|
| Contents |
Issue No. 310 -- 6 December 2004 |
Editor's Message
Quote/s of the Week
Ad Hoc Article/s of the Week
Bits and Bobs
The Legal Beagle
Help Desk
Where are they now?
Club and Other News
Humour
Recipes
Sports News
Credits and Contact Info
Subscribing and Unsubscribing
| Send this Issue to a Friend! |
TOP |
This past week Matthew and I went to a book launch in Johannesburg. The book that was launched is called South Africa 2014 – The story of our future. You can find out more here: http://www.sagoodnews.co.za/hot_off_the_press/SA_2014.htm
 The launch was held at the Old Fort prison in Braamfontein. The pic is of Guy Lundy (co-editor of the book) and yours truly. Picture was taken by Matthew and you can see the prison doors in the background.
Next week’s edition will be the last before Christmas – the next edition should be n your in boxes on January 10 2005.
In the meantime, the boat has been taken to its new home at K’Shane. We now have a boat house and the boat is safely ‘docked’ there. We are planning lots of day trips to the dam over the holiday period and getting in lots and lots of water skiing. The water is up a couple of inches already and we are able to launch it at K’Shane with no problems.
These from me...
I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. - Charles Dickens
Christmas! 'Tis the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial fire of charity in the heart. - Washington Irving
Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles. - Author Unknown
I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. - Harlan Miller
Send in any quotes you love... that have some special meaning for you... and I will use at least one every week. Usual address! editor@saw.co.za
| Ad Hoc Article/s of the Week |
TOP |
Coming Home
Welcome to our new section! Each week we will feature a question and answer sent in to the Company for Immigration. We hope these will help answer any questions you might have regarding any part of the coming home process. If you would like to send in your own question, please feel very free to do so.
We will also be featuring a great amount of information on the SAW Website (www.saw.co.za) under the Coming Home section. You can also find out info by visiting our newly relaunched site, South Africa Online (www.southafrica.co.za) and checking out the Coming to SA section.
Here is a bit more info...
Whenever and wherever South Africans meet, the surest way to start a lively discussion, is to ask someone for an opinion about emigration from or remigration back to South Africa. In 2002 we (i.e. the non-profit immigration service, Company for Immigration, and the trade-union, Solidarity) realized that the return of South African expats had become a fact and that their inputs are essential for the growth and development of the country. We are neither interested in a debate about the reasons why people leave or come back, nor about the merit of their decisions. We prefer to provide a practical service instead:
offering advice and assistance to prospective remigrants;
addressing the problems which cause people to emigrate; and informing people about the pros and cons of emigration, to help them make an informed decision before leaving.
Interested? Want to receive our monthly newsletter by email? Have questions or suggestions? If so, please visit our mirror sites www.comehome.co.za or www.komhuistoe.co.za and leave your details on the visitor's page, or contact us at admin@cfi.org.za. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
Alana & Annatjie
COME HOME CAMPAIGN
This week’s Q&A...
On leaving SA in 98, we had to leave behind us, 2 paid up retirement annuities, the contracts in custody of the bank (we get to pay annual custody fees), as there was nothing that could be done to transfer the funds, at least none before age 55, and then only up to a maximum of 1/3 in cash (and not exceeding 30000), the rest being paid as a monthly annuity.
I understand that there have been some noises of change to this rule, and was wondering if anyone out there could help.
Peta
Melbourne
Dear Peta,
From sources at my disposal I have confirmed that it is still status quo. You can still only withdraw a maximum of one third of the total fund credit at retirement (from age 55). I could however not find any reference to the R30 000-limitation when making such a withdrawal. The R30 000 might refer to a tax-free portion available at retirement. The balance (exceeding the tax-free portion) will be taxed at your average tax rate (could be as little as 18%). The tax-free portion however doesn't influence your maximum withdraw amount.
I trust this answers your question
Regards
Paul Martin
Fin-Q Financial Services
Company for Immigration / Maatskappy vir Immigrasie
P.O. Box 1283, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
T: 0027-12-3231428
F: 0027-12-3239587
admin@cfi.org.za
Words of Wisdom
This from Margaret Wilkinson beefarm@hermes.net.au
First of all I would like to thank you all for your on line newsletter - I really enjoy it. However, I'm not happy about the correspondents who continually write about the faults in their new countries. I have lived on three continents and in four countries and earned my living in all of them and have enjoyed each and every one.
My advice to anyone choosing to mirgrate is 'don't keep looking back over your shoulder - look forward with a big smilel'. Of course everything will be different, some things will be better and some things not, but to ridicule the country you have chosen to live in is at the best bad manners and in many cases downright rude.
It is very sad that the pioneering spirit that is so prominent in the newer countries is not shown by their dependants. Constantly whining only makes them unhappy and gives their nationality a bad reputation. Have they realised that?
I don't suppose you'll publish my letter but at least I've have written what I've been thinking for some time.
Your back to South Africa policy will work but let's hope it doesn't just work on the malcontents. I'd love to go back for a holiday but unfortunately my health precludes my travelling. I should have said sadly for I had many friends there that I would like to have one more brai with.
I hope you have a lovely Christmas and a very good New Year. Originating in the Northern Hemisphere I still find hot Christmases a little less believable but all my children have been born in hot climates and they just say Mum, you know what you always say, It's hot here so like it!
Totsiens and alles van die beste,
You see I haven't forgotten the Afrikaans I insisted on learning when I got to Cape Town.
Margaret,
A Scottish,South African, Namimbian, Australian
How's that for a mix!
Actors needed!
This from Jessica casting@princessthemovie.com
Dear Editor:
My name is Jessica Janos, I am a second year directing fellow at AFI in Los Angeles. We are in search of South African actors living in the United States. Please forward this information in anyway you see fit.
AFI is a non-profit educational institution, so we are also in search of sponsors interested in being apart of our production.
Please check out our website: www.princessthemovie.com
Much thanks,
Jessica
PRINCESS
35mm Short
Producer: Joseph Michael
Director: Jessica Janos
Writer: Keith D. Black
Casting Dates: 12/5, 12/11-12, 12/18
Shoots: 1/25-2/3
Rate: Deferred
Location: Los Angeles
e-mail: casting@princessthemovie.com
Princess is the story of an African teenager raised by the Kramers, a wealthy Jewish family in South Africa. When the father dies, Princess inherits the family's estate, and the Kramer family is reinvented.
[PRINCESS] Female, African, 13-16...LEAD
[CAROLYN KRAMER] Female, Caucasian, 40-55. Princess' adoptive mother. Born in London, raised her family in South Africa...
[HILTON KRAMER] Male, Caucasian, 47-65. Princess' adoptive father. South African-born businessman...
[JONTY KRAMER] Male, Caucasian, 20-28. The Kramers' son.
[FERNANDO] Male, African, 40-65. Zulu/Xhosa speakers preferred...
[LILY] Female, African, 40-65. Zulu/Xhosa speakers preferred...
[ANDRES] Male, Caucasian, 25-35. Afrikaans speaker preferred...
[RAY] Male, African, 18-30. Medic. Zulu/Xhosa speaker preferred...
[MUZI] Male, African, 9-16. Zulu/Xhosa speaker preferred...
The Good News - An ordinary person doing extraordinary things
One of the reasons to believe in the future of South Africa, as Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu spelled out in his Nelson Mandela lecture last week, is that there are so many ordinary South Africans doing extraordinary things to make a difference and help those less fortunate than themselves. This year's Cape Times V&A Waterfront Woman of Worth award has gone to someone who fits that description very well.
Maria Solomons has been caring for abused children in her small Mitchell's Plain home for many years already. She has helped more than 400 children by taking them in and looking after them while conditions at their own homes normalise, returning them to their parents if conditions become safe enough. If the conditions are not yet right the children stay on with Maria and her husband Alec. Some of the children she has cared for have suffered from schizophrenia, asthma and tuberculosis.
Today Maria is the foster mother of 16 children. She has done all of this with little more than her husband's salary of around R3600 a month. She also gets a monthly donation of R800 from the Just Do It Foundation and a R540 monthly government grant for each of four of the children. Maria told the Cape Times that "It's really a struggle to survive. But if we eat just porridge and food colouring, I am happy. Just surviving with these children gives me hope everyday."
Now that school holidays have started, Maria is looking for donations to buy a minibus, because the children are asking to go for outings to the beach and elsewhere where they can enjoy the freedom of open space. In Maria's current little car it takes several trips to go anywhere, and it costs R300 to hire a taxi for the day. Having a minibus would also ensure that the children can all get to and from school safely in the new year.
Maria says that when the children come to her they are "torn and broken inside." She gives them as much love as she can and gets them to trust her and open up. She says that she thinks she is "one of God's chosen ones, put on this earth to look after his little ones." One thing for sure is that she is certainly a Woman of Worth, an extraordinary individual doing extraordinary things, and an example of how all South Africans can make a difference.
Anyone willing and able to help Maria with her need for a minibus for the children can contact her on +27-83-485-7921.
For more interesting and exciting news about developments in South Africa, subscribe to the International Marketing Council's regular BrandSA newsletter by visiting www.imc.org.za/goodstuff.htm or www.imc.org.za/subscribe.asp. You can also visit the South African gateway website at www.southafrica.info.
Mind Massage
Feet matter.
Are you paying attention to yours?
Here's a look at the trigger I use to be mindful of my amazing appendages.
Just do it!
Archly yours,
Maya ;-)
Stepping On Mindfulness: Feeling Your Feet
My new house is just a half mile down the road from Nike World Headquarters. This means that every day I pass the grassy berms that shield the Nike campus from the outside world. I have spent many hours on the manicured grounds of Nike, and like everyone else, I have a mixture of feelings and thoughts that come to mind whenever I see the swoosh. Phil Knight? Michael Jordan? Overpriced collector athletic shoes? Donated playground surfaces made from recycled soles? Countless team uniforms? Cutting-edge marketing? Overseas labor? My neighbor's workplace?
That's a complex mix. So, I've decided to make it simple. Instead of the usual images that fill my head whenever I pass Nike, I'm intentionally focusing on one new one--my feet.
That's right. I'm using it as a trigger to be mindful of my feet, to pay attention to my toes, to heed my heels.
Our feet could use a bit more of our focus, and we could certainly benefit from building into our day a regular mindful moment. Let's use our feet.
With 26 bones and over 7,000 nerve endings, our feet have been referred to as "our hands that touch the Earth". They play an integral part in our balance and gait, and therefore affect our posture and wellness in general. But feet don't get much respect.
We stuff them into pointy-toed shoes and high heels. We put lotion on our hands far more often than we put it on our feet. We ignore our feet unless we have to show them off (in which case, we might paint our nails or at least trim them). In fact, since our feet are at the opposite end of our bodies from our eyes, you might say that they are "out of sight, out of mind".
They deserve more. They're down there, working away for us, taking thousands of steps to literally move us forward in life.
So try this: The first time each day that you see a Nike swoosh, simply use it as a prompt to spend the next few seconds focusing on your feet.
Wriggle your toes. Point and flex. Rotate your ankles. Sense the feet--your insteps, your soles, your arches.
Are your feet warm? Cold? Bare? Covered? Pinched? Aching? Tingling? Pay attention, if only for a moment.
Use feet as a theme in your holiday giving--socks, foot massages, slippers, peppermint lotion. Help your loved ones give their feet a little love.
You can't avoid seeing swooshes--they're everywhere. Start noticing them, if only once a day. It's good for your mind, and good for your feet.
Nike ads have told us for years to "Just do it." Why not use that slogan to help us develop greater mindfulness?
See a swoosh, and feel your feet. Now, that's taking a step in the right direction.
Go Barefoot
Several years ago, I was certified as a NIA instructor. NIA is a fitness technique that incorporates mindfulness with movement, and it is always done in bare feet.
That makes it sound kind of serious and meditative-- but the truth is that doing NIA is a lot like dancing around in your living room.
If you're looking for a way to get fit and mindful, and you want something more fun than yoga, try NIA! There are NIA teachers and classes all over the world.
Find one near you by visiting
http://www.nia-nia.com
**********************************
Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse offering specialized mindfulness training to individuals and groups in Portland, Oregon. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 100 countries. To subscribe to her free ezine, the Friday Mind Massage, please visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.
**************************************
©Copyright 2004, Maya Talisman Frost
52 Best Stories – Our Secret Santa
My kids awoke the day before Christmas with the usual childhood excitement that every child feels during Christmas. At that time they were two, four and eight years old - the perfect ages to watch as the moment draws closer to the arrival of that Jolly Old Elf.
I had to work that Christmas Eve day so I shuffled the kids off to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa. In my children's eyes, Grandma and Grandpa's house is home away from home. My parents have always played a very important role in their grandchildren's lives. I knew that there would be no better place for them to be, especially on this Christmas Eve.
You see, this was our first Christmas on our own and I was worried about how Christmas without dad would affect the kids. As I dropped them off, my four year old daughter asked if she would see daddy this Christmas, bringing tears to our eyes. Once again, as I had done many times in the past week, I assured them all that they would be spending Christmas day with their daddy.
I kissed them all goodbye and as I drove away, my heart weighed heavy. It saddened me to see my children carrying such a large emotional burden at what is supposed to be the most exciting and magical time of year. I wondered if the Spirit of Christmas would find us and work it's magic to help us through this Joyous season.
After work I hurried to pick up the kids, as I was anxious to show them that very little would change at Christmas. I wanted to make sure that we continued the same traditions and routines as we had done the years before. We delivered our gifts to our friends and family and drove around to look at the Christmas lights.
When we got home we built a cozy fire, hung our stockings and put out the milk and cookies for Santa. It was now time for us to gather around the fireplace and read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," our final tradition of the evening. As we cuddled together, my kids asked about their father again and I reassured them that they would see him in the morning.
I then began to read the story and as they quietly listened and looked at the colorful pictures with delight, we heard a faint yet very festive sound in the distance. I stopped reading and we sat quietly and listened ever so carefully. As the sound got closer to the house, we realized that it was jingle bells, like the ones on Santa's sleigh. My kids shrieked with delight:
"It's Santa Claus, I think he is here already!"
The next thing we knew the jingle bells were right outside our door but by the time the kids opened the front door, the bells had moved past and were slowly making their way around the house. I followed my kids as they chased the sound, running from room to room looking through windows hoping to catch a glimpse of Jolly Old Saint Nick.
The jingle bells made one full round of the house and then disappeared without a trace. Who ever it was, made sure to keep one step ahead of us as we never even saw a shadow in our search for the visitor.
All worries and troubles my kids were experiencing vanished in an instant. They were now their usual selves and filled with Christmas excitement. Their only focus was to hurry into bed and get to sleep so Santa would have time to come back and leave his treasures. I questioned everyone I knew hoping to find out who it was that paid us this special visit on Christmas Eve and nobody seemed to know anything about it. It is now 13 years later and to this day, I still do not know who was behind this amazing act of kindness. This event had such a great impact on my kids, that each one of them clearly remembers that special night, even my 15 year old son, who was only two at the time, recalls this as his first real memory of Christmas.
Every year at this time, we remind each other of that very magical Christmas. I hope that the person, who came to our home that Christmas Eve, is reading this story today. I would like you to know with that one single act, you restored our faith and hope by giving us our very own Christmas miracle. You created a memory for us that will last us a lifetime.
Thanks to you, our "Secret Santa," that Christmas is not remembered as our first Christmas as a single mom family. It is remembered as our most magical Christmas ever and is now our all time favorite Christmas memory. I raise my glass to you each and every Christmas as we recall this story. You are always dearly remembered with warm thoughts every year.
From our family to yours, we wish you and your loved ones a very happy holiday season this year and for the many years to come.
~ Written by Colleen Guiney and used with permission ~
http://www.52best.com/secret.asp
One Man’s Australia
Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation
The 2004 APEC meeting in Chile recently finished amidst the usual pungent clouds of teargas and also some toe-to-toe confrontations between US and Chilean security agents. Other than those who now live round the Pacific rim APEC has probably not engaged the attention of many South Africans.
There is a big challenge in front of APEC as the 21st century opens. It is to open more borders to trade while keeping them firmly shut to terror. Trade, because it is all about borders, can never be easily separated from security and illegal immigration issues. It is the movement of illegal Mexican workers across the border into the US that has clouded wider acceptance, within the US, of the benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
But APEC's sheer size and diversity - it accounts for more than a third of the world's population and almost three quarters of its GDP - makes it an inevitable forum in which trade and security issues become intermixed. Free trade needs better understanding between rich and poor countries, while defeating terror means closer cooperation between Muslim and non-Muslim ones. It is at APEC, the most heterogeneous trading bloc in the world, that these interactions happen on the largest possible scale.
Given this, along with the fact a number of member countries have a serious internal problem with Islamist fundamentalism, it was always on the cards the US would try to put terror on the front burner at APEC following the attacks of September 11, 2001. And it was equally inevitable there would be adjustment problems, given APEC's trade focus - the founding documents refer to "member economies" rather than "member countries". But as George W. Bush is at pains to point out, security and trade cannot be easily separated.
Alongside the slaughter of innocents, economic damage is paramount among terror's designs. The Bali attacks, for example, are estimated to have skimmed a percentage point off Indonesian GDP, and 9/11 was a major setback to the world economy. But at the third APEC meeting since terror came to dominate the world agenda, and with the nuclear threat posed by Iran and North Korea on its mind, the US adopted an even more aggressive stance at the summit that has now concluded in Chile.
All five countries involved in trying to talk some sense into the Stalinist regime in Pyongyang - the US, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia - are members of APEC, so while North Korea was not on the agenda it dominated bilateral talks on the sidelines. Meanwhile, key counter-terror initiatives that did make centre-stage included banning the proliferation of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, extra nuclear safeguards and controlling passport fraud. These issues may occasionally seem like a distraction from APEC's core business of abolishing tariffs between developed member countries by the end of the decade, and between the rest by 2020, to which John Howard was right to keep drawing attention. But APEC's wider focus must be accepted as the price of keeping the attention of the US firmly focused on Australia's region.
The relationship between trade and terror works in the opposite direction, as well. Trade promotes mutual understanding and a dialogue on values, so it is no wonder the Islamists, with their Nazi-like obsession with cultural purity, abhor free trade.
For an example of free trade's benefits for poorer and emerging economies, it would be hard to look past the host of this year's APEC summit. Chile has free trade agreements with both the US and the EU. In the years since it opened up its economy, growth has been increasingly driven by exports, which now account for a third of GDP. And because Chile is a major producer of commodities, like Australia it is doing serious business on top of the China boom.
But as the violent demonstrations on the streets of Santiago in advance of the summit showed, Chile also has its share of old Trotskyists, students, environment groups and labour unions that sails under the flag of the "anti-globalisation movement" and tries to disrupt free trade whenever and wherever it rears its head.
Given that nobody has so far come up with a better formula than more trade and fewer barriers to foreign investment for growing an emerging economy, the claim of these new knee-jerk reactionaries to represent the interests of the poor can be somewhat puzzling.
But their presence is in itself an encouraging example. In the old, dictatorial Chile such demonstrators would have been taken away and tortured.
Northern Lighties
It is very interesting how events juxtapose and provide healthy doses of reality sometimes.
My son was recently turned down for the OSAP programme because of an error in his application.
Apparently his application had an error in the online version in which an extra naught was added to his mother's earnings. Given that even the pigs snuffling at the trough in Ottawa don't earn the amount recorded it would have made sense to at least query this.
Sense being the last thing any uncivil servant requires to perform their tasks it was denied.
Interestingly I would like to know why it is that it was necessary to have both parents included on the application. Given that we are separated and technically I am the sole custodian. Canada, of course, finding it extremely difficult to accept a single male parent, as it doesn't fit their neat PC world. You only have to watch the tap dancing taking place when a woman murders her husband, or, as happened this week, her family, to understand the mindset prevalent in the chattering classes on that issue. I digress a bit though.
So, short of a loan from the local bank, the Government of Ontario is currently out of the picture as far as ensuring that my son becomes a productive and higher tax-paying member of local society.
This is despite a bursary from various Universities and being an Ontario Scholar.
In other words academically he is just the sort of person that one would expect to excel at school and be a future asset to society. Although this may just be a bit prejudiced on my part.
Shortly after that little episode we were treated to the interesting media release that stated that "refugees" would now be allowed to receive OSAP and go to University here in Ontario. In fact they would automatically be allowed to go to University being refugees and all that.
Now before anyone gets all upset over my comments allow me to point out that I believe strongly in the value of education for all and that the cornerstone of a nation is how well they provide the ability to get education.
Please note that I don't believe in education as being a "right". The only "right" that anyone has, is the right to access education. In this case in trying to provide rights for a few the Governments have once again failed to see that they are denying rights to others.
The sad, or sick, depending on your viewpoint, aspect to the refugee system in Canada is that the majority of refugees are not refugees at all. They are, to put it basically, liars and crooks intent on defrauding the Canadian system and are fully aware that the Canadian public are a bunch of brainwashed gullible fools when it comes to the whole question of refugees.
Probably not as bad though as the "industries" that rely on the public trough for their handouts. Lawyers, organizations and advocates all standing around with their hands out ready to trot out platitudes as the money pours in.
Try to look into a refugee's claims and you will find a whole horde of charlatans willing to "help" while standing around with their palms out.
SO it isn't really surprising to hear that once again refuges are scoring at the expense of normal Canadian citizens and even the law abiding landed immigrant.
In fact I wish someone had once told me how to circumvent the whole immigration process and get a free pass to this country.
If you think I am being bitter consider how the average Canadian citizen must feel.
In fact the pensioners of this country are treated bloody badly in comparison.
Consider the following:
A Canadian pensioner who may have made major contributions to taxes and the economy for forty or fifty years of their productive life may only get up to $1012 a month in pension and guaranteed income supplement.
By contrast a refugee gets $1890 a month and can claim an additional $580 in social assistance. That's $2470 a month. In income.
Not to mention the housing assistance. And clothing assistance. And now free education.
Perhaps I am failing to see the point here but when a country treats its own citizens worse than uninvited guests there is something wrong with the picture.
When a country allows thieves, rapists, murderers and liars to abuse the same system and get paid for it there is something that stinks.
I am getting used to seeing the claim that the latest drug dealer, murderer or pedophile is here in Canada illegally and under a deportation order or that they arrived here as refugees sometime in the past. Just as I am getting used to seeing the claim that these scum have been deported on numerous occasions and yet always seem able to miraculously find their way back.
However I seem to be one of the few. Apparently all this is not seen by any of the people who supposedly run this country. Or they prefer to point a blind eye.
Mind you one of the big scandals involving Ottawa at the moment is the one regarding the Minister of Immigration and a Romanian stripper who was granted landed status because she worked on the Ministers team during the last election. And.No!..The Minister is one Judy Sgro and not a male.
So it appears that there is a collective stupidity that inhibits the whole of the Government when it comes to a fair refugee or immigration policy.
As it is I notice a tendency among immigrants of all stripes to be very annoyed by the preferential treatment that refugees are shown.
I am one of them.
Given the option I think I may actually choose to take the refugee choice next time. After all why the hell should I be honest? It doesn't put food on the table!
Ramblings Of A Francophobe
They don’t deserve tourists.
The Cote D’Azur is supposed to be the top tourism region of the world’s most visited country. Amongst its ‘pearls’, St. Tropez has to be about the best known.
A friend from South Africa who was staying with us wanted to visit St. Tropez earlier this week. As the proverbial crow flies, it’s a distance of about 30 miles. By road, it’s perhaps 50 miles. It’s not the back of beyond, and the French, in their pompous way, consider their country to be ‘advanced’. One would therefore expect a reasonable public transport infrastructure, making such a journey feasible, if not easy.
Knowing that there is no railway station at St. Tropez, but that there is both a harbour and road access, I did a ‘Google’ search for transport links. I found the telephone number of the company that offers a boat service, rang them, and was told that they only operate in the summer. The woman then told me that ‘there is no other way to get to St. Tropez by public transport’. My next call was to the St. Tropez Tourist Bureau, an organisation which, you’d think, would have an interest in encouraging visitors rather than doing the opposite. It was closed (at 9.30 in the morning), although later, when I rang back, they also told me that they ‘didn’t think it was possible to get there by public transport’. I carried on searching and found a bus company which operates from St. Raphael, the nearest railhead, to St. Tropez. The bus times were on the website and it seemed feasible. I then checked the train times from our nearest railway station to St. Raphael, and from our bus station to the railway. It could be done, by leaving at 0825, she could get to St. Tropez by 1130. In theory. Despite the negativity and disinterest of the tourist office.
The 0825 bus stood at the depot until just before 9, the driver sitting inside, smoking, whilst the passengers stood outside in the cold. It arrived late at the station, and our friend missed the train, and had to wait nearly an hour for the next one. Then she had to wait in St. Raphael almost two hours for the bus to St. Tropez, arriving at 1.30 pm. Five hours for a fifty mile journey which according to the timetables should have taken three.
Having got there, it was almost time to come back. Again, the published timetables bore little relation to fact, and she left at 3 pm and arrived back after 7, admittedly an improvement on the outward journey. Total journey time, almost 11 hours, the same as the flying time from London to Cape Town.
Not only is the public transport woefully inadequate, but the operators of each type of transport have failed to grasp the concept of working with, rather than against, each other, whereby they would feed passengers to each other in a coordinated way so that everyone would benefit. As it is, everyone loses. Apart from highlighting the inadequacy of the public transport, this little exercise also highlights the unwillingness of those who are employed to foster tourism in the region to do so.
It is not surprising that other countries in Eastern Europe, such as Croatia, have already begun to encroach on the market share of traditional destinations such as Spain and France as people realise that they can find better value for money and higher standards elsewhere. The Cote D’Azur in particular has seen major drops in tourist arrivals for the last few years as people realise that they do not need to suffer the rudeness, ripoffs, high prices, pollution, congestion, and crime which now blight this area. France simply does not deserve to have tourists until it learns to treat them properly and to provide them with better facilities.
We have just spent two weeks in India and Nepal, countries where the willingness to please more than compensates for inadequacies in the infrastructure. I could write about the superb treatment and the wonderful hospitality we received on this trip, the kindness of the people, and the courtesy with which they receive and honour guests to their countries. I will do that soon, but for this week, after an absence of a few weeks, I’d rather live up to my reputation, of which I am proud, as a Francophobe.
DollarMakers
Happy Landings!
I recently met with a new South African immigrant to Vancouver, British Columbia. He was surprised how hard it was to get an appointment with me - I generally those avoid the "fresh off the boat" South African immigrants unless they're real persistent. You'll see why if you read on.
I spent fifteen minutes telling him what he was going to tell me, and also telling him what choices he would probably make over the next six months. I have met with enough South African immigrants in my seven years in Canada to be pretty accurate overall. He was shocked. "You must have read my mind!" he declared. Not really. The usual process is pretty predictable by now. What makes it especially interesting, however, is the difference between the choices made by the average South African immigrant as opposed to immigrants from other countries. A typical example is a Dutch couple found my website, www.Dollarmakers.com, while still in Holland. They contacted me and then called me when they arrived in Vancouver. They have made very different choices and are benefiting tremendously.
Perhaps it's our South African arrogance, independence and cynicism that makes us insist on proving the truth of this saying: "The world has three kinds of men. One kind learns by reading and another kind learns by observation. But these are rare. Most of us have to pee on the electric fence for ourselves."
Whatever the reason, we seem to enjoy taking the hard route: buying a house too soon, living beyond our means to impress people who don't give a damn, and reminding everyone how wealthy and successful we were in South Africa, and then capping it all with the final coup de grace: taking a low-paying job and paying exorbitant taxes while using up the savings, instead of getting into a business of our own and creating the good life that every courageous immigrant so richly deserves.
So I sent my new fellow immigrant a list of the best professionals to deal with here: lawyer, accountant, dentist, insurance guy, webmaster, etc., and wished him well as he loped off to take the first job he could get. By the time he wakes up to find he has used up most of his savings while slogging away at a mind numbing job, the Dutch couple will be far ahead of him financially and socially. They will be creating a great lifestyle and a future while he merely survives and whines about how tough it is to immigrate. But such is life. The message I'd like to leave you with is the same thing I told an ex South African who called me from Toronto and said he thought that, since I was doing so well in Vancouver, he should rather live here on the West Coast: "It's not WHERE you are that determines your success - it's WHO you are. Your self esteem and confidence will determine the choices you make and you will live with the consequences of those choices."
South Africans have what it takes to do very well in any country in the world without compromise, and new immigrants would do well to remember that.
Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com
Check out the Company for Immigration article in the Ad Hoc section for this week's question and answer.
Any idea how I can find out SA living in Buffalo, New York? My husband is from SA and homesick.
Thanks
Lynne
Otlynne@aol.com
If you are looking for a lost friend... if you would like old friends to contact you... If you want to find old school friends... if you just want people who used to know you to find you again for a chat...
Send in your info, the info of anyone you are looking for and let’s see if we can find them for you!
No club news for this week.
12 Days of Christmas Re-Examined in Light of Competition
This from me (in the absence of any other humour!)
Global challenges require the North Pole to continue to take more competitive steps. Effective immediately, the following economy measures are to take place in the "Twelve Days of Christmas" subsidiary.
The partridge will be retained, but the pear tree never turned out to be the cash crop forecasted. It will be replaced by a plastic plant, providing savings in maintenance costs.
The two turtle doves represent a redundancy that is simply not cost effective. In addition, their romance during the working hours could not be condoned. The positions are, therefore, eliminated.
The three French hens will remain intact and we may actually expand the number of hens used. A recent time-motion-profitability study proved that using illegal migratory fowl is extremely profitable as it eliminates the company's need to provide employee benefits because the hens do not meet federal residency requirements.
The four calling birds were replaced by an automated voice mail system, with a call waiting option. An analysis is underway to determine who the birds have been calling, how often and how long they talked. Once this information is determined, the Accounting Department will deduct the costs of any inappropriate non-business calls from their final paycheck.
The five golden rings have been put on hold by the Board of Directors. Maintaining a portfolio based on one commodity could have negative implications for institutional investors. Diversification into other precious metals as well as a mix of T-bills and high technology stocks appear to be in order.
The six geese-a-laying constitutes a luxury which can no longer be afforded. It has long been felt that the production rate of one egg per goose per day is an example of their decline in productivity. Three geese will be let go, and an upgrading in the selection procedure by the Personnel Department will assure management that from now on every goose it gets will be a good one.
The seven swans-a-swimming is obviously a number chosen in better times. Their function is primarily decorative. Mechanical swans are on order. The current swans will be retrained to learn some new strokes to better enhance their outplacement.
As you know, the eight maids-a-milking concept has been under heavy scrutiny by the EEOC. A male/female balance in the work force is being sought. The more militant maids consider this a dead-end job with no upward mobility. Automation of the process may permit the maids to try a-mending, a-mentoring, or a-motoring.
Nine ladies dancing has always been an odd number. This function will be phased out as these individuals grow older and can no longer do the steps. Let me hasten to add that the company policy prohibits age discrimination. Should these individuals be asked to leave prior to their voluntary retirement, rest assured our Law Department will ensure an ironclad defense against an employee lawsuit.
Ten Lords-a-Leaping is overkill. The high costs of Lords plus the expense of international air travel prompted the Compensation Committee to suggest replacing this group with ten out-of-work congressmen. While leaping ability may be somewhat sacrificed, significant savings should result due to the number of congressmen left unemployed by the election.
Eleven pipers piping and twelve drummers drumming is a simple case of the band getting too big. A substitution with a string quartet, a cutback on new music and no uniforms will produce savings to the bottom line.
Though incomplete, studies by our latest consultant indicate that stretching deliveries over twelve days is inefficient. If we can drop-ship in one day, service levels will be improved and we can expect a substantial reduction in the use of part-time personnel.
Happy Holidays!
Instead of mince pies, try this...
Pecan Nut Pie – from Bryanna Clark Grogan
Makes one 9” pie
Note: I use cornstarch or wheat starch because they are the most reliable as far as results go. I have not tried this with arrowroot or kuzu, so I can’t say what the results would be with either of them.
9” pie crust, unbaked (see my low-fat oil pastry below)
1-2 c. toasted, unsalted pecan halves
Filling:
You have two choices for the sweetener:
3/4 c. water PLUS 3/4 c. white beet sugar or light unbleached cane sugar and 1/2 c. brown sugar (packed) or Sucanat (granulated sugar cane juice)
OR
1 and 1/2 c. maple syrup
3/4 c. water
pinch salt
1/4 c. cornstarch (or wheat starch) mixed with 4 and 1/2 T. cold water OR rum or bourbon
2 T. vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance or Soy Garden
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Poke the pie crust all over with the tines of a fork and pre-bake for 3 minutes. Remove from oven to a rack.
In a medium saucepan combine either the water and sugar mixture OR the maple syrup with the second 3/4 c. water. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.
Add the salt and the dissolved cornstarch, whisking vigorously. Stir and cook over high heat just until the mixture thickens and is clear.
Remove from heat and stir in the margarine and vanilla— stir til the margarine is melted. The mixture will still be fairly liquid.
Pour this into the pre-baked pie shell. Arrange the pecan halves on top, pressing them down into the mixture a little.
Place the pie in the middle of the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake 30 minutes. The filling will still be “jiggly”— don’t worry; it will set as it cools. Cool on a rack for about 1 and 1/2 hours, then refrigerate until thoroughly cooled and set.
Serve with vanilla non-dairy “ice cream” such as Tofutti, Soy Delicious or Soy Dream.
Smit puzzled after Argentina win [iafrica.com]
South Africa finished their end-of-year tour with a 39-7 victory over Argentina, but captain John Smit is a bit puzzled by it all after his side led 36-0 at half time.
http://sport.iafrica.com/rugby/news/396990.htm
Goosen triumphs over disaster [NGC]
Retief Goosen kept his head when all about him others were losing theirs to win the 2004 Nedbank Golf Challenge by six shots over the Gary Player Country Club course at Sun City on Sunday.
http://www.nedbankgolfchallenge.com/article.asp?aId=132939
Soon Aussies will be singing Nkosi Sikelela [IOL]
Australians should get used to the sounds of the South African national anthem. Thanks to a bunch of phenomenally talented teenagers, they've been hearing a lot of it over the past week at the Commonwealth Youth Games.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=39&ar...
| Credits and Contact Info |
TOP |
South Africans Worldwide - SAWmail Copyright © 1998 - 2004 THOS
Editor: Maureen Cram
Copy Manager: Maureen Cram
Contributors: Everyone!
Web Development:Wizard
Post Master: Grokker
SAWmail - An Internet service brought to you by THOS:
Web: http://www.saw.co.za
E-mail: editor@saw.co.za
Tel: +27 11 708-2632
Fax: +27 11 708-2632
| Subscribing and Unsubscribing |
TOP |
SAWmail is only sent to subscribers and is never sent unsolicited
Please forward this message onto a friend!
Visit the link below to join up to SAWmail (subscribe):
http://thos.mojo.jtm.co.za/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi?f=list&l=sawmailhtml
You're receiving this newsletter because you signed up to get it.
If you prefer, alas, not to receive email from us, you can unsubscribe
from SAWmail by visiting the link below: (un-subscribe):
http://thos.mojo.jtm.co.za/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi?f=list&l=sawmailhtml
If you are having any technical problems with SAWmail, please send a message to: editor@saw.co.za
For advertising enquiries please contact us via e-mail: editor@saw.co.za
|
