OCTOBER SNIPPETS

The Beaded Sheep:

Every morning I drive past a small coffee shop on my way to work in Newtown – it is just round the corner from Bassline. Right in front of the shop is a large tree and they have some tables and chairs out on the pavement under this tree. They also have 3 life-sized beaded wire sheep; and every morning someone in the coffee shop arranges the sheep in different poses…one can be standing on a table, one with its front legs on the tree trunk (looks like it wants to climb the tree). One day, one was lying on its side with the other 2 looking on with great concern….. it is very funny and something to look forward to.

Good Books:

The first one I can recommend – in fact I encourage you to read it, is called Why Africa is Poor by Greg Mills. He writes really well and puts his point across succinctly and follows it up with data and graphs. There are parts in the book where I felt I should just go outside and slit my throat; but it is a thought provoking book. Greg draws comparisons with Asian, Central American and South American countries and African countries, all of which have been colonised and most of which have had devastating wars. And he comes to interesting conclusions about the countries that have successfully transitioned from colonial and military oppression. In one chapter he talks about the cost of doing business in Africa and uses Durban port as an example: In Singapore it takes 8 minutes to clear a container through customs: in SA it takes 32 days (BTW, we are the best on the continent). One thing this book doesn’t do is just lay all the problems down on paper – he spends quite a bit of time talking about solutions.

The second one is by Lionel Shriver, called So Much for That. (She also wrote We Need to Talk About Kevin). She is a stunning writer and her stories are gripping. She is dark and her characters are very real…you know these people! She is brave and says the stuff that many writers don’t dare….she take our clichés and trashes them.

TED Talks:

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. I listen to and watch TED Talks on www.ted.com, usually late on a Sunday night; then kick myself when I stagger into bed in the early hours of the morning. It’s a bit addictive – heaps of categories and heaps of speakers including some very funny comedy slots….I love it! So when Lisa told me TED Talks was coming to Johannesburg I got really excited and rushed to get my ticket from their website. And then found out that you have to apply to be an “audience”….I was a bit thrown but completed the application process which also calls for references…..you have to describe yourself in less the 100 words and answer some other questions, also less than 100 words; your answers are then sent to your referees and they verify it….*grin* No room for exaggeration here! So, thank you to my referees – I have been approved and will be attending TED next Sunday – it is a marathon day from 9.30 to 18.30….I will be all TED Talked out! Go to http://www.tedxjohannesburg.co.za/ to check it out.

What's in a name:

Thank you for all the feedback about the name - I had some very good laughs......