Roll on the
Rugby
World Cup
WHAT a masterclass in rugby last Saturday's Test against Argentina was – sustained forward dominance against a bunch of hombres as tough as any you'll find, building to eventually result in a clutch of hard-earned tries.
It doesn't get tougher than this. Nor more rewarding.
What a morale booster for the Rugby World Cup in a matter of weeks and what a warm-up for the Boks' opening match against the All Blacks.
Oh yes, and we've also won the southern hemisphere Rugby Championship. In the build-up to the World Cup one almost forgets that.
Ole, ole, ole!
Also pleasing was the local Currie Cup match where the Sharks beat the home fixture jinx to defeat log leaders Free State in an enterprising and entertaining game.
If they've also snapped out of their yo-yo pattern of performance, good times lie ahead.
The fossilised remains of the parrot were found near St Bathans in New Zealand's southern Otago region, says the BBC.
The parrot is believed to have been flightless and carnivorous. Not the kind of polly you want to bump into.
Hmmm. Given the approaching Rugby World Cup, we'd do well to take a look at the All Blacks pack. Some of them might be not human at all but gigantic parrots. That Kiwi nasal twang is highly suspect.
Informal economy
INVESTMENT analyst Dr James Greener, speaks in his latest grumpy newsletter of the rise of the informal economy.
"Because it is all we have known, been taught and used, most of us place our trust in the printed numbers published by formal entities. A fascinating counterview is beginning to emerge from people who leave their desks and venture into thronging marketplaces where one can kick, feel and smell the merchandise. "And paper records are restricted to banknotes that pass hand to hand in a flash of an eye. National Treasury bulletins, Stats SA Notes, SARB Quarterly Reports, company financials and the like, will never capture much of this data.
"The borders and ports are porous and probably most of the cargo manifests bear very little resemblance to what is inside those containers. SARS, the tax collection agency, reports smugly from time to time that they have destroyed a consignment of fake goods. Today's story is that the cops charged with doing so simply popped round the back and sold it back to the merchant! "The people who live and trade and thrive in this subsistence world are ignorant of issues like GDP and the balance of payments and have no interest in tax collections.
"South Africa will soon be like many other third world nations where the sole reliable metric will be the street exchange rate of the rand with the US dollar."
Tailpiece
A FELLOW walks into a bar with a small dog. He sits the dog down on the piano stool and it immediately starts playing some great tunes. The patrons are highly appreciative.
But then a big dog runs in, grabs the small one by the scruff of the neck and drags it outside.
Barman: "That little dog was fantastic. But what's up with the big dog?"
"Oh, that's his mother. She wants him to be a doctor."
Last word
He was one of those men who think that the world can be saved by writing a pamphlet. - Benjamin Disraeli
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