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| Contents |
Issue No. 327 -- 25 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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What’s with all this rain? We’re nearly into May and still it rains! Not only that, it is unseasonably cold. Hope the weather warms up a bit for my daughter and granddaughter’s visit as well as the wedding at the weekend.
I have been skiing in the rain needless to say as I have set myself a goal of skiing the half-course before Captain Ken and I leave for our US trip towards the end of June. I just wish the weather wasn’t getting cooler so fast. The water temperature at the dam is not getting any warmer!
Captain Ken’s shoulder continues to improve. He is now visiting a biokineticist twice a week and he is dedicated to doing all his exercises each day. He hopes to be doing some ‘gentle’ skiing in a week or so.
These from me...
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. Dalai Lama
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. Marcus Annaeus Seneca
Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person. David M. Burns
These from Daniel Jan le Roux dleroux@iinet.net.au
If you’re going through hell, keep going. - Winston Churchill.
We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. - Mahatma Gandhi
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&A:
Question: Bridget, London: I will move to South Africa in June 2005. How much will an import permit for my dog cost and how can I apply for it?
Dear Bridget, it will cost R100-00 per animal and details, as well as application forms can be obtained from www.nda.agric.za/vetweb.
Kind regards
Alana
Migrasie / Migration
Solidariteit Alliansie / Solidarity Alliance
P O Box 8766, Centurion, 0046, RSA
Tel: 0027-(0)12-6438532
Fax: 0027-(0)12-6438587
admin@cfi.org.za
Mbeki and AIDS - what can one say
This from Mike Preston
Satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys has launched a biting attack on President Thabo Mbeki's stand on HIV/Aids and nutrition.
"Most of the black people who have died of Aids in South Africa were too poor to even phone for help, let alone pizza delivery," Uys said in a statement on Friday.
"Most of the white people who have died of Aids ate too well to bother with room service."
Nutrition very important — Mbeki
He was responding to Mbeki's statement to business leaders in Singapore this week that experts at a World Health Organisation conference had agreed with him that nutrition was a very important aspect of fighting Aids.
Mbeki said it was "not merely the availability of taking a pill and that was the end of the story" but that effective HIV/Aids contravention required a healthy body, an effective health care system and efficient dispensing mechanisms.
"Quite why it became controversial I don't know, to me it was pretty simple," Mbeki said.
Uys said sarcastically that Mbeki's "victory" was now internationally acclaimed.
Debate was about another issue
"For he has won the debate in which he maintained healthy eating is a primary way of combating Aids.
"Actually, no one ever argued about that. The debate was about the issue: does HIV leads to Aids. That has still not been confronted in the front office of government, but let us not be churlish here.
"Something has been solved. The Pope is Dead: Long live the Pope — The Dissident is gone; Welcome the Naked Chef!"
Superstars didn't eat properly
Uys said one should pity Liberace, Rock Hudson, Brad Davis, Freddy Mercury and other superstars who died of Aids, because they clearly did not eat properly.
Many in the president's own inner circle had also obviously been careless in their eating, and so had died of "natural causes".
"What does our president eat that keeps him so healthy and vigorous?" Uys asked.
"Let us give all the 30-million people in South Africa who need a good daily diet of more than the African potato, the food our president eats... And the food the minister of health eats, this medical guru whose buxom silhouette shows no shyness in the chewing department," Uys said.
The Good News – Winning the war against crime
This from Guy Lundy...
Hijackings in South Africa, which have tarnished the country’s reputation and which have been a great source of fear for both South African motorists and those thinking of visiting the country, have shown a significant decrease, particularly in Gauteng.
According to figures released by the country’s two biggest satellite-based vehicle recovery services, Tracker and Netstar, hijackings have decreased by up to 43% since 1999.
These figures are particularly interesting since they have been released by two companies whose revenues could be negatively affected by a drop in crime. The figures support the South African Police Service’s own 2003/4 national crime statistics, which show a 13% decrease in hijackings nationwide since 2000. Car theft has come down by 18% over the same period.
One of the major reasons for the decrease in hijackings in the Gauteng area, where the vast majority of vehicle hijackings have traditionally been carried out, is the formation of the province’s anti-hijacking police unit and the launch of “Operation Ngena”, which targets hijacking syndicates.The anti-hijacking unit, started in 2003, consists of more than 250 police officers divided into seven task teams. The teams are comprised of investigative, crime intelligence and rapid response components.
There have also been eight dedicated hijacking courts set up in the province, which have helped to reduce case times to within three months and to increase the conviction rate of hijackers by 80%. Another positive move has been the work done to sort out the process of vehicle registration, which has made it more difficult for stolen vehicles to be registered and therefore harder for criminals to get rid of them.
At the same time as these figures have been released, Antony Altbeker of the Institute for Security Studies has challenged the notion that South Africa is the crime capital of the world, as it is often accused of being. In a paper in the latest issue of “Crime Quarterly”, he points out that South Africans have developed such a strong belief that we have the highest crime levels in the world that any arguments to the contrary are often seen as disrespectful to crime victims or as towing the government line.
However, Altbeker points out that the way in which crime statistics are measured in different countries can produce very misleading results. For example, according to figures supplied to the United Nations, Pakistan has a murder rate that is one thirtieth the rate in Europe, while Nigeria has a murder rate that is 80% lower than that of the United States. The reported murder rate in Iraq in the early 1990s was one tenth of that in South Africa – at a time when thousands of Kurds and Shiites were being executed by Iraqi security forces.
Altbeker concludes that, while there is no argument that South Africa has a high level of crime that must be addressed and stamped out, it is questionable whether the country really has significantly higher crime levels than other developing nations around the world.
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.
Dusting
This from Des Cowie des.a.c@btinternet.com
A house becomes a home when you can write "I love you" on the furniture.
I can't tell you how many countless hours that I have spent CLEANING!
I used to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect - "in case someone came over". Then I realized one day that no one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!
Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain the "condition" of my home. They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun. If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice.
Life is short. Enjoy it!
Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake a cake or plant a seed, ponder the difference between want and need?
Dust if you must, but there's not much time, with rivers to swim and mountains to climb, music to hear and books to read, friends to cherish and life to lead.
Dust if you must, but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain. This day will not come around again.
Dust if you must, but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go - and go you must - you, yourself will make more dust!
It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.
New Laws of Science
This from Sharon Waddington shazzz@absamail.co.za
Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.
Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
Law of the Telephone: When you dial a wrong number, you never get an engaged one.
Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the next morning you will have a flat tire.
Variation Law: If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now.
Bath Theorem: When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.
Law of close encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.
Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.
Theatre Rule: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.
Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something, which will last until the coffee is cold.
For Mothers Day
More from Des
To Moms and Grandmothers:
Somebody said that a child is carried in its mother's womb for nine months. Somebody does not know that a child is carried in its mother's heart forever.
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby.
Somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, normal is history.
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct. Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
Somebody said being a mother is boring. Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.
Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will "turn out good." Somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.
Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices. Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother. Somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.
Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first. Somebody doesn't have five children.
Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books. Somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose.
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery. Somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten.
Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back. Somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell cookies.
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married. Somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.
Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home. Somebody never had grandchildren.
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her. Somebody isn't a mother.
Very Clever
More from Des
DORMITORY: When you rearrange the letters: DIRTY ROOM
PRESBYTERIAN: When you rearrange the letters: BEST IN PRAYER
DESPERATION: When you rearrange the letters: A ROPE ENDS IT
GEORGE BUSH: When you rearrange the letters: HE BUGS GORE
THE MORSE CODE: When you rearrange the letters: HERE COME DOTS
SLOT MACHINES: When you rearrange the letters: CASH LOST IN ME
ANIMOSITY: When you rearrange the letters: IS NO AMITY
MOTHER-IN-LAW: When you rearrange the letters: WOMAN HITLER
SNOOZE ALARMS: When you rearrange the letters: ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S
A DECIMAL POINT: When you rearrange the letters: IM A DOT IN PLACE
THE EARTHQUAKES: When you rearrange the letters: THAT QUEER SHAKE
ELEVEN PLUS TWO: When you rearrange the letters: TWELVE PLUS ONE
A ditty...
This from Mike Preston
I thought this was lovely even if it's a reminder of our advancing (note I did not say advanced!) years!
MIKE
To commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/vocalist Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was "My Favorite Things" from the legendary movie "Sound Of Music." However, the lyrics of the song were deliberately changed for the entertainment of her "blue hair" audience. Here are the lyrics she recited:
Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets, and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pains, confused brains, and no fear of sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention Our short shrunken frames,
when we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores.
How long?
This from Captain Ken:
Check out how long you are going to live! It’s a fun quiz but might give you some insight to just how long you might be around! Watch the age prediction on the top left of the screen change as you answer the various questions.
http://www.nmfn.com/tnetwork/longevity_game_popup.html
Choice Coach – Work in Progress
April 2005
Project you! - Part II
Beginning your ladder
In the March issue I wrote about working on one's life as a project, with you as the project manager. The piece covered creating a vision in which life is as you wish it to be three, five or ten years from now, and in which all of the "departments" of your life are congruently supported by, and in support of, that vision. I mentioned the need for a ladder that would reach to the vision, with the steps needed being the rungs of the ladder.
This month we'll look at the first of the two steps that you need to take to create the ladder from where you are now to where you plan to be in the future.
Just as with any journey, you need to know both where you want to go and where you are now. Where you are now is not usually the beginning of your journey. It is certainly the beginning of the rest of the journey, but you have already come a long way. It is a good idea to take stock of that before you start to plan the future.
When I started to work on my Bachelor's degree, many years ago, I had to do just that, and it was both enlightening and supportive. I had done so much more than I had given myself for! To clarify, my bachelor's degree, unlike my graduate degrees, was what one might call unconventional, even though done at an accredited college - Empire State College, a part of the State University of New York system. When I started there I was asked what I wanted to become, and what I had already done along the way. My first task was to create a portfolio demonstrating what I had already learned on the way to reaching my goal. When developed, it went to my committee and they decided how much "life credit" I would get before it. Then, based on that process, they and I together worked out what I needed to do for the rest of my program. I'm not sure which was more useful, developing the portfolio, or learning the process of developing it. I do know that I was thrilled to realize how much I had already done that would contribute to my goal.
With your vision established after last month's newsletter, this article involves the first of two more steps. Step One, which we will cover this month, involves discovering how far you have already come, and Step Two, scheduled for May, involves deciding how you will get from where you are now to wherever it is that you want to go.
Step One: How far have you come?
If you are breaking new ground in your planning, starting off on a journey that is different from anything you have done before, the first and perhaps most important thing to do is to learn the art of generalization. Just because you have not done the things you need to do does not mean that you have not developed many of the skills you need to do them. The first task is to look at what you have done, and identify the skills that are generalizable to other types of situation.
You may feel that your future is a clean break from your past, and that this step is a waste of time. If you read through Step One below, however, you will see that this lays some very solid groundwork for Step Two. If you've ever experienced the uncertainty of climbing a ladder which is on uneven or shifting ground you know that this is a bad idea, so I urge you to take the time to mentally organize the foundation for the future. That foundation cannot help but be the past, even when we think that the two are unrelated, or perhaps diametrically opposed to each other.
The Step One trick is to look at what you have done in the past, either in a conventionally work-related past or in some "world" separate from the one you are seeking to enter, and take all of your assorted tasks down to basics.
As I write this I am reminded of an extreme case that I encountered on the internet a few years ago - one that appeared to be serious although, who knows, perhaps it was a hoax. Posted somewhere on the internet was what claimed to be the resume of a former high level drug dealer who had served his time and who most creatively showed how the skills he had learned - team building, motivating a sales force, dealing with logistics and transportation in an import/export business, dealing with legal issues, etc. could transfer for use in a legitimate business. It was creative and funny, but it made a point, and rumor was that the individual got a job in a legitimate organization as a result of that creative posting.
I am not suggesting that my readers are former drug dealers, but that we all have skills developed in the past that are probably more transferable than we realize. When it comes to feeling that one has no experience to bring to the hiring marketplace, probably the most extreme case is the former home-maker who, for whatever reason, wants or needs to start - or re-start - a career. She often feels that she has nothing to offer. Yet, consider what she (usually she, though not always in this day and age) has done during the time when she was "not working". In actual fact, she was most assuredly working - just not being paid for it. Whether it be scheduling of activities, coordinating transportation, peace-making and negotiation between warring teenagers, decorating a home, or any of the many other tasks of a home-maker, she was undoubtedly using skills that are needed in the workplace.
What did you do? Don't do this in your head - write it down, in a column on the left hand side of a sheet of paper that has three columns. Label the left-hand column "Task," the middle column "Skill/Knowledge" and the right-hand column "Future requirement."
Starting with the left-hand column, list everything that you have done in the past. Be thorough. Keep working at it, listing EVERYTHING that you did - not just thing things that you - or other people - think were important. Keep going. Think of your daily routine, from start to finish. Think of what interests and hobbies you have had in your life, and what you have learned, what you have done, in relation to them. Think of what you have done in both formal and informal learning situations. Don't let yourself off the hook until you have reviewed your entire life experience in every context - work, education, family, hobbies, social life, perhaps even spiritual life - leave nothing out. You will most probably have filled the left-hand column of several sheets of paper.
Now to the middle column. What skills did each of those tasks call for? What did you need to know in order to do that? Find a skill and/or an area of expertise for EVERY activity that you have listed in the left-hand column and enter it in the middle column on the same line as the related task.
Lastly, what tasks, of those that would be involved in your planned future world, call for the skills that you have in the middle column? Again, go through all the tasks and skills, and for each one, enter something related to your future world in the right-hand column. There may be some areas left blank here, either because you really cannot see any relationship between past and future or because you do not yet have a clear picture of the future. I'd suggest that you review this list from time to time in the future to discover whether you may be able to fill in some of those blanks as your future becomes clearer.
When you have not only a map showing where you have come so far, but also a clearer idea of how that experience will serve you in the future, it will be time to move to Step Two - actually creating the part of the ladder that is ahead of you - which is probably where you wanted to start in the first place. So that you have plenty of time to complete Step One, we'll work on Step Two in the May issue of Work in Progress.
This may seem like a lot of work, but your future is worth it.
For more information visit Diana's web site http://ChoiceCoach.com or contact her at Diana@ChoiceCoach.com.
Copyright 2004 Diana Robinson, PhD., PCC. Grounded in the Earth, Reaching for the Sky may be reproduced in its entirety only, including this copyright line. Disclaimer -The contents herein are solely the opinions of Grounded in the Earth, Reaching for the Sky 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.
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Mind Massage
All you need is love--but curiosity sure helps.
Here's a look at the power of curiosity to inspire greater affection for the world and everything in it.
Curiously yours,
Maya ;-)
Mindfulness and Curiosity: Inspiring Affection
"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." --Albert Einstein
I like to think of Mindfulness and Curiosity as best friends.
If Mindfulness is the quiet one noticing new things, Curiosity is the more energetic one willing to explore the details and play with every new discovery.
Sure, they could go their separate ways, but their relationship is enriching and enjoyable. They learn more together, and they have a whole lot more fun than they ever would on their own.
Mindfulness and Curiosity go hand in hand. The best approach to mindfulness is one that encourages the development of a hearty curiosity in all those novel stimuli that get noticed.
It's no secret that lifelong learners are those who tend to be the most curious about the world, and it stands to reason that the ones who keep poking around are likely to learn more than those who are happy to rehash the same ideas repeatedly.
Besides helping you learn more and develop greater awareness of the world around you, the mindful/curious combo is likely to result in less prejudice, deeper engagement, and higher self-esteem. At least, that's what the latest research tells us, and I tend to trust those Harvard folks on this one.
How does mindful curiosity reduce prejudice? It's simple if you think about it. Being mindful of others who are different leads to a heightened awareness of our behavior and attitudes. This opens the door to curiosity, which can guide us to learn more about others and to find significant ways in which we are similar.
When we meet others with obvious physical differences--whether that's race, height, weight, eye color, hair style, or fashion sense--we tend to first notice what is different. It's like that childhood song, "One of these things is not like the other...." We see the differences FIRST, and that's natural.
But that's not the end of the story. Our mindful curiosity can help us find common ground. In the same way, others we see as similar to us become more fascinating as we get to know them better and recognize their unique qualities.
In other words, we need to see both the differences AND the similarities in order to learn the most and increase our awareness of others as well as gain a greater understanding of ourselves. The more we see ourselves as mindful, curious people with an interest in others, the more likely we are to continue to engage in the world around us with wonder and affection.
This is true for art as well as people. It has been shown that we "like" art or music that we have been instructed to notice. Of two people shown the same unfamiliar piece of artwork, the one instructed to notice three interesting aspects of the piece is far more likely to report later that they like it.
I love the beauty and power of this notion.
If all it takes to develop greater affection for a person, place or thing is simply being instructed to find interesting aspects, then we need to start doing exactly that. By strengthening our mindful/curious quotient, we can ensure our continued development as kind, compassionate, generous and happy individuals.
How curiously simple--and stunningly significant.
Our Featured Value Today...
I was curious about human values, and did a little search until I ended up at the Foundation for a Better Life website. I noticed with glee that their featured value (for the day? week? month?) is CURIOSITY.
So, you see, I'm not the only one pushing it. ;-)
The Foundation For a Better Life is a curious(!) nonprofit that produces inspiring billboards and public service announcements on qualities that make us better humans. Same general idea--finding similarities as well as celebrating the differences.
Isn't it nice to feel good about humans?
Give yourself a blast of affection at:
http://www.forbetterlife.org
Let's Make A Movie
I am having a ball with the new website, which I hope to launch in May.
Right now, I'm working with Dr. Karen MacKay, a chiropractor/hypnotherapist/acupuncturist who is also an author/photographer/filmmaker.
We're creating a flash movie about mindfulness, and we need your help.
We're using photographs to remind us of universal experiences of wonder--from our very first discoveries as infants to those that surprise and enrich us at 100+.
So...what are YOUR memories of wonder? Looking at a bug? Tasting something new? Playing a new game? Riding a bike? Creating art? Catching a butterfly? Playing an instrument? The birth of a child? Holding a grandchild? Watching a sunset? Finding true love?
Please share your favorite "Wow of Wonder" suggestions. No need for detail--just describe your wonder-ful experience in about five words, like the phrases above.
It might be the perfect addition to our little movie, which we hope many others will enjoy as an opportunity to reconnect to wonder.
Thank you so much for your help! Please send your suggestions to me at:
maya@mindmasseuse.com
Counting On Curiosity
What would it be like to be curious about the world with an eye toward inspiring affection?
How much fun would it be to discover three differences you have with your best friend and how powerful would it be to find three similarities you share with the person who drives you crazy?
Play the curiosity game this week, and send me a message to share your findings.
Go forth and discover!
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.
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©Copyright 2004, Maya Talisman Frost
52 Best Stories – How to Change a Habit
Processionary caterpillars travel in long, undulating lines, one creature behind the other. Jean Henri Fabre, the French entomologist, once lead a group of these caterpillars onto the rim of a tea cup so that the leader of the procession found himself nose to tail with the last caterpillar in the procession, forming a circle without end or beginning.
Through sheer force of habit and, of course, instinct, the ring of caterpillars circled the teacup for seven days and seven nights, until they died from exhaustion and starvation. An ample supply of food was close at hand and plainly visible, but it was outside the range of the circle, so the caterpillars continued along the beaten path.
People often behave in a similar way. Habit patterns and ways of thinking become deeply established, and it seems easier and more comforting to follow them than to cope with change, even when that change may represent freedom, achievement, and success. If someone shouts, "Fire!" it is automatic to blindly follow the crowd, and many thousands have needlessly died because of it.
How many stop to ask themselves: Is this really the best way out of here? So many people "miss the boat" because it's easier and more comforting to follow - to follow without questioning the qualifications of the people just ahead - than to do some independent thinking and checking.
A hard thing for most people to fully understand is that people in such numbers can be so wrong, like the caterpillars going around and around the edge of the flowerpot, with life and food just a short distance away. If most people are living that way, it must be right, they think
For some reason most people wait passively for success to come to them - like the caterpillars going around in circles, waiting for sustenance, following nose to tail - living as other people are living in the unspoken, tacit assumption that other people know how to live successfully.
It's a good idea to step out of the line every once in a while and look around to see if the line is going where we want it to go. If it is not, it might be time for a new leader and a new direction. For those who have tried repeatedly to break a habit of some kind, only to repeatedly fail, Mary Pickford said,
"Falling is not failing, unless you fail to get up."
Most people who finally win the battle over a habit they have wanted to change have done so only after repeated failures. And it's the same with most things.
The breaking of a long-time habit does seem like the end of the road at the time - the complete cessation of enjoyment. Suddenly dropping the habit so fills our minds with the desire for the old habitual way that, for a while, it seems there will no longer be any peace, any sort of enjoyment.
But that's not true. New habits form in a surprisingly short time, and a whole new world opens up to us.
So, if you've been trying to start in a new direction, you might do well to remember the advice of Mary Pickford: breaking an old habit isn't the end of the road; it's just a bend in the road.
And falling isn't failing, unless you don't get up.
~ The author is Earl Nightingale from "The Essence of Success" which was edited by Carson V. Conant ~
http://www.52best.com/cater.asp
One Man’s Australia
Nothing received from Glen this week.
Northern Lighties
Since the last time I wrote a full article on working at Wally Market I have been promoted twice and now run the Tire and Lube Express and Automotive Departments within the Milton Wal-Mart.
Since the last time I wrote about working there I have also managed to come face to face with the worst aspects of humanity and the types that exist out there to whom manners, morals and common sense are factors that either don't exist or are ignored. I am continuously astonished at what people try to get away with and, this being Wally Market, what they are allowed to get away with.
This week culminated in an example of what I classify as one of the most pathetic examples of the mindset of a scam artist at work.
Let's take a step back while I set the scene.
I was promoted to run the Automotive Department out in the new Milton Wally-Market - probably more to do with my ability to set up a new store correctly, rather than any vast expansive knowledge of the automotive industry. Having spent six weeks working on taking a shell to a fully operational retail store I was introduced to the new TLE manager. This is my immediate boss who mysteriously missed all the hard work and who, in addition to being half my age, had no experience in management nor the automotive departments either. I raised my eyebrow a bit, after all given my knowledge of cars when I started this aspect is hardly surprising, but not having acted as a manager before was rather surprising. Wally-market, for all its sins, does try to follow succession planning and promote from within, with appropriate knowledge bases in the field you are overseeing.
Suffice it to say that within a short space of time this lack showed, with the morale and attitudes starting to deteriorate and claims increasing.
Three months later I was promoted to head up the TLE and Automotive departments.
I think some people's heads are still spinning at this Seffricans way of handling things, given that certain individuals were helped to find gainful employment elsewhere, while rules and regulations began to be implemented. Firmly. Very firmly.
You see when it comes to hiring and firing, Canadians have a definite problem with the firing part.
In the six months since I took over we have moved from a demoralized unit to one that Head Office regularly uses as the model example of how a department should be run. In fact right now I am getting a little tired of having bigwigs and dignitaries strolling around the unit comparing and taking notes every week.
Only because it makes it pretty hard to make a mistake, and we all can make mistakes at times, without that look of disappointment crossing the boss's face.
And of course when you are continuously held up as an example you tend to make the odd enemy.
The only reason that matters to me though is when I was told by one of my technicians that he actually "looked forward to coming to work each day"! When another technician independently echoed the same sentiments I knew we were on the way to success. Actually when I was called in by the Store Manager and asked why my department was always so happy and would we calm down the laughter and merriment a little, was when I really knew we were on the right track.
Having said that all (well I needed to toot a horn a bit I admit!) I will agree that we are still picking up a bit of residual fall-out from the initial three months but we are getting closer to our goal of being a profitable as well as happy little unit.
And so we go back to the scam artist.
In November most people change to winter tires. We had one person who came in and got a set of tires put on. In February, when the major part of winter was supposedly over, he came back and claimed that we had put on the wrong tires and that he hadn't wanted winter tires and we must give him a set of what he wanted. At the time I looked at the invoice and noticed that one of the people I had fired was the technician and, given his history, couldn't be entirely sure that this wasn't true. Since then I have come to realise that this was merely an elaborate scam.
We have an Auto parts counter in the store as well. This is an independent franchise. This person then went to the counter and bought parts there. Used them and returned them as well. Not once but three times.
On the fourth time he tried to do this they told him to take a running jump at himself. At which stage the swearing and foul abuse started. He had done that with me as well but remember I had erred on the side of caution. In the Auto Parts case they stood firm.
At which Mr. Scam Artist decided to sue Wally Market and the Store Managers, myself included, for the princely sum of $300.
Remember the Auto Parts counter is an independent franchise paying to use the space in the store. Mr. Scam Artist understands this well, which is why he goes after Wally market instead.
So what does Wally Market do? They decide to pay the scum off. After all it costs more to send a lawyer to court than pay that paltry amount.
Even better…. I am the one told to handle the situation and I have to bring this piece of flotsam in and pay him. Luckily for him we decided that two of us should be present because he had the cheek to ask for money for his registered letter and claim that I had said he could have it. In other words calling me a liar to my face. It is the closest I have come to hitting someone for a long time. The other Manager noticed my change and stepped in at that point. Giving me time to calm myself.
However this particular individual has now been flagged and lets just say that service in this, and other, stores will be a little harder for him in future. Subsequently we discovered that he has been banned from Canadian Tire and Zellers as well.
He isn't the only person who thinks along those lines though. It seems that Wally Markets habit of settling, even patently spurious, claims is well known.
I probably have on average one attempt a week at this. From someone who drove to Florida and back with the "stripped" drain plug AND oil pan to the woman who claimed that we had put gear oil in her transmission and the many people who try to put every rattle and perceived defect down to something we have done, we get them all.
If nothing else I have learned extreme patience and I surprise myself continuously at how calm I can appear.
And yet I still get annoyed at the way people carry on in retail stores.
The best scam I came across involved a person buying Synthetic motor oil (the most expensive and best oil), changing the car's oil and then putting the old oil back in the bottle and returning it for a refund. And getting it! This was compounded by the young idiot manning the customer service desk putting the bottle back on the shelf. Luckily we noticed something amiss before we had another lawsuit.
Actually in the same vein we have people who pick up mugs fill them with brake fluid or some other automotive cleaner and walk out of the store sloshing the liquid around and claiming that it was there when they arrived at the store. Canada being the coffee mad country that it is most people do walk around with coffee in their paws while shopping. Mostly in those damn cardboard "rrrrrolll-up-the-rrrrrim" cups which they merely put on any available surface when they have finished. Probably under the belief that those of us who work there are overjoyed at the ability to clean up after them.
This need to clean also involves what appears to be a very forgetful nation who will pick something up at the food counter and then leave it in the hardware department. Or, in one memorable case in the auto department, from the lingerie department. Nothing like gathering up some interesting bras and thongs left in the oil aisle and walking through the store with a handful. I got some interesting looks I can tell you. After all just when does a women decide " Hmmm….I think I will buy oil today instead and go commando for the rest of the week"?
More importantly, just who was she and why wasn't I serving her? (You can insert your own joke at this stage. I have already given you the setup)
I am beginning to realise that I could go on forever giving you chapter and verse on how to defraud retail stores but I would add a little caveat here. The reason I am telling you about these things is because we already are aware of what takes place and while these are among the more creative ways to steal there are ways we counter them. Successfully I might add.
Which has led to me being called a supercilious English bastard at least once. Which given my feelings about that particular insult was probably the wrong thing to call me if you want leniency.
Yet there are still 90% of the customers who are well mannered, polite and make you feel that what you are doing is worthwhile and enjoyable. I remind myself constantly that there are more good people than bad.
It just seems as if it is the other way around.
Nobody needing help this week.
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!
I am trying to locate Henk and Ria Ten Brink. Ria is a pharmacist and currently works somewhere in the USA.
Henk is a barrister and they have two girls, Elri and Inge.
Ria and I worked together at the University of the North, near Pietersburg. I moved to Wales and am currently a retail pharmacy manager.
Joan Lombard
joan@jlombard.freeserve.co.uk
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
Why Men Are So Happy
This from Sharon Waddington shazzz@absamail.co.za
It's easier to see why men are happier than women -- at least, from their point of view.
One woman's list:-
Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be president.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal.
You never have to drive to another gas station because this one's just too icky.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress - $5000; tux rental - $100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite you to something, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Everything on your face stays its original color.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut or a bolt.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
You don't have to shave below your neck.
Your belly usually hides your big hips.
One wallet and one pair of shoes, one color, all seasons.
You can "do" your nails with a pocketknife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives, on December 24, in 45 minutes.
Demand for a raise
This from Colin Morgan colin.morgan@t-systems.co.za
"Boss, I've got to have a raise," the salesman said to his sales manager. "There are three other companies after me."
"Is that a fact?" the manager asked. "What other companies are after you?"
"The electric company, the phone company, and the bank."
Can cold water clean dishes?
This from Matthew Green
This is for all the germ conscious folks that worry about using cold water to clean.
John went to visit his 90 year old grandfather in a very secluded, rural area of Georgia.
After spending a great evening chatting the night away, John's grandfather prepared breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. However, John noticed a film like substance on his plate, and questioned his grandfather asking, "Are these plates clean?"
His grandfather replied, "They're as clean as cold water can get them. Just you go ahead and finish your meal, Sonny!"
For lunch the old man made hamburgers. Again, John was concerned about the plates as his appeared to have tiny specks around the edge that looked like dried egg and asked, "Are you sure these plates are clean?"
Without looking up the old man said, "I told you before, Sonny, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them. Now don't you fret, I don't want to hear another word about it!"
Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a nearby town and as he was leaving, his grandfather's dog started to growl, and wouldn't let him pass. John yelled and said, "Grandfather, your dog won't let me get to my car".
Without diverting his attention from the football game he was watching on TV, the old man shouted...
"Coldwater, go lay down!"
$200
This from Daniel Jan le Roux dleroux@iinet.net.au
A woman was sitting at a bar enjoying an after work cocktail with her girlfriends when an exceptionally tall, handsome, extremely sexy middle-aged man entered. He was so striking that the woman could not take her eyes off him.
The young-at-heart man noticed her overly attentive stare and walked directly toward her. (As most men will do.)
Before she could offer her apologies for so rudely staring, he leaned over and whispered to her, "I'll do anything, absolutely anything, that you want me to do, no matter how kinky, for only R200 - on one condition."
Flabbergasted, the woman asked what the condition was. The man replied, "You have to tell me what you want me to do in just three words."
The woman considered his proposition for a moment, then slowly removed a R200 note from her purse, which she pressed into the man's hand... along with her address. She then looked deeply into his eyes... and slowly, and meaningfully, said...
.
.
.
.
.
Paint my house!
I made this for supper tonight... so have not eaten it yet!
Aubergine Casserole
2 medium aubergines sliced longways
2 medium onions chopped
fresh garlic to taste – I used 3 cloves
250 grams baby brown mushrooms thickly sliced (or whatever mushrooms you have)
1 jar good quality spaghetti sauce
Olive oil
Fry the aubergine slices in a small amount of olive oil until they are just cooked and a bit brown on each side. Steam fry the onions and garlic in a separate pan until softened but not brown.
Layer the sauce, aubergine slices, onions and mushrooms in a deep casserole, finishing with sauce.
Bake at about 175/350 for about 30 minutes. If the casserole dish is full then stand it on a baking tray or tin to catch any juice that boils over.
I am serving this with a potato casserole and steamed broccoli.
Smith celebrates SA win [iafrica.com]
South Africa captain Graeme Smith and his team-mates have big plans to celebrate their series victory over West Indies.
http://sport.iafrica.com/cricket/news/435804.htm
Lara nudges Kallis into second place [IOL]
Jacques Kallis has dropped to number two in the ICC Test batting rankings: the South African batsman has been replaced by the West Indies' Brian Lara at the top.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=17&art_id=qw1114504381494S163
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