Today I Should Have Stayed in Bed

Sometimes an issue or mega problem ambushes you, like the "tornado" that hit me today at the office. No matter how hard you push, you can't move it aside. Today it was a Threat, tomorrow it will be just another Opportunity.
Reminds me of Einstein's three rules of work : Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

'n Aand met 'n Ander Kleur

Die afgelope paar weke werk ons hard en kom laat tuis. Die werk-huis-eet-tv-slaap-rut wat almal sekerlik al ervaar het.
Toe verras Sarah my vanaand met kaartjies na 'n optrede van Sonic Flood. Nog nooit van hulle gehoor nie, maar dan het ek ook nie geweet wie Josh Groban was voor Sarah my verlig het nie.
Ek het gedog ek is te oud vir konserte, maar die Amerikaners mag maar. En van die worship-songs wat ons al in my SCAS-dae gesing het, het hul oorsprong by hierdie kwaggas.
Die groep is ook ten nouste betrokke by Compassion International, waarby ons onlangs aangesluit het. Beide van ons sal more alles los as ons vir hierdie organisasie kan werk.
In retrospek 'n great aand om weer perspektief te kon kry.

Will Thailand be the Same After Coup?

We watched with particular interest the developments in Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday night.
The country's army commander pulled off a succesful coup, and in the process ousted prime minister Thaksin Sinawatra, declared martial law and nullified the constitution.
The army commander, general Sondhi Boonyaratkanlin encircled the government offices with his tanks and troops while the prime minister was in New York for the United Nations' General Assembly. Not a shot was fired.
Boonyaratkalin is known to be close to Thailand's revered monarch. On the other hand, Thaksin, first elected in 2001, has had repeated calls for his resignation amid allegations of corruption and the abuse of power (Klink gevaarlik baie soos die Suid-Afrikaanse regering).

The general asked for the public's cooperation and their pardon for the inconvenience. It seems peaceful enough, but we're holding our breaths. Thailand is a tourism mecca and I hope it will remain an "open" country. I plan to go back there.

Sarah's New Wheels

Last night we bought Sarah some new wheels. Finally. Kar koop is nie perde-koop nie!
After more than a month of deliberation and research and eating the coniving nonsense of car salesmen, we got the car we wanted, and for a good price too.
It's a Saturn Vue, with a few extras. Yes, it's an American car, but the engine's as Japanese as they come and it's a pretty reliable model with good consumer reviews.
Tired and thankful.

Driving in Miami - Part 2

Miami, a richly diverse cosmopolitan metropolis where people from many different countries live and work together, while continuing to observe the traffic laws of their individual countries of origin.

'n Bulletjie!

All this time while I'm in Florida, things are happening in the Boland. Nation building being one of the top items on the agenda!
It's a sorry state of affairs from a personal perspective that I'm missing out on sharing in the joy of all my old friends, as my peer group is filling up baby rooms.
Pic: Charl and Cornea Cilliers' very handsome baby boy Daniel (8 months) looks like he's enjoying the attention.
Charl, trek hy jou hare, of is jy besig om te kyk hoe die Springbokke rugby speel!

America Remembers September 11th

Today the American media dedicated all time slots to what happened on September 11, 2001. The countless recollections of stories and of tributes from family members to loved ones who died on that day, made it very real again.
President Bush addressed the nation this evening in a powerful, the Democrats saying a somewhat politically charged, presidential speech from the White House, calling the fight against extremist Islam "the battle of our age".

Even here in Miami, with it's enormous non-American population, the flags were flying high all over the city.
Pics: (Left), the huge gaping hole where the Twin Towers once were, left as a memorial.
The three century-old little graveyard of St. Paul's church, with Ground Zero visible in the background, behind the trees.

Southern Florida Wildlife Rehab Center

Saturday I had the privilege to visit the Southern Florida Wildlife Rehab Center(SFWRC), managed in it's entirely by a passionate elderly German gentleman named Dirk, who dedicates his life to helping/saving/caring for wild animals in need. It was a touching experience.
The SFWRC is a non-profit organization dedicated to receiving and caring for all species of injured, neglected and abused wildlife, regardless of the cost for their care. Every effort is made to return the animals to their natural habitat, but many are not able to survive without assistance. Dirk's organization provides a safe environment for these, mostly exotic and endangered animals to live out the remainder of their lives without fear of abuse.
The SFWRC receives no government funding and are entirely dependant on private and corporate donations. There are Bengal tigers, rare Florida panthers and pumas, exotic birds and monkeys, reptiles, jaguars and other cats, and even a lion, an African leopard and a lynx or "rooikat". Their stories are mostly very sad and some of these magnificent animals are terribly scarred and have been subject to much abuse at the hands of drug dealers, animal dealers, collectors, small rich men trying to prove themselves, and other human animals.

Pic (top): a Great pic of Dirk with one of his Bengal tigers. He has gained the animals trust and walks freely in most of the big cats' cages. This specific tiger grew up in a circus and is tame.

Labour Weekend Excursion To Northern Florida