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This resource is hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, but was compiled and authored by Padraig O'Malley. It is the product of almost two decades of research and includes analyses, chronologies, historical documents, and interviews from the apartheid and post-apartheid eras.
09 Nov 1994: Hendrickse, Allan
Click here for more information on the Interviewee
Click here for Overview of the year
POM. You were just beginning to say?
AH. It's altogether a new atmosphere and I think I've lived through a transition period of three. When we first came to parliament in the old House of Assembly I was conducted to a gallery upstairs which was reserved for people of colour. And then in 1984 I came in as the leader of a coloured party into the House of Representatives, slightly different, and then we had joint sessions and joint decision making and now I am here in a new parliament with a completely new atmosphere. There's an easy come, easy go, a freedom of expression. For years I fought with the white Afrikaners about our mode of address. They insisted on a dark suit with a collar and a tie and now we're coming in shirt sleeves and this all adds and, of course, with us being part of that transitional - you will remember at one time I said that although this was an all white prerogative with us coming into the House of Representatives we were introducing a bit of colour, now of course the bit of colour is now the whites who are in parliament. We've got black representation. I must take the questions rather than just keep on.
POM. No, I like to hear you. The questions are on how things have changed and how parliament came into being.
AH. What is very noticeable is that from the National Party side that there is almost a spirit of, or an impression given of almost being in despair. After having been the guys with all the power, and of course persons who used their power, to be relegated to an opposition of minority, you can see that they are downcast. What's also interesting, there is within their programme they are heavy in their attack on the ANC about affirmative action. And of course they give the wrong impression and that's one of the reasons why the so-called coloured people in the Cape voted for the National Party was because of their emphasis on the 'swart gevaar', the black danger and affirmative action, that blacks were going to take your jobs away from you, blacks were going to take our houses away from you and so on. That's how they won there. But what they are doing, they have got quite a number of ex-Labour Party walkouts who are still with them and they used these people to attack the ANC. The attacks don't come from the whites because their leader is on the government of national unity so they use the coloured guys to open attack, fire all the volleys, but the black section of the ANC has begun to realise this and of course they are saying to De Klerk, "Your party is against affirmative action but you have demonstrated affirmative action by including coloureds and Africans in your party representation, which is not because you believe in it but because you want to show that you are a party of unity." But on the whole, as I say, the atmosphere, what is interesting also is the feeling of goodwill coming from the Freedom Front. You will remember the Freedom Front were the guys from the Conservative Party and some of them in the AWB and vociferous right wing. Under the leadership of General Viljoen there is a new attitude of understanding and it's really nice in a way for us to see the National Party and the Freedom Front fighting each other.
POM. Somebody said to me, I think today, that if an election were held today the Freedom front could well take a number of seats from the National Party.
AH. I would agree with that, certainly.
POM. Where does that leave the old Conservative Party? Are they effectively marginalising themselves?
AH. I think so. I think that was the mistake that Ferdi Hartzenberg made. Once he read the situation, and I mean we all knew from our contact with Afrikaners that people wanted to vote, wanted to participate. I think Ferdi, Conservative Party, would have done better than the National Party in the election if they had come in, but those Afrikaners who wanted to vote then voted for the Freedom Front. General Viljoen, I think, had read the situation very well and the amount of negotiation and understanding, one must give credit to the ANC as well and to Nelson Mandela in particular, who had to risk a lot of his following in terms of meeting the Freedom Front half way. The ANC are saying very clearly there is no place for a volkstaat at all but he conceded, at least let's establish a Volkstaat Council. And those chaps on the Volkstaat Council are going to get the same salaries as the members of parliament. So they've got a base from which to work and attempt to influence parliament, which means a lot to them because they're in a situation much stronger now than Ferdi Hartzenberg is.
POM. I was privileged to be an observer at the elections.
AH. Oh yes?
POM. One of the most vivid experiences of my life was coming around a corner in a small little township and heading towards the local school. It was the first day of voting so we were getting there early to make sure the ballot boxes were there and the ballots were there and everything was in order and we met a line of people which stretched for two miles. The sun was just coming up. And everything we saw was pretty regular and there were some irregular things but of no major significance. Then afterwards everything seemed to come together in a miraculous way. I'm not a believer in miracles and it has been suggested to me by many people in the IFP and the NP and the ANC that a good amount of voter rigging went on and that the final result was kind of a brokered result. Everybody got to win something. Buthelezi got his KwaZulu/Natal and a good job, the ANC got what it wanted in terms of almost close to being a clear winner, and the National Party got a decent representation, probably an over-representation in terms of what its actual base of support was. From what you've heard talked about with colleagues and ordinary people, was there an element of brokerage to the results in the sense that it was more important to ensure political stability than to ensure that the election was 'substantially free and fair'?
AH. My own impression, and I can only read it from local experience, is that the election fairly reflected the feeling of the people. If I take between the National Party and the ANC, in the Eastern Cape we don't have the IFP, and then the Afrikaner element voted Freedom Front and so they had one representative in parliament, the Freedom Front (Botha was formerly Conservative Party), so that the whites in Uitenhage voted Freedom Front, but there was a large number of coloured people. With the possible demise of the Labour Party we didn't organise and you will remember that there was almost an antagonism between part of the ANC, the younger ones, and the Labour Party because of our participation, we were criticised for that and rejected. But when we realised that in the Uitenhage/Port Elizabeth area that because of the non-support for the ANC amongst the coloured people we had to get in and the Labour Party started organising. The one person who did a lot within the ANC to give recognition to the Labour Party was the late Chris Hani. He had a clear understanding of what we were doing. And, of course, then Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela went out of his way against the grain of a large percentage of the ANC to work together with the Labour Party and others in the Patriotic Front. We talked about that before, the Patriotic Front. But there we could clearly see that once we got in as Labour Party and I could have a platform of Labour Party/COSATU/ANC/Communist Party, Ray Mhlaba down in the Eastern Cape, we had a meeting in Uitenhage which was bigger than the meeting than De Klerk had had in Uitenhage. But De Klerk's support there was amongst the coloured people. If you look at the Eastern Cape then I would say that the ANC got two thirds and the National Party got one third, particularly the coloured vote, but the other white vote went to the Freedom Front. So for me that experience in Uitenhage is the reflection I think of the overall South African situation. I expected actually De Klerk to get less. If there was any manoeuvring perhaps there in order to give him that 20% or 22% ...
POM. Do you think Buthelezi, I've never heard of a political party that when the opposition got 50.3% of the vote, that didn't say it wanted a recount. The fact that no recount was undertaken suggests that there was some kind of understanding.
AH. I think they were honest brokers, if you want to call them that, particularly with Buthelezi. The newspapers speak about Oppenheimer as having been the go-between, the one who eventually persuaded Buthelezi. But on the other hand I am sure at the back of his mind he was still playing for something, but he could never have come into the elections with so much poster work, organisation, readiness to participate if he didn't think that he was going to participate at some time or other. I think he was playing and playing and playing his cards until he couldn't get any further. And then of course came the brokers who may have said, well, fine, if you go in this is going to happen, if you stay out this is going to happen.
POM. When I came back into the country this time, about a month ago, I had been away for about four months, I was struck by facts like part of the MK in rebellion and SDUs still roaming the townships, not giving up their arms, taxi wars, random strikes, huge wage demands. A lot of things would suggest that the country was slowly sliding towards some form of anarchy. Particularly with regard to the level of crime the Sunday Times mentioned a serious crime being committed every 17 seconds, which truly astonishing. What is the state of the social fabric?
AH. One of the things that concern us really is that for one the expectations raised were very high, two, that there was misinterpretation by the ordinary folk, hoi-poloi and the folk right down under who felt apartheid laws, the misinterpretation of how long it would take to happen. Whether we like to admit it or not one has to still see that the unemployment was a very big contributing factor to the crime, unemployment. The unemployment wasn't after the election, it was really before the election, but with the unemployed fixing their hopes and aspirations on the immediate future rather than in terms of time. You would know that for a company whose economy was right down below to hope that the economy would improve within three months or six months was really a pipe dream. I think that was an important factor.
. The other factor, because we've come out of an apartheid society where so much had been done in terms of instigation, one cannot write off the fact that there may be people involved in terms of still hoping to bring about a violent revolution in South Africa with the hope of again power in some way or the other, control of the police, control of the army. One of the things that the ANC clearly lets come through to us in our caucuses and so on is that they are not really in charge because your public servants, the bureaucrats are still the same and they are the ones who have the long experience, they've got the knowledge and every minister is dependent upon the bureaucrats in his office and therefore it's going to take some time to get things right. One must not write off the possibility of there being people behind the whole question of generating an upset in the South African situation.
. There is certainly a concern about the role of some of the people in COSATU. In the Uitenhage situation Volkswagen workers went on strike for three months, it's a long time for workers to be without funds. There was a lot of intimidation from the younger groups who didn't have any responsibility about rents or children or schools or things like that and it took almost a strong personal intervention by Mandela and Thabo Mbeki and the Minister of Labour to bring about, and even then there wasn't 100% acceptance by the workers of the decision to go back to work. Now for them to have done that to Volkswagen where the wages are very good in comparison with all other industries, Volkswagen/Delta in Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, is really questionable. Now whether these were the idealists in terms of ideology who were hoping to get greater control over the ANC one doesn't know. But there was a deal of dissatisfaction within COSATU about the fact that all their twenty nominees hadn't received important positions in the new parliament. It was that. So I'm not discounting any possibility of a third force or in any case dissatisfaction also within the ANC.
. Take, for instance, I didn't see it myself, but the Afrikaans newspaper carried a story at the weekend, the chaps who had not received positions within the National Party are now going back to form the New Labour Party which will be coloured. Those are the guys who didn't get any positions in the National Party, now they are going back from where they were when they left me and are going back and saying, well fine we must establish a coloured party particularly in the Western Cape where there is a preponderance of coloured people.
POM. Is Nelson Mandela the person, the glue that holds things together?
AH. If I think of discussions earlier this year in the caucus, there was tremendous dissatisfaction with the appointments of whites. If you take for instance Trevor Manuel appointed as Leader of the House and the caucus had nominated one of its own members to be the Deputy Leader, but when it came back from Mandela he had appointed Leon Wessels as the Deputy. That's with the CA. Then the same thing happened in the House of Assembly. As I said Trevor Manuel and somebody else, yes he appointed as a deputy to Trevor, Dr Dawie de Villiers and then when we appointed Cyril Ramaphosa for the CA, Constituent Assembly, then Mandela appointed Leon. Now whether that was an attempt to give recognition to the two of them because the two of them certainly were the most verligte within the National Party. I remember during the last session of parliament I sent Dawie a note of congratulations saying, I don't know if I had mentioned this in Port Elizabeth at the time when we met, you had presented a far better political, intellectual and emotional speech than your own leader had done because Dawie was the dove in comparison with Hernus Kriel who was the hawk at that time. Within the ANC caucus there was unhappiness, they said, fine and we had given in to the government of national unity, Madiba must now stop appointing whites. But I believe that was his strategy. But now also the acceptance only came when the word came through that Mandela had decided. We went from caucus through the Whips to Mbeki, Thabo, and Thabo went to Mandela and the message came back. Once the message came back there was a general acceptance. Now there would not have been a general acceptance if he had not been Nelson Mandela. He is the cementing factor within the situation and I think more than myself will say that it is our prayer that God will spare him to see a greater length of time as President because if Mandela goes we may have a problem.
POM. What would that be?
AH. A division within the ANC, although the younger crowd, certainly, were responsible for nominating Thabo Mbeki as chairman of the ANC, that came from the Youth League.
POM. It strikes me as one of the things that I don't understand, Thabo doesn't strike one as being of the radical frame of mind.
AH. Not at all.
POM. You would think he would be more at home in country clubs than he would be in townships.
AH. That was a surprise to all of us that Thabo was nominated by the youth section, Youth League. He reflects almost a person who is able to fit all occasions and all people and he will make certainly a very good successor to Nelson Mandela. I think there is no doubt that the choice is good because Thabo can think on his feet and he's got a very good brain, like Nelson. I mean Nelson strikes you, he can remember names of people, dates, oh he's just too fantastic, and his attachment, recognition of people, he needs just a year, during the year, about three months after his release he meets me at the airport and I'm holding a little baby and he comes up, "Oh, who's child is this?" and I said, "This is my daughter's, Marie." He said, "I remember Marie". I said, "My daughter." He said, "Yes, Marie. She was one of those who nursed me when I was in hospital. Marie, how's Desmond?" He had never met Desmond but he knows, he's remarkable, almost fantastic brain. As a Christian one can almost compare him to the aura that surrounded Our Lord Jesus. Lovely, fond of kids, he likes to touch them, he won't walk past anybody and as I said he's got an aura about him that attracts people.
POM. Where does that leave Ramaphosa?
AH. I don't think Ramaphosa is as popular as he may have been in the past. I think he became too deeply involved in the negotiation itself. The fact that he was always associated with Roelf Meyer didn't leave a good impression and that may have affected him. The same response, may have been criticism, was this Nelson and FW. If you listen to the caucus for instance, just about two weeks ago there was a question whether we should continue with the system of 'Questions to the President'. Could we rather say, 'Questions to the Vice Presidents', that's Thabo and De Klerk. It was shouted down, no, can't give De Klerk a platform for propaganda. Even the Nobel Prize, there was an unhappiness that FW was associated with Mandela or going to the United States together. But it's Mandela and because it's him there is this acceptance of what is happening and what he is doing. Without him we would be in trouble now.
POM. Looking at Buthelezi for a moment, or not just Buthelezi but the rift between King Zwelithini and Buthelezi. Is this something that could have serious ramifications down the line or is it one of these little tiffs?
AH. I think it is important. I view it from the point that Buthelezi had had that whole period of consolidating leadership and the fact, even now if you take the occasion of the Zulu, what was it 24th September? Shaka Day. The fact that he defied the King and still could get those thousands shows that he has a strong support base. He's worked up those emotions around being Zulu and the King as being a Zulu and it was almost too late for the King to make a decision to drop Buthelezi. He had already established a power base and personalitywise, in spite of Gatsha's weakness in English, his mode of address and his trouble with speaking, when it comes to Zulu he can stir up those people and work with them. So I was hoping that while the King has shown his leanings towards the ANC now, that a further rift may not be coming because the King has in a sense come into his own now where he's making statements on his own.
POM. I find that very interesting because I've interviewed him every year since 1990 and he's always been very anti-ANC. I don't know if he was just mouthing words but he would talk about how they are a Xhosa tribe and they want to dominate the Zulus and the Zulus would never be dominated. He was more vehement on that than Buthelezi, which always kind of surprised me because people were always telling me that the King is Buthelezi's man. He never struck me as somebody who didn't think along. But the change in point of view of the King might have to do with the fact that the central government now pays his salary, the paymaster has changed?
AH. It could be, it could be. I wouldn't really emphasise that because that in terms of income is not only going to him as King, it's going to all our Chiefs and as people in various places have said, their Chiefs are actually equivalent to Kings. That was the strong argument against the King having representation in the talks at Kempton Park. And I think the fact that we've got the traditional Chiefs represented in parliament was in fact soft soaping the traditional small kings, as one could say, as opposed to the recognition that is now given to him. And of course a big thing also was the condemnation by Mandela of De Klerk's decision to allocate that amount of ground to the King.
POM. A huge amount, yes.
AH. A huge amount. Everybody thought that the government was going to withdraw that. That Mandela conceded, and I think that could have impressed the King also.
POM. Sure. You have the local government elections coming up next year. Going around the country I found most of the Premiers say they are totally unprepared and haven't even started compiling voter lists, demarcating the boundaries and they weren't getting adequate resources from the central government to perform their functions in that regard. Do you think the elections will take place in October?
AH. I'm very worried about that because there is a lot of division. You take almost animosity developing between Civic Associations, SANCO, which is the national Civic Organisation, and the ANC. SANCO are insisting that they should have the right as civic bodies to run and control the elections for municipalities, local government. The ANC, of course, has also got its finger in the pie. A lot of ANC members are in SANCO and SANCO in ANC and then you've got starting, what worries me among the so-called coloured people, Ratepayer's Associations which are now given recognition already in your transitional local governments is whether they will be able to finish all that for an election I don't know, particularly if it's going to be done on the basis of voter's rolls.
POM. And demarcated ....
AH. Areas of representation. It's very difficult because you must bear in mind that at the moment geographically we are still on a colour basis. Mitchells Plain is still coloured. Guguletu, Langa are still African. Sea Point is still white. So how the boundaries are going to be drawn is going to be one big problem to make it a non-racial election.
POM. Again coming back to Natal, do you think the holding of local elections there would re-ignite, maybe even exacerbate the feud between the ANC and the IFP, that they would be fighting over even narrower bits of territory?
AH. Maybe, at the local level it may go better even than on that national level. At national level it was a question of real power which gave them that power within the province. I don't think that the local government thing is going to be a satisfaction of power in terms of decision making. I don't hope and I don't think that the violence between the two could exacerbate really.
POM. Another thing I found going around was that if one mentioned the phrase RDP or Reconstruction and Development Plan to people, elected or non-elected, one was met mostly with a blank stare. They had no idea what you were talking about. Different ministers within regional governments had different interpretations of what the whole thing was about.
AH. There is a lot of confusion still. I was up in one area at a meeting with farmers and farm workers on Saturday and then I was surprised to hear that while I was speaking to the Minister of Land Affairs here, and the deputy minister actually will be accompanying me in January, that members from the province had been in the area of Willowmore, which is about 60 miles from where I was, farming area, to explain to people about the RDP. And in our meeting with the farmers and workers they wanted to know from me what this meant, what these people were saying with regard to RDP, in Afrikaans the HOP, whether we're going to 'HOP' with regard to the RDP. But there's a lot of lack of understanding what it really is. My own daughter, of course, who is just a primary school teacher said this to me two weeks ago, "What is this RDP?" And then I had to give her the booklet. I said, go through this and look at it and see whether you can understand it.
POM. But you don't reach the masses that way and it would seem to me that ...
AH. We have an instruction actually now during the recess to go out and our report back meetings must be on the clearer understanding of what the RDP is because for some people the RDP means nothing, for others it's going to satisfy all their needs and it's going to be done quickly. In other words we're going to get our houses tomorrow. I had to say to these farm workers, I said, "But it doesn't matter who says what about you're going to get your houses. It depends upon how much money can be obtained for working towards the implementation of the RDP. It's all right to say you're going to get houses but it's a question of when."
POM. The unemployment rate is close to 50% and two years ago I interviewed Derek Keys when he was then the Finance Minister and his most optimistic outlook for the economy of South Africa to the year 2000 was that at best it could create a 1% increase in employment per year. I saw him again three weeks ago and asked him the same question and again he said he would stand by his analysis that at best the economy would generate a 1% increase in employment each year between now and the year 2000, which makes no dent in the problem at all.
AH. What does also worry me is the question of time in terms of housing because the original idea behind the RDP was also to break the high rate of unemployment. Whereas people would be trained to build their own houses one hears now about contractors coming in and that contractors must start using people and so on and it's difficult because contractor A already has 50 people in his employment and as you said there are 100 unemployed outside. Now he's not going to bring the 100 from outside and make it 150, but whereas if people who are unemployed were empowered to make bricks, to make mortar, to do woodwork and so on, then, or as was said, make the streets, the layout, doing the clearing and all that, then you could reduce the rate of unemployment. But in terms of creation of productivity one has to put a big question mark on whether the alleviation of unemployment is going to take place as Derek Keys has said because again mechanisation, automation. I went out to this factory in Ceres that employed hundreds of coloured girls, they prepare fruit juices that you have on the planes and all that, Ceres. Now you find there are about a dozen people feeding the machines, another one sitting with a computer looking at us, there is the machine which cuts the labels and boxes. Where are the other 99 of the hundred who were employed before? Automation. Owners will go for automation where the machines can't go on strike rather than the workers who can down tools today and let the machines come to a standstill.
POM. Why do you think, just going back to the RDP for a moment, the government put an awful lot of effort into voter education and using the mass media and whatever to instil in people an understanding of what they were going to do and there hasn't been any comparable effort with regard to the RDP. It hasn't been marketed well in the sense that people don't know that they must take ownership of it themselves for it to work.
AH. I think it's because of the lack of clarity. It was an ideal which was put on to paper and as you said now the mechanism of getting it across to people hadn't received the depth of thought that it should have got. Whether the government will still come back once they sort out their problems with the SABC and all kinds of things, could be that the programme may start. But it's going to be so difficult because you're going to do this RDP and you've got to start preparing for the local elections in October, getting people to register. It's a lot of confusion.
POM. The regional leaders I talked to were very resentful of the lack of devolution of power from the centre.
AH. Well I think it's part of the confusion, it's part of the confusion. Take myself now, if I went to the Minister of Land Affairs in Bisho would I get the same response as speaking to the national Minister of Land Affairs here? I get a quicker response here than the response I would get there. It will take some time before this whole question of devolution of power can really become effective to the regions.
POM. Is this going to be a big issue in the Constituent Assembly?
AH. I'm not sure, not sure, but it may be. Our committees are sitting on that. But if you take the impatience of Tokyo Sexwale up in the PWV on the question of housing, he's impatient, he's got no right of decision making. He makes a decision and the Minister of Housing says no he's got no right to make that decision. Now they have been delegated certain powers with regard to housing but where's the finance of housing coming from? From central government but this still has to be negotiated. Who receives priority where when you've got a limited size of the cake to be cut? So we're not out of the woods with regard to problems. We may get out of the thunder.
POM. If you had to rate the government on a scale of one to ten where one represented a very unsatisfactory performance and ten represented a very satisfactory performance, where would you rate it?
AH. Oh, I would say actually performance at the moment I would give a five out of ten. It's just about average. In other words we are carrying on where the others left off. There has to be some acceleration but again acceleration depends upon the economy, the economy depends upon investment.
POM. Investment depends upon stability and stability depends on the economy.
AH. I spoke to one of the bankers from Austria and he feels that in spite of promises of governments to assist in terms of RDP there is still a hesitancy from investors to come in, because they are the ones who are still looking for a return. So that the economic instability is still frightening them away.
POM. Is business playing its fair part?
AH. I can only see from my own experience locally, there is an attempt to do so. Businessmen realise that their existence depends upon the support that they get. Their support is largely a black support and so they have got to be seen and I find, like in our local forum, economic forum at Uitenhage, that there is tremendous interest from the industrialists and businessmen with regard to the whole question of elimination of problems and looking at economic development of an area or a region.
POM. One thing that surprised me was the seeming political naiveté of the ANC in particular in accepting the raises in wages that were recommended by the committee that sat on it. They could have looked at the commission report and said we should get more but if we're going to tighten our belts we're going to start with us and won't increase anything. And suddenly you've got this gravy train.
AH. I think one must be very careful in terms of analysis because it's the press guys who really gave so much publicity and I asked one of the press guys the other day, I said, "Look you've got an editor here of the coloured section of the Sunday Times", (although they don't say coloured they say Sunday Times Metro), he receives the salary of a sub-editor of the newspaper and if you look at the whole of the Sunday Times you're going to find possibly half a dozen paragraphs of comment from him or reports. They receive their allowances in terms of entertainment, not one of them sitting here pays entertainment, every drink they have downstairs is paid by their organisation, and we asked publicly for newspapermen to please tell us what their salaries are. We haven't got it. And then also if you look to the other section, the ministers have certainly responded in terms of reduction of their salaries, but if you look at ordinary parliamentarians we're not getting very much extra than what former government MPs got.
POM. It's the perception of it.
AH. The perception, and the perception is created by the press. They have got onto a train and they turned it into a gravy train. And then if one takes, now look at our salary, after deductions I'm getting R9000 a month, after deductions. Now we've got a Principal of a school, primary school, with a salary of R8000 a month who works for five hours a day. I'm obligated to stay here, run a second home as I am doing, I was paying a house rental of R1500 a month until I decided let me rather buy a small house which would be a better investment than paying the R1500. And taking all those things into account, I've got to run a home in Uitenhage, I've got to pay my rates, electricity, my maid and all the rest and I've got to run a home in Cape Town and employ people. R10,000 is not so much.
POM. One last thing. The Truth Commission.
AH. What one can say about the Truth Commission? I think it's absolutely essential, even from the religious point of view. I can't forgive you unless you tell me what you've done. You can say I'm sorry, as De Klerk has said, he didn't even say it very openly and convincingly.
POM. He doesn't want to take any responsibility.
AH. He can't. He rejects any responsibility and I think before we can get really a satisfactory answer that can lead to a greater understanding and a newness we've got to dig out the past and bury the past, but you can't bury something you don't know about.
POM. Do you think if there was direct evidence that a minister or an MP was implicated in a crime that was committed by the state that he should have to stand down as a minister or as an MP?
AH. Well I should say so. I wouldn't look at the Nuremberg thing of standing trial.
POM. No, that's not the way you'd have to do it.
AH. But I certainly would think that if a person was involved, maybe the time that my house was bombed, I was in the House of Representatives and the impression that was created was that this was an ANC threat to me because of my being in parliament. Colonel Horak who was part of the police force made a statement and an admission that the police were responsible for the throwing of the hand grenades. And then Hernus Kriel applied for a court interdict to prevent Max du Preez' newspaper from publishing the full story. Now there are many people who still believe that the ANC was the one that attacked my house. The same thing is true, one of the National Party guys said the other day that he can't understand why I'm in the ANC when the ANC was responsible for burning my church. Now we've got to know who burnt the church, who gave the instruction for the church to be burnt because on the very day, the Thursday that my church was burnt I sent a note to the then Minister of Police asking for extra protection for my house and my hall because I suspected that something was going to happen. The night that I phoned him he was, the policeman who answered said the minister was sleeping and can't be disturbed. But noticeable was that the police were absent when they attacked the place, that they were standing at a distance and the Fire Brigade didn't go nearby. Now I think until such time as I know who was responsible, I'm going to be unhappy about who did this although in retrospect, I've said this to my own congregation, we've got a nicer church now, a better church, and all the cockroaches that were there before are all burned out, it was a blessing in disguise. I think in that light, if one takes the Biko thing or the Goniwe thing, the cover-ups, the cover-ups, the misinterpretations. With the Goniwe thing it now depends upon the family whether they are going to institute a civil case. I think such things must come into the open, for both sides. I mean we've got a chappie here in parliament, Gxowa(?) who was in the ANC and he pulls off his shirt and shows how he was tortured in Quatro. Fine, let's get it out instead of hammering on it all the time.
POM. Thank you.
AH. Thank you always for including me. Nice to meet you.
POM. I always will. You always give a very good interview.
AH. Stay in touch.


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Uses for a Soldering Iron
Soldering is a process that is used for many different projects. Soldering irons can be used to repair as well as create, making it a useful tool for tradespeople and hobbyists alike. Because the metals used in soldering are good conductors, soldering is also especially useful for circuit boards and wiring projects. Given the vast array of projects that soldering irons can be used for, let's take a look at some examples.
Circuit boards
Circuit boards are one of the most common items in which soldering irons are used. Because soldering creates an electric bond between components, it is extremely useful for electronic devices. Soldering is often thought of as a way of connecting workpieces, but of course, the solder itself also acts as a conductor. In this way, soldering can be used to build the components of an electronic device, and have electric currents pass through the solder. On a circuit board, solder is used to hold the components on the board, as well as allowing electrical current to pass through the different components. Rosin flux is used for electronics because acid flux can damage and corrode the components.
Electrical wiring
Soldering is also very useful for electrical wiring. When you want to make a connection between wires, manually twisting them together is an important start, but it's not a strong connection long term. Soldering the wires together drastically improves the connection, and when done properly, it can last a long time. Because the solder is a strong conductor, soldering wires together also improves the flow of electricity between the wires. Keep in mind, it is especially important not to touch the solder to the iron when soldering wires. Allowing the solder to drip through the heated wires with the help of flux will create a much stronger and more efficient connection.
Stained glass and mosaics
Many hobbyists and people who like arts and crafts also use soldering as a fundamental tool in their work. A great example of this is stained glass work. Stained glass is all held together with solder. The process is much the same as any other soldering project, with one obvious hitch: you can't solder glass. When soldering stained glass, adhesive copper foil needs to be stuck to the edges of the glass so the solder has something to bond with. Once the copper foil is added, the soldering process works as usual.
Another common artistic use of soldering is in jewelry making. In this case, the process is actually quite different from typical soldering. Usually, jewelry makers require the use of harder metals and a much stronger bond between their workpieces. For this reason, a soldering torch is far more useful than a soldering iron. Soldering torches are capable of producing much higher temperatures that would damage electronic components if used for that purpose. But for certain jewelries, torches are perfect. Jewelry makers also typically solder work pieces together using chips of solder that are then melted with the torch, rather than melting the solder directly onto the workpiece.
Plumbing is another field in which soldering is extremely important. Piping requires a good, strong connection to avoid leakage. One of the major differences in soldering plumbing is the use of acid flux. Acid flux degrades electronics, but is perfect for plumbing because it strips oxidation from the pipes while you are soldering. This reduces the buildup of oxidized metal and gives you a much cleaner, stronger bond between the workpieces.
Types of Soldering Irons
Depending on what you want to do with it, there are several types of soldering irons available. Check out our guide to the different types of soldering stations to learn more about them

subset: commoncrawl


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Gov. Cuomo: 'You Can Go to Work and You Can Be an Essential Worker'
Posted on | April 23, 2020 | 1 Comment
Are you currently unemployed because your governor declared your employment to be "non-essential" and you can't get a job working for a cable news channel? Don't worry, says the governor:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that protesters calling for the state to reopen the economy so they can go back to work could "get a job as an essential worker."
Cuomo made the comment at the end of a long exchange with WRGB reporter Anne McCloy, who told the governor that she spoke with demonstrators outside New York's state Capitol in Albany before heading inside for the daily press conference. The protesters told her they can't wait for widespread coronavirus testing – which Cuomo has been pushing — and want to return to work so they can have an income and feed their families, McCloy said.
"By the way — if you want to go to work, go take the job as an essential worker. Do it tomorrow," Cuomo said.
"But the people aren't hiring because of the pandemic," McCloy responded.
"No, there are people hiring," Cuomo said. "You can get a job as an essential worker, so now you can go to work and you can be an essential worker and you're not going to kill anyone."
Ace of Spades notes that the governor's "non-essential" brother, who works for an obscure cable channel seen mainly in airport lounges, apparently infected both his wife and his son with COVID-19.
One Response to "Gov. Cuomo: 'You Can Go to Work and You Can Be an Essential Worker'"
LinkSwarm for April 24, 2020 « Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog
April 24th, 2020 @ 8:11 am[…] Speaking of Gov. Cuomo, he said that if you're not an essential worker, sucks to be you. (Hat tip: The Other McCain.) […]


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Speaker Series
Read on for recaps of past speakers and click here to view our upcoming events.
Past Events
Cities Talk Lecture: Comparative and engaged research in urban politics: Productive tensions?
On November 20, 2023 Jennifer Robinson, a Professor and Chair of Human Geography at University College London, joined the Initiative on Cities to discuss comparative urbanism using examples from Johannesburg and London.
David Miller & Tom Bridges, "The Future of Cities"
On October 31, 2018 former Mayor of Toronto David Miller and Arup Director of Cities Advisory Tom Bridges joined the Initiative on Cities for a discussion on city resiliency and inequality in the face of climate change.
Read a recap of the lecture here.
Bruce Katz, Author, "The New Localism"
On February 28, 2018, Bruce Katz, former Centennial Scholar at the Brookings Institution, visited Boston University to discuss his new book "The New Localism: How Cities Can Thrive in the Age of Populism," which offers a practical road map for cities to plan and fund the future.
Read a recap of the lecture and watch the full video here.
Richard Florida, Author, "The New Urban Crisis", University of Toronto
On Thursday, November 9, 2017 the IOC welcomed Richard Florida to campus to give a lecture on his new book, "The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class—and What We Can Do About It."
Read a recap of his lecture and watch a complete video here.
Tris Brown, Chief of Staff to Mayor Joe Anderson of Liverpool, Discusses UK Cities with the IOC
On March 31st, 2016, the IOC was pleased to host Tris Brown of Liverpool, United Kingdom, for a discussion about the changing power structure and politics of UK cities. As Chief of Staff to Mayor Joe Anderson, Brown is deeply involved in the devolution of power to municipal and local governments. Mayor Anderson serves as the first directly elected Mayor Liverpool, first taking office in 2012. He was re-elected in a landslide victory in the spring of 2016.
IOC Hosts Talk with Deputy Assistant to the President and the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the White House, Jerry Abramson
On November 17th, 2015, the Initiative on Cities welcomed Jerry Abramson to Boston University to share his insights on how cities and urban innovation are shaping national policy. Currently serving as the Deputy Assistant to President Barack Obama and the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the White House, Jerry Abramson has previously held office as the Mayor of Louisville and the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky.
IOC Hosts Talk on Jakarta: Making a Megacity a Smart City
With a population of nearly 10 million, Jakarta stands as one of the largest cities in the world. As the city government attempts to manage its massive population, overcome a history of corruption and implement Smart City technology, what are the chief challenges and the biggest opportunities for progress?
Alongside the Pardee School for Global Studies, the Initiative on Cities was delighted to welcome Michael Sianipar, staff member to Jakarta's Governor Ahok, to Boston University on September 15th, 2016. Together with Paul McManus, Master Lecturer in Strategy and Innovation at the Boston University Questrom School of Business, Sianipar explained how Jakarta is overcoming past mismanagement and preparing itself for a brighter future.
IOC Partners with Pardee School for Speaker Series with Mayor Geisel of Dusseldorf, Germany
On September 22nd, 2015, the Initiative on Cities partnered with the Pardee School of Global Studies to welcome Mayor Thomas Geisel of Dusseldorf, Germany for a conversation on Leading Cities from the Left. Mayor Geisel's visit included a conversation moderated by IOC Director Graham Wilson on topics ranging from the current refugee crisis in Europe to sustainability, developing infrastructure and the unique challenges Mayor Geisel faces as Dusseldorf's first social democratic mayor in 15 years.
Mayor Geisel was joined on the panel by Daniel Koh, Chief of Staff to Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, and Kaija Schilde, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Pardee School.
IOC Hosts First Speaker Series with Sen. Elizabeth Warren
On April 14th, 2014, the Initiative on Cities hosted Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for a roundtable discussion on the need for greater federal investment in health research. Senator Warren and IOC co-Director Tom Menino hosted a roundtable discussion with leading medical researchers and hospital leadership. Immediately afterward, the Senator addressed students on the challenges surrounding student loans and college affordability….MORE


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The best fragrances for men are those that evoke different moods, feelings, and sensations. This is due to the way in which we perceive scent. "The part of the brain that interprets scents is the one that deals with memories and emotions," notes Maxime-Garcia Janin, founder of Sillages Paris. "This is why the sense of smell is the most powerful there is: it's a direct path to our emotional state."
Traditionally, men's fragrances have consisted of darker notes (think: wood, spice and leather), while the lighter and sweeter notes were reserved for women's fragrances. However, thanks to changing conversations around masculinity, things have started to change.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian's Aqua Cologne Forte collection is a perfect example of this new wave of unisex fragrances. The Aqua Cologne Forte fuses notes of bergamot oil and vanilla to create a scent that appeals to both men and women. But there are so many more to choose from.
Here, Vogue rounds up the best men's fragrances to shop now.
Originally published on Vogue.co.uk


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POLITICS: High stakes in casino race
POLITICS: High stakes in casino race
POLITICS: High stakes in casino race
KINGSTON - Modern casinos are designed to excite their gambling clientele with the banks of winking, seductive slot machines and a friendly atmosphere.
But the announcement by the Ontario and Lottery Gaming Corporation that casino operations will be expanded – and privatized – makes the button-pushing on a two-cent slot machine pale magnificently by comparison.
There's a whole lot of high-rolling action at stake as casino designers, builders and operators – most of them experienced U.S. companies – vie for a seat at the province's expanding gaming table.
Consider this: Even before city councillors host a public meeting on Wednesday to gauge the level of interest in bringing a casino here, Kingston's top development officer has had meetings with what he termed a "medium-sized" gaming company.
Read article


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Entertain a crowd and remodel your home into a cornerstone of modern freshness with our Felix white collection. Elegantly crafted, the Felix Dining Table will become the new base for your family dining experiences. The white painted melamine is a durable, sturdy tabletop, capable of supporting your family dinners or entertaining friends and guests. Rubber wood legs provide a strong base for the Felix dining table, angling out from the top to emphasize the size and Scandinavia style of the piece.
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Russia conducted exercises using the Yars PGRK near the borders of the West.
In the period from January 25 to 26, 2022, the Russian military conducted maneuvers using the Yars mobile ground-based missile systems (PGRK). According to representatives of the Western Military District, the Yars PGRK moved to combat patrol routes. At the same time, the exercises themselves took place at a distance of about 700 kilometers from the western borders. This could well have been Russia's response to the request of the Baltic countries for the deployment of additional NATO and US forces.
It is known that during the exercises, Russian missilemen worked out the issues of bringing combat missile systems to combat patrol routes, made a march to change field positions, and also worked out the issues of camouflaging the complexes.
The Russian military managed to successfully cope with the assigned tasks, and at the same time, as expected, demonstrate their readiness to respond quickly to any threats. Taking into account the fact that the exercises themselves took place not far from the border with Ukraine, this became a demonstration of NATO's readiness of Russia to use such unique weapons, capable of destroying military bases, airfields, strategic facilities and even entire cities with one successful strike.
It's definitely painfully soft. We relaxed, for so many years we looked from the bottom / up - and then the Wishlist appeared. They don't understand, now they waste their energy knocking on the head.
No one in the west is afraid of these missiles. If they were afraid, they would not climb. Even North Korean missiles are more afraid. I think that due to the fact that the leadership of Russia is very soft and "kind". Allows the West to spit on us, and we are their partners.
The Yars regiment should be deployed in the Kaliningrad region so that NATO trembles like an aspen leaf. They think that we will stand on ceremony with them with their defiant hostility towards Russia
Near the borders of NATO, but not less than 5000 km to them)) Yars do not shoot closer ..
any program or electronic game - is tested - before it goes into production or becomes manageable and ready to use for a realistic product!!!
If we take into account that the range of Yars is up to 12 thousand km, then their exercises "near the borders of NATO" - it sounds ...


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Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California is affirmed in its right to host indoor worship services after a Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled that there is no court order preventing it. The ruling comes just a mere week after an emergency order enacted by the California Court of Appeals made it again illegal for the church to meet indoors.
"We are pleased with the outcome today. Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff correctly found there is no court order prohibiting Grace Community Church from holding indoor services," said Jenna Ellis, one of the Thomas More Society attorneys representing the church and Pastor John MacArthur.
"LA County continues to harass and target Pastor MacArthur. Having failed to get a court order to shut down the church they have sought three times, they're going to try again by hauling us back into court. Ironically, LA County said in its application for contempt that, 'Grace Church cannot thumb its nose at the court when decisions don't go its way,' yet that's precisely what LA County is now doing themselves. We will simply continue to defend our client's constitutionally protected rights because church is essential," she added.
For weeks, Grace has been embroiled in legal fights with the state of California and the city of Los Angeles for the right to meet and hold indoor services. Now, they are suing both the county and the state for violating their constitutional right to worship. They began legal proceedings after a cease and desist letter from the city of Los Angeles threatened MacArthur and his church with a "$1000 fine or MacArthur's arrest."
While MacArthur and his church originally opted to obey the early shutdown orders from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Grace Community Church began meeting in person again in late July.
"In response to the recent state order requiring churches in California to limit or suspend all meetings indefinitely, we, the pastors and elders of Grace Community Church, respectfully inform our civic leaders that they have exceeded their legitimate jurisdiction," the church's statement said. "Faithfulness to Christ prohibits us from observing the restrictions they want to impose on our corporate worship services."
According to MacArthur, the state and county do not have the authority to limit his church's freedom to worship.
"We do not need the state's permission to serve and worship our Lord as He has commanded," the church said. "Freedom of worship is a command of God, not a privilege granted by the state."
"It has never been the prerogative of civil government to order, modify, forbid, or mandate worship," MacArthur and the church's elders added. "When, how, and how often the church worships is not subject to Caesar. Caesar himself is subject to God."


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Scream and Silence
Politics Uploaded: 06/10/2011 Duration: 2:30 Minutes Available in Hebrew
On the day the world marked the International Day of Peace, with the Palestinian petition to the UN in the background, a group of about 50 people arrived in Jerusalem to march in silence to the president's residence in order to ask him to prevent the armed forces from using violence with the Palestinian protests. Two days later, at the village of Nabi Salih, a demonstration against the wall and illegal settlements took place. The silence was replaced with shouting. A machine that transmits sound waves in an intolerable frequency, which the IDF turns on in order to disperse demonstrations, was used. The demonstration was oppressed by firing rubber bullets and tear gas. Language:


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Microsoft is proud to announce that the Skype Community has reached a new milestone of two million registered users. This is not to be confused with the registered users of the service, rather, it has to do with those who register to partake in Skype's online forum.
"The Skype Community recently passed a major milestone by welcoming its 2,000,000th registered user! We are thrilled that two million people from around the world have joined us to ask and answer questions, share stories and talk about Skype," Microsoft stated in an official blog post.
As the company welcomes two million registered Skype Community users, Microsoft has also created "idea boards" where Skype users can contribute ideas for the future of Skype on Windows desktop and Windows Phone. This is where your suggestions can help improve the service.
"At the moment we have idea boards open where you can contribute your ideas for the future of Skype for Windows desktop and Skype for Windows Phone. The information that you provide here is regularly reviewed and fed into the development process for future releases. We're continually expanding this program so keep an eye out for more idea boards coming soon," the company added.
You can check out the Skype Community at community.skype.com.
Editor's note: This post incorrectly stated that Skype reached two million registered users. It is the Skype Community that has reached two million registered users.


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All rights reserved.
The Colorado Buffaloes have hit the recruiting trail hard in 2017 as they search for the next generation of star players for the 2018 class. With that, we take a look at the players they currently have committed and the positions they still need to fill.
The quarterback position looks to be set for 2018 with Valor Christian quarterback Blake Stenstrom tied to CU. A Scout 3-star, and an ESPN 4-star, Stenstrom was left out of the Elite 11 by just a few spots earlier this spring. The coaches seem to be very excited about his potential. Based on camp reviews, he seems to be poised for a breakout senior year after not playing much due to sitting behind current Michigan quarterback, Dylan McCaffrey.
Wide Receiver
The Buffs have done a very nice job filling their receiving core with Pac-12 level speed at various wide receiver positions. Darrin Chiaverini has nailed it in the recruiting game ever since setting foot on campus early last year. Chev has been reeling in what seems like countless additions to the famed "Blackout Boyz."
2018 seems to be no different with the recent additions of 3-star Daniel Arias and 4-star Dylan Thomas. Both are big-bodied wide outs who have tremendous ability to catch 50-50 balls. Thomas chose the Buffs over Boise State and Washington State.
Another top in-state recruit Dimitri Stanley committed to the Buffs in July. A two-way standout at Cherry Creek High School, and son of former Buff, Walter Stanley, Dimitri will play at wideout for the Buffs. He has good size, speed, and more than enough skill to play on either side of the ball full-time. Look for him to compete for playing time right away strictly due to his versatility.
3-star Jarek Broussard is another recruit to keep an eye on. Listed as an "Athlete" on Scout, Broussard will most likely be used as an H-back type of player at CU. His speed and versatility are his biggest strengths.
CU will most likely be done recruiting wide receivers in 2018 with the four commits they have currently unless something unforeseen happens. Buff fans should be very encouraged about the future of the receiving position as the 2017, and 2018 classes have both been loaded with talent.
Running Back
The Buffs have one commitment thus far at the running back position in Deion Smith out of Houston, Texas. Smith had 17 offers from schools that included UCLA and Notre Dame. He has tremendous breakaway speed and great vision, which allowed him to rush for over 1,200 yards in his junior campaign. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield as he racked up nearly 500 yards receiving and added five touchdown catches.
Offensive Line
The Buffs have done a nice job developing talent across the O-line in the MacIntyre era. This year, the Buffs have three offensive line commits, all of which are 3-star recruits according to Scout. The commit garnering the most buzz has been Walker Culver, a 6-5, 260-pound tackle out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Culver was one of Colorado's first commits for the 2018 class as he committed back in November of 2016. Culver is one recruit that proves this coaching staff has an eye for talent as he has absolutely blown up lately with ACC and SEC offers. Look for his recruitment to be a roller coaster coming down the stretch as he continues to pile up offers. We will see if the Buffs staff can hang onto him until signing day.
Another early 2018 commit for the Buffs was Josh Jynes, a 6-2, 310-pound guard out of Desoto, Texas. Jynes is a bit of dark horse thus far in the recruiting class but look for him to gather more offers as the year rolls along. He is a promising young athlete who will need to work on his technique and physique but could be a great player for the Buffs down the line.
Frank Fillip rounds out the commits on the offensive line thus far, and he's perhaps the rawest of the three. He towers at 6-7 and weighs only 260 pounds but has all of the tools to develop into a tremendous tackle for the Buffaloes. If Colorado's staff can develop him and hone his skill set, he may be able to remind fans of a certain Patriots left tackle.
A hard-nosed linebacker out of Newport Beach, California, Clyde Moore is a workhorse middle linebacker that Buff fans should be very excited about. He isn't the fastest or most athletic kid, but he will stuff just about any running lane and take on any fullback that comes his way. Without a doubt, this kid can hit and with any luck, will be a very serviceable and reliable player in the middle of the Buff's defense for years to come.
Davion Taylor is a stout outside linebacker out of Coahoma C.C. in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Taylor has flown somewhat under the radar thus far but has tremendous upside (Ole Miss recently offered). He didn't play varsity football in high school, so he is very raw and will need to hone his skills. He plans to be an early enrollee in January, so he will have a head start on the rest of the 2018 class to begin classes and workouts with the team.
Delrick Abrams Jr. is ranked as the No. 11 cornerback prospect in Junior College according to Scout and deservedly so. He has tremendous length accompanied by a muscular frame. He is eerily similar to Ahkello Witherspoon, and if he's any bit as good, the CU defense nabbed a gem in this kid. He is probably one of the most exciting commits in this class.
On the opposite side of the ball, secondary coach, Shadon Brown and Defensive Coordinator, D.J. Eliot have done a nice job getting commitments from long, athletic cornerbacks and physical downhill safeties who will look to become the second coming of the infamous "Money Gang."
The Buffs have stressed the safety position in 2018 as they already have 3 commitments. One of the Buff's first commitments for the 2018 class was a highly regarded in-state product, Ray Robinson. Robinson, unfortunately, suffered a season-ending ACL tear earlier this spring and will have to sit out his senior campaign.
Lavon Wallace is the most recent addition to the 2018 class for the Buffs. He is the definition of a prototypical safety. He stands at 6-3, 183 pounds and has an uncanny ability to find himself around the ball. Watch his tape, and he will remind you of Kam Chancellor. While it's an unfair comparison, his body type, athleticism, and fluidity on the field show flashes of the Seattle star.
Kahlef Hailessie is a 6-2, 185-pound, 3-star safety out of Elk Grove, California. Hailessie is a hard-hitting safety prospect with a "no-fear" attitude. He is extremely fast and athletic. He plays wide receiver as well for his high school team. He has great hands, which should benefit him in the secondary when defending 50-50 balls as well as at nickel defending inside slant routes.
Defensive Line
The Buffs have one commit across the entire defensive line in Joshka Gustav. A 6-3, 220-pound defensive end out of San Bernardino, California, Gustav is an athletic 3-4 end prospect who can flat out find the football. He does an excellent job setting the edge and has good speed. He is someone who will benefit from a college weight program but has the potential to be a good player for the Buffs moving forward.
What's Left?
D-line. Perhaps the most puzzling thing about the 2018 class so far has been the lack of commitments on the D-line. The Buffs have glaring needs across the board at every d-line position with most of the current roster being upper classmen. The Buffs need at least three more D-linemen this class so expect that to be an emphasis moving forward until signing day. A name to keep an eye on is 3-star defensive end Tava Finau who seems to be very interested in CU of late. Later in the process expect more names to emerge on the D-line recruiting front. Look for the Buffs to go the JUCO route for some help on the D-line to boost performance at those positions right away as they did last year with Javier Edwards and Chris Mulumba.
The Buffs started the 2018 class fast, as they currently have 16 total commits. The class ranks 45th in the nation and 5th in the Pac-12 thus far according to Scout. Expect for some players to improve their rankings as the high school season rolls around. The Buffs will most likely sign about 20 guys in the 2018 class given attrition and other factors.
Look for the Buffs to possibly add one more running back as well as another tight end prospect by signing day. The Buffs have lost one commitment thus far as in-state running back prospect Max Borghi flipped his commitment to Washington State earlier this summer.
Given that it is so early in the process, the coaching staff will have to not only recruit new guys but work to keep the current commits interested. Last year was one of the more entertaining recruiting years for the Buffs since 2007; expect this year to be more of the same.


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Blair and John's surprise wedding at Vuka Austin was a celebration to remember! These two didn't want to do anything flashy and definitely wanted to focus on being around their friends and family throughout the evening. No agenda, no planning, just hanging out. The day started with set up and as their immediate family showed up we began taking group photos. During the last group photo we staged the family altogether when the surprise ceremony was announced. You don't want to miss these reactions so make sure you look through after reading.
First, we want to share a little bit about Blair and John. They met via OkCupid, chatted for a bit, and then John asked her out on a date. They met at a local bar and talked for hours. Afterwards Blair drove John home so he wouldn't have to walk in the cold. She thought she would never hear from him again and figured he was just being polite when he invited her to a party the following weekend. John asked if he could cook dinner for her and at that point she figured it wasn't a total failure after all.
Blair said that she told John she forbid him from proposing because she thought it should be a two person conversation. Not a surprise. However, he did it anyways while they were at Harry Potter World! They designed the ring together which isn't exactly an engagement or wedding band, the name is TBD. The ring wasn't finished yet so John bought a ring from the books placeholder and proposed with that. Blair said it was at night and very quiet and inconspicuous. She didn't throw too much of a fit haha.
Bradley and I really loved meeting up and connecting with them. We love when couples are authentic to who they are and want a wedding celebration to represent that. Vuka Austin was the perfect location for their surprise ceremony and celebration. We love nothing else than to celebrate with the blood and chosen family of those we get to work with. Here is their beautiful evening with that family.
Here is where we finished the group photos and the surprise ceremony was announced!
Venue: Vuka Austin
Planner: Blue Boot's Events
Florist: Sixpence Floral
Catering: Pearl Snap Kitchen
Ice Cream Sandwiches: Baked Bear
DJ: N4sty Records


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Title: The Big Stick
Author: Richard de Nooy
Publisher: Jacana Media
Price: R135.95
Click here to buy The Big Stick from Kalahari.com.
The Big Stick is South African-born Richard de Nooy's follow-up to the acclaimed Six Fang Marks and a Tetanus Shot, the second part of what the author terms a "loose trilogy". It is sure to gain this distinctive voice more than just a cult following.
Set in a vibrant, salacious 1980s Netherlands, De Nooy's startling melange of characters, themes and voices shifts boundaries while remaining deliberately eclectic. The main thrust of the plot sees Alma Nel, mother to the gay Staal (nicknamed "Princess" by the mysterious narrator JR Deo), leave the Kalahari to retrieve her deceased son's body.
Alma is determined to uncover the truth of her son's death, searching for closure after her own mistreatment of Staal, desperate to understand her estranged son's wide circle of lovers, friends and acquaintances. Her only certainty is that all loved Staal, and that her own beliefs will come under scrutiny on her journey towards redemption.
A coke-dealing Rastafarian guides Alma on her subterranean quest for illumination, echoing the writing of Jonathan Saffran Foer, incidentally one of De Nooy's favourite writers. It would be remiss not to note the way that the English rewriting (rather than mere "translation") of Zacht als Staal – "Soft as Steel" – results in a different texture to the novel's brand of humour. As is the case in Saffran Foer's unusual work, De Nooy generates a consistent, fantastically contrived barrage of laughter through the gaps in communication and language between characters. With the brevity of the novel (around 160 pages), almost every moment of witty banter or miscommunication between Alma and a variety of endlessly amusing characters is to be savoured. To expect the novel to reproduce the kind of verbal fireworks between English and Dutch characters in the search for common ground and understanding might be a tad unfair.
Despite its warm-hearted embrace of the humorous side of life amid seediness and misguided cruelty, The Big Stick delivers a penetrating exposé of alienation, ignorance and fear. The novel renders Staal's exploits in the Netherlands in neon-vivid detail and with unflinching emotional candour, while Staal's childhood and coming out in a conservative South African community rings with authenticity.
De Nooy does not spare the reader discomfiting details about the way Staal is treated by a variety of family members and "doctors" for his "illness". This willingness to contrast the hedonism and erotic excess of the gay culture in Amsterdam with the utter despondency and loneliness of men like Staal is ultimately what elevates The Big Stick way above the conventional "murder mystery" or a cheapened exercise in lazy, hazy nostalgia. By the same measure, De Nooy channels a variety of voices into a credible and coherent conversation between author and reader.
De Nooy's deal is an idiosyncratic brand of bittersweet irony. He is as much a merchant of the tongue-in-cheek as a purveyor of emotional complexities in writing (in all their messy glory). Naming his central character Staal is clearly an ironic play on the signification of masculinity, toughness and hardness that the word implies, but also casts the net wider, drawing our attention to the ways that a clinical, detached approach to the complexities of queerness would sell the novel short.
Let us not beat about the bush when giving a verdict: The Big Stick is as irreverent, cheeky and compulsively readable as a novel about estrangement, exile, isolation and loss can be. De Nooy's study of queer power relations, embodied experiences and male intimacy is sensitive, filled to the brim with an exuberance of voice, and boasts a mesmerising confidence in the feel for dialogue and relationships. The Big Stick is not a book that panders to simplicity or condescends to its readers, and neither does it offer one-dimensional exposition or simplistic moralising. It shows a level of respect and measure of compassion towards its characters that ultimately makes them very real to us.
What sticks with you when you read this fine novel (and afterwards) is the seemingly effortless way that De Nooy constructs his deceptively complex study of sexuality and identity politics. Although the large cast of characters and the repeated shift in focalisation and tone may take a while for some readers to get used to, these constant shifts effectively foreground the way that subjectivity and memory are always unsettled and obscured by layers of interpretation and mediation. De Nooy's subjects remind us that life is as much a work in progress as it is an ambiguous course down both teeming highways and barely-lit back alleys, challenging, uncertain, and rewarding. Staal (and indeed De Nooy) exits the novel speaking softly, but carrying very big sticks.


text:
"Your culture needs to be institutionalized without becoming bureaucratized." —Patrick Lencioni
"I am one of twelve people in the world who can do the work that I do—I know them all, and I am the only one working at this firm," my colleague explained. "I'm at the top of my field, and there is no place for the company to promote me other than into management." He dropped is head in disgust and turned toward his office.
He momentarily turned back to add, "Since I am at the top of my pay bracket here, I am doomed to minuscule—if any—raises for the remainder of my career at this place. What's my incentive to stay, or even perform at a higher level? I stay here, in my engineering capacity, because I love what I do and hate the idea of being a manager."
My friend (I'll call him Bob for this article) shook his head in deep frustration as we discussed our employer's annual performance review process. I nodded my head in agreement at Bob's struggle. How do you appropriately reward people and also build a culture of innovation? We struggled with this concept at our company. Questions came up like, "Is it ok for a technical person to be paid more than their manager?"
We have all seen brilliantly creative and productive engineers and inventors promoted to management sheerly for career prestige or to finally pay them appropriately. But are they good managers? Bob had no desire to be a manager. So, he remained underpaid, but in a position he loved.
Manager vs. creator
Manager and creator are vastly different skills. I've been witness to several meteoric burnouts due to the practice of promoting the creative person simply for the purpose of appropriate compensation. There are occasional successes with this strategy, but those are much less common. As a result, both corporate culture and product development suffer. Companies are creating misery within the workplace by not having a solution to appropriately pay technical and creative personnel.
Enter an article by Safi Bahcall published in Harvard Business Review titled, "The Innovation Equation." Safi brilliantly breaks down the managerial systems, policies, and human resource tools of an organization that support and encourage innovation. He also brilliantly deals with the situation my friend, the technical expert, was dealing with.
Safi developed his formula in an attempt to answer the question: "How is it that companies so quickly shift from nurturing 'crazy' projects—the 'loonshots' that transform industries—to rejecting important innovations?" Safi deemed this point—when a company no longer nurtures transformational ideas— as "point M" in his formula and equates it to the freezing point of water. In this analogy, actions can be taken to change the freezing point of water, such as adding salt. But what can be done within a company to change its "M" point?
The Innovation Equation
Safi's research led to the identification of four critical controlling values of "point M" and the creation of his resulting formula. From Safi's article, the variables are (in my words, not Safi's):
- (E)The Equity Fraction: Are incentives greater based on the outcome of projects, or based on your rank in the company? (Hint: increase project incentives.)
- (F) Fitness Ratio: Simply put, this measures how a project member's skills fit the project. Will investing another hour on the project benefit the project and therefore the member or, if their skills are not a fit, should the member spend that hour playing politics and schmoozing? (Hint: increase project benefits.)
- (S) Management Span: (My personal favorite) How many direct reports does each executive and manager have? And how many levels of hierarchy exist from the bottom to the top of the organization? (Hint: increase direct reports and reduce hierarchy.)
- (G) Salary Growth: What is the increase in salary and benefits due to a promotion versus rewards for success on a project? Again, this would directly impact the desire to focus on the success of a project, versus lobbying for a promotion. (Hint: decrease promotional benefits.)
This leads us to Safi's innovation equation:
Point M= (E*S2*F) /G
Within an organization desiring greater innovation, the desire is to make "M" a larger number. You do so by increasing E, S, and F. And by decreasing the size of G. By manipulating these numbers within your culture, you will create a higher resilience against the complacency of the status quo. These are the controlling factors that Safi has brilliantly defined in his HBR article and book titled "Loonshots." I highly recommend reading the article at minimum and preferably both!
The Promotion Dilemma
So, what would have needed to change in my friend Bob's example, to incentivise him to remain in a role that released his brilliance and creativity? Let's break it down variable by variable from Safi's equation.
- (E)The Equity Fraction: For Bob, the environment at our workplace was incredibly political. It was much easier to receive honor, prestige, and salary by being promoted than by success on a project. Had the company shifted its mindset to rewarding project success far more than promotional rewards, Bob would have been satisfied. And frankly, many people who had left the company probably would have stayed.
- (F) Fitness Ratio: This variable, in Bob's case, was set perfectly. His skill set precisely met what the project required.
- (S) Management Span: The distance between project staff and senior management at Bob's firm was extensive. I was working at the same firm and in my ten years, I only met with one vice president.
- (G) Salary Growth: It is often said that the culture of a company reflects the culture of its largest customer. Our customer was a U.S. government agency and our corporate culture rated pretty high on the scale of political behavior. For Bob, had he invested in political behaviors and invested in promotion, he would have made more money, but lost the position he really loved.
For me, Safi's article added new management tools that reinforce and promote a healthy business culture and effective teams. I have long been a proponent of and now am a practitioner of—Patrick Lencioni's model of effective teams and culture. These behavioral disciplines make your company healthy and are required in order to amplify how smart your team is in the decision sciences such as technology, strategy, finance, etc. (see a quick explanation of smart versus healthy). Lencioni's and Safi's models are therefore not exclusive, but rather complimentary.
The Four Disciplines
With Safi's innovation equation we are handed a set of management disciplines, which, when combined with the four disciplines of building a healthy team from Lencioni, become a dynamic powerhouse. The four disciplines to build a healthy company and effective teams are as follows: (You can read more in Lencioni's book The Advantage).
- Build a Cohesive Leadership Team.
- Create Clarity.
- Communicate Clarity.
- Reinforce Clarity.
The first three quadrants of this model include some of the following activities which are simple to understand, but can be challenging to execute.
- Get clear on why your company exists.
- Define your primary values.
- Be very clear on what is most important, and who does what.
- Embrace conflict.
- Over-communicate your clarity.
- Hire ideal team players.
It is in the fourth discipline of a healthy company where human and management systems are implemented that institutionalize a culture without bureaucratizing it. In this step, a company begins to create the internal practices that reinforce their culture.
Accessing the Dials
Safi's innovation equation creates a management and compensation system that reduces politics and rewards the right behaviors. Lencioni's model gives you those behaviors! Between the two models, you now have the "dials" to fine tune your corporate culture (The Equity Fraction, Fitness Ratio, Management Span, Salary Growth). As a team pursues the four disciplines of a healthy team year after year, the management disciplines in place will become more refined and powerful. When practicing these disciplines, organizations can build a "health acumen" advantage over the competition.
The dial settings will be different in a small bakery compared to a large manufacturer, but most companies never even have access to the dials.
Now we do!