A different view on current affairs & history
Eskom is on the verge of signing a 20-year deal for Karpowership to provide 1220MW of ship-based power for 20 years at 3 locations around South Africa. The contract does not include the land side costs of connecting to the grid i.e., switchgear, transformers and distribution lines. It also probably does not include the wharfage costs payable to Portnet.
Main picture: Gas turbine
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With the gatslag of the announcement that the AstraZeneca vaccine does not work against the SA variant, the health department seems to favour the J&J vaccine since its SA trial leg encountered the SA variant which none of the others did. However, when you unpack the numbers, it is not hopeful as the effective sample size is exceedingly small. I posit, with good reason, that the effective sample size on which they base their unimpressive efficacy of 57% is 49!
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With all the profligate wastage of money by the government that is coming to light at Zondo, it’s worthwhile revisiting what Nkandla cost.
Main picture: In 2021 Rands, Nkandla cost R450mill
Continue readingSince July 2017, Adobe has been telling the world that they were pulling their Flash Player as at 31 December 2020. SARS woke up to the problem too late and could only migrate half their input forms to the new method in time. On 24 January 2021, they announced that they had created their own browser which could accept the plug-in to solve their self-created problem. This is a very dangerous approach given that they are dealing with highly sensitive and confidential information and given it takes an immense effort to ensure that any home-grown software is unhackable. In addition, it does not run on the Apple operating system, iOS. This led me to think whimsically about SARS creating its own operating system, tOS-SARS (Tax Operating System – SARS) or tOS for short.
Coincidently, one month prior to Adobe’s announcement, Mmamathe Makhekhe-Mokhuane was appointed Chief Officer – DIST (Digital Information Systems and Technology, I presume). Who can ever forget that hilarious interview in October 2018 on SABC-TV conducted with her where she struggled to answer softball questions? This led her to plead, “Ma’am, can you give me protection from yourself?” In reply to a parliamentary question, Tito Mboweni provided the following information on her qualifications:
A due diligence was conducted on the following qualifications prior her appointment and were Verified:
(1) Diploma in Practical Accounting, Damelin, 1996
(2) Diploma in Bookkeeping, Damelin, 1996
(3) Diploma in Business Organization & Management, Damelin, 1997
(4) Diploma in Personnel Training and Management, Damelin, 1997
(5) Master of Business Administration, University of North West, 2004
A due diligence was not conducted on the following foreign qualifications prior her appointment:
(6) General Certificate of Education. University of Cambridge, 1985
(7) Diploma in Information Technology, Square one, Data processing College, 1987.”
Most countries, at some stage or another, have promoted large families. It would seem that fecundity is a source of national pride if not a desire to outnumber their enemies in the long term. Hitler avidly promoted this and Stalin created the medal, Mother Heroine, in 1944 for mothers who raised over 10 children. This was awarded 430 000 times by 1991 when it was discontinued. There were also other medals for woman who were not as fecund or who were perhaps more sensible.
Main picture: Soviet propaganda poster, 1944 & Soviet Mother Heroine Medal
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Last year was supposed to be the Chinese Year of the Rat but the year had hardly started and it transmogrified into the Year of the Bat. It not only created genocidal mayhem but also drove the world schizophrenic with false narratives and bad data. This blog focusses on the latter with particular reference to South Africa.
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On 22 December, Trump retreated to his Winter White House/ Winter Palace, Mar-a-Lago for the final Christmas of his Presidency. In this blog, my brother Blaine, provides a wacky look deserving of the wacky lame Donald Duck.
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From how much it will cost to vaccinate all South Africans to when it will be available are all moot. In this blog my brother Blaine adds his tuppence to the debate. Personally I am now a hardened cynic after 25 years of corrupt and incompetent ANC rule.
Main picture: Covid-19 virus
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On the morning of the 4th of November, I had a near death experience. All the news feeds on the internet were showing that, instead of MAGA (Mega Arsehole Going Awry), Trump was doing a remarkable job of keeping his end up so to speak. Given his age, he must be mainlining Viagra along with his daily cocktail of orange preservative with a twist of hydroxy-chloroquine. No wonder Melania keeps giving him her icy slit-eyed Slavic stares and silent don’t you dares. Although Slow Joe had been quick out of the blocks, it seemed improbable to me that he could flip all the states needed to reach 270 votes as Trump was ahead in most. Being a straight up and down kind of guy, it further seemed unlikely that he would come from behind. Instead, MAGA flipped him and the world the bird as well as a few hamburgers which he chowed down to give himself strength for his 2am press conference after the polls had closed. Hoping to catch Slow Joe tucked up bed with a hot milk, he magnanimously claimed victory.
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A legacy of Trump’s presidency is the number of blatant lies, gross exaggerations, and fallacies that you spewed forth in every tweet, comment, or interview on a daily basis. As his niece Mary Trump has confirmed in her book, this is a fundamental character flaw of this narcissistic person. Facts do not matter. Accuracy does not count.
Main picture: Donald Trump
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