2006 SA medium term budget speech

there sure has been a lot of negative publicity about sa recently and to tell you the truth i was dreading going back there when i went a couple of months ago. however i was pleasantly surprised with what's happening there. the people and the economy seemed vibrant... there was construction and building everywhere and every second person was having huge alterations / extentions done on their house (like hobson said to me: "i've never ever seen more than one crane in durban... now they're all over the show"). there does seem to be some genuine optimism there at the mo.

anyway, i have just read the 2006 medium term budget speech delivered by trevor manuel on 25 oct. it sure does sound like sa is going in the right direction. the speech can be found on:

http://www.finance.gov.za/documents/mtbps/2006/mtbps/speech.pdf

it is quite long though (16 pages) - so here are some of the higlights:

Economic overview

"South Africa is in the midst of its longest sustained economic expansion. Robust economic growth, supported by strong consumer spending and rising investor confidence, has created over one million jobs in the past three years. While unemployment remains our most pressing social and economic challenge, for the first time in a generation, the economy is creating jobs faster than new entrants are joining the labour force. Though it is too early to claim victory in the battle against unemployment, we can see how growth and development work together to reduce overty and improve livelihoods, how the policy choices we made a decade ago are bearing fruit."

"In celebrating the solid performance of our economy, we must continue to be mindful that there are still too many South Africans who go to bed hungry, too many who stare at the fragile walls of their shacks and far too many for whom disease makes life a daily struggle."

"In the past four years, our economy has expanded by an average of 4,2 per cent a year, with growth almost 5 per cent last year."

"The expansion of the social security system has contributed to poverty reduction and reduced vulnerability of many households. At the same time, real income tax relief for low and middle-income earners has raised disposable income. People have purchased more durable goods such as televisions, fridges, furniture and cars. We have seen an acceleration of consumer spending, an unprecedented rise in house prices - and steadily rising household debt."

Adjustment budget

"Government's initial equity in the proposed broadband telecommunications company, InfraCo... amounts to R1,4 billion."

"R372 million rolled over to the 2006/07 Housing vote will contribute to financing the N2 Gateway housing project."

"... in February this year, we tabled a budget proposing R472 billion in spending. Taking account of changes in the adjustments budgets, total spending in 2006/07 is projected to be R474 billion, up nearly R60 billion, or 14 per cent, in comparison with last year... Next year, expenditure will again increase by R60 billion."

Fiscal Policy

"Fiscal space provides government with an array of options: to spend more, to provide tax relief, to invest in infrastructure or to improve saving. More importantly, it provides a firm platform upon which we can reform our economy to ensure that we broaden opportunities to those still marginalised."

"Revenue growth is again expected to outpace spending growth next year. We anticipate a budget surplus of about half a per cent of GDP in 2007/08, putting the public finances on the strongest footing... that this House has ever contemplated."

Public spending

"The major priorities for additional spending are the following:

• Investment in stadiums and public transport to ensure a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup
• Stepped up investment in the built environment in the form of housing, electricity, water, sanitation and community facilities
• Contributing to improved economic efficiency through investment in roads, rail, research and development, energy and skills development
• Strengthening the criminal justice sector, with particular emphasis on visible policing and improving court case flow; and
• Improving the quality of education, health and welfare services through additional resources and targeted interventions to improve public administration.

Fighting crime

"As a government, we are committed to the reduction of crime, and particularly violent crime. We are acutely aware of the damage that crime does to our social fabric and psyche, and it's impact on all South Africans, including the livelihoods of small business and the poor."

"We make provision for a further 10 000 people to be employed by the South African Police Service... We also make provision for more people to be employed in the legal system..."

Enhancing economic capacity

"Major infrastructure projects over the next three years include the Gautrain rapid rail link, King Shaka Airport, the de Hoop Dam on the Olifants River and the Vaal River augmentation project."

Improving the performance of the public sector

"This budget framework makes provision for increased salaries for certain categories of professions, especially in the health and social welfare sectors."

Conclusion:

"... the solid performance of our economy, in particular the creation of job opportunities and rising household incomes, allows us to turn the dreams of ordinary people into new realities. The expansion of infrastructure investment and the management of our public finances provide us with the capacity and resources to improve the services we provide to our people, to build hope and expand opportunities. ... invites... all South Africans, to embrace the challenges ahead as we prepare for 2010 and as we progressively broaden participation in a growing economy, with confidence in these shared commitments."

seeing things

The annals say: when the monks of Clonmacnoise
Were all at prayers inside the oratory
A ship appeared above them in the air.

The anchor dragged along behind so deep
It hooked itself into the altar rails
And then, as the big hull rocked to a standstill,

A crewman shinned and grappled down the rope
And struggled to release it. But in vain.
'This man can't bear our life here and will drown,'

The abbot said, 'unless we help him.' So
They did, the freed ship sailed, and the man climbed back
Out of the marvellous as he had known it.

Lightenings VIII
Seamus Heaney

bday potjie (21.10.06)

it was my 28th birthday last thursday. being 10 years since i turned 18, i decided to give it a good go to see whether i still had it in me. so ended up going out on wednesday (some turkish jol with a sheesha), thursday (restaurant in farringdon - thanks wiggy), friday (the grand - why???), and then had a potjie on sat at home.

the sat potjie was the main event. it's an understatement to say that i don't usually attract the crowds (i think my most successful ever house party back home had 7 guests)... so it was quite a surprise that over 30 people rocked up. kirk was in charge of the potjie... and although it was a little late... it came out great!!! not much else happened except the gift giving ceremony (thanks guys for all the super presants) and getting kinda wasted - you know things are getting pear-shaped when fleetwood mac comes out. most of the people left between about 12pm and 1am... except for two dodgy stragglers who lasted until 4.45am (when his wife phoned) and 10am the next morning - no names mentioned.

thanks to all you guys for the bday wishes - you guys sure are special.

war of the words

i was having a few beers with wiggy a few saturday's ago and he expressed his disgust hobson's supposed intellectual supremacy. it became nasty, a few insults started flying around, and wiggy ended up challenging hobson to a bout vocab boxing.

so here we have it - the "war of the words"... a contest so brutal and blood-thirsty, we have not seen the likes of it since the "thrilla in manila" or the "rumble in the jungle" nearly forty years ago.

rules:

both contestants have submitted a word. neither knows what the other has submitted. i will be sole judge... because it's my website and i said so (and i'm a bit egotistical). the bout will consist of nine rounds... with a 10 point scoring system and the usual 8 standing count. points are awarded for clean, solid blows to the opponent's vocabluary (no swearing allowed), with hits to the voicebox being especially valuable. victory may also be achieved if the opponent is rendered silent and unable to communicate before the referee counts to ten (this is known as a knock-out).

the contestants:

in the red corner, sporting a £450 ralph lauren coat and designer blonde highlights... born in toti and educated at kingsway... his vocal skills honed in potch... please welcome... from the coldest place in the world... the challenger... rory "wiggy" withfield!!!

in the blue corner, wearing some dodgy old shit... hailing from westville and having spent time mastering his intellect in dallas, texas... known as the "chiltern park enlightened one"... please welcome... the reigning heavy word champion of the world... the walking dictionary... mr grant "hobnob" hobson!!!



round 1 (the word):


wiggy comes out of the corner super fast and immediately delivers "xenophobia". hobson takes a step back, a little surprised by his opponent's vocab power... he's a bit of an unknown quantity is wiggy... and he sure does look up for the challenge. hobson, the experienced pro that he is, regains his composure and counters with "pontificate".

score 9 - 9

round 2 (meaning):

wiggy again comes out firing, "xenophobia denotes a phobic attitude toward strangers or of the unknown". sure does look like wiggy has done his homework... all those hard hours in the library are paying off. hobson on the defensive now, trying his best to escape the barrage of slick-tongued attacks, "pontificate - to express opinions or judgments in a dogmatic way". looks like wiggy took that round, i would be surprised if any of the armchair fans out there scored it differently.

score 10 - 9 (wiggy)

round 3 (orgin):

hobson, obviously realising he is a fight now, storms out unleashing a string of verbal body-shots, "the word is derived from the latin word pontifex, which literally means bridge-maker. it could therefore be construed to mean a bridge between god and humanity". wiggy, not willing to concede an inch, finshes the round strongly, and fires back with "it comes from the greek words xenos, meaning foreigner or stranger, and phobos, meaning fear".

score 10 - 9 (wiggy)

round 4 (length of the word):

the bout has settled down a bit now, and hobson using all his experience to get back into the match notes that his word contains 11 letters to wiggy's 10. no denying then that it is hobson's round. is the tide about to change?

score 10 - 9 (hobson)

round 5 (scrabble score):

it's getting vicious now... both linguists are scrapping to secure that vital edge. pontificate 18. xenophobia 24. hobson hits the canvas and goes down for the 8 count. that blow has visibly rocked hobson. is this the end?

score 10 - 8 (wiggy)

round 6 (frequency of use):

wiggy is unable to follow that massive blow up. according to recent statistics, pontificate is the 1,047th least popular word in the english language and is used approximately 453 times each day worldwide. xenophobia is the 17,561st least popular word and is used 3287 times each day. what a jaw-dropping blow... that sure has knocked the wind out of wiggy's lungs... he's beginning to look ragged.

score 10 - 8 (hobson)

round 7 (context):

hobson sensing weakness for the first time in the bout goes for the dialectual jugular... putting on his best colonial accent, he muses: "the new professor always pontificates". hmmm... okay then. simple but effective. it seems to work. it appears as if that line was a like a dagger to wiggy's voicebox... he stutters: "xen... xeno... xenophobia... is... is... is a greek word..." he trails off, stumbling around, trying to pull words out of his subconscious to use it the context of a sentence. the bell goes... what a round for hobson. he can sense victory!!!

score 10 - 8 (hobson)

round 8 (ryhme):

looks like wiggy may be suffering from a severe case of stupidity... he's dribbling and mumbling, "xenophobia... he's a yiddo!!!" what??? wiggy sure must be hurt. hobson goes in for the kill, "mate... don't pontificate... it only causes hate... and that puts more on your plate... let's make a date... to go to the fate... but wait... it's not too late... james brown is in town... quarter pounder with cheese and choc fries with that please"... looks like hobson's mental condition hasn't escaped unscathed from the beating he took in the earlier rounds... but he's managed to ryhme his word and it's enough to send wiggy to his knees. the count starts... and looks like wiggy's battling to make it... ding ding... and he's saved by the bell!!!

score 10 - 8 (hobson)

round 9 (???)

seeing the condition of wiggy's left frontal lobe (the linguistic part of the brain) and his inability to communicate in any normal way, maite (wiggy's trainer) tells him that she is going to stop the contest before he goes out for the last round. "i want him boss", wiggy shouts. "it's all over. no one will forget what you did here today", she replies and throws in the towel.

hobson, jumps up and punches the air in delight... and then collapses like a sobbing baby on the floor. what a wonderful bout it has been. wiggy, barely conscious, staggers over to hobson and congratulates him. they both pass out. the brutal nature if the bout means wiggy needs to go back to the first year of primary school to relearn the basic english language (the cat sat on the mat, etc). hobson meanwhile is cared for by elaine in yet another vocab camp. guess that's the end of hobson's word of the week for a while.

how to survive in the office

click on the link below for your 20 step guide of how to survive in the office. use it... don't use it...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1924681,00.html

dam shrooms (29.07.05)

so i was chilling out in my bedroom last night listening to the first keane album when i decided to have a look through some of my old travel diaries. i came across a rather obscure and hasty entry that i think i was hoping to forget. it told the story of the first day of my trip to amsterdam with frank in late july 2005 (additional commentary in bold):

got into dam +-1pm. met jon near bulldog and door's cafe's (if turn right outside station and past ibis hotel). found hostel - tourist inn (5 bed room - euro32/each/day). went to shop - got shrooms. apparently got the weak ones (mexican) because we were virgins [jon intially wanted to get the intermediate ones, but we erred on the side of caution - there is a time and a place for hero's]. chick said, "light buzz, see some nice colours". little did we know - they should have given us a little warning - those things are dangerous.

(approx 3pm) went to a quiet pub just outside redlight district. had a beer and ate about 70% of the shrooms. sitting there chilling when an old chinese lady fell off her bicycle right in front of us. [jon, demonstrating the putting-your-foot-down-movement with his hand: "i couldn't do that if i tried... i would have to bypass my natural reaction sysem"]. we started giggling [everyone else rushed over to help] and couldn't stop - then the shrooms kicked in - and all hell broke loose.

couldn't function properly. didn't know where i was. physcadelic colours everywhere. couldn't think properly - everything became a mission [literally] - getting cigarettes, going to the loo, finding our way back to the hostel, etc. was def tripping - must be like an lsd trip (jon said it was like acid). tried to keep away from crowds and from children (didn't want to scare them).

tried to head for a quiet place - "the forest" but ended up on a bench over-looking a river, with hostel card in hand, puzzling over how to get back [myself to jon: "dude... what we gonna do?". jon to me: "just hold on and hope for the best... weather the storm", followed by a little jon giggle - it was then that i knew we were in serious trouble].

eventually [after an unknown period of time] plucked up the courage to find a way home - and as the effects wore off, we managed to go home and sleep. we needed a quiet room - but all the others came blundering in soon afterward. went for a few beers and got to bed approx 12pm.

follow up: we went for beers the next day and had the left over shrooms in our pockets. we sure did treat those things with respect. it kinda felt like that feeling you get when you're about to grip one of those electric shock machines - excited but super scared. there was defintitely some under-estimation on our part with regards to our initial shroom use.

i did some research on wikipedia on the effects of shrooms. i can definitely vouch for the following:

general:

"As with many psychoactive substances, the effects of any mushrooms consumed are subjective and unpredictable. Generally speaking, the experience of psilocybin containing mushrooms lasts four to six hours or more. The effect is typically inwardly oriented, with strong visual and auditory components. Visions and revelations may be experienced, and the effect can range from exhilarating to distraught. There can be also a total absence of effects, even with large doses."

physical:

"weakness in the limbs (making locomotion difficult)"
"pupil dilation"

sensory:

"As with many hallucinogens, the sensory effects are often the most dramatic of the experience. Most general doses cause a noticeable enhancement and contrasting of worldly colors, surfaces that seem to ripple, shimmer, or breathe, and some visual hallucinations." - hmm... let me think... floating dolphins, midgets in west ham kits, physcadelic flowers.

emotional:

"Some users may experience intense episodes of hilarity." - NB NB NB (this is when you know you are mashed for sure).
"Also, anxiety and paranoia are possible." - my fear of children. jon's fear of water.

psychological:

"Mushrooms cause the mind to conduct itself in an unusual manner." - yep... can't say i disagree with this statement.
"The mind seems to flow more lucidly from idea to idea." - we refered to this as goldfish-bowl memory. you can't concentrate on any one idea for more than 3 or 4 seconds.
"Time dilation has been reported, with minutes and seconds taking an unusually large amount of time to pass." - felt like we were on that bench forever.
"There may also be some indecisiveness in deciding what to do or get." - hence myself and frank sitting on a bench near a river clutching onto the hostel card for dear life unable to get home. that card was our lifeline... our umbilical cord back to reality.

and here's to you master robinson

"but what can paul do? commit suicide? he can't do that because he's got another game on saturday." - martin jol

the english press sure are a laugh - can't believe they are trying to pin the defeat on super robbo. the england defeat was a defeat because of a steaming-pile-of-shit-like performance by the outfield players. that's the end of it. anyone with half a brain can see that the ball hit a dibbit and he could do nothing about it - it's happened to every football player in the world ever... it's happened to me.

the english nation are priviledged to have such a man defending their goal. it's plain to see that he's passionate and he cares. not like neville, ferdinand, or cole who are so far up their own asses they tend to dribble shit whenever they open their mouths. if the press are looking for scapegoats, they should look at the supposed leaders of the team who stroll through like they're walking their granny's poodle (okay there's only one of those - lampard), or the players who are soooo average that if you put them in a team of under 6's you wouldn't notice them (carragher, crouch, downing).

there's no doubt about it - robbo is the best keeper in the whole world ever, and he will drive spurs on the champions league qualification this season. go on robbo!!!

england's number one
england's, england's number one
england's number one
england's england's number one

ps. team to take england forward: robbo, brown, terry, king, bridge, hargreaves, carrick, gerrard, joey cole, rooney, jd.

hobson's word of the week - #4

hobson's word of the week - #4:

plangent

origin of the word:

dunno - but the japense translation is 哀調を帯びた (pronounced "aichou wo obita").

meaning of the word:

there are two definitions for plangnent:

1. having a loud, rich sound
2. having a mournful sound

hobson's context:

1. loud, rich

hobson to bell-ringer: "my word... those are plangent bells"
bell-ringer to hobson: "what are you on about dude... those are brass bells"

2. mournful

a distant-looking hobson to mate: "from the doorway came the plangent sounds of a guitar"
a confused-looking mate to hobson: "dude... what the f*ck are you on about?"

learning the word:

this appears to be more a written word than a spoken word (if there is such a thing). "plangent" doesn't roll off the tongue easily. although it does ryhme with "tangent" - which is a cool word used by mathematicians. i would suggest that you use "plangent" in emails, letters, essays, novels, theses, and postcards, etc. below is a link to a a clever girl who has used "plangent" as the title for a blog concerning big brother (orwell not ferdie):

http://scrawford.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2005/3/22/464370.html

barca pics

i have uploaded pictures of our trip to barcelona. if any of you are interested - click on the barca link on the right hand side of the page under previous posts. the pictures are intermingled with the text (jon... just so you know - you don't have to read the text again.)

an ode to spank (06.10.06)


4 october was spanky's 28th birthday. so on friday night we all headed down to an african pub on kingston road in south wimbledon called murumba (i think). turned out to be a really cool night - a few of us drank a bit too much - but was great to see everyone again: buffy and sarah, graeme, target and bee (i love you guys).

happy birthday spanky - thanks for being such a great mate in london over the years.

just jinjer rock (27.09.06)

i've never been a big just jinjer fan, but when i heard they were playing at the botanic gardens on my second-to-last night in south africa, i thought what the hell. having only one friend in durban (you know who you are), i cruised down to the concert with my sister and her mates.

it sure is a weird set up - like everything in durban it is super chilled. the stage is small and simple - no big screens, no hi-tech flame throwers, no unnecessary stuff. the lighting is amazing (mainly due to the selfless work of clint mcconnell - that man is an inspiration). there is no golden circle. apparently you are not allowed to be in the front if you are going to stand. everyone sits around on their blankets with their picknik baskets, munching on cocktail sausages and chillibites. it's mellow. most of the people are in the 16 - 24 yr old bracket. i felt old.

the time on the ticket says 7.30pm. the show started at 7.30pm. no messing around with rubbish supporting acts. just plain fat darren introduced the band and then kicked back with a beer and a fag and his feet up on the side of the stage. they started off with a few of their more popular songs. i don't know the names of the songs. people were just sitting there - unsure of what to do. only the younger folk, the 16 to 20 yr olds, looked enthusiastic. they didn't care. this is the generation that is going to carry the nation to greatness. they have passion. the older generation - my generation - seemed afraid to enjoy the music. we really are the lost generation. generation x.

sugarman, five or six songs in, finally got everyone on their feet. soon enough people were singing and dancing around. despite being a bluff boy, art (the lead singer) sure does come up with some awesome, uniting lyrics - very apt in the current context of south african society. the new song is especially good. it was great. the atmosphere was fantastic and a feeling of love and goodwill reigned down. it gave me hope.

after the concert i bumped into a few old mates from school and varsity days (steve, clint, and lee... as well as kenny from hills howard). it was super cool to hang out with them and reminisce about the old days and find out how other guys are doing. we sure did have a laugh. and we had our picture taken with art - which was a bonus.

i felt priviledged to be able to have such a great night.

just a quick note on south africa: i hadn't been back for ages and i was expecting the worst after all the stories i had heard. but what i saw and felt came as a pleasant surprise. the place is colourful and vibrant. things seem to be moving forward and improving. there is loads and loads of construction going on everywhere and durban is flush with money at the mo. i'll def be back there in a few years to live. south africa is still the most awesome place in the world.

but stand proud, stand tall, look round
you've done the impossible
and here's to you
you've found yourself
and it's about time