Category: General

Flash mob – Port Elizabeth

Ja well, this is credited to the NMMU (Nelson Mandela Metro University, most here call it the No More Money University, but when I knew it it was simply U.P.E.  University of Port Elizabeth)

This flash mob video is so cool because I go to this centre once a week, and the African harmonies at the beginning are typical of what I hear regularly.

I enjoyed it and thought that I’d share

Phone hacking and bugging

Some years ago I went to a talk given by Wolf Bierman, the former East German dissident poet whose citizenship was rescinded while he was on tour abroad.  Bierman actually chose to move to East Germany, aka the German Democratic Republic, from the West in the belief that he would be living the true Communist life in that people’s paradise. Needless to say he quickly became disillusioned and his work started to reflect his true feelings about life in East Germany.  This of course brought him to the attention of the Stasi and he was spied upon and his flat was bugged.  After the fall of the Wall he requested access to the Stasi files on him and he read out various bits to the audience.   It was so mind-bogglingly detailed. Someone was sitting transcribing the tape of what was happening in Bierman’s flat. It was like this:

“Door opens. WB enters with female companion.  He asks if she would like a drink.  She asks for coffee. WB makes coffee.  Both move to bedroom. They indulge in sexual intercourse. (At this point Bierman giggled and assured us it was true!)   WB asks his companion if she would like another drink.  She refuses.  They decide to go out to eat. Door closes.”

Of course the sad thing is that some people  Bierman considered as friends were also passing information on him to the Stasi.  But it was the utterly trivial details that were so painstakingly recorded that amazed us.

I have always hoped that if anyone hacked into my phone calls or e-mails I would hear the crash as the hacker hit the floor, dead of boredom!  The scumbag would deserve it.

 

I have a dream

Following on from Tocino’s post and the concerns expressed by several charioteers,

Linkey thing

in case anyone is worried about the wellbeing of said mustelid, I can confirm he is in fine form thus far, although I am not sure where he is at the moment to be honest – probably off somewhere trying to placate a very miffed Ethel. Beloved is besporting herself around the pool in blissful ignorance of the impending crisis.

Continue reading “I have a dream”

Devon

A great week away in Devon, many places visited we stayed at Coleton Fishacre in the Chauffeurs flat, the house was owned by the D’OYLY CARTE family so all 1920’s/30’s. Of an evening we had the 18 acre garden right down to the sea all to ourselves. Day 2 and we visited Greenway, Agatha Christies home, what an interesting woman and the house was as you would expect, interesting and full of every nick nack going, a complete mess, but fantastic.

Silence Day

One of the advantages of being in the UK is that I can read the DT supplement. An article therein was on the subject of silence and the fact that today is Silence Day.

The article asserted that people are uncomfortable with silence – I’m not – I don’t feel the need to have a background noise all the time. How about you?