Another Road Tunnel For The Cape?

The 3.9km long Huguenot Tunnel extends the N1 through the DuToits Kloof mountains and provides a shorter and safer link between the towns of Paarl and Worcester. It was opened in March 1998 and for the past 20 years has served thousands of motorists and truckers.

Over the past number of years the ever-increasing traffic volumes have increased concerns about the safety of both the infrastructure and the air quality inside the tunnel. It is noticeable when driving through the tunnel during busy periods that the air quality is poor and I have often wondered how safe it is to be breathing in noxious exhaust fumes.

I was therefore pleased to read that plans are underway to develop a second tunnel to complement the existing one. Both tunnels would be one-way roads and the second would have a world-class air-conditioning system installed. The existing tunnel's air-conditioning system would be upgraded after the building of the second.

Construction is expected to commence in 2010 and will contribute R963 000 towards toll income. More importantly and extra 280 permanent jobs will be created upon its completion. Over 200 jobs will be created during the six months of construction.

The project is estimated to cost R1.2 billion. However I would expect this cost to increase by the time the project draws to completion.

I am excited about the ongoing road construction and infrastructure upgrades I see in Cape Town and surrounds. Much of this will be seen as part of the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup but I believe that, more than this, it is part of the ongoing development of Cape Town into a truly world-class city. The ongoing challenges of poverty alleviation and job creation are ever-present but it seems the city is on the right track.

Free Christmas Music - download full album

Thanks to Brian Ibbott of Coverville (one of my favourite podcasts), I present to you the full album "Ride on Santa" by The Priestess and The Fool - Click here to download.

The download includes Mp3's, cover art and a PDF digibooklet.

You can also head on over to Eish for another free Christmas album from the Garritan Community - Click here to find the download link for this great album.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Shopping - Can't People Read?

This normally bugs me but perhaps it was the busyness of the local Pick 'n Pay that just underlined the problem - a long queue of people with trolley-loads of groceries and other mechandise at the tills marked "Express -10 items or less" and "Baskets only".

I don't know about you, but I get really ticked off when people are arrogant enough to think that their need to get out of a busy supermarket is more important than anyone else's. Do they not realise that other shoppers are also tired, hungryand needing to leave? I also cannot understand why the tellers or other staff, including management, do not ask the offending customer to move to another till to allow those who can read the signs to move quickly through the tills.

Whatever happened to common courtesy and good manners? What happened to customer satisfaction before profit margins?

This may sound naive and idealistic but I still believe in these old-fashioned values. When we start putting others before ourselves, the world may just become a more pleasant place!

On a far more practical note - in this busy shopping season, why are there not more managers on the floor checking that the tills are moving swiftly and that customers are not being selfish and obnoxious?

Get Your South African Music Here

South African popular musicians continue to grow in stature on the international scene. Most South Africans however appear to be surprisingly ignorant of the weatlh of talent within our borders. I applaud Eish for his Friday SA Music Spotlight on his blog - I have discovered some interesting artists through this initiative.

If you are wanting more though, I would suggest a visit to SAmp3.com - South African Music Portal, Presence and Promotion.

Created by Brian Currin and Stephen Segerman of Mabu Vinyl, this site grew out of the well-known and much-loved SA Rock Digest.

If you are looking for homegrown music of any genre, this site would be a good place to start your search.

For Those Who Don't Understand Afrikaans...

Most South Africans speak at least two languages, many speak three or more. The Afrikaans language is one of eleven offical languages in South Africa. It is a wonderfully descriptive language and direct translation from Afrikaans to English often provides humourous results.

This was given to me by a friend so the source is unknown. If you can read and understand Afrikaans, you'll enjoy this!

1) Verlede jaar het ek en my swaer en my skoonseun per vliegtuig na Windhoek gereis om veral die dierelewe van Namibie te besigtig.

Last year, me and my heavy and my cleanson traveled by flying harness to Windcorner specially to belook the animal-living in Namibia.

2) In die Noorde het ons toe volop springbokke, steenbokke, biesbokke, kameelperde en ook meerkatte gesien.

In the North we then saw full-up jumping goats, brick buck, bald buck, camel horses and also more cats.

3) Een keer was ons senuwees egter skoon op hol.

One time genuine our sinews were clean on hollow.

4) Ons het agtergekom dat 'n luiperd besig was om ons te bekruip.

We aftercame that a lazy-horse was becreeping us.

5) In 'n oomblik was ons slaggereed met ons dubbelloop haelgewere.

In an uncle-tin we were slaughter ready with our double-walk hail guns.

6) Toe die luiperd agter die bos roer, skiet ons almal gelyk.

When the lazy-horse mixed behind the bush, we all shot equal.

7) Na alles verby was, was ons hare baie deurmekaar. Ons het dit toe netjies gemaak, in die bakkie geklim en huis toe gery.

After all was past, our hairs were very through each other. We then made it into small nets, we climbed in the dish and rode home.

8) Langs die pad het ons 'n papwiel gekry.

Along the road we got a porridge wheel.

9) So het ons lang, opwindende dag geeindig.

So did our long wound-up day end.

SAA Stands To Lose R62mil Per Day!

Yet again our national airline finds itself with trouble on its hands. A strike by workers which started yesterday threatens to cost the airline R62 million per day. Almost a quarter of the airline's staff are expected to down tools across all departments.

The airline has stated that it has a contingency plan in place but I am less than confident in SAA's ability to manage itself. The cause for the strike appears to be apparent unilateral changes made to employment conditions. If this is indeed true I am left to wonder whether those in management at SAA do not understand the trade union movement or whether they in fact care! A strike in 2006 cost the airline R150-million!

In court papers SAA stated that it was concerned about the image being portrayed to the international community with the Confederations Cup in 2009 and the FIFA World Cup in 2010 just around the corner. A little late in the day for concerns about international image!

Is it time for the national airline to be privatized? Even in this economic climate this may be just the change that's needed.

Makhaya Ntini's new record

As an avid cricket fan I was delighted to see South African fast bowler, Makhaya Ntini, become the highest Test wicket taker for South Africa in home test matches. With the dismissal of Bangladeshi batsman Imrul Kayes, he broke the previous record of 235 held by Shaun Pollock.

Another interesting record worth mentioning from the latest Test match against Bangladesh was that South Africa had 5 ducks in their innings and made the highest Test total by a team with 5 or more ducks!

Further up-to-date info on Makhaya Ntini can be found at CricInfo : Makhaya Ntini profile

Kids Views On The Election - very funny!

With the President-elect busy preparing for the day he finally sits in his chair in the Oval Office and with the all the noise of the political pundits starting to die down, it is fun to take a look at what children thought of the election and the new president.

Enjoy this! ...

Another reason not to emigrate to Australia

I was amazed to read the following on a post entitled "Top 10 Countries Censoring The Web":

Bonus: Australia

The rundown :
Discovering that countries like Iran or Yemen are censoring the web is not a big surprise. Most forms of independent media are already restricted there, and their levels of human rights are among the lowest in the world.
But what if we told you that Australia, one of the richest countries in the world, is also trying to censor websites inside its borders? Now that is scary!

How does the censorship work?
In 2007 a bill passed giving the federal police the power to block the access to any website. They already had a filtering system is place, but it was very limited in scope.
Many privacy groups and critics from the around the world claimed that this decision will directly threaten the freedom of speech on the Australian web.

What kind of content is blocked?
The government claimed that the police will be blocking mainly phishing and terrorism related websites. The problem is that the law brings a much broader definition for the potential targets: basically they can block any content that encourages, incites or facilitates criminal activity.

I always knew that Australia was a nanny-state but this seems to be taking things a little too far in a country where freedom-of-speech is espoused.

You may also want to take a look at the No Clean Feed site from Australia.

Montagu Springs flooded - change your holiday plans!

This past week the Western Cape experienced flooding which has been likened to that of the Laingsburg floods in 1981. The Avalon Springs resort in Montagu took a major hit and all bookings have been suspended. This could not have come at a worse time given that schools go on their December break in three week's time.

The Avalon Springs Luxury Spa Resort Hotel has posted two YouTube videos and a photo gallery on their site to show the damage done. I stayed at this resort earlier in the year with my family and it is quite surreal to see the pools and surrounds completely under water!

Fortunately no lives were lost at the resort but spare a thought for the family and friends of the 17-year old girl washed away in De Doorns - not far from where I live. We spotted an Oryx helicopter from our house yesterday and have now learnt that it was air-lifting people trapped in rising flood water.

Obama is the new Mandela - Really?

Over the past few days I have heard several references to Barack Obama as the world's new Nelson Mandela. I have some reservations about jumping to this comparison.

While Barack Obama has certainly made history by becoming the first black president of the United States, he has yet to prove his ability to unite a country divided by race, economic status, religious views and political viewpoint. There is no doubt that Obama showed tremendous statemanship during his campaign but the jury is still out on whether this will be continued during his presidency.

Nelson Mandela is regarded as an elder statesman and an icon to millions of people whom he lead into a new era of freedom in his country. Barack Obama is neither an "elder statesman" who has "earned his stripes", nor has he yet lead his country into a new era.

Obama certainly faces challenges and he will be given plenty of opportunity to prove his worth and whether he can live up to the high expectations of those who place so much of their trust in him.

Those leaders who live on in the conscience of human history are those who have endured for the benefit of many, those who have placed the needs of their people over their personal needs, those who show that their actions match their words, those who exhibit a level of personal leadership that speaks for itself and those whose very name elicits an awed response.

Although I believe that Barack Obama certainly has the makings of a high-level leader and that he will be a very successful president, I do not believe that it is appropriate to compare him to Nelson Mandela. If anything that very comparison weakens the legacy of Madiba.

Let's allow history to judge the legacy of Barack Obama and not get caught up in Obamamania. His stamp on history will be examined in years to come and his influence will be considered long after his tenure as President of the US has been completed.

Links :

1) Obama's victory like Mandela's: Tutu

2) Text of Nelson Mandela’s Letter to Senator Obama (New York Times)

3) A nation could be on the verge of its Mandela moment (Guardian newspaper - UK)

Miriam Makeba - Rest in Peace (Video)

Mama Afrika - Miriam Makeba - has died of a heart attack after performing in Italy. (See news article here.)

A true ambassador of South Africa, she carried the hopes and dreams of millions in her music. She will be remembered for her brave fight against apartheid and her voice which made her famous throughout the world.

Rest in peace Mama Afrika - we will miss your dearly.

Holding The Sun!

I discovered this set of creative photographs while surfing the web today and wanted to share them with you! None of them were doctored afterwards to create the desired effect.

Enjoy!

Creative Photographs from Flickzzz

Give Opportunity To A Child

The gift of education is priceless. It is the opportunity for lives to be changed and futures to be secured; it is the chance to rise above circumstances and "change your stars".

South Africa's history of racial discrimination has resulted in a huge disparity in educational opportunities within the country. Although the national education department is hard at work to rectify the imbalances and independent schools continue to offer scholarships to previously-disadvantaged communities, more work is needed.

Lanner House School is an independent school in Worcester in the Western Cape and is trying hard to raise money for bursaries for children from previously-disadvantaged communities. They have put together a simple capital fund-raising site where pledges can be made for anything from supporting a learning area in the school to offering full bursaries to students.

I encourage you to take a look and then consider posting a blogpost about it - let's spread the word and make a difference to the future of this country!

Click here to go to the site : Lanner House Capital Fundraising

National Convention - SA's Democracy Grows Up

Although I have never voted for the ANC, believing instead in a strong united opposition to an already dominant political party, there were some things about the party I had come to respect. Their insistence, for example, over decades that South Africa be a free democracy in which all its citizens had an equal vote was always something I respected. Economic policy under the ANC government has transformed this country's economic standing on the world stage.

However over the past few years, it has become apparent that the ball-and-chain of freedom politics has weighed the ANC down and it has become yet another freedom party struggling to shake that yoke and become a truly democratic and representative party of the people.

The forced resignation of the president of the Republic and the subsequent nonsensical ramblings of some party faithful made many, including myself, wonder if we were at the top of a very slippery slope, wondering if perhaps our young democracy was about to be derailed by the personal ambitions of a few party elite.

I remember saying to friends and family at the time of former President Mbeki's resignation that this would be the beginning of the end of the ANC as we currently know it. Soon after came the party resignations of many senior-ranking ANC comrades. Some said this was out of respect for Thabo Mbeki, others say it was because of the manner in which the incident was handled. I believe though that these people left the ANC because they too were able to see a bleak future in which greedy politicians enriched themselves at the expense of the poor and where personal promotion came before the national interest.

This weekend's National Convention is the best thing to happen to South African politics in a very long time. It is indicative of a dissatisfaction of the status quo; a restlessness to move from promises of a better life for all to the delivery of these promises; a desire to see true democracy without floor-crossing and the expectations of race-based politics.

The fact that such a convention is happening is proof that our young democracy is growing up and that the people of this country will not sit by and watch a party which appears to have lost its way bring it to its political and economic knees.

I am hoping for a positive outcome after this convention and hoping that the 4000 expected in Sandton will leave with a clearer idea of what is needed to continue to build South Africa into a more prosperous country for all its citizens.

National Convention homepage - http://www.novemberconvention.co.za

Video report from Day 1 of the Convention :



Sam Shilowa invites South Africans to participate in the National Convention :

Election Spending Is Morally Repugnant

Jeanne Cummings, in an article on Politico.com, reports that Senator Barack Obama is set to break fundraising records for his current bid to take the Presidency of the United States. It is reported that his campaign has raised over $600 million thus far while Senator John McCain has raised about $250 million.

In a world of dire global poverty and economic hardship, this kind of spending on an election is morally wrong. An America-based charity Feed The Children encourages donors to spend 

$14 to feed a family in poverty for a month.

$1 million would therefore feed over 71 000 families for a month

Total US election campaign fundraising of $850 million would feed over 60 million families for a month!

I am forced to wonder if those who so gladly gave to the election campaigns would be as happy to donate to charities which make a difference to everyday American families.

This is not to mention the millions in Africa or Asia whose lives would be made more bearable each day through food-aid or micro-loans for business development or clean water tablets or primary healthcare which would be enabled through the money used for this election campaign season.

Am I the only one who finds the election spending way over the top? I simply cannot reconcile this type of spending on an election when every day I see poverty all around me and know that every night children go to bed hungry.

Run Your PC on Freeware Only

Besides a Windows operating system, could you run your PC entirely on freeware? 

FreewareMission.com is a cornucopia of freeware and is a great starting point should you be looking for quality software available at no charge.

There is a particularly interesting list of 51 Essential Freeware Programs which is followed by a long list of reader comments filled with suggestions and comments.

Some of these programs I have used, but most of them are new to me and I will be using several over the coming weeks.

Subscribe to the Freeware Mission RSS feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/FXAu

SA Gold Mine Holds Clue To Life On Mars

Scientists have reported a fascinating discovery in a rock fissure in the Mponeng gold mine near Johannesburg nearly 3km below the earth's surface. They found rod-shaped bacteria, named Desulforudis audaxviator, in water extracted from a rock fissure.

This bacterium exists in total darkness with no oxygen and in a temperature of 60 degrees celsius. However the most important aspect of this discovery, according to researchers at the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory in California, is that the bacterium lives in its own ecosystem - the first known species to do so.

"One question that has arisen when considering the capacity of other planets to support life is whether organisms can exist independently, without access even to the sun," says Dylan Chivian, the bioinformatics lead scientist at the Joint BioEnergy Institute in Berkeley, California, who studied the gene samples found in the fissure water.

"The answer is yes, and here's the proof. It's sort of philosophically exciting to know that everything necessary for life can be packed into a single genome." (quoted in the Sunday Independent 19 Oct, page 5)

It is believed that this kind of organism could survive below the surface of Mars as it gets its energy from hydrogen and sulphate produced by the radioactive decay of uranium. It is also believed that it builds its organic molecules by itself out of water, inorganic carbon and nitrogen from ammonia in the surrounding rocks and fluid.

Another fascinating aspect of this bacterium is that it can't live in oxygen which suggest that it hasn't been exposed to pure oxygen for a very long time, perhaps millions of years. Scientists believe that the water the bacterium lives in has not seen light for more than 3 million years!

D audaxviator's name comes from Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, in which a message in Latin deciphered by Professor Lidenbrock, Verne's protagonist, reads in part, "descende, Audax viator, et terrestre centrum attinges". It means "descend, Bold traveller, and attain the centre of the Earth".

Misleading advertising regarding software

I am increasingly frustrated with computer stores and general department stores whose desktop PC and notebook advertising tells customers what wonderful value they are getting because software is bundled with the machine. However on further investigation one notices that the software is open-source and available for free on the internet! The most common seems to be bundling Open Office as an extra-value add-on.

The consumer, who may not know any better, is thrilled to receive an office suite with their purchase and the assumption is made that they have been offered a wonderful bargain!

I believe that this kind of advertising exploits the average Joe's lack of knowledge and is exploitative. At the very least it is misleading. Surely this is unethical?

What do you think about this? Leave a comment and let me know...

Proudly South African - The SA Navy Band entertains

The South African Navy Band was once described by former President Nelson Mandela as a national treasure. Despite having grown up in Cape Town and being part of a musical family, I had never heard the Navy Band until this evening when they gave of their time to travel to Worcester at the invitation of the Institute for the Blind. 

Local schools were invited to bring their music pupils along and so I joined several of our school's musicians for the concert. Our school has a particularly strong link to the Navy Band as our music teacher is an ex-bandman. 

What a wonderful evening we experienced! The band played a wide selection of music ranging from a medley of Wagner melodies to big band standards and a foot-stomping selection of Mango Groove songs. At one point several youngsters were invited to come up to the stage and play a wide selection of percussion instruments with the band. My son gladly obliged and had a super time with maracas. A stand-out of the evening was the way in which the band involved the audience and kept all ages richly entertained.

The audience tonight was a smorgasbord of Worcester society but no difference of race, age, gender, socio-economic status, cognitive ability or physical challenge could prevent everyone present from thoroughly enjoying the evening together. It was a prime example of how music bridges the divides we put up between ourselves. It was also wonderful to see young people, children and teenagers, enjoying music and seeing how much fun it can be to make music together.

It must also be mentioned that there was no charge for this concert. It was done as a gesture of good faith towards the Institute for the Blind and as a service to the community of Worcester. 

The SA Navy Band clearly has a much larger task than simply providing music at ceremonial occassions and I wish them well as they continue to serve South Africa through the medium of music. We can certainly be proud of this section of our military!

Watch this video (from a festival in Germany) and enjoy!

Living in Jozi

We so often hear of people leaving the shores of South Africa for a myriad of reasons which I am not going to get into here. What I do find fascinating is the ever-increasing number of South Africans who end up back in South Africa after a stint in another country.

The stories of these folk are very interesting and I am thrilled that my good friend Mike has set up a blog detailing his return to our shores and his experience of living and working in Johannesburg. He has already had run-ins with bureaucracy and has a story to tell about the Joburg traffic department! However his overall experience has been a positive one and I invite you to click through to his blog and read all about it for yourself.

Click here - Living in Jozi

A Social Network for Internet Marketers

I have just been introduced to a site that promises to be a great tool for internet marketers. This is touted as a Web 2.0 site designed for Internet Marketers; a site needed to build the perfect platform for online success. Credits are used to determine how much you get in the revenue sharing pool which means, just from being an active user, ViralNetworks share their revenue with you! I know that this kind of scheme has its detractors - but I'm going to give this a try and see what happens! 

Click here to find out more!

Mugabe Booed In Parliament - Is He Getting The Message? (video)

As Zimbabwe's parliament opened today Robert Mugabe was heckled and booed in a clear display of the rejection of his and his government's leadership.

I wonder if he's getting the message that he is no longer wanted or needed? Or is he continually blinded by sense of self-importance?

Is Linux Really What You Want?

- Taken from The Burning Biscuit

High-School Musical Rip-Off - Not Christianity's Finest Hour!

As someone who has spent many years around Christian ministry to children and teenagers, I was horrified to find a post on SingPraise.co.za detailing how Asylum Studios intend releasing what is clearly an attempt to cash in on the success of Disney Studio's High School Musical.

A look at the packaging and graphics shows how blatant the copying is. If you took out the title "Sunday School Musical", the poster could be mistaken for a sequel to the Disney show. It reeks of squeaky-clean evangelical puritanism.

The Christian dollar is powerful and Asylum Studios should be ashamed of themselves for putting money ahead of ethics no matter how pressing the evangelical imperative.

Teenagers are increasingly wary of having the wool pulled over their eyes. This attempt to bring them to Christ through the imitation of a secular success will, I believe, be seen by many young people as an attempt to hoodwink them!

MXit - Media Raises Concerns

The use of technology among young people is something I encourage as they find themselves in an ever-increasingly wired and inter-connected world. I do however believe that parents and teachers have a responsibility to teach children how to use technology in a responsible manner. I also believe that parents need to place the necessary restrictions in place to protect their children from the potential dangers of misusing technology.

The media has recently reported on several incidents involving MXit - mainly focusing on the recent phenomenon of lists naming those who some have labelled as "sluts" and "ugly".

Take a look at these reports - they make for interesting reading (especially for parents and teachers). I will be circulating these to the Grade 6 & 7 parents and all teachers at my school on Monday.

1) Getting The Message Across

2) Parents Go To War Over MXit

3) Sex Danger In Chatrooms

4) Film Board To Look At 'Slut List'

5) MXit Suspected As Teen Absconds

6) Malicious MXit Lists Create Cruel Copy-Cats

Are Schools Responsible For Good Manners?

I had the privilege of attending the Annual Old Boys' Dinner at my alma mater, Wynberg Boys' High School, this past Thursday evening. It was a wonderful evening spent reliving moments of school mischief, reminding each other of memorable moments inside and outside the classroom and being reminded of how fortunate we were to have attended such a great boy's high school with so many years of tradition (167 years old this year).

It was not however the tradition or the sense of history, recent or distant, that drew comment from guys seated around our table (all from the 1990 crop of matrics), but rather the manner in which each one of us was greeted as we moved through the school to the Old Boys' Pavilion where we met for pre-dinner drinks. Every boy, without fail, who we came across on the field, in the corridors, walking along the pathways greeted us with "Good evening, Sir" or "How can I help you, Sir?". This show of manners and respect left its mark on all of us and reminded us of the value of the education we had received.

Those who decry the youth of today and who lament the lack of respect among young people need to pay a visit to many of our country's schools. I have been able to visit a great many schools over the past number of years and in many I have been delighted at the show of manners by the pupils.

I must make one comment though that I know will upset some but it is borne out through my experience and observations in many schools across the country : it would appear that schools with a long history and tradition (both government and independent schools)are those in which emphasis is placed on producing young men and women of character and in which manners and respect are given high value.

This is obviously a generalisation but this observation is proved time and time again. On Thursday afternoon I was driving in the southern suburbs of Cape Town and was in the vicinity of a well-known large co-ed school at about the time of the final bell of the day. Scores of pupils were walking home and frequenting a local shopping centre. The abiding memory is ties hanging loose around necks, shirts hanging out, loose shoe laces and the vigorous chewing of gum by several pupils. I know that the education received at this school is good and that the staff are extremely dedicated to their pupils. Indeed I know several very fine men and women who attending this school - the fact is that the issue of dress and pride in the school and themselves is just not high on the agenda in the life of the school.

The question remains - why can some schools pull it off and other can't? Are schools of tradition and history guilty of producing snobs or young men and women who think too highly of themselves, or are they just successful at using their history to instil a sense of pride and honour in their pupils? Are single-sex schools more successful in this aspect of schooling than their co-ed counterparts?


As always, your comments are welcome...

Bloggers Helping Bloggers - A Mutually Satisfying Experience!

This year sees the 4th incarnation of Blog Day.

The idea here is that on 31 August bloggers post links to 5 other blogs on their blog. Each blog listed will be reviewed to guide visitors on their journey to new and exciting blog destinations.

All the necessary info can be found at the Blog Day homepage.

I will be posting my five links on August 31st. Be sure to check this blog on that day to find out which five blogs I've chosen to direct you to!

Scout's letter home...

Dear Mom & Dad,

Our Scoutmaster told us to write to our parents in case you saw the flood
on TV and are worried. We are okay. Only one of our tents and 2 sleeping
bags got washed away. Luckily, none of us got drowned because we were all
up on the mountain looking for Adam when it happened.

Oh yes, please call Adam's mother and tell her he is okay. He can't write
because of the cast. I got to ride in one of the search and rescue jeeps.
It was neat. We never would have found Adam in the dark if it hadn't been
for the lightning.

Scoutmaster Keith got mad at Adam for going on a hike alone without telling
anyone. Adam said he did tell him, but it was during the fire so he
probably didn't hear him. Did you know that if you put gas on a fire, the
gas will blow up ?

The wet wood didn't burn, but one of the tents did and also some of our
clothes. Matthew is going to look weird until his hair grows back.

We will be home on Saturday if Scoutmaster Keith gets the bus fixed. It
wasn't his fault about the wreck. The brakes worked okay when we left.
Scoutmaster Keith said that with a bus that old you have to expect
something to break down; that's probably why he can't get insurance.

We think it's a neat bus. He doesn't care if we get it dirty and if it's
hot, sometimes he lets us ride on the fenders. It gets pretty hot with 45
people in a bus made for 24. He let us take turns riding in the trailer
until the highway patrol man stopped and talked to us.

Scoutmaster Keith is a neat guy. Don't worry, he is a good driver. In fact,
he is teaching Jessie how to drive on the mountain roads where there isn't
any cops. All we ever see up there are logging trucks.

This morning all of the guys were diving off the rocks and swimming out to
the rapids. Scoutmaster Keith wouldn't let me because I can't swim, and
Adam was afraid he would sink because of his cast, it's concrete because we
didn't have any plaster, so he let us take the canoe out. It was great. You
can still see some of the trees under the water from the flood.

Scoutmaster Keith isn't crabby like some scoutmasters. He didn't even get
mad about the life jackets. He has to spend a lot of time working on the
bus so we are trying not to cause him any trouble.

Guess what ? We have all passed our first aid merit badges. When Ryan dived
into the lake and cut his arm, we got to see how a tourniquet works.

Steven and I threw up, but Scoutmaster Keith said it probably was just food
poisoning from the leftover chicken. He said they got sick that way with
food they ate in prison. I'm so glad he got out and became our scoutmaster.
He said he sure figured out how to get things done better while he was
doing his time. By the way, what is a pedal-file ?

I have to go now. We are going to town to mail our letters & buy some more
beer and ammo. Don't worry about anything. We are fine and tonight it's my
turn to sleep in the Scoutmaster's tent.

Love as always
your only son
Johnnie

- taken from Jolly Good Jokes

BBC's Olympic Monkey - Video

Those of us lucky enough to have the DSTV SuperSport Channels have been treated to our first weekend's coverage of the Beijing Olympics. The back-to-back coverage has been wonderful for sports fans and has no doubt caused a few domestic conflicts as families battled over choice of sport viewing (not to mention those households in which one person enjoys sport and the other does not!).

If, however, gold medals were handed out to broadcasters for their attempts to woo viewers, the BBC would romp home with their Sports Monkey video. Take a look at this video to see their creativity and unique approach :

BBC OLYMPIC MONKEY VIDEO

This animated sequence, based on the classical Chinese novel, "Journey to the West", has been produced by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, the men behind virtual band Gorillaz.

So What Does A Teacher Make?

What Teachers Make

view presentation (tags: education what teachers make ethos3 teachers)

Dance with a pipecleaner

Time on your hands? Make sure you set aside some time for this as it is very addictive!

You are in control of a pipecleaner dancer using the top 3 rows of your keyboard. Select the music by choosing one of the 7 letters on the screen and go crazy with some new moves.

With practice you can design some fairly groovy moves!

Click here to experience the fun...

27 Dinners finds a 'proper' home!

I am pleased to see that the 27 Dinner movement now has its own online home having outgrown its initial PB-Wiki home.

The 27 dinner phenomenon has grown substantially since its founding and is now one of the must-attend events for anyone involved in online marketing, writing, technical development - in fact anyone online media practioner or anyone who has an interest in this area is welcome to attend.

If you still have not been to a 27 dinner in your area, go along to http://www.27dinner.com and find out when and where! The site is still new and so much more needs to be added. If you would like to find out more about the 27 Dinners and see photos etc from previous events, surf along to the 27 Dinner wiki at http://27dinner.pbwiki.com

Africa Draws The Short Straw - Again...

A BBC documentary set to air in the UK on 1 July shows how British tobacco companies are targeting the youth of several African countries despite these countries having laws disallowing this and the tobacco companies having widely publicized codes of ethical marketing.

The program shows how tobacco companies use guerilla marketing to lure young people to their brand. It also shows children as young as 11 buying cigarettes and developing a life-long nicotine addiction. On a continent with 100 000 smoking-related deaths each year (this figure set to double over the next 20 years according to the World Health Organisation), this is clearly an untenable situation.

To read more go to the BBC site for this program - click here.

Why does Africa continue to be exploited by the mega-coporates of the First World? Is it simply economics without a conscience? Do those in power simply close their eyes to the explotation of a continent?

The actions of companies such as those highlighted in the BBC documentary mentioned earlier simply continue to perpetuate economic slavery on the African continent. The trade of physical bodies across oceans and indeed within Africa itself may be a thing of the past but the slavery of Africa's people to the power of the dollar continues.

It is also time for the people of Africa to draw a line in the sand and say "Enough is enough". Corruption and inefficient governance in many parts of Africa unfortunately lead to a blind eye being turned as ordinary Africans continue to suffer poverty, economic injustice and crime continue to plague our continent.

Africa - stand up!
Leaders in Africa - stand up!

Coporate power-mongers - own up!
Foreign governments - wake up!

Is this just wishful thinking or will Africa awaken from her slumber and rise to face the giants that wish to destroy her?

Franschoek Lets Me Down...

It was a typical Sunday afternoon for our family - a few hours spent driving into the country to explore a new place and then coming home again to get kids ready for the week ahead.

This weekend we decided to visit Franschoek - especially significant as it is where my wife and I spent our first few days as a married couple. The intention was to walk around town and then pop into the coffee shop at the Hugenot Monument for a refreshing cuppa, allow the kids to play a bit and then head home over the Du Toits Kloof pass instead of travelling through the tunnel.

We drove into the parking area of the Hugenot Monument and parked among another 12 or so cars. We then proceeded towards the Hugenot Museum as the sign for the coffee shop pointed in that direction. With no obvious signage I popped into the museum to ask for directions whereupon I was told by a dear old lady that the coffee shop had closed as they were having a quiet day and the staff wanted to go home! This despite a sign in the carpark indicating that they would be open until 17h00.

I then suggested to the family that we take a stroll to the actual monument through the beautifully kept garden. On reaching the gate of the garden we were met with a sign informing us of a charge to enter. Deciding against this we piled into the car and headed off to find another venue for our afternoon refreshments.

This is simply not good enough for a town that is such a tourism landmark.

Come on SA - Just add it!

Earlier this week I posted information about the TEAM SA Facebook app. Quick update - South Africa has dropped from fourth to eighth place in the list of countries with the most fans. We now lie behind Australia and Italy!

Come on all you SA Facebookers - add the app and show some SA love!

Click here - TEAM SA Facebook app

I know this may seem rather silly but what the heck, its fun!

Shoud I Stay Or Should I Go?

The title to the hit song by The Clash could well be the theme song of millions of South Africans as they ponder emigration as an option. I was delighted to find the following letter in the May issue of Your Child magazine. The name of the author was unfortunately withheld at the author's request.

I recently had to say goodbye to a very dear friend emigrating to Australia. Our children were born a few weeks apart. I was once again confronted with the question that has come up a thousand time since our children were born. Should we be raising our children in this country?

I am able to work only part-time, so I spent a lot of time with my children. They have been blessed with four fantastic and very involved grandparents.Our domestic worker is part of our family and our children adore her. If we ever emigrate I will probably become the main income earner and my children will have to be raised by teachers and nannies. They will be in a strange country, always outsiders.

I cannot do this to my children. We are staying, and we make the following pledge to our children:

* We will remain positive about the country but will make them aware of the negative side too.

* We will make our lives as secure as we can.

* We will give them the best education possible.

* We will travel as much as we can so that they can experience other countries...

and we will teach them to switch off the lights in the morning and not to use too much hot water.

46664 Concert in London - Patriotism misplaced?

I am writing this post while watching the 46664 London concert and I write these remarks as an immediate response to what I am seeing on my television screen. I know that this post will be contentious to some but I do hope they spark debate...

The massive crowd gathered in Hyde Park is witnessing a fabulous line-up of international and South African artists all presenting their music as well as their comments on Nelson Mandela on the occasion of his 90th birthday. As the camera pans over the crowd many South African flags are seen flying proudly above their holders and the crowd joins in celebrating the Soweto Gospel Choir as they sing a chorus of "Jive Soweto!".

I cannot help but wonder how many of the attendees who now proudly wave their SA flags are expats who tomorrow will find themselves around dinner tables across London criticising the South African government, moaning about the high crime rate, the electricity supply problems and so on. Many of these people have legitimate concerns but have chosen to emigrate to so-called "greener pastures" where they justify their decision to leave their homeland by telling others how awful life is in South Africa.

I would like to think that these same people have skills aplenty which our country now needs. Their expertise and knowledge need to be channeled into creating employment opportunities and training and equipping local business owners and labourers.

Is this patriotism misplaced? Is all the flag-waving and cheering for South Africa the expression of an inner desire to return to the homeland?

The question I ask is this - If you have chosen to leave South Africa because of how little hope you have for its future, how can you stand in a crowd and proudly wave a South African flag? Is this not hypocritical?

As I wrote early in this post, I know this is a contentious and sensitive issue. I write this as I watch the 46664 concert and this reflects my immediate response and gut feeling.

Your response is welcome ...

For a related post see this post from June 2007.

Use Facebook to show support for SA Olympic team

With the Olympic games just around the corner why not begin to garner support for our Olympic team using Facebook?

When you add this application to your profile you will also be learning more about the team and be able to track their progress through the games, read athlete's blogs and relive some great SA Olympic moments.

You can add the application by clicking here - Team South Africa Facebook App

International View On Zimbabwe - (video)

Our northern neighbour's politics are the source of either laughter or tears in the world outside Africa. Unfortunately it seems that African leaders are blinded by the history of the Zimbabwean liberation struggle and refuse to acknowledge that Robert Mugabe has become a corrupt despot. It was interesting to hear CNN reporter Richard Roth repeatedly refer to President Thabo Mbeki as the Zimbabwean president in a report yesterday evening - perhaps an indication of what the world perceives in Mbeki's attitude to Zimbabwe?

This video from the French news channel France24 gives an inside look at Zimbabwe - it makes for interesting viewing.

Click here to watch the video.

SA Blog Given International Recognition

SA Blog Of The Year, the Mail & Guardian's Online Thought Leader, has been named as an "official honoree" by the Webby Awards. This places it in the company of big players such as blogs by CNN, CBS News, the New Yorker and Time magazine.

This puts Thought Leader among the top 11 political blogs in the world and the only blog in its category from outside the United States.

Well done to the guys at M & G for this outstanding achievement. It is good to see our local bloggers receiving recognition outside our borders as well.

For more information on the 2008 SA Blog Awards see this review by Eishman at Eish!

Getting In On the Act

Okay so I've been caught out! By Blogger no less!

Have you been RickRoll'd?

For more information on this internet phenomenon check out the following sites :

1) Wikipedia entry

2) Urban Dictionary

If you want to protect yourself from being RickRoll'd, go along to the RickRoll Database where you can also enter the URL of a site that sent you to Mr Astley's 80's hit song!

SMS From Your Desktop - 10 Free Credits

Wouldn't you like to save money on SMS messaging? For some time now I have been using WinSMS as our preferred Bulk SMS service and have found it very effective. What is great is being able to use this from your personal desktop and saving money on your personal text messaging.

The WinSMS website lists the following information to help you to understand the program better:

WinSMS is the solution you need to enable you to immediately start sending SMS messages from your PC, e-mail, website or custom database.

Besides being the hottest marketing and communication tool available today, WinSMS will

• Save you up to 80% of your telecommunication costs:

  If you use SMS to communicate with your staff and customers instead of calling them on their cell phones, you can save thousands of Rand's every month!

• Provide you and your customers a two-way communication channel:

  Replies to your SMS messages are automatically routed to your e-mail address, allowing you to respond timeously to customer requests or confirmations.

• Save you money on unnecessary phone calls:

  Why make a two minute phone call if you can say it in a SMS for a few cents? Sending SMS from your PC using WinSMS is cheaper and quicker.

• Dramatically increase your customer service ratings:

  A simple "thank you" SMS can do wonders for your reputation of providing good efficient service - your clients will feel appreciated and will be more likely to buy from you again in the future.

SMS Messaging, from the comfort of your PC, using your existing Internet connection, is a powerful and economical tool that will give you the edge over your competition, while saving you valuable time and money!

Using SMS to market your products and services has an immediate impact, is highly personalised and has been proven to generate a solid increase in sales!

Here are some examples of what SMS Messaging & Bulk SMS can be used for:

• Inform customers of product launches, specials and product-related news
• Notify debtors about account balances exceeded or overdue
• Provide information services to customers or subscribers
• Send time-critical information to a mobile workforce
• Send price changes and stock information to clients or sales staff
• Inform staff of meetings or schedule appointment reminders
• Run campaigns and competitions

And it's easier than you think! If you can browse the internet, send and receive e-mail, and have basic computer knowledge, that's all the skill you need to be able to start sending SMS directly from your desktop.

So go ahead and visit the website - you will receive 10 free credits to try out the system. What have you got to lose?

Is Your PC South African?

With so many people now using open source software the people at Translate.org.za are hard at work releasing versions of Firefox, Open Office, Thunderbird and more into the 11 official languages of South Africa.

Yesterday they announced that an Afrikaans version of the Firefox 3 beta was available for download.

They also have a South African keyboard available and spell checkers for local languages.

If your mother tongue is not English and you would like to use your software in your home language you need to take a look at these :

1) Open Office - in all 11 official languages

2) Mozilla Firefox

3) Mozilla Thunderbird

4) South African Keyboard

5) Spell Checkers for South Africa

A glance at the Translate.org.za news page gives much information about the state of languages and their use in local software - worth a look.

A feather in the cap for our local open source software translators is that their translation tools are now also used by the One Laptop Per Child project, as well as Sun Microsystems for the translation of OpenOffice.org and OpenSolaris.org. Well done to the folks at Translate - more South Africans making a global impact!

SA's Playboy Bunny Can't Sell Her Tail

Did you know that South Africa has its own Playboy bunny? Born in the former Czechoslovakia at the end of World War 2, Heidi Vos lost her parents to disease in a refugee camp and was smuggled to Germany as a toddler by an aunt. After a stint as an au-pair in the US she moved to New Orleans at the age of 19 to become a Playboy bunny.

She now lives in Mill Park and is the founder of the annual Chilli Festival. In an attempt to raise money for the Barcelone Feeding Scheme she tried to auction off her fluffy bunny tail this past weekend at the festival. However nobody was at all interested! It seems that the bunny tails of 65 year old Playboy bunnies are not in vogue right now! She was hoping to make R10 000 from the little white piece of fluff!

The entire costume was supposed to be returned when she left Playboy but as she says "this one fell through the cracks."

Interesting note - after her Playboy Club days Vos became one of the world's first female disc jockeys.

South African Democracy In Action (pic)

It seems that the days of loyalist voting are beginning to be numbered as South Africans begin to realise that their vote counts and that the power to keep politicians on board the gravy train lies in their hands.

(Photo - Garth Stead, Die Burger)

Zuma Is Not The Enemy

Like many other white middle-class South Africans I held my breath during the ANC Polokwane conference held last year. I waited anxiously to hear who would be elected ANC President and would therefore most likely be our next national leader. When Jacob Zuma was elected to this position I expressed aloud my disappointment and concern at having a man with such a blotted copybook as our president.

Recent events however have caused me to wonder if it is in fact the trade unions, COSATU in the main, who we have to be concerned about. Last week Zuma opened the debate on reform of labour legislation to ensure that the unacceptably high unemployment rate be brought down. COSATU quickly shut down this debate in what appeared to be an attempt to remind Zuma where his power base lies and who voted him into power.

During 2005 the ANC national general council meeting prepared an initial paper on labour market regulation and the existence of a 'second economy'. Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi then presented a discussion document which included ideas on building a dual labour market.

It was COSATU's violent reaction to these proposals that lead to these important issues being swept under the carpet at last year's Polokwane conference. This has now lead to the current situation where the president of the ruling party simply raised issues his party has raised before. He said that trade unions operated in the 'first economy' and that the 'second economy' was neglected "by all of us". Zuma pointed out that some labour regulation had the unfortunate effect of cutting out the poorest of the poor and that flexibility was need to address this.

What South Africa most needs now is a leader who will not bow to the pressure exerted on government by increasingly vocal and militant trade unions who seem intent of self-protection. We need a leader who understands the need for economic growth through legislative reform and who will not allow petty politics to derail the progress made so far.

While Jacob Zuma is still not my first choice national leader, I have been surprised (perhaps even impressed thus far) at his statements regarding economic growth and development. He finds himself in an interesting position - a support base among the poor, a power base among workers and an entire country waiting for 2009 to see if he can actually deliver. Add to this mix possible prosecution and a pending court case - its a wonder he can sleep at all!

29 Feb - A Special Day! 30 Feb - Yes It Once Existed!

So is it true that once every four years, on February 29, women can woo men and ask them for their hand in marriage?

As usual I go to the folks at Snopes.com for an answer - read all about it here.

10 famous people born on Feb 29 :

1) Pope John Paul III (1468 - 10/11/1549)
2) Gioacchino Rossini (1792 - 13/11/1868)
3) Morarji Desai (1896 - 10/04/1995)
4) Jimmy Dorsey (1904 - 12/06/1957)
5) Dinah Shore (1916 - 24/02/1994)
6) Tempest Storm (1928 - )
7) Henri Richard (1936 - )
8) Anthony Robbins (1960 - )
9) Saul Williams (1972 - )
10) Ja Rule (1976 - )

Keeing up with the maths :

February 2008 has five Fridays - it starts and ends on a Friday. Between 1904 and 2096, leap years with same day of week for each date repeat every 28 years which means that the last time February had 5 Fridays was in 1980 and next time will be in 2036. (taken from "Life Is Like That")

Did you know that 30 February actually once existed?

Sweden and the Soviet Union once had a February 30 in their calendar. Check it out here.

Oscar Honour For South Africa

It may not have generated as much hype as Charlize Theron's Oscar did in 2004 or as the film Tsotsi did in 2006 but South Africa once again walked away with an Oscar at this year's Academy Awards.

Taxi to the Dark Side, one of the films made for the South African coordinated, global documentary project Why Democracy?, won the Documentary Feature award.

South African producer and film maker, Don Edkins, was the executive producer of the film. Edkins also produced and coordinated the Why Democracy? project for Steps International from their Cape Town offices.

Director Alex Gibney’s film tells the story of an Afghan taxi driver tortured to death by the American government as part of its "War on Terror" and was one of 10 films in the Why Democracy? documentary project.

Edkins as Executive Producer on ‘Taxi to the Dark Side’, and Producer of ‘Please Vote For Me’ says, “This is a great honour for the film. I am very pleased that ‘Taxi to the Dark Side’ won because it deals with a very tough political issue. By awarding the film an Oscar, the Academy has showed it is not scared of films which expose the undemocratic practices of the American Government."

This is yet another opportunity to showcase the talent that this country produces. Well done Don Edkins and your team!

The Weatherman in a New South Africa (video)

A relevant warning - take note...

Government Supports The Boks - When It Suits Them

So the Springboks have won the Laureus Sport Team of the Year Award - a fabulous achievement in anyone's book. Now the ANC jumps on the bandwagon of congratulating the team for their success despite the history of political interference which so often threatened to derail the team on their journey to success.

I find it rather ironic that in their congratulatory statement the government has called on Bafana Bafana, the country's national soccer team, to emulate their rugby counterparts and win the FIFA World Cup in 2010! I wonder to what extent the politicians will interfere with soccer to make this happen. On current form it will take nothing short of a divine miracle for South Africa to win the 2010 World Cup!

While the Springboks certainly united the nation for a time I believe that selective government intervention in other sporting codes will ultimately breakdown the unity they now applaud the Springboks for attaining.

Paid To Be Positive - HIV+

Would you consider being a human guinea-pig for a new HIV/AIDS prevention strategy if it meant you may contract HIV in the process?

This is exactly what a number of women did during a recent clinical trial of a gel which was supposed to prevent transmission of the virus.The full story may be found here.

6202 women participated in the study between March 2004 and March 2007. During this time the rate of infection was 3.3 new infections per 100 women. The participants in the study were given HIV education and counselling, gynaecological exams and testing and treatment for curable sexually transmitted infections.

Women who were HIV-positive at screening or who became HIV positive during the trial were given medical and psychological assistance.

I wonder what these women were paid to participate in this study - a study that for 200 of them translated to an HIV-positive reality. Was it worth it? I suppose if the gel had been effective they would have been hailed as heroes of the fight against AIDS. However they are now just statistics in the HIV/AIDS pandemic in our country. Are they still heroes or just foolish people looking for quick money at a high risk?

I realise this is a controversial topic and I invite you to leave a comment and get the debate started...

Johannesburg to Worcester - What A Pleasure!

It's been some time since I wrote on this blog and for my regular readers, I apologise! At the end of last year my family and I moved home from the bustling city of Johannesburg to the Boland town of Worcester so that I could take up the position of headmaster at a local primary school.

I cannot even begin to describe the difference we have experienced in lifestyle and peace of mind! Living on the school property allows me to walk to school across the fields and take in the surrounding beauty. As the sun creeps over the mountains and crawls its way across the the school buildings and fields I remind myself every day how fortunate we are to have been able to move. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed our time in what is probably South Africa's most diverse and Afro-centric city but there is most definitely something different and refreshing about living in the country (not to mention the fresh air).

Worcester is situated in the wine-producing area of the Boland region. This has resulted in our fridge being well-stocked with freshly picked grapes and our wine selection being greatly enhanced through the generous gifts of parents of our school. Being so centrally located (an hour from Cape Town, Hermanus, Montagu and Touwsriver and even less from Paarl, Tulbagh and Ceres) ensures that Worcester is a bustling hub of industry and commerce in the area. All that is required is right on our doorstep.

While the summer temperatures frequently reach over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) the weather is pleasant and in the winter months snow covers the peaks of the surrounding mountains.

There are pros and cons to living in the country but I have to say that there seem to be many more pros than cons!

Worcester Tourism Homepage