STOLEN FLAG

I'll never forget the first time I played games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX. The thing that stood out about these games were the soundtracks. With music from bands like Pennywise, Millencollin and Bad Religion. Back then I fell in love with their music, fast paced punk music that you can listen to non stop and feel good about yourself.
Since those days I've been waiting for a South African band that encapsulates that same sound and feeling, and I believe that our local scene has finally been graced with such a band.

Now as you can see, this band would be Stolen Flag. Local band hailing from the deep south of Johannesburg, Alberton. A good bunch of guys with their sights set high on their musical mission.
This happy go lucky 5 piece has gotten it right to fill a gap in our local scene, with a powerful sound that you do not hear going to gigs or on local radio.
With a lot of local bands having a very monotonous sound, every one is playing the same genre and doing the same thing, Stolen Flag has flown out of the gate with a fresh hard sound that pulls in the crowds and makes the people jam.

Now this fun five piece is a ragtag mash up of very strange but loveable people. The first one, Darren Francis (resident Hipster) takes care of the vocals, then we have PJ van den Berg (Freestyle Moto-cross madman) taking up the one guitar, Craig Butterworth (the father a.k.a the responsible one) taking up the other guitar duties, Matt Haddon (the bald one) the one that slaps the bass, and Michael Rehbock (cheerleader) the drummer or should I say the guy that pounds the drums.




Since the band has got it's wind that it has now, they have gone from strength to strength, and show no signs of stopping.
Not being that well known yet is not stopping these guys, when playing a gig as soon as their first song kicks off they pull the crowd with an amazingly energetic stage performance with a crazy energy that the crowds lap up with enjoyment and jam the whole set through. With tight songs a great live set, I can't see the band losing momentum any time soon.
Except for the crazy live shows and the band has recorded three demo tracks and are currently busy recording their first single.

The band has definitely got something going by looking at the sponsors they have at the moment, namely Smallville Comics, Esthetik apparel, Three Skulls Brewery and Inked Cherry Tattoos and Piercings, I'm sure that I'm not the only one that has seen something special within this band.

If you want to know more about them, check them out on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/StolenFlagBand?fref=ts, they're also on twitter @StolenFlagBand, and on instagram @StolenFlagBand.

Definitely check out their Facebook page, the three demo tracks are up there, free to listen. Also all their gig info is on there.
Check them out, you will not be disappointed.

Rhino Poaching...

The last couple of years we've had quite the surge in rhino poaching in our country, and this large amount of needless killing is due to the insatiable want for rhino horn.

Now with writing this post, I know for a fact I'm going to anger quite a few people I know, and almost everyone is going to disagree with me, but that is ok. Because I strongly believe that most people are quite uninformed about what is going on, including the media, and how this needless poaching can be stopped in a very humane way.
By the way there might be a few pictures that sensitive readers might not enjoy.

It can be said that most of the poached rhino horn in our country is exported illegally to asian countries like Vietnam, Korea, China and so forth. These people have a practised belief of traditional medicine, much like the muti medicines of africa, and they have practising these natural healing methods for a lot longer than there has been white people in africa.

Now as a country where our Constitution protects our rights in choosing our traditions and beliefs, and allowing us to practise them openly without discrimination or prejudice, who are we to dictate to these what they should and should not believe?
I know that it has scientifically been proven to them that rhino horn has medicinal properties, yet they still believe it does. They choose this belief because it is their culture and belief system. Just as african people believe in the power of muti.





Now please do not misunderstand me, I'm not trying to justify poaching at all, but I'm trying to show, that the we are going about trying to stop it is all wrong. International sanctions do not work, putting a species on the endangered list does not work either, we have seen it happen to many different animals, dying out by only having these measures taken to protect them.

One of the facts of rhinos that the media does not focus on is, that rhino horn grows back, yes I know it seems shocking but it does...
Another astonishing fact, that today, by using conservative estimates the rhino horn stockpile, be it in goverment or private possession amasses to R3.7 billion. Despite this massive amount, figures show that annual market demand could be satisfied just by trading the horns of animals that die naturally every year (approximately 400 animals). CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna And Flora) has made this trade illegal and suggest that these stockpiles be burned, now except for devaluing the animals, it would ruin a massive trade income for our country.

I know that this post is quite short and I am lightly touching on many different aspects of this vast topic, but the reasoning behind the writing of this post is that this morning while watching the local news they showed the tree-huggers latest attempt to try and stop poaching. They have now started to poison the horns. As most of the people that know me personally know, I'm all for taking extreme measures but isn't this bordering on the insane?

Yes this could work as a deterrent to poaching, but and this is a big but, isn't this a form of premeditated murder? Yes you read that right, premeditated murder. Knowingly poisoning something that you know someone will use, and they could die of this? I honestly think that this plan hasn't been well thought through...
Yes there are many people that say that they must be killed, where have we heard this reasoning before? When it comes down to it, do you think you have the stones to take away a life? I highly doubt it! There's a reason soldiers come back from war with PTS and police men struggle to live with themselves after shooting someone...

By looking at it I honestly can't see this as an effective way to stop poaching. In my own view and I am sure there are many that agree with me, the way to stop this is through an effective trade system. With a trade system a real value can be put on these animals, they can be properly protected, and farmed for future generations to see them as well.

As always I am open to further discussion on this, so email me, send me a message on Facebook, comment on this post, do as you please, but don't be ignorant and send me a message calling me an idiot or a fool, because I will beat you in an argument.

ben6redneck@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/ben.waste