Author: John
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Psalm 117 the Shortest Psalm in the Bible
In my research for this post I discovered a fair number of divergent opinions on the exact number of verses and chapters in the Bible. There are many good reasons for this — including the many variations of modern translations of the Bible. Compare the text shown in the photo with the text below. It…
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Hottentots Holland Mountains of the Western Cape
Almost equidistant between Hermanus and Cape Town lies the beautiful Hottentots Holland mountain range. The excellent N2 national road must negotiate the Sir Lowry’s and the Houwhoek mountain passes. The recently upgraded road is in superb condition and is well graded and contoured. This region is the heart of the Western Cape’s successful fruit-growing export…
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American Icon 1950s Cadillac
This great American icon of American success and the American dream, the 1950s Cadillac, is beautifully drawn here by renowned artist John Harding. See a portfolio of John Harding’s work here. When this famous automobile first appeared on the streets the classic lines of the 1950s Cadillac defined an era. The style embodied the optimism…
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Mr Gene Sharp: Why Dictators and Despots Fear His Name Everywhere
Gene Sharp is relatively unknown to the American public. Around the world he is held in high esteem by activists and is regarded with fear and animosity by many authoritarian leaders. This humble, shy 83-year-old intellectual, through his practical writings on non-violent revolution, has had a broad influence on international events for two decades. Though…
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Revolution Comes to Egypt and Sweeps Across The Arab World
Tonight as I write this a revolution of change is sweeping the Arab countries of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Yemen. The revolution was started in Tunisia by Mohamed Bouazizi (26), a humble vegetable vendor. He set himself alight in December as a sign of protest. Mohamed had endured police…
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The Grande Hotel in Beira Mozambique is Squatter Heaven
On the North-Eastern border of South Africa lies the country of Mozambique. Here, in the port city of Beira, the magnificent Grande Hotel was built in the mid 1950’s when the country was still under Portuguese colonial control. It was by far the most luxurious Hotel in Africa. In the mid 1970s I visited Mozambique…
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Deepest Sea Shoot for Avatar Sequel in the Marianas Trench
The author of Avatar, James Cameron, is assembling a team to dive to the bottom of the deepest sea. He is planning to shoot footage for a sequel to Avatar. The movie is set in the turbulent waters of Pandora, an alien moon, and it’s expected to hit the circuit in 2014. Cameron has commissioned…
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The Beautiful Bot River Estuary
Last year I took this photo of the lovely Bot River estuary. We are privileged to live within walking distance of its shores. You may notice, if you look up at the top of this page, the banner-header of this website is cropped from the same photograph. Time and time again I am drawn to…
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Quotation Mark And Space After Period: Rules You Should Know About
Have you ever wondered, like me, if one or two spaces should come after a period in a sentence? Well, we are not alone. Apparently there is a dichotomy of opinion on this issue. Strongly held views are asserted by each camp. For the one-spacers, Farhad Manjoo puts it best: “Typing two spaces after a period…
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The Hunter Gatherer Diet and How to Fast Your Way to Better Health
Last night I was up at midnight with my better half indulging in what is known as “the midnight snack.” Why am I telling you this? Because we spontaneously decided to commence with what will henceforth be known as our first thirty-hour-fast. Right after the midnight snack, that is. As I write this to you…