"Sundowners" on Lion's Head

At the last SASSU-UCT meeting, we decided to go up Lion's Head as a sort of last committee thing. Despite three people baling at the last moment, it was a great last team event; although, to be honest; sports at UCT tends to run itself, so SASSU does not really do much (or claim to do much, like SRC). I say "sundowners", because although the intention was there, none of us brought anything other than water; but it was a great hike up Lion's Head; and a wonderful view of the rising full moon; and a setting sun.

Clouds come in (quite fast), and envelope Signal Hill. By the time it was dark, virtually all of Cape Town was enveloped in the cloud and mist.

Some of the SASSU-UCT collective (Gary, Cheryl, Tarryn, Jacob)

Fraser strikes a pose

The hike down was quite interesting, under the moonlight and without torches. What made it even more interesting was the fact, that for the most part we were above the clouds, thus able to see the stars. Sadly, my camera and my photographic skills are quite lacking to give a really good perspective. A pic of the path down anyway ...

Movie: Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage (The Final Days)

Another movie from the EU Film Festival; and this was Germany's entry for the Best Foreign Film award at the Oscars this year. The plot is about Sophie Scholl and other members of "The White Rose", a anti-Nazi German, mainly student movement, in operation near the end of the WW2. What was interesting about many members of the The White Rose, was that most of them had actually spent time at the front lines; or were intimately connected to the front lines. The movie recounts the last days of The White Rose; from the arrest of Sophie Scholl (and her brother Hans), her interrogation, the show trial and finally the execution.

What is really amazing is the dialogue, and the arguments - not only by Sophie Scholl, on why Hitler's war strategy was wrong, and the war needed to end; but also the Nazi arguments; on why their course of action was correct - and would ultimately succeed. It is an intellectual debate that makes the movie worthwhile. But it is also the stark difference in arguments between the interrogator - whose arguments are philosophical and largely logical; and the judge (and chief prosecutor rolled into one) at the show trial - whose arguments are basically propaganda and righteous beliefs; that make it so interesting.

In many ways; the arguments are like present day Iraq situation; the Israeli-Palestinians conflict or indeed the Iranian Nuclear Enrichment tug of war ... both sides in the disputes have perfectly logical arguments; but these are all drowned by the rhetoric and the passionate preaching, often by both sides. It seems that, history truly repeats itself, often.

UCT Student Leadership Awards

Before I rant, congratulations to Chad for being awarded, for the second year running, the Student Leadership award for Postgraduate Students.

And now to my rant, I was nominated for the leader in sport, but just before the ceremony yesterday, I realised that it was not listed on the presentation schedule. I learnt from the MC, that it was not going to be awarded, because there was no suitable candidates meeting the high standards. I would have left it at that, except, one of the deputy vice chancellors, Prof. Nhlapo, came over during the reception and I was obliged to fill my curiosity, and ask him why it was not awarded.

His response was, that there was only one nomination, and therefore the award was not awarded because there was no competition. It is a position, I sort of understand; but baffles me none the less ... for two reasons. Firstly, why announce that there was no suitable candidates for the award ... because it implies that there were nominees and none of the nominees met the standard. Secondly, it implies, and Prof Nhlapo did concur when I raised it, that even if there a brilliant leaders who are nominated, they will never get the award if they have no competition ... it just seems so absurd.

In either case, my main motivation for the awards was not really the money (which would have been good, considering the crappy exchange rate) - but to prevent what has happened in the past, where the winner has been the SRC sports rep, who did not play for any sport teams and did not really belong to any sport clubs. In fact, most of the winners last night were from the SRC ... an amazing fact, considering the debacles of the SRC this year ...

Movie: Antonio Guerriero di Dio (Antonio, Warrior of God)

It's the European Film Festival again; although it seems to be a lot smaller affair. This is Italy's contribution to the festival, a biopic on Saint Antonio.

The movie begins with a shipwreck, with two survivors - Fibonacci (the mathematician) and a monk; and a supposed treasure. For the most part, the story focuses on the Monk, Antonio - who, as the film progresses is shown to be greatly admired by the general populace; because of his humility, and his affinity to the poor. For the large part, Fibonacci does not feature in the movie; except in the almost incidental contribution of the Arabic number system to the West; which is taken advantage of by a prominent money lender, who employs him. Antonio's major fight in the movie is against greedy money lenders, who feed of the poor and the unfortunate, but Fibonacci and Antonio are not shown together again.

It is a story about a Saint, and so it was like many religious movies, a bit preachy. The story, while simple, was not well told, in my opinion ... and Antonio's illness was never really explained. What was great about the movie though, was its cinematography - it's a stunning film, taking full advantage of some beautiful churches and medieval architecture.

A different comment: It is amazing to note how many scientific advances have been made on the back of persecution (or towards to cause of persecution) of other humans.

Movie: Hard Candy

The subject of the movie is quite difficult - on the surface, it is about a pedophile trying to pick up a 14 year old girl over the Internet. But that is only the first 20 minutes of the film - and nothing is what it seems to be. Primarily, it is a story about revenge; but you never really feel sorry for the victim - maybe because he is a pedophile; and possibly a murderer - and while many parts of the story is quite tragic; there is also quite a bit of comedy - situations where you can't really stop laughing ... even though it is rather cruel. It is definitely one of the best pieces of acting I have seen for a long time; and that alone should be a reason to watch the movie.

Cape Town International Comedy Festival

I had sent out an email a bout a month or so back, about people who would be interested in going to the comedy festival. Since I did not really get much positive feedback; with most people unimpressed by the R120 price tag; I decided to go alone; to the last show - Best of Fest, on Sunday night.

It was definitely worth the money - 6 comedians; plus the MC; in a show, including the interval; lasting around 3 hours. It started of rather sedately, with the host, Sugar Sammy, regurgitating some old jokes; but then he spotted some late-comers, and they provided the perfect fodder to really launch the show. The first comic, Kagiso Lediga (SA), was rather bland, until the end - with his skit on Zuma, Mbeki and Madiba bringing down the house. The next act, Reggie Watts (USA), can be best described as weird - it was funny; but it was nothing like regular comedy acts. Describing it is very difficult, it is one act that needs to be seen and heard in person. In between all these acts, the MC befriended the front row, picking on a number of front row audience members; including a man who was dressed in a pink shirt and hitting on the women. Charlie Pickering (AUS), the last act before the interval, really brought the house down; first with his banter with the MC (who was congratulated for being so professional, despite his desperate fight against impotence); then relating an interview where he talked about Crocodile Hunter, not knowing he had just died. It was a varied act; but well delivered; and in the end he really related well to the audience.

After the interval, the fireworks really started. First, Trevor Boris (CAN) who described himself as a gay farmer, hit on the man with the pink shirt. Most of his comedy delivery, centered around gay marriage and divorce; and he was really impressive. He was followed by John Vlismas (SA), who managed to probably insult everyone in the room - starting with thin people, then fat people, then women, and then people of every colour. And he brought the house down; because; it was amazingly brilliantly put together; and delivered. I was expecting a woman to end the show; especially after John Vlismas, but the last comic was Jason Wood (UK); and he was something totally different. Firstly, much of his act was delivered in songs, impersonating the singers; a brilliant feat considering the range of singers he covered. He was a great choice as the final act; and brought the show to a brilliant finish.

Health of the Nation: 50 Hour Sport Challenge

This past weekend, I was involved in the 50 Hour Sport Challenge; and initiative mainly geared to expose kids to sport, so that they can hopefully pick up a sport, and keep healthy. With a number of major sponsors, including Old Mutual, Supersport etc, it was a very slick, and well organised event.

I was helping out with badminton, as part of the Western Province Badminton Association, and it was very interesting experience; because unlike traditional sports like cricket, rugby or soccer, badminton is almost unknown; and it is also quite difficult to get into. On the other hand; it is possibly the only sport in the world, that does not really have any distinction between ladies' and men's game; with mixed doubles being one of the key components of the game.

Ultimately, badminton is a dying sport in South Africa; and ironically; it has lost a lot of players after 1994. In an attempt to re-ignite the sport; we need to grow the sport with the kids; and this was a great opportunity. In the end, we made a few contacts with teachers and community leaders who are interested in getting the sport going in their schools/communities; and hopefully this will be a new start.

Movie: Nacho Libre

Starring Jack Black the story is simple - it is about a priest, who enters wrestling contests (wresting, WWF style off course) to earn money for the orphanage where he grew up, and now works. Interweaved, there is the story of his sidekick (a homeless man), a beautiful nun (the love interest which can never succeed) and some orphans.

In many ways, the movie reminded me about classic comedy movies; the Charlie Chaplin style ... where there is some sort of moral, and humor is very much PG rated, and not dependent on sexual prowess (or lack thereof), relationships or body excrement. It is almost like watching a cartoon ...

The acting is not amazing, and neither is the story; but it is still a very funny movie, and well worth watching. And the nun (Ana de la Reguera) is really hot ...

Great views, missing 7de Laan and a question of brotherhood: Tales from another long cycle ride

This is unfortunately not a phlog. After barely 5 hours sleep, and a rush to meet Hans-Peter in Rondebosch (because of running a bit late), the camera was sadly left behind. Yet again, Reinhardt decided not to join us for another crazy (but shorter) cycle trip; but gave no reasons this time around.

During the past week or so, Hans-Peter and I considered going to Hout Bay over Constantia Nek. However, considering the sizable uphill trek back to Constantia Nek, I convinced Hans-Peter, that it would be better to cycle through Chapman's Peak, into Fish Hoek and there after, depending on time, cycle back to Rondebosch or take a train like our last mad trip.

The weather was near perfect, with no wind. But there was quite a heavy cloud cover, so it was a bit on the chilly side, and Hans-Peter was hoping to catch a tan - but the sun never really shone through. The first part of the trip to Constantia Nek was surprisingly not too tough (with Hans-Peter showing his higher fitness levels by making it up the hill by Kirstenbosch without stopping in his first attempt). Except for the mad bus drivers that drive at seemingly insane speeds through the narrow roads, there isn't much to say. The ride down the hill was a lot of fun, esp with the surprising lack of other road users.

The cycle up Chapman's Peak was not as demanding as I initially feared, although we did make a few stops to admire the scenery. It was also quite pleasing that cyclists do not have to pay toll fees for the road. The cycle down from Chapman's Peak was even more fun, especially as we frequently broke the posted speed limit, and even caught up with a few cars that had passed us previously. In fact, the entire ride was worth it from that downhill alone. We stopped briefly at a farm stall in Noerdhoek, primarily to clarify directions, but I can testify that they make awesome chocolate chip muffins.

The ride into Fish Hoek was surprisingly short, and the only notable event was the naming of the side streets that whizzed by. I think the numbering started about 20, counting downwards as we approached Fish Hoek ... 20^de Laan, 19^de Laan etc. except when it came to 7 ... for some reason, it was 7^th Avenue - and the sign was the same on both sides; so doesn't seem to be a case of Afrikaans and English names ... maybe a bit more practical road name changes?

We stopped for Pizza at Lakeside ... can't really say it was brilliant, but it was not bad. Afterwards, there was a very curious boy (about 6/7 years old) who was asking Hans-Peter few questions about his bike, like how the bike chain works and where he could acquire one for his bike. But it was the last question, that really brought a smile ... when he asked whether Hans-Peter and I were brothers or just friends. I think Hans Peter should have answered that we were brothers ... just to see what he would have asked next.

For the record, the trip was just over 60Km, and we covered it at an average of 17.1 Km/H ... still not good enough for the Argus, as it does not consider the rest periods, but not a bad time.

Look busy

Came across this link while looking for flights for my US/Scotland trip in October/November ... brilliant I think ...

SATNAC Reflections - 2006

So, SATNAC 2006 just finished, and once again, there was a whole lot of good food (actually food at Moyo, the opening function, can be considered heavenly) and some amazing entertainment, including Watershed at the closing function last night. And for a change, and quite surprisingly, the academic content, in my opinion has improved; with some very interesting presentations. However, most of the presentations were still not relevant to my line of research.

Health Fad takes a twist

I was buy stuff at the supermarket yesterday, when I noticed that one company has introduced gourmet yoghurt of sorts called "Bliss". Now, I love yoghurt ... always have, so I was naturally a sucker to try it out. Basically, double cream yoghurt with chocolate and cherries - tasted great though; but certainly no longer in the health food camp.

Movie: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

The Fast and the Furious series has always been very entertaining; not because of the brain dead plot; but because of the eye candy - great cars, awesome car chases and tons of hot babes. All things considered, the latest movie is probably the best of the lot; the plot is still simple, but atleast makes some sense; the car chases are really amazing, together with an awesome sound track - and the number of babes on the screen are probably higher than ever before. If nothing else, the movie is worth it for the car chases alone; it is by no means a cinema classic; but I don't think it was ever meant to be one.

Movie: Thank you for smoking

It is possibly one of the best movies I have seen this year. It is a brilliant satire on the life of spin masters, in this case Tobacco - but at the same time a story on the essence of argument. And unlike the great Monty Python skit, the arguments are not about contradictions. The acting is superb, the story is brilliant; and if nothing else; the opening credits is worth it alone.

a phlog ...

By popular demand ... a picture of my wheels ...


And while we are at it; went up to signal hill yesterday to take a picture of Robben Islandm for a photo competition ... anyway it was a beautiful sunset ...

Greatest Movie Posters

http://www.independentcritics.com/columns/tc-bestmovieposters.htm

Don't agree with all the choices; but yeah - on the whole, spot on.

Movie: Miami Vice

I have never watched a full episode of the TV series, so I did not really go into the movie expecting much. And to be honest; the movie was crap - in summary it was a movie about nothing. Because, nothing really ever happens in the movie. There are no twists; there is hardly any character development; and even the plot is utterly stupid; because there is neither a sad nor a happy ending ... you leave the movie feeling ... what was that all about?

The only redeeming quality of the entire movie is the shootout at the end; it is brilliantly shot and edited. That, and the soundtrack is pretty good. Otherwise, it's a waste of time.

Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest

First and foremost; this is a very entertaining movie - with great action sequences (esp the long sword fights), awesome effects and a generally coherent storyline (simple, but effective). Also, unlike the first movie, this one seems to focus a lot more on William Turner (Orlando Bloom) than on Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp).

The big problem with this movie, is the fact that it is effectively a long trailer for the 3^rd movie, and thus doesn't really have a proper ending as such. Also, some parts of the movie, notably the canibals, do not seem to have any major influences on the plot or on character development. Unless, they play a significant role in the 3rd movie; these segnment will just be a footnote on the whole series.

Overall, the movie was long; but entertaining. Unlike the first one, there was no amazing acting; and the story was unfinished. And, yes there is a scene at the end of the credits; but it is not worth waiting.

Movie: The Sentinel

It's a police/counter-terrorism/spy drama about nothing really. Except for a little side drama about the First Lady of the USA having an affair with her chief bodyguard in the secret service, the plot is rather bland (the said bodyguard is suspected to be involved in a plot to kill the president), a rip off of other similar dramas, but with big holes and stupid storyline. There are some swipes at the current administration, with the president having more success in the Middle East peace process and supporting the Kyoto Agreement; but Michael Douglas is too old to be an action hero; and this movie, while fun to watch, is not a movie that I would watch again, ever.

The Power of Nightmares

I finally finished watching "The Power of Nightmares" (also see here), a 3 part documentary made by the BBC in 2004. Basically, the documentary, in a style very similar to Michael Moore documentaries (except not funny), explores the relationships between modern politics and terrorism. In particular, it alleges that in the West at least, politicians are now seen only as managers of public life, not grand visionaries who will usher in a new fantastical future. Terrorism has become so hyped up nowadays, not because it is a new phenomenon, but because politicians have realised that they can use it as a new tool to promote themselves - as the people that will protect the public from terror and fear.

It is a very interesting documentary, because it manages to chronicle two of the most influential groups in modern politics - the American neo-conservatives and the Islamists, over the period of the last 30 years or so. But possibly one of the boldest claims in the documentary, is that Al Qaeda as we know it is largely fictional, and its power largely overhyped. The documentary alleges that Al Qaeda, as a term, was invented by the FBI in a trial in early 2001, largely to enable the FBI to try Osama bin Laden in absentia, because that is the only way they could make the charges stick. After 11/09/2001, Osama bin Laden used the term, only after it was used in news reports. Furthermore, the attacks might have been financed by Osama bin Laden, but he was not actually responsible for planning and co-ordinating the attacks.

The documentary also alleges that Al Qaeda is not really a terror network, and is actually a small group of Islamists. Yes, Osama bin Laden is largely responsible for financing many terror operations, but a large network of terror cells planning attacks in largely fictional. The documentary cites the Taliban recruiting and training militias (largely foreign) to fight in the Afghanistan civil war - not Al Qaeda. Also, bombing Tora Bora mountains and subsequent ground searches have yet to reveal a single Al Qaeda operative. With regards to the huge number of terror cells allegedly uncovered in the US; the documentary alleges that not a single one of them has been actually convicted of being a terror cell; and the accused have walked largely free, although some were convicted of some minor crimes.

The documentary aired before the 7 July London bombings; but the question remains. Are these bombers really part of a large terror network, or are they just a bunch of people who have their own grievances and have found this their best way of expression. This is a particularly interesting with regards to the recent airline hijack terror alert, because if the documentary is correct, then the people arrested yesterday are going to go free; because they were actually doing something less sinister.

Terrorism, whatever the definition is not new. As the archbishop of Jerusalem commented on BBC Hardtalk in this past week, one man's heroic action is another man's terrorism action. It is quite amazing how many plots seem to resemble Hollywood movie plots; leading to the question on whether these plots are actually anywhere near the truth. Prevention is better than cure; but the idea of catching people, because they might do something in the future is rather frightening. As in Minority Report - how do you know the soothsayers are correct?