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South Africans love to chat around a braai.
This is a general thread for any interesting discussions.

Politics and sport are the favourite subjects around the sacred altar of coals. Right now South African politics is a soap opera, with each day bringing new twists in the saga of corruption, subterfuge and comedy that is SA life. The newspapers are never short of headlines; neither do the comedians and satirists lack for content. Our 'new' democracy is like a young volcano, bubbling and rumbling, but not yet erupting.

What a way to put it! I'm trying to update the group page and make it more user-friendly (aka procrastinating)
Last week certainly raised plenty of political issues, plus mental health questions around 'attacks of Schizophrenia'.

Lisa wrote: "What a way to put it! I'm trying to update the group page and make it more user-friendly (aka procrastinating)
Last week certainly raised plenty of political issues, plus mental health questions ar..."

In all the interviews with this man did anyone actually ask him to sign to see if he could?

Or check his references?

I would think it tragic if he actually could sign and maybe was unwell and is now a 'joke'.

There have been so many theories and too little facts. Apparently he is a registered interpreter. Beyond that, i dont know much. But i agree, that would be sad, particularly as it starts the whole discrimination hoohah around mental illness

Lisa wrote: "South Africans love to chat around a braai."

My daughter has a 'fire pit' in her little courtyard. It's been cool lately so she had a fire. Without realizing it, she had a gasoline can (for a lawnmower) too close to the fire. It exploded. Singed off her eyebrows. It could have been much worse. Her neighbor gave her a fire extinguisher for Christmas. We had given her a fire extinguisher for Christmas years ago, after she burned up our kitchen. I have a big commercial fire extinguisher that I'm going to wrap up and put under the tree for her this year. How many people do you know who have gotten three fire extinguishers for Christmas? And for good cause?

Juju and Steve being arrested for speeding on the same day will make a good braai chat topic this w/end. At last the radical right and radical left agree on something: that SA's traffic laws are there to be broken! There will be a stream of Steve&Juju jokes circulating soon, I'm sure.

I didn't hear what happened- traffic violations?

Speeding yesterday - Steve at 160kph and Juju at 220kph!

OMG! I didn't know cars can do 220km/hr!

Ha, Lisa. Life in the fast lane not for you then!

Buck, that's hilarious!
My brother also has an affinity for fire.
He's burnt a roof, a house and several trees. His eyes light up when he sees matches. I think I've hidden more petrol and matches than the fire department.

John, if you are ever overtaken by a wee black Corsa with a shark bumper sticker, that was me!

Buck, I've burned a small forest down. See if your daughter can match or beat that!

I shall watch out for you, Lisa. Perhaps we can see what 220kph feels like together. Headline: 'Two Shark supporters arrested for speeding...' They'll throw the book at us here in Cape Town.

I guess that makes you a 'hot chick', Vicki.

Challenge accepted Vicki
My brother used to:
Switch off the lights
Spray deodorant on his arms/ chest
Light this
Then race through the room with burning blue flame

I'm tossing my hand in. This party's getting too rough for me. Gotta do some work as well. This group thing can be addictive!

I was going to say that my family and I enjoy our indoor fireplace now that it's the winter season here, but that sounds so tame and boring compared to everyone else's adventures! I guess I need to add a little more excitement to my life! The closest I've come to pyrotechnics is baking cupcakes with my mom and having them catch on fire in the oven. By the time the fire department came, we'd already extinguished it.

Lisa, that's too funny! Makes me laugh!

Calling the fire dept. to extinguish burning cup-cakes? I think that's the wackiest of the lot, Sarah. You win!

Please tell me that they were given cupcakes to eat as a thank you!
Flame boy had epic timing- he waited for guests, it's amazing what we considered normal.

Haha! Thanks, John! As I recall, the cupcakes were pretty inedible by that time. I remember going to school the next day (I was in about fourth grade) and having the neighbor kids ask why the fire department was at our house, which was funny because they live far enough away that we can't see each other's houses! If I had been thinking, I would have concocted a better story to tell them! ;-)

Lol Sarah

According to the News, Malema was released on R5000 bail and is the fastest man in Gauteng. The fastest man in SA is from Durban. I can't find what happened to Hofmeyer.
In unrelated SA news, what's going on with Oscar Pistorius?

Happy birthday John

Was anyone else disappointed about the cricket?

Was anyone else disappointed about the cricket?

Thank you, Lisa. It has been a wonderful birthday, so far. Will be paying a price, though, I fear.
No, I am not disappointed about the cricket. With Morne Morkel battling with an ankle injury at no. 9, to lose another wicket would have been disastrous. I have seen the last three wickets in a test match go down in two or three overs a few times before. I believe the right decision was made. It would have been pushing our luck to go all out for the win.

Happy Birthday, John! :-)

John, you now share a birthday with my niece, Xitelia- Leigh Jurenka- Fouche, born at 1pm in Swindon. 2,6kg and healthy!

Congratulations, Lisa! :-)

Amazing coincidence. I'm honoured to share a birthday with your niece, Lisa.
Thank you for your good wishes, Sarah.It has been one of my better birthdays, thanks to kind and loving friends and family. We are who we are because of others.

I was googling Fitzpatrick to determine a time line for Jock and came across this interesting information......

On 27 October 1919, a suggestion from Fitzpatrick for a moment of silence to be observed annually on 11 November, in honour of the dead of World War I, was forwarded to George V, then King of the United Kingdom, who on 7 November 1919, proclaimed "that at the hour when the Armistice came into force, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, there may be for the brief space of two minutes a complete suspension of all our normal activities � so that in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead." 11 November was the date in 1918 that the formal end of combat occurred to end WWI.

That's interesting. I'd never heard of that tradition.

Happy crown birthday to bibliophile Sarah Snider.

Best birthday wishes, Sarah. Is it today? (26th) What is a 'crown' birthday, Lisa?

When your age and birthdate are the same 26 on the 26th.

Thank you, Lisa and John! I am indeed 26 on today, the 26th! I didn't realize it was called a crown birthday, though; I learned something new! :-)

Your dad will be amused

Yes, he will! :-)

Don't know if anyone else saw this but I thought it was clever.......

Irene wrote: "Don't know if anyone else saw this but I thought it was clever.......

"

Haha! Love it!

Thanks, Irene. An entertaining piece of writing!

Clever

Gessende Tweede Nuwe Jaar almal
Happy Second New Year everyone!

I wonder if any other countries in the world have a Second New Year as we do? South Africans will find any reason for another day off to party.

Gessende Tweede Nuwe Jaar almal
Happy Second New Year everyone!

The origins re interesting. It's fairly unique to the western cape. I wondered if it was celebrated in the South in the USA