On the verge of a historic election, South Africa is showing its Democratic growing pains.
I recently went to the venerable old Market Theater in an increasingly populated downtown Johannesburg. It had been all but abandoned after the end of apartheid. Now the city is coming back, and white people are coming back, and they (along with a healthy number of blacks) are coming back to the Market Theater. But that’s not the point.
I went to the Market Theater to see MacBeki, a new play written by a South African comedian as venerable as the theater in which the play is now running. Pieter-Dirk Uys, according to one pretty accurate write-up, “has taken his main inspiration from Shakespeare's MacBeth and structured a satirical play around it, with the focus on a familiar political setting …. Unlike Shakespeare, Pieter-Dirk Uys does not spill blood in his play. He spills the beans. He makes us laugh at the transparency of the ruling elite who lie to protect themselves at all cost.”
The title, clearly a take-off on former president Thabo Mbeki, a great quoter of Shakespeare, who, in the minds of some, was murdered—politically that is—by Jacob Zuma, a rival who all the polls predict will be the next president of South Africa.
From where I sat, most of those in the mixed-race, mixed-age audience didn’t seem to know quite what to make of this work that hits close to the bone of South Africa’s current politics. What I heard was a lot of “hmmms” and “I need to think about this a bit.” There were some who thought it was “humor without facts—very disturbing” as one prominent celebrity in the audience told me later.
The reaction in the theater was so complex that I was happy when I rolled over and turned on my radio the next morning to find an extended call-in discussion moderated by Tshepiso Makwetla, whom I had spotted with knitted brow at the performance. Her show, The After Eight Debate, included Pieter-Dirk Uys (pronounced Ace, sorta), who was calling in from his home in a place called Darling and the actors who played two of the characters from the play—with the interesting names of MacTrevor (the minister of finance in reality is Trevor Manuel) and the other MacZum. (Is there any doubt who he is modeled after?)
The discussion, ostensibly, was about the play but involved even more about the current state of politics in the country.
Uys, who is widely known for his political satire, especially when dressed as a woman known as Evita Bezuidenhout, won a lot of praise in the discussion, but he also took a lot of heat. He was accused of having a hidden agenda (a lot of that is going around these days). But he seemed to be loving every minute of it and was the one who came closest to summing up the prevailing mood in the country: “Discomfort is where we are right now.”
Hello, Understatement!
South Africa is in the midst of a political campaign that is set to make history. Not that we don’t pretty much know the main outcome. The ruling African National Congress will continue to rule, but for the first time since the end of apartheid, it has a serious challenger, and the challenge is from within.
Late last year, a group of ANC members, disgruntled over the party’s unceremonious dismissal of Mbeki as president with only six months left in final term, split and formed a new party—Congress of the People (COPE). In a very short time, the new kid on the political block has garnered support from a wide range of South Africans who say they were more disgruntled with the ANC, itself, than its punitive actions against Mbeki.
Among their charges against the ANC:
· Hasn’t delivered on its promise of a better life for all.
· Has attempted to undermine the judiciary.
· Hasn’t been inclusive.
· Has strayed from its original noble goals etc., etc., etc.
And some who have joined COPE just don’t like the probable next president, Jacob Zuma, because they think he’s a crook, but more on that later.
Some see COPE gaining on the ANC and winning enough votes to cut into the ANC’s two-thirds majority in the parliament, a margin which effectively gives the government carte blanche over everything. Even among the un-disgruntled there is a sense that kind of majority is not good for the political health of a young democracy.
The campaign has not been all that rough considering what has happened in other young democracies on the continent (or even the violence that accompanied the run-up to what I call the Nelson Mandela election in 2004, when hundreds were killed.) While there has been some violence, relatively speaking, it hasn’t been significant—though it has added to the level of discomfort.
Instead, what has taken the normal cacophony of political voices to a piercing decibel level is a ruling by the National Prosecuting Authority, which dropped 16 charges of conspiracy, racketeering, money laundering and bribery against Jacob Zuma, head of the ruling ANC. The National Prosecuting Authority has insisted since 2005 that it had solid evidence that Zuma was guilty of the charges, and indeed, his business associate was sent to jail for 15 years for soliciting a bribe on Zuma’s behalf from a French arms dealer. The scandal also cost Zuma his job as deputy president when he was fired by Mbeki.
But what goes around comes around. Zuma defeated Mbeki for the presidency of the ANC back in December, the same day the news broke that Zuma was going to be recharged with even more charges. Shortly thereafter, Mbeki was forced by the ANC to step down as president. This followed a judge’s ruling that the charges against Zuma were politically motivated, as he had insisted all along.
To cut short a long story that is not yet over, the National Prosecuting Authority’s airtight case against Zuma was dismissed last week because of what the acting chief prosecutor called “abuse of the process.” The ammunition for this ruling came in the form of audio tapes revealing conversations that involved an Mbeki loyalist and former chief investigator. The conversations revolved around the timing of the announcement that Zuma was going to be recharged (after three years) on more corruption counts based on new evidence.
We are now being told that the tapes prove what Zuma had been saying all along—that there was a political conspiracy aimed at derailing his ANC candidacy to boost Mbeki’s. So far, Mbeki’s name is not mentioned in the tapes—at least the ones made public. We are still waiting for the full transcript, wherever it is.
But now, charges of political interference are being leveled at the Zuma forces. Opposition parties cried foul when the National Prosecuting Authority dropped the charges against Zuma; given that it was two weeks before the election, that is essentially a referendum on the ANC and Jacob Zuma. In South Africa’s parliamentary system, the party that wins the most seats gets to choose the president; COPE is objecting, urging changes that would allow for direct election of the president by the voters.
So where does that leave things? In the words of Uys, “Discomfort is where we are right now.”
Zuma is claiming vindication, and the opposition is showing irritation. Everybody involved is now talking about taking everybody else to court; the now-reclusive Mbeki has spoken out, questioning how the tapes got into private hands and once again proclaimed his innocence. But the ANC’s alliance partners called for the arrest of Mbeki and the two figures involved in the taped phone conversations.
Zuma insists that, even though he has not been acquitted, his conscience is clear and that there is no cloud over his head. (Although cartoonists continue to draw a shower head over his head in mockery of his assertion that he protected himself from AIDS by taking a shower after having unprotected sex with an HIV positive woman. He did go to court on rape charges in that case and was acquitted.)
But even if, as Zuma insists, there are no clouds over his head, there are plenty hanging over South Africa and the political process as a whole. The election, despite the high level of certainty about certain outcomes, will provide a major test for this still young democracy. Discomfort is the operative word right now. But stay tuned.
Charlayne Hunter-Gault is a Johannesburg-based journalist and author of New News Out of Africa: Uncovering the African Renaissance.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
How to Break a Bad Diet Habit—Forever!
Jillian Michaels is one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser!
By Jillian Michaels
Get this: Research has shown that behaviors like what you eat and whether you exercise are deeply set into physical neural connections in your brain. All of your beliefs, your habits, everything making up your mental reality, is contained in physical neural-pathways. So in order to make real changes to your lifestyle and slim down, you've got to learn how to get in there and change your brain!
The first time you have an experience or learn something new, chances are a new pathway is created. Then the next time you have that experience, your brain will search to see if you have experienced it before. If you have, it'll follow the same pathway. The more often you have that experience or think that thought, the stronger that neural pathway holding that thought or behavior will become. This is how a thought or action becomes a habit.
By repeating a pattern, we strengthen the neural pathways being used for this behavior and essentially reinforce our propensity to be "stuck in a rut"—literally. Here's an example: Let's say that you have been binge eating late at night in your home off a certain set of plates and now you have decided you want to stop that behavior. But, every time you eat off those plates you have been hard-wired to overeat, making it exponentially more difficult to break that destructive habit.
You cannot rationally "think" these physical networks away. But you can change them in two ways:
1. You gradually force the pathway to weaken and atrophy over a period of time by not using it.
Every time you resist the urge to eat an extra cookie when you're upset, or use the ranch dressing at the salad bar, you're allowing those old patterns and pathways to die away so that you can slim down and get healthier. You can do this by pausing and thinking through your choice. Ask yourself what the consequences of that choice will be. That allows you to move from the impulsive part of your personality to the part of your brain that can reason before automatically reacting.
2. Override the old pathway by wiring in a new behavior.
Let's say you've been going to the same supermarket for years—and buying garbage foods that don't support your efforts to lose weight. Try a new supermarket! It seems strange, but simply being in a new location will help you not fall into old patterns of grabbing your same-old old junk food from the same old shelves. Then repeat. Something that will help create a strong neural pathway is repetition. It's not as complicated as the term "neural pathways" makes it sound: Just know that you actually can create physical changes in your brain, hard wiring yourself for success.
Okay, now what old habits are you going to break? And what will you replace them with?
Jillian Michaels is the author of the new book Master Your Metabolism and the motivation coach for the Body by Glamour shape-up program. She's helped dozens of people get slim and healthy as a trainer on "The Biggest Loser," and has helped thousands of others through her DVDs and books.
By Jillian Michaels
Get this: Research has shown that behaviors like what you eat and whether you exercise are deeply set into physical neural connections in your brain. All of your beliefs, your habits, everything making up your mental reality, is contained in physical neural-pathways. So in order to make real changes to your lifestyle and slim down, you've got to learn how to get in there and change your brain!
The first time you have an experience or learn something new, chances are a new pathway is created. Then the next time you have that experience, your brain will search to see if you have experienced it before. If you have, it'll follow the same pathway. The more often you have that experience or think that thought, the stronger that neural pathway holding that thought or behavior will become. This is how a thought or action becomes a habit.
By repeating a pattern, we strengthen the neural pathways being used for this behavior and essentially reinforce our propensity to be "stuck in a rut"—literally. Here's an example: Let's say that you have been binge eating late at night in your home off a certain set of plates and now you have decided you want to stop that behavior. But, every time you eat off those plates you have been hard-wired to overeat, making it exponentially more difficult to break that destructive habit.
You cannot rationally "think" these physical networks away. But you can change them in two ways:
1. You gradually force the pathway to weaken and atrophy over a period of time by not using it.
Every time you resist the urge to eat an extra cookie when you're upset, or use the ranch dressing at the salad bar, you're allowing those old patterns and pathways to die away so that you can slim down and get healthier. You can do this by pausing and thinking through your choice. Ask yourself what the consequences of that choice will be. That allows you to move from the impulsive part of your personality to the part of your brain that can reason before automatically reacting.
2. Override the old pathway by wiring in a new behavior.
Let's say you've been going to the same supermarket for years—and buying garbage foods that don't support your efforts to lose weight. Try a new supermarket! It seems strange, but simply being in a new location will help you not fall into old patterns of grabbing your same-old old junk food from the same old shelves. Then repeat. Something that will help create a strong neural pathway is repetition. It's not as complicated as the term "neural pathways" makes it sound: Just know that you actually can create physical changes in your brain, hard wiring yourself for success.
Okay, now what old habits are you going to break? And what will you replace them with?
Jillian Michaels is the author of the new book Master Your Metabolism and the motivation coach for the Body by Glamour shape-up program. She's helped dozens of people get slim and healthy as a trainer on "The Biggest Loser," and has helped thousands of others through her DVDs and books.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Off To The Masters!
I'm off to The Masters for the week! Should be a great time. Haven't been since 1985. I'm sure much has changed. No postings this week. Stay healthy, safe and well!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Best Day of My Life!
by Steve Muller. Steve is the President of a Wisconsin automotive sales and finance company. He is a 3 time Ironman finisher and 20 time Marathon finisher. Feel free to send him your comments on this story to steve.muller@wijdbyrider.com
I love this story! So true. Having done 2 Hawaii Ironman triathlons, I couldn't agree with him more! Both Ironman races were some of the best days in my life!
Many thoughts cross your mind one hour before the beginning of an Ironman Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). Can I finish? Was my training plan sound? Did I do everything I possibly could to prepare myself for the day? What if I get a flat tire on the bike? What is my nutrition plan for the bike and run? Self doubt is natural.
As I rode down the hotel elevator one hour before the beginning of Ironman Wisconsin, I overheard the following conversation between strangers:
Stranger 1 - "Good morning. How are you?"
Stranger 2 - "Best day of my life."
Stranger 1 - " What"?
Stranger 2 - "Young man, make this the best day of your life."
These simple 5 words from an anonymous stranger stayed with me for the next 11 hours 37 minutes and 12 seconds to the finish line. They were spoken without hesitation or rehearsal. They were spoken with wisdom, passion, and gratefulness.
Ironman Triathlons have a way of magnifying yet simplifying life. There are only so many things in life you can control. You are 100% in control of your attitude. Your daily 'self talk' can be negative or positive. The choice is yours.
Stranger 2 turned out to be Frank Farrar, the former Governor of South Dakota and 79 year old Ironman Triathlete. Frank has competed in over 30 Ironman distance Triathlons and continues to compete.
Thank you Frank for these words!
I love this story! So true. Having done 2 Hawaii Ironman triathlons, I couldn't agree with him more! Both Ironman races were some of the best days in my life!
Many thoughts cross your mind one hour before the beginning of an Ironman Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). Can I finish? Was my training plan sound? Did I do everything I possibly could to prepare myself for the day? What if I get a flat tire on the bike? What is my nutrition plan for the bike and run? Self doubt is natural.
As I rode down the hotel elevator one hour before the beginning of Ironman Wisconsin, I overheard the following conversation between strangers:
Stranger 1 - "Good morning. How are you?"
Stranger 2 - "Best day of my life."
Stranger 1 - " What"?
Stranger 2 - "Young man, make this the best day of your life."
These simple 5 words from an anonymous stranger stayed with me for the next 11 hours 37 minutes and 12 seconds to the finish line. They were spoken without hesitation or rehearsal. They were spoken with wisdom, passion, and gratefulness.
Ironman Triathlons have a way of magnifying yet simplifying life. There are only so many things in life you can control. You are 100% in control of your attitude. Your daily 'self talk' can be negative or positive. The choice is yours.
Stranger 2 turned out to be Frank Farrar, the former Governor of South Dakota and 79 year old Ironman Triathlete. Frank has competed in over 30 Ironman distance Triathlons and continues to compete.
Thank you Frank for these words!
The Inspiration Factor!
by Chris Widener
The first thing that an aspiring leader must realize is that they must be inspiring!
That is, they must be capable of, and willing to inspire people on to greater things than if the leader were not in their lives.
So, is this too grandiose an ideal for the average local business owner? Absolutely not. The people who work at your business, school or organization need to be inspired by you on a regular basis. It is what keeps them from giving up.
Remind them of the big picture.
They aren’t just serving food, they are helping families spend time together, so make it enjoyable.
They aren’t just changing oil, they are helping make sure a woman and her children don’t break down on the side of the road at night.
They aren’t just teaching reading, they are helping open a mind to the mysteries of the world.
They aren’t just selling gifts, they are helping people show their appreciation to others in a tangible way.
This week: INSPIRE!
The first thing that an aspiring leader must realize is that they must be inspiring!
That is, they must be capable of, and willing to inspire people on to greater things than if the leader were not in their lives.
So, is this too grandiose an ideal for the average local business owner? Absolutely not. The people who work at your business, school or organization need to be inspired by you on a regular basis. It is what keeps them from giving up.
Remind them of the big picture.
They aren’t just serving food, they are helping families spend time together, so make it enjoyable.
They aren’t just changing oil, they are helping make sure a woman and her children don’t break down on the side of the road at night.
They aren’t just teaching reading, they are helping open a mind to the mysteries of the world.
They aren’t just selling gifts, they are helping people show their appreciation to others in a tangible way.
This week: INSPIRE!
To Resolve or Not too Resolve
by Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is “The Productivity PRO,"® helping people leave the office earlier, with less stress, and more to show for it. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact her at 303-471-7401 or visit her website at www.TheProductivityPro.com.
I'm not a big believer in New Year's resolutions. Frustrated by bad habits like smoking, overeating, being disorganized, or not exercising, many of us vow to change and make a New Year's resolution. "This year, I'll walk on my treadmill three times a week," we pledge, and by May, it's gathering dust down in the basement. Defeated, many people give up further attempts to change.
Most of us don't have a clue how to make a reasonable resolution, which is why most of us fail to keep the ones we make. We set high goals for ourselves, and then wonder why we never attain them. So we either stop setting goals (never a good choice), or make resolutions that are ridiculously easy to keep.
Making a decision to change just because it's New Year's Day isn't enough to keep you motivated for *long.* Lasting change means being prepared to make sacrifices. Are you truly willing to make the effort to kick a bad habit and start a healthy one? If so, you'll need to develop a plan of action and make that plan a priority.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
Conduct an "annual review" before the end of this month to determine the things that you meant to do, change, or accomplish by the end of 2002 that didn't get done. After you've completed the review, take a moment to pause, step back, and appreciate all the things you *have* accomplished in 2002, and my hope is that this will motivate you to aspire higher in 2003.
Select a *few* (two or three) things that you'd like to change or accomplish in 2003.
Word your goals carefully. Let's say your resolution is to relax more in the coming year. Try not to think of it as "This year I am going to relax." That's a stress-inducer waiting to happen! It forces you into thinking of the resolution as something you must do, not something you want to do. Try to make it sound a little gentler: "This year I'm going to explore different ways of relaxing." It also suggests more of a plan—you'll fulfill the resolution by experimenting with relaxation techniques. The first resolution sounds as if you're going to force yourself to relax by sheer willpower.
Write your list and put "due dates" next to each. Then break them down by the month that you will begin working on them. If you wish to start an exercise program, plan what kind of exercise you will do, when, and how often.
Transfer your due dates to your daily plan or calendar, making that "appointment" with yourself just as important as one with another person. Aren't your needs just as, if not more, important than others?
Create reminder cards you can post around the house, on your bathroom mirror, on your dashboard in your car, etc., to continually remind yourself about your goals.
Take small steps toward your goals, every day or week. If you can do just a little bit to get going, soon you'll feel the positive effects of the change. And that little bit of change can lead to long-term healthy habits that last far beyond New Year's Day.
I'm not a big believer in New Year's resolutions. Frustrated by bad habits like smoking, overeating, being disorganized, or not exercising, many of us vow to change and make a New Year's resolution. "This year, I'll walk on my treadmill three times a week," we pledge, and by May, it's gathering dust down in the basement. Defeated, many people give up further attempts to change.
Most of us don't have a clue how to make a reasonable resolution, which is why most of us fail to keep the ones we make. We set high goals for ourselves, and then wonder why we never attain them. So we either stop setting goals (never a good choice), or make resolutions that are ridiculously easy to keep.
Making a decision to change just because it's New Year's Day isn't enough to keep you motivated for *long.* Lasting change means being prepared to make sacrifices. Are you truly willing to make the effort to kick a bad habit and start a healthy one? If so, you'll need to develop a plan of action and make that plan a priority.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
Conduct an "annual review" before the end of this month to determine the things that you meant to do, change, or accomplish by the end of 2002 that didn't get done. After you've completed the review, take a moment to pause, step back, and appreciate all the things you *have* accomplished in 2002, and my hope is that this will motivate you to aspire higher in 2003.
Select a *few* (two or three) things that you'd like to change or accomplish in 2003.
Word your goals carefully. Let's say your resolution is to relax more in the coming year. Try not to think of it as "This year I am going to relax." That's a stress-inducer waiting to happen! It forces you into thinking of the resolution as something you must do, not something you want to do. Try to make it sound a little gentler: "This year I'm going to explore different ways of relaxing." It also suggests more of a plan—you'll fulfill the resolution by experimenting with relaxation techniques. The first resolution sounds as if you're going to force yourself to relax by sheer willpower.
Write your list and put "due dates" next to each. Then break them down by the month that you will begin working on them. If you wish to start an exercise program, plan what kind of exercise you will do, when, and how often.
Transfer your due dates to your daily plan or calendar, making that "appointment" with yourself just as important as one with another person. Aren't your needs just as, if not more, important than others?
Create reminder cards you can post around the house, on your bathroom mirror, on your dashboard in your car, etc., to continually remind yourself about your goals.
Take small steps toward your goals, every day or week. If you can do just a little bit to get going, soon you'll feel the positive effects of the change. And that little bit of change can lead to long-term healthy habits that last far beyond New Year's Day.
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