SeaGoat Bleat

I don't want to hear the sounds of angels I've had enough of priests and saviours I've no more time for prayers and miracles I just want robots that work in the rain I want to go to town on the train And I to trust newspapers again I don't want to know what match fixing is Or how much the stadium cost to build And who killed who for the money I want watch football with crowds of well fed people who all go home to dcent homes after.

Business management, Hitler and the next flight to Australia Business Management Yesterday, for the first time I noticed the press given to the results announced by Telkom . This morning I looked up their results, and was glad to find a variety of opinions about the organisations performance. This was significant for me because I generally don't care about organisations I don't work in or for.  But a few things have stood out for me. One, is the ease with which cost cutting (retrenchments specifically) are accepted as a means to improving organisational performance. Two, is the massive improvement in net debt. Three, the groups CFO still sees maintenance and network improvements as negative. This means all those customer complaints (of which I log many) are nuisance, and something Telkom would rather not deal with. So my service remains poor. In contrast, Telkom claims to have made the customer experience a priority. Hitler Did you ever watch ...

THINKING ABOUT TIME An article (here) reporting on a speech given by the AU chair got me thinking about how we view time. In the article, Dr Dlamini Zuma read a letter "written" by someone in 2063 to somebody living today. It appears she used the letter to encourage her audience to dream big, and remain steadfast in the knowledge that every brick they lay today will contribute to the master building of our future. But we don't always get it, do we? I know I don't. I've been so concerned over the last couple of years with the struggle of modern day life, with school fees and the children's manners and work and the wife and my friends and my career, that to look forward 30 years only happens during corruption and corporate greed w(h)ine sessions with our Jo'burg friends. But its so important to give everyday life its proper context. Imagine you were in your early twenties during the late eighties and early nineties. Today, you'd be in...

THANK YOU! To all who contributed to the the anti-apartheid struggle. HIS death has given me occasion to pause, and reflect on the fact that I have never said thank you to the countless heroes who gave, and gave and gave again to ensure today South Africans like me can live life how we want, where we want and with who we want. There is more work to be done, yes, but thank you regardless. Thank you.  

The physical science of being Stand upright Bend the word Hold on tight Jump through the hoop Fade into the background and step out from the crowd Walk the talk See the need Speak your mind and take control

My wife completed her masters in education policy two or three years after the birth of our twin daughters. It was tough on both of us, but we had fantastic family and friend networks who supplied encouragement, money and time. My mother worked in education her whole life, from the classroom to the district to the department. She sacrificed a lot of her adult life to make sure I got the best education possible. I often wondered during meal times in the boarding house, whether my family at home ate as well as I was able to. She worked incredibly hard at work, and was almost always tired. But I ask her about her experiences today and I when I listen to her speak I hear a woman who feels she gave all she could and more for something bigger than her. My father left the teaching profession late in his life, and today is bitter about his experiences. He often refers to the poor material rewards associated with employment in general, and teaching in particular.I suspect there are many u...