The US dollar is almost at parity with the Euro. This is a rare situation, experienced last for a few months around the time of the millennium. In its simplest terms it signals that sentiment favours the USA over Euroland as an investment destination. Presumably the war in Ukraine is a major factor being considered by those making this choice. However, it is strange that the plummeting public approval ratings for team Gaga and Giggle in the White House is not a greater concern. Maybe the smart money knows and trusts the people in the background calling the shots for the USA. Did you see how even the Easter Bunny interposed itself between the President and a pesky probing questioner. The spooks are everywhere!
The government appears to have woken up to the fact that the 2022 Census may not be achieving its objectives. Messages and pop-ups of encouragement to take part, infest the internet. Slated to end in the middle of next month, this exercise to find out how many people live within our borders seems to have started ages ago. But in common with many others, Tidemarks is not sure that the fact that he owns a washing machine and has a landline phone has been properly recorded.
Those people that you see with their noses buried in their phones became very excited this week by the news that ownership of Twitter had changed. This is a rather cleverly named computer program (“app”, to the cognoscenti) that anyone can use freely to share their opinions, prejudices and sense of humour with someone who cares and untold millions who don’t. Twitter is a very popular app (short for application - ugh) among dozens of this genre (social media – more ugh) and is a good place to start when searching for crazies, bigots and extremists of every stripe. Sometimes the opinions offered offend the owner/controller or one of his friends and just like in the days of newspapers, (remember them?) the publisher can delete the Tweet and even ban (cancel – another ugh) the Twitterer altogether. Whether this actually constitutes an infringement of any relevant Freedom of Speech legislation is moot. Twitter’s new owner is now Elon Musk, the Pretoria-born and brought up boytjie whose talents and achievements are extremely impressive, dwarfed only by his ability to rustle up over a weekend the $44bn to cover this purchase. Elon has already announced that the company will filter out only illegal contributions. Let’s see how that works out! There is no limit to man’s ability to be evil. Equally interesting will be the financial return on this investment. Just like Tidemarks there is no subscription fee to read Twitter!
It is reported that China would like to build a highspeed train service between Joburg and Durban. What a splendid and generous idea. Presumably Chinese taxpayers will fund the project wont they? Everyone knows that if an SA outfit tried that trick, the money and the railway lines would go missing at about the same rate. Presumably the focus for this project is freight. Passengers for this 600km route are already served by flights that take about 45 minutes and an express train service with a best time of 14h30m. This is an average speed about 41kph. Goods trains go even slower. Google reveals that there are bullet trains in China that attain average speeds in excess of 300kph. Have the designers been told that there is an 1800m elevation change between the two cities? Based on pictures and movies on the internet the Chinese are very bold and innovative transport designers. This is going to be great fun to watch.
The United Rugy Championship seems to be taking a second wind now that the Northeners have ventured to the southern tip. Unfortunately, there are still officials in SA issuing decrees about how many people can participate and even watch sports events and this doesn’t help the public relations. Neither does the allegedly abysmal refereeing which has inspired some utterly brilliant sports writing that implies and hints about this aspect of the matches. Perhaps it was never considered that the Stormers and the Sharks could be this high up the table?
James Greener
Friday 29th April 2020.
