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23 November 2002 |
Mark Steyn has fun with James Bond movie titles and well-known political personalities. My personal favourite:
FOR YOUR THIGHS ONLY: Bill Clinton was a struggling Little Rock lounge act when Cubby Broccoli offered him the role of 007. Widely considered his best performance, this big-budget Bondbuster begins with curvy intern Holly Goodhead alone in the Ministry of Defence lift. Suddenly the doors slide open and there's Bill: "Going down?" he says. Holly replies, "Is that an unusual looking Beretta .25 in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?" He stops the lift between floors, apologising to M (Dame Hillary Rodham) for being late yet again. "I'm afraid something came up."
....
Clinton was expected to hold the role for years, but in his second film, the introduction of Jaws, the steel-teethed intern, led to his unexpected retirement as 007.
Wicked!
10:17:15 PM 
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Shame, shame, shame
No comments or links on that appalling game at Twickenham this afternoon, beyond saying that Jannes Fucking Labuschagne should stand trial for stupidity and treason. Butch Bloody James and Robbie Friggin' Fleck should be charged as accessories. I am not going to read the British sports pages tomorrow either, I can predict what they will be saying. The BBC commentary team and Clive Woodward were scathing enough, I don't want to see what Stephen Jones & co. will write.
9:16:50 PM
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Hoo, boy! Here's a grisly tale about an 11-year-old boy being swallowed by a python.
5:00:47 PM
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Mbeki Says
For many years, the ANC's opponents had striven to propagate the false idea that the party was characterised by division and disunity, said Mbeki.
"They have tried to project our leadership as a self-serving cabal that uses the membership of the movement as mindless cannon fodder, while it pursues selfish interests that have nothing to do with the realisation of the aspirations of the masses of our people.
"Accordingly, this leadership has consistently been represented as manipulative, autocratic, unreasonably sensitive to criticism, and hostile to the expression of the voice of the people, as defined above."
I'd say that is a very accurate description, Thabo!
And I think John Matshikiza might agree with me.
10:50:49 AM
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Robert Kirby Rages On
Scratching at the scabs that cover the awful truth of South African society. The statistics he quotes are sobering. In the same week that an English tourist is abducted and raped in Mpumalanga, and the perlemoen poachers are running rampant and uncontrolled at Betty's Bay, maybe old Bobs has got a point or two. Still one of the best writers in SA - his column archive is here. (How about this savage hatchet job on Marthinus van Schalkwyk and his fellow-thugs of the NNP? Delicious).
On his theme of today, two reports on News24 bear witness to the apalling incidence of child rape in our country. The M&G Editorial more soberly joins in the chorus.
Meanwhile, it seems President Mbeki is more concerned about maintaining control over his fractious party and allies than in maintaining law and order.
10:48:13 AM
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Different class. African Americans were once hailed but now they face jeers abroad. Gary Younge on a double-edged progress. [Guardian Unlimited]
There are some grains of truth in this, but I find some of the arguments to be a little forced, and I'm very uncomfortable with the black/white, left/right generalizations and inherent reverse racism in them. Why should Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice be scorned and rejected for serving under a Republican president? Why should Tiger Woods come under unbearable pressure to fight some battle over the US Masters when all he wants to do is be the world's best golfer? One of the nicest things about the Tiger is his non-race consciousness, and probably the same is true of Colin Powell.
I was brought up to believe in the worth of a person's merit, whatever his colour or race - it should not be a consideration. And yet, racism is rampant - take this Marxist analysis of the South African situation viz-a-viz the ANC and SACP in the current M&G. Take also the vicious slap-down accorded to Jeremy Cronin, as committed a comrade as you can find, merely because he happens to be white.
10:11:55 AM
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Microsofter. The software giant has emerged from its antitrust quagmire, and it has a new product to pitch. Might its reversal of fortune have something to do with Steve Ballmer's re-engineered personality? By Steve Bodow. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]
Long, admiring article about the "reformed" Steve Ballmer. At least we have the Monkeyboy video to remind us of the real thing.
9:54:14 AM
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Religious Violence in Nigeria Drives Out Miss World Event. Organizers announced that the Miss World beauty competition would be moved to London after violence in Nigeria was linked to the pageant. By Alan Cowell. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]
Incredible! I fear we are going to be seeing and reading much more about sectarian violence and related issues in Nigeria, irrespective of where the Miss World contest is held. Is Africa's largest and most populous nation a viable country?
9:28:16 AM
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How to win at Twickenham
Contrary to what you may have heard, beating England at Twickenham on Saturday should be a doddle. All South Africa have to do is win their scrums and lineouts and avoid giving away penalties within 60m of their own posts. Easy.
So says Andy Capostagno, tongue in cheek. It's all about the basics. Let's see how the Boks apply it tomorrow. Can they surprise a rampant England side, unbeaten at home for 17 matches?
1:18:22 AM
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And maybe sublimation and subsitution too.
Steve MacLaughlin got to spend time with his mind on a solo drive from NC to IN, and came up with a bunch of interesting thoughts, including this one:
I have become convinced that all of the technology that allows people to be accessible anywhere, day or night, actually allows us to avoid being found in the first place. With cellphones, pages, PDAs, voicemail, email, and everything in-between you would think that you could track down people in a moments notice if you really need to. But in reality people either turn the things off, screen their calls, or let everything and everyone sit in voicemail limbo. Technology has allowed people to become even more passive aggressive than they already were to begin with. In the past you might actually have to confront someone or be confronted about a problem or issue, but now you can just pick and choose who gets to see the wizard.
Not sure about the passive aggressive thing... I think avoidance and intellectualization are equally operative defense mechanisms. In any case, a point well made.
[The Doc Searls Weblog]
Some profound thoughts in here, and I want to follow that link about Defence Mechanisms sometime.
1:00:15 AM
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Companies hold meetings because they cannot actually masturbate.
— Dave Barry
Enough said.
(Courtesy of Doc Searls - here. Actually a wonderful primer on making and giving a presentation, and devastating critique on your average conference powerpoint presentation).
12:42:27 AM
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Bravo Buthelezi
This is potentially good news for our family, all of us dual passport holders, all of us Proud South Africans, but the utility of the second passport in a world without borders is a valuable thing to have.
And Oom Krisjan Lemmer comments about the original scare article (and other things).
12:38:37 AM
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© Copyright 2006 Robert C Wallace.
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