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Windrider
15 October 2009 @ 08:33 am
Spring  
I am not a garden person,  since even if I take care of the plans inside the house they tend to die. Still, I cannot help but notice how beautiful the spring is this year. It feels like Johannesburg is greener then before with wild splashes of colour from various trees and on carefully maintained lawns outside the smaller business parks.

I don't think I've ever been so excited about spring in a long while. Admittedly, this time of the year has usually been filled with preparing for Unisa exams and when your head is full of Strategic Management lingo, the smell of jacaranda in the air does not really register.

I shall be posting photos of my recent trip to the US soon. As soon as I remember where both my cameras are in the house. I may have put them somewhere so they won't be in the way when I was unpacking.
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Windrider
01 October 2009 @ 08:51 am
Back home  
J ohannesburg - ANCYL leader Julius Malema on Thursday threatened to "mobilise society" against Nedbank following a decision to withdraw its sponsorship from Athletics SA (ASA).


"Let them withdraw. We'll engage them and we'll expose them for who they are. We'll tell them the truth of why they are withdrawing, and we'll mobilise the South African society to know what Nedbank is,( Yes, tell us what Nedbank is Julius )
"Who controls big corporates in South Africa? if you know that, then it will give you an answer why these people cannot get a proper sponsorship and that is what we must keep quiet to." News24.com

I wonder if ANC will assign someone to Malema to help him use the dictionary. Otherwise, My indignation with this baboon has no end.

 

 
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Current Mood: amused
 
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Windrider
30 September 2009 @ 06:55 pm
Yumm  
 The caviar is finished, but I have lots of almond tiramisu, hummus and garlic & tomato crostini and pistachio halva. I may be spoiling myself these last couple of days. Carefully, my stomach has been very annoying lately.

Must say, treating yourself to delicacies here is not nearly as bad for your bank, even as [info]mighty_jo  would say, in South African ront.

P.S. Saw Lucas Radebe on NBC news this morning, they couldn't pronounce his surname properly, but I had a patriotic moment looking at all the people waving South African flags and posters announcing the Soccer World Cup in SA next year. Then I switched to PiX11 to watch "2 1/2 Men".

P.P.S. Walking for 6 hours around New York without eating anything is not recommended.
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Windrider
10 September 2009 @ 12:36 pm
Ready for your friendly 'hood teen spy?  

By Carien du Plessis
Political Bureau
From IOL.

Cuban-style revolutionary youth spies could be on every street corner if a National Youth Development Agency plan for compulsory community service is approved.

Agency chairman Andile Lungisa told a press briefing yesterday that people as young as 13 in countries like Cuba have become "defenders of the revolution", keeping a close watch on the activities of people in their neighbourhoods.

( Read more... )

Cuba is a communist country, not a democracy. There, the 'non-revolutionary activities' are specifically defined.  In our democracy (let's not criticise its quality right now), we do not have 'principles of the revolution' that we must keep to, so this begs the question on which activities should those young minds report on? So what is it exactly we are helping the youth with? Reminds me of those times when USSR led a propaganda campaign in the 1920-30s about the enemies of communism and how those enemies should be reported to the state to be dealt with, harshly. Or does our charming leading party wants to breed the new generation of Pavlik Morozovs?

Plus, R930 million budget?  This is a bigger budget than some government agencies, which do actual work to benefit people, get.
 

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Current Mood: bitchy
 
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Windrider
27 August 2009 @ 08:28 am
New Book by Terry  
There is a new Terry Pratchett book coming out this year, October to be more precise. It's called "The Unseen Academicals" and is about football.

Football has come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork - not the old fashioned, grubby pushing and shoving, but the new, fast football ( Read more... )

October is not that far away.

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Current Location: South Africa, Johannesburg
Current Mood: excited
 
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Windrider
13 August 2009 @ 08:47 am
Iceland - finally, South African travel writers discover it!  
I had been to the majority of these places, except I visited the Green Lagoon in Akureyri, instead of the one in Icelandic capital.

It is the last few weeks of summer in Iceland. As we fly into Keflavik, Reykjavik's international airport, we can see a giant stretch of black lava - solidified bubbles levelling off into grey-green pools.

Even though it is late, after 10 at night, the sun has not set, and pink clouds are trapped in sandwich layers across the sky. The rich orange sun melts somewhere into the horizon, yet despite this, a sharp wind spikes through our jackets, making us shiver.

( Read more... )

Our final stop as we head towards the airport, is at the Blue Lagoon. It's a tourist trap but a delightful one at that. Known as Bláa Lónid by the locals, it is actually a pale blue pool of geothermal seawater from the Svartsengi power plant. It's also one of the most famous spas in Europe. Patrons swear by the curative powers of this organic soup composed largely of dead algae and silica mud. This is an amazing place to while away a few hours in steam rooms, massaging waterfalls and the obligatory mudpacks. When we get back on the plane, despite the vast distances we have covered in only a few days, we feel remarkably rejuvenated. Taken from here.


Another side note: Icelanders are actually very friendly, not stone-faced at all.

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Windrider
13 July 2009 @ 07:00 pm
KEWL?  
I cannot believe this, but they are making the Bioshock movie after the hit game of the same name. It has the potential to either be very bad or very good. I wonder what will it be? It is directed by the same director who made "Pirates of the Caribbean" so there may be hope.

I highly recommend reading the synopsis. It is the synopsis of the actual game, however the premise is what originally drew me to the game and presents some issues not often presented in the first-person shooter genre.


This is a really good fan version of what it would be like.

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Current Mood: artistic
 
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Windrider
12 June 2009 @ 08:05 am
Fantasy writer - hmm, very interesting  


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

Mary Gentle (b. 1956)

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

Congratulations! You are High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical! These concepts are defined below.

( Read more... )
Take Which fantasy writer are you? at HelloQuizzy

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Current Mood: cold
 
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Windrider
14 May 2009 @ 09:39 am
I did not even realise that 'male concubines' were a valid term  
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
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Current Mood: cold
 
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Windrider
26 April 2009 @ 12:05 pm
Politics and technology  
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... )

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Current Mood: chipper
 
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Windrider
15 April 2009 @ 07:50 pm
Oh no!  

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.


 

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Current Mood: sad
 
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Windrider
19 March 2009 @ 01:58 pm
Fire away!  
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.  
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Current Mood: apathetic
 
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Windrider
16 March 2009 @ 01:21 pm
What's Your Personality Type?  
You Are An INTP
The Thinker

You are analytical and logical - and on a quest to learn everything you can.
Smart and complex, you always love a new intellectual challenge.
Your biggest pet peeve is people who slow you down with trivial chit chat.
A quiet maverick, you tend to ignore rules and authority whenever you feel like it.

In love, you are an easy person to fall for. But you're not an easy person to stay in love with.
Although you are quite flexible, you often come off as aloof or argumentative.

At work, you are both a logical and creative thinker. You are great at solving problems.
You would make an excellent mathematician, programmer, or professor.

How you see yourself: Creative, fair, and tough-minded

When other people don't get you, they see you as: arrogant, cold, and robotic


If it was a "Grey's Anatomy" meme, I'd be Christina Yang.
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Windrider
10 March 2009 @ 05:12 pm
Random  
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.
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Windrider
09 March 2009 @ 01:29 pm
The 8 Most Overrated Health Trends  
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... )
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Windrider
08 March 2009 @ 10:49 pm
Warning: Refusal to take off your clothes may result in a nudist riot.  
( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )
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Current Mood: amused
 
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Windrider
07 March 2009 @ 10:54 pm
From around LJ  
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. 




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Windrider
07 March 2009 @ 09:42 pm
We can't trust Zuma, warns Zille - Ya think?  
 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
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Current Mood: grumpy
 
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Windrider
06 March 2009 @ 10:05 am
Writer's Block: Miss Manners  

What recently developed technology—cell phones, wi-fi, laptops, handheld gaming devices, etc.—do you think has had the worst influence on how people behave in public?


View 501 Answers

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.

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Windrider
03 March 2009 @ 01:15 pm
But Guild Wars is more addictive!!!  
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? :)

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