Phuza Thursday

MySpace Sold To Ad Network For $35 Million – The day that the web has been buzzing about has finally come: MySpace has been sold, to an advertising network called Specific Media for a mere $35 million. Rupert Murdoch originally bought it in 2005 for $580 million. Skinny loss. [mashable]

Federer Knocked Out Of Wimbledon After Two Set Lead – Little comes easily for Federer anymore, even at the All England Club, where he’s won six of his record 16 major championships. Before Wednesday, Federer was 178-0 when taking the first two sets of a Grand Slam match. Now he’s 178-1, thanks to Tsonga. [ocala]

France Armed Libyan Rebels - France confirmed on Wednesday that it had provided weapons to the Libyan rebels, the first instance of a NATO country giving direct military aid to the forces seeking to oust Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. [nytimes]

Monaco Wedding Still On - The only time Charlene Wittstock came close to an aircraft was to fly to Paris to buy a hat and shoes for her wedding, her father, Mike, said yesterday – from Benoni on the East Rand. [timeslive]

Turtles Shut Down JFK Airport – Love is in the air at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. More than 150 turtles crossed over an active runway and disrupted air traffic on Wednesday so that they could continue their mating season. [cnn]

Overweight Ozzie Woma About To Become Richest Person In The World – Gina Rinehart is far from a household name in the U.S., but she will be soon if Citigroup’s projections are correct. She’ll also be the richest person in the world, eclipsing the fortunes of well-known billionaires like Carlos Slim, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. [forbes]

Tom Petty Tells Presidential Candidate To Stop Using His Song - Tom Petty, apparently doesn’t cotton to Republican presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann using one of his songs for her campaign. She used Petty’s 1977 song “American Girl” and Petty responded with a cease-and-desist order. [onlinenews]

Kate Middleton Wimbledon Dress Sold Out – Kate and Wills visited Wimbledon this week, to take in a bit of the Andy Murray action going down. Kate wore a new white dress which, after her arrival, sold out on the internet within half an hour. Fact. Click to check it out. [popyacollar]

Hackers Cripple Al Qaeda Network – Computer hackers shut down al-Qaeda’s ability to communicate its messages to the world through the Internet, interrupting the group’s flow of videos and communiqués, according to a terrorism expert. [msnbc]

Tiger Woods Gets New Endorsement Deal For Heat Rub – Tiger Woods has signed a three-year deal to promote a Japanese pain reliever, his first endorsement since he was caught in a sex scandal toward the end of 2009. Woods already has filmed commercials for “Vantelin Kowa,” a heat rub used to relieve muscle and joint pain. [espn]

Saudi Police Detain Five Woman For Driving - The religious police in Saudi Arabia arrested five women on Tuesday for driving in defiance of a ban on women getting behind the wheel in the conservative kingdom, according to activists and local media reports.  [intheraldtrib]

Denise Richards Adopts Baby Girl - Denise Richards has adopted a baby gir! The 40-year-old actress, who has two daughters with ex-husband Charlie Sheen, adopted her new daughter domestically. “Eloise Joni Richards is named after Denise’s mom (Joni), and Denise and her daughters Sami and Lola chose the name Eloise.” [justjared]

Toyota To Recall 82,200 Cars In US – Toyota Motor Corp. said today it will recall about 82,200 hybrid SUVs in the United States after government investigators opened an investigation into stalling. The Japanese automaker said it will recall 45,528 2006-2007 Toyota Highlander hybrids and 36,745 Lexus RX500h models. [detnews]

What Does An ATM Receipt With $100 Million Look Like - Dealbreaker got hold of an ATM receipt and traced it to its owner, hedgefund manager David Tepper. It is genuine and it shows a balance a few dollars short of $100 Million. No doubt it will gain interest overnight and get back on track. [dealbreaker]

Thursday Is “Vote For Table Mountain” Day - Table Mountain is at the bottom of the final 28, in the running to be one of the new seven wonders of nature. Table Mountain needs YOU to vote at least every Thursday. We need 30 million votes to make the final 7.  You can vote on the website or by SMSing the word ‘table’ to 34874 (SMS cost R2). You can vote once on the website and as many times as you want on SMS. come on, gang, let’s do this thing!  [votefortablemountain.com]

Nedbank – ‘Make Nothing Happen’

A strange number has appeared on the screen of my phone, twice a day, every day this week. I left it – as I do most phone calls – because I was/am usually doing something at the time. And even if I’m doing nothing, that does qualify as doing something these days. My voicemail message notifies the caller that they must not leave a message, but should rather SMS me or email me.
The eighth call from the same number this week, came through just a few minutes ago (I’m currently high on adrenalin) and I answered it, perplexed as to why the caller was unable to follow through with basic instructions.
Turns out it was Nedbank.
Turns out Sipho, who handles FOREIGN EXCHANGE at Nedbank in Sea Point, is not allowed to have a bank email address.

HE HANDLES INTERNATIONAL FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND DEALS WITH CLIENTS IN THE BANK AND DOES NOT HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS.

I find that phenomenal.

A recent photograph taken at Nedbank in Sea Point

Sipho needed a document from me, so I gave him a website address, which details my physical address, as well as a handly map and parking instructions.
Guess what, THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO ON THE INTERNET.
AT ALL.
He informed me that they had an inTRAnet.
Wonderful.
That’s like saying you don’t play golf BUT you have thrashed Tiger Woods on the Nintendo Wii.
Someone in the bank handling foreign exchange and dealing with clients in the year 2011 – with no email address? It’s actually so embarrassing it’s verging on hilarity.
Please, Nedbank – get a grip…

Chinese Government Road Inspection Officials’ Photoshop Fail: HAHAHA

The Chinese often find ingenious ways of rectifying problems, but they’ve gone too far this time. A badly doctored image of government officials inspecting a new road in Huili, a modest county in a rural corner of south-west China, has produced some exquisite viral images indicating the public’s displeasure with being lied to.
The issue began on Monday when three local officials where “shown” inspecting a newly completed road construction project earlier in the month. The photograph, at the top of this post, unquestionably showed the men, and the road, but they appear to be levitating above the tarmac.
The image was shown on Huili’s local government website and it didn’t take long before the PR department began receiving disgruntled calls about the obviously fake photo. The explanation: the unnamed photographer decided his original pictures were not suitably impressive and so he decided to stitch two together.
A Huili official explained to the state-run Xinhua news agency:

A government employee posted the edited picture out of error… The county government understands the wide attention, and hope to apologise for and clarify the matter.

Even officials hurriedly joined the hugely popular Sina Weibo social media website to post an explanation, but, alas, it was too late and a new internet meme was born. [Source: TheGuardian]

Duchess of Cambridge attends the Wimbledon

As the new royal patron of Wimbledon, the Duchess of Cambridge is taking her duties increasingly seriously as this year’s tournament unfolds.  Not the least of her responsibilities, it seems, is joining in with the odd Mexican wave in the stands.
Kate got into the proverbial swing of things at the start of the second week of the 2011 tournament yesterday.  She and Prince William were spotted in the tennis crowd thorougly enjoying themselves. Although Will was less enthusiastic about the Mexican wave.

[Source: Mirror]

Could this really be Kenny Kunene's South African Mansion?

 

Ooooops, not! This house is situated in 9909 Beverly Grove, in LA, California

Another Zuma relative nets R1m

THE BUSINESS: One of the Gcaba brothers, Mandla, whose company was awarded a R859 560 contract to organise transport for this year s Police Day celebrations. 

Another family member of President Jacob Zuma is caught-up in an SAPS payment storm after he was paid about R1 million as a transport consultant for a job that could have been done for free by the police supply chain management.

The Sunday Independent can today reveal that the SAPS outsourced the procurement of transport for the Police Day event held in Soweto on January 28 to Amandla Emicabango Investments (AEI), a company owned by Mandlakapheli Eric Gcaba, for R859 560. On top of the payment AEI was to charge a 10 percent administrative handling fee on all transport vehicles procured and used for the event. The job was not advertised or contested by other firms. [iol]

Zuma Incorporated business Interests

 


Here are the business interests of "Zuma Incorporated" -- of President Jacob Zuma and his women, children and other close relatives -- as far as we could identify them from public sources.

There are likely to be some inaccuracies, many gaps, as well as stories to tell about what exactly these companies do. Have they landed contracts simply on the strength of the Zuma name? Do they do business with the state? There may also be close relatives we have not identified. [Mail&Guardian]

Monday Babalaz

David Cameron’s Local Tory Chairman Dead In Glastonbury Toilet -
David Cameron said he was “devastated” to hear of the death of Christopher Shale, his constituency chairman, who apparently committed suicide in a portable toilet at Glastonbury Festival. [telegraph]

New York Biggest State To Legalise Gay Marriage – Lawmakers voted late Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, making New York the largest state where gay and lesbian couples will be able to wed and giving the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born. [newyorktimes]

Walmart Immediately Cuts Prices- Six days after United States giant retailer Walmart completed its acquisition of a controlling stake in Massmart, it started advertising price cuts and new business opportunities for South Africa. An eight page colour advertisement in the Sunday Times newspaper was South Africa’s first introduction to the Walmart brand. [independent]

Zuma Warns NATO About Gaddafi Vibe- South African President Jacob Zuma on Sunday warned Nato against using its military campaign in Libya for the “political assassination” of Muammar Gaddafi, at the start of talks on the war. Zuma warned the alliance against overstepping its mandate. [mail&guardian]

The Winkelvoss Twins Ain’t Stopping- As the old saying goes, it ain’t over until it’s over. And Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss are not finished with Facebook yet. The dramatic seven-year legal feud that inspired “The Social Network” may have one last plot twist. The Olympic rowers are pressing their case in federal court in Boston that Facebook did not turn over important information during litigation. [latimes]

University Of Free State Gives Oprah Honorary Doctorate - A central South African university known for fraught race relations awarded an honorary education doctorate to Oprah Winfrey Friday, and her visit was welcomed as an acknowledgment of the progress the institution has made toward tolerance. [associated]

8-Year Old Girl Become Suicide Bomber Without Knowing - An eight-year-old Afghan girl was killed when a bag of explosives given to her by Taliban insurgents exploded as she approached a police outpost in southern Afghanistan. [rte]

New App Makes Facebook Look Like Excel Spreadsheet - Diesel has taken time away from making jeans for hot girls to continue its celebration of stupidity with its Be Stupid at Work app. The app makes Facebook look like an Excel spreadsheet, allowing you to continue circulating unfunny memes when you should be working. [adweek]

Seagull Video Camera Snatch Video Goes Viral – So this video has gone viral on the world wide web. It’s of a seagull stealing a GoPro video camera, while it is still recording. So the video is the footage taken in the sky, hanging from the seagull’s beak. It’s pretty rad – big debate about if it’s not a stunt by GoPro. [mashable]

Homeless Man Late To Pick up Large Inheritance – A homeless man who disappeared on his way to collect a $100,000 inheritance has finally turned up – saying the bus to New York broke down. He was expected in Albany bus station yesterday where his cousin Richard Goldfarb was waiting. But when he failed to appear, Mr Goldfarb began to get worried.[dailymail]

Filipino Nurse Picks Up $34 Million Inheritance - A Filipino-American nurse who had become a “friend and loyal companion” to a reclusive copper mining heiress (Huguette Clark) has inherited $34 million from her late employer’s estate, while the heiress’ relatives will get nothing. [manilastandard]

Euromillions Lottery Jackpot Might Be ‘The Biggest Ever” - The Euromillions lottery has rolled over for a fourth time and is currently sitting at EUR1 134 Million. In Rands, that comes to R1.3 Billion. The draw for that money is on Tuesday night. You can buy tickets to the Euromillions lottery safely and securely online at.. [2oceansvibeLOTTOS]

Scientists Use Maths To Find HIV Achilles Heel – Scientists using a powerful mathematical tool previously applied to the stock market have identified an Achilles heel in HIV that could be a prime target for AIDS vaccines or drugs. The research adds weight to a provocative hypothesis—that an HIV vaccine should avoid a broadside attack and instead home in on a few targets. [wallstreetjournal]

Daniel Craig Marries Rachel Weisz – Bond star Daniel Craig has married Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz, Craig’s publicist has confirmed. Craig, 43, the sixth actor to play the coveted secret agent role, is reported to have married Weisz, 41, at a private ceremony in New York. [bbc]

Lulzsec Hackers Disbanding – LulzSec, which gained wide recognition for breaching the websites of Sony Corp, the CIA and a British police unit among other targets, said in a statement that it had accomplished its mission to disrupt corporate and government bodies for entertainment. The group announced it was disbanding on Saturday. [reuters]

Chris Brown And Rihanna Back In The Mix – “You got that pic I sent you?” That’s the tweet that is going to be heard ’round the world this week. Chris Brown shot the 140 characters or less over to his ex-girlfriend Rihanna over the weekend, but removed the post — most likely meant for Direct Message via Twitter. [popeater]

You Simply Cannot Pass On R1.3Billion (Cannot Believe It’s Another Rollover!)

We often joke about only entering the Euromillions lottery, when the jackpot hits One Billion Rand – as if the ‘little’ R500 million draws aren’t worth the effort! So for all of you out there who only enter “the big ones” - this is one of the biggest Euromillions jackpots OF ALL TIME. They don’t often get this massive. Just click here and you will see our past lottery articles. This is indeed a rare moment.
The Euromillions lottery has rolled over for another week. Tuesday’s draw is holding a possible € 132 Million winner. In Rands, it works out to exactly R1.29 Billion. But that will fluctuate throughout the day by a couple million every 15 minutes, as the exchange rates change.
These are my numbers:

Click here to buy your EuroMillions tickets safely and securely online.
By the way, that image above is from the inside of a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ). I was browsing online and have chosen the leather and seat configuration for my jet – which I will order after I win.

Michelle Obama Departs Cape Town

First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, has departed Cape Town at around 08h45 this morning, after touring the Mother City as part of a broader visit to South Africa.

Thank God It's Friday

Michelle Obama Grabs Bite To Eat In Woodstock – During her whirlwind tour of South Africa, US First Lady Michelle Obama, who is in the country with her mother and two daughters, stopped by to eat salad and drink lemonade and ice tea at the popular deli and restaurant The Kitchen, situated in Sir Lowry Road in Woodstock on Thursday. [channel24]

DA Drops Arms Deal Bomb – The DA has released documents purporting to show that Fana Hlongwane, adviser to late defence minister Joe Modise, was paid more than R150-million for work related to the arms deal after he had left the government’s employ. One set of documents bears the initials “FH” on each page. [timeslive]

Twitter To Add Promoted Tweets To Your Timeline - Twitter is looking at introducing advertisements among the short messages that users see in the most active part of the social networking service. The move to place “promoted tweets” in the main “stream” of tweets on the service is likely to be controversial with users who have seen only limited and unobtrusive marketing messages so far in Twitter’s five-year history. [financialtimes]

Nirvana ‘Nevermind’ To Be Re-Released - Nirvana’s Nevermind turns 20 on September 24, and the band’s label, Universal, is planning to celebrate the milestone anniversary of the landmark release with a bonus-packed reissue. The set will be a 4-CD/1-DVD package, featuring rarities, B-sides, and unreleased recordings. [spin]

Serena Williams Hints At Wimbledon Sexism – Serena Williams wonders why she and her older sister Venus have played once each on Court 2 at Wimbledon this year – instead of Centre Court or Court 1. “They like to put us on Court 2 – me and Venus – for whatever reason,” Serena said. “I haven’t figured it out yet. Maybe one day we’ll figure it out.” [stuff]

Bin Laden Cellphone Reveals Clues – The cellphone of Osama bin Laden’s trusted courier, which was recovered in the raid that killed both men in Pakistan last month, contained contacts to a militant group that is a longtime asset of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, senior American officials who have been briefed on the findings say. [nytimes]

Feds Launch probe Of Google - Federal regulators are poised to hit Google Inc. with subpoenas, launching a broad, formal investigation into whether the Internet giant has abused its dominance in Web-search advertising,. The civil probe, which has the potential to reshape how companies compete on the Internet, is the most serious legal threat yet to the 12-year-old company. [wallstreetjournal]

Usher Wants Pippa Middleton To Model New Lingerie Line – Usher has his eyes set on Pippa Middleton–sister of Kate Middleton aka Prince William’s new royal wife–to model his upcoming lingerie line! R&B star Usher is set to release his first ladies lingerie line this summer. [popeater]

World’s Longest Passenger Plane On Show In Paris - The latest version of Boeing’s iconic jumbo jet, the 747-8, is making its debut at the Le Bourget air show in Paris. The new model is the world’s longest passenger plane and can seat 467 people, 51 more than the older jumbo. The original 747 made its maiden flight 42 years ago. [bbc]

YouTube Video Confirms Vancouver Riot Kissing Couple Picture [Video] - Haven’t had enough of this, the romance of the ages, the Vancouver Kissing Couple? Well, footage has popped up on YouTube showing what happened before and after the iconic photo — and highlighting the terror of the riots. [mashable]

Mobster Bulger Had $800,00 In Cash And 30 Guns – More than $800,000 in cash, 30 firearms and fake IDs were found at the Santa Monica, California, apartment of fugitive mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, who will be taken to Boston to face a string of charges, including multiple murders, the FBI said Thursday. [cnn]

Justin Bieber Tackled In Manhattan – An unidentified man leaped over a barrier and knocked Justin Bieber to the ground outside the Macy’s in Manhattan’s Herald Square early yesterday afternoon. This isn’t the first time Bieber has been attacked at a public event. Back in May, the singer was egged by audience members at a concert in Sydney, Australia. Epic. [rollingstone]

Woman Dies Of Heart Attack At Own Funeral

It’s bizarre enough when a person is declared dead for whatever reason, but then somehow miraculously wakes up from this death to surprise everyone. Obviously, it isn’t the kind of thing that happens very often. Now, a Russian woman has had a heart attack at her own funeral upon waking up and seeing the mourners that were attending it.[Source: DailyMail]

Michelle Obama Goes Bos!

Check out the First Lady of the United States freaking out in glee over the Bos Ice Tea on her lunch table in Woodstock yesterday. Ja. You know it.