Will South Africa be Ready for the 2010 World Cup?

I've been trying to work out whether I'm a lazy blogger or if I just get so busy that my head starts spinning and sort of goes into a loop. I was horrified when I looked at the date of the last blog post on this blog. I've been so busy blogging for others, and keeping the Vuvuzela blog up to date, that I just let this one slide out of view.

2010 FIFA World Cup - How Ready Are We Really ?

When I was watching Bafana Bafana play Germany last night I realised that our national soccer team is probably more ready for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in spite of losing 2 - 0 than the South African tourism and hospitality industry.

And I'm trying very hard not to think about how the communications infrastructure is going to cope with 2010 - with all those visitors yapping away on mobile phones; typing on laptops (and netbooks) - eating up bandwidth - sending images, videos, live streaming...???

Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

I'm sure our stadiums will be ready. Every time I drive past Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban my mouth hangs open because I can't believe the progress - it is almost like playing Sim City - you draw your mouse across a square and a building pops up.

So, Will South Africa be ready for 2010?

The one thing I know is that South Africans have quite a unique ability to rally in times of stress and crises and pull a rainbow of rabbits out of the hat. (Fortunately very few of us run away to Canada for political asylum! And they say Africa is not for sissies.)

And when we need to work under pressure; when we need to get together to rally under that multi-coloured flag - hey man, South Africans seem to put aside all their bickering and differences and work together as one.

So, in spite of all my unanswered questions, if anyone asks me, will South Africa be ready for the 2010 World Cup, I just have one word for them - well tow actually, well it only counts as one because the one means the sames other...

Yebo, Yes!

Vuvuzela Blog - Getting Ready for the 2010 World Cup

My new VuvuzelaSouthAfrica Blog isn't just about Vuvuzelas. It is about soccer - local and international; about South African tourism and interesting places to visit and things to do and of course about the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

And I have a partner in this venture, Lantz from Afromedia, who is doing all the technical stuff, which leaves the writing to me.

Vuvuzelas Banned in Austria

Now, I know there are people who don't like the vuvuzela. They don't like the noise, they say, and recently we were told Austrian League Bans Vuvuzelas because they were afraid that the vuvus would be "used as missiles"

But, fortunately there are some of us who love these brightly colored plastic trumpets, and we don't care what the history of the vuvuzela really is. All we care about is the sense of excitement in the stadiums that they create and the support that the sound of the vuvuzelas give our boys when they are on the field.

FIFA will not Ban the Vuvuzela from the 2010 World Cup

We know that FIFA will not Ban the Vuvuzela from the 2010 World Cup .

“We approach this in a relaxed manner. I am convinced the vuvuzelas will be a hit at the World Cup. It will be a World Cup with African sound,” Hans Klaus, director of communications at FIFA, told reporters .

Shortened Links - Choose Carefully

Shortened links have now become a way of life!

It amazes me how quickly we adapt to change and innovation on the Web - I mean it wasn't that long ago that shortened links didn't even exist, and now we all have our favorites.

I found this really handy post on my trusted resource Daily Blog Tips that warned Careful with those Shortened Links. I warned to be careful of shortened links because one couldn't see where they were coming from and as with most things in life, those with sneaky minds has already found a way to exploit this.

"Shortened links also have a drawback, however, which is the fact that you can’t see where the link is pointing. Bring malicious users into the picture, and you can see the security risks."

And they warn that you should only click on shortened links if you know who they are coming from - which is sometimes very hard on Twitter, isn't it?

Unshortening Tool

But they do offer a great solution, and direct me to an unshortening tool, if I want to check out a link - Sucuri. It supports all the shortening tools.

Wide Range of Shortening Tools

So what do you use to shorten urls?

At the moment I'm using tinyurl but I use bit.ly on tweetdeck

Cope is Better off Without Lynda Odendaal and Simon Grinrod

Cope is not my party, I'll say it upfront. But as I'm interested in politics and feel like having a skinner, I just want to say that I think Cope is much better off without Lynda Odendaal and Simon Grinrod.

Now they need to regroup and organise in the "old fashioned way".

I looked at the Cope website - off course it wasn't updated!

Youth Sad to See her Go

The Congress of the People's Youth Movement (COPEYM) on Wednesday lamented the departure of party second deputy president Lynda Odendaal.

"After having been one of the most committed members and leaders that this organisation has had, it really is difficult to let go of her unexpected departure," COPEYM said in a statement.

This amazes me that anyone in the party feels any loyalty towards her because Ms Odendaal did not only leave the leadership, she also resigned as a member of parliament and has said that it is possible that she will be joining another party. And she is sort of trashing the party... making allegations that Shilowa is plotting to oust Lekota.

Lynda Odendaal leaves Cope

I can remember my amazement at Lynda Odendaal's election to such high office and I knew when I saw her that it didn't bode well for Cope. As far as I know the woman made no significant speeches or real contributions - I just saw her as a white chick with connections - people the party can hit up for donations and contributions - she certainly isn't any kind of IT specialist as is claimed.

Odendaal confirmed this week to the Cape Times that she had quit the troubled party.

"I've resigned from COPE. I've decided to move on and serve the people in another vehicle. I'm not moving out of politics, I'm going to take stock of the current political landscape and then take it from there," she said.

She didn't rule out the possibility of joining another political party.

Simon Grinrod on the Move

Party hopper, Simon Grinrod alleges one of the reasons for his leaving Cope is that former ANC members had abandoned the promise of a new party with their continued idolisation of former president Thabo Mbeki.

Cape Printing Business Sues Cope

In addition to having two of its leaders - second deputy president, Lynda Odendaal and elections head Simon Grindrod - resign on Tuesday, it has emerged that COPE is now being sued by a Cape Town printing business which claims the party failed to pay it for work done ahead of the elections.

Jail Bird - Durban Metro Police Abuse Power at Amphi Market

People keep sending me pictures - here I am in the back of the police van - you cant see the handcuffs. At that stage I was more frightened than unhappy, although I always knew that the Metro Police and the SAPS had NOTHING to hold me on. I just took one picture of a police officer who would not identify himself. He did not have a badge on so I took the picture for identification.

I also don't understand why they had to break the trader's tables and incite violence. The Amphimarket at the Durban Beachfront is a "controlled environment" trades buy their space every week from the manager who is on duty all the time.

If the police had a problem, why did they even get into it with the traders - they were de facto employees of the market manager, Di Greenwood, so the cops should have spoken to her.

ABUSIVE BEHAVIOUR OF SAPS AND METRO OFFICES AT DURBAN AMPHIMARKET

Craig Perumal of Verulam writes:

ON Sunday 07.06.2009, I WITNESSED behaviour of both Metro officers and SAPS officers at the Amphimarket on the Durban Beachfront that was totally uncalled for.

The amphimarket is in excess of 20 years with most traders being there for the same period. One arrogant officer started what we can called abuse. He had a problem with a vendor whom pays rent for his allocated space to the fleamarket and has been trading on the same spot for many years. The officer in question wanted the guy to move from his allocated space.

The vendor rightfully refused and requested the officer to contact the flea market organisers.

Eventually the officer refused and decided to confiscate the vendors products.

The problem is the manner in which it was done.naturally the vendor was upset and was refusing . A few other officers the arrived a bagged the produce.

I must state at this stage the officers had no name tags on.

A media reporter as in the attached photo then took a photo of the said officer and the police action. The officer grabbed the camera and from the woman saying she cannot take photos and he was taking the camera. The lady refused and told him to contact the mayors office if he wanted to identify her as that is where she had worked as she was allowed to take pictures.

The lady was eventually arrested and handcuffed.The officer then summoned his colleagues of which 12 metro police cars responded, 3 motorcycles and a saps car. At This stage the vendors wife intervened as did the flea market management. The said officer then insisted on arresting the vendor as well for no reason and that is when the vendor's sons and wife protested.

Two saps officers then also arrived. The SAPs officer grabbed the vendor in a throttle and punched him. The metro officers then hit the wife and one son was also hit and went into an epileptic fit whilst in a fit he was handcuffed and thrown into a vehicle. A foreigner who was standing close by captured this on his cellphone camera.The metro officers then tried to grab him and tripped and kicked him and then arrested him.

Another policeman on a motorcycle the arrived and was calling on somebody to fight with with whom he had some problem .

This incident was viewed many many people. The cleaners from eThekwini as well a Hungarian visitors could only say Disgusting.

These officers need to be disciplined .The saps officers used excessive force/violence knowing very well that metro police would be to blame. One metro officer that used , also mention he was off duty but arrived there in a municipal vehicle as he said the other officer was his friend.

I would also like to state that the cities cctv cameras was focused on these happenings as I saw the camera being operated.

(I removed the names of the officers as well as the regstration numbers Craig provided - for his own safety, but I will forward his letter to the City Manager, in case the newspapers haven't done so) karen

Durban Police: Abuse of Power- A Slow Sunday in the Cells

It was going to be a great day – my old friends Peter and Stevie Godson were here from East London and we were picking up Ros Sarkin and going down to the Beachfront to the Amphimarket Flea Market, which Ros started together with Margaret Winter about 26 years ago.

Section 21 Company (non profit)

The Amphimarket is a Section 21 company that has an agreement with the local municipality for the use of that space every Sunday. Stallholders pay a minimum amount and many are regulars. Some of the original stallholders are still there after 26 years.

Over the years, I’ve become involved in the Market via Ros and know many of the stallholders – for some the Sunday stalls are their only source of income; others have put kinds through university with the proceeds of the stalls.

I guess I was also smiling and looking at it through new eyes because I’ve just written a feature for African Leader Magazine on the boom of small business in KwaZulu Natal and I’ve seen the stats – these traders are poised on the brink of moving from the informal section into the smme sector which makes up over 50 percent of South Africa’s employed population.

Di Greenwood in the Middle of A Swam of Traders and Police

I see a commotion and go over to look and see Di Greenwood, the market manager in the middle of a swarm of traders and a blue cloud of police breaking down their stalls and shouting and pushing people around.

I tried to find out what was going on. I asked the guy who seemed to be in change what was going on and he said he didn't have to tell me, so I asked him who he is because he didn't have a name badge on his jacket (which I know they have to have) and he said he didn't have to tell me that either. So, I got my camera out of my bag and took a photo of him so that we could identify who the guy was who was in change if we wanted to lay a complaint. Which I was sure Di would have to do on behalf of the Market.

(I now want to find out why they decided to raid the Amphimarket -a section 21 company that has all that area on lease from the municipality -the cops are now lying and keep changing their stories, saying that they didn't have access and then saying it was a drug raid – they also allege that three policemen were hurt in this “riot”)

Policeman Grabbed my Camera

Anyway this guy I photographed grabbed my camera which I wouldn’t let go and told me I wasn’t allowed to take a picture of him. I told him he was nuts – of course I can take a picture of him and as he didn’t want to identify himself how the hell else would we know who he is.

He asked me for my card. I told him I had many cards but he wanted a press card. So I told him I don’t work for a newspaper I don’t have a press card but he can phone the mayor or the city manager- they know me well, I’ve worked for them for a long time.

He didn’t hear me and wouldn’t leave my camera.

I was Put in Handcuffs

Then he called someone and put handcuffs on me prised the camera out of my hands and put me in the back of a police van.

My friend Peter asked him what I was being charged with and he said for not identifying myself.

I was eventually charged with Public Violence, fingerprinted, and put in a cell.

About eight hours later the attorney walked in and got us off.

Captain Logan Govender Charged us with Public Violence

It took Captain Logan Govender ages to decide what to charge me, the poor American, and the other young trader with because he really had no charge, so he chose the one thing that the police couldn't release us on "public violence.”

They had to get a prosecutor there on a Sunday night. The father and son - the Khans who have been trading there for 17 years on that same spot and have never ever had any trouble with the police got R1000 bail each and have to appear in court on Tuesday for assault- they were trying to protect their livelihood - this is their sole income.

There is obviously no crime in South Africa - I spent from just after 11 – 8 in the evening in the main police station - besides us they brought in a few kids who were selling dagga but I saw so many cops doing nothing, filling in papers, hanging around. And most of them seemed to delight in shouting orders at us – wait there, keep quite, no you can’t do that. They wouldn’t allow me any reading matter.

Emotional Abuse and Waste of Time (and money)

Ros brought me water and a coke while they were charging us. I kept the water and gave the coke to the guys – they shouted at me about me having limited rights and they were being kind by allowing me to have the water! (Di told me later the coke and water came from the guy who sells brass goods)

The amount of time and papers processed to "arrest" us and get a prosecutor in on a Sunday night because I took a picture of a cop who wouldn't identify himself is beyond absurd. (I have the picture on my camera) the American lost his glasses when they tackled him and they removed him memory card and roughed him up. He is a PhD student from University of Virgina and his friend who was with him is from Yale. - the girl friend, mother in he US Congress, so news has even spread that far - he was just taking pics at the market and took a few pictures of the scuffle when he was assaulted and arrested.

Naively I believed that after liberation, the one thing that would improve is our poling, but sadly, the culture of brutality has either been passed down or is re-blooming.

The police are supposed to protect us?

May the Good Lord protect u from this lot.

I hope that we can get something done before 2010. The humiliating way they treated this young man who chose to do a Phd on a part of our history and who loves this country is too terrible. And the way they treat their own fellow citizens, is a disgrace.

Disposable eMail Address Services

Disposable email services have always fascinated me. I've really liked the idea of the anonymity and "secret agent" kind of feeling, but I've never used them.

Most disposable email services work in a similar way, they provide you with disposable e-mail addresses which expire after 15 Minutes. You can read and reply to e-mails that are sent to the temporary e-mail address within the given time frame.

If you need to extend the time frame you are able to do so. Here are a few disposable temporary e mail services to try out.

Guerrilla Mail

Ten Minute Mail

Avoiding Spam

About.com says it is all about avoiding spam. "If you give Web sites and new contacts a disposable email address instead of your real one, you can selectively disable a disposable address as soon as you get spam through it, but continue using all other aliases," and give us Top 8 Disposable Email Address services.

How to Create a Perfect Twitter Profile

I'm really intrigued with people's Twitter Profiles; what they do and don't reveal - sort of like Facebook Profile pics - but Twitter Profiles work on a different level.

You get 10 or 20 or even 50 follows a day - you flip through them, some are obvious fits for you so you follow them. Others you take a closer look at- what is the first thing you notice when you look at someones Twitter profile?

What Do You Look First on a Twitter Profile

Do you read the Tweets? And then think -Wow, I wouldn't mind having this kind of connection - or do you look at the Profile pic and the few words people use to describe themselves?

Like I really want to know he's a "devoted father" unless I'm writing about parenting issues; or that she is "petite and energetic" unless I'm looking for a date for the Prom who will keep me on my feet all night.

I found a great article 7 tips for the perfect Twitter Profile.

• Use your real name (and don't use underscore)
• Use a real picture (especially if it's a real name)
• Think SEO when writing your bio
• Include a URL
• Consider a custom background
• Don't protect your updates
• Take it slow

Now I must rush off to fix up my own Twitter Profile, but read the article - it is great!

Best Global Brands 2007

It so weird, I see a post saying Best Global Brands 2007 and I rush at it like I can't wait to see what it says.

As if I don't already know what the top ten would be. I think most people who read and write and spend time on the Web (and watching TV ) would be able to predict at least seven out of the ten Best Global Brands.

So no surprises that Coca Cola, IBM and Microsoft are the top three Best Global Brands of 2007.

I try to be an individual so I'll admit that I often drink Pepsi and I do use open source software at times, but I'm also just totally hooked into all these brands - I disgust myself.

Most White South Africans Still Just Can't Get Over 1994

Most White South Africans just can't get over 1994 !

I am not prone to making sweeping statements and I know this is a helluva one!

But you know, it keeps on coming back and hitting me between the eyes. Take this whole debacle with South Africa not giving the Dalai Lama a Visa - now I'm big time pissed off, because I really dig the old guy, but suddenly all these people who don't give two hoots in hell about Buddhism or His Holiness are jumping up and down - owning the process, man.

I know there are a few things that possibly lead to this sad diplomatic fuck-up:

• The ANC has long established links with the Chinese Communist Party
  
• South Africa is China's Biggest trading partner in Africa.
• A brand new China Trade Office opened in South Africa last week.
• The 50th Anniversary of the Dalai Lama's escape from China has just been all over the media.
• etc
  

And our foreign policy is often a bit shaky, like our vote on Myanmar at the UN wasn't exactly a shining moment! But, hey we are a new democracy and we try not to piss off our friends, rather than standing up for what we truly believe in. A lot of the time our government does ok.

Gordon Brown Did Not Meet HH at 10 Downing Street

So, instead of working something out and doing it in a more elegant way like the Brits did recently when HH visited and Gordon Brown didn't meet the Dalai Lama at 10 Downing Street, the SA Government blustered and blundered and came up with a series of patently stupid excuses for refusing a visa to one of the most respected religious leaders in the world.

Joined a Facebook Group

I happily joined a Facebook group to Bring the Dalai Lama to SA and invited almost all my friends to join, hoping to raise some consciousness - hoping that the government would see the error in this decision and reverse it.

Not 24 hours later this very group had turned into a mob - slanging and slandering; an anti government lynch mob trying to organise Anti 2010 FIF Soccer World Cup protests.

Withdrew from Facebook Group

I withdrew from the group and that is why I said what I began with: Most White South Africans Still Just Can't Get Over 1994. Whenever there is a gap; an opportunity even just the tiniest little glimmer of a chance - you see them pile in with insults, damnation, criticism, negativity.

But go to workshops on the city's Integrated Development Plan where public participation has been called for or other community initiatives or anything that requires participation, input and a positive spirit and ... surprise, surprise -slim pickings.

Oh, and the Peace Conference that was the focal point of the whole fuss, just seen on Reuters that its been cancelled.

100 Twitter Tools

So what to you need most when you're a novice twit, building up a string of followers? Of course you need 100 Twitter Tools to help you achieve your goals.

Well you actually need a lot more than that, but it is a good start.

I was watching a tweeting a bit, checking it out, when I saw this post shimmy by across my tweetdeck and I decided to investigate. I mean what are twitter tools?

I've already got the Tiny URL goody and I found something called twhirl, which makes my life a lot easier and helps me search Twitter.

So I looked at the 100 Twitter Tools post. And I realised how little I know. My favorites are:

• Tweetbeeps - like Google alerts - keep tack of keywords
• Retweetist - Do you repost other tweets? RT today and be proud of it.
• Twitter Local - see Twitter public in a specific locale
• Who Should I Follow? Give you Twitter friend recommendations.

I feel dazed and confused as I look at the list. There is so much I need to do and need to know before I tweet again. How am I ever going to work my way though all 100 Twitter Tools?

50th Anniversary of Dalai Lama's Escape

Today is the 50th Anniversary of the Dalai Lama's escape.

I met him once here in the City Hall in Durban and spent about two hours in his presence - we were showing him around an exhibition for Artists for Human Rights. I edited the Catalogue of the opening of the Human Rights Print Portfolio , so I had some privileges at the opening.

I was amazed at how ordinary he seemed and what a great sense of humor he has. He was laughing and making jokes, all the time.

But like Madiba, he just had that "thing" that made you feel so blessed and special and humble and happy and all kinds of good feelings, just to be in his presence.

Today, China is on the alert. President Hu Jintao yesterday called for a "great wall" of stability in Tibet on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the failed anti-Chinese uprising which led to the Dalai Lama's flight into exile.

Ratu Ngawang Remembers

Ratu Ngawang, now 83, then a hardened young guerrilla fighter who was responsible for getting the spiritual leader out of China, is celebrated among Tibetan exiles for his role in the Dalai Lama's epic escape across the Himalayas.

He remembers:"We killed many of their soldiers, and without regret," he said. "I was an experienced warrior and was unafraid. We were battling to save the Dalai Lama, so we were prepared to die. Many of my best friends lost their lives."

The Dalai Lama to Make a Speech in Dharmsala

The Dalai Lama scheduled a speech today (Tuesday) marking the 50th anniversary in the Indian hill town of Dharmsala where he is based.

His envoy, Kelsan Gyaltsen, said the situation in Tibet was "very, very distressing.

International Women's Day 2009

So what does International Women's Day 2009 mean to you?

Nothing much?

Have we become so desensitized but all the "anniversaries, commemorations and awareness days" that we are just immune to much else other than our own survival - which seems to be getting tougher by the day?

I guess I'm lucky because my work and my life brings me into contact on a daily basis with a wide spectrum of people - most far less fortunate than I am as far as money, opportunities, education and all the other everyday building blocks of our live that Western people just take for granted.

It keeps my feet firmly planted on the ground.

So today, I honor the women of the world, especially the women of Africa who suffer a triple oppression - most are POOR, BLACK and WOMEN.

I was thinking of a song to play and so many came flying into my brain because I love female vocalists and I know plenty of songs, but then on VH1 which I have on came the song I want to play for today - No Woman No Cry

Link to Where you Want To in a YouTube Video

Somebody once asked me what the World Wide Web as all about.

Links and linking, I said it is about creating a web, like a spider web where everything is interconnected via a series of links.

Link to a Specific Part of a YouTube Video - Minute and Second-Specific

Well with video, that has been a bit of a frustration, one could link to the URL of a YouTube Video, but you couldn't like to a specific part of it. Now you can.

Well, my cyber-intelligence has just jumped a few points since joining Twitter and finding the right people to follow.

(Lesson to myself: Do so in life as you do on Twitter - only "follow" the right people!)

Anyway, Matt Cutts has posted this very interesting bit of info about linking to certain parts of YouTube videos .

It is just so easy to link to s specific part of a video down to the minutes and seconds.

Twitter on Facebook? Almost Real Time Web Capabilities

No, not quite, Facebook has not bought Twitter, I know they tried and failed last year, but with their enormous numbers, it was just a matter of time before they surrendered to real-rime web capabilities - or almost real time.

More than 5000 Friends on Facebook

I noticed yesterday when I went to Facebook that they were announcing the changes to Profile pages and feeds, so I browsed around a bit and found a few posts with interesting info.

Yay for those with Messiah complexes! Like Twitter, you can now have more than 5000 friends on Facebook. With Pages being removed and everybody having Profiles it is going to be interesting - and hard work from an SEO perspective promoting a business or celebrity - but hey challenges are cool and we just adjust and move on.

Facebook is also speeding up the updates that populate the news feeds on everyone’s personal page.

Twitter Envy

Gigaom describes it as Twitter envy: "For starters, Facebook announced changes to its home page that would allow streaming of “posts from your friends in real-time.” Facebook also changed the status prompt from “What are you doing right now?” to “What’s on your mind?” — a blatant attempt to prompt a more real-time interaction, and bringing it one step further than Twitter’s “What are you doing?”

FaceBook Conference Marc Zuckerberg Explains

Eric Schonfeld blogged live for Tech Crunch yesterday from the Facebook conference:

Marc Zuckerberg explains: "What we’re talking about today, is that there’s a philosophical change in that we want to converge these public figures (which are one way) and friends (two way connections). People asking for 5,000 friends, don’t necessarily want to connect with 5,000 people, they want to let 5,000 people connect with them. Pages are now similar to user profiles, but profiles are similar to pages in that people can have 1 sided connections.

We’re seeing an interesting trend that a lot of people are open to sharing information to specific people. A big part of what we’re doing is sharing information in a safe way."

Smart Marketing in a Downturn

Right, so our government here in South Africa says we're not in a recession, but we all know that things are much tighter all around and the squeeze is on - there is most certainly a downturn in the economy.

According to Business Day, "SA’s trade deficit hit a record R17,4bn in January, swelled by plunging vehicle and precious metal exports as a global economic crisis hits demand."

For us with small businesses the knock-on effect will ripple down, so we need to work smarter.

Smart Marketing in a Downturn

Debbie Weil is one my online sources of inspiration and information. She recently wrote an excellent blogpost called Digital Cupcakes: Smart Marketing in a Downturn Whether you are Out of Work or Not.

Debbie Weil says: "Smart marketing in a recession is about building relationships. Most folks are not ready to buy - or hire. Everyone is ready to connect. That's the secret of social media marketing."

So for those of you who think you can still do all your business on the golf course or the "power breakfasts" - the playing field has changed. You need a solid online reputation to succeed in the market today.

You need to be able to connect with people online and establish a presence, and you need to be able to do it smartly.

Ronald McDonald as the Joker?

Ronald Mc Donald is a red and yellow clown for a fast food place I don't visit because trans fats freak me out... and I'm vegetarian.

But I came upon this blog of The 20 Most Terrifying Pictures of Ronald Mc Donald Ever, and I thought, come on how weird or scary can that get?

Most clowns are quite scary. They rate right up in the top ten of people's biggest fears, believe it or not. Fear of clowns is called Coulrophobia.

So I look at the first picture on this Ronald Mc Donald post and it is one of Ronald as the Joker. Now I really don't like clowns at all anymore.

The Sad Story of Carl Niehaus

Unlike many people, especially those critical of the ruling party, I don't see the story of Carl Niehaus as a sign of "endemic corruption" or a "breakdown of morals" in the ANC.

I know the excited, baying crowds, jumping up and down on the sidelines have been waiting since 1994 to say "We told you so!" (Of course they will deny that they are racists or that they really believe that black majority rule can never work).

They will spew lofty words like democracy and morality and leadership and rule of law. Wonderful, noble and great goals to strive for and exactly the kind of stuff I would love to have in place if I lived in a perfect society.

But I don't.

Do we forget so quickly? We live in South Africa.

It has been a VERY short time in history since we have been a FREE country.

I have Jewish friends who still won't buy a German car and when did the war end? (WW ll)

Does a soldier with post traumatic stress ever not duck and hide when he hears a car backfire? Does a beaten dog ever not cringe when you put out your hand towards it? Does an abused child, when grown, up ever "get over" the trauma?

This generation of South Africans and maybe the next will be too close to the horrors of apartheid - the "Crime against humanity" - to always function in the nicely packaged acceptable Western normal way.

Some escape with less scars, others with more.

We just have to deal with it. And not throw everyone under the bus.

I feel sorry for Carl Niehaus. I wanted to klap him when he went on and on, on TV like this was his last confession. I can only imagine how embarrassing it was for the ANC.

I thought Carl should have got himself a therapist long ago and sorted out his problems. Hopefully we will do so now, and find some peace.

Capitalism and Socialism in the New York Times

I'm a lazy blogger, but I've made a late-February resolution to blog more.

That a look at this diagram, it illustrates the words 'socialism' and 'capitalism' appearing in the New York Times as a timepiece visualization. 12:01am is January 1st 1984 and 11:59pm is January 1st 2009. By Jer Thorp of Vancouver, Canada.