked with 'Hitchhikers's Guide' and intergalactic sagas, and he posed Yoda, a stormtrooper and R2D2 in his backyard garden rather than gnomes. 'He could tell you the evolution of the Tribbles,' said his wife, Karin. After he died in 2023, she joked in his obituary that he'd been kidnapped as a child by aliens from Area 51 and written every episode of 'The Mandalorian.' So in the next few days, she will give her departed husband the most fitting tribute for any dreamer with his eyes fixed permanently on the stars: A posthumous trip into space. Thanks to Celestis Memorial Spaceflights, Steve's ashes will ride a Falcon 9 rocket into low-Earth orbit and circle the planet three times at 17,000 mph while his terrestrial family waves from below. The Perseverance Flight will ferry capsules containing cremated remains from Nielson and 150 other clients through the cosmos, then drop them back gently into the Pacific Ocean, where they will be recovered like triumphant astronauts — ticker-tape parade not included. 'I'm just going to be thinking about how much he is loved,' Karin Nielson said. 'He always complained how unfair it was that billionaires and their rich friends could go to outer space and the people who really wanted to go couldn't because they couldn't afford it.' Nielson could trace his fascination with the final frontier to a childhood trip to Cape Canaveral, where he and his parents watched the space shuttle launch — back when spaceflight got covered on live TV and everybody tuned in. The road to his romantic life with Karin would involve more twists and turns. They met in their high school youth group at Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church, which sent them building playgrounds in Robeson County. One day Karin took hold of an augur and gripped the handle so tightly her feet started shaking around, and she might have gotten sucked into the hole she was digging if Steve hadn't come around behind her and taken hold of the out-of-control machine. 'It would sound like it was this wonderful meet-cute,' Karin recalled. 'That is exactly what did not happen.' Rather, the two of them bonded in mutual awkwardness, stealing away for odd chat time. 'During lock-ins,' she said, 'we would go into a different room and talk about the ramifications of Agent Orange, the defoliant. That was our idea of flirting. We were nerds.' They went their separate ways in college, but reunited years later when she asked Steve if he wanted to attend her office Christmas party at AT&T Solutions Providers — not everyone's idea of fun. But Steve jumped right in. They married and traveled to the Panama Canal for their honeymoon. 'Steve loved it.' They had a son, Andrew, whom they took for a visit to NASA. And when diabetes triggered a leg amputation, Steve kept going as a stay-at-home dad. Heart and kidney problems followed, but he stayed a fighter, knowing he could win battles but not the whole war. After he died in November of 2023, Karin discovered the array of options available for cremated remains, including installing them in an artificial reef off the coast of Florida. She asked, 'Could you send him to space?' If she wanted, Karin could have launched Steve's ashes into deep space — an option Celestis offers starting at $12,995. For the same price, she could put him in lunar orbit or on the surface of the Moon. She chose what they called 'the budget option,' running roughly $3,000 with the added perk of a reunion. When he blasts off, sometime between June 19 and June 23, he will return the wide-eyed explorer he always was, this time touched by actual stardust, a witness to the whole planet's turning. He will, in some special way, tell them all about it, laughing like Han Solo outrunning a star destroyer. 'We don't see this as a goodbye,' said Karin. 'Just as a see you later.'
ITV News
10-06-2025
- Climate
- ITV News
'In 40 seconds, everything was gone': The Swiss village destroyed by climate change
Sometimes climate change is hard to visualise, but not the disaster that struck the Swiss alpine village of Blatten on May 28. In the middle of the afternoon a glacier that had stood above the village for centuries broke free from the mountainside and crashed down onto Blatten. The Swiss authorities had seen in coming and evacuated the inhabitants 10 days earlier – only one person is missing, which is both miraculous and a tribute to Swiss engineering. But the 300 people who lived there lost everything. Daniel Ritler had lived all his life in Blatten. The restaurant and delicatessen he ran with his wife Karin now lie under millions of tons of rock and mud, themselves invisible under millions of gallons of water. 'The whole thing happened within 40 seconds. In 40 seconds, everything was gone. Houses that were built in 15 and 16 centuries were buried, all buried', he told me. The sheep Daniel kept in the pristine alpine pastures above the village also survived, but whether they or the Ritlers will even be able to return is uncertain, perhaps even unlikely. First the geology of the Lotschental valley must stabilise, and that itself could take many years. This disaster was not caused solely by climate change – erosion and minor earthquakes in these mountains also played their part – but there's little doubt that without the significant warming the Alps have seen in the last few decades it wouldn't have happened. On current trends, glaciologists confidently predict that by the end of his century, 2100, there will be no more glaciers in Switzerland. This doesn't just mean a lot of melt-water: the ice in a glacier binds together huge quantities of mud and scree and rock, so when the ice melts much more than water comes down a mountainside. Professor Stuart Lane, a British glaciologist who lives in these mountains, and teaches at the University of Lausanne, says that as good as Swiss engineering may be, you cannot engineer away a problem as big as the one that hit Blatten. Indeed, difficult decisions may have to be taken about moving whole towns or villages out of the way of collapsing valley walls. 'The only way you can get a glacier back is by increasing snow in winter and reducing ice melt in summer', he said. 'So only with a reversion to the climate of 50-60 years ago will you see glaciers come back again'. And you don't have to be a top scientist to know how unlikely that is.
Metro
31-05-2025
- General
- Metro
London station where ‘fights broke out over lift' to close this weekend
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A station in London which has been plagued with escalator problems is now set to close for nearly a year. The escalator at Cutty Sark DLR station in Greenwich, south east London, has been broken since October last year and had issues prior to then, leaving passengers faced with either battling for a spot in one lift or walking up the 121-step staircase. The situation has got so heated that there have even been fights when the escalators were broken as people queued for the single customer lift, residents said. It is one of London's busiest DLR stations, with more than 7.6 million entries and exits in 2023, TfL figures show. Footage filmed by a resident on March 4 and shared with Metro shows a woman trying to push her way in past the queue while a member of staff intervenes. Another customer then shoves her back. However, Metro understands no fights have been officially reported. Karin Tearle, a photographer from Greenwich and a campaigner with the Escalate Now group, said that the problem 'jeopardises the reputation of the Royal Borough.' Passengers told Metro the escalator issue started almost ten years ago. This predates the time when TfL took over the station management in 2021. Cutty Sark station will close from Saturday, May 31, and remain shut until next spring so that new and more energy-efficient escalators can be installed for £4,000,000 of repairs, TfL confirmed last week. Karin said: 'Fights have broken out on those lifts. Other people have broken up a fight and I've seen one. The poor members of staff are also affected – it's not their fault this has happened.' She said the stairs can be 'really crowded and that can be dangerous.' As a photographer, she often has to carry heavy camera equipment and faces the choice of either lugging it up the stairs or waiting 'a long time' for the crowded lift. 'Some people will push to the front and leave wheelchair users out,' she said. Rachael Oakley, who travels through the DLR station with her disabled and elderly mum, said the station is 'unusable' for them because of the issues. They have waited '20 minutes for the lift' as facing the stairs is not an option for her mum, who also struggles with anxiety, Rachael told Metro. She said the station was not 'well thought through' from the beginning when it was built for the millennium. 'I've seen fights at the lift. The steps are unsafe to use. A wheelchair user or a young mother with a pram cannot go through the steps,' she said, adding that she is glad that the repairs will be carried out. Ben Grellier, TfL's head of operations for the DLR, said the transport authority knows the escalators 'have been causing disruption and frustration' for passengers. However, it is 'not possible' not fix the issue while the station stays open, he said. More Trending 'We apologise for any further disruption the station closure may cause, but it is not possible to replace these escalators with the station in operation,' he said. 'Once installed, the new state-of-the-art escalators will provide customers with reliable and easier access to DLR services at the station.' Matthew Pennycook, the MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, said on X: 'I appreciate fully that it will entail a period of disruption and will impact people's lives, but it is very welcome that TfL are doing what is necessary to permanently resolve the problem of broken escalators at Cutty Sark DLR Station.' This story was originally published April 10th, 2025. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Could London be the next city to introduce a tourist tax? MORE: Man unleashes smoke grenades and sledgehammer in raid on Mayfair hotel MORE: Heaven nightclub bouncer cleared of rape charge
