Reading opens up a new world, brings excitement

BY THE time you read this the country’s political landscape could be looking a lot different to the way it looks today. I am writing this on Friday, on the eve of the ANC’s big elective conference in Nasrec. I can only hope we will be looking at a better team of leaders than the one at present looting our country.

One of the urgent changes the next government needs to make is to draw up a really good education policy.

It’s disgraceful that some 80% of our school leavers are actually unable to read effectively. That is simply unacceptable. How can you go through 10 years of schooling and not be able to read a book?

I don’t see how anybody can survive and prosper in this age without the ability to read.

Reading is something literate people do almost all the time.

Once we learn to read easily a whole new world of interest and excitement opens up to us.

It doesn’t have to come from boring textbooks either. There’s information everywhere.

I was sorting through my pile of junk mail last week and ended up learning a whole lot of new and fascinating facts about eggs (they were in an article in the little newsletter that comes regularly from my medical aid society.)

Did you know, for example, that hens with white feathers and white earlobes lay white eggs and those with brown feathers and red earlobes lay brown eggs. I didn’t know that. I hadn’t really thought about it, but vaguely believed the colour of the egg shell had something to do with the hen’s diet.

If I had been unable to read I would have gone through my whole life not knowing about egg colour.

Come to think of it, I have never seen white eggs in my local supermarket.

I did see white eggs in Canadian shops a few months ago when I was visiting my daughter in Calgary. I thought they looked rather anaemic. Apparently Canadians prefer them white. Another thing I learnt about eggs was that hens lay increasingly larger eggs as they get older.

Then I remembered that many years ago you could buy eggs, which were about half the size of a normal egg.

I guess they were laid by apprentice hens that hadn’t really got the hang of this laying business yet.

Did you know that China was the world’s largest egg producer?

Chinese hens pop out about 160 billion eggs a year.

America’s hens produce 65 billion. So you see how important it is to be able to read?

It took me only one evening to become a total egg bore. I was considerate enough to refrain from telling you about the world champion omelette maker, though.

Last Laugh

A customer came rushing into the village hardware store and said: “Freddie, I need a good mousetrap, please. And hurry up. I have catch a bus.”

Freddie the shop owner looked up from his cash register and said: “Ag no man, you’ll need something much bigger than a mousetrap for that.”