LETTERS
Page 10 People’s Post ClaremontRondebosch
Tuesday 19 June 2012
A lesson in Latin Latin fundi, please help Give, but through proper channels YOUR article “Pennies for the homeless – hand up or hand-out” (People’s Post, 12 June) refers. The Rondebosch community has, over many years, earned a reputation of generosity toward the poor. Even in these tough financial times, when many people are confronting tighter household budgets and are suffering from donor fatigue, our community is still giving generously in our streets, at our robots and to the caller at the front door. Such generosity is to be applauded; nonetheless, there are some unfortunate side-effects that have become more commonplace in recent months and need to be recognised and addressed. The first is that the volume of vagrants and homeless living in Rondebosch has substantially increased. Our magnet of generosity
is attracting more of these unfortunate people into our streets and open spaces. With them come the problems associated with sleeping rough, such as lack of toilet facilities and uncollected garbage. The second is that the volume of vehicle break-ins and theft of valuables, food and fuel from these vehicles has increased. This is not the result of organised crime; it is opportunistic crime driven by need. The third is the number of threats and assaults that have occurred in public spaces as a result of drunken incidents perpetrated by the homeless who use money, generously given by residents, to purchase liquor. This often leads to noisy confrontations and injuries. The way we give to the poor and homeless needs to change to ad-
Your SMSes
pocus doctors, but choose instead to protect them. It’s clearly good income for these adverts, but remember their money is from ill-gotten gains. Shame on People’s Post. . Christian holidays: The antiChrist keeps raising its ugly head. Onward Christian soldiers, fight this scourge! Christian . Alistair Izobell is an amazing performer and the fantastic work he does to help fellow musicians is admirable. Music Alla Kaap was a resounding success because of his professionalism. He is our con-
. Why do people hoot at 06:45 when they fetch someone? Can they not get out of the car and ring the bell or can the person being picked up not just be ready and waiting? I think it’s exceptionally rude, lazy and a disturbance. I wish people had more manners and actually cared about their neighbours. O, Pinelands. . I thought the editor would protect her readers from these hocus
dress the increase in crime in our area. We should not think to reduce our giving, but to modify how donations are channelled in the future. Giving to the poor via churches, mosques and NGOs is to be encouraged while the handing-out of cash at robots or in the streets must be discouraged. We recommend asking NGOs what they advise. U-Turn, for example, suggested the public buy some U-Turn meal vouchers and keep these in their cars or on their persons, handing them out in lieu of money. This urgent appeal from the community police forum is communicated in the hope that misplaced giving will cease, thus reducing much anti-social behaviour in Rondebosch, but that the public’s donations will continue through more formal channels. LIZ WILLIAMSON Rondebosch CPF chairperson
science when it comes to supporting our local artists. NJ . Please can someone tell me where I can get a DVD of our local boy, Emo Adams. I have already tried Musica and Game. Caroline . Why do slobs dump their rubbish in front of other people’s property, when they have wheelie bins? Have they no pride? Franklin
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Your modus was spot-on
RICK Cheetham’s Latin “correction” (People’s Post, “Check your grammar”) is incorrect. “Modus operandi,” quite correctly, means “manner of working”, “operandi” being genitive singular and not a plural form. “Operandum” could not qualify “modus” which is grammatically masculine, so the suggested “correction” makes no sense in Latin at all. BRIAN S LEE
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Thanks to the marshals. Luckily the weather was nice. Next time, more deaf people must take part in the big walk and learn about the slave heritage. GARETH HOLMES Wetton Letter edited. – Ed
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WITH due respect to your correspondent Rick Cheetham, there is nothing wrong with your Latin, so please continue to use “modus operandi” when you mean “mode of operation”! “Operandi” is the genitive (that is, possessive) form of the Latin gerund (verbal noun) “operandum”. JEREMY LAWRENCE Rondebosch
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venture to suggest it is possible the “i” ending derives from the fact that the word “operandum” becomes “operandi” in the genitive case needed when used with the preposition “of”. In fact, if you google “modus operandum” it says “Did you mean ‘modus operandi’”. Maybe a Latin fundi out there could settle the matter for us! LINDA MERRETT Rondebosch
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I REFER to the letter dated 12 June from Rick Cheetham who points out that the expression “modus operandi” should read “modus operandum” and explains why. As the former is the only version with which I am familiar, I decided to consult the dictionary which gave me “modus operandi”, meaning “method of operation”. While I follow Mr Cheetham’s reasoning, I would
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