RAVE: Formula 1 Season in Two Weeks!

I thought it a good idea to finish my last post of this month with a rave on something not that important to most, but still quite important to me. A lighter note, so to speak. Namely, it dawned on me tonight that the first Formula 1 Grand Prix for this season will be in exactly two weeks time. Trust me, that was reason enough for me to end my February posts on this positive, forward-looking note!

To many, Formula 1 is nothing more than loud cars going around and around in circles. It's utterly boring, even quite hateful, for some, and I can get that. And, well, to be very honest, sometimes even for a fan it can be a bit like that.

But, once Formula 1 is in your blood, there's just no way it'll ever really get out of you. That includes those frankly boring races. And when the Grand Prix is exciting or there's a nail-biting finish or a great battle of the wills between drivers on the track...well, nothing comes close, quite frankly.

I grew up on Formula 1. I have a host of Formula 1 addicts in my family, my mother amongst them (as she is to this very day). I saw my first Grand Prix in 1976 at (the then) fantastic Kyalami track on (what was then) the outskirts of Johannesburg. My word, what a thrill for a seven-year old. The ear-shattering sound, the smell, the visceral sense of danger and chest-shuddering excitement. Fantastic!

It was a year later at the 1977 Grand Prix that I first remember falling in love with the bright red cars in the field. And so commenced my love affair with the Ferrari team, an unwavering (and often heart-breaking) passion for over 30 years. It's been the longest-lasting, most monogamous relationship of my life.

And so commences another season on March 14th. There's the undoubted thrill of seeing Michael Schumacher - the Man, the Legend - back in F1, even if not in my beloved red cars. And a host of other exciting things to look forward to, things that only anyone really passionate about a given sport can really feel.

I do have my qualms about being an F1 fan in this day and age. I mean, I am a sustainability consultant. The environmental drawbacks are quite obvious and way too many to mention. And the truckloads of money that this sport costs and generates seem obscene, especially in this current economic recession of hard times and rising hatred against the vapidly super-rich by many people (myself very much included).

I may just as well have the word HYPOCRITE scrawled in neon across my forehead.

I can't help it. I did like it more years back when it somehow seemed more real and accessible to fans and less the grossly rich corporate hound that it is today. But I still love the damn sport. What can I say. Pathetic excuse, but that's how it goes.

So, guilty pleasures aside, here's to a fortnight of expectation and anticipation before the first red lights turn green and over twenty of amongst the fastest, most beautiful cars on the planet roar down that main straight in Bahrain.

Jeez, my heart's beating faster already!

RANT: Sovereign Debt - the UK 'Slide' Show

Sovereign Debt - ah yes, my pet economic issue of the day. Here comes another rant on this issue, scant days after my first one on it.

The big talk this past week was about how now it was not only Portugal or Ireland or Greece or Italy or Spain or (the infamous 'PIGIS' group of European countries) that may be in danger of default on their sovereign debt but...nay, wait for it...

the United Kingdom.

Oh, how that particular news filled me with a delicious sense of irony. I did get a big kick out of hearing that the UK's budget deficit could very soon balloon to even larger than that of the much-maligned Greece.

Don't get me wrong: this is not some anti-British tirade on my part. I lived in England for five years, got an excellent degree at a respected English university and made some truly wonderful friends of whom I care about to this very day. My love of British music, cinema, humour and much beside, years and years in the making, know no bounds.

No, this is not some childish tirade against the English, the British or anything Anglo. Rather, it is an all-out assault on that mother of all centres for global financial markets and, therefore, economic terrorism, namely 'The City', as London's financial district is pedantically referred to by many.



And throw in that appalling British government for good measure.

London is, along with Wall Street in New York City, the most important centre for global finance. Much is said and ranted about regarding the obscene bonuses and stock option payouts, etc, being paid in this economic recession to corporate America and, in particular, on Wall Street. However, the City of London and all its British banks, investment banks and financiers are not doing too shabbily either.

The levels of cynical gorging by these 'City' financial rogues at the trough, much of it with the help of billions of pounds in taxpayer money by the British government, are plain S-I-C-K-E-N-I-N-G.

And all of this has been done with the full blessing and collusion of the Gordon Brown government.

Hence, my being tickled pink at hearing that the UK may soon join the likes of Spain or Ireland or even...gasp...Greece as yet another example of a government that is simply too much in debt to pay all of its creditors and domestic obligations.

I snicker at the news because turns out that having the 'financial epicentre' of the global financial scene in your own back garden is no guarantee against having an economy as up to pawpaws as that of Greece. Delicious.

I snicker at the news because that's what you get for racking up billions and billions of pounds for fighting wars that you had no rhyme or reason to get involved in. Yes, Britain, what the hell are you doing having been part of the illegal Iraq war and still stuck in the morass that is Afghanistan?

And I think I'll puke from here all the way to Buckingham Palace if I hear any of that 'our brave men in uniform fighting for our freedom' crap on faux-news stations like Sky News or even the BBC one more time. Your brave men in uniform are tragically losing their lives for nothing. That's tragic. And stop all that patriotic chest-thumping. You lost your empire ages ago. Get over it.

And I snicker hardest because the UK recently tried to bully Iceland into bailing out British investors over the collapse of Icesave, an Icelandic investment fund (this along with those other bullies, the Netherlands). Gordon Brown invoked anti-terrorism legislation against Iceland in late 2008 because of the threat of Iceland defaulting on payments to the UK. Yes, anti-terrorism laws! Iceland was understandably outraged at being considered a 'terrorist state'. Diplomatic relations between the two countries, centuries-long allies, plummeted to all-time lows. All over money.

Even worse, it has even been alleged in some media that Gordon Brown himself is said to have made the OUTRAGEOUS statement that, if need be, the UK would be willing to invade Iceland because of their 'terrorist-like activities' in not paying up. What the hell is going on here?!!

And all of this by Brown with the full-blown pressure and constant braying of and by the 'City of London'. Not to mention that it is those pompous twats in their pinstripe suits and driving their Jaguars and Bentleys to their Home Counties weekend homes that will benefit most if Iceland capitulates and pays out the UK. That is, pays for what was the result of the 'financial shenanigans' (read: economic terrorist activities) of a few Icelandic investment bankers in full cohorts with a whole bunch of 'City' bankers and the like.

The Icelandic President refused to sign the law that would beholden Iceland to 'honour' those debts (all power to him for that) and a referendum on that issue yet awaits the Icelandic people in March. More on that very soon.

So, let's recap:

We have a country's government that has seen fit to terrorize another sovereign European country over a few billion pounds that was largely caused by the badly regulated financial mechanisms and market in its own country.

We have two successive governments that have ensnared a country and its soldiers in immoral and illegal wars that are only strengthening terrorism, not weakening it.

And we have a financial heartland that is at the very heart of what has been and continues to be so horrendously wrong with world economics and financial systems.

And now the warmongering bully that genuflects to 'the City' at every given moment has an economy that is tanking quicker and worse than most others.

Talk about karma.

So, yes, that's why I get a mischievous thrill out of seeing the UK's economy slip-sliding even further down as it rides on the coattails of those City bastards.

I don't wish unemployment or hard times on any of my friends or the people that I love and care about in the UK. Of course I don't. The British people deserve so much better than the corrupt financial masters and their government puppets that they currently have. In fact, the rest of the world deserves and needs better than that, so inflated is the financial clout that the City of London exerts in the world's economy.

What I do wish is for more sanity in British politics - highly unlikely given New Labour's track record to date, not to mention that the slimy David Cameron and his creepy Tories will be even more in the pocket of the City of London. The Tories and the City have been best buddies for ages. Conservatives and fat cat financiers, like really ugly, decrepit birds, always flock together.

Even more importantly, I can only hope that the ongoing economic crisis will somehow metamorphose into a significant and meaningful overhaul of the current capitalism-out-of-control that currently plagues the world.

Uber-capitalism and its equally demented side-kick, globalized finance, must be stopped once and for all and a more rational, equitable and sustainable system of capitalism (or something even better of the ilk) evolve in its place.

The likes of the City of London and Wall Street need to be relegated to nothing more than a sideshow in global economics. If that's at all possible. They've been the Ringmasters of this Three-Ring Circus from Hell for long enough.

For now, the UK economy gets everything it deserves.

Do you get my point?

MAN OF THE DAY: George Monbiot

My Man of the Day for today is George Monbiot. This tremendously articulate and smart man is political, social and environmental activist, not to mention a rabblerouser of note. He has written numerous articles for major publications, most often for the UK's 'Guardian' newspaper, and he is also a successful book author.



What I especially like and admire about George Monbiot is how acerbic his wit and how razor-sharp his insight is on all issues that he wishes to comment upon. His website at www.monbiot.com and you really should visit it if you can. It is replete with brilliant articles of his on everything from the super rich to consumerism to the debacle that was the Copenhagen conference on climate change to a range of other issues.

However, it's Monbiot's single-minded focus (and obvious total contempt) for Tony Blair that has really triggered my further interest in him in recent weeks. If you're not aware of it, George Monbiot is the main instigator and founder of the website www.arrestblair.org, a brilliant effort of his to drum up support to have Blair tried and convicted for crimes against humanity based on his forays into the illegal Iraq war. In a nutshell, he wants the man arrested, hence the URL for the website. Potent stuff - and so necessary in this age of blatant, unapologetic political lies, not to mention widescale and almost total media complicity therewith.

I applaud any man with the sheer guts to advocate for the arrest of a former UK Prime Minister so openly and so vociferously. And I support him wholeheartedly. Blair should be arrested and tried for crimes against humanity and other war crimes. And don't get me started on that bowlegged American cowboy wannabe, George W. Bush...

George Monbiot is modern intellectual, clever pamphleteer and brilliant activist-scholar all rolled into one. I am in awe of the prowess and clarity of his intellect.

In him I have found another kindred spirit - a humanist who is appalled and angered by what he sees in this modern era. And, thankfully, he will not shut up about it.

POLL RESULTS: Global Banking System

My poll asking the question, "How much do you trust the global banking system?" came to an end just over a week ago and the votes were quite sparse (just ten votes! Aaaah!). The results were still interesting...

80% of you believe that the global banking system is a total mess!!!

Only 10% (i.e. one voter) had total belief in the system, thinking it the best option we have, whilst another 10% (i.e. ahem-you-get-the-picture-how-many-people) do believe in it, whilst conceding it needed fixing.

Uh huh. Very interesting indeed.

Thank you to those who did vote. I do appreciate it.

As for my vote? Well, see the cartoon with this post - it should give you a pretty thorough idea of what I think of international bankers and, by extension, how my voting went...

Thank you again.

RAVE: The Sun is Shining

Today is Sunday and I need to rave about something very simple - the sun is shining.

Anyone who reads this blog will know that I am one to rant with total aplomb and total conviction. It's who I am. And there is so much to rant about these days:

- The world gets madder by the day. America, Iraq, Iran, Israel, etc, anyone?

- The world seems to get more corrupt by the day. Goldman Sachs, Wall Street, corporate terrorists, etc, anyone?

- The world seems to disappoint all the time. Obama, Hilary, political vision, etc, anyone?

- Global warming is a threat, whatever the naysayers might bray to the contrary. The global economy is looking worse this year than it did last year. Celebrity culture is alive and kicking in all its vulgar stupidity. The rich seem to be richer and the rest of us seem to be poorer. It goes on and on and on...

So much to rant about.

But today I choose to rave about the fact that the sun is shining, the sky is blue, there's a light breeze in the air, and even Johannesburg doesn't look that bad for once.

Sometimes one needs to take a break from sweating (or fretting) the big stuff and just enjoy the small pleasures in life.

Today is a beautiful day. And for that I am grateful.

RANT: The Scam that is 'Sovereign Debt'

'Sovereign debt.' The latest chapter in the mess that is the ongoing financial and economic crisis hitting most of the Western world, and many other countries aside. In short, sovereign debt is supposedly what a country's treasury (i.e. government coffers) has in terms of debt.

And, oh boy, are many countries now on the verge of sovereign debt default, i.e. the inability to pay national debt, whether it to be foreign creditors, pay for social programs at home, raise sufficient capital through treasury bonds issuance, etc. The effect on local economies, not to mention the global economy, if countries start to default on their own national debt, could be quite catastrophic.

Greece is first up.

Greece is on the verge of defaulting on its debt payments. The European Union is freaking out. The Eurozone is freaking out. I mean, countries in Europe don't default on their payments, do they? That's something the likes of Brazil and Argentina and Nigeria did back in the 1980s. Not an EU and euro-based country. Right? Well...no. Greece is on the verge of default. That is fact.

The Greek Prime Minister, George Papandreou, has blamed his country's economic crisis on international speculators (i.e. the likes of Goldman Sachs and their fellow blood-sucking brethren in the international financial world) with their buying up of Greek treasury bonds and, now, dumping of them. Some pooh-pooh that notion (always international financiers or Wall Street apologists, by the way), but don't get analysts like my man, Max Keiser, started on that notion. For him, and many others, the imminent collapse of Greece is entirely the fault of international speculators that are playing havoc with entire national economies.

I, for one, totally believe what Papandreou accuses Wall Street of doing to Greece.

And there are others too who may almost be on the verge of national debt default...

Spain





Ireland





Italy - beautiful land of my ancestors...





Portugal - the other land of my ancestors and a beautiful country I know so well...what a shame...




And don't let's forget about a country that has already defaulted on it's so-called 'debt'...

Yes, Iceland




The land of geysers and volcanoes, the fabled Blue Lagoon, green energy - and, now, the highest debt per capita load on the planet...

Poor Iceland. A canary in the coalmine of what is fundamentally sick - nay, perverted and twisted - about the current global uber-capitalist model.

Sovereign debt is a scam because how can national treasuries be in control of their economies when they are at the mercy of international financial and currency speculators? There's nothing sovereign about this debt any more, hence the total and utter scam thereof.

It's a farce and just the latest chapter, writ HUGE, that demonstrates just how fundamentally flawed, corrupt and outrageously amoral the current neo-liberal, profit-at-all-costs, unregulated financial markets a la Milton Friedman and the Chicago Boys that is world capitalism. It's sick to the core. Adam Smith and Maynard Keynes must be turning in their graves with just how sick the system has become.

Yet, national governments in Europe must also take the blame (not to mention that of the United States, now in debt to the tune of 14 TRILLION dollars, although that endless warmongering is hardly cheap, now is it?). This is what you get when you bail out banks and financial institutions that were reckless and perverse in how they played the stock markets and economies of the world.

Using public money (i.e. the money of citizens) to bail out, to the tune of billions and billions of dollars and euros, the very crooks and scheisters that got us into the mess, was not only madness, but MORALLY BANKRUPT of all those politicians who allowed this to happen. You bloody bastards, all of you.

So what would I like to see? I would like to see the likes of Greece, Spain, Portgal and Ireland DEFAULT on their so-called sovereign debts. And, better still, give the IMF the biggest middle finger ever seen in financial history by saying 'NO! We will not take your loans!' Because these countries should know these IMF 'loans' will come laden with Friedmanite and Chicagoesque preconditions to 'liberalize' economies, slash public spending, 'open up markets even more', and all the other Friedmanite bullshit that got us into this horrific and amoral mess in the first place.

But, of course, I have better chances of seeing pink elephants having a full-scale Grand Prix in the sky than I do of those countries having the courage and the foresight to do just that.

THIS is the perfect time for a complete review and even overhaul of capitalism as we know it. It has never been more perfect - or more needed. I'm certainly not advocating communism or any other 'ism' for that matter. What I am advocating is that we stop this madness where 0.01% of the richest people in the richest economies can hold entire countries to ransom. And, in the process, destroy the very fabric and social and human rights within those countries. I don't want to see European countries like Greece, Ireland and Spain collapse or relegated to economic basketcase status. I'm funny that way.

Stop this obsession with Friedmanite uber-capitalism and the 'Stock Market is King' economic mentality, like some demented mantra. It is NOT working.

Enough is enough. Basta!

Do you get my point?

PERSONAL: My Horrendous Internet Fortnight

I have not been on my blog for well over a week now, such has been the drama I have had to endure with my Internet access in the past two weeks. I finally had the time to get my laptop seen to today, which was so overdue given all the 'gremlins' on it; this courtesy of some horrific viruses or other on the poor wretched thing.

I now have a super-duper anti-virus installed and my laptop is said to be squeaky clean. Uh huh.

My Internet connection still looks suspect, to be honest, so it shall be a case of time will tell...

The joys of Internet access and computing on the southern tip of Africa continue...

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

WOMAN OF THE DAY: Naomi Klein

My Woman of the Day is the remarkable Naomi Klein. She is the well-known author of "No Logo", her breakthrough 2000 study on how multinational corporations and the 'all-important brand' have taken over the world - whether it be with regard to social, labour and human rights, or the environment itself.

Canadian-born and residing in Toronto, she has lectured at the London School of Economics and has been a contributor to top newspapers worldwide, including Canada's "The Globe and Mail", "The Nation" and "The Guardian". She is a vociferous and well-spoken activist against the dangers of rampant uber-capitalism and all-out globalization and often appears at both conferences and rallies to lend her support and make her voice well and truly heard.

Whilst I have respect for her first book, "No Logo", I was in fact far more impressed and wowed by her 2007 book "The Shock Doctrine". This amazing book, chilly in its razor-sharp insight and historical context, shook me to the core and played a significant role in shaping much of my socio-political and economic thinking since then. I don't want to give away too much about it. Rather, if you have not already, I absolutely urge you to read this book IMMEDIATELY.

What impresses me so much about Ms. Klein is her exceptional research and attention to detail and evidence. Of course she has a very set and determined worldview, but she backs up her arguments and theses with outstanding, almost exhaustive empirical studies. As someone who has done his own share of scholarly studies, not to mention the ongoing research I do for my work, I am in awe of the sheer depth and weight of her studies and analysis. For that she cannot be faulted. And it was particularly in her book "The Shock Doctrine" that she did this to such stunning and convincing effect.


I too need to make mention of an excellent documentary that she and her equally passionate and intelligent husband, Avi Lewis, directed in 2004. It's called "The Take" and is a brilliant insight into the true story of a group of factory workers in Argentina who took over their shutdown factory and resumed work, if only for the sake of their families and their own dignity, in a collective spirit that was in turn both poignant, almost heartbreaking, and so uplifting. It's a brilliant piece of eye-opening, well-made documentary film making - please see it if you can.

Naomi Klein was born in the same year I was, just a few months earlier. I can say we share very much the same views and the same worldview - and yet she has accomplished so much more than I have to date. I am very humbled by that, even somewhat embarrassed, to be very frank.

Perhaps one day I shall be able to attain just a fraction of what this brilliant woman has accomplished in her work. For now, I am simply another fan - thankful that this compassionate person has opened up my eyes even more.

RAVE: The Dunning-Kruger Effect

The 'Dunning-Kruger Effect' - ever heard of it? If you have, you are way ahead of me and, yet again, I must sheepishly admit that I am way behind the curve on some important concepts out there in the big, wide world. But, hey, I'd like to think I'm catching up.

I found out about it today. And I'm over the moon. So what is the theory behind it? Well, at this point I am going to pillage directly from Wikipedia (I know, I know - Wikipedia should always be a suspect source of research, it's not true academic research, etc etc - I know, I know. But I have corroborated the following statement with cross-referencing of other, more 'bona fide' references online):

"The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which "people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it".[as per Kruger, Justin; David Dunning - 1999"Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 77 (6): 1121–34] The unskilled therefore suffer from illusory superiority, rating their own ability as above average, much higher than in actuality; by contrast the highly skilled underrate their abilities, suffering from illusory inferiority. This leads to a perverse result where less competent people will rate their own ability higher than more competent people. It also explains why actual competence may weaken self-confidence because competent individuals falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding."

Basically, the theory postulates that the more incompetent a person is, the more they overestimate their actual competence. And, better still, the exact opposite is absolutely true, i.e. competent people are the ones most likely to doubt their abilities.

I'm over the moon because I am consistently and constantly amazed (and appalled) at how many people I come across who are decidedly incompetent (i.e. plain sub-standard) at what they do or what they say, and yet they're so confident of their abilities. And, even more galling to me, is how often these incompetents are doing very well in life, thank you very much! That offends me to the core. And I can only put it down to the sheer mediocrity that pervades society today on so many different levels. More than ever before, I strongly suspect.

It is also here that I immediately wish to strike down any suspicions that I am just a frustrated wannabe hack who is envious of the success of others (i.e. these pervasive incompetents). I have no holier-than-thou complex nor any instant, knee-jerk rejection of others. Not at all. I am in awe of genuine talent and hard work and perseverance in other people, famous or not. What I'm NOT in awe of and what I DO resent is how much mediocrity and, yes, incompetence I see around me and how often it gets success and the respect of others. I cannot abide by that.

Without wishing to sound pedantic or make myself out to be some 'misunderstood genius' (which I know I am not), I did nevertheless find much comfort in the flip-side of the Dunning-Kruger study, i.e. namely that those who are competent are also those who most undervalue their worth, competence, etc. And I do really relate to that. I am consistently told by others about my talents, potential, etc, yet I do realize that I can often be beset by self-doubt and a real questioning of these talents others speak of. I know that what I do I do with competence and a striving for excellence, whatever my personal doubts. That I do know. Which is why the incompetence of others irks me no bloody end!

I believe that the Dunning-Kruger Effect goes to the very core of what can be so bad and so crippling in modern society, in any given field or human endeavour.

The paraphrased words of the philosopher Bertrand Russell (with whom I share a birthday, by the way ;-) are a fitting way to end this post:

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.”

RANT: The HORRORS of South African Broadband

My rant today is on a very personal note. It has to do with the frankly horrendous tribulations of trying to cope with broadband in this country in which I live. It is now four days since I last posted on here, precisely because my Internet connection has been so poor in the last few days. Non-existent at most times, in fact. I have paid for this month, and must now consider having to go and sign on with a new provider. What nonsense.

The history of broadband in this country is beyond pathetic. South Africa for many years at the beginning of the broadband revolution was held tight in the stranglehold of one of our most coddled monopolies, namely the telecommunications company Telkom. As a result, our broadband access was either non-existent or severely limited - slow, fraught with breakdowns and often unreliable as a result. It did improve in recent years, but not to the extent that could be considered 'world class'. It is very revealing, I believe, that although this country has by far the biggest economy and supposed wealth of any country in Africa, we have nevertheless seen our broadband share of the African market fall from over 50% in 2000 to under 7% by 2008. And, even more tellingly, is that we now lag behind other African countries with the per capita rate of our population that has Net access. You have a better chance of having Net access in Tunisia or Nigeria than you do in South Africa. That's unacceptable to me.

In this day and age, Internet access is not a luxury, but a fundamental tool needed in this global 'New Economy'. I know what impact not having Net access for just a couple of days has for my work and my ability to network, etc. Fairly obvious, huh? Tell that to the millions of South Africans who continue to either have no access at all, sporadic access if they are lucky or then, like me, pay for bloody expensive access which, to top it all off, is 'CAPPED'. Capped? Yes, capped. When I try to explain this concept to people from the US or Europe or Taiwan etc, they look at me rather confused. As the word suggests, although I do pay a monthly subscription fee for my Internet service, it has a 'cap' on it as to how many gigs I can get - 1 gig, 2 gig, 3 gig, etc. And, yes, the more gigs you want, the more you pay. Oh, we're very capitalist down here on the southern tip of Africa.

I recently met my friend Charles for lunch. He is Taiwanese and used to live here in South Africa. He now lives back in Taiwan. I just had to ask him how Internet access works in Taiwan. Like Nirvana compared to the crap we put up with in this country. In Taiwan, as in most of Asia according to him, there are no 'caps' (i.e. limits) on how much access you have. What you pay for allows for unlimited access to the Internet. As it should be. Better still, he says, you can literally stop outside a store that has Internet access and, because they might have wireless and because there are no caps on their broadband, you can flip out your laptop and just pick up their wireless on-the-go. No one is either the wiser or even cares - because with no caps or limits, why should I care that you're tapping into my broadband, right?

That is the way it should be in this day and age. But not here in South Africa, a country in which the governments, both during the apartheid era and now in the post-apartheid era, have always bent over backwards to ensure that corporations and parastatals have made a killing off the backs of South African citizens. Big Business is so protected in this country, it's frightening. We are so uber-capitalist in this country, we put the United States to shame. And it gets on my bloody nerves like you have no idea. And this is just one more example of how big business in this country colludes with government and regulatory bodies to ensure that we, the South African consumer and public, are screwed right down the alley.

So, here I am stuck with yet another sub-standard, compromised service for which I have paid but which does not give me what I paid for. And so, as a result, my own digital productivity, like that of most of my country, just lags more behind the rest of the civilized world. Sound melodramatic, think about it...

Can you imagine if there had been 'caps' or serious limits on how much telephone use one could have had back when there were no cellphones and no Internet? Can you imagine what that would have done to any economy at the time?

Do you get my point?

RAVE: People Who Make A Difference

The weekend is here and I thought it only appropriate to start it on a positive note. Below are four people whom I admire. People who, in my opinion, do whatever they can in their respective fields and in their own ways to try and make this a more just, more equitable and less corrupt world.

They are from the top: Vandana Shiva, Max Keiser, Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky.













It's better with them in the world...

RANT: The Madness of Nuclear Energy!

My rant for today is on the sheer madness of nuclear energy. In this 'Clean Energy Week' that ends today, it seems only fitting.

This is one of those issues that makes me MAD as hell! The sheer stupidity of the arguments for this type of energy are a constant reminder to me of the unbelievable short-sightedness of so many people. It's frightening.

The reasons to be TOTALLY, UTTERLY & COMPLETELY AGAINST nuclear energy are so rock-solid in their logic that any assertion to the contrary simply defies any logic. Consider the reasons why I am against nuclear energy:

1. Safety: Much is made of the safety measures that are in place in today's modern and 'fail safe' nuclear power stations. Nuclear specialists pooh-pooh the idea that they are unsafe, citing how much safer they are today, compared to, say, twenty years or more ago when Chernobyl nearly wiped out most of Europe. I have no doubt that today's more modern nuclear stations are alot safer. BUT, I have three things to say:

(a) As any safety specialist will tell you, there is no such thing as a 100% 'fail safe' safety and security program. There is always a chance that something may go wrong (usually due to a human - error, negligence, stupidity, etc);

(b) What of all those older, less modern nuclear power stations that are out there and still in use? Ahem...uh huh...what of them?

AND...

(c) WHY TAKE THE RISK??? Even IF the chance of a nuclear meltdown or any other nuclear-related accident is infinitesimal, is it really worth taking even such a small risk when the repercussions (i.e. of what will actually happen in the event of a nuclear accident) can be so utterly CATASTROPHIC???!

Just here in South Africa it is still claimed that a nuclear accident at Koeberg in Cape Town could wipe out most of the Western Cape in a worst case scenario. Yeah, that seems a risk well worth taking.

2. COST: An excuse used ad nauseum here in South Africa is that nuclear energy will be so much more 'cost-effective' than the use of renewable, greener technologies, e.g. the use of solar, wind, geothermal, etc types of energy. Our local monopolistic energy provider (Eskom, who have in recent years completely redefined the meaning of the words 'gross incompetence' to new levels) trumpets nuclear energy as a cost-effective alternative to our aging, carbon-belching coal-fired power stations. And they have the government completely bought on that notion.

As if building (and, thereafter, maintaining) a nuclear power station cost mere pennies, or somehow miraculously arises out of the sand, like some futurist mirage.

Rubbish.

They are damn expensive to build and, if already built, expensive to maintain...AND need we start quantifying the actual costs of low-grade radiation, especially to workers, radioactive waste, the cost (oh my word) were an accident to occur, etc, etc. Yeah, real cheap.

3. ENVIRONMENTAL: Ahem...can anyone tell me where all the radioactive waste from a nuclear power station is going to be disposed of, because I sure as hell hope it won't be in the local municipal or even hazardous waste landfill sites. Scientists vary on just how long the radioactivity of nuclear waste will persist in the environment - and these estimations don't vary by weeks or months of or even years - no, they vary by thousands of years. Estimations vary anywhere between 10 000 and 100 000 years or more, depending on who you read. Gosh, there's a sustainable legacy for this planet and future generations (what's left of their radioactive selves)...

On that last point, the fact that the nuclear energy industry (the multi-billion dollar worldwide industry it is) has somehow, unbelievably, usurped the green movement and made so many people actually believe that nuclear energy is both 'renewable' and 'CLEAN' is, well, stupendous!!! What an amazing, mind-blowing bit of PR wizardry that little stunner has been! In fact, I'm in awe of the sheer chutzpah and, well, balls it took for that industry to somehow paint itself as being a 'green alternative', when it is ANYTHING BUT THAT! Oh boy - how the hell did that happen? The mind boggles...the stomach turns.

No, no and NO again!

NO to nuclear energy.
NO to it being called a 'clean' and 'renewable' energy source.
NO to whatever the governments and nuclear industries of the UK, France, Germany, South Africa, Iran, Russia and many other countries who push for nuclear energy might say about its 'positive' aspects
NO to it being trumpeted as an alternative to greenhouse gas emitting energy like that from coal or oil.
NO to it being one of our 'salvations' in the battle against climate change.
NO to yet another multi-national, mega-rich and very well-connected industry usurping governments, political discourse, energy budgets and people all over the world with its lies and deception.

NO, NO, NO!!!

Do you get my point?

WOMAN OF THE DAY: Vandana Shiva

My Woman of the Day is also one of the people I most respect and admire on this planet - Vandana Shiva. This remarkable eco-feminist is one of the most well-known and respected voices in the fight against the 'biopiracy' of indigenous rights and peoples in their knowledge and ways of doing traditional agriculture. She is a passionate advocate against the industrialization of farming, of huge 'seed companies' that make seeds, the very essence of agriculture, their 'property' by patenting, and any worthwhile environmental cause.

The most heinous of these seed companies is, of course, the notorious and much-reviled Monsanto. And at the forefront of the growing voices against the likes of Monsanto, the very notion of patenting seeds (i.e. the patenting of life itself), a cry against the demise of traditional farming methods, as well as the large-scale destruction of biodiversity worldwide - at the forefront of it all is Vandana Shiva.

I first had the privilege of hearing and seeing Ms. Shiva at a session of top speakers prior to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) here in Johannesburg. It was a meeting of protesters and social and environmental activists who were united against the WSSD being usurped by big coporations and fast-asleep (or complicit?) governments (which it was). It was a quasi-religious experience for me, in all truth - she was mesmerising in her eloquence, her sharp intelligence and in the passion with which she spoke. I tell you, I came close to just ditching it all and following her right back to India just to be one of her 'assistants' and be able to work with her in any way or form!

I already knew of her brilliant mind with her seminal book "Monocultures of the Mind", which I read as part of my thesis for my LL.M I was doing at the time in Calgary. I only wish I had been able to better infuse my entire thesis with what she was so impassioned about - namely, that you simply cannot patent life in any way. Nature is nature and the very diversity thereof is what makes it so rich and so life-giving.

I then went on to read her equally brilliant and though-provoking analysis of how Western companies have plundered the ecology and ages-old knowledge of, for example, agriculture and medicinal plants, in her book "Biopiracy". It shook me to the core - and, unfortunately, by the time I had read it, my thesis, which was on such similar themes, had already been written. Her book was so at the core of what my entire thesis was, it was unnerving. I felt I somehow cheated you, Ms. Shiva. I should have done better. We live and learn with time. Thank goodness.

So it was with great expectation that I finally got to see her in all her magnificent fury in that big hall at Wits University on that day in 2002. And she did not let me down nor any of the other thousands of people gathered there that day. The applause when she finally finished was thunderous. She was the star of the day, no doubt about it. And even Naomi Klein was there. I think it's because Vandana speaks with such honesty and such compassion and such articulate fury (but smiling, always smiling somehow, even when angry).

She's a lady and a force of nature and the environmental and social and indigenous rights movements can count themselves lucky for having her in their midst - front, forward and ever-ready.

Please read more about this wonderful woman, click on her name in my list of sites and go to her Indian organization's website, read her books if you can and, if anything, try to see clips and videos of her online. There are so many. Trust me, her engaging and passionate voice and manner will no doubt enthrall you and capture your attention, just as it has me for so many years now.


Oh, and did I mention that Ms. Shiva is a physicist with a PhD in physics?

Long live, Vandana Shiva!

MAN OF THE DAY: John Perkins

My Man of the Day today is the economist and author John Perkins. And, once again, I have the brilliant Max Keiser and his sublime 'Keiser Report' show on Russia Today (RT) satellite TV to thank for bringing this man into sharper focus in my mind's eye.

John Perkins is the author of the 2004 bestselling book "Confessions of an Economic Hitman", a book that I have time and time again wanted to buy, yet somehow just never done so. To be very honest, I'm rather sheepish in admitting that. So many books, you know...Still, it's one to buy for sure. His latest is called "Hoodwinked" and has just recently been released.

The premise of his book "Confessions" was simple - America used to send out 'economic hitmen' to (mostly) developing countries and would get those governments to agree to American hegemony in their markets and American influence in their political and economic systems. If developing country leaders or governments were inclined not to want to acquiesce to such demands...well, the American 'hitmen' would just make sure that 'regime change' or the like would occur. Of course, as one can easily imagine, lurking in the background and manipulating all of this was none other than that most secretive and nefarious of American agencies, the CIA.

"Hoodwinked" continues this premise, except now it's America itself that is getting hit (and hard) by these 'hitmen'. Talk about cosmic kharma coming back to haunt America. Or, as Perkins himself likes to call it, "the chickens have really come to roost." Indeed they have. Bem feito, as we say in Portuguese.

Again, one is exposed to ideas and thinking and ways of looking at the world which simply do not get adequate exposure or coverage in most of the world's media. And it is exactly voices like that of John Perkins that we need to hear more and more of, as more and more of the shocking lies, deception and outright "economic terrorism" (cue: Max Keiser) that the top firms of Wall Street, top bankers and hedge fund analysts have perpetrated on world economies come to light and get exposed.

Yet again, the theme is the same: rampant, unchecked and flat-out profits-at-all-costs globalization (including of money markets and finance) is neither sustainable nor just NOR IS IT ACCEPTABLE ANY MORE.

The times, they are a changin'...

Please visit John Perkins' interesting site at www.johnperkins.org

SITE OF THE DAY: ENN

My site for today is Environmental News Network (ENN). It seems fitting that I include this online environmental news website during this 'Clean Energy Week (Feb 1-5), because I have been introduced to many new and innovative energy efficiency initiatives, projects, funds and other stories over the years due to ENN.

ENN is a really great source of environmental news items, feeds and links in all aspects of the environmental field, in an updated and easily read format. It also happens to be one of the oldest online green news sites. For that alone, as well as for having kept up its good standards, it deserves support. Admittedly, its focus is somewhat slanted towards news and events in the United States, but its overall coverage of environmental news items from other countries and regions of the globe is still comprehensive and recommendable enough.

So, if you're relatively new to this whole environmental 'thing' or just want to be kept up to date on environmental issues in a manner which is accessible and not overly academic or technical, pay www.enn.com a visit.

You may just find yourself subscribing to their weekly (or even daily) newsletters.

RANT: Os Parvos de Davos

My rant for today has to do with the World Economic Forum (WEF) which ended on Sunday in Davos. My title is in Portuguese and says, "The Fools of Davos" - it does rhyme rather nicely in Portuguese, trust me.

So, why my antipathy for this organization, which reaches its zenith (or is that nadir?) at the end of January each year in Davos? Well, for one, I cannot trust any forum that smacks so overwhelmingly of the rich, the super rich, the uber rich and every major corporation in the world, with just a sprinkling of politicians, academics, NGOs, religious leaders, a few schlebs (like that poseur of note, Bono) and, of course, the ever-titillated media. And all by invitation only, please note. Hmmmm, interesting that.

Yes, it's all available on YouTube, etc, and, yes, it's supposedly quite well covered by the media (whom we all know to be incredibly impartial, of course) - and, yet, it all smacks so much of elitism. The setting itself, high in the snowy heights of the Swiss Alps, only adds to the rich and smug and elitist mystique. Why don't these ever-so-important people meet in places like Ouagadougou or Kinshasa, I ask?

It all stinks of well-heeled people with way too much power swanning around feeling very self-important and deciding whereto next for the planet for the coming year. Just watching on television the sense of power and wealth is all-pervading and palpable. And that's precisely why I detest and mistrust it all so much. That is indeed where all the power on this planet rests. That is indeed where all the important decisions, both economic and often otherwize, are debated and discussed in very haughty and self-important tones. That is where all the action is, folks. Too much power in too few hands.

And - voila - so goes the ongoing and totally disproportionate power balance that reigns over this world. Whilst they do their power talks and go for their power walks (although admittedly not very far, given how bloody cold it most certainly is in Davos this time of year), the rest of us - all 99.999999999% of us on this this planet - look on as mere spectators or remain oblivious, securing our collective place in world affairs as the plebs with no voice that we no doubt are.

It is not by chance that a diametrically opposed forum, known as the World Social Forum (please click the link in my sites list for the WSF), first met in Brazil in 2001. The WSF meetings are a gathering of social, environmental, human rights, workers' rights and other social and civil society groups and individuals. It has been convened every year since 2001 precisely as a counterpoint to the rampant uber-capitalism and globalization-at-all-costs fervour found at Davos. The Davos party attracts the likes of Warren Buffet, Angelina Jolie and Tony Blair. The WSF party attracts the likes of Noam Chomsky, Corpwatch and Naomi Klein. I know which party I'd rather be at.

So, what was were the 'big' decisions made at this year's meeting in the Alps? Well, turns out that the bigwigs were rather 'sobered' by the recession and had realized that rampant, unchecked globalization, especially of financial markets and banks, may not be such a super-duper idea after all. What geniuses. But, it was noted, there was already less of the doom and gloom felt at the 2009 meeting. The mood was more 'upbeat' (read: smug). Oh, and there were some mumblings about Haiti. How very big of them.

Pascal Lamy, the sinister head of that demonic society-smashing and earth-destroying organization, the WTO, was quoted as saying that Davos was, "a single story, a single place, a single moment...It has created a bonding culture, which is needed in today's globalized planet." If those words don't scare the hell out of you from a man like that, then nothing will.

In closing, just take a look at the brilliant cartoon below, courtesy of toonpool.com - it says everything there needs to be said about this year's meeting at Davos.



Do you get my point?

SITE OF THE DAY 2: Russia Today TV

Russia Today (RT) is my second Site of the Day for today. I find myself quite surprised that I should be championing a Russian television station. After all, Russia's human rights record, not to speak of its current political and legal system, leaves a lot to be desired. Putin makes my skin crawl and what they have done in places like Chechnya is in many ways as bad as what the US has done in Iraq.

I must also admit that for a long time I took absolutely no notice of RT, given that it was (1) Russian and (2) most of the other national satellite stations leave a lot to be desired (Italy's RAI Internazionale, anyone?). Gradually, I started to watch their newscasts and I was impressed. Yes, the focus is decidedly and primarily on Russia and, to a lesser extent, Eastern Europe, but at least their international news is invigorating to watch. And their news doesn't seem as American worldview-biased and 'manufactured' as nearly all Western English-language news stations seem to be these days.

Furthermore, RT has some of the most interesting, unusual and informative documentaries around. And some of their half-hour and one-hour shows are really great watching. Again, not just packaged 'showbiz' news and debate for the sake of it. It's thanks to RT that I became aware of the sheer pleasure that is Max Keiser (a Man of the Day on my blog just a few days ago) and his weekly scathing and spot-on ranting and raving on the 'Keiser Report'.

I believe that they had some really controversial and head-turning billboards at UK airports at the end of 2009. They were even banned in most airports in the United States (typical knee-jerk reactionary nonsense to that which makes people uncomfortable. So much for free speeech in America). One can still see examples of these very challenging and clever ads on their website at rt.com/ads

Unlike many television stations, who have dry and stodgy websites, theirs is particularly appealing with interesting clips and articles on issues both in the news and very unusual.

At times the Russian accents do jar somewhat. And the spelling typos and unbelievably confusing headlines and scrolling news items can be both a hoot and a distracting annoyance. Nevertheless, I enjoy how 'out there' and defiantly Russian yet international this news station tries to be. And I commend them for that.

If you have access to satellite television that features RT, please take the time to watch a bit of it. It is also available online for free. You may just be pleasantly surprised. Just as I was.

SITE OF THE DAY: Aljazeera Television

Aljazeera. The name just a few scant years ago conjured up (ridiculous) notions in many in the West that it was nothing but a mouthpiece for Al Qaeda. Those of us who watch Aljazeera know that is anything but the truth. This Doha-based international satellite television station is my choice for Site of the Day because:

For all the biased reporting one confronts these days in reputable stations like the BBC, CNN and CNBC, there is Aljazeera;

For what the BBC once was, and still is, but (sadly) less and less now, there is Aljazeera;

For what more balanced national stations that I sometimes watch like France's TV5 and Portugal's RTP try to be but cannot always be due to their national audiences and language constraints, there is Aljazeera;

For those who cannot stomach the dumbed-down hyperbole of tabloid-esque stations who give us mind-numbing 24 hour 'news' like Sky and (heaven forbid) Fox, there is Aljazeera;

For those of us who would like to get a more balanced, more fair and more objective view of what is going on in the Middle East and the rest of the non-Western world without all the neo-conservative posturing and misinformation by many governments, there is Aljazeera;

For those of us want our news without being filtered through a prism with a distinctly American (and myopic) worldview, there is Aljazeera;

For all the reasons we want to watch the news without feeling we're watching the dreadful Sun newspaper in moving image or being fed a daily porridge (gruel?) of misinformative, biased claptrap, there is Aljazeera.

I applaud this television station for having had the vision to realize that many people all over the world want their daily news to be as politically unbiased and objective as possible, whilst also being international in focus, and not continually obsessed with only what is going on in America and certain parts of Western Europe.

For all of these things, I watch Aljazeera. If you have the chance, I hope you do too.