THE HOUSE THAT FORGOT HOW TO LAUGH

 There was no love missing in our house, because there was no love left to miss.That was our secret. We were not sad. Sad would have been easier.In House 24, 2nd Street, Germiston - the Molefes were perfect.6:00 AM - Alarm. 6:15 AM - Mom in the kitchen. The sound of the spoon against the pot. Same pot. Same porridge. Every day for 7 years. 6:30 AM - Dad at the table. Phone brightness on his face. He nods at Mom. Mom nods back. That's their good morning. 6:45 AM - Me and Junior. We eat with the TV on mute. Mom says TV at breakfast rots your brain, so we watch the pictures move with no sound.No one shouts. No one throws plates. Our neighbors who scream at each other at night - they have more life than us.We just... live. We pay. We eat. We sleep. We repeat.Then Mrs. Khumalo gave us the project."Grade 4s, for Life Skills this week: Record 10 moments your family laughed together."I took my pink notebook home like it was gold.DAY 1 - Monday I wrote the date and waited. Dinner....

PHALLIC-SHAPED OWL STATUE IN SERBIA'S NORTH SPARKS PROTESTS

PHALLIC-SHAPED OWL STATUE IN SERBIA'S NORTH SPARKS PROTESTS

The protestors say the terra-cotta statue’s elongated shape and minimalist features were obscene and demanded its removal.
Serbia’s northern town of Kikinda is now trending on social media for a different reason: a protest over a statue aiming to brand it as the city of owls which many say resembles a phallus rather than an owl. Picture: @stevie_evans1/EWN
KIKINDA - Thousands of keen bird-watchers flock to Serbia’s northern town of Kikinda every winter to see one of the world’s largest roosting populations of long-eared owls.
But the small town on Serbia’s border with Romania is now trending on social media for a different reason: a protest over a statue aiming to brand it as the city of owls which many say resembles a phallus rather than an owl.
The protestors say the terra-cotta statue’s elongated shape and minimalist features were obscene and demanded its removal.
“Freud could say something about this statue, it looks so much like a phallus,” one protester said in a Facebook post.
“Now everyone will ridicule Kikinda,” read another post on Facebook. “This (statue) represents something very masculine, but not an owl,” another said on Twitter.
Local sculptor Jovan Blat, who made the statue, could not be reached for comment. Last week he told Belgrade’s Vecernje Novosti daily he was ready to make a differently-shaped statue. Local authorities declined to comment.
Zeljko Bodrozic, editor-in-chief of a local newspaper, said the owl monument should remain in place.
“With all the hype swirling around it ... in a way it also becomes a symbol of our city.”

Keen birdwatcher Dragan Simic said he did not care about the statue. “Kikinda is now famous for its owls ... across Europe, even around the world ... the bird-watchers are very active, numerous and loyal tourists,” he said.

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