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The Resolution

2011-02-03T08:16:00.000+02:00

I shall not live in fear. I will not allow being thought of less, to stop me from saying what needs to be said. I will not let what the future holds for me; dictate the person I want to be today. I will not pass on my fears to my children and have them be afraid of life. I will not fear tomorrow, the unknown, the unseen, the unheard because they have a better chance of being good as they do bad.

I will embrace life in all it’s glory and darkness, because the darkness allows me to rest my eyes and live with my heart and soul. I will encourage my children to paint using the dining table as a art table, and to jump on the bed and couches, not only because they are young once but because it lets people who enter our home know that we live here.

I will encourage them to fall in love as often as possible, because like all things in life, practice makes perfect. I will learn to fly not simply because I am afraid of heights but also because the clouds is where I belong. I will learn to play a musical instrument not merely because I am afraid of exposing my soul; but because music is the the language of God. I will learn a foreign language and converse with new people not merely because I am introverted but because it provides me with a whole new vocabulary of swear words and I will take up photography with a passion so I never have to fear forgetting.

I will not live in fear.

Honesty

2011-01-06T10:55:00.000+02:00

I visited local McDonalds and KFC outlets over the past few months and have come across an interesting form of dishonesty. The McD in Pinelands, Western Cape, South Africa and the KFC in Maitland, Western Cape, South Africa crook their waiting times in the drive-through. As some may know, there are sensors at the drive through windows that measure the time that a car stands and waits for their food. This is a quality of service issue and is used to maintain timely service averages. What these two outlets do when they are not able to promptly provide you the food you ordered is to ask you to park your car in the waiting spot and they will bring you your food. If you ask why, they tell you that they don't want to delay the car behind you. Thus crooking the system. On the odd occasion, when something goes wrong this may be acceptable, but it has become almost standard practice with me waiting in the parking spot on average 30% of my visits.

I wonder if the owners are aware of this or is it just the managers who are measured and rewarded on these averages.

Further if they are dishonest about this, what other corners are they cutting? Watering down the hand sanitisers, tomato sauce, keeping old food in the wormers to serve to customers ( this happened to me on my last visit to the McD)?

Soccer World Cup

2010-06-26T18:14:00.000+02:00

Attended the world cup and watched two first round matches. Spain vs Switzerland and Netherlands vs Japan. The matches were great, the stadium, spirit and and crowd were absolutely incredible. I took my father to the matches, one of the better decisions that I have made. He absolutely loved it. My only regret is that I did not get tickets to more matches.

The Moses Mabhida stadium is a sight to behold. Everyone visiting South Africa for the Wold Cup I hope has tickets to watch any match at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

For those doomsayers or naysayers, regarding South Africa's ability to hold the World Cup. Sorry, climb under that rock and come out in a few years time when Brazil another developing nation is in its final preparation stages to host the tournament. We will await your negativity at that time. For the rest enjoy the games.

Trick of the Devil

2008-11-18T07:17:00.002+02:00

Imagine this, the United States of America is increasingly isolated in the world, its traditional sphere of influence (the America's) is under threat, it is seen by many in the world a rogue state. This has come about in no small measure as a result of it's unilateral action in Iraq and Afghanistan. But all said and done, the rogue state has his prize. A strong direct military presence in the Middle East and control over what is arguable the second largest oil reserves in the world. Having this control secures the USA's energy needs for the next few decades. A prize well worth the status of social outcast and rogue state.

But in order to dominate in other spheres, how to gain the inside track again? How to make the USA acceptable in polite and civilised circles again. There has got to be a changing of the order of control within the US government and it has to occur at an inspirational level. It has got to be done with the full support of the people to enhance its finality and completeness. The people need to speak and indeed they did. They even made history to boot.

A great trick indeed, the devil has been defeated and light and reason prevails. Yet..... Iraq is still under the control of a foreign country having been invaded without United Nations consent and under false pretences (Weapons of Mass Destruction). Afghanistan is still under foreign control also having been invaded without United Nations consent. Both countries are not in the process of being given back. The trick is complete.

Germany

2007-10-22T07:24:00.000+02:00

I spent a few days in Germany recently. Mostly in Munich and Berlin, so I cannot claim to have any extensive knowledge of the country or a wide experience of its people. What I can say is that to the man and woman, old and young, Germans seem sadly resigned to their lives. I saw very little joy or contentment, just people going about their lives as meticulously as they could. In a sense, I can understand after spending a few days there why the Holocaust was able to happen. The Germans are conformists. They want rules, they want to follow and conform. They want the surface to be pretty and ripple free. So if you have a leader who decides to take the wrong road, as long as the rules allow him to they will all follow.

The unfortunate thing is, I got the clear sense that not much has changed. They are still conforming, not challenging except within set boundaries, not driven by emotion, passion and not resistant to authority as many nations peoples are which brings a healthy balance called democracy.

Education and the New Syllabus

2007-08-04T00:11:00.000+02:00

I came across a website recently titled KUBARK Counter Intelligence Interrogation: the CIA's Secret Manual on Coercive Questioning. To be quite honest, I am speechless. I don't know what to write about this manual, only to put it out there and let you be the judge of it. I guess those that are still of the view that the US is the beacon of hope and light that they preach they are, better take a closer look at the world in which they live.

The Horror, The Horror

2007-07-03T10:53:00.000+02:00

In 1996, Madeleine Albright, US ambassador to the United Nations, was asked by Leslie Stahl on the TV programme 60 minutes, on the price of containing Saddam Hussain, " We have heard that half a million children have died. I mean thats more than died in Hiroshima. And, and you know, is the price worth it?

The response, "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price, we think the price is worth it".

Personally, not being specifically university educated in international relations, cultural practices and general human social science, I am guessing that one does not need a degree or two or the entire CIA analysis section for that matter to tell one that the Iraqi's would not be welcoming of any US engagement in Iraq, except maybe as an opportunity to get some payback.

500 000 children under the age of five, not counting the elderly and sick. How does one calculate that the price was worth it?

God save us all for not having torn down the walls in protest.

My Place in this Life

2007-06-16T17:55:00.000+02:00

I had an absolutely amazing experience recently. An old school friend of mine who I last saw and spoke to, about 18 years ago called me out of the blue. He had apparently recognised my father who he also saw about 18 years ago and asked him for my contact details. We talked over the phone for about 30 minutes, exchanging telephone numbers and commited ourselves to meet when we were both in the same province again.

After I put the phone down, I could not stop smiling. I had a feeling of euphoria and gushed to my wife about the call and promptly went to dig up old class photographs. Its not that I dont have many friends, which truthfully I dont. Its just that being surrounded by people who have known you for many years, when you were a different person, contextualises ones life. I felt a certain fulfillment that clearly identified a shortcoming in my life. I have a wife and two children whom I love very much. In spite of this, the phone call made me long for old and deep friendships that have not been a part of my life for almost 2 decades. Just the thought of rekindling this friendship, made me feel as though I may just belong here in this life.

The presence of old friends who know you, who have seen you at your worst and best and who you know have seen you as such, I am starting to realise, function as a anchor in life. They allow you look back at who you were, where you came from, where you planned to go and how you got where you are today, never judging because we know each other well enough to know that any attempt to lie to each other will be a pointless exercise. The greatest regret that I have is that I have not maintained any of my friendships over the past 20 years. I have been a lessor person as a result of this.

Second Thoughts

2007-05-19T20:35:00.000+02:00

In my first post titled "First Thoughts", I wrote about a disturbing article concerning a Pakistani national, Saud Memon, who was arrested by the FBI, spent two years in Guantanamo Bay and then was handed over to the Pakistani Intelligence Service. As indicated, he was brought to court after the Supreme court demanded that he be presented. Once he appeared in court, the court ordered that the emaciated Memon be taken to hospital for treatment.

Articles appearing in the Pakistani Daily News and the United Kingdom's BBC state that Memonhas died in Hospital of pneumonia and meningitis. His death occured at approximately 2:30 pm on Friday the 18 May 2007.

The background to Memon is that he was a textile businessman on whose piece of land the body of executed journalist and US citizen David Pearl's body was found. He denied any knowledge of the death and fled Pakistan. There was apparently a bounty on his head to the value of about $3 million. What is interesting about this case is that if he was in fact guilty, why did the FBI not produce the evidence in court and prosecute him? Why release him to the Pakistani's who also did not prosecute him?

Many may argue that, where there is smoke there must be fire. But the simple fact remains that if there is no evidence, there is no sure way of knowing that he was guilty. A society premised on the rule of law and underpinned by a constitutional order, in order to continue to be considered to be acting legitimately cannot make life and death decisions based on emotions of revenge.

One does not expect individuals who were related to David Pearl or many others who lost their lives in terror attacks to transcend the emotional and leave their personal views aside. But this is exactly why we have governments and people who are removed to make the decisions that will impact on the world and peoples that live in it. It is why, inspite of, the allegations made against Memon, he is innocent until proven guilty. If not, then we give credibility to the people that the world is so keen to fight. Allegations fuel and are fueled by hate which is enough to justify the dehumanising of a person which makes it easy to kill them. This is not a world we want to create for our children.

Rosebank

2007-05-15T19:16:00.000+02:00

I spent some family time at the Rosebank Mall this Mothers day. The mall is situated in the city of Sandton, which is a city adjacent to the city of Johannesburg in South Africa. Sandton is considered the financial or business hub of South Africa. We had a good lunch and watched some outdoor entertainers who appeared to be from West Africa. My daughters were completely enthralled which made the visit worthwhile. They performed a routine of slapstick comedy, juggling, fire eating and balancing. All worthy traits if one wants childrens attention.

The mall also has a small african curio section with african crafts from most of Sub-Saharan Africa. It was an interesting visit and walking with my camera, I undoubtedly drew much more attention and invitations to visit the various stalls than I would otherwise have got. I suppose I looked like a tourists. It did not help that I took a few photos in the craft centre.

Speaking of tourists, on my last visit to the Mall, about 3 weeks ago, I saw the latest Academy Award winner for Best Actor , Forest Whittaker, strolling through the mall with who appeared to be a bodyguard. He looks alot thinner and smaller in real life. I have not seen the "Last King of Scotland" yet, but I have seen some some of Forest Whittaker's other film so I have no doubt his performance in the "Last King..." was a tour de force.

Good Muslim, Bad Muslim

2007-05-13T23:08:00.000+02:00

I have been reading a book by Mahmood Mamdani called Good Muslim, Bad Muslim.On page 117 of the book there is a passage that I found quite interesting. I will quote it verbatim.

" No one- including the CIA - really expected the Contras to win the war against the Sandinastas. The point of this war, this terror, was not to win but to bleed the government, to show it as incapable of protecting the population from terror and simultaneously to invite its repression - two different but effective ways of discrediting the government. Testifying before the world court on September 8, 1985, David MacMichael, a CIA national intelligence analyst on Central America from 1981 to 1983 who later became critical of the Contra war, explained that the CIA expected that Contra raids would provoke the Sandinistas into three kinds of aggressions: (1) clamp down on civil liberties within Nicaragua itself, arresting its opposition, demonstrating its allegedly inherent totalitarian nature and thus increase domestic dissent within the country; (2) provoke cross border attacks by Nicaraguan forces and thus serve to demonstrate Nicaragua's aggressive nature and possibly call into play the Organisation of American States; and (3) provoke reaction against United States citizens , particularly towards United States personnel within Nicaragua and thus serve to demonstrate the hostility of Nicaragua towards the United States"

The above strategy was also applied in Afghanistan which was the training ground for the people responsible for the twin towers destruction. It seems they ( the afghani and arabs) have learned their lessons well. The USA now faces the the application against it of the same strategy they used many times in the past.

First Thoughts

2007-05-06T14:43:00.000+02:00

Read and article today about a person who after the Supreme Court in Pakistan ordered that he be brought before the court was stretchered in apparently emaciated. He had apparently been arrested by the FBI in South Africa, rendered and incarcerated in Cuba and then handed over to the Pakistani Intelligence Service the ISI.

What I find extremely disconcerting about this incident is no-one is shouting about this incident from the rooftops. It is not making headlines around the world and with a collective shrug of our shoulders we carry on with our lives as though a great injustice has not been perpetrated and the world is not a lesser place because of it.

Please click on the attached link which will take you to the article.
http://www.dawn.com/2007/05/05/top3.htm