The Best YouTube Videos of 2009 (in just over 2 minutes)

These may come thick and fast but it certainly encourages one to find the original videos on YouTube!

Enjoy!
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A President, a Captain, a Nation

I will most certainly be going to watch this movie featuring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. I well remember the Rugby World Cup 1995. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the opening game at Newlands in Cape Town and even today I am moved by the memory of that emotional outpouring of patriotism amongst the throngs of people present in the stadium.

I can still hear the crowd shouting "Nelson, Nelson" as President Mandela walked out to greet the crowds during the opening ceremony. As the national anthem was sung, I remember turning to my right and seeing a white middle-age man crying as the emotion of the moment overwhelmed him.

I do not know if it is possible for those who are not South African to understand that the story portrayed in this movie is not just about a "good story" - it is a much deeper and emotional tale that speaks to the very heart of what it means to be South African in this era of change, uncertainty, challenge and opportunity.

Go and watch this movie and be reminded that sport unites and that we can stand proudly together as brothers and sisters in a beautiful country that more than ever needs unity and Umoja - a spirit of togetherness.

Toto's Africa - A Fantastic Rendition

Thanks to Brian Ibbott of Coverville for this video of an acappella choir from Slovenia giving a rendition of Toto's Africa which is absolutely awesome. The simulation of a rainstorm using their bodies is truly amazing. I suggest listening to the track with your eyes closed before watching it again to see the visual impact.

Their YouTube video of this item has, at the time of writing this post, reached over 1,1 million views! They have several other videos on YouTube for your enjoyment.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Perpetuum Jazzile :

Mean Mr Mustard's Fred Hayward dies

South Africa's music industry has been dealt a blow with the death of Fred Hayward, bassist for Mean Mr Mustard. He apparently died of a heart attack. He was in his thirties.

Hayward was an integral part of a band that has become synonymous with the growth and international acceptance of the South African music industry. He will be sorely missed.

You can leave your tribute to Freddy here.

Another Social Network - Can it work?

It seems that the internet has really come into its own over the past year - almost everyone now has a Facebook profile, a MySpace page or a Twitter stream. People are using the web more and more to connect with one another and are harnessing its power both in business and in their personal lives.

Breaking into the social networking arena with a view to make a significant impact is a tough assignment! A new kid on the block however aims to make its mark!

Welcome Vyoom - a social networking site with a difference!

What makes this different is their promise to reward users with prizes for activity. I do hope that their financial modelling allows for substantial growth - if not, I am not sure they will be able to sustain their giving of prizes to their users.

Let's see what happens!

Reporter on Cape Town's stormy weather has not looked hard enough

A News24 report on the cold weather being experienced by the Western Cape indicates that it was difficult to say whether there was snow on the Ceres mountains. The report quotes Didi Greef of the Matroosberg Nature Reserve as saying that it was difficult to confirm whether there was snow on the mountains.

I don't buy this! I could see snow from my house in Worcester and a 10 minute drive yesterday afternoon confirmed that there was plenty of snow in the mountains! How difficult would it have been for Didi Greef to actually check? How difficult would it have been for the reporter to contact someone else for confirmation?

Believe me, there is snow on the mountains and I expect more to fall today.

The Australians finally beat us...

Their cricket team may be slipping down the ICC rankings, the Socceroos continue to disappoint and even their schools are losing momentum - but hang on, there is one area in which the good folks of Australia continue to lead the way .... consumption of alcohol!

This is according to a report published by the Menzies School of Health Research. Clearly there is a problem here which needs serious intervention.

We cannot however become complacent - teen drinking in South Africa is endemic and we are going to have to work hard to change this pattern of behaviour before we overtake Australia not only in alcohol consumption but in alcohol-related deaths.

Facebook Usernames - Interview video

I've got mine! Have you got yours? You'd better hurry - 500 000 usernames taken in 15 minutes! I wonder who will take www.facebook.com/southafrica ?

Two of the Facebook team explain usernames and the thinking behind the move :

Tomorrow Is Another Country - The inside story of the end of apartheid

While at home struggling to shake a nasty flu virus I have taken the opportunity to read a book which has been on my shelf for some time. That book is Tomorrow Is Another Country: The Inside Story of South Africa's Road to Change by Allister Sparks.

It tells the inside story of a country teetering on the brink of civil war, of secret meetings and clandestine talks in hotel basements, of political maneouvering and the cut and thrust of political parties all eager to have their way in a new-look South Africa. This book reveals the background to the talks that paved the way for our first democratic election and gives insight into the minds of those in positions of power across the political spectrum.

The book is clearly well-researched and is well-balanced although it is clear that Mr Sparks leans towards the left. I have thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it to all who have the slightest interest in South African politics. In fact, every South African should read this book as it allows us to reflect on what is and what could have been.

It would not suprise me if a movie is not made based on this book as it certainly rivals any John le Carré thriller!

I am a proud South African - perhaps now a more well-informed South African as well. I highly recommend this book.

Idiots On Our Roads

Over the past six weeks I have had the opportunity to travel between Worcester and Cape Town on the N1 highway on several occasions. Each time I drive that particular stretch of road I am horrified at the disregard paid to the rules of the road by many drivers. I sometimes feel that many of my fellow drivers have no concern about their own safety, let alone the safety of other road users.

Recently I complained to a friend of mine about the fact that I was tailgated in the far right lane of the highway while travelling at 125km/h (5 km/h over the stated speed limit) by a rude man driving a BMW who spent most of his time gesticulating and making it pretty obvious that he wanted me to pull over into the middle lane. The fact that the middle lane was full of cars travelling at speed with no safe means of entering the traffic did not seem to enter his consciousness. I told my friend how angry I was at this blatant disregard for safety and the BMW driver's arrogance at thinking that the road belonged to him - never mind that I was already travelling at the speed limit.

I was gently reminded of the rule which states "Keep left, pass right" and my friend inferred that I should have moved over to allow this moron to continue speeding down the highway. Don't get me wrong - I am all for ensuring that the road rules are kept, but why should I move over to allow some speed demon to shoot along the freeway and endanger other lives?

This incident is but one of many I experienced over these past few weeks and I am left wondering how these fools can be prevented from continuing their unsafe driving habits.

I came across the Arrive Alive campaign's website which has a toll free number to dial to report bad driving - 0861 400 800. Perhaps I will use this next time I witness idiotic driving on the freeway! I also noticed on the site that you can register as a volunteer traffic observer. Now I'm not sure what this entails but I sure hope its more than just counting cars to determine traffic volume!

It also never ceases to amaze me why the country's traffic departments insist on hiding behind bushes with speed cameras instead of parking in visible places on the freeways. Surely this would be preventative instead of punitive and would encourage motorists to slow down? As a regular source of income, speed camera fines are great for the traffic department but do they really encourage motorists to drive more slowly? I honestly doubt it! Of course some drivers will never learn no matter what the traffic authorities do - read this account of a Porsche driver clocked twice at over 200 km/h in one day in Kwa-Zulu Natal!

Then of course we have those "kings of the road" - our mini-bus taxi drivers...but that's another subject for another post...

In the meantime, please drive carefully!

The Arrive Alive road safety blog can be found at http://roadsafety.wordpress.com
- it certainly makes for interesting and sobering reading.

Desktop Wallpaper Directory Goes Web 2.0

Every so often I decide to change my desktop background on either my laptop or desktop PC. I usually spend some time online searching for decent high-res images. I now have one resource I will return to time and time again - Social Wallpapering.

This site is full of quality high-resolution images in the following resolutions :

1280x960, 1280x1024, 1600x1200, and all other background variations with a minimum width and height of 1280x720 pixels

Users are able to upload their own wallpapers which are then rated by the SocWall community in a similar fashion to the way in which one might rate a site on Digg. All the wallpapers are available for download; even to those who have not registered on the site.

Wallpapers are available for standard and widescreen monitors as well as for a dual-monitor scenario.

This is a great resource which is attempting to become the greatest repository of high-res desktop wallpapers on the internet - a lofty goal which I am not sure will be reached. What I am sure of though, is that this site is clearly a case of quality over quantity and I will certainly be a regular visitor.

Visit it here - Social Wallpapering

African Guitarist Retrospective

With the release of "Francophonic", the Congolese singer-guitarist-bandleader François Luambo has finally got the retrospective he deserves. During his performing years he performed as "Franco". He was widely regarded as one of the greatest African musicians of the twentieth century and has been dubbed the "James Brown of Africa" and a "sorcerer of the guitar".

The album starts with a track from his first recording session in 1953 at the age of 15 and ends with a 1980 workout whose title translates as "I Don't Like You".

The two-disc set contains excellent liner notes which give fascinating facts about the music. For example : most of Franco’s international audience assumed the exquisite 1973 recording “AZDA” was a love song; it was actually a jingle for a Zairean Volkswagen dealership!

Links :

1) Buy the album here

2) Read more about the artist here

3) Download "AZDA" for $0.99