Photographs on Sunday

On Sunday morning I grabbed my camera kit and headed out to the Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary.

It is only 15kms from where I live but I dont get to go there as often as I would like to. The weather was constantly changing between sunlight and overcast which played havoc with my settings. There were quite a few people in the hide by the time I arrived. One lady who was visiting from Holland told me that she was very involved in setting up the sanctuary way back in the early 70’s.

Will upload more pictures later in the day

Whitefaced Duck (dendrocygna viduata)

 

Southern Crowned Crane (balearica regulorum)

Knob Billed Duck (sarkidiornis melanotas)

Egyptian Goose (alopochen aegyptiacus)

Blacksmith Plover (vanellus armatus)

 

 

Garden visitors

senegal parrot? (Poicephalus senegalus)

I had gone out to see how the Hadedha chicks were doing (they should be flying within the next day or two) when I noticed two parrots gaily eating away at the pink flowers on the tree. I have no idea what tree it is for those of you who want to know 🙂 I had my camera with me with which had a 250mm lens on it but it just wasn’t reaching out far enough to get a clear shot, so I rushed back inside and put on my 500mm lens. Using this large lens without my tripod is quite something! But I need to get used to it, so it was a good exercise.

It is a wonder how many people will walk through their gardens with their eyes cast downwards looking at the lawn and flowers in the beds. They never take the time to see what is happening above them. And I think this is how many people approach their lives. They just don’t take the time or opportunity to see that there is a lot more going on around them.

 

some visitors to our garden

Woodland Kingfisher. I first thought it was the more common Brownhooded Kingfisher but when checking the colour on the lower mandible I realised that it was black instead of orange. The black markings on the wing dont join up on the back as per the other Kingfishers (Mangrove Kingfisher excluded)

Baby Hadeda in nest. Unluckily not a very clear shot as the bird kept ducking out of sight as soon as I moved any closer.

A common visitor, the Cape Robin, searching for worms

 

Photographs in the garden

here I found some fungi which looked interesting –

 

Found in forest

Found during a walk in the forest early one morning. It is surprising what one misses when rushing from one place to another.

 

Sitting down to rest I noticed this spider right above me tending to her young ones. I was told the scientific name for the spider but it seems to have gone in one ear and out the other!

 

 

 

 

 

Death by firing squad!

Received this interesting article. I fully endorse the death penalty in cases like this and make no excuses for it either. Pity we dont have punishment that fits the crime in SA. We would have far less problems.

Marie Nammour / 14 February 2013

Emirati father H.S., 29, was given the death sentence on Wednesday for torturing to death his eight-year-old daughter Wadeema.

His compatriot girlfriend, A.A., was sentenced to life in prison by the Court of First Instance on the same charge.

H.S., a fomer security supervisor, is accused of torturing and confining by force his two daughters, eight and seven, for about six months which led to the death of the eldest and injury to Mira, who suffered permanent disability due to burns all over her body.

The verdict remains subject to appeal within 15 days at the Court of Appeal.

Execution is to be by a firing squad once the capital punishment is upheld by the Court of Cassation and approved by the Dubai Ruler.

Assistant chief prosecutor Shehab Ahmed Saleh had urged the court to impose the death penalty on H.S. and his girlfriend as per Article 344 of the Federal Penal Code.

Saleh said H.S. continued to abuse and torture Mira which indicated that he showed no remorse following the death of Wadeema.

H.S. had admitted during the trial that he hid Wadeema’s body by burying it in a remote desert location

 

Doesn’t the government look after the people first then themselves?

For those who don’t want to read anything long, skip down to the bottom for a bit that sums up the situation as it currently is.

I was under the impression that most governments that are voted in democratically, are there to govern the country/people on behalf of the people, that voted them into power in the first place

Since the ANC came into power here in South Africa they have built up a culture of spending money as if there is no tomorrow. Prior to coming into power they had to depend on the rest of the world to fund them as they claimed not to have any funds to keep operating.

The Mangaung conference (Bloemfontein to us older folk) cost the ruling party’s conference more than R100m. Most of this had to be paid upfront in full as many businesses had not been paid for the ANC’s centenary celebrations held there earlier in the year.

The spending on the Mangaung conference was equal to what the party had spent on its year-long centenary celebrations which means that a total of R200m had been spent purely on the ANC and not on the people they are meant to be representing.

Apparently the following vehicles were seen at the parking lot for the conference (this could not be confirmed but comes from a source normally pretty reliable)
106 BMW X5’s,

28 RANGE ROVER SPORTS,

211 BMW 5 or 7 series sedans,

11 MASERATI’s,

103 MERCEDES BENZ sedans,

6 HUMMERS,

9 FERRARI’s.

Now using the low side of averaging prices for these vehicles it comes to a staggering R351m!! Not bad going for the previously disadvantaged is it? I wasn’t previously disadvantaged according to the government, yet I couldn’t afford most of the cars that were there. Not even a second hand one!

It was your and my taxes that ultimately paid for these cars as well as the luxury accommodation, decadently luxurious and excessive food and drinks (all free!!), wives, spouses, lovers, friends and family.

And only a peep is heard from the people that they are unhappy.

So we continue with the old refrain that the government doesn’t have money for  RDP (matchbox houses at R50 000 each) houses, proper medical facilities where patients don’t die due to lack of care/medicine, an education system that has failed the pupils where the pass mark is artificially manipulated to ensure a good pass rate, a police force that is rife with corruption due to low salaries and improper training, subsidies for old age homes and other care facilities no longer happens, sewerage plants round the country no longer working, water and electricity supplies erratic due to no funds for maintenance. We have people dying in the rural areas due to lack of food/water. The number unemployed has long ago passed the 25% danger point.  And the list goes on……

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“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”  — Margaret Thatcher

The folks who are getting free stuff, don’t like the folks who are paying for the free stuff, because the folks who are paying for the free stuff can no longer afford to pay for both the free stuff and their own stuff.
The folks who are paying for the free stuff want the free stuff to stop, and the folks who are getting the free stuff want even more free stuff on top of the free stuff they are already getting!
Now…  The people who are forcing the people to pay for the free stuff have told the people who are RECEIVING the free stuff, that the people who are PAYING for the free stuff, are being mean, prejudiced, and racist.
So…  The people who are GETTING the free stuff have been convinced they need to hate the people who are paying for the free stuff by the people who are forcing some people to pay for their free stuff, and giving them the free stuff in the first place.
We have let the free stuff giving go on for so long that there are now more people getting free stuff than paying for the free stuff.
Now understand this: all great democracies have committed financial suicide somewhere between 200 and 250 years after being founded.  The reason?  The voters figured out they could vote themselves money from the treasury by electing people who promised to give them money from the treasury in exchange for electing them.  Thomas Jefferson said it best:  “Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not”.
The number of people now getting free stuff outnumbers the people paying for the free stuff.

 We have one chance to change that at the next election will we?  

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The following was received from a black colleague of mine who I considered very pro-ANC.

A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!
Zuma:     Gone!
Schooling: A decent pass rate not a manufactured one!
Culture:  Western Standards not 40 wives cared for by the tax payers!
Corruption Free; No one with a criminal record has a position in Government! (and that includes most of those now warming the benches in Parliament!)
We the people are coming. Let’s take a stand!!!

Now it is becoming very interesting.

 

Oscar Pistorius (Blade Runner)

Image:Beeld

Johannesburg – Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend in the early hours of Thursday morning, apparently after thinking she was an intruder.

The police’s Captain Sarah Mcira confirmed the woman had been shot in the head and arm.

She died at the scene.

Pistorius is apparently in police custody.

Unconfirmed reports from residents living in the area say the woman was shot four times but we will wait for official confirmation.

It is really a sad day in the history of a man that became a role model for so many people.

 

Constitution

 

 

Currently the Americans are embroiled in difference of opinion regarding the second amendment and the right to bear arms. The Americans take what is said in their constitution very seriously and don’t take any changes or misinterpretations to it very lightly.

Now here in South Africa we have a so-called constitution that the rest of the world raved about as it was drafted in such a way that it would protect the citizens of South Africa as well as foreign nationals within our borders. It was hailed as one of the most progressive in the world and enjoyed high acclaim internationally.

Following the repeal of apartheid legislation, South Africa held its first fully democratic national election in 1994. The final Constitution was adopted in 1996 and phased in between 1997 and 1999. South Africa’s Constitution states that South Africa is “founded on a commitment to achieve equality, to promote and protect human dignity and to advance human rights and freedoms”. The Constitution enshrines the principles of supremacy of the rule of law, universal adult suffrage, regular elections and multi-party democracy. The Bill of Rights contained in Chapter 2 of the Constitution is one of the world’s broadest, guaranteeing freedom of speech, movement and political activity, and providing persons accused of crimes with many legal protections including the right to a speedy trial and the right to remain silent. (Victims of crimes seems to have less rights  J )

The Bill of Rights also enshrines the right to access to adequate housing, food, water, education and healthcare, and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy or marital status.

NOW IF THE ABOVE IS TRUE AND THE GOVERNMENT IS SUPPOSED TO ADHERE TO THE CONSTITUTION WHY DO WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE WITHOUT ADEQUATE HOUSING, COMUNITIES WITHOUT WATER, PEOPLE DYING OF HUNGER, SHODDY EDUCATION AND A HEALTHCARE SYSTEM THAT IS FAILING THE VERY PEOPLE IT IS SUPPOSED TO HELP?

NEARLY 20 YEARS ON, WHY DO WE STILL HAVE “BLACK EMPLOYMENT EQUITY” (BEE) WHICH IS TOTALLY RACE ORIENTATED? THESE LAWS ARE CONTRADICTORY TO OUR CONSTITUTION AND EXCLUDES ALL OTHER RACES OTHER THAN BLACK, FROM BEING ABLE TO COMPETE IN THE WORKPLACE FOR JOBS OR WORK.

HOW COME THE REST OF THE WORLD JUST SITS BACK AND ALLOWS IT? WHEN THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT APPLIED DISCRIMINATORY LAWS, THE WORLD WAS QUICK TO APPLY SANCTIONS.

OR IS IT NOW A CASE OF TURNING A BLIND EYE SO THAT THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT   CAN SELL SOUTH AFRICA TO THE COUNTRY WILLING TO BUY IT CHEAPLY?

 

FINANCIAL MAYHEM!

 

A very interesting email was sent to me stating that there was a concern about the South African Government being listed in America on the Stock Exchange.

This is quite normal for various foreign governments who have dealings with other companies in that country.  It is all to do with how foreign sovereign governments and their political subdivisions offer and guarantee debt securities registered in the US  and issued under Schedule B of the Securities Act of 1933.

I quickly did a search on South Africa’s Annual Report on Form 18-K under the Exchange Act of 1934 for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. The figures supplied by the government for the period 2007 to 2013 don’t look all that good to me. I am the first to admit that I don’t have all the knowledge or insight into the statistics of our economy, but when I see how things such as unemployment, Government expenditure, budget deficit and the Net Borrowing Requirement have all increased, I can only wonder if there is any possibility of reversing these trends?

What does concern me is that we have all these loans overseas which are coming up for repayment. Just quickly of the top of my head I know of:

1) Telkom who took a loan of US$1,500,000,000 with interest compounded at 4.665% as from 17 January 2012. Repayments need to take place twice a year, 17 January and 17 July, until the 17^th January 2024 when the loan must be repaid.  The calculator on my phone gave up trying to work out the interest being generated! Will leave it to those of you with financial calculators to work out what it costs us taxpayers for something that we don’t even see the benefits of yet.

I also see in the agreement between SEP, Telkom and Thintana Communications LLC there is mention of, Disadvantaged Groups” meaning  South African groups historically discriminated against on the grounds of race, colour, origin or gender in South Africa.  So Whites, Coloured and Indians will not be employed. Isn’t this racial discrimination and what what all the fuss was about 20 years ago?

Other loans which the government needs to repay:

2) Arms Deal –  It involved US$4.8 billion (R30 billion in 1999 rands) purchase of weaponry by the African National Congress government finalised in 1999. It has been subject to repeated, seemingly substantive, allegations of corruption.[2][3] (source Wiki)

3) Toll road around Pretoria and Johannesburg – The controversial Gauteng toll road system will cost taxpayers R5 billion more than the Gautrain because costs have skyrocketed over R2bn in a year.

If memory serves me right the government used R17 billion of government official’s pension to buy bonds in Sanral. This needs to be paid back.  The government, apart from using the funds illegally, is hoping that some of the 1.3 million civil servants, who drive to work daily, will help fund the project.  So they will be paying their hard earned pension back as well as funding the toll roads.  So it’s a case of robbing Peter to pay Peter (not Paul)!!

This new costing brings the full amount of the roads and toll system, as well as the toll operating costs for the Gauteng freeway Improvement Project, to nearly R35bn over 10 years (source IOL). The largest percentage of the profits that were supposed to be made on the tolling of these roads was to go overseas to the coffers of the Swedish and Austrian branches of the traffic technology company Kapsch which holds a joint 65% stake in the tolling venture. A South African company TMT holds the remaining 35%. To raise additional capital for the venture TMT got KapschTrafficom to invest in the company and now Kapsch owns 56.8% of TMT.  So even more capital is going to leave the country!  (check out companies Gijima (formally AST) and ETC who also have links to the tolling saga.

Gijima made headlines last year when it’s Who Am I Online contract with the home affairs ministry, estimated to be worth about R4 billion, was cancelled.  It isn’t suprising to know that Gijima’s chairperson, Robert Gumede, has strong connections with the governing ANC. There is also some dodgy scheming going on with the companies  that are supposed to pave the way for smart-chip technology such as electronic passports and smart identity cards (you could check out Mac from the president’s office?) .

– Please explain to me how the government financial advisor said in February 2012 that South Africa can afford to push our national debt to an amount of R1 trillion thereby pushing our debt up from 45% to 75%? WE CANNOT EVEN SERVICE OUR EXISTING LOANS!!