The Arab World Today

It seems like the world is changing and the axis are shifting. People all over the Arab world are in revolt today. It started in Tunisia, where they decided they have had enough of their corrupt government who is dragging their country further in to poverty. They managed to get the entire government to resign with protests.

Then it moved to Egypt, where it is still going on and a lot more violent than Tunisia. President Hosni Mubarak has promised to step down in September, but the protesters want him to leave right now! There has been very violent clashes between pro and anti Mubarak supporters.

Now the revolution has shifted to Yemen. The people are protesting against the president Ali Abdullah Saleh and want him to resign. he in turn has promised to step down when his term is over in 2013, and to NOT transfer power to his son, as is the custom.

It seems the Arab people are tired of being oppressed and exploited. They want democratic rule and no more despots and no more economic failure.

I wonder who willb e next?

Our corrupt government strikes again

Well it comes as no surprise that once again the South African government displays it corrupt core, and proves to the world that they, and South Africa is for sale to the highest bidder. We allow people like Robert Mugabe to come and go into South Africa as he pleases, we give asylum to a despots like Jean Bertrand Aristide of Haiti, but we refuse a peaceful, loving, Nobel peace prize winning man of great spiritual wealth to enter the country. I refer, of course, to the Dalai Lama. South Africa has clearly shown its ugly money hungry face. The government is in very lucrative trade deals with China, a country that does not recognise any human rights. This in its self is a strange thing, seeing as the very government that deals with these people, fought for human rights for years.

Now because China is still oppressing Tibet, and they don't want His Holiness to come to South Africa, our government bows so low down to China, that we refuse the Dalai Lama a visa. The excuse is that there is no significant reason for His Holiness to come to South Africa.

The only saving grace is that not every high powered official is this corrupt. The reason why His Holiness was coming to South Africa, was to attend a peace conference along side other Nobel Peace price winners, such as FW De Klerk, and Desmund Tutu. They have now officially refused to attend the conference without the Dalai Lama. Therefore the conference has been cancelled!!! Not that it is going to make a difference, but at least some people stand up to the corrupt few.

The void the Americans left

Now anybody that knows me very well, will know that traditionally I am not very fond of Americans. Granted, my dislike of them has been based on an extremely bad government and horrible foreign relations policies. I have also only been introduced to the travelling Americans who are fat, obnoxious and loud. My reason for never visiting the US, has been a one man protest against their government trying to play policemen to the world, as well as the arrogance of making it nearly impossible to get a visa.

However....this past week and weekend, has made me change my tone completely. I have met the nicest Americans ever, and although they are just as loud as I am, and sometimes talk waaayyyy to fast for me to understand them, they are such sincere and down to earth people. I loved spending time with them, and at the moment am missing them all so much as they are exploring their way through the Kruger National Park.

Add the fact that my closest cousin (brother) is moving to the US after his marriage to one this weekend, means I ma going to have to go there now. And to tell the truth, I cant wait to go and see everybody again.

So to all my new found American friends, I miss you all, and hope to see you all again soon.

Dealing with Government departments

I always get a shiver up my spine when I have to deal with a government department. They are some of the worst in the world. Unfortunately I had to get my car licence renewed this morning so I had to go stand in a queue at the licencing department. It wasn't as bad as i though it would be. In fact the actual people in the queue were more annoying than the government workers. You always get such a mix of people at these places. There is the Seapoint Jewish coog who doesn't really go to places where there is no doorman, but has to now queue to get her licence, and pretends that she knows nothing... " Oh do I stand here", " sorry I didn't get that form, is it ok if I just give you this". Then there is the old couple who wants to tell EVERYBODY about the car they bought and what a mission it has been to register it. There is also the young guy who is trying to impress people by talking about his car and then shouting at the clerk behind the window about how incompetent the system is and how he refuses to register his car.... that's great buddy, cut your nose to spite your own face. But my personal favourite is the muslim woman with the scarf and three children going to the window, being told that something is wrong, and then asks if "Whafuun is working today", or "is Nuwhaal not in yet"...because her auntie or cousin or brothers cousin or sisters next door neighbours' cousins' wife's father in law mos works for the licencing department and said he will sort out her R1000 fine for late licence. Its a real test to patience going to any government department.

The Springbok Saga

This government is really out of control. They are trying so hard to change everything and anything that was put into place by the previous government, that they are loosing sight of reality. Now they are targeting the Springbok from the rugby. How ridiculous. Its an animal that roams the South African plains. Granted it was allocated to the Rugby team by the previous government, but you can not tell me that a Springbok on a jersey is a symbol of an oppressive government. That is a load of bull. Symbols only has emotion if humans attached emotion to it. In fact the Springbok has probably been the only symbol in this country in the past 15 years that has united us all. EVERYBODY, black, white, green, blue, red, orange and every other colour stood shoulder to shoulder on both world cup tournaments where we won. I think the government should stop trying to wipe out the past, and start working on our countries future.