Miracles with a sting

I'm still in some sort of shock. The miracle that I alluded to last week actually took place. However, there was a sting in this one's tail. Not only did the miracle that I wished for occur (i.e the Sharks getting sufficient points to make the Super14 semis), but the even further outside chance scenario of the Bulls getting a spot actually occurred. Sadly this entirely negated the Sharks good work.

Would it be too outlandish to suggest some sort of conspiracy here? Two top South African sides (the Bulls & Stormers) play a match where the Bulls require a margin of 32 points to proceed further in the competion, the Stormers have nothing to lose but pride, and the Bulls win by 33 points! . Maybe it's just sour grapes talking but I can't but wonder.

To top it all. In this weekend of entirely upset odds, which I had suggested were as likely to occur as me winning the lotto, I did enter the lotto and was not even close to winning it!

New faces White wants to see at Springbok camp

AJ Venter (Sharks, No 8),
Ruan Pienaar (Sharks, scrumhalf),
Johan Ackermann (Sharks, lock),
Chiliboy Ralepele (Bulls, hooker),
Andre Snyman (unattached, centre).

So reports IOL

I think this is 100% spot-on and just reward for a great season from the 3 Sharks players concerned and Ralepele deserves selection on the basis of his name alone. What a brand he has there. Think Hugh Bladen ..."and it's Chiliboy, Chiliboy Ralepele racing down the touch line, Chiliboy with the try...!"

Very little known fact. A relatively baby-faced, but no less bulky, Sergeant Ackermann taught a relatively baby faced but much fitter and no less skraal ATW to shoot with a 9mm while trainee constable ATW was briefly ensconced in uniform in PretoriaWest. I doubt he'd remember, but hell I do.

Maybe this should apply to all Joburger's not just Afrikaners

Karen Zoid has a lot to say, and the Dylan similarities do not escape me. ie Taking old folk songs and applying them to current situations, particaularly those of turbulence and change. But we are all in this turbulence together. It applies to all of us if we want it to. As Peas commented to a previous post: where the coastal folk have sea & sand to entertain themselves, Joburgers entertain themselves with each other. Really enjoyed that. Intro ms Zoid....

Afrikaners is plesierig
Dit kan julle glo
Hulle hou van partytjie
En dan maak hulle so
En dan maak hulle so…

Babe is jy nog lief vir my
Ek gaan iemand anders kry

Luister hier jou yuppie scum
Jou preconceived millennium man
Ek maak jou kwaad want ek weet ek kan
Gee my nog ‘n vatlap government plan

En die bedelaar staan met sy uitsteek hand
En vra my vir net nog twee rand
Mense vrek oor die hele land
En die res lê op Clifton se strand

En die music is vinnig
Ek raak opgepsyche
If you don’t like it, why don’t you take a hike
Almal is anders. Se maar wat jou pla
Hou net op om vrae te vra

Chorus: Afrikaners is plesierig ….

Babe is jy nog lief vir my
Ek gaan iemand anders kry

I’d like to now excuse myself
Hul sit honde op mense
Ek gaan liewer skape tel
Op radio sonder grense

Ja jy fix my krieket en miskien my rugby
Bobby Skinstad hoe’s daai been?
Ek kyk nie Currie Cup nie
Jy’s cool, jy voel ‘n veer vir global warming

Betogers moet iets anders doen
Pamflette lees is boring
Alles is affirmative,
al is jou baas verwant

Kant sou ook geen kant kon kies
So swot maar wyl jy kan
Die bank, die bank, die bank vra te veel rente
Ek speel maar eerder pinball met my 50 sente

Ek het nie pms nie, ek’s net ‘n natural bitch

Chorus:

Boogie with Betjeman

Roy Wilkinson of The Gaurdian reports: "England's DJs, however, are saluting a less familiar side of the former poet laureate. Recently, rare Betjeman vinyl LPs have been selling on auction site eBay - categorised as "funk/soul/R&B" and recommended for their "dope bass action", "exotic grooviness" and "fat, funky basslines". The time, it seems, has come to boogie with Betjeman."

I am not for one second going to suggest that I have a handle on much that makes up dope bass action, trip hop, drum 'n bass etc etc, but in a way there is something very psychedelic 70's about it. If one spins the early Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd or the likes of krautrock band Can there are clear similarities to many current genres.

Even in design there are similarities. The album cover of Can's 1969 album Monster Movie, shown here, would fit quite comfortably in the dance section at CD Wherehouse.

Like the periodic resurgence of bell-bottom trousers, music seems to also follow some viconian resurgence every generation or so.

I can seriously see myself scratching around the web to source some of 4 Betjeman albums mentioned or even one or two from the list at the bottom of the Gaurdian article.

Miracles required

By 9pm on Friday we'll know if the Sharks have managed a minor miracle in scraping into the Super 14 semifinals or whether they will have to accept the reality of a season of missed opportunity. They have played well but have to rue the chances lost.

Chances for the Sharks to rue should they not perform a miracle this weekend in order of event.
1. Losing to the Cheetahs 27-26 at home, after leading 20-10.
2. Losing 35-30 to the Brumbies away.
3. Losing 23-17 to the Hurricanes away.
4. An horrendous first half resulting in them losing 34-27 to the Bulls.
5. Not getting a bonus point against the Stormers last weekend. Perhaps the TMO is to blame for some of this as Warren Britz had clearly scored a try that should have been awarded.*

Here is how the miracle must be performed. At 9am Friday the Crusaders must set out and beat the Brumbies by X number of points. X must be greater than 7 points and the Brumbies may not score more than 3 tries. At 7pm the Sharks must set out and beat the Western Force by Y number of points and must score at least 4 tries. The sum of X and Y must exceed 39.

The Crusaders ought to beat the Brumbies, especially without George Gregan, suspended for a spear tackle last week.(How he only received a one week ban I do not know - Aussie league players have been banned for 14 weeks for similar tackles).

The Force, after a rough start have drawn 2 of their last 3 games and lost last week by only 2 points to the Cheetahs. They received a few largish scores against them at the start of the season and lost 39-8 to the Blues in Auckland but are no pushover.

There is also an even more bizarre permutation that would allow the Bulls to secure the 4th semifinal spot. I am more likely to win the lotto than that permutation. That said I'm also more likely to win the lotto than the Sharks are likely to come through in the above permutation.

* I have commented before on the gagging of players & administrators, surrounding comments on the referees in many AngloSaxon sports. I am heartened that Sharks coach Dick Muir is not one to toe this line too well and generally says enough to get his point across without getting too personal.

Mr Wendel

A post-script to the My Tribe post and the subsequent comments trail. Maybe I’m softening up, but this tune had me humming and nodding in agreement this morning.

Go ahead, man
Here, have a dollar
In fact, no, brotherman, here have two
Two dollars means a snack for me
But it means a big deal to you

Long Street

It's not the mountain (or should that be The Mountain?) that I miss most about Cape Town. What I miss most is Long Street. I spent most of the long weekend in Cape Town, sadly virtually all for work purposes, and satisfied my longing with a brisk stroll on Saturday night. Hell, that street has an existence all of its own. I've  heard that people don't walk in Jozi, although I do (but not at night!). But the walk up Oxford Road and into the Rosebank mall is pitiful compared to a brisk stroll up Long Street. Long Street is alive & interesting, all manner of folk. From Mohamed selling the best cure for the late night munchies at his stall throughout the night, to David McLennan at Select Books selling great Africana, hunting and rugby books. And the people. The crowds of West Africans queued & mingling barefoot with the locals outside mosque for Friday prayers, the tarted sophistos heading for the clubs that have heavy bouncers and a cordon of red rope, the drunken louts, the car guards, the rastas at 'Cool runnings', the backpacking tourists on the balconies dipping into the bowls of Cape of Good Dope. It's all quite real to me, not artificial. Sure it has it's commercial element, good god - Kennedy's Cigar Bar now has an Irish themed pub!, but not overpoweringly so. Is there anywhere else like this in Jozi, or the world?