“Should i give up, Or should i just keep chasing pavements?
Even if it leads nowhere, Or would it be a waste? Even If i knew my place should i leave it there? Should i give up, Or should i just keep chasing pavements? Even if it leads nowhere”…Adele

I know its so last season this song, but hope it stays in your heads the whole weekend like it’s been lingering in mine for the last 2 dam n weeks!! Been a while ey anyway still very bright eyed and bushy tailed feeling very blessed/lucky whatever floats ur boat. Positive mind, positive life, pretty simple try it sometime!! 
I heard something last Sunday that I thought I should share with u all…the root of all our unhappiness is because we choose to compare things, particularly the past to the present. It makes sense doesn’t it? We compare what we used to look like, what we used to have etc etc to what we currently have and sometimes what we once had is no longer, but we forget to look at the good things that have taken its place…

It took well over a month for Zim electoral commission to declare the last results, but these results were given out in a day and a bit if even…hmmm!!! Fair enough it was just presidential elections but I am sure it was the same amount of polling stations involved. Then there was his outburst to the reporter calling him a stupid idiot or something to that effect, if that isn’t the voice of someone who has lost the plot then I guess my name really isn’t Yaw. I found it embarrassing and then there were voices in the background spurring him on…”tell him tell him” children!!

My biggest disappointment though is the silence of the AU leaders (well at least some, Nigeria, Malawi and Botswana as far as I can remember have stated that they don’t accept the results), this was Africas one chance of taking charge and doing something significant, but instead our leaders turn a blind eye. I am the biggest supporter of this country and this continent, we have every possible resource and potential in abundance but the lack of leadership that can take or make those tough decisions will keep crippling us till kingdom come. I really am at a loss for words. I am just an average joe, I may not know the history of how Zim has gotten to where its gotten to, I haven’t been there yes, but I know people who have , black, white, tall, short and they all say the same it’s a F*** up! I can see where it is and I know that NOTHING will change if Bob stays in power. But I know we are bored with this topic, the sad thing is for us it’s a topic for many a Zimbabwean its their reality!!

Then we have Mr ANCYL saying he will kill for Zuma then Mr Vavi not wanting to be outshone re-iterates this. Where are we? But then again that as I say that epitomizes the violent nature of us South Africans, anyone who wants to challenge that please do put ur hands up in the air. Violence surrounds us, its been in our past, present and until we do something about it it will be in our future. You are in a night club a guy walks past another and bumps him cos the place is packed the other guy is like listen d**s, I’m gonna f**ken m*er you”…and then what does that make you. We have come a long way but we still have a long way to go and once again let me say it again…get to know each other, understand what makes us all tick, its so easy this!!

Something very different this week thanks to Mike, please read below:

Joburg’s Biggest Walker – An 8-week Green House Gas (GHG) emissions challenge

Background
With the cost of petrol & diesel rising almost as rapidly as our collective consciousness about global warming, perhaps it’s time we Joburgers set out to see if we REALLY need our cars.
In the absence of what we believe to be reliable and/or sustainable alternatives, one must question whether there are NO alternatives to single occupancy high pollutant vehicles, or if we’re just too busy to test our assumptions.

The Challenge
Can you measure your direct impact on this environment (Phase I) and then make a concerted effort to reduce it (Phase II)?
Phase I consists of a 4-week baseline measurement, whereby you would be expected to:
1. On Sunday the 6th of July…fill up your vehicle (full-full)…and take an odometer reading (OR)
2. By Wednesday the 9th of July…send your OR to michael@trialogue.co.za along with your name, as well as the make, model and year of your vehicle…plus whether it consumes petrol or diesel
3. For the next 4 weeks…every time you purchase fuel, you must submit the following data:
a. Cost of fuel (Rands)
b. Amount of fuel (litres)
c. Updated OR
4. During this 4-week period, you should try to identify possible alternatives to your regular driving patterns (walk, cycle, car pool, public transit, etc.)
5. At the end of the 4 weeks…on Sunday the 3rd of August…you must re-fill your vehicle (full-full) and submit the above data (as per #3, above)
6. From Monday the 4th of August through to Sunday the 31st of August, you should apply some of the strategies identified in #4…attempting to reduce your reliance on your vehicle.
7. For the next 4 weeks…every time you purchase fuel, you must submit the following data:
a. Cost of fuel (Rands)
b. Amount of fuel (litres)
c. Updated OR
8. During this 4-week period, you should try to keep a log of any non-standard car-pooling that you engage in…submitting a record of the number of ‘non-standard car-pool kilometres’
a. NOTE: These kilometres will be factored to reduce your GHG impact by 1/3
9. At the end of the 8-week period, you will be provided a report of your success…relative to all the other participants…with an ultimate “Joburg’s Biggest Walker” being identified and awarded

The Cost
Entry into this initiative will cost R50 per person…with the ultimate assumption being that you SHOULD recoup this cost through savings in fuel purchases.
ALL proceeds will go proving awards to “Joburg’s Biggest Walker” and “Joburg’s Most Creative Non-Polluter”.

The Awards
60% of all contributions will be awarded to “Joburg’s Biggest Walker”, and the remaining 40% will be awarded to “Joburg’s Most Creative Non-Polluter”.
These funds will not be payable as ‘cash’, but rather the Rand value equivalent in trees…to be planted at a school or community project of the winner’s choice.

Rules
1. You can’t cheat! You will be expected to participate honestly…with no attempts to jimmy the numbers (Note: at least one math boffin will be used to test for anomalies).
2. You must fill ‘full-full’ on both the 6th of July and the 3rd of August.
3. Any lapse in providing the necessary fuel purchase data will result in using published ‘in-town consumption’ figures for your make and model of vehicle.

Judging
1. The numbers will judge themselves…although the math boffin will, as mentioned, test for anomalies.
2. The title of ‘Joburg’s Most Creative Non-Polluter’ will be judged by the entire team of participants. Any member wishing to tell a specific story about how they managed to cut down their fuel consumption and/or how the project impacted on other areas of their polluting life will be allowed to submit their story to the rest of the team. Stories must be submitted no later than Sunday the 7th of September. Each participant will be asked to rate their 1st (3 points), 2nd (2 points) and 3rd (1 point) choice, with the results being tallied and shared with the team…and the ultimate winner being identified through the stats.

The Celebration
On dates to be announced (sometime in October), ALL participants in this project will be invited to join the winners at the identified ‘tree recipient’…to help plant the trees and (if necessary) to help clean up the site.

The Ultimate Spin-Offs
If we can get enough people to participate, there is a distinct possibility that between the amount of direct GHG reductions (i.e., reduced fuel consumption) and the off-sets resulting from the planted trees could neutralize the team’s 4-week transportation-related carbon footprint.
Moreover, it is assumed that the ‘tree recipients’ would be educated about the need for trees…potentially impacting future generations of GHG emitters.
Yet more…it is possible that this could be written up either as an article or a case study, to be replicated by others, thereby leading to future GHG Challenges elsewhere…and thus even more carbon reductions.

ARE YOU IN?

Let me know and I will forward your names.

In closing, if you guys don’t already, if you are looking for an alternative to “Shorty wanna thug, models in the club….like a Lollypop” try talk radio 702 in the evenings some quality listening.

Birthdays
17th June Tas Domingo
20th Kgash and Jake
21st Hamish
22nd Dakes and Simmybunny
23rd Pete K
24th Gretchen
27th Rule and Gail
29th Simone and Celeste M
30th Dineo
1st July KJ Magil
3rd Jenn

Take it easi all

Que sera sera

Y