idle banter

Friday, September 22, 2006

Death defying dyslexic spam

Yep, tis true. Got this mail today:

Dear Sir/Madam

reply back to benfrank10@gamail.co.za

Good day, my name is FRANKLINE BENJAMIN. I just arrival in Johannesburg, South Africa few days ago. I really need your help to invest in South Africa.

I know you will be surprised to receive this mail, considering the fact that we don't know each other, However I got your contact details from the internet network search, before I precedes, I want you to know that I have

$5.8 million DOLLARS (five million eight hundred thousand dollars) with me as I am sending you this email deposited in a private security company as vault. Please don't be surprised.

Of all the celebrity death conspiracies, one has to wonder if Benjamin Franklin's conspiracy ever reached Elvis proportions. Thankfully, Ol Ben is safe and sound in SA desperately trying to find a vault.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

This is the last birthday message I'm posting

Happy birthday Pete ... for yesterday.

For the rest of you, Happy Birthay Wishes for Eternity ya'll

Your story is your story

I'm a firm believer that your story is your story. As it is rooted in your experience and by virtue, your story is a simple retelling of your experience. It is not then a ventured opinion that is open for debate and scrutiny. When this understanding is in place, it opens room for everyone to learn from the stories they hear and to be touched by the significance of the story. When working with organisations and narrative I affirm this point. But in recent days there has been a news story that has made me question whether such reverence of experience is valid. It is the furore stirred up by Pope Benedict quoting a Byzantine leader who slated the impact Mohammed had on the world in spreading Islam.

The Islam community has lashed out at his speech and the inference regarding his belielfs on Islam. Their response, understood as a story, has been characterised by pain and hurt. As a Christian African Westerner (sho, a mouthfull) I have found myself believing that the Muslim world has just misinterpreted the quote and not seen it in the grander picture of what Benedict is trying to achieve: greater tolerance and acceptance. But then, in listening to an interview with a Muslim cleric on TV this morning about the issue, I wonder if I have fallen into the trap of subjugating the "story" the Muslims are telling us? For the Muslims, from what I can understand, the issue here is that Bendict did not distance himself and his personal stance from the content of the quote. By virtue of this not happening, his has covertly stated he is anti-Muslim. But, I do not know if I am right on this.

How do we really open ourselves to the messages and lessons behind stories? How do we open ourselves to another's story, no matter how different and imcomprehensible it seems to us?

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Happy Birthday Sid

26 today!

Monday, September 04, 2006

Scientology

Have any of you read or delved into Scientology? The recent extravaganza surrounding Tom Cruise and his rumoured placenta-eating exercise with Kate prompted me to check it out.

Some resources:

Wikipedia - Scientology
The Church of Scientology
A site dedicated to Tom (a real goodie)

So, my question is this: as a philosophy, can Scientology be considered morally neutral and defensible?

I've tried to be neutral on this issue, but could not resist including this awesome pic of L. Ron Hubbard (the founder dude).

Pseudo tolerance

While watching the first episode of Survivor South Africa last night, Sam and I wondered how the series would differ from the US version and whether we'd see a distinctly South African flavour come out of the tried and tested Survivor script and screenplay. At first we reckoned that we'd see how much more tolerant South Africans are of our fellow earth-inhabitants than those of our American compatriots.

I wonder?

One might suggest that because of our legacy as a country and the role prejudice has played post-94, we've developed a sincere and genuine acceptance and tolerance of each other as South Africans. Pre-94, aggression and open conflict with one another was pretty much rewarded by the system (regime) and of late the system change no longer rewards that behaviour. So, is the tolerance we see around us genuine or perhaps a pseudo form of tolerance to simply please the reputation(delusion) we have of oruselves as a forgiving and reconciliatory nation? In fact, I wodner if we as South Africans even know how to handle conflict?

Your thoughts please.

Legendary Croc Hunter dies

story.irwin.ap.jpgEveryone once in a while someone walks on this earth and does things that the staunchest East Rand boytjies (not sure what the global equivalent is?) would never do ... stick their head into a crocodiles mouth ... for fun ... as a career!? Steve Irwin, the legendary Croc Hunter died today after being stung by a stringray while filming an underwater documentary.

Kudos to Steve.

Read the reports here at The Australia Zoo and CNN.