Some thoughts on why I work with a Black Consciousness Organization .....

The clip I have chosen highlights for me why I am so comfortable working with an intelligent, thinking, compassionate and, most of all, secular organization. So often us brights or atheists are subjected to the presumption from the lecturn that everyone wants to pray. On Saturday 19th September 09, The Steve Biko Award ceremony was held in Durban.
Prof Msamane (prof of African literature at UKZNPMB) showed respect to the many people of cloth at the event in a most encompassing yet non-arrogant way. A lesson is here to be learnt for all who presume metaphysical superiority. He then continues to underscore many more aspects of what makes a progressive and democratic organization - the need to look forward and change with the changing times ... and the importance of the old guard not clinging onto office. Most important is that speeches can be made with good language, soft tones, nuance and humour.

Here or there, what's the DIFF?

Gosh, it's good to be back in Durban,

By the way, today is Women's Day! So I am publishing some images of a typical South African scenario - 'A day in the life of Empowerment Films and it's all-male cast....Hold on! there were 2 girls > Production & Line producer (never worked out what that is!))

The great thing about travel is coming home. After sorting out my space in some familial corner of Musgrave rd I dust off my Chinese motorcycle and head off down memory lane to get back into what makes this such a wonderful city,

First stop, as always, is to head downtown and find a new lunch place. There are so many and so varied that it seems that I will never run out of new culinary experiences. So I can be choosy. My favourite is somwhere cosy but on the pavement, so I can smell the sound of the city. Carol, the ubiquitously charming waitress asks me if I am bringing my work to lunch. I don't even hesitate in booting up XP as I reply to her that maybe I am bringing my lunch to work. She, continuing to open my cold beer, remarks that it's ok as long as I enjoy my work as much as my lunch. I say that it certainly will determine whether I come back or not. She swings her ample hips and leaves saying all in one movement, "No, that depends on the service."

I chose well today. I write easily when people are passing close to me. If I look over the street I see a tall glass building reflected in a short glass building. Me, the street, the people, my laptop and big business all flowing together like the Umgeni River in flood. I feel instantly powerful and free at the same time.

I wore a suit today, despite the cool and being on a motorcycle. I just wanted to be anonymous, melt into the city norm. It works. Despite being the only whitey around I hardly get a glance. Except from Carol, whose charming and slightly flirtatious attention draws me from this letter.

What the heck, I'll finish it over supper. I know I will end up at some all night coffee bar till the early hours so I'd better keep some laptop battery for later.

Bag over shoulder, I head off down an arbitrary side road to explore and delight my memories. I am in Indian town and the scent of agarabathi time travels me back to my youth as a point road devotee. Narrow Indian stores that disappear off the street and crowded alleys with smiling hands vying for my attention. Deep inside one such labyrynth, a warm pat on the back and 'Haven't seen you for a while, where have you been'.
I Ieave 20 minutes later with a well bargained traditional cloth in my bag and the smile that comes from a free cup of tea.

It must have been longer than 20 minutes because it's sun-disappearing time and my fingers are itching for the laptop again.

A short ride through chaotic but unaggressive traffic and I am in eclectic heaven. From my suburban pavement table I am within easy reach of a selection of 24 hour amenities. A Checkers (Must get milk and tea), a 24 hr electronics and car spares shop, a tyre shop, a coffee and cake emporium and a book and magic shop.
Across the road, one of those swish new ultra elevated malls beckons me but I am not in the mood for movies, diet icecream or Michael Jackson DVDs, so I grab a book from the unattended book store table and read over a steak and garlic fries.

As the night air hits, the boys arrive in their trendy gear and fast cars. Subaru is the taste of the moment. Fortunately dashboard fur is out out out. The car lot transforms into Saturday Night Fever with the boys lolling and looking and the girls have an unconvincing go at not being looked at.
No fights....not like the old days of the Cuban Hat.

How to remember my memories. How to keep this moment alive. I opt for recording it, so once again, it's coffee and laptop.

It's seems like Carol followed me here. Maybe just the same flirtatious innocence as she asks me what my name is and how can she help me.
No, I'm fine, just fine...if not a little confused. I thought for a moment this was Durban. How weird? I'm in Nairobi.

I finally get going at 2am. As I ride off I make a small deviation in the road. A dashing young Indian man in a Gucci suit is propositioning a lithe goddess in the middle of the road. Who am I to interrupt.

Up the road and into the the suburban darkness. I notice wryly that the corner where the flower sellers sell is devoid of humans. Just bunches and bunches of bright African flowers left unattended for tomorrow's sales.

The DIFF, by the way, is the Durban International FIlm Festival and somehow, within 24 hrs of arriving back in Durban I was roped in by one half Greek - half Irishman to be the unofficial photographer of Mike Lee's new documentary, 'State of Emergency'. Mike Lee, I suspect is Mike Moore's biggest fan and like his possible hero has one great skill: convincing people to sign release forms. After being persuaded to do the somewhat fractuous interviewer bit with the inventor and doyen of film festivals in Durban, Roz Sarkin, I left the joint without signing.

Lesson: Never sign release forms. Rather sleep with the director. You end up with more rights that way and open yourself up to less abuse.

Coffee for Kofi

Letter from Nairobi (1)

Every so often a single event reminds me of why I like this city so much. Negotiating the 5pm traffic 'jahm' on Kenyatta Ave in downtown Nairobi I saw, out of the corner of my eye a wretched man, hobbling between the cars on one wooden stick and a half a metal crutch. His body was twisted and his face had the look of havng been on the edge forever. Most the lane darters have things to sell, huge plastic maps of the world, bunches of cell chargers, crazy cloth dolls and multitools. This guy just thrust his hand into my face and locked his eyes on me. "Sorry, I have no coins", I said in a knee jerk response. He tilted his head, half smiled, half grimaced and said, "Karibu! (welcome)....tomorrow is another day....". Then off he shuffled.
By the next intersection I had caught up with him and found 30 shillings. He half smiled, half grimaced and said, "Thank you, brother."

I have spent a load of energy chirping about the crimelessness of Nairobi. Well, it is changing. It's not going to give SA a run for its money in a hurry but talk these days is of whether the Kenyan military should cruise into neighbouring Somalia and moer the local hard core Islamic Youth militia, fondly known as Al-Shahaab. This motley but volatile crew of Ishmaelites are the radical resurgance of the defeated Islamic Courts Union who came off second best against Ethiopean helicopters from late 2006 onwards. Now that the Ethiopeans and the odd US special forces boytjie have apparently gone home for the summer vacs the tablecloth boys are having a field day and the 'good' guys, the TFG (Transitional Federal Gov.) are now in control of a piece of Mogadishu about the size of Pinetown or lower Putney.

Every columnist in Sunday's Nation raged on about the pros and cons, the ifs and buts and capabilities of the local army boys in KE. The checkcloth lads replied that they will use suicide attacks to blow up the 'tall glass buildings in Nairobi'. Now this is hectic as my girlfriend's new office is in the tallest glass building in town and I am yet to see someone stick his head under our car when we park downstairs.
My fave quote is from columnist Mutua Mathiu: "When the village madman stands on your fence and insults your wife you can do 2 things. One, you can quite resonably explain to everyone what they already know, that he is mad. Or you can wait for him at the village path in the dark with your rungu and take out his kneecap. You will be surprized at how in future, his madness will exclude disrespect to your lady wife.

Gitau Warigi ('Sunday View' Column) has another plan, possibly a little more sensible. He clearly has read all about Vietnam and Afghanistan and suggests that we should rather turn off the financial taps to the bad okes and hope that they all simply get bored and hungry and go home. Personally I ain't betting on either plan. What is clear (from the rest of Sunday's news) is that Aks are flooding into Kenya and being used to pay for petrol and koshering out whoever happens to be filling up at the same time...and if the cops aren't getting shot at they're shooting at each other...all very confusing.

As if this isn't enough, Kofi Annan, got up this morning and decided he had had enough of the Kenyan leaders humming and harring about how to set up their own Criminal Tribunal to try the post election violence baddies. He's had this large envelope full of names next to his bed for a year now and as I write it is being opened by, no doubt, some keen prosecutors in the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

I am sure that there will be a lot of sleepless politicians tonight, but judging from the letters to the paper, far more happy citizens.....quote from letters page, Nation 2nd July 09:

"I am one of the millions of kenyans suffering due to immence curruption in all dpartments in kenya. Mr Kofi, please help us turn the page by scraping impunity and making it LAW for all from president to goat thief.please,please,please."

In October 2006, soon after arriving in Kenya I wrote a blog about the disappearing Flamingoes of Lake Nakuru (see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5405468.stm).
Well, it seems that the normal has happened....nothing. So I thought I would say no more but just give you lot a glimpse of how things looked at Lake Naivasha last week. According to current predictions my trip to Naivasha in 20 year's time will be like a week without without underpants and beer - crusty and dry. Lake Kamnarok, once home to the second biggest population of crocs in Africa is now dry...fully dry and going nowhere. The Baringo townspeople, who have been resisting all efforts to quell their decimation of the forests for charcoal, now have no water for the their moo cows.

Now, all this ultimately doesn't affect me as there are lots of other lakes on the planet and I don't have cows....and anyway I have discovered the coffee bars of downtown Nairobi. These are ultra cool especially in the blue after 5 cocktail evenings. Close your eyes and draw in the fresh Dormans roast and you are in some exotic laid back Euro city ... or maybe Guatamala, but with the taste of Ethiopean heaven.....

Whatever happened to the 3 Monkeys Coffee bar in Durban? Maybe 50 or so years after democracy we will see the rise of the SA coffee culture spurred on by the threat of Khoisan sucide bombers from Leshoto.

On the arts scene, alive and verrrry well, as usual here in buzzing Nairobes, we are building up to the opening of the Internews Male Circumcision photo exhibition at the French Cultural Centre next month. To get a taste of the mood we hit the current photo exi - Eat your heart out Durban! Nairobi rocks!

Click to see short video


That's it...and remember, anything can happen and it usually does.




Next time...Indian Town and Crushed Sugar Cane Juice!

Under siege....

I often use this space to comment on the high level of crime in South Africa and indeed a few days ago I mentioned a taxi hijacking in Nairobi which made the newspaper and where the incumbents were merely relieved of their cell phones. I then said that no doubt in my home suburb in Durban, there would have been at least one highjacking and several muggings, robberies and a rape or 5. Well, the reality is even worse!
Quoted from the local crime report...this is just one street!

From: Tim Brauteseth <dsa@saol.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 1:37 PM
Subject: Re: Incidents in Dale Road last week
To: Lesley Jessop <Lesley@wayneselectrical.co.za

>, Peter Rutsch <rutschp@gmail.com>, Graham McCallum <glmccallum@vodamail.co.za>

Hi Lesley, Peter,

I have just returned from a meeting with Sup. Van Zyl and can give you the following info. Can you please forward this your areas?

The incident occurred early this morning when Michael's father went outside to open his gate which leads onto a walkway beteen Archer & Dale. He was letting his dog out for a walk.

As he opened the gate, the two black males were outside and used this opportunity to attack. He was stabbed in the neck and then dragged into the house.

It was at this point that Michael confronted them and was attacked and stabbed several times. The house was ransacked and then the attackers fled. The only item missing was a cellphone.

Michael's father managed to raise the alarm at 63 Archer Crescent and the SAPS and Ambulance were called.

Sup Van Zyl also attended the scene shortly thereafter and has advised that the forensic, crime intelligence and housebreaking units are already involved in the matter.

It was clear in my visit to the SAPS that the police members are angry about this incident and are doing everything in their power to apprehend the perpetrators.

Sup Van Zyl was close to tears when he described Michael and his career. He was proud that Michael had recently completed his LLB degree and was in the second year of his LLM.

The two attackers are described as being between 17 - 25, of slender build. Due to quick work and sharing of resources, one of them has already been identified. He is 18 - 19 but appears to be only 16 years old - he has a very young face. The identified attacker is known to the police and he is currently the target of a manhunt.

There is also a strong suspicion that the same men are the ones involved in a spate of recent attacks in the area.

Residents are warned to be extra vigilant when leaving and entering their properties. The SAPS believe that when the gate opened the men saw an old, frail man and took their opportunity. It is vital to protect against this.

Sup Van Zyl has undertaken to increase patrols in the area and get his reservists patrolling the area on foot.

Regards,

Tim

----- Original Message -----

From: Lesley Jessop

To: Peter Rutsch ; Jackie Psannis ; Nadine Foord

Cc: GL Mccallum ; Johann van den Berg ; Tim Brauteseth

Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:23 AM

Subject: FW: Incidents in Dale Road last week

Hi Peter

I have passed this onto my community but please could you advice why we are not receiving any security correspondence from your area. It is vitally important that the entire community is informed of anything that happens.

Thanks

Lesley

From: Lesley Jessop
Sent: 17 June 2009 10:20 AM
Subject: Incidents in Dale Road last week

Dear Residents

Please see below regarding incidents last week in Dale Road.

Thanks

Lesley

Hi Lesley,

As you seem to be keeping track of incidents: I am not sure if you are aware of the two that occurred in Dale Road last week. Sharon, a friend of mine had a young black male enter her kitchen one morning, with a knife in hand and threatened her daughter to keep quiet. He stole her bag from the kitchen. Then a few days later they had a smash and grab during the night. Two males threw a brick through the kitchen window and stole her laptop. They suspect the same guy.

This madness has to stop!

Brisbane in style

Well, as it happened, the real world and the virtual collided. Simply not enough time to take a gentle 200kt flight over the Pacific. So I hung around till I got a cheap ticket on Quantas and flew in a vintage 747-200 to Brisbane. Now, I have an Aunt and Uncle in this equatorial Aussie town, so I will catch up with them for a day or two and then regroup for the 300 odd Nm flight up the Gold Coast to the Great Barrier Reef and Rockhampton.
Looking at the classic Jumbo Jet shape as a passenger gives little idea of how much has changed with this most classic of big iron aircraft in the 30 odd years they have been around. What was a dense array of analogue instruments is now a neat and colouful digital display that somehow removes us from actually how complex aircraft systems really are. Both are well represented in the flight sim world but for me, there is no substitute for the old steam driven stuff. The RFP 747-200 is easily the finest example of a pc based sim getting as real as can be. Whilst it is not possible to create a total immersion with just your laptop this product certainly has a suspension of disbelief rate higher than most others.
Back to the blurry world of simreality.....took off from New Caledonia at 20h30 and after a well deserved 2 and a half hour sleep we touched down at Brisbane International.
Well, it was not all sleep as I had an hour long chat to a girl in the seat next to me. A Chinese-Australian, she told me how Australia is fast becoming the place of choice for many people from the Far East to settle.


Travel gives one a novel perspective and I cannot help wondering how this compares to the Chinese 'invasion' of Africa that we are experiencing in our part of the world. Such is chance, that as a result of who I sat next to on the plane I will be seeing Brisbane with entirely different eyes.....and will eat out tomorrow night at the best Eastern restaurant in the city! That's if I can find the hurredly scribbled mobile number for Wan Lee.

Will all passengers for Rockhampton....

First....WISDOM from the KITCHEN!

Says Gran with a rather deadly looking kitchen knife in her hand....
"The Indians are killing each other wholesale - as soon as they get cross with their lovers they kill them. Then they commit hurry curry. I far prefer the plain dried peaches for my stewed fruit. The apricots are very sour. (Well, say I, just take the apricots out). No, that's not necessary. I cook it all and the sour taste goes away."

The image above comes from a magnificent and inspiring web adventure site...a must for all aviators and/or anyone with itchy feet!

See www.smilingflier.com

I came across this site whilst researching the route for the virtual flying adventure I conceived of in my previous blog. It is indeed exciting to have stumbled upon like minded fellow travelling wilberries and I am hoping they are happy for me to use some of their images to promote their and my (virtual cousin!) adventures!


Well, route planning is now complete and all systems are set to go.
Before I leave, I shall once again explore the reasons for such an apparently time consuming exercise. The entire route is approx. 3400Nm. That equals 6500 km. At an average flying speed of 200kts it will take 17 hours in the air. That is 17 hours of my time, my laptop time and my broadband time. What on earth can justify this?
Well, unless I turn into Superman or that Peter Speed lookalike who owns Virgin Air, I am unlikely to ever visit places like Rockhampton, Australia or Kudang in Indos. But....at my fingertips I have the greatest information resource in the history of mankind, the Internet, and I realized long ago that, combined with a definite mission, this enables me to have a very close experience of things that otherwise are out of physical reach.

Every decent game has a set of rules and these are mine:
1) At all times the aircraft is flown to real world safety and procedural norms.
2) Real weather conditions are to be dowloaded and used.
3) Where ATC is available on the IVAO network it must be used.
4) It is not strictly required to fly IVAO where no ATC is available as the MSFS option provides a reasonable traffic and ATC model. However all hours must be logged.
5) En route photos must be taken and archived as proof of the journey. These are to be integrated into the Google derived narrative of the journey.
6) Additional benefit and kudos are gained by having close encounters with the real world. For example, encouraging other virtual fliers to join me or making contact with real people or organizations en route.
7) As far as possible real world times are to be observed. However, if the scenery flown over is particularly impressive then it can be justified to shift time zone but retain real weather.
8) The ultimate aim of this venture is to add to my experience as a virtual/real aviator, increase my knowledge of the world and its people and push myself towards more real life travel and adventure.
9) All virtual time must be balanced out by outdoors physical experience of some sort, lest I become a laptop potato. The trouble is this leaves very little time for work.

The aircraft I am using is a Pilatus PC-12, the only single engined plane to be rated for trans-oceanic flight. I have built up this aircraft specifically to my own requirements with 2 onboard radar systems (Forward looking ground and TCAS traffic radar). Having spent some time in the right seat of a real world PC-12 I have come to respect this immensely safe and reliable plane.

Another reminder to check out http://www.smilingflyer.com/

It is a real world story of a bunch of aviator-adventurers who did what I am doing in the virtual world. Now why didn't I know about them when they were recruiting a filmmaker!! It is also the first example of how merely getting an idea and running with it attracts all sorts of exciting possibilities! Let's see where this one goes (Just got to make sure I stay alive and healthy!).


Here is the first leg:
1) Depart Ils Des Pines AP (New Caledonia) and head west over the Atlantic Ocean for the Eastern Australian city of Rockhampton.
2) I know little of Rockhampton except that its airport was voted Australia's top AP in 2007 and approx 66000 passengers pass through it annually. By the time I leave Rockhampton, I will know a lot more and maybe, even know some people there!

MAPS:
1) World Route Map.
2) Departure Location
3) Destination Location

Once I am in the air on this leg my intention is to spend some of my flying time (in between checks) reading up more about Flight Planning over long distances (esp over sea).
Wikipedia has a marvelous resource on this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_planning



Enough now....time to file a plan and head off into the sunset!



Log: 090607 - 16h45 - depart NWWE

Had to delay my departure by 15 minutes as some oke in an Embraer jet flew in (from the wrong direction), no landing lights and no communicating of his intentions. He (or she) then disappeared (maybe for a loo break) then just as I was lining up on runway 1o there he appeared at the other end of the runway, about to take off! Being a man of reason, I communicated my intention to vacate, got no reply and off he took. What a rude little person! But what the heck, there was a bright moon and half an hour into my trip I was greeted with the first glimmers of a Pacific Ocean sunrise. The reason that it is in front of me is because I diverted back to New Caledonia after a radio call came in requesting pilots to help in the Canary Islands as a new ATC guy was doing his exams. What the hell, let's suspend reality for a while and help out.
ps. note the natty little TCAS radar on the left. A nice added bit of realism is that you have to keep a watch on the traffic otherwise a midair collision is quite possible, especially when in uncontrolled airspace.

and the Latter Day Saints..

Last time I thanked Beverley for inspiring me to get off my thin ass and blog. Today, I must thank Cheryl King for her parting volley and insight that has inspired a whole new direction in my life. This mail came at the very end of a long debate about the merits of superstition V a naturalistic universe. To quote:

=======
Dear Budgie

This is far too wordy too wade through, I don’t have time at work for chain letters or people who (it appears at a first quick glance/skim through) like to think their own intellectualism compares with Einstein.

All the best as you try to convince people to line up with your great faith in whatever…..

Cheryl
==========

What a good idea! I had not thought of that! Start my own religion...
First I need a management team, some saints. Well, last night, one of the new recruits came to me in a dream. He looked remarkably like David Basckin, the well known Durban stand up comedian and coffee aficionado.

Thus spake he: "Verily I say unto you, mere sleeping intellectual charlatan. Dwell not in the fleeting illusion of the moment. For as each second comes so surely does it come to pass, leaving little or no time to ponder upon the nature of the firmament. Take instead upon your time, the graven image of an LG Wide Screen TV, for herein lies the Truth, the frontal Truth, the sideways Truth and a 3 year all risks warranty. And so it shall pass, that the time it shall take to take in all that HDTV can offer shall be no less or more than one day being 1 sixth of the time taken in the creation of All. And in as much as thou shalt dwell in the presence of this one day, be content in that which is written to be 'living in the moment.'"

"Phew, St. David of the coffee machine, can I have that in simple language"
"Sure thing," he replied.

If you really want to live your life, then treat it as a series of days, each one containing everything that you wish for or strive for in Life. If you live from moment to moment, there is no time between expectation and history, but in a day there are many hours which, if well spent can allow us to live our lives one fruitful and bountious day at a time. Imagine that the day's possibilities fill the image on an LG Widescreen TV before you. Get up, get out and DON' TALK...DO! Live your life each day!

I am now going to go on a mini adventure to the Pavilion Mall to meet people, buy batteries and tapes and get some fresh air, for tomorrow it's off to the land of the Zulus!

There is however, space for my regular, Wisdom from the Kitchen!

Mum: Zuma says he's going to give electricity to everybody and now Eskom says they are putting up the price by 75%! It went up 30% last month and I am now paying R300! If they double it I will be paying R500. Pay is the name of the game at the moment.
Our South African marmalade's not bad at all.

(Ed: Zuma: new S African president. Eskom: Electricity Utility Company. Currency: $1 = R10)

On a sad and serious note:

The murder of Dr. George Tiller, one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, brings into sharp focus the recent online debate I have engaged in over the danger of the fundamentalist religious right and the tacit support given to their lunacy by seemingly more innocuous incarnations of religiosity.

There was no immediate word of the motive Tiller's assailant. But the doctor's violent death was the latest in a string of shootings and bombings over two decades directed against abortion clinics, doctors and staff.

Long a focus of national anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, Stolz said. Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time.

President Barack Obama said he was "shocked and outraged" by the murder. "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," he said.

Whilst many prolife organizations have condemned the murder, the voice of the American Taliban is loud and clear still and it is not difficult to see how this can fuel the fire of murder and mayhem.