Nelson Mandela’s “Aides” concert

Was it only me, or did Nelson Mandela’s appearance on stage in Hyde Park seem somewhat orchestrated?

What concerned me most was the prompting from his female companion who held his arm throughout the process. She guided him onto the stage, and then, in a loud stage-whisper, said “Wave to them, Pappa”. Of course, the crowd went wild,  cheering him like a hero. After he had read his speech which was obviously written for him, his aide again prompted him: “Wave now, Pappa”.

Yes, he is nearly 90. A man of that age certainly does need help to get around. The question I found myself asking,  though, is why he is seen as such a hero, saviour, “Father of a Nation”. I came across this article which asks similar questions about other so-called “heroes”

I also found myself questioning the nature of the Fund Raising effort – Mandela is good at stirring up guilt amongst particularly white -oriented countries. Showing pictures of babies with aids, starving children. Laying the guilt trip. Is that why the concert was held in London, I wonder. It must have raised a good deal of money. A phone number was given out where you could send Mandela a birthday message. It would cost you R20. My question is of course, who is getting that money – the telephone companies? Is it really going to where it is meant to go – Somehow I doubt it. If all the money received from these concerts were really reaching the AIDS patients, I am pretty sure there would be a decrease in the number of people suffering from this disease.  I have a sneaking suspicion though that a large portion of it may  actually be going to Mandela’s  “Aides” – those cronies and sycophants surrounding him.

There was just something strange about the woman accompanying him that night…..

Time for a new Waffle-maker

Why would you want to compare waffle-makers? I suppose with elections looming Americans may have a tough choice here.
Maybe it will come down to this- which one looks best in your cabinet.
If you fancy a dark, sexy, slim-line, rather serious model, look no further than the Krups 65475 WaffleChef Waffle Maker, which according to reviews,”works great, looks attractive, stands on end, cooks 4 waffles at once.” Sounds like a good deal to me.
I suppose the VillaWare 5555-15 Pooh and Tigger Waffle-Maker could give some stiff opposition, making waffles that “turn out nice and brown” – what more could you want? And it’s nice and cheap too at a mere $40.
I guess if you prefer your waffle on the lighter side, have a look at the Hamilton Beach 26200 Flip ‘n Fluff Belgian Waffle Maker, which makes a waffle which is “easy to handle (cool-touch exterior),wonderful, airy, and delicately crispy.
Another of the Hamilton Brands, round and white on the outside gives you waffles whcih turn out perfect, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. And it has a lovely wide smile to greet you as it stands firmly on your cabinet.
You may find you are disappointed with the Toastmaster TWB2 Cool Touch Belgian Waffle Maker, though. It seems that it got some bad reviews -69 Users “Dislike It ” mainly because if you “overfill it a lot, and it gets all over the white, well then that will take a little scrubbing with a scrub pad.” Will that bring out all the white again, one might ask? I doubt it as the Waffle Iron is decidedly black all over, and will certainly stay that way, no matter how much scrubbing you do. Pity though – seems like the Price is right – at $17, maybe you can buy a whole lot – just throw them away if they get dirty and replace it with another one in your cabinet…..

Earn money with social networking!

Yes- it is actually possible to make money with social networking. I was intensely sceptical about this a year or so ago when I first discovered Digg and StumbleUpon as a major networking force. Since I became an active stumbler I have made many friends and contacts and have discovered some amazing Art sites – my particular passion in life.

As a struggling artists myself – unknown and invisible in the vast matrix that is the artnet and also having the major disadvantage of being older than the average stumbler (I am 55 years old) – I have been forced to find ways of making money other than selling my paintings which only appeal to a small niche. The world of successful artists is growning ever smaller, as paintings on the wall are no longer trendy. Performance art, or “extreme art” is much more successful. You have to resort to foul means to get noticed in the Art world – hanging a dog up by the neck in a Gallery and watching it die seems to create the necessary sensational response and suddenly you are a “name”. Now I don’t intend to ever resort to such disgusting behaviour ever – I personally think that person should be put away in some kind of institution. So, having taken that stand I will probably never be “Known”.

So, rather than risking my personal integrity, but nevertheless wishing to make at least some small money to cover my networking account, I was interested when I received a link offering to pay me for stumbling other peoples’ Stumbles and Diggs. This intrigued me as I am quite an addict at this. I love reading the weird and whacky articles and sometimes there are some brilliant articles on environmental issues as well as the endless US political shennanigans. Something for everyone, really. I signed up for “Subvertandprofit” and was sent a few links to stumble and Digg. , don’t get too excited – you won’t earn huge bucks here as in the beginning you will only be sent a few links to stumble. But I am beginning to notice my account is gradually looking fatter and what is better than earning money for merely reading. You must be careful to add a comment though, otherwise you can get banned I believe. This has not happenend to me, but I don’t get many offers anyway, so have been careful.

Please follow this link if you want to give it a go – you have nothing to lose and will learn a lot of interesting stuff in the process.

Good Luck and Success to YOU!