Nelson Mandela’s family objected to images of President Jacob Zuma seated with him in April.

LYDIA POLGREEN | New York Times | May 15, 2013

JOHANNESBURG — “Smile!” the visitor implored, an edge of forced bonhomie in his voice, as he held up a cellphone camera to take a snapshot.

But the face of Nelson Mandela, the 94-year-old leader of the struggle against apartheid who became South Africa’s beloved first black president, remained impassive as stone. He looked confused and irritated, as if his rheumy eyes failed to register the faces of the top leaders of the African National Congress who came to see him last month, even though he had known them for decades.

These images, captured by a government camera crew and broadcast nationwide, were the first to appear in more than nine months of the ailing Mr. Mandela, who has been in the hospital four times in less than a year. Far from being honored, Mr. Mandela’s relatives were furious over the broadcast, saying party leaders had invaded his privacy and exploited his frailty to reap the political benefits of being seen in his hallowed company at least one more time.

“I was really, really livid,” said Makaziwe Mandela, Mr. Mandela’s eldest daughter, arguing that the filming took place against the family’s wishes. “They should have had the sense to not publish those pictures.”

Read more

El tiempo se crea.

La excusa estrella para no hacer algo es no tener tiempo. Créeme, no la has patentado. Siempre habrá otras cosas que hacer y es muy común dejar las cosas para más tarde. Tareas como limpiar la casa, salir a comprar, limpiar el coche… se vuelven sumamente importantes cuando se trata de procrastinar[1].

A veces, es más dejar las cosas para otro momento que la simple disuasión de hacer algo. Se trata de priorizar necesidades en cada momento y administrar el tiempo de forma efectiva. Porque ten en cuenta que si realmente quieres o necesitas hacer algo, siempre habrá tiempo.

El problema es que aplazar las cosas no hace que se vuelvan más fáciles cuando llegue el momento de enfrentarlas, las hace más difíciles.

Si permites que las distracciones no te dejen seguir avanzando, tendrás un problema. Y cuando digo distracciones, pueden ser de todo tipo: pareja, animales de compañía, hijos, trabajo, tareas domésticas, amigos…

Resulta difícil volver a lo que estabas haciendo. La tarea se vuelve innecesariamente complicada.

A veces la confusión y la inseguridad respecto a lo que hacemos o a lo que debemos hacer direccionan nuestra atención hacia tareas como las que he nombrado anteriormente.

 Es frustrante, pero no desesperante. Puedes administrar tu tiempo de forma eficaz. Ten claro tu objetivo, lo que quieres conseguir y, a partir de ahí, crea tiempo. Puedes hacer lo que requiera más concentración cuando tus hijos estén en la escuela, o tras el paseo de tu perro, cuando se queda dormido. Elige cuándo quedar con tus amigos o pareja y explícales el motivo, lo entenderán. Puedes coger días libres en tu trabajo que coincidan con festivos, así tendrás más concentración.

No permitas que todo lo que necesitas hacer te abrume. Ve paso a paso. Y sobre todo, busca la intención positiva.

Dejo este texto de Marianne Williamson, famoso porque fue leído por Nelson Mandela en una ocasión señalada.

English: Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, Gauteng, on 13 May 1998 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nuestro miedo más profundo no es a ser incapaces. Nuestro miedo más profundo es que somos poderosos más allá de toda medida. Es nuestra luz, no nuestra oscuridad, lo que más nos atemoriza. Nos decimos a nosotros mismos: «¿Quién soy yo para ser brillante, genial, talentoso y fabuloso?». En realidad, ¿quiénes somos nosotros para no serlo?

El hecho de hacerte pequeño no sirve al mundo. Nada hay de iluminación en encogerse para que otros no se sientan inseguros a tu alrededor. Todos tenemos que brillar como hacen los niños. Nacimos para manifestar la grandeza que llevamos dentro. Y no está solo en algunos de nosotros; está en todos. Cuando dejamos que nuestra luz brille, inconscientemente damos permiso a los demás para que hagan lo mismo. A medida que nos liberamos de nuestro propio miedo, nuestra presencia libera automáticamente a otros.

Manten el enfoque.

Craig T. Nelson Mandela Variety Hour: Episode 2:

Stacy doesn’t understand why all her friends don’t want to talk to her while Stacy’s doctors try to discover why her skin is melting away from her body.

 
Sketches Include:
Growing Apart
Acting With Accents (Edited)
80s Music Interview
The Last Windows/Apple Argument
Don’t Go Down 12th Street
Train Accident
 
The CTNMVH Players are:
Brand Rackley
Winston Carter
Benjamin Crutcher
Stacy Kaney
Jo Light (http://twitter.com/jo_12345)
Earnest Pettie (http://twitter.com/earnestp
Mark Potts
Reilly Smith
 
For the newest The Craig T. Nelson Mandela Variety Hour news, sketches & shorts check out CTNMVH.com

‘Like’ CTNMVH on Facebook

For more news, videos, shorts and feature films starring Brand Rackley check out BrandRackley.com

Follow Brand Rackley on Twitter

AND

Also, check out Brand Rackley on IMDB

Sports films… We all know the drill. The underdog overcomes incredible odds to win whilst learning valuable life lessons along the way.

Is that all they really are or is there more to them? Decide for yourselves but here are 20 of the greatest Sports Films of all time… (In My Opinion)

20) Whip It (2009)

In a town near Austin, Bliss Cavendar’s strong-willed mom believes Bliss, at 17, can win pageants – the key to a happy life. Bliss isn’t the beauty pageant type: she’s shy, quiet, and has just one friend, Pash, her fellow waitress at a diner. Things change for Bliss when she discovers a women’s roller derby league in Austin, tries out, proves to be whip fast, and makes a team. Now she needs to become someone tough on the rink, keep her parents from finding out where she goes twice a week, and do something about a first crush, on a musician she meets at the derby. Meanwhile, mom still sees Bliss as Miss Bluebonnet. Things are on a collision course; will everyone get banged up?

(Source)

19) When We Were Kings (1996)

It’s 1974, Muhammed Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Forman is ten years younger and the Heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire and the “Rumble in the Jungle” is set. A musical festival, featuring the America’s top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King, is also planned.

(Source)

18) White Men Can’t Jump (1992)

Billy and Sydney think they’re the best basketball hustlers in town, so when they join forces, nothing can stop them, except each other. To add to their problems, Billy owes money and is being chased by a pair of gangster types…

(Source)

17) Happy Gilmore (1996)

Happy Gilmore is a rowdy boy, who was raised by his grandmother. He wants to be a hockey player but isn’t because of one thing, he can’t skate. When his grandmother’s house is foreclosed cause of her failure to pay her taxes, and she’s placed in a retirement home, Happy must try and find a way to make some money. One day while at a driving range, he discovers that he can hit a golf ball a hundred feet, so the range pro, convinces him to try being a pro golfer. Reluctant at first, because he considers himself a hockey player, but when he learns he can make a lot of money, he gives it a try and surprisingly, in addition to his amazing driving ability, his antics have made him the darling of the crowd. Shooter McGavin the tournament leader, thinks that Happy’s an embarrassment and is jealous that he is stealing his spotlight, tries to get him thrown out or get him to quit.

(Source)

16) Any Given Sunday (1999)

An aging football coach finds himself struggling with his personal and professional life while trying to hold his team together. A star quarterback has been knocked out of the game and a naive football player replaces him only to become exposed to the world of sports and become a danger to himself and to his players. Meanwhile, the coach finds himself constantly at battle with the team owner’s money and power-hungry daughter intent on moving the team out.

(Source)

15) The Waterboy (1998)

31-year-old waterboy Bobby Boucher is constantly tormented by the team he works for until he is fired by the coach. He then finds a new coach to work for. Here he finds a new talent, tackling people by pretending they’re making fun of them. Soon, he becomes the best linebacker in college football, but he must keep it secret from his overprotective mother.

(Source)

14) Tin Cup (1996)

Roy McAvoy is a failed pro golfer who lives in a Winnebago at a crummy driving range which he owns in the West Texas town of Salome. One day, a beautiful woman, Dr. Molly Griswold, appears at his driving range for golf lessons. She turns out to be the new girlfriend of McAvoy’s longtime nemesis, the smarmy PGA superstar David Simms. Molly inspires Roy to start taking himself seriously again, and he decides to try to qualify for the US Open.

(Source)

13) Invictus (2009)

The film tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s rugby team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.

(Source)

12) The Karate Kid (1984)

Daniel is new in town, and is getting picked on by the local bullies, who all are adept in karate. Determined to stick up for himself, Daniel begins to teach himself karate, only to discover that the caretaker at his apartment seems to be a grand master in karate. Agreeing to teach Daniel, Mr. Miyagi shows Daniel that there is more to karate than violence, and perhaps the best way to solve the problem he has with the bullies is in the All Valley Karate Championship.

**Special Mention to The Karate Kid (2010), A fantastic Re-make With Jaden Smith & Jackie Chan**

(Source)

11) The Mighty Ducks (1992)

Gordon Bombay, a hotshot lawyer, is haunted by memories of his childhood, when, as the star player in his champion hockey team, he lost the winning goal in a shootout, thereby losing the game, and the approval of his coach. After being charged for drunk driving, the court orders him to coach a peewee hockey team, the worst in the league, Gordon is at first very reluctant. However, he eventually gains the respect of the kids and teaches them how to win, gaining a sponsor on the way and giving the team the name of The Ducks. In the finals, they face Gordon’s old team, coached by Gordon’s old coach, giving Gordon a chance to face old ghost.

(Source)

10) Kickboxer (1989)

Kurt Sloan is the corner-man for his brother, U.S. kickboxing champion Eric Sloan. When Kurt witnesses his brother become maliciously paralyzed in the ring by Thailand champion Tong Po, Kurt vows revenge. With the help of Zion, a kickboxing trainer who lives in a remote area of Thailand, Kurt trains for the fight of his life.

(Source)

9) Rollerball (1975)

In a futuristic society where corporations have replaced countries, the violent game of Rollerball is used to control the populace by demonstrating the futility of individuality. However, one player, Jonathan E., rises to the top, fights for his personal freedom, and threatens the corporate control.

(Source)

8) Escape To Victory (1981)

During World War 2 when some Swiss inspectors inspect one of the camps, one of the Germans accompanying them sees that the inmates play football. And when he recognizes one of the men, Colby as a former player for England, he suggests that his men play against a team of Germans. Colby agrees provided that his players be provided with certain amenities. At the same time, one of the prisoners an American, Hatch is planning to escape. But his plan hits a snag because of the football game. He joins the team cause it’s the only way his plan can work. The officers at the camp want him to go to Paris, where the game will be held, so that he can contact the underground and see if its possible for the team to escape. Hatch makes it and after meeting them, they think there’s a way but Hatch has to get caught so that he could be sent back to the camp so that he can inform the team of the plan. Which he does but unfortunately the Germans are keeping him in isolation so Colby must convince the Germans that he needs him for the team so that he could be released.

(Source)

7) Moneyball (2011)

In 2001, General Manager Billy Beane’s Oakland A’s lose to the Yankees in the playoffs then lose three stars to free agency. How can Beane field a competitive team when the A’s player salaries total less than a third of the rich teams’? To the consternation of his scouts, Beane hires and listens to Peter Brand, a recent Yale grad who evaluates players using Bill James’ statistical approach. Beane assembles a team of no names who, on paper, can get on base and score runs. Then, Beane’s manager, Art Howe, won’t use the players as Beane wants. Can Beane circumvent Howe, win games, make it to the 2002 Series, and stand baseball’s hidebound conventions on their heads?

(Source)

6) The Fighter (2010)

As a welterweight from the wrong side of the tracks, Dickie Eklund is the pride of working class Lowell, Massachusetts. Living in his shadow is his half-brother and sparring partner Micky Ward. It’s part of the Irish pride to let Dickie lead the way and win a championship belt first. However, after suffering a humiliating defeat to Sugar Ray Leonard, Dickie plunges into a nightmare of crack addiction, violence and prison. His family’s hopes are crushed in the wake of Dickie’s demise. Like a real life Rocky, Micky fights on his own terms and pulls his family out of despair with his meteoric rise in the ring. Freshly paroled Dickie finds redemption training his little brother, now known as “Irish” Micky Ward, for his Welterweight Championship bout with Shea Neary.

(Source)

5) The Wrestler (2008)

American filmmakers may have rediscovered emotional realism, but no conversion is more surprising than Darren Aronofsky’s. His unadorned portrait of a pro-wrestling has-been is built around a fantastic, physical performance by Mickey Rourke, captured with a documentary style that renders his dingy world all the more strange, funny and heartbreaking. In his own words, he’s “a broken-down piece of meat,” and Rourke, back from actor purgatory, brings ample baggage to the role—including his bulked-up, modified body, his sandpapered larynx and his craving for an unlikely comeback. Randy “The Ram” Robinson can’t keep doing pile drivers forever, especially as the game evolves into something even more brutal, but what else is there? He’s distant from his daughter, but he has a flirtatious, tentative relationship with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei) who’s facing the same injustice of the ticking clock. The movie, with its dime-store romance, breezy dialogue and telegraphed emotion, feels a bit like a grungier Rocky, but at times the understated attitude, grime and destitution are closer to Raging Bull.—Robert Davis

4) Days of Thunder (1990)

From the engine roar and fever pitch of professional stock car racing, Days of Thunder explodes with racing action. Race driver Cole Trickle, whose talent and ambition are surpassed only by his burning need to win. Discovered by businessman Tim Daland, Cole is teamed with legendary crew chief and car-builder Harry Hogge to race for the Winston Cup at the Daytona 500. A fiery crash nearly ends Cole’s career and he must turn to a beautiful doctor to regain his nerve and the true courage needed to race, to win and to live.

(Source)

3) The Rocky Franchise (1976 – 2006)

Rocky is a boxing saga of popular films all written by and starring Sylvester Stallone, who plays the character Rocky Balboa. The film series has grossed more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Never got a chance to see all of the rocky films? Here’s the full the franchise in one paragraph…

2) Senna (2010)

Senna’s remarkable story, charting his physical and spiritual achievements on the track and off, his quest for perfection, and the mythical status he has since attained, is the subject of SENNA, a documentary feature that spans the racing legend’s years as an F1 driver, from his opening season in 1984 to his untimely death a decade later. Far more than a film for F1 fans, SENNA unfolds a remarkable story in a remarkable manner, eschewing many standard documentary techniques in favour of a more cinematic approach that makes full use of astounding footage, much of which is drawn from F1 archives and is previously unseen.

(Source)

1) Raging Bull (1980)

Often regarded as Scorsese’s masterpiece, this biopic about boxer Jake LaMotta is a compelling character study, chronicling LaMotta’s violent outbursts inside and outside the ring. It’s beautifully shot in bleak black-and-white, and Robert De Niro (who won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance) plays the prizefighter like a clenched fist, lashing out at friends, family and anyone who looks at him the wrong way.

(Source)

There we have it, 20 of the greatest with some obvious omissions… Like Jerry Maguire (More about a Sports agent than a Sport) and Million Dollar Baby (I just Hate it, no rational explanation)

Feel free to comment your own top fives or top tens or even top fives in the same sport! I look forward to hearing from you!

Related articles

• Happy Gilmore (Dugan 1996) (hum222.wordpress.com)
• Remember why we love the sport (capetownshark.wordpress.com)
• Historical moments in sport, Nelson Mandela (calumhill.wordpress.com)
• Adam’s production company, Happy Madison, is named after two of his successful comedies, “Happy Gilmore” and “Billy Madison.” (adamsandlerfan.wordpress.com)
• Idris Elba says his upcoming Mandela biopic is ‘hands down the best’ (praisecharlotte.com)

For many years, I’ve been telling my teams, my colleagues, and my clients that leadership happens in the conversation. It’s where you have the greatest impact as a leader every day. And, like chocolate, conversations can be rich, dense, and layered. What we say and what people hear can be very different. What we hear and think we understand can be misinterpreted.

Remember the great American Leadership Conversation? President Obama opened a dialogue with a broad group of Americans and brought them along on the beginning of his leadership journey. He had a huge vision and, as soon as he became the president, he began to implement it. Shortly into his presidency, however, the healthcare debate spun out of control and Obama seemed unable to control the spin and keep his message on track. Soon, even his supporters became disappointed as the conversation grew more shrill and adversarial. It may be true that some political issues— Social Security, healthcare and peace in the Middle East — are just explosive topics and no leader can guide a constructive conversation around them. I might agree but I have found that there are issues just as explosive in companies. As my colleague Gavin McMahon says, “Politicians are public executives.”

I have seen significant controversy in companies attempting to adopt a new technology that cannibalizes the core business, a shift that always causes different points of view to emerge. Changes in compensation benefit plans, and other reward systems are also fodder for controversy because they affect people on a personal level. Organizational changes can result in people losing power and influence. These may be positive changes for the company but may leave some people with ego wounds to lick. I don’t have to tell you how brutal those conversations can be.

Leaders have to have those conversations — one on one, in small groups, or in a public forum. Conversations can take place in someone’s office, over lunch, informally in the hallway, or formally in front of large audiences. Some conversations are televised, like webinars that CEOs have with far flung global teams or even State of the State and State of the Union addresses.

There’s no room for misinterpretation here. All participants have to come out of the conversation knowing exactly what’s changing, why, and how it will affect them.

The most brilliant change initiatives can die long, painful, expensive deaths. These Conversations can inspire and move people to action or they can erode people’s confidence, performance, and faith in the company leadership. Ultimately, everyone suffers, and the company struggles to regain its footing in the same way our country and many nations around the world are struggling to regain theirs.

Having conversations that truly communicate what you intend is vital to achieving your goals and to surfacing the potential concerns of others. Conversation is so much the lifeblood of an organization that it can be said, “Conversation is to leadership what water is to life.”

At the worldview level, almost everyone agrees that communication is critical. When you go beyond paying lip service to this concept and you begin to set standards for how you communicate— with whom and with what frequency— you can do more to lead effectively and move your company forward than you can with any other initiative.

Leadership happens in the conversation, and that conversation happens in the moment. It is a choice we make. When you manage a project or a process, you have time to plan. When you are confronted with the unknown, you have to act in the moment and respond. Those moments often define our leadership. Even when we are silent, we are communicating. People will read into your silence as well as your words.

I will go further and say that communication is so central to leadership that once an individual becomes a leader, he no longer has the luxury of casual conversations. People hear everything. When you’re a leader, the casual conversation that you have in the hall or the off-the-cuff remark you make could have significant ramifications. All of your remarks become part of the conversation your people are having; they’ll have these conversations with one another, and they’ll parse what you said, what you really meant, and why you said it. The senior leaders I consult with understand that every comment they make communicates volumes.

Communication needs to be authentic. It’s not about saying the right thing or using the right buzzwords. One might say all the right things, in the right tone of voice, and in the most positive manner— and, it doesn’t mean that those words will land as meaningful and true. Most people see right through someone who is talking in corporate speak or jargon. Speak straight, speak what you intend, speak from what you know to be true— and people will respond with their own conviction. You can then have a dialogue that is purposeful and moves your company forward.

If you think of every communication as a conversation and you are authentic and open, people will respond to you. Even when they don’t agree, they will feel they can express themselves, and then you’ll know why they disagree. This is a good thing. If you know that people disagree and you know why, you’ve opened a dialogue so that you can resolve the differences, align your people to you, and move forward into action.

You may not be the best presenter in the world, but if you are able to communicate in an open and conversational style, you will create receptivity and people will respond. You know people are responding to you when they give you feedback. This is how you uncover those unmet needs I talked about earlier. When you uncover the unmet needs of people, obstacles fall away and you are left with clear understanding that moves people to action.

Even the best communicators can be misinterpreted. It’s important to communicate with the understanding that someone is on the receiving end of what you are saying. People are going to interpret what you have said. Knowing that will encourage you to stay focused and speak straight from the heart.

I’ve met my share of superstar leaders, and even superstar leaders don’t start out fully formed. Putting experience aside for the moment, the fundamental attributes that great leaders have is the ability to convey a message to their followers that compels them to take action.

Let’s look at this for a moment. Napoleon, a short man with a grand vision, was able to conquer half of Europe. Winston Churchill, who successfully led England to resist Hitler during World War II, was a political outcast who spoke like he had a handful of marbles in his mouth. Golda Meir, a student who grew up in Wisconsin, established a nation state and led Israel solidly into the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela and Dr. Martin Luther King both challenged discrimination in their societies despite being the targets of prejudice themselves. Rosa Parks sat on a bus and, in silence, led a change that significantly advanced the Civil Rights Movement. Mother Teresa, through compassion and tireless effort, communicated with her devotion and faith to make a difference for the victims of poverty in India.

All these leaders had courage, commitment, and vision. But what really set them apart — what made them leaders — was their ability to convey a message to their many followers to take action. They spoke from their hearts about what they believed. People responded and made those causes their own. What made these leaders effective was their ability to convey what was important to them and make it important to others.

Speaking naturally and authentically about what you believe in, whether it is a political position, a personal choice, or a business decision, will get the attention of your audience.

I recently read Nelson Mandela’s A Long Walk to Freedom. An amazing read indeed. I recommend it to everyone.

I can’t believe that it took me til the age of twenty-one to read it. He is perhaps the most well known and respected leader in the world, and yet I had never studied him in-depth, simply knowing him as ‘the guy who became president after being locked up in jail.’

Mandela dedicated his life from a young age to advocating for equal rights for all South Africans, whether they be black or white.  He finally achieved his goal, a mere fifty years later, including over half of that spent in prison, when he was elected president of the country at the ripe old age of 75. His story is one of sheer persistence and perseverance

But perhaps one of the strongest lessons which I took out of the book and which anyone can apply to life was his ability to wake up at 4:30am every morning and exercise before starting his day.

It was one of the integral ingredients which allowed him to tackle each day full on and go from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm.

Being a recent university graduate, I have had my fair share of sleep ins over the years, many of the time nursing a severe hangover.  But recently, through the inspiration of Mandela, I have been attempting to wake up at six o’clock each morning and starting my day on a bright note.

I have noticed substantial changes in my overall energy and persona only a month in to my lifestyle change.

Not only did I used to sleep in, but I would retire to the couch by five o’clock in the evening for a night in front of the TV. Yet nowadays, despite my early wake up, I somehow still have the stamina and focus to keep going and sometimes even put in a second exercise session for the day.

I feel I have been able to get so much more done when I kick start the day with only a twenty minute exercise session.  I feel a sense of empowerment and confidence at the conclusion of it. I feel like I can tackle any challenge, given I have already faced and conquered the hardest one of simply getting out of bed.

Yes it was hard at first, and still is at times, especially on those cold dark winter mornings, but if Mandela can do it, then there’s no reason why nobody else can. I hope to eventually find the courage to work my way down to Mandela’s time.

Mandela is indeed a remarkable person, but he has only been able to bring about what he has done through his steadfastness, determination, courage and hope, qualities which anybody can undertake.

And once you have exercised first thing, you don’t feel the need to indulge in fatty foods throughout the day, preferring to maintain your healthy mindset.

It is an amazing feeling alone to look at your watch and see that it is barely seven o’clock, and that you have already completed your exercise for the day. You may even find the time on top of exercising to do some quiet reading or meditation before you begin your day’s activities or work schedule.  Mandela fitted in them as well.

I found it easy during university to just drift in to the day, waking up at the last minute, rocking up late to class, and hardly being able to keep my eyes open as the lecturer waffled on, but through waking up early it has allowed me to enter each day with full force.

It might be hard to leave your bed, being all snuggled up in your doona, but once you are up, there is no better feeling.

Mandela was not born with special powers which were unique to him, but he rather implemented basic daily rituals, such as that of waking up early, enabling him to triumph over any self doubt or fear, and thus allow him to change the world for the better.

It is no coincidence that successful people such as the likes of Benjamin Franklin, Robin Sharma, Condoleezza Rice, Thomas Edison, Howard Schultz, Serena Williams, Steve Jobs and Barack Obama have all emphasised the importance of rising early each day.

Once you persist through those first few difficult days, you’ll never look back. You’ll be addicted. You never know, it might just be the start of your journey to achieve something as great as Nelson Mandela.

Photo credit: Vince Alongi / Foter.com / CC BY

Today I will tell you about my visit to The Butcher Shop & Grill in Nelson Mandela Square near Sandton City in Johannesburg.  If you are in Sandton area and want a steak this is a good place to go as they feature an in-house butcher shop and a good selection of steaks and other dishes.

The meal started with a basket full of very soft bread and a small dish of home-made sausages.  I think the sausages were beef sausages and while they had the texture of a Vienna Sausages the flavor was much better.

I decided to have my favorite, rib eye, with a side of mashed potatoes and onion rings (which were more like onion straws to me).  I ordered my steak grilled to medium rare, there was a selection of sauces but I am a purest when it comes to steak so did not select any.  When my steak came it was cooked to perfection, with just the right amount of marbling and my first (and every other) bite was full of good flavorful, juicy, tender steak.  The onion rings (straws) and mashed potatoes were good, though the potatoes were a little dry without adding some gravy and butter. I washed the meal down with a nice cold draft Stella.

I am sure I will visit this place again though there are a few other steak houses around Johannesburg I want to try first.

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

- Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela

Today is blog is focusing on peace and healing for South Africa. Let us pray:

“God of love and compassion, we ask you to bless the rich diversity of South Africa – a land rich in resources, land and people. Yet we lament that in the midst of this beautiful country it is riddled with crime, rape, violence, poverty, unemployment, and AIDS pandemic, and recently xenophobia (an irrational or unreasoned fear of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange, and can manifest itself in many ways involving the relations and perceptions of an ingroup towards an outgroup, including a fear of losing identity, suspicion of its activities, aggression, and desire to eliminate its presence to secure a presumed purity.) There is much to be done to heal the nation. Call forth new laborers, O God. Commission new compassionate leaders who will cure the sick, raise up those dead in poverty, cleanse those with HIV and AIDS, and cast out the demons of hatred towards one another. We pray for our refugee neighbors from Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo who fear they will be the next victims of xenophobia. We pray for the AIDS orphans who are deprived of their most basic needs and will never know what it means to have parents. In Jesus’ name. Amen.*” prayer by Susan Valiquette and Scott Couper, Global Ministries of the Christian Church and United Church of Christ.

“Prayer of Petition:
“O God of all humanity, we come to you pleading for your help in stopping South Africa, Zimbabwe and all countries in Africa from bleeding. Restore those who have been victims of rampant violence. Heal those who act violently towards others. You gave the people of South Africa and the world a unique leader in Nelson Mandela. Guide the current leaders to make courageous decisions. Re-establish hope in all of us that there will be an end to this violence and the violence in our own communities and nation. Renew our spirits, so that the spirit of Ubuntu (“I am because we are”) may flourish in South Africa and everywhere. Amen.*” adapted from a prayer by Nokuphiwa S. Langeni, South African seminary student, Eden Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri.

“Action:
“Consider viewing ‘In My Country’ about the Truth and Reconciliation Project started by Archbishop Desmond Tutu; reaching out in forgiveness or making amends for your own personal hurts; and supporting the work of the South African Council of Churches for justice, reconciliation, integrity of creation, and the eradication of poverty.*”

All * quotes are taken from “Praying for Peace Around the Globe” by James McGinnis.

NAMASTE

It’s bad enough that Rob Anders is the laughing stock of The House of Commons. It’s worse that he is the MP for my riding, Calgary West. His list of blunders is impressive…make that depressing. He’s like George W. Bush on steroids.

Before being elected he worked for the Republican Party on the 1994 senate campaign of Jim Inhofe in Oklahoma as a professional heckler, which earned him the label of “a foreign political saboteur” from CNN.  (We call them “clowns” in Canada.)  

He was the sole MP to vote against making Nelson Mandela an honorary Canadian citizen in 2001, calling Mandela “a communist and a terrorist.”

In March 2012, Anders was removed from the Veterans Affairs Committee following controversial comments in response to arriving late, texting, and falling asleep at a committee meeting. He called his accusers “NDP hacks who praise Vladimir Putin.” (The New Democratic Party is Canada’s equivalent to Britain’s Labour Party.). “He was out like a light for about five minutes,” one veteran said. “He came in late, didn’t ask any questions and then fell asleep. Wow … I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

In September and October, 2012, fellow Conservative Party members disassociated themselves from Anders’ belief that New Democratic Party leader Thomas Mulcair “…hastened the death” of former NDP leader Jack Layton by encouraging an election while Layton was in questionable health.

In 2010, in a card supporting Canadian troops in Afghanistan, Anders wrote: “When in doubt, pull the trigger.”

In the next election, it’s time to give Rob Anders the boot. Read more on this tomorrow.

Madiba was flanked by President Zuma, Baleka Mbete and Cyril Ramaphosa… and the old man showed no emotion whatsoever, he wasn’t talking, nor smiling like we’ve come to know him.

You can watch the video HERE 

During the last couple of months, Madiba was sort of in and out of hospital and in all those occassions, the media went to camp outside his hospital and his home, and I will assume that the presence of cameras meant that they also wanted to catch a glimpse of the old man to show to their viewers and readers. It is then, quite surprising that the same people are the ones who are now giving the ANC a hard time for showing Madiba to the world in that state.

The DA,  should not even start pointing fingers, they also “used” Madiba recently in one of their posters…

Back to the Madiba issue: 

Before this video, we hadn’t see Madiba for a while. A lot of people were saying they wanted to see Madiba, and did not want to believe that he was in “good spirits” as ANC and the Presidency kept telling us. Some people went as far as saying that we were being lied to, and Madiba had already passed on.

Maybe the ANC showed us the Madiba footage so they could ge the “We want to see Madiba” cries off their back?

You know how after someone dies, you hear people going “I wish I had seen him/her one last time” and even that part at a funeral where they open the casket for people to see the deceased,…. you know where I”m going with this right?

Without being insensitive, we all know the old man will not be around for much much longer and if anything happens to him, I believe a lot of people would be comforted by having seen him and we would be more accepting because simbonile, he is old. I doubt that there will be any more people still crying “We want to see Madiba”… after this.

If there is anything to criticize the ANC about, it is HOW they chose to show us that Madiba is well. I do believe that could have been done better because there was certainly no comfort in seeing Tata sitting there and uncomfortable with what was going on around him. But surely his wife/family should share in the blame meted out to the ruling party?

Now though, I hope we will leave Tata to rest peacefully at home, yes, we did get the OTHER message they were trying to send with the footage , he will die a member of the ANC. Thee are no saints here… not the ANC, not the DA, not us and certainly not the Media. We know some are only mad because they didn’t get the exclusive footage.

Welcome to the 21^st Century, she teased me. My friend, much younger than me but one with whom I shared lots of laughter and affection. It was 2008 and she was shocked I was only just joining Facebook. After our fits of laughter, I spent inordinate amounts of time tracking old friends, some I had last seen at University in the early 90s. There were joyful reunions and happy tears, finding new wrinkles, bald patches and widening waistlines from having babies or may be eating a bit too much!

I typed a friend’s name and because it was quite common in South Africa, I couldn’t tell which of the many search results was him until I typed same against our university and it returned a tribute page to him; he had passed away in the years we had lost touch. I thought to myself how sometimes, life doesn’t give one any more chances, no chance to say goodbye, none to say thank you for being a dear friend or to have a shared drink or a smile. It took me many days, filled as I was with an overwhelming sadness to contact the admin, his younger brother, who had kept his memory alive.

He was happy to hear from me especially as he had gaps in the memoir he was writing about his beloved brother, gaps that could only be filled by friends who attended university with him. I filled him in as best as I could all the while stunned, that he was indeed gone.

Mxolisi. I first met him as a quiet first year student (I, in my final year) who had recently arrived Nigeria from South Africa after the trauma of the apartheid regime. He appeared delicate but the strength in him was evident, he had endured so much and still had pellets from the agony he had suffered. He was soft spoken, ever smiling and he regaled us with tales about his homeland. He told us about his much loved family and how he missed them. We in turn allowed him into our lives as though a brother although we butchered his name to his consternation. He became especially close to my younger brother with whom their shared love of Political Science nudged them towards long winded discussions on the future of Africa.

‘Kolisi’, thanks for bringing kindness on those long days when life as students needed cheer. You were a shining example of the tenaciousness of the human spirit, calm in the face of chaos, even when your life was falling apart and you were torn from your home. I’m glad you were able to go back after completing your Law degree and your call to Bar, to give back to your community even if it was shorter than you would have wanted. Thanks to Sibu who kindly listened to my blubbering shock and has become a brother; in losing a friend, I gained one.

Let me tell you the story of how my believing began.

My father, a watercolorist, was always shuttling me around with him when I was a kid as he took photos for paintings he was working on. On one of our more adventurous jaunts we headed to the Cincinnati zoo. We wove our way around to the staff entrance in his big conversion van and were met there by a beanstalk-tall woman with frizzy lion’s mane hair named Catherine. Upon greeting us she led us to an enclosed grassy area, let us in and shut the gate.  Momentarily, she returned with two squirming, spotted cougar cubs – one neatly tucked beneath each lanky arm.  She knocked open the door with a raised khaki knee and plopped those cubs in with us.  “Be back in a couple hours,” she said and loped off casually as if she left civilians alone with wild animals on a daily basis.

Dad was loading film in his camera and one of the cubs automatically spotted its dangling strap and bounded his direction on paws too big for his body.  In the ensuing hours they swatted and tumbled and gnawed on each other and on my long hair.  My dad snapped photos and I tried to stay still so as not to get pounced on.  They were awfully cute, but wasn’t this dangerous?

This painting, called “Lakota” is the outcome of that day at the zoo.

As the afternoon wore on, they nibbled grass and catnapped (literally) and had me giggling at their clumsiness.  Soon I began to curiously explore their little bodies with my hands, growing bolder as they grew more tired.  And just as I was starting to feel comfortable the cat lady returned and whisked them away.  “Back in a minute,” she tersely said, kicking the gate shut behind her as she went.  Dad began to pack up his camera and before he had finished, she was back.  “I have one more thing to show you.”

We followed her to a nondescript cement building where we entered a narrow, dark hallway surrounded on both sides by floor-to-ceiling fencing.  As if on cue, a regal cheetah approached the front of the cage beside us and looked up at Catherine expectantly.  She undid the latch and the cheetah glided silently out into the narrow passage and stood with us, so close that her long tail would have touched me if she flicked it.  She didn’t flick it, though.  She stood as still as a statue, her teardrop eyes trained on Catherine.  The next moments seemed to play out in slow motion for me as I experienced them through a filter of awe and fear.

“This is Angel,” said Catherine.  She then wordlessly took Dad’s hand and placed it in front of her flat cheetah nose.  She smelled him curiously and vigorously began to lick the back of his hand.  I could hear the sandpaper roughness of her tongue resonating loudly against the cement walls and floor.  As she licked, the cat lady explained that Angel was what she called an ambassador cat.  She had spent her life in captivity and had dedicated her energies to raising money for her own endangered species by visiting schools and doing other appearances.  I could barely hear Catherine speaking; my eyes were too trained on the tongue licking dad’s hand, waiting for the teeth that peaked out to sink into his precious flesh.  I could hardly keep myself from saying something.  Maybe she didn’t know how important those hands were.  I mean, maybe she didn’t understand that without them he couldn’t paint, couldn’t make a living…..

At some point Catherine finished talking.  I honestly have no idea what else she said.  All I remember is that she sharply clicked her tongue twice and Angel abruptly stopped licking and reentered her cage.  Blurry thanks passed between the two adults, a short walk towards our van ensued and ice cream cones were gathered along the way.  I climbed up in my captain’s chair and we started home with me so dazed I didn’t even notice my melting cone.  Dad looked over at me gauging how I was, since the silence in our van was not something he was used to from his little chatterbox.   “Did you have fun?” he asked between licks.  “Yes.” I exhaled breathlessly.  Silence.  “Well,” he said slowly, “I want you to remember one thing.  Today we went to work.”  He stopped, letting that sink in.  Finally, he continued, “If you don’t love what you do this much, don’t do it.”

Duly noted, Dad.  Duly noted.

Yes, all things are possible for one who believes, but it helps to have someone live this out in front of us so we can experience firsthand an unbelievable life.  Then, it seems more possible to create our own.

Nelson Mandela said it best.  “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Give someone else permission to dream big by living your life with boldness.  Remember that playing small does not serve the world.  You are a child of God.  You were made to shine.

Click here to experience the art of Misty’s father, Mitchell Tolle.

To find out more about the Cheetah named Angel and the fund established in her name, click here.

2013 Copyright by Misty Tolle

All rights reserved

 Din discursul de inaugurare (1994)

(Tradus Rodica Botan)

Cea mai mare frică a noastră nu este că sîntem nepotriviti, neputinciosi. Teama noastră cea mai adîncă este că avem mai multă putere decît stim ce să facem cu ea. Este “Lumina” din noi si nu “Intunericul” care ne sperie. Ne întrebăm adesea…”Cine sînt eu să fiu briliant, frumos, talentat, fabulos?” Dar de fapt ar trebui sa ne intrebăm…”Cine sînt eu să nu fiu toate acestea?“”

Esti un copil a Lui Dumnezeu. Si când trăiesti “mic”, în umbră, în nimicnicie…nu faci cu asta un serviciu nimănui, nu servesti omenirea cu asta. Nu este nimic în starea aia în care te-ai micșorat ca si când ai intrat la apă, care să ilumineze pe cineva ca oamenii să nu se simtă nesiguri în apropierea ta.

Ne-am născut ca sa fim o manifestare a Gloriei Lui Dumnezeu care este în noi. Si nu este numai în unii dintre noi; a fost pusă la început în noi toți. Si în timp ce lăsăm “Lumina” care ni-i s-a dat să lumineze, în mod inconștient dăm altora permisiunea să facă si ei la fel. Si în timp ce ne eliberăm de temerile noastre, prezența noastră eliberează în  mod automat pe alții.

Sursa: Pe Ginduri

Sursa foto: http://poeticscribe.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/nelson-mandela/

1652 – John Johnson, a free African American, is granted 550 acres
in Northampton County, Virginia, for importing eleven
persons to work as indentured servants.

1775 – Lemuel Haynes, Epheram Blackman, and Primas Black, in the
first aggressive action of American forces against the
British, help capture Fort Ticonderoga as members of
Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys.

1815 – Henry Walton Bibb is born a slave in Shelby County,
Kentucky. He will escape to Canada, return to get his
first wife, be recaptured in Cincinnati, escape again, be
recaptured again and sold into slavery in New Orleans. He
will be removed to Arkansas, where he will escape yet
again, this time for good in 1842. He will make his way
to Detroit, Michigan and will become an active
abolitionist. He will publish his autobiography, “Narrative
of The Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American
Slave” in 1849. This narrative of his life will be so
suspenseful that an investigation is conducted that will
substantiate Bibb’s account. In 1850, the U.S. Congress
will pass the Fugitive Slave Act which will force his
immigration to Canada with his second wife. In 1851, he
will found the “Voice of the Fugitive”, the first Black
newspaper in Canada. He will join the ancestors in 1854 at
the age of 39.

1837 – Pinckney Benton Steward (P.B.S.) Pinchback is born near
Macon, Georgia. During the Civil War, he will recruit and
command a company of the “Corps d’Afrique,” a calvary unit
from Louisiana. He will resign his commission in 1863 after
unsuccessful demands that African American officers and
enlisted men be treated the same as white military
personnel. In 1868, he will be elected to the Louisiana
legislature as a Senator. In 1871, he will be elected
President Pro Temp of the Louisiana Senate, and will become
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana in 1872 after the death of
Oscar Dunn. He will serve briefly (two months) as the
appointed Governor. He will be elected to the U.S. Senate
in 1873, but never be seated by that body, due to supposed
election irregularities. After the end of Reconstruction
and his political career, Pinchback will use his resources
to work as an advocate for African Americans as Southern
Democrats endeavor to take away the civil rights gained by
Blacks after the Civil War. He will publish the newspaper
“The Louisianan,” using it as a venue to help influence
public opinion. He will also become the leader of the
precursor to the Associated Negro Press, the Convention of
Colored Newspaper Men. At the age of sixty, he will
relocate to Washington, DC where he will live until he
joins the ancestors in 1921.

1876 – The American Centennial Exposition opens in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Included are works by four African American
artists, among them Edmonia Lewis’ “The Dying Cleopatra”
and Edward Bannister’s “Under the Oaks.” Bannister’s
painting will win the bronze medal, a distinct and
controversial achievement for the renowned painter.

1919 – A race riot occurs in Charleston, South Carolina. Two
African Americans are killed.

1935 – Larry Williams is born. He will become a rhythm and blues
singer and will be known for his record hits “Short Fat
Fannie,” “Bony Maronie,” and “Dizzy Miss Lizzie.”

1936 – Jayne Cortez is born in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. She will
grow up in the Watts section of Los Angeles, California
and will marry jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman in 1954.
After divorcing him in 1960, she will study drama and
poetry. She will become active in the civil rights
movement, registering African Americans to vote in
Mississippi as a worker for the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee. She will then become a poet and
performance artist that will integrate the rhythms and
foundations of jazz into her written works. She will
found the Watts Repertory Theater and be its artistic
director from 1964 through 1970. She will establish Bola
Press in New York City in 1972 and will be a
writer-in-residence at Rutgers University from 1977 to
1983. She will be known for her collections of poetry
“Pisstained Stairs and Monkey Man’s Wares,” “Festivals
and Funerals,” “Coagulations: New and Selected Poems,”
and “Somewhere in Advance of Nowhere.” She will also be
known for her poetry reading recordings with jazz
musicians “There It Is,” “Maintain Control,” and “Taking
the Blues Back Home: Poetry and Music.”

1944 – Judith Jamison is born in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. She
will begin her dancing career at the age of six. She
will complete her dance training at the Philadelphia
Dance Company (later the University of Arts). She will
make her debut with the Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theatre in Chicago, dancing in Talley Beaty’s Congo
Tango Palace. She will become the troupe’s premier dancer
in 1967 and will tour the world exhibiting her signature
dance “Cry.” She will win a Dance Magazine award for her
performances in 1972. She will leave the Ailey
troupe in 1980 to perform on Broadway and will choreograph
many of her own works such as “Divining,” Ancestral Rites”
and “Hymn.” She will form the twelve member group, The
Jamison Project, in 1987. After Alvin Ailey’s health
declines in 1988, she will rejoin the Ailey troupe as
artistic associate and will become artistic director upon
his death in 1989. She will continue the company’s
tradition of performing early works choreographed by
African Americans for many years.

1950 – Jackie Robinson appears on the cover of Life magazine. It
is the first time an African American has been featured on
the magazine’s cover in its 13-year history.

1951 – Z. Alexander Looby is the first African American elected to
the Nashville City Council.

1952 – Canada Lee joins the ancestors in England at the age of 45.
He had become an actor in 1933 after a professional boxing
match left him blind in one eye. He was able to be cast in
non-traditional roles for African Americans at a time when
most were cast in stereotypical parts. He was best known
for his portrayal of “Bigger Thomas” in the play “Native
Son” in 1940 and 1941. He was blacklisted by the House
Committee on Un-American Activities and the FBI for his
outspoken views on the stereotyping of African Americans
in Hollywood and Broadway.

1962 – Southern School News reports that 246,988 or 7.6 per cent of
the African American pupils in public schools in seventeen
Southern and Border States and the District of Columbia
attended integrated classes in 1962.

1963 – Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth announces agreement on a limited
integration plan which will end the Birmingham
demonstrations.

1974 – “Just Don’t Want To Be Lonely” earns a gold record for the
group, The Main Ingredient. The trio began as the Poets
in 1964. Cuba Gooding is the lead singer. (Gooding’s
son, Cuba Jr., will star in the 1991 film “Boyz N The Hood”
and will win an Academy award for his role in the movie
“Jerry Maguire in 1997.) The Main Ingredient’s biggest
hit, “Everybody Plays The Fool,” will make it to number
three on the pop charts in 1972.

1986 – Navy Lt. Commander Donnie Cochran becomes the first African
American pilot to fly with the celebrated Blue Angels
precision aerial demonstration team.

1994 – Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as president of South Africa.
In an historic exchange of power, former political
prisoner Nelson Mandela becomes the first Black president
of South Africa. In his acceptance speech, he says, “We
enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in
which all South Africans, both black and white, will be
able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts–a
rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.”

1998 – Jose’ Francisco Pena Gomez joins the ancestors at the age
of 61 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic after succumbing
to pancreatic cancer. He had led a successful civil-
military revolt in 1965 which was curtailed by the
interference of United States Marines sent to the Dominican
Republic to put down the rebellion. He was later forced
into exile. He later returned to the Dominican Republic and
be heavily involved in politics as leader of the Partido
Revolucionario Dominicano. He ran for president
unsuccessfully three times.

Information retrieved from the Munirah Chronicle and is edited by Rene’ A. Perry.