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| Contents |
Issue No. 340 -- 12 September 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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No rain yet in Gauteng. Nice warm days when even lizards take it easy.
Here’s a pic that Captain Ken took at K’Shane. The guys putting our boat in thought he was dead... they waved their arms at him... jumped up and down... no response. So they found a stick to prize him out of the pole. As soon as they actually touched him with the stick he sprung up and then retreated into the hollow pole! It is a tall pole and I wonder how he managed to get up there into it. It is encased in concrete at the bottom.
For those of you with loved ones in the UK... check out the great competition below! SAW Advertisement
VisitBritain SA and the UK Post Office are giving away a 7 day rendezvous  for you with your friends and family living in the UK. 4 Flight tickets to the UK, accommodation and a whole bag of goodies included. Click here to get your name in the draw!
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These from me...
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. - John F. Kennedy
Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence. - Abigail Adams
Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes. Peter F. Drucker
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams
Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors. - Louisa May Alcott
Wisdom is ofttimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar. – William Wordsworth
These from Des Cowie...
The distance isn't important; it is only the first step that is difficult. - Marquise du Deffand
Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience. - Victoria Holt
May God grant you always
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you. - Irish saying
Courage is never to let your actions be influenced by your fears. - Arthur Koestler
Just don't give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong. - Ella Fitzgerald
These from Daniel Jan le Roux...
You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. - Buddha. Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism
Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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 |
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Coming Home
Alana is busy with her newsletter so the Q&A will be back next week.
Construction industry booming
This from Guy Lundy...
Driving around the major cities of South Africa, it is easy to see that the construction industry is booming, and if the amount of work in the pipeline is anything to go by it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The boom is being driven largely by massive growth in demand for housing amongst the growing black middle class, as well as major infrastructural upgrades by utilities such as Transnet and Eskom and preparations for the 2010 Football World Cup.
With interest rates at a 24-year low, government spending on infrastructure delivery improving, and several projects such as the R12 billion Gautrain in the pipeline, it is little wonder that the FTSE/JSE Africa Construction & Building Materials Index has gained more than 63% over the past year. The construction industry grew at an annualized 6.2% in the second quarter of 2005, up from 5.1% in the first quarter.
Figures released on Monday show that South African construction and engineering firm Aveng increased its annual headline earnings per share by 69%, with revenue increasing 15% to R13.5 billion. At the same time, speculation in the market is that construction equipment company Waco International may be the subject of a buyout worth some R3.9 billion. The company has around 4000 employees in South Africa, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and the UK, and does an annual turnover of about R3.5 billion.
The construction industry is likely to be the biggest beneficiary in the run-up to the 2010 Football World Cup. The organizers hope to keep the cost of the 10 stadiums to R2.5 billion by renovating existing venues as much as possible, but there will also be spending on new hotels, transport infrastructure and more. The World Cup organizing committee expects a total of R17 billion in new investments, which will lead to the creation of 123,000 new jobs. The 350,000 or so foreign tourists coming for the tournament – significantly more than the 25,000 that came for the 1995 Rugby World Cup – are expected to spend around R10 billion in the country.
To capitalize on the investment that the country will make, South African Rugby, represented by Francois Pienaar, is bidding against Japan and New Zealand to host the 2011 World Cup. Thanks to the Football World Cup having taken place the year before, all the stadiums would be ready and all necessary accommodation and transport links would be in place.
Gaining in confidence steadily, the country is now also bidding for a slot in the Formula One Grand Prix calendar. The plan, which has been given explicit backing by Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, is to build a new multi-million rand race track next to Cape Town International Airport. Africa is the only continent currently not represented on the Grand Prix circuit. The bid committee believe that the races would bring around 120,000 tourists, plus 150 million television viewers and R1 billion into the economy each year.
It looks like the construction industry will just have to gear up for even more growth.
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.
If you would like to contact Guy, visit his web site here.
Spot the Giraffe
This from Matthew Green
Just look at it... can you see the giraffe there? It is really worth while.
Regards
Matthew
Mind Massage
If you've found yourself either glued to or repelled by (or both) the round-the-clock coverage of Hurricane Katrina, you MUST read this week's issue.
Warmly,
Maya
Mindfulness and Empathy: A Hurricane of Emotion
My family has been focused on settling into our new community here in Old Mazatlan, Mexico, so when Tina, our sales manager back in Oregon, sent an email about a hurricane near New Orleans, we didn't pay much attention to it. After all, it's hurricane season, and this seemed like just another storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico.
It wasn't until several days after Katrina hit Louisiana that we started to learn that this was no ordinary storm. At our local internet cafe, we huddled around a computer, absorbing news and photos of the devastation via CNN.com. Because we've been hanging out with Mexicans, this had not been the topic of conversation, and we were stunned that we could be so blissfully unaware of something that was clearly in the forefront of American consciousness.
It occurred to us that had we been watching the news in the U.S., we might have been much more caught up in the horror and anguish part of the disaster instead of the opportunity to deepen our own ability to feel empathy and act purposefully.
Ironically, in the past month, I have been interviewed by two major magazines about the topic of empathy and how we can use the news as a trigger for mindfulness beyond the obvious information-sharing about where to send a check.
You see, we can actually make use of whatever news we hear to focus on our own ability to connect to the pain of others and--key point here--redirect our emotion and energy so that we emerge as more compassionate without getting dragged down into hopelessness.
Every non-profit organization in the world is the result of empathy and directed compassion. Whether we're saving trees, feeding children, or preserving history, we are tapping into our ability to FEEL a connection and moving forward by paying attention to our heightened sense of urgency in order to plan appropriate action.
We listen. We watch. We feel. We act.
Unfortunately, many of us tend to get stuck in one of the first three states, and instead of utilizing our emotion and energy, we find that it causes us great stress and heartache without seeming to help us--or anyone else.
By paying attention to the news and using it as a mindfulness trigger, we can see exactly what part of the process tends to hold us most stubbornly.
Can't tear yourself away from the news? Feel compelled to listen to the same reports over and over? Step back and watch YOURSELF. Are you processing information--or looking for some way to release your own despair? Information alone rarely moves us forward. We must take the next step and allow ourselves to FEEL and then to ACT.
Watch your own emotions. What are you feeling? Once the info has been processed and the initial wave of horror and compassion has passed, we naturally turn to fear. What will happen next? Will this affect us and our loved ones? What can we do to prepare or prevent this from happening?
American newscasts seem especially focused on creating and sustaining this fear, but in other parts of the world, the media tends to offer a more balanced information-only format. So, the first thing to notice is how the words, images, music, and vocabulary used are triggering specific reactions and emotions in you.
A devastating hurricane doesn't need any embellishment, but if we pay attention, we can see that there are always choices made in how information is presented. Be mindful of this, and watch as though you are observing a fascinating process of emotional manipulation--and you are the subject of this study.
In the acts-of-God category, it's tough to move out of fear. We can work the numbers in our heads, but the more we watch those reports, the more we think, "These people never saw it coming--it could have been a disaster in my own town."
Listen to the "what ifs" and "could have beens" going through your head, and then ask yourself: What can I DO?
Action is highly personal. Your response might be to pray or meditate or send love to all of those affected. You might go out and buy some bottled water to store in your basement for your family--just in case. You may use the news as a topic of conversation in order to connect with those you wouldn't normally talk to. You could use it as a reminder to draw your loved ones together more frequently and meaningfully. You might write a check, organize a fundraiser, or start a nonprofit yourself.
What matters is that you reach some point of engagement in the world. Use the news as a way to connect with others and deepen that innate sense of compassion you share with humans around the world.
There will be other Katrinas, unfortunately. The good news is that you can learn how to skillfully transform sadness and helplessness in order to become a more mindful, engaged and excellent human.
Stay tuned, stay mindful, and stay engaged.
Your Secret Assignment: Use The News
This week, use the news as a trigger for mindfulness.
It doesn't have to be about Katrina. You can watch a celebrity gossip show, or Talk of the Nation, or a BBC broadcast--it's up to you to define "news" that will work for you.
Whether it's a disaster or the latest update on Brad-and-Angelina vs. Brad-and-Jen, view the news with fresh eyes and willingness to see it all as an opportunity to be savvy and soft at the same time.
Here's what you do:
1) Listen. Close your eyes and hear the words. What factual information is being conveyed? What emotion is triggered by the sound of the reporter's voice? (urgency, regret, warning, shock) Listen for specific words that elicit a particular response. ("devastating", "shocking", "violent", "overwhelming")
2) Watch. How do the images add to or detract from the news story? Would your reaction to this particular segment be different if you ONLY watched or ONLY listened to it?
3) Feel. Keep your eyes closed, and scan your body. Do you clench or get tense when a particular emotion is triggered? What do you feel--and where do you feel it?
4) Act. What can you do right now with this information? Call a friend? Talk to the person sitting next to you on the bus? Send a check? Go online and get more informed?
Watch the news, and then watch yourself.
"Wow" Around The World
I've been amazed by the response to the little "Wow of Wonder" movie I released on my website last week.
From all around the world--over 20 countries at last count--viewers have written to tell me of their response to the images and ideas about wonder and reconnecting to that sense of awe we held so naturally as children.
I received many similar to this one:
"After Hurricane Katrina, I really needed something uplifting -- to see the world as a child: safe, fresh, new, clean, wonderful. Thank you so very, very much. I feel like an idiot because I'm sitting here at my desk and can't quit crying. I guess I needed the catharsis. Thank you."
Many found the image of the cactus heart most compelling. Some were moved by the music, others by the words.
People spoke of feeling soothed and centered. Many sent the link to everyone they know, and it brought them closer to those who had been distant.
What will it do for you? Watch the movie here:
http://www.real-worldmindfulness.com/movie.htm
Want to know how our family is doing in Old Mazatlan?
Visit my blog here:
MassageYourMind.blogspot.com
**********************************
Maya Talisman Frost has taught thousands of people how to pay attention. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training, she offers playful and powerful eyes-wide-open ways to get calm, clear and creative. To receive her free special report, 'The Dirty Little Secret About Meditation,' visit her website at MassageYourMind.com
(C) Copyright 2005, Maya Talisman Frost
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52 Best Stories – Two Horses
Just up the road from my home is a field with two horses in it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. However, if one stops the car - or is walking by - one will notice something quite amazing.
Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing, but close observation will reveal something even more amazing.
Listening closely, one will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, one will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her bridle is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.
As one stands and watches these two friends, one sees how she is always checking on him and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray.
Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are like the blind horse, being guided by God and those whom He places in our lives. Other times, we are the guide horse, helping others see God.
~ Author Unknown ~
http://www.52best.com/horses.asp
One Man’s Australia - What price Australian history?
Hi Maureen
In theory I am semi-retired. In practice I have been flat out with my duties as a Senior Fellow at the university , with my consultant duties to my company and with the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society. And I would have included a series of links with these had we not had our internet access laid low by fallen trees with the spring winds. The house is OK. It has withstood winds measured at 143 mph.
So I will get this through to you when we are in touch with the internet again.
I have thought deeply about the weekly column. After 5 years it has become increasingly difficult to write one that relates to South Africans. In the beginning I could distil 25 years of Australian experience to turn South African history (as taught when I was at school) upside down.
The stories of Bartelomeo Diaz and Vasco da Gama were not true.
Hence my first ever column which I attach.
Please don't hesitate to publish this email
Regards
Glen
The year 1971, following thought provoking discussions with one General Hendrik van den Bergh, found us in Australia.
I had joined BHP and, to pay our dues, we had been sent to Whyalla, at the top of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, where I started work as an engineer at the steelworks.
The town had been founded in the late 19th century by one of the saviors of the South African gold mining industry, Guilliame Delprat, who was the General Manager of BHP’s Broken Hill mine and a co-inventor of the cyanide flotation process, to provide iron ore as flux for lead extraction.
During WW2 a shipyard had been built there to build warships as it was the most difficult port in Australia for the Japanese to get at.
About 200 km to the north was Woomera, the base town for the rocket testing ranges and about 300 km to the northwest was Maralinga, the base “town” for the atomic bomb testing ranges.
As it turned out Whyalla was also a base for the South Australian Air Ambulance. When they heard that a pilot was in town with the appropriate license, multi-engine and instrument ratings the Ambulance asked BHP if I could assist with the flying at nights and weekends. So I came to know a fair amount of the Outback, the Nullarbor and the Great Australian Bight.
The first time that I phoned the controllers in Adelaide to file a flight plan to a harbour town on the Great Australian Bight shown on the map as Ceduna the controller said “You mean Lilliput”. When I demurred there was a brief conversation at cross purposes until he said I had a funny accent and asked me if I was new to that part of the world. I was.
So he told me that just off Ceduna were St Peters island and Goat island and that they were Lilliput and Blefescu in Gulliver’s Travels. When I told him to pull the other one he said “Check the co-ordinates”. Knowing from my South African-taught history that Captain Cook had discovered Australia in 1770 I told him that Swift could never have known that those two islands were there. All he said was “Portuguese maps”.
As I had a job to do I had to leave it at that. But curiosity has always been one of my failings and I started to read up on early Australian history.
As far as is known the Aborigines arrived in Australia, certainly 40,000 years ago and perhaps as long as 100,000 years ago, after a migration lasting perhaps hundreds of generations. They had migrated from Africa, through the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent, South East Asia and down the Indonesian archipelago. An interesting side issue of their migration is that it appears to provide a date by which the development of human language was far enough advanced for them to be able to plan the sea crossings involved and to build the craft to undertake them.
It became evident that Europeans had known about Australia for hundreds of years before Captain Cook arrived. Marco Polo described how, on his way home from Cathay, he had sailed south to Chamba (Vietnam) and then further south for a great distance to a place named Locac, which was stated to lie somewhere between the East Indies and the South Pole and South of the equator.
The Southern Continent had been located and is shown on the 16th century maps of Mercator and Ortelius
It then turned out that the Pope divided Australia into two parts in 1494 along the line of longitude 129 deg E. The eastern part was assigned to Spain and the western part was assigned to Portugal. The British later sub-divided the eastern part but the western part has remained undivided. The Papal line of division remains to this day, 506 years later, as the border of the State of Western Australia.
The exploration of Australia by the Portuguese and the failure to do so by the Spanish were both caused by the Coriolis effect – which causes both the winds and the sea currents of the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere to rotate anti-clockwise.
The Portuguese probed from the bottom of Africa to find a reliable route to the Spice Islands (the Moluccas). Their technique apparently was based on running down a line of latitude, using the prevailing westerly winds, from the Cape of Good Hope until they reached the Australian West Coast, then turning north, following the coast of Australia to the vicinity of Darwin and then heading north past Timor to their destination of Ambon. To get home from there they held a line of latitude a bit south of the equator and sailed west with the prevailing easterly trade winds until they reached the African coast, then turned south to round the Cape of Good Hope again and so into the Atlantic.
When they commenced doing this is uncertain as they were not given to announcing their activities. Their charts and logs were State secrets, because of the threat posed by Spain.
But there are glimpses.
On the so-called Dieppe maps, copied by spies from secret Portuguese charts and presented to the future Henri II of France in 1536 the east and northeast coasts of Australia are shown. This exploration was illegal under the Papal decree of 1494 and would have resulted in grave consequences for Portugal if the Pope or the Spaniards had known about it.
It is fortunate that the copies were made as the Portuguese originals from which the Dieppe maps had been copied were lost when the Government Archives were destroyed in the Lisbon earthquake in 1755.
In Broome Bay in northwest Australia relics of a Portuguese ship, including brass cannon, have been found. They have been dated around 1475 - 1525.
The man who named the ocean El mar Pacifico and was the first to cross its stupendous extent was the Portuguese Captain Ferdinand Magellan. Between the straits of Magellan and the island of Guam in the Marianas he glimpsed no land at all. Having opened the westward way to the Spice Islands with this epic voyage he was killed at Mactan in the Philippines in 1521.
During the middle six years of the 1990’s I had the good fortune to build power stations both on Guam and on Mactan and always enjoyed exploring the areas where Magellan had landed. As I did my ocean crossings at 40,000 feet in pressurised comfort I could only marvel at what he achieved.
The Spanish, unlike the Portuguese, explored the Pacific from bases in their possessions in Mexico and Peru. The Coriolis effect inevitably carried them towards the equator where the trade winds carried them westwards. Their journey was made doubly difficult by having to cross the full width of the Pacific, which meant months without landfalls, and decimation by starvation and scurvy.
They inevitably never reached Australia.
In 1605 Pedro Fernandes de Quiros, funded by Philip III of Spain sailed for Australia. He took a track further south than Magellan. He ran through the Tuamoto Archipelago, passed north of Samoa and, after five months at sea, saw land. He had not reached Australia but had reached the New Hebrides group at 167 E, 15 S.
In a state of mania de Quiros was convinced that he had arrived and named the continent Austrialia del Espiritu Santu. The name was given to the country in honour of the King, who was a Hapsburg from Austria and a pun on Tierra Austral “the South Land”. De Quiros created an order of nobility, distributed taffeta crosses for every man on his fleet to wear, christened the stream that ran into the bay the Jordan and sailed back to Mexico in triumph.
And that is how Australia got its name – entirely by mistake.
The captain of his second ship, Luis Vaes de Torres, elected to go to Manila to refurbish his worn out ship and rest his equally worn out crew. Being a Portuguese he took a sheltered route that the Portuguese knew well. He sailed south round New Guinea and through the narrow strait between New Guinea and Australia. As it was a Spanish expedition the trip could be recorded. And that is how the Torres Strait was named.
The Dutch, in the meantime, were bent on supplanting the Portuguese in the spice island trade. They began to follow their explorations. Being Protestants, excommunication by the Pope for trespassing on Spanish sovereign territory did not concern them.
In 1605 the Dutch East India Company in Bantam sent the Duyfken, under captain Willem Jansz, to see if New Guinea had gold or spices. He sailed through the Torres Strait, turned south and came across a cape that he named Keerweer “turn back”. This he did because “wild, black, cruel savages” killed some of the crew.
The Dutch followed the Portuguese route from the southern tip of Africa. In 1616 the Eendracht under Dirck Hartog, landed on the West Australian coast. In 1618 the Zeewulf charted the coast further north. In 1619 Frederick de Houtman landed on the west coast south of Perth, naming Rottnest Island from the quokkas he saw and Cape Leeuwin from the sealions that abounded there.
In 1642 Anthony van Diemen, Governor General of the Dutch East India Company, sent Abel Tasman to sail along latitude 54 deg S to see what trade opportunities there might be. Tasman sailed south of the Great Australian Bight, arrived at a part of Australia which he named Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) and carried on to find an unknown country, which, in the Dutch fashion of the time, he name Nieuwe Zeeland. Sailing on he discovered Tonga and Fiji as well, and returned to Batavia.
As far as van Diemen and his colleagues were concerned the voyage was a fiasco. No trading opportunities had been developed despite heavy expenditure.
In 1768 the British Government, alarmed by the interest the French were showing in the Pacific, sent Captain Cook to observe a transit of Venus on Tahiti. After Captain Cook had completed this task he was to drop down to between 35 and 40 degrees South latitude and sail westwards to chart “the Land discover’d by Tasman and now called New Zeland” and then to continue westwards in the same band of latitude.
This he did, charted New Zealand, sailed west and made landfall at Cape Everard in Victoria. He coasted north and anchored in Botany Bay, where the colonisation of Australia commenced with the wounding of an Aborigine by firearm.
He then sailed north, ignoring an entrance between two high heads 15 miles north of Botany Bay, which he named Port Jackson after the Secretary of the Admiralty. In doing this he missed discovering Sydney Harbour.
On August 21 1770 Cook rounded Cape York, landed on a rock now called Possession Island, had his marines fire three volleys and formally annexed the newly discovered continent of New South Wales in the name of His Britannic Majesty King George III.
The history of Australia (as promulgated by the Brits) began.
Northern Lighties
My son Liege works as a DJ for GIGS entertainment here in Burlington.
When he isn't trying to get all the credits for his Degree at Brock University that is. At least I hope that is!
Anyway being a Varsity student he doesn't have a lot of money. The fees are quite horrendous and paying back loans takes ages even if you work full time, never mind the part time work that all students have to do.
So he got some work out in Hanover. Which is in Bruce County to the north west of Toronto and a 200 km drive.
This is the crux of the matter. The 200km drive that is. You see while he drives, and drives well at that, he doesn't have a car. He is staying with his mother at the moment and couldn't borrow the car so he asked me to drive him instead.
Clever move that. While I couldn't lend him the car either, I could drive him up there instead and get to see a whole new part of Ontario at the same time. Something that I am pretty sure he understands.
Well…he is doing psychology for his degree. And apparently I am a good subject for some of the experiments. Although I get the strange feeling that what I think I would make a good subject for, and what he thinks may prove interesting, are worlds apart.
If I wind up as part of his thesis next year I may just be tempted rethink my ideas on trying to help a little.
So in tried and true fashion because we had to be there by 1600 or so and because it was 200 odd kilometers away and because neither of us had been there before and because neither of us had a clue how to get there except for maps and written down instructions we left at about 1400 or so. The "or so" being the most important part of that equation.
We then decided to go along Dundas until we got to Highway 6 where we would go north through Guelph to Highway 4.
That was the plan anyway and it would have been a good one if it weren't for two things. Robots and traffic.
In fact both of those factors created havoc for the entire trip.
Add to the mix the rather quaint habit Canadians have of stopping major roads at one point and then moving the whole process four roads over to proceed again and you get the confusion that we had on various occasions throughout the trip.
In Guelph and Fergus you have to zigzag to continue on highway 6 North. The signpost being critically situated at the last minute, this made for some interesting lane changes and references to my ancestry.
Having got through the major towns on the way we settled down for a somewhat speedier tour of the countryside North than anticipated.
This area has the rolling hills and gentle countryside associated with farmlands and tranquility. It is the sort of place that I want to retire to. So long as there is water nearby of course.
At one stage we crested a hill and in front of us were fields of shimmering blue silver. What the fields contained I have no idea. It could have been lavender for all I know cluttering up fallow land but whatever it was it was a magnificent sight and one that I would have liked to have had my camera with in order to at least capture.
I am still intrigued as well to note that whichever co-op was around in this area was also having a sale on red paint.
What is it with painting barns red in this country?
At Highway 4 we turned left and headed west to Hanover. Arriving there shortly after the intended 1630 deadline. Which is when I was informed by my son that it was only a guideline so that he could set up in time. I think that child is going to make a good head-shrink one day!
Hanover is a typical Canadian dorp. One long strip mall into the town contains the obligatory big box stores, diners and estate agents which lead into the small shops lining either side of the main street and selling stuff that I always wonder who buys.
Then there is the crossroads part of town. There is always a crossroads where two major intersections divide the roads into North/South and East/West. This allows towns that get beyond themselves to put Main road east and Main Road West onto their signs and look ever so much grander than they actually are.
So at the major intersection which is actually 7th Avenue and hasn't got an east or west appellation, we turned left and headed toward the Coliseum where he was to DJ the local High School Dance. I presume that the dance was held there because it is the only place in town big enough to have hundreds of students enjoying themselves and had nothing to do with being alongside the Racetrack and Slots where no doubt the parents could indulge in their vices.
Anyway I dropped him off, or more accurately, unloaded equipment and helped him set it up thus looking like a roadie and making numerous teachers rather nervous at my presence.
Then because it was going to be a long wait I decided to carry on with my explorations in and around the area.
So I got into the van and headed west toward Kincardine. For no other reason than that I liked the name.
This was by way of Walkerton of the tainted water scandal.
Kincardines major claim to fame appears to be a lighthouse. So I looked at it. Been there. Done that.
What I did find interesting though was the Phantom Piper who pipes down the sunset every day except Saturdays. I of course was there on Saturday.
So I walked along the pier and then out onto the beach to add another Lake to my collection. I have promised myself to see all the Great Lakes and this being the Shores of Lake Huron I have now added three to my collection. Lake Superior next.
So back into the van and off to Port Elgin now.
This whole area is known as Bruce County by the way. Very pretty. Lovely countryside.
So of course this is where the first privately owned nuclear facility is situated. Bruce Power. Who even have a museum and "visitor" centre in Tiverton. In keeping with some old forgotten hippie left-wing hangovers from my youth I gave this propaganda centre a miss.
Onwards to Port Elgin where I discovered that Bruce County has a thing about Lighthouses. Which given that there are also masses of shipwrecks out there makes me wonder a little.
Port Elgin though would prefer you to know that it is the home of the annual Pumpkinfest. This is where growers from all over North America bring huge pumpkins to be weighed and allow them to vie for the coveted Orange Jacket that shows they have the champion pumpkin for this year.
This takes place on the 1st and 2nd October this year so if you want to make a side trip to Port Elgin to see enormous pumpkins this is the time to start planning.
Enormous is the word by the way. The world record pumpkin from last year weighed 1446 lbs! The owner came form Richmond Ontario so I guess this year the locals will go all out to best this. Mind you there were 9 pumpkins weighing over 1000 lbs in the final. This would be enough to keep my boarding house matron happy for a week or two.
From Port Elgin I decided to go to Owen Sound via 21.
Which goes through a reservation and is where two things happened to me.
I saw my first stereotype and discovered a beautiful Indian woman who thoroughly captivated me.
On the side of the road in almost every reservation there are houses that sell cigarettes and other goods. Mostly at prices that don't have Government taxes included. I stopped at one that had advertised smoked salmon for sale. Padkos if you will.
While chatting to the woman in the store about all manner of things, not the least accents and countries I discovered that I was being enchanted by her presence and the simplicity of a normal conversation that we were having. I got the impression that neither of us were particularly happy to end it either, but I had to get back to Hanover at some time and so the last I saw was her waving goodbye to me as I traveled off down the road.
Sometimes we miss so many people for not stopping to say hello.
Further on down the road I came upon my first stereotype.
I have been in Canada now for 6 years and this was the first time I saw the "Drunk Indian" so beloved of all the locals when deriding the people of the First Nations.
Stumbling down the road in that peculiar one-step-forward-two-steps-back-one-step-sideways shuffle of the totally stoned he had a grim determination to move on that showed in his face.
I recognised it because I have been there. Many years ago in my youth when I was going back to my ship.
This country has a lot to answer for when it comes to the attitude that is shown to the First Nations. Perhaps if they stopped their slavish politically correct fawning on the multicultural immigrant voter fodder and showed a bit of compassion and understanding of their own indigenous populace Canada would be the greatest country in the world instead of just thinking it is.
Time however was now short and the sun having set twilight was approaching so I decided to forego the pleasure of Owen Sound and turned south to Hanover once again. This time on highway 19.
Luckily the middle of summer means that it doesn't get really dark until 2200 or so, which meant that I could walk along the banks of the Saugeen River on the outskirts of Hanover and for a while sit and ruminate by the weir where the sound of the rushing water nearly put me to sleep. So very peaceful.
Around 2300 I meandered back to the Community centre and then caught the last of the trotting races at the raceway and lost $10 at the slots. Those races with carts are very interesting and it was the first time I have watched this form of racing. Just as well no bets were placed either as every horse that looked like winning to me came in last.
This streak of luck followed me into the Casino where I threw away some money and annoyed little old ladies by standing next to them and staring intently at the machine that they were playing alongside the one they were seated at.
What is it with little old ladies that they have play more than one machine at a time? And why can't I be the one that when they give up in disgust and leave, sits down and wins the jackpot on the next pull? That drives the little old ladies absolutely senseless with rage!
So having annoyed a few grannies I went back to the car park at the Community centre and read a book until Liege was finished.
Well tried to read as by now many of the youngsters were leaving to go on to parties where alcohol was allowed or at least condoned and the parade of characters was a show on its own. Many of the youngsters there seemed to have found a way around the alcohol ban as per usual and provided entertainment to everyone in sight. There is always one clown in a crowd.
The school authorities would only allow the dance to go on until 2300 and so we were able to pack up and leave earlier than I thought.
Which is when you discover that country roads are pitch black at night. The stars may be an awesome sight but on the ground I had forgotten how black the night can get.
By the time we eventually got back to Burlington it was almost 2 in the morning.
Time to go to sleep and dream of Indian maidens.
No queries received this week.
These requests are from subscribers to SAWmail and or members of the SAW Web site. I print them in good faith.
Here is a request from a reader who wants to return to South Africa...
Hotel Manager with 30 years of experience in South Africa's Hospitality industry seeks position in South Africa.
After 30 years in South Africa's Hospitality industry, I moved to the UK promoting Tourism to our country. This work being completed now, I would like to return to SA at the earliest possible time. My letter serves to advise owners of hotels and guest houses in SA of my availability. My experience in the industry is very extensive, and I have excellent connections in tourism and travel, which would assist in filling your rooms.
All owners and operators of hospitality businesses are herewith invited to contact me with details of job opportunities. In response, I will submit my top class CV, including contactable references. All responses should be sent via email to: udann@hotmail.com
Yours faithfully
Ulrich Dannecker
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!
Seeking Julie "Jules" Millar of Durban, Musgrave Road, Durban from the 70's.
We hitched up a while when she was on Kibbutz and plied the Med. She was on Ramat Yochanan I think, and I was a year on Rosh HaNikra in 75-76 during my army service. Last seen during a visit to Durbs for the WACA conference in 79. Would love to make contact.
Any of you know where she can be. Please contact Dov in Tel Aviv; tadir@actcom.co.il
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I'm trying to locate a friend from SA who worked for Funk Harvesting - Rolla, North Dakota, USA 2002. I think he's from the Cape Town area but the only name I know him by was Rooster. Just wondering how he's doing back in SA, it would be great to talk to him again. casschar@hotmail.com
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Dear Editor,
I love reading the mail I get from you. Thank you. I am hoping you will be able to help my husband and I in trying to locate our dear but lost friends. Victor and Louise O'Moore used to live in Witbank but later moved to Sedgefield in the Cape. That is the last known address we have. We have tried so many different avenues to locate them but no luck. Victor has brothers Dale and Irish who used to work in the Gauteng district. They (Vic and Louise) also have two children called Victor and Shelley - both adults now. It would be wonderful if you could help us.
Thanking you
Mrs. Sheila Quiel
nickquiel@hotmail.com
USA – New York
To All in YeboLand!!!
There are currently positions available for Boilermakers, Welders, Toolmakers and so on..they are prepared to sponsor the willing candidate based upon a month trial basis.
In the Westchester region there are jobs pertaining to Nursing/Aupair work in Connecticut.
Anyone interested contact me asap....!!!!
Have A CoolBananas Weekend en "Bly Deidelik!"
Deon
South African Culture in New York Social Group
Promoting the Cultural Diversity of SA
www.sacultureinny.org
Contact: 347-531-9557
Luxembourg
Dear all,
Please see below the information of the Workshop held by Elizabeth Brown. Please give her a call and show your support if you are interested.
Johnny Clegg will be in Arlon Belguim at the beginning of October we have already booked many places so if anyone is interested in joining us let us know before the middle of next week to make sure you get a ticket. Tickets are euro 40 but we are trying to negotiate a better price, we are also waiting for an answer from the band to meet with them after the show.
Cheers
Pat and Elaine
WORKSHOP with Elizabeth Brown
PATHWAY TO AUTHENTICITY (authentic: one who acts independently)
This workshop seeks to identify and heal the blocks that are holding you back.
Through a series of exercises, visualisations and sharing with others, we can start to identify and understand old habit patterns and belief systems that no longer serve us well in our lives today.
Emotional trauma, feelings of anxiety and inadequacy, family and relationship difficulties, health and weight problems, can be relieved, and often resolved, by an awareness of emotional blockages.
Come and explore YOUR potential for wholeness at:
Moselstrasse 48
D-54441 WELLEN
Germany
(20 minutes from Luxembourg city)
24 / 25 SEPTEMBER 2005
10:00 – 16:00
1 DAY & 2 DAY WORKSHOPS
1 day € 100 / 2 days € 150
Lunch and drinks provided
For further details or to reserve, please contact;
Neil Brown: +49 6584 992339 / +352 021496524 / neil.brown@gmx.net
Elizabeth Brown: liz.brown@gmx.net
Evelien d’Hertog: Evelien@dhertog.be
UK
Starfish UK invites you to its Annual Gala Function: 'A Celebration of Africa'
It's that time of year again when we encourage Starfish party-goers across the UK to join us to celebrate a fantastic year of achievement. This year's party aims to unite nations and make a real impact on the lives of the thousands of children supported by the Starfish Greathearts Foundation across Southern Africa.
When: Saturday 29th October 2005, 19h30 til 1am
Where: The Brewery, Chiswell Street, London EC1Y 4SD
What: Drinks reception, three course South African themed dinner followed by music and dancing from Jazzbomb.
Auction prizes include:
authentic African experience for two at Mosetlha Bushcamp, Madikwe;
annual polo membership for two at the Guards Polo, Windsor.
Tickets: £80 per head / £800 per table
To reserve your tickets email celebrate@starfishcharity.org.
Payment: Bank transfer to Starfish Greathearts Foundation (Barclays)
Account No: 50446564, Sort code: 20-41-41
or
cheque made payable to 'Starfish' and marked Gala Function,
c/o Exchange House, Primrose Street, London EC2A 2HS.
At Starfish, we believe that all individuals in their various spheres of influence can help to bring life, hope and opportunity to children orphaned or made vulnerable by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Working with established NGOs in over 50 communities in South Africa, Starfish currently supports over 9,000 children and with your help could reach out to so many more… Each and every one of us can make a difference!
Spread the Starfish story and invite your friends... www.starfishcharity.org
Hokey Pokey
This from DanielJan LeRoux
The world Hokey Pokey champion unfortunately died recently, aged 67. It took the funeral directors 3 days to get the body in the coffin. Apparently it all started when they tried to put his left leg in...
Tale of a BMW Driver
This from Matthew Green
The other day I was cruising along as usual coming onto one of my motorways, which was very busy with inferior cars.
First off, I couldn't believe that the volume of traffic didn't slow down for me at all as I came off the slip road! I had to squeeze into a barely big enough gap between two cars in order to get onto my motorway (the driver of the car behind me did realize his mistake though and honked an apology to me with a long blast of his horn.)!
Unbelievably, I had to do the same again before I could get to the BMW lane (why do underlings use this lane? Surely everyone knows it is for BMW drivers only?).
Anyway, once I was in the BMW lane and cruising along at 176 km/h enjoying the adulation that the inferior car drivers were giving me, I noticed an inferior car ahead of me which was not only in the BMW lane of my motorway, but was driving at a ridiculous 120 km/h. Naturally, I got to within a foot or so of his rear bumper and flashed my headlights to remind him he shouldn't be in the BMW lane of my motorway and to get out of my way.
Of course, once he realized it was a BMW behind him, he did just that, but I could hardly believe it when he pulled straight back out behind me! He also tried to keep up with me and when he realized I would out-run him, he put on some blue lights in his front grill and urged me to get onto the hard shoulder so that he could congratulate me on my excellent car.
Needless to say, I was eager to oblige and when we had stopped, the man gave me a piece of paper confirming what I already knew - that my car goes fast!
Apparently he wants everyone to know what a superior car I have, so I had to go to court and show them. The man also said if I carried on like this they would take my drivers licence away! Can you imagine no need for a drivers licence?
See, now that's the sort of respect you get when you buy and drive a BMW!
I have been experimenting with marinating tofu recently. Groans from all those that dislike tofu!!
Anyway... seeing as tofu is now available in Pick n Pay as well as all the health stores here in SA I thought I would share with you the way I have been marinating and baking tofu. I was chatting to Captain Ken about the marinade as we waited at the bank and the teller asked me for the recipe! Apparently her husband is trying to lose a bit of weight and she was looking for interesting recipes for tofu!
It tastes good in sandwiches and you can add it to stir fries (as well as just eating it dipped in peanut sauce or chutney or whatever you fancy).
You need pack/s of firm or extra firm tofu. Here in SA you get one type... take it or leave it. I prefer to take it!
Marinade:
I tried some maple syrup, some toasted sesame oil, some rice wine vinegar (can try apple cider vinegar), a bit of soy sauce, a teaspoon of fresh minced ginger, a couple of cloves of fresh garlic crushed and some water.
Cooking:
You cut the tofu into strips or slices and then put it in a large saucepan and cover with the marinade.
Bring to a boil and then simmer very slowly or turn off the heat and let the tofu soak for a while.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to around 350F or 180 C and when the tofu has been in the marinade for a while (until it is cool enough to handle) place the strips in a single layer in a roasting tin and pour on the marinade.
Bake in the oven until all the marinade has soaked in and or steamed away. Turn the slices and bake until chewy. Cool and eat.
Thousands bid farewell to Blue Bulls hero
A superman to a five-year-old and a hero to the rest of us. Ettienne Botha's family paid this touching tribute to their son as South Africa's rugby fraternity mourned the loss of one of their own. A crowd of almost 3 000 turned up on Monday to pay their respects to Botha, who died in a car crash last Wednesday.
Saru sends report to minister
The South African Rugby Union (Saru) has complied with the demand by Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile that he be provided with a report outlining the way forward for rugby in South Africa.
Pietersen shares in Ashes spoils
South African born Kevin Pietersen said he'd no choice but to play the way he did during his sensational maiden Test hundred that helped England secure the Ashes at The Oval on Monday. His 158, featuring seven sixes and 15 fours, guided England to the safety of a draw that secured a 2-1 series win — their first Ashes triumph in 18 years.
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