Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

Mary Gentle (b. 1956)

21 High-Brow, 5 Violent, 19 Experimental and 21 Cynical!

Zille receives 'reprimand of sorts' from DA

By Carien du Plessis, Xolani Mbanjwa, Siyabonga Mkhwanazi and Sapa

The ANC has distanced itself from what it said was a "deeply embarrassing" attack by the ANC Youth League on DA leader Helen Zille. As the war of words over her description of President Jacob Zuma as an "Aids risk" escalated, the MK Military Veterans' Association (MKMVA) threatened to make the Western Cape, where Zille is premier, ungovernable.

( Read more... ) Published on the Web by IOL on 2009-05-14 06:05:00

Looks like ANC did not get the 2/3 majority it was aiming for. It's nice to know that perhaps the largely ignorant and uneducated majority of people in this country has not completely bought into Zuma's populist approach. I could be wrong of course, and it is possibly because the breakaway party, COPE was simply voted for by those people who felt more allegiance to its leaders, rather then the ones remaining at the ANC. I'm hoping it is the former, because that would mean people care about education and their country's future and thus vote based on they feel is best for them as people. I'm really feeling optimistic today.

In other news, Apple coughs up for copyright infringement. I'm not the biggest fan of Apple corporation so I'm glad their image is displayed correctly and not through pink-coloured glasses.

Apple has been ordered to pay $19 million to Opti Inc., a technology company based up the road in Palo Alto, for patent infringement.
( Read more... )

Paris - French author Maurice Druon, a former culture minister and fighter for France's World War II resistance movement, died Tuesday aged 90, the Academie francaise announced. Druon, author of numerous novels, was hailed by President Nicolas Sarkozy as "grand scribe and a grand soul."

He is best known for Les Rois Maudits, or The Accused Kings, a series of historical novels ( Read more... )

When I was a teenager I used to devour his "Accursed Kings" series. Between him and Alexander Duma Sr. I used to know most of the French dynasty starting with Philip the Fair. There was just something exciting and profoundly sad in his stories of the French Kings. Unlike Duma, who tended to prefer a more dramatic approach, Druon painted his novels in a more historically correct light. I have an anniversary edition of some of his books, but he detailed the fall of the French Capetian dynasty until the third Valois king took over.


 

German retailer bans violent games after shootings

Berlin - German retailer Kaufhof will no longer sell violent video games and films, after a teenager - who was an avid gamer - shot dead 15 people before killing himself last week, the firm said Wednesday.

"On the basis of what happened in Winnenden, we have decided to take all the games and films deemed unsuitable for below 18 year olds out of our product range," Kaufhof spokeswoman Sonja Kittel said.
( Read more... )


I'm sorry, but when a kid does not distinguish the line between reality and fantasy he should be under supervision and receive medical help from psychiatrists. Also, his father trained on a shooting range and had some influence. You don't know how to handle a gun after playing "Crysis" or shoot a bow after playing a ranger on "Guild Wars". You have to go and train in real life with real people.

Violent games are not for everyone and the warning labels are there for a reason. A kid's mental state is not the responsibility of the manufacturers of said games. Partial responsibility is also with the retailers for making sure they do not sell adult games to kids.  Not to mention the parents, who do have to at least try to teach kids how to distinguish reality from fantasy.  

Driving to work today I spotted a car with the numberplate: "OUCH 1 GP".

So somewhere, there is a car with the numberplate of "OUCH GP". I wonder at the reasoning there.

By Mike Howard

Article Here

Before I unveil my list of the most overrated exercise and diet trends, I feel a disclaimer or two is in order:

   1. I'm in favor of anything that helps people become healthy or fit. The word "overrated" needs to be taken into context and is certainly open to interpretation.
   2. Just because I deem something to be overrated does not mean I don't think it has merit. I may feel something is "overrated" simply due to the amount of hype it gets or to the degree that its proponents revere it.

With those 2 things in mind, let's get going.

   1. Balls, BOSU's, balance boards, Oh my!: ( Read more... )

Most of my friends know that I am a supporter of the previous and current Russian presidents. They seem more honest in their wishes to lift up their county; to decrease the distance between the rich and the poor. This said distance especially increased in the years that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.

This post, translated into English is by a Russian photographer. The idea was to photograph the most expensive thing in the house. 

 We can't trust Zuma, warns Zille

ANC president Jacob Zuma cannot be president of the country because he cannot be trusted, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said on Saturday.

"When voters put politicians in power, they must be able to trust them. Without trust, democracy goes bust.

( Read more... )Published on the Web by IOL on 2009-03-07 17:40:22

I can only answer for people in South Africa at this point, but cellphones are the worst. Handheld gaming devices are too expensive here and so is the wi-fi. Although laptop appearances in shops are more common these days, they do not create as much hassle as cellphones. People talk loudly, allow them to ring in the most inopportune places and frankly behave, like the public space is an extension of their living room. I do not care if your boyfriend broke with you and how much time you spent crying to your girlfriends. Speak softer or see them face to face and leave the rest of us to our own devices.

I suppose I just hate the imposition of another person's life onto others without their  consent and cellphone help allows to do that with little effort. In comparison, a wannabe pseudo-intellectual in a coffee shop with an open laptop is quieter and more amusing in trying to balance the 17'' inch screen laptop and a tall latte on one small table.

World of Warcraft: The 'crack cocaine' of gaming
by Chris Matyszczyk

  We all have addictions, small or large. They toy with us. They ruffle our hair, whisper in our ear, slip their hands down our shirts, and tickle us just the way we like it.

Among gamers, a key addiction, according to Sweden's Youth Care Foundation, is playing World of Warcraft.

( Read more... )

The foundation says that in 2007, it received 2,000 calls to its addiction helpline, 170 of which concerned computer games. Presumably, all 170 calls involved World of Warcraft. Would it be fair to ask how many of the 2,000 involved crack?

I personally like this comment from the Digg site: "They confuse correlation with causality... AGAIN. Over ten million people play that game, it's bound to come up in problem cases more than the average game."
 
There is no such thing as a 'good' addiction. Replacing "World of Warcraft " or any other 'addictive' game with say sport, will merely make you a more fitter addict.  There is such a thing as analysing and addressing your problems, playing around on a PC for 10-15 hours a day is primarily a symptom, not a cause. 

P.S.  On a lighter note. How else would we get our elite armour sets? :)

You Scored as Lord Havelock Vetinari You are Lord Vetinari! Supreme ruler of Ankh-Morpork! Cool, calculated, and always in control. You graduated from the assassins guild, but failed a course on stealth and camouflage, because the professor never saw you there (even though you attended every class). You always seem to know what everyone is thinking, and after a conversation with you, people feel that they have just escaped certain death.   Lord Havelock Vetinari 69% Carrot Ironfounderson 69% Death 63% Esmerelda (Granny) Weatherwax 56% The Librarian 44% Gytha (Nanny) Ogg 38% Rincewind 31% Greebo 25% Cohen The Barbarian 25% Commander Samuel Vimes 25%

snagged from mighty_jo 

A commercial satellite collided with a Russian satellite over Siberia yesterday, yielding a cloud of fragments, according to a NASA scientist tracking space debris. The collision between the commercial satellite, belonging to the American communications firm Iridium, and the Russian satellite, believed to be defunct based on its advanced age, was the first of its kind,
( Read more... )

 

Article from the Scientific American.


We need to send some Metro cops to space, preferably the whole force.

I went to the fruit and vegetable shop today to get some pecan nuts for home-made biscuits. The store also serves as a nursery, selling potted plants and freshly cut flowers. The dreaded ignored commercialised Valentine's day holiday is this Saturday and the flower section in front of the store was full of tiny rose bouquets and small arrangements with intensely pink odourless roses and kitschy teddy bears with the requisite heart clutched in tiny plastic paws. I am not even going to try to comment about the price, but needless to say, it is cheaper then the conventional shops, but not by much. Especially at this time of the year, any rose of any red shade will do.

I don't know what makes me sadder, the fact that it is supposed to be the day when men must remember to give flowers to their girlfriends and explore that 'romance thing' they talk about in the adverts or that we women feel very happy receiving those mass produced plant mutations just so they can brag to those so-called unfortunates that happen to be single on one day in February about getting flowers.

I don't want to explore the ideas and connotations of commercialism, perceived romance, self-delusion and all those happy themes that make me such a happy well-adjusted and not to forget, single individual in this particular post, but the truth is - no matter how we hate or love the 14th of February, we love getting flowers. It generally does not matter where we are in life, we still think the gift of a few plants means something from those who gave it to us.

Oh, just to get to the point I was losing whilst waxing philosophical. If one must acknowledge the commercialism and the cheap sentimentality, at the very least, try to get real roses, not the ones that die after a day and have no smell since they are cheaper to grow. More along the lines of a few, preferably a few dozen long stemmed  roses. You know, the ones with dark red petals and crimson-coloured centre, and a wonderful lovely scent. Maybe, they do make one consider that there is something to this 'high romance' thing. At the very least, they keep for more than a day.

Research is only glamorous in movies - grumbles about the upcoming exam.

I performed my civic duty this weekend and registered to vote in the upcoming general SA election. I tend to generally take a dim view of large elections. In this country, that has a curious mixture of 1st world and 3rd world lifestyle the 3rd world lifestyle, not by choice of course, tend to be the uneducated, easily excitable majority so I doubt that my lone voice, supporting a minority view will make a large difference. This means that people like the 'revered 'ANC president Jacob Zuma have a far better chance of becoming president, but hey, some presidents never even had the wealth of education such as a completed grade 5. Naturally, education is not the only prerequisite, but it is more then a nice-to-have.

On a completely unrelated note, I spotted this article about incorporating both the bedroom and the bathroom into one space. The concept of an on-suite bathroom is hardly new, but to enjoy the toilet smells and after bath humidity whilst sleeping is simply not enticing. Colour me an ultra conservative, but that's just me.

Is the Cape allergic to Malema and Zuma?
By Andisiwe Makinana

ANC Youth League president Julius Malema is to continue campaigning for the ANC in the Western Cape, despite "an overwhelming feeling on the ground" that he should be removed from the campaign trail, the Cape Argus has established.

Debate has been raging in ANC circles about whether Malema should continue campaigning for the party in the "conservative and sensitive" province, especially after his controversial statements in Cape Town last week.

Malema commented that Zuma's rape accuser had had a "nice time" and also that schoolgirls who fell pregnant should be sent to special boarding schools.

( Read more... )