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Giant photographs of former president Nelson Mandela are displayed at the Nelson Mandela Legacy Exhibition at the Civic Centre in Cape Town today. AP/Press Association Images

Nelson Mandela's condition 'improved during the night'

The anti-apartheid legend was visited by the current South African president earlier today.

THE CURRENT PRESIDENT of South Africa has said that Nelson Mandela’s condition improved overnight.

Jacob Zuma visited his 94-year-old predecessor earlier today and was informed by the medical team that he “remains critical but is now stable”.

In the latest update published by the presidency’s office, Zuma said: “I cancelled my visit to Mozambique today so that I could see him and confer with the doctors.

He is much better today than he was when I saw him last night. The medical team continues to do a sterling job.

“We must pray for Tata’s health and wish him well. We must also continue with our work and daily activities while Madiba remains hospitalised,” he told a concerned public.

The office said the President is disturbed by the “rumours that are being spread about the former leader’s health and appealed for “respect for the privacy and dignity of the former President”.

Yesterday, reports circulated that Madiba was on life support.

Mandela has been in hospital since 8 June when he was admitted over a recurring lung infection. The nation has been told to expect the worse and to “let go” of the man credited with ending decades of race struggles and inequality, creating the so-called rainbow nation.

Earlier: SA President cancels business trip to be near an ailing Mandela

18 years ago today, Mandela wore a Springbok jersey to present the Rugby World Cup

Outraged South Africans condemn Mandela ‘exploitation’ after photocall

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13 Comments
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    Mute J-Soup Kingdom
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:44 AM

    I like how you use a picture of a woman whose staring straight into her very own gee.

    317
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    Mute Joanna
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:02 PM

    She is basically her own head rest! =O

    79
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    Mute Aine Nibhern
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    Apr 6th 2015, 1:13 PM

    Her eyes seem closed. “It’s easier to change a man’s religion than his diet”. Or woman. Most discussion about mental health do not discuss diet / nutrition ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrxdoIn6DQQ

    If I can see my own gee I will give myself a medal :)

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    Mute Aine Nibhern
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    Apr 6th 2015, 1:34 PM

    “After a careful review of the extensive evidence presented in the trial court concerning the nature of the particular yoga program at issue in this case, we conclude that the program is secular in purpose, does not have the primary effect of advancing or inhibiting religion, and does not excessively entangle the school district in religion”

    http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/04/03/appeals-court-rules-yoga-can-continue-in-encinitas-schools/

    If only there was such an uproar in America about the drugging of their children ! Some of them have their toddlers on Psychiatric drugs and worship at the altar of “Big Pharma” $$$

    http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2015/02/19/why-are-so-many-toddlers-taking-psychiatric-drugs/

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    Mute Bigus Diccus
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    Apr 6th 2015, 3:09 PM

    There’s need to get into a flap over it.

    23
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    Mute Francis Glynn
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:27 AM

    Christianity is becoming a bit of a tyrant tbh. They seem to be forcing it on everyone which is exactly what they are giving out about other religions doing!

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    Mute JJ O Riordan
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:37 AM

    But it’s Christianity. They right ones. Every other religion is superstition and the other thousands of gods are just made up superstition. Jehova is real, definitely.

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    Mute little jim
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:49 AM

    Well Christ does make an appearance in other religions.
    Kinda like Bob Dylan and the Traveling Wilburys, he gets more exposure.

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    Mute Ben Smith
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:50 AM

    All the more ironic considering the US founding fathers were enlightenment rationalists and religious skeptics.

    97
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    Mute Top Cat
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:52 AM

    It could be a lot worse they could be running around destroying villages and lobbing heads off to “force it on everyone”.

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    Mute JJ O Riordan
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:53 AM

    In the same way Spiderman made a guest appearance in other Marvel comics. Doesn’t make him any more real.

    No records Jesus until over 100 years after he supposedly died. And you know how the Romans loved to write everything down. Strange.

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    Mute Vincent O Mahony
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:00 PM

    Yeah it seems to me its not the christian religious community that are the ones forcing their views on people these days at all.

    Could you imagine how some in the west who profess to reject religion would react if it had been hindus complaining about christian rituals? They would be right up there supporting the hindus! Christian bashing is trendy these days I suppose.

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    Mute JJ O Riordan
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:10 PM

    Vincent, I can assure you that I find all religions silly and primitive. Not just Christianity.

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    Mute John Byrne
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:16 PM

    Trust me Vincent, when it comes to laughing my @ss off at how idiotic religion is, I don’t discriminate.

    72
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    Mute LesBehan
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:32 PM

    “Christian bashing is trendy these days I suppose.”

    Oh boo hoo!

    60
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:37 PM

    The U.S. Founding fathers were enlightened, were they? Is that why they owned spaces?

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:37 PM

    *slaves?

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    Mute Ross Stewart
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:43 PM

    Top cat, Christians were doing that not too long ago

    25
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    Mute little jim
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:55 PM

    Christian bashing was popular in Roman times too, they used lions back then.

    30
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    Mute LesBehan
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    Apr 6th 2015, 1:04 PM

    “What is wrong with inciting intense dislike of a religion if the activities or teaching of that religion are so outrageous, irrational or abusive of human rights that they deserve to be intensely disliked?” – Rowan Atkinson

    42
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    Mute Roger Burke
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    Apr 6th 2015, 1:07 PM

    How is it becoming a bit of a tyrant ? if anything the influence of Christianity is declining. Even in the US.

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    Mute Ben Smith
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    Apr 6th 2015, 1:15 PM

    @Neal Ireland Hello

    Probably not enlightened by today’s standards, no. But what I meant by “enlightenment rationalists” was that the were alive during, and proponents of, “The Enlightenment” and that they were rationalists, especially regarding religion.

    Most of them were deists.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

    Then there is the Jefferson Bible which omits any references to miracles or the supernatural.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible

    17
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    Mute Rob Cahill
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    Apr 6th 2015, 1:57 PM

    Yes but like a rat cornered in a burning barn it knows it’s time is up so it lashes out louder and harder than ever. The sooner Christians realise that them not being able to push their views and superstitions on other people is not persecution the better.

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    Mute Drew
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:29 AM

    I hope they are made pay the full costs of the school’s defense against this most ridiculous of law suits and it costs them their house.

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    Mute Andy McGirl
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:38 AM

    Surely they will be happy living in ‘Gods House’ lunatics

    82
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    Mute Drew
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:40 AM

    Even better… Take their mega church, raise it to the ground and put up a shopping mall.

    47
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    Mute Tinkers Toenail
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:27 AM

    Murica!

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    Mute Larry Doyle
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    Apr 6th 2015, 1:19 PM

    F¥ck Yeah!

    27
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    Mute Genius
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    Apr 6th 2015, 1:47 PM

    Dang.

    12
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    Mute Vaibhav Borse
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:06 PM

    there are lot of christian yoga teachers using yoga for health and professionally by selling those DVDs and they are christian forever. anyone can practice yoga. People of different religions don’t sue the bishops for visiting a historic christian site of cathedral for telling them about christianity, do they?

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    Mute Smiley
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:45 AM

    Parents have more money than brains. Unreal!

    45
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    Mute fusha2020
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    Apr 6th 2015, 2:41 PM

    Gees if I was as flexible as your one in the photo Id save myself a fortune on batteries!!

    37
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    Mute Catriona Joyce
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:07 PM

    surely any form of exercise is good. and can these religious people not understand that jesus was about love and enlightenment. he after all was jewish not christian and didnt judge others

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    Mute Top Cat
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    Apr 6th 2015, 11:49 AM

    Yoga in schools? Only in hippy dippy pinko California.

    23
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    Mute Frank Delano
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:02 PM

    No top cat , plenty of schools here do occasional yoga sessions as part of their PE

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    Mute Emo101
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:08 PM

    Jesus, frank. Keep that quiet. The Iona crowd’ll be suing the Department of Education if they hear that foreign/heathen things are happening in our Catholic primary schools!! They’ll be looking for some Opus Dei flagellation to be brought in as a counterpoint

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    Mute John Byrne
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:19 PM

    Top Cat misses the good old days of comely maidens dancing at the crossroads, DeValera and McQuaid’s catholic theocracy was a golden era for conservative men people like him, not so much for women and children. Be not afraid Top Cat!

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    Mute Top Cat
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    Apr 6th 2015, 1:02 PM

    What schools do it here? No wonder we’re raising a generation of windbags.

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    Mute Shanti
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    Apr 6th 2015, 1:49 PM

    If anything Top Cat yoga would aid in the dispersal of that wind.. Perhaps you need a few sessions yourself to let go of all that hot air.. I’m sure it’s rather uncomfortable.

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    Mute Ross Stewart
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    Apr 6th 2015, 2:15 PM

    top cat used the phrase ‘pinko’.. It shows what age he’s living in. Never mind him

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    Mute Niamh Dempsey
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:07 PM

    Personally I would rather not bow to a Sun God as part of an exercise regime, which is one of poses in yoga. Think it’s insidious exercise unless purely doing it for exercise not philosophical elements too. Suing was step too far but child should of had a choice to decline taking class.

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    Mute Shanti
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    Apr 6th 2015, 12:41 PM

    Sun salutations are a type of stretch.. When they go into cow pose or downward facing dog – are they worshipping animals? Or is it just the name for that specific pose?

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    Mute Niamh Dempsey
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    Apr 6th 2015, 4:52 PM

    Good point re name of pose. I never thought of it that way tbh. I know there are benefits of yoga exercises once not encouraged to chant etc.

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    Mute Shanti
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    Apr 6th 2015, 5:13 PM

    Chanting? Have never heard of that at a yoga class, but I’m not suggesting it can’t happen..

    Sounds more like Buddhist meditation to me..

    I know many classes end with a meditation session, but am yet to personally come across chanting in a yoga class. Besides, can you imagine trying to get a group of teenagers to take you seriously when you asked them to chant? More likely they’d just dub the teacher crazy and erupt in fits of laughter at the concept.

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    Mute Niamh Dempsey
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    Apr 6th 2015, 8:03 PM

    Ahh as you can see I’ve never been to a yoga class so my bad. I still have some reservations but think i’ll try one out domstolen.

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    Mute Niamh Dempsey
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    Apr 6th 2015, 8:05 PM

    Sometime meant

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    Mute Shanti
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    Apr 6th 2015, 8:17 PM

    Lol, was wondering what domstolen meant! Thought it was just a new one on me!

    Perhaps you should give it a go, in my limited experience it’s got about as much religious connotations as weight lifting or running! (as in, some people can go a bit overboard, but it’s just exercise, you’re free to be as obsessive about it as you like, or not as the case may be!)

    Expect lots of stretching. Lots of deep breaths and stretching a little further with each exhalation.
    Standing / sitting as still as you can in what looks like an impossible posture for what seems like eternity (it isn’t really, it just feels that way when you’re concentrating solely on it), to help your focus and balance. Oh – and remember to breathe!
    Usually at the end you even get to lie on the floor and meditate for a bit!

    Nothing sinister.. Although most people will wear tight clothing.. Mainly because when you get sweaty, baggy clothes flapping around you is really icky!

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    Mute Rob Cahill
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    Apr 6th 2015, 1:59 PM

    If they are so sure they picked the one true religion why would they be bothered by a made up one?

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    Mute LesBehan
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    Apr 6th 2015, 2:38 PM

    Christians are insecure Rob that’s why they feel the need to defend Christianity all the time, not to convince non believers but to convince themselves because deep down in their subconscious they know they don’t really believe it. If they did truly believe they wouldn’t need to defend it, they would be confident in the knowledge.

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    Mute Taylor Zeph
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    Apr 6th 2015, 3:03 PM

    I’ve seen God’s wonder. Even in my dad ‘s shelve something could happen. I saw a book, a christian book, ‘Experiencing God’. It was an old book from the 1900s . My parents were pastors but I don’t even like to read the bible, pray or just anything a christian suppose to do. Many times I asked the lord to show himself If he’s really the only true god .The book cover seems quite interesting, so I took it and read it. After reading it in about 2-3 pages, I found that what I did after all this time was wrong. I ask for forgiveness from the lord and what I had since then was a miracle.I continued reading it till now for it has 100+ pages.I do read the bible everyday and I find it’s very interesting. I’ve been praying since then too. The lord did show his kindness and I felt his love to me.Don’t you ever give up in seeking the lord. He works in my life and your life.

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    Mute David Cagney
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    Apr 6th 2015, 8:29 PM

    Taylor, looking for God’s wonder – you may as well be looking into your own gee.

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    Mute Taylor Zeph
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    Apr 6th 2015, 4:03 PM

    All to those that doesn’t believe in the existence of god, don’t you think it’s wrong ?! If anything happens to you, I mean something serious, don’t you think you should depend on God ?? With god you can get joy and peace,without god ?? How can you’ll feel free without god?? Science?? Believe in Jesus and there you’ll will find joy, peace and even freedom.

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