Tomorrow people, where is your past? Tomorrow people, how long will you last?Tomorrow people, where is your past? Tomorrow people, how long will you last?

If you don't know your past, you don't know your futureEveryoneDon't know your past, don't know your future everyman Don't know your past, don't know your future, come on Don't know your past, don't know your futureHow many nations How many people did that one catch How many nations did that one catch Don't know past, don't know your future Don't know past, don't know your future – Ziggy Marley and the melody makers

The rains have come and winter is here, yet today it seems as though its not. The sky is blue and the mountain in clear view streaks of white clouds add colour to the sky. The orange rays of the sun pierces the skies illuminating the earth

I hope all is well with you all. No worries this end other than a visit to the hospital later today to have a troublesome tooth attended to, oh how I hate hospitals and BANKMED! 2 new lovely ladies to add to the mailing list Malumbo and Tasneem, welcome to our email community, I try and send out an email at least once a week, should you at any stage think this is a waste of valuable storage space please drop me a line and I will remove you from the list, should you have any comments on the weeks email, mail me or go to www.mondaymail.blogspot.com

Monday was a pretty interesting day for me we had a cultural diversity workshop which we all had to attend. Initially my thoughts were sheesh another one of these things, at the end of it all I thought wow this was well worth the time.

We all claim to be so proudly South African, and this that and the next, how many of us know the full SA national anthem? Or even what the words mean. We all profess to embrace this new South Africa, but how many of us actually attempt to really embrace all parts of this New SA? You have to forgive me if I harp on about this topic a lot, but it’s a topic that is quite dear to me, but even I have fallen into the trap of lets get over our past and move on, but I now realise that we have to embrace our past as part of who we are and it also helps us in terms of where we go.

You cant just brush aside such a long past of segregation which was institutionalised through laws such as Group Areas act, Land act (white population of 1.5mil were allotted 90% of the land and the ‘africans’ got less than 10%), Bantu affairs, pass law (where as a black person u had to carry a pass book that detailed your race group, employer place of dwelling and if u had permission to be in a white area), prohibition of mixed marriages act and the immorality act (both of which prevented inter racial marriages/relations), separate amenities act, Bantu education (which forced blacks to follow an educational system that provided skills only for menial labour), liquor act.

So now there are other laws being institutionalised to counter this and they are Employment Equity, Affirmative action, Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment, Skills development and Skills development Levies act, and the preferential procurement act. People hear these laws and they cringe, but I don’t think it’s the first time we have had these laws in this country, I think there was a job reservations act back in the day that had the same effect as AA. Some might say well why don’t we just move on without any of these laws, because the government preaches non-discrimination yet these laws promote discrimination. Well the lady giving the course gave a simple example to counter this argument which made a whole lot of sense. Imagine a soccer game, 2 sides A and B, the pitch slopes. The whole of the first half side A has been playing downhill, everyone realises how unfair this is and at half time side A says ok for the next half we play on a level pitch…does that seem right?

We all have our stereotypes, all whites are racists…all blacks are lazy…all Indians/Greeks own shops…all mulims are terrorists…all Nigerians sell cocaine, all women are bad drivers (if I am not mistaken, women pay less in insurance than us guys, and if you see a speeding bafoon, more often than not it’s a guy). So how do we overcome these sterotypes, well what the lady said was for us to see how easy it is to find a person who breaks the sterotype.

Am I a racist? I don’t think I am, but growing up I saw the movie Roots, then Cry Freedom then Give us us free (Amistad), I hear and read about Muslims and hijackings and suicide bombs, I watch tv and all I see are crimes on movies or in the news being perpetrated by black people (who most of the time are working for the man). In my little town where I grew up every corner café was owned by either a Greek or an Indian (except Willies Take away). Your parents are always dropping hints, like those people are nice blacks etc. All these things plant a seed in your head.

As per the workshop and it makes a lot of sense how do you help yourself break the mould?
Listen to what people have to say
believe that people can change
check out people, see what rubs them the wrong way, see how they react to u, notice of yourself what rubs u the wrong way
steer clear of the sterotypes, judge people as individuals
maximum respect to yourself and others
see common ground
patiently persistent with people

Bottom line, learn about other people, learn about their cultures, I mean did you know that Muslim women can ask the guy for anything (car, house, etc.) before she accepts his hand in marriage? And that is hers, not theirs or her family’s?
Here is a little poem by Oscar Hammerstein:
You've got to be taught to hate and fearYou've got to be taught from year to yearIt's got to be drummed in your dear little earYou've got to be carefully taught You've got to be taught to be afraidOf people whose eyes are oddly madeAnd people whose skin is a different shadeYou've got to be carefully taught You've got to be taught before it's too lateBefore you are six or seven or eightTo hate all the people your relatives hateYou've got to be carefully taughtYou've got to be carefully taught
The world is a hugely diverse place. And that in my mind makes it all the more interesting. Embrace diversity, suppress your hang-ups and insecurities, give of your culture and receive of anothers. A bad person is not bad because they are black, white, pink or purple, they are bad because they are bad!!!!

Busy Birthday week this
20th Jacob, Kgashane
21st Hamish
22nd Cader, Simone V
23rd Peter K, Red head Ed
24th Gretchen
26th Kemi P

“life changes when you least expect it to. The future is uncertain. So, seize the day, seize the moment, and make the most of it”

And if its your birthday and I didn’t mention it, please forgive me but have a happy happy none the less, remember people RESPECT, that’s what its all about.

PS Credit for this email must go to Brigitte, who took us for the diversity workshop on Monday

Maximum respect.

Yaw

It’s close to midnight and something evil’s lurking in the dark (stories he told to get them in his bed)Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart (that would be the porn, boss)You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make itYou start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes,You’re paralyzed (that’s some of the effects of the alcohol)
- Michael Jackson Thriller, jokes aside the man has been acquitted on all 13 counts and I say well done to him, he seems an odd sod, but I cant help but think that some of these people are trying to take him for a ride, who in their right minds leaves their child in a strangers house and allows him to sleep with them in his bed, I wouldn’t, don’t care how famous u r…(one huge assumption was made in this statement…that I had/will have kids)

The rain still falls in the fairest cape, and even though its blissful to the soul, the sound of rain drops on my roof, u cant help but spare a thought for those staying in tents at the moment, or living in shacks. I remember going on one scripture union camp, when I was younger, we slept in little tents and one night it rained, even though the rain was light when we woke up or beds were soggy and it’s one of the worst ways to start off your day, I can only imagine (maybe not even) what some people are going through before they head out to work…in the rain…it’s a hard knock life I tell u, ur lot in life may not be all that at the moment, but trust u me, u are better off than maybe 90% of this continent…
Last weekend I was bling-blinging, the top dogs of Standard Bank corporate banking, Stanbic Africa and Standard Bank London, Mauritius and the Isle of Man, went to the Lost City for a conference, they needed someone to carry their bags and fetch stuff, so they asked me to come along too. Not a bad first visit to Sun City I tell you, the Palace was my home for 3 nights, happy people all around you telling you welcome every time they see u, or welcome, was a bit over the top, but being on the other side of sober and being driven to the doors of the hotel was so schweet.

Anyway my peeps hope u guys are all well, those in the North, I hope the summer is upon u and shiny happy people surround you. Winter has definitely descended up on us.

You work in an organization, something is grating you six love, you speak to a colleague and the same thing is grating them six love, speak to another and they have the same thoughts on the matter. Come staff meeting and the boss asks are there any concerns you want to raise…all that is heard is the sound of the skin stretching and contracting as everyone nods their heads in agreement of everything said. Or have you ever been asked a question where your honest answer could cause some sort of uneasiness or discomfort so instead you chose to opt for the easy answer, the answer that ruffles the least feathers. We all do it. The question is why?!!

Brings me to this weeks topic. A term known as candor, which the dictionary describes as “Frankness/sincerity of expression; openness; freedom from prejudice; impartiality”. You come across interesting things in the oddest of places. I came across this topic yesterday. One of my colleagues Smut, made us all copies of an extract of a book called Winning by Jack Welch, it was an interesting read.

Back to the topic at hand… How many of us shy away from giving our honest account of things, be it critcism, be it opinion, be it advice? We always try find polite ways to make things sound. Why do we do this? Well fair enough its human nature, but the truth is we all want to make our lives easier, its clear as daylight to us all I quite enjoyed reading that passage, it says that we try and steer clear of ruffling a few feathers because it generally creates a mess, someone will generally get bleak. The part that we find difficult is trying to sort out that mess, which is generally a mission so what we do is weigh it all up and choose the easy way out and massage the other persons ego.

I am not the biggest fan of criticism, but I enjoy criticism, in every shape or form. Be it from the way I dress, the way I wear my facial hair (and boy did I come in for a roasting this weekend about that), how I perform in relation to other people or in terms of my work, what I am doing wrong in terms of my sports. Without criticism how will you ever grow or learn. Imagine at work u are plodding along and every one keeps on telling u, u r doing a splendid job, when infact everyone is saying how below par u r, u carry on as is but u get nowhere, what do u learn, how do u grow? I think we should all embrace frankness. Tell me what u think about me, give me your honest opinion at all times, the make or break part of this is how you handle the information that is being downloaded into your ear. Do you let it get to you and let it be a bane of your existence or do you let the emotion run its course, and feed off the message to enhance your being? Therein my friends lies the true test.
Some of the benefits of candor (as per the passage here are the ways it leads to winning, in relation to business, but can be applied to life in general):
1) it gets more people involved, hence more people in the conversation and what results is more ideas being thrown around open up a few minds;
2) generates speed cos the ideas are in everyones face and they can be debated rapidly, expanded, enhanced and acted upon;
3) eliminates costs, cuts out arb meetings debating things everyone already knows.

Its not easi for us to be frank at all times or even half the time, but I think being honest at all times is the best policy. If someone asks u a question they should expect any answer, favourable or not. So shoot from the hip say what u gotta say, deal with the consequences later, maybe you were wrong, maybe they need to shape up, whatever, only time will tell and corrective action will be taken. Cos if you don’t and it comes out that you thought contrary to what you portrayed well what mess would be created then…you are a dishonest person…not trustworthy…etc. It is concluded in the passage that in the short-term you may keep the peace, but in the long run you end up destroying trust and ultimately eroding society.

Birthdays
12th Mark E, Carl DC, Sam Singh
13th Fiifi
17th Laila
18th Sarah and Lebo Comfort
May it be all that and then some!

The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that you’ve got it made – Jean Giraudoux
To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness – Confucious


I am out, maximum respect

Y

'The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides with the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.' – Samuel L (Pulp fiction, not actually Ezekiel 25:17)

But anyway that’s kinda how I felt on Saturday morning when that CFA stuff thought me a lesson, but feel nothing for me dear friends for it was of my own doing, and full responsibility lays squarely on these shoulders…I joke not, these last few months from Feb till now have been quite enriching/self enhancing, many a lesson have been learnt:
if your heart is really not in it don’t do it cos its juts going to be an unnecessary pain;
neva put off till the last week what you have 4 months to accomplish;
STUDY NO MORE!!! If you need to study there is a university of life just an eyesight or hearing distance away!

happy thoughts happy thoughts, another glorious evening in Cape Town, many find it miserable but I quite enjoy the rain especially if I don’t have to leave my home and I can just park easi and hear it beating on my rooftop, and then Barry White blazing in the background uttering the words (which seem to be stuck in my head the whole darn day), turn down the lights…u see the last part was so unnecessary, but that’s one of the joys/perils of an active imagination…

Greetings all, hope that where ever you are you are feeling fully actualised J just a term I heard again last week and I have been dying to insert it.

How fast is this year blazing? June already. June, known in SA as youth month with the 16 June Soweto uprising in which many youth lost their lives, but I have already covered this day in SA’s history, but this month also marks the remembrance of another day, on the other side of the world, where youths decided that they need to stand up and be heard.

On 4th June 1989, in the little country of China, which houses most probably half of the world’s population, oh wait is that India, or maybe Nigeria, I digress, ADHD is a biatch…the world witnessed the use of military action to disperse and silence protestors, protestors who were speaking out for their rights which it looks like they are offered in abundance at the moment.

The 15th April 1989 witnessed the beginning of the student led pro democracy protests against the socialist regime in the Peoples republic of China. A socialist regime built on social and economic reforms invoked by Deng Xiaoping in 1978. These reforms enhanced communism and socialism and as a result it was greatly supported by peasants, rural dwellers, whom were spread out all over the countryside, as well as urban workers as well as people organised into schools and work units who saw their substantial increases in their wealth during the period of the 80’s, but unfortunately for government, these groups were largely unorganised and widespread and as a result their ability to give widespread support was weak if at all existent.
At the same time the ‘opposition’ voice was growing louder. The longing for democracy amongst the students was burning inside like the fire from the burning bush that lead Moses to the 10 commandments. But the issue remained how? How do we as students protest against these injustices and perceived corruption by our existing government without being marginalised by the communist government? How do we address the fact that the reforms and loosening of economic controls is starting to cause inflation and unemployment which was a threat to many-a-livelihood? And then an ‘opportunity’ reared its head. The death, due to illness of Hu Yaobang, the former General Secretary of the Communist party, who was ousted in Feb 1987. He was a man whom many saw as a liberal in his communist ways…hmm?!! Scratching head look…I guess that’s what lead to his ousting in ’87. Anyway the students saw this as an opportune moment to begin their ‘protests’ which started off as marches in honour of the man, I mean how could the government forbid them to march in honour of one of their own without any awkwardness?

This march was relatively short-lived and it was followed by protests of an anti-foreigner nature. This was sparked by the beliefs of the students and some other intellectuals and urban industrial workers who were of the belief that foreigners had been given more rights than native Chinese. The students shunned communist student parties to form their own democratic movements, they started to see themselves as patriots, as the ‘heirs of the May Fourth Movement for Science and democracy. The protests also had the flavour of the Tiananmen Square protests of ’76 which lead to the ousting of the gang of four (four former leaders currently reduced to one, who directed Chinas destructive cultural revolution in the last years of Mao Zedong).

And so it began…at the height of the protests, there were over a million people involved in the protest and I don’t doubt that for a second in a country like China. It started in Beijing and the protests spread to other cities. The marches to Tiananmen Square were well organised with protestors from all areas descending onto the square in solidarity for the students. Some attempts were made to negotiate an end to the protests with the Chinese rulers, but these efforts were only partially successful. These protests escalated. It lead to a the formation of a standing committee and they together with the Party Elders, made up of retired politicians met to decide what to do with the Tiananmen Square protests. By this stage, a statue of the Goddess of democracy had already been erected on the square.

It was the intention of the committee and the elders to avoid violence, perhaps the fact that all the news agencies in the world were present in China at that time because of the then USSR’s Mikhail Gorbachev’s visit to the mainland, which would result some serious bad press for China, or maybe they actually didn’t want to hurt anyone… And so on their way they set, in an attempt to persuade the students to abandon their protests, but all to no avail. The protestors were large in number and their agendas diverse, the government showed empathy regarding the corruption claims, but all claims they could not attend to, and after much deliberation, the Party elders, tuned nooit (no for those not of the understanding of Afrikaans) now enough is enough, they already declared a state of Martial Law on the 20th of May and their hand had been forced…4th June…enter the 27th Army, roll on the tanks and the heavily armed soldiers, I remember, and I am sure many of you do, the photo of a man, I think in a white t-shirt, standing in front of the tanks momentarily halting the progress of these tanks. Brave soul that one, but no one ever knew who he was…with certainty. The heavy roadblocks constructed by Beijing’s citizens were not enough to halt the progress of the army. Many casualties resulted some say a couple of hundred dead thousands injured, others say a couple of thousand dead, thousands more injured, many lives were lost and by nightfall on the 4th July, Tiananmen Square was cleared of its protestors. To this day, every 4th June, the square is heavily guarded to prevent any commemoration of this day in any way.

The world turned its back on China. The US and the EU placed an arms embargo on China that is in place to this day. The Government defends its actions to this day. They deemed it a necessary action to reinstate political stability in China before it escalated.

Look at China now, a hive of activity, doors for trading with the outside world have been opened, the worlds textile market is all in China, pick up anything and I am sure at least 7 out of 10 times its made in China with an American company’s brand sign on it. They make the real thing and they make the knock offs….even cars they can replicate. Watch that country. Communism/the relaxation of their communist ways, what is it that is the catalyst in China’s booming economy, is it because they started off a relatively low base, and as a result can undercut everyone in terms of resource costs?

All over CNN a few weeks ago it was all about inside China and its hugely impressive what has happened there, if one country can do it, I see no reason why this continent cant achieve the same, oh wait they WORKED TOGETHER!! Eish Africa, my Africa, will we ever come right?

Birthdays this week
6th Helen
9th Ivan
12th Mark, Carl and Samantha
13th Ed H

My quote to you guys…
“everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therin to be content… Helen Keller

Its late, its wet, its cold, I’m tired so to all of thee I bid fond adieu, till next we chat, much respect

Y

p.s. credit for the above goes to the much acclaimed www for being a source of my research data (requirements of a CFA candidate right there people I learnt something at least ;-))