Today's funnies come from Maureen Wilton of Business Warrior fame (ww.businesswarriors.co.za). Hope you have a fabulous day!
Some light relief.
1. I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
2. Police were called to a day care where a 3-yr-old was resisting a rest.
3. Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.
4. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference.
5. The butcher backed up into the meat grinder & got a little behind in his work.
6. To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
7. When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
8. The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
9. A thief who stole a calendar got 12 months.
10. A thief fell & broke his leg in wet cement. He became a hardened criminal.
11. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U.C.L.A.
12. The dead batteries were given out free of charge.
13. A dentist & a manicurist fought tooth and nail.
14. A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
15. A will is a dead giveaway.
16. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
17. A backward poet writes inverse.
18. In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.
19. A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
20. If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.
21. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft & I'll show you A-flat miner.
22. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
23. A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France, resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.
24. You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
25. A calendar's days are numbered.
26. A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.
27. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
28. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
29. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
30. When you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
31. When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
32. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
33. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
34. Acupuncture: a jab well done.
And of course the old classic:
35. When the fat lady backed into the fan, it disaster.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
TAXMAN ADDS TO ZUMA'S WOES
This is yesterdays post.
I, for one am hugely curious to see what happens next. In my opinion the prosecutors team are in a bit of a catch 22 type situation. If they don't bring Zuma up on charges, whey will be seen to not be doing their jobs and if they do, they might very well be prosecuting the next President of SA.
I wonder if he will serve out his term as President from a jail cell - now that would be new one for the history books!
Taxman adds to Zuma's ample woes
February 25 2007 at 10:46AM
By Jeremy Gordin, Fred Kockott and Karyn Maughan
This article was originally published on page 1 of Sunday Independent on February 25, 2007
I, for one am hugely curious to see what happens next. In my opinion the prosecutors team are in a bit of a catch 22 type situation. If they don't bring Zuma up on charges, whey will be seen to not be doing their jobs and if they do, they might very well be prosecuting the next President of SA.
I wonder if he will serve out his term as President from a jail cell - now that would be new one for the history books!
Taxman adds to Zuma's ample woes
February 25 2007 at 10:46AM
By Jeremy Gordin, Fred Kockott and Karyn Maughan
While Jacob Zuma waits to see if he is to be recharged with corruption, he is being investigated by the taxman. This emerged after his Durban attorney, Michael Hulley, went to the Durban magistrate's court on Wednesday to deal with a summons served by the South African Revenue Service (Sars) on the controversial former deputy president. It is understood that the summons was served by Sars because it has questions about the completeness of Zuma's disclosure of his income, and because he failed to submit a tax return.
'An unflattering picture of Zuma's financial affairs was painted during Shaik trial'
The lawyer apparently disclosed to the court that agreement had been struck with Sars that the information it sought would be furnished by early April. Hulley said the summons involved a request for further information relating to a recent tax return, which had, he conceded, been filed late. But he would go no further.
"We have no comment," Hulley said on Saturday. "We consider Mr Zuma's tax affairs to be private and so there is nothing to say." Some members of Zuma's inner circle suspect that there is a connection between these queries and the National Prosecuting Authority's continuing investigation into Zuma's relationship with Schabir Shaik, who has gone to jail for fraud, and into Zuma's alleged relationship with Thint, the French arms manufacturer, from which Zuma is alleged to have accepted a bribe facilitated by Shaik.
"We have no comment," Hulley said on Saturday. "We consider Mr Zuma's tax affairs to be private and so there is nothing to say." Some members of Zuma's inner circle suspect that there is a connection between these queries and the National Prosecuting Authority's continuing investigation into Zuma's relationship with Schabir Shaik, who has gone to jail for fraud, and into Zuma's alleged relationship with Thint, the French arms manufacturer, from which Zuma is alleged to have accepted a bribe facilitated by Shaik.
"I said we are not going to comment, and I am certainly not going to comment on the motivations of Sars," Hulley said. "You cannot fairly ask me whether I, or we, think that Sars is 'harassing' Mr Zuma. Some people would say that Sars harasses everyone. That's their job," Hulley said. During Shaik's trial in 2005, an unflattering picture of Zuma's financial affairs was painted by the prosecution. Hilary Squires, the presiding judge, commented that Zuma's finances seemed to be in a bit of a mess. After Zuma was charged in 2005, Scorpions special investigator Johan du Plooy said in an affidavit, related to the search and seizure raids on Zuma's home and the offices of his attorneys, that the Zuma investigation had been extended to include allegations of fraud and tax evasion. This extension was based on allegations that Zuma had not declared money allegedly received from Shaik, or from Shaik's companies, as income in the form of bribes, to Sars and parliament.
On Saturday the taxman also refused to comment on the latest investigation: "Because of the confidentiality provisions of section 4 of the Income Tax Act, no official of Sars may disclose any information regarding the tax matters of a taxpayer," said Adrian Lackay, a Sars spokesperson. In September, during Zuma's trial in Pietermaritzburg on corruption charges, Kemp J Kemp, Zuma's counsel, said the state had applied for a postponement because it wanted to make "a different case with different evidence" against Zuma - and it needed time to do so. He was referring to the possibility that Zuma would have additional charges of tax evasion brought against him in the wake of the massive KPMG forensic audit into his financial affairs.
Zuma said during the Pietermaritzburg trial that the "investigation into tax offences and into defrauding the revenue service and others that had been raised in the application for the search warrants" served to demonstrate "the absolutely cynical abuse" of the justice process by those intent on discrediting him. The search warrants were those issued for the search and seizure raids of December 2005.
This would be tense year for Zuma even without the Sars summonses. The main issue is whether the National Prosecuting Authority will recharge him with corruption. Judge Herbert Msimang struck the case off the roll last year. Whether this will happen is, in turn, dependent on the outcome of Shaik's constitutional court appeal. In addition, the Scorpions are trying to get hold of evidential documents from Mauritius. Also due before the supreme court of appeal is the state's appeal regarding the search and seizure warrants ratified by Bernard Ngoepe, the judge president of the Transvaal, at the end of 2005.Two high courts - those of Durban and the Witwatersrand - found the warrants to be invalid and that the documents seized by the Scorpions from Zuma's home and from the offices of his attorneys were therefore inadmissible as evidence. The NPA has appealed against these findings.
This article was originally published on page 1 of Sunday Independent on February 25, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
ZUMA CONVOY RAISES IRE OF KZN MOTORISTS
Oh dear - I wonder if their loss of good manners is also a result of the Apartheid era! Personally, I am so tired of everything being blamed on Apartheid! Isn't it time that we take responsibility for our own actions in the hear and now?
If the man was behaving like this in April, how is he going to act now - me thinks we have a meglomaniac on our hands!
'Zuma convoy' raises ire of KZN motorists
April 12 2007 at 11:02AM
If the man was behaving like this in April, how is he going to act now - me thinks we have a meglomaniac on our hands!
'Zuma convoy' raises ire of KZN motorists
April 12 2007 at 11:02AM
The speeding "blue-light" vehicle convoy, that angered many Kwazulu-Natal motorists using the N3 highway on Sunday, has been identified as that of former deputy president Jacob Zuma, The Witness newspaper reported on Thursday. According to the newspaper, its switchboard was flooded with calls from motorists who said they were pushed off the N3 on Sunday by a blue-light convoy. It reported that a Pietermaritzburg man, Faizel Mooideen, had a rifle pointed at him and his family by security officers who tried to push them out off a lane on the highway. Other statements from motorists seem to back up the bad behaviour of people in the convoy towards other road users, the newspaper said.
A woman, too scared to identify herself, said the convoy consisted of two black BMW X5s and a blue Range Rover and was apparently the same convoy that threatened Mooideen and his family. According to the woman, a group of guards from the convoy, while on a stopover at the Engen One Stop on the N3, aggressively pushed patrons out of their way while doing a security check of the area. She then confirmed that Zuma, with security guards accompanying him, got out of one of the vehicles and made his way to the toilets. "Others witnessing the scene made comments like 'Who does he think he is?'," the woman was quoted as saying. Zuma's private secretary, Nontokozo Luthuli, could not confirm the make of the vehicles used by Zuma at the weekend but said that his convoy "every now and then" changes it vehicles.
A woman, too scared to identify herself, said the convoy consisted of two black BMW X5s and a blue Range Rover and was apparently the same convoy that threatened Mooideen and his family. According to the woman, a group of guards from the convoy, while on a stopover at the Engen One Stop on the N3, aggressively pushed patrons out of their way while doing a security check of the area. She then confirmed that Zuma, with security guards accompanying him, got out of one of the vehicles and made his way to the toilets. "Others witnessing the scene made comments like 'Who does he think he is?'," the woman was quoted as saying. Zuma's private secretary, Nontokozo Luthuli, could not confirm the make of the vehicles used by Zuma at the weekend but said that his convoy "every now and then" changes it vehicles.
Luthuli said she could not confirm where Zuma was on Sunday and that the information was a security matter.- At the weekend, the SABC reported Zuma addressed an Easter Sunday service in the eastern Free State, where he told members of the Tyrannus Apostolic Church in Qwaqwa that black people had been robbed of their values and dignity by the apartheid regime - Sapa
MANY OF SA'S SUPER-RICH ARE BLACK
This is the post for December 27th
My, my - how very interesting - perhaps we should blame this one on 'Apartheid' as well! Let's face facts - if it wasn't for Apartheid, this would, very likely not have happened!
Many of SA's super-rich are black
October 30 2006 at 09:29AM
By Barry Bateman, Cornelia du Plooy and Malgosia Kijko
My, my - how very interesting - perhaps we should blame this one on 'Apartheid' as well! Let's face facts - if it wasn't for Apartheid, this would, very likely not have happened!
Many of SA's super-rich are black
October 30 2006 at 09:29AM
By Barry Bateman, Cornelia du Plooy and Malgosia Kijko
Nearly half of South Africa's 200 000 very wealthy people are black, according to research by First National Bank (FNB).FNB said its research showed that the wealthy in South Africa are not "old, white retirees". It said "74 percent are business owners, 58 percent are under the age of 45, and 45 percent of the wealthy in South Africa today are black". Black South Africans are the fastest growing group of wealthy individuals. In Pretoria, white former government employees turned entrepreneurs and black public servants are adding to the number of the rich in South Africa.
This was revealed at the launch of FNB's Private Clients facility for the northern region which includes Pretoria, Polokwane and Tzaneen in Limpopo province, and Nelspruit and Secunda in Mpumalanga. FNB Private Clients northern region head Gerhard Combrinck said the service targeted people with an annual income of R750 000 upwards or investible assets of R1-million or more."
This was revealed at the launch of FNB's Private Clients facility for the northern region which includes Pretoria, Polokwane and Tzaneen in Limpopo province, and Nelspruit and Secunda in Mpumalanga. FNB Private Clients northern region head Gerhard Combrinck said the service targeted people with an annual income of R750 000 upwards or investible assets of R1-million or more."
In South Africa in general, we have seen more people getting richer which is a function of good economic conditions. "But, the northern region has seen tremendous change in the make-up of its high net worth individuals. "In Pretoria, the most obvious observation is that a great number of former white State officials have moved out of their government jobs and turned to entrepreneurial ventures that are now becoming lucrative, putting them in the wealthy bracket."We are also seeing more black people take senior positions in government and take advantage of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) deals," he said.
Combrink said 18 months ago only 35 percent of high net worth individuals were black. "If this trend continues, and we expect it to accelerate as BEE plays a bigger role in the national economy, we expect that number to climb to 60% within the next two years," he said.
Pieter Grimbeek, of the Bank of England, said the majority of high net worth individuals were older people: "These are the people with available capital to invest in the market,"he said. Most of his high net worth clients were white but a growing number were black", he said.
This article was originally published on page 4 of Pretoria News on October 30, 2006
This article was originally published on page 4 of Pretoria News on October 30, 2006
ID THEFT HITS RETAILERS HARDEST
ID theft is one of my pet hates, and yet with the introduction of FICA and FAIS, I fear that instead of the problem being addressed it has been escalated. You see the banks don't trust their own staff and neither can they believe a single thing that they say or do so everytime you walk into the bank you are required to produce your ID (not that I have a problem with that) and they they proceed to make several copies (now this I have a problem with!)
You see the FICA Act says that as an individual you have to 'prove' who you are - nowhere does it say that this means that anyone needs to take copies of your ID!
I was recently challenged by Nedbank to become FICA compliant for my business bank account despite the fact that the account was only opened in August of this year. I received 3 telegrams, a letter and an sms from them threatening me with the freezing of my bank account if I did not become FICA compliant. Unfortunately for them, I learnt the hard way and got the Nedbank staff member to sign in receipt of all my FICA documentation and so told them that if they froze my account I would be opening up a case of theft against them.
Cutting a very, very long story short, they eventually 'found' my documents and all is well - however, I am still somewhat peeved at the manner in which this went down, the threats and the way several of the Nedbank staff actually spoke to and treated me! My God, if I spoke to my clients like that, I would certainly lose them, but then again I suspect that the banking and insurance fraternity think that they are above the law and therefore can do as they please - this was one instance that they found that they couldn't!
ID theft hits retailers hardest
Stephen J Dubner and Steven D Levitt
03 April 2007 at 06h00
There are as many varieties of identity theft today as there are varieties of mushrooms. And there are as many misconceptions about the scope of the problem, the incentives to stop it and how its costs are borne.
For starters, there are indications that identity theft has peaked. A recent study by Javelin Strategy and Research claimed that 8,4-million United States adults suffered some form of identity fraud in 2006, down from 10,1-million in 2002.
Bear in mind that the Javelin study was paid for in part by three financial services institutions, which certainly have an incentive to alleviate customer fears. But the US Federal Trade Commission also reports a levelling off, as does the Los Angeles county sheriff's department, which runs one of the most aggressive identity theft task forces.
Who cares?Still, identity theft remains an extraordinarily appealing crime. Most police departments don't have the staffing or know-how to even pursue the perpetrators.
The FBI, meanwhile, usually won't get involved unless the fraud reaches $100 000.Which raises an obvious question: If law enforcement doesn't care about identity theft, who does?
The answer would also seem obvious: you, the potential victim. But according to the Javelin data, people probably worry way too much about identity theft. Seventy-three percent of victims incur no out-of-pocket expenses whatsoever; the unlucky minority loses, on average, $2 000 - far less than the scare stories would have us believe. And in more than half the cases of identity theft, the thief is a relative, friend or co-worker.
You don't often loseSo while you were being frightened into never again using a credit card, most of the cost of identity theft was actually being paid by someone else.
Surely, then, it is the banks and credit card companies that are desperate to stop the problem? Sergeant Robert Berardi, who runs the Los Angeles county sheriff department's ID theft task force, has found otherwise.
"The banks are in conflict between security and making a profit," he says. In an industry that is reluctant to add an ounce of friction to a customer's purchase, Berardi says identity theft is seen as simply the cost of doing business.
Business caresSo if the banks, the consumer and the police aren't incentivised to stop identity theft, who is?The merchant. That is what Peisner, a veteran of the credit card business, has discovered. "Let's say one of these hackers takes the information they find in a chat room. He goes to the Sony website, buys a laptop computer for $1 000, and a month later the actual cardholder gets the billing statement. He calls up his bank and says, 'I didn't order a computer from Sony.' "At that point, the credit card issuer, let's say Citibank, sends a 'charge back' through the interchange system to the acquiring bank, and that $1 000 is taken right out of Sony's bank account, and they also get hit with a $25 charge back fee."
So the merchant has lost the money from the sale (as well as the laptop) while paying the charge back fee, other bank fees and processing and shipping costs. "If you're a merchant," Peisner says, "you have all the liability." And, therefore, all the incentive to stop the crime.
That is why Peisner recently started a company, Sell It Safe, which aims to help merchants and banks screen their customers in online and telephone transactions. His main weapon is a massive, live database of stolen personal information, which a merchant can instantaneously check to learn whether Amy Weiss is really Amy Weiss.
When Peisner comes upon stolen data in a hacker chat room, social security numbers and passwords strewn about like underwear after a burglary, he often personally calls the victims and advises them to notify the police and the bank. Usually, they assume at first that he is a hustler himself, or at least a nut. But ultimately they are grateful.
This may be because Peisner himself responded to a phony email message, commonly known as a phish, which supposedly came from eBay. He was in the throes of bidding on a Jack Nicklaus personal credit card - Peisner collects credit card memorabilia - when he received the eBay phish telling him that his account would be suspended if he didn't update his personal information. "I thought, 'It expires in 10 minutes - I better go in and turn my account back on,'" he recalls.If it could happen to Peisner, it could happen to anyone.
In a recent academic paper called Why Phishing Works (PDF), three computer scientists (one from Harvard and two from Berkeley) ran a study and found that "the best phishing site was able to fool more than 90 percent of participants".
Fortunately, most phishing sites are not designed by top-tier computer scientists with good English skills. Peisner recently discovered a fake Bank of America website that asked for a customer's account number, online identification, PIN, social security number and address. Only at the end of the form was the site's illegitimacy - and the creator's foreign origin - revealed, when it asked for information that should have baffled any United States customer: "Father Maiden Name". - The New York Times
Stephen J Dubner and Steven Levitt are the authors of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. For more Freakonomics, visit the website http://www.freakonomics.com/. This article first appeared in the Business Report.
You see the FICA Act says that as an individual you have to 'prove' who you are - nowhere does it say that this means that anyone needs to take copies of your ID!
I was recently challenged by Nedbank to become FICA compliant for my business bank account despite the fact that the account was only opened in August of this year. I received 3 telegrams, a letter and an sms from them threatening me with the freezing of my bank account if I did not become FICA compliant. Unfortunately for them, I learnt the hard way and got the Nedbank staff member to sign in receipt of all my FICA documentation and so told them that if they froze my account I would be opening up a case of theft against them.
Cutting a very, very long story short, they eventually 'found' my documents and all is well - however, I am still somewhat peeved at the manner in which this went down, the threats and the way several of the Nedbank staff actually spoke to and treated me! My God, if I spoke to my clients like that, I would certainly lose them, but then again I suspect that the banking and insurance fraternity think that they are above the law and therefore can do as they please - this was one instance that they found that they couldn't!
ID theft hits retailers hardest
Stephen J Dubner and Steven D Levitt
03 April 2007 at 06h00
Steven Peisner stabs excitedly at his computer keyboard, trolling through a chat room where identity fraudsters buy and sell names, addresses, social security numbers and PINs. Some hustlers are American but others are from Russia, India, the Philippines, Nigeria, Vietnam, Iran - any place, really, where young men and computers cohabit.
How it works
How it works
How does this market work? If someone has just hacked a hospital database and come away with 10 000 "fulls" (a full set of personal information, down to your mother's maiden name), he'll post his asking price - typically $10 (R73) to $30 per full, depending on the freshness, along with a sampling of the data to prove legitimacy. Fraudsters also post specific queries. "Here's one," Peisner says, reading from his screen: "'Need female WU [Western Union] confirmer. Your share: 40 percent.' That means they need someone to go to the WU office in some coffee shop in Romania to pick up the cash because Vlad can do a lot of things, but he can't be Amy Weiss from Manhattan Beach, California."
There are as many varieties of identity theft today as there are varieties of mushrooms. And there are as many misconceptions about the scope of the problem, the incentives to stop it and how its costs are borne.
For starters, there are indications that identity theft has peaked. A recent study by Javelin Strategy and Research claimed that 8,4-million United States adults suffered some form of identity fraud in 2006, down from 10,1-million in 2002.
Bear in mind that the Javelin study was paid for in part by three financial services institutions, which certainly have an incentive to alleviate customer fears. But the US Federal Trade Commission also reports a levelling off, as does the Los Angeles county sheriff's department, which runs one of the most aggressive identity theft task forces.
Who cares?Still, identity theft remains an extraordinarily appealing crime. Most police departments don't have the staffing or know-how to even pursue the perpetrators.
The FBI, meanwhile, usually won't get involved unless the fraud reaches $100 000.Which raises an obvious question: If law enforcement doesn't care about identity theft, who does?
The answer would also seem obvious: you, the potential victim. But according to the Javelin data, people probably worry way too much about identity theft. Seventy-three percent of victims incur no out-of-pocket expenses whatsoever; the unlucky minority loses, on average, $2 000 - far less than the scare stories would have us believe. And in more than half the cases of identity theft, the thief is a relative, friend or co-worker.
You don't often loseSo while you were being frightened into never again using a credit card, most of the cost of identity theft was actually being paid by someone else.
Surely, then, it is the banks and credit card companies that are desperate to stop the problem? Sergeant Robert Berardi, who runs the Los Angeles county sheriff department's ID theft task force, has found otherwise.
"The banks are in conflict between security and making a profit," he says. In an industry that is reluctant to add an ounce of friction to a customer's purchase, Berardi says identity theft is seen as simply the cost of doing business.
Business caresSo if the banks, the consumer and the police aren't incentivised to stop identity theft, who is?The merchant. That is what Peisner, a veteran of the credit card business, has discovered. "Let's say one of these hackers takes the information they find in a chat room. He goes to the Sony website, buys a laptop computer for $1 000, and a month later the actual cardholder gets the billing statement. He calls up his bank and says, 'I didn't order a computer from Sony.' "At that point, the credit card issuer, let's say Citibank, sends a 'charge back' through the interchange system to the acquiring bank, and that $1 000 is taken right out of Sony's bank account, and they also get hit with a $25 charge back fee."
So the merchant has lost the money from the sale (as well as the laptop) while paying the charge back fee, other bank fees and processing and shipping costs. "If you're a merchant," Peisner says, "you have all the liability." And, therefore, all the incentive to stop the crime.
That is why Peisner recently started a company, Sell It Safe, which aims to help merchants and banks screen their customers in online and telephone transactions. His main weapon is a massive, live database of stolen personal information, which a merchant can instantaneously check to learn whether Amy Weiss is really Amy Weiss.
When Peisner comes upon stolen data in a hacker chat room, social security numbers and passwords strewn about like underwear after a burglary, he often personally calls the victims and advises them to notify the police and the bank. Usually, they assume at first that he is a hustler himself, or at least a nut. But ultimately they are grateful.
This may be because Peisner himself responded to a phony email message, commonly known as a phish, which supposedly came from eBay. He was in the throes of bidding on a Jack Nicklaus personal credit card - Peisner collects credit card memorabilia - when he received the eBay phish telling him that his account would be suspended if he didn't update his personal information. "I thought, 'It expires in 10 minutes - I better go in and turn my account back on,'" he recalls.If it could happen to Peisner, it could happen to anyone.
In a recent academic paper called Why Phishing Works (PDF), three computer scientists (one from Harvard and two from Berkeley) ran a study and found that "the best phishing site was able to fool more than 90 percent of participants".
Fortunately, most phishing sites are not designed by top-tier computer scientists with good English skills. Peisner recently discovered a fake Bank of America website that asked for a customer's account number, online identification, PIN, social security number and address. Only at the end of the form was the site's illegitimacy - and the creator's foreign origin - revealed, when it asked for information that should have baffled any United States customer: "Father Maiden Name". - The New York Times
Stephen J Dubner and Steven Levitt are the authors of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. For more Freakonomics, visit the website http://www.freakonomics.com/. This article first appeared in the Business Report.
My Christmas Wish for you
Good day bloggers - no post for December 25th - I decided that I deserve some time off!
May your Christmas be filled with joy, peace and happiness.
May the Gods (whomever you perceive them to be) grant you all that your heart desires, in great abundance!
May your Christmas be filled with joy, peace and happiness.
May the Gods (whomever you perceive them to be) grant you all that your heart desires, in great abundance!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
TIME MANAGEMENT
Here's the post for the 24th December
Time Management
The quote today comes from William D. Reiff, who says "Without the management of time, you will soon have nothing left tomanage"
How many times do we not only say, but also hear the words “I don’t have the time ……”
I know that I have been saying it, probably several times a day for the last three months – this year certainly seems to have gotten away from me, I don’t know about the rest of you.
I am sitting here at my desk, after two days of doing literally nothing, with a huge guilty feeling hanging over my head, as I look at the piles of work that are sitting on my desk – I know that the work will get done, at some point and at a cost – the cost being to me, to my time.
Looking at my diary, everything neatly allocated, it would seem that I have designated my time very effectively and constructively and to be quite honest that is exactly what I have done. The problem arises, with people who have not been allocated any time, but who now suddenly need it desperately. Ironically, it’s those same people (desperate for my time and who demand the most) who pay the least and who take the longest time to pay.
Yet - still my challenge is to say “No”!
So I guess my New Year’s resolution this year is to say the word ‘No’ to those that need it saying – once I have mastered that, my time management will be an absolute breeze!
So to all of us out there who do not have time – my question to you, is the same one that I had to ask of myself!
Do you know how to say No and even more importantly . . . mean it?
Time Management
The quote today comes from William D. Reiff, who says "Without the management of time, you will soon have nothing left tomanage"
How many times do we not only say, but also hear the words “I don’t have the time ……”
I know that I have been saying it, probably several times a day for the last three months – this year certainly seems to have gotten away from me, I don’t know about the rest of you.
I am sitting here at my desk, after two days of doing literally nothing, with a huge guilty feeling hanging over my head, as I look at the piles of work that are sitting on my desk – I know that the work will get done, at some point and at a cost – the cost being to me, to my time.
Looking at my diary, everything neatly allocated, it would seem that I have designated my time very effectively and constructively and to be quite honest that is exactly what I have done. The problem arises, with people who have not been allocated any time, but who now suddenly need it desperately. Ironically, it’s those same people (desperate for my time and who demand the most) who pay the least and who take the longest time to pay.
Yet - still my challenge is to say “No”!
So I guess my New Year’s resolution this year is to say the word ‘No’ to those that need it saying – once I have mastered that, my time management will be an absolute breeze!
So to all of us out there who do not have time – my question to you, is the same one that I had to ask of myself!
Do you know how to say No and even more importantly . . . mean it?
LAUGH . . . .BECAUSE YOU CAN!
This is last weeks (23rd December's) funny, from SharonH of Business Warrior fame. www.businesswarrior.co.za
Hope you enjoy!
laugh... because you can
1) When I die, I want to die like my grandfather--who died peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.
(--Author Unknown )
2) Advice for the day: If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: "Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children.
(--Author Unknown
3) "Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar."
(author - Drew Carey)
4) "The problem with the designated driver program, it's not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it.
At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house."
(--Jeff Foxworthy)
5) "If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there is a man on base."
(--Dave Barry)
6) "Relationships are hard. It's like a full time job, and we should treat it like one.
If your boyfriend or girlfriend wants to leave you, they should give you two weeks' notice.
There should be severance pay, the day before they leave you, they should have to find you a temp."
(--Bob Ettinger)
7) "My Mom said she learned how to swim when someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said, 'Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.'"
(--Paula Poundstone)
8) "A study in the Washington Post says that women have better verbal skills than men. I just want to say to the authors of that study: "Duh."
(--Conan O'Brien)
9) "Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my God.... I could be eating a slow learner."
(--Lynda Montgomery)
10) "I think that's how Chicago got started. Bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.'"
( --Richard Jeni)
11) "If life were fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead."
(--Johnny Carson)
12) "Sometimes I think war is God's way of teaching us geography."
(--Paul Rodriguez)
13) "My parents didn't want to move to Florida , but they turned sixty and that's the law."
( --Jerry Seinfeld)
14) "Remember in elementary school, you were told that in case of fire you have to line up quietly in a single file line from smallest to tallest. What is the logic in that? Do tall people burn slower?"
(--Warren Hutcherson)
15) "Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same."
( --Oscar Wilde)
16) "Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."
(--Mark Twain)
17) "Our bombs are smarter than the average high school student. At least they can find Afghanistan ."
(--A. Whitney Brown)
18) "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'"
(--Dave Barry)
19) Do you know why they call it "PMS"? Because "Mad Cow Disease" was taken.
(-- Unknown, body unrecognisable)
20) "Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
(- W. C. Fields)
and an oldie..
WOMEN'S ASS SIZE STUDY There is a new study about women and how they feel about their asses, the results were pretty interesting:
30% of women think their ass is too fat............
10% of women think their ass is too skinny......
The remaining 60% say they don't care, they love him, he's a good man, and they wouldn't trade him for the world.
Hope you enjoy!
laugh... because you can
1) When I die, I want to die like my grandfather--who died peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.
(--Author Unknown )
2) Advice for the day: If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: "Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children.
(--Author Unknown
3) "Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar."
(author - Drew Carey)
4) "The problem with the designated driver program, it's not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it.
At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house."
(--Jeff Foxworthy)
5) "If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there is a man on base."
(--Dave Barry)
6) "Relationships are hard. It's like a full time job, and we should treat it like one.
If your boyfriend or girlfriend wants to leave you, they should give you two weeks' notice.
There should be severance pay, the day before they leave you, they should have to find you a temp."
(--Bob Ettinger)
7) "My Mom said she learned how to swim when someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said, 'Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.'"
(--Paula Poundstone)
8) "A study in the Washington Post says that women have better verbal skills than men. I just want to say to the authors of that study: "Duh."
(--Conan O'Brien)
9) "Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my God.... I could be eating a slow learner."
(--Lynda Montgomery)
10) "I think that's how Chicago got started. Bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.'"
( --Richard Jeni)
11) "If life were fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead."
(--Johnny Carson)
12) "Sometimes I think war is God's way of teaching us geography."
(--Paul Rodriguez)
13) "My parents didn't want to move to Florida , but they turned sixty and that's the law."
( --Jerry Seinfeld)
14) "Remember in elementary school, you were told that in case of fire you have to line up quietly in a single file line from smallest to tallest. What is the logic in that? Do tall people burn slower?"
(--Warren Hutcherson)
15) "Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same."
( --Oscar Wilde)
16) "Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."
(--Mark Twain)
17) "Our bombs are smarter than the average high school student. At least they can find Afghanistan ."
(--A. Whitney Brown)
18) "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'"
(--Dave Barry)
19) Do you know why they call it "PMS"? Because "Mad Cow Disease" was taken.
(-- Unknown, body unrecognisable)
20) "Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
(- W. C. Fields)
and an oldie..
WOMEN'S ASS SIZE STUDY There is a new study about women and how they feel about their asses, the results were pretty interesting:
30% of women think their ass is too fat............
10% of women think their ass is too skinny......
The remaining 60% say they don't care, they love him, he's a good man, and they wouldn't trade him for the world.
MADUNA SLAMMED IN LANDMARK RULING
Well my brief holiday will be soon just a pleasant memory! In the mean time this is the piece that would have been posted on 22nd December.
Oh this did make me smile! We keep hearing about how to 'tell' someone when something is wrong and then wonder why no-one gives up the goods so to speak!
Finally, the right thing to do is upheld by the law!
Maduna slammed in landmark ruling
January 07 2007 at 10:08AM
A labour court judge has slammed former justice minister Penuell Maduna in a landmark ruling in favour of a whistleblower he fired, the Sunday Times reported. Maduna and current Scorpions boss, Vusi Pikoli, formerly director-general in the department of justice, were taken to court by the former deputy director-general in the department, MikeTshishonga. Tshishonga sued after being booted out of his job following his public disclosure of corruption and nepotism within the liquidation industry as well as Maduna's insistence on having a friend, Enver Motala, appointed in lucrative cases. Tshishonga was sidelined over his refusal to appoint Motala, and subsequently made the public disclosures that led to his axing.
However, he successfully took this to court, and although he won, Pikoli refused to reinstate him. Ruling in favour of Tshishonga, Judge Daya Pillay criticised Maduna and Pikoli for their failure to testify during the case, the Sunday Times said. Pillay said they were public officials at the time and owed Tshishonga and the public answers to the claims made by Tshishonga. This is the first-ever case in South African legal history in which a whistleblower has received compensation for exposing corruption. Pillay ordered the justice department to pay Tshishonga 12 months' salary as well as his legal costs. - Sapa
Oh this did make me smile! We keep hearing about how to 'tell' someone when something is wrong and then wonder why no-one gives up the goods so to speak!
Finally, the right thing to do is upheld by the law!
Maduna slammed in landmark ruling
January 07 2007 at 10:08AM
A labour court judge has slammed former justice minister Penuell Maduna in a landmark ruling in favour of a whistleblower he fired, the Sunday Times reported. Maduna and current Scorpions boss, Vusi Pikoli, formerly director-general in the department of justice, were taken to court by the former deputy director-general in the department, MikeTshishonga. Tshishonga sued after being booted out of his job following his public disclosure of corruption and nepotism within the liquidation industry as well as Maduna's insistence on having a friend, Enver Motala, appointed in lucrative cases. Tshishonga was sidelined over his refusal to appoint Motala, and subsequently made the public disclosures that led to his axing.
However, he successfully took this to court, and although he won, Pikoli refused to reinstate him. Ruling in favour of Tshishonga, Judge Daya Pillay criticised Maduna and Pikoli for their failure to testify during the case, the Sunday Times said. Pillay said they were public officials at the time and owed Tshishonga and the public answers to the claims made by Tshishonga. This is the first-ever case in South African legal history in which a whistleblower has received compensation for exposing corruption. Pillay ordered the justice department to pay Tshishonga 12 months' salary as well as his legal costs. - Sapa
Friday, December 21, 2007
I hope this woman was prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and then some! I have an inherant huge dislike for people who abuse animals and as for commercial dog fighting, well the less said, the better. In fact, never mind 'less said' I am just going to say it! People who own animals purely for their commercial dog fighting skills, should replace their animals in the ring and should be made to fight to the death! How disgusting is this!
I have just brought my cat home from the hospital after he was involved in a cat fight with the neighbour's cat - I am shocked at the damage these two animals have inflicted upon each other, never mind the cost. I shudder to think that this sort of thing goes on, in a confined space, for the sake of betting and making money - absolutely disgusting!
SPCA demands Pitbull owner be prosecuted
November 15 2006 at 11:16AM
By Zandile Clock
'Time bomb waiting to explode'
I have just brought my cat home from the hospital after he was involved in a cat fight with the neighbour's cat - I am shocked at the damage these two animals have inflicted upon each other, never mind the cost. I shudder to think that this sort of thing goes on, in a confined space, for the sake of betting and making money - absolutely disgusting!
SPCA demands Pitbull owner be prosecuted
November 15 2006 at 11:16AM
By Zandile Clock
The SPCA intends to have the owner of 12 pitbulls, including a small puppy, which were confiscated last week, prosecuted for what they say is one of the harshest cases of abuse. Some of the pitbulls, including two mixed-breed dogs, have scars and wounds the SPCA suspects might be the result of commercial dog-fighting. However, the owner denies this. The SPCA has scheduled a meeting with the owner on Thursday following an incident where she had to be removed by the NGO's security last week when she tried to take back the animals.
'Time bomb waiting to explode'
All 14 dogs were removed from her property in Ottery after a complaint by a member of the community regarding the conditions the dogs were being kept in. SPCA chief executive officer Allan Perrins said an expert has been brought in to determine the cause of the scars and injuries on the dogs, one of which had had its cheek ripped off.
Perrins said: "This was just a time bomb waiting to explode. No pitbulls can live together in such a small property, mostly because pitbulls have an inherited dislike of each other. "Besides that, experts are gathering evidence to determine whether or not the wounds were deliberate or as a result of professional dog fighting," said Perrins. He said according to their records, the owner had previously been warned by the SPCA about the many dogs on her property, and instructed her to reduce numbers to the current 14. He said she had told the SPCA she had special permission to keep the dogs which she sells for between R1 000 and R3 000 each as puppies.
Perrins said: "This was just a time bomb waiting to explode. No pitbulls can live together in such a small property, mostly because pitbulls have an inherited dislike of each other. "Besides that, experts are gathering evidence to determine whether or not the wounds were deliberate or as a result of professional dog fighting," said Perrins. He said according to their records, the owner had previously been warned by the SPCA about the many dogs on her property, and instructed her to reduce numbers to the current 14. He said she had told the SPCA she had special permission to keep the dogs which she sells for between R1 000 and R3 000 each as puppies.
The SPCA is hoping to raise over R100 000 in Sunday's biggest dog walk, SPCA/ Cape Talk Wiggle Waggle Walkathon, where over 2 000 dogs and their owners are expected. The walk is over 4km and all funds raised go to the Cape of Good Hope SPCA. For more information contact Juan August at the SPCA on 021 700 4141.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
CELLPHONES EMPOWER AND IMPERIL CHILDREN
Isn't it so sad that every time there is a brilliant breakthrough in technology, there is also a really bad downside, that leaves us gasping! Who would have thought that technologies and incedible devices and software such as computers and the internet would also bring all the degenerates and thieves out of the woodwork. No sooner do we win praise and accolades for something well done and new and then out come the fists to knock us down for the very same reason.
I sometimes wonder how we ever progress and grow because it seems that with every step we take forward we take several backwards too.
Cellphones empower and imperil children
14 February 2007 at 12h42
Barcelona - The dangers and opportunities of the Internet are soon to be brought to cellphones, industry experts predicted this week, raising serious questions about how parents can control what their children view and who they contact.
14 February 2007 at 12h42
Barcelona - The dangers and opportunities of the Internet are soon to be brought to cellphones, industry experts predicted this week, raising serious questions about how parents can control what their children view and who they contact.
Cellphone surveillance
Most kids use their computers at home, making Internet surveillance easier, but a cellphone is a personal device by design and a jealously guarded symbol of independence for many.
Fully-fledged mobile Internet access still eludes network operators, but they are already expanding their services and have a declared goal of replicating the computer Internet experience on mobile phones.
Most kids use their computers at home, making Internet surveillance easier, but a cellphone is a personal device by design and a jealously guarded symbol of independence for many.
Fully-fledged mobile Internet access still eludes network operators, but they are already expanding their services and have a declared goal of replicating the computer Internet experience on mobile phones.
"Clearly there is more content on an open Internet site (than on a mobile Internet site)," said Vodafone marketing director Frank Rovekamp at the mobile phone industry's biggest trade show, 3GSM. "But we are opening up and so there is more access to information than there used to be."
Fears about paedophilia and cyber-bullying drive calls for more parental oversight, but the risk of high bills, anti-social behaviour and the problem of injudicious calling in schools also favour tighter discipline.
Govern, censure and guide
"The technology exists to be able to govern, censure and guide," says Michael Anderson, senior vice president of Telcordia, a software company that helped Disney develop one of the first mobile phones for children.
But many believe that phone network operators have been slow to integrate functions allowing parents to vet their children's behaviour and limit their phone use. "What you can see now is the very early stages of operators providing choices, such as whether you have adult content or not," said Ajay Nigan, new product manager of VeriSign, an Internet security software maker.
"As they offer more services they have to provide these options," he said.
Brand (new) power
The Disney phone, launched last year in the United States replete with Mickey Mouse or Tigger branding, gives parents broad powers to specify when calls can be made, which sites can be accessed and how high the bill can go. "What's happened is that suddenly we've gone from 18-year-olds to nine- or 10-year-olds using these (cellphones) as active devices," said Anderson.
"It is dawning on us parents that there are lots of interesting things out there, but there are things we don't want to explain and there are bills we don't want to pay."
Explicit content is already available over mobile phones, but self-regulation by operators has led to customers needing to prove their age for access and in some countries laws prohibit mobile phone pornography.
US-based technology group Genmobi believe they have found a solution for parents wanting strict powers of censure and supervision. They have developed customised programmes called Buzz Kidz and Buzz Teenz that allow junior phone users access to only authorised sites and chat services. It also includes a built-in bad language detector that informs parents when expletives are exchanged. "We've developed a lexicon that is updated on a daily basis because the language morphs that quickly," says chief information officer Bill Kehoe.
The company is in talks with network operators, but has yet to sign a deal to realise its ambition of rolling out the service to Europe, the United States and Asia. Nick Lane, senior analyst at telecoms consultancy Informa, says that worries about inappropriate content for mobiles should not be exaggerated. But he believes that more sophisticated phones and improved Internet access in the future raise new questions.
Mobile content currently niched
"Mobile content is still a niche service," he said. "In the future as consumption increases, then maybe there will be a need for measures to be put in place." In Brussels last week, leading European mobile operators pledged to draw up a voluntary code over the next year aimed at protecting children from adult material and illegal content. About 70 percent of Europeans aged 12-13 own a mobile phone and 23 percent of 8-9-year-olds, according to European Union data from 2005. Some 92 percent of Germans aged 12-19 had one that year.
"Mobile content is still a niche service," he said. "In the future as consumption increases, then maybe there will be a need for measures to be put in place." In Brussels last week, leading European mobile operators pledged to draw up a voluntary code over the next year aimed at protecting children from adult material and illegal content. About 70 percent of Europeans aged 12-13 own a mobile phone and 23 percent of 8-9-year-olds, according to European Union data from 2005. Some 92 percent of Germans aged 12-19 had one that year.
Europe leads
"Europe is leading the way. The percentage of children aged five to nine with a cellphone is the highest in the world," said Genmobi chief executive and founder Michael Schultz.
"What happens in Europe will determine what happens in the rest of the world." - AFP
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
SAPS, METRO COPS 'TURF WAR' ERUPTS
Well, well, well! Seems like a little money changing hands was at the route of this one - well that's my opinion anyway.
The sad thing though, is that whilst all of this hoo-ha was taking place, dangerous criminals are left free to wander about doing what it is tha dangerous criminals like to do.
Absolutely bizarre!
SAPS, Metro cops 'turf war' erupts
December 20 2006 at 11:36AM
By Miranda Andrew and Bongani Mthembu
'Metro officers held the operation as part of their festive season clampdown on shebeens'
This article was originally published on page 1 of Daily News on December 20, 2006
The sad thing though, is that whilst all of this hoo-ha was taking place, dangerous criminals are left free to wander about doing what it is tha dangerous criminals like to do.
Absolutely bizarre!
SAPS, Metro cops 'turf war' erupts
December 20 2006 at 11:36AM
By Miranda Andrew and Bongani Mthembu
An investigation has been launched into whether a few members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) protected criminals by trying to prevent their Metro counterparts from making a liquor bust this week. This is the basis of a damning investigation launched by both police units in the wake of a raid at a notorious shebeen in phoenix, north of Durban, on Monday. The incident has again highlighted serious rifts between the two forces, and on Tuesday led to Metro Police deputy head Titas Malaza calling for an end to the turf war.
In a letter leaked to the Daily News, the Metro Police has asked the SAPS and the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the raid which saw the two police forces at each other's throats.
In a letter leaked to the Daily News, the Metro Police has asked the SAPS and the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the raid which saw the two police forces at each other's throats.
'Metro officers held the operation as part of their festive season clampdown on shebeens'
Metro Police allege that on Monday they had seized 12 crates of illegal liquor, valued at about R5 000, as well as R3 000 in cash from High Shaparel, a popular shebeen in Phoenix. The venue has been operating illegally without a permit for the past 30 years. While Metro Police handcuffed the alleged culprits, local SAPS officers, who were unaware of the raid, arrived and apparently tried to prevent the arrests. Metro officers held the operation as part of their festive season clampdown on shebeens. They had set a police trap for shebeen staff and made three arrests. However, within five minutes of the arrests, officers from the Phoenix SAPS arrived at the scene and allegedly tried to prevent Metro Police from detaining the suspects for dealing in liquor without a licence."The SAPS members did not even know that we were holding an operation, so the question is who in the shebeen contacted them and why? We believe that someone is in cahoots with the shebeen staff and the owner," said a high-ranking Metro Police officer on Tuesday. "They refused to help and instead told us to let the three men go. It was obvious that the SAPS members knew the suspects."
An official warning was given to the SAPS members by the Metro policemen, who then tried to have the suspects placed in the Phoenix Police Station's holding cells. At the station, certain SAPS members allegedly refused to co-operate and refused to hold the three suspects. In a report sent to the ICD and to the SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Hamilton Ngidi, on Tuesday, Metro Police named certain SAPS officers for allegedly interfering in their operation. "The officer in the charge office at first refused to accept all three suspects and stated that only one suspect could be arrested. An argument lasted for about an hour until one Metro member decided to call his superiors. Only then did they accept the suspects." KZN assistant SAPS commissioner, Bala Naidoo said: "We view this matter in a very serious light and we will be conducting an immediate investigation into this," he said.
This article was originally published on page 1 of Daily News on December 20, 2006
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 41
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 41
Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:
“Remember! Opportunities present themselves to be grabbed with both hands, or be relinquished forever.”
Whilst I do believe this, I also believe that the minute you ‘miss’ an opportunity, it becomes ‘open season’ on that opportunity for someone else. If you don’t take that opportunity, it will become someone else’s and then don’t cry!
In my opinion, one of the biggest tragedies facing the Small Business Owner (and the large one for that matter) is their failure to recognize an opportunity when it comes a knocking. You see some opportunities are around for a while and some are here for just a fleeting moment! You need to be constantly aware of what is going on around you.
Opportunities are, for me, in some way like people – sometimes the timing is also not quite right and you have to learn to ‘let go’ too. Not every opportunity that you seize with both hands is going to be the right one. That is why, not every deal that you think you might like to make always works out – some basic chemical is missing somewhere! Chasing an opportunity that is just ‘not right’ can also be costly and time consuming for little or no reward.
So you need firstly recognise that there is an opportunity and grab it, once you’ve grabbed it, you need to ascertain if it is the right opportunity for you and if it isn’t, you need to let it go, or pass it onto someone else.
Remember though, you cannot ‘let it go’, if you haven’t first grabbed hold of it, to understand what it is.
Happy Hunting!
For more information on Renate, please visit her website at www.hirs.co.za
PART 41
Dr. Renate Volpe, in her nugget cards entitled “Networking Tips” says:
“Remember! Opportunities present themselves to be grabbed with both hands, or be relinquished forever.”
Whilst I do believe this, I also believe that the minute you ‘miss’ an opportunity, it becomes ‘open season’ on that opportunity for someone else. If you don’t take that opportunity, it will become someone else’s and then don’t cry!
In my opinion, one of the biggest tragedies facing the Small Business Owner (and the large one for that matter) is their failure to recognize an opportunity when it comes a knocking. You see some opportunities are around for a while and some are here for just a fleeting moment! You need to be constantly aware of what is going on around you.
Opportunities are, for me, in some way like people – sometimes the timing is also not quite right and you have to learn to ‘let go’ too. Not every opportunity that you seize with both hands is going to be the right one. That is why, not every deal that you think you might like to make always works out – some basic chemical is missing somewhere! Chasing an opportunity that is just ‘not right’ can also be costly and time consuming for little or no reward.
So you need firstly recognise that there is an opportunity and grab it, once you’ve grabbed it, you need to ascertain if it is the right opportunity for you and if it isn’t, you need to let it go, or pass it onto someone else.
Remember though, you cannot ‘let it go’, if you haven’t first grabbed hold of it, to understand what it is.
Happy Hunting!
For more information on Renate, please visit her website at www.hirs.co.za
Monday, December 17, 2007
KEEPING YOUNG
Keeping Young
The quote today comes from Henry Ford, who says:
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80.
Anyone who keeps learning stays young.
The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
One of my greatest challenges, at the moment, is to remember that I have turned 50! When I think of myself it’s not as an “old” person (not that I am saying that 50 is old!), but I can still remember very clearly as a teenager, working out how old I would be at the turn of the century and thinking I would be ancient!
Many of my friends think that is time that I ‘grew up’ and started acting ‘age appropriate’ and my standard response to that one is “what for?”
I am very young at heart, and am proud to say that I can still party and out party many much younger than I am, (I suspect that being an insomniac has something to do with that though). For me, life is for the living and I intend to live it to the full.
Too often, I see people who are bent and buckled by the responsibilities and weight of issues that they carry around with them. They sag under a heavy load of self inflicted issues or even other people’s responsibilities and bemoan their lot at every opportunity and to everybody who will listen. They become ‘old’ before their time and simply exist from day to day as they wait for their time to end. For them, life is about paying their dues. I could no more live like this than I could chew off my own arm!
I’m not saying that life is a joke or one continuous party! What I am saying is that we have all been given an incredible opportunity to live an average of four score and ten years, and once lived we can not go back and change it. So why not make this the greatest opportunity that we will ever have and live life to the fullest? Take up the challenge! Make a difference to the world!
Go on – I dare you!
The quote today comes from Henry Ford, who says:
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80.
Anyone who keeps learning stays young.
The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
One of my greatest challenges, at the moment, is to remember that I have turned 50! When I think of myself it’s not as an “old” person (not that I am saying that 50 is old!), but I can still remember very clearly as a teenager, working out how old I would be at the turn of the century and thinking I would be ancient!
Many of my friends think that is time that I ‘grew up’ and started acting ‘age appropriate’ and my standard response to that one is “what for?”
I am very young at heart, and am proud to say that I can still party and out party many much younger than I am, (I suspect that being an insomniac has something to do with that though). For me, life is for the living and I intend to live it to the full.
Too often, I see people who are bent and buckled by the responsibilities and weight of issues that they carry around with them. They sag under a heavy load of self inflicted issues or even other people’s responsibilities and bemoan their lot at every opportunity and to everybody who will listen. They become ‘old’ before their time and simply exist from day to day as they wait for their time to end. For them, life is about paying their dues. I could no more live like this than I could chew off my own arm!
I’m not saying that life is a joke or one continuous party! What I am saying is that we have all been given an incredible opportunity to live an average of four score and ten years, and once lived we can not go back and change it. So why not make this the greatest opportunity that we will ever have and live life to the fullest? Take up the challenge! Make a difference to the world!
Go on – I dare you!
Sunday, December 16, 2007
GOVERNMENT EVALUATIONS
For everyone who has ever had an evaluation - just remember, it could havebeen worse.
These are actual quotes taken from Government employee performance evaluations:
1. "Since my last report, this employee has reached rock-bottom and hasstarted to dig."
2. "I would not allow this employee to breed."
3. "This employee is really not so much of a has-been, but more of adefinite won't be."
4. "Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in atrap."
5. "When he opens his mouth, it seems that it is only to change feet."
6. "This young lady has delusions of adequacy."
7. "He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them."
8. "This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot."
9. "This employee should go far, and the sooner he starts the better."
10. "Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic things to hold it alltogether."
11. "A gross ignoramus - 144 times worse than an ordinary ignoramus."
12. "He doesn't have ulcers, but he's a carrier."
13. "I would like to go hunting with him ."
14. "He's been working with glue too much."
15. "He would argue with a signpost."
16. "He brings a lot of joy whenever he leaves the room."
17. "When his IQ reaches 50, he should sell."
18. "If you see two people talking and one looks bored, he's the other one."
19. "A photographic memory but with the lens cover glued on."
20. "A prime candidate for natural de-selection."
21. "Donated his brain to science before he was done using it."
22. "Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming."
23. "He's got two brains cells, one is lost and the other is out looking for it."
24. "If he were any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week."
25. "If you give him a penny for his thoughts, you'd get change."
26. "If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean."
27. "It's hard to believe he beat out 1,000,000 other sperm."
28. "One neuron short of a synapse."
29. "Some drink from the fountain of knowledge; he only gargled."
30. "Takes him 2 hours to watch 60-minutes."
31. "The wheel is turning, but the hamster is dead.
These are actual quotes taken from Government employee performance evaluations:
1. "Since my last report, this employee has reached rock-bottom and hasstarted to dig."
2. "I would not allow this employee to breed."
3. "This employee is really not so much of a has-been, but more of adefinite won't be."
4. "Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in atrap."
5. "When he opens his mouth, it seems that it is only to change feet."
6. "This young lady has delusions of adequacy."
7. "He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them."
8. "This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot."
9. "This employee should go far, and the sooner he starts the better."
10. "Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic things to hold it alltogether."
11. "A gross ignoramus - 144 times worse than an ordinary ignoramus."
12. "He doesn't have ulcers, but he's a carrier."
13. "I would like to go hunting with him ."
14. "He's been working with glue too much."
15. "He would argue with a signpost."
16. "He brings a lot of joy whenever he leaves the room."
17. "When his IQ reaches 50, he should sell."
18. "If you see two people talking and one looks bored, he's the other one."
19. "A photographic memory but with the lens cover glued on."
20. "A prime candidate for natural de-selection."
21. "Donated his brain to science before he was done using it."
22. "Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming."
23. "He's got two brains cells, one is lost and the other is out looking for it."
24. "If he were any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week."
25. "If you give him a penny for his thoughts, you'd get change."
26. "If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean."
27. "It's hard to believe he beat out 1,000,000 other sperm."
28. "One neuron short of a synapse."
29. "Some drink from the fountain of knowledge; he only gargled."
30. "Takes him 2 hours to watch 60-minutes."
31. "The wheel is turning, but the hamster is dead.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Well the cloud over Selebi's head had done nothing but intensified! The man is a moral degenerate. I am interested to see where his latest trial takes him. Mbeki is so busy fighting his own political battle against Zuma that I doubt very much that he will have either the time of the inclination to save Selebi . . again.
My, these are interesting times that we live in!
Suspend Selebi and appoint inquiry - Leon
November 22 2006 at 12:37PM
Police morale was taking a "savage beating" which was further reason for a commission. "A number of senior police officials are reportedly desperate for Selebi to stand down, given the damage allegations against him are doing to the image of the police."
My, these are interesting times that we live in!
Suspend Selebi and appoint inquiry - Leon
November 22 2006 at 12:37PM
The Jackie Selebi affair, as a sidebar of the Brett Kebble saga, has exposed South Africa's "dark underbelly" and complicated criminal networks, Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said on Wednesday. Selebi, the national police commissioner, should be suspended and a commission of inquiry appointed as he refused to remove himself from office, Leon told a DA conference on victims on crime.
Important questions were whether Selebi had hindered the Kebble murder investigation and if his connection with alleged underworld boss Glenn Agliotti had impaired the police service's capacity to do its job. Selebi was under a "thickening cloud of suspicion" over his links to Agliotti who was arrested last week in connection with Kebble's murder, Leon said.
Police morale was taking a "savage beating" which was further reason for a commission. "A number of senior police officials are reportedly desperate for Selebi to stand down, given the damage allegations against him are doing to the image of the police."
President Thabo Mbeki had been quick to appoint previous commissions on inquiry such as those on Bulelani Ngcuka and weakening of the rand. ANC Chief Whip Mbulelo Goniwe was recently suspended pending the outcome of an inquiry. "Unless he now appoints just such an enquiry to probe the allegations against Selebi, the impression will linger that the president acts only when it is politically expedient for him to do so."
Government had expressed "astonishing denialism" over the matter and its "dawdling" had fuelled a media frenzy which an inquiry and Selebi's suspension would stop, Leon said. South Africa could not continue "to fixate on a tawdry made-for-tabloid scandal" that ate away at local and international confidence in the criminal justice system. Commenting on crime, Leon said violent crime, and particularly murder, was a "terrible equaliser" with no regard for difference in race, religion or wealth."Unless we take urgent action, the swelling tidal-wave of lawlessness currently drenching our nation from one end to the other means we will each, at some point, become a victim."
Steps to address the issue included the strengthening of metropolitan police forces instead of placing them under the national commissioner's control. Government's target of 150 000 active police officers should be met, more recruiting and training of detectives was needed and a better information-sharing network should be created.
Leon said a DA proposal for a specialised South African Police Service rural safety division could fill the vacuum left by the disbanding of the commandos and protect rural residents. Data on local crime trends should be available at police stations and national statistics released quarterly. - Sapa
Friday, December 14, 2007
My God! What kind of people have we become that we, as adults rob children at gunpoint! How far have our morals deterioted as a society and how far will the degradation go before we have total collapse?
I am speechless and disgusted at what the human race has become!
Now robbers target primary school pupils
Willem Steenkamp
September 10 2006 at 12:19PM
I am speechless and disgusted at what the human race has become!
Now robbers target primary school pupils
Willem Steenkamp
September 10 2006 at 12:19PM
A spate of armed robberies on primary school children at schools in Table View and Milnerton has sparked an emergency meeting between headmasters and law enforcement agencies.Some schools have sent out urgent warning letters to parents, suggesting they take special care.A deputy headmaster, who preferred not to be named, said the robberies of defenceless children showed that criminals would stop at nothing."One of our primary school children had a gun held to his throat and had his watch and pocket money stolen, while in another incident a mere 100m from our school, two men accosted and robbed another of our primary school children.
"While the other children saw the two men walking on either side of the pupil, they did not realise that the pupil was being robbed by the armed men. We are very, very concerned. These attacks are directed at the children in our community. "We are aware that similar attacks have taken place at other schools in our community and also in Milnerton. We have handed all the information on the the attacks at our school to the local police forum which is setting up an emergency meeting with the police where headmasters and other senior teachers will raise their concerns."We are all hoping to put together an effective plan to ensure the safety of the children at our schools." Jannie Beirowski, chairman of the Table View police forum, said the attacks were of great concern. "There have been attacks on children outside Blouberg Ridge Primary, Parklands Primary and Blouberg-rand High, and we have also had reports of similar incidents near schools in Milnerton."Two men have already been arrested in connection with one of the attacks, while we are working closely with five armed-response companies which have made some of their guards available to schools.I have also approached the provincial Department of Safety and Security to inform them of the incidents in our area and to obtain some assistance."Beirowski said because of the construction boom in the area, scores of unemployed and unskilled workers were around in the hope of finding work. This had led to an increase in criminal activities."Sadly we also have other social problems. Nowadays both parents usually work and only see their children at breakfast and supper. This means more and more children have to take on responsibilities of adults. They are very much on their own."The recent attacks on children at primary school level is a shocking development and of great concern. We are hoping to address these and other problems when we have the emergency meeting with the headmasters and local police on Monday."We also call on parents to allow their children to give evidence in court when we apprehend the robbers. "Otherwise it is difficult to prosecute and the criminals walk free."Beirowski said some schools were using Bambanani volunteers to patrol the streets near schools.Gertjie Witbooi, spokesperson in the office of Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore, said the ministry was "extremely concerned" about the incidence of crime around schools and against children."We call on anyone who identifies a threat or sees an attack to immediately contact our Safe Schools number at 0800 454647."However, we are concerned about these criminal attacks on our school children outside the safety of schools," Witbooi said.
This article was originally published on page 3 of Cape Argus on September 10, 2006
"While the other children saw the two men walking on either side of the pupil, they did not realise that the pupil was being robbed by the armed men. We are very, very concerned. These attacks are directed at the children in our community. "We are aware that similar attacks have taken place at other schools in our community and also in Milnerton. We have handed all the information on the the attacks at our school to the local police forum which is setting up an emergency meeting with the police where headmasters and other senior teachers will raise their concerns."We are all hoping to put together an effective plan to ensure the safety of the children at our schools." Jannie Beirowski, chairman of the Table View police forum, said the attacks were of great concern. "There have been attacks on children outside Blouberg Ridge Primary, Parklands Primary and Blouberg-rand High, and we have also had reports of similar incidents near schools in Milnerton."Two men have already been arrested in connection with one of the attacks, while we are working closely with five armed-response companies which have made some of their guards available to schools.I have also approached the provincial Department of Safety and Security to inform them of the incidents in our area and to obtain some assistance."Beirowski said because of the construction boom in the area, scores of unemployed and unskilled workers were around in the hope of finding work. This had led to an increase in criminal activities."Sadly we also have other social problems. Nowadays both parents usually work and only see their children at breakfast and supper. This means more and more children have to take on responsibilities of adults. They are very much on their own."The recent attacks on children at primary school level is a shocking development and of great concern. We are hoping to address these and other problems when we have the emergency meeting with the headmasters and local police on Monday."We also call on parents to allow their children to give evidence in court when we apprehend the robbers. "Otherwise it is difficult to prosecute and the criminals walk free."Beirowski said some schools were using Bambanani volunteers to patrol the streets near schools.Gertjie Witbooi, spokesperson in the office of Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore, said the ministry was "extremely concerned" about the incidence of crime around schools and against children."We call on anyone who identifies a threat or sees an attack to immediately contact our Safe Schools number at 0800 454647."However, we are concerned about these criminal attacks on our school children outside the safety of schools," Witbooi said.
This article was originally published on page 3 of Cape Argus on September 10, 2006
Thursday, December 13, 2007
ZUMA CASE: STATE TO RESPOND ON DOCUMENTS
How very interesting this is going to be - Zuma is now in the running for President of the ANC, which means in all probability he will become the next President, I wonder if anyone will be brave enough to to still file these papers!
Zuma case: State to respond on documents
March 02 2007 at 07:26AM
Zuma case: State to respond on documents
March 02 2007 at 07:26AM
The State is expected to file papers in the Durban High Court on Friday in its attempt to obtain documents from Mauritius relating to accusations of corruption against Jacob Zuma. The State will respond to objections raised by Zuma and the French arms manufacturer Thint against the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) attempts to have documents pertaining to meetings between Zuma, Thint and convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik released from Mauritius.
On December 12 last year, the NPA asked the Durban High Court to issue a letter of request to the Mauritian attorney-general under the International Co-operation in Criminal Matters Act.In accordance with the ruling by Judge Phillip Levinsohn, lawyers for Zuma and Thint filed papers last month opposing the application.
The NPA needs to file its response by Friday. The matter will be argued in the Pietermaritzburg High Court from March 22 to 25. The documents, held in Mauritius, include the 2000 diary of former Thint chief executive Alain Thetard. In supporting documentation submitted on December 12 it was revealed that "the entry (in Thetard's diary) for 11 March 2000, is a particularly important piece of evidence for the State and the present prosecution. "It appears from this entry that Thetard met with 'J Zuma + SS' (Schabir Shaik) in Durban on that day."
The NPA needs to file its response by Friday. The matter will be argued in the Pietermaritzburg High Court from March 22 to 25. The documents, held in Mauritius, include the 2000 diary of former Thint chief executive Alain Thetard. In supporting documentation submitted on December 12 it was revealed that "the entry (in Thetard's diary) for 11 March 2000, is a particularly important piece of evidence for the State and the present prosecution. "It appears from this entry that Thetard met with 'J Zuma + SS' (Schabir Shaik) in Durban on that day."
Shaik was convicted of fraud and two counts of corruption by Judge Hilary Squires in July 2005. Earlier this year the Supreme Court of Appeal upheld that judgment and Shaik was sent to prison.On the second count of corruption, Shaik was found guilty of trying to solicit a R500 000 a year bribe from Thetard for Zuma. In March 2006 the NPA tried to get a similar letter of request, but Judge Pete Combrinck ruled that it had to be granted by the trial judge hearing the case against Zuma. In September last year Judge Herbert Msimang struck the case against Zuma and Thint from the roll after the State had sought a postponement pending the outcome of Shaik's appeal, and a challenge to the search and seizure raids carried out on the homes and businesses of Zuma, his attorneys and Thint. The outstanding Mauritian documents were at the time presented to the court as a reason for the postponement of the case. - Sapa
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
HOLIDAY CHECKLIST
Morning all - got this article from "Safety Talk" - take care out there on your holiday and please drive safely, we want you back next year, bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to face the year!
Well it's that time of year again where our thoughts turn to the holidays and we start gearing down for the trek away over December. Not the baddies though, they start gearing up for Christmas, shopping lists to fulfil you know! So what can you do about it? As usual, be vigilant, it always happens when you least expect it.
Have you seen 'The Real Hustle' on BBC Prime, shows you 'real life' scams and how to look out for them. You need a polygraph to believe anyone nowadays, you know you've been had when the same guy whose bike ran out of petrol, and took you for R20 yesterday, is outside the same shopping center again today!
We spoke about the Voice Alarm before, - keeping you safe when you are at home. "There's someone on the patio" Great at 2:00 in the morning when you are not sure exactly how strong that sliding door catch is - but they don't even get a chance to try it! How about a torch with a built in video camera? Now you can't even take a pee in peace at the caravan park.
Talking of which, how about a portable Pepper Gas alarm, great in tents too. What about a PVR? No, not a video recorder, a personal vehicle recovery solution. Where is your son, daughter, driver, boat, caravan, jet-ski, motor bike, caravan, quad, 4X4? Not much bigger than a packet of cigarettes, it is a GSM/GPRS/SMS tracking device, and if that doesn't mean anything to you it doesn't matter - when something is lost it tells you where it is, via an SMS to your cell phone or on Google Earth! (If you have a Garmin you know where you are, but nobody else does, so this unit SMSes them!)Put one in your bakkie and you can set it up to SMS you if it leaves a specific area, with direction and speed. Daughter phones and says she's broken down "but I don't know where" now you do, SMS the unit and it will reply with her location. And it's DIY, put it in the cubby hole and plug it into the lighter if you want to keep it portable, or install it behind the dash and connect it to immobilise the vehicle if you like.
How about a R30K mountain bike, now there's a dangerous sport, and that's just from the passers by, wait till they fall off - put one under the seat. Instead of tearing around Diepsloot like one of my mates, offering a R5K reward for information for the recovery of his pride and joy.
So now you jump in your car and set off on holiday. You've stopped the paper delivery, a friend will empty your post box every few days and your outside lights are on an automatic timer - good start. Now what happens if the power trips, no lights at night, no security a day or two later, a king's ransom in Koi fish - but why are they floating? You need the GSM add on for any alarm, enables you to switch your alarm on and off via your cell phone, get activation alerts (check on your armed response company) Power failures and battery low signals will be sent to you instantly, as will the power back on (when your mate fixes it). And when you are home again and you rush out and can't remember if you switched on the alarm - SMS it, and it'll give you a full report!
So now you're told that so many people lost their remotes to your complex over Christmas that you all need to have yours reprogrammed - why not have a Global Remote installed at the gate, works on a dropped call from your cell phone, whose numbers have to be pre-programmed into the remote to accept the instruction. Now you don't have a remote to lose or break, if the property managers had known about this before, they wouldn't have had to buy them all in the first place. It's a wireless intercom as well. Haven't you been to visit friends and there's "something wrong with the intercom" so they have to walk halfway to the gate, while waving furiously with their remote control? Why? Our products are all GSM and wireless.
Be Safe!
Contact Us
Be Safe!
Contact Us
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 40
THE POWER OF NETWORKING
PART 40
How many of us, in the past, have gone to networking events, where we have religiously handed out handfuls of business cards and received fistfuls of business cards in return? We’ve promised to contact the numerous people who have given us their cards, in order to ‘do something together’ and then when we have gotten home, the cards are dumped on the desk or very diligently filed in the rolodex and in some extreme cases even trashed?
So come on, be honest now – how many of us? I know that I am guilty of this – in the past! Not now, you can be sure of that, definitely not now.
You see I have come to realize the value of a business card! For me every business card is an opportunity! It doesn’t matter where you got that card, at the supermarket, in the pub, at a networking event – anywhere!
In my business, next to my IP, my database is my biggest asset and I treat it with respect. It houses my large collection of contacts (from business cards that I have collected) and with that comes my own ‘circle of influence’.
Here are the people (not just contacts – they are living breathing human beings who should be treated with respect), who add value to my business because here are the people that I will recommend in terms of the services that they provide and the widgets that they sell. They make me look good to potential clients.
These are also the people who refer work to me – now that deserves even more respect, don’t you think? These are the people who I interact with on a daily basis and who I choose to surround myself with.
Napolean Hill in his book, Think and Grow Rich, says ‘Men take on the nature and the habits and the POWER OF THOUGHT of those with whom they associate in a spirit of sympathy and harmony.’
The people that I associate myself and who I choose to interact with on a daily basis are the very people whose names and contact details I have found on a business card. They are (hopefully) people who are ‘like minded’ to myself. They are people who are entrepreneurs and SMME’s and service providers, who are serious about doing business, who are hungry for new business, who want to grow their businesses and who are passionate about their businesses, themselves and what they do – these are the people that I want to be around, don’t you?
So when you get home, with your fistful of business cards, do something with them, contact those people – set up appointments with them, start building relationships with the people who you want to be in your ‘circle of influence’, your database and who will become your ‘value add’.
I hope this means that you are looking at the Business Card in your hand in a completely different light now – you are, aren’t you?
PART 40
How many of us, in the past, have gone to networking events, where we have religiously handed out handfuls of business cards and received fistfuls of business cards in return? We’ve promised to contact the numerous people who have given us their cards, in order to ‘do something together’ and then when we have gotten home, the cards are dumped on the desk or very diligently filed in the rolodex and in some extreme cases even trashed?
So come on, be honest now – how many of us? I know that I am guilty of this – in the past! Not now, you can be sure of that, definitely not now.
You see I have come to realize the value of a business card! For me every business card is an opportunity! It doesn’t matter where you got that card, at the supermarket, in the pub, at a networking event – anywhere!
In my business, next to my IP, my database is my biggest asset and I treat it with respect. It houses my large collection of contacts (from business cards that I have collected) and with that comes my own ‘circle of influence’.
Here are the people (not just contacts – they are living breathing human beings who should be treated with respect), who add value to my business because here are the people that I will recommend in terms of the services that they provide and the widgets that they sell. They make me look good to potential clients.
These are also the people who refer work to me – now that deserves even more respect, don’t you think? These are the people who I interact with on a daily basis and who I choose to surround myself with.
Napolean Hill in his book, Think and Grow Rich, says ‘Men take on the nature and the habits and the POWER OF THOUGHT of those with whom they associate in a spirit of sympathy and harmony.’
The people that I associate myself and who I choose to interact with on a daily basis are the very people whose names and contact details I have found on a business card. They are (hopefully) people who are ‘like minded’ to myself. They are people who are entrepreneurs and SMME’s and service providers, who are serious about doing business, who are hungry for new business, who want to grow their businesses and who are passionate about their businesses, themselves and what they do – these are the people that I want to be around, don’t you?
So when you get home, with your fistful of business cards, do something with them, contact those people – set up appointments with them, start building relationships with the people who you want to be in your ‘circle of influence’, your database and who will become your ‘value add’.
I hope this means that you are looking at the Business Card in your hand in a completely different light now – you are, aren’t you?
Monday, December 10, 2007
DREAMS
Dreams
The quote today comes from Michael Masterson who says:
“The trouble for most people is they don't decide to get wealthy, they just dream about it.”
So what is it about dreams that make them so important, and once you have done the ‘dreaming’ thing what needs to be done!
Well for me, the dream is the start. It’s the first step in this incredible journey that we call life. It’s the seed that is planted, that with love, care, commitment and perseverance, germinates and becomes the tree that grows strong and true.
What we all need to remember though is that the dream is just the beginning. Dreams without action are just that . . . dreams. In order for anything to happen, the dream needs to be acted upon. Something needs to be done to change the dream into a reality.
So the next step is to decide to do something about the dream. This is the first action in a very long line of actions that need to take place. The decision to do something about the dream, is the second step. This is where the foundation is built. This is where the nuts and bolts are decided upon and the plan is written down and then for me excitement and anticipation and that delicious feeling, deep down inside comes bubbling up and I can’t wait to get started because, well because something is about to happen!
As I go along, my dream morphs due to some of the realities of life and the path that I have chosen to walk down has twists and turns and up-hills and down-hills and sometimes I need to pause and take in the scenery. This means that my plans (or goals) need to change, they need to be flexible enough for me to be able to make changes, without losing sight of the winning flag, the realization of my dream.
This does not mean that the dream has changed or that the end result is going to be different, it just means that the actions required in order to reach my goal or realize my dream, have changed. There are always people to have a better way or easier way to do something – so the action must change.
But none of this can happen, not the action, not the execution of the action, not the realization – nothing . . . unless the dream has been dreamed.
Do you have a dream?
Sunday, December 09, 2007
DICTIONARY FOR MEN & WOMEN
Hope you all enjoy the funnies today - have a fabulous week!
DICTIONARY FOR WOMEN'S PERSONAL ADS
40-ish - 49
Adventurous - Slept with everyone
Athletic - No tits
Average looking - Ugly
Beautiful - Pathological liar
Contagious Smile - Does a lot of pills
Emotionally secure - On medication
Feminist - Fat
Free spirit - Junkie
Friendship first - Former very *friendly* person
Fun - Annoying
New Age - Body hair in the wrong places
Open-minded - Desperate
Outgoing - Loud and Embarrassing
Passionate - Sloppy drunk
Professional - Bitch
Voluptuous - Very Fat
Large frame - Hugely Fat
Wants Soul mate - Stalker
WOMEN'S ENGLISH
1. Yes = No
2. No = Yes
3. Maybe = No
4. We need = I want
5. I am sorry = you'll be sorry
6. We need to talk = you're in trouble
7. Sure, go ahead = you better not
8. Do what you want = you will pay for this later
9. I am not upset = of course I am upset, you moron!
10. You're very attentive tonight = is sex all you ever think about?
MEN'S ENGLISH
1. I am hungry = I am hungry
2. I am sleepy = I am sleepy
3. I am tired = I am tired
4. Nice dress = Nice cleavage!
5. I love you = let's have sex now
6. I am bored = Do you want to have sex?
7. May I have this dance? = I'd like to have sex with you
8. Can I call you sometime? = I'd like to have sex with you
9. Do you want to go to a movie? = I'd like to have sex with you
10. Can I take you out to dinner? = I'd like to have sex with you
11. Those shoes don't go with that outfit = I'm gay
And finally.....A recent scientific study found that women find different male faces attractive depending on where they are in their menstrual cycle.
For example, when a woman is ovulating she will prefer a man with rugged, masculine features.
However when she is menstruating, she prefers a man doused in petrol and set on fire, with scissors stuck in his eye and a cricket stump shoved up his backside.
NOW SEND THIS TO A MAN WHO NEEDS A LAUGH AND A WOMAN WITH A SENSE OF HUMOUR!!!
DICTIONARY FOR WOMEN'S PERSONAL ADS
40-ish - 49
Adventurous - Slept with everyone
Athletic - No tits
Average looking - Ugly
Beautiful - Pathological liar
Contagious Smile - Does a lot of pills
Emotionally secure - On medication
Feminist - Fat
Free spirit - Junkie
Friendship first - Former very *friendly* person
Fun - Annoying
New Age - Body hair in the wrong places
Open-minded - Desperate
Outgoing - Loud and Embarrassing
Passionate - Sloppy drunk
Professional - Bitch
Voluptuous - Very Fat
Large frame - Hugely Fat
Wants Soul mate - Stalker
WOMEN'S ENGLISH
1. Yes = No
2. No = Yes
3. Maybe = No
4. We need = I want
5. I am sorry = you'll be sorry
6. We need to talk = you're in trouble
7. Sure, go ahead = you better not
8. Do what you want = you will pay for this later
9. I am not upset = of course I am upset, you moron!
10. You're very attentive tonight = is sex all you ever think about?
MEN'S ENGLISH
1. I am hungry = I am hungry
2. I am sleepy = I am sleepy
3. I am tired = I am tired
4. Nice dress = Nice cleavage!
5. I love you = let's have sex now
6. I am bored = Do you want to have sex?
7. May I have this dance? = I'd like to have sex with you
8. Can I call you sometime? = I'd like to have sex with you
9. Do you want to go to a movie? = I'd like to have sex with you
10. Can I take you out to dinner? = I'd like to have sex with you
11. Those shoes don't go with that outfit = I'm gay
And finally.....A recent scientific study found that women find different male faces attractive depending on where they are in their menstrual cycle.
For example, when a woman is ovulating she will prefer a man with rugged, masculine features.
However when she is menstruating, she prefers a man doused in petrol and set on fire, with scissors stuck in his eye and a cricket stump shoved up his backside.
NOW SEND THIS TO A MAN WHO NEEDS A LAUGH AND A WOMAN WITH A SENSE OF HUMOUR!!!
PHUMZILE URGES YOUTH TO STOP PLAYING THE FOOL
Firstly apologies for no blog yesterday - my internet access and e-mail access was down . . again. Thank you 'Helkom'!
Some pretty powerful words and positive ones at that from out Deputy President! In fact, in my opinion she make more sense than Mbeki, most of the time!
I would like to add that these basic principals should not just be aimed at the youth at some point in their lives, but something that should be taught in every household and every school room through out the country.
Accountability and responsibility is something that can and should be taught as an ongoing excercise to children from the cradle and upwards. The moral fibre of our children is at risk, not only here in South Africa, but I suspect - all over the world.
Well done Phumzile!
Phumzile urges youth to stop playing the fool
Graeme Hosken
January 29 2007 at 07:06AM
'No longer tolerate our sisters, our brothers, our mothers and our fathers being murdered'
Some pretty powerful words and positive ones at that from out Deputy President! In fact, in my opinion she make more sense than Mbeki, most of the time!
I would like to add that these basic principals should not just be aimed at the youth at some point in their lives, but something that should be taught in every household and every school room through out the country.
Accountability and responsibility is something that can and should be taught as an ongoing excercise to children from the cradle and upwards. The moral fibre of our children is at risk, not only here in South Africa, but I suspect - all over the world.
Well done Phumzile!
Phumzile urges youth to stop playing the fool
Graeme Hosken
January 29 2007 at 07:06AM
In an impassioned plea Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on Sunday appealed to the country's youth to take charge of their lives in order to help turn South Africa into a morally sound country. The appeal was made to more than 4 000 youngsters at a Pretoria church service. The service was held to commemorate the arrival of the World Youth Cross in South Africa. The cross, which arrived last week after journeying from Europe through Africa, is due to leave for Australia this week where it will arrive in Sydney in time for World Youth Day. Speaking at the service, Mlambo-Ngcuka said it was vital for South Africa's children to take charge of their lives if the country was to prosper and become "morally sound".
'By taking charge of one's life one has to take responsibility for one's actions'
'By taking charge of one's life one has to take responsibility for one's actions'
"By taking charge of one's life one has to take responsibility for one's actions. To do this you children need to realise that you are this country's future and for South Africa to succeed and fight scourges such as unemployment and HIV and Aids you have to take responsibility for your lives," Mlambo-Ngcuka said. Asking those who attended the service to pledge to empower themselves by becoming morally sound, Mlambo-Ngcuka said to defeat the HIV and Aids pandemic people needed to make a commitment to remain faithful to their partners, refrain from having multiple sexual relationships and to ensure that, if infected with the virus, they would not spread it to others.
Speaking on unemployment and skills development, Mlambo-Ngcuka said that by 2010 South Africa would need 50 000 artisans such as electricians, plumbers and bricklayers."It is important that you empower yourselves by studying and obtaining these necessary skills so that you can help this country develop into a prosperous nation. "You, the youth, must become involved in national youth service programmes which will help you gain vitally needed career skills. These skills can be obtained by becoming involved in community projects such as home-based care initiatives, adult education programmes and the building of houses.
'No longer tolerate our sisters, our brothers, our mothers and our fathers being murdered'
"It is our desire that by running such community service programmes there will not be a young person in the next five years who has not been empowered with desperately needed skills or given back to the community," Mlambo-Ngcuka said. She urged the youth to spread the message of the importance of moral regeneration if South Africa was to be free from the grip of criminals, who were in the minority.
"It is vital that we root out those who are trying to plunge South Africa into chaos. By keeping quiet about crimes, be they murders or the abuse of women and children, you are just as guilty as the criminals themselves."It is about time that we have a proper crime reporting system where this country's youth stand up and say enough is enough, where they say no more, where they say they will no longer tolerate our sisters, our brothers, our mothers and our fathers being murdered and maimed."
It is about time that the youth stand up and take charge of their nation and turn it into the country that it should be, a South Africa that is peace-loving and prosperous," she said.
This article was originally published on page 3 of Pretoria News on January 29, 2007
This article was originally published on page 3 of Pretoria News on January 29, 2007
Friday, December 07, 2007
IS SEX BECOMING A PRE-TEEN SPORT?
Ob man! This is indeed a delicate subject - usually because of our own attitude to sex. I am still somewhat at a loss that in this day and age, children (and adults for that matter) are not educated in how sex and sexually transmitted infections and diseases happen - and it's not just about HIV/AIDS either.
I mean, let's have a look at the facts - we all have sex, it is something that everyone on the planet does and yet it is still this dark secret that no-one wants to really talk about, in an open honest idscussion - but that everyone has an opinion and/or even a judgement about.
Strange phenonmenon don't you think?
I remember in the early 80's, living in Hillbrow and having the time of my life. Remember it was still the middle of the apartheid era and many "things" were not allowed and the most ardent of the sayers of fire and brimstone were usually the most ardent partakers of "things" illegal. I lived in a block of flats that had not one but two brothels in very close proximity - I was always very amused to see the number of luxury cars parked in the street on a Sunday morning (before church of course, after church they had all disappeared), belonging to the very people who had the most to say - and yes I did see them getting into their cars whilst sneaking furtive glances around to see if anyone was looking. And yes, next week they were back again!
So there we have it, we all partake (some more than others) of sex, yet we are afraid to talk about it in the open, to educate our children and/or be educated ourselves and yet . . . when someone gets an STI or an STD, we look at them in horror and digust, because well let's face it - that person as done something quite disgusting . . they had, well um, ja um, you're going to make me say it aren't you? Yes well they had sex!
Is sex becoming a pre-teen sport?
March 03 2007 at 12:36PM
By Christina Gallagher
I mean, let's have a look at the facts - we all have sex, it is something that everyone on the planet does and yet it is still this dark secret that no-one wants to really talk about, in an open honest idscussion - but that everyone has an opinion and/or even a judgement about.
Strange phenonmenon don't you think?
I remember in the early 80's, living in Hillbrow and having the time of my life. Remember it was still the middle of the apartheid era and many "things" were not allowed and the most ardent of the sayers of fire and brimstone were usually the most ardent partakers of "things" illegal. I lived in a block of flats that had not one but two brothels in very close proximity - I was always very amused to see the number of luxury cars parked in the street on a Sunday morning (before church of course, after church they had all disappeared), belonging to the very people who had the most to say - and yes I did see them getting into their cars whilst sneaking furtive glances around to see if anyone was looking. And yes, next week they were back again!
So there we have it, we all partake (some more than others) of sex, yet we are afraid to talk about it in the open, to educate our children and/or be educated ourselves and yet . . . when someone gets an STI or an STD, we look at them in horror and digust, because well let's face it - that person as done something quite disgusting . . they had, well um, ja um, you're going to make me say it aren't you? Yes well they had sex!
Is sex becoming a pre-teen sport?
March 03 2007 at 12:36PM
By Christina Gallagher
Reports from a Cape Town NGO specialising in sexual and reproductive health say there is a rise in the number of pre-teen girls with sexually transmitted infections - although experts believe the bigger problem lies with older youth who may not be getting enough information about STIs. At Planned Parenthood in Khayelitsha, girls as young as 11 are showing up with STIs, according to its campaign manager, Vivienne Gongota. She said it was a frightening trend and some girls were reinfected up to three times. loveLife, which operates a national sexual education outreach programme, said cases of young girls with STIs did exist, but it was "not the norm".
Mandla Ndlovu, the loveLife media director, said: "Surveys in fact suggest that more teenagers are waiting until they're older to have sex." He added that assertions of a general increase "should be substantiated with statistically valid information". Ndlovu said that compared with other countries, South African youth were generally having sex much later. A recent report from Johns Hopkins University in the US said 10 percent of South African youth have had sex by the time they are 15. The number jumped to almost 60 percent at 18 years old.
Mandla Ndlovu, the loveLife media director, said: "Surveys in fact suggest that more teenagers are waiting until they're older to have sex." He added that assertions of a general increase "should be substantiated with statistically valid information". Ndlovu said that compared with other countries, South African youth were generally having sex much later. A recent report from Johns Hopkins University in the US said 10 percent of South African youth have had sex by the time they are 15. The number jumped to almost 60 percent at 18 years old.
Most research has focused on the sexual habits of youth aged 15 and older. Little is known about the sexual practices of younger children. Dikeledi Ramongane, of Planned Parenthood Gauteng, confirmed that there were gaps in knowledge for this age group. "Youth only have information about HIV and Aids but don't have enough knowledge that STIs increase a person's chance of getting infected." Ndlovu said that often these cases of girls contracting STIs were associated with sexual abuse and linked to transactional sex. "There is a strong association between early sexual debut and unprotected sex," he said.
Ndlovu added that some young women who go to clinics for injectable contraceptives were being exposed to STIs because they were not using condoms when having, in most cases, transactional sex with older men. loveLife said some major STIs, such as syphilis, have shown a sharp decline in recent years across all age groups. Ndlovu attributed this to an increase in condom use but cautioned: "STIs can still be transmitted even with condoms, especially herpes infection, which is showing epidemic patterns similar to HIV."
Ramongane said adolescents often arrive at Planned Parenthood with symptoms such as "burning and discharge from the penis or vagina; pain in the lower abdomen; nausea; high temperature; itching or bumps on penis or vagina; or painless sores or a rash on the penis or vagina". A recent survey by Planned Parenthood Gauteng found that one-third of youth as young as 15 in Gauteng are contracting sexually transmitted diseases, yet more than half of them are not consulting a health professional. The Planned Parenthood survey, which polled youth between the ages of 16 and 21 about their reproductive health knowledge, attitudes and sexual practices, found that many were fearful of nurses perceived to be judgmental. "It has been documented that the attitudes and behaviours of health workers have an important influence on adolescents' satisfaction with reproductive health services and on their use of services and methods," said Ramongane. "Subsequent feedback sessions with nurses revealed that many nurses experience contradictions between the imperative to provide adolescent reproductive health services and personal values relating to Christianity, gender identity, reproduction and sexuality."
loveLife said it was important to begin educating young people early about sex. Ndlovu said past experience and evaluation of other HIV prevention programmes showed that sexual education for younger youth was most effective when attitudinal development, self-esteem, and self-efficacy were emphasised.
This article was originally published on page 12 of The Star on March 03, 2007
Thursday, December 06, 2007
SNOUTS IN RAF TROUGH
The stealing from the rich to give to the poor ala Robin Hood style is reprehensible enough - but stealing from the poor puts a person lower than shark shit as far as I am concerned! Now doctors and lawyers, who by their very nature are in a position to make a lot of money as it is, stealing from the Road Accident Fund and all the people who genuinely need those funds, fall into this category. How disgusting, shame on you!
Snouts in RAF trough
December 02 2006 at 11:51AM
By Fiona Gounden
A special squad of investigators is closing in on 59 doctors and 34 lawyers in KwaZulu-Natal who are prime suspects in Road Accident Fund fraud amounting to millions of rands. They will join four other Durban doctors who are facing fraud and racketeering charges of collectively having made R3,8-million in false claims. KwaZulu-Natal has had 421 cases of RAF fraud in the past three months and in addition to the doctors and lawyers, others involved are funeral home workers, RAF employees, hospital staff and "touts". Now a newly-launched task team comprising an RAF forensic team, SAPS Commercial Branch and the National Prosecutions Authority (NPA), is involved in various operations to catch these fraudsters.
A total of 392 fraudsters were nabbed during the months of September and October and 29 in November. According to communications officer for the RAF, Sarita Cronje, there were even more doctors and lawyers on the list. In the past year the RAF has lost R66 million in KwaZulu-Natal to fraudulent RAF payouts. "In November there were fraudulent claims to the RAF totalling R1 774 690."We are still trying to estimate the total cost of the rest of them," said Cronje. "The most common modus operandi is to fake accidents and add passengers who were not involved in the accidents."
A total of 392 fraudsters were nabbed during the months of September and October and 29 in November. According to communications officer for the RAF, Sarita Cronje, there were even more doctors and lawyers on the list. In the past year the RAF has lost R66 million in KwaZulu-Natal to fraudulent RAF payouts. "In November there were fraudulent claims to the RAF totalling R1 774 690."We are still trying to estimate the total cost of the rest of them," said Cronje. "The most common modus operandi is to fake accidents and add passengers who were not involved in the accidents."
This major bust comes in the wake of four Durban doctors appearing in court this week charged with RAF fraud. They and four "touts" will face charges of fraud and racketeering involving the submission of more than 200 false claims worth more than R3.8 million to the RAF. The doctors who appeared at the Durban Magistrate's Court on Tuesday were Devandra Perumal, Dhavagan Madurai, Cheten Mehta and Ritha Ramlal, and alleged "runners" Shena Singh, Kesavan Venketsamy, Frans Strydom and Shanoo Singh.
The suspects tried to claim amounts of between R6 000 and R50 000 from the fund. In total, they claimed R3.851 million although only about R400 000 was actually paid out. They will make their next appearance in August next year. Cronje said there had been an increase in the number of touts in KwaZulu-Natal who frequent police stations and hospitals looking for road accident victims. "After identifying the victim, these scamsters help them with the lodging of the claim through a particular firm of attorneys. They get paid by the attorney."Doctors claim to have seen and treated the accident victims,while this is not the case.
The tout or attorney will make an appointment with the doctor and deliver many of the necessary forms for completion and signature by the doctor. "Other doctors, who have not seen the patients, will, by virtue of completion of the form, certify that the patient was given a medical examination and medication which confirms that the claimant was involved in the accident. "Doctors also tell patients at provincial hospitals to come to their private practices for 'follow-up procedures' instead of returning to the provincial hospital," said Cronje."RAF employees have been found creating fraudulent claims in collusion with attorneys. "These employees also settle claims with attorneys for higher amounts than what the attorney has quoted the claimant."We have also found funeral homes issuing receipts for services which are far more than what was delivered. They also provide receipts reflecting payment by the claimant instead of via a policy.
"Health Department spokesman Leon Mbangwa said hospital staff and doctors found to be involved with RAF would be strictly dealt with. Jacob Modise, the CEO for the RAF, warned of the consequences of lodging a false claim. He reminded claimants that they could lodge a claim by themselves without any legal assistance, which would avoid them being exploited by opportunistic attorneys.
Anyone who has information about RAF fraud can call the helpline at 0860 235 523. Claimants who want to liaise with the RAF directly without the involvement of an attorney can telephone their regional offices in Durban at 031 365 2800 or Pretoria at 012 392 5000.
This article was originally published on page 1 of The Independent on Saturday on December 02, 2006
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
MBEKI - CRIME IS A PROBLEM
My oh my - retrospect is a wonderful thing - wouldn't you agree? We all know where Mbeki stands now - "up shit creek without a paddle" is where!
February 09 2007 at 11:59AM
By Angela Quintal
continue to improve the remuneration and working conditions of the police, increasing the total number of police officers to more than 180 000 within three years, and ensure the optimal use of the electronic monitoring and evaluation system that has just been introduced;
bring the forensic laboratories which had been equipped with the latest technology, to full capacity, and ensure the optimum use of the finger-print database;
bring the department of home affairs to full capacity, by filling vacant posts, improving systems and implementing other recommendations of the Task Team that has been working with the Minister to improve the work of this vital institution;
implement the recommendations of the Khampepe Commission on the mandate and operations of the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions);
modernise the South African Revenue Services’ systems, especially in respect of border control, and improve the work of the inter-departmental co-ordinating structures in this regard;
intensify intelligence work on organised crime, building on the successes that have been achieved in the last few months in dealing with cash-in-transit heists, drug trafficking and poaching of game and abalone;
use new technology provided to the justice system to improve management of the courts and the prosecution service to massively reduce case backlogs;
transform the judiciary and improve its functioning, “in consultation with this eminent institution of our democracy”;
build more corrections facilities;
boost intelligence agencies’ capacity, while ensuring that they operate within the Constitution and laws at all times; and
improve analysis of crime trends to improve crime prevention and crime combating.”
Personally, I think it is a case of 'far too little, far too late'. Perhaps if he had started talking about crime and plans for sorting it out a little earlyier . . . . . or
If he had spoken out against the HIV/AIDS pandemic (pretty much like Mandela), instead of getting together with his cronies - like Manto, who has embarrassed and disgraced us with her alcohol abuse and beetroot fetish . . . . or
Let's stick with Manto - and his defense of her (what is he thinking) and his firing of the deputy (who was actually doing something about things) . . . . or
His absolute apathy on the issue of Zimbabwe . . . . or
Oh hell, this list could go on and on and on. Perhaps it is just time for him to move on, quietly!
February 09 2007 at 11:59AM
By Angela Quintal
President Thabo Mbeki has given the nation what many have been crying for, an acknowledgement that crime is a problem and it is affecting the very fabric of South African society. He acknowledged that the fight against it needed to be stepped up and provided concrete examples of how the war against crime would be stepped up several gears. “Certainly we cannot erase that which is ugly and repulsive and claim the happiness that comes with freedom if communities live in fear, closeted behind walls and barbed wire, ever anxious in their houses, on the streets and on our roads, unable freely to enjoy our public spaces,” he said in his state of the nation address.”
'Bring the department of home affairs to full capacity'
'Bring the department of home affairs to full capacity'
While strides had been made and some targets surpassed, including employing 152 000 police officers, “we recognise the fact that the impact of this is not high enough for everybody to feel a better sense of safety and security”. Mbeki acknowledged that the incidence of most contact crime had been reduced, but that the annual reduction rate in categories such as robbery, assault and murder, was still below the 7 to 10 percent that had been targeted.
The abuse of women and children continued at an unacceptable level, he said. He noted that last year’s security workers’ strike had brought home to all South Africans that the industry could not be handled simply as a private affair or the private sector. The regulatory system was inadequate and would be reviewed this year, Mbeki announced. “In addition to improving the work of the police, we can - together with the private security industry - create an environment in which the security expectations of the public, in which huge resources are expended, are actually met”.
Mbeki’s ninth and last state of the nation address was delivered at a time of heightened debate about crime and his perceived indifference to how it affects all South Africans. The president called for “an enduring partnership in actual practice within our communities and between the communities and the police, to make life more and more difficult for the criminals”. Mbeki said he was heartened by the resolve shown by business and religious leaders to strengthen such partnerships on the ground, and to give of their time and resources to strengthen the fight against crime. “Government will play its part to ensure that these partnerships actually work, and that we all act together to discharge the responsibility to protect our citizens.”Mbeki said the Ministry of Safety and Security and the Police Service were working on proposals to further improve the functioning and effectiveness of Community Police Forums.
Mbeki told MPs, that in addition to many ongoing programmes that had been implement government would this year;
continue to improve the remuneration and working conditions of the police, increasing the total number of police officers to more than 180 000 within three years, and ensure the optimal use of the electronic monitoring and evaluation system that has just been introduced;
bring the forensic laboratories which had been equipped with the latest technology, to full capacity, and ensure the optimum use of the finger-print database;
bring the department of home affairs to full capacity, by filling vacant posts, improving systems and implementing other recommendations of the Task Team that has been working with the Minister to improve the work of this vital institution;
implement the recommendations of the Khampepe Commission on the mandate and operations of the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions);
modernise the South African Revenue Services’ systems, especially in respect of border control, and improve the work of the inter-departmental co-ordinating structures in this regard;
intensify intelligence work on organised crime, building on the successes that have been achieved in the last few months in dealing with cash-in-transit heists, drug trafficking and poaching of game and abalone;
use new technology provided to the justice system to improve management of the courts and the prosecution service to massively reduce case backlogs;
transform the judiciary and improve its functioning, “in consultation with this eminent institution of our democracy”;
build more corrections facilities;
boost intelligence agencies’ capacity, while ensuring that they operate within the Constitution and laws at all times; and
improve analysis of crime trends to improve crime prevention and crime combating.”
In this regard, we must respond to the cold reality that, as in other countries, the overwhelming majority of violent crimes against the person occur in the most socio-economically deprived areas of our country and require strong and sustained community interventions focused on crime prevention.” Meanwhile, the findings of a Markinor survey released on the eve of the state of the nation address, found that 73 percent of South Africans were happy with Mbeki’s performance and 82 percent agreed that he could be trusted to do what was best for the country.
The poll was conducted, however, in December, before the high profile murders that have added to the recent debate, as well concerns from business and the recent FNB anti-crime campaign that fuelled the controversy. The survey conducted in December among 3 500 respondents, showed Mbeki lost support when it came to his performance rating - down by six percent from the 79 percent he received in May last year - but that he was still rated higher than during his first term as president. Markinor director Mari Harris said Mbeki’s personal rating was far higher than the performance ratings for national, provincial and local government.
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