sagren.blogspot.com

Balls of Steel - The Ultimate Nutshot

2013-05-28T05:04:00.000-07:00

"After far too many warnings, Superman decides to make the ultimate example out of a serial killer."

This is the latest short film from Freddie Wong called Balls of Steel, and it's magnificently epic!

Also watch alongside what happens when one of our own local soccer players is at the receiving end of some devastating nut crushing action. Orlando Pirates vs Supersport United 2012

Mabhudi Khenyeza of Supersport United goes down hard in the 54th minute after being kicked in the nuts by a Pirates player. Pirates and SuperSport played to a goalless draw in their MTN8 semifinal
first leg clash.

This Is Water

2013-05-16T00:49:00.000-07:00

In 2005, author David Foster Wallace was asked to give the commencement address to the graduating class of Kenyon College. However, the resulting speech didn't become widely known until after he died in 2008. His brilliant mind has since gained traction through a recent video adaptation of his speech, "This is Water." If you want some life advice, or even if you don't, you need to watch this video.

The two biggest takeaways are that perception is reality, and while you can't always change your reality, you are free to choose how you perceive the things around you. Secondly, education can either be dismissed once you toss your cap in the air, or used to challenge yourself on a daily basis, sparking a chain reaction of thoughts that change your outlook on life.

Watch this video and let that chain reaction begin.

YOUNG SUPERSTARS DOMINATE MTN SAMA 19

2013-05-13T10:25:00.001-07:00

article source : http://samusicawards.co.za/profiles/blogs/young-superstars-dominate-mtn-sama-19, please visit for more info

Dear Reader, Please be aware that all my SAMA19 video uploads have been removed by SAMA as they have cited that I have infringed several copyrights. I would like to tell you that all SAMA 19 performances are available at their website but it isn't. I will re-post the videos here again once they are legally uploaded by SAMA.

Millions of viewers tuned into SABC 1 and witnessed the glitz, glam and the pizazz at the 19^th Annual South African Music Awards as Toya Delazy and Khuli Chana dominated the evening taking home 3 awards each at the Sun City Superbowl on Saturday, 11 May 2013.

For Toya Delazy who had kicked off the evening with a high octane performance alongside rapper Reason, the awards for Newcomer of the Year and Best Pop Album serve as confirmation of her newly found status in the industry after a breakout year in 2012 with her debut hit album, Due Drop Deluxe. Jax Panix scooped the Best Producer award the previous night for his work on Toya’s album

The outrageously talented Khuli Chana finally had his moment to shine in the spotlight as all the years of hard work finally paid off for the former Motswako protégé as he took home the coveted Best Male Artist, Best Rap Album and Album of the Year awards.

Multi award winning Afro-fusion group Freshlyground scooped what must be fast becoming a familiar statuette for Duo or Group of the Year, further cementing their place as music royalty in South Africa.

The fiercely contested Female Artist of the Year award saw songbird Kelly Khumalo beat off stiff competition from a very talented field.

The almost three hour long show witnessed some unique and iconic collaborations from amongst others Zonke and Kabomo, ChianoSky with DJ Zinhle ft. Busiswa, Bobby van Jaarsveld with Oskido ft. Candy, Zozo & Sangere Superbeat, Desmond & The Tutus with Kabelo, Professor, Sfiso and Khaya ft. Proverb, Donald, Lira and crowd pleasers DJ Vetkuk & Mahoota ft. Dr Malinga & Manqoba amongst others.

The guest presenters on stage to hand over the awards were some of the leading names in the entertainment industry: Rapulana Seiphemo, Tsholo Monedi, Gareth Cliff, Zahara, Loyiso Bala, Tailor, Pearl Thusi, Tumi Morake, Theo Kgosinkwe, Nhlanhla Nciza, Zolisa Xaluva, Glen Lewis, Penny Lebyane, Tumi Morake, Greg Carlin and Thami Mngqolo.

An emotional tribute to artists and other industry players that have passed on during the last year was movingly performed by Bongeziwe Mabandla, Nina Schumann, Steve Dyer, Herbie Tsoaeli and CH2 over a visual montage of these fallen icons.

The Album of the Year medley was one of the major highlights of the star studded night as Khuli Chana, Kelly Khumalo, Maleh, Ntokozo Mbambo and The Muffinz took to the stage and left the over 5 000 strong crowd in rapturous applause.

It was then left to the popular Menzi Ngubane and Sophie Ndaba to close off the night and present the coveted Album of the Year to an utterly surprised Khuli Chana.

The full list of categories and winners for the 19th Annual MTN South African Music Awards are:

Album of the Year

Khuli Chana - Lost in Time

Duo or Group of the Year

Freshlyground - Take Me to the Dance

Female Artist of the Year

Kelly Khumalo - The Past, The Present, The Future

Male Artist of the Year

Khuli Chana - Lost in Time

Newcomer of the Year

Toya Delazy - Due Drop Deluxe

Best Rock Album

Zebra & Giraffe - The Wisest Ones

Best Pop Album

Toya Delazy Due - Drop Deluxe

Best Adult Contemporary Album

Elvis Blue - Journey

Beste Kontemporêre Musiek Album

Theuns Jordaan - Roeper

Best African Adult Album

Maleh - Step Child

Best Alternative Album

iScream & The Chocolate Stix - The Paradox

Best R&B/Soul/Reggae Album

Khaya - For You

Best Rap Album

Khuli Chana - Lost in Time

Best Kwaito Album

Professor - The Orientation

Best Dance Album

Black Coffee - Africa Rising

Best Traditional Faith Music Album

Various - Spirit of Praise Vol.4

Best Contemporary Faith Music Album

Ntokozo Mbambo - Filled

Best Traditional Album

Soul Brothers Isiphithiphithi

Best Maskandi Album

Ichwane Lebhaca- Inkunzi Yomthakathi

Best Jazz Album

Herbie Tsoaeli - African Time

Best Classic & Instrumental Album

CH2 - CH2 Guitar Duo Live with the University of Pretoria Symphony Orchestra

Best Live DVD

The Captured Tour Concert Film - Lira

Best Collaboration

Riot Feat. Zahara - Thetha Nami

Best Music Video of the Year

Claudio Pavan for Honey Spiders by The Parlotones

Best Producer

Jax Panik for Due Drop Deluxe by Toya Delazy

Best Engineer

Mark Beling for Strong by BlackByrd

Remix of the Year

DJ Kent for Thinking about You Ft. Zonke DJ Kent Remix (Theo Kgosinkwe)

Best Selling DVD

Vol. 16 Live at Carnival City - Joyous Celebration

Best Selling Album

Roeper - Theuns Jordaan

Best Selling Tru-Tone

Follow Me - DJ Cleo ft. Teddy Bears

Best Selling Ring-Back-Tone

Loliwe - Zahara

Best Selling Full-Track Download

You’re The Voice Shout/J23 – Artists for a safer South Africa

SAMPRA AWARD

Heavenly Sent - Mi Casa

Issued by:

CRUSH PR

Diane Chidrawi Onicka Van Der Sandt

diane@crushpr.co.za onicka@crushpr.co.za

082 604 5605 076 702 5370

For more Media information from MTN, please contact:

Lesiba Langa: PR Manager - Sponsorship, MTN SA

Cell: 083 212 4053 / E-mail: Lesiba@mtn.co.za

Joy Makwela: PR Account Manager, EXP

Cell: 078 270 9556/ E-mail: joym@expagency.co.za

Please find below MTN SAMA 19 digital platforms:

Website

URL: www.samusicawards.co.za

Mobisite

URL: www.mtnsamatv.mobi

It’s an all access pass to MTN SAMA 19, jam packed with exclusive behind the scenes footage.

Catch the highlights on your mobile phone (www.mtnsamatv.mobi) & on Facebook (www.facebook.com/samusicawards)

Facebook

Page: SA Music Awards

URL: http://www.facebook.com/SAMusicAwards

Twitter

Handle: @MTNSAMA

URL: www.twitter.com/MTNSAMA

Hashtag: #MTNSAMA19

YouTube

URL www.youtube.com/samusicawards

Flickr

URL: http://www.flickr.com/samusicawards

Flickr houses the entire official MTN SAMA’s image content.

Instagram

Handle: @MTNSAMA

702 Ster Kinekor Little One Preview

2013-04-26T05:32:00.002-07:00

Ster Kinekor in conjunction with Talk Radio 702 last night screened a preview of the movie Little One at Ster Kinekor- Sandton City.

Little One tells a story of a six-year-old girl, played by Vuyelwa Msimang, who is found left for dead on the dunes near a township in Johannesburg. She is found by a middle-aged woman, Pauline (Lindiwe Ndlovu who won a SAFTA for her performance), who rushes her to hospital. What transpires afterward is a triumph of love and hope that is nurtured by the lead character Pauline and the title character little one

Lindiwe Ndlovu who I never knew before this movie, acted brilliantly and brought her character Pauline amazingly to life with a heartfelt and thoughtful performance. The performance of a lead actor/ actress has the potential to make or break a movie, Lindiwe's performance is simple and engaging which adds depth and integrity to her character and the story, you can immediately recognise her caring and motherly nature that endears the audience to her.

It's a sad fact of life here in South Africa that rape is so prevalent, at one point in the movie Pauline mentions that "life here is cheaper than cigarettes" a statement really indicative of the living standards we have come to accept.

“The thing about rape in this country, in a lot of countries, is that it is prevalent, but it’s all hidden because it is considered a shameful thing.

“You don’t want to admit to it but it’s part of the condition of living in South Africa.

“For me, what was interesting was not so much the young child being raped, but telling the story about the woman who finds her, exploring the attitude towards the incident.

“I was fascinated by the story of this person who has nothing physically, but has so much more than anyone else in terms of the human spirit. I thought Pauline was an interesting character.

Darrel Roodt

At times little one loses momentum where the storyline seems a bit deflated because of a poor

supporting cast but the cinematography is beautiful and creates visually stunning imagery that gives you a nice cursory overview with great depth of feel of the way Pauline and her family live. Lindiwes performance gets a strong 7/10, the movie gets 6/10, it achieved what it set out to do without relying on gratuitous violence. It definitely worth a watch

Little one Opened in Ster Kinekor theatres today.

Thor: The Dark World - First Trailer

2013-04-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Excuse me if I interrupt your Iron man anticipation but it looks like its HAMMER TIME again. The first Thor: The dark World has arrived. With all of the pleasantries out of the way and this being Thors third outing (thats if you counting Avengers) we're in for a serious kick ass ride from the Norse God of thunder if this new trailer is anything to go by.
trailer for

This movie looks far more solid and gritier than the first.We only get fleeting glimpses of Malekith and the Dark Elves in the teaser, but they're presented as an ominous and formidable threat to both Earth and Thor's home world of Asgard, spreading their dark shadow across the land, making the weather all topsy-turvy and instigating the kind of disaster-film destruction that would make Roland Emmerich proud. If you're also getting a "Game of Thrones" vibe from the trailer, that's to be expected. Director Alan Taylor, who takes over the reins from Kenneth Branagh, directed six episodes of the sword-swinging HBO series before getting this gig.

Marvel are seriously stepping up their game with phase 2 which is the lead up to the next avengers movie, with Joss Whedon already in Avengers 2 mode we are sure to see some nice tie ins at the end of iron man 3, The Dark World, and CAptain America's winter warrior which production is already underway. Thor is set to be released in November worldwide. Till then..... we have this awesome trailer. Enjoy

Racist Xpanda advertisement

2013-04-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

The Xpanda radio advertisement that has caused an outcry on social media in South Africa for alleged racism. Xpanda have taken racial profiling and criminal typification liberties in advertising their security gate.

In South Africa many advertisers take the liberty of "unknowingly" perpetuating racial stereotypes, in fact, perceptions about the presumed racial identity of

criminals may be so ingrained in public consciousness that race does not even need

to be specifically mentioned for a connection to be made between the two because it

seems that “talking about crime is talking about race” The media provide readily accessible depictions of criminality,which may help to shape stereotypical perceptions about crime an race.

We don't see it the way we see Xpandas blatant advertising but big companies frequently subtly manipulate the fear and indignation of citizens by conjuring fright-inducing images, which is why so many people who are financial capable opt for medical aid, private schools, private security etc

Xpanda probably believe that any advertising is good advertising, this is why they have publicly defended their advert but I'm sure with all the pressure from twitter we can expect a retraction along with an apology before Friday morning (watch this space)

Bad form Xpanda

Source

http://www.enca.com/south-africa/racist-ad-has-sa-all-twitter

http://www.sagepub.com/gabbidonstudy/articles/Welch.pdf

Keanu Reeve's much anticipated Directorial Debut - Man Of Tai Chi

2013-04-22T19:38:00.001-07:00

So this is what happened to Neo after the successful Matrix franchise, he went on to direct cheesy martial arts movies. In his latest outing, Keanu is in search of the perfect Tai Chi master, the trailer voiced over by Keanu Reeves with some cheesy dialogue seems a bit comedic though not intended.

The trailer boasts some serious martial arts talent but at best comes of as B grade martial arts movie, not that its a bad thing, this movies could quite easily become a cult classic but given the explosion of great martial arts movies recently, Man of Tai Chi would have to do something seriously different to to attain cult classic status.

Directed by Reeves and co-starring Tiger Hu Chen as the titular fighter, Man Of Tai Chi opens in the UK later this year, with an international release date yet to be confirmed.

EFC 19

2013-04-20T10:18:00.005-07:00

DINO BAGATTIN DEFEATS TYRON RIGHTFORD VIA KO/TKO AT 4:39 OF ROUND 2

ADAM SPEECHLY DEFEATS MARTIN VAN STADEN VIA 3 ROUND DECISION

DEMARTE PENA DEFEATS WENTZEL NEL VIA 5 ROUND DECISION

SORS GROBBELAAR DEFEATS WILHELM STRAUSS VIA KO/TKO AT 0:23 OF ROUND 1

FREDERICH NAUMANN DEFEATS MYNHARDT VAN SCHALKWYK VIA SUBMISSION AT 1:22 OF ROUND 1

Live coverage From CBS of the bomb suspect manhunt

2013-04-19T09:02:00.003-07:00

BOSTON (CBS) – The uncle of the two men suspected in the Boston Marathon bombings says they had lived together in Cambridge for about a decade.

WBZ-TV spoke with the suspects’ uncle, Ruslan Tsarni.

Read: 2nd Uncle Of Bombing Suspects: ‘Yesterday He Called Me’

Tsarni says Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev immigrated to the United States around 2000 or 2001, and have lived at the same Cambridge address since that time.
According to Tsarni, Dzhokhar completed high school in Cambridge and was attending college somewhere outside of Boston.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

Tsarni, who says he hasn’t been in touch with the brothers since around 2009, tells WBZ-TV he believes that the brothers’ parents may have moved back to Russia.

He described Tamerlan as a “loser.”

Tsarni was shocked when he was informed of the unfolding situation that left Tamerlan Tsarnaev dead in a shootout.

“He deserved his. He absolutely deserved his,” Tsarni said. “They do not deserve to live on this earth.”
Later in the morning, Tsarni held an impassioned news conference that began with him offering condolences to “those who’ve been murdered, those who’ve been injured.”
Tsarni noted that his family had not been in touch with the family of the suspects for a number of years, but still, he expressed shame.


Dzhokhar Tsarnaev alongside boy who died

“My family has nothing to do with that family… Of course we’re ashamed. We’re ashamed. They’re children of my brother,” he said. “Somebody radicalized them, but it’s not my brother… He spent his life working.”
Tsarni called on his nephew to turn himself in. When asked why the suspects may have committed what Ruslan described as “an atrocity,” he said simply it was because they were losers.

“Being losers, hatred to those who were able to settle themselves; those are the only reasons,” he said. “Anything else to do with religion, with Islam, it’s a fraud; it’s a fake.”
Ruslan told reporters that the two bombing suspects wasted an opportunity for a great life.
“This is the ideal micro-world in the entire world,” he said of the United States. “I respect this country. I love this country; this country which gives chances to everybody else to be treated as a human being.”

Source
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/04/19/bombing-suspects-uncle-says-hes-shocked/

These are the Photos/Video of the Boston Bombing suspects

2013-04-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

The Federal Bureau of Investigation posted to YouTube Thursday surveillance camera footage which it says shows the bureau's two suspects in its investigation of Monday's attack on the Boston Marathon.

The bureau is requesting the public's help in identifying the suspects, but said the two men are considered armed and extremely dangerous. It urged the public not to approach them.

FBI Special Agent Richard Deslauriers said during a press conference that one of the men in the video, seen wearing a white cap, was recorded placing a bag at the location of the second blast just moments before that explosion.

The FBI also published several stills of the suspects, causing its website to load extremely slowly — likely due to the sudden rush of traffic. The man seen in the
red hat is not one of the suspects.

Remarks of Special Agent in Charge Richard DesLauriers at Press Conference on Bombing Investigation

Good afternoon. My name is Richard DesLauriers. I am the special agent in charge of the Boston Division of the FBI.
Since Monday’s bombings, the FBI and our law enforcement partners have been working around the clock and are fully committed to investigating this matter to bring those responsible for justice.

Our collective law enforcement team has pursued thousands leads and tips. As I said two days ago, we are working methodically and with a sense of urgency to identify those responsible for the bombings. Within the last day or so, through that careful process, we initially developed a single person of interest. Not knowing if the individual was acting alone or in concert with others, we obviously worked with extreme purpose to make that determination. The entire force of the federal government, the FBI in Boston and around the world, as well as our partners in the Boston Police, ATF, Massachusetts State Police, and the more than 30 agencies of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, have set about to ensure that all responsible for the bombings will be brought to justice.
More importantly, it was done to ensure the future safety of the city, the commonwealth and the country. Indeed, through that process, the FBI developed a second suspect.

Today, we are enlisting the public’s help to identify the two suspects.
After a very detailed analysis of photo, video, and other evidence, we are releasing photos of the two suspects. They are identified as Suspect 1 and Suspect 2. They appear to be associated.
Suspect 1 is wearing a black hat
Suspect 2 is wearing a white hat.
Suspect 2 set down a back pack at the site of the second explosion just in front of the Forum Restaurant.
We strongly encourage those who were at the Forum Restaurant who have not contacted us yet to do so.

As you can see from one of the images, Suspects 1 and 2 appear to be walking together through the marathon crowd on Boylston Street in the direction of the finish line. That image was captured as they walked on Boylston in the vicinity of its intersection with Gloucester Street.

More at: http://www.fbi.gov/bostonbombings
Submit tips to: https://bostonmarathontips.fbi.gov

Crowd Delivers Tear-Jerking American National Anthem

2013-04-17T21:15:00.001-07:00

If there is one thing that the Americans are great at and noted for, it is the unwavering patriotism. In the wake of the Boston Marathon Bombings,Wednesday's NHL game between the hometown Bruins and visiting Buffalo Sabres marked the first major sporting event in Boston since Monday's deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon. (A Celtics home game on Tuesday was called off.)

As is done in most national sports, the national anthem is sung before the start of the game. THe singer of this anthem who took centre ice was in for a overwhlemingly pleasant surprise. Just a few seconds in, in an amazing display of patriotism, the crowd sang the Anthem in unison drowning out the Anthem singer completely.

This is an astounding video and bears testament to the power of sport in bringing together people during times of adversity. Worldwide people are devasted by this heinous act of terror, though we may not be able to fully come to terms with the tenacity of pain felt by those who were involved or those who have lost loved ones, their pain is our pain and it is difficult to watch this video without somehow feeling connected to the emotion this Heart rendering Anthem is sung with.

SEE ALSO: 'Sports Illustrated' Cover Honors Boston Marathon First Responders

Gogo accused of theft is beaten up

2013-04-17T00:31:00.004-07:00

The gogo was accused of shoplifting – a crime that involves a suspended sentence, a warning or a fine.
But in the savage world of the security guard, punishment is immediate, violent and brutal.

WITHOUT MERCY, THE WOMAN IS BEATEN WITH BELTS, ROPES, A BROOM AND EVEN A RUBBER HAMMER.

Source : Daily Sun

https://www.facebook.com/sadailysun?fref=ts

New Man of Steel Trailer

2013-04-16T23:20:00.004-07:00

This new super 3 minute trailer succeeds in presenting "Man of Steel" as the film we hope it truly is: a moody, insightful character study involving a solitary alien seeking some sort of identity and purpose on our planet and a kick-ass mega-action film in which a guy in a blue suit and red cape flies around and shoots heat lasers from his eyes and punches Michael Shannon.

The preview also gives us our first look at what looks like a war-torn Krypton and how Jor-El (Russell Crowe) sends baby Kal-El on his "mission of hope," as it were. We see that Kal-El, aka Clark Kent, is definitely a child of two fathers, fathers who help shape him into the superhero he grows up to be ("You are my son," says Kevin Costner's Jonathan Kent to his frightened adopted son in the trailer's most touching moment).

Michael Shannon's portrayal of notorious Kryptonian villain General Zod is decidedly non-Terrence Stamp-like, whose exclamation of "I WILL FIND HIM!" already puts him into the camp of gleefully over-the-top comic book villains. Zod is not the suave British gentleman that Stamp portrayed -- Shannon's bad guy is a much more General Patton kind of military (super)man.

Also featuring in the cast of Man of Steel are Amy Adams (The Fighter) as Lois Lane, Russell Crowe (Les Miserables) as Jor-El, Kevin Costner (Hatfields & McCoys) as Jonathan Kent, Diane Lane (Secretariat) as Martha Kent, Laurence Fishburne (Contagion) as Perry White, Ayelet Zurer (Angels & Demons) as Lara Lor-Van, Antje Traue (Pandorum) as Faora, Christopher Meloni (True Blood) as Colonel Hardy and Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica) as Henry Ackerdson.

Enjoy this latest look at what looks like a more than worthy first step toward a larger on-screen DC universe for Warner Bros. "Man of Steel" opens June 14.

source

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/man-steel-trailer-reveals-really-stands-020013970.html

Parking in Joburg and tarrifs

2013-03-16T02:20:00.000-07:00


Click here to visit the touch card website

Paid parking in the Joburg Metro area and surroundings is set to increase by 50 cents to R9-00 for card holders and R9-50 for non card holders by the 1st July 2013 as pointed out by Ward 117 Councillor - Tim Truluck in this document on Page 9. The Joburg city council need to re-look their billing strategy. I imagine offering per minute billing works out far better than their 30 minute block system and I also think that a 50 cent discount for cardholders is too little. Block pricing of half an hour to an hour can be discounted to R4.00 per half hour and R8-00 per hour respectively using their "opt in" approach with their quick park prepaid system, to appease the council, this price is R1-00 more than most parking garages at malls and inner cities. Per minute can even be 16cents per minute which will amount to R9-60 per hour, this can be the standard regulated pricing system. I don't mind paying 16cents per minute if I know that I will be parked for 23 minutes.

This pricing strategy is a happy median that I think will comfortably accommodate everybody. Implementing such a system isn't too difficult, regular Parker's to whom the proposed discount will be targeting, can have a choice of "opting in" for the Quick Park prepaid system that Joburg city currently have in place. The point being, the City of Johannesburg wont lose out very much considering that the discount system is an "opt in" system that will benefit regular Parker's who dont work for companies that can afford to build high rise inner city parking solutions as MMC Elgina Ndhlovu suggested during the unveiling of the city parking systems roll out. Furthermore people who don't regularly visit the inner city will find per minute billing solutions more appropriate and fair as opposed to the current block pricing system which I stand to be correct also like Parkhurst didn't go through proper public consultation.

I maintain that prepaid kerb side parking in the inner city is a necessity for the many reasons cited by the city of Joburg council which are :

Efficient use of parking facilities where traffic congestion exists and in creating better use of available space
• Reduction of congestion within areas close to business activity or areas where parking spots are always overcrowded
• Facilitation of free movement of communities at public spaces
• Reducing the risk of damage to vehicles who either get damaged by other motorists or broken into by criminal elements

A well-managed parking system tends to encourage visitors to business nodes because of available parking space relatively close to the place customers wish to visit. This also provides a constant flow of customers and hourly paid parking tends to increase the number of customers. .Read more here.

To be honest however, I don't really understand the logic of the implementation of this system in Parkhurst as most of the benefits above are not entirely applicable in this area. I believe that Joburg city council haven't applied their minds with their billing system and if we choose to just accept their new billing implementation without registering our opinions, we are vetoing an rubber stamping another corrupt practice.

Paid Parking will also be implemented in the following areas soon:
Yeoville, Pan Africa, Bellevue, Cyrildene, Mayfair, Jabulani, Midrand, Lenasia, Randburg, Roodepoort, Randburg, Roodepoort, Florida, Rosettenville, Norwood, Melville, Emmarentia, Rosebank, Birnam, Illovo, Parkview, Sandron, Fordsburg, Greenside, Linden, Rivonia, Craighall Park & Northcliff.

Links
http://www.touchcard.co.za/index.php
http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2013/03/09/johannesburg-to-continue-kerbside-paid-parking-scheme
http://www.bdlive.co.za/articles/2012/05/08/city-of-johannesburg-to-get-fraction-of-parking-bay-money;jsessionid=8EFDD142E4A33DAEF8062651EC7A3998.present2.bdfm
http://www.joburg.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6118&catid=88&Itemid=266
TABLING OF THE DRAFT TARIFF OF CHARGES IN RESPECT OF MISCELLANEOUS TRAFFIC RELATED SERVICES : 2012/2013

Who to Follow ;
https://twitter.com/jozi117
https://twitter.com/annacox
https://twitter.com/Parkhurst_JHB
https://twitter.com/jcwLIFE

Bedfordview State of the Suburb - Become an Active Citizen

2013-03-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday evening my girlfriend and I attended the State of the Suburb meeting, held at the Italian club in Bedfordview and hosted by the Bedfordview Community Policing Forum. Crime is an epidemic in South Africa and no Community is exempt from its scourge.

Crime has driven people to live behind locked doors and high walls and the nagging, incessant feeling that any one of us can become a casualty at any time is frightening The very barriers that we have built to keep the criminals out are the very same barriers that keep us fearfully imprisoned and isolated from the community, making our neighbourhoods more susceptible to crime, explained an impassioned Mr. Yusuf Abramjee in his explosive presentation. The CPF is a collaborative partnership between the SAPS and the communities that are meant to identify problems of crime and disorder

Gauteng MEC for Community safety, Faith Nonhlanhla Mazibuko explained in great detail the advantages and benefits of the collaborative relationship between the police and CPF's. Communities that are empowered to identify and respond to concerns will improve local physical and social environments through increased positive attitudes towards police that in turn will see a reduction in crime.The police will improve their relationship with the community thereby also improving their overall public perception which will ultimately lead to a more conducive working environment. The benefits of becoming an active citizen in this collaborative relationship will also see a decreased potential for police citizen conflict and better implementation of crime prevention and crime control activities, as a result of both parties working towards shared goals

Marina Constas, chairwoman of the bedfordview CPF explained that bedfordview police station faces many challenges on a daily basis. One of them being a lack of resources and space.General Petros was Forthright in his presentation. Highlighting the problems of corruption within the SAPS and measures that have been put into place to address these problem areas, he also offered his commitment in reviving the Bedfordview Police Station upgrade.

The residents of Bedfordview have made an informed choice to maintain a proactive relationship with their local police,this is what it means to be an active citizen. As a resident of the community I too want to enjoy the benefits of living in a safe neighbourhood. It starts with me... It starts with you. Visit your local police station today and become a member of your CPF.

Tools
Download the the Bedfordview Community Police Forum Presentation here
Download a Community Police Forum ToolKit here
Download the Bedfordview Community Police Forum Communicator here

Related Links
http://abramjee.com/?p=59
http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/content/en/bedfordview-edenvale/bedfordview-edenvale-news-general?oid=7095505&sn=Detail&pid=217409&Hope-for-police-station-renewed

Samsung Galaxy S IV Rumor Roundup

2013-03-12T00:03:00.000-07:00

The choicest cuts of gossip about Samsung's newest smartphone.

Image Credit: GSM Israel

With the Samsung Unpacked event ready to (hopefully) blow our minds next week, the buzz surrounding the forthcoming Galaxy S IV, which might see an April release, is reaching a fever pitch. The internet rumor mill has been working overdrive pumping out plausible and equally implausible tidbits about the Samsung's latest addition to its line of Galaxy smartphones, and while we understand that gossip is a fickle mistress and few details will be confirmed before next week's event in New York City, we rounded up some of the most pervasive rumors about Samsung's upcoming superphone.

Here's Looking at You, Kid [or Eye Scroll]

When you look at your Samsung Galaxy S IV, you just might find your Samsung Galaxy S IV looking back at you. An anonymous source who has allegedly used the device told the New York Times that the Galaxy S IV will come with an new "eye scrolling" feature that utilizes eye tracking technology to intuitively scroll down pages as you're reading them without you having to lift a finger. Eye Scroll - the name which Samsung trademarked in January - will use the phone's front-facing camera to determine if your eyeballs are still pointed at the screen before it turns itself off.

Additionally, Samsung's "smart screen" technology will come with a pause feature that will halt video content if you look away from the screen. Samsung's current flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III, comes with Smart Stay, a similar feature that tracks eye movement to determine if a user is still looking at it before automatically dimming, but if Eye Scroll is all it's cracked up to be, we can look forward to inching one step closer out phones achieving sentience. Probably not, but with features like Eye Scroll and Smart Pause, smartphones are most assuredly getting smarter.

Megapixels: Quality over Quantity?

There have been conflicting rumors about the camera that the Galaxy S IV will be packing, with some sites reporting an improved 8 megapixel camera and others hedging their bets on a 13 megapixel option. Though it's likely that we'll see marginal improvements on the Galaxy S III's 8 megapixel camera, the thought of more megapixels has caused a fair amount of salivating when the rumor first made the rounds. It's important to note that the number of megapixels is not the only, or even the most significant, factor in creating good-looking photos. Indeed, a stellar 8 megapixel camera is capable of taking crisper, clearer, and more vibrant pictures than a 16 megapixel one under the right conditions.

The size of the sensor and the power of the device's GPU are equally, is not more, important than the number of megapixels the device can boast. Most people seem to be hedging their bets on getting an 8 megapixel variant on the Galaxy S III's current camera, with a few upgrades, including a better GPU, to improve picture quality. The phone's front-facing camera is expected to come in at 2 megapixels.

Improved Battery Life

As far as the actual handset itself it concerned, it's likely that Samsung will follow the current trend of trying to fit everything into the sleekest, slimmest package possible, which some are worried might have less than stellar implications for the Galaxy S IV's battery life. Word on the street might allay some of those concerns, as talk of a 2600 mAh battery is being bandied about, an improvement on its predecessor's 2100 mAh battery. Balancing battery life with a sleek aesthetic is a tricky business so we'll have to wait until Samsung Unpacked to see which side of the divide the Galaxy S IV falls on.

A Cleaner, Greener Display

Citing concerns about ease and efficiency of manufacturing, Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S IV will have a plastic body, though there have been rumors about aluminum edges to increase durability. Nestled within all that plastic will most likely be a 4.99-inch PHOLED display, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The rumors of the phone's display - initially reported to be a Super AMOLED one - caused a bit of a stir when it was announced, as the 440 ppi display would make it the best Samsung has ever produced, even if it isn't the first phone in the world to boast that amount of pixels per inch (Sony's Xperia Z and HTC's Droid DNA beat Samsung to the punch).

If the Galaxy S IV comes equipped with a PHOLED display, as rumored, which uses more energy efficient phosphorescence rather than fluorescent light to create a brighter display, it would mean that Samsung is actively taking a step towards, greener, more eco-friendly pastures as PHOLED displays are reported to perform 25% better in terms of power. In addition, Samsung is expected to equip the screen with floating touch technology, which allows users to hover their finger over the screen to perform simple tasks like checking e-mail and opening apps without having to bespoil their devices with their finger grease.

A Powerful Processor

Much of the hullabaloo surrounding the Galaxy S IV is speculation about what sort of processor it would be packing under the hood. There have been whispers on the wind of the Galaxy S IV becoming the first mobile phone to come equipped with an eight core processor and while it might be an unlikely scenario, it's too tantalizing not to consider. It's true that the larger Samsung Galaxy Note III is a more likely candidate for the Exynos 5 Octa eight core processor, it's possible that we might see it in action sooner with the Galaxy S IV. If the rumors are too good to be true, then one can expect the device to come armed with an Exynos 5410 dual quad-core chip at 1.8GHz, an improvement upon the S III's 1.4Ghz.

Gold? This Knox Is Full of Jelly Beans

Despite earlier rumors about Android 5 - codenamed Key Lime Pie - launching with the Galaxy S IV, it's faded into pipe dream territory as the new device almost certainly coming equipped with the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Samsung also recently told CNET that they were considering embedding its secure software Knox into the handset, which would allow users to seamlessly switch between personal and work interfaces with relative ease. Visa's PayWave, a mobile payment app, might also be pre-installed on Galaxy S IV phones, as Samsung and Visa have previously announced a partnership on future devices, albeit without making any specific references to the Galaxy S IV.

To Micro SD or Not to Micro SD? That is the Question.

It's almost certain that the Galaxy S IV will come with 2GB of RAM, less certain is the existence of a micro SD card slot. Though it's likely that the Galaxy S IV will come equipped with one considering its predecessor does, rumors persist that Samsung might be planning on rolling out 16, 32, or 64 GB options to boost sales in much the same way Apple has with its mobile devices. While nixing the micro SD card slot might be a more lucrative option for the company, it would a decidedly less consumer-friendly strategy should the rumors hold any weight.

Don't Forget Your Grain of Salt

It's important to remember that most of this information is based in pure speculation and will either be confirmed or disproven on March 14th at Samsung Unpacked. IGN Tech will have boots on the ground in New York City to bring you the latest news about the Galaxy S IV and whatever other goodies Samsung might have in store for us then.

Source
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/09/samsung-galaxy-s-iv-rumor-roundup
Melissa Grey is a lover of all things cats, comics, and outer space. She can be found on MyIGN at MelissaGrey or lurking on Twitter @meligrey.

Sarens Edenvale Marathon

2013-03-10T04:56:00.000-07:00

The Edenvale Road Warriors hosted their Annual race sponsored by Sarens this weekend, which comprised of a 42.2km, 21.1km and 5km. The race was very well attended and took place from the Edenvale High School.

The Official Route Description
The half marathon is on-lap of the marathon route. this undulating routes starts with an easy downhill canter and for the next six kilometres you enjoy an easy downhill stretch before you a hit a short, sharp hill. Between the six-and 11 kilometre markers there are three small bumps, but the going over this section is slow and steady as you work your way to the highest point and the 14- kilometre marker.

Once over this you will find running to the 16 kilometre marker pleasantly downhill to flat. shoulder in to another gentle pull of about 2 kilometre which takes you to the 18-kilometre marker. The final stretch to the finish is an enjoyable flat to downhill experience with no problems.

We decided very late in the week that we wanted to take part but after today's experience I'm glad that we did. This is my first half marathon in 8 years, I've been putting in a fair amount of training recently and getting some decent mileage into my legs but my goal today was to get mum in around 2hrs30min.

The Main Ou's Pace Band
I knew that it wasn't going to be easy so in addition to our training and to safeguard us from not making the 3hr cut off, we used the paceband as a guideline. Preparing a pace band like the one pictured alongside (available from runners world tools- I don't have a printer so I wrote mine) here allows you to work around a comfortable average km without over exerting and panicking.The terrain map I drew on my forearm was very helpful, though you may not agree, I think its good to know what lays ahead so you can closely gauge your effort to your paceband.

My Route Description and race Experience
The weather this morning was ideal and perfect to try to set a Pb.The route traversed through a very undulating course but was definitely conducive to building a nice rhythm with a "mind over matter"attitude, it also helped that there were no vulgar discouraging hills. We were ahead of the paceband till 13kms, more commitment to our training will definitely see us improve. Their route was well marked at every kilometre and Marshall's were plentiful , guiding and encouraging runners all the way .Water stations were well placed and nicely stocked, Coke, Water, and I think I grabbed an energy sachet from one of the points, turbovite it may have been...I think. We finished off in 2hrs44min

Entry Fee and value for money

My entry cost me R105-00 but this is because i entered late and I had to purchase a temp licence because i do not belong to a club. The value for money in this race is outstanding, Over the years I have run in many road races and this event stands because they don't treat you like a leper if you have entered late.

At the end of the race,we received a beautifully designed keepsake medal and a goodie bag filled with items that are usually synonymous with some of the more popular bigger races in South Africa. Take a look at the pic, there's the usual runners essentials like arnica oil, anti-chafe cream, then there is voucher to spur, a silver hope keyring bracelet thingee, a bioplus energy drink and the Sunday Times. What about the amazing T-shirt made from runner friendly material, the cap however was from the 5km that my Dad did. There were also plenty of festivities and food vendors (with great wors)on the grounds after the race that added to the amazing atmosphere.

When a race is as well organised as the Sarens Edenvale marathon was, it becomes a very enriching and encouraging experience for the runner and everybody else involved. A Big thank you to Endenvale Road Warriors and Sarens. This race is will become a permanent fixture on my calendar.

Here is my rating for this race
PB Potential 80%,
Atmosphere 80%,
organisation 80%,
Value 80%,
beginner friendliness 80%
Parking (we parked just outside the school- very easily accessible)80%

Hangover Part 3 trailer

2013-03-07T23:22:00.000-08:00

Oh Dear... the Hangover is back. the third installment of this hugely popular franchise dropped the official trailer on Thursday, it features the boys out of Thailand — the setting for the second movie — and returning to their original stomping grounds in Vegas.

Even Mr. Chow has made a comeback (this time with clothes, it seems) and beloved Melissa McCarthy seems to be stopping by the Strip. Who wouldn't love to see a romance bud between the Bridesmaids star and wolfpack leader Alan (played by Zach Galifianakis)?

The Hangover Part III poster has taken on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 featuring a face-off between Zach Galifianakis and Ken Jeong.
Warner Bros has unleashed the first poster for the third part of Hangover which parodies the one-sheet for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, reported Aceshowbiz.
The promo image for the comedy movie features Galifianakis' Alan Garner and Jeong's Leslie Chow face-to-face and the tension looks high.
The tagline on the poster reads, "It all ends," while the background shows buildings in flames.

The movie opens on 24th May.

Facebook Unveils their Radical new Design

2013-03-07T17:26:00.003-08:00

It has been several months since Facebook has done anything major with their design, the latest feed redesign will be happening soon and if you are a Google plus user, you're about to see a shameless rip off of both Google plus and Ubuntu's Unity Dock.

"The new Facebook news feed is all about looking clean while also being very image centric in design. Facebook is calling the new look "mobile-inspired"

Ubuntu Unity Dock

The new overhauled design is said to offer the user a better browsing and more engaging experience with newer more improved ways of handling friends, photos and news feeds. At the unveiling event announcing the new News Feed, CEO Mark Zuckerberg likened the updated layout to a "personalised newspaper" - (Uhm.... That sounds a lot like Flipboard)

Facebook is focusing on keeping their billions of users as long on the site as possible instead of the 22 minutes as mentioned in Zuckerburgs presentation. The changes will start to roll out today and you’ll see them over the next few weeks. The roll out will be slow and careful so Facebook can get feedback about what’s working and what’s not.

Mark Zuckerberg explained:

"At a personal level we built a service that lets you see and feel the people and friends you care about. What we’re trying to do is give everyone in the world the best personalized newspaper. It should have quality public content from friends. It should have a front page and it should let you drill down into any topic you want. It should be visual, rich and engaging. They should be displayed with more than just text. From the beginning our goal with news feed was different than what any service was trying to provide. You should be able to share any type of content you want…and with any audience you want. The types you tell with photos are totally different.
Now that we all have cameras in our pockets, news feed has become primarily about visual content. Almost 50 percent of content in the news feed is visual. Now the average news feed Pages posts are almost 30 percent of the content. How we’re sharing is changing. We all want to share with friends, but want updates from publications we care about, and artists, and world leaders."

I think the new design will be very appealing to many loyal facebook users who haven't really ventured and explored other social networks . Facebook have borrowed many elements from Twitter and Google Plus, which in the grand scheme of things isn't really that bad, i think the new Facebook will become a gateway to other online social media sites because of standard features common between the 3 main social media platforms. Lets wait and see.

sources :

http://mashable.com/2013/03/07/how-to-get-the-new-facebook-news-feed/

http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/07/facebook-launches-multiple-topic-based-feeds-bigger-images-and-a-consistent-design-across-devices/

Wonder Woman Trailer

2013-03-05T04:39:00.000-08:00

YouTube has become a starting block for many projects that have developed into gems, case in point is the Mortal Kombat Legacy series, which evolved from a trailer into one of the most successful webisodes series on the Internet.

The Director of Mortal Kombat introduced a very different format of story telling and film making with Mk Legacy series, the episodes were approximately 7 minutes long that had very relevant and necessary story lines exploring the origin stories of characters with new and interesting twists. Audiences on the Internet responded very well to this refreshing new approach and waited in anticipation every week to watch the new episodes. The success of the web series with its phenomenal online viewership had massive implications for the franchise who have now secured distribution through Warner Brothers and are in filming for the next season.

Now we have this remarkable Wonder Woman fan made trailer that finds itself revived by Jesse V Johnson, a stuntman/ B Grade Movie director who made this with a ridiculous budget of $3500. The trailer has a very interesting tone that can quite easily be developed into a successful web series or a full length movie. Lets hope studio execs from DC are watching this and smacking their chops at the prospect of future development for the Wonder Woman franchise.

What the Acadamy Awards James bond commemoration video should've been

2013-02-28T17:50:00.001-08:00

I have to say that the 50 years commemoration montage video of James Bond at the Academy awards was very disappointing and weak. Bond movies have become a cultural phenomenon, over the years celebrating the pinnacle of gadget wizardry, state of the art special effects, beautiful women and well written scripts of a secret agent who stands up to the tyranny of evil men no matter what the cost.

Their video was overloaded with unnecessary graphics that only superficially captured bits and pieces of what seemed like a B grade action movie and because they chose to leave out dialogue,none of the satirical attributes that adhered audiences to bond emanated from the video which should have been critical in establishing the connection the academy awards were looking for from the audience.

It would have been cool to see all the James bonds in one place commemorating 50 years, or maybe even a scripted stunt like the opening of the Olympics from last year, cleverly weaved into the evening.

Nevertheless everything turned out ok with dame Shirley Bassey singing Goldfinger (although I think Carly Simon's "Nobody does it better" would also have worked) and Adele winning her first Academy Award for Best Original Song for Skyfall.

The first video was created by a fan and uploaded to youtube and the second is what appeared at the academy award, take a look at them both and see why I think the first video is much better.

Oscar Featured on Cover of time magazine

2013-02-28T10:23:00.001-08:00

Keeping in line with their Hard hitting journalism and their sensationally dramatic cover photography, Oscar Pistorius appears on the cover of this weeks time magazine. The iconic paralympic athlete is featured bear chested in a heroic pose very, reminiscent of fantasy artists Borris Vallejo and Julie bell.

The picture of Pistorius - taken by Pieter Hugo - was first used in the New York Times last year. The alleged tragic accident that took place on valentines day has grabbed the worlds attention and if it where any other time, South Africa would be celebrating the appearance of the Blade Runner on one of the worlds most widey read publications, seeing Oscar on the cover now however just fills me with deep regret and disbelief.

The headline 'Man Superman Gunman' is simply entitled 'Pistorius And South Africa's Culture Of Violence'.

Watch Jim Frederick, the Time International Editor, explain in this short video, What the Oscar Pistorius Case reveals about South Africa and its culture of violence.

Be sure to also have a look at the outakes of this photo here

Minister Xingwana tries to Mampararise Afrikaner men

2013-02-28T03:23:00.001-08:00

In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities Minister Lulama Xingwana spoke out about the arrest and murder charge against paralympian Oscar Pistorius. She unflinchingly made the following racist remarks.

“Young Afrikaner men are brought up in the Calvinist religion

believing that they own a woman, they own a child, they own everything and therefore they can take that life because they own it.”

And to make matters worse, she thereafter apologised and said

"I was quoted out of context. I was not speaking about Afrikaner men per say,

I was talking about religious practices".

Either way it sounds ridiculous, which ever context she is referring to. I think her racist comment is only applicable and in its best context in "Lululand". Her apology comes amidst a flurry of complaints that are threatening to be lodged against her at the South African Human Rights Commission from other parties and Parliamentry representatives

This original video and transcript of the interview originally appear in the Article titled "Pistorius case highlights South Africas's gun violence" at the following link http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2013/s3698076.htm

3rd Degree - Spotlight on Oscar Pistorius Case

2013-02-27T01:28:00.000-08:00

On Thursday Morning 14 February 2013, the world awoke to the tragic news that Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, it immediately grabbed public interest because of the mountain of a man that the world as well as South Africa looked up to with great admiration.

In case you missed it, last night 3rd Degree aired their Oscar Pistorius package and the murder investigation surrounding him where they investigate the side of Oscar rarely seen by the public.

Although it lacks the dramatic 3d layout Carte blanche used in their feature 2 days before, it does have its own merits, like the interview with Kevin Larena, Oscars friend involved in the gun passing incident in the restaurant, former soccer player Mark Batchelor and his account of the "I'll break your legs" incident and an old interview with Pat Pillai about another domestic related incident with one of his former girlfriends.The rest of the episode covers the media commentary and insight and opinion from a psychologist an Olympic journalist and a criminologist.

3rd Degree takes a more controversial standpoint in their presentation than Carte Blanche did, where they present to you the history of a flawed individual with anger management issues and a propensity for violent behaviour.

Watch the full episode here in 3 parts. This episode of 3rd degree aired on ETV on the 26 February 2012.

702 Makes Twitter history in South Africa!

2013-02-23T17:09:00.001-08:00

On Friday Talk Radio 702 made media history on twitter in South Africa during the bail hearing decision of Oscar Pistorius. For just over 2 hours, more South Africans than ever before where tuned into twitter, anxiously listening to the live audio Google hangout. Journalists like Barry Bateman, Alex Eliseev and Mandy Wiener set new standards with their online reporting, making use of all the social media tools at their disposal thereby dramatically increasing their following.

Its not that they were just reporting what was going on in court, as a team, they are dynamic, offering insightful reporting and along the way educating the public of the intricacies of legal principals and interpretation. For the past week the South African public including myself were schooled in law 101, which made it absolutely fascinating to listen to ordinary people throw around terms and phrases like "putative self-defence", "dolus eventualis"and "a state of mind akin to that of a reasonable man" in their arguments on both the radio and in the work places. Their reporting and informative tweets with resourceful links have empowered people with the interpretive skills to logically debate opposing sides of the case.

I think, like myself, lots of people out there have Google Plus accounts but haven't really used it much till Mandy Weiners live Google hangouts. In this past week, I have constructively started using my Google plus account for the first time since signing up for it over a year ago. The stream of tweets were fast and furious and for two hours on Friday afternoon, I was in awe of how my twitter feed came to a standstill and the only tweets I could see were #OscarPistorius related from mostly Talk Radio 702 reporters, at one point a follower even threatened to unfollow me because I was disturbing his Oscar tweet stream.

As social media is evolving, the landscape of reporting in South Africa is rapidly changing and its incredible to watch how reporters are becoming superstars on the internet.

Also Read "A Fallen Oscar"