A few great tips, answers and proposals can be found HERE ok:

I for one think they had it in America ...

I love the one comment where the guy says he stopped watching GP when the F1 cars had more buttons on the steering wheel than a 747 cockpit :rofl:

I found this very good article on the Net which I thought you'd find helpful.

I liked it, especially the bit about drinking ice water ... you can lose up to 100cal per day with it

http://www.doctoryourself.com/dieting.html

Duchette the StickLady, here we come :rofl:

:jive:

All aboard the London train armed with gumboots and a bottle of wine and two straws, we made our way down to London to see Johnny Clegg at the Hammersmith Apollo.

The venue was packed with hundreds of South Africans (and a few Zimbos). We made our way to the VIP guest queue and got our tickets... the atmosphere inside was incredible... and very hot ... We had a great view of the stage and in some parts of the theatre the party was already in full swing.... Johnny Clegg played all the favourites like Scatterlings of Africa, Asimbonanga, Kiliminjaro, Spirit of a Great Heart, African Sky Blue, etc..
During the show I went to the bar and an elderly black gentleman asked me what was wrong with the crowd as no-one was dancing yet... I said.. "wait boet, its going to happen", as we walked back into the theatre Johnny started singing "impi", the crowd erupted and I dont think there was one person sitting down. I was in my element because at last, I could put my gumboots to use and do some serious zulu dancing. :jive:

Johnny Clegg had his first hit in 1976 and he has the energy of an 18 year old... he didn't stop for a break at all - amazing. One of his singers was a serious "traditionally built" African lady.... dressed in a bright red dress with all the frills, flowers and drapes and she boogied non stop... the crowd and I loved her and thought she stole the show... at last ... I got to meet the infamous "Precious Ramotswe" :thumbs:

It was extremely hot inside the theatre and in some ways it felt like home and made me veryhomesick... My only disappointment was that he didn't sing MY song... Osiyeza :bigcry: . I will definitely go again next year....

When we walked out of the theatre there was a super atmosphere and all the people on the bus were speaking "our language"... We went home and carried on the party there!

So thanks to GB, I had an awesome time! :cloud9:

Motley Crue's review will be written later... all I can say is it involved MIDGETS! :crylol:

Time For God

"If You Have Some Time . . ."


"The Master called my name one day because He needed someone to go and I
said, " Lord, in my spare time, between school, spending time with my
husband, working from 8 to 6, and trying to co-ordinate a program for my
community to help our children do better, I will help You look. See, I know
I can't go right now cause I have so much to do."

He said " well where shall I find such a person? I thought I saw your
name on My list of available people."

"Well Lord, that was the prayer that I prayed last year, but since then,
things have changed."

He said "Like what?"

"Well I'm working on my Ph.D. and I'm needed by so many people . . . and
my husband is always wanting something done, and on top of that my community
expects me to help and give to them so..."

"Well, seeing that you're busy, I'll let you go, but we will talk again,
if you have some time."

I went on through the days, and the weeks, and the months completing my
task as always.

One evening, while studying for my comprehensive exam, I received a call
from the hospital concerning my husband. He had been in a terrible accident
and was in critical condition. I dropped everything and ran to the hospital
where I found my husband hanging on for dear life. I immediately began to
pray, "Lord, don't take him now, I can't bear it . . ." but my prayer echoed
off the wall and returned into my own ear.

That next morning I left the hospital tired and weary, and walked in the
door of my classroom just in time to begin my comprehensive exam. As the
professor began asking me questions I opened my mouth to speak but nothing
came out. In my mind, I began praying, praying hard, but my prayer echoed
again, and found myself upset at God because He was no where to be found. I
could not explain to them what was happening.

After leaving from my exams, I called in to work because I was so
distraught at all that was going on. I explained to my supervisor what had
happened and she demanded that I take some time off.

After visiting my husband in the hospital that evening, I went home and
fell into a sunken state, crying and despairing. Just then I heard someone
calling my name.

"Lord, is that You?"

"Well yes it is. Do you have some time? I wanted to see if I could just
talk . ."

Instead of waiting to hear His questions, I lashed out in anger and
resentment.

"How is it that when I needed You today, You couldn't be found and last
night I cried and cried but all I heard were echoes from the walls. My
husband is dying, I'm flunking out of school, I may not have a job and You
can just sit there and say You want to talk!"

The Lord interrupted me in my foolish speaking. "My child, I was busy,
out looking for someone to go and tell others about Me when you cried. By
the time I came to answer, you had moved on to something else. So, I decided
to let your husband rest, and keep you home for a few days. That way maybe
you would get in touch with Me, if you had some time. For you see, before
your husband, the community or your job needs you, I need you. And if all
these things take you away from Me, I have to begin taking them away from
you, in order to get a moment of your time."

I calmed down and began to cry. For I remembered my prayer of wanting to
go and do for the Lord. He said, "I just wanted to recheck with you to see
if you knew of anyone that I could send to be a witness for Me and tell
others about Me . . . any one at all?">

With tears in my eyes and feeling so unworthy I said " Lord, send me,
I'll go."

God should never have to ask us if we have some time. When He died on
the cross, He put aside everything to guarantee us Eternal Life. We should
be more than grateful to do service for the Lord, to witness for Him, and to
tell everyone we meet about Jesus. Don't let your service for Him, make it
so you don't have time for Him. Your "things," whatever they may be, get you
so tied up that God has to have an "appointment" in your yearly-planner. He
had more than enough time for us. The least we could do is have time for
Him.

Here is a brief on how the 14-team Currie Cup competition, which kicks off on June 24, will work for the next few years.

The fourteen (14) provincial teams are divided in two equal strength sections (X and Y) for the 2005 season according to the log positions of the fourteen (14) teams after completion of the pool matches in the 2004 Currie Cup Competition - construction of the two sections in the Vodacom Cup Competition for the 2005 season will be the same.

SECTION X:
1 Blue Bulls
4 Golden Lions
5 Natal Sharks
8 SWD Eagles
9 Boland
12 Falcons
13 Eastern Province

SECTION Y:
2 Western Province
3 Free State
6 Griqualand West
7 Mpumalanga
10 Border
11 Leopards
14 Griffons

The two sections will play a single round within the section - to be known as the QUALIFYING ROUND - EACH TEAM WILL PLAY SIX MATCHES - three home and three away matches. No log points to be carried forward from the qualifying round to the Premier Division or the First Division rounds.

The Four teams in each section with the highest number of log points - i.e. X1 to X4 and Y1 to Y4 will play the next round for the ABSA Currie Cup, to be known as the Premier Division. The four (4) teams from each section will play a double round across the section against the other section i.e. section X1 to X4 will play four (4) home and four (4) away matches against section Y1 to Y4.

The remaining three teams in each section - i.e. X 5 to X7 and Y5 to Y7 will play in the next round for the ABSA Shield, to be known as the First Division. These three (3) teams from each section will play a double round across the section against the other section i.e. section X5 to X7 will play three (3) home and three (3) away matches against section Y5 to Y7.

Semi-finals:

PREMIER DIVISION:

After completion of the double round at the end of the season the two teams with the most log points in each section will play against each other in a semi-final:

Team X1 vs Team X2
Team Y1 vs Team Y2
Teams X1 and Y1 will play at home.

FIRST DIVISION:
After completion of the double round at the end of the season the two teams with the most log points on each section will play against each other in a semi-final:
Team X1 vs Team X2
Team Y1 vs Team Y2
Teams X1 and Y1 will play at home.

Finals:

PREMIER DIVISION:
The winners of the respective semi-final matches will play in a final and the winner of the final shall be awarded with the ABSA CURRIE CUP.

FIRST DIVISION:
The winners of the respective semi-final matches will play in a final and the winner of the final shall be awarded with the ABSA SA CUP.

The construction of the two sections (X and Y) for the ABSA Currie Cup QUALIFYING ROUND will remain the same for two consecutive seasons (2005 and 2006) - for the purpose of reversing the home and away fixtures in two years. In 2007 and 2008 the construction of the two sections (SECTION X and SECTION Y) will be done according to the results in the ABSA Currie Cup and ABSA Shield at the end of 2006.

http://www.rugby365.co.za/TOURNAMENTS/Cu...4303.shtml

Now this bloke may turn out to be superb, but where does this player migration end?

By the time the Lord made mothers, He was into the sixth day working overtime. An Angel appeared and said "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered and said, "Have you read the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not elastic; have 200 movable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that can hold three children at one time and that disappears when she stands up; have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart; and have six pairs of hands."

The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one. "Six pairs of hands! No way!" said the Angel.

The Lord replied, "Oh, it's not the hands that are the problem. It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!"

"And that's on the standard model?" the Angel asked.

The Lord nodded in agreement, "Yep, one pair of eyes are to see through the closed door as she asks her children what they are doing even though she already knows. Another pair in the back of her head are to see what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third pair are here in the front of her head. They are for looking at an errant child and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even saying a single word."

The Angel tried to stop the Lord "This is too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

"But I can't!" The Lord protested, "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger and can get a nine year old to stand in the shower."

The Angel moved closer and touched the woman, "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?" asked the Angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason, and negotiate."

The Angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like You have a leak with this model. I told You that You were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak." the Lord objected. "That's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the Angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride."

The Angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything for this one. You even created the tear!"

The Lord looked at the Angel and smiled and said, "I'm afraid you are wrong again. I created the woman, but she created the tear!"

Usually, in the same sentence, this refers to the munched destruction of my fingernails as the events of a GP draw onwards. Today, however, it meant something different. It wasn't the biting but the accumulation of splinters under my nails as I scratched my head that caused the pain. I do not want to go over the events again, once is enough already. But this is indicative of a far larger problem.

ITV's gallant commentary team did their best to make this better than Celebrity Love Island, a disaster ITV is truly responsible for, and went on for a couple of hours about what has happened and how we all feel about this. We now know the answers to these two questions. To fully appreciate the situation, in my opinion, we need to go back in time to
the end of last year. As an avid fan, and I remain such despite today's fiasco, I was incredibly surprised to read that cars were going to limited to a single tyre for both the race and qualifying. My first thoughts were towards safety.
Surely one tyre can't survive an entire race. But, miraculously, they have. The rule has even made racing less predictable. It's all good, in that respect.

I am willing to bet, being the least favourite fan of lawyers in the Entire world, that there were legal teams all over the USA drawing up lawsuits and counters to these suits seconds after Ralf Schumachers car ploughed into the wall. So far we have heard of no legal response from Ralf, Toyota, Michelin and so on. But imagine if Ralf had hit the wall so hard that his career was over. And now we start to understand the edginess that Michelin started feeling. Is there a 10% chance this tyre will fail, 50%, 60%? What are the
percentages? Will it affect everyone? How much will this cost us? What do Michelin do? Well, they propose a safety measure, a chicane at around turn 13 to slow the cars down to an acceptable level (to be determined).
This goes to the teams and 9 agree. Hardly surprising considering that 7 of them are on Micehlins and the other 2 are small boys pretending to be big boys. But Ferrari doesn't agree.

Now, before we drag Ferrari over the coals, let's have a little look at this.

All year Ferrari have been relegated to the side lines. Ferrari have said, and their tyre supplier has agreed, that the main reason for this is their tyres. So along comes the opposition and says, "Sorry, we messed up, we'd like to pop a little chicane in. It'll further hamper you despite the good job you already have done, hope you don't mind." Ok, might have ad libbed that, but it's kind of a synopsis. Does Ferrari say, "Sure. Staple my other foot to the ground."? No, they say, "Um, no." And rightly they should. What did Michelin come to the table with? Flav and a couple of other boys said that they were prepared to sacrifice points. But I am willing to bet Ron and Frank were up there saying, "Not on my watch!" And, if the shoe was on the other foot, would the rest of the grid have said yes? No, I don't think so. Ok, Ferrari, don't race. It's just you, Jordan and Minardi and they normally conk out before half distance. No. It's about money and lawyers. I need not have to remind anyone that 11 years, this year in fact, after the death of Ayrton Senna the last case against a Williams employee was concluded. The FIA has the same idea, whether as a result of Ferrari being their main bed partner or not, and says the chicane is a no go. The rest we know.

So, what does this mean? It means a few things to me and these are significant.

1) F1, as we know it, has suffered a near fatal stroke. Today has proved that the teams will not work together. Why? Simple, the GPWC, the New Labour of motor racing. All the big teams are in it, with the exception of Ferrari, and a blow to F1 like what happened today will only serve to prevent the minnows from defecting to the FIA. Today will be held aloft by the GPWC teams as an example of what F1 will be once the GPWC is in place. Look at it like that and there is not really a big old future there.

2) There will probably not be an American F1 GP ever again. Unless they refund the tickets from today they will have to give them away next year to assure an audience. Either that or next year tickets to the US GP will be cheap enough for anyone to go.

3) Michelin is going to be flogged. This is not as good as you may think. Remember point 1? Remember that 7 out of the 9 teams in the GPWC are on Michelins? The teams and Michelin have done a lot of work together and you have to believe that, with the bigger picture in mind, Michelin was planned to be the sole tyre supplier to the GPWC from the start. If something happened, like what happened today, in the GPWC then they'd have quietly and calmly sorted it out, race on. I personally feel that hammering Michelin is just going to hurt F1 more. It's a real catch 22, not doing anything will make the top brass look impotent which is just as damaging.

4) Ferrari is going to be under more pressure to leave the FIA or face racing itself. Watch the next six months. Those new rules proposed by the FIA for 2008 might not be needed.

One thing is for certain, Bernie has his work cut out for him. This is going to have to be handled incredibly well.

For all our sakes. France in 2 weeks, what a difference these two weeks will make.




Written with help from Steve Tompkins

The Book Club is one of my favorite spots here on Globalbuzz, closely after the Banter pages. I have a love for all sorts of books. I hope to make this a one-stop for all those who enjoy reading, for folks to tell others about a good or even a bad book you have read. Here we will recommend books on a regular basis everything from Sci-Fi to Romance. I would like to introduce a children's corner as well as a non fiction section too. Think of this place as your local book stop were you can even have a cuppa coffee if you bring your own.

I am a member of Oprah's book club and she has introduced many people back to the classics. Orpah will be announcing her summer read within the next 2 weeks or so, I shall be reading along with her and looking at the discussions that follow every few chapters. We can do the same here on the boards by either reading our own choice or reading along with Oprah. One does not need to break up a book apart piece by piece in a book club; but sometimes when you are in the middle of the book one questions things and it is always nice to chat to someone else who is reading the same as you.

Looking forward to seeing you all - Happy Reading !

Book 1: The Death & Life of Charlie St Cloud by Ben Sherwood
This is a magical and uplifting story of love, death and the unbreakable bond between brothers. It is a moving tale of what happens when people are taken from this world to the next and considers that death may not be the end. Its about finding your soul mate when you least expect.

Book 2: The Food of Love by Anthony Capella
Laura Patterson is studying art history in Rome. SheÂ’s dazzled by the warmth and vibrancy of the Eternal City, but not so overwhelmed by the men she meets. She wants sensuality and romance; she gets wolf whistles and drunken groping. Most of all she wants to experience Italian food at its best - so she decides she will only go out with a man who can cook. When Tommaso Massi overhears Laura saying this, he tells her just what she wants to hear. Laura falls for his charms and for the sumptuous feasts he prepares for her in his rooftop flat - not realising it is TommasoÂ’s friend, Bruno, who is the genius in the kitchen. But itÂ’s when Bruno falls for Laura, that the sparks begin to fly.

Book 3: Good News Bad News by David Wolstencroft
Good News, Bad News...a secret agent is trained to try to think of every possible outcome and eventuality. Who could have guessed, though, that a bureaucratic error would send two men to the same 'cover' job, working in a shabby photo-processing booth, where each must keep his real identity secret from the other, while awaiting orders. Or that those orders would be to assassinate...each other. Thrown together by this apparently ghastly mistake, Charlie and George decide to go on the run together. In the whole world, the only people they can trust are each other. Or can they? Slick, clever, teasing and suspenseful, full of tradecraft for the traditional espionage fan and a modern sensibility for a whole new generation of readers, who might well be more used to watching Spooks.

Book 4: The Laments by George Hagen
The World According To Garp meets American Beauty in this dazzling first novel, a tragi-comedy about family life, love and identity that spans several decades and three continents When Howard and Julia Lament adopt Will, a baby secretly switched at birth in a bizarre hospital debacle, the Laments begin a journey which takes them from Northern Rhodesia to the Persian Gulf, England and suburban America, as they search for their place in the world. Howard is an engineer and dreamer, who studies the conveyance of liquids through valves. Julia is woman of fiery spirit and a passion for Shakespeare, who is constantly called upon to reinvent her family's life and her own. Will's twin brothers, Marcus and Julius, force Will to question his place in the family, and Will struggles to find a sense of his own identity through the characters he meets en route - from Ruth, his first love in Africa, who carries around a biscuit tin lid to admire her reflection to Dawn Snedecker, the lisping intellectual who breaks his heart in America. Through the Laments' restlessness, their responses to adversity, and especially their unwieldy love for one another, George Hagen draws a picture of every family that is funny, tragic, hopeful and true.

Book 5: Eve Green by Susan Fletcher
Following the loss of her mother, eight-year-old Evie is sent to a new life in rural Wales - a dripping place, where flowers appear mysteriously on doorsteps and people look at her twice. With a sense of being lied to she sets out to discover her familyÂ’s dark secret - unaware that there is yet more darkness to come with the sinister disappearance of local girl Rosemary Hughes. Now many years later Eve Green is waiting for the birth of her own child, and when she revisits her past something clicks open in her mind and her own reckless role in the hunt for RosieÂ’s abductor is revealed

Book 6: The Ivy Chronicles by Karen Quinn
When she loses her high-powered job, her husband and her plush Park Avenue apartment in one afternoon, Ivy Ames emerges broken but unbowed. The newly single mother-of-two picks herself up, dusts herself down and reinvents herself as a private school admissions adviser. But Ivy has no idea what sheÂ’s let herself in for. In a parent-eat-parent world where even four-year-olds have CVs, Ivy is driven to lengths sheÂ’d never dreamed of to satisfy those well-heeled clients whoÂ’ll do literally anything to get their little darlings into the A-list schools. Fast-paced, feel-good and very, very funny, this deliciously over-the-top tale of mid-life reinvention and unexpected romance will appeal to anyone who has ever lost all they hold dear and had to start over again. It will also strike a chord with desperate parents up and down the country, forced into ever-increasing lengths to ensure their children are accepted by the best schools.

(Taken from Richard and Judy Website).