Telkom Mobile is really cheap

But will you switch?

www.8ta.co.za

This is not cool

Farmers warn of ‘dirty-water’ risk for produce exports

Banking as it should be

Since opening my Capitec account I have earned about R284 in interest and spent R199 in fees, including the R125 for the security code generator dongle thing. So actually only R74 in fees.

Admittedly I don't have my debit orders moved across yet (I'm actually waiting for the promised switching regime to be finalised because I want to test it - we asked them about 18 months ago to craft one) but I've done plenty EFTs and ATM withdrawals since March this year. And besides debits cost like R2.50 each or something.

Must read on SA politics

Finally some clarity on the NGC. Thank goodness for Anthony Butler.

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=122530

These are RAD

http://hakim.se/experiments/

Kez's cowgirl blog is now linked bottom right

And here.

She really seems to be having some proper fun! Quite jealous.

JZ fights back!

But I don't know if that's a good or bad thing! No really, I have no idea anymore. Getting excited for Zuma in his battle for political survival only tells me that the forces ranged against him are, well, less palatable than Zuma. If that's possible?

Yes Vavi has said a bunch of encouraging things, but it means nothing as long as COSATU is a member of the alliance, as this speech has so clearly shown. Vavi and Juliaaas got big fat smacks. And besides, how crap is our body politic that we might get excited about Vavi's utterances? That is, how transparently corrupt is our political elite that union aristocrats, those morally and ethically pure defenders of the poor (not), are able to claim any high ground?

For me Mantashe must come through this NGC intact, and rapidly strengthen his position. Even though I don't really know what he thinks anymore on the more important issues, he and Kgalema Motlanthe seem to be the best hope the ANC has of some sort of stability. And lord knows the country needs a stable ANC!

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-09-20-zuma-straight-up-with-no-frills

PS. As far as I could tell from the reports no real direct mention of mines nationalisation, but a big fat smack for the ANCYL might indirectly be a big fat no to their proposals.

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.