AWB - Die Boere

Well that should get your attention. This whole topic is sitting heavily on me, but i'm not sure at i think, yet. I almost just want to soundlessly point, and stare.

For our international friends, "boer" means literally farmer. But with most things, there's another layer of meaning. I guess one could think of them as the south african cowboys. But they're not that either. They're tough, hard men of the earth who have mostly fought in the border wars, worked on farms their whole lives. But unlike american cowboys, very family and religion orientated. The thing tht people don't seem to comprehend about the "boerevolk" is how religious they are. This was always an issue in the apartheid days, the biblically "inspired" racist rationalisations.

To be fair, the biggest difference between the boers and the cowboys is that the cowboys killed all the indians, and the boers didn't wipe out the blacks. Take that as you wish. 

Things are getting bad, fast. The whites in SA are in trouble. The blacks in SA are in trouble. And everybody is in deep trouble too. The ANC has squandered everything, and destroyed the rest. Infrstructure is broken. Overseas they see the new multibillion rand world class stadiums, they don't see how those grand symbols have stolen from the poor, who live right next door. I have been told countless times how the world cup is a good thing, and sadly, people did believe this. There will be manufacturing, and tourists, billions pouring in, enough for everybody!!

No. Nice thought hey, but no. Between Fifa copywriting SOUTH AFRICA, 2010, FOOTBALL, AIR, TELEVISIONS, VUVUZELAS, and the roads, and China having produced, if not all not of th merchandise, and the political bigwigs taking the most lucrative contracts for themselves, we South Africans have not yet paid the bills!!!! 

This is reality. The ANC is now standing to make BILLIONS out of every person who pays electricity, thanks to their fiscal cleverness, and we pay several times more for electricty, than Zimbabwe. The economy is collapsing. Now they canot blame the whites anymore, it's  been in their care for almost 20 years now. They do, of course, but even the poorest township dweller knows that no, it's not the white man's fault. Won't stop them from hacking you to death if you're in the way, but they want the people who have money, thats all.

I'm reading various forums, and it seems that the death of old Terreblanche is a bit of a wake up. Instead of dying like old people do, he's now become a martyr. And sadly, a i've mentioned before here, Saffers need a face to get to grips with a reality. Tell them about 60 people massacred - nothing. Show a picture of a baby whose been orphaned by said massacre, and the the rage will be immediate. So now the spotlight is exactly where nobody really wants it.

Simelane, the new Goerring in chief, was at the courthouse, i would imagine because nobody pays attention to him over the phone. But his sticky political fingerprints are the last thing any sane person wants to see. Hell's even juli has shut his mouth for once. Since theone accused is only 15, the trial has been ordered in camera. While legally correct, i don't trust this one. I smell something rotten. 

People are saying that whites should leave the country. Gods i'm starting to hate expats. Big mouthed priviledge enjoying the bravery of being out of range. Maybe i would be one too, in a different world, but no, i'm stuck here. And as one man put it: He's been all over the world, and received several invitations to move to countries, but they are all completely under the NWO, which a much more dangerous beast than the bushwhackers that surround us. South Africa is, what the rest of the world will be. Read that last night, and it crystallised a thought i've had for several years. 

Few points i'd like to make about the current political climate:

South Africa is in a way, the last colony. 

The country is ready to burn.

It's not the whites fault, and everybody knows that. (except those being manipulatd for political ends, who don't care because they're hungry.)

There is MUCH which we don't know about. Zimbabwe is bigger in this story than we think.

The Boere, after the Boervolk trial, know better than to trust internet.

The AWB is the last organisation which fosters the dream of a free republic for the Boere. Nw we must go back several hundred years, to when the boere came to SA TO ESCAPE THE NWO IN EUROPE. Well i suppose i should OWO ... but yes, the same people, banksters.

The world cup has just become the greatest flint the world has ever known. The vast influx of wealthy people from all over is about to meet pissed of poor people. The government is pathetic in everything it does, we can have a runaway fire in seconds. Mandela is going to die soon. FACT. Now whatever the truth is, the reality will belong to whoever leads the EMOTIONAL masses. 

This is all just bubbling, South Africa started so well, but everybody has had enough of the crime, corruption and inefficiency. How is this going to play out?

ASIDE: i'm caught between 2/3 sides here. 

1: Emigrate: i can neither afford it, nor do i wish to. I have a family to look after, and the countries that would take us are all NWO. 

2: Do something, but what? The democratic system allow a once every 5 years action, more than that they particulrly do NOT want your input. Throw my life into a political party? 

3: Stop whinging. Yeah Saffers moan a lot, but seriously, we're being systematically fucked over. I cannot rebel and not pay rent and lights, i cannot do that. My first priority is the healthy and balanced upbringing of my children. Until the SHTF day at least. By which point everything else would be too late. 

*shrug* this is a difficult time for everyone, and about all i know for sure is everybody needs just that little bit more peace and love in their lives.

If you should also wonder why i stay here, in South Africa:

Ons sal lewe, ons sal sterwe, ons vir jou Suid Afrika.

(We shall live, we shall die, us for you South Africa)

I can't access youtube from work, but search for the video that shows the AWB singing "Die Stem" and take take a moment to reflect.

EDIT: READ THIS: Die BoereKryger

Wikileaks

I said to look out, and they delivered well. 

www.collateralmurder.com

www.wikileaks.com

Overview

5th April 2010 10:44 EST WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad -- including two Reuters news staff.

Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-site, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded.

Curiously, when i posted this Reuters did not have this covered as a story. If i'm wrong please correct me.

rebirth

The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird flies to God. The God's name is Abraxas.

Hermann Hesse

Pic stolen from Sphinx of the Sun

Raindrops

Yesterday evening we had a cloudburst. Well, i suppose i can call it that, have to call it something. It looked like the nearest lake had got up and gone for a walk.

Up until about 3 oclock i wasn't sure if it was going to rain. Then i knew. It bucketed!!! But when it starts raining like this, waiting for it to end is not really a good idea. Between work a home i have at least 3 distinct meteorological regions, where it rains, then it doesn't rain, then i hit the hills, and it RAINS!!!

Visibility in places was down to about 30 metres, the road was slippery as ice, and the people as usual were fucking morons. But it was fun, a lot of fun. Especially coming under the bridge, and riding through 30cm deep water. Between cars. My chin is my indicator. When the rain falls down, my chin is dry. When the spray and rain combine to form a gaseo-liqui-mush, then my chin is wet. I can feel it get colder than it was, and ice cold water co-alesces on my throat, and drips down the front of my shirt.  My gloves were not prepared either, something to do with my dubbin warming apperatus having been thrown out, or stolen over the stupid season. Just a small scented oil burner, it was ideal for warming the dubbin to liquid, which i could then smear into each and ever crack in my boots and gloves. Boots also leaked a lot. My rain suit is brilliant, high-vis and very good, but leaked at my crotch, and knees (?).

I was certainly having more fun than the cars, and i do appreciate not having to sit in the ain for several hours, as cagers had to yesterday. This morning was also crazy, not sure wy though. The roads were wet still, but clean, most oil had washed off already. Just rubble, all over the tar. But the highway i come in onwas bumper to bumper the entire way, shame. 

I read about a woman who got washed off a bridge in her car last night, and drowned, in the car. Now i can even understand her going over the bridge, as unwise as that was, but i cannot concieve of how a person drowns IN THE CAR? Open the door? Oh, ok, so open the other one then? I kinda feel sorry for her, or rather those she leaves behind, but i'm just missing a small part of the puzzle, it seems odd.

Today is april fools day, good for that. More importantly it's my son's birthday. I deny that the 2 have anything to do with each other. I have to admit though, the little sod waited 4 days to come out on april fools day, maybe he knew something? He's getting a skateboard, matching his little sister's .... not trying to kill my kids ok, just trying to rough them up a lot. Good, kids these days are freakin pansies.

Easter weekend is here, and we welcome BUNNIES, and CHOCOLATES, HOT CROSS BUNNIES ... um ... buns, and easter specials at your local shopping centre. Easter bunny does bulk discounts i believe. More importantly, it's abou the crucifiction, and resurrection of ... Jesus Christ. You wouldn't know it, just by, you know paying attention. Have to be told these things. It's pagan happy days too, sping traditionally for them, autumn for us here. It's satanists happy days too, fucking freakshows. Public holidays for us workers, and choclates for the kids, oh wait i said that. 

So i'm cynical today, again. I cannot however think of easter without John Steinbecks "The Winter of our Discontent". So human, in every way. For me easter is a vaguely sad time, or at least a contemplative one. It is about sadness, and suffering, triumph too, but always at a  great cost. Easter Friday afternoons are quiet times for me. 

Wishing you peace and love

Dreamfoundry

http://www.dreamfoundry.co.za/

Dysfunkt

Cool website i found. Enjoy.

http://dysfunkt.com/

Cycling to Cape Town

Yesterday morning was an education for me. It started innocuously enough, a request to help mashall a charity cycle ride, somthing i'm always game for, as it's usually a nice ride and a great "vibe" for the day.

We were starting at about 8h30 in Jo'burg central for a guy who was about to cycle to Cape Town. Ray Chaplin is his name. Not only that, but it's an old fashioned bicycle too, no brakes, well, you push the pedals back ... only a single gear, and very strange hadle bars. The bike is called Johnny Loco.

Anyhow, a nice guy, quite a big bloke. And so you assume he's done training for this. Oh yes, he just finished walking from Cape Town .... to Beit Bridge!! So this is his way of getting home, RESPECT!!!

I'm really jealous,  spent a bit of time on the roads in my youth, and the wanderlust hit me hard! But good for him, his daily life involves moving, at his own pace, to his own destination. The Sign-Up safety campign was also new to me. Shaun who's heading it up i've met before. There is a huge gaping hole where safety applies to the roads in this country. And the cyclists especially are on the lowest rung when it comes to ability to bounce off anything else. 

The problem is, most weekend cyclists are office monkeys who are usually to be found in 4x4's, so the concept of humility is a bit foreign to them. While they're being killed weekly (another guy was found dead next to his bicycle in Boksburg this weekend, no driver found), the cyclists themselves see an entitlement to tarspace. While technically they are correct, they need to be referred to the bouncing rule (above). Paying road tax does not keep you safe around here. 

So i wish them all well, both the adventurer and the cycle safety drive. Certainly we need more of both, and i can honestly say it was a pleasure playing a small part in this.

EDIT: I see he's been mentioned on IOL.

Wikileaks breaking news

WIKILEAKS

Some of the new interest is related to a film exposing a U.S. massacre we will release at the U.S. National Press Club on April 5.

Our plans to release the video on April 5 proceed. 

We have asked relevant authorities in the Unites States and Iceland to explain. If these countries are to be treated as legitimate states, they need to start obeying the rule of law. Now. 

  —Julian Assange (editor@wikileaks.org)

Real Politic

News 24

What do the national prosecuting head, the ancyl head, and a failed tv star and race car driver have in common?

I got no fucking idea either. However, when you read the article posted, you see that indeed, there IS a connection. The story is along these lines:

One day before Jub Jub's bail application was set to begin, he received a visit in detention from Julius Malema, president of the ANC Youth League.

the orders of Menzi Simelane, head of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The orders were that he should not contest bail for the musician Jub Jub.

Lambrecht refused to execute the order unless he received it in writing, which he did not receive. Lambrecht didn't respond to Simelane's verbal order, and the State did oppose Jub Jub's bail application.

Maema gave Lambrecht a letter on Tuesday in which he was relieved of his managerial duties and told to work as a prosecutor in court. No reasons were given.
Lambrecht has been chief State prosecutor of the West Rand for the past ten years. The prosecutors of Krugersdorp, Soweto, Randfontein and Roodepoort, among others, fall under him.

When Maema was approached for comment, he said Lambrecht's "move" had nothing to do with the Jub Jub case.

Yes right. So the ancyl have the npa in their pocket. They are giving away immunity from responsibility to selected individuals ... no wonder julie is so fucking cocksure ... HE CAN BE!!

I could say much about the role of the YOUTH league, in encouraging children to go to school, in assuring children that justice shall be served. But no, even these dumb children in Soweto know better than to leave the justice system to itself. Hell, this bail gift was decided over nandos, apparently. All very legal of course, to take food to your friends in prison, unless you're just taking food to your wife, in which case it's against the rules. Personal experience, trust me.

So the new elite is very obvious. If you're just a poor kid who watched his friends get driven over, fuck you. If you're a bastion of legal strength who has done his duties admirably for over 10 years, fuck you. f you're a dumbfuck drug addict and child killer .. .then WELCOME, you're one of us.

Black and white people, take notes.

Walking With The Comrades

Gandhians with a Gun? Arundhati Roy plunges into the sea of Gondi people to find some answers...

I implore you all to read this. Not only a devastingly beautiful account, but also a very important statement, about news, politics, money and the earth.

The stories portrayed are tragic, bestial almost, yet the indomitable spirit of man shines through. And women, who for the first time are equals amongst their peers. 

These fearless fighters, who really have nothing to lose, lead the way with community, mutual assistance, and dancing. I get a sense ofhumanity at large here, where the corporate machines continue to turn over greased by the blood of poor people. And the poor people themselves, fighting what seems to be a hopeless fight, and doing rather well.

peace and love

ANCYL vs FREE PRESS

A call by Sipho Hlongwane for bloggers to join in the protest against the jackboot tactics the ANC Youth League are employing to try and destroy the freedom of the press.

I’m sure you’re aware by now of the slander campaign launched by the ANC Youth League’s spokesperson Nyiko Floyd Shivambu against journalists they perceive to be against the Youth League. This campaign is especially directed against City Press journalist Dumisani Lubisi. You’ll remember that he was instrumental in exposing Julius Malema’s interests in various companies.

The move taken by the ANCYL is disturbing, especially their response to the letter written by 19 of the country’s most influential political journalists, asking the ANC to distance itself from the actions of the Youth League and Floyd Shivambu, where they basically told these journalists to sod off. More than that, Shivambu then threatened the journalists who refused to run his slanderous story.

This is a definite step towards dictatorial rule. I for one, am not willing to sit idly by as people in our ruling party flagrantly infringe on media freedom and other Constitutional rights.

I’ve invited a number of South African bloggers to publish a message to the ANC and the Youth League on Wednesday, condemning the actions of Shivambu and calling on them to distance themselves from such practices. We also reminds the ANC of the vital role played by the the press in the liberation struggle.

Read the letter from journalists, and the ANCYL's amazingly mature response

Magpul Ronin

*drool* be still my beating heart. Such beauty, raw, passion, power ... i have goosebumps!!!

I WANT .. that simple really. It combines everything that IMHO is beautiful in motorcycles. Strength, neatness, simplicity in design. Ok, i'm rambling a little but by the gods LOOK AT IT.

Thanks to The Kneeslider

EDIT: for some reason the images didn't show. Fixing. Go see the article, lots more to it there :)

Reading list

It was a long weekend, much needed too. Just time to chill and be. Let my mind catch up to reality again, i think. So i have started reading again, still not sure where i'm getting time, and it cannot be when kids or pets are around. Yesterday sitting in the lounge, the bird came over and was nibling at my toes, you have a hard time concentrating while thats happening, you know?

But i've had some rather good books to keep me company, thought i'd share this year's so far.

This year started with a christmas present from my folks, i don't recall the title exactly, but a rehash of the pied piper story. A father and son author team, it's not really my cup of tea. I suppose i enjoyed the fantasy land for a bit, but on the whole it was dull, entireley predictable and utterly safe. I guess the kids can have it to enjoy soon.

Anyhow once i'd cleared that out, i moved on to what i really wanted to read: "Dark Side of the Moon: The Magnificent Madness of the American Lunar Quest" by Gerard Degroot. He looks at the American Apollo missions and writes them off as a mistake, an egotiostical mistake of staggering proportions. I think the best line is along these lines: " The apollo missions were a $30 bilion happy pill for the american nation."(i think the number was 30). The book is obviously historical, and digs down deep into the fraud that is nasa. Curiously it dovetailed perfectly with another book i have, "Our ancestors came from outer space" by Maurice Chatelain. Now i re-read that last year, and in Dark Side he refrences the Chatelain book, adding that it's both highy valuable in terms of information, and very rare. It's not only necessary to know the history, it's also important to understand the motivations.Sadly, these insider views show clearly what a "front" nasa really is. A PR spin machine designed to trick people. As incredible as landing on the moon may be, so far our exploits have mostly been hollow, as the goals were not fro the greater good, but more personal, highly specific, short term goals. 

The next book was "Both Sides of the Moon", by Alan Duff. A story of a Maori/white half caste boy, growing up between "civilisation" and the brutality of the Maori past. A very brutal read, base, primitive and violent. It was almost hard reading it was so graphic. However, huge insight into ancient and forgotten times and places. The author is very good at conveying emotion, and the book itself is very compelling. I have the video of "Once Were Warriors" by the same author, violence is also a mark of this story i believe, but highly regarded nevertheless. Huge insight into human behaviour, and also pleasing  to see ourselves, the white invaders, from a native perspective, not as inherently evil, just more powerful. 

What i've just started again, i've read it before, twice, is "The Magician Within" by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette. The book is really very powerful. Exploring Jungian concepts, archetypes and balance within the male phsyche, it really is hard to keep up with. What makes it easier is of course the obvious reality of the observations presented. In chapter 1 already the profound statement is made: "initiation is but the removal of the ego as the centre of the universe". Following through you understand how all initiations place the individual child ego aside in relation to a greater good, be it church, tribe or club. There is much i still don't understand in life, but certain insights do help you marshall your own thoughts, especially in the noted lack of "elders" in today's society. One thing that is certainly absent from yesteryear's world is simplicity. And while we are more complex than before, the same underlying rules apply. Our complexity often gets in the way of seeing things for the simple concepts that they are. And hence cannot begin to solve what we cannot understand, causing stress, and fustration.

The other item that i'm very intrigued with from the book is the concept of sacred space (and time) and how to navigate these in real life. It's a long way from Carlos Castenada to here and now, but surely even i can figure it out, if the universe rubs my nose in the truth for a bit. Well, we can hope.

Last but certainly not least, is the Bible. Not something you read for fun, as such. But worth reading most definitely. I'm in John at the moment, i'd forgotten how much of that book i'd memorised for primary school SCA. Certainly compelling, reading the life and times of Jesus is hard, almost. Each story gives just the basic facts, very little else, just enough to get a single idea across, nice and clear. 

Anika Smit

Lotto BILLIONS

Lotto charity unspent

The National Lottery Board has admitted that it is sitting on R6 billion meant for NGOs and charities across the country.

The admission was made in the Cape High Court on Wednesday during an application lodged by two local NGOs after their funding requests had been turned down by the board's distributing agencies.

6 fucking billion rand, meant for poor, elderly, disabled people. And it's just sitting there, in the bank, making interest. Yes, you fucking moronic stupid boneheaded lotto buying wankers, they're buying your dreams with the INTEREST of what they SHOULD give away. Let me be excruciatingly clear on this: They are not only making a lot of money, the interest alone on 6bill is enough to drive a small economy. They are making millions and millions every single fucking day. That is the cream, that is not the "profit" calculated on "business models", which i can assure is lucrative to begin with.

And everybody i know buys a lotto ticket, because we all know that working honestly in this country does not work. You'll never drive a nice car, have a nice house, or a decent meal unless you win the lotto. 

But for flying fuck sakes, each and every single person who buys a lotto ticket participates in this crime against our fellow humans, making the dogs at the top even richer that the highly publicised lotto winners, and the poor people of this country even more destitute.

This high court application only came about because they are not giving any away, under any circumstances. Especially not to those who need it.

They're coming ...

SA a magnet for trafficking - UN

Since when? Human trafficking that is. 

South Africa's "open, cosmopolitan" society was being used to facilitate human trafficking ... Johan Kruger said.

"I'm absolutely convinced that it is a real problem with South Africa." ... UNODC international law enforcement advisor Patrik Engstrom concurred ...

"In the whole of the SADC region there has not been a single conviction for human trafficking," Lucas told reporters.

The lack of information had also affected how the scale of the problem was perceived in South Africa.

Engstrom said his office had recently launched a 36-month project to improve human trafficking detection at borders and international airports.

So there isn't any evidence to suggest a problem, but on a hunch, let's just watch REALLY CLOSELY and i'm sure we'll find what we're looking for. At AIRPORTS for fuck sakes. Newsflash: if there is any human traffiking going, it's all the fucking children crossing the border illegally anyway. At border posts or not! You can speak to a mr robert mcbride who is currently the supended east rand metro thuginchief who was was guilty of accepting bribes to allow people over the Mozambican border post. Yes, they come into the country to act as child labour and prostitutes. but this whole news article and UNODC thing is bizarre in the extreme. 

windows

I sit and stare through the window. Lace curtains breathing slowly .... cigarette smoke curling up lazily. I stare at the massive tree standing so tall and strong. I stare at the wall, facebrick patterns and colours swirling and playing. I stare at the litter of the yard, cars, toys, broken trampoline. 

*suck*    *blow*

Stare at the glass, the faint marks left by the rains. Close eyes. Cigarette burns fingers ... drop in ashtray. 

Stare out the glass ... the world ... the wind, clouds. Water. Feel the air caress. Deep breath. Close eyes. Watch the leaves swish in the breeze. Hear the gentle rattle ... 

Reach out mindlessly. Tobacco rizla pinch spread roll lick tidy light.

*suck*    *blow*

Stare out the window.

The world rolls by ... it does. You know it's happening, on the other side of that wall. The rushing of traffic. The wind blowing people from one side of the land to the other. The same wind that fils your lungs, the same wind that your curtains are breathing. The same wind blows the cars along, as they happily make wind too.

I look through the window, and i'm glad i'm inside. Too horrible to go outside. It sucks there. Stuff happens. Breaks. Falls. Decays. Gets lost .... somewhere .... out there.

I was gonna .... do something ... i'm sure. There was that thing .... um ... garage ... ... tools ... fix ... oh yes, i need to buy that. Never mind. 

At work now. Stare at laptop screen. Stare. Glazed eyes hungrily searching for clues. Clues. What to do, what to see, what to think, what to think about. Bad stuff. All over. So many things. He killed. They dead. She screams. All over. 

Close window. Open another, prettier. Fantasy reaches in and blinds ones sensibilities.Breathe. 

Can't think about that ... other ... thing. That soul rending story on the news. It hurts. Look away quick. It Hurts.

My box. I'm in it. And i like it here. I look out the window. But everyone knows you're safe indoors from lightning, aren't you? Or will you blink and it's worse again? 

Still, deathly still i look up ... and around. Move ... speak, smile, nod. Animated me. 

Reading matter

Ok, i hit the motherlode, sort of.

The Free Info Society has many documents on their server for download, most in pdf format, which is great for everything except printing.

From classics to electronics and woodwork, many of the books that you should read, that actually make a positive contribution to your life.

You can find the media directory here, like a real libruary, only without that silence :)

Oh look, Attack Helicopter Operations ....  ooooooooooooooooooooo

peace!!

They will find you

A short quote from a news report. Mercenary who had been in iraq, shot ex wife and killed her friend.

The police tracked him down 24 hours later - by means of his cellphone signals - at a guesthouse in Rocky's Drift outside White River. 

Now we'll all celebrate the arrest of this particular dog, pity we can't put it down.

This was an armed and trained soldier on the run. They can and will find you! 24 hours, anywhere in SA. 

Blood Falls

Roughly 2 million years ago, the Taylor Glacier sealed beneath it a small body of water which contained an ancient community of microbes. Trapped below a thick layer of ice, they have remained there ever since, isolated inside a natural time capsule. Evolving independently of the rest of the living world, these microbes exist without heat, light, or oxygen, and are essentially the definition of "primordial ooze."

Getting close

Durban Deep is less than 10km from my house. 

Paramedics too scared to serve in Durban Deep

On Friday night, two women paramedics from Hodgson Street station in Roodepoort responded to a desperate call from a mother who said her two-year-old son had been burnt. The incident happened in Durban Deep, a mishmash of informal housing and low-cost flats, with near impassable roads.

The ambulance was driven to a pick-up point along Main Reef Road, where residents are often asked to bring patients.

The two paramedics were met by the woman, her injured toddler and two men. The boy needed to be hospitalised, so the mother went home to fetch a jersey for him. 

"While they (paramedics) were busy with the child in the ambulance, three armed men appeared from the bushes, threatened the two men and told them to run away, otherwise they would shoot them. 

"The two men ran down the road and the suspects took the women into the bushes," Senior Superintendent Noxolo Kweza said.

"They raped one woman and attempted to rape the other one," she added.

The two men, who were forced to flee, alerted police and accompanied them to the scene of the incident, helping them to search the bushes. Disturbed by the police presence, the three armed men fled while attempting to rape the second paramedic.

Breathe

Breathe, breathe in the air
Don't be afraid to care
Leave but don't leave me
Look around and chose your own ground
For long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be
Run, run rabbit run
Dig that hole, forget the sun,
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down, it's time to dig another one
For long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide
And balanced on the biggest wave
You race toward an early grave.

Pink Floyd

8 Metre high wave

So with all the fuss about possible tsunamis in the Pacific ocean, i found this report just a little bizarre. 

An eight-metre high wave smashed into a cruise ship carrying nearly 2,000 people in the Mediterranean, smashing glass windshields and killing two passengers, according to officials.

From The Times.

But the French newspaper Le Figaro and Spanish news reports said the accident happened off Capo de Begur, off the coast of Spain about 80 miles northeast of Barcelona.

This just does not make sense. If there was an 8 metre high wave IN the Mediterranean Sea, surely there would have been a lot more news/sightings/damage/etc?

8 metres high is about 3 stories up, high enough to obliterate almost any seaside village nearby?

Phobos flyby

I wasn't aware of this, but today there will be a flyby of Mars' moon Phobos by the Mars Express craft. This will get as close as 67km above the surface, and radio tracking will allow them to virtually peer inside the strange moon.

Phobos has long believed to be both a new addition to our solar system, and an oddity in itself. Its irregular shape and orbit have been subject of much speculation. 

You can follow the flyby in realtime on the blog they have created here.

R.I.P. Belinda du Plessis

Last night a special light was snuffed out. Belinda was shot dead in her home by her husband peter, who then turned the gun on himself. In front of Belinda's 2 youngest children.

Belinda was my wife's best friend, and was much loved by our family. 

So much to say, so little can be said. Such a stupid stupid waste, and tragedy. They'd only been married 3 years, both had kids from previous marriages, some already grown up. Shannon is the youngest, my daughters friend too. Her father died a few years ago, i'm not sure how. She will need all the love that this world can share with her. Her brother Donovan apparently wrestled with peter over the gun, he too will have scars for life.

This whole tagedy has played out over the last few weeks, with the revelation that peter had been fucking around, lying, and just not being what he professed to be. The fight i believe was over a car, hers, that he wanted to take with. My wife had spent much time recently, just being a friend. I guess i'm relieved that she wasn't there at the time, something that was quite likely.

Jody-fae love auntiy Belinda so much, i bumped into her at the spar a few weeks back, and this little girl just run and jumped to embrace Belinda in the parking lot. I'm not really grieving as such, i knew peter, and we'd had quite a few long conversations, but i wouldn't say we were friends, just aquaintences. The other thing of course is that this all happened within a church community, where people were there, just helping where they could, providing support and so on. Men and women who are trained in various aspects of councelling, as was peter. We  knew that things had turned sour, but nothing suggested this.

Belinda was a soft soul, a good mother and friend, who will be terribly missed by those who knew and loved her. 

Death has been close these last few weeks. And the part that hurts the most is that both Belinda and Lance were so deeply loved by my little girl. Both brought out huge smiles and massive tight hugs from Jody, who truly deeply loved the people that they were. I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that i can't even tell her. She'll never really know, i wonder if she'll remember them. We will.

I am hesitant to read anything deeper into these apparently seperate events, both quite different, but i implore you, LOVE, goddamit LOVE today with everything you have. 

UPDATE: 

The funerals will be held this Friday at the Church of the Nazarene Horison in Mouton street, Roodepoort. Peter's funeral will be at 9am, with Belinda's at 12.

Please contact me if you need directions or further info.

Gotcha!!

News 24

Transport officials will look into reports that several newly-built bridges and roads in Limpopo have been washed away ..

The City Press newspaper reported on Sunday that several multi-million rand bridges and roads in Limpopo, built by SGL Engineering Projects in which Malema has the majority shareholding, had been washed away within weeks of their completion.

City Press visited several SGL projects in the past week.

"At Kgapane Township, about 120km east of Polokwane, only a portion of one of the two bridges constructed last year [is] still in place," the newspaper reported.

"A bridge built at the township’s Meloding Section is effectively a hill of soil covered with pavement. It has no concrete layers.

"Residents said heavy rains in January swept it away just a few weeks after it was finished."
__________________________________________________

Yes, THIS is where is stops being fun and games, and becomes a fuck you to the communities he keeps trying to identify with. And ther will be no stupid denials or finger pointing, he is 70% shareholder, and this is going to be taken further.

Your sins will find you out.

Older than the Pyramids

From Newsweek. Standing on the hill at dawn, overseeing a team of 40 Kurdish diggers, the German-born archeologist waves a hand over his discovery here, a revolution in the story of human origins. Schmidt has uncovered a vast and beautiful temple complex, a structure so ancient that it may be the very first thing human beings ever built. The site isn't just old, it redefines old: the temple was built 11,500 years ago—a staggering 7,000 years before the Great Pyramid, and more than 6,000 years before Stonehenge first took shape. The ruins are so early that they predate villages, pottery, domesticated animals, and even agriculture—the first embers of civilization. In fact, Schmidt thinks the temple itself, built after the end of the last Ice Age by hunter-gatherers, became that ember—the spark that launched mankind toward farming, urban life, and all that followed.

Göbekli Tepe—the name in Turkish for "potbelly hill"—lays art and religion squarely at the start of that journey. After a dozen years of patient work, Schmidt has uncovered what he thinks is definitive proof that a huge ceremonial site flourished here, a "Rome of the Ice Age," as he puts it, where hunter-gatherers met to build a complex religious community. Across the hill, he has found carved and polished circles of stone, with terrazzo flooring and double benches. All the circles feature massive T-shaped pillars that evoke the monoliths of Easter Island.

_______________________________________________________

This is an awesome find, one wonders how it escaped notice until now. I love that stone though, carved with a lizard on the front. It has to mean SOMETHING.

But an old story comes to mind, where strange new archeological digs will redefine our understandings of ancient times. Which is good. The problem is, i think, that "they" will be using those to plant certain bits of evidence, which then make us as a whole believe, untruths.

Either way, an insight into days gone by, when hunter gatherers needs to meet, compare inventions and stories, and probably get drunk.

Top 10 Lane Splitting Wisdoms

LOOKEE WHAT I FOUND!!!! Thank you Sigma Squared! Right i'm quite excited (obviously) because this is exactly what i was looking for, it's well written, by someone i  know through Think Bike, and is the best i've ever read on this topic :)

Top 10 Lanesplitting Wisdoms

So, I figure its high time for a non technical post. I commute via motorcycle on a 26km stretch of highway every day (N1 and M1, Johannesburg) and thought that I might post some of the wisdoms I’ve picked up during my 6 odd years of commuting. In South Africa, it is legal (please lets not argue the semantics of this on this post) to lanesplit between vehicles in traffic, meaning you ride in-between two lanes of cars. Here are my top 10 handy hints for doing so safely, in no particular order;

1. Passing Trucks

This one is something that can catch you by surprise, always think ahead! If you are passing a truck, either on the left or the right, bear in mind that there is probably someone in front of the truck who cannot see you due to the width of the truck, or there is a gap in front of the truck as it moves slower than the rest of the traffic. Should there be someone who cannot see you, they are probably not going to hesitate to get out of the trucks way (I know I prefer not to be in front of a few tons of metal) and may well cut you off or worse, knock you off. The opposite applies to when there is a gap in front of the truck, invariably someone from the adjacent lane would like to take that gap, and then the same applies. GO WITH CAUTION!

2. Splitting Around Bends

During my commute, there are two gradual bends which I take with great care. One inside the Buccleugh interchange, and the other just past the Woodmead on and off ramps. That said, when you are splitting through a gradual bend, always bear in mind that the angle of people’s mirrors are completely different to what they would be should they be moving in a straight line. If you take a left bend as an example, the people in the lane to your left will most likely be looking at the doors of the vehicles on the right, and the vehicles on the right, are most likely looking at the left headlight of the vehicle behind them. It is for this reason that you should be extra careful, or alternatively wait in the traffic for the duration of the bend.

3. Showing Courtesy

This goes both ways, showing courtesy to cars and trucks, as well as showing courtesy to fellow riders. If a vehicle moves out of your way, give them a gesture of thanks, be it a wave with your clutch hand, a flash of your hazards (if your bike is so equipped) or my personal choice, a tilt of the head. Be careful the first time you tilt your head, it may be the most convenient, but target fixation can occur (you follow the lines of your eyes and if you are tilting your head, you may in fact turn the bike slightly)! Do not extend a foot out on either side, a. this looks aggressive to motorists, and b. this is often used in pack riding to indicate a road hazard on either side! When you are nice to motorists, they will be nice to you, and often someone who has been thanked for moving over will feel a warm fuzzy feeling and be willing to do it again. On the other side of the coin, be aware of your mirrors and of riders wishing to pass you. If you see a motorcyclist behind you, acknowledge him/her in some way, should there be no gaps, and when there is a gap, slow down accordingly and let him/her past. Do not move immediately back into the lane, as often there will be multiple riders behind the one who just passed you! Keep a look out, and move back into the lane when it is safe to do so.

4. Avoid Temptation

Following on from point 3, when someone passes you, resist the temptation to match their speed and stay behind them. For one, this will irritate the rider ahead of you, and two, this is probably removing you from your comfort zone. If you are no longer in your comfort zone, you will no longer be able to pull emergency maneuvers as quickly or as well rehearsed as you would when riding at YOUR comfortable speed. Should the rider ahead of you have to brake suddenly, there is a good chance you will go directly into the back of him/her, which is a situation that I can guarantee neither of you would like.

5. Avoid The “Suicide Lane”

This is referred to (on a 3-lane road) as the piece of road between the slow and middle lane. People generally split between the middle and fast lane, and as such, that is where motorists are expecting you to be. Often a motorist in the middle lane will see you coming and move out of your way in the only direction he can go, left. If you are splitting on the left of that vehicle, you can imagine what could happen next. The converse applies to this as well, if you are splitting in the “suicide lane”, you may well be endangering any riders on the other side for the exact same reasons. Bear in mind, that should a motorist knock a biker down, this could be an end to their life as they know it as well. Which leads me to my next point;

6. Not All Cagers are Evil

If I take my daily commute, between Grayston and Marlboro there is normally very slow moving traffic, often just above standstill. I have counted (don’t try this at home) and have found that in the space of 1km I will pass roughly 72 slow moving vehicles in the fast lane (so more for standstill traffic). I can then multiply this by 2, for the middle lane, giving me 144 vehicles that I have passed in the space of 1km. Multiply that by the 26km’s of highway that I travel (taking into account the same amount of standstill traffic as moving traffic) and you have 3,744 vehicles that I pass on average. That’s a lot of vehicles, and I hardly ever have a problem in a week, so make that 18,720 vehicles per week that do not give me a problem. Should I have one issue a week, that would be 0.005% if the vehicles on that road. Think about it (yes its flawed, but you get my drift).

7. Take Note Of The Sun

This one is very simple to explain, but not often thought of. Be very very careful should the rising or setting sun be directly behind you and the flow of traffic (this is a major problem on the N12 / R24)! If the sun is behind you, you will not be looking in your mirrors as chances are they are blinding you, so bear in mind that this applies to every other vehicle moving in the same direction as you!

8. Splitting At Night

This is a bad idea. A bad bad idea. A very very bad idea. Yes, there are lens covers for your headlight to make you more visible, but in a lot of cases, the same “sun” rules apply. If you are coming up through traffic where all the headlights are on, you WILL NOT BE VISIBLE. In standstill or slow moving traffic, ALL vehicles have only one headlight in a rearview mirror, and you WILL look like every other four wheeled vehicle on that road.

9. Don’t Look Down

Ok, look down a little, but do not fixate on the bike in front of you, and do not look directly at the road in front of you. Look ahead, and look up as well. It is not uncommon for vehicles to have something strapped to the roof rack that is leaning over the side or sticking out the back. Most people have seen the picture of the two gentlemen impaled on a steel pole, if not, you now have an idea of it. Keep looking, often people do not carry red flags or reflective triangles, and figure that they won’t get pulled over in peak hour traffic. The same naive people, probably also don’t figure that another vehicle will be passing between them and the adjacent lane. Arm yourself with forethought when looking ahead. If you see a vehicle towing a caravan, they may well have an extended mirror on the side of the vehicle, avoid these, aside from damage to property, these leave a nice mark in the morning.

10. Chill Out / Don’t Panic

Like attracts like, if you are riding rigid and panicky, chances are you are going to bump into something. The best advice I can give for lanesplitting is to start out slow over short stretches, and don’t get onto the highway until you are absolutely comfortable with splitting. There are plenty of double-lane roads where you can practice by making your way up to a red light when all the traffic comes to a stop. Take things as they come, should you bump someone’s vehicle, it happens. Stop, apologise to the driver, and 90% of the time they will be OK with it (provided you weren’t tearing down the road like a bat out of hell), the other 10% of the time, something can be done about it. If you do get cut off, don’t get even by breaking off the mirror of the vehicle or kicking the door in, as tempting as it may be. Practice as I do in the morning, and try to memorise at least one numberplate a day. This will train your memory so that when something does happen, you can head down to the nearest police station and lay a charge of reckless driving against the owner of the plate number that you have in your head. This may not have an immediate effect, but should something happen down the line and their record is pulled, you will have the upper hand, and not an assault/property damage charge.

There are plenty more points that I could go through, and I’m sure I will add more in another post one day. Please leave your wisdoms and comments on this post below, as I would love this to benefit fellow riders.

If you would like more info on rider safety etc, there is plenty of info over at Think Bike.

One wet foot

Sounds like the title of a pop song, or group even. Next verse would be one leaky boot.

Wonderful morning rain again, nice and soft and fluffy. Roads were treacherous though. It was very wet out there. The rain lifted the oil, and there was also a lot of a white substance over all the road along the construction areas. I took it really slow today, and i'm grateful i did. f i'd been in a hurry, that constrcution L300 would have taken me. I didn't stop first behind him, i'd have gone under. 

They're laying the tarmac for lanes in strips, about 1 and a half lanes each. For some odd reason, th join between old tar and new tar is nt a straight line across the road, but rather a long diagonal which has a way of catching your tyres, and shunting you sideways. The rain obscured that join. I gota helluva fright when it did it this morning, i had been concentrating on the wind, which was also buffeting me slightly. Fortunately for me i'm a naughty bugger. I've been riding those joins for months now. When safe, i'll ride up and down up and down, as those joins cross over the road. It's fun, but also gae me the muscle memory i needed. 

This same join problem was a huge concern for the toyrun, having several thousand closely packed biked being thrown to one side is a dangerous situation. Not too bad of course, if you're expecting it. But if you're new, and panic? Or focusing elsewhere, and get a fright? Zero-survive in the blink of an eye. But all is well, traffic was light today, and i got here safely. I love my rainsuit, have to say. 

Time to dubbin the boots gain i think.

peace!! 

Ryan Savage

Hi, my name is Ryan I am 3 years old, on October 26,2009, my mom and dad where told that I had stage 4 cancer Neuroblasto​​ma to be exact. I have had my first operation already and my first dose of chemo too, mom and dad tell me I'm a brave boy cause I dont cry.

Well its been a wonderfull week end and a great start to the day, i noticed yesterday my little angel has lots his beautiful eyelashes thats really sad but they will grow back soon im sure.

Ryan goes back to the hospital on Wed for bloods and then its all about Sunday Ryan is so excited about the bike wash fun day thats happening all for him, for those that are unable to follow him on facebook here are the details

Sund​​ay 28 February
tim​​e: 09H30
place:​​cnr Kite and Weaver Str Horison
What​​s happening its going to be a family fun day with jumping castles and face painting for the kids corvette rides and food on sale, we welcome the South African National Blood Services who will be taking blood from those who are willing to donate and for the boy with their toy the bike wash and the ladies of course wouldnt want to forget them.
____________________________________________________________

I got an e-mail, about a kid, cancer or summin. Got on with my day. Later i read it through, turns out it's the son of a friend of mine.  A guy i know through biking, he sold me some gear, the boots i wear, and the helmet. 

So on sunday, they're going to have a biker day jol up the road from us. The blood service will be there, and there'll be  the usual beer and boeries (intl readers boerewors roll, it's a staple at any event)

The kid needs blood, O-, and money, for blood. Blood money is a whole new phrase. Ryan is bald, but yesterday he was running around with a rugby ball, and a big, typically naughty boy, smile on his face. 

So anyhow, if you're around, come drop in, they're selling cloth badges and stuff, and it should be a good day, from 9-2. Anybody coming back from the impala, you're especially invited. Come get your bike cleaned after the rally!

See you there

Law

Taken from the blog: Empathetic perspectives .... highly recommended!

The Five Buddhist Precepts

1. I observe the precept of abstaining from the destruction of life.
2. I observe the precept of abstaining from taking that which is not given.
3. I observe the precept of abstaining from sexual misconduct.
4. I observe the precept of abstaining from falsehood.
5. I observe the precept of abstaining from intoxicants that cloud the mind and cause carelessness.

Native American 10 Commandments  

1. Treat the Earth and all that dwell thereon with respect
2. Remain close to the Great Spirit
3. Show great respect for your fellow beings
4. Work together for the benefit of all Mankind
5. Give assistance and kindness wherever needed
6. Do what you know to be right
7. Look after the well-being of mind and body
8. Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good
9. Be truthful and honest at all times
10. Take full responsibility for your actions

10 Commandments

1. I am the Lord thy God, ... Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images. 
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
5. Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long. 
6. Thou shalt not kill. 
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
8. Thou shalt not steal. 
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.

Pagan law

1. Do what thou wilt, harm none.

Woe is us ...

A bit melodramatic, perhaps, and it was going to be "woe is me" but no, this is bigger than me. And it's not me. This post has been building for a while, and i'm not entirely certain where it's going to go. Prepare for the ramblings of an insane person. You may just identify.

I have to start by identifying myself. Just a guy, happy go lucky i think. No delusions of grandeur here. I am what i am and i have what i've got, no more and no less. Can't say i want much more, usually find myself wanting less, well, less of what surrounds me. I am a simple person, mostly, lazy too, but honest and kind, and truly believe in sharing love with all i find, man and beast. Easy enough i think?

Terri blessed me recently by calling me alive. I am that. But it's not just a breathing, it's an awareness i think she was referring to. And sadly it's notable only through it's rarity, amongst men and women today. You see it sometimes, almost like a ghost, out the corner of your eye, but when you look closer, it's not there anymore. And we know, when we see it, that there goes a person, a real person, a whole person. But 'we' are by no means supermen, just, men and women, with eyes and hearts open. 

But WHY this sadnes? This inconsolable sadness that we carry. Are we not alive? I look around, from the few examples of those that genuinely love, and each is tinged with this sadness for life. My grandfather, the kindest, greatest man i ever knew, who never had an unkind word, and always had a ready smile, had this, weariness, thoughtfulness about him. Last week i felt it, the rush of life in my veins, contrasting sharply to the death i witnessed, and i was ALIVE. But so wary, scared, cautious, hesitant to reach out and grab. This week of course i'm over that.

Angry, confused, resentful. Caution thrown to the wind. DEATH ... bring on your scythe, bring on the hourglass of sand dripping, and give it to the sandman. But i cannot run amok, i am too tightly chained by these mortal coils. Responsibility and stuff. I have so much fucking STUFF it almost makes me sick. But i cannot give it away. Or sell it for anything. I am locked to my fate as surely as one of the great tragic classics, only less worthy of a bard. 

This turmoil i feel. This hatred and love, for myself, for those close by, to complete strangers. The clarity and confusion. The order i pretend while being tossed by the chaos of life. Remember being in the ocean, and a wave catches you, and you spin and roll in it's grasp? I am not alone. I know this and it alone saves my mind from tearing free of its binds. I think i'm getting off topic.

The Sabatical of The Harper of Pendragon Hold says it perfectly. THAT IS WHAT I MEAN. The same, no different. After years of fighting, i rid my life of the scourge of television, only to have it rudely shoved under my nose again, when opening my homes doors to family. How i rail against and hate that soap opera noise!!!! Whiny little shit faced people whinging about their imaginary life. The pathetic stoies that are utterly emotional and designed to entire and shape our feelings, OUR VERY SOUL. And the stupid vacent stares that suck up each and every nuance in this dark fantasy that plays into our lives all day every day. The radio, no longer a companion, but a blaring discordant repetitive noise shouting it's wares and co-ercing you to feel for the latest product special. I WANT OUT!!!! I want to get the fuck away from the madness. I no longer wish to be here. 

The promises of childhood evaporate into the drone of life. The only people who get what they want are those prepared to take it by force. Those that smilingly accept the gifts of God are the same that have those same gifts stolen. Good fucking god, you know what the absolute worst is? After the death of my friend, and we pick up the pieces, with "help" from overpriced professionals *spit* and my pocket knife was stolen. A knife, given me by the father in law a while ago. The mere fact that i am angry about is ludicrous, but i carried it daily with me. Everywhere. I lost tools in this incident, taken by Lance while busy with a promise he would return them, now part of a deceased estate. I do not for a second begrudge those. So be it. In terms of value certainly more than the cost of a pocket knife. But the knife makes me angry. Makes me want to go find these people I PAID, and do violence. If anyone asked i would probably given the knife. 

Why????? Why does the death of a friend make me sad, and the theft of a THING make me angry. There's something there. ... i just can't figure it out. By the gods i would give every thing i had to have Lance back, but that would never happen. Just ... yes you know.

And i sit here, bewildered and confused. I am alive, but i feel this death impuse flowing through my veins. I want to go out and give every hungry person food, but i'll go outside, shun food and have a cigarette. The only thing i ever get right is to make people smile. (i used to think they laughed WITH me *wink*) .... 

To make another smile, is an act of creation. Truly we are gods. But maybe, just maybe, we're man, after all. Pathetic and weak. And yet ... the fire burns in the depth of the cave, and sometimes when someone walks past, they feel the warmth spill out, despite the cold of the night. I warned you this was a ramble!!!!! 

What do i know??? What can i take in my heart and hold dear?

I AM MAN. I am not alone. I am loved. These other souls, they love me, and i them. Another wispy uncertain thing in itself. IT EXISTS. I know it. You know it. I think hate is love, just fustrated. The opposite is apathy. Death of the spirit. Alive means love hate fire water air to breathe and earth to sleep on, and roam. Love is merely energy at a higher frequency, which itself is the same as matter. Matter, energy, emotion. As surely as ice is water is vapour.

Circle, spiral, sphere. ONE. One one one one one one one one .... all one. But i am here, and you are there? And we disagree, and cause pain, and ignore ... each other. Mystery. If you stab me i will bleed ... but i sit here in my office and pray for pain, this surreal aircon and private cubicle make me beg for feeling, and when it comes i flee...

Too much for now, i think. I am tired now. I have placated the demons for now. All that is left is tired, sleepy, and a little sad. I will go now for a walk. And a cigarette, and perhaps i will see something to remind me of what is real. A honey bee would do nicely. 

peace and love

Hole in mars

A Hole in Mars 
Credit: NASA, JPL, U. Arizona 

Explanation: Black spots have been discovered on Mars that are so dark that nothing inside can be seen. Quite possibly, the spots are entrances to deep underground caves capable of protecting Martian life, were it to exist. The unusual hole pictured above was found on the slopes of the giant Martian volcano Arsia Mons. The above image was captured three weeks ago by the HiRISE instrument onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter currently circling Mars. The holes were originally identified on lower resolution images from the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, The above hole is about the size of a football field and is so deep that it is completely unilluminated by the Sun. Such holes and underground caves might be prime targets for future spacecraft, robots, and even the next generation of human interplanetary explorers.

1 week

1 week is a measurement of time. Time as we know is a means of measuring ... what exactly we're measuring is unsure, but since we all agree it has to be important.

It takes 1 week between making a minor change on your computer, and your son showing you he found it, despite not being allowed to touch the computer.

It takes 1 week between trauma and me falling apart. 

It takes a week for the bloody cycle to renew, and everybody pretends to be fresh and ready for work.

Like a stuck record, screech, scratch, bump, screech, scratch, bump, screech, scratch, bump ....The bump being the weekend, of course. Like a great big reset button that the gods of commerce bang to re-kick-start their profit cycle. 

And like everything from the gods, it's perfectly rational, and reasonable, until you implement it.

Rather take a great big fucking cavemans club, and go visit your nearet mcd's. It will be much better than a weekend. 

FASTER FASTER FASTER until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death - Hunter S Thompson. Ah but dear Mr Thompson, you should never feel fear on the roads. Thats the gremlin that eats you alive, and makes you dead.  Sorry, i'm too busy keeping alive to worry about fear. Watch me go. Watch me. 

Burn the house down, start again. Its only crap anyhow. My crap, other peoples crap. Nothing i actually want.

*grumble*grumble*moan*moan* 

k i'm done.

Newspeak

Here's a press release from the ANC and ANCYL on 'Malemagate'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON SAPA WIRES
JOINT ANC AND ANCYL STATEMENT ON THE STAR MEDIA REPORT REGARDING THE
ANC YOUTH LEAGUE PRESIDENT JULIUS MALEMA

STAR REPORTS AGAINST MALEMA UNTRUE AND OPPORTUNISTIC

The ANC and the ANCYL condemns with contempt reports by the Star
Newspaper, dated 19 February 2010, under the heading “Malema
Millions” suggesting that the ANC YL President, Julius Malema (i)
“owns two multimillion rand homes- both of which he bought for cash”
(ii) “owns a black Mercedez Benz… and reportedly drives an Aston
Martin, and a red Range Rover sport and he went to a lecture at Wits
University in a brand new white Range Rover with no number plate”
(iii) that he earns twenty thousand rands a month.

These reports are not only far-fetched, but they are also untrue as
much as they are deceitful. In our view they are meant to tarnish the
good name and image of the ANC Youth League President.

The first untrue fabrication in the report is that Cde Julius has
bought houses for cash. Cde Julius Malema has not at any stage bought
any house for cash. Like every body else, he has purchased whatever
houses or property registered in his name through banks.

The second untrue fabrication is an impression created through the
report that Cde Julius owns four expensive cars. We like to state on
record that Cde Julius has one car in his name.

The third untruth is the reported twenty thousand rands monthly salary
that Cde Julius earns from the ANC. This is again very far from the
truth.

The ANC together with the ANC YL would like the Star Newspaper to
retract its untrue and fallacious claims as contained in this article
and apologize publicly to cde Malema. If the newspaper fails to do
so, we will be left with no option but to approach the press
ombudsman. We will support any action on the side of the President of
the YL, Cde Julius Malema against the newspaper in defense of his
name, image and integrity.

It is very unfortunate that a newspaper as reputable as the Star would
stoop so low by reporting so inaccurately about the personal affairs
of any person including Cde Julius Malema. As this is the so called
first installment in the audit of the life style of the South African
politicians by this newspaper, we are left wondering if the first
installment and if the first series is so off the mark, what can we
expect to follow. We will also want to be provided reasons, through
the apology that we are demanding, as to the actual intentions of the
Star Newspaper and its reporter of putting to the public so inaccurate
information bordering on defaming the Youth League President.

Issued by:

Jackson Mthembu
ANC National Spokesperson

And

Nyiko Floyd Shivambu
ANC YL Spokesperson

Rambling rumblings rhymblings too

Maybe not rhymblings, lyrical poetry has never been a strong point!

Ramblings and rumblings, just me, sitting here with a head full of i want to share, and no idea where to start, what to say, how to say it, or even whether it should be said at all. Mom always said, if you've got nothing good to say, don't say it. Yes. 

Every morning i have a head full of things to mention, traffic, people, jo'burg, weather. By the time i get here it's been left parked downstairs with the bike. I think it's good, the way i insulate work and home. But i've discovered a rut, in my daily life. When going to work, i literally go straight there, same route, no stops or deviations. It's a safety thing. Entirely. I'm not sure i know where i'd want to stop, or even why, but i pass so much every morning, would be nice to just soak up the vibes in a different place. 

Of course, it's all next to black top, with bumper to bumper madness. I never feel safe in bumper traffic, even though i'm not technically in it. The highway has emergency lanes now, most of the way, which makes it possible to just pull over. 

Riding to and from work is a salvation, taking the edge off, and injecting that fun and living that is so lacking from the rest of the day. Yesterday was horrible, Lance's death is rippling through my life in many unexpected ways, and fear of the crunch is one of them. Today was better, still scared, but in absolute control. The bike is anoying me though, a bogey cord has been damaged, but i cannot replace te cord, as they're all connected to the coil. Thousand and something rand unit. It doesn't affect performance much, but the engine has a stutter, and when at low revs (most of my daily riding) it "chokes" and becomes very hard to ride, smoothly at least. Control, patience, smooth touch, and calm. Have to be calm.

I stalled yesterday on the new offramp, taxi n left, dark sedan right, i stalled as the road bends quite sharply to the left, towards the robot, and as the cars were pulling away, always a careful time. I stalled, checked dash, resarted and pulled away in about, a second maybe, certainly not even as long as 2.  Nothing to brag about reall, stalling in traffic is silly to begin with, but smooth calm operation meant that nobody else even noticed. No biggie, just keep moving.

I've been pondering the topic of traffic prediction, which flows from the topic of traffic observations, which flows from the topic of actually noticing what's happening in traffic while not being killed, by said traffic. Just a background, a comment i posted on irondad's blog about surviving in traffic, runs like this. Ther are 3 major aspects to driving riding safely.

1. Basic vehicular control

2. Road signs, markings, and laws

3. Navigating safely in traffic

Each of these builds upon the previous, and cannot be contemplated until the prior requirement is done, ie you cannot obey a stop sign(2), until you know how to stop the car (1). The problem of course is number 3, as there is neither education nor common knowledge, no more than basic courtesy, that is shared between all road users. And let me assure you, the courtesy on our roads is almost non existant. So, according to the govt, 1 and 2 and go! Without any consideration for 3, which frankly is where most accidents start, and most lives end.

I frequently hear calls for more legislation, better legislation, better enforcement of legislation, but nothing ever comes of these, except massive media driven publicity stunts where the metro pushes the bounds of their authority and inficts misery on anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path. That is neither safety nor justice, and can never correct the problems we face every day. 

What will? Being a better driver. How? By better anticipating roads and traffic conditions. If you see a problem far ahead, you have plenty of time to slow, whereas if you see the problem too late, it doesn matter how good you are, you will not stop in time. So how can i find out more? You can't. There is almost no literature on traffic flow prediction at all. Most is in fact put down (in the biking community for certain) to 6th sense. Yes and no. It IS an enhancement of the senses, mostly visual, but it's not about wat you see, it's about HOW YOU INTERPRET IT. Guess wrong and you're dead. Natural selection at it's finest. 

We consign each and every newly licensed driver to that fate. Hardly seems fair. There are clues everywhere, small pieces of information upon which you make decisions, whether to zig or zag. 

I want to start collating data, somehow there has to be a means of teaching people how to predit traffic. You cannot do it in a parking lot, or a race track, or a mountain pass, they teach different skills, usually imited to vehicle control.

Wet

So unofficially, it's officially the wettest jo-burg in recorded history. January that is. And the data collected by amateurs around jhb is unanimous, wetter than ever before, and enough rain to account for a large part of our annual.

That is noteworthy ...

I found this on James Clark's column. Usually dribble, but he has a lot of user feedback (go figure) and it helps a little, sometimes. Anyhow, this is what he says people recorded:

The highest January rainfall I've received was 456mm measured by Richard O'Callaghan in Parktown North. That's half Joburg's annual average in one month.

The next highest was from Ethel Ross next to Parkview Golf Course (Melville end) - 425mm.

Third highest was measured in Robin Hills, Randburg, by Julian Nicholls - 407mm.

Talk about our fickle rainfall: Simon Griffiths, who also lives in Robin Hills, measured 114mm less than Julian.
Stephen Rule in Parkhurst measured 385mm. 

At last some measurements from southern Joburg:

Colin Tucker in Randhart, Alberton, received the highest fall in the 55 years he's been measuring - 359mm.

Colin Malcolm of Glenvista Ext 3 got 358mm.

Allan and Marion Gregg, Mayberry Park, Alberton, recorded 270mm. (In January 2001, only 40mm fell.)

Rodney Eager of Kibler Park - about as south as you can get without falling off the edge of Joburg - recorded 337.5mm. (January last year he got more: 350mm.

Wits computational electromagnetics expert Professor Alan Clark, who lives on top of Kensington Ridge, has kept and analysed detailed measurements since 1991. He recorded 324.5mm. In 1991 he received only 23mm more for the whole year.

His average annual fall in 19 years is 867.1 about the same as Joburg. 

Alan is interested in communicating with others who keep rainfall details (Alan RobertClark@gmail.com).

If anybody eventually finds a pattern in all this, he will.

Oh wow, look what i just learned to do. Hahahaha it's always been there, just never needed to. No that's wrong. Just never figured it as a solution to a problem. Bingo. I like the normal text colour, and dismissed the idea of using colour. At the same time, a while now, i have had the problem of how to identify quotes. So clever me, that stupidly took years (look, another) to "discover". 

About the rain, awesome isn't it? 6pm on a weeknight, i'm at my pc, (i got inet now) and the breeze is cool, the garden is being watered (thanks gods) and the thunder is rolling across the skies. The day has been hot, although getting cloudy through the afternoon, cooling the sun's glare. The rain cleans the smog and dust, the wind stirs things up a little, the sounds of falling rain mutes the traffic from the nearbye artery, and the world appears, more peaceful. Many in JHBare scared of the lightning, rightly so i guess. The Voortrekkers had the right idea. When you see lightning, you go inside and pray *grin*. It's so awesome and powerful and .... deadly but natural. 

Ok, i'm from Cape Town, where as a kid several weeks of rain were not unusual in Winter. People round here are scared of rain too. It does these people good though. You get a tipping point, where the poeople resign themselves to wet roads, traffic jams, and having to stay indoors (?).  That's nice, they actually calm the fuck down. THAT's noteworthy too.

More rain, as i said, shepherds pie for dinner, and homework done. A good day, all told. Time for ducktales with the kids.

peace

R.I.P. Lance Frederick Roper

A man died today. A very good friend of the family, and a distant relative, as an oddity. Lance was a good man, whose kind hearted nature and magnanimity was well known.

He died in my house, in the roof, while doing the absolutely last thing in rebuilding our house, for the parents in law. He was finishing the wiring on the geyser, and somehow, electrocuted himself. He was a very learned man, with great experience and ability. He was one of SA's foremost experts on 4x4's, and regularly travelled to Japan for up to date training. He claimed that plumbing wasn't his best point, but electricity he knew ...

I was here when he died. Thank Gods the children and wife were at granny's house. I heard him cry out, and was there when his spirit passed on. I was waiting for him to put the electricity back on so i could write more music cd's for him. He travelled a lot, and marvelled at being able to have 1 cd, with several albums on it. The first was apparently really good company. 

I'm angry, he didn't deserve this. It was a stupid wiring job, he knew what he was doing. He did the building because he enjoyed it, not for money. Not much to say really, although i have this overwhelming desire to shout at the world, everything i think and feel. 

The day was a good one, but after the fact that changed. Police, medics, family, friends. My father was his best friend. They worked together, and spent a lot of time in each other's company. My mom considered him a brother. The in-laws are the relatives, and they have just moved in with us, and in the last few weeks while Lance worked here also became firm friends. The old man and Lance both went to Jeppe boys, a tie that binds, as i joked. His sister now has no living relatives, as it's her husband who shares the surname with the in-laws. 

Ah fuck i'm rambling. Good, i guess. Oh, and several pastors were here, and a chaplain. Old church families all round too, which added an old friends flavour too. Good to know that support is given, when the time comes. Hell the one man was here was our pastor when i was 2 bricks and a tiki. His son and i were great friends. One of the pastors commented that for all our questions, there'll be no answers. That's a good point, i think. Fuckit WHY? That's about the only damned question i want to know. But of course, those that do know aren't telling. 

Something that's catching me out the corner, is the rather startling admission that this is the second death in my home, in 3 years. I don't like that fact one little bit. Both were absent of any negligence, other wise completely seperate, save the accidental nature.

*shrug*

Perhaps, and i think this only in the dim recesses of my own inner working, there is reason for such. Despite much in my life that is unoptimal, i am blessed with a good home. People come to us for an easy conversation, or to unburden, as may be. I'm hardly a people person, but i love that my home is a haven to some. Surely i cannot begrudge sharing a small portion of my wealth, even if it is sometimes ... hard. I also like think, to myself, That when the "they" (dem upstairs) need to use someone, in some way, one should never fight it, but trust implicity in the goodness of the process. Fuck i sound wierd, i know, but i believe, really hold it to be true, that love and peace and happiness are the desires of life. Life, God, Universe, Gaia, Petty Pewter Gods*, Whatever. And i believe that we are part of a process, and spiritual flow much greater than we can perceive. I have to, it's self evident, isn't it? 

Life, isn't it just, huh?

Life and death, intertwined ever. And as one life passes, many other wheels keep turning. Their spin has been altered, their courses changed, by both the life and the death of a single soul. Like infinitismal ripples crossing and building and levelling and shaping and flowing continuously for generations. 

He made a big splash, this quiet man. He was one of the good guys, straight and decent, and good to everyone around him. He will be sorely missed.

Rest in Peace Lance

A book, by someone, google it.

EDIT: i got his middle name wrong.

Namaste

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” 

“Love thy neighbor as thyself.” 

”Share the light you have with others." 

“Give unto those in need if you can.” 

"Never turn a person down that asks for help if you can help them." 

"There is a reason/purpose for all things happening and no accidents or coincidences." 

”Unconditionally forgive everyone." 

”Rid yourself of negative thoughts/feelings/emotions towards others, rid yourself of hate. Do not set your heart upon temporal materialistic things of the world but focus on things which are eternal and last forever of the "Soul". 

"Make the right choices, do the right things, work on becoming a better and more loving person." 

"If you've passed someone up in need, you've only passed up yourself." 

"Never forget- That which you do unto others you've only done unto yourself in the long run from an eternal perspective." 

"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten."

113 months

To the day ...

Guess what? The world trade centre debacle. And all of a sudden, we have previously unreleased images of the falling towers!!!!!!!

SO on all the news sites, we are re-reminded of ALL of that, while iran is gong apeshit. Half the news sites are down, and the reports that are coming through are of violence in the streets, and mass media ... um ... issues?????

Iran has managed 20% uranium enrichment, under the eyes of the International atomic energy police. But already western propaganda is saying 80% .... WTF??

113 ... months. Now i dunno much about mystic numbers, but i KNOW this is ringing true. And again, it's the 11th of the month, something that seems to have meaning for them.

UPDATE: Meteor strike in Mexico ... nothing further yet ...

UPDATE: Meteorite Hits Mexico Leaving 30 Meter Crater in Ahuazotepec Municipality

Although not explicitly stated, apparently many saw the meteor, so it seems likely that this photo is of the same meteor.

Synchronicity

I caught a comment on another blog from last night that i have to reproduce in it's entirety. The blog is The Secret Sun,  and the commentator Strange Eye. Both on my blogroll, right. The post was Timing is everything.

Bold is mine.

StrangEye said...

@Chris,

you were on quite a roll, going with the floW, as it were.... 

Right up until you wrote:

"You can drive yourself insane with this stuff."

It is precisely that fear that causes the synchronaut's (a term generally and loosely used for the experiencer of synchronicty's - which really is everyone, you and me and everyone else) subconcious mind to stop the flow and to close the door on synchronicity through active denial. Part of synchronicty is the attunement of one's "self" (a term I use lightly) to the macrocosm of events occuring around us all.

We are all part of one thing! - so it is in fact quite natural that the individual parts should have access to all the information available to the whole - but we have to allow ourselves (our conscious / logical mind) to be an active and consciously particpating part (as opposed to unconscious and thereby unaware part) of the creative macrocosm in order to see the bits and pieces (the synchronicities) of the underlying creation schema.

It is that "leap of faith" into the conscious synchronicty experience that will most certainly change your life.

That acceptance of the phenomena allows us to gradually begin to understand through experience the "one thing that is everything", "GOD" if you will, on a very personal and direct level.

Synchronicity also exemplifies, through the experience of it, the larger concepts covered in our religious texts and books of "Faith". We understand through synchronicty the Biblical concepts of being fallen or enlightened or entered into Heaven.

What is truly "insane" is the learned and hypnotic belief that we are individual and isolated, non-connected beings!!!

There is not my matter and your matter in this Universe, there is only the matter that makes up the physical Universe - part of which is in me, part of which is in you.

To exemplify: Even though we like to use the terms "My hometown" or "my city" we know that the town or city is not actually ours in the sense of individual ownership. We understand through the use of the word and idea that we are only a part of the concept of "town" or "city". The town or city concept is a group effort.

The very same applies to our nations and countries on this planet. You know that I define myself as "Canadian" based on the fact that I was born and reside in a part of a landmass that has be section and appartioned into countries at some time in my past and the portion I am legally part of is called "Canada". 

Is "canada" the bounded and defined country and land - without the people in it - somehow magically different than the same land boundaried and define to the south of us called The United States of America?? NO. It's not. If it were not for roadsigns that people have made and erected you could travel across this conceptual Border boundary and line and never even know you crossed it.

In the very same way we have applied the same conceptual boundaries and borders to the very matter that makes up the Universe and in applying these conceptual and non-existent borders and boundaries we forgot that all of it is actually just one thing - the "UNI"VERSE. 

If we allow ourselves to be restricted to the tiny and ever decreasing conceptual boundaries that we create, we consciously find ourselves restricted and isolated. If we allow ourselves to transcend those conceptual boundaries and borders, we find ourselves connected to everything and experiencing that connection - which begins at first, through the Jungian concept known as synchronicty

~SE~

Lizard dreams

I would be surprising a lot of people if i admitted to following advice, of any sort. Since the advice was given by lizards, i can hide behind a suitably mystic "Ommmmmmness".

Point is, i was visted by some lizards recently, an omen to be sure, but one which warned to pay attention to dreams, which i don't usually. Hell i hardly even pay attention to the waking world, what care i for fantasies?

To my great surprise, my dreams have been clearer than usual, and i wake up with a certainty of having had more than one dream, even. Far more clarity than i'm accustomed to too, it seems my subconscious does hear me, albeit selectively. 

So there i am in dreamland, every night for the last few nights, and i recall well why i hate dreaming. Confusing kaleidascope of people, places and events that i don't recognise. I am always, supposed to be there, and the people know who i am. They talk, and i don't, save to ask questions, which they never answer directly.  Ok, sometimes there are those i know, the other night my father (still living) paid me a visit. And sometimes my "family"as a unit.

Anyway, without going into the myriad details of the dreamscape, 2 identical messages have come crystal clear over the last few days. "South Africa is going to become like Zimbabwe". Oh dear. See why i don't like dreams? Even when they have something to "say", it's never good. Just give me the lottery numbers and be done please? 

From here the next logical step thought is: so is this internal or external? IE, am i making this shit up? Or am i tapping into the "collective unconscious" of Jung? I can't answer, at least not objectively, but since i  accept the presence of omens in the form of lizards i will accept the messages of the gods. Next is that damned question .... why? And the possible reasons will leave your mind wrapped itself around itself like a bowl of overcooked spaghetti. I would *think* that a response is required, action, on my part. But what? Even though i suspect the same thing, ie the breakdown of civilisation, i am limited as to what i can DO. Limited by money, and time. 

We're starting a vege garden already, and i'm busy making an organic compost pile, and and and. But i hardly see anything which i can do to mitigate ANYTHING the future may bring. Merely the usual, which is stay calm, and do what you think best under whatever the circumstances may be?

It's the state of the nation address today, a rather meaningess "important event". Nothing will be said or done worth spitting at, and the only bright spot is that this is the least popular any president has ever been. The fact that he's the "popular president", is poetic. Gorgon poetry i think.

Soccer world cup swine flu

From News24:

"The H1N1 virus could well make a big return to South Africa during our next flu season," he said.

"We will have a lot of people visiting the country over the period of the World Cup. Therefore, the conditions for a rapid spread of the virus will be good."

Vincent's warning comes as the department of health planned an extensive swine flu vaccination drive of about a million people in March prior to the World Cup.

"The more people are vaccinated against the illness, the greater the protection afforded to the community and visitors to our country. Clinics and pharmacies will also stock the vaccine," Vincent said. "Those who intend travelling now or later in the year should also consider having the vaccination."

And again, oh bother. Yes, if they're vaccinating people, be SURE that SA will have more swine flu. I have a very bad feeling this is going to kill a lot of people.