On Anger, Change and moments

“Granny Weatherwax was often angry. She considered it one of her strong points. Genuine anger was one of the world's greatest creative forces. But you had to learn how to control it. That didn't mean you let it trickle away. It meant you dammed it, carefully, let it develop a working head, let it drown whole valleys of the mind and then, just when the whole structure was about to collapse, opened a tiny pipeline at the base and let the iron-hard stream of wrath power the turbines of revenge.”

― Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters

I have always been angry, in varying degrees. As a teenager, I was a ball of undirected anger that rebelled against pretty much anything I could without even thinking. And, while the anger is still there like a warm comforting ball in my stomach, I have managed to tame it a little, and use it, much like Granny Weatherwax and her creator, the great Pterry. Recently, I have been angry about politics again, especially US politics. And I have not been sure why a South African expat living in the UK would be so angry about US politics…

When learning about the Nazi regime in Germany, the question is often how did it happen? Surely not all Germans were complicit? Surely not all Germans believed in the concentration camps, and death camps? And we must remember that it didn’t start with death camps and firing squads. It started with right wing rhetoric and little liberties removed. And as much as we, as a human race, say never again, we are watching the same shit unfold in the US.

And the rising violence in the US is scaring me and making me angry at the same time. School shootings are a particular horror that I am not sure how to deal with. One of the reasons we left our home country behind was to try and give our child a safer, better future, but I never ever had to worry about my child having to face that kind of ordeal at school. No parent should ever have to face that fear or bury their child because of senseless violence. I do not want to imagine what it much be like to be a parent in the US, and my heart aches for every parent that has had to deal with this loss.

And there have been a lot of them. There have been 7 school shootings and 18 gun-related incidents at schools this year alone and it is only mid-February. And yet politicians make statements like guns are not the problem, and some even recommend putting more guns into schools by having armed security guards on school grounds. As if more guns will solve the problem of gun violence. But are we surprised, considering Cruella DeVille is the Secretary of Education. Her who won’t create safe spaces for transgendered students. or any students, really, for that matter.

A friend on Facebook shared this slam poetry video, and I thought it was really appropriate to share again now, as he is far more eloquent on this topic and says everything I want to say but cannot get out in a coherent sentence because of the anger and fear wrapped so tightly around my heart.

In other news, Jacob Zuma left office in South Africa this week, much against his own will but the country will be better off without him in the driving seat. I have always had some concerns about Cyril Ramaphosa, but I do believe that his background in both trade union work and as a successful business person makes him a far better candidate than the man who sold out our beautiful country. The king is dead, long live the king.

I spent most of this week away from home travelling to customers, visiting first Knutsford and then Leeds. While it is always hard being away from my family, I do enjoy the opportunities to see different parts of the country (and the world) and capturing moments with my camera.

On Truth, Opinions and Big Steps forward

This week, I removed someone as a friend on Facebook because of a post they shared that contained a bunch of racist, homophobic, transphobic and sciencephobic statements and untruths. When I commented that every line in the post was untrue, I was told that I have my opinions, and they have theirs, and if I don’t like it I should just move along… As if facts can be objective.

Somehow, it is acceptable now to position a fact as an opinion, and suggest that such an opinion is wrong, and even on the wrong side of godly law (i.e. Satanic). So, what is the difference?

A fact is something that can be backed up by evidence, while an opinion is based in belief or point of view. So, stating that the earth is round is based in fact, but your unhappiness with this fact is your opinion. The earth being round can never be an opinion in this universe, no matter how much you argue that it is.

In this post-truth world, fact checking is important, and there are a great many resources available for doing so. Even when reading the news, make sure you read from a variety of sources, as single outlets cannot be trusted to report objectively anymore. But then, my single reader, you know this already

This week, many of us used technology to witness an amazing event – the launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy. It seemed to have captured the attention and imagination of many people, even not directly involved in scientific work, for several reasons. Reusable rockets suddenly bring humans so much closer to affordable space travel, and man, that landing of the booster rockets was seriously impressive. I mean, just look at this:

Suddenly, the rest of the solar system is a lot closer than it was a week ago, and space exploration is possible. And this is very important, considering the Orange One has no interest in scientific investment and wants to stop funding projects like the International Space Station in the near future.

I may also have a small intellectual crush on Elon Musk, and love the fact that he launched his own Tesla Roadster into space, paying tribute to both Douglas Adams and David Bowie in the process. And, of course, for giving us images like this:

(images found with a Bing search)

It also gives me hope for humanity. Because, at a time when truth can be positioned as opinion, we can still achieve great things, and we can, for a moment, forget that right wing opinion appears to be main stream again.

Tuesday 21h29

The husband and I joined some of my high school class mates for a 20 year reunion the other night. It was so nice to see every one, and to realise that we are all pretty much the same, all these years later. We’ve all been through crap, mostly similar, and we’ve all come out the other side in more or less the same place.

I have realised, however, that I have become incredibly polite. Always smiling, nodding, even when I don’t agree, because, you know, it is what you do. I was reminded, in glimpses, of who I used to be. I am not sure I like being so damn polite all the time, but I am pretty damn sure I cannot go back to being so, well, outspoken. To be continued.

And of course, I have been completely glued to every single news outlet I could find for the past couple of days. Social media is fantastic, especially in times of crisis. My heart aches for Japan.

It is 3 days and 21 hours until I leave for my very first ever trip out of the country, off the continent and across the ocean. The nerves are slowly making way for excitement. Because, regardless of how I feel about gambling, it is Vegas. Oh yeah.

Should we worry now?

There have been a couple of bills passed recently, and even more proposed, that has many of us worried about the future of some of our freedoms, especially that of the media. And young Mr Malema has also had his fair bit to say about the media and the need to control it.

And then, today, this happened:

Sunday Times journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika was arrested this morning at the newspaper's offices in Rosebank for being in possession of an allegedly fraudulent resignation letter. The arrest coincided with a meeting of journalists and editors about threats to media freedom in South Africa, reports Times Live.

Lawyers say wa Afrika was arrested for possession of what police claim is a fraudulent letter of resignation from Mpumalanga premier David Dabede Mabuza to President Jacob Zuma.

Wa Afrika was seized by police who became involved in a screaming match with senior editors about whether photographers could take pictures.

[source]

Here is the video from Zoopy:

Funny how new pigs always revert back to the ways of the old pigs. I think it is time for us to stop them, before we revert completely to the paranoid SA of the 80s.

It’s about time

Zuma also said the government did not lack money or skills but rather faced "a crisis of accountability", which is why potholes remained unfilled, schools remained without windows and hospitals without medicines.
"The administrative systems that exist in government are worse than any other in the world," Zuma said.
Looking forward to South Africa's celebration of 20 years of freedom in four years' time, he said apartheid could no longer be blamed "if children still study under trees, if hospitals and schools are falling apart, and if there are still thousands who live in abject poverty".
He said a "drastic change" was needed.
"In some of our front and back offices are employed men and women who do not respect the jobs they are employed in or the citizens they are appointed to perform," he said.
He said government managers should "be visible on the ground from time to time and not be completely desk-bound" so that they could see where people lived and what their concerns were.
Zuma said, to applause, inefficient public servants who failed to improve "should be encouraged to leave".

[from this article]

Let’s see what comes from this.

RIP Peter Steele

Peter Steele, frontman of Type O Negative, passed away on Wednesday.

Official statement from band’s website as follows:

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Type O Negative front man, bassist, and our band mate, Peter Steele passed away last night of what appears to be heart failure.
Ironically Peter had been enjoying a long period of sobriety and improved health and was imminently due to begin writing and recording new music for our follow up to "Dead Again" released in 2007.
The official cause of death has yet to be determined pending autopsy results. The funeral services will be private and memorial services will be announced at a future date. We’d like to share our thoughts and those of Peter’s family below.
We are truly saddened to lose our friend and appreciate the tremendous outpouring today from around the world.
Sincerely,
Josh, Kenny and Johnny

I don’t think I could say anything else. The band in Valhalla just got another member.

[image source]

 

(this is the song that started it all. not the love affair with the band, but with my soulmate)

Smells like…

Trouble:

[from]

[eta]

[from]

I must also add:

I have never been a fan of Mr Terre’Blanche, his ideologies or his party, nor could I even imagine swinging that far right. But this came so at the wrong time. And Malema continuing to spew his idiotic hate-speech is not helping matters. World Cup or no World Cup, there is serious trouble coming now, and for the first time in a very, very long time, I am afraid for my country.

I remember growing up in the turbulent 80s. I remember learning how to identify bombs in our schools, doing bomb drills, and wondering who will plant the next one (the far left or far right). I remember working in the middle of Jo’burg in the early 90s as a very young adult, often having to run from my bus stop to the office I worked in dodging bullets and wondering if today was to be the day where the office tower I worked in would be the one caught in the cross-fire. I remember the fear. That is the fear I woke up with this morning.

So, today, I woke up with a prayer for South Africa. A prayer for a peaceful resolution to our current conflict, peaceful, bloodless road forward, and that this country can truly be a place where all people in the country benefit from living here, not just the well-connected fat cats.

A prayer:

May all beings everywhere plagued
with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending
one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wilderness--
the children, the aged, the unprotected--
be guarded by beneficent celestials,
and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.

 

[picture source – prayer source]

RIP J. D. Salinger

Do you know what I was smiling at? You wrote down that you were a writer by profession. It sounded to me like the loveliest euphemism I had ever heard. When was writing ever your profession? It's never been anything but your religion.

~ J. D. Salinger

1 January 1919 - 27 January 2010

God save the Pistols?

First Preview: Sex Pistols Spring 2010 Collection

 

[source]

Oh my wordy word. Whatever next?

First, Johnny Rotten gets his own TV show, and now this.

Does this mean a revival of all the old bands in a trendy presentable package? Are we going to see Robert Smith hair gel, or Siouxsie’s very own MAC range? Morrissey sandals? Cramps napkins? The possibilities are endless.

I am not quite sure what to make of this.

Article: Climate change far worse than thought before

image source

Interesting thought for the new year. It is important that, as a race, we start thinking further than our own individual needs. Unfortunately, there are still too many that believe Global Warming to be a fairy tale or a hoax of the highest degree. Hopefully these people will also wake up before it is simply too late.

Climate change far worse than thought before

IANS 3 January 2010, 12:09pm IST

NEW DELHI: Global alarm over climate change and its effects has risen manifold after the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Since then, many of the 2,500-odd IPCC scientists have found climate change is progressing faster than the worst-case scenario they had predicted.
Their studies will be considered for the next IPCC report, but since that will come out only in 2013, the University of New South Wales in Sydney has just put together the main findings in the last three years. Most are by previous IPCC lead authors "familiar with the rigour and completeness required for a scientific assessment of this nature", a university spokesperson said.
The most significant recent findings are:

• Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels in 2008 were 40 percent higher than in 1990. The recent Copenhagen Accord said warming should be contained within two degrees, but every year of delayed action increases the chances of exceeding the two-degree warming mark.
  Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas (GHG) warming the atmosphere.
• To keep within the two-degree limit, global GHG emissions need to peak between 2015 and 2020 and then decline rapidly. To stabilise climate, near-zero emissions of carbon dioxide and other long-lived GHG should be reached well within this century.
  More specifically, the average annual per-capita emissions will have to shrink to well under one tonne carbon dioxide by 2050. This is 80-95 percent below the per-capita emissions in developed nations in 2000.
• Over the past 25 years temperatures have increased at a rate of 0.19 degree Celsius per decade. The trend has continued over the last 10 years despite a decrease in radiation from the sun.
• The studies show extreme hot temperature events have increased, extreme cold temperature events have decreased, heavy rain or snow has become heavier, while there has been increase in drought as well.
  They also show that the intensity of cyclones has increased in the past three decades in line with rising tropical ocean temperatures.
• Satellites show recent global average sea level rise (3.4 mm/year over the past 15 years) to be about 80 percent above IPCC predictions. This acceleration is consistent with a doubling in contribution from melting of glaciers, ice caps, and the Greenland and West-Antarctic ice sheets.
  New estimates of ocean heat uptake are 50 percent higher than previous calculations. Global ocean surface temperature reached the warmest ever recorded in June, July and August 2009. Ocean acidification and ocean de-oxygenation due to global warming have been identified as potentially devastating for large parts of the marine ecosystem.
• By 2100, global sea level is likely to rise at least twice as much as projected by the IPCC in 2007; if emissions are unmitigated the rise may well exceed one metre.
  The sea level will continue to rise for centuries after global temperatures have been stabilised, and several metres of sea level rise must be expected over the next few centuries.
• A wide array of satellite and ice measurements demonstrate that both the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are melting at an increasing rate. Melting of glaciers and ice-caps in other parts of the world has also accelerated since 1990.
  The contribution of glaciers and ice-caps to global sea level rise has increased from 0.8 mm per year in the 1990s to 1.2 mm per year today. The adjustment of glaciers and ice caps to present climate alone is expected to raise sea level by about 18 cm. Under warming conditions they may contribute as much as around 55 cm by 2100.
  The net loss of ice from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated since the mid-1990s and is now contributing 0.7 mm per year to sea level rise due to both increased melting and accelerated ice flow. Antarctica is also losing ice mass at an increasing rate, mostly from the West Antarctic ice sheet due to increased ice flow. Antarctica is currently contributing to sea level rise at a rate nearly equal to Greenland.
• Summer-time melting of Arctic sea-ice has accelerated far beyond the expectations of climate models. The area of summertime sea-ice 2007-09 was about 40 percent less than the average prediction from IPCC climate models in the 2007 report.
• The studies say avoiding tropical deforestation could prevent up to 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.
• New ice-core records confirm the importance of GHG for temperatures on earth, and show that carbon dioxide levels are higher now than they have been during the last 800,000 years.

[source]

Sea monsters

Following hot on the heels of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (which I am reading at the moment and thoroughly enjoying), Quirk brings you (queue the organ music) Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.

I found the book trailer on Myke Amend’s blog, and enjoyed it so much, I had to share.

Cannot wait to read this one too.

Thoughts on the Jozi book fair and the local publishing industry

My daughter and I went to the Jozi Book Fair today, where my mom was promoting her book (Steps to Financial Freedom).

The fair was held at Museum Africa in the Newtown Cultural Precinct, Johannesburg and was the first such event in Johannesburg. All the publishers were there with tables - groaning under piles and piles of books - and friendly smiling faces.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to have been very well publicized, as there were more organisers than attendees – or so it seemed, at least. I only heard of the event because my mother was speaking, so I wonder if anyone else had heard of it. Which is a pity, because there is a great need for such an event. In fact, because I hadn’t seen any advertising for the event, I assumed it was an industry only event, and declined taking my daughter’s friends along.

Another pity is the vast number of political literature available, and how little fiction there is by comparison. Our culture has a rich tradition of story telling, and yet we spend all our money on fiction written by non-South Africans. And I doubt that this has anything to do with a lack of writers or readers.

I do hope that this changes quickly. I have seen some non-political South African fiction on the shelves recently, so I am positive that there is change happening in the local publishing industry. But the reality is still that, when I walk into my local bookstore, I am more likely to purchase a book by an international author rather than a local one, because, for some strange reason, local fiction is more expensive. That, and there simply isn’t enough available that is compatible with my tastes.

I really do hope that next year’s event is much better advertised, and that one day, I am there talking about my own book.

The most violent country in Europe…

 

Britain's violent crime record is worse than any other country in the European union, it has been revealed.

Official crime figures show the UK also has a worse rate for all types of violence than the U.S. and even South Africa - widely considered one of the world's most dangerous countries.

[source]

I have to admit that I am hesitant to believe any article that makes these kind of claims these days. Crime and crime rates appear to be sensational news and I suspect facts and figures are blown out of proportion, or not accurately reported. Like the recent story that 1 in 4 men in South Africa have raped at least one person.

Yes, South Africa has a high crime rate. Yes, the UK has a high crime rate. I suspect one may find the same in any country with densely populated areas.

The Youngest Kid to Graduate College Feature Story

Holy cow

The Youngest Kid to Graduate College
6-Jun-2009
Written by: Stefan Julian
11 Year Old Graduates With Honors
Moshe Kai Cavalin started college at age 8 and graduated at 11. On Friday he graduated with honors from East Los Angeles College.
According to Foxnews.com, he graduated with a degree in astrophysics. Cavalin wants to be a movie actor and compete in the 2016 Olympics in martial arts. According to Digtriad.com, he wants to go to Stanford and be an astrophysicist.
Kotaku.com reports, Cavalin has tutored his classmates and is graduating with a 4.0 grade point average. Cavalin plans to head to a 4 year university.
He is the only child of an Israeli father and a Taiwanese mother. Calavin looks up to Bruce Lee and Albert Einstein. The little prodigy says that he’s just a regular kid who loves piano and martial arts. He specializes in algebra and advanced astronomy.
Calavin is the youngest kid ever to receive an Associate of Arts Degree. His mom and dad have decided it is time for him to take a break.

The Youngest Kid to Graduate College Feature Story

Abuse of Child 'Witches' Burgeoning

Abuse of Child 'Witches' Burgeoning
Posted May 18, 09 10:17 AM CDT in Crime & Courts, World
(Newser) – Children dubbed “witches” are facing increasing abuse in Nigeria and elsewhere, advocates say. “They would take my clothes off, tie me up and beat me,” said a 14-year-old, whose grandfather concluded he was a “witch” 2 years ago when he cried at the threat of being beaten with a broom. “Nigerian witches are terrified of brooms,” the grandfather tells CNN.

“Children accused of witchcraft are often incarcerated in churches for weeks on end and beaten, starved, and tortured in order to extract a confession,” said a member of an advocacy group. Often, the children have conditions like learning disabilities or epilepsy. Some 15,000 kids are labeled witches in two Nigerian states, and “it is a growing issue worldwide, among not just African communities, but in countries such as Nepal,” said a UN worker.
Source: CNN

Over and over, i read stories like this. Stories of our children being abused. In Africa, in Asia, in Europe.
When, oh when, will our children be safe?

Eskom wants more…

And for a change, Cosatu and I are in agreement…

The Congress of South African Trade Unions says it is "totally opposed" to power utility Eskom’s proposed 34% electricity tariff increase - and urges National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to reject it.

"Such a massive increase would inflict misery on thousands of poor households, especially as there is not yet a tariff policy that protects poor consumers, many of whom would have to give up using electricity at all, faced with such a rise in their cost of living," says Cosatu.

It adds that a 34% increase would also hit hundreds of small and medium businesses who are already struggling with the effects of the global financial crisis.

More

We are already paying through our arses for basic services that are not reliable. We are paying a penalty if we use more than an ‘appropriate’ amount of electricity – which, I can tell you, is not as much as a normal household would need running the bare minimum of appliances. To add 35% to that will kill both low-income families and small businesses. Not only will it directly impact on how much it costs to run a household, but it will also increase the cost of food and everything else. I am sorry, Eskom, but maybe you need to relook at your finances and how much you pay your fatcats before you try and milk this country for another cent.

We, the public, have until 2 June 2009 to comment, in writing, this requested increase. Please, use your voice. Visit NERSA for more info.

Zuma walks free

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr

“The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty.”

~ Abraham Lincoln

The NPA have dropped all charges (all 700-odd of them) against Jacob Zuma, not because he was found to be innocent, but because of an abuse of process by Leonard McCarthy. Full statement here.

I must emphasise that this does not mean that Jacob Zuma is innocent.

What this does mean that we will have a criminal for a president after the 22 April elections – only 15 days from now. This is a sad day for liberty, justice and democracy.

From the DA website:

The decision to withdraw the charges does not appear to be rationally connected to the information before the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP).  All indications are that the NDPP has not taken a decision based in law, but that it has buckled to political pressure. Two weeks before the election, it now portrays Jacob Zuma as a wronged victim in a show trial.

And from the ID website:

‘There are absolutely no legal reasons for the decision,’ says De Lille
ID President Patricia de Lille says she is ‘very, very angry that the NPA has not provided any substantive legal reasons for withdrawing the fraud, corruption, racketeering and tax evasion charges against ANC President Jacob Zuma.
‘The first casualty of this decision today is the principle that we are all equal before the law.
‘The NPA has got absolutely no right to drop the charges against Jacob Zuma before they have been tested in an open court of law,’ Ms De Lille says.
‘The fact that the tapes are legitimate is completely irrelevant to the Zuma case. The NPA must charge Bulelani Ngcuka, Leonard McCarthy and anyone else on the tapes for interfering in the independence of the NPA.
The ID Leader, the 1st of over 200 prospective witnesses in the Zuma case, says ‘the case against Zuma should have gone on uninterrupted.
‘The fact that these allegations of interference will be tested by the courts, but the Zuma case will not, means that the leadership of the NPA has replaced their loyalty to Thabo Mbeki with a new loyalty to Jacob Zuma.
‘The ANC has betrayed the visions, values and ideals of our Constitutional democracy and of the struggle we fought against Apartheid,’ De Lille says.
‘Ten years of hard work by whistleblowers, the media and the prosecuting team, all of whom were guided by the principle of equality before the law, have gone down the drain.
‘It is wrong that the ANC has been allowed by the NPA, which should be independent, to dictate to it what is in the best interests of our democracy,’ De Lille says.
‘This is an extremely sad day for me and for our country. We can only hope and pray that our people will eventually realize that the ANC leadership is motivated by self-interest, greed and dishonesty.
‘I am deeply concerned for our future for as long as these ANC crooks are in control of our country,’ says De Lille

From the COPE website:

The Congress of the People wishes to register its disappointment at the political decision of the NPA to drop the corruption, fraud and racketeering charges against the president of the ANC. We condemn in the strongest possible terms the manner in which this matter was handled.
The NPA’s decision to drop the charges against Jacob Zuma does not safeguard justice, due process or equality before the law. Instead, it guarantees that the president of the African National Congress, and the party’s presidential candidate, will forever be branded a criminal suspect in the eyes of much of the nation and the world. This decision is a blow to our democracy that will be felt for years to come. The NPA in this act, has undermined the Constitution and itself as an entity.

Is this the end of the Mandela beacon of hope? We can only hope and pray that the rest of the people in this beautiful country of ours will wake up before the elections and make the right decision to not put a criminal in power. Or at least to ensure the ANC does not have a 2/3 majority. But, after this decision, it looks like the road we find ourselves on was built by Robert Mugabe rather than Nelson Mandela.

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

~ Nelson Mandela

One month to go

Today is exactly one month before the 2009 South African general elections – a date that is perceived by many in the country to be pivotal for our future. It is the day that will determine the direction our country is to move in almost more than the 1994 elections did.

It is interesting to note how, this time round, the political parties are utilising the internet and especially social media sites.

I have been reading the DA’s blog for quite some time, and follow Helen Zille on Twitter. The DA also have a supporter’s website and, I believe, a Facebook group.

I once added Patricia de Lille’s blog to my reader, but as she only made one post in six or so months, I realised she was obviously far too busy with something else to, you know, say anything – or maybe she just hates blogs and social media in general. At least her party, the Independent Democrats, do have a fairly decent website where they even offer a free ringtone for your phone.

COPE’s website is quite nice, attractive and easy to read. It also provides links to their YouTube channel, as well as their Flicker stream and Facebook group.

This morning, I discovered the ANC’s YouTube channel. The ANC also has a semi-ok official website, as well as the MyANC website for supporters. According to the MyANC website, where you can also find the ANC’s blog, there is a Facebook group and a twitter stream too, but I have not quite yet found the links.

The ANC also seems to have hired a couple of web jockeys to comment on forums and blogs with pro-ANC propaganda. This is especially true over at Thought Leader, where they manage to slip in some pro-ANC, pro-Zuma comment on non-political blogs. And I suspect one of their other jobs would be to maintain the Wikipedia page, because it is terribly biased and in keeping with the rest of the propaganda spread.

One also simply has to look at the online supporters banner over at SAelections:

According to this, the breakdown of online supporters is as follows:

• ANC: 22665
• COPE: 8820
• DA: 5209
• ACDP: 1043
• Freedom Front: 853

SAElections is also on Twitter.

RIP Lux Interior

Erick Lee Purkhiser, better known as Lux Interior, front man of The Cramps

October 21, 1946 – February 4, 2009

 

This was the first Cramps song I ever heard, and it is the one that got me hooked.

Fin24.com>>Economy>>More rate cuts to come

Johannesburg - Economists on Thursday welcomed the South African Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decision to reduce the repo rate by 50 basis points to 11.5%.

"Today's interest rate cut will provide a lot of relief to the struggling consumers, although not sufficient to induce an increased household consumption pattern over the short term," said Kgotso Radira, economist at Investec.

"This decision confirms our view that economic policy is now directed at averting a prolonged slowdown in the economy."

But Radira added that more interest rate cuts are needed to stimulate consumption demand and economic growth in future.

"We expect another cut at the next MPC meeting and it is likely that Sarb will cut by more than 50 basis points as targeted inflation falls rapidly. We see interest rates being lower by more than 300 basis points next year.

Fanie Joubert, economist at Efficient Group, said a 50 basis point-cut is not a major announcement, but it will give some positive sentiment to the market.

"At these levels though, it is not too significant, but for sentiment's sake it is positive."

Over the longer term, however, people will see why it was better for the Reserve Bank to be more moderate in the early phase of a rate cut, said George Glynos, economist at ETM.

"At this moment, it is the right move and the market will take it in its stride."

- I-Net Bridge

Fin24.com>>Economy>>More rate cuts to come

Finally, some good news after weeks and weeks of doom and gloom. Not only will yesterday’s rate cut bring some relief for consumers, but it will also encourage businesses to spend and invest again, especially if there is potential for more cuts in the near future. Good news all around.