Cats which have not had Acting Lessons
The Destruction of Homs: Flagrant Hypocrisy
Ask most citizens of South Africa about the situation in Homs and they will in all likelihood answer the question with a question of their own such as “Where the hell is that?” Moreover the same question posed of Gaza or the Palestinians would elicit an immediate response. Why is this so?
Firstly some background.
King Edward VIII: Once a King
King Edward VIII is notorious for two reasons. The first, the reason for his abdication in 1936, was his love for an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. The second, and for the most part unproved, was his pro-Nazi views during WW2. The first is fact but is there any substance to the second allegation?
In terms of the primogeniture rules of succession then applicable, young Edward, or David as he was known to his siblings, would become the next king of England. By the throw of the dice, Edward who was ideally suited to this role for he possessed the common touch was the heir presumptive. Unlike his parents, he was unafraid of being seen by the commoner.
Hiking to the Amphitheatre in the Northern Drakensberg
By far the most imposing feature of the Drakensberg is the Amphitheatre and also probably the most recognisable. A hike to the top – not recommended for the faint-hearted – also involves a near vertical climb up the chain ladders.
Rising over 1000 metres from the Tugela Valley, the Amphitheatre is a mighty wall of granite which ascends all the way to the Lesotho plateau which is almost 3000 metres above sea level.
High fat low carb diets: The jury obtains additional evidence
A recent “discussion” between Tim Noakes and an eminent cardiologist on 702 WTT [8th August 2014] during which Noakes was accused of “being criminal” brought this issue to the forefront again. What does the latest research reveal regarding this debate?
Conventional wisdom decrees that fat is bad for one’s health and if one so much as lets a glob of fat past one’s lips, one is liable to suffer from high cholesterol and die. The eating of all forms of fat including eggs, cream and fat on meat was not only eschewed, it was verboten. If any product had .005% less fat than a standard product, it would have the words low fat emblazoned all over it as if even such a miniscule reduction in imbibing fat would be beneficial.
Main picture: Tim Noakes
Sandstorm hits central South Africa
With winds gusting up to 100kms per hour in certain parts of South Africa especially the Kimberley region combined with extremely dry conditions resulted in the worst sandstorms seen for many years. At OR Tambo airport the windspeed recorded was 48kph. It was sufficient to provide Joburg residents with their worst dust storm in decades.
Sidney Reilly – The Greatest Spy in the annuals of Espionage
Sidney Reilly has had few if any peers in the annuals of espionage. Born Georgi Rosenblum, a Jew, in Odessa in 1873, Sidney was an adventurer par excellence. His story is a testament to his laudable courage and overweening chutzpah. Like most spies, they are the only source of their often vaulting claims as the facts are mostly unsubstantiatable from other sources.
In spite of his Russian heritage, Sidney Reilly was imbued with a sense of duty to the British. Be that as it may but Sidney was an incorrigible rogue with perhaps a misguided sense of duty. Unlike the outdated British Secret Service, still wedded to a bygone era of chivalry and fair-play, Sidney obtained the results that they required through a ruthless uncompromising streak even if it meant breaking a number of female hearts or even killing in the process. Dubbed the Ace of Spies, Reilly’s sobriquet was apt.
What a really bad day looks like
None of these photographs requires a title.
Satellite Pictures for a different Perspective of Earth
Astronauts regularly proclaim that the view of the earth from space endeared them with a different almost sublimely mystical perspective of earth. From a great height, both the fragility and interconnectedness of the world is exposed. Cynically or even prosaically this may be termed a kumbaya experience, but I concur with those space travellers in being overwhelmed by man’s insignificance in a cosmic scale.
Egyptian Modernity in the 1950s and 1960s
Egypt is paradigmatic of what has gone wrong over the past half century in Muslim countries. From creeping secularisation across the Arab world led by none other than Gamel Abdul Nasser of Egypt, the bête noir of the West, the modernisation of many of these countries continued apace including such countries as Afghanistan.
What happened since that momentous epoch?
During the 1950s and 1960s even that icon of secularisation and modernity, the bikini, made its appearance in these countries. It is not that these countries were becoming less religious, it was merely the acceptance that there would be a separation between temporal and religious affairs. Was this not the journey that Western Europe embarked upon after the Enlightenment?
Main picture: Sunbathers near the Port of Alexandria, 1955