Dieser ist einer ANC Abwehr Kanon!
Posted on December 13th, 2008 by Richard Catto 1,999 views
Dieser ist einer ANC Abwehr Kanon / This is an ANC defence canon
The ANC has been routed in the Western Cape by the DA and COPE!
In the aftermath of the recent by elections, the DA has now accumulated 94 seats out of 210 in Cape Town, a clear majority, reducing the ANC’s hold to 73 seats.
If you want to lead the Western Cape, ANC, you need to do a whole lot better, but thanks for playing anyway.
Now onwards to total victory in the 2009 elections, DA! Vorwärts! Weiter, weiter!
Tags: ANC, COPE, DA, Helen Zille
Filed under South African politics | 1 Comment »
Mushy Peas on Toast, the book
Posted on December 12th, 2008 by Richard Catto 2,454 views
Popular award winning South African blogger, Laurian Clemence (Peas), has just published her first book based on her blog writings
Readers of the Cape Town news mailing list are no strangers to the writings of Laurian Clemence (Peas) because earlier this year we featured, with her kind permission, several of her best stories in our email newsletters.
Peas is an extraordinarily gifted writer and excels in her chosen genre – HUMOUR!
Her book written in the same casual off the cuff style as her blog was launched on December 03 2008. It makes an excellent and unique Christmas gift idea and at the low cost of R117 per copy at Loot, it is a must buy.
Please click the image to order it now from Loot.
Tags: Humour, Laurian Clemence, Peas
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Uniforum SA’s non benign rule of the co.za SLD
Posted on December 12th, 2008 by Richard Catto 10,913 views
Yesterday, I sent a FaceBook message to Arthur Goldstuck, a highly respected South African Internet research analyst and journalist about my troubles with Uniforum SA.
This is what I sent him:
Hi Arthur
I added you as a FaceBook friend because I’d like to draw to your attention a serious problem I’m having with Uniforum SA’s heavy handed manner in which they are dealing with me.
On November 28 a domain of mine, postmaster.co.za was deleted because I failed to pay the renewal fee of R50 in time.
I subsequently re-registered it with my email address of rrcatto@gmail.com (which is the address I use to manage my domains) with the intention of paying it that same day. However before I could do that, Uniforum SA’s system deleted it and then blocked my rrcatto @ gmail address from further registrations.
I managed to re-register postmaster.co.za with another address (ctneditor@gmail.com) and immediately paid the R50 fee, which was accepted and the domain reflects as paid.
I then requested that they unblock my rrcatto@gmail.com address. Louis Bezuidenhout responded and referred me to Form 5 – http://www.coza.net.za/legal/form_05.pdf – and demanded that I fill in this form to get my email address unblocked.
The standoff is that I am refusing to do this because I feel it is unnecessary red tape.
The email I received from Bezuidenhout on Nov 28 2008 is as follows:
“You have been banned from further CO.ZA domain registrations for attempting to circumvent CO.ZA domain re-registration policies.
You are required to complete a form5 available at
http://www.coza.net.za/legal/form_05.pdf and fax it to +2711 314-0088 along with a copy of your ID to ensure further CO.ZA registrations can take place.”I feel that I have proved my good faith by making payment for the domain (postmaster.co.za) and further demonstrations are unnecessary and a waste of my time.
Calvin Browne, also of Uniforum SA, wrote the following to me 15 minutes ago:
“If you want that block removed, you must fill in the form 5 as per the instructions on the form. This will be my final correspondence in this regard, and I will not be addressing this issue any further with yourself – I will be happy to take it up with your lawyers.”
How’s that for customer service? These people have blocked my email address for something I am not guilty of and are refusing to unblock it unless I jump through their hoops. That is how Uniforum SA deals with its captive audience.
His prompt reply blew me away because he shared with me that Uniforum SA had done the exact same thing to him previously. Uniforum SA blocked one of the most respected Internet consultants in South Africa and forced him to sign affidavits, as if his word alone could not be trusted.
It was clear from his reply that he was deeply upset and offended at the way they had handled him and I asked his permission to quote him whereupon he sent me the following message with his permission to publish it:
“This is hardly a unique experience, and I’ve been there too. This is probably one of the very few countries in the world where you can’t register your own lapsed domain, but anyone else is allowed to do so. The policy is simply stupid, but because it is Policy, with a capital P, nobody is willing to think it through. There is a deeper implication: Uniforum’s systems (not upgraded in a decade) and policies are symptomatic of a monopoly supplier of a service. They’re not doing themselves any favours, even if they have convinced themselves they have the moral high ground.” – Arthur Goldstuck, December 11 2008
Clearly, if this is the way Uniforum SA handles a man of Mr Goldstuck’s calibre, there is zero chance of me being handled with more respect. So I will have to resign myself to doing whatever Uniforum SA demands of me. If they tell me to stand on my head and twirl around before they will unblock my email address, then that is what I will have to do.
All hail Uniforum SA, dictator of the South African Internet!
Tags: Arthur Goldstuck, Uniforum SA
Filed under Admin | 4 Comments »
Rosa Organics – Sincerity in Skin Care
Posted on December 10th, 2008 by Richard Catto 1,888 views
Rosa Organics - Sincerity in Skin Care
Tags: Rosa Organics
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Christmas gifts from Take2
Posted on December 7th, 2008 by Richard Catto 2,025 views
Books
Epic novel by Ken Follett set in the early 1300s in England
This is Ken Follett’s epic sequel to his 1993 best seller, Pillars of the Earth, which remains his top selling book 15 years after publication.
In 1327, the day after All Hallow’s Eve, four children slip away into the forest and witness two men-at-arms being slain by a knight. Bound to secrecy upon pain of death, their shared secret remains as a dark undercurrent throughout the novel and binds their fates together.
Two of the children, Merthin and Caris, who become lovers in their adult lives, emerge as the central heroes and together they transform the town of Kingbridge with their exploits. Follett created a strong female lead in Caris, who is every bit a modern woman, strong, resillient, intelligent and fiercely independent, much to Merthin’s chagrin. Caris eschews the traditional role of a woman in those times and remains committed to her ideal that she will not be ruled by any man. Denied her chosen vocation of becoming a physician, she finds her way around the Mediaeval prohibition against women becoming medical doctors and writes a rational and practical medical book that advocates effective treatments of common ailments, including an isolationist regime for dealing with victims of the plague. She goes on to found and head her own hospital in Kingsbridge.
Follett also has her acting as a battle field surgeon at the Battle of Crecy, fought in 1346 where a vastly outnumbered English force successfully defends itself against the onslaught of French knights, due to their adoption of superior battlefield tactics.
This novel is a fabulous read and will keep you engrossed from the first page.
Click the image to order it from Take2.
DVDs
HBO Rome is an epic historical drama series about Ancient Rome during the time of its violent transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire, under Julius Caesar.
In Caesar’s Commentarii de Bello Gallico (Commentaries on the Gallic Wars), he mentions two Roman Centurions by name, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, whom HBO chose to be the two lead stars of Rome, played most excellently by Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson, respectively.
This DVD box set comprises the complete series (both Seasons I and II). You will be engrossed and entertained by this stunning production.
Watch the opening intro clip and the first 3 minutes of fierce action on YouTube.
Click the image to order it from Take2.
This Harry Potter compendium comprises the first five Harry Potter films and is sure to delight fans of all ages.
The Philosopher´s Stone
Chamber of Secrets
Prisoner of Azkaban
Goblet of Fire
Order of the Phoenix
Click the image to order this 5 DVD disc set from Take2.
In 2004, Hansie Cronje was voted the 11th greatest South African despite his involvement in the cricket match fixing scandal that cost him his career. Hansie was killed in a plane crash on June 1 2002. Former South African cricketer, Clive Rice theorises that Hansie was murdered by a betting syndicate who he also blames for the death of Bob Woolmer (in March 2007).
This movie of Hansie’s life was written by his older brother, Frans, and is directed by Regardt van den Bergh. It was released on September 26 2008.
Click the image to order from Take2.
Music
Springbok Radio was the favourite of many South Africans until it closed on December 31 1985 (the year I graduated from High School).
Following on the epic success of volume 1, here is volume 2, a 3 CD disc set crammed full of wonderful 80′s music and sound bites from some of the many legendary Springbok radio shows such as Squad Cars, The Men from the Ministry, The Navy Lark, Check Your Mate, Jet Jungle, and the Chappie Chipmunk Club.
Click the image to order from Take2.
Games
The latest in the Call of Duty series, Call of Duty 5: World at War, features cinematic quality graphics and sound putting you right in the midst of the gritty action, pitting you against the Japanese in the Pacific arena and Germans on the Russian Front.
Released on November 14 2008, this is a must buy for avid first person shooter gamers.
Click the image to order from Take2.
Electronics
Released on November 26 2008, the Canon Powershot G10 offers a stunning 14.7 megapixels resolution and a 5x telephoto zoom capability.
The Powershot G10 delivers picture perfect quality to the amateur enthusiast and the professional photographer alike.
Click the image to order from Take2.
Tags: Call of Duty 5: World at War, Canon Powershot G10, Hansie Cronje, Harry Potter, HBO Rome, Springbok Radio, World Without End
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