Be Wary of Lions

Of course this maxim applies to other wild animals as well. Most at risk are foreign tourists who find certain animals such as lions cute and innocuous. That is as maybe but common sense must prevail. The inevitable happened today. An American tourist was driving through the Lion Park no more than 20kms from Joburg with their window open when the lion struck. In the contest between man and the lion, guess who wins. The woman passenger did not.

What is troubling for me is that there have been calls for this lion to be shot.

“Why?”

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The Protea Hilton Hotel: Old World Charm Personified

Perhaps it is the faux Tudor architectural style which creates an aura of elegance and graciousness. But it is more than that. Being out in the country with the verdant hillocks to the north, the setting is exquisite. The immaculate gardens with its huge trees complement the decorous setting.

Having stayed there for the past nine weeks, I am still enamoured and am not ready to swop for a bland B&B.

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The Purpose and Meaning of Life

Whenever there is the passing of a friend, an acquaintance or a family member this topic comes to mind. In this case it was learning of the death of a hiking acquaintance from 25 years ago: Dick Wassenaar.

What will the wider world remember of one’s own passing? Probably nothing unless one were a celebrity or famous in some way. At best, as in Dick’s case, it is one lonely paragraph on the Internet.

Main picture: These homemade and handheld ‘pistol fireworks’ are used at the Gion Matsuri festival at the Yoshida Shrine in Toyohashi City, Japan
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Finally a Good News Holocaust Story

Not that Holocaust stories are ever gay, light-hearted uplifting affairs as in most cases almost all of the survivor’s family after never seen again but this one has a surprising twist in the tail. Instead these stories all have a sense of dreaded inevitability as families are split up either to face an immediate death or a slow agonising demise by overwork, starvation and all the attendant privations.

Over the years I have read numerous books and stories on the holocaust. Most are heart-wrenching stories of privation and abominable living and working conditions. None of these survivor’s stories relate to Jews from Germany itself. This was not due to the fact that none of them decided to write about their horrendous life stories but rather that being first into these concentration camps, they were the first to die. As the life expectancy was no more than 3 months on average, by 1943 very few were still alive.

Main picture: Herman Rosenblat

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Today’s Life To-Do List

We all make To-Do Lists of chores that have to be performed but what about making a separate to-do list except that this list would comprise all of the emotional, life skills, moral and psychological aspects of one’s life. Don’t these aspects deserve to be focused on as well, instead of merely the material and physical aspects?

Main picture: One easily identifies obnoxious or inappropriate behaviour in others but overlooks it in oneself

What is the purpose of a to-do list? It reminds us not to forget about doing certain things during the day. One periodically retrieves the list and mentally ticks off what has already been accomplished. In my case, I will physically scratch off what I have completed. This provides me with a sense of achievement, of accomplishment and a mental boost by knowing what progress that I have made.

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Value Reducing Corporate M&As: Why no Consequences?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that 80% of all Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions do not achieve their objective and most actually result in a decline in the value of the Acquiring Company. Yet seldom if ever are there consequences for the proponents of the Acquisition. Why is there this strange state of affairs?

The latest victim of this malaise is that of Brian Joffe at Bidvest. It has now been admitted that Bidvest will have to write down its recent acquisition of Adcock Ingram by a huge R1 billion. How could somebody as astute as Brian Joffe have got the sums so wrong? What happened to the due diligence and possibly more importantly, the synergies and savings anticipated to be generated by the acquisition?

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The Profumo Affair: The Tale of Two Women

For those who remember the Profumo Affair which almost brought down the Conservative Government of Harold Macmillan, the pivotal role was played by a prostitute, the stunning Christine Keeler. However her flatmate, Mandy Rice-Davies, who was not quite as stunning, also rose to prominence due to her lifestyle which was intertwined with that of Keeler. What would happen to each woman after this potentially life changing event?

Background

The fate of John Profumo, the philandering Secretary of State for War in the Harold Macmillan Conservative Government is well known. After initially denying any personal impropriety with a prostitute, the stunning Christine Keeler, in 1961, he eventually resigned some two weeks later.

How did this brief affair become public knowledge two years after its termination and why did an extra-marital affair cause such anguish at the time?

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The 1908 London Olympics

In many respects the Olympic Games prior to WW2 were vastly different from those held today. Largely without any sponsorship and definitely no TV coverage, these games were not lavish affairs. With only 22 countries participating in the fourth of the modern series of Olympics, most of the contestants were amateurs with full-time careers outside of sport. This Olympics broke a number of records including that of being the longest at 187 days.

From a personnel perspective and interest to me relates to the marathon or more precisely the distance thereof. The original distance was 25 miles but it was amended to become 26 miles in order that they could commence at Windsor Castle. It was amended again at the request of Princess Margaret so that the start could be beneath the windows of the Royal Nursery. What was so prominent about the Nurseries that the distance had to be extended.

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Four famous Paintings: Their Story: My View

Art connoisseurs will probably be mortified by my untutored tastes and ignorant views but in truth I possess no appreciation for art especially where it bears little resemblance to reality. In contrast to this, art aficionados are able to divine a whole substrata of implied meanings from the brush strokes, the colours and the textures whereas I view a painting as a literal impression and not by some figurative interpretation of what is being viewed. Interesting as their observations might be, they are of little interest to me.

Main picture: The Night watch by Rembrandt van Rijn

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The Tapestry of Life

Have you ever considered why life is not a bland monotone? Imagine for a minute if it were. How boring would life be! Rather it comprises the strident highs of a tweeter and the thumping lows of a bass. It is the opposites and their interaction that makes life sweeter.

Switch on one’s favourite melody and close your eyes. Let the sound flow over and through you. One is enraptured by the interplay of the various components – the lead with its highs, the bass with its lows, the keyboards with its melody and the drums with its beat.

Main photograph: A bamboo forest in China

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