Astronomy as a career

What is an astronomer?

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Astronomers are scientists who study the origins, evolution, physical and chemical nature of objects beyond the earth’s atmosphere.

Astronomers work to increase our under-standing of how the universe began, how it has evolved and how it will evolve. They study how interstellar dust, gas clouds, planets, stars, galaxies and clusters of galaxies came to exist and how they behave. A professional astronomer will typically have a doctorate (PhD) in astronomy, astrophysics or physics. The university study path is usually as follows:

Undergraduate Study

Minimum entry requirement at university
Matric exemption with Physical Science and Mathematics on the higher grade. Computer Science and Additional Mathematics are useful additional subjects.

Typical degree

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Physics, Mathematics or Engineering, or a specific undergraduate astronomy degree such as offered at the University of Cape Town or UNISA. Other recommended subjects at university: Pure and Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, Electronics and Chemistry. Undergraduate scholarships are available.

Postgraduate Study

The National Astrophysics & Space Science Programme (NASSP) is a cooperative, combined graduate programme launched by the South African astronomical community and a number of South African universities. It also offers Honours and Masters programmes in astronomy / astrophysics and space science. The Honours programme lasts one year and the Masters programme lasts up to two years. It also offers an extended Honours programme for students who have no astronomy background or who need to improve their physics and mathematics proficiency.

Students are supervised by scientists from universities as well as the specialist research organisations doing work in astronomy such as the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Cape Town, the Hartebeesthoek Radio Observatory (HartRAO) in the west of Gauteng, and the South African Square Kilometre Array Project (SA SKA) in Johannesburg. Bursaries are available to study astronomy at Honours and Masters Level. Refer to the NASSP website for more information. Other bursaries are available from the National Research Foundation, the SAAO, and the SA SKA.

After completion of a Masters degree, the aspiring astronomer will conduct supervised research to obtain a doctorate (PhD). This can take from one to three years.

Career Opportunities

Graduates in astronomy are equipped to conduct research at the cutting edge of Astrophysics and Space Science and will have the broad science skills needed in any modern technological society. They would normally find employment at astronomical research facilities (e.g. HartRAO, SAAO, SA SKA and MeerKAT) or at universities.
Opportunities in South Africa are especially good with two multi-million rand astronomy projects in progress: the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) and the South African Square Kilometre Array Project (SA SKA), which includes the Karoo Array telescope (MeerKAT).

Astronomers’ abilities, especially their scientific approach to problem solving, are also highly valued in almost all fields, ranging from aerospace, information technologies, telecommunications to financial services.

Job Title - Astronomer

Description

An Astronomer will use knowledge of mathematics and physics to study the nature, origin and evolution of astronomical objects to obtain a deeper understanding of the universe. This knowledge can be applied to developing navigational systems that will enable us to find our way through space.

Typical Job Activities

Collects detecting signals through space-based and ground based telescopes (optical, gamma-ray, X-ray, radio) in conjunction with sensitive detecting devices
Analyses this data with the aid of computers, and interprets in the mathematics and physics framework
An observational astronomer plans research which involves the measurement of electromagnetic radiation (such as light waves)

Analyses the results obtained and publishes findings so that others in the field will have access to the information

Does this sound like a career for you? Browse these South African jobs here.

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Oceanographer
Forensic chemist
Educational Requirements
Senior Certificate with matric exemption
Compulsory subjects: Mathematics and Physical Science
Recommended subjects: None
Post-graduate study: A professional astronomer has to obtain a PhD degree
What natural skills and/or aptitudes do I need for this occupation?
Have imagination and an inquisitive mind
Be persistent and able to handle disappointment
Concentrate on details and work accurately
Be able to work independently as well as in a team
Have above average ability in Mathematics and Physics
Browse Udemy for professional development courses in your industry.
Additional Information
The South African Astronomical Observatory and the Radio Astronomy Observatory occasionally employ BSc graduates who may be encouraged to work towards MSc or PhD degrees (as external students of a university).
Employment Opportunities
Low
Market Competitiveness
Low
Income Potential
Moderate
Self-Employment Options
Low
International Employment Market
High
Possible Employers
Government - national, provincial, local councils and related organisations like universities and SA Astronomical Observatory
Big private companies - Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory

National Crisis

Dzimbahe Ndivho

At the wake of the Alexander total shutdown, many townships throughout the country seem to be following suit. The unprecedented brewing anarchy in most parts of the the country, is as result of poor service delivery and empty promises that were never fulfilled. At the center of these strikes the African National Congress is to certain and reasonable degree involved. However, instead of attending to the grievances of people, the ANC is taking the opportunity to play the game blame, most importantly in municipalities that are being ran by opposition parties. A great example would be the Alexander fiasco. The ANC was quick to point out the failures of the democratic Alliance in and around the Municipality of Johannesburg. The DA has been in power for only two years. One then can raise a question, on how long have the people of Alexander endured poverty and poor service delivery? The answer is an unequivocal 25 years under the administration of the ANC,but they have the audacity to blame the DA which has been in power for two years in the municipality. The ANC has taken opportunity in Alexander to campaign for the highly contested National General elections. The mechanism of such election campaign can work to it's advantage, in Winning back the confidence of the masses. But it may come back hunt them, in the sense that most Townships throughout the country are also joining Alaxander to express their grievances. There is a strike at Khayelitsha (Western Cape), Soweto (Gauteng), Bekkesdal (Free State), the Vuwani  (Limpopo) strike that was decorated by mass destruction of classrooms is also looming. Is the Alexander strike serving as a predecent for the other parts of the country to join in the strikes ? who is to blame? will the the country come to a standstill on the eve of the highly anticipated national general elections? These are some of the various questions that should be assessed from the recent events occurring in the country. I foresee a possibility of national shutdown close to the election date, a shutdown that will be propelled by discontent of poor service delivery.

Mental setback

We as a whole know individuals who welcome life's difficulties with coarseness and beauty. Individuals who are quiet and even-keeled under strain, moving toward stresses, fears, and even shamefulness with unselfishness.

I have never been one of those individuals. As a great overachiever, I've generally tended to liken my self-esteem with outside approval. On occasion, it has proved to be useful, nourishing my aggressive streak by pushing me to work more diligently. However, always living for the following gold star additionally driven me to process every minor difficulty like a noteworthy debacle, filling my mind with emotional musings: I couldn't do anything right. Everybody abhorred me. I was bound to fall flat.

Perhaps you can identify with this sort of accidental overcompensation. It happens when one battle with a companion abandons you persuaded that you two are over for good, or when your accomplice accomplishes something sufficiently terrible to influence you to accept, just briefly, that you genuinely loathe their guts.

We even observe it in popular culture and politics — worlds where we're frequently fast to classify individuals as fortunate or unfortunate, deserving of deference or hate, without completely understanding their intentions or the more full picture. These responsive cycles of affection/loathe, yes/no, up/down, and great/awful can be unpleasant, best case scenario and hopelessly harming to connections best case scenario.

The propensity to think in boundaries is referred to in brain research as dichotomous reasoning, or highly contrasting reasoning, a typical mental mistake that can contort your impression of the real world. When you're in the grasps of dichotomous reasoning, there's no space for subtlety. You start seeing the world regarding win big or bust, focusing on how things "ought to be" or "should be" to the point that you render yourself unbendable to change.

Ask yourself: What target proof backings this? How might another person see this circumstance? 

Everybody battles with dichotomous reasoning now and again. We're wired to hunger for request, and separating things into fundamental classes enables your brain to process the world all the more proficiently, if not really precisely. Developmentally, this reductionist reasoning was critical, moderating valuable vitality and keeping our precursors receptive to potential dangers in the earth. Be that as it may, in present day times, this programmed reaction can cause you harm. When you think in highly contrasting terms, you chance misjudging individuals' expectations or blocking yourself from circumstances.

Actually, explore has demonstrated that this sort of double idea example can add to destructive hairsplitting and low self-esteem and can lead you to misconstrue other individuals' feelings. Life is intricate and vague, and remaining cheerful and rational requests an energy about its nuances. Here's the way to change your contemplations to be somewhat more sensible and somewhat less outrageous.

Focus on your idea designs

The initial step to diminishing dichotomous reasoning is to recognize when you're falling into its snare. Observe when you find yourself talking in absolutes — phrases like "this dependably occurs" or "it never works out." Likewise focus on when your contemplations turn negative, and endeavor to balance them by giving your experience an authenticity rating. For example, in case you're persuaded that an introduction you just gave was a debacle, take full breaths and rate your execution on a size of zero to 100. It presumably was definitely not a 100, however it's similarly far-fetched that it was a zero — not flawless, yet not all awful, either.

Quiet your body

When you're in the throes of dichotomous reasoning, your mind hops into overdrive to shield you from saw dangers. Despite the fact that you're not so much in risk, your body responds by releasing synthetic compounds like cortisol and adrenaline, which amp up your uneasiness, while capacities like center, basic leadership, and poise endure a shot.

A basic method to settle your physical state when you feel yourself going overboard is with a care aptitude called establishing, which causes you deescalate your passionate responses and physically quiet your sensory system. One of my most loved establishing practices is the 5-4-3-2-1 procedure, which expects you to draw in your faculties each one in turn: Recognize five things you can see, four sounds, three physical sensations, two scents, and one taste that you're encountering at the time. You can likewise attempt strategies like box breathing (breathe in, hold, breathe out, and hold in four-second augmentations) or completing a basic body check (focus on one piece of your body at once, beginning with your feet and working up to your head).

Art a counterargument

Since you're prepared to think all the more obviously once more, it's an ideal opportunity to disprove your twofold musings. You will probably challenge whether what your reasoning is actually valid, by making inquiries like these: What target proof or realities exist to help this? How might another person see this circumstance? What different edges haven't I considered yet? What moves would i be able to make to impact what occurs straightaway?

Creating different methods for seeing circumstances is called reframing and can lessen the power of whatever bogus observation is causing you stress. Scrutinizing your programmed contemplations can enable you to find new center ground and an increasingly adjusted method for responding.

Be more pleasant to yourself

Research has appeared self-sympathy can expand your ability to adapt to negative feelings when they emerge. With that in mind, when your inward monolog is brimming with contemplations about your own deficiency, ask yourself: Is there an increasingly liberal presumption I can be making at the present time? Hover back to those different inquiries as well, and take a stab at zooming out of the circumstance to see how you may cast yourself in an undeservedly unflattering light. When you figure out how to rationally observe the world in shades of dim, you find how to think all the more obviously and accurately — about both your conditions and your own job in forming them

Melody Wilding

Amarok v6 vs Mercedes Benz x350d

The way that Mercedes-Benz has taken the time and exertion to join the consistently developing fight of 4WD utes accessible in Australia discloses to you how imperative and possibly worthwhile this aggressive fragment is. It's a scene that is changing dangerously fast, and moving far from those unassuming working beginnings into something to a greater extent a fragment characterized by way of life, eminence and an outdoorsy purpose.

While these utes are getting greater, heavier and more tech-loaded nowadays, there is a positive pattern towards littler limit, high-yield diesel motors that track the center ground of low effectiveness and emanations, while pushing out a lot of torque because of cutting edge infusion and turbocharging innovation. Practically all fair sized utes have a motor limit underneath three liters nowadays. The main special cases are Isuzu's understressed, low-yield 4JJI 3.0-liter four-chamber motor, and the V6 drivelines offered by Mercedes and Volkswagen.

The two utes originate from German brands, however just a solitary one is worked in the country (Mercedes is Spain, and this specific spec of the Amarok is created in Hannover). They both have a solitary turbo, 3.0-liter V6 that makes a lot of intensity and torque. They both have a full-time 4WD driveline, programmed transmission and locking back differential. They're additionally both accessible at high pricepoints, with correspondingly extensive arrangements of incorporations.

What we have in this correlation is the recently stamped Mercedes-Benz X350d in Dynamic detail. We've squandered no time in arranging it against its immediate rival, Volkswagen7's Amarok V6 Extreme 580.

With a rundown cost of $73,270, the X350d Dynamic sits underneath the $79,415 Power demonstrate. In light of the Navara (yet modified a considerable amount), the X-Class X350dgets a Mercedes-determined drivetrain rather than the Nissan-sourced four-chamber diesel utilized let down the value go.

The Amarok we have here is the highest point of the tree for Volkswagen's ute, with a sticker cost of $72,790. In this spec, it claims extreme gloating privileges of having the brawniest donk this side of something greater, changed or oil fueled – 190kW comes through between 3250– 4500rpm, while 580Nm of torque is accessible from 1400– 3000rpm. The Amarok likewise has an 'overboost' work that stimulates an additional 10kW from the engine for brief periods, at the correct velocities (over 50km/h) and in the correct apparatus (fourth or fifth rigging).

The Mercedes, in correlation, has just slight contrasts on paper – 190kW winds up accessible at 3400rpm, while 550Nm goes ahead tap between 1400– 3200rpm. Along these lines, there is a similar power, accessible without a rev run, while 30Nm less is accessible with a somewhat more extensive band of revs.

The Amarok utilizes an eight-speed ZF gearbox behind the V6, which controls every one of the four wheels without an exchange case. The 'Benz is full-time 4WD also, utilizing Mercedes' very own 7G-Tronic seven-speed programmed gearbox in addition to two-speed exchange case. Another unpretentious distinction is the inside differential: the X-Class has a locking focus diff, while the Amarok utilizes a Torsen unit.

In spite of the fact that we haven't tried the cases, Volkswagen's 7.3sec 0– 100km/h figure gives it a slight edge over the 7.5sec X-Class. Fuel utilization between the two utes is fundamentally the same as. Mercedes records 8.8 liters per hundred kilometers, while the Amarok has a 8.9L/100km figure recorded.

A brisk look under the cap of every vehicle lets you know all that you have to know: there is valuable no place for whatever else under there, and the X-Class loses common sense focuses for the area of the air channel covered where it counts beside the motor sound.

You're not going to dismantle it out to check it regularly, and you'll likely be paying a motza to get it changed come administration time.

Mercedes' X-Class is somewhat more (5340mm v 5254mm), with a more extended wheelbase (3150mm v 3095mm). The Amarok, be that as it may, is just marginally taller (1834mm v 1819mm) and more extensive (1954mm v 1920mm). Neither one of the vehicles is light, with 2285kg and 2244kg being the recorded kerb loads, the X-Class being marginally chubbier.

The 16th day

THE 16th DAY

On the 16th May 1996 the heavens and the earth have agreed that a different version of thinkers and liberators would be born and as agreed it happened. A family was blessed with a son, he was given the name Ronewa which simply means ‘Given’. They all expected different things from him at an early age because that’s how it is when it comes to the African destiny, when a baby is born within a family he/she is given a name which somehow will dictate his/her life. On that thunderstorms were all over and it rained as if it was the first time God decided to send down heavy rainfalls. Little did people knew that it marks the beginning of a new era, it indeed marked a beginning of new ways of thinking.

It is the same day in 218 where Julia Maesa, aunt of the assassinated Caracalla, is banished to her home in Syria by self-proclaimed emperor Macrinus. She declares her 14-year-old grandson Elagabalus to be emperor of Rome. Macrinus is later deposed. Julia Maesa was a Roman citizen and daughter of Gaius Julius Bassianus, priest of the sun god Heliogabalus, the patron god of Emesa (modern Homs) in the Roman province of Syria. Grandmother of both the Roman emperors Elagabalus and Alexander Severus, she figured prominently in the ascension of each to the title at the age of fourteen. She was also the maternal aunt of the emperors Geta and Caracalla. It is again on the very same day 946 wherein Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favour of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. Emperor Suzaku was the 61st emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Suzaku's reign spanned the years from 930 through 946.

 Little did the people know that on this day in 1204 Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. On can conclude that it was not a mistake that on the very same day in 1996 Ronewa was born. But what we all couldn’t understand is why he was born on this specific historical date wherein a lot of things took. Not just anything but events that went down the books of history. In 1532 Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England. In the year 1770 a 14-year-old Marie Antoinette marries 15-year-old Louis-Auguste who later becomes king of France. One would agree that on the year 1966 The Communist Party of China issues the "May 16 Notice", marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.

In Africa it is again on the very same year on the 15th of January wherein King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho was killed in a car accident. Moshoeshoe II previously known as Constantine Bereng Seeiso, was the paramount chief of Lesotho, succeeding paramount chief Seeiso from 1960 until the country gained full independence from Britain in 1966. He was king of Lesotho from 1966 until his exile in 1990, and from 1995 until his death in 1996. Moshoeshoe's political power was always limited, and his reign was interrupted twice. Early in his reign, Leabua Jonathan became Prime Minister of Lesotho and gained control of the government. Jonathan suspended Moshoeshoe in 1970 in order to re-establish his control in the country after his party lost the election. Moshoeshoe went into temporary exile in the Netherlands. A few months later, when he gained control, Jonathan allowed Moshoeshoe to reassume the title of king. Jonathan was himself overthrown in 1986 and the king gained some power, but he was deposed in 1990, while his son Letsie III was forced to take his place as king. Moshoeshoe went to exile in the United Kingdom. Moshoeshoe was restored to the throne in 1995. The following year he was killed in a car accident, and Letsie became king again a month later. During the political turmoil of 1970 and 1990, and for a month after his death in 1996, his wife and Letsie's mother, Mamohato, acted as regent.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission began its formal hearings on the year 1996 on the 15th of April. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was a court-like restorative justice body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid in 1994. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected for public hearings. Perpetrators of violence could also give testimony and request amnesty from both civil and criminal prosecution. The TRC, the first of the 1003 held internationally to stage public hearings, was seen by many as a crucial component of the transition to full and free democracy in South Africa. Despite some flaws, it is generally (although not universally) thought to have been successful. The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation was established in 2000 as the successor organisation of the TRC.
On the 8th of May 1996 South Africa's new constitution is adopted by the Constitutional Assembly. A constituent assembly or constitutional assembly is a body or assembly of representatives composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution. As the fundamental document constituting a state, a constitution cannot normally be modified or amended by the state's normal legislative procedures; instead a constituent assembly, the rules for which are normally laid down in the constitution, must be set up. A constituent assembly is usually set up for its specific purpose, which it carries out in a relatively short time, after which the assembly is dissolved. A constituent assembly is a form of representative democracy. Unlike forms of constitution-making in which a constitution is unilaterally imposed by a sovereign lawmaker, the constituent assembly creates a constitution through "internally imposed" actions, in that members of the constituent assembly are themselves citizens, but not necessarily the rulers, of the country for which they are creating a constitution. As described by Columbia University Social Sciences Professor Jon Elster: Constitutions arise in a number of different ways. At the non-democratic extreme of the spectrum, we may imagine a sovereign lawgiver laying down the constitution for all later generations. At the democratic extreme, we may imagine a constituent assembly elected by universal suffrage for the sole task of writing a new constitution. And there are all sorts of intermediate arrangements.
On the following day which is the 9th of May 1996 The National Party withdrew from the coalition government, giving the African National Congress full political control. The National Party was a political party in South Africa founded in 1915 and disbanded in 1997. It first became the governing party of the country in 1924. It was in opposition during the World War II years but it returned to power and was again in the government from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. At this time, it began implementing its policy of racial segregation, known as "Apartheid". The policies of the party also included the establishment of a republic, and the promotion of Afrikaner culture.
During the 1980s, large fractions of the party's support base whose members were unhappy about the party's gradual dismantling of the apartheid system left for the Conservative Party. After 1990, the National Party opened up its membership to all racial groups and rebranded itself a civic nationalist, rather than an ethnic nationalist, conservative political force. It participated in the Government of National Unity between 1994 and 1996. In an attempt to distance itself from its past, the party was renamed the New National Party in 1997. The attempt was largely unsuccessful and the new party was disbanded in 2005.
The African National Congress (ANC) is the Republic of South Africa's governing social democratic political party. It has been the ruling party of post-apartheid South Africa on the national level, beginning with the election of Nelson Mandela in the 1994 election, the first after the end of apartheid. Today, the ANC remains the dominant political party in South Africa, winning every election since 1994. Its leader Matamela Ramaphosa is the incumbent head of state.

Founded on 8 January 1912 by John Langalibalele Dube in Bloemfontein as the South African Native National Congress, its primary mission was give voting rights to black and mixed race Africans and, from the 1940s, to end Apartheid. The ANC originally attempted to use nonviolent protests to end apartheid, however, the Sharpeville massacre resulted in the deaths of 69 black Africans and contributed to deteriorating relations with the South African government. On 8 April 1960, the administration of Charles Robberts Swart, banned the ANC and forced the party to leave South Africa. After the ban, the ANC formed the Umkhonto weSizwe (Spear of the Nation) to fight against apartheid utilizing guerrilla warfare and sabotage. On 3 February 1990, State President F. W. de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC and released Nelson Mandela on 11 February 1990. This was because the then government could see that they could no longer fund apartheid. On 17 March 1992, the apartheid referendum was passed by the voters removing apartheid and allowing the ANC to run in the 1994 election. Since the 1994 election the ANC has performed better than 60% in all general elections, including the most recent 2014 election.

Reject Wits Vision 2022

The late Former Wits SRC President Sibulele Mgudlwa once said that “If we take just one moment and take our eyes away from the matric results and the accompanying discourse around the sad state of affairs in our basic education system, we will see that universities also have a role to play in further compromising the state of education in this country. This they do by barring (inadvertently or by design) the best minds from getting into the tertiary system while those who are already inside are slowly pushed out.’’ It is from such analysis why we should reject the so-called Wits Vision 2022.
If matriculants who wrote matric in the year 2017 is around 798 289 as announced by Priscilla Nkubajo, then Wits Vision 2022 is just another stress factor that South Africa should be prepared. The vision states that Wits will increase the international student’s intake by 30% which in fact a lot of faculties are not supporting and again increase Postgraduate intake by 50% of the total enrolment. This simply means that they will only take 20% undergraduates students of the total enrolment.

As the leading University in South Africa, it is giving all the other Universities an idea to follow its footsteps. If they do what Wits is planning to do, what will happen to the 700 000 matriculants? How will a child from Tshimbupfe and Mukomausinanndu pursue his or her dreams of becoming the best Lawyer or Mining Engineer from Wits and eradicate poverty at their homes? Their dreams will remain just pure dreams.
If South Africa is currently sitting on a ridiculous 27.7% of unemployment rate, they should be prepared for an increase to that percentage in the next 3 years to come all because of one University that acts as if they are above the government because of whoever is funding it. If Wits feels so strong about the development they are preaching about, they should just go and use the big portions of vacant land they own to build Research Institutions. Development and innovation cannot come at the expense of the future of the poor masses who want to run away from poverty.

Just as they have even come up with various models to fund postgraduates, we would really appreciate it if they can do the very same thing and go to the end of the world to find other models to fund students who still cannot afford to study at Wits. A mere R83 600 allocated by NSFAS to returning students is nothing but an insult. How do you expect a student to stay and study at Wits with that amount of money? What Wits is doing is simply asking for a war that will never come to an end, Wits should know better that the students never forget. A lot of students are still sleeping in libraries and Wits has money to fund their vision. It then tells students that they really do not care about the well-being of students.
it is still too expensive to study and live at Wits. In South Africa education is still a commodity and will remain as such if universities such as Wits do as they like.

They have turned into the biggest ‘’Tenderpreneurs” just like how Sibu would put it. They extract billions of subsidies from the government and the very same subsidies fail to satisfy their appetite and students are expected to feed this monopolies. The threat that Wits is bringing to the floor is clear indication that poor matriculants, in fact the entire student community is not safe.
Wits preaches about transformation, but vision 2022 is nothing but a contradiction to what they believe they are doing. 22 years after the so-called democracy we still have institutions that are making it hard to enter within the higher learning systems. We should ask as to whether students have defeated the enemy or not. It is in times like this wherein we should ask ourselves as to what is going to happen within such institutions in 10 years.

As Prof. P.L.O Lumumba would ask ‘’ Are we children of a lesser God?’’ It goes without saying that we are moving towards hard times for the poor masses, the idea of taking back the land has resulted in a lot of strategies from the ones who think that they are being attacked.