Monday, March 18, 2024

Engineering Puzzle

Some time back, I attended the synagogue (shul) in Paarl, near Cape Town. This posed an engineering puzzle for me. How did those matchstick pillars hold up all those people? Personally I suspect that the engineers built something into the woodwork that one doesn't see. You may click on the photo to enlarge.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Annual Philosophy Lecture

I read that the Philosophy Sharing Foundation's Annual Philosophy Lecture was an all-round, resounding success on Friday—hosting Matt Qvortrup. I hold the Lecture in 2025. Here is an impression of Friday's event on (click here) LinkedIn

Tamana Church

Here is another London Missionary Society postcard (photographed 1899-1919 -- more than 100 years ago). I lived on this island once. It is Tamana atoll, an island 2 square miles in extent, 2.5° south of the equator, 176° east -- a few degrees from the International Date Line. You may click on the image to enlarge. OBSERVATION: The comment on the postcard indicates a Society which "ran lean". That changed over the years.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

LMS Postcards

I recently found 19 postcards, printed by the London Missionary Society, in my father's old files. Here is one. The photographs were taken between 1899 and 1919 -- the time that the Gowards were in the Gilberts. I have put all of the postcards on Facebook.

POSTSCRIPT: I have sent these to the CWM (formerly LMS) archives. They have a keen interest in such history.

Spaza Security

I took this photo yesterday of a spaza shop (a small supermarket) outside Cape Town. Crime is at an extraordinary high ... and so are counter-measures. You may click on the photo to enlarge. OBSERVATION: The doors ironically say "WELCOME".

Friday, March 15, 2024

Passport Renewal

I visited the Department of Home Affairs today, to renew my passport. I was not expecting it to go well, as my application had already been stopped due to my being born in "that place". I arrived with wife E at about 11:30 for an appointment at 12:00. It was stunning. By 12:00, I had my passport so to speak (to be collected). E obtained her passport at the same time. OBSERVATION: It was funny how differently we approached it:

I: Made an appointment a month in advance (that was the best that Home Affairs could offer me). I carried in a whole box of papers.

E: Found her passport minutes before we set off. Apart from that, she had no papers with her. And she went through the process faster than me!

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Feral Cat

One might call this a feral cat. I took the photo in a township in the Eastern Cape, earlier this year. It is wild -- and seldom comes close to humans. What struck me about this cat was its bright emerald eyes.

Plundered Garden

The Church garden, in city ministry, was the cause of much frustration. I joked that there was a reason my blog was not called Urban Ministry Gardens. As fast as we planted our garden, the public dug it up and walked off with it -- and that in spite of security fences and locked gates. I said to a deaconess once, “What happened to the orchid?” She said, “It was stolen -- of course.” OBSERVATION: This is one that got away (see the photo) -- it’s hard to steal a hibiscus tree!

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Dormant Accounts and Apple Sauce

I've been chasing up some (possibly) dormant accounts -- eight of them. So far, two yielded nothing, but two contained substantial amounts. Four to go. Yet two companies did something disquieting. They "read back" the account numbers to me ... but it was completely different numbers to what I put to them. For example, I put 144922-01 to one company -- they read back 59902010100. This number, they said stridently, had been closed -- one might call the response "apple sauce". One company freely confessed to changing the number -- and continued the inquiry without blinking. If you're caught out, pretend it didn't happen.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Assaulted by a Gunman

My niece A was brutally assaulted by a gunman today. I'd put up a photo here if she weren't such a "bloody mess". Thankfully she was not seriously injured. Her mother wrote, "We're OK." I said you're not OK. I myself was kidnapped at gunpoint, and I was cool about it -- so cool that my minister asked me to give a testimony in Church (I declined) -- but I suffered shock a few days later. The police apprehended the gunman who attacked A.

AI Failure

I called a UK services provider today, and was greeted by AI. This was quick and competent, and routed me through to the correct consultant. But after the call, I didn't receive a promised e-mail. I called them up again. The AI asked me: what is this about? I said, "The consultant failed to e-mail me instructions for reactivation." That put the AI into apparent meltdown. It went off on an endless tangent of no relevance to me -- as if it were trying to write an encylopaedia entry -- and it would take no further input. Eventually I terminated the call. It was chewing up my monies.

Monday, March 11, 2024

10th Anniversary Edition

In 2014-2015, the Philosophical Society of England published a 20,000 word metaphysics (a systematic, panoramic philosophy) that I wrote. For all its terrible flaws, I realise that it is original, and it is cohesive. Besides, it was published by the Society. I am pleased, therefore, to release a 10th Anniversary Edition. In this new edition, the ideas are unchanged; readability is improved. Find it free at (click here) Dropbox. One can even download it there. My more recent work is available on Amazon.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Letter to Myself

Warning: strong language. At age 15, I suffered abuse at boarding school, and was admitted to Cape Town's Groote Schuur hospital, where I lay for two weeks. In hospital, the day before I was discharged, I posted a letter to myself. My mother purloined the letter and filed it. I found it last week. You may click on the image to enlarge. OBSERVATION: The term "new-shit" was applied to first- and second-year newcomers in boarding school. I stumble as I write it here -- frequently a sign of trauma.

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Living Memorial

In my city Church, we had this tree at the Church's entrance. A little girl got off a bus at a school bus-stop, then bolted across the road. She was hit by a car, and killed instantly. Her mother planted this tree in her memory. OBSERVATION: Her mother didn't see the accident, but told me that she knew immediately that her daughter was dead. She didn't need anyone to bring her the news. You may click on the photo to enlarge.

Friday, March 8, 2024

Metaphysical Notes

Back in 2014, the Philosophical Society of England published a 20,000 word metaphysics I wrote (a total philosophy), titled Metaphysical Notes. It was the forerunner of my 110,000 word magnum opus, Everything Briefly. Today I laid my hands on a digital copy, which I didn't have on my computer. I feel tempted to do a 10th anniversary Revised Edition. Yes? No? OBSERVATION: It might be time to try audio publication -- although there are impediments to doing that from Southern Africa.