Me

Yes that's right, unashamed i shall discuss "i". With a small letter, if you please.

The lizard has already made an impact, awakening me from the daily slumber. It's real. I know it. And i don't mean real as in atoms an molecules and such, i mean real as in beyond our 3d world, REAL.

How do i know this? Is it "just" a feeling? "Just" a hunch? No it isn't, but how can i speak on something i know so little? Because i know. Take THAT empiricism. But when i look into myself i notice some strangeness, no sarky comments thanks :p

I know things, feel things, see things. All within the usual realm, but with added depth. OK, now i'm not making sense and i know it ....

So i'm not an average guy. I'm smarter than most, and more perceptive. I can see through lies. I am an empath, which basically means i can feel myself in the shoes of others. When i listen. 

And so the humdrum daily life is split asunder by this visitor. I am taoist, mostly, which just means i try impose less of myself on the world, and more of the world on myself. I say world, and think universe. God, mystery, life, consciousness ... the web. It's there, and i am connected, although whether as a hungry spider or trapped prey i'm never quite certain. But i know that the outside world is not random, and accept that life moves through us all, and the fact that most people would say phooey to such a suggestion says more about people than life.

Veni vidi phooey (ROFL - thank you to Asterix in Britain!)

I reject most of common thought, as a smoker rejects smoke in favour of tobacco. I am just a small window, flying through space and time. I would almost like to kick back and allow the subconscious to revel in the glory i find, but that cannot be either. Firstly, on earth there is probably more misery than glory. And secondly, well i'm human. I think. I dream. I desire. I plan. And most of all, i try understand. I have reached a zenith, where all the workings of men are laid bare. I see. And understand, and where needed explain to those who have no such insight. But that is ... usually rather shallow. 

What i wish to know is the workings of God. A paraphrase of Einstein, perhaps, but as equally valid as E=MC2. Which my kids are starting to bend their heads around. Energy equals matter. Simple really. I'm hoping that such seeds planted will later bear fruit, especially in my son, who is a bit of a genius at maths.

Something i read about people feeling too much, or thinking too much applies. I do both, although i'm about the only person i know who actively discourages it in my life. While trying to encourage it in others. Confusing, rather. 

This same depth of thought and feeling is balanced by this 3d world and the prison of matter. Prison of the mind i think. Distorted perceptions, and limited perspective. I tend to accept it as part of the grand plan, which surely has to exist on some level. No energy is wasted to the universe, primary school physics. Yet stretch that out to our spirits, where such HUGE volumes of energy transfer between and around us daily. This life cannot be a waste in ANY manner or form. Just logic. And feeling. Stone age man knew it as well as i, even if they didn't have the concepts. Human evolution ever since has been aimed at bridging the differences, between what we see and what we know.

Caught between monkey and angel, i am similarly caught beteen the absolute power and awe of this body and mind i have been given, and it's total insignificance of the great out there.

I went outside for a smoke now, and standing on the balcony, spy 2 lizards on the same rock sunning themselves, clouding themselves is a little misleading, if more accurate. I've never before seen 2 lizards being companiable. Portents indeed.

I went outside to regather thoughts, and failed. There is this great cloud hovering, perfectly visible, yet giving form with words just doesn't quite work. I know i am important, though for the life of me cannot fathom why. I know i am loved, although i see so many so much more deserving than i. I know i will have hardship, and won't know why. I know that i am holding back on the world. I know that the universe should have lost its patience with me years ago, yet plainly has not. I know that great things are about to happen, and that i will be a custodian of sorts. No, i cannot explain. 

I know the spirit world surrounds us like the air we breathe, but i choose to ignore it, smoking instead another cigarette. I know we are doomed by our decisions, yet saved by ... something else. 

I was quoted today, on another blog. Really! (it's the first blog i read every day) and seeing my name there, well it catches me by surprise. "The universe is highly intelligent in every aspect", quoth i in a moment of lucidity. It's true, any monkey can see that *chuckle* (the intelligence, not the lucidity) but no, they don't see.  Even when shown sometimes. Like the story, you walk through an open field, and find a watch. You pick it up, and marvel at the exquisite perfection of gears and sprockets. You wonder at the regularity of the day, and the ability to perfectly mimic the passing of time. As you continue walking, you find a stone. Is it not as marvellous? As truly astonishing a find? With it's complexity only measurable at an atomic level, is it not more obvious that it was no mere chance? But alas, people actually argue this point.

Where am i going? Well i have no fooking idea. I go forward into the murky depths of space with no certainty of anything, but a lot of fairly good ideas. I go forward in faith and hope, and charity too.

Obama vs Ahmadinejad

 http://rt.com/

Of course the US is all snotty about it, but what a brilliant image, causing people to think for themselves.

Scary news

"Let's burn him, he is a police officer."

This is NOT good. And it's not in some rural backwaters, this was on Soweto's main artery into Johannesburg. 

"Residents of the Motsoaledi informal settlement, next to Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital, turned the busy Chris Hani Road into a no-go area during their protest yesterday morning."

"Young and old, including women, ran and placed burning tyres on the road, causing traffic congestion. Protesters ran for cover when police emerged and fired rubber bullets at them. Some protesters were arrested. 

Some of them were kicked and pushed before being put into a police armoured vehicle. 

Residents held placards reading "Free electricity"."

"The Motsoaledi Concerned Residents issued a statement saying they had taken a decision to conduct militant protests with the aim of disrupting the economic flow in Soweto "because that is how these big politicians take notice and come to respond to service delivery issues"."

_____________________________________________________

OMG, it's caught on. They realise that without violence nobody gives a shit about them. This is Soweto 1976 all over again, listen to us, or we shall destroy. Police with rubber bullets attacking woman and children. Then it was about ediucation, now it's about energy, both essential to any community. And both the anc and the nats gave these communities the finger.

It cost the nats the country, and received international condemation, what will this cost the anc? 

I cannot but also point out eskoms current 35% price request for electricity, in the face of these demands for free electricity. Unstoppable meats unmovable. the pressure here is SA is building. 

Visitor

When i got to work this morning, and parked the bike in our underground cement coffin, i had a visitor. A lizard was waiting for me. I had to get off the bike and chase him a little out the way, but he sat there and watched me most intently.

I got a vibe, the closest i could describe as hallucingenic, just a feeling. Almost as if it was trying to tell me something. That i believed quite clearly. Of course what he wanted to say is a complete mystery, since i'm such a dumb oaf, but of course i appreciated the thought.

peace

Time

I've always been a fan of Pink Floyd's "Time", and the subject of time too. I used to have an old wind up watch as a kid, and could tell the time from an early age. There's something about time that is comforting, it's the same for everyone right? The only difference is of course some clocks are more accurate than others. Mine was always 100%, i checked it with the radio.

So it's no surprise that i was curious about this story about a 100 year old watch found in a 400 year old tomb, that was believed to have been sealed. Ok, so someone is wrong, but look at this:

It appears to be a ring, but has a watch built in. It has siezed, but was fully functional. Beautiful. Apparently it is even marked "Swiss" and should not be older tan about 100 years. But The archeologists are certain that the tomb had not been entered since its sealing 400 years ago, when "Switzerland" did not even exist.

Of course, no discussion on ancient time keeping will be complete without the Antikythera-Mechanism.

That is of course a computer simulation, this is what it looked out out the sea:

The beauty is that once it worked. Flawlessly. From wiki:

The mechanism has three main dials, one on the front, and two on the back. The front dial has two concentric scales. The outer ring is marked off with the days of the 365-day Egyptian calendar, or the Sothic year, based on the Sothic cycle. Inside this, there is a second dial marked with the Greek signs of the Zodiac and divided into degrees. The calendar dial can be moved to compensate for the effect of the extra quarter day in the solar year (there are 365.2422 days per year) by turning the scale backwards one day every four years. Note that the Julian calendar, the first calendar of the region to contain leap years, was not introduced until about 46 BC, up to a century after the device was said to have been built.

If you appreciate mechanical items, you cannot but stand in awe of these wondrful toys.

Secession - Thembuland?

This is too good not to pass up. 

From IOL:

South Africans need to accept the secession of the AbaThembu Tribe, Votani Majola, lawyer for King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, said on Sunday.

"AbaThembu Tribe have seceded from South Africa. The sooner the Nation -aligns with this reality and start preparing to form the State of Thembuland the better," said Majola.

This week the Dispatch Online reported that Dalindyebo's lawyer Votani Majola had served a "secession notice" on Parliament.

Majola was quoted as saying the nation was no longer part of South Africa and that the ANC-led government would have no say in the new independent state, which would be headed by Dalindyebo.
____________________________________________________

So i check Hayibo, a local political satire site, nope. I dig elsewhere, this is real news, no spoof. Now mr king of tribe has just been found guilty of charges "including culpable homicide, kidnapping, arson and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm." Ouch. So rather than accept his fate as per the courts, he's challenging the entie structure of the state. 

Curious. And as his tribe is reportedly several millions strong, he certainly cannot be ignored. With Lesotho and Swaziland still within our borders, and Urania still going strong, in the desert too noggal ... well we south africans are certainly tolerant of giving people self determination to minorities. *grin* And then we have the old homelands, which have become part of SA, thugh still if you visit them you'll find them somewhat different, more rural, than our rural, if you know what i mean. 

Either way, keep watching :)

Traffic

Me again.

Traffic fascinates me. It truly has gotten under my skin, and i can spend hours just sitting on the side of the road, watching. Of course, living in south africa gives a truly unique insight in the mad to-and-froing of all these very busy people.

As a kid, i had the bicycle, and with proper training, i didn't kill myself. I drove into a car once, a beige ford escourt, the old man was very nice about it ...

Next time i crunched was with my father's bike, a honda cb750. Typical bike accident, the bitch didn't see me. Taught me all i needed to know about respecting the size and speed of a motorcycle, not to mention brakes ... even thought the accident occured at under 40km/h, before i hit he brakes. 

Then were the walking years, if i wanted to get there, i walked. Then i had a car for a while, Brunhilde, a 518 BMW from the early 80's. Then for work trucks, and bakkies, and all sorts. I had a job delivering stuff all over jhb for several years, 8-10 hours a day in this hellish traffic. Then an office job, and the bus, and then the bike. And i haven't looked back since. 

I find that even in traffic on the bike, my mind is working, observing, learning, often laughing, at what i see. Often too is the head shake, just, are they really theat stupid? Or just pretending? Taxi doors opening in traffic, blondes sticking make up on their faces while chatting on the cell phone, having beakfast, and driving to work.  

What caught my attention this morning was the pointsmen that we have in jhb. 2 types, the outsurance pointsmen and the metro police. Outsurance: gracefully managing the intersection while being fully aware of where each car is. You can see that they have "road sense" and have decveloped a feel for doing it right. The metro: clumsily flapping about in a state of semi panic, not understanding anything more than people must respond to their instructions.

The results of course are the important thing, and metro management of out of order robots (traffic lights) results invariably in backed up traffic and fustrated drivers. Near collisions are frequent since people don't understand the instructions. 

There is something about the road that fascinates me. Like prey in front of a hypnotising snake, caught in it's death trance. Except i have a healthy respect for this snake, and admire from a safe place. But other people don't ... it's not a natural thing i think, i'm road training the kids, and i almost have to beat it into them, stay away from the road! They're learning though, and they watch as carefully, pointing things out. My son watched an accident happen while we were coming back from Germiston. A car accident in the rain, cue "Swan lake" music. *grin*

OT:

We watched 201 A Space Odysey last night, a truly wierd movie. Bu nice, refreshing to see where half of our current popular space science comes from. That whole era truly changed mankind, injecting a whole mythology into popular world views.

In defense of Judge Richard Goldstone

IN DEFENCE OF JUDGE RICHARD GOLDSTONE BY FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE ARTHUR CHASKALSON AND GEORGE BIZOS COUNSEL IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL LITIGATION UNIT OF THE LEGAL RESOURCES CENTRE

We are concerned about the attacks made on the integrity of Justice Richard Goldstone following the report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict, made public on 25 September 2009. Richard Goldstone was the head of the mission, but there were three other members. The other members were:
• Professor Christine Chinkin, Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science;
• Ms Hina Jilani, an advocate and human rights activist in Pakistan, who was the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders, a member of UN International Fact-Finding Commission on Darfur, and a member of the Eminent Jurists Panel on Terrorism, Counter-terrorism and Human Rights. 
• Colonel Desmond Travers a former officer in Irelands’ Defence Forces and a member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations, which investigates war crimes . investigation of war crimes and crimes against

The mandate of the mission, whose report was unanimous, was to enquire into whether there were any violations of International Law (which would include International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law) by both the government and army of Israel and by Hamas which was in control of the Gaza strip. The mission interpreted its mandate as requiring it to place the civilian population of the region at the centre of its concerns regarding the protection to which they were entitled under International Law.
 
Hearings were held in Gaza and Geneva. Some critics accuse Goldstone of hearing one side only. However, the mission sought the co-operation of the Israeli government. It refused to make any representations to the mission, despite the representations made to it by the mission and the efforts of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The mission was supported by the Palestinian Authority in the Westbank. Despite Israel’s refusal to make representations the mission considered statements made by senior Israeli politicians, senior officers of its army, documents, photographs and videos submitted to it by various NGO’s and its secretariat.  

The mission determined that it was required to consider any actions by all parties that may have constituted violations of International Human Rights Law or International Humanitarian Law. The mandate also required it to review related actions in the entire occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel (“paragraph 11 page 14 of the report”). The mission found that both Israel and Hamas committed violations of International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law.

It is not our intention to express a view on whether the findings of the commission were correct or not. Views differ on this. Our concern is that Judge Goldstone, an eminent South African judge, has been accused of bias, dishonesty and improper motives in being party to the report of the mission.  

 For instance, Jack Shapiro in the SA Jewish Report 30 October 2009 wrote:

“Goldstone became a Nationalist Party judge. In those days only “Nat Boeties” became judges. Did this start the ball rolling? Was this the start of a new career for him? A world personal ambition?”
This theme was also advanced in scurrilous emails which were widely circulated
attacking his integrity.
We have known Richard Goldstone as a friend for more than fifty years, and have followed his career as a colleague at the Bar, as a Judge of the Transvaal Provincial Division, as a Judge of the Appellate Division, and as a Justice of the Constitutional Court. Our answer to Shapiro’s rhetorical question is an emphatic “No”.
  
Not every judge appointed during the apartheid era was a supporter of apartheid. There were a number among them, including Richard Goldstone, who accepted appointment to the bench in the 70s and 80s in the belief that they could keep principles of the law alive. They included Michael Corbett, Simon Kuper, Gerald Friedman, HC Nicholas, George Coleman, Solly Miller, John Milne, Andrew Wilson, John Didcott, Laurie Ackermann, Johan Kriegler and others. There is a considerable body of evidence that they discharged their functions with courage and integrity. This is recognised in the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which observed that “there were always a few lawyers (including judges, teachers and students) who were prepared to break with the norm.” Commenting on such judges, it says “they exercised their discretion in favour of justice and liberty wherever proper and possible. . . . and (the judges, lawyers, teachers and students referred to) were influential enough to be part of the reason why the ideal of a constitutional democracy as the favoured form of government for a future South Africa continued to burn brightly throughout the darkness of the apartheid era.”
  
Richard Goldstone was one of those judges. For instance, his decision in the case of S v Govender in 1986 that no ejectment order should be made against persons disqualified by the Group Areas Act, 1986 from occupying premises reserved for the white group, without enquiring into whether alternative accommodation for such persons was available, was a great blow to the apartheid regime, and contributed substantially to that legislation becoming unenforceable in certain parts of the country. As a judge of the Constitutional Court he concurred in the finding that the first draft of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa passed by the newly elected Constituent Assembly did not comply in certain respects with the 34 constitutional principles agreed to by the negotiating parties at Codesa.

 He was the founding chairperson of Nicro, an organisation to look after prisoners that have been released; he exercised his power as a judge (not often used by other judges) to visit prisoners in jail; he insisted on seeing political prisoners indefinitely detained to hear their complaints; to intervene for a doctor to be allowed to see them and where possible to make representations that their release be considered. After the release of Nelson Mandela he played an important role in persuading his colleagues on the bench to accept the inevitable changes that were likely to take place in the political and judicial structures.
 
President De Klerk with the concurrence of the President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela appointed Judge Goldstone as the chairperson of the commission to investigate what became known as hit-squads or third force organisations within the army and the police force. His reports exposed high ranking officers who were obliged by President De Klerk to resign, and other members of the security forces, and he made findings that police officers had unlawfully shot at unarmed protestors, and recommended that they should be charged with murder. Threats to his life were made, and his name was on the hit list produced in court as part of the state case against the killers of Chris Hani in 1993.

Some who have criticised him say that as a Jew he ought not to have accepted a mandate to enquire into the events in Gaza. We do not agree. Religion and ethnicity are irrelevant to the capacity to judging with integrity. Others ask why he has shown no concern about human rights violations that have been and are being committed elsewhere in the world. This was not part of his mandate as head of the fact finding mission. But his career, from the time he was chairman of the Wits SRC campaigning against the exclusion of black students, to the present time, shows a long commitment to the protection of human rights and a concern for their protection in all parts of the world. He is a member of the boards of Physicians for Human Rights, the International Center for Transitional Justice, the Salzburg Global Seminar, and the Center for Economic and Social Rights. He is a Director of the American Arbitration Association. He chairs the advisory boards of the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation and the Brandeis University Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. In April 2004, he was appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the Independent International Committee, chaired by Paul Volcker, to investigate the Iraq Oil for Food program. He is co-chair of the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association. He chaired a UN Committee to advise the United Nations on appropriate steps to preserve of the archives and legacy of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. From 15 August 1994 to September 1996 he served as the Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, a post he accepted at the request of President Nelson Mandela, who considered it an important affirmation of the post apartheid South African judiciary.

He was the chairperson of a high level group of international experts who met in Valencia, Spain, and drafted a Declaration of Human Duties and Responsibilities for the Director General of UNESCO (the Valencia Declaration). From August 1999 until December 2001 he was the chairperson of the International Independent Inquiry on Kosovo. He is a director of the American Arbitration Association. And from 1999 to 2003 he served as a member of the International Group of Advisers of the International Committee of the Red Cross. He has received many prestigious awards in recognition of his commitment to human rights and humanitarian law.

One trenchant critic of the report, Moshe Halbertal, has said: 

“a mere denunciation of the report will not suffice. Israel must establish an independent investigation into the concrete allegations that the report makes. By clearing up these issues, by refuting what can be refuted, and by admitting wrongs when wrongs were done, Israel can establish the legitimacy of its self-defense in the next round, as well as honestly deal with its own failures.”  

That is a more appropriate critical response to the report of the mission, than the vituperative attacks on Justice Goldstone’s integrity by some of those who disagree with the missions report. 

  Arthur Chaskalson
George Bizos

Johannesburg

21 January 2010

______________________________________________________________

Directly quoting a word document hosted by IOL. Justice Goldstone is certainly a very busy man.

On being busy

Well i have certainly entered a new phase in my life, a very busy one indeed. I took Bertha for a drive last night, and she is running, not great though, the carbs need balancing, and i still have to replace the petrol pump, the one that is on is dodgy and bent ... go figure. At speed she's not getting enough juice, and she's quite noisy too. I'm making a list of things to fix, and it's a very long list indeed. From setting lights, and replacing bulbs, to the interior, to carpeting, and fixing interior fitting, like the cigarette lighter and other buttons and knobs. 

Home is FULL at the moment, of furniture and boxes and such as the in laws move across. The problem is that due to the building going on, we only have half the space to start with! I have literally half my old garage, the other half is now a bathroom, exactly 1 bike plus 30cm in length. But my new workbench is just oooooooo .... *grin*. Huge, a door makes up the surface, and very high, over a metre off the ground. It and the bike are all that fit in there!!! But i have some board, which is going to become the tool hanging place on the wall, and i've been cutting short bits of wire as tool hangers, and we need to paint everything too. It's going to be a very ... tidy workshop, i hope. The woodwork shop will be round the back, i cannot wait for the builders to be done, so that we can start assembling the shop. First order of business is shelving for my bike garage. 

This month has been fairly strange here in JHB. It's rained, constantly. Every single day, either a long, light drizzle, or a highveld thunderstorm. Saturday was a big storm, knocking out electricity and flooding some roads. Today it's the light rain, it's stopped now, but this moning was a comedy of errors on the roads. 1 overturned taxi, 1 bakkie spun into a highway signboard pole, and 1 bumper bashing, and of course in between all of this, everybody was late for work. Even me, i overslept :D

I'm looking at the rainfall stats again, trying to find this month to date, average for Jan is 114mm, i've established that. And it should certainly be thereabouts, or more. 

As an aside, i read a very good article on Spartacus, tying in with the Haiti "slave rebellion". Only 4 recorded slave rebellions in history, which involved full scale war, and Haiti was the only success. Of course, that record could not be allowed to continue, but it makes a very poignant statement. I got home last night with a desire to hear Bob Marley, moving on to Bob Dylan. I think the builders were surprised, they didn't say anything, but clearly they approved.

Isn't it simple, really? And it's funny too, how you get 2 totally different people, with the same stage name, and you listen to them both they're saying the same things. How many times must a cannonball fly, before they form a band?? It's THAT easy to see ...

PEACE \/,,

Haiti

The slaves rebelled, and have been paying for it ever since. Total destruction of what voltaire described as richer than New England. 

We tend to accept any "natural" disaster as exactly that, natural, but after China, i'm really beginning to believe that "they" have the ability to create wave harmonics in a localised area strong enough to destabilize fault lines. Pretty wild thinking i guess, but check out the wierd lights seen just before China's quake, you-tube HAD some. There was Bali, a "natural" event, and a number of others. 

The clue to me is always the degree of "stage-managedness" involved, and the degree of media exploitation.

Ok, a tangent perhaps. But what is NOT a tangent is the fact that this was no accident, nor was the massive death toll surprising. It has been building for years, primarily through the US's policies towards elected leadership, ie remove them. Aristede is here in Johannesburg, somewhere. Apparently he is begging to go back and help, he is a priest after all, compassionate i would think, and why he was elected in the first place (and second too). 

But before the US sends help, they've sent the marines, cos well you know, those rebellious slaves are dangerous, you know? So you have a bunch of marines running around ... not exactly helping much, just BEING there. The US has taken over all aspects of local government, flooded the island with .... MILITARY, and not given a brass farthing in actual aid yet. Fuck them all, hell was made for people like them.

Meanwhile the people are broken, houses all gone, supplies all gone, and even fresh water gone. Those that have survived now face the usual plethora of diseases, and of course the common-spotted-trigger-happy marine. Should the hungry and weak peasants threaten these gods of destruction. *sigh*

History of a Haitian Holocaust

Is it a Humanitarian Operation or an Invasion?

The Lesson of Haiti

May God have mercy on the Haitians.

UPDATE: A first hand account, don't read it unless you're ready to get angry.

Sing along

I mean it ... sing!! Hahahaha, guarenteed to make you smile today ;-)

"Don't worry about a thing,

'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin': "Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!"

Rise up this mornin',
Smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', ("This is my message to you-ou-ou:")

Singin': "Don't worry 'bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right."
Singin': "Don't worry (don't worry) 'bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!"

Rise up this mornin',
Smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', "This is my message to you-ou-ou:"

Singin': "Don't worry about a thing, worry about a thing, oh!
Every little thing gonna be all right. Don't worry!"
Singin': "Don't worry about a thing" - I won't worry!
"'Cause every little thing gonna be all right."

Singin': "Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right" - I won't worry!
Singin': "Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right."
Singin': "Don't worry about a thing, oh no!
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Bob Marley - Everything's gonna be alright.

Doomsday Clock

I don't know how many of you recall the Doomsday clock? Set to reflect how close we are to making ourselves extinct.

Well it's being updated today, around 5pm SA time, although no-one knows which way it will go. It's currently at 5 minutes to midnight, but it's been going since the Cuban missile crisis in the 60's, so i'm really not sure how they plan to interpret  it. 

We no longer face mutual obliteration by the USA and USSR. We've got cancer instead, killing 1 country at a time. Long and painful, with much fussing by those who can do the least to save us. Just as certain a death, but without the grand fireworks finale.

Not with a bang, but a whimper.

Conversation

Ok, i need to tread careful, speaking about work online is a bad idea lately. But i keep having conversations that really seem odd. What is most disurbing is the frequency aof this type of conversation.

Them: we're going to implement this.

Me: great idea!

Them: Ok, here it is.

Me: Oh no, this is problematic for a few reasons, see here, here and here.  We need to do it this way.

Them: But they know better than us. Can it work?

Me: well, it can work, perhaps, but it's really a bad idea, as is.

Them: Ok, well they'll have to make it work, make it happen.

Me: Ok, but it's bad, wrong, problematic and will cause issues.

Them: do it. 

Them: It's taking too long. That's not how it's supposed to be. Why won't it work?

Me: *sigh*

UNICEF kills

BBC

"Unicef spent $27m (£17m) rolling out vaccinations, vitamin A pills and bed nets to protect against malaria from 2001 to 2005 in areas of 11 countries. 

The researchers studied parts of Ghana, Mali and Benin and said children often survived better outside the UN scheme."

"The study, published in the British medical journal Lancet, claimed that child deaths fell by 13% in areas of Benin targeted by Unicef. 

But in areas of the country where the programme was not introduced, the death rate dropped by almost 25%. 

In Mali the researchers found death rates fell by 24% in districts where the Unicef programme was set up, but 31% elsewhere in the country. 

The UN agency's Mickey Chopra told the BBC it was a misinterpretation to say the programme had failed."

_________________________________________________

I'm speechless.

Huisie by die see

"Almal wil 'n huisie by die see he

Almal hoop die struggle is verby

Almal se die lewe is eers more

Maar more is te laat, vir my ..."

Koos Kombuis, respect.

______________________________________________________-

A South African folk singer, this man is brilliant. Any South African will respond instantly to these lines, so simple and yet so perceptive too. For international readers, allow me to briefly explain the song.

Everyone wants a cottage by the sea

Everyone hopes the struggle is past (referring to the armed struggle launched by the ANC against the then govt)

Everyone says life starts tomorrow

Tomorrow is too late for me

................ *smile* such a wonderfully peaceful ditty.

UPDATE: I just discovered you can download this song from 24.com here.

NEO Sighted

This is a quite exciting bit of news, to geeks, perhaps :)

"A near-Earth object that could be manmade has just been discovered hurtling toward us. On Wednesday (Jan. 13), an object called 2010 AL30 will fly by Earth at a distance of just 130,000 km (80,000 miles). That's only one-third of the way from here to the moon, ie: very close."

"The discovery of this 10-meter-wide object is testament to the increasing capabilities of the international community of asteroid hunters."

Thank you to Discovery News for a great article.

A 2 day warning wouldn't be enough, of course, should it be an earth-ender. While this object is not big enough to pose any threat, 2 days warning for a 10 metre wide object is certainly better than we've had before.

The orbit is almost the same as Earth's, which has prompted some to speculate that it is space junk. This has been proved wrong though, and it is apparently a natural occuring asteroid. 

On Thursday, at about 2PM our time, you won't see it, but it will be whizzing past overhead at i imagine a truly phenomenal speed. Nice.

Ridin' ridin' riding'

Day 3 of back on the bike, i HATE not riding, it is so hard to get back in the groove. Sunday i went to father in law, which is about 50km on the other side of JHB. Me and the wife, it's a road i know very well. 3 lane highway, the roadworks are a problem at the moment, but the road and i are old friends. Taking it slow (relatively) it's a perfect way to get back in the saddle.

Nicely too, for some reason the cops have let that highway alone, likely due to roadworks and construction areas, where they are not allowed *chuckle*. So no fussing about speed and such, just be comfortable, and worry about the cars and the road surface. There and back and bike and i were friends again.

Monday morning back to work was a nightmare. The drivers weren't bad at all, i was. Take it REAL slow through the cars, and watch for the monkey. Fortunately no surprises, i at least haven't forgotten everything. The biggest difference, i was terrified of falling. Sunday, yesterday, and this morning a little too. Except this morning i felt windgat, and had to keep telling myself to slow down, and be more careful. Fun though, i had fun this morning.

The fear returning surprised me. When i started riding, i was petrified. Good. I like that cold taste of fear, it makes you wake the f*** up. Getting breathing under control was lesson one, in, out, in, out, It's also one of the best lessons i've learned, and has saved me more than just a few times. I would literally stop breathing, holding my breathe in anticipation of ... something, probably not good. I used to "see" myself connecting THAT car, or sliding THERE. Not sure why my imagination played that tune, i suspect it was fear, and caution, and i actually believe it was a good thing. That faded as confidence grew, although never entirely leaving me, the 6th sense is still wide awake, just not as loud. 

Sogetting back on the bike and feeling that cold dry taste in the mouth, slightly metallic, warned me that i knew i was in danger. Yes, i know, but acknowledging that i know is a good next step. Fear = danger = wide awake.  

Riding to me, is akin to relaxing. If i consciously focus on everything, it can confuse one very quickly. The mirrors, head movements, tyre directions, car position in the lane. All ts information bombards you at a rate of about 4 cars in any given second, with MUCH more on the peripherals. So i relax, make sure that my eyes keep busy, that my fingers know where they are, my position comfortable and balanced, and i ride. The controls are automatic, as they should be, with my body knowing what to do, without being instructed. The scanning is automatic, keep looking, or you'll miss it. And my brain is automatic too, with almost free reign in hitting the danger button. Often i'm slowing before i know why. That's when i focus, and behold yes, he's about to swing cross my path ... 2 ... 1 ... yes you daft prat, if i hadn't slowed you'd have hit me.

That's when i lean back and applaud the fool. I clap my hands because he's a clever monkey, who can change lanes all by himself. My attitude towards other drivers is simple, see me, remember me. If they move over slightly, as most have taken to doing, a small hand wave over my shoulder acknowledges their thoughtfullness. That alone is enough to provide feedback, positive, and hopefully be the bell that makes the dog drool. Pavlov was SO right *chuckle*

But if they are daft prats, well then, traditionally a mirror is the cost of such thoughtlessness, but no, i'll see them tomorrow too, and the next day, so rather play with their little minds, and embarass them in front of their peers. It's great how when you "accost" one driver, the rest move away, giving you space next to the vehicle, and almost always stare at the offender, sometimes adding a finger wag of their own. Priceless.

Either way, it's a flow, causing no harm. I just want to get by, thats all. I know i make people unhappy in traffic, by not being constrained as they are. Whizzing by stationary cars in traffic, well we're the only moving things, so everybody sees us, once we're past. They sit, and think about how stuck they are. Shame. But really, the difference in general attitude has changed so much since i started this route, i honestly believe that the wave, and non violent confrontation of certain drivers, has helped make myself, and all oother riders on the route safer.

Now it's up to me, and only me, to not go a fuck it all up with a silly accident. 

T-shirt i saw in Knysna

Resumptions

Back at work today .... *blink* .... there was time off, wasn't there?

I'm stronger though, than i've been for a while, looking at the mayhem which seems to have continued unabaited through my leave. The world at large has gone mad, only my glasses are clean now, and i can see it so clearly. I am less attached now, i think i found my centre again. I can actually contemplate wrestling the universe now. Except being a taoist, i think i shall swim the currents, and direct myself towards more rewarding shores.

Rest in Peace Pravesh. He died while on route to a breakfast run over the weekend. Single vehicle motorcycle accident. I knew him as a fellow marshall, and he was always in good spirits, well behaved on the road, and excellent company. A young indian guy, i am sure he leaves behind many loved ones.

I think that Think Bike is one part that will play less in my life this year. I still support the "cause", but my energy neds to be focused elsewhere. As Pratchett put it so well (i paraphrase): "You can pick up a cause on every street corner, but there's only one of ME".

Woodwork is my new passion, and now i have the tools, and the old man as a guide, i expect great things. Anyone want an easel? They are damned expensive in the shops, and i do a very good easel i'm told. Small beginnings :)

If you see my bloglist under people i know, there's a new listing for "creative spirit". My dear wifey, and her beadwork. This blogspot really is great, and i enjoy watching people i know use i for their own personal reasons. Having a creative outlet is so important, as is sharing. She does sell her work, and makes to order, so perhaps a hand made jewellery set for a friend? She does some very fine work, click on the pictures for a closer look, really nicely done. 

That's about it for now, still owe a great many pictures, they're here now, so i'll resize etc over the week, and just post arbitrarily. 

peace

Rebirth

I went away, to Kysna. Truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. Set on a lagoon, it is protected from the wind, and the sea. With the lagoon filling and emptying in time with the tides, it has it's own rythm, slowly breathing through the seasons. 

The surrounding hillsides contain forests and farms, all totally at peace. The little town old and comfortable, although sadly too many new buildings, all bright and bold and oddly out of place, typical "development". Poor people and wooden shacks, with views that others spend millions to own. A very extreme place, full of contradictions, yet balanced for all that. And peaceful.

I had forgotten the sea, almost. The feel, of the spray in the wind and the waves between the toes. I had forgotten that smell, heady as wine, and surgically sharp. Clearing the nose, and the mind too. The border of land and the rest of planet earth. Our own small dwellings so brave against the sea carved rock. Birds, hundreds of birds i saw, from the seagulls to the hawks in the karoo. Fiscal shrikes and crows. The birdsong waking us in our tent every morning, and keeping a background whistle whenever we stopped to listen.

Our old merc (1982 280CE) kept turning like a swiss watch, actually improving as the journey took it's course. Taking us 2 old friends over roads tarred and gravelled, with us sharing dreams and smiling at the world. We had no plans, no ambitions, and yet were busy the whole time.

Life, as it should be. I saw it, it exists. I personally suspect it looks something like this :D