Cycling - a form of population control

Take note of the sign (courtesy of Michal Zacharzewski, SXC) to the right, it is a warning; please keep cycling separate from any plans you may have to produce a large family - because the chances are unlikely.
Yehp, it's official: cycling is bad for you if you're male and intend to procreate at some stage.
It's all about being squashed against the saddle and the insulation caused by all that tight, synthetic clothing. So while your recently shaved (or waxed) legs might look great in that tight little spandex number, chances are you'll battle to have a son or daughter to pass those shapely legs onto...
I wonder when someone is going to do a study on Harley Davidson riders for the same concerns - not that I'm all that worried about their inability to produce offspring. ;-)

(Incidentally, SXC is a fantastic website for free stock photos that you can also submit your own stuff to)

Go compcom!

The Competition Commission have been busy little bees in the last few years - and good on them!
Their latest investigation will probe food prices and so, they will be investigating major food-store chains such as Pick 'n Pay, Shoprite-Checkers, Woolworths & Spar.
But it's not just about how much it costs to buy a can of tuna at Woolworths, compared to Pick n Pay, it's more about the inner workings of the whole setup.
Nandi Mokoena, the commission's manager of strategy and stakeholder relations (whatever that is - though obviously it's important & he gets paid a lot of money to do it) has stated that the investigations will delve into the conduct of retails & the effects it has on their competition.
In other words: there's been some fishy conduct on the part of big chains in order to secure buyer power. From signing exclusive & discounted rentals in shopping complexes, to rebates, exclusive supply arrangements, etc etc.
So far, there's been no objection to the investigation by the major players, so we'll see what the results are.

How to spy on your citizens legally & other amusing stories by the South African government

So apparently the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-related Information Amendment Act has finally come into play, according to a report on IOL.com.
Of course, the Act should assist the local government in following in the footsteps of that great nation of the USA, who has proved time and time again that they truly are: "The land of the free and the home of the brave".
But getting back to local freedom issues...
From now one, anyone buying a prepaid SIM card will now have to provide proof of identity & residential address. Current prepaid SIM owners will now also have to provide details to their service provider, or their number will be terminated.
Lets consider a few things here:

• There are probably millions of South Africans who use prepaid SIM services, many of which live in rural areas. For those of you who live overseas, when I say "rural" I mean: living in a shack/hut/smartie-box-sized-house in an informal settlement where it's unlikely they'll be able to provide proof of residence.
• People in rural areas will probably be unable to get to the official place where they must now register, or re-register their details.
• There thousands of South Africans who do not have an ID document, due to their remote residential locations/hassles with the incompetent Home Affairs Department, etc etc etc

So now that you're forcing millions of people to provide documents they don't have, just so that they can have a form of communication (which is vital these days) - a lot of people are going to turn to fraud just to keep their number, or get a new one.
You will also anger those that feel that it is their right to have easy access to communication, without the hassle of making a special 100km trip just to keep their phone number.

Then of course you have the service providers.
Huge portions of their revenue is generated by prepaid services. They stand to lose millions (if not billions) of rands when numbers are cut & I don't think they're just going to lie down & take this.
Of course, they'll attempt to regain that money by charging exorbitant amounts of money to new customers & those that wish to "reconnect" their number - which makes for more angry people...
All-round, it's going to make a lot of angry, frustrated locals - providers and clients. And this, all in the name of "protection" & "security".
At this point, I'd like to bring to your attention that there is a lot less freedom and freedom of information in the USA than you think. Take some time to research their "Patriot Act" and the consequences thereof.
I'd also like to remind you that there are no more braves in the United States of America. They wiped them out, considering the act a patriotic one...

no freedom
no braves