Advertising sometimes says more than intended
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Bank Irresponsibility
At a time when the world economy is in recession, and especially here in South Africa where we already have an economy that can certainly not be seen as one of the strongest by a long shot, banks should encourage people to save and not to extend themselves too far. Yet, banks in South Africa are encouraging people to live more in credit and to become bound to those banks! This is simply irresponsible! First National Bank, one of South Africa's biggest banks, is currently having a competition, running between 15 Nov 2009 and 31 Jan 2010, through which a person can win back his weekly spend on his credit card up to a maximum amount per card category. To see how a person can win, see the graphic here below. Based on the gold card category, if I am nuts enough (there are many such nuts out there), thinking that I could possibly win a week's spending back to a value of R6000, and I keep on trying, I could soon sit with a maxed out card with say, R40000 in debt. That means I bought stuff to the value of R40000 to win back R6000 and the bank owns me! By having competitions like this one, FNB and other banks try to ensure its own long term existence without thinking what it does to the people they enslave through this unconscionable trap! The fact is that they are willing to give away R220000 while they will be making millions via people having to pay back their credit card debt! SHAME ON YOU, FNB! "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." - Proverbs 22:7 "Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of its filling a vacuum, it makes one." - Ben Franklin 
I know exactly what the bank would say. "You should know your limits! It is not our fault if you spend too much!" That is like telling a donkey not to over extend itself to get to the proverbial carrot on a stick. Many people are like that donkey, and while the bank holds out that carrot, the donkey will keep pursuing! Of course, FNB will not take responsibility for the donkey falling off a cliff while running after the carrot, which was held there by FNB, that was always just those few inches out of reach! 
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Global Warming Hysteria: coming for you this month!
Where do you think this AGW hysteria is leading to? BTW, AGW stands for Anthropogenic Global Warming, man-made global warming. To learn more about the global warming hoax being foisted upon the people of this planet, see my post of links on global warming here. Remember http://tinyurl.com/agwlinks, because this is where I keep adding more links to articles debunking the notion of AGW. So, have you wondered about the question I posed at the beginning of this post? If AGW wins the day in Copenhagen and in similar meetings in the future, then the future for humanity will be sealed… extinction! And to wit, at the hands of humanity itself. Wesley J. Smith, author of the blog Second Hand Smoke, featured at First Things, highlighted the call for this solution to population control: Global Warming Hysteria: The Potential for Tyranny So, will you be standing first in line to show your commitment to the "cause," or will you rather keep standing against the tyrannical hysteria of the AGW proponents?
China has already spoken up concerning their fool-proof method for stemming the AGW tide… population control! Even now, there are voices from countries like Canada pointing to this same solution.
Global Warming Hysteria: The Potential For Tyranny 2
Monday, November 30, 2009
Medical fraternity in South Africa may just destroy your life!
Without saying anything, I want you to visit these links which deal with the medical fraternity in South Africa and the care you could expect from them.
Mom dies in hospital "mistake"
Medical waste dumped in yard
Medical waste burnt at office
Wrong op costs baby her legs
Baby maimed during labour
These are just a few of the horror stories in South Africa.
Now this is not what it is like at every hospital and all doctors' rooms. There are some brilliant doctors out there and some really good hospitals, but the scenarios above are becoming all too common!
Could this be one result of affirmative action? I would like to see some statistics on this.
Read More......Driving in South Africa - Pt 4
Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 if you haven't yet.
What is it with South Africans and the right-hand lane?
Here in South Africa, since we drive on the left-hand side of the road as in England, the right-hand lane is considered the fast lane, unlike in countries like the U.S.A. where it is the complete opposite.
In this country, people just love the fast lane, even if they are slow drivers. What is it with that? Why is it that on our highways, where our speed limit is mostly 120km/h, there are always several cars travelling at 100km/h or less… in the fast lane?
The problem with this is that it causes problems with traffic flow. The end result of this, especially on busy highways is a major traffic jam on the highway. There is a definitive concertina effect on busy highways when slow cars pop up in the fast lane, eventually leading to complete stops.
Remember, here in South Africa the rule is: "Keep LEFT, pass RIGHT!" Click here for more South African rules of the road.
Another thing that keeps popping up, is people who know that they accelerate slowly will stop in the fast lane at traffic lights or stop signs. Then, when the light turns green, these people will accelerate at the speed of a coral reef! I see that so often when approaching a red traffic light and there are perhaps 2 cars waiting at the light in the left-hand lane. The next person to arrive is really slow, but insists on stopping in front in the right-hand lane. Of course, the people arriving after this assume that the right-hand lane would be quicker with acceleration.
What a surprise to find out that old Mrs. Coral Reef is standing in the front of the fast lane! Apart from messing with traffic flow, this also causes people to get upset with either getting away to slowly, or even being denied getting across the green light because Mrs. Coral Reef was to slow in the front, not letting more people make it across the green light.
Another thing is that many South Africans love sitting in the fast lane playing police man. They will refuse anyone to pass in the right-hand lane that is going faster than the allowable speed. There are others, going slow in the fast lane, who simply do not care and will sit there as if it is their right to stay in that lane.
If each of us drives where and like we are supposed to, we would all have a more pleasant driving experience. By being selfish, we cause others to be unhappy on the road, and at times it becomes so bad that road rage is the end result.
Here is an interesting page called Slower Traffic Keep Right. Of course, if you are from South Africa, read "left" for "right" and "right" for "left!" Wherever this site mentions left, you should read "right" and vice versa.
So, for safe driving in South Africa
(especially you South Africans)
Next, Part 5.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Use tr.im to see how many follow your shortened links
I have just started using Tr.im for shortening web page links on my Twitter and Facebook accounts. What I like about Tr.im is that I can see how many clicks I get on a link that I shortened and sent on. Simply open a free Tr.im account, and use it to shorten links while logged in. Then use that link in Twitter or Facebook or your blog (anywhere really) and you will be able to see how many clicks you got on that link. The following screen capture shows three links that I shortened and the results within an hour of sending them out.
Read More......
Education in South Africa is in trouble
The following graphic comes from the You magazine, 19 November 2009. It makes one think, doesn't it?
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Gauteng gets new vehicle number plates
As it goes in South Africa, the government (whether provincial or national), always finds ways to make more money from its citizens. That is how it seems with the new number plate scheme. The blue BB00BB GP plates are the standard issue plates. The black PB00BB GP plates are most likely for police services. The green HEITA GP is for personalized plates such as HOTROD GP. Finally, the red GB00BB GP plates are for government vehicles. It is not that I am against new number plates, since Gauteng will run out of numbers by mid-2010 on its current BBB000 GP number scheme. Vehicles can keep their current numbers beyond that time, but they have to get those numbers re-stamped on the new metal plates. Even though the the new plates will be "equipped with a 2D barcode and a passive electronic chip," ostensibly for security and to stop falsification of plates, it still seems to be another money making scheme. It just would have been so much easier if only newly registered vehicles would be issued with these plates.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
100 Open Courses and 100 Audio Books
A while ago Amber Johnson sent me a link to "100 Awesome Open Courses for Bibliophiles." Here you will find all kinds of open courses to do online. They have courses on literature, foreign literature, linguistics, books and manuscripts, poetry and drama, ancient texts, non-fiction and more.
I also saw that Dan Phillips wrote a note on "100 Free Audio Books You Should Have Read By now." Here you will find audio books from the UK, Europe, classic mysteries and thrillers, biographies and autobiographies, children's literature and poetry. Have you ever wanted to read Moby Dick? You can listen to it now! What about The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin? It is there too! You will find Black Beauty, The wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, The Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen and even History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol I by Edward Gibbon.
Go, educate yourself! Go, read!
Read More......Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Famous pictures manipulated
Pictures we see in magazines and newspapers aren't always what they seem. See the following two pictures. Now visit Amazing Facts for the other 9 famous pictures that were manipulated!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Is this the level of South African politics?
Sorry for the one harsh word somewhere close to the end. This is funny and portrays our perception of South African politics really well!
Read More......Monday, October 26, 2009
Julius Malema to be South African president after Zuma?
I know, I know! The thought of Julius Malema becoming the next South African president after Zuma is quite revolting, but it is a reality that we may have to face. The problem with Malema is that he thinks that everything can be solved via a takeover by the ANC government. Note, I did not say "government but "ANC government." The question is, would you be willing to live in a country with Malema as its president? I am not so sure I am.
Zuma, over the weekend, praised Malema as a good leader worthy of "inheriting the ANC." Julius Malema is probably the most divisive politician since "one settler, one bullet!" The man has an uncanny knack of alienating anyone willing to think for himself. He has this way with the masses to turn them into rabid wolves ready to devour at his command.
OBE in South Africa to be dumped
Outcomes Based Education in South Africa is set for a huge change in South Africa. A South African Education report revealed many difficulties with the revised curriculum of OBE in South Africa. Now we all know that when things are written in newspapers we should take the information they present with a bag of salt. Well, it seems that this time the minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, really is fed up with the OBE curriculum as it currently stands in South Africa. I spoke to someone from the department over the weekend, and this person confirmed that the minister is going to get rid of this revised curriculum and it would probably take at least 18 months. Well, this is good news since the demands on teachers are way too high and the curriculum drives children to the edge. My wife is a teacher in grade 1 (she is also head of department), and she works most nights till around midnight, and many times till 1-2 am. Let's hope the new curriculum will have more sense to it, and that teachers are guided by it much more.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
ESKOM disses South African electricity users
Just a few months ago, an electricity price hike of 31% came into effect. Suddenly, now, ESKOM wants to go into overdrive when it comes to price hikes. Can you believe that those nincompoops running that institute of insanity want a price hike of 45% per year for the next three years? What are they trying to achieve? Running South Africa and its citizens financially into the ground? That is exactly what they will achieve! ESKOM is fast becoming a economic black hole.
Let's look at this in actual monetary terms. If a person paid only R100 per month for electricity before the last 31% tariff hike, he will end up paying R399.37 after the three 45% tariff hikes proposed by ESKOM over the next three years. That is almost 300% higher per month! Have a look:
Read More......
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