Mary Alexander 🇿🇦
@marycalexander.bsky.social
South African writer, editor, web publisher, factchecker, mosaicer (?) and slow-blinker at cats.
https://southafrica-info.com/
https://southafrica-info.com/
A snapshot of each country on a continent you need to know more about ...
Carbon emissions, gender inequality, history, human development, income inequality, internet access, languages, LGBT+ equality, trade partners, population density, size, urbanisation, women in parliament and much more.
Carbon emissions, gender inequality, history, human development, income inequality, internet access, languages, LGBT+ equality, trade partners, population density, size, urbanisation, women in parliament and much more.
Africa from A to Z: Fast facts on the 55 states | South Africa Gateway
Africa is home to 55 countries, an ancient and complex history, modern cities, some 3,000 languages and over a billion people. From Algeria to Zimbabwe, here’s a snapshot of each country on a continen...
southafrica-info.com
September 16, 2025 at 1:33 PM
A snapshot of each country on a continent you need to know more about ...
Carbon emissions, gender inequality, history, human development, income inequality, internet access, languages, LGBT+ equality, trade partners, population density, size, urbanisation, women in parliament and much more.
Carbon emissions, gender inequality, history, human development, income inequality, internet access, languages, LGBT+ equality, trade partners, population density, size, urbanisation, women in parliament and much more.
South Africa has the 10th-largest disparity between legal protections (77%) and public opinion (58%) in Africa, giving us an Equaldex LGBT equality score of 67%.
LGBT Equality Index in Africa | Equaldex
Equaldex is a collaborative knowledge base for the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) movement, visualizing LGBTQ+ rights through maps, timelines, and data.
www.equaldex.com
September 11, 2025 at 11:33 AM
South Africa has the 10th-largest disparity between legal protections (77%) and public opinion (58%) in Africa, giving us an Equaldex LGBT equality score of 67%.
From the UNDP Human Development Report 2025
hdr.undp.org/system/files...
hdr.undp.org/system/files...
September 4, 2025 at 11:33 AM
From the UNDP Human Development Report 2025
hdr.undp.org/system/files...
hdr.undp.org/system/files...
The improvement is substantial. Viral suppression in kids on treatment aged one to four increased from 58% in June 2023 to 76% in June 2025, based on a cut-off of around 1 000 copies/ml. Using the much stricter cut-off of 50 copies/ml, viral suppression was 34% in June 2023 and 54% in June 2025.
HIV & KIDS | The potent antiretroviral drug dolutegravir has become the backbone of SA’s HIV treatment programme. New estimates suggest that most children aged one to four living with HIV have now been switched to the drug, reports @elri-voigt.bsky.social.
www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2025/09/04/t...
www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2025/09/04/t...
Thousands of kids with HIV switched to newer treatment
A child-friendly formulation of the antiretroviral drug dolutegravir was first included in the country’s HIV treatment guidelines in 2023. New estimates suggest that most children aged one to four liv...
www.spotlightnsp.co.za
September 4, 2025 at 7:31 AM
The improvement is substantial. Viral suppression in kids on treatment aged one to four increased from 58% in June 2023 to 76% in June 2025, based on a cut-off of around 1 000 copies/ml. Using the much stricter cut-off of 50 copies/ml, viral suppression was 34% in June 2023 and 54% in June 2025.
"Nerd Reich". Hilarious if it weren't so floccing scary. Wilfully, gleefully, boastfully ignorant men. Jissis.
The ‘Nerd Reich’: how tech billionaires infiltrated the White House – podcast
This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to the journalist Gil Duran about his upcoming book The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Global Democracy
www.theguardian.com
August 28, 2025 at 9:43 AM
"Nerd Reich". Hilarious if it weren't so floccing scary. Wilfully, gleefully, boastfully ignorant men. Jissis.
Reposted by Mary Alexander 🇿🇦
The 400 years of slavery had a huge effect. Africans were being invaded both from the Islamic world and, of course, the Western world. Up to that point, communities had settled in comfortable places, such as plains and valleys. But then, suddenly, they all disappeared ...
Understanding the Gaps in Africa's Archaeological Record
Sites and artifacts are revealing clues to the continent’s recent history. An archaeologist explains the findings and threats to this heritage
www.smithsonianmag.com
August 26, 2025 at 10:57 AM
The 400 years of slavery had a huge effect. Africans were being invaded both from the Islamic world and, of course, the Western world. Up to that point, communities had settled in comfortable places, such as plains and valleys. But then, suddenly, they all disappeared ...
The problem is, 320,158 tonnes is more than all the gold produced since we started mining the stuff about 6,000 years ago. The best estimates suggest that around 216,265 tonnes of gold have been mined throughout history. That’s only two-thirds of what’s promised in Uganda.
No evidence Uganda has discovered 320,000 tonnes of gold worth $12 trillion – and evidence against it - South Africa Gateway
The claim that the small African country of Uganda has discovered 31 million tonnes of gold ore with a yield of 320,000 tonnes of refined gold is going viral. But its numbers are, simply, impossible.
southafrica-info.com
August 26, 2025 at 8:36 AM
The problem is, 320,158 tonnes is more than all the gold produced since we started mining the stuff about 6,000 years ago. The best estimates suggest that around 216,265 tonnes of gold have been mined throughout history. That’s only two-thirds of what’s promised in Uganda.
If this isn't genocide, then what is?
"Figures from a classified Israeli military intelligence database indicate five out of six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza have been civilians, an extreme rate of slaughter rarely matched in recent decades of warfare."
"Figures from a classified Israeli military intelligence database indicate five out of six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza have been civilians, an extreme rate of slaughter rarely matched in recent decades of warfare."
Revealed: Israeli military’s own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war
Figures from classified IDF database listed 8,900 named fighters as dead or probably dead in May, as overall death toll reached 53,000
www.theguardian.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:58 AM
If this isn't genocide, then what is?
"Figures from a classified Israeli military intelligence database indicate five out of six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza have been civilians, an extreme rate of slaughter rarely matched in recent decades of warfare."
"Figures from a classified Israeli military intelligence database indicate five out of six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza have been civilians, an extreme rate of slaughter rarely matched in recent decades of warfare."
Reposted by Mary Alexander 🇿🇦
"This strange brew of shock, confusion, and ambivalence, I’ve realized, is the defining emotion of the generative-AI era. Three years into the hype, it seems that one of AI’s enduring cultural impacts is to make people feel like they’re losing it."
AI Is a Mass-Delusion Event - The Atlantic
Three years in, one of AI’s enduring impacts is to make people feel like they’re losing it.
www.theatlantic.com
August 19, 2025 at 7:59 AM
"This strange brew of shock, confusion, and ambivalence, I’ve realized, is the defining emotion of the generative-AI era. Three years into the hype, it seems that one of AI’s enduring cultural impacts is to make people feel like they’re losing it."
“The current size of the map of Africa is wrong,” said Moky Makura, the executive director of Africa No Filter. “It’s the world’s longest misinformation and disinformation campaign, and it just simply has to stop.”
African Union joins calls to end use of Mercator map that shrinks continent’s size
Member states back Correct the Map campaign that urges governments and organisations to use more accurate map
www.theguardian.com
August 16, 2025 at 3:09 PM
“The current size of the map of Africa is wrong,” said Moky Makura, the executive director of Africa No Filter. “It’s the world’s longest misinformation and disinformation campaign, and it just simply has to stop.”
The graphic? So cool. The data? Not cool.
August 15, 2025 at 7:04 AM
The graphic? So cool. The data? Not cool.
Finally! I worked there when I was 18. A magical, irreplaceable resource.
"The central library was closed in May 2021 ... Residents were not able to access the library which holds over 1.5-million books as well as a vast collection of archived material not available anywhere else."
"The central library was closed in May 2021 ... Residents were not able to access the library which holds over 1.5-million books as well as a vast collection of archived material not available anywhere else."
Iconic Joburg library reopens after years
But the City still has a list of public libraries that remain closed
groundup.org.za
August 13, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Finally! I worked there when I was 18. A magical, irreplaceable resource.
"The central library was closed in May 2021 ... Residents were not able to access the library which holds over 1.5-million books as well as a vast collection of archived material not available anywhere else."
"The central library was closed in May 2021 ... Residents were not able to access the library which holds over 1.5-million books as well as a vast collection of archived material not available anywhere else."
A headline that sums it all up.
Trump orders homeless he passed en route to golf course to leave Washington DC
President demands unhoused residents leave US capital or face eviction and vowed to use officers to make arrests
www.theguardian.com
August 11, 2025 at 6:15 AM
A headline that sums it all up.
Reposted by Mary Alexander 🇿🇦
The crux of their argument is that if they're found liable, then the consequences of their own actions that no one forced them to take could ruin them and the rest of their industry that undertakes similar practices.
To which I say motherfucker did you never hear about Napster
To which I say motherfucker did you never hear about Napster
AI industry horrified to face largest copyright class action ever certified
Copyright class actions could financially ruin AI industry, trade groups say.
arstechnica.com
August 9, 2025 at 4:41 AM
The crux of their argument is that if they're found liable, then the consequences of their own actions that no one forced them to take could ruin them and the rest of their industry that undertakes similar practices.
To which I say motherfucker did you never hear about Napster
To which I say motherfucker did you never hear about Napster
Out of the R114 million in Google's new fund to help small, local and independent news publishers, Tshikululu Social Investments will get a R16 million management fee. That's 14%. A local publisher has described sum as “obscene”.
Small news companies pin their hopes on new Google fund. But already there’s controversy
Large chunk of R114-million fund to go to administrators
groundup.org.za
August 8, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Out of the R114 million in Google's new fund to help small, local and independent news publishers, Tshikululu Social Investments will get a R16 million management fee. That's 14%. A local publisher has described sum as “obscene”.
In its entirety, Jones’s claim is false. The clip is from a moment four years ago, when the country faced the unprecedented crisis of the arrest of a former president. And it could be said that the July 2021 riots were ultimately caused by the “White Oppression” of apartheid, not by its removal.
Trump ally uses four-year-old footage of South Africa’s Zuma riots to justify ‘white oppression’ - South Africa Gateway
Alex Jones posted an old video of a historic crisis with the suggestion it was a typical day in South Africa – and “the future of ALL Western countries if changes are not made fast”.
southafrica-info.com
August 7, 2025 at 12:17 PM
In its entirety, Jones’s claim is false. The clip is from a moment four years ago, when the country faced the unprecedented crisis of the arrest of a former president. And it could be said that the July 2021 riots were ultimately caused by the “White Oppression” of apartheid, not by its removal.
The destruction is beyond imagining, but there it is.
"From the skies, it is striking just how small Gaza is – a sliver of land that has become the stage for one of the world’s bloodiest conflicts ... more than 60,000 people have been killed ... Thousands more ... remain buried under the rubble."
"From the skies, it is striking just how small Gaza is – a sliver of land that has become the stage for one of the world’s bloodiest conflicts ... more than 60,000 people have been killed ... Thousands more ... remain buried under the rubble."
A wasteland of rubble, dust and graves: how Gaza looks from the sky
The Guardian joins a Jordanian military airdrop for a rare chance to observe a landscape devastated by Israel’s offensive
www.theguardian.com
August 6, 2025 at 9:11 AM
The destruction is beyond imagining, but there it is.
"From the skies, it is striking just how small Gaza is – a sliver of land that has become the stage for one of the world’s bloodiest conflicts ... more than 60,000 people have been killed ... Thousands more ... remain buried under the rubble."
"From the skies, it is striking just how small Gaza is – a sliver of land that has become the stage for one of the world’s bloodiest conflicts ... more than 60,000 people have been killed ... Thousands more ... remain buried under the rubble."
The 1996 census recorded a population of 40.6 million. Black people made up 76.7% of the total, coloured people 8.9%, Indian/Asian people 2.6% and white people 10.9%. In about 2013 the coloured population overtook the white population as South Africa’s second-largest group.
South Africa's population | South Africa Gateway
South Africa is home to 63 million people. About 81.7% of them are black, 8.5% coloured, 2.6% Indian/Asian and 7.2% white. Find out more about birth, death, age, HIV, migration and other population tr...
southafrica-info.com
August 6, 2025 at 8:58 AM
The 1996 census recorded a population of 40.6 million. Black people made up 76.7% of the total, coloured people 8.9%, Indian/Asian people 2.6% and white people 10.9%. In about 2013 the coloured population overtook the white population as South Africa’s second-largest group.
Moeketsi was no unschooled, mad, untameable “natural” genius sprung from squalor. He came from a home filled with music books. He studied and practiced devotedly to master his craft. His irresponsible youth had been no different from many of his peers’.
Kippie Moeketsi at 100: the soul-stirring story of a South African jazz legend - South Africa Gateway
Dismissed as the “sad man” of South African jazz, Kippie Moeketsi was in reality as a brilliant player and stern mentor, fiercely defiant of his racist world.
southafrica-info.com
August 5, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Moeketsi was no unschooled, mad, untameable “natural” genius sprung from squalor. He came from a home filled with music books. He studied and practiced devotedly to master his craft. His irresponsible youth had been no different from many of his peers’.
Do you really know your rights? Our no-nonsense guide will help you understand your rights, and the rights of everyone else. You can also read the full text of the Bill of Rights in 11 of South Africa’s official languages.
The plain language guide to South Africa’s Bill of Rights - South Africa Gateway
It protects everyone in the country – not just citizens. The Bill of Rights safeguards dignity, equality and freedom, and demands that basic needs are met.
southafrica-info.com
July 21, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Do you really know your rights? Our no-nonsense guide will help you understand your rights, and the rights of everyone else. You can also read the full text of the Bill of Rights in 11 of South Africa’s official languages.
The idea of wellbeing often carries a Eurocentric emphasis on the individual – personal satisfaction, autonomy, achievement. Flourishing accounts for how whole a person is in relation to their environment, such as their values within their community.
High scores for African countries in new ‘flourishing’ index - South Africa Gateway
Several African nations rank higher than the US and Europe in a new scientific measure of wellbeing, thanks to strong community ties, purpose and resilience.
southafrica-info.com
July 14, 2025 at 8:48 AM
The idea of wellbeing often carries a Eurocentric emphasis on the individual – personal satisfaction, autonomy, achievement. Flourishing accounts for how whole a person is in relation to their environment, such as their values within their community.
Their important contributions have been relegated to the footnotes of the pages that document their findings. “These guys might not have degrees, but they actually know everything. In fact, a number of them have actually taught the professors and researchers who come to the site."
The workers who hunt for fossils in South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind - South Africa Gateway
They have found important fossils in the human family. They have no degrees but instruct visiting researchers. Now the fossil technicians of the Sterkfontein Caves may get the recognition they deserve...
southafrica-info.com
July 11, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Their important contributions have been relegated to the footnotes of the pages that document their findings. “These guys might not have degrees, but they actually know everything. In fact, a number of them have actually taught the professors and researchers who come to the site."
Reposted by Mary Alexander 🇿🇦
I am very happy to share this piece with you, exploring the link between inventiveness and play in nonhuman animals. It was written with care and a sincere desire to convey what science and philosophy can teach us about this fascinating topic.
I hope you enjoy reading it!
aeon.co/essays/how-e...
I hope you enjoy reading it!
aeon.co/essays/how-e...
How evolution favoured costly and frivolous animal play | Aeon Essays
Here’s a puzzle: how could evolution favour such a costly, frivolous and fun activity as animal play?
aeon.co
March 28, 2025 at 12:08 PM
I am very happy to share this piece with you, exploring the link between inventiveness and play in nonhuman animals. It was written with care and a sincere desire to convey what science and philosophy can teach us about this fascinating topic.
I hope you enjoy reading it!
aeon.co/essays/how-e...
I hope you enjoy reading it!
aeon.co/essays/how-e...