Graduation Photo

This one's just a pretty picture -- of wife E graduating with a BTh back in May 2019. It was a very special achievement. She spent most of her childhood on a farm, then obtained only a nominal matric pass, due to riots at the time. She started her degree studies at a real disadvantage.

‘Chatter’ and Stock Market Crashes

I took to thinking whether linguistic analysis could predict the stock market. I now did a far more careful analysis of "chatter" before stock market crashes. I found that chatter reliably predicts a crash or major downturn -- two years in advance. A 10% increase in chatter in one year is enough. OBSERVATION: In 2023, there was no increase in chatter. In 2024, increase in chatter was about 27.5%. In 2025, it was about 25%. Some stock market crashes, like Black Monday, had more than 100% increase in chatter before it happened.

POSTSCRIPT: I mistyped the years 2023-2025, which I have corrected. If my method is correct -- and it correctly predicts more than 20 past crashes -- there will be a crash in 2026.

A Long Time

It's been a long time. I think I submitted my last theological paper about 2010. I now submitted one today. It is titled: A Philosophical-Theological Reflection on the Political Engagement of the Church: No Fixed Ideal. For what it is worth, DeepSeek AI considers: 

"Rev. Scarborough's paper presents a bold, necessary, and philosophically grounded argument that challenges entrenched positions. Its main value lies in reframing the debate."

OBSERVATION: That is, it seeks to overturn everything that went before! It reckons with both Christian nationalism and progressive Christian politics, advocating for faithful political engagement as a reaction to God's prior initiative and providence, rather than action towards a human-designed ideal.

Faculty Meeting

I attended a faculty meeting this morning. There were 15-20 faculty members present (some missing here). The provost is standing in the background. There was an hour of "foundations" -- then an hour-and-a-half discussing the rich and varied vision for the institution.

‘Character Wins Out’?

Someone just sent me a graph showing pastors' public reputation. It seemed to show declining reputation, and many took this graph as a sign of declining character among pastors. However, through my 2009 Master’s thesis, I discovered that character does not protect a pastor from assaults on character. The widespread belief that “Character wins out” did not seem to be justified. OBSERVATION: While character is important, one should not idealise a pastor anyway.

Banaba Monument

I put up this photo elsewhere on the Internet, and there was surprising interest. It was taken on Banaba (Ocean Island). It would be easy to miss it -- the grave expressions on the faces of Takeiti Teriuea (left) and Rev. Eritaia Tabutoa (right). They are standing at a monument to Albert Fuller Ellis. Ellis was knighted for his deeds -- yet he brought ruin for the people and environments of Nauru and Banaba. OBSERVATION: Today, most Banabans live on Rabi island in Fiji, where they were relocated. This may be the only photo of the monument on the Internet. I was here on this day.

Miss San Diego

This one's "just a pretty picture". This girl was tearing round and round the block on a bicycle, on the outskirts of a town in the Eastern Cape. I took out my camera for her next pass. When she saw the camera, she swung her bicycle around, posed with a quiet stare for a few seconds, her eye peeping out from behind a shadow. Then without a word she was off again. A strange moment.

Careful About Threats

This morning, I threatened a government body with referral -- which I shall do, once I find the time. The problem was that they wanted to talk to me off-the-record, and I said no. Now it is important to note that one generally cannot throw around threats that go any further than this. Say that I say to someone, for argument's sake, "I'll have your car impounded!" There are two reasons why I cannot say this. a) Am I an authority on car impoundments? and b) am I really so sure it will happen? If a) or b) may not be true, I am making more than a threat -- I am intimidating someone, and I might be the one who is in trouble at the end of the day.

POSTSCRIPT: Alternatively, obtain a written opinion, and show it.

Psychometric Test

Last year, a company performed a psychometric test on me. Here are the results. This is not a quiz for entertainment, as one often finds on the Internet. This is a professional test by Snaphunt -- a global hiring platform. The test established that I am, above all: a Team Player, Adaptable, and Innovative. You may click on the test for a closer look -- or right-click to save. OBSERVATION: These characteristics would be typically Congregational.

Cause of Church Conflict

I met a Church consultant once -- whom I asked the ultimate question: “What is the cause of Church conflict?” He said, “It’s ownership. People passionately own their beliefs. They say, ‘It’s my Church, and God is invited,’ rather than, ‘It’s God’s Church, and I’m invited.’” OBSERVATION: Another way of putting this is: the Church is controlled by the Holy Spirit. But people seek to muscle in on that. Someone once said to me, "We want our old Church back." Firstly, I was the wrong person to talk to. The Church was shaped by the Holy Spirit. Secondly, the old Church is what the Holy Spirit created then -- but now, He created something new.

The Giving of the Poor

Throughout my ministr(ies), I have said don't ignore those who give little -- or can only give little. There is an unwritten rule of ministry: your overall giving is only as strong as that of the poorest. There are various reasons why the giving of the poor matters:

• It matters in the Bible

• The people who give little create a different spirit in the Church

• They crowd the pews, and create a "buzz"

• They increase a Church's diversity in various ways (age, status, culture, and so on)

• They broaden a Church's understanding of spiritual needs

• They broaden a Church's understanding of physical needs

• Their presence means that a Church emphasises "equal" giving

• And all of this simply has God's blessing upon it

OBSERVATION: The mathematical mind might count it up and say that the giving of the poor is nothing. However, the giving of the poor is worth far more than it seems. 

Invention 47: Bottle Whistle

My inventions might seem daft ideas, some of them, but bear in mind that many of my past ideas have gone into production. My latest idea: all fizzy drinks have some pressure. Some have enormous pressure -- such as, locally, the Three Men Beverage Co., or Tsitsikamma Water. Often they will wheeze as one opens the cap. One could accentuate this by placing a miniature whistle inside the cap. On opening a bottle, it would emit a loud whistle. One could even have multiple whistles in one cap, or differently tuned whistles in different caps. A whistle could "keep on giving" by squeezing the bottle afterwards.

Salt Marshes

I took this photo a few minutes' walk from my home, in Cape Town's Table Bay Nature Reserve. These are salt marshes, of which one finds patches all over Cape Town. 

Profound Effect

One evening, there was yet another water stoppage (see the previous post). When one walks outside in the evening, in the township, one hears insects chirruping, and dogs barking, one hears music thumping, and children playing. One hears people shouting from house to house. One sees the smoke of many fires rising in the sky. One sees the lights of small houses across the township. I stepped outside during the water stoppage. There were dogs barking, and insects chirruping. But there were no children playing. No smoke rising into the sky. No shouting from house to house. No lights. No music thumping. OBSERVATION: The effect of a water stoppage on the township was profound. The township was dead. I thought, The Council should be here to witness this.

Water Stoppages

This one is not for sensitive readers. I just spent a few weeks in Eastern Cape Townships. During this time, the water -- throughout the townships -- stopped bang, several times. Someone asked me, Didn't you hear, someone went round with a megaphone to warn of a water stoppage? Well, I didn't hear. And they won't tell one when they will turn it on again. There are of course more clever ways of informing people of drastic action apart from a megaphone. Besides which, how does a bundle of townships sensibly get by without water? People really, really need water for all kinds of things. OBSERVATION: One might suggest, put some water aside, fill up a drum, or something. But then a youngster seizes the water (as in fact happened), and makes a bath for herself, and there is none left to spare. During one water failure, a child vomited, put her hands to her mouth, then smeared vomit all over. There was little water to clean it up. Someone said to me, "The Council doesn't care a stuff about the populace." It seems to me to be a gradual decline. An isolated water failure can be a shock, but repeated water failures give the impression of a decline in the quality of life.