Entries Tagged 'News' ↓

Instead of giving a lengthy update of what I have been up to lately, and why haven’t posted for such a long time, here are a couple of random photos which I took on the run.

I cannot believe this complete idiotic behavior. Where is the sense in burning down the place you work for, in order to get more money? How can that make sense to ANYONE?

Reason why I am making such a big fuss about this is because I used to visit this pharmacy quite regularly as it was a stones throw away from our offices. Pity they’re not going to reopen, however I don’t blame them with R20 million’s damages.

This Dischem store was burnt down on purpose by angry workers who were striking for wage increases. A gas bottle can be seen on the right front of this picture, this was set alight and thrown through the window. A colleague saw the damaged building on her way to work, and we went to look & take pictures shortly after. Later that day (23 June 2010) the windows were closed with wooden panels. It is said that this store will not reopen since the damage is too much – ZAR20 000 000 (+/- US$2 666 666.667).

Lately it seems that South Africa is getting a lot of international attention. Caster Semenya, Winston the homing pigeon, and District 9…

It started off with Caster Semenya’s gender conspiracy. As most of us know by now the majority of opinions now believe that “she” is a hermaphrodite… I don’t have much on an opinion about whether or not a person like this should be allowed to compete. Yes, I guess it is not fair toward female competitors, but keep in mind that this is still a person – who did not ASK to be born this way. I think we should just try to keep this in mind, and search for the little bit of humaneness which still remains in us today. Read more @ The Guardian

Winston the homing pigeon got a short 2nd place (in my books in any case), where he beat the speed of Telkom’s ADSL… (No surprise here ) By the time that Winston had delivered the data card & the data had been downloaded, the Telkom download had progressed a mere 4%!! Aargh, South Africans cannot WAIT for a better connection!! Read more @ Daily Mail

And then lastly, but not least; District 9 – the very popular movie which was shot in South Africa, with a South African director, but which was also shown in the States. I’ve heard very good reviews about this, alas, I haven’t watched it myself. I’ll be sure to write a short review as soon as I have seen it! Read more @ District 9 – ABC News

Every once in a while a tale so bizarre that it can only be described as weirder than fiction walks through the doors of the Daily Dispatch. Monday was such a day. It came in the form of Peddie chief traffic officer Johann Jooste, who took these pictures. See below for the story he had to tell…
Jooste said he was in his office at the Ngqushwa Municipality when he heard a commotion and went outside to see what it was all about.
“At first, I thought the driver was ferrying the cow on the bakkie’s roof. Then the driver got out, and told us that he was here to report an accident,” an incredulous Jooste said.
Apparently, the driver hit the cow on the N2 outside Peddie and the animal flipped right over, landing on the tough little Nissan 1400’s roof.
The shocked, but uninjured driver proceeded to the traffic department, with the cow on top of the bakkie.
Jooste said the unfortunate animal suffered serious injuries and was to be put down.
“In all my 29 years as a traffic officer, I have never seen something like this,” Jooste added.
All the DispatchOnline team can say is: “Only in the Eastern Cape.”

Source: E-mail from a colleague, however, origin seems to be DispatchOnline

Getting married in sunny Africa may seem like a very romantic idea to most, but especially so for two German kiddies, who decided to elope to Africa – “where its warm”.

Two German children – aged five and six – have been stopped by police from eloping to Africa to tie the knot in the sun, reports say.

The budding lovebirds, identified as Mika and Anna-Lena, packed bathing costumes, sunglasses and a lilo and headed for the airport.

They even had the presence of mind to invite along an official witness – Anna-Lena’s seven-year-old sister.

The three got as far as Hanover railway station before police intervened.

The young couple were “very much in love” and had decided to get married in Africa “where it is warm”, police spokesman Holger Jureczko told the AFP news agency.

Sun-seekers

The idea for the getaway wedding was born as the children’s families celebrated New Year’s eve together and Mika regaled the two girls with stories of a recent holiday to Italy.

The following morning, as their parents slept, the intrepid trio walked 1km (0.6 miles) to the local tram station at Langenhagen, where they hopped aboard a tram for Hanover central station.

But the group aroused the suspicion of a guard as they waited for a train to the airport, and police were called in.

Officers persuaded the children they would not get far without tickets and money, but consoled them with a free tour of the police station, where they were shortly picked up by relieved parents.

Although any marriage plans have been put on hold for now, police did not altogether rule out the possibility of an African wedding.

“They can still put their plan into action at a later date,” AFP quoted the spokesman as saying.

The topic of gender equality has been heavily debated in the past few years, maybe even decades.  Women have demanded to be treated the same as men, with the same rights, and benefits. Still women had to be protected against men abusing and raping them. Four women in South Africa, are making sure that its no longer women only seeking the protection.

Four unknown women in South Africa are wanted for apparently raping and robbing male hitch-hikers in the Rustenburg area.  According to the reports, these women offer to give male hitch-hikers a lift.  Once in their vehicle they force the guy to take some kind of “spiked” drink, and then rape and rob him.

I’m not quite sure what to make of this?  Why would women want to rape men?  I guess it could be some kind of revenge plot, but still I’m unsure about their motives.

Source: IOL

According to News24.com, a Mozambican woman gave birth to three teacups, Stv aparantly showed photographs of the crockery which the woman gave “birth” to.

The 18 year old woman was 3 months pregnant when she started complaining of labour pains, and gave birth to the three cups on her way to the hospital.

Quoting News24:

The Mozambican association of traditional healers (Ametramo) told the station that there was nothing strange about the story.

Ametramo president Aulerio Demoraz said similar cases had occurred in other parts of the world due to witchcraft.

He said the woman needed to be treated with traditional medicines in order to exorcise the “evil spirits” which made her give birth to the cups.

I’ve been looking for pictures of the cups, but unfortunately couldn’t find any. I’ll post an update when I do get a photograph of it…

Source:  News24.com

For the times which I’m extremely busy, I love sharing news articles which tickle my fancy.

So here goes with some interesting Australian news.

A lovelorn man who put his life in Australia up for sale on the Internet was one step closer to starting over Monday as bids for his house, job and lifestyle hit $2,2-million. Ian Usher, a 44-year-old from Yorkshire in England, launched the unusual auction after announcing on his blog: “I have had enough of my life! I don’t want it any more! You can have it if you like!” …[read more on IOL]

Brisbane – A man found asleep in a motorised wheelchair on a highway in northern Australia has been charged with drunk driving.

Officers in a patrol car noticed the man slumped in the stationary chair around 10am on Friday on an exit lane near the tourist city of Cairns, regional traffic Inspector Bob Waters said. Cars were swerving to get around him.

The officers breath-tested the 64-year-old man, who registered a blood alcohol reading of 0,301, more than six times the legal driving limit. He was charged with operating a vehicle while drunk and ordered to report to court on July 7, where he faces a stiff fine if convicted.

The man, whose name was not released, said he was making a 14km trip from his home to a friend’s place. … [Source: IOL]

In a top-secret memo leaked to the media this morning, the CIA has issued a stern warning to would-be assassins not to target Zimbabwean despot Robert Mugabe. Describing Mugabe as “sniper-proof”, the memo explained that head-and-chest shots would have no effect on the 84-year-old Mugabe, as he has neither a brain nor a heart.

On the contrary, said the memo, any direct hits on his head or chest would “only get the varmint riled up”.

Mugabe’s personal physicians have maintained a strict policy of not speaking to the media, but it is understood that the elderly tyrant adheres to a stringent diet of omelets made from human stem cells harvested from babies’ spinal columns, honey stolen from honey-badgers, and Red Bull energy drinks hijacked off trucks at the Beit Bridge border crossing.

They have also historically refused to comment on persistent rumours that both Mugabe’s brain and heart atrophied in the late 1990s and were surgically removed in a Cape Town clinic in 2001, along with a malignant testicle found growing in his larynx that had, according to surgeons, been causing him to “talk complete bollocks for years”.

However, the CIA memo has all but confirmed the rumours, adding that snipers who attempted either a head-or-heart-shot should be prepared for “a puff of flannel, some cobwebs flapping around the exit wound, and a faint smell of sulphur”.

The memo went on to say that “conventional termination procedures” would have to be reassessed to “mesh with Mugabe’s specific physiological and supernatural attributes”, and that “more esoteric methods” would have to be applied.

These included driving a wooden stake through his chest, shooting him at full moon with a silver bullet, exposing him to sunlight, luring him into an active volcano, sucking him into the void of space through an airlock, or feeding him pet treats manufactured in China.

Source: iafrica.com