Re : If Atheists Ruled the World

Gaza - What else?

Hmm. So there are various sides to this story. Who knew?

I've just come back from visiting one of my favourite columnists - Thomas L. Friedman (that's the wonderful thing about the net - he didn't even know I was there), who put the whole thing into interesting perspective in his New York Times op-ed piece The Mideast’s Ground Zero

Mr Friedman is part environmental activist, part economist, part many other things: I recently downloaded podcasts of his book The World Is Flat and listened to all nine hours straight; and when I grow up and make lots of money I intend buying his newest book "Hot, Flat and Crowded" (you'd think the government would zero-rate books, wouldnya? Make them cheap as possible so that they're as accessible as possible. But not a chance - books are as expensive as they can be because there's more tax to be collected that way. Maybe there's an ANC plot to blinker the proletariat by keeping it as uneducated as possible? Now there's a thought...)

Back to Gaza, though: remember the Eagles' line "the more I think about it ol' Billy was right, let's kill al the lawyers, let's kill 'em tonight?"

Maybe if we did that to the religions, kill 'em tonight, we wouldn't need the lawyers, and then we wouldn't haveta kill 'em (the lawyers, I mean).

And Mr Friedman has argued that we fund terrorism by our ridiculous reliance on oil. So maybe the other leg of the cure for Gaza lies in finding a cure for fossil fuels?

Huh?

Writer's Block. Sunday, January 4

I woke. I ran. I stretched (viruous, wasn't I?), I showered under the garden hose; I loaded and unloaded the washing macine (twice); I read (Bryson's Shakespeare. Couldn't put it down); I slept on the couch; I ate a tuna salad; and I edited reams and reams of stuff.

What the hell ever happened to WRITING?

If I were to dare open the file, I think I'd find the last story (that's new fiction) I worked on happened about 6 months ago. It's only half way through (!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - writer's frustration depicted by illegal use of multiple ! marks). It's far from finished (!!!!!!!!!!!!). It's bugging me (!!!!!!!!!!) and yet I just can't get to it.

Sigh. So this is writer's block?

Belthar's Garden

So I finished revision number 6 and sent the manuscript off to the publishers on Boxing Day. Quite an appropriate present for them, don't you think? Or is that arrogant?

I realised on that day that this book has so far been five years in the making - it began in 2003 - an unusual day because that was when I saw the whole theme of the book in a flash (and I remember where I was when it happened). Usually, I have to drag my stories out of their closets, screaming and kicking. Unkulunkulu's Music cost me almost an entire kitchen (smash a glass? Not me. I can smash a wooden table AND break its legs and - pah! - a solid cupboard door is NOTHING).

I was walking the dogs (all theree of them were still alive then - now it's only Veisha) past the old steel barrel at the end of my driveway when it happened and I came inside and smacked out the first few pages in an hour. Then it lazed around a while, and then got going in fits and starts, until it got itself done about a year later. Now 5 re-writes down the line, and I think it's looking good.

Well, let's see what the publishers say. And please - hold thumbs for me.

New Year Blogolution

Yeah - that's it: my new year's resolution is to blog more.

Let's begin here, shall we: with a vlog post by a bloke called Benny Lewis about learning to tango:



Learning tango in Buenos Aires from Matador Network on Vimeo.

I'm next...

Who's that mime?

I've become fascinated by mime since my friend Collen Marawa told me he taught himself the art (and now supports himself - and his extended family - through it)

Here's Collen at work:



If you want him to perform at your function, contact him through me... I'll gladly pass the message on.

And just for fun, here's the supreme master, Marcelle Marceau:



... who continues to inspire everyone. From writers to wrappers:

Married Couple Qualify for Land Rover G4 Challenge National Selections

PRINCE ALBERT, 17 SEPTEMBER 2008: Husband and wife Ian and Susan Don-Wauchope made history today when they became the first married couple to qualify for National Selections in the search for South Africa’s two-person team for the Land Rover G4 Challenge.

They’ll meet Tatum Prins, Abbey Mediema, Jeannie Bomford, Jan Schutte, Andre Gie and Richard Kolbe as well as the top eight runners-up and four wild cards (selected by Land Rover South Africa) in Lesotho next month.

Runners-up in this last rotation of the Regional Selections were Jennifer Soutar, Christine Woods, Jeremy Green and Craig Carter-Brown.

“At the National Selections we will be looking for two men and two women to go forward to the International Selections in England next year, when one South African man and one South African woman will be chosen to participate in the Challenge itself,” said Land Rover South Africa’s General Manager of Marketing and Sales, Roland Reid.

As the Don-Wauchopes (the ‘ch’ is pronounced as it is in the Scottish ‘loch’) were married only four months ago and her new identity documents have not yet been issued, Susan went into the Regional Selections under her maiden name – Erskine.

“Making it into the Nationals is an incredible achievement by any standards,” said Mark Collins of Magnetic South, the company managing the Selections on behalf of Land Rover South Africa.

“The Land Rover G4 Challenge is the greatest adventure race in the world, and it attracts the top multi-sports athletes – so you can image how tough and unforgiving the competition was amongst the 120 candidates in the Regionals.

“Scoring was particularly difficult in the fourth rotation as the main contenders ran neck-and-neck all the way: but both Ian and Susan stood out in the end, and it’s a wonderful coincidence that they just happen to be married.”

In fact, South Africa’s Martin Dreyer, the current Land Rover G4 Challenge world title holder, said that “this was a very romantic result because Mark and Belen and John and Christine Collins of Magnetic South were also Land Rover G4 Challenge finalists – and both brothers met their wives on the Land Rover G4 Challenge.”

He said that Sue and Ian had it in them to make it all the way through but that they should expect enormous pressure if they do.

“The Challenge is an individual event, but it is also adventure racing so teamwork is vitally important, too - so imagine what it will be like for a husband and wife to race with each other and against each other at exactly the same time!”

Roland Reid commented on the professional way in which Magnetic South had managed the Regional Selections and said that National Selections could be expected to be similarly impressive.

“Contestants should know that we are looking for people with as much athletic ability as strategic thinking skills – so everyone who makes it into the squad will have to up their game.

“But having seen the quality of the athletes who’ve come through so far, we’re confident that South Africa will be fielding a winning team when the Land Rover G4 Challenge gets going in Mongolia next year,” he said.

More information at www.landroverg4challenge.com. A South African supporters group - “Land Rover G4 Selections South Africa” - has been created on Facebook.

ENDS

NOTE: Squad for National Selections for South Africa’s Land Rover G4 Challenge team.

1. The winners of each of rotation in the Regional Selections are guaranteed places in the National squad. They are Abbey Mediema, Andre Gie, Ian Don-Wauchope, Jan Schutte, Jeannie Bomford, Richard Kolbe, Susan Erskine and Tatum Prins;
2. Eight runners-up will also go into the squad. The complete list of runners up (in alphabetical order) is: Catherine Treasure, Christine Woods, Craig Carter-Brown, David Krige, Graham ‘Tweet’ Bird, Hanlie Booyen, Jeanette Walden, Jennifer Soutar, Jeremy Green, Liske Lauterbach, Mike Hewan, Nicholas Mulder, Olivier Feuillet, Robin Farrar, Susan Jane Sloan and Ugene Nel;
3. Land Rover South Africa will choose four wild cards from amongst the 120 athletes who took part in Regional Selections;
4. The Company will announce the names of the eight runners-up as well as its wild cards in the next few days.