Beauty Tips by Snoopy:
Can’t argue with logic like that. I might have to give it go.
Category: learning curve
Cape Town: Big Bangs Theories
We like to help out our local readers here in Cape Town, much as we like to help out our readers all over the world. But especially in Cape Town because Cape Town is home and Capetonians need more help than a lot of people.
Take the annual road closures for the State Opening of Parliament. First off, this is an annual event and it also happens every year. We’re warned about it in the newspapers, on Facebook, twitter, radio and TV. And then on blogs too.
It never does any good. The flood of warnings, I mean, not Parliament.
(Let’s save that discussion for another day, shall we?)
Somehow, the message doesn’t get through and then there’s panic on the streets of Cape Town; Gardens, Green Point, Waterkant. I wonder to myself.
Anyway, I’m going to try again. No road closures this time, just some big bangs early in the morning, as Cape Town welcomes the British frigate HMS Iron Duke into the harbour:
The South African Navy will welcome a British Royal Navy ship to Cape Town in grand style.
The HMS Iron Duke will receive a 21 gun salute when it nears Robben Island around 7:30 tomorrow morning.
21 guns is some welcome. The Iron Duke only gave the Lt Governor of Jersey a 15 gun salute as she passed by the Channel Islands in June. The SA Navy is going all out with a mighty 40% increase on gun salutage – and HMS Iron Duke will respond in kind:
The Navy’s Chief Petty Officer, Dudley Malgas says the Signal Hill Noon Gun will be used in a 21 gun salute to welcome the HMS Iron Duke.
“They will follow with their 21 gun salute, and we will then respond with our 21 gun salute.”
I’m already a bit lost. Does this mean 42 bangs or 63? Never has my 21 times table been so widely used.
Either way, it’s going to be very noisy and very early and people in Cape Town are going to get very panicky. No amount of forewarning will have any effect and everyone in the CBD will think that Burundi is invading. Again.
But spread the word anyway. Be that one that can say: “Er… yeah. Didn’t you read that blog post I shared? Damn, you’re just so underinformed sometimes.” or whatever. And ask them if they are know about the road closures for the State Opening of Parliament in February. They won’t.
In case you were wondering, here’s why we have 21 gun salutes:
The custom stems from naval tradition, where a warship would fire its cannons harmlessly out to sea, until all ammunition was spent, to show that it was disarmed, signifying the lack of hostile intent. As naval customs evolved, 21 guns came to be fired for heads of state, with the number decreasing with the rank of the recipient of the honour.
And, as some added DVD extras: here’s some info on HMS Iron Duke, and here’s the video to Sometimes by Liverpool rockers Sound of Guns.
Sound of Guns. Geddit?
Thanks Ani
Swedish sightseeing
I’ve only been to Sweden once and even then, I didn’t get very far into Sweden. Still, the little bit of Sweden that I did get into was very nice and it made me think that if I ever got the opportunity to get into a bit more of Sweden, then that would be something I would like to do.
Thus, since that opportunity has yet to arise, I have been exploring the country online. The best way to do this is to get a local guide to take through some of the best urban and countryside areas. And here, in the video for her song Out of Mind, Swedish songstress Tove Lo (you may remember her from such hits as Stay High) demonstrates several of the wonderful sights you can expect to enjoy when visiting her country.
True, for the first minute or so, you don’t get to see much of Sweden, because it’s mainly shot in a grey studio with her wearing a loosely fitting crop top and some underwear, but don’t let that put you off, because after that, she ventures outside onto a bridge in… maybe Stockholm or some other city. Whatevs.
I’m guessing by her continued skimpy attire that it’s during summer, which is probably when I would choose to visit, so it’s really helpful stuff.
Also, I have to find out where the shot at 1:27 is taken from too, because just look at that view. LOOK AT IT!
And then we head out into the local woodland, where Tove demonstrates the opportunities for trail running in her Scandinavian homeland. What a great place to run.
And while the light filtering through the silver birches (yes, I know they’re pine trees, but poetic licence, ok?) is fairly spectacular and will surely be a distraction, I’d suggest that it’s hugely important not to take your eyes off the undulating mounds while you’re there.
Lest you should… fall. Or something.
And on that safety first approach, I’d suggest wearing some appropriate training shoes for added grip as well. And maybe some shorts, in case of… upper thigh sunburn. But it’s really up to you, as our hostess demonstrates.
Sweden, hey? It looks just great.
New Commonwealth Games event unlikely to be popular
Google Now was already great and it continues to get steadily better as well. I’m also reliably informed that when one is in a developed country, rather than a developing one, Google Now is even more useful. I will report on this next time I find myself in such a position.
Still, like all young technologies, Now is still going through a few teething problems and while it’s hit the nail on the head as far as my footballing preferences go, the link below that also demonstrates that it’s not perfect just yet.
The story is question is this one from Newport in Melbourne, Australia.
Having read through it, I can see absolutely no link with the Commonwealth Games whatsoever, so I’m really not sure why Now thought that there was any connection.
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