33 and a third

I still have a record collection. LPs and seven singles. I even have a working record player. I can't say I ever use it, but I love that I have it. It reminds me of a special time in the world. Getting a new record, when I was a youngster, was a big deal. It was like making a magical investment.

In this easy come easy go world of throw-away digital distractions, music is copied and digested at warp speed, and there is little appreciation for the medium. We still all love listening to music, sure, but we don't have the same respect for the recordings. Putting on a record, and carefully lowering the needle, was a soulful process. It was something special. You actually spent time, and relaxed, and listened to the music. Now we listen on our cellphones, and, well, it is not the same thing. Not in my view anyway.

Record collections were things to be admired, to be cared for, to be cherish. Record covers were like works of art. And then, in all of that wonder were the Springbok LPs. The "top 20" in cover versions. Always with a bokkie in a bikini on a motorbike or something cheesy like. And let's not forget the Pop Shop albums, which were original songs ... those were the days.

The records led to the "mixed tapes" and the mixed tapes led to all kinds of things.

I wish one day again for 33 and a third. That was a good speed. The world is running way too fast.

Posted by Ronnie Apteker

Ja well no fine

You got to love good 'ol South African humour ... I had to share this:

Barack Obama was sitting in his office wondering which country to invade next, when his telephone rang.

"Howzit, Barack!" a voice in broken English said, "This is Koos Vannermerwe here from the Doringboom Bar in Welkom, South Africa. I am ringing to inform you that we are officially declaring war on you, boet!"

"Well, Koos," Barack replied, "This is indeed important news! How big is your army?"

"Right now," said Koos, after a moment's calculation, "there is myself, my cousin Jan, my next-door neighbour Lang Hannes, and the entire darts team from the pub. That makes eight of us!"

Barack paused. "I must tell you, Koos, that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command."

"Blikkiesfontein!" said Koos. "I'll have to ring you back!" Sure enough, the next day, Koos called again. "Barack, my China, the war is still on! We have managed to acquire some infantry equipment!"

"And what equipment would that be, Koos?" Barack asked.

"Well, we have four Hilux double-cabs, two kombis, an old Case bulldozer, and Vet Gert's John Deere tractor".

Barack sighed. "I must tell you, Koos, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armored personnel carriers. Also, I've increased my army to 1,5 million since we last spoke."

"Liewe erdvark!" said Koos. "I'll have to get back to you..." Sure enough, Koos rang again the next day. "Barack, ou swaer, the war is still on! We have managed to get ourselves airborne! We've modified Doepie's ultra-light with a couple of shotguns in the cockpit, and four okes from the Virginia Hengelklub have joined us as well!"

Barack was silent for a minute and then cleared his throat. "I must tell you, Koos, I have 10,000 bombers and 20,000 fighter planes. My military complex is surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air missile sites. And since we last spoke, I've increased my army to TWO MILLION!"

"Slaat my dood!", said Koos, "I'll have to ring you back." Sure enough, Koos called again the next day. "Jis, jis, jis, Barack! I am sorry to tell you that we've had to call off the war."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Barack. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well," said Koos, "we've all had a long chat over some Klippies and Coke, and decided there's no way we can feed two million prisoners of war!"

Posted by Ronnie Apteker

The Newsroom

I am not a TV watcher. I have actually not watched a TV show in about 20 years now. But I do like watching movies, and good programming is always welcome. I have watched a few of the top shows on DVD, like The Wire. That blew my mind. I have not seen The Newsroom but I think Aaron Sorkin is a writing wizard.

Check out this clip I found on the Web from the opening episode of The Newsroom : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16K6m3Ua2nw

How is this dialog ... amazing!

After I saw this I initially thought this was part of some pro-America campaign. It took me a bit of digging to discover it was actually a snippet from a TV show.

The Newsroom is now on my never-ending list of content to go through. One day I will get stuck in and watch this series. It sounds brilliant.

We will always need compelling content. It is what makes the journey worthwhile.

Posted by Ronnie Apteker

The numbers

The numbers don’t add up. Watch this video and then just stare into space : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM&sns=em

There are too many people in the world trading in money. All these genius fund managers, trading numbers, and not adding any tangible value to our lives … now, if we were all fund managers, then who would be making the money for these mumsers to manage.

Think about it. If we were all psychologists then we would all have therapies and analysis, but what about new problems. We can’t all be chefs. Someone needs to grow the food. We can’t all be doctors. Sad to say it, but people need to get sick.

That is how it works. We can’t all be managing money. Whether this video clip here is correct or not is less important than the fact that the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" is getting way too big. Mother nature is going to bite us all soon. That is a given.

Posted by Ronnie Apteker

Nothing for Mahala

Next week Tuesday the Heartlines feature film "Nothing for Mahala" goes into production. I am thrilled to be playing a role on this journey and I am confident that something positive is coming together here. IS can make a valuable contribution here.

Heartlines is an inspired NGO that is making a difference in South Africa. A media intervention that is innovative and smart, the brainchild of Soul City co-founder Dr. Garth Japhet. I have known Garth for 10 years now, and he is the real deal. A more special soul is hard to find.

Heartlines is trying to challenge our thinking, and to get us to embrace the fundamentals. The premise of the film is that people are more important than money. Yes we all know this, but we don’t live it.

Overspending, unsecured lending and money troubles seem to be the order of the day. Living up to the Joneses has become a growing phenomenon in Mzansi – often to the detriment of family life and even to the point of compromising the law. Too many of us are spending more than we earn, leading to a debt crisis. Too many of us want to get rich quick, leading to a rise in corruption. It’s evident our nation needs some real conversations about values and money. This is the motivation behind this film; Nothing for Mahala - a campaign on values and money. 

What are our objectives with this campaign?

Get the nation talking about values and money

Positively change our behaviours around how we earn, save and spend our money – and how we give it away 

Highlight organisations offering practical skills on money management

Our hope is to see individuals, families and society transformed about social issues such as petty crime, corruption, overspending and job creation.

Follow the mission on Facebook : www.facebook.com/nothingformahala 

If you’d like your organisation or community to be part of this campaign, contact Heartlines on info@heartlines.org.za

Posted by Ronnie Apteker