Behold the Corporate Sloth!

I have wanted to write this for ages but never got around to it. Now running my own business, I am painfully aware of this ‘animal’s’ existence within the corporate environment. It’s the corporate sloth.
If you review the Wikipedia definition of a sloth you will see that ‘they move only when necessary and very slowly. They can move at a marginally higher speed if they are in immediate danger from a predator’… [or boss]. ‘Sloths are among the most somnolent animals, sleeping from 15 to 18 hours each day’…..

Yip a perfect description for these people. They are the type that lie dormant hoping they are not noticed. Their aim seems to simply be to collect a salary at the end of the month and they try their best to remain as anonymous as possible… a kind of shadow. They 'thrive' within the massive corporate layers of bureaucracy. No-one notices them until they have to deal with them that is! It will then take so long to get them out of the system that people sometimes work around them.. They feel no guilt! Who are these people, how do they sleep at night?

Think hard…..I can guarantee you will quickly identify someone in your company that appears to fit the slothlike profile! [That’s if you work in a corporate – small companies are less likely to carry them]…I just hope that I don’t bump into to many of these on my travels…they are not my favourite!

The unhealthy state of our nation...

I can’t help but comment on the unhealthy situation in our Health Dept. I have until now, attempted to be balanced when it comes to my view of Manto but surely NOW she should just be graceful and step down? The list of faux pas seems to have become too long and the reality is that health is one of the key challenges we face in this country. Is this lady physically [or mentally] fit for the challenge? We need passion, energy, commitment, logic and action in the health department.
The moment the nutrition vs anti-retros came up 2 years ago, the president should have realized that there was a problem. The deptartment is clearly in crisis when it comes to meeting expectations/objectives. Does gov. not have performance criteria?

There is now enough scientific proof to favour anti-retrovirals [nutrition is of course very NB in the fight, but not alone!]. I was pretty shocked to see that there actually is a site called Sack Manto. Does this not indicate the desperation people are feeling? This is now no longer funny. What makes me a little irratated is that Manto is a public servant that clearly no longer has mass credibility [unless I have missed something?]. She should step down until an investigation proves otherwise [can perceptions be changed here though?]. I personally feel like my taxes are paying for a 'bad employee' to sit on the payroll. It seems that no matter what facts are presented no action is taken? Why? Does anyone know another side that is not being reported?

You just have to read a few of her comments to see there is some truth to what is being reported by the media. Why does the president stand behind her? It seems he has developed a pattern of stubbornness [or dictatorship?] that is odd to say the least (Mug-abe is another one standing under Mbeki’s umbrella). I just wish I could understand his logic here? If the president would communicate, we may understand this story for his side? BUT then again, who are we… the simple minions that dare have a say when it comes to the future of this country… why listen to us…?

Shuttleworth's a cool geek..

Ok… I know I have been scarce on the blogging front!!! Sorry.. had a really busy 2 weeks…..
I was fortunate enough to meet Mark Shuttleworth recently. I have to say I was impressed. Not sure what I expected [from a famous oke], but in reality he seems to be a friendly normal dude who is more interested in you than talking about himself! He was keen to share what he had learnt in life and I thought I would share some of what he chatted about. He recons that curiosity and perseverance are 2 traits he has seen in successful people he has met worldwide. He mentioned that from space the earth looks very populated and the atmosphere very fragile. [SO BLOODY LOOK AFTER IT..!] He still professes to be a ‘geek’… lets be honest geeks are cool nowdays! His favourite magazines are The Economist and some other science mag I have never heard of…….
He wants to make heros out of talented SA kids by inspiring them and showing them the importance of maths, sciences and technology using his brand HIP2B2 …..

So in a nutshell this is one cool ‘geek’ and the best thing is he is South African!!!

Cool coffee places...

You know me and my quest to find cool places to eat and hang out! Well there is a very cool new centre on the corner of Third and Seventh Ave (Parktown North - JHB). If you like food and cool coffee places you have to go and visit this centre! It even has a Vida!

A modern day Da Vinci?

There is an architect/sculptor/designer [not sure what to classify him as] in the UK called Thomas Heatherwick. It is not often that I am blown away by talent but I cannot believe that this guy has such a diverse range of talents in the design fields. I would go so far as to say he reminds me a little of a modern day Leonardo! [OK…OK he is very talented across multi-disciplines similar to Mr Da Vinci]. Icon wrote a great article about him and I have a feeling that he will end up being a legend in the design arena. There is simply something about him, he just seems so normal. For all those interested in design… watch this space this guy is making waves.