A little good news..

I rolled out this morning Kids had the mornin’ news show on Bryant Gumbel was talkin’ ’bout the fighting in Lebanon Some senator was squawkin’ ’bout the bad economy It’s gonna get worse you see, we need a change in policy

There’s a local paper rolled up in a rubber band One more sad story’s one more than I can stand Just once how I’d like to see the headline say “Not much to print today, can’t find nothin’ bad to say”, because

Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town Nobody OD’ed, nobody burned a single buildin’ down Nobody fired a shot in anger, nobody had to die in vain We sure could use a little good news today

I’ll come home this evenin’ I’ll bet that the news will be the same Somebody takes a hostage, somebody steals a plane How I wanna hear the anchor man talk about a county fair And how we cleaned up the air, how everybody learned to care Whoa, tell me

Nobody was assassinated in the whole Third World today And in the streets of Ireland, all the children had to do was play And everybody loves everybody in the good old USA We sure could use a little good news today

Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town Nobody OD’ed, nobody burned a single buildin’ down

Nobody fired a shot in anger, nobody had to die in vain We sure could use a little good news today

The above is from a song by Anne Murray called: a little good news. It’s a really great song that is especially relevant in this dark time the world is living in.

 

The IE9 download manager debacle.

I recently upgraded to IE9. Boy, what a mistake. All of sudden a lot of reliable apps, stopped working and every website needed some or other update in order for content to be displayed. I am what I call a trailer hound and enjoy watching trailers on youtube. Courtesy of an app called Orbit Downloader, I am able to download trailers so that I can watch them over and over again.

IE9 comes with its own download manager and it sucks. After the upgrade from IE8 to IE9 Orbit stopped working. So I did some research on how to overcome the problem and was advised by people in the know, that you can’t fix this problem. Being as stubborn as I am I decided to ignore the advice of my peers and try and fix the issue using the old trial and terror approach.

So after many upragdes to IE9 and downgrades to IE8 I finally lost my temper and did what I should’ve done at the start: I looked at the settings of both IE and Orbit. Lo and behold, I found and option with Orbit to reset to default and voila ! Problem solved.

I haven’t upgraded back to IE9 as it keeps asking me to upgrade my flash player to version 10 which I did about ten times before finally rolling back to IE8 and leaving what works, alone.

Fortunately there are other browsers out there that will do twice the job, with half the BS.

 

 

Change.

In March of this year I finally got tired of being bankrupted by Vodacom and applied for a phone line. After a few brain farts, my line was finally installed in July. I then phoned Telkom and asked them upgrade my line to and ADSL line, which they did at 1 meg. I purchased what I thought was a pretty decent modem and started enjoying the uncapped experience. I opened accounts with 2 ISP’s so that I could test my modem, my line speed and basically get a feel for which ISP would work the best for my needs.

Being an impatient sort, I phoned Telkom again a few weeks later and asked if they could make my line even faster. The response I got didn’t inspire me with confidence. But lo and behold, a day later my line was upgraded to 10 meg line.

Ironically the ISP I started off with, and showed the the most promise, started to suck, both with their service and their speeds and the ISP I cancelled, shot the lights out with brilliant speeds, friendly staff and decent pricing. So I cancelled the the one and am very happy with my current ISP.

Switching from 3G to ADSL has reduced my bill by two thirds. I’ve learned a lot from 2 friends without whom I’d still be in the dark. A third friend very kindly donated a very very decent modem to my cause.

I wish I’d done this earlier, it would’ve saved me a bloody fortune !

 

Seeing red courtesy of Vodacom

From Friday onwards I haven’t been able to get a decent connection to Vodacom’s 3G service. My speeds went from a possible 4 out of 5 bars to 1. Then changed to 4 out of 5 but on 2G which is about as much fun as watching paint dry. So yesterday I finally lost my temper and called their help desk.

As I calmly explain my problem to the idiot that answered the phone she asks me if anybody else in my neighborhood has had the same problem ? Since I don’t know all the 3G subscribers in my suburb I was about to lose my cool when my other service provider Cell C dropped the call.

Does anything still work in this beautiful country of ours ?

3D BS

Is it just me or are we being forced to watch movies in 3D by SK and NM – this despite the movies sucking in 3D ? It’s bad enough that cinemas have broken seats and blown speakers.

We also have to put up with people who sound like chipmunks eating smarties and don’t realize just how annoying rustling packaging is to the rest of us peasants.

I also love the idiots who try and film the movie with their cellphones (not realizing that they can go to jail for this) or who take calls and sms. I have news for you children of incest – you are not invisible as your f’ing phone makes you clearly visible to the rest of us. Have some goddamn respect and stay at home, or even better, hold your breath and count to a million.

The cinema is dead, long live blu ray and dvd !!!

8 tips to manage the blues

The good news is that depression is highly treatable. Between 80 to 90% of all depressed people respond to medication and psychotherapy and experience some relief from depression symptoms.

But treatment does not stop with medication and psychotherapy. By making a few lifestyle changes, you can feel great more quickly. Why not try the following?

1. You don’t snooze, you lose Insomnia is a common complaint amongst depressed people. The South African Memory Resource Centre suggests a number of useful tips to get you to the Land of Nod:

Discontinue unhealthy sleep habits. Don’t lie in bed for long periods if you cannot fall asleep. Your brain quickly associates your bed with lying awake and not being able to sleep. Break this habit by getting out of bed if no sleep occurs after about 10 minutes (do not watch the clock, but rather estimate the time). Carry out a non-interesting activity such as reading a boring book, until drowsiness returns and then go back to bed. Repeat this pattern until sleep takes place.

• Follow the same routine at night before trying to sleep. Your mind and body will connect this routine with sleeping.
• Don’t take any stimulants, such as coffee, before going to bed. Also steer clear of alcohol, as it doesn’t lead to a good night’s sleep.
• Don’t eat a huge meal close to bedtime.
• Your couch potato days are over. Get a bit of exercise and you will not only fall asleep more easily, but also sleep better.
• Take a warm bath before bedtime.
• Keep a notebook next to your bed and write down any worries that you may have before trying to sleep.
• Daytime naps will make it more difficult for you to sleep at night.
• Make sure that your bedroom is comfortable and dark and quiet.
• Wake up the same time each day.

2. Get Active: Exercise Exercise gets those endorphins into your bloodstream. These are the feel-good hormones. But when you feel depressed, really depressed, it’s difficult to motivate yourself to brush your teeth, let alone go for a walk or a run. But don’t get caught in this vicious cycle of feeling unmotivated and wanting to camp on the couch – it will make you feel more depressed. Once you’ve broken this cycle by exercising a little bit every day, you won’t believe the difference. Begin gradually (even 10 minutes will be OK as a start) and slowly increase the intensity and amount of time spent exercising.

3. Watch your eating plan When you’re feeling depressed, you often either lose you appetite, or eat like a horse. This can make you feel even worse. Eat correctly and you can help to combat weight problems. But how?

• If you are overweight, lose weight.
• Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily (a portion size is a fist size).
• Complex carbohydrates (wholewheat grains) should form the basis of every meal. These include porridge, wholewheat bread, brown rice, pasta and jacket potatoes.
• Eat plant and animal protein foods (fish, meat, eggs poultry), but avoid excessive saturated fat intake. Do not eat red meat more than once or twice a week. Replace it with fish.
• Limit your fat intake to less than six teaspoons per day.
• Make sure that you drink at least six glasses of water per day

Eating a high carbohydrate diet (wholewheat bread, unsifted maize meal, brown rice) boosts the production of serotonin in the brain which makes you feel more positive. Eating plenty of protein (meat, fish, eggs, cheese, yoghurt, milk) to increase amino acid intake has the same effect.

In addition, B vitamins, especially B12, B6 and folic acid, can help combat psychological disturbances, so take a complete vitamin and mineral supplement. Essential fatty acids, especially omega-3, may also help, and the best source is salmon oil capsules. Foods rich in omega-3 are:

• all types of fish and seafood, but particularly fatty fish such as salmon and snoek
• fish oils (tuna, cod liver and salmon oils)
• plant oils (flaxseed, canola, walnut, soya oils)
• food fortified with omega-3 (eggs, milk and bread – check the label)
• salmon oil supplements

Alcohol and some drugs (recreational and prescription) can cause or worsen depression. This is possibly because it changes the balance of brain chemicals or the physical structure of the brain.

Too many changes in your insulin levels can lead to mood swings and fatigue. To avoid these you should:

• rather eat five to six smaller meals per day than two to three big ones.
• rather eat carbohydrates with a low glycaemic index (GI) than with a high GI.
• *rather eat wholewheat pasta than white or wholewheat bread, rather Basmati rice or couscous than white or brown rice, rather fruit than sweets, rather oats porridge or bran cereals than other cereals.

What you eat and drink can interfere with your medication. Ask your doctor if there are any foods that need to be avoided. Some antidepressants can make you feel drowsy and alcohol will make matters worse. Alcohol could also slow the metabolism of some antidepressants.

4. Check your medicine cabinet Many types of medication (including natural remedies) interfere with antidepressants – some could reduce the effect of your medication, others could even lead to poisoning. Make sure to tell your doctor what you are taking.

5. Learn to relax Relaxation decreases tension and anxiety and improves sleep. Try meditation, yoga or specific relaxation exercises. Long, hot baths with aromatherapy oils or a massage will also do wonders.

6. Be gentle on yourself You may need to expect less from yourself. Think again about what’s important to you and rather set small, realistic goals. Also postpone major plans and life changes such as changing jobs or starting a family.

Don’t be scared to ask for help. Delegate tasks and ask your support network to help with childcare, chores and other responsibilities. You will be able to return the favour when you are better.

7. Don’t try to do it all by yourself Share your feelings with friends and family. Ask your doctor to refer you to a support group. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group has support groups throughout the country. They also have a telephonic counselling line.

8. Don’t give up hope Don’t feel discouraged if you don’t feel better immediately. Treatment takes time and some antidepressants take a few weeks before they make you feel better. If you don’t see an improvement within six weeks of being on antidepressants, discuss your concerns with your doctor. He or she will be able to prescribe another antidepressant which might be more suitable.

If you stick to your treatment and follow these lifestyle guidelines, you are bound to feel better soon. – (Ilse Pauw, Health24, updated May 2010

 Source: http://www.health24.com/mind/Depression/1284-1294,28279.asp

What a bunch of Tossers !

Only in South Africa, can a bunch of immature morons, deny the ultimate survivor her prize. Kas you vile little waste of space. And Louw you sack of bitterness. I was very critical of Pro when I first saw him, but the further into the competition we got, the more I started to like him. He is probably the only member of  Survivor who had fun and enjoyed himself. Instead of sitting in the corner sulking. With all due respect, Ash handed Gigi a cheque for a million rand. Ash is the deserved winner, not Gigi – not by a long shot.

What a waste of time and energy.

The future isn’t what it used to be

These are not my words, but I feel it important that the story they tell be told. I found them here Source: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?setid=1&clickid=13&art_id=iol1271745959393M452

The comment below was posted under anonymous, and was in response to an article entitled: Has the ANC backed down on Malema?

 The Institute desisted from issuing a formal statement in the immediate aftermath of the killing of Mr Terre’Blanche in order to first gauge the broader social, political, and international reaction to the killing.

The Institute is now in a position to make the following points:

Racial tensions in the country appear to have increased significantly in recent weeks. This appears to be chiefly as a result of incitement by the ruling African National Congress to shoot and kill the Afrikaner ethnic minority in the country. The anxiety around this incitement may well have influenced opinions across the broader white community. What appears to be the case is that much of the racial rapprochement that characterised the first 15 years of South Africa’s democracy is being undone. This rapprochement saw both black and white South Africans come to occupy a middle ground on race relations upon which the maintenance of future stable race relations depends.

Since 1994 the number of white farmers and their families murdered in South Africa is conservatively put at around 1 000. It may very well be much higher. There are currently an estimated 40 000 commercial farmers in the country. Over this same period in the region 250 000 South Africans out of a total current population of approximately 47 million have been murdered. Criminal violence can therefore be described as rampant and has done considerable damage to the social fabric of the country. However, this is not to say that all murders in the country are a function of simple criminal banditry. In an environment where law and order has largely collapsed the consequences of incitement by political leaders to commit murder must be taken seriously.

 Over the same period the policy measures put in place by the Government to raise the living standards of the black majority have failed to meet expectations. The key interventions of affirmative action and black economic empowerment have been exploited by the African National Congress to build a network of patronage that has made elements of its leadership extremely wealthy. The party also appears to have been so overwhelmed by corrupt tendencies that it is no longer able to act decisively against corrupt behaviour.

It has also through incompetence and poor policy been unable to address failures in the education system which are now the primary factor retarding the economic advancement of black South Africans.

  At the same time the party is acutely aware that its support base of poor black South Africans has begun to turn against it. Violent protest action against the ruling party is now commonplace around the country.

 In order to shore up support in the black community the ANC increasingly appears to be seeking to shift the blame for its delivery failures onto the small white ethnic minority, which today comprises well under 10% of the total population of South Africa. Here parallels may be read to the behaviour of Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe when that party realised that its political future was in peril. The ANC Youth League’s recent visit to Zanu-PF which saw it endorse that party’s ruinous polices are pertinent here.

In such an environment it is plausible to consider that the ANC’s exhortations to violence may be a contributing factor to the killing of Mr Terre’Blanche. Certainly the ANC’s protestations to the contrary seem ridiculous as the party is in effect saying that its followers pay no attention to what it says – this from a party that routinely claims that it is the manifestation of the will of all black South Africans. This is not to say that a labour dispute or some other matter could not have inflamed tensions on the Terre’Blanche farm. Rather it is to say that a number of different matters should be considered in determining the motivation for the crime.

 Certainly the ANC’s exhortations to violence have created a context where the killings of white people will see a degree of suspicion falling around the party and its supporters.

 It is of concern therefore that the police’s senior management are on record as saying that they will not consider a political motive or partial motive for the killing of Mr Terre’Blanche. This suggests an early effort to cover up the ANC’s possible culpability for inciting the crime.

 Should any allegations of a political cover-up arise in the pending murder trial of the two young men accused of the Terre’Blanche murder the political consequences could be significant. Should evidence be led that the two young men acted with what they understood to be the tacit backing of the ANC, and a causal link between their actions and incitement by the ANC be established, then the possibility of charging the ANC’s senior leadership in connection to the murder arises. Equally plausible is that the Terre’Blanche family and the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging could bring a civil suit against the ANC and the Government.

 It is possible that the killing of Mr Terre’Blanche will greatly strengthen the hand of a new hardened right wing in South Africa. In life Mr Terre’Blanche attracted a small, un-influential, and extremist following.

 He will not be mourned for what he stood for. However, in death he may come to represent the experiences of scores of minority groups in the country who perceive themselves as being on the receiving end of racist and now also violent abuse from the ANC. In effect therefore Mr Terre’Blanche may be seen as having been martyred for a minority cause in the country.

 The implications of a resurgent right wing will be numerous. It is most unlikely that this right wing will take the form of camouflage clad henchmen on horses in shows of force. The ANC has also often, wrongly, identified groups including the political opposition, Afriforum, agricultural unions, and even this Institute as the right wing. This silly red under every bed attitude in the ANC saw it lose the trust of many civil society and political groups. These groups could all be defined first and foremost by the common belief that they had to act within the bounds of what the Constitution prescribed.

But the ANC belittled and undermined them. It also undermined parliament, the national prosecution service, and the various human rights and other organisations that were established under the Constitution. It may yet usurp the independence of the courts and the judiciary. The result was a shutting down of many of the democratic channels that were created for citizens in the country to make the Government aware of their concerns and circumstances.

 The resurgence of a new political consciousness among minorities could drive an altogether different political force. Such a movement will draw its strength chiefly from a hardening attitudes in the white community but perhaps also in the Indian and coloured communities. These will be views that in the main have come to subscribe to some or all of the following points:

 That the Government has corrupted and debilitated many of the country’s internal democratic processes for political or civil expression that were established under the Constitution that cooperation with the current Government of South Africa is therefore fundamentally unfeasible and therefore futile That the Government is unable to restore law and order in the country That the Government is therefore unable protect its citizens That the Government has a hostile agenda against minority groups

 However it is equally, if not most likely, that many minorities who subscribe to the five points above may simply get so fed up that those who can will pack up and go. Here they may take the advice of President Zuma to remain calm as they pack up their businesses and their families and calmly board aircraft for Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, and Great Britain. With the exodus will leave much of the tax and expertise base of the country.

Should the ANC, however, find itself facing increased political resistance it will in many respects have a tiger by the tail. Firstly, the ANC depends greatly on the tax income paid by white South Africans to balance South Africa’s books. Secondly, it depends entirely on the food produced by a small number of white farmers to feed the country. Thirdly, white South Africans still dominate the skills base of the country. Finally, and most importantly, much white opinion since the early 1990s has been moderate. White South Africa has been willing and often eager to cooperate with the Government in building an open, non-racial, and prosperous South Africa. Losing that cooperation will to an extent put an end to any serious chance that the ANC has of leading South Africa to become a successful and prosperous democracy.

 While the ANC will be inclined to blame whites for this, and may even take drastic action to confiscate white commercial interests as they are currently doing in agriculture, these actions will be ruinous for the economy. The result of such ruin will be to drive a deeper wedge between the ANC and its traditional support base and thereby hasten the political decay of the party.

When General Constand Viljoen decided to throw his lot in with democracy in the early 1990s the right wing in South Africa was a spent force. So it should and could have remained. The ANC could have taken advantage of white expertise and tax revenue to realise their own vision of a better life for all. Things have however gone badly wrong for the party.

Corruption has destroyed its ability to meet the demands of its constituents while racial bigotry has now seen it defending its image against what should have been an insignificant and dying neo-Nazi faction in the country.

 The failure of sensible South Africans to take back the racial middle ground in the country will be serious. Polarisation will beget further racial conflict and a hardening of attitudes on all sides. This is perhaps the greatest leadership test that the current Government has faced and it is one that they cannot afford to fail.

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?setid=1&clickid=13&art_id=iol1271745959393M452

Depends on the thickness of the glass.

I can still remember the first Dvd I ever bought, it was The Arrival, on a flipper (a movie on both sides). Cost me close on 300 hundred bucks. I was very chuffed. Every payday, I’d haul off to the shops, and add another title to my collection. Then I bought myself a PC and got connected to the Internet. In my travels, I found a couple of places I could buy movies from, and the store would ship them to me (for a reasonable fee). The one day, I heard about Amazon.com and decided to go take a look. This was in 1997, long before I knew anything about foreign exchange rates and global markets. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I found a way to compare local prices, with those of other countries. I was absolutely horrified. Locally a season of X Files, went for about one and a half grand, in the US, it went for the equivalent of about two hundred rand.

Just recently, a friend of mine ordered all ten seasons of friends contained within an anniversary box set. He paid R412 including shipping charges. Locally, the same box  set goes for R2000.

In South Africa, crime isn’t only on the streets. It’s also in the shops. Our new national anthem should be Judas Priest’s: breaking the law.

Love this song.

Find myself all alone In darkness without you Now I can’t turn away From what I must do You know I’d give my life for you More than words can say I’ve shown you how to love someone I know you’ll find a way

Say goodbye, close your eyes Remember me Walk away, the sun remains Remember me

I’ll live on somewhere in your heart You must believe Remember me

No way I could change my mind I don’t have the answers If you could see through my eyes You’d let go of your fears And though I have to leave you now With the thought of each other I’ll miss your touch You call my name I am with you forever With the change, we can’t explain Remember me

You know I’d give my life for you More than words can say I showed you how to love someone I know you’ll find a way

Be there to watch over you Remember me Feel I’m gone My heart lives on Remember me

Don’t you think of this as the end I’ll come in through your dreams Remember me

Close your eyes Say goodbye Remember me Say you will

Close your eyes Remember me Say you will

Say goodbye Remember me

Journey – Remember me, from the soundtrack of the movie Armageddon

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120591/

http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/armageddon/rememberme.htm

http://www.journeymusic.com/