And I'm prepared to admit it. The BLK JKS album 'After Robots' is actually really good. I still think that it was poorly produced, and flags a little at the end, but it is a great album. My favourite track of theirs is from the Mystery ep though... this video is cool, but it doesn't really do the searing solo at the end justice - buy the cd.
And this one is my second favourite track (some serious OH&S violations going on here)
Monday 22 February 2010
Thursday 18 February 2010
democracy
ok mr blog master... can we have a vote please?
I think I am officially over these cats, their antics and their inability to speak properly :)
Can we vote to get ride of them? If I am outvoted, so be it.
I think I am officially over these cats, their antics and their inability to speak properly :)
Can we vote to get ride of them? If I am outvoted, so be it.
Wednesday 17 February 2010
Don't zap the presidential convoy
Forget Zille's comments or what any of this portends - is it really illegal to give the Prez one's middle finger? Seriously?
Also, Budget Speech 2010 here. A little disappointing too I think, but at least my job got a mention! Sort of.
Also, Budget Speech 2010 here. A little disappointing too I think, but at least my job got a mention! Sort of.
Tuesday 16 February 2010
This is what I'm trying to say
http://mhambi.com/2010/02/ninja-is-the-new-james-phillips/
I totally dig the SA identity debate. The article's cape coloured gangsta rap angle is one I hadn't thought of, but it's obvious.
I totally dig the SA identity debate. The article's cape coloured gangsta rap angle is one I hadn't thought of, but it's obvious.
frivolity, hilarity and dance floor activity
It’s been ages again since writing on the blog and now there are a few things to share... While I wish I could offer astute political commentary, cutting edge trend reviews or hip byte size witticisms, I think those are better left to those in our midst who excel at such blog entries. While I am underwhelmed by the leadership/goverance in this country, (big issues aside, I was particularly annoyed by their need to take over my town one evening last week causing traffic mayhem during the actual event and the “practice” sessions in the days leading up to the opening of parliament – car pooling people!! Some poor guy was even more inconvenienced than the rest of us) ... I am choosing today to chat about things far more frivolous in nature.
I have succeeded in travelling through time! Yes, it is astounding, but there is no other explanation. How else do you explain a weekend on the banks of the Breede River... most time spent under a green awning... listening to Dave “the barman” Levinson (still kind of funny) and Paul Snodgrass (still not funny at all) watching performances by Bed on Bricks, the Rudimentals, Albert Frost and other stalwarts of the Cape music scene? Ah, Up the Creek... it’s still small, still awesome and still attracting the same kind of performances years after we first started going back in the day. Seriously – the location has not changed at all (expect for the fact that there is almost no water in the river due to the seriously chronic drought) and the only thing that is different since the last time I was there (like first year, give or take?) is the fact that you cannot buy a Savanna at any of the bars as they are no longer sponsors (hardly an issue me thinks). Had a great weekend hanging with Lu and co – dancing the night away on Friday, floating all day by the river stage on Saturday, laid back tunes on Sunday: all good.
Lowlights:- The Gods: “We are the Gods, you are the Crowd” - RSA’s very own “super group”: the aforementioned Albert Frost, drummer from the original nudies, bassist from Bed on Bricks and some dude on lead vocals app from Billy Goat (?) – never heard of him and now I know why. He is terrible – keeps trying to hit screechy high rock notes and missing every time! Rumour on the river is that it was their first proper and last ever gig together.
- Aforementioned Paul-loud loser-Snodgrass
Highlights:
- Chatting to new found lilo friends in the river (all the river pics are with Lu and her fancy water camera)
- Bed on Bricks coming on after the Gods and showing them how it is supposed to done... you may not all like them, but man they are tight, entertaining and so pro.
- No One’s Arc: great Nelspruit group, super fun and great horn section
- Rob van Vuuren doing Usher's "In the Club" as a protest poem - hilarious!
- Mr Cat and the Jackal: been dying to see them for ages and had to push on through to make it to their 2AM (!) time slot on Saturday morning – I am getting old you know but more on that later – despite their difficult time slot: smaller stage, drunken dudes falling into them, sound guys who have disappeared to get drunk with some mates etc etc they are impressive... I mean, common’, the guy plays the saw and an amazing slide guitar, what is not to like!
- Shooting stars
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| UP THE CREEK 2010 |
In addition to my new found time travel skills, I thought I would further expand my skill set and ndifunda ukutheta isiXhosa (I am learning to speak isiXhosa).Really loving it! Thought I would share some of the hilarity of our teaching team with you all.
OK, so a little earlier on I alluded to the fact that I am getting old and less able to maintain a mad festival spirit for a full weekend duration... Yeah, was feeling left out of the dirty thirties club so decided to join. Have had a totally amazing weekend and feeling truly blessed to have the friends and family that I do – thanks to you all!!!
From dance-floor madness on Sat night courtesy of Toby and DJ Dan, to lazing in the shade at Silvermine on Sunday in keeping with what I hope to make a tradition of Silvermine birthday swims all through to amazing food and belly dancing with the fam last night – it’s been a prefect celebration! If this is what being 30 is about, I reckon we should have tried it ages ago! Although I have been warned to brace myself for significant impulse purchases (cars, animals), serious proposals of commitment (hmmm, no chance of that here methinks) and what were the other ones now...? Cannot remember, must be getting old.
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| 30th BDAY |
Friday 12 February 2010
Can't get no satisfaction
Our rock star Prez has for some time now been failing to meet my relatively low expectations of a South African State President (they are low because the challenges are so immense, not because I think the ANC produces bad leaders).
He was doing so before yesterday's speech. I was the hater at the dinner table after his first 100 days trying to point out that he hadn't yet made any decisions, hadn't indicated his positions on any major policy issues, and hadn't really tried to lead in any significant way.
All he did was stack the justice and security portfolios with super loyalists to ensure neither he nor any of his corruptees and/or benefactors (I hate the word cronies) would ever set foot in court. Then he did some sensible housework creating some new departments and splitting old ones, and said some encouraging things about accountability, performance management, and HIV-AIDS. But it never looked like anything much more than new veneer on the kak old kitchen counter tops. No-one was any the wiser on what the new ANC government thought should happen in SA over the next five years.
But this was to be expected, right? We've had it drilled into us that Zuma is the Greate Conciliator, and the Great Listener. He 'consults' endlessly, waits for fights to break out amongst cabinet ministers, and then 'fixes' everything by smoothing over the differences (the important exception here is that none of Malema's fights are ever mentioned). Normally such smoothing would try and find a compromise position, and result in a new decision or policy direction. But with Zuma it seems to end up in a weird fudgy stasis, where no-one is sure if anythign at all has been decided, but everyone feels ok because he's so darn charming. The Consulting-Conciliating-Compassionate President JZ, Man of the People. Everything Mbeki was not.
Blah blah blah. Zuma really really hasn't taken a single decision of any importance. He had a chance last night to at least reveal his hand on various policy issues. I thought he really would, and decided that this would be the last chance I gave him. He blew it. I'm still reeling from how pathetic it all was. Not to mention how poorly prepared JZ seemed to be. Did he have any input whatsoever into the speech's contents? Did he do any practising? Eish.
We still have no idea what changes may be in store, in any important policy area. We still don't know what the State President of the Republic of South Africa actually thinks about some gravely important issues. We have to wait for the Budget Speech and apparently the Minister of Trade and Industry's speech on industrial policy to learn anything about economic policy. The ANC also says we must wait for Cabinet Ministers to add the details missing from the State of the Nation speech, which will happen in the next two weeks. Excuse me? What State of the Nation address has ever been made prior to those details being very well known to the Cabinet?
Like Redi Direko said this morning while I sat stuck in traffic (let's hope some of the R846 billion infrastructure spend is earmarked for the N14 north of Brakfontein), we all deserve better.
Like I said after his first 100 days, Zuma is a shmuck, the ANC elected the wrong guy, and we'll be lucky to get away with a few scrapes and bruises during the Zuma era.
He is not a leader. He cannot be even if he wanted to. He was the most likely vehicle for dangerously ambitious politicians in the ANC to gain more power within the alliance (and much more money as a result of that), and now that they have, Zuma owes them more than he owes the country, and has no wiggle room. Expect many inexplicable decisions (Mpshe appointment anyone???), many inexplicable statements from ANC and Ministerial spokespeople, lots of silence, and many, many more service delivery protests.
He was doing so before yesterday's speech. I was the hater at the dinner table after his first 100 days trying to point out that he hadn't yet made any decisions, hadn't indicated his positions on any major policy issues, and hadn't really tried to lead in any significant way.
All he did was stack the justice and security portfolios with super loyalists to ensure neither he nor any of his corruptees and/or benefactors (I hate the word cronies) would ever set foot in court. Then he did some sensible housework creating some new departments and splitting old ones, and said some encouraging things about accountability, performance management, and HIV-AIDS. But it never looked like anything much more than new veneer on the kak old kitchen counter tops. No-one was any the wiser on what the new ANC government thought should happen in SA over the next five years.
But this was to be expected, right? We've had it drilled into us that Zuma is the Greate Conciliator, and the Great Listener. He 'consults' endlessly, waits for fights to break out amongst cabinet ministers, and then 'fixes' everything by smoothing over the differences (the important exception here is that none of Malema's fights are ever mentioned). Normally such smoothing would try and find a compromise position, and result in a new decision or policy direction. But with Zuma it seems to end up in a weird fudgy stasis, where no-one is sure if anythign at all has been decided, but everyone feels ok because he's so darn charming. The Consulting-Conciliating-Compassionate President JZ, Man of the People. Everything Mbeki was not.
Blah blah blah. Zuma really really hasn't taken a single decision of any importance. He had a chance last night to at least reveal his hand on various policy issues. I thought he really would, and decided that this would be the last chance I gave him. He blew it. I'm still reeling from how pathetic it all was. Not to mention how poorly prepared JZ seemed to be. Did he have any input whatsoever into the speech's contents? Did he do any practising? Eish.
We still have no idea what changes may be in store, in any important policy area. We still don't know what the State President of the Republic of South Africa actually thinks about some gravely important issues. We have to wait for the Budget Speech and apparently the Minister of Trade and Industry's speech on industrial policy to learn anything about economic policy. The ANC also says we must wait for Cabinet Ministers to add the details missing from the State of the Nation speech, which will happen in the next two weeks. Excuse me? What State of the Nation address has ever been made prior to those details being very well known to the Cabinet?
Like Redi Direko said this morning while I sat stuck in traffic (let's hope some of the R846 billion infrastructure spend is earmarked for the N14 north of Brakfontein), we all deserve better.
Like I said after his first 100 days, Zuma is a shmuck, the ANC elected the wrong guy, and we'll be lucky to get away with a few scrapes and bruises during the Zuma era.
He is not a leader. He cannot be even if he wanted to. He was the most likely vehicle for dangerously ambitious politicians in the ANC to gain more power within the alliance (and much more money as a result of that), and now that they have, Zuma owes them more than he owes the country, and has no wiggle room. Expect many inexplicable decisions (Mpshe appointment anyone???), many inexplicable statements from ANC and Ministerial spokespeople, lots of silence, and many, many more service delivery protests.
You ma se poes in a vis paste jar
Thursday 11 February 2010
Maroga's driver cost R1m a year
One million rand a year to drive the former CEO of Eskom around! (I'm assuming this excludes petrol and car maintenance etc., but even if it doesn't, R1 million is a moerse expensive car and/or lank kilometers).
Not a bad article...
Not a bad article...
Sunday 7 February 2010
Friday 5 February 2010
Gideon Rachman really is my favourite columnist
"The global financial crisis has changed all that. At this year’s Davos, the western delegates seemed depressed, defensive or even mildly deranged in the case of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president. After listening to Mr Sarkozy’s passionate attack on financial capitalism, one Russian participant was overheard saying that he had found the experience pleasantly nostalgic. He remembered hearing many similar speeches in the Soviet Union."
More here.
And apparently Nic Dawes's editorial on the latest Zum-aga (that's my new word for 'Zuma saga') this week is very good, but isn't available on the M&G site yet. Needless to say, Helen Zille is alienating people again by inflaming a culture debate she'll never ever win. Just keep it simple Helen! He's promiscuous, and most people don't like that, no matter what their background is. Klaar.
More here.
And apparently Nic Dawes's editorial on the latest Zum-aga (that's my new word for 'Zuma saga') this week is very good, but isn't available on the M&G site yet. Needless to say, Helen Zille is alienating people again by inflaming a culture debate she'll never ever win. Just keep it simple Helen! He's promiscuous, and most people don't like that, no matter what their background is. Klaar.
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