Monday, May 31, 2010

South African Country Style Guinea Fowl Potje

If you lucky enough to get Guinea fowl then you will like this recipe. If not the Guinea fowl can be substituted by pheasant as well or if all else fails all chicken. Don't forget a potje or pot on the fire is a social thing so enjoy it to the max

Ingredients
----------------
• 2 Pounds Guinea Hens -- Cubed
• 2 Pounds Chicken -- Cubed
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• A little Flour
• Salt And Pepper
• 6 Slices Bacon -- Chopped
• 1 Large Onion -- Chopped
• 2 Small Carrot -- Chopped
• 2 Stalks Celery -- Chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic -- Chopped
• 1 Cup Chicken Broth
• 1 Cup Dry Red Wine
• 1/2 Cup Parsley -- Chopped
• 2 Medium Bay Leaf
• 1/2 Teaspoon Thyme
• 1 Lemon Lemon Juice
• Salt And Pepper -- To Taste
• 10 Small Pearl Onion -- Peeled
• 20 Medium Mushroom -- Sliced
• 10 Small New Potatoes -- Peeled
• 2 Stalks Celery -- Chopped

Directions Mix together, flour and salt and pepper and coat chicken and hens in mixture, then saute chicken and hens in oil for 5 minutes per side. Add bacon, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, cook 10 minutes. Add broth, wine, parsley, bay leaves and thyme, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper, onions, mushrooms, potatoes and celery, cover and simmer 1 hour. Serve over rice.

This is a seriously nice potje to make a little different but well worth the effort and time. A potje is a social event where you can sit around an open fire with the pot simmering and everybody drinking a glass or three of wine and chatting up a storm so enjoy

South African Revenue Services gives out thank you gift with tax returns


FREE GIFT FROM SARS TO
 ALL TAXPAYERS
  The Income Tax Department has announced that they will give
 a free pencil sharpener to all taxpayers who pay their taxes on time.
  It can be placed on your desk as a constant reminder of the service they
 provide to you each year.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

The Bulls lay the Stormers to rest

The Blue Bulls proved to strong for the Stormers Yesterday and put them down 25 to 17

The picture tells it all the Bulls had there way
--

Hehee hee hee "had there way" get it!

Soweto is usually a soccer-crazy community, but on Saturday most of its residents stood in support of the rugby game, blowing their loud plastic horns known as vuvuzelas as the Bulls thrashed rival Stormers in an all South African final.

Houses close to the stadium opened up their gardens to fans, who were grilling sausages and drinking as if in their own homes. The residents were happy to receive them, saying they were curious about the fanatical Bulls fans.

"They should bring the games to other (black) areas, it's good for business and the fans feel welcomed here," said Mpumi Khubeka, who was selling beer from her front yard.

The Orlando stadium will be used as a training ground during the soccer World Cup and will host a 'Kick-Off Celebration Concert' on June 10. Organisers used Saturday's rugby game as a logistics test.

President Jacob Zuma and Archbishop Desmond Tutu attended the game, the first major rugby competition to be held in a township.

Zuma walked onto the pitch just before the game - as former President Nelson Mandela did at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final.

Darren Scott punching out of his weight division gets a beating but the commentary is a little hazy

Celebrity sports commentator Darren Scott is nursing stitches after being hit over the head with a golf club in a brawl with patrons outside a Hillcrest pub.

Scott got into fisticuffs with two patrons after he allegedly reversed his car into theirs in the parking lot at the Heritage Market.

The East Coast Radio jock and television presenter, dubbed "Flaming Hot" Scott because of his fondness for lighting Stroh Rum on his head, confirmed the incident, but refused to give details.

Patrons of the Keg in Hillcrest told the Sunday Tribune that Scott had left in the company of a young woman after much merriment last Friday night.

Heritage tenants spoke candidly about the incident but most asked to remain anonymous.

A Keg & Trout employee said: "He came in here last Friday with some mates and they were having a good time and enjoying some drinks. Some of the guys were regulars, but I hadn't seen him in here before.

"At one point Darren was lighting Stroh Rum on his head. I had never seen anything like that... his hair caught on fire and the flames had to be put out."

After the Keg, Scott moved to Frankie Bananaz, also in the shopping centre, which he reportedly left at around 3am.

He was seen getting into his car with a young woman. Scott allegedly reversed into a car that was occupied by two men, Matthew Jackson and the other identified as James.

A friend of the men said they had told him they followed Scott through the Heritage complex and at some point Jackson jumped out of the car and admonished Scott for bumping into them.

Scott, they claimed, shouted at Jackson, "Do you know who I am?" before getting out of his car and scuffling with him.

Scott pinned Jackson to the ground, at which point James jumped out of the car and came to the assistance of Jackson.

The friends claim that Scott allegedly produced a golf club and hit James, who wrested the golf club out of Scott's hands.

Then Scott went for Jackson with a second golf club. James apparently also prised this out of Scott's hands and hit him on the head, their friend said.

The friend said they had laid a charge of assault against Scott. Reports of the incident vary.

One Heritage tenant said, "Word has spread about how he (Scott) was beaten up, but there are several versions of what happened." Scott said he didn't remember bumping anyone's car and there was no damage to his car.

He also said R1 000 was missing after the altercation. Asked whether he had been hit with a golf club, he said, "I don?t want to say anything more about it. The matter is being handled by the police."

However, the police say they have no record or knowledge of the incident.

Yesterday, the Sunday Tribune attempted to find a record of the incident at the Hillcrest police station, but there was no mention of either Scott or Jackson in the occurrence book.
-

A provincial police spokesman, Colonel Vincent Mdunge, said Hillcrest police had no record of an assault case.

One Heritage tenant said he had been approached by a private investigator employed by Scott. Darren is noted for his bar-room antics. Two years ago, a video showing Scott lighting Stroh Rum on his head was posted on the internet.

------

Original story http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20100530070152785C889437

Batmobile up for sale darn takes me back to being a boy!

When I was a young boy Batman was like the second in command to Superman but hell Batman had a car and what a car it was! This car had more gadgets than a Swiss army knife mated to a magician. As kids we drooled after this car and spent long hours pretending to drive it
--
Briton Mark Perkins has hoarded the ultimate collection of must-have movie motors - including the Flintstones car, Batman's Batcycle, Mr Bean's Mini, Starsky and Hutch's Ford Torino and 007's Aston Martin from the film Goldfinger.

And alongside the impressive collection of originals currently stored in the basement of his home in Ascot, Berkshire are exact replicas of the Batmobile, Ghostbusters' cadillac style limo and Noddy's Toyland car.

But now the 47-year-old petrolhead has made the tough decision to part with his prized Batmobile, which he bought in 1988 and customised with the help of renowned custom coach builder, Bill Chaplin.

It is based on a Lincoln Continental chassis and was built to a similar specification as the original car in the 60s.
It is going under the hammer in an auction on June 2 in Surrey and expected to fetch in the region of £40 000.

"It is sitting in my garage collecting dust. I don't really want to sell it - it has done absolutely everything," he said.

The property developer said: "(Collecting cars) is a nice sideline hobby. We look all over the world for them.

"I have been doing it for more than 20 years now and have got a nice collection of vehicles which I store in my basement, but I am starting to run out of room.

"It's all right to have a Ferrari or a Bentley but it's not my cup of tea. Classic cars from films and unusual things are my hobby.

"But classic cars, and this one in particular, should be driven to be enjoyed, and I've loved taking it on the road over the years.

"However, I will have little time to do so in the future, and so sadly it's time someone else derived pleasure of ownership.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Diego Maradona makes a promise we hope he never has to keep!


Diego Maradona has promised to run naked through the center of Buenos Aires if Argentina wins the World Cup.

The Argentina coach made the promise during a radio show. The unpredictable Maradona was speaking a day after Argentina defeated Canada 5-0 in its final warm-up match before the World Cup.

Argentina plays in Group B, opening against Nigeria on June 12.

The Gauchos also face Greece and South Korea.

Well now I tell you what if South Afrika "Bafana Bafana" win the world cup I will stand on the steps of Parliament building in Pretoria naked as the day i was born and blow a Vuvuzele at the top of my lungs till the men in white coats drag me of to the funny farm!

Now hows that for a dare anybody interested in joining me in that dare? You can comment below and add your name to a list ;0) if you have the guts or balls that is?

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Now I like a glass of wine as much as the next Guy but hell not this!

Baby Mice Wine
---

Baby mice wine is a traditional Chinese and Korean “health tonic,” which apparently tastes like raw gasoline. Little mice, eyes still closed, are plucked from the embrace of their loving mothers and stuffed (while still alive) into a bottle of rice wine. They are left to ferment while their parents wring their tiny mouse paws in despair, tears drooping sadly from the tips of their whiskers.

Wait, it gets worse …

Do you wince at the thought of swallowing a tequila worm? Imagine how you’d feel during a session on this bastard. Whoops, I swallowed a dead mouse! Whoops, there goes another one! Whoops, I just puked my entire body out of my nose!


Powdered Wine
---

Mountaineering gourmets no longer have to forgo a glass of red wine after conquering a peak. Trek‘n Eat has now launched a new red wine in the form of a powder. The beverage powder that comes in convenient portions packed in pouches has an alcoholic content of 8,2%, which is similar to a light bottled wine. A matching mulled wine has also been developed for expeditions in snow and the cold – for celebrating the special moment at night camp when you about to mount a Yak or mountain goat
-
You apparently just add water or you could piss in the glass which would probably improve the taste and give it a better aroma or nose as the connoisseurs like to say

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Oh Hell Zululand has it's own Calendar girls and they grannys to top!

Well done girls I just love your confidence
who says Zululanders are no fun?
--
The Zululand Calendar Girls
--
When five Zululand friends decided to model for a calendar as a favour for a photographer, they had no idea that their project would turn into a fund-raiser for a local charity. It inadvertently turned out to be a replay of the hit movie ‘Calender Girls’. Earlier this month long-time friends Alice Meintjes, Dee Herbert, Ricky Bell, Marlene Lonsberg and Linda Melvill agreed to a photo shoot for women over forty as a favour to photographic student, Taitum de Villiers. ‘We had a blast and the shoot was a great success,’ said Meintjes of the experience. ‘When the photographs were due to be delivered to us in the form of a risque calendar, we were arranging our team for the CANSA Relay for Life fund-raiser and decided - on the spur of the moment - to sell copies of the calendar for CANSA,’ said Meintjes. The portraits are beautifully shot and a tribute to real women, with no Photoshopping or airbrushing.
-
‘Three of the five women photographed are grandmothers,’ said a delighted Meintjes. And though the movie ‘Calendar Girls’ is currently again being shown on television, Meintjes admits that she only saw the movie two weeks after the decision to make the calendar was made. ‘This was a totally uninspired decision that we made on the spur of the moment. We wanted to put our memories to good use,’ she said.
-
Well done girls from the Pessimist Incarnate I think it's a great thing you girls have done and I love the fact that you are Zululanders. Go girls hope it's a great success and man I wish my granny looked half as good as you Lady's do!
-
Anyone interested in ordering the calendar is asked to call Meintjes on 082 3017239 or email alicem@wpd.co.za

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Blue Bulls run through Soweto and have a blast

You got to love the Orlando Bulls
What a blast




SOWETO was a sea of blue when the Blue Bulls fans invaded the township to watch their team play against the Crusaders in Super 14 semifinal on Saturday.

The influx of fans into the township caused hours of traffic jams.

The traffic jam was worsened by the final of the Nedbank Cup between AmaZulu and Wits University at Soccer City.

The match was the first top class rugby clash in Soweto. The Blue Bulls return to the stadium for the final this weekend.

Park-and-ride facilities were organised from Centurion and Nasrec to Orlando Stadium.

We spent about two hours in traffic from the city to Nasrec, where there were park-and-ride facilities.

It took about 10 minutes to get onto the buses and about 40 minutes to get to Orlando Stadium.

Outside the stadium, there was an entertainment area where fans could buy team apparel, food and listen to music and watch the match on a big screen.

One of the few hiccups at the stadium was that the marshals were unable to assist fans get to their seats.

After the game some fans stayed behind to watch the match between the Stormers and Waratahs at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on the screen.

The Blue Bulls gave Orlando Stadium the thumbs up.

Some fans said although Orlando was not better than their home stadium, Loftus in Pretoria, it was a better option than Ellis Park in Doornfontein.

Renier and Ronnie Botha, from Centurion, said: “It has been a great experience and hopefully it will not be the last time the Bulls come here. It was our first time in Soweto and we have thoroughly enjoyed it. The park-and-ride was good and well organised. No complaints.”

Tshepo Moeti from Pimville, Soweto, said: “I usually watch rugby on TV. It was my first time at the stadium. It was really exciting and the fans were great.”

Piet van Zyl, who parked his car in Centurion, said: “I am very satisfied with the system and the stadium was brilliant.

David Smith always "relevant" with this Piece on Muslims that has a simple truth about it!


I went to university in Durban in the mid 90s. I had a bunch of Muslim kids in my class. There were no beefs, no thoughts of “the other”. Just some other kids. There was Aisha from Zimbabwe — the chick who bounced between being a Muslim and a communist, but was always eternally hot. OK, I know I shouldn’t just be judging girls off their flyness but I was 18 at the time. She did have a magnificent brain to go with that fit body. I’m digging myself in deeper here, aren’t I? … Moving on! Dawood. He was older than us, a few years ahead, and totally awesome — Megadeth and Sabbath T-shirts, big hair and crazy toys stuck to his drawing board. He was a nutter of note. As were Faraan and his brahs who drove hotted-up cars and liked a pipe in the morning. They were cool like ice. Then there was Aman, who coined my favourite saying: “You gotta be a pig in this wild, wild world!” He said it after we discovered that he had grazed knees while shagging some chick on his balcony. One of my best mates was Doung Janangeer, or to use his full name, Anwar Mohammed Janangeer, the crazy Mauritian architect turned artist who has been making waves in the South African art scene. All of these kids were Muslim. Some of them quite devote and the others, well, they tried to be good when they could.

Their religion didn’t seem to play a big part in our discourse. Maybe during Ramadan we’d say things like: Dude, aren’t you starving? Or we’d get a little bit bummed because Gustav down at the ref wouldn’t serve bacon or ham and shit because he was a Muslim. I think I had more arguments with Aisha about her commie outlooks than anything to do with her faith. When I hung out with Doung, there were many occasions where he’d be doing his prayers before we went out. I’d be sitting on the couch and there would be this dude on his prayer mat bowing to Mecca. Not once would I have ever thought about it as the clash of cultures, or the war of ideas. It was just what he did.

Now I am not trying to suggest that, we were like sesame street, or the rainbow bloody nation, or something, we had our faults and we had fights about rubbish that kids fight about. Who smoked all the zol? Arguments about rock vs R&B on the communal studio radio. But overall, my days in the UKZN archi department were good, and a lot of Muslim kids helped to make it good.

But then bam, 9/11 happened, and everyone started hating on the Muslims. Every Muslim got tarred with the Jihadist brush. But none of them had really changed. Yes, thousands of people died, and that was tragic, but that didn’t mean any of the kids in my class were any different. They were the same people they’d been on the September 10 2001. It wasn’t like overnight every Muslim became radicalised. Osama bin Laden wishes he could have that effect on people.

I want us to remember that time. That time before we hated the Muslims. That time when Muslims were simply our neighbours, the kids in our class, our GPs, our dentists, the guy down at the shop, the woman two desks across, the guy in the IT department, the lady at chemist and the hot commie chick from Zimbabwe.

Original piece http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/davidjsmith/2010/05/24/do-you-remember-that-time-when-you-didn%E2%80%99t-hate-muslims/

Monday, May 24, 2010

Roxy Louw voted sexiest babe in the world by FHM readers

The 22-year-old Louw, who left her family in Cape Town to live in the surfing paradise of Durban, follows in the footsteps of her gal pals and previous winners, Tracy McGregor (winner in 2008) and Lyndall Jarvis (2009), who were on hand to congratulate her at the function in Johannesburg.

"I was actually in Durban with a friend when I found out I'd won, but of course I couldn't tell anyone until the official announcement. The worst part was having to keep it secret, because I was so overwhelmed and excited. But I told my mom first, and then later my dad, who, when he found out that I'd also won an LED 3D TV, celebrated because he plans to watch the Super14 final (Blue Bulls vs Stormers) [on the set].

"I used to keep pictures of Kerry McGregor and idolised her, so when I found out that over 2million people voted [for me], I freaked out because I'm now in the same category as her."

But Louw claims she will "always be a surfer chick", despite the new accolade.

Tracy McGregor told The Times that the girls "partied up a storm", following the announcement.

"Lyndall, Roxy and myself are all friends from Cape Town, so we're very proud and happy for her. We threw a party at this pretty loft in Joburg and we just spoiled her. It was fantastic."

Other beauties to win the title in the past include Lee-Ann Liebenberg, Minki van der Westhuizen, Tanya van Graan and Kerry McGregor.

The July issue of FHM with the complete list of the "sexiest women in the world", is already on sale.

Congratulations Roxy well done from Pessimist Incarnate and keep the boys smiling

Amazing picture of an Iceberg from below "Titanic had no chance against one of these"


This came from a Rig Manager
For Global Marine Drilling

In St. Johns , Newfoundland .

They actually have to divert the path
Of these things away from the rig

By towing them with ships!

--

Anyway, in this particular case
The water was calm and
The sun was almost directly overhead
So that the diver was able to get into the water
And click this picture.

They estimated the weight at 300,000,000 tons.

Fans not happy with World Cup song by Shakira "Waka Waka"

Shakira a "No no" for Fans of World Cup

Pop star Shakira's official World Cup anthem "Waka Waka" has received an unofficial "No, no" from South Africans.

The song, which is a collaboration with South African band Freshlyground, was released to radio stations last week but has not hit the right note with football fans in the host country.

"It's horrible," local fan Lindi Munonde said. "I'm not standing for it. I mean what is our president doing about it?"

"Waka Waka - Time for Africa" takes its inspiration from Cameroonian music, but South Africans aren't convinced Colombian singer Shakira is the right person to represent Africa's first World Cup.

"Really, I mean, how is Shakira going to sing the African part of it?" said Nomaswazi Thomo, another local fan from Johannesburg.

The "Whenever, Wherever" star is to travel to South Africa to sing the new anthem, alongside Freshlyground, before the July 11 World Cup final at the 94,000-seat Soccer City stadium near Soweto.

The 33-year-old Shakira is one of a string of international artists also performing at Fifa's June 10 Kickoff concert to mark the start of the tournament.

The Kickoff lineup, which includes American artists Alicia Keys and Black Eyed Peas, was criticised in South Africa, where locals felt their own musicians had been sidelined. World Cup organisers have now agreed to add more local artists.

Radio stations in South Africa say there has also been a strong reaction to the Waka Waka song.

"I love it that South Africans are just coming together as South Africans and saying, 'We've got our own people and it's an African World Cup. It's ours,"' 702 Talk Radio presenter Jenny Cryws-Williams said.

"We are going to put on a fantastic World Cup. Why don't we have South Africans doing it for us?" - Sapa-AP

Saturday, May 22, 2010

The Magnificent 2010 MV Agusta Brutale 990R what a bike

Its Italian from the home of Ferrari it's
like a beautiful woman just nicer
--

The second-generation MV Agusta F4 1000 and Brutale models are now available in South Africa from importers Italmoto.

These bikes, unveiled in Europe in September 2009, were produced under Harley-Davidson custodianship, though the financially troubled American company has now decided to sell MV Agusta despite only acquiring it in August 2008.

The Brutale's a naked bike with all its mechanical bits on display, and fine bits they are too. Nobody can accuse this Italian machine of being conformist and blending into the crowd

The 'melting' headlight could have been styled by Salvador Dali

It's available in 990R and 1090RR versions at R175 000 and R220 000 respectively and the 990R was my ride to go and watch the sixth round of the World Superbike series at Kyalami.

The appopriately named Brutale's aggressive lines make it look like it came straight off a Terminator movie set and the unusual "melting" headlight could have been styled by Salvador Dali.

Compared to the first-generation Brutale, launched about a decade ago, 85 percent of the components are new. This is much more than just a restyle.

your legs might need some stretching after an extended trip

. For the rest, however, rider comfort is well taken care of.

The seat's wide and comfortable though it's higher than the previous Brutale's. It was perfect for my 1.8m frame and I could straddle the bike with both feet flat on the ground.

The handlebars are more upright than a superbike's so your wrists aren't in agony after half an hour's riding but the footpegs are reasonably high so your legs might need some stretching after an extended trip.

The straight-four engine has increased from 982cc to 998cc, with power up to 102kW and torque to 106Nm. While not quite superbike fast it's very eager and responsive with good mid-range muscle enhanced by a new exhaust system which has a choke valve operated by the injection control unit.

There are two throttle mappings, sport and standard; the latter provides a less snatchy action to make the bike easier to ride around town. In sport mode the bike has more instant response, giving the throttle an almost trigger-like action.

Gearshifts in the six-speed transmission are very smooth but there's a big gap between first and second and I often hooked neutral by mistake.

Traction control with eight settings is standard and adjustable front and rear suspension, combined with the high-set footpegs and a quick-turning feel suggest the Brutale will make a very decent track bike, though I didn't get a chance to test this in my brief ride.

Its Italian what can I say like Italian cars its a work of Art

The price? Objectively the Brutale's probably no better than a Japanese machine costing R50 000-R60 000 less. In fact it's slightly down on power compared to rivals such as the Kawasaki Z1000 or Yamaha Fazer 1000.

But emotionally, it's a different story. Brand Italy - whether an Armani suit or a Ferrari or a Ducati or an MV Agusta - gets to charge more for exclusivity. You're not just buying a motorcycle but a lifestyle and MV Agusta is the Armani suit of motorcycles.

Many of the bike's parts have been designed and crafted by MV Agusta, rather than sourced from mass-market suppliers, in the pursuit of technical and aesthetic superiority.

It's about heritage, too. MV Agusta was founded in Italy in 1945 and has created some of the world's most sought-after motorcycles, renowned for their attention to detail and provocative design. MV Agusta has also secured its place in motorsport legend with an unrivalled 75 World titles.

If Ducati is the Ferrari of motorcycles, MV Agusta is the Lamborghini its just a way of life they beautiful to look at and even nicer to ride but then I am biased towards Italian sport machines

What in the Hell is this creature?

THE body of a mysterious creature with fearsome teeth, thick black fur and a rat-like tail has been dragged from a lake.
-

The hideous beast was discovered by two horrified nurses after their dog Sam pulled it from the murky water.

The gruesome animal has baffled experts and triggered speculation that it could be similar to the famous "Montauk monster", which was washed up in New York two years ago.

Pictures were posted on a local website after nurses Joseph Murrillo and Kelly Hick found the unidentified creature while they were hiking on the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug reservation in Canada.

The mutant animal is bald on its face, head and feet and has tusk-like teeth.

The grisly online snaps came with an explanation that read: "The dog jumped in the lake and pulled the creature to the rocks and dragged it out for the hikers to see and these are the photos they took.

"The creature's tail is like a rat's tail and it is a foot long."

"There are experienced hunters that have been around for decades. They have 'trap lines' which refer to as hunting grounds. And in all these years they have never seen anything like this."

Another said: "That certainly is a face only a mother can love. It looks like some sort of otter, weasel-type thing."

It has been compared to the monster found in Montauk in 2008. It was never officially identified.



Friday, May 21, 2010

Sorry Pick' n Pay but if the shoe fits wear it


Old Fashioned Moan guys hopefully it will inspire some action

OK here goes this article was inspired by a fellow blogger's blog post and it got me to thinking about one of my pet peeves that I have been wanting to complain about for a while.

There is a Pick n Pay in Empangeni that is really terrible it has a terrible layout and pathetic staff who are about as helpful as wings on an Ostrich.

The meat section is disgusting absolutely no inspiration it has meat cuts in it that look like they were inspired from the movie "District Nine" and yes sometimes there is a rather nasty whiff coming from the butchery.

What is strange is that the Richards bay Pick n Pay a few Kilometers down the road has a great butchery section clean and free of smell and with some inspiring meat cuts that do not look as if they have come of a horror movie set.

The other annoying thing is that this month you can get the brand of soap or whatever you want and the next month it is out of stock and this happens regular as clock work.

I have shopped at pick n Pay for as long as I can remember but I am thinking its time for a change unless the powers that be wake up and realize that customers demand the best of products, service and staff. Guys wake up and get with the program some of your staff are rude and discourteous to the extreme.


As you can see I am not alone in my thinking so please comment below on this post whether you agree or disagree as I feel this is more prevalent in certain stores and areas as apposed to a company wide problem

Winter is upon us lets try a West African Recipe for a change

Chicken and Peanut Stew
------------
This wonderful chicken and peanut stew, with a thick spicy tomato base is typical of West Africa. Make it as spicy as you like by adding cayenne pepper, and or for extra heat, a chopped chilly or two just to get the taste buds abuzz
-

8 to 12 chicken pieces

±3T oil for cooking

2 onions, peeled and chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2T fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2T tomato paste

1 ½ cups peanut butter

1 stock cube dissolved in 2 cups hot water

2-3t cayenne pepper or to taste

1 or two chopped chilli's

salt and sugar to taste

garnish with chopped chilly or spring onion

  1. Trim the chicken pieces of extra fat and skin, and season with cayenne pepper and salt.
  2. Heat the oil in a deep pot or casserole dish. Add the chicken in batches, skin side down and fry on both sides until it is browned. Remove and set aside. (Chicken cooks best if the chicken pieces do not touch each other while frying.)
  3. Fry the onions until they just start to change colour, then add the garlic and ginger and chilli's if so desired.
  4. Stir in chopped tomatoes and paste. Reduce heat and simmer for ±5 minutes.
  5. Stir in peanut butter and then the stock and stir well.
  6. Return chicken to pot, bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for 40 minutes. Adjust the spices by adding more cayenne pepper, salt and sugar to taste.
  7. Garnish and serve with rice, or Mashed potato.

I find that a light Chardonnay lightly chilled goes down a treat with this meal

Finally the sex, drugs and lies catch up to Joost & so Amor calls it quits

Former Springbok captain Joost van der Westhuizen has been given the boot six months after his wife, Amor Vittone, said she would try to mend their shattered marriage.

The split comes 15 months after a sex-and-drugs video featuring the former rugby player and a stripper was released.

After vehement denials, Van der Westhuizen, 38, finally admitted - in his biography, released late last year - that it was indeed him in the 29-minute video enjoying oral sex and sniffing white powder.

Delyse Vittone, Amor's mother and manager, confirmed yesterday that the two had separated.

"They just want to be left alone to sort out their differences," she told The Times.

Vittone and the couple's two children have allegedly moved in with a family friend.

The sex-tape scandal took its toll on the 37-year-old mother of two, who poured her heart out in a two-hour radio interview last year.

She wept as she spoke about how she felt betrayed by her husband's infidelity.

"I am not in a good space. The first time Joost told me the truth that it was him in the video was in August. [Until then] I had backed him .

"I just really feel I have been let down," she said.

Vittone said there had been rumours about her husband's cheating before the video became public.

Vittone admitted in the interview that their marriage was "strained".

"Honestly, I don't know if this will ever be OK [but] I am willing to give it 110%. I am trying to find the goodness out of it, something to learn out of it."

Vittone and Van der Westhuizen were married in a high-security and much-publicised wedding in December 2002.

Well they say that the "truth shall set you free" if you tell it that is, but Joost chose to lie and now the Chickens have come home to roost or is that Joost

Original Report http://www.timeslive.co.za/entertainment/article461149.ece/Amor--walks-out-on-Joost

Looks like this is going to get sticky for Caster Semenya

Caster Semenya's much-anticipated return to the track on June 24 in Spain appears to be unwelcome among some athletes.

According to The Times of London, some elite runners are considering boycotting races if Semenya is allowed to take part in women's events after the resolution of her protracted sex-test case. Caster being a hermaphrodite has huge amounts of testosterone in her system giving her a huge advantage over normal woman

The South African has not competed since her gender became a source of global debate when she won the 800m at the world championships in Berlin in August.

She has said she will return in Zaragoza next month.

In an interview with the British newspaper, Jenny Meadows, the Briton who took the bronze in Berlin and has been one of few athletes to back Semenya, said that some athletes won't run if the 19-year-old South African is cleared to compete.

This would put the International Association of Athletics Federations in a sticky position ahead of its promised resolution by the end of next month. What is abundantly clear is that Casta has a distinct advantage over normal females and as such athletes are loath to run against her with her huge hormone advantage. It is understandable for these athletes as the playing field is no longer level for them and the odds are heavily weighted in Casters favour fairly or unfairly you decide?

The Irish are such a logical bunch


A married Irishman went into the confessional and said to his priest,
'I almost had an affair with another woman.'

The priest said, 'What do you mean, almost?'

The Irishman said, 'Well, we got undressed and rubbed together, but then I stopped.'

The priest said, 'Rubbing together is the same as putting it in. You're not to see that woman again.

For your penance, say five Hail Mary's and put £50 in the poor box '

The Irishman left the confessional, said his prayers, and then walked over to the poor box.

He paused for a moment and then started to leave.

The priest, who was watching, quickly ran over to him saying, 'I saw that.You didn't put any money in the poor box!'

The Irishman replied, 'Yeah, but I rubbed the £50 on the box, and according to you, that's the same as putting it in!'

You got to love this one the score today is Young people 0 <> Old people 1

Oldies do it again!

I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes ( he is 66 ).

We decided to grab a bite at the food court.

I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him.

The teenager had spiked hair in all different colours - green, red, orange, and blue .

My dad kept staring at her.

The teenager kept looking and would find my dad staring every time.

When the teenager had had enough, she sarcastically asked: "What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?"

Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response; I knew he would have a good one!

In classic style he responded without batting an eyelid ....

" Got stoned once and screwed a Parrot. I was just wondering if you were my
daughter ."

Zapiro attacked for publishing cartoon of Muhammad it's all so predictable!


Cartoonist Zapiro has been drawn into the furore around the depiction of the prophet Muhammad after Muslim groups tried to stop the publication of his cartoon.

The Jamiatul Ulama, an islamic theological body, on Thursday tried to prevent the Mail and Guardian from publishing the cartoon by filing an urgent application to the Johannesburg High Court.

The cartoon depicts the prophet lying down on a therapist's chair saying: "Other prophets have followers with a sense of humour!" Beside him is a newspaper with a headline reading: "Everybody draw Muhammad day". Behind him, a bespectacled therapist wearing a suit and bow tie is seen taking notes.

Jamiatul Ulama claim that the cartoon was offensive and could cause some violence, particularly in South Africa just before the World Cup.

The order, however, was not granted. The Jamiatul Ulama took the application to court on the same day that Pakistan's government ordered Internet service providers to block Facebook amid anger over a page that encouraged users to post images of Prophet Muhammad.
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People need to learn that if you ignore this kind of thing it goes away but as a religion if you keep attacking all and sundry it won't go away in fact people will keep challenging you. However I think this religion likes the controversy as it is actually publicity even though it is negative and probably in the long term doing more harm to there cause than good

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Making Bacon a swine of a story

Porky Piggy
Weighing only nine ounces at birth (and yielding perhaps half a strip of Bacon on their best day), micro-pigs have become more and more popular as House pets. Ever since Victoria Beckham reportedly bought two of them for her husband, soccer phenom David, for Christmas in 2009.
Their small size belies their big price tag—the piglets can fetch $1,200 a pop—but their long life span (nineteen years, on average) makes them a sound investment for people with porcine propensities.
They’re also known for being loving, intelligent, and non allergenic, but be warned: they don’t stay small forever. They won’t achieve the same proportions as their full-size counterparts, but adult micro-pigs can weigh up to fifty pounds and be a foot tall—in other words, not exactly the best bedfellows. However if you a pig in bed then they could make good bedfellows!

Here is a great story that could have been sad but thanks to a brave and levelheaded maid alls well and a little boy is saved

It is every childminder's worst nightmare. Tozama Rondile walked into a bedroom in Cape Town where 20-month-old Lukas Heider had been playing happily moments earlier to find the boy lifeless beneath a fallen clothes horse.

But the quick-thinking Rondile, a domestic worker, who has no formal CPR or emergency training, went on instinct alone and immediately began administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to the boy. She then called paramedics who told her how to save his life using heart massage.

"I was crying; I took the stand off his throat. His face was grey, his eyes were closed but not properly, and he wasn't breathing," said Rondile.

The incident, which almost claimed the toddler's life and nearly destroyed Rondile's, took place last Thursday.

Rondile had left Lukas in the bedroom to go downstairs to check on the washing and on her return she found him in "his last minute".

"I tried anything; I could see Lukas was going," said Rondile who has been working for the family for just over a year.

In a panic, she called the paramedics who talked her through the life-saving process until they arrived. A hysterical Rondile then called Lukas's mother Jennifer Heider at work.

"She only reached me the 11th time because my cellphone was on silent. She said the washing stand was pressed against his throat and she had called the ambulance," said Heider.

Her colleagues had driven her home, where she found Lukas in the back of the ambulance. "I was shaking, crying and screaming."

At the Medi-Clinic, doctors incubated and sedated Lukas. He was not breathing for close to four minutes but miraculously survived the incident with no brain damage, said Heider.

"The doctors were surprised that after only four days he's doing so well, playing, running around and eating well."

Speaking to the Cape Times at the family's Tamboerskloof home on Monday Rondile said she was elated Lukas had survived the near-death experience.

"He's like my (own) child, I'm so happy Lukas is alive," she said.

Christoph Dankers, Lukas's father who lives in Germany, said he got on the first flight to Cape Town after hearing about the accident and was "relieved" Lukas was alive and well.

The flight was extremely stressful as he could not call to find out how the boy was.

"It was horrible as I didn't know how he was doing," said Dankers.

Heider said the incident served as a wake-up call to her family and that they were "very lucky".

"Be careful; don't be too comfortable with leaving your children alone. Children don't realise when they are in a dangerous situation," she said.

She added that all parents and caretakers must get CPR and emergency training, as it could save a life. Emergency numbers should also be put in an easily accessible place like under a fridge magnet she said.

"One minute later and he would be gone. I'm happy that Tozama got to him in the last minute. I still trust her and in the end she saved his life.

"The doctor said Rondile did an amazing job - she stayed focused even though she felt helpless at a point," said Heider

Monday, May 17, 2010

The plot thickens Teazers was up for sale and Lolly would have made a killing

Lolly Jackson was on the verge of selling his strip club empire for a staggering R90-million just weeks before his death

The 53-year-old had entered into a deal with Radovan Krejcir, a Johannesburg-based Czech billionaire currently fighting extradition in South African courts.

The deal, captured in a nine-page document, details the sale of the assets in the Teazers Group, which included R80-million for the Teazers and Teaz-hers assets and brands, and R10-million for other enterprises.

Jackson, who was gunned down at a house in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg, on May 3, owned a chain of strip clubs in Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Midrand and Rivonia.

Krejcir, who has been friends with Jackson since 2007, has confirmed that he was in talks with Jackson over the sale.

"When Lolly approached me last month to sell his businesses, I asked him why he wanted to do this, as he was a one-man show ... Teazers was Lolly."

According to the document, Krejcir would pay an initial R1.4-million for a due diligence report on Jackon's businesses. The scope of the due diligence investigation was to include three years of financial statements; a foot-count test for door traffic at the clubs to determine revenue; and estimated revenue from bar and other food sales and table dances, private booths and private dances.

Sandton attorneys Alan Allschwang & Associates were to be appointed to prepare agreements for the deal.

Properties that Jackson was getting ready to sell included his double-storey Kloof Road, Bedfordview, mansion.

At the time of his death, Jackson was living with his wife Demi in up-market Beaulieu, Kyalami, north of Johannesburg, in a home he had acquired for about R10-million.

His widow last week confirmed to the Sunday Times that they were making preparations to leave South Africa.

"He wanted to sell the business to a very good friend," she said.

Jackson had recently been exposed in an alleged multimillion-rand money-laundering scheme that started when he wanted to buy the world's most expensive car, the Pagani Zonda, for R15-million.

His questionable business deals form part of an ongoing investigation by police and the SA Revenue Service.

In terms of the deal with Krejcir, Jackson was to have been employed by Teazers' new owner for a year.

The documents include a five-year restraint-of-trade clause, shutting him out of the adult entertainment industry.

Allschwang, who had acted for Jackson in several legal matters over the past few years, said: "Any mandate that I had was terminated upon his death. When an executor is appointed to his estate, he or she will be free to appoint anyone to act on behalf of Jackson's affairs. I cannot comment on any work done prior to his death."

On the night of the murder, Jackson and Smith had been drinking at a house in Kempton Park. The two argued and Jackson was shot and then dragged into the double garage of the house of supermarket owner, George Toumbis.

Police spokesman Colonel Eugene Opperman said while there had been developments in the case, no arrests had yet been made.

"We know everything about George Smith. We have spoken to his wife. We hope to make an arrest soon," said Opperman.

Smith's wife, Stella, fled South Africa after being granted bail in a theft case in 2007 and is believed to be living in Cyprus with the couple's four children but nobody is really sure at the present, such is life in the murky underworld

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Another have to have at South African tea time or coffee time is the Soetkoekie


A traditional South African Biscuit or Cookie

Soetkoekies (sweet biscuits) are spicy biscuits, flavoured with wine. They are very traditional and well-loved in South-Africa.

My mother baked soetkoekies in large batches and they bring fond childhood memories of helping with the baking.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (500 ml) flour
  • ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon (2 ml) ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt
  • zest of an orange or mandarin (naartjie)
  • ¾ cup (180 to 200 ml) sugar
  • ½ cup (110 gram) butter
  • 1 egg
  • ¾ teaspoon (4 ml) bicarbonate of soda
  • ¼ cup (50 ml) sherry, port or sweet wine (or replace with 2 tablespoons brandy and 2 tablespoons milk)
  • Egg white for glazing

Method

  1. Dissolve bicarbonate of soda in sweet wine.
  2. Combine the dry ingredients.
  3. Add the butter and cut into the flour mixture.
  4. Add the beaten eggs and bicarbonate of soda mixture, and mix dough together until it is a firm dough.
  5. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to approximately 5 mm thick.
  7. Cut the dough into forms with a cookie cutter.
  8. Arrange them about 3 cm apart on a buttered cookie sheet.
  9. Brush each biscuit gently with the egg white.
  10. Bake for 15 minutes- until golden brown.
  11. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

I tell you there is nothing like these dunked in coffee first thing in the morning sitting at a camp fire or while fishing on a cold morning with a flask of coffee

Love on the Rocks

A collection of short broken love poems!
---------------
1. My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:
Marrying you has screwed up my life.


2. I see your face when I am dreaming.

That's why I always wake up screaming.


3. Kind, intelligent, loving and hot;

This describes everything you are not.


4. Love may be beautiful, love may be bliss,

But I only slept with you 'cause I was pissed.


5.. I thought that I could love no other

-- that is until I met your brother.


6. Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.

But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl's

empty and so is your head.


7. I want to feel your sweet embrace;

But don't take that paper bag off your face.


8. I love your smile, your face, and your eyes

Damn, I'm good at telling lies!


9. My love, you take my breath away.

What have you stepped in to smell this way?


10. My feelings for you no words can tell,

Except for maybe 'Go to hell.'


11. What inspired this amorous rhyme?

Two parts vodka, one part lime.

Oh Hell Golf was never this good at my club!


Scandal on the Golf Course
 
An aspiring Cape Town actress has blown the lid on sordid sex parties on the fairways of Gauteng golf courses where players must concentrate on the putting greens as naked strippers sway the flag.

There are massage tents, offtee facilities for sex acts - and even a leather-clad dominatrix to whip the worst golfer.

Bringing the strip clubs to the golf course, the raunchy parties are the fantasy of Joburg's richest businessmen, who attend these golf days across the province from Krugersdorp to Houghton, Kyalami and Kempton Park, to the dismay of their wives - if they ever find out.

The days are so popular that they are fully booked days after the advertisement goes out.

And the next one is in five days' time at the Crown Mines golf course.

When Cape Town dancer and actress Claire Hills joined the Facebook group Angel Promotions and Staffing Solutions, she thought she was just signing up to do event promotions.

What she actually found was a "job" working with other young women and strippers at a raunchy golf day party organised by the Penthouse Club.

She would be expected to pose naked at holes, dress up in a skin-tight leather dominatrix outfit and whip the golfer with the worst drive, serve the "blow job" and massage tents, and sponge down sweaty golfers while she stood topless in a shower.

Hills had been invited by the company's owner, Jesseca Carter. Her payment would range from R500 for being naked at holes, up to R700 for working in the "relief-in-the-rough massage tent", plus extras if the "guy wants a happy ending", to R400 for working in the shower with extra costs for anything else, and R1 300 for those working in the "blow-job tent".

An organiser of one such golf day, who did not wish to be named, said the days were kept secret and were a members-only affair.

"Only the men involved know. It's very clandestine. Only the people who need to know, know."

"When the wives find out about it, it causes a lot of trouble. I've had to cancel a planned golf day at the last minute because a wife has found out about it. They come to the day and ruin everything. It's very hush-hush. We keep it between the men. We do our own marketing," he said.

Another organiser, who wanted to be known only as Gary, said he wanted to keep the events low key and didn't need any press.

The girls wore lingerie but were also sometimes naked.

"It's like Teazers (strip club), just with golf. There's nothing seedy. It's just a bunch of like-minded individuals - guys who like naked women and golf - getting together."

He said many of them were businessmen who brought their clients along. Between 100 and 120 men attended and paid between R2 500 and R4 000 per fourball outing.

There was no sex involved, he said, but admitted that "some guys came for the golf, and others came for the girls and got up to mischief".

Sometimes they hired strippers or "girls from the classifieds" - but strippers wanted a lot of money.

Gigi at Lollipop Lounge told the Saturday Star that her girls used to go to golf courses but that they rarely left the club these days.

However, Yolandi at the popular Executive Shows said they often got calls where men needed girls for golf days. Usually the request was for eight to 10 girls from about 8am to 4pm.

"They walk around in hot pants, G-strings, bikinis or topless carrying drinks to the players at the holes. They just make it more fun for the guys. It is naughtier than usual."

Their girls were called to about four or five golf days a year, said Yolandi.

In the past, such golf days have been held in Krugersdorp, Houghton, Bryanston, Kyalami, Boksburg, Kempton Park and Waterpan.

"My group of okes don't want to go the whole hog but they want to have fun. The girls don't get butt-naked," said Yolandi.

Gary confirmed that Carter had helped him employ women for the past two years but added it was "challenging because some of them didn't want to take their kit off".

But Carter, whose Facebook group punts her company as a promotions company for models, said: "I am not recruiting women for sex. I sent an email out on a friend's behalf to girls who are in the stripping and entertainment industry. If other girls got the message, it was purely a mistake... this is for a company that does such golf days regularly. It is the first time I have heard of it, however.

"My company does not specialise in these types of events at all. It was a once-off and I am receiving no financial gain from it whatsoever."

The Penthouse Club golf days are not related to JT Wholesalers, which has the rights to publish Penthouse Magazine and Hustler.

Hustler magazine's annual golf day has gained much popularity over the years. None have been planned for this year.

But managing director Joe Theron said they have been inundated with requests to do so.

"We have been wanting to put it off until next year, but we have received so many calls, we will have to do it. Advertisers and the people they do business with come to it. But everybody who is anybody now wants to come. We are a man's magazine, after all."

Theron said there were many events companies that tried to emulate their parties, which was "disturbing".

"Ours is just good clean fun. There is a bit of nudity but we do it to raise funds for charity."

He said they would never do anything overly raunchy.

"There are girls at the holes, flashing their boobs and maybe a bit more, but that's all!
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