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| Contents |
Issue No. 325 -- 11 April 2005 |
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
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More apologies are required it seems! Last week with the huge bumper issue I found out that my newsletter program has limits on how much I can publish in each section. So... half way through Glen’s column that was it. You missed the other columns completely.
This week I am adding them in and now that I am aware of the size limit I can double check to make sure all the content is there.
On the home front, my eldest son is finally getting married. He and his partner are celebrating ten years together by getting married. His father is coming out from the UK for the wedding as is my daughter and my granddaughter. So the complete family will be there!
The ceremony will be small (just for family) and the following week they are having a large party for all their friends – I am busy helping organise that as well as booking a few things for my granddaughter to see. This will be her first trip to Africa!
These from me...
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. Lao Tzu
The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Alan Kay
Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is. Ernest Hemingway
This from Jackie McGhee mcgheeconsul@telkomsa.net
Live your life in such a way to make sure that when you die, that's the only thing you have to do!
People are like stained glass windows - the true beauty can be seen only when there is light from within. The darker the night, the brighter the windows. - Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
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
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 and A:
Question: Is it true that the South African Immigration Act of 2002 has been replaced by new legislation.
Reply: No not yet, but new legislation is expected in the near future. You can watch the website of the Department of Home Affairs to keep informed in this regard - www.home-affairs.gov.za.
Kind regards
Alana
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
Return to Africa for artwork that escaped apartheid
This from a subscriber
1.jpg) http://www.smh.com.au/news/...
A nation's heritage is going home, writes Alexa Moses.
He knew the black activist Steve Biko and helped smuggle the journalist Donald Woods out of South Africa in the 1970s. Now the retired Australian diplomat Bruce Haigh is sending some South Africans home.
The Mudgee resident is donating 25 artworks to the Pretoria Art Museum. The works were created by black township artists at a time when apartheid was at its peak, and black artists couldn't freely exhibit their work.
"I'll miss them, but it's good for South African youngsters to see these works," says Haigh, who bought the artworks in the late 1970s when he was second secretary at the Australian embassy in South Africa. "I'll be sad, but it's right."
Haigh's collection, estimated to be worth $200,000, includes pencil drawings, woodcuts, lino prints and ink sketches by artists including Lucky Sibiya and Michael Maapola, who lived in townships such as Attridgeville, Garankuwa, Mamelodi and Soweto.
The project was sparked by another retired diplomat, Diane Johnstone, who was the Australian embassy's third secretary in South Africa from 1974 to 1976.
Like other diplomats, Johnstone held private exhibitions of black artists' work in her home. Haigh continued the tradition. Diplomats and journalists bought the art for their collections.
"It would turn into a weekend party," Haigh says. "A lot of music and parties; everyone, including the artists, would come."
At Johnstone's first exhibition in 1974, she promised the artists she would give her collection of 17 works to South Africa when the country had black majority rule. Although a black majority government took power in 1994, it took years of organisation before the establishment of the Homecoming Foundation to oversee the repatriation. Johnstone gave the works to the Pretoria Art Museum in 2003 and now Haigh is following Johnstone's lead.
The two hope to inspire other diplomats and journalists who bought artwork to donate it to South Africa.
The chairwoman of the Homecoming Foundation, Dr Mamphela Ramphele, a former director of the World Bank, is pleased the art is coming home.
"If we had not the kind of environment that undermined the creativity of the majority population, we would not have lost this art," she said. "We lost it because we didn't appreciate how good it was. We measured how good it was by the colour of the producer's skin, rather than the quality of the work."
The Good News – SA motor industry gets another boost
This from Guy Lundy...
The South African motor industry, which continues to go from strength to strength, received another boost and a further vote of confidence last week when General Motors announced that it would invest $100 million to develop and produce the mid-size Hummer H3 at its Struandale facility in Port Elizabeth.
The plant, which currently produces Opel and Isuzu products, is the only plant outside of the United States that will produce the Hummer. The GM plant in Shreveport, Louisiana, will continue to produce H3s for the North American market, while the South African plant will export left-hand and right-hand drive vehicles to everywhere else in the world. It is expected that eventually 10,000 vehicles a year will be produced in South Africa, generating about R18 billion over a six year period.
The $100 million investment by General Motors is over and above the $50 million already invested in facility and equipment upgrades at GM South Africa and the more than $80 million invested in the new Isuzu KB. It is expected that the new investment will create 450 more jobs at the Struandale plant when production starts in 2006.
GM also intends to set up a distribution network in South Africa to sell this unique vehicle, which is based on the Humvee military vehicle made famous by American troops in Iraq. The H3 is significantly smaller than the military version, and is comparable in fuel consumption to other standard 4x4 vehicles at around 14 litres/100km. The South African plant will build a diesel version of the vehicle in addition to the petrol version to meet the growing demand for diesel cars in many markets.
General Motors stock rose by 2.8% on the New York Stock Exchange after the announcement of the South African contract on Wednesday.
The good news from GM will offset some potential bad news coming from MG Rover, which announced that it had gone into receivership, a form of bankruptcy protection under which a court-appointed third party takes control of the business. Some Rover models are assembled in South Africa.
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.
Cycles of Eternity – Odyssey in Space and Time
This from Des Cowie
The sun may be clouded yet ever the sun
will sweep on its course till the cycle is run.
And when into chaos the system is hurled
again shall the Builder reshape a new world.
Your path may be clouded uncertain your goal
move on - for your orbit is fixed to your soul.
And thought it may lead into darkness of night
the torch of the Builder shall give it new light.
You were ; you will be. Know this while you are:
your spirit has travelled both long and afar.
It came from the Source to the Source it returns
the spark which was lighted eternally burns.
It slept in a jewel it leapt in a wave
it roamed in the forest it rose from the grave
it took on strange garbs for long aeons of years
and now in the soul of yourself it appears.
From body to body your spirit speeds on
it seeks a new form when the old one has gone
and the form that it finds is the fabric you wrought
on the loom of the mind from the fibre of thought.
As dew is drawn upwards in rain to descend
your thoughts drift away and in destiny blend.
You cannot escape them for, petty or great,
or evil or noble, they fashion your fate.
Somewhere on some planet sometime and somehow
your life will reflect the thoughts of your now.
My law is unerring no blood can atone
the structure you built you will live in - alone.
From cycle to cycle through time and through space
your lives with your longings will ever keep pace
and all that you ask for and all you desire
must come at your bidding like flame out of fire.
Tune in to the Voice and all tumult is done -
your life is the life of the INFINITE ONE
in the rush and the race you are conscious of pause
afire with your purpose and love the for Cause.
You are your own devil you are your own god
you fashioned the paths that your footsteps have trod.
And no one can save you from error or sin
until you awake to the Spirit within.
Author Unknown...
Choice Coach – Work in Progress
March 2005
Project you!
Project management can be a deeply esoteric discipline, when carried to its furthest reaches. At that point, it is intimidating to many of us. Unfortunately, this can lead to the idea that project management is only for the experts.
The fact is, anything that takes planning and several different units of time/activity can well be called a project. The preparation of a complex meal, with items that have to be selected, shopped for, with some preparation the day before, some early in the day, and some only just before it is served - that is definitely a project. The planning of all that must go into a child's class or organization's fund-raising is a project. The redecoration of a room, with its planning, choosing, moving of furniture, working around how to live without that room -that is most definitely a project.
My point is that almost every reader of Work in Progress has at some time, in some context, been a project manager. Hence there is no need to flee screaming from your monitor when I suggest that many of us need to regard our own lives as projects. It is if we do not then things can get really difficult and our lives may end up very far from where we had hoped.
Any attempt to categorize people into just two types must surely fail, but on whatever dimension is under discussion, we all have tendencies towards one end or the other - or sometimes towards both ends, which can cause a fair amount of lack of focus. On the "management of life" dimension most of us have a tendency to be either planners - who are natural-born project managers - or go-with-the-flow types to whom project management is alien. Going with the flow can be a great admission of faith in the goodwill of the universe. On the other hand, it can be just a lack of decisiveness that leads to being a straw in the wind, drifting hither and yon as the wind changes. Going with the flow can indicate a willingness to adapt, or a fear of one's ability to choose - or even a belief that one has no choice.
Planners, on the other hand, can sometimes become overly wedded to their plans. There is a saying that if you really want to make the gods laugh you create a business plan. I would say that what makes them laugh is if you create a plan - of any kind - and do not allow for contingencies, both those than you can foresee as possibilities and those that may come at you from out of the blue. It is not making the plan that can be a problem, it is making the plan so totally a part of you that you become stressed out when (and notice that I do not say if) the plan needs to be changed unexpectedly.
Acknowledging, then, that readers of WIP may be anywhere on the plan/flow dimension, let's consider what would be involved, and what the advantages would be, if you were to consider the rest of your life as a project. I realize that if you have already quite a few years of experience behind you, then you may feel that it is too late, that you have already set your path. I'd suggest that if that path is exactly what you want it to be, then that is great! Perhaps you don't need to read further. However, if there is the slightest glitch or hitch, if there are things that you are tolerating in your life that you would prefer to do without, then maybe a project that simply aims to reduce the irritations that they cause can bring a brighter glow to what some have interestingly called the golden years.
For everyone except those whose lives are already perfect, first, what would be the vision for this project? What do you want the big picture to be? Do you have a mission - some people prefer to call it a life purpose? Remember, this is the big picture. We are not "just" considering a career, a relationship, a home, a family. We are considering life as a whole.
Just as most business projects involve more than one department of a large organization, so your life-project involves many departments of your life, and it is important that they complement each other rather than compete. If all of them are contributing to your vision and purpose then life will, at its foundation, be harmonious. If not, you may for ever be struggling to achieve "balance" or to satisfy competing needs.
In both coaching and rehabilitative life planning there are some fairly standard life departments although these may vary for different individuals. Your departments may include...
Career/Business
Education/mental stimulation
Financial
Family/relationships
Social/community
Spirituality/religion
Health/physical wellbeing
Interests & hobbies - though many fit into one or more of the other departments.
For some people there may be something that I have left out. For others there may be one or more departments that you do not consider relevant. That is fine. If you are in the early years of your life, I would suggest that you make allowance for the likelihood that things will change, and that you may eventually add some departments that you do not now consider necessary, but for now, whatever is relevant to you is what is important.
Now, what do you want your life to look like in... three, five, ten years? The answer will provide the start of your vision. What do you need to do to achieve it?
Think of your project as a ladder, or a series of ladders. At very the top is your life as you wish it to be. Now it is up to you to choose the steps, the rungs of the ladder(s) that will get you to where you want to go. As you choose each one it is important that you consider what impact it will have on each of your departments. How will a career promotion affect your health if it involves a lot of stress? How will it affect your family? Always remember where and what the real goal is, and be very careful of any apparent step forward that does not contribute to the goal - to your vision of life as you wish it to be. A very classic example of missing the mark here is the career-minded individual who truly believes that s/he is acting like a workaholic in order to provide for a better family life, when in fact the family life is being destroyed by the person's excessive focus on just the career department of life.
If you are a person who enjoys taking on assignments, perhaps you would choose to create a vision of how you want your life to be before the next issue of WIP arrives.
(And to the many coaches who read WIP and who use this type of exercise with your clients... when did you last update your own vision? Coaching is so hugely transformative that your life and your vision for your life have undoubtedly changed since you completed a similar exercise during your coach training. Is it time for an update?)
April's issue: What do you need to do to create your ladder?
This is the March issue of WIP and it comes to you in April. My apologies. I needed to shift priorities for a while. I promise that the April issue will arrive before the end of April!
Diana's blog - recent topics:
Even the sourest of lemons can make good lemonade... family and friends turn bereavement into philanthropy.
Toastmasters International as a personal growth organization.
The Kodak peregrine falcons
Writing your own life story
Visit Diana's blog at http://blog.choicecoach.com
To be informed of new items posted to the blog, become a member. Your membership information is confidential and will not be shared or sold.
For more information visit Diana's web site http://ChoiceCoach.com or contact her at Diana@ChoiceCoach.com.
Copyright 2004 Diana Robinson, PhD., PCC. Work in Progress may be reproduced in its entirety only, including this copyright line. Disclaimer -The contents herein are solely the opinions of Work in Progress owner, and should not be considered as a form of therapy nor advice. There is no guarantee of validity or accuracy. If expert assistance or counseling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
2604 Elmwood Avenue #230
Rochester, NY 14618
USA
Mind Massage
Years ago, I learned a unique teaching style from my future brother-in-law.
Who knew it would turn out to be brilliant?
Here's a look at a "revolutionary" way to learn by simply having fun.
Warmly,
Maya ;-)
Mindfulness and Teaching: Lessons From Dynamic English
Back in 1983, I was hired to teach English in rural northern Japan. I had no experience teaching, and didn't speak a work of Japanese.
No matter--I had the requisite four-year college degree and a thirst for adventure.
My employer/boss/teaching partner was Grif Frost, a 27-year-old budding entrepreneur who had married the Japanese exchange student who had once lived with his family. He ended up living near his wife's parents in Mutsu, and did what any self-respecting English-speaking person did in Japan in 1982--he started an English school.
Now, Grif had no experience teaching, either. He had a master's in International Management and a couple of toddlers at home. He was the token foreigner in Mutsu, and figured he might as well put it to good use.
Without training, he developed an approach he called "Dynamic English"--a high-energy, full- body, take-no-prisoners form of English as pure entertainment. He focused on presenting classes that were "Fast, Fun and Friendly", and was notorious for his colorful puppets, loud singing, dramatic storytelling, and excessive sweating.
As his partner, I picked up on the style quickly. Soon, I was causing my own stampedes of 3- year-olds and getting my share of notoriety for creative book-reading. In one memorable moment, I was spreading my arms wide to demonstrate the concept of "big" when my blouse burst open. Talk about a visual aid!
We became something like rock stars among the kindergarten children. Imagine a hundred Japanese five-year-olds seeing big white Americans with squeaking oversized plastic mallets (great for elimination during "Simon Says"), an overflowing bag of what looked suspiciously like toys, and boisterous "Good Morning!" greetings. The kids would literally fall over laughing at our stunts, and never got tired of our silly songs and wild games.
We were doing what came naturally--fully engaging the students in a way that created real awareness of language, objects, directions, shapes, colors, and verbal and musical sounds. Our older students were thrilled with this active approach, so different from the "This is a pen" lessons they'd chanted in their mandatory English classes in middle school. By providing new triggers, surprising methods, and hilarious material, we were offering novel stimuli, fresh perspective, and 100% focus on the present.
Little did we know that a Harvard psychologist would later describe these same characteristics as essential for mindful learning! Dr. Ellen Langer, author of The Power of Mindful Learning, talks about the importance of being open to novelty, drawing distinctions, being aware of differing contexts and perspectives, and orienting in the present.
Learning a language can be incredibly tedious or outrageously active and exciting. We played with English and our students not only learned the lessons quickly but laughed heartily, burned calories, and created a whole new mindset about what it takes to learn something new.
Grif relied on mindful learning in developing his approach to teaching English--he was completely open from the beginning, and was never hampered by ideas of what teaching should look like.
He was creative about using games and songs he'd loved as a kid and turning them into fresh and powerful tools for teaching. He shifted the lesson plans when dealing with various age groups and English levels, and constantly improved his approach by paying attention to the responses and being fearless about making changes and trying out new ideas.
Years later, I am delighted to find myself applying this approach to teaching mindfulness. Instead of sticking with the meditation lesson plan, I've opted for the excitement of learning mindfulness in a way that is thoroughly engaging and surprisingly active. In fact, the basic guidelines for Real-World Mindfulness Training are remarkably similar to those for Dynamic English:
Stay open to new things--including your approach to learning in general.
Look for subtle differences in similar objects or ideas.
Discover new uses for old tools.
Explore shifting perspectives.
Shake up stale notions.
Engage all senses.
Get physical whenever possible.
Jump into the moment wholeheartedly.
Be sure to have fun every single day.
Whether you're learning a language or developing mindfulness, the key is this: keep it dynamic. And never underestimate the value of large squeaky plastic mallets. Just imagine how much fun it would be to use one in a room full of meditators!
So That's How...
Yep, I ended up marrying Grif's younger brother Tom, who came over to Japan shortly after I arrived. We were teaching partners for nearly a year before he returned to the States (without me) to finish his degree.
We got married in Oregon the day after he graduated, and headed back over to Japan, where we continued to goof around with English, and somehow ended up having two daughters within three years.
Well, I DID say we were big believers in having fun every day....
And Grif? He is now teaching at the University of Hawaii in Hilo, and helping others find a meaningful paradise lifestyle. In other words, he's still seeing novelty, intentionally shifting his perspective, and living fully in the moment.
To see what he's up to, visit
http://www.vrhi.com
Mindfulness and Creativity
Dr. Langer has written a new book about mindfulness. In On Being An Artist: Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity, she talks about applying these same ideas about mindful learning to painting. She's working on a new book about mindfulness and tennis.
After that, she might write one on mindfulness and crossword puzzles. No, I'm just kidding.
I love her approach to learning mindfully, and it is a joy to apply it to learning mindfulness, er, mindfully.
To learn more about her latest book, take a look here:
http://tinyurl.com/3kqxu
Results of Multiple Intelligences Quiz
Drum roll please....the winner (over 100 of you wrote to share your results) by a long shot is "intrapersonal"! Now, that shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, there you are, sitting at your computer (alone, quietly) learning about the world by gaining knowledge to help you understand YOURSELF.
You're already likely to be interested in quiet contemplation. Everyone can develop this area of intelligence, but we all seem to have it in spades already. ;-) We continue to develop our intrapersonal intelligence because we think it's fun!
But for every ONE like us, there are SEVERAL OTHERS who don't have this natural affinity for sitting still, being quiet, and learning through mind-watching. That's why we need to reach out to those who learn differently and give them a fun way to develop mindfulness in the way THEY learn best! That's what the new website is all about.
Want to help spread the word? I'm gathering testimonials for my new website right now. If you'd like to share a sentence or two about the Friday Mind Massage, I'd love to add it along with your headshot and a link to your site.
But please hurry--there isn't much space left! Thanks so much. Just send it to
maya@mindmasseuse.com
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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 – The Stranger
A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small Tennessee town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later.
As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, each member had a special niche. My brother, Bill, five years my senior, was my example. Fran, my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play "big brother" and develop the art of teasing. My parents were complementary instructors. Mom taught me to love the word of God, and Dad taught me to obey it.
But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales. Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our whole family spell-bound for hours each evening.
If I wanted to know about politics, history, or science, he knew it all. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seemingly could predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so life like that I would often laugh or cry as I watched.
He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bill and me to our first major league baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars. My brother and I were deeply impressed by John Wayne in particular.
The stranger was an incessant talker. Dad didn't seem to mind, but sometimes Mom would quietly get up, while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places, go to her room, read her Bible and pray. I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave.
You see, my dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt an obligation to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house, not from us, from our friends, or adults. Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four letter words that burned my ears and made Dad squirm.
To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted. My dad was a teetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in his home, not even for cooking. But the stranger felt 1ike we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often.
He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (too much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my early concepts of the man-woman relationship were influenced by the stranger.
As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more. Time after time he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave.
More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with the young family on Morningside Drive. He is not nearly so intriguing to my Dad as he was in those early years. But if I were to walk into my parent's den today, you would still see him sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.
His name? We always just called him TV.
~ Author Unknown ~
One Man’s Australia
This is the part of Glen’s article that got cut off last week:
But Australia's Pentecostal movement appears to be growing along similar lines to its more established US counterpart. Churches such as Hillsong and Paradise deliver what are more rock sermons than anything resembling traditional religious services. With live bands, backed by 30-member youth choirs, hi-tech sound systems, lighting, smoke machines and giant video screens, these churches are attracting young followers in their thousands.
The messages these churches give out are also different. It is more aspirational and upbeat than traditional churches. There is no dwelling on guilt or repentance. For them, religion is a celebration of God and the promise of a better future. Rather than focus on wealth redistribution, these churches talk openly and unashamedly about wealth creation. In this respect, they are more natural allies of the Liberal and National parties than Labor. Brian Houston, pastor of the cashed-up Hillsong church, once wrote a book titled You Need More Money. This might appeal to Treasurer Costello, but his brother, the Rev Tim Costello, chief executive in Australia of World Vision, is less impressed.
Labor's Rudd says his party has only just begun to explore the changing patterns of religion in Australia and the political implications. He says there is no reason why Labor cannot reclaim the ground it may have lost with Christians. But he adds that the party will have to shed its traditional wariness about engaging directly with local churches - a wariness derived from fears that such close ties may complicate the historical separation of church and state.
So far, there has been no serious intrusion of religion into Australian politics, but traditional divisions are now being blurred. The political message for this year is not that Australians are becoming more Christian. Rather, it is that questions of faith, family, morals and community have walked on to the political stage in a way not seen for a generation.
The battle for God has only just begun.
--------------------
I have not had time to write a column this weekend. I have spent it building a swing for Miranda with Robert.
.jpg) On the personal front this has been a weekend of remembrance and celebration. Friday was the 2nd anniversary of Lynette's death so we had a happy family dinner. We miss her but we do not grieve for her any more.
.jpg) We remember the happy times we had together and the very intelligent and funny person that she was before illness overwhelmed her. I remember the adventures we had together covering half the world. She was fearless.
.jpg) Tomorrow is Miranda Lynette's 2nd birthday. She is exploding mentally. She talks a streak, and is stringing phrases together. She sings the songs she has learned at kindermusic. She counts things as she packs them out or puts them away. She counts steps as she climbs them. She counts .... And it is not just reciting the words for the numbers, but a firm grasp of what numbers are. She runs out at 13.
.jpg) She can locate the moon unerringly when it is out in daylight. She can locate and track airplanes and helicopters and unerringly differentiate between them. She loves being shown the constellations in the evenings.
She loves "playing" the piano..jpg)
She is increasingly independent. If she asks for a biscuit woe betide you if you get it for her. She will go to the cupboard, get the biscuit box out and after getting her biscuit put everything back. When grandpa is going to "change bum" she climbs up onto the change table. She climbs up the outside of her cot when she is put down for her nap.
She has been found on the top of the piano and the top of the tallboy.
.jpg) She is a competent swimmer - and loves it - which is a relief because our over-the-back-fence neighbours have a pool and there is no such thing as a child-proof fence.
The pictures were taken in Canberra and the Snowy mountains in February. Picture 1 is in Canberra, pictures 2 and 3 are Jindabyne, picture 4 is Perisher, pictures 5 and 6 are Thredbo. If you publish this email and the photos instead of the missing column the readers hopefully will be able to see who usurped my column writing time - and why.
Regards
Glen
Northern Lighties
There is an Italian bakery just down the road from my new abode.
Unfortunately I tend to stop off there on my way home on a regular basis. I am an addict already when it comes to the Jalapeno Bread that is baked there fresh daily. Not to mention the Ciabetta loaf. Nor the Sourdough loaf. Nor the many varied exotic Italian meats and cheeses. Nor the many varied bottles of foodstuffs that I can pick and choose from in order to find a new taste experience.
Need a Mango Curry dip mix? No problem there.
Need a packet of Blair's Death Rain crisps? No problem either.
Spanish pickled chillies? Olives? Real fruit sherbet? Marmite? Got them all. Yes. Even I was surprised to find Marmite there. At $3.99 a bottle as well. In fact most of the goodies on the shelves appear to be reasonably priced.
Which of course means that I am probably going to spend quite a bit of time and money there over the years. Trying out various new flavours and taste sensations.
This is because I have this odd penchant for trying out different things. Foods mainly as I get a bit older but I used to have this rule that whenever I went to a new place I would try out the local food and drink specialties.
A sort of "getting the real flavour" of the land.
I don't think my liver can handle the experience as well as it used to any more.
One of my more memorable experiences being a night of trading vodka shots with the local Mafia boss in a nightclub in St Petersburg. As I can remember telling him I was sick of some blousy singer warbling Beatles songs and wanted to hear real Russian songs for a change I suppose I must have touched off a chord in him somewhere. I think the singer was his girlfriend. Or at least "a" girlfriend and I am still here to tell the tale so someone was looking after me. Oddly enough I still have a love for the soulful Russian ballad sung by a throaty choir. It has a certain quality that is far better than a Mafia leader and three henchmen can impart but probably the memories are more attuned to that night. Although I shudder to use the term attuned so loosely. I think that at one stage even I was bellowing out along with them.
It reminds me of Fado which I picked up a liking for in Portugal. Well that and Vinho Verde. Which is where I was thrown out of a bullfight for cheering the bull after I first discovered the medicinal use of a good Verde.
Apparently shouting "Viva el Torro" is frowned upon. As is giving a standing ovation when the Toreador is gored. I wasn't so much asked to leave as frog marched to the exit and tossed out on my but. Clutching one of those sharp assegai things that the Picadors use to put into the bulls neck. I had that hanging around in my memory pile for years.
In fact I wonder where it is at the moment?
Actually that is probably a whole new article on its own. This one however grew out of an acknowledgement that I have a liking of new tastes.
I was reminded of this the other night when friends of mine paid a visit and bought over some Alaskan Snow Crab legs.
Now, despite this being a freely available delicacy, I have not had the pleasure of indulging before. So I was looking forward to trying them. Suffice it to say that they were "very morish". Tasty and surprisingly meaty for what was after all merely the legs themselves.
Mind you I am wondering about the size of the crab that was attached to those legs.
Maybe it is like that Japanese crab that has a body the size of a man and legs like a giraffes neck. Thinner actually. Probably just as tasty though.
With a good butter sauce and some lemon juice those legs were very tasty. I think a rematch is called for sometime.
I actually wrote "and a good bottle of white wine" as well. Then thought about that and on rereading my comments earlier, realise that a lot of my experiences seem to involve the introduction of some alcoholic beverage.
Interesting.
Although I will admit that as I get older I drink a lot less than I ever did. Whether this is as a result of getting wiser or lack of money is a moot point. Hopefully both. What I do enjoy though is the ability to always have something to look forward too when I go somewhere.
There is always some new food or drink to try out as you travel. I sometimes feel sorry for people who won't at least give a new taste a try out.
In Stockholm once I was at a, well, feast describes it best, in the local market. Arlen I think it was. Anyway they had set up a whole lot of tables in the market for the evening's festivities and on each table there was a bowl of caviar. A huge big bowl of caviar along with those rye bread thin rusks that the Swedes like so much.
Without batting an eyelid everyone there shuddered and turned up their noses at the caviar. Two of us looked at the bowl. Looked at the others. Then moved the bowl between us and proceeded to eat a small fortune in caviar. Really good caviar.
I will always remember the North Americans in the party whining about the food there. Typical Scandinavian fare it was. Obviously not quite as appealing as MacDonald's but certainly more appealing.
While I had a couple of hundred dollars worth of food and drink and experience for free.
My next experiment is to try to travel across Canada sampling the various treats and hospitality along the way.
This is a long-term project I think.
Given that there are over 3000 different beers available countrywide and then there is the notorious "Screech" out in Newfoundland I think I may need to pace myself a bit.
My liver isn't getting any younger. Merely my brain.
Perhaps I should stick to fish?
Ramblings Of A Francophobe
I am somewhat disappointed with Thailand after everything I've heard and read. This 'small quiet' resort on the Gulf, Hua Hin, is noisy and full of obese middle aged Scandinavians, mainly couples with younger, miniature, but equally obese, versions of themselves in tow. There are also a number of single men trailing around with Thai girls a third of their size and a quarter of their age. Perhaps my expectations are too high .......... but I find most of the places I've seen commercialised and tacky and without any real charm.
I have no doubt that there are other places which are genuinely unspoiled and beautiful, and that I may have made a bad choice in this one.
The food is wonderful and the people are lovely, but I am sick and tired of the constant solicitations of one sort and another. It is also too hot and humid (it's worse than Durban in January) to walk far and this takes the pleasure out of seeing anything, and the water is lukewarm and not refreshing either. At least the beers are cold, good, and cheap and I'm off to have one or three!
Best wishes to all
MIKE
Boetjie Worldwide
On the road
Ever since I bought my first car (a 1960 Mini 850) back in 1970, I have been or the road for more kilometres than I can calculate. One cannot spend that much time behind a steering wheel without developing a distinct relationship with the act of driving and the road. Now I know that I have touched on this topic before, but some recent events made me want to write about it some more.
In those early days I was based in Cape Town, working as an instructor at the Anti-Aircraft Defence School in Youngsfield, and drove to Worcester every week-end, as that was where my parents lived. Now there are just so many times one can drive over the Du Toitskloof Pass before the road becomes intensely boring, so I alternated routes. Luckily I was never pressed for time and could do the extra distance by going via the Nuwekloof Pass near Ceres, or take the Franschhoek Pass, or even go via Sir Lowry's Pass and the Nuweberg Pass, which takes one past Grabouw and through Villiersdorp. Passes and Minis are ideal companions, as the little car is so surefooted and simply loves tight bends. Long, straight uphill stretches are a different story, of course, for the small engine my Mini had, but we had many hours of fun, for sure!
When I was sent to Oudtshoorn to do a course at the Infantry School, it was my lime green Mini, laden with all my possessions, that took me on the long haul from Cape Town, through Worcester, Robertson, Barrydale and Calitzdorp. We trundled along at a steady 120 km/h and it was only caution that made me make a refuelling stop at Barrydale. That little car could go forever, almost, with its little 25 litre fuel tank!
Soon after I started working at Die Burger in Cape Town I decided I needed a larger car, so I bought a second-hand Vauxhall VX490 (1964 model, but lovingly cared for by an elderly farmer from the Worcester area). Suddenly I had a tremendous amount of speed at my disposal, and driving became an even greater pleasure. The Vauxhall and I covered many thousands of kilometres between Cape Town and Worcester, and later between Moorreesburg and Worcester. She also took me to Vredendal when I went to visit an old school friend there for a holiday, and went with me to Stellenbosch when I started University there. Later it was from Stellenbosch that the Vauxhall and I made daily trips into Cape Town to visit my girlfriend, who lived in Mowbray. When I parted from the trusty old VX, reluctantly and sadly, four years after buying her, we had done just over 150 000 km together.
It was in these two cars that I developed my love for the open road. As a young man there was nothing I enjoyed more than to set off into the open spaces. Reeling in the tar in sun or shine was an intense pleasure. Of course we had our narrrow escapes and the occasional adrenalin rush, such as the time the Vauxhall's left front tyre blew at 150 km/h! Oh, and there was the time when, at the height of the fuel restrictions in the early seventies when the speed limit was brought down to 80km/h, we went through a speed trap at 140. This was near the Voëlvlei Dam and in the early hours of the morning. The Vauxhall's speed and the dark of the moonless night saved my bacon that time!
After the Vauxhall I went back to a Mini, this time a 1972 panel van. My wife at the time and I used to drive up to Langebaan for our annual winter holiday, with my 10' sailing dinghy on the roof and enough clothes, food and supplies for two weeks in the back, and still we managed to get around 200 km on a tank full of petrol. I would give anything to own a "real" Mini again, I must admit! The new "Mini" does not have the same appeal for me, I'm afraid, as it is really a medium car and much more expensive to run.
The second Mini was followed by a brand new VW Golf, which lasted me 13 years and always gave me only excellent service. But by now there were a house, children and my career as a teacher which all curbed the time I could spend on the road. Even so, commuting from Somerset West to Stellenbosch daily meant that I was doing a good 50km every day, and often more. But I was no longer a driver in the same sense -- had become a commuter instead, and that is a very different species of fauna! The Golf was followed by the last car I owned in South Africa, a 1990 Opel Cadet Cub. What a lovely car; reliable, powerful, yet economic and always a pleasure to drive. The Cub took our whole family to Port Elizabeth once, and often to Oudtshoorn while my sister was living there, and never once did we have the slightest problem.
Now I am in Australia and forced to keep to a 100km/h speed limit, which is a drain on my soul, believe me! OK, the country highways sometimes allow one to go as high as 110 -- big deal! Our little Citroën Berlingo van, converted so my wife can simply drive her electric wheelchair into the back, has enabled me to rediscover my love for the open road.
The Berlingo and I have covered vast stretches of Victoria already, as I go on weekly photo shoots for my Cam website. Recently I went to the Grampians, a mountain (well, what passes for a mountain here in Victoria, at any rate!) park some 350km west of Melbourne. My daughter, who was visitng here from South Africa at the time, and I spent a full day driving, walking and taking photos, and it was only when we arrived home that evening that it suddenly occurred to me that, back in South Africa, that same day's driving would have seen us all the way from Somerset West to Port Elizabeth! It just goes to show how little distance really means when one is having fun.
A few weeks ago I drove up north to the tiny town of Echuca, on the Murray River, which is also the border between Victoria and New South Wales. The road is open and good, if a bit bumpy in places, as most of the freight transportation in the state is done by truck, and the heavy vehicles tend to exact a severe toll on road surfaces. This trip, too, involved covering more than 500km. Luckily Victorian country roads are free of the hazards found along so many of South Africa's country roads: pedestrians, unattended livestock and, worst of all, minibus taxis! One just needs to beware of the verges, which are sometimes somewhat dangerously worn.
It was an overcast and cool day, with occasional showers. On the way back, though, and not far from Echuca, I drove into a hailstorm. Now, there are few things that make a driver feel as exposed and helpless as a hailstorm on the open road. All one can do is to pull over (under a tree, if at all possible) and hope and pray that the hailstones are small enough not to damage the car. There were four vehicles in my little posse on the road: an articulated truck, two big four-wheel drives and myself. The hail came down thick and hard, so much so that the road surface became covered in hailstones slightly smaller than marbles. Driving would have been impossible, in any case. The hail stopped after a few minutes, but the rain came down as hard for another ten minutes or so, turning the road into a river. It was not long, however, before we could continue the journey. So, a somewhat nerve-wracking moment, but all part of the fun of driving!
Australian road users, in my part of the world, in any case, are generally well-behaved, patient and courteous. This courtesy is, however, abused by some drivers who appear to believe that putting on one's indicator means that one has the right to change lanes, irrespective of what is in the lane being changed into. This occasionally prompts a hoot or flashed lights, but not always -- commendable restraint, not so? Speeding is fairly prevalent, despite the fixed and mobile speed cameras which regularly make the headlines; either because they have been found to be faulty, or because people complain that they are not used in dangerous areas (called black spots here).
But the main cause for concern on Australian roads is the high accident rate involving young drivers on their "P-plates". The P-plates (a white P on a red background) must be displayed by all drivers during their one-year probation period after obtaining their driver's licences. In Victoria this can mean that a youngster aged 17 may be at the wheel of a 290kW Holden Commodore -- a dangerous enough situation, even without youthful exuberance, love of speed and the need to assert oneself, alcohol and late night-driving being added to the potentially dangerous mix. More than half the drivers killed on Australian roads annually are under 25 years of age, and that is causing serious concern. There is a move afoot to impose a curfew on P-platers, but it seems obvious to me that raising the age limit and restricting the engine size of cars for P-platers would be a better option. That, and making it compulsory for them to pass an advanced driver's course before they move up to the powerful cars they so desperately crave to drive.
As it is, I find it difficult to comprehend Australians' obsession with large cars. What earthly (practical) reason is there to own a car capable of 200+ km/h when the maximum speed limit is 100 on most freeways and highways? How does one justify the enormous consumption of fuel in these times, when the world's oil prices are constantly inching upward and when we all know that the world's oil reserves are far from being inexhaustible? A modern medium-sized or even small car is as comfortable and as safe as these huge fuel bandits. The Berlingo, despite having only a 1.4 litre engine, sails up all the steepest hills here while still in 6th gear, so why have all that extra power? Of course the answer to these questions have all to do with mindset and nothing with practicalities or logic. Some people, men especially, just don't seem to be able to think of themselvs as men if they don't drive a V8 with all the flashy trimmings like spoilers... And the number of times one cannot even see their heads above the headrests of their cars when approaching them from behind is also significant...!
But, for all that, driving is much safer here than in most other parts of the world; attested to by the fact that more people die on South African roads in a month than in a year here. And, it being a first-world country, the state of Australian roads is excellent, all in all. Then, of course, there is also the absence of minibus taxis!
So, every week the Berlingo and I set off for some part of the state to enjoy the wonderful landscape of Victoria and simply to revel in being on the road. There is much still to be seen, and many byways and back roads to explore as I settle ever more comfortably into being less of a newcomer and more of a Victorian.
And my parting for you this time round is to wish you safe, happy and enjoyable driving, wherever you may be.
Mooiloop
Ray
raytheron at iprimus.com.au
Legal Beagle - SA
What a great site, relevant to both inside and outside South Africa. Have sent it to my overseas friends.
Can I direct a question to the Legal Person.
If one wants to get dual citizenship of say Lithuania, does that interfere in any way with your S African citizenship. I understand you have to advise the S African authorities of your intention before you accept citizenship of another country. I read about the 7 year issue – would that apply if one came back to South Africa during that time.
Please don’t ask me to go to our local Home Affairs department to find out, there are hundreds of people in queues and you get sent from pillar to post.
Regards
Nicky
Dear Nicky,
I thank you for your query received through the SAW website and I do agree with you it is an excellent website and source of information.
With reference to your query I wish to advise that at least you have obtained citizenship of another country by birth then you can prejudice your South African citizenship unless you take the necessary steps administratively in terms of the South African citizenship laws, prior to obtaining the citizenship and passport of another country.
The crux of the matter is that if you intend taking up citizenship of another country then you must apply or retention of your South African citizenship status prior to going through the process of naturalisation of another country. Once you are armed with your attention certificate then you go ahead with naturalisation of that other country. Once you have the passport of that other country then the only requirement in terms of South African citizenship law is that you should leave and enter South Africa on your South African passport from that point onwards. You are free to travel on your foreign passport in all other journeys.
If you have however already taken up citizenship of another country then this would throw a slightly different light on the matter and to this end I would need to know when and how you obtained citizenship in order to advise you fully.
In my experience, calling or attending on the Department of home affairs either through its regional or local offices or through one of its embassies/high commissions will lead to you getting a very confusing answer which will differ from office to office.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for clarity, or visit my website at www.immigration-sa.com for the latest information or contact me for further advice as I am available professionally to do any of the above applications.
I thank you for your inquiry.
Regards,
Julian
Nobody needing help this week.
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!
Some feedback... from Shep Adkins gnu356@charter.net
Thanks to you and a kind lady who suggested I try the Old Selborne network, I was able to get an address for my friend, who’s in the PE area.
...the more sand that has escaped from the hour glass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.....
----------------
This from Merril Eldring thepits@ihug.co.nz
Hi,
Thank you for your newsletter, I always find interesting reading. Please can you help me find a lost friend. I went to school in Pietermairtzburg in 1974 at Commercial High. My friend was Lynda Potgieter who married Richard Barton, they lived in Greytown. I am now living in New Zealand have been for 9 years. I would love to contact her, so if anyone knows her whereabouts if my address could be forwarded to her (her sister was Wendy and brother Russell).
Thank you
Merril Eldring nee' Grant
USA – New York
Greetings all in YeboLand!
Yep! Winter is Gone and Spring is here...break out the shorts and "plakkies" and roam the streets legal eagle.
The month of April is jam packed with events and what not, so we decided to delay the release of The Global Village 2005 E-Newspaper and hold off till beginning may so we can continue to conduct interviews, and noted upcoming events.
New Changes:
* The Web site was given a face lift and there are a few gremlins here and there, but otherwise its good to go.
Upcoming Events:
* I will spare you the attachments and graphics so just follow the link to the events and its all "deidelik"
http://www.sacultureinny.org/events.html
Articles & Issues:
* If there are any issues in particular you wish to raise and have them put in our e-newspaper, then please feel free to let us know asap.
* If you have a great cover story to tell or information that need to be followed up... drop us a line.
* If you have found a great eatery or hang out spot in NY for us to do a story or review on.... drop us a line.
* If you have a good hero story or anything that will make for good reading...drop us a line ... You catch the drift.
Projects:
For those who frequent our site, will see that we have 2 projects posted:
1. The Cosmic Africa Education Project:
We need volunteers to assist us in making the nature of this project a reality. Each one of us here in NY will have a chance to make a difference back home, its not a must, just a humanitarian and unselfish act of good will. Click on the site-link to know more about it.
2. The Aids Walk, May 15th, 2005
All South Africans and their friends are encouraged to join Ubuntu Education Fund Walk Team to raise money for current Aids & Health initiatives happening in rural Port Elizabeth in South Africa. Click on the site-link to know more about it.
Other than that, stay true, stay cool and stay out of trouble... and visit us at www.sacultureinny.org
The SA Culture Team
Luxembourg
Hello All
The South African Embassy together with the South Africa club of Luxembourg have organised a 3 day event to celebrate Freedom Day.
Venue: Abbaye Neumünster
Dates: 21st April – 24th April 2005
The event is starting off on Thursday evening, 21st April, with a reception, which is by invitation only.
Then will continue on into the weekend, with load of fun.
Come and try typical South African dishes at the Brasserie de l’Abbaye de Neumünster or have a boerewors roll while strolling around looking at the stands. Ostrich steak and various products will also be on sale.
Sally Arnold a South African artist living in Luxembourg will have some of her art work on display.
Mark Bellingham, living in Brussels, will also be exhibiting his paintings.
As usual we will have the South African crafts, flowers, jewellery and food products. Beer and wines will also be on sale.
Sales Lentz will have a stand promoting tourism in South Africa.
Music and activities:
Fade to Gray will be playing on Saturday afternoon.
Come and see the djembi players. Join the workshop to learn how to play the djembi and to make a musical instrument called a Kora, on Saturday and Sunday morning.
All are welcome!
Hope to see you all there!
Regards
South African Club
No jokes sent in this week.
How about sending in some of your favourite recipes?????
South Africa claim ticket through to second round [Sports Features]
South African fans got what they came to see when home favourites South Africa were declared winners of the 2006 Men’s World Volleyball Championship first round tournament after beating Mauritius to advance through to the second round.
http://www.sportsfeatures.com/PressPoint/show.php?id=21171
Pienaar's message from Africa [Planet Rugby]
South Africa's bid to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup is more than just being about bringing another major showpiece to South Africa. It is about expanding the game into the African market - not just in South Africa, but the entire continent of Africa.
http://www.planet-rugby.com/News/story_42925.shtml
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