Musical distraction

Right. so I need some help. If you could buy just 1 album this year what would it be...........? I am in desperate need of some musical inspiration and distraction. Plus I have a voucher for Look and Listen and I trust your musical tastes.. (well most of you :-))

Happy New Year!

Happy Rosh Hashanah! Please eat some apples and honey for me as I always remember getting them at the tuckshop after assembly at Westerford.

UPDATE

Stupid swimmer gets her just deserts!

I wonder why everyone (except Australians) hates Australian sportspeople?

Oh, that's why. Just another reminder than being a sportsperson doesn't mean you actually have two brain cells to rub together.

Farewell Hayibo - A sad day for satire

For those of you who have not heard the news, today is Hayibo's last day, as lack of advertising revenue has forces the site to close. We will miss you Hayibo.

Mulatu Astatke in Jozi

http://www.artsalive.co.za/music/details/23

10 September, apparently at WITS. So decent acoustics then.

Woot!

Decision Made - I'm gonna be a cowboy baby!!

Yip, last minute though it is, I have finally made my choice between the two ranches who offered me volunteer opportunities for the next couple of months.
It has been driving me a little crazy so decided to make a decision and the rest will follow (I hope!).

For those who I have not yet told about this (are there any of you who I have not yet told?!)... I found myself in the unexpected position of having time and flights to the US with no real plans of what to do while I was there. Decided it may be the universe offering the chance to fulfill a life dream and go play cowboy for a few months (having quit my job I was reminded by a very wise housemate that finding longer periods to duck out of your life is going to become harder and harder).

So, come the end of August I am flying off to the US and more specifically Colorado (yip, its gonna be CHILLY) to work for Duke and his team on the Chico Basin Ranch for three months! Its gonna be tough and at times I reckon I may be lonely but I am going to be riding, herding cattle and (hopefully) bison (!) and working with their kids conservation education programme.
Scared and Thrilled!

Our DRC moment?

The M&G has asked that this week. Do yourself a favour and read Nic Dawes's leader. This Mittal-ICT-Kumba-GOVERNMENT-Zuma's kid thing, along with the media stuff and the low-intensity war being waged against the judiciary is, as Dawes put it, is our fork in the road. The slope may not be steep - we won't implode overnight - but it is slippery.

Ya dammit, why not just go the whole hog?

Cool piece of subversive mischief about the proposed Media Appeals Tribunal. Why stop there?

Well I guess it isn't subversive mischief at all, because it's 100% right (in both senses - it's accurate and morally right). Which makes the whole business more depressing. In case you still care, the ANC seems to be committed to this one. All eyes on the September NGC then.

I like this too.

Pity the song is so kak, but i love the concept.

where i'm actually flying tomorrow....

Musicians taking over the world

First there was Peter Garrat - we know him from Midnight Oil but to many New South Walers in Australia he is also known as the Labour MP for Kingsford Smith as well as the Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage & Arts.

Now there is Wyclef Jean running for President of Haiti and (growing) rumours that Youssou n'Dour will be the next leader of Senegal :)

SA's marketing naivete

Trevor Noah is really big. Really popular. Cell C, not so much. Kinda annoying actually - the clever jokes and branding don't compensate for the really shit service.

I admit I fell for it, ok. But I haven't then gotten on my high horse to try and show just how morally outraged I am at being duped, like many Twitterers have done, apparently.

What am I talking about? Cell C's new marketing campaign/rebranding exercise/boadroom group-wank.

A few days ago a YouTube clip of a small part of one of Trevor's shows - where he lambastes Cell C - started to become very popular. So much so that, a few days later, Cell C took out full page ads in the dailies apologising to all Sef Efrikens, and promising big new things in the near future. A victory for social media. All hail God Trevor!

Turns out.... they were working together all along! Cell C and ol' Trev had the whole thing planned, and all was revealed at something called a media junket (press conference? Glad I didn't study marketing) yesterday. Cell C also revealed their shiny new investments, and made lots of promises, apparently.

I think that's great - good on both of them - PROVIDED it does actually improve Cell C's service, and maybe bring prices down a bit. Trevor's routines could do with some freshening up too, now that I think about it.

Quite why everyone is so upset that Trevor has 'sold out' is a little beyond me.

I like these ads

Dan & Anna

For those of you interested in what Dan and Anna are up to you can now follow on the blog: Wild Wild Coast

The New Age has no comment on the proposed Media Appeals Tribunal

Are you wondering why? Are you surprised? No! Because you are not dim.

The best part about the story in which this little nugget was dropped is that TNA's (that's it's commonly accepted abbreviation now - some new readers will certainly be disappointed) editor, Vuyo Mvoko, has a spokesperson. I wonder how many newspaper editors have spokepersons?

Lions AND Tigers but still no bears

For those not in RSA the current hot story (not yet gagged by media control ;)) is Panjo the Tiger who escaped from his (bizarrely named) owner Goosey Fernandes's bakkie on the way home from the vet.
So apparently all those yankees were right - African: land of Lions and Tigers (bears pending)

Media wobbly continues...

... may turn to out to be more than a wobbly? One should always be extra sceptical about journos when they're reporting on their own problems (especially when many have personal axes to grind with various spokespeople, Floyd Shivambu in particular), but there's a pretty consistent and long history to this, and nothing I've read so far seems outrageiously senstational. I am officially CONCERNED.

From Legal Brief:

"These are turbulent times for media freedom, and the ANC is resolute in its determination to shackle the press – either through its proposed media tribunal or legislation such as the proposed Protection of Information Bill, or both, writes Legalbrief. The media has been warned that the proposed tribunal could include measures to imprison journalists or force them to pay millions of rands in fines. Outlining ANC thinking on the tribunal, the party’s national spokesperson, Jackson Mthembu, told the Mail & Guardian the tribunal would be ‘independent of the ANC and of the state’, but it would have the power to punish journalists found wanting. ‘If you have to go to prison, let it be. If you have to pay millions for defamation, let it be. If journalists have to be fired because they don't contribute to the SA we want, let it be,’ he said. But he was adamant that no changes to the Constitution were envisaged and that international perceptions of SA’s commitment to press freedom would not be tarnished. A proposal that the tribunal should have the same standing as Chapter Nine institutions, currently including the Public Protector and the SA Human Rights Commission, is on the table."

Mail and Guardian report here.

The end of an era...

I was looking through some old blog posts, and i realised i hadnt actually published this one 3 years ago! Anyway, here it is...memories...


So, my time in SE Asia has come to a sad close. Since we last spoke, Alex and I spent some time in Chiang Mai (doing a cooking course, among other things) and then went back to Bangkok for a day, and then moved on to Cambodia.

Chiang Mai was fantabulous, much more chilled than Bangkok, but then it is much smaller. We did a lot of sleeping and relaxing there, because we were pretty pooped from all of the travelling until then. Notable highlights included a craft market that is probably the best i have ever seen. A whole suburb was filled with crafty things (as opposed to the rest of the thai markets that were filled with red bull and "same same but different" t-shirts) and all the temples made food and the stray thai dogs didnt rub their smelly selves against you. We (well, I) also ate some of this incendiary chilli and eggplant dip which is a speciality of Chiang Mai, and it burned on the way in and the way out like no chilli i have ever tasted before has ever done. I want some more.

We also went to check out the Kings residence up in the hills above Chiang Mai which was predictably lavish and luxurious, but the gardens were astoundingly beautiful too, and were far more impressive than any other part of his home.

We then went back to Bangkok, where we went to check out the Royal Palace and Wat Pho (the enormous golden reclining Buddha) and got into ANOTHER argument with a tuk tuk scammer when i warned some people not to get into his tuk tuk because i could see that they were going to be scammed. Anyway, he ran down the street after me screaming "Fuck YOU fuck YOU!" which is pretty comical in retrospect. We also checked out chinatown which was amazing (14% of Thailands population are ethnic Chinese) not least because of the wacky food in the markets.

Then at 5am the following day, we started our descent into hell. We took a bus from Bangkok to Aranyuprathet on the Thai-Cambodian border which was fine until the guy at the back of the bus vomited (toilet was locked) and his vomit formed an aromatic river that flowed under our seats toward the front of the bus. Thankfully we got off soon after, and headed to the border, where we got through the thai side pretty much unscathed, except that we had touts for the travel companies that organise onward journeys into Cambodia following us. I made Al speak to me only in Afrikaans, and looked blankly at the touts hoping that they would leave us alone, and my little ruse was working until they invaded my magic circle one time too many (what the fuck is it with SEAsia and personal body space?) and i shouted "I DONT SPEAK ENGLISH!" at him, in perfect english with a western accent. He nodded, and continued to follow us. Fuck.

So on the Cambodian side, we were made to pay 100 baht extra for our visas or they would be relegated to the "three hour" pile. Its a common scam that we were expecting, but what do you do? We were in a rush to get to Siem Reap, because if your bus leaves too late, they make you stay overnight at their friends guest house, whch is invariably expensive and filthy. So we get through the border, and the touts are buzzing like flies, and we dont see the bus station. In fact, all we can see is that the Armageddon has begun at the Cambodian border and the end or the world may soon be nigh. Don't get me wrong, the thai side was pretty filthy too, but this was just a level of poverty and filth i've never seen before. Bit of an eye opener actually. So we finally find a shitty bus company that will take us to Siem Reap, and we buy tickets. We soon found however, that the ticket prices were flexible, and that other people on the bus had paid half as much (while some had paid three times as much), but thats par for the course i guess.

After watching the owners friend fix the rear axle of our bus, we finally board the HellBus to Siem Reap 3 hours late. I could whinge about this trip for a LONG time, but the end result was that the 150 km trip along what is known as the "Boulevard of Broken Backsides" took seven hours and culminated in some of the passengers almost coming to blows with the driver and his mate, and a whole load of arguments with tuk tuk drivers when they dropped us (despite fierce protests from the 3-toothed british prop forward on the bus) in the darkest, scariest corner of Siem Reap and disappeared (seriously, driver and mate jumped out of the window and were never seen again).

We finally made it to our guest house, 'the Golden Banana' with two couples who had also survived the bus trip in tow. Sadly, what the guide book desribed as 'gay friendly' was in fact hetero-phobic, and the incredibly camp lisping khmer man at the counter informed us that unforunately there was "no space". The name should have given the place away...

ANYWAY, we spent three incredible days exploring the temples of Angkor Wat, the photos for which i will post in a few days time when i get to CT. Its difficult to explain the mood of the place, and i hate using words like "magical" and "etherial", but those are probably the most appropriate.

OK, this blog post had dragged on way too long, to i will sum up the rest of my time in SEAsia in point form :

• Went back to BKK


• Ate best som tam of all time


• Ate hottest som tam of all time (but got maaaad respect from the guy who made it for me for finishing the whole thing)


• Did some more shopping in Chinatown


• Flew home to the Muthaland...

So now i am in Jozi but will be in CT on Sunday night, where i will upload all photos. Hope everyone is well...

Grek

Read the article then watch the video.

I'm not a huge fan of Hitchens. I mean, I'm impressed by his intellect, but I think he's a nasty person at his core. Sometimes that's funny, sometimes not. When he writes about a racist dunderhead like Mel Gibson, you know it's going to be funny. Check it out...

yesterday was my last day of full time work for three years........

Please explain.

Dude, there is something wrong with your eye.

Relive the World Cup!

With the Guardian's cool interactive tool. The minute by minute of the opening ceremony is great.

How good is this?

Dont like posting ads, but this is awesome. Loving the vuvuzela button on youtube too (you have to go to the site, doesn't work when you embed a video).

How bad is this?

"My Cape Town" by I Scream and the Chocolate Stix - Music Video directed by Porteus Xandau. The Emergency Hours. from Mannequin Pictures on Vimeo.

The ANC's media wobbly is back

And I think it's entirely unjustified; the ANC should stop with its whining.

To recap, Gwede Mantshe yesterday complained that The Media (all of it, obviously) hates the ANC, and is ethically rotten. After proving this objectively to be the case, with thorough research, he quickly went on to make renewed calls for a Media Tribunal, to bring the counter revolutionary journos to book. He also said that the Press Ombudsman shouldn't be a former journalist, because the media cannot use 'one of its own' to judge when a journalist has erred.

In related news, ANC benefactors, the Gupta family, will soon be launching a new daily newspaper, called New Age. It will reportedly be more sympathetic to the ANC, poor darlings.


I for one welcome New Age, and hope it lasts longer than This Day and that other one that didn't last very long. In the meantime, I hope Gwede reads solid coverage of South Africa like this, and quits with the bleating. [Sorry if you can't access the FT - it's another good one by Gideon Rachman.]

My two (Ront) cents on the spill

This oil spill is such a fuck up. As something of an oil and gas industry 'insider' (I'm not really, but kind of) this whole thing seems to have been mismanaged by absolutely everyone who has had a hand in it, even (sad to have to point it out) Barack. Good luck 'ending US reliance on foreign oil' if you shut the Gulf of Mexico down dude. Not that the GoM was ever going to keep the US market happy mind you, but i cant see the sense (other than the political sense) in getting all twitchy sphincter about new developments in the gulf because of a spill. Thats not to say that something shouldnt be done, but there are loads of rigs operating already (not just in the GoM), and unless you want to shut them down too, a considered attack on safety and maintenance policy is probably better than knee jerk threats and sabre rattling.

Sadly, the world still needs the oil and gas, and they need it pulled out of the ground by a bunch of cowboys because that is mostly who runs the industry (except for the supermajors, of course). It's a shitty industry, but that's what has developed over the years, and the US govt (though maybe not the current US govt) needs to take some responsibility for that.

As oil companies go, 'British Petroleum' (in Obama speak) are actually really risk averse - like most of the supermajors. You should see their technical specifications compared to some of the other smaller operators we deal with (ever seen technical specs from a small SEAsian joint venture looking to exploit a reserve in the Gulf of Thailand, or offshore Indonesia?... pretty light on detail).
Tony Hayward is a massive knob, and it really is an awful thing that has happened - someone will surely be to blame when the slick has cleared - but right now would be a good time to keep your head down and fix the problem while keeping one eye on other long term options rather than getting all Johnny Two-Guns and promising to 'kick some ass'. Only thing I can't work out is whether this whole thing strengthens or weakens the argument for nuclear. I hope it's the former.

Augrabies

We went to Augrabies!

Augrabies

FIFA HQ in Jozi was robbed

Ha ha. Looks like it was an inside job, as it so often seems to be! No less than Septic Sepp deserves.

Photos of poor witmense

It's just been done again by a guy called Finbarr O'Reilly - see what you think.

I think Kevin Bloom missed the point, and shouldn't be attempting to compare with Goldblatt, whom he admits photographed working class Afrikaners anyway. This O'Reilly chap just wants to show the ignoramuses out there that, like, oh my god, white people in SA can be poor too. All that stuff about essentialising and groupyfying is way more sophisticated than what this oke was trying to achieve.

If It Was My Home - Visualizing the BP Oil Spill

If It Was My Home - Visualizing the BP Oil Spill

Bringing the Gees!!

My WC Photos to date

England V Algeria
Cameroon V Netherlands (voice still gruff from last night!)

All about the fan walk and watching the passing parades! Oh, yes, and seeing some footie :)

WC2010

Vuvuzela song

Don't worry - no actual vuvus were hurt making this song.

Soccer is gay

Soccer Officially Announces It Is Gay

Count down reaches fever pitch

vuvuzela's are going crazy all over the city, fireworks are popping in the city bowl and the mountain is all lit!

arts n crafts!

I am totally on the World Cup spirit! Lu and I have even painted our own Makarapa's! (Check out her baobab one in the background) - Arts n Crafts is cool - felt like I was back in pre primary school :)

Some gems from my beloved employer

My employer takes security pretty seriously. We deal with a lot of confidential and/or priveleged information. All staff are vetted by the NIA prior to getting a job (well actually it starts after you are offered the job. Unlucky for you if you get booted 2 months in.). And you know, our offices must be secure and stuff. So we have a security team, one of which claims to be an ex-NIA agent. Sure.

Anyway they very infrequently send around completely random bits of 'advice', which are always entertaining. Part of today's 'Security Awareness Flash' are no different. It concerns the World Cup and appears to have been written by ADT. Don't touch me on my studio, people.

"For those of you who are going to the games, the trouble you are likely to come across will be either a few drunken yobs looking for a fight or pickpockets."

Yeah drunken yobs I'll help you look for those pickpockets! 

"The World Cup will attract international pickpockets from around the world."

Seriously?

"The SA authorities estimate that approx 300,000 Africans will come over the borders for the tournament. The borders will not be able to cope with the surge and checks will be cursory in most cases. Babies will be abducted for scrupulous adoption agencies in Nigeria and the like."

I'm not paraphrasing there - the third sentence was acutally put after the second sentence. And shame poor Nigeria. Even their scrupulous adoption agencies apparently steal babies from the other end of the continent.

Well done Andy Faull

His book about the SAPS (now SAPF, mind) is getting plenty positive attention. I reckon writing a book is one of the toughest jobs, so congratulations to him.

Cool fixture follower

From the clever Spanish press.

http://www.marca.com/deporte/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-2010/calendario-english.html

Minister takes it seriously (sort of)

Pravin had supper with some banks. He chatted to them about executive pay, new Basel requirements post-crisis, and ... the Banking Enquiry recommendations. Treasury then released a big long statement (13 pages dedicated to just the Enquiry) saying banks are expected to do x, y, and z by some unspecified date. 2 years of formal Enquiry work and report writing and 2 years of follow-up research, politicking, begging and pleading, has come to this one meeting.


I still think it's massive progress. They've promised a 'market conduct' regulator! At the very least a super-Ombudsman (though no-one is sure what sort of powers either might have, following from what laws. Detail!). Retail banking is the only consumer-oriented sub-sector in financial services that doens't have such regulation or oversight. No wonder customers never know what they're being charged for, much less penalised for. Coupled with the incoming Consumer Protection Act, this promise of more market conduct regulation might shed some light on the giant grey area that is customer 'service' in SA's retail banking industry.

We've also been promised a proper switching regime. Will it be something resembling the UK's, where the customer literally has to only issue instructions to the current and new banks, and sit back and verify information? Customers can even demand the process be completed within the 3 week preiod recommended by the Financial Services Authority. Soon, dear friends, we'll see how/if you will be able to vote with your feet slightly more easily than before.

That's assuming, of course, you can find something out there that is obviously cheaper. I have two responses to that. If the cost of switching comes down, and you no longer think it will take months to move all your debit orders, you're facing a stronger incentive to look than before. And if you do look, it doesn't take long to identify Capitec, FNB (EasyPlan and Smart), and Nedbank (Everyday, I think?) as the cheapest, and actually very cheap. Slightly more exotic are Bidvest and African - also cheap but probably less 'trusted'. After Saambou, Saffers are big on trusting their banks.

What about their actual fees, you say? They're too high, you bellow! Before responding please be reminded that the authorities are dealing ONLY with retail transaction accounts. Personal current accounts, as the British call them. They have nothing to say on interest rates, overdraft fees, mortgage fees, etc. In fact anything related to credit products fall under the regulation of the National Credit Act.

That said, they may have made some inroads into banks' penalty fee practices concerning dishonoured debit orders. Penalty fee reductions should occur on all accounts, but Treasury chose to focus on low income customers only. Who knows why. Either way though it's a big deal because this penalty is one of the few that isn't already regulated, and banks do make a great deal of non-interest income out of them. Explicit regulation of this fee would have brought some certainty; we'll have to see what Pravin's public guilt trip can generate. Will it make a difference to the banks that haven't already made changes?

What other fees could one reasonably expect to be 'force' down? Maybe ATM fees, and maybe some payment card fees. Needless to say there are no risk-free solutions. Right now if you want cheaper cash withdrawals, use a retailer, not an ATM. Not even your own bank's ATM. And to be perfectly frank on the payment card front all the clamour is for changes that help retailers save money on processing cards, which may in turn help customers with ever so slightly lower shelf prices. But those customers will probably need to pay more for their credit and debit cards. Swings and roundabouts.

On the myriad prices for all the other retail bank account services, I have the following to say. If you squeeze a water balloon (one that isn't too full) in one area, what normally happens? It pops out in another area. That's the problem with multi-product, highly differentiated oligopolies where the bigger players weild considerable market power. As long as they have market power, they can recoup profits lost as a result of direct regulation, from you. No regulator can, nor should, try to squeeze the balloon on all sides simultaneously. Not because it might burst, but because it can't be done efficiently and effectively. I mean really, how many South African regulators have got price regulation right?

No, the real solution is to reduce their market power. The only way to do that is to have more banks, switch more frequently between banks, or both. And we are getting there! Slowly. You, the customer, have the power. Go forth and switch, hopefully away from one of the big 4 baddies. Don't give me your rubbish about a 'relationship', or your home loan, or any other kak. And the trust thing! Don't get me started. Our banks are expensive partly because they come under the some of the most stringent prudential regulations found anywhere in the world. The reverance for, and fear of, RISK within the black walls of the SARB is quite something to behold. So stop your whining about size and reputation. Capitec is as solid as ABSA ever will be - it's run by like-minded ex-broederbond members.... (I think! Ha ha. But I mean how else do you get a banking license from Errol Kruger?).

More competition will (most often) get you better prices. More competition in banking has to bring some prices down, surely? I'm convinced that unless you are worth millions, more competition is the way to go. It will help you get better service for less far more effectively than any 'relationship' you might foster with a mid-level branch manager who failed accounting and became a banker instead. Think about that next time you apply for a loan, retch over your monthly bank charges, or are simply forced to endure another ridiculously expensive and mostly incomprehensible Standard Bank marketing campaign. Just don't ever apply for a loan from Capitec! Ha ha now you are confused.

Feeling it

This, dear friends, describes well many of my encounters with other parts of government, and sometimes with people in my own organisation too. The mind does indeed shut down sometimes. The urge to cry, and then strangle, is also common.

What's the answer?!!!

 

Thursday wakeup

Seven foods experts won't eat. Looks like your tomato aversion isn't completely irrational Kez. Although some of the experts are clearly biased given their jobs. Although although, the New Yorker has something similar.

And if you weren't sure you should remove every last bit of info from your Facespace account, or even better shut it down, read this: You may be more public than you think. Another win for Kezza.

Will I shut mine? For now I've removed just about everything and turned all the 'who can see this' setting to 'friends only'. When I get home I wanna use this tool to see what is still viewable.

Yes yes, I hear you say, the big picture is that Google, and probably Microsoft and the US and Chinese governments too, know so much about me already that it makes no difference. In ten years' time today's definition of privacy will be considered quaint. Nevertheless, irrational knee-jerks are only human.

Getting ready for World Cup

Rainbow Vuvuzela

Me playing squash

A guy in our team is an Apple fanboy. Last night he 'filmed' my match on his Ah-Fone. You can watch the last game here, if you really want to.

To set the scene, I cruised the first, had no idea what was going on in the second and third, snuck the fourth, and then really got lucky in the 5th. Team lost overall, but jassis ek was gepomped met daardie wen.

I'm sure you've all seen the stories by now

But in case you didn't, Frederick van Zyl Slabbert passed away last Friday. One of SA's greatest public intellectuals? Gotta be close. Sheena Duncan of the Black Sash also passed on recently. Must admit I knew very little about her.

This article on these two people, written by an American for a 'hip' South African news service, is actually quite good.

What reality are you talking about?

If you live in Jozi this will probably amuse, and dismay... I can't believe Amos kept answering the questions.

this is really beautiful and my cousin's work...

www.foundphotographs.com/#

Trapped in the Closet

Have you guys all seen this?! Apparently I am behind the times a little so maybe you have all already seen and commented.
This is possibly the most bizarre thing I have ever seen - It is hilarious! and equal parts weird and completely confusing. What is the point? Was it meant to be a joke?
Wiki suggests otherwise

Golf

The worlds worst spectator sport. Really, who gives a shit?

What's the difference between a million and a billion?

So while our local bourse was asleep last night, the global stock markets were in turmoil. Evidently the course of this sudden 10% fall in the Dow (which had people momentarily thinking that we had finally reached the second great depression) was that someone at Citibank erroneously put in a sale order for a billion Procter and Gambles instead of a million. Eish!



Now these days a lot of trading is automated. Particularly on big levered trades, the broker can program a stoploss into a computer which basically gets the computer to sell if the price falls to far (so as to limit losses). This little trade managed to breach those stop loss levels, compounding the sell off.

And then you also get lots of clever people looking at straight lines on the Dow graph. They saw the jagged blue line cross their straight red line and used all their scientific intuition to sell the whole market.

It's because of the quality of these great minds that the equities industry pays such inflated salaries.

National Service

So... Lindiwe is proposing National Service again... but it will be voluntary. Am I being stupid, but isn't that the current system?
“We would like to have a period in which we take your children and give them a bit of discipline."
But it will be voluntary?
I am confused (easy to do I know)

And as an aside.... I am surprised none of you boys have raised the big news of the day and highlighted the murder of Lolly Jackson yet

Soufefrica DOMINATING!

Not that these lists mean shit, but La Colombe just rated 12th best restaurant in the world. This is sure to get up the noses of lots of Australians as their best restaurant achieved only 27th! We got two restaurants in the top 50, which is great when you see some of the other restaurants there. I ate at La Colombe less than a year ago and it was fucking outstanding. Maybe better than that actually. And unbelievable value when you see the prices of some of the restaurants around it.

Can't help but think that the WC has something to do with the rating, but fuck it, we beat Australia and thats all that matters.

Da daaa du-dumm, I got the post-Freedom Day blues

There is too much news to read. And reading it doesn't feel terribly rewarding anymore either. Is anyone else (living in SA - not that your opinions, foreigners, are not welcome) becoming a little overwhelmed by it all?

And it's not even the politics, although this Freedom Day thing got me a little mif. Much more basic stuff worries me, a trend that seems to accelerate with age. Like this report on our sewage works. The bigger picture is not the imminent collapse of sewage systems, which would suck for sure but can be fixed with money, but the fact that SA is so water scarce.

Thankfully Hayibo is usually there at the end of the reading list.

Your suspicions are accurate

In case anyone really thought business consultants added any value, read this.

Coachella fully zeffed

Apparently they made some heads turn at Coachella this year. Haven't seen the Boing Boing interview but not sure I want to.

Oppi will be interesting this year, that's for sure.

Australians

Sometimes, they're a little over eager... (for those that dont know ACA - A Current Affair - is a quasi-news show where average Australians get a platform to whinge about the neighbours dogs, Asian immigrants, or the latest fad diet).



... but Australians are never racist!

Lets hope they are still crap at rugby... STORM SAAM!

Don't be tjatjarag!

Tjatjarag - as used by Juju just before calling Jonah a rubbish, bastard, small boy, and bloody agent.

If you were wondering what may come of the ANC's 'threat' to spank Juju's bottom, the latest may be found here.

Why are there Google Ads on our Blog???/

Okay if we are going to do ads on our blog then we need to use Ad:Dynamo and not Google! Gotta support our investments.....

And who put them on - Philly?

wishing...

....i had tickets for Glastonbury this year - 40th anniversary and celebrating in style

Uh-oh

Blk Jks Collaborates With DJ Tiesto

13/04/10

SA's hottest afro-rockband, BLK JKS will be collaborating with the world's biggest DJ Tiësto, on an exclusive track which will be premiered live at Smirnoff Experience Mash-upStreet in Johannesburg on 15 May.

This unique collaboration between the two musically diverse acts began just a little over a month ago. Following the success of Tiësto's recent genre-bending collaborations with Nelly Furtado, Three 6 Mafia, Calvin Harris, Tegan & Sara as well as remixes of MUSE, Bloc Party and Editors, the outcome of his sessions with BLK JKS will surely break new musical grounds for both acts.

"The chance to collaborate with BLK JKS, the most exciting new band from South Africa, is something I might not have done were it not for Smirnoff asking me to be part of the Smirnoff Experience 'Mash-up Street' in South Africa. The concept of mixing and remixing music genres and cultures is something that continues to inspire me. I'm really excited to share the new track we're making and the live show with the entire world," says DJ Tiesto.

Calling idle minds!

The challenge (should you choose to accept)....

After conversations surrounding the only Billy Joel song I like, and the need for a current version I am wondering if anyone wants to play:

A "We didn't start the fire" for our lifetime.

After a small debate - 1980 to 2010. Good round numbers. Open to events/people from 1979 if well motivated though. Global.
:)

wtf?

AbaThembuland? Rock on!

Also wtf: Pics of ET's funeral day.And allegations he was a homo kiddie fiddler.

Final wtf goes to Juliaaassss: apparently he chucked a chair at delegates attending the ANCYL's Limpopo Provincial Conference because they supported the incumbent Chairman, not Malema's pick. That he had to strong-arm and blatantly rig the Limpopo ANCYL elections to get his guy in speaks volumes - I'm just not sure what volumes. He's a ruthless and canny politician. Maybe he's just lost sight of dynamics in his home province? Must be hard to keep up I guess. He was after all in both Mthatha and Harare over Easter. Shame.

Ballooning

Did this the weekend before the hike. Also rad.

Up!

Hike!

Totally totally rad hike from Port St. John's to Coffee Bay. 61km, 4 nights, chillin in local villages with the, umm, locals. More shots on facepoop.

Wild Coast hike

Sorry

But check the journo's name:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7065824.ece

Is it for real?

and this one is seriously cool - matisyahu

my new favorite thing - these kids are amazing and their teacher, inspiring.

kind of puts westerford choir to shame really..!!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/agreggofsociety#p/u/2/maVIZ30GPGU

I LOVE MONKEYS!!!

Fifa Mafia strike back

Kulula took on the big boys - and lost.

Americans and nudity.

Boobs. Surely the person responsible for this mistake must be put to death?

two very important dates

So... 1st one: Scheibes's 30th:
bubbles and brunch at east fort - yummy!! Glorious day in the sun!

Scheibes's 30th

2nd one: Flamjangled Tea Party
If I was a trend watcher - this would have been my tip of the year! All those who follow "Kerry"s hot pics" would know ;) Didn't manage to get up for the full weekend but Paula and I did head to D'Ville for some chilled lounging, musing and swimming on Sunday. Cuban bands, kolo novo, Drag Queen Nun Mistress of Ceremonies, complimentary tea, cupcakes and lindt - amazing!!!
Think Kirstenbosch meets Alice In Wonderland :)

Flamjangled Tea Party March 2010

yaara's music video....

got to help her get this going viral... :-)

Talya is going to New YAWK!

Race Cards everywhere - now they are downloadable :)
(someone was bound to do this)

Phil joins the crowd.

Did you buy their album Philimon?

I was wrong

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)

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.

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.

Does Allister Sparks read Joumaseblog?

From tethered bird to lame duck in nine short months

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.

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

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.

30th BDAY

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.

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...

This might be really uncool

But i think its rad...

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.

30th pics

As it happened...

30th

The whole article is really interesting actually...

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a7bdfbae-054b-11df-a85e-00144feabdc0.html

Foreign companies have taken a long time to figure out – then adapt to – one of the key features of Chinese consumers: they do not like to type. “Typing is a pain in Chinese,” explains Zhang Honglin, demonstrating how he has to enter a search word in Latin transcription, then pick the right character scrolling through sometimes dozens of different choices in a pop-up window. This is because Mandarin has many thousands of characters. So when 35-year-old Mr Zhang sneaks away from his family’s tobacco and liquor shop in Beijing to an upstairs internet café for hours on end, he navigates almost entirely using the mouse.

Most portals have reacted by filling their pages with hundreds of colourful links competing for attention – creating a cluttered and disorderly view to the western eye but making life easier for Chinese users.

Beyond aesthetics, Chinese web users are much more lively than their western peers – a characteristic that forms consumption preferences. “The amount of comments posted per user in China is double that of other geographies,” says Dan Harple of GyPSii, a mobile social networking application that allows users to post recommended places and events, and comment on them. One Chinese GyPSii user posted 300 places and 7,000 comments within a few months.

Just as in “offline” China, food is a particular focus. “Typically when a GyPSii user signs up in China, they’ll take a picture of what they’re eating at that point in time,” says Mr Harple.

The government has skilfully used the preference of its internet users for entertainment. Loose enforcement of intellectual property rights means that – despite pledges from Beijing that say otherwise – Chinese consumers can easily find the latest music and movies for free on a host of websites, a situation that helps keep the minds of many off topics that could prove inconvenient to their rulers.

When controversial debates arise anyway, the authorities use an army of “internet commentators”, paid to speak up in online forums to keep sensitive comment in check and support the government’s stance. The standard technique is to invoke nationalism as a conduit for dissatisfaction.

Overall, the censorship machine has had only patchy success. All but the most sensitive information on absolute political taboos – such as the 1989 massacre that ended the Tiananmen student movement – falls within easy reach of internet users.

Chinese almost never use the Internet for work!

US companies took a long time to realise that Chinese people use the web differently from their counterparts in other markets. Simply put, they tend to roam the web like a huge playground, whereas Europeans and Americans are more likely to use it as a gigantic library. Recent research by the McKinsey consultancy suggests Chinese users spend most of their time online on entertainment while their European peers are much more focused on work

(From the FT)

Happy birthday Paul :)

Welcome to the final days of your twenties ! - Told you I'd send balloons :)

Anyone keen to buy an ANC jacket?

And even more to select from here.

Thank god we have Malema

When Zambia have this clown.

This blog needs some cuteness...

Phil 'Alf' Mcracken turns 30 today

Wish him well for the scond quarter of his life (life expectancy is increasing!)

road trip pics

thelma and louise with less death and destruction - also lacking hot cowboys - but with plenty of fun and giggles along the way

Road Trip Jan2010

Top 20 SA albums of the naughties

As judged by the M&G.

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-12-23-mzansis-groove

I don't really know a lot of these, but I'm still sure Lloyd got Blk Jks all wrong. You can just see him bullying colleagues into submission! Ha ha.

Buckfever is well deserving - that album is mad and mad good.

I'll be chasing some of the others for sure.

Introducing Betty

Just needed to introduce you all to Betty :) She lives in CT but is more than happy to take visitors out for a spin. Ain't she gorgeous?

PS - road trip pics to follow soon

My new favourite blog.

PerfectCents

for greggles

Exactly how i feel about twitter, but was too stupid to say...

Why the crowd is not the answer.