2009 and Beyond

Usually at this time of the year, I tend to take a step backwards to gaze upon life in all its glory and craziness.

I once read that not a shred of evidence exists in favour of the idea that life is serious. A tenet that, after much thought, compelled me to re-think my priorities and concerns. And given all the pessimism permeating our air-waves, printed media and the populace in general, a tenet that has helped me develop an optimistic view of life, but an optimism that remains grounded in reality and hard-learnt life experiences – whether one sees a half-full glass or a half-empty glass, one still only gets a half glass of whatever.

Overall, 2008 was a year of note. It was a year where many opportunities came-a-knocking, where many initiatives were completed to their logical conclusions and where many disappointments were contended with. It was also a year where many lessons were learnt, where problems were faced, where frustrations were tempered and where challenges were defeated.

When all is said and done, here I stand, knowing that irrespective of what was thrown my way by the machinations of life, I surmounted all obstacles standing tall…and with a smile on my face.

As for 2009, who knows, but given my record at surmounting impossible odds, I am confident that the future will find me at the helm of my life, pedal to the metal.

Here’s to a kick-ass 2009 and beyond.

ALERT: National Weather Warning for SA [FIRE AND HEAVY FALLS]

Guys, take care in the northern and northeastern parts - these areas are likely to see plenty of rain today.

clipped from www.weathersa.co.za National Warning - Issued on Wednesday, 31 December 2008 at 05.00 Heavy falls of rain are possible in places over the lowveld of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Conditions favourable for runaway fires are expected in places over the Cape Peninsula.

GM comes up with Ginormously Stupid Plan

So after begging for a bailout, GM (with Chrysler) gets $17.4 billion in aid. And guess what there strategy is? To sell...er...pardon me...give away cars with 0% finance for 60 months. How long is 60 months? 5 years. You get a car for 5 yeasrs for free. That's nice. Almost as nice as giving someone a house and only expecting them to pay once they've maxed out 23 credit cards on other get now, pay when you're dead freebies.

This sounds like the auto version of the housing idiocy. If you are going to insist on being so utterly stupid with money (and other people's money) the country should bankrupt itself any day now. Officially I mean.

clipped from news.yahoo.com NEW YORK – General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it will offer financing as low as zero percent over the next week for several 2008 and 2009 models as the automaker makes a big year-end push to improve sales. The news comes a day after its troubled lending unit, GMAC Financial Services LLC, agreed to take a $5 billion loan from the Treasury Department. Mark LaNeve, a GM vice president, said GMAC's approval to become a bank holding company and qualify for government funding were crucial steps to affording the new financing offers. GM said it will offer zero-percent financing for up to 60 months on the 2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Saab 9-7X sport utility vehicles through GMAC. The Saab 9-3 and 9-5 sedans also qualify for zero-percent financing.

Christmas With Garfield [CARTOON]

Merry Christmas Everyone!

clipped from news.yahoo.com

OPEC will slash supply by a record 2 million barrels

The JSE in South Africa is current 22319 (2%) up and oil prices are at $46.97. It will be interesting to see how these and international indices change as these cuts are implemented. I'd guess that initially there would be very little change, and then later, the effects would be quite sudden and quite large.

clipped from news.yahoo.com ORAN, Algeria – OPEC powerhouse Saudi Arabia said Wednesday the group will slash a record 2 million barrels from its daily production as of Jan. 1, while Russia and other OPEC outsiders announced their own cutbacks of hundreds of thousands of barrels from the market. Saudi oil minister Ali Naimi said there was a consensus within OPEC ahead of a formal agreement later in the day for the move — which would represent the largest single OPEC cut ever. Still, while eager to push prices higher, OPEC must weigh production cuts against the risk of driving the economies of its top customers deeper into recession.

Holiday temptations you don't have to resist

Try mulled wine (made with red wine) spiked with cinnamon, orange juice, cloves and honey or tiny bit of sugar. Cinnamon contains antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties.

It may also help lower blood sugar and bad cholesterol levels. Cloves can kill bacteria and calm inflammation, which has been linked to heart disease.
[Click on the link below for 8 more...]

clipped from www.msnbc.msn.com Moderate drinking (defined as no more than two drinks a day for men younger than 65, and one drink a day for women or men older than 65) is linked with lower risk for heart disease, stroke, gallstones and diabetes. However, it’s what’s in the glass that counts. Resveratrol in red wine offers heart benefits by keeping blood vessels supple and preventing plaque from depositing on artery walls. Resveratrol and other antioxidants in grapes may also keep the platelets in blood from clumping and forming clots.

The Kunstlercast - listen HERE

"...a weekly podcast that offers some of the smartest, most honest urban commentary around -- online or off."
-- Columbia Journalism Review

"...the KunstlerCast delivers the goods, with inspired rants on a variety of subjects related to American places (and non-places) and the coming peak oil reality."
--TreeHugger

You can subscribe by using this link: http://kunstlercast.libsyn.com/rss

clipped from kunstlercast.com I believe a lot of people share my feelings about the tragic landscape of highway strips, parking lots, housing tracts, mega-malls, junked cities, and ravaged countryside that makes up the everyday environment where most Americans live and work. Attention First-Time Listeners Here are two short KunstlerCast promo clips to give you a sense of what this program is all about: The KunstlerCast is an ongoing conversation unfolding in no particular order. But some installments are better entry points than others. Try starting with show #8, #10, or #28. And here's our show on The Great Bailout 2008.

Hybrid Bicycles - WOW!

Rather than trying to turn a bike into a car, the eneloop promises better bicycling by seamlessly integrating human input and battery output. Pedal turn the rear wheel, while a 250-watt motor powered by a 29.5-volt lithium-ion battery turns the front wheel. Electric range varies according to how you ride, but Sanyo says the battery is good for 35 to 60 miles. It'll recharge in about 3.5 hours.

NVDL: Instead of hybrid-ising cars (already a drain on resources, why NOT upscale bicycles?

clipped from blog.wired.com So Sanyo has introduced a new human-electric hybrid bike that integrates an electric motor and traditional pedaling in a regenerative cycle of glad tidings and peace on Earth. Sanyo calls it the eneloop bike and makes the name painfully hip by dropping the caps. It expects the bike to be a hit, and it probably will be if only because it's more advanced than anything at its price and the e-bike industry is doing pretty well right now. The eneloop joins an electro-peloton that has seen more entries bonk than break away. For every sweet ride like the Ultra Motor A2B there are hoopties like the C5 electric trike that tried to revolutionize transportation but failed like an English major taking organic chemistry. Words don't do this three-wheeled beast justice, so we've got some unintentionally hilarious videos.

Advertise on Top SA blogs

The Adgator blog network serves over 5.6 million page views each month and you will reach no less than 1.7 million unique people through the network.

clipped from adgator.co.za Home Advertisers Bloggers About Us Contact Us This network is extremely powerful and reaches some of the most influential readers in the world. The Adgator blog network serves over 5.6 million page views each month and you will reach no less than 1.7 million unique people through the network. For the first time ever, Adgator brings bloggers and advertisers together in a single place and provides you with a unique opportunity to target advertising across many levels. As an advertiser you are able to target individual blogs as well as category specific niches giving you the flexibility to work within your budget and target market. Don't just take our word for it though. Check out our network stats or request a free custom proposal and let the figures do the talking!

Monetise your blog - Make money with Adgator

Adgator serve ads on a Cost Per Thousand (CPM) basis and shares this revenue with you 50/50.

clipped from adgator.co.za Adgator is a unique blog advertising network tailored specifically for South Africa. This network of blogs, while small in individual reach, is extremely powerful as a combined force and Adgator helps monetise your blog in a way that simply was not possible before. Unlike Google and Affiliate Networks we serve ads on a Cost Per Thousand (CPM) basis and share this revenue with you 50/50. This means that for every impression served on your blog you will earn money. Don't belive us? Click here to find out just how much you should be earning. Adgator is transparent, provides real-time data via a personal control panel and has dedicated sales teams to sell inventory across the network. This is the single biggest advance in blogging in South Africa and you have a chance to be a part of it... What are you waiting for?

Monetise your blog - Make money with Adgator

Adgator serve ads on a Cost Per Thousand (CPM) basis and shares this revenue with you 50/50.

clipped from adgator.co.za Adgator is a unique blog advertising network tailored specifically for South Africa. This network of blogs, while small in individual reach, is extremely powerful as a combined force and Adgator helps monetise your blog in a way that simply was not possible before. Unlike Google and Affiliate Networks we serve ads on a Cost Per Thousand (CPM) basis and share this revenue with you 50/50. This means that for every impression served on your blog you will earn money. Don't belive us? Click here to find out just how much you should be earning. Adgator is transparent, provides real-time data via a personal control panel and has dedicated sales teams to sell inventory across the network. This is the single biggest advance in blogging in South Africa and you have a chance to be a part of it... What are you waiting for?

Hypermiling Dashboard - Great Tech to Save Fuel

Neither system offers constructive criticism — you won't hear your car tell you, "Back off on the throttle, pal." But the two automakers say providing drivers with data and rewards will make them more efficient.

NVDL: It kind've works like a heart rate monitor.

clipped from blog.wired.com When new hybrids from Ford and Honda roll into showrooms this spring, drivers will find flashy dashboards that turn hypermiling into a videogame. It's easy to dismiss the LCD displays as gimmicks — and some have — but we're going see more of them. Auto designers, academics and industry watchers say it won't be long before everyone's offering green gauges in an effort to make us all greener drivers. Some automakers are even thinking about using emerging technology in in-car internet development to let people compare stats and compile "top score" leader boards to make green driving a social activity. "That kind of eye candy has huge appeal to consumers," says Eric Noble, president of The Car Lab, an auto industry consulting firm. "They'll provide huge amounts of information regarding fuel economy. There already are prototypes that are 3-D."

'The Day the Earth Stood Still'

Would an alien species consider humans worth saving?

clipped from english.ohmynews.com Be warned, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" starts slowly and modestly and is mired in a minefield of movie cliches. But give "Day" a few moments to warm up. There are some spectacular moments, and some innovative moments, even if a lot of it was imagined for the first time in 1951. It is interesting to see the number of movies coming out now with a more and more serious message. People -- collectively -- will have to change. The message is becoming more radical in the movie zeitgeist, which makes this a timely and appropriate flick and a worthy addition to this particular theme. Interestingly, and uniquely, this flick cites exactly this sentiment, where (sitting in McDonalds) one being says to another: "They sense their own demise but don't know what to do about it." Or words to that effect.

The Dark Knight DVD available now for rental - buy it or rent it but make sure you get it!

The DVD has been available in shops for a few weeks. In this country it has only just become available for rental. It's definitely a collectible - this is one of the biggest selling movies ever, and probably the top film of 2008. I watched it 3 times, including on IMAX. It's a very intelligent, and topical flick.

Buy it for R150/$15 (or give it to your man for Christmas). Or rent it for R25/$2.50. Either way, make sure you get some of that Dark Magic this Christmas.

clipped from coedmagazine.com This week’s DVD Drop is a complete no-brainer.  The Dark Knight was one of the most successful summer releases this year and my guess is that pretty much every single one of you went out and saw this movie.  It picks up where Batman Begins ends and allows the audience to watch the continued evolution of Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego Batman. Dark Knight brings back two villains from the Batman series: Joke and Two-Face.  Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker will no doubt garner him at least an Oscar nomination.  As good as Jack Nicholson was, Ledger took the Joker to a whole new level.  Viewers see the Joker as the face of pure evil. Aaron Eckhart plays new District Attorney Harvey Dent (a role previously played by Tommy Lee Jones).  Bruce picks Harvey to be the new face of good for Gotham City, only to have Harvey become Two-Face. Forget renting this one: go and buy it.  This is one of the best films of the year and is one that you should definitely have on your shelf.

Why are gasoline prices so low? And why do they continue to drop?

I am becoming more and more convinced that the drop in gasoline prices has a huge amount to do with all of our credit problems (which in turn are related to limits on the oil supply). These credit problems are causing more and more defaults on debt and more and more bankruptcies. - The Oil Drum

NVDL: Oil price collapse alludes to the collapsing of the global economic apparatus, including the widespread and massive loss of wealth, entire industries (airlines, banks, automakers) and all the jobs associated with those industries.

clipped from www.theoildrum.com We often hear that "soon" oil prices will hit a bottom, and start shooting back up again. I am less and less certain that this will be the case. Instead, I am concerned that we may on a relentless path to a point far below the point where energy companies can expect to have any chance of making money. We may be on a path toward more and more bankruptcies and defaults of all types--energy companies, owners of commercial real estate, homeowners, financial institutions, auto makers, airlines, and many more. If this is the case, there will be a huge strain on governments, and some may find it necessary to default on their debt.

Guns for Gifts - A GREAT Idea!

NVDL: I reckon this would be awesome if we could implement it in South Africa.

clipped from news.yahoo.com LOS ANGELES – A program to exchange guns for gifts brought in a record number of weapons this year as residents hit hard by the economy look under the bed and in closets to find items to trade for groceries. The annual Gifts for Guns program ended Sunday in Compton, a working class city south of Los Angeles that has long struggled with gun and gang violence. In a program similar to ones in New York and San Francisco, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department allows residents to anonymously relinquish firearms in return for $100 gift cards for Ralphs supermarkets, Target department stores or Best Buy electronics stores. "People just don't have the money to buy the food these days," he said.