Weekend news picks

[Dave A]

TFSA tends to be a bit quiet on the weekends. Given the success of the Friday Funnies, I thought it might be an idea to start a new series, Weekend news picks, as a reason to stop by and do a little cruising.

Follow the stories you want, leave what you're not interested in, post your own top stories and of course feel free to add your comments.

So to kick off:

Barry Tannenbaum's Ponzi scheme
The long process of unwinding Barry Tannenbaum's Ponzi scheme has moved a steep forward with some more assets being frozen. Maybe investors/victims might get some of their money back one day.

Municipal workers strike
It looks like the municipal workers strike is over - by the looks of things on much the same terms as was on the table a week ago. Did they really need to take a week off? And did they really need to trash the streets? To my mind the only winner in the strike was the trade unions, not the workers, not the unemployed and certainly not the citizens who are going to end up footing the bill.

Media freedom
Only some media was allowed to follow Jacob Zuma around on his tour of Durban's new Moses Mabhida stadium, and the rest of the media circus is not happy about this preferential treatment. However, claims that this is a form of censorship seems to be going a bit far.

Economic recovery
South Africa had a trade surplus again this month. We'll get out of this recession one day.

Dirty laundry
Oilgate isn't dead and buried yet. Now we need to see if our "new broom" regime is prepared to haul this muck out from under the carpet.

International internet
The extradition story on hacker Gary McKinnon from Britian to the USA shows how the internet poses some complex jurisdiction issues. Should the USA have been required to prosecute Gary (a British citizen) in a trial held in Britain under British law?

That's what piqued my interest. How about you?

[Dave A]

Rugby
Victory to the Springboks over the All Blacks and the Sharks beat the Cheetahs - I'm one happy puppy.

[Dave A]

Corporate responsibility for affected communities
Although the story headlines as Mittal dismisses pollution claims, perhaps the real issue is whether Mittal's offers are reasonable.

Economic recovery
Some predict a fragile recovery over the next few years. The big question - what happens after World Cup 2010?

Learning from the GFM
The G20 is looking at banking regulation changes to reduce space for the kind of reckless leverage that produced the GFM.

Name and shame
A judgement involving M&G refines when you may name and shame.

[Dave A]

Desperate measures to secure more resources?
There is a plan to integrate metro police with the SAPS. The question is why? I'm not buying the waffle about passing dockets. What do you think is the real reason?

Informal trade is big business.
An interesting look into informal cross-border trade out of Joburg here.

The Nobel Peace Prize.
Barack Obama is the recipient of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. This story gives some background on the prize and some of the interesting winners over the years.

Rugby.
So our semi-finals are Sharks vs Cheetahs and Stormers vs Blue Bulls. Who will lift this year's trophy?

[Marq]

Metro Vs SAPS

What do you think is the real reason?

- So that fat saps can be demoted to traffic duty as 'punishment'.

Informal Trade - Nice cash business - no tax or vat - trade through a country without worrying too much about their laws.

Nobel Piece of prize - A waste of time and effort - giving it out to politicians that have yet to even prove themselves. Might as well give it to Bush as well for keeping calm and peaceful by reading children's books upside down while facing disaster. How about Gaddafi for trying to get on with everybody now after he has killed off all his enemies. or no....I'm thinking of old Bob Magabe for being such a nice old man and helping his nation out by providing farms for all.

Rugby....well its the Sharks of course......there is no need to be diplomatic about this. Bulls Vs Sharks in Durban - Sharks win 25..mmm..14

[twinscythe12332]

a Nobel prize earned so cheaply and at so little cost will help him in his efforts on the international stage or rather be an albatross around his neck. Something against which all his future efforts will be judged

I think this is a very good statement. Could it be that this nobel peace prize is being used politically in itself? to ensure that he does what he says he is going to do. It's all too easy to say "well, it's not working out, let's go bomb a 'terrorist' country" when things aren't going your way. maybe this i an attempt to ensure that he'll have to make it happen... even if it was political bull just to get him elected. Because at the end of the day, do you really want to be regarded as "the president who got the Nobel prize, and then cocked everything up"

[Dave A]

Personally I think there are reasons the Nobel crowd would prefer not to mention that influenced this - first black President in a white dominated country... and the way he made it a non-issue.

[Marq]

Not according to this guy you tube .

[Frankincense]

The Nobel Peace Prize.- it's an Obamanation(Abomination)

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread508776/pg1

...and these are "Americans".....

"How ironic that the leader of the country that is waging 2 wars, has no intention of ending either of them, has fallen short on his promise to close Guantanamo Bay wins the Nobel Peace Prize. "

G20 is looking at banking regulation changes = Economic recovery

....you need to create an event to pass new regulations......666

"integrate metro police with the SAPS. The question is why? I'm not buying the waffle about passing dockets. What do you think is the real reason?"

As we move closer to martial law in an incompetent National & Global environment where even JZ talks about removing tender adjudications from politicians due to fraud, the Law enforcement will naturally need to be centrallised and consolidated...similar to one's defence when you prepare your assault...as it approaches. They really can no longer multitask to achieve the ultimate revelation....they have to come together to stand together in the last hours...

[Dave A]

Cost of living
Eskom has major plans for household disposable income, according to this story in M&G. An IOL story is no more flattering. Absolutely shocking!

Living the high life
Of course, when your lifestyle is funded by the taxpayer, nothing but the very best can do.

Rugby
It's going to be Bulls vs Cheetahs in two weeks time, although it could just as easily have been Sharks vs Stormers. It takes a special type of masochist to be a Sharks supporter.

[Marq]

Eskom - according to the Carte Blanche story just needs some financial management, collect the debts and charge the same increases to neighboring countries and large corporation. This sounds correct to me. Do you think eskom is being used to suck the sheeple dry to finance the gravy train anc bloodsuckers that have run out of money?

Living the high life - Every time one of these bloodsucker parasites robs us, there is mention of comparing them to the poor and look what they are doing while the poor get nothing. bla bla la. This is total crap.....What about the f*&^ers that paid the money in the first place expecting a decent service and system. Its my money that tosser went and had a holiday on - its your money as well cause I cannot afford a holiday like that...so he must have spent that too. What about the policemen...out there risking their lives on a pittance salary working under this excuse for a minister who squandered their xmas bonus. The poor did not contribute to this wankers extravagance - the workers did - the very people who expect and have paid to be safe while this poltroon and his bodyguards live it up and do F&*k nothing for the good of the country. What do we need to see a road show for - is he going to do the fandango, bang out a couple of old Sinatra hits - of course not, its another method of creating BS expenses. He should be locked up in a no star cell. The roadshow should include him in stocks.

The Sharks - mmmm...what can I say... They played like they had been living it up at the hilton with certain other bodies and then went out and wasted our time for 90 minutes.

[Dave A]

System failure
Shoprite lashes out at banks over a problem with Bankserv, the electronic payment system. By wierd coincidence I got this in the adspace in the article.



Copyright
Two websites look set to be facing the music for copyright problems.

Public broadcasting
The SABC will fall under the direct control of the Communications Minister if the new Public Service Broadcasting Bill goes through without major changes.

Nationalisation
The ANC doesn't seem to be as keen as Julius Malema to nationalise SA mines. And the SACP isn't interested either!

[duncan drennan]

Public broadcasting
The SABC will fall under the direct control of the Communications Minister if the new Public Service Broadcasting Bill goes through without major changes.

Mouthpiece?!? What mouthpiece?

[Dave A]

Eskom
Apparently SA want Godsell back. Barbara Hogan is expected to meet Godsell during the weekend.

Unequal trade
Trade between SA and Nigeria is skewed in SA's favour, says Nigeria. Sounds familiar. Don't we feel the same way about China?

Online news
How journalism will survive the internet revolution has been debated for a while now. Does Rupert Murdoch have the solution or does he not understand the internet?

[Dave A]

Unfair dismissal
I quietly cheered when I read that Vusi Pikoli is getting a R7.5 million settlement from government until I remembered two things - he still won't get his job back and we probably need him, and his settlement will be coming out of taxpayers' pockets.

Retirement fund strippers
About a billion Rand in surplus retirement funds didn't go where it was supposed to during the '90s. One roleplayer's attempt to wriggle off the hook had a setback.

Identity theft
Do we really have to give up our identity to all these people?