What Dan Patlansky can do with a six-string Fender Stratocaster at the age of 28, most critically acclaimed guitarists will never quite achieve in a lifetime.

In only ten years on the music scene, Dan Patlansky is one of the busiest and most respected blues artists to ever come out of South Africa. Constant touring as a teenager, won Dan the hearts of even the most hardened blues critics.

Dan has played, and more often than not headlined every major venue and music festival in the South Africa e.g. Oppikoppi, Aardklop (with Arno Carstens’ guitarist Albert Frost), The Durban International Blues Festival (where he performed with veteran New York blues guitarist, Phillip Walker and Pat Savage), The North Sea Jazz Festival (CT), Southern Cross, the Walking the Blues Concert, White Mountain Festival, Up the Creek Festival, Cape Town Blues Summit, Splashy Fen,The Catalina Theatre (Durban) and the Sand du Plessis Theatre in Bloemfontein, BMW Pavilion, Green Dolphin, Die Boer (CT), Blues Room and Tanz Café (Jhb) and many more.

Dan continues to extensively tour small towns to big cities and on 15 October he will be at The Farmyard for the good cause of Cansa's Relay for Life 2010.

Dan Patlansky's website
Dan on Facebook
Videos of Dan Patlansky

CANSA celebrates International Childhood Cancer Awareness month

The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), through its Tough Living with Cancer (TLC) programme, is joining the international cancer community in celebrating
International Childhood Cancer Awareness during the month of September.

Most children who have been diagnosed with cancer are treated at specialised paediatric oncology units (cancer treatment centers for children). Families who stay too far away must face the heart-wrenching reality of entrusting their very ill children to the care of hospital staff for extended periods of time, or find costly accommodation near the hospital for the duration of their children’s cancer treatment.

“No child or family should have to face cancer on their own,” says Sue Janse van Rensburg, CANSA CEO. She added, “Our TLC programme is dedicated to providing
tangible love, care and support to children and families affected by cancer“.

CANSA recently launched the CANSA Nicus Lodge in Pretoria, where free lodging facilities are provided to parents whose children receive cancer treatment at the Steve
Biko Academic Hospital. Family members, mostly mothers or grandmothers, stay in the newly renovated lodge for the duration of their children’s treatment and can prepare their own meals in the kitchen provided. “We’re already dreaming about opening similar lodges elsewhere”, Janse van Rensburg commented.

Between 600 and 700 South African children under the age of 15 are diagnosed with cancer each year. If detected early, more than 75% of childhood cancer cases can be
treated successfully. Childhood cancers share general symptoms with other illnesses, but if one or more of the following symptoms persist, a doctor should be consulted without delay:

Continued unexplained weight loss
Headaches, often with vomiting, at night or early morning
Increased swelling or persistent pain in bones, joints or back
Lump or mass in the abdomen, neck, chest, pelvis or arms
Development of excessive bruising, bleeding or rash

Constant infections
A whitish colour behind the pupil
Nausea that persists or vomiting without nausea
Constant tiredness or noticeable paleness
Eye or vision changes that occur suddenly and persist
Recurrent fevers of unknown origin

CANSA TLC invites the public to help them support children and families affected by cancer, by doing one or more of the following:
Parents in need of support are invited to join one of the many active TLC support groups across South Africa, or help CANSA establish one in your area. For more info, call toll-free on 0800 22 66 22, or email tlc@cansa.org.za

If your child is currently battling cancer, or if the courage of a family affected by childhood cancer inspire you, your story can motivate others to take action against
childhood cancer. Stories containing the names, contact details and consent of these families can be emailed to tlc@cansa.org.za.

Make a secure online donation on www.cansa.org.za in support of CANSA’s TLC Polokwane programme, in celebration of a childhood cancer survivor or in loving memory
of a child who lost his or her fight against cancer

Visit www.cansa.org.za to read more about CANSA, TLC and other support programmes

About CANSA
CANSA offers a unique integrated service to the public and all people affected by cancer.
As a leading role-player in cancer research (more than R4,5 million spent annually), the
scientific findings and knowledge gained from our research are used to realign our health
programme as well as strengthen our watchdog role to the greater benefit of the public.

For more information, please contact Corrinne Boshoff Regional Manager of
CANSA Polokwane, e-mail cboshoff@cansa.org.za or cell 082 522 9342 or visit
www.cansa.org.za, call CANSA toll-free 0800 22 66 22, or for general enquiries, email
info@cansa.org.za.

As deel van hul Mnr & Mej Heuwelkruin-projek het Arno Swanepoel en Chirestie Bouwer onlangs kospakkies wat hulle versamel het by Hieb afgelewer.

Hulle het 500 gevriesde kospakkies ingesamel asook mieliemeel, kos, toiletware en ander items. Dit is die grootste enkele skenking van kos wat HIEB nog tot op datum ontvang het.

Speelgoed is aan Cansa geskenk vir die kanker kindersaal by die provinsiale hospitaal.

Chirestie Bouwer het die oorhandigings aan Hieb gedoen aan Melville Botha van Hieb.

Five cyclists riding from Beit Bridge to Lost City to collect funds for Cansa were treated to dinner by Cansa Polokwane where we caught up with them and had them introduce themselves. They will participate in a race at Lost City when they arrive.

CANSA Polokwane will be doing the annual Jail & Bail project on the 30 July 2010 and need your support.

Cansa does not receive any government assistance and the local Cansa Hospitium and Cansa infrastructure costs around R4m per year to keep running.

You can assist CANSA by giving them names of individuals that they can arrest on that day.

Corinne Boshoff, Regional Manager of Cansa Polokwane, explains it as follows:
"How it works is that individuals will be issued with a mock summons. If the fine is not paid the SAPS will make a mock arrest and take the person to the jail which will be at The Deck Restaurant where they will appear before an acting magistrate for "sentence". A legal representative will appear for them and they then get put back in the holding cell and get an opportunity to call friends, family and colleagues to bail them out. Once the bail has been paid they will be released. We would really appreciate the persons involved not to take this as any offence and its only a joke, we don’t want to offend anyone."

OK, here is your chance to do something for a worthwhile community organisation. Arrange for your boss to be arrested, but please also arrange for someone to pay the bail, otherwise Cansa may sit with an unwanted prisoner for the next year!

If you have pics of your boss that will be jailed, send them to us for publication or post them on your entry in MyPolokwane or on our Facebook Page.

If you want to participate, send Corinne an e-mail or call Leatisha Jordaan at 015 297-1268.

Arno Swanepoel en Chirestie Bouwer van Heuwelkruin Kollege het as een van hul projekte vir die Mnr en Mej Heuwelkruin kompetisie, stoele aan Cansa Polokwane geskenk wat dit sal aanwend vir hul eie gemeenskapsprojekte by die bestralings-eenheid van die hospitaal. Nou sal die bestralingspasiënte nie meer moet staan en wag of op die vloer moet sit nie.

Absa organised a walk around Polokwane to mark the end of the 16 Days of Activism against Abuse Against Women and Children.

Staff from Absa, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Ooba and Cansa participated.