So the Netherlands recently swore in a brand new parliament made up of a coalition of smaller parties. Interestingly, these parties are a lot of the "fringe" parties we tend to see in our own elections - Christian democratic parties and very conservative nationalist parties. And now they hold the power.
What this has led to is a sharp change in what people up until now have perceived as Dutch tolerance. Language tests for potential immigrants, banning the burqa and closing off the famous "coffee shops" to foreign tourists. The Netherlands seems to be following in France's footsteps (who have already banned the burqa) in trying to reclaim their culture and heritage.
On our trip to Amsterdam we certainly didn't feel like we were in a Dutch city. The famous red light district seems to be mostly east European run, the bars are full of British louts on bachelor parties, and there are only foreigners on the streets. To be expected in any major European city for sure, but we've not felt it quite to that extent, except maybe in Barcelona - another one of Europe's playgrounds.
I have to admit I agree with the language policy for immigrants - I don't see why a country should accept you if you make no effort to fit in. I've never understood how you get to benefit from a country's health, education and welfare systems without making any attempt of your own to fit in to that culture. You chose to immigrate there, you chose that country, you need to make the effort.
Refugees are of course a different subject, and one I think Europe is really struggling with. If you didn't choose to live in France - you're fleeing for your life - I can understand how having your traditional garb banned is a problem for you. And maybe moving again to another country isn't that easy an option. But for the most part (ie: the rest of the immigrants in the world, us notorious saffas included), I think you need to fit in with your chosen country's laws and standards. I would never, for example, move to Iraq where I know I couldn't live with their culture's views on women. It's a choice.
It's a difficult argument, and one everyone has an opinion on. In the case of the Netherlands, I think they run the risk of pushing their new conservatism too far, purely because of the scary right wing mouthpiece they have in government pushing for the changes (who is already in court facing five charges of inciting hatred against Muslims - charming). But stories like this Time one still piss me off. Shame, she has to learn the language so that she isn't sent back to live in dangerous Pakistan where she fears for her life. But what, she's made NO attempt to learn it in the 16 years she's already been living there? Shame.
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
powerless - why i'm hating city power right now
Right now, I'm feeling incredibly frustrated and powerless. Which is also my intended pun for the moment.
We've struggled endlessly with City Power in the 3 years we've lived in our house, being cut off on numerous occasions for a) previous occupier not paying a bill b) account being in incorrect name/address c) lack of communication between people who get your money, and people who take your power. None of which City Power care about, or are willing to investigate until after you've paid your astronomical bill, then sat in their queue for five hours with ten years of paperwork to try convince them they may have made a clerical error.
Our bill is bizarre at best, being higher than most of our friends' and colleagues. We live in a two-person home, have no under floor heating, no electric fence, we work all day, we seldom cook, we don't leave unnecessary lights burning and we have piped gas from Egoli Gas. Yes, we're perfect candidates for a LOW bill. Yet every month we pay double what the family next door pay who are a family of four, with two youngsters needing constant heated water, underfloor heating, they have an electric fence, and husband runs his own gym out of his home, so they use power all day long. The mind boggles.
In an endeavor to figure our why our bill is so high, and to try and rectify it before we get cut off in the middle of winter again, I've a list of things to try:
a) fix all leaks that may be wasting water on the property
b) understand and submit own meter readings
c) switch to a pre-paid meter
I've started with point A, and to my horror it seems there is a hidden leak on the property somewhere, so at least I have something I can tackle on the water front. Cue leak detector.
On to point B, we've registered on the City Power website, learned how to read my meter, and submitted my own readings. Success! Imagine that feeling of accomplishment, understanding, and finally being in control of something that's been a hazy fog to you until then. The day after submitting my reading though, I get home to a friendly note from City Power... They've come - unannounced - to read my meter themselves, as the reading I submitted was less than the average they have on record for me. Less than the "average". Isn't that what an "average" is? It's not a constant - it's a collection of numbers, up and down, that are AVERAGED out. No matter. You want to read my meter you're welcome to read my meter. The meter reader's note, though, says that I am to be available to let him in on 1 May to read the meter again, failing which, I go on to 14 day notice of having my power cut off. WTF!?! So many large font expletives I could put here, but nevertheless, you have to play the game with a city administration, so I make arrangements for someone to be at the house - we take it in shifts - all day on 1 May in eager anticipation of the meter reader. Who never arrives.
So you arrive at my house unannounced and unscheduled, you tell me I need to wait for you all day Saturday, because your managers don't have the foresight to provide a specific time - or even a time bracket - that would make this an easy thing to do. And after we wait for you, AND YOU DON'T PITCH, I am being punished? For helping you out and being proactive? Bloody hell.
And to top it all, an attempt to call you, dear City Power, to try and find out where your man was, when he might "pop in" again, and to rectify the situation so that I don't get cut off, merely leaves me hanging on my phone for a straight hour on four separate phone calls, none of which get to a single one of your consultants, because... you guessed it... you cut me off.
On to point C I guess...
We've struggled endlessly with City Power in the 3 years we've lived in our house, being cut off on numerous occasions for a) previous occupier not paying a bill b) account being in incorrect name/address c) lack of communication between people who get your money, and people who take your power. None of which City Power care about, or are willing to investigate until after you've paid your astronomical bill, then sat in their queue for five hours with ten years of paperwork to try convince them they may have made a clerical error.
Our bill is bizarre at best, being higher than most of our friends' and colleagues. We live in a two-person home, have no under floor heating, no electric fence, we work all day, we seldom cook, we don't leave unnecessary lights burning and we have piped gas from Egoli Gas. Yes, we're perfect candidates for a LOW bill. Yet every month we pay double what the family next door pay who are a family of four, with two youngsters needing constant heated water, underfloor heating, they have an electric fence, and husband runs his own gym out of his home, so they use power all day long. The mind boggles.
In an endeavor to figure our why our bill is so high, and to try and rectify it before we get cut off in the middle of winter again, I've a list of things to try:
a) fix all leaks that may be wasting water on the property
b) understand and submit own meter readings
c) switch to a pre-paid meter
I've started with point A, and to my horror it seems there is a hidden leak on the property somewhere, so at least I have something I can tackle on the water front. Cue leak detector.
On to point B, we've registered on the City Power website, learned how to read my meter, and submitted my own readings. Success! Imagine that feeling of accomplishment, understanding, and finally being in control of something that's been a hazy fog to you until then. The day after submitting my reading though, I get home to a friendly note from City Power... They've come - unannounced - to read my meter themselves, as the reading I submitted was less than the average they have on record for me. Less than the "average". Isn't that what an "average" is? It's not a constant - it's a collection of numbers, up and down, that are AVERAGED out. No matter. You want to read my meter you're welcome to read my meter. The meter reader's note, though, says that I am to be available to let him in on 1 May to read the meter again, failing which, I go on to 14 day notice of having my power cut off. WTF!?! So many large font expletives I could put here, but nevertheless, you have to play the game with a city administration, so I make arrangements for someone to be at the house - we take it in shifts - all day on 1 May in eager anticipation of the meter reader. Who never arrives.
So you arrive at my house unannounced and unscheduled, you tell me I need to wait for you all day Saturday, because your managers don't have the foresight to provide a specific time - or even a time bracket - that would make this an easy thing to do. And after we wait for you, AND YOU DON'T PITCH, I am being punished? For helping you out and being proactive? Bloody hell.
And to top it all, an attempt to call you, dear City Power, to try and find out where your man was, when he might "pop in" again, and to rectify the situation so that I don't get cut off, merely leaves me hanging on my phone for a straight hour on four separate phone calls, none of which get to a single one of your consultants, because... you guessed it... you cut me off.
On to point C I guess...
fawtly towers
So R and i went to Dullstroom over the weekend so he could do some mountain bike training. I was looking for somewhere to relax and read while he was out. A girl's lazy weekend on the couch.
I found a spot that looked charming and cozy enough online, and off we went to Auldstone house.
Unfortunately while its mentioned on their website that Auldstone house is on the main road, what you have to realise is that the main road is a truck thoroughfare - it only quietens down at night and on Sunday. Not something you'd think of when going to a tiny town like Dullstroom.
But that's not what really bugged me...
While sitting there on Saturday morning, i received a marketing text message from Auldstone House advertising their whiskey tasting nights. I'd only arrived the night before, and wasn't going to be there come Wednesday, so huh?
I also didn't request marketing messages, or give permission for them to use my mobile number for that purpose. When i mentioned this in a survey i was asked by Auldstone to fill in, i received a prompt reply from Dullstroom Reservations telling me that "More often than not we have guests thanking us for introducing them to such a unique experience, most of our guests are really pleasant." Excuse me!? No, "thank you, noted, we have removed your number from our database". Instead i was told that "most of our guests are really pleasant".
I was also told "you're the first to complain. You can't please all of the people all of the time". I've never been treated with such unprofessionalism and rudeness from the hospitality industry before - especially when YOU ASKED ME to take time out of MY schedule to fill in YOUR survey so you could "improve your service" to guests going forward. It totally shocked me. But the more i thought about it, the more it fit - Dullstroom is expensive and arrogant, and really doesn't live up to its reputation. I'd do Nottingham Road before i did Dullstroom again any day.
So thank you Auldstone House, for cermenting an opinion i thought i might have been misguided in. I won't be back.
I found a spot that looked charming and cozy enough online, and off we went to Auldstone house.
Unfortunately while its mentioned on their website that Auldstone house is on the main road, what you have to realise is that the main road is a truck thoroughfare - it only quietens down at night and on Sunday. Not something you'd think of when going to a tiny town like Dullstroom.
But that's not what really bugged me...
While sitting there on Saturday morning, i received a marketing text message from Auldstone House advertising their whiskey tasting nights. I'd only arrived the night before, and wasn't going to be there come Wednesday, so huh?
I also didn't request marketing messages, or give permission for them to use my mobile number for that purpose. When i mentioned this in a survey i was asked by Auldstone to fill in, i received a prompt reply from Dullstroom Reservations telling me that "More often than not we have guests thanking us for introducing them to such a unique experience, most of our guests are really pleasant." Excuse me!? No, "thank you, noted, we have removed your number from our database". Instead i was told that "most of our guests are really pleasant".
I was also told "you're the first to complain. You can't please all of the people all of the time". I've never been treated with such unprofessionalism and rudeness from the hospitality industry before - especially when YOU ASKED ME to take time out of MY schedule to fill in YOUR survey so you could "improve your service" to guests going forward. It totally shocked me. But the more i thought about it, the more it fit - Dullstroom is expensive and arrogant, and really doesn't live up to its reputation. I'd do Nottingham Road before i did Dullstroom again any day.
So thank you Auldstone House, for cermenting an opinion i thought i might have been misguided in. I won't be back.
a trilogy in two parts
This is my rant for a pseudo-Monday morning... why do book stores never stock all three parts for any given trilogy?? There's nothing more annoying than reading through 500 pages of part one, 600 pages of part two, only to find no one is stocking part three! Argh!
In this light, I decided to buy all three parts of a trilogy at once. Smart, no? That way, each book is ready and waiting as soon as I am. Brilliant! Problem is - no one stocks all three! How hard can it truly be when ordering your stock to make sure you have all of them? And what made it worse, as the dreary assistants looked at me with disdain for making them come out from behind their counters, was that they had four different trilogies from the same author, but never more than two of each! Argh!
Eventually, they found a hidden copy of the missing third, but with a different dust-jacket from a different publisher. Not to be picky, but why buy all three at once, only to have your set still look like you scrounged around town to find the only available copy? Bleugh.
Anyway. I must have seemed like a pedantic fantasy-sci-fi-nut to be buying three books at once AND to want them to match, but is that really such a big ask? I ask you...
In this light, I decided to buy all three parts of a trilogy at once. Smart, no? That way, each book is ready and waiting as soon as I am. Brilliant! Problem is - no one stocks all three! How hard can it truly be when ordering your stock to make sure you have all of them? And what made it worse, as the dreary assistants looked at me with disdain for making them come out from behind their counters, was that they had four different trilogies from the same author, but never more than two of each! Argh!
Eventually, they found a hidden copy of the missing third, but with a different dust-jacket from a different publisher. Not to be picky, but why buy all three at once, only to have your set still look like you scrounged around town to find the only available copy? Bleugh.
Anyway. I must have seemed like a pedantic fantasy-sci-fi-nut to be buying three books at once AND to want them to match, but is that really such a big ask? I ask you...
makes you think, doesn't it
There's a very apparent split in SA right now between those who are bubbling with excitement for the coming elections, and those who go "when is it again? really? oh.". I suspect - but don't hold me to it - that that split also follows a similar line to that between those who support the ANC and those who don't. I could be wrong though.
What I've encountered is the latter - people who are resigned to the outcome of an election that has yet to happen. People who accept that Jacob Zuma will be our next president. And even if they are determined and excited about South Africa as a country, the opportunities it represents and living here - they're finding ways to do it in spite of the ANC being in power. Not because of.
I've read two articles this morning that again highlight for me the disparity between our country and what is effectively the first world. The world out there. I live here, and make my life here, and make the best of what we have here (it is a beautiful country with many opportunities, don't get me wrong). But I can't help it on days like today letting my mind wander to what it would be like living in another country...
The first article made me smile, and made me think about how something as simple - and universal - as childbirth can be approached so differently in different countries and cultures. I marvel at a culture that can make it seem so hip and inviting. This article makes me want to *be* French.
And while I'm musing on how fabulous this one little (but not so little) change in approach to something so intrinsic must make your life if you happen to be a French woman as opposed to, say, South African, I read this. A scathing portrait of our next (let's be real, shall we) president. A president with four wives, a rape charge, an angry dead wife. A portrait of a country not heading closer to the first world, but further away.
In less than two weeks I will cast my vote. And do what it may, the election won't take my mind from wandering elsewhere... Wondering if it can't all be done just a little differently. A little better. As a young woman living in South Africa, I'm unlikely to be offered la rééducation périnéale après accouchement or given a prescription for abdominal muscle training after childbirth. But that's what I want dammit!
So, a state that labours over discussions on the "true" causes of HIV and whether beetroot helps or not? Or a state that's moved on to other pressing matters, like getting my tummy back in shape after kids?
Flippant? Yes. But that's how I'm feeling today.
What I've encountered is the latter - people who are resigned to the outcome of an election that has yet to happen. People who accept that Jacob Zuma will be our next president. And even if they are determined and excited about South Africa as a country, the opportunities it represents and living here - they're finding ways to do it in spite of the ANC being in power. Not because of.
I've read two articles this morning that again highlight for me the disparity between our country and what is effectively the first world. The world out there. I live here, and make my life here, and make the best of what we have here (it is a beautiful country with many opportunities, don't get me wrong). But I can't help it on days like today letting my mind wander to what it would be like living in another country...
The first article made me smile, and made me think about how something as simple - and universal - as childbirth can be approached so differently in different countries and cultures. I marvel at a culture that can make it seem so hip and inviting. This article makes me want to *be* French.
And while I'm musing on how fabulous this one little (but not so little) change in approach to something so intrinsic must make your life if you happen to be a French woman as opposed to, say, South African, I read this. A scathing portrait of our next (let's be real, shall we) president. A president with four wives, a rape charge, an angry dead wife. A portrait of a country not heading closer to the first world, but further away.
In less than two weeks I will cast my vote. And do what it may, the election won't take my mind from wandering elsewhere... Wondering if it can't all be done just a little differently. A little better. As a young woman living in South Africa, I'm unlikely to be offered la rééducation périnéale après accouchement or given a prescription for abdominal muscle training after childbirth. But that's what I want dammit!
So, a state that labours over discussions on the "true" causes of HIV and whether beetroot helps or not? Or a state that's moved on to other pressing matters, like getting my tummy back in shape after kids?
Flippant? Yes. But that's how I'm feeling today.
i'm so embarrassed
I turned on the telly this morning for our daily dose of news and the first story I saw left me feeling mortified to be in this country. A feeling I don't relish, but encounter more and more I'm sad to say...
"South Africa Bars Dalai Lama From Peace Conference
South Africa barred the Dalai Lama from a peace conference in Johannesburg this week, hoping to keep good relations with trading partner China but instead generating a storm of criticism.
...
But because the Dalai Lama isn't being allowed to attend, it is now being boycotted by fellow Nobel Peace prize winners retired Cape Town Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former president F.W. de Klerk as well as members of the Nobel Committee.
...
An eclectic mix of Nobel laureates, Hollywood celebrities and other dignitaries are coming to discuss issues ranging from combating racism to how sports can unite people and nations.
But Thabo Masebe, spokesman for President Kgalema Motlanthe, said a high-profile visit by the Tibetan spiritual leader would have distracted from the conference's focus.
...
Tamu Matose, a spokeswoman for Tutu, told the AP that Tutu would not attend "because of the Dalai Lama issue." Tutu was quoted Sunday as calling the barring "disgraceful." "
The man who - whether you believe in Buddhist teachings or not - has been living his life as the 74th incarnation of the reverend Buddha, has been banned from our country. Banned from a Peace conference. Because it would distract from the focus of the conference. The Peace conference. I'm astounded. Ashamed.
Whatever your political reasoning, you've made a mockery of our country yet again. You've made it obvious we'll bend over backwards for anyone who'll give us money. That we're here to be bought. And that you have no real interest in a Peace conference of any kind - you're pandering to a world power, embarrassing your people and making it doubtful anyone will take us seriously. Pathetic. And yes, "disgraceful".
Read the rest of the story here and get a local angle here with News24's story "Dalai Lama 'very disappointed'".
Story update: the conference has been postponed, but CNN is broadcasting that it is unlikely to happen at all. Rather than invite his Holiness, they cancel a conference they've been planning since November 2008.
"South Africa Bars Dalai Lama From Peace Conference
South Africa barred the Dalai Lama from a peace conference in Johannesburg this week, hoping to keep good relations with trading partner China but instead generating a storm of criticism.
...
But because the Dalai Lama isn't being allowed to attend, it is now being boycotted by fellow Nobel Peace prize winners retired Cape Town Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former president F.W. de Klerk as well as members of the Nobel Committee.
...
An eclectic mix of Nobel laureates, Hollywood celebrities and other dignitaries are coming to discuss issues ranging from combating racism to how sports can unite people and nations.
But Thabo Masebe, spokesman for President Kgalema Motlanthe, said a high-profile visit by the Tibetan spiritual leader would have distracted from the conference's focus.
...
Tamu Matose, a spokeswoman for Tutu, told the AP that Tutu would not attend "because of the Dalai Lama issue." Tutu was quoted Sunday as calling the barring "disgraceful." "
The man who - whether you believe in Buddhist teachings or not - has been living his life as the 74th incarnation of the reverend Buddha, has been banned from our country. Banned from a Peace conference. Because it would distract from the focus of the conference. The Peace conference. I'm astounded. Ashamed.
Whatever your political reasoning, you've made a mockery of our country yet again. You've made it obvious we'll bend over backwards for anyone who'll give us money. That we're here to be bought. And that you have no real interest in a Peace conference of any kind - you're pandering to a world power, embarrassing your people and making it doubtful anyone will take us seriously. Pathetic. And yes, "disgraceful".
Read the rest of the story here and get a local angle here with News24's story "Dalai Lama 'very disappointed'".
Story update: the conference has been postponed, but CNN is broadcasting that it is unlikely to happen at all. Rather than invite his Holiness, they cancel a conference they've been planning since November 2008.
play nice now everyone!
This is essentially a rant about social media.
While not many people use the incredibly stoic phrase "social media", it forms a part of most of our everyday lives. In fact, blogging right now I am "engaging in social media". It's intrinsic to almost everything we do, and more and more the "mainstream" sectors are starting to wake up to the power of this "social media" - cellphone networks have their own networking sites, fizzy drinks have mobile sites, ad agencies are making made-for-mobile TV shows, and PLENTY brands exist on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace to name a few.
My issue today, then, is that I am a digital native. I live and play in this world everyday. I love exploring new platforms, new arenas, new playrooms - I'm in Second Life, Club Penguin, I use Skype, MSN, Twitter, I'm trying to sign up for Habba... and my end frustration is - NOTHING TALKS TO ANYTHING ELSE!!!
For example... in order to Twitter on my iPhone, I need an application of some sort. There isn't an official Twitter app, so I download Twinkle - like Twitter, but allows for photo update. Great. Then I realize, the people available on Twitter aren't necessarily available on Twinkle. Those are Tapulous people. Not Twitter people. In several instances, they operate in both environments, but only if you physically cross over. So when I made a friend on Twinkle, it didn't reflect on my Twitter. Annoying.
Then, I see other people are using Twitpic to upload pics to Twitter. So let's try that. Issue NOW is, if I twitter a pic on the move, using Twinkle, it doesn't go to my Twitpic collection. I have to go back and upload it there if I want that stream to be a reflection of all pics I've uploaded. Annoying.
I'm working on different platforms - mobile and online - why can't my applications and logins reflect that while I needed to use different apps to access the system on each one, they're happy to talk to each other and play along? Why on earth, in this day and age of rampant personal publishing, internet stars and brand-agnosticism, do I have to remain true and faithful to one app? Huh? Tell me that.
And don't even get me started on my blog that wouldn't let me in because I used a different Google account for my Gmail than I used for my blogger....argh!
While not many people use the incredibly stoic phrase "social media", it forms a part of most of our everyday lives. In fact, blogging right now I am "engaging in social media". It's intrinsic to almost everything we do, and more and more the "mainstream" sectors are starting to wake up to the power of this "social media" - cellphone networks have their own networking sites, fizzy drinks have mobile sites, ad agencies are making made-for-mobile TV shows, and PLENTY brands exist on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace to name a few.
My issue today, then, is that I am a digital native. I live and play in this world everyday. I love exploring new platforms, new arenas, new playrooms - I'm in Second Life, Club Penguin, I use Skype, MSN, Twitter, I'm trying to sign up for Habba... and my end frustration is - NOTHING TALKS TO ANYTHING ELSE!!!
For example... in order to Twitter on my iPhone, I need an application of some sort. There isn't an official Twitter app, so I download Twinkle - like Twitter, but allows for photo update. Great. Then I realize, the people available on Twitter aren't necessarily available on Twinkle. Those are Tapulous people. Not Twitter people. In several instances, they operate in both environments, but only if you physically cross over. So when I made a friend on Twinkle, it didn't reflect on my Twitter. Annoying.
Then, I see other people are using Twitpic to upload pics to Twitter. So let's try that. Issue NOW is, if I twitter a pic on the move, using Twinkle, it doesn't go to my Twitpic collection. I have to go back and upload it there if I want that stream to be a reflection of all pics I've uploaded. Annoying.
I'm working on different platforms - mobile and online - why can't my applications and logins reflect that while I needed to use different apps to access the system on each one, they're happy to talk to each other and play along? Why on earth, in this day and age of rampant personal publishing, internet stars and brand-agnosticism, do I have to remain true and faithful to one app? Huh? Tell me that.
And don't even get me started on my blog that wouldn't let me in because I used a different Google account for my Gmail than I used for my blogger....argh!
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