A different view on current affairs & history
These photographs are prime examples of backyard mechanics at work. Most are extremely functional modifications that are fit for purpose whereas others are probably hazardous to the user’s health. Without fear of contradiction, I would wager that none have gone any further than the prototype stage.
Quite frankly I am not sure whether I would actual drive in some of these vehicles as I am not sure what else has been modified.
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Born in an age when class and status in life preordained one a priori to a particular station in life, Thomas Edward Chapman aka Lawrence of Arabia rose above such strictures to become universally acclaimed and renowned for his exploits in the Arabian Desert, Transjordan and Mesopotamia. How was that meteoric rise possible for somebody so taciturn, ascetic and iconoclastic in outlook?
Much of which is known about TE Lawrence is discerned from his autobiography entitled The Seven Pillars of Wisdom which I have never actually finished reading in spite of various attempts. Many accounts of Lawrence’s exploits and ordeals are at odds with one another. In broad outline and Lawrence own sang froid attitude have been attested to by many colleagues but Lawrence will forever remain an enigma where one is never able to grasp the real man with any certainty.
Main picture: Thomas Edward Lawrence in traditional Arab garb
Hardly a day goes by in South Africa with poachers not decimating our wildlife especially our rhino. Also in their sights are lions; the most depraved aspect of which is the so-called “canned hunting” where specially bred lions are shot at point blank range. In this case, the majority are foreigners, usually wealthy Americans. These “heroes” can be seen posing as they celebrate their killing of this majestic creature. Both types of hunting are as vile and depraved as the other. They represent base motives which should no longer be tolerated if we are to call ourselves civilised.
Before I cover today’s shocking news in this regard, let me tell you about the killing of black bears in Ely, Minnesota, USA. The Discovery Channel presented a program on the senseless killing of these bears which were part of a study into their behaviour.
Main picture: This is what poachers did to Hope the Rhino in order to obtain the maximum amount of horn which consists of benign keratin
Rampant population growth coupled with increasing longevity, begs the question whether unchecked growth is still possible given the human’s voracious appetite for resources. Has a pivotal moment been attained when the rate of consumption, wasteful use of resources and the befouling of the environment in concert with population growth culminates in dire consequences for humanity?
Main picture: A lignite power plant contaminates the air with its emissions
Unlike most countries South Africa has an array of climates such as the mediterreanean of the Western Cape, the subtropical of KwaZulu Natal, the deserts of the Kalahari and the bushveld of Limpopo. Each produces its own nique scenic wonders.
For this reason, South Africa can truly be described as a world in one country
Main picture: Valley of Desolation
Against the odds, the Greek Parliament passed the necessary austerity legislation as demanded by the EU. In all likelihood it was a grudging acceptance of the harsh conditions and an even an enduring lesson for all politicians with populist proclivities, but its adherence does not bode well for Greece and the EU. Moreover it highlights the dangers of post 2008 growth in sovereign debt and the future of banks too-large-to fail.
Of more immediate concern is whether Greece truly possesses the political will and societal cohesion to fully implement what is expected of them. The extent of what is demanded of them is without precedent except for the onerous conditions imposed on Germany at the Versailles Conference subsequent to WW1 during 1919.
Main picture: Santorini
After a hard day at the office, I felt like a cheer-me-up uplifting story, something that would elevate me morally & emotionally. With its numerous problems – many self-inflicted – South Africa offers a smorgasbord of topics on which to vent one’s ire. Foremost amongst them are the avalanche of corruption claims and its handmaiden – incompetence.
PRASA’s – the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa – “faux pas” of ordering trains which were too “tall” for the electric lines transformed into a race issue when the CEO of PRASA – one Lucky Montana – accused the Bleed Newspaper’s white reporter of being anti-black for breaking the story.
Main picture: Their first flight
Seldom if ever in politics do the consequences of poor economic or political judgement force a humiliating volte face as abrupt and as dramatic as the one that the Greek Prime Minister has just had to endure this week. What does it mean for Greeks? Is it emblematic of realpolitik in action?
Like humans across the globe whenever bad things happen to them their response is always to blame a third party. In the case of the Germans after WW1, it was the perfidious Jews who had “stabbed Germany in the back” as they articulated it. In fact this idea was first propagated by General Erich Ludendorff even before the Armistice was signed. Even though it was his personal miscalculations that had resulted in Germany’s defeat, even somebody as resilient and as obdurate as Ludendorff could not utter the words mea culpa – I am to blame. Instead he insulted the virtues of the ardent patriotic Jewish population!
Main picture: Greeks vent their anger against austerity in general and the Germans in particular
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With the 102nd Tour de France currently underway, this epic three-week-long event is emblematic of man’s tenacity and perseverance. The unremitting odyssey encompasses tortuous mountain climbs, harrowing hairpin bends and breakneck speeds through hamlets and villages along the 3360km route from Utrecht in Holland to Paris in France.
The agonies and the ecstasies will be closely followed by hundreds of millions every day. What attracts these viewers is not merely the regurgitation of facts about each participant but more importantly the verdant fields, the Alpine vistas and the quaint forgotten hamlets through which the race traverses.
Main picture: The finish of the first Tour. At the right: the first winner, Maurice Garin. At the left: probably Leon Georget (not sure). Tour de France 1903.