Category: General

Quick petrol price survey

I’ve just filled up with petrol, we’ve had monthly increases for 5 or 6 months now.

Our petrol and diesel prices are regulated by the government and adjusted on the 1st Wednesday of each month, the two variables being the Brent crude price and dollar exchange rate.

This month’s hike also included a tax increase announced in our recent Budget.

R9.18 / litre at today’s exchange rate would be about US$ 1.33 ( £0.82 )

I have a feeling that these latest increases are going to hurt our and your economies severely in the near future.

I was wondering what do others around the world pay?

Conversions to US$ or £ would be appreciated.

😉

“No more Dictators” Demonstration – report from the Front!

Saturday afternoon strolling towards and through George Square in Glasgow, I noticed a few banner-carrying pedestrians heading in its direction, and a number of police, in twos, converging on the square. What’s going on? I asked a couple of young policemen. A demo in favour of the opposition in Libya and so on, they told me.
By the time we returned through George Square, the demo was in full swing – a good natured small bunch of demonstrators, watched by just two police constables, of which one was female – the only ones in sight within a half mile of George Square. Now, that is sensible policing. Continue reading ““No more Dictators” Demonstration – report from the Front!”

They don’t make ’em like they used to

Having been housebound for the past ten days or so with what might have been swine flu,  I have realised that older films are infinitely better made than the modern ones,  all the special effects and such notwithstanding. I watched one made in the 1950s last week,  set during the Korean War with Robert Mitchum and a very young Robert Wagner.  Very basic sets, but very good camera work.  Then I watched  Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which I already knew, enjoying the fashions, the cat and of course Moon River all over again.  Today’s was A Lonely Place with Humphrey Bogart.  A film noir, with a very good story line and some sharp dialogue and no happy ending.

I did not watch the remake of Brideshead Revisited last night. What’s the point when I remember perfectly the original ITV production?  I have no intention of watching the Coen brothers’ remake of True Grit. Again I just don’t see the point, and I like John Wayne movies.

Is this a sign of old age?  Or perhaps it’s a sign of improving taste and discrimination.

Education or Instruction?

Some time ago I posted a piece with the title It’s Hell For Democracy. Based on the writings of C.S. Lewis, part of its intent was to show that contemporary thinking and criticisms on society are rarely the outcome of original thought. In the post Lewis’s thoughts on education are truly contemporary and yet he published them some 40 years ago. While researching something else I became distracted by a reference to an article on education. The attraction was the in the title Knowledge is not a shovel – Universities and democratic society.

The primary aim of education, however one understands it, must be to nurture the ability to reflect, to develop new ideas, and to implement these collectively, writes Gesine Schwan. Cognitive multilingualism is the only way to prevent the specialization of knowledge narrowing our horizons to an extent that results in structural irresponsibility.

Continue reading “Education or Instruction?”